Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 1749 - 940: Truth and Lies of the Future

Rumble~

In the vast and boundless firmament, a sudden clap of thunder exploded out of a clear sky; the endless Cloud Sea abruptly dispersed into nothingness, as though wiped away by some unknown power.

Above the extreme height of heaven, the true body widened his eyes in utter disbelief, and in the depths of his pupils there suddenly flashed out countless "shards of floating light," all of them were "scenes" of the future.

The Time-Space River rolled on, vast and mighty, flowing without end toward an unknowable future.

Long ago, in several past lives, the true body had already understood one principle: the past is fixed, the present is singular, only the future cannot be foretold.

Perhaps in the unintentional shift of a single thought of his, a new future space-time could be derived.

After contemplating the Tao in seclusion for dozens of Ruins, he had actually caught sight of the future.

These "scenes" of the future were not continuous images, but one "shard of floating light" after another.

A few breaths later, a glimmer of comprehension flashed through the true body’s eyes; at this moment he had already re‑sorted all those future "scenes," and in the end discovered that there were in total nine possible "futures" that might become reality.

The time spans of the nine "futures" were not the same; the shortest lasted only two Ruins, while the longest one was simply impossible to estimate how many tens of thousands of years it encompassed.

For in the last "scene" it presented, there was only a single Great Sun of immeasurable size, its radiance shining upon the All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds.

In a trance, Zhao Sheng "saw" that on the peak of a high mountain outside Xiang’er Cliff, his Avatar Zhao Qiongtian was transforming into a streak of rainbow light and charging into that distant, dark and unfathomable Land of Nothingness, from which he never returned.

And in the second and third "future" scenes, he saw himself spontaneously combusting out of thin air, then saw himself burned by Heavenly Fire into fly‑ash and smoke, forced to reincarnate and be reborn.

The fourth "future" presented yet another possibility: "he" never took that step at all.

Not until several hundred thousand years later, when his disciple Yuan Hong attained the Tao and Ascended, did he then "see" that there was an existence whose appearance could not be made out, walking out from within the Ascension Gate, personally guiding Yuan Hong into Immortal Heaven.

In the fifth "future," he "saw" a horrific scene: the Divine Continent toppled, lifeforms plunged into misery, countless towering tentacles burst up from the ground... in the end, Chaos broke free of its shackles!

In the sixth "future," he "saw" that just as the cultivation of the two Ancestors was about to become Perfect, there appeared uninvited a Demon Path Great Venerable who called himself Locust Taoist; this demon swore to sever Tianyunzi’s path of Ascension, and thus a heaven‑shaking, earth‑shattering great war erupted, lasting for many years until a boundless dense fog suddenly surged forth from nowhere.

This demon had attained the Tao from a primordial wild locust in the Ancient era, and in his hand was a Heavenly Spirit Treasure Blood Transformation Divine Saber. Locust Taoist was not one of the nine Demon Lords of the Taiyi Spirit Realm, but a Demon Monster Great Saint from the Outer Domain Star River.

The eighth future had only four "scenes"; he "saw" a place of peril and mystery, a strange and dangerous land filled densely with ancient ruins, where the vistas were bizarre, with countless ancient structures and quite a number of Ancient lifeforms existing there.

In the four "scenes," at times he hid within some Ancient Bronze Hall, as though avoiding some danger; at times he confronted several figures of overwhelming presence, with a bottomless Big Hole yawning beneath them; at times he rode the wind and cleaved the waves, flying toward an Immortal Mountain at the end of the great sea...

After a round of pondering and recollection, Zhao Sheng was shocked to discover that the place... seemed to be none other than the legendary "No Return Heaven."

The ninth "future" had the longest time span; in it he successfully passed through the tribulations of Heavenly Fire, Majestic Wind, and Heart Demon, and in the end Ascended to Immortal Heaven.

Yet the scenes after Ascension were exceptionally blurry, almost entirely obscured by white radiance; the vistas of Immortal Heaven could basically not be discerned, and the only thing clearly visible was that single dazzling Great Sun of immeasurable size.

...

No one knew how much time had passed before Zhao Sheng finally withdrew from the countless future scenes, and light gradually returned to his gaze.

After Zhao Sheng came back to himself, he lifted his head and looked toward the two Avatars standing to one side, and suddenly asked, "Do you think the ’future’ I saw will come true?"

As soon as the words fell, the middle‑aged Confucian scholar could not help but laugh and say, "Why should the true body trouble himself with needless worries. How can you and I possibly know what the future will be. If you deem it true, then it is true! If you deem it false, then it is false. True or false, how can one clearly distinguish between them!"

The third Avatar, Zhao Qiongtian, nodded and agreed, "Ruo Er speaks with reason. With the true body’s Daoist attainment, how could he possibly fall beneath a mere Heavenly Fire Tribulation? Unless that ’Fire Extinguishing Immortal Technique’ is false..."

At these words, Zhao Sheng’s heart stirred slightly, and he involuntarily began to ponder this possibility.

Hearing this, the middle‑aged Confucian scholar instead said, "Given Taoyue Immortal Venerable’s character, it is hardly likely he would pass on a false Immortal Technique. Perhaps you and I omitted certain key points when cultivating this technique. We should go over this technique several more times. Aside from that, you and I must also seek more guidance from the two Ancestors."

Zhao Qiongtian said with sudden realization, "That’s right! The two Ancestors relied on the Fire Extinguishing Immortal Technique to pass the Heavenly Fire Tribulation, which precisely shows that this technique is remarkably effective. It must be that there is some problem with you and me."

The true body listened and fell into thought, then suddenly turned his gaze toward the middle‑aged Confucian scholar.

With just a single look, the Avatar instantly understood the will of the true body: the Fire Extinguishing Immortal Technique must be cultivated, and the Sacrifice Body Technique could not be abandoned either.

The three Avatars each had their division of labor: Dongzhenzi handled matters outside, Zhao Qiongtian specialized in cultivating the "Fire Extinguishing Immortal Technique," while the middle‑aged Confucian scholar cultivated the "Sacrifice Body Technique."

The so‑called "Sacrifice Body Technique" was in fact a Tribulation Secret Technique that only a Tribulation Crossing Venerable could cultivate.

As the name implied, this technique passed through the Heavenly Fire Tribulation or Majestic Wind Tribulation by voluntarily sacrificing one Avatar.

The "Sacrifice Body Technique" was a method of taking advantage of a loophole. Throughout countless years, of all those who used this technique to cross tribulation, the vast majority ultimately ended in failure to Ascend.

Therefore, unless driven to absolute desperation, Zhao Sheng would not choose to use it to undergo tribulation.

Before long, the two Avatars departed one after the other, leaving only the true body alone at the original spot.

Seated cross‑legged upon Qingyun, Zhao Sheng gradually opened his Spirit, merging into the immeasurable "Law Heaven and Earth."

Here there exist endless, inexhaustible Law Silk Strings, changing, stacking, interweaving, deriving and perishing at every moment...

Here as well exist myriad gorgeous colors, so numerous they exceed the limits of a Mortal’s imagination. Every color is a manifest image of the evolution of the Taoist Law, and also the embodiment of some Power of Laws.

Only when your consciousness and Spirit merge into this place will you discover that the concept of "depth" also exists here.

The closer one is to the rules of the present universe, the brighter and more dazzling the colors of its Law Silk Strings become.

Conversely, the further a Taoist Law is from the present universe, the more dim and uncertain its color grows, while its own "concept" becomes more abstract and bizarre, and the Law "Silk Strings" of the level it resides in are all the more complex and indistinct.

This world of Law Silk Strings is at times like a boundless, shoreless vast ocean.

The surface waters are clear and transparent, as if one could see through them at a glance.

Yet as one gradually goes deeper, the light beneath the surface slowly dims, the seawater grows ever more turbid, accompanied by countless strange and kaleidoscopic "scenes" emerging.

And when one reaches the Undersea "Abyss", the surroundings are already darkness without light, with almost no way to "see" the nearby vistas.

At such a time, the Tao True Texts are undoubtedly like torches one by one that light up the darkness.

By virtue of their unique "radiance", one may "see" Taoist Laws that are even deeper.

The more Tao True Texts of the same Great Dao one comprehends, the greater the range of Law "darkness" that is dispelled, and thus the faster one’s comprehension of Taoist Laws.

Speaking only of the Fire Dao, Zhao Sheng has in total mastered one thousand three hundred and eighty-seven Tao True Texts. This number already surpasses the average level of Tribulation Crossing Venerables who specialize in this Dao.

Since ancient times there are no years in Cultivation; by the time one reaches a realm as profound as Zhao Sheng’s, this point is displayed to the fullest.

As if in the blink of an eye, more than seven hundred years had already passed.

...

In these last seven hundred years, the Pure Light Realm is welcoming the most magnificent and tumultuous span of time in ten thousand years.

Over these seven centuries, the Pure Light Realm has been swept by tempests and surging clouds, prodigies and outstanding figures emerging one after another. Countless Cultivation Forces either rose up with the tide or were destroyed in a single day, giving birth to untold joys and sorrows and legendary tales.

In these seven hundred years, across the vast and boundless territories of Jingguang Continent, innumerable sects and clans have risen or fallen, and likewise more than a dozen Nascent Soul Ancestors have been born.

Yet among the many rising new forces, only the "Heavenly Alliance" stands alone in dominance; its influence sweeps across more than half of Jingguang Continent. Within the Alliance are three first-rate sects, over twenty second-rate sects, and more than a hundred third-rate forces.

Within the Heavenly Alliance, experts are as numerous as clouds, its depths unfathomable. Just counting the Nascent Soul Ancestors on the surface, there are as many as seventeen.

The master of the Heavenly Alliance is none other than the True Monarch of Heavenly Destiny, hailed as "the number one person of ten thousand years."

Outside the Pure Light Realm, Zhao Sheng hung in the Void, overlooking the realm within. The corner of his mouth suddenly curled in a faint cold smile: "Heaven’s mandate belongs to him? Hehe, what grand boasting!"

A thousand miles away, the gray-robed old monk suddenly pressed his palms together and chanted, "Infinite Saint Ancestor! Though those words are somewhat exaggerated, they also contain a few points of truth."

With that, the Zizai Heavenly Demon Lord raised his head to gaze at Dongzhenzi a thousand miles away, and said calmly, "Compared to the ’Great Cave True Monarch’ selected by Taoist Zhao, this child is still inferior."

Dongzhenzi’s eyes flickered slightly; he suddenly smiled and said, "Old monk, perhaps you are mistaken. That Great Cave True Monarch and this poor Daoist are without fate. It is rather this True Monarch of Heavenly Destiny who is truly remarkable. He bears the bearing of a Demoted Immortal and the appearance of a heaven-man. His wisdom is as deep as the sea; he best grasps the subtleties of the human heart. He possesses a heart that holds the world as public, and a magnanimity that can contain all rivers... Old monk, your eye is not bad; this child’s future is boundless."

The Zizai Heavenly Demon Lord replied blandly, "Taoist Zhao praises him too highly! Though this child has some talent and capacity, he ultimately cannot compare to one whose Qi Fortune surges to the heavens."

"Hahaha, more than half of the thousand-year term has already passed. This time it is this poor Daoist’s turn to cast down a chess piece. Old monk, watch closely." After Dongzhenzi finished laughing, he suddenly lifted a hand, and a mass of clear light abruptly fell into his palm.

The clear light plunged into the atmosphere, dropping straight into the depths of that vast ocean to the east of Jingguang Continent.

Moo!

Before long, a desolate and drawn-out bellow suddenly rang out from the depths of the sea. The roar was like a horn, in an instant spreading throughout billions of miles of sea region, startling who knows how many titanic beings of the deep.

Not long after, one Nascent Soul Demon King after another revealed their traces from various sea regions; these powerful Demon Kings, usually lurking on the seafloor, all gathered beneath the Sea Eye of the East Sea, respectfully awaiting the new Dragon Emperor’s emergence.

At the same time, billions upon billions of sea beasts became extremely agitated; shortly thereafter, under the leadership of their respective chiefs, they constantly converged at certain spots on the seabed, forming one massive herd after another.

Before the Dragon Emperor even emerged, some spirit islands in the Outer Sea had already welcomed small-scale "sea beast tides."

In merely a few decades, the four great Outer Seas surrounding Jingguang Continent were ablaze with war; numerous spirit islands were successively annihilated by sea beasts, and countless Mortals and Cultivators alike became food in the mouths of sea beasts.

By this time, the matter of sea beast invasion could no longer be concealed. The entire Cultivation World of Jingguang Continent fell into panic at once, and countless forces moved at the news.

As the Overlord-level force that had risen over the past near-thousand years, the Heavenly Alliance naturally "shouldered without hesitation" the heavy responsibility of resisting the sea beast invasion.

Perhaps it was the scheme of some old Overlord forces, or perhaps it was absolute confidence in the strength of the Alliance Hierarch.

In any case, the True Monarch of Heavenly Destiny soon became the strongest Divinity Transformation True Monarch among the forces of this realm.

Over a dozen years later, the Dragon Emperor emerged, and then led thirty-nine Nascent Soul Demon Kings into Jingguang Continent, leaving Life in its path utterly devastated.