Tu Kongkong's gaze remained fixed on the man crossing through the clouds from start to finish, never looking away. She merely gave a soft hum of agreement.
"Mm."
Within a short span of time, Tu Sisi's gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them.
She sighed inwardly.
As a parent, one eventually comes to understand a certain truth:
A grown daughter cannot be kept at home.
Even she was no exception.
However,
The light that flickered deep within her eyes was one of loss, never of blame.
Kongkong had only truly been in this world for a little over four hundred years.
Her father had never seen her.
And she, as her mother, had only been with her for five years...
Later on,
The girl had joined the Wendao Sword Sect and become Xu Xian's disciple, cultivating until the present day.
Calculated this way, it was only natural for her to be partial toward Xu Xian.
Affection, unlike blood ties, ultimately required time to be filled.
She did not speak again. Everything that should or should not have been said, and every piece of advice that should or should not have been given, had already been finished over the past few days.
Then go.
It was time to leave.
She stepped forward, riding a wisp of spring breeze as she slowly floated toward the high platform standing amidst the green mountains and clear waters beneath the blue sky and white clouds.
At that moment,
The gaze of the girl atop the mountain peak finally tilted quietly, falling upon her mother's retreating back.
She watched her go...
Unknowingly, a layer of mist covered her eyes, making everything she saw blurry.
Within her trembling throat,
There were words that could never be spoken.
She had given her mother her rare stubbornness.
Just as her mother had gifted her a rare "heartlessness."
The father she had never met was dead.
The mother she saw as a stranger was leaving.
The master and senior brother who had protected her as she grew up... were also leaving.
They were all leaving.
Only she was left.
She said to herself:
"Tu Kongkong, you've grown up."
"You can't cry..."
"You're not allowed to cry..."
"Waaah..."
...
On a distant mountain peak facing the platform,
Three old men sat on the ground: the fisherman in his straw cloak, the woodcutter with disheveled hair, and the blacksmith with a beard like halberds.
The woodcutter asked, "Old Tie, your disciple is leaving. Aren't you going to see him off?"
Ruan Hao ignored him.
The fisherman said with a smile, "It's fine. Once he leaves, you'll be just like the two of us—solitary elders. You'll forge your iron, he'll guard his tomb, and I'll catch my fish. If this is sung to the world, it wouldn't be a bad tale..."
Ruan Hao didn't look at the two of them, his tone certain as he said, "He will return."
The woodcutter did not deny it.
The fisherman teased, "I'm just afraid you won't live that long..."
Ruan Hao remained silent.
The other two tactfully shut their mouths.
...
In the wilderness outside the Ascension Platform, everyone stared intently as they saw a streak of light coming from the Wendao Sword Sect.
When they recognized the newcomer, startled cries erupted.
Their eyes were burning, their expressions ecstatic.
"Is that Xu Xian?"
"He's here..."
"It's finally starting..."
"The whole world ascending to the heavens... such a sight is rare even in ten thousand... no, a hundred thousand years. I've truly hit the jackpot..."
"Please, let there be no accidents."
"Come on, Sky Gate, let me see what you're made of..."
Huang Xiao clenched his fists nervously, saying excitedly, "Chi Ji, look! It's the Demon Son..."
Chi Ji said calmly, "I'm not blind..."
...
Under the gaze of ten thousand people, on the appointed day,
Xu Xian kept his promise and arrived as scheduled.
This also signaled that a grand ceremony—the world-wide ascension—was about to begin.
The old monsters sat upright, circulating their qi and adjusting their breathing to suppress the tremors and nervousness in their hearts. They looked up at the figure in pure white robes hanging high in the sky.
Tu Sisi arrived shortly after.
Xu Xian glanced back toward the direction she had come from and asked, "Is everything settled?"
Tu Sisi nodded and took the initiative to land on a corner of the platform.
She sat cross-legged.
Everything was understood without words.
Seeing Tu Sisi voluntarily enter the fray to ascend to the heavens, a wave of sighs and gasps rose from the high platform.
Those who were originally uneasy found their expressions improving for some reason.
Perhaps they felt that since Tu Sisi had come,
Then this ascension might not be a bad thing.
No matter how venomous Xu Xian was, he wouldn't harm his own disciple's mother, would he?
However,
Some who knew Xu Xian did not think so.
Xu Xian was someone who was capable of doing anything.
It wasn't until Lu Yuan—the newly advanced tribulation transcendence expert of the Wendao Sword Sect, with a ribbon covering his eyes and high-flung red hair—arrived late and stepped onto the platform,
That those on and off the platform,
Finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Yuan was one of the Wendao Sword Sect's own. No matter how ruthless Xu Xian was, he surely wouldn't harm his own people.
Suddenly, the matter of ascending to the heavens seemed very promising.
Human nature was like this.
When in a predicament where one's own ability was insufficient to change the outcome, human nature would always lean toward positive thinking.
Hoping for good luck to descend.
Hoping for the clouds to part and the mist to disperse, revealing nothing but light...
The experts on the platform thought so,
And the spectators below were even more convinced.
The original suspicions and concerns collapsed on their own the moment Lu Yuan stepped onto the platform.
Many people even began justifying Xu Xian's actions, speaking up for him.
They said:
"Lu Yuan is here too. He's from the Wendao Sword Sect. I told you Xu Xian isn't that kind of person. He truly wants to lead the ancestors to become immortals..."
"The blind man is here!"
"I said it long ago; as the Leader of the Sword Dao, he must have his own reasons."
"He's put so much thought into this."
"To open the Sky Gate and recreate the path to immortality, he is willing to bear the infamy of a lifetime. The Wendao Sword Sect is truly a prestigious and righteous sect. Xu Xian should be an exemplar for my Fanzhou for generations to come..."
The world was like this. When you were strong and outstanding enough, you would inevitably be subjected to groundless criticism, complaints, and abuse.
But the world never had only one side.
If some people cursed you,
Others would protect you.
Just as at this moment, there were naturally grandmasters who justified Xu Xian's path.
However,
None of this held any meaning for those within the fray, and Xu Xian cared even less.
Right and wrong,
Would be judged by future generations.
Whether it was a mistake or correct,
Did not matter.
Hanging high in the air, looking down below, Xu Xian's gaze was cold, neither happy nor sad. He looked out beyond the world at the vicissitudes of the mortal realm and the various states of the floating world without a single ripple of emotion.
Then, he tilted his head to peer at the sky, flicked his sleeve, and let out a loud, resonant shout.
"I am invincible in the mortal realm!"
"If I do not contend with Heaven, with whom shall I contend?"
"Come!"
His voice was like thunder, surging with passion, and like a bell, it echoed far and wide.
It spread through the Eight Desolations, resonated between heaven and earth, and went straight up into the Star Sea.
A single shout of "Come!"
It was a provocation to the Heavens and the roar of a king echoing through the mortal realm.
Above the firmament,
An unknown wind blew from the distant Star Sea, sweeping through the galaxy and brushing down upon the mortal world.
Black clouds surged out from the void like a giant mouth of the abyss, swallowing a patch of clear sky.
It was as if the heavens were collapsing.
The clear day suddenly turned dark.
Thunder brewed within, and the might of the Heavens crashed down upon the platform.
At this moment,
Everyone's heart leapt into their throats. Thousands of gazes gathered on a single person. They held their breath, not daring to speak loudly.
At the same time,
Deep within the earth beneath the Wendao Sword Sect, the five sword spirits followed their master's command and returned to the Sword Tower, disappearing one by one.
The five-colored chains lost their color,
And the entire underground shook violently.
The magma boiled, and the red river flowed backward as half of the Sky Gate broke countless iron chains and rose bit by bit, revealing its full appearance.
In just a breath,
The black mist erupted with a boom, like a wave from a broken dam, frantically surging out and swallowing everything.
Atop the platform, Jiang Wanyin let out a low shout.
"Activate the formation!"
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