Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

"Believe in him, after all, he has already created so many miracles," the white-haired and white-bearded Tower Supervisor murmured. He had witnessed Gu Chen's rise every step of the way, and his heart was full of confidence in him.

"We have no other choice," Wei Cang and Luo Xun nodded. Both felt a sense of urgency in their hearts, dreading the return of that burly man.

...

Mount Tianzhu.

This day also marked two full years since Lang Tian and the others had descended upon Jiuzhou.

In two years, the injuries they sustained from crossing realms had completely healed. However, the suppression of Jiuzhou's heaven and earth still persisted, forcing their cultivation realm to barely maintain at the early stage of the Heaven-Man Realm, with only a tenth of their strength remaining.

No matter how they adapted and what methods they employed, the situation remained the same, which left Lang Tian and the others feeling helpless.

However, on this day, Lang Tian and the others made a new discovery.

"Eh, what's going on? Do you feel that? The rules of the lower realm are gradually recovering," said Lang Tian of Burning Heaven Valley, his eyes full of astonishment.

The land of Jiuzhou, due to the invasion of demons, suffered from broken rules and a gradual decline towards ruin, with a scarcity of spiritual energy. If this continued, it would inevitably lead to destruction one day.

And it was precisely because of this that the world of martial arts grew increasingly weaker, with the number of powerhouses decreasing, and higher cultivation realms becoming ever more difficult to reach.

The Heaven-Man Realm, as the ultimate pinnacle of martial arts, was especially rare.

But now, in Lang Tian's keen perception, this situation was actually improving, which naturally surprised him.

Not just him, after his remark, the others also noticed something amiss.

"How could this be?" Qi Jin of the Pure Yang Martial Sect, also at the Heaven-Man Realm, uttered in astonishment.

"It really is getting better!" The rest of them felt the same.

"Everyone, have you felt that the rules of the lower realm are slowly restoring, the spiritual energy is gradually increasing, and at the same time, the suppression of this world's will on us is also weakening," spoke a young man with a calm and mountain-like aura.

His name was Zhang Qing, a disciple from the sacred land of Mount Tianzhu in the upper realm.

"Our chance has come!" Realizing this, Lang Tian and the others showed faces full of excitement. Even as beings of the Heaven-Man Realm, they couldn't help getting emotional at this moment.

The problem that had troubled them for two whole years was unraveling today, prompting Lang Tian and the others to marvel at the wonders of fate.

"The restoration of our strength is just around the corner. By then, won't the lower realm be at our command?" said Qi Jin, his face proud as radiant light of the great sun flickered around him, making him look exceedingly dazzling.

"Wait, everyone, have you considered that with the recovery of the world's rules, could it also herald the self-defense of heaven and earth, also known as—severing heaven and earth's connections?" someone warned with such words.

Upon hearing this, the originally excited Lang Tian and the others suddenly changed from their earlier fervor, their expressions undergoing a transformation.

The so-called severing heaven and earth connections meant the self-isolation of heaven and earth, a form of indirect self-protection. That is to say, should this happen, the upper realm would no longer be able to reach the lower realm, and people in the lower realm of Jiuzhou would also be unable to ascend to the upper realm.

Conversely, the restoration of Jiuzhou's world rules would accelerate, the environmental conditions would improve, and the world of martial arts would flourish again, leading to more powerhouses emerging.

"This isn't good news for us," Lang Tian said, his face looking rather unpleasant.

Because, if that were to happen, they would no longer be able to return to the upper realm. No matter how much the rules of Jiuzhou were restored, it was still just a minor thousand worlds, capable of accommodating only up to the Heaven-Man Realm at most.

Having reached the Heaven-Man Realm already, if they couldn't go to the upper realm, their path would be cut off, which was clearly unacceptable to Lang Tian.

"Brother Lang Tian, do you really think so?" At this moment, Qi Jin of the Pure Yang Martial Sect spoke, his gaze somewhat meaningful.

Seeing his expression, Lang Tian felt a jolt in his heart, as if realizing something.

The passage between heaven and earth was sealed; they could not return to the Upper Realm, and those from the Upper Realm could not descend.

What did this mean?

It meant that they could claim the Nine Cauldrons' inheritance as their own, including the Tian Zhong as well!

In this way, even those so-called giants of the Upper Realm could do nothing to them!

"But..." Lang Tian still hesitated, after all, even if they obtained the Nine Cauldrons, their path was cut off; the Heavenly Being realm was the limit in the Nine Provinces, making it difficult to make any progress.

However, Qi Jin had a different opinion, saying, "Brother Lang Tian, whether it's the Nine Cauldrons or the Tian Zhong, even in the Upper Realm they are treasures rarely seen in thousands, even tens of thousands of years. With these two things, should we fear that our path will be cut off?"

"What's more, is Brother Lang Tian really content to return to the Upper Realm and hand over everything he risked his life to obtain in the Lower Realm?" Qi Jin's voice seemed to contain some kind of magic, making Lang Tian contemplate deeply.

Not only that, but the others were not fools either; they all came to realize this point. Their expressions were opaque, and they each had their own thoughts.

Faced with the Nine Cauldrons and the Tian Zhong, it was impossible for anyone to not be tempted.

"Perhaps, it won't be long before our strength can be restored to its peak, and at that time, we can make our return to the world," Zhang Qing from Mount Tianzhu said with a shimmer in his eyes.

If they really were to stay in the Nine Provinces, then how to extract the Nine Cauldrons was what they needed to consider the most.

Taking them by force would only lead to the destruction of the Nine Provinces, leaving them without a place to stay.

...

At the same time, on the other hand, Gu Yan, the ninth prince of the Heavenly Mysterious Imperial Dynasty, had also noticed this.

"The rules of the Nine Provinces are gradually being restored? It seems we're not far from sealing the passage between heaven and earth," Gu Yan murmured to himself. As the ninth prince of the Heavenly Mysterious Imperial Dynasty, he knew more secrets than Lang Tian and others.

Moreover, he considered even more things.

"The Nine Provinces are invaded by demons and monsters, logically it should continue towards destruction, the rules of heaven and earth increasingly in disarray, so why has there been an improvement?" Gu Yan furrowed his brow, puzzled.

But in the next moment, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, startling Gu Yan himself.

"Could it be that someone has completely resolved the threat of the demons and monsters in the Nine Provinces, and destroyed the spatial coordinates? Could that person be Gu Chen?"

As soon as this thought emerged, the ninth prince Gu Yan considered many things, but almost immediately, he dismissed the idea.

No other reason, just that, the idea seemed too unrealistic.

As the ninth prince of the Heavenly Mysterious Imperial Dynasty, he knew much about demons and evil spirits, aware that countless worlds had been destroyed by them. Even the vast worlds of the Upper Realm suffered greatly; how could a minor world like the Nine Provinces possibly have someone who could resolve the threat of demons and monsters?

Moreover, Gu Yan was very clear on what a spatial portal entailed, how could any creature survive in a plane where demons and monsters lived?

At the same time, they had to face countless demons and even more evil spirits, making it even less possible. The moment a being appeared in that plane, they would be detected, and then attacked en masse. No matter how strong they were, without supplies and support, they would end up with not even their bones remaining.

Throughout countless years, many talents and geniuses, even those with extraordinary abilities, tried to resolve the threat of demons and monsters to protect their homelands, only to perish young and sink into obscurity.

Gu Yan had seen too many such instances and cases, which was why his first reaction was disbelief.

"But in two years' time, Gu Chen of Da Xia has not appeared at all." Although unwilling to believe it, Gu Yan's intuition vaguely had a premonition, making his expression uneasy.

"Regardless, the Nine Cauldrons are mine, and besides, even if the passage between heaven and earth is sealed, it does not necessarily mean there are no other paths to the Upper Realm!" Gu Yan's gaze was cold. He was confident in his own strength. However, since there were others like Lang Tian taking the lead, he didn't mind continuing to hide and let them be the vanguard.

"Gu Chen, I really want to see if you have truly taken this step!" the ninth prince of the Heavenly Mysterious Imperial Dynasty said coldly.

While changes were happening in the Nine Provinces, within the spatial portal, Gu Chen himself, or rather the Tian Zhong within him, was also undergoing an unprecedented transformation.