Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1436: 777: First Step into Divine Palace Heaven, Unexpected Encounter with an Old Taoist

With the flow of time, successive Law Illusion Realms emerged one by one. Not just entries into the Sixth and Seventh Layers occurred, but an individual astonishingly surged into the Eighth Layer as well.

When the sun dipped below the western horizon, nearly everyone had been expelled from the tower, though the Ninth Layer stayed shrouded in darkness, untouched by any challenger.

Observing this outcome, Zhao Xiandu experienced a mix of disappointment and hidden relief, grateful that the test hadn't birthed another figure like “Zhao San Yue”.

This showed he wasn't entirely inadequate, for in his own time, he'd reached the Eighth Layer too.

As darkness enveloped the night, the final participant emerged from the tower, his features etched with deep regret.

He looked utterly commonplace, possessing an average physique, far from the top contenders and typically overlooked in conversations.

Zhao San Yue extended her Divine Thought, picking up the details about him from the murmurs rippling through the assembly.

Zhao Tianlin held the twenty-eighth spot among the Heavenly Generation, his cultivation fixed at the Golden Core Middle Stage, with his strongest showing in past clan contests ending in the fourth round.

To sum it up, he was thoroughly average and forgettable.

Within a single day, his cultivation had leaped dramatically, propelling him from the Golden Core Middle Stage directly to the Golden Core Perfect Realm in a stunning fashion.

A mere trial in the tower had spared Zhao Tianlin centuries of grueling effort,

sparking waves of envy and jealousy among the onlookers, since such fortunes weren't guaranteed for all, and a handful even faced a decline in their cultivation levels.

Gazing at Zhao Tianlin as he exited the tower, a Golden Core True Immortal from the Heavenly Generation in the crowd abruptly felt regret wash over him, sighing, “Alas, I truly misread the situation. I missed out on building ties with Tianlin. I wonder if it's still possible to turn things around.”

Nearby, an old man clad in yellow armor let out a mocking laugh, “Haha, there's no rush to befriend him now. Just swallow your pride. You're from the same generation, after all. Sadly, as a Sun Generation elder, I've aged three hundred years more, but my cultivation lags behind his. Who can I even complain to about this?”

“What's so remarkable about Zhao Tianlin? How did he linger until the very end? Could it be…” a voice murmured, laced with profound doubt.

“Zhao Tianlin descends directly from the Ancestor, so he's bound to be cherished as a Dragon Son.” Another voice grumbled in discontent.

These words had barely landed when odd looks spread across the faces of those close by.

Yet, a middle-aged figure with blue hair and a red robe snapped back fiercely at the remark, “Rubbish! I'm also one of those so-called ‘Dragon Sons’. So why didn't the Ancestor favor me? You're just envious and daring to smear the Ancestor as biased. You really have no sense of propriety!”

The earlier speaker paled in fear, quickly bending in apology, “Forgive me, forgive me, I spoke carelessly. Please, Brother Chongqi, let it slide.”

Zhao Chongqi, the one with blue hair and red robes, huffed disdainfully, spun on his heel, and headed toward his great uncle Zhao Rixiao.

Witnessing this, a few others nearby grew alarmed, rushing up to intervene and offering various incentives, which just managed to soothe Zhao Chongqi’s “ire”.

Zhao San Yue’s gaze shimmered as she silently noted everyone’s reactions in her mind; she’d already resolved her plans. In days to come, allies to trust, figures to distance from, and those warranting covert retribution—all fell under her control.

At that moment, amid the collective stares, the Nine Nether Tower ascended abruptly into the heavens, darting into the Void’s depths and vanishing without a trace.

Upon this sight, Zhao Xiandu and the Zhao Family offspring all prostrated deeply, chorusing, “**… We pay respects to the Ancestor!”

Once the homage concluded, the atmosphere in the plaza shifted to one of buoyant energy and ease.

Zhao Xiandu summoned Zhao Tianlin closer, questioning him with gentle warmth.

But scarcely had a few exchanges passed when Zhao Tianlin’s sleeve trembled, releasing a burst of “Woof woof” barks from within.

In the instant that followed, a white blur shot from the sleeve, hitting the ground and shifting into a grand, formidable canine akin to a lion or tiger.

The creature gleamed pure white all over, its neck framed by a thick, flowing mane reminiscent of an exotic white lion.

Still, its eyes crackled with Thunder Light, encircled by swirling Thunder Clouds that whispered faint, lion-like rumbles of thunder.

At the sight of this creature, a flicker of astonishment crossed Zhao Xiandu’s features.

Zhao San Yue’s face changed abruptly, her head whipping toward Zhao Tianlin at her side.

Before the pair of Divinity Transformation Ancestors could probe further, Zhao Tianlin hastened to clarify, “To the Ancestor, this creature is known as the Thunderbolt Dog. I came across it amid the Sixth Layer’s Thunder Sea and tamed it purely by chance. With the Thunderbolt Dog’s aid, I managed to hold on until the conclusion.”

Truth be told, the Thunderbolt Dog’s emergence had already ignited a commotion among the spectators, even prior to Zhao Tianlin’s account.

It was common knowledge that the Nine Nether Tower’s trial consisted of pure illusions, all conjured by the Ancestor’s unparalleled Divine Power.

Nevertheless, Zhao Tianlin had extracted a live Exotic Beast from its confines. This feat utterly upended conventional wisdom.

The two Divinity Transformation Ancestors shared in the disbelief.

Or rather, having taken part in the inaugural tower trial themselves, their grasp of its mechanics was firmer, amplifying their shock.

Zhao Xiandu soon composed himself, pressing onward, “Tianlin, tell us precisely how you managed to tame this beast.”

Zhao Tianlin’s expression grew intricate, his eyes unavoidably drifting to the Thunderbolt Dog, his voice tinged with unease, “To the Ancestor, I’m not entirely sure how I tamed this beast. Thunderbolt… it chose to follow me willingly—”

His sentence cut short as a bolt of Thunder Light lashed out, sending Zhao Tianlin sprawling to the earth.

The lion-tiger-sized Thunderbolt Dog wagged its tail in delight, lapping sloppily at its master’s face while playfully nipping and pulling at his garments.