Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1506: 815: Ten Lands Zhao Clan

Within the Lakeside Pavilion, a pair of Golden Core Masters faced one another across a table.

Unlike the strained tension that outsiders might have pictured, the atmosphere inside proved serene and remarkably relaxed.

So relaxed, in fact, that the two Golden Core Masters took up a game of chess.

The board formed a perfect square, etched with thirty-six intersecting lines, crowded thick with pieces. Black and white stones clashed like a pair of fierce dragons locked in combat.

“Xin Jiu, sixteen spots ahead, that's a capture!” Zhao Sheng declared with glee, indicating a spot on the board as a white stone materialized in a burst of light.

In that instant, countless surrounding white stones lit up in unison, coalescing into a majestic one-horned white dragon that whipped its tail, devouring more than one hundred and fifty black stones in its grasp.

A broad expanse abruptly cleared in the board's northwest sector.

Zhao Yongxian narrowed his gaze, his fingers absentmindedly tugging at his lengthy beard while his complexion drained of color, sweat gathering thickly on his brow.

Zhao Sheng kept his poise intact, silently anticipating his rival's response.

The game unfolding between them wasn't the common Go favored in the mortal world, but rather a variant known as Array Chess.

Such boards typically featured thirty-six, fifty-four, or one hundred and eight lines. The greater the array's scale, the more intricate the patterns became, with challenges multiplying exponentially.

Chess mirrors array formation in essence, making Array Chess a tough pursuit to grasp and excel in, one that's long been favored solely by Array Masters. Few among cultivators manage to pick up this strategic art.

Coincidentally, Zhao Yongxian boasted not just deep cultivation but also elite standing as an Array Master. From the moment he set foot on Seven Stars Island, he detected layers of concealed arrays lurking nearby.

Hence, at their first encounter, he suggested a bout of Array Chess, and Zhao Sheng accepted promptly without a second thought.

And so, the contest stretched across a full day and night, until Zhao Yongxian's mental stamina flagged, leaving him mired in a hopeless bind.

Half an hour flew by in a blink.

Zhao Yongxian's features turned deathly pale, his garments soaked through with perspiration. After a prolonged pause, he let out a heavy sigh and scattered all the black stones from the board.

“Ah, your array prowess runs deep beyond measure! I concede this round,” he admitted.

Zhao Sheng let out a light laugh, mirroring the gesture by clearing the board, as both the grid and stones dissolved into streams of radiance and vanished at once.

“You show third-tier proficiency. Considering your years, you could be on the verge of fourth-rank mastery before long,” Zhao Sheng observed.

Flattery delights everyone, yet raw honesty can cut the deepest.

Zhao Yongxian took pride in his composure, but even he couldn't fully suppress his irritation at the remark, letting out a cold huff. “Hmph, it looks like you're ready to confess,” he shot back.

“Confess to what?” Zhao Sheng played dumb, questioning right back.

“You know exactly what I mean—why make this old man spell it out?” Zhao Yongxian countered sharply, his face brimming with assurance.

The proof stood undeniable!

Without advanced body seizing at play, how else could someone barely past thirty wield such advanced Array Dao expertise, let alone have attained the Golden Core Realm?

Every clue screamed that the figure across from him was no “Zhao Ergou,” but an elder cultivator reborn via body seizing.

“This old man stands by his name without alteration. I've been Zhao Sheng since my birth. If you harbor doubts, fellow Daoist, there's little I can offer to sway you,” Zhao Sheng stated plainly, though his words rang true, the listener dismissed them entirely.

Zhao Yongxian's look turned grave as he spoke with gravity, “Fine, I'll take your word for it, fellow Daoist. We'll set that aside for now. I came here originally to… never mind, I won't bring that up. I just have one query for you. Have you ever pondered ‘recognizing your ancestors and returning to your clan’?”

Zhao Sheng shook his head. “Never crossed my mind!”

At those words, Zhao Yongxian grew urgent, pressing fervently, “Do you realize? Four centuries back, your forebears hailed from the Zhao Family’s third branch, making you a direct heir of our bloodline. You and I both carry the True Blood of the Zhao Family. Joining your ancestors and reentering the clan at this juncture would bring immense celebration!”

Facing the other's cool detachment, Zhao Yongxian pressed on, “Maybe you're unaware. Our lineage holds three branches of the True Scripture, each leading straight to the God Transformation Realm. Moreover, a Nascent Soul Ancestor now guards our Ancestral Land. With your youth and the Ancestor's tutelage in cultivation, you might shatter through… through… er!”

Toward the finish, Zhao Yongxian faltered, unable to press further.

He abruptly recalled—the individual opposite was an ancient fiend reborn through body seizing.

It's common knowledge that body seizing demands cultivators of Nascent Soul level or higher.

Put another way, prior to the seizure, this person's realm had surpassed Nascent Soul at minimum, rendering their clan ancestor's counsel redundant.

Yet this very fact only fueled Zhao Yongxian's zeal to enlist him.

Noting Zhao Sheng's lack of reaction, Zhao Yongxian racked his brain, hunting for arguments to convince him toward “recognizing ancestors and returning to the clan.”

After brief reflection, a spark hit him, filling him with quiet elation as he blurted out excitedly, “Are you familiar with the roots of the Three Extremes Zhao Family?”

“Hmm? I'm all ears!”

Even with his own suspicions, Zhao Sheng remained intrigued by what might follow.

Zhao Yongxian launched into his tale with flair, “Our Zhao Family endures for more than three millennia, shielded across eras by Nascent Soul Ancestors. But our founding forebear was a Divinity Transformation True Monarch. Beyond that, his origins were exceptional, tracing back to the grand Ten Lands Zhao Family of the Immortal Gate.”

“Ten Lands Zhao Family?” Zhao Sheng's gaze sharpened as he interjected abruptly.

Assuming Zhao Sheng recognized the prestige of the Ten Lands Zhao Family, Zhao Yongxian brimmed with assurance, booming a laugh. “Yes, precisely the Ten Lands Zhao Family!”

He geared up to elaborate, but Zhao Sheng cut in, “Wait a moment—care to elaborate on this Ten Lands Zhao Family?”

His eyebrows lifted faintly in quiet astonishment, Zhao Yongxian queried, “You've really never encountered the name ‘Ten Lands Zhao Family’?”

“This old man shuns social circles, always devoted to solitary cultivation, so my knowledge lags a bit.”

Zhao Yongxian took this in and gave a subtle nod, easing up. Since antiquity, the cultivation realm has hosted plenty of reclusive ascetics fixated on practice alone, so ignorance of the Ten Lands Zhao Family came as no shock.

“The Four Holy Continents boast countless Spirit Domains, each sprawling without end. The Ten Lands Zhao Family dwells in the Ten Thousand Peak Spirit Domain, several domains removed from our location, explaining your unfamiliarity.”

Zhao Yongxian fondled his long beard and went on: “Spirit Domains across the Four Holy Continents abound, yet only ten Immortal Gates stand supreme. The Ten Lands Zhao Family claims one such seat and ranks among the top five. Their might defies comprehension, with Nascent Souls thick as mist, True Monarchs in abundance, and even Void Half-Immortals far from rare. From what I gather, the Ten Lands Zhao Family commands multiple Cave Heaven Blessed Lands. Their Integration Realm Great Powers? The count remains unknown, but definitely exceeds one.”

“Our clan's progenitor sprang from the Ten Lands Zhao Family, granting us a unique boon. Namely…” Zhao Yongxian trailed off on purpose, aiming to pique the listener's interest.

Observing the other's contemplative silence, he felt a hidden thrill and paused dramatically before revealing, “Namely… every generation's Nascent Soul Ancestors can journey to the ancestral grounds in the Ten Thousand Peak Spirit Domain to honor our forebears. Should the elders there find favor, one might stay on for cultivation. So… do you grasp it, fellow Daoist?”

“Crystal clear!”

No one grasps the bedrock of the “Ten Lands Zhao Family” quite like Zhao Sheng.

Upon mention of Ten Thousand Peak Spirit Domain

Still, Zhao Sheng's thoughts veered not toward “reclaiming roots and rejoining the family”; instead, he pondered when the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan had evolved into the “Ten Lands Zhao Family.”

Moreover, how much time had elapsed since his demise and this rebirth?

Did Xuan Jing endure to this day? To what height had his cultivation climbed?

Did his Five Thunders Cave Heaven persist?

In a flash, a torrent of queries flooded Zhao Sheng's thoughts.

Zhao Yongxian watched the prolonged quiet and inwardly fretted, though his exterior projected calm assurance.

Truth be told, he grew ever more impressed with his own tactics. Enlisting a “latent powerhouse” Golden Core Master for the clan on this trip would yield boundless gains, not just for his branch but the entire house.

Remember, the cultivator at hand was no mere Golden Core practitioner, but a veteran whose former realm lay shrouded in mystery.

Nascent Soul Ancestor? Or maybe… a Divinity Transformation True Monarch?! Or even…

Zhao Yongxian reined in his fanciful speculations; a Void Half-Immortal seizing a Five Spirit Roots mixed cultivator's form seemed implausible.

While immersed in his musings, the other's voice broke through unexpectedly.

Zhao Yongxian's hopes soared as he tuned in eagerly, only to sink moments later.

“My regrets! I'm used to roaming unbound and have no desire to suddenly claim ancestors. I thank you for your kind intentions, fellow Daoist, but let's leave it there.” Zhao Sheng's tone stayed neutral, courteously turning down the offer.

Zhao Yongxian's brows knit at the sight, a wave of dissatisfaction rising as he urged once more: “Fellow Daoist, weigh this carefully—what sort of chance are you forgoing?”

With that, spotting no shift in the other's stance, he couldn't suppress a profound exasperation.

Resigned to compromise, Zhao Yongxian tried another tack, counseling anew: “Don't rush to refuse, fellow Daoist. Reluctance now doesn't bind you eternally. Here's a thought: you could provisionally take up the role of Minister Elder in our clan. From this point, Seven Stars Island becomes yours, fellow Daoist. Plus, you'll draw an annual spiritual stipend of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. How does that sound?”

Zhao Sheng paused briefly at the proposal, mulled it over, then inclined his head: “Agreed!”

Witnessing the eventual consent, Zhao Yongxian brimmed with delight.

…

A full day and night slipped away.

The assembly beyond the waterside pavilion lingered on without rest. Many had long since grown fidgety and on edge.

Chen Polu alone felt his dread mounting with each passing moment, his prospects dimming further.

He was just a lowly Qi Refinement cultivator, now tangled in Golden Core Master affairs; a single error might spell his end.

As dread gripped Chen Polu, the two Golden Core Masters emerged from the waterside pavilion, strolling side by side.

At the sight, the gathering swiftly bent in bows and greetings.

Zhao Yongxian flicked his sleeve to raise them all and proclaimed to the throng that the Seven Stars Island Master had consented to become the clan's Minister Elder.

The group stirred with unexplained emotion, yet adhered to custom, offering deep bows and salutes to the fresh Minister Elder.

Zhao Sheng gave a faint nod, accepting the sweeping honors with grace.

In this way, the “misunderstanding” dissolved, leaving both parties thoroughly content.

…

As summer wanes, autumn sweeps in, carrying chilling gusts across the land!

Off the shores of Wolong Island, verdant waves roll endlessly while grand Treasure Ships dock in succession.

Dozens of Cloud Boats already hovered amid the clear blue heavens.

The Water Mansion's unveiling loomed close, drawing forces great and small from around Thousand Island Lake to Wohu Island, all poised for the moment it unseals.

Three days on, a tremendous uproar erupted across the lake's face, waves churning wildly to unveil a colossal whirlpool, a thousand feet wide, at the water's heart.

A dense pillar of luminescence erupted from the vortex's depths, lancing straight through the clouds in an instant.

Nearby Cloud Boats hastily veered aside, as seven or eight grander vessels pressed onward fearlessly.

Vibrant streams of glow poured from the assorted large ships, darting into the light pillar and fading from view.

At the same time, the figures aboard the lake's Treasure Ships skimmed the waves, surging forward in a frenzy to dive into the enormous maelstrom.