Land of Reincarnation, Tianxian Dao Master

"Alright, I'll arrange for people to go over at once!" Que Lingyu said.

"Wait~" Heavenly Sword True Monarch rose to his feet and asked, "Do you think we should counterattack?"

"Counterattack? Why should we counterattack?" Que Lingyu asked, puzzled.

"Those Yin Soldier Blood Puppets staying beside Cangyu Mountain really makes one uncomfortable!" Heavenly Sword True Monarch said.

Que Lingyu looked at him doubtfully. "What's uncomfortable about it? They won't go to Cangyu Mountain."

"But they've ruined the spiritual energy environment of the Yunxiao Mountain Range!" Heavenly Sword True Monarch blinked.

Que Lingyu was speechless. "My lord, what exactly are you trying to do?"

She knew the reason Heavenly Sword True Monarch had given was complete nonsense. He did not care about any spiritual energy environment, much less those Yin Soldier Blood Puppets.

"Hahaha~~ I want to exchange blows with Chang Buzai!" Heavenly Sword True Monarch said awkwardly, finally voicing his true thoughts.

Que Lingyu frowned slightly. "Chang Buzai is a Half-step Entering Dao powerhouse!"

"That's right. A powerhouse like him is precisely what I need. I need a Sword Testing Stone!" Heavenly Sword True Monarch said solemnly.

Que Lingyu fell silent!

A Sword Testing Stone?

Testing the sword!

That was no good thing.

If he succeeded, the benefits would naturally be immense. If he failed, it would mean death of body and Dao.

Once Heavenly Sword True Monarch and Chang Buzai exchanged blows, it would inevitably become a fight to the death.

But she could not stop Heavenly Sword True Monarch, because this was a battle he had to undergo.

If Heavenly Sword True Monarch wanted to surpass himself on the Sword Dao, he needed a powerhouse to serve as his Sword Testing Stone. His cultivation and strength had now both recovered to their peak, yet he still lacked that final hurdle.

If he crossed that hurdle, he could enter the Dao through the Sword Dao and become a Half-step Entering Dao powerhouse.

If he could not cross it, then everything would be nothing but empty illusion.

After a long silence, Que Lingyu said, "I'll first investigate the situation at the Wuchang Ghost Sect!"

Heavenly Sword True Monarch smiled warmly. "Mm, go on!"

Emerald Lake, Myriad Beast Sect.

Xiao Shan, the Red Forehead White Tiger Demon King, hurriedly found Wu Wei Zheng.

"Demon Venerable, there is news of the Yang Family!"

He spoke urgently.

Ever since the Wanhua Demon Court had been destroyed by the Wuchang Ghost Sect, Wu Wei Zheng had been searching for Yang Zhengshan. He wanted to form an alliance with Yang Zhengshan against the Wuchang Ghost Sect, intending to seize the Wanhua Mountain Range from its hands.

Yet for several years, they had found no news whatsoever of the Yang Family. Wu Wei Zheng had even been preparing to abandon the idea of allying with them, when news of the Yang Family suddenly emerged.

"Where are they?" Wu Wei Zheng asked.

Xiao Shan's expression turned strange. He hesitated, seemingly wanting to speak but unable to.

"What is it?" Wu Wei Zheng frowned.

Xiao Shan gathered his thoughts before saying, "We received word that the Wuchang Ghost Sect was intercepted by an unknown force in the southern part of the Wanhua Mountain Range and suffered grievous losses."

"Moreover, after a great battle, the Wuchang Ghost Sect suddenly withdrew from the southern part and the Central Region of the Wanhua Mountain Range, retreating into the Northern Region!"

"According to the reports, the force that intercepted the Wuchang Ghost Sect possessed many Large Flying Boats. Each boat had a Vermilion Bird Statue at its prow, and they may well have been the Yang Family's Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats!"

He concisely relayed the information he had received to Wu Wei Zheng.

White Jade Capital's construction of a Forward Outpost Base in the southern Wanhua Mountain Range was not exactly a secret, though it was not something just anyone could discover.

Although most of the Demonic Beasts in the southern Wanhua Mountain Range had already fled, many solitary Demonic Beasts and numerous Strange Beasts still remained within the mountain range.

The great battle at the Forward Outpost Base had lasted for over a month and caused an enormous commotion. There would always be some Demonic Beasts and Strange Beasts who witnessed it.

These Demonic and Exotic Beasts had not dared approach, but they had watched from afar.

Therefore, once the battle ended, a great many true and false rumors spread outward.

The Red Forehead White Tiger Clan had once been a major clan of the Wanhua Demon Court. Though they had already left the Wanhua Mountain Range, they had still left quite a few spies behind within it.

Even without spies, they only needed to enter the deep mountains and ask a few Demonic and Exotic Beasts around to obtain plenty of information.

No Demonic or Exotic Beast dared refuse the Red Forehead White Tiger Clan's request, much less deny their inquiries.

Thus, the Red Forehead White Tiger Clan quickly obtained much news regarding the battle at the Forward Outpost Base.

Naturally, they could not uncover the detailed information, but the more obvious news was easy enough for them to obtain.

After hearing Xiao Shan's account, Wu Wei Zheng first froze, then asked, "You mean the Yang Family drove back the Wuchang Ghost Sect?"

Such news struck him as somewhat unbelievable.

He had a general understanding of the Yang Family's strength.

The rest aside, Yang Zhengshan himself was not particularly strong. It was merely that Yang Zhengshan's Divine Path Intent was difficult to deal with, which was why Wu Wei Zheng was willing to show him some respect.

In his view, the Yang Family could only be considered an immortal clan of decent strength. Compared with the great powers, they were not worth mentioning at all.

Yet the Yang Family had actually driven back the Wuchang Ghost Sect, even forcing it to retreat and defend the Northern Region of the Wanhua Mountain Range.

To him, that was simply a fantasy.

"This... this, I cannot confirm. We have already verified that the Wuchang Ghost Sect truly retreated to the Northern Region of the Wanhua Mountain Range, and that a great battle indeed took place in the Southern Region!"

"As for whether that force was the Yang Family, it is only our speculation!"

Xiao Shan said hesitantly.

They could verify the other information, but they could not confirm whether that force was truly the Yang Family.

They only knew that force possessed many Large Flying Boats similar to Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats. They could not even confirm whether those Large Flying Boats were Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats.

Wu Wei Zheng sank into thought.

Was it the Yang Family?

That was not actually important.

What mattered was that the Wuchang Ghost Sect had been driven back.

No matter which force had driven it back, it would affect the entire situation in the Myriad Flower Domain and alter his plans as well.

"I'll go take a look myself!" After pondering for a moment, Wu Wei Zheng decided he should see it in person.

Only by seeing it himself could he determine what kind of force it was and revise his plans accordingly.

Just as White Jade Capital drove back the Wuchang Ghost Sect at the Forward Outpost Base, the war in the Myriad Flower Southern Region also entered a new stage.

Millions upon millions of sea demons surged north along the Changjin River. Not only did they batter the Hengshan Sect into retreat after retreat, they also drove away the many forces in the Jinchuan Mountain Range.

It was not that the Hengshan Sect was weaker than the South Sea Demon Court, but rather that it had never expected the South Sea Demon Court to suddenly launch an attack from the Changjin River, much less that the South Sea Demon Court intended to occupy the Jinchuan Mountain Range.

After the South Sea Demon Court occupied the Jinchuan Mountain Range, the Dragon Princess moved from the Dragon Palace in the depths of the South Sea to the Jinchuan Mountain Range.

Atop a towering mountain peak, the Dragon Princess gazed down upon the overlapping mountain ridges, her dragon eyes filled with majesty.

"Ao Xuan, I will undergo Dragon Transformation here!"

Beside her stood a tall figure, nearly a zhang in height. He wore black armor, with a broad face, small eyes, and an utterly hideous appearance. Yet his aura was like a towering mountain, making it impossible to take him lightly.

"Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor, rest assured. Ao Xuan will guard Your Majesty here unto death and help Your Majesty restore the glory of the Dragon Race!"

The Dragon Race was a tragic race. It possessed tremendous power, but it was difficult for it to reproduce.

During the Far Ancient Period, the Myriad Flower Domain had been rich in spiritual energy and Dao Resonance had manifested openly, so the Dragon Race's reproduction could still be maintained. But as the Myriad Flower Domain's spiritual energy grew increasingly sparse and its Dao Resonance increasingly concealed, the Dragon Race's offspring became fewer and fewer. They had no choice but to mate with other demon races and leave behind descendants.

That was how Dragonkind came to be.

Dragonkind originated from the Dragon Race, but their bloodlines were impure, so they could not become True Dragons.

Only the true Dragon Race could become True Dragons.

The glory of the Dragon Race belonged not only to the True Dragons, but also to Dragonkind.

The countless sea demons charging onto land one after another were not fighting for the struggle for authority, but to aid the Dragon Princess's Dragon Transformation and restore the glory of the Dragon Race.

"Then I'll have to trouble you!"

The Dragon Princess took a deep breath. In the next instant, her form changed. Streaks of golden light flashed forth, and the phantom of a True Dragon emerged from her body, hovering beneath the Sky Vault as waves of dragon roars resounded.

Slowly, the phantom of the True Dragon sank into the mountain range. Beneath the brilliant sunlight, it was as though the entire range had been inlaid with a layer of golden radiance.

As the phantom of the True Dragon vanished, the Dragon Princess's form also gradually dispersed, disappearing silently without a trace.

Dragon Transformation was a trial the Dragon Race had to undergo. One returned one's fleshly body to heaven and earth, condensed Heaven and Earth Dao Intent, remolded the soul of a True Dragon, and transformed into the body of a True Dragon Naturally Born and Raised.

East Sea, Land of Reincarnation.

Amid the vast, surging sea stood countless islands. The large ones were majestic as great mountains, while the small ones were delicate as carved jade, lying quietly amid the roaring waves and reflecting the sky's light and the clouds' shadows.

The so-called Land of Reincarnation was in fact this stretch of sea before them. Yet to most cultivators, the sea was not greatly different from the land.

Even in the boundless ocean, cultivators could dive into the Deep Sea and walk as if upon level ground.

And the greatest danger in the Land of Reincarnation was not the Deep Sea, but the Demon Evils that were like ghosts and demons.

The Land of Reincarnation was the most perilous place in the Myriad Flower Domain, without exception. It was a Forbidden Land in the hearts of nearly all cultivators.

Yet because the Land of Reincarnation possessed the peculiar trait of never falling into reincarnation, many great cultivators chose to enter it when they were at the end of their lives.

At this moment, on an island at the center of the Land of Reincarnation, a white-haired old man was walking with faltering steps toward the tall mountain at the island's center.

Behind the old man followed a man and a woman, both Golden Core cultivators.

Around them stood many strange figures. They possessed humanoid forms, but their skin was sickly green, their eyes deathly white, their mouths filled with fangs, and their limbs thick and powerful, like savage beasts.

These strange things were the legendary Demon Evils.

Demon Evils, evil spirits—formed from human desires. Those who craved power could gain incomparably powerful bodies; those who craved Spirit Treasures and Spirit Artifacts could gain fangs and sharp claws; those who craved immortality could transform into Demon Evils.

That was right. These Demon Evils had been formed from the former powerhouses who entered the Land of Reincarnation.

They entered the Land of Reincarnation seeking to never fall into reincarnation and to live forever, but in the end, they all transformed into Demon Evils and truly gained immortality.

But were they still who they had once been?

The old man slowly walked toward the mountain ahead, neither hurried nor slow, completely unaffected by those Demon Evils.

Yet the two Golden Core cultivators behind him looked tense, watching the Demon Evils warily.

"Dao Master, will they truly not come over?" Shan An finally could not endure it any longer and spoke.

"Rest assured, they will not!" Tianxian Dao Master replied calmly.

"Why? Isn't it said that these Demon Evils attack living people the moment they see them?" Shan An asked.

In truth, the Tianxian Dao did not know much about the Land of Reincarnation either. No, to be precise, aside from Tianxian Dao Master, everyone else's knowledge of the Land of Reincarnation was hearsay.

However, one of the Tianxian Dao's prohibitions was a ban on entering the Land of Reincarnation.

And this prohibition had been established by Tianxian Dao Master himself.

For over ten thousand years, the Tianxian Dao had strictly enforced this ban, doing its utmost to prevent anyone from entering the Land of Reincarnation.

But the Land of Reincarnation was vast. Even though the Tianxian Dao had stationed many cultivators outside, it could not stop everyone. Some people still entered the Land of Reincarnation.

Some news concerning the Land of Reincarnation had also spread to the outside world, resulting in many legends about it.

Tianxian Dao Master glanced at those Demon Evils, and a nearly imperceptible smile appeared in his weathered eyes.

"Because they are all very obedient!"

"Obedient?" Shan An did not understand.

"You'll know soon enough!" Tianxian Dao Master offered no explanation and continued toward the mountaintop.

About an hour later, they finally reached the summit. Just as Tianxian Dao Master had said, the Demon Evils had never approached them.

The mountaintop was shrouded in gray-white mist, and within that mist, there seemed to be a Separate Courtyard.

Shan An narrowed her eyes and stared fixedly at the Separate Courtyard ahead.

This Separate Courtyard!

It seemed somewhat familiar.

Where have I seen it before?

Tianxian Dao Master did not stop. In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the courtyard gate.

The courtyard gate was black, the Courtyard Wall white. There were no decorations at all, giving it a rough and simple appearance.

"Dao Master!" An uneasy feeling suddenly welled up in Shan An's heart, and she could not help calling out.

"What is it?" Tianxian Dao Master turned to look at her.

"This place seems rather dangerous!" Shan An said hesitantly.

Tianxian Dao Master laughed heartily. "Dangerous? Hahaha, with me here, what danger could there be!"

As he spoke, he pushed open the black courtyard gate, revealing the yard inside.

The small courtyard was not large. Looking through the gate, they could see only a screen wall. It seemed to be carved with many things, yet it also seemed to contain nothing more than chaotic, disorderly lines.

Shan An's expression abruptly changed as she looked at the screen wall.

"This is...?"

She finally understood why this place had felt so familiar.

"That's right. My courtyard was built after this one!" Tianxian Dao Master seemed able to guess exactly what she was thinking.

He stepped into the courtyard. "In fact, I once stayed here—for ten thousand years!"

"This place can also be considered my home!"

Shan An stared dumbfoundedly at Tianxian Dao Master's back.

This was the Land of Reincarnation, the Reincarnation Forbidden Land that everyone feared!

The Dao Master had actually stayed here, and for ten thousand years at that!

Suddenly, a flash of Spiritual Light crossed her mind.

"Before Dao Master became a Dao Master, had you been staying here all along?"

Tianxian Dao Master had won the Position of Authority ten thousand years ago and become the Lord of Authority of the Myriad Flower Domain.

Few people knew that Tianxian Dao Master was not actually a figure from ten thousand years ago. He was an existence from Twenty Thousand Years ago.

That meant he had already existed for ten thousand years before becoming a Dao Master.

There were many methods in this world to extend one's Lifespan, but all of them possessed numerous flaws.

For example, Heavenly Sword True Monarch had entrusted his soul to a sword and undergone Body Snatching to be reborn. Though he gained new life, he lost all his cultivation, and the Lifespan left after his rebirth was not long.

For example, Wu Wei Zheng had sealed his True Spirit and slumbered for ten thousand years. Though this could extend his Lifespan by ten thousand years, he could only spend that time asleep, like a dead object.

And then there was the Wanhua Demon Emperor, who hid within Hua Qingzhu and repeatedly remolded his divine soul and Dao body through the Path of Spirit Bestowal. Though he did not need to slumber, he could only remain inside Hua Qingzhu like a prisoner.

And Chang Buzai—his method of prolonging his life was actually much the same as Heavenly Sword True Monarch's: Body Snatching and rebirth. The world only knew that Chang Buzai had existed for ten thousand years, unaware that during those millennia, he had Snatched Bodies nine times and rebuilt his cultivation nine times.

Heavenly Sword True Monarch's True Spirit had been damaged after just one Body Snatching, yet Chang Buzai could Snatch Bodies nine times and cultivate to the Half-step Entering Dao level each time.

Chang Buzai could achieve this because he excelled in the Way of Soul and the Way of Death.

However, Chang Buzai also had a weakness: he could only rely on the Way of Death. Across nine rebirths, he had cultivated only the Way of Death. It was not that he did not wish to cultivate other Dao Intent Divine Abilities, but that he could only cultivate the Way of Death.

And over ten thousand years and nine rebirths, his attainments in the Way of Death had not improved in the slightest.

In other words, he had lost the chance to become a Dao Master through cultivation.

No matter how many times he was reborn, he could not surpass the limits of his first life.

For ten thousand years, he could only accumulate his Dao Intent, unable to take another step forward.

This was also the main reason he could not contend with Yang Zhengshan.

Though he had cultivated for ten thousand years, his attainments in Dao Intent were not much greater than Yang Zhengshan's.

As for Tianxian Dao Master, he was an exception. Having become the Lord of Authority, he was instead free from many restrictions.

Yet now that he had returned to the Land of Reincarnation, no one knew what he intended to do.