A campaign against the Immortal sects—proclaimed to the world!
Only at this moment did the cultivators of the four sects fully understand what had just been read aloud.
It was a declaration of war!
A declaration not merely against their four sects, but against the entirety of Heavenly Water Isle!
For a time,
Zhongjue Hall fell into dead silence.
More than a dozen breaths later, the cultivators from the four sects were so furious that they began to laugh instead.
"A declaration of war?"
"Who exactly do you think you can wage war against?"
"Even a cultivator at the Late Stage of Qi Refining could casually break through armor and slaughter 2,000 soldiers alone!"
"And do you think we do not possess mortal armies of our own?!"
"You shout fiercely enough, yet you only dare hide inside your turtle shell!"
"Forget it. There's no need to bother with him."
"If he refuses the toast only to drink the forfeit, then let him court his own destruction."
"Let's go!"
Several members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward, intending to block them, but Chen Sanshi signaled to let them pass. The cultivators walked out of the hall and rose into the air, vanishing into the distance.
After leaving the Eastern Divine Continent, they traveled to The Edge of the World and returned to Heavenly Water Isle through their sects' teleportation arrays, reporting everything they had seen and heard to their respective sect masters.
"A declaration of war?"
One Golden Core cultivator after another reacted in strikingly similar fashion upon hearing the arrogant proclamation of that mortal dynasty called Great Han.
"Pay him no mind."
In their words, there was not the slightest concern.
To the Immortal sects that had endured for thousands of years and commanded countless cultivators, the mortal dynasty of the Eastern Divine Continent was nothing more than an ant hiding inside a turtle shell.
If the ant refused obedience, it could be crushed at will.
What truly mattered was how to shatter the turtle shell. Once the shell broke, victory would come without bloodshed.
Within Zhongjue Hall, after watching the cultivators depart, the Son of Heaven of Great Han, Emperor Tianwu, remained seated and began handling memorials and state affairs on the spot.
The declaration of war had been prepared 2 years ago.
The conflict with the sects of Heavenly Water Isle had always been irreconcilable.
Since that was the case, there was nothing to fear.
What Chen Sanshi needed to do was accelerate his cultivation speed—ideally to seize control over the life and death of the ancestral vein itself. If the seal could not be maintained, then he would simply destroy it.
A campaign against the Immortal sects was inevitable; it was merely a question of sooner or later.
First and foremost, he needed people.
Possessing only the formations from the Heavenly Book was not enough. He required a large number of generals cultivating both the Immortal Path and the martial path—and that demanded immense resources.
For martial cultivation, spiritual medicines were needed to activate Mirror Gods. For the Immortal Path, various spirit pills were required.
The road was obstructed and long; only by cutting through thorns could it be traversed.
"Sima Yao."
After the hall emptied, Chen Sanshi turned and asked, "Are Sima Lan and Sima Chi close to entering the True Force Realm?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Sima Yao bowed deeply, cupping his fists with utmost respect.
"Thanks to Your Majesty's gracious bestowal of pills, along with the gift of spiritual energy, my two sons will surely break through into the True Force Realm before long and serve Your Majesty with loyalty!"
In truth, breaking through from Mortal Shedding into the True Force Realm required not only pills and spiritual energy, but also one of three heavenly treasures.
The Sima clan was a declining martial family, yet still retained some foundation.
Emperor Tianwu asked, "Heavenly treasures such as Mirror God Fruit, Undying Grass, and Spirit Rhinoceros Horn—without going through the various sects, is there anywhere else in Heavenly Water Isle where they may be found?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty,"
Sima Yao replied gravely, "each of those heavenly treasures requires at least 500 years to mature and is exceedingly difficult to cultivate.
"Take Mirror God Fruit as an example.
"The tree requires 100 years to sprout, 200 years to mature, and another 300 years to bear fruit. Each time, it produces only 2 fruits, after which it withers and must be replanted.
"One of the two fruits must be kept as a seed.
"That means 600 years yield only a single usable fruit.
"Undying Grass and Spirit Rhinoceros Horn are similar. In times when heaven and earth were rich in spiritual energy, such items were precious but not scarce. In the present era, I fear only major sects possess any stockpile. Otherwise, one must search through secret realms, ruins, or even ancient tombs."
"In other words,"
Chen Sanshi leaned back against the dragon throne, "they are indeed difficult to gather."
Sima Yao lowered his head.
"My clan still has 2 Mirror God Fruits, along with a portion of Heavenly Wolf demon blood. I respectfully request permission to offer them!"
"Oh?"
Emperor Tianwu asked, "Does your Sima clan not need them?"
"Within the Sima clan, only Lan and Chi possess tolerable aptitude. The rest are unworthy of heavy responsibility. Keeping them would only be wasteful."
Sima Yao spoke firmly.
"There is also a True Force technique titled Heavenly Wolf Saber Manual, which I likewise humbly offer."
"Very well. The new dynasty has only just been established and resources are scarce. The court will accept these items. Your Sima clan's merit will be duly recorded."
Chen Sanshi slowly rose to his feet.
"Pass down the order. From this day forward, Wanshou Palace shall be renamed Wujiang Hall. Expand the outer perimeter and construct Tianyong City, to serve as the cultivation ground of Great Han.
"From now on, select those within the army who possess spiritual roots and strong martial aptitude and send them to Tianyong City for cultivation."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Behind Daming Palace, around the former Wanshou Palace grounds, a brand-new city was constructed in short order. Spirit pearls were embedded within it to replace a first-rank spiritual vein.
From that day on, including Emperor Tianwu himself, all would cultivate within this new city.
As before, when constructing the city, Chen Sanshi personally took charge alongside his generals and did not conscript forced labor.
The range over which the spiritual energy within the spirit pearl could spread was inherently controllable. It could function entirely like a normal spiritual vein, after all it originated from remnants of the ancestral vein.
Moreover, the spirit pearl contained a special power that would not interfere with the seal of heaven and earth. It was truly the best of both worlds.
After Tianyong City was completed, Chen Sanshi gathered his children and disciples within Wujiang Hall, preparing to examine their aptitudes one by one before deciding how to cultivate them.
Chen Duhe — no spiritual root, superior martial aptitude.
Chen Yunxi — upper-grade Wood spiritual root, special constitution. From her displayed abilities, she appeared capable of communicating with spirit beasts and attracting them. The specifics remained unknown.
Su Can — no spiritual root, superior martial aptitude.
Yu Ji — middle-grade Earth spiritual root, average martial aptitude.
Yu Lie — no spiritual root, average martial aptitude.
Of the Mirror God Fruits presented by Sima Yao, based on their cultivation results, one was bestowed upon Sixth Senior Brother Wang Zhi, and the other upon Ninth Senior Sister Rong Yanqiu.
The former cultivated the Water-Element Breathing Method within Heavenly River Sword Technique, while the latter cultivated the Fire-Element Breathing Method within Dragon Scripture.
As for the selection of techniques for True Force martial artists, there was also Wei Xuan's Splash-Ink Eighteen Blades, Song Guizhi's Jade-Green Staff Art, and the Sima clan's Heavenly Wolf Saber Manual.
Though these techniques bore names involving blades or swords, they were not restricted to such weapons. They were merely methods to temper the Mirror Gods.
Using the corresponding weapon was best, but one could also use them solely to cultivate the various attributes of True Force, then wield whatever weapon suited them best.
The path of cultivation stretched across years and years. Who knew how many seasons would pass, and how many would fall behind along the way?
Such was the inevitable pain of the path to longevity. Not everyone could walk to the end, especially those without spiritual roots or lacking sufficient aptitude.
In the blink of an eye, another year passed.
It was now June of the 4th year of Tianwu.
The flourishing age of Tianwu had descended upon the continent.
After nearly 5 years of recuperation and rebuilding, along with the redistribution of farmland, the entire realm presented a scene of peace and harmony.
Technique: Swallowing Fire Art · Qi Refining Layer 7
Progress: 565/1200
His progress on the Immortal Path had advanced once more.
But due to various factors, the pace of martial cultivation was growing slower and slower.
First, there were no pills. Second, spiritual energy was insufficient.
A journey to Heavenly Water Isle was imperative.
For several consecutive months, Chen Sanshi remained within Wujiang Hall refining pills, steadily improving his alchemy skills.
Within Daze Market, martial cultivation resources were rarely sold.
One either hunted in the Black Forest or dealt directly with sects and clans.
Back then,
Chen Sanshi had made an agreement with the Bai family—should he one day become a second-tier alchemist, he could seek cooperation.
Now that the realm was stable and the accumulated state affairs largely handled, it was time to make that trip and prepare for the future.
As one batch of first-tier pills after another emerged from the furnace, his grasp over the transformations of the Great Dao within the alchemy furnace grew ever more refined. His divine sense became increasingly exquisite, and mistakes were now virtually nonexistent.
When the final portion of alchemy materials in his storage bag was consumed, Chen Sanshi felt a sudden stirring in his mind. A brand-new comprehension of the alchemical path arose, and the interface panel flickered.
Skill: Alchemy (Second Tier)
Progress: 0/1000
Effect: Identify Formula Upon Seeing Pill
Identify Formula Upon Seeing Pill: Based on the realm of one's divine sense, any pill seen can immediately have its formula discerned, including materials and specific refining methods.
Identify Formula Upon Seeing Pill!
Back when it had merely been mortal medical texts, there had been the effect Identify Formula Upon Seeing Medicine. Now that his alchemy had broken through to the second tier, he had finally obtained Identify Formula Upon Seeing Pill.
Its value was immeasurable!
In the cultivation world, more precious than resources was inheritance.
For example, the True Martial Pill once purchased to break through to Martial Saint—the pill itself was expensive, and its formula alone cost 2,000 spirit stones!
The refining methods of various other pills were likewise difficult to obtain. Thus, Identify Formula Upon Seeing Pill was of truly immense utility.
However, like Identify Formula Upon Seeing Medicine, it could not exceed the scope of one's own power.
Identify Formula Upon Seeing Medicine could only decipher mortal decoctions.
Identify Formula Upon Seeing Pill required matching one's divine sense.
Divine sense, in turn, was linked to one's realm.
It could essentially be understood that whatever one's realm was, that tier of pills could be discerned. For example, his current middle stage of the True Force Realm corresponded to second tier.
Before the Mirror Gods were opened,
martial cultivators possessed no divine sense.
Only after the Mirror Gods were opened did Chen Sanshi begin to perceive the strengthening of his divine sense.
This was of tremendous help to all the hundred arts of cultivation.
For he did not possess only martial divine sense—cultivating the Immortal Path also enhanced divine sense. The two combined meant that his divine sense surpassed others of the same realm by a considerable margin.
After putting away the alchemy furnace, Chen Sanshi attended morning court the next day. Once court was dismissed, he convened the cabinet within Zhongjue Hall.
He declared that he would enter seclusion for a period of time and instructed them to properly handle state affairs.
At present, the cabinet consisted of 7 members.
Xu Wencai, as Grand Chancellor, required no further mention.
Sima Yao was appointed Grand Scholar of Jianji Hall, Vice Grand Chancellor, and Minister of Works.
Cheng Wei was appointed Grand Scholar of Wuying Hall and Minister of Revenue.
Qi Cheng was appointed Grand Scholar of Wenhua Hall and Minister of War.
Tang Yingke was appointed Grand Scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion and Minister of Personnel.
Fu Kejin, originally from Northern Liang, was appointed Grand Scholar of Dongge Hall and Minister of Justice.
Finally, an upright elder official retained from the previous dynasty, Li Jincheng, was appointed Grand Scholar of Jinshen Hall and Minister of Rites.
These comprised the entirety of the cabinet members.
After giving his instructions, Chen Sanshi dismissed everyone, leaving only Xu Wencai behind. He informed him that he would be leaving for a period of time—at shortest a few months, at longest half a year—and emphasized that state affairs must be handled properly. As for matters of military force, he could consult the various senior brothers and the couple Wei Xuan and his wife.
"Your Majesty's departure presents an opportunity to recruit talent," Xu Wencai pondered. "Now that Tianyong City has just been established and the number of cultivators is insufficient, it would be wise to attract some cultivators from Heavenly Water Isle into the court as officials, to serve as a transitional measure."
"Reasonable."
Though Chen Sanshi lacked abundant resources, he did possess a free first-rank spiritual vein. That alone would be enough to attract quite a few Qi Refining cultivators.
However, his identity was special, and he could not act openly. It would have to be left to fate.
"Your Majesty, please wait. I have one more matter to advise."
Xu Wencai bowed and said, "Your Majesty is now the Son of Heaven of an Immortal dynasty. You ought to widely accept consorts, strengthen the imperial clan, and it would be best to take more women with spiritual roots into the harem!"
"This matter is not urgent. I am still some distance from death."
After finishing his arrangements, Chen Sanshi rose and departed.
Before heading to Heavenly Water Isle, he made a special trip to the ancestral vein of Mount Zheng.
The entire Hanshan mountain range was silent and still, with no visible signs of activity for the time being. But for the Eastern Divine Continent, this was no different from a ticking time bomb.
All he could do was pursue time with all his strength, lest he be caught unprepared when the moment arrived.
Skill: Art of Disguise (Limit Break Stage 1)
Progress: 502/2000
Effect: Conceal Qi
Chen Sanshi's Art of Disguise had already reached Limit Break Stage 1. Unless he spent extended time face-to-face with a Golden Core cultivator or personally made a move and exposed himself, he would not easily be discovered.
With that thought, he no longer hesitated and flew on his sword toward The Edge of the World.
The purpose of this trip was clear.
First, to see whether cooperation with the Bai family could obtain martial resources suited for the middle stage of the True Force Realm.
Second, to search for a second-tier cave dwelling to quickly raise his martial cultivation. If he could not break through to the late stage of the True Force Realm in the short term, then relying on his upper-grade spiritual root to advance his Immortal Path to Foundation Establishment would also be acceptable.
In the cultivation world, killing across realms was not as simple as in the mortal martial world.
After all, cultivators often trained for decades or even centuries. If they could be easily slain across realms, then those years would have been lived in vain.
But if he cultivated both the martial path and the Immortal Path together, then even upon encountering a cultivator at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, he would not be without options. Not to mention that after reaching Foundation Establishment, one's lifespan would increase by 100 years.
From Mount Bu to Lingnan Town of the Southern Xu Kingdom, more than 10 days passed.
When Chen Sanshi once again arrived at Lingnan Town, gazing at the familiar scenery and fishing village, it seemed as though nothing had changed, and yet everything was no longer what it once had been. The scene remained, but the people were gone.
This time, he did not bring Zhao Zhao, but came alone.
The ship used to cross the sea had been seized from fallen cultivators.
Speaking of which, the large quantity of magical artifacts and pills seized were of little use to Chen Sanshi, but he did not intend to sell them. Instead, he left them within Tianyong City for others to exchange and use.
The spirit stones seized alone were enough to sustain him for quite some time.
Within a few days,
Chen Sanshi arrived at the small island at The Edge of the World.
Out of caution, he circled the island to confirm that no one was present before heading to the ancient teleportation array. In truth, under the suppression of the seal, however many cultivators came would only be courting death.
Taking out the jade token, spiritual light flashed.
After a brief moment of dizziness, when Chen Sanshi opened his eyes again, he had already arrived within the territory of Heavenly Water Isle.
The landing anchor point of the ancient teleportation array was randomly distributed within a large area, so there was no need to worry about ambush.
Only after flying through the air for quite some time did he finally determine his location. He altered his appearance into that of an ordinary-looking man, donned a black robe, and entered the northern interior of Heavenly Water Isle.
After crossing hundreds of mountains and passing several markets, a few mountain peaks—modest in height yet beautifully scenic—appeared before him.
As usual, Chen Sanshi first entered Daze Market, preparing to purchase some materials with the spirit stones he had seized.
The moment he entered the market, the most eye-catching sight was his own bounty notice.
Bounty Mission: Enter the Eastern Divine Continent and assassinate the mortal emperor of the Han dynasty, Chen Sanshi.
Reward: 1 Foundation Establishment Pill; 1 second-tier cave dwelling; choice of becoming a true-core disciple of any Golden Core sect; 10,000 low-grade spirit stones; 100 middle-grade spirit stones; choose 2 items each from second-tier magical artifacts, pills, spirit beasts, formations, and talismans; one instance of protection from a Golden Core sect. For details, consult the market steward at the Deacon Hall.
The rewards were so generous that even Chen Sanshi himself felt tempted. They were essentially all things he needed.
He estimated that such lavish rewards must have been jointly pooled by several major sects along with the Li family.
Chen Sanshi first went to the stall area of the market and located Bai Linxun, who was selling weapons, confirming he was indeed present.
He then hired an old acquaintance, Mo Zhu, to deliver a storage bag to Bai Linxun. Inside were all the pills owed to the Bai family.
They had agreed back then that the refined pills would be split equally.
The reason he did not appear personally was, naturally, to avoid exposure.
Though the Bai family was at odds with the Li family, circumstances had changed. Chen Sanshi's identity was no longer what it once had been.
Killing him could earn protection from a Golden Core sect.
No one knew whether members of the Bai family would be tempted. They had conducted business together, but their relationship was not particularly deep.
It was best not to test human nature.
As for the assistance he had once promised, he would relay it through Mo Zhu at a later time, without revealing himself.
Within the limits of his ability, Chen Sanshi would lend aid.
Bai Linxun was sitting quietly before his stall when a storage bag suddenly appeared in front of him. He started in surprise.
"Fellow Daoist Mo, what is this?"
"Heh heh…"
Mo Zhu chuckled. "Just now, a cultivator I didn't recognize asked me to pass this to you. There's a mark on it—I haven't opened it."
"Oh?"
Bai Linxun picked up the storage bag, erased the mark, and probed inside. When he saw the dazzling array of pills within, understanding dawned on him immediately. He quickly asked, "Where is he?"
"Gone."
Mo Zhu replied casually.
"Very well."
Bai Linxun did not make a fuss. After putting away the storage bag, he sat back down as if nothing had happened.
Hidden in the shadows, Chen Sanshi confirmed that the items had reached the other party before turning to leave. During the process, he altered his appearance twice more. Each time he remained utterly ordinary, without any distinguishing features worth remembering.
He made his way to the Treasure Pavilion in Daze Market. Sweeping his gaze across the shelves, he quickly noticed two types of pills: the first-rank upper-grade pill "Azure Wave Pill" and the second-rank lower-grade pill "Nine Li Pill."
Among the many pills available, these two were relatively precious cultivation-enhancing pills.
The former corresponded to the late stage of Qi Refining, priced at 80 spirit stones per pill. The latter corresponded to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, priced at 150 spirit stones per pill.
Pills for spell cultivators were not as expensive as those for martial cultivators, but they were still costly. For Chen Sanshi, saving where possible was preferable.
Thus, he purchased only one Azure Wave Pill. Then, turning to the female cultivator managing the shop, he spoke softly, "Fellow Daoist, might I take a look at the quality of the Nine Li Pill?"
"Of course."
The female cultivator took out a pill and used mana to suspend it in midair. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. Even for second-rank pills, our Treasure Pavilion guarantees absolute quality. Anything below superior grade would never be put up for sale."
"Indeed, not bad."
Chen Sanshi nodded slightly. He had already deciphered and memorized the Nine Li Pill's formula in his heart. He then asked, "May I inquire whether your pavilion sells Foundation Establishment Pills? Might I take a look, so I can prepare in advance?"
"So Senior is preparing for Foundation Establishment? No wonder you are purchasing second-rank pills."
The female cultivator became noticeably more respectful. "However, Foundation Establishment Pills are extremely hard to obtain. We do not currently have any in stock. Even if we do in the future, they will likely require competition."
"Very well. Many thanks, Fellow Daoist. I shall take my leave."
After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, Chen Sanshi repeated the same method in several other shops throughout Daze Market.
Each time, he would first purchase the cheapest pill, then use the excuse of inspecting quality to examine other pills. In less than half a day, he had obtained more than 20 pill formulas of various types.
From this point onward, even among all second-rank alchemists in Heavenly Water Isle, the number of pill formulas Chen Sanshi possessed would absolutely rank among the top.
Moreover, most of these shops were backed by the Guiyuan Sect and Shengyun Sect. There was no reason not to take what was available.
After finishing these matters, he turned toward the Deacon Hall.
Second floor.
The one managing miscellaneous affairs was still the familiar Xu Youliang. Beside him stood a young man who addressed him as Master during conversation.
It was the very mortal youth who had once arrived at The Edge of the World with a large bag of spirit stones and flaunted it everywhere. Unexpectedly, Xu Youliang had truly taken him in as a disciple.
"A second-rank cave dwelling?"
Upon hearing the request, Xu Youliang grew serious. "Are you a Foundation Establishment Senior?"
"I am still a Qi Refining cultivator."
Chen Sanshi had long used Conceal Qi to hide his martial cultivation, displaying only late-stage Qi Refining. "Renting a second-rank cave dwelling is merely to quickly raise my cultivation to perfection. Does your market have such a place available?"
"Heh."
Xu Youliang explained, "The Li family's market possesses only a first-rank top-grade spiritual vein. However, near the main vein, certain cave dwellings are equipped with Spirit Gathering Formations. By consuming spirit stones, the spiritual vein within the cave dwelling can temporarily be elevated to second rank. When available, these are also rented out.
"As for the price, it is naturally more expensive than ordinary dwellings.
"400 spirit stones per year. Any consumption from activating the formation must be borne by yourself. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"
A top-grade cave dwelling cost 100 spirit stones per year. The pseudo second-rank version was directly four times as much.
At present, Chen Sanshi did not lack spirit stones. The amount seized from the formation master Shan Liangcheng alone was considerable.
But he understood that wealth must not be flaunted. He therefore acted as though deeply pained and, during bargaining, revealed that he was a second-rank alchemist to lend plausibility.
In the end, the bargaining bore no fruit. After walking a few steps out of the Deacon Hall, he grit his teeth, turned back upstairs, and resolutely decided to rent the cave dwelling.
"Why be so stingy, Fellow Daoist? You are, after all, a second-rank alchemist. This amount of spirit stones can easily be earned back!
"Moreover, if you are willing to remain in the market as an official, part of the rent can even be waived."
Chen Sanshi declined politely. "That will not be necessary. I am but a loose cultivator of humble background, accustomed to drifting like idle clouds and wild cranes. I only wish to cultivate in peace."
"Very well. Then let us sign the contract."