Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1496 - 810: Inverted Mountain

Following a sudden spin, the entire world flipped in an instant.

Zhao Sheng snapped his eyes open, alert expression on his face as he surveyed the area around him.

The sight that met him included a terrain littered with jumbled boulders, and in the distance, tall stone dwellings constructed against sheer cliffs stood in a neat row.

Lifting his gaze higher, a massive lofty summit appeared before him.

All at once, Zhao Sheng's eyes sharpened, catching sight of endless expanses of terrain stretching out.

Wait, where had the sky gone?

Tilting his head up to that barren quietness, immense as a limitless desert, he verified again that the ground loomed right overhead.

As he scanned the vicinity, Zhao Sheng's vision cut through the irregular massive boulders and swiftly spotted thick blankets of dark clouds extending endlessly at the mountain's base.

Far off, peak after towering peak hovered over the cloud banks, and overhead stretched infinite ground as well.

In one look, it felt like the sky and earth had been completely reversed!

Staring at this bizarre vista in front of him, Zhao Sheng fell into a brief daze.

Right then, a soft voice rang out from behind: "Little brother, this must be your first visit to Inverted Mountain!"

Zhao Sheng spun around, peering in the direction of the sound, and felt a jolt of surprise.

No person stood nearby, just a scatter of disordered rocks.

Who had just spoken?

"Hey, that's not where I am! Look here." The voice returned, carrying a touch of annoyance.

Zhao Sheng traced the sound and glanced downward, spotting nearby a black pebble about the size of a person, embedded with two "Red Agates" the size of thumbs that shimmered like glowing coals.

"My apologies! My poor eyesight failed to spot you before." Zhao Sheng advanced a couple of steps, clasping his hands in respect.

"No fault of yours! Coming from the Lower Realm, little brother, it's natural you wouldn't know us Stone Spirits." The pebble tumbled across the soil, splitting into a hand-wide crack that moved like a mouth as it talked.

Zhao Sheng clasped his hands: "Greetings to the Stone Spirit elder. As it's my initial arrival at Inverted Mountain, I'm clueless about the local prohibitions. I'd be most grateful for any counsel from the elder."

"Us Stone Spirits dwell natively in Inverted Mountain and understand every corner of it. You've come to the perfect source. Inverted Mountain holds three major prohibitions: firstly, avoid venturing beyond the mountain boundaries; secondly, should you meet the Cloud Sea after dark, hurry back to the Lower Realm at once, lest disaster strike; thirdly, stay away from the summit and refrain from attacking us, otherwise... heh heh!"

Zhao Sheng's eyes drifted to the Cloud Sea beyond the mountain, ideas racing in his head, then he crouched abruptly to seize a small stone and hurl it forcefully toward the slope below.

The stone soared a great distance, and just as it dropped past the mountain's edge, it halted sharply, then shot upward directly, aiming straight at that immense terrain.

Actually, not soaring, but "descending."

Surprise flickered in Zhao Sheng's eyes: Ah, so that's why it's named Inverted Mountain—it's not the world that's flipped, but the peaks themselves that stand inverted.

"Heh heh, got it now! I'm always straightforward and reliable, never one to mislead you." The Stone Spirit let out a merry laugh, making the pebble roll about.

"Many thanks to elder Stone Spirit for the enlightenment!" Zhao Sheng pivoted and offered another deep bow of respect.

The Stone Spirit hopped nearer, declaring: "Fine, time for the real matter. Got any Top-grade Spirit Stones? I can swap treasures for them."

Zhao Sheng felt a mild shock, glancing up at the line of stone buildings, yet no one appeared.

"No need to search. The place is quite empty right now, with you being the only living soul here. Oh, and do you possess Top-grade Spirit Stones?"

Zhao Sheng pulled back his look, sensing the growing repulsive power from the Void, and shook his head: "I've let the elder down; I arrived with nothing, lacking not just Top-grade Spirit Stones, but any Spirit Stones at all."

"Oh no, I've waited ages for some living creature, and you're broke! Why must destiny be so harsh?" The Stone Spirit deflated right away, its "Red Agates" losing much of their shine.

Zhao Sheng gave a faint smile: "I lack everything at present, but that won't hold true forever. Until then, I request the elder's wisdom. What kind of treasures does Inverted Mountain yield? Should the elder point me toward some, I'll bring valuables next visit and ensure I don't let the elder down then."

"Sweet talk, but who can say if or when you'll return... wait, no, come along with me."

Halfway through, the Stone Spirit appeared to collect itself, then promptly leaped off toward the stone dwellings.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng moved ahead to trail after it.

Soon enough, the Stone Spirit arrived at a stone house's edge, sprang up onto a stack of black rocks reaching waist height, and began leaping around.

"This heap of iron rocks is worthless. Grab whatever you can carry. Next time you show up, remember to pack Spirit Stones—the finer the quality, the better."

Zhao Sheng's sight landed on the iron rocks, a brief gleam igniting in his eyes.

Unless he was wrong, this so-called "worthless" mound consisted purely of Ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Iron.

Ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Iron ranks as a Middle Rank Heaven and Earth Strange Object, typically employed in forging Magical Treasures. It's incredibly scarce and precious, nearly matching the value of equivalent Heaven and Earth True Fire.

Delight surged through Zhao Sheng, though his expression remained steady. He strode closer, seized a chunk of Ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Iron the size of a fist with both hands, and pulled upward with all his might.

To his astonishment... the Ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Iron refused to shift, its heft surpassing what he'd anticipated.

Zhao Sheng let go steadily, his gaze sweeping over the stack before fixing on a piece of Ten-thousand-year-old Xuan Iron about the size of an egg.

Now he poured every ounce of effort and just barely hoisted it, figuring its weight at no less than ten jun.

"Hey, hey, grab a bigger load! That tiny bit of iron rock fetches just a handful of Spirit Stones!" Spotting this, the Stone Spirit vaulted high into the air and pressed insistently.