Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 1605: Chapter 865: Opportunity and Fortune

Hundreds of miles west of Heavenly Wave Lake, atop a certain hill, an elder in green attire with white hair sighed softly: "Alas, it seems they too have failed!"

No sooner had he spoken than a soft voice emerged from the shadows below the hill: "That person is withdrawn and avoids contact with outsiders. Isn’t failure expected? If it were so easy to succeed, wouldn’t our decades of meticulous planning become a joke?"

"You speak lightly. If we cannot lure that one out of seclusion, how will we explain to the Lord Daoist?" The white-haired elder furrowed his brow, chuckling derisively.

"The lord is wise and mighty; he would not blame us. Initially, sending us to monitor that person was merely a leisure move. You’ve lived for so long, yet you still can’t understand this. Tsk tsk, brains are a good thing; you should use them!"

"Si Snake, you dare mock me, courting death!" The white-haired elder was enraged, a massive red glow erupted from his body, and a red-eyed White Tiger materialized out of thin air, pouncing into the shadows like lightning.

Roar!

The next moment, an enormous Black Dragon Serpent rose from the shadows, clashing fiercely with the White Tiger Dharma Image, and within moments, the area for miles around was wrecked, the hill soon collapsing by half.

Suddenly, a thin, disheveled middle-aged man with a sinister face jumped out of the rubble, furiously cursing: "Lustful Tiger, stop! Are you mad? If that one is alarmed, we’ll surely be done for."

"Hmph!" A fierce glint flashed in the white-haired elder’s eyes, yet he was not a madman and knew the balance.

With a sullen expression, he waved his right hand, and the White Tiger Dharma Image instantly transformed into a mass of red light, vanished into the elder’s brow, and disappeared.

The sneaky middle-aged man secretly breathed a sigh of relief while withdrawing his shadow power; the colossal Shadow Dragon Serpent disappeared in an instant.

However, before he could fully let down his guard, the sky suddenly darkened, and a massive five-colored giant palm, with every line clear, seemed to descend slowly yet rapidly.

The palm blotted out the sky but bore no trace of smoke, falling lightly, yet the sneaky middle-aged man and the white-haired elder couldn’t react, instantly turning to ash along with the hill beneath them.

In a flash, the area was marked by a clear giant handprint, sinking nearly ten feet into the ground.

Almost simultaneously, in several places within a thousand miles of Heavenly Wave Lake, similar five-colored giant palms descended from nowhere, leaving behind many unjust spirits unable to rest in peace.

Elsewhere, after the Spirit Boat repeatedly escaped the mist, the long-bearded elder finally grew despondent and had to order his grandson: "Wen’er, kneel!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingwen immediately kneeled facing the fog, with a solemn and respectful expression.

"Since that elder does not wish to see you, it suggests there’s no destined bond. Yet, a life-saving grace cannot go unpaid, Wen’er, do you know what to do?"

"Elder Ancestor, I understand!"

As soon as he spoke, Zhao Qingwen faced the direction of Hualong Island and began kowtowing.

Bang, bang, bang...

For a moment, the deck resounded with banging; after a few kowtows, his forehead was already a bright red.

Just then, a gentle sigh emanated from the depths of the mist: "Alas, foolish child..."

As the sigh fell, a stream of light suddenly flew out from the depths of the fog.

The stream of light crossed several hundred feet of lake and landed precisely before Zhao Qingwen.

As the light dispersed, it revealed a palm-sized, crystalline Jade Pupil Scroll.

Seeing this scroll, the long-bearded elder was immediately overwhelmed with emotion, about to step forward to pick it up, but then his heart jolted, freezing him in place, daring not make any move.

A clear voice suddenly resounded in Zhao Qingwen’s ear: "...Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, a complete Five Elements Spirit Root, such poor cultivation aptitude, how rare indeed! Young one, I have come across a method by chance, take it and cultivate. If in the future, you can ascend to Divinity Transformation with this method, it means our fates are yet unfinished, and I shall bestow upon you a great fortune! If not... haha, be on your way!"

The lingering sound quietly faded, and Zhao Qingwen, with a tremor throughout his body, suddenly came to his senses.

He quickly reached out to pick up the jade scroll, cautiously storing it in his bosom, then knelt to the fog and kowtowed deeply nine times.

When he finished, as Zhao Qingwen lifted his head again, it seemed as though he had undergone a rebirth, his youthful innocence entirely vanished, becoming much more mature and composed.

Solemnly, Zhao Qingwen declared: "Elder Ancestor, let us return!"

The long-bearded elder was momentarily stunned, then nodded heavily: "Very well, let us return to Jiuxia Mountain."

Moments later, the Spirit Boat burst with a blazing radiance, then soared into the sky, soon vanishing into the vast Cloud Sea.

...

Three years passed in a flash.

Mid-September, clear and crisp autumn skies, it was the time of harvest.

On this day, an unexpected visitor arrived at the shore of Heavenly Wave Lake.

The visitor, with the face of youth and white hair, a dignified appearance, was none other than Zhao Tianyi, Hall Master of the Foreign Affairs Hall.

Zhao Tianyi adjusted his attire, then bowed deeply toward the lake, speaking aloud: "Foreign Affairs Hall... Zhao Tianyi, humbly comes today, hoping the Lord Daoist will lift the prohibition and allow me to visit the island."

After speaking, the mist over the lake did not dissipate for a long time.

Zhao Tianyi stood calmly at the lakeside, his face showing no hint of change.

Moments later, the mist over the lake suddenly roiled violently, then split to either side, revealing a ’passage’ directly to Hualong Island.

Zhao Tianyi adjusted his attire again, then stepped onto the water, walking towards Hualong Island step by step.

A few moments later, he set foot on Hualong Island and smoothly arrived at the entrance of a quaint and elegant courtyard.

With a creak, the courtyard gate suddenly opened without a breeze.

Zhao Tianyi ascended the steps, stepping through the gate and into the courtyard.

Beneath the Peach Tree in the courtyard, seated at the stone table, was none other than Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Tianyi, upon seeing him, immediately bowed in salute: "Junior Zhao Tianyi, greets the Lord Daoist!"

While Zhao Sheng poured tea into a cup, he casually said: "No need for formalities, come taste this tea I’ve brewed."

Zhao Tianyi, feeling relieved, promptly approached the stone table, seating himself respectfully at the lower left, his rear never truly touching the stone stool.

Zhao Sheng’s eyes flickered; he extended two fingers to push the teacup evenly forward, speaking lightly: "...Drink the tea!"

Zhao Tianyi dared not hesitate, hurriedly lifting the teacup with both hands, cautiously tasting the tea.

Boom!

As soon as the tea entered his stomach, an infinite heat erupted within, as if a volcano had suddenly exploded inside him.

Inexhaustible pure Spiritual Energy spread from his abdomen, flowing instantly throughout his body.

Zhao Tianyi’s face flushed; he felt his Mana become unprecedentedly active, his divine thought astonishingly clear and nimble, instantly perceiving a fluctuation in the Law.

In that moment, he ignored propriety, closing his eyes in meditation, fully engaging his Mysterious Skill, while refining the endless internal Spiritual Energy, striving to sense the Law fluctuation.