Chapter 557 389: Yue'e's Confidence
It seemed the Jade Rabbit and Yue'e Ancestor were well aware of their own combat strength. They knew their limits and understood they were no match for that Old Lion.
A few years ago, the Yuanhou Lion Dance's divine sense had crossed a hundred thousand li to clash with the Master of Qiyun Heaven and Earth Peak. There wasn't a single Divinity Transformation Cultivator in this Land Realm who didn't know of the matter.
Within the realm divisions of Divinity Transformation Cultivators, there were strict standards for combat strength—criteria even more rigorous than those in the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment Stage.
At times, the difference in combat strength between two Divinity Transformation Cultivators could be even greater than the gap between a Qi Cultivation Cultivator and a Golden Core Cultivator.
After a Cultivator broke through from the Nascent Soul Realm to the Divinity Transformation Stage, their primary concern for the first millennium was the Divinity Transformation Tribulation of Three Calamities and Three Misfortunes.
Only by surmounting this Sixfold Tribulation could one be called a Minor Tribulation Grandmaster. Afterward, they could begin to consider the great tribulation that came once every three thousand years, and the world-shattering tribulation that occurred once every ten thousand years.
Old Yue'e's realm was that of a Minor Tribulation Grandmaster, placing her in the middle tier among Divinity Transformation Cultivators.
However, this was only because Old Yue'e had the great tree of the Beast Taming Sect to lean on. As one of the true powerhouses of this Land Realm, the Beast Taming Sect had no shortage of Secret Techniques and magical treasures for crossing tribulations.
Old Yue'e and the Jade Rabbit in her arms primarily focused on refining elixirs; their combat strength was not formidable. She had survived the Sixfold Tribulation by calling in favors owed to her for refining elixirs, exchanging them for various magical treasures.
She had even managed to safely pass her first two Divinity Transformation Celestial Tribulations using her wealth and the debts others owed her. But these tribulations grew progressively harder. If the power of the first Divinity Transformation Celestial Tribulation after the Sixfold Tribulation was one, then the second was two—a direct doubling in strength.
Now, Old Yue'e was about to face her third Divinity Transformation Celestial Tribulation. This one would be twice as powerful as the second, meaning it would be four times as strong as the first. A Celestial Tribulation of such magnitude was enough to plunge Old Yue'e into deep anxiety.
Tribulation-Crossing Magical Treasures also came in different tiers. For the first few tribulations, they could still be obtained through favors and exchanges of benefits. But starting from the third, what Tribulation-Crossing Magical Treasure wasn't a Divinity Transformation Cultivator's lifeline? To part with one was equivalent to giving away one's own hope for future survival.
Under these circumstances, Old Yue'e believed she would have a difficult time surviving her next Celestial Tribulation. Her decision to move her family deep into White Mountain was partly due to this feeling—that she wouldn't survive and thus couldn't protect her foundation at Zongshan.
The pressure from Kaelv Ming was one factor; the difficulty of the next Celestial Tribulation was another. The two were intertwined, and for the moment, it was hard to say which weighed more heavily.
However, as a Divinity Transformation Cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect moving out to establish a new branch for the sect, this was considered a meritorious act for the Beast Taming Sect.
Therefore, a Divinity Transformation Cultivator like Old Yue'e, who was moving their forces out of Zongshan, was permitted to request the Beast Taming Sect's Lord Guardian to act once on their behalf when scheming for a Spiritual Land, to ensure their safety and provide a final escort.
This was the source of Old Yue'e's confidence, why she dared to plot for the Tier Six Lion Nest Spiritual Land despite knowing that she and the Jade Rabbit were no match for the Yuanhou Lion Dance.
In Old Yue'e's eyes, no matter how formidable the Yuanhou Lion Dance was, it could not compare to her own sect's Lord Guardian.
According to the combat strength divisions among Divinity Transformation Cultivators, one could be called a Tribulation Grandmaster after passing the Three Calamities and Three Misfortunes. Among these Tribulation Grandmasters, they were further subdivided based on the number of Celestial Tribulations they had passed.
Those who passed one to three tribulations were considered 'Minor Tribulation' experts, while those who passed four to six were 'Great Tribulation' experts. As for the realm beyond the sixth Celestial Tribulation, those individuals could be called the strongest in this Land Realm.
In the entire Cultivation Realm, there were currently just over a hundred Divinity Transformation Cultivators. Most of them were still worrying about the Three Calamities and Three Misfortunes. The number of existences who had reached the realm beyond the sixth Celestial Tribulation could be counted on one hand.
The Realm Master of the Great Zhou Academy, the Master of Heaven and Earth Peak of the Qi Yun Sect, and the Lord Guardian of the Beast Taming Sect—these three were publicly acknowledged as the strongest in this Land Realm.
The second tier of Divinity Transformation Cultivators included Nie the Madman of the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect, Tu Feng of Black Wind Valley, Master Lianhua of Nanlin Temple, the leaders of the Gui Gu and Gui Ru of the Great Zhou Academy, the Master of the Qi Yun Seventh Tier Secret Realm, and the guardian of the Beast Taming Sect's Primordial Grotto Heaven.
The weakest among these beings were at least Grand Tribulation Grandmasters who had passed a minimum of five Celestial Tribulations. The more formidable among them had already passed the sixth Celestial Tribulation and were on the verge of stepping into an unknowable realm.
As for the third tier of Divinity Transformation Cultivators, their numbers were somewhat greater. These were the mainstay Divinity Transformation Cultivators of the various sects. For example, Nangong Wood of Qinan City was an existence who had passed three Celestial Tribulations and was currently going mad over his impending fourth.
Kaelv Ming, who had passed one Celestial Tribulation, also belonged to this group. Although Kaelv Ming hadn't cultivated for as long as these old-timers, his combat strength was considered equivalent to an expert who had passed the Triple Thunder Tribulation.
Old Yue'e had a very clear understanding of her own strength. She felt that even with the Jade Rabbit in her arms, their true combat power was only on par with someone who had passed a single thunder tribulation.
Combined, such strength was nothing more than a single dish on a platter for the Yuanhou Lion Dance. But in the eyes of the Beast Taming Sect's Lord Guardian, wasn't the Yuanhou Lion Dance the exact same?
Old Yue'e was already estimating the Yuanhou Lion Dance's strength on the high side. An existence that could clash with the Master of Heaven and Earth Peak from a distance had to be equivalent to a Divinity Transformation Cultivator who had passed six thunder tribulations.
But the Old Lion's strength could be measured, could be estimated. The Lord Guardian Envoy, however, was already beyond the comprehension of ordinary Divinity Transformation Cultivators.
His origins could be traced back over a hundred thousand years, to a time when humanity had just begun to settle in this land, and the Yuanhou Lion Dance had not yet been born.
The Beast Taming Sect's Lord Guardian Envoy was the strongest expert in Old Yue'e's perception, the most powerful existence she had encountered in her nearly ten-thousand-year life. She refused to believe that a mere Divinity Transformation Ancient Beast from the Barbaric Wilderness could stand against the Lord Guardian Envoy.
It was with this thought in mind that Old Yue'e dared to plot for the lion's nest. However, she only had one chance to request the Lord Guardian Envoy to act. She had to investigate thoroughly before calling upon him. Before that, Old Yue'e and the Jade Rabbit only needed to use a Secret Technique from outside the Barbaric Territory to remotely lock onto the aura of the Yuanhou Lion Dance inside its nest.
This Secret Technique was taught by the Great Zhou Academy. Basically, once a cultivator reached the Divinity Transformation Realm, the Great Zhou Academy would gift them this technique. Its purpose was for wars of expansion, allowing several Divinity Transformation Cultivators to use their divine senses to firmly lock onto a Divinity Transformation Ancient Beast in the territory being conquered. This would tie up the beast's energy, preventing it from acting recklessly or even escaping.
Of course, when it came to the powerful Yuanhou Lion Dance, Old Yue'e didn't dare to be as blatant as she would with other Divinity Transformation Ancient Beasts. She called it 'locking on', but in reality, it was more like covertly spying, serving only to monitor it.
This was because the 'Dingtian Kanyuan' project, jointly carried out by the Great Zhou Academy and the other major powers of this Land Realm, had created a clear dividing line between the Barbaric Wilderness and the human world.
Ancient Beasts of the Wilderness beyond a certain realm would simply not leave the Barbaric Wilderness to enter the human Land Realm. This was a fact that hadn't changed in tens of thousands of years.
The Old Lion was the same. Back then, he had only used his divine sense to fight from afar; his true body had not left the Barbaric Wilderness. This gave Old Yue'e a false sense of security. 'No matter how strong the Yuanhou Lion Dance is, it can't break free from the fixed mindset of an ancient beast.'
But she didn't know that over the past three or four years, the Old Lion had been rapidly absorbing human knowledge. He had now surpassed the level of an ancient beast and reached a realm that no one could fathom.
High up in the astral winds, upon the broad back of the gray Dapeng Bird, Old Yue'e's gaze was deep and complex. She subconsciously stroked the soft white fur of the Jade Rabbit in her arms, her thoughts drifting. 'In a few hundred years, if I can't survive the Triple Thunder Tribulation, will this gentle Jade Rabbit in my arms be able to carry on?'
'Alas, my disciples cannot inherit my legacy. Without reaching Divinity Transformation, they will ultimately turn to dust. The grief of outliving them... It's a pain I truly do not wish to experience again.'
The long journey finally came to an end. A distance of over a hundred thousand li, covered by the gray Dapeng Bird which flew tens of thousands of li per day, took only five days. Old Yue'e had flown from Zongshan to the Southern Border.
Seemingly sensing the arrival of Old Yue'e and the Jade Rabbit's auras, a giant yellow fox inside the belly of a modest mountain named Junxuan Mountain, near the original site of Artifact Talisman City, looked hesitantly toward the Southern Border.
After a moment, the fox muttered to itself:
"Two Divinity Transformation Cultivators have arrived. Could they be here for Jia Changgeng's reincarnation?"
After thinking for a moment, the fox pulled out a tray-like object filled with sand and began to write characters on it with its paw.
A long while later, the characters the yellow fox had written were smoothed away, and a two-word reply appeared in their place: "Message read."
Seeing those two words, the yellow fox instinctively bared its teeth. It raised the sand tray as if to smash it, but just as it lifted it, it lost its nerve.
This sand tray was its only means of contacting the outside world. If it really smashed it, there would definitely be hell to pay.
A dignified Divinity Transformation expert, acting so spinelessly, carefully set the sand tray down. Then it huffed and made an excuse for itself:
"Hmph. Sooner or later, the day will come when I get out of here. When that happens, I'll definitely smash you to smithereens."
The echo faded, circling the vast mountain belly and making it seem exceptionally empty. Then came the sound of the fox's snores.
.....
When Fang Qingyuan awoke from his meditation, he sensed a "clamor" around him. It wasn't an audible noise, but rather the thoughts of the crowd, which had become exceptionally complex.
'A Dapeng Bird?'
From the minds of the hundreds of Cultivators and mortals outside his Quiet Chamber, Fang Qingyuan pieced together the image of a massive roc. Although this giant bird was somewhat smaller in size than Zhao E Lian's Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Ray from years ago, its aura felt far more vicious.
The Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Ray was a Transport Beast, whereas this Dapeng Bird was a ferocious predator. The two were of similar realms, but if they were to truly fight, ten Golden Silk Silver-backed Manta Rays would be no match for this one Dapeng Bird.
'Di Yuanpu is here?'
Fang Qingyuan wondered. 'Since when did Di Yuanpu get such a magnificent mount?'
Driven by this curiosity, Fang Qingyuan walked out of the Quiet Chamber where he was cultivating.
The Quiet Chamber he was currently using was located in the mountain range on Celestial Gate Mountain with the densest Spiritual Power. It was still a dozen or so li of mountain road away from Celestial Gate Mountain's Grand Council Hall.
Sensing that Lechuan wasn't around, he figured he must be off haggling with Di Qing over Spirit Stones again.
Inside another sect's mountain gate, Fang Qingyuan couldn't just fly around as he pleased. Many nodes within the Mountain Protection Array prohibited flight, so Fang Qingyuan had no choice but to walk.
As he walked along the main mountain path, the passing disciples were all very respectful toward Fang Qingyuan. This was simply because of his cultivation realm. As such, there were no cliché scenes of people deliberately trying to pick a fight or bully an outsider.
Fang Qingyuan always let his Golden Core aura show. He didn't deliberately conceal it. As for those Cultivators who enjoyed concealing their aura for no reason, only to attract trouble from others, Fang Qingyuan believed their minds were quite twisted; they were just fishing for entertainment.
Halfway there, Fang Qingyuan saw a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl with a full head of silvery-white hair ordering around a group of Qi Cultivation Disciples. She had them searching all over the mountains for little yellow flowers that, having lain dormant all winter, were just beginning to sprout in the early spring.
Fang Qingyuan didn't pay much mind to the scene. 'Just some descendant of Di Qing, using her status to indulge her own whims,' he thought.
But just as Fang Qingyuan was about to pass by, the young girl's eyes lit up when she saw his cultivation level, and she called out:
"Hey, you. Come over and help too."
'Hey, you? Is she talking to me?'
Fang Qingyuan felt the Golden Core aura he was emanating and, for a moment, couldn't quite believe it. 'I'm a Golden Core Cultivator! You, a mere Qi Cultivation Female Cultivator, dare to order me around?'