Cultivation Starts from Killing Pigs-Chapter 396 - 327: Immortal Ship Exploration, Palace Master Emerges
No wonder even the Thousand-Handed Buddha Corpse, which came from the Celestial Craft Immortal Realm, could not resist the temptation and ultimately perished.
Zhang Kui squinted his eyes slightly and cautiously turned around to leave.
This thing was simply something he couldn’t handle at the moment.
After avoiding the Dust Heart Cloth’s spatial white mist and arriving on the right side, Zhang Kui’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Originally, it was unknown what this place was, but now it had become a ruin. Several hundred-meter-tall Ancient Bronze Mirrors had smashed the palace along with the deck, mingling bricks, fragments of Ancient Bronze Mirrors, large and small Cave Heaven Divine Crystals, along with corpses, evil Qi and Spirit Light mixed together, rising continuously like flames.
Under the Tongyou Skill, one could see that the Cave Heaven Divine Crystal deck below had been completely destroyed, with no Arrays present.
Zhang Kui suddenly smiled.
Immortal Treasures might be good, but the ruins on these Immortal Ships were what mattered most to him right now.
The Immortal Corpses buried in the ruins had slept for millennia in the evil Qi and Spirit Light. To say they hadn’t spawned any oddities would be unbelievable, only that they hadn’t been disturbed yet.
However, Zhang Kui naturally had methods to deal with them.
He immediately cast a spell with a flourish of techniques and used the Transportation Skill, only to see the ruins with Spirit Light rising suddenly, with massive Cave Heaven Divine Crystals and fragments of Ancient Bronze Mirrors continuously disappearing into thin air...
...
Qingzhou, Celestial Water Palace.
Ever since Zhang Kui established the Profound Sect, each faction in the Divine Continent gradually became quieter because the Seventy-two Halls of Earth Demons in Kunlun Mountain offered a systematic and profound Taoist Skill. People earned merit, went to the Underworld to join teams for training, keeping almost everyone busy, not stopping for a moment.
Celestial Water Palace was naturally no exception. If not for the disciples who did not like disputes and enjoyed tranquility, regularly cleaning up, it might have already fallen into ruin.
At this time, the year had turned cold. After winter’s first snow fell heavily across the sky, the lake surface froze over, making the snow-covered palace appear even more solitary.
In a lakeside cottage, a purple clay pot bubbled over the stove, with a few female cultivators brewing tea and discussing Tao. As they talked, they drifted into gossip.
"Senior Sister Qiushui is indeed formidable. I heard that in recent days, a You Dynasty army tried to stage a surprise attack from the Underworld, discovered by their Vast Sea Team. Just one Starship blocked tens of thousands of troops, and Divine Island City issued a city-wide commendation..."
"I fear the second batch of Starships will be assigned to the Vast Sea Team. Then, Senior Sister, do invite us for a tour."
"I heard Senior Brother Zhusheng has advanced to the Mahayana Realm. Upon reaching Mahayana, one’s lifespan is extended by at least a few millennia. Junior Sister Kui Ling should feel some pressure, as she resigned from her Yellow Pavilion duties to go into seclusion for cultivation."
"The Earth Demon Skill is indeed mystical, but since we base ourselves on the Celestial Water Scripture, if only the Master were here to guide us..."
"Oh, Master has been in seclusion for so long, we don’t even know..."
Just as they were speaking, they suddenly felt a tingling sensation all over, with crackling electric lights flashing, and all looked toward the direction of the main hall.
There, a graceful figure appeared, connecting heaven and earth, the sleeves of a palace dress fluttering, akin to an Immortal descending to the world.
"Master has emerged from seclusion!"
The female disciples were instantly overjoyed.
Above the main hall of Celestial Water Palace, Gu Ziqing hovered in midair, all surrounded by Spirit Light, gazing across the snow-capped mountains with eyes full of emotion.
"I once thought there was no hope ahead, yet here I am today..."
She was also lucky to have advanced to the Mahayana Realm. After studying the Five Elements Skill in the Earth Demon Hall, she gained deeper understanding of the water path.
Besides, all Ancient Secret Realms within the Divine Continent had been opened, uncovering numerous ancient Taoist skills, thus remedying the defects of the Celestial Water Scripture, leading to her breakthrough to Mahayana in one go.
Suddenly, Gu Ziqing remembered something and with a wave of her hand, a Treasure Pearl appeared, resembling a bright moon, surrounded by clouds and mist. Below, the disciples seemed to see the magnificent scene of a bright moon rising from the vast sea.
This was the Divine Artifact Bright Moon Pearl entrusted to her by Zhang Kui before her seclusion, usable only by those in the Mahayana Realm without depleting one’s lifespan, the implication clear.
"Taoist Friend Zhang is indeed considerate..."
Gu Ziqing shook her head slightly and, with a flash, returned to the main hall, where several dozen disciples rushed to greet her with clasped hands:
"Congratulations, Master on advancing to Mahayana."
"It was merely a stroke of luck this time."
Gu Ziqing was clearly in high spirits. "Your master took the opportunity to make up for the deficiencies in the Celestial Water Scripture. The Seventy-two Skills of Earth Demons take the Golden Core Skill as fundamental and require enduring countless tribulations to achieve the Tao. Even prodigies find it difficult. Therefore, you need not force yourselves. The current Celestial Water Scripture suffices to practice to Mahayana."
"Thank you, Master!"
The disciples hurriedly bowed in gratitude.
After passing down the Tao Scriptures, Gu Ziqing didn’t linger, instead offering the Bright Moon Pearl, transforming into a stream of water-colored light, heading toward central Qingzhou.
Soon after, a vast plain appeared before her eyes.
On the plain, several large cities were built, lined with pavilions and towers, with countless folks bustling about, a scene of prosperity.
And at the center of the plain, a mountain shaped like a volcano rose from the ground, lush with Spirit Wood, surrounded by white spiritual mist, with a deep crater from which Red Lotus Karmic Fire blazed fiercely.
Qingzhou had set up a Ding Fire Array, most suitable for nurturing Yin Attribute Spirit Fire. After transforming the Earth Evil Flame-Spitting Skill into a Divine Skill, as the foundation of the Divine Skill, Zhang Kui placed a source of Red Lotus Karmic Fire here.
As the manager of Qingzhou, Gu Ziqing naturally guarded it closely.
Upon arriving at the mountain, Gu Ziqing had just entered the main hall, preparing to summon the Yellow Pavilion and Star Official to inquire about recent matters, when the Divine Court Bell rang once inside the hall, followed by the appearance of Elder Huayan’s phantom.
"Congratulations to Taoist Friend Gu for advancing to Mahayana."
Gu Ziqing was not surprised, as the Divine Path network grew increasingly powerful, and by referring to the Moon-taking Skill from the Seventy-two Skills of Earth Demons, it was already possible to project an image from a thousand miles away.
"Elder Huayin is also about to..."
Gu Ziqing nodded with a smile.
"So many troubles to worry about."
Elder Huayan sighed, then his expression turned serious. "Taoist Friend Gu, Celestial Essence Star is in great chaos. Now that you’ve advanced to Mahayana, it’s best to leave Qingzhou matters to others and swiftly head to Shazhou’s Siling Mountain..."
As Elder Huayan explained, Gu Ziqing’s expression continuously shifted. She hadn’t expected that in just a few months of her seclusion, the world had already changed dramatically.
Upon understanding the current situation, Gu Ziqing hesitated not for a moment, immediately summoning a Yellow Pavilion cultivator with a square face.
This person was named Wang Tong, a local cultivator from Qingzhou, known for his cautious and magnanimous nature. After entering the Yellow Pavilion, he dedicated himself earnestly, serving as Qingzhou’s temporary manager in her absence.
Gu Ziqing was quite at ease with him. Surprisingly, a small monkey followed Wang Tong, dressed in a black robe from the Earth Pavilion, appearing quite agile.
"Who is this..."
Gu Ziqing frowned and asked.
Wang Tong quickly explained, "Reporting to Venerate Gu, his name is Feiyun, a new Demon Cultivator with considerable talent, valued by both the Earth Pavilion and the Demon God Hall, sent to train with me."
Gu Ziqing nodded slightly, not concerned. After giving detailed instructions, she transformed into a stream of water-colored Spirit Light and disappeared into the sky.
The little monkey’s eyes shone with light, silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Wang Tong chuckled, "Though you’re a genius, you are still in the Grain Avoidance Realm and don’t even know good enough to practice the Golden Core Skill. It might take hundreds of years before you can fly, so don’t envy it."
"Flying is nothing."
The little monkey twitched its nose, "My goal has changed. I want to traverse the Star Sea in the future!"
Poof!
Wang Tong almost burst out laughing, "Alright, alright, remember to take me along then. Let’s go, there’s still much to be done..."
"Don’t underestimate a monkey!"
The little monkey snorted unconvincingly, closely following behind.
On the other side, Gu Ziqing arrived at Siling Mountain in Shazhou, where a Starship and allocated team awaited her.
Unlike the initial models, where the sitting Mahayana only needed to give orders to Immortal Slaves to easily steer, the new Starships required teams to operate the Divine Fire Cannon, familiarity with moving Divine Path Networks, and proficiency in coordinated combat instructions. Even for a Mahayana Divine Soul expert, it would take some time.
"Greetings, Venerate Gu."
The team leader was a bald, robust man, exuding a steady and fierce aura.
"Yuan Kong?"
Gu Ziqing was somewhat surprised, "Weren’t you stationed at the Earth Pavilion?"
It turned out this bald man was Yuan Kong, the former Astronomical Bureau commander in Lanzhou, who continued to serve as commander after joining the Earth Pavilion following the establishment of the Kaiyuan Divine Dynasty.
"Reporting to Venerate."
Yuan Kong’s expression was firm, "The Divine Continent may be stable now, but external lands are rampant on the borders. How can we stay leisurely at the rear?"
Gu Ziqing nodded, feeling sentimentally stirred inside.
The Kaiyuan Divine Dynasty was changing daily, and even she, one of its founders, felt a sense of things having changed when coming out of seclusion even for a short time.
Helian Wei had become the commander of the Starship in Quanzhou...
Qiushui was already a role model for many female cultivators of the Divine Dynasty...
Ye Fei, courageous and strong, was long no longer the naive young man of the past...
People gathered and scattered, and the tides came and went. Each person’s fate kept changing, eventually converging into a great tide of destiny, heading toward an unimaginable future.
Taoist Friend Zhang, where exactly will you lead us?
