Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 546: Chapter 330: Earth Immortal_2

“Oh, another has arrived?”

Around the Ascension Platform, a group of guards could be seen, clad in shining silver Soldier’s Armor, all of them at the Deity Transformation cultivation level.

They were the “Celestial Soldiers” tasked with guarding the Ascension Platform!

Although the Ascension Platform was a relic from Ancient Times, it was now controlled by the Heavenly Court, which used it to grasp the important “resource” of ascending cultivators.

Ascendant cultivators, despite originating from the Lower Realm, were among the strongest there, with some even being the rulers of an entire Realm. They often possessed rare and precious treasures that held significant value even in the Earth Immortal Realm, certainly worth holding onto.

The assembly of Celestial Soldiers guarded the surroundings, and among them, a Golden Armored Heavenly General with Return to Void cultivation stepped forward, eager to see which fat sheep had come knocking.

But then…

“Supreme Purity Disaster-Overcoming Star Lord?”

Seeing Xu Yang, who had transformed into Xiao Qingyun’s appearance, even the Golden Armored Heavenly General paused before regaining his composure and hurriedly bowed in respect, “It turns out to be the Star Lord returning from the Lower Realm, my apologies for the oversight!”

“Hmph!”

Xu Yang snorted coldly, saying nothing further, “This lord has urgent matters to report to Heavenly Court, aren’t you quick to act?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

The Golden Armored Heavenly General nodded repeatedly, then formed a Dharma Decree with his hands and cast it into the void.

Immediately after, Spirit Light flashed, the void transformed, and a treasured mirror appeared, reflecting Xu Yang’s figure.

It was indeed the “Demon-Revealing Mirror”!

This artifact was also passed down from the Ancient Immortal Gods and could expose demons, evil spirits, and all manner of monstrous ghosts to their true form, immobilizing them. It was standard equipment at the Ascension Platform, used to guard against Outer Realm Demons while also verifying the identities and backgrounds of ascendant cultivators.

Xu Yang was aware of the mirror, but it did not concern him, being that the standard-issue Demon-Revealing Mirrors at the Ascension Platform were merely replicas, mere Fifth Rank Lower Tier Immortal Spirit level. They could handle the likes of Deity Transformation cultivators, but to expect it to reveal anything about someone of Integration cultivation with skill characteristics like him was a fool’s dream and impractical.

However, according to Xiao Qingyun’s memories, there was one Demon-Revealing Mirror in the Heavenly Court that was an original relic from the Ancient Immortal Gods, ranked at a Seventh Rank Superior Immortal Spirit level, personally held by one of the Four Auxiliary Imperial Lords, the “Emperor of the North Pole.” It was powerful enough to fix even a Mahayana demon in its true form using its transformation arts, capturing their soul and Primordial Spirit, incredibly formidable!

Once the treasured mirror reflected Xu Yang’s image, there was indeed no change; he still appeared as “Xiao Qingyun.”

“That will do, please proceed, Star Lord.”

Upon seeing this, the Golden Armored Heavenly General hastily put away the Demon-Revealing Mirror, ready to send away this troublesome god with powerful connections.

Although both were Return to Void cultivators, sometimes the gap between people was greater than that between a person and a dog.

Xiao Qingyun was a member of the Xiao clan, one of the five great family names of the Heavenly Court, and a relative of the “Western Extreme Great Emperor.”

If it weren’t for this connection, why would someone else with the same Return to Void cultivation merely be a gatekeeping Heavenly General, while another was a Star Lord with a name and title in the Palace of Supreme Purity?

Even this descent to the Lower Realm was the result of power plays, rumored to involve disputes within the high echelons of Heavenly Court and a struggle between the Central Sovereign Emperor and the Four Auxiliary Imperial Lords, which finally allowed this Star Lord to descend from the Heavenly Palace where he lived in luxury.

Although life in the Lower Realm was harsh, it allowed one to avoid war. With his achievements during this descent and the Xiao clan’s maneuvers, he would once again enjoy thousands of years of peace in the Heavenly Palace without being deployed to the frontline to battle with demons.

Whereas, for someone like himself, after guarding the Ascension Platform for a few hundred years, one would be assigned to the frontline, where one would fight for centuries before even dreaming of returning, with the risk of perishing at any moment.

Such was the hard life without powerful backing.

The Golden Armored Heavenly General bitterly contemplated this as Xu Yang paid him no mind and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Though the Heavenly Court’s system had not collapsed, it was deeply corrupt. Everywhere one needed connections and a powerful background to succeed.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Not to mention anything else, simply consider the Ascension Platform; a cultivator ascending from the Lower Realm would need to identify themselves. If they had ancestors in the Heavenly Court or belonged to any major Immortal God Tao Lineages, they could go directly to report and would be handled and placed by their Sect.

If one had no connections, no backing, they would not only be plundered by the gatekeeping generals, but they would also be enlisted into the new armies of Heavenly Court, used as free labor. Whether sent to battlefields or to labor like animals, they would suffer for thousands of years in the hope of eventually regaining freedom.

The Wandao School belonged to those without backgrounds, hence the generally poorer treatment.

Such practices had substantial issues. Although slaying demons and eradicating evil was the duty of cultivators, unfair distribution, rather than scarcity, was the real problem. Whatever the issue, fairness was required. Unfair dealings lead to discontent hearts, and great disasters were bound to ensue; it was only a matter of when they would erupt.

But the Upper Realm was the Upper Realm after all. Apart from the exploitation by Heavenly Court, the benefits were significantly greater than those in the Lower Realm.

As Xu Yang soared within it, he could feel the abundance of natural spirit, even subtly noticing a hint of Immortal Spirit Qi.

Bathed in this nourishing energy, the body, which had never cultivated the Earth Deity Law, felt refreshed and revitalized, with all meridians relaxed. The vitality within him visibly grew, and his Mana became more refined, hinting at a potential rebirth.

“This is…”

Xu Yang’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the attributes panel, and saw his lifespan category beginning to grow and fluctuate.

Lifespan increase!

Such was the benefit of the Earth Immortal Realm.

Earth Immortal, Earth Immortal, the title itself was by no means casually derived.

In this Earth Immortal Realm, not only was the Yuan Spirit abundant and far superior to the Lower Realm, but there was also Immortal Spirit Qi flowing throughout the world.

This trace of Immortal Spirit Qi held immense benefits for a cultivator, the most direct being the increase in lifespan.

In the Lower Realm, a Golden Core cultivator lived for a thousand years, a Deity Transformation cultivator for two thousand, a Return to Void cultivator for four thousand, and an Integration cultivator for ten thousand.

Even those at the Mahayana level only had a lifespan of thirty thousand years. If they could not transform all their Mana into immortal power to step into the realm of Tribulation Passing Human Immortals before their lifespan ended, they would perish, their Dao dissipating into smoke and ash.