Chapter 1840: Qi Tian Luo

Han Li was not the only one; after their initial surprise, all the other cultivators discovered changes in their internal magic power.

However, for those in the Integration stage and above, the increase in magic power was negligible, equivalent to just a few months of diligent cultivation. For cultivators in the Void Refinement stage, the increase was much more significant; after a single strike of the gong, it seemed to boost their cultivation by over ten years.

This brought joy to the Void Refinement stage cultivators.

The old monsters in the Integration stage, however, were filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

Regardless of their individual reactions, everyone's gaze instantly fixed on the huge black gong, their eyes burning with a mix of greed and ecstasy, as if they wished to snatch it away immediately.

To be able to spontaneously increase one's cultivation just by hearing the sound of this item—what an astonishing feat!

Even though the item seemed to have a significant backlash, causing the gong-striker to lose both essence blood and lifespan simultaneously, it was still undoubtedly a heaven-defying treasure.

Could it be one of the legendary Profound Heaven Treasures?

Some individuals from both races also began to murmur to themselves.

Han Li gazed at the black gong with equal awe, harboring his own suspicions.

Unfortunately, divine sense was heavily restricted in the Black Domain, making it impossible to scan the distant black gong. Otherwise, with his own Profound Heaven Fruit, he would have been able to confirm whether the treasure was truly a Profound Heaven item more accurately than anyone else.

At that moment, the muscular man on the platform, who had turned into a white-haired old man, respectfully placed the purple bronze hammer in his hand onto the black stone table in front of him. Then, with a flash of spiritual light beneath his feet, he instantly vanished from his spot.

But in the next moment, another figure appeared beside the giant gong, taking his place.

This figure was clad in silver brocade, wearing a golden dragon-head mask. His eyes were unusually emerald green, not typical of a human.

As soon soon as this person appeared, everyone on the floating pavilions focused their gaze on him.

The golden-masked figure swept his green-glowing eyes around, then cleared his throat and spoke:

"Haha, I presume all fellow Daoists have personally experienced the wonder of this 'Heaven-Reaching Gong.' That previous gong strike was a small gift from the Black Domain to all of you. Furthermore, this 'Heaven-Reaching Gong' is one of the highlight treasures we are putting up for exchange, and it's the very first item to be exchanged at this grand event. I trust its value will not disappoint any of you!"

"What? This item is truly for exchange!" Even though most people had already suspected as much, hearing the golden-masked figure confirm it caused some to exclaim in surprised delight.

"As long as you can present a treasure that satisfies me, there's nothing that this Heaven-Reaching Gong can't be exchanged for," the golden-masked figure chuckled, his tone remarkably bold.

"This is rather strange. I've attended your Black Domain grand events countless times. While I wouldn't say the treasures your domain offered for exchange before were ordinary, in all these instances, items of such heaven-defying caliber have rarely appeared. Moreover, this is the very first treasure presented for exchange. Is it possible that due to the impending great calamity, your esteemed domain is making preparations in advance?" An extremely ancient voice suddenly reverberated through the entire void, making it impossible to discern which stone pavilion it originated from.

Han Li's heart tightened upon hearing this. He naturally understood that the calamity mentioned referred to the demonic plague expected to erupt within the next thousand years.

However, it was clear that the individuals from both races attending the Black Domain exchange knew something about the demonic plague.

For a moment, no one seemed surprised by the old voice's words. Instead, they all looked at the golden-masked figure, waiting to see how he would respond to the question.

"This fellow Daoist speaks correctly. The impending demonic calamity concerns everyone in both the human and demon races. As a part of both races, the Black Domain is certainly not so arrogant as to believe it can remain aloof. Making preparations in advance is only natural. However, there is one thing this fellow Daoist got wrong: while this Heaven-Reaching Gong is indeed marvelous, it does not achieve the level of power that you all might imagine, and it also has certain flaws. Therefore, compared to some treasures the Black Domain has offered in the past, it is actually slightly inferior," the golden-masked figure said with a faint smile.

"Flaws? Fellow Daoist, could you please elaborate? Is this item not a Profound Heaven Treasure?" An unusually cold voice emanated from one of the stone pavilions, with a clear hint of disappointment.

"A Profound Heaven Treasure! Heh, even if our Black Domain possesses some capabilities, how could we possibly hold such a treasure? Not just us, but even the Three Emperors and Seven Kings, or even the two Grand Ascension stage cultivators within our races, could not possess a Profound Heaven Treasure. Such Profound Heaven items, even if they miraculously fell into our races' hands, would only invite calamity and lead to our annihilation. Otherwise, how else would that alien siege on Sky Abyss City hundreds of years ago have erupted?" The golden-masked figure spoke with significant meaning. Although his words were somewhat vague, many of the Integration stage old monsters who understood the full details changed their expressions.

The golden-masked figure paused, then changed his tone and continued:

"However, since our domain has put the Heaven-Reaching Gong up for exchange, we will certainly explain its origins to all of you beforehand. In some respects, this treasure does contain a trace of heavenly laws, possessing some of the incredible power only found in Profound Heaven Treasures. Its true origin is from a secret site of an extinct alien race in the desolate lands, where it was obtained by our domain's people. It was already damaged and incomplete, with its power greatly diminished. According to the alien script found in that secret place, this treasure should be a pair, the guardian treasure of that extinct race. Besides this Heaven-Reaching Gong, there was also a 'Heaven-Shaking Hammer.' Only when combined do the two form the complete true appearance of this supreme treasure. Unfortunately, we searched that secret site thoroughly but could not find the Heaven-Shaking Hammer. Upon returning, we had to enlist a master artifact refiner, who expended immense effort to create a replica of the Heaven-Shaking Hammer using Deep Sea Purple Gold Mother Copper and other rare materials. However, this replica was not very successful; at best, it can only unleash one-tenth of the original's effectiveness. As for repairing the Heaven-Reaching Gong itself, due to the unique materials used, they are nowhere to be found in this realm, so it could only be kept as is. Otherwise, if a complete Heaven-Reaching Gong were paired with an authentic Heaven-Shaking Hammer, even if it weren't a Profound Heaven Treasure, its marvels would likely not be far off. This is indeed a great pity! Of course, if it were not for these circumstances, this treasure would not be presented as our domain's first highlight item for exchange with fellow Daoists."

"I don't particularly care if this treasure is a Profound Heaven Treasure or not. What I want to know are its specific divine abilities and its flaws," a faint female voice also echoed through the void.

"Of course. I will explain it now. Fellow Daoists are already aware of the gong's effect in rapidly boosting magic power. However, this divine ability is only effective for cultivators above the Core Formation stage. A Core Formation stage cultivator who hears it once can gain the equivalent of thirty years of diligent cultivation. A Void Refinement stage cultivator can save ten years of cultivation. For Integration stage Daoists, the effect is negligible, only saving a few months of meditative cultivation. Furthermore, for any individual, this gong's effect is only beneficial for the first three times. Beyond that, even if you hear more gong strikes, it will be useless. And when the gong is struck, if the number of listeners exceeds a certain threshold, the magic power amplification effect will also significantly decrease..." The golden-masked figure explained each point in detail.

As soon as the people in the stone pavilions heard about the usage limit, most of the fervent desire in their eyes faded. Many shook their heads, their thoughts changing.

"Not only that, but an ordinary cultivator cannot strike this gong. One must select a body refiner who has specifically cultivated an alien cultivation technique, also obtained from that secret site, to a certain level before they can sound the gong. And because the Heaven-Reaching Gong itself is incomplete, the person striking it will suffer a backlash from the treasure's laws while spontaneously increasing others' magic power. Their essence blood and lifespan will drain simultaneously, leading to their swift demise. Therefore, to use this gong, one must first painstakingly cultivate a group of specialized strongmen, which is quite troublesome. However, if used properly, the Heaven-Reaching Gong's utility is still considerable, especially for fellow Daoists with many disciples," the golden-masked figure concluded, his eyes gleaming.

After hearing the golden-masked figure's complete explanation, Han Li slightly furrowed his brow and returned to his seat.

Evidently, this Heaven-Reaching Gong was not of much use to him. However, he was slightly curious about the body refinement technique from the alien cultivation method.

Nevertheless, even after hearing the golden-masked figure's explanation, there were clearly still many people on the floating pavilions interested in the treasure.

After a moment of silence in the grand hall, someone finally spoke up and asked:

"What does your esteemed domain intend to exchange this treasure for? I presume ordinary items would certainly not catch your eye."

"Heh heh, that's not necessarily true. I will first list a few items. If any fellow Daoist can produce one of them, you may directly exchange it for this treasure. If none of you possess them, then it can still be exchanged for top-grade spirit stones or a large quantity of spirit herbs aged over a thousand years. Of course, the amount would undoubtedly be an unimaginable figure," the golden-masked figure said, uttering words that caused many to be taken aback.

"Is that true?" The unknown female cultivator, who seemed genuinely interested in the Heaven-Reaching Gong, asked eagerly, her spirits lifted.

"Since I stand here, there is naturally no falsehood in my words. Below are the items our domain wishes to exchange for. Of course, these items can be used to acquire not only this Heaven-Reaching Gong but also the other rare treasures that will be presented later," the golden-masked figure said, flipping his hand to reveal a white jade slip.

Then, with a flash of spiritual light, a milky-white beam shot out from the jade slip. After dispersing above the stone platform, it formed a dense array of silver ancient characters in mid-air.

It was a list of over a hundred different item names!

"Over three kilograms of Earth Yin Crystals, three-zhang-long Snow Spirit Wood, Blood Jade Fruit with over a hundred thousand years of medicinal efficacy..." As Han Li gazed at the item names on the light screen, he silently read them, feeling a sense of awe.