Sitting at the center of the formation, Zhang Lei felt utterly panicked. He had somehow stumbled his way from Earth to Mars, but this time, he was fully aware of his journey, although he had no clue what was going to happen. He muttered a prayer under his breath, "All the past immortals, all the gods and Buddhas, big brother God, Amitabha, bless me with a safe journey to the Sealed Fate Star, Amen." He made the sign of the cross, and his heart settled.
As if to fulfill his prayer, a piercing howl suddenly came from the distance. Fu Shan stood up straight, looking towards the far end with a serious expression, "Who dares to summon us with this howl? Come forth!" His voice wasn't loud, but as soon as it left his mouth, it was like an explosion, echoing "Come... Come... Come..." throughout the area. It was indeed astonishing.
Zhang Lei thought to himself, "FUCK! This is so responsive. I hope I haven't invoked a demon or something."
No demon appeared, but what did show up was Fu Shan's sworn enemy.
"Oh stop yelling, you're going to make me deaf. Isn't this Old Master Fu? Why didn't your eleven dead brothers come with you? Tsk, tsk, where did you trick another little brother from? It's just a 'celestial tribulation', why do you need so many scapegoats?" The voice was enchanting and confusing, approaching rapidly from afar. A large group of peach-colored smoke was seen floating in, stopping not far from where Fu Shan stood, its fluctuating movements gave an eerie vibe.
Fu Shan's face turned pale with a hint of helplessness, "Hua Mei Niang, it's you again? After all these years, you are still causing trouble everywhere. I haven't settled the matter from last time, and you dare to face me again?"
The peach-colored smoke spread out on both sides, and a glamorous and beautiful woman stepped out with an alluring charm. Zhang Lei couldn't help but cheer out loud, "Wow... a super beauty!"
Hua Mei Niang gave him a slight smile, as if thousands of peach blossoms were blooming at once, leaving Zhang Lei awestruck. However, having recently experienced a heavy blow in his love life, he felt a little wary of women. Seeing Hua Mei Niang's stunning beauty, Zhang Lei couldn't help but want to annoy her.
"Little brother, am I pretty? Come to me, be a good boy." With her seductive voice and suggestive gesture, Hua Mei Niang laughed lasciviously.
"Stop it, Hua Mei Niang! I warn you, if you dare to seduce my brother, don't blame me for making you never reincarnate."
"Oh, Old Master Fu is angry. If he comes to me on his own, you can't blame me for seducing."
"Heh, Hua Mei Niang, don't be too confident. Men won't like a woman who is always so enchanting. Even though you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, I'm not interested in you!" Zhang Lei sat in the teleportation circle, acting as if she could do nothing to him.
In fact, Zhang Lei was just speaking casually, but he didn't know that he had hit a nerve with Hua Mei Niang. Fu Shan couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Hua Mei Niang, my brother here isn't interested in you. Your seductive eyes have failed you, ha ha!"
A sharp and grating curse came unbelievably from the beautiful Hua Mei Niang, "You little brat,when did I ever like stinky men? You little bastard, if you ever fall into my hands, I swear I will suck you dry, I, I... if not, I am not Hua Mei Niang!" Seeing Hua Mei Niang's reaction, Fu Shan was a bit surprised.
"I'm scared... Fine... You're not Hua Mei Niang, but rather dummy," Zhang Lei said, his words could even drive a saint to anger.
"Go to hell!"
The smoky barrier around Hua Mei Niang divided and surged towards Zhang Lei like a tidal wave. Almost simultaneously, a bright white light flashed from Fu Shan's hand. The peach-red smoke barrier dodged like a living creature, but the white light was incredibly fast. It slashed into the smoke, creating a loud noise mixed with tiny "ding ding" sounds, and shattered the smoke barrier.
Zhang Lei applauded and laughed, "Nice, smoke and mirrors!" He didn't realize how dangerous the situation was just now. Without the protection of his battle armor and his current level of ability, he wouldn't be able to resist the countless tiny "essence-sucking needles" mixed within the smoke barrier. Hua Mei Niang's "Peach Blossom Barrier" is considered a treacherous weapon, and many cultivators view it with trepidation.
Fu Shan chuckled and said, "I've always treated you with courtesy in the past. Everyone in the cultivation world knows that I, Fu Shan, am not willing to fight with women." In fact, Fu Shan hadn't used his full strength. If he had, only a few high-level cultivators could handle it.
Hua Mei Niang was infuriated and shouted, "Peach Blossom Armor!" The smoke barrier around her body rapidly absorbed into her body, revealing a set of peach-red armor. Zhang Lei couldn't help but admire, "The things these people create are so beautiful. It's an eye-opening experience." He didn't know that in the world of cultivators, "creating artifacts" is a survival skill and they have to strive for perfection.
"Crystal Armor!"
With a wave of his hand, Fu Shan also donned armor. Zhang Lei couldn't sit still any longer and stood up from the teleportation array.
Hua Mei Niang's weapon was a peach blossom, seemingly freshly plucked from the tree, vivid and dripping as if still covered in morning dew. She held it in her hand and waved it casually. Zhang Lei had to admit, Hua Mei Niang was exceptionally dazzling. Her demeanor and alluring face were truly pitiable and it was hard to attack her.
Petal rain filled the sky, and pink petals appeared suddenly in the air like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. The desolate Mars seemed to have changed and was filled with the scent of spring. Hua Mei Niang giggled, "Old Master Fu, try my newly practiced 'Flower Rain Catastrophe'. Go!"
"Oh?" Fu Shan nodded, a hint of excitement in his eyes, "After so many years, you've finally mastered it. Good, good." Zhang Lei was speechless with astonishment. A rain of flowers in the sky, could it be an illusion? What a joke, they're fighting with flower petals!
But Fu Shan didn't find it strange at all. He knew that each of these fluttering petals was a condensed weapon of energy.
The "Flower Rain Catastrophe" began. The slowly floating petals began to spin rapidly, emitting a soft "buzzing" sound. With Hua Mei Niang's full force, the petals started to aggregate in groups of five or six, spinning even faster. As the speed increased, the sound changed, and a deafening sonic boom echoed through the heavens and the earth.
Zhang Lei watched with excitement as to how Fu Shan would deal with this.
"Hehe, it's really spectacular. Look at mine..." Fu Shan raised his hand and a small golden butterfly flew out.
Zhang Lei plopped down, thinking, "Fu Big Brother is really funny. Even butterflies are flying." It's not surprising that Zhang Lei doesn't understand anything; he has just been exposed to the world of cultivation. That small golden butterfly is renowned in the cultivation world. It is a supreme-grade blade called the "Golden Butterfly Knife," crafted by the master craftsman Ye Anhun of the Sealing Fate Star. Only experts can wield it, and after Fu Shan's retraining, its power has become even more formidable.
Looking at Fu Shan, every time he waved his hand, a golden butterfly flew out, each one multiplying into dozens. In an instant, the air was filled with gracefully dancing golden butterflies, each one flying towards the flowers.
When the flowers and butterflies met, there was a violent explosion that resounded through the heavens, and a chaotic aura surged everywhere. The energy-transformed petals collided and shattered with the golden butterflies, scattering pink and golden colors in the air. Gradually, more and more petals dissipated, but the golden butterflies danced with even more vitality.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Eventually, as the petals vanished completely, the countless dancing golden butterflies transformed into one, gracefully dancing around Hua Meiniang.
Zhang Lei knew that Fu Shan had won. He had never witnessed such a fight before. There were no martial arts techniques involved; it was all about competing with magical treasures and energy. But it was indeed spectacular. "Absolutely amazing," this was Zhang Lei's comment.
Hua Meiniang looked disheveled. The branch of peach blossoms in her hand had snapped, and the blossoms on it had been defeated. She felt a surge of helplessness. She had no idea how to deal with such a master like Fu Shan. She had spent a full seven years cultivating this branch of peach blossoms, investing countless efforts into it, and now it was all destroyed.
A sly smile suddenly appeared on her face. "Ten Thousand Flower Envelope!" Countless colorful flowers suddenly burst out from Hua Meiniang, rapidly revolving around her. Caught off guard, the Golden Butterfly Knife swung through thin air. In an instant, a mist-like gas flew towards Fu Shan.
"Oh, still not convinced? Fine, let's go again!" Fu Shan became a little careless.
"Wow... What are you trying to do?" Zhang Lei was terrified by the sudden appearance of Hua Meiniang in front of him.
Hua Meiniang didn't attack Zhang Lei because she knew that if she harmed him, Fu Shan would absolutely hate her. In the world of cultivation, Fu Shan was considered a top-notch figure, and not many dared to provoke him. However, Fu Shan had a rule: he would never exterminate women. That's why she dared to make a move against him and had disrupted his plans several times. Although she didn't dare to harm Zhang Lei, she excelled in causing chaos and destruction.
She activated the teleportation array.
Without calibrating the direction, the teleportation array could send Zhang Lei anywhere. Only the heavens knew!
Fu Shan became furious, putting away the Golden Butterfly Knife, and spewed out his famous weapon, the "Cold Jade Sword." In the world of cultivation, everyone knew that if Grandpa Fu resorted to the "Cold Jade Sword," things were getting serious. Fu Shan held a high position in the world of cultivation. He was revered like a god in the Sealing Fate Star and other planets. Very few dared to provoke him.
The "Cold Jade Sword" soared through the air, and the temperature dropped sharply. Fu Shan shouted, "You bastard!"
Hua Meiniang's heart sank. She knew all too well the characteristics of the "Cold Jade Sword." It would never turn back without drawing blood, and with her current level, there was no possibility of victory. Escaping was an experienced skill for Hua Meiniang. She spurted a mouthful of blood onto the "Ten Thousand Flower Envelope" and vanished into the ground. She gambled that Fu Shan wouldn't have time to chase after her and would check the teleportation array's destination. With even a moment's time, it would be difficult for Fu Shan to find her.
With a bright sound, the "Cold Jade Sword" flew back into Fu Shan's hands through the "Ten Thousand Flower Envelope." Seeing the bloodstains on the sword, Fu Shan stomped his foot in anger, knowing she had escaped once again. Indeed, there was a palm-sized fresh flower on the ground, with a few scattered petals stained with blood. Hua Meiniang had disappeared without a trace.
Picking up the flower and examining it, Fu Shan knew that Hua Meiniang must have felt heartbroken when she escaped. The "Ten Thousand Flower Envelope" had been shattered, and two treasures had been destroyed within a day. It was unbearable for anyone. Fu Shan flew to the teleportation array and sighed in frustration.
To his surprise, the teleportation array indicated the direction of the Sealing Fate Star. Fu Shan understood that this was impossible; it wasn't the intended direction when it was initially activated. Relying on his experience, he carefully surveyed and calculated for a long time, listing seven possible planets she could have gone to.
"FUCK! I'll skin that little demon alive! Alas, I have no choice but to return to the Sealing Fate Star first and have a few brothers search separately." Fu Shan reluctantly stood in the teleportation array. A flash of white light, and Mars returned to its usual silence.
The wind gently rustled through the treetops in the dark night, its mournful sound akin to a ghost's weeping. Unidentified creatures emitted peculiar howls. Zhang Lei stood in an ancient teleportation array, feeling a chill in his heart. He had been standing there for a long time, contemplating the events of the past few days. The sky gradually brightened.
A melodious bird's chirping interrupted Zhang Lei's contemplation.
"Birdsong? Where could this be?"
Blue sky, white clouds, dense primordial forest, overgrown grass, and numerous large rocks scattered around—Zhang Lei momentarily thought he had returned to Earth. But looking at the silver armor shimmering with purple flames on his body, Zhang Lei shook his head, dismissing his thought.
Stepping out of the teleportation array, Zhang Lei hesitated: should he wait for Fu Shan or venture out of the forest first? After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Lei decided to wait a few days. If Fu Shan hadn't arrived by then, he would explore on his own.
With his determination made, Zhang Lei immediately began preparations, thinking, "Fortunately, I bought plenty of supplies. They will come in handy now."
Clearing a space beneath a giant rock, Zhang Lei hummed a tune as he assembled a travel tent from his bracelet. He crawled inside, laid a blanket, and sat cross-legged. "Hmm, it's time for me to eat something," Zhang Lei thought. Since activating the Purple Flame Heart, Zhang Lei had entered a state of fasting. The energy his body needed could now be fully provided by the Purple Flame Heart, so eating or not didn't matter.
He opened a vacuum-sealed bag of pork jerky and ate two pieces when suddenly a wave of sadness couldn't be suppressed. To shake off the melancholic mood, Zhang Lei emerged from the tent, took a deep breath, and his gaze inadvertently swept across the rock wall. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. Zhang Lei couldn't believe what he was seeing—two large characters carved on the rock.
Zhang Lei didn't recognize these two characters, but he knew that it was the ancient Chinese "stone drum script."
Zhang Lei immediately searched around and indeed, not far from the giant rock, there were dense inscriptions that included both stone drum script, seal script, clerical script, regular script, cursive script, and even some strange and incomprehensible characters.
Zhang Lei carefully examined the scripts he recognized, and astonishment appeared on his face.
This planet was called "Tian Ting" (Heavenly Court).
As it turned out, some ancient Chinese people who had undergone cultivation were brought to this planet in batches by four individuals known as the "Envoys of the Jade Emperor." Each group of cultivators believed they had become immortals and ascended after a hundred days of cultivation. But upon arriving here, they could no longer find those "Envoys of the Jade Emperor," and this place was nothing like the paradise they had imagined.
The expressions of pain, sorrow, helplessness, and anger conveyed in the inscriptions on the rocks made Zhang Lei shudder. Upon examining the signatures of each inscription, Zhang Lei discovered that, aside from himself, the last group of people to arrive on this planet was in the third year of the Jiaqing period during the Qing Dynasty. There were a total of 756 individuals, including men, women, and people of all ages, who arrived in four batches. For some unknown reason, no one was transported here afterward, and this place gradually fell into desolation.
Zhang Lei felt a bit comforted, knowing that he wasn't alone on this planet. Whether the people who came from Earth were still here or not, their descendants must still be living here.
With a silly smile, Zhang Lei decided to leave his own mark.
Extending his finger, he engraved a row of characters on the giant rock, tilting his head to admire it with satisfaction before bursting into laughter.
On the uneven surface of the rock, the characters twisted and turned, disarrayed. It read: "Zhang Lei was here," with the signature: " May 2023 stranded in Tian Ting Star due to being framed by Flower Mei Niang."
Returning to the tent, Zhang Lei decided to start studying the information in the Jade Eye Scroll.
Through the helplessness during the activation of the Purple Flame Heart and witnessing Fu Shan's thrilling battle against Flower Mei Niang, Zhang Lei knew that in order to survive in this world, he had to make himself stronger. Holding the Jade Eye Scroll, Zhang Lei entered a state of deep concentration without rest.
无数信息如潮水般从玉瞳卷中涌入张磊的脑海：
“修真界”指的是修真者所处的世界，区别于现实的世俗世界。
“修真者”是能够吸收、控制、运用灵气的个体。灵气主要依附在矿物上，一些珍稀动植物也含有灵气。这种能量在一些星球上大量存在，在另一些星球上稀少，有些星球上根本没有。
产生灵气的矿物，被称为“晶石”或“修炼石”，俗称“仙石”或“基石”。
初期的修真者，一般都是从低品位的修真石开始，随着修为的提升，逐渐升级为高级的修真石，直到形成自己的元婴。一旦元婴形成，修真者就不再需要依赖修炼石的能量。
信息的洪流不断从玉瞳卷中涌入张磊的脑海：
“修行”就是修炼身、心、灵，达到更高境界的功德境界。它涉及各种修炼灵气、炼体、开神通的功法、功法和功法。
修为分为不同的阶段，有筑基期、结丹期、元婴期等等。每一个阶段都代表着更高的修为层次，赋予修行者更大的力量、洞察力和对灵气的掌控力。
修真界内，道门众多，各有各的功法、哲学、教义。修真者往往会加入宗门或门派接受指导，学习高级修真法门，与其他修真者交流。
修真界并非没有危险。修真者面临妖兽、邪修、灵劫、追求更高境界等挑战。他们必须不断地提升自己的实力，磨练自己的技术，修炼自己的品德，才能克服这些障碍。
神器、符咒、法宝在修炼中起着举足轻重的作用。他们充满了灵气，可以增强修行者的能力，提供保护，或发动强大的攻击。修行者经常寻求稀有而强大的神器来增强他们的力量。
除了修真，修真境界也与红尘相通。有宗门，有修真者，与凡人交往，承担任务，保护弱者，维持两界平衡。
张磊深入资料，吸收玉瞳卷的知识和感悟。他知道自己在这个修真境界的征程，会充满挑战和艰辛，但他决心要坚持下去，成为一名强大的修真者。
傅山所用的“寒魂珠”和张磊所用的“紫焰之心”，都是无法自然生成的非凡宝物。他们是修炼出来的，可以说是没有灵魂的元婴。这种奇珍异宝，普通修真者是用不着的。只有具有独特品质的人才能使用它们。
修真境界分为十一个修炼阶段，分别是轮照阶段、通明阶段、融合阶段、摄心阶段、静心阶段、元婴阶段、出体阶段、分神阶段、合体阶段、渡劫阶段、大成阶段。每个阶段都有自己的特点。
修真者若是达到第六层元婴期，凝聚灵气，便可以修炼出属于自己的“紫府元婴”，达到所谓的灵魂不灭。若是达到第十层，也就是渡劫期，肉身就可以长生不老。不过，最危险的阶段，还是渡劫阶段。修真者有一句话，“元婴”修炼容易，“渡劫”易灭。有时间，有灵气，有正确的修炼方法，修士总能修炼到元婴期，但渡劫期就不一样了。修炼上一有失误，就会导致形神俱灭，彻底消失。
炼器也是修真界的一门高深学问，是每一位修真者都必须掌握的技能。炼器包括各种门类，修真界也有不同的门派，各有各的炼器术。玉瞳卷中蕴含着许多炼器秘法，以及与炼器息息相关的阵法。许多阵法需要使用神器来显化……
当张磊睁开眼睛的时候，惊喜的发现“星空铠甲”已经缩回了自己的身体之中。他现在知道，自己已经到了元婴初期，也就是第六层修为的开始。看到帐篷里面厚厚的灰尘，他觉得很奇怪。他不知道的是，他的第一次深度冥想花了七个月的时间，这对他产生了变革性的影响。
他在附近找了一个小池塘，洗了个清爽的澡，换上了干净的衣服。张磊心中暗道：“如果傅大哥来了，他一定会看到我刻在石头上的字的，他的本事这么大，还怕找不到我吗？” 他决定开始探索“天庭星”，将其视为一次免费的旅行体验。
收拾完东西，张磊兴致勃勃的喊道：“我来了！”
迈着自信的步伐，张磊踏上了“天庭星”的征程。