Ninth In the World

Nong Xiuqi was currently in the Foundation Establishment Realm and her desire for food had been reduced drastically. She almost had zero need for consumption. Shen Ziyu, on the other hand, needed food when she entered reclusive cultivation.

Fortunately, there were many wild beasts here. Nong Xiuqi managed to hunt a snow bear under the snow layer. If this had happened in the past, she could only have extracted the blood of the bear. Now, however, she could cook the body. Shen Ziyu was evidently a cultivation manic. She would only open her eyes to eat something when she was experiencing extreme hunger. Then, she would continue her reclusive cultivation.

A snow bear was sufficient to last Shen Ziyu for half a year.

Nong Xiuqi had provided her with abundant cultivating resources, and Shen Ziyu’s aptitude was very impressive as well. In five months, Shen Ziyu had attained the fourth-stage Qi Refinement Realm. Her improvement was drastic.

Nong Xiuqi calmly caressed her still-flat stomach. The period of gestation for cultivators varied according to one’s cultivation level. Given her low cultivation level, surely it would take only a few years?

“Xiuqi, thank you. I think we could leave now,” Shen Ziyu informed her excitedly as she finally stood up after being in seclusion for five months.

It was only after she’d started cultivating that she’d discovered the fundamental difference between a warrior and a cultivator. The former sought physical strength, while the latter sought immortality.

She was currently only at the fourth-stage Qi Refinement Realm, and this was the feeling she had gotten. When her cultivation level was very high in the future, this feeling of hers would be more obvious and distinct, without a doubt.

Nong Xiuqi had wanted to leave this place for a long time. Upon hearing Shen Ziyu’s words, she hastily walked over and suggested, “Big Sister Ziyu, clean yourself up a bit. I have some clean spare clothes here.”

They might be at the bottom of the snow layer, but after cultivating for five months consecutively and attaining the fifth-stage Qi Refinement Realm, Shen Ziyu’s body had excreted too many impurities.

Due to the storage ring she owned, Nong Xiuqi would often change clothes, which was why she always looked clean.

“Ah!” exclaimed Shen Ziyu when she saw her unruly state.

“But there is no water here. Let us head out first before doing anything else. I could now go through one or two months of internal breathing,” she replied.

Nong Xiuqi hastily took out a few jade slips and passed them to Shen Ziyu. “Big Sister Ziyu, here are some Dharmic spells. I believe you should possess your own Spiritual Force. Big Brother said that our cultivation technique is different from other people’s, as we can give birth to our own Spiritual Force once we start cultivating. Seep your Spiritual Force into these jade slips and you might read them.”

When Shen Ziyu’s Spiritual Force permeated the jade slips, she exclaimed, “Fireball spell, Aegis Gale Spell, wind blade, dusting spell… Ah! A flying sword spell…”

Shen Ziyu lifted her head and looked at Nong Xiuqi like a man dying of thirst. “Xiuqi, could one learn to fly a sword after learning the flying sword spell?”

Nong Xiuqi took out a light-blue flying sword and handed it to Shen Ziyu. “Big Sister Ziyu, this flying sword belongs to you from now on.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Shen Ziyu looked at Nong Xiuqi gratefully.

“Big Sister Ziyu, since you are friends with Big Brother, you are my friend as well. There is no need to thank me.” With that, she pushed the flying sword into Shen Ziyu’s hand.

Shen Ziyu did not stand on ceremony before accepting it. She currently needed one desperately.

At this moment, she thought that Di Jiu must have used his Spiritual Force to kill the demon beast several miles away from where he was in the Wang Chuan Temple.

However, could a Spiritual Force be powerful enough to accomplish such a feat? Just how terrifying was his cultivation?

“Xiuqi, can you tell me what height Di Jiu’s current cultivation level has reached?” implored Shen Ziyu. Perhaps Di Jiu would become her role model and she could reach his level by accomplishing the same feat he had.

Nong Xiuqi hesitated before saying, “I’m not quite sure myself. Big Brother said that this time, he intended to leave Earth to undergo Tribulation Transcendence. I think… I think… he should be extremely close to becoming a bona fide immortal.”

The reason she dared to make such a claim was because Di Jiu had to leave Earth to complete his Tribulation Transcendence and also because he had given her some immortal crystals.

Immortal crystals should be something only immortals possessed, given that they were at a higher level than Spirit Stones.

Shen Ziyu clenched her fists tightly as she remained silent. She had no concept of what being an immortal entailed. However, she knew that the True Form Realm was the highest realm one could cultivate to. It was likely that Di Jiu had yet to attain the True Form Realm, but he would probably be at the Pioneer Sea Realm. She would eventually be able to catch up to him one day so long as she increased her cultivation speed.

She dared to have such a thought only because she had never been to the Cultivation World and did not know just how difficult it was for a beginner cultivator to obtain cultivating resources.

…

Di Jiu was completely lost in the vast sea of Heaven Earth Laws, which constructed boundless Laws of the Universe.

A Dao that belonged to him was being created. Even Di Jiu himself did not know that a huge part of the reason he’d only created his own Dao law today ever since he had obtained the Ninth Dao Law was Nong Xiuqi.

Life was individualistic but it was also given willingly. While he’d created a new life in Nong Xiuqi, Nong Xiuqi had helped perfect the last life Dao law according to his Dao.

Countless Dao Inscriptions circled the surface of the large cocoon. Di Jiu’s Starry Sky Art, which was used to perform the Nomological Qi Circulations, was transforming in the process.

An entirely new Dao law was slowly forming within this large cocoon…

An unknown period of time had passed. The large cocoon, which was floating in the void, was taken away by turbulence. It had come from nowhere and was headed into destinations unknown, disappearing into the vast universe and carrying the large cocoon along with it.

…

“Big Sister Ziyu, you are so beautiful,” praised Nong Xiuqi as she watched Shen Ziyu remove the impurities and dust covering her with a dusting spell.

Shen Ziyu smiled. “I’m already old. You are the beautiful one. Di Jiu is a loyal man. The two of you will lead a blissful life.”

She recalled that Di Jiu had risked his life to find the Red Xue Flower to save her life.

Nong Xiuqi made a noise of assent before taking out a mirror and handing it to Shen Ziyu. “Big Sister Ziyu, I’m telling the truth.”

Upon accepting it and looking into the mirror, Shen Ziyu was elated to see that she had regained the appearance she’d had in her 20s.

It was no wonder that Di Jiu’s physical appearance had never changed over the years. He had even started to look younger. So it was because of cultivation…

“Xiuqi, let us head out. I believe that Di Jiu should have returned. Let me try out my flying sword. If I am successful, we can fly and leave this place.” Shen Ziyu regained her confidence along with her appearance.

Naturally, she did not know that cultivation was not the only reason she had regained her appearance. The more important reason was that Nong Xiuqi had given some beauty-retaining elixir pills to her. Nong Xiuqi herself was young, so these pills only made her look more youthful. It was a different case for Shen Ziyu, however, for she was old. The benefits of such pills were thus much greater for Shen Ziyu in comparison.

Shen Ziyu was in an extremely good mood. Thanks to her fourth-stage Qi Refinement Realm, she could breathe internally. Therefore, the underground journey in the snow was effortless.

They could leave the snow underground anytime they wished.

“Big Sister Ziyu, I sensed a corpse with my Spiritual Force just now. I think it is Senior Wa Di,” Nong Xiuqi informed her with a voice transmission. Just as she had been about to leave the snow underground, her Spiritual Force had sensed Wa Di’s body.

Wa Di, who was a Semi-Core expert, had occasionally appeared on television. As a result, Nong Xiuqi had recognized him immediately.

Shen Ziyu urged her anxiously, “Xiuqi, take me over there quickly.”

Wa Di was the one who had invited her. Since his body had been discovered here, there was evidently a conspiracy.

With Nong Xiuqi leading the way, Shen Ziyu quickly saw Wa Di.

Wa Di’s face was extremely pale and his body was leaning beside a cliff. A scimitar was clenched tightly in his hands, and his body was stiff. He had died a long time ago.

“Senior Wa Di has been dead for a long time… Eh? This place is hollow.” Nong Xiuqi sensed with her Spiritual Force that the place behind Wa Di was hollow.

Shen Ziyu sensed that as well. She unsheathed her flying sword, splitting open the stone wall and revealing a pitch-black cave that emitted an ancient aura.

This was because the two of them possessed Spiritual Force. Otherwise, they would not have been able to see anything.

Shen Ziyu found a spotted leather map in Wa Di’s shirt pocket and bowed before Wa Di’s body. “Wa Di, I do not know why you met your doom here, but I would still like to thank you for inviting me.”

With that, Shen Ziyu dug a hole and placed Wa Di’s body inside before burying it.

Wa Di was a Semi-Core expert who had contributed a lot to Earth. He should have a proper burial.

“Xiuqi, follow me.”

Shen Ziyu had just said this when Nong Xiuqi stepped into the cave. “Big Sister Ziyu, walk behind me. My cultivation level is slightly higher than yours.”

Shen Ziyu remembered that her Spiritual Force was much more powerful than hers, so she nodded her head and complied. She would just have to attack with her full strength should they encounter any danger.