Chapter 1351: Ascension

“If you can focus on the path of immortality, you might still have a chance to surpass me.”

Old Demon Ye suddenly lost interest, his voice filled with regret.

If the Guiding Platform hadn't given him the opportunity to 'ascend', he would have been unrivalled in the Northern Star Realm, crushing all his former powerful enemies underfoot. Standing alone at the peak, with no one to accompany him, it would indeed be very lonely.

Around the green platform, the spatial turbulence was growing denser. In a little while, it might be too late to leave.

Below the Guiding Platform, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Tianxing Alliance showed signs of worry in their eyes. Old Demon Ye had previously said that only cultivators in the late Nascent Soul stage would have a glimmer of hope. It seemed he wasn't exaggerating, as Demonic Lord Tongyou and True Master Canghong had both been forced to retreat.

Only Daoist Zhenyi continued to persevere. The two Twin Generals of the Tianxing Alliance, true disciples of Daoist Zhenyi and practically raised by him like his own sons, were like ants on a hot griddle, filled with extreme anxiety.

Daoist Zhenyi's figure swayed in the storm. With his eyes tightly shut, he paid no heed to Old Demon Ye's mockery. Strange lights flickered around him as he unleashed all his techniques, giving no thought to retreat, showing no intention of backing down—it was an all-out, decisive struggle!

A flicker of surprise crossed Old Demon Ye's eyes. He dropped his mocking expression and looked directly at Daoist Zhenyi.

At that moment, the Ziwei Palace flew higher and higher, disappearing into the spatial storm. A piece of land appeared in the sky, embedded within the void. The Immortal Palace was ascending!

"It's time," Old Demon Ye murmured, tapping his foot lightly.

The Guiding Platform vibrated. The green platform trembled, shooting out a pillar of green light that soared into the depths of the void. Ancient runes permeated the air as the green light enveloped everyone.

"Don't forget your promise to me!"

Bai suddenly opened his eyes and roared, forming a hand seal. The Demon-Binding Ropes on Jade Bone shattered inch by inch, unleashing their remaining power.

Immediately after, Bai's entire body of flesh and bone began to squirm, crackling audibly.

*Crack! Crack!*

He severed his own hands and feet. This was still not enough!

Bai, being a Corpse Refining body, seemed to feel no pain. His eyes remained unwavering as he mechanically extracted every bone from his body and arranged them before him. Each bone bore a bone curse, meticulously arranged according to a pattern. He was actually following the old path of the mysterious person in the Water Prison, refining himself into a bone array!

This scene, even to Nascent Soul cultivators, was utterly shocking.

*Crack!*

Finally, only Bai's head remained, placing itself at the core of the bone array.

Old Demon Ye was also somewhat stunned. He highly valued Bai but had never tried to recruit him, having his own calculations. Given Bai and Qing Jun's strength, it would be impossible for them to pass through the spatial turbulence safely. They would inevitably ask him for help, and all he wanted was the knowledge in Bai's mind; a remnant soul would suffice.

"I didn't expect this fellow to mutilate himself. Is there something I haven't accounted for?" Old Demon Ye mused to himself.

The bone array was complete!

At this moment, everyone on the green platform felt their bodies tighten. Carried by the green light, they involuntarily flew towards the void. The Immortal Palace was directly in the path of the green light. The spatial storm's power was partially blocked by the Immortal Palace, but if one's own strength was insufficient, the outcome would be to be crushed into pulp by the spatial storm, leaving no trace.

In a flash, the spatial storm was directly overhead.

*Boom!*

The green light was struck. The bone array glowed with a pale light, protecting Qing Jun.

Daoist Zhenyi coughed up blood, his face as pale as gold leaf. He gave a bitter smile, lifted his eyelids, and looked at Old Demon Ye, sighing and self-mocking, "I am not your equal."

Seeing this, the Twin Generals knelt down and cried out in sorrow, "Master!"

Old Demon Ye, meanwhile, was busy examining Qing Jun and the bone array. The bone array creaked and groaned. A wisp of soul light, wrapped around decaying wood, shot out from the bone array and merged into a small wooden carving on Qing Jun's waist. The carving, initially without features, gradually transformed into Bai's likeness.

At the same time, after enduring severe torment, Jade Bone finally couldn't hold on any longer. Amidst indignant roars, he completely perished. He had not died in the prison of the Sin God Palace, nor had he merely survived from ancient times to the present—yet, he died at the hands of a group of Nascent Soul cultivators.

After Jade Bone's demise, a wisp of gray energy shot swiftly into Qing Jun's glabella, significantly stronger than before. Qing Jun's delicate body trembled slightly, and she lifted her head. The scene with Old Demon Ye was re-enacted: her aura rapidly surged, breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage in an instant, matching Old Demon Ye's power! At that moment, even if the sky were to fall and the earth crack open, it could not obscure Qing Jun's unparalleled grace!

Below the Guiding Platform, everyone was numb. In a single day, two Grand Cultivators had consecutively emerged in the Northern Star Realm! They could also guess that Qing Jun's breakthrough likely involved some hidden secret, appearing to be the result of her cultivating her Heart Demon Puppet Mark after devouring Jade Bone, which then merged with her own being. It was not a spontaneous breakthrough like Old Demon Ye's. This method of breakthrough either left hidden dangers or could only temporarily maintain the late Nascent Soul realm, eventually regressing. But this minor flaw did not diminish Qing Jun's astonishing presence in the slightest!

How old was she? She was not from the same era as Old Demon Ye at all.

"You..."

Old Demon Ye stared blankly at Qing Jun, at a loss for words. It seemed he was not alone; Qing Jun's talent made even him feel inadequate. He sighed leisurely, "Such talent as yours is rare throughout history. But they were not as fortunate as you, eventually trapped and dying in this cage, wasting their lives, turning into a mound of yellow earth just like mortals."

Qing Jun's cultivation stabilized. She summoned her Five-Directional Pagoda and glanced at Old Demon Ye. "You talk too much."

"The other side of the Guiding Platform is an unknown land, sure to contain dangers. We can cooperate," Old Demon Ye said, changing his plan and actively trying to win Qing Jun over.

"First, survive," Qing Jun replied indifferently.

Old Demon Ye frowned.

Qing Jun flicked her finger. A streak of light flew down, heading straight for Qin Sang. Qin Sang activated his divine sense to scan it and discovered it contained messages from Qing Jun and Bai.

Everyone's gaze was drawn by the streak of light, their expressions varied. Qin Sang noticed their curious looks. With a thought, he decided not to put away the streak of light but instead openly displayed its contents. Everyone knew about his relationship with Bai and Qing Jun. Others would undoubtedly suspect they had left him something before departing, which could lead to many future troubles.

The characters floated in the void. The crowd was momentarily stunned, then looked at Qin Sang gratefully, reading the messages eagerly.

At that moment, the outer hall's collapse accelerated rapidly. Billowing smoke could already be seen from their position.

"Oh no!"

"The outer hall is going to be destroyed! Hurry!"

The crowd snapped back to reality and quickly fled on their escape lights.

Qin Sang's pupils suddenly constricted. The destruction of the outer hall meant the Guiding Platform would also be destroyed! This was a situation neither he nor Bai had anticipated. Bai's message taught him a method to activate the Guiding Platform, which didn't require Old Demon Ye's gruesome means, though the preparation was indeed challenging. Once Qin Sang's cultivation was sufficient, he could reactivate the Guiding Platform. Without the Immortal Palace to clear the way, the cultivation requirements for 'ascendants' would be even higher. Even newly breakthrough Grand Cultivators like Old Demon Ye and Qing Jun might not be strong enough, but it offered at least a glimmer of hope. This was why Qin Sang hadn't kept the method secret; he didn't mind making the message public, letting everyone rely on their own abilities.

Unexpectedly, this last hope was also severed!

Qin Sang's expression flickered as he abruptly raised his head. More than half of the Immortal Palace had disappeared into the void. The green light followed closely behind, flying into the Immortal Palace.

The moment the green light vanished, Qin Sang and Qing Jun's gazes met through the floating characters. From then on, they were separated by two realms, with no telling when they would meet again. Qin Sang felt a profound sense of loss.

Within the characters formed by the message, most of it was Bai's message; Qing Jun had only left two sentences:

"Junior Brother, the Yuan Mirage Sect is now yours."

"I'll wait for you on the path ahead!"

(End of Volume Three!)

***

1. Volume Four: *Azure Threads* – please look forward to it.2. This volume also largely followed the outline, so there's not much to say, but I'll update you on my recent situation.

In May, I mentioned feeling my health deteriorating and changed my update schedule. Things improved slightly, but my neck still felt uncomfortable, so I got it checked out. Goodness! Not only were my uric acid levels high, but my thyroid might also have issues. I was stunned. As a sturdy man from Shandong, I lived for over twenty years before writing this book, and I never worried about my health, except for the occasional self-inflicted bumps and bruises!

After the Dragon Boat Festival, I took annual leave and went to several places, practically living at the hospital. During this period, I was truly forcing myself to write, and my mental state nearly collapsed. If I had posted a single chapter back then, it would probably have been overflowing with negative energy.

Of course, since I'm in the mood to share now, it's definitely good news! Thankfully! Thankfully! It's confirmed: the issues aren't serious, and I can recover with rest.

When one's mood improves, food tastes better and sleep comes easier. The night before last, I got home and slept for a full day and night, but then last night I was too excited to sleep, and my literary inspiration flowed like a spring. I wrote all the missed updates from the Dragon Boat Festival and the bonus chapters for the Alliance Leader in one go.

I'm going to get breakfast now and then come back for a solid sleep.

Customary break at the end of a volume, either one or two days. Since my leave is almost used up, and I have a lot of work accumulated, plus I need to organize the outline for the next volume, I don't think one day will be enough.

Asking for some votes shouldn't be too much, right? (To be continued)