509: Chapter 509 When did our Ascension Hall need you to remind us?

Zhou Hai walked into the great hall and immediately felt that terrifying pressure.

The pressure was as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

His legs were trembling, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay standing, refusing to kneel.

"Are you the one from the Tianshu Sword Sect?"

Hall Master Xuan Qingzi's voice was very soft, but every word felt like a hammer striking Zhou Hai's heart.

Zhou Hai hurriedly cupped his hands in a salute, his voice trembling: "Zhou Hai, Deacon of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Tianshu Sword Sect, pays respects to the Lord Administrator."

Hall Master Xuan Qingzi did not tell him to rise, nor did he speak; he simply stared at him.

That gaze was cold, as if looking at an ant.

Zhou Hai felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze, but he dared not move; he could only keep his head lowered and wait.

After a long while, Hall Master Xuan Qingzi finally spoke: "You say that Xiao Nianyin of the Hehuan Sect has achieved a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm?"

Zhou Hai hurriedly replied: "Yes. This Disciple saw it with his own eyes. The pressure released by Xiao Nianyin was stronger than that of a Half-step True Immortal; it definitely could not have been emitted by a Saint Realm Expert. Although this Disciple's Cultivation is not high, I still have that much discernment."

Hall Master Xuan Qingzi did not speak, simply continuing to look at him.

Several Deacons nearby also watched him, their expressions unreadable.

Thinking they didn't believe him, Zhou Hai hurriedly added: "Lord Administrator, every word this Disciple says is true. That Xiao Nianyin was originally a Saint Realm Expert, but later her Cultivation was sealed. I don't know how, but she recovered. Not only did she recover, but she also achieved a Breakthrough. This Disciple saw it with his own eyes; when her pressure was released, my sword trembled, and the spiritual energy inside my body stopped circulating. That kind of pressure is something this Disciple has only ever heard of in legends."

Hall Master Xuan Qingzi still did not speak.

He leaned back on his throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, producing a "tap, tap" sound.

The sound echoed throughout the vast hall, one beat after another, striking at Zhou Hai's heart.

Zhou Hai swallowed hard and continued: "Furthermore, that Xiao Nianyin is the Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect. The Hehuan Sect is an evil, heretical path that specializes in using the arts of carnal union between men and women to sow chaos in the world. Now that she has achieved a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm, if she remains in the Lower Realm, she will surely commit atrocities and bring disaster upon the common people. Our Tianshu Sword Sect implores the Ascension Hall to step in, banish her from the Lower Realm, and maintain order in the Cultivation World."

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and his voice grew louder, as if he were carrying out justice on behalf of Heaven and pleading for the people.

He did not notice that the expressions of the several Deacons nearby had already changed.

They had not become angry, but rather—ugly.

It was a look of discomfort, as if they had been slapped in public, or as if their sore spot had been poked.

Hall Master Xuan Qingzi's fingers stopped tapping.

He sat up straight, looked at Zhou Hai, and a flash of coldness appeared in his eyes.

"Are you finished?"

His voice was very calm, so calm that it was without a single ripple.

Zhou Hai was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously nodded: "Yes... I'm finished."

Hall Master Xuan Qingzi stood up and walked down from the throne.

His pace was slow, each step firm, the soles of his shoes making a "clack, clack" sound against the white jade tiles.

Zhou Hai watched his figure, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

"You just said that Xiao Nianyin achieved a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm?" Hall Master Xuan Qingzi walked up to Zhou Hai and looked down at him from a height. "You said that the pressure she released was stronger than that of a Half-step True Immortal?"

Zhou Hai bit the bullet and replied: "Yes. This Disciple saw it with his own eyes."

"Then do you know," Hall Master Xuan Qingzi's voice suddenly turned cold, "what the purpose of our Ascension Hall is?"

Zhou Hai was stunned.

Of course he knew what the Ascension Hall was for.

The Ascension Hall is the organization that manages all Cultivators in the Lower Realm who have entered the True Immortal Realm. Everyone in the Lower Realm who achieves a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm must be recorded by the Ascension Hall and must obey the Ascension Hall's arrangements to ascend to the Upper Realm at any time. This is something everyone in the Cultivation World knows.

"This Disciple knows."

Zhou Hai said in a low voice.

"Since you know," Hall Master Xuan Qingzi's voice grew even colder, "then do you know that our Ascension Hall has its own monitoring methods? Anyone who achieves a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm cannot escape our perception. Do you think we need a small Cultivator at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage like you to remind us?"

Zhou Hai's face instantly turned deathly pale.

He finally realized what mistake he had made.

The Ascension Hall is the authoritative organization that monitors the True Immortal Realm; their very existence is to monitor every Cultivator capable of entering the True Immortal Realm.

If someone achieved a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm and they did not know about it, that would be a dereliction of their duty.

And now, he had run over to tell them that Xiao Nianyin had achieved a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm—wasn't that equivalent to slapping them in the face? Wasn't that equivalent to saying, 'You have failed in your duties; you didn't even notice that someone achieved a Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm, and you needed us to tell you'?

"This Disciple... this Disciple did not mean that..." Zhou Hai's voice was trembling, "This Disciple only..."

"Only what?" Hall Master Xuan Qingzi interrupted him, his voice full of anger, "Only think that our Ascension Hall is incompetent? Only think that our Ascension Hall cannot even monitor a True Immortal Realm expert? A tiny Tianshu Sword Sect—what, have you become so accustomed to throwing your weight around in the Lower Realm that you think you are truly a titan of this Lower Realm? That you can come and order our Ascension Hall around?"

Zhou Hai fell to his knees with a "thud" and kowtowed repeatedly: "This Disciple dares not! This Disciple has absolutely no such intention! This Disciple was only worried that Xiao Nianyin would commit atrocities if she remained in the Lower Realm, so I..."

"So you came to remind us?" Hall Master Xuan Qingzi sneered, "Since when does the Ascension Hall need you to remind us?"