Terran Guardian - Chapter 3750

Chapter 3726 The Fallen Prodigy

At this moment,

everyone else looked at the Immortal Emperor of the Hidden Cloud Holy Land with a touch of sympathy.

The prodigy had fallen,

and his own cultivation had been crippled by more than half.

But no one spoke up to defend him.

This was because the one who had made the move was a powerful figure from the Great Wilderness Immortal Court.

The Great Wilderness Immortal Court!

It was not something ordinary people could compare to.

“The Great Wilderness Immortal Court!”

Shen Changqing glanced deeply in Luo Jiuqing’s direction, then glanced at the Immortal Emperor of the Hidden Cloud Holy Land.

The other party was originally at the peak of the Immortal Emperor realm, but with the destruction of the Eight Directions Immortal Emperor Universe, even the origin of the universe was completely destroyed, and his cultivation had plummeted.

The possibility of recovering his cultivation was extremely slim.

This was different from killing the Immortal Emperor’s physical body.

Once an Immortal Emperor opened up a universe, his divine soul had its own cosmic imprint.

Even if the physical body was destroyed, he could later re-condense the physical body and open up a new Immortal Emperor universe with this cosmic imprint, at most wasting some cultivation resources.

However, the Great Wilderness Immortal Court’s actions shattered even its fundamental imprint.

This was

tantamount to abolishing cultivation

, but not completely.

The reason for this was to preserve the Immortal Emperor realm’s cultivation, lest the opponent die from exhaustion of lifespan.   This is a true example of

killing someone by destroying their spirit!   Mingxin said, “Actually, even if Jiang Tang hadn’t stopped in this battle, he would still have been the one to die in the end. The methods of the Great Wilderness Immortal Court are unmatched by the Cloud Hidden Holy Land.   In a battle between equals, Luo Jiuqing is no match for Jiang Tang in terms of strength.   But if we’re talking about resources, Jiang Tang is likely to be no match for him.   Luo Jiuqing is just a man of eccentric temperament; he’s only trying to kill someone by destroying their spirit!”   Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing slowly asked, “I’ve heard that there are also half-saints in the Cloud Hidden Holy Land?”   ”Yes, but I’ve heard that half-saint is avoiding the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man and can’t really make a move. Besides, even if he could make a move, how could a half-saint be qualified to fight against the Great Wilderness Immortal Court?   After all, the resources of the Nine Dynasties are not something ordinary cultivators can provoke.   Even a long-lived half-saint has to bow down before the Nine Dynasties.   Sometimes, forbearance is not a bad thing.”   Mingxin’s words were pointed, and Shen Changqing could understand the meaning behind them.   Seeing Shen Changqing’s silence, Mingxin continued.   ”Speaking of which, with your talent, fellow Daoist, breaking through to the Half-Saint realm is a certainty when the Great Tribulation arrives.   Even reaching the Saint realm one day wouldn’t be a problem.   Cultivation is ultimately a long-term endeavor; a momentary scramble for power is not a good thing!”   Shen Changqing stood with his hands behind his back, calmly saying, “The Immortal Path is like the sea, opportunities like boats; all beings vie to cross. One step ahead means survival, one step back means ruin!”   Those who strive live!   Those who yield perish!   This single sentence encapsulates the essence of opportunity.   Mingxin opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to refute something, but ultimately remained silent.   After a moment, he sighed and nodded slightly: “Fellow Daoist sees further ahead in the path of cultivation than I do; perhaps you are right.”   Mingxin didn’t offer any further advice.   Everyone has their own path to walk.   His thoughts were difficult to impose on the other.   Perhaps this also explains why Shen Changqing had been able to reach such a height step by step, while he himself remained stagnant.   ”However, there is something I am curious about. I wonder if you could enlighten me?”   ”What is it?”   ”How is it that the Nine Mountains Immortal Emperor is able to maintain his tenth position on the Immortal Emperor Stele?”   Shen Changqing raised an eyebrow and asked.   After truly witnessing the competition for the Heavenly Dao Stele’s opportunities, he understood that the competition for such opportunities was far more intense than he had imagined.   The Nine Mountains Immortal Emperor’s strength was not weak, but only relatively speaking.   With him appearing openly, other forces certainly had no reason to sit idly by.   Upon hearing this, Mingxin shook his head: “I know very little about that Nine Mountains Immortal Emperor, but I have heard some rumors within the Holy Land that he seems to have other connections behind him.   That is why the various forces have not made any moves.”   ”I see…”   Shen Changqing nodded slightly.   He was now certain of his suspicions.   That Nine Mountains Immortal Emperor was indeed not so simple.   After all, it was impossible for someone who could maintain the opportunities on the Immortal Emperor Stele to have no hidden trump cards.   Although he didn’t know who was behind the Nine Mountains Immortal Emperor, Shen Changqing was certain of one thing:   the person behind him had to be at least a Saint.   Even with a Half-Saint like the Cloud Hidden Holy Land holding the reins, Jiang Tang’s fate of death was hard-won.   Mingxin said, “Fellow Daoist has some grudges with that person. It would be best if they could be resolved, but even if they can’t, it shouldn’t be a big problem.   After all, it’s normal for cultivators to have grudges.   With your strength, you won’t necessarily be afraid of the power behind the Nine Mountains Immortal Emperor in the future!”   ”Thank you for informing me, Fellow Daoist.”   Shen Changqing didn’t dwell on the Nine Mountains Immortal Emperor’s words. After chatting with Mingxin for a bit, he returned to his Immortal Mansion to cultivate.   Today’s events   made him realize that the battle for the Ancient Immortal Stele was much more intense than he had anticipated.   To deal with the problems ahead, he needed to improve his strength as much as possible.   Otherwise,   Jiang Tang today might be the prodigy of the Xuan Tian Dao Sect tomorrow.   Shen Changqing would not tolerate   that .   ”The Great Wilderness Immortal Court!”   A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he thought of this power.   Not just the Great Wilderness Immortal Court, but the so-called Six Sects, Nine Dynasties, and Thirteen Holy Lands were likely all quite similar.   The opportunities presented by the Heavenly Dao Divine Stele were not easily attained by ordinary cultivators.   The Four Great Divine Steles.

Only the competition for the Immortal King Stele is slightly less intense.

After all,

entering the Immortal King Stele is much easier than entering the Ancient Immortal Stele.

Moreover, any cultivator who enters the Immortal King Stele is capable of attaining the Ancient Immortal realm on the spot.   Therefore

, the rankings on the Immortal King Stele change almost like flowing water, changing extremely frequently.

But starting with the Ancient Immortal Stele, it’s different.

The Ancient Immortal Stele is like this! The

Immortal Emperor Stele is even more so!   Shen Changqing understands how lucky he was to maintain his ranking on the Ancient Immortal Stele back then; it was only because he broke through to the Immortal Emperor realm quickly enough.   Otherwise—   his ranking of ninety-eighth on the Ancient Immortal Stele would probably have caused him a lot of trouble.   With this thought in mind,   Shen Changqing dismissed it and began to comprehend the art of alchemy.   Physical Sainthood!   Without the innate blood essence of a half-saint level, and the corresponding rare and precious materials to assist in cultivation, simply absorbing the immortal energy of heaven and earth to refine the physical body is basically negligible in effect.   As for other things, such as the True Martial Dao, Shen Changqing has now almost fully comprehended them.   Only after breaking through to the Half-Saint Realm will there be a chance to advance further on the True Martial Path.   It can be said   that Shen Changqing has reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Emperor realm in all aspects, and his physical body has even broken through the shackles of the Immortal Emperor.   Without a great opportunity and a breakthrough in cultivation, it will be difficult to improve his strength further.   Therefore,   Shen Changqing naturally focuses on comprehending the art of alchemy.   He is currently a seventh-rank high-grade alchemy grandmaster,   and his goal is to break through to the eighth-rank grandmaster.   After all, becoming an eighth-rank grandmaster would give him the opportunity to attempt refining Half-Saint Immortal Pills.   Such pills would be sufficient to provide the foundation for activating the Soul-Destroying Sword.   If he doesn’t refine them himself, acquiring Half-Saint Immortal Pills from the outside world is not impossible, but extremely difficult. Rather   than asking others, it’s   better to refine them himself.   In comparison, collecting the medicinal herbs for refining Half-Saint Immortal Pills is much easier. After all   , medicinal herbs can be cultivated on their own, unlike rare and precious herbs.   The latter are born from the creation of heaven and earth and are therefore difficult to replicate.   While Shen Changqing focused his mind on comprehending the art of alchemy, the news of Jiang Tang’s demise and the crippling of a Celestial Emperor from the Cloud Hidden Holy Land continued to circulate in the Heavenly Dao Immortal City, becoming a topic of conversation among many cultivators.   Among them   , many promising talents who had been confident of competing for the Ancient Immortal Stele’s opportunity were now filled with apprehension and considering retreating.   After all, no one wanted to become the next Jiang Tang.   The ranking on the Ancient Immortal Stele, originally a source of opportunity, now seemed like a death warrant.   Especially those prodigies without powerful backing dared not venture to the Heavenly Dao Stele.   If they succeeded in leaving their names on the stele, they feared they would be the next to die.   However—   some prodigies remained fearless.   These prodigies were backed by powerful figures or major forces.   While these forces couldn’t compare to the Great Wilderness Immortal Court, they were certainly not to be underestimated.   They were confident that the Great Wilderness Immortal Court and similar forces wouldn’t risk a falling out with their backers for the mere opportunity of the Ancient Immortal Stele.   Ultimately,   while the Six Sects, Nine Dynasties, and Thirteen Holy Lands are top-tier forces in the Divine Sun Domain, they are not without rivals.   Offending too many forces, especially when they unite, would be overwhelming for everyone.   Even among longevity-based forces, there are differences.   Weaker forces, like the Cloud Hidden Holy Land, may have longevity-based figures, but their half-saints avoid the Five Signs of Decay, making their threat negligible.   Powerful longevity-based forces not only have half-saints at their peak, but also more than just one.   Some   may even possess experts above half-saint level.   Because of this foundation, they don’t need to worry about the Great Wilderness Immortal Court intervening in an opportunity presented by an Ancient Immortal Stele.   Unfortunately   , reality is harsh.   The Ancient Immortal Stele is far superior to the Immortal King Stele; not everyone possesses Jiang Tang’s strength and resources, making it difficult for them to leave their mark. Numerous   talented individuals from various forces have ultimately failed at the Ancient Immortal Stele.   And so it goes.   Jiang Tang’s prestige, on the contrary, continued to rise.   Many powerful talents struggled to ascend the Ancient Immortal Stele, yet he managed to secure seventy-second place, demonstrating his formidable strength.   Many cultivators secretly lamented   this .   ”So many prodigies failed to enter the Ancient Immortal Stele, only Jiang Tang achieved it through sheer strength. It’s a pity he offended the Great Wilderness Immortal Court, otherwise his future achievements would have been limitless!”   ”What’s the use of saying all this? The fallen prodigies are ultimately meaningless—”