Chapter 241: Infinite Elevation

"The Purple-Eyed True Monarch was considered powerful even among peak Great Cultivators. I didn't expect him to die just like that."

The Sword Combat Grand Cultivator was in disbelief. Even for a peak Great Cultivator of the sword path like him, who excelled in offensive combat, killing a peer of the same level was impossible.

Peak Great Cultivators weren't fools; if they realized they couldn't win, they would definitely run.

And once they fled, especially after deploying their numerous life-saving methods, the Sword Combat Grand Cultivator could only watch them go.

'Just who is True Monarch Golden Face? With such terrifying strength, he can't be a rogue cultivator. What faction stands behind him?'

The Sword Combat Grand Cultivator's thoughts raced.

Right at that moment...

You took a single step, appearing at the entrance of the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.

"Do you all intend to fight me for it?"

You glanced at the Sword Combat Grand Cultivator and the ordinary Great Cultivators in the distance.

"I wouldn't dare."

The Sword Combat Grand Cultivator shuddered.

He hurriedly shook his head and said, "I am entirely convinced of fellow Daoist Golden Face's strength. You fully deserve this Xuande Grotto-Heaven. I will take my leave now."

Before his voice even faded, his figure rapidly blurred and vanished from the spot.

Over the past century or so, the Sword Combat Grand Cultivator had searched everywhere for you. He had wanted to witness exactly what kind of strength a legendary Great Cultivator possessed—the likes of which had not appeared since the Near-Ancient Era.

But now, after sensing the vast, unfathomable aura of your true body, and seeing with his own eyes how you severely injured six peak Great Cultivators wielding Quasi-Tier-5 trump cards and completely killed another who possessed a Quasi-Tier-5 life-saving method with just a wave of your hand...

...how could the Sword Combat Grand Cultivator still dare to spar with you? Did he think he had lived too long?

Sword cultivators were indeed belligerent, but they weren't stupid; they wouldn't actively throw their lives away.

In the distance, the ordinary Great Cultivators who had been watching also departed one by one, not daring to linger.

The pressure you brought was simply too overwhelming. If a peak Great Cultivator like the Purple-Eyed True Monarch had died at your hands, what chance did ordinary Great Cultivators have?

In the span of a few breaths, you were the only one left at the entrance of the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.

You looked at the grotto-heaven's entrance not far away. It would still be a moment before it opened.

'Killing the Purple-Eyed True Monarch this time... shouldn't leave any hidden dangers,' you thought.

You pinched your fingers to divine the matter, confirming that Great Snow Mountain did not have a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch overseeing it in this generation.

Even if the Purple-Eyed True Monarch was highly valued by the Demon Abyss Realm, they still would not dare show their faces in the current Human Realm, let alone launch a revenge attack against you.

In fact, the Demon Abyss Realm wouldn't even know who had killed the Purple-Eyed True Monarch.

True Monarch Golden Face? That was merely the identity you revealed to the outside world. The heavenly secrets surrounding you were obscured, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to divine your true identity or lock onto you.

Soon after.

The entrance to the Xuande Grotto-Heaven slowly opened.

Your true body did not personally enter the Xuande Grotto-Heaven. Instead, you sent out your Second Nascent Soul to take control of the Fourth-Tier Late-Stage Puppet and enter.

Whether it was the initial Tianzhu Grotto-Heaven, the Lingxu Blessed Land, or the current Xuande Grotto-Heaven, you had never completely trusted them. You always kept your guard up, and your main Nascent Soul had never once entered any of them.

Whoosh—

Your Second Nascent Soul commandeered the Fourth-Tier Late-Stage Puppet and stepped into the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.

Meanwhile, your true body slowly faded away and disappeared.

Inside the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.

It was a vast plain spanning several thousand miles.

A broad black road stretched from the entrance all the way to the center of the grotto-heaven.

"Hm?"

The instant your Second Nascent Soul stepped onto the black road, a mental pressure surged forth.

'So this grotto-heaven actually has a trial...'

You thought to yourself. You had not collected much information regarding the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.

But now that you had entered this grotto-heaven and experienced it personally, you immediately understood.

The black road extending to the center of the grotto-heaven was permeated with an omnipresent pressure targeting the divine soul.

If a Nascent Soul True Monarch wanted to obtain the fortune of the Xuande Grotto-Heaven, they had to forcefully withstand this divine soul pressure and walk to the center.

There was only one black road. If many Nascent Soul True Monarchs entered the grotto-heaven and walked upon it simultaneously, they would naturally become competitors.

Aside from enduring the divine soul pressure of the black road, one would also have to guard against attacks from other True Monarchs.

After all, only one portion of fortune was available each time the Xuande Grotto-Heaven opened. If the other True Monarchs were obstructed and slowed down for even a split second, the fortune would naturally fall to the fastest person.

You gazed toward the center of the grotto-heaven. An ancient tree stood tall and magnificent there.

'The strength I previously revealed to the outside world proved my divine soul and dharma power had broken through the limits of the Nascent Soul Stage. If I entered the Xuande Grotto-Heaven, no one would be able to compete with me under this divine soul pressure.'

You reasoned to yourself. The fact that those peak Great Cultivators had joined forces to deal with you likely had something to do with this.

Hum—

You charged straight toward the center of the grotto-heaven.

The closer you got to the center of the grotto-heaven, the more terrifying the divine soul pressure permeating the black road became.

However, for a legendary Great Cultivator like yourself, whose divine soul had broken the limits of the Nascent Soul Stage, this pressure was like a gentle breeze brushing against your face. You could completely ignore it.

Several breaths later, you arrived at the center of the grotto-heaven.

This was only because the unique environment within the Xuande Grotto-Heaven prevented you from unleashing your maximum speed.

At the center of the grotto-heaven stood an ancient tree. Amidst its branches and leaves, a fist-sized fruit faintly revealed itself.

Beneath the ancient tree lay a stone stele engraved with ancient characters. It roughly outlined the fortune of this grotto-heaven.

"This tree is called the Heavenly Cliff Tree. Every five thousand years, it bears a single fruit known as the Heavenly Cliff Fruit. After consuming it, one's consciousness will be elevated under the protection of the Heavenly Cliff's power, allowing them to experience the status elevation process from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Deity Transformation Stage. This aids in breaking through to Deity Transformation..."

You stared at the ancient characters on the stele with a solemn expression.

Breaking through from Nascent Soul to Deity Transformation required passing three trials.

The transformation of the Nascent Soul into the Primordial Spirit, the Nirvanic Tribulation, and the Five Elements Lightning Tribulation.

With every trial passed, one's status would be elevated by a level.

This elevation of status was a metamorphosis in the essence of life. Experiencing it for the first time, a Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator would find it profoundly unfamiliar and be affected by it.

Familiarizing oneself with this process in advance would provide an irreplaceable benefit for breaking through to the Deity Transformation Stage.

'So this is the fortune of this grotto-heaven... experiencing the process of breaking through to Deity Transformation ahead of time...'

Your eyes lit up. For this benefit alone, the Xuande Grotto-Heaven was irreplaceable.

The Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands of the Central Continent Territory were the heaven-reaching great paths left behind by the Heavenly Monarchs of the ancient era for future generations of cultivators.

You looked toward the branches and leaves of the ancient tree, at that fist-sized fruit.

It was the Heavenly Cliff Fruit.

Rustle—

The ancient tree's branches swayed, and the Heavenly Cliff Fruit fell, hovering right in front of you.

'What a miraculous spirit fruit.'

You observed it carefully. You couldn't sense any trace of spiritual energy or divine soul aura from the Heavenly Cliff Fruit at all. It seemed as ordinary and unremarkable as a mundane mortal fruit.

You raised your hand, stowed the Heavenly Cliff Fruit away, and swiftly headed toward the grotto-heaven's exit.

Once plucked, the Heavenly Cliff Fruit had to be consumed within a hundred years; otherwise, it would dissipate.

No preservation method could prolong its existence.

Hum—

You arrived outside the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.

Rumble—

The Xuande Grotto-Heaven began to close.

The moment the Heavenly Cliff Fruit left the Xuande Grotto-Heaven, the realm initiated its slow closure.

'It's time to leave.'

Your Second Nascent Soul swept a glance over the surroundings, and its figure vanished as well.

Within the Xuantian Sect.

Immortal mist curled thickly through the air. As one of the origins of dharma cultivation in the Human Realm, the Xuantian Sect's providence was at its peak.

True Monarch Chashi transformed into a streak of escaping light and plummeted into the Xuantian Sect.

"Supreme Elder?"

"The Supreme Elder has returned?"

The expressions of the various Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Xuantian Sect shifted slightly. Several Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivators hurriedly rushed to the sect's main hall.

Before long, the five Late Stage Great Cultivators of the Xuantian Sect laid eyes on their Supreme Elder, whose aura had severely deteriorated.

The Supreme Elder of the Xuantian Sect was True Monarch Chashi's true identity. For centuries, he had roamed the Human Realm under the guise of True Monarch Chashi, seizing numerous fortunes that belonged to the Two Bodies faction and the other two major dharma cultivation forces.

Naturally, the appearance True Monarch Chashi currently displayed was that of the Xuantian Sect's Supreme Elder.

Even the most trusted Late Stage Great Cultivators within the Xuantian Sect were completely unaware of his identity as True Monarch Chashi.

"Supreme Elder, why are you... how did you end up like this...?"

One of the Late Stage Great Cultivators, a gaunt man, immediately stepped forward. Looking at the Supreme Elder's feeble divine soul fluctuations, his expression was filled with disbelief.

Though he did not know the Supreme Elder's hidden identity, he still had a good understanding of his strength. The elder was absolutely a powerhouse even among peak Great Cultivators.

Yet now? He had actually been heavily injured to such an extent? He was practically on the brink of death.

"I won't be able to hold on for much longer. I will pass away in meditation shortly."

True Monarch Chashi sighed softly. He should have had another hundred or two hundred years of lifespan remaining.

However, under the brunt of your divine soul attack and dharma power strike, even though he managed to block them, he had suffered a violent backlash. He was on the verge of passing away in meditation.

"There are some things you must hear, and some things you must do."

True Monarch Chashi's tone was calm, his thoughts clearer than ever.

Hearing this, the four Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivators forcefully suppressed their grief and stood quietly, listening.

"The injuries on my body came from True Monarch Golden Face."

True Monarch Chashi looked at the four Late Stage Great Cultivators. "But you absolutely must not seek revenge for me. My death at the hands of True Monarch Golden Face is my own fault; it is a personal grudge. If you were to seek revenge and implicate the sect, that would be my sin."

When the four Great Cultivators of the Xuantian Sect heard this, bewilderment and shock welled up in their hearts.

They could hear the fear in True Monarch Chashi's tone. The reason he forbade the Xuantian Sect from seeking revenge was that he was terrified of implicating it.

Was this True Monarch Golden Face really that terrifying?

"Not only must you not avenge me, but in the future, if you encounter True Monarch Golden Face, give him a wide berth. No matter the reason, absolutely never raise a hand against him."

True Monarch Chashi looked at the four Great Cultivators. His divine soul fluctuations grew weaker, and his voice steadily dropped. "Also, there is no need to disturb the Ancestor over this matter. The Ancestor holds the lofty position of a Heavenly Monarch. No matter how major affairs at the Nascent Soul Stage may seem, they do not require his attention."

"Supreme Elder, why is this?"

Right at that moment, a relatively younger Late Stage Great Cultivator couldn't help but speak up.

The dignified Xuantian Sect, one of the Three Laws of the Human Realm, had suffered a massive loss. Not notifying their Heavenly Monarch Ancestor was one thing.

After all, ever since the Near-Ancient Era, it had been the rule that Heavenly Monarchs did not interfere with matters below the Deity Transformation Stage.

Unless the Xuantian Sect faced the danger of complete annihilation, the Heavenly Monarch would not intervene.

But to forbid the numerous disciples of the Xuantian Sect from retaliating, and even commanding them to give True Monarch Golden Face a wide berth if they ever saw him...

On what basis?

True Monarch Chashi stared at the Late Stage Great Cultivator who had spoken, a complex emotion in his gaze. "You will know very soon."

The battle at the Xuande Grotto-Heaven wouldn't take long to spread throughout the Human Realm. When that time came, the true terror of True Monarch Golden Face would be laid bare before the many True Monarchs of the world.

"Remember my words. If you encounter True Monarch Golden Face in the future, give him a wide berth!"

After True Monarch Chashi finished speaking, his divine soul fluctuations dissipated completely. He passed away in meditation on the spot.

The four Late Stage Great Cultivators of the Xuantian Sect fell into silence.

A moment later, intelligence regarding the Xuande Grotto-Heaven swiftly reached the Xuantian Sect, as well as the numerous peak forces and ruling-class factions across the Human Realm.

"True Monarch Golden Face fought one against seven, severely injuring six peak Great Cultivators wielding Quasi-Tier-5 trump cards and killing one peak Great Cultivator who possessed a Quasi-Tier-5 life-saving method..."

The four Great Cultivators of the Xuantian Sect kept quiet out of fear. The younger Late Stage Great Cultivator, who had originally been so indignant, never uttered another word of rebuttal.

The Heavenly Talisman Sect.

Inside the immortal cave, your true body sat cross-legged, taking inventory of the battle loot obtained from killing the Purple-Eyed True Monarch.

You had long since performed multiple cleansings and isolations on the Purple-Eyed True Monarch's loot, ensuring it could not be tracked or sensed.

'This jade stone...'

You looked at one of the jade stones. It was purple and bore a striking resemblance to the massive phantom purple eye that condensed behind the Purple-Eyed True Monarch when he attacked.

'The grade of this jade stone surpasses Tier 4; it should belong to Quasi-Tier-5, right? It doesn't look like an object from the Human Realm, nor does it seem to be from the Demon Abyss Realm. Was it a personal fortune of the Purple-Eyed True Monarch?'

You thought to yourself, faintly sensing that this Purple Eye Jade Stone was quite important.

'I'll put it away for now and see if it can be of use later.'

You stowed the Purple Eye Jade Stone away and continued inventorying the rest of the battle loot.

Aside from this jade stone, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch's loot also included several top-grade Spirit Treasures, Fourth Tier High Grade pills, and so on.

There were also a few special legacy secret arts that would be somewhat useful to you.

'Not bad, not bad.'

You nodded slightly. The loot from killing the Purple-Eyed True Monarch had bumped your net worth up by another large margin. That Purple Eye Jade Stone, in particular, couldn't even be measured by conventional value.

You finished the inventory of the battle loot.

With a slight shift of your thoughts, a fist-sized fruit materialized in front of you.

'The Heavenly Cliff Fruit... I just need to consume it directly.'

Every detail regarding the Heavenly Cliff Fruit flashed through your mind.

This included the method to consume it and the specific effects it would have.

'In the fifth simulation, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch must have consumed this fruit, experiencing his status elevation ahead of time and laying the foundation for his later attempt to break through to Deity Transformation.'

You thought rapidly to yourself.

'Let's just consume it.'

Without any hesitation, you opened your mouth and swallowed the Heavenly Cliff Fruit in front of you whole.

As the Heavenly Cliff Fruit slid down your throat, it dissolved into waves of icy power.

In a daze...

Enveloped by this icy power, your consciousness...

...began to elevate infinitely.