Chapter 1625: Chapter 68: A Millennium of Life, Eternal Youth! (2)

If someone is frail and sickly, a walking invalid, how could they possibly live long?

To live long in itself signifies a body that is powerful and robust, far beyond ordinary people.

As for his current lifespan of over a thousand years, it did not mean he could only live for a thousand-plus years now.

It meant that, with this trait as a blessing, even an ordinary person, relying on the immense Life Force within their body, could live for over a thousand years.

As for eternal youth, that signified that his bodily functions would forever remain at their Peak.

For ordinary Martial Artists, if they do not step into the Inner Strength Realm, as their age increases, from thirty onward their bodily functions begin to go steadily downhill.

Thus the prime Gold age of advancement for a Martial Artist is before their bodily functions have begun to decline.

And even if they step into the Inner Strength Realm, enhancing their bodily functions and thereby extending their prime years of Martial practice, it is only a slow extension, not a qualitative transformation.

From what he knew, even for a Martial Arts Grandmaster, their prime age for cultivation also roughly comes to a halt at a single Jiazi, after which their bodily functions still gradually deteriorate, and their efficiency in Martial practice sharply decreases.

Even if they step into the Martial Arts Peak as a First-grade powerhouse, after a hundred years of age, it is difficult to make any great improvement.

The state of the body will greatly limit the efficiency of Martial progress.

But eternal youth means that his bodily functions are almost permanently maintained at Peak, without decline.

This alone is worthy of a Gold trait.

This Gold trait, although it cannot yet give him an obvious boost in strength.

But the enhancement of his Life Force and the increase of his foundation bring benefits in every aspect.

And now, seeing the appearance of the Martial Saint who had suppressed the world for over eight hundred years, he was even more satisfied with the enhancement brought by this trait.

A lifespan of over a thousand years, eternal youth.

Placed on that Martial Saint, it would mean he could still live for more than a thousand years.

And he would not now be an old man with a head of white hair, but still the Martial Saint of those years who swept across the world with disdain.

All kinds of thoughts rose and flashed through his mind one by one.

Then he closed the panel.

"I wonder what the Imperial Palace is like now." he muttered, looking toward the direction of the Imperial Palace.

During the day, using the method of Life and Death, he had stimulated the vitality within the Changning Emperor’s body, allowing the Changning Emperor to awaken successfully.

But he could also judge that this time, the Changning Emperor’s clarity would be hard-pressed to last until daytime.

This night would be the last few 2 hours in which this ruler of Great Xia could maintain his consciousness.

Ji Mingyue was now in the Imperial Palace, accompanying the Changning Emperor.

And what he truly wanted to know now was what choice Ji Xuan would make after leaving seclusion.

Lin Qingyi was a fruit that the Side-by-Side King had planned for in his early years; by a twist of fate, that fruit had been plucked by him and was now in the National Master Mansion.

The conversation he had just had with the Martial Saint made him even more aware of the extraordinary nature of this Side-by-Side King.

"If nothing happens tonight, then it will be tomorrow." he murmured, then glanced over the panel, chose the Vajra Immortal Body, and began Practice.

...

Observatory.

"What brings the Side-by-Side King to visit this old blind man today?"

An old man whose eyes were hollow and pupil-less, like bottomless caves, spoke to the imposing middle-aged man who had just stepped over the threshold.

The man stood eight feet tall, with a square, upright face. His violet-gold flood-dragon robe set off his figure, straight and towering like a pine. With each sweep of his gaze, faint Divine Light seemed ready to erupt.

The newcomer was none other than the Side-by-Side King of Great Xia—Ji Xuan.

Hearing this, Ji Xuan’s face showed little fluctuation.

"Old friend, that test of ours back then has come true."

"Prince, this is your choice." the old blind man said.

"I understand." Ji Xuan nodded slightly.

The old blind man spoke: "If back then Your Highness had chosen to restrict the freedom of Princess Consort Qi, then she would have walked another path. On that path, she would have been a very ordinary woman, with no chance or opportunity to speak of. Though her constitution is special, it would have been of no help to Your Highness’ plans."

He paused for a moment, then continued: "But Your Highness let her roam free, allowed her to walk the path that originally belonged to her, and she thereby also stepped onto this path, becoming someone else’s fruit."

"This is this king’s choice." Ji Xuan said calmly. "I wanted to see what the so-called heaven’s mandate truly is. It seems that if fate is thus, then fortune is thus. In the end, this king has merely made a wedding dress for another."

"Then what does Your Highness intend to do next?" the old blind man asked.

"Very simple!" Ji Xuan’s gaze sharpened. "This king’s things are not so easily taken! Not to mention, she is also my son’s consort, representing this king’s face. Though the greatest fruit has been plucked, she is still of use to this king."

"Then why has Your Highness come to see me?" the old blind man asked.

"I need to know where she is now." Ji Xuan said.

Hearing this, the old blind man shook his head.

"Could it be that even you don’t know, old friend?" Ji Xuan asked.

"I know." the old blind man said, then added, "But I do not wish to tell you."

"Even when this king has come in person, you still don’t wish to say?" Ji Xuan’s gaze slightly narrowed.

"I don’t wish to say." the old blind man replied.

"Very well." Ji Xuan nodded.

Then he suddenly struck.

Boom—

The entire Observatory trembled violently, and then a mountain-crushing, sea-roaring pressure instantly flooded the whole place.

In an instant, countless people within the Observatory were forced flat to the ground.

Seeing the earthy yellow radiance permeating all around, their hearts were gripped with shock, and a single thought instantly surfaced in their minds.

Imperial Extreme World Domain.

The signature of the Side-by-Side King.

On the foundation of achieving Perfection in the Imperial Extreme World Suppressing Skill, he had walked out his own path, self-transforming into a domain, forming a realm of his own.

At the same time.

In the night sky above the Royal Capital, a swath of mysterious yellow radiance suddenly rose from the direction of the Observatory.

"Ji Xuan!"

"Imperial Extreme World Domain?"

All across the Royal Capital, one gaze after another turned toward the location of the Observatory, hearts shaken.

...

In a spacious courtyard.

"So they actually let Ji Xuan come out of seclusion!" Beicang King looked at the abnormal phenomenon in the distant night sky and let out a faint smile.

He gazed toward the disturbance in the distance, then his eyes filled with a surging battle intent.

After sitting in the Northern Territory for so many years, he had long joined the ranks of the most powerful. He too wanted to see what ability this so-called second strongest under heaven truly possessed.

...

Within the Observatory.

The hunched figure of the old blind man did not move an inch within the earthy yellow radiance.

"Your Highness has advanced another step!" he sighed softly, then his body shattered and slowly faded from Ji Xuan’s sight. "Your Highness should know that I can glimpse the future. Since I knew Your Highness’ attitude, how could I still be here waiting for you to come and cause trouble?"

"Cautious indeed." Looking at the empty void before him, Ji Xuan said calmly.

The next moment.

The spreading earthy yellow radiance suddenly recoiled.

In just a single instant, it all returned into his body.

His expression changed slightly, and with a lift of his hand and a grasp, a white-jade talisman appeared in his palm.

"So it’s in the National Master Mansion!"

He understood at once.

He then headed toward the exit of the Observatory. All along the way, everyone who saw Ji Xuan retreated to either side, lowering their heads and saluting with reverent respect, as though facing a god.

They knew that the abnormal phenomenon that had just enveloped the Observatory came from this Prince before them.

The Imperial Uncle of the present Holy Emperor, the pillar of the Great Xia Imperial Family, the Side-by-Side King, Ji Xuan.

If this Prince had wished, everyone in the entire Observatory would have instantly dropped dead on the spot.

...

On the other side.

Jiang Ning looked at the fading yellow light in the distant night sky, his gaze tightening slightly.

"So it really was Ji Xuan!"

"But just now, when my Divine Thought extended to cover the Observatory, Ji Xuan actually failed to notice anything. It seems that in terms of spiritual strength, Ji Xuan is already inferior to me!"

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning’s heart settled.

Spiritual strength represents the power of the Divine Soul.

Just now, Ji Xuan had failed to detect him, clearly showing that in terms of the strength of the Divine Soul, he was already not Jiang Ning’s equal.

"But that’s only natural. Long ago, in the Shangyang Inner Scenery, I was able to ascend to the one hundred and eighty-eighth step and still had strength to spare. That proved that my spiritual strength was infinitely close to that of an Immortal."

"And according to the Martial Saint, Ji Xuan cultivates both the Immortal Dao and Martial Arts. On the Martial path he has reached the second strongest under heaven, but on the Immortal path, he has yet to step into the ranks of Immortals."

"My current spiritual strength must have already reached the level of an Immortal, so it is perfectly normal that I surpass him!!"

Jiang Ning understood clearly, then withdrew his gaze.

Perfect!

Time to take another trip into the Inner Realm, to see what level my current spiritual strength has reached.

Essence Qi, Qi-Blood, and spirit must be balanced. If my spiritual strength has reached the level of an Immortal, then it will be enough to prove that the strength of my Qi-Blood and True Yuan has already entered the ranks of the very top under heaven.