Chapter 357

Chapter 357: Shaping a Legendary Empire with One’s Own Hands

That night, the Western Desert lay sleepless.

No one could have imagined that the mighty Taixu Dynasty, which had ruled the Western Desert for thousands of years, would suffer such a staggering blow.

After losing ten great sages in the Falling Star Mountain Range, along with over a hundred Great Boundless warriors, ten thousand Black Wolf Riders, and one thousand Zhu Yue Army soldiers, they had been dealt another devastating strike by the Buddha Immortals. That attack had ravaged the Taixu Palace, causing unimaginable losses. On top of it all, they had been forced to repel an invasion by more than eighty saints from various sacred dynasties across the Western Desert, only to end the day by issuing a formal retreat.

The Taixu Dynasty, which had roamed and dominated the Western Desert for more than ten thousand years, had actually been pushed back.

It was almost unbelievable.

People were shocked and astounded.

When they traced the source of these events, they discovered that it had all stemmed from a single young man from the Southern Region.

And their astonishment deepened even further.

Soon, countless people began frantically searching for the identity of this mysterious youth.

It wasn’t long before a shocking revelation swept through the Western Desert.

Since the rise of Eternal Night, a new sacred land had finally emerged.

The Battle God of the Southern Region had swept through, making history.

He possessed the first Great Boundless of the Southern Region.

He was one of the most invincible saints the Southern Region had ever seen.

Facing the joint siege of the Top Ten Saint-level Forces of the Southern Region, he stood firm, and became the Lord of the Sacred Forest, the Eleventh Sacred Land!

He was the first Lord of the Sacred Forest in all of recorded history to have achieved such a position without even stepping into the immeasurable stage.

Such a series of accomplishments was nothing short of astonishing.

Zhang Yang’s name spread throughout the Western Desert overnight.

Details of the battle at Heavenly Reaching Mountain began circulating, causing an even greater stir.

The key point was that the Taixu Dynasty could not deny it.

There had simply been too many witnesses.

As a result, Zhang Yang attained an almost divine status across the Western Desert, becoming even more fearsome than in the Southern Region.

Naturally, this news reached the Southern Region as well, igniting an enormous wave of excitement.

The name of the Battle God of the Southern Region triggered renewed fervor. Many had already flocked to the Vast Forest, and now their numbers increased further as large groups from the Western Desert began to pour in as well.

Zhang Yang had become a living legend in both regions.

While the outside world buzzed with excitement, Zhang Yang remained in a quiet palace within the Tiger King Palace on Heavenly Reaching Mountain, communicating with Chi Zhenyi through the Spirit Communication Stone.

Their topic of discussion: the Great Perfection of the path of a saint.

With Zhang Yang taking control of Heavenly Reaching Mountain, it was only natural for the Tiger King Palace to be chosen as the headquarters of the newly founded Falling Star Holy Place.

This place was guarded by boundless starlight, a force that had once shaken Eternal Night, making it a region few dared to enter.

Furthermore, the return of the Buddha Immortals, even in their headless state, to the Abyss of the Buried Immortals, cast a fresh shadow of terror over the Falling Star Mountain Range.

Zhang Yang had commanded the Headless Monk to attack the Taixu Palace.

Who would dare provoke them now?

Who would dare risk being targeted by Zhang Yang again? Regardless of the circumstances, no one dared set foot there lightly.

The natural barrier formed in this place was even more terrifying than the Vast Forest.

In that fearsome silence, the newly born and still-fragile Falling Star Holy Place quietly began to grow.

Outside, the world bustled with excitement.

Inside, Zhang Yang focused on a singular goal: to shape the true number one saint in the world, one who would surpass not only the current number one, Zhan Tianque, but also the still-living legends; Divine King Taiyi, Ghost King Yingtian, Shui Lianyi, Star Flame Saint, and other peerless saints from across the realms.

Only then could the Vast Forest and the Falling Star Holy Place truly stand tall and dominate both the Southern Region and the Western Desert.

Upon hearing Zhang Yang’s words, Chi Zhenyi was stunned at first, thinking it a joke.

That changed when Zhang Yang directly demonstrated the Great Perfection of the Slaughter Thunder Saint Power, unleashing the fearsome Slaughter Sacred Thunder.

Only then did Chi Zhenyi realize, it was real.

“Great Perfection! Great Perfection! Great Perfection!”

Chi Zhenyi murmured, dazzling light rising in the depths of his eyes.

His breathing grew heavy, and his body trembled with excitement. He understood exactly what it meant.

“Do you remember what you once told me?” Zhang Yang asked. “A seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary statement, you said: No one knows whether Eternal Night happened hundreds of thousands of years ago or a million years ago.”

Chi Zhenyi’s eyes suddenly lit up with clarity.

Zhang Yang continued, “How is it that people in our vast world don’t even know how many years have passed? Saints typically live a thousand years, and with powerful medicine, holy elixirs, or even immortal elixirs, they can live for three or four thousand years—sometimes longer. That Jin Xunxian has lived for ten thousand years. So how is it that we don’t know how much time has passed?”

“Eternal Night is intentionally confusing us!” Chi Zhenyi stated.

“That’s the only explanation I can think of,” Zhang Yang sneered. “And think about it—who are the figures we remember for leaving a glorious mark after Eternal Night? The Supreme Emperor, the Ghost King—how long ago did they live? Certainly more than ten thousand years ago. But was it even twenty thousand? Why haven’t I found any concrete trace of that?”

“Can it really be that the vast world after Eternal Night has remained so weak for hundreds of thousands of years?”

“And the most crucial point is that our world has two heavens: the Vast Heaven and Eternal Night Heaven.”

“Eternal Night Heaven is strong. Vast Heaven is weak.”

“Yet Vast Heaven still exists. If Eternal Night truly had absolute power, they would have destroyed our entire martial cultivation system, including all aspects of the immortal path. But they haven’t. If they could violate the great path’s rules to kill me, they would’ve done so already. But they haven’t. Why? Is it because Vast Heaven still restrains them? Or is there another reason?”

“Whatever the case, Eternal Night still operates within rules. Otherwise, why would they need to cultivate henchmen in the Southern Region and Western Desert, slowly building human power and eroding these regions over thousands of years? And the other three regions are no better off.”

“Then… Can we draw a conclusion?”

“Eternal Night can only suppress the realms closest to the immortal path and hinder the birth of new immortals.”

“And then… it creates misdirection on top of that.”

Chi Zhenyi’s breathing grew heavier, his voice filled with conviction. “I once debated this with Zhan Tianque. He also said that the heavens are flawed, that the realm of Great Perfection in the path of a saint has been deliberately erased.”

Zhang Yang responded, “So as long as the Great Perfection of the saint path exists, there’s still a chance to reach the immortal path. The entire martial arts system hasn’t been destroyed. As for my practice—it might be a special form of the immortal path… maybe even a forbidden path.”

“A forbidden immortal path…” Chi Zhenyi frowned. “There is such a saying. In certain eras of the immortal path before Eternal Night, some were born extraordinary and followed their own path, different from the mainstream—and ultimately achieved incredible results.”

Zhang Yang smiled. “Whether our deductions are right or wrong, one thing is certain that the Great Perfection of the path of a saint is attainable. If you cultivate and reach that realm, then you’ll become the number one saint in the world, truly invincible.”

Chi Zhenyi’s eyes lit up, brimming with excitement.

For him, it wasn’t just about becoming invincible in the vast world. It was a chance, perhaps the only one to touch the immortal path.

Immortality, the ultimate goal longed for by all, yet one that remained eternally out of reach.

Chi Zhenyi was thrilled.

Zhang Yang continued, “Soon, I’ll have Sister Yu return briefly to gather resources and personnel to help establish the Falling Star Holy Place. I’ll also send you a portion of the Slaughter Sacred Thunder.”

Chi Zhenyi’s eyes gleamed as he responded, “Then, before you become a saint, I’ll take the lead and claim the title of number one in the world!”