NOVEL NEXT Chapter 950 - 950: Tit For Tit
Chapter 950: Tit For Tit
Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
As long as the Seventh Stage of Open Heaven Realm did not appear, with the current strength of the nineteen Emperors, it was actually not a problem to defend the current territory of the human race.
However, the Seventh Stage of Open Heaven Realm ancestor from the Evil Clan was a sword hanging over the human race, and no one knew when it would truly strike.
With the Evil Clan and the Ice Clan leading the way, other alien races had begun to stir, occasionally launching probing attacks on the borders of human cities.
The human race had thrived in this region for many years and had grown to its current state largely because this area contained a wealth of resources.
Some rare resources had even been transplanted from other regions by human Emperors to the human territories.
These resources were of great benefit even to those at the Sixth Stage Rule Integration Realm, making them highly coveted by many alien races.
While the surrounding alien races kept a close watch on the human race, the attitude of other allied races seemed somewhat ambiguous.
If they were truly betraying the alliance, it would have been more evident.
However, there was also no genuine intention to fully support the human race against other alien threats.
The crux lay with the Seventh Stage of Open Heaven Realm ancestor from the Evil Clan. Without clarity on the situation, other allied races were too cautious to fully support the human race.
This was the harsh reality within the Return to Nothing Realm.
There was no such thing as eternal friendship—only the underlying logic of interests.
Alliances between races were based on mutual benefits. Once there was harm to these interests or threats to the race’s survival, alliances could dissolve immediately.
Thus, the human race could only rely on its own strength.
The Qiankun Cauldron was the only potential force that could counter a Seventh Stage of Open Heaven Realm being.
Of course, if a Seventh Stage of Open Heaven Realm powerhouse had emerged from the human race, all crises and difficulties would have vanished.
However, despite numerous Emperors appearing over the years, none had managed to reach that level.
Some Emperors even suspected that perhaps the human race was under some kind of racial restriction imposed by the Return to Nothing Realm.
It might not have been targeted specifically at the human race but rather a restriction affecting all races unable to break through the Seventh Stage bottleneck, similar to the former powerful War Race.
This was a conjecture, and no one could say for certain.
Nevertheless, history showed that several human Emperors attempting to break through to the Seventh Stage of Open Heaven Realm had encountered inexplicable resistance.
This resistance caused them to fail at the final moment.
It was difficult to determine whether this resistance was an inherent barrier to breaking through or, as conjectured, a form of restriction.
Qiankun Mansion.
The day after Chen Fei’s breakthrough, he received frequent visits from those at the Sun Moon Realm, including several Sun Moon Realm Sacred Masters from the Boundless Sea Sacred Land, who came to catch up with him in his courtyard.
Previously, Chen Fei had been seen as a prodigious Mountain Sea Realm cultivator who had made significant contributions to the Boundless Sea’s survival.
At that time, these Sacred Masters had still regarded Chen Fei as a junior.
They believed that while he might eventually break through to the Sun Moon Realm, achieving the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm and catching up to their level would take a century or more.
To their surprise, within just a few years, Chen Fei had already caught up with them.
On the third morning, Zhan Xuming visited the courtyard and sat face-to-face with Chen Fei.
Most of the people from the Stellar Sacred Land had already been freed, and Zhan Xuming was no exception.
Any Sun Moon Realm cultivator could visit Qiankun Mansion, including Zhan Xuming. However, compared to other Sun Moon Realm cultivators, Zhan Xuming’s time was shorter, and whether he would remain in the current elimination round was uncertain.
Zhan Xuming used tea in place of wine to offer several toasts to Chen Fei.
Zhan Xuming understood well that Chen Fei had played a crucial role in the release of the Stellar Sacred Land.
Although Chen Fei had not done anything directly or pleaded on their behalf, it was precisely because of Chen Fei that the situation for so many people from the Stellar Sacred Land had changed.
After half an hour, Zhan Xuming departed.
Although he did not say any words of thanks, his visit indicated a clear stance.
In the future, if Chen Fei needed anything, Zhan Xuming would not refuse and would offer assistance directly.
Although Zhan Xuming understood that with Chen Fei’s current talent, it would not be long before he reached the late stage or even the pinnacle of the Sun Moon Realm.
At that point, Zhan Xuming might not be able to help much.
However, the willingness to help was different from the ability to help, and Zhan Xuming needed to demonstrate his attitude.
A few days later, Chen Fei visited the Qiankun Mansion’s treasury again and exchanged the remaining 4,000 merit points for a Earth Concealment Bamboo and ten Cloud Sun Pills.
The Earth Concealment Bamboo could only be used once by all Sun Moon Realm cultivators. Its effects did not work for a second use.
The effect of the Earth Concealment Bamboo was somewhat similar to that of the Jade Dew Wood, enhancing one’s comprehension of divine abilities.
In terms of effectiveness, the Earth Concealment Bamboo was far superior to the Jade Dew Wood. According to Jiang Chengji, a single Earth Concealment Bamboo was equivalent to two of the Jade Dew Wood.
In the Sun Moon Realm, cultivating divine abilities becomes increasingly difficult as one acquires more abilities.
This is due to the interference between different divine abilities.
Divine abilities are essentially rules, and rules can both repel and attract each other.
The final result of this interaction depends entirely on the relative strength of the rules involved.
When cultivating the first divine ability in the Sun Moon Realm, the rules within the ability are mixed together, making the process relatively simple.
However, when it comes to the second or even third divine ability, the separation of these abilities creates a significant repulsion effect.
Additionally, as the first divine ability has fully evolved and the new one is still developing, the contrast between the strengths of the abilities makes this repulsion even more pronounced.
Thus, as one progresses in the Sun Moon Realm, cultivation becomes increasingly difficult, not only in terms of source points but also in terms of comprehending divine abilities.
Although the Earth Concealment Bamboo was much more effective than the Jade Dew Wood, the actual level of comprehension achieved ultimately depended on the individual due to the influence of the first divine ability.
After Chen Fei used the Earth Concealment Bamboo, he indeed felt the impact of Indestructible Vision and on Pillar Mountain.
Fortunately, Indestructible Vision later actively subdued its fluctuations, allowing the Earth Concealment Bamboo to exhibit most of its effectiveness.
The proficiency of the Pillar Mountain divine ability ultimately increased from a beginner level to more than halfway to mastery.
In the Qiankun Mansion’s treasury, there were no more spiritual materials suitable for mid-stage Sun Moon Realm cultivators to comprehend divine abilities. The Earth Concealment Bamboo was the only option left.
Therefore, to further enhance his proficiency in the Pillar Mountain, Chen Fei had to rely on his own comprehension.
The good news was that using the panel to comprehend the proficiency of the Pillar Mountain was entirely unaffected by Indestructible Vision.
Given the Qiankun Cauldron’s amplification effect on various comprehensions, Chen Fei could potentially complete the enhancement of the Pillar Mountain to its full extent in less than a year.
The Earth Concealment Bamboo cost Chen Fei two thousand merit points, which was more expensive than the Emperor inheritances.
This was not because the Emperor inheritances were inferior to the Earth Concealment Bamboo, but because rare materials and treasures were depleted with each use, while inheritance techniques could be copied directly.
Moreover, the original intention of Qiankun Mansion was to rapidly increase the strength of Sun Moon Realm cultivators and thus the Emperor inheritances were intentionally priced low for Sun Moon Realm cultivators to exchange and study.
Chen Fei spent his remaining two thousand merit points on ten Cloud Sun Pills.
Each Cloud Sun Pill required two hundred merit points, making them extremely expensive, but their effects were indeed impressive.
After consuming ten Cloud Sun Pills, Chen Fei’s Heavenly Pillar grew by more than thirty percent.
Accumulating the Heavenly Pillar to its critical point was significantly more difficult than accumulating source points to the critical point, as the required elemental energy was vastly different.
Typically, a mid-stage Sun Moon Realm cultivator aiming to bring the Heavenly Pillar to its peak would take several hundred years, even under conditions of exceptional talent, high comprehension of cultivation methods, and abundant resources.
Chen Fei’s comprehension of his cultivation methods was naturally solid, given that his Thunder Roar Stellar Technique had already reached perfection and was sufficient for progressing to the late stage of the Sun Moon Realm.
As a result, he absorbed the medicinal effects of the ten Cloud Sun Pills almost perfectly.
With three days remaining before the first elimination, Hua Zhichun arrived outside Chen Fei’s courtyard. Chen Fei, surprised, invited Hua Zhichun inside.
“Will you challenge Mo Qibing in three days?” Hua Zhichun asked directly.
“Most likely,” Chen Fei replied after a moment’s thought.
Mo Qibing was currently the top cultivator at the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm in the Sky Sea Branch, having already reached the peak of this stage. With some more time to solidify his foundation, he would soon advance to the late stage of the Sun Moon Realm.
Chen Fei’s current courtyard was quite good, but the top-ranked courtyard would be even better.
“If you’re certain about the challenge, I will set up a betting pool,” Hua Zhichun said with a smile.
Since Chen Fei had just broken through, there was considerable speculation about his actual strength.
Setting up a betting pool at this moment, with its inherent suspense, would be profitable for the bookmaker.
If Chen Fei waited a year or even six months to challenge, more than 80% of people would likely bet on his victory. At that point, even with lower odds, the bookmaker might not earn much and could end up abandoning the betting pool.
“Great!”
Chen Fei also smiled and said, “How about lending me some merit points for the bet?”
Half an hour later, Hua Zhichun left to contact other top cultivators from different branches to set up the betting pool.
Before Hua Zhichun could finalize the arrangements, a new piece of news spread.
Kuang Xingfeng from the Fire Away Branch, who was at the mid-stage of the Sun Moon Realm, directly challenged She Zheng’an from the Sky Sea Branch, who was at the late stage of the Sun Moon Realm.
Kuang Xingfeng was the top mid-stage Sun Moon Realm cultivator in the Fire Away Branch, while She Zheng’an was ranked 29th at the late stage in the Sky Sea Branch.
This challenge was notable not only because it involved a higher stage but also because Kuang Xingfeng specifically targeted the 29th-ranked cultivator from the Sky Sea Branch, making people speculate about the reasons behind his choice.
On the day before the elimination round, during the Chen time, this high-level battle commenced in the arena.
Half an hour later, news spread throughout the Qiankun Mansion.
Following Chen Fei, the second challenge involving a higher stage had occurred. Kuang Xingfeng had defeated She Zheng’an and claimed the late-stage Sun Moon Realm courtyard of the Sky Sea Branch for the Fire Away Branch.