Once one reaches the Void Realm, achieving 'Unity of Spirit with Heaven and Earth' becomes remarkably easy, requiring only a little time. 'Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth' is slightly more difficult, but generally, a Void Realm expert can attain it with some sustained effort! Upon reaching the level of 'Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth,' one can transform into a stream of flowing light representing the power of Heaven and Earth.
The fastest movement techniques are not achieved through augmenting movement with the power of Heaven and Earth.
Instead, it is by achieving 'Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth'—becoming an integral part of the power of Heaven and Earth—that the utmost speed can be realized.
"‘Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth’... my 'Earth Evasion Art' involves sinking into the power of Heaven and Earth, which is how I can cover a li or two with every step," Teng Qingshan mused. "However, my 'Way of Earth' has not yet reached fruition. To achieve 'Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth,' I can only select the power of Metal or the power of Fire for now."
With the experience gained from the Earth Evasion Art, Teng Qingshan continuously improved his grasp of 'Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth.'
The morning of the sixth day of the ninth month.
On the training grounds of the Li Residence in Nanxing Commandery’s main city.
Teng Qingshan executed the Fist of the Metal Element drill, each move wide-ranging and incredibly sharp, like a massive axe cleaving the air. Although Teng Qingshan did not exert much physical force, his mere execution of the technique contained the 'Way of Metal,' capable even of shaking the spirit, plunging one's 'Spirit' into an illusion within the Metal Way.
"Hoo!"
Teng Qingshan exhaled deeply, his breath sharp as a drawn sword as he concluded the form.
Nearby, the massive demonic beast, the 'Six-Legged Saber Cicada,' which had been watching intently without blinking, looked somewhat bewildered, its large, wheel-like eyes seeming lost in thought. As for the Wind-Raging Eagle perched atop the canopy built over the Cicada's lair, it merely blinked its eyes.
Clearly, it hadn't understood Teng Qingshan’s fists.
"Qingshan," Li Jun arrived, carrying the morning tea.
"Xiao Jun," Teng Qingshan, clad in loose robes of azure silk, smiled and walked over. "I should return this evening after going to the Guiyuan Sect. Please keep an eye on things at home for me."
"Mm, but Qingshan... be careful!" Li Jun expressed slight concern.
"Relax. I have already reached 'Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth.' Even if I encounter a late-stage Void Realm expert, I can escape. Even if they possess flying demonic beasts, I can simply travel through the earth," Teng Qingshan was very confident. Once a Void Realm expert achieves 'Unity of Spirit with Heaven and Earth' and 'Unity of Body with Heaven and Earth,' the world is vast enough to allow them to go anywhere!
After all, flying demonic beasts are exceedingly rare in this world! And creatures that can burrow swiftly through the earth, like the 'Undying Phoenix,' are even scarcer.
The 'War God of Heavenly Wind' from the Duanmu Continent, in retrospect, was simply unlucky to have encountered the Undying Phoenix.
...
Employing his movement technique, as a Void Realm expert, it took Teng Qingshan less than an hour to travel from Nanxing Commandery City to Jiangning Commandery City.
Whoosh!
Three li outside the East Gate of Jiangning Commandery City, a figure materialized from the void amidst the weeds beside the official road. He appeared to be a young master from a wealthy family, carrying a long bundle wrapped on his back. He stepped onto the main road and slowly approached the East Gate.
"Jiangning Commandery!"
"It's been a long, long time since I returned." Looking at the large characters 'Jiangning' atop the East Gate, Teng Qingshan seemed to recall the scene of himself leading the cavalry of the Black Armored Army, roaring out of Jiangning Commandery to head towards Yanjiang City to resist the armies of Qinghu Island. He also remembered the time he led the Black Armored personal guards into the Great Yan Mountain to rescue his relatives.
"Almost four years. Jiangning Commandery, Guiyuan Sect, I have returned again."
Teng Qingshan paid the entry toll and entered the Guiyuan Sect through the East Gate!
The last time he left the Guiyuan Sect, Teng Qingshan had only just achieved the Innate Realm.
Yet now, Teng Qingshan had become a Void Realm expert!
...
Walking down the main street of Jiangning Commandery, the Guiyuan Sect's Black Armored Army barracks lay to the left, and numerous merchant shops lined the right. As one of the main arteries of Jiangning Commandery, the central street was bustling, with pedestrians flowing back and forth like a river. Teng Qingshan's disguise as a young master attracted no particular attention.
"The barracks!" Teng Qingshan glanced towards the left.
"Hah! Hah!"
Bursts of shouts, like rolling thunder, echoed from within the Guiyuan Sect barracks. The Black Armored Army trained extensively every morning.
"It's the Black Armored Army training..." Teng Qingshan's expression shifted slightly.
Because...
Within his spiritual domain, Teng Qingshan clearly sensed faint, familiar auras. These auras included that of his father, Teng Yongfan, his mother, his sister Qingyu, as well as numerous members of the Teng Clan, and his master, Zhuge Yuanhong.
"Father, Mother!" Teng Qingshan couldn't help but feel his eyes well up; how he longed to rush to his parents right now.
"It's good; Father, Mother, and Sister are all safe," Teng Qingshan took a deep breath.
According to his domain scan, his parents and sister were within the Guiyuan Sect, while the rest of the Teng Clan resided in a large, expanded mansion to the north of Teng Qingshan. "Grandfather is also alive and well, and Uncle Yonglei too," waves of joy washed over Teng Qingshan.
This central street was deeply familiar to Teng Qingshan!
He was familiar with many of the people here too; he frequently passed certain shops when traveling between the Teng Residence and the barracks in the past.
"This is home!" Teng Qingshan murmured to himself.
"What a powerful aura—the aura of a Void Realm expert." Teng Qingshan looked south. "It's coming from the Martial Pavilion. So, the Void Realm expert of our Guiyuan Sect is Elder Wu from the Martial Pavilion, the one who enjoys reading historical romances."
...
Inside the Martial Pavilion of the Guiyuan Sect.
Elder Wu, whose silver hair seemed perpetually smiling, now wore a solemn expression. He stood at the entrance of the Martial Pavilion, gazing north with furrowed brows, pondering with confusion: "Such a sharp, potent Metal energy, paired with an intensely blazing fire aura! Which Void Realm expert is this? I believe I have never met them, yet... they feel somewhat familiar."
Elder Wu was puzzled.
A person's aura is tied to their 'Spirit,' but once one reaches the Void Realm, especially when the 'Spirit' begins to integrate with the power of Heaven and Earth, the 'Spirit' changes, and so does the aura! If the two individuals were very familiar, recognition would be possible. But Elder Wu was not well-acquainted with Teng Qingshan, so he couldn't recognize him immediately.
Perhaps... he never dared to imagine that the prodigious youth who fled all those years ago could reach the Void Realm by the age of twenty-one!
"Hmm, perhaps it is a Void Realm expert simply passing through my Jiangning Commandery."
"Since he hasn't come to cause trouble, I shall pretend I haven't seen anything." Elder Wu walked back into the Martial Pavilion, returning to his desk. Although he picked up a historical romance novel, his mind was no longer on the book, but rather fixed on the mysterious Void Realm expert in the distance.
After all, every Void Realm expert is terrifyingly powerful!
If a Void Realm expert were to barge into a sect, slay the Sect Master, and then escape successfully! Even a late-stage Void Realm expert would likely struggle to stop them.
Thus, upon detecting a Void Realm expert entering the city, the sect's own Void Realm expert dared not be careless!
"Wait, he stopped moving. Is he... on the Canal Bridge?" Elder Wu frowned deeply.
...
The Yuyang Grand Canal flows straight through Jiangning Commandery. On the Canal Bridge along the central street, Teng Qingshan stood, leaning against the railing.
Splash, splash~~~
The canal waters rushed by, and occasionally, boats drifted beneath the bridge. On the bridge, many young couples were out on dates.
"The canal... the Yuyang Grand Canal!" In Teng Qingshan's mind flashed the memory of him and Zhuge Qing taking a late-night stroll along the canal years ago. "Qingqing..." Teng Qingshan felt a profound sense of guilt towards Zhuge Qing. Simultaneously, his murderous intent toward Qinghu Island intensified.
"What happened back then will not simply be forgotten!"
"Qinghu Island, you failed to kill me back then, and now I have returned four years later! This time, I will make you pay the price!"
Teng Qingshan's eyes turned icy cold.
The principle of this world was such that when Qinghu Island exterminated the 'Iron Cloth Sect' and slaughtered tens of thousands, the world would only praise Qinghu Island's might; few would call them cruel. When Qinghu Island acted so arrogantly in the Great Yan Mountain, pressuring the Guiyuan Sect so fiercely, the Guiyuan Sect could only endure it!
"Master!"
Teng Qingshan looked up southwards. He walked into the shade of a tree near the bridge, his figure flickering until he vanished completely, then shot towards the interior of the Guiyuan Sect like a ray of rainbow light, almost indiscernible to the naked eye.
...
"Not good!" Elder Wu, who had remained vigilant in the Martial Pavilion, changed expression drastically. His figure also flickered and vanished from the Martial Pavilion, moving with astonishing speed towards the Sect Master, 'Zhuge Yuanhong.' "This Void Realm expert is truly insidious! First, he stood motionless on the Canal Bridge, but now he's suddenly charging toward Yuanhong's cultivation spot! Yuanhong is just one step away from the Void Realm; he could break through at any moment."
"Perhaps it is an expert sent by the Blind Sword Saint of Qinghu Island to kill Yuanhong," Elder Wu felt shock and rage!
In the history of the Nine Provinces, there had been instances where a Void Realm expert suddenly charged into a sect, slew several elites, and then rapidly fled! Since falling into enmity with Qinghu Island, the Guiyuan Sect had remained cautious and alert, but today... a Void Realm expert had arrived!
"That damned blind man is truly sinister!" Elder Wu cursed inwardly.
Inside Zhuge Yuanhong's study, the doors were closed, but the windows were open, allowing a rich sandalwood fragrance to permeate the room. Zhuge Yuanhong, clad in loose white robes with unbound hair, sat cross-legged in meditation. Compared to four years ago, Zhuge Yuanhong was much more composed; sitting there, he seemed almost non-existent.
Whoosh! A gust of wind swept through the study, coalescing into a human figure—it was Elder Wu!
The Martial Pavilion was not far from the study, so Elder Wu naturally arrived first.
Zhuge Yuanhong opened his eyes, startled. "Martial Ancestor?" Upon seeing Elder Wu holding a divine sword of deep emerald green, he gasped in alarm. Elder Wu was a Void Realm expert; what could have frightened the Guiyuan Sect's foremost expert, 'Elder Wu,' into drawing his weapon for combat?
"Yuanhong, something terrible has happened. A Void Realm expert has come to kill!" Elder Wu said urgently.
"A Void Realm expert?"
No matter how composed Zhuge Yuanhong was, his face turned pale. "Is it Qinghu Island?" Zhuge Yuanhong was well aware of the Blind Sword Saint's fearsome reputation—a terrifying late-stage Void Realm expert. If it were truly the Blind Sword Saint attacking... Elder Wu might be able to save himself, but protecting Zhuge Yuanhong would be difficult.
"The Blind Sword Saint wouldn't be so reckless!" Zhuge Yuanhong’s heart tightened.
Elder Wu stood protectively in front of Zhuge Yuanhong, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
Whoosh!
A ray of rainbow light pierced through the window and entered the study, solidifying into the figure of an ordinary youth resembling a wealthy young master.
"My friend, what brings you to my Guiyuan Sect?" Elder Wu confronted him, his imposing presence like a mountain pressing down on Teng Qingshan.
The eyes of the youth, who looked like a wealthy young master, revealed suppressed excitement: "Elder Wu!"
He then looked towards Zhuge Yuanhong. Memories of the many brothers of the Black Armored Army who died in the Great Yan Mountain, and of Qingqing, surfaced, filling him with sudden remorse. He abruptly knelt down, tears glistening in his eyes: "Master, your unworthy disciple, Teng Qingshan, has returned!"