Heavenly Wheel Ascension

The final words spoken by Zhi Xuan were like cloudless lightning striking directly at the heart of the hall. The identity hidden behind the tattered robe was finally stripped away, and the name Gu Fengyan echoed, carrying a reputation heavy enough to collapse mountains.

"Gu... Gu Fengyan?!" Wu Xinghan gasped so hard his chair toppled backward. "The Southern Devil of Yao Gu? The figure who holds the Banners of Calamity and destroyed an Ancient Clan envoy alone?!"

The entire hall instantly became a sea of suppressed panic. The Young Kings who had mocked him earlier now felt their tongues grow numb, as if the words they had thrown were daggers that had now turned to pierce their own throats.

Insulting a powerful practitioner was one thing, but insulting Gu Fengyan—a man rumored to have complex ties with two Holy Maidens and strength capable of ignoring the laws of great clans—was the most literal form of a death wish.

"To follow the Heavens is Mortal; to rebel against the Heavens is Immortal..." Elder Xuan Ji murmured those words with a trembling heart. "A creed of Dao Heart rebellion so powerful... I have only heard your name from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets branch in the lands of Yao Gu. Seeing you in person, there is no denying you are exactly as they say."

"Gu... Fengyan..." Jing Kuang whispered, his face ashen. "He is truly right in front of me. Is it really him?"

"You look as if you’ve just seen the god of death emerge from your wine cup, Jing Kuang," Wei Tianfeng smirked, though his own hands could not stop shaking beneath the jade table. "Who would have thought the monster that shook the Yao Gu region would be sitting in this dark corner listening to our nonsense?"

"No wonder..." Ji Haoxuan took a long breath, staring intently at Zhi Xuan. "No wonder Bei Huanteng vanished without even leaving a scream. Before a bearer of the Banner of Calamity, a mid-stage Weaver Transformation is indeed nothing more than road dust."

"Gu Fengyan... so this is the reason Holy Maiden Shen lowered her dignity to sit in this lowly corner," Lu Qingyan hissed, snapping her fan shut with a sharp crack. "Senior Gu, it seems your game of disguise has ended. Now, is your goal in Huang Tu also to seek another part of the Banners of Calamity?"

Zhi Xuan set down his cup, his voice clear as it cut through the commotion. "Treasures or Banners, to me, are merely tools. I came to seek an opportunity for a Dao that is broader and unreachable. If you consider me a threat, that is a matter for your fragile Dao Hearts, not mine."

"Speaking of fragile Dao Hearts!" Meng Zhan slammed the table, trying to drive away the fear creeping into his soul. "Gu Fengyan, you might be great in other Plains, but Huang Tu is a land of death that knows no grand names! If you truly want to tear the sky, why don't you show us the way right now?"

"I do not walk to lead you, but walk for myself," Zhi Xuan said coldly. "The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets provides a path for those seeking opportunity; why should I be the one to show the way? Are you in denial, wishing to hide behind a name?"

Meng Zhan gasped, his fierce face turning as red as embers fanned by the wind. Zhi Xuan's words were not just a rejection, but a slap that shattered the mask of courage he had built. Before such absolute tranquility, Meng Zhan's anger appeared shallow and trivial.

"Enough!" Elder Xuan Ji struck his staff, creating a gentle wave of energy that eased the tension in the air. "This banquet is not a place to test the sharpness of tongues, but to provide an opportunity of destiny. This expedition will arrive seven days from now."

Xuan Ji waved his hand, inviting the guests to enjoy the feast. "Therefore, let us ease this tension and strengthen our Dao brotherhood to head toward Huang Tu."

Although Elder Xuan Ji's instructions sounded like a call for brotherhood, the atmosphere inside the hall had changed permanently. The melody of the zither now sounded bland, drowned out by the thunderous thoughts of the Young Kings who could no longer digest their wine in peace.

Zhi Xuan paid no heed to those stares. He rose to his feet, his brown robe draped over his shoulders with an aura that now felt haunting. Zhao Xue immediately followed behind him; the sword in her hand no longer trembled. Zhi Xuan's presence had provided an anchor for her cracked Dao Heart.

"Senior, you are leaving?" Shen Ruolan also rose, her graceful movements drawing every eye, yet her gaze was fixed only on Zhi Xuan. "Seven days is a short time for those wishing to arrive, but for Senior, it might be a boring time merely to wait."

Zhi Xuan did not answer. He walked along the edge of the hall toward the gate, followed closely by Shen Ruolan and Zhao Xue. However, his pace slowed slightly as the sound of figures rising from their chairs echoed through the hall, as if to hold him for a moment to say a few words.

"Senior Gu!" Ji Haoxuan stepped forward, bowing with a posture far lower than before. "If it is true that in seven days the gate to the underworld will open, would you be willing to walk with us? Or rather, we are willing to follow Senior’s footsteps."

"I do not build sects, nor do I seek disciples to shelter beneath my robes," Zhi Xuan replied without turning, his voice as flat as the surface of a frozen pond. "Your hearts tremble beneath a name that hasn't even killed you; how do you intend to follow the steps that carry that name?"

He offered a thin smile, turning slightly to sharpen his dark sapphire gaze. "If you feel you need protection, then look to the sky. Where will you hide when the sky above you collapses if you do not stand upon your own feet?"

Zhi Xuan continued his pace, no longer looking back, walking with the shadows of the moon and lanterns creating long silhouettes of his stride as he disappeared behind the gateway.

"Truly insane... he didn't just reject Young King Ji, but insulted the entire foundation of our cultivation!" Wu Xinghan shouted under his breath, his hands gripping the table edge until the jade developed a thousand cracks. "Standing on one's own feet? Before the will of Heaven and the power of Ancient Clans, we are all but ants! How can he speak so boldly?"

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"But Brother Xinghan, look at him!" Wu Xingyan interrupted with a trembling voice, her eyes fixed on Zhi Xuan’s back. "He isn't talking about being arrogant; he’s talking about the reality we are all afraid of. We always shelter under our elders' names, but he... he is truly alone facing the storm."

"Shut up, Xingyan! You are enchanted by that devil!" Wu Xinghan snapped harshly.

Wei Tianfeng let out a short, bitter laugh. "Insulting? No, Wu Xinghan. He isn't insulting us. He is stripping our fears bare. Look at Ji Haoxuan; the number one genius of the western region now looks like a disciple who has found his master."

"So what?! We should just let him go after he disrupted our Dao Hearts?!" Meng Zhan roared, though he still did not dare take a step forward. "He is arrogant because he feels he has power! If I had that Banner of Calamity, I could talk about tearing the sky too!"

Meng Zhan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes flashing. "He is just a Demonic Cultivator, a bringer of calamity and a heretical practitioner by reputation! He speaks as if he is a Divine Transformation practitioner, or the legendary Sacred Passage for mortals. If he were truly great, then he should say that when he actually reaches that level!"

"Big talk!" snapped a practitioner, his face red with a sense of trampled dignity. "Even if he is Gu Fengyan, the bearer of the Banner of Calamity, isn't he underestimating the geniuses of Chi Di too much? Standing on one’s own feet? Heh, if not for the shelter of the elders, I wouldn't even be here!"

"Right!" echoed another, his voice high-pitched with anger fueled by fear. "How can a heretical wanderer who only knows how to slaughter dare to lecture us on how to face the heavens? He is just a monster who happened to find a shortcut through demonic arts!"

"Just because he could kill a Bei Huanteng, does he think he holds control over all our fates?" Lu Qingyan snorted, snapping her fan shut with a sharp sound. "Demonic arts are still demonic arts. That Banner of Calamity must be what devoured his sanity until he dared to spit out words that defy destiny!"

"Exactly!" Shi Jing added, his eyes flashing with forced hatred. "Look at how arrogant he is. 'Standing on one's own feet'? Doesn't that mean he ignores the merits of the ancestors who built the path for us? He is just a wild animal relying on slaughtering instincts!"

"He calls us ants sheltering under elders' robes," Jing Kuang whispered, his voice full of poison. "But does he not shelter under Holy Maiden Shen’s armpit himself? If not for the aura of the Shen Clan protecting him just now, does he think he could leave this hall alive after insulting our dignity?"

"Is that so?" Ji Haoxuan hissed, his laugh bitter and piercing. "Did you not hear the report that he challenged Holy Son Han Shanshan of the Ancient Han Clan in front of all Nine Ancient Clans, right in the face of the Cang Hai Plains back then? He does not hide behind the face of an Ancient Clan; on the contrary, he stands on our side as a mortal who defies the Ancient Clan dominance!"

"You... you are defending the person who just spat right in your face, Haoxuan?!" Wu Xinghan exclaimed, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Remember your position! You are the pride of the western region, not a follower of a heretical sect!"

"Defending? No," Ji Haoxuan shook his head slowly, a bitter smile still on his lips. "I am merely reflecting on reality. You call it sheltering under the Shen Clan’s armpit? Did you not see just now? Shen Ruolan, that majestic Moon, was the one following behind him! She is the one seeking Gu Fengyan’s attention, not the other way around!"

"Enough, Ji Haoxuan! You’ve lost your mind!" Meng Zhan roared, his steps heavy as he approached Ji Haoxuan’s table. "That man is just using soul manipulation techniques! Who knows if the Holy Maiden herself is under the influence of his sorcery? A devil like him wouldn't hesitate to use dirty ways to ruin the Ancient Clan bloodlines!"

"Right!" agreed a practitioner from the sword sect in the back row. "A mortal practitioner couldn't possibly look at an Ancient Clan with a high chin if they weren't using dark power. That Banner of Calamity... isn't that a cursed object that will drown its user in darkness? He’s just showing off the remains of a candle about to go out!"

"A candle about to go out?" Wei Tianfeng laughed uproariously, his laughter echoing mockingly through the hall. "If a candle about to go out can erase a mid-stage Weaver Transformation in a single blink, then what are we? Ash that hasn't even burned yet?"

"Wei Tianfeng! You are always looking for trouble!" Shi Jing shouted with a flushed face. "Have you forgotten that your Wei Clan has a brotherhood with the Bei Clan? By letting that man go, you are betraying your allies!"

"Allies? Heh, I’m friends with tigers, not with rats who take women hostage when their lives are threatened!" Wei Tianfeng spat on the floor. "You talk about dignity, but you tremble when he stands. You talk about heavenly laws, but you’re afraid when he invites you to tear them apart!"

"Because tearing the sky is madness!" Wu Xinghan interrupted with a high-pitched voice. "It is a taboo! Since ancient times, a mortal is a mortal! Who is he to declare that 'Rebelling against the Heavens is Immortal'? That is a heretical teaching that will bring us all into eternal misery!"

"Perhaps it is madness," Wu Xingyan whispered, her voice soft yet capable of piercing the noise. "But Brother... didn't we all start cultivating because we didn't want to submit to age? Isn't that itself a form of rebellion against mortal destiny? Why, when there is someone who actually does it to the extreme, do we call him a devil?"

"Shut up, Xingyan! You are too young to understand the law of cause and effect!" Wu Xinghan barked at his sister.

"He truly ruined the Dao Hearts of us all today," Lu Qingyan murmured while staring at the empty gateway. "If he appears in Huang Tu, what should we do? Cooperate? Or attack him alongside the Ancient Chen Clan envoys later?"

"Attack him?" Jing Kuang hissed cruelly. "Of course! If he truly wants to stand on his own feet, then let him face all of Chi Di alone! If the Ancient Chen Clan knows there is a 'Gu Fengyan' who wants to tear their sky, they will surely be very happy to crush his legs first!"

"That's right!" Meng Zhan added with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. "In seven days in Huang Tu, we’ll see if his 'Rebelling against the Heavens' can survive before the law of the Chen Clan. There, there will be no Holy Maiden Shen sitting beside him to scare off opponents!"

"You are truly pathetic," Ji Haoxuan rose from his seat, straightening his sacred robes with a movement full of disappointment. "You wait for others to destroy him because you don't have the guts to look at his back yourself. Yuanyi, let’s go. This hall is too full of the smell of fear disguised as pride."

"Brother, wait!" Ji Yuanyi chased after her brother, but she managed to look back at the still-rowdy practitioners. "You keep calling him a devil... but why hasn't a single one of you dared to chase him out that door right now?"

A momentary silence hit the hall after the girl's sharp question, but it was soon broken again by voices of self-defense that grew louder and fuller of hatred.

"Who wants to chase a devil in the darkness of the night?!" Shi Jing shouted loudly. "We have a strategy! We are civilized practitioners, not a wild butcher like him!"

"Exactly! Let him feel like he’s won today!" added another. "Later in Huang Tu, when the Young Kings gather and the great formations are set, he will know that being an independent wanderer is a shortcut to the grave!"

Ji Haoxuan sped out with Ji Yuanyi, leaving the commotion behind as the others remained stuck in their insults and disbelief toward the brown-robed figure. Wei Tianfeng followed behind him, his face filled with a thin smile radiating a glint of impatience.