Chapter 1044: Chapter 564: Greetings, Master
Purple Extreme Daoist Venerable was likewise burning with anxiety, yet he still forcibly suppressed the impatience in his heart and spoke:
"Sect Leader need not worry. I know this Disciple of mine. If he had any chance of contacting us, he would never let it slip by. The reason there has been no word for so long, in my estimation, is very likely because he suffered extremely grievous injuries in his battle with the Demon Venerable Avatar, which led to his being cut off from information and unaware of the situation on the battlefield."
"But we also cannot rule out that he is currently caught in the encirclement and pursuit of powerful experts of the Demon Race. Therefore, we must seize the initiative and send people deep into the Demon Domain to search for him."
Jiang Shu’s disappearance could be said to be one of the highest-level secrets of the True Martial Sect, known only to the Supreme Sect Leaders of the Eight Great Sects and a few trusted subordinates who had gone out to search.
Once others learned that Jiang Shu had disappeared, the blow to the entire Human Clan would undoubtedly be immense.
As the two were in discussion, Purple Extreme Daoist Venerable suddenly paused, seeming somewhat incredulous, then an expression of immense joy burst forth on his face as he looked up toward the sky.
"Jiang Shu pays respects to Master and Supreme Sect Leader."
They saw a white-robed youth appear before the doors of the Great Hall, clean and clear, a smile on his face, cupping his hands toward the two within the Great Hall as he spoke.
"Hahaha, you brat finally couldn’t bear not to come back!"
"You made me search hard for you during this time."
Upon seeing Jiang Shu, the True Martial Sect’s Supreme Sect Leader laughed aloud.
In front of outsiders, the True Martial Sect’s Supreme Sect Leader rarely smiled, his aura as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, but before younger generations he favored, he was extremely close and amiable. He even directly rose to his feet and walked to stand before Jiang Shu. Sensing the aura on him, he was at first stunned, then said in great surprise, "Vientiane Realm Late Stage?!"
Vientiane Late Stage?!
Purple Extreme Daoist Venerable was by nature reserved, almost always in secluded Cultivation, his Dao Heart unfathomably steady. Even seeing his long-missing Disciple again did not disturb his state of mind; he merely gave a slight smile.
But upon hearing these words, his eyes suddenly widened, and a sweep of spiritual power fiercely scanned across Jiang Shu.
One must know, he had watched this Disciple of his grow step by step.
From the initial Primordial Pill Realm, to the Nirvana Realm he advanced into after the great war began.
And this great war had yet to end, yet this Disciple of his had not only broken through two great Realms in succession, he had even reached the Vientiane Realm Late Stage.
This level of Realm and combat strength, within their True Martial Sect, already made him one of the few great figures standing openly in the light.
It could be said that from this moment onward, Jiang Shu’s status, in the truest sense, was second only to those Mixed Cave Realm old monsters like themselves.
Moreover, with the True Martial Sect as his backing, many ordinary Mixed Cave Realm experts might truly be inferior to Jiang Shu.
"It really is Vientiane Late Stage..."
"And his foundation is deep, far from being a rootless duckweed. His roots are incomparably solid. His comprehension of the Great Dao is both precise and profound. How long has it even been?"
For Mixed Cave Realm Daoist Venerables like them, several decades’ time was nothing but the blink of an eye.
As if between a single opening and closing of the eyes, this Disciple of his had already reached such a Realm.
It was simply inconceivable.
One had to know, even counting that century of Cultivation, if it were any other prodigy, being able to break through to Vientiane Middle Stage would already make them an extraordinary figure, yet Jiang Shu had forcibly broken through to the Late Stage, shocking the heart.
This kind of situation was not impossible.
Someone might forcibly devour large amounts of Dao Origin, or obtain some heaven-defying stroke of fortune, and in that way also reach such a Realm in an extremely short span of time.
Only, such Breaking Realm would render their foundations unstable, very likely inciting backlash from the Great Dao, with the lightest consequence being damage to their Cultivation, and the most severe being death and Dao annihilation.
But Jiang Shu was different. The blood and qi within his body were too vast and surging, the flow of Dao Rhyme too steady.
Clearly, on Jiang Shu’s body there were opportunities that might well surpass even their imagination.
"Good child, you must have suffered quite a bit."
He sighed softly and pulled Jiang Shu down to sit.
Opportunities were certainly there, but how could delving deep into the Demon Domain possibly be smooth and peaceful?
Just in the Chaotic Demon Sea alone, this Disciple of his had fought against a Demon Venerable Avatar.
After Purple Extreme Daoist Venerable himself advanced to the Mixed Cave Realm, his understanding of this Realm had become far more thorough, and he deeply knew how terrifying a Daoist Venerable who commanded the Space Dao truly was.
For a Demon Venerable, even the most basic Avatar was incomparably formidable; even some veteran Vientiane Realm Late Stage Daoist Monarchs would be scared out of their wits upon seeing one.
Yet this Disciple of his had been able, amid the Demon Venerable Avatar’s Slaughter, to escape time and again, and even go further beyond.
What kind of boldness and might was that?
Faced with his Master’s words, Jiang Shu simply waved his hand and said with a smile, "Master, be at ease. The majority of the hardships this Disciple has suffered were all brought on by myself."
The path of Cultivation was, in itself, an act that went against the heavens.
Especially for a Cultivator like him who walked the Power Dao, only by constantly seeking battle and excavating the hidden mysteries of the human body could there be any possibility of moving forward.
The two of them both laughed aloud. Seeing that Jiang Shu’s mind was steady, they no longer spoke of such matters, instead turning to ask why he had not shown himself for so long—had he perhaps been hunted by powerful experts of the Demon Race?
Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Shu said, "After my great battle with that Demon Venerable Avatar of the Dragon Clan, I was gravely wounded and indeed encountered the pursuit of Demon Race experts and prodigies. Only, not only did their pursuit fail to kill me, I instead slew them one by one in return, and it was at that time that my Dao Practice advanced by leaps and bounds."
"Until my fleshly body and Spirit truly could no longer hold on, I happened to obtain a bit of fortuitous chance. Only then did I deceive heaven and earth and return to the Chaotic Demon Sea to Cultivate, and I have only just awakened in the past few days."
