Martial Dao and Profound Dao shared striking similarities.
From Supreme to Half-Saint, cultivators needed to condense the corresponding laws within their Domain.
This posed no difficulty for Shui Tiannü. After all, she was a reincarnator who had reached the level of a pseudo-god in her previous life. Once her Domain reached perfection, forming those laws and advancing to Half-Saint would come naturally.
“Then why haven’t you cultivated to Half-Saint yet?”
In his previous life, when he had arrived on the Divine Martial Continent, Shui Tiannü had already been a Profound Saint, her word carrying immense weight within the Heavenly Dao Academy. Even though he had come a few years early this time, she surely shouldn’t still be below Half-Saint.
Shui Tiannü let out a soft hum. “I need to enter the Ancient Battlefield to obtain ‘Heaven Begets Water’ before my cultivation can truly skyrocket.”
Yan Zhen understood at once.
The Ancient Battlefield was the site of the ancient war between the humans of the Martial Continent and the God Race of the Divine Continent. Located at the border between the two continents, it was a pocket dimension ripped open beyond the world itself. Only the combined power of the five great ancient sects from the Martial Continent’s side could unseal its entrance.
Heaven Begets Water was the primordial water born at the dawn of the world. Beyond the Luo Water Heavenly River in the Main World, trace amounts occasionally appeared in newly formed spaces or secret realms. It was a priceless material for pill refining and artifact forging, capable of stabilizing the final product and elevating its quality.
For Shui Tiannü, its importance went even further. As one of Luoshen’s secondary bodies, refining Heaven Begets Water would link her directly to the Luo Water Heavenly River—her divine origin—and send her cultivation surging upward.
“When does the Ancient Battlefield open?”
“It opens once every century, three months from now. The top prodigies from each sect will then clash with the God Race’s elites in a contest to slay the ancient war spirits.”
In essence, it was much like the Seven Continents Tournament on the Profound Heaven Continent. The difference was that relations between the God Race and humans on the Divine Martial Continent were hostile, pitting the two races against each other rather than humans competing internally with God Race as hired outsiders.
“I don’t have three months to waste,” Yan Zhen said flatly. “We’ll open the Ancient Battlefield directly and claim the Heaven Begets Water.”
“What realm are you in right now?”
“Emperor, naturally. I’m just suppressing it to Nine Star Great Saint to dodge the heavenly lightning.”
“Nine Star Great Saint won’t do. The restraint seals on the Ancient Battlefield were laid by ancient sages in unison. Without the key, even a mighty Deity like an Evil God would struggle to brute-force their way in.”
“Who said anything about brute force? I have a secret art called Flame Transforms All Beings. It lets me mimic others and wield their techniques. Show me a recording of the last time it was opened.”
“I don’t have any recordings from a hundred years ago.”
“A grand continental event held once a century? There have to be records. Check the Dao Repository Peak at the Heavenly Dao Academy—you’ll find something.”
“Fine~”
The two tore open space and arrived at the Dao Repository Peak of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
This was the forbidden repository where the academy stored its most precious scriptures. Elders lectured nearby, drawing a constant stream of students who bustled in and out, filling the area with lively energy.
The moment Shui Tiannü appeared alongside an unfamiliar young man, the students abandoned their books and lessons, turning to gawk and whisper. Who was this stranger, and what was his connection to her?
Ignoring the stares, the pair marched straight through the entrance and deeper into the archives.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, they located the relevant jade slip. A wisp of martial dao true qi activated it, projecting a vivid recording into the air.
The sect masters of the five ancient sects moved in unison, channeling their secret arts to fire beams of light into the restraint seals. They then shifted through hand seals—one hundred and eight from each—until the seals finally dissolved, and the gateway to the battlefield swung open.
Yan Zhen watched intently, simulating every motion. After three or five replays, he had it mastered. He signaled to Shui Tiannü that they were done and could go.
“Heading there now?”
“No rush. Let’s drop by to see my master and Shishi first.”
“You call her Shishi too? She really fell prey to your seduction, you wolf!”
“What do you mean ‘fell prey’? Shishi and I share mutual affection.”
“She’s your elder—how could you go after her, you big lech!”
“Ahem, as fellow cultivators, why quibble over age or seniority? Heavenly Maiden, let it go.”
Shui Tiannü jabbed her elbow into Yan Zhen’s waist. To the onlookers, it looked just like lovers teasing each other, sparking waves of envy among the young men and women nearby.
Shui Tiannü never acted this intimate with anyone but her sister, Shui Yihan.
This stranger had to be her lover.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two streaks of light sliced across the sky, halting before Yan Zhen and Shui Tiannü to reveal a pair of young men—one in yellow robes, the other in blue.
“Bingling…”
The yellow-robed youth barely got the words out before an overwhelming force slammed into him.
Slap!
Yan Zhen backhanded him, sending him hurtling into the distance until he vanished from sight. The blue-robed youth stood frozen in shock.
—What the hell just happened?
Even Shui Tiannü blinked in surprise. “Why’d you go and slap him away?”
Yan Zhen shrugged nonchalantly. “Had to be one of your suitors, jealous and itching for a fight. No time to deal with that nonsense—striking first is efficient.”
“What if he wasn’t?”
“Doesn’t change a thing.”
“…That’s not cool at all.”
“Why bother being cool?”
A space portal rippled open, and the two stepped inside at their leisure.
The blue-robed youth gaped, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
—A space portal. This guy’s a Martial Saint!
Yan Zhen gave no thought to the Heavenly Dao Academy students’ reactions. He and Shui Tiannü returned to her Heavenly Maiden Palace.
Their round trip had been swift, so the Beautiful Female Master and the others were still waiting in the hall.
Emerging from the space portal, Yan Zhen took the lead in introductions. “Master, this is the Heavenly Dao Academy’s current Heavenly Maiden, Shui Bingling—a confidante of mine.”
Unhappy with being called a mere “confidante,” Shui Tiannü pinched his waist under her breath. Then she offered a graceful curtsy to Lady Chen Xi, Jialan Fairy, and the Evil Consort. “Greetings, Lady Chen Xi, Lady Jialan, and Lady Evil Consort. Bingling offers her respects~”
Yan Zhen had just mentioned that the Evil Consort was one of his masters too, drawing a massive eye-roll from Shui Tiannü.
The Three Beautiful Masters all knew Shui Tiannü, but were not very familiar with her. Seeing her cute and lovely, they all felt fondness and smiled in response to her.
This is Shui Tiannü’s approachability—she can chat even a couple of sentences with anyone.
After meeting the three elders, Shui Tiannü turned her gaze to Yu Shishi.
Both being secondary bodies, the two women can be considered sisters, sharing Luoshen as their common “mother body.”
「Shishi, long time no see. You’ve become different from your previous life~」
Yu Shishi’s face was veiled, her exposed water-blue beautiful eyes also gazing at Shui Tiannü: “You… retained the memories of your previous life?”
Shui Tiannü nodded: “Basically all of it was retained. Don’t you remember?”
Yu Shishi gently shook her head, and Shui Tiannü frowned: “This is strange. Logically speaking, after we fused with Lady Luo Shen, we should either all remember or all forget.”
