The core purpose of the Great Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects in the Cangyun Realm is to provide the Immortal Alliance with True Immortal Seeds.
Therefore, the Heavenly Fate of the prodigies who make it onto the Hidden Dragon List changes in a more direct and intense manner.
Before this, Shang Zuling had always topped the Hidden Dragon List; the Heavenly Fate she had accumulated was quite astonishing. The benefits Chu Zheng had now received far exceeded his initial expectations.
Heavenly Fate is much less tangible for Immortal Path Cultivators than it is for Qi Cultivators.
What Immortal Path Cultivators gain is an elevation in their future potential, not the clearly visible boost in cultivation this type offers.
However, to the Heavenly Dao, there is no difference between the two; both involve seizing Heavenly Life for oneself, consuming the very essence of heaven and earth.
The platform was isolated by an Array to ensure Chu Zheng's safety. Geng Yiyang had gone to great lengths to set up the Formation Patterns. Even cultivators at the Immortal Tribulation Realm could not intervene and could only watch helplessly.
As the dust settled above the platform, seeing Shang Zuling sitting cross-legged on the ground, her complexion pale, while Chu Zheng stood beside her completely unharmed, the outcome was self-evident.
A wave of astonished murmurs rose around them, with Divine Sense energies fluctuating. Due to the special status of the two on the platform, the spectators did not even dare to voice their amazement.
But the outcome was undoubtedly beyond most people's expectations. In the eyes of most cultivators, even if Chu Zheng were to win, it was expected to be a Pyrrhic victory, yet the battle turned out to be completely one-sided.
What many cultivators found even harder to accept was that with Shang Zuling's defeat, Chu Zheng—a newcomer barely past his twenties—had risen above all cultivators of the last hundred years.
The expressions of the various Holy Masters and Immortal Tribulation Realm cultivators varied, but all of them looked grave.
More than the outcome of the tournament, what concerned them was Chu Zheng's control over thunder. It meant that after reaching the Tongxuan stage, the Heavenly Tribulation of the Immortal Tribulation Realm would pose little threat to him.
The most time-consuming aspect for someone in the Immortal Tribulation Realm is preparing for the Heavenly Tribulation, which involves accumulating Immortal Power, stockpiling Immortal Pills and Immortal Treasures, and ensuring everything is in place before attempting the tribulation.
Tribulations like the Five Elements Great Tribulation or the Yin-Yang Great Tribulation are typically only encountered after reaching the True Immortal Realm.
Without concern for the power of the Heavenly Tribulation, Chu Zheng's cultivation speed in the Immortal Tribulation Realm will be incredibly fast.
Should his control over lightning be sufficient, it wouldn't be impossible for Chu Zheng to reach the status of Celestial Lord within ten years of stepping into the Immortal Tribulation.
With time, those who will be outpaced in cultivation will not only be the contemporary prodigies listed with Chu Zheng but also their older generation.
Having temporarily suppressed her sword wound, Shang Zuling slowly rose to her feet and said softly, "I have been much troubled on this journey, please forgive me, fellow Daoist."
This battle had also resolved a concern of hers; without the bloodline of an Immortal King, her combat prowess was far from being unbeatable in her realm.
Chu Zheng's techniques had given her some inspiration. Perhaps she shouldn't limit herself to fixed Immortal Path secret techniques and might consider exploring new paths.
"Fellow Daoist overstates the matter, you also did not use all your strength; this battle cannot be considered in terms of victory or defeat,"
Chu Zheng shook his head; as a descendant of an Immortal King, the power latent in Shang Zuling's blood far exceeded the imagination of ordinary cultivators.
In the recent battle, Shang Zuling only used the Vast Earth Nourishing Spirit Scripture and did not employ any other bloodline secret techniques.
He did not know why Shang Zuling did not use her bloodline powers, nor did he want to delve deeper. Their relationship had not reached a point of deep trust, and it was enough to leave it at that.
Shang Zuling remained silent, bowed her head in salute, rose, leaped onto her war chariot, turned into a golden streak of light, and swiftly departed.
"I will accompany her for part of her journey; you take care of yourself,"
Geng Yiyang transmitted a message, and followed Shang Zuling's war chariot.
The Taixuan Holy Land was safeguarded by an Immortal Treasure and would not fall into chaos. As Shang Zuling had come alone and was now seriously injured, any accidents en route would be difficult to explain.
By agreeing to set the place of their duel at the Taixuan Mountain Sect, Shang Zuling had already made quite a concession to Chu Zheng. This was something Geng Yiyang appreciated and considering it was merely an escort, it was a simple favor.
Was it over, just like that?
With Shang Zuling's departure, the cultivators who had gathered around became dazed. The battle for the top rank on the Hidden Dragon List ending in such an anticlimactic way left many feeling as if they were in a dream.
As the many cultivators regained their composure and looked at Chu Zheng on the platform, their thoughts varied greatly.
Especially the Holy Masters of the three Great Holy Lands were deep in thought, now considering how to interact with Taixuan and Chu Zheng moving forward.
Since Chu Zheng's rise was unstoppable, they would have to change their approach.
The longevity of the Holy Lands depends on much more than the few Immortal Treasures that lay dormant year after year.
Even Taixuan has Immortal Treasures and was still pressed to the brink of extinction.
Assessing the situation is a constant consideration for the Holy Lands.
But for Tai Xu Holy Land, their options were now considerably limited.
Imitating Taixuan in closing the sect seemed to be the best choice; waiting for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years, by which time Chu Zheng's existence on this earth was uncertain.
By then, Tai Xu Holy Land would still be a Holy Land.
Apart from the three Great Holy Lands, the other Great Immortal Sects were starting to entertain other ideas.
With Chu Zheng's talents, even if his offspring are not as exceptional as he is, they would still be outstanding figures in their generation.
If they could secure a bloodline continuity through a marital alliance with Chu Zheng, it could be very promising for the future.
Once Chu Zheng becomes a True Immortal, it will be equivalent to the founding of another True Immortal Noble Family, where producing a few High-Quality Immortal Bones in one generation would not be difficult—this is an almost guaranteed profitable endeavor.