Chapter 71: The Eerie Ascension
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
“Clan Chief, terrible news! The young master… the young master is gone!”
“What?”
“The ruins have become a trap, permitting entry but barring exit. The young master offended a disciple from the Immortal Sect and was besieged. He intended to withdraw and lay low, but as he exited the mountain, he disintegrated into black ash before my very eyes!”
In the Yong Prefecture’s Shen Clan, the current clan chief was admiring the celestial radiance pouring from the Qiling Mountain’s outskirts. Upon hearing this grave news, his complexion turned pale.
Wasn’t the price of obtaining immortal fate to transform into a malignant being? Wouldn’t shedding the mortal shell after ascension resolve this? Why was there direct annihilation instead?
Clan Chief Shen’s disbelief widened his eyes as he recalled that his clan’s ancestor, younger brother, and daughter were still in the mountain. Without delay, he ordered messengers to issue a decree: no one was to leave the mountain under any circumstances.
At that very moment, another booming sound erupted from within the mountain.
But what emerged this time was not the celestial radiance seen in recent days. Instead, countless black flames surged skyward like frenzied serpents, igniting the mountains in an instant.
Ni Mountain, Yellow Cloud Mountain, Spirit Sword Mountain, Dao Quest Mountain, Mystic Origin Mountain, Cinnabar Mountain, Fog Mountain—the seven celestial grounds—all turned their eyes toward this phenomenon.
In the depths of the Mystic Wilding territory’s Ten-Thousand Mountain Range, a decrepit elder, resembling a mountain himself, slowly opened his eyes. His gaze pierced the night as it turned toward the Central Plains.
In the northern plains’ western demon domain, a towering figure emerged above the clouds, exuding a terrifying aura that surged under the night sky.
At this moment, Qiling was the focus of the entire world.
Yet, the cultivators within the Ruined Immortal Mountain were oblivious to the external transmissions. They were enraptured by the infinite mysteries surrounding them.
The Shen Clan ancestor, who was now 130 years old, had been stagnant in the Boundless Martial Stage for many years. Leveraging his immense cultivation, he was among the first to ascend the immortal mountain. For three days, he had remained seated, drinking celestial dew and refining heavenly radiance.
He seemed to have entered an otherworldly state, akin to soaring into the boundless void, drifting with the immortal qi.
He then beheld a colossal figure.
It was an elder with a deeply wrinkled face, hair as white as snow. His hands, gnarled like dry branches, hung clasped together, yet his entire being radiated with celestial intent. Beneath the elder’s faded yellow robe was a grotesque, writhing mass of flesh, forming a coiled, bloated tail perched atop a floating mountain in the void.
Shen Yan, the Shen Clan’s eldest daughter, saw the ancestor’s body slowly dissolving into black flames. All that remained was a dazzling golden core.
From the outside, a blood-red aura erupted from the mountain, tearing through the cloud layers.
By now, it should have been dawn, and the sun should have risen. But instead, a thick blackness spread from Qiling Mountain’s center in all directions.
At the summit of Ni Mountain, the Hall Master of Freedom, Zuo Qiu Yang, emerged from the mists, his expression grave as he observed the resonating heavens.
“Someone is ascending?”
“How is that possible?”
As one of the five hall masters of the Heavenly Script Academy, Zuo Qiu Yang knew that ascending to immortality in the Azure Clouds Dominion required both the acknowledgment of the Daoist lineage and the guidance of sacred artifacts. Such an opportunity could manifest in any of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, but it would never appear in the Qiling Mountain Range—unless that place defied the Heavenly Dao, enabling direct ascension.
At that moment, another crimson light erupted, hurtling straight toward Yellow Cloud Mountain. The Chen Clan’s protective formation quickly rose, only to shatter under the assault.
An elderly figure from the depths of Yellow Cloud Mountain emerged, his piercing gaze forcing the crimson light to dissipate. This was a challenge, a display of provocation.
Zuo Qiu Yang furrowed his brows as he watched the sudden strike.
Within the mountain lay a true Boundless Martial cultivator, yet their aura was rapidly escalating, approaching the threshold of immortality.
Such an aura—Zuo Qiu Yang had only felt it once, when his master had drunkenly unleashed their power.
He fell silent, then left Freedom Hall and ventured to the deepest part of Ni Mountain’s forested sea. Despite popular belief that the Headmaster of the Heavenly Script Academy would reside in a grand palace akin to the heavenly courts, his actual home was a humble fenced garden amidst the woods.
When Zuo Qiu Yang arrived, the Hall Masters of Longevity, Chai Hu, and Detachment, Lu Feng Chuan, were already waiting at the garden gate. Hall Master Fei She, recently freed from a bottleneck in his cultivation, stood among them.
Chai Hu was the first to speak as Zuo Qiu Yang descended gracefully.
“Senior Brother, someone is ascending.”
“I’ve seen it. Black flames have ignited in Qiling Mountain, and the aura of ascension stems from there.”
“Could it be… that someone truly obtained the chance to ascend?”
Silence followed this remark as the four gazed toward the heavens, their expressions somber.
Lu Feng Chuan could not help but comment, “I’ve never seen such crimson immortal radiance, tainted with evil thoughts. It greatly unsettles my divine senses.”
Fei She spoke after a long pause. “There’s no need for speculation. Let’s await Master’s judgment.”
Lu Feng Chuan and Chai Hu exchanged glances. “The Master is not in the bamboo cottage.”
“Not there?”
“He likes to shroud his movements in mystery before acting. We searched for him earlier, suspecting he might have gone drinking again.”
Zuo Qiu Yang finally realized only the four of them were present. “Is Junior Sister You also absent?”
The Hall Masters of Longevity and Detachment nodded in unison.
Just then, three stewards from the Office of Affairs arrived atop the winds, landing on Ni Mountain.
Qin Rong bowed deeply. “There is trouble in Qiling. The disciples who entered the mountain have vanished without a trace. Transmission attempts remain unanswered. The same fate has befallen the disciples of other immortal sects and noble families…”
Amidst a vast sea of clouds, a dilapidated wooden boat sailed with the wind.
An old man dressed in loose white robes held a wine flask, his expression heavy as he gazed at the distant skies. Standing behind him was Hall Master You Ying Qiu.
After a long silence, she spoke. “Master, what is inside that mountain?”
“A thing already dead.”
“Why would something dead cause such commotion?”
“When the ruins unleashed their malevolence, I assumed it was merely the spillover of the remnants’ immortal Dao. I never expected someone alive would try to validate their Dao using that dead thing.”
The old man stroked his long beard and muttered, casually handing a jade box to her.
Taking the jade box, You Ying Qiu’s expression turned startled. Inside was the Heavenly Tome—the sacred artifact of the Heavenly Script Academy, said to awaken the human race’s true spirit. But now, it lacked any spiritual energy or aura, as though… it were dead.
She had once paid homage to the Heavenly Tome upon becoming the Hall Master of Auspiciousness and witnessed its grandeur firsthand.
At that moment, the boat suddenly plunged into the night, rapidly descending.
Below them lay a county town, still a ways off from the blazing Qiling Mountain Range.
“Master, are we not going into the mountain?”
“It’s pointless to go now. We need to retrieve Ji You first.”
“?”