The distant sky.
Above the clouds, nine dark Tianzhoulou ships with a length of more than a hundred feet flew slowly towards them. On the smooth and smooth hulls, countless finger-sized talismans shone brightly, converging into a clear curtain of light that illuminated the sky. The fierce wind and low temperature are completely isolated from the outside.
In the leading Tianzhou, on the wide front deck, an old man with a rich face stood leaning on the railing. His broad brocade robe was covered with golden ingot patterns. On the left and right stood a pair of young men and women, with extraordinary appearance and bearing.
The surrounding field of vision is extremely wide, with the boundless sea of clouds spreading out in front of us. Occasionally, we can see some unknown birds of prey passing by at high speed in the distance, and the gray-black earth can be seen far below.
"...The atmosphere of Yunmeng Tiangong is far from what it used to be!"
The rich old man sighed slightly and said in a faint tone: "I think back in those days, our merchant was just one of the many vassal forces of this super orthodox company, and it was not the kind that was too advanced."
The young man in black shirt chuckled: "Why should I care, uncle? If Yunmeng Tiangong hadn't suffered drastic changes and its strength had declined too much, how would we, the vassal families, have the chance to get rid of the shackles and establish our own family? Although those years passed in the beginning. It was very difficult, but now I’m finally getting through it!”
"That's right,"
The girl in the green shirt and skirt smiled sweetly: "Nowadays, among the hundreds of large and small void floating continents in the surrounding star field, our Shang family can be regarded as a wealthy family with a good reputation. Even though Yunmeng Tiangong was our former master family, now we are all You have to be polite and deal with us on a relatively equal basis."
This old man is the top talker of the merchant: Shang Zimu. This time he brought two outstanding juniors from the clan to visit with a large amount of gifts, intending to discuss some business cooperation matters with the eldest sister of Yunmeng Tiangong. Of course, the most important purpose is to marry the man in black, Shang Yunyi, to a core disciple he likes as a Taoist companion.
Thousands of years ago, Yunmeng Heavenly Palace was still a member of the super Taoist order, and its influence spread across hundreds of large star fields in the Taixu starry sky. At that time, the Shang family was just an ordinary monk family, with neither strength nor strength. Among the many vassal forces of Mengtian Palace, they are inconspicuous.
Later, the Yunmeng Heavenly Palace declined and its sphere of influence shrank significantly. The surrounding vassal families and small and medium-sized sects that lost their protection had to find their own way out. Some switched to other super orthodoxy, some joined each other to keep warm, and some remained neutral. .
The Shang family is one of the lucky few. Because the Void Continent where the family headquarters is located is relatively critical and is a transit area for several important starry sky trade routes, it is very suitable for doing business. In addition, the head of the family at that time was relatively smart and decisive. Transformation. After experiencing initial stumblings and difficulties, it finally found peace and prosperity. The family business has become increasingly prosperous, and now it can be regarded as having squeezed into the threshold of ordinary powerful forces.
Shang Zimu stroked his fat belly and said in a steady tone: "Yunmeng Heavenly Palace is in decline, but after all, it is a super orthodoxy that has existed for tens of thousands of years. There are still a few powerful hermits in the sect to support the situation, and there are still several items Chongbao suppresses Qi, and the past heritage is still there, so don’t underestimate it!"
"That's what my uncle said."
Shang Yunyi agreed. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Yunmeng Heavenly Palace has gone from prosperity to decline. After all, it has only been around ten thousand years. The residual power of the super orthodoxy is still there, and there are still many strong men in the sect.
These secret channels and relationships must have not been completely lost, and they are by no means comparable to those of ordinary large sects.
The girl in blue shirt Shang Yao said: "I heard that the current headmaster Mu Yinghua is quite a powerful person, and his skills and temperament are outstanding. So, uncle, do you think that Yunmeng Tiangong will have a chance to rise again in the future and restore its previous status?
With glory?"
"Difficult, very difficult!"
Shang Zimu shook his head: "Building a family is like picking up dirt with a needle, and losing a family is like waves rushing through the sand. It is easy to fall from the top, but it is not that difficult to climb up again! Not to mention anything else, just those who were with Yunmeng in the past
If there are forces in the Heavenly Palace with hatred and festivals, they will not be given any chance, and they will definitely spare no effort to dig holes for them."
The birth of any super orthodoxy is not easy. It must take millions of years of hard work. Generations of leaders work hard to accumulate strength. There must be no obvious shortcomings in all aspects. It must combine vertical and horizontal connections, make connections with distant friends and attack with close friends,
To manage a large enough sphere of influence and have a large number of vassal forces following you, you must have some special opportunity to squeeze into this small circle.
But it is much easier to lose a family. As long as there is an incompetent head, it may take only a few years to destroy hundreds of generations of hard work.
Shang Yunyi was about to speak when he suddenly caught a glimpse of several rapidly moving golden light spots in the distance from the corner of his eye.
More than ten breaths later, as the distance got closer, he could clearly see that they were three huge golden ships. Judging from their traveling direction, they should be the same as his own fleet.
"The people from the Luck Palace are actually here too?"
Shang Zimu's doubtful voice sounded: "These guys never show up very much. They only like to hide behind the scenes and play tricks. Why did they come to visit in such a big way this time? What kind of medicine is being sold in the gourd?"
In the Taixu Starry Sky, the Tribulation Palace is a veritable super orthodoxy, and it is the oldest and most mysterious existence in this small circle. The people in the sect always behave in a low-key and secretive manner, making it difficult for outsiders to know.
All the disciples and elders who came out of the Calamity Palace are good at Feng Shui layout, observing the stars, and guessing the movement of heaven. A few secluded old immortals can also control the mysteries of creation, predict the fortune of the world, the destiny of the family, the destiny of the country, and even the fate of the individual.
, all like looking at lines on the palm of your hand, arranged clearly.
At this moment, inside the golden giant ship headed by the leader, in the hall that is blocked by many formations, the clouds are curling up, the sun is shining, and six or seven figures are sitting around the jade round table, each with a strong aura, and their faces are indistinct.
"...Lord, it has been verified,"
A low voice sounded unhurriedly: "Yunmeng Tiangong's luck has indeed increased significantly recently, and in the short term, this trend shows no signs of stagnating."
The figure sitting in the middle raised his head slightly and asked softly: "How much has it increased compared to the past?"
"More than 20%."
This answer obviously surprised everyone present, and they started discussing quickly:
"... Yunmeng Heavenly Palace has long been in decline. It has actually been on a decline for nearly ten thousand years. The sect's fortune has been continuously declining and dissipating. How could such an abnormal situation occur?"
"...Yes, once this general trend of overall strength decline is established, it will be difficult to fundamentally reverse it without special circumstances."
"...That headmaster has accomplished something, but she is still far behind the standards of the Lord of Zhongxing. She simply cannot achieve such a feat on her own."
"...So, why is there such an abnormal situation? This is completely contrary to the sect's past secret deduction results. What exactly went wrong?"
There was silence.
The predicament of Yunmeng Heavenly Palace in recent years has been witnessed by all the forces in Taixu Starry Sky. As the scope of influence under its control has shrunk significantly, the number of mortal people under its rule is less than one-tenth of what it used to be. In addition, it has always insisted on only accepting
The tradition of female disciples, therefore every time the gate of the mountain is opened, the number of cultivators that can be discovered is far less than that of other super orthodox traditions.
The new generation of disciples is the foundation of all major forces. Their quantity and quality are directly related to the strength of the sect's backbone hundreds of thousands of years later, and are key factors that cannot be ignored.
No matter how powerful a force is, talents are the most important strategic resources. Without people, everything is impossible, and no matter how big the foundation is, it cannot be defended.
Maybe one generation or two will not see any obvious problems, and over time they will inevitably accumulate. After all, the lifespan of those old antiques in the sect that play the role of sea-fixing needles is not unlimited. New people must be constantly added to ensure the long-term stability of the sect.
Subsisting.
After a long time, a voice sounded faintly: "According to the old man's inference, there are only three possibilities for this abnormal situation."
"First, a certain great master in the secret realm of Yunmeng Heavenly Palace made an unexpected breakthrough, and his cultivation level entered that unfathomable realm; second, this sect obtained some unimaginable treasure to suppress Qi;
Third, they discovered a new disciple with monstrous qualifications and unlucky luck."
The big names present all nodded in agreement. Apart from these three situations, there are other possibilities. Of course, the probability is too low. There have been few cases since the birth of Taixu Starry Sky, so it is not considered by everyone.
The figure sitting in the middle said slowly: "The possibility of the first situation is very low. The few remaining powerful men in Yunmeng Heavenly Palace have all been injured more or less in the accidents ten thousand years ago.
You have to stay in seclusion all year round to recuperate. It is basically impossible to recover and make further progress in just ten thousand years."
"The second case is possible and needs to be further verified through various channels; as for the third case, I think it is the most likely. Perhaps we can consider using our high-level secret line in this Taoist tradition to find out the situation as soon as possible. Do you think
Woolen cloth?"
"Very good, I have no objection."
"Seconded."
"Seconded."
…
In the secret palace.
Qin Muling sat cross-legged on the thousand-year-old Purple Yellow Cold Jade bed, with dozens of sapphire elixir bottles placed in front of him, which contained precious elixirs sent by the senior sister.
As the magic circle in the hall was fully opened, a large amount of spiritual energy poured in, and soon filled the entire hall, hazy, and almost completely submerged his figure.
There are also a large number of spiritual stones piled around the jade bed. Once the spiritual energy cannot be replenished when the level is broken, Qin Muling can extract the spiritual energy from these spiritual stones to replenish it, which is an emergency measure just in case.
The mysterious seeds in the sea of consciousness trembled slightly, and wisps of exceptionally pure spiritual energy descended from somewhere, quietly merging with Qin Muling's spiritual thoughts, and then transformed into streams of majestic mana, gradually filling the meridians throughout the body.
His mind sank into the sea of consciousness, and as he took a long breath, a slight crackling sound came from his body. In his internal organs, the billowing blood flowed like a long river, forming an unfathomable whirlpool, and the surrounding spiritual energy went crazy.
The earth gathered together and was swallowed up by his body like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.
In the cultivation system of this time and space, the qi refining stage is the starting point of practice, and is divided into nine minor realms. However, strictly speaking, monks in the qi refining stage are still mortals, and their lifespan is usually no more than a hundred years. Even though there are various life extensions
The elixirs and elixirs constantly prolong life, and the limit is to be able to live for more than two hundred years.
Since we are mortals, we cannot avoid the iron law of physical aging. As long as we pass the age of fifty, our physical fitness will begin to decline irreversibly. If we don’t have a very special opportunity, we will basically no longer have it.
The hope of breaking through to the realm of enlightenment.
What is the realm of enlightenment?
After the monks reach the perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, they go a step further and condense the energy and spirit of the whole body to the extreme, stimulating the potential deep in the blood, attracting the essence of the void into the body, breaking the shackles of the mortal body, and realizing the duality of spirit and body.
Transformation, thus deriving all kinds of incredible powers, and becoming a spiritual person in the true sense.
As long as this step is taken, it means that the monk's strength has improved by leaps and bounds, and there has been a qualitative change compared to the Qi Refining Stage. He can communicate with the void spiritually, absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth to replenish his body's consumption, and has continuous vitality.
The body's functions remain at its peak for a long time, and one's lifespan can usually be close to three hundred years.
"So this is the realm of enlightenment? It is indeed extraordinary. The feeling of possessing the power of heaven and earth... is so good!"
Qin Muling closed her eyes slightly and quietly realized the state after the breakthrough. Powerful magic power surged through her meridians, making her whole body feel comfortable and powerful as never before.
In this time and space, fame, fortune, and imperial hegemony are just external things. Only power is eternal. Only by having strong power can you control your own destiny, instead of being used as a pawn by those with great supernatural powers to manipulate you at will.
This chapter has been completed!