...
Yinsha Sect, at the border of the Western Jin and Southern Qin, near the edge of the Western Sea, stood a massive palace bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
The palace was grand and majestic, luxuriously decorated, exuding a sense of opulence.
This palace was the separate residence built by the Yinsha Sect for the Blood Child Demon Lord.
At this moment.
In the garden of the separate residence, the true form of the Blood Child Demon Lord was sitting in a pavilion, sipping tea, his gaze occasionally drifting toward the sky.
Clearly, he was waiting for something.
It had been some time since his avatar was summoned by the Demon Lord, yet even now, recalling the details of the summons, he was still filled with excitement.
To think, he had initially instructed his avatar to seek an audience with the Demon Lord with a mindset of giving it a try, hoping for the best but not expecting much.
He never imagined that the Demon Lord would actually intervene.The "Holy Gu Codex" he desired, though a half-step Immortal Scripture, would greatly benefit the entire True Demon Hall if obtained. However, it was still just a codex, crucial to him but not necessarily to other Demon Lords, let alone the Demon Lord himself.
As for Great Gan, despite its rapid development in recent years, it was still just a subsidiary state of the Immortal Dynasty, unlikely to catch the Demon Lord's attention.
Thus, the Demon Lord's intervention was entirely unexpected.
He understood that for the Demon Lord to act, it must be no trivial matter, with deeper schemes at play. He was merely a pawn in the grand scheme.
But that didn't matter. All he needed was for his plan to succeed.
Over the years, he had thoroughly investigated and discovered that the "Holy Gu Codex" was now in the hands of a woman named Wang Luojing.
This woman, originating from the Changning Wang's Clan, joined the academy under the Lingyun Holy Land at a young age, later becoming a Saintess of the Sacred Gu Clan and leading them to pledge allegiance to Great Gan, officially becoming part of it.
Now, she was using the Sacred Gu Clan as a base to establish the "Holy Gu Holy Land," her ambitions undeniable.
This woman was not to be underestimated.
His plan was to lead a mighty army to the borders of Great Gan, capturing vast territories.
The Sacred Gu Clan was located southwest of Tianfu Commandery, not far from the border battlefield. When the army of Great Gan approached the Sacred Gu Clan, she would surely return to defend it.
At that time, he would find a way to kill her and seize the "Holy Gu Codex."
If before, he had only a fifty percent chance of success, with the Demon Lord's involvement, the success rate had risen to ninety-nine percent.
Especially since the Demon Lord had bestowed a secret treasure for this purpose.
Thinking of that secret treasure, the Blood Child Demon Lord's heart burned with eagerness, wishing he could immediately take it to Great Gan.
Unfortunately, the Kunwu Giant Ship was not yet completed, and the secret treasure was still with his avatar.
But it wouldn't be long now.
After leaving the Demon Lord, his avatar had sent detailed information about the summons and was rushing over with the secret treasure to deliver it to him as soon as possible.
Just an hour ago, he received another message from his avatar, indicating that he was about to arrive.
This was why he was waiting in the garden pavilion.
Taking another sip of cold tea, the Blood Child Demon Lord waited, but his avatar had yet to arrive, and a hint of impatience appeared on his childlike face.
Based on the message from his avatar, he should have arrived by now. Could something have gone wrong on the way?
As he worried.
Suddenly.
In the distant sky, a streak of black light appeared.
The light moved with incredible speed, like a meteor or lightning, cutting through the clouds, and in the blink of an eye, it was visible to the naked eye.
It was a flying chariot pulled by black dragons. The chariot itself was not overly ostentatious or luxurious, but the two black dragons pulling it were of the seventh rank, their agile forms like two black streaks of lightning as they cut through the clouds.
The flying chariot's swift speed came from them.
It's here!
The Blood Child Demon Lord was overjoyed, immediately setting down his teacup, reaching out to tear open space, and in the blink of an eye, appeared in the distant sky.
Soon, he and the flying chariot met in mid-air.
"Greetings, Demon Lord!"
The curtain of the flying chariot was lifted, and several figures flew out, bowing in unison to the Blood Child Demon Lord.
There were three figures in total, differing in age and gender, all wearing matching blood-red robes, their auras flowing like rivers, powerful and not to be underestimated.
Clearly, these three were Divine Realm experts belonging to the Blood Child Demon Lord's hall.
However, the Blood Child Demon Lord's attention was not on them. He waved them to rise and looked toward the flying chariot.
At this moment, another childlike figure flew out of the chariot, heading toward him.
It was a figure almost identical to him, the same height and appearance, only slightly weaker in aura.
Clearly, this was his avatar.
In the presence of the true form, the avatar said nothing, bowed slightly, and transformed into a blood light, merging into his body.
At the same time, a storage ring fell into his palm.
The Blood Child Demon Lord scanned the storage ring with his divine sense, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.
This is it.
With this treasure, capturing Great Gan would be no problem. Next, he would wait for the Kunwu Giant Ship to be completed and join forces with the armies of the Western Jin and Southern Qin to attack Great Gan from three sides.
This battle, he was certain to win!
The "Holy Gu Codex" was within his grasp!
He led his new subordinates back to the separate residence and summoned Yin Futu, ordering, "Accelerate the construction of the Kunwu Giant Ship. I want to see three Kunwu Giant Ships in operation within ten years. Success will be handsomely rewarded."
With his order, the entire construction team seemed invigorated, working at full capacity.
The construction speed of the Kunwu Giant Ship increased significantly.
...
In the blink of an eye, ten years passed.
On the Wang's Clan side, the assembled version of the medium-sized Domain-Crossing Flying Boat was finally completed and put into use.
Now, with a medium-sized and a small Domain-Crossing Flying Boat operating simultaneously in the Boundary Rift, the pressure on personnel and material transport at the Great Gan demon realm defense base was greatly alleviated.
As a result, with the strong support of the Wang's Clan, the development and construction work on the demon realm territory began to accelerate further.
Meanwhile, the Wang's Clan repurposed the shell of the extra medium-sized Domain-Crossing Flying Boat and some overlapping components to start the next project.
This time, the Wang's Clan was determined to modify a Domain-Crossing Flying Boat using the shell as a blueprint, trying to restore and decipher the technology used in it. If restoration and deciphering were not possible, they would replace it with existing technology.
Compared to the assembled version, this version was undoubtedly much more challenging and was not a project that could be completed in a short time.
While the Wang's Clan and the Eastern Gan outer demon realm development progressed rapidly, the Blood Child Demon Lord encountered problems.
"Who? Who did this?"
The Blood Child Demon Lord floated in front of the dock, looking at the damaged Kunwu Giant Ship, the injured personnel, and the mess on the ground, filled with rage.
This was the result of many years of effort, his long-held hope, and just as it was about to be completed, it was reduced to this overnight!
His heart ached as if bleeding, and his face turned grim.
"Reporting to the Demon Lord." Seeing the Blood Child Demon Lord's expression, Yin Futu, responsible for overseeing the construction, turned pale, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. "A group of Dragon Whales passed by the Western Sea, hunting and driving away a large number of aquatic fierce beasts, causing a huge impact on our dock. The scene was terrifying, and everyone present witnessed it."
"Dragon Whales? The Western Sea is just a giant saltwater lake, an inland lake at that. How could there be Dragon Whales?" The Blood Child Demon Lord roared in anger, "Where are those Dragon Whales now?"
"They... they left after hunting and are now nowhere to be found."
"Damn it!"
The Blood Child Demon Lord was so furious that his face twisted, his eyes filled with intense malice.
How could it be such a coincidence?!
Why did it have to happen now?!
The timing of the Dragon Whales' appearance was too perfect, making him suspect that it was intentional!
Unfortunately, even if he wanted to find trouble with the Dragon Whales, there was no target to pursue. For now, he had to focus on the bigger picture.
Suppressing his murderous impulse, he took a deep breath and coldly asked, "How long will it take to repair? How many years will it delay the schedule?"
"It's estimated to delay the schedule by fifteen years!"
Yin Futu reported, trembling with fear, worried that the Blood Child Demon Lord might lose control and kill him.
If the Kunwu Giant Ship had been fully completed and operational, with its outer shell intact and protective shields activated, it wouldn't fear the impact of aquatic fierce beasts, and repairs would be quick.
But now, the Kunwu Giant Ship hadn't activated its protective shields, and its outer shell wasn't fully assembled. Some precision instruments inside were completely exposed for testing, and the impact from the aquatic fierce beasts left it in a dire state.
To fix everything, they would need to reorder from the Demon Dynasty, and the speed couldn't be rushed.
"Ten years, I allow you a ten-year extension." The Blood Child Demon Lord's voice was icy. "Exceed it by a day, and I'll kill your entire family."
"Yes, Demon Lord."
Yin Futu, feeling as if he had been granted a reprieve, hurriedly went to handle the aftermath.
...
Things were not going smoothly for the Blood Child Demon Lord, nor were they for the Demon Lord.
He had been fishing at the Demon Abyss, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for Wang Ruobing to be lured or to leave the Demon Dynasty on her own, heading to the outer region battlefield or some remote place.
As soon as he saw an opportunity, he would strike with lightning speed, capture her, and absorb the power within her, reclaiming the core power of the Nether Fiend True Demon Seed.
Unexpectedly, the "Ice Phoenix Goddess" Wang Ruobing sat firmly in the Demon Capital, not leaving, spending years in seclusion, unmoved by Chao Qianxue's repeated provocations, simply focusing on her cultivation, ignoring worldly affairs.
And so, waiting and waiting, another ten years passed.
The Kunwu Giant Ship at the dock by the Western Sea was about to be completed again.
However, on this day, the dock encountered another incident.
This time, a group of Yuan Shui Azure Dragons passed by unexpectedly, causing significant damage to the dock and the Kunwu Giant Ship within, and even plundering a batch of demon crystal ballistae that had just been shipped from the Demon Dynasty.
Once again floating in the sky, looking at the devastated dock and Kunwu Giant Ship, the Blood Child Demon Lord was filled with rage.
If the appearance of the Dragon Whales last time was still uncertain whether it was a coincidence, this time, the appearance of the Yuan Shui Azure Dragons almost confirmed that everything behind this was orchestrated by the Changning Wang's Clan!
Who didn't know the close relationship between the Changning Wang's Clan and the Yuan Shui Azure Dragon clan?!
"Eastern Gan! Wang's Clan! I am irreconcilable with you!"
The Blood Child Demon Lord gritted his teeth in anger, wishing he could immediately attack the Wang's Clan and slaughter them all!
Unfortunately, he couldn't.
Not to mention the Demon Lord's plan in place, the Lingxu Realm experts residing in the Wang's Clan were not something he could contend with.
Now, all he could do was swallow his anger and continue building the Kunwu Giant Ship.
But this time, after the damage, the schedule would be delayed by another ten years.
The Blood Child Demon Lord decided to build a hut by the dock and personally oversee the construction for ten years. If the Wang's Clan dared to come and sabotage again, he would seize the opportunity to counterattack.
Similarly, things were not going smoothly for the Demon Lord.
Unknowingly, he had been fishing at the Demon Abyss for twenty years, and Wang Ruobing remained in seclusion in the Demon Capital, showing no intention of leaving.
The only consolation for the Demon Lord was that Chao Qianxue had been developing well over the years.
Through military live broadcasts, he started as a low-ranking soldier, building his career, and now had become a battle group leader, leading his group to several victories.
This process of rising through personal strength and ability, without relying on family influence, earned Chao Qianxue immense popularity, with his reputation beginning to rival Shentu Jingming and even subtly surpass Wang Ruobing.
This also gradually improved the Chao Clan's reputation.
Many began to feel that although the Chao Clan produced a Little Demon Lord like Chao Qianjue, the Chao Clan had a deep foundation, and not everyone was as unreliable as Chao Qianjue. One shouldn't judge the whole clan by one person.
Chao Qianxue's presence also inspired many young aristocratic children to emulate and follow him, with many willing to join him in building their careers.
...
Time continued to pass.
In the blink of an eye, another ten years went by.
During these ten years, the Blood Child Demon Lord set up a shelter by the dock, overseeing the construction while cultivating. This accelerated the construction progress, and no more incidents of fierce beasts "passing by" occurred to delay the progress.
When the newly built Kunwu Giant Ship, equipped with the most powerful demon crystal ballistae from the Demon Dynasty, successfully launched and completed its trial mission, the majestic scene almost brought the Blood Child Demon Lord to tears.
It wasn't easy, truly not easy~
The grievances of the Eastern Gan Wang's Clan, who robbed his half-step Immortal Scripture, destroyed his avatar, and turned his followers against him, could finally be avenged!
The plan set by the Demon Lord all those years ago was finally ready to be set in motion!
The Blood Child Demon Lord stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of Great Gan, a determined and cold gleam in his eyes.
Within his small frame, the terrifying aura of a mid-Void Realm expert surged, causing the space to tremble, and a dense blood-colored mist spread, painting half the sky red.
The long wind swept across the lake, carrying the blood-colored mist with it, drifting toward the opposite shore of the Western Sea.
...
At the same time, on the Changning Wang's Clan side, a critical moment had also arrived.
Great Gan.
Changning Wang's Clan main residence.
The usually clear sky was now filled with changing clouds, as if infected by some emotion, becoming restless and uneasy, with a terrifying aura filling the entire world.
Vast amounts of spiritual energy were converging madly above the Wang's Clan main residence, drawn by a powerful suction force, compressing and being forcibly absorbed downward.
A massive vortex hung above the Wang's Clan main residence.
At the end of this vortex was Shouzhe's Small Courtyard.
In the courtyard.
Wang Shouzhe sat cross-legged in mid-air, the vast spiritual energy converging from the sky pouring into his body, disappearing as if into a bottomless pit, instantly absorbed.
As the spiritual energy continued to pour in, the aura emanating from him rapidly increased.
Clearly, he was undergoing a breakthrough.
In just a few decades, time seemed to have left no trace on his face, still that of a young, handsome gentleman. If there was any change, it was that he had become more profound and restrained, exuding even more charm.
The surging spiritual energy stirred up a gentle breeze, causing his white robe to flutter in the wind, making him appear like a celestial being, captivating all who beheld him.
As time passed, Wang Shouzhe's aura grew stronger and stronger, unknowingly breaking through the bottleneck of the Divine Realm.
Affected by his path of divine abilities, all the spirit plants within the Wang's Clan main residence grew wildly, countless spirit flowers blooming in a short time, a scene of unparalleled magnificence, leaving all in awe.
Such a phenomenon naturally attracted many clan members to stop and watch from afar.
"The Ancestor is about to break through to the Divine Realm~ He's so fast~ He's not even two hundred and fifty years old yet," a young Wang's Clan member marveled.
Another equally young Wang's Clan member shook his head, "Not too fast. A few years ago, the Ancestor Grandmother already broke through to the Divine Realm. If the Ancestor Grandfather doesn't work harder, he'll be left further behind."
"If the Ancestors are working so hard, I can't slack off anymore. Starting today, I'll double my cultivation efforts, aiming to break through to the Celestial Realm before forty, so I can help the clan in the outer demon realm."
"Then I'll aim to break through before thirty-nine."
"I'll strive for thirty-eight!"
"No matter what, I'll be a year faster than you."
"Then let's compete!"
"Compete it is!"
As they spoke, the two youngsters began bickering back and forth.
Besides them, many others in the clan stopped to watch and discuss.
And at that moment.
"Boom!"
Wang Shouzhe finally broke through the bottleneck, and in the sky, Divine Tribulation Clouds suddenly gathered.
In an instant, the pitch-black tribulation clouds covered the sky above the Wang's Clan main residence.
The dark clouds layered like a city under siege, streaks of lightning flashing within, and the rumbling thunder echoed through the heavens. Under the pressure of the tribulation lightning, even the air seemed to stagnate, making it almost impossible to breathe.
For a moment, all discussions in the clan ceased.
Everyone looked up at the tribulation clouds.
Amidst the attention of all, a figure in white rose into the air, heading straight into the tribulation clouds.
That white figure, without a doubt, was Wang Shouzhe.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
One after another, powerful divine tribulation lightning struck.
Yet his figure within the tribulation clouds remained composed, exuding an air of calm and ease. For someone with bloodline qualifications at the Heavenly Son Grade A, this level of divine tribulation posed little threat.
The process of crossing the tribulation was smooth and uneventful.
Soon, nine divine tribulation lightnings passed.
The tribulation clouds in the sky quickly dissipated, replaced by clusters of golden heavenly essence.
Clusters of heavenly essence drifted down, appearing like a shower of golden petals from afar.
The hazy golden light enveloped Wang Shouzhe, quickly permeating his body, beginning to cleanse his bloodline.
This was the Heavenly Dao's reward for successfully passing the divine tribulation.
This bloodline cleansing during a breakthrough ignored the current bloodline level, directly elevating it by an entire tier.
As the heavenly essence was gradually absorbed, Wang Shouzhe's bloodline power seemed to be greatly stimulated, suddenly boiling.
A massive Dharma Aspect appeared behind him, exuding a terrifying pressure.
Unknowingly, the heavenly essence from the sky was completely absorbed, and by then, Wang Shouzhe's bloodline had transformed, reaching the "Ninth High Stage"!
In the sky.
Wang Shouzhe opened his eyes, feeling as if the colors of the world had become more vivid and clear.
With a slight shift of his divine sense, the Heavenly Dao skill seemed like countless threads, clearly visible. With a gentle touch, it was like plucking the strings of a zither, triggering changes in the Heavenly Dao skill.
With a casual thought, the space before him was torn and twisted. He stepped in, and in the next moment, appeared hundreds of miles away above the East Sea.
When a Basalt cultivator's bloodline awakened to the ninth level, their understanding and control of the Heavenly Dao underwent a qualitative change, incomparable to before.
Thus, the ninth-level bloodline was also known as the "Enlightenment True Body."
Typically, only Void Realm cultivators' bloodlines could awaken to the ninth-level "Enlightenment True Body," and even then, it was often the ninth low stage. Wang Shouzhe, however, had reached the ninth high stage.
In terms of bloodline awakening alone, Wang Shouzhe had surpassed many Void Realm experts, including Emperor Longchang and Jiang Zhencang, who were no longer his equals.
"Phew! Finally, I have some self-preservation ability and confidence."
Wang Shouzhe was quite satisfied with himself. With more comprehension of various Heavenly Dao skills and the assistance of the Immortal Sword Niyue, he wouldn't need to fear even when facing Void Realm experts.
With the "Holy Emperor's Wrath" and various trump cards in hand, even a True Immortal would need to think twice before confronting him.
This greatly increased Wang Shouzhe's sense of security.
In the next moment, he took another step and returned to the main residence.
However, this time, due to imprecise spatial positioning and unfamiliarity with the spatial Heavenly Dao skill, he accidentally shifted a few miles off course, failing to teleport directly back to the small courtyard.
But this was no big deal. With another teleport, he successfully returned to the small courtyard.
In the courtyard, Liu Ruolan had been waiting for some time. Seeing him return, she immediately urged him to wash up, while she brewed a pot of immortal tea in the courtyard.
Soon, Wang Shouzhe emerged, refreshed, holding a cup of immortal tea handed to him by his wife, sipping it with delight.
"Father!"
Before long, a clear voice called from outside the courtyard.
The slightly grown-up Wang Lixian dashed over like a green lightning bolt, happily throwing herself into his arms, "Congratulations, Father, on advancing to the Divine Realm."
"Hehe~" Wang Shouzhe affectionately ruffled her hair, "Xian'er, you're always the fastest. Father didn't dote on you for nothing."
"It's not because of that," Wang Lixian pouted, a hint of grievance on her delicate face. "As your life-bound spirit plant, Xian'er's growth is limited by your cultivation level, stuck at the peak of the ninth rank for quite some time. No matter how hard I try, I can't advance. Thankfully, now that you've broken through to the Divine Realm, my breakthrough to the tenth rank is just around the corner! Hehe~ Outer demon realm baddies, your Miss Lixian is coming! Boom boom boom~"
Wang Shouzhe's smile froze.
Why did this kid become less adorable as she grew up? When she was little and only babbled, Lixian was so well-behaved~
"Oooh~ Eeya oooh~"
At that moment, a Xuan Turtle with a pretty bow on its head also came over.
This Xuan Turtle was naturally Wang Lixuan.
After thirty years of growth, Wang Lixuan had grown significantly, now taller than Wang Shouzhe when standing.
But her personality remained as innocent as ever, even though she was quite large now, she still lowered her head, happily rubbing against Wang Shouzhe.
Father's advancement to the Divine Realm was a joyous occasion worth celebrating~
"Xuan'er is still our good girl." Wang Shouzhe patted her head, asking with concern, "Why is the Clan School out so early today? Have you finished your homework?"
"Oooh..." Wang Lixuan instantly teared up.
On such a joyous day, couldn't Father avoid mentioning "homework"?
"You should learn more from Zongshi." Wang Shouzhe sighed helplessly.
Lixuan was always a bit slow in everything, including her homework, whereas Wang Zongshi, despite being a World Tree, was steady and composed, never procrastinating, much like Wang Shouzhe in his younger days.
Just as Wang Shouzhe was about to lecture a bit more, a family guard arrived with a top-secret intelligence report.
Seeing this, Wang Lixian quickly took the opportunity to lead the tearful Wang Lixuan away to play.
Wang Shouzhe didn't stop them, setting down his tea cup, leisurely reading the report, and then a smile appeared on his lips.
The Blood Child Demon Lord's construction project was finally complete, which meant the attack on Eastern Gan was likely imminent.
Well, the timing seemed about right.
The net that had been set for so long was finally ready to be drawn in.
...