I Cheated While Cultivating

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian had both actually had quite a few experiences traveling to other worlds.

Even though those worlds had crises of varying scales, the sources of these crises were often worrying, but they could concentrate their forces to resolve them.

However, the main world they resided in was different.

The crises being faced originated from various aspects, and they were all extremely grave.

This was clearly not normal.

Among those Evil Gods and demon entities, there was no shortage of existences at the Divine First Rank or even stronger levels, all converging together, competing to descend upon this world as soon as possible—there must be a reason for this.

To them, this world surely held a fatal attraction.

As for what specifically this attraction was, the two of them couldn’t say, but they believed that the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer and those confronting the Evil Gods and demon entities had been doing so for many years and probably understood something of the situation.

The Supreme and Heavenly Principle once again fell silent.

After a while, The Supreme finally sighed lightly and said, “The question you’re asking, actually, Heavenly Principle and I also once asked Tianyi and Azure Dragon, but we did not receive a clear answer.

“They only said that it might be related to the remnants of the Ancient Mythological Era and that period before the Middle Ancient, the Dark Era. They speculated that our world may contain profound secrets.

“As for the specific reasons behind this, even those esteemed ones probably have not truly fathomed them completely.”

“Related to the remnants of the Ancient Mythological Era and the Dark Era,” Zhou Heng said with a slight frown upon hearing this.

This answer was something he had also guessed before, but for those living in the current era, the Ancient Mythological Era and the Dark Era were shrouded in thick fog, with far too few clues.

While there were still powerful beings from the Dark Era who had survived to this day, they were either resisting foreign demon entities and Evil Gods or had gone into hiding, entirely elusive.

“These two eras are already secrets to us,” said Cheng Jianjian with a grave voice.

“Yes, if even Tianyi and Azure Dragon haven’t quite figured it out, with our current Cultivation Realm, it seems even less hopeful for us,” Zhou Heng said.

“Looking at it this way, I suppose I must diligently cultivate and strive to raise my cultivation and realm as soon as possible if I want to approach the truth?” Cheng Jianjian said.

“Not necessarily,” Zhou Heng looked back at The Supreme and Heavenly Principle and asked, “Do the esteemed ones not have any clues that might be investigated?”

“As for clues…” The Supreme hesitated to speak, somewhat uncertain.

“Oh come on, you’re still as indecisive as ever,” Heavenly Principle couldn’t bear it any longer and said, “Why the hesitation? You’ve seen the Star Master’s strength for yourself. Moreover, if it were truly dangerous, he would definitely have judgment. We need not worry too much.”

Then, he spoke to Zhou Heng, “Star Master, there are indeed clues. However, that place is extremely perilous, and The Supreme is worried that your investigation there might result in unforeseen dangers, hence the hesitation.

“I believe that with your strength and insight, you would naturally know what to do. Besides, once you assume the position of leader, you will learn of this matter, so I might as well just tell you outright.

“Years ago, Tianyi and Azure Dragon discovered a peculiar world, in which the legends contained many of the Immortal Gods from antiquity that we know of, and even some Immortal Gods we do not. There also seemed to be a rather complete Immortal God System, referred to as ‘Heavenly Court’.”

“Although Tianyi and Azure Dragon discovered that world when the Heavenly Court had already fallen and the Immortal Gods had all disappeared, in the mouths of the people of that world, such earth-shattering events had only occurred a little over a hundred years ago,”

“The fall of the Heavenly Court, the disappearance of the Immortal Gods?” Zhou Heng asked in surprise, “Do the two lords have the directional information and specific details about that world?”

“We do not,” Tianyi shook his head and said, “That world is special, and also very dangerous. Tianyi and Azure Dragon don’t agree with members below the Upper Third Rank going to that world.

“Even if the members are of the Upper Third Rank, they need to apply to and be approved by those two lords, who will then preside over the Star Gate and transport the members who wish to descend.”

“So, to get accurate information and directions to that world, we still need to find Tianyi and Azure Dragon?” Zhou Heng frowned slightly, then nodded lightly, “That’s also fine, since the next gathering isn’t far off.”

The next gathering is on April 18th, and now it’s only the beginning of March, so there’s less than half a month left. He wasn’t in a hurry and could wait.

“Yes, at that time Tianyi and Azure Dragon should both be present to hand over organizational affairs to you,” The Supreme sighed, “The invasion of the Evil Gods and outer demons is becoming more and more severe, they can no longer be distracted.”

“Alas, so many peers are struggling to maintain order, while only I and The Supreme can stay here in the Purple Tenuity Palace, unable to even venture out,” Tianyi said, somewhat dejected, clenching his fist, “Ah…”

“Didn’t you say before that the Divine Soul Star Gate might work for you?” Zhou Heng asked.

After descending through the Divine Soul Star Gate into another world, one would indeed receive a new physical body, and on returning, one could choose to bring that body back. The Supreme and Tianyi had also thought about using this method to regain physical bodies.

But seeing their current state, it seemed this approach was not feasible?

“It’s not possible,” The Supreme shook his head and said, “Both Tianyi and I have tried this method. After descending to other worlds through the Divine Soul Star Gate, we indeed can obtain new physical bodies.

“But these bodies cannot fully accommodate our Primordial Spirits unless we can cultivate that physical body to the level of a Celestial Man. Otherwise, it simply cannot function as a normal body, the essential difference is too vast.”

“Actually, even the body of a Celestial Man might not be able to bear our Primordial Spirits,” Tianyi spoke up, “In the past, The Supreme and I lost our physical bodies and only the Divine Souls remained, confined to the front of this Purple Tenuity Palace.

“We’ve been here for more than thirteen hundred years. Over such a long stretch of time, continually bathed in the Taoist Formula of the Star Palace, our Divine Souls have been significantly elevated and have surpassed the usual scope of a Celestial Man.”

“Indeed, it is so,” The Supreme nodded slightly and smiled, “With the current nature of our Divine Souls, not to mention the ordinary physical bodies of other worlds, even those of Celestial Men who have survived the Five Decays may not be able to bear it.”

The Primordial Spirit of a Celestial Man is entrusted to the void and interwoven with the Dao; its essence is tied to the nature of the interwoven Dao.

Moreover, the higher the essence, the greater the requirement for the physical body.

For this reason, any ambitious Celestial Man usually waits until after enduring the Five Declines to attempt to condense a Dao Seed.

Because the more Declines one endures, the stronger the Primordial Spirit the physical body can sustain, meaning the Primordial Spirit can interweave with a stronger Dao and thus condense a more potent Dao Seed.

The Divine Souls of The Supreme and Tianyi have exceeded the normal range of Celestial Men, and the prospect of them reconstructing physical bodies is likely as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

“Actually, we have both come to terms with it,” The Supreme started to smile again, “We’ve made it through so many years. Staying in front of Purple Tenuity Palace, bathing in the radiance of the Star Master’s Taoist Formulas, hasn’t been so bad.”

“…” Tianyi remained silent, lost in thought.

“It’s been hard on both of you seniors,” Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian both felt somewhat moved.

Afterward, they took their leave from the Purple Tenuity Palace and returned to Taihua Mount.

…

Qi Rui had long since safely returned.

Upon learning that Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian had returned, he took the initiative to go and greet them, escorting them to Jade Qiong Peak.

Cheng Jianjian had a separate, exquisitely arranged courtyard on Jade Qiong Peak.

Qi Rui had already left, and at this moment, only Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian were present in the small courtyard.

In the small pavilion at the center of the lake.

The two of them sat facing each other.

“Junior Uncle, what was it you wanted to ask me earlier?” Cheng Jianjian asked with a smile, “Is it about that world?”

“And about you as well.” Zhou Heng said in a deep voice, “I can feel that you have a deep connection with that world. Is it because of that Evil God?”

“Yes, that’s about right.” Cheng Jianjian nodded, her expression somewhat complex as she said, “I often dream of that world. In those dreams, I am the sovereign of all stars, the king of myriad gods, Gou Chen the Heavenly Emperor, and also the daughter of Doumu.

“Voices constantly call out to me, telling me that I am not Cheng Jianjian, not a mortal, but a venerable god, a collective entity of the Gou Chen concept, the elder sister and also the empress of the Ziwei Emperor…”

“A collective entity of the Gou Chen concept…” Zhou Heng frowned.

About Gou Chen, he had heard many legends in his previous life, indeed each portrayal was different.

In Taoist legends, it is referred to as ‘Gou Chen Upper Palace Heavenly Emperor’, the eldest son of Doumu Yuanjun, the biological brother of the Great Ziwei Emperor, overseeing the two poles and the three talents of heaven, earth, and man, commanding all the stars, and in charge of earthly warfare, one of the ‘Four Imperials’.

Yet in traditional astrology, Gou Chen is a Star Officer in the Ziwei sector, located at the center’s side, considered the Heavenly Emperor’s harem or principal wife, also known as the Empress.

Some legends also describe Gou Chen as an ancient god, stating “The image of Gou Chen is, in fact, named Kylin, located at the center, in charge of the wu day. It is indeed the benevolent beast governed by the virtue of earth.”

However, what Cheng Jianjian was saying now seemed different from all of these, one being a collective entity, the other, Gou Chen taking the form of a woman.

Still, judging from her reaction, she seemed extremely averse to this situation.

“So you chose to take on the position of the Big Dipper Star Officer in order to resist this kind of intrusion by using the power of the Big Dipper’s star position?” Zhou Heng inquired.

“Yes, the intrusion of these dreams was too severe, containing powerful star energy. To counteract it, one can only use the energy of a higher star position.” Cheng Jianjian nodded lightly, sighing as she said,

“Actually, since becoming the Big Dipper, the intrusion has diminished a lot, but it is still continuing… and as you know, my master and I encountered the great demon Cang Hua, so we could only escape through the connection to that world, ultimately going there.”

“And now?” Zhou Heng asked with concern.

“Thanks to the seal technique Junior Uncle used, I don’t feel the intrusion of Gou Chen’s star energy at all anymore.” Cheng Jianjian’s smile was radiant as she approached Zhou Heng, joyfully saying, “Thank you!”

“Haha, glad to hear you’re all right.” Zhou Heng also smiled, but he still had some concerns and said, “However, why are you subject to the intrusion of Gou Chen’s star energy? This is a question.”

“I’ve considered whether I might be the reincarnation of some powerful being or have some connection with that mother of all stars…” Cheng Jianjian shook her head and sighed faintly, “I went to the Star Palace to try to unravel this mystery, but unfortunately, events took a swift turn, and the mother of all stars was too strong.”

At this, she laughed again and added, “If it weren’t for Junior Uncle turning the tide, I fear not only would I have failed to uncover the truth, I might have even lost my life.”

“Hmm, when we have achieved something in our cultivation, we shall visit that world.” Zhou Cheng contemplated briefly, then said, “I can sense that the mother of all stars is not in a normal state, and I have many doubts I wish to resolve.”

“Then we come back to the topic of our own cultivation.” Cheng Jianjian smiled faintly, “Junior Uncle, you have already condensed the Dharma Phase, while I’m still at the True Gang stage, I have fallen a step behind.

“However, upon my return this time, I’ve had some insights and plan to enter seclusion to cultivate and condense my Dharma Phase. I should be able to achieve a breakthrough before the organization’s gathering.”

“Good for you,” Zhou Heng laughed, “I’ll look forward to the good news.”

…

After speaking with Cheng Jianjian, Zhou Heng returned to the Golden Top of Jade Void Peak.

Yan Shouyi had not yet returned, and it was Chen Xuan who was still handling various affairs.

This made Zhou Heng somewhat worried.

Fortunately, he learned from Chen Xuan that half a month ago, Yun Xiu had sent a message briefly describing Yan Shouyi’s current situation.

It was estimated that it would take another two months for Yan Shouyi to return.

Zhou Heng temporarily set aside his worries and finally had the time to return to the side hall where he usually lived and start sorting out his gains from this trip.

The rewards for previously killing two Absolute Fourth Rank demon entities need not be mentioned.

Most crucially, it was when he used the Heaven Opening Seal with Cheng Jianjian and Qi Rui to shatter the pursuit of the Innate Doumu Yuanjun earlier on their return.

This should count as the first time Zhou Heng truly confronted the Evil God’s true body.

Previously, whether it was the Eastern Peak Great Emperor or Moksha Jia Ye, neither had been an actual confrontation: the former was directly deterred by the majesty of the Ziwei Star Palace, and the latter was just a partial avatar that came forth.

Only this time, Zhou Heng truly repelled an Evil God named Doumu Yuanjun, and even the power of the Heaven Opening Seal followed the trajectory to track down the true body of that Evil God.

Such a battle brought extremely massive rewards and even led to the emergence of a new type of reward.

“Congratulations! By using the projection card ‘Heaven Opening Seal [Silver]’ you have defeated the Evil God ‘Innate Doumu Yuanjun’ (suppressed)!

“Hidden Treasure [Platinum] +1, Treasure box [Platinum] +1, Fortune Bag [Gold] +2, Fortune Bag [Silver] +2, Fortune Bag [Copper] +2.

“Additional reward options +2, Existing base attributes +2, Existing additional attributes +2, Special skill upgrade card +2, Martial Arts Taoist Formulas upgrade card +2, Lifespan +1000, Doumu projection card +1, Additional reward choice +1, Martial Arts Taoist Formulas proficiency big gift bag +1.

“Please choose 1+1 items from the following rewards.”

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