Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1555 - 840: Praying to Heaven Ancestor’s Meticulous Scheme (Part 2)

Ancestor Ku Rong, upon catching those words, revealed a trace of a wry smile on his countenance: "Master, there’s no need for this; this old one cannot move about freely and cannot assist the master greatly, thus I can only perform what duty demands."

"Hmph!" Deng Gan let out a sudden snort after hearing that, looking rather dissatisfied.

At that instant, Deng Wenqiu inquired abruptly: "Gan, will this year’s treasure contest reveal a supreme treasure beyond the sixth tier?"

Deng Gan’s face grew solemn as he couldn’t help but glance toward the Eight Diagrams Altar, where he observed myriad treasures gradually rising, climbing toward upper tiers.

Right then, a multitude of treasures had already settled onto the altars of the second and third tiers.

Certain treasures, glowing even more vibrantly, kept ascending to the fourth tier and higher.

The greater the tier, the more radiant and magnificent the glow from the treasures became.

Treasures upon the first-tier altar appeared dull and unremarkable.

On the altar of the second tier, the glow of most treasures extended nearly a foot upward, the highest reaching just nine inches and nine, falling short of a full foot.

Yet on the third-tier altar, treasures boasting a glow taller than one foot abounded, although not a single one went beyond one yard.

The fourth-tier altar saw a sharp decline in the number of treasures, with under a hundred left.

Still, every one of those treasures was exceptional and invaluable, their treasure glow as intense as flames, stretching from over a yard up to more than ninety yards in height.

Up at the fifth-tier altar, merely seven treasures persisted.

Out of those seven, three qualified as magical treasures, one stood as a rare treasure, and two were peculiar Heaven and Earth items.

The remaining treasure was a sleek, rounded bead, luminous and naturally formed with nine orifices and seven holes.

Within the secret chamber, Zhao Sheng fixed his eyes intently, narrowing them a bit and displaying a flicker of astonishment on his features.

Over the fifth-tier altar, he astonishingly spotted a Spiritual Treasure forged by his own efforts.

Known as the Five Thunders Halberd, this item was chiefly constructed from a chunk of Void Shattered Divine Iron, etched inside with as many as thirteen Treasure Restrictions—eight of thunder attribute—and it had successfully formed one spirit prohibition.

The other five Treasure Restrictions aligned with the Five Elements Path, born from his sudden inspiration.

Nevertheless... beyond boasting the highest number of Treasure Restrictions, the Five Thunders Halberd was fairly mediocre in every other way, placing dead last among the nine Spiritual Treasures and certainly not his finest achievement.

The remaining eight treasures, including the God-locking Ring and the Ten Thousand Layers Peak, had all halted at the fourth tier, so what allowed the Five Thunders Halberd to exceed them by an entire level?

"Could it be..." A sudden realization struck Zhao Sheng, prompting him to swiftly turn his gaze to the Praying to Heaven Ancestor perched at the altar’s pinnacle.

By now, Ancestor Praying to Heaven was observing all the treasures below with keen fascination, utterly unconcerned with the speculations or reactions of those beneath him.

In the blink of an eye, the vast array of treasures submitted by participants had clearly sorted into various tiers.

At this juncture, the seven treasures atop the fifth-tier altar had seized the undivided attention of every cultivator throughout the city.

In the southern skies over the city, a colossal red Qingyun cloud, covering thousands of acres, hovered. This cloud had been formed by the Yuan Family, one of the Five Immortal Valves.

The Yuan Family’s present patriarch eyed the seven treasures on the fifth-tier altar, remarking coolly: "Excellent! The Pingyang Seal has indeed climbed to the fifth tier. Prepare a lavish reward!"

"Yes!" An individual promptly acknowledged the command and departed.

Simultaneously, the other Immortal Gates, thirty-six Ancient Clans, and a host of cultivation factions all directed their focus toward the altars of the fourth and fifth tiers.

The distinction lay in the Five Immortal Valves’ firm resolve to claim the fifth-tier treasures, while they dismissed anything beneath the fourth tier as unworthy.

Aware they couldn’t rival the Five Immortal Valves, the thirty-six Ancient Clans set their sights on the treasures of the fourth-tier altar.

Evidently, these fewer than a hundred treasures were destined to spark the fiercest competition.

Innumerable cultivation forces stood ready to stake everything for even a single one among them.

Without keeping the cultivators in suspense for long, Ancestor Praying to Heaven ascended gradually, gazing down upon the crowd with hands clasped behind his back.

His demeanor grew aloof, and after a brief silence, he at last intoned:

"...The treasure aura descends into the depths, crimson blooms unfurl citywide. All entities receive law’s nectar, countless varieties partake in the jade altar..."

The utterance from Ancestor Praying to Heaven stunned everyone. No one had anticipated a Primordial Yang True Spirit chanting a five-character Taoist verse.

As the final syllable reverberated across the city, the Qingyun clouds housing the Five Immortal Valves trembled fiercely all at once.

Throughout Jiuxuan City, a surge of powerful auras abruptly shot skyward before vanishing in a flash.

Every Divinity Transformation True Monarch and even Half-Immortal of the Void felt shock, puzzled over why Ancestor Praying to Heaven would declaim poetry.

Unfazed by the crowd’s bewilderment, Ancestor Praying to Heaven pressed on with icy resolve after completing the verse: "The moment has arrived—scatter the petals, all of you!"

His declaration boomed like thunder, echoing across heaven and earth.

Abruptly, a thick crimson glow erupted within Jiuxuan City.

Swarms of crimson light streaked toward the Eight Diagrams Altar at the heart of the celestial canopy, swiftly locking onto their marks and descending in haste.

In a flash, myriad treasures blazed with light far more intense than earlier.

The heavier the crimson light that showered down, the more the treasure glow intensified and surged upward.

After mere breaths, thousands of treasures shattered their previous bounds, pressing on to superior tiers.

Naturally, the densest concentration of crimson light enveloped the seven treasures of the fifth-tier altar.

Empowered by the crimson light, the seven treasures hummed and quivered, their glow turning ever more brilliant and lofty, steadily rising in stature.

Yet... an invisible chasm seemed to separate the sixth-tier altar from the fifth, like a barrier forged by the heavens.

Even with the torrent of crimson lights bolstering them, the seven treasures failed to pierce this threshold.

Among them, the most resplendent and towering glow came from that flawless, clear bead possessing nine orifices and seven holes. Close behind was a three-inch flying sword whose sword light rent the skies.

The Five Thunders Halberd’s emanation placed it midway, fifth in the lineup.

Still, Ancestor Praying to Heaven’s focus lingered chiefly on the Five Thunders Halberd.

None of the millions of cultivators below detected this.

...

Inside the secret chamber, Zhao Sheng’s eyes remained glued to the light screen, watching the Five Thunders Halberd’s glow blaze ever brighter, his pupils contracting involuntarily.

Only now did he uncover the hidden truth behind the treasure contest.

He had forged the Five Thunders Halberd himself, and no soul in existence comprehended this Spiritual Treasure as deeply as he did.

But in this instant, Zhao Sheng grasped that the Five Thunders Halberd was swiftly "evolving," at a pace beyond his wildest expectations.

This notion of "evolution" pertained to the inherent spiritual essence of the Spiritual Treasure.

Typically, once a Spiritual Treasure develops spiritual essence, it must endure the trial of ages before that essence might strengthen.

Note, merely "might"—certain Spiritual Treasures hit their ceilings early, and despite eons of existence, their spiritual essence stagnates unchanging.

Moreover, a rare few Spiritual Treasures prove extraordinarily exceptional, brimming with boundless promise, their spiritual essence advancing at astonishing rates.

Frequently, within just a few centuries, they transform into True Form Spirit Treasures.

Even among True Form Spirit Treasures, select "fortunate" ones kindle the Primordial Yang Fire, ascending to the ranks of artifacts like the Eight Diagrams Heaven Praying Plate.

Zhao Sheng knew full well that the Five Thunders Halberd possessed scant potential and, under ordinary conditions, stood little chance of becoming a True Form Spirit Treasure.

Yet, his perspective had shifted dramatically.

Thanks to the crimson light’s empowerment, the Five Thunders Halberd now held a glimmer of possibility to forge a full Law Spirit Forbidden, vaulting it into the realm of the world’s scarcest True Form Spirit Treasures.

This revelation stirred a measure of admiration in Zhao Sheng for Ancestor Praying to Heaven.

This figure... has truly spared no effort!

Moments ticked by, until the bead, innately graced with nine orifices and seven holes, at last shattered its final restraint and just managed to reach the sixth-tier altar.

Witnessing this, every cultivator in the city brimmed with a tumult of joy, their gazes igniting with fervent zeal.

The elite powers atop the Qingyun clouds also stirred with exhilaration, eagerly anticipating the impending grand auction.

Following the treasure contest, every entered treasure would go under the hammer.

This monumental auction would span an entire month, representing the highlight that millions of cultivators awaited most eagerly.

Once the Nine Orifice Treasure Pearl claimed the sixth tier, the Five Thunders Halberd shockingly outpaced the rest, ascending to the sixth tier as well.

As he beheld the ever more vibrant Five Thunders Halberd, Zhao Sheng’s face settled into serenity, fully aware of the immense difficulties ahead.

...