The weight of gold and silver jewels ultimately does not compare to the weight of the stone sculpture.
"Losing wealth to avoid disaster! Losing wealth to avoid disaster!" Zhang Chen did not sense the presence of gold and silver jewels in the yellow sand, feeling a bit of heartache. This was the accumulation of his hard work, bit by bit, the foundation for his future home and business, now swept away by a strong wind. How could he not feel pained?
Zhang Chen was heartbroken but powerless. It was already the greatest fortune that his family could safely survive.
"This stone sculpture is still here, let’s continue on the road." Zhang Chen placed the stone sculpture onto the donkey cart. The sculpture weighed no more than two hundred pounds, not too heavy for the cart.
"I wonder how those big groups of people are doing now." Mrs. Zhang felt a bit compassionate because the Dragon Tiger Escort Agency had always been kind to their family.
"I hope they can escape safely." Zhang Chen sighed with a trace of melancholy.
Now, his Blood Dao cultivation technique had progressed further, his abilities had significantly improved, and he felt more confident about protecting his family.
Apart from the Blood God Child within Gong Bai’s body, Zhang Chen had six Blood God Children for protection. These six constantly patrolled the surroundings, sufficient to ensure the safety of his entire family and resolve any trouble out of sight.
However, using six Blood God Children for protection seemed a bit luxurious. Zhang Chen attached the Blood God Children to the bodies of five birds, letting them patrol the Northern Land, secretly infiltrating various battlefields, transforming into a sea of blood to absorb the battlefield’s blood. Zhang Chen kept one Blood God Child, attaching it to a bird in the area, patrolling constantly within tens of miles. Whenever he spotted a group of beasts forming, he would swoop down without hesitation and deal with them first.
The cart continued on, but the road was all covered with yellow sand, making it difficult to traverse. Even the robust old horse struggled.
But Zhang Chen had plenty of time and energy.
Now that the Northern Land had experienced heavy rain, a long-awaited sunny day arrived. Whether it was previous excessive rain adjusting Heaven and Earth or another reason, the Northern Land had not a single cloud, giving Zhang Chen ample time to absorb the Great Sun Essence.
As for food, the Northern Land lacked no meat. Daily, Zhang Chen did not even need to hunt; the Hunting Falcon would automatically catch pheasants, rabbits, and sika deer, delivering them as food for Zhang Chen.
The only problem was that after half a month, the rice ran out.
There followed a continuous process of eating meat, leading the whole family to feel greasy in the stomach, but they had no choice but to sustain vitality with a meat diet.
Three months later, just as Zhang Chen was about to exit the desert, he finally saw Buzhou Mountain in the Spiritual World.
In these months, Zhang Chen relentlessly practiced day and night, not resting even during the day, diligently traveling, finally catching sight of Buzhou Mountain.
Second Heaven of the Spiritual World
Amidst the infinite sea, Zhang Chen transformed into a bat and soared, finally seeing that majestic Buzhou Mountain in the distance. Despite being tens of thousands of miles away, the vast Divine Power made Zhang Chen feel heavy-hearted, with the Bloodline Power in his body circulating sluggishly, and an ominous sense of the Destruction of All Techniques looming over his heart.
"So that’s a section of Buzhou Mountain. I did not expect the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World to be upheld by Buzhou Mountain." Zhang Chen looked at the majestic Buzhou Mountain with a glimmer of joy in his eyes.
"I wonder if there’s any fortune in this Second Heaven of the Spiritual World." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon opportunely emerged, leaning over Zhang Chen’s ear, speaking with excitement.
Zhang Chen heard this and said, "Whether there is any creation or not, let’s just fly there."
In a certain mansion in Jiangnan, the mansion covers dozens of acres, with pavilions and terraces, carved beams and painted rafters, and countless palace maids and guards.
In the central room of the backyard, Wu Changming solemnly pulled out a fist-sized piece of purple metal from his sleeve. The purple metal was square, with mysterious runes flowing on it, resembling fish, constantly streaming across the metal, giving the entire piece an inexplicable divine feeling.
"This item is obtained from the First Heaven of the Spiritual World. It is a Supreme Treasure from the Ancient Era. If it weren’t for this item, I would never have achieved the realm of Yin Spirit in such a short time, freeing myself from the torment of life and death reincarnation." Wu Changming took the treasure in his hand, carefully observed it, and then pulled out an incense burner from his sleeve, placing the metal block in the burner. He lit a flint in his hand, and the metal block emitted a stream of blue smoke.
Seeing the metal block ignite, Wu Changming covered the burner with its lid, and sat cross-legged in front of the incense burner, his eyes filled with fervor: "Although I don’t know why, I can no longer sense the First Heaven of the Spiritual World, but through my relentless efforts, I have found this legendary Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance, made from the saliva of a True Dragon of unknown tier. I already have the opportunity to sense the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World. Now with the Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance aiding my path, I will surely ascend to the legendary Second Heaven of the Spiritual World."
Wu Changming sat cross-legged on the ground, forming a Seal Technique with his hand. The fragrance from the Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance, like a Spiritual Snake, entered Wu Changming’s nose and mouth. The next moment, Wu Changming’s Yin Spirit was activated, and his mind seemed to receive a mysterious power, appearing in a boundless darkness.
"This darkness is the Meditation Void; only a mind that is extraordinary and detached can reach here." Wu Changming’s eyes revealed a touch of pride, as he carefully observed the endless darkness. In the darkness, a point of light flickered, and Wu Changming looked at that point of light, his eyes shining with divine light: "There it is! The Second Heaven of the Spiritual World, this time I must enter it!"
"Once I enter the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World, I can obtain multiples, even tens of times, faster cultivation speed. Then I will surely catch up in a rush, returning to the Yellow Heaven Dao with the posture of Yang God. At that time, I’ll be the only Yang God in the Yellow Heaven Dao, and not even the Great Virtuous Master will dare to underestimate me." Wu Changming’s eyes showed determination, and without another word, flew directly towards the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World.
No one knows how long it took, but with the help of the Supreme Treasure Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance, Wu Changming finally arrived in front of the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World. Looking at the barrier of the world before him, Wu Changming’s gaze was filled with fervor: "To defy the heavens, is right in front of me!"
The next moment, Wu Changming’s mind was enveloped by a dragon-shaped Qi Mechanism, rushing madly towards the barrier of the Spiritual World: "I must break through it, inside there are innumerable great medicines, countless Secret Treasures. I must reach the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World; only by entering the Second Heaven can I have the opportunity to break through to Yang God, even to the Tenth Tier. I will surpass the Great Virtuous Master, becoming the foremost cultivator in the world!"
The dragon-shaped Qi Mechanism, like a sharp blade, directly pierced the barrier of the Spiritual World, slowly yet firmly moving towards the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Charge for me! I want to break into the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World! I want you to change my fate! My fate is determined by me, not by the heavens!" Wu Changming felt the terrifying resistance within the Spiritual World barrier, his eyes almost burst open, and his Spirit Body creaked, as though on the verge of shattering. Yet despite this, Wu Changming would not give up, for he knew that this Ancient Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance was his only piece, and the chance to break into the Spiritual World was also just this one time. Once he gave up, with the Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance burning away, he would have no more chances.
Accompanied by his desperate struggle, suddenly, he charged towards the interior of the Spiritual World. Under the protection of the Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance, although his steps were arduous, he never stopped. Finally, at a certain moment, he broke through the barrier, entering the interior of the Spiritual World, suspended in mid-air.
"Hahaha! Hahaha! I succeeded! I, Wu Changming, succeeded! From today, the path to the heavens is right before me, my fate is determined by me, not by the heavens! I, Wu Changming, will certainly prove my Dao at the Twelfth Tier, surpass the Great Virtuous Master!" Wu Changming looked up to the sky and laughed, his gaze swept over the surroundings, only to see endless seawater appearing before him. Before he could recover, a terrifying pressure emanated from the air, suppressing his Yin Spirit and severing the connection between his mind and his physical body, rendering his Yin Spirit powerless and directly falling into that seawater.
"Ah!"
Wu Changming let out a miserable cry, falling directly into the seawater. That seawater, a strange tier of the First Heaven, was the tears of the Heaven-Opening Water Spirit, emitting a power that began to harm his Yin Spirit. Although his Yin Spirit was of a higher tier than the seawater, it couldn’t resist the seawater’s vastness, constantly attempting to obliterate his Yin Spirit.
Just like a volcano, although unbearably hot, upon falling into seawater, it can’t withstand the seawater’s immensity.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chen turned into a Vampire Bat, fluttering in the void, having already obtained Divine Power. Therefore, Zhang Chen had some resistance to Buzhou Mountain’s Divine Power, and while flying rapidly with wings, suddenly heard bizarre screams echoing on the empty sea surface. The key was that the voice was very familiar to him. If he hadn’t misremembered, it distinctly belonged to his convenient master Wu Changming.
"How could Wu Changming appear in the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World? Could it be an illusion?" Zhang Chen’s face was surprised, scanning around, not intending to bother, ready to continue flapping his wings, yet the screams grew louder, as if they were right beside him.
"Hmm? What ghost?" Zhang Chen returned to his human form, condensing an Ice Ship on the sea surface, then listened closely. This time he finally heard it clearly. Indeed, someone was screaming here within the Spiritual World, and the voice indeed belonged to Wu Changming.
"How could Wu Changming possibly appear in the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World? This is the Second Heaven of the Spiritual World! Could there be some evil spirits wanting to harm me?" Zhang Chen’s eyes showed vigilance, but he wasn’t afraid because his True God Golden Light could already inflict damage on Tenth Tier evil spirits. Facing various spirits, as long as their strength wasn’t too outrageous, he could turn them into his experience points.