Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

"Ah, Junior Brother Zhao, don't be so harsh in your words!"

Crown Feather Taoist, none other than Wu Qin You, rapped on the Jade Table in front of him, his face showing dissatisfaction: "What do you mean 'fled back,' and what do you mean 'even Wuzhou was lost in the process'? Marching to another realm, with a million cultivators against tens of millions of cultivators, occupying an entire ocean, slaughtering two top great sects, turning Central Continent upside down, and even bringing back billions from the Slave Clan – aren't all of these grand merits? If it weren't for the Star God losing control and paying the price with its return to annihilation, tearing the space-time passage and creating a space-time storm, which in turn trapped and killed most of our cultivators...can you honestly say that those losers in Tianzhu Realm could have won?"

"Even if we were defeated, just the former Sect leader alone, holding back the armies of the Five Continents with the Ten Directions God Demon Banner, repelling enemies from all around and killing divinities and Nascent Souls by the billions, causing countless cultivators to halt in fear, that is still a loss that can be spoken of with pride!"

Zhao Sheng insisted on making a point: "Strong as the Chi Sect might have been, their remains fell into enemy hands, and our sect has been humiliated ever since. How do you explain that?"

"That's because..."

"Uh, Fellow Daoists!"

Seeing that the two were getting increasingly heated over the death of the previous Sect leader in another realm, Daoist Zhen, the instigator, had no choice but to interrupt their argument, awkwardly smiling, "Say, both of you, we were discussing the sinking of Wuzhou, how did we end up on the topic of the Chi Sect?"

Crown Feather Taoist Wu Qin You gave Zhao Sheng a cold look and answered coolly: "I'm simply seeking justice for our ancestors who went on that expedition. They achieved such great deeds, yet now they are being disparaged by petty characters. I can't stand such cold and heartless people."

Zhao Sheng snorted coldly, but was too lazy to engage him in a battle of words, for it was simply a case of their differing beliefs being irreconcilable.

At this moment, Daoist Zhai Kong spoke up to smooth things over.

He first scolded Zhao Sheng, saying, "Junior Brother, you really need to change this tactless habit of yours.

You must understand, that initial expedition across realms nearly depleted our sect's pinnacle warriors, including two Divinity Transformation True Monarchs, nearly fifty Nascent Soul Great Priests, hundreds upon hundreds of Golden Core Main Priests... and not even counting back ten thousand years ago, the scale and severity of the first great war between realms was not even one percent of this. Nowadays, our sect couldn't possibly muster such a force again. Even if the expedition was unsuccessful and we retreated to our realm, the war always stayed in the Tianzhu Realm and never spread to our homeland. Even if Wuzhou sunk..." Then, returning to the matter at hand, "By the way, Junior Brother Zhen, you just mentioned you have a secret to share. What kind of secret is it?"

Seeing that the Deputy Mansion of Zhai Kong was looking his way, Daoist Zhen, his mind lighting up, hurriedly said, "Right, right, let's not talk about depressing matters. Let's discuss how Wuzhou suddenly sunk overnight?!"

As he spoke, Daoist Zhen took out a fist-sized transparent Crystal Ball from his chest pocket and tapped the Crystal Wall with his finger.

In an instant, the Crystal Ball burst into bright radiance, projecting a column of light that quickly turned into a detailed three-dimensional map of the ocean floor three zhang wide. Not only was it three-dimensional, but it could also be enlarged or shrunk down, and even the Five Sea Eyes of the Earth's Core were included in its comprehensive layout.

"What... What is the meaning of this?" asked a Golden Core cultivator with curiosity.

Fellow Daoist Zhen chuckled mischievously, shrunk the map to about one zhang, and pointed to the Earth Core Sea Eyes, proudly saying, "Fellow Daoists, you should know that these Five Sea Eyes suddenly emerged after the sinking of Wuzhou. But nobody knows why they all appeared simultaneously? Most believe they formed due to space-time distortions, but... until recently, when I acquired a Nameless Stele, the inscriptions on it left me dumbfounded."

"Damn it, just get to the point! Show us the stele, why don't you," cursed Hong Qingqiu, his temper flaring as he interrupted impatiently.

"Please bear with me, Brother Hong. What you don't know is that the stele crumbled into dust the moment I finished reading it, never to be read again," explained Daoist Zhen.

The crowd fell silent upon hearing this.

Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, Daoist Zhen dared not tease them further and quickly pointed to the map, "Please look here, Fellow Daoists. The positions and distances of these five Sea Eyes – don't they resemble the five fingers of a hand, hmm, like this..."

As he spoke, he extended his right hand with fingers spread and slowly pressed it towards the map.

At the same time, the map swiftly shrank to the size of a palm, and its five Sea Eyes perfectly aligned with the five fingertips.

Zhao Sheng, witnessing this scene, was startled and amazed within.

However, the others looked skeptical, with Hong Qingqiu bursting into laughter, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

"Little Zhen, you're wasting your talent not being a storyteller. Such ludicrous tales, and you actually believe them! When Wuzhou sank, there were innumerable witnesses to the event, and many Nascent Soul Great Priests who are still alive to this day. Are you suggesting that they were all blind?"

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, smiling in a way that needed no further explanation.

Yet Daoist Zhen did not show a hint of embarrassment, but instead, with a serious expression, recited loudly: "On that day, daylight turned to gloom, the Heavenly Dao feigned slumber, a palm came from the west, obscuring the sun... Wuzhou sunk, and countless lives perished. The ignorant masses neither heard nor saw – what formidable power! Was it the work of a god? A true immortal? Divine retribution?... Awe-inspiring, lamentable, tragic, pitiful. To die after hearing the Dao in the morning would suffice! Speaking of pre-mortem meal words for posterity: Tianzhu cannot be entered, thousands cultivate, ten thousand paths shunned the yellow robes! The recluse Master Wanxiang sealed his words."

With a "pfft," Hong Qingqiu deliberately sprayed Daoist Zhen in the face, unable to contain his turbulent emotions.

Daoist Zhen reacted oddly, merely wiping away the stains impassively before continuing to address everyone, "Given the character of Master Wanxiang, he would not jest with us, his descendants, before his death. His decision to leave a stele about this matter suggests there must be some truth to it."