Cultivating Disciples to Breakthrough

Having successfully left the ancient city center, the group of seventeen each found somewhere within Desolate River City to breakthrough to the Void Monarch Realm, something that all seventeen of them ended up succeeding in, as seventeen brand new auras at the Void Monarch Realm erupted almost simultaneously across the city. Startling everyone including the city lord and a few Void Integration Realm cultivators that had yet to step inside the ancient city center. After all, while someone breaking through to the Void Monarch Realm might not have been considered that odd given the recent emergence of the ancient city center, seventeen breaking through around the same time was different.

Unsurprisingly, the city lord and the few Void Integration Realm cultivators he had been in the process of entertaining before they themselves made their way into the ancient city center wasted no time and emerged simultaneously to investigate these seventeen new Void Monarch Realm cultivators. Intending to find out just what these people had managed to obtain that had allowed all of them to breakthrough to the Void Monarch Realm. Knowing that it would undoubtedly be some kind of immense opportunity that could potentially even serve as an aid to someone at the Void Integration Realm like themselves... And if the reaction of these seniors at the Void Integration Realm was already like this, it was only given that those at the Void Monarch Realm within the city were even more interested in finding out what these seventeen had managed to get their hands on.

But having long since predicted the attention they would end up drawing when they broke through to the Void Monarch Realm, the group of seventeen had centered themselves around the new path into the ancient city center they had just found. Allowing them to gather before the new passage into the ancient city center just after their breakthroughs and move inside the ancient city center together before any of those seniors at the Void Integration Realm or peers at the Void Monarch Realm had the opportunity to step forward and question them.

Of course, those seniors at the Void Integration Realm might have been able to stop them before they had a chance to escape, but without knowing about the existence of another path into the ancient city center, they hadn’t thought escape was possible in the first place and unknowingly allowed them to escape.

Still, just entering the ancient city center was far from enough to escape the pursuit of those seniors at the Void Integration Realm who would undoubtedly be working together to catch them in the short term. So, after getting back inside the ancient city center and before anyone had the chance to follow behind them, the group of seventeen rushed towards the ancient tower where they had already climbed to the fifth floor. Entering together before using the floating platform that allowed them to directly reach the fifth floor of the ancient tower. Ensuring that even if someone attempted to chase after them, they would first have to pass through the previous five floors to reach them.

This kind of cation and preparation was something they had all decided on to ensure their own safety after breaking through to the Void Monarch Realm. Not even daring to linger around to stabilize their cultivation base inside Desolate River City. Instead choosing to do so only after they got to the fifth floor of the ancient tower. Knowing that they could at least trust each other to work together in this kind of deadly situation, as all of them wanted to continue their successful cooperation so far and potentially even reach the Void Integration Realm together in the future.

”Another passage to the ancient city center!?”

”It really is...”

”I wonder how many other such passages exist? Maybe we can find one of our own by looking around?”

However, contrary to the groups expectations of the Void Integration Realm seniors being the first ones to reach the newly unearthed passage to the ancient city center, the first ones there wasn’t those powerful seniors, but instead the different Void Monarch Realm cultivators and weaker cultivators who hadn’t been able to afford the price for entering the ancient city center or the price of entering the ancient city center again once they were forced to leave for different reasons.

”I would be damned! Quick, get in before that stingy city lord discovers it and puts up another expensive toll!”

”Haha, not just that damnable expensive toll, but those smaller ancient structures should still have treasures hidden inside of them! The reason those seventeen broke through to the Void Monarch Realm is probably because they were able to work together and take advantage of the fact that those smaller ancient structures haven’t been emptied out by those leeches yet!”

”You don’t have to say that twice! I’m not waiting around.”

But as the presence of those senior figures could clearly be felt approaching slowly from afar in a domineering manner, the group of people who had just been chatting somewhat casually with each other about the new passage that had emerged began rushing forth in an almost desperate manner. Everyone did their best to squeeze through before the city lord arrived and placed another expensive toll on this entrance into the ancient city center.

Amongst everyone, the most desperate by far were those weaker cultivators who normally would never have had the opportunity to enter the ancient city center with their strength. Doing everything in their power to rush in after the Void Monarch Realm cultivators had already made it inside and reached the other side. Whatever danger awaited them on the other side didn’t matter, as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to reach the Void Monarch Realm and potentially even go even further beyond that. No matter the risk, these people were willing to take it.

”Hm? This is-!?” And by the time the city lord casually arrived at the scene along with two other senior figures at the Void Integration Realm, he froze for a brief second upon seeing the chaos unfolding below as the hundreds of so people that had originally rushed over had turned into thousands now doing everything in their power to squeeze through the relatively small passage Xuan Hao had created.

The only reason the passage itself remained stable under this kind of pressure being because of how it had been created alleviating any potentially pressure by allowing the people moving through the passage itself to pass through the boundary and into the chaotic spatial current, something that had already cost the lives of dozens of impatient individuals who had been trying to force their way through.

Of course, the city lord didn’t freeze up because of the chaos unfolding below, but instead because of the presence of another passage leading inside the ancient city center. After all, different from the two at the Early Stage of the Void Integration Realm standing next to him, he knew full well that the passage these people had been using was one he himself had created to hide the original passage he had found that had led to an opportunity that allowed him to reach the Late Stage of the Void Integration Realm.

More importantly, he knew that the passage he had used in the past before reaching the Late Stage of the Void Integration Realm and creating a new passage, was the only path into the ancient city center.

In other words, he knew that the passage before him that everyone was eagerly rushing towards was created by someone else. Not just that, but that someone else was at the very least someone at the Late Stage of the Void Integration Realm.

Even worse, he had full control over the city’s guardian formation and should have learnt about such a powerful figure entering but hadn’t. Leaving him with the very real possibility that the one who created this passage wasn’t even someone at the Void Integration Realm, but instead a senior figure at the Void God Realm who had been drawn towards Desolate River City because of the emergence of the ancient city center.

Although this was an expected turn of events, all things considered, he hadn’t expected something like this to happen so fast. After all, from what he knew, those ancient figures standing at the pinnacle of the world would need at least another few weeks to learn about the situation taking place in his city. Leaving him to conclude that this potential Void God Realm senior who had snuck inside without his knowledge might just have been one who happened to be passing by and ended up learning about the situation by accident.

”...”

Just thinking about this caused the city lord to frown visibly as he looked down towards the chaos below with increasing unease. Knowing he would have to move forward with his original plans if he wanted to stand a chance at obtaining the inheritance, he had been secretly working towards claiming within the ancient city center.

As for the new passage below? He no longer had the time to worry about it nor the little resources he could obtain from it...