togophonebook Chapter 40 Heavenly Cauldron True Man
Chapter 40 Heavenly Cauldron True Man
While top figures like Wang Tianlong, Ling Yunchen, and Xuan Qingzi were making their own gains and engaging in fierce competition within the core area of the palace, countless opportunities and bloodshed were also unfolding in the more expansive outer area of the Void Heaven Palace and its other side halls.
For the larger number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators who entered later, the restrictions on the core palace complex were too strong, and the danger was much greater. Therefore, they mostly stayed in the outer areas of the palace complex, or in the side halls, corridors, and herb gardens where the restrictions were relatively weak and had been explored or ignored by Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
Even so, the "outer perimeter" of the Void Heaven Palace remains a treasure trove for Nascent Soul cultivators. A rare thousand-year-old spiritual herb, a perfectly preserved fragment of an ancient treasure, or a jade slip containing unorthodox secret techniques can all ignite a small-scale melee. Cultivators might form temporary alliances in small groups to explore dangerous areas and defend against potential guardian beasts or formations; others might act alone, using their superior skills to conceal themselves and search secluded spots; still others might even engage in murder and robbery, making the stench of blood on the outskirts of the Void Heaven Palace no less than that in the core area.
In a short period of time, no fewer than ten Nascent Soul late-stage or even Great Perfection cultivators have died or perished due to fighting for treasures, triggering restrictions, or being ambushed. Many more cultivators, bearing injuries of varying degrees, continue their exploration amidst greed and fear.
At the Nascent Soul level, the battles for treasures were equally brutal. Besides the three-on-one fight Wang Tianlong encountered, similar scenes unfolded in other palaces, medicinal fields, and scripture pavilions. For replicas of Heavenly Treasures, incredibly rare ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, or ancient treasures with special effects, Nascent Soul cultivators often fought to the death at the slightest disagreement. Confirmed reports have arrived that at least three or four early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and one relatively unknown mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from a remote region, have been confirmed to have perished in the fierce battles, their bodies and souls destroyed, not even their Nascent Souls escaping. Their deaths often mean that while their opponents gain rich spoils, they also attract even more covetous eyes.
Meanwhile, deep within the palace complex, at the end of another, more winding corridor, protected by layers of icy barriers.
After acquiring the "Mysterious Ice Lotus" and the "Ice Soul Cold Marrow," the Palace Master of the Northern Minor Palace, Ice Soul Fairy, with her ultimate control over ice-based techniques, attempted to analyze a seemingly ordinary ice wall deep within the corridor. She keenly sensed that behind the ice wall, a more refined and ancient Daoist aura of ice seemed to emanate.
After several days of tireless deduction and probing, she finally triggered a hidden and extremely ingenious spatial teleportation array on the ice wall.
With a flash of light, the Ice Soul Fairy vanished from her spot.
The next moment, she appeared in a small, completely enclosed cave, but not dark.
The cave dwelling was small and simply furnished, containing only a jade bed, a meditation cushion, a jade table displaying the Four Treasures of the Study, and a few empty bookshelves against the wall. The cave was spotless, the temperature comfortable, and filled with a tranquil, elegant fragrance, as if its owner had just departed.
Ice Soul Fairy remained vigilant, carefully scanning every corner with her divine sense. Only after confirming that there were no restrictions or dangers did she slowly step forward.
Her gaze first fell on the jade table. There, several jade slips of different colors were neatly arranged, their jade warm and lustrous, clearly not ordinary jade. Beside them, a few small items were casually placed: a small cauldron the size of a palm, a seemingly ordinary tea set, and a jade hairpin about the thickness of a finger, pure white.
Ice Soul Fairy picked up a jade slip and slowly immersed her divine sense into it.
Initially, the jade slip contained only some notes on alchemy, weapon crafting, and formations. Although the insights were profound and inspiring, they were not earth-shattering.
However, when she picked up the darkest black jade slip at the bottom, which was cold to the touch, a vast and ancient information surged into her as soon as her divine sense entered it!
This is neither a transmission of cultivation techniques nor a supernatural secret art, but rather a "notebook" about this place casually left behind by the owner of the cave.
The first few lines alone were enough to shake her to her core!
"Spirit Realm... Mahayana stage cultivator... True Person Tianding... Temporary residence!"
An unprecedented brilliance erupted from the Ice Soul Fairy's cold eyes! Even with her unwavering Dao heart, she could not conceal the turbulent waves in her heart at this moment!
This Void Heaven Palace was actually a temporary residence opened up by a Mahayana cultivator from the Spirit Realm! No wonder its grandeur was so magnificent; the materials, restrictions, and Daoist aura it contained far exceeded her expectations! This completely explained her many previous doubts!
The Great Ascension Stage! That is a supreme realm far surpassing the Nascent Soul stage, and even the Void Refining and Body Integration stages. It is a realm where one truly stands at the pinnacle of the Spirit Realm and may even have the potential to touch the Immortal Path! The value of a "temporary palace" left behind by such a person is immeasurable!
Despite her shock, the Ice Soul Fairy continued to delve deeper into the vast stream of information within the black jade slip.
As her divine sense sank in, more secrets unfolded before her eyes like a scroll, causing even this late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, who had already cultivated to the point of having a heart as cold as ice and a calm demeanor, to be overwhelmed with emotion and almost lose her composure!
Besides recording the origin and general layout of the Void Heaven Palace, the most important content of the jade slip is part of the inheritance and cultivation experience left by True Person Tianding!
This inheritance is not a complete cultivation technique, but rather involves insights into cultivation methods, soul tempering, and the Dao of Space—several extremely profound and mysterious secret techniques and profound understandings of the Great Dao! Its lofty ideals and exquisite explanations far exceed the scope of the Ice Soul Fairy's current comprehension. Many parts are merely brief hints, yet they act like a beacon in the darkness, pointing her in the direction of her future path! In particular, the idea of combining extreme cold power with spatial freezing was a revelation, allowing her to see the possibility of elevating her "Ice Soul Domain" to a whole new level!
What made her breath catch in her throat and almost cry out in alarm was a seemingly casual remark made by True Person Tianding at the end of the jade slip:
"...I left behind the Dao lineage 'Heavenly Cauldron Palace' on the Blood Heaven Continent of the Spirit Realm. Within the palace are my complete inheritance and places for alchemy and weapon forging. Those destined to come to the Spirit Realm in the future may enter the Heavenly Cauldron Palace with the 'Void Heaven Cauldron'."
"Heavenly Cauldron Palace! The complete lineage of the Spirit Realm!"
These few words contain enough information to drive the entire human world crazy!
This means that the Void Heaven Palace is not only the temporary residence of True Person Tianding, but also a guiding beacon leading to his true lineage in the Spirit Realm! That seemingly ordinary Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, the "Void Spirit Cauldron," is the key to unlocking the opportunities of the Heavenly Cauldron Palace! And the star map in the jade slip is the star path leading there!
Ascending to the Spirit Realm is the ultimate goal that all Nascent Soul cultivators dream of! However, after ascension, how to establish oneself, acquire resources, and continue climbing the Great Dao in the Spirit Realm, a place teeming with powerful individuals and with vastly different environments, is an even greater challenge facing all ascendants. If one could obtain clues to the lineage and a guiding token from a Mahayana cultivator in the Spirit Realm beforehand, its significance would far surpass obtaining ten Heavenly Treasures in the Void Heaven Palace!
This means a relatively smooth and easy road to a higher level!
"No wonder...no wonder this Void Heaven Palace is so extraordinary. Its true value lies not only in the treasures within, but also in this...clue leading to the pinnacle of the Spirit Realm's inheritance!"
The Ice Soul Fairy's hand trembled slightly with excitement as she held the jade slip. She had cultivated diligently for thousands of years, reaching the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but the path ahead was increasingly uncertain, and the tribulation of ascension hung like a sword over her head. Now, this jade slip seemed to have opened a door to a completely new world for her!
After the ecstasy comes extreme calm.
Ice Fairy took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions. Her eyes regained their usual coldness, even sharper and more determined than before.
She quickly sealed all the items on the jade table, especially the crucial "Void Spirit Cauldron" and the black jade slip containing the map and inheritance, with the highest level of restrictions, and carefully stored them in the safest storage space within her body.