When a world-space loses its source origin and disintegrates, it transforms into ever-changing chaotic currents.
When a cave dwelling-space loses its source origin and disintegrates, it transforms into ever-changing motes of dust.
Ordinary cultivators, if their comprehension of the Dao of Space is not profound, will find it difficult to enter cave dwelling relics even if they discover them.
However.
Gu Qingfeng was different.
He had grasped the mysteries of the Great Dao of Space within the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, and had even comprehended the profoundly mysterious Fortune known as Chaos Manifestation of Heaven and Earth. His understanding of the Buddhist concept—'a single flower embodies a world, a single leaf holds bodhi'—had also deepened significantly.
Today, if he so wished, he could manifest countless spaces with a snap of his fingers. Naturally, entering so-called cave dwelling relics was as easy as turning his hand.
Unfortunately, when he extended his divine sense to investigate, he discovered that the few cave dwelling relics atop the mountain peak had all decayed. Perhaps after countless eons, these cave dwelling relics had become like bubbles, dispersing at the slightest touch.
Just as he was about to leave and explore elsewhere, a colossal pagoda suddenly plummeted from a chaotic current vortex in the sky above.
The pagoda was like a mountain peak, its entire body silvery white, radiating dazzling brilliance and carrying an immense, majestic aura as it appeared.
With a thunderous boom, the pagoda crashed down, causing the desert to surge into the air like raging waves. Even the mountain peak beneath Gu Qingfeng's feet shook slightly from the impact.
He could tell this was a magical treasure, and a formidable one at that—a treasure worthy of guarding a sect. The sheer, powerful aura emanating from the giant pagoda alone was proof enough.
The pagoda radiated light and unfurled its majestic aura, indicating it was already activated and was not an ownerless object. It was likely someone inside was piloting the treasure, having charged into the Desolate Ancient Black Hole.
Sure enough.
With a *whoosh*, an elder emerged from within the pagoda, followed immediately by *whoosh-whoosh-whoosh*—a total of nine elders flashing into existence.
After appearing, the nine elders had no time to survey the situation of this Desolate Ancient relic before immediately spotting Gu Qingfeng. Each reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, instantly summoning their respective magical treasures and vigilantly staring at Gu Qingfeng.
At this moment.
Gu Qingfeng stood atop the desolate, dilapidated mountain peak, his solitary silhouette like an ancient pine. His ink-black hair danced wildly, his snow-white robes fluttered in the wind, and his ordinary, unremarkable face showed no particular expression—calm and indifferent. In one hand, he held a jar of wine, taking occasional sips. His dark, profound eyes swept back and forth over the nine elders.
Without exception, these nine elders were all great Dao powerhouses who had attained the realm of 'Penetrating the Profound and Entering the Mysterious.' Their cultivation level was high, unfathomably deep.
Once cultivation reaches the realm of 'Penetrating the Profound and Entering the Mysterious,' every breath, every movement, even every thought and sound is imbued with layers of profound mystery.
The majestic aura and spiritual presence emanating from these nine elders were exceptionally solid and thick. Their Dao attainment was absolutely not low, and their strength would certainly not be weak. Based on Gu Qingfeng's many years of experience roaming the Great Wastelands, these nine elders were most likely Ancestral Patriarchs of some Great Wastelands titan faction. It was even possible they were Ancestral Patriarchs from the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens or Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.
Although he had previously annihilated the avatars of many titan Ancestral Patriarchs in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, those were merely avatars. He would not belittle the true Ancestral Patriarchs because of that. Far from looking down on them, in his eyes, the strength of any titan Ancestral Patriarch could be described with the words 'unfathomably profound.'
This wasn't Gu Qingfeng being humble; it was simply the truth.
Titan Ancestral Patriarchs might not possess many powerful Fortunes, but each had cultivated for countless eons—some from the Ancient Era until now, others from the Grand Ancient Era, or even longer.
Whether it was the tempering of their physical bodies, the refinement of their magical treasures, or the cultivation of their divine abilities, all were exceptionally powerful. Most importantly, their cultivation base, honed over countless eons, was so profound it was utterly unimaginable to ordinary people.
During his years roaming the Great Wastelands, Gu Qingfeng had battled many great Dao powerhouses, scorching the Nine Heavens above and treading the Nine Nethers below. To be honest, he didn't pay much mind to those with many Fortunes. It was the titan Ancestral Patriarchs with their unfathomably deep cultivation that made him rather wary.
Because no matter how many or how powerful, Fortunes have limits.
But the cultivation depth of those titan Ancestral Patriarchs was simply unimaginable. Relying on their profound cultivation, even an ordinary punch could sometimes be more terrifying than some so-called Fortunes.
After all, titan Ancestral Patriarchs had cultivated for so long. The various Minor Profound Mysteries, Medium Profound Mysteries, and Major Profound Mysteries they could unleash were comparable to powerful magical treasures.
In Gu Qingfeng's view, only those whose strength could withstand the test of time were truly strong.
As for those who relied on their own Fortunes to swagger about, most were merely flashes in the pan.
The more Fortunes one possessed, the harder the cultivation path became. While it was true that higher cultivation made Fortunes more powerful, the prerequisite was whether one could bear the weight of one's own Fortunes. If one could bear them, Fortunes would make one stronger. But if, in the end, one could not bear one's own Fortunes, they would become a burden, eventually crushing the cultivator and halting their cultivation path right there.
Gu Qingfeng had absolutely profound personal experience with this. In the Current Era, he had no cultivation to speak of, so that was irrelevant. But back in the Ancient Era, he possessed a body full of mysterious Fortunes. At first, he felt nothing. As his cultivation grew higher and the Fortunes gradually matured, he increasingly felt inadequate—not only physically and mentally exhausted, but spiritually weary as well.
What did nurturing a magical treasure rely on?
It relied on the spiritual power within one's body.
Nurturing a Fortune similarly relied on spiritual power, and nurturing a Fortune consumed vastly more spiritual power than nurturing a magical treasure—the two were simply incomparable. The key was that nurturing a Fortune not only consumed spiritual power but also drained one's own essence, energy, and spirit.
Just think.
If one had no Fortunes, all the spiritual energy absorbed was one's own. One could cultivate however they wished, with more than enough to temper the physical body or refine magical treasures.
But if one possessed Fortunes, the spiritual energy absorbed daily had to be shared with them. As the Fortunes gradually matured, they might require even more spiritual energy than the cultivator themselves. At that point, even if they didn't impoverish you, they would drag you down. Eventually, forget cultivation—you'd have to dedicate yourself solely to feeding your own Fortunes.
Once the Fortunes matured, but you yourself remained stagnant, you would ultimately be unable to control your own Fortunes, leading to madness and becoming a puppet of those Fortunes.
And that was just for one Fortune. If there were two, three, or even more…
One could well imagine.
Take Gu Qingfeng, who currently possessed five Fortunes.
One was the Celestial Manifestation Pagoda, one was the Earthly Manifestation Purgatory, and another was the Chaos Manifestation of Heaven and Earth he had comprehended not long ago.
In addition, the Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura Spirit and the From Azure Heaven to Yellow Springs Body also counted as Fortunes.
These five Fortunes were each more mysterious than the last, every one a gluttonous devourer that ordinary people simply couldn't afford to nurture, let alone bear.
It was only because Gu Qingfeng's existence was rather special. Although he possessed not a shred of cultivation, his soul was sufficiently powerful, his spirit was vast as the sea, his vitality was boundless, and his physical body was quite robust. Otherwise, he might have long been dragged down by these Fortunes.