Chapter 201: Refining the Dharma with the Treasure Cauldron, the Divine Power Nears Completion!

[Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron].

By now, the hall housing this treasure cauldron had long become Wang Ping's exclusive domain. On an ordinary day, the Old Emperor had no way of knowing what transpired inside.

At this moment, boundless spiritual energy surged through the world, ultimately pouring into the Daoist seated by the cauldron's opening. With every breath he took, the energy was refined into deeply accumulated magical power, which was then fed into his divine power seed, manifesting outward as a strange phenomenon.

At first, it was only a blurred halo of iridescent light.

Immediately after, the iridescent light spun without any wind, condensing into a ring of shattered starlight. Only upon closer inspection could one see that it was actually composed of countless microscopic talismans.

These talismans swirled around Wang Ping. Following the rhythm of his breathing, they gradually pieced themselves together, projecting an image of mountains, valleys, cities, and human life.

It was none other than the Great Shun Capital!

Before his eyes unfolded a terrestrial chart. The pavilions, terraces, towers, and bustling carriages arrayed within it were indistinguishable from the real Great Shun Capital.

As for those starlight talismans, they fell into the terrestrial chart one by one, transforming into the City God Temples that the commoners had come to love and revere over the past few months. They dotted the iridescent light, shifting its hue from gloomy to radiant. Inside, clouds and mist flickered, pulsing continuously like a beating heart.

By the cauldron's opening, Wang Ping took another deep breath.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Billowing magical power surged in further. With each breath he took, the illusory terrestrial chart surrounding him flickered, growing increasingly clear and lifelike.

Before long, the terrestrial chart was completely formed. One could walk its mountains and rivers or listen to its seas. Tens of thousands of City God Temples perfectly stitched it together into a unified whole.

However—it did not move.

Wang Ping sat perfectly still, his hands forming incantation seals. His Daoist robe fluttered without any wind, and his eyes reflected profound scenes of alternating dawn and dusk and deities patrolling their domains.

Unfortunately, these profound scenes only flowed within his eyes. Although they surged left and right, they could not break free, let alone manifest within the terrestrial chart. Only when the two merged would this chart truly come alive, blossoming and bearing fruit to birth a true Major Divine Ability.

"The time has still been too short."

Wang Ping shook his head.

Over the past three months, he had used almost every available resource he could get his hands on, constantly replenishing his energy day and night to accelerate the cultivation of his divine power.

First was the Old Emperor.

With the temptation of a thousand years of longevity, the most difficult hurdle of the [Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart]—canonizing tens of thousands of deities—was swiftly completed under his arrangement.

Of course, simply having the required quota of deities was not enough. He also needed these deities to regulate the masses and enforce heavenly laws until a complete system was formed, using it to gather incense... Over the remaining two months, Wang Ping completed the system. As for the incense, that was a step that usually only time could fulfill.

Fortunately, he had made an absolute killing back at [Dao Proving Mountain].

Two Incense Ingots, along with the legacies that Xiaoxiang, Changyangzi, and Fairy Fengyuan had gifted him before their deaths, had just barely made up for the shortfall in incense.

At this stage, the terrestrial chart was fundamentally complete, and the deities had all taken their rightful places. All that was missing was the final elevation to completely merge this chart with the Capital.

If successful, every change in the Capital would accurately reflect upon the chart, acting as the finishing touch to truly bring the lifeless terrestrial chart to life.

This step was the most difficult of all.

First, the moment he took this step, he would no longer be able to hide it. The Old Emperor would inevitably discover that all his hard work over the past three months had just played into Wang Ping's hands.

Second, the heavenly tribulation was certain to arrive.

When condensing a divine power, if it were a Minor Divine Ability, the heavenly tribulation would not strike immediately. That was simply because the weight of a Minor Divine Ability was too low, only barely brushing the senses of the heavenly tribulation.

Only a Middle Divine Ability would instantly attract the first of the three great heavenly tribulations of wind, fire, and lightning: the [Bi Wind].

As for a Major Divine Ability, inherently profound and natural, it would bring down the second of the three great heavenly tribulations: the [Yin Fire]. It required surviving both tribulations simultaneously to successfully cultivate.

As for the third heavenly tribulation, the [Heavenly Thunder], which carried the most destructive might, it would only be triggered when a cultivator's divine power reached perfection. Anyone capable of crossing this tribulation, regardless of whether they had previously cultivated a Minor, Middle, or Major Divine Ability, would ultimately be addressed as a "Major Divine Ability expert."

"Every layer of tribulation is another gate to cross."

Enduring two tribulations simultaneously was both a risk and an opportunity. Failing to pass naturally meant one's body and Dao would perish, but surviving it would lead to an exponential, skyrocketing leap in strength.

Thinking up to here, Wang Ping finally raised his eyes.

"Thank you for your hard work, Daoist Brother Xuanhe."

Beside the treasure cauldron, Xuanhe's face was dripping with cold sweat as he staggered to his feet. He had stayed here for a full three months, and every day he had only one task to perform.

That was to activate the [Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron].

By continuously injecting his magical power, he enabled the treasure cauldron to maintain an environment enhanced by the Yang Earth of Man, thereby maximizing the speed at which Wang Ping condensed his divine power.

Even as a cultivator at the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer with a Middle Divine Ability, he felt incredibly weak right now. He only had the strength to nod at Chenlong before sitting down to regulate his breathing.

"Lord Chenlong."

Wang Ping shifted his gaze to Chenlong, who had just been dragged into the hall. "I'll have to trouble you next. If nothing unexpected happens, there will be a bitter battle ahead."

"...Hmph, what a joke!"

Chenlong raised an eyebrow, entirely unmoved. "I am truly invincible in the mortal realm, what bitter battle could there be? Just focus on your cultivation with peace of mind. If any enemies come, I will slaughter them by my own hand!"

Wang Ping: "???"

Holy crap. They hadn't seen each other in a while, but how had Lord Chenlong's entire aura changed? He had never seen this high-spirited vigor radiating from his brows before.

For a moment, Wang Ping actually felt a bit apprehensive.

He couldn't help it; Chenlong's current demeanor was too alarming. Opening his mouth to claim invincibility, throwing around an imposing posture that could scare someone to death—the key question was, where on earth did he get this confidence?

"My Lord, are you alright?"

Wang Ping asked cautiously. "How about you take a moment to rest? It was my fault before; I shouldn't have fought you to a draw. Why don't you go have the First Seat take a look at you first..."

"What, you don't believe me?"

Chenlong sneered. "I'm afraid I'd scare you if I said it, but the First Seat even praised me, saying the student surpasses the master. In the path of Divine Intent, I have already beaten the First Seat!"

"Really?" Wang Ping was shocked. "Your intuition is stronger than the Master's now?"

"I wouldn't stoop to comparing intuition."

Chenlong shook his head. "What we compare is confidence, an invincible aura. In this regard, although the First Seat is number one in the world, I am still a notch above her."

"In short, since the First Seat sent me here, it proves that she also considers me truly invincible. With me standing guard, you don't have to worry about any accidents."

"This..."

Wang Ping opened his mouth, feeling that this seemed completely unreliable no matter how he looked at it. But on second thought, Chenlong wasn't wrong. After all, the First Seat was the one who dispatched him here.

With the First Seat's intuition, there was no way she could make a mistake, right?

After pondering for a long time, Wang Ping still couldn't resist saying, "My Lord, it's not that I don't believe you. I mainly just want to broaden my horizons. How about you show me a move?"

"...Very well."

Seeing this, Chenlong nodded. Without the slightest hint of stage fright, and without drawing his blade, he simply raised his hand. Using his palm as a blade, he lightly swiped down toward Wang Ping.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping didn't hesitate to drain You Xuexin, who was far away in the Immortal Gate, once again unleashing a streak of [Taiyi Light-Splitting Parting-Joining Sword Qi] at Chenlong.

The two clashed, but the result was vastly different from before.

"Crack!"

Without any pause, and without even manifesting the phantom of that divine peak this time, Chenlong shattered the howling sword qi with his bare palm alone!

Wang Ping watched, utterly dumbfounded.

Wait, it actually worked!

There was no doubt that Chenlong's increase in strength compared to before was beyond exaggerated. Wang Ping even felt that he could now go toe-to-toe with Xuanhe!

"How is this possible?"

Just a few months ago, Chenlong was at most on the level of a cultivator with a Minor Divine Ability. How could he compare to a veteran inner sect disciple like Xuanhe in the blink of an eye?

Martial Dao cultivation rested on Divine Intent, and the cultivation of Divine Intent rested on the self, on the heart.

"Could it be..."

Gradually, Wang Ping's expression turned peculiar. "Holy shit, could it be that cultivating the Martial Dao of Great Shun to the very end turns it into something powered entirely by sheer belief?!"

At the very least, whether it was the First Seat's super intuition or the combat power Chenlong currently displayed through self-hypnosis, both felt somewhat fueled by belief. From this, one could see that this Martial Dao truly had massive potential left to unearth! It seemed that even if he successfully cultivated his divine power this time, he couldn't abandon the Martial Dao.

"Well, brat? How was it?"

Having crushed the sword qi, Chenlong looked proudly at Wang Ping.

"My Lord's divine prowess is unmatched by heaven, truly mighty!"

Without any hesitation, Wang Ping instantly unleashed a flurry of wild flattery, buttering Chenlong up until he was beaming with joy. It took quite a while before Chenlong actively told him to stop.

"Then I will leave the protection to you, My Lord."

"Leave it to me."

Chenlong was exceedingly straightforward. With a wave of his large hand, he directly brought out the Coiling Dragon Formation-Breaking Blade, summoned his Divine Armor, and then sat down imposingly right beside the cauldron.

Wang Ping, meanwhile, took a deep breath and sat back by the cauldron's opening.

Right at this moment, the voice of the Treasure Cauldron Spirit rang out:

[Great Rebellion, must it really be now?]

"Right now."

Wang Ping's expression was resolute. "This is the best opportunity. If I miss this chance, I will absolutely never get a second opportunity to cultivate a divine power this quickly."

He was very clear about the reason behind his continuous breakthroughs during this period. It wasn't because his talent was high, nor was it because his resources were great. It was because he had actively triggered Kunyun's life tribulation and personally participated in it... Only by placing oneself within a great tribulation could one obtain great opportunities!

In the next second, Wang Ping reached into his robes.

A piece of jade covered in crimson-gold threads was firmly grasped in his hand. It was none other than the [Crimson Glaze], an exotic fire spirit treasure imbued with the heavenly yang fire!

"If I didn't enter the tribulation, how could I have ever obtained such an exotic fire?"

"Without a spirit treasure like this, it wouldn't matter that I'm only one step away from condensing my divine power. I might never have been able to take this step even if I lived to the very end of my lifespan."

Everything was exchanged through risk.

The greater the storm, the more precious the catch!

[Don't forget, there is still a Corpse Dissolution Immortal from the heavens over in Great Shun. If you blatantly condense your divine power like this, he might make a move against you.]

"He won't. He'll only watch quietly and wait for things to change."

Wang Ping smiled and shook his head. The reason was very simple: what he was cultivating was the [Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart], which was likely tied to the schemes of a True Person from the Immortal Gate!

Would a mere Corpse Dissolution Immortal dare to get in the way?

"Hiding in Great Shun for so many years just to capture the First Seat, he is clearly someone afraid of taking responsibility. His style of doing things is extremely typical of an Immortal Gate cultivator."

The [Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart] divine power couldn't bluff ignorant inner sect disciples, but it was highly effective for frightening a Corpse Dissolution Immortal who knew of [Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang]'s existence. Even if the immortal believed there was a ninety-nine percent chance Wang Ping had nothing to do with that True Person, he still wouldn't gamble on that one percent!

Not to mention, he still had a final safety net.

"If push comes to shove, I can only ask Lord Treasure Cauldron to save me," Wang Ping said with a smile, looking at the treasure cauldron. But he saw the cauldron tremble slightly as a somewhat disgruntled voice sounded.

[...I'm not going to save you.]

"Haha."

Wang Ping didn't mind at all. Gripping the [Crimson Glaze] tightly in his hand, he took a deep breath. Then, tilting his head back and raising his hand, he swallowed it whole.

In the next second, a talisman surfaced within his sea of consciousness.

However, this talisman did not surprise Wang Ping. Rather, upon seeing this talisman, he actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon the talisman lay three ancient seal script characters.

[Merit-Stealing Thief]!