Chapter 216: Awaken! The Giant's Roar!

Those cultivators whose lifespans had dwindled to a single year turned pale instantly. Their life essence was nearly exhausted. They had long accepted their impending death, hoping that offering the last remnants of their essence might grant them a slim chance of survival. Yet judging by the current situation, that hope seemed all but gone.

Earlier, seeing nearly a hundred thousand cultivators gathered at the Scripture Hall, they had felt overjoyed, believing that offering at most half a year of their lifespan would suffice. Now, things had taken a grim turn.

When the first wave of sacrifices concluded, more than half of the hundred thousand cultivators had fallen unconscious and were swiftly cleared away by Daoist Shuang Dao.

Now, only around twenty thousand remained to continue offering their life essence and lifespan. They had believed they could endure, but seeing the Suitian Spear remain utterly still, those with only a single year left sank into despair.

Half the sacrificial ritual had passed, and they had poured nearly all of their remaining core blood essence into it. Even if they stopped now, it was far too late.

The formation Ancestor Suitian had set up made retreat impossible. Once a cultivator began offering core blood essence, it would continue draining them; whether they died first or the ritual was successful was down to their individual luck.

Gradually, those with only a year left had offered every last bit of their lifespan.

The cultivator who originally had only a single year of lifespan remaining watched the ritual with despair etched on his face. He quietly awaited death, but as minutes passed, no one at the Scripture Hall fell. The flow of core blood essence surged steadily from their palms into the Suitian Spear.

Confused, the short-lived cultivator frowned and began sensing his own core blood essence. After a few seconds, he cut open his palm and carefully examined the concentration of core blood essence in both hands. His face lit up in disbelief and excitement.

"My core blood essence... it has increased! I still have forty years of lifespan! Forty years!"

Stars of light shimmered in his eyes as he fell to his knees, laughing madly. "Hahaha! I don't know what's happening, but it seems my fate isn't sealed! My life isn't meant to end yet!"

Nearby cultivators felt the surge of vitality radiating from his body and spoke in confusion. "Could it be the secret realm? Maybe the terrain here nourishes our core blood essence?"

"The mist drained our core blood essence earlier. Now that it's gone, maybe it's returning. But how could it come back in such abundance?"

Hearing his cries, cultivators throughout the courtyard began checking themselves. Soon, cheers erupted. Almost everyone was shouting that their core blood essence had increased.

None of them understood why their core blood essence had increased, but gaining it without any cost was reason enough to celebrate.

Of course, not everyone shared in the joy. Some cultivators sensed their core blood essence repeatedly, but saw no increase. In fact, compared to before entering the Scripture Hall, theirs had significantly decreased.

They couldn't understand why. Watching others revel in newfound power only deepened their frustration.

Nantian Yijian's face twisted with displeasure as he listened to the shouts behind him. "Why them? Why not me? All of that was core blood essence I returned to them. Why can they retain their amplified essence after the Wish Power link broke, but my cultivation has to drop?

He muttered angrily at Wind Dragon, "Lord Wind Dragon, I refuse to accept this. I, Nantian Yijian, refuse to accept it!"

At the same time, he sneaked glances to make sure no one overheard him.

"You're still complaining?"

Wind Dragon leapt down from above Lu Chen's head, slamming his tail heavily against Nantian Yijian's skull. Pain shot through him, and he hopped around Lu Chen in circles.

Wind Dragon formed a flurry of wind blades beneath his feet, sending them toward Nantian Yijian. "Didn't I tell you to seize the chance while the Wish Power was active and absorb as much insight as you could?

"I've warned you countless times, but you wouldn't listen. Now that you've failed to keep any of the power for yourself, who's to blame?"

"What about them then?" Nantian Yijian ran several laps around Lu Chen before clutching his head, panting. "We all had the same amount of time. How did they manage to keep so much fortune?"

"How dare you ask that? You should know better than anyone what kind of person you are." Wind Dragon grabbed Nantian Yijian by the hair, his tone cold. "They could retain their fortune because they've spent centuries cultivating in this world. Some have over three hundred years of experience, perhaps even four hundred. Even those with less time have lived through grand events. When an opportunity arises, their first instinct is to seize it. You... on the other hand, just stood there, dazed."

"Nantian brat, tell me now. Who else is there to blame for your failure to retain your cultivation?"

"

Ugh...

fine." Nantian Yijian scratched his head, regret etched deeply on his face. "But that feeling of my cultivation skyrocketing all at once... it's just too addictive. I couldn't hold back in time. I promise, next time I'll focus on absorbing and comprehending right away."

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "Alright, Little Jian, remember this lesson. The Ancestor's about to begin. We'll talk about the rest later."

The Suitian Spear in Ancestor Suitian's hands absorbed the core blood essence of tens of thousands of cultivators. Traces of their aura seeped into the weapon, spreading a filthy stench of blood and corruption across its surface.

Ancestor Suitian's eyes narrowed slightly as he let out a cold snort. Lightning erupted along the Suitian Spear, instantly purging the filth and leaving only the core blood essence.

He soared into the air. Riding atop the Suitian Spear, he broke through the protective barrier and hovered above the cliff. "Fellow Daoists, lend me your strength."

The venerables and Men of Heaven at the front of the formation responded promptly, forming hand seals and channeling their spirit qi into the Suitian Spear as reinforcement.

A spatial passage opened. Behind Ancestor Suitian, a colossal lightning giant emerged, spreading its mighty arms to grasp the spear firmly.

The giant bowed respectfully to Ancestor Suitian, then turned its gaze toward the cultivators before the Scripture Hall. When it saw Lu Chen and the others, its expression shifted. It went from shock to doubt, then to disbelief.

"No need to look," Ancestor Suitian said calmly. "Everyone will have their own chance or opportunity when the time comes. Let's begin."

The cultivators' core blood essence thickened and condensed on the spear. Ancestor Suitian formed a series of hand seals as dark tribulation clouds gathered above the cliff's center. "Fellow Daoists, prepare yourselves. This should be the final eruption of the mist. No matter what happens, seize your chance to find your treasure. Whoever fate favors will seize the treasures."

The cultivators echoed softly under their breath, "Whoever fate favors will seize the treasures..."

They quietly drew their weapons, ready to charge the moment the secret realm opened.

Ancestor Suitian glanced around once more, then commanded the lightning giant to thrust the spear downward with full force.

Bang!

A crisp sound rang out. The black mist recoiled violently, rolling back faster than before. From its deepest depths came a distant roar.

Ancestor Suitian's excitement surged. It was the roar of a giant. After thousands of years of scheming, his plan was finally bearing fruit. The giant below was no longer merely stirring. It had truly awakened.

He drew upon all his cultivation, merging with the lightning giant's Divine Eye. Controlling the giant, he gripped the Suitian Spear and spun it in a blazing arc before driving it heavily downward.

The Suitian Spear, held in the giant's hands, grew longer and thicker until it pierced deep into the black mist's center. A series of crisp cracks followed as a translucent barrier formed near the cliff's base. The Suitian Spear firmly embedded itself in the pit at its center.

The dense cultivators' core blood essence that had been gathered flowed rapidly from the spear into the pit. Deep within Lu Chen's small world, the Acquired Divine Tree reacted. A thin vine extended from the sole of Lu Chen's foot, burrowing into the ground to greedily absorb the core blood essence.

Realizing the tree's intent, the corner of Lu Chen's mouth twitched. The Acquired Green Sovereign Divine Tree had always coveted spirit beasts' core essence. Now, sensing the sudden surge of pure energy beneath the cliff, it pierced through layers of formation to compete with the giant.

Little Pup burst into wild laughter. "I thought that since the Young Master entered the cultivation world, those old habits of chasing easy gains would've faded. But even that Green Sovereign Divine Tree has picked up on your nature! It's just as greedy as you."

Blindman Lu chuckled and shook his head. "

Hah

, some childhood habits never change. Since the Green Sovereign Divine Tree has already made its move, let's go ahead and let the giant awaken fully."

Forming rapid hand seals, he sent the purified black mist surging back into the cliff, then conjured a long sword of spirit qi and shot it straight toward the pit.

Ancestor Suitian sensed the movement and commanded the lightning giant to retreat, dodging both the black mist and the incoming sword. He traced the sword's origin, cupped his hands in salute, and then returned to his work.

Blindman Lu swept the black mist wildly beneath the cliff until it was fully absorbed into the depths below.

"Awaken," he murmured. "You've slept long enough. It's time to see for yourself what the world of cultivation has become."

With a flick of his right hand, the glowing sword pierced the pit at the cliff's base. At that instant, the black mist, as if finding a vent, surged forward along the sword's trail, carrying the cultivators' core blood essence straight downward.