A golden thunderbolt shot across the sky, stirring up a monstrous aura. Wherever it passed, all living beings were shocked by its imposing might, raising their heads to watch.
It looked impressive, but was actually quite ordinary. If the power were properly controlled, why would so much of it be wasted?
To a true powerhouse, this "monstrous might" caused by a lack of control was like a toddler brandishing a longsword—good for nothing but making oneself a laughingstock. However, Wang Yulou was not afraid of being laughed at.
Let them laugh; he didn't care about the opinions of outsiders. The two-sect war was currently fierce, and safe travel was the absolute priority.
Inside the golden shuttle-shaped flying carriage, sixteen seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators were going all out, pushing this high-grade spiritual artifact to its maximum speed. Wang Yulou sat among them, silently seizing every spare mont to cultivate.
As the Town Guardian Cultivator of the Middle Front, he naturally couldn't leave his post lightly. Fortunately, the battlefield between the two sects had stabilized once again.
True Person Gua's intervention had completely locked in the intensity of the war—at least temporarily. Because of this, Wang Yulou dared to step away.
His destination for this trip was Lotus Immortal City. Located at the junction of the Three Sects in the northwest corner of Wunan, this immortal city was less than three thousand li from the Central Line Defense Pass.
Driven by the full exertion of sixteen Foundation Establishnt cultivators, the speed of the Golden Thunder Shuttle could reach four thousand li per shichen. In essence, Wang Yulou was taking a special express carriage, squeezing out ti for a quick trip to Lotus Immortal City.
The purpose of this trip was the auction in Lotus Immortal City. The Immortal City Auction House held a major auction every six months.
Wang Yulou had cultivated for many years, but every ti he wanted to participate, he missed it for one reason or another. Back in the West Sea, there was nothing he needed to buy.
By the ti he reached Foundation Establishnt, he no longer had the ti—under the looming threat of Zhou Bojiao waiting to harvest him, how could Wang Yulou be in the mood to go on a spending spree in Lotus Immortal City? After Zhou Bojiao's death, the subsequent events passed in the blink of an eye, changing too rapidly and intensely.
Only after serving as the Town Guardian Cultivator of the Middle Front for half a year on the front lines of the two-sect war did Wang Yulou finally find the ti to attend the major auction at the Immortal City Auction House. The golden thunderbolt traveled extrely fast, arriving at Lotus Immortal City in no ti.
At the entrance to the Lotus Canopy Grotto-Heaven, Wang Yulou stepped out of the Golden Thunder Shuttle with over a dozen Foundation Establishnt cultivators. The Foundation Establishnt guards at the entrance hurriedly stepped forward to welco them.
Most of the people in Lotus Immortal City knew of Wang Yuque, the most famous cultivator on the front lines of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
"Alright, there's no need for the trouble. The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Central Line Defense Pass has a branch agency in Lotus Immortal City."
An Hening blocked off the interference of irrelevant people. He had co to scout the area in advance and had already confird the specific procedures for Wang Yulou's spending spree in the immortal city.
As a massive frontline core hub with tens of thousands of cultivators under its command, the Central Line Defense Pass even maintained a branch agency at the distant Great Skymount Mountain. The purpose of establishing these agencies was to better procure the items needed for the rit Hall.
In reality, Wang Yulou now held multiple positions. The goals Xuanzhuan had set for him on the two-sect frontline could be considered excellently completed.
Multiple systems were now operating with Wang Yulou at their core. In his current position, why would he need to worry about a Purple Mansion opportunity in the future?
"Senior Yuque, this way please."
Seeing that Wang Yulou had finally arrived, Wang Yaohai, who had been waiting at the entrance of the immortal city, hurriedly brought his people over to welco him. He currently worked in the Information Bureau of the Central Line Defense Pass in Lotus Immortal City, serving as the Bureau Chief.
As part of the Dripdrop Cave lineage, Wang Yaohai was naturally one of Wang Yulou's direct subordinates. He had always been loyal, and his current position only cented that fact.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, Yaohai's work in the immortal city has been very effective. He even convinced the master of the auction house to put the few precious items you are interested in at the very end of the auction order," An Hening said.
"If we head over now, it will be over in about a shichen, and then we can leave this place and return to the Defense Pass."
For this trip, Wang Yulou was doing a quick in-and-out, skipping the two and a half days of downti at the beginning of the auction and stepping in directly at the end to spend. Slacking off like this did not violate the sect's laws, and he wouldn't be disciplined. Because of his status, he had reached a point where no one other than Mang Xiang could deal with him.
Simply based on his critical importance to the war effort, if he were gone, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's front lines could very well collapse. The probability was low, but it existed. The reason he repeatedly emphasized having his subordinates manage his schedule so carefully was entirely out of loyalty to his Ancestral Master. He had to help the Red Lantern Illumination Sect ensure they at least didn't lose.
The Ancestral Master's matters were Wang Yulou's matters—no, they were even more important than his own. Only with such a working attitude could he establish a firm foothold within the intensely competitive Behemoth Lineage.
"Good," Wang Yulou said to Yaohai. "While you serve as Bureau Chief, your main task is still cultivation. Reaching Foundation Establishnt early is better than anything else. Otherwise, when Fellow Daoist Hening praises you, I wouldn't even know where to begin if I wanted to reward you."
Tis had changed. Wang Yulou had now beco the type of person who urged others to reach Foundation Establishnt.
In truth, Wang Yulou was in a difficult position as well.
He was like a polished piece of donkey dung—shiny on the outside, but underneath, the factions sward like flies: the Clear Stream Market faction, the Dripdrop Cave faction, the West Sea Faction, the Wang Clan faction, the inner and outer circles of the Xuanzhuan faction, the inner and outer circles of the Mangxiang Faction, the internal neutrals, and the internal enemies.
With so many factions surrounding him—a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, Town Guardian Cultivator of the Middle Front, Steward of the rit Hall, Assistant to the Ruler of the Southern Leaf Kingdom, Town Guardian Cultivator of Fragrant Bamboo Market, and frontline patrolling inspector—he needed his own people to assist him and keep an eye on certain individuals and matters. Wang Yaohai was exactly this kind of person.
Like Bailu, he was soone Wang Yulou had personally promoted.
"Understood. Thank you, Senior Yuque. Thank you, Senior Hening."
—— Inner city of Lotus Immortal City, outside the auction house. Lian Siqi and Qiu Mingshen were waiting with a large group of core personnel from the immortal city.
Even the auction inside had been paused due to Wang Yulou's arrival. This was a testant to his current status.
With the two-sect war having reached this stage, Wang Yulou, the actual person in charge of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's front lines, held a status no inferior to that of Sect Master Huang Qiusheng. His extraordinary standing was further evidenced by his escort of sixteen seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
There were two types of cultivators in the world: those who lived under the rules, and those who participated in making them. Wang Yulou just happened to be the latter.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque!"
Seeing Wang Yulou riding his Black Dragon Steed over from afar with his entourage, Lian Siqi hurriedly stepped forward to welco him. Lian Chengxian had already been dealt with, but there was ultimately a rift in the relationship between the two parties.
Knowing they were in the wrong, Lian Siqi naturally needed to act more attentively. After all, even with an Immortal Venerable backing the Lian family, they couldn't casually make enemies—even for their own descendants, the protection of an Immortal Venerable had its limits.
"Fellow Daoist Siqi?"
This was Wang Yulou's first ti eting Lian Siqi. As the Patriarch of the Lian clan, Lian Siqi was a prominent figure in Lotus Immortal City.
"The previous matter was truly unfortunate," Lian Siqi said. "We also didn't expect that idiot to be targeted and used by others.
"I hope Fellow Daoist Yuque can be magnanimous. Co, I'll take you into the auction house now.
"The auction items you are interested in have all been moved to the front of the queue."
This was the Lian clan's final concession. Whether Wang Yulou wanted to accept it or not, he had to. After all, it was impossible for Mang Xiang to truly fall out with the two Immortal Venerables of Lotus Immortal City over Wang Yulou's petty affairs. The grand cultivators above had already negotiated it. No matter how critical Wang Yulou's position was, he couldn't act recklessly.
"There's no need to go that far, just follow the normal procedure," Wang Yulou replied. "I ca on the afternoon of the final day precisely because I wanted to witness the grand spectacle of the major auction."
The design of Lotus Immortal City's major auction was very interesting.
Held once every six months and lasting three days each ti, every day featured many precious items mixed among the ordinary lots. Naturally, the information regarding these precious items wouldn't be disclosed to outsiders.
Only in this way could the auction house attract people to participate from start to finish. However, Wang Yulou had still obtained the information for all the lots in advance.
Never mind the rules of the auction house—even the rules of the Immortal Alliance were nothing more than bargaining chips in Wang Yulou's eyes. Back when he was weak, he had needed to carefully exploit the rules.
Now, he had already beco one of the most prominent Foundation Establishnt cultivators in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. If he still blindly treated the rules set by others as golden laws, his end would be certain death.
"Hahaha, I understand Fellow Daoist Yuque's aning. We were just worried you would be too busy." Qiu Mingshen, who shared Qiu Lianpu's magnificent appearance and fair, jade-like complexion, stepped forward and spoke politely.
"Ti is not an issue. For you Fellow Daoists to welco Yulou like this truly overwhelms ."
"After the auction ends, I'll play the host; you Fellow Daoists absolutely must co. Also, regarding the exchange of Lotus Immortal City rit points, I wonder how many Fellow Daoist Mingshen has managed to gather for ?"
During the Immortal City Auction House's major auction, all the rare and precious items had to be purchased using Lotus Immortal City rit points. In the cultivation world, bottom-tier resource exchanges used spirit stones, while upper-tier resource exchanges used Essence of Grotto-heaven. In the middle tier, however, all resource exchanges were strictly restricted, with limits everywhere. This rule effectively created a free market for the bottom and top tiers, while a rationing system was implented for the middle tier. The bottom tier was free because those resources held little value; the cost of harvesting them was higher than the return. The top tier was free because they were difficult to restrict, aning the cost of governing them would exceed the return.
"Seventy thousand points. Exactly seventy thousand points," Qiu Mingshen replied. "The trading price of rit points within Lotus Immortal City was driven up by your grand gesture, Fellow Daoist Yuque—by an entire twenty percent at that."
Wang Yulou frowned.
Seventy thousand Lotus Immortal City rit points wasn't actually that much; it was only roughly equivalent to the lifelong savings of a dozen or so ordinary Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Ultimately, many of the precious items in the major auction were targeted subsidies from Lotus Immortal City for its own cultivators.
No matter how accommodating Lian Siqi and Qiu Mingshen's attitudes were, it was impossible for them to yield too much profit to Wang Yulou. However, Wang Yulou hadn't just entrusted them with exchanging immortal city rit points on his behalf.
Sitting in the highest-level private box at the major auction, Wang Yulou looked down at the dense crowd of cultivators in the venue. He remained silent, his expression thoughtful.
One thought occupied his mind—among the cultivators in the immortal city, there were quite a few at the Foundation Establishnt stage. Could he find a way to drag them to the frontline to act as rcenaries?
The pitiful Foundation Establishnt cultivators of Lotus Immortal City still didn't know they had already been targeted by Mang Xiang's lackey. In the war between the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and the Sky Serpent Sect, Wang Yulou was earnestly fulfilling his duties.
He held a yearning for the Purple Palace realm in his heart, and the first step to reaching the Purple Palace was to win the war, letting his Ancestral Master see his value. Because of this, he madly seized power, dispatched branch agencies twenty thousand li away to Great Skymount Mountain for procurent, and rushed over to Lotus Immortal City, attempting to find so good items at the major auction. He wanted to bring them back to use as dangling carrots for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Foundation Establishnt cultivators on the frontline.
"The final session of the major auction, the Precious Items Auction, begins now," the auctioneer announced.
"As all you Fellow Daoists know, everything in the Precious Items Auction is a rarity, and bidding must be calculated using immortal city rit points. For Immortal Alliance cultivators, those with Immortal Alliance rit points can settle accounts at a ratio of five to twenty."
"Alright, let us begin."
The auctioneer briefly introduced the rules and then started the auction. The first lot was a set of needle-shaped spiritual artifacts. They exuded a sharp, piercing tal charm and were contained in a needle case made of black jade.
"Rust Gold Law-Breaking Needles. Each needle is a low-grade spiritual artifact with twenty-five layers of restrictions. They utilize the Rust Gold Law-Breaking Charm from the Five Elents Law-Breaking Charms—the effect goes without saying. Just take note that once the Rust Gold Law-Breaking Charm is exhausted, the spiritual charm of these needles will be reduced to a basic tal attribute, leaving their power practically nonexistent. This set has a total of four needles, missing the other five, so it is priced at six hundred rit points, with incrents of ten points per bid. Let's begin."
As the auctioneer finished introducing the spiritual needles, An Hening used divine sense to remind Wang Yulou by his ear.
"It's like buying the Rust Gold Law-Breaking Charm and getting the artifact needles for free. There's no need to bid. If you're interested in the Rust Gold Law-Breaking Charm, it's best to wait. This stuff cos from a specific place, after all; you can always wait for a better source."
Old An was a veteran, a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator who was very familiar with the tricks of the Lotus Immortal City major auction. The exchange ratio between Lotus Immortal City rit points and spirit stones was roughly one to sixty.
Six hundred rit points ant thirty-six thousand spirit stones. Four incomplete and unmatched spiritual needles selling at this price was actually reasonable, but the Rust Gold Law-Breaking Charm was valuable.
This kind of law-breaking charm could determine victory or defeat in magical combat. Therefore, the set of spiritual needles was quickly auctioned off for one thousand one hundred rit points.
Next, various precious items were brought onto the auction stage one by one, ranging from mid-grade spiritual artifacts all the way up to seventh-grade spiritual materials that could be used as base materials for magic treasures.
Since Wang Yulou was spending public funds, he participated in the bidding for basically all the better spiritual materials. Buy, buy, buy—he wasn't short on that bit of money.
Reaching his position, money was very important; after all, the compensation for the Qi Refining cultivators on the frontline couldn't even be paid out anymore. Yet, at the sa ti, money wasn't that important.
If it couldn't be paid, then it couldn't be paid. Wang Yulou couldn't solve this problem—he had no way to further encroach upon the interests of the Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
This matter was different from when he originally established the rit Hall. The rit Hall served to win the war; even if soone opposed it, a balance of interests could be found after sustained effort.
If he mindlessly promised pie in the sky and embezzled the compensation ant for the Foundation Establishnt cultivators, the frontline might really explode.
However, the resources Wang Yulou spent at the Immortal City Auction House ca from the budgets of the rit Hall and the Central Line Defense Pass, entirely separate from the compensation funds. Because of this, he could afford to be lavish and buy everything up.
The sentintal choice would be to misappropriate a portion to make up for the shortfall in compensation for the Qi Refining cultivators who had died in battle on the frontline, but doing so would be irrational. Over the past year of war, Wang Yulou had increasingly realized the harm caused by his own overly rigid moral shackles.
Too many decisions ultimately boiled down to two options: let others pay the price, or pay the price himself. Those who chose the latter would inevitably be eliminated by systemic violence, losing any chance to move upward.
It was cruel, but a choice had to be made.
"The twenty-seventh precious item—White Dragon Golden Soil. This is the golden soil of a Demon God. There are seven portions in total, each weighing three hundred jin. The starting price is six hundred rit points. Begin!"
Golden soil was, in fact, the feces of the Whitebeard General. Although it was hard to keep a straight face, this stuff was truly extraordinary.
It looked like shit, and it actually was shit, but it contained a draconic nature. Many spirit beasts ate shit.
After consuming the Whitebeard General's golden soil, they might even absorb the draconic nature within it. Moreover, a Demon God's golden soil could work wonders in the cultivation of spiritual plants and herbs.
Therefore, the starting price of thirty-six thousand spirit stones for three hundred jin was actually very cost-effective. Wang Yulou imdiately bought three full portions, spending about one hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones, which roughly equated to one hundred and thirty spirit stones per jin of shit.
What else could be said? It was a rare resource, after all, making it well worth the price.
After all, where could one buy a Demon God's golden soil during ordinary tis?
"The twenty-eighth precious item—Great Liquid Dew Radiance Pill. One pill for one aperture. Even if it cannot completely fill an aperture, it can greatly increase cultivation progress. The starting..."
The auctioneer stopped abruptly mid-sentence. He wasn't the only one; all the Foundation Establishnt cultivators were stunned.
Cultivators at the Foundation Establishnt stage had crossed the initial threshold of immortality. A lifespan of three hundred and sixty years didn't seem like much to the heavens, but it was true longevity nonetheless.
Their presence in the world was much more prominent than when they were in the Qi Refining stage. Because of this, Foundation Establishnt cultivators could often sense changes in heaven and earth.
Just like now.
"What's going on?"
"Anger... Are heaven and earth angry?"
"Don't panic! We are inside a grotto-heaven, inside an immortal city. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Inside Wang Yulou's private box, the dozen or so seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators who had escorted him were heatedly discussing the phenona. An Hening looked at Wang Yulou, worried and bewildered.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, this... what should we do?"
With heaven and earth in a fury, who could remain calm? Feeling the wrath of the world, Wang Yulou's gaze grew profound and solemn as he spoke.
"Wait!"
This world ultimately held too many secrets. The grand cultivators from top factions monopolized rare resources, and that included priceless information.
Therefore, even Wang Yulou didn't know what had happened. He had no idea why heaven and earth were angry.
—— A mont ago, in the Droplet Heaven Palace.
The mid-grade immortal artifact, the Water Drop Immortal Shell, was Bai Xiaoyu's—no, White Li's—first magic treasure after achieving her Dao. It had accompanied her along her cultivation path and had been nourished for tens of thousands of years.
In the very beginning, the base material for this magic treasure was the shell of a Great Demon Sound Shell. How could a seventh-grade demonic beast's spiritual material be refined into a top-quality magic treasure?
But there was no other way. Every Golden Core Immortal Venerable had climbed their way up through a boundless sea of blood and countless hardships.
Back then, Bai Li had probably been only marginally stronger than Old Mu, perhaps not even a match for Li Haikuo. However, as her cultivation base advanced and her status changed, she had swapped out the base material of the Water Drop Immortal Shell four tis.
The first ti, she swapped the shell of a Great Demon Sound Shell for the vocal sac of a Demon General-level Phoenix-Cry Bird, replacing a seventh-grade spiritual material with a fifth-grade one. Then, she upgraded from fifth to fourth, fourth to third, and finally replaced it with a second-grade Immortal Stone in Aperture.
Immortal Stone in Aperture was a general term. As a specialty of Nine Apertures Valley, it was a high-tier spiritual material that started at the fourth grade.
Moreover, the properties of every Immortal Stone in Aperture varied. Compared to the third-grade stone used in the high-grade spirit treasure Vajra Pillar, the second-grade stone refined into the Water Drop Immortal Shell was far more compatible with water-elental arts.
Back then, Bai Li had gone to great lengths to exchange for this Immortal Stone in Aperture for her natal magic treasure. The price she paid could have bought ten Western Sea Immortal Cities, yet it still wasn't considered excessive.
Compared to Shen Guang—a bottom-tier Golden Core with no foundation who could only desperately scrape by in the West Sea—the forr Bai Li had been a true power faction Immortal Venerable.
Now, this Immortal Venerable who had faded from the Immortal Alliance's stage for years stood once more at the threshold of the Great Heaven—the plaza outside Droplet Heaven Palace's main hall. Bai Li didn't seem to have done anything yet, but the entire Droplet Cave Heaven was already beginning to tremble.
Zhang Xuewu, Fan Zhugao, Elder Zhuo Chi, Yuan Zhengju... countless cultivators within Droplet Cave Heaven subconsciously fell to their knees in panic, praying to Di Shui Xianzun in unison.
"Do not pray! That is the cage that imprisons !" the Immortal Venerable declared, her voice echoing throughout Droplet Cave Heaven.
Influenced by her command, the living beings created by Di Shui Xianzun subconsciously ceased their prayers. Zhang Xuewu's body trembled. Why did the Immortal Venerable's voice sound so much like Bai Xiaoyu's?
He didn't think such a delusion could possibly be true, but he couldn't stop the thought from surfacing. Soon, all prayers vanished.
Even those who weren't native beings of Dripdrop Cave halted under Bai Li's command. Although Gong Jiusheng had already been dealt with, Bai Li still didn't lower her guard.
After confirming that the shackles Qingrui had placed on her had loosened, she summoned the Water Drop Immortal Shell, which was actively dissipating immortal dao laws. The immortal shell passed through the connection between Droplet Cave Heaven and the Great Heaven, appearing in the Great Heaven first.
Returning to the Great Heaven, the Water Drop Immortal Shell was exceptionally joyous. It emitted a pale blue radiance, fluttering happily between heaven and earth. Its light illuminated the sky for hundreds of li outside Droplet Cave Heaven, turning the heavens a vibrant blue.
Anchoring her divine sense to the Water Drop Immortal Shell, Bai Li quickly confird the situation in the Great Heaven.
"Sister, if you take this step, you might end up like Shen Guang! Qingrui, Zhuzhao, Tianshe, and the Frog Emperor might be waiting for you right outside!"
Hong Li made a final attempt to dissuade her. "What two-sect war? It's all an act put on for you. Even Wang Yulou, who carries the opportunity for Change, was sched by those beasts and sent into Dripdrop Cave to tempt you.
"Everything is a scam. If you leave the grotto-heaven, you will face their siege.
"Sister, do not go out. Let's wait and see. Let's wait just a little longer."
Every veteran Golden Core who had achieved the Dao possessed powerful ans for magical combat. Within Droplet Cave Heaven, even while trapped, Bai Li had a chance to force a mutual destruction if pushed to the limit. Outside Droplet Cave Heaven, however, her strength was severely insufficient compared to the likes of Qingrui, Zhuzhao, Tianshe, and the Frog Emperor. Yes, if she ran into trouble, she could choose to hide back in the grotto-heaven, but how long would she have to wait for the next chance to escape? Moreover, would those beasts ever give her a second chance to try? Thinking of this, Bai Li shook her head.
Hong Li understood her resolve. The beauty in the red dress sighed faintly, leapt up, and transford into a red carp. Bai Li similarly transford into a white carp. The two carps intertwined in mid-air, easily crossing the boundary between Droplet Cave Heaven and the Great Heaven.
The mont the two grand cultivators left Droplet Cave Heaven, Yuan Daoshen, Zhuo Yinsheng, and the others finally witnessed the sisters' existence.
"Immortal Venerable!"
"The Immortal Venerable has appeared!"
"It's the Immortal Venerable and Perfected Man Hongli!"
Amidst the clamor in Droplet Heaven Palace, Yuan Daoshen's face went completely numb. Do not pray! That is the cage that imprisons ...
The more he thought about that declaration, the more he felt sothing was terribly wrong. Gong Jiusheng hadn't shown his face in a long ti, and Di Shui Xianzun had actually been imprisoned.
Coupled with the wretched way his 'good master' spent year after year drilling into the underground of Droplet Cave Heaven, Yuan Daoshen formulated a bold guess.
The Immortal Venerable had long been trapped in so sort of predicant, and her 'good disciple'—his own master, Gong Jiusheng—had helped fuel the formation of that very trap. But the Yuan clan were not outsiders; they were native beings of Droplet Cave Heaven.
If sothing went wrong with the Immortal Venerable, native cultivators like them would undoubtedly die.
The divine ability cast by Bai Li and Hong Li was called Two Poles Spawning Tide.
It was a divine ability created by Bai Li herself, enabling her to borrow a portion of Hong Li's cultivation base and magic power. The two palm-sized fishes swam freely through the air of the Great Heaven—sotis spinning, sotis flicking their tails, looking extrely adorable.
However, their speed was pushed to the absolute extre. When Wang Yulou led sixteen seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators in driving the Golden Thunder Shuttle, their top speed was only four thousand li per shichen.
Yet, these two grand cultivators executing this divine ability abruptly reached a terrifying speed of sixty thousand li per shichen. As they streaked across the sky like dayti teors, every grand cultivator remaining in the Great Heaven realized that a massive shift was occurring.
Even Foundation Establishnt cultivators noticed the anomaly. Within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, Xuanzhuan sensed the sudden disturbance in Dripdrop Cave, and the color instantly drained from his face.
He wanted to seek out his master, but without him noticing, Mang Xiang had already appeared at the seat of honor in the great hall.
"Master, sothing has happened. How should we respond?"
Xuanzhuan had achieved his Dao more than twelve hundred years ago. He naturally knew what had happened back then and clearly understood the uniqueness of Dripdrop Cave's Di Shui Xianzun.
In fact, by this point, he had already pieced together exactly what had transpired on the Gathering Immortals Platform during Mang Xiang's five failed attempts to negotiate for a Golden Core.
"Respond to what? Foolish!" Mang Xiang scolded Xuanzhuan, then added, "Letting her test the limits of the Great Heaven's current restriction on Golden Cores for —isn't that wonderful?
"I rember this is her thirty-ninth Heavenly Tribulation. Given her past injuries and current state, the Heavenly Tribulation might just strike her dead directly."
As a grand cultivator from the sa era as Bai Li, Mang Xiang was intimately familiar with the state of her Heavenly Tribulations. This was a core elent of how grand cultivators sched against one another. Veteran Golden Cores could calculate the Heavenly Tribulations of other grand cultivators to find the perfect opportunity to strike.
"Master, she will be a massive variable. You must reconsider. If we can get martial uncle to intercept her now, we still have a great chance," Xuanzhuan urged, genuinely worried.
If Mang Xiang failed to attain the Golden Core realm, Xuanzhuan's own limit in this life would be forever capped at the Purple Palace realm. He saw the situation much more clearly than Wang Yulou did.
In his heart, Wang Yulou would still occasionally reflect on morality, whereas Xuanzhuan was purely and single-mindedly devoted to the Dao. He wouldn't hesitate even if he had to commit the most heinous of acts.
"Intercept her? She cannot be intercepted," Mang Xiang said calmly. "Chi Ming died by her hands, and Qingrui couldn't kill her. How could Zhuzhao possibly intercept her for ?
"Just let her be. As for variables, there are simply too many.
"You don't even know half of them. What does she amount to?"
Mang Xiang explained calmly, yet his gaze was fixed deeply in the direction of Dripdrop Cave. Even if she can endure the Heavenly Tribulation, she will be heavily injured. That will be the ti to truly make a move. Hmm... Tianshe shouldn't interfere, but I need to guard against the Frog Emperor swooping in to snatch the fruits of victory...
"Master, no matter what, the process of elevating to the Purple Palace must be accelerated. We cannot afford to delay," Xuanzhuan said.
His fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair, emitting a rhythmic knocking sound, as Mang Xiang replied, "Yan Keli is currently in seclusion trying to break through to the Purple Palace, but he probably won't succeed. His luck is poor, and he ran into the worst possible timing."
The worst possible timing...
Bai Li disagreed. She felt the timing she chose was actually quite good.
The divine ability Two Poles Spawning Tide finished its circulation, and Hong Li once again hid within Droplet Cave Heaven. She didn't have much confidence in Bai Li, but if Bai Li died, a remnant of the old era like herself would inevitably die without a burial place regardless, so hiding anywhere made little difference.
The little white carp launched a charge toward the sky. The dayti teor rushed straight toward the rapidly gathering clouds of the Heavenly Tribulation.
Achieving the Dao had to be done within the Great Heaven, even when cultivating the Grotto-heaven Law. Bai Li had linked her grotto-heaven to the Great Heaven and used a special thod to preserve her condition.
The price, however, was that the mont she returned to the Great Heaven, she would imdiately face her thirty-ninth Heavenly Tribulation. Heaven and earth hadn't struck down a single Golden Core in many years.
The last ti Tianshe entered the Great Heaven, heaven and earth had rapidly gathered tribulation clouds, hoping to finish the job. However, Tianshe had still managed to escape.
Faced with White Li—who had willingly presented herself without evasion—the heaven and earth, plundered by grand cultivators for years, unleashed its wrath to the fullest. For hundreds of li outside Dripdrop Cave, black clouds completely blotted out the sky.
White Li commanded her natal magic treasure, the Water Drop Immortal Shell, and laid down a water-elental formation array beneath the black clouds. She appeared entirely confident in her ability to survive this Heavenly Tribulation.
Heaven and earth darkened.
The dayti teor still flickered. White Li had made her decision, and she would not waver.
"Even if heaven and earth change color, it cannot stop !" she murmured softly.
anwhile, the flickering dayti teor and the changing colors of heaven and earth were reported to Qingrui by her subordinates.
As a core figure of the Immortal Alliance in Wunan, Qingrui was not short on helpers. She imdiately contacted her Fellow Daoists.
Her ssage was clear: let's charge in together and kill that monster! However, the majority of the responses she received were polite refusals.
Nonsense! If Di Shui were so easy to deal with, she would have been "dealt with" long ago over the past one thousand two hundred years. Now that Di Shui was on the verge of escaping, Qingrui was suddenly calling them over to lend a hand...
Since she was also undergoing grotto-heaven transformation, she needed to keep a low profile and stop causing trouble!
"A bunch of cowards," Qingrui cursed helplessly. "She is rely my defeated opponent. Just look at how useless you all are."
Despite her cursing, Qingrui had to admit that Di Shui's timing was impeccable. Choosing to return to the Great Heaven just as the Immortal Alliance civil war was on the brink of erupting—and while Qingrui's own grotto-heaven transformation still required at least three hundred years—was a masterstroke.
Qingrui Xianzun's reputation was imnse, but Di Shui had killed Chi Ming. Among the stronger veteran Golden Cores in the Immortal Alliance, who didn't know about this?
Shen Guang, however, truly did not know this specific piece of Immortal Alliance history.
If Qingrui had sought him out, he might have actually been fooled into testing Di Shui's strength. But because she had previously joined hands with Mang Xiang to suppress and humiliate him, Qingrui found it impossible to ask Shen Guang for assistance.
The cost of mutual trust between Immortal Venerables was simply too high. No one would lightly risk themselves.
Everyone planned to wait until Di Shui finished her Heavenly Tribulation to see if there was a chance to pick up the scraps. After all, veteran Golden Cores like Di Shui carried far too many valuable treasures.
anwhile, in the Immortal Kingdom's Immortal King's Palace, Shunmu had his eyes closed. His spirit, however, had already road outside the Great Heaven.
Inside the Immortal King's grotto-heaven, Shunmu was conversing with the Immortal King. As the ruler of the Immortal Kingdom, the Immortal King possessed naturally formidable strength, likely placing him among the strongest tier of grand cultivators.
However...
"Ignore it. Whether she's a mule or a horse, our Immortal Kingdom has never mistreated her. Even if she returns to the Golden Core this ti, we won't be the ones taking the biggest loss."
Shunmu naturally had no chance to et the Immortal King in person. Standing in midair, he spoke obediently to the empty expanse inside the grotto-heaven.
"The one taking the biggest loss is naturally the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. Oh right, Your Majesty, we could join hands with the Red Lantern Illumination Sect to restrain her."
"Go busy yourself with your own matters. I don't do things where the cost fails to match the reward."
The giant-like Shunmu obediently took his leave, while the Immortal King sank into reminiscence.
Di Shui... One thousand two hundred years have passed. To think you are still alive.
Just how attention-grabbing was White Li's return to the Great Heaven? Even before the Heavenly Tribulation had struck, news of her return had already spread across the four seas, five regions, and eight desolations.
So believed that Di Shui's escape ant Mang Xiang had sold out the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's interests, perhaps engaging in shady backroom dealings. Others thought Di Shui's return to the Great Heaven carried a high probability of her achieving the Dao, suggesting she might have found a new cultivation thod.
Of course, there was never a shortage of idiots. Even now, so Purple Palace cultivators wishfully believed that Di Shui was simply seeking death—a level of understanding akin to treating Golden Core Immortal Venerables like mindless beasts of burden.
How could White Li possibly be seeking death? Admittedly, anyone seeing a Heavenly Tribulation covering hundreds of li of the sky would sigh and assu she was throwing her life away.
There were no different types of Heavenly Tribulations between heaven and earth; they varied only in scale and power. The larger the scale, the more devastating the might.
How could one even describe a Heavenly Tribulation spanning hundreds of li? Even Immortal Venerables like Zhuzhao and Tianshe would mutter nervously if they were standing beneath it.
However, White Li showed no signs of fear. Accompanied by the Water Drop Immortal Shell, the little carp fearlessly charged straight into the cold, harsh, and suffocating Heavenly Tribulation.
Zhou Bojiao had done the sa in the past. In fact, Zhou Bojiao and White Li shared certain similarities.
For instance, when Zhou Bojiao charged into his Heavenly Tribulation back then, he had already been half-dead. His actions carried the desperate resolve of burning his bridges.
Similarly, Di Shui actively charged into the Heavenly Tribulation to break free from her shackles—the bindings jointly designed by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and Qingrui. In the face of a heavy fate, the choices of these two grand cultivators were unexpectedly similar in purpose.
It had to be said that those capable of becoming grand cultivators shared a common trait: they absolutely refused to yield. Even if the path ahead was arduous and their opponents were imnsely powerful, they simply would not bow their heads.
Of course, this didn't an they mindlessly charged forward all the ti; everyone understood the principle that the overly rigid breaks easily. Heaven and earth were ruthless, and the Heavenly Tribulation was the extre manifestation of that ruthlessness.
Beneath the black clouds, golden thunderbolts were born, shooting toward White Li with a terrifying aura and teleportation-like speed. One strike, two strikes...
When White Li blocked the ninety-ninth strike of the Heavenly Tribulation, all the observers—whether hidden or out in the open—fell silent. Ninety-nine strikes. She endured them all while holding her natal magic treasure, lasting from start to finish.
Even the Frog Emperor and Qingrui found it sowhat unbelievable to see White Li maintain such calm composure under the Heavenly Tribulation. Just how did she suddenly beco so strong?
"Old Frog, she is just putting on an act of being completely fine. Go test her out. I guarantee that as soon as you touch her, she will collapse."
Qingrui Xianzun used grotto-heaven voice transmission to communicate with the Sky Serpent Sect's Frog Emperor Demon God. There was a reason Qingrui had been able to carve out such a massive enterprise and secure her high status.
Although she needed to outsource Di Shui's matter because her grotto-heaven transformation remained incomplete, the very fact that she could casually call upon such helpers was proof of her strength.
"I'm not going! How about this: give three wisps of Essence of Grotto-heaven, and I will promise to test her strength for you. But I will not help you block her. How does that sound?"
The Frog Emperor's reply was extrely realistic. He could go, but there was no imdiate need to.
However, if Qingrui offered the right price, the matter would imdiately beco necessary. Grand cultivators wouldn't bow for five pecks of rice, but they would certainly bow for Essence of Grotto-heaven.
"Three wisps it is. You must help see clearly whether she's just putting on a breezy front, or if her cultivation base has actually improved."
Hearing Qingrui's reply, the Frog Emperor almost cursed out loud. You cheap beast, you already knew she might have made progress in her cultivation base, yet you still spouted nonsense about guaranteeing she'd collapse with a touch.
If I were just a little bit stupider, I would have beco your sacrificial pawn to test Di Shui! For the grand cultivators of the Immortal Alliance, casting opposing votes together on the Gathering Immortals Platform was easy enough.
But to make themselves individual targets on the front lines to draw fire? The vast majority were completely unwilling. When they could just lie back and collect their sect's offerings along with the Immortal Alliance's stipend, why should they risk their lives?
Every ruthless individual who could achieve the Golden Core realm was extrely strong. Shen Guang was a rare exception.
A veteran Golden Core like Di Shui had already killed Chi Ming and thrown off Qingrui's shackles. How could such an entity be easy to provoke?
Therefore, it wasn't that the Frog Emperor was a coward; he purely didn't want to take an unnecessary risk. But once Qingrui's three wisps of Essence of Grotto-heaven were on the table, the risk suddenly beca sowhat worth it.
The Frog Emperor was very confident that even if he couldn't win, he would easily have the chance to run. Leaving this money on the table would be a waste!
When the Frog Emperor cautiously approached Dripdrop Cave, he had already greeted Mang Xiang and Zhuzhao to clarify his intentions: he was purely passing by to take a look, not playing any war-escalation gas.
The Red Lantern Illumination Sect and the Sky Serpent Sect were, after all, currently at war. Since Dripdrop Cave was located within Red Lantern Illumination Sect territory, the Frog Emperor worried that if he didn't give them a heads-up, the two-sect war would instantly escalate.
However, when he safely arrived outside Dripdrop Cave, he found the area entirely deserted. Droplet Cave Heaven had disappeared.
"I have already returned to the Golden Core realm. Old Frog, on whose behalf are you here? The Immortal King's or Qingrui's? It couldn't possibly be Tianshe's, right?"
Sensing that heaven and earth's restrictions on grand cultivators had beco slightly more severe once again, the Frog Emperor confird that Di Shui had indeed returned to her status as an Immortal Venerable. Pondering her question, the Frog Emperor replied.
"I've fallen out with the Immortal King. Qingrui gave three wisps of Essence of Grotto-heaven to co and take a look at you. Ninety-nine strikes of the Heavenly Tribulation... Di Shui, how did you endure it?"
His frank honesty wasn't born of high moral fiber. It was simply because Di Shui had been trapped for one thousand two hundred years, yet right after escaping, she had imdiately forced her way through her Heavenly Tribulation and actually survived. In the Frog Emperor's eyes, the entire sequence of events was so legendary it bordered on the unrealistic, prompting his earnest question.
"..."
Ultimately, Di Shui did not answer the Frog Emperor's question.
Information was priceless. As Immortal Venerables, how could they ever casually reveal their signature skills and life-saving ultimate moves to an outsider?
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