"Heaven and Earth as the furnace, myriad Dao as the fire, burning my true self!" Shi Hao's eyes were resolute as he sat cross-legged, beginning his secluded cultivation.
Shi Jian, on the other hand, left the area and began exploring, searching for opportunities while also interacting with the indigenous inhabitants. After he revealed Liu Shen's aura, some peak Heavenly Gods sought him out.
A Heavenly God from the Eight-Armed Soul Race, an old man with a youthful face, was the first to converse with him.
"Young Lord, your talent is astounding, rarely seen throughout history!" the old man praised with a loud laugh.
"Senior, you flatter me," Shi Jian humbly responded after confirming they had no ill intentions.
Behind the old man were several other Heavenly Gods, their gazes fervent.
The old man continued, "Young Lord, we sensed the aura of the Ancient Sacrificial Spirit on you. Would you be willing to part with it? We are willing to trade."
Shi Jian took out a willow leaf. "The Ancient Sacrificial Spirit you speak of, do you mean Liu Shen? I came to Immortal Ancient according to her command."
Feeling the familiar aura on the leaf, the Heavenly Gods' expressions instantly became fervent. "The Ancient Sacrificial Spirit is indeed still alive!"
"Please, Young Lord, move to the Holy Land," they all rushed forward, their emotions agitated.
Shi Jian readily agreed.
They arrived at the Spirit Realm, a blessed land. Rich spiritual Qi permeated the air, and powerful tribes appeared one by one. This was a forbidden land for outsiders, yet now, Shi Jian was brought here.
The closer they got to the center, the more extraordinary the phenomena became. It was like a human paradise, with divine springs and mountains. This was one of Liu Shen's Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms.
In the very center, essence Qi surged. Here were many ancient, collapsed palaces bearing carvings of countless beings worshipping a willow tree.
In a lake formed by converging spiritual Qi, a willow tree was rooted. It was verdant with a faint golden hue, taller than mountains. The willow tree suddenly erupted with an incomparably brilliant light.
The people of the Eight-Armed Soul Race and the Centaur Race became excited. After so many years, the Sacrificial Willow Branch had revived again.
"You are the second person who can awaken me," the willow tree spoke. "It's a pity you came late. I am just a branch and cannot help you much."
Evidently, this branch had not yet connected to Liu Shen's "Bluetooth." Its memories were incomplete.
"Not late," Shi Jian calmly replied. The willow branch on his body began to glow, and Liu Shen appeared.
The two Liu Shens stood opposite each other.
"This is a part of my branch, but its past and future are blurred," the main Liu Shen spoke calmly. Even as an Immortal King, she could only vaguely sense this branch.
"I once used power beyond the limit to act for someone who did not belong to the past or the present," the willow branch replied. "I disrupted time and space and suffered a backlash." To a certain extent, she was blurred by time.
"So that's how it is," Liu Shen understood. She waved her hand, completely reclaiming the power of the branch.
"Lord Sacrificial Spirit!" The people of the great ancient tribes knelt on the ground, looking at her with fervent reverence.
Liu Shen turned to look at them, her gaze piercing through the void. The indigenous races of Immortal Ancient all carried curses.
"You are very good," she spoke calmly. The moment her voice spread, a gentle breeze swept across Immortal Ancient, and the curses within the bodies of countless races who revered her were erased.
Upon sensing the changes, the Heavenly God experts' faces filled with ecstasy. They immediately knelt down. "Thank you, Lord Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit!"
Among the various races, centenarian elders awoke, their sanity restored. Several sect master-level figures had their curses expelled, and they broke through the void to come before Liu Shen, performing a ritual of worship.
Liu Shen nodded slightly and extended a hand. Countless rays of light condensed into a golden sphere. She looked at Shi Jian. "This is the Power of Faith you wanted."
He did not hesitate, storing it in the chat group's space.
After clearing the curses, Liu Shen issued a divine decree. "The Immortal Ancient will be completely opened and connected to the outside world. You may emerge."
"His command is equivalent to my command." She entrusted all these races to Shi Jian and then fell silent.
"We obey the Sacrificial Spirit's decree!" the great races replied.
…
After leaving, the people of the great races became even more respectful towards Shi Jian. In their eyes, he was Liu Shen's successor. The sect master of the Eight-Armed Soul Race presented a jade jar containing a divine pill. The sect master of the Ancient Demon Race took out a storage treasure filled with sacred and divine medicines accumulated over millions of years.
The people of the various tribes all offered their ancestral treasures. Shi Jian was not polite and accepted them one by one. With such a large sum of resources delivered to his doorstep, he couldn't think of a reason to refuse.
After a brief exchange, he prepared to leave. "As Liu Shen said, wait here patiently. When the Immortal Ancient opens, that will be the day you emerge."
Afterward, he left. He found a spot, preparing to seclude himself and break through to the Saint Sacrificial Realm. But before that, he opened the chat group.
[Shi Jian: "I've struck it rich, got a lot of sacred and divine medicines. I'll send some to you all."]
[Shi Jian: "Also, I got Power of Faith from Liu Shen, so I can cultivate the Panwu Great Strength Divine Ability now. Anyone who wants to, sign up, and I'll send you some!"]
He immediately shared the good things with the group.
[Xiao Yan: "Hehe, good brother, you're really awesome… I received the resources, so cute, love you!"]
[Xiao Yan: "Oh, and I want a copy of the Power of Faith…"]
[Meng Qi: "??? What are you doing? Are you going to commit suicide?"]
[Luo Feng: "…Horrifying!!!"]
[Lin Dong: "I don't care who you are, get off Xiao Yan right now! See my Great Desolate Imprisoning Heaven Finger!"]
[Shi Jian: "A bit disgusting…"]
[Xiao Yan: "You have no sense of humor. I've been cultivating for a few months, bored to death. Is it illegal to act a little shamelessly?"]
[Meng Qi: "Not illegal… but are you secretly working hard again?"]
[Yang Qi: "…"]
[Yang Qi: "I don't need the Power of Faith. In a couple of days, I plan to shake the Zhendan Temple. I'll have as much as I want!"]
[Fang Han: "I don't need it either. I've already cultivated the Panwu Great Strength Divine Ability…"]
[Lin Dong: "I want a copy too!"]
[Luo Feng: "I want a copy too!"]
[Meng Qi: "I want it too…"]
[Li Changshou: "Thanks for the reward, Brother Shi. I don't need the Power of Faith either…"]
Seeing the messages, Shi Jian divided the Power of Faith into five parts, kept one, and sent the remaining four to the group.
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [ Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [ hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]