324: Chapter 324 Leader

On the walls of the Imperial Capital, Yun Ge, Li Xinghe, Yu Tianshu, and the others were already stirred by the reversal and shock that had occurred in such a short time.

Especially Yun Ge; clad in golden armor, she rested her hand on the battlement, gazing at the figure in green robes standing in the air in the distance, who had wiped out the enemy with a mere flick of his fingers.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with unspeakable admiration and fervent worship.

One man repelling an army!

She asked herself, even if she currently possessed a Profound Immortal cultivation, she could repel a million elites of Xuan Ye, but she could never do it with such overwhelming force!

"It's been many years, Senior Su... as expected, you are still as unfathomable as ever," she murmured softly, her tone complex.

Just then, Su Mo's figure flickered slightly, crossing the sky as if teleporting, appearing on the wall before Yun Ge and the others.

He remained untainted by dust, with a relaxed smile on his face.

"Senior Su!" Yun Ge quickly stepped forward, her eyes filled with joy and respect.

Su Mo nodded to her, his gaze sweeping over Li Xinghe, Yu Tianshu, and the others as a greeting. He then looked down at the mess of the battlefield and the kneeling surrendered soldiers below, casually saying to Yun Ge:

"The matters here are mostly settled."

"I'll leave the rest to you, General Yun Ge."

Yun Ge's cheeks flushed slightly. Su Mo's casual tone always seemed to carry a hint of teasing, making her feel a bit strange, but more so, it was a sense of solemnity from being trusted.

She immediately composed herself and nodded seriously, "Alright, please rest assured, Senior Su!"

Yun Ge truly lived up to her role as the leader of the Rebel Army; she acted decisively and managed things efficiently.

In just half a day, hundreds of thousands of surrendered Xuan Ye soldiers were guarded, counted, and registered in batches. Scattered weapons and supplies were initially recovered, and the battlefield began to be cleared.

The panic inside and outside the Imperial Capital also quickly subsided under her series of comforting words and strong management orders.

That night, although the Imperial Palace was not fully repaired, a sufficiently wide square in front of the hall had been cleared.

Bonfires blazed, and the aroma of roasted meat and the fragrance of Spirit Wine filled the air.

A large and lively celebratory banquet was held there.

Familiar faces Su Mo knew, such as Li Xinghe, Yin Gu, Savage Stone, and Heavenly Valley, as well as many unknown rebel generals and some officials from the Huangji Immortal Dynasty who had joined them, were present.

There were also representatives of the Cangxu Realm Cultivators brought by Yu Tianshu, some wearing sci-fi style armor. They all gathered together, clinking glasses in a heated atmosphere.

Su Mo naturally sat in the seat of honor, but he only took a few sips, mostly watching the crowd below with a faint smile.

Amidst the clamor, his gaze fell upon Yu Tianshu beside him.

This Sect Master of the Myriad Phenomena Sect—or rather, a key representative of the Cangxu Realm's new cultivation System—was holding a glass of a mixed energy drink, talking softly with a rebel general beside him with a composed demeanor.

"Sect Master Yu," Su Mo suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it made Yu Tianshu turn his head immediately. "Speaking of which, over the past century, quite a few Cultivators from the Cangxu Realm should have successfully come up, right?"

Yu Tianshu put down the shimmering cup in his hand, a smile appearing on his face—a smile filled with obvious pride.

"Senior Su has a keen eye. It is indeed so. However, for us, perhaps it should no longer be called Ascension."

"Oh?" Su Mo showed a look of interest.

"It is 'Ascending Arrival,'" Yu Tianshu corrected, his tone carrying the characteristic rigor of a researcher. "We spent nearly a hundred years gathering the top wisdom and resources of the entire Cangxu Realm to successfully build and perfect the Ascension Ladder System."

"Ascension Ladder?" Su Mo repeated the name.

"Yes," Yu Tianshu raised his hand and tapped the air. A pale blue holographic image was immediately projected, showing a complex and precise 3D structural diagram.

It was a combination of countless runes, energy circuits, and peculiar mechanical structures.

"It is not a traditional Ascension channel or a guiding immortal light. Its core principle is to construct a relatively stable and controllable adaptive transition layer between the Cangxu Realm and this realm through special field generators and energy harmony matrices."

He pointed to the structure in the image that progressed layer by layer like a spiral staircase:

"Cultivators do not pass through the Ascension Ladder in one go. First, they enter a pre-adaptation zone that simulates the basic environment of the Upper Realm, where they adapt to the Immortal Spirit Qi drifting down from above."

Wisdom sparkled in Yu Tianshu's eyes, clearly very proud of this: "When an individual is fully adapted, they can directly and safely step into the Upper Realm via the directional transmission node at the top of the Ascension Ladder. The entire process is controllable and reversible, with risks far lower than traditional Undergoing Tribulation and Ascension, and the requirements for a Cultivator's Aptitude and Foundation are significantly reduced."

As he spoke, he pointed to the Cultivators in the banquet who clearly bore the style of the Cangxu Realm, wearing various simplified or modified versions of sci-fi armor.

"Among them, many would only be at the Soul Transformation or Void Refining stages by traditional cultivation standards, but with the help of the Ascension Ladder, they have successfully reached this realm and are rapidly adapting and growing."

Su Mo listened, his gaze sweeping over those young Cultivators whose auras were indeed not very strong, but whose eyes were bright and filled with curiosity and a desire to explore. He slowly nodded.

He picked up his wine cup, gently swirling the amber Spirit Wine inside, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"I see... adaptive transition, controllable arrival," he murmured to himself.

It sounded like a straw had been established between the two worlds.

Just then, the noise at the banquet suddenly died down.

Yun Ge walked to a slightly elevated position in the center, raised her hand to quiet the crowd, and her gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Su Mo in the seat of honor.

She took a deep breath, her eyes shimmering with a bright and firm light.

"Everyone!" Yun Ge's voice was clear and powerful, echoing through the venue. "Today's great victory, the submission of a powerful enemy, and the initial settling of internal strife could not have been achieved without the hard work of everyone here, and even more so, without Senior Su turning the tide!"

She turned to Su Mo and bowed slightly, her tone becoming more solemn, even carrying a trace of imperceptible nervousness.

"Senior Su, this Junior has an audacious request."

Su Mo put down his wine cup and looked at her with some surprise.

"Hmm? Speak."

Yun Ge straightened up and looked directly into Su Mo's eyes, her voice clear and sincere.

"We, gathered here from all corners of the world and from different backgrounds, are here to realize the outline of the new world we seek in our hearts. And the initial guide was you."

Her words resonated with many people present, especially Li Xinghe, Yu Tianshu, and others, whose eyes flickered slightly.

"Therefore," Yun Ge's voice suddenly rose, filled with a nearly declarative earnestness and expectation, "Senior Su, are you willing to become our leader? Lead us to realize that common ideal?"

"Leader?" Su Mo was truly stunned for a moment, then laughed and shook his head, waving his hands repeatedly. "Yun Ge, you think too highly of me, and you don't know me well enough."

He put down his wine cup and leaned back slightly, his posture relaxed.

"I'm used to being a wild crane in the clouds; I fear trouble most of all. Coordination, planning, governing the country, and mediating between parties—just thinking about these things gives me a headache. Besides..."

"Soon, I will go into seclusion again to charge for the Golden Immortal realm. Once successful, I will head to Yunxiao Heaven."

"It's most appropriate for you to be this leader."