Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1311 - 709: Meeting an Old Friend, Returning to the Tianzhu Realm

"This junior is unworthy of such high praise from Your Highness. When compared to the Qiong Tian Ancestor of the ’Heavenly Substitute,’ I fall far short. It is truly a tragedy that the Qiong Tian Ancestor exhausted himself to become one with the Dao, yet the heavens refused to grant him longevity! Had he been given more time, his peerless talent would have surely seen him reach Returning to Void Great Success, with Unification being a mere step away." Zhao Sheng let out a heavy sigh, deliberately steering the conversation toward his previous incarnation as Zhao Qiongtian.

The Star God took the bait as expected. A flicker of nostalgia crossed their features as they sighed, "Zhao Qiongtian was a truly remarkable and reliable individual, a rarity in a thousand years. The Divine remains deeply grateful to him!"

Witnessing this, Zhao Sheng felt a jolt of surprise. It was becoming increasingly clear that during the millennia since their last encounter, the Star God had adopted more human-like mannerisms.

This shift toward personalization served to validate a specific theory he held.

For thousands of years, the Star God had been the recipient of constant worship from the Human Clan of the Netherworld. Inevitably, the Divine’s consciousness had been colored by the mundane desires of countless beings, gradually shifting its nature toward that of the "Human Clan" over the passage of time.

The essence of this personalization was likely a side effect of the Star God attempting to avoid being swallowed by the Heavenly Dao of this realm. To maintain independence, they had to rely on the power of human incense.

After all, the Human Clan stands as the leader of all living things, naturally favored by the Heavenly Dao itself!

In that brief moment, Zhao Sheng’s mind raced, connecting various threads of insight and gaining a more profound comprehension of both the Human Way and the Heavenly Dao.

A second later, Zhao Sheng spoke up, "Your Highness, do you still recall the pact you made with the Qiong Tian Ancestor during his lifetime?"

"A pact?" The Star God’s brow creased slightly, searching through ancient memories.

"Indeed. Back then, the Qiong Tian Ancestor secured a treasure within the deep sea canyon. He entrusted Your Highness with its protection, stating that a successor would eventually arrive to claim it. To be honest, Your Highness, I am that descendant who has come to retrieve the treasure as agreed."

"The Divine remembers! However, you have not provided the necessary code phrase. Without it, the Divine cannot release the treasure to you." A shimmering white light radiated from the Star God, and their tone reverted to one of cold indifference.

With a faint smile, Zhao Sheng immediately released a thread of Divine Thought, transmitting it to the Star God’s consciousness using a very specific frequency.

The next instant, a look of astonishment appeared on the Star God’s face. "The code phrase is accurate. You... are indeed the one meant to claim the treasure!"

Zhao Sheng remained silent, his smile widening as he confirmed a secret: "With the Kui Niu Treasure acting as a shroud, even the Star God is unable to peer into the depths of my Divine Soul."

At that point, the Star God glanced down at the ocean's surface and dissolved into a cloud of radiance. The space below began to warp and blur.

Suddenly, a massive hoard of Spirit Stones, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and a vast collection of Jade Scrolls materialized before Zhao Sheng.

It looked like a colossal Treasure Mountain floating in the sky, casting a shadow that covered a huge expanse of the sea.

Zhao Sheng’s eyes gleamed. He swept his long sleeves, releasing a wave of clear light that washed over the mountain of riches.

In the blink of an eye, this legendary hoard—enough to drive the entire Cultivation World of the Netherworld into a frenzy—vanished into thin air.

The Star God, ever direct, watched the treasure disappear and asked, "The ancient agreement is now fulfilled. Zhao Xi, is there anything else you require?"

Zhao Sheng offered a respectful bow. "This junior has no further requests. Your Highness’s kindness in guarding these items for so many years is a debt Zhao Xi will never forget."

"The Divine is departing. May you look after yourself!"

As the words echoed, the Star God shattered into a multitude of flowing lights, scattering into the wind.

Zhao Sheng stared at the vast Heavenly Sea, silently pondering the weight of those final four words.

Look after yourself?

There seemed to be a hidden meaning behind that parting phrase.

He shook his head; there was no use in overthinking. Given the favor Zhao Qiongtian had earned, as long as he refrained from causing chaos in the Netherworld, the Star God—now an extension of the Heavenly Dao—would likely leave him in peace.

With his resolve set, Zhao Sheng gave a self-deprecating chuckle. His form flickered, and he vanished instantly.

The next moment, he reappeared a million miles away in a desolate land characterized by towering bone mountains, crimson rivers of blood, and pillars of ghost fire erupting toward the sky.

The heavens were a dull, oppressive gray. A fierce, wicked wind blew endlessly, sounding like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts. It kicked up thick layers of bone ash that clouded the entire sky.

In the dark crevices of the bone mountains, swarms of grotesque zombies and ghostly entities moved in dense, restless packs.

Bizarrely, many of the zombies could only stumble a short distance before collapsing, their bodies rotting into ash to join the White Bone Abyss forever.

The screeching ghosts fared little better. Though they endured longer, they were eventually shredded by the malicious winds, their remains adding only a tiny spark to the nearly depleted spiritual energy of the area.

Over the last few thousand years, the natural Qi of the Netherworld had plunged to a catastrophic level. In regions like Cang Province, the majority of Spirit Veins had been drained dry, nearly vanishing entirely.

The Netherworld had long since entered the final "Void" stage of the four major phases: Formation, Stasis, Decay, and Void. During this era, almost every corner of the realm—save for the Star God Sea—had turned into a wasteland of extremely rare spiritual energy.

Zhao Sheng had not initially realized the severity of this truth. However, as he hovered above the White Bone Abyss, he was shocked to find that the local Qi was incredibly sparse, far worse than it had been thousands of years ago.

"What?"

Zhao Sheng let out a soft exclamation of surprise. He released his Divine Thought, instantly scanning a radius of five thousand miles.

He quickly noted that within this vast area, there were hardly any zombies or ghosts with power equivalent to Foundation Establishment Cultivators. He couldn't find even a single Golden Core Level Ghost King.

"The spiritual energy is so pathetic; it's no wonder even a death zone like the White Bone Abyss has withered. This implies the Cultivation World of Cang Province must be in an even worse state of decay. If the Netherworld is this ruined, the Tianzhu Realm must be practically dilapidated!"