Chapter 128: You flatter me
The development of a Hidden Vault World was closely tied to Caelum’s current cultivation realm. The higher his realm and the stronger his cultivation became, the faster those Hidden Vault Worlds would take shape.
At this rate, it likely would not take long for all of them to be fully formed. A few decades at most, and he would reach the peak of the Transcendent Realm.
A mere few decades.
Caelum did not consider that long at all.
Over the years, he had somewhat neglected the nurturing of Bladeleaf. After returning to Skyreach Monastery, he resumed feeding both Bladeleaf and the various plants under his care with Primal Essence every day.
"Dragonvine."
"Longevity Grass."
"Energy Blossom."
"Wind Lotus."
...
There were exactly ten plants.
The attendant tended them while quietly reciting their names, almost as though he were carrying on a conversation with them.
Then he turned to Caelum.
"Heir Apparent, should we give them titles? They do not seem far from taking human form."
It was a fair point.
Caelum fell into thought.
"Let me think about it."
Bladeleaf had spent all these years endlessly strengthening its Sword Intent.
These plants, on the other hand, had poured all their growth into increasing their spiritual awareness. In only a few years, they already seemed close to gaining physical forms.
As for raw power, however, they were still far behind what Bladeleaf had once been.
Meanwhile, in Astral Hall...
An ancient scroll lay spread open before Prosper.
It was the only item the expedition team from the Four Guilds had managed to bring back from the Forbidden Land fifty years ago.
The player who had recovered it suffered a complete mental collapse not long afterward and transferred to another game world.
As Black Flag’s chief representative in Immortal Ascension, it was only natural that the scroll eventually ended up in Prosper’s hands.
Before reaching him, it had already passed through the hands of the other three guild leaders within Astral Hall.
Unfortunately, none of them had been able to cultivate the technique recorded on it.
Yet when the scroll reached Prosper, he discovered to his delight that he could actually practice the ancient art described within.
The unexpected discovery thrilled him.
Still, he had his reservations.
The technique had come from the Forbidden Land.
The powers hidden there were strange and deeply ominous.
There was no telling what consequences cultivation might bring.
After a moment’s consideration, Prosper made up his mind.
"I’ll give it a try."
Who knew?
It might even be an Immortal art.
He immediately began cultivating according to the ancient method described in the scroll.
What Prosper failed to notice was that a faint thread of black mist had quietly begun to coil around his body.
As his mastery of the technique deepened, the ominous aura gradually grew stronger.
Elsewhere...
Derek and Guy were practicing Astral Hall’s martial and mystic arts.
The two exchanged blows back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand.
When they finally stopped, Derek frowned.
"Doesn’t Celestial Arc Realm feel a little too peaceful lately?"
Guy rolled his eyes.
"It probably would’ve stayed peaceful."
He paused.
"But now that you’ve said that, I suddenly feel like something’s about to go wrong."
Several days later, Prosper appeared before them carrying the ancient scroll with a smile.
"See? I do look after you two. Here’s a technique that can be mastered quickly. Give it a try and see if you can cultivate it."
For some reason, Derek immediately felt something was off.
Prosper’s smiling face made him uneasy.
Normally, the man avoided them whenever possible.
Why was he acting so differently now?
"Really?"
Guy took the scroll curiously.
"Let me see."
Fortunately, luck seemed to be on their side.
Neither Derek nor Guy could cultivate the technique recorded on the scroll.
The moment Prosper confirmed this, the warmth vanished from his face.
Without another word, he snatched up the scroll and left.
"Something’s wrong."
Derek’s instincts immediately sounded the alarm.
"Prosper is definitely not acting like himself."
"Agreed."
Guy nodded.
"The personality shift is way too drastic. The old Prosper would’ve never behaved like that."
The two exchanged a glance.
A chill settled over them.
There was something wrong with that cultivation method.
If their suspicions were correct, Astral Hall could be facing a disaster.
Prosper was one of Astral Hall’s four strongest Immortals.
If he truly lost control and acted against the sect, decades of planning by the Four Guilds inside Immortal Ascension could collapse overnight.
Guy immediately offered a suggestion.
"How about we run first?"
Without evidence, nobody would believe them if they accused Prosper of being corrupted.
Worse, it might place them in even greater danger.
After all, they had nothing but intuition and speculation.
Running away seemed like the safest option.
Derek shook his head.
"I’ll look into it first. If it’s only something like a heart demon, that’s manageable."
His investigation ended up lasting fifty years.
Astral Hall remained peaceful throughout.
Prosper showed no unusual behavior whatsoever.
Eventually, Derek and Guy even started wondering whether they had simply been overthinking things.
Then one day...
Rumble!
The overwhelming pressure of heavenly tribulation swept across the world without the slightest attempt at concealment.
Dark thunderclouds churned across the heavens, gathering terrifying destructive power.
The entire Celestial Arc Realm was shaken.
"An Immortal Tribulation!"
"Someone’s about to ascend?!"
This was the second Immortal Tribulation to appear in the realm since the one caused by the Divine Firmament Heir.
Unlike Caelum’s tribulation, however, this one was not hidden inside a secret realm.
The unrestrained heavenly might immediately alerted the entire world.
Above a vast expanse of azure waters, once calm waves had transformed into raging storms.
Thunder roared.
Lightning flashed.
Darkness blanketed heaven and earth.
Streams of divine light streaked across the sky as experts arrived one after another.
Alex and Torin of the Cosmos Sword Sect.
Lady Moonveil of Moonveil Court.
And the rarely seen heir of Stormpeak Citadel, Vaelor, bearer of the Heavenly Law Physique.
Many senior cultivators from other sects also arrived.
Among them were Dread Master of the Divine Path Order and Prosper of Astral Hall.
As fellow Great Orders of the Celestial Arc Realm, the Divine Path Order and Astral Hall found themselves in an awkward position.
Neither possessed a younger generation talent capable of standing alongside these prodigies.
When the gathered crowd finally saw the figure seated beneath the tribulation clouds, shock spread across every face.
Alex stared in disbelief.
"Wyatt of Skyspire Order?!"
Beneath the storm clouds sat none other than Wyatt.
He had vanished from public sight for many years.
No one expected his return to be this dramatic.
Clearly, he had encountered extraordinary opportunities during his absence.
Otherwise, how could his cultivation have advanced so quickly?
In barely fifty years, he had crossed the Worldbinder and Paragon Realms and now stood at the threshold of Immortal Ascension.
Such progress was almost absurd.
It was as though destiny itself favored him.
A moment later, Torin realized something.
His expression changed.
"If Fellow Daoist Wyatt survives this Immortal Tribulation..."
He drew a sharp breath.
"Doesn’t that mean Skyspire Order will have produced two Immortals in this era?"
Silence followed.
He was right.
If Skyspire Order truly produced two Immortals within a single century, then the sect’s fortune was simply unimaginable.
Lady Moonveil spoke softly.
"Among us, Vaelor’s cultivation has always been the most unfathomable. I assumed he would be the first to face an Immortal Tribulation after the Divine Firmament Heir."
Lightning seemed to flicker within Vaelor’s eyes.
He answered calmly,
"You flatter me."
