Chapter 645: The Wilderness Training Journey

When Huo Lifeng and Baijiaowang saw Zhang Nuo, they were both shocked at the same time; they had not expected that, after several hundred years of not seeing him, Zhang Nuo had actually advanced to the Late Void Refinement Stage! This terrifying speed of advancement could almost shatter the legends of the Immortal Domain that had stood for tens of thousands of years!

At the same time, the two demons also saw Chunyangzi and Liu Qingshan. The four of them had been very familiar with each other back in the Human Realm, so they did not stand on ceremony and immediately spoke of their situations in the Immortal Domain over these years!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nuo smiled faintly and asked the two demons if they could stay in the Holy City to help him! The two demon cultivators—one possessing the bloodline of the True Spirit Fire Phoenix, and the other a descendant of a Heavenly Demon—simply lacked the opportunity. If they were given enough heavenly treasures, they would certainly be able to advance to the Integration Stage within a short period!

Zhang Nuo recruiting the two also had the intention of cultivating his own forces! This idea happened to suit the two demons perfectly; they had been rushing about in the Immortal Domain for so many years and were already tired. If they could stay in the Holy City, with Zhang Nuo's influence, they would certainly not lack benefits!

Thus, the two nodded in agreement! In this way, Chunyangzi and Liu Qingshan gained two more helpers! A few years later, Su Haizhen also successfully advanced to the Integration Stage!

Zhang Nuo felt very comforted. Now, in the Human Emperor Palace, there were at least three existences at the Integration Stage, and with the addition of the Refining Void Stage great demon Ai Yuchen, who was currently in seclusion, sitting in command, there should be no trouble.

Another dozen or so years passed, and just as Zhang Nuo had expected, Ye Yuemiao, as well as Huo Lifeng and Baijiaowang, also advanced to the Integration Stage! The power of the Human Emperor Palace became increasingly vast!

Moreover, they had absorbed several not-weak cultivators from the outside world. At this time, the lineage of the Human Emperor Palace could be said to be flourishing with talent, far exceeding the other two of the Three Great Powers!

On this day, Zhang Nuo was sitting in the Human Emperor Hall pondering his own cultivation when suddenly a figure flashed outside the hall and someone rushed in! With a shift of his thoughts, Zhang Nuo was not afraid; this person was able to evade the guards of the Human Emperor Palace, so he figured it would not be a weak character. Looking over, the person who entered was none other than Beigong Zhenren!

Zhang Nuo rose to welcome him and said repeatedly, "Fellow Daoist Beigong, what wind has blown you here?"

"Haha! Fellow Daoist Zhang, it seems you have been doing well these past few years! You actually have leisure time?"

After the two chatted and laughed with each other for a while, Beigong Zhenren finally brought the conversation to the main topic!

"Since you have advanced to the Late Void Refinement Stage, you must have experienced the feeling of touching the Great Accomplishment Stage, right?"

Zhang Nuo nodded slightly. He had been troubled by this matter during this period; the Great Accomplishment Stage seemed within reach, yet it was also far away. This feeling of being close yet distant was very uncomfortable!

"I am also troubled by this matter!"

"The reason I came this time is, first, to visit you, and second, to tell you that I am about to go to the Wilderness for training. This is the fastest way to break through to the Great Accomplishment Stage!"

Beigong Zhenren said with a bitter smile. Hearing this, Zhang Nuo's eyebrows lifted slightly. The Wilderness seemed to have no end, and the dangers within were countless. When he returned from the Demon Realm, he had only ventured into a small area and had already suffered a bit. If he were to go deeper, even with his not-weak cultivation, he would have to take great risks!

"Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes! The trip to the Underworld is imminent! If we delay any longer, there will be many hitches. Before coming to you, I specifically went to the Sixteen Chambers once. According to the meaning of the commander, Senior Jiufang Yi, it is also for us to advance quickly! Because there is already unrest over in the Underworld!"

The old Daoist shook his head; the situation was too urgent, and he had no choice but to take such an extreme method!

"By the way, not only me, but the monk Moke from Jile Temple is also preparing to enter the Wilderness!"

"Moke!"

Zhang Nuo said in surprise. Back then, it was this monk who helped him crack the last three layers of the Three Immortals Sword Art. So, he was also a candidate for the trip to the Underworld!

"It seems you knew each other before!"

Seeing the surprised look on Zhang Nuo's face, Beigong Zhenren's thoughts shifted, and he guessed the reason!

"We had one encounter! Since that is the case, then I cannot be lazy either! After settling the affairs of the Human Emperor Realm, I will also head to the Wilderness in a few days!"

Since this was helpful for quickly advancing to the Great Accomplishment Stage, Zhang Nuo had no other choice!

"Yes! That is also good! But before you go, I will give you something!"

As he spoke, Beigong Zhenren flipped his hand, and a piece of clothing, folded very neatly, appeared before Zhang Nuo!

"This garment can only be worn after one's cultivation reaches the Great Accomplishment Stage! This is a form of respect for Great Accomplishment cultivators in the Immortal Domain!"

Looking at the clothing with suspicion, Zhang Nuo reached out and took it. He saw that the style of this garment was the same as the one worn by Jiufang Yi, only that the character embroidered on the chest was not 'Immortal', but a 'Human Emperor' character!

"Hehe! This garment seems to have been made specifically for me!"

Zhang Nuo chuckled, and in his heart, he was indeed very fond of this garment!

"Correct, every cultivator on the trip to the Underworld has one such garment, but whether they can wear it depends on their own fortune!"

The old Daoist said with a bitter smile. In his own hands, he also had a garment with the character 'Dao' embroidered on the chest, which could only be worn once one's cultivation advanced to the Great Accomplishment Stage! The Great Accomplishment Stage! This realm that all cultivators feared yet yearned for—when would he finally reach it?

"Alright, the purpose of my trip has been completed! If the heavens give me a chance, let us talk again after I return from the Wilderness!"

After speaking, Beigong Zhenren decisively transformed into a streak of light and flew away! In the great hall, only Zhang Nuo remained, quietly stroking the white robe in his hands!

Looking at the fist-sized 'Human Emperor' character on the chest, Zhang Nuo felt an impulse in his heart. He really wanted to go to the Wilderness for training immediately, but the matters around him did not allow him to do so!

At once, he put the robe away and walked slowly toward the back of the Human Emperor Palace! He stopped in front of a small building and saw that the window on the second floor was open; he could vaguely see Ye Yuemiao meditating in the room!

Not wanting to disturb her, Zhang Nuo continued to walk on foot through the Human Emperor Palace. Everyone he saw was cultivating bitterly! Having just reunited with them for a few decades, now he had to set off on a long journey again; he was truly a bit reluctant!

But if he did not go to the Wilderness for training, there would be no way to break through the bottleneck of the late stage and reach the Great Accomplishment Stage! This was secondary; if the Underworld were to take action during this time, he would not even have the ability to protect those around him! Thinking of this, Zhang Nuo made his decision resolutely!

This trip to the Wilderness must be made as soon as possible!

A few days later, Zhang Nuo summoned Chunyangzi and the others and told them his thoughts. These people did not know about the Underworld at all, so they strongly opposed Zhang Nuo entering the Wilderness!

"I also came up from the Refining Void Stage back then. Cultivation cannot be rushed. Your advancement speed is already very fast. Even if you wait another thousand or eight hundred years, it is not a problem at all. Why be in such a hurry? Improving cultivation too quickly is of no benefit to the cultivator themselves!"

Chunyangzi tried hard to persuade Zhang Nuo! Zhang Nuo understood these principles, but the trip to the Underworld did not allow him to wait! If an accident occurred halfway, let alone himself, even the entire Immortal Domain would be in danger!

However, he could not say these words explicitly. Once they spread to the outside world, it would certainly cause no small amount of panic and turmoil, and by then, the Immortal Domain, which had finally stabilized, would become precarious again!

"That's right! Husband! Fellow Daoist Chunyang is right! Why must you be in such a hurry?"

Ye Yuemiao was also constantly persuading him!

Everyone spoke one after another, and not a single person agreed with him going to the Wilderness for training!

"Alright! Stop talking, all of you! I understand these things, but there are some reasons I cannot tell you. In another thousand years or so, you might understand the purpose of my trip!"

Zhang Nuo suddenly erupted with the spiritual pressure from his body, suppressing everyone's words, and then said with a contemplative expression.

The great hall was silent. Seeing Zhang Nuo's resolute expression, everyone understood in their hearts that no matter what else was said, everything was in vain!

A few months later, Zhang Nuo had prepared everything for the trip to the Wilderness. Without notifying anyone, he left the Holy City all by himself, transformed into an escape light, and rushed toward the Wilderness!

By the time the people in the Human Emperor Palace discovered it, Zhang Nuo had long since disappeared without a trace! Ye Yuemiao and Su Haizhen looked up at the sky, both silently praying in their hearts that Zhang Nuo must return safely! Even if the advancement to Great Accomplishment was not successful!

The news that the Human Emperor was not in the Holy City was only learned by the cultivators in the city decades later, but the prestige of this Human Emperor was long sung of in the Holy City!

A hundred years later, the Human Emperor still had not appeared, but under the governance of Liu Qingshan, the Human Emperor Realm remained exceptionally prosperous! Another hundred years passed, and the Holy City underwent earth-shaking changes; among the Three Great Powers, it was almost the most prosperous one!

Time flew by. Five hundred years later, the cultivators in the Holy City rarely talked about the Human Emperor of the past; they had even somewhat forgotten the existence of the Human Emperor!

Another three hundred years passed. It had been a full eight hundred years since Zhang Nuo left the Holy City. During this period, Baijiaowang advanced to the Refining Void Stage, becoming the third Refining Void Stage cultivator in the Holy City after Zhang Nuo and Ai Yuchen!

And Ai Yuchen, on the very day Baijiaowang successfully advanced, left without saying goodbye. She had been guarding the Holy City all these years, and now that a cultivator had finally emerged to take her place, she had to find a way to charge toward the Great Accomplishment Stage in the remaining time!

Thus, this woman also set foot into the Wilderness.

A leisurely thousand years have passed, and everything from before seems to have become like smoke passing before the eyes! In Wushuang Saint Emperor City, cultivators come and go in an endless stream, but very few people know of Zhang Nuo from those years!

Even the two women, Su Haizhen and Ye Yuemiao, have buried their longing for Zhang Nuo deep within their hearts during their long periods of cultivation!