Realm-Hopping Martial Master

"But so what?"

"I can bear the burden of these karmic consequences."

Before Jiang Shu advanced to the Venerable Realm, he needed to worry about any Venerable attacking him in the Star Ruins Realm.

Although he could shuttle between the Two Realms,

he still needed reaction time to do so.

He feared that before he could react, he would be killed by a Venerable.

But now, even if the most powerful Venerable attacked, he could have a few moments of time.

Enough for him to shuttle between the Two Realms and return safely to the Cang Mang Domain.

As for the Saints, the Saint Realm is an entirely new realm.

On one hand, in the Star Ruins Realm, every major power’s Saint needs to stay within their forces, and even if they act, it would be a mere projection, not at their full power, he might still be able to react.

On the other hand, no matter how great the opportunity he received, it was only the chance to become a Saint, not enough for a Saint to take action.

No matter how great, the opportunity does not catch a Saint’s attention.

Thoughts racing across his mind, Jiang Shu couldn’t help but recall the icy and complicated gaze of the Saint’s remnants that seemed to see through everything when he was collecting the sapling and Black Stone in the Saint Tomb.

But the matter was too significant, even the Supreme Elder spoke of it in a veiled manner, so he decided to bury it deep in his mind for now.

The short celebration did not last long.

After a jar of Ten Thousand Stars Brew was emptied, the atmosphere shifted from heated to a calm stillness.

"I will remember today’s feelings."

Jiang Shu stood up and said solemnly to the two,

"But I’ve just broken through, and though my Dao Foundation is stable, I still need time to study and comprehend."

"The disturbances from the Saint Tomb are not yet settled, and both the Insect and Mechanical Clans are coveting an opportunity, requiring constant peak readiness to respond."

"Therefore, I need to retreat again to attempt a deep refinement of that Black Stone, to comprehend the mysteries of the World Tree, and strive for further advancement in spatial mastery."

He paused, looking openly at Zhan Feng and Zhan Yun.

"Moreover, very few know of my breakthrough to the Venerable Realm."

"The fewer who know my current precise state, the better it is for us and the War Alliance."

He did not intend to hide it from his fellow sect members, but he well understood that he had become the primary target of certain entities, and the more obscure his cards, the more effective surprises would be in battle.

Zhan Feng’s eyes flashed with keen light, nodding heavily, a mischievous smile playing on his face.

"Acting dumb and hiding strength, I get your point, we’ll trick those metal lumps and bugs to death!"

"No problem, I’ll just say you’re too seriously injured and are closed off in the deeper levels of the Eternal Tower for healing, no leaks from me!"

Zhan Yun also nodded with a smile and said, "That’s how it should be, my brother and I will keep tight-lipped."

"You focus on your retreat, we will handle the outside matters."

"Thank you!"

Jiang Shu cupped his hands. This trust and responsibility meant more than a thousand words.

After seeing off Zhan Feng and Zhan Yun, Jiang Shu returned to the Eternal Tower, first glancing at the portal leading to the ninth level of the Eternal Tower, then casually waved his hand, tearing the space apart and stepping out, disappearing without a trace.

In the Eternal Tower, Jiang Shu’s aura fluctuated until he meditated again over the "Panwu Great Strength Dao Book" and the "Great Void Heart Scripture."

Only then did he gradually open his eyes.

Upon reopening his eyes, it was already a familiar world.

After becoming a Venerable and shuttling between the Two Realms, Jiang Shu originally felt he might be able to comprehend some secrets of his shuttling ability, but during this momentary shuttle, aside from the change of space, he felt nothing else.

There were no earth-shattering roars, the space quietly rippled like a stone thrown into water, barely noticeable.

The next moment, a figure was "spat out" from the center of the ripples, as if being drawn by invisible threads, landing steadily at the rocky valley floor.

It was Jiang Shu.

The instant his feet touched the ground, a familiar feeling swept over him—different from the pure Spiritual Energy in the Eternal Tower, and distinct from the decaying and chaotic aura of the Saint Tomb.

It was the unique flavor of the Cang Mang Domain, filled with the essence of the Great Dao Rhyme.

However, his body maintained extreme restraint, even suppressing his own qi and blood tightly.

He did not move immediately, freezing like a stone instantaneously frozen, only his eyes, sharp as blades, rapidly scanning the surroundings.

The wind moaned, stirring the dust at the valley’s base.

Sheer cliffs jutting like ghastly fangs cast uneven shadows in the dim light.

Time seemed to freeze here, accompanied by an indescribable sense of endlessness.

Almost a year has passed...

Jiang Shu’s nerves were tight as drawn bowstrings.

The last time he used the Two Realms Shuttle to return to the Star Ruins Realm was to damage the array hub of the Ten Thousand Spirits Immortal Formation in this Demon Domain, but was discovered by the Heaven-Burning Ancestor at the Demon Venerable Peak Realm, pursued for three days and nights, nearly destroying his Divine Soul.

In the end, he only managed to escape by obscuring his presence with the Fire Spirit Vein and a thread of Mystic Yellow Mother Qi.

Even now, the fierce flame palm of the Heaven-Burning Ancestor, carrying the might of scorched heavens and boiling seas, and those mocking and cruel crimson eyes, were imprinted deeply in his memory.

His gaze was locked onto the direction of the valley entrance, where the Heaven-Burning Ancestor once hovered.

No overwhelming demon energy was present now.

Following the trajectory of his memory, he searched the surrounding cliffs and rock crevices...

No hidden demon shadows, no traces of laid restrictions.

Dead silence.

Only the hissing of wind through cracks.

The tension in his body finally relaxed slightly.

That taut string, as if plucked by invisible hands, released much of its tension.

Jiang Shu silently exhaled a turbid breath trapped in his chest.

By his calculations, he had been gone for nearly a year.

Now with the frontline battle intensifying, the Heaven-Burning Ancestor, a powerful presence at the Demon Venerable Realm, could not have lingered here for an entire year.

"Should have left by now?"

Jiang Shu mused.

But he did not relax, instead, he kept his qi and Dao Rhyme suppressed, continuing his exploration, but still found nothing, only ruins and glass-like solids burned by the Heaven-Burning Ancestor’s Phoenix True Flame.

Temporarily safe.

Jiang Shu did not linger to contemplate.

He was currently in territory controlled by the Demon Race, and every extra moment increased the risk.

He closed his eyes, inhaled the crisp air of the Cang Mang Domain deeply, as his mighty newfound Divine Sense unfurled silently from his Sea of Consciousness.

The landscape within tens of thousands of miles unfolded before him like a three-dimensional painting.

The contours of the mountain ranges, the flow of Primordial Spirit energy, even the movements of some lower demon beasts, were all distinctly visible.

Before long, he captured a direction.

That was where the Dao Rhyme flowed, subtly interwoven with the qi and blood of numerous Human Clan cultivators.

It was the frontline of the Human Clan!

Once his path was clear, Jiang Shu did not hesitate.

He did not soar into the sky but chose the most primitive yet stable method, pushing his feet hard against the ground, causing the solid rocks underfoot to crack and sink slightly with the force, transforming into a blurred shadow that shot like an arrow free of a bowstring.

Coasting just above the rugged ground and beneath the jagged shadows of rocks, he swiftly dashed toward the Human Clan camp.

His speed was so fast that the gusts brought forth slammed against fragile spaces powerfully, yet his figure seamlessly merged into the wild mountains outside the valley after a few turns.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside True Martial Sect’s central tent was even more solemn than before.

A tense, anxious energy pervaded the air, as if the slightest spark could set it aflame.

The Supreme Sect Leader of True Martial Sect, an elder dressed in a simple Daoist Robe, had his brow furrowed into a deep frown.

The map spread across the table was being tapped heavily by his fingertips in three regions.

The same regions were the Chaotic Swamp, Thousand Streams Creek, and Desolate Sand Sea.

"How long has Lu Chong been gone?"

The Supreme Sect Leader’s voice was low and oppressive, weighted with the imminence of a gathering storm.

The Purple Extreme Daoist Venerable below him also wore a solemn expression, answering in a deep voice:

"Five full days."