Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 815 - 798: Seizing the Pill!

The previously bored and uninterested Zhouyang immediately perked up after Xin Changming finished explaining the miraculous effects of the [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pill].

Although his cultivation had been stuck at the Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul bottleneck for not too long, he had already felt its difficulty and realized that breaking through it wasn't something he could achieve in a short time.

Originally, his plan was to first cultivate other divine techniques and comprehend the Heaven and Earth Laws, slowly seeking opportunities to break through the bottleneck.

This is also a common method used by many cultivators to break through bottlenecks.

A cultivation bottleneck is something that might hold a cultivator for a lifetime or could gradually dissipate over time under the cultivator's persistent efforts year after year.

Therefore, the longer a cultivator's remaining lifespan, the greater the probability of them breaking through a bottleneck.

Zhouyang wasn't worried about being stuck at the Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul bottleneck because he had a long lifespan of fifteen to sixteen hundred years.

However, if there was a way to quickly break through the bottleneck, he would certainly be happier.

So, upon learning of the miraculous effects of this Tier Six Top-Grade Spirit Pill from Xin Changming, he secretly made up his mind to participate in the competition for this treasure.

Time did not keep Zhouyang waiting long. After the Tier Seven beings discussed the ascension technique for about three days, they ended their conversation.

However, they were all figures who had cultivated for thousands of years, and after finishing the discussion, they showed no indications of their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the results, leaving Zhouyang and others unable to discern their thoughts.

"Alright, about the ascension technique, let's proceed as we've discussed. In this regard, I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Feng and Fellow Daoist Lei Yu to travel around. Next, let's talk about matters these juniors are interested in."

As the host, [Master Withered Wood] was the first to wave his hand, ending the voice transmission discussion.

He glanced over Zhouyang and the other Nascent Soul Stage cultivators in the hall and said with a smile, "I know you juniors have been waiting impatiently. This time, a total of four [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pills] have been made. Besides the two that I'm keeping for my two granddaughters to use for their future breakthrough into the Late-Stage Nascent Soul, as for the remaining two, it's up to your own abilities to determine who gets them."

"From what Fellow Daoist Kumu is saying, does this mean the juniors will have to compete in magical combat to determine the winners?"

Feng Wuji, a middle-aged man in a blue robe, frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, seeming somewhat displeased with this approach.

The ugly old crone, Granny Wan, also showed an unhappy expression and said, "If the winners are determined by magical combat, wouldn't the junior with a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact and the junior at the Ninth Layer Nascent Soul almost certainly secure the top two spots? Fellow Daoist Kumu, this isn't quite fair, is it!"

Because the [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pill] can only be effective for cultivators below Tier Seven, its best use phase is for an Eighth-Layer Nascent Soul cultivator breaking through to the Ninth Layer Nascent Soul.

Feng Wuji's two disciples, together with the two Tier Six aliens brought by Granny Wan, were all at this stage of cultivation.

Now, if their disciples and juniors were to compete against Zhouyang and Xin Changming, who were evidently superior in strength, the chances of victory would be negligible, which naturally left them dissatisfied.

"Don't be hasty, Fellow Daoists. I haven't finished speaking yet."

[Master Withered Wood] smiled, waved his hand, and continued, "In a moment, I will place the two [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pills] on the top of the [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Wood]. Whoever among you juniors can reach the top first and take them will own them."

Hearing this, both Feng Wuji and Granny Wan's eyes lit up, and they immediately exclaimed, "Great, let's do it this way."

"Isn't this way unfair, Fellow Daoists? You've brought two disciples and juniors each. According to Fellow Daoist Kumu's method, your disciples and juniors stand to gain the most, don't they?"

The Thunder Feather True Spirit frowned slightly at the two of them, unable to resist speaking up for Zhouyang.

Feng Wuji's eyes flickered upon hearing this but he didn't speak.

Granny Wan, however, chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoist Lei Yu, you are mistaken. The [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pill] is, after all, Fellow Daoist Kumu's private possession. How it is distributed is not something we outsiders have a say in."

Upon seeing this, the Thunder Feather True Spirit couldn't help but glance at Du Chongyang, only to find that he just smiled without saying anything.

He could only slightly shake his head at Zhouyang, making no further sound.

And so, the matter was settled.

Soon, those participating in the competition for the [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pill], including Zhouyang, flew out of the treehouse palace and landed at the base of the [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Wood], waiting for the signal from [Master Withered Wood].

While waiting for the signal, Xin Changming sent a voice transmission to Zhouyang, inviting him to ally against other competitors.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, Elder Feng and Granny Wan's disciples and juniors will certainly team up against us later. If we fight alone, our chances of winning are slim. How about we join forces as well? After all, there are two [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pills], enough for us to divide."

Zhouyang had actually already thought of this. Seeing Xin Changming propose it a step ahead of him, he naturally wouldn't refuse, and immediately nodded in agreement. "I was thinking the same."

Meanwhile, the few Tier Seven beings still inside the treehouse palace suddenly heard [Master Withered Wood] chuckle and say, "Hehehe, I've made some progress in the way of illusion arrays in recent years. Today, I'll let these juniors showcase it for you, Fellow Daoists, to appreciate."

With that, he formed a spell with his hands, and the towering [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Wood], over three thousand feet high, began to shake. It released a dazzling blue-green spiritual light that completely obscured the view of Zhouyang and the others below, as well as their divine sense.

After a moment, [Master Withered Wood]'s aged voice echoed in their ears, "You may begin now."

Charge!

Upon hearing the voice, Zhouyang immediately leaped forward, diving headlong into the blue-green spiritual light, seemingly forgetting the prior agreement to ally with Xin Changming.

Xin Changming's reaction was almost identical, showing no intention of acknowledgment.

Both were seasoned figures and knew well that the so-called alliance for the pill was contingent on their inability to obtain it individually.

Otherwise, starting as a joint front would only spur the other four to ally against them, making it equally disadvantageous in a two-against-four scenario.

As soon as Zhouyang charged into the blue-green spiritual light, he was shocked to find that the [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Wood] had suddenly become three trees. Each one was identical in appearance and aura, making it impossible to discern the real from the fake.

Upon entering this place, he felt the presence of a strong Power of Forbidden Sky, so powerful that even he could not resist it, rendering any flying escape technique unusable.

"Two false, one real. It really comes down to luck this time. Fellow Daoist Zhou, good luck. I'll go ahead first,"

Just as Zhouyang was contemplating how to identify the real [Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Wood] from the three towering trees, Xin Changming's voice suddenly reached his ears. Then he saw a golden figure flash by, rushing up the leftmost towering tree.

For a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, even without flying, climbing to the top of a three-thousand-foot-tall tree was merely a matter of spending a little more time. It wasn't particularly difficult.

As Zhouyang watched this scene unfold, a thought flashed through his mind: "On what basis does he assume that particular tree is real?"

In this moment of hesitation, Feng Wuji and Granny Wan's disciples and juniors exchanged glances and began climbing the other two trees.

Seeing this, Zhouyang finally realized and understood the reasoning.

He realized that even someone with a Divine Sense as powerful as his couldn't distinguish the authenticity of the three trees, so naturally, no one else could either.

Thus, these people were gambling not only on luck but also on speed.

Whoever could climb to the top of one tree first would naturally have the time to move on to the next tree.

Despite priding himself on being clever, he hadn't considered such a simple reasoning until now.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he too prepared to imitate the five people and choose a tree to climb.

When it came to the speed of climbing trees, his body was as formidable as a Flood Dragon of the same tier, so he naturally feared no one.

He casually chose the tree that Feng Wuji's two disciples were climbing and immediately exhibited the Cyan Dragon Transformation Divine Technique, transforming halfway into a dragon as he began climbing rapidly.

Due to the tree trunk being so wide, Zhouyang didn't even have to worry about Feng Wuji's two disciples noticing him.

And within just half an hour, he had climbed two-thirds of the tree trunk.

But suddenly, as if recalling something, his body abruptly halted, and he stopped climbing.

"Something's wrong; a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal's trial can't be so straightforward! There must be something wrong with this tree!"

Zhouyang's eyes flashed sharply, and he suddenly shouted, punching the tree trunk.

Instantly, green light erupted in front of him, and the scene quickly changed.

Looking ahead, where were the three towering giant trees? There was clearly only one tree standing there, and the tree he had been climbing for so long was just a repetitive movement within a range of less than a hundred feet.

Looking around, Zhouyang saw Xin Changming and others, bent over like monkeys pretending to climb, crawling back and forth on the ground, incredibly funny.

But Zhouyang couldn't laugh at all because he realized his tree-climbing appearance must have been even more ridiculous.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look up toward the top of the towering giant tree.

Surely those Tier Seven beings were watching them like a monkey show now!

Whoosh—

Zhouyang took a deep breath to calm himself, then swiftly moved toward the true Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Wood.

Upon arriving under the tree, he didn't rush to climb but directly punched the trunk instead.

Inside the tree house palace, Master Withered Wood saw this, his lips twitching slightly, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Hehe, this little friend has quite a temper, but I can't let him damage this tree!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and Zhouyang's punch on the trunk had the same effect as hitting a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact itself, not only causing no harm to the trunk but also breaking his own knuckles.

"Seems like this time it's real."

Grimacing in pain, he circulated his Magical Power internally, and his hand injury quickly began to heal, and then he jumped onto the tree trunk to climb.

But at this moment, Xin Changming and others suddenly snapped out of the illusion realm.

"Wait, Fellow Daoist Zhou, hold on for Xin!"

Just awakened, Xin Changming was the fastest to react, after just a slight pause of two or three breaths, immediately shouting and charging toward the towering giant tree.

"It's not good to eat alone, Fellow Daoist Zhou should wait for us brothers."

Daoist Qinghong shouted loudly, charging toward the towering giant tree while swinging his hand toward Zhouyang, summoning a green long rope Magical Artifact to ensnare him.

"If Daoist Qinghong wants to play, Zhou will accompany the Daoist to play."

A cold voice suddenly rang out from the tree, and the green long rope summoned by Daoist Qinghong was directly covered by a green spiritual net, twisting like a snake within the net, only to be tightened even further in the process.

"External Incarnation!"

Daoist Qinghong muttered quietly, his face turned ugly, and looked at the green-clothed man on the tree trunk, with his heart sinking.

Zhouyang actually had an External Incarnation in the same realm as his true self, which he hadn't anticipated at all.

Not only he, but even Xin Changming and others, and a group of Tier Seven beings inside the tree house palace were quite shocked.

"Why does this External Incarnation have a trace of Thunder Tribulation aura? Fellow Daoists, what do you think?"

Feng Wuji, with a face full of disbelief, looked at Zhouyang's incarnation, almost doubting his own eyes.

"I sensed a pure Wood Spirit aura from this incarnation. This Zhou Xiaoyou's incarnation should be refined using the Heart of the Tree Demon, and it's very likely refined from the heart of a Tier Six High-grade Tree Demon King who failed the True Spirit Celestial Tribulation!"

Master Withered Wood's eyes flashed with purple brilliance, sweeping over Zhouyang's incarnation, instantly revealing its background.

"Fellow Daoist Kumu has a keen eye, recognizing the root of Fellow Daoist Zhou's incarnation at a glance. Indeed, this incarnation was refined using the heart of a Tree Demon King who failed the Tribulation, and that Tree Demon King was only one Thunder Tribulation away from success!"

Thunder Feather True Spirit looked at Master Withered Wood with slight surprise but didn't avoid mentioning anything, revealing Zhouyang's incarnation's true origin.

"If what Fellow Daoist Lei Yu said is true, then the potential of Fellow Daoist Zhou's incarnation is vast indeed!"

Master Withered Wood's eyes flashed with surprise, and he couldn't help but sigh with a hint of envy.

He then glanced over at Feng Wuji, Granny Wan, and others, suddenly saying, "Since Fellow Daoist Zhou has such potential, I'll take the initiative to give him a Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pill. Fellow Daoists, what do you think?"

"As Granny Wan mentioned earlier, the Spirit Pill was originally refined by Fellow Daoist Kumu, so how Fellow Daoist distributes it isn't our business, and there's no need to consult us."

Du Chongyang, who hadn't spoken, smiled slightly and expressed words that made Granny Wan, who was about to speak, stiffen her face and close her mouth unwillingly.

Meanwhile, Feng Wuji's eyes flashed but he didn't say anything, implicitly agreeing.

Thus, under Master Withered Wood's deliberate leniency, Zhouyang originally needed to undergo some trials but instead climbed smoothly to the top of the tree, finding the Jade Bottle containing the Heaven-Reaching Qiankun Pill on a leaf.