Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1341: 723: Taoyue Immortal Venerable (Part 2)

Chapter 1341: Chapter 723: Taoyue Immortal Venerable (Part 2)

Feng Yi felt a secret surge of joy upon hearing those words, planning to use the moment to offer some sycophantic praise to make his opponent drop his guard.

But before a single word could escape his lips, an agonizing, indescribable tearing sensation suddenly erupted from the core of his Primordial Spirit. The pain was so intense that his consciousness shattered instantly, sending his mind spiraling into a void of madness.

Buzz!

A moment later, Zhao Sheng calmly withdrew his right hand. Across from him, the spirit puppet’s eyes went dark, its massive frame freezing mid-air before plummeting toward the earth like a fallen boulder.

In the next breath, a flash of spirit light swept up the leopard-headed spirit puppet, causing it to vanish. Its master disappeared along with it.

Several months passed, and a startling rumor began to circulate throughout the vast expanses of the Mountain Continent. This uncertain news brought a sense of unrest and hidden danger to the continent's Cultivation World.

According to these "reliable" reports, a monumental struggle had taken place months prior at the summit of Qi Luo Mountain, the highest peak in the region.

The stories claimed that the Luo Family True Monarch, who resided there, had been drawn into a violent conflict with a mysterious foe.

Following the clash, the peak of Qi Luo Mountain was notably leveled. Both the Luo Family True Monarch and the unknown assailant had vanished entirely. To this day, the victor remains unknown, and no one can say for certain if either party survived.

Even though the Luo family attempted to suppress the specifics of the encounter, the information eventually trickled out.

Consequently, the various Cultivation Sects and Cultivation Families across the land were soon informed of the True Monarch’s strange disappearance.

The atmosphere within the Cultivation World grew incredibly strained, as if a great upheaval was looming on the horizon.

However, because it was unclear if the Luo Family True Monarch had truly perished, the major powers hesitated to strike at the Luo Family—notorious for "One Breath Suppressing Thousand Mountains"—and instead engaged in cautious probing.

Naturally, the fate of the Luo family was of little concern to the Cloud Mist Zhao Family. Very few were aware that the Luo Family True Monarch had actually fallen to a spirit puppet.

Zhao Menghan was among the few who knew the truth. Witnessing the spirit puppet’s world-defying power, he could no longer hold back his desires, repeatedly begging the Ancestor to refine his Nascent Soul into a Spirit Core.

Zhao Sheng, however, dismissed these pleas coldly, stating simply that the timing was not yet right.

As for when that time would be, Zhao Menghan was in the dark, and in truth, Zhao Sheng himself was uncertain.

While Primordial Spirit and Nascent Soul might sound similar, they occupied entirely different realms of existence and could not be compared.

Feng Yi’s Primordial Spirit was strong enough to endure the Spirit Core transformation, but Zhao Menghan might not survive it.

Without more rigorous experimentation, Zhao Sheng had no intention of taking that final step unless Zhao Menghan reached the end of his lifespan.

Time marched on, and another year slipped away in a flash.

One day, the strains of Immortal Music suddenly resonated over the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. Countless rays of Auspicious Light poured from the heavens, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared.

In the depths of his secluded cave mansion, Zhao Sheng was jolted from his meditation. A sudden chill gripped his heart, signaling that an outsider had breached his sanctuary.

His spirit shook violently. Turning around, he discovered a middle-aged man clad in a green Daoist robe standing silently just a few paces away.

The stranger was tall with jade-like skin and a crimson mole centered between his eyebrows. The hem of his garment was decorated with complex cauldron motifs.

At first glance, he seemed to possess the aura of a mere mortal, and a faint white radiance veiled his face, hiding his features. Yet, his eyes were fixed peacefully on Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng’s expression shifted as a crushing sense of peril washed over him. He felt as though the green-robed man was peering into his very soul.

In that heartbeat, Zhao Sheng thought back to all the powerful figures he had met, thinking perhaps only Fengfengzi could rival this man.

He immediately dismissed the thought, however. His instincts screamed that even a Tribulation Crossing Venerable like Fengfengzi was far inferior to the bottomless depth of this stranger.

“Could this visitor be…”

Zhao Sheng’s body went rigid. As he looked again, a bolt of realization struck his mind.

“Wait… the green robe, the red mole, those cauldron patterns…”

Within seconds, Zhao Sheng was reminded of the green-robed elder he had once glimpsed within the Great Saint Thought Realm.

The resemblance was uncanny: the red mole, the green robe, the mortal-like aura, and even the cauldron designs that mirrored the patterns on the Three-legged Six-eared Ancient Cauldron.

“Immortal Venerable, please receive the humble greetings of this small cultivator!” Zhao Sheng’s mind whirled as he immediately dropped into a deep bow.

“Hehe, your spiritual sense is quite sharp. It is no wonder the Residual Immortal Artifact chose you. There is no need for such formality; you may rise,” the man in green said, waving his hand with a calm demeanor.

Only then did Zhao Sheng stand, though he remained slightly bowed, waiting for his fate to be declared.

He understood that before a True Immortal, flight was impossible. He could only face the situation head-on; the worst outcome was simply death.

Taoyue Immortal Venerable’s eyes shone with a strange light as he spent several moments silently evaluating Zhao Sheng.

Because the visitor remained silent, Zhao Sheng did not dare to speak a word.

Suddenly, two beams of white light erupted from Taoyue Immortal Venerable’s eyes. They shot forward like arrows, aiming directly for Zhao Sheng’s pupils without warning.

Zhao Sheng’s face paled. Before he could even blink, the overwhelming Divine Light had invaded his Purple Mansion Soul Sea, striking fiercely at his Primordial Spirit.

He knew that if this Divine Light connected, he would be annihilated instantly.

Filled with terror, Zhao Sheng tried to activate his Time-Space Great Teleportation Divine Power, but the ability failed to respond. It felt as though some supreme Taoist Law had completely locked down the local space-time.

At the very threshold of death, a silver hoop suddenly rose from the depths of his Soul Sea. It shattered the incoming light instantly and hovered protectively over his Primordial Spirit, vibrating with a faint Five-colored Thunder Light.

A piercing pain throbbed in Zhao Sheng’s head. He let out a low groan and stumbled back several steps, struggling to regain his composure as the agony slowly receded.

“Wonderful, truly wonderful! The fact that the Immortal Artifact moved to protect its master proves it has truly accepted you. A Thunder Walking Immortal Artifact? It appears to be… the Five Thunder Ring! It has been so many millennia that I almost failed to recognize it. Since Mr. Lei’s passing, I have lacked an immortal friend who shared my path,” Taoyue Immortal Venerable remarked, his voice tinged with nostalgia as the light in his eyes faded.

Hearing this, Zhao Sheng felt a spark of hope, though he kept his expression neutral in the presence of the Immortal Venerable.

He realized that this figure was an old acquaintance of the Five Elements Thunder Ring’s former master. This connection could be the key to his survival.

“Do not be troubled; that was merely a test. I had no intention of taking your life—if I did, you would have perished many times over already,” Taoyue Immortal Venerable said, seemingly reading Zhao Sheng’s inner thoughts.

Zhao Sheng pushed down his lingering fear and irritation, taking a steadying breath before bowing once more to Taoyue Immortal Venerable.