Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1681 - 903: Stone Spirit Recognizes Its Master, Tianyunzi Achieves Breakthrough (Part 3)

Carrying a wealth of supplies, they descended, commencing their search for a stable location and any unfolding opportunities.

The centuries following the Grotto Heaven's opening presented a unique era, brimming with abundant treasures and chances for advancement.

As pioneers among the "fortunate ones" to enter this Grotto Heaven, they had undeniably stepped into a wild territory, teeming with myriad treasures and fortuitous encounters.

Those blessed with the fortune to stumble upon a significant opportunity could often achieve immense power, charting a path with boundless potential.

Numerous similar legendary accounts are documented within the clan's historical records, with more than twenty elders who achieved the Returning to Void stage serving as irrefutable testament.

As the heavens gradually surrendered to darkness, Zhao Yu Yan's contemplations were abruptly interrupted, and he became aware that merely a dozen individuals remained aboard the Treasure Ship.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Zhao Yu Yan slowly arose and proceeded towards the Transmission Array.

A scant few breaths later, the Transmission Array pulsed with a powerful surge of magnificent energy.

As radiant white light ascended, Zhao Yu Yan experienced a disorienting sensation of a swirling vortex.

Upon regaining his equilibrium, ancient, towering trees surrounded him, their thick vines resembling serpentine beasts dangling downwards, while the ground was carpeted with rare and exquisite flora and fungi.

A subtle mist drifted through the woods, carrying a damp, faintly putrid aroma, and an immediate sense of untamed, primal vitality permeated the air.

Furthermore, the spiritual energy present was extraordinarily potent, nearly matching that of a Fifth-order Spiritual Vein.

Zhao Yu Yan's lips twitched, a mixture of surprise and elation washing over him.

In the subsequent moment, a shimmering layer of bright yellow light enveloped him, solidifying into a transparent Light Shield that offered protection.

Then, with a focused thought, a golden, incandescent beam of light emanated from within his body.

This Flowing Light traced a hundred-foot circuit thrice before suspending itself overhead, morphing into a golden flying sword no more than three inches in length.

It was only then that Zhao Yu Yan could finally exhale in relief, his Divine Thought silently extending outwards in all directions.

Instantly, his perception encompassed everything within a hundred-mile radius.

To his astonishment, a peak soaring over four hundred feet high stood prominently within the dense, unending jungle, easily catching the eye.

Zhao Yu Yan's attention was immediately drawn to this striking mountain. He resolved then and there to establish it as his initial base of operations.

Destiny's threads are unpredictable, and the world itself is in constant flux!

At this very juncture, no one could have foreseen that Zhao Yu Yan's destined path would irrevocably alter from the instant he laid eyes upon that mountain.

...

Time marches on like an ceaseless river, flowing inexorably towards the unknown future.

In the blink of an eye, two decades had elapsed.

Throughout this period, human presence gradually became evident across the five continents, with numerous small settlements emerging one after another.

Humans, being inherently social creatures, often gravitate towards forming groups for security when confronted by unfamiliar and perilous natural conditions.

Naturally, many cultivators opted for solitude, much like Zhao Yu Yan, who had inadvertently found himself within the Treasure Mountain.

At the time of his serendipitous arrival at "Treasure Mountain," he promptly recognized the area's highly peculiar environment, where the surrounding Earth Element Spiritual Qi was exceptionally concentrated.

Zhao Yu Yan found himself not needing to actively cultivate; the ambient Spiritual Qi would spontaneously gravitate towards and enter his body.

Not long afterward, he joyfully ascertained that the barrier to the God Transformation realm had demonstrably weakened.

Following seven days and nights of unremitting cultivation, Zhao Yu Yan astonishingly discovered that the God Transformation barrier, which had impeded him for years, had vanished mysteriously.

On that pivotal day, he cast aside the limitations on his spirit, allowing the mana coursing through him to surge and tempestuously propel him towards a higher plane of existence.

Concurrently, the Nascent Soul residing within his Purple Mansion Soul Sea began an accelerated process of transformation into a Primordial Spirit.

What profoundly surprised him was the exceptionally mild nature of the Divinity Transformation Thunder Tribulation, enabling Zhao Yu Yan to effortlessly endure three waves of tribulation lightning and smoothly achieve a breakthrough into the Divinity Transformation Realm.

In comparison to the outside world, the thunder tribulation within the Five Elements Cave Heaven had been deliberately diminished by at least tenfold.

Zhao Yu Yan swiftly grasped that this was a "concession" afforded to them by the Four Ancestors; however, when advancing to the Returning to Void stage, no such advantage would be present.

The reality was that the Five Elements Cave Heaven could essentially be regarded as a Constant Sand World, its permissible upper cultivation limit being that of a Divinity Transformation True Monarch.

For individuals such as Zhao Yu Yan, should they aspire to reach the Returning to Void stage, it would be imperative to journey to the Taiyi Spirit Realm to confront the formidable Spirit Realm Thunder Tribulation.

Within a span of mere decades, the Five Elements Cave Heaven remarkably produced seven Divinity Transformation True Monarchs, alongside a hundred and four Nascent Soul cultivators, and three hundred and nineteen Golden Core Masters.

Even those disciples who did not ascend to major realms experienced significant advancements in their Cultivation.

A staggering seventy percent of the cultivators were fortunate enough to stumble upon certain destinies, inadvertently acquire Ancient Magical Treasures, or unearth high-level Rare Items from the earth. Some even attained coveted rare Cultivation Methods.

Naturally, a total of about thirty individuals met unfortunate ends due to various unforeseen accidents.

All these occurrences unfolded before Zhao Sheng's eyes, yet he maintained a stance of non-interference with their predestined paths, nor did he show any personal favoritism.

He appeared to embody the very Heavenly Dao of this domain, a silent observer of the populace's joys and sorrows, while simultaneously contemplating the world’s operational rules and evolving patterns.

Amidst all the disciples, Zhao Yu Yan was neither the most extraordinary nor the luckiest. He was simply the very first to conquer the challenging 'Inverted Mountain.'

It's important to note that the Yu Zhou Continent was host to not just one, but indeed multiple 'Inverted Mountains,' numbering in the dozens.

...

Following a ninth successful exchange, Zhao Sheng observed the departure of the individual cloaked in black.

Just as he was poised to return to the Lower Realm, Stone Spirit's voice suddenly halted his movement.

"Hold on just a moment!"

Zhao Sheng turned towards Stone Spirit, inquiring, "Stone Spirit, what seems to be the matter?"

Stone Spirit hovered before him, its crimson eyes gleaming with an unusual intensity, suggesting an inner conflict or unresolved indecision.

Witnessing this display, Zhao Sheng felt a surge of surprise, as Stone Spirit was typically known for its direct nature. Anything causing it to hesitate must surely be of considerable importance.