With Me Here, No One Gets Up There!

The moment over a hundred Immortal Ascension Platforms appeared across the Fourth Domain, silence fell over everyone. The surviving cultivators of the Fourth Domain quickly pulled back in rapid retreat, while the cultivators of the Immortal Realm gathered together with Song Yuan at their head. Li Guanqi swept his divine sense outward, making a rough calculation. The Immortal Burial Realm's forces had lost more than half their numbers. Excluding Li Guanqi, Hong Zhi, and their closest companions, only twenty-eight cultivators remained alive. In other words, in less than an hour, twenty-three cultivators on the Immortal Burial Realm's side had fallen in battle. Looking at the immortals, even with the addition of Li Guanqi and his companions, only seventy or so had perished. Though the casualty ratio seemed overwhelmingly favorable, if this continued, the Immortal Burial Realm's forces would eventually be slaughtered to the last man. No matter how strong Li Guanqi and his allies were, holding off five enemies at once was already a strain. What if they faced fifteen, or twenty-five? Li Guanqi's expression turned grim. Yet just as everyone was racing against time to recover, Hong Zhi and the others were shocked to discover an azure inscribed talisman burning on each of their backs. As the talisman burned, it was as if each of them had ingested a healing pill; the injuries within their bodies began mending at rapid speed. Not only that, another talisman burned simultaneously, causing their origin power to replenish at an unbelievable rate. This surge of origin power was exceptionally pure, clearly having been refined beforehand, to the point where they could wield the spiritual energy without needing to refine it themselves. Hong Zhi cast a deep look at Gu Li behind Li Guanqi. Gu Li's face was slightly pale, yet his hands moved without pause, continuing to craft talisman after talisman. Standing before everyone, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and glared at Song Yuan among the crowd. Song Yuan wore a stern, imposing expression as he turned toward the cultivators of the Seventh Domain and barked in a deep voice, "The Immortal Ascension Platforms are ready for you. As long as you are willing, the pinnacle of immortal ascension is yours right now! Su Xuan has suppressed you for ten thousand years, but now he is entangled by our Immortal Realm's cultivators and unable to pull away. The Fifth and Sixth Domains are in the exact same state. For ten thousand years, the Human Spirit Realm has been devoid of immortals. Now the opportunity lies right before your eyes—will you still hesitate to decide?" Song Yuan's voice seemed to carry an enchanting magic that swayed the heart. Sharp light flickered in many eyes, yet not a single person acted rashly. They all knew that neither Hong Zhi nor Li Guanqi would ever tolerate betrayal at a moment like this. Rather than letting them ascend, Hong Zhi and the others would ruthlessly cut them down. Moreover, the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier still stood firm; it was impossible to summon the guiding power of ascension. Song Yuan smiled coldly. He could see that many were already tempted, but the chips on the table were not yet enough. A subtle smile surfaced on his face. As if seeing through the thoughts of the crowd, he said bluntly, "I know many of you are hesitating because the power of the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier remains formidable. Allow me to show you the Immortal Realm's resolve!" The moment his words fell, Song Yuan fiercely crushed the pendant hanging at his chest. In the next instant, a boundless heavenly might erupted! It was the sealing barrier power of the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier. High in the firmament, immortal spiritual radiance surged and shifted without end. Li Guanqi suddenly noticed the phantom silhouette of a figure appearing in the void endlessly far away. From the outline, it seemed to be a man. The man lowered his head, casting down his gaze, and slowly raised a sword. *Rumble!* Heaven and earth quaked, and the domain trembled. Over a hundred Immortal Ascension Platforms burst forth with dazzling brilliance! Violent, rumbling cracking sounds followed in rapid succession. One after another, passages connecting the human and immortal realms were forced open upon the platforms, sending thick golden pillars of light soaring straight into the clouds! Li Guanqi's face changed drastically, his gaze turning razor-sharp. He clearly sensed that the sealing barrier his grandfather had erected had been ripped open! Song Yuan wore an arrogant sneer as he tempted the crowd once more: "Is this enough?! With the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier shattered, the guiding power can descend at any moment!" This time, the supreme might of a great power had forcefully torn open the passages between the two realms. Thick guiding power rained down upon every single Immortal Ascension Platform, and above each platform, shimmering light twisted incessantly—the passages connecting human to immortal were undoubtedly open! The gaze of everyone in the Fourth Domain wavered, their expressions turning deeply conflicted. In other words, upon the present platforms, any Mahayana realm cultivator who stepped aboard could ascend to immortality! Suddenly! Several hundred zhang to Li Guanqi's side, a blood-soaked, white-haired old man vanished in a teleportation flash. The old man's frantic roar echoed from the distance: "I've staked my life in the Immortal Burial Realm for over four thousand years! I want to become an immortal!" Hong Zhi and the others blanched at the sight, shooting forward at full speed. "Stop him!" "Under no circumstances can we let him ascend!" Yet they were a step too late, able only to watch helplessly as the old man drew closer and closer to the platform. Song Yuan felt a surge of joy. His only fear was that no one would dare take the first step. As long as a single person ascended to the Immortal Realm, the Fourth Domain's alliance would instantly disintegrate—and the other domains would follow suit! Seeing this, Song Yuan roared, "Protect him so he may ascend!" Five Immortal Realm cultivators instantly lunged forward to escort the old man. The old man's eyes burned with feverish excitement. Having long stepped into the peak Mahayana realm, his strength was formidable; otherwise, he could never have endured until now with merely light wounds. Seeing the platform right before him, the old man's eyes were bloodshot and brimming with madness. As the Immortal Realm cultivators flew toward him, his instinct was to strike back, only to find the five bypassing him entirely to intercept his pursuers. At that moment, the old man finally believed they truly intended to let him ascend. At last, he slowly placed one foot upon the Immortal Ascension Platform, feeling the dense guiding power of ascension. *Suddenly!* The five immortal cultivators stiffened, their bodies instantly shearing into fragments as severed limbs plummeted from the sky. Face covered in blood, Li Guanqi stepped onto the platform a fraction of a second ahead of the old man. Looking expressionlessly at the old man, he narrowed his eyes and asked chillingly, "Are you certain you want to ascend?" A flicker of hesitation crossed the old man's eyes, but only for an instant. Everyone knew the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier had been breached; if he wanted to ascend, this was the ultimate opportunity! "I do!" "What would a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you know about—" A hand covered in dragon scales clamped down on the old man's head, and the headless corpse collapsed onto the platform. This ruthless strike struck terror into the hearts of everyone present! By the time Li Guanqi finished, Hong Zhi and the others were only halfway across the distance. Li Guanqi looked down at the platform beneath his feet and stomped violently. *Boom! Crash! Crack! Crack! Crack!* Unable to withstand Li Guanqi's terrifying strength, the hundred-zhang platform instantly shattered into countless fragments of rock! Golden rubble tumbled from the sky, and the passage belonging to this particular platform slowly shut. Li Guanqi stood suspended in midair, letting the falling debris drift past him. Turning his head toward Song Yuan, he said softly, "With me here, no one in the Fourth Domain gets up there."