Chapter 441: Gate of Heavenly Demons (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Chapter 441: Gate of Heavenly Demons (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Jing Zian and his teammates returned to "Jiannan City".
This city, with a population of over ten million, was named after a Nascent Soul cultivator who once emerged from it – True Monarch Jiannan.
The moment he entered the Tier 4 grand array, something felt off in his heart.
But upon careful sensing, there was nothing amiss.
"Sigh. . . I'm really becoming less and less suited for combat now. . ."
"Perhaps. . . it's truly time to retire?"
Jing Zian mused inwardly, unaware that Fang Xi, within his Sea of Consciousness, had already raised his vigilance to the limit.
Only after completely passing through security did he finally feel a little relieved.
"'Mysterious Immortal Journey' dream test begins! Start now and get freebies. . ."
"Demar Tech, architecture's finest. . ."
"Shadowstrike Quad-Element Flying Swords! If you aspire to be a sword cultivator, you deserve them. . ."
"Tianxin Hospital: Devoted to your health! Your top choice for prosthetic limb modification! Order now and receive a complimentary spiritual root assessment. . ."
"Fang Xian Dao Palace: Third batch of authorized personnel assessment results announced. . ."
...
By the roadside, a few youths with somewhat punk-rock hairstyles were sporadically gathered, some still showing off their mechanical prosthetics and downloaded martial arts.
"Hmph, crude martial artists, still using metal prosthetics. Don't they know that bionic prosthetics are the way of the future now?"
Jing Zian's face showed disdain as he retrieved an earthy-yellow flying sword from his sub-dimensional pouch.
This flying sword was squarish, with a wide blade, perfectly suited for beginners learning to fly with swords.
He recalled that back when he had just achieved Foundation Establishment, he had spent two or three years' worth of his salary, scrimping and saving, to buy this "Thick Earth Sword" for travel.
Just as Shadowstrike's slogan declared, a flying sword was a cultivator's face.
How could a true man leave home without a personal flying sword for travel?
"Go!"
Jing Zian poured a stream of magical power into the Thick Earth Sword, and the spirit artifact instantly glowed brightly, transforming into the size of a door panel, steadily landing before him.
Lines of data streamed across Jing Zian's personal virtual network terminal, his monocle:
[Flying Sword ID confirmed. . . Mana fluctuation matched! ]
[Esteemed Cultivator Jing Zian, please observe traffic regulations when flying your sword. Irregular sword flight results in tears behind iron bars! ]
...
Within the Tier 4 grand array, there were naturally aerial restrictions, but as a distinguished Core Formation array master, Jing Zian had long ago applied for flight privileges.
The array spirit AI had recorded his flying sword model and mana characteristics. If either did not match, any rash attempt at flight would be directly shot down. . .
Jing Zian leaped onto the flying sword, and a layer of earthy-yellow light instantly appeared, blocking the howling gale.
*Whoosh! *
He transformed into a streak of earthy-yellow sword light, effortlessly soaring over this "slum district" filled with reinforced concrete structures and towering buildings.
After flying through several such "clustered zones," it was as if he passed through an invisible ripple ahead, and the surroundings instantly became brimming with spiritual energy.
As far as the eye could see, the ground was a lush green, filled with the song of birds and the fragrance of flowers. A few cave-dwellings were scattered artfully along the banks of small streams and mountain ravines, demonstrating harmony between man and nature.
And if one gazed further, this spiritual vein land boasted every imaginable terrain, from snowfields and grasslands to hills and waterfalls.
Jing Zian carefully skirted around the mountain-protecting formations of several other cave-dwellings, then stopped in front of his own.
This was a vast area spanning several li, complete with pavilions, gardens, ponds, and all sorts of antique-style buildings. It truly didn't disappoint the hefty sum he had spent to purchase it when he had just achieved Core Formation, even accruing over two centuries of mortgage debt for it!
...
"I'm back."
Jing Zian entered his cave-dwelling. With a sweep of his Divine Consciousness, he located his Daoist Companion, Lan Fei, and his child, Jing Yi.
He had married late, only tying the knot with his current wife when he was nearly three hundred years old.
However, many cultivators live solitary lives, never seeking a Daoist Companion, devoting themselves solely to the Dao.
According to the latest statistics from the Fang Xian Dao Palace, the average age of first marriage for Core Formation cultivators had already surpassed three hundred years. . .
"Dad, you're back?"
Jing Yi's features took more after his mother, appearing somewhat refined. He was currently lying on the sofa watching television.
Beside him, a "Yellow Turban Warrior" household model was mopping the floor.
On the holographic screen, three-dimensional figures appeared:
"Dao Palace News Flash: Sky Hall Master, 'True Monarch Tu Mo', concluded his inspection and outreach visit of the 'Taiyin Defense Line' today and has returned to the Kyushu Dao Palace. . ."
"True Monarch Jiannan has been discharged from the hospital and states that his integration with the 'Prosthetic Dharma Body' is excellent, with hopes of rapidly regaining combat strength. . . Dean Tianqing stated that this signifies a further advancement in Kyushu's nanobionic technology. . ."
...
"Is True Monarch Tu Mo returning? He's a Great Cultivator who wields the nation's most vital artifacts. . . It seems the frontline situation is good. Did that previous counterattack really make the demon race suffer? !"
Jing Zian casually remarked, then asked his son, "Have your immortal exam results come out yet?"
"Not yet, but I'm confident I'll get into 'Fang Xian University'. . . Then I'll get a large scholarship and purchasing privileges. Who knows, I might even be able to get you a 'Spirit Stabilizing Paste', Dad."
Jing Yi said carelessly.
"Spirit Stabilizing Paste" was a heavenly and earthly spiritual medicine, highly effective for injuries to the soul and origin.
"You scoundrel. . . " Jing Zian chuckled, cursing lightly. "How many heavily injured perfected Core Formation cultivators, even Nascent Soul grand ancestors, are still waiting in line, longing for that Spirit Stabilizing Paste! Will it even be your old man's turn? Sigh. . . as long as you can get into a good university, your old man will have no regrets in this life. . ."
...
Deep into the night.
A demonic light flashed.
Fang Xi's Outer Dao Nascent Soul directly appeared in Jing Yi's bedroom.
"Soul-searching a Core Formation cultivator leaves too great a chance of leaving traces. It's better to soul-search this Qi Refinement stage cultivator. . . With my current Divine Consciousness, I can ensure that the target will have no after-effects whatsoever and won't realize their soul was ever searched. . ."
The small infant murmured, arriving above the head of the snoring Jing Yi. Its dark eyes fixed on him, and it extended a small hand. . .
...
A vast amount of memories appeared before Fang Xi's eyes. In this moment, he understood Jing Yi better than Jing Yi understood himself.
How many times he'd wet the bed as a child. . .
Who his secret crush was. . .
His childhood dream was to graduate from Fang Xian University, then join the Sky Hall and become a glorious battle cultivator, maintaining peace in Kyushu. . .
Most of them were mixed, useless junk memories.
Fang Xi directly filtered them out, extracting only the parts he wanted.
"This world is indeed called Kyushu. . . It was once a cultivation world similar to the Southern Desolate, where Nascent Soul cultivators were extremely rare. . . The sect that originally ruled this world was named 'Immortal Palace'."
"In the 11378th year of the Kyushu Calendar, the Master of the 'Immortal Palace' acquired a rare treasure, naming it the 'World Gate'. From then on, the history of the Kyushu world bolted like a wild horse, galloping madly in an unknown direction. . ."
"The 'World Gate' would automatically open a passage connecting to different worlds at regular intervals. . . These worlds included martial arts-oriented ones, technological ones, many that were also cultivation worlds, and even some barbaric ones ruled by exotic beasts with no human race. . . The Immortal Palace initially gained many benefits from it, instantly adding several Nascent Soul cultivators."
"Even ordinary people benefited from this; mortals with poor spiritual root aptitude could practice martial arts. . . After conquering several technological worlds, they first acquired steam engine and internal combustion engine technology, as well as electricity and virtual networks. . . Then the 'World Gate' opened up a cyberpunk world, causing this world's development to become increasingly distorted. . ."
Fang Xi recalled the information gleaned from the soul-search, his face twitching slightly: "This 'World Gate' should be a fragment of the All-Heavens Precious Mirror, right? Has it been put to initial use?"
"No wonder everything I've seen and heard along the way has been so strange. . . It turns out it's due to the fusion and influence of different worlds and civilizations. . ."
He took a deep breath, recalling the most important information obtained from the soul-search:
"In the 15872nd year of the Kyushu Calendar, the World Gate opened again, but it brought profound disaster, for what opened this time was the 'Demon World'!" R+AN0BeS
"Fortunately, after successive technological explosions, the various Nascent Soul cultivators of the Immortal Palace also knew that the 'World Gate' was not stable enough, so they placed it in the newly constructed 'Taiyin Star Research Institute'. . . As a result, when countless ancient demons appeared, they fortunately didn't immediately impact the land of Kyushu. . . but humanity still experienced a brutal retreat."
"The city ruins I saw earlier came about this way."
"According to the original pattern, the World Gate would automatically close after being open for a certain period. . . The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Immortal Palace also thought this, so they resisted while waiting for a turn of events. . ."
"However. . . the Demon World was different from other minor worlds. This world actually had a Soul Transformation Demon Venerable who used a certain supreme treasure to anchor and reinforce the 'World Gate' passage. There were no signs of it closing for over a hundred years; instead, the void passage became increasingly stable, gradually able to accommodate Soul Transformation Demon Venerables passing through!"
"That battle was incomparably brutal; even the Master of the Immortal Palace was directly killed in action. . . After the war, the Immortal Palace lost its position, and 'Fang Xian Dao' came to rule Kyushu. . . 'Fang Xian Dao' was a local cultivation force, a lineage formed by blending various cyberpunk technologies, skilled in mechanism and puppet arts. The large-scale war Dharma artifacts they manufactured, when wielded by late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, could rival the might of Soul Transformation cultivators. Furthermore, Soul Transformation Demon Venerables crossing over would inevitably be suppressed by the world's laws, thus barely managing to maintain a stalemate. . ."
"The war has dragged on to this day, lasting over five hundred years."
"It is now the 16399th year of the Kyushu Calendar, and the Fang Xian Dao Palace governs. . . The highest cultivation realm in the Kyushu world remains late-stage Nascent Soul, with no Soul Transformation cultivators appearing. . ."
"The demon race uses Taiyin Star, where the 'Gate of Heavenly Demons' is located, as their stronghold, calling themselves the 'Moon Demons'. . ."
"The Fang Xian Dao Palace oversaw the establishment of the 'Taiyin Defense Line', using numerous Nascent Soul cultivators to pilot 'Sky Patrol Warships' and build the Sky Hall defense system. . ."
"But current-day Kyushu isn't entirely peaceful. . . Occasionally, rogue demons still descend, enticing human cultivators to switch to demonic cultivation arts, or even accept demonic energy modifications to become half-demon infiltrators. . ."
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