"Is there truly a method in this world that can allow one to break through to the Nine Realms of Spirit?" Zhu Houji asked Wu Shijiu with doubt, "If that's the case, then why are there so few powerful beings in the Nine Realms of Spirit in this world?"
By now, Zhu Houji is no longer the ignorant novice he was when it comes to the Cultivation World. At his level, whether it is some experiential knowledge from the Cultivation World or his understanding of cultivation realms, he is clear about the difficulty of crossing from the Spirit Realm Eightfold to the Nine Realms of Spirit. It's an insurmountable chasm, difficult to overcome.
If the Witch God Sect Leader's words are true and he can easily help Wu Shijiu breakthrough, then there would be many strong beings in this world. If it was so easy to cross this chasm, then the number of powerful beings in the Nine Realms of Spirit wouldn't be so rare.
"It's not a hundred percent guarantee, but it will help to increase the success rate to some extent," Wu Shijiu explained to him.
Coming from the Witch Deity Teaching, Wu Shijiu knew that not only the Witch Deity Teaching, but most of the ancient, top powers in this world possess such methods. Although it can't guarantee absolute success, it does have the confidence to boost the success rate.
He knew even better that when it comes to breaking through realms, no one has a hundred percent guarantee.
The Witch God Sect Leader telling him that there is a method to increase the success rate could be considered sincere, but if he assured him that he was guaranteed success, Wu Shijiu would have suspected that the other was deceiving him.
…
"Increasing the chances of breaking through to the strongest of the Nine Realms of Spirit?" A glint of light flashed in Pei Xuanjing's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
He never expected the Witch God Sect Leader's offer to be this. This was something he'd never known before.
Their negotiation started straight to the point without any circuitous roundabouts.
At first, Pei Xuanjing asked why the Witch God Sect wanted to cooperate with the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, and the Witch God Sect Leader stated their reasons, except for some core aspects.
According to the Witch God Sect Leader, their teachings have been passed down since ancient times. They were originally the officials in charge of the human race's worship rituals. They had been trusted by the rulers of the human race throughout generations, and they had learned many secrets of the human race.
The cultivation method studied by the Witch God Sect was inseparable from this dynasty. They needed to gain the recognition of the dynasty and be nourished by the Dragon Qi to take their cultivation to the next level.
As for why the Witch God Sect did not get involved when other historical dynasties appeared in the past tens of thousands of years, the Witch God Sect Leader didn't say, but Pei Xuanjing could roughly guess.
When each dynasty was established in the historical eras, their power had already reached its peak. Whether it was the master of the dynasty or the strong ones in the court, all possessed extremely powerful strength. The various powers intertwined and there was simply no room for the Witch God Sect to insert themselves.
Even if the Witch God Sect is a top power in this world, they cannot easily grab a position within it, and if they get involved easily, they may face a combined attack from multiple parties.
Over the thousands of years, any Divine Dynasty that was established, dominated its time. Even a top power such as the Witch God Sect cannot provoke it easily.
Therefore, for the Witch God Sect, if they want to cooperate with a dynasty, they either need to support the dynasty themselves or choose an appropriate time to join.
The emergence of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty this time presents a good opportunity to the Witch God Sect. Although the Great Ming Divine Dynasty has advanced and developed at this moment, it has not yet reached its peak. They still need opportunities to grow, they still need the help and support from various forces.
So this is the opportunity that the Witch God Sect values. As long as they can get Pei Xuanjing's permission, they can proceed with the next step of their plan smoothly.
Pei Xuanjing understood that these were just superficial reasons, and the Witch God Sect must have a larger scheme inside that is closely related to the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, otherwise, they would not stop at this.
However, Pei Xuanjing didn't want to delve too much into this because everyone and every force has their own aspirations and objectives, and Pei Xuanjing himself was no exception.
"No profit, no rise early", although Pei Xuanjing did not know what the Witch God Sect Leader had promised Zhu Houji and Wu Shijiu, it was definitely not a small benefit. Otherwise, they would not have agreed so readily and changed their attitudes.
Therefore, Pei Xuanjing still held his initial attitude. As long as the other party's plotting didn't affect his own plan, Pei Xuanjing didn't mind. All he needed was enough benefits from the other party.
"It seems the secrets of this world are indeed numerous, to even contain such divine arts and secret skills," Pei Xuanjing thought to himself.
He did not expect the offer given by the Witch God Sect Leader to be like this. Originally, he thought that to breakthrough from Spirit Realm Eightfold to Nine Realms of Spirit was a huge challenge that only relied on one's own talents and hard work in order to become a powerful being.
Now the Witch God Sect Leader is telling him there are some assisting methods and secret skills that can increase the success rate.
If that's the case, then why are the powerful beings in the Nine Realms of Spirit in this world still so rare?
Pei Xuanjing was puzzled, so he directly asked, "Shouldn't these secret skills have some hidden problems?"
If these Divine Arts and Secret Skills were simply this useful, there definitely wouldn't be so few powerful beings in the Nine Realms of Spirit. Therefore, in Pei Xuanjing's view, there should be potential problems.
"There's no hidden problem, it doesn't affect anything at all," the Witch God Sect Leader directly denied Pei Xuanjing's guess.
He said, "This Divine Art and Secret Skill have no hidden problem and side effects, but it's not easy to use it. Not to mention the treasures of heaven and earth that it needs, which ordinary cultivators simply cannot collect. The most important thing is that it requires a powerful being in the Nine Realms of Spirit to strip out a part of their Taoist Skill as a primer."
"So that's how it is!" Pei Xuanjing suddenly understood.
No matter how many treasures of heaven and earth are, if you really try to collect them, you will be able to gather them one day. But requiring a powerful being in the Nine Realms of Spirit to strip out a part of their Taoist Skill, that's very difficult.
After all, even for the powerful beings in the Nine Realms of Spirit, the Taoist Skills they practice and perceive are not so easy to obtain. Stripping these Taoist Skills means they will lose their perception of these aspects of the Taoist Skill. If they want to perceive them again, they have to start all over again. This is a loss of strength for the powerful beings, and no one would readily do that.
"What do you think?" asked the Witch God Sect Leader.
He believed that he was sincere in this condition. After all, even though Pei Xuanjing currently possesses the battle power of the Nine Realms of Spirit, he is still in the Spirit Realm Eightfold. He must be extremely eager to breakthrough this realm, so this condition is already very generous.
However, Pei Xuanjing's response completely caught him off guard and left him somewhat frozen.
"I refuse! Or rather, I don't need it," Pei Xuanjing said.
The conditions offered by the Witch God Sect Leader were undoubtedly abundant.
If these conditions were to get out, countless Eightfold Spirit Realm cultivators of Heaven and Earth would likely go mad over it, their desperation for such an opportunity beyond imagination.
Pei Xuanjing's refusal, on the other hand, might well engender discontent among countless powerful beings. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was dismissed rather than seized. Surely, they must think that he had lost his mind!
"Master, you must be joking!" The Witch God Sect Leader looked at Pei Xuanjing in disbelief.
He couldn't comprehend Pei Xuanjing's intentions. Although Pei Xuanjing was presently at the peak of his powers, possessing battle capabilities comparable to the strongest beings, no cultivator would reject the chance to become stronger.
If Pei Xuanjing could use this opportunity to break through again, his strength would only improve — would that not be a better choice?
Thus, he didn't understand.
"I cannot explain the exact reasons, but I can tell you that for now, I do not require it." Pei Xuanjing said with a smile, reaffirming his stance.
Indeed, he had no need for these terms. He did not require this help.
For Pei Xuanjing, with the aid of a simulator, as long as there were enough Taoyuns to support continuous life simulations, progressing in his realm would come naturally. He was not particularly demanding about it.
Even though the Witch God Sect Leader stated that this method did not have any side effects, Pei Xuanjing was somewhat suspicious and maintained a bit of cynicism.
After all, incorporated into this secret method were the Taoist skills of other Nine Realms of Spirit powerhouses. Each cultivator's path was unique, even between master and disciple. Blindly following predecessors' paths might conflict with one's own, which is inevitable.
Therefore, Pei Xuanjing did not need this method to elevate his realm.
"Then Master, what do you desire?" a helpless Witch God Sect Leader asked.
He had initially proposed those conditions with utmost confidence, given the rarity of opportunities to break through to the Nine Layers Realm of the Spirit Realm, a chance coveted by many.
Therefore, he believed that Pei Xuanjing would not reject his offer.
However, the results were unexpected. His offer had been rejected, and Pei Xuanjing did not yearn for what everybody else hoped for. This piqued his curiosity as to what Pei Xuanjing truly desired.
Without beating around the bush, Pei Xuanjing stated his motive: "The Witch Deity Teaching has a long lineage, and I'm certain they must know many secrets about the Heaven and Earth. I happen to be very curious about these things, so I would like to borrow and peruse the Witch Deity Teaching's collection."
Without hesitation, the Witch God Sect Leader agreed: "Yes, you may. Do continue."
Besides the central secrets, many other things were not really hidden. It's just that ordinary cultivators who haven't reached that stage did not have the privilege to know.
Since Pei Xuanjing had reached that stage, there were many things he was entitled to explore. The Witch God Sect Leader didn't mind at all.
"I've heard that the Witch Deity Teaching's heritage dates back to ancient times, possessing a human sacrificial altar passed down from then. This divine object was personally crafted by one of the human race's rulers, supposedly possessing miraculous effects. I'm wondering if I could borrow it," said Pei Xuanjing.
Such divine objects passed down from ancient times, continually nourished and worshipped by the Witch Deity Teaching for many years, must have amassed immense Taoyuns. If he could have the chance to refine and comprehend the Taoyuns on it, it would undoubtedly be a rapid method to increase his Taoyun accumulation.
Upon hearing this request, the Witch God Sect Leader furrowed his brows slightly, not giving Pei Xuanjing an immediate response.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he finally replied: "Yes, you may. However, this divine object is enshrined in our Ancestral Hall, so you'll have to wait until the Saint Teachings return to have access to it."
"No problem. I still have faith in the Sect Leader's commitment," Pei Xuanjing responded with a smile.
Most powerhouses of the Witch God Sect Leader's caliber generally act in good faith. If they truly weren't willing, they would straightforwardly decline, not resorting to hypocrisy and deception.
Therefore, since the Witch God Sect Leader had agreed, Pei Xuanjing wasn't in a hurry. It wasn't because he wasn't eager to accumulate Taoyun, but because he had just acquired many things from Taixu Venerable, including the Taoyun accumulated on Taixu Mirror, which would require him to refine for a long time.
"Great! Once the Saint Teachings return, Master, you are welcomed to come anytime to contemplate and use the divine object." Witch God Sect Leader flicked his finger, a ray of light landing in front of Pei Xuanjing, as a token for him. As long as Pei Xuanjing brings this thing in the future, he would honor his commitment.
"Alright." Pei Xuanjing put away the light with a wave of his sleeve and stated his third condition. However, when his words came out, the usually composed Witch God Sect Leader's expression suddenly changed.
"I'm somewhat curious. Did all those divine dynasties really get annihilated? Do they still exist and not just perish in the river of history? What about those ancient rulers? Are they still alive?"
Whoosh!
The Witch God Sect Leader's face changed slightly, his eyes full of horror as they were fixed on Pei Xuanjing. His mind was in turmoil as he tried to figure out why Pei Xuanjing would ask such a question.
Pei Xuanjing just smiled in response, not avoiding his gaze at all.
Being of assistance to the ascendancy of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and having built the Eternal Divine Dynasty in his life simulations, Pei Xuanjing's understanding of these Divine Dynasties surpasses others.
He had, in his life simulations, managed to suppress all under heaven with the power of Divine Dynasties. Just how terrifying was the power of the various Divine Dynasties that could suppress all under heaven in this Daming World, did they really get annihilated?
To be honest, Pei Xuanjing was somewhat doubtful and had some trouble believing this.
The stronger his cultivation powers became, the clearer Pei Xuanjing's understanding of this Daming World, plenty of things inexplicably appeared in his vision, leading to more and more doubts in his mind.
Such as the ever-accelerating emergence of secret blessed lands after this Heaven and Earth was revived, and the many powerhouses who inadvertently received powerful inheritances and rapidly rose, all filled with anomalies.
Had it not been for Pei Xuanjing's assistance from the simulator, countless powerhouses who obtained such inheritances would have long surpassed him in their cultivation strength, altering the original order of this world. These people would have become the sovereigns of the native world, commanding the Heroes, supplanting the old order.
Pei Xuanjing, who personally learned about the inheritance gained by his disciple Pang Hong, inevitably rose a suspicion in his heart. Could it be that these rising newcomers are really newcomers?
Could they be the cards left behind by many old antiques!
After having this suspicion in his heart, Pei Xuanjing could no longer suppress his doubts, so he began to investigate secretly. Among the many tasks he initially sent Deer Elder to do, this was one of them.
However, the news brought back by Deer Elder undoubtedly coincided with many of Pei Xuanjing's conjectures.
"For these, I the Sect Leader, have no definite answers." The Witch God Sect Leader admitted frankly.
Regarding the question asked by Pei Xuanjing, the Witch God Sect Leader was also somewhat unsure how to answer.
At his level and position, he almost knows everything in the world.
Pei Xuanjing's raising of this issue could not be ignored by the Witch God Sect Leader, who stood at the pinnacle of the world.
The existence of these strongmen who can affect the situation in the world, whether living or dead, have a great impact.
"So I want to know, in these forbidden places and blessed lands, are there really moves left by these strongmen? Would they come back?" Pei Xuanjing asked out loud.
In the world, there are many divine arts and secret skills. After opening the Small Thousand World, Pei Xuanjing clearly understands that there are many mysteries. The pioneers of these forbidden places and blessed lands, do they also have similar means to reincarnate in this Great World?
"Perhaps." The Witch God Sect Leader fell silent for a moment before answering.
Upon hearing this response, Pei Xuanjing was not surprised. It was no different from his conjecture. The ancient powerhouses indeed did not die so easily; they all have their own backup plans.
"So, have those divine dynasties really been destroyed?" Pei Xuanjing asked.
Compared to those strongmen, these existences of divine dynasties made Pei Xuanjing more worried. If these divine dynasties exist and are still hidden in the world, even if their power is not as suppressing as before, even a part of it would be enough to influence the world.
"To this question, I the Sect Leader, still have no definitive answer, for the power these divine dynasties possess is not something I can easily look into." The Witch God Sect Leader said helplessly.
The Sect Leader could investigate the backup plans left by the common strongmen in the world if he wishes to.
However, he did not think he had the qualifications to do so, let alone the many secrets held by the divine dynasties that once existed in the world.
It can be said that before the decline of the world, any generation of the divine dynasties had enough power to suppress the world. Their mighty power was not something any forces could resist, even the top-notch forces led by the strongest of the Nine Realms.
Despite the endless wars and new dynasties replacing the old ones, their power was still enough to suppress all forces. The Witch God Sect could not investigate. Therefore, he also did not know whether these dynasties had really fallen.
Originally, like many other forces, the Witch God Sect Leader had some apprehension towards these vanished divine dynasties. However, after countless years, these dynasties have not released any news, and they have almost defaulted to being completely disappeared.
But after hearing Pei Xuanjing's inquiry, the Witch God Sect Leader had an epiphany. He and his people seemed to really overlook the existence of those divine dynasties, forgetting their influence.
...
On the edge of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty's territory, where the human race and the Demon Race meet.
With the complete revival of the world, strongmen from the human race and the demon race appeared one after another. Surprisingly, the war between the human race and the demon race did not expand as many people expected, but still maintained a certain level of restraint within a certain range without escalating.
Wang Boan was sitting in his tent, after dealing with some military affairs, he looked at Gu Ji not far in front of him. Although Gu Ji was holding a book, he was clearly absent-minded, his eyes flicking towards Wang Boan from time to time.
After dealing with the military affairs, Wang Bo'an asked Gu Ji, "Mr. Gu, if you have anything to say, just say it. Do not hesitate like this. The friendship between us is not just about this."
In fact, although Gu Ji hadn't spoken yet, Wang Boan had an idea of what he wanted to say.
Sure enough, after hearing Wang Bo'an's words, Gu Ji put down the book decisively and asked Wang Bo'an, "Brother Bo'an, by now, you should tell me your opinion on the emperor's decision this time!"
Just as Wang Boan expected, what Gu Ji wanted to ask about now was Wang Boan's opinion on the cooperation between Emperor Zhu Houji and the Witch God Sect this time.
After all, the cooperation between the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and the Witch God Sect, as long as one is not foolish, would know that the Witch God Sect had lowered its stance for an ulterior motive, a big one at that.
Which official of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty was foolish? They all saw this and made their own responses according to their backers and their positions.
The world is bustling for profit. The officials of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty were no exception. Despite being under the wing of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, they had their own demands and interests, and their responses varied accordingly.
However, no matter what, they all had their own responses, but it was Wang Boan, who controlled millions of soldiers in the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and was a prominent figure among officials, who was mysteriously silent about this matter. It was as if he knew nothing.
Gu Ji, who knew Wang Boan well, knew that Wang Boan was not mediocre. His mind was filled with strategies. His silence on this matter must mean he has his own unique insights and thinks the time to speak is not ripe.
But now, Wang Boan was a crucial figure in the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. His every move was under the watchful eyes of countless people. Many people were naturally concerned about his response to this matter.
Gu Ji, who stood by him, was naturally a bit anxious. After all, he was also very curious about his friend's opinion.