The White-Robed King’s Worry

“However, the fourth realm transcends to an arcane and mystical level of the soul. It merges the fragile soul of a being with its body. Even when one steps into this fourth realm, also known as the spirit altar realm, the soul and the body become one, using the body as a foundation,” Kong Binghuang explained.

Listening attentively, Qin Huai couldn’t help but question, “The soul is delicate. If it tries to align with a powerful physical body, isn’t that…?”

It was like inviting death. An expert at the peak of the visceral prefecture realm would possess an incalculable volume of blood and qi energy.

That, however, was not the core issue. The main point was that the power nurtured by the bone pattern realm, the force, was the power of the cultivation techniques. These techniques were all based on the patterns of heaven and earth, the power of the universe, and the power of profound cultivation.

When a soul becomes so immersed that it seeps into the bones, it battling the power of heaven and earth is no different than an ant trying to topple a tree or an egg trying to crack a rock.

“Indeed,” Kong Binghuang agreed. “That’s why it’s fatal for average peak stage visceral prefecture realm cultivators without a method to train their souls. There are no exceptions.” He continued, “And if you desire to train your soul, one of the most effective methods in this world is entering the spirit realm, which you mentioned earlier.

“The spirit world… Its main purpose is to train you for the spirit realm. However, the entry conditions are quite stringent. You need the legendary spirit stone as a guide to connect your soul to the spirit world. Spirit stones, however, are incredibly rare, and most are in the possession of the eight royal families. Even the Confucian, Buddhist, and True Path sects hold very limited quantities.”

A touch of regret appeared on Kong Binghuang’s face as he spoke, “When I was a candidate for the Dao Child, I was lucky enough to enter the spirit world for cultivation. Unfortunately, after leaving the True Path Sect, I lost that privilege. Not that I lack the privilege, it’s just that as a young man carrying such a precious artifact, if I were assassinated and the spirit stones stolen, wouldn’t the True Path Sect suffer considerable loss? In the end, the human race is just too poor.”

After they had guided the team out of Qingzhou City, they returned to the inner city forest hideout.

Qin Huai couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the spirit world like?”

“The spirit world…” Kong Binghuang mused. “To my understanding, the spiritual world is the final resting place for the souls of this world’s formidable warriors. In it, you can witness the remnant souls of people from ancient books and historical texts, even the traces left behind by ancient legends thousands of years ago.

“There are even remnants of the heads of the eight royal families, the true emperors of the Great Nether, the dragon clan. The dragons have reportedly spotted the legendary ancestral dragon in the spirit world…”

With just a few sentences, Kong Binghuang had vividly illustrated a fascinating world for Qin Huai. History seemed in disarray with countless prodigies traversing thousands, even tens of thousands, of years to conquer the spiritual world.

“However, the spirit world has three levels. I’ve only cultivated in the first level, the spirit blood level,” Kong Binghuang continued. “The method of cultivation is quite straightforward: kill other souls and absorb them… Or, seek opportunities in the spirit world, which is replete with endless treasures.

“Essentially, the spirit world is a land of opportunities. The windward charm I rely on was discovered in a spirit treasure left behind by a True Path Sect senior in the spirit world.” action “I see.” Qin Huai was brimming with anticipation.

The so-called three levels of the spirit world were the spirit blood level, where the soul and flesh fuse, corresponding to the level of blood refinement. At the first level, he could harness the power of his blood essence but wouldn’t sense the power of the bone pattern and visceral prefecture realm. The second level would activate the power of patterned bones, and its might could be used.

“Thank you for sharing those, Mountain Chief!” Qin Huai respectfully bowed with cupped fists.

“You’re welcome. Given your talent, you’re destined to ascend to the king realm. Even if Qingzhou still falls into the hands of the Sacred Heart Sect, I’ll do my best to get you out.

“Besides, I nearly forgot you’re a member of the Nine Dragons Sect and a disciple of my True Path Sect.” Kong Binghuang slapped his forehead, laughing. “You could directly go to the True Path Sect. Given your strength and age, you should have no problem besting the current Dao Child!”

Kong Binghuang gritted his teeth, seemingly holding back some sentiments. Clearly, he had a deep impression of the term ‘Dao Child’.

“The matters concerning Qingzhou will surely be resolved smoothly,” muttered Qin Huai. “The white-robed king’s realm isn’t invincible, is it?”

“Ah… I hope so.” Kong Binghuang didn’t dare give a definite answer, having personally fought with the white-robed king and knowing firsthand his terrifying power.

“However, if you encounter him, don’t hesitate to run. Remember, as long as there’s life, there’s hope!” Kong Binghuang earnestly advised. “Look at my vast Wuji Mountain, a top-tier sub-sect of the True Path Sect. The journey of life is long. Don’t ruin your bright future due to a moment of impulsiveness. If I remember correctly, you are now… twenty-three?”

Upon saying this, Kong Binghuang felt a touch of amazement. This youngster was merely twenty-three years old but already at the top of Qingzhou?!

“Huh?” Qin Huai counted on his fingers. Honestly, he had lost track. Ever since he embarked on the martial path, he had barely experienced a peaceful day.

“Mountain Chief, do you still plan to hide your disciples in the forest?” Qin Huai crouched amidst the woods, voicing his doubts.

Having cultivated the thousand divination blood technique, he knew this method could vaguely track a person’s location. Probably, the Thousand Divination Tower wouldn’t use it on ordinary disciples of Wuji Mountain.

However, as one of the top three figures in Qingzhou, Kong Binghuang was certainly a worthwhile target. Unless…

Qin Huai noted the faint smile crossing Kong Binghuang’s face.

“Shh… Don’t talk too much. The secrets of the heavens must not be revealed.” Kong Binghuang motioned Qin Huai to silence. “Then, please take care of yourself, Mountain Chief!” Qin Huai bowed once more. “If there’s anything, leave a message at the Blood Poison Gang’s old location in the outer city. I’ll check it every day. When the time comes, I can ask the Kun Peng clan to lend a hand!”

“Good!” Kong Binghuang nodded. “Tang Pi probably isn’t aware of your true identity yet.”

“Yes, he always thought that I was the lifeform born from the blood sea, Wang Kun. The real Qin Huai supposedly perished at Wang Kun’s hands.”

“Haha… That’s good.” Kong Binghuang nodded approvingly.

…

In the Heart Eye Pavilion, the white-robed king sat in seclusion, attempting to cultivate. After a while, he opened his eyes and shook his head.

“Why can’t I calm down? Even in the spirit world, I’m distracted.”

The white-robed king gazed at the blood sea in the sky, a troubled expression on his face. He toyed with a red bead in his hand.

“What’s wrong?” The white-robed king scrutinized the bead, uncertain. The bead was a device that controlled the blood sea. Once activated, it could manipulate Wang Kun’s body, regardless of whether he was in the visceral prefecture realm or the king realm.

However, it had side effects. If used prematurely, and the target had not reached the king realm, Wang Kun might abandon his progress, even if control over him was relinquished. If that happened, their blood sea plan would come crashing down.

He needed to wait a little longer. Qin Huai couldn’t possibly have acquired a huge amount of power, thought the white-robed king.

Thump thump thump…

Suddenly, a sequence of frantic footsteps echoed from the staircase, accompanied by a potent scent of blood.

The white-robed king’s heart skipped a beat. As expected, the problem wasn’t with the blood sea. Did something happen at Wuji Mountain?!

“Speak! What happened?” He spun around, staring intently at the person who had just arrived.

“Dead… Lord Zhou is dead!” The warrior, at the fifth-level bone pattern realm, had a grim expression. He had just rushed back from Wuji Mountain.

Thump thump thump…

More footsteps sounded from the stairs. This time, the one who returned was covered in blood, Yue Yang, who only had one arm now.

“King! We were ambushed!” Yue Yang let out a cry, breaking into a wail. “Dead! They’re all dead! Everyone is dead!”