Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1738 931: Tribulation's End, the Dao Achieved—Sweet Rain Falls from the Heavens (Part 2)

After a hundred years had passed, Zhao Sheng was suddenly struck by an inspiration, realizing in that very moment that the Heavenly Timing he had so long anticipated had finally arrived.

If he didn't ascend and raise the stars now, when would he ever?

At this instant, within the Five Elements Cave Heaven, the very fabric of reality—skies, earth, mountains, rivers, and seas—erupted in a thunderous roar. A majestic, resonant chant unfurled across billions of miles of the Grotto Heaven: "...Mountains and seas for a million miles tremble as one, the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation is but dust. The Grotto Heaven within my palm now gathers the Firmament; the sun, moon, and Star River are mere rings adorning my waist. I shall tread and shatter the Void of the Three Thousand Worlds, aspiring to elevate the Five Elements into the immortal ranks. All heavens and stars become my honored guests, as I sit alone upon the Jade Terrace and forget the passing years... My Dao has achieved Great Success, and all beings shall hear the truth... Today, follow me as we raise the stars and Ascend!!!"

This declaration resonated like a divine decree, and before its echoes fully faded, pillars of five-colored light began to emerge between heaven and earth, piercing both sky and ground.

From the surface of the earth, the oceans, and even the deepest parts of the Void, countless streams of Flowing Light converged, instantly forming vast seas of dazzling luminescence that then ascended and dispersed into the atmosphere.

In this moment, the entire atmosphere of the Five Elements Cave Heaven became enveloped in a resplendent, blinding sea of five-colored Light, appearing from a distance as if it were ablaze.

The intense radiance emanating from the Grotto Heaven illuminated the boundless, dark Void, startling more than half of the Taiyi Spirit Realm in an instant.

"What, it's happening so quickly..."

"Haha, my cultivation path is not without company! Shenglongzi, you've taken the first step today, and this Venerable is not entirely pleased... I might as well eliminate a few adversaries for my own amusement! And you there, Wuya, you old scoundrel."

"Hmph, how terrifying is the Nine-layered Thunder Tribulation! This brat is wildly arrogant, rashly attempting to Cross Tribulation. Hehe, failure is all but certain!"

"The Zhao Family first produced Zhao Xianglong, then Tianyunzi. Now, yet another junior is set to Ascend to the Star River—how profound and weighty are the Zhao Family's Qi Fortune; there must be a hidden truth. It appears certain matters require early planning."

"...This child is destined to fail. Recall in the past, all those who proved the Tao and became Great Venerables—which one among them was not an Absolute Peak Great Ability who dominated an entire era? This child is unknown, having trodden the path of opportunistic shortcuts..."

"...No matter how divine your skills, they cannot defy Heaven's mandate! As for Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Human Harmony, who can truly ascertain how many of these three this child possesses?"

"...This child has only opened his Grotto Heaven for less than ten thousand years; his own foundational cultivation must be exceedingly shallow... Success or failure? Let us await Heaven's judgment!"

Rumble!

Within the vast, dark Divine Palace Heaven, an inexpressible rumbling resounded anew out of thin air.

The Five Elements Cave Heaven, akin to a radiant "Great Sun," began its slow ascent into the sky "under the watchful eyes of all."

Bathed in that blinding luminescence, the formerly formless and intangible Space-time Barriers started to materialize.

With a resounding boom!

The Five Elements Cave Heaven forcefully "collided with" the Space-time Barriers; the surging, violent Power of Space-Time instantly erupted, transforming the billions of miles of surrounding Void into endless Space-Time Storms.

The incredibly fierce Power of Space-Time even... pierced through to the First Dark Heaven; two layers of the Netherworld were directly breached.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely, yet also pass in the blink of an eye.

Under the "gaze" of countless Great Abilities and Tribulation Crossing Venerables, the Five Elements Cave Heaven effortlessly pierced the Space-time Barriers and, quite swiftly, vanished from the senses of all Cultivators.

...

Following the detailed explanations provided by the two Tribulation Crossing Realm Ancestors, Zhao Sheng now possessed a thorough understanding of the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation.

Contrary to the assumptions of low-level Cultivators, the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation does not descend in sequential layers.

Instead, all nine layers of the Thunder Tribulation descend simultaneously. However, in the initial stages, as the Grotto Heaven has not yet penetrated deeply, the intensity of the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation remains low, allowing the Grotto Heaven to generally withstand the trial of the tribulation thunder.

To Zhao Sheng, undergoing the Nine-layered Thunder Tribulation felt akin to a mortal pushing a colossal stone up a steep mountain.

The Grotto Heaven represented that massive stone, and as the mountain's incline grew sharper and more treacherous, buffeted by storms of wind, thunder, and lightning, the individual's strength would deplete at an accelerated rate.

Should their strength falter, the stone they had painstakingly pushed would inevitably roll back and crush them; the tragic end, in such a scenario, was self-evident.

Admittedly, this comparison wasn't perfectly accurate, but it was the most straightforward explanation Zhao Sheng could articulate.

At the precise moment the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder descended in unison, Zhao Sheng abruptly realized its terrifying power far surpassed his prior imaginings!

What exactly constituted the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder?

Ancient texts proclaimed nine as the supreme number; the Netherworld itself is comprised of nine layers, and thus, tribulation thunder is also categorized into Nine Heavens!

These include the Dark Sky, Divine Sky, Cloud Sky, Emerald Heavens, Chixiao, Jade Sky, Langxiao, Purple Cloud, and Taixiao. Ascending from the lowest to the highest, the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder corresponds to the nine grand Daos: Space-time, Five Elements, Cause and Effect, and Life and Death.

The Dark Sky resides at the bottom, while Taixiao represents the apex!

...

When the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation commenced its descent, the omnipresent five-colored Light Sea blanketing the atmosphere instantly diminished. Countless torrents of interwoven nine-colored lightning erupted from the void, ensnaring every nook and cranny of the Grotto Heaven.

In that briefest of instants, the very fabric of heaven and earth transformed, all existence fell into a profound silence; only the ceaseless, nine-colored lightning permeated the entirety of existence…

Suddenly, a sharp, cold shout echoed throughout the Grotto Heaven: "Houtu, Golden Light, Kong Sang, Shen Yun, Haoyang… the Five Zhas, each return to your designated position!"

As the command concluded, it momentarily suppressed the thunder that filled the sky. Five resplendent treasure mirrors materialized from nowhere, radiating myriad zhang of divine luminescence, and swiftly positioned themselves in the five cardinal directions—east, south, west, north, and the center—each claiming dominion over a vast expanse of the heavens and earth.

Concurrently, the Five Elements comprising the Grotto Heaven all fell under the command of the Five Zhas.

"Yin Yang Kan Li… Qiankun Ten Thousand Spirits… activate the Grand Array!"

The Dao-voice resonated once more, and the thunderous deluge in the sky abruptly receded!

In the subsequent moment, countless dazzling "Stars" unfurled from the surfaces of the seven great continents. Their celestial luminescence stretched across billions of li, engaging in an intricate interplay of light, rapidly blanketing every inch of the land.

At that exact instant, seventeen Sea Eyes manifested colossal whirlpools, each tens of thousands of li in diameter. From these abyssal depths surged Pillars of Spiritual Energy connecting the heavens and the earth, while from the planet's core, unending radiance breached the surface, shooting skyward.

Rumble, rumble!

The accumulated Power of Laws, painstakingly gathered over countless years, was being consumed at an astonishing pace, equating to the expenditure of hundreds of Principle Crystals every fleeting moment.

The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, which had enveloped the Grotto Heaven, was being relentlessly nullified by this potent surge of Laws.

Furthermore, aided by the combined might of the Five Zhas and the two Grand Arrays, the Grotto Heaven's protective dome became as impenetrable as an iron fortress; regardless of the numerous bolts of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder that struck, they could not even the slightest bit perturb its integrity.

As time marched onward, the Five Elements Cave Heaven persisted, valiantly struggling against the onslaught, much like a swimmer fighting against a powerful upstream current.

The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder intensified with each passing phase, and the Cave Heaven's Law power was being depleted even more voraciously, almost consuming thousands of Principle Crystals by the second.

Yet, in this critical juncture, Zhao Sheng found his inner peace growing, for every development unfolded precisely as he had foreseen.

The Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation was indeed as formidable as the ancient legends described, but the profound foundation he had meticulously built over nine lifetimes of dedicated cultivation was simply too immense; even such a dreadful ordeal could not shatter his Dao Heart or his unwavering Will.

...

An indeterminate period passed!

Zhao Sheng perceived his Primordial Spirit becoming lighter, as the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder that had pervaded the entire realm abruptly vanished without a trace. The Five Elements Cave Heaven suddenly found itself adrift in a serene, expansive, and ethereal expanse.

Gazing outward, the surrounding star-river glittered brilliantly; innumerable Stars coalesced to form successive Star Rivers, emitting a dazzling, radiant starlight.

"The Star River illuminates, and the extremities of the heavens are now within grasp! This place is… the Threshold of Heaven!"

A surge of exhilarating joy coursed through Zhao Sheng's heart, and just as he was preparing to guide the Five Elements Cave Heaven onto the celestial track, his expression abruptly faltered; he jolted his head upwards, peering beyond the confines of the heavens.

At this instant, it wasn't only him. Across the Seven Continents and Four Seas, all extant life forms faintly perceived a magnificent and resplendent Spirit Mechanism, indescribably grand, descending along with the starlight.

In the next moment, a celestial phenomenon of unparalleled uniqueness and majesty unfurled before the eyes of everyone within the Grotto Heaven: endless starlight breached the Tianqiong, slowly cascading down upon the world.

Instantly, mountains, rivers, seas, lands, and even the Tianqiong's Void dissolved into a singular, luminous expanse.

As this light bathed the realm, an immense tide of Spiritual Energy spontaneously surged into existence. Such was its purity and density that it solidified into Ganlin Jade Dew, showering every corner of the Grotto Heaven.

The Spiritual Energy of the Five Elements Cave Heaven, already incredibly dense, was elevated by a full tier within mere moments.

At this precise juncture, anyone within the Grotto Heaven, regardless of their cultivation realm, felt their very being cleansed by the Spiritual Energy, again and again. Countless individuals experienced an unprecedented clarity of mind, their thoughts illuminated by an surging spirit light.

Before long, Human Clan Cultivators, previously stalled and unable to progress, found their bottlenecks shattering with effortless ease, their personal cultivation advancing by a complete layer.

A fortunate few even surged smoothly into their next realm. Those achieving Foundation Establishment and Core Formation, and those who broke their Core to reach the Infant stage, were now appearing everywhere.

In the span of just a few short moments, the Five Elements Cave Heaven welcomed thirty-eight new Divinity Transformation True Monarchs, with those below the Nascent Soul realm being too numerous to count.

The cultivators of the Human Clan represented merely a fraction of the Grotto Heaven's dramatic metamorphosis; the true beneficiaries were the plants and animals teeming throughout the land. In that instant, an unknown number of wild beasts awakened their spiritual wisdom and spontaneously advanced into the ranks of demon beasts.

Concurrently, myriad grasses, trees, and flora rapidly transmuted into stalks of Spiritual Medicine and Spirit Plants, some even developing sentience.

As for the multitude of subtler transformations, even Zhao Sheng could not fully grasp them at this moment, leaving their discovery for the days ahead.