Chen Chang'an returned to the Spirit Valley and couldn't wait to open the Spirit Realm.
After Zhulong's refinements, the Spirit Realm finally possessed all the conditions to become a minor thousand-world. All that was left was for him to activate the time laws of the realm. In less than a thousand years, the Spirit Realm would become an existence on par with one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths of the Upper Realm!
Ji Hongli was the first to return to her own cave dwelling to close her doors for cultivation. This trip had brought her enormous gains, and she needed time to digest them.
The once-bustling courtyard was once again left to Chen Chang'an alone.
But he paid it no mind, instead focusing all his attention on the Spirit Realm.
Chen Chang'an sat in the rattan chair, and in the next moment, his consciousness had already sunk into the Spirit Realm.
With one step, the world changed abruptly.
Looking up, the azure sky was washed clean, no longer an illusory projection but a real firmament.
The sea of clouds churned, sometimes taking the form of dragons, sometimes gathering into phoenix silhouettes, refracting seven-colored auroras under the sunlight.
The sun and moon rotated in orderly fashion. During the day, the Golden Crow patrolled the heavens, casting a warm glow; at night, the Jade Rabbit rose in the east, and starlight fell like rain.
Most wonderfully, a few shooting stars occasionally streaked across the horizon, dragging long tails of flame, leaving transient traces in the night sky.
The earth beneath his feet stretched endlessly.
In the distance, mountains rose and fell, with the main peak soaring into the clouds. Snow capped the summit, while the mountainside remained spring-like throughout the year, dotted with exotic flowers and rare herbs.
Waterfalls flew like silk ribbons from thousand-foot cliffs, crashing into deep pools and creating misty vapors.
The plains were vast, with rivers rushing. Amidst the rising steam, several spirit lakes had naturally formed in the low-lying areas. The lake surfaces shimmered with a faint spiritual light, and spirit fish occasionally leaped out, their scales sparkling in the sunlight.
Deep within the earth, spiritual veins spread like a net, spiritual energy surging from the depths and circulating between heaven and earth.
As cultivators breathed, they could draw spiritual energy into their bodies, washing their marrow and refining their hair. Plants nurtured by this energy grew exceptionally lush, some even beginning to develop spiritual consciousness.
Chen Chang'an's divine sense swept across the entire Spirit Realm. After several generations of reproduction, traces of cultivator activities could be seen everywhere.
Even relying on the basic cultivation techniques he had left behind, with the emergence of countless talents, numerous branches had derived—
On the mountain peaks in the east, temples were built along the mountainsides, their golden roofs shining brilliantly in the sunlight.
At the mountain gate, young disciples were practicing sword control techniques, their sword lights like rainbows, tearing through the sky.
In the depths of the western desert, an ancient stone tower stood tall.
The tower body was covered in obscure runes that occasionally flashed with strange light. Occasionally, cultivators came and went, each with profound aura, clearly not ordinary in their cultivation.
On the northern snow plains, the crystal palace was majestic and magnificent. Outside the palace, the cold wind was biting, but inside it was as warm as spring. Disciples in white robes practiced magic on the ice surface, with cold air condensing into ice lotuses at the wave of their hands.
Among the southern archipelago, scattered cultivators shuttled through flying boats. Some islands had simple thatched cottages where hermits lived alone; others had opened up cave dwellings, with spirit medicines planted at the entrance, exuding a faint medicinal fragrance.
In this perfected Spirit Realm, cultivators could cultivate all the way to the completion of the Heavenly Human Realm and even touch the threshold of the Half-Saint Realm.
Just like in the lower realm, those in the Object Control Realm could wield magical artifacts and fly; those in the Profound Comprehension Realm could comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth and display supernatural abilities; those in the Return Origin Realm had nascent souls and greatly increased lifespans; those in the Longevity Realm could roam the four seas and establish sects; and those in the Heavenly Human Realm could touch the edge of this world's laws, summoning the power of heaven and earth with their every move.
Chen Chang'an's consciousness hovered above the Spirit Realm's sky, overlooking this initially formed minor thousand-world like a deity.
The mountains and rivers of the Spirit Realm were clearly visible to his "eyes"—the main peak was majestic with snow-capped peaks; rivers rushed with hazy water vapor; the plains were vast with lush vegetation.
The rotation of the sun and moon had become regular, and the trajectories of the stars were gradually stabilizing.
But upon careful perception, just as he had thought, he could still detect the slight awkwardness in the laws of heaven and earth, like a newly forged sword that had not yet been sharpened, or a jade that had not been carved.
"This world is still too young..."
Chen Chang'an's divine sense fluctuated slightly.
However—since Zhulong had already completed the basic laws of the Spirit Realm, it was now time for him to push the wheel of time.
With a thought, he mobilized the immortal energy in his body, his divine sense like a net, instantly enveloping the entire Spirit Realm.
At the same time, he began to accelerate the flow of time while observing the changes in the Spirit Realm.
Just at this moment—
"Clang—"
A melodious bell suddenly rang beside his ear.
The bell sound was clear and ethereal, as if piercing through endless time and space, echoing directly in the depths of his consciousness.
Chen Chang'an's whole body trembled, and his divine sense faltered for a moment.
When he came to his senses, he was horrified to find that half of his immortal energy had been consumed!
"What's going on?"
He hurriedly directed his divine sense to all parts of the Spirit Realm.
The sight before him left him shocked—
The newly formed mountains had now become weathered and heavy, the snow line on the peaks had dropped significantly, and the mountain bodies were covered with traces of erosion.
The rivers on the plains had changed course, forming a completely new water system network, and the riverbanks had been scoured smooth and round.
Those newly established cultivator gathering places now had imposing buildings, and the stone slabs on the squares had been polished shiny, apparently having experienced countless morning bells and evening drums.
The most obvious change was in the laws of heaven and earth—the originally awkward operation was now smooth and natural, the alternation of sun and moon was like flowing clouds and water, and the rotation of the four seasons was no longer jerky.
Not only that, the aura of the Heavenly Human Realm could even be faintly felt in some places.
"Good heavens..."
Chen Chang'an's pupils trembled violently.
What the heck?
He had clearly only been distracted by that strange bell sound for a moment, yet a thousand years had already passed in the Spirit Realm!?
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