Chapter 2442: Ten Great Sacred Trees

In a certain part of the ocean, an endless expanse of azure sea stretched out, with not a cloud in the sky.

A colossal turtle floated on the surface of the sea, moving swiftly forward. It was indeed the Kylin Turtle.

Wang Changsheng and over a hundred other members of the Wang family stood on the Kylin Turtle's back, feeling the sea breeze blow in gusts.

Wang Qiuyya and Wang Qiuju stood beside Wang Changsheng. They had already advanced to the Spirit Transformation stage; Wang Qiuyya was a spiritual vein seeker, and Wang Qiuju was an artifact refiner. Both were at the mid-Spirit Transformation stage.

They had already reached the territory of Zhenhai Palace. At their current speed, it wouldn't be long before they reached Floating Cloud Island.

"We're almost at the Zhenhai Palace headquarters. Speed up," Wang Changsheng commanded softly. The Kylin Turtle seemed to understand his words, letting out a low growl and more than doubling its speed.

An hour later, the Kylin Turtle stopped. Ahead lay an endless expanse of azure sea, devoid of any islands.

"Grandfather, haven't we reached the Zhenhai Palace headquarters yet?" Wang Qiuyya asked curiously.

Wang Changsheng frowned. He remembered clearly that they should have reached the Zhenhai Palace headquarters by now. Thinking of something, he fully extended his divine sense, looking towards a certain void.

Ripples appeared in the void, and a blue light suddenly flared, transforming into a handsome young man in a blue shirt. Judging by his spiritual power fluctuations, he was clearly a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

"Who are you? This is the Zhenhai Palace headquarters; unauthorized entry is forbidden," the young man in blue said in a deep, solemn voice.

"We are members of the Wang family from Green Lotus Island, invited to attend the celebration for my cousin and his wife," Wang Qingcheng replied courteously, stating the names of Sun Yueshuo and He Yuyao.

The young man in blue's expression softened. "Please wait a moment," he said. "I'll ask upstairs. These are extraordinary times, so please bear with us."

"Extraordinary times?" Wang Changsheng was utterly perplexed. Had something happened to Zhenhai Palace? Was Lin Tianlong attempting to break through to the Mahayana stage? Surely not! If that were the case, they probably wouldn't even be allowed in.

After a while, the young man in blue spoke again: "My apologies. A Martial Uncle is attempting to break through to the Integration stage, and part of the palace's protective grand formation has been activated. Please wait a moment; Martial Uncle Sun is already on his way to pick you up."

Wang Changsheng suddenly understood. He had wondered why it was so troublesome this time. It turned out someone was attempting to break through to the Integration stage. He wondered which faction the cultivator belonged to; it would be great if they were from the Ascension Faction.

After a short while, Sun Yueshuo and He Yuyao hurried out and led them into Zhenhai Palace.

By this time, the lightning tribulation had already ended, but the northwestern corner of the island was a mess, with plumes of black smoke rising.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Changsheng asked, "I heard a Senior Brother is attempting to break through to the Integration stage?"

"That's right. It's Lin Youxin, a descendant of Martial Uncle Lin. We should probably call him Martial Uncle Lin now," Sun Yueshuo said with a wry smile. The local faction was growing stronger, with more and more cultivation resources allocated to them. The inevitable result was that cultivators from the Ascension Faction received fewer and fewer resources.

Wang Changsheng remembered Lin Youxin. When they first arrived in the Xuanyang Realm, Lin Youxin was already at the Void Refinement stage. So many years had passed, and Wang Changsheng himself had advanced to the mid-Void Refinement stage, so it wasn't surprising for Lin Youxin to enter the Integration stage.

"So, Zhenhai Palace has gained another Integration stage cultivator," Wang Ruyan said with a smile. No matter what, the stronger Zhenhai Palace became, the more they would benefit.

"Heh heh, there's one more for now, but it's hard to say about the future," Sun Yueshuo chuckled, speaking somewhat mysteriously.

A short while later, they appeared above a valley with roads leading in all directions. Inside the valley was an estate spanning a thousand mu (about 165 acres), featuring a tranquil environment and complete facilities.

"You all stay here first. Don't wander around during this time. The headquarters is currently under martial law, and part of the palace's protective grand formation has been activated. Even Void Refinement cultivators could be in life-threatening danger if they trigger the restrictions," Sun Yueshuo reminded them solemnly, then left with He Yuyao.

"Don't wander off. Stay here for now, Qingcheng, make sure they are settled," Wang Changsheng instructed, having Wang Qingcheng settle the family members.

Wang Changsheng took out his communication plate to contact Fang Ming. Before long, the communication plate responded: "Junior Brother Wang, I heard you've arrived at the headquarters. If you're free, come to my residence, and we can chat!"

"Alright, we'll be right over," Wang Changsheng agreed, put away his communication plate, and left the residence with Wang Ruyan.

Along the way, they saw numerous patrol teams and were even subjected to questioning.

After a short while, they arrived at Fang Ming's residence and met him.

They had been acquaintances for many years. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Changsheng brought up the main topic: "Senior Brother Fang, does our Ascension Faction not have any disciples suitable for attempting to break through to the Integration stage?"

"There are as many as nine," Fang Ming explained. "However, spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines that aid in breaking through to the Integration stage are rare. Even our Zhenhai Palace doesn't have many. With too many monks and too little gruel, we can only focus on cultivating a few key individuals. The rest will have to rely on themselves." He added that Zhenhai Palace had over a hundred Void Refinement cultivators, and could only select a few for focused cultivation. For the others to enter the Integration stage, they would have to work harder on their own.

In the Xuanyin Continent, for major human forces like Zhenhai Palace, it wasn't difficult to cultivate more Void Refinement cultivators; simply pouring in more cultivation resources would suffice. As for the Integration stage, even Void Refinement cultivators specifically groomed by Zhenhai Palace were not guaranteed to break through.

"Two hundred years ago, when Senior Brother Qian attempted to break through to the Integration stage, during his tribulation of the Seven-Nine Lightning, he attracted seven bolts of five-colored divine lightning and was directly struck dead by them," Fang Ming sighed. After the racial war, the Ascension Faction had indeed intensified its efforts in cultivating disciples. One of them, in attempting to reach the Integration stage, died under the lightning tribulation.

Breaking through to a major realm attracts special lightning power, which varies from person to person. The stronger the lightning tribulation, the more powerful the cultivator who survives it. Obtaining spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines to assist in breaking through to the Integration stage is already difficult; if special lightning power appears during the Seven-Nine Lightning Tribulation, it becomes even harder. This is just for Integration; the Mahayana stage is even more challenging.

Six-tier talismans like the Five-Element Thunderstorm Talisman can only withstand the first round of the Seven-Nine Lightning Tribulation. The Seven-Nine Lightning Tribulation has seven rounds; not only does it last longer, but the power of the lightning tribulation is also greater.

"Seven bolts of five-colored divine lightning?" Wang Changsheng gasped, his face filled with shock.

For the same type of lightning tribulation, the higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the greater its power.

For example, if a Spirit Transformation cultivator attempting to reach the Void Refinement stage attracts three bolts of five-colored divine lightning, and a Void Refinement cultivator attempting to reach the Integration stage also attracts three bolts of five-colored divine lightning, the latter's power is far superior to the former's; they are not on the same level.

Treasures that can resist or weaken the Seven-Nine Lightning Tribulation are also somewhat helpful for Integration stage cultivators undergoing the Great Heavenly Tribulation. It's impossible to casually give them to Void Refinement stage juniors.

"Senior Brother Fang, what kind of lightning tribulation did Martial Uncle Chen attract when he attempted to break through to the Integration stage?" Wang Ruyan asked curiously.

"Seven bolts of seven-colored divine lightning," Fang Ming explained. "However, Martial Uncle Chen obtained a defensive treasure forged from Divine Wood of Eastern Yi in the Azure Glass Sea region. Only then was he able to withstand the seven bolts of seven-colored divine lightning."

"Divine Wood of Eastern Yi? Is that the Divine Wood of Eastern Yi, one of the Ten Great Divine Woods?" Wang Changsheng asked in surprise.