Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1710 - 922: Refining the Thunder Tribulation Crystal, Strange Encounter at the Lake Bottom

At the Burial Immortal Ruins on Jixian Island, after more than half of the Ruins Heaven period, the weary Immortal Ruins Guests began to emerge from the depths of the pit, one after another. Zhao Sheng, after distributing rewards to everyone, saw them all off. Once the last Late-stage Returning to Void Immortal Ruins Guest departed, Zhao Sheng's expression shifted to one of slight concern, and he suddenly vanished into the pit.

After days of relentless excavation, the pit situated beneath the Rift Valley had achieved a depth of a thousand zhang. Its diameter was a mere zhang, and the surrounding walls bore numerous marks from chiseling. In a flash, Zhao Sheng reached the pit's bottom, where the light was exceedingly dim. However, the ice walls around him grew increasingly clear and transparent, revealing a multitude of shattered corpses and fragments of magical treasures. Strangely, the environment wasn't cold; instead, a subtle warmth permeated the air.

Zhao Sheng peered downwards and observed a faint white light piercing through the thick ice layer. This luminescence seemed to emanate from an unfathomably deep location, stretching infinitely in all directions, far beyond his visual range. Zhao Sheng's heart stirred, and his will-heart light instantly condensed into a focused beam, rapidly descending into the depths.

Hm! A breath later, he let out a soft groan, a flicker of pain crossing his face. He had miscalculated; he hadn't anticipated the formidable nature of the white light. The moment his will-heart light made contact, it was instantly encased in an indescribable coldness. Had he not reacted with swiftness, that unimaginable chill would have propagated through the heart light back to him, with dire consequences!

Zhao Sheng withdrew his will-heart light and gently lifted his right foot, then brought it down with force. A resounding rumble shook the pit violently, the ground collapsing as if struck by an immense, unseen force. With a single stomp, the pit plunged an additional hundred zhang deeper, shattering the ice layer into fine powder along its path. A moment later, Zhao Sheng was once again at the pit's base.

At this juncture, an ancient bronze mirror suddenly materialized from his sleeve, swiftly descending onto the mountain of ice debris. In the following instant, the mirror's surface shimmered with faint "ripples," and the pile of ice beneath it vanished without a trace. Buzz! The bronze ancient mirror emitted a delighted humming sound before plunging into the ice layer. Immediately thereafter, the ice layer rapidly fractured and then collapsed inward. The pit extended downwards with renewed speed, the Central Earth Mirror greedily consuming the surrounding ice crystals like a ravenous Taotie.

An hour later, the pit had descended an additional thirteen hundred zhang. By this point, Tu Zha's Primordial Yang Power was nearly depleted. Its primary form, the ancient mirror, wobbled unsteadily before returning to its master's side, disappearing into the voluminous sleeve. Zhao Sheng quickly reached the bottom, gazing into the ice layer. The white light was now clearly visible, vast and boundless, resembling an endless ocean.

Crunch, crunch... At this moment, an unsettling sound emanated from the surrounding area. Zhao Sheng abruptly turned his gaze and was astonished to find the adjacent ice walls rapidly accumulating layers of thin ice. The ice formation proceeded with incredible speed, instantly solidifying into new, foot-thick ice sheets. In less than ten breaths, the pit, initially over a zhang wide, had contracted to a mere six or seven feet across, while the ice continued to grow relentlessly.

Surprised, Zhao Sheng exerted himself, shattering the encroaching ice layer with a powerful burst of energy. Witnessing this, he suddenly grasped the futility of his current excavation method and resolved to devise a different strategy. With this realization, Zhao Sheng ascended into the sky, promptly exiting the subterranean pit. Shortly after his departure, the pit beneath the Rift Valley was completely filled with ice crystals, and the previous chisel marks vanished entirely.

... Meanwhile, as the ice-digging efforts on Jixian Island proved fruitless, the Five Elements Cave Heaven was steadily advancing towards a more favorable outcome. With the Three Zhas occupied elsewhere, Zhao Sheng experienced a significant conservation of his energy. After refining the Chaos Divine Blood, he discarded all extraneous thoughts, dedicating his full attention to comprehending the Dao True Text. Given his current cultivation realm and Daoist mastery, understanding the True Text itself was not an insurmountable obstacle; the true challenge lay in seamlessly integrating it into the Cave Heaven Law.

While initially grasping a single Dao True Text typically took him mere days, mastering the profound "Dao and Principles" embodied within each text demanded a considerably longer duration. To overcome this, he devised an ingenious plan: for each True Text, he created a specific spell, and at times, a cultivation technique or a divine skill.

The intention behind this was, of course, to harness the collective might of all creatures to swiftly grasp the profound truths within the True Tao Text.

Even with occasional imperfections or shortcomings found in these divine skills, spells, or techniques, their immense potential was undeniable.

Indeed, a cultivation technique or divine skill brought into existence by a formidable Great Power from the Unification Realm could easily be mistaken for a highly sought-after Divine Skill Treasure Book by cultivators of lower standing.

...

Rumble, rumble...

A sequence of deep, muffled thunderous sounds emerged from the heavens, and an innumerable multitude of ebony tribulation clouds materialized from nothingness, rapidly engulfing a vast expanse of several hundred miles.

These tribulation clouds were thick and oppressive, punctuated by intermittent flashes of lightning and booming thunder, exuding an aura of indescribable terror that permeated the environment, striking awe into countless beings below.

At this precise moment, down below, amidst the towering mountain ranges, a series of emerald pillars of light abruptly ascended, thirty-six in total, meticulously forming a brilliantly intricate and constantly shifting Fourth-tier Array.

Occupying the very heart of this grand formation, standing with unyielding pride, was the central figure of this tribulation, Zhao Dianli!

This individual, after enduring centuries of dedicated cultivation, had finally attained the Nascent Soul Perfect Realm. Today, with his cultivation reaching its zenith, he had deliberately selected this serendipitous day to face the tribulation and achieve his breakthrough.

Boom!

Following a deafening roar of thunder that reverberated through the sky, several scarlet bolts of lightning, thick as a human arm, plummeted from above, hurtling towards Zhao Dianli situated below.