Chapter 2673: Selecting the Guardian

In Jade Sun Valley, crowds streamed through the bustling streets. A sizable courtyard house with blue tiles contained a three-story blue tower and a blue stone pavilion.

In a secret chamber, Duan Tongtian sat cross-legged on a green meditation mat, his eyes tightly closed, circulating energy to heal his injuries. His recent trip to the Myriad Volcano Mountain Range had been perilous; he had fought desperately to break through the encirclement, slaying a Void Refinement cultivator but also sustaining severe injuries. Wang Qingfeng had given him three types of healing elixirs, but Duan Tongtian was not a body cultivator, so his recovery speed was not as fast.

Most high-level cultivators recovered slowly from injuries. The higher their cultivation level, the slower their recovery, unless they possessed sacred healing medicine, which would quicken the process.

Duan Tongtian sensed something, quickly ceased his cultivation, took out a green magic disk, cast several incantations into it, made some gestures, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He then stood up and walked out. He opened the courtyard gate. Standing at the entrance were an ordinary-looking middle-aged man and a graceful woman in a blue dress; they were none other than Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, who had altered their appearances.

Although Wang Changsheng had advanced to the Integration Stage, the Wang family was still relatively weak. Song Yunlong of the Song family, on the other hand, was a Spirit Body possessor. He had entered the Integration Stage thousands of years ago and might even advance to the Mahayana Stage. It wasn't that Spirit Body possessors were guaranteed to reach the Mahayana Stage—Xuan Qingzi and Heavenly River Sword Venerable were not Spirit Body possessors—but they did indeed have an advantage. For prudence, Wang Changsheng still opted to change his appearance when acting.

Sensing the powerful spiritual pressure emanating from Wang Changsheng, Duan Tongtian was stunned. After returning from the Myriad Volcano Mountain Range, he had been recuperating and did not know that Wang Changsheng had advanced to the Integration Stage. Duan Tongtian quickly recovered and invited Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan inside.

"My in-law, are you feeling better?" Wang Changsheng asked with concern. If Duan Tongtian hadn't helped, Wang Qingfeng and Dong Xueli would not have been able to kill the sixth-grade top-tier Golden Flame Silkworm.

"It's nothing serious; I just need some time to recover," Duan Tongtian replied with a relaxed expression. With Wang Changsheng having entered the Integration Stage, the Wang family would develop better, and Dong Xueli would also have a better life. Her well-being was his happiness.

"You've survived three great heavenly tribulations, haven't you! The fourth great heavenly tribulation is very powerful. This is a Heavenly Thunder Spirit Transformation Talisman that I refined; it can be of some use. And here are two defensive low-grade Sky-reaching Spirit Treasures." Wang Ruyan took out a blue storage ring and handed it to Duan Tongtian. Heavenly Thunder Spirit Transformation Talismans, Sea Suppressing Pearls, and Five-Element Thunder Cloud Talismans were all similar in that the more times one experienced the great heavenly tribulations, the less effective these items became. Otherwise, so many Void Refinement cultivators would not have perished under the great heavenly tribulations. For the first three great heavenly tribulations of a Void Refinement cultivator, the Heavenly Thunder Spirit Transformation Talisman could still play a significant role. For the fourth great heavenly tribulation, it could still be of some use, but its effect would be greatly diminished. Duan Tongtian accepted them without ceremony.

"I have already advanced to the Integration Stage, so I do not fear the Song family," Wang Changsheng said earnestly. "My in-law, why don't you move to Green Lotus Island to live? Living in the market city indefinitely isn't ideal. Qingfeng and Xueli have many descendants now; it would be good for you to go to Green Lotus Island and enjoy family life."

"No, I'm quite fine living here," Duan Tongtian refused. "I'm used to being a solitary person. As long as Xueli is doing well, that's enough." Duan Tongtian refused; he had too many enemies and didn't want to cause trouble for the Wang family. Wang Changsheng persuaded him repeatedly, but Duan Tongtian politely declined multiple times. Seeing this, Wang Changsheng didn't want to force him. After chatting for over an hour, they bid farewell and left.

On Green Lotus Island, a vast bluestone plaza stretched out, with the Blazing Fire Demon Refining Pagoda standing in its center. Wang Moshan and more than a dozen other clan elders stood near the Blazing Fire Demon Refining Pagoda, their expressions solemn. Today was the day to select new Tower Guardians. The family's scripture repository now had forty-eight floors and was permanently guarded by high-level cultivators. The family was selecting new Tower Guardians, and Wang Moshan needed to personally oversee the selection. There were multiple Tower Guardians to facilitate rotation, allowing them to go out for experience if they encountered a bottleneck.

Once selected as a Tower Guardian, the family would provide cultivation resources, so they wouldn't have to worry about them. However, guarding the scripture repository was a very tedious task; unless they encountered a bottleneck, they were not allowed to leave Green Lotus Island and had to guard the repository year-round. Tower Guardians needed to be able to endure loneliness and were suited for ascetic cultivators. Additionally, they also needed sufficient strength. When the Wang family was first established, there were too few members, and the requirements for various positions were not high. Now, the Wang family had over a hundred thousand cultivators, and holding important positions also required sufficient strength.

More than fifty Soul Transformation cultivators participated in the selection. One benefit of becoming a Tower Guardian was that the family would provide elixirs and miraculous medicines to help them break through to the Void Refinement stage, as well as two sets of sixth-tier defensive formations. The Wang family currently had over four hundred Soul Transformation cultivators, so demand far exceeded supply. To obtain elixirs and miraculous medicines and sixth-tier defensive formations, the required merit points were an astronomical sum. Becoming a Tower Guardian made it easier to advance to the Void Refinement Stage.

After multiple refinements, the Blazing Fire Demon Refining Pagoda currently had fifty-two levels. The first to ninth levels conjured first-tier demonic beasts, the tenth to eighteenth levels conjured second-tier demonic beasts, and the forty-sixth to fifty-second levels conjured sixth-tier demonic beasts.

The forty-sixth level of the Blazing Fire Demon Refining Pagoda suddenly glowed brightly, and a graceful maiden in a golden dress flew out. Her body was covered in wounds, and blood flowed continuously. Wang Moshan frowned and waved his hand. A clan elder stepped forward to catch the golden-dressed maiden and fed her an elixir to heal her injuries.

On the forty-fifth level, Wang Chuanlin was dealing with three fifth-tier top-grade demonic beasts, controlling a giant ape puppet and a spider puppet. Wang Chuanlin held a small, pale golden bell in his hand. He gently shook it, releasing a shimmering golden sound wave that sent the attacking golden giant crab and red python flying.

A completely green seagull suddenly appeared in the void above Wang Chuanlin's head, its sharp green claws shooting straight for his skull. Golden light burst forth from Wang Chuanlin's body, enveloping the green seagull. The spider puppet shot out a green spider web, covering the green seagull and dragging it to the ground. The giant ape puppet beast then opened its mouth, spat out a thick stream of crimson flames that engulfed the green seagull, and strode over, moving its fists. After a thunderous roar, the green seagull let out a mournful cry and disintegrated into points of spiritual light, vanishing. Wang Chuanlin repeated his tactic of divide and conquer, focusing his firepower to eliminate one fifth-tier demonic beast, and then another.

After all three fifth-tier demonic beasts were eliminated, a red light appeared beneath Wang Chuanlin's feet, engulfing his figure. When he regained his senses, he appeared on the forty-sixth level. This time, his opponent was a sixth-tier low-grade Blazing Fire Falcon. With his Soul Transformation stage cultivation, he was naturally no match for the Blazing Fire Falcon. He just needed to hold on for a while longer.

Outside the Blazing Fire Demon Refining Pagoda, Wang Moshan and the others closely watched the forty-sixth level. The first forty-five levels tested an individual's strength, while the thirty-sixth level tested their adaptability. Some clan members were quite reckless, fighting with their lives on the line, relying on the presence of clan elders to ensure their safety. Even if such people lasted a long time, they wouldn't necessarily be selected.

After the time it takes to steep a pot of tea, the forty-sixth level glowed brightly. Wang Chuanlin flew out from the Blazing Fire Demon Refining Pagoda, his face pale. A terrible bloody gash marked his left shoulder, and more than half of his body was charred black, emitting a burnt smell.