Chapter 442: The Ten Great Heavenly Works

Cosmic Deep Space.

As Wang Ping's figure vanished into the depths of [Bright Light City], gazes from higher dimensions fell upon this so-called City of Light, sizing it up.

"[Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven]?"

"Hahaha... Leave it to a water qi cultivator. He certainly has a sense of humor."

"It's the [Five Phases]."

Before long, a True Person saw right through Wang Ping's purpose in handing out those Divine Powers. Against a True Person's attainment, Wang Ping's clever little tricks could hardly stay hidden.

"An exquisite design. Those Divine Power Dao-books must be derived from the Great Rebellion's Divine Empyrean Five Thunder Art. He grafted them onto Yi Shentong's Great Dao of the [Five Phases] and handed them to Qi Refining practitioners to cultivate. So he means to use them to convert the remnants of heaven and earth qi inside the [Star Grave Sand Sea] and bring the ancient cultivators back to the orthodox path?"

"A fine idea, at least."

"Still, I can't trace the location of the [Five Phases] through it. And where on earth did he hide that [Paradox-Resolving Pacifying Monkey]?"

"Strange."

"What else would you expect from that True Monarch's Dao-proving artifact? With concealment like this, it's nearly as hard to track down as the heaven and earth qi that were wiped out."

Just as the assembled True Persons tried to probe deeper, the twenty-four ancient cultivator Daoists from the [Star Grave Sand Sea] raised their profound mysteries once more. This time it was not the authority of the Eight Trigrams; instead, a myriad of Great Daos bloomed with radiance one after another, cutting off the True Persons' lines of sight and barring Them from prying any further.

"Hmph... Arrogant."

One of the True Persons sounded mildly displeased.

Frankly, those twenty-four ancient cultivator Daoists were relying almost entirely on numbers. It wouldn't take many—just eight True Persons would be enough to hold Them firmly in check.

Yet no one made a move.

"The fox borrows the tiger's terror, nothing more. That city can't be shattered; it's linked to the [Star Grave] now. Unless we bring out a supreme treasure to suppress it, we can hardly wage an all-out war."

"Clever methods, though far too ruthless and uncompromising. That style doesn't quite resemble the ancient cultivators. The water qi Dao Child must have put Them up to it."

"How did he pull it off?"

"That's water qi we're talking about... And the ancient cultivators actually trust him this much."

Indeed, that was what baffled the True Persons—even surprised them. How could this band of ancient cultivators dare to place such faith in a water qi demon?

Had they lost their minds?!

Perhaps that was the very flaw that had gotten the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy eliminated—being too quick to trust people... Still, there was no denying they had become a much bigger headache now.

At that, one of the True Persons turned toward another corner of the Cosmos. "How is Fellow Daoist Chiming faring?"

"Is he all right?"

Laughter immediately rippled through the higher dimensions. [True Person Chiming] was none other than the True Person whom the ancient cultivator Daoists had ganged up on and beaten until he exploded.

Amid the laughter, a mass of bright, blazing flame rapidly condensed. What stepped out from the radiance first was a towering behemoth as vast as a star, clad in pitch-black scales with jagged, interlocking fangs. Its low growl rumbled like rolling thunder in its chest, and its eyes glinted with a chilling, ghostly fire.

"I've made a laughingstock of myself before you all."

The beast's snarl blended with a human voice. "Just a minor wound. My profound body took some damage, but my Immortal True foundation is unharmed. Nothing serious."

'A Black Qilin...'

Watching the fierce beast riding upon the flames, many of the True Persons felt an immediate twinge of distaste. This was one of the reasons fire qi was shunned by the Immortal Gate's mainstream.

'Instead of being a proper human cultivator, you go and join the ranks of beasts covered in fur and horns, born of moisture and eggs... You've disgraced eighteen generations of your fire qi ancestors!'

Still, fire qi remained formidable, with multiple True Monarchs holding court. Though it had suffered a heavy blow after the founding of the Brahma Nation, it was far from the half-dead state of wood qi. Thus, despite the revulsion in their hearts, no one voiced their thoughts aloud; instead, they all wore genial smiles.

The next second, the fierce beast vanished.

From the golden light, a refined, unhurried young cultivator strolled out, a blazing sun hovering behind his head and a fine network of cracks spiderwebbing across his cheek.

It was [True Person Chiming].

In the Immortal Gate—especially once one reached the True Cultivation tier, whether as a True Person or a True Monarch—a Daoist title was never chosen at random; there were strict conventions to it.

Ordinarily, a True Cultivator's Daoist title consisted of three parts.

The self-chosen name, the honorific title, and the revered title.

In short: the name one claimed for oneself, the title of respect conferred by fellow Daoists, and the title honored across the Cosmos. Combined, the three formed both a Daoist title and a badge of status.

The self-chosen name was usually carried over from the cultivator's Qi Refining days—like Wang Ping's Huashen and Victorious, or names like Mingyou and Tianxing. A cultivator picked and settled on it themselves, letting the other True Persons and True Monarchs across the Cosmos know that such a figure existed.

The honorific title was a different matter.

Among True Cultivators, designations like True Person or True Monarch were honorific titles, signifying the heights one had reached on the path of cultivation.

There were also more distinctive honorifics.

Titles such as Elemental Monarch, Divine Monarch, Imperial Monarch, Celestial Venerable, Sacred Sovereign, Dao Lord... Since the dawn of the Cosmos, those who bore such titles generally held distinct statuses and powers.

As for the revered title, that was simpler still.

Only a True Person who excelled enough—who possessed signature methods that commanded awe from their peers—could earn a revered title, signifying that they held the respect and dread of all True Persons.

Thus, in a True Cultivation Daoist title, apart from the self-chosen name, both the honorific and the revered title were actually bestowed by others.

Take [True Person Hanguang Danyang] and [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan], for example.

Or take [True Person Chiming] right here.

He had only his self-chosen name, no revered title from his peers, and the most ordinary honorific of "True Person"—clear proof that his standing among True Persons was relatively average.

"How does it feel?"

At a fellow True Person's inquiry, [True Person Chiming] kept a calm expression. "At the very least, I've confirmed that the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy is indeed backing this water qi Dao Child."

"They're nothing more than a pile of firewood that burned out long ago, making one last desperate gamble. Why not use the matter of the [Heaven Defiance Palace] to wipe them out for good?"

[True Person Chiming]'s tone was harsh and cold.

The assembled True Persons gave noncommittal replies. The man hailed from the [Radiant Clarity Realm] and had a True Monarch backing him, so naturally no one was going to publicly undercut him.

Yet even as they agreed on the surface, every True Person knew the truth inside: weak as the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy might look now, if you set aside supreme beings at the True Monarch level and compared combat strength strictly among True Persons, the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy could still go toe-to-toe with any single one of the Immortal Gate's Five Phases orthodoxies.

Wiping them out was fine in theory, but who would lead the charge?

When two evenly matched sides clashed, both walked away crippled.

To say nothing of that damned [Star Grave]. If it actually blew up, the karma would fall squarely on whoever pushed the hardest. Wouldn't that be a disaster?

"This matter still requires careful deliberation..."

"Let's wait and see for now."

The True Persons of the Immortal Gate each harbored their own thoughts, yet Wang Ping had no time to spare them any attention. After hanging Cangming's head from the city gate, he returned straight to his Grotto-Heaven.

"So—so much! So huge!"

"I can barely hold it down!"

The moment he stepped inside the Grotto-Heaven, Wang Ping let out a long breath. His divine sense churned, and in the unseen depths, he could almost see his Destiny Pattern undergoing a dragon-like metamorphosis.

Not daring to delay, he sat down cross-legged at once and circulated the [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea], pouring everything he had into digesting the shift in his Destiny Pattern. This was the result of surging luck converging upon him; just like [Seizing Supremacy from the Great Ao], the more attention this destiny-cultivating art drew, the stronger its effect.

"What immense luck."

"A battle to establish dominance really does wonders. At the very least, it put the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy's name back on the map, and the orthodoxy's luck is feeding right back into me as its helmsman."

Wang Ping quieted his heart and steadied his qi.

Lifting his gaze toward [destiny], he could faintly make out a scaled Hornless Dragon, its head bare of horns, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws amid the roaring torrent of [destiny].

That was his current Destiny Pattern.

According to the [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea], there were five grades of dragon-transformation Destiny Patterns—Viper Dragon, Hornless Dragon, Horned Dragon, Flood Dragon, and True Dragon—each tier sharply defined.

Without horns or scales, it is called a Viper Dragon.

Without horns yet scaled, it is called a [Hornless Dragon].

With both horns and scales, it is called a [Horned Dragon].

Riding the clouds to scale the heavens, it is called a [Flood Dragon].

And when the dragon enters the vast sea and leaps across the Dragon Gate, it becomes the legendary [True Dragon]. The Destiny Patterns advanced step by step, closely tied to one's cultivation on the Immortal Dao.

'The Viper Dragon Destiny Pattern corresponds to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer; the Hornless Dragon Destiny Pattern corresponds to Qi Refining; the Horned Dragon Destiny Pattern corresponds to the Qi Refining Third Layer; and the Flood Dragon Destiny Pattern corresponds to Qi Refining Consummation. If one cultivates a True Dragon Destiny Pattern, a destiny that noble is practically on par with a reincarnated True Person—the path of True Cultivation ahead would be almost entirely unobstructed.'

Everything was crystal clear in Wang Ping's mind:

'Earlier, I took the elixir bestowed by the Elemental Monarch. Since I was already at the Qi Refining Second Layer, with that cultivation foundation, my Destiny Pattern naturally rose in nobility.'

'So it became a Hornless Dragon Destiny Pattern.'

'Afterward, I won the recognition of the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy and became the helmsman of the [Star Grave Sand Sea]. Back then, though, it was only acknowledged internally and hadn't spread to the outside world, so my Destiny Pattern didn't receive much feedback. Only now, when the whole world knows my name, has the surging luck pushed my Destiny Pattern to transform.'

When a Hornless Dragon grows a crowning ridge, possessing both horns and scales, it is called a [Horned Dragon].

'A Horned Dragon corresponds to the Qi Refining Third Layer. That's basically telling me that as long as I take things step by step—even if I do nothing else and just cultivate diligently—I'm destined for the Third Layer!'

Such was the profound mystery of destiny cultivation.

'Those so-called Dao Children of the Immortal Realms most likely have Destiny Patterns like this too. So long as they don't court death or act recklessly, reaching the Qi Refining Third Layer is practically set in stone.'

Beyond cultivation, one's Destiny Pattern also worked wonders in combat.

For instance, the [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea] contained a spell for borrowing the Horned Dragon Destiny Pattern to transform one's life force, turning oneself into a genuine, monstrous Horned Dragon.

Of course, Wang Ping had no interest in that.

Clang! Clang!

With a shift of his thoughts, Wang Ping drew the [Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade]. Circulating his profound mysteries, he let his newly transformed Horned Dragon Destiny Pattern settle directly onto the blade.

As a divine weapon of the Martial Dao, the [Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade] was bound to his very life—it even followed him through resurrection—so it could naturally share in the blessing of the Horned Dragon Destiny Pattern. Before long, Wang Ping watched dragon markings gradually surface along the divine blade, spreading from the hilt all the way to the edge.

"...Almost there."

Wang Ping's gaze flickered. Intuition told him that this was the [Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade]'s chance to ascend into a Spiritual Treasure; it needed only to wait for his Destiny Pattern to rise to a Flood Dragon.

And once it ascended, it would be a Spiritual Treasure of rather high quality.

An opportunity like this was nothing short of immense.

After all, the base material of the [Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade] was actually quite ordinary; it had relied entirely on his cultivation to elevate it this far. For it to meet with such an opportunity was already a stroke of heavenly fortune.

Of course, elevating one's Destiny Pattern was no easy feat. The hidden dangers of the [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea] were nearly as great as its benefits, because the core philosophy behind how this art raised one's Destiny Pattern boiled down to an old adage: a treasured sword's edge comes from grinding, and plum blossoms owe their fragrance to the bitter cold.

Simply put, it used luck to grind and polish one's Destiny Pattern.

As the saying went, when virtue does not match one's station, disaster is sure to follow. Whenever one's luck rose higher than one's Destiny Pattern, tribulations would be born. Survive the tribulation, and the Destiny Pattern would naturally shed its old shell and transform.

Fail to survive it, and you died halfway down the path.

Wang Ping slowly ran his fingers along the edge of the [Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade], savoring the subtle interplay of Destiny Patterns and luck before a sudden stirring in his heart made him look up.

In the distance, a streak of traveling light touched down without a sound.

A moment later, an unfamiliar, utterly unremarkable Heavenly Yang Wood Qi Refining practitioner—the sort who would vanish instantly into a crowd—stepped out.

"Senior Brother Kunyun!"

A grin broke across Wang Ping's face. With a flick of his sleeve, he peeled away the layer of profound mystery cloaking Kunyun, allowing the man's true qi presence to show itself once more.

[The gentleman should hide his implements at the right time]!

It was thanks to this Major Divine Ability cast personally by Wang Ping that Kunyun had been able to stir the pot all across the Immortal Gate without worrying about being exposed.

"Where are the goods?" Kunyun asked irritably.

"Relax, how could I ever shortchange you, Senior Brother?"

Wang Ping grinned from ear to ear, then pulled out the [Thirty-Six Thunder Decrees], the [Preaching Brush], and the [Earth Altar Thunder Pool], shoving the whole lot straight into Kunyun's arms.

"All yours, Senior Brother!"

Looking down at the Spiritual Treasures and magical artifacts in his hands, Kunyun couldn't feel nearly as lighthearted as he had at the start. By now, he knew all too well what blistering hot potatoes these were.

If he didn't take them, fine; the moment he did, every shred of karma tied to them—like "heavily injuring Dao Child Hengxu of the [Observing Eternity Realm]" and "entrapping and slaughtering fellow Daoists of the Immortal Gate"—would be impossible to wash clean. And after the way he had stirred up the crowd this time, someone was bound to piece things together afterward.

At this rate, he really had no future left in the Immortal Gate.

And not just him—before leaving, he had burned through a massive wave of the Heavenly Yang Wood lineage's credit and reputation, dragging down their standing across the entire Immortal Gate.

"To hell with it!"

Kunyun had a decisive streak of his own. He gritted his teeth. Since he couldn't stay in the Immortal Gate anyway, rather than racking his brains over how to salvage his reputation, he might as well go for broke.

After all, the former would drain endless energy with no guarantee of success, while the latter cost him nothing beyond zeroing out his credit—and even let him walk away with a windfall.

Seeing that Kunyun had been thoroughly roped into the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy, Wang Ping nodded in satisfaction and said at once, "There's one more thing I need your help with, Senior Brother."

"I still have far too few Qi Refining practitioners under my command. Since so many people have gathered in [Bright Light City] right now, I'd like you to reach out privately on my behalf, Senior Brother. See if you can find a few more fellow Daoists who can't survive in the Immortal Gate—or who are having a rough time of it—and pull them into the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy together."

Here, Wang Ping offered a faint smile. "Of course, if necessary, you can also use some extraordinary measures. Even if a target is doing just fine in the Immortal Gate, we can always find a way to make sure they can't stay..."

"You know how it goes, Senior Brother."

Kunyun couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes.

'Oh, I know all too well!'

"Your heart is pitch-black. We're all Qi Refining immortal cultivators, yet you want me to trap them into joining the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy. My conscience is truly aching over this."

Wang Ping gave him a probing look and lowered his voice. "Then what are you getting at, Senior Brother...?"

"You'll have to pay me more!"

'Good grief!'

Looking at the righteous-sounding Kunyun, Wang Ping marveled inwardly. Experience really was the best teacher; the once-upright Senior Brother Kunyun had mastered the art of shameless scheming too.

Even so, Wang Ping knew full well that if you wanted a horse to run, you had to let it graze. With a flick of his thoughts, he drew up a list for Kunyun.

Every item on it came from the treasure vaults of the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy.

To someone already at the Qi Refining Second Layer like him, they were of little use, but to Qi Refining First Layer practitioners like Kunyun who were still painstakingly honing their qi manifestations, they were invaluable.

"We'll go by this list. For every downline recruit you bring in, Senior Brother, you can pick one item from the list. Then you can have your downlines recruit their own downlines—their rewards will be a notch below yours—and let it branch out layer by layer. Trust me, the more downlines you have, the more you'll earn!"

Wang Ping earnestly passed on some tried-and-true experience.

"You can do it like that?"

Kunyun's eyes lit up as realization struck, a whole new world of possibilities opening before him. He walked off deep in thought, clearly already mapping out his operations and targets.

Wang Ping looked forward to the results.

After watching Kunyun leave, Wang Ping paused to think, then opened his palm and circulated his Divine Power. A thick tome immediately materialized in his hand.

[Cyclic Life-Substituting Book]!

Bearing one's life in substitution to ward off a hundred fatal blows, it was an undying art of water qi. Holding it in his hand, Wang Ping reached out and tore a life-substituting page straight out of the book.

The ninth scripture scroll: [Forsaken by Man]!

The next second, Wang Ping severed that Divine Power page and cast it out. Crossing the bounds of time and space, it landed squarely in the hand of his clone inside the [Heavenly Craft Cave Abode].

At almost the exact same instant, Wang Ping's main consciousness sank into the clone and cradled the Divine Power page. An image was clearly mirrored across its surface: a scene of heaven splitting and earth cracking apart. Amid ten thousand calamities stood a youth drawing a bow and nocking an arrow, raising fire to burn the heavens as though aiming to shoot something down from the sky.

It was just a thin sheet of paper.

Yet in the hands of Wang Ping's clone, which had no cultivation of its own, it weighed a ton—as if it weren't paper at all, but a solid millstone.

"What a fine Divine Power!"

Wang Ping smiled in satisfaction. These life-substituting pages did more than just take tribulations in his stead; they could also be projected outward. Every single page could carry his life force.

Better yet, each served as an outlet for his Divine Powers.

Through this single page, he could fashion a Divine Power phantom body out of thin air. Though it couldn't compare to his Clear and Turbid bodies, it still carried thirty percent of his profound mysteries.

"More than enough!"

Cradling the page, Wang Ping's clone stepped briefly out of the [Heavenly Craft Cave Abode], hurled the page hard into the sky, and melted back into hiding the very next instant.

The page he had flung skyward turned instantly into a streak of rainbow light, arcing across the heavens. In the blink of an eye, it arrived at the heart of the [Eight Trigrams Furnace]—the Capital of the new Great Gan dynasty—and smashed thunderously down into the Imperial Palace, jolting Xianfu straight out of his meditative seclusion.

"Who's there?!"

Xianfu snapped his eyes open, only to find his vision filled with overlapping profound scenes. The formations, mysteries, and the very light of sun and moon across the entire Imperial Palace had been swallowed by dim, murky hues.

Tap, tap...

A pair of dark boots stepped into the Imperial Palace.

Xianfu's lips parted slightly as a youth in dark robes strolled silently inside, completely ignoring the formations outside his seclusion chambers.

Immeasurable, terrifying dharma power surged through his frame, and layer upon layer of merit light shone behind his head, carrying a might that even a Corpse Dissolution Immortal could never hope to touch. Yet he reined it all tightly within three cun of his body, standing in the main hall without triggering the slightest warning from the [Heaven's Will Profound Blade].

"Junior Brother Victorious..." Xianfu murmured under his breath.

A familiar face, yet a qi presence utterly different from his memories—no, even stronger than the person he remembered, so overwhelmingly strong it defied belief!

"Oh?"

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow.

Boom!

In an instant, tempestuous waves seemed to roar through the entire hall. Xianfu nearly stumbled and fell headlong as his destiny form, Divine Powers, and dharma power all fell dead silent at once.

"Who are you calling Junior Brother?!"

Putting on a stern, dignified air, Wang Ping said in a deep voice, "Little Fu, a sad, thick barrier has already grown between us. You ought to show a great cultivator some respect!"

Xianfu bared his teeth at that.

"To tell you the truth, I just finished gathering all ten Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures inside the [Eight Trigrams Furnace] a few days ago. I was originally planning to prepare them for you, Junior Brother Victorious..."

Before he even finished speaking, the Earth Yin Water howling through the hall instantly subsided into a dead calm. Every qi manifestation ceased its rotation, Xianfu regained his mobility, and the murky hues shrouding the Imperial Palace melted silently away. From start to finish, not a single soul outside had noticed anything amiss.

Right on its heels came a warm, affectionate cry: "Senior Brother Xianfu!"

Wang Ping strode briskly forward and clasped both of Xianfu's hands in his, saying warmly, "With a life-and-death brotherhood like ours, I just knew you'd be thinking of me."

"We're good brothers for life!"

"I picked out this [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea] specially for you in the [Heaven Defiance Palace]. One look and I knew it suited you. It's yours!"

With that, Wang Ping lifted his head and glanced left and right. "Where are my Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures?"

Xianfu: "..."

'Bitch-born bastard, when did they become your Spiritual Treasures?'

'Those are mine!'

"...Follow me."

Turning to the side, Xianfu led Wang Ping all the way down beneath the Imperial Palace, where a treasure vault overflowing with spiritual light soon filled Wang Ping's eyes.

"Ho!"

Wang Ping's expression shifted slightly. Apart from the [Heaven's Will Profound Blade] up in the sky and the [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron] in his own hands, the rest really were all right here!

Wherever his gaze fell, the dust-covered Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures seemed startled awake; their spirituality stirred to life one after another, turning toward Wang Ping.

In that instant, the names of all these Spiritual Treasures became clear in his mind.

[Three Sovereigns World-Observing Mirror], [Heavenly Flood Profound Dao Umbrella].

[Twin Evil-Slashing Swords], [Four Great Rivers Dragon-Binding Rope].

[Five Sacred Mountains True-Form Crown], [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk].

[Bitter Sea Non-Crossing Boat], [Avalokiteshvara Precious Scroll].

Eight Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures. Unlike the many Spiritual Treasures of the Immortal Gate, these eight left behind inside the [Eight Trigrams Furnace] were, strictly speaking, the legacy of the Great Rebellion!

In a flash, Wang Ping adjusted his mindset and put on a smile. "Wang Ping, a subject of the Great Rebellion, pays his respects, my lords."

As the words left his lips, he circulated the [Profound Female Complete Heaven Wondrous Art], linked with his Grotto-Heaven, and drew out the [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron], setting it down heavily on the floor.

Thud!

The moment the Treasure Cauldron touched the ground, the surrounding Spiritual Treasures, which had been somewhat wary and guarded toward him, relaxed considerably. The Treasure Cauldron, on the other hand, seemed rather unhappy.

Wang Ping keenly picked up on the change.

"Lord Treasure Cauldron?"

[...Hmph!]

Ignoring Wang Ping's soft call, the Treasure Cauldron spun half a turn away, as if refusing to look at him. Seeing this, Wang Ping hurriedly split off a wisp of divine sense and leaned in close. "Lord Treasure Cauldron, what happened? Why are you angry? Which thousand-times-cursed scoundrel dared provoke you, my lord? Just tell me boldly! Don't worry, my cultivation is high now, nothing like the old days—I'll definitely drag him over here so you can vent your anger properly, Lord Treasure Cauldron!"

[It's you.]

The Treasure Cauldron trembled slightly. [Back then it was "Lord Treasure Cauldron" this and "Lord Treasure Cauldron" that, and you wished you could cling to me all day long. Now that you have new Spiritual Treasures, you don't even chat with me anymore.]

[So does love really just fade away?]

"Lord Treasure Cauldron, I've been wronged!" Wang Ping scrambled to explain.

[Not listening, not listening! It's true, it's true!]

[You're bad!]

Looking at the Treasure Cauldron throwing a tantrum after clearly being neglected for too long, Wang Ping felt a bit helpless. True enough, he really had been favoring his newer Spiritual Treasures lately.

There was no helping it, though—the [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron] wasn't of much use to him these days. You couldn't very well hold a man back from running toward a brighter future.

Still, Wang Ping wasn't the ungrateful sort. He remembered the kindness the Treasure Cauldron had shown him; without the Treasure Cauldron, he never would have survived the [Eight Trigrams Furnace] back then. So he alternated between apologizing and patting its side, coaxing the Treasure Cauldron with both words and hands.

[Promise me you'll keep me company and chat with me from now on.]

"I swear it!"

Wang Ping nodded without hesitation. It wasn't anything difficult anyway—just splitting off a dedicated strand of divine sense to flatter the Treasure Cauldron, which was effortless for him now.

Besides, while he hadn't had a use for the [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron] before, things had changed. The Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy happened to need a ritual vessel capable of suppressing and anchoring its luck.

Putting the Treasure Cauldron to use there was a perfect fit.

Worn down by Wang Ping's relentless coaxing, the Treasure Cauldron finally relented, turning its body to nuzzle against his cheek as a sign of forgiveness.

Right after that, the Treasure Cauldron flew over to the other eight Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures.

[Everyone, this is my new master.]

All at once, the light of their spirituality—nearly brimming over—filled the entire vault!

[New master?]

[Six Harmonies, you actually acknowledged a master? Weren't you in charge of suppressing the national destiny? Why are you running around everywhere now? I never even got the chance.]

[Is this master reliable? You're naive to the ways of the world—don't get tricked.]

[Look at him, he cultivates water qi. Doesn't look like a good person!]

[What kind of talk is that? There are good people among water qi cultivators too! Don't just run your mouth and slander people at random. Spiritual Treasures that judge people solely by their orthodoxy are the worst!]

[I was wrong, Heavenly Flood, don't be mad...]

[Regardless, he seems to carry a mark left behind by Big Brother Heaven's Will. If he could earn Big Brother Heaven's Will's trust, maybe he's different from other water qi cultivators.]

For a moment, Wang Ping was left dumbstruck!

Beside him, however, Xianfu looked thoroughly used to it, though a trace of amazement still lingered in the depths of his eyes. After all, a scene like this was a rare sight indeed.

Spiritual Treasures were called Spiritual Treasures because they possessed spirituality, yet the depth of that spirituality was the key measure of a treasure's quality. Most Spiritual Treasures had severe limits on their spirituality, which was largely confined to operating their own profound mysteries; beyond that, they barely reacted to the outside world at all.

The Spiritual Treasures before him were different.

Or rather, all ten Great Heavenly Works inside the [Eight Trigrams Furnace] were different. As Spiritual Treasures, their spirituality was so abundant that they were practically indistinguishable from living people!

'Spirituality on this level has the makings of a True Artifact.'

Wang Ping rubbed his chin.

Ordinarily, only the spirituality of a True Artifact possessed thoughts identical to a living person's—complete with joy, anger, sorrow, and delight—because it possessed an Immortal True foundation.

By the same token, the reverse held true.

If a Spiritual Treasure possessed spirituality no different from a living person's, its chances of refining an Immortal True nature were far greater, and its potential to ascend into a True Artifact was correspondingly higher.

'Fitting for the legacy of the Great Rebellion. Every single one of the Ten Great Heavenly Works has a bright future ahead of it. With another stroke of fortune, they might just become ten Great True Artifacts!'

Wang Ping's gaze skipped from one Spiritual Treasure to the next before finally settling on a rather quiet treasured mirror.

[Three Sovereigns World-Observing Mirror].

"This Heavenly Work... As I recall, it was taken away by a Great Grandmaster Rank practitioner from the [Tribute Hall]," Wang Ping said, looking to Xianfu. "How did you get it back?"

"It came back on its own."

Xianfu shrugged. "According to the mirror, that Mortal became the shamanic disciple of a [household immortal] and used the chance to break free from the [Eight Trigrams Furnace]."

"I suspect he might have gone to the [Divine Farmer Cauldron]."

"Right before leaving, he sent this treasure back, so it found its own way to my door... In fact, that's the only reason I managed to gather all ten Great Heavenly Works."

Wang Ping's brows knitted tightly at the news.

A [household immortal] was a great evil phantom transformed from the shattered fragments of the Great Rebellion Exploits. There was one inside the [Heavenly Craft Cave Abode] as well, called the [Dragon-Suppressing Immortal].

However, because the [Heavenly Craft Mansion] had been completely sealed off, that great evil phantom had fallen into slumber, so it and Wang Ping had stayed out of each other's way. Of course, that was before; he was a far cry from who he used to be now, and perhaps he could find an opportunity to pay that great evil phantom another visit.

Next, Wang Ping shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Among the eight Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures, he had little interest in those meant for slaughter. He had no shortage of killing methods right now; what he lacked were unorthodox trump cards.

Before long, his attention settled on three of the Heavenly Works.

[Bitter Sea Non-Crossing Boat], [Avalokiteshvara Precious Scroll], and [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk]. As the saying went, the weirder the shape, the more shameless the mystery—one look at these three told him they were extraordinary!

With that in mind, Wang Ping sent a voice transmission at once: "Lord Treasure Cauldron, what profound mysteries do these three lords possess?"

[Oh? Them...]

Freshly buttered up by Wang Ping's flattery, the Treasure Cauldron Spirit held nothing back. After a brief explanation, Wang Ping had a clear grasp of all three Spiritual Treasures.

[Bitter Sea Non-Crossing Boat].

This treasure possessed abilities unfathomable even to ghosts and gods. Sitting inside the boat, one could evade karma, roam the torrent of [destiny], and anchor one's spirit to preserve one's existence in the world.

'This is the exact wondrous treasure Senior [Yang] mentioned before—the one that lets a Qi Refining practitioner leave the Cosmos and travel to realms beyond without worrying about getting lost!'

Wang Ping licked his lips.

The second item was the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk], a wondrous treasure of unique design formed by a round disk on the front stacked atop a square disk on the back.

The disk had two sides. With the front facing up, it represented the forty-nine of the Heavenly Dao and the cardinal order of Heaven and Earth, capable of deducing the affairs of the world and stabilizing the profound. The reverse side represented the deficient one of the Human Dao, able both to divine a thread of life in desperate straits and to help its bearer slip away from peril untouched by calamity or tribulation.

Stacked together, front and back formed a single whole.

Together they matched the fifty of Heaven's number, the Dao of karma, and the supreme principle of [destiny]. Used to dodge disasters, evade tribulations, and foreknow worldly affairs, it was practically infallible.

As for the final item, the [Avalokiteshvara Precious Scroll]:

This was an exceedingly rare treasure for comprehending the Dao. Simply contemplating this scroll while in meditative concentration effectively heightened one's comprehension and sped up one's insights.

"Every last one of them is a fine treasure."

Wang Ping stroked this one and patted that one, thoroughly pleased—especially with the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk], from which he sensed an inexplicable imagery.

'A hexagram? No.'

By now, Wang Ping had acquired plenty of hexagram Spiritual Treasures, yet compared to the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk], every single one of them felt as if it were missing something.

'If anything comes close, it's only the [Drum of Purging Vice and Quelling Turmoil]. The qi presence on that Spiritual Treasure is similar to the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk], though on closer inspection, the [Drum of Purging Vice and Quelling Turmoil] is still a bit weaker. Next to it, the qi presence of the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk] is clearly much more complete...'

"...Hiss!"

All of a sudden, Wang Ping drew in a sharp breath.

He had finally realized what that inexplicable imagery on the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk] was—something akin to the [Drum of Purging Vice and Quelling Turmoil], yet a cut above.

'A Pinnacle Station of Heaven and Earth!'

The [Drum of Purging Vice and Quelling Turmoil] had been an experimental piece by [True Person Hanguang Danyang], resonating with two hexagrams at once in an attempt to sense the [Mountain-Wind Decay] Pinnacle Station.

Yet it had failed.

By comparison, the imagery of the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk] was both more complete and far more powerful. Without a shadow of a doubt, this Spiritual Treasure was genuinely tied to a Pinnacle Station of Heaven and Earth!

Which one?

Wang Ping sensed it carefully, but could not make it out no matter how he tried. Clearly, it wasn't any Pinnacle Station of Heaven and Earth he had encountered before, yet the sheer value of this treasured disk was beyond question.

'Among the Ten Great Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures, the one closest to a True Treasure in combat strength might be the [Heaven's Will Profound Blade], but if we're talking about which Spiritual Treasure has the best chance of becoming a True Treasure in the future, this [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk] is likely at the very top. Its foundation is already a hair's breadth away from a True Treasure!'

"Incredible."

Marveling aloud, Wang Ping stowed away the [Great Expansion Deficient-One Disk]. Naturally, he didn't leave the [Bitter Sea Non-Crossing Boat] or the [Avalokiteshvara Precious Scroll] behind either.

Might as well grab them while he was at it!

"Little Fu, with so many Spiritual Treasures here, a Tribulation Transcending cultivator like you couldn't possibly use them all anyway. I'd hate to see bandit cultivators set their sights on you, so I'll trouble myself to shoulder a bit of the burden for you."

'Back to "Little Fu" again!'

Xianfu cursed inwardly on the spot. 'This guy switches faces faster than turning a page! Worried about bandit cultivators setting their sights on me? A bandit cultivator has his sights set on me right now!'

Although Xianfu had braced himself to bleed heavily when he brought Wang Ping down here, watching this bitch-born bastard put on such a magnanimous air after robbing him blind still made his blood boil. The craving in his heart to reach Qi Refining surged wildly—if he didn't break through to Qi Refining soon, he really was going to be stuck as "Little Fu" forever!

The very next second, however, Wang Ping's tone shifted. "Be careful."

Wang Ping had turned his back, so Xianfu couldn't see his face, hearing only his voice drift over: "That [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea] is the key to a life tribulation."

"You already crossed a life tribulation back in the [Eight Trigrams Furnace]. Given how perilous that one was, breaking through to Qi Refining shouldn't pose any real difficulty for you."

"However, if you cultivate that secret manual, you'll most likely walk right into a scheme laid by a Wood Qi True Monarch. I don't know which one specifically, but it's guaranteed to be deadly, and the life tribulation you already passed will inevitably be reopened. Frankly speaking, Little Fu, you might not be able to survive it."

"All eyes are on me; I have nowhere to hide."

"But if you don't cultivate it, don't step onto the board, and don't trigger a new life tribulation—if you just break through to Qi Refining as you are—that True Monarch will most likely give up on you."

"That might be for the best."

"In immortal cultivation, playing it safe is never the wrong move."

"I'm leaving this life-substituting page with you. Bring it out at a critical moment and it should have no trouble saving your life once. It'll make staying in touch easier down the line, too."

His voice faded.

Every trace of profound radiance vanished in an instant. Once Wang Ping had stowed the Spiritual Treasures into his Grotto-Heaven, his figure rapidly grew faint, turning back into a single book page that drifted down on the breeze.

Xianfu was left standing alone in the vault.

Dead silence reigned.

After a long while, a mutter—partly moved, partly annoyed—finally echoed through the treasure vault: "...Bitch-born bastard, you dare look down on me?"

Whatever choice Xianfu made, Wang Ping did not linger to watch. Every man had his own ambitions; he had offered what counsel he could, but he could never make someone else's choices for them.

After all, everyone should—and must—be responsible for their own decisions.

"Quite the haul this time!"

His consciousness returning to his Clear Aspect body, Wang Ping looked down at the [Cyclic Life-Substituting Book] in his hand. Only ninety-nine pages remained now, with profound mysteries slowly circulating through the tome.

Restoring it to a full hundred pages would take forty-nine days.

That was no short wait.

Fortunately, a hundred pages offered a massive margin for error; missing a single page didn't matter much. Unless he ran into a crisis with nine chances of death to one of survival, he would be hard-pressed to burn through them all.

'Aside from the three Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures, I also got the signatures of all ten Great Heavenly Works. Going by what the [Heaven's Will Profound Blade] said earlier, I can use them to claim an opportunity inside the [Heaven Defiance Palace]. I just wonder which hall it'll be this time, and what kind of fortune awaits...'

At the thought, Wang Ping couldn't help rubbing his hands together.

'At this rate, I won't end up cleaning out the [Heaven Defiance Palace] before it even fully emerges into the world, will I? I've already collected the entry tolls, after all.'

'If a whole pack of Qi Refining practitioners pays up, marches into the [Heaven Defiance Palace] brimming with hopes of striking it rich, and finds nothing left but a picked-clean wreck...'

'Hiss, how cruel!'

'I love it~'

With a shift of his thoughts, Wang Ping prepared to project his consciousness into his Turbid body to continue exploring the [Heaven Defiance Palace], only for a sudden development to make him pause.

"Hmm?"

Inside [Bright Light City] lay his [Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven], and as its lord, he felt an immediate resonance whenever anyone stepped foot inside.

That was how he had caught Cangming trying to sneak in earlier.

Right now, he sensed two familiar figures entering the [Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven]—and their sheer weight sent a ripple of urgency straight through the Grotto-Heaven itself.

'Tianxing and Mingyou...'

Wang Ping turned his gaze toward them.

Meanwhile, inside the [Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven].

"Quite the Grotto-Heaven. Monopolizing the [Heaven Defiance Palace]—what a windfall."

Having reined in their auras, Mingyou and Tianxing walked side by side, strolling through the Grotto-Heaven and taking in the surrounding pavilions and towers as they conversed via voice transmission. "Brother Daoist, do you think we can really pull this off?"

"Relax."

Mingyou offered a faint smile. "It's just the imagery of the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]. Leave it to me—I guarantee I'll get it done cleanly for you."

"Of course, you know my good disciple's temperament. Getting something for nothing is out of the question. Since you want the imagery of the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] back, you'll definitely have to pay a price. Before you left, the great figures of the [Plain Treading Realm] must have given you a budget, right? Roughly how much are we talking?"

Mingyou asked with casual nonchalance.

"Well..."

Tianxing mulled it over for a moment, then very gravely held up two fingers. "As long as he returns the imagery, he can pick any two Spiritual Treasures to take with him."

For some reason, he sounded a little guilty!

"Alright, leave it to me." Mingyou didn't mind in the slightest, grinning wide to reveal a row of slightly unsettling white teeth. "I guarantee I'll close the deal for you."

"Then we're set!"

Visibly relieved, Tianxing let his brain—which had only just started turning—grind right back to a halt. Abandoning all thought, he prepared to leave the entire matter in Mingyou's hands.

Of course, that wasn't because he lacked wits; it was mainly because aligning with the merit of [Treading the Tiger's Tail] required him to brainlessly back his chosen big brother at all times.

'If you use your own brain, how is Big Brother supposed to shine?'

'And if Big Brother can't shine, how are you supposed to get ahead?'

'In summary, using my brain keeps me from resonating with my merit, so I have no choice but to keep playing dumb. Sigh, the sacrifices I make for True Cultivation are truly immense.'