Chapter 598: Anomaly (4K)

Eternal Ice Fortress.

Ninth Layer of the Eternal Immortal Prison.

The massive ice and snow nest stands deep within the ninth layer of the Eternal Immortal Prison, rolling waves of profound dark essence and innate essence flowing back to this place, instantly swallowed and absorbed by the ice and snow nest, merging into a grand figure within.

The aura emanating from this figure grows increasingly intense, with the Dao-fruit auspicious clouds above its head bursting forth with streaks of purple-yellow immortal light.

One mu of cloud light flows from within the immortal light, growing ever more intense.

The supreme and exalted divine path aura occasionally seeps out from within the purple-yellow immortal light, causing the many immortals and gods within the ice and snow nest to tremble with shock.

The divine authority emanating from this powerhouse, the very essence of the Great Dao, is simply astonishing.

Before this primordial, towering essence of the Great Dao, they are like ants.

Even the innate gods born from much of the profound dark essence.

For this innate divine sage, they initially felt mostly fear, but after over a hundred years of association, they now feel mostly reverence.

The key factor is that this innate divine sage has, over the past hundred years, occasionally instructed many innate gods, teaching them the way of divinity while explaining the foundations of the Great Dao; the gods have received the sage's teachings and gradually been transformed.

Deep within the ice and snow nest, the purple-yellow immortal light gradually retracts, evolving into a magnificent purple-yellow dragon shadow; wherever the dragon shadow passes, it is as if chaos is being split open, with countless terrestrial omens condensing into form within the cloud light behind it.

Among them is the vision of the Earth Emperor overseeing the establishment of the state and the cosmos, the netherworld's underworld, governing yin and yang.

Moreover, there are manifestations of time and space, life and death, reincarnation, the Milky Way, the Five Phases, creation, the Five Extremes, destruction, and other heavenly and earthly authorities, as if an innate Five Extremes primordial deity has emerged, taking form as a towering divine sage.

Zhang Jian, however, through the Daoist Sovereign's body, continually marvels at the wonder of this path.

After the Daoist Sovereign's body takes form, aided by the expanding Earth Emperor divine position, he can clearly sense how special this path is; the Earth Emperor Great Dao authority he wields has potential far surpassing that of many other earth-attribute authorities, the earth-attribute primordial qi.

Though the potential is immense, it has not yet been fully transformed into actual strength.

To manifest this potential, he likely needs to wait until he breaks through the Calamity of Destruction and attains the Daoist Sovereign.

However, in his great battle with Min Hua Xianjun, he did also feel its benefits.

Min Hua Xianju's foundation is exceptionally unique; the primordial qi it condenses is not merely a single postnatal primordial qi, but seems to be constructed from multiple postnatal primordial qis, likewise seeking to forge a path unique to itself.

Yet even such a foundation, when facing the Earth Emperor's authority, remains at a disadvantage.

This shows that if he were to walk the Earth Emperor's path and transform into an Earth Emperor Daoist Sovereign, he would undoubtedly be extraordinarily powerful.

Zhang Jian now slowly withdraws the auspicious cloud light above his head.

The surrounding surging innate essence and profound dark essence gradually dissipate; at this moment, Zhang Jian still has strands of profound dark cold ice around his body, but this layer of profound dark cold ice soon vanishes.

Zhang Jian's eyes carry a hint of a smile.

By drawing upon the abundant profound dark essence here, the ancestral vein essence, and the ancestral vein spiritual mechanism, his Daoist Sovereign's body has become stabilized.

However, in this process, the greatest effect still comes from the myriad heavenly and earthly treasures within his body.

The Reincarnation Divine Stone, the Mixed Yuan Birth and Death Pearl, the Star of Fate, together with the various powers nourished by the Innate Creation Green Lotus, have allowed his Daoist Sovereign's body to stabilize in a short time.

Otherwise, this process might have taken tens of thousands of years, or even hundreds of thousands of years.

At this moment, he only needs to continue merging these several heavenly and earthly treasures; his Daoist Sovereign's body will continue to grow, and in roughly a thousand years, he will be able to enter the Sixth Step of Perfection of Taiyi, the Dao Attainment "See Me"!

Once he completes the Sixth Step of Perfection of Taiyi, the Dao Attainment "See Me," and forges an eternal will, he can prepare to undergo the Calamity of Destruction.

Zhang Jian's thoughts flash.

Actually, during this process, he could also think of other methods to further increase his own foundation.

For example, increasing the Earth Emperor divine path authority from the direction of heavenly court official positions.

Or transforming the idle divine positions of the State and Ancestors Emperor and the Nine Abyss Emperor into actual offices.

But such actual enfeoffment would likely be difficult to obtain.

"Eternal Ice Fortress is not a place for long-term residence!"

Zhang Jian secretly mused in his heart.

Many schemes for obtaining actual enfeoffment flashed through his mind; undoubtedly the quickest way is to earn military merits, or to complete more merit tasks in the Heavenly Court's Hall of Merit, capturing numerous immortals and gods from the external robes of the external heavenly void, or through heterodox paths, or by slaying extraterritorial demon gods.

But his divine body has not yet attained the Dao; if he were to go out because of this, he would easily become a target for other immortals and gods, even extraterritorial demon gods.

There are indeed not a few instances of innate divine sages falling due to this.

This is a lesson from past mistakes.

Unless the divine body is sealed, the true spirit is reborn anew, thereby evading the gaze of extraterritorial demon gods.

But that would be unnecessary.

……

However, after Zhang Jian emerged from seclusion, he still cast a wide net, also utilizing the Zhang clan's power in the Central Heavenly Realm and the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm to repeatedly gather information.

Now the Zhang clan has already established a certain lineage, with several Taiyi-level immortals within the clan; though they have not yet reached the true level of Taiyi true immortals, standing firm in all major realms of the human dimension is no problem.

Moreover, the Zhang clan's several immortals are not ordinary.

Among them are disciples of the Kunlun Heavenly Realm, from the ancient Dao lineage.

Also, there are close attendants of the Six Guard Heavenly Emperors under the Central Heavenly Realm, as well as the constellation of stars in the Dipper Division, and in many divine halls of the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm, there are also descendants serving as heavenly officials.

This starting point is not low.

Furthermore, adding Zhang Jian this old ancestor.

And the Tongshan Dao lineage behind him is also not comparable to ordinary demon-immortal clans.

Furthermore, Zhang Jian naturally did not overlook the old ancestor of the LanTai Dao Palace.

Zhang Jian personally entered the LanTai Dao Palace, meeting the incarnation of Qingxia Daoist Sovereign, who has already agreed to help him monitor some low-risk matters, preferably non-combative, and tasks that do not require leaving the Central Heavenly Realm or the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm.

Besides this, Zhang Jian inquired about the changes in the Tenth Heavenly Realm.

A hundred years ago, after Zi Hua Xianzi entered the Tenth Heavenly Realm, she suddenly lost her trace, but her life force mechanism has never disappeared.

Zhang Jian speculated that she might have been imprisoned or placed under soft confinement by the people of Fengwu Palace.

Zhang Jian also sent people into the Fengwu Palace of the Tenth Heavenly Realm to seek an audience, but Fengwu Palace repeatedly claimed they had never seen Zi Hua Xianzi, and Zhang Jian temporarily had no way to rescue her.

By means of his divine powers, he can only faintly sense the direction of Zi Hua Xianzi's position.

But the Lan Tai Dao Palace has eyes and ears everywhere, and perhaps they know the whereabouts of the Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden.

In the immortal realm, upon the great Cloud Terrace, 'Qingxia Dao Lord' smiled and looked toward Zhang Jian Dao.

"Have you discovered anything?"

Zhang Jian glanced at 'Qingxia Dao Lord' without hesitation and immediately recounted all the information he had obtained from the Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden and the Nine Spirit Immortal Maiden, including their heavenly mandates, as well as his idea of using these two women to intervene in that great heavenly mandate.

Zhang Jian did not conceal anything.

This matter was originally 'Qingxia Dao Lord's' suggestion to him, and Zhang Jian believed that 'Qingxia Dao Lord' should know even more.

Zhang Jian then said.

"The last time I summoned her, I also noticed that her soul seemed to resonate with the Ninth Heaven Divine Stele of the ninth heaven; I do not know her origins."

Upon hearing this, 'Qingxia Dao Lord' smiled faintly, as if she had long been prepared, and said.

"The Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden now resides in the Ming Lun Palace of the tenth heaven; she has been placed there by Min Hua Immortal Lord!"

She knows the movements of 'Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden' as well as the back of her hand.

"This heavenly mandate woman you have taken a liking to has indeed suffered greatly these past years—not only does the Fengwu Emperor Lord dislike her, but many marriage prospects from the Fengwu Emperor Palace also oppose her; these years she has truly tasted the bitterness and sweetness of the mortal world!"

Zhang Jian, upon hearing 'Qingxia Dao Lord's' words, felt a hint of astonishment in his eyes.

From 'Qingxia Dao Lord's' concise words, he could not help but guess that this was indeed 'Qingxia Dao Lord's' arrangement.

Zhang Jian then directly said.

"From the first day I came into contact with her, I sensed the heavenly mandate aura on her body; I do not know if you, my lord, know what kind of heavenly mandate this is?"

'Qingxia Dao Lord' slightly shook her head.

"Heavenly mandate is profound and mysterious, concerning the evolution of the heavenly Dao; it is not something we can easily fathom!"

"Indeed, I discovered Purple Hua and Nine Ling two maidens long ago, but she also could not comprehend more changes, only able to entrust it to you to solve; however, you said she resonates with the Nine Heaven Divine Stele, and I have faintly formed an idea!"

At this moment, 'Qingxia Dao Lord's' expression became somewhat solemn.

Those who bear heavenly mandate are rarely seen.

Most of them have special missions—for example, some are destined to play a certain role in a great event, such as the Great Mother Goddess Nüwa mending the heavens in the Earth Immortal Realm.

Another example is the hero who shot down the suns in ancient mythology, the ancient demon god Hou Yi.

Or those destined to preside over the Gods-Conferring War in the heavenly court.

The roles they play are often crucial in such great events; once their identities are detected in advance and they participate, they can gain special aid, though of course they may also invite great calamity.

For example, in the Gods-Conferring War, those who chose their partners and ultimately had their souls scattered and spirits dispersed.

'Qingxia Dao Lord' pondered slightly and said.

"If the Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden resonates with the Nine Heaven Divine Stele, then her heavenly mandate may be related to this world-suppressing divine artifact!"

After a brief reflection, she immediately added.

"Actually, such world-suppressing divine artifacts are not only possessed by the ninth heaven; each heaven also has one. Could it be that her appearance signifies that these heavenly world-suppressing artifacts will encounter problems?"

'Qingxia Dao Lord's' expression was solemn.

If so, this concerns major affairs of the heavenly court.

She fixed her gaze upon Zhang Jian and said in a deep voice.

"You must watch over the Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden well; perhaps she will bring you unexpected surprises!"

Zhang Jian frowned and said.

"Now the question is whether Fengwu Emperor Lord might also detect the heavenly mandate on Purple Hua?"

Although he had placed a seal on Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden, it only obscured ordinary immortals and gods, and may not escape the eyes of Fengwu Emperor Lord, this realm's sovereign.

'Qingxia Dao Lord' smiled faintly and said.

"Fengwu Emperor Lord's cultivation is profound; he attained the Dao far earlier than I, so he should be able to perceive the heavenly mandate on Purple Hua, but like me, he may not have your fortune to know her resonance with the world-suppressing artifact!"

"But precisely for this reason, Fengwu Emperor Lord will not seek her life, even if she triggers Min Hua's emotional tribulation!"

Zhang Jian nodded slightly.

'Qingxia Dao Lord's' words are very reasonable.

'Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden' has lived until now, which also proves her inference.

"However, from now on, we fear we may never see her again!"

Zhang Jian sighed with emotion.

He can be certain that the powerful beings of the tenth heaven will surely keep a close watch on 'Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden'!

'Qingxia Dao Lord' laughed: "No matter, he cannot block the arrival of heavenly mandate, and if he cannot fathom Purple Splendor Immortal Maiden's heavenly mandate after a long time, he may be drawn into it by this heavenly mandate, gaining no benefit but instead inviting great trouble upon himself!"

After a brief pause, 'Qingxia Dao Lord' then said.

"And now you still have one person by your side who bears heavenly mandate; you must find a way to detect her 'heavenly mandate' power, so as to turn passivity into initiative!"

Zhang Jian nodded slightly.

Nine Spirit Immortal Maiden also bears heavenly mandate, but her heavenly mandate is far more obscure, never having manifested.

He does not know what role Nine Spirit Immortal Maiden will play in this heavenly mandate.

Zhang Jian said.

"The affairs of the tenth heaven shall be left to Dao Lord to oversee!"

'Qingxia Dao Lord' nodded slightly.

The Lan Tai Dao Palace has spies everywhere.

Naturally, the tenth heaven also has people from the Lan Tai Dao Palace!

After a brief pause, 'Qingxia Dao Lord' inquired about the Dao Lord's quota, and Zhang Jian did not conceal this either.

Zhang Jian knew that, in fact, with 'Qingxia Dao Lord's' vast divine powers, these could easily be guessed.

When Zhang Jian prepared his response, 'Qingxia Dao Lord' laughed and said.

"Being able to secure a Dao Lord quota from the Three Emperors' Celestial Realm would naturally be the best, as the place for transcending tribulations in the Three Emperors' Celestial Realm is quite renowned even amidst the myriad celestial voids!"

'Qingxia Dao Lord' smiled faintly; with her methods, securing a 'Dao Lord quota' for Zhang Jian in the Central Celestial Realm was actually not difficult.

However, she wished to avoid doing so as much as possible.

Her relationship with Zhang Jian had now become quite special.

Furthermore, given such an attention-drawing matter, it was not impossible that people might later notice something amiss regarding this sacrificial affair.

This was the greatest driving force for 'Qingxia Dao Lord' to rapidly advance toward the Dao Venerable realm.

She would absolutely not allow any mishap to occur.

Zhang Jian soon departed from the LanTai Dao Palace.

After Zhang Jian's departure, 'Qingxia Dao Lord' summoned a portion of the LanTai Dao Palace's elite and began a thorough investigation into the condition of the realm-pacifying divine artifacts across all realms of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

……

Eternal Ice Fortress, Eternal Heavenly Lord's Divine Hall.

Zhang Jian returned to the Eternal Immortal Prison and intensified his cultivation efforts, while also using various methods to probe the heavenly mandate upon the Nine Spirits Immortal Maiden.

However, all such probes ended in vain.

Zhang Jian discovered that the heavenly mandate upon the Nine Spirits Immortal Maiden was quite strange.

This heavenly mandate was completely different from that of the ZiHua Immortal Maiden.

Yet, as to exactly what it was, Zhang Jian could not yet determine it through research.

Nevertheless, for the sake of facilitating research, Zhang Jian still had the Ji clan devise a way, and simultaneously had them endeavor to bestow favors upon this Nine Spirits Immortal Maiden.

Time flowed on, and in the coming nearly thousand years, Zhang Jian remained continually within the Eternal Ice Fortress.

He gradually achieved a complete fusion of the power of several heavenly and earthly treasures within his body, integrating them into the Dao Lord's physique.

As the Dao Lord's body became fully harmonized, Zhang Jian knew he could now consider attempting to tread the path of cultivation toward the sixth step of TaiYi Perfection.

Meanwhile, good news arrived in succession.

His thirty-thousand-year tenure at the Eternal Ice Fortress was nearing completion, with only two thousand years remaining, after which he could consider attempting to request a transfer away from the Eternal Ice Fortress!

For Zhang Jian, this was a rare opportunity to depart from the Eternal Ice Fortress.

During this period, he could begin making preparations in advance.

However, before Zhang Jian could set things in motion,

On this day, a thunderous, earth-shaking roar suddenly echoed from the upper heavens of the celestial court, accompanied by a colossal rift that violently pierced through the celestial realm.

Even though he was in the ninth layer of the Eternal Heavenly Realm, Zhang Jian suddenly felt the celestial court's heavenly net and earthly prison torn asunder, revealing a vast void in the cosmic law, causing the entire Thirty-Three Heavens to tremble.

The Nine Heavens' Weak Waters flowed backward!

Subsequently, he sensed that the great Dao laws of heaven and earth in the ninth layer of the celestial realm had begun to fall into chaos.

It was as if heaven had collapsed and earth had split apart.

It seemed several colossal entities had appeared at the center of the celestial court, engaging in battle with the powerful beings deep within the celestial court.

"Has the high-level confrontation arrived?"

Deep within the Eternal Ice Fortress, Zhang Jian felt this transformation, his expression shaken.