Chapter 90: Chapter 88: Foundation Establishment Realm
The cultivation realms of the world were divided as such: nine levels of Mortal Warrior, ten layers of Innate, and above that, the Foundation Establishment Realm.
A cultivator at the Perfect Innate Tenth Realm was considered a Grandmaster. Above them was the Foundation Establishment Realm. Individuals at this level were truly extraordinary and transcendent, possessing unimaginable power.
At least, in the eyes of cultivators from the Celestial Pearl Country, a Grandmaster was practically a supreme figure, someone who could only be looked up to.
And the difference between the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Grandmaster Realm was like that of clouds and mud!
For example, the Grey-clothed Swordsman Qingxu could slay a Red Fire Ape King with a single sword strike.
Furthermore, those in the Foundation Establishment Realm had lifespans a hundred years longer than a Grandmaster’s.
Most importantly, at the Foundation Establishment Realm, a Dao Foundation would form within one’s Qi Sea, allowing one to begin the pursuit of longevity!
Every cultivator in the world sought longevity, but for the Ten Thousand Spirits, the Path of Longevity truly began only at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
No matter how talented Jiang Jichen was, he had been cultivating for far too short a time. His cultivation was only at the Innate First Realm. The gap between him and the Foundation Establishment Realm could no longer be described as merely the difference between clouds and mud.
In short, a Sleeve Strike from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was more than enough to turn him to ash, annihilating both body and soul.
He was powerless to resist, but that didn’t mean he would submit. In that instant, Jiang Jichen unleashed all of his body’s potential, desperately activating his Speed Secret Technique.
His figure blurred into a shadow of light, moving far faster than ever before. It was the greatest speed Jiang Jichen had unleashed since his rebirth.
But in the eyes of Daoist Lingxu, such speed was no different from a snail’s crawl.
Jiang Jichen hugged the Little Skeleton, wanting to retreat into the Forest of Lost Souls, but endless Spirit Pattern Light Blades had already submerged them.
The Little Gray Skeleton was still looking at Jiang Jichen, its head tilted at a forty-five-degree angle. It looked dazed and cute, its body swaying slightly, not knowing what was happening.
Or perhaps, it was still wondering why Jiang Jichen had suddenly rushed over and hugged it!
However, what no one knew was that an aura, terrifying enough to startle the All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds, was churning within the Forest of Lost Souls, seemingly roaring in anger.
Just as that aura was about to burst out and descend upon Jiang Jichen and the Little Skeleton, it suddenly stopped.
Because specks of sword light suddenly appeared, striking each and every Spirit Pattern Light Blade with perfect accuracy.
The Sword Light and the Spirit Pattern Light Blades annihilated each other simultaneously!
Jiang Jichen and the Little Skeleton had finally escaped death, but the feeling of powerlessness from that moment was deeply engraved in his heart.
Jiang Jichen pulled the Little Skeleton back to the edge of the Forest of Lost Souls. He stared daggers at Cang Songzi, the Daoist from Lingxu Temple, on the northern solitary peak, burning the man’s image into his memory.
’One day, I will personally cut off this man’s head.’
If the Grey-clothed Swordsman Qingxu hadn’t intervened just now, he and the Little Skeleton would have already been turned to dust.
Of course, Jiang Jichen had no way of knowing that a power capable of terrifying the heavens had also been on the verge of bursting out from the Forest of Lost Souls...
Cang Songzi paid Jiang Jichen’s gaze no mind. ’It’s just an ant staring at me,’ he thought. ’Am I supposed to stare back?’
He just looked at the Grey-clothed Swordsman and said flatly, "Qingxu, are you going to meddle in my business even when I’m just squashing an ant?"
The Grey-clothed Swordsman Qingxu’s expression didn’t shift in the slightest. With his longsword strapped to his back, he launched a Spiritual Pattern Array Seal at the Ancient Hall in the lake’s center with one hand while keeping the other behind him. He responded coldly, "He is participating in the trial in Moonlight Forest, organized by my Heavenly Sword Alliance. That makes him one of our own. You consider a person of the Heavenly Sword Alliance an ant? I was not aware your Lingxu Temple had grown so arrogant."
Cang Songzi didn’t expect that not only was Qingxu’s Sword Dao astonishing, but his words were also so sharp.
Although he wasn’t afraid of Qingxu, if he provoked a conflict between Lingxu Temple and the Heavenly Sword Alliance, even he, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, couldn’t bear that responsibility.
Cang Songzi’s expression finally turned ugly. His voice was gloomy as he said, "But he has set foot in this place. How should that be handled?"
"This place doesn’t belong to you or me. If we can come here, why can’t others? Hmph. If you dare to attack again, I will give up on opening the Moon God Ancient Hall just to cut you down with my sword!"
Qingxu was being very protective of Jiang Jichen, speaking with unparalleled dominance.
Hearing Qingxu’s words, even the Ghost Blood Person Bai Zihua and Elder Kong’s expressions changed. In the end, the Ghost Blood Person Bai Zihua spoke up to mediate, "Daoist Cangsong, opening the Ancient Hall is what’s most important. Everything else is a minor matter that can be discussed after it’s open!"
The Ghost Blood Person Bai Zihua was ostensibly mediating, but in reality, he was reminding Cang Songzi that it wouldn’t be too late to kill the boy after the Ancient Hall was opened. There was no need to argue with Qingxu now.
Cang Songzi was old and shrewd. How could he not understand the meaning behind Bai Zihua’s words? He snorted coldly and said, "Qingxu, don’t think I’m afraid of you. If it weren’t for the opening of the Ancient Hall, what’s to stop me from testing your Cyan Void Sword?"
These were just words. Everyone actually knew that although their cultivation realms were higher than Qingxu’s, the Celestial Sword’s Sword Intent was incomparably sharp. In a one-on-one fight, no one could block the Cyan Nether Sword Aura from Qingxu’s hand.
The Grey-clothed Swordsman Qingxu couldn’t be bothered to trade barbs with Cang Songzi. He glanced at Jiang Jichen and said indifferently, "Just stay there and don’t move. I’ll protect you. That old Daoist won’t be able to harm a single hair on your head."
Saying this directly to Cang Songzi’s face—what does it mean to be domineering and show no respect? This was it!
Cang Songzi of Lingxu Temple was so furious his face turned ashen. He knew he was ultimately no match for the Grey-clothed Swordsman, but in his heart, he had already marked Jiang Jichen and the Little Skeleton for death. His voice was filled with a chilling frost as he said, "Qingxu, I may not be able to do anything to you, but don’t tell me I can’t kill those two ants! You can protect them for a moment, but you can’t protect them for a lifetime! Heh, I will find that boy’s family and friends in the Celestial Pearl Country. Anyone connected to him, I’ll kill them one by one! I refuse to believe you can protect every last ant in this world! Haha..."
Hearing Cang Songzi’s words, Jiang Jichen was filled with towering hatred. He looked at Cang Songzi, his voice as cold as ice, devoid of any emotion. "Cang Songzi, is it?"
’To think this brat has such nerve, daring to call me by my name,’ Cang Songzi thought, then said arrogantly, "An ant is not qualified to speak your Daoist Master’s name!"
Jiang Jichen spoke with chilling indifference. "Fuck you. If you dare to touch a single hair on their heads, I’ll kill your entire family. If you harm a single one of them, I’ll slaughter your entire clan. You’d better remember that. I, Jiang Jichen, am making my vow here today!"
"Kill my family? Slaughter my clan?" Cang Songzi’s voice was frigid. "Qingxu, even if you step in today, you cannot protect this boy. My Cang Family may not compare to your Qing Family, but we are still the seventh of the Seven Great Families of Southern Continent! Lingxu Temple may not be on par with the Heavenly Sword Alliance, but we are one of the Three Major Sects of Southern Continent! For those words alone, even if I do nothing, members of the Cang Family and disciples of Lingxu Temple will hunt him to the death. As for his family and friends, they will all die. How else could the wrath of the Cang Family and Lingxu Temple possibly be pacified?"
Cang Songzi spoke with an indifferent voice, and at that moment, even the Grey-clothed Swordsman Qingxu fell silent.
