The Red Dust Realm

Luo Shui City

"Boom!"

Jiang He's mana erupted with a thunderous roar, the barrier of the Golden Immortal of the Origin Realm shattering in response. A vast aura spread outward, enveloping the entire Luo Shui City. Above the auspicious clouds of the Human Race's destiny, a blurry phantom of the Human Emperor coalesced, resonating in harmony with Jiang He's presence. He slowly opened his eyes; within his pupils, it seemed as if stars revolved, his comprehension of the Great Dao far surpassing what it had been before.

And the Red Dust Pearl in his palm burst forth with a ten-thousand-zhang crimson light. The countless Small Worlds that had once been scattered within the Pearl now fused completely in that instant. Jiang He's divine sense sank into it, and he was instantly stunned by the sight before him.

This was a vast and boundless great thousand world! In the east, there was a martial arts Jianghu, with sects like Shaolin and Wudang standing in abundance; chivalrous warriors roamed the land with their swords, enacting tales of gratitude and vengeance. In the west, there was a continent of magic, where Elves, Dwarves, and Humans coexisted; Mages chanted ancient incantations, and Knights guarded the glory of their kingdoms. There were also immortal cultivation Secret Realms, where spiritual energy was far richer than any ordinary land in the Primordial World; ancient Divine Beasts roamed, and immortal mountains and jade pavilions hung suspended amidst the clouds.

Countless worlds from the movies and novels of his past life had now all become part of the Red Dust Realm. Races stood side by side, civilizations shone brilliantly, encompassing all things. Even more miraculous was that this world was not an illusion, but a genuine Small World, complete with spiritual energy and laws of heaven. The beings within it possessed their own consciousness, and even the grass and trees could attain the Dao.

Moreover, this world was still in its initial stage. The beings within it could cultivate up to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Realm at most!

Of course, the Quasi-Sage Realm was impossible; that realm could only be nurtured by an Eternal Great World like this one. And the Sage Realm could only be nurtured by an Eternal True Realm like the Primordial World itself!

"So this is the Red Dust Realm..." Jiang He's heart surged. This great thousand world could not only provide the Human Race with an excellent training ground—where prodigies could temper their minds in the Jianghu, learn foreign arts on the magic continent, and comprehend the Great Dao in the immortal cultivation Secret Realms, without fear of the fatal dangers of the Primordial World—but it could also provide the Red Dust Pearl with an endless stream of "Red Dust Power," pushing its deduction and communication abilities to a higher level.

He could sense that as long as the Human Race's techniques and formations were transmitted into the Red Dust Realm and fused with the power of its various civilizations, the Red Dust Pearl would be able to deduce a new, more suitable path of cultivation for the Human Race. Furthermore, the countless spiritual materials and minerals within the Red Dust Realm could also establish a passage to the Primordial World through the Red Dust Pearl, providing the Human Race with boundless resources.

At that moment, the Communication Rings in Luo Shui City all vibrated simultaneously. Every cultivator of the Human Race felt the aura of Jiang He's breakthrough and the joyous news of the Red Dust Realm's formation. Lei Yu, Ye Chen, Liu Bai, Xuan Du, Xuan Qing, Qin Feng, and other prodigies all stopped what they were doing and looked toward Luo Shui, their eyes filled with reverence and excitement.

Jiang He stood up, holding the Red Dust Pearl in his hand, his gaze fixed on the lands of the Primordial World. The Three Pure Ones stood in opposition, the Demon Race had gone into seclusion, Hongjun's schemes still lurked in the shadows, and the shadow of the Tribulation of Calamity had never dissipated. But he had already broken through to the Quasi-Sage Realm, the Human Race's destiny was at its peak, and he had this all-encompassing Red Dust Realm as his backing.

Inside Jiang He's small courtyard in Luo Shui City, Feng Li Yue was pinching her daughter Jiang Hanyue's ear while nagging her in the pavilion. When she saw Jiang He walk in, Jiang Hanyue's eyes lit up: "Father!"

Feng Li Yue turned her head and saw Jiang He approaching. The hint of reproach in her brows and eyes instantly softened. Her fingertips unconsciously released Jiang Hanyue's ear, and her skirt hem lightly swayed as she stood up: "You broke through?" Before she could finish her sentence, she was struck by the completely different aura emanating from Jiang He—it was the vastness and profundity unique to the Golden Immortal of the Origin Realm, yet it was also tinged with a gentle warmth of mortal hearth and home, a stark contrast to the cold detachment common among Primordial World cultivators.

Jiang Hanyue rubbed her reddened earlobe and threw herself into Jiang He's arms. Looking up, her eyes were full of admiration: "Father is so amazing! The whole Luo Shui City was shaking just now, and there was a huge figure of you!"

Jiang He raised his hand and ruffled the top of his daughter's head. He turned to look at Feng Li Yue, a smile in his eyes. "Yue'er, Hanyue, I'll take you to a fun place."

"What kind of fun place?" Jiang Hanyue asked curiously. Ever since she had secretly gone to the north for a trial and Feng Li Yue had found out, she had been scolded for a long time and wasn't allowed to go out. She was going stir-crazy!

"You'll know when we get there."

Before the words had faded, the Red Dust Pearl's light surged. A gentle red glow enveloped the three of them. Feng Li Yue only felt the light and shadows shift before her eyes, and a cacophony of noise reached her ears. When her vision cleared, she found herself standing on a bustling, lively long street.

The bluestone road was polished bright by the rain. On both sides were rows of tightly packed buildings with upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters, hung with shop signs reading "Yuelai Inn" and "Jinxiu Manor," swaying gently in the breeze. The street was crowded with people: peddlers and porters in short, coarse clothing, Jianghu swordsmen with long swords at their waists, scholars and literati in scholar's caps, and women and children carrying bamboo baskets. The crowd was bustling and noisy. The air was thick with the aroma of steamed buns, the mellow scent of rice wine, and the cries of street vendors hawking candied hawthorns. The vivid, lively atmosphere hit them like a wave, leaving Feng Li Yue and Jiang Hanyue, who had long lived among the cultivators of the Primordial World, completely stunned.

"This is..." Feng Li Yue reached out and touched the branch of an old locust tree beside her. The texture was rough and real, definitely not an illusion.

"The Red Dust Realm, within the territory of the Great Song." Jiang He's voice sounded in both their ears. His divine sense spread out, instantly covering the entire territory of the Great Song. "Earlier, the countless Small Worlds within the Pearl merged. The four superpowers of the Great Tang, the Great Song, the Great Qin, and the Great Ming stand side by side, with smaller states like the Liao, Jin, and Mongol surrounding them. The Jianghu and the imperial court are intertwined, and the Martial Way and magic coexist. Now that the level cap has been raised to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Realm, it's the perfect place for training."

Jiang Hanyue had already broken free from her father's embrace and curiously ran to a sugar-painting stall by the street. She stared at the liquid sugar flowing from the artist's hand, her eyes sparkling. "Father, everyone here is so special! The power they have is so strange—it's not like the mana of the Primordial World, and it's not like the demonic energy of the Demon Race."

The sugar-painting artist saw how cute she was and smiled as he scooped up a ladle of syrup. "Little girl, what do you want? A dragon or a phoenix?"

Jiang Hanyue looked back at Jiang He. After receiving his nod of approval, she said crisply, "I want a horse! A horse as majestic as the aura Father had when he broke through!"

The artist laughed heartily. With a flick of his wrist, a horse with its head raised and neighing gradually took shape. The syrup cooled into a crystal-clear form, faintly exuding a trace of spirituality. Jiang Hanyue carefully took it. The moment her fingertip touched the sugar horse, she felt a weak but pure energy surge into her body, making her eyes light up. "Father, there's power in this sugar painting too!"

"In the Red Dust Realm, all things can attain the Dao—grass, trees, objects, and even the human heart all contain the catalyst of the Great Dao." Jiang He walked over to the two of them, his gaze sweeping over the swordsmen passing by on the street. "Look at those people with swords. They cultivate the Martial Way. Although they haven't drawn qi into their bodies, they can still prove the Dao through strength, and at their peak, they can even touch the threshold of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Realm."

Jiang Hanyue clutched the sugar horse, her attention drawn to a shadow puppet show at a street stall, when suddenly she heard a crisp, argumentative voice. Not far away, in front of a wonton stall, a young girl with her hair in two buns, wearing a short goose-yellow jacket, was standing on tiptoe, hands on her hips, shouting at the stall owner: "Your wontons have thick skins and hardly any filling, and you still dare to charge this much? I think you're taking advantage of me because I'm young!"

The girl had lively features, her bright, black-and-white eyes sparkling with a hint of cunning. She was none other than Huang Rong, who had secretly snuck out of Peach Blossom Island and was just beginning her journey into the Jianghu. The stall owner was rendered speechless by her retort, his face turning red. "Little girl, you can't say that. My wontons are famous all over Lin'an City!"

Jiang Hanyue found it amusing. She pulled Feng Li Yue's sleeve and moved closer, and Jiang He followed with a smile. Huang Rong caught sight of the crystal-clear sugar horse in Jiang Hanyue's hand. Her eyes lit up, and she instantly forgot her argument. She came over and said, "Wow, that sugar painting is beautiful! Where did you buy it?"

"From that stall over there!" Jiang Hanyue pointed at the sugar-painting stall not far away. "The artist uncle is so skillful! He can paint all kinds of things!"

Huang Rong's face immediately showed a look of longing. She turned back and glared at the stall owner, then fished a few copper coins out of her pocket and slapped them on the table. "Forget it, forget it. Give me two bowls of wontons first. If they're not good, I'll be back to find you!" The stall owner shook his head helplessly and turned to cook the wontons.

Feng Li Yue watched Huang Rong's charmingly petulant manner, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes. She handed over a plate of freshly bought osmanthus cakes. "Little girl, try these first to tide you over." Huang Rong didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up a piece and stuffed it into her mouth. The sweet, sticky aroma melted on her tongue, and she immediately beamed. "Delicious! You're so kind, big sister! My name is Huang Rong. What about you?"

"I'm Jiang Hanyue. These are my parents. Why are you out here all by yourself?" Jiang Hanyue answered crisply. Jiang He nodded gently but didn't speak. At this moment, both he and Feng Li Yue had changed their appearances. He looked like a middle-aged scholar, and Feng Li Yue looked like a middle-aged noblewoman.

Huang Rong swallowed the osmanthus cake, her eyes flickering. "I... I'm out traveling the Jianghu! I heard the scenery in Jiangnan is beautiful, so I wanted to come and see." In truth, she had run away from home and was afraid her father would find her, so she didn't dare say much. Jiang He saw through her little scheme but didn't expose it. He smiled and said, "We were just about to head to Suzhou. It's along the way. Miss Huang, if you don't mind, why not travel with us? That way, we can look out for each other."

Huang Rong had been worried about being bored all alone. Upon hearing this, she immediately clapped her hands in approval. "Great, great! Thank you, Uncle Jiang!"

The four of them set off along the Grand Canal, abandoning the official road and instead boarding a black-canopied boat. The boatwoman worked the oar, and the boat glided slowly across the jade-green rippling surface of the river. On both banks were weeping willows, and in the distance, green mountains rose and fell in an unbroken chain. Villages with white walls and black tiles dotted the landscape, like a scene from an ink-wash painting.

Jiang Hanyue and Huang Rong lay on the side of the boat, reaching out to touch the cool river water. Occasionally, a fish would leap out of the water, startling a ring of ripples and drawing exclamations from the two girls. Feng Li Yue sat inside the cabin by the window, holding a storybook she had bought from a street-side bookshop. She occasionally looked up at the scenery outside, a faint smile on her lips. Jiang He sat to the side, brewing some new tea he had picked from the Red Dust Realm. The fragrant steam curled upward, mingling with the mist from the river, refreshing the heart and mind.

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