Chapter 310: The Crystal Ball Left by Senior Ji Gu

At the moment Ding Huan put away the Star Core Stone, on a long-abandoned planet far beyond the Third Layer Star Continent, a green-faced cultivator suddenly looked up toward the Third Layer Star Continent.

His eyes flickered with disbelief as he muttered to himself:

"Impossible. Who could have found my Star Core Stone? Even Luo Bei couldn't have done it…"

But soon a trace of despair flashed in his eyes; he instinctively looked down at his chest, where a blood wound lay.

The wound still emitted a withered aura of death.

As long as his injury remained unhealed, even if he knew someone had taken his lifeline, he could only watch helplessly.

"Though I could go there now, I dare not. As long as this person remains, if I go, I may never return."

"One day, I, Lou Yunsheng, will personally reclaim what belongs to me."

After speaking, the green-faced man closed his eyes again.

Yet his trembling fists betrayed his seething rage.

…

Although Ding Huan studied this array pattern and learned how to set up arrays using such patterns, he failed to notice that a teleportation array pattern was hidden within them.

So he did not leave immediately.

Moreover, he implanted a supreme-grade earth-fire vein beneath him, then placed the flame from his mind sea onto this vein, letting it grow.

After completing this, Ding Huan directly carved out a space beside the earth-fire vein, fifty zhang tall and over a hundred zhang in length and width.

Then he implanted two superior-grade star-spirit veins and two superior-grade spirit veins into this space.

He intended to cultivate here for a while.

Those Earth Immortals at the peak of their cultivation who had emerged with him from the Opening Heaven Battlefield could stay in the Third Layer Dao City if they wished.

Those who did not wish to stay could freely seek out secluded places to enter meditation.

Yet all of them understood implicitly: as soon as Jiuyuan cultivators arrived on the Third Layer Star Continent, they would gather at once and eliminate them.

For Ding Huan, his current strength was fixed at the Star Domain Realm.

Though he was confident this level could handle ordinary Immortal Realm cultivators, his power was clearly insufficient.

He needed to continue meditating; before Jiuyuan's forces reached the Third Layer Star Continent, he should raise his cultivation beyond the Star Domain Realm.

Before entering meditation, Ding Huan took out two items. The first was the massive iron drum.

Last time in the Opening Heaven Battlefield, he had no time—he had only refined the first layer of seals on this iron drum.

Now he intended to continue refining it, to see how many seals he could break.

The main reason he spent time refining the drum was that he had no top-tier magical artifacts; his only offensive artifact was the Parting Spear.

The Parting Spear was decent enough, but as Ding Huan's strength grew, it was gradually becoming inadequate.

Without a better offensive artifact, he could only enhance his offensive capabilities elsewhere.

For him, his primary offensive ability was his spiritual sense technique.

His Yellow Flower Kill had slain enemies unseen many times, yet the Drum Kill had never been used.

If he refined this iron drum and combined it with the Drum Kill technique, perhaps he could even stand against Earth Immortals.

The second item was a crystal ball.

Ding Huan did not know why Senior Ji Gu had given him a crystal ball.

But when Senior Ji Gu gave him the crystal ball, she told him its contents were extraordinary and urged him to be cautious.

Now he was nearly at the core of the Third Layer Star Continent, surrounded entirely by his own array seals—opening the crystal ball here was certainly safe enough.

Just as Ding Huan was about to activate the crystal ball, he suddenly recalled the timing Senior Ji Gu had chosen to give it to him.

She had given it when no third person was near, and after saying only that its contents were extraordinary and to be cautious, she left—without another word.

What did that mean?

Everyone who had emerged with him from the Opening Heaven Battlefield was undoubtedly extremely trustworthy.

If so, why had Senior Ji Gu avoided them?

After thinking for a long while, Ding Huan found no answer, so he gave up trying.

Ding Huan activated the crystal ball, and before him appeared a hazy misty entrance.

But the hazy mist vanished quickly, replaced instead by a bamboo grove.

That's it?

This is extraordinary? And he was told to be cautious while viewing it?

Ding Huan truly wanted to tell Senior Ji Gu: "If you wanted this kind of scene, I could create ten thousand of them for you."

He had assumed the crystal ball contained more, waiting several minutes—but the rest was blank.

Ding Huan scanned it with his spiritual sense; it was indeed blank.

He shook his head and reached to put the crystal ball away.

At that moment, Senior Ji Gu's voice came from within the crystal ball: "Lord Ding, the fact that you waited until now shows you took my words seriously. Thank you…"

Ding Huan was stunned—these veteran Earth Immortals truly each had their tricks.

He had detected no trace of Dao rhythm within the crystal ball, yet Senior Ji Gu had left her voice embedded inside.

No wonder she was once the top hermit Earth Immortal of the Third Layer Star Continent, a legendary figure—this technique was beyond him now.

But he would learn it soon; the method was right here—if he still couldn't learn it, he'd be an idiot.

"... Lord Ding, the scene you just saw is at the very bottom of the Fourth Sea Strait Valley, deep within the cultivators' Dao zone.

I saw Wu Zhanxia sneak here several times; after investigating many times, I finally sensed a trace of true high-level Dao rhythm.

This Dao rhythm was definitely superior to that of the Third Layer Star Continent, and not the Immortal-Mortal Bridge rhythm Wu Zhanxia simulated.

I suspect this location is where true Immortal Fortune lies—or perhaps, for anyone on the Third Layer Star Continent seeking to ascend to the Immortal World, this may be the only path…"

Ding Huan put down the crystal ball and frowned.

Senior Ji Gu's words were contradictory.

The Ascension Tower hasn't been able to ascend for only a couple of hundred years, right?

Yet Senior Ji Gu entered the Fourfold Sea Pass Valley long before the Ascension Tower could still ascend.

If the Ascension Tower on the Third Heaven Star Continent could still ascend, then why does Senior Ji Gu claim the Fourfold Sea Pass Valley is the only possible Immortal Chance?

Ding Huan believed that Senior Ji Gu, as a legend of the Third Heaven Star Continent, could never be wrong about something like this.

If so, then the only possibility is that the ascensions from the Ascension Tower on the Third Heaven Star Continent were fake.

Senior Ji Gu knew this, and perhaps others knew too.

Ding Huan decided to ask Senior Ji Gu when she returned.

After all, his current cultivation was still weak; to ascend, he'd at least need to reach the level equivalent to a Earth Immortal.

His spiritual sense settled on the Iron Drum, and Ding Huan decided to continue refining it.

Back when he was only at Star Transformation, he had barely refined the first layer of its seals.

Now that he was at Star Domain, spending more time to refine it up to the tenth layer of seals shouldn't pose much of a problem.

His spiritual sense once again covered the Iron Drum, and a series of drumbeats rang out, nearly shattering his spiritual soul.

Ding Huan was startled—he was certain that if he were still at Star Transformation, he could never have refined the second layer of seals.

Because the second layer of seals was vastly more complex than the first.

Fortunately, he now had the Star Domain, and under its coverage, his spiritual sense continuously wore away the seals through the Great Cosmos Art.

The Great Cosmos Art was truly a heaven-defying technique.

Ding Huan guessed that the Iron Drum existed in its ten-zhang height precisely because no one could refine it.

Originally, when the Iron Drum was used on the battlefield, it was merely struck directly.

If he hadn't cultivated the Great Cosmos Art, he wouldn't have been able to refine even the first layer of seals.

Or rather, his refinement of the first layer was sheer luck—the Iron Drum had been eroded on the battlefield for years, and when his spiritual sense, shaped like a drumstick, struck it suddenly, by sheer coincidence, he had refined the first layer.

The second layer of seals was even more complex than the first; refining the first layer had established a connection between Ding Huan and the Iron Drum.

Under the Zhou Tian of the Great Cosmos Art, Ding Huan spent eleven days refining the second layer, then seventeen days refining the third layer.

After refining the third layer of seals, Ding Huan did not continue—he needed to cultivate.

He didn't have time to refine the Iron Drum up to the tenth layer of seals; actually refining it might take several years.

There was still no news from the Third Heaven Star Continent, and Mu Chengzi and the others hadn't sent him any messages, indicating nothing had happened outside.

If not now, when would he cultivate?

……

Geng Qianxing returned to the City Lord's Mansion of the Third Dao City; with established rules and laws, the Third Heaven Star Continent had long since stabilized.

Since Ding Huan was absent, Geng Qianxing chose to stay at the City Lord's Mansion to handle affairs, and also took the opportunity to close himself off for cultivation.

Over these years since becoming Tower Immortal, he had nearly wasted his time.

It wasn't that he lacked time to cultivate—he simply had few resources to do so.

As Tower Immortal of the Ascension Tower, he needed to remain constantly beside the Ascension Tower.

Thus, Geng Qianxing was respected by all cultivators of the Ascension Realm, yet he paid the price of his cultivation stagnating.

As soon as Geng Qianxing began cultivating, he was astonished.

He felt that this time, cultivating within the City Lord's Mansion was unusually easy.

Many Great Dao principles he had never fully understood were now crystal clear.

In just a few short days, he broke through to Human Immortal Seventh Layer.

He had been stuck at Human Immortal Sixth Layer for a full hundred years; now, in only ten days, he had broken through to Human Immortal Seventh Layer.

The City Lord's Mansion indeed had abundant heavenly and earthly qi, with a top-grade spiritual vein implanted beneath it.

But Geng Qianxing knew the more important reason for his breakthrough was his clear understanding of his Great Dao doubts.

Faced with such a moment of clear Dao insight, Geng Qianxing had no intention of wasting time—he devoted all his time to closed-off cultivation.

Previously, among a group of Earth Immortals, though no one looked down on him, Geng Qianxing always felt uneasy.

He knew it wasn't just him—even Cang Yongqian felt the same way.

After the Sect Assembly ended, Cang Yongqian was the first to leave the Third Dao City—he returned to his sect to close himself off for cultivation.

Otherwise, next time when following Ding Huan, they'd be surrounded entirely by Earth Immortals—how could the few of them as Human Immortals not feel awkward?

Three months passed quickly.

Geng Qianxing himself couldn't believe it—he had broken through to Human Immortal Eighth Layer by the end of the third month.

Even though Geng Qianxing knew this was because his foundation had accumulated too deeply, it was the clear Dao resonance that had been the primary cause of his breakthrough.

Geng Qianxing, who had originally planned to break through to Human Immortal Ninth Layer in one push, was interrupted by Cang Yongqian rushing back.

(That's all for today's update, friends—goodnight, please support with monthly votes!)