With Qi Yan and Ao Tian gone,
Mu Chen felt that the sea of clouds had become a little deserted.
Fortunately, that slight discomfort gradually faded over the long years.
During the time that remained,
Mu Chen consolidated all the divine abilities he had obtained.
His general situation was now as follows.
Mu Chen: a cultivator at the peak of the True Immortal Realm with a Rootless Body. Divine abilities: Law of Heaven and Earth, Heaven Beyond Heaven Incarnation, Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts. Cultivation methods: low-grade breathing method, high-grade breathing method. Weapons: Four Swords of Immortal Slaying [replicas]
Mu Chen nodded in satisfaction.
Although anyone in the Primordial World could tell at a glance that he was a weakling,
he had, after all, earned it all slowly, one step at a time.
Of course,
he was still very weak.
So Mu Chen went into seclusion again.
The years rolled on.
Forty-five thousand years slipped quietly by.
"Congratulations, host, on completing fifty thousand years of fishing. Please choose."
"One: continue fishing for one hundred thousand years. After one hundred thousand years, you will receive a trace of Pangu's Essence Blood, greatly improving your constitution."
"Two: venture out into the Primordial World, follow Hongjun in destroying Luohu, and save all living beings. You will receive a trace of Primordial Purple Qi!"
Mu Chen's eyelid twitched.
Primordial Purple Qi...
This...
Wasn't this far too lavish?
This was a manifestation of the Great Dao. In the Primordial World, no one but Sages could possess it.
Once he obtained it, he could say that the Great Dao was within reach.
A flicker of conflict flashed through Mu Chen's eyes.
In the end,
Mu Chen gritted his teeth and refused it anyway.
Primordial Purple Qi was an ultimate treasure, but also a root of disaster.
Obtaining it would only draw others' covetous gazes.
"What's so great about it? I'll become a Sage on my own someday anyway. Don't even think of disturbing my Dao heart!"
Mu Chen muttered sourly.
Back to seclusion!
Just thinking of the drop of Pangu's Essence Blood he would receive in one hundred thousand years
left him quite satisfied, too.
This was Pangu-even a single drop of essence blood from his body could improve Mu Chen's aptitude.
At that thought,
Mu Chen's resolve to remain in seclusion grew even firmer!
Over those long years of seclusion,
Mu Chen occasionally used the Thirty-Six Arts to conjure a clone and send it out to roam.
The Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts were far more powerful than the Body Outside Body divine ability. Said to be capable of transforming into all things in heaven and earth, they were extremely convenient to use.
He had to admit...
Hongjun really did have stature!
Even a divine ability he casually tossed out was this badass.
As the years passed like this, Mu Chen also broke through to become a Mystic Immortal.
Meanwhile, as his cultivation realm slowly rose, the surrounding sea of clouds expanded from a range of five hundred meters to a full several thousand meters.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an extremely ordinary sea of clouds.
In reality, unless someone was a mighty figure of the Primordial World, Mu Chen could now keep them from ever discovering him within it if he wished. They could even walk right past the sea of clouds without noticing anything unusual.
Mu Chen thought rather shamelessly,
Ah, I suppose this is what it means to be strong.
As for the outside world, another round of brutal warfare had now begun.
Hongjun joined forces with the mighty figures of the Primordial World to wage a decisive battle against the Demon Ancestor, Luohu.
Countless old monsters of the Primordial World fought until heaven crumbled and earth split, and blood flowed in rivers.
Overall, however, Luohu held the Four Swords of Immortal Slaying, slaughtering all things in heaven and earth, and had the upper hand on the battlefield.
One day,
Mu Chen's clone was wandering outside, watching this war between the demonic path and the Dao in the Primordial World.
Suddenly,
a familiar figure appeared before him again.
Hongjun!
Mu Chen jumped in fright.
How had this fellow found him again?
Hongjun said with a faint smile,
"Since I was the one who imparted the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts, naturally, I can sense them."
Mu Chen gave a thoughtful "Oh."
He made up his mind never to use this art again.
Then he said without betraying anything,
"What brings you to me, Fellow Daoist Hongjun?"
At his words,
a trace of worry also appeared on Hongjun's aged face.
He sighed and said,
"Ten years from now, I will fight a decisive battle against Luohu in the west, yet I keep feeling somewhat unsettled."
"I see that your thoughts differ from those of all living beings in the Primordial World, so I have come specifically to seek clarification."