anwhile, atop Little Cold Mountain, amidst the hazy mist, Wang Xiu sat cross-legged beneath the Azure Sky Tree of Ten Thousand Years. He continuously circulated the runes of the Qing Emperor's Longevity Scripture as the abundant essence of life ceaselessly flowed into the ancient tree.
The tree's aura gradually revived. Specks of spiritual radiance began to reappear, like twinkling fireflies swirling around Wang Xiu. Under this light, many insights suddenly flooded his mind—insights about life and death, love, desires, the movent of the sun and the moon, the energy veins of the earth... It was as if he had instantly acquired the wisdom and understanding that many creatures accumulate over a lifeti.
These truths were not necessarily correct; so were even quite narrow. But from the perspective of an observer, Wang Xiu found that each insight had its own reason for existence. They were like fragnts coming together to vaguely outline a form.
That was "causality"!
His spiritual sense stirred faintly, and as he gently reached out to touch it, he felt a throbbing heat at the center of his forehead. That familiar feeling reappeared. Before his eyes, the figures of past acquaintances clearly erged: Ji Zidian, Nie Linglan, Li Zuoyue, Zhang Yuge, Li Xuanqi... All his causality appeared before him. Between him and these people, there was a visible yet intangible thread. The sensation vanished in a flash, and Wang Xiu snapped back to reality.
The Azure Sky Tree of Ten Thousand Years before him was still weak. If he wanted to truly utilize it for himself, he needed to heal it completely.
「In the midst of obscurity, ti passed unknown.」
Not knowing how much ti had passed, Wang Xiu lifted his head. The ancient tree was now lush and vigorous, its vitality flowing like a stream. Each branch glowed, casting a clear, rippling light. As if sensing his gaze, the entire tree began to quiver gently, its countless branches swaying like a welco ceremony. Wang Xiu could feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
A crisp and pleasant voice echoed in Wang Xiu's mind. "Thank you!"
Wang Xiu was slightly stunned. "Are you female?"
But he quickly realized... For a divine object like the Azure Sky Tree of Ten Thousand Years, there is naturally no distinction between male and female, right?
"I have fulfilled my promise. Now... it's your turn," Wang Xiu said softly, looking at the ancient tree.
The ancient tree remained silent, but its countless branches danced. Its radiance intensified, and that divine quality which enlightened one's understanding beca even more potent.
The lake's surface was still, yet waves were born spontaneously. A vast mist converged from all directions, emitting a halo of light that enveloped Wang Xiu. He felt the insight that had eluded him for so long begin to stir. Instantly, he cald his mind and closed his eyes.
I thought this was just a common enlightennt, much like when I first grasped the All Laws Unified Path, he mused. At most, it would be slightly more profound and take a bit longer.
But unexpectedly, before long, he felt a bright light all around him. He opened his eyes and found himself in a land of Chaos. Nothing existed here except for countless lights that swept through the void, weaving into a dense network. Wang Xiu recognized at a glance that these lights were the most primal laws and rules of the universe.
This is a space where only laws can exist, higher than any dinsion of the void. In other words, this is where the core of the Heavenly Dao lies…
A very familiar voice ca from in front of him. "You've arrived!"
Wang Xiu looked straight ahead and saw a figure in a long robe, whose appearance was even more familiar—it was like looking in a mirror. It was himself! The only difference was that the eyes of the person opposite him held not a single flicker of emotion, like an indifferent puppet.
"It's you!" Wang Xiu recognized him at a glance. This is my Dao of Painting avatar! The one that replaced Wu Daozong to unite with the Dao. By now, it should have already ascended. In other words, I'm essentially without this avatar now. For , this isn't too great a loss. As long as I can complete the Flawless Immortal Path, these things are nothing. If I wished, I could still form many more similar avatars. But I never expected him to appear before once again.
"Shouldn't you have already ascended to the Immortal Realm?" Wang Xiu asked his avatar, confused.
The Heavenly Dao avatar looked at Wang Xiu and slowly uttered a sentence that was completely unexpected.
"There is no ascension, nor is there an Immortal Realm."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiu's pupils constricted. "What do you an?" he asked solemnly.
The Heavenly Dao avatar looked at Wang Xiu and said, "It ans exactly what you think it ans."
Wang Xiu was silent for a long while, his heart deeply shaken.
I admit, even though I pride myself on having a sufficiently firm Dao heart and can accept even the most outrageous things—after all, I even have a System, what can't I accept? Yet, upon hearing this news, my heart can't help but churn with tumultuous waves of shock. No ascension? No Immortal Realm? If this were said in a low-level plane or a mortal world, I might be able to accept it! But this is a world of immortal cultivation! Not to ntion the Nine Heavens, even in the Lower Realm's vast expanse, tales of Immortals undergoing Tribulation Transcendence are passed down every tens of thousands of years, or even more frequently. Those Immortal Sects and ancient teachings have left behind nurous ancient texts from ascendants, even describing the details of ascension with unbelievable clarity... In a world like this, you're telling there's no ascension? That it's all fake?
The Heavenly Dao avatar's gaze was calm. "Let tell you a story," he said.
Wang Xiu looked at him and said nothing, listening quietly.
"A very, very long ti ago, when this world was first ford, there were only a few living beings. They were the first batch of life after the world was created, possessing endless lifespans, yet they could not bear the endless solitude. Thus, they began to create other living beings and nad themselves—Gods.
"In that era, humans and gods coexisted, and the Myriad Clans lived together. The ancient deities were not obsessed with destroying the ants they had created, but a single casual action from them was enough to cause a bloodbath, with rivers of blood and countless lives turned to ash.
"Furthermore, the appearance of a divine artifact incited endless strife among the Ancient Gods. The Human Race and other living beings caught in the crossfire found that every day felt like a year of suffering."
Hearing this, Wang Xiu's eyes brightened. "What divine artifact?" he asked.
The Heavenly Dao avatar stated, word by word, "The Fengxian Terrace."
"It is a mysterious and unfathomable treasure. No one knows where it ca from, only that it contains unimaginable divine power. Anyone who could leave their na on the Fengxian Terrace could beco an Immortal, transcending all gods—truly deathless and indestructible, eternal through all calamities...
"Even a being created by the Ancient Gods could obtain terrifying power sufficient to contend with them, simply by inscribing their na upon it.
"The gods fought over the Fengxian Terrace for countless eons.
"But what no one expected was that, in the midst of the gods' all-out war, a human—a very ordinary human—under the guidance of demigods like Nüwa and Pan, endured one hundred and thirty-two million calamities and finally... earned the chance to inscribe their na upon the Fengxian Terrace.
"However, he did not inscribe his own na, nor the na of any other human. Instead, he wrote a single phrase!"
"Extinct Skyreach!"
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