Chapter 195: Return to Perfect World

"The Qi of War and the Power of Will of all living beings? Why does this cultivation requirement sound so strange?" Xiao Yan and Lin Dong were bewildered. In their worlds, these concepts didn't seem to be prevalent. Fang Han explained, "The so-called Qi of War and the Power of Will of all living beings are actually the spiritual thoughts of all living beings! The Qi of War is the Qi of war and slaughter. Just find a place with war and directly collect it!" "The Power of Will of all living beings is a bit more troublesome. You must first raise a group of living beings, then educate and preach to them, making them pray day and night with devout hearts. It's like planting some kind of Spirit Medicine." "Compared to the Qi of War, the Power of Will of all living beings is more precious. It can nourish the Soul, increase Luck and blessings, and also regulate one's own Protective Aura!" After listening, Xiao Yan quickly understood: "To put it bluntly, it's about gaining faith, right? It's similar to the whole system of faith and deification. When ordinary people go to temples to burn incense and worship, praying and chanting scriptures, they produce this kind of spiritual thought." Fang Han nodded, "Exactly!" "I've thought about it carefully," Shi Jian interjected. "The essence of both is the spiritual thoughts of living beings. It's not hard to find." "Temples and shrines where ordinary people worship definitely have the Power of Will of all living beings. Some Sect forces also have Ancestral Master portraits, and there are monuments and memorial sculptures. These will all have the Power of Will attached to them." "It's just that the quantity might be a bit small. It might not be enough to support our cultivation!" Hearing this, Fang Han said, "In the future life that Senior Shi showed me, I used a gourd of the Power of Will of all living beings to open up the third, fourth, and fifth Sea of Consciousness. That gourd was condensed by eighty million living beings raised by the Star Cluster Sect, praying for ten years. You can use that as a reference." Lin Dong and Xiao Yan both frowned. They understood the essence but knew that cultivating the Power of Will themselves would be too time-consuming. Decades later, they would have already broken through the Void Realm and ascended. It wasn't worth it. Shi Jian suddenly remembered something. "We're being too abstract. At a time like this, we're still thinking of relying on ourselves." He patted his head and said with burning eyes, "Liu Shen! Liu Shen has the Power of Will of all living beings!" "Although she has now forged a completely new Dao, she used to follow the path of sacrificial spirits. That path feeds on faith! In ancient times, Liu Shen ruled over a divine kingdom, with countless living beings offering sacrifices. She definitely won't lack the Power of Will of all living beings!" Everyone recalled that the people of Stone Village had worshipped Liu Shen. Her cultivation was indeed related to faith. "We've also met Senior Liu Shen, but you said she was severely injured and almost perished," Fang Han voiced his doubts. "After so long, aren't the only ones who believe in her probably just Stone Village?" Shi Jian smiled faintly. "You underestimate Liu Shen. Besides Stone Village, there's a place in the Upper Realm called Immortal Ancient that has always worshipped her!" "Those aboriginals believe in Liu Shen, who is known as the 'Ancient Ancestor of Sacrificial Spirits'! Her status is terrifyingly noble. When Shi Hao was in Immortal Ancient, a wisp of her Aura revived and saved him from an ambush. That was the last of her power in that place." "But I stopped Liu Shen from seeking death, and she has been recovering her cultivation. Those Immortal Ancient survivors have supported her for an unknown amount of time. There's definitely no shortage of the Power of Will there. Why cultivate when you can rely on Liu Shen's generosity?" "Liu Shen, do you have the Power of Will of all living beings there?" Shi Jian immediately communicated with the willow branch on his body. "Yes," Liu Shen's answer was concise and reassuring. She had now transcended the path of sacrificial spirits, so this faith was expendable to her. She wouldn't be stingy. Everyone saw that Shi Jian was not speaking, so they waited quietly. After a short while, he gave them an "ok" gesture. It felt great to have a big shot covering you. "After leaving this place, we'll cultivate the Great Strength Divine Ability of Pan Wu. For now, let's try to increase the power of the Great Five Elements Technique!" Shi Jian said. The others nodded in agreement. "Then let's continue to cultivate for a while longer." Everyone dispersed, heading deep into the Land of Five Elements to cultivate. Another ten-plus days passed. Everyone's Great Five Elements Technique had improved to a certain extent. Continuing to kill the Five Elements Yao Beasts would no longer significantly increase the power of the technique. Only then did they speak in the group, preparing to leave. [Shi Jian: "I feel like I've cultivated enough. It's hard to increase the power of the Great Five Elements Technique much more by grinding monsters!"] [Meng Qi: "I feel the same way..."] [Xiao Yan: "Grinding monsters continuously for over a month, I'm almost sick of it..."] [Lin Dong: "I've been walking for days and haven't found many Yao Beasts. What's going on?"] [Xiao Yan: "Send me your coordinates, I'll see what's what..."] [Lin Dong shared his location.] [Meng Qi: "What a coincidence, I've already swept that area clean!"] [Shi Jian: "Since staying here won't yield much more, let's prepare to leave..."] [Fang Han: "Everyone, come find me first. You can leave after we're out of the Land of Five Elements..."] [Xiao Yan: "Ok!"] [Shi Jian: "Wait, has anyone seen Shi Hao?"] [Luo Feng: "He's with me. We just ran into each other two days ago, and now we're discussing our experiences in raising Cloud-Swallowing Vines..."] [Shi Jian: "That's good! Bring him to meet Fang Han!"] Everyone reunited in the Land of Five Elements. Fang Han took out the Five Elements Spirit Talisman and opened a teleportation channel. The group left the Land of Five Elements. Deep within the Land of Five Elements, an old man in a Daoist robe showed an expression of keen interest. He waved his sleeve, and a hand stretched out, instantly pushing back a heaven-shaking giant palm in the boundless Void Realm. Shi Jian and the others were teleporting through the Void Realm. The willow branch on Shi Jian's body glowed for a moment, then dimmed again. After a spatial fluctuation, everyone returned to the Profound Yellow Great World. "I'm heading back first. If anything comes up, contact me in the chat group!" Everyone prepared to leave. They had been away from their own worlds for over a month and missed them. "Alright!" Fang Han didn't try to keep them. He had wanted to show them his "Reincarnation Peak," but everyone seemed eager to return home. Xiao Yan, Lin Dong, and the others said their goodbyes and left one after another. Shi Jian, holding Shi Hao, was about to leave, but he looked at Fang Han first. "This time, we jointly annihilated the Taiyi School and so many Disciples from the Three Great Sword Sects. They are definitely severely weakened! Those Longevity Realm giants will not let this go." "If they track it back to you, open a teleportation and escape first, then invite Liu Shen to settle the score." Shi Jian still had to give the necessary reminders. The casualties were an irreconcilable feud. Shi Jian was not worried that Fang Han would be killed. The ancient giants would always say a few words before making a move, which would be enough time for Fang Han to call for help. "I know!" Fang Han nodded, showing he had a sense of proportion. Seeing his calm expression, Shi Jian said no more and left the World of Immortality with Shi Hao. The chat group's world teleportation was much more awesome than that of the various worlds, which could be bumpy like a bus ride. The chat group's teleportation was extremely stable. Shi Jian and Shi Hao returned to Perfect World. [Xiao Yan: "Landed safely."] [Meng Qi: "We're back, brothers..."] [Shi Jian: "Solid!"] After reporting his safety, Shi Jian immediately inquired Liu Shen about the Power of Will and Immortal Ancient. "Liu Shen? What exactly is the situation with Immortal Ancient? Why do people from the Three Thousand Provinces all have to enter it to achieve a breakthrough?" "You don't know?" Liu Shen was puzzled. Shi Jian acted like a divine stick in front of her every day, as if he knew everything. But now he didn't even know what the situation with Immortal Ancient was. Shi Jian was unconcerned. "Please enlighten me, Liu Shen..." "Immortal Ancient is the ruins left over from the Immortal Ancient Era!" Liu Shen explained. "Just as the Three Thousand Dao Provinces are separated from the Lower Realm, the Three Thousand Dao Provinces are also separated from the Immortal Realm." "The Laws of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces are not as complete as those of the Immortal Realm. That's why no one can achieve Immortal Ascension here." "The Immortal Ancient that the people of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces speak of is a part that has been separated from the Immortal Ancient Era," she continued. "That place has more complete and perfect Laws than the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. It can allow people to cultivate Immortal Qi." Shi Jian understood immediately. That's why so many people wanted to embark on the path to godhood in Immortal Ancient. One could lay the foundation for Immortal Ascension there. "The current Immortal Ancient is gradually being assimilated by the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, and its Laws are diminishing. In at most a few decades or centuries, this independent land will break open and merge with the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. At that time, it will become an ordinary place, unable to allow people to bloom immortal flowers." Shi Jian nodded. This coincided with what he knew from the original work: Shi Hao's entry into Immortal Ancient was its last opening. "Your and Shi Hao's cultivation have both reached the Venerable Realm, so you can prepare to ignite the Divine Fire." Liu Shen continued. "Since that is the case, I will open Immortal Ancient for you and start the Three Thousand Provinces Prodigy Battle early." "Ah!" Shi Jian was dumbfounded. In the original plot, the battle was decades away. But it made sense. As the owner of this ruin, it would be a piece of cake for Liu Shen to open it. Shi Hao listened, and a surge of Battle Intent rose in his heart. He had always yearned to fight alongside Shi Jian. Now that the Prodigy Battle was about to begin, he didn't want to miss it. He held his head high, his spirits soaring with a young man's ambition to reach the highest peak. Shi Jian was quite happy in his heart. Starting the battle early would only benefit him. "This is a good opportunity to assert the might of my Shi Clan and collect some interest!" He already had plans to kill the Immortal Palace successor and other young powerhouses. "As for the Power of Will of all living beings, you two will retrieve it yourselves after entering Immortal Ancient!" Liu Shen spoke her last sentence, then fell silent. She would not directly retrieve the power for them. This was her personality; she only provided guidance and would only act when people encountered insurmountable difficulties. In other aspects, she let them rely on themselves. After Liu Shen fell silent, Shi Hao and Shi Jian began to prepare. Shi Hao was fine, having reached Venerable Great Perfection. Shi Jian, however, was still some distance away and cultivated even more diligently. A few days later, a melodious bell sound pierced the Void Realm. No matter how far away, all cultivators heard this sound. "Dong..." "What's going on? This is the sound of Immortal Ancient about to open! Doesn't this only ring when the Prodigy Grand Battle begins? The selection hasn't even started yet!" Countless people spoke in confusion. The bell sound was a reminder to all those aspiring to the Immortal Ancient path. The great battle was about to begin! All the young Supremes from various provinces looked up, their Battle Intent boiling. The Three Thousand Provinces Prodigy Battle was a heaven-defying opportunity, but it had also buried countless powerhouses. This time, as the last opening of Immortal Ancient in this epoch, the most powerful and talented beings from ancient times to the present would all embark on this path. "How many years has it been? Has my Jun Dao revived again?" In a snowy mountain, within an ice cave, someone revived. This person had purple hair and an incredibly terrifying Aura. It was hard to imagine that such a figure was merely a Venerable. Even a powerhouse at the Divine Fire Realm would be suppressed by him. This was a prodigy left over from ancient times. In an ancient great province, a unique ancient coffin with a crimson Qi emerged from the magma. A peerless woman, whose splendor overshadowed the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, stepped out. "I have walked out of the Coffin of Life once more. This should be the last time, right? Everything will end in this final opportunity..." At the same moment, in an endless ocean, a woman with Dragon horns on her head rose from the deep sea, slowly reviving in a crystal Dragon Palace. One after another, ancient lands in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces erupted with brilliant light. One terrifying prodigy after another was awakened. They originally did not belong to this era, yet they aimed to rule the world and become the strongest. The great battle began. In a certain ancient Holy Land, a peerless powerhouse also revived. His name was Ning Chuan. Countless people crowned him "Six-Crowned King"! He was regarded as one of the strongest Venerables of all time, having appeared six times and defeated all opponents. He became an insurmountable monument. Upon his revival, someone immediately greeted him and whispered. The Six-Crowned King's gaze turned cold, and he slowly uttered, "The Sin Blood Great Fiend... I will personally slay him..." The power behind him was one of the forces fully targeting the Sin Blood clan. Besides him, the other ancient prodigies who had revived also heard of Shi Jian's great name. Countless people developed an interest in him, wanting to test whether this Sin Blood Great Fiend was truly that fierce. An invisible storm was brewing. "Liu Shen's efficiency is truly high..." Shi Jian exclaimed. Just a few days ago, Liu Shen said she would open Immortal Ancient early. Today, the battle bell rang. This sudden opening of Immortal Ancient caught people off guard. The Three Thousand Dao Provinces had no choice but to skip the selection process and directly start the competition. The population base of various races was unimaginably huge. Just one Sin Province alone had tens of millions of Venerables who met the registration qualifications. All these people had to compete for a limited number of spots. After obtaining their qualifications, the cultivators would then fight in the Spirit Realm. Out of millions or even tens of millions of people, only ten thousand would remain in the end. These ten thousand finalists would then enter a vast uninhabited area to fight for the final spots. The people of all other provinces faced the exact same ruthless process. After countless strict layers of selection, only a handful of individuals would finally become eligible to enter Immortal Ancient. This was the grand event known as the Three Thousand Dao Provinces Prodigy Battle!