Chapter 43
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This blow had already transcended the realm of humans; it was a true confrontation between “heaven” and “heaven.”
The pillar of lightning extended from the abyss to the sky, inch by inch pulverizing, and then completely exploding, countless dazzling branches densely covering the wilderness. The thick tribulation clouds that obscured the sky suddenly dissipated, revealing the brilliant light of the sky.
That was the legendary heavenly realm.
For hundreds of years, there had been no detailed records of ascension, and no one had ever seen what true immortality looked like. Even Xu Shuangce couldn’t help but look into the distance, his gaze piercing through the ever-changing clouds, suddenly feeling something, his brows twitching.
—The heavenly realm described in the scriptures is serene, peaceful, void, and blissful, but at this moment, he faintly sensed the breath of battle and conquest leaking out from the cracks in the flowing tribulation clouds.
Could it be that the gods of the upper realm are also engaged in fierce battles at this moment?
Why?
In an instant, the rift closed again, and the thick black clouds quickly covered the sky, blocking Xu Shuangce’s view. Immediately after, the third heavenly thunder descended at a faster and more astonishing speed, directly hitting the mirrored surface; the figure in the mirror showed no weakness, and with a backhand stroke, another sword light that engulfed the sun and moon struck back, engulfing the entire world in scattered thunder!
Several people couldn’t stay in the center of the storm any longer and were forced to retreat to the outskirts of the wilderness. Each subsequent tribulation thunder was more ferocious and intense than the last; but the counterattacks from the figure in the mirror were also more fierce and powerful with each sword. When the last of the eighty-one extreme evil tribulations struck, the abyss was engulfed by the surging river, and the plains were completely transformed into swamps; the final thunderbolt that could destroy heaven and earth fiercely collided with the astonishing sword light, suddenly causing the resonance of heaven and earth!
Everyone’s ears temporarily lost their hearing, and all they could see was a vast expanse of white light.
After who knows how long, which felt like enduring several years, the trembling earth gradually calmed amidst the roaring.
The numb senses of everyone finally began to recover little by little. Mu Duozhu, clutching his temples in pain, hoarsely asked, “What was that?”
The leaden clouds dispersed, the sky was radiant, and the unprecedented mighty tribulation finally passed, but the clear and bright double-sided mirror above the abyss still did not disappear.
Although it was covered in cracks, it did not shatter. Slowly rotating, it emitted layers of gentle and beautiful crimson light, drifting in all directions like a light veil.
In fact, it was a powerful guardian formation.
The last trace of the grandmaster’s remaining soul, which had not yet dissipated, slowly rose from the abyss under the protection of the formation. The three souls and six spirits, which had long since dissipated into the heavens and earth, miraculously gathered back together under the formation’s protection, gathering brilliant light and reshaping into the complete body and soul of the grandmaster in his lifetime.
He floated suspended in mid-air, somewhat confusedly opening his eyes and looking at the double-sided mirror in front of him. The next moment, a flash of crimson light appeared in the mirror, and the figure whose face couldn’t be seen reappeared, reaching out friendly and unrestrainedly towards him.
For some reason, when he saw that the mirror was almost shattered just now, Xu Shuangce suddenly felt an uncontrollable sense of unease and restlessness, almost wanting to rush over to check immediately. It wasn’t until the figure in the mirror appeared intact again that the anxious emotions slightly eased, and the heart in his throat returned to his chest.
Immediately, a needle-like anger surged in his mind.
This stabbing sensation came secretly and inexplicably. Xu Shuangce initially thought it was a figment of his imagination, but then he realized that the involuntary strong indignation was neither directed at himself nor at the mirror— it was aimed at the resurrected grandmaster in the void.
How could this feeling arise?
It was just a momentary occurrence, too fast for him to discern. The next moment, he saw the grandmaster’s soul entering the mirror, followed by a burst of golden light and the opening of the heavenly gate. The mirror, carrying the successfully transcended soul of the grandmaster, ascended towards the legendary Heavenly Realm.
A grandmaster whose golden core was destroyed, whose soul exploded, and whose spirit scattered, miraculously passed through the ninety-nine extreme evil tribulations at the last moment of his lingering remnant souls, instantly achieving enlightenment and ascending to godhood. This scene was unprecedented in history.
Xu Shuangce looked up and saw the mirror rising higher and higher, almost entering the radiant gate of the Heavenly Realm. However, just as it was about to disappear into the gate, a dark figure suddenly flashed from within, followed by a figure in a black robe embedded with silver, wielding a divine sword, rushing out!
From this angle, the visitor’s face couldn’t be seen clearly, but Xu Shuangce’s heart suddenly throbbed with a strong and indescribable sense of familiarity, overwhelming his consciousness. In an instant, only one thought occupied his mind: I know him. Who is he exactly? Why do I feel so familiar?
No one noticed that Xu Shuangce’s expression seemed frozen, and the slightly contracted pupils reflected the incredible scene in the sky— the black-robed figure burst out with an astonishing divine pressure, wielding the divine sword wrapped in the hurricane of heaven and earth, angrily piercing towards the mirror.
He wanted to shred the transcended soul of the grandmaster who had just ascended!
At that moment, a hurricane swept across the horizon, causing cities to collapse and wildernesses to overturn. The world turned upside down like a giant pot being overturned, and everything around was instantly engulfed by an invisible torrent.
—The consciousness supporting this scene finally reached its limit.
Everyone was simultaneously swept into the void. With a deafening roar, the earth shattered into dust, burying everything beneath it.
Xu Shuangce suddenly opened his eyes.
He was standing in the hall of the golden boat’s concealed corpse Pavilion, facing the calm face of a corpse on an ice bed. Around him, Ying Kai, Changsun Chengfeng, and others were gradually waking up one after another, staggering backward due to the overwhelming sensory impact.
Their souls had returned to reality.
Yuchi Rui felt dizzy and held his temples in pain, “How did we come out?”
Changsun Chengfeng steadied himself with one hand on the ice bed, his face no better than Yuchi Rui’s, “It should be because Du Kaixun’s consciousness implanted in the puppet ended here.”
Ying Kai sighed as he held his temples, “Thank goodness. Thank goodness the senior managed to reshape his soul in the end and should have ascended successfully.”
“…” Xu Shuangce slowly turned his head and asked, “Ascended successfully?”
Only those familiar with him could detect the slight off-tone in his voice. Ying Kai looked up in surprise, “What’s wrong with you?”
Xu Shuangce’s already cold face seemed even more frozen, his eyes fixed on him, and after a while, he hoarsely asked, “Didn’t you see the person who came out of the Heavenly Realm at the end?”
Ying Kai was puzzled, “What person? Didn’t the senior’s soul go directly to the Heavenly Gate?”
“…”
Xu Shuangce looked around, his gaze passing over the bewildered faces of everyone. He repeated, “None of you saw it?”
Mu Duozhu, Yuchi Rui, Changsun Chengfeng were all at a loss for words. Ying Kai asked in suspicion, “Did you see something, Shuangce? I only saw the artifact carrying the senior ascending successfully through the tribulation, didn’t he?”
“What about the person in the mirror?”
Ying Kai asked in astonishment, “In the mirror? Someone was there?”
No one saw the figure in the mirror resisting the heavenly tribulation with a sword, and no one saw the god-like figure in black robes and silver armor rushing towards the mirror at the end.
Xu Shuangce closed his eyes, his complexion slightly pale.
“Are you alright, Shuangce?” Ying Kai became worried. “Did you see something?”
Why am I the only one who saw it?
Where did this deep-seated familiarity and identical resentment towards the soul come from?
The usual distant and calm demeanor of the Cangyang Sect Master covered all the tumultuous waves in his mind. After a while, he opened his eyes and said calmly, “It’s nothing. I must have been mistaken.”
“Was what we just saw real?” Mu Duozhu rubbed his temples with one hand, furrowing his brow. “And how did Du Kaixun see this scene? I’ve read through all the records of the Immortal Alliance, but I’ve never come across anything like this.”
Mu Duozhu was slightly older than Ying Kai and Xu Shuangce. If even he had never heard of it, then everyone else would be equally clueless.
Ying Kai said, “In fact, for hundreds of years, none of the predecessors from various sects have experienced the Heavenly Tribulation. The successful ascension only exists in the classics and myths. Sixteen years ago, at the Ascension Immortal Platform…”
He paused suddenly, avoiding eye contact before continuing, “According to the usual rules of the Immortal Alliance, the Alliance Leader should ascend to the platform to worship the heavens, while the Cangyang Sect Master should descend to the underground palace to worship the spirits. However, Shuangce and I exchanged positions at the last minute. I wanted to take this opportunity to personally descend to the underground palace and ask the spirits why none of our predecessors had been able to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation for a hundred years. Has the path to ascension been blocked?”
Indeed, traditionally it was the Alliance Leader who ascended to the platform to worship the heavens, and it was sixteen years ago that Ying Kai first exchanged positions with Xu Shuangce. But what he never expected was that before he could ask the gods, news came from outside that Law Flower Immortal had attempted to assassinate Xu Shuangce but was killed in self-defense by No Way Out.
Ying Kai’s mind was shaken, and the ritual was forced to be interrupted. When he rushed out of the underground palace to the Ascension Immortal Platform, he only saw the white jade platform covered in blood. Xu Shuangce had already grasped the body of Gong Wei in front of everyone, and a thousand miles away he rode his sword back to the Cangyang Sect.
Sixteen years had not completely dissolved Ying Kai’s unresolved feelings about Gong Wei’s death. He didn’t want to mention the past anymore and simply said, “Back then, I couldn’t get the answer to why no one had ascended for a hundred years, but now I’ve seen firsthand the grandmaster’s successful ascension in Du Kaixun’s consciousness. This matter is quite suspicious. Furthermore, the mechanical giant created is beyond rationality and unheard of, which really worries me…”
Worry was inevitable. Although the insane mechanism puppet had just been buried deep underground, what if it could still be repaired, or another one appeared in reality? Wouldn’t it mean that Ying Kai, Xu Shuangce, Yuchi Rui, and other grandmasters would be lined up and filled in?
However, Changsun Chengfeng said, “I don’t think so.”
Ying Kai asked, “Why?”
Changsun Chengfeng resumed his somewhat casual demeanor, his hands in his sleeves. He said, “The consciousness given to the puppet by the alchemist may not necessarily be his own memories. It could also be imagined scenarios. My troublesome younger brother died at the age of only nineteen, and it’s impossible for him to have witnessed this scene from anywhere. Even if he became a ghost cultivator after death, the possibility is not very high. Therefore, what you all saw just now might be nothing more than a hallucination created by Du Kaixun himself. How can we verify its authenticity? At least, I have never seen the city in the illusion on the Central Plains.”
Ying Kai pondered for a moment and nodded, then turned to ask, “Brother Mu, what about you?”
“Golden Boat travels around the world all year round, and indeed, I have never seen it.” Mu Duozhu hesitated for a moment before saying, “But… the scenes of destruction and ascension were too real, it doesn’t seem like a fabricated illusion…”
The situation was somewhat deadlocked for a moment. Ying Kai couldn’t help but look at Yuchi Rui, but he saw Yuchi Rui staring intently at the ground under the ice bed, as if suddenly taking a keen interest in the rock surface beneath the ice bed, completely oblivious to everything around him.
Looking at Xu Shuangce again, his expression was indifferent, his eyes closed, and it was unclear whether he was listening or not.
Ying Kai felt exhausted and sighed, “In that case, I have a way to verify the authenticity.”
Changsun Chengfeng immediately asked, “What?”
Ying Kai said, “Find the exact location where the scene in the illusion occurred.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Shuangce lifted his eyelids and glanced over.
But the others were still puzzled. Changsun Chengfeng asked curiously, “How do we do that?”
Ying Kai didn’t directly answer, “I need an open space. Follow me.”
He turned and walked towards the main door of the concealed corpse Pavilion’s hall, and everyone followed, confused. Only Yuchi Rui remained hesitant by the ice bed. When Ying Kai stepped out of the threshold and turned back to look, he asked in surprise, “Changsheng? What’s wrong with you?”
Xu Shuangce also stopped in his tracks and turned around.
Yuchi Rui: “…”
They stared at each other from a distance, and Xu Shuangce’s calm gaze turned to the bottom of the ice bed.
“Ah!” Suddenly, Yuchi Rui crouched down, blocking Xu Shuangce’s line of sight perfectly, and began to search the ground expressionlessly, “I dropped something!”
“…” “…”
Ying Kai covered his face with one hand in silence, and Mu Duozhu struggled to say, “Is it… peanuts again?”
Yuchi Rui remained calm and didn’t respond.
Mu Duozhu turned away, unable to bear to look at the scene anymore. “Well, then, please hurry up and pick it up, Sword Sect Master.”
Yuchi Rui replied calmly, “Alright!”
Xu Shuangce withdrew his gaze, silent, and followed the others out of the threshold.
With a clang, the door of the ice pavilion closed, and the vast circular hall returned to silence.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Then, Yuchi Rui quickly turned back, resembling a fierce bird of prey, and reached under the ice bed, lightning-fast, grabbing Gong Wei with one hand:
“Who are you?!”
When everyone came out of the illusion, their souls had been greatly shaken. Gong Wei, who had no Golden Core, suffered the most and had been semi-conscious until now. He weakly laid on the ground and said, “…. so you didn’t recognize me just now?”
Yuchi Rui narrowed his eyes suspiciously, “I remember someone dragging me and Ying Kai out of Ding Xian Ling. Was it you?”
Gong Wei was full of bitterness at the mention of this: “Who else could it be if not me?”
Yuchi Rui tightened his grip: “You are clearly a disciple of the Cangyang Sect. What’s the meaning of this friendly gesture? Are you hiding something?”
“…”
Gong Wei struggled to free himself from Yuchi Rui’s tight grip, then grabbed Yuchi Rui’s clothes and angrily said, “You can’t recognize me after only sixteen years?!”
There seemed to be a familiar sense of crisis emerging in the depths of Yuchi Rui’s mind, but before he could stop it, Gong Wei closed his eyes and sang a tune with full concentration. His voice was like a fox, tearing open Yuchi Rui’s skull and screaming into it. The first sentence was a Secret Communication of Yin and Yang Chaos Great Mantra.
“!”
Yuchi Rui’s blood rushed to his head, his eyes widened in an instant, and he covered his ears, stumbling back three steps in retreat, “Gong Wei?!”
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