Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1720 - 922: The Emergence of the Human List, Obtaining the Fire Extinguishing Immortal Technique (Part 2)

"Zhao Xiuyan? Never heard of him! And this Zhao Lian who’s ranked second... he doesn’t even have a generation character in his name, could he be another outsider?"

"Zhao Yan Yun is only ranked fourth? That’s far too unfair. You must know that Young Master Yunlong possesses the Innate Sharp Gold Spirit Body; at only a little over one hundred and seventy years of age, he has already cultivated to the Nascent Soul Perfect Realm. Young Master Yunlong has long been recognized as the number one Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator. What virtues and abilities do the three people in front have, to actually be placed ahead of Young Master Yunlong?"

"Haha, Zhao Huaqing, ranked thirty-seventh, is from the Jueye Lineage. He and I are close kin within five degrees of mourning. I need to hurry back and tell the family about this joyous news."

"Right, right, right! Everyone hurry and copy out the list, then send it back to your elders. Maybe you can get a bit of good luck out of it."

So-called ’one word to wake the dreamer’!

At this moment, no one present cared anymore about "who are Zhao Xiuyan and Zhao Lian and the others," and they all took out their Identity Tokens, recording the entire ranking into the Tokens.

Immediately after, they all poured in Mana and, using the message-sending function of the Identity Tokens, transmitted the list to the many elders of their own main line and branch houses.

In an instant, the news of the Human List’s emergence spread at the speed of light. After countless people learned of it, they all, without prior agreement, personally rushed to the Ancestor Hall just to see the newly emerged Human List with their own eyes.

In just an hour, one Returning Void Elder after another appeared in succession, followed by thousands of streaks of tunneling light swarming over.

In the following months, the square of the Ancestor Hall was undoubtedly the most bustling place in the entire clan, packed with people day and night, the sound of discussion shaking the heavens.

On the very day the Human List emerged, the power holders of the Zhao Family’s ten great main lineages—such as Wu Lei, Chong Yue, Jueye, Red Moon, and the others—mobilized all the spies and manpower of their own lines, beginning to search for Zhao Xiuyan, Zhao Lian, and the others.

With the past examples of the Heavenly List and Earth List as a reference, everyone understood that the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Lists were not ranked by current strength, but by a comprehensive assessment of potential, aptitude, comprehension, and so on.

It could be foreseen that people like Zhao Xiuyan, who were ranked at the front of the Human List, were bound to be peerlessly gifted, with unfathomably deep cultivation potential.

At the same time, those Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators who had made it onto the Human List were personally received by the elders of their own lines and granted great rewards.

After the Human List emerged, the fates of these favored sons and daughters of heaven had already changed. As for what their future Destiny would be, that would still depend on their own effort and struggle.

......

Because of the emergence of the Human List, the entire Zhao Family, from top to bottom, was thrown into an uproar, countless people running about spreading the news.

This matter quickly spread beyond the Divine Continent Ancestral Land; not only did countless collateral branches learn of it, even Immortal Sects and great teachings such as the Spirit-controlling Immortal Sect, Taiyi Spirit Palace, and the Supreme Sect obtained the news at the first possible moment.

Putting aside for now what arrangements those ancient powers would make, the line of sight returns to the Five Elements Cave Heaven.

Eight hundred years had slipped by; the East Sea was no longer what it had been at the beginning. The sea surface was covered with densely packed, multicolored seaweed, and one enormous sea beast after another would occasionally leap out of the sea, letting out long howls and thunderous roars.

Eight hundred years of bitter cultivation had added a trace of weariness to Zhao Yu Yan’s face, yet his aura had become ever more harmonious and restrained.

On this day, the Four Great Gods of that year once again gathered at the East Sea.

"Fellow Daoists, have you received a decree from the Ancestor recently?" Zhao Yu Yan spoke with a solemn expression, his gaze sweeping across Zhao Bai Zhen and Zhao Dianmiao’s faces.

"Oh? You received one as well?" Zhao Zhongzhi’s eyes flashed as he suddenly asked in return.

"I received it as well."

"So did this old man."

Before the words had even fallen, Zhao Bai Zhen and Zhao Dianmiao also spoke up one after another.

Seeing this, Zhao Yu Yan said in a deep voice, "In that case, it’s not just us; the other Divinity Transformation Fellow Daoists should have received the decree as well."

Zhao Dianmiao sighed, shaking his head. "What a shame! My desire was to cultivate to the Great Perfection Realm, but who would have imagined a single decree from the Ancestor would compel us to depart from the Five Elements Cave Heaven."

"Hehe, if Brother Yu Yan isn't complaining, why should you?" Zhao Bai Zhen cast a glance at him, his tone laced with mockery.

Zhao Dianmiao replied in a peculiar, drawn-out tone, "Little Brother Yu Yan is a top-tier expert ranked ninety-third on the Earth List. How would an ordinary Divinity Transformation Cultivator like this old man dare to compare himself with Little Brother Yu Yan?"

Zhao Zhongzhi's expression darkened, and he abruptly questioned in a cold voice, "Enough pointless chatter! Brother Yan, what do you believe the Ancestor's intentions are with this decision?"

After a period of contemplation, Zhao Yu Yan cautiously responded, "Perhaps... the Ancestor is displeased with our achievements. After all, residing in such an exceptionally advantageous location as the Five Elements Cave Heaven, we Divinity Transformation Cultivators only boast one individual on the Earth List. That is truly..."

"That is not the case. In my estimation, the Ancestor simply does not concern himself with whether we achieve ranking or not. He likely despises our complacency within the Cave Heaven, never venturing out. Thus, he is forcing us to temper ourselves; as the adage goes, 'jade must be polished to become a tool'..."

"The old scoundrel speaks wisely. The Returning to Void Thunder Tribulation is no minor hurdle. If we continue to live in such comfort, overcoming the Returning to Void Thunder Tribulation will become nearly impossible. The Ancestor's intentions are profound; he must hold great expectations for us," Zhao Bai Zhen proclaimed.

Upon hearing these words, the others displayed varied reactions.

Zhao Yu Yan's brows furrowed slightly, yet he remained silent. Zhao Zhongzhi's lips curved into a faint sneer, betraying a hint of disdain. A subtle smile touched Zhao Dianmiao's face, though his true thoughts remained hidden.

Following a brief silence, Zhao Yu Yan suddenly inquired, "The final deadline set by the Ancestor is still half a year away. As we have a little time remaining, who among you wishes to venture into 'that place' with me?"

The 'that place' he alluded to was, in fact, the Sea Abyss, the resting site of Gun God's Skeleton.

Over eight hundred years, the Sea Abyss had evolved into the location with the highest concentration of Cave Heaven Spiritual Energy within the Five Elements Cave Heaven. It was not only home to two Mount-bearing Dragon Turtles but also numerous formidable Sea Giant Beasts, presenting an extremely perilous environment.

Nevertheless, within the profound depths of this marine region lay an inexhaustible supply of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, alongside hundreds of unique Heaven and Earth Strange Objects. Among these were abundant Spirit Liquid True Water, Heart Ice, and even advanced items like Three Lights Divine Water and other Water Element Strange Objects.

Zhao Yu Yan intended to secure a substantial bounty before their departure, a sentiment shared by the other three.

Consequently, the moment he voiced his proposal, Zhao Zhongzhi and the remaining two readily agreed.

A short while later, the four Late-stage Divinity Transformation Great True Monarchs silently submerged beneath the ocean's surface, commencing their journey towards the Sea Abyss, located three thousand miles distant.

...

"Main Body, during this recent sea calamity, I have acquired two more fragments of Gun God's Skeleton. How shall we proceed with them?"

The Avatar, with evident pleasure, summoned Tu Zha and instructed it to present the Gun God's Skeleton.

Tu Zha complied, producing the bones. These two pieces were considerably larger than those obtained eight hundred years prior—one exceeding a hundred zhang, and the other over thirty zhang in length.

The Main Body, Zhao Sheng, fixed his gaze upon the two fragments of Gun God's Skeleton. After scrutinizing them several times, he declared, "Hand the smaller one to Taoyue Immortal Venerable. It has been an extended period without any activity; the Immortal Venerable is likely growing impatient."

"Very well. I shall undertake the journey myself," the Avatar acknowledged, promptly securing the smaller piece of Gun God's Skeleton within his sleeve.

Following this, the Avatar's form flickered, and he instantly departed from the Five Elements Cave Heaven.

...

After the passage of eight hundred years, Zhao Sheng once again found himself within the Vast Sea Realm.

He swiftly located the Sea Immortal Mountain and, with a single act of Space-Time Teleportation, arrived at the base of the Bluestone Steps.

Zhao Sheng commenced his ascent once more, step by deliberate step. However, before he could reach the halfway point up the mountain, an overwhelmingly potent force, seemingly from nowhere, surged forth.

In an instant, his vision became a blur. When his surroundings resolved, Zhao Sheng realized he had been returned to the elevated platform atop Seaside Cliff.

Taoyue Immortal Venerable remained in his cross-legged position at the platform's core, seemingly undisturbed for eight centuries.

Zhao Sheng, after composing himself, swiftly approached and offered a deep bow. "Junior Zhao Sheng pays his respects to the Immortal Venerable!"

"Where is the item the main body desires?" Taoyue Immortal Venerable cut directly to the chase, a statement that momentarily caught Zhao Sheng by surprise.

Not daring to delay, Zhao Sheng promptly produced a Sumeru Mustard pouch from his sleeve, offering it with a gentle push towards the Immortal Venerable.

In a swift shimmer of light, the Sumeru Mustard pouch disappeared.

At this juncture, Taoyue Immortal Venerable gradually rose to his feet and stated in a placid voice, "You have performed exceptionally. The main body's judgment of you was indeed accurate. The Fire Extinguishing Immortal Technique is yours; take it."

As his words concluded, a palm-sized piece of Warm Jade materialized in the air directly before Zhao Sheng.