Chapter 239: Chapter 237: The Legend of the Ultimate Martial Dao
After nearly a year of commotion, Fengsha City had basically returned to tranquility. More than half a year ago, Lin Heng and Shen Le had also left, leaving word that they would invite Qin Li to visit their families once he came out of seclusion before gracefully departing.
After all, they had their own cultivation to attend to and many matters to handle. They couldn’t stay in Fengsha City forever.
The Pill Formulas Qin Li had left for the Qin Family were now being used to mass-produce elixirs. The formulas themselves were naturally in the hands of Qin Hanyue. At the same time, the alchemy process was split into separate steps, just as Qin Li had suggested.
As long as not all of the alchemists were bought off, there would be no problems. After all, when it came to alchemy, the slightest deviation in detail could result in a completely different elixir—a Spirit Pill could easily become a Poison Pill!
Furthermore, the Qin Family’s alchemists were all core members of the direct lineage, possessing the highest loyalty. The possibility of them turning traitor was virtually nonexistent. Even if threatened, they would rather die than reveal the family’s secrets. Their roots were firmly planted in the Qin Family!
Although the elixirs were now in mass production, they weren’t being sold to the public. In accordance with prior agreements, the Qin Family began supplying them to their allied families first.
Of course, for the past six months, the most outstanding disciples within the Qin Family had already been using these elixirs to enhance their strength and diligently cultivate.
After all, a family’s power was ultimately determined by the strength of its Combat Value. Even the Wealthy Qian Family, the richest family on Profound Island, concealed immense martial power beneath their veneer of extreme wealth.
Who would dare claim that the family controlling dozens of nations was merely wealthy? Not even the Seven Great Powers dared to provoke them lightly.
The news of the Qin Family’s miraculous elixirs was even more sensational than their previous Spiritual Power-enhancing ones. However, all the families and sects no longer dared to pressure the Qin Family as they had last year. Even the Fire Sword Wang Family had come knocking on their door, politely and sincerely requesting to purchase the elixirs.
For everyone in the Qin Family, from top to bottom, this was a year of vindication!
The disdain and ridicule of the past had, with time, begun to fade away from the Qin Family. Even the old ancestor, Qin Haiyang, couldn’t help but sigh with emotion that tyrannical martial power and iron-fisted methods were, when necessary, far more effective than a gentle approach.
Qin Li sat in his room as the warm sunlight streamed in from outside, making one feel drowsy.
Both Little Fox and Shiyu were still in seclusion. Breaking through, even by half a step, was no simple feat. It wasn’t a barrier that could be shattered so easily.
Someone like Qin Li was no longer in the realm of a mere genius. Everyone, including Qin Haiyang, was more inclined to believe the kid was a monster!
Qin Haiyang greatly enjoyed chatting with this junior. He would often gain sudden moments of enlightenment from their conversations. For a Martial Artist at his realm, breaking through to the Venerable Realm was simply too difficult!
From ancient times to the present, not a single member of the Qin Family had ever managed to break through to the Venerable Realm, which just went to show how difficult it was.
"Old Ancestor, just how big do you think the Celestial Essence Continent is?" Qin Li had been in this world for over five years. At eighteen, he had already grown into a handsome and imposing young man. Combined with the nourishment from his Innate Purple Qi, his bearing was in no way inferior to that of disciples from any of the superpowers.
Qin Haiyang gave a wry smile. "I’m afraid very few people could answer that question for you. Over a thousand years ago, on Profound Island, a Supreme Powerhouse in the Venerable Realm swore an oath to travel the entire Celestial Essence Continent. Three hundred years later, that Supreme Powerhouse returned, grievously wounded. News of his death followed not long after."
"What? What happened to him?" Qin Li asked in astonishment. ’That was a Supreme Powerhouse! In the Mortal Realm, where even Celestial Level Martial Artists can do as they please, what kind of power could possibly injure a Venerable so severely? Was it one of those treacherous forbidden lands?’
Qin Haiyang sighed. "According to the stories passed down by that Supreme Powerhouse’s family, the senior spent over a hundred years traveling constantly toward the West of the Celestial Essence Continent. His pace wasn’t fast; he would stop and go, experiencing the local customs and comprehending the Martial Dao. Then, in the distant West, he encountered a colossal city! That great city was said to be called Tongtian City. Its walls were several thousand meters high—a person standing below was more minuscule than an ant!"
Qin Li’s face filled with disbelief. ’How could such high city walls exist in this world? What were they defending against?’
"What do you think? It sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it? When I first heard the story, I had the same expression as you. I couldn’t believe it was real either."
Qin Haiyang’s gaze grew deep and distant, as if it were piercing through time and space to return to the past. After a long moment, he gave a wry smile. "I’m getting old. Whenever I think of the past, I’m filled with a flood of emotions."
Qin Li smiled. "Once you break through to the Venerable Realm, Old Ancestor, your Pill Core will solidify and you’ll have a lifespan of a thousand years. In such a vast world, there would likely be nothing left to fear."
Qin Haiyang shook his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he let out a soft sigh. "Far from it. Is a Venerable the strongest there is? I used to think so, but after hearing the story of that Supreme Powerhouse, I don’t believe that anymore."
"Oh? Could there be existences in Tongtian City even stronger than a Venerable?" Qin Li asked. After hearing Qin Haiyang’s tale, a sense of longing for that mysterious, great city had sparked within him.
"An extremely mysterious family lives within that great city! They have a population of one million and possess unbelievably miraculous elixirs. It’s said that Martial Artists in the Celestial Shattering Realm in their twenties are too numerous to count. There are those in the Celestial Integration Realm in their thirties and forties, the Celestial Embracing Realm in their fifties and sixties, and even Venerables under a hundred years old..."
"..." Qin Li stared speechlessly at his ancestor, wondering if he was dreaming. But then he suddenly thought of the Ancient Pill Formula in his possession and his mysterious master, the Great Power, Prince Wu. In the end, Qin Li didn’t voice his doubt.
Qin Haiyang continued, "Unbelievable, isn’t it? To be honest, I still find it hard to believe. But according to the description from that powerhouse, who had already reached the Earth Venerable realm over a thousand years ago, after the Venerable Realm is the Shattering Void Realm. This means that upon reaching the Shattering Void Realm, one can perform the Shattered Void technique, traversing thousands of miles of the continent in an instant! Only by reaching that realm is it possible to truly comprehend the full, vast expanse of the Celestial Essence Continent!"
’Shattered Void?’ Qin Li looked up through the window at the azure sky outside. He found it hard to imagine. ’How could the void be shattered? Space-time distortion? Wormhole theory?’ These vague concepts from his past life surfaced in his mind. Qin Li shrugged, deciding not to dwell on such distant matters. After all, he hadn’t even reached the Celestial Embracing Realm yet.
"And in that Tongtian City, there are said to be many Great Powers with such abilities. After the Shattering Void Realm, there is supposedly the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation!" A smile of disbelief played in Qin Haiyang’s eyes as he spoke. "These concepts are so profound they’re difficult to grasp. Pill Nascent Soul Transformation, they say, is when a Martial Artist’s Pill Core, upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, undergoes the process of Shattering the Core and Forming an Infant. It transforms into the shape of a baby. At that stage, even if one’s physical body is destroyed, as long as the Nascent Soul transformed from the Pill Core escapes and finds a new body, they can regain their heaven-shaking abilities after a few decades. Furthermore, after the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation reaches a certain level, Celestial Thunder will descend. This is because a person who reaches that realm possesses such immense power that even the heavens themselves will try to extinguish them!"
"A Celestial Tribulation?" Qin Li’s mind suddenly cleared. He hadn’t quite grasped the concept of Shattered Void, but this Pill Nascent Soul Transformation and the descent of Celestial Thunder... ’Those are clearly the steps for a person to cultivate into an immortal!’
In his previous life, Qin Li had come across many such stories. After arriving on the Celestial Essence Continent, he had often wondered if, with the world’s abundant Spiritual Qi, anyone had ever cultivated to the point of becoming an immortal. After all, the very fact that his own Immortal Soul could be resurrected in this strange new world was proof enough that many things were possible.
But as time passed, the most powerful person Qin Li had encountered was still just a Venerable like Bing Mengyun. She was still human, and didn’t seem all that different from him—aside from being a monstrous talent who was ancient yet still possessed a youthful face.
But no matter what, even a Venerable would eventually grow old, their lifespan would run out, and they would die.
Gradually, Qin Li had stopped fantasizing about such ethereal things. He never expected to hear such a wondrous story just by chatting idly with his ancestor today.
Qin Haiyang’s eyes lit up. "Exactly, a Celestial Tribulation! This calamity is basically the power of heaven and earth itself trying to obliterate a single, tiny human. Almost no one can withstand it. And yet, within Tongtian City, it’s said there are truly Great Powers who have successfully overcome it!"
"Those who overcome such a celestial thunder tribulation probably gain an immortal body and an Immortal Soul," Qin Li murmured to himself.
"Indeed. It is said that Tongtian City has many Great Powers who have overcome such a Celestial Tribulation. But not long after they do, they vanish. No one knows where they go."
Qin Haiyang chuckled. "Speaking of which, even the Supreme Powerhouse’s own family treated the news he brought back as a mere story. They believed that after being so grievously injured, their ancestor’s mind wasn’t clear. This is because others in the Venerable Realm came after him, following the same path to the West. They traveled for two hundred years but never saw Tongtian City. However, they did encounter Martial Artists of the Shattering Void Realm, which is above the Venerable Realm. It’s also said that many Great Powers among the Spirit Beasts have reached the Shattering Void Realm as well. And one thing is certain: they all agreed with the tales that the Land of the Far West is home to countless mysterious sects and ancient families."
"How did that powerhouse with the strength of an Earth Venerable get so grievously injured back then?" Qin Li suddenly thought of a question. ’If the West truly has Great Powers that are so ridiculously strong, he probably wouldn’t have dared to fight anyone with his strength as a Venerable!’
"Well... it’s said that the Earth Venerable continued walking west and unintentionally trespassed into a sect’s territory... where he was beaten by one of their Mountain Guard Disciples..."
Qin Haiyang wore a helpless expression. "That part, I find even harder to believe."
"..." Qin Li rolled his eyes. "I don’t believe it either!"
