Heavenly Wheel Ascension

Granny Lotus’s body jerked violently, her eyes bulging as they stared into the void. The light of life within them faded, replaced by a gray emptiness. Zhi Xuan withdrew his hand, which was drenched in divine blood, letting the soul-stripped husk plummet toward the surface of the lotus lake. The once-clear waters instantly churned, swallowing the former ruler’s remnants into the dark depths.

Zhi Xuan stood tall in the air, his brown robes sweeping through the thinning mist of blood. Xiao Die and Ao Sheng shrunk back to their miniature forms and darted toward his collar. His gaze, cold as marble, swept over the thousands of disciples prostrating below, creating a vista of bowed white robes amidst the ruins.

"Rise," Zhi Xuan commanded, his voice carrying a soul-shaking resonance. "From this moment forth, the Thousand Lotus Valley is abolished. This land, and all within it, is now the sovereign territory of the Heavenly Path Pavilion."

Zhi Xuan spread his arms, and a massive golden teleportation formation manifested in his palms. It glowed with celestial brilliance, and in an instant, every disciple and elder was lifted into the air and vanished, clearing the Thousand Lotus Valley in mere breaths.

The clamor and screams of terror that had filled the valley were replaced by an oppressive silence. Thousands of practitioners had been forcibly relocated to the Heavenly Path Pavilion's territory, leaving the sect a ghost town.

Zhi Xuan turned his body to face the Nine-Story Pagoda. Without the practitioners to sustain its arrays, it looked like a giant tombstone driven into the heart of the earth. Ruo Xianxue appeared beside him, her spiritual form restless, her nine tails glowing intensely.

"You feel it?" Ruo Xianxue asked, her dual pupils flashing with primal hunger. "That familiar scent of the void... the fragment is crying out for me."

Zhi Xuan didn't answer. He plummeted down, smashing into the marble floor in front of the pagoda and shattering it. With a wave of his hand, the ancient agarwood gates exploded into dust. They stepped inside, passing halls filled with thousands of silver lotus statues, but Zhi Xuan’s footsteps did not halt on any floor.

He stomped his foot; a massive fissure raced out from beneath his sole, splitting the pagoda floor and plunging deep into the bowels of the earth. Zhi Xuan and Ruo Xianxue dove into the dark chasm, bypassing subterranean defenses that were now brittle following Granny Lotus's death.

As they descended, the air grew neither hot nor cold, but hollow—a void that sought to erase the life of any who approached. The light from Zhi Xuan's night pearls dimmed, swallowed by a darkness thicker than a starless night.

At the bottom of the abyss, they reached a cavern lined with dim crystals. In the center hovered an irregular, pitch-black shard of stone, roughly the size of an adult’s palm. It emitted no light, but the space around it felt heavy and impenetrable.

"Great Saint," Zhi Xuan said without looking back, rubbing his chin. "Approach it yourself. I will not go near that thing."

Ruo Xianxue did not hesitate. Her ethereal form glided forward with the grace of a goddess reclaiming her throne. Her nine dark tails fanned out, their tips vibrating in sync with the pulse of the black stone. As she drew closer, the crystals on the cavern walls began to crack.

"Poor lost child," Ruo Xianxue whispered, her voice carrying a melody of sorrow that had once shaken the heavens. "You were forced to give life to those unworthy, while your core yearned for the eternal void."

The moment Ruo Xianxue’s transparent fingertips touched the surface of the Ancient Devil Monument fragment, a silent explosion occurred. There was no sound, but a wave of obsidian pressure swept through the cave, forcing Zhi Xuan to plant his feet deep into the soil and cross his arms to shield his face.

WUUUUUUNG!

Deep black light radiated from the shard, merging into Ruo Xianxue’s spiritual frame. Instantly, her aura shifted. The devilish pressure that had been suppressed within Zhi Xuan's sea of consciousness exploded outward, filling every corner of the cave with the authority of a Great Saint. Within the light, Zhi Xuan saw the faint shadows of thousands of ancient characters swirling rapidly, sinking into Ruo Xianxue’s brow.

Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes, feeling the laws of space distorting around him. The Red Stone... just how many shards fell? he wondered.

After a moment, the light faded. The black shard no longer hovered; it had merged completely into Ruo Xianxue’s chest. She turned to face him. Her features remained the same, but her dual-pupiled gaze was deeper, darker, and held knowledge that transcended time.

"I need time to digest this," Ruo Xianxue said, drifting back to slip into his sea of consciousness. "These memories... they will surely benefit you. Xiao Xuan, I am truly grateful to you, you know."

Zhi Xuan frowned, waving his hand through the air as a flush crept up his jaw. "I'm not a child. Be quiet and take your time to meditate."

He took a deep breath, steadying the turbulent energy in his meridians. The silence at the bottom of the cave felt alien after the slaughter above. Without Ruo Xianxue’s physical presence beside him, the emptiness felt more predatory, as if the darkness had fangs.

He turned on his heel, looking at the hole they had made. He knew the Saint's presence had altered this place forever. He leapt, shooting upward through the layers of earth like a bolt of lightning, landing back in the now-empty main hall of the pagoda.

"This world... is truly just a stage for those with the power to hold the script," Zhi Xuan murmured. "But for now, let's plunder the Heavenly Jade."

His footsteps echoed on the marble. He moved with the precision of a hunter who had already mapped his prey. In his sea of consciousness, the mental map stolen from Envoy Yao’s soul acted as a compass leading him to the heart of the sect's wealth.

He reached the lowest level, standing before a wall adorned with a relief of a thousand blooming lotuses. With a flick of his finger, a sharp sword intent slashed through the relief, destroying the invisible seals hiding the secret vault.

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BRAKK!

The wall slid aside, revealing a vast chamber filled with red sandalwood chests. As they opened, a blinding light filled the hall. Thousands of high-grade Heavenly Jades were piled like mountains of crescent moons, each emitting spiritual energy so pure it thickened the air.

"Hundreds of thousands... no, millions," Zhi Xuan hissed, his sapphire-blue eyes reflecting cold calculation rather than greed. "How could a sect on a floating continent, so far from the Bai Ancient Clan's territory, possess this much?"

He crossed his arms, frowning. The Han Ancient Clan, or whoever... perhaps they stole it from the Heavenly Path Pavilion in the past, or... never mind.

"Great Saint," Zhi Xuan said, knowing she might be deep in meditation. "This body of mine needs hundreds of thousands of Heavenly Jades to reach the peak of Weaver Transformation. Exactly how many should I take?"

He added quickly, "I’ll take enough for myself, and the rest belongs to the Heavenly Path Pavilion. I need the support of Senior Jian and perhaps that fat one for when the twenty-year promise arrives. This is my way of gaining... friends, perhaps?"

He paused. The word "friend" felt strange on his tongue, like drinking tea that was too bitter but left a lingering aftertaste. He shook his head, dismissing thoughts that didn't align with his solitary Dao. Yet, the idea of having formidable companions for the journey ahead remained.

With a wave of his right hand, a spatial vortex was created by his Divine Cauldron. Millions of Heavenly Jades whistled through the air, flying like a swarm of jade fireflies into the vortex. He set aside a portion for the Pavilion, while the rest—the pieces emitting the purest glow—he kept for himself.

"Five hundred thousand Heavenly Jades," he murmured, calculating with the speed of a Weaver's mind. "This is enough to stand at the peak of Weaver Transformation without worrying about my travels."

A brief memory of Zhu Qinglan giving him Heavenly Jade back then caused his Dao Heart to vibrate for a moment. He thought of the woman wearing the Bu Yao Xiangu he had given her. He closed his eyes, letting her face pass like a ripple on a still pond—a reminder that behind the cold laws of reincarnation, there was still a thread of fate tying him to the warmth of the mortal world.

"If I do not stand at the peak, I cannot even protect my own shadow," he whispered to the silence. "The Great Dao... walking toward the end of the void, or finding a purpose for Eternity."

Zhi Xuan opened his eyes, and the brief softness vanished. He moved deeper into the rooms containing artifacts and divine herbs. He flicked his finger, destroying the stone gate's seal. It opened slowly, a bright light illuminating the corridor.

As the light dimmed, a fragrance transcending the mortal world wafted out. Inside, jade shelves held transparent boxes containing various Divine Herbs.

"Nine-Petal Snow Lotus, Ancient Yellow Earth Root, and... Soul Refining Spirit Fruit," Zhi Xuan noted. "The Thousand Lotus Valley truly hoarded a foundation to birth a new Divine Transformation expert."

His hands moved like shadows, sweeping high-value herbs into his storage ring. He stopped before a black jade box emitting a bone-chilling cold. Inside lay a thin blade of silver grass that vibrated with the faint whistling sound of a sword.

"Judgment Sword-Thunder Grass," Zhi Xuan hissed, his eyes flashing. "This... is perfect for Senior Jian Dao."

He stored the box carefully. He knew he couldn't tear open the heavens alone. Rebuilding the Heavenly Path Pavilion with Jian Dao as the spearhead was a strategic move to divert the Han Ancient Clan’s attention for a time.

He looked around, finding several Heaven-tier artifacts. Though he didn't need them personally, he waved his hand, sealing them one by one and placing them in his storage.

Having finished his plunder, Zhi Xuan turned away. He had no reason to linger in this empty shell. He stepped out of the pagoda, standing on the silent courtyard.

The sky began to pale as dawn broke on the horizon, painting the clouds with orange hues. Zhi Xuan raised his head, watching the sun rise. He offered a thin smile, then walked toward the massive sect gate. He pressed his hand against the marble, and in one motion, he hoisted the gates—which weighed thousands of jin—upward.

"This gate belongs in different hands," Zhi Xuan muttered, his breath slightly heavy. "Grand enough to be planted in front of the Heavenly Path Pavilion."

With a jolt of spatial law, he uprooted the thirty-yard-tall marble gate from its foundation. The earth shook violently as the support pillars were torn out, emitting a deafening roar. The gate, a symbol of purity and arrogance for centuries, now hovered in the air, submissive to his control.

Ao Sheng peeked from his collar. "Whoa, Senior Zhi... are you really going to walk while carrying that?"

Zhi Xuan didn't answer with words. Instead, he stomped his foot against the air, creating a transparent ripple as a solid foothold in the sky. With one hand supporting the thousands of jin of marble, he shot across the dawn horizon.

It was an extraordinary sight: a youth in brown robes crossing the sky of the Cang Hai Continent while carrying a giant gate on his shoulder, like a primordial deity moving a mountain. Any practitioner from a small sect who happened to look up froze, feeling a Weaver Transformation pressure so dense that birds fell from the sky.

"If I only bring treasure and disciples, the world will quickly forget," Zhi Xuan murmured. "But if I bring their symbol of honor, the name of the Heavenly Path Pavilion will be etched into the bones of all who see it."

After some time, the peaks surrounding the Heavenly Path Pavilion appeared. The area was no longer quiet. Thousands of relocated disciples filled the grounds, surrounded by the original Pavilion disciples who watched them with mixed anxiety. The Pavilion now looked grander, expanding after Jian Dao and Duan Niu had brought the buildings of the Black Bamboo Sect to merge them with the Pavilion.

"Great Ancestor," came the voice of Mu Chen, who, along with two juniors, prostrated before the standing Jian Dao. "Master Xu Yunchuan has recovered bit by bit. Hearing that the Pavilion still has an ancestor like you has given us great hope."

"Divine... Divine Transformation?" whispered an elder from the Black Bamboo Sect, his hands still bound by energy seals. He stared at Jian Dao, face pale. "How is it possible? This continent has been locked by natural laws... no one has broken the Weaver limit in a thousand years!"

"It’s really him!" shouted a core disciple from the Thousand Lotus Valley in the middle of the crowd. "That face... exactly like the forbidden ancient paintings! The Sword God of the Heavenly Path Pavilion! One who was said to be destroyed by a heavenly curse. Seeing a Divine Transformation expert like this truly opens my eyes!"

Jian Dao stood like a sword tower piercing the horizon. His silence alone was enough to drown out the skepticism of thousands. Beside him, Duan Niu, who was counting stacks of treasure boxes, chuckled while patting his belly.

"Ow, ow! Shut your mouths before flies fly in!" Duan Niu called out playfully yet threateningly. "You talk as if you’ve seen a ghost. This is Ancestor Jian Dao, the Sword God who will make your dead masters regret ever being born!"

"Senior Duan!" one of the relocated disciples asked with a trembling voice. "If this Divine Transformation expert is the protector of the Pavilion, then... then who was that brown-robed senior who destroyed our sect alone? We have never heard of him before."

Duan Niu stopped counting his jade pieces and turned slowly to the disciple. A wide, meaningful smirk stretched across his face. He didn't answer immediately; instead, he took a fruit from his bowl and peeled it casually.

"Who is he?" Duan Niu repeated, tossing a slice of orange into his mouth. "Brat, if you're asking about his identity, you're asking about someone even the Ancient Clans think twice before mentioning."

Jian Dao glanced at Duan Niu briefly, then looked toward the eastern horizon where dawn was breaking. "He is a junior of immense strength. If the Ancient Clans were once the supreme existence, I can point to that junior without hesitation and say he is the only one who will sever their dominance."

"You mean, Ancestor..." The disciple swallowed hard, his voice nearly gone. "He... that figure is someone extremely powerful in cultivation?"