Heavenly Wheel Ascension

Zhi Xuan remained unmoved, his eyes as cold as sapphire ice sweeping over the crowd that now whispered like thousands of disturbed bees. He did not look back, nor did he puff out his chest; he simply stood there, letting the name Gu Fengyan become a raging storm in the minds of everyone who beheld him.

"Master Gu, please board the carriage," the purple-clad attendant said again, her voice remaining calm despite the pressure of a thousand pairs of eyes directed toward them. "Holy Maiden Shen does not wait long."

Zhi Xuan did not move immediately. He gazed at the royal carriage for a moment, then turned to look at the raindrops washing over Shen Sky City. The silence he created at the gate was so thick that the sound of the terrified practitioners' breathing was clearly audible to his ears. With a calm yet authoritative movement, he climbed the steps of the carriage.

The attendant nodded and closed the purple silk curtains. The royal carriage, pulled by the four Celestial Deer, immediately sped off, parting the crowd of practitioners who instinctively made way as wide as possible. It was as if they were witnessing a moving monument carrying an aura of destruction and majesty simultaneously.

Inside the carriage, fragrance filled the room lined with fine velvet. Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged, his eyes closed, ignoring the luxury offered. Xiao Die crawled back inside his collar, humming softly beneath his robes.

The carriage ascended the sky path circling the nine supporting mountains, passing hanging gardens planted with Golden Lotus flowers that only bloomed once every hundred years. The higher they climbed, the denser the spiritual energy pressure became.

Finally, the carriage stopped before a vast marble courtyard where two rows of armored soldiers stood tall like a forest of spears. At the end of the courtyard stood an arched gate without door leaves, radiating a purple glow—the gate to the Holy Maiden’s Residence.

Zhi Xuan stepped down from the carriage. The purple-clad attendant also descended and guided him across a stone bridge hanging over a cloudy abyss toward a pavilion jutting out from the cliff. There, Shen Ruolan stood with her back to them, gazing at the misty expanse of Shen Sky City.

She was no longer wearing her heavy velvet cloak, but a thin light-purple silk robe that showcased her beautiful shoulder lines. The Black Bamboo tassel gifted by Zhi Xuan stood out in contrast, swinging gently at her slender waist.

"Right on time, Senior," Shen Ruolan said without turning. "Ruolan almost ordered Elder Ku to comb through the Forest Spirit Land if you were one heartbeat later."

Zhi Xuan approached within five paces and stopped. "You sent a carriage to the main city gate. You want all of Chi Di to know I am under your protection, Holy Fairy?"

Shen Ruolan turned, a thin smile full of guile gracing her lips. "Not under my protection, Senior. But as my honored guest. Since a figure like you has come to the Ancient Shen Clan, then Ruolan must host you well."

She stepped closer, her fingers touching the fine tassel at her waist. "Besides... Ruolan will not say anything about... this gift to the Grand Elders."

Zhi Xuan looked at the Black Bamboo tassel with an unreadable gaze. "Do as you wish, Holy Fairy. However, the grandeur you displayed at the gate will not silence the mouths of your clan elders who thirst for order. I did not come here to be a part of your political games."

Shen Ruolan laughed heartily, though her eyes remained watchful. "Political games? Senior, in an ancient clan, even a breath is a part of politics. You will not easily enter the Ancestral Hall. You are first invited to the Meeting Hall by the Grand Elders and my brother, Shen Jiuxiao."

"Shen Jiuxiao..." Zhi Xuan murmured, uttering the name of the Shen Clan’s Crown as if testing the sharpness of a sword on his tongue. "If that is the will of your bloodline, then I shall follow it. But remember, Holy Fairy, I am not a disciple who has come to give an account."

Shen Ruolan signaled with a wave of her hand, and the clouds beneath the pavilion surged, forming a solid path leading toward the single tower soaring high in the city center. "Ruolan knows that. Come, they are waiting."

Zhi Xuan stepped onto the cloud path, followed by Shen Ruolan walking gracefully beside him. They entered the Meeting Hall through an upper gate guarded by two stone Qilin statues that seemed to possess life; their stone eyes glinted, following Zhi Xuan’s every step.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere shifted instantly. The room was so vast that the sound of Zhi Xuan’s footsteps echoed against the supporting dragon pillars. Light from night pearls embedded in the ceiling illuminated rows of high, circular seats.

In those seats sat seven elderly figures in dark grey robes—the Grand Elders of the Shen Clan, each radiating fluctuations of mid to peak Divine Transformation stages. Each was truly like a dormant old monster of the Ancient Clan, never emerging as long as the Ancient Shen Clan remained unchallenged.

In the center of the circle of grand seats sat a young man with pitch-black hair tied neatly with a jade crown shaped like dragon wings. His eyes were not purple like Shen Ruolan’s, but a sharp silver, reflecting a high-level understanding of the Laws of Heavenly Judgment. He was Shen Jiuxiao, looking quite different from the last time Zhi Xuan had seen him.

As Zhi Xuan stepped into the center of the hall, seven pairs of ancient eyes, burdened by the weight of ages, fixed upon him. The pressure in the room suddenly increased—not as a direct attack, but as a test for the divine soul of anyone standing there. The air seemed to thicken into a heavy liquid, attempting to force Zhi Xuan’s knees to touch the marble floor.

Zhi Xuan continued walking, each footstep producing a soft clink that sliced through the atmospheric pressure. He stopped exactly in the middle of the room, standing tall like a stalk of bamboo unshaken by even the fiercest storm.

"So, this is the one rumored to be the Devil Gu of Yao Gu." The voice was heavy and hoarse, coming from an elder on the left whose beard trailed down to his chest. Elder Shen Tu, the oldest among them. "Gu Fengyan... a presumptuous name, yet fitting for an Ancient Madness."

"Gu Fengyan... the name that challenged the Ancient Han Clan before the faces of the Nine Ancient Clans." This voice came from the fifth elder, who narrowed his eyes slightly. "Unusual indeed, especially with two Banners of Calamity."

Zhi Xuan did not answer immediately. He let the elders' words hang in the air like suffocating incense smoke. His cold eyes slowly shifted, staring directly at Shen Jiuxiao sitting on the central throne. There was a sickening stillness between the two—a mutual recognition.

"I have not come here to receive flattery from the Elders," Zhi Xuan said, his voice neutral. "Rather, I am here to fulfill the invitation delivered by Holy Fairy Shen, who stated that the Ancestral Hall of the Ancient Shen Clan mentioned a hint about me, the eyes of a dead star, which happen to be mine."

A cold silence instantly gripped the Meeting Hall. Zhi Xuan’s blunt statement, devoid of the usual pleasantries or respect afforded by mortal practitioners, was like a spark dropped into a powder keg. The Grand Elders exchanged glances; there was a flash of anger in their eyes, yet it was masked by a greater curiosity toward the man's courage.

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"Presumptuous!" An elder with eyebrows that looked like silver swords slammed his palm against the armrest of his chair. "You stand on the sacred ground of the Shen Clan, before a throne that has existed for tens of thousands of years, yet you speak as if we are peers of your level!"

Zhi Xuan tilted his head slightly, his black-and-white robes rustling softly. "I did not say such a thing. Of course, I respect the grandeur of the Ancient Shen Clan and have no intention of offending an Ancient Clan without reason, but I also do not bow my head."

Shen Jiuxiao, who had remained silent as a statue, slowly straightened his back. The corners of his lips curled into a thin, unreadable arc, a cold acknowledgment. He raised his hand slightly, a gesture that instantly silenced the anger of the Grand Elders.

"Enough, Fourth Elder," Shen Jiuxiao’s voice flowed low, yet contained an authority that seeped into the bones. "An eagle will never learn to chirp like a sparrow just because it lands on a different branch. Gu Fengyan... or Zhi Xuan, I expected you wouldn't have changed since our meeting in the Secret Realm."

Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes, though he was not surprised. "The Crown of the Shen Clan has a sharp memory. I am here, fulfilling the invitation from Holy Fairy Shen, upon the decree of your clan's Ancestral Hall."

"Our Ancestral Hall has indeed vibrated since your return from the Secret Realm of Ocean Chaos," Shen Jiuxiao said, staring deeply into Zhi Xuan’s eyes. "At that time, the sun and moon were at the same point, forming an eclipse. Within that darkness, a decree emerged from the Ancestral Hall, stating that the owner of the eyes of a dead star needed to set foot within the Ancestral Hall."

"We are not the Ancient Wang Clan, who are experts in divination," Shen Jiuxiao continued. "However, a dead star is sapphire blue, the color of your eyes, the only ones in the Nine Plains. My sister also mentioned that you do not know your own origins."

Zhi Xuan did not respond immediately. He let the suffocating silence envelop the hall. "If the Emperor’s Monument of the Ancient Shen Clan asks me to come, then perhaps the Monument itself is the answer, the answer to my many questions."

"If the Elders and the Holy Son of the Ancient Shen Clan are willing," Zhi Xuan said, clasping his hands before his chest. "Then I shall owe a debt of gratitude to the Ancient Shen Clan if the Emperor’s Monument has guidance to provide me."

The Grand Elders fell silent. The debt of gratitude Zhi Xuan spoke of did not sound like a beggar's plea, but rather a contract between two great powers.

"A debt of gratitude?" Elder Shen Tu chuckled, the sound of his laughter like the scraping of a tombstone. "You carry the calamity of the Han Clan on your shoulders, and you offer a debt of gratitude to us? If we allow you to step into the Ancestral Hall, it is the same as declaring to the world that the Ancient Shen Clan stands with you against the Ancient Han Clan."

Zhi Xuan stared at the Elder without blinking. "Yet your Ancestral Hall issued a decree, and I am merely answering it, am I not? As for the Ancient Han Clan, the Ancient Shen Clan need not worry about neutrality. For wherever I go, it is the Ancient Han Clan itself that always encroaches upon the sovereignty of every Plain where an Ancient Clan rules. Is that not so, Elder?"

Elder Shen Tu narrowed his eyes, the wrinkles on his face deepening. "You are very silver-tongued, Gu Fengyan. However, the Ancestral Hall is more than just a structure of wood and stone. Within it resides the will of ancestors who have ascended to the Upper Realm. Allowing a stranger inside is a gamble that has not been taken in the last five thousand years."

Shen Jiuxiao stood from his throne. His movements were slow yet full of a pressure that made the pillars of the hall vibrate slightly. He stepped down, his silver robes rustling like mercury flowing over the marble floor. He stopped right in front of Zhi Xuan, letting his sharp silver eyes clash directly with Zhi Xuan’s cold sapphire ones.

"Five thousand years is a long time for order, but it is merely a blink of an eye for destiny," Shen Jiuxiao said flatly. "The Shen Clan does not fear the Han Clan, nor do we fear threats to our sovereignty. However, we highly value the ancestors' decree. If the Emperor’s Monument truly calls for you, then blocking you would be an act of defying the heavens."

He turned to look at the Grand Elders, giving them a look that carried absolute authority as the future leader. "Let him in. If he is not the one, the Emperor’s Monument has its own judgment for him."

The Grand Elders were silent, their stiff expressions reflecting the inner struggle between calcified order and the unshakeable authority of the Crown. Elder Shen Tu finally exhaled, a breath that carried the heavy dust of history. He leaned his frail body back, giving a reluctant nod of approval.

"If the Crown has decided, then let the ancestors determine fate," Shen Tu said, his voice now sounding weary. "But remember, Gu Fengyan. The Ancestral Hall is separate from what you might consider protection. Even a God would not be able to pull you out once you enter. If you truly are the one the Ancestral Hall wished to bring here, then so be it. But if not, not even your soul will ever leave that place."

"The Elder need not worry," Zhi Xuan replied softly, his voice echoing in the vast hall. "If my soul must be detained there, then it is a fitting end for a seeker of truth. However, if the Emperor’s Monument truly summons me, then even the gates of death will not dare close my path."

Shen Jiuxiao gave a hand signal. Instantly, the wall behind his throne vibrated violently. The array of ancient characters engraved there began to glow, rotating like a galaxy awakening from a long slumber. The space in the middle of the wall warped, forming a vortex of white light that radiated a chest-tightening majesty.

"Follow me," Shen Jiuxiao said, stepping into the vortex without a moment's hesitation.

Zhi Xuan glanced at Shen Ruolan for a second. The Holy Maiden gave a small nod, her smile now devoid of its playfulness—replaced by the seriousness of a practitioner who knew this was a turning point in history. Without wasting time, Zhi Xuan stepped forward, his body swallowed by the cold white light.

Instantly, the view of the magnificent hall was replaced by absolute silence. Zhi Xuan found himself standing in a long corridor built of black stone that reflected no light. To the left and right were rows of giant statues of the Shen Clan ancestors, each carrying a different weapon ranging from swords that cleaved the sky to cauldrons that swallowed oceans.

Zhi Xuan’s footsteps on the black stone floor made no sound, as if this place rejected the vibrations of the mortal world. The air inside this corridor was so pure it felt sharp upon entering the lungs, carrying an ancient scent reminiscent of the time before the Nine Plains were formed.

Shen Jiuxiao walked ahead of him, his back straight as a heavenly pillar. "Every statue you see here represents a descendant of the Great Emperor since ancient times. Those who have stepped into the Upper Realm and await the birth of the seed that will become the Great Emperor."

Zhi Xuan paused for a moment; Shen Jiuxiao’s words felt like a declaration of resolve and desire. "Does the Holy Son wish to be the one referred to as that seed?"

Shen Jiuxiao stopped right in front of a giant bronze door that had no keyhole, but rather a carving of a palm surrounded by constellations. He turned his body slowly, letting his silver eyes stare at Zhi Xuan with sharp honesty, a look only possessed by those who have buried doubt beneath burning ambition.

"Who wouldn't want to hold the sun in the palm of their hand?" Shen Jiuxiao replied, his voice echoing flatly in the silent corridor. "Every practitioner walking the path of Dao is a greedy dreamer. I, as the Crown of the Shen Clan, surely wish to be the figure who shakes the Heavens like Great Emperor Shen."

"That is why I have always admired the Great Emperor's Tomb from afar," Shen Jiuxiao continued. "Because if I drew close, I would hesitate to take the step and would lack the conviction of the Great Emperor who shook the skies in the Nine Heavens."

Shen Jiuxiao pressed his palm against the constellation carving on the bronze door. Instantly, the star patterns rotated, producing the sound of heavy ancient metal grinding, as if history frozen for thousands of years was now forced to move again. The door opened slowly, revealing a void filled with soft yet oppressive silver light.

"Enter," Shen Jiuxiao said, his step halting at the threshold. "Only those who are summoned may set foot on this ground. I can only escort you this far, Zhi Xuan. The rest is between you and my ancestors."

Zhi Xuan nodded briefly. Without a word, he stepped across the bronze doorway. As soon as his feet touched the floor inside, the door behind him closed with a silent thud, cutting off all connection with the outside world.

Before him now stretched a space whose vastness could not be measured by logic. The ceiling was not a roof, but an expanse of slowly rotating stars, creating the illusion that he was standing in the middle of a silent outer space. In the center of the room stood a stone monument thirty zhang high, the Shen Clan Emperor’s Monument.

The stone did not have a smooth surface; it looked like a chunk of meteorite that had just fallen from the highest heavens, still radiating a faint heat yet vibrating with pure Dao laws. There was no writing on it, only natural cracks that resembled the lines of a giant's palm.