Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1508 - 816: Shocking Upheaval (Part 2)

In the Spirit Realm, cultivators encounter far greater challenges when attempting to break through realms—over tenfold compared to the Lower Realm—and Heavenly Tribulations prove even more daunting than reaching the heavens, with success rates as low as one in ten thousand.

The Heavenly Dao of the Spirit Realm enforces these constraints on its practitioners, ensuring balance permeates every aspect.

After some time, a Golden Core Master with a lifeless expression finally secured the Ten-thousand-Year-old Sky Blue through bidding, sparking a wave of astonishment among the onlookers.

The auction hit a brief peak of excitement before settling into a quieter rhythm. Though the items up for bid grew rarer and more distinctive, their closing prices left much to be desired.

Within the Taiyi Spirit Realm, most Golden Core Masters, barring early deaths, can grind their way to Perfect Golden Core eventually.

Yet, achieving a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm remains forever out of reach for them in this life.

Since reaching Perfect Golden Core is attainable through persistence, why endure the grueling path of rigorous cultivation!

Thus, the majority of Golden Core cultivators turn to indulgence and pleasure, letting their Dao heart and determination erode amid the myriad temptations of the red dust.

For Zhao Sheng, though, the circumstances differ entirely. Amid the parade of auctioned treasures, scarcely any pique his interest.

He suffers no shortages of magical treasures, Elixir Pills, Cultivation Techniques, or other essentials for cultivation. Anything he craves, provided he has the spirit materials, he can craft on his own, truly embodying the principle of "not seeking from outside."

The day wore on, and at last, the auction neared its close. The final three items, all extraordinarily scarce, ignited frenzied bidding from the crowd, with each fetching prices exceeding a hundred top-grade Spirit Stones.

Once the auction concluded, the white-haired elder expressed gratitude to the assembly, then waved his hand. In an instant, a massive light screen—spanning six zhang wide and nine zhang tall—materialized at the heart of the hall.

Golden spiritual characters scrolled across the screen in neat rows, detailing an array of treasures alongside the exchange demands from their owners. Vivid, lifelike images of the items accompanied each entry.

"Red Mist Spirit Fruit, blooming every century and fruiting every century... Seeks trades for comparable spirit fruits, favoring those of fire and earth attributes..."

"...Third-tier top-grade spirit pill, Jinlong Pill, crafted by an Alchemy Master... Boosts Divine Sense, strengthens the Divine Soul... Desperately requires spiritual medicines like Thousand-year-old Ganoderma, Thousand-year-old Mirage Pearl..."

"...A chunk of Heavenly Strange Iron, tipping the scales at ten thousand jun, resistant to all magical treasures... Willing to exchange for diverse dual cultivation techniques, with preference for cauldrons of unparalleled beauty..."

"...Map to an Ancient Relic Mansion, believed to be the final resting site of a Divinity Transformation True Monarch..."

"...Three young children bearing Heavenly Spirit Roots in gold, fire, and wood elements, aged around seven to eight, with verified origins... Requires ten complete Golden Core corpses, or the remains of a single Nascent Soul cultivator..."

"...The Qi Jiangyue Clan seeks three Golden Core Guest Elders, favoring those of advanced cultivation, with an annual spiritual stipend of a hundred thousand... Includes nine maids of absolute beauty, and a complimentary Nascent Soul level cultivation technique of chosen attribute."

"...In the Outer Domain, a treasure trove has been uncovered, harboring... Those intrigued may enlist, under a Dao vow agreement."

Golden spiritual text aligned in orderly rows, including Zhao Sheng's own listing: "...Seeking Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures blending space-time and Five Elements attributes, like Sumeru Stone, You Tan Golden Core, Mirage Dragon Cloud Crystal, Kong Sang Tree Heart, Sun Crown Fire, Pocket World Crystal Jade, Uranium Light Marrow... In return, spiritual pills, magical treasures, true talismans, divine skills, and secret techniques abound..."

One might scarcely credit it, but the Taiyi Spirit Realm truly overflows with abundant resources, as shortly thereafter, a Golden Core Master sent a covert Divine Sense transmission, asserting possession of a Sumeru Stone obtained by chance, roughly this size... and similar claims.

Zhao Sheng bartered briefly with the individual, and promptly, another Golden Core Master reached out via transmission.

In quick succession, Zhao Sheng obtained the Sumeru Stone, Kong Sang Tree Heart, and Axis Light Marrow, at the mere cost of two Divinity Transformation level techniques and a Third Grade Spiritual Pill granting ten extra years of life.

In truth, dealing with these Golden Core Masters was but a passing fancy; Zhao Sheng's true aim had long fixed upon the Wanyou Trading Company.

The auction had barely wrapped when he dispatched a thread of Divine Sense to discreetly approach the white-haired elder Su Zhao Bai, outlining his needs.

Given Wanyou Trading Company's prowess, gathering such rarities poses little issue; the real hurdle is covering the cost.

Fortuitously, Zhao Sheng possesses an abundance of "currency," offering one without hesitation to meet the demands.

Words proved unnecessary, as the white-haired elder swiftly consented and vowed to procure the treasures with utmost haste.

Night descended, and atop the ninth-layer floor ship, brilliant lights danced while celestial melodies filled the air.

Even as many Golden Core Masters had taken their leave, a substantial number lingered aboard, immersing themselves in delights that eclipsed the luxuries of mortal emperors.

Though Zhao Yongxian yearned to remain and partake, the resolve of the Minister Elders to depart left him no option but to slink back to the family Spirit Boat in dejection.

As Zhao Sheng retired to his quarters for rest, Zhao Yongxian's urges overwhelmed him. After a slight alteration to his guise, he slipped away to return once more.

Zhao Sheng witnessed the unfolding quietly, offering only a subtle shake of his head, harboring no desire to intervene.

The moon dipped low, the sun climbed high, and three days slipped by in a flash.

On that day, with the sun dipping toward the western horizon, the lake gleamed in radiant golden hues.

Treasure ships dotted the waters, orbiting a central point and loosely outlining a grand circle.

As the sunset largely submerged into the lake and twilight deepened, a streak of white-golden tunneling light burst from the distant skyline, hurtling toward the scene at breakneck speed.

The tunneling light streaked like lightning, traversing hundreds of miles over the lake in mere moments to hover above the cluster of Cloud Boat Treasure Ships.

A burst of radiance revealed a towering, robust man materializing mid-air, clad in a vivid red magic robe, his arms bound by intertwining gold and silver chains.

Gripping a bronze ancient mirror, the giant's eyes flashed as he scanned the lake below.

Saying nothing, the burly figure hurled the bronze ancient mirror skyward, channeling streams of spiritual light spells into it.

Shortly after, the mirror erupted in dazzling brilliance. Oriented downward, it unleashed a thick column of azure light.

The beam expanded upon descent, swelling into a expansive field of luminous glow upon striking the water, enveloping a hundred-mile radius and trapping every treasure ship and spirit boat within.

"Who is this?"

"Ah... something’s wrong!"

This abrupt shift jolted the entire gathering, prompting Golden Core Masters to emerge one after another, staring up at the silver giant overhead.

More prudent Golden Core Masters stayed hidden, instead igniting every prohibition and barrier on their vessels, poised to repel assaults or flee at the first sign of danger.

Suddenly, an immense, oppressive aura descended from above, twisting the expressions of numerous Golden Core Masters and rattling their spirits.

Those of lesser cultivation quaked without restraint, their faces ashen, collapsing to their knees and averting their gazes from the heavens.

"Divinity Transformation... a higher divinity!" A particular Golden Core Master cried out in terror.

His outburst prompted all the Golden Cores to prostrate and offer salutes, hailing the arrival of the Divinity Transformation's dharma chariot.

Yet, amid the cultivators, seven or eight Golden Cores stood apart from the others. Far from bowing, dark beams surged from their foreheads, writhing and resisting beneath the clear light's glare, vaporizing into shrieking human-like apparitions that dissolved into oblivion.

Crack!

Dozens of platinum sword beams plunged from the skies, slashing through the anomalous Golden Cores in an instant.

Though protective barriers flared around them and magical treasures sprang to defend their wielders, these defenses crumpled like tissue against the platinum sword lights.

The blades paused only briefly before piercing their foreheads, reducing them to scattered ashes on the spot.

A thunderous roar echoed from the firmament: "Hey, where do you think you’re running!"

With those words, a crimson streak lanced from the Wanyou Trading Company's nine-story ship.

In a heartbeat, the red streak dove into the lake depths, vanishing utterly.

Only then did the giant clutching the bronze ancient mirror descend to the lake, but alas, he arrived a beat too late.

Buzz!

The giant's face hardened; he snapped a finger at the mirror's rear, eliciting a resonant, clear hum.

Instantly, the mirror's face blazed with intense light, firing a arm-width shaft of tangible azure radiance deep into the lake.

Before the eyes of all, the water level plunged, birthing a colossal vortex spanning ten thousand feet across.

From the vortex's core, a light beam erupted, smashing headlong into the mirror's emitted ray.

Rumble!

The azure and white light pillars collided fiercely, locked in stalemate without either yielding ground.

The cultivators beheld the spectacle in stunned silence, baffled by the events unfolding.

Still, all recognized that dire peril had descended—and it was far from trivial.

In that instant, Zhao Sheng's gaze sharpened, a cryptic expression crossing his features as he studied the giant's scarlet robe, then the gold and silver chains. Comprehension dawned swiftly.

He had surmised the intruder's identity and grasped the purpose of this visit.

"Interesting!"

After a dozen breaths or so, the azure light pillar began to dominate, forcing the white one back bit by bit, its glow fading steadily.

"Old Situ, don’t push me too far!"