113: Opening the Realm

The boundary heart token in Li Jiangchen's palm was faintly heating up, signaling that the Realm Heart would soon open.

"This is the map drawn from the Great Shang Dynasty's previous entries into the Realm Heart; it also contains records of the Witch race's language." The Martial Temple Ancestor took out a cyan Jade Slip and handed it to Li Jiangchen, saying, "The Realm Heart opens once every three hundred years. Unless a Martial Saint battle breaks out, the terrain and the various factions will not change significantly."

"Many thanks, Old Ancestor." Li Jiangchen reached out to take it. As his Spiritual Sense permeated it, he immediately perceived a map filled with mountains, rivers, dangerous locations, and resource points.

Among them, on the largest enlightenment stone vein, a city was prominently drawn.

"Wuyuan City," Li Jiangchen murmured.

"The Realm Heart has a dense Origin. Besides various ancient beasts, it has also given birth to many indigenous creatures. They call themselves the Witch race; their appearance resembles us, the Human Race, but their internal body structure is completely different. They are distributed throughout the Realm Heart in tribal forms and are proficient in the path of Body Refining. This Wuyuan City is the strongest branch among them. Inside... there are Martial Saint-level powerhouses who call themselves Saint Witch."

"Saint Witch." Li Jiangchen raised an eyebrow.

Those who enter through the boundary heart token are at most Sub-Saints; a single Saint Witch could easily crush them.

"Indeed. Furthermore, the Saint Witch of Wuyuan City views us outsiders as enemies. After all, our composition as outsiders is complex, and we inevitably slaughter the local natives to seize resources. Besides that, you must also be extra careful of other intruders holding boundary heart tokens."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangchen was slightly stunned. With his current strength, as long as he didn't encounter a Martial Saint-level existence, even a Sub-Saint would be killed by him with a single sword strike.

Seeing this, the Martial Temple Ancestor explained, "The Human Realm is vast. The Yao Race is not limited to Qingqiu, and the Human Race is not limited to my Great Shang Dynasty. Besides them, there are the Sea Race, Spirit Race, Rock Clan, and many other races entrenched throughout the Human Realm. Add to that the old Pseudo-Saint antiques cultivating in the shadows. More than sixty percent of the Pseudo-Saints who enter the Realm Heart each time are at the Sub-Saint level. Their accumulation is incomparably deep, and once they enter the Realm Heart and find an Opportunity, they can quickly Breakthrough to become a Martial Saint. When fighting one-on-one, they are much more troublesome than the indigenous Saint Witch who lack diverse means. Above all, prioritize saving your life."

Li Jiangchen nodded and agreed.

"Rest assured, Old Man Wu. This King has entered the Realm Heart three times; my accumulation is already sufficient. This time, I will definitely Breakthrough and achieve the rank of Dragon Saint. When that happens, I will look after this kid, and by the way, I might find you some life-extending spiritual items." The Qiantang River Dragon King, clad in black armor, laughed.

The Martial Temple Ancestor rolled his eyes and teased, "Last time, if you hadn't run fast, you would have almost been caught by the natives and refined into a precious medicine. You spent a full hundred years recuperating after returning to the Human Realm."

The Dragon King covered his face in embarrassment, but Li Jiangchen took note. The Qiantang River Dragon King was born of the Dragon species; he was not inferior in the slightest when facing a Sub-Saint wielding a supreme grade Spiritual Artifact, and his strength was ranked at the peak of the Sub-Saint level. Even he had been beaten until he was seriously injured; it seemed the Witch race indeed had some strength.

At this moment, several streaks of light arrived at high speed, transforming into the figures of the Four Seas Alliance Pseudo-Saints.

"Greetings, Martial Old Ancestor." The five Pseudo-Saints of the Four Seas Alliance said in unison. Behind them stood twelve Grandmasters, their auras deep, seemingly not far from the Pseudo-Saint level.

'I didn't expect the Four Seas Alliance to have obtained four boundary heart tokens...' Li Jiangchen observed. Apart from Zhao Wuji, whom he had dealt with before, the other four Pseudo-Saints were all at the Sub-Saint level; their strength could not be called weak.

"Haha, why hasn't Brother Guihai come?" the Martial Temple Ancestor asked with a smile.

"Reporting to the Old Ancestor, the Four Seas have been turbulent recently, and the Sea Race is causing trouble again. My master has returned to the alliance to handle it and specifically instructed this Junior, Qian Ping, to lead the team into the Realm Heart." A man in fine clothes with a square face cupped his fists and said.

"I see." The Martial Temple Ancestor nodded and immediately said, "The Realm Heart is a mixed bag of people. If you all meet, you should help each other out."

"That is only natural," the group of Pseudo-Saints laughed.

Soon, the people dispersed to meditate and wait for the Realm Heart to open, but Zhao Wuji approached.

"Brother Li, your talent is truly astonishing; you have even managed to grasp a hint of the Ten Directions Immortal Slaying Sword Formation." Zhao Wuji smiled, but his heart was in turmoil. This Divine Ability Incomplete Manual had come from his own hands, so he naturally knew how difficult this Divine Ability was to Cultivate. It had only been a few days, and yet he had detected a trace of the Ten Directions Immortal Slaying Sword Formation aura from the young man before him.

'So he was the one who traded to get this qualification.' Li Jiangchen immediately understood. Thanks to Zhao Wuji's Heaven-Turning Seal, his demon slaying sword had advanced to a supreme grade Spiritual Artifact. He said, "A Earth-grade Divine Ability, even if it is an Incomplete Manual, is not so easy to Cultivate. This Li has merely comprehended the basics."

"Brother Li, you are too modest." Zhao Wuji lowered his posture significantly, even appearing slightly fawning. According to Ancestor Guihai, this was a powerful backer. There was even a faint possibility that he would vie for the title of number one in the world in the future.

At this moment. Qingqiu. A block of ten-thousand-year-old ice, several zhang high, emitted a biting chill, and within it, a woman in palace attire was faintly visible. Suddenly, the beautiful woman opened her eyes, her aura fluctuating like a tide. Behind her, several phantoms were faintly revealed. Among them was the Qingqiu Saintess, Qing Yunmo, who had previously been killed by Li Jiangchen.

Beside her, Qing Yuanzi did not dare to be negligent; he mobilized his Yao power to resist the encroaching cold. The frozen woman before him was the second Yao Saint of Qingqiu. She practiced the secret technique of Body Incarnation, possessing five Clones, all of which had reached the Sub-Saint level. Once cultivated to Major Achievement, the five would merge into one, allowing her to ascend in one step and directly Breakthrough to the third heaven of the Yao Saint, which was the limit the Human Realm could accommodate.

"It is a pity that there are only some martial meridian fragments, not enough to allow my Incarnation to advance to Yao Saint in the Human Realm. Furthermore, even one of my Incarnations was lost in the Great Shang Dynasty. Qing Yuanzi, you have truly disappointed this old woman."

"Sigh, I calculated everything, but I miscalculated the Four Seas Alliance's Ancestor Guihai. I did not expect him to arrive in the Great Shang Dynasty quietly, under the pressure of the Sea Race invading, to assist that Great Shang Old Ancestor." Qing Yuanzi sighed.

"Very well. Since we have collected five boundary heart tokens this time, let all of my Incarnations enter, Breakthrough to Yao Saint inside, and achieve Major Achievement."

"Yes."

In the endless, dark underground. Powerful, boundless auras converged. Their bones were bone-white, ghostly fire flickered in their eyes, and their bodies were stiff and cold, exuding an aura that was completely out of place with this world.

"The Realm Heart is about to open. The contingency plan our race left in the Realm Heart three thousand years ago can finally be detonated."

"Hehehe, once the Six-Armed Heavenly Corpse Saint breaks free from Wuyuan City, with its strength, it can almost sweep across this world. At that time, by destroying the Realm Heart Origin, our race can march straight in and completely annex this world."

...

The boundary heart token vibrated, transforming into a beam of white light that enveloped his body. Li Jiangchen only felt a vast whiteness before his eyes, his body felt light, and the profound mystery of spatial fluctuations faintly appeared all around him.

The next moment, the world spun, and the scenery before his eyes changed drastically. Lofty mountains, cascading waterfalls; it was like a fairyland.

"Is this the Realm Heart?" A trace of joy appeared on Li Jiangchen's face. In his perception, although the various Profound Truths of attributes were blurry, they were not completely impossible to comprehend like in the outside world.

"Even if I can only comprehend a trace of Profound Truth each year, I can completely consume my Demon to continuously comprehend them and Cultivate all ten attribute Profound Truths to the Perfection Realm in one go."

Swish! Sword Qi slashed out, forming a spiral shape, and quickly carved out an Immortal Cave in a nearby mountain cave. Li Jiangchen escaped into it; his Demon Kingdom expanded, and black mist turned into a Seal, blocking the entrance.

The middle-aged man in black armor, transformed from the Demon Flood Dragon King, flew out to stand guard. At this moment, having devoured multiple Pseudo-Saint remnant souls, especially the two Qingqiu Sub-Saint remnant souls, his strength had already reached the Sub-Saint level.

"Guard me; do not let any living creature approach."

"Yes, Master."

Once Li Jiangchen had everything set up properly, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes tightly, and the Demon on his panel burned wildly.