A New World, the Sixteenth-Tier Deification Realm
Meanwhile, Chen Du finally met the Cat Demon Xiaokui.
When the Cat Demon Xiaokui Kui saw Chen Du, her fur instantly bristled.
It sat steadily on a cold, heavy black rock deep in the Mount Tai, its golden vertical pupils wide open, and its four bushy, huge tails held straight up behind it.
Its gaze darted back and forth, scrutinizing the man before it from head to toe. After a long while, with a barely concealed tremor, it managed to utter a question.
"You... what realm are you at now? I feel that the aura emanating from you is many times stronger than when I last saw you; I can't even see through it anymore."
Chen Du smiled faintly, not taking the question. To him now, cultivation level was merely a simple marker on the path of life, utterly insignificant.
Xiaokui, being sensible, didn't press the matter further.
It flicked its fluffy tail lightly, leaped, and landed steadily on Chen Du's shoulder. Its soft paws lifted up, and it gently patted Chen Du's ear with its paw, its tone casual and relaxed.
"Fine, if you don't want to talk, then don't. Anyway, the stronger you are, the safer I am. This is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it."
The two of them, a man and a cat, wandered leisurely for several days in the vast and secluded depths of Mount Tai.
After the Spiritual Qi Revival, Mount Tai's physical form expanded considerably compared to the past, with its continuous mountain range extending deeper into the earth.
Inside, countless crisscrossing paths, deep and hidden caves, and underground rivers with surging currents have appeared out of nowhere, densely packed and beyond counting.
Ordinary cultivators who step into this place can easily lose their way and become trapped in endless darkness.
But Xiaokui is different. As a demon, she has an innately keen sense of smell. Without looking at road signs or distinguishing directions, she can accurately find the place with the most concentrated spiritual energy simply by the scent of spiritual energy flowing in the air.
It led the way, stopping and starting, occasionally pausing to sniff the surrounding spiritual energy, choosing to venture into places where the spiritual energy was abundant and thick.
Chen Du followed behind, letting Xiaokui lead the way, while releasing a gentle wisp of Divine Thought to slowly sweep over every inch of rock and soil around him, quietly exploring the secrets hidden beneath this land.
After several days of searching, Chen Du finally Divine Thought an unusual ripple behind a stone wall completely covered by layers of vines.
That wasn't a fluctuation generated by the flow of ordinary spiritual energy, but a power unique to the tremors of spatial barriers.
It was faint, subtle, and barely perceptible. If it were any other cultivator, even a Thirteenth Tier expert, they would easily overlook this fluctuation if they were not careful.
The instant he sensed the spatial fluctuations, a semi-transparent virtual panel popped up in his mind without warning.
[An unexplored independent world has been detected... "The Deification Realm"]
[World Level: Sixteenth Tier]
[World Type: Minor Multiverse World (This world is detected to be covered by a large number of unknown rules and cannot be resolved)]
[WARNING: This world's level exceeds the host's current world combat strength assessment. Please remain in a state of concealment and explore with caution after entering.]
[Enter?]
Sixteenth Tier.
Chen Du narrowed his eyes slightly, a glint of light flashing in them.
His current cultivation level has reached the Fourteenth Tier, but there is still a huge gap of two levels between him and the level of this world.
Stepping into a Sixteenth Tier minor universe without warning is indeed quite an adventure.
Within this world lies a complete and independent set of laws governing heaven and earth, harboring countless unpredictable dangers. A slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.
But he was not afraid; the Soul Heart that floated quietly deep within his sea of consciousness was his greatest reliance.
As long as his Soul Heart remains intact, even if he encounters misfortune in this world, he will not truly perish; at most, only his clone will be damaged.
He turned his head and nodded gently to Xiaokui on his shoulder, indicating that she should wait there and not follow him into the unknown world.
He then raised his right hand and slowly pressed it against the cold, hard stone wall.
Dark blue lightning erupted from his palm, gently enveloping his figure. The next second, his figure was swallowed by the power of space and disappeared into the deep cavern.
When Chen Du opened his eyes again, he was lying in a small, simple room.
The room was small, with rammed earth walls bearing mottled cracks and a smooth, muddy floor. In the corner, several bundles of dry firewood and two cloth bags full of coarse grains were piled up haphazardly.
A dilapidated wooden bed was placed close to the earthen wall, covered with a yellowed and stiff straw mat, the edges of which were worn and cracked.
On the floor beside the bed, a chipped, rough earthenware bowl sat quietly, its rim broken and uneven, clearly indicating that it had been used for many years.
The windows were covered with old, thick paper, and light filtered through the thin paper, casting a hazy, dim and oppressive glow inside.
Outside, the sounds of daily life drifted in: the crowing of roosters and the intermittent barking of dogs.
From afar, the deep, resonant sound of bells drifted slowly, echoing between heaven and earth.
Chen Du slowly sat up, raised his hand to rub his temples, and the memories of the original owner of this body flooded into his mind like a surging tide.
His original name was Zhang Shun, a low-ranking servant disciple in the Ancient Path Holy Land.
The Ancient Path Holy Land has an incredibly ancient and long-standing heritage, its existence spanning far longer than the history of the Heavenly Gift Dynasty itself.
The Holy Land and the Heavenly Gift Dynasty have always maintained a very close relationship, exchanging goods and resources and engaging in constant exchanges.
Within the sacred grounds, disciples are frequently selected to join the dynasty's army for training and to accumulate practical combat experience.
The Heavenly Gift Dynasty would also periodically select young people with cultivation potential from across the country and send them to Ancient Path Holy Land to become disciples and devote themselves to cultivation.
Zhang Shun was born into the powerful Zhang family, a wealthy and influential Zhang Family within the Heavenly Gift Dynasty. Born into a prestigious family, he should have been well-off and pampered, but his childhood was devoid of any warmth.
His parents doted on his younger brother above all else; this favoritism had reached an insane level.
In his parents' eyes, Zhang Shun seemed not to be their flesh and blood at all, but just an unnecessary burden.
Many fragmented memories are blurred and unclear; no complete major event has been preserved. Yet, the chilling cold and pain that penetrated to the bone are firmly etched into the depths of my soul, lingering therein.
He couldn't remember exactly how many things his parents had done to mistreat him; he only remembered the endless coldness, the constant criticism, and the repeated, unprovoked beatings and scoldings.
The prolonged torment finally culminated in a devastating outburst.
My memories of that day are fragmented and hazy, leaving only the excruciating pain of impending death and boundless fear.
He nearly died in his own mansion, but with a strong will to survive, he managed to escape.
After a long and arduous journey, constantly on the run from capture, enduring countless hardships and near-death experiences, he finally managed to sneak into the Ancient Path Holy Land and obtain the identity of a menial disciple, thus surviving in this world.
As a menial disciple, Zhang Shun's cultivation level was only around the third or fourth level, placing him among the lowest-ranking individuals in the Ancient Path Holy Land, where powerful figures were abundant.
The menial laborers did not need to learn profound skills or participate in the debates and martial arts competitions of the holy land. Their daily tasks consisted entirely of heavy and tedious manual labor such as chopping wood, carrying water, cleaning outhouses, and tending to the medicinal herb garden. Day after day, they did the same thing over and over again, with no hope of advancement in sight.
Chen Du lowered his head and looked at the palms of his new body.
His hands were thin and slender, with rough, cracked skin, prominent knuckles, and thick calluses on his fingertips. On his knuckles were faint white scars left permanently from frostbite in previous winters.
He slowly moved his wrists, familiarizing himself with the body's muscles and tendons, while simultaneously gathering all his vast and boundless power.
He suppressed his terrifying Fourteenth Tier cultivation level layer by layer into the deepest part of his soul, leaving no trace of his aura. He only revealed his Third Tier cultivation to the outside world, which was exactly the same as the original Zhang Shun's cultivation level, so as not to arouse any suspicion.
After doing all this, Chen Du stood up, reached out and pushed open the creaking wooden door of the cabin, and stepped out of the room.
Outside the gate was a small courtyard, surrounded by a low, dilapidated earthen wall. Two crooked jujube trees were planted in the corner of the wall, their branches not very lush.
Under the jujube tree, a skinny yellow dog was chained up. When it saw Chen Du come out, it merely raised its eyelids without barking.
In the very center of the courtyard stood an old well, with wooden buckets and a carrying pole for fetching water placed beside it.
A noisy conversation could be heard coming from the neighboring courtyard.
Many of the handyman disciples gathered there, listening to their assignments for the day.
Chen Du followed the voices and walked steadily over. A head servant, who was in charge of managing this group of low-level servants, was standing with his hands on his hips at the gate of the courtyard, his eyes sweeping over the crowd that was arriving one after another.
When he saw Chen Du approaching, he stopped making arrangements, looked up, sized him up and down, and calmly gave the order.
"Zhang Shun, go chop firewood in the back hill today. Same as always, two bundles. Once you're done, take them directly to the dining hall."
Zhang Shun had done this kind of work countless times before, so it wasn't anything new to him.
Chen Du remained expressionless, nodded slightly, and didn't say a word more.
He bent down, picked up the heavy machete lying in the corner, and then picked up the coiled hemp rope beside him. He carried it on his shoulder, turned around, and slowly walked towards the back mountain.
Along the way, other servant disciples would occasionally brush past him.
Some people looked numb, kept their heads down and hurried along, not bothering to talk to anyone.
A few people saw that it was Zhang Shun, and a hint of disdain flashed in their eyes. They whispered a few words to their companions, their words full of mockery.
Zhang Shun was introverted and taciturn, and he didn't like to argue with others. Among the servants, he was always the easiest to bully, and many people were used to making fun of him.
In the past, Zhang Shun, faced with such a situation, would have simply lowered his head, quickened his pace, and avoided the conflict.
But now, this body is inhabited by Chen Du's soul.
These trivial gossips, to him, were like the buzzing of mosquitoes, unable to stir the slightest ripple in his heart.
He kept his eyes straight ahead and walked steadily along the mountain path, soon leaving the area where the servants lived and stepping into the dense forest behind the mountain.
The back mountain is covered with lush forests, ancient trees reaching for the sky, and towering trees everywhere, their branches intertwined, blocking out most of the sky.
A faint spiritual aura permeated the forest, but the concentration was not high, barely suitable for low-level cultivators to breathe in.
Chen Du walked deeper into the mountains and forests, calmly scanning his surroundings as he searched for suitable dead trees to cut down. At the same time, he subtly released a wisp of Divine Thought to explore the laws of heaven and earth in this Deification Realm.
The world of the Sixteenth Tier is indeed extraordinary.
Even in this inconspicuous mountain forest behind the mountain, the intricacy of the rules of heaven and earth far surpasses that of the Ling Dynasty and the Ancestral God Realm.
Countless unseen threads of law intertwine and entwine, spreading throughout the void, layer upon layer, forming the foundation of this world.
However, these laws are shrouded in a thick fog. Just as the panel previously indicated, there are many unknown seals, and he is unable to fully analyze many core principles of the Great Dao in a short time.
Chen Du didn't rush to delve into the secrets of the world. He casually picked a few old trees that were already dead but had sturdy trunks, and raised his wood-chopping knife.
Without needing to use any cultivation, relying solely on the physical strength of a Third Tier body, the withered wood snapped in two with each rise and fall of the blade.
He moved calmly and unhurriedly, and soon gathered enough firewood, neatly bundling it into two large bundles.
Just as he was bundling firewood, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the distant woods, accompanied by several arrogant shouts.
"I think he's over here. That kid Zhang Shun, we'll catch him and have some fun today."
Chen Du raised his eyes and looked in the direction from which the sound came, but his eyes remained completely expressionless.
He recognized the voices; in his memory, these people were also menial disciples who usually liked to gang up and bully the original owner of the body.
In the past, if Zhang Shun bumped into them, he would either reluctantly hand over the little dried fruit he had, or he would be pushed, shoved, and beaten.
He tightened the last knot in the rope, stood quietly in place, and waited for the others to arrive.
A trivial little disturbance has only just begun, and the story of Chen Du and Zhang Shun has only just started in this strange world called the Investiture of the Deification Realm.