Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 362: Chapter 266: Return to the Shattered Star Sea_2

Due to the surge in spirit root babies last year, the number of cultivators within the Zhao Family has exceeded four hundred. Among them, there are two Golden Core Masters, twenty-three Foundation Establishment Elders, and more than eighty at the Qi Refining Late Stage, and those in the Middle Early Stage of Qi Refining…

In comparison, what delighted the elders even more was that someone had singlehandedly repaid a third of the family’s external debt.

Since advancing to the Golden Core realm, this person’s alchemy skills had improved by leaps and bounds with an astonishingly high success rate and quantity of Elixir Pills produced, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

Only a few people within the entire Zhao Family knew about this.

Two months ago, Zhao Sheng had already achieved the realm of Master of Alchemy.

It was on a night in July when a mottled gold-and-red Elixir Pill appeared before Zhao Debang. The head of the Zhao Family, a man held in high esteem by millions, was so excited that he flushed red with excitement on the spot.

Because that was a… Golden Core Formation Pill!

Although it was of the lowest quality and fraught with pill toxins, it was still a third-rank top-grade spirit pill: the Golden Core Formation Pill.

What did this represent? It goes without saying!

Thus on that late night in the Gravity Room of the Underground City Dui District.

The Gravity Magic Array was fully activated, and the gravity within the Dao Field had reached a terrifying hundredfold.

Bathed in sweat and bare-chested, Zhao Sheng was practicing the True Void Mountain Breaking Palm with precision.

Boom!

The air felt heavy and viscous, like glue. With every palm strike, a fearsome booming noise arose within the Dao Field.

In the vague outline, behind Zhao Sheng, a giant figure as if forged from gold emerged,

The giant was hazy all over, with only its eyes exceptionally brilliant. Inside the eye sockets flowed blazing white flames, resembling two “Suns”.

It had been two years since Core Formation, and his cultivation progress was extremely slow, still at the Golden Core First Layer.@@novelbin@@

But in other aspects, he had made rapid progress; not to mention his alchemy, his cultivation of the Heavenly Human Four Forms had broken through to the “Heart Phase” level.

The giant phantom was the outward manifestation of his Heart Phase.

When the day comes for the giant to fully condense and materialize, it will be the day his Heart Image achieves Great Success, and he will break through to the Divine Phase realm.

Thump, thump!

Drops of sweat continued to fall off Zhao Sheng’s body, hitting the ground with harsh, loud noises as if heavy iron balls were crashing onto a metal floor.

An hour later, the Dao Field floor was littered with deep footprints, all carelessly made by Zhao Sheng.

Suddenly,

Zhao Sheng’s eyes flashed, and his body came to a halt.

Just now, his Divine Sense, which he had projected outward, had been touched, and at this moment, an incredibly familiar voice entered his mind.

Zhao Sheng’s expression brightened, and he immediately turned to walk towards the Dao Field’s main gate.

Hum!

As the Gravity Magic Array slowly deactivated, the Dao Field instantly filled with rolling hot fog.

Amidst the dense fog, Zhao Sheng’s figure suddenly disappeared.

…

Deep into the night, the stars sparsely dotted the sky.

The Eight Diagrams Bright Tower was like a column that reached to the heavens, bursting forth with dazzling white light that illuminated nearly half of Xinglong City.

In the perilously high ninth-floor chamber of the tower, Zhao Xuanjing stood before the window, his gaze lingering lovingly over the vast Xinglong City, his face showing a hint of melancholy and loss.

At that moment, a streak of fire shot up from below like lightning.

In the next instant, the firelight dissipated, and Zhao Sheng had already appeared beside Zhao Xuanjing.

“Ancestor, your return was so sudden! Why didn’t you notify us in advance? I could have had the clan elders prepare to welcome you back.”

“Qingyang, at our level of cultivation, we hardly bother with such mundane formalities. Besides, my emergence from seclusion this time was solely for your sake,” said the Ancestor.

Zhao Xuanjing looked at Zhao Sheng with great satisfaction, “Your advancement to the Golden Core has filled me with immense joy. Our family now has a worthy successor, and I am freed from a great worry. It also increases my confidence in overcoming the Nascent Soul Tribulation by another two percent.”

Zhao Sheng, recognizing the significance, immediately asked, “Ancestor, are you planning to enter a life-or-death retreat?”

Zhao Xuanjing nodded, “Once all worldly affairs are settled, I will return to the sect to enter a life-or-death retreat, not to emerge until I achieve Nascent Soul. If all goes well, it will take at most twenty years to break through and achieve Nascent Soul. If things are not favorable…”

At this point, Zhao Sheng suddenly laughed, interrupting him, “Haha, if even you cannot succeed, there are only a few in this world who can break the Core to Infant. I have utmost confidence in you!”

Zhao Xuanjing smiled wryly and chose not to continue the topic. Instead, he asked, “Qingyang, now that you have advanced to Golden Core, you should promptly refine your Lifebound Magic Treasure. I have two Magical Treasures with me, and there are also two or three pieces hidden away in the family’s Treasure Vault. If you need anything, just say the word.”

Without hesitation, Zhao Sheng replied, “Thank you for your kind offer, Ancestor! However, it’s best to personally refine one’s own Lifebound Magic Treasure. I already have plans for mine. Additionally, I’ve been meaning to inform you of something. I am planning to make a trip to the Shattered Star Sea soon.”

Zhao Xuanjing knew his young Daoist was extremely ambitious and understood his disinterest in second-hand magical treasures, but the sudden mention of a trip to the Shattered Star Sea took him by surprise.

“`

“What are you doing in the Shattered Star Sea?”

Zhao Sheng found it inconvenient to divulge the truth, so he gave a well-prepared excuse, “With the great war between the two realms imminent, just in case, I wish to find a way of retreat for our family in advance. The Shattered Star Sea is far from the continent, and with the branch of Dome Turtle Island, this place is indeed an excellent refuge.

Additionally, the main treasures for refining my Lifebound Magic Treasure are mostly from the Shattered Star Sea.”

“I see, that’s how it is.” Zhao Xuanjing, after listening, seemed thoughtful, then asked, “When do you plan to set off, and when will you return?”

“In three months, at most, not more than two years,” Zhao Sheng replied.

“That’s enough time. I will take this opportunity to fully reveal all of the family’s secrets to you and introduce you to a bunch of old friends.”

Zhao Sheng silently nodded, not at all surprised in his heart.

Four days later, Zhao Xuanjing took Zhao Sheng and left Xinglong City.

In the following three months, they traveled day and night, crossing the Southern Border and visiting nearly half of the Central Continent.

Zhao Xuanjing was not a man of wide acquaintance, but in his more than eight hundred years of cultivation life, he still made quite a few Golden Core friends.

Now this network of relationships was entirely handed over to Zhao Sheng. Should anything unexpected happen to Zhao Xuanjing, Zhao Sheng would have to inherit it.

…

Time flew, and seasons changed from autumn to winter.

When the vegetation in Xinglong City withered and the rivers froze, Zhao Sheng quietly returned to Xinglong City alone.

When he came back, he couldn’t get out of bed for the entire night.

The next day, the lady of the house was radiant, her mood excellent for several days in a row.

Even if her grandson didn’t memorize the scriptures, even if her son and daughter-in-law sneaked out again, it still didn’t affect her good mood.

…

“Clan Leader, this is the accounts for the past half year, please review them.”

“No need to check the accounts. As long as the numbers match up, just put them in the record room.”

…

“Clan Leader, the new Sect Leaders of the Three Mountains Sect, Wen Sect, and Bai Zhuang Sect are waiting in the outer hall, hoping to have an audience with you.”

“Hmm, let the Family Head meet them, just say I’m in closed-door cultivation.”

…

“Clan Leader, someone from Taifu Mountain’s ancestral land has come. Will you see them?”

“Is it something important?”

“They are said to be seeking assistance.”

“No, let the Clan Elder Council handle it. Besides, stop bothering me with such trivial matters henceforth.”

“Yes, yes! Clan Leader, please calm your anger…”

…

Once Zhao Degang left the room, Zhao Sheng couldn’t help but rub his forehead.

Some things, even if he wanted to shirk, he couldn’t.

Since ancient times, it has been said that interests move people’s hearts, but isn’t power also like this!

Where there are people, there are conflicts, and even with Zhao Sheng’s detached status, he couldn’t avoid people exploiting his name to fight for power and profit!

Spending a whole day, Zhao Sheng sorted out the family affairs.

He then instructed his wife on several matters.

But upon hearing that his son had once again secretly fled home with his daughter-in-law, Zhao Sheng, while amused, couldn’t help feeling the poignancy of the saying ‘A grown son can’t be kept at home.’

His own son was indeed tightly controlled by his wife.

Zhao Sheng stayed at home for half a month, getting everything arranged.

Afterward, he took a low-grade magical treasure, the Starfall Seven Spirit Sword, from the family treasure vault, as a temporary measure, to be discarded once the Lifebound Magic Treasure was refined to its Great Sun realm.

As winter passed and spring arrived, bringing revival to all things,

that night, under the watchful eyes of his wife and the elders, Zhao Sheng transformed into a streak of fire and shot straight into the sky.

After flickering several times, he vanished without a trace.

In the entire Xinglong Zhao family, only Dong Miaozhen and the elders knew his destination; everyone else was completely in the dark.

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