Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 430: Chapter 274: Development_1

“`

Although there were many experts in the Dragon Chapter City besides Shi Jinglong, including some Divine Bridge Masters, it still did not change the outcome. As long as they were not the Divine Martial Venerables, none could withstand a sweep of the Five Elements Divine Light.

Soon, the resistance within the Dragon and Tiger Platform was wiped clean, with a large number of corpse refinings, Underworld Soldiers, and martial artists under divine soul restrictions entering the storeroom, rummaging through chests and cupboards, plundering the treasures of the Dragon and Tiger Platform.

As a significant Divine Martial power with a heritage of nearly ten thousand years, the Dragon and Tiger Platform could only be described as fabulously wealthy. Apart from the spirit crystals and elixir produced by itself, it also engaged in trade with other Divine Martial forces through “Dragon and Tiger Golden Cores,” exchanging goods and sharing resources, resulting in a storeroom full of all sorts of rare heavenly materials and powerful weapons.

But now, all of these became possessions within Xu Yang’s bag, and he took everything from the people to the goods.

However, the Dragon and Tiger Platform was still the Dragon and Tiger Platform, how could such a grand Divine Martial heritage not have an emergency plan?

Soon, those who remained discovered something was amiss, and they no longer provided support, instead choosing to flee or change their identities to hide on the spot.

This made Xu Yang somewhat regretful, as his was a feint, taking advantage of the situation at the Iron Heart Fortress to accomplish his goals. Although he was not particularly pressed for time, he did not have the leisure to dig three feet into the ground of the entire Dragon Chapter City to cleanse it completely. Since these people did not come forward to deliver themselves, he did not have the spare time to pursue them.

Ultimately, he could only plunder the Dragon and Tiger Platform and several other key locations within the Dragon Chapter City before departing amidst the chaos on a cloud, disappearing without a trace.

He came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

Let’s not talk about the chaos in Dragon Chapter City for the moment.

Xu Yang traveled on a cloud, hastening with the speed of wind and thunder, first collecting all kinds of sacrificial platforms, mana altars, array banners, and other ritual artifacts, and then heading outward to leave this place of trouble for the wild mountains.

In these times of great calamities and immense changes in heaven and earth, such barbaric lands hid many dangers and were seldom visited by people.

Now one place, abundant with plants, was also shrouded in mist and miasma, which was daunting at a glance.

Yang Yun arrived on his mount, the wind and thunder ceasing quickly as he dived into the miasma. Immediately, the heaven and earth transformed, grass and stones shifted, and a vague realm suddenly became clear, revealing a secluded valley secret realm like a paradise on earth.

Inside the secret realm, there were people coming and going. Some were tilling the fields, others were working among the flowers, some were guiding oxen and horses, and some were diverting water to breed thousands of fish.

Within the secluded valley, buildings rose one after another. Some were darting across the skies, some floating on clouds, with each building having a distinct structure. Drill fields for martial training, temples for practicing spells, alchemy rooms, artifact chambers, Taoist temples, Yin altars, and corpse-raising lands…

And there was a high altar in the center, respecting the Nine Ceremony ritual, erected in honor of heaven.

Atop the altar sat a solitary figure, meditating with eyes closed.

The figure flew down, tossing a Qiankun bag into the air, and from it sprung all manner of magic artifacts, Beast Controlling Bags, Corpse Refining Bags, Hundred Ghosts Banners, and even Five Elements Illumination, projecting figures in green, yellow, red, black, and white as several humanoid bodies were revealed.

Under the high altar, many were already waiting. As the Five Elements Divine Light released the individuals from the Dragon and Tiger Platform, they approached to remove shackles and fetters, adeptly placing restraint devices upon them.

Those Beast Controlling Bags, Corpse Refining Bags, Hundred Ghosts Banners were also opened, and as spirit light beamed and chilling winds howled, martial artists, refined corpses, and Underworld Soldiers emerged, starting to transport various items, from weapons and armors to tables and chairs, as well as all kinds of rare treasures and spirit materials, all of which were treasures collected by the Dragon and Tiger Platform.

The heritage of the Divine Martial was profound; even their tables and chairs, pots and pans were no ordinary objects.

The tables and chairs were made of Evergreen wood.

The pots, bowls, dippers, and basins were made of Spirit Crystal Jade.

How could Xu Yang forgo these?

Therefore, he took everything, even dismantling the pillars and beams. Now the Dragon and Tiger Platform was left with nothing but an empty shell.

Each person had a task, moving efficiently like worker bees, adeptly handling the spoils of war.

Xu Yang also sat down, and a ray of golden light flew out from within his Heavenly Spirit, detaching from the mech armor and returning to his original body.

…

Xu Xian (Xu Yang)

Lifespan: 923/1800

Cultivation: Martial Path Yuan Core, Immortal Path Nascent Soul

Skills: Daily Life, Travel, Medicine, Reading, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Talisman Making, Arranging Formations, Spirit Plant Farming, Beast Taming…

Martial Arts (Heaven rewards hard work, Cleansing Marrow, Eternal Youth, Martial Path Communicates with God, Founder of Martial Scripture, Unity of Heaven and Man)

Teaching (Earnest Instruction, Mutual Learning, Leading by Example)

Taoism (Daoist Celestial Master, Master of Taoist Scriptures, Pure Yang God)

Cultivation (Five Elements Refinement Skills, Purple Qi Coming from the East, Dual Cultivation of Martial and Immortal Arts)

Cultivation Technique: Martial Arts Scripture, Taoist Scriptures, Five Spirits True Jue.

…

Thirty-eight years might not be a long time, but it was enough for Xu Yang to accomplish many things.

The first was the enhancement of his cultivation.

With the selfless contribution of the Evil Emperor’s relics and numerous “human charging treasures”, as well as the rare treasures and spirit materials obtained from plundering, his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.

“`

The Immortal Path cultivation system had seen Xu Yang become a Daoist Celestial Master and develop his Nascent Soul in the realm of true cultivation.

The former boasted the Yang God of Taoism and the Heavenly Master being in position.

The latter possessed a Yuan Spirit True Infant with vigorous mana.

With these powers, displaying the Taoism Origin Body and Yuan Spirit True Jue, only the words “absolutely powerful” could describe them. Combined with sacrificial rituals, Mana Altars, formations, Heavenly Crafts Natural Creation, Spirit-Treasure Mech Armor, and other means, he could easily triumph in battles beyond his realm.

This was the progression in the Immortal Path.

On the side of the Martial Path, there was a slight regret because, without a cultivation technique, he remained trapped at the Yuan Core and had not progressed to the Divine Bridge realm of martial artists with a Nascent Soul.

However, thankfully, this regret would soon be rectified, and he might even reach the higher realm of Divine Martial.

After the Cultivation Realm, it was about skill traits.

There is no need for further explanation.

In thirty-eight years, relying on the resources obtained from robbery and a group of “hostages” as manpower, Xu Yang vigorously cultivated the hundred arts of cultivation: alchemy, artifact refining, talisman making, formation arranging, spirit plant farming, and beast taming, among other development activities.

Although constrained by the Pavilion of Heavenly Mechanism’s searches and the pursuit of various Divine Martial inheritances, forcing him to relocate his forces continually and lacking a solid foundation, he had nevertheless amassed considerable resources and developed relevant skill traits.

Furthermore, his slightly recovered Taoism Origin Body had provided some support, transferring over the vitally important traits of “Daoist Celestial Master,” coupled with his own transmission of Taoist Scriptures’ mastery and Yang God of Taoism, causing his cultivation in the Immortal Path to progress swiftly. Within a century, he might even reach the realm of Divinity Transformation.

The same went for true cultivation. Although the physical body of “Xu Qingyang” did not possess the qualifications of a Five Elements Spiritual Root to develop skill traits such as a “Five Elements Spiritual Body,” it did not affect Xu Yang’s cultivation of Five Elements spells or even Divine Skills.

Because a Spiritual Root is essentially a “Yuan Spirit Absorption Enhancer.”

It increases absorption efficiency and enhances mana effects. With it, naturally better; without it, one couldn’t necessarily not cultivate.

As long as you can absorb a sufficient quality of Heavenly Earth Prime Spirit and refine a sufficient quality of mana, in theory, you would be able to cultivate all spells and all Divine Skills.

Xu Yang had such an ability; hence, he cultivated Five Elements Divine Light and Five Elements Divine Thunder even without the Five Elements Spiritual Root.

Although the Five Elements Divine Light and Five Elements Divine Thunder he cultivated lacked the power of those amplified by the Five Elements Spiritual Root in a Yang God avatar, they were still bona fide fourth-tier Cultivation Skills Divine Magic. Paired with the Spirit-Treasure Mech Armor constructed from ten million Five Elements Magic Artifacts, even when facing a fifth-tier Divine Martial Venerable, he could gain a decisive advantage.

Ten million artifacts?

Yes, ten million artifacts!

A clever wife can’t cook without rice, and a general can’t fight without a weapon.

Without people, without money, without materials, and without resources, nothing can be done well.

Conversely, with plentiful people and money, with ample material wealth, anything can be accomplished.

In these mere thirty-eight years, Xu Yang, transformed into a daring bandit, looted all around. He not only seized a vast amount of rare treasures and Heavenly Earth Spirit Material but also captured many martial artists as hostages and prisoners, including Yuan Core martial artists and Divine Bridge Masters.

He passed down to these people the Taoist True Scriptures and Yuan Spirit True Jue, and carefully guided them, transforming them from Yuan Core martial artists and Divine Bridge Masters into Golden Core Cultivators and Nascent Soul True Men and bestowed upon them the skills of Elixir Skills, Artifact Skills, Talisman, and Formation Skills.

Many things come when the laws are in place, and the techniques follow suit. With a foundation laid by Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivation, learning the Hundred Arts of Cultivation like Elixir, Artifact, Talisman, and Formation Skills, progress is evidently swift.

So, Xu Yang took only a little more than thirty years to train a large number of Pill Masters, Artifact Refiners, Talisman Masters, Formation Masters, Spiritual Plant Farmers, Beast Tamers, and various others who were versed in the arts of cultivation to serve him.

Using the strange and rare treasures and Heavenly Earth Spirit Material he robbed, he large-scale manufactured and produced elixirs, magic artifacts, talismans, array banners, as well as Spirit Rice, Spirit Beasts, Spirit Animals, Spirit Fish, and also Corpse Refining, Underworld Soldiers, Ghost Gods, and other objects of cultivation.

Ten million artifacts, though it sounds impressive, in reality, is hardly anything; he had already established five Artifact Refining production lines, with at least several Nascent Soul cultivators, dozens of Golden Core, and hundreds to a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators working on each line. As long as the materials were sufficient, production was ensured.

It was only that he hadn’t yet obtained materials capable of refining Immortal Artifacts and his cultivation had only reached the Nascent Soul, rendering him powerless to refine Immortal Artifacts. Otherwise, Xu Yang even planned to craft an Immortal Spirit Mech Armor at the Myriad Device Level to guard against a speculated Sixth Order martial artist.

All these were Xu Yang’s developmental achievements over decades. Although he still lacked a stable base to establish a foundation, relying on fishing in troubled waters and looting everywhere, he had successfully expanded his power.

Now, with a Nascent Soul cultivation as his foundation and Spirit-Treasure Mech Armor of Ten Million Artifacts Level in hand, he was confident of victory within the fifth-tier limit, whether it was Immortal Path God Forming or Divine Martial.

Moreover, in combination with the nurtured Corpse Refining, Underworld Soldier, Spirit Beasts, and martial artists whose Divine Souls he educated and controlled, he now had dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators, hundreds of Golden Core, thousands of Foundation Establishment, and tens of thousands of Qi Refinement level fighters under his command. Paired with Spirit-Treasure Mech Armor, sacrificial rituals, formations, and other Immortal Path techniques…

It is no exaggeration to say that he now possessed the power to annihilate a Divine Martial inheritance. Even when faced with the Righteous Path Sacred Places or Evil Path Demon Sects that possess multiple War God’s Atlases and have many Divine Martial Venerables, he could stand invincible and even hold the upper hand firmly.

This is the dreamlike experience of Zhuanzhou Mengdie, the terror of Divine Travel Through Worlds, and the accumulated cultivation over several lifetimes supported by ten thousand years of potentiality.

It’s like rolling a snowball that has passed the simplest initial stages and has reached the period of rapid expansion. With each step forward, there’s a frightening growth and a terrifying change.

Those Divine Martial forces, though they also have ten thousand years of heritage, how can they compete with him, who has “external aids” and “blessings from all heavens”?

Although he now has the power to annihilate Divine Martial inheritances and contend with Sacred Places and Demon Sects, to stand firmly out in the open, and no longer hide and wander, he still falls short.

Being able to fight doesn’t necessarily mean a sure victory, securing a victory doesn’t mean you can kill, and killing one doesn’t guarantee the elimination of a group.

Let alone the previous conjecture that among the Righteous Path Sacred Places and Evil Path Demon Sects might exist Sixth Tier martial artists on par with the Immortal Path Returning to Void, even the current openly powerful forces, if they were to join forces and attack, he might not be able to resist.

So it’s still not enough. He hasn’t reached the point of “once again, invincible under the heavens.”

He must continue to bide his time, break through to Divinity Transformation, seek higher-tier Spirit Material, and build an Immortal Spirit Mech Armor at the Myriad Device Level to truly have a foothold in this world.