Chapter 823: Chapter 470: The Decisive Battle Begins
In Zhao Feixiong’s view, since Zou Feng was qualified to become a Direct Disciple, it was only natural for him to be officially conferred the title first. The status of a Direct Disciple meant more than just an elevation in rank. It came with extremely generous rewards and enhancements to his karmic luck.
Hearing this, Zou Feng shook his head. “The Celestial Dao Cauldron is almost here, so there’s no need to return to the Immortal Sect. Wherever the Celestial Dao Cauldron is, I can be conferred the title anytime and anywhere. Let’s go!” With that, he prepared to leave.
Zhao Feixiong looked back at the Xuanwu Palace with a hint of regret and said, “What a pity. This place is great for dancing, but we just can’t take it with us.”
These words seemed to remind Zou Feng of something. He immediately halted his steps, turned around, and said, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten!” As he spoke, Zou Feng casually threw out a palm strike, blasting it toward the main hall of the Xuanwu Palace.
In an instant, this seemingly effortless palm strike completely leveled the entire main hall to the ground. Just as everyone felt puzzled by his actions, Zou Feng ruthlessly clawed at the empty air with his right hand. “Come out!”
This motion caused an earthquake-like tremor to erupt from beneath the main hall. Not long after, a massive skeleton was forcefully dragged out of the ground by Zou Feng. The moment the skeleton emerged from the earth, everyone saw the phantom of a Divine Bird throwing its head back in a long, echoing cry. Most of the people present had read many ancient texts at the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect. They instantly recognized that this bird was the Vermilion Bird, one of the Ancient Sacred Birds!
Yue Ya’s previous perception was indeed correct. This place was undoubtedly connected to an Ancient Sacred Bird, and it was the very burial ground of the Holy Bird, the Vermilion Bird. Therefore, the original name of this place should have been the Vermilion Bird Palace.
In truth, Zou Feng hadn’t realized earlier that the Vermilion Bird Remains were here. It was only after he had just broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm and gained more masterful control over the Xuanwu Palace that he vaguely made this discovery. However, even with this discovery, he hadn’t taken it too seriously.
The reason was simple: the Vermilion Bird Remains wouldn’t be of much help to him anymore. Even Zhao Feixiong, Su Qingyu, and his several Dao Companions wouldn’t need it. It would only provide a significant boost to Yue Ya.
However, when the Vermilion Bird Remains were truly unearthed and Zou Feng observed them carefully, he made a new realization. He faintly deduced that while the Vermilion Bird Remains alone were naturally of little use, it would be an entirely different story if he gathered the remains of the other corresponding Holy Beasts—the Black Tortoise, the Azure Dragon, and the White Tiger—and fused them into a four-in-one unity.
If he really had to trace it back, the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force he cultivated during his time as a Martial Artist already gave him a slight connection to the Holy Beasts. And precisely because he had used the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force to polish his foundation as a Martial Artist, the benefits he could reap from gathering the remains of all four Holy Beasts would absolutely be substantial.
With this thought in mind, Zou Feng waved his hand, storing the Vermilion Bird Remains into his Storage Pouch. Of course, he naturally wouldn’t be stingy when it came time to allocate a portion to nurture Yue Ya.
With the matters here concluded, Zou Feng didn’t linger. After boarding the Holy Lotus with everyone, they immediately set off toward the Northern Domain. Now, they only had to wait for the Celestial Dao Cauldron to descend. Once it did, the Northern Domain—which had originally been extremely disadvantageous in every aspect for the Cultivators of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect—would transform into their home turf.
Moreover, after successfully breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, just as Zou Feng expected, the List of Gods also showed signs of upgrading. But this upgrade obviously still needed some time. Zou Feng would have to wait to see its specific effects.
As for the safety issues of advancing toward the Northern Domain once more… Even before becoming a Nascent Soul Old Monster, Zou Feng dared to venture deep into the Northern Domain relying on the might of the Xuanwu Poison Domain. Now that he had successfully broken through and his strength had skyrocketed, he naturally had even less to fear.
In truth, as a Nascent Soul Newbie, he shouldn’t have been so high-profile. But just like when he first reached Core Formation, his foundation was solid, and with Gongyang Marquis delivering a great gift, Zou Feng naturally couldn’t be compared to ordinary Nascent Soul Newbies. If he encountered Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivators of Ink Ash Abyss’s ilk again, Zou Feng could guarantee that the scoundrel wouldn’t even have the chance to escape.
However, confidence aside, new Divine Skills were also absolutely necessary. Now that he was a Nascent Soul Old Monster, many of his previous methods were actually no longer presentable.
The most typical examples were the techniques of the Evil King Flame Fiend series. Even the Evil King Flame Demon Hundred Dragon Roar, which was relatively his sharpest attack before, could now probably only be used to crush large groups of weaklings. If he encountered a sufficiently powerful Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivator, its effects would be extremely limited. He would be better off striking out with another palm of the Holy Lotus Rebirth.
As for the relatively strongest Divine Skills he currently mastered, they were naturally the fully formed Xuanwu Poison Domain and the Mirror Flower Water Moon. The evolutionary direction of the Xuanwu Poison Domain was, of course, to forge it into Zou Feng’s exclusive Small Thousand World. However, creating a relatively stable Small Thousand World wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight. Such meticulous work would take at least a few years to see initial results. As for the Mirror Flower Water Moon, it could be improved in a short period, making it even more impossible for the enemy to defend against when executed…
Additionally, this breakthrough granted Zou Feng an all-around enhancement, and even the Nine Immortal Ascension Skills were no exception.
“Nine Immortal Ascension Skills (Limit-Breaking), Progress: 73%.”
The cultivation progress, which was originally just over fifty percent, had suddenly jumped by nearly twenty points. It seemed that after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, he was visibly getting closer and closer to ascending to immortality.
If his expectations were right, the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven should soon try to establish a connection with him…
The moment this thought crossed Zou Feng’s mind, a familiar voice immediately echoed in his sea of consciousness. He instantly immersed his Heart Spirit into it, and sure enough, he saw the image transmitted by the Queen Mother.
It was still that Turquoise Pool. The Queen Mother’s face, however, remained blurry and indistinct.
“That dance… was rather interesting…”
Hearing these words, Zou Feng knew that his use of her Dharma Aspect to dance couldn’t be hidden from her after all. He immediately feigned trepidation and said, “Please forgive me, Queen Mother. The situation was critical at the time, and I truly had no other choice… I absolutely didn’t mean to offend you…”
“I have no intention of blaming you,” the Queen Mother said with a faint smile. “For you to turn a predicament into an opportunity and take the chance to achieve Nascent Soul Formation this time, it was very well done…
“By the way, I heard that your Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect has mobilized the Celestial Dao Cauldron?”
He wondered, “Isn’t the Turquoise Pool trapped? How is her information still so up to date?” But this was nothing to hide. With the Celestial Dao Cauldron on the move, it was impossible for the higher-ups of the Ninefold Celestial Court and the Yama Underworld not to notice.
So, Zou Feng answered truthfully, “The Celestial Dao Cauldron will arrive in the Northern Domain in about ten days.”
“That is… wonderful!” Upon confirming the news of the Celestial Dao Cauldron’s imminent arrival from Zou Feng’s mouth, the Queen Mother surprisingly revealed an expression of unparalleled pleasant surprise. “Once the Celestial Dao Cauldron arrives, the day I free myself from those nine ungrateful wolves won’t be far away!”
With that, the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven looked at Zou Feng with meaningful eyes. “When that time comes, will you fulfill our agreement and head to the Ninefold Celestial Court to help me escape?”
At this moment, Zou Feng naturally couldn’t refuse. He immediately replied solemnly, “It is my sworn duty!”
In truth, the reason the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven was so certain Zou Feng would go to the Ninefold Celestial Court was that he cultivated the Ascension Skill, and it was the most exaggerated Nine Paths Unity at that. Having embarked on this path, the further one cultivated, the more they would realize that avoiding the Ninefold Celestial Court would only lead to a dead end in the future. It was a pity that for all her calculations, the Queen Mother of the Western Heaven could never have predicted that while it was true Zou Feng cultivated the Nine Immortal Ascension Skills, the ones bearing the burden for him were actually others.
Then again, by cultivating the Nine Immortal Ascension Skills, he would probably inevitably have to deal with the Celestial Court’s Nine Great True Immortals in the future. Moreover, if the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect launched a full-scale assault on the Ninefold Celestial Court, he wouldn’t mind tagging along to pick up the scraps. But regardless, going alone to the Turquoise Pool to meet the Queen Mother was absolutely out of the question…
“Since you have promised me, be absolutely sure not to go back on your word, otherwise…”
When she said this, the Queen Mother’s tone was still kind and gentle, but Zou Feng heard more than just a hint of a threat in it. It was more as if the Queen Mother was certain he would definitely go to the Turquoise Pool, so she was warning him not to think he could welsh on the deal and harbor disloyal thoughts in advance…