Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1743 - 936: The World as the Board, All Living Beings as Pieces

The Divine Continent's Anlan Prefecture was home to the Chanfeng Spirit Medicine Garden. A crisp autumn breeze carried medicinal scents through the grounds. Vast fields of seven-colored brocade orchids swayed, resembling brilliant rainbows cast upon the spirit peak, creating a scene of unparalleled beauty.

As twilight descended, medicine farmers, varying in age but bearing the marks of hardship, began their descent from Chanfeng Mountain, their backs laden with herb baskets.

Upon reaching the mountain's base, these farmers coalesced into several small clusters.

Leaning against a roadside pine, Lin Daqi observed this with amusement. He addressed an elder, whose white hair contrasted with his reddish-brown robe, standing a few paces away. "Old Liu," Lin Daqi began, "you must submit ten dou of Dining Mist Orchid Dew this month. Make haste, lest the manager banish you from the mountain if you fail again."

The old man in the reddish-brown robe carefully set down his basket and rubbed his aching waist with a weary sigh.

"No need for Brother Lin's concern," the elder replied, turning his slightly clouded gaze towards Lin Daqi. "I began an hour earlier these past few days. This should suffice for the month."

Lin Daqi's surprise was evident. He straightened up and quickly moved behind Old Liu, proceeding to rummage through the basket for all to see.

"Hey, hey, Brother Lin, stop!" Old Liu hastened forward, attempting to impede Lin Daqi's actions.

However, being elderly and frail, with only Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivation, he was no match for Lin Daqi, who had achieved Qi Refining Perfection.

"Scram!"

Lin Daqi's arms blazed with a red glow as he shoved Old Liu two zhang away. He bellowed arrogantly, "You still owe me two bottles of Yunyuan Pill. If I procure some Jade Dew as interest, what's the harm in that?"

This confrontation immediately drew the attention of the surrounding medicine farmers, who watched the unfolding drama with keen interest.

The Chanfeng Medicine Garden spanned a hundred miles, hosting nearly a hundred medicine farmers year-round. Lin Daqi, having long since mastered Qi Refining, was a notorious figure among them, known for his bullying tactics and illicit dealings in spiritual medicine smuggling and usury.

Everyone understood Lin Daqi was merely a puppet; his true authority stemmed from Mr. Zhao, the Chief of Chanfeng.

Noticing Old Liu's sudden paralysis, Lin Daqi's arrogance intensified.

His cold gaze swept across the area, causing nearby medicine farmers to avert their eyes, unwilling to meet his stare.

Satisfied with their cowering reaction, Lin Daqi finally lowered his gaze and retrieved a fist-sized White Jade Purifying Bottle from the basket.

He weighed the bottle in his hands, then sneered, "Not bad! It's nearly a dou. Old Liu, you've been... quite diligent—"

His words were cut short as Lin Daqi's face contorted in extreme shock, freezing him instantly.

In the next moment, a chilling breeze caressed his form, and his entire being abruptly disintegrated. Flesh and clothes alike dissolved into a wispy cloud of green smoke, scattering on the wind.

In less than the blink of an eye, a living person had vanished under bizarre circumstances, right before everyone's eyes!

The assembled medicine farmers stood stunned, a wave of panic washing over them.

Shortly after, someone pointed out Old Liu's peculiar transformation.

"Old Liu... you... a demon monk!" the closest individual stammered, aghast at witnessing Old Liu's instantaneous metamorphosis from a white-haired, hunched elder into a kindly-faced, bald monk in gray robes.

"Infinite Saint Ancestor," the gray-robed monk intoned, hands clasped, "all beings suffer; only I am free in Joy Heaven!"

As he finished chanting, a paradisiacal realm materialized from nowhere, engulfing the group of medicine farmers within its borders.

As their forms faded, majestic and melodious immortal music resonated from the depths of the void. The seven-colored brocade orchids on the mountain burst into simultaneous bloom, rainbows arched across the heavens, and a rich fragrance pervaded the air, spreading for hundreds of miles.

At this juncture, the gray-robed monk ascended, myriad rainbows converging beneath his feet to form transcendent, seven-colored lotus flowers.

Before the radiant lotus could vanish, the monk stepped into the void and disappeared without a trace.

...

In Near Heaven, the stellar river blazed with celestial light. Galaxies formed intricate star nebulae, each occupying its unique sector of the Universe, radiating its distinct brilliance.

Suddenly, in an unfathomable void bordering the Five Elements Cave Heaven, an aged monk garbed in grey materialized from thin air.

The Zizai Heavenly Demon Lord adjusted his monk's robe, his gaze fixed upon the Five Elements Cave Heaven, a distance of billions of miles away. Within his eyes, innumerable resplendent Spirit Mechanisms swirled, painting a magnificent "heaven and earth."

Drawn by an unseen power, these myriad Spirit Mechanisms coalesced into a vibrant, multi-hued ocean of light. This sea continuously streamed into the Five Elements Cave Heaven, culminating in the formation of an extraordinary celestial spectacle.

After a brief observation, the Zizai Heavenly Demon Lord revised his initial intentions.

The old monk, clad in grey, joined his palms together and chanted with reverence, "Infinite Saint Ancestor! This humble monk, hailing from the Self-free Heaven, humbly requests an audience with the Mixed Element Daoist."

The instant the Zizai Heavenly Demon Lord projected his aura, the true entity residing within the Five Elements Cave Heaven became acutely aware of it.

By the time the Zizai Heavenly Demon Lord extended his invitation for a meeting, Avatar Dongzhenzi had already emerged from the Cave Heaven and appeared before the Demon Lord.

"Infinite Heavenly Venerate! I am a humble Taoist from another realm, with no connection to your Self-free Heaven. Pray tell, what brings you here unannounced today?" Dongzhenzi inquired with a stern countenance, his voice devoid of warmth.

At the exalted stage of a Tribulation Crossing Venerable, the distinctions between the righteous and demonic sects had long since blurred into irrelevance.