Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil in the Cultivation World Chapter 1058 - 514: Second-Layer Void Refining, The Ancient Sect That Once Fled (2)

"After acting as a deserter, they now have the audacity to return to the Void Realm for the spoils?"

A surge of indignation caused Lu Youyou to clench her fists tightly.

To her, these ancient sects were utterly devoid of shame.

Whenever a genuine, grueling conflict broke out, they were the first to vanish.

Yet, the moment there was treasure to be claimed, they swarmed back like vultures.

Their greed was truly boundless.

"It cannot be helped; that is simply how this world functions."

"Shameless, morally bankrupt individuals always seem to secure the most substantial gains," observed Cloud Fairy with a sigh of resignation.

Truthfully, if the Ziwei Sect had possessed the means to escape, they would have fled ages ago.

Alas, their fate was tied too inextricably to the Taixu Sect, making departure an impossibility.

It was a clear case of shared glory and shared ruin.

"What of the Taixu Sect, then? Could they have established some hidden contingency?"

"Does the influence of the Taixu Sect still persist in other realms?"

Lu Youyou voiced her anxieties aloud.

After all, her husband was now in possession of the Gate of the Void, the ultimate treasure of the Taixu Sect.

Should those remnants return to the Void Realm, they might inevitably clash with him.

For the Primordial Talisman Sect, such a scenario would spell absolute disaster.

Nobody could truly gauge the extent of the growth these ancient forces had achieved over the missing years.

Worse, they were known to inhabit various Great Thousand Worlds.

In those vast realms, they were free from the cultivation restrictions here and could potentially reach the Mahayana Realm.

If these ancient powers returned to the Void Realm in force, local groups would face total annihilation.

Certainly, some sects might still hold onto their virtuous principles.

But one can never entrust their survival to the benevolence of strangers.

An individual’s fate must remains firmly within their own grasp.

That is the essence of a true cultivator.

"The original Taixu Sect was wiped out completely; there is no question about that."

"It was not in their enemies' nature to leave any survivors behind."

"The same fate befell the Ziwei Sect and the Primordial Talisman Sect among others."

"It was precisely because we posed such a grave threat that our adversaries showed no mercy, seeking to erase us from existence."

"However, it is possible for groups modeled after the Taixu Sect to exist somewhere."

"The Taixu Sect left behind vast legacies, after all."

"Should later generations stumble upon them, they will naturally claim the title and heritage."

"Yet, such sects have very little to do with the authentic Taixu Sect," Cloud Fairy added dismissively.

"Master, in that case, what should our next step be?" Lu Youyou asked, filled with concern.

"What else can we do? We shall face soldiers with generals, and water with earth."

"Fortunately, your husband’s cultivation progresses at an incredible rate; he has reached the Void Refining stage already."

"Even if outside sects launch an assault, your husband’s capabilities should be enough to overcome them."

"However, you are still lagging behind, trapped at the Nascent Soul Realm."

"You must accelerate your progress at all costs."

"Otherwise, in the chaotic future that awaits, you will be nothing more than cannon fodder," Cloud Fairy cautioned.

It was evident she had total faith that Jiang Fan would emerge unscathed.

He was, after all, the Child of Destiny, gifted with unparalleled fortune.

His rate of Cultivation was nothing short of miraculous.

But her disciple, Lu Youyou, was in a precarious position; without rapid gains, she would struggle against the coming threats.

With that resolve, she directed Lu Youyou toward one of the hidden ruins to recover caches left by the Ziwei Sect.

Relying solely on meditative cultivation would take far too long to reach the Divinity Transformation stage.

With the aid of these ancient treasures, the path to ascension would be significantly shortened.

"Understood, Master."

Lu Youyou nodded, acknowledging the wisdom.

A sense of urgency began to fester within her.

Both her husband and Sister Weiwei were already leaving her in the dust.

Truthfully, the fear of becoming a burden to her husband was becoming an overwhelming obsession.

She was determined to exhaust every resource to keep pace with him.

...

Deep within the Ten Thousand Beasts Secret Realm, on the slopes of Primordial Peak.

Inside a silent, sheltered chamber, Jiang Fan remained secluded.

"The path of the Void Refinement stage possesses a depth far beyond that of the Divinity Transformation stage."

Sitting cross-legged, Jiang Fan focused his mind.

He channeled the Mixed Element Talisman Scripture, allowing his primordial spirit to permeate the surrounding void.

He felt as if he were merging with the very fabric of space.

With every rhythmic breath, he absorbed the ordinary Spiritual Qi of the heavens and earth, simultaneously drawing in refined strands of void energy.

Massive energy flowed into his body, steadily fortifying his primordial magical power.

This was the labor of a Void Refining Cultivator.

However, since the average Void Refining Cultivator lacked a powerful primordial spirit, they could only absorb negligible amounts of void energy, making their progress agonizingly slow.

They might stagnate for centuries or even millennia without any tangible improvement.

If they hit a bottleneck, advancement might escape them for their entire lives.

Jiang Fan, however, was an anomaly; his primordial spirit was exceptionally potent.

Despite being at the First-Layer Void Refining, his spiritual power was on par with someone at the First-Layer Integration.

Every intake of breath allowed him to absorb more void energy than a dozen ordinary cultivators combined.

His efficiency in cultivation, therefore, was vastly superior.

"It is no wonder they say Void Refining Cultivators require spirit veins of at least the Sixth Tier for success."

"Tiers five and below are simply ineffective for this stage."

Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes in realization.

The divide between Tier Five and Tier Six Spirit Veins was not a simple increment; it was a qualitative transformation.

Sixth-tier veins possessed the fundamental ability to communicate with the void itself.

At this level, the vein becomes anchored to the void.

The Spiritual Qi provided is not only dozens of times more abundant than a Tier Five vein, but it is infused with the essential void energy required for his path.

A Tier Five vein lacks this connection entirely.

This explains why training on a lower-tier vein provides almost no assistance to a Void Refining Cultivator, slowing their growth to a crawl.

"At long last, I have reached the completion of the First-Layer Void Refining."

Jiang Fan took a long, steady breath.

A year of intense seclusion had brought him to this breakthrough point.

He was now only a heartbeat away from entering the Second-Layer Void Refining.

This rapid momentum was due largely to the consumption of the Profound Yellow Fruit.

This exquisite spirit fruit was packed with enough energy to sustain even the voracious requirements of his current state.

"The time to break through is now."

Jiang Fan activated the full power of his Mixed Element Talisman Scripture.

He guided his primordial magical power through his Meridians in a sequence of three hundred and sixty cycles.

By the conclusion, his energy reserves had reached their zenith.

Driving the massive force forward, he struck the invisible barrier.

Boom!

The obstruction shattered instantly at the force of his momentum.

Second-Layer Void Refining!

Without a single hitch, Jiang Fan transitioned smoothly into the next level.

He felt his physical magical power and expanded spiritual senses reach a new, vastly superior threshold.

The difference was night and day.

"Is this the power of the Second-Layer Void Refining?"

Jiang Fan immediately analyzed the shift in his perception.

Previously he controlled ten thousand soul tendrils, but now, he commanded twenty thousand.

The dense web of these tendrils stretched out like a colossal net of awareness.

It functioned as a heavenly eye, piercing through the void itself.

Anything within the sphere of his reach would be laid bare before his senses.

Furthermore, his mastery over Void Power had climbed to a higher plateau, further increasing the durability and reach of his Domain.

"Now, it is time to inscribe the new Life Talisman."

Jiang Fan felt immense satisfaction with these results.

He had already finalized his choice for his latest Life Talisman.

The Heaven-Collecting Gourd Talisman.

This Immortal Realm Spirit Talisman was derived from the legendary Heaven-Collecting Gourd itself.

Its purpose was elegant in its simplicity: it contained the potential to encompass everything.

Living entities trapped within would quickly be reduced to primordial essence, while inanimate objects were stripped of impurities, leaving only their core value.

The interior held an expansive void capable of storing endless quantities of items.

Once ensnared by this immortal treasure, nothing could ever hope to escape.

Within lay a prison of infinite scale.