342: Ascension successful!!

On the Ascension Platform, the sky tore open.

The Nine Heavens' sea of clouds ripped apart like silk, and a purple-black lightning abyss, spanning the universe, crashed down from the Void Realm, as if the heavens had opened their angry giant eyes.

Eighteen Heavenly Tribulation divine lightning bolts exploded one after another, each strike powerful enough to annihilate a True Immortal, turning an area of ten thousand li into dead silence.

Yao Ye stood in the center of the Ascension Platform, his black robe fluttering, his silver hair dancing, his eyes like unextinguished cold stars.

His Physical Body was already riddled with holes, his bones shattered, his blood evaporated into a stellar mist, yet he used his remaining magic power to condense it into a stellar barrier, enduring the ninth "Divine-Shattering Lightning"!

"I said..." he roared hoarsely, his voice piercing the thunderous storm, "I don't believe in fate—"

Before his words finished, the tenth lightning bolt, the "Soul Annihilation Tribulation," descended!

Heaven and earth fell silent, and all living beings prostrated.

But in that moment of destruction—

An dazzling starlight suddenly bloomed between his eyebrows!

Like an ancient stellar core awakening, like the first ray of dawn in the night sky!

That was... a Star Vein Body?! No, it was an Ancient Star Race Body!

"Impossible!" In Lingxiao Heaven, Haotian Immortal Emperor suddenly stood up, "How could he possess—the Bloodline of the Ancient Star Race?!"

Haotian regretted it; if he had known Yao Ye possessed the Bloodline of the Ancient Star Race, he would not have allowed Yao Ye to Ascend, but rather found a way to seize it!!

Boom!!!

Starlight surged into the sky, actually swallowing the tenth lightning bolt whole!

That speck of light instantly surged, transforming into a brilliant galaxy unfurling behind him, as if billions of stars resonated with him!

Following closely, the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth... until the eighteenth Heavenly Tribulation, all were dissolved by that burning stellar flame!

Lightning fell like rain, but it could not enter three feet around his body—

Every strike was guided, deflected, and annihilated by the power of the stars!

Yao Ye raised his hand and pointed a finger at the sky!

"Today's Ascension—"

"Is not surviving a tribulation! Rather, it is stepping on the stars to arrive!"

In an instant, golden light reversed, and the sky roared open!

A figure flowing against the current, enveloped in boundless starlight, like a Star Lord descending, broke through the clouds!

Yao Ye actually—succeeded in Ascension!

The entire scene was dead silent.

The Five Emperors' expressions changed.

The pupils of the Twelve Stars trembled like an earthquake.

Since the Ascension Platform was discovered, there have been at least ten thousand Ascenders, all of whom experienced extreme danger, and very few Ascenders were as relaxed and smooth as Yao Ye.

On the viewing platform, many Golden Immortals looked at each other, and whispers arose:

"Senior Yao Ye... is likely to stir up trouble in the Grand Void Immortal Realm."

"Such an Ascender hasn't been seen in ten thousand years; could he be the destined Dominator?"

Even the usually indifferent Five Emperors couldn't help but look at each other, a trace of shock flashing in their eyes.

Fortunately, Yao Ye Ascended; otherwise, he might have threatened the rule of the Immortal Court.

Perhaps, for this reason, Yao Ye did not want to fall out with the Immortal Court and simply Ascended directly.

At the highest point of Lingxiao Heaven, Haotian Immortal Emperor gazed for a long time at the figure disappearing at the end of the galaxy, a hint of... envy actually appearing in his eyes.

He was the Dominator of this heaven and earth, Supreme and unrivaled.

But at this moment, watching Yao Ye Ascend, he suddenly felt an unprecedented emptiness.

He also wanted to Ascend.

This thought, like a prairie fire, ignited in his heart.

He had also Ascended once, glimpsing a corner of the Grand Void Immortal Realm; just one glance allowed him to Breakthrough Ascension and reach the Heaven-Reaching Realm.

Now, sitting on this Lingxiao throne for ten thousand years, seemingly invincible, in reality... he was trapped.

In the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Realm, he was the Supreme, but what about taking another step?

But just as his heart was surging, reason, like cold water poured over his head, suddenly woke him up.

No.

He couldn't go.

In the Immortal Realm, he was an unparalleled Dominator, capable of destroying stars with a single thought, with all living beings bowing to him.

But if he stepped into the Grand Void Immortal Realm—

There were truly ancient Dao traditions, undying True Immortals, forbidden existences... he might no longer be "Haotian Immortal Emperor," but just a newly Ascended ant, having to curry favor and climb up from the very bottom.

His old adversaries, who were once his enemies, might now have become magnates in the Immortal Realm!

Haotian's restless heart instantly calmed down.

Unless there was a way for him to Breakthrough the Bottleneck and the Heaven-Reaching Realm without Ascending, to crush the upper world with absolute strength, he would absolutely not Ascend!!

...Yao Ye stepped out of the Ascension Gate, his feet landing on a cloud-like jade white stair.

He looked up—

Heavenly light shone brightly, golden rays spread out, and auspicious Qi flowed in thousands of streams.

Thirty-three Immortal Palaces floated in the Void Realm.

In the distance, the Heavenly River hung upside down, its silver waves vast, with stars strung like pearls along its banks;

Nearby, exotic flowers and rare herbs bloomed everywhere, a "Nine-Heart Lotus" quietly unfolding, its nine lotus hearts beating simultaneously—such a divine item in the Lower Realm would be enough to trigger a million living beings to battle for a thousand years!

He took a deep breath—

In an instant, heaven and earth roared!

That Qi was not Spiritual Qi, but Immortal Qi!

It was high-grade energy refined to the extreme, like sweet spring water pouring over his head, like a galaxy entering his body!

The remaining injuries in his body instantly healed, his Meridians expanded a hundredfold, his Divine Soul felt like it was bathing in divine fire, and his cultivation surged like a bursting flood, rapidly increasing!

From the Peak of the Ascension Realm, he stepped directly into—the Heaven-Reaching Realm!

Yao Ye's knees trembled slightly, and he almost knelt.

Not because of weakness, but because of... ecstasy.

"Is this the Immortal Realm?!"

He laughed up to the sky, his voice piercing the clouds, "Haha! Indeed! This is truly a Holy Land for cultivation!"

He breathed greedily, each breath making him feel his Physical Body evolving and his Divine Soul sublimating.

Finally, he could break free from the cage of fate and step into the legendary Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

From now on, he could comprehend the Dao, attain eternity, and establish an unperishing foundation for all ages!

But just as his laughter had not yet faded—

The sky suddenly darkened.

It wasn't dark clouds pressing down, but rather... two gigantic orbs of light, slowly approaching from beyond the Nine Heavens.

Silently, yet carrying a suffocating sense of oppression, like two moving suns, emitting an eerie golden-red light.

The closer they got, the larger, the clearer—

Yao Ye's smile froze.

The Star Veins within his body trembled violently, warning of a terrifying existence far beyond his comprehension.

"No..." Yao Ye frowned deeply, stellar Qi appearing around his body, "These are not auspicious signs... These are... Yao Beasts!"

He wanted to escape.

But his feet were as if nailed to the spot—

The entire space was sealed by an invisible force.

Boom!!!

A crack spanned the sky, and space was torn open.

Those two gigantic orbs of light were actually the eyes of a Yao Beast.

This Yao Beast was entirely black, its scales gleaming with a cold light, a single horn on its head, and as it opened its mouth, the Void Realm collapsed inch by inch!

Its body was ten thousand zhang long; just the tip of its tail could crush a floating Immortal Island!

It was—the Void-Splitting Candle Dragon!

The champion of the first Weird Monster Domination Competition! It was a killing machine Lu Chen had specially created to hunt down Ascenders when he first created the Immortal Realm!

"Roar—!!!"

A roar echoed through the Nine Heavens!

Yao Ye felt as if struck by lightning, his Divine Soul on the verge of splitting, blood oozing from his seven orifices!

Before he could react, the Zhulong had already torn through space, teleporting above his head, its giant claw pressing down like a mountain!