Chapter 231: Destiny of the Condemned Prisoner, the Heavenly Craft Legacy!

"A condemned prisoner..."

Wang Ping's expression shifted slightly. "Kunlun's Destiny Pattern is this thing? Oh, right, he's a demoted true transmission disciple. His Destiny Pattern was personally altered by a Qi Refining practitioner."

Is that why it was called that?

Because he was exiled to the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he received this Destiny Pattern. Its effect... is it to force a person to reincarnate only within the Eight Trigrams Furnace after death?

Wang Ping withdrew his gaze, a realization dawning on him. "No wonder he swapped this Destiny Pattern to me. Speaking of which, the Heaven-Stealing Thief mentioned earlier that Kunlun's life tribulation was Kunyun. Now that Kunyun is dead, hasn't he overcome his life tribulation? Could he already be preparing to break through and become a Qi Refining practitioner?"

"No, that's not right."

After pondering for a moment, Wang Ping shook his head. "It wouldn't be that easy. On the surface, he was slain by Kunyun, so he has to reincarnate and return."

"That back and forth means he'll have to recover slowly."

"Besides... he used to be the Heaven-Stealing Thief's underling. If he became a Qi Refining practitioner, wouldn't he surpass the Heaven-Stealing Thief and flip the tables to become the master?"

Would the Heaven-Stealing Thief allow such a thing?

Wang Ping highly doubted it. If that happened, the Heaven-Stealing Thief would have to rely solely on the belief that Kunlun shared a deep bond of camaraderie with him and would never usurp his position.

But... did disciples of the Immortal Gate ever care about sentiment and loyalty?

"Hahahaha!"

Wang Ping clutched his stomach and burst into laughter, immediately concluding, "Absolutely impossible. There is no way Kunlun could break through to become a Qi Refining practitioner just like that. In all likelihood, there are still other hurdles waiting for him."

"Whatever, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

As for the condemned prisoner Destiny Pattern, to be frank, it was nothing special. With the Taiping Sutra in his possession, he would never reach the point of dying and reincarnating in the first place.

Kunlun, on the other hand, was a different story.

"He deliberately swapped away this condemned prisoner Destiny Pattern because he anticipated this day would come. It seems he doesn't plan to reincarnate in the Eight Trigrams Furnace ever again."

Then where could he go?

The Immortal Gate?

The Brahma Nation?

...

The Immortal Gate, Ghost Axe Grotto-Heaven.

This grotto-heaven was under the jurisdiction of the Divine Weapon Courtyard. Just like Gongshun Grotto-Heaven, it once had a Corpse Dissolution Immortal presiding over it. Its immortal clans prospered, enjoying a period of true splendor.

However, because a true transmission disciple from the clan betrayed the Immortal Gate, a grave crime was laid upon them. All the blessed lands and grotto-heavens that originally traded dharma currency with this place severed their ties. The Corpse Dissolution Immortal, the patriarch of the immortal clan, announced his seclusion and sealed the grotto-heaven. Over the passing years, it gradually faded into obscurity.

Until today.

Clang!

Deep within the Cosmos, a sharp explosion rang out like crossing blades. A figure materialized out of thin air and casually strolled into the sealed grotto-heaven.

What met his eyes was a breathtaking landscape of mountains and rivers. Birds sang amid fragrant flowers, pavilions and towers dotted the scenery, and Daoist temples stood in abundance. A vigorous spiritual light reflected directly onto the vault of the sky.

"Quite an impressive atmosphere," the Daoist praised. "The Ye Immortal Clan still has profound foundations. Fellow Daoist Ghost Axe accumulated great merit back in the day; this level of skill rivals that of an ordinary Qi Refining practitioner!"

With that said, the Daoist continued deeper into the grotto-heaven. Along the way, he bore witness to the myriad forms of mortal life. Remarkably, a full seven kingdoms had been established here, each backed by a distinct Immortal Dao sect. They waged war against one another, their cultivation bases ranging from low to high. While he saw no one at the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer, there were quite a few practitioners in the Divine Powers realm.

Rather than a grotto-heaven, it was more accurate to call this a small world!

The Daoist clicked his tongue in wonder as he looked around. Even among the Immortal Gate's numerous grotto-heavens, very few reached such a massive scale, and those were all the handiwork of Qi Refining practitioners.

Yet Ghost Axe Grotto-Heaven had been forged by a Corpse Dissolution Immortal.

This was highly extraordinary.

Soon, the Daoist advanced without hindrance, effortlessly passing through the territories of the seven great kingdoms. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in an entirely different realm.

Looming before him was a majestic immortal mountain.

The mountain bred intense fire qi. Just standing at its base, one could feel waves of heat crashing against their face, as if this were not a mountain at all, but a blazing furnace.

Once upon a time, Heavenly Furnace Mountain had been quite famous within the Immortal Gate. Many cultivators who lacked the qualifications to refine artifacts in the Eight Trigrams Furnace would seek connections to use Heavenly Furnace Mountain. Although the quality and efficiency of the magical artifacts and treasures forged here couldn't match those of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, the difference wasn't too immense.

The Daoist stepped forward to climb the mountain.

At first glance, it looked as though he were merely out for a spring stroll in the wilderness. He showed no sign of impatience and even paused along the way to carefully observe the mystical scenery within the mountain.

Only after a full half hour did he finally reach the summit. Standing squarely in the center of the peak was a bronze palace, its heavy layers of doors thrown wide open.

Deep within the palace, behind the curtains of a Daoist platform, a slender silhouette was faintly visible. Its true form remained hidden; only its fiery aura could be felt as it sat upon the platform in solemn majesty.

A moment later, a voice rang out from within the Daoist platform.

"I, Ghost Axe, greet Great Cultivator Tianxing."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

Hearing this, Tianxing smiled and cupped his hands in return. He then continued, "It's been many years. Your grotto-heaven is much quieter than it was back then."

"Merely a case of the tea growing cold once the guests depart."

From the platform, the voice carried on, "Great Cultivator Tianxing specifically came here to see someone practicing Drawing Ground as a Prison, a withered bone in a tomb like myself. I fear you are not here for my sake."

"I have come for Kunlun,"

Tianxing said bluntly, not bothering to beat around the bush. "He is, after all, a true transmission disciple under my jurisdiction. Now that he has overcome his life tribulation and achieved success, it's only natural that I meet him."

"Why would that wicked son be with me?" The voice from the platform sounded somewhat helpless. "Back then, he and the first true transmission disciple ruined the True Monarch's arrangements. The Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi, which had finally returned, nearly broke away again, forcing me into seclusion to this very day. I have long since despised him to the utmost."

"Even if he truly wanted to come, why would I ever agree?"

He spoke as though he had been deeply wronged.

Great Cultivator Tianxing, however, didn't believe a single word of it. He chuckled. "Fellow Daoist Ghost Axe, you'd best stop trying to deceive me. Kunlun's Destiny Pattern has been lost; his reincarnation is no longer restricted."

"If he truly wasn't welcome in your eyes, why would he go out of his way to swap his Destiny Pattern?"

"Rest assured, I won't make things difficult for him. After all, having survived a life tribulation, he now has hope of reaching the Qi Refining stage. I truly just plan to meet him."

"Or is it that you want me to find him myself, Fellow Daoist?"

As his voice faded, Tianxing stood in place with his hands clasped behind his back, the very picture of unhurried ease. On the other side, however, the atmosphere upon the Daoist platform grew suffocatingly tense.

After a long silence, a voice finally rang out.

"Master, is there any need for this?"

The curtains of the Daoist platform swept open, revealing a single lotus flower. Nestled within the blossom was a clay doll. Its facial features had been pinched together with lifelike precision, and its eyes shone with a clear, spiritual intelligence.

It was none other than Kunlun!

Seeing this, Tianxing finally smiled. He saw through Kunlun's current state with a single glance and spoke softly, "My good disciple, you really did switch your Dao path."

"No wonder you unhesitatingly abandoned the Solar Radiance Crow you had cultivated to perfection while in the Eight Trigrams Furnace. You discarded the heavenly yang fire you spent half your life cultivating—the Radiant Universal Illumination Six Harmonies Qi. It seems your time in the Eight Trigrams Furnace was not spent in vain. You actually managed to leap over to the Earth Yang Fire path."

What was Earth Yang Fire?

Its true name was the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi. It was one of the Ancient Qi of the Six Heavens eradicated by the Great Rebellion in the past. In the present era, only two people cultivated it!

One was the master of this grotto-heaven, the Corpse Dissolution Immortal Ghost Axe.

The other was his biological son—the true transmission disciple Kunlun, who had just overcome his life tribulation and reincarnated. It was a feat that made even Tianxing clap his hands in admiration.

Because the difficulty level between the former and the latter was completely different.

The Corpse Dissolution Immortal Ghost Axe had single-handedly forged the return of the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi. Using this as his grand merit, he achieved the status of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal and enjoyed unparalleled glory for a time.

However, because the former first true transmission disciple Gan Wujiu—now the Heaven-Stealing Thief—betrayed the sect, the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi that had already returned was struck down once more. From then on, it cowered inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, causing all cultivators associated with it to die violently on the spot and forcing Ghost Axe into seclusion.

This was also the drawback of being a Corpse Dissolution Immortal.

Due to that disaster, the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi became trapped within the Eight Trigrams Furnace. It existed only inside the furnace; not a single trace of it could be found in the outside Cosmos.

And as a Corpse Dissolution Immortal, one had to rely on the shifts in the qi of heaven and earth.

Therefore, Ghost Axe had no choice but to trap himself within his grotto-heaven, keeping his doors tightly shut—just as the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi was trapped in the Eight Trigrams Furnace—all the way to the present day.

"Following that incident, no one was able to cultivate this Earth Yang Fire. For you to successfully shift your Dao path to it, Kunlun, you must have deeply won its recognition and favor."

Hearing this, the infant in the lotus flower shook his head.

"Master, please do not call me Kunlun anymore."

"Senior Brother is dead, and the karma of his mortal ties is entirely severed. Now, I am merely a member of the Ye Immortal Clan... If you must address me, just call me Ye Chao."

"Very well."

Tianxing didn't mind and continued, "Now that you have changed your Dao path and survived your life tribulation, what do you plan to do? Will you attempt the breakthrough to the Qi Refining stage just like this?"

Ye Chao shook his head.

"No, I plan to undergo a second life tribulation."

"Oh?" Tianxing raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Ye Chao sighed. "Why ask when you already know the answer, Master? If a life tribulation is passed too easily, the resulting merit will not be recognized by heaven and earth. There are always gains and losses."

"Previously in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, I entrusted my destiny form to an outsider, letting him complete the Fire Counter-Burning Wood in my stead. Naturally, I also yielded the vast majority of the merit to him. That is why I overcame the life tribulation so effortlessly, and it is also the price I had to pay... The result was less than ideal."

"Relying solely on this single time, the success rate for Qi Refining is not high."

"Furthermore, what I plan to refine is the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi, which has already weakened to the extreme. Therefore, I need the aid of an even greater life tribulation."

"Tell me about it," Great Cultivator Tianxing chuckled.

"The Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle."

Ye Chao finally revealed his goal. "As a life tribulation, the merit from this should be just right. Moreover, it takes place within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, which perfectly aligns with the imagery."

"Good."

Tianxing nodded without hesitation. "This time, Mingyou bestowed universal grace upon the Immortal Gate, extending the lifespans of our fellow Daoists, yet ruthlessly sacrificed my beloved disciple Kunyun."

"They all owe me a favor."

"Additionally, since this involves the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi, if this qi could gain another Qi Refining practitioner, perhaps it could be pulled back into the sequence of heaven and earth."

"With your master taking the lead, you will certainly have a part in this Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle."

Hearing this, Ye Chao said in a low voice, "But I heard that the host for this Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle has already been decided. It's the third true transmission disciple, Senior Brother Xianfu from the Immortal Prescription Courtyard..."

Tianxing didn't care in the slightest. "You can just co-host it with him. What's so difficult about that?"

Only then did Ye Chao lightly cup his hands.

"Then I thank you, Master."

"Think nothing of it."

Tianxing waved his hand. Immediately after, he finally stated his own reason for coming. "Your master needs to meet the Heaven-Stealing Thief. My good disciple, you can arrange that, right?"