673: Chapter 673 The Path to Ascension

"That's right, they were all Prodigies of the academy, and they had a good relationship with each other. Among them, the Flame Emperor was particularly outstanding, worthy of being called the number one person of that generation." The Dean paused and continued:

"It's just a pity that later, because of differing philosophies on Ascension, that saying came about—'When the Nine Heavens collapse, the Qin Court stands; when the Ziwei shifts, the stars and constellations change.'"

"This saying?" You frowned.

"Do you think this saying came first, or the destruction of the Qin Clan?" He looked at you.

"I don't understand." You shook your head.

He took a deep breath and said slowly, "This saying is fate, but it is also a manifesto for war. However, that doesn't mean one cannot defy the heavens and change fate; it is just extremely, extremely difficult."

"So you are saying that because my Qin Family ancestors and the Flame Emperor had different philosophies, they were wiped out?" You were a little nervous.

"This might only be one of the reasons." Cang Xuan sighed lightly, "From the moment their first crisis of trust appeared, the outcome was doomed."

"Then what is going on with Ascension?" You asked again.

He looked at you, nodded with a smile, and then said slowly, "There are two methods of Ascension. The first method is to forcibly withstand the Ascension Tribulation, but throughout history, no one has ever succeeded."

"The second method is to walk through the Chaos Sea. This method was allegedly discovered by Venerable Ziyang; he is the only Mahayana Cultivator to have walked out of the Chaos Sea alive."

"I have spent ten thousand years, searching through ancient texts, traveling to every corner of the Immortal Clan, and even venturing to the Void Realm borders of the Immortal Domain, yet I have not found a third method of Ascension."

Your heart shook. So the Dean had already been at the Peak of the Mahayana Realm ten thousand years ago, but he just hadn't found a way to Ascend.

The Dean paused and continued, "So, the Flame Emperor and the others thought of an ancient method—unify the Demon Domain, the Devil Domain, and the Immortal Domain, utilizing the power and Luck of the entire world to break through the world barrier and forcibly Ascend."

"But this method would cause the extinction of countless living beings in the Immortal Domain, the Demon Domain, and among the Demon Race. Many people opposed it, and your Qin Family ancestors were among those who opposed it."

"Moreover, if one wants to break through the world barrier, collecting Luck alone is not enough; one also needs the immense power of the world origin."

"Not only that, but one must also collect the ten Innate Treasures—Time, Space, Destiny, Karma, Reincarnation, Creation, Destruction, Yin and Yang, Five Elements, and Power."

"After collecting the ten Innate Treasures, using the Chaos Heart to fuse them into one will allow one to tear open the world barrier and open up a path of Ascension leading to the other shore."

"It is just a pity that the most difficult part is the Chaos Heart."

"The Chaos Heart?" You asked.

"That's right," he looked at you and nodded, "The Chaos Heart is the heart of a person who possesses both a Chaos Spiritual Root and a Chaos Body. The conditions for such a person to be born are extremely harsh; it is said that they can only possibly appear during an apocalyptic catastrophe."

"Furthermore, a Chaos Spiritual Root and a Chaos Body can be disguised as any Spiritual Root and Physique. Unless the other party reveals it themselves, it is generally extremely difficult to detect."

Listening to the Dean's words, Qin Yu's body trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but glance at you.

Only then did she understand why you had warned her never to expose her strength—at least, that is what she believed.

Listening to the Dean's account, you glanced at Qin Yu, your brow also slightly furrowed.

So there was such a complex story behind the destruction of the Qin Clan.

You suddenly remembered something and asked, "Senior, does Creation have something to do with the Breathing Earth Flower?"

The Dean looked at you seriously and nodded, "That's right. Did Xuanyuan Shouyi tell you that?"

You didn't answer and continued to ask, "Then, are the Demon Seeds of the Demon Race related to Destruction?"

The Dean nodded, "That's right. It seems you know quite a lot."

You smiled, a somewhat helpless smile.

According to this, in the entire Immortal Domain, Devil Domain, and Demon Race territories, I am afraid that many Mahayana Cultivators are tacitly preparing for this matter in secret.

If you wanted to take revenge for the Qin Clan, wouldn't you be making enemies of the whole world?

Unless you could split the Chaos Sea with a single sword and find a better path of Ascension within it.

You thought about it and felt it was ridiculous; how could such a thing be possible?

But then you thought again—if you really possessed that kind of strength, what would it matter if you were enemies with the whole world?

You looked at the Dean, opened your mouth, but the question you wanted to ask didn't come out.

He looked at you, seemingly having discerned your confusion, and said with a smile, "Are you wondering why I didn't intervene when the Heavenly Palace destroyed the Qin Clan?"

You looked at him, not answering.

He sighed heavily, "The Venerable Ziyang of the past did successfully stop people of that era from doing such things, but you have seen the fate of Ziyang Palace today."

"This is human nature; all Mahayana Cultivators want to open up that path to the heavens, and anyone who tries to stop them will not succeed."

"Even if it is stopped once, there will be another group of people in the future who will continue to do so."

He looked at you and smiled meaningfully, "If it were you, what would you do? You surely wouldn't expect an old man like me to make enemies of the whole world, right?"

Yun Xiaozi looked at the Dean, eyes wide, "Oh? So that's how it is. Old man, you want me to make enemies of the whole world in the future?"

"You are overthinking it. You bear great Luck; I just hope that you can find the third path of Ascension in the future and take this old man away with you." The Dean smiled.

Yun Xiaozi curled his lips, "Pfft, I don't believe a word you say. You even cheated in our bet last time."

"Ahem, ahem, there are others here; save some Face for this old man." The Dean looked at you, his expression turning serious, "Since you are both fine, hurry up and find a safe place to ponder how to make a Breakthrough to the Mahayana Realm."

You looked at the Jade Slip in your hand, thought for a moment, and said, "Senior, one should not accept a reward without merit. Please just state your request."

The Dean looked at you, stroked his beard, and nodded with a smile, "Hmm, not bad. I like sensible children like you."

He paused, put away his smile, and said seriously, "Actually, I don't really want anything. If you really want to do something for me, you might as well look for that third path of Ascension."

You put away the Jade Slip, cupped your hands, and said, "That goes without saying. Even if you hadn't mentioned it, Senior, I would have to Face this problem myself in the future."

The Dean nodded, "Hmm, go."

You said no more, exchanged a glance with Qin Yu, nodded, and took your leave.

On the way back, Qin Yu glanced at you and asked via telepathy, "Brother, is he really the Dean? Can he be trusted?"

You looked at Qin Yu and replied via telepathy, "For now, he can be trusted. But no matter who it is, people can change."

You knew in your heart that as long as they are Cultivators, there is no one who is truly good in the real sense.

Cultivation requires "wealth, companions, methods, and locations" to increase strength; once these are involved, there is bound to be fighting and killing.

Especially for a Peak Mahayana Cultivator who has lived for over ten thousand years.

It's just that at the Dean's level, there is no longer a need to engage in the kind of slaughter required during the Foundation Establishment, Nascent Soul, or Body Integration stages.

Therefore, the current Dean seems to have returned to simplicity, with no violent aura about him, looking no different from an ordinary old man.

Even you yourself now have this feeling—the people and things that can trigger your Killing Intent are becoming fewer and fewer.

This change in state of mind likely has a lot to do with your Realm. It's not like before, when you were in an awkward middle ground, such as during the Qi Refinement Stage, when your Killing Intent and violent aura were at their heaviest.