Chapter 150

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Chapter 150: The Distant Future

In the dense woods, Ye Yun led Duan Chenfeng and Yu Minghong swiftly forward. Within half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they had already traveled dozens of miles deep into the forest.

*Pfft!*

Duan Chenfeng suddenly stopped, vomiting a mouthful of dark purple blood. The sight was horrifying.

“Senior Brother Duan, you’re injured?” Yu Minghong asked urgently, unable to believe his eyes.

“Zhen Huacheng’s blade strike earlier was overwhelmingly powerful. Even after we redirected most of its force, it still left a thin crack on your Little Xuanwu Shield. That shows how terrifying his strength is,” Ye Yun explained calmly, as if he had anticipated this.

“So you saw through it and decided to retreat?” Yu Minghong blurted out.

“Exactly. There’s no need to clash head-on with Zhen Huacheng now. We’ll have plenty of chances to deal with him later,” Ye Yun nodded. Though Zhen Huacheng’s cultivation level had reached the peak of the fourth level of the Qi refining stage, Ye Yun felt no fear. If he summoned the Nine Hells Spirit Settling Mirror, Fire Flame Explosive Cloud, and other medium-grade spiritual weapons, he could easily ensure their safety.

*Haaah…*

Duan Chenfeng exhaled deeply, finally catching his breath. He glanced at Ye Yun and nodded in silent gratitude.

“Zhen Huacheng’s power was beyond my expectations. Without you today, I would have met my death here.”

Ye Yun waved dismissively. “We’re brothers—no need for such words. Zhen Huacheng only surpasses us in realm and Celestial Techniques. Once we break through to the Qi refining stage, slaying him will be as simple as turning our palms.”

“We’ll reach the Qi refining stage eventually, but I feel something’s missing. I can’t fully condense my true qi yet,” Duan Chenfeng muttered, furrowing his brows.

Condensing true qi to ascend to the Qi refining stage was the most basic aspiration for every disciple at the peak of the body refinement stage. Yet the path of cultivation was merciless. Even a single step away from advancement, lacking comprehension of the Qi refining stage’s principles could prevent true qi from properly taking form.

“Patience. We’ll break through when the time comes—and it won’t be long,” Ye Yun said indifferently. Truthfully, he lacked urgency. Having witnessed the grace of the Heart of Immortals and Demons’ former master, his ambitions had settled.

“Patience sounds easy, but practicing it is hard,” Duan Chenfeng sighed.

The path of cultivation meant battling heaven, earth, others, and oneself. Defeating others was trivial; conquering one’s inner demons was the true challenge.

Throughout history, countless prodigies had risen swiftly under their sects’ guidance, only to fall to obsession and vanish like smoke.

Ye Yun smiled faintly but said nothing. Each person had their own path. Only by finding it could one advance unhindered toward supremacy.

“Senior Brother Ye, where should we search for the tokens?” Yu Minghong asked.

“No hurry. Our priority is Senior Brother Duan’s recovery. Ideally, we’ll all break through to the Qi refining stage,” Ye Yun replied softly.

“But if we don’t seek tokens, how will we qualify? Must we really turn on fellow disciples and steal theirs?” Yu Minghong frowned.

Ye Yun and Duan Chenfeng exchanged amused glances. “If we don’t steal, others will steal from us. Junior Brother Yu, remember: the path of cultivation is brutal—kill or be killed. Zhen Huacheng won’t spare us. Once he claims tokens, we’ll take them from him.”

“Besides Zhen Huacheng, those black-robed disciples led by Zhong Ying are trouble too. The rest aren’t worth worrying about,” Duan Chenfeng added with a cold snort.

Yu Minghong nodded reluctantly. “Cultivation is too harsh. If not for my father forcing me here, I’d have chosen an ordinary life.”

“Come to think of it, you’ve never mentioned your homeland. Where are you from?” Ye Yun asked.

“I’m not from the Jin Kingdom. My home is the Great Qin Empire, ten thousand miles west. My family is a minor clan in the Qin Empire’s capital.”

“The Great Qin Empire?!”

Duan Chenfeng gaped at him in shock.

“What’s special about this empire?” Ye Yun, hailing from the borderlands, had never heard of it.

Duan Chenfeng inhaled deeply. “Most Jin citizens never leave the kingdom, believing it the world’s center. But beyond Jin lie countless nations—our kingdom is but a speck among them.”

“I knew that much… from the Heavenly Sword Sect’s records,” Ye Yun nodded.

“Brother Ye, you might not realize that nations also have hierarchies of power, just like the Heavenly Sword Sect’s clear ranking system,” Yu Minghong interjected.

“How so?” Ye Yun asked with curiosity.

“Hierarchies between countries?” Duan Chenfeng echoed, intrigued. He’d only known other kingdoms existed beyond Jin Kingdom but never considered their differences.

Yu Minghong nodded. “If the Great Qin Empire were Shadowless Peak, then Jin Kingdom would be Tian Zhu Peak. Jin submits to Great Qin’s rule, paying tributes of resources and treasures every decade for protection.”

Shock flashed across Ye Yun and Duan Chenfeng’s faces. They’d never imagined Jin was merely a vassal state.

“The distinctions are strict. Jin is a kingdom. Above kingdoms lie empires like Great Qin. Higher still is the Jiaoyue Dynasty – each dynasty governs ten empires, and each empire commands dozens of kingdoms.” Yu Minghong’s gentle voice carried unexpected weight.

His words struck like thunderbolts. Jin was but a tiny kingdom under Great Qin, which itself answered to the unimaginable might of Jiaoyue Dynasty.

“What exists beyond dynasties?” Duan Chenfeng breathed, awestruck.

Yu Minghong shook his head. “Unknown.”

Ye Yun stared into the distance, his worldview expanding. Beyond Jin’s borders lay vast horizons waiting to be explored.

In tiny Jin, Heavenly Sword Sect reigned supreme. But in Great Qin? Such sects must be commonplace.

For centuries, Heavenly Sword Sect produced mere handful of Golden Core stage cultivators. Current spatial magical arrays were built by foundation establishment stage experts – far below true Golden Pill masters.

Great Qin must teem with Golden Pill masters to control so many kingdoms. As for Jiaoyue Dynasty? There, even Golden Pill masters might be insignificant.

Present concerns faded as Ye Yun’s ambition burned. He’d improve his cultivation level, journeying beyond Jin to Great Qin and Jiaoyue Dynasty.

“Ye Yun, I’ve mostly recovered.” Duan Chenfeng rose, exhaling deeply.

The words snapped Ye Yun from his thoughts. “Since we’re waiting to act, let’s use this time to break through to Qi refining stage.”

“Here?” Both men blurted simultaneously. The dense woods offered no safety for cultivation.

“Our spiritual power accumulation suffices. We need intense pressure for final breakthrough,” Ye Yun countered.

“Where’s such pressure?” Yu Minghong asked.

Ye Yun’s gaze drifted before settling. “Where Divine Feather Vulture King dwells. Slaying it will forge our breakthrough.”

“Vulture King?!”

The ninth-level beast had haunted these lands for centuries, its power eclipsing even Zhen Huacheng’s. Provoking it seemed suicidal.

“Scared? If you fear a mere beast, becoming inner disciples means nothing,” Ye Yun taunted.

Duan Chenfeng bristled. “A ninth-level beast won’t stop us!”

Yu Minghong’s eyes blazed. “If you’ll go, I’ll follow!”

Ye Yun laughed freely. “Good! Our sights must reach beyond – to Great Qin, Jiaoyue Dynasty, and worlds unknown!”