Warmth and Cold

"Rumble!" Violent roars and tremors began to reverberate across Jiang Tianzun's mountain peak. The grotto-heaven and the primal cavern proved utterly incompatible, plunging Jiang Tianzun into mounting panic and deep despair. "Why?! Why?!" Unwilling to accept defeat, he continued trying to fuse the powers of the grotto-heaven and primal cavern together, hoping to refine the void into reality and bring forth a true grotto-heaven. But... The power of the primal cavern was on the verge of losing control, dragging the mental grotto-heaven forged through the combustion of his Dharma Idol's power into gradual collapse! This sight fell into the eyes of the many Cangwu lineage Void Piercing Battle Immortals watching with fervent hope and longing, leaving every one of them struck with disbelief. "Failure?! How could this be?! Tianzun, how did this happen?!" "Tianzun... his foundation with the Deep Blue Golden Core was so profound, and he even had Supreme Elder Yuhuang protecting him. His chance of success was over fifty percent—how could he fail?!" "No! This can't be real! Our Cangwu lineage poured all our resources, energy, and painstaking effort into Jiang Tianzun. How could he possibly fail? How could he fail? How dare he fail?!" The Void Piercing Battle Immortals of the Cangwu lineage were both shocked and furious. Deep hatred even welled up in the eyes of some—the bitter resentment of seeing iron fail to become steel, coupled with the sheer indignation of having sacrificed so many resources only to be repaid with this outcome. "No! No! No!" While the crowd from the Cangwu lineage was overwhelmed by fury and resentment, Jiang Tianzun, in the throes of breaking through to the Void Piercing realm, felt unprecedented terror. The completely consumed power of his Dharma Idol and the primal cavern on the brink of collapse constantly jolted his spirit, making him vividly realize how close death truly was. It felt as if in the very next second, the primal cavern would run completely amok, unleashing power that would utterly swallow him and erase every trace he had ever left in this world. That unprecedented emptiness and terror compelled him to turn his gaze toward Supreme Elder Yuhuang. "Save me, Master! Save me!" Not far away, Supreme Elder Yuhuang frowned tightly, his eyes brimming with chilling coldness. Sensing Jiang Tianzun's utterly ruined breakthrough, he could not help letting out a cold snort. "A fifty percent chance, and you still managed to fail! Jiang Tianzun, you have disappointed me greatly." With a fierce sweep of his sleeve, he said, "Your breakthrough has completely failed, but you still retain some foundation. If you switch to cultivating as a Void Piercing Battle Immortal right now, you can still preserve your life!" Having said that, he paid no more attention to Jiang Tianzun, who had lost any hope of true ascension. Turning around, he departed from the peak. Hearing Supreme Elder Yuhuang's guidance, Jiang Tianzun, who had fallen into despair, suddenly felt as if he had discovered a new world, catching a glimmer of hope to survive. Although there were countless drawbacks to being a Void Piercing Battle Immortal, still... It was far better than being reduced to ash and smoke during the ascension process. Only by staying alive was there hope! As long as he survived, even if he became a Void Piercing Battle Immortal, with his talent and potential, there was no reason he couldn't master the Nine Refinements of the Star Ring atop that foundation and ultimately become a true Void Piercing cultivator! From there, he could still look forward to the Void Refining realm, Void Shattering realm, and even becoming a Dao Lord! Driven by this thought, an unprecedented will to survive ignited within him. He forcefully held back the remaining power of his Dharma Idol, abandoned the grotto-heaven and their fusion, and poured every ounce of his effort into stabilizing the primal cavern. Having spent years alongside the numerous Void Piercing Battle Immortals of the Cangwu lineage, he was intimately familiar with the method of converting into one. With such rich background experience, his conversion proceeded remarkably smoothly. Very soon... He brought the rampaging primal cavern under control. Although the intense burning of his Dharma Idol's power had severely damaged his mind and spirit—a wound to his psyche and soul that might take who knew how long to nurse back to health—he had ultimately snatched life from the jaws of death by switching to a Void Piercing Battle Immortal at the final moment. "Phew!" Only after quite a while did Jiang Tianzun let out a long breath of relief. Having stabilized the primal cavern a bit, he finally had the leisure to look around. Only then did he realize that all the onlookers who had previously gathered to watch the spectacle had already left. Only the Void Piercing Battle Immortals of the Cangwu lineage remained on the mountain peak. Yet these Void Piercing Battle Immortals were all staring at him in dead silence. This feeling... Made Jiang Tianzun deeply uncomfortable. A bunch of dead-end Void Piercing Battle Immortals dared to look at him with such eyes? Yet immediately afterward, another thought struck him. Now, he... Had also become a Void Piercing Battle Immortal? At this realization, the Cangwu prodigy felt an ache in his chest. "Damn it, it's all that Yaoguang's fault! If not for news of him, how could Master have urged me again and again to hurry my breakthrough? And if Master hadn't pushed me, how would I have failed and been forced to take the path of a Void Piercing Battle Immortal just to save my life?!" Jiang Tianzun was in an atrocious mood. However, he was well aware that he had bitterly disappointed his master. For a long time to come, he couldn't expect to receive any more support from him. And without his master's backing... He turned his gaze toward these "poor country relatives" of the Cangwu lineage. Only after a while did he manage to squeeze out a slight smile. "Elders Xie Xiong, Gelin, Li An, and everyone—during my breakthrough just now, I already glimpsed the true essence of the Void Piercing realm. Although it fell short at the final step, if I am given another chance, achieving Void Piercing will be effortless. Therefore, I have decided to follow the path of the Nine Refinements of the Star Ring and re-cultivate into a true Void Piercing cultivator! Though it will take some time, I believe that day is not far off." He spoke with utter confidence, seeming to recover the pride he had once held as a true disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, personal disciple of Supreme Elder Yuhuang, and ninth on the Void Piercing Candidate List. He wanted to use that confidence to inspire the people of the Cangwu lineage. Alas... In the past, he could inspire them because they harbored great hopes for him, easily moved to self-congratulation by his words. But now... "Sigh." Xie Xiong let out a sigh. In this instant, he seemed to age visibly. "Jiang Tianzun!" Li An's eyes widened, his right finger pointing straight at him. "Our Cangwu lineage spared no effort in supporting you, pouring every resource into you over all these years just so you could rise above the rest and bring glory to our lineage. And in the end... this is how you repay us?! How dare you?! How dare you?!" "Useless trash!" Gelin berated him without mercy. Not only the two of them, but the other Void Piercing Battle Immortals were equally heartbroken and furious. "Jiang Tianzun, you have let us down too thoroughly." "No matter how brilliant you seemed in the past, when it came to truly ascending to Void Piercing, you broke through into a mere Void Piercing Battle Immortal! Nothing but a silver-plated pewter spearhead!" "I said it long ago—we shouldn't have pinned our hopes on such an obstinate, arrogant man! With a heart so narrow and petty, holding grudges over the smallest slights, how could he possibly comprehend the profound mysteries of the void and break through to the Void Piercing realm?" "We were all blinded by him. If we had allocated some of our lineage's resources to others, we might have nurtured a true Void Piercing cultivator long ago. Why would we have waited until now?" Voices of censure erupted incessantly from the Void Piercing Battle Immortals. Listening to them, Jiang Tianzun's face turned green and white by turns. "Enough!" Unable to endure it any longer, he roared, "Is breaking through to the Void Piercing realm so easy?!" "What about Sect Master Yaoguang, then? He's younger than you, yet not only did he smoothly ascend to the Void Piercing realm, he has already stepped into the Void Refining realm! What's more, just recently in Nandu, he crushed the invading Shadow Moon Sect demon cultivators, slaying two Void Shattering demon cultivators and five Void Refining demon cultivators! Hailed as invincible among Void Refining cultivators, his glorious name has spread throughout the North Sea!" A Void Piercing Battle Immortal immediately stepped forward and retorted ruthlessly, "I know an extraordinary genius like Yaoguang is rare in this world, but if you had even a tenth of his capability, we wouldn't be this disappointed!" "You... all of you..." Hearing them bring up Yaoguang, Jiang Tianzun, acutely aware of the chasm between them, felt suffocated by frustration. Ultimately, he couldn't hold back and shouted, "If you hadn't constantly brought up Yaoguang in front of me, throwing my mind into turmoil, how could I have attempted to break through before I was properly prepared?! Hmph! You couldn't offer me enough help, yet you boast of Yaoguang's achievements! He gained such power because he allied with Dao Lord Penglai! What about you? Are any of you a Dao Lord? If even one of you were in the Void Refining realm and fetched me a few Dao artifacts, I wouldn't have had to take such risks! My failure to reach the Void Piercing realm is mostly your fault!" The Void Piercing Battle Immortals present were utterly stunned by Jiang Tianzun's retort. Although Jiang Tianzun had been obstinate and twisted facts before, back then... His cultivation had advanced rapidly and he had performed brilliantly, so everyone had reluctantly tolerated his excuses. But now... He had walked the path of a Void Piercing Battle Immortal just like them. Yet instead of self-reflection, he pushed the blame onto them? Both Gelin and Li An were provoked to laughter out of sheer fury. "I have never seen someone so brazen and shameless!" "Forget it, forget it. We were blind to place our hopes on an ungrateful wretch like you... Indeed, Elder Wan warned me long ago that pouring all our efforts into supporting you might backfire and nurture an ungrateful wolf. Now... we reap what we sowed! We reap what we sowed! We brought this humiliation upon ourselves! Hahaha!" Li An let out a bitter laugh, his body transforming into a streak of light as he soared off toward the Cangwu lineage. Gelin cast a cold glare at Jiang Tianzun. "I have finally seen your true colors. From this day forth, you are no longer of our Cangwu lineage. The Cangwu lineage has nothing more to do with you." With that, he turned and followed closely behind Li An. The others, including Void Piercing Battle Immortals like Xie Xiong, cast indifferent glances at Jiang Tianzun and departed one after another. In the blink of an eye, the peak, already sparse after the onlookers had left, grew utterly desolate. "You... all of you..." Jiang Tianzun's expression was unsightly. "Turning against me just like that? Do you truly think that without your Cangwu lineage's support, I can't accomplish anything? Fine! Just you wait! Three hundred years east of the river, three hundred years west of the river! I, Jiang Tianzun..." "Jiang Tianzun!" At that moment, a voice rang out. "You have ascended to a Void Piercing Battle Immortal. Henceforth, you are no longer a true disciple. You are ordered to move out of True Disciple Peak within three days. Await further orders regarding your duties." Jiang Tianzun's instinct was to flare with rage, but the moment he clearly recognized the visitor as a personal disciple of the sect master, he forced down his surging anger. "Senior Brother Chaoyang, what brings you here..." The Void Piercing cultivator did not engage in pleasantries, speaking in a strictly businesslike tone. "Enough. Vacate True Disciple Peak within three days. Do not bring trouble upon yourself."