Heavenly Wheel Ascension

In an instant, as if time had frozen, everyone was rooted to the spot as Zhi Xuan suddenly appeared before Bei Huanteng. Zhi Xuan stared directly into his eyes, and instantly, Bei Huanteng’s soul felt as if it were being slashed by thousands of swords resembling a heavenly calamity. Zhi Xuan rippled into a shadow, carrying the three men as they vanished from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

The silence left by the disappearance of the four figures was heavier than any thunderous explosion. Inside the hall of the Pavilion, the guests could only stare at the empty space by the doorway, the place where Zhi Xuan’s shadow had just swallowed Bei Huanteng, Bei Yun, and Zhao Xue.

"Vanished... he made them vanish?" Ji Haoxuan whispered, his voice nearly lost in the suffocating silence. The jade cup in his hand cracked without him realizing it, spilling the fragrant peach wine onto the marble floor.

On the highest hill of East Tiger City, just outside the dome of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, the air suddenly split open. A thick black shadow like spilled ink poured out from the void, solidifying into the figure of Zhi Xuan standing tall. Before him, Bei Huanteng stumbled and fell, his hand that had previously gripped Zhao Xue’s neck now hanging limp.

"W-what did you do... to my soul?" Bei Huanteng groaned. He tried to rotate his Divine Wheel, but all he found within his sea of consciousness was an endless darkness.

Zhi Xuan did not answer. He reached out, gently pulling Zhao Xue away from the old man’s reach. Zhao Xue fell to a sitting position, gasping for the cold night air while her hand clutched her chest, which was heaving violently.

"U-Uncle! Attack him! Why are you just standing there?!" Bei Yun screamed from behind, retreating until his back hit a stone pillar.

Zhi Xuan did not speak, but he moved his fingers, and immediately the souls of the three men before him felt as if they were being sliced from the inside by a sword intent that transcended form. Zhi Xuan’s eyes glowed with a flash of reddish lightning, his powerful consciousness creeping into the three Weaver bodies before him.

SRAKK!

The slash sounded like a severed soul; they did not even have time to speak before their Divine Spirits were crushed into dust, leaving behind empty frames that stood frozen without a word. This was a soul-severing that emerged as a form of the Silence of Slaughter.

The three bodies slowly fell to the ground with a soft thud, their skin shriveling rapidly as if crossing countless seasons just by gazing at Zhi Xuan. Zhi Xuan did not bother to look; he flicked his fingers and instantly the bodies dissolved, turning into dust carried away by the night wind.

Zhi Xuan held Zhao Xue’s shoulder, and instantly the space around them shifted as Zhi Xuan reappeared before his simple table. He allowed Zhao Xue to sit in her chair again, while he sat in his own beside Shen Ruolan.

Shen Ruolan, who had not moved from her position, curled a deeper smile. She poured the remaining peach wine into Zhi Xuan’s cup with a graceful movement, as if the slaughter of Weaver experts was not something that touched the Holy Maiden of an Ancient Clan.

"Senior, you returned so quickly," Shen Ruolan whispered, her amethyst eyes flashing. "Ruolan was just about to count to ten, but it seems the Bei Clan was not even worthy of that much time."

Zhi Xuan raised his cup, sipping the wine with tranquility and giving a slight toast to the guests. "Forgive me for the brief disturbance of peace. Elder Xuan Ji, please continue with the plans of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets."

Elder Xuan Ji, who had witnessed thousands of upheavals in the Nine Plains, took a deep breath. He bowed slightly toward Zhi Xuan, a silent acknowledgment that the brown-robed figure was not someone to be opposed even if a late-stage Weaver Transformation expert were present.

"Thank you for this efficient cleansing, Sir," Xuan Ji’s voice echoed again, now clearer and more authoritative. "Let us forget the dust that has blown away. Huang Tu awaits, and the gate to the remnants of the Immortal World will not stay open forever."

Xuan Ji flicked his sleeve, and an image of golden light appeared in the center of the hall, showing a cracked disc-shaped seal.

"This is the depiction of the seal that the experts of the Pavilion found back then," Xuan Ji said. "This seal, its origins unknown, is believed to date back to ancient times. It is cracked because the creatures beneath Huang Tu have been gnawing at it."

"This seal is no mortal boundary," Xuan Ji continued, his voice growing heavy. "It is the remains of a locking formation woven to imprison the grand palaces and the monsters beneath Huang Tu. However, as you can see, these cracks radiate an aura of darkness—the essence of a hungry Underworld."

"The Nine Ancient Clans have not moved because they do not consider it a threat to them," Xuan Ji said. "But for us, seeing the remnants of the Immortal World and the infinite opportunities behind the threat is a high price that no one will refuse."

The clouds on the pavilion ceiling spun faster, creating a vortex of light that made it hard to breathe. The Young Kings, who were still shaken by the sudden death of Bei Huanteng, were forced to shift their focus to the cracked disc floating in the center of the hall. Greed and horror battled within their gazes.

"Then, what is our role here?" asked Ji Haoxuan, his voice now stable again. "If that seal was woven by ancient hands, how can we, who are only at the Soul Transformation or Weaver stages, make an impact?"

"You also shouldn't forget about me," Shen Ruolan’s voice flowed, her charm aura radiating. "Although the Ancient Shen Clan is not interested in participating in this matter, it also does not entirely let go of every affair that occurs on Chi Di."

Shen Ruolan rose for a moment, her velvet cloak rustling as she stood before her chair. "That seal is named the Golden Seal of the Emperor, formed by the hands of Great Emperor Chen during the fall of the Great Emperors in the past. Great Emperor Chen sealed the land beneath Huang Tu with his remaining strength after the splitting of the Nine Plains. Recently, the Ancient Chen Clan has also planned a departure from Mo Yan toward Huang Tu."

"This journey is not for those with a weak Dao Heart," Shen Ruolan continued. "The cracking of that seal will trigger the envoys of the Ancient Chen Clan to strengthen the seal or seek opportunities sealed by their Great Emperor. The Ancient Shen Clan, of course, does not protect you in this competition."

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"However, the ocean will not recede if drained by a mortal hand, and the forest will not grow without the sun to shine upon it," Shen Ruolan said. "You all have very little time in the Huang Tu region. Although Huang Tu is a land without a ruler and is not bound to anyone, competition will always exist, and the Ancient Chen Clan takes the strongest position here."

"The cracking of the seal is unstoppable; practitioners will arrive like mortals beneath the blade of heaven," Shen Ruolan concluded, her smile carrying a chilling sharpness. "However... Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, do you know of the Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation?"

Elder Xuan Ji was stunned, his hand holding the sandalwood staff trembling slightly. He stared at Shen Ruolan with a gaze full of disbelief and deep dread.

"The Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation, rumored to be one of the Ten Mysterious Treasures," Xuan Ji’s voice was hoarse, as if the words were stuck in his dry throat. "This old face has only heard of it once, and the second time is now. Nine thousand years ago, an ancient king's corpse emerged from the Huang Tu region carrying that bell."

"The Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation?" whispered a Young King named Shi Jing, his face glowing. "That is an ancient treasure, forged by the unimaginably ancient Devil race. I once heard that the ancient races were born alongside Heaven and Earth."

"Ancient Race? Those Gods and Devils?" replied another Young King named Jing Kuang. "Those are the preceding races before the creation of this world! But how can that ancient treasure be in there? Did Great Emperor Chen seal that object so it could not leave the underworld?"

"The Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation... one of the Ten Mysterious Treasures capable of shaking the foundations of the universe?" Ji Haoxuan murmured, his voice parau. "If that object is truly buried beneath Huang Tu, then who is capable of touching it?!"

"Not just that, Brother!" Ji Yuanyi interjected with wide eyes. "That is a Devil Treasure; it shouldn't be in this Lower Realm! If it truly is in the hands of an ancient king's corpse, then Huang Tu is a nest of an undying army!"

"Heh, what kind of nonsense is this!" A raspy voice exploded from another corner of the hall, coming from a giant man named Meng Zhan. "King's corpse? Devil bell? The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets just wants us to be bait so they can observe from afar, right? I don't believe in fairy tales of ancient races!"

"You may disbelieve, Meng Zhan, but do not let your stupidity become a sickening sight," replied a woman with a paper fan in her hand, Lu Qingyan. "Holy Maiden Shen would not mention the name of that treasure if it were just a fabrication. The problem is, if the Ancient Chen Clan has already moved from Mo Yan, what chance is there for us mortal practitioners?"

"It is not the Ancient Clan moving, but their envoys," said Wei Tianfeng. "That Devil Treasure should not be in these Nine Plains; it is a treasure more cursed than the Thirteen Banners of Calamity. The Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation is not a treasure of heaven and earth, but an ancient treasure from the hands of an ancient race higher than heaven and earth."

"An ancient treasure higher than heaven and earth... Wei Tianfeng, you talk as if the end of the world is before our eyes!" replied Wu Xinghan while slamming his jade table. "The Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation, if that object truly exists, wouldn't its very presence destroy anyone who enters that underworld?"

"That is why the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets has gathered you all here!" Elder Xuan Ji interrupted with an authoritative voice. "Not to be bait, Brother Meng, but because the path to the underworld will not be tread by one person. The pressure beneath Huang Tu is too great for one person, even for a peak Weaver!"

"So you mean we must combine forces just to open the door for the Ancient Clan envoys?" Ji Haoxuan snorted coldly, his eyes turning toward Shen Ruolan. "Holy Maiden, is this the reason the Ancient Shen Clan chooses to be spectators? Because you know that whoever enters first is merely a key that will be discarded?"

Shen Ruolan covered her mouth with her sleeve, letting out a small laugh that sounded melodious yet piercing. "Ah, Young King Ji is indeed very sharp. However, is not a practitioner’s life about a wager? If you are afraid of being a key, then you will forever be a padlock that rots and does not move."

"Stop talking about fairy tales!" Meng Zhan shouted again, the veins in his neck bulging. "Just tell us, what is our success rate for returning alive after touching the land inhabited by the king's corpse carrying that bell?"

"Success?" Wu Xingyan interrupted with a cynical tone. "In the presence of the Ten Mysterious Treasures, that word does not exist. There is only destiny or destruction. Brother, if it is true the Ancient Chen Clan is coming, we must decide now: will we follow behind them or find our own way?"

"Following the Ancient Chen Clan means surrendering our lives to their will," Wu Xinghan answered with a pale face. "But facing the monsters of the Underworld alone? That is far crazier."

"Wait a moment!" Lu Qingyan swung her fan, her eyes staring sharply at the corner table where Zhi Xuan sat calmly. "All this time, we’ve been talking about this clan and that, but we forgot... here is someone who just erased the existence of the city ruler. Honored Master, do you also aim for the Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation?"

The entire hall turned back to Zhi Xuan. Zhao Xue, who was still recovering her breath beside Zhi Xuan, felt as if thousands of gazes were fixed on them. Zhi Xuan set down his empty cup, his voice sounding clear amidst the tension.

"The Sacred Bell of Heaven's Creation, is it?" Zhi Xuan said. "I am actually more curious, not about those treasures. But rather, what serves as the path for a mortal to reach the Upper Realm."

Zhi Xuan looked at his own palm, his eyes flashing coldly. "I am more interested if there is a secret that can allow a mortal to pierce the sky of the Lower Realm to reach the Upper Realm."

A silence thicker than the night outside the pavilion suddenly enveloped the hall. Zhi Xuan’s statement was no longer just the ambition of a practitioner, but an outright insult to the order of universal laws long believed by the inhabitants of the Nine Plains.

"Piercing the sky... to reach the Upper Realm?" Elder Xuan Ji murmured, his voice trembling so hard that his staff tapped the jade floor with an irregular sound. "Sir... that is a taboo. Since the time of the Great One Zhetian, the Great Emperor who originated from a mortal, no one has been able to step into the Upper Realm as a mortal. Only those who stand beneath the feet of an Ancient Clan have such an opportunity."

Zhi Xuan raised his gaze, staring at the star map rotating on the pavilion ceiling. "The Great One Zhetian indeed shook heaven and earth. Disciples of Ancient Clans, though they are mortals if they shelter under an Ancient Clan, will also have the opportunity to experience ascension. But those are disciples chosen by the Ancient Clans; do you... possess that?"

"You... you speak as if piercing the sky is as easy as flipping a palm!" Wu Xinghan broke the silence with a raspy voice. "Even our ancestors who reached the Divine Transformation stage could only gaze at the horizon with regret! There is no path toward the Sacred Passage realm!"

"Your words are big; do you feel that high because you are beside Holy Maiden Shen?!" roared Wei Tianfeng. "You are nothing but an old monster who has cultivated longer than us!"

"Right, do you feel you have a chance toward the Upper Realm by standing under the shade of an Ancient Clan?!" said one young practitioner. "You speak of foolishness, just because you feel you will have a chance toward the Upper Realm and speak as if you will tear the sky yourself!"

"You are truly nonsensical!" hissed Jing Kuang. "Who are you exactly, to dare question the line of destiny woven by the Heavens?"

Zhi Xuan did not return the insults with anger; instead, he poured the remaining peach wine into his cup. Sipping it, his eyes flashed as he remembered mortals like them and himself, who truly were insignificant and had almost no hope besides the Ancient Clans.

"Thinking I live under the shade of an Ancient Clan?" Zhi Xuan replied, his tone clear and calm. "This Gu Fengyan does not stand upon the ground of an Ancient Clan nor asks for hope from an Ancient Clan to determine my Dao. To follow the Heavens is Mortal; to rebel against the Heavens is Immortal."