Chapter 310: Heavenly Stele Blessings
On a pavilion in the distance, a tsunami-like cheer suddenly erupted.
But the unexpected surprise was far from over!
With the voice of the Yellow Turban Strongman, a column of clear, misty light shot out from the top of the Heavenly Stele, then landed precisely on the top floor of that pavilion.
The runes flowing within the pillar of light were like living creatures, turning into a sky-full of light rain the moment they touched the pavilion.
The tiles of the entire pavilion suddenly took on a jade-like luster, and the copper bells at the eaves rang without wind.
Subsequently, the people in the surrounding pavilions saw the figure of the Sect Master of the Asking Sword Sect slowly floating in the light rain, with star-like dots of light lighting up one after another around the acupoints on his body.
His originally withered white hair turned black at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his wrinkles were smoothed out as if by an invisible hand.
The most astonishing thing was that three inches above his head, a green lotus entirely condensed from sword energy was slowly blooming; this was the mark of stepping into the Celestial Human Realm!
"The Sect Master has broken through!"
"The Sect Master has broken the shackles of the Longevity Realm that trapped him for eight hundred years... it was actually broken so easily!"
"Heavenly Stele Blessing!"
"Is this the legendary Fortune Empowerment?"
The breathing of countless cultivators became heavy, and the gazes they directed at the Heavenly Stele were scorching enough to ignite the air.
Countless railings were squeezed out with several finger prints.
Some sect masters of small sects who were stuck at a certain bottleneck unable to advance even an inch even stretched half their bodies out from the railings of their pavilions, wishing they could immediately stick themselves onto the Heavenly Stele Pavilion.
Only Lin Wan narrowed her eyes.
In the depths of that seemingly peaceful clear light, she captured a trace of familiar golden radiance.
That was not ethereal fortune at all, but tangible... Merit Power!
Since it was clearly Merit, why did it disguise itself as fortune? Moreover, aside from fortune, this clear light was mixed with some things even she couldn't understand for a moment!
She couldn't help but think that if Ji Hongli were here, it would be good; she might be able to see something from it.
While Lin Wan's thoughts were in turmoil, names appeared one after another on the Heavenly Stele.
On the transparent stele body, the small text was like stars lighting up the night sky.
"Ninety-seventh place: Hundred Gu Sect of Youzhou!"
...
"Eighty-third place: Vajra Gate of Yunzhou!"
...
Every time a declaration fell, a beam of clear light shot out from the top of the stele.
Beams of clear light streaked across the sky.
The entire Tianjing City seemed to be experiencing a meteor shower. The three hundred and sixty-five pavilions flickered in the clear radiance.
And the miracle that had just occurred at the Asking Sword Sect began to happen again and again.
It wasn't necessarily breaking through a cultivation bottleneck; some gained insights into the Sword Dao, or their life-bound magic treasures suddenly jumped a level!
In the pavilion of the Hundred Gu Sect, a white-haired old woman held her life-bound Gu, which had suddenly shed its skin and been reborn, with tears streaming down her face.
On the terrace of the Vajra Gate, a middle-aged man looked at the ring knife in his hand, on which a "Swastika" mark had appeared, and whistled towards the sky.
Even the auras of the ordinary cultivators on the pavilions thickened a bit.
The worst off felt their obstructed meridians suddenly clear up.
"Sixty-second place: Ice Valley of North State!"
This time the clear light was exceptionally brilliant, and it actually condensed into the shape of frost flowers when it landed on the pavilion.
The Valley Master of Ice Valley—a woman in palace attire—suddenly had nine ice rings appear around her body. Moreover, the "Xuanming True Seal" recorded in inherited ancient texts manifested between her eyebrows.
"What! Xuanming True Seal!"
"This is a powerful talent not inferior to the few Great Saint Bodies!"
"It is said that Ice Valley also had a Saint Venerable in charge a hundred thousand years ago! It is just that after the fall, no one inherited the Xuanming True Seal!"
"Now Ice Valley is developed. Perhaps in a thousand years, there will be a chance to return to the ranks of top sects!"
On the viewing platform, several sect masters were already dancing with excitement.
But the woman in palace attire, who was the center of discussion, had a calm expression, appearing quite unperturbed by favor or disgrace.
However, looking closely, one could still see her delicate body trembling constantly!
Chen Xingcai leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance: "Auntie, look! That big sister's hair has turned ice blue!"
But Xiao Chen noticed Lin Wan's abnormal silence.
He followed her gaze and saw that amidst the scattered clear light, there were almost imperceptible golden dots hidden—like gold powder mixed into white sugar.
Although he couldn't understand what these things were, since his Auntie was so serious, it looked like these things were no free lunch.
Indeed, pies never fall from the sky. Any return far lower than the input often comes with a much heavier price.
Xiao Chen understood instantly.
But Lin Wan did not notice her disciple's realization. Instead, she tapped the window lattice with her fingertip.
She could already be one hundred percent certain that these were indeed Merit Power. Merit itself has no distinction between good and evil. The person behind the Heavenly Stele was actually willing to invest with such a large hand.
It seems what they are plotting is not small!
This made her unable to help but become even more vigilant in her heart.
At the same time—
"Eleventh place: Endless Sea: Black Tortoise Island!"
The Endless Sea does not belong to the list of the Thirteen States, yet it holds a special status. Black Tortoise Island is an old-school top sect. It usually hides in the sea, disregarding worldly affairs, and has little interaction with the sects on the land.
With the announcement of the Yellow Turban Strongman, a beam of clear light as thick as a bowl broke through the air.
In the pillar, the vague silhouette of a dragon could be seen circling, causing countless cultivators to crane their necks.
But just then, an abrupt mutation occurred!
A black-robed elder suddenly leapt up from the viewing platform of a certain pavilion. Seven chains flew from his sleeve and entangled the pillar of light.
The runes on the chains shone like the scorching sun; obviously, this had been planned for a long time.
The black-robed elder's body faintly showed signs of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man; clearly, his lifespan was about to end! But no one thought this person would be so audacious as to snatch the Heavenly Stele's blessing under the gaze of everyone.
But what if... he succeeded?
In an instant, the entire Heavenly Stele Square quieted down.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the outcome of this black-robed elder.
The enforcement disciples of the Tianji Pavilion didn't even have time to shout to stop. Just as the chains touched the pillar of light, another mutation occurred.
"Boom!"
The clear light suddenly turned red and transformed into a fire dragon that rolled back.
The black-robed elder didn't even have time to let out a scream before his entire body was swallowed by the red flames.
The crowd only saw a distorted human shape struggling crazily in the firelight. His daoist robe turned to flying ash, and his skin and flesh melted like wax.
"Ahh—"
A mournful howl echoed through the square.
The ball of humanoid fire stumbled and rushed out three steps, finally kneeling on the ground and turning into a charred skeleton.
The skeleton maintained the posture of howling at the sky. It cracked inch by inch in the morning wind, and amidst the falling bone ash, a few points of scarlet sparks were still jumping.
The jade slip in the hand of a nearby female cultivator fell to the ground with a "snap".
The entire square was deathly silent.
...
However, the names on the Heavenly Stele continued to appear unhurriedly, as if they had just crushed an ant.
"Tenth place: Lingzhou: Zhao Family"
A new beam of clear light shot out leisurely. This time, no one dared to have any wild thoughts.
Everyone subconsciously took half a step back, as if afraid of having that auspicious halo touch the hem of their clothes.
...
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