"While the Venerable Realm's strength is considered mainstream high-end combat power globally,"
"the five great sacred lands all possess old monsters at the Emperor Realm and Void Return stage."
"Coupled with what Emperor Yan mentioned, I fear the events of three years ago might repeat themselves."
Chen Jiuyang's tone was laced with deep apprehension.
"Therefore, I wish to ask Emperor Yan to temporarily station himself in the Azure Bamboo Spirit Domain."
His own strength was insufficient, and he ultimately couldn't fully trust those from the Demonic Path.
Only Emperor Yan, whom he knew well, could put his mind at ease.
"Regarding temporarily stationing myself in the Azure Bamboo Spirit Domain, that is not an issue. Currently, our Dragon Country has enfeoffed one hundred and eight kings, each stationed at the border. I, on the other hand, am like a free spirit, focusing on comprehending the Great Dao..."
Hearing Emperor Yan's words, Chen Jiuyang's brow furrowed, "Emperor Yan, is there a flaw in the Sword Bearer system?"
The Royal Sword was unrivaled within the Dragon Country. With one hundred and eight kings, the Dragon Country could sweep through the five great sacred lands without issue.
"Alas..." Emperor Yan sighed, "Indeed..."
"The Sword Bearer system is condensed under the Ancestral Artifacts, representing the essence of our Huaxia's soul."
"However, control over the Ancestral Artifacts does not lie with the people of our Dragon Country, but with the five great sacred lands."
"If it were not so, how could I allow the greedy individuals of the five great sacred lands to run rampant in the Dragon Country?"
"Should a conflict arise with the five great sacred lands, they could, through the Ancestral Artifacts, strip the Sword Bearers and Kings of their powers."
"This is why the Jixia Academy wronged you three years ago."
Chen Jiuyang's brows tightened, "Is there a solution?"
"There are two methods. The first is to eliminate the five great sacred lands and seize control of the Ancestral Artifacts. "
"The second is to abolish the Sword Bearer system, thereby freeing the Dragon Country from the control of the five great sacred lands."
At this point, Chen Jiuyang was startled and looked deeply at Emperor Yan, "The path pioneered by Emperor Yan seems to transcend the Sword Bearer system?"
Emperor Yan offered a meaningful smile, "Many years ago, when I stood at the peak of the Heavenly Realm and was constrained by destiny, I was contemplating this very issue."
"It took a long time to forge this path, all for the sake of ensuring our Dragon Country would no longer be controlled by the five great sacred lands..."
Chen Jiuyang took a deep breath. It seemed Emperor Yan had foreseen this day decades ago and thus chose to forge a new path.
"This path has just been established. I can only select a few exceptionally promising talents and secretly hone them within my Zhenbei Army, daring not to reveal it."
"This is my greatest secret. If this matter were exposed, the five great sacred lands would likely turn hostile and suppress us instantly."
Chen Jiuyang felt immense admiration for Emperor Yan. How crucial was this matter?
Even his own son, Yan Hongming, had not walked this path.
This was likely the reason Emperor Yan had always stationed himself in the north of the Dragon Country, cutting off information.
The two conversed for a long time.
Afterward, Emperor Yan's helicopter departed, while Emperor Yan himself remained behind in secret.
Chen Jiuyang's destiny could not be calculated, but his relatives could be divined. Emperor Yan, being an Emperor Realm expert and the face of the Dragon Country's martial arts world, was protected by the Ancestral Artifacts. Unless one could surpass the Ancestral Artifacts, who could divine Emperor Yan's whereabouts?
Having made all preparations, Chen Jiuyang kept those around him in the dark and quietly left the courtyard under the cover of night, heading to the Pure Yang Medical Immortal's遗迹 cave dwelling beneath the river.
With a thought,
Chen Jiuyang opened Warehouse No. 2, where various immortal artifacts, magical artifacts, and leftover materials left by the Pure Yang Medical Immortal were stored.
"This trip to the Small Immortal Realm is to gather preliminary information and scout the situation. I must not linger."
He still had three women at home carrying his children.
After the incident with Yao Zixuan, how could Chen Jiuyang repeat the same mistake?
It was currently April, and the three women were one month pregnant, due to give birth around the end of the year.
In the meantime, he still needed to improve his cultivation.
"Time waits for no man."
Chen Jiuyang approached the Two Realms Mirror and, following the procedures left by the Pure Yang Medical Immortal, opened its seal and restrictions.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
An immeasurably terrifying sensation immediately descended upon the entire hall. The terrifying energy fluctuations almost shattered the seals of other magical and immortal artifacts.
"I am a descendant of the Pure Yang Medical Immortal and have inherited my ancestor's legacy. May I ask your name, senior?"
"Hmm... A Pure Yang Physique, a path of martial arts, not immortal cultivation. You are indeed a descendant of my master."
The voice of the Two Realms Mirror entered Chen Jiuyang's mind, "My name is 'Guo Hai'."
"Greetings, Senior 'Guo Hai'." Chen Jiuyang respectfully cupped his fists towards the immortal artifact and stated his purpose, "My wife is stranded in the Small Immortal Realm. I have awakened you to go to the Small Immortal Realm and retrieve my wife."
"With your current strength, you are not yet capable of traversing the Small Immortal Realm freely. However, with your Venerable Realm strength, you can barely protect yourself."
"With your strength, you can only barely open the passage between the two realms. The passage can only be reopened after six months. During this time, I need to absorb spiritual energy to recharge."
"Six months..." Chen Jiuyang calculated the time. The three women were currently one month pregnant. If he went to the Small Immortal Realm for six months and returned, it would be about right.
"The universe is a dead sea. Only planets can serve as a place for life to survive and grow."
After the Two Realms Mirror recited a series of complex incantations,
"Rumble!!!"
Space tore open, and the Two Realms Mirror emitted a terrifying aura.
On the other side of the mirror lay a vast and boundless wilderness.
Standing on this side, one could see giant elephants and birds of prey with bodies exceeding a hundred meters, roaming freely through the mirror.
"With your strength, you cannot carry me with you. I have activated the spatial nodes left by the master. When you arrive in the Small Immortal Realm, you will see my main body. After you pass, I will fall into slumber."
"The spatial node is located in the East Desolation of the Small Immortal Realm."
"I will only awaken after half a year. During this period, you must be careful."
"Thank you for the warning, senior. I understand."
Chen Jiuyang took a deep breath.
He might die in the Small Immortal Realm on this journey.
However, that world held the person he loved most. Even if it were a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, a hell of eternal damnation,
He had to go!
His children could not be without a mother, and the Chen family could not be without his wife.
He had to bring back what he owed.
He cast a deep glance at the遗迹 cave dwelling behind him.
Then, he stepped into the passage opened by the Two Realms Mirror.
"Small Immortal Realm, here I come."
"Rumble!!!"
In an instant, Chen Jiuyang felt the world turn upside down, his body and soul on the verge of disintegration, a terrifying, inexplicable power descending upon him.
Even with Venerable Realm strength, traversing a spatial tunnel could lead to death.
After an unknown period,
Chen Jiuyang's consciousness returned. The Nine Dragon Robe, condensed from the True Demon Sect's destiny, was crushed into smoke, and his physical body had suffered severe internal injuries.
The true blood and essence within his body were almost completely burned away.
A sense of weakness he had never experienced before washed over Chen Jiuyang.
But the scenery before his eyes, which did not belong to Earth, flooded his vision.
Mountains thousands of meters high stood before him, and creatures like prehistoric behemoths roamed.
He had truly descended into this strange Small Immortal Realm.
"Is this the East Desolation of the Small Immortal Realm?"
"This is..."
The lamp representing Yao Zixuan in Chen Jiuyang's sea of consciousness suddenly brightened considerably.
Its direction was no longer as vague as before.
It was in the west.
"Zixuan..."