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Chapter 1022: Chapter 1022: A Great Commotion

But Ying didn\'t evaluate Zhong Shan based on his cultivation level. If Ying didn\'t have faith in Zhong Shan, he wouldn\'t have made him an honored guest. Ying wasn\'t focused on Zhong Shan\'s current level of power but on his potential and abilities. Ying valued Zhong Shan, even if he were only a Heavenly Immortal. What mattered was not Zhong Shan\'s strength but who he was as a person, and Ying\'s perspective reflected a deeper understanding: what others saw as mountains and water, Ying saw as true mountains and true water.

This contrast highlighted the difference in the perception and insight of those present.

Zhong Shan allowed his subordinates to attempt to claim the treasures first, and they naturally obeyed. Hao Meili was the quickest to act, while Mr. Corpse and Luo Xingchen stepped back to let her go first.

Hao Meili reached out to grab one of the lotuses.

"Whoosh!"

Her first attempt failed.

"Heh!" Sun Shen let out a derisive laugh from a distance.

The guests were slightly surprised by this outcome.

"You want to mess with me? Do you want me to curse you?" Hao Meili whispered menacingly to the thirteen-petaled white lotus.

The guests were left speechless.

"Hahaha!" Sun Shen laughed loudly and mockingly.

Although Hao Meili\'s voice was low, everyone present was a cultivator with sharp hearing, so they all caught her words. The guests may not have been as discerning as some, but they weren\'t fools. To be an honored guest of Ying\'s was no trivial matter, and certainly not something to be ridiculed—except, it seemed, by Sun Shen, who, emboldened by his connection to Bodhi Patriarch and his personal grudge against Zhong Shan, laughed openly at the scene.

Just as Sun Shen\'s laughter rang out, Hao Meili reached out once more.

"Snap!"

Hao Meili effortlessly plucked a thirteen-petaled white lotus from the tree.

Sun Shen\'s laughter abruptly stopped, his throat feeling as though it had been tightly squeezed. It was as if all the mockery he had dished out had backfired, leaving him feeling like he had been ridiculing himself.

"Zhong Shan, I\'ll head back to my seat and start refining this," Hao Meili said cheerfully.

"Alright," Zhong Shan nodded.

The crowd erupted into a flurry of murmurs and exclamations.

Is that all it took? Is this thirteen-petaled white lotus that easy to tame? Just scold it, and it obeys? Many in the crowd looked regretful, thinking they should have tried the same approach.

Hao Meili returned to her seat, followed by a multitude of curious and astonished glances.

Ying, Lan, Tathagata, and Bodhi Patriarch all took a moment to give Hao Meili a deep, thoughtful look.

As everyone was still processing Hao Meili\'s unorthodox method, the second person made their move.

Luo Xingchen stepped forward. Having witnessed Hao Meili\'s success, no one doubted Zhong Shan\'s group anymore.

Sun Shen, meanwhile, watched with envy.

Luo Xingchen, having observed the previous attempts, knew better than to repeat Hao Meili\'s method. Instead of trying to grab the lotus directly, he approached with careful consideration, fully aware that the usual approach would not work.

Luo Xingchen approached one of the thirteen-petaled white lotuses, the blue gemstone on his forehead glowing faintly. As he extended his right hand, a soft blue light enveloped it, radiating an aura of absolute tranquility. Even the wind seemed to halt near the light, only resuming its movement once his hand passed.

Positioning his hand beneath the lotus, Luo Xingchen focused his gaze.

"Reverse!"

Instantly, the thirteen-petaled white lotus emitted a blinding white light. Moments later, Luo Xingchen effortlessly plucked the lotus, just like Tathagata and Bodhi Patriarch had done before him—but there was something different.

Tathagata, Bodhi Patriarch, and others had used the power of the Heavenly Dao, but Luo Xingchen had used a divine ability, a time manipulation technique, the Ninth Divine Ability in the world.

Tathagata and Bodhi Patriarch exchanged a look of mild surprise. Such a person, wielding the power of time, had willingly chosen to serve Zhong Shan?

"Saint King!" Luo Xingchen said as he held up the lotus.

"Go ahead and start refining it," Zhong Shan instructed.

"Yes!" Luo Xingchen returned to his seat, leaving the guests in awe. Sun Shen\'s expression darkened further, his envy growing with each successful retrieval.

Ying and Lan, their curiosity piqued, turned their attention to Zhong Shan and his final subordinate. After the strange methods used by Hao Meili and Luo Xingchen, they were eager to see what the black-robed Mr. Corpse would do.

One lotus had responded to curses, another to time manipulation. What method would Mr. Corpse use?

"Go ahead," Zhong Shan said calmly.

"Understood," Mr. Corpse replied, nodding.

As everyone watched with bated breath, Mr. Corpse did something completely unexpected. Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a pair of white gloves.

As Mr. Corpse slowly and carefully put on the gloves, a ripple of confusion spread through the crowd. What is he doing? they wondered.

With the gloves on, Mr. Corpse reached out and gently plucked the thirteen-petaled white lotus.

"Snap!"

The lotus was detached from the tree with surprising ease, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

"Wait, that\'s all it took?" someone muttered incredulously.

The simplicity of the act was almost insulting. Some of the more simple-minded guests were on the verge of frustration—I have gloves too! Why didn\'t I think to wear them?

Sun Shen was no longer just envious or hateful; he was completely bewildered and frustrated.

Ying, Lan, Bodhi Patriarch, and Tathagata all focused intently on the gloves Mr. Corpse wore. They knew those gloves were no ordinary item. But the fact that such gloves could sever the connection to such a powerful treasure intrigued them even more.

Just who is this Mr. Corpse? they wondered.

Zhong Shan\'s subordinates had proven themselves to be extraordinary.

After bowing slightly to Zhong Shan, Mr. Corpse returned to his seat, leaving the remaining guests with a mix of admiration and frustration. Some even wished they could borrow those gloves for a moment.

Now, only Zhong Shan remained, with the final thirteen-petaled white lotus left to claim.

Zhong Shan didn\'t rush to claim the final lotus. Instead, he circled the massive black pool, scrutinizing it from every angle. The onlookers were filled with curiosity, but no one doubted Zhong Shan\'s ability to retrieve the lotus. After all, if his subordinates could do it, how could he not? They were simply intrigued by what Zhong Shan was up to.

After completing a full circle around the pool, Zhong Shan returned to his original position. Instead of reaching out to grab the lotus, he fixed his gaze on the pool, and suddenly, a flash of purple light appeared in his eyes.

"Whoooshhhhh!"

An overwhelming and terrifying aura surged from Zhong Shan\'s body, causing a wave of unease to sweep over the crowd. The weaker cultivators among the guests immediately sat down in meditation, attempting to stabilize their spirits.

This immense and fearsome aura induced a deep, soul-level tremor in everyone present. Even someone as powerful as Sun Shen felt a chill in his soul.

"Is... is this really just a Grand Immortal?" Sun Shen muttered in disbelief.

But no one paid attention to Sun Shen\'s words at that moment. Tathagata, Bodhi Patriarch, Ying, and Lan all focused intently on Zhong Shan, their expressions growing serious.

What kind of aura is this? they wondered.

Before anyone could comment, they saw what appeared to be a massive spatial rift opening in front of Zhong Shan. From this rift came a powerful suction force, pulling the black water from the pool as if rivers were flowing into the sea.

This was Zhong Shan\'s Divine Realm, where the Eye of Heavenly Retribution resided. The Eye had been impatiently waiting, and now, as it flashed with purple light, it began to devour the habitual energy with a frenzy. The vast amounts of energy were drawn directly into the Eye of Heavenly Retribution, where they were immediately absorbed.

Suck, suck, suck!

The black pool seemed like a bottomless pit, constantly generating more habitual energy even as the Eye of Heavenly Retribution consumed it. But the suction force from the Eye grew stronger and stronger, to the point where even the black pool struggled to keep up.

The Nine-Path Thirteen Lotus had been nurtured by the heavens, and this black pool was an integral part of that process. The pool itself was connected to the laws of the world, drawing habitual energy from all directions as Zhong Shan continued to absorb it.

Massive currents of habitual energy surged toward the pool from all around, each one adding to the already dense black energy that surrounded Zhong Shan. This black energy was so concentrated that it appeared pitch-black, like ink.

The Eye of Heavenly Retribution showed no restraint, absorbing more and more, causing the black energy to thicken around Zhong Shan. Soon, the entire center of the plaza was enveloped in a dark, inky cloud.

The pressure from this gathering energy grew stronger and stronger, so much so that even Tathagata, Bodhi Patriarch, Ying, and Lan unconsciously stood up, their expressions filled with shock.

"Whooooshhhhh!"

Suddenly, the sky above was filled with dark clouds, covering the entire Xianyang Sacred City. The festive atmosphere that had filled the city just moments before came to an abrupt halt as all sounds ceased.

The atmosphere carried the ominous presence of a Heavenly Tribulation, an immense force that threatened to unleash devastating thunderbolts to eradicate the emerging power below.

What made this even more terrifying was that the dark clouds, while brewing immense power, began to turn red, filled with a bloodthirsty and malevolent aura.

As the black habitual energy continued to engulf the area, Zhong Shan allowed the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail to devour the final thirteen-petaled white lotus. He then turned his attention inward to his Divine Realm.

Inside the Divine Realm, the Eye of Heavenly Retribution was still fiercely absorbing the habitual energy, filling the sky above with a dark mist. But this was merely a side effect. What truly shocked Zhong Shan were the fifty towering pillars that had begun to form within his Divine Realm, barely perceptible but unmistakably there.

These pillars were the embryonic forms of the Heavenly Dao! Zhong Shan was astonished.

Is my Divine Realm no longer content with merely replicating laws? Is it beginning to touch upon the Heavenly Dao itself?

The Eye of Heavenly Retribution seemed to be evolving, transforming into something monstrous and unparalleled in power. Although these pillars were still in their infancy, they were gradually becoming more solid. And there weren\'t just fifty pillars anymore; as Zhong Shan watched, a fifty-first pillar began to take shape.

The Eye of Heavenly Retribution... is it undergoing a terrifying evolution? Zhong Shan marveled. It\'s starting to replicate the Heavenly Dao itself... and it\'s still growing...

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