Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2407 - 205: Preparation

Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...

The master of Golden Water Pond, in a bid to outmaneuver Cheng Lianzi during their tense standoff, offered his sect's supreme upper-grade Dao Treasure to Wang Ba, prompting other cultivators to reluctantly present their own prized artifacts to avoid offending the powerful True Man Taiyi. Cheng Lianzi, seething with regret over the earlier quarrel, followed suit by yielding the Fire Stone and a mysterious treasure box containing an ancient horn, which Wang Ba deemed unusable by the Laowen Sect. Though Wang Ba returned most of the treasures, he accepted the enigmatic horn and generously exchanged it for his own upper-grade Dao Treasure, earning the fervent loyalty of Cheng Lianzi and the surrounding cultivators who saw him as a magnanimous leader for Zhang’s Ruins.

"Move it, move it!"

"No time to lose!"

"Listen up, all of you... I'll repeat this once more! By the Ruins Master's command, starting today, every cultivator must register. Concealment will earn you the same fate as demonic monks—execution without mercy!"

"Moreover, those at the Unification Realm may approach White Channel Yin's Dojo, where the Ruins Master will offer periodic lectures, steering everyone toward the Tribulation-Transcending Realm..."

Zhang's Ruins lay before them.

A dense, shadowy cliff stretched out, dotted with numerous caverns.

From inside these cavern dwellings, cultivators' auras pulsed outward. At the cave mouths, faint silhouettes of watchful and wary cultivators lingered.

These cultivators' auras differed greatly in power.

Lower realms occupied spots nearer the cliff's base.

Near the peak, three caves stood in a row. Right then, one figure emerged from each, their faces showing wariness, caution, gravity, anxiety, and fawning respect...

In the empty space beyond the cliff, a handful of uniformly clad figures bellowed announcements about the latest upheavals in the ruins.

From the trio emerging from the highest cave, a Rogue Cultivator at the early Unification Realm stage approached warily, saluting with cupped hands to the rest before mustering a grin and remarking:

"Honored disciples of Golden Water Pond, I've been deep in seclusion lately and missed the shifts in the ruins. I didn't realize White Channel Yin Family had fallen under the Po Master's control, nor that Zhang's Ruins now unite under the Po Master—it's truly joyous news."

The cultivators scowled at his words, their leader huffing coldly:

"Spouting rubbish! White Channel Yin Family... walks the same road as we do; there's no talk of conquest or submission. The Po Master never pulled that off, so watch your tongue!"

The cultivator shuddered and hastened to apologize.

Then, he ventured carefully:

"If it's not Zhang's Ruins unification, who is this Ruins Master...?"

"Don't poke into matters beyond your reach!"

The leading cultivator snapped back, yet paused upon noting the man's solid realm and base, before murmuring:

"The Ruins Master is that True Man who blazed through the Cloud Sky Realm battles centuries ago..."

Even the Po Master showed respect and held back recklessly before that True Man. Aware of his own humble standing, he naturally avoided uttering that name lightly.

But the Rogue Cultivator looked puzzled:

"Cloud Sky Realm battle? That True Man? Which one?"

Noting the Rogue Cultivator's bewilderment, the Golden Water Pond cultivator furrowed his brow slightly and fell silent.

Unlike the top ten powers safeguarding Zhang's Ruins' eleven entrances, these Rogue Cultivators stayed far removed from events, likely ignorant of the supreme True Buddha's clash in the Cloud Sky Realm hundreds of years back, much less that True Man's feats.

No sense in elaborating; unwilling to waste effort, he barked sharply:

"Stay out of it; just remember that Zhang's Ruins now rally under the Ruins Master's revered title 'Taiyi' from this day forward. In mercy toward you lowly wanderers, he intends to teach you personally... Keep your manners at Yin Ruins Arena—don't shame Golden Water Pond!"

"Above all, don't let those Laowen Sect folks eclipse you!"

"Should I hear you've lagged behind Laowen Sect's envoys, hmph..."

With that icy snort, the early Unification Realm Rogue Cultivator's chest tightened, silencing him as he nodded swiftly in agreement.

Such exchanges unfolded across numerous spots in Zhang's Ruins.

Beyond holding their guarded territories, the top ten factions actually maintained diverse setups far inside Zhang's Ruins.

Ruins resources ran thin, yet Rogue Cultivators abounded.

These Rogue Cultivators served well for pill-refining or toil... prime assets indeed.

White Channel Yin Family followed suit, routinely snatching groups from the ruins for labor.

Normally, these vested interests held firm against disruption.

However, as the colossal menace of the supreme True Buddha edged closer to truth, those walls began to crack.

Thanks to Wang Ba's firm push, the long-buried Rogue Cultivators in the ruins now glimpsed chances from loftier realms, with a tough path ahead but real promise all the same.

And from such promise, staggering might could erupt...

Over the surface vents of Zhang's Ruins, cultivator forms darted to and fro, quietly building array points.

The top ten powers, plus countless minor groups in the ruins boasting Tribulation-Transcending Realm experts, hustled to erect barriers against the supreme True Buddha's impending assault.

Arrays, snares, killing strikes, hexes... every tactic came into play.

The might wasn't overwhelming, yet it promised endless annoyance.

Though Rogue Cultivators paled against mighty Sects, their weed-like tenacity and survival drive, fueled by clever schemes, sparked unexpected brilliance...

All preparations surged forward with urgency.

Yet in the ruins' hidden depths, unseen by all.

Within the immense 'sea', a consciousness stirred from rest, quietly watching the frenzy and shifts inside and beyond the ruins, before turning its focus to a green-clad form in some immortal abode within, creasing its brow faintly:

"Why's this fellow back here..."

"Not after my rundown shrine, is he?"

"Maybe I should drop a word?"

A flicker of intent arose, but recalling something, it wavered:

"This guy's no easy mark; back then, those two almost... anyway, better watch and wait!"