Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1444 - 782: Returning to Void Perfection, Entering the Beast Path (Part 2)

Yet in the very next moment, Zhao Sheng's face burst into sheer delight, as his will force field surged forth without delay, hungrily drawing in the enigmatic energy that filled the emptiness around.

As it happened, the enigmatic energy rushed into the Purple Mansion and plunged into the Soul Sea, sparking an overwhelming craving in the Primordial Spirit.

Upon taking in a single thread of that enigmatic energy, the Primordial Spirit grew far more solid than earlier, with his own will and Divine Thought leaping up by almost ten percent.

One mere filament of enigmatic energy had wiped away the toil of close to a century in a flash—utterly astonishing!

Zhao Sheng paid no mind to anything further and promptly settled into a cross-legged position on the floor, summoning the Three-headed and Six-armed Thunderclap Dharma Image right behind him.

Without a pause, the enigmatic energy drifting through the void circled around him and flowed straight into the Will Dharma Form.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

With the minutes ticking by, the Will Dharma Form, once a bit warped, turned steadily more solid, until it finally hinted at Returning to the Truth.

A Dharma Image achieving Returning to the Truth signaled that Zhao Sheng's cultivation neared the peak of Returning to Void.

From the early stage of Returning to Void Ninth Layer, he shot straight to Returning to Void Perfection—this blazing-fast climb rivaled the effects of the fabled Nine-Turn Immortal Pill.

Soon after, Zhao Sheng sensed his Primordial Spirit swelling as though ready to shatter, like even a tiny bit more energy might cause it to burst.

Alarmed, he realized he'd hit his ceiling, so he hastily pulled back his will force field and ceased pulling in the enigmatic energy from beyond.

He gradually lifted his eyelids, revealing the scene nearby.

Differing from earlier, this spotless white chamber now featured six walls, each holding six gateways.

These gateways stood apart from the previous ones, strikingly shaped as heads that looked holy, savage, or twisted, their wide-open jaws creating shadowy, bottomless entrances.

Over every head floated crimson letters spelling: Heavenly Human Path, Hell Path, Asura Path, Evil Ghost Path, Human Path, Beast Path.

Zhao Sheng's eyes narrowed sharply, and he inwardly marveled: "Heavenly Human Path, Asura Path... it's precisely the famed Six Paths of Reincarnation."

Stunned, Zhao Sheng's gaze shimmered brightly, subtly firing off two bolts of Electric Light that struck the six enormous heads.

All at once, a ripple and haze clouded his sight, and once the "sight" sharpened once more.

In a flash, the six massive heads sprang alive, their eye pairs spinning wildly, fixing relentlessly on Zhao Sheng.

The instant after, the six heads writhed and thrashed as one, appearing to roar mutely, lament, weep, yell... each showing unique faces, hinting at some dire portent.

All the while, bursts of vibrant Flowing Light poured from the heads' mouths, weaving and blending into wisps of turbulent, arcane energy that spread across the chamber.

"Immortal Qi? Demonic Qi? Or maybe the storied... Power of Reincarnation?" A storm of ideas raced through Zhao Sheng's thoughts, deepening his reverence for the Sky-reaching White Tower.

Crack, crack...

Right then, a sharp snapping of wood broke into his musings.

Tracing the noise, Zhao Sheng watched a lush green tree fracture bit by bit, its foliage yellowing and dropping visibly fast, while plump jade-yellow fruits swelled amid the limbs.

The fruits ripened swiftly and split apart, releasing tiny "infants" roughly five or six inches long.

Most of these infants burst apart right after emerging, due to some intense force, crumbling to dust in moments.

Crack... The tree tore from the top and tumbled down in pieces, strewing limbs and bole over the surface.

From the remaining stump, a new sapling sprouted, rocketing to several feet tall in seconds, its top like a coiling dragon, with limbs and greenery fine and see-through, as if sculpted from jade.

Once the jade tree fully bloomed, the small infants leaped straight into its form.

Each joining boosted the jade tree's energy dramatically.

After every small infant had blended into the core, the force radiating from the tree felt boundless as an ocean, matching that of a Half-Immortal of the Void.

Just then, the jade tree released a broad wave of pure light.

Once the glow faded, a elegant and alluring, strikingly beautiful youth stood there instead.

The youth flashed a captivating smile at Zhao Sheng and abruptly pressed his palms together, declaring, "I am Kuimu Xiao, and it's an honor to meet Friend Nameless."

His tone rang crisp and soothing, like a beguiling woman's, totally at odds with the harsh voice from earlier.

"Congratulations to Taoist Kuimu on your tremendous advance in Daoist cultivation!" Zhao Sheng gave a small nod and bowed back with respect.

"Haha, I owe this chance to a friend's vital help. This favor, I'll remember forever. If you ever need aid later, count me in. Here's a token from me—please take it, my friend."

With those words, Kuimu Xiao snapped off a finger segment and flung it toward Zhao Sheng from a distance.

The finger soared upward, instantly shifting into a wooden plaque, which dropped right into Zhao Sheng's grasp.

Zhao Sheng stowed the wooden plaque, inclined his head to Kuimu Xiao, and then shifted his gaze to Qi Wu Yan nearby.

By now, Qi Wu Yan had unveiled his real shape, becoming a huge emerald creature the size of a Dragon Elephant, greedily inhaling the air.

Every inhale pulled strands of enigmatic energy into him, propelling his cultivation forward at breakneck pace.

In merely half an hour, the Pixi Giant Beast's bulk had nearly doubled, and intricate runes started covering its azure scales thickly.

Meanwhile, the green horn on its nose tip stretched beyond three feet, giving off a faint emerald glow.

A few breaths on, the huge beast unleashed a mighty bellow, brimming with savage glee.

Next, the beast bounded high, its form shrinking rapidly, reverting to human shape in a blink.

Qi Wu Yan, grinning widely, approached Zhao Sheng and Kuimu Xiao, offering his felicitations to both.

In response, Zhao Sheng and Kuimu Xiao voiced their own congratulations.

Following this occurrence, the trio's powers had all soared notably, pushing them to the edges of their current stages.

Naturally, Zhao Sheng reaped the biggest gains, given his loftiest realm and toughest path to progress.

Sensing his own power leap so far, Qi Wu Yan couldn't hold back his excitement and asked, "Which gateway do we pick next?"

"Like always, Taoist Qi, you decide. What's your take, Kuimu?"

As he spoke, Zhao Sheng glanced over at Kuimu Xiao.

"I don't mind either way," Kuimu Xiao replied, shaking his head with a grin.

"Alright, east brings fortune! I'll go with the eastern gateway," Qi Wu Yan firmly indicated the east.

The eastern gateway bore a human head's form, boldly marked with the three scarlet words "Beast Path."

...

The heavens stretched vast and bright, a soft breeze whispering through.

Mountain ranges rolled on endlessly, streams wound lazily, and verdant woods lined both shores, bursting with blooms and greenery. Now and then, birds and creatures approached the water to sip, painting a picture of perfect balance.

Stepping through the gateway, Zhao Sheng beheld the fresh peaks and sparkling streams ahead, alive with vitality, far from what he'd imagined.

Sunbeams pierced the clouds, spilling warmth over the land, while the breeze carried a subtle scent of herbs and timber.

Zhao Sheng extended his hand to pluck a crimson bloom close by, squeezing it to release a sweet red sap.

"Is this truly authentic?!" Zhao Sheng's shock surged, as the realm around him felt so lifelike he couldn't distinguish illusion from reality.

Qi Wu Yan stood equally stunned, swiping to fell a tree nearby, which crashed down, flattening swaths of flora.

A sturdy root burst from the soil, upheaving dirt and scattering hordes of serpents, bugs, rodents, and insects.

Zhao Sheng gestured, yanking a dashing white hare into the sky against its will, holding it before him, still hovering.

A golden gleam passed over the white hare, probing it over and over, at last verifying it as a plain hare.

With a grave look, Zhao Sheng let the white hare go.

The moment it touched ground, the hare bolted in terror, vanishing swiftly amid the foliage.

Right then, Kuimu Xiao chimed in: "Fellow Taoists, enough fooling; we have urgent business. Anyone spot the next gateway?"

At his words, Zhao Sheng's Will Field flared out, enveloping almost a thousand miles nearby.

"Nothing in the thousand miles around—no gateway."

"I've seen zilch too," Qi Wu Yan shot back promptly.

The next instant, Zhao Sheng's eyes gleamed as he abruptly detected, in a valley some eight hundred miles off, a gateway materializing from nowhere, with a figure stepping out.

This figure cut an odd figure, clad in dark armor, gripping a dragon-patterned saber, and seeming highly alert.

After this figure set foot in the strange domain, the gateway slipped from Zhao Sheng's senses, fading away completely.

Witnessing that, Zhao Sheng pondered silently.

Maybe... they weren't the sole visitors to this domain; other Immortal Ruins Guests could be entering this plane as well.