Chapter 511 - 26: Tribulation Realm Sixth Layer

Facing the Dragon Elephant Wanderer, Fang Cheng felt a mix of awe and nervousness.

’I wonder how many Celestial Tribulations this Tribulation Realm Great Power before me has passed? The third, or perhaps the fourth?’

It was rumored that after the Celestial Dao of this realm was tainted by demons, the power of the Celestial Tribulations became incomparably immense and bizarrely demonic, causing countless Tribulation Realm Great Powers to fall.

In the last ten thousand years, the most powerful Tribulation Realm Great Power had only managed to survive up to the Sixth Celestial Tribulation.

The Dragon Elephant Wanderer swept his hand over the stone table. The game pieces on it instantly vanished, replaced by a teapot and teacups.

The old man personally poured a cup of tea for Fang Cheng and said with a smile, "Young Friend, please sit."

Fang Cheng’s expression flickered slightly as he calmly sat down opposite the old man.

The old man asked with great interest, "How did you come to comprehend the Void Ghost Market Observation Method?"

"Well..." Fang Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words.

Lying to the face of this Tribulation Realm Great Power would surely be seen through.

But telling the truth would seem far too naive.

In that split second, he even prepared himself for the Dragon Elephant Wanderer to forcibly probe his secrets.

The old man hummed, looking down at his teacup. He chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you were like me, that it was a fortunate coincidence. It seems there’s another reason. Never mind. If you don’t wish to say, I won’t ask."

"Please forgive me, Senior," Fang Cheng said seriously.

The old man paused, then asked, "You came here with the Red Profound Order. Are you hoping to join the Red Profound Association early? Or are you seeking a promise from me?"

Fang Cheng was silent for a moment before replying, "Both."

"Heh heh. Tell me, why do you want to join the Red Profound Association?" the old man asked, taking a leisurely sip of tea and glancing at Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng answered frankly, "An avatar of the Demon Lord wants to recruit me into his ranks. I am naturally unwilling, so I can only seek the protection of the Red Profound Association."

Hearing this, the old man nodded. "The Demon Lord has only revealed a single left hand for now, so he is not yet a cause for fear. It is just a pity that the hearts of the Red Profound Association’s members have scattered. When the Demon Tribulation arrives in the future, you will discover that the most reliable person is yourself."

Fang Cheng was startled and frowned. "Can even you not stop the Demon Tribulation, Senior?"

The old man sighed softly and explained at a leisurely pace, "The great Dao of heaven and earth is bound by fate. It’s said that one aeon is one cycle, repeating endlessly. An aeon lasts one hundred twenty-nine thousand, six hundred years. The Red Profound Realm has already passed through the four great periods of Ancient Times, high antiquity, middle antiquity, and recent antiquity, spanning more than one hundred thirteen thousand, four hundred years. The luck of this World Heaven has begun to decline, something that cannot be resisted by human power."

"The Demon Lord’s descent ten thousand years ago was the fated calamity of the Red Profound Realm. In the grand scheme of things, it was preordained. The Demon Lord is merely a trigger; the true great tribulation is yet to come. Even without the Demon Lord, other disasters would still have befallen us."

This was the first time Fang Cheng had heard such a theory. Although he was surprised, upon second thought, it felt entirely reasonable.

’What reaches its peak must decline; that is a fundamental principle of heaven and earth.’

Forget heaven and earth; when a person’s own luck wanes, all things go wrong. They are beset by all kinds of calamities and hardships, making it impossible to guard against them all.

’Wasn’t the Xuanyu Realm the same?’

After the luck of a World Heaven begins to decline, it will encounter various calamities and eventually head toward extinction.

’From this perspective, after the billions of lives in the Xuanyu Realm met their end, Marquis Li reshaped the world and started a new aeon. He could truly be called a child of destiny.’

’Now the Red Profound Realm is also approaching the end of its ’aeon.’ Can it really not be stopped by human hands?’

"This junior has been enlightened. I wonder, is there a way to avoid the tribulation?" Fang Cheng asked softly.

’A Tribulation Realm Great Power can travel through the heavens. He must have witnessed the cycles of life and death in many other World Heavens. Perhaps he knows of a way to evade it.’

The old man smiled and said, "Of course there is. One simply has to hide in another World Heaven to avoid it. However... upon going to another World Heaven, one often finds it difficult to acclimate. Your Cultivation will not advance and may even regress, ultimately leading to death. There are no examples of anyone ever completing their cultivation in another World Heaven and ascending by shattering the void."

"For beings like us, living long-term in another World Heaven is no different from sitting in a prison, waiting for death."

Fang Cheng’s mind raced. He was half-convinced, half-doubtful about this matter.

The old man took out a jade slip and placed it on the stone table. "All members of the Red Profound Association may study this Upper Realm Treasure Technique. As for how much you gain from it, that will depend on your own opportunities and fortune."

Fang Cheng accepted the jade slip. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he discovered it contained a Secret Technique called the Circulation Qi Collection Technique.

’An Upper Realm Treasure Technique!’

"Could it be what the Spirit Immortal from the Upper Realm left behind when they suppressed the Demon Lord back then?" Fang Cheng asked curiously.

The old man nodded. "Correct. If you can master this technique, you can open an Immortal Sect that connects to the Spiritual Sky Realm and absorb Celestial Realm Spiritual Qi from it to cultivate. The benefits are beyond imagination. However, this method is profound and obscure. Among the Red Profound Association, those who can grasp its mysteries are exceedingly rare. Do not become engrossed in it and delay your own Cultivation."

Fang Cheng calmed himself and said sincerely, "This junior understands. Thank you, Senior, for bestowing this technique."

The old man’s expression was calm. "Although the great tribulation is approaching, there are still more than sixteen thousand years until this realm’s destiny is extinguished. If you can use this calamity to temper yourself and ultimately transcend this realm, your future achievements will be limitless."

With that, he looked into Fang Cheng’s eyes and asked, "Fang Xiaoyou, will you choose to avoid the tribulation, or face it?"

Fang Cheng did not rush to answer, instead saying contemplatively, "This junior needs some time to consider."

The old man gave a noncommittal response, then said, "I once promised that whoever obtains my Red Profound Order can receive one item from me, or have me act on their behalf to complete one not-too-complicated matter."

Fang Cheng thought for a moment, then said slowly, "This junior would like to ask Senior to go to the Wilderness Domain to help rescue someone. That person is trapped within the Buddhist Sect’s Bright Mandala Embryo Barrier. Unless a Cultivator at the fifth tribulation or higher takes action, no one can free them."

"Oh? There is such a person in this realm?" The old man’s interest was piqued.

"She is not from this realm." Fang Cheng shook his head and briefly explained the matter of the mysterious Female Cultivator in the Outer Ancient Tomb.

After listening, the old man frowned slightly. "This fellow Daoist has not had it easy. I already passed the Sixth Celestial Tribulation nine hundred years ago. I imagine it shouldn’t be difficult to rescue her."

"But I must see her character for myself before I can agree to help you."

Fang Cheng stood up, bowed to the old man, and said, "This junior will follow Senior’s lead."

...

「Half a day later.」

At the edge of the Nuhai in the Wilderness Domain, a boundless desert stretched to the horizon.

A Five-Colored Divine Ox descended from the sky and walked slowly through the desert, its body shimmering with strange colors.

A short while later, the Divine Ox stopped and let out a low moo.

The void ahead trembled, rippling like water, and then a mountain-sized, blue-black grand tomb was revealed.

The grand tomb sat in the desert, its entire structure like a single, complete, and incomparably hard megalith.

There was a lotus platform on each of its four sides—east, south, west, and north. Atop the southern platform stood a ten-zhang-tall Buddha Statue.

The Buddha Statue was pale white all over. It was neither stone nor wood, but seemed to be made of a Profound Gold material, making it quite peculiar.

Two figures flew out from the palace on the back of the Five-Colored Divine Ox—they were none other than Fang Cheng and the Dragon Elephant Wanderer.

The latter glanced at the Outer Ancient Tomb, a strange light flashing in his eyes, as if he recognized the tomb’s origin.

...