Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1314 - 710: Salvation Plan and Tianzhu’s Dire Straits
Previously on Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension...
During that era, the Supreme Sensing Sect represented the unstoppable momentum of the world, a force that could not be resisted!
Twenty-five centuries ago, the successful refinement of the Supreme Divine Ship allowed the salvation initiative to commence in a systematic fashion.
After several decades, the Supreme Divine Ship officially departed from Yingzhao Star. Onboard were a Divinity Transformation True Monarch, over twenty Nascent Soul Ancestors, more than a hundred Golden Core Masters, and nearly two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. Their destination was the "Spring Birth Realm," located sixteen Constant Years away.
Centuries rolled by, and approximately two thousand years ago, the Supreme Divine Ship unexpectedly returned to Yingzhao Star. It brought back hundreds of individuals, including original crew members and many of their descendants, none of whom possessed a cultivation level lower than Foundation Establishment.
These returnees brought more than just extensive intelligence; they carried the most vital gift of all: "hope."
Consequently, construction on the second Supreme Divine Ship began immediately!
The original Supreme Divine Ship soon departed once more, carrying three hundred aspiring newcomers on their lengthy voyage.
They were unaware, however, that while the first group of returning cultivators brought "hope," they had also secretly imported a far more devastating crisis!
A fatal "rift" took root shortly after their homecoming. Germinating in the shadows, it expanded slowly over the next two millennia, eventually erupting into the brutal internal conflict that continues to this day.
Judging solely by the intelligence reports, Zhao Sheng could see how savage this world-shaking civil war truly was!
The splintering of the Zhao family at Heavenly Pillar Mountain was inextricably linked to this civilization-wide internal strife.
To put it simply, the Tianzhu Realm had fractured into two primary camps: the "Integration Faction" spearheaded by the Supreme Sensing Sect, and the "Autonomy Faction" led by the Zhao Central Sect.
The "Integration Faction" held a transparent objective: they sought to merge into the cultivation civilization of the Spring Birth Realm, hoping to be welcomed as "Otherworldly Immigrants."
Conversely, the "Autonomy Faction" fought for independence and refused to submit to the local powers. They viewed surrender as offering the entire crystallized wisdom of the Tianzhu Realm to the Spring Birth Realm’s forces—a gesture of "sincerity" that was actually just fuel to help the other side advance their own civilization.
From the start, the "Autonomy Faction" found themselves at a total disadvantage.
This wasn't merely because the Supreme Sensing Sect acted as the primary "collaborator," nor was it just because they lacked the numbers to fight an entire cultivation civilization!
The primary culprit was human greed!
Cultivators are inherently self-interested; most care only for their personal cultivation and are unwilling to die for the "greater good."
As a result, the "Autonomy Faction" steadily declined over two thousand years, facing increasingly grim circumstances. Meanwhile, the "Integration Faction" became the undisputed dominant force in the world.
Even worse!
Zhao Sheng could already feel the influence of various Spring Birth Realm factions spreading through the Tianzhu Realm like hidden tentacles, likely having infiltrated the world many years prior!
The Demon Cultivators he encountered were undeniable proof!
They belonged to the "Ghost God Sect," and their "Ghost Control Technique" was a Ghost Cultivation method rooted in the Spring Birth Realm.
The "Ghost Control Technique" followed a bizarre path, requiring a practitioner to capture a spirit ghost to serve as the Banner Spirit for their Lifebound Magic Banner—ideally a ghost related by blood.
A higher-quality spirit ghost allowed for faster progress and easier breakthroughs into higher realms.
Most crucially, this Ghost Cultivation path didn't rely on the world's spiritual energy; instead, it drew upon the yin and murky energy rising from the earth's crust.
With spiritual energy fading, it was obvious why the "Ghost Control Technique" held such allure for the cultivators of this realm.
Over the last millennium, the Ghost God Sect's growth had surpassed all predictions, evolving into a massive power with a hundred thousand disciples and countless experts, rivaling giants like the Ksitigarbha and Alchemy Furnace sects.
The rise of the Ghost God Sect was a clear sign that the "Dao Diminishes and Demons Increase" trend in the Tianzhu Realm was now irreversible, with no change in sight.
While these secrets seemed vast, only a moment had actually passed.
In that brief span, Zhao Sheng had unraveled the last few millennia of history in the Tianzhu Realm, allowing him to better plan his next moves.
With a mere thought, a series of explosions erupted as the ruthless Ghost God Sect disciples self-destructed one after another.
Zhao Sheng flicked his sleeve, and every Cloud Boat was pulled into his Sumeru Space.
Once all evidence was wiped away, he stepped forward calmly, his form vanishing instantly.
A short while later, a dark cloud swept across the horizon. A strange old man, his face split between black and white, descended from the cloud.
The Yin Yang Master’s face darkened as he scanned the area. He performed several hand seals, utilizing various secret tracking techniques, yet he found nothing.
Finally, he turned his gaze toward the Time-Space Rift in the sky, his eyes filled with a mix of dread and suspicion.
Realizing something, the man began to shake. He quickly mounted his dark cloud and fled the way he came, completely abandoning his mission.
...
Heavenly Pillar Mountain stood immense and tall, its emerald cliffs veiled in mist. From a distance, it appeared as a massive pillar holding up the heavens!
Returning to his ancestral home, even Zhao Sheng felt a flicker of emotion.
He composed himself quickly, and in a blur of motion, he reappeared in a corner of a workshop district within Mountain City.
After six thousand years, the prosperous Mountain City he remembered had become dilapidated and lonely.
The number of cultivators in the streets and shops had plummeted. Those who did appear were cautious and hurried, vanishing quickly from sight.
Zhao Sheng’s eyes shifted as his Divine Thought blanketed the city, revealing a shocking reality.
There were fewer than thirty thousand cultivators in all of Mountain City, and nearly a third of them were Demon Cultivators.
Among them, only 103 were above the Foundation Establishment stage. There were a mere nine Golden Core Masters and only a single Nascent Soul Ancestor!
He had expected a decline before returning to the Tianzhu Realm, but he hadn't imagined such a pathetic state of decay.
Six millennia ago, the spiritual energy in Mountain City was at a Fourth-rank concentration; now, it had fallen to a meager Second-stage Middle Grade.
Considering Mountain City sat atop the core of a Fifth-order Spiritual Vein, such degradation was staggering.
The state of other lands in the Tianzhu Realm must be horrific; spiritual veins below the Third-rank had likely turned into mundane earth, with cultivators nearly extinct there.
Tragic!
Truly tragic!
Zhao Sheng sighed to himself, "It’s no wonder the Demon Path is so popular, and no wonder the Supreme Sensing Sect surrendered. The Tianzhu Realm has reached a breaking point."
Seeing the rows of crumbling, unmaintained shops, Zhao Sheng shook his head and disappeared.
An instant later, he appeared inside the most vital Ancestor’s cave mansion within the City Lord’s residence.
Zhao Dingshan’s eyes snapped open, his face twisted in shock.
"Who... who are you?" he started to shout, but he quickly corrected himself, "No, I mean—Senior, please forgive my lack of a proper welcome!"