6: Chapter 6 Dreaming of the Abyss

Zhetian Divine Kingdom.

Goddess Hua Caili of the Zhetian Divine Kingdom had returned from her trial in the Mist Sea over a month ago. She had been in seclusion ever since, refusing to see anyone, not even her father, Sovereign Hua Fuchen, or her fiancé, Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi of the Senluo Divine Kingdom.

According to Sword Immortal Hua Qingying, Goddess Hua Caili had broken through to the Divine Extinction Realm and now urgently needed to consolidate her cultivation in preparation for the upcoming Pure Land Assembly.

Today, the Zhetian Divine Kingdom received two extremely important guests: Sovereign Dian Luohou, a True God of the current era and ruler of the Senluo Divine Kingdom, and Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi, the Senluo Divine Kingdom's Divine Son who was highly likely to become a True God in the future.

Due to the continuous loss of spiritual energy in the world over millions of years, the highest cultivation realm in the God Realm was limited to the Divine Master Realm. Even powerful figures like Long Bai, Zhou Xuzi, and Qianye Fantian had stopped at the peak of the Divine Master Realm. However, in the Abyss of Nothingness, cultivators could break through the Divine Master Realm and enter higher realms: the Divine Extinction Realm and the Divine Extreme Realm. Between the Divine Master Realm and the Divine Extinction Realm, there was also the Half-step Divine Destruction Realm.

However, the Abyss of Nothingness also had its bottlenecks. No matter how talented, diligent, or resource-rich ordinary cultivators were, they were limited to the peak of the Divine Extreme Realm, unable to reach the True God Realm.

Fundamentally, this stemmed from the origin of the Abyss of Nothingness. Originally, it was a place where the Primordial Ancestor God stored the Power of Annihilation, making it difficult to create life. Later, although the Power of Life entered and caused changes, the "abyssal dust" formed by the mutation of the Power of Annihilation fused completely with the Power of Life, causing a decline in the realm. In this environment, it was difficult for ordinary cultivators to naturally achieve the True God Realm.

Moreover, cultivating the Dark Origin Power in the abyss was extremely difficult, which was another important reason why True Gods could not be born. Most importantly, the Annihilation Power of the Primordial Ancestor God only had the attribute of destruction. If an ordinary person could fully utilize this power, creating a True God, or even a Creation God or Demon Emperor, might not be a problem. However, the mortal bodies of ordinary beings could not withstand such powerful Annihilation Power.

However, there was a special way to achieve the True God Realm in the Abyss of Nothingness: by obtaining the profound energy and cultivation of an ancient True God through the method of inheritance. But this inheritance was not without conditions; it had extremely harsh prerequisites. The recipient must awaken a Divine Soul and a Divine Fate.

Those who possessed a Divine Soul could resonate with the bloodline of a True God, possessing the realm and cognition of a True God. Not only would their cultivation progress by leaps and bounds, far surpassing ordinary people, but in the future, they might also be able to directly fuse with the divine body inherited from the True God, inherit the True God's profound veins, transform their mortal body into a divine body, and achieve the True God Realm.

Precisely because there were few True Gods and demons from the God Realm, and the conditions for inheritance were extremely harsh, there were only eleven True Gods in the entire Abyss of Nothingness. They were Emperor Yuan, the four great Divine Officials, and the six rulers of the Divine Kingdoms: Sovereign Dian Luohou of the Senluo Divine Kingdom, Sovereign Hua Fuchen of the Zhetian Divine Kingdom, Divine Venerable Shen Wuyanye of the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom, Meng Kongchan of the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom, Divine Son Wu Shenxing and Divine Son Wu Shenyue of the Xingyue Divine Kingdom, and Pan Yusheng of the Xiaodie Divine Kingdom.

This was the tenth time Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi had come to the Zhetian Divine Kingdom in the past month. He had not seen Goddess Hua Caili during the previous nine visits, so this time, he had specifically brought his father, Sovereign Dian Luohou, along.

At this moment, the father and son were seated in the guest seats on the right side of the Zhetian Divine Hall. Directly opposite them, in the host seats on the left, sat Sovereign Hua Fuchen, the ruler of the Zhetian Divine Kingdom, and Hua Qingying, who held the title of Sword Immortal.

The Senluo Divine Kingdom was the most powerful existence in the Abyss of Nothingness, second only to the Pure Land. Sovereign Dian Luohou was one of the eleven True Gods and was recognized as the most powerful among the Seven Gods of the Six Kingdoms.

Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi had been frail and sickly with a large head as a child, and his aptitude was mediocre. However, he had awakened a Divine Soul, realizing a reversal in his life and rewriting his destiny. As a noble Divine Son, he would inherit the True God's legacy in the future. Furthermore, he had been betrothed by Emperor Yuan to Goddess Hua Caili, the Zhetian Goddess of the Zhetian Divine Kingdom, with whom his family had been on good terms for generations.

Sovereign Hua Fuchen greeted them warmly: "My dear in-laws and Divine Son, you have come from afar, I apologize for not meeting you sooner!"

Sovereign Dian Luohou waved his right hand and said loudly: "I heard that Sister Caili achieved a breakthrough in the Mist Sea trial and is now in the Divine Extinction Realm. Jiuzhi and I have come specifically to congratulate her. This box contains a Nebula Divine Pill, which is of great benefit for consolidating one's realm and increasing cultivation."

Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi quickly stepped forward, respectfully handed an antique and exquisite brocade box to Sovereign Hua Fuchen, and bowed, saying: "Uncle, actually, this is the tenth time I have come this month. I haven't seen Sister Caili for a long time."

Sovereign Hua Fuchen glanced at Sovereign Dian Luohou and his son, looking troubled and apologetic: "I am truly sorry, but Caili has not yet left seclusion. I fear I must disappoint you and the Divine Son."

Sovereign Dian Luohou turned his face to look at Sword Immortal Hua Qingying and asked in a tone of negotiation: "Actually, we came this time because we also wanted to verify something."

Sword Immortal Hua Qingying had never liked this rough and boisterous future father-in-law of Goddess Hua Caili, nor had she ever approved of betrothing Goddess Hua Caili to Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi. She replied expressionlessly: "Your Majesty, please speak!"

Sovereign Dian Luohou continued: "I heard that Goddess Caili was often with a young man during her trial in the Mist Sea."

Sword Immortal Hua Qingying replied coldly: "They were just passing acquaintances, nothing more than ordinary friends. Does my dear in-law really want to manage even such trivial matters as who Caili trials with?"

Sovereign Dian Luohou then said: "One must guard against gossip. If there are too many rumors, it is inevitable that the Goddess's reputation will be damaged!"

He continued: "Actually, there is one more thing. I heard that Meng Jianyuan of the Zhimeng Divine Kingdom obtained the Zhetian Sword Technique of the Hua family and was also in the Mist Sea trial some time ago. I wonder if the Sword Immortal and Goddess Caili are aware of this?"

"What? Is this true?!" Sovereign Hua Fuchen's seated figure jerked, and he asked urgently. At the same time, Sword Immortal Hua Qingying's expression changed drastically.

The Zhetian Sword Technique, consisting of ninety-nine swords, was created by the Creation God Weie. The ancestors of the Hua family had followed Weie in battle for many years, and Weie, mindful of their contributions, passed it on to them.

Sovereign Hua Fuchen composed himself and said: "The Zhetian Divine Kingdom has always regarded the Zhetian Sword Technique as a national treasure and has never passed it on to outsiders. Even among the disciples of the Hua family, only a very small number with extremely high aptitude are qualified to practice it. How could it fall into the hands of an outsider?"

Sword Immortal Hua Qingying had also regained her composure and said with a hint of sarcasm: "Meng Jianyuan has been missing for several years. If he were really in the Mist Sea trial, how could even the Meng family not find him? Your Majesty is a king of men, a man of your word; why believe the words of mountain folk and spread rumors?"

"Ha—ha—ha—" Sovereign Dian Luohou laughed loudly, his voice shaking the entire Zhetian Divine Hall. "Of course, I would not just listen to hearsay. I have brought evidence."

After saying this, he waved his right hand, and a Profound Sound Stone appeared in his hand.

Sovereign Hua Fuchen still appeared as gentle and modest as ever on the surface, but inwardly he was full of suspicion. He asked: "What is this? Is this the evidence you mentioned?"

At any other time, Sovereign Hua Fuchen calling him "in-law" would have surely made Sovereign Dian Luohou overjoyed. But hearing it now, it felt particularly grating, as if the other party was mocking and insulting him. We've come this far, and he's still asking questions he knows the answer to, pretending not to know. Is Sovereign Hua Fuchen stupid, or does he think I'm stupid?

Sovereign Dian Luohou suppressed his anger, moved his mind, and infused a burst of profound energy into the Profound Sound Stone. Suddenly, images appeared before everyone.

...

Deep in the Mist Sea, a figure appeared. It was the missing person, Meng Jianyuan. He was dressed in white, his face as handsome as jade, and the long sword in his hand thrust out. Suddenly, a huge Abyssal Beast in front of him collapsed with a boom...

...

"Zhetian Sword Technique!" "How is this possible?" Sovereign Hua Fuchen and Sword Immortal Hua Qingying exclaimed at the same time. What Meng Jianyuan had used was indeed the first sword of the Zhetian Sword Technique, "Asking Heaven Sword"!

Seeing the shocked and lost expressions of Sovereign Hua Fuchen and Sword Immortal Hua Qingying, Sovereign Dian Luohou felt as if he had vented his anger. He glared fiercely at Sword Immortal Hua Qingying and said aggressively: "Sword Immortal Hua, you and Caili had just left the Mist Sea when Meng Jianyuan appeared, and he has mastered the Zhetian Sword Technique. Shouldn't you give me a reasonable explanation for this?"

At this moment, Sovereign Dian Luohou was convinced that it was Meng Jianyuan who had accompanied Goddess Hua Caili in the Mist Sea trial, and that the Hua family had taught Meng Jianyuan the Zhetian Sword Technique. This was enough to show that the relationship between Goddess Hua Caili and Meng Jianyuan was already extraordinary.

Sword Immortal Hua Qingying herself was also extremely confused as to why Meng Jianyuan knew the Zhetian Sword Technique. Being pressed step-by-step by Sovereign Dian Luohou, she retorted bluntly: "What Meng Jianyuan used was indeed the Zhetian Sword Technique, but I did not teach it to him. That is my explanation. Believe it or not!"

Sovereign Dian Luohou had never liked Sword Immortal Hua Qingying and knew that she had often caused trouble, opposing the marriage between Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi and Goddess Hua Caili, both openly and secretly. He had long found her an eyesore. Now, seeing Sword Immortal Hua Qingying's indifferent, take-it-or-leave-it attitude, he became even angrier. Disregarding the relationship between in-laws, he shouted angrily: "What kind of explanation is that? Who are you trying to fool?"

Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi quickly tugged on Sovereign Dian Luohou's sleeve and said in a low voice: "Father, calm down!"

"Shut up!" Sovereign Dian Luohou glared fiercely at Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi. "Your fiancée is with another man..."

Sovereign Hua Fuchen saw that something was wrong and, ignoring the matter of the Zhetian Sword Technique, quickly interrupted him and tried to mediate: "In-law, calm down. Let's talk about this, let's talk slowly..."

Sword Immortal Hua Qingying saw that Sovereign Dian Luohou had said such things, yet Sovereign Hua Fuchen was still so good-tempered. She was furious and retorted: "People are saying such things about your daughter, yet you are still like a clay figurine, not angry at all. You really are something!"

Sovereign Dian Luohou was already burning with rage, his words sparking with fire. He shouted angrily: "Sword Immortal Hua, you accompanied Goddess Caili throughout her trial in the Mist Sea. Now that there is an issue, you cannot shirk the responsibility."

Sword Immortal Hua Qingying was a generation of Sword Immortal, extremely talented and proud. At the Pure Land Assembly back then, all the current rulers of the six kingdoms had been defeated by her. How could she be willing to take even half a step back in front of Sovereign Dian Luohou? She immediately countered: "Even if the Zhetian Sword Technique was learned by some Meng Jianyuan who popped out of nowhere, that is a matter between our Zhetian Divine Kingdom and the Hua family. What does it have to do with you?"

"Just because of this little bit of so-called evidence, you say things about Caili and other men? With you like this, I don't know how much grievance Caili will suffer if she marries over there."

Sovereign Dian Luohou was used to being high and mighty, and having been angered to the point of near explosion, he was speechless for a moment: "You... you..."

"You what? With you like this, this marriage should have been called off long ago." Sword Immortal Hua Qingying continued to speak tit-for-tat without restraint.

Sovereign Dian Luohou was already fuming, and he finally exploded, shouting angrily: "Sword Immortal Hua, if you won't explain, I will go and grab that girl Caili and make her explain it herself!"

As soon as the words fell, he actually flew straight towards Goddess Hua Caili's residence.

No one expected that this old man, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, would have such an impulsive and fiery temper. Before anyone could react, Sovereign Dian Luohou had already flown dozens of miles away. Sword Immortal Hua Qingying shouted "Not good" in her heart and flew after him.

Sovereign Hua Fuchen followed closely behind, also speeding away, while shouting: "In-law, calm down!"

Divine Son Dian Jiuzhi, who was the weakest and flew the slowest, followed far behind, shouting: "Father—Father—"