289: Chapter 287: Things That Actually Happened

Su Lin held the [destiny] Immortal Sword horizontally before him. On the blade, the spot that had just pierced the monster's core was now stained with an extremely eerie, dark grey substance.

This substance seemed to possess a life of its own, squirming slowly and emitting a nauseating smell of decay, desperately trying to corrode the light on the sword.

“This thing is extremely difficult to deal with.”

Su Lin's expression was calm. A golden light flickered slightly at his brow, and the [Myriad Heavens Star Chart] within his body began to revolve slowly.

Chu Weiwei approached, tightly clutching several jade bottles used for holding poisons. Her eyes held a hint of inquiry: “Revered Master, that dark grey residue just now looked highly toxic. If it could be collected and used in medicine, it would surely be possible to refine a world-class poison pill that kills upon contact with blood.”

“Do not touch it.” Su Lin withdrew the longsword into his Sea of Consciousness, his tone serious. “This is by no means an ordinary poison or Death Qi. It is entangled with extremely distorted Laws of Time and decayed resentment.

With your current cultivation, once you are tainted, it will follow your Meridians straight to your Spiritual Platform, and even your Divine Soul will be completely corroded.”

Hearing such a stern warning from her Revered Master, Chu Weiwei immediately nodded obediently and stuffed the jade bottles back into her sleeve.

“Since this aggregated monster has fallen, the path ahead should be clear.”

Cold Moon looked around, Imperial Dao Dragon Qi faintly swirling in her golden eyes as she tried to see through the thick darkness ahead. “Revered Master, let us continue forward and uncover all the secrets of this Ascension Reception Platform as soon as possible.”

Su Lin nodded slightly and took the lead, stepping over the mountain of remains.

The Nine Heavens Immortal-Condensing Jade plaza beneath their feet was in ruins, filled with crisscrossing giant rifts. The seven female Disciples followed closely behind, each maintaining a high state of alert.

Su Hongling carried the [no edge] great sword on her shoulder, walking at the side of the group.

She looked down at the strangely shaped Yao Beast bones on the ground and wrinkled her nose in disgust: “This place is really stifling. There are bone fragments everywhere, and not a single living thing left to fight.”

“Be quiet,” Mu Qingxue’s cold voice came. Dressed in white, she was surrounded by a chilling frost that froze the ashes drifting in the air, causing them to fall to the ground.

“The Laws here are extremely chaotic. Any reckless move could trigger an unknown killing intent.”

The group continued deeper along the broad white jade avenue.

As they advanced, the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate. The broken Magic Treasures and corpses that were once everywhere gradually diminished, replaced by an extreme emptiness and deathly silence.

A massive archway appeared ahead.

The archway was made of a translucent material similar to colored glaze, its surface carved with countless complex and profound divine scripts.

Beyond the archway was a long corridor paved entirely with smooth crystal.

Luo Ximei stepped closer, her platinum-gold right eye carefully examining the floor of the crystal corridor. She said softly, “Revered Master, the material of this corridor is very special. It seems capable of sealing the flow of time.”

“Indeed.” Su Lin stopped before the archway, gazing at the corridor ahead. “Everyone be careful, follow me in.”

The moment Su Lin stepped onto the crystal corridor, a layer of soft light suddenly lit up on the transparent floor beneath his feet.

The light flickered like breathing, rapidly spreading to the surroundings.

Immediately after, the surrounding darkness receded quickly.

The transparent walls on both sides of the corridor began to emit strange colors, and countless fragments of light and shadow rapidly condensed in the air.

The originally empty and silent space actually reorganized itself before their eyes, manifesting a vivid and incredibly realistic scene.

“Revered Master, is this a phantom Formation?”

Ye You’s dark green vertical pupils constricted, and the demon vines behind her were ready to strike, prepared to attack at any moment.

“No need to be nervous.” Su Lin raised his hand to stop his disciples' movements, his gaze calmly watching the light and shadow taking shape around them. “This is by no means a harmful Formation. Its essence stems from this space's passive recording of past years.

What we are seeing now are things that truly occurred here a hundred thousand years ago.”

Hearing this, the group retracted their offensive stances and focused their attention on the surroundings.

The light and shadow completely solidified.

Presented before them was an incredibly shocking scene.

The sky was no longer a gloomy grey but a clear azure. Auspicious clouds drifted in the air, immortal cranes cried out, and thousands of strands of auspicious Qi swirled.

The broken [Ascension Reception] jade monument now stood intact in the center of the plaza, emitting a holy and majestic radiance.

In front of that jade monument was a massive immortal pool spanning hundreds of feet.

The pool water shimmered with seven-colored light, and the rich Immortal Qi was so dense it almost turned into physical raindrops falling down.

Within the light and shadow, a middle-aged Cultivator wearing a green Daoist robe stepped out from the void.

He was covered in wounds and his clothes were tattered, but the expression on his face radiated an indescribable ecstasy and excitement.

“I have undergone nine thousand years of bitter cultivation and survived the life-and-death Heavenly Tribulation. Today, I have finally attained the Great Dao and ascended to the Immortal Realm!”

The green-robed Cultivator roared to the heavens, his voice filled with a longing for eternal life.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and walked with full devotion into the Immortal Transformation Pool that emitted seven-colored light.

The pool water instantly enveloped his body. The green-robed Cultivator closed his eyes and spread his arms, preparing to welcome the baptism of Immortal Qi and reshape his mortal body into an immortal one.

Seeing this scene, Cold Moon, Su Hongling, and the others all held their breath.

Although they had already learned the truth from Su Lin's deductions, witnessing these images from a hundred thousand years ago with their own eyes still brought a deep sense of shock.

However, the beautiful scene lasted for only two short breaths.

Just as the green-robed Cultivator completely relaxed his mind and body, immersed in the joy of transformation, the auspicious clouds in the sky suddenly turned a gruesome blood-red.

Three figures wearing grey robes, their faces completely obscured by hoods, appeared above the Immortal Transformation Pool without any warning.

They had no verbal exchange, nor did they emit any earth-shattering Aura; they simply raised their hands coldly.

A large net woven from black Law chains descended upon him.

“Who goes there?!”

The green-robed Cultivator snapped his eyes open, finally sensing the fatal crisis.

He tried to mobilize the spiritual energy in his body to resist, but discovered to his horror that the water of the Immortal Transformation Pool had at some point turned into a viscous black mire, tightly imprisoning his entire body.

The black net fell, piercing directly through his flesh and blood, firmly hooking into his Divine Soul and Dao foundation.

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

An agonizing scream reached the heavens.

The three Grey-Robed Figures expressionlessly yanked upward.

The green-robed Cultivator's Divine Soul, Spiritual Root, and the Dao fruit he had condensed through nine thousand years of bitter cultivation were violently torn from his body, turning into a cluster of brilliant light that fell into the hands of a Grey-Robed Figure.

Having lost everything, the green-robed Cultivator's Physical Body rapidly shriveled, falling into the black pool water like a piece of withered wood, without a single sound left.

The Grey-Robed Figure put away the light sphere, and with a flicker of their body, disappeared back into the void, leaving only that shriveled corpse to gradually rot at the bottom of the Immortal Transformation Pool.

Inside the crystal corridor, there was a deathly silence.

Having witnessed this one-sided, incredibly cruel slaughter, the faces of the seven female Disciples all turned ashen.

“These high and mighty beasts!”

Su Hongling gripped the hilt of her great sword with both hands. Due to excessive force, the veins on the back of her hands bulged out, and her knuckles made a cracking sound.

A violent rage burned in her red eyes; she wished she could charge up to the Nine Heavens right now and smash those Grey-Robed Figures into meat paste.

Chu Weiwei bit her lower lip hard, her pure face full of gloom.

As a healer, she knew better than anyone what kind of unbearable torture it was to have one's Divine Soul and Dao fruit forcibly extracted while completely defenseless.

“So... the Ascension we strive for with all our might is just washing ourselves clean and delivering ourselves to their dining table.”

Luo Ximei's voice was cold as ice, and in her platinum-gold right eye, demonic light surged wildly.

Cold Moon took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock and anger in her heart, and turned to look at Su Lin: “Revered Master, this is the ultimate truth of this world. They treat the Lower Realm as an orchard for harvesting.”

Su Lin's face was calm, his deep gaze still fixed on those fragments of light and shadow.

“Keep walking,” he said faintly. “The years recorded by this corridor are extremely long; there must be other events.”

The group calmed their emotions and followed Su Lin's footsteps deeper into the corridor.

The surrounding light and shadow images began to change at an accelerated pace.

Countless ascenders arrived full of hope, only to be ruthlessly harvested by those Grey-Robed Figures in despair and pain.

The water of the Immortal Transformation Pool turned from seven colors to dark red, and finally dried up completely, becoming a mass grave filled with remains.

The light and shadow in the crystal corridor flew backward and swirled like a river of time.

As Su Lin and the others went deeper, the suffocating images of bloody harvesting began to blur, replaced by a hearty, loud laughter filled with extreme joy and pride coming from near and far.

“Big brother, third brother! We did it! Hahaha, twelve hundred years, we finally did it!”

The light and shadow solidified once more.

In the scene, the void beside the Immortal Transformation Pool distorted violently, and three figures emitting powerful Auras stepped out of a void rift, supporting each other.

Of these three, one was a Sword Cultivator in a green robe carrying an ancient sword; one was an elegant scholar holding a Formation Plate; and the last was a burly Body Cultivator with a bare chest and muscles knotted like coiling dragons.

The Dharma robes on their bodies were all in tatters, even bearing charred lightning marks left from Undergoing Tribulation, and blood stained their lapels. But they didn't care; the three of them held hands tightly, their eyes flashing with unparalleled ecstasy and excitement.

“Twelve hundred years of life and death together. We three brothers have struggled in this Lower Realm, surviving countless tribulations, and today... we have finally attained the Perfection of the Great Dao!” The burly Body Cultivator roared to the sky, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears.

Though the green-robed Sword Cultivator was pale, his brow was full of relief and the unyielding pride of Sword Intent: “Yes, when we swore our brotherhood years ago, we vowed to ascend to the Immortal Realm together. Today, we three brothers can finally embark on the immortal path together and seek that eternal life!”

The elegant scholar wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the Immortal Transformation Pool ahead, which was emitting seven-colored light, his eyes full of longing: “Big brother, second brother, that must be the Immortal Transformation Pool ahead. As long as we wash away our mortal dregs, we can truly transcend this world. Let's go!”

The three of them laughed together and, supporting each other, walked toward the Immortal Transformation Pool with full hope.

Outside the corridor, seeing the true feelings and life-and-death bond of these three, Su Hongling unconsciously gripped her [no edge] great sword. The eyes of Luo Ximei, Mu Qingxue, and the others also flashed with a hint of pity.

Because they knew that what awaited these three peerless Prodigies—who had ascended after experiencing thousands of hardships—was not immortality, but the butcher's knife of a slaughterhouse.

“I really can't bear to keep watching...” Chu Weiwei bit her lip and turned her head away.

However, the direction of the scene suddenly exceeded everyone's expectations.

Just a moment before the three were about to step into the Immortal Transformation Pool, the elegant scholar holding the Formation Plate suddenly stopped.

His brow furrowed sharply, and the Formation Plate in his hand vibrated violently, emitting a piercing hum.

“Wait! Big brother, second brother, stop!”

The scholar grabbed the two beside him. His eyes, which were full of ecstasy, instantly became incredibly grave, even revealing a hint of horror.

“What's wrong, third brother?” The green-robed Sword Cultivator and the burly Body Cultivator immediately stopped and formed a defensive Formation back-to-back. The tacit understanding honed through countless life-and-death edges over these thousand years was displayed to the fullest at this moment.

“Something's not right... this Immortal Qi... is not right!”

The scholar stared fixedly at the Immortal Transformation Pool, his knuckles turning white: “Although this light is brilliant, what's hidden beneath... is extremely dense Death Qi and resentment! This Formation is not an immortal Formation for cleansing the Divine Soul, but... a killing extraction Formation for stripping away Dao fruits!”

Outside the corridor, seeing the scholar's reaction in the image, a rare hint of admiration flashed in Su Lin's eyes.

“This person has some skill.”

Su Lin stood with his hands behind his back and commented softly, “The disguise of this Immortal Transformation Pool is an Upper Realm method, and its Laws are extremely tight. The Death Qi and resentment are hidden very deeply by the immortal light. Even an ordinary Formation Grandmaster here would only be deceived by the appearance.”

“As a Lower Realm Cultivator who has just undergone a Lightning Tribulation and whose internal spiritual energy has not yet fully converted into immortal essence, he was actually able to see through its essence based solely on intuition and a compass... this person's talent in Formations and Heart-Nature are truly rare.”

Hearing such high praise from their Revered Master, the disciples also focused their minds and stared closely at the scene in the light and shadow.

In the light and shadow, the elegant scholar had just finished speaking.

A moving scene occurred.

Without any questioning or hesitation, his other two brothers immediately assumed defensive postures, shielding him firmly in the middle!

The burly Body Cultivator took a heavy step forward to block the front. His blood and Qi surged like a volcanic eruption, and dense defensive Dao patterns instantly appeared on his bronze skin, making him look like an unshakeable iron tower.

Meanwhile, the green-robed Sword Cultivator stood back-to-back with the Body Cultivator, and the ancient longsword in his hand instantly left its scabbard. Peerless and sharp Sword Intent transformed into a seamless storm of Sword Qi around the three of them. The tip of his sword pointed in all directions, and his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, ready to unleash a fatal blow at any moment.

Twelve hundred years of sharing life and death had already forged an absolute trust that required no words. If the third brother said there was a trick, then it was a massive trap!