Chapter 679: A Gift from the Expert, When You’ve Reached Rock Bottom the Only Way is Up
Goddess Nuwa, the Empress, and Tong Tian were on their way to the portal. All along the journey, Tong Tian tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to calm the emotional roller-coaster that was raging through him. ‘I can die without regrets once I’m back in my hometown. I wonder what the seventh dimension’s like right now and how different the Prehistoric era is now that it has become the Area of the Gods.’ He did not dare to think about healing his injuries for he clearly knew that was impossible.
Even if the expert could heal him, why would he do so when Tong Tian was a stranger to him? He was not the Tong Tian of before, one who was afraid of dying. The three of them did not talk much along the way for Goddess Nuwa and the Empress could feel Tong Tian was not in a mood for conversation. Soon, the three of them arrived at the portal.
“Greetings Empress and Goddess Nuwa,” said Yang Jing. His pupils shrank rapidly when he saw Tong Tian. “You’re…you’re…” He thought he was hallucinating as he stared intently at Tong Tian.
Back in the days of the Prehistoric era, the mighty Saints had brought about countless catastrophes. There was the catastrophe of the dragon and phoenix, the catastrophe of the Investiture of the Gods, the catastrophe of the Journey to the West…The Investiture of the Gods was especially harrowing for it was a time when all the Saints and their followers fought amongst themselves. The elderly man before him was the one who suffered the most during that time.
Founder Tong Tian was not only banned by Hongjun but had his religion destroyed as well, which instantly plummeted him into the bottommost rung of the ladder status. Yang Jing himself remembered the times when he fought against Tong Tian’s followers. The catastrophe only ended when everyone decided to stop fighting amongst themselves after much reflection. Now, all those grudges and hatred they held against each other faded into a dream-like state as if it never happened.
‘He’s Founder Tong Tian!’ thought Yang Jian as he looked at Goddess Nuwa and the Empress for confirmation which they gave with a nod of their heads. He then turned back to look at Tong Tian with a complicated look in his eyes. Tong Tian, too, was looking at him with a similar look for he could not believe that Yang Jing, whose existence was like an ant to him, had progressed so much in his cultivation that his level had far surpassed his own. Such was the lot of his life.
They stared at each other for a while without saying anything. Finally, Yang Jing was the first to speak. “Hello, Little Tong, it’s been a while. How did you end up like this? You don’t seem to be doing too well.”
‘Did he just call me… Little Tong?’ Tong Tian felt his pride crashing down. ‘I came from the same generation as Yuanshi Tianzun, and you, being a grand-follower of his, dares to call me Little Tong? You should be treating me with the respect deserving of a granduncle of your Master!’
“You b*stard! Is this how you address your Master’s brother? Where are your manners?” scolded Cultivator Junjun with a red face.
By then, the Jade Emperor, Cultivator Junjun, and Juling Shen had arrived as well and they all became shocked when they saw Tong Tian. “Little Tong… Is that you?”
Tong Tian nearly vomited blood. He hated himself for being so weak. He pointed at the group with a trembling finger, trying to get the words out of his mouth. “What have you all got to be so proud about? You all just got lucky! Do you know what I’ve been through all the years I was away from the Prehistoric era? All those experiences made me who I am now and that’s something all of you would never understand!”
“Are you seriously comparing your experiences with ours?”
“Have you ever drank Chaos Spiritual Water?”
“Have you ever eaten Spiritual Roots?”
“Have you ever eaten the flesh of a Wisdom Elite?
“Have you ever eaten the dishes made by the expert?”
“Have you ever fought against a Wisdom Elite?”
The questions pelted Tong Tian incessantly. He felt a stab in his heart with every new question. He wiped away his tears and in a voice that was meant to sound strong but inevitably failed, he said, “You only got to where you are by undeserving means, whereas I’ve earned everything with my own two hands!” He was so incensed that he would rather die by the hands of a demon than suffer through the humiliation he was being subjected to.
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You’re one step away from being put into a coffin!” said Yang Jing while shaking his head. Then, his face turned serious while he said, “Jokes aside, let’s quickly go back to the Heavenly Palace and find a cure for you.”
Tong Tian first nodded his head before shaking his head. “I’ll go back to the Heavenly Palace but I don’t want to be treated. I’m fine leaving my injuries as they are.”
“Are you afraid that there won’t be a cure? Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll find a way!” The group could not help but sigh when they saw how much his appearance had changed. Without saying anything further, they all quickly left for the Area of the Gods.
“Is this the Area of the Gods?” asked Tong Tian as he looked down at the familiar and yet unfamiliar area around him with years in his eyes. “It looks awesome! The Prehistoric era sure is lucky to have the blessing of the expert. There’s no need to fear the fourth dimension now that all of you have advanced so much in your cultivation.”
Then, the happiness in his voice turned to sadness. “It’s such a pity that I won’t be able to join your future battles.” His previous acceptance of death was shaken by the scenes before him. The Heavenly Palace did not know what to say to this and so, they simply kept quiet.
Suddenly, Cultivator Junjun offered a peach to him. The peach looked similar to the Flat Peaches from before, but this one was more ethereal and contained a more majestic aura.
‘Is this a Spiritual Root?’ Tong Tian brought the peach to his nose for a sniff. He did not bite into it immediately for fear that the influx of Spiritual Qi would put too much shock on his heavily injured body and thus, hasten his death.
“It’s enough for me to smell the legendary Spiritual Root,” said Tong Tian with a smile.
“How did you get so heavily injured anyways? Who did this to you? When did you enter the fourth dimension?” asked Cultivator Junjun which caused everyone’s eyes to flash coldly. The injuries Tong Tian had sustained were very serious and very odd. It was not caused by ordinary means and only a person of the utmost cruelty could do something like that.
Tong Tian’s eyes flashed with fear as he thought back to what happened. “Many years ago, it was by chance that I came across an earth-shattering secret…” Here he hesitated and was about to speak again when a pink-cheeked Heavenly Soldier rushed over.
“Goddess Nanan and Goddess Dragin are coming!” he shouted loudly.
“What? They’re coming?”
“Quick, get ready to welcome them!”
The group was thrown into a state of chaos as they all positioned themselves to welcome the two girls. Tong Tian froze for he had heard all about these two girls and their powers.
Soon, the two arrived with a Heavenly Guard who had shown them the way there.
The Jade Emperor and Empress bowed courteously and said, “Greetings, Goddess Nanan, Goddess Dragin.”
“Hello, everyone,” said Dragin and Nanan with a smile. “Brother Li requested us to deliver something that he had made for you all as thanks for helping us with catching the game meat.”
Instantly, everyone’s expressions turned into joy and they could not wait to see what the delivery was. However, they did not forget their manners. “That’s very kind of the expert. Actually, we didn’t do much, and to be more accurate, we would’ve been dead if it wasn’t for you all.”
“Oh, does that mean you don’t want it? Just as well, since Dragin and I are still a little hungry. We’ll go now,” said Nanan with a mischievous grin.
Everyone’s face went rigid and they were filled with panic when they saw Nanan and Dragin turning to leave.
‘Sh*t, I shouldn’t have said that! Why did I have to act all cool?’ The Jade Emperor chased after them and cleared his throat. “Ahem, however, we dare not refuse his kindness and promise to serve him better in the future. We won’t let him down.”
Cultivator Junjun quickly made his way over to them, too, and in a sincere voice, he asked, “What did the expert give us this time? Can you show it to us?”
“Hehehe, I hope you learn the lesson to not be so fake next time,” said Dragin and Nanan who seemed as if they had horns growing out of their heads.
Nanan held a wine cask up high for everyone to see. “Brother Li made this wine from the blood of the rainbow deer and I can testify that the alcohol content’s very high!”
‘Blood of the rainbow deer? That means it’s the essence of a Wisdom Elite! I can’t even imagine the kind of transformation this will bring after the blood has been fermented by the expert!’ Everyone was looking at the wine cask with drool coming out the corners of their mouths.
“This wine’s valuable. Brother Li said that deer blood’s very good for the body and has astonishing medicinal properties. It can invigorate the kidney with its Yang energy and heal all damage to the five organs,” said Dragin.
‘Well, if the expert says it’s valuable wine then who are we to say it isn’t?’ Everyone could not wait to drink the wine.
Suddenly, both Cultivator Junjun and Goddess Nuwa’s pupils shrank rapidly. “Good for the body? Medicinal properties? Invigorate the kidney?” They quickly turned to look at Tong Tian with an odd expression on their faces.
“Tong Tian, there’s hope for you!” said Cultivator Junjun excitedly.
“This wine might just very well heal your injuries!” said Goddess Nuwa.
“Really?” asked Tong Tian in disbelief. He was unsure whether the expert would allow him to drink the wine, too.
“The chances are definitely high,” said Xing Ya enigmatically, suddenly appearing at the scene standing with his hands folded behind his back. “You all have been chosen by the expert to protect him while he’s in his state of the ultimate existence in all of the dimensions. That means that in return, you’ll all be protected as well. Therefore, it makes sense that he’d abolish all your obstacles at the most critical points just like how the wine appeared when you needed it most for your injuries. All this has already been put into motion long before this.”
“Is what you say really true? The expert delivered the wine here just to save me?” asked Tong Tian as a hint of hope started to grow in his heart.
Cultivator Junjun popped open the wine cask and the place was immediately filled with the fragrance of the wine. The smell alone was enough to make them drunk and their throats began to roll up and down with the anticipation of drinking the wine.
“Well, Tongtong, why don’t you give the wine a taste and find out for yourself?” asked Cultivator Junjun. The best-case scenario was he would be healed by the wine and the worst case? He would explode from too much Spiritual Qi.
“Why not?” said Tong Tian without hesitation. “Pour me some!” This might be his only chance to recover from his injuries and it was a risk he was willing to take. Besides, drinking such fine wine would be a better way to go than to wait for old age to claim him.
Everyone smiled and was not surprised by his answer at all. Cultivator Junjun poured out the wine and passed the glass to Tong Tian. The wine was not the usual red but was the palest of pink which was a sign of its medicinal properties.
Cultivator Tongtong looked at the wine and wild thoughts started to race through his head.
‘Is this fine wine really made from the blood of the rainbow deer? The Demon Emperor from the fourth dimension? Even hearing his name alone used to make me quake in my boots, and now I’m holding a glass of wine made from his blood in my hands? I can’t believe it! He’s a Wisdom Elite after all! Is this the epitome of survival of the fittest? Well if that’s the case, screw it, I don’t want to be weak anymore! I want to return to my former glory!’
Then, with determination in his eyes, he gulped down the glass of wine in one go. Immediately, the wine spread through his body and the spiciness of it all made his throat hurt. He felt his whole body burning and his skin started to shed off in flakes. At the same time, he could feel an indescribable terrifying energy seeping through his every pore as a wave of new refreshing energy awakened within him.
The new energy was like the first shoot of the spring—insignificant at first but possessing immense potential for vitality. His new layer of skin was flushed with the pinkness of health, his white hair shone brightly, his face became childlike again, and even his bent body had straightened up. A heavy aura exuded from his body, getting stronger and stronger before gradually condensing into a storm.
“It’s coming! It’s coming! It’s coming!”
“His strength is recovering. The wine worked!”
“His aura’s still getting stronger! I guess when you’ve hit rock bottom the only way left to go is up!”
“Once again, I’m amazed by the expert!”
Joy consumed Tong Tian and he started screaming happily. He could clearly feel his strength returning and he could not get enough of the feeling. Gradually, things began to die down and he realized that he had even surpassed his old Saint status and was now a Chaos Daluo Golden Immortal.
“I’m healed! I’m really healed and I’m now stronger than ever!” cried Tong Tian in a trembling voice. He could not believe that with a single glass of wine, he had proceeded to a new level.
“Pipe down. It’s only the level of Chaos Daluo Golden Immortal. There’s no need to make a fuss about it. Save it for when you’ve reached the Wisdom Elite level,” said Yang Jing jokingly.
‘Why, that cheeky little b*stard,’ thought Tong Tian. Then, he laughed coldly and said, “The only reason your level’s higher than mine is that you met the expert sooner. Just you wait! I’ll definitely surpass you one day and when that day comes, I’ll teach you some manners!”