Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1639 - 883: Creation of Heaven and Earth

The small monkey tumbled across the ground endlessly before finally collapsing in complete exhaustion. Were it not for the faint heaving of its chest, others might have deemed it lifeless.

Yet still, it refused to show any submission.

Witnessing this scene, Zhao Sheng felt joy instead of anger. He lightly called out, "Atu, where are you?"

His words had barely landed when a surge of yellow glow erupted from the earth. The glow flickered briefly before morphing into a boy wearing an oversized yellow apron.

The boy carried a grave expression, appearing far wiser than his tender years, perfectly capturing the essence of "young and old".

Tu Zha saluted Zhao Sheng and inquired, "Master, what are your orders?"

Zhao Sheng gestured toward the fuzzy little monkey sprawled on the ground and stated calmly, "Handle it yourself. Teach it properly the meaning of respecting the master and the path."

"Yes, Master." Tu Zha bowed once more, then with a flick of his hand, unleashed a wave of yellow radiance.

The radiance enveloped the little hairy monkey and swiftly drew it into Tu Zha’s form, vanishing completely without a trace.

"Let’s go outside and meet Yuan the Great Demon Emperor!"

With that said, Zhao Sheng turned and strode toward the cave’s exit, Tu Zha following closely at his heels.

…

Moments later, Yuan Chijiu, who had been waiting anxiously outside the cave, watched as the entrance barrier suddenly dissolved. Then, that hateful human cultivator emerged from within.

Five tiny figures abruptly leaped out behind him—the Five Zhas True Spirits.

"Hey, you wicked one, you’ve finally emerged? Where are my son and beloved? Release them at once!" Yuan Chijiu roared in fury, his voice fierce yet laced with cowardice, eyes burning like flames.

"Noisy!" Zhao Sheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he thrust his right palm forward toward Yuan Chijiu.

Boom!

Instantly, a colossal hand spanning a mu materialized from thin air, its sinews and bones sharply outlined, brutally swatting Yuan Chijiu aside.

Yuan Chijiu felt excruciating pain wrack his entire body while the surrounding void hardened like Jingang, pinning him immobile.

Right then, an immense force flooded through him, hurling him backward uncontrollably across thirty thousand miles in a single instant.

Once the commotion faded, Zhao Sheng gazed skyward and commanded, "Atu, absorb the Great Saint Ridge into the Vast Earth Realm."

Truly

"As you command!" Tu Zha acknowledged, then shot into the heavens, transforming into a jade-yellow treasure mirror.

The mirror blazed with dazzling light, swelling a thousand times larger in a flash, nearly shrouding half the firmament.

The gigantic mirror descended gradually, its face emitting boundless splendor.

As the glow engulfed the Great Saint Ridge, the vast mountain range shuddered violently, then erupted in clouds of dust and fumes billowing outward in every direction.

Soon enough, the majestic ridge rose from the soil and floated upward toward the massive mirror overhead.

In short order, the Great Saint Ridge was steadily pulled into the mirror’s surface—first the summit, then the mid-slopes, and ultimately even its deepest roots vanished inside.

From below, the former spot of the Great Saint Ridge gaped as a bottomless pit, spewing a colossal flood of profound yellow earth Qi that instantly swamped the surrounding thousands of miles.

By that point, Zhao Sheng and the Five Zhas had already disappeared without a trace.

Soon after, a streak of golden light flashed from nowhere, and Yuan Chijiu staggered out of the void, spewing curses.

He scanned his surroundings, struck instantly speechless by shock, before exploding in wild, enraged bellows: "Damned, where has the Great Saint Ridge gone?"

"Damned, damned! Despicable human cultivator, this emperor will tear you limb from limb to avenge my wife and child’s capture! You... you wait for me..."

Emperor Yuan’s tirade echoed across heaven and earth, raging on for three full days and nights, startling countless thousand-year-old demons.

This event rapidly spread through the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain and even farther abroad.

Within mere half a month, from Void Half-Immortals to Foundation Establishment novices, everyone learned of the First Daoist’s ’feat’, seeding dread in countless hearts while sparking inevitable awe and reverence.

By then, Zhao Sheng had long since returned to the Dragon Transformation Blessed Land, blissfully ignorant of how his prior ’feat’ had stunned innumerable Zhao Clan members.

Even had he known, he wouldn’t have cared; such ephemeral fame meant nothing to him, mere clouds drifting swiftly by.

…

Time races onward like a relentless river, unyielding through day and night!

The peaches of the Great Saint Ridge had ripened sixty full cycles, and the little monkey from those days had fully matured.

On that day, a streak of golden radiance zipped and flickered ceaselessly across the lofty peaks, moving at an astonishing speed.

All of a sudden, a Qingyun appeared, with Zhao Sheng perched upon it, overlooking the ranges beneath as he softly uttered, "Yuan Hong, come at once!"

His words echoed across the skies and lands, rattling the endless mountains, causing the golden gleam to halt abruptly in the air before rocketing upward and touching down on the Qingyun in a flash.

The golden radiance faded away, unveiling a youthful Daoist clad in a crimson-gold Taoist robe, featuring sharp brows and sparkling eyes.

This youthful Daoist was Yuan Hong, now in human shape—the former unruly little monkey.

"Master, why have you called for your disciple?" Yuan Hong scratched his tousled hair, tilting and shaking his head while inquiring; his tone was childish and shrill, a tad irritating to hear.

Zhao Sheng snapped his finger, thumping the young one’s forehead sharply, making Yuan Hong flinch in fright and promptly puff out his chest, hold his head high, drop his arms straight at his sides, not daring to fidget.

Zhao Sheng gave a pleased nod; years of constant mentoring had paid off, as his disciple had at last mastered ’discipline.’

Naturally, Zhao Sheng was fully aware his disciple showed him only ’utmost deference’; toward everyone else, he kept up a haughty and superior attitude.

In truth, Zhao Sheng felt somewhat concerned, for his disciple possessed a bellicose spirit, engaging in endless brutal clashes from a young age, dominating every demon beast and spirit bird across tens of thousands of miles.

Were it not for his constant holds on the reins, Yuan Hong would have risen long ago as the sovereign over millions of demon beasts in these Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

Over sixty years, he hadn’t imparted a single cultivation method to his disciple; Yuan Hong had forged his power purely through his inborn robust physique and heavenly gifts.

At present, Yuan Hong’s might nearly matched a Divinity Transformation True Monarch, merely one stride from Twelfth Rank Demon King status.

Memories of his disciple’s journey through the years flickered in Zhao Sheng’s thoughts, prompting an inner sigh—this child indeed boasted heaven-defying aptitude, worthy of the Golden Crane Great Saint’s bloodline and Spirit Core.

"Disciple, I command three thousand Taoist Skills; today, I shall impart them to you—do you desire to learn?"

At these words, golden gleams sparked in Yuan Hong’s eyes as he asked curiously, "Master, um... Will studying your Taoist Skills let me exceed you?"

Zhao Sheng offered a faint smile: "As the proverb states, ’The master leads the way, cultivation rests upon the individual.’ Whether mastering my Taoist Skills allows you to surpass me someday hinges solely on your effort."

Yuan Hong pondered, eyes spinning wildly, and after much deliberation, dropped to his knees abruptly, declaring solemnly: "Disciple yearns to learn; please instruct your disciple in the Combat Technique!"

Grasping the intent in his heart, Zhao Sheng nodded promptly and declared: "Excellent! Now, I bestow upon you two supreme arts: the ’Golden Light Ten Thousand Soldiers Technique’ and the ’Eight-Nine Undying Golden Body.’ These pair perfectly with your Innate Golden Dao Body; strive hard to master them henceforth."

With that, Zhao Sheng’s form blurred, materializing right before Yuan Hong, extending his right hand to press upon the disciple’s crown.

In the instant that followed, a mass of Divine Light burst from his forehead, raced down his arm, and plunged into Yuan Hong’s head.

Once the Divine Light pierced his mind, Yuan Hong shuddered violently, his gaze turning dazed as vast streams of knowledge flooded his consciousness, morphing into myriad archaic, arcane glyphs that etched ceaselessly into his Divine Soul.

After what seemed an eternity, clarity returned to Yuan Hong’s eyes; he leaped up in delight and, in a blink, became a burst of golden light, vanishing into the void without trace.

A deafening boom erupted as a massive peak thousands of miles distant crumbled abruptly, dust billowing outward, from which thousands of golden rays pierced the haze.

These golden beams lanced toward the heavenly clouds, morphing rapidly into diverse armaments: blades, swords, lances, halberds, axes, hooks, forks... every one of the eighteen weapon classes emerged, each aglow with golden brilliance, their killing aura spanning three thousand miles.

Surrounded by the horde of weapons, a sixteen-foot golden ape towered defiantly in the firmament, gripping a massive, gleaming golden rod.

Zhao Sheng "saw" the golden rod clutched in its grasp and couldn’t help a touch of awkwardness.

Long ago, Tu Zha, who saw through his thoughts, often wielded a rod to smack Yuan Hong’s buttocks while "teaching" him the various rules.

With the passage of time, Yuan Hong not only came to revere rod-shaped weapons profoundly but also developed a fondness for them as a result.

On this day, he at last mastered the essentials of the ’Golden Light Ten Thousand Soldiers Technique’ and promptly selected the rod as his chief weapon.

As the saying goes, past causes yield today’s effects. The Dao of Cause and Effect truly stands as profound and enigmatic!

Uncharacteristically, Zhao Sheng refrained from recalling his disciple and allowed Yuan Hong to practice through most of the day.

Only when his fervor subsided did Zhao Sheng call him back and begin imparting the deep essences and principles of the ’Golden Light Ten Thousand Soldiers Technique’.

Throughout sixty years, Yuan Hong had never attended so attentively or concentrated so sharply. He swiftly grew engrossed, as myriad sparks of insight flickered in his mind.

...

Twenty more years elapsed.

The Eastern Star Domain spans innumerable galaxies, most of which remain desolate and lifeless, barren of all existence.

On this day, within the depths of a nameless, barren, and lifeless galaxy, an unexpected intruder arrived.

Zhao Sheng hovered motionless above a dead star, his Divine Thought extending outward to blanket the entire planet.

This galaxy lay in extreme isolation, untouched by any life for millions of years, rendering it ideal for Crossing Tribulation.

Zhao Sheng retracted his gaze and softly called out, "Five Zhas, where are you!"

His words had barely fallen when five belly-banded children materialized from the void before him.

No sooner had they appeared than the Five Zhas bowed as one, proclaiming: "Salute to the Lord."

With a grave expression, Zhao Sheng spoke in a hushed tone: "Today marks a once-in-a-millennium auspicious day. After a thousand years of grueling cultivation, I will now enact the Creation of Heaven and Earth, verifying my Dao and achieving Unification. You must guard me!"

"We vow to protect the Lord unto death!" the Five Zhas bellowed in unison, their hearts aligned.

Upon declaring this, the Five Zhas revealed their true forms, positioned themselves around Zhao Sheng, and deployed the Sumeru Five Elements Formation.

Zhao Sheng divined with his fingers, ascertaining the propitious hour had come, and swiftly drew the Great Luck Pearl from his chest.

At that instant, the Great Luck Pearl radiated a gentle glow, a misty halo forming on its surface, exquisitely enchanting.

This halo embodied the essence of a hundred years’ Qi Fortune, brimming with arcane and miraculous might.

Clutching the Great Luck Pearl, Zhao Sheng settled slowly into a seated posture amid the void, shut his eyes to meditate, and extended his Spirit toward the Chaos enveloping the emptiness.

Soon after, brilliance erupted from his forehead, and a lifelike "Zhao Sheng" manifested, striding into the void before vanishing utterly.

Before him loomed dense chaos, where Zhao Sheng abruptly emerged in a cramped, shadowy expanse; overwhelming pressure bore down like an infinite weight, as if eager to pulverize the interloper.

"Open!"

Having undergone the Creation of Heaven and Earth once already, Zhao Sheng stayed utterly composed this time, issuing a casual command. His Primordial Spirit obeyed instantly, merging Will Heart Light and Divine Thought to unleash infinite power that tore open a realm in a flash.

"Rise, rise, rise..."

Little time passed before each cry caused Zhao Sheng to swell in size, the encircling space expanding alongside him.

At the same instant, tens of thousands of Principle Crystals and Pocket World Jade erupted from the Primordial Spirit, streaking into the chaos’s every direction, morphing into vast flares of light that fused into the surrounding space-time.

As moments ticked by, an imperceptible Crystal Wall coalesced from nothingness, while this fledgling realm gradually spawned earth, water, wind, and fire...

Within the chaos’s depths, a mountain-like titan steadily broadened the realm.

As heaven parted, pure spiritual qi rose steadily, coalescing into banks of spirit clouds. The roiling Cloud Sea surged and clashed, ultimately kindling the inaugural thunder of the Creation of Heaven and Earth.

Thunder pealed across the heavens, intertwining with earth, water, wind, and fire.

The murky, baleful qi plummeted downward, astonishingly forming the first clod of earth and stone, which proliferated swiftly to birth a stretch of land.