Shackles

The group set out on their return journey to the Seventh Domain. Along the way, they crossed paths with Qin Xiao and Qin Wushang, and later encountered Ye Xuan of the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect. The journey had lightened most of their spirits, while Tang Ru remained seated cross-legged in the void, wrapped in Gu Li's runes to keep consolidating his cultivation realm. Li Guanqi frowned slightly. He sensed that something was amiss with the expressions of Ye Xuan, Qin Xiao, and the others. In the depths of their eyes lingered a grief they could not conceal. Just as Li Guanqi was about to speak, Meng Jiangchu's voice reached his ears. "Don't ask. The fighting in the Misty Immortal Domain was far more brutal than in the Six Domains!" Li Guanqi's brows knitted tightly, and he could not help asking in a low voice, "Why? Could an immortal have descended there too?!" A sudden shock went through Li Guanqi's heart, his eyes flickering with doubt and alarm. Meng Jiangchu glanced at the others and let out a sigh, his voice dropping low. "Though no immortal descended over there... the Misty Immortal Domain has existed far longer than the Ancient Clans or Hidden Clans." "Countless experts there have been driven nearly mad by the Immortal Boundary Wall..." "Their methods and foundations are even more ruthless, even harder to guard against." "I heard that the casualties in the Misty Immortal Domain were no less than in the Six Domains as a whole! Nearly ten million!" Hearing this, Li Guanqi could not help drawing a sharp breath! "Ten million?! How could there be so many?!" Meng Jiangchu shook his head. "I heard that among the Seven Generals, both Chan Kongzi and Nangong Xuandu were heavily wounded." Li Guanqi's expression hardened. He had not expected even those two to be injured! At the end of it, Meng Jiangchu let out another sigh. "In truth, there is an even more crucial reason." Li Guanqi turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue. "It is that we... felt how inadequate our strength is..." Li Guanqi frowned. "Inadequate?" "Yes, inadequate!" "Before coming to the Seventh Domain, each of us was a hegemon of our own territory!" "Whether myself, Ye Xuan of the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect, or even Qin Xiao, who is known as Emperor Qin." "We were the peak combat forces of our respective realms. But after arriving in the Seventh Domain... we discovered far, far too many cultivators who are stronger than us!" "They have weathered hundreds and thousands of battles and possess immense slaughter experience. Without exception, every single one of them is extraordinarily formidable!" Meng Jiangchu's voice carried a note of deep emotion. It seemed this was not felt by Ye Xuan and Qin Xiao alone. Doubtless... even Meng Jiangchu himself felt this way. At this moment, Li Guanqi suddenly asked, "Father-in-law, do you... not plan to break through and undergo tribulation?" Meng Jiangchu was not surprised that Li Guanqi could sense his aura. He shook his head with a bitter smile. "Even now, I still haven't touched the barrier of the Tribulation Transcendence realm... It's too difficult." "The physical body... divine sense... nomological laws... It's simply too difficult." Seeing the man's troubled look, Li Guanqi could not help asking the sword spirit, "Sword Spirit, why is the Tribulation Transcendence realm so difficult?" The sword spirit's injury last time had not done significant harm to her; after all, the opponent had not struck in the prime state of a Mystic Immortal. Her voice sounded slowly in Li Guanqi's mind. Rather than directly stating how difficult the Tribulation Transcendence realm was, she began explaining specific details to Li Guanqi. "In truth, even now, reaching the Mahayana realm is all that is required to ascend to the Immortal Realm." "As for the so-called Tribulation Transcendence realm and Ascension realm, they are merely different ways of looking at it." "In the past, the Tribulation Transcendence realm was really defined by that word: *transition*!" "It represented a realm where a cultivator begins their transition toward becoming an immortal. But over time, it became formalized as a brand-new realm: the Tribulation Transcendence realm." "At this stage, a cultivator's physical body and origin power undergo subtle transformations, and they can touch upon the lowest tier of nomological power." Li Guanqi frowned deeply. This was the first time he had ever heard these matters explained in such systematic detail... The sword spirit continued. "The most intuitive change between a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator and a Mahayana cultivator is that their bones show signs of jadeification, and the mortal form transforms." "And the Ascension realm..." At this point, the sword spirit's voice paused slightly. Li Guanqi frowned and asked via mental transmission, "What is it?" The sword spirit said softly, "The Ascension realm... was originally used to describe the state of Tribulation Transcendence cultivators after failing their ascension." "Cultivators in this realm have either failed their attempt to reach the Immortal Realm, or their bodies have already undergone more than half jadeification." "Their strength and realm sit below a Mystic Immortal, yet above Tribulation Transcendence." "The greatest difference is that the origin power within their bodies has not been baptized by the heavenly tribulation of the Immortal Realm, so it cannot fully convert into immortal origin power." "Immortal origin power has far greater density, holds much more profound strength than spiritual origin power, and possesses far greater offensive might." Hearing this, Li Guanqi's expression grew solemn, and he asked further, "Then... does that mean in the Immortal Realm, there are also cultivators of these two realms?" Lying inside the sword coffin, the sword spirit stretched her waist, her eyes closed and the corners of her mouth curling into a faint smile. "The Immortal Realm is not entirely made of immortals. There are also native cultivators; it is just that living in the Immortal Realm, their cultivation speed is vastly faster." "Compared to the realms of the Human Spirit Realm, newborn infants there might possess an innate Golden Core, or even an innate Nascent Soul." "Naturally, the Mahayana realm and Tribulation Transcendence realm exist there as well." Li Guanqi fell silent. He had not expected the Immortal Realm described by the sword spirit to differ from what he had envisioned. Even the explanations and distinctions regarding the Tribulation Transcendence realm and Ascension realm were unlike what he had imagined. Going by this... The Tribulation Transcendence realm was originally just a transitional stage where a Mahayana cultivator transformed toward becoming an immortal. And the Ascension realm... If it truly was as the sword spirit said, then wouldn't all the Ascension realm cultivators in this world be...! The sword spirit smiled faintly and said softly, "Indeed, it is roughly as you imagine." "Those people... are almost all individuals who failed in their bid to reach the Immortal Realm, which is why they have not ascended." "However, that Ling Tianchen is different. The first time I saw him in the city, I sensed it." "His aura was forged through his own cultivation to reach this point. Once he ascends to the Immortal Realm, his strength will likely surge straight through the Mystic Immortal realm to reach the Heavenly Immortal realm!" "That old fellow's foundation is terrifyingly profound..." Hearing even the sword spirit voice such admiration, Li Guanqi could not help feeling curious. "Sword Spirit, if Emperor Chen's strength is that formidable, then what about my grandfather...?" Upon hearing that, the sword spirit simply fell silent, clearly unwilling to answer his question. Li Guanqi felt a bit awkward. Glancing at Meng Jiangchu, an inexplicable sense of crisis arose in his heart. "Then... is there any way to boost the strength of my brothers and me?" This time, the sword spirit did not turn a deaf ear. After pondering for a long while, she spoke softly. "I have already prepared a few things. The prerequisite is that once you return to the Seventh Domain, you must ask your grandfather for some items to give me." Li Guanqi's eyes lit up, and he nodded with a smile. "Alright! No problem." Li Guanqi felt considerably more at ease. Although their cultivation realms were advancing quickly right now, their actual combat prowess was still improving too slowly. Li Guanqi had actually wanted to ask the sword spirit about this long ago. He had not expected her to have already thought of it. The sword spirit slowly rose to her feet. Looking at Pengluo stuffing spiritual herbs into his mouth in the distance, her delicate brows knit slightly. "If combined with my power, what is the maximum time-dilation factor the space you create can withstand?" His back turned to the sword spirit, Pengluo slowly turned his head, mouth stuffed full of spiritual herbs. Rolling his eyes, he was silent for a while before saying, "If you give me enough time and Astral Stones, I should be able to construct a space that can support a tenfold flow of time." After saying this, Pengluo looked up at the sword spirit, frowning in concern. "However... if you want to create a space with tenfold time flow in the Human Spirit Realm, won't the power of time laws required be too immense?" "Can you... actually bear the burden?"