381: Chapter 381 On Qingyun Valley

The gale above Qingyun Valley carried a pungent scent of blood, weaving back and forth in the Void Realm like blades.

Zhou Wannian stepped on the empty air, walking step by step toward the high heavens. His washed-out, cyan cloth robe rustled in the wind, and with every step his pristine cyan cloth shoes took, a ripple invisible to the naked eye spread out beneath his feet. These ripples ground the violent gale and the blood rain falling from the sky into nothingness.

Behind him, Shitou clutched the oilcloth package tightly, following closely. The young boy was originally unable to walk in the Void Realm, but his body was enveloped in a faint layer of five-colored glazed light, an extension of Zhou Wannian's Domain power. Stepping on this light, Shitou felt as steady as if he were walking on solid, flat bluestone slabs.

High above, the white jade giant gate that had just devoured hundreds of old monsters seemed to sense the approach of this "abnormal variable," Zhou Wannian.

Deep within the gate, the will of that high-dimensional vertical pupil was spinning frantically.

It wanted to cover up the traces of its recent meal; it wanted to cast out an even greater lure.

"Hum—"

A low, humming vibration resounded through the sky.

The blood-stained fangs and grayish-white tentacles on the surface of the white jade giant gate instantly retracted into the depths of the gate's crevice like a receding tide. The tightly shut gate erupted with ten thousand zhang of golden light once more. This golden light was even more piercing than before, like a scorching sun hanging in mid-air.

The chewed-up severed limbs and the blood rain falling from the sky, upon being touched by this golden light, emitted a "hissing" sound and instantly evaporated into a sky full of pink mist.

Mixed within this pink mist was a richer, cloyingly sweet fragrance. The scent masked all the blood and slaughter, smelling like ripe peaches, carrying a fatal temptation that drove people to lose their Divine Soul.

At the same time, in front of the white jade giant gate, golden light intertwined, condensing out of thin air a white jade platform several hundred zhang in circumference.

The surface of the platform was as smooth as a mirror, carved with intricate cloud patterns, and surrounded by swirling Immortal Qi.

This was the legendary—Ascension Platform for receiving Immortals!

Just as this Ascension Platform took shape.

The distant firmament was torn apart once again by dense streaks of escaping light.

This was the second, and largest, batch of Cultivators arriving from the Qingping Realm.

Charging at the very front was a massive flying boat, a thousand zhang long and carved entirely from white jade. A crane with wings spread in preparation for flight was carved into the prow of the boat, and nine massive cyan spirit birds were harnessed to it, pulling the flying boat forward at full speed.

This was the treasure of the Xuantian Taoist Sect, the Lingyun Flying Boat.

The deck of the flying boat was packed with people.

Leading them was the Sect Master of the Xuantian Taoist Sect, Sect Master Tianshuzi.

At this moment, Sect Master Tianshuzi retained none of the dignity befitting the Sect Master of the Qingping Realm's number one Sect. The purple-gold star crown on his head had long since fallen off somewhere, and his graying hair danced in disarray in the wind. His luxurious Daoist robe, embroidered with the sun, moon, and stars, had several tears in it from over-exerting his True Qi.

His eyes were blood-red, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets, staring fixedly at the brilliant white jade giant gate and the Ascension Platform ahead.

"Faster! Faster!"

Sect Master Tianshuzi roared like a madman, his hands forming seals at lightning speed, unhesitatingly spraying his own Late Nascent Soul Stage lifebound essence blood onto the flying boat's Formation hub.

The Lingyun Flying Boat let out an unbearable groan, its speed surging once more, smashing toward the Ascension Platform like a meteor.

Behind the Lingyun Flying Boat, tens of thousands of streaks of escaping light followed like a plague of locusts, filling the sky.

The major Sects of the Central Region, the ascetics of the Western Desert, the Loose Cultivator Alliance of the Southern Region... almost every Cultivator in the entire Qingping Realm who had reached the Golden Core Stage had come out in full force.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of dull thuds echoed on the Ascension Platform.

The Lingyun Flying Boat crashed heavily onto the edge of the white jade platform, the massive inertia throwing many Elders on the deck directly off, causing them to land clumsily on the smooth jade ground. But no one cared about the pain; they scrambled up using hands and feet, their eyes looking greedily toward the tightly shut giant gate in front.

Countless streaks of escaping light landed on the platform one after another.

In just half an incense stick of time, this wide Ascension Platform was already crowded with people.

Heavy panting and the sound of frenzied swallowing of saliva rose and fell across the platform.

The pink mist lingered around them, drilling into their internal organs through their mouths and noses.

Sect Master Tianshuzi took a deep breath of this mist with its sweet, strange fragrance, feeling as if a clear spring had been injected into his dried-up Dantian. The cultivation Bottleneck that had stagnated for hundreds of years actually showed faint signs of loosening.

"It really is Immortal Qi... The old man isn't dreaming... The Great Dao is within reach!"

Sect Master Tianshuzi wept, his whole body trembling violently.

The surrounding Immortals had also fallen into the same frenzy. Some knelt on the ground kissing the white jade platform, some laughed up at the sky, and some impatiently took out their Lifebound Treasure, staring vigilantly at the fellow practitioners around them, fearing that others would steal their spot for Ascension.

In their eyes, blinded by greed, behind this door lay immortality, the Supreme Dao.

"Fellow Daoists!"

Sect Master Tianshuzi stood up straight suddenly, his Late Nascent Soul Stage pressure sweeping out, attempting to seize control in this chaotic situation.

"The Immortal Gate has appeared, but the spots must be limited! My Xuantian Taoist Sect is willing to lead by example and test this path to Ascension for everyone!"

Having said that, he was about to take a big step forward and lead the Elders behind him to rush toward the gate.

However.

Just at the moment he lifted his foot.

A clear, steady, and slightly lazy sound of footsteps.

"Tap."

It came clearly from the very center of the Ascension Platform, right in front of that white jade giant gate.

The sound was not loud, just like someone casually tapping their shoe sole against a bluestone slab while taking a stroll.

But on this platform where heavy breathing filled the air, this light "tap" was like a heavy hammer striking every person's heart.

Sect Master Tianshuzi suddenly raised his head.

The gathered Immortals on the platform also cast their gazes toward the direction of the gate in unison.

In the center where the ten thousand zhang of golden light and pink mist intertwined.

A young man dressed in a washed-out cyan cloth robe, with his hair tied loosely behind his head, stood there steadily with his hands behind his back.

Standing beside him was a Mortal boy wearing gray cloth short-sleeved clothes, clutching an oilcloth package tightly to his chest.

The man in the cyan robe stood quietly right in front of the Ascension Immortal Gate, like an insurmountable, towering mountain, firmly blocking the path of the tens of thousands of Cultivators on the Ascension Platform toward the "Great Dao."

Sect Master Tianshuzi's pupils shrank to the size of needle points.

He recognized that cyan figure.

That was the taboo existence who had casually crushed the Heavenly Secrets in Chunyu City last night, forcing him, the Sect Master of the Qingping Realm's number one Sect, to kneel in the mud and beg for mercy!

A shiver originating from the depths of his Soul instantly flooded Sect Master Tianshuzi's entire body. His brain, which had been heating up from inhaling the pink mist, was doused with a bucket of ice water by this fear, regaining a brief moment of clarity.

"Sen... Senior..." Sect Master Tianshuzi's legs went soft, and subconsciously, he was about to kneel on the ground.

But the Elders behind him, as well as the old monsters from all directions who had never seen Zhou Wannian take action, did not share this awe.

In their perception, the man in the cyan robe standing in front had not even a trace of spiritual power fluctuation; he was like a completely ordinary Mortal.

"Where did this young punk come from! Daring to block grandpa's path to Ascension!"

A Western Desert demonic Cultivator with a face full of flesh and thick iron chains wrapped around his body roared. The iron chains in his hand swung violently, bringing a fishy wind, and a dripping skull hanging at the end of the chain smashed directly toward Zhou Wannian's face.

"Get lost! Don't hinder this old man's Ascension!"

"Kill him! Use his blood to sacrifice the banner!"

The crowd was indignant.

In the face of the ultimate temptation of "Ascension," anyone standing in the way was a sworn enemy.

For a time, the shouting was earth-shattering. Dozens of Magic Treasures emitting powerful fluctuations lit up in mid-air, ready at any moment to blast this reckless scholar in the cyan robe into smithereens.

Sect Master Tianshuzi watched this scene, scared out of his wits.

He wanted to shout to warn everyone of this man's terror, but when he opened his mouth, he found he couldn't make a sound.

The pink mist had become even thicker without anyone noticing.

Sect Master Tianshuzi only felt a chaotic mess in his mind. The sweet, strange fragrance drilled into the depths of his Divine Soul through his seven orifices.

A voice, an illusory, ethereal, and tempting voice, echoed constantly in his mind.

"Enter... step through this door..."

"Whoever stands in the way, kill them..."

"Immortality is right before your eyes..."

The trace of clarity in Sect Master Tianshuzi's eyes was instantly swallowed completely.

Fear vanished, awe vanished.

What remained was only endless greed and the desire for slaughter.

His eyes turned blood-red again, like two hungry wolves. He stared fixedly at Zhou Wannian, a beast-like low growl emitting from his throat.

It wasn't just him.

On the entire Ascension Platform, tens of thousands of Cultivators were all plunged into complete madness at this moment.

Their reason had been completely disintegrated by the toxins released by the angler beyond the heavens.

And the culprit of all this, the angler hiding behind the dimensional rift, was staring fixedly at Zhou Wannian standing in front of the gate.

"Crunch..."

"Crunch..."

A faint, dull, and endlessly greedy chewing sound.

It drifted vaguely from inside the tightly shut white jade giant gate behind Zhou Wannian.

The sound was like countless rows of sharp steel teeth grinding hard bones.

The layer of magnificent golden light on the surface of the gate flickered with a rhythmic light and dark pattern, following the rhythm of the chewing sound.

The angler beyond the heavens was urging.

It was urging the fish in the net to hurry and enter the door.

But at the same time, it was also using this group of maddened Cultivators.

It could not parse Zhou Wannian's energy structure, nor could it calculate Zhou Wannian's physical mass. Therefore, it wanted to use the Spells and attacks of these tens of thousands of Qingping Realm's top combat forces to fill this gap and test the depth of this man in the cyan robe.

It wanted to see clearly just how much damage this "abnormal variable" blocking the door could withstand.

"Kill!"

Don't know who took the lead in shouting.

This one word was like a fuse lighting a powder keg.

In an instant.

The Ascension Platform was completely boiling.

Tens of thousands of Flying Swords, like a metal rainstorm defying the heavens, carried a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, shooting toward Zhou Wannian in a flood.

The colorful light of Spells illuminated this void as bright as day.

Blazing fire, freezing ice, violent wind, angry thunder.

All the attacks converged into an energy tsunami capable of sinking the continent of the Qingping Realm, smashing toward that thin cyan figure with an overwhelming force.

Shitou hid behind Zhou Wannian, looking at the terrifying scene that seemed to be destroying the world.

He did not close his eyes.

He bit his lip hard, holding the oilcloth package in his arms against his chest. The green lotus mark in his left eye shone brightly; he wanted to rush out and use his own fists to help his big brother block these mad dogs.

But just as he took half a step, he was gently blocked back by Zhou Wannian's arm without even turning his head.

Zhou Wannian stood quietly in place.

He looked at the energy tsunami pressing down from ahead.

He looked at those hideous, so-called "Immortal Elders" who had completely lost their reason for the sake of empty immortality.

He listened to the disgusting chewing sound coming from the crevice of the door behind him.

He brushed off his sleeves and crossed his hands behind his back again.

"A bunch of idiots rushing to be reincarnated."

Zhou Wannian's voice was calm and steady, devoid of any mana fluctuations, yet it clearly penetrated the deafening roar of the Spells, reaching the ears of every Cultivator who had fallen into madness.

He did not summon any Magic Treasure, nor did he assume any defensive posture.

He only slightly raised his chin, and on that handsome, easygoing face, a faint smile appeared, carrying a bit of pity, yet also revealing an extreme coldness.

"Since you are all so anxious to be fodder for that door."

"Then today, I simply won't let you have your wish."

The moment his voice fell.

The overwhelming Flying Swords and the world-destroying tidal wave of Spells.

Had already reached within three feet of Zhou Wannian.

The piercing light swallowed his figure.

The violent energy tore at the surrounding Void Realm, emitting a wail like torn cloth.

Everyone thought that this reckless man in the cyan robe would inevitably be wiped out in such a world-destroying attack, not even leaving a trace of slag behind.

The chewing sound inside the white jade giant gate also suddenly stopped.

The high-dimensional vertical pupil hidden behind the dimensional rift was frantically running calculation logic, staring fixedly at the center of the explosion.

It wanted to capture the moment Zhou Wannian's defense collapsed, to capture the leaked energy data.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

The light filling the sky gradually dissipated.

The aftermath of the violent energy turned into gusts of hurricane, blowing away the pink mist on the Ascension Platform.

All the maddened Cultivators stopped their actions.

They widened their blood-red eyes, staring fixedly at the position right in front of the gate.

The dust settled.

A cyan figure was still standing there, completely unharmed and steady.

The washed-out cyan cloth robe did not even have an extra wrinkle.

The black hair tied loosely behind his head was not in the slightest disarray.

He stood there with his hands behind his back, his posture relaxed to the extreme.

It was as if what he had just endured was not a combined strike from tens of thousands of high-level Cultivators, but a gentle breeze and drizzle.

"This... this is impossible..."

The Flying Sword in Sect Master Tianshuzi's hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound. The madness in his eyes faded by more than half, replaced by the kind of fear that seeped into his bones, making him almost stop breathing.

The entire Ascension Platform was dead silent.

Only heavy panting and the sound of chattering teeth echoed.

Zhou Wannian stood amidst the broken Flying Swords and the dissipating remnants of the Spells.

He didn't even bother to brush off the dust on his body.

He slowly turned around, facing away from the Cultivators who had been scared out of their wits, and faced the white jade giant gate that was emitting ten thousand zhang of golden light and tightly closed.

He looked at the gate, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold, bone-chilling arc.

"Using these idiots' attacks to test me?"

Zhou Wannian said to the gate in a calm tone.

"Your plan was quite clever."

He stretched out his slender, fair right hand and waved it casually in the air.

"However."

"Testing is a two-way street."

Zhou Wannian took a step forward, directly closing the distance to that incomparably massive white jade door panel.

"You've finished testing."

"Now."

"It's my turn."

Having said that.

He raised that right hand which had no mana fluctuations.

Five fingers clenched into a fist.

Facing that Ascension Immortal Gate which symbolized the ultimate dream of the Qingping Realm and emitted high-dimensional rule fluctuations.

Plainly and simply.

One punch.

Smashed into it.