Even the True Person Lost His Composure

The next moment, Li Zhengjun reappeared where he had been, without the slightest warning.

Ignoring Yuhong's shock, he said respectfully:

"True Person, I chanced upon an immortal opportunity that lets me travel to another world called the 'Great Scarlet Realm.' That world is rich in resources and brimming with spiritual vitality. Once I'm there, my cultivation remains undiminished, and my Dao arts work as before."

Li Zhengjun pointed at the Jade Wave Turtle and continued:

"This beast was caught over there. That shows the spiritual creatures there can also serve as resources for our cultivation. A Jade Wave Turtle is only at the initial embryonic breathing stage, and it might not be worth as much as one of our fine pills, but I was thinking: since there are Frozen Water demonic creatures like this one, might there be higher-grade Frozen Water spiritual creatures in the Great Scarlet Realm? Might there also be spiritual creatures of other Dao Paths? Such as... Bright Yang!"

"Travel to another world? And you can come back, too!"

True Person Yuhong had lost the composure he had shown as a Purple Mansion cultivator. He strode forward, picked up the Jade Wave Turtle himself, and examined it closely, again and again.

The Jade Wave Turtle was only at the embryonic breathing first layer, but in True Person Yuhong's eyes, it was now a priceless treasure.

"Its cultivation method is completely different from that of every demonic creature I've ever seen. There are absolutely no demonic creatures like this in the Chu Kingdom... This... Did this really come from another world?"

He looked at Li Zhengjun, who demonstrated his Divine Ability several more times, traveling back and forth between the two worlds until True Person Yuhong had to speak up:

"That's enough, enough. There wasn't the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi when you traveled, so you definitely didn't enter the Great Void. A method like this is beyond a Purple Mansion cultivator-perhaps even a True Lord couldn't do it..."

After a long while, he still seemed unable to accept that his grandson could travel between two worlds, and his throat was a little dry.

"Zhengjun, you have a point. A glimpse of the leopard through a tube tells us that since there are Frozen Water demonic creatures, there really might be Bright Yang spiritual creatures there too."

But the way Yuhong looked at Li Zhengjun had changed. He was looking at him as though he were a rare and precious treasure.

That trip back and forth, together with the demonic creature as proof, was enough to establish that what Li Zhengjun had said was true.

"No wonder you escaped from those two Qi Ingestion cultivators. No wonder memories of you vanished when you disappeared. That so-called 'Great Scarlet Realm' is no grotto-heaven or blessed land, but a true other world!"

Seeing Li Zhengjun deep in thought, seemingly unaware of what grotto-heavens and blessed lands were, Yuhong explained:

"There are indeed some grotto-heavens and blessed lands in this world. Some were formed by heaven and earth, while others were created by immortals. But in any case, they all exist within this realm. When one opens, there must be a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi, and anyone who enters cannot escape the scrutiny of my Divine Ability. People entered grotto-heavens and blessed lands in years past, and that was how I obtained the method for nourishing the Thawing Ice Bright Jade. Another example is the Radiant Bright Blessed Land, which will soon open. It was formed from a cave abode left behind by an immortal. The True Persons found traces of it through cultivators who had wandered into the cave abode by mistake, and only then did they deduce when it would next open."

"But you're different, Zhengjun. The world you entered cannot be inspected, and there are no fluctuations of Spiritual Qi anywhere nearby. That doesn't match the signs of a grotto-heaven or blessed land opening. This means what you said is true: you really have found a way to leave this world, and you can come and go as you please!"

Yuhong's face was now glowing. The exhaustion and air of death from a short while ago had been swept away, and he was visibly exhilarated.

He tried to probe the immortal opportunity within Li Zhengjun, but found nothing.

Truth be told, the moment he learned that his grandson possessed an immortal opportunity, an unspeakable thought had flashed through his heart.

But the thought had lasted less than a breath before his reason crushed it to pieces.

Even a True Lord could not cross from one world to another. Even immortals could only ascend and leave; once they left this world, there was no way back, let alone any question of coming and going freely between two worlds.

Yet his grandson had done it!

What kind of supreme immortal opportunity was this?

How could a mere Purple Mansion cultivator like him dare covet it? How could he be worthy of coveting it?

True Person Yuhong said frankly:

"Just now, I exhausted every means at my disposal, yet I still couldn't glimpse the slightest mystery within you. That shows the immortal opportunity you obtained is of a rank far beyond me."

Seeing the True Person's reaction, Li Zhengjun knew he no longer coveted what he possessed. The cord that had been stretched taut in his heart for so long finally slackened a little.

He composed himself and continued:

"True Person, traveling between two worlds alone wouldn't give me the confidence to reach the Purple Mansion. There's another benefit to the Great Scarlet Realm: time flows ten times faster there than it does for me here. For every ten days I spend there, only a single day passes in our Yuyu Realm. What's more, I'm unaffected by the difference between the two worlds, so I have ten times my lifespan in the Great Scarlet Realm. That means I have hundreds, even a thousand years of time to cultivate."

A thousand-year lifespan!

Yuhong could not help murmuring it aloud. A Purple Mansion cultivator lived five hundred years and was already a favored child of heaven and earth.

He dared not imagine what heights he could reach if he were given a thousand years.

The crucial point was that this was only the lifespan of someone in the embryonic breathing realm. If the tenfold lifespan continued to apply, his grandson's lifespan would reach a truly terrifying level.

At Qi Ingestion, he would have a lifespan of fifteen hundred years in the Great Scarlet Realm.

Once he forged an immortal foundation, he would have a lifespan of twenty-five hundred years in the Great Scarlet Realm!

Upon seeking the true Purple Mansion, he would have a lifespan of five thousand years in the Great Scarlet Realm!

Five thousand years, five thousand years of time. As long as he kept cultivating, perhaps... perhaps the Li Household could produce a True Lord!

For a cultivator, cultivation depended first on resources, then on lifespan, and only lastly on talent.

His grandson Li Zhengjun had only ordinary talent, but both resources and lifespan could be taken care of in the Great Scarlet Realm. As long as the lineage supported him with all its might, why worry that it could not produce a True Lord?!

Just thinking about it made Yuhong breathe faster.

But the good news was not over. What Li Zhengjun said next made Yuhong pay even closer attention.

"True Person, there's more."

"There's more?"

There was a hint of urgency in Yuhong's voice. "Zhengjun, what other good news is there? Tell me all of it."

Li Zhengjun chuckled foolishly and hurriedly said:

"I can also take members of the lineage into the other world."

Those words completely shattered Yuhong's composure. Afraid he had misheard, he hurriedly asked again, his voice filled with barely restrained urgency:

"Zhengjun, are you saying you can take members of my Li Household with you?"

In an instant, a grand vision of migrating to another world and expanding their territory appeared in his mind.

But Li Zhengjun's next words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

"I can indeed take members of the lineage there, but there are several restrictions. First, those I take cannot be at a higher cultivation realm than me, and there is a limit on their number. Second, members of the lineage who enter the other world cannot return. Third, they cannot have ten times their lifespan as I do."

Hearing this, True Person Yuhong wrung his hands and sighed, repeatedly lamenting the loss.

But he did not dwell on his regret. Instead, he immediately grasped the crucial point and asked:

"I have two questions. First, can the cultivation methods of our Yuyu Realm be practiced in the Great Scarlet Realm? Second, if we establish a lineage and multiply in the Great Scarlet Realm, can you bring the descendants born in the other world back to the Yuyu Realm, Zhengjun?"

Li Zhengjun answered at once, without hesitation:

"I spent ten days in the Great Scarlet Realm and taught two mortal martial artists an introductory cultivation method while I was there. The methods of our Yuyu Realm can indeed be practiced there. As for whether I can bring people back, as you asked, True Person, I haven't tried it, but the Immortal Mirror shows that it is indeed possible."

Yuhong fell into thought. He closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

When he opened them again, his eyes shone with brilliance, revealing all the domineering presence and decisiveness of a Purple Mansion True Person.

"In that case, from this day forward, my Li Household will devote all its strength to supporting your cultivation and begin the conquest of the other world."

With a casual wave, he sent two Bright Yang swords of light flying from his sleeve.

One sped toward the current head of the household, Li Zhengchen, who controlled all the lineage's reserves of spiritual resources.

The other flew toward Li Chenfeng, who was stationed at Subduing Tiger Pass and commanded the lineage's most elite members.

On the swords of light were only a few words, each carrying the weight of a thousand jin.

"Come to Chongming Hall at once!"