Chapter 2: The Eternal Kingdom

The girl's lips curled up slightly as she watched from the side with interest.

Whoosh.

A figure appeared out of thin air beside her—it was the three-eyed bald man, the Golden-Eyed Puppet, first guardian of the Divine Mansion.

"Huh?" Ji Ning was slightly startled by the sudden appearance of the Golden-Eyed Puppet.

"Ji Ning, congratulations on obtaining the Eternal Divine Blood," said the Golden-Eyed Puppet.

"You know my name?" Ji Ning was somewhat surprised, for earlier in the square before the Divine Mansion's main gate, he had conversed with Boundless World God and the others without ever revealing his name; even when names were mentioned, they were transmitted telepathically. Even Fu Kai and A Luo Yi, for instance, still did not know his true name.

"Nothing that happens in the Myriad Divine Mansion can escape us," said the girl beside him. "I've long heard 'Wan Shan' speak of you. Now go ahead and open it—the crystal ball contains the Eternal Divine Blood."

"Why me?" Ji Ning asked, puzzled.

Though somewhat pleased, he remained fairly calm, for to a cultivator, the most important things were still the comprehension of the Dao and the elevation of one's cultivation level. Treasures and the like were merely external forces! The help of external forces was limited. Ji Ning could already match a perfected World God, but even with countless external objects, he could not yet rival a Daolord of Life and Death.

For no matter how many treasures one had, a Daolord of Life and Death skilled in illusions, for instance, could make Ji Ning completely immersed in an illusion with a single glance, leaving him unable to resist—no matter how good his treasures, he would have no chance to use them. Such was the vast gap in realm.

"As I said," said the Golden-Eyed Puppet, "among the cultivators who survived the trial of Life and Death and performed the best, one might obtain the Eternal Divine Blood. You were the best-performing cultivator."

"Cultivator?" Ji Ning paused, beginning to understand.

"Haha, yes, cultivator! World-level cultivators are cultivators, and Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals are also cultivators," laughed the Golden-Eyed Puppet. "Those two brats A Luo Yi and Fu Kai—hmph, how could I let them obtain the Eternal Divine Blood so easily?"

"Hmm?" Ji Ning was puzzled. What did he mean?

"If it weren't for you, bound by the rules my master set back then, I would have had to give the Eternal Divine Blood to A Luo Yi. Since you're here, I'm not violating my master's rules." The Golden-Eyed Puppet pointed to the table. "Go ahead and open it."

"Alright."

Ji Ning nodded and walked over. He was also curious—Fu Kai and A Luo Yi, both possessing extraordinary treasures and backgrounds, had desperately sought the Eternal Divine Blood. What kind of treasure was it?

Watching Ji Ning approach, the Divine Mansion's spirit girl and the Golden-Eyed Puppet exchanged glances, both wearing faint smiles.

"Eternal Divine Blood." Ji Ning reached the table and looked at the crystal ball emitting a hazy white light. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the crystal ball was divided into two halves. He reached out, grasped it, and with a slight twist—shua, shua, shua—the two halves could be rotated apart. Once unscrewed, the two halves could be fully separated.

At the moment of separation—

"Boom!!!"

A terrifying aura beyond Ji Ning's imagination instantly slammed into his mind, striking his soul and true spirit.

Slap, slap.

Ji Ning's face turned deathly pale, and he involuntarily stepped back two paces, his mind blank. The two halves of the crystal ball in his hands fell to the ground with a clatter. However, the slowly flowing liquid that had been stored in one half of the crystal ball floated in midair—it was a fist-sized drop of golden liquid tinged with faint bloodlight, rotating in the air and releasing an inconceivably terrifying aura.

After a long while, under the impact of that terrifying aura, Ji Ning gradually regained his clarity.

Once clear-headed, Ji Ning couldn't help but retreat several li before feeling slightly better.

"That is the Eternal Divine Blood?" Ji Ning stared at the fist-sized drop of blood floating in the distance. He had never imagined that the pressure of a single drop of blood could be so immense. He had also felt the lofty and supreme nature of the primordial sword intent contained in an 'Eternal Divine Weapon,' but this was the first time he felt a shudder.

It was a shudder of the soul! Fear! Even just the aura it emitted had left his mind blank and unable to think for a moment.

"Yes, this is the Eternal Divine Blood—the Eternal Divine Blood of Emperor Melobo," said the Golden-Eyed Puppet. "Back then, my master severely wounded Emperor Melobo, refining a large amount of his flesh and blood to extract this single drop of Eternal Divine Blood. Even for Emperor Melobo, this cost him nearly half his life."

"Oh." Ji Ning nodded lightly.

"Remember, once you take this Eternal Divine Blood out, you must never open it," said the Golden-Eyed Puppet. With a wave of his hand, the two halves of the crystal ball on the ground flew into his grasp. He used the crystal ball to store the Eternal Divine Blood again, then twisted it shut. Instantly, the terrifying aura from before vanished completely. He then tossed the crystal ball, which streaked through the air and landed before Ji Ning.

Ji Ning reached out and caught it, puzzled. "Never open it?"

"Within the Divine Mansion, those from the Eternal Kingdom can sense the Eternal Divine Blood but dare not come," said the Golden-Eyed Puppet. "But if you open it outside and they sense it, those terrifying beings from the Eternal Kingdom will come hunting you."

Ji Ning was startled and quickly asked, "The Eternal Kingdom—what is its origin?"

"Ordinarily, it's hard for you to come into contact with it; most World-level cultivators rarely do. But since you're about to become a World-level cultivator, you are no ordinary being, and you truly should understand it well," said the Golden-Eyed Puppet.

"Let me explain," interjected the girl beside him.

"Go ahead," said the Golden-Eyed Puppet with a hint of a smile.

The girl looked at Ji Ning and said, "In the endless territories, there are countless cultivators... Do you know what the greatest power is?"

"The Dao Alliance!" Ji Ning said, then smiled. "Senior Wan Shan mentioned it to me."

"Yes, the Dao Alliance—an alliance formed by almost all cultivators in the endless territories," said the girl. "Cultivators enjoy freedom and ease, so why form an alliance? It's because cultivators have a natural mortal enemy."

"A natural mortal enemy?" Ji Ning was puzzled.

"Mm..." The girl nodded.

"You should know that the endless Chaos is full of mysteries and has given birth to many special lifeforms," said the girl. "Ordinary cultivators who cultivate from mortal origins are generally born within a Chaosworld. Even innate divine demons are born from a world's heart."

"But there are also special lifeforms born from special environments within the vast Chaos, possessing unique abilities."

"However... most special lifeforms are very rare, with only one or two in the entire endless territories, and they cannot rival the Dao Alliance."

"But there is one force whose origin we do not know. Though few in number, they number in the hundreds or thousands, and each possesses at least the power of a Daolord of Life and Death." The girl continued, "They are the Eternal Clan, who established the 'Eternal Kingdom.' They also need to cultivate and train, but if they can devour other Daolords of Life and Death, they can become even stronger."

"Devour other Daolords of Life and Death?" Ji Ning was shocked.

"Yes!" The girl nodded. "Devour—just as cultivators eat delicacies. To them, Daolords of Life and Death are also delicacies!"

"Countless cultivators seek to go further on the path of cultivation."

"The Eternal Clan, however, wants to eat us."

"This is a natural mortal enemy." The girl said, "My master's Dao companion was devoured by Emperor Melobo, which drove my master to such madness."

Ji Ning shuddered inwardly.

How could such lifeforms exist? Devouring Daolords of Life and Death?

"The Eternal Clan is few in number, with a new member born only after long ages. But they have existed for an immeasurably long time, with several Eternal Emperors guarding the Eternal Kingdom. Even the Dao Alliance cannot conquer that 'Eternal Kingdom.'" The girl smiled. "Actually, it's nothing—the Eternal Kingdom is far weaker than the Dao Alliance. After all, the Dao Alliance is an alliance of all cultivators, with countless experts. The Eternal Clan's advantage is their unity, with all their strong members gathered together, and they are protected by that inconceivable treasure, the 'Eternal Kingdom.' Without that treasure, they would have been uprooted by the Dao Alliance long ago."

Ji Ning nodded.

"The endless Chaos gives birth to many lifeforms. The Eternal Clan, by devouring Daolords of Life and Death, grows stronger, making them our mortal enemies. In truth, there are lifeforms in the endless Chaos even stronger than the Eternal Clan. Some are rarer and more powerful, having cultivated for endless eons with inconceivable means." The girl said, "But the strongest is always the Dao Alliance! After all, the Dao Alliance possesses the largest number of cultivators, almost inexhaustible."

Ji Ning smiled. Indeed, in the Da Mo Domain, for instance, all were cultivators—where could one find any other lifeforms?

…