Ascended Just Like That?

"This is..." The Giant Axe Immortal was stunned as well. He had only just set one foot inside the Heaven Realm passage—how could it provoke such a violent reaction? It was as if some terrifying entity were about to descend from within the passage. "Could it be... a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal descending?" The Giant Axe Immortal could scarcely believe it. A possibility crossed his mind, yet the odds of it were vanishingly small. An Upper Immortal descending right at this moment? What a joke. Just how unlucky would he have to be? He had just prepared to enter the Heaven Realm passage, poised to ascend. It was the very last step. No, a mere half-step remained. And now a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal was descending? Was all their effort about to go down the drain? "No! No one can stop me!" "No matter the cost, I will ascend to the Heaven Realm! Get in!" A massive axe materialized in the Giant Axe Immortal's hands. Without question, it was an immortal treasure. With just half a step left, ask him to back out? Impossible! The Giant Axe Immortal was determined to force his way into the Heaven Realm passage. Bracing against the immense pressure, he attempted to step his other foot inside. Yet though he unleashed the full extent of his might, he still seemed unable to resist the terrifying momentum surging from within the passage. "Ahhh!" "Sky Cleaving Slash, die!" With an enraged roar, the Giant Axe Immortal swung his great axe directly into the depths of the Heaven Realm passage. Rumble! The Heaven Realm passage violently shook, as though on the verge of collapse. Yet in the end, it did not collapse. Instead, a single finger emerged from within. Just a single finger, casually flicking forward. Bang! The finger struck the Giant Axe Immortal's axe dead-on. Crack! Webs of cracks spread across the immortal axe. The Giant Axe Immortal was sent flying backward, blasted right out of the Heaven Realm passage. Lu Changsheng reached out and supported him, allowing him to regain his footing. However, the Giant Axe Immortal's face was grim. Staring fixedly at the Heaven Realm passage, then down at his fractured axe, his heart was rife with bitter indignation. "An Upper Immortal of the Heaven Realm has descended!" "Descending at a time like this, when only half a step remained..." the Giant Axe Immortal ground out through gritted teeth. In truth, Lu Changsheng had already deduced what was happening without any explanation. A Heaven Realm Upper Immortal was truly descending? It was simply absurd. They had bypassed the Xishui Immortal. They had cracked the immortal array. They had expended immense effort to finally stand before the Heaven Realm passage. Yet at the very last step, an Upper Immortal descended. What was this? Falling right before the dawn? Now, Lu Changsheng and the Giant Axe Immortal had two choices: Either flee the Road to Ascending Heaven as fast as possible, Or... slay an immortal! The two exchanged a glance. Without exchanging a single word, each understood the other's intent. Neither wavered in the slightest. Fleeing was out of the question. That left only one option: Slay the immortal! "Strike with everything we have and leave immediately!" "Remember, our objective is to enter the Heaven Realm passage." The Giant Axe Immortal's expression was grave, radiating chilling intent. Though both had resolved to "slay an immortal," they were well aware that truly killing a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal was virtually impossible. In fact, if they dragged things out even slightly, both of them would likely perish. Attacking the Upper Immortal was merely the means; their true goal remained stepping into the Heaven Realm passage. Even so, striking at a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal was no simple feat. A single misstep, and they would be the ones to die. Lu Changsheng also had something to rely on. His reliance was the immortal array. Indeed—the very array he had just expended an enormous cost to analyze. Once he had completely analyzed it, he had taken full control of it. Never mind a newly descended Upper Immortal; even if the Xishui Immortal who had set up the array returned, Lu Changsheng could still control it against him. It was an immortal array, after all. Unleashing its full power would surely produce unexpected results. The Giant Axe Immortal and Lu Changsheng stood ready. Hum. At last, a tidal surge of immortal spirit qi erupted from the Heaven Realm passage, rushing out in a vast, surging torrent. Emerging alongside it was a figure. A figure radiating immortal spirit qi from head to toe. A Heaven Realm Upper Immortal! A genuine Upper Immortal of the Heaven Realm! "Kill!" The Giant Axe Immortal hesitated not in the least. The instant the Upper Immortal's figure appeared, he brandished his great axe, unleashing a dazzling arc of light that pierced through the void. Fierce, razor-sharp axe qi swept across the space, blanketing the Upper Immortal's figure. Even though the Giant Axe Immortal had yet to condense a true Immortal Realm body, this strike unquestionably far surpassed the supreme Ancestor Realm. Even against a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal, it posed a threat. "Hm?" "A lower-realm Immortal Realm cultivator..." "Interesting. To reach the Immortal Realm in the lower realm marks you as an extraordinary talent. Who would have thought that upon descending today, I would stumble upon a lower-realm immortal attempting to ascend?" "I wonder whether my luck is simply too good, or yours is just too poor..." The Upper Immortal gave a slight shake of his head, seemingly unbothered by the fearsome strike. He merely flicked a finger. Boom! The sky filled with sword qi. Infused with immortal spirit qi, countless sword beams effortlessly shattered the Giant Axe Immortal's attack. To the Upper Immortal, the strike had been as effortless as taking a leisurely stroll. "Suppress!" At that moment, Lu Changsheng struck. An invisible force from all around bore down directly upon the Upper Immortal. "Hm?" "An immortal array? This is the array Xishui laid with his own hands—how can you control it?" The Upper Immortal clearly recognized the Xishui Immortal. He also seemed wary of Xishui's immortal array. It was certainly no ordinary formation. The immense suppressive force made him feel as though he had plunged into a quagmire, rendering every movement arduous. "A mere mortal cultivator from the lower realm..." The Upper Immortal's eyes turned icy. To an Upper Immortal, anyone in the Boundary Sea who had not attained the Immortal Realm was a mere "mortal cultivator." Mortal cultivators were like ants, beneath notice. Yet now, a mortal cultivator controlled the immortal array and was actually suppressing him. How could this not enrage him? "You court death!" With a wave of his hand, an immortal sword appeared in his grasp. The sword vibrated softly. Hum. In an instant, sharp sword intent seemed capable of carving up the void itself. Though Lu Changsheng held control of the array, the formation shuddered violently, as if on the verge of shattering at any second. Crack! Before Lu Changsheng could even react, the immortal array shattered. With its destruction, terrifying immortal sword qi surged straight into the heavens. Without the array to conceal it, a disturbance of this scale shook the entire Kunwu World. "What is happening? Such terrifying sword intent—it feels as though space itself is being sliced apart!" "And that dense immortal spirit qi... it feels very familiar, like an Upper Immortal from the Heaven Realm." "An Upper Immortal is enraged, accompanied by so much immortal spirit qi! What on earth is going on?" "The Upper Immortals all went to the ancient battlefield. Could this be a newly descended one?" In an instant, countless eyes turned toward the direction of the Road to Ascending Heaven. Lu Changsheng and the Giant Axe Immortal's hearts sank. Disaster. They were exposed. With a commotion of this magnitude, there was no longer any way to conceal it. Worse yet, even controlling the immortal array hadn't allowed Lu Changsheng to suppress their foe. Now that the array was broken, they were in grave peril. At this juncture, the Giant Axe Immortal actually calmed down. "Go!" Decisive as ever, the Giant Axe Immortal prepared to retreat. Under these circumstances, with the immortal array broken, what could they possibly fight with? Slaying an immortal? In hindsight, it seemed like nothing more than a joke. Yet even becoming a laughingstock was better than dying. No matter what, only by staying alive was there hope. Yet the moment the Giant Axe Immortal moved back, a slight smile touched the Upper Immortal's lips. Taking a light step forward, as though teleporting, he appeared right before the Giant Axe Immortal in an instant. "What?" The Giant Axe Immortal was shaken to the core. He had fought Upper Immortals before, but none had displayed such near-teleportation capability. Clearly, the Upper Immortal before them possessed a terrifying technique that allowed him to move in a flash. How could they fight this? Escaping was impossible as well. The two seemed backed into an absolute dead end. Yet the more dire the situation grew, the calmer Lu Changsheng became. Boom! With a single sword strike, ten percent of the Giant Axe Immortal's body was annihilated. Yes, ten percent. He had not died. After all, he was a being who had attained the Immortal Realm. Even if he had not forged an immortal body within the Heaven Realm, his cultivation realm had reached it. Even for a Heaven Realm Upper Immortal, killing him would require some effort; an instant kill was out of the question. Even so, the Giant Axe Immortal was in mortal danger. His techniques were entirely incapable of blocking the Upper Immortal's sword qi. If things continued at this pace, he would not last long. In barely a dozen strikes, the sword qi would cut him down. Instead, Lu Changsheng was currently safe. Perhaps the opponent did not take Lu Changsheng seriously, or perhaps his attention was focused on the Giant Axe Immortal. After all, the Giant Axe Immortal was an Immortal Realm mighty figure, effectively drawing all the enemy's fire. As a result, the Upper Immortal ignored Lu Changsheng completely. In his eyes, Lu Changsheng's death was a certainty anyway; there could be no surprises. Thus, he did not bother with Lu Changsheng at all, intent on finishing off the Giant Axe Immortal first. Yet it was precisely this "safe" position that allowed Lu Changsheng to make a decision. It's you... Lu Changsheng made up his mind. Without the slightest hesitation, he manifested Sky City. Boom! Sky City descended. It was an immortal treasure, and an exceptionally powerful one at that. Channeling Sky City, Lu Changsheng sent it crashing down to suppress the Upper Immortal. "An immortal treasure?" To his surprise, the Upper Immortal's eyes lit up. An immortal treasure! Though he possessed formidable strength, even in the Heaven Realm immortal treasures were exceedingly rare and precious. With an immortal treasure like Sky City before him, he truly could not bear to destroy it. "Detonate." Lu Changsheng did not hesitate at all. He directly triggered Sky City to self-destruct. "What?" "An immortal treasure! What reckless waste!" The Upper Immortal was both shocked and furious. He had never dreamed that a mere mortal cultivator like Lu Changsheng would dare detonate an immortal treasure. Once self-destructed, it would be utterly ruined. It was simply too great a pity—a genuine immortal treasure, squandered just like that! Taking advantage of the blast, Lu Changsheng charged straight toward the Heaven Realm passage. He had warned the Giant Axe Immortal beforehand, and having prepared in advance, the Giant Axe Immortal immediately broke free of the Upper Immortal's suppression and escaped. However, he still lagged a step behind Lu Changsheng. Whoosh! Lu Changsheng reached the Heaven Realm passage. Behind him, Sky City was still detonating. Its terrifying power raged so violently that it felt capable of shattering the Road to Ascending Heaven itself. In fact, there were signs of precisely that: even the Heaven Realm passage had become unstable. Lu Changsheng was only in the Ancestor Realm. Once he stepped into the passage, there was a high likelihood he would be shredded to pieces by its spatial forces. Yet under the circumstances, there was no time to hesitate. Glancing back one last time at the Giant Axe Immortal, Lu Changsheng stepped directly into the Heaven Realm passage. As for the Giant Axe Immortal, Lu Changsheng had done everything he could, even sacrificing an immortal treasure like Sky City. Whether the Giant Axe Immortal could successfully enter the passage was beyond Lu Changsheng's control. Their fates were in the hands of destiny! Fortunately, the Giant Axe Immortal's luck was not entirely rotten. He managed to reach the passage just in time. Swoosh! Streaks of sword qi shrieked through the air, slashing into the Giant Axe Immortal in an instant. He took the brunt of the sword qi, his aura plummeting once more, but he ultimately endured it. Riding the momentum of the blast, he hurled himself straight into the Heaven Realm passage. Whoosh. The Upper Immortal pursued them to the entrance of the passage, but stopped. Gazing into the dark, profound passage, he ultimately decided against following them inside. Though it appeared to be a single passage, it led to a vast expanse of regions in the Heaven Realm. Even if he pursued them, he would never catch them. How could he track them down when the exit led randomly to any part of the realm? Moreover, once back in the Heaven Realm, descending to the Boundary Sea again would require an immense sacrifice. Having only just managed to descend, why would he turn right back? "Hmph." "To think a mere mortal cultivator escaped from my grasp." "Still, for a mortal cultivator to enter the Heaven Realm passage is virtually a death sentence. As for that lower-realm immortal, he did manage to ascend..." The Upper Immortal scoffed. In his view, the mortal cultivator was dead for sure. An Immortal Realm cultivator stood a chance of surviving ascension, though the Giant Axe Immortal was heavily wounded. The Heaven Realm was hardly a peaceful place; he might very well die the moment he arrived. Besides, even if he did escape, so what? He had no fear of a mere lower-realm immortal. Once he secured the ancient immortal's legacy and returned to the Heaven Realm, he could hunt him down then. Before long, a streak of light flew onto the Road to Ascending Heaven. "Immortal Baiqi, you have descended as well?" "Xishui, just because you can descend, does that mean I cannot?" This arriving figure was none other than the Xishui Immortal. The Xishui Immortal knew this Heaven Realm Upper Immortal who had just descended to the Boundary Sea, who went by the name of the White Crane Immortal. Though they had descended via the same Road to Ascending Heaven and shared some acquaintance, their relationship did not appear harmonious. In fact, the Xishui Immortal was quite wary of the White Crane Immortal. They had descended to contest the ancient immortal's legacy and treasures. With every additional contender, the difficulty increased. Naturally, the Xishui Immortal was displeased. "What happened here?" the Xishui Immortal asked. "Heh, a mortal cultivator and a lower-realm immortal reached the Road to Ascending Heaven, and you didn't even know?" The White Crane Immortal recounted everything that had just occurred. The Xishui Immortal's expression darkened. A mortal cultivator and an immortal had actually "ascended" via the Road to Ascending Heaven! He had set up two immortal arrays precisely to ensure nothing went awry, yet this had happened anyway. "White Crane, the lower realm is not as simple as you think..." The Xishui Immortal could not be bothered to say more. Things had already reached this point; further words were pointless. He had best focus on contesting the ancient immortal's legacy. That was the primary purpose of their descent. ... Within the Heaven Realm passage. Lu Changsheng no longer knew where he was. Pressure! Omnipresent pressure bore down upon him, making it impossible to move a muscle. Even his physical body was disintegrating inch by inch. Neither his Myriad Spirits Immortal Body nor his Physical Immortal Dao seemed able to withstand it. In this state, he could not even manifest the underwater manor; he could only endure it head-on. He could sense that he was traversing through space. Soon. He should be reaching the Heaven Realm soon. He had to hold on until he ascended. Otherwise, if he failed to endure, he would be ground to dust within the passage. Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent... His body was disintegrating rapidly. Thirty percent was already gone. If this continued, he feared he would not survive long enough to reach the Heaven Realm. At this moment, Lu Changsheng finally understood why only Immortal Realm mighty figures could ascend to the Heaven Realm. As for Ancestor Realm cultivators? Attempting to ascend via the Road to Ascending Heaven was essentially taking a shortcut. And taking shortcuts came with a price. It was practically a ninety percent chance of death. Ancestor Realm cultivators who succeeded were few and far between. Yet Lu Changsheng refused to let his efforts go to waste. He had already stepped into the passage; giving up now would render everything meaningless. He had not even attained the Immortal Realm. How could he give up now? There must be a way. There has to be a way. Thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. His Myriad Spirits Immortal Body was useless here. His Physical Immortal Dao—no matter how tough his body was, or even his flesh avatars—was of no help either. His body was disintegrating bit by bit. Once his physical form was completely obliterated, his true body would vanish entirely. Even though he had avatars and would not truly die, he would have to start all over again. Forcing his way into a Heaven Realm passage a second time would be monumentally difficult. Wait, there's also the Mortal Immortal Dao! The Mortal Immortal Dao analyzes all things. This passage is filled with terrifying spatial pressure—can I not attempt to analyze it? If I can analyze the spatial pressure and neutralize it, wouldn't I be able to ascend smoothly? Lu Changsheng's eyes brightened. He had genuinely found a way. Analysis! He had to analyze spatial power, especially the spatial force within this passage. Of course, how profound was the power of space? Even if Lu Changsheng were given thousands or tens of thousands of years, fully analyzing it would be impossible. However, what he needed to analyze was merely the specific force in the passage that was constantly grinding down his body. Even deciphering a tiny sliver would help relieve the pressure crushing him. Yet his analytical capability was currently insufficient. If he analyzed it slowly, how could his physical body hold out? "Deduce!" Gritting his teeth, Lu Changsheng once again expended comprehension points to deduce. At this life-and-death juncture, he could not afford to hoard his accumulated comprehension points. He poured them all into deduction, striving with everything he had to analyze the spatial power within the passage. Boom! As the comprehension points were consumed—he lost track of how many—he felt his comprehension skyrocket, and his analytical capability surged. He entered an unprecedented, peak state of clarity, as though all mysteries lay bare before him. In this state, the unfathomably profound spatial power seemed to reveal the tip of its iceberg before his eyes. Lu Changsheng could even begin to subtly manipulate the spatial forces within the passage. Amidst the endless shearing of space, his body seemed to find a point of equilibrium. The rate of destruction plummeted. Forty percent, fifty percent, sixty, seventy, eighty... Finally, after eighty percent of his body was annihilated, the destruction halted completely. Lu Changsheng had weathered the passage's deadly shearing force. The Heaven Realm passage was like a river, and the spatial power flowed naturally like water. Going from the Boundary Sea to the Heaven Realm was equivalent to drifting downstream. Descending from the Heaven Realm to the Boundary Sea was swimming against the current. Lu Changsheng vaguely understood why descending from the Heaven Realm to the Boundary Sea was so difficult. Could traveling against the current ever be easy? An Immortal Realm mighty figure was like someone who knew how to swim in this river. They possessed the ability to move freely and swim through the passage, reaching the Heaven Realm swiftly. Lu Changsheng, however, was only an Ancestor Realm cultivator. He was someone who could not swim at all. That he had not "drowned" was already thanks to him "cheating" with his analytical ability. He was extraordinarily fortunate. He had no way to move on his own, and could only drift endlessly along the passage. After an unknown length of time, Lu Changsheng finally reached the end. Before him, a brilliant radiance expanded until it filled his entire vision. Carried by the current of the passage, he plunged directly into the dazzling light. In the Heaven Realm, along the road between Zhang City and Lu City. The Qi clan's caravan was traveling slowly, escorting numerous carriages laden with valuables. A large contingent of Qi clansmen was migrating. The Qi clan's old ancestor had unexpectedly perished while cultivating outside, which dealt a catastrophic blow to the family. Consequently, the Qi clan immediately abandoned their ancestral lands, their foundation, and even many of their family's precious treasures. In a single day, thousands of years of accumulation were lost. Then, they led their clan on a migration. In a major city like Zhang City, the Qi clan could no longer maintain a foothold; they could only head to Lu City. Lu City was small, without any particularly formidable factions. Moreover, some Qi clansmen had already established roots there. Moving to Lu City would allow the clan to resettle and start anew. This time, the Qi clan had sacrificed immense interests, but had preserved their lives. Otherwise, with their ancestor fallen, trying to hold onto such treasures would have been like a child walking through a market clutching gold, inviting total annihilation upon the family. Yet though it sounded simple, actually giving it all up left many sighing in sorrow. Thus, the clansmen traveled along the road in low spirits, shrouded in gloom. Suddenly, a person plummeted from the sky out of the void. Yes, an actual person. Crashing down from the heavens, he smashed violently into the ground. Boom! A massive crater was blasted into the earth. Within the crater lay a mangled, bloody figure. Miraculously, despite being battered into a bloody mess, the figure still radiated vibrant vitality. In fact, the life force was remarkably potent, devoid of any deathly aura. Seeing this, the Qi clansmen naturally understood what was going on. "It's a cultivator. There is no immortal spirit qi on him, so he is likely a mortal cultivator." "Even if he is a mortal cultivator, he's probably at the Ancestor Realm..." "He was likely injured in a battle and fell here. Leave him be; we cannot afford to meddle in such affairs." "Pay him no mind. Go around." The Qi clansmen had no intention of meddling. A cultivator falling from the sky—did they dare get involved? A moment later, the Qi clan could be dragged into a dispute and wiped out entirely. Such tragedies were far too common in the Heaven Realm. Given their current state, the Qi clan could not withstand the slightest tremor. True to their words, the caravan began to detour, not daring to draw near the crater. "Eldest Brother, do we truly need to be this cautious?" Qi Yushu, the young miss of the Qi clan, could not help but ask from within the caravan. Leading them was the Qi clan's eldest son, Qi Yutang, who was already assisting their father in handling the clan's affairs. "Little Sister, our old ancestor has fallen. Our Qi clan is currently balancing like a stack of eggs, on the verge of collapsing at any moment." "If Father had not acted decisively to disperse our treasures and secure our escape, our clan would likely be on the brink of extinction right now. Under these circumstances, how could we possibly meddle in outside affairs?" "Besides, that person fell from the heavens. Though his flesh is torn and mangled, his vitality is flourishing, so he should be fine. For a powerful cultivator who might even be in the Ancestor Realm, even if we saved him and gained his assistance, imagine how terrifying the enemy must be to wound him so severely!" "If his enemy catches up, wouldn't our Qi clan suffer unwarranted disaster?" The young miss nodded. Indeed, at a time like this, the Qi family had no business sticking their noses into trouble. And so, the Qi clan continued on their way. Shortly after the Qi clan passed by, the bloody figure inside the crater began to reconstitute. "Ascended just like that?" "Then this must be the Heaven Realm?" The person in the crater was none other than the newly ascended Lu Changsheng. His fall from the sky had in fact been him being "thrown out" by the Road to Ascending Heaven, smashing straight into the earth. Though battered and bloodied, his mind was perfectly clear. Only twenty percent of his physical body remained. Yet that was of little concern; with such rich immortal spirit qi here, countless natural treasures were bound to flourish. Recovering would not take long. He had been fully aware when the Qi caravan passed by without attempting to "rescue" him. In fact, he found their extreme caution rather agreeable. Having just arrived in the Heaven Realm, he needed to familiarize himself with this new world. Approaching someone at random or choosing a place blindly was out of the question. A family as cautious as this Qi clan made an excellent choice. What was more, hearing the voices of the Qi clansmen had been effortless for him. He knew they had just lost their "old ancestor" and were now migrating the entire clan out of fear. Presently, the Qi clan was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow, deeply insecure. The more frightened they were, the safer Lu Changsheng felt. A family so weak and cautious was one he could control without worry. With that in mind, Lu Changsheng hesitated no longer. Whoosh. Taking a step forward, he transformed into a streak of light and instantly flew toward the Qi caravan. "Qi Yutang." "This Lu requires a carriage." "I must trouble the Qi clan." Lu Changsheng said little else. Overbearing or unreasonable, he could not care less at this moment. Directly commandeering a carriage, he settled inside without moving an inch. For a moment, the members of the Qi clan stared at one another in dumbfounded silence, at a total loss as to how to handle this turn of events.