Chapter 455: Qingming Fortress

Above the material layer and the Void Layer, within the Illusory Void Layer.

The void was bizarre and surreal, a silver-white Void Ship cutting through it like a vessel slicing through waves.

On the deck stood Jiao Chi, the Supreme Commander of Feilin Dao Hai, patrolling the entire vessel with not a shred of complacency.

At the deepest part of the ship, within a sealed chamber.

Fang Xing held a bronze ancient mirror in his hand, tracing the rusted marks upon it with a thoughtful expression: "I've fully understood the 'Cun Guang Yin'—but for me, it's of little use now…"

The 'Cun Guang Yin' was written by Shi Guang, the Soul Sovereign; even Shi Guang himself was not a Time Immortal, and the deeper one delves, the more contradictions arise.

Fang Xing now primarily meditates on the 'Celestial Emperor's Scroll,' the newest acquisition he exchanged for merit points from the Boundless Mountain.

Combined with the primordial temporal laws reflected in the 'Suiyue Mirror' and the enhancement of the Zhu Long's soul, his progress in the path of time has been swift.

As for the path of void, though slightly inferior, it is no less impressive.

'Above the Illusory Void Layer… there is indeed another layer, perhaps called the "Great Dao Layer"?'

'Compared to the bizarre illusions of the Illusory Void Layer, the Great Dao Layer is more abstract—composed of Dao and Li… Within the Great Dao Layer, one perceives the forces of Dao and their radiating influences.'

At this moment, Fang Xing could even sense, through the Great Dao Layer, the 'Immortal Dao' emanating from layers upon layers of spacetime!

In other words, he could actually refine Qi and cultivate the Immortal Path.

But in the Qingyuan Great Realm, there was no need for it.

'Within the Great Dao Layer, one can perceive all existing Daos… Entering this layer with one's consciousness signifies eligibility for relatively effortless comprehension of Dao—but it is also extremely dangerous!'

Amidst the overlapping, interwoven threads of principle and forces of Dao, Fang Xing perceived not only Immortal Qi, but also True Demon Qi, and the radiations of other Daos!

If one became too absorbed, one might accidentally be corrupted by another Dao—and then be utterly ruined…

Thus, even as he meditated on spatial laws, he only dipped his toes into the Great Dao Layer.

'Dao… though mostly comprehensible only by Immortals and Heavenly Demons, some extraordinary Soul Sovereigns can also grasp it—like the Soul Sovereigns… Those Soul Sovereigns who walk the path of laws—how could they, with incomplete Dao rules, rival the complete Dao forces of Immortals and Heavenly Demons, if not by comprehending the forces of Dao?'

'But once this step is taken, achieving Immortal or Heavenly Demon status becomes even harder… Laws are unified, yet they easily interfere with and hinder each other…'

Fang Xing sighed.

He had attained the Black Hole Level; his soul had fused completely with his physical body, indistinguishable from one another—he didn't even know if this was good or bad.

But unquestionably, this Black Dragon body could only pursue Daos related to the Time Law—ideally, the Space-Time Dao.

Exchanging for the 'Pan Wu Da Dian' was primarily for his true body's sake.

'The 'Pan Wu Da Dian' begins with the "True Self Law"… Once my true body ascends to the Tenth Realm of Martial Path, he will inevitably comprehend the True Self Law… The True Self Law can follow the "True-Illusion Dao," contending with the Creator of the Main Universe—or follow the "Pan Wu Dao"…'

'If my Immortal Dao avatar refines its soul into Void, it will surely perceive the "Immortal Dao"…'

Fang Xing silently calculated, yet still harbored doubts.

Dao contention is not something he can avoid simply by abandoning the True-Illusion Dao.

The higher his cultivation, the more clearly he sensed it.

His true body is a being of the Creator's universe, inherently linked to it.

The Creator seeks to prove the "True-Illusion Dao," and he himself is part of the "True"—he cannot escape it.

'Fortunately, though the Creator is powerful, he now appears to be merely at the peak of an Immortal…'

Fang Xing exhaled, then smiled bitterly: 'But if I return, without my Black Hole body and without an Emperor Weapon… my strength might not even match a newly risen Soul Sovereign…'

'Unless… I advance further in the fusion of Space and Time laws—both reaching the Fifth Layer, even reaching the pinnacle of Fifth Layer Mastery…'

'I can't take my body, but I can take my insights… Then, relying on the Space-Time Dao, I might still have a chance to walk the path of a Soul Sovereign through laws?'

Fang Xing focused his spirit, meditating on the 'Pan Wu Da Dian'—this was the legacy of a Eternal Realm powerhouse, filled with countless secret arts and divine techniques… highly effective for overcoming weaker opponents, perfectly suited for him now.

'Regardless, I must strive to ascend to Heavenly Demon as soon as possible… If I can carry away a complete understanding of one Dao, this world will have been worth it.'

'Then again, I needn't be so pessimistic—my Black Dragon body still has nine thousand years left… Perhaps by then, I'll have reached the Chaos Level… and crush the Creator with a mere gesture!'

…

Qingmu Realm.

Fuli Continent.

Upon a green ancient fortress, Huo Lingzi, clad in armor, was on duty.

After failing the Core Examination, he was demoted from Core Member to Formal Member.

After struggling for several years and accepting reality, he reluctantly broke through to the Soul Realm.

But cultivation in the Soul Realm became even more arduous; to obtain more Soul Fluid, he was forced to accept dangerous missions.

Such as… garrisoning the outpost of the Boundless Mountain in the Qingmu Realm.

This fortress is a colossal war artifact—the more Soul Realm cultivators stationed within, the stronger its power.

'Trouble!'

Suddenly, Huo Lingzi received an alarm; he immediately raised his hand, sending a flame soaring into the sky, exploding violently.

'It's Lie Feng Shan Zhu, the Soul Sovereign of the Wei Huang Palace!'

'He destroyed one of our Soul teams over a "San Qing Shi Xin," and now he's come again…'

One by one, Soul cultivators flew out, channeling their collective spiritual power into the green ancient fortress.

The fortress rumbled; beams of light surged skyward, coalescing into a giant green-horned beast. The beast roared to the heavens, its massive green horn aimed at a point in space, where black patterns emerged.

Shhh!

A beam of black light shot forth, piercing through layers of void, striking a blazing volcanic mountain.

Boom!

The volcano erupted violently, annihilating the black light in mutual destruction.

Then…

Waves of crimson light gathered, forming a scroll of flame, landing in the hands of a towering, crimson-browed man.

He was none other than Lie Feng Shan Zhu, the Soul Sovereign of the Wei Huang Palace!

He chuckled softly, clenching his five fingers into a fist.

Countless meteors of fire rained down, overtaking several fleeing Soul Realm Ninth Layer figures ahead.

Each meteor pierced through countless defenses, crushing the last remaining Ninth Layer cultivator of the Boundless Mountain to death.

Puff!

The corpse of that cultivator collapsed lifelessly before the green fortress's gate.

'Lie Feng Shan Zhu… you've gone too far.'

From within the green-horned beast, a voice filled with grief and fury rang out.

'Hmph! Cultivators live by strength. If you're weak, don't dream of things beyond your reach—especially not my treasures.'

Lie Feng Shan Zhu sneered, arrogant and overbearing.

'Even if I can't break through your "Qingming Fortress," I'll give you a harsh lesson today!'

Clearly, Lie Feng Shan Zhu held no affection for the Boundless Mountain.

After all, he had received word that the Wei Huang Palace's Imperial Son had been slain by the Black Dragon of the Boundless Mountain—and he knew that Black Dragon Prince had become a Soul Sovereign, with a 90% chance of coming to Qingmu Realm.

Naturally, he sought every opportunity to weaken the Boundless Mountain before the Black Dragon Prince arrived.

If he could eliminate this outpost, so much the better.

Boom!

Lie Feng Shan Zhu unfurled his scroll; countless volcanic mountains materialized, crashing toward the green-horned beast.

'Defend!'

Huo Lingzi felt the terrifying power within those volcanoes—capable of burning heaven and destroying earth—his soul trembling.

Yet he could only obey his commander's orders, pouring all his spiritual power into the Qingming Fortress.

Layers of green armor emerged upon the green-horned beast, bracing against the volcanic impacts.

Bang!

Like a collision of heaven and earth, the volcanoes shattered—but the shockwave turned Huo Lingzi pale, and several comrades beside him spat blood.

'Attack!'

The green-horned beast roared, sweeping its horn—Lie Feng Shan Zhu easily dodged, circling to its flank and striking with a palm.

Roar! Roar!

Nine ferocious fire dragons emerged, slamming into the beast's side.

'Puff!'

This time, even Huo Lingzi spat a mist of blood—clearly severely injured: 'Damn it… this Qingming Fortress is perfect in every way, except it's too inflexible…'

Clearly, this was a universal flaw of all large-scale war artifacts.

Lie Feng Shan Zhu, of course, wouldn't be foolish enough to brawl head-on with the green-horned beast—he merely harassed constantly, striking occasionally to drain the garrison's spiritual power and stamina.

Huo Lingzi felt his spiritual power thinning, his face pale: 'This… is what a Soul Sovereign is like?'

Though he'd long heard of the dominance of Soul Sovereigns on such battlefields, witnessing it firsthand was chilling!

One man alone nearly forced the Boundless Mountain to abandon its outpost.

If the Qingming Fortress fell, nearby Spirit Crystal and Spirit Stone mines might no longer be viable to mine—too great an impact!

Even if they couldn't break it, if he came like this every few days, which squad would dare venture out?

Even daily mining would become problematic.

'War fortresses are indeed hard to break, ha ha… I'll come again next time.'

Lie Feng Shan Zhu raised his hand once more; countless meteors of fire rained down upon the green-horned beast.

He let out a long howl, preparing to depart.

After all, though he was a Soul Sovereign, he wouldn't risk his life for the Wei Huang Palace's interests.

If we forcibly break through Qingming Fortress, we might provoke the enemy into a desperate last stand.

Moreover... other major powers' Nascent Soul overlords are watching from outside, and he cannot sustain severe injuries.

Thus, a bit of harassment is enough.

If we press on a few more times, Wuji Mountain will naturally be forced to retreat.

At that moment, heaven and earth shifted!

A tear opened in the void, and a silver-white Grand Void Ship slowly emerged.

"Dare you attack my Wuji Mountain fortress?"

"Fly scales, tread the sea! Kill!"

Jiao Chi stood at the very front of the vessel and roared.

Three thousand three hundred Nascent Soul armored soldiers drew their weapons in unison; streaks of azure light emerged, coalescing into a blue dragon with bared fangs and claws, charging straight at Lie Feng Mountain's lord!

(End of Chapter)