Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1440: 779: Veins of Mountains and Rivers, Entering the Tower as Promised (Part 2)

While he shut his eyes to recuperate, the nearby Immortal Ruins Guests kept throwing odd looks his way from time to time.

Yet, throughout it all, nobody had the guts to approach and chat with him. Unbeknownst to them, they were letting a golden chance slip right through their fingers.

The moments in the Ruins flew by in a flash.

High up in the corridor's sky, a gigantic form materialized out of thin air all of a sudden. Once it touched down, everyone could see it was a hideous burly warrior in crimson armor, bearing an aged visage and a lone horn sprouting from his snout.

Qi Wu Yan, with a face full of distress, made his way onto the corridor and stared at the throng in the workshop nearby. Abruptly, his eyes caught sight of a well-known silhouette.

The gloom on his features evaporated in a heartbeat!

Overwhelmed by delight, Qi Wu Yan overlooked the Endless Tower's regulations entirely and yelled out, “Senior Zhao!”

His words barely echoed when he stirred up a fierce breeze, darting straight to Zhao Sheng's position in a flash, crying out in sheer elation, “You’ve finally arrived. I… I missed you terribly.”

Zhao Sheng lifted his eyelids, a touch of regret showing on his countenance, “I’m sorry for keeping Taoist Qi waiting. I got so absorbed in my cultivation that our pact slipped my mind entirely. Please accept my deepest regrets!”

“As long as Senior is present, a short span of ten Ruins Years means little; this junior can endure it. On top of that, I’ve managed to advance to Divinity Transformation, boosting my power by leaps and bounds.” Though Qi Wu Yan harbored many gripes inside, he displayed magnanimity outwardly.

Zhao Sheng gave a faint smile, motioning for Qi Wu Yan to take a seat, before unleashing a barrier of intent to shield their discussion.

After Qi Wu Yan settled down cross-legged in excitement, Zhao Sheng started probing into the pertinent issues.

Qi Wu Yan had plenty to vent and now seized the chance to pour it all out, diving right into an elaborate narration.

As it happened, skipping that earlier chance had drastically dropped Qi Wu Yan’s standing in the family. The Ancestor had erupted in fury, and only through Qi Wu Yan’s endless flattery did the Ancestor’s rage subside just a bit.

In the following ten Ruins Years, Qi Wu Yan showed up at the Endless Tower each time brimming with anticipation, only to leave drowned in boundless disappointment.

Zhao Sheng, gripped by profound remorse, kept offering apologies over and over.

“A bit of hardship for me is trivial if it means reclaiming the ancestral relics successfully; everything’s worth it.” Qi Wu Yan declared with open-hearted grace.

Zhao Sheng inclined his head and then inquired abruptly, “By the way, what’s the current status of those other two Fellow Daoists?”

Qi Wu Yan’s face fell, and he instantly unleashed his grievances: “Senior, you might not realize, to hold onto those two fellow Taoists, our clan surrendered multiple priceless artifacts, and only then did they consent to linger another decade. Luckily, Senior turned up just in time, or else, once the deadline hit, the Ancestor could have descended in person, traversing All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds to hunt you down, Senior.”

Upon hearing this, a cold shiver ran through Zhao Sheng’s core.

From what he understood, the Pi Xi Clan’s Ancestor wielded Sky-reaching cultivation, boasting might on par with a Three Tribulations Great Venerable.

Should it intervene directly, Zhao Sheng dreaded he might not survive the ordeal.

With that in mind, Zhao Sheng burst into booming laughter, “Haha, good thing I never planned to renege on our deal. I’m here now, after all.”

Qi Wu Yan grinned and nodded, “This junior has full faith in Senior; otherwise, I wouldn’t have parted with two priceless artifacts back then.

Moreover, in just under ten days or half a month, the Sky-reaching White Tower will reopen. The other two Fellow Daoists will show up right on schedule as well.

This once-in-a-lifetime chance—we absolutely can’t let it pass!”

At these words, Zhao Sheng stated assuredly, “That’s exactly why I came. Taoist Qi, rest easy; I’ll spare no effort to make your dream come true.”

Qi Wu Yan beamed with joy, hastily clasping his hands in a bow over his heart, “It all depends on Senior Zhao.”

In the wink of an eye, a few days elapsed, bringing a fresh wave of Immortal Ruins Guests to the Endless Tower.

The pair that Zhao Sheng and Qi Wu Yan awaited at last emerged, arriving one right after the other.

One was a humanoid Wood Spirit, grotesque to behold, with a colossal frame resembling an age-old tree, six arms like twisting vines, and a waist thick as several zhang, making the earth tremble with every stride.

The other wasn’t from the Human Clan either; it was actually a scarce Stone Demon from All Heavens, no taller than a foot, perfectly carved and immaculate, akin to a White Jade infant sculpted by the cosmos itself.

After Qi Wu Yan presented them individually, Zhao Sheng, the Wood Spirit, and the Stone Demon gradually got acquainted.

The Wood Spirit named himself “Kuimu Xiao,” an incarnation of a ten-thousand-year Kuimu, his cultivation surpassing Twelfth Rank, with prowess matching a Returning to Void Half-Immortal.

Unlike the reserved Wood Spirit, the Stone Demon proved far chattier, introducing himself as “Stone Jade,” hailing from some Spirit Realm—though only he could vouch for the truth of that tale.

Through Zhao Sheng’s Eye Power, he couldn’t gauge the true extent of this demon’s cultivation, vaguely detecting its awesome might, which was at least equal to his, and perhaps far surpassing it.

Time slipped away swiftly, and two days vanished in an instant.

With the Sky-reaching White Tower on the verge of reopening, one mighty Immortal Ruins Guest after another showed up successively, turning the Endless Tower into a scene tenfold more bustling than usual.

Zhao Sheng, Qi Wu Yan, and their two companions claimed a spot in the corridor’s corner, keeping a wide berth clear around them.

Noting how formidable the quartet looked, the rest of the Immortal Ruins Guests steered clear from a distance and started clustering into their own bands.

The workshop’s vibe turned intensely stifling and weighty, with hardly anyone bothering to erect stalls for trading treasures or bothering to stroll about.

As the tension mounted heavier and heavier, at one precise instant, the grand White Tower blazed with radiant brilliance.

A blinding glow swallowed up the scene, in a flash “submerging” endless levels along with hordes of “Immortal Ruins Guests.”

Boundless white radiance flooded Zhao Sheng’s sight completely, and in a stupor, he glimpsed a immense, timeless Sky-reaching “gateway” manifesting at the light’s far edge.

The very second the Sky-reaching “gateway” took form, an unfathomable pulling force burst forth, yanking Zhao Sheng skyward against his will and hauling him toward the gateway.

Moments later, the white radiance faded away.

Zhao Sheng blinked his eyes open to discover he stood in an expansive, spotless white realm.

Everywhere, the barriers and ground gleamed pure white, as if forged from some odd stone substance or maybe woven from an utterly refined energy.

Set into the nearby walls stood four matching gateways, each towering three zhang tall and spanning roughly two zhang across in both directions.

Beyond the gateways lay utter blackness, pointing to destinations shrouded in mystery.

Zhao Sheng scanned the area and spotted the forms of Qi Wu Yan, Kuimu Xiao, and Stone Jade nearby.

Zhao Sheng faced the nearing Qi Wu Yan and questioned, “Taoist Qi, which way do we head now?”

Qi Wu Yan eyed the four gateways, a flicker of concern crossing his features, “From our ancestors’ chronicles, the White Tower’s first opening spawns myriad gateways, and we must pick one blindly. As for what lies beyond them, I have no clue.”

Zhao Sheng’s brows knit together at this, ready to press for details.

Out of nowhere… Stone Jade leaped a full three feet into the air, bellowing, “No, Qi, that’s a lie. If you’re clueless about their paths, how would you ever locate the ancestral relics?”

Kuimu Xiao, catching this, swung his limbs a couple of times, seemingly backing Stone Jade’s claim.

All those gathered had endured for millennia, sharp and sly as foxes, so how could they miss the hole in Qi Wu Yan’s statement?

Qi Wu Yan lifted his gaze and rubbed his nose tip, clarifying with a helpless tone: “The three Seniors might not be aware, this Sky-reaching White Tower is truly bizarre, starting with endless gateways. Yet, after crossing several in sequence, it guides us to a special domain.

Our old tomes skip the finer points, just noting that these special domains link together, and conquering specific tests lets one shift to another domain. The ancestral relics lie within one such domain.

To speak plainly, I hold a bloodline technique that lets me detect the ancestral relics’ position.”

After Qi Wu Yan’s clarification, Zhao Sheng’s look softened a tad.

But Stone Jade shot back, “Then quit yapping, Qi? Hurry and select a gateway—let’s step through!”

At that, Qi Wu Yan bobbed his head swiftly in consent. He then scanned the four gateways and picked the eastern one without delay, striding toward it ahead.

As he advanced, he stressed sincerely, “Prior to arriving, the Ancestor divined it himself, and the signs pointed to vast luck in the east. That’s the reason for choosing eastward.”

Zhao Sheng dipped his head in acknowledgment and trailed after. Stone Jade bounced right on his heels.

Kuimu Xiao, despite his enormous bulk, lumbered at a measured pace, yet each stride covered multiple zhang, keeping him right up with the group.

The four soon traversed the gateway, stepping into yet another broad, immaculate white expanse.

This expanse mirrored the last almost perfectly, save for the lines of crimson script hovering over the four gateways.