Chapter 875
Immortal's Gift of Treasure Opens the Ascension Path
Chen Jiu Si and the other two were stunned when they saw the immortal in front of them. The immortal also looked at Chen Jiu Si and the other two, his eyes first sweeping over Basiba, and he was very indifferent.
Then he looked at Zhang Sanfeng, and the indifference in his eyes disappeared, replaced by surprise. Could this world really produce such a person?
Thinking this, he looked at Chen Jiu Si again, and this time, he was completely shocked.
How... how is this possible?
This person actually possessed a rich aura of a minor world. This aura was genuine; this person had actually refined most of the Heavenly Dao Laws of this minor world.
Are there really powerful individuals in this world who can refine this small world without leaving it?
Thinking this way, the immortal felt that his worldview had been completely shattered.
Chen Jiu Si and the other two looked at the immortal. After the immortal had thoroughly examined them, Chen Jiu Si said, "Senior, may we talk now?"
The immortal paused for a moment, then looked at the three of them and said, "Yes, we should have a chat."
What brings you to my cave?
The immortal looked at the three people in front of him and asked slowly. Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "To be honest, senior, we came to your cave not to search for treasure or anything else, but to find the ascension passage from this minor world to the major world. Do you know anything about the ascension passage?"
The immortal was not too surprised by Chen Jie's words. After all, he knew what he had done. The people of this world could find his cave because they were looking for the passage to ascension.
"The ascension passage has been destroyed by me."
The immortal looked at the three of them and spoke slowly.
"It exploded?"
Phagpa was completely bewildered by these words, looking at the immortal with disbelief and asking, "Why would you blow it up?"
Upon hearing this, the immortal smiled bitterly and said, "I caused trouble on the Tianyuan Continent and was chased to this small world. I casually blew up the ascension passage, otherwise the old demon from that side would have come down through the ascension passage to find me."
"To escape, you blew up the ascension portal."
Phagpa's eyes widened upon hearing this.
The immortal nodded and said, "Otherwise, what else could it be?"
Phagpa was somewhat incredulous: "Then if you blow up the ascension passage, wouldn't the other party also be able to come to this minor world? Don't they still have the Boundary-Breaking Hammer?"
"You destroyed the ascension passage from this small world to the upper realm, cutting off the possibility of ascension for the beings of this world. However, the other side has a cheating device like the Boundary-Breaking Hammer. Those who were meant to cause trouble in this world have already done so, and you couldn't stop them. You have ruined the ascension path of the beings of this world. You have done a great service to them."
Phagpa poured out all his pent-up frustrations as soon as he opened his mouth.
The immortal chuckled upon hearing this and said, "I know. With the ascension passage destroyed, the beings of this minor world who wish to ascend will need immense fortune and perseverance, and they will need to find my cave dwelling. Those who can do this must be the chosen ones born from this minor world. Only such chosen ones can achieve something after ascending to the major world. Otherwise, if you ascend to the major world, you will only be its slaves. Do you think you can enjoy happiness after ascending to the upper realm?"
The immortal looked at Phagpa and said, Phagpa was furious and said, "Nonsense! How could the Upper Realm be so filthy? We ascend to the Upper Realm to pursue the Great Dao, how could we become someone else's slaves?"
"I think you blew up the ascension portal and did something wicked. Saying these things now is just an attempt to make amends."
Upon hearing this, the immortal chuckled and said, "I have already perished and my soul has vanished. I am now nothing but a remnant soul. What is there left to make up for? Do you even consider the Upper Realm to be paradise?"
"Could it be hell?" Phagpa asked the immortal.
Upon hearing this, the immortal chuckled and said, "For the weak, ascending there might truly be hell, but for the strong, wherever they go is paradise."
The words of the immortal may sound unpleasant, but they are profound truths. Indeed, there is no such thing as heaven or hell in this world, only the strong and the weak. For the strong, everywhere in the world is heaven; for the weak, everywhere is, in reality, hell.
Phagpa was still unconvinced after hearing this, but Chen Jieshou stopped him because he noticed that the immortal's soul had become slightly fainter.
What does this mean? It means that every word the immortal speaks now is likely consuming his own vital energy. If he keeps arguing with Phagpa about these useless topics, it will only be a waste of time and the immortal's vital energy.
Chen Jie then spoke up directly: "Senior, let's not discuss the issue of right and wrong for now. May I ask how you can repair this ascension passage?"
Upon hearing Chen Jie's question, the immortal's lips curled slightly as he said, "There are still some insightful people out there."
After finishing speaking, the immortal said, "You just mentioned the Boundary-Breaking Hammer. It seems that this small world has also been discovered by cultivators from other Tianyuan Continents."
"Back then, I stole the Fire Cloud Pearl, a supreme treasure of the Tianyuan Continent. I was hunted down by three powerful cultivators at the Creation Realm of the Tianyuan Continent. With no other choice, I could only flee to this minor world and destroy the ascension passage. I feel guilty about this, and I also feel ashamed towards the beings of this minor world."
"So before my physical body perished, I tried to reopen the ascension passage. It took nearly five hundred years, and before my physical body perished, I finally opened the ascension passage. However, I was afraid that the people of Tianyuan Continent would discover the ascension passage and invade this small world, so I sealed it."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at the immortal and said, "Then the immortal can quickly open this ascension passage and help us ascend."
Upon hearing this, the immortal looked at the group and said, "This ascension passage has been blocked for nearly a thousand years. Over the past thousand years, the tribulations accumulated by those who have ascended in this world have been suppressed in this ascension passage. Now that we are going to open this ascension passage, do you know what kind of lightning you three will suffer?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie, Zhang Sanfeng, and Phagpa's expressions changed drastically. The immortal's words meant that the three of them would bear the accumulated tribulations of lightning from all the ascendants of this minor world over the past thousand years, with each tribulation building upon the last. How terrifying it would be for their generation!
The immortal looked at the three of them and laughed, "That's right. Actually, it's better not to ascend. This Tianyuan Continent is not a kind place. If you ascend, you are so weak that you will inevitably become someone else's beasts of burden. It's better to cultivate properly in this world."
“I know your concerns, like this bald man’s. His lifespan is almost over, but it doesn’t matter. I have a method to prolong life. Using my method, you can easily extend your life to three or four hundred years. You can then enjoy another two or three hundred years of carefree life in this world. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
"Does one have to ascend to the upper realm and become a servant to those high-level cultivators on the Tianyuan Continent?"
The three looked at each other and slowly revealed their thoughts, which were quite tempting. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live another two or three hundred years in the mortal realm and enjoy the life of a superior person?
What the immortals said makes sense. When they ascend to the upper realm, their strength is completely insignificant, but in this lesser world, they can be high and mighty terrestrial immortals.
One path involves slowly climbing up from the bottom, while the other allows one to continue lording it over others and enjoying the thrill of being at the top. It's truly a difficult choice.
Phagpa fell silent. He would live another three hundred years, remain in this small world, continue being his Living Buddha, and ascend to the upper realm, starting his journey from the bottom again. Phagpa had once risen from the bottom, so he naturally knew the hardships of the lower realms. If this small world was like this, then the greater world should be no less difficult.
People who have experienced hardship do not want to go through it again, and Phagpa was one of them.
However, when he looked at Zhang Sanfeng and Chen Jiu Si, he found that the two of them were in a completely different state from him. Their eyes were incredibly bright, and they showed no hesitation whatsoever.
At this moment, the two said almost in unison, "We want to ascend to the upper realm, and we are willing to endure the tribulation of lightning accumulated over thousands of years."
Upon hearing their words, the immortals were startled, for they saw in their eyes a yearning for the Great Dao, a yearning to bravely climb to the peak and never give up.
The immortal looked at the two and said, "The Tianyuan Continent is not what you think. The rules there are even more naked than in the lower realm. The strong are respected. The dangers you will face when you ascend there may be greater than you imagine."
"You have already achieved what you have today with great difficulty. I have a secret method to help you prolong your life in this world. Why do you insist on ascending to the upper realm and suffering for it?"
The immortal looked at the two and offered some advice. Upon hearing this, Chen Jiu Si and Zhang San Feng looked at the immortal in unison: "It is one thing if there are higher mountains in the world, but it is another if we know that there are higher mountains in the world and are not afraid to climb them."
Chen Jie continued, "Senior, please stop being so mysterious. How can I break your seal? Please enlighten me."
Upon hearing this, the immortal looked at the two and said, "Seeing you reminds me of myself back then. I was just like that back then, but once I reached the Upper Realm, I will show you what it means to be powerless."
At this point, the immortal spoke again: "Since you want to know, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The Fire Cloud Pearl I used to seal the ascension passage is used for this purpose. Therefore, you need to refine the Fire Cloud Pearl again. As long as you refine one-tenth of the Fire Cloud Pearl's power, you can break the seal on the ascension passage."
"However, refining this Fire Cloud Pearl is not easy. You can try it first."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at the immortal and asked, "Ah, where is the Fire Cloud Pearl?"
The immortal looked up at the mountaintop and said, "It is right here at the summit of this mountain, within the sea of clouds."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie and Zhang Sanfeng cupped their hands and said, "Thank you, Immortal."
The immortal nodded slightly: "There's no need for that. You chose your own path, so just don't regret it."
At this point, the immortal said, "Go then."
As the immortal spoke, his figure disappeared again. Chen Jie and Zhang Sanfeng exchanged a glance and then headed straight for the top of the clouds.
Phagpa stood there for a moment, thought for a moment, and then chased after him. However, when he caught up, he saw the jade slip left by the immortal on the table, reached out and picked it up and put it in his pocket.
And so, the three of them headed straight for the cloud peak, only to find it shrouded in mist.
Chen Jie looked at Zhang Sanfeng and Phagpa and said, "You two be careful."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng said, "There is a strong energy fluctuation here. Everyone should be careful and not touch any mechanisms."
Chen Jie and Zhang Sanfeng stepped into the clouds together, and Phagpa arrived shortly afterward.
The three of them traversed through the clouds and soon arrived at the very center of the clouds, where there was a platform. On the platform floated a fiery red pearl, which shone brightly and made people dizzy.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Sanfeng, Chen Jiusi, and Phagpa stepped forward together, thinking that this must be the Fire Cloud Pearl the immortals had mentioned.
The three stood before the Fire Cloud Pearl, able to feel the terrifying heat emanating from it. It was a fire-type magic weapon. Chen Jie looked at Zhang Sanfeng and asked, "What do you think, Master?"
Zhang Sanfeng nodded and said, "There is a very strong power fluctuation on it, so it is probably not something we can open easily."
Phagpa said, "Didn't that immortal say that there is a method to refine this pearl?"
Zhang Sanfeng looked at Phagpa and said, "Refining, the so-called refining requires an enormous amount of power. It requires one's own power to transform and absorb the power of the Fire Cloud Pearl in order to refine it."
"Look at this Fire Cloud Pearl. Although it's not large, refining even one-tenth of it would probably take 10 to 20 years with your old skills. Will you still be alive in 10 to 20 years?"
Zhang Sanfeng's words made Phasiba's face turn pale. It would take 10 or 20 years to refine even one-tenth of this pearl. Where would he find 10 or 20 years to spare?
You were wrong just now. You should have found that immortal and gotten the method to prolong life first.
Phagpa thought to himself, but it was too late. The immortal had completely vanished, and there was nowhere to ask him anymore.
Chen Jie looked at the Fire Cloud Pearl, then at Zhang Sanfeng and Phagpa, and said, "I can give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanfeng looked at Chen Jiu Si and asked, "Are you confident that you can transform one-tenth of this pearl within two years?"
Chen Jiu Si said, "If I were to forcibly refine this pearl, with my current level of cultivation, it would probably take me longer than a real person. It might take thirty or forty years to refine even one-tenth of it."
"However, I can invoke the power of the rules of this small world to suppress the resistance of this bead and thus quickly refine it."
Chen Jie slowly revealed his thoughts, and after listening to them, Zhang Sanfeng asked, "How confident are you?"
Chen Jie thought for a moment and said, "Probably eight or nine out of ten."
Zhang Sanfeng said, "Eight or nine out of ten times, that means it can basically be refined. In that case, we'll leave this matter to His Majesty. What are your thoughts, Master?"
Phagpa shook his head upon hearing this and said, "I definitely can't refine it. Since Your Majesty is confident, then I'll leave it to Your Majesty."
Zhang Sanfeng looked at Chen Jie and said, "Your Majesty, let's begin. My master and I will protect you!"
Phagpa nodded, and Chen Jie nodded slightly, immediately raising his hand to apply the power of the rules of the Lesser Thousand Worlds to the Fire Cloud Pearl.
In an instant, the power of the rules clashed with the flame power of the Fire Cloud Pearl, and the refining process began! (End of Chapter)