Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao

In terms of who had advanced the most in cultivation levels, obviously Ding Ping was the one.

In the beginning, he had just broken through to the Spiritual Infant Tier. Now, three months later, he had already advanced to the Shattering Void Tier. In total, he had advanced three major tiers and almost 30 minor levels.

This was a feat that would cause one’s head to go numb even if placed in the Immortal Realm.

Apart from Ling Han, was there any other person who possessed a Reincarnation Tree?

It looked like a short three months, yet Ding Ping’s true dao comprehension time had actually spanned almost 90 years! Of course, one could only comprehend dao with their spirit when cultivating under the Reincarnation Tree—their physical body would remain at its initial cultivation level. In other words, Ding Ping’s cultivation time wasn’t genuinely 90 years. In any case, however, it was still definitely at least 30 years.

Ding Ping was brimming with confidence right now. He yearned to surpass his three uncles and genuinely become helpful to Ling Han. The sight of Ling Han being taken away continued to replay itself in his mind. He didn’t want to be separated from his master in such a way ever again.

Ding Ping was willing to toil through hardships, and his talent was also outstanding to begin with. Coupled with the resources he had now, it was only natural that his cultivation improved at a rapid pace.

Contrary to his incredible cultivation speed, the cultivation speed of the Rain Emperor, Helian Tianyun, and others all slowed down after they broke through to the Immortal level. It was genuinely possible that they would be surpassed by Ding Ping—they would be caught up to at the very least.

Ling Han was obviously delighted at Ding Ping’s improvements. With a smile, he said, “Third Brother, there’s a strong possibility that Ding Ping will catch up to you. Big Brother is also in danger of being caught up to. Second Brother is the most talented, so unless Ding Ping comes across some fated opportunity, he most likely won’t be able to catch up.”

Murong Qing couldn’t help but let out a wretched wail. As a senior, it was far too humiliating to be surpassed by a junior.

He grabbed Ling Han’s arm, and said, “Fourth Brother, you definitely have to give me some special treatment. If you don’t, you’ll never hear the end of it!” Just thinking about being surpassed was terrifying.

Everyone erupted in laughter upon hearing this.

“Third Uncle, sit tight and wait for me to surpass you!” Ding Ping was still carrying a huge boulder that had been carved with divine patterns of gravity on his back. He had become addicted to carrying huge boulders, and he even carried one as he slept. The others all joked that he was a turtle transformed into a human.

There was another “person” who had seen great improvements in their cultivation—Rock Spirit.

The Rock Spirit had seen almost no improvement in the past year or so, remaining at the Shattering Void Tier. Once Ling Han returned, however, it naturally had rocks to eat again. After crunching on rocks for over two months, it transformed into a rock ball as if it had entered into hibernation. It didn’t move for several days.

However, it finally welcomed a period of explosive growth a few days ago, successfully advancing into the Immortal level.

Spirits of the Five Elements were different from Demonic Beasts. Demonic Beasts could transform into human form after reaching the Immortal level, whereas the Rock Spirit had always been in a humanoid form. It was just that its body was composed of stone. After advancing to the Immortal level, however, the Rock Spirit finally became able to speak.

Even so, the Rock Spirit didn’t enjoy speaking. It remained the same as before, with its hobby being chewing on the leg of Ling Han’s trousers and acting cute. This drew strong disdain from the Asura Demon Emperor. ‘You’re not a bloody dog, so why are you trying to act like one?’

“Woof, woof!” He nudged the Rock Spirit as he barked.

‘Why is this Rock Spirit always competing with me? I’m the dog here, okay?’

Ling Han didn’t only help the Rain Emperor and his other friends. Rather, he even distributed spiritual herbs to the guards in the palace, allowing their cultivation to improve significantly. It was just that they didn’t have the right to enter the Black Tower and cultivate under the Reincarnation Tree.

After all, the Reincarnation Tree only provided a limited number of spots. Right now, it was only able to support the cultivation of 10 people at a time.

Even so, the guards in the palace saw great improvements. In the past, their cultivation level was generally at the Flower Blossom Tier. Now, however, they were breaking through to the Spiritual Infant Tier one after another. Moreover, all of this had happened within a short span of three months. This was extremely astonishing.

Ling Han turned to his disciple, and said, “Ding Ping, return home for a few days. We’ll set off for the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire in one month at most. Heavens knows when we’ll be able to return again.”

In reality, Ding Ping didn’t want to return home. To him, the Ding Clan wasn’t his home. It was merely a place where had been born and where he had lived.

However, he didn’t dare go against his master’s will. He packed his belongings and set off for home.

The Ding Ping of now wasn’t the same as the trash that he had been before. Rather, he was a personal disciple of the current emperor. Moreover, his own cultivation had also reached an impressive level. No one in the Ding Clan knew that he was already at the Shattering Void Tier. Anyhow, the Spiritual Infant Tier was already a supreme level in the eyes of most people.

Thus, he naturally received a warm welcome when he returned to the Ding Clan. However, some people still gave him the cold shoulder, with others even showing hostility. This caused Ding Ping’s heart to almost skip a beat.

He was naturally aware of the hidden turbulences swirling through the government. There were some factions secretly scheming to usurp the Great Ling Empire’s throne and become rulers themselves. Ding Ping detested such people with all of his heart.

His master had succeeded in opening the sky, freeing everyone from the evil claws of the five sects as a result. This had saved them from the fate of being refined into an alchemical pill. Moreover, his master had even been taken away as a hostage because of this. And yet, these people were actually planning to repay this debt with betrayal!

He hoped that such traitorous trash didn’t exist in the Ding Clan. If they did, he would personally kill them!

An elder waved at him, and said, “Hehe, Ding Ping, come, come, come. Come over here for a few words.” This elder was called Ding Chang, and was an influential member of the Ding Clan.

He had been at the Flower Blossom Tier in the small world, and he had initially thought that he would remain stuck at this tier and eventually die of old age. In a pleasant turn of events, he had received a great deal of benefits after Ling Han opened the sky. As a result, he had been able to advance to the Spiritual Infant Tier in these past two years. This extended his lifespan by another 200 years.

He had already lost his ambitions before all of this occurred. However, the fact that he could now live for 200 more years reignited his lust for power.

“Seventh Great-grandfather.” Under Ling Han’s influence, Ding Ping was still relatively respectful to his elders even though he didn’t have any good impression of them.

Ding Chang nodded, slightly flaunting his seniority. In his eyes, Ding Ping was still a junior of the Ding Clan no matter how powerful he was. Thus, it was Ding Ping’s obligation to act upon his wishes. He pointed to the seat in front of him, and said, “Sit.”

His expression became serious once Ding Ping sat down, and he said, “Ping’er, it’s been almost two years since His Majesty left, am I correct?”

Ding Ping’s heart jolted, yet his expression remained unchanged. Ling Han had taught him to remain calm and composed in all situations. He simply nodded, and said, “Master has indeed been away for almost two years.”

“Ping’er, there’s a saying that a nation can’t go a day without a ruler!” Ding Chang chuckled as a startling glimmer burst to life in his aged eyes.

It was lust for power, lust that made this elder seem like a giddy youth who had seen a beautiful woman for the first time.

“Seventh Great-grandfather, what are you trying to say?” Ding Ping asked after a brief moment of hesitation.

Ding Chang chuckled, and said, “You’re the only disciple of His Majesty, so shouldn’t you ascend the throne now that His Majesty has left, perhaps never to return?”

Shua!

Ding Ping instantly stood up, and said, “Seventh Great-grandfather, be careful with what you say!”

“What kind of attitude is that?!” Ding Chang flared up with rage. Was this brat trying to revolt? He actually dared to speak to him in such a disrespectful manner?!

“Seventh Great-grandfather, you’re drunk!” Ding Ping waved his sleeves, and was about to leave.

Ding Chang slammed the table, and roared, “Stop right there!”

Ding Ping ignored him and continued to walk forward.

“Heh, young man, didn’t you hear your elder telling you to stop?” A figure suddenly appeared before Ding Ping, blocking his path. “It’s bad manners to disrespect your elders.”

Ding Ping trained his gaze on the person before him. He was a youth who was at most 24 or 25 years old. A sword was strapped to his back, and an astonishing sword intent radiated from his entire body. It was as if he were the sword, and the sword was him.

“Who are you?!” Ding Ping asked in a low voice. He could feel strong pressure from this youth, and it was clear that the cultivation level of this youth was no weaker than his.

Shattering Void Tier!