397: Ascension successful!!

The Five Great Emperors watched Emperor Qin and the other two fight with such desperation, their expressions turning solemn: What if, as Emperor Qin said, Lu Chen was the Avatar of the Heavenly Dao, and would harvest everything and completely destroy the world after civilization matured? Wouldn't all their efforts to desperately kill Immortal Emperor Haotian and seize the Immortal Court be in vain?

They couldn't hesitate any longer!

The White Emperor ordered in a deep voice: "Mobilize all the Immortal Court's combat power! Today, this person must be stopped!"

As the order was given, the Immortal Court's remaining war machine rumbled into action.

Although the strongest twenty-eight mansions and Twelve Zodiac Legions had been almost completely wiped out in the previous great battle, there were still other legions—the Thirty-Six Earth Fiends Legion and the Seventy-Two Heavenly Stars Legion—all dispatched!

The Cultivation of these Heavenly Soldiers was only around the True Immortal Realm; their individual combat power was far inferior to the twenty-eight mansions Legion, but they had the advantage of vast numbers and skilled Formations.

In just a short moment, a full hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers arrayed outside Lingxiao Heaven, a dense mass like dark clouds obscuring the sun.

Moreover, more than ten Saint Immortal Rank Old Ancestors, who had been secluded in the Second Heaven, broke through their seclusion, their hair white, holding ancient Immortal Artifacts, their aura shaking the Nine Heavens!

"Attack!"

With a single command, countless Divine Abilities, Immortal Arts, Formation diagrams, and Talismans poured down like a torrential rain, madly bombarding the Heavenly Dao barrier outside the Ascension Platform!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Heaven and earth trembled, the Law wailed, and the entire Lingxiao Heaven was on the verge of collapse!

Inside the Ascension Platform, Lu Chen could clearly feel the barrier cracking at a visible speed, estimating it wouldn't last much longer.

Just at this moment—

A brilliant Divine Gate split open in the sky! The Upper Realm passage finally appeared, and vast Divine Light cascaded down like a waterfall, enveloping Lu Chen's entire body!

"Clang—!"

The barrier also shattered at this moment!

"Get down here!!" Emperor Qin, Shen Wuya, and Ling Tian, like madmen, shot up and lunged straight at Lu Chen!

Lu Chen looked at the Divine Light above his head, knowing that he was about to Ascend immediately, and at this critical moment, he couldn't let all his efforts go to waste.

Lu Chen raised his hands, and the haotian seal, xuanming shield, earth-splitting axe, thunder sound cone, wind god wings, blazing phoenix wheel, earth mother robe, and taiyin mirror—eight heaven-reaching spirit treasures—instantly appeared in the Void Realm!

"Mere Spirit Treasures, do you think they can stop us?!" Emperor Qin dismissed them with disdain.

Lu Chen, of course, knew they couldn't stop them.

So he directly detonated the eight heaven-reaching spirit treasures!

Rumble—!!!

In an instant, the eight world-destroying Spirit Treasures exploded, forming a Chaos vortex spanning a thousand miles! Space shattered, time became chaotic, and even Saint Immortals were sent flying a hundred zhang!

The hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers below watched in stunned silence: "Oh my god... those are heaven-reaching spirit treasures, rarely seen in ten thousand years! They all exploded?!"

The aftermath of the explosion forcefully interrupted the charge of Emperor Qin and the other two; they had no choice but to form a Formation together to protect themselves, their movements delayed for a moment.

In that instant, Lu Chen summoned the Four Great Divine Beasts—the Azure Dragon soaring through clouds, the White Tiger roaring with wind, the Vermilion Bird burning the sky, and the Black Tortoise suppressing the sea! All four were ancient Divine Beasts of the Heaven-Reaching Realm, and as their aura emerged, heaven and earth submitted!

"Don't panic! Watch us!!" The Five Great Emperors immediately activated the Five Elements Demon Trapping Formation, intending to trap the Four Great Divine Beasts.

However, what kind of existences were Divine Beasts? The Four Symbols resonated in unison, Laws reverberated, and they actually tore a corner of the Five Elements Formation! The Azure Dragon's tail swept away three thousand Heavenly Soldiers, the Vermilion Bird's wings incinerated the Earth Fiends Legion, the White Tiger's sharp claws shredded the Heavenly Stars battle banner, and the Black Tortoise's giant shield blocked the combined attack of the Saint Immortals!

The hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and wails filled the fields.

Emperor Qin and the other two, along with the Five Great Emperors, gritted their teeth and fought again; the eight Heaven-Reaching Realm powerhouses joined forces in a siege, finally subduing the Four Great Divine Beasts.

But—

They had missed the best opportunity to capture Lu Chen!

Inside the Ascension passage, Lu Chen stood in the center of the Divine Light, looking back at the chaotic battlefield below, a characteristic crooked smile playing on his lips, and gently waved: "Bye-bye! See you next time!"

The next second, Lu Chen entered the Upper Realm passage and disappeared.

Emperor Qin and the other two looked at the Upper Realm passage, which was about to close, and exchanged glances, their eyes filled with determination.

Shen Wuya spoke in a deep voice: "Now we only have two choices: either pursue him and kill the Heavenly Dao; or wait here to die, for with Lu Chen's Cultivation speed—we will never catch up, after all... he is the Heavenly Dao!"

Emperor Qin nodded heavily: "I agree. Rather than wait for him to refine the Dragon Origin and return to destroy the world, it's better to fight now! Dying in the Upper Realm is better than being 'formatted' and having even Reincarnation completely erased!"

Ling Tian grinned, his killing intent undiminished: "Why are you looking at me? Just chase him!"

Hahaha!!

The three burst into hearty laughter in unison!

Then, their figures shot up, and in the last instant before the Upper Realm passage completely closed, they plunged into it without hesitation!

The Five Emperors witnessed this scene, and a strange sense of relief inexplicably filled their hearts.

The White Emperor slowly exhaled a turbid breath: "That's good... Since ancient times, no one has ever returned from the Upper Realm. The two worlds are inherently isolated, with independent Laws. Their departure now will likely mean they will never return for all eternity."

The Fire Emperor snorted coldly: "What Heavenly Dao? I don't believe it! Immortal Emperor Haotian also claimed to be the Heavenly Dao back then, and what was the result? Wasn't he still jointly slain by us? I think this Lu Chen merely obtained some ancient Divine Spirit Cultivation Techniques."

The Yellow Emperor nodded in agreement: "Precisely. If he were truly the Heavenly Dao, why would he need to hide and flee? And why would he need to use the Ascension Platform to escape?"

The Five Emperors looked at each other and smiled, a thousand-pound burden lifted from them.

To them, the real threat was actually Emperor Qin, Shen Wuya, and Ling Tian; now these three had left this world.

Then, the entire Immortal Realm, the entire Lingxiao Heaven, would be theirs to command. They could finally control the Immortal Court!!

Today, they would hold a grand celebration ceremony, and from now on, the Immortal Court would abolish the Immortal Emperor, to be jointly governed by the Five Great Emperors!

...The Immortal Realm of the Upper Realm! The Immortal Qi was rich, every wisp of air saturated with pure Divine Power; merely breathing could cleanse Meridians, refine bones, and reshape one's Dao Foundation!

Emperor Qin, Shen Wuya, and Ling Tian had just stepped out of the Ascension passage when they were so awestruck by this vast God Realm that they were speechless.

What made them even more ecstatic was that their bodies automatically completed the Ascension transformation the moment they stepped into this world!

Their original Immortal Power completely transformed into a higher-dimensional Divine Power, their Meridians, bones, and Divine Soul all sublimated, and their Realm broke through with a bang, stepping directly into the Domain Suppression Realm!

"Haha! We actually successfully Ascended!" Ling Tian laughed up at the sky, feeling the surging Divine Power within him, capable of tearing apart stars with a mere raise of his hand.

"This is our first Ascension. Is this the legendary Upper Realm?" Shen Wuya looked around, seeing Divine Palaces suspended amidst rolling clouds, and spirit birds and exotic beasts traversing rainbow bridges. The Laws of heaven and earth were a hundred times clearer than in the Lower Realm. "The air is full of Divine Power... This is the true Holy Land for Cultivation!"

However, the next moment, their smiles suddenly froze.

Not far ahead, Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his robes undisturbed, his expression calm, not having fled! Even more bizarre was that his Realm was still that of a True Immortal, with no signs of Breakthrough!

Emperor Qin was first stunned, then burst into ecstatic laughter: "I understand! You, a mere True Immortal, haven't even met the basic requirements for Ascension! Even if you forcibly entered the Upper Realm, you couldn't trigger the Divine Power transformation! So you're still a True Immortal—while we three are now Territory Suppression powerhouses!"

His killing intent surged in his eyes, his voice like thunder: "This time, where will you run?!"