Take a Gamble

"What's going on?"

Zhou Tong had still been immersed in the joy of his breakthrough when he suddenly sensed something strange in his body.

Boom!

The instant he sensed the anomaly, he immediately summoned his Ten Heavenly Caves. At once, he could feel that his Sea of Wheels Realm seemed to be communicating with the Ten Heavenly Caves. The Ten Heavenly Caves and the Sea of Wheels Realm seemed to have formed some mysterious connection.

"The Ten Heavenly Caves and the Sea of Wheels Realm... are actually resonating!?" Zhou Tong's expression turned strange.

He knew that the Sea of Wheels Realm was a secret realm created by the Desolate Heaven Emperor after merging his Ten Heavenly Caves into one and integrating that sole Heavenly Cave into his lower abdomen.

But these clearly belonged to different Cultivation Systems. How could they resonate like this?

Buzzz!

At that moment, the resonance grew even more intense. Cracking sounds rang out one after another, and the nine smaller Heavenly Caves actually began making sounds as though they were unable to bear the strain.

"The nine Heavenly Caves can't withstand this resonance? No, even my largest Heavenly Cave feels like it's trembling." Zhou Tong's heart shook violently. What he saw was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Could it be that once the Sea of Wheels Realm was developed to a certain extent, it would collapse his Heavenly Caves?

Zhou Tong could clearly sense that his nine Heavenly Caves seemed on the verge of total collapse. Even the massive Tenth Heavenly Cave could only barely endure this resonance.

Zhou Tong examined his Sea of Wheels Realm internally and smiled bitterly. "Is this what it means to be the sole Heavenly Cave formed after the Ten Heavenly Caves merge? Even my most powerful Ten Heavenly Caves are completely unable to contend with it!"

"Perhaps when my Wheel Sea advances to the Life Spring Realm, only the nine great Heavenly Caves will collapse. But once I reach the Divine Bridge Realm or even the Other Shore Realm in the future, even my Tenth Heavenly Cave may be unable to resist this resonance and will collapse!"

Zhou Tong understood. The Chaotic Ancient Method and the Sky Shrouding Method possessed an innate conflict.

After the Desolate Heaven Emperor opened the Sea of Wheels Realm during the Chaotic Ancient era, it meant that his sole Heavenly Cave had disappeared.

"No wonder no cultivators of the Chaotic Ancient Method remained in later generations. At the most fundamental stage of the Wheel Sea, the Sky Shrouding Method had already cut off the path of the Chaotic Ancient Method!" Zhou Tong gradually understood why the Chaotic Ancient Method had vanished.

"What if... I can withstand this conflict?"

At that moment, a strange thought suddenly surfaced in Zhou Tong's mind. If he could endure this conflict, would he be able to possess both the Wheel Sea and Heavenly Caves in the future?

What if he treated every Heavenly Cave as his own Wheel Sea? Wouldn't that mean he had ten additional Wheel Seas? Whether it was Dao patterns or divine power, he would have ten times as much as others.

"The Desolate Heaven Emperor's Ten Heavenly Caves could grow until each was the same size. So can mine!" Zhou Tong forcibly held up the other eight Heavenly Caves while withdrawing his protection from one of them. Instantly—

Boom!

At last, the unprotected Heavenly Cave split apart. Molten lava surged forth, exploding in the void. It was as if the most terrifying catastrophe had descended, destroying heaven and earth.

Zhou Tong immediately coughed up blood. The destruction of a Heavenly Cave was not something an ordinary person could endure. Fortunately, Zhou Tong's foundation was incomparably solid, allowing him to stabilize himself and avoid death.

Zhou Tong plucked another leaf from the Treasure Herb. Life Essence gradually surged, and the injuries on his body slowly began to heal. At the same time, he silently recalled the sensation of opening a Heavenly Cave in the past.

Boom!

However, when Zhou Tong evolved a Heavenly Cave once more and attempted to recreate this one, an accident occurred. The moment this Heavenly Cave formed a rudimentary shape, it exploded with a bang.

Yet Zhou Tong refused to accept it. He bit off another leaf, and boundless Life Essence repaired his wounded body. Then he tried again!

The result was naturally destruction!

But Zhou Tong's stubborn streak had been provoked. He absolutely would not stop until he had remade the Heavenly Cave. In any case, he had an abundance of Treasure Herbs on hand, even Immortal Divine Medicine, so there was no danger to his life.

If he succeeded, he would forge an alternative path. If he failed, he would honestly follow the Sky Shrouding Method.

Since his life was not at risk, why not take a gamble?

He remade the Heavenly Cave again and again, yet it was destroyed again and again.

Remaking a Heavenly Cave was even more difficult for Zhou Tong than it had been for the Desolate Heaven Emperor.

The Desolate Heaven Emperor had faced only the most fundamental problems, while Zhou Tong also had to contend with the resonance and interference of the Sea of Wheels Realm. Zhou Tong had even seen the hazy Great Dao Profound Meaning Fragments that emerged when the Heavenly Cave split apart, yet he still failed to remake it.

An entire month passed. After exhausting the five Minor Medicine Kings that were tens of thousands of years old beside him, finally—

Rumble!!

A brand-new Heavenly Cave was born. It was no different from the Ten Heavenly Caves, continuously spewing terrifying divine energy. Immortal light and auspicious radiance were like mist, completely flooding the area.

"Hm!?"

Once this Heavenly Cave had fully taken shape, Zhou Tong clearly felt that his Heavenly Caves seemed to have an easier time resisting the Wheel Sea. They were no longer struggling as much as before.

"The Ten Heavenly Caves are one body, so after gaining one more large Heavenly Cave, their overall ability to withstand impacts became stronger?" Zhou Tong was curious. He then removed the protection from the second Heavenly Cave, and it immediately shattered with a bang.

With the experience from the first time, Zhou Tong quickly reshaped the second Heavenly Cave as well.

"As expected, it's become a little stronger again!" Zhou Tong silently nodded.

"Then let's continue!" Zhou Tong endured the pain throughout his body and continued reshaping the Heavenly Caves.

At last, three days later, he had reopened all of his Heavenly Caves. The current Ten Heavenly Caves were all incomparably vast, their divine energy fluctuations astonishing, their immortal light and Auspicious Qi flourishing.

Moreover, with the reconstruction of the Ten Heavenly Caves, they were now different from before. They were no longer shaped like volcanic craters, but had become bizarre and resplendent worlds, as though they had completely transformed into an Immortal Domain.

"Logically speaking, cultivating the Ten Heavenly Caves to this point should mean they are complete, but I can sense that further changes await!" Zhou Tong silently said to himself.

Although the Wheel Sea could no longer harm the Ten Heavenly Caves, that strange resonance still existed.

It was foreseeable that once Zhou Tong's cultivation advanced further and reached the Other Shore Realm, the Ten Heavenly Caves would likely face another tribulation!

"However... I feel that my Ten Heavenly Caves can still transform further!" Through the resonance between the Ten Heavenly Caves and the Sea of Wheels Realm, Zhou Tong gradually discovered the mysterious connection among the Ten Heavenly Caves.

"Perhaps... all of this can become a supreme secret technique of mine?" With that thought, an idea flashed through Zhou Tong's mind, and he immediately continued his research.

At the same time, Zhou Tong vaguely sensed that these Ten Heavenly Caves might be the key to his future cultivation, and perhaps even to advancing further.