265: Chapter 265 Is Ascension a Good Thing?

Chu Sheng sat in the large tent, holding a wine cup, unable to put it down.

He recalled the look in Elder Zhou's eyes when she looked at Ling Wushuang.

That was not the concern shared between fellow disciples; it was the kind of thing that had been hidden for a long time, something she dared not say, and something she could not bring herself to say.

He used his communication jade talisman to ask the Peak Master of the Tenth Peak: "What is the relationship between Elder Zhou and Ling Wushuang?"

The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"Elder Zhou admired Ling Wushuang when she was young. But Ling Wushuang only had eyes for the sword, not for her. She rejected her, saying, 'Outside of the Sword Dao, there is nothing else.'"

"Elder Zhou did not give up and watched over her for hundreds of years. Ling Wushuang did not drive her away either, and they just stayed like that, keeping a certain distance."

Chu Sheng listened, but did not speak.

He thought to himself: No wonder that old thing looks at me like I'm her father's killer.

Ling Wushuang was dead, and she needed an outlet for her frustration. Demon Boy was too far away, and she couldn't beat him. Chu Sheng was right in front of her, and easy to bully.

Chu Sheng picked up the wine cup and took another sip.

The wine was cold, and his heart was cold too.

He suddenly remembered the Duanhun River.

That river originated in the depths of the Northern Territory, flowed through the Demon Domain, through the Tianfeng Kingdom, and all the way to the East Sea.

Where was the source? He had asked Grandmaster Jiang.

Grandmaster Jiang said: "The source of the Duanhun River is at Heavenly Demon Mountain. It is the place where the Heavenly Demon Ancestor last disappeared."

Chu Sheng was stunned for a moment.

Heavenly Demon Mountain, he had heard this name before.

Old Grandfather had said that it was the place where the Heavenly Demon Ancestor was born, and also the place where he last disappeared.

A moving mountain, drifting in the Void Realm; no one knew where it was, and no one knew when it would appear.

What was on top of Heavenly Demon Mountain?

Old Grandfather didn't know either.

Chu Sheng had asked, and Old Grandfather was silent for a long time before saying: "This Seat also wanted to go up and take a look back then. But I didn't have the chance."

Chu Sheng did not ask again.

He leaned against the back of his chair, staring at the tent ceiling in a daze.

Heavenly Demon Mountain, the source of the Duanhun River, the Heavenly Demon Ancestor.

These words spun around in his mind like an untieable knot.

He touched the zhu xian sword at his waist; the blade vibrated slightly, as if responding to him.

He suddenly wanted to perform a divination.

He hadn't used the Heavenly Secret Calculation for a long time.

It wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he didn't dare to.

Every divination consumed lifespan; although lifespan was cheap in the simulation, he wasn't that generous yet.

But today, he wanted to perform a divination.

Not to divine his own life and death, but to divine a bigger question.

Is Ascension a good thing?

The Heavenly Demon Ancestor seemed to have achieved Ascension and disappeared.

Feng Xian seemed to have achieved Ascension, leaving behind a key.

Greed did not achieve Ascension and died.

Arrogance did not achieve Ascension and was hiding in the Demon Tomb, waiting for something unknown.

Chu Sheng wanted to know if Ascension was really a good path.

He took the Heavenly Secret Calculation out of his sleeve and placed it on the table.

A phantom image of a fortune stick cylinder appeared, translucent and glowing with a faint golden light.

He closed his eyes and silently recited in his heart: "Is Ascension a good thing?"

Then he chose five years of lifespan.

The cylinder shook, clattering as the sound echoed in the empty tent.

A fortune stick jumped out of the cylinder and hovered in mid-air.

Chu Sheng reached out to catch it, flipped it over, and looked—it was a neutral fortune stick.

Corresponding to 'Neutral'.

It was neither great luck nor great misfortune; it was neutral.

Chu Sheng stared at the stick, his brows furrowed.

Neutral? Why would it be neutral?

Ascension, the ultimate goal that so many Cultivators dreamed of—how could it be neutral?

He put down the stick, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

His mind was a mess, like a ball of yarn that had been clawed by a cat.

Feng Xian achieved Ascension and left behind a mess.

The Heavenly Demon Ancestor achieved Ascension and left behind seven Legacies, causing later generations to fight until they were battered and bloody.

If they hadn't achieved Ascension, would this world be different?

He didn't know.

He put away the stick, picked up his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

Just then, he sensed a fluctuation.

It was not Devilish Qi, nor was it spiritual power; it was something subtle that made one feel uneasy.

Like a heartbeat, and also like some ancient, tireless whisper.

It came from a very distant place, piercing through space, piercing through time, and landing directly in his heart.

Chu Sheng opened his eyes abruptly, his hand pressing onto the hilt of his sword.