Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Chapter 229: Chapter 210: The Investiture of the Gods

Zhu Ju sat alone in the vast, empty hall.

On the stone table before him lay an unfurled scroll.

The scroll’s material felt like something between paper and leather, soft and resilient to the touch. It was one foot and three inches wide, and nearly ten feet long, adorned with images of flowers, plants, swimming fish, and a starry sky.

The Investiture of the Gods!

Zhu Ju gently caressed the scroll, a thoughtful expression on his face.

’According to the records of the Celestial Capital Sect, this artifact is a divine object passed down from antiquity, a relic from the war between Immortals and Demons.’

’Though damaged, it still possesses immense power!’

He grabbed the edge of the scroll and gave it a light shake.

RUSTLE...

As the scroll trembled, the images upon it shifted, and one name after another appeared.

The Five Plagues Deities, the Thunder Department Gods, the Five Directions Five Elders...

Above each name was the corresponding title of a Deity, and below them all were ten "Celestial Laws."

First: The command of Emperor Haotian must not be defied.

Second: Deities and mortals must not fall in love.

...

’The Celestial Capital Sect Leader actually wanted to build a Celestial Court in this world. But these Celestial Laws are far too crude.’

Zhu Ju shook his head lightly. With a single sweep of his hand over the scroll, the text vanished without a trace.

In its place, a series of array runes emerged.

This...

...was the true source of the Celestial Capital Sect Leader’s power.

The Nine-Star Ascension Altar!

This was the Celestial Capital Sect’s famous Magic Altar. It could connect the Power of the Stars from the nine heavens to one’s Primordial Spirit. The Main Array Master could wield this Power of the Stars to unleash strength far beyond their own, allowing even a Great Mage to fight a True Man.

Not only that.

The Nine-Star Ascension Altar could also imprison and control the Primordial Spirits of others. The Main Array Master could borrow the power of any Demon whose name was inscribed on The Investiture of the Gods.

According to the Main World’s classification of array grades, this "Array" could be classified as Tier One High Grade.

"So that’s how it is!"

Zhu Ju said, his eyes narrowing slightly:

"The Investiture of the Gods is actually an Array Map. But unlike ordinary Array Maps, it can change size and be carried around. It only takes a very short time to activate the Array’s Power."

He flicked his finger.

As his True Essence Magical Power flowed into it, The Investiture of the Gods flared with Spiritual Light. The Array Map on its surface spiraled out, instantly enveloping the entire hall.

As the master of The Investiture of the Gods, Zhu Ju could clearly feel a vast power descending from the nine heavens. His Divine Soul Power surged, more than doubling his sensory range. The might of his Magic was now likely comparable to that of a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator.

However, he had already slaughtered all the Demons controlled by The Investiture of the Gods, so there was no extra power for him to borrow.

Otherwise, he would be even stronger!

"What a Treasure!"

Zhu Ju’s eyes shone.

"Ordinary Arrays require an Array Plate, Array Flags, an Array Hub Spiritual Object, and so on. Even when everything is ready, it still takes a considerable amount of time to set up."

"But with The Investiture of the Gods..."

"Although it’s not instantaneous, I can deploy the Grand Array in just a dozen breaths."

"If I use it properly, with my current strength, I might even be able to trap and kill a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator."

This was a terrifying thought.

A Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator possessed abundant True Essence. In a direct confrontation, he wouldn’t have much chance of winning, even with a Magical Treasure in hand.

But with The Investiture of the Gods, it was possible.

’I wonder if the Array can be changed?’

Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered.

’If I could change it into a Tier Two Middle Grade, or even a Tier Two High Grade Array, wouldn’t I be invincible in the Dao Foundation Realm?’

’The Array should be modifiable, but I don’t know what its upper limit is.’

"Huh?"

An object at the core of the Array made him raise an eyebrow. With a wave of his long sleeve, he pulled the wisp of Spiritual Light closer.

"The Celestial Capital Sect Leader!"

Zhu Ju’s voice was filled with shock and suspicion.

"So that’s what it was?"

No wonder he felt the Celestial Capital Sect Leader wasn’t human. It turned out the man had refined himself into the Artifact Spirit of The Investiture of the Gods.

An Artifact Spirit...

...was, by definition, no longer human.

In theory, an Artifact Spirit could live forever.

As long as The Investiture of the Gods wasn’t destroyed, the Celestial Capital Sect Leader would survive.

However, as an Artifact Spirit, one’s "humanity" would gradually erode until they became nothing more than the "soul" of the Artifact.

’This man was a complete madman. He actually wanted to become the immortal Lord of a Celestial Court, with a lifespan equal to that of heaven and earth.’

’A pity...’

’...that he ran into me.’

Shaking his head, Zhu Ju spat out a True Flame, directing it at the wisp of True Spirit.

"AHH!"

With a bloodcurdling scream, the last trace of the Celestial Capital Sect Leader was erased from this world.

’An Artifact Spirit?’

’In that case, doesn’t that mean The Investiture of the Gods is of a higher grade than a Magical Treasure?’

Magical Treasures possessed Spirituality, but could not give birth to an Artifact Spirit. Only existences of an even higher grade could do that.

Therefore, it must be true that The Investiture of the Gods was superior to a Magical Treasure.

"Sect Leader!"

As he was pondering, Xiaoo Meng requested an audience from outside the hall.

"Come in."

"Yes, sir."

Xiaoo Meng entered the hall holding a Jade Scroll, which she presented with both hands held high.

"Sect Leader, these are the Treasure Visualization Techniques we found in the Celestial Capital Sect. There are fifty-seven types in total."

"Many of them are top-tier inheritances."

"In addition..."

"...there is also a Sacrificial Spirit Method. It allows one to refine themselves into the Artifact Spirit of an inanimate object. However, it only works on certain special items. Moreover, once the cultivation is complete, one’s humanity will weaken over time until they become nothing more than a lifeless object."

"Sect Leader."

Her brow was tightly furrowed.

"According to the Celestial Capital Sect Leader’s own words, the Treasure Visualization Technique we cultivate... is it meant to turn ourselves into Artifact Spirits?"

Hmm?

That’s actually possible!

Zhu Ju nodded slowly and said in a low voice:

"That may well be the case. But becoming an Artifact Spirit is no easy feat. How many Curious Objects like The Investiture of the Gods exist in this world?"

"Take me to the location of the Ancient Sword Sect."

"Yes." Xiaoo Meng returned to her senses and bowed in assent.

...

Eight hundred miles west of the Divine Capital, there was a mountain peak perennially shrouded in clouds and mist, its name unknown to all.

It was only known that ghostly wails often emanated from the mountain, and all life in the vicinity had vanished. People called it Ghost Mountain.

「On this day.」

SWOOSH!

Two streaks of Tunneling Light appeared near "Ghost Mountain."

Zhu Ju focused his cultivation into his eyes and gazed forward.

"Sect Leader."

Xiaoo Meng began to speak.

"After the Ancient Sword Sect had exhausted all the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures of this world, they knew that their future inheritance was doomed to be severed. Thus, they sought to open the Path to Heaven."

"It is said that they refined twelve incredibly powerful Spiritual Artifacts, attempting to use them to break through the world’s limitations and travel to the legendary Immortal Realm."

"In the end..."

She shrugged.

"They never saw the legendary Immortal Realm. Instead, the Ancient Sword Sect suffered a heavenly punishment and was destroyed by an unknown power."

"And Sword Mountain became the Ghost Mountain of today."

Zhu Ju stared straight ahead.

With his level of cultivation and eyesight, he could see through not just ordinary mist, but even the obscuring fog of an Array at a single glance.

And yet now...

...the mist enveloping "Sword Mountain" seemed thin, but he couldn’t see through it at all.

He could only vaguely make out some phantoms darting about within the mist, accompanied by incessant ghostly wails and intermittent flashes of multicolored Spiritual Light.

"It’s said,"

Xiaoo Meng said,

"that sometimes, Flying Swords will emerge from Sword Mountain. But as soon as they leave the mountain, they decay."

"Even those who pick up the Flying Swords are plagued by misfortune. Over time, fewer and fewer people remained in the vicinity."

"Now, it has become a forbidden land."

Zhu Ju nodded slowly.

As he drew closer to "Sword Mountain," an inexplicable panic filled his heart, as if some terrifying entity was scrutinizing him.

After a long moment.

"Let’s go."

"There’s nothing to see here."

The secrets hidden within "Sword Mountain" were clearly beyond his ability to probe at his current level. It was best to leave.

"Yes."

Xiaoo Meng lowered her head.

"Sect Leader, will you come back in the future?"

"Of course," Zhu Ju’s voice was distant.

"I will be back."

*

*

*

「Main World.」

「East Sea.」

On a battered sea vessel, the corpses of pirates dressed as fishermen lay strewn about.

They had been unfortunate enough to attempt to rob a Dao Foundation Cultivator who had been ’shipwrecked’ and stranded on a deserted island.

"Soul Capturing Technique!"

A Spiritual Light glowed in Zhu Ju’s eyes as he met the gaze of one of the men.

The pirate captain’s face contorted in a struggle, but he was no match for the power of the Magic. He felt a flood of thoughts rush into his mind, his head splitting with pain.

「A short while later.」

THUD!

There were no living beings left on the vessel.

’It seems the information from the Li Family was correct. The largest power in this area is the East Sea Alliance, which has a Golden Core Grandmaster overseeing it.’

Zhu Ju straightened up, lost in thought.

’A Dao Foundation Cultivator who is willing to join the East Sea Alliance can obtain a Foundation Establishment Technique. That temptation is quite significant.’

’However...’

’...it’s difficult to obtain a Golden Core Inheritance!’

It wasn’t that they didn’t have any, just that they wouldn’t give them to Loose Cultivators.

’Looks like I still have to return to the Ten Thousand Mountains. Dragon Head Peak not only has a Golden Core Inheritance, but a top-tier one at that.’

The Celestial Spirit and Earthly Evil Technique was a top-tier Golden Core Inheritance in Dazhou. In theory, it could even allow one to condense a Nascent Soul.

Of course.

That was only in theory.

Let alone the Dragon Head Lineage, none of the three lineages of the Bright Void Sect had ever produced a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

SWOOSH!

A streak of light flashed and shot off in the direction of the East Sea Alliance’s headquarters.

...

「Half a month later.」

Zhu Ju’s figure appeared in the sky above a stretch of water. He focused his cultivation into his eyes and gazed at the "island" in the distance.

Calling it an island was an understatement; it was practically a continent.

It had rolling mountain ranges, crisscrossing rivers, and even Mortal Realms. And, of course, there were cultivation powers.

The East Sea Alliance!

Unlike the Dazhou Cultivation World,

the East Sea had very few well-established Cultivation Sects. Most powers were Cultivation Clans, merchant alliances, or factions formed by Loose Cultivators.

Like the Sea Jiao Li Family.

As one of the East Sea’s shipping merchants, the Li Family had its own base within the East Sea Alliance.

「On this day.」

"Young Master."

A Steward came to report.

"A Cultivator by the name of Zhu Ju has come to visit."

"Zhu Ju?" Li Xingzhou paused his work on the ledgers, a hint of confusion in his eyes, which then lit up.

"Quickly, invite him in!"

"No!"

"I’ll go receive him myself. You, hurry and inform Elder Cui that a Dao Foundation Elder has come to visit."

A Dao Foundation Cultivator?

The Steward’s heart skipped a beat. He was secretly glad he hadn’t been negligent just now and hastily sent someone to inform Cui Li.

「A short while later.」

When Cui Li arrived, she saw Li Xingzhou sitting opposite Zhu Ju in the guest hall, engaged in casual conversation.

"The East Sea Alliance was founded a thousand years ago. At its peak, it had as many as five Golden Core Grandmasters in its ranks."

"Even now, there are two Golden Core Grandmasters."

"However, one of them is nearing the end of his lifespan, so things haven’t been very peaceful in recent years. But as the foremost power in the East Sea, there are naturally many benefits to joining."

"Elder Cui!"

"Fellow Daoist Cui."

Seeing Cui Li arrive, the two men quickly stood up and bowed.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu."

Cui Li’s eyes held a smile.

"It has been many days. Your aura has already settled and is stable. It seems your Cultivation has stabilized. Congratulations are in order."

"Indeed," Zhu Ju nodded.

"I have come to the East Sea completely blind. I was just about to ask you two for advice. Are there any good places to go?"

"Places to go?" Cui Li sat down.

"Fellow Daoist, do you still plan to go to the Ten Thousand Mountains?"

"I must," Zhu Ju nodded.

"That complicates things." Cui Li rubbed her brow.

"Every power wants to recruit Dao Foundation Cultivators, but they are absolutely unwilling to let a Dao Foundation Cultivator they’ve painstakingly nurtured just leave."

"A temporary affiliation is possible, but you won’t get many benefits, and you certainly won’t gain their trust."

"That’s right," Li Xingzhou nodded.

"As far as this junior knows, when a Dao Foundation Cultivator joins a power like the East Sea Alliance, they must sign a contract to serve for a minimum of one sixty-year cycle."

"Of course!"

"The East Sea Alliance also offers many benefits; otherwise, it wouldn’t attract so many people."

"A sixty-year cycle?" Zhu Ju’s brow furrowed.

"Is it like that everywhere?"

"Some require more than one cycle," Cui Li said.

"Some Dao Foundation Cultivators are required to sign a ’Blood Contract Spirit Agreement,’ binding them to serve a clan for their entire lives."

Their entire lives?

Zhu Ju’s expression changed slightly.

"Elder, you may not be aware," Li Xingzhou hurriedly explained.

"Life is not easy for a Loose Cultivator. Some are exceptionally talented but lack resources, wasting their potential. So, they join other clans when they are young."

"These Loose Cultivators receive Magical Artifacts, Elixirs, and other resources from the Cultivation Clan. The clan might even purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill for them. After they achieve the Dao Foundation, it’s only natural that they would be bound together."

"For example, my Li Family once had a Dao Foundation Cultivator with a different surname. But later, that elder changed his surname to Li and became part of the family."

Zhu Ju came to a sudden understanding.

That made sense.

Some clans had descendants with mediocre talent and no hope of reaching the Dao Foundation; some Loose Cultivators had exceptional talent but no resources.

One couldn’t exactly call their union forced.

"I cannot stay with any single power for a long time. Does this mean it will be difficult for me to find a place here?"

"Not necessarily," Cui Li shook her head.

"It’s just that the compensation will inevitably be worse. I have some friends; I’ll ask around for you during this time, Fellow Daoist."

"I’ll have to trouble you, then." Zhu Ju sighed.

"I only ask for a peaceful place to stay. After eight or ten years, I will find another way to travel to the Ten Thousand Mountains."

"I don’t care much about the compensation. I just hope to acquire a Dao Foundation Method I can use for my Cultivation."

"Your devotion to your Sect is admirable, Fellow Daoist." Cui Li’s expression turned solemn.