Chapter 209: Other Worlds

When she came out of the palace, her peripheral vision caught the shape of water ripples spreading out beside Hu San after she emerged, and Sword Lai walked out from within.

This was already the eighth year since Ruan Xing arrived in this foreign world of Cultivation.

For Hu San, this long-awaited address of "Third Brother" was something he had waited ten years for.

Sword Lai's voice was soft, carrying a raw and youthful quality, much like the feeling in their mental link, yet with a slight difference.

"Third Brother."

"Mm... good." Hu San was somewhat dazed; he reached out and carefully placed his hand on Sword Lai's shoulder, his expression complex as he said, "Do you still remember what Big Brother and Second Brother looked like?"

He was still in the appearance of an eleven or twelve-year-old. After reaching the Incarnation stage, his Divine Soul could already leave his body independently, relying more on the essence of the Puppet that housed his soul rather than this physical shell. Thus, in her spare time from studying cultivation techniques, Ruan Xing had helped him remove most of the stitches in his mouth and the Talismans all over his body. Sword Lai had his own consciousness; even without those Talismans that trapped his soul, he was willing to obey Ruan Xing as his master. Moreover, Ruan Xing now possessed the Thread Control Technique, so those extra Talismans were no longer needed.

The current Sword Lai, apart from a head of white hair, looked no different from a normal person.

He nodded blankly, then shook his head, "I remember some, but, I also don't remember a lot."

Hu San smiled with relief, "Remembering is enough. If you want to know about the past, I can tell you slowly."

This heartwarming scene only lingered in Ruan Xing's gaze for a few seconds.

She turned and walked out.

Ruan Xing did not intend to bring Sword Lai into the Xumi Realm; Sword Lai could not help with her Heavenly Tribulation.

She would just give Sword Lai a few days off to let him spend more time with his brother.

Disciples passed through the square below the steps from time to time, but most of them would not look up at the palace above. Ruan Xing also did not want to summon the Shuttle Spirit Boat here to attract others' attention; instead, she intended to get more accustomed to her Instant Movement Magic Art.

All of her skills not recorded by the Simulator panel only consumed divine power, not Spiritual Power.

Her Divine Sense spread out in a line toward the direction of the Xumi Realm, gradually extending for over ten miles. With the somewhat blurred sensing at the end of her Divine Sense, she activated Instant Movement, causing the space at both locations to come into brief contact.

Feeling her body suddenly grow light, Ruan Xing abruptly changed her position.

Just as her feet touched the ground, she heard a roar filled with terror and anger from behind her.

She hurriedly turned around to look, only to see a Monster Beast resembling a lynx, covered in gray-brown patterns.

It turned out to be a small Golden Core stage Monster Beast.

Startled by Ruan Xing, who had suddenly appeared in its territory, it bristled and growled in threat.

However, the attacks its current cultivation could unleash were like a tickle to Ruan Xing; she wasn't afraid at all, and instead felt its hissing was a bit cute.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Ruan Xing released a trace of Nascent Soul stage deterrence and reached out to mimic a cat's paw, scratching the air, "Hiss!"

The Monster Beast froze for a moment, a look of confusion flashing in its amber vertical pupils, but it quickly felt the pressure carrying a dangerous aura—that was the suppression from a higher realm.

Compared to cultivators, the law of strict hierarchy among Monster Beasts was even more obvious. Cultivators might challenge those stronger than themselves for reasons like emotion, justice, or revenge, whereas Monster Beasts, once they realized they were thoroughly the inferior party, would present a posture of submission.

It lowered its body and began to tremble uncontrollably, the sound in its throat turning into a kitten-like whimper. Seeing that Ruan Xing had no intention of attacking, it decisively tucked its tail and fled.

It yielded its territory to the new powerhouse without hesitation.

"A sensible little thing." Ruan Xing amusedly withdrew her pressure.

There is a saying that goes well: under the suppression of absolute strength, even the most intense resistance is just like a pet showing its claws in play.

Because there was no threat, she found it interesting.

Ruan Xing was experiencing this feeling now, though she had only suddenly taken the whim to tease a kitten and had no real intention of keeping a pet.

It was her first time using Instant Movement in reality, and she hadn't quite controlled the landing point well. She adjusted herself, telling herself in her heart that she must never land in front of anything again next time.

It was fortunate that this time it was only a small Golden Core stage Monster Beast.

If she had landed in some inappropriate place, it would have been too embarrassing.

She spread out her Divine Sense again, estimated the distance, and continued to Instant Movement forward.

After two more Instant Movements, Ruan Xing finally arrived at the edge of the Xumi Realm boundary. The divine power in her body was nearing exhaustion, so she could only use the Illusion Technique and the Mask Artifact to change her appearance and cultivation level. Only then did she enter the National Teacher Palace low-key, going straight through the underground pool into the water bubble where the small seed was located.

Although the Boundary Tree was already dead, the tree roots it left for Ruan Xing did not turn into fly ash along with its departure; they still maintained their original function of penetrating the boundary, while almost all of its previous root body had been absorbed by the small seed as nutrients.

These tree roots did not look low-grade either. Once the small seed was transplanted, the boundary would disappear and the roots would have no use, so perhaps she could try refining them into a Dharma Artifact.

There was no way to knock on this water bubble, and Ruan Xing hadn't given the small seed a name. Just as she was struggling with how to wake the small seed up, it seemed to have inherited the Boundary Tree's perception ability, and tender green branches stretched out from the gaps in the steps.

"Little seed." She called out softly.

The small seed touched her with the tip of its branch, and a light, ethereal voice came through, "I want to grow tall, it's too dark here, I don't like it."

It seemed somewhat gloomy.

Because this was an underground water bubble, it couldn't see a glimmer of light. Moreover, in order for it to absorb more nutrients, the Boundary Tree had caused the small seed to grow only developed root systems in the early stages, with only this one slender branch having sprouted.

Ruan Xing deliberated, "I came this time to take you away. That previous Xian Tai Tree, er, or rather your mother, said that you could grow a Path to Heaven to allow cultivators to ascend to the Spirit Realm."

The small seed did not refute Ruan Xing's use of the word "mother," and she didn't know if the concept of a mother existed in the plant world.

"Yes, I inherited its memories, but I need three things to grow the Path to Heaven." A hint of anticipation entered the small seed's ethereal voice, "The sky, Sun and Moon Divine Light, and Hongmeng Purple Qi."

"What?" Ruan Xing was a bit dazed.

Was it the meaning she understood?

Ruan Xing fell into deep thought.

According to what the Boundary Tree had said before, because the Path to Heaven had a distance limit, the small seed could only be transplanted into those two islands in the sky; this was likely what it meant by "the sky." Hongmeng Purple Qi could probably be understood as the fortune artificially collected by the founder of the Six Suns Study.

And what was Sun and Moon Divine Light? Didn't the Boundary Tree seem to mention Clear and Turbid Qi?

"This was left to me before it dissipated; it was a substitute it thought of. Clear and Turbid Qi are inherently born from the sun and moon, so they can be used for the time being." The small seed resolved Ruan Xing's confusion.

Ruan Xing frowned, "Then how should this be done? Besides, you should know that I cannot seek out people with great fortune to make a sacrifice for this."

"As long as I am closer to the sky, I can convert Sun and Moon Divine Light myself, though the speed is a bit slow, so you had best transplant me over as soon as possible. As for Hongmeng Purple Qi, although this world no longer has it, you can go to other worlds to get it." The small seed sighed imperceptibly, "In any case, let's satisfy the first item first."

Ruan Xing, however, felt a bit dazed.

Lost in what the small seed said, she muttered, "You mean to say, besides the Cultivation world and the Spirit Realm, there are other worlds!?"

So the world she was from before she transmigrated...

Why hadn't the Boundary Tree told her before?

"Of course there are, it's just that those worlds might not necessarily have living beings or Spirit Qi." The small seed said strangely, "Haven't you been to many Secret Realms? Most of those Secret Realms count as small worlds, but their space is attached to the Cultivation world; they have no Heavenly Dao of their own and cannot exist independently. They can only wait for time to pass, slowly dissipating and collapsing. You only need to look for those Secret Realms that have existed for many years but have been inaccessible to cultivators. Those Secret Realm spaces have been isolated for too long, and it is very possible for them to generate fortune and become independent small worlds. That is Hongmeng Purple Qi."

What the little seed said was not without reason.

Ever since she grasped the Space Cutting Technique, she recalled the sense of stagnation she felt every time she entered a Secret Realm, as if passing through a barrier.

It was indeed like an isolated Small World.

If no Cultivator had been able to enter it for thousands or tens of thousands of years, and no one could control this Secret Realm, then it was very likely that the barrier would become increasingly solid, becoming a screen for the world.

It could then be separated and detached from the world of Cultivation.

However, a Secret Realm that no one has ever entered is extremely dangerous; no one knows what is inside, and even if one at the Return to Ruins Stage were to enter, they could not guarantee they would escape unscathed.

"How come I feel like you know more than the Boundary Tree?" Ruan Xing asked suspiciously.

The Boundary Tree had never mentioned these things.

The little seed was suspiciously silent for a moment, then said: "Because it has been locked in this dark, sunless place for too long, polluted by those artificial fortunes, and its memories have become chaotic. I also had to sort through them for a long time after inheriting the memories to obtain this."

"Alright." Ruan Xing decided not to dwell on these matters for now, "I still have something I need your help with. After it's over, I will take you to the heavens."

"What help?"

"Hmm... guarding the dharma? I am about to advance, and I intend to undergo my tribulation here. I need you to help me cover up the celestial phenomena." Ruan Xing said.

"Guarding the dharma? You, a Cultivator, are asking a tree to guard your dharma?" Its voice could not maintain its composure, becoming somewhat distorted, "I have no means of active attack. Even if I open a barrier to protect you, I cannot cover up the celestial Dharma Image!"

"Don't be anxious yet." Ruan Xing said: "How far is the nearest Nascent Soul Cultivator? At least a hundred miles away. You don't need to protect me; I remember you have an ability that allows people outside the barrier to not see the scene inside. I only need this. You use the barrier to cover the top, so that Cultivators a hundred miles away will have no way of seeing these phenomena at all. And the low-level Cultivators nearby don't understand the Heavenly Dao phenomena triggered when a Dharma Image is produced. When the time comes, I will arrange for a few disciples to spread the word that two high-level Cultivators are fighting here."

"... If you think there's no problem." The little seed finally compromised.

After all, it could only pin its hope of returning to the heavens on Ruan Xing now.

Actually, even if it didn't return to the heavens and just kept growing here, what would it matter?

Aside from not being able to move, it could grow its branches and roots anywhere through the accumulation of time. Anyway, it wasn't a demon; as long as it didn't actively reveal its miraculous nature, it would just be a tree in the eyes of outsiders.

Yet it was also the most miraculous tree in the world.

Born with intelligence, carrying the Path to Heaven for thousands of Cultivators to ascend, it was the only one created by the Heavenly Dao.

It had a sense of mission in the dark, pushing it to do so. As for why, it didn't know itself.

Perhaps after it grew the Path to Heaven, it would understand.

After urging the little seed to spread the barrier toward the sky, Ruan Xing sat down cross-legged and took a deep breath, "Then, I'm starting."

"Wait, do you have a premonition of what your phenomenon will be? I can only spread it along the sky above the Xumi Realm; is that really enough?" the little seed asked worriedly.

Ruan Xing said silently: "I don't know."

She truly didn't know. The Simulation she held in her hand was the only time she had successfully advanced to the Return to Ruins Stage. The Text Simulation did not specify it, and since she intended to choose the cultivation realm directly, she could not choose the memory.

"That shouldn't be; you should have been able to receive a response from heaven and earth at the Transformation Stage. At least there would be a vague scene. In the past, when it watched those Cultivators advance on Xian Tai, it was always like that." The little seed found it incredible.

What could Ruan Xing say?

She could only smile bitterly: "I am not at the Transformation Stage yet. This time, I am advancing from Nascent Soul to Return to Ruins."

"You're crazy!?" The little seed couldn't help but cry out.

"How are you... you are much livelier than your mother, and more like a person, not like a tree." Ruan Xing laughed, sighing: "Me too. Many Cultivators cultivate until the end and forget that they were originally human. Sigh, why am I telling you this? I really have to start now, don't shout and disturb me."

The little seed could only helplessly stop making noise, though it felt even more uneasy in its heart.

While Ruan Xing circulated her technique to adjust her body to its best state, the power of the displacement divine ability she had unleashed also recovered quite a bit. After a while, once her state of mind was stable and relaxed, she calmly opened the Simulator and selected the cultivation realm option.

Instantly, a violent surge of Spiritual Power flowed into her body like a tornado. A trace of blood flowed from the corner of Ruan Xing's mouth, but she had no time to wipe it away, instead seizing the chance to use this Spiritual Power to wrap around her Nascent Soul, constantly squeezing and deforming it.

It seemed that because of her experience in the Lotus Platform Secret Realm, her Nascent Soul adapted very quickly.

After only a moment, it already had a faint tendency to break away.

Her Divine Soul was fused near-perfectly, so it was more strenuous when it detached, but this was a necessary process to experience.

Once she could completely separate her Divine Soul from her body, she would begin to experience the Heart Demon Tribulation.

Thanks to book friend 20231002145930421 for the tip~ Thanks to _Panda-jun_ for the tip~