Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2398: 202: Three Swords
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
“Fellow Daoist Deng, my congratulations on successfully rebuilding your body.”
“Tao Bingji has advanced considerably in recent years. Perhaps in three to five hundred more years, he could attempt to enter the Void Refining stage.”
Within the Yin Ruins Arena.
Wang Ba was seated in a meditative pose inside the makeshift immortal abode that the Yin Family had arranged just for him, giving a nod while observing Tao Bingji and Deng Yingjue standing in front.
Deng Yingjue showed a deferential look on his face:
“Everything stems from your benevolence, Senior. The Yin Family treats me with such respect because of you. Apart from the resources you provided earlier, they've given me even more.”
“Yingjue feels deeply thankful!”
Tao Bingji likewise positioned himself respectfully in front of Wang Ba, offering a profound bow:
“Without your past instructions, I might have stayed stuck below Nascent Soul for good in this life, with no way to advance.”
Wang Ba lifted his hand lightly, a smile on his lips as he halted Tao Bingji's bow:
“There's no call for such gestures. The path of cultivation depends on destiny and serendipity. This breakthrough was fated for you, and I merely crossed your path at the right time.”
“Incidentally, should the opportunity arise, could you inquire with Yunhuo Realm on my behalf… about their willingness to integrate into a Great Realm?”
During his words, a subtle feeling emerged within him.
He had thoroughly grasped the Buddhist Law of the Supreme True Buddha.
Even without intent, his speech now bore a trace of Buddhist essence.
He continued to impart further advice.
In Tao Bingji's prior existence, he drew from Innate Divine Demons, though his grasp of Dao Law remained fairly average.
Fortune smiled on him, however, by bringing him into contact with the exceptional Great Cultivator Wang Ba, a rarity throughout the Realm Sea. With Wang Ba's careful mentoring, Tao Bingji's growth surged ahead, outpacing even the sharpest prodigies.
Upon learning of a Great Realm's intent to absorb Yunhuo Realm, Tao Bingji felt a mix of astonishment and joy.
Having undergone multiple reincarnations in Yunhuo Realm, he held deep affection for it. Given its impending downfall soon, an absorption by a Great Realm would prove fortunate, so he quickly agreed with a nod.
“Oh, and do you happen to know the location of the Quiet Cave?”
Wang Ba inquired offhandedly.
Tao Bingji appeared somewhat confused:
“Quiet Cave… what's that?”
Upon hearing this, Wang Ba felt a touch of regret, shaking his head lightly:
“Never mind, just a casual question.”
Tao Bingji had arrived in the realm and cycled through reincarnations ages ago, predating the emergence of the Quiet Cave.
It was improbable that he had any dealings with the Quiet Cave.
Though he stayed serene and steady, Yin Tianzhi elsewhere fretted anxiously, uncertain how to handle the dilemma.
In the midst of his worries, a slim hope flickered in him, one he hesitated to acknowledge.
Yin Tianzhi resolved in secret that should matters fail, he would depart Zhang’s Ruins and seek a new haven elsewhere.
Moments passed by slowly...
…
At the ‘Xin Gate’ on the human-shaped continent of Zhang’s Ruins, a faint fissure appeared in the ‘skull’, through which vast amounts of Chaos Origin Substance surged inward.
Far inside the Xin Gate,
a Taoist Field stretched across the gap between the skull and the calvaria, withstanding the ceaseless battering from the nearby Chaos Origin Substance.
Carved boldly on the field were two prominent characters:
“Laowen.”
Here lay the base of the Laowen Sect, one of Zhang’s Ruins' eleven major powers.
At that instant, in the heart of the Taoist Field,
a middle-aged Taoist, his hair touched with silver and his features gentle, sat motionless in a hidden chamber. Before him rested an item like a ‘horn’, etched with the scars of ages, riddled with dents and voids, yet it reposed calmly within a lavish, decorated treasure chest.
Staring at the ‘horn’, the middle-aged Taoist let out his usual quiet sigh:
“Our junior members fall short, holding the Patriarch’s heirloom without knowing its use...”
Instinctively, he extended a hand to stroke the ‘horn’ softly, sensing its sleek, comforting heat in his grasp, though nothing more followed. With another sigh, repeating his ritual from innumerable occasions, he softly shut the treasure chest.
This routine never changed for him; prior to any weighty choice, he would retreat to this secluded room to contemplate the Patriarch’s artifact, yearning for some subtle sign from the Patriarch.
Yet on this occasion, he lingered longer than before. His palms settled tenderly on the treasure box, his eyes drifting into vagueness.
As though lost in reverie, or gripped by hesitation:
“The Patriarch ought to have attained Mahayana and ascended to The Heavens, so why have no heirs claimed this legacy through all these years?”
“Forget Mahayana— we’ve never even produced a late-stage Tribulation-Transcending cultivator...”
“It’s not just our sect; the whole of Zhang’s Ruins has lacked a late-stage Tribulation-Transcending cultivator for eons?”
“What could explain this?”
“Fate’s decree, or mere chance?”
The Tribulation-Transcending Realm marks the final barrier for Realm Sea cultivators en route to Cultivation Ascension. Thus, progressing through its minor stages proves tougher than conquering entire prior Great Realms.
In Zhang’s Ruins, early-stage Tribulation-Transcending cultivators abound, mid-stage ones exist in small numbers, but late-stage ones are entirely absent.
This condition had endured for ages.
Various factors, such as rivalries between clans, played a role. Typically, as soon as a cultivator neared a late-stage breakthrough, rival groups would strike, thwarting any chance of success.
Still, the total lack of even a single late-stage cultivator over so much time stirred unsettling notions in his thoughts.
“Perhaps... Zhang’s Ruins simply can’t support late-stage Tribulation-Transcending cultivators? Could that be blocking our advancements?”
The idea struck the middle-aged Taoist profoundly.
Should this hold true, what path could he take to address it?
Abandon Zhang’s Ruins?
Yet upon departure, where might he and the Laowen Sect turn?
True bewilderment stirred deep within him:
“Just what is Zhang’s Ruins, really?”
“It resembles a realm but isn’t quite one... still, it harbors so many cultivators within...”