Chapter 167: Chapter 123: Changes in the Situation_2
Since the bounties from the great Holy Lands, a storm had arisen, and within less than a year, Chu Zheng had already undergone a shocking transformation.
At the beginning of the bounties by the Holy Lands, Chu Zheng was merely a cultivator of the Spirit Spring Realm, but now he alone had defeated the joint encirclement of three Holy Lands. Thousands of Soul Condensing cultivators had launched their powerful attack but returned defeated.
The span of this transformation was truly astonishing.
As the news spread, it triggered a massive chain reaction. The predicament of Taixuan Holy Land experienced a shocking reversal. The sects that were previously neutral began to quietly offer their allegiance to Taixuan, seeking to unite.
The discerning could see that as long as Chu Zheng did not die, within the next ten thousand years, Taixuan would inevitably experience a spring after winter and reach an unprecedented peak.
Before this, establishing good relations was extremely important, especially for those sects struggling to survive among the Holy Lands. Assessing the situation sometimes involved making unwilling but necessary decisions. Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin.net
The city outside Taixuan Holy Land began to expand at an astonishing rate, quickly becoming a vast metropolis, even showing signs of spreading further as small cities rapidly emerged.
Some smaller sects had already begun to relocate entirely, abandoning their long-inherited bases and moving into the sphere of influence of Taixuan Holy Land.
The various Holy Lands of the Southern Region, including ancient and powerful Immortal Sects, would not directly contact the outside world but would have a buffer zone, either a city or an entire country.
Just like Illusory Spirit City for the Phantom Spirit Sect.
All cultivators were well aware that in the coming days, the surroundings of Taixuan, previously desolate and barren, would transform into a flourishing cultivation Holy Land.
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"Never expected that such a tightly woven net would be directly torn apart by Chu Zheng alone. I heard that the Soul Condensing cultivators of Taixuan Holy Land did not even make a move."
"This rise of Taixuan seems unstoppable now."
"Give Chu Zheng another eight years, and the leader of the Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects this time will likely be between him and Shang Zuling."
"Shang Zuling first, no doubt. Chu Zheng will probably have to settle for second."
Below Heavenly Throne Holy Land, inside Heavenly Throne City.
Within the sprawling city that spanned hundreds of miles, several figures stood on a busy street, slightly stunned by the discussions of the surrounding cultivators.
Their attire was similar, each carrying a jade pendant inscribed with the 'Song' character at their waist—it was Song Shengming and his group who had left Taixuan.
Song Shengming, hearing the news spread by the cultivators on the street, was momentarily unable to react.
He had also heard about the collaboration among several Holy Lands to encircle Chu Zheng. Whilst he didn't believe Chu Zheng would fall so easily, he thought he would at least suffer a great loss.
Yet it had turned into the situation as it was now.
Seeing that Song Shengming remained silent for a long time, one of the middle-aged cultivators by his side couldn't help but inquire through transmitted voice, "Third Elder, about the Heavenly Throne Holy Land... are we still going?"
"It would be useless to go, just a waste of effort."
Song Shengming came back to his senses, shaking his head with furrowed brows.
Originally, his plan was to unite the power of several Holy Lands to pressure Taixuan and compel Chu Zheng to appear and personally deal with the matter of the Song Family Heritage Blood Jade.
However, the situation had changed too quickly. After this encirclement, the major Holy Lands temporarily could no longer pose a threat to Chu Zheng.
Moreover, considering Geng Yiyang's previous stance, Taixuan Holy Land would obviously protect Chu Zheng to the end, making this approach now unfeasible.
The crux of the matter still lay with Chu Zheng.
Song Shengming quickly made a decision, his expression solemn:
"Notify all the relatives we can contact, try to reach out to Chu Zheng directly, and ask him how much he wants in exchange for returning the Blood Jade. Whatever the conditions, we can discuss them."
A True Immortal Noble Family now has to bow before a junior of the Entry Dao Realm, something Song Shengming had never imagined before.
But as things had progressed to this point, there was no turning back.
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After leaving the Immortal Martial Battlefield, Chu Zheng traveled nearly a month, heading west across more than four million leagues, entering a mortal realm.
This land was known as Danxia. In ancient times, there was a True Immortal of Alchemy who practiced alchemy here, and an Immortal Pill descended into the world from this place, covering a hundred thousand leagues with its Danxia energy, with heavenly spiritual rain blessing all creatures.
That spiritual rain changed the constitutions of all living beings within a radius of over a hundred thousand leagues, significantly extending the lifespan of mortals. In the historical records of Danxia Country, there were instances where mortals lived over three hundred years with their mortal bodies.
Today, this land is still known as a place of longevity, with the elderly often living beyond one hundred thirty or forty years.
The only regrettable factor is the very low probability of producing Immortal Seedlings in Danxia Country, with just three to five individuals emerging every two to three hundred years, mostly possessing Lower Quality Immortal Bones.
Many Immortal Sects had visited and explored this area, concluding that the unusually extended lifespan consumed the potential of the people of Danxia Country, thus making Immortal Seedlings rare.
Upon hearing this legend, Chu Zheng's first reaction was to believe that there had been a change in the environment here, which resulted in the drastic extension of mortal lifespans.
However, upon arriving in Danxia Country, this speculation was undoubtedly refuted. The environment here, compared to other places, showed no difference, with the distribution of Yuan Qi between heaven and earth being even.
The only explanation was that at the instant the Immortal Pill was completed, some mysterious force instantly altered the constitutions of the local people, possibly even causing a genetic mutation.
This mutation was stable enough to be passed down through generations.
In a moment, it affected billions of beings. Such is the power of an Immortal.
Ever since embarking on the path of cultivation, any information related to Immortals profoundly impacted Chu Zheng. This unexplainable power is the greatest distinction between Immortals and mortals.
Before becoming an Immortal, a cultivator is still merely a cultivator, ultimately a mortal.
After entering Danxia Country, Chu Zheng had been attentively observing the local mortals, and he quickly noticed some differences.
The Yuan Qi inside the bodies of the people living here was exceptionally vigorous, at least two to three times that of ordinary mortals. Some newborn infants exhibited Innate Qi that was particularly thick and astounding.
An invisible force protected their bodies from being eroded by the mundane world, making the balance of Yuan Qi within them harder to disrupt.
In other words, disregarding enlightenment, just based on physical constitution alone, the people of Danxia Country were considered promising candidates for the Qi Refining Lineage.
Having vigorous Yuan Qi meant they were more likely to capture Qi Sensations and facilitate the circulations of Qi.
As his experience grew and his understanding of the world deepened, Chu Zheng's initial intent to transmit his teachings had gradually faded.
Facing the Immortal Alliance, a behemoth spanning the cosmos and myriad realms, the rise and fall of a single realm were but a mere thought away.
Transmitting teachings, other than causing troubles for himself and bringing disasters to these innocent mortals, held no meaningful significance.
The Dao cannot be imparted lightly.
Only now did Chu Zheng somewhat understand the opening line of the Great Circulatory Qi Guideline.
According to the Heavenly Divination Technique, a fragment of the Xuan Tian Martial Barrier was located right here in this land.
Regarding his subsequent plans, Chu Zheng already had a clear outline.
Once he located the fragment in Danxia Country, he would need at most another month to collect the final piece.
When the Xuan Tian Martial Barrier pieces were gathered, he would be able to ascend to Tai Xuan and sit down for a thorough discussion with Geng Yiyang once again.
Now, the Immortal Bone at the back of his head served as his protective amulet; Tai Xuan was no longer a perilous place for him.
The strong contenders from the Immortal Alliance had not discerned any hints, and it was natural that Geng Yiyang, the old fox, wouldn't suspect anything.
During this period, Chu Zheng had been observing the reactions within Tai Xuan Holy Land; Geng Yiyang's thoughts had definitely been more complex and intense than his.
Now, Geng Yiyang likely wanted to have a chat with him as well.