Chapter 251

The Qi Refining world.

Within the secret realm, upon Weak Water Island.

Zhan Hongxiu opened her eyes. The injuries to her divine sense had already vanished without a trace.

The Nine Illusion Heart Orchid was, after all, a supreme soul-nourishing spiritual medicine. Healing her injuries was a trivial matter.

It had even retained enough medicinal potency to further nourish her sea of consciousness.

She sent her divine sense into her spirit beast pouch and saw the Longevity Turtle sleeping peacefully inside. Only then did she let out a long sigh of relief.

‘Little Hong... you've grown quite a bit.’

At that moment, the aged voice of Senior Turtle once again sounded within Zhan Hongxiu's heart.

‘During the time this old man was asleep, not only did you successfully condense a high-grade True Core, you even managed to reach the secluded residence once inhabited by the Divine Lord. This old man is greatly gratified. Though I knew long ago that this place held dangers, none exceeding fourth rank, it was still no easy task for you.’

“Divine Lord... secluded residence?”

Zhan Hongxiu was somewhat startled. This was information Senior Turtle had never mentioned before.

‘That's right. That Divine Lord was the last Soul Transformation cultivator of the Eastern Sea from ten thousand years ago, and the most talented genius ever produced by the Zhoutian Star Palace. Not only did he break through the Soul Transformation bottleneck, he ultimately ascended to the Immortal Realm in his Soul Transformation body.’

Senior Turtle's voice carried deep admiration.

‘His inheritance remains here. The Soul Transformation portion of your Tortoise-Crane Longevity Art is located within this place. There may even be several Void coordinates left behind. If by some fortunate chance you reach Soul Transformation in the future, you may be able to use those Void fissures to secretly cross into the Immortal Realm.’

“Soul Transformation? That realm is far too distant for me...”

Zhan Hongxiu could only smile bitterly.

‘Soul Transformation Venerables stand at the very peak of the cultivation world. Throughout the entire Eastern Sea cultivation world over the past ten thousand years, there has only ever been that one individual. As for what comes after Soul Transformation, I have heard it is the path of "Refining the Spirit and Integrating with the Dao." This old man does not understand it well. I merely once heard the Divine Lord mention it in passing.’

Senior Turtle replied.

“Refining the Spirit... Integrating with the Dao?”

A look of longing appeared in Zhan Hongxiu's eyes.

At that moment, she noticed a white-robed young man approaching.

“Fellow Daoist, you've finally awakened?”

“How did this happen? Why did you bring an outsider here?”

Within her sea of consciousness, Senior Elder immediately began shouting.

‘This is the secluded residence of a Soul Transformation senior from our Star Palace!’

‘Without him, I never would have reached this place. Obtaining the Nine Illusion Heart Orchid would have been even more impossible.’

Zhan Hongxiu quietly explained within her mind before standing up.

“Did Fellow Daoist Bai gain anything?”

“Naturally.”

Fang Qing raised a hand.

Five treasures floated into the air.

A jade slip, a small bell, an ancient lamp, a meditation cushion, and a string of prayer beads lined up one after another, each radiating its own unique brilliance.

‘So the Divine Lord left these treasures behind... Little Hong, that jade slip contains a Soul Transformation cultivation method. It is absolutely essential for you to obtain it.’

‘Besides that, the ancient bell is the Heaven-Listening Bell. Its offensive power is extraordinary. The ancient lamp is the Seven-Star Lamp. If you cultivate the Northern Dipper secret arts in the future, it will be the perfect companion and absolutely must not fall into another's hands.’

‘That meditation cushion is the Clearheart Cushion. Together with the Soul-Nourishing Prayer Beads, they remain tremendously useful even during the Nascent Soul Heart Demon Tribulation. They are genuine tribulation-crossing treasures!’

Within Zhan Hongxiu's sea of consciousness, Senior Turtle was practically shouting himself hoarse.

‘Sigh... I don't want to give a single one of them to an outsider. Wait, that brat didn't secretly keep something for himself, did he?’

‘I trust Brother Bai. If he wanted everything for himself, he could have simply cut me down with a single sword.’

Zhan Hongxiu replied inwardly.

Then she flashed Fang Qing a radiant smile.

“The cultivation method within the jade slip and this lamp are what this little sister needs. Would Brother Bai be willing to part with them?”

“Of these five treasures, I only require those two.”

Fang Qing nodded.

The only things that interested him were the tribulation-crossing treasures.

With a casual wave of his hand, the Heaven-Listening Bell, Clearheart Cushion, and Soul-Nourishing Prayer Beads disappeared into his storage pouch.

After obtaining the Soul Transformation inheritance of her own lineage along with the matching Seven-Star Lamp, Zhan Hongxiu finally relaxed as well.

‘There's no guarantee the brat didn't hide something. You should ask more questions...’

Senior Turtle still sounded rather indignant.

“There are only these treasures here. However, inside the central thatched cottage, there is also a portrait.”

Fang Qing led Zhan Hongxiu to inspect the two empty cottages before arriving at the central one.

Upon opening the door, they saw the figure of a sword-bearing man.

His face was completely blank.

‘It truly is the Divine Lord... But his face...’

Within Zhan Hongxiu's sea of consciousness, Senior Turtle became extraordinarily agitated.

‘His face? Why can't I remember it?’

“Senior Turtle, your memories are incomplete. Perhaps this is simply one of the things you've forgotten.”

Zhan Hongxiu hurriedly comforted him.

‘Impossible! The Divine Lord was such a towering figure. How could this old man ever forget him?’

‘Divine Lord Fuyu! Venerable Fuyu! Daoist Fuyu! Please look at me! I'm Little Turtle!’

Senior Turtle cried out desperately.

Meanwhile, beside them, Fang Qing had originally been using Feng Seeks Huang to eavesdrop on their thoughts while enjoying the spectacle.

Yet now he felt as though he had been struck by lightning.

A deafening buzzing filled his ears.

‘The ascended cultivator from the Eastern Sea cultivation world ten thousand years ago... was named Fuyu?’

His footing suddenly became unsteady.

Memories rapidly surfaced within his mind.

He recalled his very first meeting with Spiritual Master Bai Mu and the words the man had spoken back then.

“The Empress is exalted within the Great Sun, known by the name Fuyu. With dragon and phoenix heralding auspiciousness, she reigns supreme among all female immortals, and thus bears the sacred title of ‘Primordial Lord’...”

These words crashed through Fang Qing's mind like thunder, exploding again and again within his ears and heart.

“This Golden Core True Lord of the Blissful Union Sect bears the title Great Sun Fuyu Dragon-Phoenix Primordial Lord. She attained the Dao more than eight thousand six hundred years ago.”

“Ten thousand years ago, the Eastern Sea Soul Transformation cultivator, Venerable Fuyu, ascended to the Immortal Realm.”

‘The Immortal Realm? Ancient Shu?’

‘Hahaha... Hahaha...’

‘A coincidence? Or did generations of Qi Refining cultivators painstakingly cultivate, ascend through Soul Transformation, and ultimately ascend to... a place like this?’

Countless thoughts surfaced within Fang Qing's mind, each becoming another piece of evidence.

‘Why was it that when I first transmigrated and was rescued by Old Man Cha, I found the language and writing almost entirely compatible?’

‘Why can this world also gather qi and cultivate Qi Ingestion methods?’

‘Why can Qi Refining cultivation methods be used perfectly well within the Qi Ingestion path, without the slightest conflict?’

‘Why, after trading between the two worlds for so long, did I discover that so many spiritual materials exist in both places? Why can even Purple Mansion spiritual objects of the Qi Ingestion path, such as Jade Spirit Rhinoceros Rinse, be found within the Qi Refining world?’

‘Why did I resell so many spiritual resources without a single Qi Ingestion cultivator noticing anything unusual? Because they were never from different worlds to begin with!’

‘Grotto Heaven spiritual objects?’

‘Heh...’

‘Are Grotto Heaven spiritual objects rare in Ancient Shu?’

One coincidence could be dismissed.

A hundred coincidences could not.

‘When enough coincidences accumulate, they cease to be coincidences. They become a truth I simply do not wish to acknowledge.’

‘The truth is...’

‘The entire Qi Refining world where I live is merely an unimaginably vast Grotto Heaven!’

Within the Grotto Heavens of the Qi Ingestion path, there were likewise suns, moons, and stars.

Likewise mortals.

Likewise cultivators.

‘The absolute peak ninth-rank... Primordial Beginning Bear?’

‘The foremost among the Thirty-Six Great Grotto Heavens, the legendary Primordial Beginning Heaven, said never to have opened or wavered since the beginning of time?’

‘Could the Dao-Genesis Pearl's ability of Omnipresence stem from a connection to that Grotto Heaven?’

As though a veil had suddenly been lifted from before his eyes, Fang Qing instantly understood many things.

He even developed several tentative guesses regarding the Grotto Heaven in which he himself resided.

Although even more questions arose afterward.

Why had the Qi Refining lineage developed in such a manner?

Why were the two cultivation systems divided this way?

And countless others.

Still, Fang Qing felt he needed further proof before drawing any final conclusions.

“Fellow Daoist... what is wrong?”

Beside him, even Zhan Hongxiu, who had been equally overwhelmed by Senior Turtle's revelations, noticed that something seemed off about him.

“Nothing.”

Fang Qing shook his head.

“I merely need to adjust my breathing and calm my mind.”

For some reason, the meditation cushion and prayer beads inside his storage bag suddenly felt unbearably hot in his hands.

Even the spiritual herbs and Weak Water within this secret realm seemed troublesome.

He almost wanted to throw everything away.

...

The Qi Ingestion path.

Blissful Union Mountain Gate.

After the Dharma King Pilu unleashed the Buddhist treasure Jambudvipa Purgatory Chart and shattered the Blissful Union Sect's mountain gate, he simply sat cross-legged and quietly recited scriptures.

Below him, countless Qi Ingestion and Dao Foundation cultivators slaughtered one another.

Blood flowed like rivers.

It pooled into crimson springs that continuously seeped into the shattered foundations of the Blissful Union mountain gate.

Within the Great Void above, divine abilities collided repeatedly.

From time to time, the baleful aura of a fallen Purple Mansion cultivator would rise into the heavens.

This region had already been affected by the fall of Spiritual Master Xinyi after her failed attempt to advance to Golden Core.

Three years of drought had been destined from that event alone.

Now countless baleful energies washed through the land.

Spiritual currents mixed chaotically together.

The Great Void became a storm of tangled radiance.

Endless brilliance of [Shi Fire], [Kui Wood], and [Nu Earth] scattered through the skies.

Occasionally flashes of [Fang Sun] radiance mixed with Fusang True Fire.

With the mountain gate established by a Golden Core True Lord already broken...

The destruction of the Blissful Union Sect seemed close at hand.

So many high-level cultivators had already fallen.

So much fate had become entangled.

The accumulated turbulence was nearly enough to shake the hidden Grotto Heaven behind the Blissful Union Sect itself.

Yingzhou Heaven.

‘This is a question...’

‘Could it be that the World-Honored One wishes to determine the condition of Primordial Lord Fuyu?’

‘As a Golden Core True Lord of a great orthodoxy, her condition must already be extremely poor if she cannot intervene despite her own sect facing destruction.’

‘Then what if her own safety is directly threatened?’

Upon a lotus throne woven entirely from white bones sat White Bone Dharma King Sangji.

The two Dumu golden bodies stood guard at his sides.

His palms remained pressed together.

He sought no merit.

Only freedom from fault.

White light flowed through his eyes.

Suddenly he received a decree from the Venerable One and immediately sent a divine thought toward Great Dharma King Jiumoluojie.

“Great Dharma King... what exactly is the origin of this Blissful Union True Lord?”

“If she personally takes action, all of us will die without a burial place.”

After a brief silence, Jiumoluojie replied calmly.

“Primordial Lord Fuyu is a Grotto Heaven cultivator. Excluding that one of [Stomach Earth], she is the final Golden Core cultivator still remaining in the world.”

“With the Great Sun Dharma Decree before us, if we die, then we die.”

Sangji fell silent.

Not because he did not wish to continue asking.

But because the Venerable One himself had also fallen silent.

...

“Hahaha!”

“Today, I, Luojia of the Great Black Heaven Temple, have broken the Blissful Union mountain gate and shall utterly exterminate its lineage!”

A Dharma King of the Great Black Heaven Temple strode forward.

Two divine ability lights coiled around him.

His golden body transformed into a towering black giant holding a venomous serpent and wreathed in flames.

Every step caused the earth to tremble.

Then he suddenly stomped downward.

Boom!

The ancestral hall of the Blissful Union Sect shattered instantly.

Countless handsome men and beautiful women.

Countless Dao Foundation and Qi Ingestion cultivators.

All screamed in unison before transforming into black burning torches.

The catastrophe of sect extermination had fully descended upon the Blissful Union Sect.

And it seemed that the [Fang Sun] True Lord truly could not intervene.

...

Below.

A cool droplet of water suddenly landed upon Tian Youliang's face.

“Rain?”

He wiped away the mixture of blood and rainwater from his cheek and looked upward blankly.

The spiritual atmosphere had already changed.

Moments earlier, a blazing sun had hung overhead while drought stretched for thousands of li.

Now everything was different.

A moon resembling a flawless jade disc hung in the northern sky.

Sun and moon shone together.

A hazy rain and mist spread across heaven and earth.

Tian Youliang suddenly felt as though an invisible giant hand had seized his heart.

The pressure was so great he could barely breathe.

At some unknown moment, all sounds around him had vanished.

The battlefield's endless clamor had disappeared.

Only a cold and deathly silence spread through the void.

Even time itself seemed frozen beneath the endless moonlight.

He raised his head.

And discovered that it was not a moon at all.

What hung in the heavens was a pale-white infant.

Its limbs were pure white.

Its body curled tightly like a child resting within its mother's womb.

“Waaaah!”

The infant stretched its tiny limbs.

Then it released a world-shaking first cry.