Chapter 279: Visiting the Daoist Sect
The battle between the Immortal Alliance Martial Hall and the Myriad Heavens and Realms seemed to have entered a fever pitch, on the verge of a decisive confrontation that would settle victory and defeat.
After leaving the Cangyun Realm and entering the Great Universe, Chu Zheng had read countless Ancient Books about struggles between the Taoist orthodoxy, uncovering many secrets.
If the battle continued to expand and drew out those giants spanning eons and space-time, the calamities it might cause would be unpredictable.
In ancient times, such vast wars had broken out, where space-time crumbled, yin and yang fell into disorder, and the universe of chaos was reborn. Even that period of ancient history had been entirely buried into the realm of the unknowable, beyond any scrutiny.
A true dispute over the Dao is not easily sparked, but once the fight for Heavenly Fate truly begins, it cannot readily be quelled. The entirety of the Great Universe would be engulfed, with no Taoist orthodoxy able to remain uninvolved.
In such situations, the weaker the orthodoxy, the quicker it would meet its doom, and the existing power structure would be completely reshuffled.
With this thought, Chu Zheng couldn't help tightening his heart. If he couldn't enhance his cultivation swiftly, by the time that Taoist strife encompassing the Great Universe arrived, his only fate would be to turn into ash in that ordeal.
"Has any news come from the battlefield on the side of All Heavens?"
Gathering his thoughts, Chu Zheng turned to inquire about any developments in the direction of the All Heavens, where the Martial Hall was in battle, for there might be some intelligence on the Martial Hall.
"All Heavens..."
Jade Pot Spirit Lord pondered for a moment, shook his head, and then let out a light sigh:
"It's too far away; I've heard no specific news. However, the battlefield on the side of the All Heavens is in worse shape, having suffered heavy blows and several ancient races have been extinguished in succession."
This outcome is fully predictable. The combat power of the Martial Path has always been at the apex of the various orthodoxies, possessing numerous Secret Techniques that can squeeze potential and elevate combat power in a short time as easily as drinking water.
The majority of All Heavens consist of Otherkind with only their sturdy flesh and a few Innate Divine Abilities, with no other advantages. Retreating step by step when facing the Martial Hall is only normal.
Speaking of the current plight of the Myriad Heavens and Realms, Jade Pot Spirit Lord's expression was also filled with worry, the matter he had been concerned about these days.
What is to be done...
If the Myriad Heavens and Realms lose this war, with the Immortal Alliance Martial Hall advancing unopposed, all the Great Realms will fall.
Neither the Immortal Alliance nor the Martial Hall would tolerate dissent; when that day comes, the other orthodoxies would have only one path left: death, even the chance for allegiance would not exist.
Chu Zheng pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and drew out a strand of Incense Fire Willpower, injecting it into the body of Jade Pot Spirit Lord:
"You have worked hard during this period. I will depart in a few days."
This small amount of Incense Fire Essence was compensation for Jade Pot Spirit Lord's assistance in gathering information over the past days.
With Immortal Qi as the medium to improve his cultivation, Incense Fire Willpower no longer seemed as important to Chu Zheng as before.
After all, in terms of energy levels, pure Immortal Qi is several times stronger than Incense Fire Willpower.
In the future, Chu Zheng also planned to store as much Incense Fire Willpower as possible within his Golden Body to minimize its impact on his physical form.
This type of power is, after all, somewhat mixed and should not be too heavily relied upon. He had absorbed quite a lot before, and his foundation was starting to become shaky.
Moreover, after stepping into Immortal Tribulation, the problem of his unstable foundation due to rapid progression in his cultivation had become more apparent.
"Thank you, Supreme Deity."
Jade Pot Spirit Lord's face suddenly brightened with joy, and he bowed deeply in gratitude. The strand of Incense Fire Willpower that Chu Zheng had casually bestowed was clearly purified, which could save him a hundred years of arduous cultivation.
During these days, Chu Zheng's stay was to make use of him for gathering some information, which was practically effortless.
Such an opportunity was a chance encounter that could not be sought.
Without another word, Chu Zheng gestured with his hand, indicating for Jade Pot Spirit Lord to leave.
In the following days, using the repair panel and the extracted Immortal Qi, Chu Zheng steadily solidified his foundation, clearing away hidden dangers.
Subsequently, he no longer contacted Jade Pot Spirit Lord and left the Divine Palace directly, heading southeast towards the Qingyun Realm.
In recent times, many Daoist Sects in the vicinity had already recalled their disciples and sealed their Sect Gates, related both to the Ten Thousand Realms Battlefield and rumored Qi Cultivators enduring the Red Dust trials.
Regarding this, Chu Zheng also felt helpless, as staying here no longer provided access to useful information.
Within the Qingyun Realm, the Taoist School was not particularly prominent, having some reclusive sects in the southeast.
He intended to visit these Daoist Sects of this realm, seeking information about the Taoist School's Qi Cultivators and matters of Nie Longhu's lineage.
In truth, if Chu Zheng wanted to see Nie Longhu, it wasn't necessary to go through such trouble.
When they met for the second time in the Dongyuan Realm, Nie Longhu had given him a Dao Seal, which Chu Zheng still clearly remembered.
According to Nie Longhu, if he activated this Dao Seal near the Ten Thousand Realms Battlefield, Nie Longhu would sense it, and then a Golden Immortal would be requested to meet him.
Nie Longhu had revealed his background, apprenticed to the lineage of the Great Clarity Primordial Daoist Lord, with his master being the North Spirit Golden Immortal, cultivating in the Chuyun Cave on Liyang Mountain in the Guangyuan Realm.
The Golden Immortal he could invite was likely his master, the North Spirit Golden Immortal.
In the current situation, Chu Zheng did not intend to contact such high-level beings too soon.
A Golden Immortal nearly reaches the pinnacle of Qi Cultivating,
and the genuine state of his Immortal Path Cultivation would be easily detected.
Even though the tolerance within the Myriad Realms was sufficiently strong, in the current state of conflict with the Immortal Path, it's unlikely to allow a powerful Immortal Path Cultivator to swagger through the Myriad Realms' camp.
Furthermore, how he passed through the Ten Thousand Realms Battlefield to enter the territory of the Myriad Realms was a significant issue in itself.
In the presence of a Golden Immortal, Chu Zheng had no confidence he could conceal any information, and the fact that Shang Cangyun had intervened on his behalf could be inadvertently exposed, potentially leading to even greater trouble.
Shang Cangyun had been active in the Ten Thousand Realms Battlefield for many years, responsible for countless deaths of Realm Creatures; compared to the Immortal Alliance, cultivators of the Myriad Realms might wish for his demise even more.
Unless absolutely necessary, Chu Zheng did not want to use the Dao Seal given by Nie Longhu prematurely.
After stepping into the Immortal Tribulation, Chu Zheng's understanding of Space Law had been progressing by leaps and bounds, and using Great Divine Powers like Shrinking Earth into Inches had become even more natural for him.
In just a day's effort, Chu Zheng entered the southeast territory of the Qingyun Realm, found a city, spread his Divine Sense to sense briefly, and then he gathered the information he was seeking.
The power of the Taoist School in Qingyun Realm wasn't very strong, with Qi Cultivators even rarer, totaling less than a thousand people.
Amongst them, the most renowned was the Yuxuan Palace.
The Qingyun Realm's Yuxuan Palace was merely a branch, with its main lineage originating from the Taoist School's Thirty-Three Heavens Beyond Heaven.