https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-565-Repeated-Transcendence-of-the-Hell-Dao-Fruit-the-Holy-Doutian-Palace-Finally-Senses-the-Qi-Tian-Aura-Monthly-Votes-Requested-/13467457/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-566-The-Great-Prosperity-of-the-Eight-Leaf-Dao-Essence-Crystal-and-the-Ruyi-Staff-Unsealing-the-Great-Sage-Equal-to-Heaven-Please-Vote-Part-2-/13467459/
Chapter 566: The Great Prosperity of the Eight-Leaf Dao Essence Crystal, and the Ruyi Staff Unsealing the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? [Please Vote] (Part 1)
Chapter 566: The Great Prosperity of the Eight-Leaf Dao Essence Crystal, and the Ruyi Staff Unsealing the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? [Please Vote] (Part 1)
Rushing water sounds—
The cold Heavenly Pillar stretched between heaven and earth, carved with ancient runes.
Interweaving lightning and thunder, various calamities continuously entwined and unleashed terrifying power, striking the body and causing flesh to tear and blood to mist!
Li Che’s gaze slightly narrowed. Through the Flying Thunder Chess piece left on the Qitian Temple Deity, though blurry, he could clearly see the current situation.
Chains hung down, swinging and rising amidst the thunder, striking the air with a resounding clang.
The Qitian Temple Deity’s entire body was pitch black, bound to the Heavenly Pillar by cold, dark chains. Yet, he held his head high, his eyes bright and sharp like two golden stars, radiating light in the darkness.
Although captured and suppressed, his condition seemed much better than expected.
He would occasionally tilt his head and laugh, even with his flesh torn and blood flowing, his laughter unimpeded, as if taunting his enemies.
Rumbling—
Thunder rose, fire surged, and the wind cut like a blade as calamities swept over again, engulfing the Qitian Temple Deity’s form.
This made it impossible for Li Che to maintain his perception and see his condition clearly.
Severing this connection, Li Che held Xixi’s hand and stood on the Taasu Heaven teleportation platform, his expression solemn.
The Taasu Heaven teleportation platform was enormous, one of the largest in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Statues carved from white jade, crystal-clear and naturally formed, shimmered with light. Combined with the rolling white mist rising from the ground, the entire platform resembled a celestial realm.
The teleportation array continuously activated, light flowing and the Way of Space rippling, as cultivators arrived from all directions, from the various heavens and earths of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Xixi’s eyes widened in amazement.
Aside from the awe-inspiring Doutian Palace, which resembled a massive tripod alchemy furnace, the teleportation platform itself was a marvel, giving her a sense of being a country bumpkin entering a bustling city.
"Taasu Heaven is the domain of the Eternal Lord, one of the Heaven Eternals of the Dark Heavenly Court. Naturally, the place He oversees is prosperous and thriving", Young Emperor Ji Shaohao said with a smile.
The Dark Heavenly Court’s main base is in the Xuanxiao Heaven, where the Immortal God Emperor resides and the Thirty-Three Layers of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall are set. However, as the main base, it is not a place for the myriad races to gather.
Thus, Taasu Heaven became the most bustling place under the Dark Heavenly Court’s jurisdiction.
Buzzing—
In the distance, a spatial teleportation vibration rippled, and the Way of Space surged like a flowing river.
Then, a group of people appeared, their powerful auras causing the white mist on the ground to roll and tear apart.
Ji Shaohao couldn’t help but look over, as if sensing something.
Li Che also couldn’t resist looking over, and he saw a surge of demonic aura, infecting the white mist and transforming it into black mist, with various demonic heads appearing.
The Mystic Demon Lair’s contingent!
Among them, Li Che saw a familiar face: Fu Shaoxi, the Young Emperor of the Mystic Demon Lair. His expression was terrifyingly grim.
Or rather, ever since his Divine Weapon, the Demon Saint Halberd, was taken by Li Che, Fu Shaoxi had been in a foul mood, as if he had lost his parents.
Fu Shaoxi understood that he would never get the Demon Saint Halberd back. Even the immortal world essence left by Qiafu in the Demon Saint Halberd had been eradicated, making it impossible to retrieve his life-bound Divine Weapon from King Dizang, let alone from himself.
So, Fu Shaoxi gave up, harboring hope, his face dark, leading the most elite group of Divine Sculptors to Taasu Heaven to participate in the Divine Artisan Gathering hosted by the Eternal Lord.
With his life-bound Divine Weapon destroyed, Fu Shaoxi could only pin his hopes on the Divine Artisan Gathering, hoping to secure a share of the Qitian Divine Pill.
Only then might he have a chance to break free from his constraints and reach the Eternal realm.
Although he had gained insights during his battle with King Dizang and made a solid step in the Three Cutting Realms, stepping onto the Nine Nether Life and Death Path, he had lost more, which might not be a good thing for him.
Neither Ji Shaohao nor Shi Shaokai, the two Young Emperors, had lost their life-bound Divine Weapons. Although he had taken a step ahead, once the two of them reached the Nine Nether Life and Death Path, they would catch up even faster!
So, Fu Shaoxi was in a hurry, and he was determined to secure the Qitian Divine Pill at this Divine Artisan Gathering.
Buzzing—
A wave of Buddhist light emerged, accompanied by the continuous chanting of mantras.
Golden light descended, tearing through the white mist.
This was the Black Mount Sumeru contingent. Shi Shaokai clasped his palms together, his face radiating with light. He had changed from his usual robes to a monk’s robe representing the Divine Sculptor.
Black Mount Sumeru, known for its millions of Buddha sculptures, was the most renowned in the art of divine sculpture.
Even compared to the Mystic Demon Lair, which has the Empress Nüwa, it was slightly stronger.
Of course, in terms of the upper limit of Divine Sculptors, it was inferior to Empress Nüwa, but Black Mount Sumeru had a higher and greater number of high-quality Divine Sculptors and Immortal Artisans.
"Amitabha, Young Emperor Shaohao, it has been a long time."
Shi Shaokai’s handsome face wore a gentle smile.
"Brother Shaokai, are you planning to take part in the Divine Artisan Gathering yourself?"
Ji Shaohao narrowed his eyes, a hint of solemnity in them.
"I am, in fact, a Divine Sculptor. Although it's a regret that I haven't mastered the skills of a Grand Immortal Divine Sculptor, I do have the qualifications to participate in this Divine Artisan Gathering."
"The techniques of a Grand Immortal Divine Sculptor are too difficult, ultimately depending on one's talent. Without enough talent, one might waste their entire life and still not achieve it."
"My talent for divine sculpture is limited, so I plan to make the most of it in this Divine Artisan Gathering."
Shi Shaokai clasped his hands together, speaking gently.
Ji Shaohao, however, snorted softly.
If Shi Shaokai were to participate personally, he would surely secure one of the eighty-one spots for the Divine Sculptors. This meant Shi Shaokai would almost certainly obtain a Qitian Divine Pill!
This put even more pressure on Ji Shaohao.
Shi Shaokai smiled, his gaze sweeping over the Divine Sculptors and Grand Immortal Divine Sculptors beside Ji Shaohao.
He first nodded in greeting to Grand Immortal Divine Sculptor Zhao Yuan, who smiled back. Even a Lesser Emperor, let alone a Grand Immortal Divine Sculptor like Zhao Yuan, wouldn't want to offend another Lesser Emperor, given the many powerful figures behind them.
After greeting Zhao Yuan, Shi Shaokai's gaze continued to sweep across the group, pausing slightly when it landed on Li Che.
He also noticed the masked Xixi beside Li Che. Xixi was wearing a modified Bull Demon mask, which changed her appearance from their last meeting. Furthermore, Li Che had completely hidden Xixi's aura, so Shi Shaokai's gaze lingered for a moment, feeling a slight sense of unease, but he didn't think much of it.
Instead, he took a longer look at Li Che because, based on the positioning among the Divine Sculptors, this particular one seemed to be highly regarded by Ji Shaohao!
"Everyone, let's go. Taasu Heaven is under the control of my Dark Heavenly Court, so I can consider myself a partial host here."
Ji Shaohao smiled, adjusting his mood, his face returning to its usual calm. With eighty-one spots, at least one of the ten Divine Sculptors under his command should be able to secure a place.
He led the group out of the teleportation platform, heading toward Doutian Palace City.
Shi Shaokai and Fu Shaoxi exchanged glances, a strong sense of competition in their eyes, before they also followed the group toward the massive Doutian Palace City.
Li Che held Xixi's hand, with Little Suda coiled around Xixi's neck.
From the teleportation platform in Taasu Heaven to Doutian Palace City, there was a colossal skywalk. The skywalk was adorned with intricate divine statues, each exuding a rich divine aura.
"Is this... Dao Essence Crystals?!"
Xixi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The statues were all carved from Dao Essence Crystals!
While they weren't the high-quality six-leaf or seven-leaf Dao Essence Crystals, they were mostly three-leaf Dao Essence Crystals, radiating a dense divine aura and profound Daoic essence.
Just walking on the skywalk made one feel an irresistible urge to open their pores and absorb the divine energy from the surroundings.
"Truly extravagant."
Li Che couldn't help but sigh.
The contrast was too stark.
The resources of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were completely controlled by the three major divine factions. Apart from the Three Pure Ancients Village, which still managed to live comfortably and had some resources, the Four Rulers and Five Elders Ancients Villages lived in great hardship.
Forget Dao Essence Crystals; even divine crystals were precious resources.
To obtain resources, they had to risk their lives, participating in village divine gambling battles, using their lives to gamble for resources.
Even then, the resources they gained were only a few six-leaf or seven-leaf Dao Essence Crystals!
It was clear that resources were monopolized by a few powerful factions, making it a fantasy for subordinate factions to live comfortably.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were even more extreme than the mortal world.
Even a Divine Being who had severed the Dao, with great combat power, was of no use. The existence of such beings in these ancient villages was the result of generations of resource accumulation and cultivation.
Apart from the three major ancient villages that had the qualifications to oppose and negotiate with the three major divine factions, the other ancient clans in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had no competitiveness.
According to Li Che's understanding, the ancient clans... were originally the natives of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, while the strong figures of the three major divine factions were originally outsiders. Some were ascenders from the mortal world, while others rose to power during the successive divine tides.
Of course, the reason the three major divine factions could suppress numerous ancient clan villages and control all the resources was inseparable from the presence of the Eternal Divine Beings within these factions.
Eternal Divine Beings, who were immortal and indestructible, according to the ancient texts Li Che had read, were all non-native to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, as recorded in the ancient texts mentioned by Tuoba Lian!
Although some cultivators in later generations managed to break through to the Eternal realm, they were only Earth Eternals.
Li Che had once curiously asked Tuoba Lian where these Heaven Eternals, who were not native to this world, came from, but Tuoba Lian couldn't provide an answer.
Rumble—
The city gates shook and slowly opened, releasing an intense heat, the result of the terrifying Earth Vein Fire hidden beneath the ground!
It seemed as if all the Earth Vein Fire from the entire Taasu Heaven had been gathered here, an extremely terrifying force that, once ignited, could destroy heaven and earth!
"Earth Vein Fire... This is the Eternal Lord, using His immortal power to gather the Earth Vein Fire from the entire domain of Taasu Heaven. It contains a rich concentration of Cosmic Willpower, belonging to the fundamental level of power!"
Great Immortal Zhao Yuan seemed to sense Li Che's confusion and curiosity, so he explained to him.
"The fire used by the Eternal Lord and His disciples and Dao attendants for refining divine pills all comes from the Earth Vein Fire of this domain."
Although in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, Grand Immortal Divine Sculptor has already reached the pinnacle of the divine sculpture profession, there are other professions as well.
For example, Master Alchemists, Master Armorers, and so on...
In terms of rarity, anyone who has reached the Great Immortal level is actually extremely precious, with no distinction of rank.
However, in general, Master Divine Sculptors hold a higher status in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths compared to Master Alchemists, who in turn hold a higher status than Master Armorers. After that, there are also Master Talisman Makers, and so on...
The distribution of professions in the human world is quite similar, but the gaps between these professions in the human world are not as large.
In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, the distinctions are much more direct and exaggerated.
Rumble—
Feeling the scorching heat of the Earth Vein Fire, Li Che's expression slightly stiffened.
The Cosmic Willpower contained in the flames brought a powerful sense of oppression to everyone who entered the city.
However, Ji Shaohao soon appeared and distributed a pill to everyone.
"This is a Fireproof Pill. After entering the Palace of the Sky, it is essential to take this pill. Otherwise, staying in the Palace of the Sky for too long will cause you to be infected with pill toxins, and you will eventually be refined as an ingredient."
After everyone swallowed the Fireproof Pill, they indeed felt a wave of coolness, no longer suffering from the scorching and erosion of the Earth Vein Fire.
After Li Che swallowed the Fireproof Pill, he used his Star-Picking Eye to analyze the pill and then replicated it using the Dao Fruit of the Immortal within the painting, achieving Fireproof Pill freedom.
According to Ji Shaohao, the Fireproof Pill is a pill of the Immortal Artisan, which can only be refined by Immortal Alchemists and is quite precious, mainly distributed by the Palace of the Sky.
So, there isn't much of it. If anyone wants to practice within the Palace of the Sky, they must take a Fireproof Pill. Otherwise, once they start practicing, the fire toxins will burrow into their bodies like a parasite.
Therefore, Ji Shaohao instructed everyone not to practice within the city and to focus more on studying divine sculpture creation.
Ji Shaohao, after all, is the Young Emperor of the Dark Heavenly Court, and he has considerable influence. In the Palace of the Sky, he allocated a courtyard to every Immortal Alchemist.
This can be considered a special benefit for the Divine Sculptors of the Dark Heavenly Court.
Li Che, along with Xixi and Cang Yuan, moved into their courtyard.
Next door were Ji Shaohao's and Great Immortal Zhao Yuan's courtyards.
"Immortal Artisan Cang Che, I'm being straightforward with you. I very much want the Qitian Divine Pill refined by the Eternal Lord. If you can secure one of the eighty-one Immortal Artisan slots and give me the allocated divine pill, I am willing to exchange three eight-leaf Dao Essence Crystals with you. Moreover, I will help elevate the future of Canglan Village to the ranks of the Three Pure Upper Ancient Villages!"
"This is my promise to you, and to your village, Canglan Village!"
After the courtyards were allocated,
Ji Shaohao visited Li Che's courtyard and knocked on the door.
Upon meeting, Ji Shaohao didn't beat around the bush and directly laid out his proposal.
His desire for the Qitian Divine Pill was openly displayed before Li Che, and he also showed a great eagerness for talent.
He even stated that if Li Che succeeded, and when he eventually attained immortality and became an Eternal of the Dark Heavenly Court, he would certainly elevate Li Che's status to that of a favored minister!
This was the promise of a Young Emperor!
Honestly, Cang Yuan's eyes turned red just from listening!
Unfortunately...
This "Cang Che" is not the real Cang Che, and he doesn't truly care about Canglan Village!
Hearing this, Li Che did not reject Ji Shaohao's recruitment but instead solemnly answered him.
"Your Majesty! Rest assured, I will do my utmost!"
Li Che and Ji Shaohao had the same goal.
He naturally wants to become one of the eighty-one Immortal Artisans. Only then can he secretly manipulate the array and subtly sabotage it!
So, agreeing to Ji Shaohao's request was no problem.
After all, he only needs to secure one of the eighty-one slots, but he doesn't necessarily have to ensure the creation of the Qitian Divine Pill!
Ji Shaohao's requirement is simply to secure the slot.
If he achieves this, whether the divine pill is produced or not is irrelevant to Li Che, and whether Ji Shaohao delivers on his promised resources... that depends on Ji Shaohao.
(End of Chapter)
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