Chapter 534

Zhou Mountain Realm, Haojing City. Lan

Over twenty thousand years of time, Haojing City has undergone rounds of expansion, appearing from afar in the royal lands like a colossal entity standing at the horizon, as if level with the celestial pole.

The magnificent immortal city resembles the realm of immortals and gods.

Countless lights fall from the heavens above, the void displacement arrays surrounding the immortal city, and even the realm-displacement grand array, operate without cease.

One can also see rows upon rows of cultivators brimming with iron-blooded killing intent, mixed with deities, patrolling the surroundings.

In the distance, a stream of light hovers in the void, her body surrounded by faint red divine light flowing and turning; upon closer inspection, it seems as if countless motes of red dust have merged into her aura, flowing around her skirt, seven-colored immortal light, as if capable of obscuring the primordial spirits of endless living beings between heaven and earth.

In her eyes, the crimson pulse fire dragon above Haojing City grows ever larger.

Emperor Taiwu Zhang Zhao, inheriting the legacy left by the Great Xia Emperor, in a short time subdued numerous immortal sects and Dao lineages within the Five Divine Provinces, gradually dismantling the many feudal lords within the Great Xia Dynasty, absorbing them into the empire's vast power structure, and even making them willingly become the vanguard for the Great Xia Empire's expansion beyond the realm. Lan

Thanks to this, over twenty thousand years of rule have kept the Great Xia Empire's dominion at its zenith!

"The Emperor's vision is indeed sharp; this Martial Emperor, as crown prince, was silent and unassuming, but after ascending the throne became a mighty sovereign—under such an enlightened ruler, how could the Great Xia Dynasty not flourish for tens of thousands of years!"

The female immortal in colorful robes silently mused.

Yet in this vast empire, she too is a beneficiary.

Leveraging the convenience of the Great Xia Dynasty's governance over heaven and earth, she has also gradually perfected the power of this supreme treasure, the Utmost Bliss Immortal Spirit Map, giving rise within it to a vast Utmost Bliss Demon Realm.

Her Dao heart has been tempered by countless demonic thoughts, and her cultivation has likewise increased day by day.

And she has gradually touched upon a trace of the profound mystery of the Taiyi Realm. Lan

Deep within her brow, strands of Dao qi power are condensing, merging into a phantom Dao fruit.

The innate Dao qi she has comprehended, along with spirit, mind, and the obsessions of all beings, are somehow related.

Over twenty thousand years, her cultivation has advanced to this extent—not slow, yet compared to the other two national guardian immortals of the Great Xia Empire, Ji Shi inevitably feels some gloom.

The progress of Zhang Yi and Zhang Xian is truly too rapid.

Zhang Yi and Zhang Xian achieved True Immortality after her, yet in over twenty thousand years of cultivation, they have already come into contact with the Taiyi Dao Fruit, especially Zhang Yi, who prematurely crossed into the Taiyi Realm.

His innate wind and thunder power, even beyond the realm, has gained some renown.

After Zhang Xian attained completion of the innate Dao fetus body, he likewise encountered opportunities beyond the realm, progressing extremely swiftly, now only half a step from the Taiyi Realm. Lan

Ji Shi secretly sighed in her heart.

Yet it is precisely because of the existence of these three that the Great Xia Empire's situation can be suppressed, maintaining its expansionist grand strategy.

At this moment, her gaze falls upon Haojing City within; Haojing City should now be bustling.

After tens of thousands of years of wrangling, Emperor Taiwu Zhang Zhao has finally decided, among several true immortal princes, to select the crown prince.

These princes each have behind them the shadows of various factions; Emperor Taiwu Zhang Zhao, seeking to balance the situation, has been deeply troubled these years.

At this moment, Ji Shi's expression suddenly shifts—she sees, in the depths of the void, a stream of light suddenly tear through space: a messenger green falcon. This spirit beast possesses the bloodline of the green bird, flies at extreme speed, and is extremely loyal and reliable.

At this time, the green falcon drops a lump it had spat out into Ji Shi's hand; it does not depart, but instead flaps its wings in the void, its eyes rolling as it gazes at Ji Shi. Before she raises her hand, several core essence pills fly out; the green falcon cries joyfully, transforms into a blue whirlwind that sweeps up the pills, and moments later flies away.

Ji Shi, however, pays no heed to the bird; merely glancing at it, her wondrous eyes cannot suppress their ripples, her form becoming a stream of light as she flies toward the palace.

……

Tongshan Dao Lineage, Zhang Yi sits in the lower seat of the Slay Demon Hall, he sits arrogantly in the Grand Tutor's chair, one hand propping his head, eyes vacant, his mind already wandered beyond the heavens, while the head of the Slay Demon lineage, Yunzi Chu, seated above, is arranging the next expedition beyond the realm; seeing Zhang Yi's expression, he cannot help but secretly shake his head.

That this disciple is willing to return already gives him face; he does not demand this one be attentive.

At this moment, a blue stream of light tears through space outside the Slay Demon Hall, instantly seized precisely by Zhang Yi in one hand.

Unminded by the green falcon's impatience, he hangs it upside down by the leg, mischievously pouring out the message from its abdominal cavity; yet merely glancing at the message in his hand, Zhang Yi's eyes instantly brighten, and he immediately springs to spirit.

"The old man has reached beyond the realm!" Lan

He immediately transforms his form into a bolt of azure divine lightning, shooting straight out of the Slay Demon Hall, heedless of the immortals' gazes, only a voice floating in the hall.

"Everyone, the old man is returning—I must go meet him; this assembly shall be postponed to another day!"

"Old man?"

At this moment, the immortals in the hall, hearing this, are somewhat dazed, but soon seem to understand.

Naturally, no one else could be called "old man" by Zhang Yi.

Rather, it is the ancient and modern Holy King, the Human Emperor of Great Xia's State and Altar.

"The Fifth Junior Brother has arrived beyond the realm..." Lan

At this moment, atop the seat of the Slay Demon Hall's head, Yunzi Chu wears a Taiji lotus flower crown, dressed in Daoist robes, his face already of middle age, his aura vast and majestic, he has already attained True Immortality.

His Dao has already been accomplished for nearly ten thousand years.

At this moment, several other True Immortals in the hall also show joyful expressions.

Chi Jiang Daoist and Hua Wanzi, two elders of the Slay Demon Peak, both wear expressions of delight.

Chi Jiang Daoist rises and says.

"Headmaster Junior Brother, we must immediately inform the master!"

Yunzi Chu slightly nods, his gaze falling upon the aged face of Tiexin Daoist.

"Tiexin Uncle, please use the secret method to inform the master!" Lan

At this moment, Tiexin Daoist's brows also show some joy; he quickly nods.

……

In the imperial city, at this moment the immortals gather.

In the Imperial Study, Emperor Taiwu Zhang Zhao bears a solemn countenance; at this time he is already of middle age, though his face has turned into a more stern middle-aged appearance, his outstanding looks still cannot be concealed, but rather gain a few more touches of mature charm unique to middle age.

Seated upon the dragon throne, he bears no domineering aura, but rather elegance, full of scholarly grace, his eyes filled with the light of wisdom; yet considering this Taiwu Emperor's deeds over the years, none dare to slight this dignified Taiwu Emperor, instead feeling him like an ocean vast and deep, unfathomable.

Beside him, the Empress of the Central Palace, Shi Houhou, possesses a beautiful countenance, her entire body exuding an aura of maternal virtue for the world; behind her, the phoenix pattern condenses into a nine-headed divine phoenix, extraordinarily domineering. Lan

At this moment, gazing upon the immortals before the Imperial Study, each with distinct auras, Empress Shi Houhou smiles and says.

"Ancestral Master, Noble Consort, princes of the maritime domains—Father Emperor has indeed already returned; not long ago we received news from beyond the realm: Father Emperor appeared in the Qing Mountain Realm, and even brought back a mortal from a great realm; now the Qing Mountain Realm, within and without, has become lively!"

"Has A Yu mentioned how long he intends to stay?"

The deep eyes of the True Monarch of Slaying Demons rippled with waves, and beside him, the Ancestor of Purple Lightning also showed some surprise.

He received the news and hurried over in haste.

Upon hearing that Zhang Jian had remained in the Fire Cloud Cave Heaven for over twenty thousand years after entering the celestial realm, and that his cultivation had greatly increased upon emerging, it was already considered that he had achieved considerable fame in the celestial realm.

News spread from the Three Emperors' Celestial Realm that Zhang Jian might achieve the Dao Sovereign realm in less than a million years.

Achieving Dao Sovereign status in a million years is an extremely high evaluation.

The Ancestor of Purple Lightning was also very curious about this.

Zhang Zhao Wan smiled at the immortals' gazes.

"Our father emperor never mentioned this, but only instructed us to go beyond the realm to meet him!"

Zhang Yi spoke directly upon hearing this.

"What are we waiting for? Let us immediately take the trans-realm great formation to the Qing Shan Realm!"

He paused slightly, then continued.

"Based on my understanding of the old man, he would not return without reason; there must be good news!"

Upon hearing his words, the immortals could not help but suppress their laughter.

Zhang Xian glanced at his elder brother beside him; although this elder brother was carefree and unconcerned with trivialities, he was actually meticulous, and this time his words might indeed prove correct.

Zhang Jian had long paid attention to the mundane Great Xia Dynasty.

This time, the Great Xia Dynasty had already resolved its previous hidden dangers, so Zhang Jian actually had no need to descend in person.

Therefore, the likelihood of bestowing benefits upon the immortals was naturally very high.

Zhang Zhao smiled slightly and said.

"This is precisely the reason I sent the message to you all!"

Zhang Zhao's eyes glimmered with a hint of a smile, and there was also some anticipation in his gaze.

It was not for any benefit, but rather more so because he hoped to continue listening to his father emperor's teachings.

After becoming the Emperor of Great Xia, he realized how many precious intangible treasures Zhang Jian had left him.

Those thousands of years of instruction had invisibly resolved many problems for him.

And after twenty thousand years had passed, his inner doubts had multiplied, and he was even more eager to obtain Zhang Jian's guidance.

……

Qing Shan Realm is an ordinary realm.

It lies in the star river not far from the Zhou Shan Realm.

The vanguard army of the Zhou Shan Realm's expansion first occupied this realm.

Its value is not high, due to low source energy, thin spiritual energy, and it often remains in the Dharma-ending age.

Although there are cultivators within, their numbers are not many.

However, the Great Xia Dynasty intends to use this as a backup base for storing resources, and over the years has continuously expanded it, allowing its source energy to grow continuously and its spiritual energy to gradually recover.

After Zhang Jian arrived, he first reshaped a continent on one side of the Qing Shan Realm with great magical power; this continent lies distant from the other six lands of the Qing Shan Realm, then established a separate barrier, and only afterward released the numerous mortals and part of the immortals and gods from the Jade Liuli Realm, issuing instructions for them to follow the arrangements of the Great Xia Dynasty thereafter.

There are not few realms opened up by the Great Xia Dynasty, and settling these immortals and gods from the Jade Liuli Realm is no problem.

Zhang Jian prepares to take the elites of the Jade Liuli Realm; the remaining portion of the immortal sects' lineages will naturally be integrated into the Great Xia Dynasty's expansion army.

At this moment outside the Qing Shan Realm, numerous immortals stand arrayed around Zhang Jian; among them, the yellow-robed Daoist Huang Yuan, leaning on a staff and resembling an earth god, sweeps across this great realm.

"Although this realm has thin spiritual energy, it abounds in vitality and is very nourishing to living beings; to escape the Jade Liuli Realm and obtain such a realm as a foothold, we too can be considered fortunate!"

Beside them, Tian Ning Zi, Jiu Hai Daoist, and Tian Kui Daoist also nodded slightly, with a hint of joy in their eyes.

They recall the scene of the Jade Liuli Realm's collapse, still shaken in their dao hearts, unable to compose themselves.

That scene was truly too shocking.

Even many ancient immortals in this great calamity did not manage to escape.

They were fortunate to escape with their lives and possess a foothold; what more is there to say?

At this moment, Zhang Jian said.

"Increasing the source energy is actually not difficult!"

With a raise of his hand, a streak of flowing light appeared, and deep in his palm a pearl instantly emerged.

It was entirely crystalline and translucent, resembling carved jade, yet its entire surface was covered with countless intricate patterns.

This is a Pearl of Heavenly Dao Source Energy.

To some extent, it is also a special treasure of heaven and earth.

This object formed naturally from the Jade Liuli Realm after he left it.

Along this path, as he refined it, he gradually came to understand the marvels of this pearl.

It is the transformation of a point of heavenly dao spirituality from the Jade Liuli Realm, containing traces of the Jade Liuli Realm's myriad heavenly dao great dao laws.

The 'data backup' of the Jade Liuli Realm's heavenly dao great dao laws operating for many years is contained within it.

It is also part of the vitality left behind by the Jade Liuli Realm for itself.

Its existence cannot allow the Jade Liuli Realm to be reborn, but the various primordial qi and dao qi source energy it contains are sufficient to let a realm transform, possessing the magnitude of a great realm like the Jade Liuli Realm.

This is the final selfless gift from the Jade Liuli Realm to Zhang Jian, the last-born 'Son of Heavenly Dao'.

Zhang Jian originally intended to leave it for the Zhou Shan Realm.

But upon returning to the Zhou Shan Realm, he found its magnitude already enormous, with no need for such a heavenly earth treasure.

Therefore, Zhang Jian prepared to integrate it into the Qing Shan Realm.

If the Qing Shan Realm can grow, it will naturally be able to protect the myriad living beings of the Jade Liuli Realm, thus not failing the Jade Liuli Realm's gift.

"This object is……"

At this moment, the immortals all turned their gazes to the pearl in Zhang Jian's hand.

On that treasure bead, they felt a power of the heavenly Dao law that was unusually familiar.

Zhang Jian did not conceal it either.

"This is a Heavenly Dao Origin Bead left behind after the Nirvana of the Jade Liuli Realm; this sovereign has fused it into the Qing Shan Realm, and the Qing Shan Realm's origin will be complete, after which it will naturally grow!"

"This place can also be considered your second homeland!"

At this moment, Zhang Jian cast down that Heavenly Dao Origin Bead, and in an instant it fell into the depths of the Qing Shan Realm's heavenly and earthly origin, like a drop of water merging into it.

For the time being, no abnormal signs were seen in the Qing Shan Realm.

But it will subtly influence, causing the Qing Shan Realm to constantly adjust and grow.

Upon hearing this, the assembly of immortals brightened their eyes and all bowed down at once.

"We pay our respects to the Emperor!"

The Huang Yuan Daoist, leaning on his staff, swore an oath to heaven.

"I, Huang Yuan Daoist, swear here: as long as the Emperor lives for one day, the demon race of the Jade Liuli Realm shall take the Emperor as their lord, revere the Emperor as a holy god, and honor him generation after generation; if anyone violates this, steals, or severs ties, their fortune shall be exhausted!"

The Daoist transformed from that Ning Zi also swiftly followed with a great oath.

"I, Tian Ning Zi of the Tian Yuan Immortal Sect, also vow with my heart's oath to follow the Emperor for life, never to betray; if I violate this, may heaven strike and earth destroy!"

"We of the Yu Hai Immortal Sect, from top to bottom, also wish to take the Emperor as our lord and honor him generation after generation!"

……

One after another, immortals and deities performed the great rite of kowtowing, simultaneously issuing poison oaths.

The immortals were all somewhat stirred.

For Zhang Jian, as the Heavenly Realm Emperor, this act might have been merely a casual gesture.

But for the immortals, it was no less than letting the Jade Liuli Realm be reborn within the Qing Shan Realm; with the origin of the Jade Liuli Realm, outsiders need no longer worry about being rejected or suppressed by the Qing Shan Realm's heavenly and earthly will.

Moreover, with the support of the familiar heavenly Dao law, many cultivators of the Jade Liuli Realm need not readjust their direction.

This is akin to preserving the lineages of many immortal sects!

Naturally, the many high-ranking immortals and deities felt grateful and devoted!

Zhang Jian glanced at the immortals, and with a casual hand he helped them rise.

To him, this was merely a trifling effort.

Just then, his gaze fell into the deep void, where he saw a great translocation Dao pattern coming from outside the realm, arriving in an instant at the void relay station outside the Qing Shan Realm.

Several dozen familiar figures successively emerged from within.