Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2411 - 206: Rejected (2)

Indeed, those more than ten years proved far from wasted for Tao Bingji; they offered a tremendous chance instead. On the journey, Wang Ba found no opportunity to cultivate, and beyond reflecting on the countless facets of 'Unleashed Beasts,' he had little to pass the time, so he offered precise guidance every step of the way, including granting cultivation treasures. In the end, over just a decade or so, Tao Bingji surged from early Immortal Ascension all the way to Immortal Ascension Perfection, needing only a spot to endure the tribulation, forge his Primordial Spirit and Dao Domain, before advancing to the Void Refining Realm.

That kind of pace counts as truly shocking, even amid the Cloud Sky Realm.

Tao Bingji brimmed with delight, utterly casting aside any lingering arrogance from his former days as an Innate Divine Demon, and revealed deep reverence for his master.

The deeper their exchanges became, the more he sensed himself staring up at a colossal peak.

He couldn't hold back a sigh:

"Without my teacher, I'm afraid Bingji would have stayed lost through yet another life, meeting his end right here."

Wang Ba gave a light chuckle and responded:

"After reincarnating, Innate Divine Demons come into the world some sharp-minded from birth, others naturally dull—everyone differs. Yet, truly setting foot on the Dao path doesn't tie much to cleverness; it only affects the pace. Besides, attaining the Nascent Soul Realm independently isn't any sign of stupidity. The crucial part is possessing the correct approach—lacking it wastes an entire life; armed with it, while claiming you'd soar to the heavens overnight stretches the truth, your prospects remain bright, and that's no mere boast."

"Naturally, there's also the issue where certain ones awaken their Innate Wisdom, recalling both prior and current existences, get swayed by the foundations of their Innate Divine Demon heritage from before, which disrupts their Dao-heart, blocks their progress, prevents them from calming for true cultivation, aiming grandly yet achieving little, or tumbling into all sorts of pitfalls..."

His insight into the laws and the array of Dao Law lineages likely trails only those of a Mahayana Cultivator, inching toward that profound state where complexity yields to simplicity and every Dharma converges into oneness. With a mere look, he completely understood Tao Bingji's cultivation condition. His remarks weren't casual chatter; they struck right at the root causes of Tao Bingji's earlier roadblocks in cultivation.

"Teacher's insights ring so true. Back in the Yunhuo Realm, even with my modest realm, I frequently scorned the local cultivators. That's just as teacher described earlier, 'pride like a mountain, the Dharma water does not enter.' Reflecting on it now, I was truly ensnared by those barriers..."

Tao Bingji expressed with heartfelt sincerity.

"Hence, cultivation means nurturing the heart; without a steady heart, everything turns to mere illusion in the end."

Wang Ba let out a hearty laugh.

As they conversed, a streak of light raced through the void at great speed.

Then, as if detecting a presence, the pair at last ended their exchange.

The azure streak of light came to an abrupt stop as well.

Two silhouettes appeared, their eyes fixed on the horizon.

The immense emptiness resembled a starlit night, dotted with star groups far off. Ahead lay an enormous expanse of Chaos Origin Substance, stretching like a bottomless chasm, thick and hushed, akin to a grand primordial creature of boundless scale, traversing the Realm Sea.

"Could this be the Quiet Cave?"

Tao Bingji whispered to himself; despite his reincarnation and fresh start in cultivation, an odd sense of recognition washed over him here.

Wang Ba's eyes scanned the vista before them, distinctly sensing the host of watchful stares rising from the Quiet Cave.

Yet, save for just a handful among them, none of those stares carried any danger to him.

Without doubt, those stares belonged to the Innate Divine Demons and World Eaters dwelling inside the Quiet Cave.

Still, the heavy veil of Chaos Origin Substance obscured clear views of the forms within—he could only make out faint, indistinct outlines.

In an instant, he let his aura radiate freely, holding nothing back.

Tao Bingji, positioned close by and shielded by Wang Ba, still experienced a wave of shock and breathlessness, even a near-fatal hopelessness, upon feeling Wang Ba's aura crash over him!

Right then, the many concealed beings amid that vast Chaos Origin Substance likewise detected Wang Ba's aura, each struck with shock.

Without a sound, a being covered in shaggy, heavy fur, boasting a serpent's head atop a humanoid frame, shot forth from the foggy Chaos Origin Substance, demanding sharply:

"You there, Cultivator—what's your purpose?"

"Trespass into this Quiet Cave, and face certain death without quarter!"

He unleashed his own aura too, at the late Eighth Tier, almost matching the Northern Great Bodhisattva in strength.

"Looks like some kind of overseer."

Wang Ba's thoughts turned, then he cupped his hands in greeting, a subtle smile on his lips, and declared clearly:

"From Zhang’s Ruins, 'Taiyi' offers salutations to this fellow Daoist. Might I inquire your name?"

"Taiyi? From Zhang’s Ruins?"

This serpentine, half-human Innate Divine Demon creased his brow faintly, eyed Wang Ba's features closely, and abruptly questioned:

"Are you that True Man Taiyi who, in the Cloud Sky Realm conflict, cut down numerous Bodhisattvas and Arhats?"

Wang Ba felt a touch of astonishment, hardly anticipating that his fame had reached even the Quiet Cave. He pulled back his aura and gave a slight nod:

"Yes, though the number felled wasn't that great."

He quietly confirmed the other's guess.

But to his surprise, at those words, the half-serpent Innate Divine Demon's face grew stormy in an instant, a cold flicker in his snake-like eyes as he snarled:

"So you have the audacity to approach our Quiet Cave!"

At once, his snake head lunged forward, shifting into a gray python wrapped in fur, lashing wildly at Wang Ba!

The fur bristled like spikes, fangs gleamed razor-sharp, spewing a foul reek!

It appeared unremarkable at first, yet that odor proved truly terrifying, swiftly eating away at the void in its wake!

Wang Ba's face tightened a fraction, swiftly remembering the Xiahou Demon's earlier words regarding the grudge between the Cloud Sky Realm and the Quiet Cave.