I'll Wait for You in Kunlun

Just as he perfected the Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm, a sudden change arose in Jiang Zhu's Bitter Sea.

Ripples shimmered across the inky Bitter Sea. A true dragon phantom slowly emerged from it and flew toward the heavens. The sky above his Sea of Bitterness was no longer hazy, but a clear azure, like the blue heavens themselves.

The true dragon phantom swung its claws, tearing open the blue sky. Several towering humanoid figures wreathed in dense chaos light appeared, and the dragon phantom clashed with them.

Jiang Zhu stared, dumbfounded. What was going on? Had the True Dragon Immortal King appeared in his Sea of Bitterness? Or had he cultivated a manifestation?

He tried controlling the true dragon and the humanoid phantoms. There was not the slightest resistance; he could control them. For now, however, they could only be seen within his Sea of Bitterness and could not manifest in the outside world.

"So it really is a manifestation! From now on, I'll call it the true dragon battle immortal map!"

Jiang Zhu could not calm down for a long while. He had never expected that the world-shaking battle he had witnessed in his dream journey to the Immortal Ancient Era would help him cultivate the embryonic form of a manifestation.

But he believed this manifestation was anything but ordinary, perhaps even surpassing all others. It simply depended on how far he could cultivate and evolve it.

Afterward, he fused the divine patterns born from his breakthrough with the previous ones. In the end, all the divine patterns were smelted into a fist-sized Divine Iron Lump, resembling a small, solid bell. No matter how he tempered it afterward, it would not budge.

Looks like I'll need some outside help! Jiang Zhu mused.

Just like forging weapons in the real world, he needed a source of fire to smelt it before he could hammer out a divine weapon or precious blade. The Fire Domain on Big Dipper was the best place to forge weapons.

Ordinary cultivators did not dare approach the Fire Domain, but supreme cultivators invariably made it their first choice when refining artifacts. Its flames possessed mysterious power that could help an "artifact" take shape and imprint it with "Dao" and "principle."

Of course, the Fire Domain was no peaceful haven. It was tolerable during its usual quiet periods, but when raging flames swept into the heavens, it became perilous beyond measure. Even mighty experts had to retreat.

At the very center of the Fire Domain, there was even immortal fire.

Yet he was on Earth now, and the fires of Big Dipper were a whip too short to reach him.

Setting aside his plans to temper his artifact for the moment, Jiang Zhu left his secluded cultivation spot.

He went up to Jade Emperor Peak, but Crocodile Ancestor was absent. There was no telling where he had gone in search of terrain maps of the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains.

Several major demon factions now maintained a permanent presence on Jade Emperor Peak. Jiang Zhu did not show himself and quietly headed down the mountain.

By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, Jiang Zhu had released his True Dragon Transformation and returned to his original appearance.

Jiang Zhu had black hair and wore an inky tracksuit. His body was lean and muscular, his face as sharply defined as if carved by blade and axe. His name and appearance were identical in both lives. He did not know whether he had awakened memories of a previous life or transmigrated into his counterpart in another world.

Since he began cultivating, however, several rebirth-like transformations had made him increasingly handsome. Though his features remained the same, even familiar acquaintances would not recognize him at first glance.

In this life, having family was little different from having none. His parents had divorced, each formed a new family, and had new children. Their households were harmonious.

His existence seemed to be a past that neither parent wished to mention. Before he graduated, both sides had merely sent his living allowance on time each month, with scarcely any other contact.

Jiang Zhu hired a taxi by the roadside to take him to Beijing. His money came from what the Ten Thousand Demons Valley had brought up earlier. Crocodile Ancestor had taken only a Satellite Phone, while he had taken several stacks of cash and a Satellite Phone.

Upon reaching the Imperial Capital, Jiang Zhu bought several large jars of liquor. Using divine power, he mixed them with a drop of precious blood, then divided the liquor into separate containers.

The energy within precious blood was gentle, suited to cultivation and foundation building. Even a single drop mixed into over a hundred jin of liquor could rival the effects of spirit fruits and spirit medicines used to establish a foundation.

Even without embarking on the path of cultivation, drinking it regularly could nourish the body and prolong life.

He took several cases to each of his original body's parents' homes. Neither recognized him, assuming he was a friend of their son's visiting them. Jiang Zhu said nothing more, merely reminding them to drink the liquor themselves. After setting it down, he left.

Afterward, he visited the homes of some classmates who had been close to his original self and left them some liquor.

At Pang Bo's home, he stood on a nearby rooftop, watching Pang Bo's family eat and drink together in happy harmony. Pang Bo's father even gave the fake Pang Bo a resounding slap, yet the impostor showed no displeasure.

Watching this scene, Jiang Zhu fell silent. He did not know whether he should tell Pang Bo's parents the truth. Should he tell them and leave them constantly missing their son and fearing for his safety, or keep the truth from them and let them live happily?

After a long silence, he left without telling Pang Bo's parents the truth.

Sometimes, a disappearance tormented people more than death.

Fortunately, he had probably died in his previous life. Otherwise, his parents might have succumbed to illness from grief and passed away early, just like Ye Fan's parents.

Finally, he visited Ye Fan's parents. He likewise left several cases of liquor mixed with precious blood and told them that Ye Fan had gone to cultivate and might return in a few years.

They believed him. Not long ago, Crocodile Ancestor had manifested his divine power across the globe, proving that cultivators truly existed in the world. Moreover, shortly after Ye Fan and the others vanished from Mount Tai, Crocodile Ancestor had descended upon Mount Tai and displayed his divine might.

They were willing to believe that Ye Fan had gone to cultivate and would return later. Or rather, they had no choice but to believe.

Jiang Zhu reminded them to hide the liquor carefully and not show it to others casually, then left.

With that, all his worldly ties were settled. He had left himself a fallback, though he did not know whether it truly counted as one.

Next, he would truly step into the cruel world of cultivation, accompanied by blood and fire all the way. He did not know whether he would one day spill his blood on a battlefield, whether he could survive the dark turmoil, or whether he could prove his Dao and become an Emperor...

The road ahead was full of unknowns, but he understood one thing deeply: the path to immortality was cruel, and only by contending could one advance!

I've already died once anyway. In this life, I'll see the most dazzling sights, drink the fiercest liquor, hold the most beautiful women, and become the highest Emperor!

Even if my flesh is pulverized and my bones shattered, I'll keep moving forward and prove to heaven and earth that I once existed!

Emperor Road, golden age-here I come!

Ascend the heavenly road, stride onward singing, and shroud the heavens with a flick of a finger!

Mount Lu.

Since ancient times, Mount Lu had drawn countless scholars and poets. Renowned throughout the world for its grandeur, marvels, dangers, and beauty, it had long been praised as "Kuanglu's wondrous beauty is unrivaled beneath heaven."

Standing high on Mount Lu and gazing into the distance, Jiang Zhu felt his body and spirit open up, and heaven and earth grow vast. He employed an Unarmed Technique from the True Dragon Secret Art-the Dragon-Calling Hand-to sense the course of the dragon veins here.

Before long, Jiang Zhu found a dragon vein connected to the Heart of Mount Lu. He tried following it upstream toward its source, where blazing fire essence could easily burn even sect-master-level figures to ash.

He wanted to use the fire essence to smelt his artifact, but failed. The lingering killing intent there was almost tangible, ringing like sword after Killing Sword. Even sect-master-level figures could not approach it. Despite the protection of the Demon-Refining Pot, he could not withstand that endless torrent of killing intent.

Afterward, he investigated Spirit Mountain, Dragon-Tiger Mountain, Eight Ridges Mountain... none of these places could be encroached upon by a mere Sea of Bitterness cultivator like him, even with a secret treasure.

"It's time to leave Earth!" It was also time to have Crocodile Ancestor enter Kunlun.

But now that Crocodile Ancestor knew a Quasi-Emperor had nearly died upon entering the Immortal Ascension Ground, he would probably only enter after finding more terrain maps.

Over the next few days, he used the Dragon-Calling Hand to manifest the power of the dragon veins of Mount Lu and Eight Ridges Mountain. For a time, purple qi surged over both mountains as they ceaselessly drew in the essence of heaven and earth. Their spiritual splendor shone forth, drawing many cultivators to investigate.

Many cultivators subsequently spilled their blood in these two places. Eventually, Crocodile Ancestor, who was searching everywhere for maps, received word of what had happened.

Crocodile Ancestor struck, swept through both locations, and found two pieces of the map! His blood-red eyes filled with delight.

Earlier, while searching for the earthly immortal secret that Chisongzi had pursued, he had found information left by Rong Chengshi and two pieces of the Bone-Slab Map.

He had learned why Earth's spiritual energy had dried up, obtained more information about the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains, and discovered that Rong Chengshi had acquired an Immortal Medicine within them!

His desire to enter the Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains grew ever more urgent. Although he knew that even a Quasi-Emperor had been trapped inside for a hundred years, that might well have been because he had not obtained the complete map.

The divine dynasty of over two hundred thousand years ago had possessed a complete map and could enter and leave the Immortal Ascension Ground at will. So, as long as he could gather every piece of the map...

He knew a little about that divine dynasty, too. It was the Feathered Divine Dynasty, which had sought to ascend to immortality as an entire faith. They had brought back the hope of attaining immortality nurtured by the dragon mountains and placed it once more within its birthplace.

After more than two hundred thousand years of ceaselessly absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and drawing in the spiritual splendor of the Ancient Life Star, that thing had very likely been restored.

The hope of attaining immortality was right before his eyes!

Crocodile Ancestor's heart soared with longing. Gazing at the greater part of the map he had assembled in his hands, he grew increasingly excited.

Until his phone rang.

"I'll wait for you in Kunlun!"