Chapter 14: Ten Years of Time

Ge Qian was struck with terror. What manner of entity was this, possessing such overwhelming might that he found himself utterly powerless to resist, as he felt his vital essence and life force rapidly draining away?

The root system spread and burrowed deep into Ge Qian's dantian, where suddenly a small tree bearing two branches and six leaves manifested.

The devouring seed's roots thrust into it without a shred of mercy, seeking to absorb the tree's immensely rich life force.

With a slight quiver of one branch, the small tree caused a single leaf to expand. This leaf enveloped the devouring seed in an instant, and after a brief undulating motion, absorbed it entirely into its own body.

Ge Qian let out a long breath. From this, it was evident that the little tree within his dantian was defying the heavens to an extraordinary degree, capable of absorbing even so bizarre a seed.

Once the absorption was complete, the little tree fed back a droplet-like, emerald-green rune seed to Ge Qian. Then, a tender leaf fell from the tree, merging into the rune to become a single entity, which subsequently transformed once more into countless root systems spreading across Ge Qian's entire body, resembling a secondary set of meridians.

Upon finishing these tasks, the little tree vanished instantly without a trace. A thought stirred in Ge Qian's mind, and he silently mused that the sapling seemed even more spirited than before, possessing certain ineffable divine abilities. He wondered how he would ever repay this heavy karmic debt.

Stretching his limbs, Ge Qian discovered that not a single trace of discomfort remained in his entire body; instead, it was brimming with vibrant vitality. Normally, any fusion with a devouring seed lasting more than two hours would trigger the suppression and shattering of the Human Realm's laws. However, by merging with Ge Qian, the seed had become tainted with the aura of the Human Realm, sharing a common destiny and breath with him to become an intrinsic part of his physical form, rendering it undetectable to the laws of the Human Realm.

It was precisely because Ge Qian practiced both the Calamity Body Art and the Six Paths Sword Art that he was able to fuse with the devouring seed rune, which carried the awe-inspiring will of the heavens. The Calamity Body Art forged a physical vessel strong enough to endure the integration of the devouring seed without suffering bodily collapse, while the Six Paths Sword Art trained in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, comprehended the changes of Yin and Yang, rotated the heaven and earth, shaped eternal supremacy, and governed the cycle of life and death.

Only thus could he withstand the majestic might of the heavens. At this moment, the thirty-three sword qi within his dantian were joyfully absorbing the heavenly aura, darting up and down, weaving back and forth.

At this juncture, the King of the Six Paths finally broke out of its cocoon, its aura vastly more formidable. Countless flashes of lightning and swirling winds played across the Wings of Dimension, and its phantom form had grown noticeably more solid. The Asura arms and Human Realm arms of its six limbs all appeared thicker and more robust, pulsating with fierce power.

With a thought from Ge Qian, the King of the Six Paths shrank to the size of an ordinary person, flashed, and merged into his body, disappearing from sight.

Only then had Ge Qian truly completed his pill condensation. Yet, countless grimacing ghost faces suddenly materialized around him, churning with demonic energy as they lunged toward him.

Heart demons? Ge Qian felt a trace of astonishment. Ordinarily, unless one was making a breakthrough across major realms, heart demons would not manifest to interfere. Where on earth had these heart demons come from?

Behind Ge Qian stepped the Primordial Sin Demonic Shadow. Beholding the scene as if it were a feast of exquisite delicacies, it declared, "Master, it seems you have offended the Lord of Heart Demons; otherwise, how could a minor realm breakthrough summon heart demons? But rest assured, Master, I love nothing more than using the purest demonic energy of heart demons to appease my hunger!"

With these words, it opened its mouth and inhaled greedily. Countless heart demon ghost faces poured into the body of the Primordial Sin Demonic Shadow, and before long, the heart demons shrieked in terror and fled for their lives, vanishing completely without a trace.

Paying them no further heed, Ge Qian sat cross-legged and began to consolidate his cultivation base.

Outside the grand array, several Deity Transformation stage mighty figures were engaged in a spirited discourse on the Dao, proceeding in full swing.

The human cultivators listened with rapt attention and profound concentration, each deriving immense benefit. Upon emerging after entering the medium-scale Dao arena, they immediately entered seclusion to make their breakthroughs.

A span of ten years meant virtually nothing to cultivators who possessed lifespans numbering in the thousands or hundreds of years.

On this particular day, the Sorcerer Emperor felt a stirring in his heart. He received a secret transmission from the Ancient Demon Lika, informing him that the arena and the altar within the Myriad Demon Mountain forbidden zone had finished linking. All previously surfaced hidden dangers had been completely eradicated, and the teleportation of power could now be established at any moment.

The Sorcerer Emperor immediately sent a secret counter-transmission to the Ancient Demon Lika, instructing him to proceed according to plan.

Then, raising his voice, he proclaimed, "Fellow Daoists, who would have thought that a decade would pass in the blink of an eye? Our discourse on the Dao has surely provided you all with a certain degree of assistance. What follows now is the moment for you to enter the Dao arena, pluck spiritual herbs, and reap tangible benefits! However, let it be said in advance that countless perils lurk within, posing a mortal hazard to life and limb. I trust everyone will accurately assess their own capabilities; those with the strength should enter, while those lacking in power ought to remain outside, lest you forfeit your lives to no good end."

A wave of commotion rippled through the crowd below, followed by an immediate flurry of whispered discussions. In the end, nearly eighty percent of the Pill Condensation stage cultivators expressed their willingness to enter. A small fraction deemed their abilities truly unequal to the task, while another group—having gained epiphanies during the Dao discourse and caught a glimpse of a breakthrough—were unwilling to take such risks.

The Sorcerer Emperor nodded with satisfaction and addressed Ge Qian within the array, "Junior, the Dao arena is about to open. Surely your cultivation has been consolidated by now?"

Ge Qian smiled faintly and replied in a loud voice, "I thank Senior Demon Emperor for your concern. My foundation is fully consolidated. However, unless this array is lifted, this junior cannot exit."

The Sorcerer Emperor turned to Liu Qian and commanded, "Dismiss the array and let him out!"

Liu Qian replied solemnly, "Understood, Demon Emperor. This junior shall cast the spell right away."

In her heart, she harbored a keen anticipation to see what transformation Ge Qian had undergone.

With those words, she formed hand seals and pointed her finger. Suddenly, sixty-nine goshawks spread their wings and soared into the air, transforming one after another into array flags that fell into Liu Qian's hands, where she stored them within her spatial pouch.

He Changqi likewise instructed Han Li, "Withdraw the array as well."

Following a decade of recuperation and the consumption of numerous pills designed to nourish the divine soul, Han Li's divine soul had recovered by ninety percent. Hatred blazed monstrously in his heart, and he had long since prepared his moves, silently vowing, "I will cut you down in full view of the public."

Outwardly maintaining an expressionless demeanor, he respectfully replied, "Understood!"

Forming hand seals and pointing, spiritual light surged as several thousand array flags were gathered and stowed away into his storage pouch.

With the grand array removed, it revealed Ge Qian, standing tall and straight as a javelin. A smile graced his features; his aura was formidable, his gaze profound, and his demeanor carried an eerie quality.

He cupped his fists toward the Sorcerer Emperor and said, "I am grateful to the Sorcerer Emperor for fostering Ge Qian!"

The Sorcerer Emperor waved a hand and remarked, "Humans and demons are fundamentally of one family; there is no need for such courtesy."

Ge Qian then cupped his fists toward He Changqi, stating, "I thank the Ancestor for establishing the array to assist this junior in achieving a smooth breakthrough."

He Changqi nodded with dignified authority and said, "Protecting every single human cultivator is the duty of this old frame; it is nothing of consequence. Seeing you juniors all turning out accomplished brings me great gratification."

At this moment, a burly Pill Condensation mid-stage cultivator from the Wuxiang Sect, possessing a powerful aura, a face covered in rugged flesh, and a fierce visage, stepped forward. Addressing He Changqi, he declared, "Ancestor, this disciple Hai Kuo has long heard that the Six Paths Sword Art is peerless in its might. I wish to witness it firsthand and spar with Fellow Daoist Ge. Does the Ancestor grant permission?"

A sharp glint flashed in He Changqi's eyes as he drawled leisurely, "Sparring among juniors is highly beneficial for advancing one's mastery of the Dao. However, whether or not to fight depends entirely on Ge Qian's wishes; after all, he is not a cultivator of our Benevolence and Righteousness Sect."

How could Ge Qian fail to understand? He had dealt a severe blow to the Supreme Elder of the Wuxiang Sect, and they would certainly never let the matter rest, having undoubtedly hatched some sinister plot. If he were no match for Hai Kuo, the latter would seize the opportunity to cripple him into someone unable to practice the Dao. Conversely, should he win, it would allow the cultivators present to thoroughly gauge his foundation, giving his enemies deep insight into his capabilities—a scenario profoundly unfair to him.