Emerging from the eleventh city, Chen Jiuyang first indulged in a grand feast with Qi Degui and Ming Chengdao, satisfying his cravings and thoroughly relaxing his taut nerves.
Once they had their fill, Patriarch 'Sleepless' approached Chen Jiuyang and asked, "How do you feel now that you have thoroughly refined the five great primordial sources and laws?"
Chen Jiuyang closed his eyes and could feel the Dao Palace, forged by the five divine repositories within his body, radiating light and chanting scriptures, interconnected.
An unprecedented surge of power filled Chen Jiuyang with exhilaration.
This immense power already placed Chen Jiuyang on par with ordinary peerless great experts.
"Very good," Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly, then continued, "But it is also very difficult. To forge a Dao furnace with the five great primordial sources and laws and ascend to the Imperial Dao is not a simple feat. I can only place my hope on the final city of the Human King's path."
Patriarch 'Sleepless' smacked his lips, "Your foundation, combat power, and potential already rival that of Imperial Sons from ancient inheritances, surpassing heavenly prodigies, monstrous talents, and evildoers..."
Chen Jiuyang said, "But with each step forward, the difficulty is tens or even hundreds of times that of ordinary heavenly prodigies."
Patriarch 'Sleepless' looked on with immense satisfaction, "Otherwise, how could you wield my Sacred Dao and become a generation of Demon Emperors?"
"You still need to forge the furnace, ascend to the Imperial Dao, unify the Nine Sacred Dao Sects, and destroy the five great pseudo-Dao lineages. Only then can you guide the Chongming Sea back to the Central Continent and safely bring back the whereabouts of your wife. It will be a mere flick of a finger."
Chen Jiuyang's expression turned wistful. The Small Immortal Realm was too vast; he hadn't seen Yao Zixuan for several years, and their child, Chen Nianxuan, had already grown up and started primary school.
Regardless of his identity in the outside world, when facing Zixuan and their child, he was an unqualified husband and father.
Patriarch 'Sleepless' asked, "Do you want to return to the Sacred Sect for a period of rest?"
In his eyes, this junior, as astounding as an Imperial Son, was perfect in every way except for being too concerned about his family. Sacred Dao cultivators should be as unrestrained and carefree as he was.
The path of the Saint was solitary.
Chen Jiuyang pondered, "The Demon Race is stirring, and the Five Great Sacred Lands are also beginning to descend to the mortal world, abandoning some peerless great experts who cannot ascend. Eleven months have passed; I wonder about the progress of the Sacred-Pseudo War. Regardless, I should go back and see before embarking on this final city."
"My few children have also grown almost a year older."
Patriarch 'Sleepless' did not interrupt and said, "Then let's go." He raised his hand and tore open a spatial rift.
Chen Jiuyang said to Qi Degui and Ming Chengdao, "My brothers, we shall meet again in the final city of the Human King's path."
"Excellent. We will fight alongside Brother Qianyang against the myriad races then."
"Big Brother, I'll head into the city first to gather intelligence for you."
Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly, then walked into the spatial rift with Patriarch 'Sleepless'.
...
Deep within the True Demon Sect.
An ancient teleportation array flickered.
The figures of Chen Jiuyang and Patriarch 'Sleepless' appeared.
Chen Jiuyang immediately transformed into a stream of light and flew towards the sect.
The True Demon Sect now was not the same as when Chen Jiuyang had first reorganized it. Through the long battles of the Righteous-Demonic War, everyone had gradually been united as one. Coupled with the sect's treasury being generously opened, anyone with merit could exchange for various valuable items.
Through the sifting of the great waves, much gold had emerged.
Under the Righteous-Demonic War, the True Demon Sect continued to flourish, maintaining a disciple and elder count of around four hundred thousand.
This force was incredibly terrifying.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Jiuyang had been the Sect Master of the True Demon Sect for nearly nine years, as his daughter Chen Nianxuan was almost nine years old.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
As he traveled, many members of the True Demon Sect bowed respectfully and greeted Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang maintained a state of unity between man and heaven, his aura like that of an ordinary person, but who didn't know how terrifying this Sect Master's strength was?
Yang Zijang, who used to mingle in the market, now with his Golden Core cultivation, had become an ordinary guest elder of the True Demon Sect. Because he possessed the divine eye and was skilled at networking, he had managed to secure a position in a lucrative area within the sect.
The former wild martial world, the nascent state of the great era, was gone. The major sects and factions had established conventions: unless mortals voluntarily sought to become disciples, they could not actively recruit disciples, nor could they fight in places where mortals resided.
The Great Dao had four aspects and nine in its entirety, with one giving birth. This vitality rested upon countless mortals.
The Five Great Sacred Lands, Forbidden Families, and Demonic Dao Sects were the supreme powers within the Dragon Kingdom. Others were considered first-class or second-rate.
However, the largest and most unassailable force currently was the Imperial Yan's Garrison Commanders, who selected only mortals with pure lineage for three generations, primarily recruiting constables from the Six Doors.
They covered every locality, from villages and towns to cities and provinces. Apart from the Righteous-Demonic War, the Dragon Kingdom was truly peaceful, and no foreign enemies dared to covet its resources.
The world structure had also changed dramatically. If all the current forces of the Dragon Kingdom were combined, they would be sufficient to sweep across the entire mortal realm.
However, each major power had different intentions and goals, making unification impossible.
The situation was stable, but more people knew that the Righteous-Demonic War, which had lasted for five years, was gradually intensifying. The day it would fully erupt was when Sect Master Chen Jiuyang stepped into the Imperial Dao.
For this reason, the people of the Five Great Sacred Lands continued to rally various forces under the banner of the Immortal Alliance.
After a tour of the sect, Chen Jiuyang proceeded to the Chen family's ancestral land.
Several years prior, the Han family's ancestral land had voluntarily ceded a piece of land to establish the Demonic Dao Nine Qian Chen family's ancestral land.
This ancestral land currently had few residents, only Chen Jiuyang's guard team, the former Forty-Eight Marquises of Fengcheng and their relatives, as well as Chen Biandao, Yao Deyun, the Lin family, and the Ji family residing there.
This was only temporary. Chen Jiuyang's intention was to return to Qingzhu Town, but due to the Righteous-Demonic War, he had not returned for five years.
He hadn't even returned to the Pure Yang Medical Immortal's遗迹洞府 (ruins and cave dwelling) beneath Qinghe, fearing exposure.
That遗迹洞府 (ruins and cave dwelling) was the foundation for the future establishment of the Chen family.
Chen Jiuyang's four children, excluding Chen Nianxuan, had begun practicing martial arts.
However, they could not cultivate Chen Jiuyang's Yuan Dao and could only choose other foundational cultivation techniques.
Chen Nianxuan's personality was like that of a demoness. Even without cultivation, she was like a demon king within the True Demon Sect, causing chaos daily.
The children were all still young. Their grandparents and other relatives supervised their studies, and Chen Biandao and Han Shaofa also oversaw their martial arts fundamentals.
Upon returning home, Chen Jiuyang spent time with Lin Yuexian, Ji Lengyue, and Qiu Yihan. Although they were an old married couple, their frequent separations made their reunions feel like new encounters.
During dinner, the younger children sat at a separate table. Chen Jiuyang and the others accompanied the children while eating, sitting at their own table. Chen Jiuyang said, "I won't be staying long this time. I've reached the twelfth level of the Venerable realm and need to prepare to forge the furnace and attempt the Imperial realm."
"The final city of the Human King's path will likely take one to two years."
Lin Yuexian, who looked more and more like an immortal, said gently, "Chen Lang, you are already a peerless heavenly prodigy. The Imperial realm is so difficult to attain; succeeding within one to two years would be excellent."
Ji Lengyue also nodded, "Husband, you cultivate the martial path, and we sisters cultivate the immortal path. You don't need to worry about our lifespans."
Qiu Yihan said, "Husband, then you must spend quality time with us these few days~"
"Preferably to the point where you can't get out of bed."
"The children are still here, Yihan, what are you saying."