The Gate Of Good Fortune c1-905

by Demon Translations

  Moreover, with the Starry Sky Wheel under Ning Cheng’s control, its speed had also risen quite substantially. As a couple of days flew by, the Human-faced Poison Centipede could no longer chase after Ning Cheng. Another day later, Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness could no longer detect the human-faced Poison Centipede’s aura.

  But to prevent the Human-faced Poison Centipede from catching up, Ning Cheng still kept complete control of the Starry Sky Wheel for the next half a month. He only stopped in front of a stone forest. Rather, Ning Cheng stopped here because he felt something here drawing his Spiritual Consciousness towards it.

  Only now did Ning Cheng feel the vastness of the Grand Essence Mystic Realm. He controlled the Starry Sky and flew around for a month or two at almost full speed, yet he didn’t find himself going around in circles.

  Putting away the Starry Sky Wheel, Ning Cheng then descended into the stone forest.

  This stone forest looked very strange, with tall and steep peaks jutting out of the ground. The tall ones were a hundred or even thousands of feet tall, while the shorter ones were about a few centimetres tall. Standing in the stone forest, Ning Cheng felt as if he had entered a bamboo forest full of bamboo shoots, with high and low bamboo shoots popping up everywhere.

  However, no matter where he looked, this stone forest didn’t contain anything apart from those stone peaks. Ning Cheng didn’t even see a single blade of grass. It wouldn’t have mattered if this place was devoid of spirit qi, but Ning Cheng could acutely feel that the spirit qi here was quite dense. This place felt quite suitable for cultivation.

  Ning Cheng couldn’t help but ruminate over it as he couldn’t find even a single divine grass in this place. In the Grand Essence Mystic Realm, especially in a spirit qi rich area, no one would believe if someone said that this place contained no divine grasses.

  Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness stretched out to look at things even more carefully. However, he still did not find any indication of divine grasses.

  Quickly, however, Ning Cheng started to feel a slightly cold aura permeating the area apart from the vibrant spirit qi.

  As he cultivated the Seven Bridges Spirit Technique, Ning Cheng wasn’t a stranger to different types of cold and even yin-aligned auras. However, he still didn’t like this type of aura very much, so much so that he didn’t want to stay here for long.

  But by the time Ning Cheng decided to leave, he discovered something wrong with the place. He couldn’t find the exit at all. Moreover, his spiritual consciousness couldn’t sweep out of the stone forest, nor could he find any sense of direction in this place.

  Ning Cheng forced himself to calm down and activated the Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds. However, he quickly fell to the ground. From the looks of it, the stone forest’s Forbidden Space Restriction was much stronger than the one over the Grand Essence Ruins’ public square. It prevented him from flying too high. Moreover, while passing through the stone forest, he still couldn’t find his bearings.

  Ning Cheng finally came to an understanding that this place most likely a natural maze. One could go in, but one can’t get out.

  Ning Cheng didn’t grow anxious just because he found himself in a natural maze. He was currently a Spirit Array Master, which meant that even if he didn’t have an array pattern, he could still get out of this maze.

  It’s a pity that he couldn’t lure that stupid centipede in here. Otherwise, he could have trapped the poison centipede in the maze before leaving.

  Five days later, Ning Cheng stopped scurrying around like a headless fly. Ning Cheng realised that his understanding of the Dao of Arrays couldn’t help him in this place. Even though five days had gone by, he couldn’t even figure out a single corner of this maze. The only thing he did realise correctly was that this area was a natural maze.

  “Snap” Another pile of human bones snapped into two as Ning Cheng touched it. It wasn’t one or two times Ning Cheng saw skeletons while walking in this stone forest. Ning Cheng kept checking whether the bones had any rings. If there were any rings, he would have collected them and then continued searching for the array entrance.

  A few days later, he picked up two rings. But the bones Ning Cheng found this time made him stop.

  The skeleton he found this time was that of a male cultivator. Plus, the clothes on this skeleton looked quite gorgeous and exquisite. Moreover, the robes still looked pristine, with not even a single speck of dust on it. From this, Ning Cheng understood that this robe was also a top-grade artefact. However, it wasn’t the robe that surprised Ning Cheng, but rather the skeleton.

  The skeleton glowed with a faint golden colour. It even contained a faint aura of dao charms circulating around it. Ning Cheng carefully scanned the frame with his spiritual consciousness, confirming that this cultivator had truly fallen.

  After a while, Ning Cheng’s eyes fell on the ring on this fallen cultivator’s hand. Even Ning Cheng had to admit that he hadn’t seen such an ornately carved storage ring. Moreover, the finger bones had a pale blue gem-like light covering them, giving one an impression that one was looking at the blue skies’ stars.

  Ning Cheng bent down and wanted to take the ring off.

  But just when his hand was about to touch the ring, a faint voice emerged, “I haven’t died yet, and you want to grab my things?”

  Ning Cheng, caught by surprise, quickly backed away and stretched out his hand. A long spear then suddenly appeared in the palm of his hand.

  “Don’t worry; it’s not like I can fight anyway. Besides, my essence spirit is feeble to the point of extinguishing. I used a secret method to force my essence spirit into a fake death state. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have woken up at all.” A weak voice once again emerged from the skeleton in front of him.

  Ning Cheng’s spiritual consciousness stretched out and truly found a faint trace of essence spirit fluctuations now coming from the skeletal frame. Ning Cheng would never have thought of picking up a ring from a cultivator who had not fallen. Even if he knew that the cultivator couldn’t resist him, he still wouldn’t do such a thing.

  Seeing Ning Cheng not taking any action, the skeleton seemed to have heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Shall we have a friendly discussion? If you can help me, I can tell you how to get out of this place. Of course, I can’t guarantee that you and I can get out, lest you say I lied to you.”

  Feeling that this skeleton was speaking the truth, Ning Cheng immediately had a good impression about it in his heart. If this skeleton had ‘guaranteed’ that it could take him out, even without saying anything about saving it first, it would have meant that the skeleton had another plan.

  Seeing Ning Cheng not speaking, the skeleton thought Ning Cheng wanted his ring, so he didn’t bother with it and continued. “Entering the Grand Essence Lost Stone Forest, the chance of survival is almost non-existent. But since you can come here, then it means that the Grand Essence Mystic Realm should have opened once again, right? Well, that doesn’t matter. You can say that no one knows how to get out of the Grand Essence Lost Stone Forest except for me. If you want my ring, I can give it to you. But there aren’t any good things inside of it.”

  Ning Cheng had to admit that the skeleton was correct about one point. But he still asked about a lingering suspicion, “Did you come here the last time the Grand Essence Mystic Realm opened?”

  “Last time?” The skeleton repeated but then fell silent. After a few minutes, it sighed and said, “I’ve slumbered here for over 60,000 years. I got severely injured back then and had to escape to this place 60,000 years ago. I wandered around this place for tens of thousands of years and found many rings. I’m probably the only one who knows the situation in this place. It’s just that although the spirit qi here feels vibrant, one simply can’t absorb it for cultivation. If you noticed the lack of divine grasses in this place, you would have already guessed what’s going on….”

  When Ning Cheng heard this, he immediately tried to absorb a trace o
f spirit qi to try it. However, he stopped immediately. The inability to absorb the spirit qi here didn’t seem to apply to him. He could easily absorb the spirit qi here and turn it into fuel for his cultivation. It most likely was related to the Mysterious Yellow Formless Cultivation Method, but Ning Cheng didn’t say it aloud.

  The skeleton continued, “After consuming all the resources I could get, I could only use the secret method to feign death. If no one touched me, I might have never woken up at all.”

  Ning Cheng took out two Bodhi Cauldron Heaven Buds and many spirit crystals and threw them towards the skeleton. “I don’t have any medicinal pills, but you can use these two high-grade divine grasses to help you restore your body. You’ll have to do it by yourself.”

  The skeleton had lost its muscles, and its essence spirit also had weakened to the point of collapse. Fortunately, although the body had collapsed, the frame remained intact. Bodhi Cauldron Heaven Bud was a high-grade divine grass specifically used to restore one’s body. Plus, with a bunch of spirit crystals, Ning Cheng believed that the skeleton could recover soon.

  The skeleton grabbed the two divine grasses and the bunch of spirit crystals in a daze, feeling quite overwhelmed. It had never encountered a person like Ning Cheng. Moreover, Ning Cheng hadn’t negotiated any terms or talked about anything else before taking out those resources. The skeleton knew the preciousness of a Bodhi Caldron Heaven Bud and knew it wasn’t any less precious than an ordinary Dao Fruit. Moreover, rarely if ever, would one find this divine grass within the Grand Essence Mystic Realm.

  Chapter 0885 – Myriad Paths To Perfection

  Translated By – DemonKiller

  Checked and Edited By – Livewidsmile

  Proofread By – DemonKiller

  Please do not host our works anywhere else without our permission.

  Ning Cheng understood that the skeleton was in shock. If it were before entering the Grand Essence Mystic Realm, not to mention two Bodhi Caldron Heaven Buds, even a leaf from the Bodhi Cauldron Heaven Bud most likely would have been an unattainable treasure for him.

  But now, Ning Cheng had harvested more than a hundred Bodhi Cauldron Heaven Buds from the divine grass gardens guarded by those Human-faced Poison Centipedes. Moreover, the bones of this skeleton had a golden glow to them. From this, Ning Cheng also understood that this person was a top-grade body refining expert. Unfortunately, as a top-grade body refining expert, a Bodhi Cauldron Heaven Bud might not be able to entirely restore this person’s flesh and blood.

  Fortunately, Ning Cheng also felt that this person didn’t have nefarious thoughts and wouldn’t disregard the fact that someone had helped him recreate his body. It made Ning Cheng a bit more generous than usual and took out two buds for the skeleton.

  It hasn’t been a day or two since Ning Cheng got trapped in the Grand Essence Lost Stone Forest. He naturally realised a few of the horrors in this place and could cultivate in this place. But it didn’t matter if it was for one year or 60,000 years; he didn’t want to waste time here. In any case, this skeleton was here for tens of thousands of years. Meaning it should have a better idea about how to get out of this place. Besides, Ning Cheng also had no idea about body refining cultivation methods that could take him past the Starry Sky Body. As such, he wanted to consult with the skeleton in front of him on both these points.

  The skeleton quickly began to use Ning Cheng’s things to restore its essence blood, and body. Ning Cheng also didn’t continue to search around and waited on the side.

  A few days later, Ning Cheng saw a skinny male cultivator come out of the temporary cave, put away the cave and walk towards him.

  At this time, the skeleton finally had some flesh and blood on its frame. Although the male cultivator looked extremely thin and almost bony, it was better than being just a skeleton. This cultivator seemed to have a weak aura around him, but Ning Cheng could tell that he would be quite a powerful expert once he recovered fully.

  “Many thanks for this friend’s sincere help. My name is Qi Shisanxing, and I am an Inner Sect Disciple of Profound Moon Spirit Gate.” The male cultivator bowed to Ning Cheng as soon as he walked up. His eyes even glowed with the joy of escaping from certain death.

  Ning Cheng had heard about the Profound Moon Spirit Gate; it was one of the top ten sects in the Grand Essence Domain. But the name Qi Shisanxing[1] felt too weird.

  But since Ning Cheng had already seen and encountered too many strange things in the world of cultivation, he no longer cared about someone having a peculiar name. Instead, he cupped his fists and spoke with a slightly surprised voice, “I’m called Ning Cheng. Although I could save Brother Qi, it was only an accident. If Brother Qi recovers fully, I might have to rely on Brother Qi.”

  Ning Cheng didn’t hide it this time and spoke out his real name.

  Qi Shisanxing saw that Ning Cheng had some doubts and smiled before speaking, “When I was born, thirteen stars had appeared on my forehead. But after I opened my eyes, the thirteen stars disappeared into my body. My father took it as an auspicious sign and named me after it. Brother Ning, did you make a special trip to the Grand Essence Lost Stone Forest?”

  Make a special trip?

  Ning Cheng waved his hand and said, “No, a Human-faced Poison Centipede chased after me, and I ended up in this place.”

  Qi Shisanxing looked at Ning Cheng in shock, “Did you find the medicinal garden of Pill Sage Min Kong[2]? Only Pill Sage Min Kong’s medicinal garden has a Human-faced Poison Centipede holding the fort. But that Human-faced Poison Centipede’s cultivation has long surpassed the Dao Sculpting level. How did you manage to escape?”

  Without waiting for Ning Cheng’s answer, Qi Shisanxing’s eyes lit up, “No wonder you could take out two Bodhi Cauldron Heaven Buds. You must have found Pill Sage Min Kong’s medicinal garden….”

  “Pill Sage Min Kong’s medicinal garden?” Ning Cheng asked in doubt.

  Qi Shisanxing nodded, “Yes. If a Human-faced Poison Centipedes was guarding it, it undoubtedly was the medicinal garden of Pill Sage Min Kong. Pill Sage Min Kong was a top-grade Dao Essence Pill Sage. There isn’t a single person in the entire Grand Essence Realm who would dare to disrespect him. Unfortunately, the Grand Essence Realm slowly started to run out of divine grasses and places to grow them, for his alchemy.”

  “Fortunately, the Grand Essence Mystic Realm is one of the most suitable places to grow divine grasses. Therefore Pill Sage Min Kong decided to dissipate his cultivation and brought his companion beast, the Human-faced Poison Centipede, into the Grand Essence Mystic Realm. I heard that it was to cultivate the divine grasses he needed for a specific alchemy recipe. But after he entered the Grand Essence Mystic Realm, no one heard anything about it. Brother Ning, since you met a Human-faced Poison Centipede, then it must have come from Pill Sage Min Kong’s medicinal garden.”

  Ning Cheng couldn’t help but sigh after hearing this.

  Sure enough, everyone had something for which they could give up everything.

  Even someone like Pill Sage Min Kong decided to abolish his cultivation just to come to this place to grow divine grasses. Replaced by him, he would have never done such a thing. From the looks of it, those two poison centipedes most likely were the offspring of that poison centipede. Whether Qi Shisan knew about it or not, Ning Cheng didn’t explain it.

  Seeing Ning Cheng not speaking, Qi Shisanxing said, “Some people say that Pill Sage Min Kong wanted to reach the Third Step Dao Confirming through the Dao of Pills but failed in the end.”

  Ning Cheng’s consciousness shook on hearing those words, and he quickly asked, “Brother Qi, does Dao Confirming truly have a third step?”

  Qi Shisanxing looked at Ning Cheng in doubt and asked, “Brother Ning, looking at your ability, you should be a disciple from a big sect, right? Didn’t your master teach you this?”

  Ning Cheng only reported a name before and didn’t mention anything about a sect. Qi Shisanxing initially thought that Ning Cheng didn’t
want to speak about it and didn’t ask. He never thought that Ning Cheng, someone who could escape a Human-faced Poison Centipede’s pursuit, was not affiliated to any sect or faction.

  Ning Cheng smiled, “I’m just a rogue cultivator. So no one really would take the time to teach me these things.”

  Qi Shisanxing felt stupefied and sighed only after a long time before speaking up. “No wonder. Dao Confirming’s Third Step does exist, but no one can reach the third step in the Grand Essence Realm because of its broken laws. Therefore, I can only tell you this about the third step.

  It exists

  . If you want to enter the third step, you must go to the Grand Change Realm, or at least own an intact law world on the same level as the Grand Change Realm.”

  “I heard that Dao Perfection is the highest cultivation level in the Grand Essence Realm. Just how powerful is a Dao Perfection expert?” Ning Cheng finally found someone willing to talk about these things. He naturally wouldn’t let go of such an opportunity.

  “Dao Perfection?” Qi Shisanxing sighed and said, “Actually, not all Dao Perfection experts are as powerful as you think. There are thousands, no, millions of Dao Perfection paths that one can choose. But despite Dao Perfection having a million different paths, in the Grand Essence Realm, only a few cultivators can embark on a ‘powerful’ Dao Perfection path.”

  “Can you please elaborate on it?” Ning Cheng had long forgotten about the time or that he had to get out of this place. Instead, he took out a stone chair and placed it next to Qi Shisanxing. He then took out another stone chair and sat down on it.

  Qi Shisanxing seemed to know about the difficulties of being a rogue cultivator. As such, he didn’t find it abnormal for Ning Cheng to not know about such things. He sat down and said, “Brother Ning, I can explain it to you, but I can only give you a brief about it. If we can come out of the lost stone forest this time, I promise to take you to my Profound Moon Spirit Gate’s Literary Pavilion to flip through the classics….”