Chapter 1176: Chapter 23: The Cycle of Karma, Opening of the Zhaolin Realm

“Indeed.”

An Jing thought to himself, “If my created ‘Heavenly Punishment Cave Heaven’ is regarded as an independent world, then my existence itself is equivalent to ‘Huai Xu Divine Wood.’

“Though my entire being cannot descend into the Heavenly Punishment Cave Heaven, my ‘True Spirit Blood’ has already transformed into the Heavenly Punishment Wood of the Heavenly Punishment Bitter Realm. In the future, it will also derive numerous life forms, which is the so-called ‘Ex Nihilo,’ also a representation of my will and a form of ‘transformation.’

“In the future, if the Heavenly Demon invades my Cave Heaven and destroys the Heavenly Punishment Wood, the remnant small realm will certainly not be annihilated.”

“Because ‘I,’ representing ‘Heavenly Dao,’ still exist; relying on my ‘Heaven’s Will,’ I can even produce a second or third ‘Ex Nihilo,’ much like the Immortal Candle Illumination Tree or Little Qi!”

Merely knowing of the Ancestral Dragon Scale world’s existence, An Jing was already somewhat inspired, mastering his Cave Heaven more skillfully, which decisively made him determine, “Although it is not a Cave Heaven but initially the Martial Arts Array Realm, being an Immortal Martial Cultivation practitioner, I must seize every opportunity to perfect it!”

“When to start?”

Thinking of it, An Jing felt a bit impatient, while Jin Yanhua laughed and said, “Originally, there might still be twenty or thirty years, forty or fifty years, or even seventy or eighty years, so there is plenty of time; by then, if you and your master are absent, I could take Ruohui in.”

“But for some reason, maybe due to the abnormal movement of the Immortal Candle Illumination Tree, causing an accelerated flow of Heaven and Earth Qi in Huai Xu Ten Continents, the Cave Heaven is set to open within this year.”

“I was previously worried because it was too fast; you might not have time to develop, but now that you have become a True Person, things are much more convenient.”

——It is not really unknown why; it is indeed because of the abnormal movement of the Immortal Tree!

An Jing understood in his heart.

The Ancestral Dragon is the first generation of Ex Nihilo, and the Immortal Candle Illumination Tree is the second generation of Ex Nihilo. The abnormal movement of the Immortal Tree does indeed have a significant possibility of stimulating the remnants left by the Ancestral Dragon.

It seems my actions are like a butterfly fluttering its wings, triggering a storm, stirring rampant gales across Heaven and Earth.

“It seems,” An Jing had some enlightenment, sensing the dormant Little Qi in his Cave Heaven: “This time is not only my chance but also the chance for you, little one…”

Jin Yanhua perceived An Jing’s anticipation, and she collected her smile, seriously reminding him: “Don’t be too excited; the banquet of the Reflected Scale Truth is not that simple.”

“In the Zhaolin Realm, everywhere are ancient dragon beasts formed from Primordial Dragon Qi, and among them, many even have the Primordial Beast Essence that was swallowed by the Ancestral Dragon during the Divine Tribulation times. Although defeating them can nourish the body and soul with Essence Qi, countless Heaven’s Chosen have died under their claws and teeth.”

“Not to mention, when the grand banquet opens, the Past and Present Four Seasons Dragon Kings of the Ancestral Dragon Hall and the Ten Directions Nine Seas Dragon Court, as well as the Dragon Bloodline experts scattered across the world, will bring their descendants or the Alien Race’s Pride they favor to acquire Heavenly Dragon Divine Power from the Ancestral Dragon Scale.”

“They are your and my competitors, even enemies… Though ideally, we shouldn’t kill each other, the contention in martial arts is no child’s play. If you are not the strongest, you don’t qualify to witness the true form of the Ancestral Dragon Scale; losing in battle and dying at the hands of others merely shows lack of skill!”

“Merely combat. Life and death are natural.” An Jing nodded, his demeanor calm, seeming to find it ordinary: “I’ve seen through the purpose of this Reflected Scale Truth banquet – to share the Ancestral Dragon Scale’s power with other ‘Alien Race’s Pride,’ enabling these ‘Alien Race’s Pride’ to also become bearers of the Dragon Bloodline.”

“This is a generous investment, an open strategy to expand one’s influence. The Heaven’s Chosen need to comprehend the power of the Ancestral Dragon to become stronger and truer versions of themselves, while the Ancestral Dragon Hall expands its influence through this method, continually increasing the number of dragon descendants and dragon bloodlines within the realm.”

“This is naturally grandiose and ambitious.” An Jing nodded, appearing calm and unperturbed, as if feeling it is nothing unusual, “I now see. It’s not only my opportunity, it’s also an opportunity for you, little one…”

Recognizing An Jing’s anticipation, Jin Yanhua suppressed her smile and earnestly reminded, “Don’t be too excited; the Zhaolin Ye Zhen banquet is not so simple.”

“Within the Zhaolin Realm, ancient dragon beasts formed from Primordial Dragon Qi occupy it extensively, some even possess Primordial Beast Essence, which can nurture one’s body and soul, but countless Heaven’s Chosen have also perished under their claws and teeth.”

“Not to mention, when the banquet begins, apart from the Dragon Kings and dragon-blooded figures from various places, there will be Heaven’s Chosen ones from the alien races, all vying for Heavenly Destiny.”

“So be careful, no extra caution is excessive. Do not underestimate the heroes of this world.”

“I understand.” An Jing nodded, his manner calm, as though he perceived nothing out of the ordinary, “It’s just battle after all. Life and death. As it should be.”

An Jing stood up readily and followed; after all, he had come to avoid the storm of the Heaven and Sea Array, so there was no way he could go back to the North Mysterious Sacrifice Continent: “Zhongheng Dao Continent, Huai Xu Dragon Clan Ancestral Court – such a grand location…”

“Alright.” Jin Yanhua also gave a faint smile, gesturing to An Jing to follow, “Then come along and prepare together.”

Said so, she headed off with An Jing closely following her.

Meanwhile, at the center of the Heaven and Sea Array in the Cloud Sea Heavenly Palace, where the many division commanding Heavenly Officials gathered.

“No response in the southeast.”

Amidst the hazy clouds, Daoist patterns swirled endlessly, full of Mysterious Profundity. The Heavenly Officials, parsing the information from the Daoist Patterns, communicated with each other, and one of them, a one-eyed old Heavenly Official, was the head of this generation’s [Taibai Heavenly Official].

He was not at all surprised by the lack of response from the Heaven and Sea Array central hub, as he commented, “As expected, there is no response. It was always unlikely for that to be true… But it’s no matter; confirming the surroundings of Heaven and Earth is also good.”

“Compile everything, noting those who could shield the Heaven and Sea Array, that’s all I ask.”

Sure enough, among the reports, the first result to be reported was An Jing: “The ‘Heavenly Destiny Natural Master’ and the ‘Evil Suppressing Heavenly Sword’ were still located at the middle of the Liang Heng Dao Continent some time ago.”

“But I don’t know why, maybe because of the sudden movement of the Immortal Candle Illumination Tree, which accelerated the flow of Heaven and Earth Qi across the ten continents, but in any case, the Cave Heaven will open this year.”

“That was my previous worry, it was too swift; you might not have time to grow, but as you’ve reached the level of a True Person, it’s become much easier now.”

Indeed—to say it with certainty—it was all due to that movement of the Immortal Candle Illumination Tree!

An Jing was well aware in his heart.

The Ancestral Dragon is the first generation of Ex Nihilo, and the Immortal Candle Illumination Tree is the second generation of Ex Nihilo, and yes, the disturbance of the Immortal Tree indeed has a high chance of agitating the remnants left by the Ancestral Dragon.

It seemed like his actions, much like the fluttering of the wings of a butterfly, aroused many raging storms throughout Heaven and Earth.

“It seems.” An Jing had an epiphany, sensing the dormant Little Qi within his Cave Heaven, “This time, it’s not only my opportunity, but also an opportunity for this little fellow of yours…”

Jin Yanhua noticed An Jing’s anticipation, she reined in her smile and seriously reminded him, “Don’t get too excited; the Zhaolin Ye Zhen Banquet isn’t so simple.”

“In the Zhaolin Realm, there are ancient dragon beasts everywhere formed from primordial dragon energy, and among them, there are even those possessing the primordial beast essence that the Ancestral Dragon had once left behind, which may certainly be stimulated by the changes in the Immortal Candle Illumination Tree.”

It seems my actions are like a butterfly flapping its wings, stirring countless storms in the world.

“It seems.” An Jing felt as if he had an epiphany, feeling the slumbering Little Qi in his Cave Heaven: “This time it’s not just my opportunity, it’s also the opportunity of you, little one…”

Jin Yanhua noticed An Jing’s anticipation, she restrained her smile and earnestly reminded, “Don’t get too excited, the Zhaolin Ye Zhen Banquet is not that simple.”

“In the Zhaolin Realm, there are ancient dragon beasts everywhere formed from primordial dragon energy, and among them are even those that have the primordial beast essence left by the Ancestral Dragon. While you can gain nourishment for your physical form and soul by being defeated by them, countless Heaven’s Chosen have perished under their claws and teeth.”

“Moreover, at the start of the grand banquet, not only the Four Seasons Dragon Kings of the Ancestral Dragon Hall and dragon-blooded powerhouses from every corner of the world will bring their descendants or the Alien Race’s Pride they favor to vie for the Heavenly Dragon Divine Power from the Ancestral Dragon Scale.”

“They are your and my competition, even though it’s best not to murder each other, a battle for Martial Arts is not a child’s play? If you aren’t the strongest, there’s no way to meet the Ancestral Dragon.”

“It’s only a fight. Simply life and death. Perfectly natural.” An Jing nodded, his demeanor calm, seemingly taking it as a matter of course, “I see. It seems this isn’t just my opportunity but also yours, little one…”

Jin Yanhua nodded slightly, turning to signal An Jing to follow, “Alright, come along and prepare together.”

“Good.” Jin Yanhua also gave a slight smile, turned and gestured for An Jing to follow: “Then come along and get ready together.”

Meanwhile, in the central hub of the Heaven and Sea Array at the Cloud Sea Heavenly Palace, where many division commanding Heavenly Officials gathered.

“No response in the southeast.”

“No response,” the faintly hazy clouds were filled with the circulation of Daoist Patterns, extremely mysterious. Yet, a one-eyed old Heavenly Official was in charge of interpreting the Daoist Patterns, receiving information from them and communicating with others, giving orders. There was no doubt that he was this generation’s [Taibai Heavenly Official].

“The southeast shows no reaction,” he noted, unfazed. “As expected, there’s no response at all… It’s not a problem. It’s always good to confirm the directions of heaven and earth.”

“Senior Taibai,” a youth under his command reported first, “the ‘Heavenly Destiny Natural Master’ and ‘Evil Suppressing Heavenly Sword’ were both located in the Zhongheng Dao Continent some time back.”

“Statistics show Yu Yao Country has put up the National Defense Array.”

Listening to the reports, Taibai Heavenly Official furrowed his brow slightly, “That is indeed quite possible.”

The Three Sams are is the ancient habitat of vitality in the North Mysterious Sacrifice Continent; the disturbance of the Immortal Tree indeed likely affects it as they are akin to the fruits of the Divine Wood family, right?

Taibai Heavenly Official had already confirmed the direction for the next major investigation in mind, yet out of caution, he thought it was good to verify the four corners of Heaven and Earth.

However, all of this had nothing to do with An Jing.

Because by this time, he had followed Jin Yanhua and reached the Zhongheng Dao Continent, the Ancestral Dragon Hall.