Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1555 - 840: Praying to Heaven Ancestor’s Meticulous Scheme (Part 2)
Previously on Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension...
Upon hearing those words, Ku Rong Ancestor revealed a trace of a wry smile on his countenance: "Master, there’s no need for this; this old one cannot move about freely and is unable to assist the master greatly, thus I can merely fulfill my responsibilities."
"Hmph!" Deng Gan let out a abrupt snort as he heard this, looking rather displeased.
Deng Wenqiu then inquired abruptly: "Gan, will this year’s treasure contest witness a supreme treasure ascending beyond the sixth level?"
Deng Gan’s face grew solemn, and he couldn’t help but glance at the Eight Diagrams Altar, where he observed myriad treasures gradually rising, climbing toward elevated tiers.
By now, a multitude of treasures had settled upon the altars of the second and third levels.
Certain treasures, gleaming with even greater intensity, kept soaring to the fourth level and further still.
The greater the level, the more brilliant and resplendent the glow from the treasures became.
Treasures atop the first level altar appeared dull and unremarkable.
On the second level altar, the glow from most treasures extended nearly a foot, though the loftiest reached just nine inches and nine fen, falling short of a full foot.
Yet on the third level altar, treasures boasting a glow over one foot were abundant, even if none surpassed one zhang.
The count of treasures on the fourth level altar plummeted sharply, leaving fewer than a hundred pieces.
Nevertheless, every one of them was exceedingly rare and valuable, their treasure glow as vivid as flames, stretching from more than a zhang to over ninety zhang in height.
Up at the fifth level altar, merely seven treasures persisted.
Among those seven, three counted as magical treasures, one as a scarce treasure, and two as Heaven and Earth oddities.
The last one was a sleek, rounded bead, shining brightly and innately featuring nine orifices and seven apertures.
Inside the secret chamber, Zhao Sheng focused his eyes intently, then narrowed them a bit, a flicker of astonishment crossing his expression.
Above the fifth level altar, to his surprise, he spotted a Spiritual Treasure forged by his very own hands.
This item, known as the Five Thunders Halberd, had been primarily constructed from a chunk of Void Shattered Divine Iron, etched inside with fully thirteen Treasure Restrictions—eight of thunder attribute—and had managed to form a single spirit prohibition.
The remaining five Treasure Restrictions pertained to the Five Elements Path, born from his own burst of inspiration.
That said... beyond possessing the highest number of Treasure Restrictions, the Five Thunders Halberd seemed rather mediocre in every other way, placing dead last among the nine Spiritual Treasures, far from his finest work.
The other eight items, like the God-locking Ring and the Ten Thousand Layers Peak, had all halted at the fourth level, so what allowed the Five Thunders Halberd to exceed them by a full tier?
"Could it be..." A sudden realization struck Zhao Sheng, prompting him to swiftly turn his gaze toward the Praying to Heaven Ancestor perched at the altar’s pinnacle.
At that instant, Ancestor Praying to Heaven was observing the array of treasures below with keen fascination, utterly unconcerned by the speculations swirling among those beneath him.
In no time at all, the vast array of treasures submitted by participants had been clearly sorted into distinct tiers.
Right then, the seven treasures gracing the fifth level altar had seized the undivided attention of every cultivator across the entire city.
In the southern skies over the city, a colossal crimson Qingyun cloud, covering thousands of mu, drifted lazily. This formation had been conjured by the Yuan Family, one of the Five Immortal Valves.
The Yuan Family’s present Patriarch fixed his stare on the seven treasures of the fifth level altar, declaring coolly: "Impressive! The Pingyang Seal has indeed climbed to the fifth level. Prepare a generous reward!"
"Yes!" An attendant promptly acknowledged the command and departed.
Likewise, the remaining Immortal Gates, the thirty-six Ancient Clans, and a host of cultivation sects all directed their focus toward the altars of the fourth and fifth levels.
The distinction lay in the Five Immortal Valves’ firm resolve to claim the fifth level treasures, while they scorned anything beneath the fourth level.
The thirty-six Ancient Clans, aware they couldn’t rival the Five Immortal Valves, set their sights on the fourth level altar’s offerings.
Evidently, these under a hundred treasures were destined to spark the fiercest bidding wars.
Innumerable cultivation factions stood ready to stake vast fortunes on securing even a single one.
Wasting no time on the cultivators’ anticipation, Ancestor Praying to Heaven ascended leisurely, gazing down upon the throng with arms folded behind his back.
His face adopted a detached air, and after a brief silence, he at last intoned:
"...The treasure aura descends into the depths, crimson blooms unfurl throughout the city. All creatures receive the law’s dew, ten thousand varieties partake in the jade altar..."
The Ancestor Praying to Heaven’s utterance left everyone stunned. No one had foreseen a Primordial Yang True Spirit intoning a five-character Taoist verse.
As the final syllable reverberated across the city, the Qingyun clouds housing the Five Immortal Valves trembled fiercely all at once.
Throughout Jiuxuan City, a surge of mighty auras abruptly shot skyward, only to dissipate in the blink of an eye.
Every Divinity Transformation True Monarch and even Half-Immortal of the Void felt shock, baffled by Ancestor Praying to Heaven’s poetic recital.
Paying no mind to the others’ bewilderment, Ancestor Praying to Heaven pressed on with icy composure after the verse: "The moment has arrived—scatter the petals, all of you!"
His declaration boomed like thunderclaps, echoing across the firmament and earth alike.
Abruptly, a thick crimson glow erupted within Jiuxuan City.
Swarms of red radiance streaked toward the Eight Diagrams Altar at the heart of the celestial canopy, swiftly locking onto their marks and descending with haste.
In a flash, myriad treasures burst forth with luminescence far surpassing their prior shine.
The heavier the crimson glow that descended, the more intensely the treasure lights blazed, propelling them upward at accelerating speeds.
After mere breaths, thousands of treasures shattered their prior bounds, surging to superior levels.
Naturally, the densest concentration of red radiance enveloped the seven treasures of the fifth level altar.
Empowered by this crimson blessing, the seven treasures hummed and quivered, their glows turning ever more radiant and magnificent, steadily gaining in height.
Still... between the fifth and sixth level altars loomed what felt like an insurmountable celestial divide.
Even with endless red lights bolstering them, the seven treasures failed to pierce that barrier.
Among them, the one with the most brilliant and towering radiance was that innate bead of nine orifices and seven holes, smooth and lustrous. Close behind came a three-inch flying sword whose blade light rent the heavens.
The Five Thunders Halberd’s emitted light placed it middling, fifth in the lineup.
Yet Ancestor Praying to Heaven’s gaze lingered predominantly on the Five Thunders Halberd.
None among the millions of cultivators perceived this.
... In the secret chamber, Zhao Sheng’s eyes remained glued to the light screen, watching as the Five Thunders Halberd’s brilliance intensified, causing his pupils to contract instinctively.
Only now did he uncover the hidden truth behind the treasure contest.
He had forged the Five Thunders Halberd himself, and no soul in existence knew this Spiritual Treasure as intimately as he did.
But in this instant, Zhao Sheng abruptly comprehended that the Five Thunders Halberd was undergoing swift "growth"—far swifter than he’d ever envisioned.
This "growth" pertained to the spiritual essence inherent in a Spiritual Treasure.
Under typical conditions, once a Spiritual Treasure develops its spiritual essence, it demands the trial of extensive ages for any chance at enhancement.
Note that it’s merely a "chance"; certain Spiritual Treasures hit their ceilings early, and even after eons, their spiritual essence shows no improvement whatsoever.
Moreover, a rare few Spiritual Treasures stand out as prodigies, brimming with boundless promise, their spiritual essence advancing at astonishing paces.
Quite often, within just a few centuries, they transform into True Form Spirit Treasures.
Even among True Form Spirit Treasures, exceptional "fortunate ones" kindle the Primordial Yang Fire, ascending to the status of Spirit Treasures akin to the Eight Diagrams Heaven Praying Plate.
Zhao Sheng knew full well that the Five Thunders Halberd possessed meager promise and, in usual scenarios, stood little chance of becoming a True Form Spirit Treasure.
Yet at present, that conviction had shifted within him.
Bathed in the red light’s grace, the Five Thunders Halberd now held a sliver of possibility to forge a full Law Spirit Forbidden, vaulting into the ranks of the world’s rarest True Form Spirit Treasures.
With this insight, Zhao Sheng couldn’t help but develop a measure of admiration for Ancestor Praying to Heaven.
This individual... he has spared no effort at all!
Moments ticked by, and at last, the bead endowed with nine orifices and seven holes shattered its final restraint, scarcely mounting the sixth level altar.
Witnessing this, every cultivator in the city brimmed with a tumult of joy, their gazes igniting with fervent passion.
The elite powers aloft on the Qingyun clouds grew animated too, eagerly anticipating the impending grand auction.
Post-treasure contest, every entered treasure would go under the hammer.
This monumental auction would span a full month, representing the highlight millions of cultivators yearned for most.
Once the Nine Orifice Treasure Pearl claimed the sixth level, the Five Thunders Halberd astonishingly outpaced its rivals, ascending to the sixth level as well.
Observing the ever-more-vibrant Five Thunders Halberd, Zhao Sheng’s features settled into serenity, fully aware of the substantial difficulties ahead.
... Once the Nine Orifice Treasure Pearl claimed the sixth level, the Five Thunders Halberd astonishingly outpaced its rivals, ascending to the sixth level as well.
Observing the ever-more-vibrant Five Thunders Halberd, Zhao Sheng’s features settled into serenity, fully aware of the substantial difficulties ahead.