Chapter 135: Chapter 105: Ancient Sky Rift_2
Chapter 135: Chapter 105: Ancient Sky Rift_2
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This was a choice made from the perspective of maintaining the traditions of the sect.
For ordinary mortals, several years were enough for significant changes to occur.
After Fu Quanliang by chance took an oath with Phantom Spirit Sect years ago, he hadn't returned home for many years. When he finally had the chance to go back, all that was left were ruins.
Not long after he had left to cultivate, there came a three-year drought. Crops failed, and starving corpses littered the land. His parents and siblings had no way to send word and all starved to death; even weeds didn't grow atop their graves.
In just a few short years, everything had changed beyond recognition.
The fate of the Song Family from Great Zhou was actually among the better ones for many cultivators who joined the Immortal Sects.
The saying that when one person gains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven is, after all, just a legend. In most cases, chickens and dogs remain chickens and dogs.
Thinking of this, Fu Quanliang laughed at himself. Now, he too had benefitted from Chu Zheng's favor, and upon reflection, perhaps there was some truth to that saying.
Before Fu Quanliang could collect his thoughts, the sea of people nearby suddenly became raucous. Many children were led by their elders, who scrambled to present them to him.
"Daoist Friend Fu, quickly look at my great-grandson! He is only six this year, a born prodigy. I haven't even passed on the methods of cultivation to him! Can he be admitted?"
"Could you make an exception? My child has just turned ten, and he channeled Qi earlier this year. If it really won't work, we're willing to disperse his energy and begin cultivation anew!"
"My grandson is nine this year, clever from a young age. Daoist Friend Fu, please take a look, can he join Taixuan?"
Fu Quanliang's ears were suddenly filled with all manner of questions, and for a moment, he was stunned in place.
For many cultivators, the three rules laid down by Taixuan were not much different from having none at all.
Fu Quanliang had vastly underestimated the influence of the term 'Holy Land'. Within a Holy Land, there are methods for becoming an Immortal; to be admitted into one is the unimaginable fortune that countless people dream of.
When Chu Zheng passed on the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture to him, he did so with such ease that Fu subconsciously overlooked the frightening aspects of the Immortal Ascension Method.
It was only a matter of not seeing each other for a hundred years, after all. Paving the way for their descendants' paths of cultivation was a bargain for these sects and loose cultivators.
"What are you dazing for?"
Gong Rulong, standing not far away, transmitted a message that snapped Fu Quanliang back to his senses.
Fu Quanliang took a deep breath and, seeing several cultivators not far off with somewhat ingratiating looks, he cleared the pathway to the Sacred Shadow Stone, allowing the bewildered children to step forward in turn.
Several elders were there to support from behind, ensuring the disciple recruitment process was free from chaos.
The recruitment of disciples lasted for three full days and nights, during which none of the other Four Great Sacred Lands came to observe the ceremonies.
Taixuan, after a gap of ten thousand years, was almost indiscriminate in accepting these Immortal Seedlings. Anyone who met the age criteria was taken in.
Forty-seven children induced a reaction from the Sacred Shadow Stone, among whom nineteen possessed High Quality Immortal Bones. The rest had bodies inclined to the fire attribute and were thus suitable for practicing the Taixuan Divine Fire Scripture.
These forty-seven individuals were directly accepted into the Inner Sect.
The remaining Middle and Lower Quality Immortal Bone candidates, totaling over two thousand four hundred individuals, were temporarily designated to the Outer Sect, to be further classified after admission.
The distinction between Middle and Lower Quality Immortal Bones needs to be determined by the speed of Qi intake into the body and cannot be discerned by the human eye for the time being.
As the recruitment of disciples drew to a close, the number of cultivators in the vicinity didn't decrease but, on the contrary, started to increase incrementally.
Even some cultivators began to build cities, erect buildings, and palaces outside the Taixuan Holy Land, preparing to settle down here for good.
The reopening of the Taixuan Sect Gate was not an overnight affair. In the near future, the land beneath a sacred land would inevitably become a place of uncommon prosperity in the Southern Region.
Now, without the need to spend Spirit Stones, in a few decades, it would likely cost a considerable fee just to get close to this place.
"Taixuan is also in need of a batch of Soul Condensation Realm cultivators to serve as Guest Elder for the Outer Sect for a period of ten years. After this period, Taixuan will bestow ten Third Order Spirit Pills and two Middle Quality Magic Treasures!"
After sending the last child into the Holy Land, Fu Quanliang suddenly turned and, with a loud shout, once again drew the attention of many cultivators:
"Those who are interested, step forward!"
This was the top priority affair, specifically instructed by Geng Yiyang, aside from the recruitment of disciples.
With enemies on all sides, Chu Zheng's Taixuan could not afford to have its elders leave the Holy Land even for half a step. They urgently needed to recruit a batch of Soul Condensation Realm cultivators to help alleviate the crisis, or at least ease the pressure of the manhunt.
The reward offered by Taixuan Holy Land was exceedingly generous.
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Ordinary Soul Condensation Realm Loose Cultivators usually use Lower Quality magic treasures, and Middle Quality treasures are already considered the heritage treasures of many small sects.
Moreover, Taixuan has now given two of them.
As for those ten Third Order Spirit Pills, they are worth a fortune and can significantly enhance the cultivation realm of a Soul Condensation Realm Cultivator.
Alchemists capable of refining Third Order Spirit Pills are few and far between in the Southern Region, except in the Holy Lands and major sects guarded by Divine Transformation Realm powerhouses, and their availability is nearly monopolized.
The occasional ones that do enter the market have an inflated price, with a severe markup. Even so, there is still more demand than supply.
This kind of generous offer almost effortlessly shattered the psychological defenses of many Loose Cultivators, and in no time, responders were as numerous as the clouds.
...
...
On the border of Giant Marsh Country.
The bright moon hung high, and in the vast void above, Aura winds howled sharply like knives, capable of rawly scraping away flesh and blood.
Enshrouded in Spiritual Light stood a figure in a black robe, riding the winds high above, standing atop the ninth heaven, now looking somewhat hesitant.
[Immortal Patterns·Seal Boundary (Eighth Order/Incomplete): An extremely powerful set of Immortal Patterns that blocks off space, created by a True Immortal. As time goes by, some wear and tear have appeared, lacking materials, irreparable.]
[Spatial Passage (Eighth Order): A passageway leading to the world beyond, blocked by a powerful ancient seal. After many long years, the seal has begun to show signs of damage.]
Chu Zheng was merely passing by this place when he suddenly sensed a change in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and detected an extremely distinct scent.
This aura, since arriving in the Cangyun Realm, was something he had never felt before—it was like biting into something hard while eating, a strange feeling to the extreme.
After pondering for a moment, he gradually came back to his senses.
In ancient times, Giant Marsh suffered a sky-rending event that resulted in a passageway to another realm, leading to the present situation where vast waters inundate the land and Water Demons are rampant.
This Spatial Passage might be the same one from back then. Now, after tens of thousands of years, the seal left by the True Immortal has also worn down.
Chu Zheng sat cross-legged, looking down at the Giant Marsh Country, his brow slightly furrowed.
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Based on the information he knew, once the passageway to another realm is open, it often means that a fierce battle is imminent, with many casualties.
Compared to Cultivators, commoners will be the ones to suffer more deaths.
But if the Immortal Alliance were to be informed about the damage to the seal, perhaps a major disaster could be avoided altogether.
After pondering for a long while, Chu Zheng eventually returned to within Giant Marsh Realm, discreetly spreading rumors.
He did not mention the seal, only released some fake news about the reemergence of the passageway to another realm.
Since a Spatial Passage once appeared in Giant Marsh, this news might attract some attention from the Holy Lands.
Now, all Chu Zheng could do was just this much.
He hoped these rumors would catch the attention of the powerful and be reported up to the Immortal Alliance.
True Immortals have practically disappeared from the current Cangyun Realm; only the Immortal Alliance has the power to repair this seal.
No matter what grievances he had with the Holy Lands and the Immortal Alliance, in the face of a calamity that could affect the entire world, everything could be temporarily set aside.
If the disaster could be averted, that would be for the best. Fewer deaths would always be a good thing.
...
...
In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.
The impact of the reopening of Taixuan Holy Land's Sect Gate has intensified, and Chu Zheng's name, as the Chief Disciple of True Transmission, has almost spread across all the realms and nations.
The Four Great Sacred Lands were no longer discreet, and the bounty on Chu Zheng was raised once again, reaching as high as five hundred thousand High Quality Spirit Stones, equivalent to fifty million Lower Quality ones.
Even an ordinary Spirit Vein—if it were to be exploited to the utmost, without leaving anything behind, for more than a dozen—might not produce as many Spirit Stones. This is not a small sum for the Sacred Lands.
At this price, even Chu Zheng himself was tempted.