Chapter 2128: Entering the Divine Realm

Du Qingyuan continued, "What happened next is pretty much what you already know. Even with her immense power, Ling Shen couldn't fully withstand the pressure from crossing the boundary wall. She was severely wounded, and her flowing blood gave rise to creatures like the Black-backed Tortoise, Great Shark, and Second Shark. It also allowed Wu Chen and Jiang Yao to break through the shackles of pseudo-godhood!"

Zhang Xuan nodded. He had already pieced together these events from other information.

Du Qingyuan went on, "Soon after arriving here, she was summoned by Wu Chen and entered the Master Teacher Continent. I don't know what happened after that. As for her return to the God Realm, she simply tore open space from the Forsaken Continent and didn't linger long. She only asked me to look after you; she didn't say much else."

"Then... did she say where in the God Realm she went?" This was what concerned Zhang Xuan most.

Du Qingyuan shook her head. "She didn't say, but since she's Ling Shen, she should be in the Ling Shen Palace! That's also the place I mentioned to you before. Of course, that's just a guess. She only said... 'If we are fated to meet again.' If she lives, there will always be a chance to meet. If she dies, then everything is over!"

"Lives?" Zhang Xuan's scalp nearly burst. "Did she say what happened to her?" Luo Ruoxi could directly tear open the world of the Master Teacher Continent and enter the God Realm; her power certainly far surpassed his own current level. For someone of her cultivation to say such a thing, had she encountered some insurmountable crisis?

"She didn't give any specifics, and I don't know either! I'm guessing it was a battle with someone, very likely involving life and death." Du Qingyuan shook her head. Whatever Ling Shen intended to do, she only needed to follow orders; it wasn't appropriate for her to ask for details.

After asking a few more questions and realizing Du Qingyuan didn't know as much about Luo Ruoxi as he'd hoped, Zhang Xuan could only shake his head helplessly.

"Master Zhang, what are your plans?" Du Qingyuan asked, looking at him.

"It seems I have no choice but to go to the God Realm..." The thought of Luo Ruoxi potentially being in danger filled him with anxiety. If he hadn't seen the Undying Emperor's tomb before, he might still believe gods were immortal. However, it now seemed that even powerful deities might not be able to fully control their own fates.

Knowing he would make such a decision, Du Qingyuan nodded and didn't try to stop him. Having asked what he wanted to know, Zhang Xuan said no more. He gathered Zhao Ya and the others and announced his decision.

"Teacher, we want to go with you!" Zhao Ya stepped forward, her eyes filled with determination.

"I also want to go to the God Realm!" Wei Ruyan's gaze showed no hesitation or wavering.

"We all want to go, please don't leave us behind, Teacher..." Zheng Yang and the others nodded in unison.

"The God Realm is an unknown place, fraught with danger. It's even highly probable that you could be completely destroyed by spatial storms before we even arrive. Are you sure you want to go?" Zhang Xuan frowned. When they first came to the Firmament from the Master Teacher Continent, they had been ravaged by spatial storms. If he brought everyone along, no one knew what the outcome would be. As a higher realm, the God Realm was surely even more perilous; if something went wrong, he would be powerless to help.

"We're not afraid!" Zhao Ya declared resolutely. "If Teacher doesn't take us, we'll find a way to enter the God Realm ourselves. We absolutely won't stay here any longer!" Her words reflected the decision of the other disciples as well. They all looked at him, their silent gazes conveying everything: "Where the teacher is, there we shall be; we will never abandon him!"

Zhang Xuan fell silent. Even as a god, he couldn't guarantee safety in the God Realm; bringing them would indeed be too dangerous. However, if he didn't, their attitude showed they wouldn't give up, just like how they had risked coming to the Firmament. If not for Master Kong's preparations, they would have been teleported to Xuanjiang City and perhaps already fallen into the hands of that Master Kong's clone, their lives no longer their own. He had thought that entering the God Realm was dangerous, but... if they stayed here, with insufficient strength, and forced their way in, the danger would be even greater!

"Alright, we'll go together!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "So what if the God Realm is powerful? Let us, master and disciples, brave it together and stir up mighty waves!"

"Thank you, Teacher!" The disciples knelt, each of them filled with excitement.

Just as the discussion concluded, a voice sounded from outside. "Sect Leader, two people claiming to be your parents are waiting at the gate!"

"Parents?" Zhang Xuan was startled. He quickly stood up and walked out, immediately seeing Xing and Meng Jiansheng standing in the courtyard. "Why did you come..." The last time he returned to the Master Teacher Continent, he hadn't brought them due to the impending battle with Master Kong, fearing the dangers given Kong Shi's unfathomable strength. He hadn't expected them, like Sun Qiang, to travel through a spatial通道 to reach this place themselves.

"Xuan'er, wherever you go, we will go," Meng Jiansheng said. "We've been separated for over twenty years; we don't want to be apart again!"

Seeing their hopeful gazes, Zhang Xuan swallowed the words he had been about to say. Parental love was selfless. If he truly went to the God Realm without them, given the time ratio of 100:1 (God Realm to this realm), ten years there would mean a thousand years here. They would have long turned to dust and completely vanished from the world. They had searched for him for twenty years, and now, after only a few days together, they would be separated again. He would truly be the most unfilial son!

"I'll take you both..." With a sigh, Zhang Xuan nodded. "But you must first raise your strength!" Since he had decided to bring them, there was nothing more to hesitate about.

With a grab in the air, the previously sealed Master Kong's clone appeared before him.

"What do you want?" Master Kong's clone was stunned to find himself released.

"Didn't you always want to extract from me? In that case... I'll borrow some of your power!" Too lazy to explain further, Zhang Xuan seized him. Moments later, a pure and powerful energy appeared in his palm. He flicked his finger, splitting it into two parts, which then flowed into Xing and Meng Jiansheng. His own divine power also surged forth, protecting them from harm. *Boom!* In the blink of an eye, their cultivation soared rapidly from Ancient Sage Fourth Level. Three days later, they had both reached the peak of pseudo-godhood, just like Zhao Ya and the others. Furthermore, because they absorbed the power of a divine expert from Master Kong's clone, they possessed even greater potential than the others; as long as they had divine energy, they could smoothly achieve breakthroughs.

"These are sword techniques I've comprehended; you can study them at your leisure..." Seeing their cultivation increase, Zhang Xuan tapped them again, imbuing his entire understanding of the Sword Dao into their minds. As top figures on the Master Teacher Continent, Xing and Meng Jiansheng's comprehension of the Sword Dao was unquestionable. Receiving this knowledge, it was as if a new world had opened to them, and their swordsmanship rapidly advanced.

"Young Master, can you take me too? I... I'll cultivate diligently, look... I've already reached the True Immortal level now, and though I haven't broken through to Immortal Monarch, I'm almost there..." Sun Qiang looked distraught, knowing his Young Master was leaving with his disciples and parents for the God Realm. He had chased him all the way to the Firmament, expecting to continue showing off by his Young Master's side, only to find that barely after arriving, the Young Master was leaving again. He absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity.

"Alright!" This time, Zhang Xuan didn't hesitate much. Although Sun Qiang wasn't entirely reliable, he would be good for looking after Zhao Ya, his parents, and the others—at least more useful than Cao Chengli. Besides, if he was bringing some, bringing a few more wouldn't hurt. He had previously cultivated the Heaven's Path Divine Art, which, while allowing for emotions, didn't delve too deeply. Now, having comprehended the "If Heaven Has Love" technique, if he couldn't protect the people he cared about, or even keep them by his side, it would be a blow to the technique itself! His mental state might shatter, preventing any further progress.

He found the corpse of a pseudo-god expert, extracted its power, and combined it with supreme-grade vitality pills and various treasures. Soon, Sun Qiang's cultivation was also raised to the peak of pseudo-godhood. Only then did Zhang Xuan breathe a sigh of relief.

After bidding farewell to Han Jianqiu, Kui Xiao, Du Qingyuan, Qin Yuan, and others, Zhang Xuan gathered everyone into his folded space and, with a light step, arrived above the World-Connecting Stone.

Soon, he was back in front of the God Temple. The vortex before him still slowly spun, daunting to behold. He circulated his divine power, drew his long sword, and with a gentle flick, the "Heart Like a Twin Silk Net, With a Thousand Knots Within" sword technique formed a divine energy fishing net, completely enveloping his storage ring, leaving no trace. He had already broken through to the divine realm and could handle even extreme danger; his only concern was that the others' strength might be insufficient.

"No need for such trouble. I'll swallow the ring and hide it in your dantian. Even if danger arises, it'll be fine, unless you can't endure it..." Just as he was about to enter the vortex, a voice sounded in his ear.

"You're awake?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. It was the little yellow chick, who had almost been roasted during the Divine Tribulation, speaking. He hadn't expected the fellow to have already woken up.

He inwardly examined it. Although the chick had also been burned by fire this time, it hadn't made significant progress. Like himself, it was at the divine realm, but its minor cultivation level had increased, and its power was even more abundant. Knowing it wasn't the time to study its cultivation, Zhang Xuan agreed, "Alright!" The method it proposed was indeed much safer than keeping the ring on his hand. After all, the little yellow chick was also a divine expert, and its current divine power was even more profound than his own.

Flying out, the little yellow chick opened its beak, gently pecked, and swallowed the ring. The next moment, it burrowed back into Zhang Xuan's dantian, staying perfectly still.

"Let's go!" Seeing that it had hidden itself, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated and flew towards the vortex before him. It was still pitch black, impossible to see how deep it went, leading straight ahead. The passage within the vortex was filled with spatial turbulence. A pseudo-god expert would be instantly shredded, but Zhang Xuan had broken through to the divine level and comprehended techniques surpassing the Heavenly Dao. Though appearing disheveled, he was still able to resist the currents.

After traveling for three consecutive days, he didn't know how far he had gone, but just like the previous passage from the Master Teacher Continent, chaotic spatial turbulence appeared. Zhang Xuan stepped into it, immediately feeling dizzy and disoriented. His sword net protected his body, but then he felt countless tearing forces attacking him from all directions, threatening to rip him apart. Circulating the divine power within his body, he leaped forcefully, instantly vanishing from his original spot.

(Volume 16: The Firmament concludes. The next volume will begin the Heavenly Dao God Realm Arc. The Firmament was merely a transition; I, Old Ya, didn't spend much time conceptualizing it. The God Realm, however, has had its outline set since the very beginning of this book. Many earlier plot points will now gradually emerge. The God Realm will be even grander and more magnificent, and the story's exciting moments will become more frequent. Zhang Xuan's journey into the God Realm, his growth from humble beginnings, his encounter with the true Master Kong, his actual reunion with Luo Ruoxi, and the final outcome with Luo Qiqi—all will unfold here. This is also the last world of the Heavenly Dao. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the book will definitely be completed this year. Everyone, please don't worry about not seeing the ending or about this book becoming a "lifetime series" that never finishes. The God Realm, with its challenges, is here! Expect turmoil, chaos, and bloodshed as my low-key Zhang Xuan navigates the God Realm... At 7 PM, Volume 17: Ling Shen is Dead, officially begins. Rest assured, Old Ya is made of iron and doesn't rest!)