Zhang Fei nodded to Feng Yao. "The quality and quantity of Qi in this secret ground is stronger than in my private place; if Iâm not mistaken, itâs about twentyfold."
"Yes," Feng Yao explained. "The Puyang Clan is located above a natural formation, a legacy of the Ancient Dao Sect. As the name suggests, the sect was once a Dao pursuer, but they were destroyed along with the Zenith Sun Sanctum and the Endless Night Dungeon."
"Oh? Does that mean the Puyang Clan is younger than those two clans?"
"Youâre wrong, kid." Zhang Fei and Long Xukong looked at Puyang Shangren. "My Puyang Clan is as old as those two clans, but we were once weaker than them. When those two clans and several others were destroyed, my ancestor brought our clan to move here because he was a member of the Ancient Dao Sect. Guang Zhiyi helped our ancestors with that, so we respect her for her great contribution to our clan. Since we moved to this domain, our clan has continued to grow, and we have become one of the major powers in this Ancient Realm."
Zhang Fei nodded in understanding. "If I cultivate here, my cultivation will definitely improve much faster.
"Thatâs true." Long Xukong nodded in agreement with him. "If you and all your wives cultivate here, all of you will become stronger much faster."
"Youâre not wrong about that, Senior Xukong." Zhang Fei nodded slightly. "However, I wonât do that because our presence will disturb this clanâs members."
"With Senior Feng by your side, I donât think you need to cultivate here, kid." Zhang Fei and Feng Yao simply smiled, and they followed behind Puyang Shangren, heading towards the inner area of ââthe sacred ground. "Fortunately, we have those barriers, and those creatures cannot destroy them; otherwise, they have already invaded my clan since their appearance."
"What exactly is their goal in attacking your Puyang Clan, Senior?"
"Theyâre targeting this place, husband."
Zhang Fei tilted his head to the side. "Arenât they already powerful? Why are they targeting this place?"
"I donât know their exact reason, but Iâm sure my guess is correct." Feng Yao looked around the area. "They probably intend to prevent the Puyang Clan members from becoming stronger, so they targeted this place. The core creature is truly powerful, but itâs not omnipotent. If many powerful cultivators emerge, they will become an obstacle for those creatures to take over this universe, so they want to destroy them before itâs too late."
"That makes sense." Zhang Fei nodded a few times. "Honestly, Iâm still curious about one thing, and Iâm sure you know the answer, Yaoâer."
"What are you curious about?"
"Are there other cultivation stages after the Celestial God Realm?"
After Zhang Fei asked that, Puyang Shangren stopped walking and looked at Feng Yao. "Are there any other stages after the Five Celestial Realms, Senior Feng? Honestly, my clansmen and I have long wondered about that, especially after Ancestor Puyang Shenmi reached the Celestial God Realm. She stated that the Celestial God Realm was not the peak of the cultivation world because the Qi within her body was still far from reaching its maximum, which led her to believe that other stages existed beyond it."
"There are two other stages after the Five Celestial Realms." Puyang Shangren and Long Xukong were shocked after Feng Yao said that. "The first stage is the Three God Realms, which is divided into three minor stages: the God King Realm, the God Emperor Realm, and the Supreme God Realm. As for the last stage, only the primordials can reach that stage."
"Whatâs the name of that last stage?"
"The Exalt Supreme Realm is the final cultivation stage."
Puyang Shangren took a deep breath and asked, "How do you know about those two realms, Senior Feng? There are no records of those two cultivation realms in this Ancient Realm, and no cultivator in this realm has ever been able to surpass the Celestial God Realm before."
"Letâs just say I know more than all the living beings in this universe," Feng Yao replied with a smile. "As long as you stay in this Ancient Realm, you will never manage to reach the Three God Realm, and the only place to do so isâ"
"The Primordial Realm."
"The Primordial Realm?" Puyang Shangren was shocked.
Feng Yao nodded. "After the destruction of the Primordial Realm, those hidden forces decided to limit the quality and quantity of qi in this universe. Since then, no cultivator could reach the Three God Realms, let alone the Exalt Supreme Realm."
"Do you have a solution for us to break through to the Three God Realms, Senior Feng?" Puyang Shangren asked.
"No," Feng Yao decided not to tell Puyang Shangren the truth because he didnât know her identity as the core of the universe.
Zhang Fei chose to remain silent, but he intended to ask Feng Yao when they were alone. Long Xukong also didnât ask her anything, but he believed that she had the solution because she was the embodiment of the core of the universe.
Puyang Shangren was disappointed by that, and he continued to lead the three, wondering in his heart about how to break through to the Three God Realms.
"Are there any minor stages of the Three God Realms, Yaoâer?"
Feng Yao shook her head at Zhang Fei. "The Three God Realms donât have minor stages because each stage already requires a lot of qi."
"How much qi do we need?"
"To break through from the Celestial God Realm to the God King Realm, we need more or less the total qi of the Celestial Lord Realm to the Celestial God Realm."
"What? That many?" Zhang Fei, Long Xukong, and Puyang Shangren were equally shocked.
"Hehe," Feng Yao chuckled. "I told you the truth, okay? To break through from the God King Realm to the God Emperor Realm, the amount of qi we need is double that. To break through from the God Emperor Realm to the Supreme God Realm, the amount of qi we need is triple that."
Puyang Shangren sucked a deep breath. "In other words, our chances of breaking through from the Celestial God Realm to the God King realm are small or perhaps non-existent, right?"
"You can say it like that." Feng Yao nodded without explaining.
Puyang Shangren sighed. "Letâs go; weâre close."
Long Xukong tugged at Zhang Feiâs arm. âKid, you should ask Empress Huo about the truth later; she should know the solution.â
âAlright, weâll talk after we leave this clan.â Zhang Fei was sure Feng Yao had her own reasons for not telling Puang Shangren the truth.
.
.
.
Before long, they arrived at the deepest part of the sacred ground, where they saw two women. One woman was standing and examining the other woman, who lay weakly on a stone bed.
Zhang Fei looked at the standing woman and guessed that she was the ancestor of the Puyang Clan. Although she was old and all her hair had turned gray, her body and appearance were no different from those of a woman in her thirties.
"Little Shenmi."
Puyang Shenmi immediately looked at them before cupping her hands to Feng Yao. "Long time no see, Senior Guang."
"Guang Zhiyi is dead, and I am Feng Yao."
Puyang Shenmi nodded. "I didnât expect that I would still have the chance to meet you again, Senior Feng."
"What did you say? With your current cultivation and lifespan, you can still live a little longer." Feng Yao walked in front of Puyang Shenmi and hugged her for a moment. "Iâm glad youâre still alive, Little Shenmi."
"My clan still needs my help, so I canât die too soon, Senior Feng." Puyang Shenmi looked at Zhang Fei. "Is he really your husband, Senior Feng?"
Feng Yao nodded at her. "Zhang Fei is my husband, but he still has another identity."
"Oh? Whatâs his other identity?" Puyang Shenmi asked curiously. Puyang Shangren also looked at Zhang Fei curiously, as he didnât have much information about him, even though they had met in the Forbidden Land many years ago.
"My husband is Hu Tianlangâs sole heir."
"What?" Puyang Shenmi and Puyang Shangren shouted. "Is... is he really Hu Tianlangâs sole heir?"
"Haha! I already knew you would be surprised." Feng Yao turned to Zhang Fei, who immediately transformed into his complete fox form, shocking Puyang Shenmi and Puyang Shangren further. "Currently, he still lacks three items, and he will become the next ten-tailed fox after getting all three."
Puyang Shenmi didnât say anything and walked in front of Zhang Fei, caressing his white fur. "Although he hasnât become the ten-tailed fox yet, I can sense Hu Tianlangâs aura from him, so he should be his sole heir. Back then, Senior Hu saved me from those people; otherwise, I would have died since then, and my Puyang Clan would have collapsed long ago."
âThis old woman is no different from the other women.â Zhang Fei returned to his human form. "Senior, I donât know about your relationship with my wife and my predecessor, but we donât have much time right now. We came here to heal that woman, so Iâll do it now."
Puyang Shenmi raised an eyebrow for a moment before nodding to Zhang Fei. "Since you are Senior Fengâs husband and Senior Huâs successor, I entrust Little Yeyu to you."
"Senior Xukong and Senior Shangren, you two should leave this place first." Zhang Fei said as he approached Puyang Yeyu.
Long Xukong and Puyang Shangren didnât say anything and immediately left the place.
After the two men left, Zhang Fei helped Puyang Yeyu sit up and removed her upper dress. He forced her to swallow two pills and sat behind her, placing both palms on her back and channeling his qi into her body. âHer internal injuries are quite severe.â