Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1575: 851: The Great Saint's Vow, First Encounter with Tianyunzi (Part 2)

Zhao Dashan abruptly returned to his senses, unable to suppress an intense, glowing gaze toward Zhao Sheng while laughing heartily: “I already know what you intend to ask. You seek the secrets concerning the Burial Immortal Ruins that have been gathered by our kin over countless generations!”

“Even if you had not spoken, I intended to grant you access to the Secret Pavilion.”

As these words concluded, the Ten Thousand Peaks swaying beneath their feet shook violently before splitting asunder from peak to base.

From the depths of the fractured mountain, a gray-white Stone Hall slowly emerged.

In mere moments, the massive structure hovered directly before Zhao Sheng and Zhao Dashan.

Observing the architecture, Zhao Sheng noted the Stone Hall appeared heavy and austere. Though the walls lacked ornamentation, they featured lifelike portraits of various cultivators, their spirits captured with such precision they seemed ready to step forth.

With a somber expression, Zhao Dashan gestured toward the carvings: “These are the ancestral figures of our clan spanning the ages. Should I meet my end within the Burial Immortal Ruins, my likeness shall be added to the Secret Pavilion so future generations may offer tribute. The same shall be done should you perish.”

Remaining silent, Zhao Sheng stepped forward and offered a profound bow toward the ancestors.

Zhao Sheng nodded faintly, then swept his sleeve forward.

With a thunderous groan, the doors of the Stone Hall drifted open. The portraits adorning the walls suddenly stirred, their eyes fixing upon Zhao Sheng with expressions ranging from intense expectation and joy to somber warning and profound concern.

Under the weight of those ancestral gazes, Zhao Sheng walked up the steps and entered the Secret Pavilion.

Rumble…

The gates sealed shut firmly. Zhao Dashan gazed at the wall portraits, a flicker of deep nostalgia dancing within his eyes.

…

As Zhao Sheng crossed the threshold into the Secret Pavilion, voices erupted from the void around him:

“Blood oath… Blood oath… Blood oath… Even should your Divine Soul dissipate, never reveal the secrets contained within these walls…”

As the chanting intensified, a chilling sense of dread gripped Zhao Sheng. He felt an indescribably potent Power of Laws swirling around his form.

Failure to swear the oath meant certain annihilation at the hands of this atmospheric power.

With a shudder, Zhao Sheng slit his palm, allowing droplets of fragrant, luminous Blood Pearl to fall.

“With Heaven as witness and Houtu below! I, Zhao Sheng, pledge by my Divine Soul: I shall never betray the Zhao Family, never disclose the secrets of this domain, and never… Should this oath be broken, may I suffer eternal damnation!”

Immediately, the voices fell silent. The oppressive darkness receded, revealing rows of shelves packed with Jade Scrolls, Ancient Scrolls, Bone Books, and golden silks.

Between these shelves stood stone platforms displaying various arcane artifacts.

Some radiated brilliant Treasure Light and surging Law Fluctuation. Others rested under layers of dust, appearing as mundane as common trash.

Yet, every item showed scars of battle, signifying they had long since lost their utility.

Zhao Sheng surveyed his surroundings and approached the nearest shelf. He unleashed hundreds of tendrils of Divine Thought, probing every scroll and book to rapidly absorb the vast reservoir of hidden knowledge.

…

Two months elapsed, and the doors of the Secret Pavilion creaked open once more.

Zhao Sheng emerged, his face grave and solemn.

Meeting Zhao Dashan’s expectant gaze, Zhao Sheng stated: “Three Ancestors, I have discovered a method to travel to the Taiching Spirit Realm!”

Zhao Dashan recoiled in shock, his expression shifting wildly as he interrogated: “Is this the truth?”

Zhao Sheng nodded with iron resolve: “Truly. I have identified a route, and for this, I am fully prepared to swear the necessary oath.”

Drawing a deep breath, Zhao Dashan spoke with immense gravity: “You must understand that the Taiching Spirit Realm is isolated by two massive Star Domains. The dangers lurking between them are vast; even a powerhouse at the Tribulation Crossing Realm would find it arduous to traverse such distances over countless Constant Years. Your current cultivation is merely at the Returning to Void stage; how could you succeed?”

Over two hundred thousand years ago, the Nine Nether Tower stood within the heart of the Wolong Mountain Range.

To this day, seventeen members of the Zhao Family have successfully braved the Nine Nether Tower, with three ancestors possessing such immense Qi Fortune that they reached the Great Saint Thought Realm.

Alas, only one was blessed enough to encounter the Golden Crane Great Saint personally.

That individual did not merely learn the three great wishes from the Great Saint; they were also gifted the Immortal Law known as the “Infinite Heaven Traveling Skill.”

Thus, the Zhao Family secured a supreme legacy.

Zhao Sheng further discerned from the records that the various “legacy stashes” he had planted in the Wolong Mountain Range during his past life had been systematically recovered by his descendants.

The largest of these had been discovered by that very same ancestor.

That individual was none other than Tianyunzi Zhao Hongyun, one of the three ancestors of the Zhao Clan.

Zhao Hongyun, as his name suggested, was born with extraordinary Qi Fortune and destiny.

At his birth, strange portents manifested; stars became visible during the daylight hours, and a purple aura coated the land for thirty thousand miles.

At the age of three, a ten-thousand-year-old fungus horse approached him, leading him to a hidden cave mansion. There, he refined the legacy of a predecessor and claimed the Spirit Treasure Divination Heaven Plate, which chose him as its master.

At eight years old, Zhao Hongyun inadvertently achieved Foundation Establishment during his sleep, shocking the entire clan.

As the millennia passed, he faced one fortuitous encounter after another. Treasures would even fall from the heavens directly into his lap while he sat idling in his cave, leaving observers in awe.

In a mere millennium, he surged through the Nascent Soul, Divinity Transformation, Returning to Void, and Unification stages, emerging as the youngest Hall Master of the Stargazing Hall within the Taiyi Spirit Palace.