Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1518 - 821: Change of Ruler in the Heavenly Rift Valley, Immortal Bone_2

A torrent of Five Elements Thunder, spanning a hundred feet, swallowed the Giant Lizard Commander whole.

The Giant Lizard Commander endured for quite a while, yet in the end, its tough flesh barrier was pierced by the two Nascent Souls, leaving it dazed from the thunder's strike.

With that, the reign of the demon lizard king came to a close as it was taken alive, its destiny now to be tamed and put to use.

…

After the Giant Lizard Commander’s capture, the leftover Two-winged Giant Lizards dispersed in chaos, like scattered grains of sand.

The Zhao, He, and Wei families launched their assault, guided by multiple Golden Core Masters, achieving triumph after triumph while forcing the lizard swarms into frantic flight.

Ten days passed, and a Sixth Rank Demon Lizard, accompanied by seven or eight juvenile giant lizards, escaped Heavenly Rift Valley in terror. The surviving Two-winged Giant Lizards turned into war prizes for the three families.

Within under six months, the conflict at Heavenly Rift Valley wrapped up with a decisive win for the Human Clan.

Many months following the fight, the majority of Foundation Establishment Cultivators remained at the stronghold, dutifully recovering, whereas a handful of fortunate individuals ventured out covertly to chart the landscape and features of Heavenly Rift Valley, all while hunting for diverse cultivation resources.

Soon enough, word arrived of promising discoveries: a medium-sized Mystic Iron Ore located scores of miles distant.

A couple of days on, the scouting parties trickled back, each carrying additional glad tidings.

These tidings revealed that Heavenly Rift Valley’s cultivation resources surpassed initial hopes. Beyond spotting assorted spirit mines, they uncovered a spirit stone mine right in the giant lizards’ former den.

The spirit stone mine’s reserves remained unknown, though multiple Third-rank Spirit Veins gathered at the site, hinting at a substantial extent.

Hearing this, Lord Zhao Zhuanggong and the He Family Ancestor promptly departed for the giant lizard’s old lair, lingering there for months on end.

In that time, the younger Foundation Establishment members, their wounds mended, slowly departed the stronghold and threw themselves into mining the spirit ores with full vigor.

The initial site dug up was the modest Innate Geng Metal spirit mine.

The front lines raged with intense combat, suffering constant heavy losses, so the need for all sorts of materials resembled an endless abyss.

Innate Geng Metal stands as both scarce and invaluable, serving as the prime material for forging Sword Pills, mending flying swords, crafting major Magical Treasure parts, and fixing colossal ships, to name a few.

Delivering a shipment of Innate Geng Metal to the front as swiftly as possible demonstrated the three families’ devotion and promised greater rewards in merits.

In the Outer Domain exploration war, merits hold unparalleled value, exchangeable for virtually every desire.

Boom~

Far within the cavern, a sphere of Golden Crow True Fire dropped into the heart of the Grand Array, rapidly morphing into a roaring blaze that unleashed searing heat.

Right away, a heap of starry ores was hurled into the inferno, where dross was burned off in moments, yielding sizable Geng Gold Pearls that floated amid the fiery waves, radiating a stunning glow.

Zhao Sheng extended his hand and summoned, drawing the Geng Gold Pearls upward to plunge into the adjacent Cold Ice Pool, where thick clouds of white vapor erupted at once.

Next, fresh ores were cast into the blaze and promptly purified into more Geng Gold Pearls, then chilled in the Cold Ice Pool.

In merely half a day, the mountain-like stack of ores yielded hundreds of Innate Geng Metal Pearls, their combined mass surpassing a hundred thousand pounds.

Zhao Sheng gathered the Geng Gold Pearls into a vast Storage Bag, offered brief guidance to the mining Foundation Establishment juniors, and departed the mine without delay.

Shortly thereafter, he reappeared at a Wind Grinding Copper Mine located a hundred miles off, picking up ore refinement once more.

Over two days, Zhao Sheng cycled through seven mines, ultimately returning laden with seven Storage Bags.

Back at the stronghold, he promptly delivered the Storage Bags to Lord Zhao Zhuanggong.

Lord Zhao Zhuanggong uttered few words, seizing the Storage Bags and swiftly embarking on a silver giant ship together with the earlier amassed Refined Spirit Gold.

The silver giant ship soon pierced the gloom, speeding toward the Great Wilderness Swamp front lines.

The path from Heavenly Rift Valley to Great Wilderness Swamp stretches far and fraught with dangers, demanding a Nascent Soul Ancestor’s vigilance over the giant ship to ward off strikes from demon beast raiding parties.

In the span of under a year since the exploration war’s start, the Dapeng Demon Country, leveraging its terrain advantage, dispatched endless demon beast groups to plague the Human Clan’s rear. Many were commanded by Nascent Soul Level demon beasts, bolstered by assorted Golden Core Level ones, launching stealthy assaults on Human Clan supply lines.

In turn, the Human Clan dispatched myriad elite squads into demon territories, probing the Royal Court’s position while surveying the lairs of various demon packs.

The Human Clan forces now face off against the Dapeng Demon Country, ruled by the Green-winged Roc Clan.

Unlike the elusive Four Saints Descendant Demon Clan, the Green-winged Roc Clan, despite their personal might, suffers a critical flaw: their numbers are woefully sparse.

The emergent Half-Immortal of the Void from the Mountain and River Sect exploited this vulnerability, thus boldly initiating the exploration war against the Dapeng Demon Country.

…

Inverted Mountain.

The heavens loomed dark, a bone-chilling cold gripping the air.

A grayish-white swirl erupted abruptly in the sky, and an instant later, a figure stepped forth from it.

Zhao Sheng’s eyes fluttered open, and the grayish-white swirl faded soundlessly behind him.

He surveyed his surroundings; beyond a scattering of basic stone huts, the place stood empty of any souls.

Having traversed Inverted Mountain five or six times, every visit revealed no signs of activity, save for the exiled Stone Spirit.

This oddity stirred deep suspicions within him, prompting profound reflection.

As he mulled it over, footsteps abruptly echoed from the stone houses.

Zhao Sheng’s head snapped up, spotting a lanky, gaunt man in black robes emerging from one of the dwellings.

The figure towered tall and slender, shrouded entirely in inky black garb, moving with eerie silence, akin to a specter.

Zhao Sheng’s eyes tightened, his right hand slipping discreetly into his sleeve, and he barked, “Halt right there!”

His command barely uttered, the black-robed man froze in place, his presence utterly dissolving.

Witnessing this, Zhao Sheng heightened his caution, preparing to question the stranger’s background.

Just then, a black, egg-sized stone burst from the earth—the Stone Spirit in person.

“Haha, Zhao Kid, you’ve finally shown up. We’ve been expecting you for some time.” The Stone Spirit bounced gleefully before Zhao Sheng, its agate-red eyes gleaming brilliantly.

“Stone Spirit Senior, might I inquire who this honorable guest is?” Zhao Sheng gestured toward the black-robed enigma at a distance and questioned directly.

Having interacted with the Stone Spirit often, he knew their clan’s blunt nature allowed straightforward queries without preamble.

After a couple of bounces, the Stone Spirit chuckled with a gravelly tone: “Him? An old companion of ours. Ever heard of the Ancient Yu Clan?”

“Yu Gu Clan?” Zhao Sheng mused inwardly, a spark of insight flashing as realization dawned, prompting him to press, “Stone Spirit, is this fellow a remnant of the Immortal Ruins?!”

“I’m clueless about Immortal Ruins remnants. But our old pal hails from that realm overhead. You see, the Ancient Yu Clan rules this domain.”

With that, the Stone Spirit pivoted and called to the black-robed figure, “Old friend, why not join us here?”

The black-robed figure glided over without a whisper.

Zhao Sheng scrutinized him intently, his stare fixed on the dark robe, forming a hushed hypothesis.

This individual was probably one of the fabled Burial Immortal Ruins survivors.

Eons ago, the Yu Kong Grandmaster’s enigmatic disappearance led to the fall and vanishing of myriad True Immortals and higher beings. Space Immortal Heaven teetered on ruin, earning the moniker “Burial Immortal Ruins” across the heavenly realms.

Nevertheless, Space Immortal Heaven once buzzed with countless beings.

Though the Immortal Heaven crumbled, claiming most lives, a rare few endured the apocalypse.

These survivors, weathering endless trials, earned the title “Immortal Ruins remnant” among the Immortal Ruins’ visitors.

“I am Zhao Wuming, a Human Clan Cultivator. May I learn your name?” Zhao Sheng bowed with joined hands, his tone grave.

After a pause, the black-robed stranger spoke, his voice raspy and parched, as though unused for ages: “I... Gu... Yu... Fang... Liu.”

“Ah, the Ancient Yu Taoist. My manners were lacking just now.” Zhao Sheng’s gaze brightened, adopting a humble air.

“...” The black-robed stranger stayed mute, apparently at a loss for reply.

At once, the Stone Spirit cut in: “Hey, no need for formalities with him—the Ancient Yu Clan acts like mute rocks. They seldom talk unless intrigued. I’ll handle the talking for him.”

Zhao Sheng’s interest sharpened, though he held back from probing more.

As expected, the Stone Spirit pressed on, “We’re tight like kin. No secrets here. Gu Yu Fang Liu seeks a deal with you; I’m mediating. Zhao Kid, up for it?”

“Oh, what sort of deal?” Zhao Sheng’s pulse quickened, and he inquired at once.

“Hold on. Old friend, your move.”

With those words, the black-robed stranger flung forth a thumb-sized, translucent bone.

Zhao Sheng snatched it mid-air, inspecting it thoroughly, and shock rippled through him.

Inside the bone, intricate three-dimensional forms materialized one by one; though varied, they shared a profound likeness.

Evidently, they stemmed from a unified Tao, the Tao True Text.

After prolonged study, Zhao Sheng pinpointed their essence and stated solemnly, “Ever-changing! This is... Wind Dao!”

“Haha, Zhao Kid, you grasp its worth perfectly! This is an Immortal Bone, priceless indeed!” Stone Gong brimmed with thrill, hopping about in ecstatic laughter.