Chapter 272: Congratulations

Xu Chen lay there for a full three days before he could barely sit up.

Then, he spent several more days practicing the Grand Void Demon-Refining Art to repair his muscles, bones, and skin, using spirit pills and Spirit Stones to continuously replenish the massive amount of vital energy he had consumed.

A full ten days passed before Xu Chen had completely recovered from this ordeal.

Although the consumption was immense and the process had been filled with incomparable danger.

Xu Chen also felt that his gains were not small.

The first was that his cultivation realm seemed to have made significant progress; this was very evident during the process of refining spirit pills and Spirit Stones. Previously, it took at least a day to refine one Spirit Stone, but now it was completed in half a day.

The second was that he had finally gained complete control over this massive Nether Beast bone. The Nether Beast demon soul, having been planted with a Divine Slave Seal, no longer posed any threat. By simply communicating with it through his Divine Sense, he could unleash powerful Space Impact and binding effects.

With this Magic Treasure, Xu Chen finally had another powerful weapon besides the Blue Light Treasure Bottle.

However, this weapon was too large, making it very inconvenient to carry. Additionally, its power was not easy to control, so one had to be extremely careful and cautious when using it.

The third gain was that during this all-out confrontation, he seemed to have gained a tiny bit of insight into the rules of space. However, this feeling was very vague; he believed that by studying and using the black horn and golden crystal on the ox skull more in the future, it would gradually become clear.

While Xu Chen was recovering his body, Guiling Shenjun also spent nearly ten days finishing the refinement of the second Blood God Grass. Added to the Spirit Stones gifted by Xu Chen, after fully refining and absorbing them, Guiling Shenjun's strength had reached the initial stage of the Shenling Realm. Spirit Qi churned around his body, releasing the light and shadows of the sun, moon, and stars. His soul was even more incomparably powerful; once his Primordial Spirit left his body, the hundred-zhang phantom was like a god descending to the world, emitting an aura that shook the heavens and moved the earth.

This was the first time Xu Chen had seen a True Monarch at the Spirit Transformation stage.

Naturally, he was extremely, extremely envious and jealous.

No matter how good or powerful a Magic Treasure is, it is not as good as having powerful cultivation.

He believed that even if he had the Blue Light Treasure Bottle, the Heaven-Suppressing Divine Stele, and the Nether Beast skull that was comparable to a Six-Rank Dharma Treasure, in front of a True Monarch, he would be no different from a fart, crushed to death with a single finger.

This was the difference in strength levels.

In the past, when he was in the Kaiyuan Realm, he had once used the Blue Jade Bead to cripple Yulong Zhenren and Qingyun True Person, but that was only by risking his own life to activate the bead's function—it was entirely a struggle of trading one life for another.

But as his cultivation grew higher, facing increasingly stronger Demon Beasts and cultivators, the power of the Blue Jade Bead and the Blue Light Treasure Bottle was, in relative terms, becoming weaker and weaker.

Furthermore, based on his judgment during use, the Blue Light Treasure Bottle was not originally an offensive Magic Treasure.

The Blue Light Treasure Bottle was better at storing things; it seemed to want to evolve continuously by swallowing rare and powerful living creatures or items in this manner.

After Xu Chen entered Minghuang, he had very few opportunities to use the Blue Light Treasure Bottle directly; most of the time, he solved problems through the Grand Void Demon-Refining Art instead.

Whether it was activating the clan patterns and Divine Pattern Battle Techniques of the Wind Clan warriors, saving the old Witch Master from deep slumber, or this time refining the Nether Beast skull, it was all the same.

Now that the Blue Light Treasure Bottle was gone and the power of the Grand Void Demon-Refining Art had also greatly diminished, he would only be able to rely on his own strength to survive in the future, with no more possibilities for relying on others or taking shortcuts.

Therefore, seeing a powerful True Monarch appear now, Xu Chen's mindset regarding improving his own cultivation became even more urgent.

Although Wang Daolin could not stop thinking about the treasures on the "Treasure Boy" Xu Chen, facing Guiling Shenjun—who had become Guiling Shenjun—he was even more cautious and humble in his daily life, not daring to reveal his greedy thoughts in the slightest.

Because a True Monarch had already begun to comprehend the rules of heaven and earth, and every move they made secretly aligned with the Dao of Heaven. If he aroused the suspicion of such a person, relying on the terrifying methods and Magic Spells of a Ghost Cultivator, Wang Daolin, who only had the strength of the Danyuan Realm, figured that none of his thoughts could be hidden.

Chen Yang, Lu An, and Zhong Hui had also been practicing diligently during this recent period. Although their realms had not changed much, their strength had slowly recovered to the best state of their respective realms.

Everyone knew that after Guiling Shenjun came out of seclusion, it basically marked the beginning of an all-out search for an exit.

Once found, everyone would leave.

No one would miss this place, and no one would linger; this hellish place would only become an eternal pain and torment in everyone's hearts.

"Everyone, this cup of wine is to congratulate Senior Guilingzi on his successful Spirit Transformation! From now on, there is one more True Monarch in the Shenzhou region!"

On the day Guilingzi came out of seclusion, Xu Chen once again brought out the spirit wine he usually cherished and couldn't bear to drink. In the open space outside the cave chamber, the group gathered around a simple stone table to raise their cups together and celebrate this hard-won grand event.

Guilingzi's appearance now could be said to be completely different from when Xu Chen first arrived.

Not only had his pale and withered face become much more ruddy and full, but even his scorched-yellow hair had all turned black. His entire complexion and even his temperament had changed completely. He now looked exactly like an old man of about sixty, with a robust aura and a spirited demeanor, full of vigorous vitality and life.

The abundant life force brought by the two Blood God Grasses had increased Guilingzi's lifespan by at least one hundred years, completely ridding him of the risk of passing away.

Guilingzi was so excited that he lost his composure slightly. His hands trembled as he held up his wine cup, then he looked up at the sky for more than ten breaths. Finally, after his mood calmed down, he said to Xu Chen:

"That I, this poor Daoist, can have this day is entirely due to the help of Daoist Friend Xu. However, it is too early to say that there is another True Monarch in the Shenzhou region. Even if we find a path back to the Mortal World, I fear that I and everyone else will have to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation for it to count. To weaken the power of the Heavenly Tribulation, I have no choice but to temporarily suppress my realm to the initial stage of the Shenling Realm. But regardless of life or death after we get out, I will never forget this great kindness of yours, Daoist Friend Xu. I will not say more today; I toast this cup to you, Daoist Friend Xu, in gratitude for saving my life!"

"Thank you, Daoist Friend Xu, for saving our lives!" Wang Daolin, Lu An, Zhong Hui, and Chen Yang raised their cups together.

"You all are too kind. Please!"

Everyone raised their cups and drank them in one gulp. The atmosphere instantly became much livelier, and Zhong Hui stood up to pour another cup of wine for everyone.

Chen Yang draped his arm over Xu Chen's shoulder and said with a face full of gratitude: "After we go back, this life of mine belongs to my little junior brother. I'll do anything—washing clothes, cooking, or working like an ox or a horse!"

Xu Chen immediately laughed: "That's perfect. We're short a disciple on the mountain to collect feces and take care of the Medicine Garden. I was just looking for someone to take over, so you'll have work to do when we get back, Senior Brother."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang's face turned green, and he exclaimed: "Little junior brother, you've collected feces too?"

Xu Chen laughed loudly: "Not only have I collected it, I've been collecting feces for several years."

Everyone was in a very good mood, so they laughed and asked for the reason. Xu Chen and Chen Yang then began to talk about the past affairs of the Taiyuan Sect, one after the other.

And upon hearing that the Taiyuan Sect's Medicine Garden relied on collecting Spirit Beast Feces to fertilize the fields, and that almost every disciple had worked as a feces collector, everyone burst into laughter, bending over. Even Guilingzi couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh: "I truly didn't expect that a talent like Daoist Friend Xu would have done such a helpless thing. Back when I was at Yuqing Hall, I hadn't even been to the Medicine Garden a few times."

Xu Chen laughed: "How can the Taiyuan Sect compare to Yuqing Hall? This junior has been to Yuqing Hall once and almost thought I had arrived at a true Heavenly Immortal's cave dwelling. It was truly palaces everywhere, spirit flowers all over the mountains, disciples like clouds, and resources like the sea. I stayed at Yuqing Hall for over half a month and made a small fortune before I was kicked back."

Everyone was curious, so they asked one after another.

Xu Chen then briefly introduced what he had seen, heard, and done at Yuqing Hall. After listening this time, everyone felt a bit more sympathetic, and even Wang Daolin couldn't help but say:

"Great Immortal Sects naturally have a different atmosphere. Although Yuqing Hall cannot compare to my Spirit Treasure Temple at Qingcheng Mountain, it is still one of the top ten Great Immortal Sects in the Shenzhou region. The spirit materials and spirit medicines you obtained, Daoist Friend Xu, were merely the lowest grade; it can't be called making a fortune. If we get out, you should come to my Qingcheng Mountain, and I'll give you ten times that amount!"

Chen Yang rolled his eyes upon hearing this and said: "You only know how to brag and talk big. I've been here for eight years and haven't seen you take out even one lowest-grade spirit medicine."

Wang Daolin immediately laughed dryly: "That's because I used up what I had in the previous decades. After we get out, with my status as an Elder of the Qingcheng Daoist Field, what would I not have?"

Seeing Lu An roll up his sleeves as if preparing to retort, Guilingzi waved his hand: "Today, Daoist Friend Xu is the host. After we finish this wine, we must work together to find a way out, so let's not say anything that hurts our harmony. I will put my words here today: if anyone does not work hard in finding a way out, or acts in bad faith and drags their feet, don't blame me for not considering the friendship of these past few decades. Any status from the ten Great Immortal Sects will not work with me!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked dejected and quieted down. Wang Daolin, in particular, shrank his neck and laughed dryly: "Senior, please rest assured. This junior will naturally do my utmost and will never let what happened last time happen again."

Guilingzi nodded: "I hope you can do it. After all, I don't want to have a falling out with Ning Feng Zi when the time comes."

Cold sweat instantly rolled down Wang Daolin's forehead.

This sentence was clearly a specific warning to him that if he caused any more trouble, no matter where he fled after getting out, his sect would not be able to protect him.

Although Guiling Shenjun's current strength was not yet equal to Ning Feng Shen Jun's, cultivators who had reached this realm no longer cared about the private interests of their sects. What they cared about was Void Breaking and Ascension; they did not want to cause themselves any unnecessary trouble at all. Facing a True Monarch of the same realm starting a war between Immortal Sects, they would be the first to find the disciple who caused the trouble, beat them to death, and then sit down with the enemy to drink tea, discuss the Dao, and debate right, wrong, and compensation plans.

The act of "flying into a rage for the sake of a disciple" was basically impossible to happen among great cultivators.

Of course, they might still fight if forced to, but they would absolutely not risk their lives to fight to the death over such matters unrelated to themselves, consuming large amounts of precious Spirit Qi or even losing cultivation.

After all, everyone's common goal is to pursue longevity and become a True Immortal who roams the nine heavens.

For existences at the Divine Monarch level, their Dao hearts are as firm as stone, and they have long since lacked mortal sentiments; to them, a sect is merely a sense of belonging, and in reality, it is completely useless.

This is also the reason why, after reaching Spirit Transformation, almost all great cultivators retire from their sects and stop concerning themselves with worldly affairs, because their realm and perception of life have begun to transcend the mortal; the higher the cultivation, the stronger this sense of detachment becomes, and above the True Monarch, they almost never participate in any affairs of the Immortal Sect.

And once they reach the Divine Monarch realm, they seclude themselves from the world entirely.

Even in those super Immortal Sects with a Divine Monarch presiding, apart from when a Spirit Realm Great Cultivator advances within the sect or when large-scale Immortal Sects conduct high-level exchanges, one basically never sees any trace of a Divine Monarch; they are truly like idle clouds and wild cranes, coming without a shadow and going without a trace, with only their names known and their forms unseen.

Xu Chen had no good feelings toward this Wang Daolin either, but he did not pay him too much mind.

Although this fellow was a Danyuan Realm cultivator and his strength was certainly quite good, Xu Chen despised such people who were afraid of death, greedy for food and drink, and lazy.

Therefore, Xu Chen only glanced at Wang Daolin, then raised his cup to invite everyone to continue drinking.

Xu Chen actually did not have many reserves left on him at the moment, but today he still brought out three bottles of Spirit Wine, and only after the group drank them all to their hearts' content did this celebratory event finally come to an end.

Everyone returned to their respective immortal caves to meditate, circulate their energy, and refine the Spirit Wine, making the most sufficient preparations for the possible return that was about to come.

(End of this chapter)