Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1554 - 840: Praying to Heaven Ancestor’s Meticulous Efforts

Within a serene chamber of the Heavenly Number Three Cave Mansion in Qunxian Residence, Zhao Sheng was seated cross-legged upon the Jade Couch, observing the other side with composure.

About two yards apart, a Jade Wall rose over a foot tall, displaying a grand Eight Diagrams Altar in the shimmering glow of the Jade Wall.

Right now, innumerable beams of Treasure Light pierced the heavens and descended upon the base level of the altar.

Zhao Sheng narrowed his eyes and swiftly observed that the areas where the treasures landed differed across the positions.

At the southern Qian Position, the majority consisted of Strange and Rare Treasures.

In the northern Kun Position, the bulk included Treasure Medicine and Spirit Fruit.

The eastern Li Position featured Magical Treasures and Spiritual Treasures.

The western Xun Position was filled solely with Heaven and Earth Strange Objects, like Golden Crow True Fire, Tri-element Heavy Water, Ten Thousand Years Yin Soul Wood, and so on.

Lesser amounts of Unknown Strange Objects, Cultivation Technique Jade Scrolls, talismans, Array Plates, and similar items dropped onto the remaining four positions of the eight diagrams.

Zhao Sheng rapidly located the Strange and Rare Treasures along with his nine Spiritual Treasures in the Qian, Li, and Zhen positions.

Yet... despite scanning all areas, he failed to spot the Thunder Emperor Tribulation Order.

Zhao Sheng's mind whirled, and he promptly grasped the explanation for this.

The Thunder Emperor Tribulation Order was undoubtedly far too valuable, so the Wanyou Trading Company refrained from entering it in the competition and decided to keep it for their own use.

Such a decision from the Wanyou Trading Company made perfect sense. Provided they compensate him suitably later, Zhao Sheng had no issue with this minor occurrence.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, no further treasures were cast in by Qingyun from diverse locations.

Every Human Clan Cultivator held their breath, staring at the Eight Diagrams Altar on the Heavenly Curtain, brimming with excitement for the treasure contest to commence.

Soon after, waves abruptly formed on the Heavenly Curtain, and the Eight Diagrams Altar burst forth with radiant Divine Light that shot into the sky.

This Divine Light rushed out, enveloping thousands of miles across the Heavenly Vault.

In the instant that followed, a breathtaking spectacle emerged!

Like a surging tide, the Divine Light roared and abruptly unleashed thousands of streaks of Flowing Light.

These Flowing Lights fell like rain across the whole city, settling into the grasp of each cultivator.

Once the Light Rain finally stopped after some time, everyone clutched a small, fiery red flower the size of a thumb.

In Jiuxuan City, home to billions of cultivators, billions of such red flowers now existed!

The city brimmed with red flowers, as if stars had tumbled down to the ground, creating a dazzling sight!

At that moment, the Divine Light covering the Heavenly Vault swiftly withdrew back into the Eight Diagrams Altar, vanishing completely.

All cultivators looked closely and suddenly noticed an additional figure atop the altar.

This figure appeared young yet had white hair, with a sharp and dignified face, clad in a Golden Purple Eight Diagrams Taoist Robe, resembling a wise and enlightened master.

"Ah, Ancestor Praying to Heaven has shown up!"

"Not seen in a hundred years, Ancestor Praying to Heaven seems even more remarkable, his Daoism must have advanced further!"

"With Ancestor guarding Jiuxuan City, how would Evil Demons dare to invade our city..."

"Pfft, it's merely a True Spirit projection. Why act so scared? Even with its immense power reaching the heavens, it won't detect our presence."

"Taoist, if you hand over the red flower you're holding, I'll pay you ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

"No chance, in the previous contest, it averaged thirteen Mid-grade Spirit Stones per red flower exchange. This time's trading price won't drop below that..."

"...Twelve Mid-grade Spirit Stones? That's basically robbery! Anything under fifteen stones, and I'm not trading! If you're not interested, plenty of others in the city are."

...

Following the spread of red flowers throughout the city, a frantic trading boom erupted in Jiuxuan City, as numerous cultivators chose to swap their red flowers for Spirit Stones.

In mere moments, the number of red flowers on the market plummeted at a staggering rate, with most ending up in the possession of powerful Cultivation Forces.

Seated cross-legged above the altar, Ancestor Praying to Heaven observed the varied emotions among the city's inhabitants with amusement, showing no desire to interfere.

Jiuxuan City has endured for almost a million years, hosting the treasure contest over a hundred thousand times.

Across hundreds of thousands of years, scenes like today's have repeated endlessly, but Ancestor Praying to Heaven's fascination never wanes, even after witnessing them countless times.

Simply because... it isn't human. In truth, it is a True Yang Spiritual Treasure.

The actual form of Ancestor Praying to Heaven is the Eight Diagrams Heaven Praying Plate, once belonging to Red Cloud Venerable.

When Red Cloud Venerable advanced to the Tribulation Crossing Realm, the Heaven Praying Plate luckily sparked Primordial Yang and thereby evolved into the uncommon Primordial Yang Spirit Treasure.

For hundreds of thousands of years afterward, the Eight Diagrams Heaven Praying Plate has stayed in Jiuxuan City, safeguarding successive generations of Human Clan Cultivators.

Legends say the treasure contest originated from a sudden inspiration of Ancestor Praying to Heaven, which has sustained its popularity for more than a hundred thousand years.

Every rule governing the treasure contest is set by Ancestor Praying to Heaven itself.

After half a day of enjoying the sights, Ancestor Praying to Heaven moved to the altar's summit.

With a sweep of his broad sleeve, the altar beneath shook intensely, as countless rays of Treasure Light shot upward, blending into a splendid unity.

"It's beginning, it's beginning..."

"...Later, follow my orders. When I tell you which treasure to support, you vote for that one. Understand?"

"Haha, I've been looking forward to this. I hope this contest uncovers a few items that extend life..."

"...Gu Family and Chen Family, how many red flowers have we gathered?"

"Reporting to the Family Head, we've amassed a total of 7,362,199 red flowers in this contest, which is more than seven hundred thousand fewer than last time..."

...

High above the Qingyun, Deng Wenqiu stared at the Heavenly Curtain and abruptly inquired, "Ku Rong, how many red flowers did we gather this round?"

"Neither too many nor too few, around 2,970,000 flowers. The amount falls short of the Five Immortal Valves, but it's close to that of the thirty-six Ancient Clans." Ancestor Ku Rong straightened his robe and replied softly.

Standing atop the cloud, Deng Wenqiu remarked indifferently, "Short on the high end, but with extras on the low! Impressive work, Ku Rong, your efforts are noted."