Chapter 444: 383 Zhangg 200 Years Later! [Requesting Monthly Tickets!]
Year by year, time passed.
Chen Jichuan remained in the Purple Mansion Immortal Gourd, which drifted randomly within the Seven Mysterious Mountain. It was buffeted by turbulent void currents that appeared out of nowhere, rolling through the mountain’s passageways and caverns.
Taking advantage of the circumstance.
Chen Jichuan sensed the area outside the Immortal Gourd, collecting the magical treasures and relics left behind by the deceased White Bone Venerable and others into the gourd.
The Seven Mysterious Flying Ants clustered together, guarding the insect eggs and spiritual medicines amidst the mountain.
The moment, no contact could be made.
The mountain wandered; time flowed.
Drifting towards unknown places, cultivation continued heedlessly of the years.
In the blink of an eye.
Two hundred years elapsed.
...
This day.
Within the Immortal Gourd space, Chen Jichuan concluded his exercises and opened his eyes to assess himself—
"Three hundred and thirty years."
"Peak of Divinity Transformation Realm."
In this lifetime, at only three hundred and forty-eight years old, Chen Jichuan had reached the peak of Divinity Transformation.
Following his attempts in the Starry Sky World.
This marked the third time he achieved the peak of Divinity Transformation.
Unlike the previous two times.
In his earlier breakthroughs to the peak of Divinity Transformation, Chen Jichuan felt the way forward was obscured, utterly impossible to perceive.
But this time.
Chen Jichuan felt as if a flimsy dirt wall lay before him; one push would topple it, leading to the Fourth Order.
"In my past life, I ascended as an Eleventh Tribulation Independent Immortal, my Daoist cultivation levels comparable to the Fourth Order."
"This lifetime, it is naturally a smooth progression."
With the Fourth Order within reach and easily attainable, Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but feel excited.
However, he refrained from advancing.
"Ascending from the First Order to the Second Order requires enduring the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation."
"The Second to the Third demands the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation."
"Likewise, advancing from the Third to the Fourth faces a Heavenly Tribulation known as the ’Nine-Nine Tribulations.’"
The Immortal Path is treacherous, every step marked by tribulations.
Chen Jichuan approached it with utmost caution.
Even though his foundational strength was solid and his methods were varied, the unfamiliarity with this particular tribulation required careful preparation.
"At present, I am impoverished, unaware of the Seven Mysterious Mountain’s location or the surrounding situation."
"For now, I must bide my time."
Although Chen Jichuan desired to ascend to the Fourth Order in one stroke, he knew adults must weigh consequences and tread prudently, rather than get carried away by fleeting satisfaction.
Even the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was imposing in its scope.
Chen Jichuan had witnessed the power of the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth rounds of the Independent Immortal Tribulations.
The might of the Nine-Nine Tribulations remained uncertain to him.
Still, he had heard tales during his century-long travels across the Tu Continent, where rumors spoke of the Nine-Nine Tribulations summoning celestial phenomena, perceptible to cultivators within a radius of millions of miles.
Anything might occur.
Humans are divided into good and evil, while the Dao diverges between righteous and demonic.
Even among Fourth Order Immortals, not all were benevolent—there were still practitioners of the Demon Dao and degenerates of the Evil Path.
This couldn’t be ignored.
Ascending from the Third to the Fourth Order.
The Nine-Nine Tribulations was not only a heavenly trial but also presented unforeseen worldly challenges.
Preparation, after all, could only be advantageous.
"During my time in the Seven Mysterious Mountain, I obtained two Fourth Order Magical Treasures."
"In addition, I acquired nine Fourth Order Magical Treasures left behind by White Bone Venerable and others."
"None of which include a defensive artifact."
At this moment, Chen Jichuan’s wealth was substantial, primarily consisting of magical treasures—
Purple Mansion Immortal Gourd, Vajra Divine Fire Bow, Fire Dragon Fork, Sword Zither, Insect Inquiry Mirror, Insect Control Banner, Taiyin Divine Needle, White Bone Banner, Heartless Treasure Mirror, Sea Covering Pearl, Great Strength Divine Mallet, Buddha Light Treasure Coin.
Twelve Fourth Order Magical Treasures in total.
However, most were strange magical treasures with limited use in direct combat, and even less utility during tribulations.
"Furthermore."
"I’ve spent two hundred years in the Seven Mysterious Mountain and cultivated within the Immortal Gourd for the same duration. My stock of pills has long been exhausted."
"Supplementation before the tribulation is also necessary."
With the Fourth Order in sight.
Chen Jichuan maintained an increasingly calm demeanor, ensuring he accounted for every detail—
Before the tribulation.
During the tribulation.
After the tribulation.
He ran various scenarios through his mind countless times.
His cultivation had already reached the threshold of the Fourth Order, missing only the final step. Chen Jichuan decisively held back, his figure flashing, leaving the Immortal Gourd space.
...
Two hundred years later.
The Seven Mysterious Mountain had long since returned from the outer void to the mortal realm.
After returning, it continued wandering, halting briefly when locating spirit stone veins. Like diligent ants, the flying ants worked industriously, extracting spirit stones from the veins.
Once depleted, they resumed their migration.
Mechanical.
Tedious.
Unrelenting.
The Seven Mysterious Flying Ants lacked advanced spiritual wisdom, guided purely by instinct to pursue strength and survival.
Over two hundred years.
Hidden within the Immortal Gourd, Chen Jichuan couldn’t sense beyond the mountain’s exterior, though he could roughly discern its movements.
This mountain had emerged from the void one hundred and ninety years prior, relocating three times thereafter.
Now, it had reached its fourth spirit stone vein.
"I wonder which region this place belongs to."
Chen Jichuan exited the Immortal Gourd and landed within the mountain, contemplating silently.
Directions in the void are hard to discern.
The Seven Mysterious Mountain had wandered aimlessly.
After ten years of floating through the void, upon reemerging, it was impossible to determine its location.
And even whether he remained within the Tu Continent was uncertain.
The flying ants, skittish by nature, fled at the slightest sign of alarm, bringing the mountain along with them.
During the years following its reemergence from the void, Chen Jichuan had exercised restraint, refraining from scaring them.
To avoid triggering another void journey.
This marked his first emergence from the Immortal Gourd space since escaping the void, his first physical appearance within the Seven Mysterious Mountain.
Upon his arrival.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz!*
Clusters of Seven Mysterious Flying Ants swarmed towards him.
"Today is unlike the past!"
Chen Jichuan waved his sleeve lightly, and with a flash of mysterious light, the dense swarm of flying ants was collected into his sleeve.
Having endured ten years in the void, amidst chaotic currents.
What had once been a vast number of Seven Mysterious Flying Ants suffered near-catastrophic losses, with close to two hundred years failing to replenish their numbers to previous peak levels.
In the void, the flying ants clustered together, protecting their eggs and spiritual medicines.
The outermost layer comprised impenetrable Yellow Ants.
Under the bombardment of void turbulence, the Yellow Ants were practically eradicated, including those of third and fourth order.
By the time normalcy returned to the mortal realm.
By Chen Jichuan’s perception, the number of flying ants had dwindled to less than one-tenth, leaving only tens of thousands.
No longer a significant force.
As Chen Jichuan traversed the mountain, his sleeves swept effortlessly.
Soon enough.
Every flying ant within the mountain had been captured.
The mountain fell silent.
"Though I have yet to ascend to the Fourth Order, my cultivation at the peak of the Third Order enables me to wield magic, which is still formidable."
"But I can’t be sure how I compare to a One-Pattern Immortal."
Lacking direct comparisons and never having witnessed the strength of One-Pattern or Two-Pattern Immortals, Chen Jichuan remained unsure of his current power scale.
This uncertainty was another reason for his caution regarding the tribulation.
After all, one could never predict the complications that might arise during or after the process of overcoming tribulations.
Chen Jichuan scoured the Seven Mysterious Mountain, clearing out the flying ants.
Only then did he leap beyond the mountain.
A final wave of his sleeve collected the diminished Seven Mysterious Mountain, shrinking it down and placing it inside the Purple Mansion Immortal Gourd.
Then, hiding his figure, he quietly slipped away.
...
Seven days later.
Chen Jichuan monitored a group of bird-like beings coming and going from a mountain city ahead, his heart sinking—
...
Name: Hann Yun
Species: Grey Wing Clan
...
"Grey Wing Clan."
Seeing the bird-like figures not far away, images of their description flashed through Chen Jichuan’s mind.
The Grey Wing Clan is born with wings and can soar through the void from a young age.
Upon reaching adulthood, they stand five to six meters tall with dark green pupils. Grey-winged feathers extend from beneath their ribs, their bodies extremely tall but notably thin. Combined with their wings, they resemble some kind of spiritual avian walking upright.
Their clan is formidable, ranking among the top ten of the hundred clans in the Chongming Realm, equal to the Human Clan.
They occupy Candle State.
"This isn’t Tu Continent."
"Nor is it Candle State."
Tu Continent is dominated by the Human Clan with few alien clans.
Though the Grey Wing Clan is the undisputed overlord of Candle State, being most prevalent there, their massive population means they’re distributed across the entirety of Chongming Realm.
Their presence doesn’t necessarily equate to being in Candle State.
In truth.
Over seven days, Chen Jichuan had encountered multiple alien clans.
Titans were the most common.
Grey Wings second.
Nobody knows the exact number of species within Chongming Realm.
However, among those substantial in scale and holding significance across Ten States and Four Directions Heaven, there are approximately over a hundred.
Among these hundred clans.
Both Humans and Grey Wings rank within the top ten, holding dominion over their respective states and wielding considerable influence in Four Directions Heaven.
Regrettably.
Human nature is selfish; differences in cultivation ideologies among various Immortal Sects often lead to conflict or outright hostility.
Thus, while Chongming Realm hosts a hundred clans, the Human Clan remains scattered, unable to unite cohesively.
This might also be attributed to their dominance.
The weaker a clan is, the more inclined it is to stick together for warmth. Conversely, for the Human Clan, ranked within the top ten among these large clans, internal division becomes more pronounced.
Fortunately.
Not only does the Human Clan exhibit this trait, but the other hundred clans are also fragmented, divided into numerous factions.
Take the Grey Wing Clan.
They’re not a monolithic entity either, harboring many branches.
Some have even been relegated to living in the outer sea.
On the whole.
Individuals of the same species are naturally closer, but the hundred clans are neither entirely united nor entirely oppositional—it’s a complex web of intertwined affiliations.
In Chongming Realm.
The Human Clan firmly dominates Tu Continent.
The Grey Wing Clan occupies Candle State.
The Titan Clan claims Liuu State.
This area appears to be a mixed settlement of alien clans, evidently neither Tu Continent, Candle State, nor Liuu State.
Instead, it falls at the junction of Tu, Liuu, and Candle States—
...
"Star Constellation Sea."
Back during the era of Great Zhou, Chen Jichuan had already gained a broad understanding of this realm.
Subsequent centuries of travel further refined his grasp of Chongming Realm’s geographical divisions.
Setting aside ’Four Directions Heaven.’
The ’Ten States’ were divided into ten continents, with Tu Continent occupying the southern region and covering vast territory.
Chen Jichuan initially resided within the Great Zhou domain, which lay closer to Snake Continent and Gou Continent towards the west and northwest.
He traveled westward.
Eventually encountering the Seven Mysterious Mountain, which carried him through ten turbulent years of void drifting before depositing him northeast of Tu Continent, within the ’Star Constellation Sea.’
This area lies closer to Liuu and Candle States within the Ten States.
A region where the three states intersected.
"In Chongming Realm, the ’Four Directions Heaven’ is most favorable for cultivation."
"Next comes the ’Ten States.’"
"The outer seas, however, are the most barren."
Thus, Upper Immortals primarily dwell in the heavens; on the earth, top-tier Immortal Sects and peak powers predominantly occupy the spiritual mountains and wondrous lands across the Ten States.
As for the Star Constellation Sea.
It’s a chaotic mix.
Aside from cultivators native to the area, many come from clans or states where they failed to establish themselves, forcing them into the outer sea.
...
"Though cultivators in the outer seas are no fewer than those in the Ten States, resources are far scarcer, making the competition fiercer."
"But for me, it’s all the same."
Chen Jichuan was confident he could excel anywhere.
Still, understanding the local rules was essential to fully utilizing his abilities.
Thus.
He spent time traveling and gathering information on the region’s realities and dynamics.
After canvassing the area.
Chen Jichuan had a clear picture in his mind.
"The Divinity Transformation Realm remains dominant."
"However, there’s a significant number of Fourth Order Upper Immortals cultivating in the Star Constellation Sea."
"I currently find myself amidst a web of influence involving the Titans, Grey Wing Clan, and Horned Demons."
"With each clan and faction intertwined, it’s exceedingly convoluted."
Being a lone Human Realm cultivator, attempting to ascend amidst alien clan territories posed immense risks.