A year later.
Tian Yongheng finally ended his cultivation session and opened his eyes, stabilizing his cultivation base as he looked at his status panel.
[Name: Tian Yongheng]
[Race: Mortal]
[Lifespan: 121/3182]
[Cultivation: Second Stage of Innate Realm.]
[Constitution: Five-Elemental Divine Spiritual Physique.]
[Bloodline: Jade Pure Bloodline (Descendant of the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning).]
[Innate Talent(s): Sword Heart, Primordial Meridians and Primordial Bones.]
"It took me quite a while to breakthrough a single minor realm this time, huh? My cultivation speed has slowed down considerably. " He muttered, feeling low that his cultivation speed was not as fast as before.
"But I also cultivated very little the first five years after entering the Innate Realm because of all that drama, and only focused on cultivation when I came back here after dealing with those demonic cultivators, Demons and getting the opportunity of Yan Jingfei. So, I think my cultivation hasn’t slowed down much, it’s just that I didn’t cultivate properly.
Yeah, that must be it, definitely."
After having a self-reproaching session, his resolve became even more firm as he decided to only come out of his cave after breaking through to the Third Stage of Innate Realm so that he could make up for all the time he had wasted.
...
At the same time, Southern Continent.
"Where did he go!? Dammit!"
"Search for him everywhere, don’t let that little rat escape!"
"He’s barely in the Acquired Realm, and yet still dares to offend our Spirit Essence Sect!? Where does he get that courage of his!?"
"Send all the Innate Realm disciples after him! He has even taken the twelfth young miss with him and made the Sect Master furious too!"
"Tch, how can a Acquired Realm cultivator resist the siege of so many Innate Realm cultivators? What the hell is he!?"
Countless wrathful shouts echoed throughout a valley surrounded by a series of mountains as the clouds rained down heavily, flooding the vicinity.
*Splash!* *Splash!* *Splash!*
Two people, a woman looking to be in her early twenties and a man who seemed to be in his late twenties ran by the valley, cutting through the wind as they traveled hundreds of meters with each step they took.
"Brother Dong! Are you alright?"
The woman asked via voice transmission, her face showing a worried expression as she looked up to him even though she herself was in a very bad condition, her complexion pale and blood dripping from the corner of her mouth as she was being carried by the man, who was none other than Zhu Dong, the reincarnation of the Myriad Paths Divine King!
"Don’t worry about me, you’re far more injured than me. Here, take this Vitality Recovery Pill. I refined this as an emergency a few months ago in case anything serious happened." Zhu Dong replied, trying to be nonchalant, as if he did not take on the direct hits of more than ten cultivators in the early stages of the Innate Realm.
Those attacks did a severe damage on not only his body, but also his internal organs and even his Sea of Consciousness. He was, after all, only in the First Stage of Acquired Realm.
His ego as a former Immortal Sovereign was extremely hurt from the fact that he got into a near death state just from the attack of some lowly mortals which he could crush with but a thought in his past life.
He wanted to rip their souls apart right now, but he was in no position do so. He had to accept the fact that he was currently even weaker than those people he considered lowly mortals.
The woman he was with was the twelfth daughter of the Sect Master of Spirit Essence Sect, which he had joined a few decades ago after parting ways with Tang Mei.
Tang Mei was the woman he had saved from an aphrodisiac poison many years ago, he still remembered how graceful she was and how suitable her Constitution was for dual cultivation.
He knew he had left a deep impression on her, and that they’ll definitely meet again.
After they parted ways in the Chengdu Region after spending ten years together, he joined the Spirit Essence Sect, a Golden Core Realm power, by showcasing his remarkable talents and strength and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the top Outer Disciple.
However, when the Inner Sect Assessment which takes place only once a hundred years was happening, he killed the grandson of a Great Elder at the Golden Core Realm and even stole a Earthly Revitalization Herb of the grandson of another Golden Core Realm Great Elder which he used to refine a bottle of Vitality Recovery Pill, consistently offending two figures with the highest authority in the sect.
But even those Great Elders couldn’t do anything to him within the sect grounds, and he refused to leave till a few months ago, when the Sect Master announced that he will marry off his twelfth daughter into a powerful Void Refinement Realm faction neighboring the Spirit Essence Sect.
At that time, Zhu Dong had already proclaimed her his Dao Companion and went far too deep in their relationship. He couldn’t give up on her, so he did what he thought he should do.
He thought they could escape quietly without alerting anyone, but the moment they stepped outside of the sect, the spies planted by the two Great Elders he had offended called them out which notified the entire sect, making the sect chase the two of them down.
In all of this, they had gotten severely injured, and despite the twelfth young miss of the Spirit Essence Sect, Xia Yunqi, being higher in cultivation than Zhu Dong by a few minor realms, Zhu Dong proved to be stronger than her, and thus their current situation.
Zhu Dong had never expected that the day would come when he would be running for his life from a few mortals, yet it still came.
He was so badly injured and exhausted right now that he couldn’t even use a flying sword, forget flying.
Just...a few more miles..!
He thought as he took out a Talisman from his sleeves, clenching onto it tightly.
I’ll use it after leaving those bastards behind...dammit!
He cursed inwardly, using his Divine Sense to check that tens of Innate Realm disciples from the Spirit Essence Sect were still following behind him a few miles away.
Just leave us alone, these bastards!
Ignoring the pain, he forcefully increased his pace till he was leaping through ten miles with every single step he took, astonishing even the woman in his arms.
Ten Shadows Steps!
His figure quickly dissipated into a shadow as he used his technique that he never thought would be useful, the Ten Shadows Steps.
All the cultivators following him were in extreme shock as they saw this scene happening through their Divine Sense.
"What the...!"
"What is he? A reincarnated Immortal God or something!?"
"Quicken your pace, fellow disciples! We have to catch up to him quickly!"
All the cultivators fastened their pace, every single one of them breaking the sound barrier as they flew towards him.
However, at this moment, their eyes landed on a glowing Talisman floating towards them.
"That is..."
"Get out of the way! It’s a Heavenly Eruption Talisman!"
*Boom!*
Instantly, a loud explosion echoed throughout the valley, detonating an area of almost a hundred miles.
Almost all the cultivators in this range were blasted off into smithereens, not even having a chance to resist.
A few surviving cultivators who were fortunate enough to be able to escape the area of explosion quickly couldn’t help but be horrified at the sight before them.
"That was a Heavenly Eruption Talisman...?"
"It was undoubtedly refined by a Golden Core Realm cultivator, otherwise, there’s no way it would be this powerful..where did that dog even get it?"
They were far too afraid to continue chasing after Zhu Dong, so they dispelled the idea right away.
Meanwhile, at Zhu Dong’s side.
"HAHAHA! How did you like that, you scoundrels!" He laughed out, constantly using his Divine Sense to check the surroundings.
Xia Yunqi was also stunned when she saw the explosion happen behind them, but it was only now she understood who caused it.
Zhu Dong had received a few Talismans from Tang Mei when they were about to part ways, and even though he wanted to decline, looking at it from a certain way, he accepted them since he was no longer the high and mighty Immortal Sovereign who’s arrogance knew no bounds in his past life.
And certainly, today was the day when they would come in handy.
Just as he was rejoicing, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up into the sky with a troubled, yet fierce expression.
*Splash!*
The rain continued to fall down heavily, the atmosphere becoming extremely oppressive as he took a deep breath.
Xia Yunqi noticed all of this happening and, with a nervous heart, slowly looked up into the sky as well.
*Crackle!*
Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze landed on the only man she had ever feared in her whole life, floating above in the sky with a dark expression on his face.
"F..f-father...?"