Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

Raising the hand and flicking a finger.

The gray-clad 9-Vein Sovereign Emperor Doyen fell in an instant, a clear defeat.

Such a scene shocked Mu Zifeng and Suiren Ji. However, they felt wild joy after that.

Although the gray-clad Doyen was a 9-Vein Sovereign Emperor, he was not very strong. Even so, he was a bona fide 9-Vein Sovereign Emperor who had built accumulations for many years, possessing vast Divine Energy, yet he had lost in one move.

“Xiao Chen, how did you do it?” Mu Zifeng and the Doyens asked, feeling curious.

Xiao Chen laughed softly and said, “I just figured some things out, understood my Dao, and found my path.”

For eight years, Xiao Chen had pondered where his path should lead.

Immortal and Martial dual cultivation, divine and demonic in one. There was also a Buddhist heart. So many things connected that it was hard to separate them.

Xiao Chen prioritized finding his true path over raising his cultivation and absorbing the resources.

How to control them, how to merge them, how to see himself, Xiao Chen thought about all these.

Xiao Chen was very clear that if he did not understand his path, he could not transcend his limits, no matter how high his cultivation. He would not be able to break through the bottleneck of the Martial Dao, forever living under the shadow of his seniors and unable to be himself.

Eight years had passed in a flash.

Xiao Chen finally understood that his Dao, his path, his first love, everything stemmed from the saber in his heart.

No matter how much time had passed, whether he faced Immortals, demons, gods, or Buddhas, regardless of the epoch changing, Xiao Chen was a bladesman, and that would never change.

After understanding that, he had gained enlightenment. Then, he had used his saber to suppress the Immortals, demons, gods, and Buddhas in his heart.

While it was called suppression, in reality, Xiao Chen absorbed them and merged them to seek his Dao.

After comprehending this, everything became clear.

Then, Xiao Chen absorbed all of Heavenly Divine Mountain’s resources into the saber in his heart within one breath of time.

“What exactly is your cultivation?”

Mu Zifeng was more concerned about this. After all, Xiao Chen revealed too little of his strength. It would be better to know clearly.

Xiao Chen did not say anything upon hearing that. After a while, he replied softly, “The height of one’s cultivation is actually not important. The epoch’s collapse will break all the laws, including the separation of cultivation realms. At that time, who can truly start the epoch will depend on whose heart the world acknowledges.”

“What do you mean?”

Mu Zifeng and the Doyens looked at one another, seemingly understanding and, at the same time, not understanding what Xiao Chen said.

“Nothing. Given my current strength, I should be able to hold my own under Faux God.”

Seeing that the other party did not understand his explanation, Xiao Chen sighed in his heart and said something practical.

When Mu Zifeng and the others heard what Xiao Chen said, they smiled. This was much easier to understand.

Going by Xiao Chen’s humble character, he meant that he was at the very peak under Faux God.

“Go and rest first. Coincidentally, Jiang He is here. You can ask him about what happened outside over the past few months you were in closed-door cultivation. We will take our leave first.”

After understanding Xiao Chen’s strength, Mu Zifeng and the other members of the Heavenly Alliance’s upper echelon left satisfied.

They did not care about Heavenly Divine Mountain crumbling at all.

Jiang He slowly walked over and said cheerfully, “Congratulations.”

“Many thanks.”

Xiao Chen sized up Jiang He with a few glances and sensed the other party’s ethereal aura. He also noticed Jiang He’s deep, distant, Starry-Heavens-like eyes.

Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “You became a Heavenly Dragon?”

“Yes. Although I’m now a Heavenly Dragon, my cultivation did not increase by much. I cannot compare to you.” Jiang He smiled faintly, but he did not look that happy about this.

“Is that so? That might not be the case. When the Martial Epoch ends, perhaps cultivation might be rendered useless with it, along with the Martial Epoch’s laws. At that time, perhaps we will not be able to use the heights of a person’s cultivation to evaluate their strength.”

“What do you mean? You said the same thing to that group of Doyens.”

Jiang He appeared confused, feeling that Xiao Chen was not joking.

Xiao Chen thought for a while, then explained, “It is just my guess. When the epoch ends, the Martial Epoch’s laws, like the separation of cultivation realms, will be destroyed as well. At that time, before the new epoch starts, how much strength one can bring out might depend on how deep one’s understanding of one’s Dao is rather than cultivation.”

“Ah…”

Jiang He had never heard of such a concept before. Suddenly hearing this shocked him.

Xiao Chen said softly, “Let’s not talk about this for now. Has the Faux God battle at the Yanwu Dynasty ended?”

Xiao Chen had spent about eight years in the Nine Heavens Origin Gathering Formation. That meant about eight months had elapsed outside.

Logically speaking, the great Faux God battle at the Yanwu Dynasty should have ended already.

Jiang He nodded and said, “I was about to tell you about this.”

“Do tell me the details.”

“I’m also not very clear on the exact process of the Faux God battle. However, the factions of the Demonic Dao Hall and the Underworld God Hall left the imperial capital Yan City. The factions belonging to the imperial ancestral temple in the palace were not completely cleared out. Wang Yan succeeded the throne and became the new Yan Emperor.”

After a pause, Jiang He continued, “However, things are far from over. The Underworld God Hall and the Demonic Dao Hall have moved into the Yanwu Dynasty on a large scale. Now, the flames of war burn everywhere in the Yanwu Dynasty. There is also a new Buddhist sect that appeared, leading the populace astray. They worship the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva as their Lord Buddha, gaining countless believers. They mostly took over the Hidden Spirit Temple’s followers and grew at an incredibly rapid pace.”

Xiao Chen thought to himself, It looks like the golden Kāśyapa Buddha statue’s shattering had something to do with Yuan Zhen.

“How is the Hidden Spirit Temple now?”

“Things are difficult… Since the golden Kāśyapa Buddha statue shattered, the temple lost many believers. Now, there is a young monk called Yan Chen going about preaching. The temple allied with the Royal Court, and they are relying on each other.”

This meant that during that Faux God battle, Pan Huang probably worked with Sword God Su Hanshan and defeated the Demonic Dao Hall and the Underworld God Hall by a narrow margin. However, they could not support the overall situation of the Yanwu Dynasty.

The entire dynasty was already on the rocks, becoming the most chaotic place as the epoch changed.

Right, I still have something to tell you. Jiang He secretly sent a voice projection to Xiao Chen after cautiously checking the surroundings. Then, he explained what happened.

Xiao Chen understood everything in his heart but kept his expression even.

“That is normal. I showed no movements for eight years. It would be hard for them not to feel anxious. After all, they bet everything on me,” Xiao Chen replied casually, feeling relatively calm after hearing the secret that Jiang He had to tell him.

“If so, that is good. I was thinking the same. Previously, I was still hesitating on whether to tell you, afraid that you would overthink it. It looks like I worried for nothing.”

As Jiang He sized up Xiao Chen, he discovered that the other party’s strength seemed unfathomable.

It was like Jiang He and the others were still in a cage, but Xiao Chen had already escaped it.

“What’s the situation in the Divine Dragon Empire? I would like to take some time to go there. It is time to end some grievances.”

Some emotional fluctuations appeared in Jiang He’s heart. His expression changed slightly as he asked, “Are you sure?”

While Xiao Chen had spoken relaxedly, Jiang He knew that there would be a bloody storm if Xiao Chen went.

“I’m sure. Tell me.”

Xiao Chen understood that Jiang He had always wanted to return to the Divine Dragon Empire, hoping to become the Dragon Emperor, so Jiang He would definitely pay attention to that place.

“Qin Ming stood out from the bloodline outstanding talents of the eight great empires, obtaining the Martial God Palace’s full support. Before you came out, he was already a 9-Vein Sovereign Emperor. Now, he inspires awe in the Dragon Race. The Purple Gold Dragon Emperor is planning to hold the selection for the next Dragon Emperor early.”

Helplessness flashed in Jiang He’s eyes. “With Qin Ming’s current cultivation, even if the other Divine Dragon disciples work together, they cannot defeat him. The fight to become the Dragon Emperor is just a formality to help him gain prestige.”

“Is that so?”

A corner of Xiao Chen’s mouth quirked in a smile as he said softly, “It won’t be that easy. Remember to tell me when you will return to the Divine Dragon Empire.”

“Xiao Chen, are you going to fight to become the Dragon Emperor too?”

Jiang He felt somewhat conflicted. After some hesitation, he said, “Although you saved my life, if you are fighting to become the Dragon Emperor, I…I will have to fight you to the end. I will never give in.”

Xiao Chen did not acknowledge or deny it. He did not straightforwardly answer the question. Smiling, he said, “There’s no need to feel conflicted. I never use gratitude to hold someone hostage. If you want to fight to become the Dragon Emperor, I will definitely support it. I have to go and meet the others. Thank you for telling me all this.”

“What did that mean?”

Now, only Jiang He remained in front of Heavenly Divine Mountain’s rubble. He frowned heavily as he pondered Xiao Chen’s words.

“Sorry, I need to fight to become the Dragon Emperor. I can only repay your favor of saving me in the future.”

Even after thinking for a long time, Jiang He could not figure out what Xiao Chen meant. Hence, he chose to leave, shaking his head.

---

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Xiao Chen continuously moved around the vast Heavenly Alliance’s headquarters, appearing as flashing lights and shadows and not leaving any marks behind.

After a while, he appeared outside Ao Jiao’s room. However, he discovered that she had already left.

“She returned to the Golden Crow Empire.”

Mo Chen and Su Ye, who stayed in the same courtyard, informed Xiao Chen of Ao Jiao’s whereabouts after a long chat.

She already left? Coincidentally, it is time for me to make a trip to the Golden Crow Empire as well.