Chapter 441: Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven, A Regional Hegemon!

"Boom!"

The pill dissolved the instant it touched his tongue. Instead of sliding down his throat into his stomach, it burst into blazing streaks of blood-red light that surged straight up into Wang Ping's sea of consciousness.

In a heartbeat, qi manifestations surfaced around him one after another. As his Divine Powers circulated, tiers of profound steps materialized deep within his sea of consciousness, rising higher and higher. The blood-red light climbed those steps, wrapping around his divine sense and sweeping his soul and thoughts along until they crashed through an unseen barrier.

Sudden darkness swallowed Wang Ping's vision.

In that daze, shifting visions raced before his eyes: celestial fire blazing like the sun above, and mortal lamps stretching out like a sea of stars below.

'My main cultivation is Earth Yin Water.'

'I should choose Yang Fire to complete the imagery of Yin and Yang in harmony, of water and fire in balance.'

Without hesitation, Wang Ping passed over the mortal lamps and starlight, drawing closer to the celestial fire. Yet that lofty flame remained high above, paying him no heed at all.

'My aptitude falls short...'

Heavenly Yang Fire, the [Radiant Universal Illumination Six Harmonies Qi], demanded an exceptionally high threshold. He carried nothing that could draw in that heaven-and-earth qi, which meant trying to resonate with it would take twice the effort for half the result.

By contrast, another fire qi answered his call. Not only did he not have to reach out for it, it drifted toward him on its own. Within its roaring flames, Wang Ping glimpsed visions of ancient cultivators enduring great hardships in ragged clothes, modeling themselves on heaven and earth as they rose from drinking blood and eating raw flesh to commanding the sun and moon.

[Civilization-Manifesting Ultimate-Founding Qi]

Human Yang Fire!

Representing creation, civilization, and a lineage made manifest in the world, this fire qi answered Wang Ping to no surprise at all—drawn directly by his dharma body path.

'I'll use this to seize a qi manifestation...'

Wang Ping remained calm. Though the [Radiant Universal Illumination Six Harmonies Qi] intrigued him more, reason told him that Human Yang Fire was the far better choice right now.

Before long, flames filled his vision.

Layer after layer of Human Yang Fire qi manifestations flowed past his eyes. Among them shone the brightest of all, the one Yunlong had once mentioned: [Unremoved Ancestor].

After all, the Living Buddha had once pushed this foremost fire qi manifestation to its absolute peak. Because the Living Buddha no longer walked the mortal world, its achievements had gone untended for years, and with the severing of ties between Buddhist dharma and immortal cultivators, its former glory had faded. Even so, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and Wang Ping eyed it hungrily.

'A pity we have no affinity.'

Wang Ping shook his head.

The heart of [Unremoved Ancestor] lay in original creation. Because his dharma body path was born out of the First Seat's Martial Dao, its imagery fell half a step short, leaving him unable to resonate with it.

He had no choice but to pass it by. Soon enough, a second qi manifestation caught his eye. Unlike [Unremoved Ancestor], this one flickered between light and shadow, looking rather unstable.

At its brightest, its radiance rivaled [Unremoved Ancestor] in every way; at its dimmest, it sank to the very bottom among all the qi manifestations.

'An extremely high ceiling, and an equally low floor.'

As Wang Ping's gaze settled on it, realization dawned: 'It suits me well. This interplay of light and shadow matches the profound mysteries of water qi.'

When dim, it could aid his water qi in concealment; when bright, it could match his water qi's grand display. A qi manifestation considered unstable within a fire qi lineage was a match made in heaven for a water qi lineage. With that thought, Wang Ping didn't hesitate for a heartbeat—his divine sense shot out and seized the cluster of flame.

"Bang!"

The next second, the flame plummeted, exploding beside his ears like a great temple bell. The shockwave rattled his consciousness, plunging him out of the unseen void and back into reality in the blink of an eye.

Everything happened in a flash, yet a sudden stroke of insight drove Wang Ping to push his divine sense to the absolute limit, clamping down on the flame and refusing to let go.

By the time he returned to reality, not a single wisp of its aura had leaked out. He had captured the flame whole, drawing it down into his sea of consciousness, where it shifted form, shone in harmony with his primary Divine Powers, [the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time], and finally settled within the embrace of his nine Earth Yin Water qi manifestations.

Understanding immediately washed over him.

"The Human Yang Fire qi manifestation, [Seizing Supremacy from the Sea Turtle]!"

Amid his nine Earth Yin Water qi manifestations, a Yang Fire qi manifestation now burned. Yin and Yang generated one another, driving a cultivation base that should have stalled straight upward!

"Boom!"

Wang Ping's eyes snapped open. Though he wore his pure aspect at the moment, fine, dense dragon scales still surfaced across his skin, sheathing him like armor.

Yet no joy showed on his face—only a heavy solemnity.

"The great sea turtle stands first among the dragon's sons, matching my dragon-transformation Destiny Pattern to the letter... Was this part of the Sovereign's calculations too? Just how far ahead did she see?"

Beyond that, the mystery of [Seizing Supremacy from the Sea Turtle] was remarkably straightforward. In a word, it ran on fame: once he bore this qi manifestation, the greater his renown and the more people knew and revered him, the mightier its power grew. On top of that, it had brought about an unexpected change.

Wang Ping opened his palm.

Layer upon layer of golden scales gathered and stacked in his hand until they tempered a single point of golden light, roaring like a beacon fire and echoing with the thunder of ten thousand galloping horses.

Spiritual fire!

This flame was born in the true seat of water, and fire within water could not exist without a dragon god. In motion, it flashed like a golden serpent of lightning and charged like iron cavalry driven through the clouds, riding the wind and thunder.

True to its nature, it had been born from the interplay of water and fire when the Human Yang Fire qi manifestation sank into the Earth Yin Water qi manifestations—a spiritual fire of the highest order in the Cosmos.

It was called [Thunderbolt Dragon God Fire]!

Dazzling golden flames pierced the air like a bolt of lightning, displaying extraordinary lethality before condensing into a speck of gold that reflected in Wang Ping's pupils.

'Another lethal art in my arsenal!'

Delight surged in Wang Ping's chest. Unlike ordinary spiritual flames, this [Thunderbolt Dragon God Fire] carried the imagery of thunder and lightning—still at rest, yet flashing like lightning the instant it struck.

In ordinary combat, he could keep the spiritual fire hidden in his eyes. Wherever his gaze fell, the flame would descend at once, impossible to guard against. Often, its blazing radiance arrived before the fire itself, shattering an enemy's spiritual sense and blinding their vision to create an opening for the main body of the flame—which, once it struck, carried the power to incinerate both life and soul.

Of course, it had its flaws.

While the flame's radiance flashed like lightning and was nearly impossible to dodge, the main body of the spiritual fire demanded grand pomp and spectacle, making it rather slow to wield.

Furthermore, if he unleashed the main body of the flame and missed, its imagery would immediately suffer a heavy blow, rendering it unusable for a short time.

'Fine by me.'

Wang Ping didn't mind at all. In profound arts where flaws and strengths went hand in hand, the greater the flaw, the sharper the edge. Every drawback came with a benefit.

It all came down to how he used it in a real fight.

Besides, even setting the main body of the spiritual fire aside, that lightning-fast radiance alone—striking at a mere thought to shatter an enemy's divine sense—was already plenty practical.

Just then—

"Young friend..."

Wang Ping looked up to find both [Dao] and [Yang], the two ancient cultivator Dao Lords, staring straight at him with unreadable expressions.

"Seniors?"

Wang Ping blinked and smiled. "That pill was quite something. It gave my cultivation a solid boost, and I'm sure it'll do a great deal of good for the ancient cultivation lineage as well."

With the shift in his Destiny Pattern, the world looked quite different to his eyes. The Dao Tomb, which had seemed ordinary enough before, now resembled an aging dragon in its twilight years, withered like decaying wood. Yet with his arrival, the imagery of fortune turning from rock bottom back to prosperity had begun to stir across the old dragon's frame.

'The blessing of a Destiny Pattern!'

'As the current decision-maker of the ancient cultivation lineage, the stronger I grow, the more its fortune flourishes—and the more its fortune flourishes, the stronger I become.'

The reverse held just as true.

Ordinarily, any faction leader, immortal dynasty emperor, or sect patriarch who commanded popular support and was nourished by collective fortune would develop such a Destiny Pattern.

With Wang Ping, however, it was the other way around.

He had needed to form the Destiny Pattern first, because the ancient cultivation lineage was simply too vast; his previous Destiny Pattern could never have borne the weight of steering a faction of that scale.

Forcing himself into the role would only have shortened his lifespan.

That was why, even though [Yang] had been deeply moved by Wang Ping's dedication to their lineage, little additional support had been offered until now. It wasn't out of unwillingness, but because pulling on shoots to help them grow would only backfire. It was far better to nurture Wang Ping first and help him raise his cultivation; everything else could wait until his Realm was sufficient. After all, such matters depended heavily on one's Realm—the higher a cultivator's Realm, the tougher their Destiny Pattern, and the better they could shoulder the crushing weight of a lineage.

Of course, that was before.

Now, Wang Ping's Destiny Pattern was like a golden-scaled creature in a pond, waiting only for wind and cloud to transform into a dragon—the exact moment he needed the nourishment of fortune most.

"...What do you plan to do?"

After a brief silence, [Yang] spoke up. "Proceed as you see fit. We will back you. The entire ancient cultivation lineage will follow your lead."

"Boom!"

At those words, Wang Ping felt his sea of consciousness grow noticeably heavier, as though all the remaining fortune of the ancient cultivation lineage had settled onto his shoulders.

The most immediate response was a sudden, massive surge in the power of his newly formed [Thunderbolt Dragon God Fire], fueled purely by the ancient lineage's recognition.

Wang Ping's expression grew distinctly more solemn.

"To answer you both, Seniors," Wang Ping said after a moment of thought, laying out his plan, "I intend to use the descent of [Heaven Defiance Palace] to fight for a share of fortune for us."

"If the ancient cultivation lineage wants to return to orthodoxy, our first step must be breaking out of this self-imposed isolation here in the [Star Grave Sand Sea]. Only by stepping out and actively joining the grand board of the Immortal Dao orthodoxy can we find an opening. Otherwise, we're nothing more than dry bones in a tomb, waiting to perish in silence."

Wang Ping didn't mince words.

[Dao] and [Yang] offered no rebuttal. Their expressions dimmed slightly, and then they gestured for him to continue, listening intently.

Seeing this, Wang Ping warmed to his topic and said in a low voice, "In short, I plan to cordon off the cosmic territory surrounding [Heaven Defiance Palace], forge that expanse of the Cosmos into a single city, and bleed the Immortal Gate dry with toll fees!"

"Every lineage in the Immortal Gate is centering its schemes on [Heaven Defiance Palace] this time. You could call it the Immortal Gate's current lifeblood."

"There's no better chance for extortion!"

"Weighed against their core interests, our extortion is just a minor nuisance. For the sake of the bigger picture, the Immortal Gate will very likely compromise."

"After all, we aren't exactly weaklings either."

"Oh, and one more thing..."

Pausing there, Wang Ping turned toward [Dao]. "May I ask, Senior—do we have a way to pull the [Grave Star] out of the sand sea and relocate it?"

"You want to move it near Heaven Defiance Palace?" [Dao] caught on to Wang Ping's idea immediately. "Anywhere else would be impossible. But if it's Heaven Defiance Palace... the area around it naturally carries the profound mystery needed to suppress the [Grave Star]. With a bit of effort, it isn't out of the question."

"Wonderful!" Wang Ping clapped his hands together. "That makes things much easier. Here's what we'll do: first, we wrap the [Grave Star] around the outer perimeter of the Cosmos surrounding [Heaven Defiance Palace], creating a man-made death zone."

"We'll leave an open zone only right around [Heaven Defiance Palace], with just a single passage keeping it connected to the outside world."

"Next, we move all twenty-four Dao fields from the sand sea over to serve as the city walls. As for the urban districts behind the walls, my Grotto-Heaven will fill that role, and we'll link my Grotto-Heaven directly to the [Grave Star]. If anyone destroys my Grotto-Heaven, the [Grave Star] will detonate on the spot."

The more Wang Ping spoke, the more excited he became.

"That way, we bottle up the entire [Heaven Defiance Palace] so every immortal cultivator has to enter and exit through our front gate. Anyone trying to sneak across the border is courting death."

"That gets us a tidy entrance toll right off the bat."

"Then come the lodging fees, exploration permits, intelligence fees, spiritual energy usage charges, and taxes..."

"All in all, anyone who wants to explore [Heaven Defiance Palace] will have to practice the Divine Powers I created, putting in a set number of hours every day—fall short of the quota, and they get thrown out!"

"Setting those quotas is a real art. We have to calibrate them just right—draining the pond to catch all the fish, but sustainably..."

"And on top of that..."

As Wang Ping rattled off the blueprint he had mapped out, the expressions on [Yang] and [Dao]'s faces grew stranger and stranger, until one of them finally broke in: "Isn't this a bit too cruel?"

From where they stood, Wang Ping sounded like a man-eating fiend who wouldn't even spit out the bones—eager to snap people in half and wring them dry with the most insidious methods imaginable.

Faced with their doubts, however, Wang Ping shook his head in blank confusion.

"Cruel? Really?"

How could that be? He was being downright merciful! Compared to a Grotto-Heaven like [Dao Proving Mountain], which monopolized the very shifts of qi destiny, he was only monopolizing a single [Heaven Defiance Palace].

Besides, this was most likely a one-time windfall.

Once the dust settled, [Heaven Defiance Palace] would either retreat from the world and vanish again, or crash down completely to be carved up among the major lineages.

Either way, there would be no money left to make then.

If a long-term monopoly had been on the table, Wang Ping would have rolled out a full VIP nobility system, handing out tiered privileges and conveniences according to VIP rank...

A shame that wasn't doable.

In short, what was so cruel about a one-off deal? Besides, he was only making people cultivate his Divine Powers—he wasn't even fleecing them for their money.

Really, was there a single cultivator under the heavens more benevolent than him?

Absolutely not! Not a chance!

Brimming with ambition at the thought, Wang Ping said, "I've also come up with the names for this Grotto-Heaven and city. After all, this will be the public face of the ancient cultivators from now on."

"It's the golden signboard our [Star Grave Sand Sea] is hanging out for the world to see, so it needs a pleasant ring to it—something that makes immortal gate cultivators feel the scenery is uniquely fine over on our side."

With a grand wave of his hand, Wang Ping wrote out the name he had chosen in the air:

[Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven]!

"That's the name of the Grotto-Heaven. As for the city, we'll call it [Bright Light City]! It signifies that the skies of the Immortal Gate have grown too dark, and that we ancient cultivators are the true light of the righteous path!"

Just listen to how classy that sounded.

The more Wang Ping mulled it over, the sounder his thinking felt. [Yang] and [Dao], on the other hand, exchanged a glance, neither knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven..."

It had the words in its name, sure, while possessing not a shred of actual morality. And "Bright Light City"? To the two of them, he might as well have hung a sign out front reading "Bandit Inn."

Still, perhaps this sort of brazen, ruthless style was precisely what the ancient cultivation lineage needed right now.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

[Dao] drew a deep breath and made the call. "We'll do as you say. I will go wake the others and build it according to your design."

"Many thanks, Senior!" Wang Ping cupped his hands in a bow. "Rest assured, this junior will act within our means. If the Immortal Gate takes a hard line and things prove unworkable, at worst we'll simply look for another opportunity."

...

In Cosmic Deep Space.

No one knew quite when it started, but a piece of news suddenly began spreading through the Purple Forbidden Enclosure where the Immortal Gate resided, told in such vivid detail it sounded entirely real.

"Have you heard? Over in the [Star Grave Sand Sea] of the Heavenly Market Enclosure, that bunch of ancient cultivators pulled a massive stunt—they've completely cordoned off [Heaven Defiance Palace]!"

"Ancient cultivators... those obsolete lineages that got culled by history?"

Upon hearing the news, quite a few Qi Refining practitioners flew into a rage. "What are they playing at? A pack of filthy heretics trying to hog the fortunes of [Heaven Defiance Palace] for themselves?"

The informant shook his head. "No, no, not hogging it—they're charging a toll! Pay up, or you don't get to explore [Heaven Defiance Palace]."

"What!?"

Trying to squeeze money out of the lords of the Immortal Gate? What brazen defiance of heaven!

Others raised doubts. "Can't be. Those ancient cultivators have always been pedantic and rigid—famous for keeping their word and honoring promises, a bunch of fools with utterly ruined immortal virtue."

"How could they come up with a racket like fencing off land to charge tolls?"

"It isn't entirely the ancient cultivators," someone else chimed in. "I asked around. The one leading this is that water-qi Dao Child, Kunyun. Word is he's practically become the leader of those ancient cultivators now."

The moment those words fell, a voice rang out from the crowd: "It's Deity Transformation!"

Everyone turned toward the voice to see an obscure Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator gritting his teeth. "That water-qi Dao Child's Daoist title is Deity Transformation."

"Kunyun is a false rumor—get it straight!"

"Doesn't matter," the first speaker said, waving a hand dismissively. "Either way, that water-qi Dao Child almost certainly instigated the ancient cultivators to pull this off. He's setting up a Grotto-Heaven!"

"So that's it..."

Hearing that, the Qi Refining practitioners who had doubted the ancient cultivators could do such a thing nodded in sudden understanding. "Well, that explains it."

"So he's establishing a Grotto-Heaven. Makes sense. Everyone knows the reputation of the ten great Grotto-Heavens—which one of them isn't a wildly profitable monopoly inside the Immortal Gate, almost all of them backed by an Immortal Realm? Now that the water-qi Dao Child has made such a name for himself, wanting to set up a Grotto-Heaven of his own is understandable enough."

"Teaming up with heretics to do it is beneath him, though."

"Besides, he's still one of us from the Immortal Gate. How can he help ancient cultivators collect tolls from his own people? There's never been a precedent like this..."

"Exactly!"

Public opinion was rapidly tipping toward outright rejection.

Right at that moment—

"Actually, it's not without its perks."

In the crowd, a Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator who preferred to remain anonymous lowered his voice. "I heard they built a city around [Heaven Defiance Palace]."

"The city rings the Grotto-Heaven."

"Once a cultivator enters the city, private killing is strictly forbidden—only official arena duels are allowed, and the city guarantees the safety of every cultivator inside."

"On top of that, anyone who finds something inside [Heaven Defiance Palace] can trade directly with the city, swapping items they don't need for cultivation resources they can actually use."

The mood shifted at once.

There was no helping it—the Immortal Gate had its own ways, and up to now, every time [Heaven Defiance Palace] manifested in the world, bandit cultivators came out in droves.

Not only did explorers have to brave the hazards inside [Heaven Defiance Palace] while watching their backs around fellow cultivators, they also had to survive the gauntlet of bandit cultivators waiting outside.

They were truly gambling their lives at every turn.

If there really was a place that could serve as a safe house, guaranteeing everyone's safety and letting them fence their loot in peace—or rather, trade their newfound fortunes for useful cultivation resources—plenty of people couldn't help being tempted.

"The question is... can we trust them?"

"Water qi is a demonic path. What if they smile to our faces while sharpening their knives behind our backs—claiming it's a safe house, only to slam the gates shut and catch us all like turtles in a jar?"

It was a fair suspicion.

Seeing the wind shifting again, a somewhat unfamiliar-looking Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator spoke up once more. "I actually looked into that on the sly."

"Even though it's operating under the water-qi Dao Child's name, the [Deity Transformation Realm] didn't build it. Those filthy heretics laid out the city themselves, so the ancient cultivator heretics should be the ones running the show, city rules included. Given how stubbornly rigid they are about their word, the risk of a double-cross should be pretty low."

"Really?"

The well-informed, nameless Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator immediately thumped his chest, swearing up and down: "Truth be told, I have a few connections in the sand sea myself."

"One hundred percent guaranteed!"

"What I mean is, can a bunch of ancient cultivators actually keep order? I heard from people who went to [Incense-Draped Hall] that those ancient cultivators are pretty weak."

"You can't look at it that way," the Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator said, shaking his head at once. "Sure, the rank-and-file ancient cultivators are weak—their Qi Nurturing Third Layer and Qi Consumption Third Layer don't even measure up to our Qi Refining First Layer."

"Even so, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The ancient cultivation lineage may not have supreme figures at the True Monarch level, but they still have plenty of True Persons, and even their lesser masters are on par with the four great Wisdom Kings of the Brahma Nation. Maybe they can't beat the great figures high above, but can't they beat you? Slaughtering lower-realm cultivators is child's play for them."

"Fair point!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as acceptance of the news climbed sharply. Whatever their reservations, almost everyone's interest had been piqued.

Someone turned to ask a few more questions, only to find that the Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator had vanished without a trace, his divine sense completely gone. Most of the crowd paid it no mind, though.

For one thing, they would see the truth for themselves once they got there.

For another, the man cultivated Heavenly Yang Wood—practitioners of that path were known for being upright, masculine, and straightforward. They rarely lied, making them relatively trustworthy.

Besides, no one could afford to pass up an opportunity like [Heaven Defiance Palace]. Better to go take a look first!

...

The Heavenly Market Enclosure.

Here in the pitch-black depths of Cosmic Deep Space lay the final landing site of [Heaven Defiance Palace], where the towering phantom of its palace halls was steadily solidifying into reality.

Previously, aside from the descending [Heaven Defiance Palace], the only things here had been the Cave Abode flying boats of Qi Refining practitioners who had staked out spots early.

Now, every last one of them was gone.

Or rather, they had all been driven off. In the space where [Heaven Defiance Palace] stood, a colossal city the size of a star had appeared out of thin air.

Stretching beyond the reach of sight, the towering city blazed like a torch, illuminating the pitch-black void around it with breathtaking brilliance. In stark contrast, the surrounding dark void exuded a maw-like menace ready to devour all things.

Inside the city, Wang Ping stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

[Yang], [Dao], and the other ancient cultivator Dao Lords had not shown themselves; after silently raising the city, they had returned to the Dao Tomb to recuperate.

In their place stood twenty-four faintly illusory figures.

"I'll be troubling you all from here on out, Seniors," Wang Ping said with a slight bow of his cupped hands.

"Think nothing of it."

One of the figures chuckled softly. "Since it is the decree of the Dao Lords, we will naturally obey... And truth be told, it has been a very long time since I last stretched my bones."

"Having something to do actually suits me quite well. It certainly beats staying in seclusion until the day I can no longer hold on, or wandering off into foreign realms."

"Still, are you sure those immortal cultivators will actually come inside?"

"They will," Wang Ping said with calm certainty. "All they lack is a bit of trust and the first person brave enough to try the crab. Rest easy, Senior—I've already arranged everything."

Meanwhile, outside [Bright Light City].

As time ticked by, more and more Qi Refining practitioners from the Immortal Gate gathered upon hearing the news, though none dared approach; they merely hovered at a distance, observing with their divine sense.

"Bright Light City. Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven."

"I checked the perimeter. Aside from the main city gate, every single route to [Heaven Defiance Palace]—above, below, left, or right—has been sealed solid by the [Grave Star]."

"This is the only way through."

More than a few cultivators felt a chill creep up their spines. The names alone were unnerving—"Bright Light" this and "Dao and Virtue" that. It looked for all the world like a bandit inn waiting to rob them blind.

Right then—

"Neither advancing nor retreating—what's the point of hovering here?"

An unfamiliar Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator with handsome, rugged features stepped forward. "What good does standing guard out here do? Someone has to go in eventually."

With that, he rode a streak of escaping light straight toward the gate.

A moment later, the watching crowd saw a streak of light fly out from Bright Light City in answer, dispersing to reveal a handsome young man at the Qi Refining Second Layer.

"Fellow Daoists, there is nothing to fear!"

The instant the young man appeared, his voice transmission rang out: "Immortal Gate folk don't cheat Immortal Gate folk! Rest assured, I am an immortal cultivator myself—why would I ever set a trap to slaughter my own peers?"

"Truth be told, I argued fiercely before the ancient cultivator seniors to win you all the most generous benefits possible in Bright Light City this time."

As he spoke, Wang Ping produced three Divine Powers Dao books.

"No spiritual materials required, and no dharma currency either! Here are three cultivation methods. Simply practice any one of them until you manifest the profound mystery of its Divine Powers, pass a quick verification, and you may enter the Grotto-Heaven."

"After that, by circulating the cultivation method each day, you can trade your circulation hours for spiritual energy, spiritual materials, safe-house lodging time, exploration rights to [Heaven Defiance Palace]... and a host of other benefits. In short, the time you spend circulating the cultivation method serves as your dharma currency inside the Grotto-Heaven."

"The Grotto-Heaven's profound mysteries monitor everything automatically."

"Upon entering the city, you will be issued a dedicated pass card. Every hour you spend circulating the cultivation method is logged automatically, and Fellow Daoists can check your balance with the pass card at any time."

"Fair and square to old and young alike!"

"Not a word of falsehood!"

Wang Ping's tone was utterly sincere, and he poured enough mana into his voice to ensure that every single cultivator ringing Bright Light City heard him loud and clear.

Right before everyone's eyes, the mysterious Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator who had gone up first accepted a pass card and a Dao book from Wang Ping's hands, then vanished into the depths of the Grotto-Heaven.

The crowd exchanged glances.

He just went in like that?

A short while later, the same Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator came flying back out in a streak of light, completely unharmed, his voice transmission ringing with excitement as he called out to the crowd: "It really is a treasure land!"

"I saw [Heaven Defiance Palace]—it's right in the center of the Grotto-Heaven! The Divine Powers are easy to pick up, too. I circulated the method casually for a bit and mastered it without breaking a sweat."

To prove it, the Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator gave a brief demonstration. It really did look simple: the profound mystery he manifested took the form of a Flood Dragon commanding thunder. Its might was middling—neither particularly strong nor weak—and though the crowd scrutinized it from every angle for a long time, no one could spot anything amiss. Everything looked completely aboveboard.

Before anyone could press him with more questions, the Heavenly Yang Wood cultivator spun right back around.

"Alright, I'm heading back in."

"Worthy of a Grotto-Heaven built by the water-qi Dao Child—even the spiritual energy inside tastes sweet and rich. Entering meditation in there works far better than out here."

"Farewell!"

As his voice faded, he turned back into a streak of light and darted straight into Bright Light City. This time, some of the watching cultivators were finally moved.

All of them were Tribulation Transcending cultivators, of course.

The Qi Refining practitioners remained as steady as Mount Tai, sending only Tribulation Transcending cultivators inside to test the waters. Soon enough, however, as those inside sent back one confirmation of safety after another, the unyielding caution outside began to waver.

Then a new piece of news came out:

"Perhaps because the [Grave Star] is draining the profound mysteries of [Heaven Defiance Palace], these ruins of the Great Rebellion are likely to fully manifest much faster than expected!"

In other words:

"Wait too long, and others will beat you to the prizes!"

When the first Qi Refining practitioner flew into Bright Light City on the heels of that rumor, it triggered an avalanche. More and more Qi Refining practitioners couldn't hold back any longer and chose to enter the city.

Of course, what truly sealed their decision was the fact that this city had stood here for the better part of a day, yet not a single great figure of the Immortal Gate had reached out to slap it to pieces.

That silence was tacit approval.

With the city blocking the only path, could they really just skip [Heaven Defiance Palace]? Since the great figures above weren't stepping in, and they had to go in sooner or later anyway, why hesitate?

True, going in might carry some risk.

But staying out meant missing their shot at fortune altogether!

Weighing the two against each other, most decided that the promise of fortune outweighed the risk of walking into a slaughter trap. A cultivator couldn't cling so tightly to life that they passed up wealth entirely.

And naturally, the Immortal Gate had never lacked for bold souls.

"Boom!"

Without warning, a violent tremor erupted near the city gates, startling both those about to enter and those already inside into whipping their heads around.

Was the trap springing already? Surely not!

Right on its heels came a furious, panicked voice transmission: "Fellow Daoist Deity Transformation, what is the meaning of this? Do you truly intend to trap and slaughter us all?"

Deliberately amplified by the speaker, the shout echoed across more than half of Bright Light City in the blink of an eye. Looking over, the crowd spotted a Qi Refining Second Layer cultivator riding a dim streak of escaping light, fleeing at breakneck speed toward the distant reaches of Cosmic Deep Space as Earth Yin Water heaven-and-earth qi surged around him.

Despite his accusations, the sharper eyes in the crowd saw through the act immediately.

"That's Cangming."

"He cultivates Earth Yin Water, and the achievement he used to break through to the Second Layer specializes in concealment. Eight times out of ten, he tried to use stealth to slip into the city mixed in with the crowd."

"He didn't want to practice those three Divine Powers—probably worried there was a catch."

"Clever idea, honestly."

"Too bad he got caught..."

Thoughts flickered across many minds at once. True enough, although the entrance fee—practicing one of those Divine Powers Dao books—looked harmless on the surface, if you could skip paying altogether, that was obviously even better...

"Boom!"

The next second, a thunderous crash shattered everyone's train of thought. Looking up, they saw a figure materialize high atop the city walls beneath the vault of the Grotto-Heaven.

"Hmph. Leaving so soon?"

Wang Ping was furious!

His Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven had just opened for business—the critical moment for establishing its reputation—and someone already dared skip the toll, openly wreck his operation, and try to bolt after getting caught?

If he let this guy get away, how was he supposed to run his business from here on out?

"Courting death!"

The instant the words left his mouth, the streak of light that had nearly broken free froze mid-flight, and the Earth Yin Water swirling around it ground to a dead halt.

"Wh-what..."

Inside the light, the Qi Refining practitioner named Cangming paled in shock. The heaven-and-earth qi that had always answered his will like an extension of his own arm was suddenly ignoring him completely!

'Favored by Earth Yin Water alone...'

Cangming's eyes went wide as a dark figure materialized right in front of him, radiating undisguised killing intent. He hastily threw himself backward while shouting at the top of his lungs, "Fellow Daoist Deity Transformation—"

"Slap!"

Giving the unfamiliar Qi Refining practitioner zero chance to parley, Wang Ping whipped his open palm across the man's face and sent him flying.

Before the watching crowd, Cangming spun two full turns in midair, his head nearly torn straight off his neck by the force of the slap. He crashed down in a staggering heap, seventy to eighty percent of his profound arts shattered on impact, and spat a mouthful of dharma blood mixed with several broken teeth.

"You!?"

Shock and fury twisted Cangming's face. He had never imagined Wang Ping wouldn't even bother exchanging a single word before humiliating him with an open-handed slap.

'Outrageous!'

'Quite the water-qi Dao Child... Throwing your weight around in [Incense-Draped Hall] with schemes and plots is one thing, but in a head-on clash of spells, do you really think I'm afraid of you!?'

Among the Qi Refining practitioners of the Immortal Gate, Third Layer grand cultivators naturally stood high above the rest, but right below them was the Qi Refining Second Layer. The way Cangming saw it, even if a cultivator of his standing couldn't beat Wang Ping, killing him would be next to impossible. At worst, he could drag it out into a dogfight—who had any reason to fear whom?

Besides, he rated his own combat strength quite highly.

With a rare treasure in his possession, if he went all out he could even break through a heaven of realm disparity for a brief time, making him a notable name even among the Qi Refining Second Layer!

With that in mind, Cangming moved to strike back at once: "Today I'll make you—"

Before he could finish the sentence—before he could even circulate his Divine Powers, link his qi manifestations, or rouse his rare treasure—the rays of achievement light rising behind Wang Ping filled his vision.

[Free and Easy Wandering], [Complete Virtue Talisman].

[Losing the Dao Is Perilous], [Heaven Has Forsaken Me].

[In the World of Men].

Layer upon layer of illustrious deeds—every one of them a mark the man before him had carved into [destiny], a testament to heaven and earth's recognition of his accomplishments and a footnote to his life and soul.

In a daze, breathtaking visions flashed before Cangming's eyes: a True Person setting the board as a pawn leaped the dragon gate; a Corpse Dissolution Immortal laying a trap only for an eternal miracle to unfold as a mortal slew a Qi Refining practitioner from below; a True Monarch bestowing dharma before all eyes; a Bodhisattva swearing an oath of slaughter; a bow drawn like a full moon, raising fire to burn the heavens and shoot down an azure dragon...

"You... I..."

Cangming gulped hard, his eyes nearly spinning in their sockets. Fuck his mother—all his Divine Powers and Spiritual Treasures combined didn't seem to outnumber this guy's achievements!

In an instant, his rage vanished without a trace.

He felt as though he were witnessing [destiny]'s final mercy toward him, gently advising him to be a good person—after all, fighting and killing all day long only hurt the harmony of the Immortal Gate.

"...I was wrong."

Thud!

Before the words had even faded, Cangming dropped straight to his knees. Yet it was already too late—that brief flash of anger had cost him his chance to surrender.

"Boom!"

[Thunderbolt Dragon God Fire]!

Under the gaze of thousands, the spiritual fire's might surged with three parts added dominance. Before the flame itself even emerged, a flash of spiritual light gleamed in Wang Ping's pupils and shot straight into Cangming's sea of consciousness.

"Argh!"

The spiritual fire was vicious beyond measure. Cangming let out a bloodcurdling scream as the divine sense he had spread around himself was incinerated on the spot, severing all his perception of the outside world.

The very next instant, a hand clamped down over the crown of Cangming's head. With a twist and a wrench, Wang Ping tore the man's head clean off his neck. Dharma blood gushed like a fountain, and Cangming's already weakened aura collapsed completely; giving up all resistance, he could only hunker down to guard his Dao foundation and preserve his life.

Wang Ping didn't press any further.

With his current combat strength—capable of breaking through three heavens—paired with the surging life-slaying lethality of [Netherworld Communication Profound Arbiter], he could actually force a kill on a Qi Refining Second Layer practitioner.

There was simply no need.

Taking the man down in a single exchange was more than enough to establish deterrence. In opening this Grotto-Heaven, he championed harmony above all—how could he stain the place with blood on opening day?

Right at that moment, however—

"So the Dao Child's life and soul really were spent on you..."

A faint, profound sigh echoed beside Wang Ping's ear. Far off in the reaches of the Cosmos, from a higher dimension, a brilliant light suddenly lit up the deep void.

A True Person! A fire-qi True Person!

In an instant, time and space around Wang Ping seemed to freeze solid, and the sighing murmur in his ears twisted into the savage roar of a ferocious beast.

Through the frozen fabric of time and space, an inhuman claw reached out from the void, moving to snatch him up and rip the life and soul right out of his body.

Inside [Bright Light City].

The twenty-four ancient cultivator Daoists, who had been chatting and laughing while watching Wang Ping storm out to catch the rule-breaker, turned ice-cold in the blink of an eye!

"Insolent!"

The next instant, all twenty-four ancient cultivator Daoists vanished at once!

At almost the exact same moment, the frozen spacetime locking Wang Ping shattered to pieces. All things resumed their flow, and the beastly roar in his ears rapidly receded into the distance.

Faintly, only a single cry drifted back to him—

"A misunderstanding..."

Boom!

In that split second, sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bells, cauldrons, pagodas, and mirrors erupted at once as all twenty-four ancient cultivator Daoists struck without holding anything back, engulfing that expanse of brilliant light.

True, a single ancient cultivator Daoist matched a Wisdom King of the Brahma Nation in strength and was no match for a True Person one-on-one. Right now, however, twenty-four of them were striking in unison—even if [True Person Hanguang Danyang] of old had stood here, no choice would remain but to give way before their edge, let alone an ordinary True Person!

"Bang!"

A profound body shattered!

In Cosmic Deep Space, a blazing sun rose slowly into view, only to plummet at the speed of light and vanish into the pitch-black depths in the blink of an eye, dimming the surrounding stars in its wake.

The fire-qi True Person who had struck had not fallen, but had undeniably suffered a heavy wound—forced to detonate that profound body just to carve out a bloody path of escape.

All at once, both inside and outside the Immortal Gate, consciousnesses from higher dimensions stirred awake, casting gazes of scrutiny and curiosity alike toward this corner of the void!

Wang Ping paid them no mind whatsoever.

Behind him, the twenty-four ancient cultivator Daoists manifested their profound bodies one after another. Taken individually, none of them was overwhelming, yet standing together, they were more than enough to command anyone's respect.

As for Cangming, terror nearly tore his gallbladder in two; merely looking straight at the profound bodies of the ancient cultivator Daoists almost made him black out on the spot, until Wang Ping's voice rang in his ears.

"We'll hang your head above the city gate for now," Wang Ping said with a smile. "Fellow Daoist cultivates Earth Yin Water, skilled in both concealment and grand display. Keep a sharp eye out for me and see who else dares sneak into the city in stealth—catch one, and I'll let him take your place!"

With a sweep of his wide sleeves, Wang Ping stepped onto a beam of light and returned to the city!

"He has truly come into his own..."

"Even an Immortal Realm Dao Child cannot necessarily command True Persons and True Monarchs to fight on their behalf, yet this man got that band of ancient cultivators to move for him. Worthy of someone from the water-qi lineage."

After countless years of silence, this was the very first time the ancient cultivation lineage had bared its fangs—and by the look of it, solely to back up a mere lower-realm cultivator.

There was no need to probe into the reasons behind it.

The Immortal Gate cared only about results.

And the result was clear—with the entire ancient cultivation lineage standing behind him, even setting his status as a Dao Child aside, Wang Ping was now a full-fledged regional hegemon of the Cosmos!