Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 472: Chapter 292: Three Cities

“A thousand years!”

Ren Weidao sighed deeply and walked towards the exit of the hall. Before leaving, he glanced back, his gaze lingering and profound.

Ten thousand years ago, the appearance of the Temple of War in the mortal world was irregular; it might open every hundred years, or appear every decade. The duration of its presence—be it days or months—there was no pattern to it; its existence was entirely unpredictable.

That was until the struggle for the War God’s Atlas caused a group of Martial Path powerhouses to engage in a fierce battle inside the temple, which disturbed the temple’s core and triggered the Millennium Calamity. The heavens and earth underwent tremendous changes, and only then was the timing of the Temple of War God’s appearance in the mortal world set to a fixed cycle: once every thousand years, each time open for three months, before vanishing again into the Broken Void.

A thousand years, even for those in the Tribulation Realm, is a long and precious stretch of time. This goes without saying for a Divine Intent Venerable. With only two thousand years of lifespan, even for those who reach the peak of Divine Intent, it would amount to no more than two thousand five hundred. To enter the Temple of War God once would consume nearly half a lifetime, which demanded serious consideration.

Nevertheless, each time the Temple of War God opened, countless Divine Intents and even Venerables of the pinnacle would flock there eagerly, willing to spend half their lives in exchange for a thousand years of arduous cultivation.

After all, the Temple of War God represents hope: the hope for advancement, for becoming stronger, and for reaching the ultimate heights of Martial Path. Should one manage to unravel the mystery of the Broken Void, they could break through the Divine Intent barrier, step into the Heaven and Earth Tribulation Realm, and extend their lifespan to four thousand years—a gamble of epic proportions.

Those who achieve Divine Intent are all heroes, the favored children of the heavens, each with the confidence to make such a daring bet.

While everyone has the capital to gamble, sadly, not everyone emerges a winner who can decipher the mysteries and break through to the Tribulation Realm. Some cultívate bitterly without result, becoming despairing specters within the temple.

It is the same with Divine Intent as it is with Earth Calamity; since the Millennium Calamity began nearly ten thousand years ago, the transformation of oceans into mulberry fields, yet no one has broken through the barriers of Earth Calamity to step into the legendary Heavenly Tribulation Realm.

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With the exception of…

“Leng Aotian!”

Ren Weidao’s gaze was distant and cold as he looked towards the temple, then turned around and strode away decisively.

As the Leader of the Divine Martial Alliance, his talents and wisdom were among the finest of his era. During his first visit to the Temple of War God, he had already attained the ultimate pinnacle of achievements, and on this second visit, he even broke through the Divine Intent barrier, ascending to the Earth Calamity Realm, the current summit of the Martial Path.

In the Earth Calamity Realm, with a lifespan of four thousand years, he could definitely continue to cultivate hard in the Temple of War God to strike towards the Heavenly Tribulation Realm.

Although he had such aspirations, he could not act immediately. After a thousand years of meticulous cultivation within the temple, the outside world had changed drastically; he didn’t know how many events had occurred. As the Leader of the Divine Martial Alliance, he needed to survey the landscape.

Beyond that, moving from Earth Calamity to Heavenly Tribulation necessitates an even greater need for the War God’s Atlas. After all, the Broken Void is only the essence of the teachings, not the entirety. To ascend to the Heavenly Tribulation Realm, one must comprehend various diagrams in the Atlas just like the integration of the Broken Void mechanism was necessary to reach the pinnacle of Divine Intent—to achieve success.

Therefore, each time the Temple of War God reopens, factions of both the Righteous Path and the Demon Path, as well as all major powers, would use the three months of the temple’s presence to convene a grand Martial Path gathering, bringing together numerous powers and diagrams to collectively explore the laws of the Heavenly Tribulation.

It had always been so in the past, and today seemed no exception.

The moment he stepped out of the Temple of War God, he saw the heavens and earth in turmoil, with storms raging from every direction.

Figures were clashing, each emanating earth-shattering aura, engaged in fierce combat with one another.

They were Tribulation Realm powerhouses and some Venerable powerhouses at the pinnacle.

Ever since the struggle over the Broken Void ten thousand years ago led to a great calamity, an unwritten rule was formed in the Temple of War God: no fighting shall occur within the hall. Those who violated this would face the collective wrath of all practitioners.

This is why, having been constrained next to their enemies for a full thousand years in the temple, the pent-up rage of all these cultivators was palpable. They were eager to seize the opportunity to return to the mortal world and vent their frustration, while also validating the gains of their millennium of cultivation.

“Hahaha, Old Ghost Ren, after a thousand years, you haven’t made any progress. In the few centuries to come, enjoy yourself instead of wasting time. Otherwise, you might not even get to see your descendants for one last time!”

“Brother Deng needn’t worry about that. There will always be talented people to take over. My Divine Martial Alliance already has a pillar strong enough to support the heavens, so what would it matter if this old man departs? As for you, Brother Deng, the Red Lotus Sect has only you in the Tribulation Realm and you have only a thousand years left. If no one follows in your footsteps, I fear the foundation of your Red Lotus Sect might fall into the hands of others!”

“Humph! Instead of worrying about the Red Lotus Sect, you might as well worry about yourselves. That young Leng is a monster, who might just surpass all of us old fellows and be the first to achieve the Heavenly Tribulation. At that time, I would like to see how your so-called Righteous Path will deal with it!”

“Oh? Brother Deng, saying that, does it mean that you wish to use our hands of the Righteous Path to eliminate Young Friend Leng? Although you’re a titan of the Demon Path, such tactics are rather despicable, don’t you think?”

“Humph!”

Two Tribulation Realm powerhouses were entangled in the chaos of battle, exchanging verbal jabs amidst their clashes.

One of them was clad in a white robe, with an aura of transcendence and white hair and beard to match his long white eyebrows, the embodiment of a celestial being. He was none other than Ren Baimei, the Divine Martial Alliance’s Supreme Elder, a powerhouse of the Earth Calamity Realm!

The other, garbed in a red robe, burnt with intensity like fire, bearing numerous lotus patterns, had hair and eyebrows in crimson tones, an ominous look in his eyes and an overwhelming Evil Qi emanating from him. He was the titan of the Demon Path, the Supreme Elder of the Red Lotus Sect, Deng Yunpeng.

A paragon of the Righteous Path and a titan of the Demon Path, long-standing adversaries, had started their fight the moment they emerged from the Temple of War God. Their fight was intense and evenly matched.

It wasn’t until Ren Weidao arrived that Deng Yunpeng, that age-old demon, bellowed and, taking advantage of an attack from Ren Baimei, leaped away, leaving behind a taunt: “Old Ghost Ren, you have a fine grandson. Let’s remember this battle for now. In three months, we’ll decide who’s superior.”