Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1740 - 934: Zhang Er Ancestor’s Ascension

Deep within the Five Elements Grotto Heaven, specifically on Yuekong Mountain in the Yu State, the ancestral hall of the clan stood.

Coincidentally, this very day marked the esteemed birthday of the founding Ancestor. Outside the hallowed ancestral hall, the expansive space before its doors teemed with a dense assembly of people.

Inside the solemn and awe-inspiring ancestral hall, three venerable elders stood at the forefront, their gazes fixed upon the twenty-odd juniors gathered below before the ancestral memorial tablets.

Among the assembled juniors, individuals ranging from about twenty years of age to a few young lads of seven or eight, mere snot-nosed brats, each clutched three long sticks of incense.

The Great Clan Elder surveyed the juniors with a heavy tone, addressing them, "Today marks the birthday of our Yu Kong Zhao Clan's founding Ancestor, and it is also the day your names shall be officially entered into the clan register. Since the Zhao Family's ascendance two hundred and eighty thousand years ago, our descendants have ceaselessly adhered to the eight-character maxim bequeathed by our Ancestor. Have you truly etched it into your hearts?"

Upon the elder's pronouncement, the more than twenty juniors, as one, roared in unison, "...Of one heart and one mind, invincible in all things!"

"Excellent!" The Great Clan Elder nodded, a hint of satisfaction gracing his features, and continued, "Now, light your incense! Follow me in paying homage to the Ancestor."

With a mere flick of his fingers, he conjured several dozen strands of firelight, which swiftly ignited the incense held in every hand.

Then, the Great Clan Elder produced three incense sticks, each as thick as a thumb, by flipping his hand. After lighting them, he held them aloft, turned towards the rows of ancestral tablets, and bowed deeply three times with profound reverence. Finally, he planted the incense into the Purple Incense Burner situated at the heart of the offering table.

Following his lead, the other two elders stepped forward, incense in hand. They, too, performed three bows with utmost seriousness, meticulously avoiding any hint of carelessness, before placing their incense into the burner.

Once the three elders had concluded their solemn rites, the eldest youth among the juniors stepped forth from the assembled group.

Mirroring the elders' earlier movements, he bowed three times to the memorial tablets of generations past, his expression etched with reverence. He then proceeded to place his incense and respectfully retreated back into the crowd.

One by one, the juniors followed, moving forward in order of age to offer their incense and pay their respects.

A short while later, all twenty-odd juniors had completed their act of offering incense.

At this precise moment, a faint, clear radiance emanated from the Divine Statue of the Ancestor enshrined at the very center of the hall. A flicker of life seemed to momentarily animate the statue's eyes.

Instantly, an unseen gaze, as if descending from the heavens, swept across every individual present.

The next moment, a startled exclamation shattered the profound stillness within the ancestral hall: "Ah, the Ancestor has manifested!"

As this cry echoed, a sheet of luminous, clear light unfurled, enveloping both the ancestral hall and the plaza beyond in its embrace.

In that instant, everyone within and without the hall felt an unparalleled sense of spiritual tranquility. Innumerable streams of warmth spontaneously emerged within their limbs and bones, possessing a power that seemed capable of healing all afflictions. Wherever this heat passed, all manner of latent injuries and ailments within their bodies vanished without a trace.

Furthermore, some individuals even perceived a subtle enhancement in their inherent aptitude.

Naturally, the most significant benefits were reaped by the three elders within the hall and the gathered group of juniors.

The cultivation bottlenecks for the three elders, all at the Nascent Soul Realm, experienced a slight loosening simultaneously. As for the juniors, they underwent a purifying process, each of their bodies expelling a considerable amount of dark, reddish filth.

Beholding this remarkable outcome, the Great Clan Elder was filled with immense pleasure and immediately instructed the juniors to depart and cleanse themselves.

As the juniors, spirits high, exited the ancestral hall, a clamor of loud exclamations swiftly erupted from the outside.

Several days later, deep within a cave mansion nestled in the rear mountains of Yuekong, a child with delicate rosy lips and fair teeth, possessing an exceptionally handsome countenance, lay nestled in his great-great-grandfather's arms. His eyes, brimming with curiosity, posed a question, "Grandfather, is the Ancestor still alive?"

"Fan'er, you must not be so impudent!" The Great Clan Elder, Zhao Guiyi, feigned a stern reprimand.

The child trembled slightly in fear and quickly burrowed deeper into his great-grandfather's embrace, wriggling as if seeking affection.

Zhao Guiyi, harboring a deep fondness for the child, could not help but let out a hearty laugh. He replied in a gentle tone, "Be a good boy, Fan'er! The Ancestor's Mana is boundless; his lifespan is nearly equivalent to that of the heavens. Of course, he is alive and well."

The child poked his little head out, his eyes darting around, and then bold as brass, he inquired, "My grandson has heard that the Ancestor is a Tribulation Crossing Realm Venerable. Great-grandfather, what exactly is a Great Venerable?"

Zhao Guiyi gently ruffled his grandson's hair, feigning a lighthearted tone as he responded, "A Great Venerable is simply a Great Venerable. You are still young. Once you mature, you will naturally grasp how noble a Tribulation Crossing Realm Venerable truly is!"

It must be acknowledged that children are inherently beings filled with boundless curiosity.

Upon hearing this, the child immediately posed another question, "Then... is a Great Venerable even more powerful than Great-grandfather?"

"Haha, how could my humble Daoist attainments possibly compare to even a ten-thousandth fraction of a Great Venerable? Do you comprehend the exalted status of a Tribulation Crossing Venerable? A Great Venerable's cultivation ascends to the heavens; they wield the Power of Blood Rebirth and possess the might to reshape heaven and earth with mere thought. To us Mortal Cultivators, a Great Venerable can be considered to possess Immortality and boundless Mana!"

Having spoken thus far, Zhao Guiyi abruptly shifted the topic, commencing to recount past legends to his grandson: "Speaking of which, the Ancestor is truly a legend rarely encountered throughout the ages. Back in those days..."

...Just as the Nascent Soul Cultivator Zhao Guiyi had articulated, a Tribulation Crossing Realm Venerable indeed possesses the formidable ability of Blood Rebirth and can be regarded as having attained Immortality.

However, Zhao Guiyi had, in his assessment, still underestimated the true capabilities of a Tribulation Crossing Venerable.

In Zhao Sheng's perception, Cultivators of the Tribulation Crossing Realm represented the absolute zenith of existence beneath the level of a True Immortal.

Only by achieving a genuine breakthrough to the Tribulation Crossing Realm does one truly comprehend the profound meaning of being "within the Grotto Heaven, with me, there is no enemy under the heavens"!

To elaborate: even the most junior Tribulation Crossing Realm Venerable, provided their true form remains concealed within their Grotto Heaven and does not emerge, becomes virtually unkillable—unless an Immortal personally intervenes.

If, outside the confines of the Grotto Heaven, a Great Venerable can harness one unit of Mana to exert tenfold Power of Laws...

Then, within the sanctuary of their own Grotto Heaven, that identical unit of Mana can effortlessly amplify the Power of Laws by a hundredfold.

Therefore, as long as they remain ensconced within their Grotto Heaven, any Tribulation Crossing Venerable can be deemed invincible; regardless of how many fellow Tribulation Crossing Venerables might converge to lay siege, they would not harbor the slightest apprehension.