Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 433 [This Shore] Seeks: Seclusion
Wu Zhou and Hela exchanged a glance.

The latter sneered, while the former seemed thoughtful.

The four of them were born at different times, one after the other. The oldest among them was not Taiyi, but Yan, followed by Wuzhou.

As for Taiyi...

This person was personally "invited" by Wu Zhou.

Hela is the "smallest" of the four demons.

So when Taiyi and Wuyi hit it off, their first target was Hela.

In theory, Yan's knowledge of various secrets might indeed surpass theirs.

It is even highly likely that Yan had dealings with this organization called "This Shore" back then.

Based on this, I, Zhou, traced back to the reasons for the contact between [This Shore] and Yan, and from this, I deduced the true desires of the [This Shore] organization.

In his view, any alliance must have a common purpose, especially a secretive force like [This Shore] that spans the boundary sea.

According to Chaoge, the Eye of the Bitter Sea is what they seek, but it is clearly not all, because finding the Eye of the Bitter Sea is not directly related to destroying other realms.

The destruction of an entire realm?
Wu Zhou shook his head to himself.

Both his and Hela's realms had encountered similar situations, but they had never heard of "this side".

Wu Zhou sorted through the known information—besides Yan, there was the Chaoxia Realm, which was personally led to destruction by the people of [This Shore], forcing Chaoge to risk breaking through.

Guided by your own hands toward destruction, an adventure that breaks through...

My gaze was deep and unfathomable; I guessed at a possibility.

Is the purpose of these people to force beings like Chaoge to break through to transcendence?

As his thoughts raced, Wu Zhou suddenly spoke:

“Ji Jingqiu, repeat what I said. I want to see Yan’s reaction.”

"—Under the guidance of [This Shore], the senior underwent a calamity of slaughter, massacring the realms of birth, yet ultimately only attained an incomplete state of transcendence, forced into exile, and compelled to live a precarious existence in the Nether Sea. People say the senior was extremely bloodthirsty, always seeking revenge, but now it seems most of those rumors are false. Judging from the senior's attitude towards [This Shore], he was quite… patient."

Ji Jingqiu was taken aback.

Was the secret technique for the Death Demon to break through and transcend the limits taught by [This Shore]?!

Was Wu Zhou's statement a guess he made at the moment, or a secret he heard somewhere?
Based on Wu Zhou's previous lack of reaction to "This Shore", Ji Jingqiu tentatively guessed it was the former!
But what evidence did this guy use to deduce this conjecture?

Ji Jingqiu was curious, but since the situation was not right, he suppressed his curiosity and simply repeated Wu Zhou's words verbatim.

This guy Zhou not only considered "honorific language," but also arranged the tone of these words perfectly.

A facade of respect masked, almost undisguised mockery.

When Ji Jingqiu perfectly repeated Wu Zhou's sarcasm, controlling his tone and expression, the atmosphere in this sealed land immediately became oppressive, like a storm brewing or the chilling atmosphere before winter.

The enormous face that protruded from beneath the seal, already nearing the limit of breaking the seal, slowly rose again.

"Who told you that?"

Beneath that icy voice, the overwhelming ferocity and killing intent, even through the seal, seemed poised to wreak havoc on the world.

Qinglian, standing behind, couldn't help but marvel.

He wasn't quite sure what "this shore" was, but he had to admit that Ji Jingqiu was truly adept at targeting this Death Demon's weaknesses and striking hard.

Since he was suppressed, I haven't seen him so furious.

So, Qinglian, who was in charge of the sealing center, shifted her position and suppressed the opponent's counterattack once again.

As for Ji Jingqiu and Wu Zhou, this attitude speaks for itself.

Ji Jingqiu exclaimed inwardly, "Wu Zhou, you really guessed right! The method by which the Death Demon slaughtered an entire realm to achieve transcendence was actually taught by [This Shore]! And with Chaoge as well... are these people eliminating the wrong methods for breaking through to transcendence?"

Zhou smiled slightly.

Ji Jingqiu wasn't stupid.

Furthermore, he and Taiyi never considered eliminating Yan first, simply because this guy was far too easy to understand compared to others, and was one of the sharpest swords in the world.

This is the downside of being accustomed to solving all problems through killing.

I, Zhou, have always despised this, yet I strongly support others adopting this style of conduct.

At this moment, even the killing intent overflowing from beneath the seal caused a change in this world. Endless killing intent condensed into a killing sword, like an invisible manifestation of the Great Dao, pointing towards Ji Jingqiu.

At the tip of the sword, countless fine sword energies crisscrossed, their killing intent so intense it was almost tangible. Even under the suppression of the Azure Lotus, the power of this sword still reached the Heavenly King level.

As for its sword charm, sword momentum, and sword intent...

It can be said that this sword strike itself is equivalent to a supreme sword manual for any swordsman who practices swordsmanship!
This time, without Zhou's guidance, Ji Jingqiu knew how to communicate.

“Why bother, senior? I’m not a member of this Shore.” Ji Jingqiu said with feigned helplessness. “I only went to the Dawn Realm. The destruction of this realm was also caused by this Shore. This information was also leaked by them.”

"What did the other party reveal?"

"When those people besieged Chaoge, in order to disrupt their minds, they cited past achievements as examples, and our predecessors were one of their 'achievements'," Ji Jingqiu said casually without blinking.

"A great undertaking? What a great undertaking!"

This person was clearly enraged to the extreme, unable to suppress his raging anger, and laughed in a fit of rage:
The rumbling sound shook heaven and earth. Under such circumstances, it still caused the Great Dao to roar. His cultivation in the Dao was truly unimaginable.

However, unexpectedly, his tone suddenly lowered as he said:
"Young man surnamed Ji, what good will it do to provoke me? Do you think my hostility towards [This Shore] is more important than my hostility towards your Federation?"

"How about this: you release me, and I'll join you in killing the forces of [this shore], shall we?"

The sarcasm in his words was palpable.

Ji Jingqiu smiled and said, "What you say makes sense, senior. I will talk to you about forming a temporary alliance once the people from [This Shore] arrive."

Yan snorted: "It'll be soon. Once those scum have their eyes on someone, they won't give up."

"Before that, I still need to rely on the seniors to hone my skills." Ji Jingqiu said with emotion, "This trip was in response to the calamity of heaven and earth, and I was able to experience the 'heroic feat' of the seniors back then. I gained a lot, but I was worried that my advancement was too fast and my foundation was not solid enough. After thinking it over, I felt more at ease here."

This time, Yan didn't reply, too lazy to pay attention to this quick-witted junior, and even the killing intent in the world vanished.

In the inner world, Wu Zhou said absentmindedly, "Yan is not a fool you can manipulate. There's no rush. Once we have a breakthrough, we'll have more opportunities to extract information from Yan in the future."

Ji Jingqiu approached the True Saint Qinglian, sat down opposite him, and shared with him the events that had occurred during his journey.

Hearing the truth behind the destruction of the Chaoxia Realm, and how Ji Jingqiu, facing the calamity of heaven and earth, shattered Chaoge's golden body with a single sword strike...

Qinglian was momentarily lost in thought.

I had long heard of the vastness beyond the boundary, but I never imagined it would be so wonderful and dangerous.

A single misstep could have led to the destruction of the entire realm...

Qinglian sighed, "No wonder the five pillars insisted on building the Great Luo Heaven to replace the Great Universe; they probably had their guard up all along. On our side, there are more than just one or two people with ulterior motives."

Ji Jingqiu looked serious.

Even within the entire Boundary Sea, the Netherworld's strength is among the strongest. However, the problem lies in the fact that the Netherworld lacks a unified force. Even within the five pillars, there are internal conflicts and clashes of interest.

Once a certain force is willing to "guide" those outside the boundary, it's truly impossible to guard against.

"【This Shore】..."

After hearing Ji Jingqiu's description of "This Shore" and the speculation that had just been made, Qinglian suddenly fell silent.

"What's wrong, senior?" Ji Jingqiu asked, somewhat surprised.

“I should have told you before—” Qinglian said in a deep voice,
"At the beginning of this world, the five pillars and many innate deities came into being."

"Those were wild times, without etiquette, without good and evil, without order, and without war. Everything 'went with the Way'."

"Until a visitor from outside the boundary found the gateway to this realm."

"Those people brought divine laws to this realm, but also disrupted the order of this world. In the end, the five pillars joined forces with many primordial beings to drive them out and establish the earliest rule."

"These people are the first visitors from outside this world to come to this realm."

Qinglian raised one finger.

Upon hearing this, Ji Jingqiu's expression changed slightly.

"These people are connected to [this side]?!"

Qinglian shook her head and said softly, "This group claims to be from the 'Dao Ancestor lineage.' I'm not sure if they have any connection with 'This Shore,' but the second group of visitors from outside the boundary is very likely to be related to what you call 'This Shore.'"

"The second batch..."

Ji Jingqiu recalled for a moment.

He had heard about the related secrets from Cang You after the giant creature in the last [Burial of the Sea] revealed its true form.

The second group of contacts dates back to the middle period of the Five Pillars of Rule.

At this point, the five pillars had realized their own limitations and were trying to take another step forward.

The contact with the second group of outsiders allowed the five pillars and some innate deities to obtain many secret techniques.

Among them, the "Eternal History" is one of the precious fragments of the scripture that the five pillars obtained from outsiders.

According to Wu Zhou's speculation, if the goal of "This Shore" is indeed to help others break through to transcendence and thus verify the Dharma, then the second batch of people who came into contact with the Netherworld... could very well be members of "This Shore".

but……

Aren't these people afraid of a backlash?

Ji Jingqiu frowned. For example, if Chaoge really succeeds in breaking through, how can these people have a good ending?
Unless they are absolutely certain that Chaoge will fail!

From this perspective—

The members of [This Shore] clearly have different ways of doing things, and their experiences in the Dawn Realm, the Nether Realm, and even the Death Demon are completely different.

The experience of Chaoxiajie was the most brutal and direct.

As for the first group of people who ventured into the Netherworld in an attempt to spread its teachings...

"The lineage of the Dao Ancestor..." Ji Jingqiu's pupils contracted slightly, "Could it be the Ancestor of the Great Dao?"

Not long ago, Qi Tian mentioned the "Ancestor of the Great Dao," which Ji Jingqiu paid special attention to at the time.

This is because the last thing Chaoge said to him before sending him to the Netherworld was to warn him to be wary of the Ancestor of the Great Dao.

"I'm afraid some people have already guessed about the five pillars." Qinglian shook her head and said, "These are not things you need to worry about. Your priority right now is to improve yourself as soon as possible."

Ji Jingqiu nodded and sighed, "Besides this shore, there is also the lineage of the Dao Ancestor. This Boundary Sea is indeed terrifyingly deep."

"Let alone the Boundary Sea, it's the same in our realm," Qinglian sighed. "Take the enemies lurking in the [Burial Sea] for example. The Five Pillars only had suspicions beforehand, not certainty."

After exchanging a few more words with Senior Qinglian, Ji Jingqiu and Senior Qinglian entered a state of cultivation together.

He planned to use the sword intent of the Death Demon to hone his cultivation at the third level of the Heavenly King realm.

Qinglian, on the other hand, is rebuilding her Dao fruit, gradually returning to her former peak.

The universe can only accommodate Heavenly Kings at present, but this place is an exception among exceptions, and the Azure Lotus, who guards this place, enjoys a unique blessing from the Great Dao.

Ji Jingqiu has reached an agreement with all the beings in the ruins of the Dawn Realm. As Hela said, they are all willing to temporarily reside in his inner universe.

Some tribes, upon hearing that he also had a Void Beast as a companion, even offered to stay with the Void Beast and make it their tribal totem...

To Ji Jingqiu's astonishment, there were quite a few groups who shared the same idea.

Ji Jingqiu did not agree for the time being, and planned to make a decision after Youlan had digested the remnants of the realm.

At this moment, after Ji Jingqiu had finished relocating the remaining clans, he left the remaining realm remnants to the little guy who had been waiting for so long.

Watching the little guy eagerly swallow the crystal ball that looked like the size of a fist but actually contained boundless heaven and earth, Ji Jingqiu couldn't help but twitch his brow.

The reason he chose this time to "feed" was that Ji Jingqiu also wanted to get the Death Demon senior to help the little guy digest the food as soon as possible.

now.

Even though the Death Demon deliberately suppressed his killing intent, under the pressure of this great formation, his killing intent was still overflowing and soaring, as deep and vast as the ocean, engulfing Ji Jingqiu and allowing him to hone himself.

For the Heavenly King, accumulating spiritual power is like building up mountains or filling the sea with water; it's common for him to not grow taller for a hundred years.

But for Ji Jingqiu, it was not the same.

Firstly, his Taoist practice was extremely profound, and his spiritual realm was extremely high.

Secondly, even now, there are still many celestial beings and kings in this world who are comprehending the true meaning and mystery of "guarding emptiness and stillness." Each one of them is an invisible supplement to the Great Dao for him.

Thirdly, there are the various gifts and wondrous encounters of the Dawn Realm.

This allowed him to leapfrog to the third level of the Heavenly King realm.

Qinglian suddenly opened her eyes again.

The young man before them exuded a powerful Daoist aura, as vast as a great river, connecting the inner and outer worlds. More magnificent Daoist wonders than ever before appeared around him, and the nascent form of a universe was faintly visible.

At this time.

A clone emerged from Ji Jingqiu's body and sat opposite him.

It was Ji Jingqiu who, in the Chaoxia Realm, created the third clone, Miesheng, using the technique of "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones".

In the Dawn Realm, when Ji Jingqiu faced the complete killing calamity, he withdrew the Extinction of Life into his body.

At this moment, Miesheng stepped out again and sat opposite Ji Jingqiu. The former's speed in absorbing the killing intent and sword energy of the Death Demon was even greater than Ji Jingqiu's.

"This shore... what I want to reach is the other shore."

Ji Jingqiu whispered that the other side of the soul is his greatest reliance for his future advancement to True Saint.

But in this situation... Ji Jingqiu was completely clueless at the moment.

While honing himself through the killing calamity, Ji Jingqiu sensed the three clones.

Apart from Wutian, whose "signal" was so faint as to be barely perceptible, both Miesheng before him and the True Buddha far away in Huangtian simultaneously opened their eyes and looked at him.

The best way for Ji Jingqiu to quickly advance to the peak of the Heavenly King realm is to try to retrieve and merge his clone.

However, since the Annihilation Slash was only recently executed and its cultivation level is too low, and the True Buddha's avatar is maintaining the balance of power among various factions, it cannot be acted upon lightly.

This process of retraction and fusion is permanent. Even if he cultivates the "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" technique again in the future, he will not be able to sever another one.

After clarifying and understanding his next steps, Ji Jingqiu immersed himself in seclusion.

Just in case, a spiritual avatar was sent to guide him as he traveled throughout the Federation.

Cultivation knows no bounds of time.

Fortunately, the Death Demon senior is still by his side, keeping the little guy company.

(End of this chapter)