Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1445 - 783: Beastification

"Since the portal remains elusive, Taoist Qi, why not lead the way? Toward which direction should we head?" Kuimu Xiao cast a gentle look at Qi Wu Yan and spoke softly.

Qi Wu Yan lifted his gaze toward the heavens, his face grave, and declared gravely, "We ought to explore the vicinity initially; the portal could be concealed in a hidden nook somewhere."

Zhao Sheng gave a nod, replying, "That's a solid idea. However, I've just spotted signs of another visitor to the Immortal Ruins. We might want to seize that individual first; they could possess valuable details."

Hearing those words, Qi Wu Yan's face lit up, and he agreed without delay. Kuimu Xiao nodded in support too.

"That fellow lies more than eight hundred miles distant; come with me."

With those words, Zhao Sheng soared upward into the firmament and sped off to the northeast.

Qi Wu Yan and Kuimu Xiao hastened after him, lifting off into the sky to pursue.

Below them, vast expanses of peaks and waterways streaked by in a haze, until a barren gorge came into view.

Yao Lan clutched his Treasure Saber firmly, scanning the area with sharp caution.

All at once, a silhouette dropped from above, radiating a crushing presence, and touched down directly in front of him.

Yao Lan felt profound alarm, ready to swing his saber in attack, yet an inconceivable force pressed upon him abruptly, making his body quake fiercely and locking his arms and legs in place.

Swoosh swoosh.

Two additional silhouettes came down and settled nearby.

Zhao Sheng eyed Yao Lan from head to toe briefly, then effortlessly seized the Dragon-shaped Treasure Saber and tapped the edge with a finger.

A mighty dragon's cry rang out from the saber, like a shadowy dragon coiling along its length, twisting wildly.

"Fine blade; its quality rivals a Spiritual Treasure at least." Zhao Sheng commended it, before tucking the Treasure Saber away into his sleeve with ease.

Qi Wu Yan stepped closer, eyeing the terrified Yao Lan, and demanded icily, "Respond to my queries. What's your name? From which realm do you hail?"

Afraid a single misspoken phrase could end his life, Yao Lan held back nothing and revealed his identity and background thoroughly.

Noting Yao Lan's full compliance, Qi Wu Yan's look softened a bit, and he pressed on with his questions.

Yao Lan shared freely, describing not just his adventures since stepping into the Sky-reaching White Tower but also every bit of knowledge he had about the White Tower.

In fact, Yao Lan hailed from a remarkable lineage; he belonged to the core descendants of an Immortal Gate within the Yuqing Spirit Realm, and his clan boasted multiple Ancestors who had traversed the Sky-reaching White Tower, documenting a handful of notes.

"...From what the seventh-generation Ancestor recorded, this realm we're in now is likely the Beast Path among the Six Paths of Hell. The Beast Path forms its own isolated domain, governed by laws far removed from those outside. Days pass in calm; but nights unleash horrific dangers... As for the nature of that horror? I'm clueless too, since the Ancestor's notes go blank in numerous spots, as if some prohibition prevented even a single character from being written."

At these words, Qi Wu Yan and Zhao Sheng shared a look.

Everything aligned perfectly!

The ancient texts from Qi Wu Yan's own Ancestor contained empty sections as well.

This clearly wasn't mere chance; it might stem from some ineffable restriction, or perhaps a prohibited force wiped away the descriptions.

Qi Wu Yan reflected briefly before resuming his probing.

Over an hour passed, until Yao Lan had exhausted all he knew, when Qi Wu Yan released him, then faced Zhao Sheng and queried sharply, "He's served his purpose. Shall we end him or not?"

Right then, Zhao Sheng stared at the sun overhead, deep in contemplation.

Hearing the question, he snapped out of his reverie, shook his head, and said, "Hold off on killing him for the moment; he could prove handy down the line."

Thereupon, Zhao Sheng turned to Kuimu Xiao and directed, "Taoist Kuimu, see to watching over this man. I'll scout the area."

Kuimu Xiao agreed with a nod.

Having spoken, Zhao Sheng gave a slight dip of his head and vanished abruptly before their eyes.

...

Following numerous Space-Time Teleportations, Zhao Sheng stood high up, hundreds of miles aloft, clouds drifting underfoot while harsh Gang Wind buffeted him.

Zhao Sheng raised his eyes to the sun blazing in the heavens, and his pupils narrowed on their own.

Despite being hundreds of miles elevated, the sun's apparent size and remoteness looked identical to ground level.

Zhao Sheng's brows knit tightly, and he triggered another Space-Time Teleportation, pressing onward in his climb.

On this occasion, he performed almost a hundred such jumps until half his Will ebbed away, materializing anew.

Now, the air around him bit with icy chill and utter quiet, the ground far below extending without end in every direction, flat with no hint of bending.

What could this mean?

A few explanations arise: first, this domain might follow the "Heavenly Round and Earthly Square" form, unlike a typical vast cosmos.

Second, this domain could be unimaginably enormous.

Third, the present domain might not be genuine, but an authentic "Thought Realm."

One must recall that the Burial Immortal Ruins once served as an Immortal Heaven, the graveyard of innumerable True Immortals and higher, allowing for all sorts of uncanny events.

No need to dwell on a simple Thought Realm; encountering the corpse of a Taoist Ancestor someday wouldn't shock me.

Gazing skyward once more, the sun's scale and separation stayed the same.

Observing that, Zhao Sheng abandoned the quest for this heaven's boundary, his form dropping like a massive boulder straight toward the land beneath.

When Zhao Sheng rejoined Qi Wu Yan, nearly four hours had elapsed.

Oddly enough, the sun still hung high, unmoved from its spot.

This only heightened Zhao Sheng's doubts about the domain.

Spotting his return, Qi Wu Yan eagerly inquired whether he'd uncovered anything fresh.

Zhao Sheng denied it with a shake of his head, holding back his theories.