Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1328 - 717: Defying Fate and Courtesy Before Force

Although Zhao Menghan had intended to seek the protection of a powerful patron, he never expected the compensation to arrive so rapidly or be so immense, far surpassing his wildest dreams.

Gazing at the massive mountain of wealth stacked to the ceiling, even his seasoned experience could not prevent him from being completely stunned.

The hoard before him was overflowing with innumerable Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. It contained thousand-year-old spiritual medicines, Five Elements Essence, spiritual treasures, and Ancient Jade Scrolls. The Spirit Stones alone numbered in the millions, with the lowest grade among them being mid-grade.

This vast collection of riches emitted a radiant Treasure Light that filled the entire bamboo structure with a brilliant glow.

However, Zhao Menghan soon detected something unusual. As he inspected the pile, his shock deepened; many of the items bore the unmistakable insignias of the Ghost God Sect.

He noticed a heap of flags particularly; the ghostly entities vividly manifesting on their surfaces made it clear they were Ghost-controlling Banners, the hallmark tools of the Ghost God Sect’s disciples.

Yet... the sheer volume was staggering. There were at least two hundred, and seven or eight among them pulsed with Treasure Light, indicating they had reached the rank of a Magical Treasure.

“Ancestor, could it be... that the Ghost God Sect somehow provoked you? This... there are an incredible number of Ghost-controlling Banners here!” Zhao Menghan considered a chilling possibility but, not daring to state it plainly, he phrased his question with caution.

“A lot? Hardly! I have plenty more. Regarding that Ghost God Sect you mentioned, I simply happened to pass by their mountain gate and leveled it on a whim!” Zhao Sheng had intended to depart after delivering the goods, but since he was asked, he gave a casual answer.

Leveled?!

To level a place was surely just another way of saying the Sect had been annihilated, right?

It had to be!

Zhao Menghan’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He felt certain he hadn't misheard, and that his suspicions were exactly what the Ancestor meant.

“So, the Ghost God Sect is... no more?!” Zhao Menghan’s voice wavered, sounding as though he couldn't quite believe his own words.

Zhao Sheng paid him no mind; his form flickered and he vanished from the bamboo building.

Zhao Menghan suddenly jolted back to his senses. He scanned the room quickly but found the Ancestor had truly departed.

Observing this, his theory was confirmed once more: the Ancestor’s Cultivation must exceed the Returning to Void stage. If not, how could he execute the legendary Instant Teleportation Technique?

A moment later, Zhao Menghan turned his focus back to the mountain of treasure. He picked up a white Jade Scroll, sweeping it with his Divine Sense. Stunned, he quickly pressed the Jade Scroll against his forehead to verify its contents.

When he finally pulled the Jade Scroll away, his expression was radiant with delight.

The scroll held a Ghost Dao Technique titled the “Nine Revolutions Divine Control Technique.” It was of a high grade, capable of being practiced all the way to the Nascent Soul realm.

Most significantly, this was one of the True Inheritor techniques of the Ghost God Sect. Even though the final three layers were missing from this copy, it remained an incredibly profound True Technique.

Reflecting on the situation, Zhao Menghan laughed joyfully. Since the Ancestor had wiped out the entire Ghost God Sect single-handedly, how could their True Inheritor techniques be missing? The genuine manuals must have been completely plundered.

What did a single incomplete “Nine Revolutions Divine Control Technique” matter now!

“Oh, what could this be?”

Zhao Menghan suddenly spotted a peculiar object at the base of the treasure pile.

It was entirely silver-white, possessing the head of a beast and the body of a human. Measuring roughly twenty-eight feet, it was riddled with cracks and appeared heavily damaged. Yet, it pulsed with a mysterious light, brightening and fading as if it were breathing.

Upon a second look, Zhao Menghan felt certain it was a humanoid Puppet that had been nearly destroyed.

But by the third glance, his blood ran cold. He felt as though a Fierce Beast were staring him down, and an inexplicable dread filled his heart.

It felt as though death could claim him at any second!

The source of this terror was none other than the humanoid Puppet resting before him.

Zhao Menghan did not dare look further. He averted his gaze instantly and even pulled back his Divine Sense, terrified that the mangled Puppet might suddenly wake and kill him.

“Too perilous! Why would the Ancestor leave such a lethal object here? Was it an accident, or was it intentional?”

The weakness of an intelligent man is the tendency to overthink, fueled by a vivid imagination.

However, Zhao Menghan’s intuition was correct this time; Zhao Sheng had left this Spirit Puppet on purpose to test the subordinate's character and perception.

It must be said that Zhao Menghan was lucky. He didn't let greed for the treasure mountain blind his spirit; he noticed the Spirit Puppet in time and resisted its allure, successfully passing the trial.

While Zhao Menghan walked around the hoard, mentally cataloging the items, Zhao Sheng reappeared out of thin air within the room.

Seeing this, Zhao Menghan bowed immediately to greet the Ancestor’s return.

Zhao Sheng gave a slight, somber nod in response.

In that brief interval, he had scoured the entire collection within the Scripture Storage Tower. Strangely, he found no records concerning the location of the Nine Nether Tower.

Even the name “Nine Nether Tower” was barely mentioned in the ancient texts and notes.

It felt as though an unseen hand had tried to wipe the Nine Nether Tower from history, a realization that forced him into deep thought regarding its purpose.

The more Zhao Sheng considered it, the more uneasy he felt. He mused, “Is it possible the Nine Nether Tower truly cannot be located? If it remained within the Spring Birth Realm, it would be like a needle in a haystack, but eventually, it could be found.

The real fear is that someone recognized the ‘origins’ of the Nine Nether Tower and has already taken it out of the Spring Birth Realm. The Universes are infinite; unless a miracle occurs, how could I ever track it down?”

Noticing the Ancestor’s dark expression, Zhao Menghan stayed silent, standing respectfully to the side while waiting for orders.

“Enough! Supreme Sensing Sect, it has to be you. You had better possess the Nine Nether Tower; if not... I will turn your entire nest upside down!”

At this point, Zhao Sheng was losing patience. He no longer cared about the ties between the Supreme Sensing Sect and the mysterious Supreme Sect, focusing all his frustration on them.

Having reached a decision, he looked up at Zhao Menghan and asked in a heavy voice, “Do you know the location of the Supreme Sensing Sect’s mountain gate?”

Zhao Menghan answered immediately, “To answer the Ancestor, their mountain gate is not located within the Spring Birth Realm, but rather underground on a Dead Star nearby. This junior is aware of its exact coordinates.”

Zhao Sheng nodded. “Very good. If I were to assign you a task—to travel to the Supreme Sensing Sect and recover the Ancestor’s lost property—would you be willing?”

“This junior is willing!” Zhao Menghan replied without a moment's pause.

Zhao Sheng’s expression softened slightly. A Divine Light radiated from between his brows, and a lifelike miniature of “Zhao Sheng” emerged.

With a flash of light, this Returning to Void Splitting God dove into Zhao Menghan’s forehead and disappeared.

Zhao Sheng’s eyes shimmered as he suddenly felt a second perspective manifest within his mind.