Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2433 - 213: Ruins_2

To put it simply, this was truly a self-rescue endeavor, and the rewards coming now serve as a delightful bonus. Obviously, nobody raises any complaints.

With rewards allocated according to each person's contributions, Wang Ba at first pondered choosing a target to punish and reinforce his dominance. Yet, after observing the crowd's deferential expressions and reflecting on the intense prior confrontation, realizing no one had defected to the foe back then, he shook his head in mild disappointment before gazing over the group and declaring with gravity:

"Although we claimed victory in this clash, it stemmed solely from the Supreme True Buddha's lack of knowledge about Zhang’s Ruins' unification, unaware that we could all band together and unleash unified strength, letting us seize the opportunity... That said, this fight has revealed all our tricks to the Supreme True Buddha; if they strike again, it will without doubt become a brutal and intensely challenging struggle."

These words sank in, causing everyone's faces to grow solemn as the thrill in their spirits abruptly faded.

Noticing their reaction, Wang Ba then grinned:

"Still, as Rogue Cultivators, we hold our own edges. While we can't outmatch the Supreme True Buddha head-on, we excel through our vast array of techniques that leave them vulnerable. We ought to expand on this strength following that line of thought. Moreover, our teamwork feels a bit rusty; should we achieve flawless coordination..."

He merely pointed out a path, since his grasp of various organizations' management tactics was rather limited anyway.

Nevertheless, Wang Ba's remarks prompted the cultivators to mull things over, and shortly after, a subtle spark appeared in their gazes.

They could naturally conceive of such ideas themselves, but their perspectives varied, and with scant dealings with the Supreme True Buddha, their comprehension remained somewhat superficial. Wang Ba, experienced from numerous clashes with their monks, provided guidance that struck right at the core.

After wrapping up this discussion, though Wang Ba itched to head to the Cloud Sky Realm, he stayed patient and joined the cultivators in carefully mending the outer formation of Zhang’s Ruins.

What caught Wang Ba off guard a bit was how the earlier fierce battle had cracked open Zhang’s Ruins' surface, layered with eons of unyielding rock, exposing the tougher material underneath.

Even amid the fierce exchanges between Bodhisattvas and Arhats, those in the early and mid Crossing Tribulations stages, they hadn't managed to dent this subterranean rock at all.

"Zhang’s Ruins holds some mystery..."

Wang Ba tested it himself with his Dao Domain, not at full power, yet it only scarred the tough stone lightly, leaving him astonished.

With his present strength, he could largely shatter the unprotected Realm Membrane of the Cloud Sky Realm, but it barely affected Zhang’s Ruins, which naturally astonished him.

"It must have been tempered by Chaos Origin Substance over endless ages, making its essence far beyond ordinary."

Taoist Friend Yin trailed after, offering this guess upon witnessing the scene.

Wang Ba mulled it over briefly before questioning:

"Back when I first arrived, a curiosity lingered unasked, and it resurfaces today... Why call it ’Zhang’s Ruins’?"

Typically, locations earn their names for clear reasons.

For instance, a spot like Wang San Bend derives from the many Wang families there and its three winding turns.

Straightforward and intuitive, instantly clear.

But Zhang’s Ruins puzzles many.

Hearing this, Taoist Friend Yin paused in surprise, furrowing his brow in thought for a moment before awkwardly shaking his head:

"I honestly have no idea, Ruins Master. Hold on, I'll fetch Cheng Lianzi; perhaps he holds the answer."

Wang Ba moved to dismiss it with a wave, but Taoist Friend Yin had already sent a voice transmission to Cheng Lianzi, who was off fixing formations alongside others. Cheng Lianzi hurried over at once, and after catching Wang Ba's query, he chuckled:

"Taoist Friend Yin being clueless is expected; even for the Ruins Master, or any in Zhang’s Ruins' cultivation circles, scarcely anyone knows."

Taoist Friend Yin replied with a touch of irritation:

"So, do you know?"

"Of course."

Cheng Lianzi showed no false humility, then turned to Wang Ba and elaborated:

"Ruins carries various implications. Some claim it refers to ’圩,’ denoting a marketplace; legend holds it started as a trading hub for Rogue Cultivators, so ’Zhang’s Ruins’ was a market dubbed ’Zhang’s’."

"Others argue ’Ruins’ signifies desolation. It began as a Domain that suffered some catastrophe, leading to its inhabitants fleeing and the area crumbling into waste, hence the ’Ruins’ to mark it as a forsaken Domain."

"A forsaken Domain does fit."

Wang Ba listened thoughtfully and gave a small nod.

"Ruins Master possesses keen judgment."

Cheng Lianzi offered a gentle compliment, then affirmed with a nod:

"Our Laowen Sect has endured through the ages, standing as the most enduring faction in Zhang’s Ruins presently. Thus, it preserves numerous olden lore, including one tale: ages past, at Realm Sea's boundary, Jicang Abyss burst forth, birthing a Second Realm Sea that spanned across Jicang Abyss. Its might was overwhelming, shattering Domains and rending the void along its way, yet in the end, Realm Sea's laws restrained it, causing its demise; still, its undying remains floated through Realm Sea..."

Wang Ba's eyes flickered with mild shock, and he involuntarily bent his head to peer at the ground below:

"Does that mean this is the undying remains of that Second Realm Sea?"

In his thoughts, the form of Zhang’s Ruins sprang to mind, which truly mimicked a creature's shape. Positing it as an immortal corpse made perfect sense.

By now, Cheng Lianzi spoke with full conviction, holding nothing back:

"Our sect's Patriarch viewed it similarly. Only an immortal's form could generate a Domain and harbor cultivators. However, post his Mahayana breakthrough, multiple delves turned up empty, filling him with regret upon ascension. The magic treasure and horn I wield are relics our Patriarch unearthed in Zhang’s Ruins' depths."

As he continued, a sigh escaped him:

"The Patriarch bequeathed these two items, noting that grasping the ’horn’ offers a path to Mahayana. Regrettably, succeeding generations proved inadequate, failing to decipher it. Since his era, none have advanced to late-stage Crossing Tribulation."

This revelation mildly startled Wang Ba:

"The horn resides inside Zhang’s Ruins too?"

He promptly remembered the other man's prior mention, though he'd been preoccupied to heed it then.

That reminder sparked another memory. When he'd triggered the horn, for a fleeting moment, his awareness plunged into an ’ocean’.

But the next instant, his awareness felt abruptly ejected...

Back then, he'd dismissed it as a fleeting vision, deeming it odd and chalking it up to untimely fate. Now, linking it to Cheng Lianzi's account, a host of theories swirled in his thoughts.

He found himself glancing down once more at the unyielding stone underfoot. This time, whether fancy or fact, it almost appeared to bear skin-like patterns.

"Could Zhang’s Ruins... still possess life?"

He couldn't help remembering Taoist Friend Yin's earlier words and such. To dwell and cultivate in Zhang’s Ruins required earning acknowledgment from its core.

As to the core's nature, views differed widely.

Considering it afresh, maybe in Zhang’s Ruins' innermost reaches lay the immortal's lingering intent...

"Thus, my initial lack of ’core’ approval might not have been mere chance, but why would the ’core’ reject me?"

"What sets me apart from fellow cultivators?"

"Is it perhaps..."

A notion stirred within, and hazily, enlightenment dawned in his mind.

"Reluctant to interfere?"

"Or... fearful?"

His face stayed composed, while myriad ideas tangled in his head.

In that moment, an urge to probe arose, but he ultimately curbed it.

"Better to bide time, delay any moves for now—since whatever dwells in Zhang’s Ruins hasn't acted against me, it shows no hostility at least presently..."

His goal wasn't to wager on the entity's benign intent but to guarantee safe withdrawal even should that intent turn sour.

Yet eyeing the subtle marks on the stone at his feet, Wang Ba sensed the gap in this affair stretched far wider than he'd pictured.

"All the same, hope persists... If Zhang’s Ruins truly forms an immortal corpse per Cheng Lianzi, then Realm Sea's constraints still bind it, curbing any wild actions."

"This might explain its allowance of cultivators residing on its form..."

"Hold on... that's not right!"

"If Zhang’s Ruins just puts up with cultivators on its body, why demand ’core’ approval?"

A cold epiphany hit Wang Ba, prompting an instinctive scan of the myriad cultivators nearby, then back to the ground. He recalled the approval needed for cultivating in Zhang’s Ruins, the array of factions there yet none reaching late-stage Crossing Tribulation, his own banishment from that ’ocean’...

In a flash, a horrifying prospect crystallized:

"Is the being buried in Zhang’s Ruins' depths feeding on these cultivators to sustain itself?!"