Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1439: 779: Veins of Mountains and Rivers, Fulfilling the Promise to Enter the Tower

The sun blazes brightly overhead, with the heavens clear and expansive.

Hovering over Dragon Claw Peak, a dark rift tears open abruptly, allowing Zhao Sheng to emerge from it, floating suspended in the air.

Glancing up at the sky, he swiftly waves his broad sleeve, sending a Scroll bursting forth from the cuff.

As the Scroll rises into the air, it unfurls swiftly ahead, stretching out at an accelerating pace, the fabric extending without limit.

In an instant, it transforms into what looks like a vast river spanning hundreds of miles across the sky, its rippling waters gleaming with countless hues, capturing every aspect of the world above and below.

Gazing down upon the canvas stretched out beneath him, Zhao Sheng's eyes narrow sharply on their own.

This isn't some mere artwork; it's unmistakably a Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers painting.

The immense Wolong Mountain Range, covering tens of thousands of miles, finds itself entirely captured here, with every feature rendered in sharp, lifelike detail.

Dragon Head Peak, Dragon Claw Peak... Spirit Beast Mountain, Hidden River, Jiao River... endless peaks and waterways all laid out vividly on this canvas.

Unable to hold back, Zhao Sheng drifts closer to the river-like painting, sending out a thread of Divine Thought to explore its depths.

The very next instant brings another jaw-dropping shift to the Mountain and Rivers painting.

Through the lens of his Divine Thought, the realistic peaks, waters, and streams dissolve away, giving way to a complex web of glowing lines pulsing with energy.

Should one compare the Wolong Mountain Range to a living form, this "network" would mirror the countless veins and meridians weaving through every part of it.

Beyond that, Zhao Sheng distinctly spots those lines shining with intense light—they are none other than the Spirit Veins networks.

The grandest central Spirit Vein network stands like the bones forming the body's core, branching thickly from deep under the Wolong Mountain Range all the way to the top.

Treating the Spirit Vein network as the skeletal frame, the mountains, rivers, and lakes become the flesh and blood, while myriad plants serve as the skin and strands of hair.

What an awe-inspiring "Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers"!

The deeper Zhao Sheng delves into this "painting," the more amazed he grows, sensing the profound weight behind the old Taoist's offering.

On the surface, it appears as nothing more than artwork, yet truly, it guides one through the process of "opening a Grotto Heaven" one step at a time.

Holding this painting, Zhao Sheng can flawlessly "replicate" the Wolong Mountain Range within his own Grotto Heaven upon creation, sparing him vast amounts of Heart Power.

Right then, Zhao Sheng grasps it fully—the old Taoist Wu Hua had seen right through him ages ago, aware he hadn't achieved Unification yet.

Still, the elder chose not to mention it, and instead freely bestowed this "lavish present."

Thus, the "favor" Zhao Sheng owes has ballooned into something truly massive.

Some time passes, and the painting folds back together, turning into a streak of Flowing Light that slips back into his sleeve.

With the painting stored away, Zhao Sheng lets out a soft sigh, then fades from sight in a flash.

…

Divine Palace Heaven.

Within the boundless, pitch-black emptiness of the Void, an immense, fractured, bizarre skeleton drifts astonishingly.

This colossal frame, towering like a mountain, consists of dark bones that resemble the remains of an ancient whale, its lower section gone, reduced to a massive, ragged skull and the upper half of a ribcage.

At that moment, bolts of Thunder crash out from the shadows, slamming into the skeleton's exterior, which immediately unleashes a torrent of vibrant "Electric Light," racing through its hollow insides before the surrounding bones soak it up.

Perched atop the gigantic black skull is a lone figure—none other than Zhao Sheng himself.

Guided by the All Heaven Star Map, Zhao Sheng locates this ideal spot for cultivation without trouble.

The enormous skeleton under him once belonged to an Ancient Thunder Whale.

Ancient Thunder Whales rank among the primeval True Spirits, legends claiming they emerge amidst roaring Thunder, inherently offspring of the storm.

Even in its ruined skeletal state, it draws in tremendous Thunder Power. Without question, this spot serves as the ultimate haven for those pursuing Thunder Cultivation.

As moments tick by, threads of Thunder Dao "Spirit Mechanism" get drawn in by some unseen pull, streaming endlessly into Zhao Sheng's form.

Each thread of Tao Spirit Mechanism he refines nudges his cultivation forward just a touch more.

Within mere months, Zhao Sheng's realm skyrockets to the Late Stage of Returning Void Eighth Layer, teetering right on the edge of Returning Void Ninth Layer.

Should any other Void Half-Immortals behold this, jealousy would grip them hard, maybe even driving them to "shed tears of anguish."

Picture the agony of a stalled path, forever barred from progress, your cultivation level frozen for millennia or longer?

Zhao Sheng struggles to grasp the "despair" that plagues his peers in Returning Void.

For he has already mastered nine Thunder Dao True Texts, so with enough cultivation aids, reaching Returning Void Ninth Layer Great Perfection is just a question of when.

After an indeterminate stretch, a flash of insight strikes Zhao Sheng, like a boom of thunder echoing inside him, causing the thunder vortex in his Core Energy Sea to swell almost twice as large.

Shockingly, the wall of Returning Void Eighth Layer crumbles effortlessly, as if it were the most natural progression.

Hoo!

Zhao Sheng breathes out heavily, the glow enveloping him slowly dimming.

Next, he snaps his eyes open, gives a faint chuckle, and disappears completely.

…

Burial Immortal Ruins, Endless Tower.

Stepping back into the Endless Tower, Zhao Sheng senses as though a millennium has flashed by in a heartbeat.

The view ahead mirrors almost exactly what it was a thousand years prior.

An unending hallway, timeworn gray-white floorboards, scattered and silent chambers...

Only the Immortal Ruins Guests peddling treasures in this place have cycled through multiple times.

Scanning the area, not a single recognizable face catches his eye.

Zhao Sheng stays composed, leisurely picking an unoccupied area to settle down cross-legged.