Chapter 374 360: The Arrival of the Great Era: Fate or Tribulation

Right. Song Ciwan hadn't even intended to outright say there was an insect in the Golden Core.

She had only wanted to use a riddle-like phrasing to hint that the Ancient Divine Insect Race was hidden within the Golden Core!

But even that had failed.

And this time, Song Ciwan felt it clearly. That invisible power from the great beyond... it wasn't some Divine Spirit truly looking down on the world from the Void. It was more like a Silencing Spell—

A Silencing Spell that pervaded the entire Grand Thousand Worlds!

'Which is more terrifying?' Song Ciwan couldn't decide. 'A Silencing Spell that can blanket the entire world, or a Divine Spirit in the heavens, endlessly watching everything...'

'Either way, it's terrifying.'

'A great terror, one even greater than life and death.'

Song Ciwan immediately reigned in her tumultuous emotions and rephrased her concerns. "Sister Cyan God, as the saying goes, 'Where there is abnormality, there must be a demon.' I've always had my doubts about the Golden Core."

The Great Cyan God smiled. "Little sister, your cautious nature is one of your strengths. However, with the arrival of this new grand era, the line between fortune and calamity is truly difficult to discern. Sometimes, excessive caution can cause you to miss out on great opportunities.

"Little Sister Song, you are a Celestial Pride of the Human Race. You must understand that anyone who makes it onto the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List is inevitably blessed with great fortune. All sorts of opportunities will come crashing your way, one after another, even if you don't actively seek them out.

"To reject a gift from the heavens is to invite disaster. Little Sister Song, you mustn't let this fortune pass you by. If you miss too many opportunities, I fear your luck will decline. Should your ranking fall as a result, the losses would far outweigh any gains!

"You must understand, in the contest of this grand era, you have to fight for every inch. Sometimes, falling behind by a single step means you'll be left behind at every turn, and catching up again will be nigh impossible."

The Great Cyan God's tone was heavy with meaning. She looked at Song Ciwan, and after her speech, she suddenly gestured for her to eat the food on the banquet table.

Song Ciwan extracted another important piece of information from the Great Cyan God's words: Fortune!

The Great Cyan God had said that all beings on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List would be blessed with great fortune!

This statement struck a sensitive chord within Song Ciwan.

A sudden realization dawned on her. 'No wonder I feel so incredibly lucky tonight! Could it be that this streak of good fortune isn't just my imagination, but a direct result of ascending the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List tonight?'

Song Ciwan silently reviewed all that she had gained this night and quickly reached a conclusion.

The Great Cyan God's theory about "fortune" wasn't false—it was the truth!

'So that's how it is!'

'In this era of great contention, you truly have to fight for everything, at all times. You can't concede a single inch.'

Tonight, with Song Ciwan on the list, Tushan Keji had either been knocked off entirely or, if not, his ranking must have plummeted.

Thus, Song Ciwan's fortune rose while Tushan Keji's fell.

Song Ciwan would be like a rainbow arcing across the sky, soaring ever higher, while Tushan Keji would be like mercury spilling across the floor, sinking ever lower.

With one rising as the other fell, Tushan Keji was doomed to fall unless he had some way to stage a desperate comeback!

At the banquet table, the Great Cyan God raised a wine goblet, toasting Song Ciwan.

This time, Song Ciwan didn't hesitate. She also raised the goblet from her own table and returned the gesture to the Great Cyan God.

The two of them toasted each other across the distance, then drank in unison.

The amber-hued liquid in the goblet slid into Song Ciwan's mouth like a silken ribbon.

It was silky smooth at first, then mellow and fragrant, followed by an indescribable, lingering sweetness.

The wine wasn't harsh at all; its rich body carried a velvety sweetness.

In that instant, a thought flashed through Song Ciwan's mind: 'If Jadescent Nectar truly exists in the heavens, this must be what it tastes like.'

The liquid went down her throat and settled deep within her.

Song Ciwan wasn't drunk, but she felt an inexplicable, pleasant tipsiness.

At the next table, after finishing her goblet, the Great Cyan God shouted, "Excellent wine!"

After her shout, she didn't wait for the attendant behind her to refill her goblet. Instead, she grabbed the wine pitcher from the table herself, tilted her head back, and let the wine pour from the slender spout in a thin stream.

The stream of wine flowed into the Great Cyan God's mouth, making her cheer with delight. "Excellent wine, excellent wine! I could drink three hundred cups of this today! Hahaha!"

She propped one hand on the table, her magnificent, wide-sleeved robes in disarray. Her posture was languid and casual, the very picture of revelry.

She seemed to be drunk.

At the same time, after Song Ciwan had downed the goblet of wine and savored its taste, an incredibly rich surge of Energy erupted like a volcano in her Dantian!

Yes, a potent Vitality, just like a volcanic eruption.

The Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting, which had been running quietly, suddenly reacted like a seasoned gourmand encountering a favorite delicacy, instantly roaring to life.

The Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting began to circulate at a furious pace, absorbing the potent Energy with the speed and passion of a thousand falling stars, devouring it whole.

A light drizzle began to fall upon the empty True Qi Sea in Song Ciwan's Dantian.

At first, the fine drizzle was gentle and steady.

Then, seeing the Great Cyan God beside her drinking with wild abandon, Song Ciwan flicked her finger and cast the Qi Absorption Technique.

The pitcher on her table lifted into the air, a thin stream pouring from its spout as Song Ciwan began to drink heartily as well.

As the wine flowed continuously down her throat, the light drizzle in her Dantian turned into a downpour.

SPLASH! The rain came pouring down, and the water level of Song Ciwan's empty True Qi Sea began to rise noticeably.

When she first entered Xizhai, Song Ciwan's True Qi Sea had been about five percent full. Later, after absorbing Immortal Energy on the lake island, her True Qi had risen by another one percent. Now, with this torrential downpour, it only took a short time for the True Qi Sea in her Dantian to be filled to a full ten percent!

This progress was not to be underestimated. Without the help of the Spirit Wine, even if Song Ciwan were to cultivate diligently on her own with the aid of her cultivation time advantage, it was hard to say how long it would have taken to fill her True Qi to ten percent.

There were truly too many treasures in this world, more than Song Ciwan could ever hope to recognize.

'It's no wonder those Celestial Prides can achieve such outstanding levels of Cultivation at such a young age.'

'The cultivation methods of those Celestial Prides backed by powerful factions are probably beyond my wildest imagination.'

Of course, her own cultivation method, aided by the Heaven and Earth Scale, was likely something other Celestial Prides couldn't fathom either, no matter how hard they tried.

Whether Human or any other living being, one could usually only operate within the confines of one's own understanding. Breaking past those cognitive limits was always an incredibly difficult feat.

Song Ciwan drank with relish, but before long, the stream of wine from the pitcher floating before her suddenly ceased.

She had finished the entire pitcher.

Seeing this, the Eldest Princess at the head of the banquet immediately ordered an attendant to bring more wine for Song Ciwan.

The Eldest Princess said, "This Immortal brew may be rare, with each table originally allotted only a single pitcher, but the person at this table is no stranger—it's my Little Sister Song. If Little Sister Song wants to drink, then she will have her fill!"

The Great Cyan God laughed heartily. "And what about me? Da Jin, what about me?"

The Eldest Princess laughed. "You're no stranger either. You think I wouldn't make sure you have your fill?"

The Great Cyan God laughed loudly once more.

Meanwhile, the Little Cyan God, who had been in the middle of the banquet playing with Fire Technique as if it were fireworks, suddenly stopped her magic and rushed to the Great Cyan God's side in a few quick steps.

The Little Cyan God hugged the Great Cyan God's arm and cried, "Mother! What are you doing? Are you trying to get drunk again? I forbid you from drinking any more! If you do, I'm not going to talk to you anymore!"

The Great Cyan God wrapped her arm around the Little Cyan God, her eyes hazy with drink as she smiled. "Silly child, you're too young. You don't know how wonderful it feels to get thoroughly drunk! Little Cyan, in this world today, it doesn't matter who you are, no one can say for sure... no one knows... when they'll just..."

She paused and let out a drunken hiccup.

"Hic!" The Great Cyan God chuckled. "It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, anyone can die in an instant!"

"If we have wine today, let's get drunk today! Who wouldn't want the chance to get properly drunk? Hahaha..."