Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1638 - 882: Birth of the Sacred Ape

With utmost respect, Zhao Luo Mo handed the golden silk scroll back to Zhao Hongyun, then offered a grateful bow to Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Hongyun carefully stored the silk scroll before turning to Zhao Sheng and gesturing, "Chonghe, you may continue."

Zhao Sheng gave a nod and pressed on, "The Yin Talisman possesses seven realms. Its first realm, named ’Relief’, sees the talisman lighting up the Karmic Fire... The second realm, ’Inheritance’, captures the wicked thoughts of countless beings, reshaping them into guardian divinities... The third realm, ’Planting Blessings’, forms thoughts that sow fortune into the void, instinctively bestowing Innate Blessings upon the possessor...

...This profound scripture harmonizes with the supreme principle ’The Great Dao values life and does not contend’, employing the talisman to gather merits and aid all living things—a true Supreme Method that captures heaven’s shifts and follows the Tao of Nature. Thus, the Taoist Ancestor declared: ’All divine skills are minor techniques, only Yin Blessings reach through heaven.’

Zhao Sheng delivered his lecture over three straight days and nights; right at the close, he sighed deeply, "The Supreme Yin Talisman Scripture stands as a Daluo Level Supreme Immortal Scripture, yet regrettably, it remains incomplete, allowing cultivation only up to the ’Planting Blessings’ realm. Direct ascension to Supreme Immortal Heaven seems impossible."

Hearing this, Zhao Hongyun offered comfort instead, "Chonghe, no need for lamentation. The Supreme Venerable once stated: Blessings cannot be fully savored, merits cannot be wholly fulfilled! Though flawed, this scripture itself brings fortune to our Zhao Family."

"The Second Ancestor speaks truly; Chonghe was merely caught in a fleeting obsession." A subtle shift in his mind brought sudden clarity to Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Hongyun gave a faint smile, eyed Zhao Luo Mo now deep in meditation, and abruptly sent a divine sense message to Zhao Sheng.

The divine thought reached his ears, prompting Zhao Sheng to nod in understanding before silently trailing the Second Ancestor from the Ancestor Altar.

…

Half a day passed, twilight descended, and fog blanketed Heavenly Wave Lake, veiling the central Hualong Island.

Right then on Hualong Island, Zhao Sheng had returned to the Peach Grove Courtyard, toying with a radiant, fluid Glazed Glass Pearl in his palm.

Zhao Hongyun had bestowed this pearl personally upon parting, embedding within it a divine transmission art: Great Luck Equal to Heaven.

The technique ’Great Luck Equal to Heaven’, invented solely by Second Ancestor Zhao Hongyun, boasted matchless wondrous effects, briefly boosting the recipient’s heavenly fortune to the enigmatic realm of ’Great Luck Equal to Heaven.’

"...Chonghe, bear this in mind! One’s fortune ebbs and flows like lunar phases, ever limited in the end. While this technique bestows great luck matching heaven’s, all things must revert eventually. Thus, I’ve specially forged a Great Luck Talisman for you. Henceforth, this talisman will ceaselessly absorb your fortune until you deem the moment ripe to destroy it. Then, the amassed fortune surges back at once, granting the state of ’Great Luck at the Head’ indirectly.

The extended the fortune accumulation, the vaster its outburst. Should it span over ten thousand years, the eruption would unleash boundless triumph with ’Great Luck Equal to Heaven’!

Yet remember well: while fortune gathers, your luck plummets terribly, inviting endless misfortunes. Stay doubly vigilant ahead, preferably retreating into centuries-long seclusion, to evade impending calamities."

Back on Hualong Island, the Second Ancestor’s earnest warnings still rang in Zhao Sheng’s ears, perpetually warning him of the ’Great Luck Equal to Heaven’ technique’s pitfalls.

"Looks like... that Desolate Wall Settlement must wait for now. All the better." Thoughts whirled in Zhao Sheng’s head as he stowed the Great Luck Pearl; his form flickered and disappeared entirely.

…

Days came and went, years shuttled past swiftly—seventy-eight years elapsed in a flash.

On this day, over Great Saint Ridge in the Divine Continent’s east, the heavens brimmed with a savage, murderous intent.

Spring bloomed, draping Great Saint Ridge in petal showers amid rosy mists.

At that instant, before a vast cavern midway up the slope, Red Demon Ape Emperor Yuan Chijiu paced restlessly to and fro, his grotesque face twisted in anxious worry.

Multiple attempts to breach the cave met the blocking Five Elements Barrier at its mouth, igniting his rage yet yielding nothing.

Suddenly, a fair-skinned boy with crimson lips and pearly teeth, clad in a bellyband, stepped out from the cave’s opening.

The young lad stood defiantly behind the barrier, shouting mockingly, "Big Monkey, the old master says to stay outside, just obey the order. With us here, you cannot enter this cave."

Yuan Chijiu, seething with fury, bellowed at Mu Zha, "Damn it! This is the Emperor’s cave mansion, why can’t it be entered?"

Mu Zha chuckled mockingly, "Haha, without the old master’s permission, if you dare intrude into the cave, don’t blame us five for capturing you."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chijiu grew so enraged that chaotic golden light exploded from his body, instantly scattering the misty clouds shrouding the mountain.

Grinding his teeth in rage, Yuan Chijiu snarled, "Damn it, today’s shame—the Emperor... the Emperor will repay it tenfold in the future!"

Mu Zha sneered contemptuously before abruptly retreating into the cave, ignoring this ’overconfident’ beast entirely.

Time passed slowly until sunset neared, when fiery clouds blazed across the sky.

Right then, a sharp, piercing cry suddenly rang out from deep inside the mountain cave.

The cry tore through the mountain clouds, making Great Saint Ridge quake violently as endless golden light surged from the mountain’s base, wrapping the entire peak in peach blossoms and countless hot springs at once.

In a flash, Great Saint Ridge became a vast golden ocean, with radiant golden light shooting skyward, piercing beyond the ninth heaven.

Simultaneously, the celestial dome sparkled with countless stars gleaming brightly, their light bathing the Four Seas and Eight Desolations.

Then, the golden light plunged straight into the Void of Bull and Dipper, tinting the boundless starlight brilliant gold everywhere; the Gold Element Principle surged tenfold in strength, instantly dominating the Three Thousand Great Dao.

Moments later, the immense golden light stretching a million miles vanished abruptly, the myriad stars dimmed in unison, and the heavens returned to serenity.

Yet this abrupt celestial spectacle shocked countless Zhao Clan members; Divinity Transformation True Monarchs and Void Half-Immortals emerged from seclusion, all racing to pinpoint the source of this cosmic disturbance.

Back at Great Saint Ridge, the cries from the cave flipped Yuan Chijiu’s anger to joy. He dashed to the entrance, craning his neck to peer inside, but the depths remained hidden from sight.

Deep within the cave mansion, a tiny monkey with pointed ears and a simian face rolled and leaped about, chattering gleefully.

Barely a foot tall, the little monkey looked utterly hideous, its sparse short golden fur insufficient to hide the pinkish skin underneath.

Still, its large vivid eyes sparkled as if ready to speak.

Eyes darting cleverly, the little monkey hopped and bounded through the cave, stealing curious peeks at the distant Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng watched its ’play’ with an odd expression, though his spiritual sense clearly detected vast Golden Qi spontaneously manifesting in the cave and flooding wildly into the little monkey.

Acting like a bottomless abyss, the little monkey devoured every influx of Golden Qi without refusal or waste.

At the same time, its aura rocketed upward, strength leaping ahead rapidly to surpass the Human Clan’s Qi Refining Realm and charge into Foundation Establishment.

In mere moments, it shattered Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment in succession, abruptly forming a plump golden Golden Core inside its body.

Sensing its inner changes, the little monkey scratched its ears and cheeks happily, even flipping somersaults right there.

One,

two,

three,

...

After seven or eight somersaults, a brilliant burst of golden light erupted from the little monkey’s body.

The golden radiance stabbed into the Void, flashing rapidly before vanishing just as swiftly.

A second glance revealed the cave empty; the little monkey had vanished mysteriously.

Surprise flickered in Zhao Sheng’s eyes, and he blurred away in an instant.

The next moment, he reappeared on the spot, seizing the little monkey by the scruff and hoisting it aloft.

The little monkey thrashed wildly with fangs bared and claws flailing, golden light pulsing from its body in desperate bids to escape the Great Evil Man’s grip.

But no matter its struggles, Zhao Sheng’s right hand stayed rock-steady.

Overwhelmed by shock and terror, the little monkey unleashed a pitiful screech, "Chi chi... let... let... go of me... I... I’ll... kill you!"

Though born only moments earlier, the creature had astonishingly begun speaking in human words without any cue.

A cold shiver surged into Zhao Sheng’s heart, his right hand tightening instinctively with extra pressure.

The little monkey went quiet at once, its body dangling limply with legs and arms hanging loose, feigning death by drooping its head and squeezing its eyes shut.

Zhao Sheng watched in surprise and amusement; this cheeky monkey clearly held some inborn cleverness, explaining how it could dash and leap right from birth, even instinctively acquiring the "Vertical Earth Golden Light" divine ability.

"Little monkey, obey your master properly, or I’ll make you feel some pain!" He stroked the little monkey’s head, then easily summoned a golden ring and fitted it around its head.

The golden ring constricted by itself, locking securely onto its head while countless intricate designs slowly surfaced on it.

With that complete, Zhao Sheng loosened his hold and set it free again.

Upon landing on the ground, the little monkey sprang high in a blaze of golden glow, trying once more to activate the "Vertical Earth Golden Light" and flee the cavern.

But how could wickedness triumph over virtue?

Ouch!

A wretched yelp escaped the little monkey as it crashed from the sky to the floor, every trace of golden light devoured entirely by the golden ring on its head.

The golden ring squeezed tighter just a bit, forcing the little monkey’s teeth to grind in agony as it tumbled wildly across the ground.

As the little monkey writhed in torment, Zhao Sheng grinned and declared: "Little monkey, you can’t escape. Hurry and accept me as your master. I will teach you the Supreme Immortal Technique!"

Wild and rebellious by nature, the little monkey endured the fierce pain with grit, bellowing stubbornly: "Chi chi, I... don’t... hurt... make it stop... ouch, it hurts so much!"

Watching it twist in agony on the ground, its mother forced herself up from the Jade Couch and begged Zhao Sheng: "Supreme Venerable, please have mercy. Spare my son!"

Zhao Sheng eyed her coolly and stated: "You don’t understand, old one, I am doing this for its own good! If its spirit isn’t subdued now, this child would one day flip the heavens!"

With that said, he flicked his sleeve, propelling the Mirage Cloud Mirror from within it to hover above the mother ape’s head.

A beam of pure light burst from the treasure mirror, pulling the mother ape inside in an instant.