Immortal Road.

Verifying this is not difficult; the two brothers are preparing to perform an autopsy for identification.

"and many more!"

Chicken Brother and the rest of the demons immediately panicked, fearing that they would desecrate the corpse of the Red Lotus Ancestor. They jumped around as if they had dug up an ancestral grave.

Finally, after Lin Shan and Lin Fan patiently explained, they reluctantly lifted the restrictions, but still kept a close eye on things the whole time, hoping from the bottom of their hearts that the Red Lotus Ancestor was not dead.

The two brothers were under pressure; if the Red Lotus Ancestor really died, they would feel uneasy about desecrating the corpse.

Fortunately, after an autopsy, it was discovered that the corpse was indeed an imposter!
The aura outside was that of the Red Lotus Ancestor, but in reality, there was no trace of a peak-level Nascent Soul demon within him; he was just an empty shell.

"This is the remains of the substitute Gu; in fact, even the substitute Gu has escaped!"

Wow~~
Everyone was astonished.

The Red Lotus Ancestor's escape was already shocking, but now the Substitute Gu has also escaped. These two are like nested dolls!
This discovery instantly boosted the morale of the allies on the field. The Luosong Demon Clan shed tears again, overjoyed that the Red Lotus Ancestor was still alive. However, Lin Fan inappropriately proposed a hypothesis.

"Wait, don't be too happy yet. Maybe the Ancestor was actually captured by the Penglai Holy Land, and this is just a ruse."

Chicken Bro immediately slapped him with his wing!

"Can't you hope the old ancestor will be alright? Couldn't it have run away on its own initiative?"

"Well, that's not impossible, I'm just making a hypothesis!"

During the discussion, everyone still felt that it was more likely that the Red Lotus Ancestor had escaped on his own, because plant spirits are inherently very difficult to kill and easy to escape. Their battle record from ten thousand years ago can be verified, so the probability of him being captured alive is not high.

"But since our ancestor escaped, why didn't he contact us? Instead, we've been missing for so long. Isn't this just making us worry for nothing?"

This problem is indeed hard to understand. Lin Fan is still sticking to his hypothesis. Maybe Penglai Holy Land is just creating a smokescreen, and in fact they have already moved the Red Lotus Ancestor away.

"There's another possibility."

Lin Shan suggested they try to think about it from a different perspective.

"Plant spirits have immense vitality; they can regenerate from a cutting, and even a single root can be revitalized. Our ancestor may be waiting to be reborn in some unknown place after shedding his skin. We have no need to worry."

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed, saying that this speculation was more realistic.

"There's another way!"

Lin Fan, ever resourceful, broke the three iron chains and lowered the corpse of the Red Lotus Ancestor.

"The Substitute Gu originally served as the seal on behalf of the Ancestor, and was later taken in by the Ancestor for his own use. At the critical moment, when Penglai attacked, it served as a substitute to escape the calamity. But this guy played the trick of 'golden cicada shedding its shell' again. Why don't we use its remains to find the Substitute Gu first, and then the truth about the Ancestor will be revealed?"

Everyone suddenly realized, and they slapped their foreheads in surprise, exclaiming how they hadn't thought of that.

The participants in that great battle included not only the Holy Lord of Penglai, but also the Substitute Gu!

This guy is incredibly cunning. If we can find him, we can definitely uncover the truth, which is much more reliable than guessing.

Lin Shan smiled and said, "Then leave this matter to me."

When he went out this time, Yuan Nian avatar carried several heaven-reaching spiritual treasures with him for self-defense, including the Void Star Disc.

The remains of this substitute Gu can serve as a reference to locate its original owner.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he made no attempt to hide anything and began activating the virtual star disk to track the location right in front of everyone. Before long, he locked onto the location!
"It's about 1,200 li away from here."

Unexpectedly, the substitute Gu didn't go far; it seems to still be in the Luosong Mountains!
The demons immediately followed Lin Shan's instructions and went to the designated location to dig and search. They tore up the grass for miles around. After half a day of searching, they quickly caught a furry roe deer demon.

puff~
This guy was only at the second level, equivalent to the Qi Refining stage of a human cultivator. His eyes revealed terror, and he couldn't speak. He could only tremble and make gestures to beg for mercy.

"Fellow Daoist Substitute Gu, come out!"

Lin Shan called out several times, and a limp worm crawled out of the roe deer's ear, its big, bewildered eyes looking around.

Especially upon seeing the human who had captured him in the Nine Li lands, he immediately exclaimed in surprise:
"Is it you, kid?"

Chicken immediately started pecking at the chicken with its iron beak, holding it in mid-air and questioning it fiercely.

"Enough with the nonsense. Do you even know where the Crimson Lotus Ancestor went?"

The substitute Gu was nearly scared to death, fearing it would swallow the gu whole when faced with the stern gaze of the cross-eyed man.

"Don't, don't get agitated. I was used as a substitute for the Red Lotus Ancestor before. It abandoned me and ran away, deceiving everyone with its fake form. How would I know where it ran off to?"

"So, the Crimson Lotus Ancestor wasn't captured by the Penglai Holy Land?"

Lin Fan understood the implied meaning and his eyes lit up immediately!
"Still trying to catch it? That old thing runs faster than a rabbit."

The substitute Gu was full of complaints and profanities. It would get angry and grit its teeth whenever the matter was mentioned.

"I took the blame for it last time, which allowed me to escape after being sealed for ten thousand years. But when it came back, instead of treating Grandpa Insect with respect, it used me as a substitute again! It's utterly ungrateful and despicable, I spit on it!"

Everyone was stunned!

This is the first time I've ever seen such an arrogant insect. Don't you realize you're a prisoner now? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up for spouting such nonsense?
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business."

Lin Shan knew this guy's nature, so he made him recount the whole story of how the East China Sea Allied Forces attacked the Red Maple Forest.

As a participant, the substitute gu gave a brief explanation to everyone.

It turns out that during that sneak attack, the Holy Lord of Penglai brought more than ten Nascent Soul stage cultivators, including the White Whale Ancestor and Shui Lingchuan, who were present in their true forms, along with other primordial avatars to assist, completely surrounding the place.

After seeing Lin Fan off, the Crimson Lotus Ancestor fought a fierce battle with the East Sea Primordial Spirit for half a day!
Only after providing enough time for the Luosong demon clan to retreat in small groups did they self-destruct their demon seeds to escape, leaving behind the substitute Gu to cover their tracks.

But who knew that this substitute gu was not simple either. It had reached the molting stage early on and managed to escape by shedding its skin, leaving the outer shell behind to deceive people.

Unfortunately, being a Gu worm, it was not very mobile and could not travel far, so it could only choose to live in the demons of the Luosong Mountains to move around.

So after all this time, he had only run a little over a thousand miles when Lin Shan easily caught him and brought him back.

"The Holy Lord of Penglai didn't even examine your body on the spot, nor did he take it back?"

Lin Shan stroked his chin, feeling that something was amiss.

The substitute Gu shook its head, its two tentacles circling.

"Back then, the Crimson Lotus Ancestor self-destructed, abandoning all his cultivation. He was just an empty shell. Even if they investigated, they wouldn't be able to find anything. My aura imitation is unparalleled in the world. Do you think it's that easy to identify?"

Speaking of this, it couldn't help but look at the virtual star chart. This treasure was a bit strange. It could actually deduce its specific location from a single skin shedding. It was too outrageous.

Everyone nodded slightly after hearing this.

The Holy Lord of Penglai may have also investigated, but since there is no tracking-type Heavenly Treasure, he cannot locate where the Red Lotus Ancestor or the Substitute Gu went.

The shed skin was left lying there, perhaps as a fishing rod, to see if it could be caught. "So, the Crimson Lotus Ancestor lost his cultivation and physical body, and must have gone somewhere to start over?"

Lin Shan sighed and temporarily accepted this explanation.

Since that's the case, let it grow slowly. Sending people to search for and disturb it might expose itself and be detrimental to it.

The Substitute Gu keeps clamoring!

"Can you release me now?"

"Let go?"

how can that be!

Lin Shan decisively took it back; it was an excellent substitute that might save his life in the future. He must have been out of his mind to release it.

Over the next few days, the allied forces continued to press forward in the East China Sea, gradually encroaching on the outer island chain of Penglai, until they finally received confirmation from their traitor.

On the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, ascend to heaven from the sea eye eight thousand miles north of Penglai Holy Land!

"let's go!"

Lin Shan immediately led everyone over there and issued the order for a general attack on Penglai!
Although the true forms of the Holy Lord of Penglai and others were no longer present, their avatars remained in the Penglai Holy Land, maintaining the illusion of fighting to the death to deceive their opponents.

Unfortunately, because of the presence of an inside traitor, their true colors had already been exposed!

Otherwise, they might actually manage to escape and ascend to heaven as well.

"Elder Shui, what did they say?"

In the vast, empty depths of the ocean, a giant vent is stirring up eddies, affecting waters stretching for hundreds of miles.

This commotion was quite significant. Even the Penglai Saint Lord, who was used to seeing big scenes, couldn't help but feel nervous, fearing that the Xun Gu Sect would find out. He urged Elder Cui Shui to hurry, fearing that delay might lead to unforeseen changes.

"They said they've opened a new temporary ascension passage, leading directly to the Eastern Immortal Realm of the Celestial Realm above, at the coordinates of the Three Thousand Water Marsh!"

Shui Lingchuan opened his eyes, ending his connection with the upper realm. A piece of white jade in his hand shattered, and a look of heartache appeared on his face.

This was a treasure left behind by the first Patriarch of Penglai to communicate with the upper realm. Due to frequent use these days, it finally succumbed to the strain and broke down.

From then on, the connection between the upper and lower realms was completely severed, and they had to rely entirely on themselves for the rest of their lives.

"The patriarch said that the temporary ascension passage can only be opened for a maximum of half a month. If one fails to ascend to the Immortal Realm within this time, one will be buried by the void storm."

"Half a month should be enough!"

The Holy Lord of Penglai nodded, his heart filled with trepidation, yet he still revealed a resolute expression.

Shui Lingchuan sat down cross-legged and urged the others to quickly enter a meditative state as well.

"Once we successfully ascend and arrive at the Three Thousand Waters, the elders of the Penglai Immortal Sect in the Upper Realm will receive us. The most urgent task now is to quickly summon the Gate of Myriad Wonders!"

The White Whale Ancestor and the Rhinoceros Demon stood quietly in a circle, letting the two from Penglai make their arrangements.

Ascension is a first for everyone, so it's like feeling your way across a river. Whether you succeed or not is up to fate, but at least you know the general steps.

First, you must discard the frequency of this world, then try to find and enter the channel of the immortal realm, and find a way to achieve a full resonance of essence, energy, and spirit with the other party, so as to become one with them. Only then can you gain recognition, open the gate of all wonders, and ascend to immortality.

In general, it's a process of changing allegiances.

You need to resonate with the world you belong to; that's the key to getting in!

However, this move also carries a risk: after abandoning this frequency, the body's strength will rapidly decline, and it will become extremely uncontrollable once it encounters external risks!
Because you sever your connection with the lower realm, you will inevitably be ostracized by this world. Such rejection from all sides will definitely reduce your strength, which is the weakest time before ascension!
Regardless of the consequences, the Holy Lord of Penglai, Shui Lingchuan, and the White Whale Ancestor were all doing their utmost to sense the surroundings, hoping to ascend as soon as possible to ensure their safety.

Only the rhinoceros demon, taking advantage of the chaos, was lost in thought, his eyes darting around, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Lin Shan and his gang.

Hurry up and finish this quickly. This traitor is making it live in constant fear; it's really tough on honest Ox.

But to everyone's surprise, after waiting and waiting, the white whale ancestor beside him suddenly shuddered!
With less than half a cup of tea's worth of skill, a phantom portal began to take shape above his head.

"???"

The rhinoceros was terrified!
Wasn't it supposed to be difficult to sense ascension? How come this old guy succeeded on his first try? Could it be that he was just pretending to be weak while actually being strong?

"Bang!!!"

Immediately afterwards, the portal above suddenly shook violently, and collapsed with a crash amidst instability, instantly churning the surrounding seawater.

The great white whale was injured in the shock and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood!

Oh, that's more like it.

The rhinoceros spirit breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the old man was too radical. He dared to try without fully finding the frequency of the immortal realm. If he didn't fail, who would?
Not long after, a portal slowly formed above Shui Lingchuan's head on the other side.

"wipe?"

This startled it again. Could this Water Elder also have some skills? The portal was much wider than that of the White Whale Ancestor, and the illusory image was slowly solidifying.

The rhinoceros demon couldn't help but twitch its eyelids, and it thought to itself, "Oh no, ascension is this fast?"

"Bang!!!"

Fortunately, the explosion relieved its anxiety. Elder Shui was also a little anxious. Although the portal looked decent, it still failed to completely match the frequency of the Immortal Realm.

The explosion was not the worst part; he was also hit by a backlash and coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the seawater in front of him red.

Just as the rhinoceros demon breathed a sigh of relief, there was another commotion on the other side!

This time it's the Holy Lord of Penglai.

Because of the lessons learned from the past, the rhinoceros demon was no longer worried, guessing that they were probably still in the experimental stage, since it was not so easy to enter the frequency of the immortal realm.
Unexpectedly, the Holy Lord of Penglai was different. The dimensions of the Gate of Myriad Wonders he summoned were perfectly proportioned, and there were unique patterns on the door frame. A mysterious aura emanated from it, immediately giving people a refreshing and free feeling!

The White Whale Ancestor and Shui Lingchuan immediately opened their eyes, no longer adjusting their frequencies themselves, but instead looking at the Holy Lord of Penglai with anticipation.

"not good!"

The rhinoceros demon sensed something was wrong. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had already sensed the Gate of Myriad Wonders. He thought it would take at least an hour!

A milky-white beam of light shone down from the darkness, and a transparent void passage extended down, inserting itself into the portal to adjust the position of the Holy Lord of Penglai.

"This is a passage opened up by the patriarch of the upper realm!"

Shui Lingchuan was overjoyed. He looked up and saw a magnificent mirage on the sea. The grand scene of the Eastern Immortal Realm was reflected in the lower world. Three thousand water immortals and twelve immortals were preaching, and there were countless people listening below. Flowers fell from the sky and golden lotuses sprang from the ground, as if it were right in front of him!
squeak~
The Holy Lord of Penglai gritted his teeth, and the Gate of All Wonders opened so smoothly!
"The three of you, now is the time. Do not hesitate, ascend immediately." (End of Chapter)