Chapter 6

Chen Hai felt as if he was being sucked into a space that was even more incomprehensible and unimaginable...

It was a desolate and bleak strip of land, with terrifying fissures everywhere, as dense as a spider's web. Fiery lava boiled within the cracks, and the air was filled with the smell of sulfur.

The land was extremely narrow, like a canyon or a passage, with no end in sight in either direction. Above and on both sides, blood-red clouds rolled, and countless bolts of lightning, like dragons and snakes, moved through the gaps in the blood clouds, constantly transforming into silver lightning pillars thicker than water buckets, slashing down from the sky, shattering boulder-sized rocks into pieces.

Bones and corpses were scattered everywhere, covering the land. Even the remaining bones were exceptionally grotesque, as if countless terrifying demons were trying to rush into the canyon, only to be mercilessly slaughtered.

Most of the bones and corpses were as small as dogs or horses, grayish-white, like weathered rocks, shaped like hunched dwarfs. Some blackish-blue skeletons were even larger than ten-story buildings, either complete or fragmented. There were also gold-like broken bones scattered among them, densely covering the land.

The entire desolate land seemed to be a field of corpses, and before it became such, it seemed to have experienced an unimaginable and world-shaking battle.

In the center of the field of corpses stood a black temple, like a mountain, towering in the middle of the land.

The ancient temple was covered with glaring marks from slashes and bites, and a corner of it was missing...

Seeing this, Chen Hai suddenly thought of the photos of the black tripod's excavation site that the middle-aged man had shown him on Earth. The building buried in the mountains, which resembled a ruined temple, was indeed the missing corner of this giant temple.

Where was this place?

How could a corner of the giant temple appear on Earth?

Chen Hai's mind was overwhelmed with shock, almost losing his ability to think. He found himself looking down from the sky at the narrow, blood-cloud-covered wasteland and the unimaginably grand temple.

The blood-red clouds were behind him, but he couldn't see his own existence, as if only his soul and consciousness were floating above this narrow land.

He was clearly in Taiwei Sect, in Chen Lie's cave residence on Jianyun Cliff, but how did he suddenly end up here?

He could still understand the world where Taiwei Sect was located, perhaps a world parallel to Earth, but what about this blood-cloud-covered wasteland?

And what about the voice that suddenly appeared in his mind?

What about the Dragon Emperor, the temple, and the guardians?

Chen Hai wished he could flip the middle finger at the blood-cloud-filled sky:

If there were gods in the heavens, why did they single him out to play with?

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At this moment, the sky above the giant temple suddenly changed, and countless bolts of lightning concentrated and slashed down at the temple. But as they reached the temple's airspace, an invisible force seemed to gather them into a massive, unimaginable lightning dragon.

The lightning dragon was so majestic and fierce, as if it were the ruler of heaven and earth, coiling above the temple, overlooking the narrow land.

Chen Hai's heart was filled with indescribable shock. He stared blankly at everything, his consciousness and soul numb.

"Left Ear, I, Cang Yu, have been trapped in a foreign realm for thousands of years, and my soul is already extremely weak. By a stroke of luck, I managed to use the power in this boy's bloodline to tear through the chaotic void and return, but unfortunately, I couldn't bring the divine tripod back to the temple..."

The lightning dragon in front of him was actually related to that black tripod!

Chen Hai listened to the voice that seemed to resonate directly in his mind, not knowing what to say. Was it this dragon that brought him to the world of Taiwei Sect and then to this desolate, blood-cloud-covered mysterious space?

What about Earth and the chaotic void?

"Turns out it was just a stroke of luck. I was wondering why the Dragon Emperor would choose such a weak human to inherit the guardian's position. However, we are truly in dire straits, with so many guardians fallen, and I am left with only a wisp of soul. The seam to the Raksasa domain will soon appear again, and I can't hold on for many more years..."

A voice, old and feeble, came from the temple, filled with indescribable sorrow.

"The boy's soul is also extremely weak, and after the soul transfer, he has a hidden soul ailment. He will soon be rejected by this body and face the tragic fate of soul disintegration—let alone the lowest-level Raksasa ghosts, he can't even resist them!"

"What, soul disintegration?" Chen Hai didn't care about the temple or the Raksasa ghosts, which were completely unrelated to him, but the thought of his soul disintegrating made his hair stand on end.

He had originally thought that if he was going to be transported, he might as well stay in Taiwei Sect and muddle through his life, but he never expected this to happen.

"Do you think soul transfer is an easy thing?" the old, feeble voice said contemptuously.

"Soul transfer?" Chen Hai was startled. Although Yao Xing's memories were fragmented, it wasn't hard to find memories related to soul transfer, but he hadn't yet connected his own situation to it.

Without Cang Yu or the old man needing to explain further, Chen Hai was already breaking out in a cold sweat...

Typically, only powerful cultivators who had cultivated their souls to the level of a primordial spirit could attempt a soul transfer when their physical bodies suffered irreversible damage, to preserve their souls.

However, soul transfer was not only against the natural order but also, more crucially, the soul could not fully integrate with the new body, leading to fatal hidden ailments.

Even with the many techniques and methods of powerful cultivators, their cultivation would greatly decline after a soul transfer. As a mere mortal, Chen Hai's soul was extremely weak, making it almost impossible for him to fully adapt to a new body.

Once the hidden ailment erupted, soul disintegration was the only outcome.

The needle-like pain in Chen Hai's head after he woke up was actually a sign that the hidden soul ailment was about to flare up.

"My soul is about to dissipate, and I can no longer help you, Left Ear, in guarding the nine domains, but this boy might still be able to take on the responsibility," the lightning dragon rumbled.

"Lord Dragon Emperor, if you are to place your last hope on this boy, Left Ear will naturally obey, but with his hidden soul ailment, it will be difficult for him to cultivate," the old, feeble voice asked, clearly surprised.

Chen Hai cursed the old man in his heart, calling him a dog. If you're in such dire straits, why are you still picky? What makes me unqualified to be a guardian? Quickly treat me as your last hope!

But Chen Hai knew his survival depended on the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu and the old man, so he was thinking of what he could say to move these two monsters...

"We know what you are thinking, but in the foreign realm, you showed the righteousness of saving others, and I used your power to return to the temple, so I must repay you," the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu's voice sounded like thunder rolling deep underground.

Chen Hai's body stiffened.

"Lord Dragon Emperor, even if the nine heavens fall, we cannot let the legacy of the Supreme Emperor leak out," the old man, though lower in status than the Dragon Emperor, insisted firmly.

"If he can pass the temple's legacy test?" the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu said.

"Like this?" the old voice contained a contemptuous sneer.

"Not now, but perhaps in the future—by giving him the snake bracelet, I can repay my debt, and even if my soul dissipates, I can rest in peace," the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu said.

"Ah, well, then. Now, we can only hope that a blind cat catches a dead mouse," the old voice said, clearly not hopeful, but unable to resist the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu's insistence, and not caring what Chen Hai was thinking.

Left Ear didn't mind what Chen Hai was thinking. Chen Hai felt a small sense of sorrow, realizing that Left Ear truly treated him like an insignificant ant. Why would they care what an ant thought?

It seemed that with this decision, the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu had fulfilled his last wish. The lightning dragon in the sky gradually dissipated, as if it had never existed.

After a long time, with no movement from the temple, Chen Hai couldn't help but call out, "Cang Yu, are you still there?"

"The last wisp of the Dragon Emperor's soul has returned to the nine heavens!" Left Ear's sorrowful voice came from the temple. "I will now send your soul back to Taiwei Sect. I hope you do not disappoint the Dragon Emperor..."

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Again, he was sucked into an invisible vortex, and the next moment, Chen Hai found his consciousness returned to Yao Xing's body, still standing before the desk, with a needle-like pain in his head.

Chen Hai's expression was dazed for a while. Seeing that Left Ear was still silent, he couldn't help but call out softly, "Senior Left Ear, are you still there?"

"I am still here. Whatever you want to say, just think it, and I will hear it," Left Ear's old voice sounded again. "There are no Dao胎-level cultivators in Taiwei Sect at the moment, so they won't detect my presence, but you must be careful."

"Are you also hiding in Taiwei Sect?" Chen Hai asked cautiously.

"Once you reach a certain level of cultivation, your divine consciousness can reach all realms, and it doesn't matter whether you stay or leave. However, we are too far apart, and transmitting divine consciousness consumes a lot of energy."

Perhaps because the Dragon Emperor Cang Yu's soul had returned to the nine heavens, Left Ear's voice was filled with sorrow, and his attitude toward Chen Hai was no longer cold, explaining in more detail.

Chen Hai asked, "Senior Left Ear, what are the temple and the Raksasa domain you mentioned? Why was Cang Yu on Earth, and why did I come here from Earth?"

"These are things you cannot know yet. Even if you knew, it wouldn't help you now. You just need to know that there are countless spaces in the endless chaos, and Earth is just one of them. Some of these spaces are completely separated by the chaotic void, and only true gods or those using divine artifacts can cross them. However, some spaces are connected by special passages—this blood-cloud wasteland is a passage connecting the Raksasa domain and the nine heavens..."

Cang Yu's voice grew weaker.

"The Dragon Emperor's soul has returned to the nine heavens, and my wisp of soul is extremely weak. I am about to enter the temple to hibernate and may not wake up before the next large-scale invasion by the Raksasa demons. If you have any questions, ask them now!"

Chen Hai, no longer thinking about other things, quickly asked:

"What should I do?"

"You are currently experiencing a conflict between your soul and body, and you have a hidden soul ailment. You cannot focus on cultivating mystical arts, so you can only practice martial arts. By practicing martial arts to strengthen your body, you can promote the integration of your soul and body, ultimately saving your life and allowing you to re-enter the path of cultivation..."

"Martial arts to strengthen the body?"

Chen Hai repeated the words, though Yao Xing's memories in the Yao clan were fragmented, he had some understanding of cultivation through organizing Yao Xing's memories.

Whether it was mystical cultivation or martial cultivation, or other extremely special ghost cultivation, artifact cultivation, yin cultivation, external elixir cultivation, and dual cultivation, the ultimate goal was to absorb the essence of heaven and earth into the body, directly mastering the vast and powerful forces of the universe, and achieving great magical abilities. However, the foundation of cultivation was still the self.

The life essence within the body, also known as essence and qi, flows through the hundred bones and meridians. Cultivating to make it abundant, breaking through the blockages in the meridians, and blending it with the essence of heaven and earth within the body, transforming it into true essence, is considered the true beginning of the cultivation path.

This would be the first major realm of cultivation, the Mystic Realm.

Whether it was martial cultivation or mystical cultivation, as long as one had cultivation potential and sufficient resources, entering the Mystic Realm was not difficult. However, after the Mystic Realm, there were many cultivation realms such as the Spirit Realm, the Enlightenment Realm, the Dao Pill Realm, and the Dao Fetus Realm, and the choice of cultivation path would differ at this point.

Speaking of the Spirit Realm and the Enlightenment Realm, there was still a certain proportion of martial disciples, but by the Dao Pill Realm, the proportion of martial disciples sharply decreased. Among the few dozen Dao Fetus Realm experts in the Great Yan Empire, only one was a master of martial cultivation.

Therefore, in the Great Yan Empire, martial cultivation was not valued in Yanzhou, or it was difficult to achieve great success.

The children of noble families and core disciples of sects rarely chose to cultivate martial arts to enter the path of cultivation; only the middle and lower-level disciples trained by the sect's Dao Academy, who mainly supplemented the army's lower-level military officers, focused on martial cultivation.

However, for Chen Hai to overcome the hidden soul ailment caused by the soul transfer and to re-integrate his soul with the new body, he had to choose the path of martial cultivation.