Chapter 303 - 221: The Time of the Black Tide
"Elder Qingxu?"
Jiuhua Ancestor was startled for a moment, then smiled and said:
"This person was already famous in the Southwest and influential in the Central Plains decades ago."
"With such a renowned reputation, how could I not have heard of him?"
"Ah!"
Black Abyss Ascendant sighed deeply:
"This person possesses the even rarer Five Elements Spirit Root, said to have inherited the Dao lineage of the Five Elements Wanderer, the Southwest Overlord from two thousand years ago, and with one move subdued the three Golden Cores of Da Li, practically covering the sky with one hand!"
"Though he is a renowned Golden Core Ancestor and not a young prodigy, if we truly evaluate talent and comprehension, he is likely the foremost in the Southwest!"
"If any of my younger disciples had even half the talent of this Elder Qingxu, I would truly be at ease..."
Upon hearing this, Jiuhua Ancestor stroked his beard and said:
"The Jade Transformation that occurred within the Dayu territory not long ago was a significant event that shook the Southwest."
"I’ve heard that this Elder Qingxu was also involved, and moreover, is one of only two surviving Golden Core cultivators from the event, which shows his immeasurable strength."
Black Abyss Ascendant shook his head dismissively:
"No matter how strong he is, it has nothing to do with us."
"People like him are destined not to stay long in the Southwest, either heading to the Central Plains Countries or to the East Sea..."
Before he could finish his sentence:
A formidable divine thought instantly transmitted through the array, a clear voice echoing on the observation platform:
"Da Li Qingxu, here to visit Fellow Daoist Jiu Hua!"
"..."
Silen was on the observation platform as Jiuhua Ancestor and Black Abyss Ascendant exchanged glances.
"Fellow Daoist Jiuhua, what do you think..."
Black Abyss Ascendant instinctively asked, feeling a bit uneasy.
"It’s no problem."
Jiuhua Ancestor remained relatively calm, immediately stood up and said:
"As a guest from afar, let us go to welcome him."
Soon:
Jiuhua Ancestor and Black Abyss Ascendant rode their Escape Light to the upper sky beyond the mountain gate and saw the young Daoist with an aura as deep as an ocean standing against the strong Gang Feng.
"I, Jiuhua, have met Fellow Daoist Qingxu."
"Black Abyss greets Fellow Daoist Qingxu."
The two stepped forward in unison to greet him, and Zhang Yao bowed in return and said:
"Greetings to you both."
His gaze turned to Black Abyss Ascendant, and he smiled slightly:
"I came today to visit Fellow Daoist Jiuhua and did not expect Fellow Daoist Black Abyss to be here as well; it’s quite a pleasant surprise."
Black Abyss Ascendant spoke:
"I came today to chat and discuss the Dao with Fellow Daoist Jiuhua, and it just so happened that Fellow Daoist Qingxu also came to visit; it must be fate."
Jiuhua Ancestor chuckled heartily to the side:
"Hahaha... Please come in."
The three descended their Escape Light and passed through the mountain gate array, arriving at the observation platform, where they sat down as host and guests.
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, try some of the Spirit Tea, a specialty of my Divine Splendor Mountain."
Jiuhua Ancestor was quite enthusiastic, personally brewing a cup of Spirit Tea for Zhang Yao.
In the white porcelain cup was a light azure tea, which Zhang Yao took a sip of, and couldn’t help but be moved, saying:
"Excellent! Truly excellent tea!"
The wonder of this Spirit Tea was something Zhang Yao had never encountered in his life.
Not only was its aroma elegant and its taste superior, but more importantly, the abundance of Spiritual Qi it contained required his First Grade Golden Core to absorb and refine for several breaths before it could be entirely converted into Magical Power.
If an ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator drank this cup of Spirit Tea, it could be equivalent to ten years of arduous cultivation, almost comparable to a Miracle Elixir!
"Hahaha, I’m glad you like it, Daoist."
Jiuhua Ancestor stroked his beard, smiling with a hint of pride:
"To be honest, Daoist, this ’Celestial Splendor Spirit Tea Tree’ was brought by the founding ancestor of my Shenhua Sect from the Celestial Continent Nine Mansions."
"At the time, he searched throughout Da Mo and found that only the summit of Divine Splendor Mountain could sustain this Spirit Tea Tree, which led to the founding of the sect here, and this Spirit Tea Tree has been cultivated for a thousand years."
"There is such a story behind it."
After hearing this, Zhang Yao nodded slightly.
The Celestial Continent Nine Mansions are famed for their gifts and treasures, a true holy land of the Immortal Dao, said to surpass all other lands and seas beyond the Celestial Continent.
As for the Celestial Continent Nine Mansions, Zhang Yao had long yearned for them, preparing to head there in search of opportunities once he acquired the Precious Luminous Golden Nectar from the Mani Kingdom.
"...May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
After some casual conversation, Jiuhua Ancestor finally asked about Zhang Yao’s purpose.
"It’s like this."
Zhang Yao pondered for a moment before speaking:
"I heard through a channel from the Celestial Treasure Tower that during your exploration of Mo Yuan two years ago, you obtained the Heaven and Earth Treasure ’Endless Yin Earth.’"
"This Endless Yin Earth is of great use to me, and I wonder if Fellow Daoist could bear to part with it?"
Upon hearing this, Jiuhua Ancestor immediately showed a trace of difficulty:
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, you may not be aware."
"Within the Da Mo Territory, there are four Golden Core sects and noble families in total, three of which primarily practice Yin and dark attributed Cultivation Techniques, except for my Shenhua Sect."
"The piece of Endless Yin Earth I acquired totals only three qian, and it has long been sold to this fellow..."
As he spoke, he pointed to Black Abyss Ascendant beside him.
Black Abyss Ascendant looked at Zhang Yao’s gaze, and immediately gave an awkward smile, spreading his hands:
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, I’m really sorry."
"I’ve already used that piece of Endless Yin Earth, refining it into an auxiliary magical treasure. You see this..."
"Forget it."
Zhang Yao waved his hand and said:
"Since it’s already gone, I naturally can’t force it, let’s just consider it as no destiny."
Three qian of Endless Yin Earth was merely a mosquito leg to him.
To cultivate one of the Five Elements Divine Techniques, the "Infinite Shadow Walking Technique," he needed a full three liang and six qian of Endless Yin Earth, what Jiuhua Ancestor acquired wasn’t even a tenth of it, purely a gap-filler.
"Fellow Daoist Jiuhua,"
Zhang Yao looked towards Jiuhua Ancestor and seriously asked:
"Do you know roughly how long it will be until the next Black Tide surge?"
Jiuhua Ancestor showed a hint of movement in his expression, then spoke:
"Are you planning to personally visit Mo Yuan?"
"Yes."
Zhang Yao did not deny it, he said:
"The amount of Endless Yin Earth I need is quite large, and relying solely on purchase might be hard to gather, so I might as well go down myself once."
"This..."
Jiuhua Ancestor pondered for a moment before speaking:
"The Black Tide surges can be big or small."
"Small-scale surges generally occur every ten to several decades; whereas a large-scale surge happens only once in several hundred to a thousand years."
"It’s been over three hundred years since the last large-scale surge."
"And in the past fifty years, there have been four small-scale Black Tide surges, which is often a precursor to a large-scale outbreak..."
Zhang Yao’s expression shifted, and he said:
"Are you suggesting, Fellow Daoist Jiuhua, that I should wait for the large-scale Black Tide surge?"
"Indeed."
Jiuhua Ancestor nodded in confirmation and said:
"During my last exploration, acquiring the Endless Yin Earth was mostly due to luck."
"Ordinary small-scale surges simply can’t go deep enough to find such Heaven and Earth Treasures."
"If you really want to acquire a large amount of Endless Yin Earth, you can only wait for a large-scale Black Tide surge; exploring now is likely a waste of effort."
At this point, Black Abyss Ascendant also chimed in:
"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, I also agree with Fellow Daoist Jiuhua’s judgment."
"His last expedition to acquire Endless Yin Earth itself indirectly proves that a large-scale Black Tide surge is brewing within the Earth’s Core, thus bringing up deeply hidden treasures."
"The auxiliary magical treasure I specially refined is also in preparation for the large-scale Black Tide surge; Fellow Daoist, you might as well wait some years and join us in exploring."
Zhang Yao slightly frowned, inquiring:
"How long would that be then?"
Jiuhua Ancestor answered:
"In my experience, a short period would be a decade or so, and a long period would be three or four decades before a large-scale surge is bound to come."
"...Alright!"
After considering for a moment, Zhang Yao nodded and said:
"Then I’ll take the advice of you two Fellow Daoists."
"When the Black Tide is about to have a large-scale surge, I hope you two can inform me through the Celestial Treasure Tower channels."
"No problem."
Jiuhua Ancestor and Black Abyss Ascendant readily agreed.
For Golden Core Ancestors like them, every exploration of the Black Abyss, especially during large-scale surges, carries certain risks; having a strong ally like Elder Qingxu is certainly beneficial.
Since ancient times, many Major Sects and Great Noble Families have chosen to settle within the Da Mo Realm because of the Middle Aged Mo Yuan, and even more Golden Core Ancestors have perished in the Black Abyss.
......
At the warm invitation of Jiuhua Ancestor:
Zhang Yao agreed to temporarily stay in the Shenhua Sect and also participated in a small cultivation conference hosted by Jiuhua Ancestor, through which he got acquainted with several other Golden Core Ancestors within the Da Mo Realm.
Discussion on Dao, exchange of cultivation experiences, tasting of Spiritual Elixirs and Pills, observing the magical battles of various sects’ junior disciples, with occasional commentary... The conference lasted several days before it concluded with guests and hosts all pleased.
At the conference, disciples from Shenhua Sect, Li Yuan Sect, Black Gate Zhang Clan... had both wins and losses.
Some new young talents emerged, soared high, and gained the attention of their sect seniors; there were also famous prodigies who were unseated, falling into obscurity, eliciting sighs of surprise.
The fates of many were changed due to this spontaneously conceived conference.
However, in the eyes of the high and mighty Golden Core Ancestors, these were merely objects for random commentary and idle chatter, not worth mentioning.
After the conference concluded:
Zhang Yao bid farewell to Jiuhua Ancestor, Black Abyss Ascendant, and other Golden Core Cultivators within the Da Mo Territory, embarking on a journey northward to the Mani Kingdom, one of the Fifty-four Countries.
At the same time:
The subsequent effects of the Jade Transformation, further fermenting over time, finally spread beyond the Southwest Countries to the Central Plains.
Any Golden Core Ancestor is a figure of great renown and power in their region; their death couldn’t simply pass by quietly.
In fact:
Whether a new Golden Core Ancestor is born or an existing one suddenly falls, it creates great upheaval, affecting the destinies of countless cultivators.
A single Golden Core Cultivator can often change the landscape of the cultivation world in a country or region.
Apart from the local Golden Core Cultivators in the Southwest Land, the deaths of Artifact Cultivator You Quan, Body Cultivating Cultivator Man Tian Sheng, and Golden Core Demon Cultivator Fairy Feiyin have drawn attention from various forces within the Central Plains, some even seeking the reasons behind their deaths.
Against this backdrop—
The already notably famous Elder Qingxu once again entered the sights of these major forces in the Central Plains.