Chapter 70

Su Yang's knowledge of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains is unparalleled in the world, for he chose this place as his base for intensive cultivation at least three times during his early stages of transformation and rebirth.

"Boss, you don't know how dangerous that place is. If I hadn't been alert, I probably wouldn't have made it to reunite with you."

Black Diamond recalled the experience of mistakenly entering a mysterious area, conveying his thoughts in a detailed manner.

It turns out that during the decades after Su Yang left, Black Diamond returned to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains to rest and recuperate. However, a sudden earthquake unexpectedly led him into a strange area.

According to Black Diamond's description, this was a vast area, stretching for thousands of miles, with towering peaks and an abundance of spiritual energy. Rare treasures that were hard to find in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains were easily obtainable here.

Initially, Black Diamond indulged in a feast, and it was during this period that he laid the foundation for his current evolution into a half-dragon.

Over the decades, Black Diamond almost explored every corner of this area, which had never been seen in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. He encountered many fierce beasts and birds that could match or even surpass him, but he always managed to escape unscathed, and life was relatively pleasant.

Until Black Diamond met a human, one who drew his sword to kill upon seeing him.

That time, Black Diamond was severely injured and had to escape using water. It took him a decade to fully recover.

In the following century, Black Diamond encountered several more humans, though not the same as the first one. These people were young, dressed similarly, and all wanted to kill him.

After several near-death experiences, Black Diamond finally realized that this strange area was not suitable for his survival and began to look for ways to leave.

However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not leave this strange area. Even when he reached the edge of the region and saw familiar landscapes of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, an invisible barrier blocked his path, preventing him from breaking through.

After another decade, during a pursuit that lasted a thousand miles, Black Diamond, on the verge of death, stumbled into a valley he had never entered before. By chance, he entered a circular halo emitting a strange light at the center of the valley.

When he awoke again, he found himself back in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, and the past century seemed like a dream.

Since then, Black Diamond has kept a respectful distance from the area he mistakenly entered, as the humans there were too terrifying, each wanting to kill him and possessing strength comparable to his boss.

"Boss, I now understand that a place where rare treasures are everywhere and spiritual energy is abundant is called a Spirit Realm, a true treasure land for cultivation. Cultivating in such a place for a year is equivalent to cultivating for a hundred years in the outside world."

"Spirit Realm, is there really a Spirit Realm?"

Su Yang was taken aback, revealing a look of familiarity, his eyes filled with longing as he asked, "Are the people there very powerful?"

"Very powerful. Even now, I might not be able to match the humans there."

"Did you encounter a woman in white, ethereal and transcendent?"

"No, I didn't."

Black Diamond, with a hint of fear, flicked his tongue and conveyed his thoughts, "The awakened life imprint has made me realize that if I could cultivate in such a place for ten thousand years, I might one day transform into a dragon. But in this world, even transforming into a half-dragon is extremely difficult, let alone transforming into a dragon, which is a million times harder."

At this moment, Su Yang's thoughts were racing, and he recalled a passage from the introduction of the *Nine Transformations of the Azure Heavens*.

"The Azure Heavens are the path, the nine transformations are the guide. Gathering the body first, 929 is the beginning, the divine consciousness is formed, the foundation of the Purple Mansion is built, and the Spirit Realm can be glimpsed, the mysteries can be understood..."

Su Yang had already extensively researched the existence of the "Spirit Realm" a thousand years ago when he first obtained the *Nine Transformations of the Azure Heavens*. Through many ancient texts, he concluded that the Spirit Realm was not a specific area but a general term for a strange place with hundreds or even thousands of times the spiritual energy of the outside world, often referred to by the ancients as a blessed land.

However, long before the Chu and Han dynasties, the "Spirit Realm" had become a place that only existed in legends, with no one ever setting foot there again.

For this reason, Su Yang had traveled to many places known as blessed lands, but always returned disappointed.

Over time, Su Yang gave up on this search.

According to the records of the Demon Sect, whenever a great master of the sect reached the pinnacle of cultivation, they might achieve the breaking of the void.

After years of research, Su Yang made a bold conjecture: over thousands of years, the geniuses of the Demon Sect who broke the void were likely within the Spirit Realm. They did not break the void but opened a door to the Spirit Realm.

Of course, the reason he was particularly interested in this was for a woman he deeply loved—Nie Lingbo.

After parting with Nie Lingbo at the Qiantang River, the Holy Maiden of the Sword Pavilion broke the void and left. Despite Su Yang's unparalleled abilities, he had spent a thousand years trying to find her, but to no avail.

This was the fundamental reason for Su Yang's great interest in the "Spirit Realm."

After meeting Nie Lingbo, Su Yang had once thought of trying to break the void to reach the "Spirit Realm."

However, he later realized that due to his cultivation of the *Nine Transformations of the Azure Heavens*, even though he had surpassed everyone a thousand years ago, he could not grasp the final opportunity to break the void.

During his thousand-year immortal life, he even witnessed several people breaking the void, but he could not figure out how to do it.

These people, though geniuses with formidable cultivation, were still inferior to Su Yang. What they could do, he could not.

Until Su Yang realized that this might be due to the *Nine Transformations of the Azure Heavens*. He found a clue in the introduction and spent over a decade researching after Nie Lingbo broke the void.

The conclusion he reached was that according to the introduction of the *Nine Transformations of the Azure Heavens*, only after nine transformations could one begin to glimpse the breaking of the void. As for "the divine consciousness is formed, the foundation of the Purple Mansion is built," Su Yang believed that this would naturally occur as one's realm improved.

For example, now Su Yang can already manipulate objects from a distance with his consciousness and communicate purely through thoughts with Black Diamond, far surpassing the past's qi sensing, which can be considered divine consciousness.

"Old friend, do you want to return to the Spirit Realm?" Su Yang gathered his thoughts and suddenly transmitted a thought.

"Boss, how did you know I wanted to go back..." Black Diamond responded, wagging his tail.

"Your thoughts are obvious. Although you often faced life-threatening situations in the Spirit Realm, the benefits you gained over a century there are enough to make up for everything. Now that you have evolved into a half-dragon, if you want to advance further, you must return to the Spirit Realm. Even if I help you in every way, it will still be very difficult."

"Boss, you really understand me."

Black Diamond raised his dragon head and said, "I don't want to go alone. Will you accompany me, Boss?"

"I have long wanted to explore, but the time is not right yet."

Su Yang became inexplicably excited. A thousand years had passed, and this seemed to be the greatest opportunity for him to reunite with the Holy Maiden of the Sword Pavilion, whom he deeply loved.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his joy and revealed a mysterious smile, saying, "Let's wait. When I reach the foundation of the Purple Mansion, we will return to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and search for the Spirit Realm."

Su Yang was indeed arrogant, but his arrogance was based on absolute strength. After learning from Black Diamond's description that the Spirit Realm was filled with powerful beings, Su Yang did not want to explore it so soon.

Even if someone told him definitively that Nie Lingbo was in the Spirit Realm, Su Yang would not rush there recklessly.

He had his principles. His woman, even after a thousand years, he would still bring back to his side, but this process must be led by him, not by begging as a weakling.

Through Black Diamond's description, Su Yang gained a general understanding of the strength of the people in the Spirit Realm.

Now, he had only cultivated the *Nine Transformations of the Azure Heavens* to the peak of the fourth level. There was no need to rush before reaching the appropriate realm.

He had waited for over a thousand years; what was another three to five years?

PS: This is the third update today. I hope all the readers will give a 5-star rating, and I will continue writing!