Chapter 696: Realman Yuexu

In this world, only a very small number of people knew the true identity of the current Steward of Chenping Continent, Realman Du Cang, who was the chief disciple of Kongyuan Mountain who had "fallen" during the Outer Court Cataclysm of Kongshan Sect nearly a century ago.

In fact, the vast majority of cultivators on Chenping Continent believed that this Realman Du Cang who had burst onto the scene out of nowhere was either some ancient monster who had been lying dormant for who knew how many years, waiting all along for the revival of the Path to Immortality.

Or else, he was an unknown reincarnated body of a great power, one who stood outside the thirty-one Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators whose traces were recorded throughout Chenping Continent's history.

Therefore, in actuality, the vast majority of cultivators within the cultivation world of Chenping Continent believed that Qin Qingyu was the first Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator to be born in this current era.

As for Realman Du Cang, he should logically be like the various Immortal Ascension reincarnations, an existence belonging to the past.

Qin Qingyu's dao title was Realman Yuexu.

This actually surprised quite a lot of people, because the dao title she had chosen for herself was far too plain and unremarkable.

It was like if Kong Yang's dao title were not True Person Caiyun, but rather Kongshan True Person or Qingchan True Person.

Or alternatively, if Yin Xia's dao title were not Realman Shuangyu, but rather Fengjian True Person or Huiyi True Person instead.

The two characters "Yuexu" within Qin Qingyu's dao title were undoubtedly taken from the Moon Void Sect of Star Heaven Sect, which was the sect she originated from.

But this was True Person Qin's own choice, and others could hardly interfere with it.

After all, who would even have the qualification to interfere?

Following Kong Yang's fall, the number of Immortal Ascension cultivators on Chenping Continent had dropped from seven to six.

And Qin Qingyu's ascension brought the number of Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators back up from six to seven once again.

But Qin Qingyu stepping into the Immortal Ascension Realm brought Chenping Continent not merely a change in quantity, but even more so an elevation in quality.

The stars and moon dimmed for an instant, the vast heavens bore witness to this same clear radiance.

This was the evaluation that the world had given to Qin Qingyu, the thirty-third Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator currently known to Chenping Continent.

......

Chen Yan did not obtain any valuable information from the mouth of that Star Heaven Sect Offering Elder who called himself "Fan Mowen."

However, from the very beginning, Chen Yan had not held any particularly high expectations for him either.

Compared to the information he might have gained from Fan Mowen's mouth, he was instead far more interested in that chaotic and blurry so-called "cause and effect" behind this Star Heaven Sect Offering Elder, something that even Chen Yan, who wielded the Emptiness Annihilation Art, was completely unable to comprehend.

But it was only a slight interest.

Right now, there were more important matters set before Chen Yan.

Seated upon the chair behind the twelve coiling-dragon jade pillars in Du Cang Hall, Chen Yan's slightly lowered gaze fell upon the beautiful female cultivator standing before him, clad in the daoist robes of Star Heaven Sect, her figure slender yet tall.

"Congratulations, True Person Qin."

Chen Yan calmly regarded Qin Qingyu, who stood in the middle of the great hall, and deliberately placed a bit of extra emphasis on the two words "True Person."

His voice echoed through the vast and empty hall, yet his tone carried no sense of congratulation whatsoever. Rather, it sounded more like he was stating some sort of fact.

"I remember that my agreement with you back then was to achieve Immortal Ascension within fifty years, yet you only took forty."

Chen Yan continued:

"It seems that True Person Qin's natural talent far exceeds what I had imagined."

"It was simply a matter of everything falling naturally into place. As for how far I have come today, I owe it all to True Person Chen and Du Cang Mountain for their nurturing over these forty years."

Qin Qingyu said calmly.

A matter of everything falling naturally into place?

Hearing those four words, Chen Yan could not help but feel a trace of self-mockery.

The fact that Qin Qingyu could cross from the Myriad Transformations Realm into the Immortal Ascension Realm within forty years could indeed be said to be because she leaned upon Du Cang Mountain.

During these forty years, the total value of the cultivation resources that Du Cang Mountain provided to Qin Qingyu each year could reach several thousand billion high-grade spirit stones, and the vast majority of the pills and treasures among them were priceless goods available nowhere on the open market.

Had it not been for Du Cang Mountain providing Qin Qingyu with this nearly inexhaustible, never-ending supply of cultivation resources, then relying only on Qin Qingyu and the Star Heaven Sect behind her, going from the Myriad Transformations Realm to the Immortal Ascension Realm would likely have required at least two hundred years or more.

It was not just Qin Qingyu. All the Guardians of the Dao on Du Cang Mountain possessed the qualification to freely draw upon the mountain's treasure vault at will. This also meant that after Du Cang Mountain had officially become the number one sacred cultivation ground of Chenping Continent, it had now given rise to over ten upper three realm cultivators, as well as over forty Myriad Transformations Realm cultivators.

However, of the original "Three Heroes of Spirit Connection," only Chu Xiyao remained now, having cultivated to the mid-stage of the Unity Realm.

Bai Jinye and Liang Qianbo had both long since died.

Even though Chu Xiyao could freely utilize the cultivation resources on Du Cang Mountain, after she stepped into the Unity Realm, her cultivation speed still decreased dramatically.

Because her cultivation talent could only reach this far.

Had Chu Xiyao continued cultivating normally at Kongshan Sect, the Unity Realm would already have been her ceiling.

But after coming to Du Cang Mountain, the nearly inexhaustible, never-ending cultivation resources held a certain possibility of elevating Chu Xiyao's cultivation realm to the eighth realm, which was the Divine Ability Realm.

However, if she wished to go even further, then there were only three words left.

Impossible.

Talent had already predetermined everything from the very beginning.

Just like the original Chen Yan, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how desperately he fought, his ceiling could only barely touch the threshold of the Martial Spring Realm. If he encountered a stroke of fortune or received help from a benefactor, perhaps he could cross that threshold and become a Martial Spring Realm cultivator.

But if there was no fortune or benefactor to aid him, then his final outcome could only be dying alone and quietly in the Fallen Sword Mountain Range, only to be discovered after who knew how long had passed.

"Then how does True Person Qin view things?"

After a moment, Chen Yan continued asking.

"What is True Person Chen referring to?"

Qin Qingyu said.

"What I wish to ask is, how does True Person Qin view the future of Chenping Continent?"

Even as he spoke, Chen Yan slowly raised his head. Although his physical gaze could only see the ceiling above, his spiritual sense had long since departed from Du Cang Mountain, spreading to cover a radius of ten thousand li.

Countless millions of living beings, all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth drifting between the heavens and the earth, every single heartbeat, every trace of rhythm, all fell completely within Chen Yan's control.

Yet within Chen Yan's dominion over this heaven and earth, there existed an enormously vast blank space that was impossible to ignore.

Namely, the massive pitch-black rift currently hanging above Du Cang Mountain, one that had already spread to over several thousand li in length and nearly a hundred li in width.

Forty-five years had already passed since the end of the Great Chaos of the Immortals.

At the current rate of expansion, it would take at most roughly one hundred and fifty years before that pitch-black rift reached the scale it had been over sixty thousand years ago, when Heavenly Summit Mountain was destroyed.