Chapter 2485: True Immortals Descend Ascend to the Immortal Realm (Finale)

"This is merely an unfulfilled wish of my former master, something that can only be accomplished after he ascends," the Crab Daoist said, nodding before falling silent.

At this moment, the five-colored cloud mass in the sky grew increasingly vast, emanating an indescribably solemn aura.

"Fellow Daoists, please take cover for a moment. My tribulation is about to begin!" Han Li said, his eyes narrowing as he gazed up at the sky.

Moguang and the others naturally had no objections. Their escape lights flared, and they immediately shot away from the desolate island.

Simultaneously, Han Li flicked his sleeve, and a ball of golden light shot forth. Within it, a bald, eyebrowless purple-gold figure shimmered for a moment before vanishing into the void.

It was the Gold Devouring Worm King.

Han Li then calmly sat down cross-legged.

After a few flashes, Moguang, Firebeard, and the others appeared high in the sky on the far side of the desolate island. They halted their escape lights and turned to gaze towards the island's center.

A colossal rumble echoed from a distance. Within the five-colored clouds, a massive, dark void suddenly materialized. A howling sound erupted from within, as a grayish-white wind swept downwards.

This wind began as a mere wisp, but the moment it exited the black hole, it rapidly transformed into a roaring, overwhelming tempest, pressing down with a buzzing sound.

"The Wind of Heavenly Gang has appeared. It seems the Ascension Tribulation has truly begun," Firebeard remarked with a chuckle upon witnessing the scene.

"Although this Heavenly Gang Wind is formidable, Daoist Han already possesses the means to counter it. There's nothing to fear," Moguang stated calmly.

No sooner had the Heavenly Demon finished speaking than a green lotus bloomed in the center of the desolate island. It was initially the size of a house, but in the blink of an eye, it expanded to several acres. After a gentle rotation, a swirling mass of azure sword light erupted from its core, slicing through everything in its vicinity.

Despite the swirling sand, rolling stones, and raging celestial wind outside, the green lotus remained perfectly still at a low altitude, securely protecting everything beneath it.

The Wind of Heavenly Gang continued to blow for several hours.

For an ordinary Grand Ascension cultivator, this wind alone would cause immense suffering and deplete a considerable amount of their spiritual power, making it impossible to survive the even more terrifying tribulations that followed.

For Han Li, however, this amount of spiritual power was merely a drop in the bucket.

A dull thud!

A flash of radiant light emanated from the black hole, and the raging winds abruptly ceased. First, a scorching aura swept out, then the black hole's periphery expanded slightly, revealing countless crimson runes floating forth.

Each of these palm-sized runes glittered brightly, with faint golden patterns subtly appearing and disappearing on their surfaces.

After a series of muffled "puffs," the runes drifted briefly below the black hole before bursting into clusters of crimson light.

The next moment, a torrential rain of molten sulfuric droplets poured down from the sky, dyeing nearly half of the heavens a deep crimson.

Even though the desolate island was immense and far from the molten rain's immediate reach, those standing at its edge felt waves of scorching heat amidst the sulfurous air. Their expressions shifted, and they quickly deployed various defensive magic treasures to shield themselves.

The Ink Spirit Sacred Boat itself trembled, then manifested a thick black curtain, enveloping and protecting everyone aboard.

A flicker of worry crossed the faces of Nangong Wan and the others.

Standing there, they were only slightly affected by the molten rain's power, yet they already seemed overwhelmed.

Han Li, who was directly beneath it, must have been enduring something a hundred times more intense.

What worried them even more was that this was only the beginning of the heavenly tribulation!

A clear cry emanated from within the massive green lotus, and a colossal silver bird burst forth.

The bird was only a few dozen feet in size when it first emerged. However, as it spread its wings, oblivious to the molten droplets, its feathers transformed into a pale gold, and it instantly swelled to a colossal thousand-foot leviathan. Simultaneously, an inexplicable chill radiated from its body, instantly transforming thousands of miles of surrounding land into a frozen expanse.

For three days and three nights, various types of heavenly tribulations cascaded down, yet Han Li, protected within the green lotus, calmly weathered each one.

By now, the entire desolate island had been utterly annihilated by the terrifying tribulations, leaving only the gleaming green lotus, suspended by a glowing array, shining brightly below.

The surrounding sea level had dropped by several dozen feet; one half had frozen into a crystalline ice surface, while the other had become a turbulent sea of molten liquid.

Apart from Ice Soul Silver Moon and a few other Grand Ascension cultivators, everyone else had been forced to retreat to a more distant location to wait.

When the black hole in the sky vanished in a flash, clusters of purple electric arcs began to coalesce within the five-colored clouds. The most terrifying aspect of the heavenly tribulation—the lightning tribulation—had finally arrived.

Han Li, however, was well-prepared. With a raise of his hand, a small gray mountain materialized above the green lotus. After a gentle spin, it expanded into a colossal peak, ten thousand feet tall, seeming to prop up the heavens.

A resonant hum!

Rings of gray light immediately swept out from the peak, rippling outwards in all directions.

Each purple-gold lightning bolt descending from the sky would visibly shrink a fraction every time it was touched by a light ring.

These light rings actually contained a certain fundamental power that perfectly countered heavenly lightning.

Some purple-gold electric arcs even dissipated into nothingness in mid-air, struck simultaneously by more than a dozen light rings before they could descend.

However, the remaining electric arcs, seemingly intangible, bypassed the colossal gray peak entirely, piercing straight through it.

Witnessing this, Han Li's eyes flared with blinding blue light, and he abruptly stood up.

A long roar soared straight into the heavens!

A colossal, three-headed, six-armed demon god instantly appeared from within the green lotus. With one hand, it simply grasped the void, and a massive, dark green sword materialized before it.

The demon god ignored the massive sword. Instead, it roared, and a seemingly tangible golden barrier materialized around its body. Simultaneously, it clenched its six fists and struck fiercely upwards.

After a series of deafening explosions, a massive, golden, misty vortex appeared above the demon god's head. With a slight rotation, a terrifying force erupted from within.

Under the immense pull of this force, most of the descending purple-gold electric arcs flashed and were drawn into the vortex.

The few remaining bolts that slipped through struck the golden barrier protecting the demon god, causing it to violently shudder a few times but not shatter.

This was precisely the "Primal Gang Shield," one of the Immortal Realm secret arts Han Li cultivated.

The purple-gold electric arcs continued to fall for over half an hour. When the period concluded, the high-altitude arcs briefly subsided, and faint phantom images of purple-gold lightning dragons began to emerge within the five-colored clouds.

As they simultaneously extended their heads and opened their mouths wide, colossal, house-sized lightning orbs rained down.

With a resounding "boom," the barrier around the three-headed, six-armed demon god, having been entwined by more than a dozen purple-gold lightning serpents, finally shattered into countless fragments and vanished.

After the five-colored clouds high above shifted, the thunder subsided, and the originally expressionless giant face that had materialized within them slowly began to blur and fade.

Behind the colossal, fading face, a dazzling purple light flashed, and a long white fissure slowly opened. Faint sounds resembling Buddhist chants could be heard emanating from within.

"The Gate to the Immortal Realm!"

Below, Han Li, still in his demon god form, had already expended ninety percent of his spiritual power. Upon seeing this, he secretly rejoiced. With a single hand seal, his body rapidly shrunk back to its human form. He gazed up at the milky-white fissure in the sky, his face unable to conceal his intense excitement.

But just then, the colossal face, which had almost faded from sight, unexpectedly opened its mouth once more.

Following a clap of thunder, a seven-colored electric arc, starkly different from the previous ones, flashed down. With a single, eerie flicker, it pierced straight through the giant peak and the green lotus, arriving directly above Han Li's head.

"Oh no!"

Han Li was startled. He immediately rubbed his hands together, raised them high, and a series of golden thunder-fire bolts shot forth. Then, with a flick of the dark green wooden sword in his hand, it transformed into a dazzling emerald rainbow that shot upwards to meet the incoming arc.

A colossal explosion, reverberating across the entire sky.

A brilliant halo, vibrant enough to illuminate the entire ocean, materialized in the void. However, after flickering violently a few times, it shattered into countless pieces amidst waves of fundamental energy fluctuations.

The emerald sword light flashed downwards again, and Han Li stumbled out, still clutching the dark green wooden sword.

At this point, his face was exceptionally pale, his entire body scorched black, and the wooden sword in his hand had inexplicably snapped in half.

Han Li lowered his gaze to inspect the broken wooden sword, then looked up at the colossal face in the sky. Only when he confirmed it had truly vanished this time did he exhale a long breath, finally relaxing.

"Heh heh, congratulations, Brother Han, on successfully passing the heavenly tribulation. You can ascend to the Heavenly Realm immediately."

A ripple appeared nearby, and a misty black light array flashed into existence. Then, Moguang, Firebeard, the Crab Daoist, and the golden miniature figure all appeared simultaneously. Moguang, with a low chuckle, remarked,

"Indeed, I've finally overcome the Ascension Tribulation. Soon, I'll become a true immortal," Han Li murmured, as if to himself.

Moguang smiled faintly, just as he was about to speak further, when the milky-white fissure in the sky suddenly erupted with incredibly vibrant, colorful light. An extraordinarily thick milky-white light pillar burst forth from it, instantly enveloping Han Li and the others within its hazy glow.

The light pillar gently rotated, and immediately, countless golden runes surged forth. Simultaneously, an almost suffocating wave of Immortal Realm fundamental power radiated outwards, instantly sweeping across every corner of the Spirit Realm.

Upon sensing this subtle ripple, all cultivators above the Grand Ascension stage immediately closed their eyes in joyful surprise, beginning to comprehend its profound meaning.

Moguang and Firebeard exchanged a look of delight. Immediately, Moguang's body swayed, transforming into a wisp of black mist that merged into Han Li's form. Firebeard, with a single hand seal, became a fireball and disappeared into Han Li's wide sleeve.

The Gold Devouring Worm King, being an immortal puppet, and the Crab Daoist, Han Li's spirit beast, naturally had no fear of the light pillar. At Han Li's beckoning, they too transformed into streaks of light and entered a spirit beast ring on his wrist.

Just then, sounds of rushing air could be heard from the distant sky, and over a dozen streaks of escape light faintly appeared on the horizon, rapidly heading towards their location.

But it was already too late.

Han Li caught only a faint glimpse of Nangong Wan's anxious face within one of the approaching escape lights before he felt his body lighten. Enveloped in countless golden rays, he was instantly drawn upwards along the light pillar, rocketing towards the fissure high in the sky.

The instant he entered the fissure, Han Li felt his entire body stiffen and his head grow heavy, and then he lost consciousness.

After an indeterminate period, Han Li slowly opened his eyes to a sensation of coolness, his gaze falling upon the extraordinarily handsome face of a young man.

The young man, the owner of the face, smiled faintly, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth as he spoke:

"I am Gao Sheng. Welcome, fellow Daoist, to the Northern Cold Immortal Domain upon your ascension!"