Qi Cultivation Starting from the Repair Panel

Compared to Chu Zheng, the one who understands Song Lingqing the best would no doubt be Song Lingxue.

However, from the few interactions over the years, he had also vaguely perceived certain traits in Song Lingqing.

Song Lingqing took her cultivation very seriously and was willing to pay any price for it.

Back when she was in the Phantom Spirit Sect and her Immortal Bone was shattered, she didn't show the slightest sign of defeat, maintaining a terrifyingly stable mentality, with her heart towards the Immortal Path not deviating in the slightest.

This wasn't a state that ordinary people could maintain; Song Lingqing had a persistence that was unlike that of normal people.

Such people were rare in Chu Zheng's experience, but without a doubt, as a cultivator of the Immortal Path, Song Lingqing was entirely qualified.

"Staying in Taixuan would be of no use; it might be better to travel and, perhaps, encounter some fortuitous opportunities."

Song Lingqing obviously wasn't too willing to go along with Chu Zheng's arrangement; she didn't want to be confined to a corner of the world.

Moreover, after Chu Zheng left, what would become of Taixuan was completely unknown; staying here might soon bring even more troubles her way.

Staying in Taixuan would be like being trapped in a cage, but outside the Holy Land, as long as one is cautious, one can play a much greater role.

With her cultivation deepening, her mentality was also undergoing a transformation. After securing the position of the top individual in the Entry Dao Realm during this grand competition, her thoughts had become quite different from before.

"I'd like you to stay in Taixuan because I need a favor from you."

Seeing the clearly resistant aura on Song Lingqing, Chu Zheng did not insist and chose to phrase it differently:

"Help me stabilize the Song Clan. Without you acting as a bridge, the connection between Taixuan and the Song Clan will likely crumble quickly."

Upon hearing this, Song Lingqing fell into silence.

She knew that these cultivating families valued bloodline far beyond what outsiders could imagine. After all, she and the Song Clan shared the same roots; compared to the cultivators of Taixuan, at least she had a say.

"It's just a small effort on my part, not really a favor. I will stay in Taixuan City and do my best."

After considering for a moment, Song Lingqing nodded her agreement. She had owed Chu Zheng too many favors before, so now she would consider this as paying back a part.

"That would be good."

In truth, the Song Clan didn't hold much significance to Taixuan, but there was no need to make that clear. What Chu Zheng needed was just an excuse to keep Song Lingqing in Taixuan Holy Land.

Both Tai Xu and Taixuan's Holy Lands had suffered heavy losses and were at a moment of instability. The other powers in the Southern Region might well harbor intentions of replacing them.

According to what Shang Cangyun said before, he would likely soon be in trouble, which would inevitably involve the Shang Family and the entire Primordial Spirit Holy Land.

Should the three Holy Lands weaken, and without the Holy Lands' suppression, the forces below would surely become restless.

The whole dynamic of the Southern Region and even the Cangyun Realm would be thoroughly unbalanced, and many startling changes could occur.

Even though Holy Lands possess Immortal Treasures that secure their destiny, these are not easily utilized. Under the administration of the Immortal Alliance, the best outcome would be that the three Holy Lands, like Taixuan had done before, would be forced to close their Sect Gates and cease to concern themselves with world affairs.

Song Lingqing's temperament was not that of a turtle that could endure the quiet; she was more like a snake that would bite back at the first opportunity. In a world where things were about to turn chaotic, wandering outside might end her life early.

Staying in Taixuan, at least, would ensure her safety and allow her to safely weather this storm.

Looking at Chu Zheng sitting cross-legged under the silver moon, Song Lingqing hesitated slightly before asking in a low voice:

"After you leave the realm, where will you go?"

"It could be anywhere; I do not even know myself."

Chu Zheng looked up at the starry sky, his words carrying an ambiguity: "Perhaps I will just get lost in the vast expanse of the Great Universe, which wouldn't be impossible."

There was no need to explain too much about the Myriad Heavens and Realms to Song Lingqing.

"Will you ever return?"

Song Lingqing seemed to be asking but also appeared to be speaking to herself, her voice very low.

"Perhaps."

Chu Zheng did not provide a definite answer, his gaze measuring the heavens and earth, the mountains and rivers before him, as he said in a deep voice:

"If one day I am powerful enough to take back the Cangyun Realm, I will come back."

This place was, after all, his home in this life. If one day he could hold it in his grasp, he wouldn't mind taking charge of it casually.

"Take care."

After speaking, Song Lingqing didn't say more. Turning away, her figure cloaked in moonlight was gradually swallowed by the darkness within the hall, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared without a trace.

Chu Zheng slightly lifted his head, swallowing the last bit of moonlight, and stood up, walking towards the Taixuan Main Peak.

In the blink of an eye, he reached the summit of the main peak and entered the red-hued Heavenly Pattern Immortal Fire Hall.

The hall was empty, with spirit tablets and divine positions of the ancestors of the Taixuan Holy Land placed on the altar.

In a corner, there were many Soul Lamps, representing those Taixuan cultivators still battling in the Ten Thousand Realms Battlefield.

Some were burning brightly, while others were about to go out, clearly not in a good situation. There were even many extinguished Soul Lamps, their owners having already died.

Chu Zheng glanced around and found the Soul Lamp belonging to Geng Yiyang; his Soul Lamp was still burning, having grown stronger than before, suggesting that he was still in a passable situation.

After offering Pure Incense to the ancestral tablets of Taixuan, Chu Zheng produced the Taixuan Holy Master Robe, which had been repaired to its original state, along with the Blood Jade, symbolizing the status of the Taixuan Holy Master, and placed them before the altar.

Then, Chu Zheng bowed respectfully before rising and turning to leave.

He did not pray for the blessings of these ancestors. Those ancestors of Taixuan probably weren't keen on blessing a heretic path cultivator.

Moreover, rather than seeking the protection of those who have gone before, it would be better to think about how to deal with the living.

When Chu Zheng stepped out of the hall, the remaining elders of the Taixuan Holy Land were already present, standing scattered and silent.

"Please forgive Chu Zheng's incompetence. From now on, I will have to rely on the elders to take pains," said Chu Zheng with a fist and palm salute, his expression earnest.

"Holy Master, please journey safely."

"That is what we should do. Holy Master only needs to take good care of yourself without any concerns for the rear," replied the elders.

"Please hurry on your journey."

The elders did not say much, nor did their emotions show much turbulence. They had seen bigger storms before, and the scene where Taixuan faced the world as its enemy was still vivid in their minds.

For them, what remained was to burn the last glimmer of their twilight, to lighten Taixuan's path in the dark night a while longer, quietly waiting for dawn.

At the break of dawn, Chu Zheng greeted the morning glow of the great sun and left the Cangyun Realm, heading straight into the depths of the starry sky.

This voyage he was not alone, for Bai Nian remained within the Small World, accompanying him on this path.

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The brilliance of the Stars pierced through the pitch-black curtain, pulling up an odd landscape of starry illusions.

Travelling amongst the stars often made it easy to neglect time.

After several months of travel, Chu Zheng finally discovered a Life Star. The star was not large, with a diameter of only over twenty thousand li, but it was overcrowded with people.

Spatial gateways would frequently open, disgorging large numbers of figures whose backgrounds were a mix of dragons and fish. There were many Cultivators from the Immortal Tribulation Secret Realm, though no trace of a True Immortal was seen.

Chu Zheng blended into the crowd and entered the realm inconspicuously. Soon after, he managed to gather some information.

This star, named Tengyun, served as a transit area, with over a hundred Teleportation Arrays set up above it, connecting over a hundred territories - Life Stars, transit fortresses, or worlds.

In the Great Universe, merchant fleets sailed, and without stars like Tengyun for resupply stations, they could easily lose their way midway through their journey.

In such situations, there was no doubt that the final outcome would be terrifying; being gradually consumed to death was the most common ending.

Separated from heaven and earth, Immortal Path Cultivators could only sustain themselves on Spirit Stones and Immortal Jade. If these resources were cut off, they would ultimately die from Mana exhaustion.

Only by stepping into the True Immortal Realm, with internal worlds formed into cycles and possessing complete Heavenly Dao Laws, could one sustain endlessly without relying on external things and survive in the universe.

Getting lost in the sea of stars could mean that even if one was lucky enough to preserve their life, it often resulted in centuries of drifting in the desolate cosmos—an unbearable length of time for most Cultivators.

After inquiring around, Chu Zheng did not stay long on Tengyun Star. He spent a sum of Spirit Stones to purchase some route maps, then boarded a Teleportation Array, and continued rapidly towards the direction of the Boundary Gate.

In recent days, Song Lingxue had written him another letter.

The letter stated that everything was stable in the Martial Hall, that she had met many peers on the same path, and that her Cultivation had made great progress, nearing the late stages of the Embracing Pill Realm.

Chu Zheng was somewhat skeptical about this. He always felt that Song Lingxue wasn't telling the whole truth.

Given that the Martial Hall was as renowned as the Immortal Alliance, it was destined not to be a comfortable place. Moreover, the Martial Path itself was a path of slaughter. To accelerate the increase in Cultivation required fighting to the death.

Even if he had his doubts, Chu Zheng was powerless to act at the moment, so he discarded unnecessary thoughts and quickened his pace towards the Boundary Gate.

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After traveling through a series of Teleportation Arrays, Chu Zheng finally approached the region where the Boundary Gate was located.

A gate of light stretching for millions of li hung beneath the vault of the starry sky, its interior producing a hazy vision, showing layers upon layers of starry curtains with no clear end in sight.

This place was the Boundary Gate.

The Boundary Wheel, connected to the countless Star Domains under the Immortal Alliance's jurisdiction, reaches everywhere, enabling Immortal Alliance Envoys to arrive quickly after anomalies occur in various realms.

Around the Boundary Gate, there were also Teleportation Arrays leading to various stars, like a spider's web, blanketing the entire Immortal Alliance.

The starry space near the Boundary Gate, due to the interference from the powerful space force of the gate, was unable to set up any spatial teleportation arrays, leaving one to rely only on their own pace.

Chu Zheng did not stop for a moment. After a long journey, to save even more time, he burned Immortal Jade and activated the Blood Transforming Blade to slice through space and hasten his travel. It took him another half a year to finally arrive at this place.

At this moment, the Boundary Gate was shrouded in a heavy seal. Chu Zheng concentrated and sensed it for a moment, his expression becoming slightly tense.

The Boundary Gate was not always available for use, requiring a significant amount of resources and the right timing to activate.

The last activation was when Dongsheng Demon Immortal personally visited this star domain. When it would next be opened was uncertain.

Next to the Boundary Gate, there was a vast expanse of metallic plain, a treasure refined in one piece, designed specifically to provide resting space for beings from various places.

In front of Chu Zheng, many were already queuing up and waiting.

Though he was pressed for time, Chu Zheng could only spend some time waiting. He paid a hundred pieces of Immortal Jade and began queueing up honestly, not uttering a word.

Mainly because the Boundary Gate was presided over by a True Immortal whom he simply couldn't afford to provoke at the moment.

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PS: Some content requires revision