https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-228-Absorbing-Metal-Nature-The-Ten-Thousand-Lives-Scroll-s-Transformation/13506345/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-230-The-Dao-Companion-of-Chongguang-True-Man-/13506361/
Chapter 229: Catastrophe
Chapter 229: Catastrophe
At this moment, Jiangnan, Jiangbei, Jiangxi, and Jiangdong—four great regions—trembled simultaneously!
“Who is it?”
The first to rise was True Monarch Qingcheng Feixue, her beautiful eyes flashing crimson, her once-steady aura now spiraling into madness.
Almost instantaneously, the other True Monarchs also revealed their shock.
In the next breath, within the Foundation Building Realm and the mortal world alike, vivid manifestations erupted across the sky—a towering tree shadow stood foremost among them.
Undying Camphor!
An ability of the Celestial Vanguard, born from Jiawood Qi, it is Yang Wood. Severed from its roots and branches, it became lifeless timber, only to gain immortality through the nourishment of rivers and marshes.
Then the colossal tree shuddered, scattering countless raindrops from its canopy. Each droplet fell upon Jiangbei’s vast lands like mountains, sinking into the soil with heavy yin energy. This energy seeped into the land’s veins, spreading far and wide until it condensed into the Veiled Dragon Water—
A Terrestrial Sha ability, originating from Chen Earth Qi, the ultimate yin earth. Though earth in essence, it manifested as water, being the burial ground of all aquatic forces.
Countless Foundation-Building cultivators looked on, bewildered.
“Has senior apprentice succeeded? Is this his divine ability declaring his triumph to the world?”
True Man Yinshan pondered aloud, glancing toward Hong Ju. But Hong Ju’s eyes were wide, his mouth agape, despair etched into his face.
“No… This isn’t right! Why?”
Hong Ju murmured, dread clawing at him. He knew success should be silent—subtle. What unfolded now was anything but.
Such a grand display of divine power meant Chongguang True Man had already lost control of his aura.
A new omen emerged.
The Undying Camphor blazed with sudden radiance, bursting into lush foliage. Its canopy erupted with boundless vitality—
Axe-Resistant!
Another Celestial Vanguard ability, this time from Yiwood Qi—living yin wood. Unlike its dead counterpart, this tree thrived, its yin essence harmonizing with the Jiawood’s yang.
Above the canopy, Chongguang True Man’s figure materialized. Yet he gazed not outward but upward, fixated on the Lampfire of Restoration glowing above. His palm ignited with starfire, coalescing into a blazing sunwheel—
Fierce Flame Crucible!
A Terrestrial Sha ability, forged from Yi Fire Qi, the furnace flame of alchemy. Now cradled in his hand, it radiated splendour.
All four of Chongguang True Man’s divine abilities had manifested.
They merged into an ancient scroll—a tapestry of mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and palaces, all woven from dense, tadpole-like sigils. At first glance, it seemed mere art; upon closer inspection, it revealed profound truths of the Dao, each stroke a pearl of wisdom.
His Life-Bound Divine Ability, Luminous Shifting Landscape!
The four divine abilities completed the Luminous Shifting Landscape, merging with his Dao Foundation to form the Yangilluminate Cave Realm—a seamless, flawless ascension.
Yet… why?
In the next breath, tears of blood streamed down Chongguang True Man’s face. “Why can’t I succeed? Why does the Lampfire of Restoration reject me!?”
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Across the world, all True Monarchs and Foundation-Building cultivators sensed the failure. A sigh rippled through the heavens, heavy with sorrow.
“It’s over.”
Yinshan stared at Hong Ju, who shook his head bitterly. “Woe…”
Before he could finish, his spiritual body exploded into radiant fragments, his realized Foundation Realm cultivation vanishing like mist.
Simultaneously, every cultivator worldwide attuned to the Lampfire of Restoration felt the backlash. The strong spat blood, as if struck by a phantom fist; the weak fell into madness, their cultivation pathways shattered for days.
Then came a thunderous sigh.
Above, Chongguang True Man’s figure shook with clarity and rage. Lips trembling, he roared:
“This is not my failing! Not mine!!”
His silhouette dissolved mid-scream.
“Boom!”
Blinding light engulfed the sky. The Lampfire of Restoration vanished, and a flaming sunwheel plummeted into the Foundation Building Realm—
“The blessed land collapses!”
Lv Yang, having once witnessed a True Monarch’s Cave Heaven fall, recognized the truth. This was no illusion.
Golden Core refinement failed. The blessed land shattered, its destruction rippling through all connected to the Lampfire of Restoration—though lesser than a True Monarch’s demise, still catastrophic.
But how? Chongguang had prepared flawlessly. Qingcheng Feixue herself had safeguarded his ascent—a Golden Core Monarch at her prime, having slain rivals, with no Fortune Immortal to contest him. Heaven’s favor, earth’s blessing, and mortal support were all secured.
Why fail?
There was no time to ponder. The Foundation Building Realm’s collapse sent the sunwheel hurtling, its arc now visible in the mortal world—a luminous curve reflecting countless palaces, trees, rain, forges… the essence of all his divine abilities.
Yangilluminate Cave Realm!
Instants later, countless Foundation-Building cultivators fixated on it. This realm held Chongguang’s life’s work—a grand opportunity for any cultivator.
“A whale’s fall births a thousand lives!”
Even Golden Core Sovereigns projected their divine consciousnesses toward the realm.
“Qingcheng Feixue, you cannot stop us this time. Chongguang has failed—the blessed land belongs to us all as agreed.”
“Indeed! Failure means shared spoils!”
Above the Sky-Connecting Sea of Clouds, Qingcheng Feixue remained calm, far from the fury others expected. “Agreed. Let each sect claim their share.”
She was mad, not foolish.
For Chongguang’s ascent, she had rallied alliances to secure Holy Sect’s backing, resisting three opposing forces. Now, with his death, a corpse—and its legacy—was not worth Holy Sect’s ruin. Even a Golden Core Monarch could not fight three alone.
“Still… no True Monarchs. Only Foundation-Building cultivators may enter.”
The gathered True Monarchs exchanged glances. Qingcheng Feixue’s compromise held weight. None wished to provoke her fully.
“Agreed!”
The next breath, a cold voice cut through Lv Yang’s mind—calm, yet sharp as a blade:
“Enter the blessed land. I must know why he failed.”
Investigate.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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