Shangyuque

Chapter 184 A meteor streaks across the sky, the world changes color, the five realms tremble, and a drop of water returns to the Immortal Venerable position.
A golden bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, unleashing tremendous power.

Wherever it passed, all living beings were awestruck by its powerful aura and looked up in awe.

It looks impressive, but it's actually just average.

If it's controlled well, there won't be so much wasted energy.

The overwhelming power created by a lack of control is like a child wielding a long sword in the eyes of a true strongman, only making a fool of oneself.

However, Wang Yulou was not afraid of being laughed at.

He can laugh all he wants; he doesn't care what others think.

With two major battles raging, travel safety is of utmost importance.

Inside the golden shuttle-shaped flying vehicle, sixteen experienced Foundation Establishment cultivators were working at full speed, propelling this top-grade spiritual artifact to fly at its maximum speed.

Wang Yulou sat among them, silently seizing every minute to cultivate.

As the defender of the central line, he certainly couldn't leave it easily, but the two battlefields had stabilized once again.

Gua Zhenren's intervention actually fixed the intensity of the battle, at least temporarily.

Thus, Wang Yulou dared to temporarily leave his post.

His destination on this trip was Lotus Fairy City.

Lotus Immortal City, located at the intersection of the three sects in the northwest corner of Wunan, is less than three thousand miles away from the Central Line Guardian Pass. With the full power of the sixteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Golden Thunder Shuttle can reach a speed of four thousand miles in one hour.

In essence, it can be understood that Wang Yulou took a special express car and made a trip to Lotus Immortal City during his spare time.

The purpose of this trip is for the auction of Lotus Immortal City.

The Fairy City Auction House in Lotus Fairy City holds a major auction every six months.

Wang Yulou had been cultivating for many years, but every time he wanted to participate, he missed it for various reasons.

When he was in the Western Sea, there was nothing he wanted to buy. But after he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he no longer needed anything. Under the pressure of Old Zhou waiting for him to enter the bridal chamber, how could Wang Yulou be in the mood to spend money in Lotus Immortal City?

After Lao Zhou died, things changed too quickly and drastically, like a fleeting glimpse into a dream.

After guarding the central lines of the two fronts for half a year, Wang Yulou finally had time to participate in the grand auction at the Lotus Immortal City Auction House.

The golden lightning bolt moved with incredible speed, arriving at Lotus Immortal City in no time.

At the entrance of Lotus Cave Heaven, Wang Yulou led more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators down the Golden Thunder Shuttle, and the Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the entrance hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.

Most people in Lotus Immortal City know about Wang Yuque, the most famous cultivator on the front lines of the Red Lanterns.

"Alright, no need for trouble. The Red Lantern Central Guard has a branch office in Lotus Immortal City."

An Hening shielded Wang Yulou from interference from irrelevant people. He had come in advance to scout the location and had already determined the specific procedures for Wang Yulou's visit to the Immortal City.

As a massive frontline core hub with tens of thousands of cultivators under its command, the Central Line Guard Pass even has branches in the distant Great Tiantai Mountain. The purpose of setting up these branches is to better procure the items needed by the Special Merit Hall.

In fact, Wang Yulou now holds multiple positions, and he has accomplished quite well the two goals that Xuan Zhuan set for him to achieve on the front lines.

With multiple systems operating around Wang Yulou as the core, how could Wang Yulou possibly worry about the Purple Mansion opportunity in the future?

"Senior Yuque, this way please."

Upon seeing Wang Yulou finally arrive, Wang Yaohai, who was guarding the gate of the immortal city, hurriedly led his men to greet him. He currently works in the Rumor Bureau of Lotus Immortal City, the central garrison, and serves as the seal of the bureau.

As a member of the Dripping Water Cave lineage, Wang Yaohai was naturally a direct descendant of Wang Yulou. He was already a direct descendant, and now he is even more so.

"Fellow Daoist Yuque, Yaohai's work in the Immortal City has been very effective. He even persuaded the owner of the auction house to put the auction of several treasures that you are interested in last."

"Our journey will take about an hour, after which we will leave this place and return to the garrison."

This time, Wang Yulou came and went quickly, skipping the two and a half days of tedious time before the main auction and going straight to the last day to make his purchases.

Wang Yulou's act of slacking off did not violate the sect's rules and would not be punished, because his status had reached a point where no one except Mang Xiang could deal with him.

Putting everything else aside, just considering Wang Yulou's crucial role on the front lines of the great battle, without him, the Red Lanterns' front line could have run into problems—the possibility is low, but it certainly exists.

His repeated emphasis on having his subordinates adjust their schedules was entirely out of loyalty to the founder; he had to help the Red Lantern team at least avoid losing.

The patriarch's affairs are Wang Yulou's affairs, no, they are even more important than Wang Yulou's affairs.

Only with this kind of work attitude can one gain a foothold within the incredibly competitive and competitive Mangxiang faction.

"Alright, your main task as the seal bearer is still cultivation. Reaching the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible is more important than anything else."

Otherwise, if Fellow Daoist Ning praises you, I wouldn't even know where to begin with any reward.

Times have changed, and Wang Yulou has now become someone who persuades people to build foundations.

Wang Yulou is also in a difficult position. He is like a donkey dung ball with a shiny surface, but underneath there are so many factions that they are like flies on the donkey dung: Qingxifang faction, Dishuidong faction, Xihai faction, Wang family faction, Xuanzhuan faction inner and outer layers, Mangxiang faction inner and outer layers, internal neutrals, and internal enemies.

With so many factions surrounding Wang Yulou, a true disciple of the Red Lantern Cult, a mid-line garrison cultivator, a special merit hall steward, an assistant to the ruler of the Southern Ye Kingdom, a garrison cultivator of the Fragrant Bamboo Workshop, and a front-line patrol envoy, he needs his own people to help him and to keep an eye on certain people and things for him.

Wang Yaohai was that kind of person. Like Bai Lu, he was someone who was promoted by Wang Yulou.

"Understood, thank you Senior Yuque, thank you Senior Hening."
-
In the inner city of Lotus Immortal City, in front of the auction house.

Lian Siqi and Qiu Mingshen were waiting with a large group of core members of Lotus Immortal City.

Even the auction house was suspended due to Wang Yulou's arrival.

This is Wang Yulou's current status. With the two sects fighting to this point, Wang Yulou, the actual person in charge of the Red Lantern Sect's front line, is no less powerful than the sect leader Huang Qiusheng.

The fact that sixteen experienced Foundation Establishment cultivators escorted Wang Yulou also demonstrates his extraordinary nature.

There are two kinds of cultivators in the world: those who live under the rules and those who participate in making the rules. Wang Yulou happens to be the latter.

"Fellow Daoist Jade Palace!"

Seeing Wang Yulou riding a black dragon horse and leading his men from afar, Lian Siqi hurriedly went forward to greet him.

Lian Chengxian has been dealt with, but the relationship between the two sides is still strained. Knowing that he is in the wrong, Lian Siqi naturally needs to be more attentive. After all, even if the Lian family has a Celestial Venerable as their backer, they cannot make enemies indiscriminately—even the Celestial Venerable's protection is limited, even for his own descendants.

"Fellow Daoist Siqi?"

This was the first time Wang Yulou had met Lian Siqi. As the patriarch of the Lian clan, Lian Siqi was a prominent figure in Lotus Immortal City.

"What happened before was truly unavoidable. We never expected that fool would be targeted and exploited. We hope Fellow Daoist Yuque will forgive us."

"Come on, I'll take you into the auction house right now. We'll put all the items you're interested in up front for bidding."

This was the Lian family's final explanation. Wang Yulou had no choice but to accept it, since Mang Xiang was unlikely to really turn against the two immortals of Lotus Immortal City for Wang Yulou's trivial matter.

The senior cultivators above have reached an agreement; no matter how crucial Wang Yulou's position is, he cannot act recklessly.

"It's not that serious. Just follow the normal procedures. I came on the last afternoon because I wanted to witness the grand auction at Lotus Fairy City."

The Lotus Fairy City auction is very interesting. It is held every six months and lasts for three days each time. Every day, many rare items are mixed in with ordinary items and put on the auction stage.

Information about these treasures will, of course, not be disclosed to outsiders, so as to attract people to participate from beginning to end.

However, Wang Yulou still obtained information on all the auction items. Not to mention the auction house's auction rules, even the Immortal Alliance's rules were nothing more than bargaining chips in Wang Yulou's eyes.

When he is weak, Wang Yulou needs to use the rules very carefully.

Now, he has become one of the most prominent foundation builders in the Red Lantern Gang. If he continues to indiscriminately treat the rules set by others as gospel, Wang Yulou's fate will be certain death.

"Haha, I understand what Fellow Daoist Yuque means. I'm just worried that you're too busy."

Similar to Qiu Lianpu, Qiu Mingshen, who was also beautiful and had a fair complexion, stepped forward and said politely.

"Time is not a problem. I am truly flattered by the warm welcome you all have given me. I will host a dinner after the auction, and you must all come."

"Also, regarding the Lotus Immortal City merit point exchange, I wonder how much Fellow Daoist Mingshen helped me raise?"

In the grand auction at the Lotus Immortal City Auction House, all the good and rare items must be purchased with Lotus Immortal City Merit Points.

In the cultivation world, those at the bottom exchange resources using spirit stones, while those at the top exchange resources using the essence of grotto heavens.

In the middle layer, all resource exchanges are strictly restricted; there are restrictions everywhere.

This rule can be understood as a free market at the bottom and top levels, with a rationing system implemented at the middle level.

The lower classes are free because they have little value, and the cost of exploiting them outweighs the benefits.

The reason why high-ranking officials enjoy freedom is that they are difficult to restrict, and in another direction, the cost of governance outweighs the benefits.

"Seventy thousand points, seventy thousand points! The trading price of merit points in Lotus Immortal City has even been driven up by Fellow Daoist Jade Palace's generous investment, and by a full twenty percent."

Wang Yulou frowned. Seventy thousand Lotus Immortal City merit points weren't actually that many; they were roughly equivalent to the life's work of a dozen or so ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Ultimately, many of the treasures in the auction were targeted subsidies from Lotus Immortal City to its cultivators.

Even if Lian Siqi and Qiu Mingshen were very nice, they wouldn't actually give Wang Yulou too much of a discount.

However, Wang Yulou did not only entrust them to help him exchange for Immortal City Merit Points.

Sitting in the top-floor private room at the auction, Wang Yulou looked down at the densely packed cultivators in the room, remaining silent but with a thoughtful expression.

He thought of something—there are quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal City.

Is there a way to get them to the front lines as 'mercenaries'?
The poor Foundation Establishment cultivators of Lotus Immortal City were unaware that they had already been targeted by Mang Xiang's lackeys.

In the great battle between the Red Lantern and the Heavenly Serpent Sect, Wang Yulou diligently performed his duties. He yearned for the Purple Mansion, and the first step to reaching it was to win the great battle and let the patriarch see his value.

That's why he frantically sought power, why he sent his branch offices to the distant Tiantai Mountain to make purchases, and why he rushed to Lotus Immortal City, hoping to find some good items at the auction and use them as a carrot for the Red Lantern Foundation Establishment cultivators on the front lines.

"The final auction of the grand sale, featuring rare and exceptional items, is about to begin."

As fellow Daoists know, all items auctioned are rare and valuable, and the bidding price is calculated using Immortal City Merit Points.

"Among the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance, those with Immortal Alliance merit points can have their accounts settled at a 5:20 ratio. Alright, let's begin."

The auctioneer briefly explained the rules and then began the auction.

The first item in the auction was a set of needle-shaped magical artifacts, which exuded a sharp, metallic aura and were housed in a needle box made of black jade.

"The Rust Gold Breaking Needle is a low-grade spiritual weapon with twenty-five layers of restrictions. It uses the Rust Gold Breaking Rhyme from the Five Elements Breaking Rhyme, so its effectiveness is self-evident."

Just note that once the Rust Gold Breaking Magic Aura is exhausted, the aura of this needle can only be of the metal element; otherwise, its power will be almost nonexistent.

A set consists of four sticks, but five are missing, so the price is 600 merit points. The price increases by 10 points at a time. Let's begin.

After the auctioneer finished introducing the spirit needles, An Hening also used her divine sense to remind Wang Yulou.

"Buying the Rusty Gold Breaking Magic Aura and getting the Spiritual Needle as a free gift isn't necessary. If you're interested in the Rusty Gold Breaking Magic Aura, it's best to wait. This thing is produced somewhere, so you'll eventually get it."

Old An is a seasoned Foundation Establishment expert and is very familiar with the ins and outs of the Lotus Immortal City auction.

The exchange rate between merit points and spirit stones in Lotus Immortal City is approximately 1 to 60, meaning 600 merit points are equivalent to 36,000 spirit stones.

The price of four incomplete and mismatched spirit needles is actually reasonable, but the rusted gold magic-breaking aura is valuable, as this kind of magic-breaking aura can determine the outcome of a magic duel.

So the set of spirit needles was quickly auctioned off for 1,100 merit points.

Then, all sorts of rare and precious items were placed on the auction stage.

Starting with mid-grade spiritual artifacts, the upper limit is seventh-grade spiritual materials that can be used as the base material for magical treasures.

Wang Yulou was spending public funds, so he participated in the bidding for almost all the slightly better spiritual materials.

Buy, buy, buy! I don't care about the money.

At his level, money is very important, especially since even the pensions for Qi Refining cultivators on the front lines can't be paid out.

But money isn't that important. If it can't be paid out, it can't be paid out. Wang Yulou can't solve this problem—he can't further affect the interests of all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This is different from the Special Hall of Merit that was established before. The Special Hall of Merit was designed to serve the victory of the war, and even if there was opposition, a balance of interests could be found after a long period of work.

If we blindly pursue grandiose plans and misappropriate the funds meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators' compensation to the front lines, things could really go wrong.

The resources that Wang Yulou auctioned in Lotus Immortal City belonged to the budget of the Special Merit Hall and the Central Line Guard Pass, which were separate from the sect's budget for relief.

That's why he can afford to buy so extravagantly.

The logical solution would be to allocate a portion of the funds to compensate for the pension shortfall caused by those who died in the Qi Refining Battle on the front lines, but doing so would be unreasonable.

During that year, Wang Yulou became increasingly aware of the harm caused by his excessively high moral constraints during the war.

Too many choices ultimately boil down to a choice between two options—either make others the cost, or make yourself the cost.

Those who choose the latter will be eliminated by systemic violence, an inevitable elimination, and will have no chance to move up.

It's cruel, but we have to choose.

"The twenty-seventh treasure—White Dragon Golden Soil. This is the golden soil of the Demon God. There are seven portions in total, each weighing three hundred catties. The starting bid is six hundred merit points. Begin!"

Golden soil is the excrement of the White-Bearded General.
Although it's hard to hold, this thing is really extraordinary. It looks like shit, and it is shit, but it contains dragon essence.

Many spirit beasts can eat excrement. After eating General Whitebeard's golden soil, they might even be able to absorb the dragon essence within it.

Moreover, the golden soil of the demon god can also play an excellent role in cultivating spiritual plants and herbs.

Therefore, the starting bid of 36,000 spirit stones and 300 catties is actually a good deal.

Wang Yulou directly bid on three whole portions, spending approximately 120,000 spirit stones, equivalent to about 130 spirit stones per pound of excrement.

Well, it's a rare resource after all, so it's worth it. You know, the Golden Soil of the Demon God is not something you can buy under normal circumstances.
"The twenty-eighth treasure—the Great Dewdrop Pill. One pill covers one aperture. Even if one cannot fully cultivate one aperture, it can greatly increase the progress of cultivation. Starting bid."

The auctioneer stopped abruptly halfway through his speech.

Not only him, but all the Foundation Establishment cultivators were stunned.

Cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage have already stepped into the threshold of immortality. Three hundred and sixty years of lifespan may not seem like much, but it is still immortality.

Their presence in the world was much more significant compared to when they were cultivating Qi.

Therefore, cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage can often sense changes in the world.

Such as now.

"what happened?"

"Anger. Anger! Is the heavens and earth angry?"

"Don't panic, we're in the grotto-heaven, in the immortal city, we won't have any major problems."

Inside the private room where Wang Yulou was, the dozen or so senior Foundation Establishment cultivators who had escorted him all the way were discussing the changes in the world. An Hening looked at Wang Yulou and asked with concern and confusion.

"Fellow Daoist Yuque, what should we do?"

Heaven and earth are enraged; who can remain calm under such wrath?
Sensing the wrath of heaven and earth, Wang Yulou spoke with a cold gaze.

"Wait!"

This world is full of secrets. The great cultivators of the top powers monopolize rare resources, including priceless information.

Therefore, even Wang Yulou didn't know what had happened.

For example, why is Heaven and Earth angry?
A moment ago, it was raining.

The mid-grade immortal artifact, the Water-Dripping Immortal Shell, was Bai Xiaoyu's—no, Bai Li's—first magical treasure after she attained enlightenment. It accompanied her throughout her cultivation journey and was nurtured for tens of thousands of years.

Initially, its magical artifact's base material was the shell of the Great Demon Sound Shell.

How could a seventh-grade demon beast possibly be used to refine a superior magic weapon?

But there's nothing that can be done about it; every Golden Core Immortal has climbed up from an endless sea of ​​blood and countless hardships.

At that time, Bai Li was probably only slightly better than Lao Mu, and not even as good as Li Haikuo.

However, as her cultivation level improved and her status changed, the base material of the Water Lily Shell was replaced four times along the way.

The first time, the shell of the Great Demon Sound Shell was exchanged for the singing pouch of the Demon General Phoenix Crying Bird, a seventh-grade spiritual material was exchanged for a fifth-grade spiritual material.

Then, it was a five-to-four exchange, a four-to-three exchange, and finally a second-grade Immortal Stone in the Aperture.

"Immortal Stone in the Aperture" is a general term. It is a specialty of Nine Aperture Valley and is a high-grade spiritual material starting from the fourth grade.

Moreover, each of the acupoint immortal stones has different properties and characteristics. Compared to the third-grade acupoint immortal stone used in the superior spiritual treasure Vajra Pillar, the second-grade acupoint immortal stone used in the Water Drop Immortal Shell is more suitable for water magic.

To obtain this immortal stone from the aperture for her natal magic weapon, Bai Li had put in a lot of effort and paid a price that could have bought ten Western Sea Immortal Cities.

This price is not excessive. Compared to the Golden Core Floor Tile Divine Light, who has no base and can only plunder in the West Sea, the former White Carp was a powerful local immortal.

Now, this Immortal Venerable, who has faded from the stage of the Immortal Alliance for many years, has once again stood at the entrance of the Great Heaven and Earth, namely the square outside the Drip Heaven Hall.

The white carp seemed to have done nothing, but the entire Dripping Water Cave Heaven began to tremble. Countless cultivators of Dripping Water Cave Heaven, including Zhang Xuewu, Fan Zhugao, Zhuochi, and Yuan Zhengju, knelt down in panic and prayed to the Dripping Water Immortal.

"Do not pray, for that is the cage that imprisons me!"

The immortal spoke, and his voice echoed throughout the Dripping Water Cave.

The beings created by the Water Fairy subconsciously stopped praying under her influence.

Zhang Xuewu's body was trembling—how could the Immortal Venerable's voice sound so much like Bai Xiaoyu's?
He didn't think his delusions were correct, but he couldn't help thinking them.

The prayers ceased, and even those creatures not from the Dripping Cave stopped at the White Carp's command.

Although he had already defeated Gong Jiusheng, Bai Li was still not letting his guard down.

After confirming that the shackles Qingrui had placed on herself had loosened, she summoned the Water Fairy Shell, which exuded immortal laws.

The scallop passed through the link between the Dripping Water Cave and the Great Heaven and Earth, and appeared first in the Great Heaven and Earth.

Returning to the vast天地 (heaven and earth), the Water Fairy Shell was overjoyed, emitting a pale blue glow, fluttering joyfully between heaven and earth, making the sky within a radius of hundreds of miles outside the Water Fairy Cave appear much bluer.

The white carp, whose consciousness was attached to the water droplet, quickly ascertained the situation of the world.

"Sister, taking this step might lead you to a situation similar to Shenguang's. Qingrui, Zhuzhao, Tianshe, and the Frog King might be waiting for you outside!"

The red carp was making a final attempt to dissuade them.

"The so-called two major battles were all staged for you."

Even Wang Yulou, who possessed the potential for change, was tricked into the Dripping Water Cave by those beasts.

It's all a scam. Once you leave the cave, you'll face an attack from those beasts.

Sister, don't go out. Wait and see, just a little longer.

Every Golden Core cultivator who has achieved enlightenment for a long time possesses powerful combat skills.

Even when trapped, the White Carp in the Dripping Water Cave has a chance to achieve a one-for-one trade.

Once she left the Dripping Water Cave, her strength seemed less than that of Qingrui, Zhuzhao, Tianshe, and the Frog King.

Yes, if a problem arises, the white carp can choose to retreat back to its grotto, but how long will it be before it has another chance to escape?

Moreover, would those beasts give the white carp a second chance to escape?

Thinking of this, the white carp shook its head, and the red carp understood her determination.

The beautiful woman in the red dress sighed softly, then leaped up and transformed into a red carp.

The white carp also transformed into a white carp, and the two carp intertwined in mid-air, easily passing through the boundary between the Dripping Water Cave and the Great Heaven and Earth.

At the moment the two great cultivators left the Dripping Water Cave, Yuan Daoshen, Zhuo Yinsheng, and the others finally saw the existence of the twin sisters.

"Immortal Venerable!"

"The Immortal Venerable has appeared!"

"It's the Immortal Venerable and the Red Carp Immortal!"

Faced with the commotion from the dripping sky, Yuan Daoshen's entire face was numb.

"Don't pray, that's the cage that imprisons me." The more he thought about it, the more wrong he felt with that statement.

Nine Victories Immortal has not appeared for a long time, and Water Drop Immortal has been imprisoned again.

Based on his master's habit of constantly burrowing down into the depths of the Dripping Water Cave, Yuan Daoshen made a bold guess.

The Immortal Venerable has long been trapped in a predicament, and his good disciple and his own good master, Gong Jiusheng, has contributed to the formation of this predicament.

But the Yuan family were not outsiders; they were native inhabitants of the Dripping Water Cave.

If the Immortal Venerable were to encounter a problem, cultivators like them, born in the Dripping Water Cave Heaven, would undoubtedly perish.

The supernatural power used by the white carp and the red carp is called the Two Elements Tide, which is a supernatural power created by the white carp. It can help her borrow a portion of the red carp's cultivation and magic power.

Two tiny fish, no bigger than the palm of your hand, swam freely in the air above the vast sky, sometimes spinning, sometimes wagging their tails, looking incredibly cute.

However, their speed was extremely fast.

Wang Yulou, leading sixteen experienced Foundation Establishment and Golden Lightning Shuttles, could only travel four thousand li in an hour at their fastest. However, the two great cultivators, while using their supernatural abilities to fly, managed to reach a speed of sixty thousand li in an hour.

As a shooting star streaked across the sky above the Great World, all the great cultivators who remained there realized, to varying degrees, that the Great World was undergoing changes.

Even those at the Foundation Establishment stage have become aware of the changes.

Inside the red light, the hanging seal, sensing the change in the dripping cave, suddenly changed color.

He wanted to ask his master for help, but Mangxiang had appeared at the head of the main hall without him noticing.

"Master, something's happened. How should we deal with it?"

The time when Xuan Zhuan attained enlightenment was far earlier than 1,200 years ago. Of course, he knew what happened at that time and was aware of the special nature of the Dripping Water Immortal of Dripping Water Cave.

He had even realized what had happened on the Immortal Platform during the failure of Mangxiang's Five Proposals for the Golden Elixir.

"What are you dealing with? Dullness!"

Mang Xiang spat out a phrase in seal script, and then said.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to have her test how much the Great Heaven and Earth currently restricts the Golden Core?"

I remember this was her thirty-ninth tribulation. Given her previous injuries and circumstances, the tribulation might have killed her outright.

As a great cultivator from the same era as Bai Li, Mang Xiang was quite familiar with Bai Li's tribulation.

This is one of the key aspects of the scheming among great cultivators. Established Golden Core cultivators can calculate the Heavenly Tribulation of newly formed Golden Core cultivators to find the most suitable opportunity, thereby...
"Master, she could be a huge variable. You should think it over carefully. If we can get our Uncle to stop her now, there's still a good chance."

Xuan Zhuan was genuinely worried that if Mang Xiang failed to achieve the Golden Core, his limit in this life would only be the Purple Mansion realm.

He thought much more clearly than Wang Yulou. While Wang Yulou sometimes had moral reflections, Xuan Zhuan was purely devoted to the Dao and would not hesitate to do even the most beastly things.

"Why try to stop her? You can't stop her. Chi Ming died at her hands, and Qing Rui couldn't kill her either. Why would Zhu Zhao try to stop her for me? Let her go."

As for variables, there are too many to count, many of which you don't even know about. So what is she anyway?

Mang Xiang explained calmly, but his gaze was fixed on the direction of the Dripping Water Cave.

Even if she survives the heavenly tribulation, she will be severely injured. That will be the time to truly make her move.

Well, the Heavenly Serpent shouldn't cause trouble, but we need to be wary of the Frog King trying to steal the spoils of victory...

"Master, no matter what, the progress of advancing the Purple Mansion must be accelerated; we cannot afford to delay."

Mang Xiang tapped his fingers on the chair, making a rhythmic tapping sound.

"Yan Keli is in seclusion trying to break through to the Purple Mansion realm, but he probably won't succeed. He's just unlucky; he's caught the worst possible time."

The worst possible time. Bai Li disagreed, believing that the time she had chosen was quite good.

The divine power of the Two Elements Tide had been fully activated, and the red carp once again hid in the Dripping Water Cave.

She didn't have much faith in Bai Li, but if Bai Li died, she, a remnant of the old era, would surely die without a burial place, so it didn't matter where she hid.

The little white carp is charging towards the sky, and the direction of the shooting star is the rapidly gathering celestial tribulation.

To attain enlightenment, one must do so within the vast天地 (heaven and earth), even if one cultivates the 洞天 (grotto-heaven) method.

The white carp connected the cave to the greater world and maintained her own state using a special method, but the price was that when she returned to the greater world, she would immediately face her thirty-ninth tribulation.

Heaven and earth have not killed even a single Golden Core cultivator for many years.
Last time, when the Heavenly Serpent entered the Great Heaven and Earth, the heavens and earth quickly gathered tribulation clouds, hoping to achieve great things, but the Heavenly Serpent still managed to escape.

Therefore, faced with the white carp that came to their door and they couldn't avoid it, the world that had been plundered by the great cultivator for many years displayed their anger to the fullest.

For hundreds of miles around the Dripping Water Cave, the sky was filled with dark clouds.

Bai Li, riding his natal magic weapon, the Water Drop Fairy Shell, set up a formation using water magic under the dark clouds, seemingly very confident that he could survive this heavenly tribulation.

Darkness fell, but the shooting stars of the day still twinkled. The white carp had made its decision and would not change it.

Even if the world changes color, it cannot stop me!

She murmured softly.
-
Qingrui's subordinates also reported to her the phenomenon of a shooting star in broad daylight causing the sky and earth to change color.

As a core member of the Immortal Alliance in Wunan, Qingrui had no shortage of helpers, and she immediately contacted her fellow Daoists.

Let's fight side by side and kill that monster!

However, most of the feedback she received was a polite rejection.

Nonsense. If a drop of water were so easy to deal with, it would have been 'dealt with' long ago, over a thousand or twelve hundred years.

Now that Dishui is about to escape its predicament, Qingrui called us over to help.
Since you're also undergoing transformation in the cave, keep a low profile and don't cause any trouble!
"A bunch of cowards. She's nothing but my defeated opponent. Look at your pathetic state."

With a helpless curse, Qingrui had to admit that returning to the Great World at a time when the Immortal Alliance civil war might break out, and considering that her own cave heaven transformation would take at least three hundred years, was too good a timing for Dishuixuan.

Qingrui Immortal Venerable has a lot of influence, but he killed Chiming with a drop of water. Who among the stronger senior Golden Core cultivators in the Immortal Alliance doesn't know that he did that?

In addition, Shenguang was indeed unaware of this special history of the Immortal Alliance. If Qingrui came to him, he might indeed be tricked into going to test the strength of the Drop of Water.

However, because of the incident where she joined forces with Mangxiang to humiliate Shenguang, it was difficult for Qingrui to get Shenguang to come and help her.

The cost of mutual trust among immortals is too high.

No one would take the risk easily; everyone planned to wait until the calamity passed before seeing if there was any chance to profit from the situation.

After all, a veteran Golden Elixir cultivator like Drip Water possesses countless and incredibly valuable treasures.

The Immortal Kingdom, the Immortal King's Palace.

With his eyes closed, his spirit had already wandered beyond the vast world.

Inside the Immortal King's cave, Shunmu was conversing with the Immortal King.

As the leader of the Immortal Kingdom, the Immortal King is undoubtedly powerful, and may even be among the strongest of the great cultivators.

but
"Don't worry about it. Whether she's a mule or a horse, our Immortal Kingdom has never treated her unfairly. Even if she returns to the Golden Core stage this time, we won't be the ones who suffer the most."

Of course, Shunmu didn't have a chance to meet the Celestial King. It stood in the air and obediently spoke to the air inside the cave.

"The Red Lanterns will suffer the most, of course. By the way, Your Majesty, we can join forces with the Red Lanterns to restrain her."

"Go do your thing. I won't do things where the costs and benefits don't match."

The giant-like Shunmoku obediently left, but the Celestial King was lost in memories.

A drop of water, twelve hundred years have passed, I never expected you to still be alive.
-
Just how remarkable is the return of the white carp to the world?
Before the heavenly tribulation even struck, news of her return had already spread throughout the four seas, five regions, and eight wastelands.

Some believe that Drip's escape from its predicament implies that Mangxiang betrayed the interests of the red light service, and there may be some shady dealings behind it.

Some people believe that the drop of water returning to the universe is likely a sign of enlightenment, perhaps because she has found a new method.

Of course, there's no shortage of fools everywhere.

Even now, some people in the Purple Mansion still believe, in a wishful way, that dripping water is tantamount to suicide—this kind of thinking is akin to regarding Golden Core Immortals as cattle or horses.

How could a white carp be courting death?
Well, anyone who saw the heavenly tribulation covering hundreds of miles of sky would think she was courting death.

There are no different kinds of heavenly tribulations in the world, only differences in scale and power.

The larger the scale, the greater the power of the heavenly tribulation.

How to put it? Even celestial beings like Zhuzhao and Tianshe would hesitate if they came during a heavenly tribulation that covered hundreds of miles.

However, the white carp showed no fear. Accompanied by the dripping water scallops, the little carp fearlessly charged into the cold and suffocating heavenly tribulation.

Zhou Fujiao did the same thing.

In fact, Zhou Fujiao and Bai Li have similarities.

For example, when Zhou Fujiao rushed towards the Heavenly Tribulation, he was already half-dead. His actions, however, had a sense of desperation and recklessness.

The dripping water deliberately rushed towards the heavenly tribulation in order to break free from the shackles—the shackles that Hongdengzhao and Qingrui had designed together.

Faced with a heavy fate, these two great monks made remarkably similar choices.

It must be said that those who can become great cultivators share some common traits—they never yield.

No matter how difficult the road ahead may be for our opponents, or how powerful they may be, we will never yield.

Of course, this doesn't mean that you have to keep rushing along the way; everyone knows the saying that too much rigidity leads to breakage.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, and heavenly tribulations are an extreme manifestation of this ruthlessness.

Golden lightning bolts shot forth from beneath the black clouds, carrying terrifying power and teleporting speed, hurtling towards the white carp.

One, two
When the white carp blocked the ninety-ninth heavenly tribulation, all the observers, whether in the light or in the shadows, fell silent.

Ninety-nine steps, carrying their natal magic weapon, from beginning to end.
Even Frog God and Qingrui, who were most eager to intervene, were still somewhat incredulous when they saw Bai Li's composure under the heavenly tribulation.

No, how did you suddenly become so strong?

"Old Frog, she's just pretending to be fine. Go try it, I guarantee she'll collapse the moment you touch her." Immortal Venerable Qingrui communicated with the Frog King Demon God of the Heavenly Serpent Sect using the Cave Heaven Transmission.

There's a reason why Qingrui was able to build such a large business empire and achieve such a high status.

Although she had to ask for help with the dripping water issue because the transformation of her cave was not yet complete, the fact that she was able to find someone demonstrated Qingrui's strength.

"I won't go! Here's the deal: give me three strands of the essence of the celestial cave, and I'll agree to let you test her strength, but I won't help you stop her. How about that?"

Frog King's reply was realistic: you can go, but it's not necessary.

However, if Qingrui adds money, things will immediately become necessary—a great cultivator will not bow down for five pecks of rice, but he will need to bow down for the essence of the cave.

"Three strands it is. You must help me see clearly whether she's feigning nonchalance or has actually made progress in her cultivation."

Upon hearing Qingrui's reply, Frog King nearly cursed.

You lowly beast, you know she might have made some progress in her cultivation, yet you still say things like "she'll definitely fall over at the slightest touch."

If I were even slightly stupid, I would have become the price for your lowly beast testing me with a drop of water!

For the great cultivators of the Immortal Alliance, it's easy to cast a vote against something together on the Immortal Assembly Platform, but most of them wouldn't be willing to become the frontline fighters against lightning if it meant being the only one to do so.

Why risk your life when you can just lie down and collect offerings from the sect and stipends from the Immortal Alliance?

Every ruthless person who can achieve the Golden Core stage is extremely powerful. Divine Light is an exception. Veteran Golden Core cultivators like Dripping Water have already killed Chi Ming and broken free from Qing Rui's shackles.

How could such a golden elixir be easily trifled with?
So, it's not that the Frog King is cowardly; it's simply that he doesn't want to take any risks.

With the arrival of Qingrui's three strands of the essence of the cave, the adventure became somewhat worthwhile.

The Frog King was quite certain that even if he couldn't win, he would have a chance to escape.

Why not make some money while you can?
When the Frog King cautiously approached the Dripping Cave, it had already greeted the Wild Elephant and the Candlelight—it was just passing by to take a look and wouldn't escalate the conflict.

The Red Lantern Sect and the Heavenly Serpent Sect were engaged in a great battle. The Dripping Water Cave was located in the Red Lantern Sect, and the Frog King was worried that if he did not notify them, the battle between the two sects would escalate immediately.

However, when he arrived safely outside the Dripping Cave, he found that the place was deserted.

The Dripping Water Cave has disappeared.

"I have regained my Golden Core status, Old Frog. Whom are you representing? The Celestial King or Qingrui? Surely not the Heavenly Serpent?"

Sensing that the restrictions imposed on great cultivators by heaven and earth had become even more severe, the Frog King confirmed that Drop of Water had indeed returned to the position of Immortal Venerable.

"Pondering the problem of the dripping water," said the Frog King.

'I broke up with the Immortal King, and Qingrui gave me three strands of the essence of the celestial cave so that I could come and see you.'

Ninety-nine heavenly tribulations, how did you, Dr. Water, survive them?

Being honest and straightforward is not because the Frog King is of high quality.

Simply because he was trapped for 1,200 years as a drop of water, he immediately endured his 39th tribulation after being freed, and survived it.

The whole thing seemed somewhat legendary and unrealistic to the Frog King, which is why he asked so seriously.

'.'

The drop of water ultimately did not answer the Frog King's question.

Information is priceless. How could immortals possibly reveal their most valuable skills and life-saving techniques to outsiders?

(End of this chapter)