Chapter 697: The Future of Chenping Continent

Although they were merely his own deductions, Chen Yan had always believed that when that pitch-black rift stretching across the sky expanded to the scale it had been at when Heavenly Summit Mountain was destroyed over sixty thousand years ago, that would be the moment when the Mystic Maiden within the spatial rifts, and "that existence" behind the Mystic Maiden, would make their move against Chenping Continent.

And what lurked hidden within the spatial rifts seemed to be more than just the Mystic Maiden and "that existence" behind her.

Even now, Chen Yan would often recall the withered eyeball he had seen within Heavenly Summit Palace eight thousand years ago, when he had brought Little Su to participate in the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.

And when Mr. You forcibly became a Sage and was sensed by "that existence" within the spatial rifts, when the entire sky above Chenping Continent was completely torn apart, Chen Yan had also been hunted by that withered eyeball.

It was precisely those several cycles of being hunted by the withered eyeball that elevated Chen Yan's cultivation coefficient to an entirely different tier.

If it had been before his cultivation coefficient was raised, and without the advantage of techniques, then no matter which realm he found himself in, Chen Yan would have absolutely been the weakest among cultivators of the same realm.

After all, his cultivation realm had been forcibly elevated by Reincarnation Rewards, and on top of that, Chen Yan's natural talent was so poor.

But after his cultivation coefficient had been raised dozens of times, Chen Yan's natural talent underwent a earth-shattering transformation.

Although compared to Su Hongzhen, Mr. You, or Qin Qingyu who had only recently ascended to immortality, Chen Yan's cultivation talent was still far inferior. Or rather, the cultivation talents of Li Haoran and Zhou Jinyun still remained an insurmountable wall for Chen Yan.

But Chen Yan possessed absolute confidence that his current cultivation talent was absolutely above that of Chu Xiyao, Li Haowen, and the others.

Perhaps he could even be on par with the Kongshan Sect's current Sect Leader, Yun Yichen.

But pondering these matters was completely useless, for after all, this degree of cultivation talent improvement was of no help whatsoever to Chen Yan, who was currently a mid-stage Immortal Ascension cultivator.

Unless he could possess talent approaching that of Qin Qingyu and Su Hongzhen, would he have any hope of relying on his own cultivation and effort to break through to the first realm of the Five Realms Above Immortality, the Returning to Void Realm.

Chen Yan's understanding of the Returning to Void Realm was extremely limited. He could only glean some information from Mr. You's reminiscences of his own past.

But in truth, Mr. You was not exactly a Returning to Void Realm True Lord skilled in combat. Rather than offensive techniques, he was more proficient in controlling cause and effect and divination.

After all, Mr. You had no system or experience of the Five Realms Above Immortality to reference and learn from. He had relied entirely on his own exploration, enlightenment, and talent to finally step into the Returning to Void Realm, and ultimately touch upon the threshold of the Uncarved Simplicity Realm.

Of course, as a Returning to Void Realm True Lord, Mr. You had no need within this domain heaven of Chenping Continent to study or refine any offensive techniques.

Because as a Returning to Void Realm True Lord, Mr. You was already the apex of this heaven and earth. Even the Ascended Steward of Heavenly Summit Mountain, the sacred ground of cultivation on Chenping Continent, upon seeing this renowned Immortal Venerable Fusheng, would only have the right to stand respectfully to the side and quietly wait.

He could completely crush opponents with the gap of an entire major realm, without needing to use any offensive techniques.

Moreover, this major realm was no ordinary major realm. It was the true gap between the Realms Above Immortality and the transitional Immortal Ascension Realm between Below Immortality and Above Immortality.

Time returned to the present.

Qin Qingyu pondered the question Chen Yan had just posed in her direction.

The future of Chenping Continent.

This question had been plaguing the current Immortal Ascension cultivators of Chenping Continent, as well as the Guardians of the Dao on Du Cang Mountain, ever since the end of the Great Chaos of the Immortals.

Although the matter that Chenping Continent would likely face its final end in one hundred fifty years had not been publicly announced by Du Cang Mountain or the current few Immortal Ascension cultivators of Chenping Continent to the cultivation world of Chenping Continent.

But no one was a fool.

That massive pitch-black rift, several thousand li long and nearly a hundred li wide, hung above Du Cang Mountain like an ominous portent, as if it intended to completely devour this entire domain heaven.

Everyone knew that as that pitch-black rift continued to expand, Chenping Continent would face a crisis even more terrifying than the Great Chaos of the Immortals from back then.

This also caused some cultivation sects within the cultivation world of Chenping Continent to begin growing restless, attempting to stir up some trouble.

But before long, they would invariably be suppressed by the Five Great Sects.

Qin Qingyu, now an Immortal Ascension cultivator, had only just achieved Ascending to Immortality and was merely at the early stage of the Immortal Ascension Realm. Yet her spiritual sense perception range was not the least bit inferior to Chen Yan's.

At this very moment, Qin Qingyu likewise focused her attention upon the pitch-black rift in the sky.

Fear.

The only thought that surfaced from the depths of Qin Qingyu's heart was fear.

This too was human nature.

Even though she was a peerless prodigy comparable to the Falling Star Realman and Immortal Venerable Fusheng, Qin Qingyu still would not feel any shame over the fear and desire to retreat that arose within herself.

Back during the Heavenly Summit Mountain Cataclysm, Qin Qingyu had also experienced feelings of fear.

Especially when He Furen awakened that remnant soul of the Black Flood Dragon, the violent and ferocious pressure emanating from a Demonic Beast of the upper three realms left Qin Qingyu, who had just barely entered the Qi Sea Realm at the time, utterly shaken.

But compared to the fear brought by that Black Flood Dragon, what Qin Qingyu feared more at that time was, sure enough, what came after He Furen's death.

Because she seemed to have learned some quite extraordinary secrets within the Kongshan Sect.

If she did not run fast enough, then the Kongshan Sect would inevitably silence her.

Therefore, seizing the moment when Lin Qifeng, who was present at the time, and the unconscious Chen Yan and the others had no attention to spare for her, Qin Qingyu immediately chose to flee.

After returning to Star Heaven Sect, Qin Qingyu had always kept her mouth shut about the Kongshan Sect's "secret," telling no one.

This was a very clever move.

But now, that massive pitch-black rift hanging across the firmament, several thousand li long and nearly a hundred li wide, brought Qin Qingyu an entirely different kind of fear.

The unknown, the uncontrollable, and an insurmountable power.

Qin Qingyu did not know what exactly existed within that pitch-black rift, but her intuition told her that what that pitch-black rift represented was unparalleled danger.

As for the future of Chenping Continent...

Qin Qingyu suddenly recalled the words spoken to her eleven years ago by that Offering Elder named Fan Mowen, when she had first entered the Dao Union Realm and returned to Star Heaven Sect.

That one day in the future, she would become the master of Chenping Continent.

And that day would come after Chen Yan's fall.