Chapter 1722
Relaxing
After seeing the dozen or so bottles of top-grade Xuanxian pills with his own eyes, Zhao Gongming finally believed what Li Zhirui had said and stopped refusing the Golden Immortal lotus seeds in the jade box.
“Junior brother, there is nothing urgent here. Senior brother, you should hurry back to your secluded cultivation and strive to break through as soon as possible, so as to win another Grand Luo Golden Immortal for the sect,” Li Zhirui advised again.
"If you have any doubts, junior brother, you may come to my cave to find me."
After saying this, Zhao Gongming set off back to his cave.
When he returned to his cave and opened the jade box, he was shocked to find nine Golden Immortal-grade lotus seeds inside. At the same time, he felt a surge of warmth.
Although Li Zhirui proved that he did not lack high-level spiritual items, how many high-level spiritual items could he possibly produce, given that he had only recently broken through to the Golden Immortal realm?
But his generosity and lavishness were so striking that how could Zhao Gongming not be moved?
Moreover, as soon as these nine lotus seeds appeared, a rich purifying aura spread outwards, purifying the surrounding spiritual energy. Not only did I feel much lighter, but my bottleneck seemed to loosen up.
"This……"
Such immediate and remarkable results were enough to stir even Zhao Gongming's emotions, making him unable to contain himself.
"call--"
After a while, he calmed himself down, then a bitter smile appeared on his face as he murmured, "This affection is really too much."
The moment the bottleneck loosened seemed like some kind of illusion, but Zhao Gongming knew in his heart that it was actually real!
Although he was confident enough in breaking through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, after all, he had accumulated so much over the years and had finally reached the point where he could break through.
However, this does not mean that he will definitely succeed, or rather, he may not be able to compete with other primordial beings for one of the few breakthrough slots that the Heavenly Dao allows in a short period of time.
Now, with the help of these nine Golden Immortal-grade lotus seeds, if Zhao Gongming was only 70% confident before, he is now 90% confident!
"Never mind, I'll find a way to repay this kindness after I break through."
As he spoke, he took out a container, spiritual soil, and spiritual water, and planted all nine lotus seeds in his hand.
In fact, Zhao Gongming had considered giving Yunxiao a few lotus seeds to help her break through to the next level, but considering that she had already closed her cave and was in seclusion, he ultimately gave up on the idea.
If giving her these lotus seeds were to disrupt her cultivation at a crucial moment, it would actually harm her.
As for why they didn't ask Li Zhirui for them directly, but instead had to share them with him, it was because they felt that Li Zhirui wouldn't have many Golden Immortal-level lotus seeds.
Secondly, he was too embarrassed to ask, since as his senior brother, he had hardly helped at all, so how could he ask for it again?
By casting aside all these distracting thoughts, Zhao Gongming calmed his turbulent mind and began his assault on the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!
……
the other side.
Li Zhirui did not linger in the Sutra Repository any longer and soon got up and left, returning to Pure Lotus Valley.
At the same time, he brought back a jade slip from the Sutra Repository, which was the "Shangqing Dao Scripture" that every disciple of the Shangqing Dao had to master. However, the one he had was not complete, only up to the Golden Immortal Realm.
At his level of understanding, attempting to comprehend higher-level Taoist scriptures would not only be of no benefit to his own cultivation, but would also lead him into confusion.
Li Zhirui treated this jade slip with utmost respect. After bathing, burning incense, and calming his mind, he concentrated on studying the Shangqing Daojing.
Before this, he had actually read the Shangqing Daojing, but it was a jade slip inscribed by a Golden Immortal cultivator based on his own insights.
The content itself is correct, but the underlying principles are not perfect and are rather superficial.
Of course, given Li Zhirui's level of understanding at the time, that imperfect jade slip was actually helpful for him to comprehend and grasp some of the Shangqing Daoist principles.
However, compared to the authentic Taoist scripture he currently possesses, the difference between the two is vast!
Although it wasn't personally inscribed by the Supreme Pure Daoist, it was inscribed by the eldest disciple, Duobao, at the late-stage Great Luo realm, and it passed the Supreme Pure Daoist's inspection, even earning his praise.
This also shows Duobao's special status in the Shangqing Dao.
It should be noted that before this, most of the disciples of Shangqing Dao had been taught and guided by Duobao. Although he was nominally the senior disciple, he was actually the teacher!
In addition, the Shangqing Dao Jing, which every disciple is required to study, was also painstakingly carved by Duobao. All these factors contributed to his extremely high status in the Shangqing Dao.
It can be said that apart from Shangqing Daozun, who is the teacher of everyone and has the realm of Daluo Daoguo, the other disciples, even the three who are also his direct disciples, Guiling, Wudang, and Jinling, are not even half as good as him.
Even Li Zhirui, who had only recently arrived at Biyou Island, could see this from various signs.
It's no wonder that the Shangqing Daozun placed high hopes on Duobao, hoping that he could go further, achieve the Great Luo Perfection, and protect the Shangqing Dao.
-
On another note!
After making preparations, Li Zhirui sent his divine sense into the jade slip and read it word by word from the beginning of the mortal realm. The process was very slow, but it was enough to lay a good foundation.
After all, he had absorbed too much content from various methods along the way, and he had also modified his cultivation techniques several times. Although these modifications were made by himself to suit his own path and there were no major problems, they still became somewhat mixed up.
This is a good opportunity to study the Shangqing Daojing from the beginning, solidify the foundation, clarify the issues, and avoid making the problem more difficult to solve the longer it is delayed.
However, this means that Li Zhirui's original plan to deduce the Golden Immortal realm cultivation method will likely not be completed in the short term.
After all, going through the cultivation techniques from scratch is no small matter, especially time-consuming, because many problems have accumulated over many years, and one problem can affect the whole situation. He must be patient, cautious, and solve them slowly.
……
Time is merciless and never stops for anything!
In the blink of an eye, Li Zhirui had been in the prehistoric world for thousands of years.
However, he spent most of his time in seclusion cultivating, and he has never left Biyou Island since entering it.
So even though he has been in the prehistoric world for so many years, he is actually still very unfamiliar with it.
Our understanding of the primordial world is limited to written texts and books.
After thousands of years of contemplation, Li Zhirui thoroughly understood his own method from beginning to end and eliminated some minor hidden dangers.
Although his realm and cultivation level did not increase at all, his aura became more profound and pure!
If Li Zhirui before was like a still lake, then now he is an unfathomable deep pool.
Not only that, he also successfully deduced the "Pure Lotus Dao Scripture" of the Golden Immortal realm. Although he was only at the early stage of the Golden Immortal realm, he already had similar ideas for the later stages, and it was enough for him to cultivate now.
The subsequent techniques can be practiced and improved as needed; it won't hinder anything.
"Perhaps it's time to head to the primordial lands and gain some experience?"
Li Zhirui got up from the futon, and as he was still and restless, this thought suddenly popped into his mind.
Since entering the prehistoric world, he has never been to the prehistoric lands and has no idea what it's like there. Moreover, the current state of the prehistoric world is suitable for him to go there for training.
Just as he was considering the matter and preparing to take action, a suffocating pressure suddenly came from the outside.
"This is……"
Li Zhirui's expression changed, and he instantly guessed what had happened.
"All disciples who feel the oppressive force, immediately leave the area affected by the lightning tribulation!"
The next instant, the Turtle Spirit's voice reached the ears of many disciples.
Li Zhirui naturally dared not delay, and immediately left Jinglian Valley at top speed, flying towards the distance.
In an instant, the sky above Biyou Island was filled with hundreds and thousands of spiritual lights of different colors, which looked very dazzling.
However, if you see their anxious expressions, you won't think that way.
Actually, there was another group of disciples within the range of the lightning tribulation, but they activated the formation and shielded themselves from the Heavenly Dao's perception, so they would not affect the lightning tribulation.
Moreover, to prevent someone from suddenly emerging from seclusion during the tribulation and activating the formation, causing the power of the lightning tribulation to surge and ultimately harming both sides, the Turtle Spirit manipulated the island-protecting formation to impose a layer of shackles on those areas.
In this way, there's no need to worry about this kind of problem occurring.
"Senior Sister Guiling, which senior brother or sister is about to undergo tribulation and break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm?"
After a short period of rapid flight, the group finally escaped the range of the lightning tribulation, and then a disciple couldn't wait to ask.
Although none of them were Great Luo Golden Immortals, they had witnessed the Great Luo Thunder Tribulation several times, and even after many years, they could not forget its earth-shattering power.
The ever-increasing tribulation clouds are developing into what they remember as the Great Luo Thunder Tribulation.
"It's Junior Sister Yunxiao." Turtle Spirit naturally wouldn't hide this from everyone.
"Senior Sister Yunxiao actually got there first!?"
"I thought it was Senior Brother Zhao Gongming."
"Yes, isn't Senior Brother Zhao's realm even more profound?"
……
For a moment, the disciples were quite surprised and began to discuss it among themselves.
In their view, Zhao Gongming's realm was higher than Yunxiao's, and logically he should have broken through earlier, but unexpectedly he was surpassed.
Gui Ling, Wu Dang, and Jin Ling, who were standing to the side, listened to their discussion without offering any opinions, but secretly shook their heads inwardly.
In the eyes of many disciples, Zhao Gongming's realm and cultivation were superior, and he should have broken through faster.
However, in their view, from beginning to end, they believed that Yunxiao would be able to break through to the Great Luo realm faster!
Ordinary disciples couldn't see the situation of the two clearly, but in fact, Yunxiao had reached the Taiyi Realm Perfection a long time ago, thousands of years earlier than Zhao Gongming.
Even setting that aside, Yunxiao is slightly better in terms of comprehension, Daoist heart, and temperament!
Moreover, Gui Ling and other direct disciples knew a secret: when Yunxiao joined Shangqing Dao, their teacher, Shangqing Daozun, even considered making an exception and accepting her as a direct disciple!
It should be noted that when Shangqing Daozun established Shangqing Daotong, he publicly declared that he had only four direct disciples.
But for the sake of Yunxiao, this dignified saint was actually willing to slap his own face.
Although for some unknown reason, Shangqing Daozun did not insist on it in the end, but from then on, he valued Yunxiao highly and treated him no worse than his own disciples.
It can be said that, apart from not having the title of a direct disciple, Yunxiao's treatment and status are on par with those of a direct disciple.
Through their long-term contact, they learned that Yunxiao was no less capable than them in any aspect!
Unfortunately, the four direct disciples were already Shangqing Daozun's disciples before he broke through to the Great Luo Dao Fruit, so it's impossible to kick them out and make room for them.
Therefore, Yunxiao can only be an inner disciple.
boom--
After a long period of accumulation, the sound of the first tribulation lightning bolt completely drowned out everyone's arguments.
"Ok!"
Even though they were far apart, Li Zhirui was still shaken by the thunder and his blood surged, causing him to let out a muffled groan.
Those fellow disciples whose cultivation levels were lower than his were in even worse shape; it wasn't just a matter of their blood and qi churning, they were even injured.
"Disciples who cannot withstand the pressure, retreat thirty miles!" Gui Ling immediately ordered.
They were unaffected and stood motionless in place. That was the edge of the tribulation lightning; they only needed to take a few steps forward to enter the tribulation.
Therefore, one must directly confront and withstand the aftershocks of the oppressive force, which is something ordinary cultivators cannot do.
When the first bolt of lightning struck, the entire sky was dyed crimson, as if it were a vast sea of fire, ready to burn everything in the world to ashes.
Even though they were outside the range of the lightning tribulation, they could still feel the terrifying power. Many disciples retreated again to avoid being injured by the pressure.
It should be understood that some beings, when observing the tribulation, do not know when to advance or retreat, but instead stubbornly grit their teeth and endure, ultimately resulting in damage to their soul and shattering of their Dao heart, which is a loss that outweighs the gain.
Li Zhirui felt alright. After all, he was a Golden Immortal cultivator with a solid and firm foundation. Although the pressure was considerable, it wasn't to the point of being unbearable.
What they perceived as a cataclysmic tribulation lightning was easily dealt with by Yunxiao.
"This……"
Li Zhirui was greatly shocked. If he had seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed that the Great Luo Tribulation Lightning could be resolved so easily.
Even if Heaven reduced the power of the lightning tribulation, it shouldn't have weakened it to such a 'vulnerable' degree, right?
There is only one explanation: Yunxiao's strength is extremely powerful!
If the fact that she easily dealt with the first lightning tribulation was still quite shocking, the fact that she repeatedly demonstrated her ability to easily resolve the tribulation lightning left everyone gradually numb.
They were even completely confident that Yunxiao would break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and they didn't feel that she was at risk of failure.
Rumbling--
When the seventh tribulation lightning struck, the intensity of its pressure was several times stronger than before. Li Zhirui was already struggling to withstand it, but he had not yet reached his limit, so he had no intention of retreating.
However, up to now, he is the only Golden Immortal cultivator who can still stand on the edge of the tribulation!
Therefore, his outstanding performance attracted the attention of some disciples. (End of Chapter)