Chapter 59: Borrowing the Star Gathering Platform
Several days later, in a cave abode garden halfway up the Cloudrise Peak.
A beautiful young woman in a palatial dress with skin as fair as snow was slowly walking along half a step behind a tall white-robed woman.
These two were none other than Yu Menghan and Gu Yunyue.
"Thinking back to what you said back then, Elder Han's origins really are a mystery. On the way back to the sect, it had already become apparent to me that he was far more powerful than he let on, but it appears I still severely underestimated him," Gu Yunyue said with a wry smile.
"I wonder when or if I'll ever reach his level," Yu Menghan sighed as a hint of longing appeared in her eyes.
"Striving for the path of immortality in a limited lifespan is already a pursuit that goes against the natural order. Aptitude is important, but luck and fate are even more vital. That's why countless people have cultivated their entire lives without even reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, let alone the Core Formation Stage and beyond.
“I've already been cultivating for over 500 years, and at this point, I've spent over a century stuck at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage. Perhaps there's a slim ray of hope for me to reach the Deity Transformation Stage someday, but the Spatial Tempering Stage is almost certainly out of reach.
“As for the Body Integration Stage and the Grand Ascension Stage, I wouldn't even dare to think about such lofty aspirations," Gu Yunyue said as she raised her head to look up at the sky with a slightly dejected expression.
A hint of melancholy also appeared in Yu Menghan's eyes upon hearing this.
Gu Yunyue withdrew her gaze before turning to Yu Menghan, then continued, "Given my limited aptitude, this is most likely as far as I'll go in my cultivation journey. However, you possess a spirit body constitution and exceptional learning ability. In just two short years since you've joined our sect, you've already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.
“Barring any mishaps, you'll be sure to achieve greater things than I will in your cultivation, and there may even be a chance for you to reach the Spatial Tempering Stage and beyond."
"It's all thanks to your unreserved teachings and all of the precious pills you've bestowed upon me, Master. I am eternally grateful to you," Yu Menghan said in an earnest voice.
"Thanks to Elder Han, you won't have to worry about pills or resources for a very long time to come," Gu Yunyue replied.
Yu Menghan's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this.
"Come to think of it, I visited Elder Han once in the past two years, but at this point, his cave abode has already been marked down as a forbidden zone of the sect, so I most likely won't be able to visit him again," Gu Yunyue sighed with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
……
Not long after that, the Cloudrise Peak of the Cold Flame Sect suddenly accepted a vagrant cultivator as an outer court disciple. The cultivator in question possessed mediocre aptitude, and even though he was already at an advanced age, he was only at the Core Formation Stage, so he didn't fulfill the recruitment criteria at all. As a result, there were a lot of dissenting voices that arose among the disciples of the sect in response to this decision.
That was until it became known that this cultivator by the name of Daoist White Stone was an acquaintance of Elder Han. In the wake of this revelation, all of the dissenting voices instantly subsided, and many people in the sect, including even elders from other peaks with far superior cultivation bases, began to approach Daoist White Stone in an attempt to befriend him, but that was another story.
Over a month quickly passed by.
On the main peak of the Origin Realm Temple, the Heaven Worship Peak, there was an ovular pond that was as green and translucent as jade. The pond contained an abundance of spiritual qi, which formed a layer of dense white mist over the surface of the water.
A shimmering golden carp would occasionally leap out of the water, and around a dozen elegant red-crested cranes were playing joyfully beside the pond while pecking at the spirit grass growing around the pond.
All of a sudden, a streak of purple light flew through the air before landing beside the pond in a flash.
The purple light faded to reveal a tall and broad man, wearing a purple daoist robe that was embroidered with a purple pattern. The man appeared to be around 40 to 50 years of age with a long black beard trailing down from his chin, giving him a rather mystical and ethereal appearance.
As soon as he landed on the ground, he took a quick glance at the cranes beside the pond, then cast his gaze toward the moss-covered stone wall on the other side of the pond.
With a flick of his wrist, a voice transmission talisman flew out of his sleeve, then flew into the rock face before vanishing in a flash.
Moments later, a layer of golden light flashed over the stone face, following which an opening that was as tall as a grown man appeared down the center of the stone wall.
The purple-robed man didn't hesitate in the slightest before flying into the opening.
Within the stone face was an extremely spacious stone chamber.
Inside the chamber was a three-level tall platform, with profound patterns engraved all over each layer. There were also a series of strange-looking yellow lanterns placed all over the platform, forming a peculiar array that was releasing astonishing spiritual power fluctuations.
At the very center of the top level of the platform sat a portly man who was seated on a futon. He was wearing a loose-fitting golden robe that left a large section of his chest exposed, and he resembled a small mountain of flesh from afar.
The purple-robed man extended a respectful bow toward the "meat mountain", then reported, "Supreme Elder, we've just received a message from the Cold Flame Sect, stating that Elder Han of their sect wishes to use our Star Gathering Platform for cultivation, and they've promised us handsome compensation in return. Should we..."
The golden-robed man didn't immediately reply. Instead, he pondered the notion for a moment before replying in a slow and deliberate voice, "I asked you to investigate his identity and history. How is that coming along?"
His voice was extremely loud and resonant, and it was reverberating throughout the stone chamber.
"All we managed to find out is that he suddenly appeared in the Prosperous Nation two years ago, and he became a guest elder not long after he entered the Cold Flame Sect. However, during this time, he's always kept a low profile and remained unnoticed, so we only became aware of his existence after what happened in the Heavenly Ghost Sect," the purple-robed man replied.
"It's fine. If I were Sima Jingming, I would definitely have kept the existence of that man a secret. What has the Heavenly Ghost Sect been up to recently?" the golden-robed man asked.
"After the incident, everyone in the Heavenly Ghost Sect has been keeping a very low profile. They haven't expressed any displeasure or any intention to seek revenge," the purple-robed man replied.
"There's no way the two supreme elders of the Heavenly Ghost Sect would simply let something like this slide. We just need to wait and see," the golden-robed man scoffed, clearly unconvinced by this answer.
"Then about that request to borrow the Star Gathering Platform..." the purple-robed man said in a hesitant voice.
"The request is being made by someone with Grand Ascension Stage power, so it's best not to get on his bad side. Agree to his request for now," the golden-robed man decided after some deliberation.
The purple-robed man's brows furrowed slightly, and he hesitated momentarily, then said, "Truth be told, the grand elders of our temple are a little concerned about this. They're afraid that Elder Han would become even more powerful after cultivating in the Star Gathering Platform, and once that happens, our Origin Realm Temple will fall below the Cold Flame Sect in the pecking order.
“On top of that, activating the Star Gathering Platform requires a great deal of Starwash Stone expenditure. We're already having to be very conservative in using the Starwash Stones on the top disciples of our sect, it's truly a shame if we have to use those precious stones on an outsider."
"Tell them that their concerns are unnecessary. It's not so easy for a Grand Ascension Stage being to further their powers. On top of that, he's the one requesting to borrow our Star Gathering Platform, so the Cold Flame Sect will naturally be responsible for covering all of the expenses involved," the golden-robed man replied with a nonchalant smile.
"Yes, Supreme Elder!" the purple-robed man replied in a respectful manner.
……
Two months later, at the Origin Realm Temple.
There was a lush, winding mountain range with cotton-like clouds drifting through the sky, and the occasional crane and spirit bird could also be spotted, presenting a serene and prosperous sight to behold.
At the very center of the mountain range was a mountain that was far taller than all those around it, stretching all the way up into the clouds.
The peak of the mountain was laden with giant rocks, and spiritual qi was permeating through the air, but there wasn't much plant life present. At the very center was a nine-level platform that was shaped like a round pagoda. It was entirely of a translucent white color, as if it had been constructed from jade.
A group of brown-robed elderly men was seated around the platform with their legs crossed and their eyes closed.
As nighttime approached, the light of the setting sun shone down from the heavens, basking the rocks on the mountain peak in a warm orange glow and reflecting a dreamy and ethereal radiance off the white jade platform.
Right at this moment, two streaks of light suddenly sped through the distant sky, then landed at the foot of the platform to reveal a pair of figures.
The brown-robed elderly men who were seated around the platform all rose to their feet before making their way over to the two men, one of whom was the golden-robed meat mountain of a man, and they all extended respectful bows as they greeted in unison, "We pay our respects to the supreme elder."
The group of elderly men then turned their attention toward the unfamiliar young man next to the golden-robed man.
That young man was naturally none other than Han Li, who had come to borrow the Star Gathering Platform.
The golden-robed man remained silent as he waved a dismissive hand, and the four elderly men immediately returned to their original positions.
"Fellow Daoist Han, these four are the guardians of the Star Gathering Platform. There's only one Body Integration cultivator, while the other three are only at the Spatial Tempering Stage, but they've been working together for many years and are extremely competent. With these four overseeing proceedings, you can rest assured that you'll be safe here," the golden-robed man said with a smile.
Han Li naturally didn't want there to be any bystanders from the Origin Realm Temple present during his cultivation, but he knew that this was not something that he could refuse. Hence, he smiled as he replied, "You have my thanks, Fellow Daoist Closed Mountain."
"Night is about to fall soon, so I won't delay your cultivation, Fellow Daoist Han. If you have any requests, feel free to raise them to those four," the golden-robed man said, then cupped his fist toward Han Li in a parting salute before flying away as a streak of light, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Han Li watched as the golden-robed man departed, then quickly inspected his surroundings before arriving at the staircase of the Star Gathering Platform, but he wasn't in a hurry to scale it.
The four elderly men around the platform were already beginning to make hand seals while chanting incantations.
Circles of hidden runes lit up around the four men, and a golden light barrier that encompassed the entire Star Gathering Platform appeared.
At the same time, a small opening that was only large enough to fit one person emerged in front of Han Li.
Blue light flashed through his eyes, and he determined that even though the light barrier was giving off powerful spiritual power fluctuations, it was only a protective array, so he strode in through the opening without any qualms.
As soon as Han Li stepped through the opening, it immediately sealed shut, following which the light barrier fused into the air and vanished.
As Han Li set foot on the staircase, a burst of peculiar spiritual power fluctuations immediately swept through the surrounding area.
Han Li was rather intrigued by this, and he looked down to find that the stone staircase beneath his feet and the ground around him were riddled with tiny pits that would've been impossible to see without paying close attention.
He activated his spirit eyes ability momentarily to find that there was faint silver light flashing at the bottom of all of the tiny pits, and they were left behind from all of the starpower exposure that had accumulated over the course of countless years.
There were also many diagrams engraved onto the Star Gathering Platform that were connected by lines and circles. Some of them were extremely simple, consisting of only three to five diagrams, while others were more complex, consisting of clusters that comprised around a dozen diagrams each.
As Han Li scaled the staircase and inspected all of the diagrams, he gradually came to understand that these diagrams were all corresponding with the constellations in the sky.
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