34: Chapter 34 The Fruit of Longevity

"Holy sh*t! Holy sh*t! Holy sh*t!..." Yun Ming was so excited that he couldn't speak.

His inner Universe erupted with unprecedented speed, and he grabbed it almost the instant the light flared up.

"What could it be? What could it be?"

Yun Ming felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest; he didn't even dare to open it to look easily.

"Jade Emperor of the Vast Heaven Golden Palace, Supreme Divine and True, Mysterious and Wonderful; Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea, Mount Putuo, Great Mercy and Compassion, Savior of Sufferings; Yuanshi Tianzun of the Jade Pure Sacred Realm, Supreme Enlightener and Primordial Ancestor; Lingbao Tianzun of the Upper Pure True Realm, Dao Lord Yuchen; Taishang Laojun of the Great Pure Immortal Realm, Leader of Ten Thousand Teachings, Lord of Morality; Nine Heavens Responsive Thunder Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable... Blessed Immortals, please protect me. I came to this world alone, helpless and forlorn. It was so hard to get a colored quality item, please let me get something good!!!"

Yun Ming recited the names of all the immortals he remembered from his previous life, devoutly praying for their protection, and then shouted:

"Give it to me!!!"

A seven-colored beam of light that pierced the heavens and earth erupted from his palm. The radiance was indescribably magnificent, as if all the colors in the world had been crushed and reassembled, with layers of halos swirling and surging like living things.

Er'ya was awakened by Yun Ming's shouting. In her eyes, Yun Ming was just staring blankly at the air, but he himself was immersed in a miracle only he could perceive.

The surrounding reality faded away like the tide.

He stood in an endless Void Realm, with deep darkness beneath his feet and a flowing river of stars above his head.

This was a scene that hadn't appeared when he previously drew the Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record.

Suddenly, billions of meteors silently fell from all directions, dragging long tails of light, piercing the eternal silence like a grand, silent funeral, or perhaps a glorious rebirth.

At the core of the meteor shower, an exceptionally brilliant seven-colored radiance broke through the air. It seemed to move slowly, but it instantly crossed the illusion of space and time, unavoidably, gently, and firmly "colliding" into his chest.

There was no impact, only a gentle, warm current.

Yun Ming saw clearly—it was not a stone, but a fist-sized, indescribable "fruit."

Its entire body was shrouded in a hazy seven-colored glow. The surface of the fruit skin was not solid, but interwoven with countless, extremely intricate purple-gold Dao patterns.

Within every pattern, it seemed as if the sun, moon, and stars were being born and dying, mountains and rivers were rising and falling, plants were withering and flourishing, creatures were breeding, and civilizations were rising and falling... That was the embodiment of the Dao itself, a totem condensed from thousands of rules.

The Dao Fruit touched his body the moment it turned into a wisp of the most fundamental Qi, silently merging into his limbs, bones, and the depths of his Soul.

An indescribable realization naturally arose, as if some innate shackle had been quietly opened, and as if he were always meant to be this way.

Dao Fruit of Longevity.

These four words suddenly appeared in his mind like the cool breeze and bright moon of the evening.

From this moment on, he had obtained what all cultivators dreamed of.

An indescribable emotion made him calm down instantly.

"Is this... Longevity?" He still found it hard to believe.

He was even a little disappointed. Lifespan was something intangible and invisible. Immortality didn't mean he couldn't die. It would be better if this colored item were exchanged for a gold one, giving him something practical.

Fortunately, Yun Ming had excellent self-adjustment capabilities. He instantly changed his mindset: as long as he was cautious enough, endless Lifespan meant endless draws. Immortal Ascension was just a matter of time, and time was the one thing he didn't lack.

So now, the matter of the foundation establishment pill could be put aside for a while; he needed to keep a low profile.

Having comforted himself, Yun Ming was in a good mood again, just in time to see that Er'ya had already gotten up.

"What's for breakfast?"

"I made porridge."

"Hmm... it smells so good."

Just as the two were eating breakfast, the final battle of the Sect Grand Competition was holding its grand opening ceremony.

On the giant square in front of the main peak of the Sunset Glow Sect, the atmosphere was completely different today.

The empty valley that used to be a place for Disciples to Cultivate and spar was now submerged by a vast sea of people and soaring waves of sound.

Dozens of banners painted with Luoxia flowing cloud patterns snapped in the breeze driven by the magic array, and the air was filled with a festive heat and tension.

"Silence!"

A calm voice that instantly suppressed all the noise resounded throughout the venue, as if whispering in everyone's ear.

The clamor stopped abruptly, and tens of thousands of eyes looked toward the towering rostrum in the north.

There, six figures were already sitting on six ancient jade chairs. Some wore Daoist robes and high caps, some wore graceful light gauze, some had an Aura as steady as a mountain, and some had gazes as sharp as swords.

They were the six Golden Core True Persons who held the power of the six major peaks of the Sunset Glow Sect! They were just sitting there quietly, without deliberately releasing their might, yet they naturally became the center of the entire world, inspiring awe and preventing anyone from making a noise.

The Immortal Masters nodded, and the ceremony officially began.

In the center of the square, the well-prepared magic array suddenly lit up with a soft, clear radiance.

Over a hundred inner sect female Disciples wearing neon dresses and beautiful faces flew out gracefully from the radiance, their sleeves fluttering, looking like true Fairies descending to the mortal world.

They held long swords that were Magical Artifacts shimmering with flowing light, and danced to the clear immortal music that sounded from nowhere.

The sword light swirled, interweaving into a brilliant but not blinding light net. Their figures were graceful and agile, performing the wonder of sword dance and the beauty of movement within a small space, which was dazzling and mesmerizing.

Grand music played, drums sounded, and the atmosphere was pushed to a climax.

The Fairies spun like blooming lotus flowers, then simultaneously sheathed their swords, withdrew their breath, and turned into streams of light to retreat.

"The 173rd Sect Grand Competition of the Sunset Glow Sect, final stage, begin!"

The Elder acting as the master of ceremonies shouted with spiritual power, igniting the accumulated emotions.

"ROAR!!!"

The deafening cheers, shouts of encouragement, and whistles erupted, ten times more intense than before, the sound waves almost overturning the sound-insulating barriers set up around the square.

The Disciples of each peak were flushed, waving the flags or tokens representing their peaks, shouting for the contestants they knew, their voices shaking the clouds.

Meanwhile, the ground of the square was changing amidst a slight tremor.

Six huge arenas rose from the ground, the engraved complex formation patterns lighting up layer by layer with spiritual light, quickly "constructing" themselves.

The spiritual light condensed into white jade-like solid platforms and transparent barriers flickering with reinforcement runes.

The six arenas were lined up side by side, similar in size, but upon close observation, one could see that the spiritual light intensity of their barriers and the complexity of the faintly swirling runes increased from left to right.

On the edge of the leftmost arena, clear ancient seal characters appeared— "Qi Refining Middle Stage".

Next to it were "Qi Refining Late Stage", "Qi Refining Great Circle", "Foundation Establishment Early Stage", and "Foundation Establishment Middle Stage".

The arena on the far right had the most condensed and heavy barrier spiritual light, with runes wriggling like Dragons and snakes, and the edge clearly read "Foundation Establishment Late Stage"!

The Elder's voice once again drowned out the clamor, announcing the rules: "The final arenas will proceed in order! Starting from Qi Refining Middle Stage, ending at Foundation Establishment Late Stage! First combatants, take the stage!"

As soon as the voice fell, two young and slightly nervous figures, amidst the focus of countless eyes and deafening cheers, turned into streams of light and flew onto the "Qi Refining Middle Stage" arena on the far left.