Ascension Day

"Weiyang, hold on to Zhu Tian!"

Xu Ying shouted, "Don't get pulled in!"

Their Divine Senses were becoming unstable, pulled toward that eye by an immense force. Both Yuan Weiyang and Xu Ying desperately tried to sense Zhu Tian, attempting to steady themselves, but they were simply no match for that power!

Within the Lishan Mausoleum, Elder Lady Yuan and Lady Yuan flanked Yuan Wuji on his left and right. Yuan Wuji was still pressing deeper into the mausoleum. Although many of its seals and restrictions had been broken, it remained extremely dangerous.

The Pre-Qin Qi Refiners who built the Lishan Mausoleum had hung Magical Treasures in the mountain, some of which targeted the soul and were incredibly sinister.

Nuo Masters found it difficult to temper the soul. Only those who had opened the Spring Secret Treasury could cultivate a powerful soul, but very few people had ever managed to do so.

"My lord, what is it you're looking for?" Elder Lady Yuan inquired.

Yuan Wuji smiled. "I've heard that in the Pre-Qin era, there was an Exotic Treasure, the Suihou Pearl. It could see through heaven, earth, and the Netherworld, and could even illuminate the Ten Thousand Realms. With this pearl, combined with my Yuan Family's All Heavens and Myriad Paths, we could enter the Ten Thousand Realms Space and obtain boundless wealth. I've also heard that the two strongest Celestial Artisans of the Pre-Qin era, Ouyezhi and Gan Jiang, joined forces. They gathered the formless, traceless power of the world's might, refined Qi into a sword, and forged the Tai'e Sword. This sword embodies all the Sword Qi in the world. Its Sword Qi can annihilate nations and is unstoppable! Both the Suihou Pearl and the Tai'e Sword are most likely within the Lishan Mausoleum."

He paused, his gaze growing fervent. "Besides these two treasures, there is one other thing most likely buried here... the Nine Tripods!"

He flicked his sleeve, summoning a cloud that drifted forward. Suddenly, a banner fell from a tree in the woods ahead and fluttered gently toward them.

Elder Lady Yuan and Lady Yuan's souls trembled, and their Three Souls and Seven Spirits were nearly shattered by the banner's movement.

Just then, Yuan Wuji stepped in front of them. His Primordial Spirit rose from behind him, vast and boundless. He pointed a finger, and the banner burst into flames, no longer a threat.

Elder Lady Yuan's heart pounded in her chest. She caught her breath and said, "My lord, this place is too dangerous. I can still handle it, but Weiyang's mother doesn't have the required Cultivation. Let her go down and stay with Weiyang."

Yuan Wuji nodded.

Elder Lady Yuan shot Lady Yuan a look and smiled. "You should go keep the children company. I'll handle things here."

Lady Yuan didn't understand her meaning but did as she was told, retreating to Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang's side.

Yuan Weiyang and Xu Ying were holding hands, sitting on Yuan Qi's head. When Lady Yuan saw this, she couldn't help but frown. Still, she didn't stop them, thinking, 'Weiyang is a girl, after all. She can't keep pretending to be Young Master Weiyang forever. As her mother, I want her to find a good match.'

She didn't notice the perilous situation Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang were in.

Up ahead, Yuan Wuji said, "The Nine Tripods trace back to a more ancient time, around the transition between the Ancient and Primeval eras. There was a Saint Emperor named Da Yu who forged the Nine Tripods in the shape of the Divine Land to suppress its destiny. Did you know? There's another reason for Zhou Qiyun's defeat."

Elder Lady Yuan replied, "I do not know."

Yuan Wuji said, "Zhou Qiyun's failure was due to his Hidden Scenery."

Elder Lady Yuan was greatly perplexed.

Yuan Wuji explained, "His Hidden Scenery was identical to the Divine Land. He traveled across the Divine Land, measuring its terrain and traversing its mountains and rivers, making its landscape his Hidden Scenery. When his Hidden Land unfolded, he could have wielded the power of the entire Divine Land to fight the Celestial Tribulation, holding all living beings hostage to defy the Celestial Dao! Had he succeeded, he would have won without a fight, and Ascension would have been effortless."

Understanding dawned on Elder Lady Yuan. "You are right, my lord."

Yuan Wuji continued, "But that was exactly where he went wrong. The Divine Land at the time his Cultivation Technique reached Great Success was not the true Divine Land, but a sealed version of it. So when the Naihe River invaded and the Underworld encroached, and the sealed world reappeared, his Hidden Scenery could no longer merge with heaven and earth. He couldn't hold the people of the Divine Land hostage to fight the Celestial Dao. So he had to settle for the next best thing: holding the Celestial Gods hostage."

He couldn't help but laugh. "My lady, the Great Qin acquired the Nine Tripods. Then, during the transition between the Qin and Han Dynasties, they vanished. There is only one place they could have gone: brought into the Lishan Mausoleum by Emperor Zulong. The mountains and rivers within the Lishan Mausoleum are identical to the Divine Land of Ancient Times. Tell me, my lady, don't you think the Nine Tripods are hidden here?"

Elder Lady Yuan was his first wife and a great master of the Ninth Layer of Grotto Heaven. Hearing this, she said, "What you say makes a great deal of sense, my lord. But what do you intend to do with the Nine Tripods?"

Yuan Wuji smiled. "Zhou Qiyun's actions have shown me a possibility."

His eyes flashed. "To fully activate the Nine Tripods, merge them with my Hidden Scenery, and spread it out to cover the entire Divine Land. I will hold all of its people hostage to defy the Celestial Dao and the Celestial Tribulation. Tell me, my lady, would the Celestial Dao dare to destroy all living beings just to stop me from Crossing the Tribulation and Ascending?"

Elder Lady Yuan smiled. "My lord, you practice the Primordial Dao All Heavens Sensing, which requires a Dao Heart as firm as a rock, eternally unshaken. Why is it that in recent days, your Dao Heart seems less steady than before?"

Yuan Wuji's body stiffened for a moment before he relaxed, smiling. "Is that so? Perhaps it's because my Cultivation of the Yellow Court Daoist Skill has resolved the hidden danger of being consumed by the Great Abyss during Enlightenment. I may have become a little unrestrained."

A look of realization crossed Elder Lady Yuan's face. "I see. It was I who misunderstood you, my lord. I was worried something was wrong with your state of mind. Do you still remember the vows we made to each other when we fell in love?"

Yuan Wuji chuckled. "How could I forget? We were by the Luo River, and we swore an oath by its waters that our hearts would be bound together, like the river's unending flow for ten thousand years. What strange things are you imagining, my lady?"

Elder Lady Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, her worries easing. "I just noticed you've been a little different these past few days, my lord. Sometimes you get carried away and have trouble controlling your emotions. I thought perhaps something had gone wrong with your Cultivation of the Yellow Court Daoist Skill."

Yuan Wuji laughed heartily. "You're overthinking things, my lady. I was just recalling the story of Zhou Qiyun, and it stirred my emotions. I will be careful."

Elder Lady Yuan said, "I see. We've been husband and wife for over two hundred years, and I've noticed even some of your little habits have changed. I was afraid you had been influenced by the Yellow Court Daoist Skill and turned into a different person."

Yuan Wuji shook his head. "You worry too much, my lady. Look at the cliff face ahead!"

His expression turned excited, and he shot forward.

Elder Lady Yuan hurriedly followed him, crying out, "Be careful!"

Both were top masters of their generation. They moved with extreme speed, reaching the base of the cliff in moments.

Behind them, Yuan Qi was carrying Lady Yuan, Zhu Chanchan, Xu Ying, and the others. Just as they tried to catch up to Elder Lady Yuan and Yuan Wuji, a thick, impenetrable fog suddenly poured out from the valley, completely enveloping them.

Lady Yuan's Divine Sense was powerful, and she immediately released it to probe her surroundings. To her shock, she couldn't detect anything at all!

She couldn't even feel the ground when her Divine Sense touched it, nor could she sense Xu Ying, Yuan Weiyang, or the others.

She had the feeling that if she took even a single step, she would fall into a bottomless abyss, plummeting forever without end!

She didn't dare to move a muscle, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. 'There are restrictions this powerful in the Lishan Mausoleum? This feels like the great terror one experiences during Enlightenment!'

Suddenly, a startled cry rang out from the fog—it sounded like Elder Lady Yuan. It was followed by the tremor of a Divine Power erupting, and then silence.

Then, a heart-wrenching, mournful wail echoed out as the fog slowly began to dissipate.

Lady Yuan threw caution to the wind and rushed forward. At the foot of the mountain ahead, she saw blood pooling on the ground. The white-haired Elder Lady Yuan was lying in it.

Yuan Wuji was kneeling beside Elder Lady Yuan's body, wailing at the sky, utterly devastated.

A chill ran through Lady Yuan's heart. Her strength seemed to drain away, and she sank weakly to her knees.

Seeing this, Zhu Chanchan, Yuan Qi, and the others were overcome with sorrow.

Tears streamed down Yuan Wuji's aged face. He gradually stopped sobbing under Uncle Xiao's attempts to comfort him and turned to the others. "By the time I tried to save her, it was too late. The pain... my late wife—"

Zhu Chanchan shed tears, and Da Zhong let out a low hum. But no one noticed that the sky above their heads was tilting and distorting more and more.

Back in the Abyss, just as Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang's Divine Senses were about to fall for eternity, they suddenly sensed another Zhu Tian.

It was the Zhu Tian formed by the Nine Tripods, the great cauldrons hidden in the Lishan Mausoleum!

"Weiyang!"

Xu Ying roared. Their minds connected, and their Divine Senses immediately linked to the Nine Tripods, anchoring themselves to the acupoints of their Flesh Bodies!

"Bring it on!"

They shouted in unison, "Either the Nine Tripods pull us out, or we'll drag the Nine Tripods and their Zhu Tian into the Abyss with us!"

————Working hard on writing, earnestly asking for monthly tickets!