Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1698 - 911: Peering at the Dragon Egg

Three years have transpired, leading us to a profound and shadowy abyss on the ocean floor. This desolate seabed is contorted and fissured, as if violently rent by some colossal power into elongated ravines.

Within these deep chasms, faint embers can be discerned. Gazing down into the valley's depths reveals a flowing river of dark red magma, from which the ocean's surface continuously erupts in plumes of black smoke.

Venturing further into the rift valleys, immense flames paint the dark seabed with light, originating from an endless, searing magma lake.

At the very heart of this magma lake rests a colossal, unparalleled giant egg.

Though its surface is polished to a mirror-like sheen, the giant egg is progressively sprouting clusters of enigmatic "patterns."

As these "patterns" gradually encase the eggshell, the natural spiritual energy of the surroundings surges inward, and the vortex of spiritual energy expands relentlessly day by day.

Initially spanning only ten thousand feet in diameter, the spiritual energy vortex rapidly breached the ocean's surface, extending all the way to the celestial vault.

In a mere three years, this spiritual energy vortex has established a connection between the heavens and the sea, exerting influence over a hundred thousand miles of oceanic territory surrounding it.

Observing from beyond the Red Sea Realm, it becomes apparent that more than sixty such colossal spiritual energy vortices exist.

These numerous spiritual energy vortices are dispersed throughout the Red Sea Realm, functioning like over sixty spiritual energy black holes, drastically reconfiguring the realm's spiritual energy currents.

Beginning from the third year, the myriad life forms within the Red Sea Realm not only witnessed a precipitous drop in spiritual energy concentration but also terrifyingly sensed the presence of these burgeoning spiritual energy black holes.

During the chaotic period when countless sea beasts and demons fled from the spiritual energy vortex, certain massive meteorites embedded in the seabed unexpectedly developed innumerable fissures.

...

Unbeknownst to any, perched atop a titanic egg, ten thousand feet in height, sat a figure seemingly of no consequence.

Zhao Sheng stirred his spirit, his divine consciousness unfurling like a myriad of waves, silently permeating the immense egg beneath him.

Throughout these three years, he meticulously monitored every subtle shift within the giant egg: from the initial stirrings of life, to the convergence of water and fire law power within its confines, and then he "observed" the rapid growth of the nascent life inside, its vital aura strengthening with each passing day.

Commencing from the third year, all life within a hundred thousand-mile radius began to perish, their life essence forcibly siphoned by the colossal egg.

Through this prolonged period of observation, Zhao Sheng had already grasped profound truths of the Dao from the giant egg and had independently developed a divine communication technique capable of extracting the life force from myriad spirits.

The Mount-bearing Dragon Turtle, by its very nature, possesses a water and fire Dao body.

It perpetually absorbs the power of water and fire laws from the commencement of its gestation, and its spiritual embryo continuously refines this water and fire Dao body.

After three years of diligent observation and contemplation, Zhao Sheng had definitively "mastered" a sophisticated magical skill for altering the water and fire Dao body.

Given a few opportunities for practical application, he felt assured of his ability to transmute a nascent water and fire Spirit Root embryo into a water and fire Daoist embryo.

As time marched onward, the lifeform within the giant egg grew more robust and mature with each passing day.

The rate at which the spiritual energy vortex expanded gradually decelerated, and the life-siphoning black hole halted its expansion upon reaching a hundred thousand miles, offering a flicker of survival hope to the realm's remaining inhabitants.

However, a surprising development occurred: within the "life-forbidden zone" centered around the giant egg, countless varieties of algae began to proliferate at an astonishing rate, seemingly unfazed by the egg's extraction of life force.

This peculiar phenomenon quickly drew the attention of Zhao Sheng, who was engrossed in his contemplation.

He redirected nearly twenty percent of his divine consciousness to continuously scrutinize the growth and rampant spread of the surrounding algae, rapidly perceiving a vast and immeasurable grand fluctuation suffusing heaven and earth.

Drawing upon his previous encounters with the Star God, Zhao Sheng immediately recognized this grand fluctuation, which bore the hallmarks of the Heavenly Dao, originating from the ubiquitous algae within the seawater.

An immediate realization dawned upon him: the Sea God had not only awakened but was also actively observing the Dragon Turtle's giant egg... and him.

For reasons undisclosed, the Sea God merely cast a "glance" in his direction, without making any overt move.

...

A profound silence enveloped the undersea realm, on a desolate, lifeless seabed where an extraordinary spectacle was unfolding.

A multitude of stones unexpectedly detached from a fractured, colossal meteorite, rapidly revealing a gaping maw nearly a hundred feet wide upon its surface.

Before long, a dark, lustrous metallic sphere emerged from the cavity, eerily propelling itself towards the nearest colossal egg.

Indeed, such massive meteorites were not solitary occurrences; countless others plummeted into the seabed across the vast Red Sea Realm.

While some of these celestial bodies descended directly from the Dragon Turtle, others bore the mark of meticulous concealment.

In the ninth year subsequent to the Dragon Turtle’s egg-laying, a continuous barrage of meteorites began to disintegrate, disgorging spaceships of diverse configurations.

Curiously, these vessels proceeded autonomously towards each Dragon Turtle egg, halting instead at a rift valley situated a thousand miles distant, without a single soul disembarking.

On this particular day, a platinum-hued, tear-drop-shaped spaceship, spanning a hundred feet in diameter, glided silently from the horizon along the uneven ocean floor.

The instant the spaceship traversed the hundred thousand-mile threshold, Zhao Sheng’s senses registered its presence.

"Hmm, an arrival," Zhao Sheng voiced, a hint of surprise coloring his tone, prompting him to release a strand of his divine thought to discreetly probe the interior of the spacecraft.

The hull, fashioned merely from Star Iron and augmented with rudimentary defensive arrays, offered little impedance to the intrusion of an Integration Realm Great Power.

His divine thought effortlessly breached the ship’s exterior, penetrating into its inner chambers.

As the ripples of his divine thought permeated the entirety of the vessel, all three hundred seventy-eight souls aboard were brought under Zhao Sheng’s comprehensive "observation.".

What drew his keen interest was the generally elevated cultivation level of these individuals, with the least potent among them surpassing the Golden Core stage.

Astonishingly, there were no less than four practitioners at the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Judging by their regalia and discernible auras, it was evident these individuals did not hail from the Red Sea Realm but were, in fact, members of the Star Sky Human Clan.

At this juncture, within a secluded compartment aboard the ship, a youthful cultivator adorned with small braids and possessing narrow eyes turned towards a furtive middle-aged man, inquiring with evident perplexity, "Father, for what reason has our ancestor brought us to establish ourselves in this spiritually barren Red Sea Realm?"

The furtive middle-aged man, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes, lowered his voice, responding, "Zhi’er, do you harbor doubts about this decision?"

Ximen Zhi shuddered inwardly, his reply swift and deferential, "The ancestor’s decree is, naturally, unimpeachable. I simply fail to comprehend why our progenitor would relinquish our grand inheritance to sojourn in this desolate Red Sea Realm.

You must acknowledge the presence of a mature Sea God here. While breakthroughs were readily achievable on the Outer Star Land, how might that fare within the Red Sea Realm?

Father, you stand on the precipice of Nascent Soul Perfection; attaining Divinity Transformation in this realm could prove as arduous as ascending to the heavens!

Are you not aggrieved that our ancestor’s actions have seemingly obstructed your advancement?"

Ximen Xianfang regarded his son with a stern mien, suddenly articulating with profound solemnity, "Why should I be vexed! Your youth blinds you to the ancestor’s profound foresight."

Perceiving Ximen Zhi’s lingering skepticism, Ximen Xianfang promptly elaborated, "You perceive our family’s arrival in the Red Sea Realm as a hardship, yet without the ancestor’s guidance, we would be incapable of seizing this unparalleled, once-in-ten-thousand-year opportunity."

"Wherein lies this opportunity?" Ximen Zhi inquired instinctively.

Upon uttering the question, a sudden realization dawned, and he gestured instinctively towards the ship’s bow, indicating the expanse outside.

Ximen Xianfang chuckled, commending, "A quick mind you possess! The ancestor has meticulously orchestrated this endeavor for nearly a millennium. The Ximen Family’s success is paramount this time; it represents our sole chance to defy the heavens and alter our destiny."

Hearing this, Ximen Zhi’s eyes widened with sheer astonishment at the ancestor’s audacious stratagem.

"Father, the Turtle God observes us from above. Will it merely stand idly by while its offspring—"

Ximen Xianfang interjected with a wave of his hand, "It matters not! We shall abstain from action until the Dragon Turtle hatches. Once the Turtle Gods have departed, the ancestor will join forces with other Divinity Transformation True Monarchs."

"Even so, the probability of success should remain exceedingly remote! After all, a newly hatched Dragon Turtle dwarfs the strength of a Divinity Transformation True Monarch. Furthermore, with the Sea God’s presence, will it permit the ancestor and his cohorts to slay a Dragon Turtle?"

Ximen Xianfang responded with unwavering conviction, "The Sea God will assuredly refrain from intervention, though the native denizens here might intercede. Following the Dragon Turtle's demise, the ancestor must contend not only with rival True Monarchs but also guard against the natives’ interference. At that juncture, the entire clan will mobilize.

Zhi’er, under all circumstances, you must advance with courage and strive to vanquish your adversaries... The ancestor is observing your progress from on high?"

Ximen Zhi's eyes gleamed, and he couldn't resist a tentative inquiry, "Father, are you implying that I... might also have the opportunity to bathe in Dragon Blood?"

He instantly recalled ancient texts describing individuals who ascended to the heavens after such a baptism, reaching the pinnacle of the Returning to Void Realm. The mere thought of potentially inheriting the Mount-bearing Dragon Turtle's bloodline sent his heart soaring, as if reaching the apex of ecstasy.

"It is far too soon to discuss such matters! However, where there is even a sliver of hope, we, father and son, must dedicate our utmost effort."

Although Ximen Xianfang's words tempered Ximen Zhi's grand visions, they simultaneously ignited a powerful sense of determination within him.

"Rest assured, Father! I will undoubtedly surpass any of my contemporaries," Ximen Zhi declared with unwavering confidence.

Ximen Xianfang offered a slight nod, remaining silent, his profound faith in his son evident.

...

After a considerable interval, Zhao Sheng's brow furrowed slightly as he slowly withdrew his Divine Thought.

He had not anticipated such widespread interest in the Dragon Turtle egg among various powers.

Not long after the Platinum Spaceship concealed itself deep within the rift valley, cultivators from the Sea Spirit Clan stealthily entered this Life Forbidden Zone, riding a Tenth Rank Camel Mountain Turtle. Meanwhile, further out at sea, colossal and imposing marine beasts, including powerful demon kings who had long since undergone transformation, maintained a covert watch over the region.

...

Time elapsed swiftly, and a century passed in what felt like an instant.

On this particular day, a massive vortex of spiritual energy situated between the Heavenly Sea suddenly dissipated.

Immense quantities of spiritual energy from nature surged outwards in all directions, instantly conjuring tumultuous waves that churned the seas.

As these colossal waves rolled towards the horizon, the gigantic egg, which had been incubating for over a hundred years, finally began to show signs of cracking, with fine lines appearing across its surface.

With each dull, echoing crack, the immense eggshell became increasingly fractured, and threads of crimson light started to emanate from the growing fissures.