Chapter 310: The Ascension Assembly of the Chaoxi Immortal Realm

Chapter 310: The Ascension Assembly of the Chaoxi Immortal Realm

Half a year had passed, and on this day, the Second Rank Continent, the Vast Continent, welcomed an uninvited guest. Chen Qiu, the nominal sole disciple of the Great Xia Kingdom's Seventh Prince, had successfully advanced to the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm and arrived at the Vast Continent.

He landed in Profound Heaven Province.

"..."

In Cloud City, the Seventh Prince gazed at the many storytellers in the teahouse, all narrating tales of Chen Qiu. He stood there, slightly dazed, as if in a trance. On this continent, Chen Qiu had not appeared for a long time, but his existence had become a mythical story, a beloved tale among the people. Even after hearing it many times, they couldn't help but pause to listen whenever it was retold.

After all, Chen Qiu was the one who had created the most and greatest miracles on this continent.

He stood in silence for a long time, clenching his fists tightly. It seemed like a long journey ahead to catch up with his master, but he wouldn't give up. He would keep striving, determined to let his master know who the true number one Sword Cultivator of Great Xia was!

"Heh."

At that moment, in a small, unknown space above Profound Heaven Province, the Qi Family's Third Young Master, who had once led others to surround and block Chen Qiu and was now imprisoned in this small space, had reached a state of mental collapse.

His body was devoid of any spiritual energy, and it was hard to believe that he was once a powerful cultivator.

With a blank stare and tattered clothes, he sat in the corner, constantly laughing foolishly, his pupils unable to focus, lost in his thoughts.

It had been eight or nine years.

Anyone imprisoned in such a completely sealed space without spiritual energy for that long would likely end up in a similar state. If there was a way to cultivate, it might have helped pass the time, but without spiritual energy, all he could do was patiently wait for time to pass.

However, at the moment of despair...

The Qi Family's Third Young Master used his remaining spirit stones to set up an illusion array that activated every moment of the twelve-hour cycle, immersing himself in another world. He used this self-deceiving method to numb himself.

He was about to embark on a new life.

After spending several years in the illusion array, the Qi Family's Third Young Master had become somewhat insane, almost unable to distinguish reality from the illusion.

His mental demons had deeply invaded his body, and even if he were released at this point, it would be a long time before he could cultivate again. If he tried, he would surely go astray.

Fortunately, the illusion array was a low-consumption formation that allowed him to keep it running for years. However, after all these years, his spirit stones were almost depleted. When they ran out, the Qi Family's Third Young Master, without the illusion array, would truly experience the depths of solitude.

On the other hand, in another unknown small space...

The White Crane Daoist, at this moment, was panting heavily as he did push-ups on the ground. Although there was still no trace of spiritual energy in his body, his overall condition seemed relatively normal, and his complexion was rosy.

After finishing his push-ups, he even jogged around the space several laps, appearing to be a disciplined and healthy individual.

On the wall, countless vertical lines marked the passing of time.

The Qi Family's Third Young Master had also kept a daily record initially, but as time went by, he became restless and started scribbling on the wall. Eventually, he gave up on this habit, while the White Crane Daoist continued to record diligently.

Although their circumstances were the same...

In terms of their attitude towards life, experience prevailed. In reality, the White Crane Daoist's situation had also been dire at first. In his extreme solitude, he had even resorted to forcefully violating his Refining Illusory Body to seek amusement, an absurd act.

Now, it seemed that his condition had improved, and he had regained his spirit.

As for his Refining Illusory Body, it was bound and restrained by iron chains in the corner.

Wait, something seemed amiss.

Just then—

"Cough, cough!"

The White Crane Daoist, curled up in the corner and bound by iron chains, looked at his other self, panting heavily as he jogged. His eyes were filled with despair and mockery, "How ridiculous! You are clearly just another aspect of me, yet you pretend to be a separate consciousness."

"How can a Refining Illusory Body awaken consciousness?"

"Where is the foundation for your consciousness to awaken?"

"Do you think you're an Artifact Spirit?"

Indeed.

The disciplined White Crane Daoist was his other self. The situation was complex; in essence, after a long period of silence and solitude, his mind had split, resulting in two personalities. The constant switching between personalities caused him immense suffering.

During the personality shifts, he didn't forget the actions of his other self; instead, he observed everything from a third-person perspective.

This made him gradually lose control over his body.

Then, one night...

His other awakened personality took over his Refining Illusory Body, occupying that physical form and claiming to have awakened self-consciousness. It seized the opportunity to bind him.

All he could do was mock.

It was just another aspect of himself, and yet it pretended to be a separate consciousness.

But that wasn't all. The worst part was that this personality decided to take revenge for the Refining Illusory Body, repeating all the actions he had once done to it.

This was what truly drove him to despair.

As the Grand Elder of his family and a powerful Body Integration Stage cultivator, he had never imagined he would fall to such a state. He used to be one of the strongest in the Vast Continent. How could he have ended up like this?

If only he had known.

Why had he sought trouble with Chen Qiu after breaking through the Body Integration Stage? Was it wrong to want to flaunt his strength against someone with a renowned reputation?

Moreover, Chen Qiu was the King of Profound Heaven Province at the time, and such a grand reward was placed right at his doorstep. There was only one Body Integration Stage cultivator in Profound Heaven Province then, so wouldn't it have been unreasonable for him not to take action?

Does he have a problem?

He didn't think he had any problems, but the problem was that he was permanently imprisoned here.

Damn it!

Seven years is a long time, so long that even the Grand Ancestor of Taiping Prefecture, that white-haired old man, had already broken through the Heavenly Dao Shackles of the Vast Continent and successfully arrived at the Heaven-reaching Continent.

"Is this the Third Rank Continent?"

The old man was currently dressed in a martial outfit, with not a trace of deathly aura on his body. Instead, he looked rather spirited as he stood at the entrance of an inn in a certain city, observing the passersby.

The Third Rank Continent was indeed more concentrated.

And this Third Rank Continent, as expected of a polluted continent, had all sorts of bizarre-looking people.

Inside the inn behind him, there was a storyteller narrating the story of Chen Qiu, specifically the part where he obtained three Heavenly Dao Entry Sets on the Vast Continent. The old man had heard this story countless times on the Vast Continent, but he still found it captivating each time.

Especially this story about the Third Rank Continent, which had new developments. It was said that at that time, there was a person on the Fourth Rank Continent known as the Young Master of Ling Pavilion, who was about to obtain a Heavenly Dao Entry Set that no one had ever acquired before. However, to show off, he didn't obtain it immediately but instead invited people from all over the world to attend a celebration banquet, where he would receive the Entry Set and the Heavenly Decree.

He would become famous throughout the world under the gaze of thousands!

But who would have thought that Chen Qiu would beat him to it? In the end, the Young Master of Ling Pavilion was so furious that he sought revenge on Chen Qiu, only to be killed by Chen Qiu instead. Ever since then, the Ling Pavilion had been secretly searching for Chen Qiu's whereabouts.

Yes, they were searching secretly, not daring to openly offer a reward.

"Good, good!"

After finishing a segment, the Grand Ancestor of Taiping Prefecture, who had entered the inn at some point, clapped his hands in applause with a smile on his face. Although he was a bit puzzled that even inns were now in the storytelling business, it wasn't important. What mattered was that he had heard these stories countless times on the Vast Continent.

Although there were some differences in the details, overall, there wasn't much of a difference.

Chen Qiu hadn't returned to the Vast Continent for many years, and he was more interested in what had happened to Chen Qiu after he left the Vast Continent.

"But this story is already several years old. Are there any recent stories about Senior Chen Qiu?"

"Recent years?"

Among the audience, a customer shook his head regretfully, "Senior Chen Qiu hasn't made any moves for more than seven years, and there are no new stories about him. No one knows where he is, and he should be in seclusion somewhere."

"Of course, it's also possible that he has fallen somewhere."

The storyteller on the stage shook his head and denied, "Senior Chen Qiu's reputation has spread across several continents. Anyone who can kill Senior Chen Qiu will instantly become famous. Who can refuse such fame? If he had truly fallen at someone's hands, they would definitely boast about it."

"Moreover..."

"The last news we had of Senior Chen Qiu was when he had already reached the Body Integration Stage. For cultivators at this level, it's not unusual for them to go into seclusion for not just seven years, but even seventy or seven hundred years."

"Who knows, by the time Senior Chen Qiu comes out of seclusion after a hundred years, he might already be at the peak of the Body Integration Stage."

"That's true."

The audience below nodded in agreement. For cultivators of such high cultivation levels, seclusion indeed took a long time, not just for Chen Qiu but for others as well.

It was just that they had gotten used to Chen Qiu's seclusion periods being extremely short, and they needed some time to adjust to this continuous seclusion of several years.

"He's in seclusion."

The Grand Ancestor of Taiping Prefecture sighed with some regret. He had originally thought that after arriving at the Heaven-reaching Continent, he would hear new stories, as he had heard these stories so many times on the Vast Continent that his ears had grown calluses.

Just then—

He suddenly spotted a fairy walking towards him in the crowd.

It was none other than the fairy from the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, the House of Wei.

"Hey."

The Grand Ancestor of Taiping Prefecture smiled, "I've already reached the Third Rank Continent. You're so slow, I feel like I might have a chance to go to the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm in my lifetime."

"Tsk."

The House of Wei's master lightly clicked her tongue before rolling her eyes at the Grand Ancestor and naturally walked to his side, linking her arm with his and leaning against him. She spoke softly, "In a few days, there will be a very important event in the Immortal Realm, and many important figures will be there. I want you to come with me."

"Huh?"

The Grand Ancestor of Taiping Prefecture looked at her in surprise, "Although I know that you are the master of the House of Wei, as far as I know, the House of Wei is just a small power in the Immortal Realm. You said that many important figures will be there, and you have the qualifications to go as well?"

"Are you looking down on me?"

The woman was annoyed and impatient, "I'm going with my old friend Badan. I definitely won't have the qualifications to enter alone, so are you coming with me or not?"

"Of course I'm going, but how will I get to the Immortal Realm?"

"I'll ask my old friend Badan to take you there."

"Why do you insist on me going? What can I do with my cultivation level?"

"You're my man, and you want me to face everything alone? What do I need you for then?"

"Hmm, that makes sense. What kind of event is it?"

"You'll know when you get there."

"How big are these important figures?"

". . ."

The woman's expression gradually became complex, and she spoke softly, "The kind that can decide the fate of the world with a single word."

"Exaggeration?"

"Realism."

"Hiss..."

The Grand Ancestor of Taiping Prefecture took a deep breath and said, "There won't be any danger, right?"

"Are you afraid?"

"I'm worried about you. What am I afraid of? I've never been soft in my life, and you know that."

"Hmm, you've never been soft, but you can't stay hard for long either."

"That's going too far!"

Grand Ancestor of Taiping Prefecture's face turned sour with a mix of shame and anger. "Are you looking for a place to show off?"

"Tsk, then let's have a little demonstration."

"Are you the Bai Family Patriarch?"

In the Heaven-reaching Continent, the Bai Family had an unexpected visitor. The powerful Patriarch of the Bai Family, who was almost the overlord of the entire continent, now stood in a disheveled state, looking utterly pathetic. He didn't dare to lift his eyes to the figure above, but instead, he cautiously and meekly spoke.

"This junior is indeed the Bai Family Patriarch. I pay my respects to the immortal. I wonder what instructions you have for me."

A few breaths earlier.

A young man dressed in white appeared above the Bai Family, with one hand behind his back and a folding fan in his grasp.

His spiritual sense unreservedly enveloped the entire Bai Family, and before he could even speak, the other party merely glanced at him. The spiritual energy he had just gathered instantly exploded within his body, causing him to suffer minor internal injuries and fall to the ground.

Although the injury wasn't severe.

But with just that glance, he knew he was no match for this person.

This person's cultivation was extremely terrifying, even more so than Elder Chen Qiu. It was beyond the strength of the Tribulation Stage, a power that shouldn't exist on the continent. It was a strength only found in the Immortal Realm.

This person was from the Immortal Realm.

But why would an immortal from the Immortal Realm seek out the Bai Family? They couldn't have offended anyone from the Immortal Realm.

"Hmm."

After confirming the identity of the Bai Family Patriarch, the young man in white slowly descended to the ground, scanning the Bai Family with a single glance that seemed to see through all their restrictions and walls. He casually waved his right hand.

Vast spiritual energy surged into the Bai Family, lifting a young girl and bringing her to his side.

This young girl, filled with terror and unable to utter a word, was none other than the daughter of the Bai Family Patriarch.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jiang Buying, but people usually call me Young Master Jiang."

"If Elder Chen Qiu returns one day."

"Please convey a message to him. If he wants to save this woman, he should come to the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, the Tidal Immortal Realm, and find me. I will wait for him there for a hundred years. Within that time, if he comes, I will be there."

"If he appears sooner, you can find me at the Ascension Assembly in the Tidal Immortal Realm."

He spoke without engaging in further conversation with the Bai Family Patriarch. With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished from the spot.

The Bai Family Patriarch, who had no means of resistance from start to finish, could only stare at their departing figures with eyes filled with bitterness and despair. His daughter, who had just recovered from her "Immortal Cancer," now faced another crisis!

He didn't recognize this person.

But from his tone, he seemed to be Elder Chen Qiu's enemy. But if you can't find Elder Chen Qiu, why involve the Bai Family? Their relationship was merely one of cooperation. Why would Elder Chen Qiu risk his life for the Patriarch's daughter?

All his accumulated resources, all his trump cards, all his means.

Were rendered useless in the face of a true immortal.

The Bai Family Patriarch, who had already given up on his ambitions and planned to retire in the Heaven-reaching Continent, suddenly had an epiphany. He realized that he needed to become stronger; otherwise, the idea of a peaceful retirement was just a luxury.

"Huff"

After taking a deep breath, he rose from the ground and silently returned to his residence, grateful that no members of the Bai Family had come to gawk. This allowed him to keep his humiliating state hidden from others.

He couldn't guarantee that Elder Chen Qiu would return, and even if he did, he wasn't sure if he would be willing to risk his life for the Patriarch's daughter.

But one thing he could be certain of was that his daughter would likely be safe for the next hundred years.

In that time, he needed to become strong enough to personally kill the immortal and reclaim his daughter.

And at that moment—

On a flying boat high above the Fifth Rank Immortal Realm, Jiang Buying casually cracked some melon seeds, glancing at the girl beside him whose mouth was sealed shut. He spoke nonchalantly, "Don't worry, if nothing unexpected happens, you should be able to go home in a hundred years."

"After all, the chances of Elder Chen Qiu appearing aren't that high."

"But he is, after all, the strongest among that group. I need to leave some means for him, just in case he gives me some surprises."

He had been closely monitoring the news from the Drunken Life and Dream Death Secret Realm. When he learned that someone had passed through this realm, it meant that his body had been found and retrieved.

And among all those who entered this realm, the strongest was none other than Elder Chen Qiu.

Interestingly, Elder Chen Qiu was also the Sovereign of the Mocking Heaven Sect. Although Jiang Buying had thoroughly investigated Elder Chen Qiu, he found no connection between him and the Mocking Heaven Sect from tens of thousands of years ago. Elder Chen Qiu didn't possess any of the Mocking Heaven Sect's unique inheritance entries or the sect's special techniques.

It seemed to be just a coincidence.

But.

But in the Three Thousand Continents, there were many sects with the same name. Why was it that the Mocking Heaven Sect had almost no duplicates? It was because after that great change in the heavens and earth, everything related to the Mocking Heaven Sect had disappeared. Everyone subconsciously ignored those three words, and no one would think of using them when naming something.

So, it was highly likely.

That Elder Chen Qiu had unintentionally obtained the Mocking Heaven Sect's Sovereign Token and inherited an empty sect.

He probably also gained some fortuitous opportunities.

This explained his smooth development, but Jiang Buying didn't care about that. He only cared about whether his body could be brought back.

Jiang Buying, who had been calm, suddenly remembered his imprisonment in the Mocking Heaven Sect and the desperate wait for death in the flames. His face contorted in rage as he roared, "Damn it! Damn it all!!"

"They all deserve to die!!"

But he quickly regained his composure and, seeing the frightened girl beside him, he smiled and said, "Sorry, I scared you. I just remembered some unpleasant experiences."

"Everyone has their fair share of bad experiences, right?"

"Even I am no exception."

"But as long as we're alive, there's always hope. We can't live in the shadows of the past forever; we must stay optimistic and keep moving forward."

He didn't care about any of this.

He knew where Chen Qiu was currently located, imprisoned in the "Cao Tian Palace" within the Void. So, he waited, biding his time until Chen Qiu returned, so he could find him and reclaim his own body.

Once he obtained that body,

his cultivation would recover to almost eighty percent of his peak strength. Then, he wouldn't have to stay in this low-grade Immortal Realm, squabbling with children over opportunities; it was all so tedious.

The only problem was,

Chen Qiu had a nine in ten chance of never returning. But he didn't know how to escape the "Cao Tian Palace," so he could only pin his hopes on Chen Qiu's return from the palace.

If Chen Qiu could come back, that would be ideal.

If not, it didn't matter; he would continue with his plan to gradually restore his strength, albeit at a slower pace. He estimated that in five thousand years, he would be able to cultivate back to eighty percent of his peak strength.

This would be barely enough to gain entry to the upper echelons.

It's always good to have a backup plan; you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket.

At this moment, within the "Cao Tian Palace" in the Void, Chen Qiu's cultivation had smoothly reached the "Tribulation Seventh Layer." By now, he had accumulated 12 chances for the "Ultimate-grade" entry in the triple-choice scenario.

In other words, he had four opportunities to draw.

It had been seven and a half years since he was trapped here.

From the initial boredom and tedium to the present, he had gradually grown accustomed to this place, especially since his cultivation speed increased every month, indicating that the disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect were in a safe state, which reassured him.

After breaking through the Tribulation Seventh Layer,

he suddenly realized that his control over this palace had increased slightly. It turned out that some functions were not revealed until his cultivation reached a certain level.

For instance, the mobility function.

The entire "Cao Tian Palace" could move, and not slowly at that, without consuming Spirit Stones. The driving force was the endless, violent Spirit Qi in the Void, which meant it could only move within the Void. On a continent, such movement would require a vast amount of Spirit Stones.

Upon discovering this function,

he began to activate the palace's movement in the Void. After a full week of continuous motion, he hadn't encountered any Heavenly Dao Shackles on any continent.

But the next moment—

Chen Qiu's eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly flew into the air above the courtyard. As the "Cao Tian Palace" slowed down, he noticed an extremely vast and pitch-black presence ahead.

This sight brought tears to his eyes.

After so many years, this was the first time he had encountered such a change. For seven years, the palace had been surrounded by endless, blindingly bright Void, and this was the first time he had seen the Heavenly Dao Shackles of another continent.

It wasn't that hard to find, after all.

He had simply flown in one direction in the Void for seven days and found a continent.

At this moment, Fat Dragon and the Realm Host were also flying in the air, gazing at the distant, pitch-black presence with excitement. This was the first time they had seen a sign of a possible escape.

"But..." The Realm Host quickly realized and spoke with a hint of disappointment, "We don't know the password."

".

Chen Qiu's excitement faded as he fell silent. Yes, they didn't know the password. Each continent's Heavenly Dao Shackles had its own password, and this password required entering at a specific speed to succeed.

If the speed was too slow or too fast, one would be annihilated within.

This annihilating force was as unstoppable as the Void itself.

"Wait a moment."

Chen Qiu quickly thought of a solution and turned to the Realm Host, "When our secret realm first departed, didn't we pass through a Heavenly Dao Shackle? Since you know the password for that shackle, can't we just return and pass through it again?"

"It's not possible."

The Realm Host shook his head and whispered, "I don't have the exact coordinates of that Heavenly Dao Shackle. Initially, I was able to navigate successfully in the Void, reaching this palace and the collapsed continent that resembled a meatball, all by borrowing the secret realm's power for positioning and control."

"I don't have that ability myself."

"I'm just a controller."

"After the secret realm forcibly ejected me, I lost those capabilities and means."

"Moreover, all Heavenly Dao Shackles are the same. Without special means, you can't determine which continent's Heavenly Dao Shackle you're facing. For instance, the one before us now might be the same one we passed through when we left."

"If we were to take a gamble, theoretically, there's a chance we could guess correctly."

"But the odds are..."

"Is there really no way to obtain the password for this continent's Heavenly Dao Shackle?" Chen Qiu asked, his brows furrowed in disappointment.

"In theory, there is a way."

The Realm Host hesitated, then said, "If this continent has a large secret realm that requires passing through the Heavenly Dao Shackle, and the Artifact Spirit within that secret realm has awakened its self-awareness, and I can contact it, then I might be able to obtain the password for this continent's Heavenly Dao Shackle from it."

"Usually, it's only in such a situation that one can learn the password for a continent's Heavenly Dao Shackle."

"Other than that, the Heavenly Dao rarely reveals this information."

"This password is of utmost importance to a continent."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end