The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 990 Supernatural Powers and the Heavenly Ladder
Xiongshan City, City Lord’s Mansion.

Upon seeing his steward return to the manor, City Lord Wang Lingyu, wielding the "Divine Fire Sword," anxiously inquired, "Is there any news of Fairy Su?"

Facing the mental pressure of a high-level supernatural cultivator, the steward, only at the Gangsha realm, broke out in a cold sweat and forced a reply: "Not yet... but some of the cultivators who went missing on the day of the Divine Wind Festival have already returned. I believe Fairy Su will surely be blessed with good fortune..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cold snort was heard, and then he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the courtyard wall.

The force was so great that if the wall hadn't been protected by a restriction, it probably would have smashed right through.

"Do you think I'm going to listen to your nonsense?! Don't come back until you hear from Fairy Su!" Wang Lingyu said with a gloomy expression.

"Yes, Lord City Lord." The steward got up and replied, then immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

However, he felt relieved, since such an injury would heal in three to five days for a cultivator at the Gang Sha realm, and it wasn't serious.

After he left, Wang Lingyu turned around, bowed to a young man who was writing at his desk, and asked, "Father, what brings you here?"

This "young man" is named Wang Xianlou. He is also a high-level cultivator with supernatural powers from the Wang family of Xiongshan, and he is also Wang Lingyu's father.

He followed the steward into the room when the steward came in to report, but the steward didn't notice him at all... The reason Wang Lingyu didn't severely punish that person was because his father was present.

"Look at yourself! Your temperament is even worse than it was a few years ago when you first gained supernatural powers. You haven't made any progress in your understanding of 'law and reason' over the past few years, have you?" Wang Xianlou scolded after writing the character "quiet" on the paper.

Wang Lingyu was embarrassed upon hearing this and was speechless for a moment—it had been two years since he crossed the first step ladder, and he had indeed made no further progress.

Handing the paper with the word "quiet" written on it to his son, Wang Xianlou softened his tone and continued, "A woman is nothing more than one's own cultivation, even if she is the legitimate daughter of a noble family."

"Moreover, as long as your cultivation is strong enough, even if you go directly to the Su family to ask for her, as long as you are polite enough, you may still get what you want."

"That's how True Lord Hanming won Fairy Qingli in a bet with the Flower God Sect."

But I want more than just her body, I want her heart... Wang Lingyu only dared to mutter to himself, but on the surface he argued, "Father, I am actually more worried about Fairy Su's safety. After all, if something happens to her on our Wang family's territory, neither the Su family nor the military will let it go."

Wang Xianlou knew exactly what his son was thinking. He stared at Wang Lingyu for a while, then said with some disappointment, "The family decided to make you the city lord of Xiongshan City because you had always focused on cultivation and were too naive. So we wanted to temper your character with mundane affairs and various worldly temptations... But it seems that the effect is not good..."

"Alas, as expected, jade must be carved to become a useful object. I will inform the elders later and allow you to travel the world in the Great Xia."

"Otherwise, you won't even be qualified to participate in the 'Starry Sky Conference' three years from now."

After saying that, he saw the fleeting look of excitement on his son's face and couldn't help but sigh again. He continued, "As for that Fairy Su, can't you calm down and use your brain a little more? If something really happened to her, the Su family's 'Dongxuan' would probably already be at our door by now."

"And since she didn't perish immediately, given the background of a noble family's eldest daughter, it's only a matter of time before she comes out of the secret realm."

Just as Wang Xianlou was educating his son, the two of them had a sudden thought and extended their divine senses to the sea. The next moment, they saw a sudden change in the sky above a small island not far away. The primordial energy within a thousand miles surged and churned, as if a strong wind was blowing, and gathered towards the center, condensing into white clouds that were particularly eye-catching.

“The winds are blowing and the clouds are surging; someone has achieved supernatural powers!” Wang Lingyu, who had a similar experience himself, blurted out.

Moreover, judging from the spectacular scale of this surging wind and clouds, the level of supernatural power this person has achieved is even higher than his.

Wang Xianlou's spiritual sense was far superior to his son's, and he also had more knowledge. After observing carefully for a while, he said with some emotion, "There is a strange phenomenon manifested by the Great Dao at the center, but it is concealed by special means. This person must have condensed at least one first-grade great divine power!"

"First-grade?!" Wang Lingyu was somewhat incredulous. After all, first-grade divine abilities all had great origins, and it was unlikely that such a significant achievement as attaining a divine ability could happen on a deserted island.

Wang Xianlou nodded with certainty: "At the last 'Starry Constellation Assembly,' I witnessed an inner disciple of the Divine Firmament Sect achieve a first-grade divine power. I have no doubt about this extraordinary phenomenon of the Great Dao."

"This person is very likely a rogue cultivator who has received a great opportunity."

He paused for a moment, then turned to Wang Lingyu and said, "This is actually your opportunity. Carefully sensing the strange phenomena will greatly benefit your current cultivation."

“Well, why don’t we go over there now? Firstly, we can act as protectors and form a good relationship with this person. Secondly, we can get a closer look at the great Dao within the strange phenomenon.”

Wang Lingyu didn't really want to go, but he couldn't go against his father's wishes, so he could only ride the sword light and fly with the other party to the outer sea.

But just as they approached the island, they were stopped by a dashing figure wielding a flaming spear.

"Halt!" Su Xuanbing, clad in full armor, unleashed his full martial aura, locking onto the Wang family father and son.

"Fairy Su, you're back safely?" Wang Lingyu's eyes lit up when he saw Su Xuanbing. He urged his flying sword to step forward, but was instantly pulled back by his father using a rope magic artifact.

Wang Lingyu was initially puzzled by his father's actions, but then he saw that several "fire lotuses" had already started burning where he had just flown.

Seeing this, he broke out in a cold sweat. As a native of the East Sea, Wang Lingyu knew all too well the power of the "Mysterious Ice Fire Lotus". He knew that if his father hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been seriously injured even if he hadn't died.

Wang Xianlou's gaze toward Su Xuanbing also turned serious, with a hint of displeasure. However, he did not show it. Instead, he cupped his hands and said, "Fairy Su, we are not this fellow Daoist's 'human tribulation,' but have come to protect the Dharma. Please do not misunderstand."

Seeing that the other party was very polite, and that Su Xuanbing had recognized the identities of the two, especially Wang Xianlou, whose combat strength was probably above her own, her tone softened considerably: "The one who has advanced here is my close friend. Please forgive me if I have offended you. However, even if you are here to protect the Dharma, please do not enter within a hundred miles."

As for Wang Xianlou's son, he seems to be the city lord of Xiongshan City, but I can't remember his name at all.

At the same time, several more streaks of light flew in from the direction of the city, but they were all forced back by Su Xuanbing's gun.

……

Zhao Chen's soul was currently within the dark and void inner world of the Purple Mansion, while outside the Purple Mansion, an immense suction force of true essence emanated. So his soul turned, took a step forward, and responded to this suction force. Instantly, the darkness was torn open with cracks, and the void spirit and material reality began to intersect.

The spirit takes another step forward, the celestial soul and terrestrial soul that were always outside the body return to their places, the three souls and seven spirits are initially united, the darkness shatters piece by piece, and yin and yang begin to converge.

The true essence and magical power surged into the darkness like a dragon and a tiger, completely dispelling it. Then, it coiled around the soul, embracing and intertwining with it.

This is a state of mutual support between Kan and Li, and the convergence of dragon and tiger!
At this point, the most dangerous and difficult step in the advancement has been passed. The next step is the unification of Qi and Sha, and the attainment of divine powers! Zhao Chen focused his mind and entered a state of clarity.

The spiritual power of the five immortals within his body underwent a qualitative change, breaking through a certain barrier and entering a completely new realm.

The energy of heaven and earth fluctuated, drawing in some inexplicable spiritual forces.

"Is this the Mysterious Heavenly Spiritual Mechanism mentioned in so many great supernatural techniques? Indeed, such an opportunity is not to be missed, for it will never come again!"

Zhao Chen's divine sense penetrated his inner world, summoning the Yin Sha spell "Star Chariot Jade Book" and the Yang Gang spell "Great Sun True Record".

The two talisman seeds greedily absorbed the spiritual energy from the breakthrough to the Divine Power Realm, and began to attract each other. One yin and one yang, the two talisman seeds intertwined and were about to condense into a brand new Divine Power Talisman.

Only by condensing it into supernatural power can one suppress this supernatural power and maintain it at the supernatural power level.

Otherwise, even if you break through, you will only fall back down.

"The 'Great Sun True Record' and the 'Star Raft Jade Book' can be combined to forge a great supernatural power—the 'Great Sun Star Raft'!"

"This supernatural power actually slightly exceeds the category of the first rank, but since there is no name above the first rank, it is still referred to as the first rank."

"This is my foundational divine power! It's a super-grade divine power capable of suppressing and balancing five first-grade divine powers!"

"You should know that even the true disciples of the Holy Land can only achieve three first-grade divine abilities at this stage. This is because their foundational divine abilities are not enough to completely suppress the other first-grade ones. They either use two great divine abilities to balance it out, or they use a slightly higher first-grade one to stand in a 'three-legged balance' with the other two slightly lower first-grade ones."

"I only had a vague feeling about it before, which is why I didn't use all my first-grade divine abilities and deliberately left two second-grade ones... Of course, it was also because those two second-grade ones were 'just right'."

"Otherwise, I'd be in a really awkward situation right now!"

A series of messages surfaced in Zhao Chen's mind, making him realize something: No wonder the "Taixiao" Dao Lord gave him only the first-grade "Taixiao Divine Mirror for Gazing at Heaven and Measuring Earth" in the secret realm, while all the others were second-grade. It seems that He already knew my background.

After obtaining the "Dark Light" great divine power, I did not immediately condense my natal essence. Besides reserving a spell slot, it was also because I subconsciously sensed a crisis... no, not subconsciously, but because the "Star Chariot" was resisting.

As his thoughts raced, Zhao Chen discovered that the newly formed "Great Sun Star Raft" supernatural power had seamlessly connected with the "Great Sun Star Raft" deep within his spirit, and then they overlapped and began to merge into each other.

This is… Zhao Chen frowned, but he didn’t have time to check the situation for the time being, because the other supernatural abilities were about to be completed.

The next moment, the seeds of his innate magical talismans within his inner world began to erupt one after another.

The two talisman seeds, "Five Directions Demon-Dispelling Divine Incantation" and "Five Emperors Demon-Controlling Spiritual Sound," merged, giving rise to five colors, and transforming into the first-grade great divine power "Five Emperors Paying Homage to the True Ones"!
Next is the "Demon King's Binding" divine power, a first-grade power formed by the fusion of the "Demon Suppressing Golden Seal" and the "Demon Controlling Silver Armor," and the "Starry Night Stop" power, a combination of the "Red Moon Fire Lotus" and the "Azure Sun Cold Light."

These three first-grade divine abilities from the Primordial Kunlun should have been united in their efforts to fight against the "Great Sun Star Chariot" and compete for the position of the root base.

However, one of them was deeply penetrated by the "Star Chariot" and was recently affected by the power of the "Taiyin Immortal Body," while the other was polluted by the original essence left by the Empress, resulting in some mutations. Only the "Demon King's Binding Body" is still the original version.

Therefore, they have become separated at the source, making it difficult for them to unite, and they are firmly suppressed by the "Great Sun Star Raft".

Seeing this, Zhao Chen took a deep breath and, while his spiritual energy was still abundant, began to refine the two first-grade great divine abilities, "Myriad Phenomena of the World" and "Sky-Gazing and Earth-Measuring Divine Mirror".

The three innate spells, "Ziwei Dharma Lineage," "Wanxing Dharma Technique," and "Zhongtian Dharma Eye," are combined into one, forming a divine talisman radiating a noble purple light, known as "Senluo Wanxiang."

As a divine power of the Star God, its status should be no less than that of the "Great Sun Star Raft". However, this divine power was actually corrupted by Chai Xun during his impersonation of "Ziwei". Although its main function is the same, it is difficult to reproduce the "Demon Cloud" and the Heavenly Demon Divine Power it created.

The two newly condensed spells, "Dongyou Qingjian Jue" and "Xuntian Zhijie Shu," were simultaneously refined and transformed into the "Kongtian Cedi Taixiao Shenjing" divine talisman, which was engraved in the inner world.

After all the first-grade great divine powers were condensed, the "spiritual energy" given by Xuan Tian was actually not much left, which was only because the "Great Sun Star Chariot" divine power consumed very little spiritual energy.

Fortunately, the remaining two second-grade dishes didn't consume much energy...

With a thought, the "Nine Yin Demon Techniques," "Eight Bone Demon Methods," and "Nine Blood Demon Transformations" quickly merged into one, forming the second-grade divine power "Heavenly Demon Formless" originating from the Demon Cloud.

As for the last supernatural power, Zhao Chen ultimately chose the second-grade "halo" type supernatural power, "Binding Calamity Suppressing Ring," three days ago.

As the two spells, "Decree of Truth" and "Evil Prophecy," coalesced into a black seed of supernatural power, a hint of joy suddenly appeared on Zhao Chen's face.

At this moment, within his inner world, eight divine power talismans rose and fell continuously, absorbing and releasing magical power, instantly stabilizing his divine power realm.

Having cultivated to this point, Zhao Chen finally broke through to the Divine Power Realm, taking a firm step on the path of cultivation.

"The calamity has not yet arrived. Is it because I completed the so-called 'method to avoid calamity' ahead of time? I don't know if the calamity has been resolved or has accumulated and will be settled later..."

Zhao Chen meditated for a while, but did not rush to go out. Instead, he continued to stabilize his realm... even though he had already used his divine sense to see that several cultivators who wanted to visit him had come outside.

“After achieving supernatural powers, before reaching the ‘Dongxuan’ stage, there is a saying that cultivation involves ‘climbing the Heavenly Ladder’.”

"When one first attains supernatural powers, the three souls and seven spirits within one's divine soul are only initially united. Therefore, the first stage of cultivation is to continue condensing the souls and spirits until they are completely united, reaching the level of divine soul perfection."

"After achieving perfection, you can then challenge yourself to cross the first ladder."

"As for how to cross it? Climbing the 'ladder to heaven' naturally requires accepting the 'heavenly tribulation'!"

“Superior divine abilities are naturally wondrous. Generally speaking, the soul is not far from perfection at the moment of breakthrough… As for me, with the ‘Great Sun Star Chariot’ which is suspected to be of super grade, and with the true meaning of five first-grade great divine abilities supporting me, I am naturally already at perfection.”

"Therefore, I can now directly cross the 'sky ladder'!"

Upon realizing this, Zhao Chen did not hesitate and resolutely brought about the calamity.

(End of this chapter)