Terran Guardian - Chapter 3873

Chapter 3849 Taihua Holy Land

The Ancient Restriction Remains Unbreakable!

Shen Changqing wasn’t worried about Zhenyuan Pass.

Not everyone could cultivate the Great Dao Immortal Eye like him, able to see through the essence of the Great Dao rules and dispel all illusions.

Of course,

the Upper Realm was full of powerful figures and countless supernatural abilities and secret techniques; perhaps someone could truly cultivate such supernatural abilities and secret techniques.

But even so, Shen Changqing had enough confidence to deal with it.

Those forces were afraid of the former Immortal Qin Dynasty and dared not make a move, indicating that their strength was only so-so at best.

He himself was not afraid of the Immortal Qin Dynasty, let alone these forces.

At present, the Xuandu Immortal Domain was in turmoil. As long as the Seven Profound Dao Sect controlled Zhenyuan Pass, it would be equivalent to being invincible from the start.

They could advance to take over the Northern Frontier.

They could retreat to defend Zhenyuan Pass.

Even beyond Zhenyuan Pass, the Seven Profound Dao Sect could also dabble in other territories.

With such a situation, Shen Changqing was naturally very confident.

…

The time that followed.

Shen Changqing lived a secluded life within Zhenyuan Pass, spending most of his time studying the Twelve Heavens and the Four Symbols Returning to Origin Diagram.

The more he studied these, the deeper his understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth became.

The only pity was that

Shen Changqing’s cultivation had reached its limit.

His strength improvement had also reached its limit at this level.

Unless he could break through to the Half-Saint realm, he would hardly make any further progress.

But as mentioned

before, his current accumulation was all laying the groundwork for his future breakthrough to Half-Saint. Moreover, through several battles, Shen Changqing had accumulated a considerable amount of Heavenly Dao fortune, and with his control of Zhenyuan Pass, a continuous stream of Heavenly Dao fortune was also gathering.

Under these circumstances, Shen Changqing naturally proceeded methodically.

Meanwhile,

news kept pouring in from the Immortal Qin Dynasty.

Just as Wenren Chen had said, the Immortal Qin Dynasty’s strength had been greatly diminished, and many forces were eyeing it covetously, all wanting a share.

Especially some forces that had grudges against the Immortal Qin Dynasty, now taking advantage of its misfortune.

Some of these forces came from other immortal realms, while others were native forces of the Xuandu Immortal Realm.

In the past, when the Immortal Qin Dynasty was at its peak, these forces dared not act rashly. However, now, of the three Third Tribulation Half-Saints who remained in the ancient immortal realm, one was dead and another wounded, leaving only Su Yufeng to maintain the facade.

Moreover,

several other Half-Saints had also been lost.

The strength of the vast Immortal Qin Dynasty had plummeted significantly.

Naturally, other forces would not miss such a golden opportunity.

When this news arrived, Shen Changqing ordered the Seven Profound Dao Sect to send troops to gradually erode the various factions in the Northern Frontier.

In the battle outside Zhenyuan Pass, the Northern Frontier army suffered heavy losses, with countless soldiers falling, and many directly surrendering to the Seven Profound Dao Sect.

With this shift in power, the disparity between the two sides was obvious.

When the Seven Profound Dao Sect army marched out of Zhenyuan Pass and penetrated deep into the Northern Frontier, their advance was unstoppable. While the cities didn’t surrender without a fight, they offered little resistance.

The success of this campaign was not only due to the Seven Profound Dao Sect’s now formidable reputation in the Northern Frontier, but also because of the presence of two semi-saints, Duan Changsheng and Xuehe.

Such powerful figures were akin to a dimensional reduction attack for the cultivators of the Northern Frontier.

Currently,

the Immortal Qin Dynasty was in chaos, with its top experts guarding the imperial court and having no spare power to intervene in the affairs of the Northern Frontier.

Therefore, in just a few months, the Seven Profound Dao Sect had captured 136 cities in the Northern Frontier.

With numerous immortal cities under its control, and centered on Zhenyuan Pass, it was gradually expanding into the Northern Frontier, emphasizing a steady and methodical approach.

…

Meanwhile,

war also broke out in other parts of the Xuandu Immortal Domain.

Ten years had passed since the Heavenly Dao Battlefield began.

In the Nine Heavens Immortal Realm, ten years wouldn’t be considered long.

But the Ancient Battlefield was different.

Here, everything was changing constantly.

Opportunities frequently arose, forces were destroyed, and countless cultivators perished.

The turmoil within the Immortal Qin Dynasty weakened the Xuandu Immortal Domain itself, attracting other external forces like hyenas smelling blood.

Even Zhenyuan Pass saw sporadic attacks.

Unfortunately,

those forces attempting to capture Zhenyuan Pass were completely annihilated by the ancient restrictions alone, without the Seven Profound Dao Sect needing to intervene.

Many forces unaware of Zhenyuan Pass’s fearsome reputation grew wary of this fortress upon learning of this.

On this day,

news arrived that shook the entire Immortal Qin Dynasty.

Even at Zhenyuan Pass, Shen Changqing made a rare public appearance, summoning powerful figures from his sect for a meeting.

“Tell me the details, what exactly happened?”

“Reporting to the Sect Master, ten days ago, the Taihua Holy Land, the Yanxu Holy Land, and the Daluo Immortal Court jointly attacked the Immortal Qin Dynasty. Meanwhile, the Immortal Qin Dynasty, led by Commander Su Yufeng and assisted by Qin Cang, commanded a large army to resist.

That battle ended in a crushing defeat for the Immortal Qin Dynasty.

Su Yufeng died in battle, Qin Cang perished, and it’s said that the second prince of the Immortal Qin Dynasty, Qin Xiaoxuan, was also killed.

This news has now spread, the Immortal Qin Dynasty is crumbling, and chaos reigns everywhere!”

Yang Daoxu said in a deep voice. The news he revealed caused various expressions on the faces of the other cultivators.

Although the news had already spread, the Immortal Qin Dynasty was ultimately too large, and it was inevitable that it would spread far and wide.

Even within the Seven Profound Dao Sect, not everyone knew.

But everyone understood that if what Yang Daoxu said was true, then this matter was no small thing.

“Qin Cang perished—”

Shen Changqing’s expression shifted slightly.

He hadn’t expected that someone as cautious as Qin Cang would perish so easily.

But upon further reflection, Shen Changqing quickly reassured himself.

Qin Cang was the ancestor of the Immortal Qin Dynasty’s royal family, and one of the few remaining Tribulation Half-Saints in the ancient Immortal Realm, making him a target for other forces.

If Qin Cang didn’t die, even destroying the Immortal Qin Dynasty would be futile.

A half-saint without any constraints is often the most dangerous existence.

Therefore, most power struggles rarely involve a complete breakdown in relations, with each side willing to annihilate the other at any cost, unless there is sufficient confidence to kill all the top experts of that power.

Otherwise,

the subsequent retaliation from such powerful figures would be far beyond what one’s own power can withstand.

It can be said that

from the moment the three major powers decided to attack the Immortal Qin Dynasty, the outcome of this war was already predetermined.

How could the three major powers dare to destroy the Immortal Qin Dynasty without sufficient confidence?

Yang Daoxu said, “Now that the Immortal Qin Dynasty has been destroyed and many powerful figures have fallen, all kinds of forces have poured into the Immortal Qin Dynasty to divide up many territories.

In the Northern Frontier, other forces have greatly increased in recent days, and the immortal cities that were originally under the sect’s jurisdiction have all been affected.

So far, the sect has lost three immortal cities and suffered the loss of tens of thousands of disciples!”

Three immortal cities!

The loss of tens of thousands of disciples is not too much.

The main reason is that most of the army in the immortal cities under the Seven Profound Dao Sect were soldiers who had been subjugated from the original Immortal Qin Dynasty and were now serving under their own command.

Most disciples of sects hold important positions in immortal cities.

Investing three or four thousand cultivators in an immortal city is roughly appropriate.

But while it may not be much, the loss of disciples is a real loss, especially since this incident indicates that other forces are already eyeing the Seven Profound Dao Sect.

If this problem isn’t resolved, the consequences will only become more troublesome.

Shen Changqing asked expressionlessly, “Have you found out which force is behind this?” “

It was a coalition of many rogue cultivators, but I’ve secretly received information that those rogue cultivators are supported by the Taihua Holy Land.

This action is likely a covert probe by the Taihua Holy Land,”

Yang Daoxu said.

Shen Changqing nodded slightly on the armrest, and after a long pause, asked, “I need all the information about the Taihua Holy Land. How much time do you need?”

“We should be able to gather all the information about the Taihua Holy Land within a month!”

The other peak masters exchanged glances, and finally, Yang Daoxu gave the answer.

Shen Changqing nodded: “Alright, then it’ll be one month. I need all the information about the Taihua Holy Land. Also, the sect’s defenses will be strengthened, with Elder Duan and Elder Xue overseeing the operations.

If any further intruders attempt, suppress them with all your might!”

“We obey!”

Duan Changsheng and Xuehe respectfully accepted the order.

Shen Changqing said nothing more, and his figure vanished.

…

While the Seven Profound Dao Sect was fully engaged in gathering intelligence, the disintegration of the Immortal Qin Dynasty continued to intensify. Various forces constantly attacked each other, vying to divide this ancient dynasty.

After all, the Immortal Qin Dynasty possessed a vast territory and numerous immortal cities.

Each immortal city was enough to grant an ancient immortal a great deal of Heavenly Dao fortune, allowing them to seek future opportunities.

Although ancient immortal cultivators were insignificant to those top forces,

it would be beneficial if some of their own geniuses could obtain Heavenly Dao opportunities through this.

These prodigies are already exceptionally talented. If they could obtain a Heavenly Dao opportunity, it would be like icing on the cake. Breaking through to the Immortal Emperor realm, or even reaching the Half-Saint realm, wouldn’t be impossible.

It’s important to understand

that most Half-Saints don’t break through through sheer talent.

Their breakthroughs are achieved step by step through numerous opportunities, accumulating strength until they finally reach the Half-Saint level.

However—

the number of Immortal Cities is limited.

The Immortal Cities in the Ancient Immortal Realm are compared to those in the Nine Heavens Immortal Realm. When one enters the Ancient Immortal Realm, the existence of an Immortal City is guaranteed. If it doesn’t exist, later arrivals will find it difficult to build one.

To be precise,

even if one could establish an Immortal City, it wouldn’t be recognized by the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, it would be difficult to possess a Dao Stele and receive Heavenly Dao blessings.

If it weren’t for these restrictions, the Ancient Immortal Realm would be filled with cities every three steps. Most cultivators wouldn’t need to fight; they could simply find a secluded place to build their Immortal City and quietly plan for Heavenly Dao blessings.

However, the Heavenly Dao’s purpose in opening the Heavenly Dao Battlefield and establishing the Ancient Immortal Realm was to incite cultivators from all sides to fight each other.

Such a situation was naturally not what the Heavenly Dao wanted to see.

During this period, the territory of the Seven Profound Dao Sect was also under intense attack. Many forces secretly probed its strength, wanting to gauge

its power. After all, the Seven Profound Dao Sect’s control of Zhenyuan Pass was tantamount to a nail driven into the territory of the Immortal Qin Dynasty. Other forces wanting to encroach on the Northern Frontier would inevitably have to pass through it.

But abandoning the Northern Frontier was impossible.

The Immortal Qin Dynasty’s vast territory included roughly a third of the Northern Frontier; abandoning it would be a significant loss for other forces.

Therefore,

for these forces, destroying the Seven Profound Dao Sect was the best outcome.

However, the strength of this force was unknown, and no one dared to act rashly, only using a portion of their forces to secretly probe.

Fortunately,

Shen Changqing was prepared.

Blood River and Broken Longevity, two demigods, formed a formidable defensive alliance, more than capable of guarding the sect’s territory.

Although both were only first-stage demigods, the bloodline and foundation of the Longevity Demon God made it difficult for even second-stage demigods to gain an advantage.

In the current Xuandu Immortal Domain, second-stage demigods were extremely rare, and there were very few truly capable of reaching this level.

Otherwise,

the presence of three third-stage demigods in the Immortal Qin Dynasty would not have deterred other forces.

Of course,

the strongest in the vast Xuandu Immortal Domain couldn’t be limited to only the third-stage level, but those at that level wouldn’t care about a mere Northern Frontier.

For them, entering the Ancient Immortal Realm was about seeking other opportunities to prepare for the subsequent trials of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, and even the Heavenly Tribulation. As

the situation in the Northern Frontier became increasingly dire, Shen Changqing, stationed at Zhenyuan Pass, received a constant stream of news from various factions within the sect, giving him a deep understanding of the current situation in the Northern Frontier and even the entire Xuandu Immortal Domain.

A month is neither a short nor a long time.

On this day,

Yang Daoxu came to pay his respects again.

He also brought relevant intelligence with him.

“Greetings, Sect Master!”

“How is the matter?”

“The intelligence from the Taihua Holy Land is all here; please review it, Sect Master!”

Yang Daoxu understood what the other was asking. As he spoke, he took out a jade slip and respectfully presented it to Shen Changqing.

The latter scanned it with his divine sense, and all the information within the jade slip surfaced in his mind.

“The strength of the Taihua Holy Land is no weaker than that of the Immortal Qin Dynasty at its peak. However, this time, this force has sent few powerful figures to the Ancient Immortal Realm.

Originally, the Taihua Holy Land had a Fourth Tribulation Half-Saint, but he was severely injured in a struggle for some opportunity.

During the siege of the Immortal Qin Dynasty, that Fourth Tribulation Half-Saint also intervened, and Su Yufeng perished at his hands.

But news has come that Su Yufeng launched a counterattack before his death, seemingly further injuring that person. However, the veracity of this news is not yet confirmed!”

While Shen Changqing was processing the information on the jade slip, Yang Daoxu spoke up at the opportune moment.

“A Fourth Tribulation Half-Saint!”

Shen Changqing’s eyes flickered slightly.

Such a powerful figure was not to be underestimated. If that person hadn’t been injured, the Taihua Holy Land alone would probably have been enough to deal with the Immortal Qin Dynasty.

Even so, the injured Fourth Tribulation Half-Saint was still able to kill Su Yufeng.

Although Shen Changqing didn’t have the details of that battle, he knew that this Fourth Tribulation Half-Saint must have been the main force.

After all,

a Half-Saint has nine tribulations,

and the difference between each tribulation is astonishing.

However,

facing a powerhouse of this level, Shen Changqing was not afraid. Not to mention that the opponent’s strength was damaged and he was no longer at his peak, even if he hadn’t suffered any injuries, he was confident that he could fight him.

Shen Changqing was quite confident about this.