Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1510 - 817: Alien Demon Mystery, Lifebound Magic Treasure First Forged (Part 2)

Zhao Yongxian let out another deep sigh, "Sigh, across all these years, the Water Mansion has been unsealed seven or eight times. No one could have imagined that the famed Water Mansion turned out to be nothing more than a demon crab's lair. By a rough tally, in over two thousand years, at least close to ten thousand Foundation Establishment youths have lost their lives inside the Water Mansion. How many perished by the hands of their peers and how many got devoured by that demon crab—only the heavens can tell."

"Sigh, if word of this gets around, announcing that dozens of prestigious cultivation sects have been toyed with by a Divinity Transformation demon crab for more than two thousand years, wouldn't we end up as the greatest laughingstock ever?"

"Don't fret, brother. Everyone in the know has taken a Dao oath. This disgrace won't spread. Still, I'm concerned..." Zhao Sheng consoled him, though toward the end, a pensive look crossed his face.

Noticing that, Zhao Yongxian inquired with curiosity, "Concerned about what?"

"Never mind, it's probably nothing. I might be reading too much into it!" Zhao Sheng shook his head, keeping his suspicion to himself.

Truth be told, the Water Mansion affair led him to deduce several alarming details. The most terrifying idea was that the Water Mansion occurrences weren't mere chance, but part of a meticulously orchestrated, ancient massive scheme.

The force pulling the strings could be the Alien Demon Clan or some mighty figure from the Demon Clan.

Yet it seemed more probable that certain Demon Clan powerhouses had secretly allied with the Alien Demon Clan long ago, considering the seven or eight Golden Core Masters who had turned into Fallen Demons earlier.

Furthermore, masking the "Water Mansion" as bait to ensnare Human Clan Cultivators was hardly something a Divinity Transformation crab demon could devise on its own.

Zhao Sheng even pondered a chilling scenario: maybe the "crab demon" served only as a mere front.

Across more than two thousand years, those Foundation Establishment cultivators who "perished in the Water Mansion" could have been covertly seized by the alien demons, then subjected to mind control and body possession, molded into spies, and ultimately slipped into different corners of the Spirit Realm.

Should those notions prove correct, the Alien Demon Clan must have already planted numerous "Blessed Secret Realms" akin to the Water Mansion, quietly lying in wait for countless Human Clan cultivators to "step into the snare."

From his previous life's frequent clashes with the Alien Demon Clan, Zhao Sheng knew their sly and vicious ways all too well, so such notions came to him readily.

But having just advanced to Golden Core lately, he lacked both the status and the focus to involve himself in the enduring conflict between the Spirit Realm's Human Clan and the Alien Demon Clan.

Maybe in the years ahead, once he restored his former strength, he'd gain the standing to worry about the Human Clan's welfare in the Spirit Realm.

With that in mind, Zhao Sheng turned his palm over, and a small cyan lake crab the size of a hand materialized in his grasp.

The lake crab waved its claws wildly, striving to break free from the magical restraint, yet a single finger held it firmly in check without effort.

Zhao Sheng sent a wisp of Divine Sense into the lake crab's form, detecting a faint ripple of Divine Thought. Right then, the ripple surged and dipped sharply, vaguely conveying a sense of rage.

Boom!

A faint smile curved his lips as he tapped the crab's shell with a finger, producing a sharp, clear crack.

Two months passed, and a Cloud Boat docked at Seven Stars Island, where envoys from Wanyou Trading Company promptly delivered a Storage Bag filled with the items Zhao Sheng required.

Following their earlier deal, they claimed the initial shipment of refined Spirit Pills and departed Seven Stars Island on that very day.

...

Time slipped away like flowing water, and the rice harvest came thirteen times.

One day, within a cavern far below Seven Stars Island, where the ambient spiritual energy hung thick and rich, it visibly coalesced into vast swaths of Clear Spirit Cloud Qi, drifting high above the space.

At the cavern's heart rose a three-tiered Magic Platform, every level etched with intricate Dao Patterns, while at each junction of the platform stood a White Jade Spirit Pillar as thick as a leg, numbering thirty-six altogether.

Upon those spirit pillars hovered fist-sized Fire Lotuses, each one strikingly real, displaying diverse hues that gleamed with vibrant splendor.

Zhao Sheng sat in the lotus position at the Magic Platform's core, his hands shaping two odd Dharma Seals, a subtle glow emanating from his forehead, with a limpid pool suspended before him, a Five-Colored Dao Lotus blooming at its midst.

At present, scores of bead-like Spirit Pills tumbled about in the limpid pool, cleansed by the Heavenly True Water within, steadily shedding the final hints of Fire Qi.

Roughly four hours in, a Fire Lotus streaked with red and green abruptly unfurled, and seven plump, scorching Spirit Pills whirled like seeds around it before bursting forth.

In the next instant, a massive five-colored hand materialized from nowhere, smoothly gathering every Spirit Pill and depositing them into the pool's depths.

Gentle waves stirred the pool water as the Spirit Pills settled to the bottom, then gradually circled the Five-Colored Dao Lotus, soon etched with rings of Elixir Patterns.

As moments ticked by, Fire Lotus after Fire Lotus blossomed, and the count of Spirit Pills in the pool steadily grew.

After half a month, more than three hundred Spirit Pills lay at the pool's base, each one impeccable and pristine, attaining the highest caliber of Third-Order Spirit Pills.

Every Spirit Pill brimmed with refined medicinal essence, nearly free of any pill toxicity.

Once all thirty-six Fire Lotuses had fully opened, Zhao Sheng's eyes snapped wide, his hands swiftly shifting through Dharma Seals as he uttered softly, "Collect!"

With those words, the thirty-six Fire Lotuses lifted at once, streaming toward the Five-Colored Dao Lotus.

In a flash, the Fire Lotuses merged and then divided, swiftly reshaping into five bundles of Heaven and Earth True Fire: red, cyan, red, black, white.

"The heavens and earth hold five kinds of Qi, cycling through the Five Elements; the cosmos splits into five realms, each upholding its Tao to blend truths... The central Houtu realm, in the cosmos tied to Kun, fosters all things with boundless merit, endlessly expansive... Now aligning one to harmonize the Tao, forging will into essence..."

Zhao Sheng recited the incantation, his hands unleashing hundreds of strands of spirit light in an instant.

That spirit light morphed into roll upon roll of Tao True Text, descending onto the Five-Colored Dao Lotus and seamlessly blending inside.