With the construction of the five-story Sword Tower, Xu Xian reached the peak of the tribulation transcendence stage.
Having settled his mortal affairs and overcome his heart demons... as Xu Xian's strength steadily improved, the memories of the little book spirit were also gradually being pieced together.
In those fragmented memories, Shuer recalled a formation similar to the one currently sealing the Sky Gate, yet distinct in its own way.
The Netherworld Sealing Formation.
One of the top-tier formations!
It was something the former master of the Sword Tower had chanced upon and comprehended from the ancient sealing array at the edge of the Boundary Sea.
While its effects were average if used to suppress ordinary spirits, it had miraculous efficacy against the dark creatures sealed within the Boundary Sea.
Admittedly, the spiritual qi of Fanzhou was thin, and the cultivation of the five seniors was far inferior to that of the immortals above the heavens.
However, when it came to dealing with the Breath of Darkness, it was a different matter entirely.
Once the formation was active, it would be more than enough to suppress the Breath of Darkness.
Furthermore, in Xu Xian's overall plan, the process of removing the Sky Gate's seal, triggering the lightning tribulation, reshaping the heavenly path, and leading everyone to ascend would not take long.
At most, it would take half an hour.
At that time, he would shatter the Sky Gate from the outside, completely severing the connection between the heavens and Fanzhou.
The Breath of Darkness would then become like headless flies.
The current predicament would be completely resolved.
The theory held up; the only worry was whether any accidents would occur in the meantime.
Xu Xian taught this formation to the five seniors and spent some time helping them master it.
The five of them were full of praise for the ingenuity of the formation...
There was no day or night in the subterranean world, but several days had passed in the world outside.
The appointed day of the Awakening of Insects was drawing closer.
Outside the Ascension Platform, the crowds grew larger by the day, with an endless stream of people coming to witness the ceremony.
Within the Wendao Sword Sect, it was also a scene of bustling activity, with disciples hurrying in and out.
Although the ascension had nothing to do with the sect itself, so many people had gathered outside—a mixture of various races and sects.
Demons from the Demon Abyss, beasts from the East Desolation, demons from the North Sea, humans from the Central Plains, and descendants of mountain spirits and water monsters had all gathered in one place.
Order, after all, needed to be maintained to prevent any chaos from disrupting this world-shaking event.
Even though the Wendao Sword Sect was currently at its peak and the world's powerhouses were all gathered at the platform, making it so that no one would dare to act out...
One could never be too careful.
Everyone knew that not everyone was willing to accept this ascension. Some had been forced there by Xu Xian, and there was no guarantee that their descendants wouldn't try something reckless, like plucking a whisker from a tiger.
Li Qingshan was quite troubled by this.
Unfortunately, over the past few days, Xu Xian, his master, and several senior martial uncles had disappeared to who knows where, leaving him with no one to consult.
He was truly frustrated.
On the contrary, the powerhouses on the Ascension Platform were quite idle, sitting in meditation and counting down the hours...
Deep beneath the Wendao Sword Sect, in the world of the Flame Lake, the five seniors had mastered the Netherworld Sealing Formation after several days of practice.
Xu Xian stood up and, before the five of them, carefully collected the five sets of withered bones, not forgetting to explain:
“When Master and my four senior brothers passed away, they left a final wish. They asked that if I ever ascended to the heavens, I should take their bones with me and bury them in our homeland. In this way, their souls can finally return home.”
The others expressed their understanding. Jiang Wanyin added, “Falling leaves return to their roots; it is a fitting end.”
After finishing his collection of the bones, Xu Xian looked back at the platforms and the Sky Gate, taking a deep breath. “In a few days, this place will cease to exist. A ten-thousand-year vigil will finally come to a complete end.”
The five remained silent.
Xu Xian continued his reflections. “Once the Sky Gate is severed and external fortune is cut off, the remaining fortune will no longer be consumed. Spiritual qi will surely flood back into the mortal realm. Fanzhou might even experience a revival of life and a surge in cultivation...”
It would be like a final burst of vitality!
The five still did not speak.
Xu Xian's words sounded like a final testament, carrying a heavy weight.
Xu Xian withdrew his gaze and looked at the five again, bowing deeply with his hands clasped. “After I leave, I must trouble my senior sister and senior brothers to look after this mortal realm.”
None of the five were sentimental. Lei Yunche said coolly, “Why say such things? It is merely our duty.”
Xu Xian smiled.
Indeed, it was merely their duty.
Over all these years, when had they ever stopped worrying about this world?
Led by Jiang Wanyin, the five of them returned the young man's bow.
Xu Xian was stunned. “What are you doing?”
Jiang Wanyin said solemnly, “A thousand words would be nonsense, so we shall say no more. This journey is for the sake of Fanzhou's people and the world itself. Be careful in everything you do.”
Ye Xianyu also cautioned him earnestly, “Yes, you must stay alive.”
Lei Yunche added with a mix of jest and gravity, “Don't forget to come back and get us.”
Xu Xian nodded heavily. “I will!”
Cupping his fists toward the sky, Xu Xian departed.
“Take care!”
The five silently watched him leave until Little Eleven's back completely vanished into the Flame Lake world.
The thoughts in their hearts were more turbulent than the churning lava of the lake before them...
Ye Xianyu asked in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, “After this parting, will we ever meet again?”
Lin Fengmian stroked his beard and chanted, “The heavens are high and the earth far; may our next meeting not be many years away...”
Lei Yunche said in a deep voice, “A true man lives between heaven and earth with ambitions that span the four directions. Even across ten thousand miles, we are like neighbors. It matters not...”
Yao Xiqiao opened his mouth, then closed it without a word. Since he had no lines, he simply let out a sigh.
“Sigh~”
Jiang Wanyin also sighed softly, saying wistfully, “Some things must be done by someone.”
The four fell silent...
Jiang Wanyin smoothed her brow and forced a smile. “Let us each strive on our own paths; though a thousand miles apart, we share the same wind... It is time for us to do what we must.”
The four looked at her, then at each other.
Everything was understood without words.
Indeed, everyone had their own tasks to perform.
Little Eleven would go to the heavens to carve out a clear sky.
They would stay in the mortal realm to maintain a sense of peace.
Each would work hard, moving toward their common ideal and goal, until they met again at the summit!
There would eventually be a day when they would meet again.
He would still be him, and I would still be me... or perhaps I would no longer be me, and he would no longer be him...
The five moved, taking the places of the five sets of bones on the platforms. They closed their eyes, circulated their qi, and waited quietly.
Waiting for the days to pass,
Waiting for the Sky Gate to open,
To resolve the final worries for Little Eleven in the mortal realm.
This was their mission.
It was the only thing they could and must do.
As for anything else?
The reluctance, the sorrow, the regret, the sadness...
Those were things for mortals to think about and struggle with.
They were immortals, immortals of the mountains, who had long since forgotten Fanzhou and entered the immortal gates...
How could those who achieve great things be hindered by minor details?
...
That same day,
Xu Xian left the subterranean world. Carrying a sense of weight and the sorrow of parting, he walked out of the grotto. Immediately, he was met with dark clouds blotting out the sun and the surging of thunder.
The entire sect was in an uproar.
“Look, is that a lightning tribulation?”
“Who is undergoing a tribulation?”
“It's in the direction of the Ancestral Peak. It should be Pavilion Elder Lu...”
“Entering the ninth stage in four hundred years? That's so fast!”
“Can he do it?”
“Nonsense, Pavilion Elder Lu is an auspicious beast. A small lightning tribulation can be broken with a flick of his finger...”
“...”
Xu Xian gazed into the distance. Beneath the thunderclouds, a youth sat atop the peak, his eyes bound with a ribbon and his red hair fluttering in the wind.
He smiled knowingly.
“This kid...”
“He really knows how to pick his timing.”
“Oh well.”
“For the sect,”
“this can be considered rare good news...”
Rate on N.U.
