In a blink of an eye, three years quickly pa.s.sed while Qin Yun immersed himself in seclusion.

Qin Yun, who was sitting cross-legged on a lotus leaf in the Myriad Dharma Pool, opened his eyes. The thin layer of rainbow-colored spiritual liquid was already dissipating.

"The three years are up." The black lion sculpture"s voice resounded in the Myriad Dharma Pool. "Qin Yun, it"s time for you to leave."

Qin Yun immediately got up and flew out of the pool.

At a glance, he saw the boundary of the array formation produce runic patterns. Qin Yun took a step forward and entered the patterns before vanis.h.i.+ng.

…

Effulgent Great World.

It was now late at night. A blurry light descended in the night sky, revealing Qin Yun in midair. He looked down below at an ancient city. Meanwhile, Qin Yun"s avatar was leisurely enjoying some alcohol with his wife, Yi Xiao, while watching a song-and-dance performance.

"My cultivation in the Myriad Dharma Pool has ended. I have indeed improved very quickly in these three years. I have also created five sword moves that reach the Golden Immortal level. In a way, my frontal a.s.sault methods are rather comprehensive." Qin Yun sighed secretly. "However, although I have built up a deeper foundation, and am getting closer to the Great Dao, I still feel that I"m just short by a sliver! Just a sliver…"

To be able to create a move that paralleled a mighty figure at the pinnacle Skyimmortal realm was the mark of astounding perceptivity.

For instance, Fiend Supremacy Tenebrous Cloud, Yellow-robed Supremacy, Senior Brother Sa Xu, they were all famous throughout the Three Realms! They were infinitely close to the Great Dao.

However, being close did not mean that they had stepped through the realms of a Great Dao.

At times, an ordinary ninth firmament Skyimmortal might one day have an epiphany and instantly soar by leaps and bounds, becoming a Golden Immortal mighty figure in the process. As for those extremely powerful Skyimmortals that had already matched mighty figures, they might never be able to take that final step. How could this be explained? It was the way of cultivation. Nothing could be forced! There was no question when one became enlightened, but if they didn"t… they could only think of means to continue making their foundations even more robust.

Cultivators believed in one saying: With enough acc.u.mulation, things would naturally fall in place!

In general, about half of the powerful Skyimmortals who could match mighty figures would eventually form their Great Dao. It had been that way since the beginning the universe! The only difference was the time they took. As for ordinary ninth firmament Skyimmortal attaining their Great Dao? The chance was probably less than one in a thousand.

"I"m just short of a sliver, but I have no idea how long this sliver will set me back. More than half of the immortals and fiends that match mighty figures in the Three Realms are stuck in this tiny gap. They just can"t make that breakthrough," thought Qin Yun.

Swoosh.

Qin Yun descended and soon arrived at the second floor of a restaurant"s hall. He fused with his avatar as he absorbed the Dharmic powers of his avatar. Although there were other guests in the hall, no one noticed this scene.

"Brother Yun, you have finished cultivating?" Yi Xiao looked at Qin Yun in pleasant surprise.

"Yea." Qin Yun nodded.

"How was your seclusion?" pressed Yi Xiao. Although her realm was nothing to speak off, she knew many secrets of the Three Realms because of her husband. She also knew that the Myriad Dharma Pool was the greatest opportunity for Green Touring Palace disciples before they became Golden Immortals.

Qin Yun shook his head gently. "Although I feel like I"m just short, by about a sliver… I still can"t figure out a Great Dao! Back when I stepped into the Dao, I had set up my Sword Dao foundations. It was to seek the apex. It also makes my attaining of a Great Dao rather difficult."

Yi Xiao immediately consoled him, "Brother Yun, you haven"t cultivated for long, but you are already just a sliver short of the Great Dao. Didn"t you say that Senior Brother Yellow-robed matched that of a mighty figure? Isn"t he also stuck at that bottleneck?"

"I currently can match a mighty figure as well," said Qin Yun.

Yi Xiao was taken aback as she looked at him in a daze.

Match a mighty figure?

What sort of standing and status did mighty figures have? For instance, the fiends" supreme leader in the Effulgent dominion, Fiend Supremacy Tenebrous Cloud, could only match a mighty figure. Yellow-robed Supremacy was once the head of the western mansion of the Twenty-eight Lunar Mansions. As for the monkey, he had been suppressed under a mountain for five hundred years and could only drink molten copper. Being worn down by days, his strength was reduced greatly to the point where Yellow-robed Supremacy was able to fight him to a tie. Although it was at the monkey"s lowest point, it was still considered quite impressive to fight him to a tie.

At that level, they were highly respected no matter where they went. Furthermore, Qin Yun was a Green Touring Palace disciple. He was backed by someone much stronger than the monkey who rose to prominence!

If Qin Yun were to publicly reveal his strength, perhaps the Heavenly Courts would even invite Qin Yun to the Feast of Peaches.

"Brother Yun, what did you say?" Yi Xiao could not help but ask.

"I said I can match a mighty figure. Why?" Qin Yun smiled cheekily. He was quite amused seeing his wife"s shocked expression.

Having someone to share in his joy after becoming strong was a type of bliss. This was something a lone cultivator could not experience.

"Match that of a mighty figure?" Yi Xiao widened her eyes. "That fast?"

"Back when I was cultivating in the Lightning Beast Manor, I already had the strength of a half-step Golden Immortal. Furthermore, I had attained phenomenal success in both my divine powers. My foundations can be considered quite robust. Now that I have cultivated in the Myriad Dharma Pool for three years, it can only be considered normal for me to match a mighty figure, right?" said Qin Yun deliberately.

"That"s fast? In all of the Three Realms, few can match your cultivation speed," said Yi Xiao hurriedly.

"There are some. There are some who become Golden Immortals after a few years of cultivation. Some are even born as mighty figures."

"Those are freaks of nature or even Chaos G.o.dfiends. Ordinary mortals have to cultivate step by step. Few can really match you, Brother Yun." Yi Xiao felt wistful. "Back when we got married in the Scenic Yang immortal abode, I already believed that you would one day be very powerful, but I never dared imagine you would match Golden Immortals or Buddhas."

Qin Yun also recalled the days when he and his wife were trapped in the Scenic Yang immortal abode.

Time pa.s.sed rather quickly.

At his present realm, he could use the 360 Stellar Flying Swords of his Heavenly Cycle Stellar Realm to fight at a mighty figure"s level even without using his Intrinsic Flying Sword.

The five separate moves he had, combined with his two great divine powers, gave him comprehensive means.

…

That day, Qin Yun and Yi Xiao returned to their homeworld, the Great Chang world.

Qin Yun cultivated daily by the mirror lake. He felt especially at peace in his homeworld. Now that he was just short of attaining the Great Dao by a sliver, the place he cultivated in did not matter much unless it was something like the Myriad Dharma Pool, a sacred cultivation land. Therefore, he was more willing to choose his homeworld.

He would spend every day meditating…

He was seeking that sliver of chance! Once he gained enlightenment, he would attain his Great Dao.

That would be a pinnacle Golden Immortal Great Dao, enough to shock the Three Realms. However, it was clearly something that could not be rushed.

"Xiaoxiao." Qin Yun drank a tea prepared by his wife in his garden as he asked, "Our daughter has already been with the Han family for two years, right? Has she been there all this time?"

"Wasn"t it you who said it? Our daughter is a cultivator. She should make her own decisions. We as parents should not overtly interfere," said Yi Xiao with a pouting smile.

"There"s still a need to show some concern," said Qin Yun with a reciprocating smile. "We did a thorough check on that kid, Han Lin, as well. He"s not bad. The Han family is also an orthodox Daoist faction. The two patriarchs of the Han family would not dare slight my daughter. But we still need to check up on her. After all, it"s been almost two years. It"s not right for her to stay with the Han family all the time."

"Why aren"t you, her father, asking?" asked Yi Xiao.

"It"s more suitable if it"s you." Qin Yun said smilingly as he sipped his tea. His eyes lit up. "Oh, this flower tea is really fragrant."

…

Tenebrous Fiend world.

"Oh?" Fiend Supremacy Tenebrous Cloud read through a dossier and could not help but be alarmed. "At the battle in the Lightning world, Qin Yun already showed the strength of a half-step Golden Immortal? His divine power, the Heavenly Cycle Stellar Realm, has also attained the phenomenal success stage?"

He waved his hand.

A ripple opened up in the void beside him, and appearing in the distant s.p.a.ce was a white-haired elder.

"Senior Brother Qi, why it take three years for the intelligence regarding Qin Yun"s battle in the Lightning world to reach us?" pressed Fiend Supremacy Tenebrous Cloud.

"The Lightning world is layered with multiple array formations. Even the Heavenly Courts did not detect the battle. There was also no proof regarding the battle," said the white-haired elder. "The six who entered the Lightning Beast Manor were very tight-lipped. This news is only known to few in the Green Touring Palace. We have only just received the news and confirmed that it was Fairy Mu who mentioned it to a friend. Based on her character, it is very likely for this to be authentic."

Fiend Supremacy Tenebrous Cloud nodded slightly. "His Heavenly Cycle Stellar Realm has already reached the phenomenal success stage. Then, his protective Heavenly Cycle Stellar Robes of the same lineage has probably attained phenomenal success as well?"

"Probably." The white-haired elder nodded.

"With him having two great divine powers, it will be hard to kill him." Fiend Supremacy Tenebrous Cloud frowned.

"Forget it if you can"t kill him. There are many in the Three Realms who are stronger than Qin Yun," said the white-haired elder with a smile.

Fiend Supremacy Tenebrous Cloud nodded. "It looks like it has to be put on hold."

******

The Han family. Jade Screen world.

Mt. Jade Screen of the Jade Screen world was where the Han family rose to prominence. As it was now, the Han family had long gained control of dozens of worlds in the vicinity. Its family clan had hundreds of immortals. Of course, many of them had been recruited by the Han family. It was common for a huge family clan to occupy its own region in the Three Realms.

But recently, the Han family was in deep apprehension.

"Sis Yiyi." Han Lin dashed into the courtyard frantically. Qin Yiyi, who was practicing her swordplay in the yard, came to a stop and asked in astonishment, "Brother Double Wood, my dad said that one"s Dao heart is extremely important when it comes to cultivation. Look at you being all fl.u.s.tered."

"Something huge happened," said Han Lin frantically.

"Something huge?" asked Qin Yiyi.

"Didn"t I mention before that many deaths and injuries happened in the Jade Screen world? Several of my Han family"s immortals died. Later, a fifth firmament Skyimmortal senior died," said Han Lin anxiously. "My Han family began investigating the entirety of the Jade Screen world, and even my patriarch, Immortal Golden Maple, joined in the search personally in a bid to scour the entire Jade Screen world. I originally believed that with Patriarch Golden Maple handling the matter personally, the matter would be resolved. But just today, Patriarch Golden Maple and the eight immortals he brought with him have died."

"What?" Qin Yiyi was alarmed. "Immortal Golden Maple is dead?"

Immortal Golden Maple was one of the Han family"s two patriarchs. He was an eighth-firmament Skyimmortal.

At his strength, it was possible to defeat him, but killing him would be difficult. For instance, back when Ancestral Master Zhang pursued Empyrean Lord Kuifu, he had ultimately failed to finish the fiend. It was the same situation.

"The murderer is very powerful," said Han Lin. "Now, all the Han family"s immortals have returned to Mt. Jade Screen. The family clan"s ma.s.sive array has been fully activated, completely sealing the void. It"s to prevent the murderer from infiltrating."

"Sis Yiyi, now that the void has been sealed, you can"t return for the time being." Han Lin looked at Qin Yiyi. "But you previously promised your parents that you would return."

"Now that something serious has happened to your Han family, how could a few days of waiting matter?" Qin Yiyi shook her head.

"Don"t worry. My patriarch has sought his senior brothers and sisters for help. We will definitely figure out the murderer"s ident.i.ty," said Han Lin.