Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 1597: Chapter 860: Hengxu Square, Return to the Divine Continent

The sun gradually dipped behind the western mountains, casting a dim light over the land as the pilgrims descending the mountain after offering their prayers.

Inside Lingbi Temple, Zhao Sheng, having dismissed the Guest and the Scripture Master along with other Daoists, turned and walked into a quiet room.

As soon as he entered, a thought flickered in his mind, and a pure white barrier appeared out of thin air, enveloping the entire quiet room in an instant.

Immediately, a translucent Glazed Treasure Mirror emerged from his body, exuding brilliance.

The Glazed Treasure Mirror hovered in mid-air, surrounded by gathering clouds and mist that buoyed it.

With the mirror emitting a soft, clear light, the luminescence flowed like water, blanketing Zhao Sheng entirely.

The next moment, Zhao Sheng rose into the air and vanished into the Mirage Cloud Treasure Mirror.

Cloud mist filled the sky, while the depths below echoed with the sound of ocean waves crashing, a continuous, thunderous roar.

Zhao Sheng stood atop the clouds, casually parting the cloud and mist before him.

As the cloud sea gradually parted on both sides, an endless ocean began to reveal itself below.

Zhao Sheng slowly descended and soon found himself atop the sea surface, the water beneath clear and fathomless, emanating a faint Law fluctuation, seemingly related to the Water Element Dao.

Gazing at the surging water, a divine light flashed at Zhao Sheng’s brow, and his Divine Thought unfolded mightily, instantly covering the entire "Mirror World".

The next second, centered beneath his feet, the sea surface suddenly sank deeply, and the water frenziedly rolled back in all directions.

Simultaneously, a verdant Qinglian, straight and unbranched, rose from the ocean floor, quickly arriving at Zhao Sheng’s feet.

The lotus bore a single stem with nine leaves, its top bud yet to bloom but extraordinarily large.

The bud seemed restless, its surface intermittently flickering with radiant hues.

Zhao Sheng approached the bud, gently placing his hand atop it, watching as the bud quietly unfolded, petal after petal gracefully spreading, releasing a refreshing aroma.

Within moments, a magnificent lotus bloomed before him, at the lotus’s heart, shockingly, lay a naked young man in slumber.

The young man’s features were exceedingly handsome, his figure tall and well-proportioned, astonishingly similar to Zhao Sheng.

His eyes flashing slightly, Zhao Sheng meticulously observed the sleeping, strikingly handsome youth, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face.

"Marvelous! It was worth the decade I invested in nurturing this body, truly nearly perfect."

As the words fell, bright divine light blossomed at Zhao Sheng’s brow, and another "he" stepped out of the radiance, diving into the sleeping youth’s body, merging them instantly.

Not long after, the youth seemed to awaken from an endless slumber, his eyes slowly opened, first appearing vacant, then swiftly becoming lively.

He then stood from the lotus, initially curious, examining his own body, then moved his limbs slightly.

Afterward, he plucked a few lotus petals, draping them over his body.

The petals shone, transforming into a light cyan Daoist robe enveloping him.

Nods of satisfaction followed, and he exchanged smiles with Zhao Sheng.

With a polite gesture, he smiled and said, "I am Zhao Chonghe, at your service, Master!"

Zhao Sheng returned the gesture, "Lingbi Temple is in your hands. Avoid unnecessary trouble and await my return in peace."

He confidently promised, "Rest assured, go forth! I am engrossed in cultivating Mixed Element Qi, no time for causing mischief."

At these words, Zhao Sheng pondered a moment, then suddenly retrieved an Ancient Bronze Bell from his belongings, handing it over.

"I entrust you with this Qinghuang Bell for protection. Remember, reveal this treasure only under dire circumstances."

This newly "born" avatar, not only physically frail but also at the mere stage of Foundation Establishment, might struggle against similarly ranked Returning to Void adversaries, risking death.

Without the Qinghuang Bell’s protection, Zhao Sheng wouldn’t dare release him casually.

Zhao Chonghe received the Qinghuang Bell, skillfully squeezing out a drop of Heart Blood onto the bell’s surface, then enveloping it with his Divine Thought to communicate with the Spirit Treasure True Spirit.

An hour later, the Qinghuang Bell resounded with a loud hum, and a Phoenix Illusion flew from within, swiftly entering Zhao Chonghe’s brow’s Purple Mansion.

With a flash of verdant light, a Phoenix pattern appeared on Zhao Chonghe’s brow, soon receding again.

Subsequently, the Qinghuang Bell transformed into a streak of flowing light, swiftly entering Zhao Chonghe’s body, vanishing from sight.

Witnessing this, Zhao Sheng could finally release his last thread of concern.

"Let us proceed, follow me outside," Zhao Sheng called out to him.

Then, two clusters of cloud mist descended upon them both.

When the mist dispersed, they had already left the Mirage Cloud Mirror Realm.

...

The night was deep, stars spanning the heavens.

Deep within a cave nearly a hundred miles beneath Lingbi Mountain, an ancient, profound, rhythmically mysterious incantation suddenly arose.

At the cave’s center, Zhao Sheng stood atop an altar, beneath his feet lay a three-foot square crystalline Jade Plate, embellished with intricate spiral patterns.

As time passed, the Jade Plate began to emit strands of light.

With the last syllable of the incantation, a gray-white vortex, several feet in diameter, appeared out of thin air in midair, seemingly still yet rotating, brimming with indescribable allure, the more scrutinized, the more one felt an urge to plunge into it.

Without hesitation, Zhao Sheng soared upward, passing through the gray-white vortex in an instant, destination unknown.

...

After a rush of spinning and swirling, Zhao Sheng opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

What he saw startled him.

The environment was utterly different from what he had anticipated.