Chapter 1536: Time Stands Still in the Cave

Leaving the land Beyond the Law, and exiting Yong State.Made a brief sojourn to Yun State, leaving behind gifts before hastening away.

The encounter at Unredeemed City made Jiang Wang realizethat he was not yet granted the luxury of repose.The ease and relaxation within the Skytower Secret Realmwere but a fleeting illusion.

Yun State possessed only one Ye Lingxiao.Though this was a mighty presence acknowledged by Xiang Fengqi,the peerless True Immortal at the Divine Manifestation stage,and an undisputed True Lord of this age,one fist cannot fend off four hands.Even Huang Jinmo, capable of battling a True Lord, was captured thus...

The might of the Sinful Sovereign, the brilliance of Senior Brother Zhu,had at one point allowed him to find a feeling akin to the reposeexperienced in the Skytower Secret Realm within Unredeemed City.A great blizzard raged across the land, yet remained outside the window.This is why he agreed to accompany Senior Brother Zhu and awaitXiao Shu's result in his Divine Manifestation breakthrough,lingering in Unredeemed City for forty days.

But that bubble of peaceful years and an untouched worldhad been pierced.Until Zhuang Gaoxian is removed, there can be no peace for a single day.His heart was heavy with weariness, yet he could not succumb to comfort.Thus, he merely pinched Jiang An'an's little cheekand bade Ye Qingyu to take care.Leaving behind the gifts he had prepared,and carrying away the trials and tribulations he had endured.

Apart from a feast prepared by the Duke of Yu State himself,there were also the essence blood of a Huodou and a Bifang,both entrusted to Ye Qingyu for safekeeping.He left her to decide whether and when to consume them,one for her and one for An'an.

He possessed three Immortal Palace Warriors, yet only gifted oneto Ye Qingyu for protection.He did not give one to Jiang An'an because An'an was still young,her mind not yet capable of controlling the power of the Outer Building stage.Should she, in playful abandon, accidentally injure someonewith the Immortal Palace Warrior, regret would come too late.In short, a child wielding a blade brings harm, not benefit.

The world was in upheaval, a time for ambitious individualsto stir up storms and rains.Dan State, Zhuang State, Yong State, the School of Ink, Mount Yu Jing...the frequent movements of these large and small states and factionswere not without their reflection.Great tides rise from subtle ripples.

He dared not linger in Yun State, fearing it might become a second Unredeemed City.Nor did he immediately return to Qi State, but instead soughta desolate and uninhabited place to cultivate alone.This place... was precisely the Wuyanyadu Mountain Rangewhere Zhao Xuanyang had once hidden him.Located within the region encompassed by Tianma Plain, Wei State,the Diligent Study Academy, and the Benevolent Heart Hall, it was a range of volcanoes.

Jiang Wang naturally did not venture into that ancient demonic den,but merely chose a random volcano within the vast Wuyanyadu Mountain Rangeand leaped into its depths.

The entire Wuyanyadu Mountain Range saw few human footprints.After Zhao Xuanyang vanished here, it had been bustling for a time,but now had returned to its former desolation.No one could have imagined that after the conclusion of thisMountains and Seas Realm, Jiang Qingyang, who had gained great fame in Chu State,would be living in seclusion here alone, leading a life isolated from the world.

The entire world continued to operate along its inherent trajectory,unchanged by Jiang Qingyang's appearance or disappearance.Each person continued their own story.

Jiang Wang sat alone within the lava.Each day, he circulated his Dao Yuan, regulated the Heavenly Isolated Island,explored the Hidden Star Sea, sculpted the Star Towers and Star Paths,practiced Daoist arts and sword techniques, engaged in sparringon the Sword Discussion Platform within the Immaterial Realm...and recited "History's Blade Carving the Sea."

Using history as a mirror to reflect on gains and losses.His confusion sometimes led him to seek answers within historical records.He believed that he, Jiang Wang, was not unique in this world,that the perplexities he encountered must have also been met by others in history.He pondered how those individuals faced and dealt with them.Through this, he reflected upon himself.

Cultivating, reading, contemplating.Thus, it was a cycle, day after day...Jiang Wang immersed himself wholeheartedly in this life.At times, a sense of loneliness would arise, but it would vanish in a trance.The sky one sees alone, the wind one hears, the world one perceives,are different from those experienced within a crowd.Those beautiful and brilliant things are difficult to preserve.Loneliness is the eternal truth of the world.

Flaming Flowers Burning the City, Dragon and Tiger, Five Senses Hell...various Daoist arts flowed from his will.The Huodou Seal, the Bifang Seal, the seal techniques passed down from Huang Weizhen,were explored to a deeper, more fundamental level.He remained undefeated on the Sword Discussion Platform,reaching the top five in the Outer Building stage within the Immaterial Realm.Jiang Wang did not challenge further. He did not wish for Yi Shengfengto gain more understanding of him, and defeating Yi Shengfeng in the Immaterial Realmheld no meaning for him.Life for a life, he only sought Yi Shengfeng's life.Yi Shengfeng had not entered the Mountains and Seas Realm at that time,likely for the same reason.

He continued to spar with Sword Guest Ning, constantly refining his sword techniques,and comprehending more of the profound mysteries of the Way of the Sword.The same sword strike was perceived differently from the perspectiveof the Outer Building and Inner Mansion stages.And Sword Guest Ning, at each stage, possessed the most extreme expression of sword techniques.That was a manifestation of the power that allowed the Sword Pavilionto stand firm throughout the long passage of time.

He occasionally corresponded with Chong Xuan Sheng,but also reminded him not to bother him with trivial matters.Since the Yellow River Meeting, he had been consciously or unconsciouslydrawn into various whirlpools, large and small, running himself ragged.Now, he had merely temporarily broken free from the尘網 (dust net)and leaped out of the turbid world to focus more on cultivation—though he had never slackened.

The ranking of his Blessed Land in the Immaterial Realmcontinued to decline, which in turn gave Jiang Wanga sense of the passage of time.Mount Tianzhu, Mount Shanggu, Zhang Gong Cave, Mount Sima Mei,and Mount Changzai, ranked sixty-first among Blessed Lands...Thus, in a daze, he knew—Oh, it was already the fifteenth day of the tenth month.

The volcano had erupted five or six times, accumulating an unknownamount of volcanic ash.Jiang Wang himself was disheveled and covered in grime,like a gray reef in a pool of lava.Silent, lonely, and cold.All that was fiery and vigorous lay hidden beneath the earth.Perhaps someone was waiting, perhaps no one was waiting anymore.But it didn't matter.He was continuing.

During the time Jiang Wang detached himself from the dust netand dedicated himself to cultivation, the people of the world were not idle either.What does a few months signify?For someone of Du Zhao's caliber, it might meanthat his Divine Manifestation cultivation had stabilizedand he had begun to challenge experts of the Divine Manifestation realm.

For example, the conflict at Unredeemed City settled. Yong Statedefended Unredeemed City, and Zhuang State ceded all territories south of Unredeemed City—though this held little significance.Zhuang State could not, like Yong State, erect a grand city overnightin the land Beyond the Law. The territories they claimed could only be abandoned in the end,retreating back to their original borders.Failing to capture Unredeemed City meant losing the land Beyond the Law.Everyone understood this principle.

It is said that a True Sovereign from the Mohist School visited Mount Yu Jing.The specifics of their communication are unknown, but neither the Mohist Schoolnor the Daoist Sect added to the conflict.Zhuang State and Yong State also seemed to immediately come to their senses,and in the end, there were only a few battles that had much sound but little substance.

For example, the conflict between Jing State and the Alliance of Five Northwestern Statesintensified, with several clashes occurring within a few short months.For example, something seemed to have happened in the Snow Statein the extremely cold northwestern regions, completely cutting offinternal and external communication. Outsiders did not know what transpired...Perhaps not many people cared, as Snow State always seemed to existoutside the rest of the world.

For example, Yi Shengfeng of the Southern Dipper Palace gained fame.Under the unlimited kill order issued by the Duke of Huai State's Mansion,he actually never returned to the Southern Dipper Palace even once.Completely independent of his sect, he roamed throughout the entire Southern Region,fighting every day for several months, yet still remained lively and vigorous!Even Du Zhao, who was once invincible at the Outer Building stageand had already achieved the Divine Manifestation stage, said thatwhen he was at the Outer Building stage, he would likely have found it very difficult to kill Yi Shengfeng.Of course, based on Jiang Wang's understanding of Du Zhao,he might have merely said casually, "It's very difficult to catch that brat."When the words spread, they changed meaning.This true disciple of the Southern Dipper Palace suddenlyhad the reputation of being the number one Outer Building cultivator in the world...

In short, everything that was meant to happen continued to happen.The world continued to develop even without Jiang Wang.

For instance, within the Skytower Secret Realm...Jiang An'an was sitting on the ground, playing with Stupid Ash.Holding Stupid Ash's paws with both hands, she mimicked various human hand gestures.Stupid Ash didn't know what its little mistress was playing,but it grinned, happily and foolishly.

Ye Qingyu walked over and sat down in front of Jiang An'an."Have you done your lessons today?" she asked."Mm-hmm!" Jiang An'an replied with full confidence.Ye Qingyu then extended her finger and touched Jiang An'an's brow.After a while, she said, "Your body has been conditionedalmost fully. Now you can consume the exotic beast essence bloodyour brother brought back for you..."She opened her hand, like jade, and two drops of exotic beast essence bloodfloated in her palm like amber."One is Huodou, one is Bifang. Which drop do you want to take?You can only take one, more would be harmful."

Jiang An'an had known about this for a while and was not surprised.After all, the body conditioning during this time was for this very day.She had already made up her mind, but now she was a little hesitant.She bit her finger, deep in thought.Suddenly, a gray shadow darted out!Stupid Ash leaped up, as fast as lightning, and snatched the Huodou essence blood.It turned its head and was about to run off.

Amidst the scattered light of Daoist arts, a small handprecisely grabbed its neck. Jiang An'an was furious.With one hand holding its neck, and a sweeping leg, she knocked the wicked dog to the ground.Her small hand dug at its teeth, and she said fiercely,"Spit it out, you spit it out for me! This one is for Sister Qingyu!"Ye Qingyu: ...Didn't you just say you hadn't decided which one to eat?How did this one suddenly become mine?

Stupid Ash whined incessantly.No matter how Jiang An'an abused it, twisting it around,it stubbornly refused to let go, and never bit Jiang An'an even once.

"Alright, alright," Ye Qingyu said, laughing, and pulled An'an back."Since it ate the Huodou essence blood, you can only take this Bifang essence blood.Mm, it will be good for you learning fire-attribute Daoist arts,just right to inherit your brother's unique techniques."Jiang An'an pouted and said, "Brother said we each get one..."Ye Qingyu smiled, "I have Yun Zhuan, so I cannot take this fierce blood.I was planning to keep it as a memento... It would have been a waste,so it's just right for Stupid Ash to eat it."

Although Stupid Ash had been eating delicacies and rare ingredientswith Jiang An'an, and had consumed many good things with spiritual energy,it had long since undergone a transformation and was no longer an ordinary mutt...That pounce truly had a swiftness like lightning.But with Ye Qingyu's strength, if she had intended to stop it,how could it have succeeded in snatching the food?It was simply because she remembered it was the dog Jiang Wang had brought,and An'an had raised it for so long, so she tacitly allowed it.

"Really?" Jiang An'an asked, looking up.Meeting her clear, bright eyes, Ye Qingyu smiled ever so gently:"When has sister ever lied to you?"Only then did Jiang An'an obediently consume the Bifang essence blood.With Ye Qingyu's help, she sat in meditation in a proper manner,circulating her energy, and began to absorb the power of Bifang.

"Woo woo woo."While Jiang An'an was cultivating, Stupid Ash ran over again,whining around Ye Qingyu. Its eyes rolled and its tail wagged,as if begging for forgiveness.Ye Qingyu was both annoyed and amused. She tapped the dog's head with her finger:"They say you're stupid, but you're quite cunning!"Stupid Ash didn't know if it understood, and bounced up happily and foolishly again.

More than seven months had passed since the last Mountains and Seas Realm ended.Nearly six months had passed since Unredeemed City was destroyed.And if counting from the time Cao Jie arrayed his forces and killed Qi Hong,the renowned general of Sheng State whose edge was sharp,helping Mu State capture Liyuan City, more than a year had passed.

On the nineteenth day of the eighth month of the three-thousand-nine-hundred-and-nineteenth year of the Daoist Calendar,Mu State, citing the impoliteness of Meng Wuya, the Vice Prime Minister of Sheng State,towards the upper state at the River Viewing Platform, dispatched their entire cavalry force, Utulu,with Wan Yanxionglüe as the commander, their forces directly targeting the border city of Sheng State, "Liyuan."The Western Heavenly Master of Jing State, Yu Xi, under the pretext of celebrating the birthday of the Empress Dowager of Sheng State,personally arrived at the capital of Sheng State, Wei City, and has been stationed there ever since.Jing State provided continuous war resources to support Sheng State,and even mobilized the armies of many Daoist vassal states to reinforce Sheng State.

The protracted confrontation between Mu State and Sheng Statehas continued until now.The two states fought every seven days and launched attacks every half month.The area around Liyuan City has almost been turned into a blood marsh.But no matter what, the Green Heaven Divine Map banner of Mu Statehas always flown above Liyuan City.This major city, which rejected the north, has not changed handssince it was occupied by Mu State.Although Sheng State is the first Daoist vassal state and holds a crucial positionin the Daoist system, there is still a fundamental differencebetween it and an hegemonic state.Jing State certainly intended to wear down the sharpness of Mu State.How could Mu State not be taking the opportunity to grind downthis Daoist steel knife?After more than a year of war, Mu State fought with increasing ferocity,gradually revealing its fangs like a fierce beast. The God of Wolves and Eaglesshowed its might outside the grassland.Sheng State, however, fought with increasing powerlessness,its weariness finally beginning to show.Even with the Western Heavenly Master Yu Xi stationed there to exert pressure,even with Jing State continuously providing material support and logistical guarantees,even with the reinforcement of armies from many Daoist vassal states...Sheng State could no longer sustain the fight.

Thus, on the seventeenth day of the tenth month of the three-thousand-nine-hundred-and-twentieth year of the Daoist Calendar,Jing State, with the Southern Heavenly Master Ying Jianghong as commander,mobilized the four major armies: Divine Stratagem, Calamity Slayer, Disaster Queller, and Difficulty Annihilator,sending them all to Sheng territory. Officially declaring war on Mu State!Four of Jing State's Eight Armors were dispatched. The imperial family of Jing State,Mount Daluo, Mount Yu Jing, and Penglai Island all took action.This was a lineup not seen in Jing State's external wars for a century!

The commander of the Divine Stratagem Army, Xian Nankui;the commander of the Calamity Slayer Army, Xun Jiucang;the commander of the Disaster Queller Army, Pei Xinghe;the commander of the Difficulty Annihilator Army, Du Yao,each one a renowned general of their time.And they all served under the command of the Southern Heavenly Master Ying Jianghong.Ying Jianghong was by no means a powerful individual lacking in military strategy.He was the commander of the Divine Stratagem Army before Xian Nankui.Only after he attained the True Sovereign realm and was enfeoffed as a Heavenly Masterdid he hand over the military authority of the Divine Stratagem Army.After the previous commander of the Divine Stratagem Army diedat the Ten Thousand Monster Gate, only then did Xian Nankui take charge of the army.

Mu State was not to be outdone. They dispatched Jin Tandou,a renowned general of the world, to lead the sixth-ranked cavalry in the world,the Iron Pagodas, southward, personally commanding the Mu State armyto contend with Jing State.They also dispatched Hèlian Xiāohǔ, a member of the imperial clan,to mobilize the King's Account Cavalry southward,galloping day and night to reinforce the front lines!The Golden Crown Priests of the Divine Palacealso sent out a full three individuals at once.The Great Preaching Priest of the Azure Map Divine Palace, Beigong Nantú,who presided over the temple, even personally arrived at Liyuan City,vowing to hold onto the nail for the Azure Map God to expand his faith into the Central Region.

A grand war between hegemonic states thus erupted fully!This was a more terrifying lineup than the battle of the Qin-Chu River Valley,with five True Sovereign experts gathered alone!The Southern Heavenly Master Ying Jianghong, the Western Heavenly Master Yu Xi,Li Yuanshe, a member of the imperial clan and a powerful protector of Sheng State,the Great Preaching Priest of the Divine Crown, Beigong Nantú,and the Lord of the Iron Pagodas, Jin Tandou!In addition, there were more than ten True Lords of this age,and countless Divine Manifestation experts!Both Jing State and Mu State showed their determinationto turn Sheng State into a barren land,resolved to redefine the boundary between the Northern and Central Regions in this battle.

The undercurrents beneath the surface, after colliding for a year,finally erupted into a surging tide that shook the world!