CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 354 BOTH SIDES

The sky was vast and azure, the frosty wind piercing.

Martial Saints, one after another, bid farewell to Saint Gentle Words and departed in groups of threes and fives.

Still, Hong Yuan becoming a Martial Saint inevitably caused ripples.

The major Sects across the Eastern Wilderness Divine Continent all issued orders without prior consultation. They instructed their subordinates to be vigilant for unfamiliar powerhouses suddenly emerging within their territories.

For some reason, the atmosphere in the Eastern Wilderness Divine Continent tightened.

Damn it, these guys are truly arrogant and overbearing! The Northern Guard King of the Daxuan Dynasty glared, a cold gleam in his eyes, as he watched the chatting and laughing Martial Saints from various Sects leave.

"Heh heh... Oh, right, why haven’t I seen the Marquis of Dragon Sword?" Luoyin Marquis asked casually, but his words made the Martial Saints from the imperial factions focus sharply.

The Northern Guard King was a leading figure in the Phoenix Princess’s faction, while Luoyin Marquis was part of the Crown Prince’s faction.

The current Daxuan Emperor’s leanings were unclear. This was particularly true after the establishment of the Phoenix Princess’s position to rival the Crown Prince. Consequently, the Daxuan Dynasty’s internal affairs were anything but tranquil.

The struggle for imperial authority over the next Daxuan Emperor entangled even Martial Saints.

And Hong Yuan’s Sword Tao Incarnation, the Marquis of Dragon Sword, was considered part of the Phoenix Princess’s faction by default, due to her protection.

He, too, was entwined in this struggle for imperial power.

"Hahaha, the Marquis of Dragon Sword was part of the battle that extinguished the Destiny of the Demon Clan."

"Now, he must be in secluded meditation, contemplating the supreme Divine Powers rewarded by the Heavenly Palace. Once he emerges..."

The Northern Guard King laughed boisterously.

Behind him, numerous Martial Saints joined in the laughter. Upon hearing the mention of this supreme power—the Heavenly Palace—even Luoyin Marquis fell into a rare silence.

What ambitious Human Martial Saint would not desire to enter the legendary Heavenly Palace?

Unfortunately, he didn’t even qualify for the Eastern Wilderness Academy, let alone the Heavenly Palace.

Contemplating the supreme Divine Powers of the Heavenly Palace, how enviable, Luoyin Marquis expressed his heartfelt sentiment.

***

「Marquis of Dragon Sword.」

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, at this moment, Hong Yuan’s Sword Tao Incarnation was observing the newly-born Power Dao Blessed Land.

He squinted. From his waist, the Holy Artifact, the Heavenly River Sword, emitted layer upon layer of azure sword waves, spreading in all directions.

Below, the terrain was rugged, stretching as far as the eye could see. This was the Power Dao Blessed Land.

It spanned over thirty million acres and was a super-large tributary of the River of Time. The flow of time here, compared to the outside world, was about one hundred to one. Furthermore, the Immortal Aperture Blessed Land could yield over three hundred Green Grapes Immortal Nuances each year.

This was a truly top-tier blessed land, far surpassing the Sword Tao Incarnation’s Heavenly River Blessed Land!

This made it evident that the potential and strength of the Power Tao Incarnation far exceeded that of the Sword Tao Incarnation.

Indeed, for his Power Tao cultivation, Hong Yuan had used supremely powerful beings as nourishment. These included the Chosen Imperial Clan’s Heavenly Horned Ant, Great Moon Saint Han Jiuming, and Azure Lotus Heaven Lord Flower Tao God.

Currently, he was still digesting the gains from his great battles with the Heavenly Horned Ant and the Azure Lotus Heaven Lord, further advancing his Power Tao proficiency.

A vague thought flickered in his mind. That is to emulate the great external heaven and earth within the human body’s internal world, unreservedly driving the universe’s Stars, using strength to suppress the firmament!

Compared to Power Tao, his Sword Tao foundation was far too shallow.

The only notable aspect was the "Water Dragon Chant" Divine Power, a legacy from a Great Saint, rewarded by the Heavenly Palace!

The "Water Dragon Chant" Divine Power encompassed Sword Tao, Water Tao, Transformation Tao, and Sound Tao.

This was a composite Divine Power that could almost seamlessly follow the "Ancient Sword Dragon Transformation" Divine Power’s cultivation path.

It was from this Divine Power that Hong Yuan deeply understood just how terrifying the Human Clan Sky Palace’s foundation was.

Hong Yuan, through the Heavenly River Sword, completely observed the Power Dao Blessed Land.

Half wilderness forest, the other half either grasslands or mountain ranges...

A contemplative look flashed in Hong Yuan’s eyes.

The Blessed Land’s topography was closely linked to the Martial Saint’s specific circumstances.

This showed that the Power Dao Blessed Land deeply embodied the brutal principle of "survival of the fittest, where only strength prevails," offering hardly any zones for respite.

After observing for a while, Hong Yuan immediately had a plan for managing the Power Dao Blessed Land.

He slowly closed his eyes, shifting his primary focus to his Demonic Body.

He was about to begin harvesting the Destiny Demon Realm to exchange for more Illusion Tao resources. He would then transfer these resources to his Power Tao Incarnation to bring back to his Original Body.

***

「Destiny Demon Realm.」

In the Purple Golden Palace, Hong Yuan’s Demonic Body, seated on the dragon throne, slowly opened its eyes. A deep, dark luster shone in its crimson dragon pupils.

"Xuan Yi," Hong Yuan said softly.

"Your Majesty, your servant is here," responded an age-bowed, white-haired Mysterious Water Snake elder, stepping forward and bowing.

"What year is it now?"

"Your Majesty, it is now the three hundred and first year of Cold Moon," the elder replied.

Upon hearing his subordinate’s answer, Hong Yuan fell silent for a moment, pondering.

The laws of his Destiny Demon Realm were even more extreme than those of his Power Tao Incarnation’s Blessed Land. Not only was its territory enormously vast, but it also possessed a super-massive tributary of the River of Time. Here, the time flow compared to the outside world was nearly three hundred to one.

One year in the mortal realm meant three hundred years had passed in the Destiny Demon Realm!

Unfortunately, the Destiny Demon Realm’s laws were incomplete. Moreover, the passage of time wouldn’t lessen simply because one hid within a small world; the marks of age would still accumulate.

If you lived three hundred years in the Demon Realm, your Life Span would be reduced by three hundred years.

It was as it should be; there were no instances of Life Span unexpectedly increasing.

Furthermore, the laws and Great Taoism within such small worlds were deficient, making it difficult, difficult, difficult! for a Saint to cultivate in seclusion there.

More than three hundred years...

"Let’s begin the ceremony. I am ’hungry’," Hong Yuan said slowly, closing his dragon eyes.