Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1339 - 721: The Zhao Family Rises, Spirit Puppet Complete (Part 2)

Internal strife and violent clashes erupted rapidly within the mountain gate's ruins in the blink of an eye.

Consequently, the secret regarding the total annihilation of the Ghost God Sect was leaked by a fleeing survivor who barely escaped with their life.

As one of the most ancient Demon Path sects in the Spring Birth Realm, the Ghost God Sect possessed a collective power that rivaled other top-tier major sects.

The massive shockwaves that such a sect's destruction would send through the Mo Continent Cultivation World were easy to imagine.

In less than a year’s time, every overlord-level power and first-to-second-tier cultivation force across the Mo, Mountain, and Central Continents had been informed of this staggering event.

While the Cultivation World of the Mountain Continent was buzzing with this news, several forces with close ties to the Cloud Mist Zhao Family began to notice something suspicious.

Over the past year, an excessive number of "treasures" had originated from the Zhao Family, many of which carried the unmistakable aesthetic of the Ghost God Sect.

A glaring example of this was that every single Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the Zhao Family now owned a top-grade Spiritual Artifact-level Ghost-controlling Banner.

With the assistance of Foundation Establishment Realm ghosts, the combat strength of the Zhao’s Foundation Establishment practitioners had surged, allowing them to slay enemies with ease.

Within a few months, the high-level leaders of the Mountain Continent Cultivation World had all become aware of the Zhao Family's many "questionable" circumstances.

Many clever individuals deduced the truth quickly and dispatched agents to probe for details and collect further proof.

Even though members of the Zhao Clan avoided the subject, the mounting evidence indicated that the Zhao Family must have been responsible for the Ghost God Sect's downfall.

After all, how else could the Cloud Mist Zhao Family possess such a vast quantity of "spoils of war"?

As more cultivation forces unearthed this terrifying "truth," the Cloud Mist Mountain Range became a hub of activity, with the Zhao’s residence overflowing with visitors.

Envoys from countless sects and clans arrived one after another, nearly breaking down the Zhao’s doors.

Perhaps acting on a hint from Ancestor Meng Han, the Golden Core Masters of the Zhao Family did not purposely conceal the "truth"—they simply offered smiles instead of answers when questioned, appearing to deny it while actually giving a tacit admission.

In reality, the entire situation from start to finish was managed from the shadows by Zhao Menghan. The goal was not only to restore the Zhao’s reputation but also to intentionally cultivate an air of mystery.

Only the unknown and mysterious can serve as the ultimate deterrent!

The source of Zhao Menghan’s confidence was, naturally, the reclusive Zhao Sheng.

The end result was exactly as anticipated, without any surprises!

The Cloud Mist Zhao Family transformed rapidly into the most untouchable and mysterious clan in the Spring Birth Realm, and the scattered branch members began to return in droves.

In just three years, the total strength of the Cloud Mist Zhao Family more than doubled, and its power was set to continue growing as time passed.

Zhao Sheng did not concern himself much with the future of the Cloud Mist Zhao Family; he spent most of his time studying the Puppet Spirit Core.

Nevertheless, he assigned a Returning to Void Splitting God specifically to oversee the cultivation of the younger clan members.

Under his direct mentorship, the progress of the Zhao’s cultivators was so immense it could be described as "defying fate."

Throughout those three years, three new Golden Core Masters emerged within the Cloud Mist Zhao Family, no fewer than fifty reached Foundation Establishment, and most significantly, the clan celebrated the birth of its second Nascent Soul Ancestor.

This "fortunate one" was none other than Zhao Xingyu, the beautiful lady in green whom Zhao Sheng had first met.

...

Buzz!

Deep within the cave mansion, a Crystal Treasure Bead measuring several zhang in diameter floated in the air, spinning slowly while emitting a vast, brilliant spirit light.

Myriad ancient runes rose and fell continuously within that spiritual radiance.

The ripples of space-time echoed repeatedly in the chamber, gradually growing in intensity.

Inside the Crystal Treasure Bead, layers of "Crystal Walls" carved with billions of Immortal Seals pulsed with an ever-shifting light, resembling a rhythmic breath.

Zhao Sheng stood beneath the Spirit Core. At his feet lay the unconscious body of True Monarch Fengyi, who had survived until now.

After three years of exhaustive research, Zhao Sheng had gained a basic understanding of the Spirit Core’s intricate inner workings. He now saw a perfect chance to use this man’s Primordial Spirit as a test subject, treating it as expendable material.

Following several rounds of mental deduction, Zhao Sheng’s eyes flashed. He suddenly executed a series of hand seals, causing beams of Divine Light to manifest and merge into the Spirit Core, transforming into thousands of Divine Thought "threads" that draped over the Crystal Walls.

Then, several Divine Thought "tentacles" reached into the central spiritual space, slowly entwining themselves with the cluster of spiritual light.

"Go, Primordial Spirit, exit the body!"

At Zhao Sheng's soft command, a small "Primordial Spirit" about a foot tall emerged from True Monarch Fengyi’s forehead. It was promptly seized by the descending spirit light and pulled into the Spirit Core against its will.

Instantly, the Primordial Spirit plunged into the spiritual space. Under the control of the Divine Thought tentacles, it was slowly fused with the broken spiritual light cluster, gradually taking on a new form.

The process of transformation was quite drawn out!

Zhao Sheng remained completely focused, not allowing his concentration to waver for a second. He spent six months slowly merging the two entities, successfully initiating the repair of the Central Spirit Core.

With the most difficult part finished, the subsequent assembly stages proceeded without a hitch.

In a mere ten days, a massive Spirit Puppet with a human body and a leopard's head stood before Zhao Sheng.

The eyes of the Spirit Puppet gleamed with an intelligent and vibrant light, showing a high degree of spirituality.

At that moment, Zhao Sheng looked at the Spirit Puppet and commanded, "Feng Yi, attack with all your strength!"

"I wouldn't dare!" The Leopard Head Spirit Puppet shook violently, quickly dropping to its knees to kowtow, its voice trembling with fear.

Having endured countless tortures over the past three years, True Monarch Fengyi had become entirely submissive, unable to even think of defying Zhao Sheng.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng watched it coolly for a moment, only looking away once the Spirit Puppet began to shudder uncontrollably.

"In that case, I shall find a more suitable opponent for you."

With those words, Zhao Sheng swept his long sleeve, pulling the Leopard Head Spirit Puppet inside.

In the next heartbeat, the cave mansion was vacant, leaving no trace of his presence behind.

...

The Red Sea is located to the northwest of the Mountain Continent, situated between two major landmasses. It is a vast, limitless expanse that serves as a breeding ground for countless giant deep-sea beasts.

The abyss of the Red Sea is undoubtedly one of the most perilous forbidden zones in the Spring Birth Realm. It is home to the most horrific and mysterious sea creatures, some of which possess strength comparable to a Divinity Transformation True Monarch, ensuring that few ever venture there.

On this day, a figure appeared out of thin air in the sky above this forbidden stretch of ocean.

Zhao Sheng looked down at the dark, bottomless waters, his Divine Thought expanding instantly to blanket thousands of miles of the sea.

"Oh, an ancient Sea Spirit!"

With a surprised exclamation, Zhao Sheng teleported three thousand miles away in an instant.

Below him, the ocean was pitch black, but at its center sat a small, circular island. It was entirely black, blending perfectly with the dark waves unless one looked very closely.

If someone were to descend beneath the surface, they would realize that this island was merely a portion of a giant beast's back protruding from the water; the rest of its massive body rested on the sea floor.