Chapter 00153: The Threefold Heaven
# The Threefold Heaven
Chapter 153
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 153: The Threefold Heaven
Days passed, and Ding Qiang was safe and sound.
Ding Huan then resumed his study of the Great Calculation, a profound art that could serve as a powerful means of survival.
One day, while engrossed in his studies, Ding Huan suddenly felt his spiritual imprint start to unravel.
A strong, turbulent sensation swept through him.
He quickly sent a sound message to Qi Xinyue and Old Liu, advising them not to resist and to grab onto something stable to steady themselves.
Qi Xinyue quickly understood Ding Huan's intent and grabbed a sturdy support in the room.
Though Old Liu was focused on his own foundation building, he was no fool and figured out Ding Huan's meaning, also holding onto the fixed structure.
Sure enough, the next moment, a powerful spiritual force swept by.
Seeing that Ding Huan and the others were managing to stabilize themselves, that force quickly faded away.
This was quite normal, as they had all come from the Four Directions Star Land, where they could only cultivate low-level martial arts; attaining a higher cultivation level was obviously impossible.
Ding Huan knew that the ship was passing through a cosmic teleportation vortex.
It seemed the ship was intended for powerful individuals, lacking any gravitational field.
During the turbulent ride, it was less stable than the Blue Star.
He wanted to take out his Cosmic Guidance Pearl to check for signals of the teleportation vortex, but he hesitated.
Remembering how Ding Qiang had almost met his end, he forced himself to push the thought aside.
At that moment, not even daring to manifest his spiritual sense felt necessary.
This uncomfortable ordeal lasted for more than half a day before the ship finally stabilized.
Ding Huan realized they had likely traversed the cosmic vortex.
Was this a region of advanced civilization in the universe?
He yearned to explore the essence of this world's energy.
However, the ship was still in rapid flight, and he did not dare to make any movements.
The next day, food was delivered as usual, confirming that the ship had not yet reached its destination.
Ding Huan continued to predict future events.
As long as he did not involve those with cultivation much higher than his own, his calculations remained relatively accurate.
After three months of calm, Ding Huan once again calculated that the ship would be passing through another cosmic teleportation vortex.
Just as he anticipated, a few days later, the ship entered another vortex.
This time, the duration was somewhat shorter.
A sense of danger began to creep into Ding Huan's mind, despite the ship's decent quality.
Each journey through a teleportation vortex bore considerable risks, and one slip could lead to disaster.
A month passed, and as the ship approached its third cosmic vortex, Ding Huan felt an urge to abandon the ship.
This constant traveling through vortices was no laughing matter; it felt like inviting death.
Just as he was preparing to calculate again, a violent jolt occurred, as if the ship had been struck by something.
Though Ding Huan worried about the powerful beings on board, he carefully extended his spiritual awareness.
What he saw sent chills down his spine: a ship was frantically pursuing them.
Their vessel was now obstructed.
If their ship dared not engage, it meant the pursuing ship housed even stronger figures.
Ding Huan withdrew his spiritual sense, muttering to himself about his unfortunate fate.
He focused on recalibrating his calculations; if they were really intercepted, he needed to understand how to escape.
Relief washed over him when he realized their ship had not been caught.
Days later, the voice of Sang Yuhe rang out clearly: "The ship is about to arrive at the Threefold Heaven Star Land. Ding Huan, Ding Qiang, and Lou Buzhi, please disembark."
Ding Huan hurriedly exited with Qi Xinyue and Old Liu, only to see Ding Qiang and Lou Buzhi waiting for them.
"The Threefold Heaven Star Land is the pinnacle of civilization in this part of the universe. Whether in Dao cultivation or other pursuits, it surpasses all other lands. We have collected your belongings and brought you here, fulfilling our promise. Your future achievements depend on your own fortune," Sang Yuhe stated.
"Thank you, Senior Sang," Ding Huan replied first with a bow.
Sang Yuhe seemed a decent person; while bringing the three of them had not cost much effort, he could have easily thrown them into the vast void if he had a cruel disposition.
Ding Qiang and Lou Buzhi quickly followed suit, expressing their gratitude.
As the ship shook lightly, the cabin door opened.
Ding Huan, carrying a large pack, stepped out onto solid ground and breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, he was alive.
He disliked this feeling and hoped to experience it only once in his life.
The ship had let them down in an open field, seemingly devoid of dangers.
Looking around, the sky was a bright blue, and the air was refreshing.
However, the essence of this world’s energy was not as great as he had imagined.
Nevertheless, it was still a vast improvement over the Four Directions Star Land.
After dropping them off, the ship vanished into the distance in a flash of black.
"Thank you, Brother Ding," Ding Qiang was the first to bow respectfully.
Ding Huan laughed heartily, not elaborating on the details, simply asking, "Where does Brother Qiang intend to go next?"
Ding Qiang shook his head.
"I don’t know. I have heard of the Threefold Heaven Star Land, and we should be in the Mortal Realm. My goal is the Dao Cultivation Realm."
Ding Huan promptly inquired, "Please enlighten me, Brother Qiang."
Ding Qiang explained, "The Threefold Heaven allows for ascension to the Immortal Realm. This land is vast beyond imagination. However, to ascend to the Immortal Realm, one must first reach the Ascension Realm…"
Ding Huan finally grasped the concept.
The Threefold Heaven Star Land comprised the Mortal Realm, the Dao Cultivation Realm, and the Ascension Realm.
Ordinary people spent their lives in the Mortal Realm, and only those with exceptional talent could venture into the Dao Cultivation Realm when sects sought disciples.
Few individuals from the Ascension Realm ever descended; usually, only rare and influential figures would wander among mortals.
As for how to transition from the Mortal Realm to the Dao Cultivation Realm, Ding Qiang was at a loss.
Despite being a star master, his knowledge was limited to the low-level Four Directions Star Land.
Ding Huan scanned his surroundings with his spiritual sense and soon detected some passersby.
"Brother Qiang, let’s move in that direction," Ding Huan pointed toward an area with people.
"Alright," Ding Qiang agreed.
None of them were familiar with this place, so they had to choose a direction to encounter others.
After walking for just ten minutes, they encountered a few pedestrians.
Ding Huan quickened his pace and approached them, clasping his fist in greeting.
"Hello, friends. We’ve just arrived here. May I ask where we can find an inn?"
One pedestrian looked at Ding Huan’s group with curiosity before pointing toward their direction and saying, "If you continue down that way, you’ll reach Changqiu City in half a day; there’s an inn there."
He then indicated a side road nearby.
"This way will also take you to Jiuchafang City in about the same time. That place often hosts visitors from the Dao Cultivation Realm, so be cautious if you go."
"Thank you, friends," Ding Huan expressed his gratitude.
Once the pedestrians left, Ding Huan asked, "Where do you plan to go, Brother Qiang?"
Without hesitation, Ding Qiang replied, "I plan to head to Changqiu City. How about you, Brother Ding, and Brother Lou?"
Ding Huan was not surprised at Ding Qiang's choice; he had been eager to use his Heavenly Treasure, so this was likely his limit in holding back.
With a bustling market, Ding Qiang would certainly prefer to avoid that.
Not to mention, the previous pedestrians had mentioned Dao Cultivators entered the market quite often.
Ding Huan smiled.
"I plan to take a chance at Jiuchafang City."
"What about Brother Lou?" Ding Qiang turned to Lou Buzhi.
With an honest grin, Lou Buzhi replied, "I’ll stick with Brother Ding Huan. I feel my ability to survive is lacking; I’ll last a few more days if I stay with him."
"Good! Since that’s settled, we’ll part ways here. I hope we meet again at greater heights in the future," Ding Qiang said sincerely as he clasped his fists.
Ding Huan understood the implication: he wished to cross paths in the Dao Cultivation Realm someday.
After Ding Qiang left, Ding Huan turned to Lou Buzhi with curiosity.
"I wonder, why did you choose not to follow the star master?"
Though they had all been brought over from the Four Directions Star Land together, during their time on the ship, there had been no opportunity for them to become familiar with each other; one could say they were treated as captives.
Lou Buzhi chuckled heartily.
"I simply felt Brother Huan was bold and fearless."
In truth, when Ding Huan had boldly spoken up to Ding Qiang, Lou Buzhi had been deeply impressed.
If it were him, he would not have dared to make such a statement; it felt like asking for death.
This made Lou Buzhi admire Ding Huan even more, believing that following him was the right choice.
"Alright then, let’s head to Jiuchafang City…" Ding Huan started to say, but suddenly sensed something amiss.
He quickly began a simple calculation.
Just a few minutes later, he was dripping in cold sweat.
His first night in Jiuchafang City had turned into a blur in his vision.
This meant he couldn’t predict what would happen next, and the greatest possibility was that danger awaited him.
Damn it!
Ding Huan nearly cursed out loud.
He had just arrived and hadn’t offended anyone…
Had he really not offended anyone?
Quickly scanning the group with his spiritual sense, his face turned grim.
He noticed that both he, Qi Xinyue, Old Liu, and Lou Buzhi all bore spiritual imprints placed on their clothes, shoes, and hair.
(End of Chapter)