The southern border of Yong State shared a small section with Zhuang State, but for the most part, it was separated by the Qichang Mountains.

In the northwest of Yong State, there was a small country called Chen.

Although Chen State was small, it contained a famous and ominous place called “No Return Valley.”

No one could say for sure where the danger of No Return Valley came from, but as its name suggested, no one who entered it ever returned.

In the morning mist, a woman with long hair flowing down her shoulders walked into the valley.

She wore a mask without any facial features, which was quite bizarre. However, her figure was exceptionally beautiful.

The valley was surprisingly open, not at all like the dangerous place people imagined.

On the contrary, the atmosphere was peaceful, with exotic flowers blooming and streams babbling.

In the center was a wooden house.

A small stream flowed in front of the house, and several chickens were leisurely walking on the bank, with a yellow dog lying in front of the door.

The long-haired woman stood in front of the wooden house and shouted, “Boss!”

The sound was so loud that it startled the yellow dog, which jumped up, and the chickens flapped their wings.

After a while, there was still no movement from inside the house.

The woman seemed used to it and was about to shout again.

With a creak, the wooden door opened, and an old man with white hair walked out.

He seemed to have difficulty hearing and speaking.

“You’re here? Swallow.”

“I’m here!” the long-haired woman shouted. “Don’t call me Swallow anymore!”

The white-haired old man nodded, “Swallow, Little Bear sent me a letter before, with a picture of a dog on it. Does he… want to eat dog meat?”

The yellow dog whined and tucked its tail between its legs, disappearing behind the house.

“I don’t even know what year you’re talking about,” the long-haired woman sighed and shouted, “Xiong Wen is already dead!”

“Xiong Wen is dead?” The white-haired old man didn’t seem to react.

“Boss! He’s been dead for months! Maple Forest City is gone!”

“Xiong Wen is dead? Then I have to go see, I have to go see…” The white-haired old man trembled his lips a few times and then said, “Swallow, go and take a look.”

“I just finished your errand!” the long-haired woman muttered under her breath, but finally raised her voice and said, “Alright, Boss!”

Unlike the old man, she wasn’t slow and dragging. She stomped her foot on the ground and shot into the mist.

The morning mist scattered and gathered again.

The white-haired old man paused for a long time before scratching his head, “What was I going to say?”

“Never mind.” He gave up decisively and turned back into the wooden house.

“Sleep well while you’re alive, so you don’t sleep poorly after you die.”

Time moved forward steadily.

The construction of the Small Circulatory Cycle (Small Zhou Tian) leads to the Zhou Tian Realm.

And the rotation of the Grand Circulatory Cycle (Great Zhou Tian) marks the arrival of the Seventh Grade Heaven-Reaching Realm.

After traveling for many days, passing through some countries that are not worth mentioning, he had now entered Qi territory.

In an unnamed small mountain, Jiang Wang sat cross-legged on a giant rock.

Within his Heaven-Reaching Palace, nine clusters of Starlight Daoxuan rotated endlessly. Three clusters of Starlight Daoxuan formed a Small Zhou Tian, suspended in the upper, middle, and lower sections of the Heaven-Reaching Palace.

The first Small Zhou Tian represented the sun, moon, stars, the vastness of heaven and earth, and the infinite universe.

The second Small Zhou Tian reflected mountains, rivers, and the passage of time.

The third Small Zhou Tian focused on himself. What was his purpose in moving forward, and where was he going?

Now, after traveling tens of thousands of miles, his Dao heart had been sharpened like a sword.

He fully understood his thoughts, actions, and goals, and would continue to pursue them consistently.

Heaven was the stars, Earth was the mountains and rivers, and Man was himself.

The Grand Zhou Tian condensed this vast artistic conception, encompassing the three elements of Heaven, Earth, and Man, rotating in a cycle.

Finally, reaching Heaven!

Despite the clear sky, he heard a rumbling sound of thunder.

Upon closer examination, it was not thunder from the sky and earth, but a rumble from somewhere unknown.

Behind him, the void faintly revealed a looming tall gate. It was the reflection of his physical body, a milestone on his cultivation path!

There was a gate between heaven and earth, and man was the gate of heaven and earth.

The time was the third day of the third month in the Dao Calendar 3918.

Jiang Wang’s cultivation was complete, and he achieved the Grand Zhou Tian, formally entering the Heaven-Reaching Realm.

Reaching Heaven, in its simplest sense, meant that after entering this realm, one could reach the gate of heaven and earth.

For many cultivators, consolidating the Grand Zhou Tian, understanding oneself, and exploring the direction to the gate of heaven and earth was a long process.

Even someone as strong as Zhao Lang had lingered in the Heaven-Reaching Realm for many years, repeatedly refining his Dao techniques.

But Jiang Wang’s Zhou Tian construction was perfect, and his accumulation was abundant.

At the very moment he achieved the Grand Zhou Tian, he saw the gate of heaven and earth.

Jiang Wang stood up from the stone platform. Although he had seen the gate of heaven and earth, it didn’t mean he could directly push it open and allow his Dao veins to soar like a dragon.

He had only just seen the gate of heaven and earth, and the details of the gate had not yet materialized.

Moreover, there was a qualitative change between seeing the gate of heaven and earth and pushing it open.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm he was about to participate in only allowed cultivators below the sixth-grade Soaring Dragon Realm to enter.

Any strong person who had pushed open the gate of heaven and earth, no matter what secret method they used to conceal it, would cause the passage to collapse the moment they entered.

This was something that Zhen Wudi had repeatedly warned him about.

Jiang Wang now knew Zhen Wudi’s real name. This fatty came from the famous Chongxuan family of Qi State, with the single name of Sheng.

Before, he was far away in Zhuang State and was ignorant. On this journey, even before reaching Qi territory, the Chongxuan family’s fame was already deafening.

It also allowed Jiang Wang to understand what a true aristocratic family was like, far beyond the so-called three major families of Maple Forest City or the Lin family of Wangjiang City.

Upon reaching the Heaven-Reaching Realm, the Heaven-Reaching Palace’s capacity for accommodating power increased again, and he could imprint a new instant-cast Dao technique.

But Jiang Wang could only put it aside for the time being.

In terms of attack, he currently had the Flame Flower Dao technique and the Purple Qi Comes East sword technique.

For defense, he relied entirely on the Four Spirits Body Refining Technique to withstand attacks. He had no significant achievements in escape techniques.

Although the White Bone Escape Technique was powerful, he dared not use it again.

The problem now was that although he had both the Dao Evolution Platform and accumulated merit, he lacked suitable Dao technique cultivation methods as a foundation for deduction. It was like trying to make bricks without straw.

This was one of the drawbacks of losing a stable environment.

There were no longer teachers to answer his questions, and no longer Dao techniques left by predecessors for him to choose from.

But no matter how difficult the road ahead, it could not stop him from moving forward.

Jiang Wang and Chongxuan Sheng had already agreed on a time in the Mirage.

After breaking through to the Heaven-Reaching Realm, he no longer lingered, avoiding cities and inns along the way, rushing to the agreed location as quickly as possible.

There was a small city in Lin Hai Prefecture of Qi State called Heavenly Mansion City.

This place was originally just a small fishing village, but after the Heavenly Mansion Old Man left his secret realm here, a large number of cultivators gathered here every time the secret realm opened.

At first, it was naturally chaotic, with everyone displaying their skills, causing quite a mess. Later, the official Qi State established rules, setting quotas for each party, and only then did the process become consolidated.

The small fishing village also developed as a result, and after years of accumulation, it became the current Heavenly Mansion City.

Qi State had a developed economy, trading with the world, and the official actions were also relatively smooth.

Each time the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm opened, there were a total of fifty places. Qi State directly took out ten places for foreigners to compete for.

Those foreigners who gained something in the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm would be recruited by Qi State. Even if they were not successful, they would be treated with courtesy and sent out of the country.

Over the years, those who could gain something in the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm would eventually become strong, as long as they did not die prematurely.

Even if these people did not join Qi State, they often had a good impression of Qi State.

On the official road ten miles north of Heavenly Mansion City, a figure was riding a fast horse, raising a cloud of dust.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, rolling the dust into a ball.

When the dust settled, the figure on the horse was gone.

The horse ran for a while before realizing that the rider was no longer on its back.

For a moment, it didn’t know whether to go left or right.

It sniffed for a while and then left the official road alone.