roccoschili Chapter 726 726: Signal Source, Smash it for me!_1
Chapter 726 726: Signal Source, Smash it for me!_1
Six months had passed since the disastrous defeat in the Southern Territory, yet the incident still felt as vivid as if it had happened only yesterday. Thankfully, the other four territories hadn't taken advantage of the Central Territory's weakening to invade."Xuan Shen Pearl, break for me!!!" Sikong Ding roared. With the aid of the Innate magical treasure, he successfully broke through from the Demi Immortal Realm to the Immortal Realm.
In a mere six months, he had transformed from an unknown cowherd into an Immortal Realm cultivator. This transformation was entirely due to his own efforts, with a little help from the Innate magical treasure named Xuan Shen Pearl, particularly its ability to help him ignore Cultivation bottlenecks. His perception, however, was not mistaken. Cultivation demanded resources and legacies—things the Xuan Shen Pearl could not provide. He had to acquire everything by fighting, counter-killing, and employing various other methods along his journey. To Sikong Ding, reaching the Immortal Realm in six months didn't feel particularly fast, especially with the assistance of an Innate magical treasure.
"Success," Sikong Ding said in a deep voice.
The destined protagonists of the Green Nether Fairyland and its lower realms, unlike those from the predecessor 'main character's world'—the Zombie World—did not engage in pursuits like forming harems or fostering ambiguous relationships. Here, the protagonists' goals were generally straightforward: to achieve immortality, establish a legacy, and become figures of great standing. It was rare for any of them to lose their composure over matters of the heart or for members of the opposite sex. In other worlds, romantic interests might be used to bind characters or drive the plot, but not here. Due to the intense competition, if you didn't strive against others, others would strive to bring about your demise. And this 'demise' was not figurative but literal; insufficient Cultivation and strength truly meant death.
Therefore, most cultivators severed emotional attachments and romantic ties, choosing to pass on their bloodline only when all hope for further breakthroughs was lost. For cultivators, emotional entanglements like love could easily lead to their Dao Xin shattering or cause them to Walk Fire into Demon. However, causing someone from the Demon Path to genuinely fall in love was exceedingly difficult. More importantly, certain acts of physical intimacy could lead to a leakage of one's Cultivation, not to mention that childbirth could endanger one's foundational Cultivation, among other issues.
Sikong Ding, being a Loose Cultivator by origin, was acutely aware of these underlying difficulties and thus avoided any such emotional entanglements.
The Immortal Realm is just the beginning, Sikong Ding mused. As expected of an Innate magical treasure! While others are currently unable to cultivate or achieve breakthroughs, all I need to do is cultivate step-by-step and increase my Cultivation Technique Proficiency, and my cultivation level will rise in tandem. It's simply heaven-defying! He was quite pleased with himself. If Cultivation didn't require resources, he even fantasized about directly reaching the Ancestor Immortal Realm by merely grinding his Proficiency. Unfortunately, the resources required for each realm increased exponentially.
Things were manageable in the Demi Immortal Realm, as only Immortal Spirit Stones were needed. But upon reaching the Immortal Realm, without a Sect or marketplace to monopolize resources, it was incredibly difficult for a Loose Cultivator to obtain the corresponding cultivation materials.
However, Sikong Ding had a better solution: Robbery! Yes, directly plundering resources from Sects and marketplaces. Times were different now. Due to the Southern Territory's disastrous defeat, these factions had weakened to varying degrees. He just needed to identify a target, strike fast, and flee. There was no need to confront them directly. Of course, stealing undetected would be even better.
As for morality, Sikong Ding possessed it before becoming a cultivator. However, the cruelty and intense competition he had experienced in the mere six months since becoming one were enough to make him cast morality aside. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived to this day.
With the weakening of the Sects, public order naturally deteriorated. The powerful forces that once maintained stability were lost in the Southern Territory, and those at the bottom of society inevitably began to harbor other ambitions. Fortunately, an Ancestor Immortal still presided over the Central Territory, preventing it from completely descending into chaos. Consequently, many had chosen to defect to the Evil Domain, becoming Evil Cultivators controlled by magical artifacts. Although they became slaves, at least their lives were spared. As for the other three territories, they offered no path to survival, so no one defected to them. This, in turn, allowed the Evil Domain's territory to begin expanding.
The nearest marketplace... Sikong Ding had no intention of defecting to any of the four territories. He planned to focus on self-improvement; he had no inclination to become a slave. He had barely taken time to celebrate his breakthrough before plunging headlong into the next stage of his advancement. Such diligence made him an anomaly among cultivators. Among a pack of intensely competitive individuals, many of whom were prone to procrastination, one who didn't delay—Sikong Ding—was a true outlier. Admittedly, the terms 'procrastination' and 'intense competition' seemed somewhat contradictory when placed together.
Soon, a brand-new plan—steal first, then rob if necessary—formed in Sikong Ding's mind. From execution to retreat, the entire process was meticulously detailed.
However, just as he was about to act, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss.
BOOM!!!
The entire world trembled violently. Looking up, he saw massive cracks appearing in the sky. This sudden development caught him completely off guard, his expression a mask of astonishment. What... what is happening? Could this be the cataclysm of the Central Territory? Sikong Ding's face turned deathly pale.
Although cracks had appeared, the sky itself wasn't shattered and was even slowly healing and recovering. This allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. If a true cataclysm were to befall the Central Territory, my death would be certain. Even a mighty Ancestor Immortal couldn't resist it. I only possess an Innate magical treasure; how could I dare boast of resolving it? In the face of such a cataclysm, I'm less than an ant. Countless Immortal Emperors and Immortal Venerates have perished without a trace; how could a mere Immortal Realm cultivator like me possibly survive?
But before he could fully exhale his relief, tiny golden specks of light began to emerge from the cracks in the sky. This made him somewhat puzzled. What are those? The next moment he looked, he noticed these small golden specks were gradually growing larger. Is something falling from beyond the heavens? he wondered, still puzzled. Since the golden specks were numerous and widely scattered, he wasn't worried about being hit.
Could they be extraordinary treasures from beyond the heavens? His heart skipped a beat. He didn't care why the sky of the Green Nether Fairyland was damaged or what the fate of the Central Territory would be; these were not matters he could resolve. But if I could obtain one of these extraordinary treasures from beyond the heavens, it would be a massive boost to my strength!
No sooner had this thought arisen than he noticed the golden specks seemed to be converging and growing larger. In his eyes, they had transformed from mere specks into distinct beams of golden light. It was then he realized that these 'treasures from beyond the heavens' were likely colossal.
Not good! They seem to be heading right for me! Upon closer inspection, an instinctive sense of crisis welled up. He keenly perceived that the converging golden light was indeed plummeting towards his location. His expression changed drastically, and without a moment's hesitation, he turned and fled. He desired the treasures from beyond the heavens, true, but he wanted to obtain them alive, not be smashed into mincemeat by so many of them.
Sikong Ding felt a wave of helplessness. He'd never imagined his Luck could be so abysmal as to place him directly at the landing site of these 'treasures.' As he retreated, he discovered something peculiar: not only was he failing to escape the landing zone of these sky-borne objects, but he was actually getting closer to them.
Damn it, what is going on?! As the golden light drew nearer, he could finally discern their forms. To his utter astonishment, they were enormous Golden Light Towers! And no matter how he tried to flee, he couldn't escape the range of these Golden Light Towers; it was as if they were specifically targeting him.
If this keeps up, I'm undoubtedly finished! Sikong Ding could sense the aura emanating from these Golden Light Towers. It had started at the Immortal Monarch Realm level but had already surged to the Immortal Emperor Realm. If nothing unexpected happened, by the time these Golden Light Towers landed, their power would likely escalate to the Immortal Sovereign Realm, or perhaps even the Ancient Immortal Realm. At that point, forget resisting; I'll be crushed into paste!
The thought had barely flashed through his mind when he looked up again. The Golden Light Towers had arrived. A terrifying pressure radiated outwards, rendering him completely immobile.
"Impossible! This is impossible! How can they be so fast?!" Sikong Ding roared, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets, consumed by unwillingness. Why me?!
In the very next instant, the Golden Light Towers descended like a torrential rain, smashing directly onto the earth. Sikong Ding, unable to escape in time, was unequivocally crushed into a bloody pulp. His Innate Magical Treasure Xuan Shen Pearl detached from his remains and attempted to flee. However, from within one of the Golden Light Towers, a massive, golden, glass-like hand extended. It seized the pitch-black pearl and instantly crushed it into fine powder.
"Two years... I have finally arrived in the Green Nether Fairyland," a voice like the chanting of Buddhist scriptures resonated, echoing through the air.