Immortal Road.

"died?"

These words struck Lin Shan like a thunderclap, instantly stirring his emotions.

He had always believed that Ouyang Feng was still alive. As the only person in this world who might be a Nascent Soul cultivator with both wind and thunder elements, he hoped that Ouyang Feng could save him some ancient charm and give him a ready-made wind and thunder cultivation technique.

The final result was this?

"How did you die?"

The Sword Master of Minghuang gave a wry smile and looked at the secluded mountains.

Looking back on the past thousand years ago, he also traveled all over this world, made many friends, and some of them became friends after fighting. They spent a heroic and moving period of time together!

Ouyang Feng was one of the outstanding figures of that era.

At that time, the leader of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect was still the Green Bamboo Sword Master. As a junior, he had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage when he encountered Ouyang Feng, who was wandering around with unorthodox methods.

The two initially competed and fought, but later came to appreciate each other.

In the days that followed, Ouyang Feng would occasionally meet with him, but most of the time he was busy searching for resources, going into seclusion, cultivating, and breaking through. Everyone was focused on their own affairs.

“Until eight hundred years ago.”

The Sword Master of Minghuang revealed a look of reminiscence.

"I remember that day, after a light rain, the doorman announced that someone had come to see me. When I opened the cave, I found that it was actually Fellow Daoist Ouyang, who had already broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm!"

"I came here only to say goodbye, and I have already told my other friends that I am about to leave this world and embark on the path of ascension alone!"

"He lacked confidence in himself, but there was truly no way to advance further in the lower realm. Unwilling to waste his youth, he left his soul lamp with me and quietly departed alone."

And then, as you can imagine.

Ouyang Feng's soul lamp went out, and he met with misfortune on his path to ascension.

Besides lamenting for his old friend, the Sword Master of Minghuang also had some reservations about ascension. Therefore, he dared not ascend without complete confidence until now!
When Lin Shan heard the truth of the matter for the first time, he couldn't help but sigh silently after the other party explained the whole story.

"Sect Leader Lin, if you ascend to immortality one day, and if you are lucky, you may be able to see Fellow Daoist Ouyang's remains on the way to ascension. At that time, you will be able to verify the truth of what I said."

"Is Ouyang Feng's soul lamp still there? Could you bring it to me?"

The Sword Master of Minghuang hesitated slightly, but then rummaged through his storage space and found an ordinary soul lamp made of magic weapon material, which had long since gone out.

However, the enhanced panel clearly states in the identification:
It is indeed the soul lamp used by Ouyang Feng!
Lin Shan immediately put it into his pocket, thinking he could look for it on his ascension journey. With the help of the Void Star Compass, he might be able to track it and find the other party's belongings.

Now that this matter ends here, let's talk about something else.

"Sword Master Minghuang, what is your explanation for the Green Bamboo Sword Master of your Spring and Autumn Sword Sect repeatedly coming to my Xun Gu Sect to cause trouble, supporting traitors from the Ghost Valley Holy Land to oppose my adopted son, and contacting the Ancient Annihilation Alliance?"

The Sword Master of Minghuang knew that what was coming would come sooner or later. Like the Holy Master of Haoran, he ceded half of the resource points of the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect on the mainland and in the outer heavens, just to pay money to avoid disaster!
Many of these blessed lands are secret training grounds inaccessible to the outside world, offering immeasurable benefits to the disciples.

Seeing that this guy was so cooperative, Lin Shan decided not to continue suppressing him and knew when to stop.

"From now on, I will stay out of worldly affairs and focus on my secluded cultivation to prepare for my ascension."

The Sword Master of Bright Glory spoke frankly, and when he met the eyes of the Holy Master of Vastness, they both saw the weariness in each other's eyes. After experiencing the three rounds of spiritual tides in the first year of the Huiyuan era and the Great War of True Immortals, the power structure of this world had basically taken shape, and the two holy lands no longer had any intention of fighting for supremacy.

The current ceding of territory and payment of reparations is a way of telling the Xun Gu Sect that they have no ambitions and have decided to close their doors and remain in seclusion until the next Wan Hui year.

The Holy Land has always been the top player in the lower realm, manipulating the ever-changing landscape of the continent, reshuffling the deck in times of great strife, with generations taking turns in a cyclical manner.

He usually keeps a low profile and rarely gets involved in the ups and downs of the cultivation world.

Now that the dust has settled, it's best to retire from the world as soon as possible to minimize the impact and preserve the tradition.

Lin Shan chatted with them for about an hour before personally seeing off the two holy masters.

"Second Brother, we've taken so much from the Haoran Holy Land and the Spring and Autumn Sword Sect, are they really willing to swallow this humiliation?"

Zhong Shenxiu came closer and watched with him as the two rainbow lights disappeared into the distance, tearing through space after leaving the Tianfu Mountain area.

"What, is this Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure too hot to handle?"

Lin Shan glanced at the kid and knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Hehe, I'm just feeling uneasy."

After all, it is the signature item of the Vast Holy Land, and has always been famous throughout the world. As a top sacred object of the Confucian school, he had heard of it since he was a child.

But now that it has been handed over to me so casually, I feel flattered and overwhelmed. Holding it feels like a dream, so unreal.

"Third brother, in the future, the Confucian school will not necessarily be dominated by the Haoran Holy Land alone. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lin Shan stood up, glanced at the various armies below the mountain, and then left.

Zhong Shenxiu's eyes narrowed!
He pondered the words carefully, holding the heavy Tongtian Lingbao in his hand, and suddenly realized that his vision was too narrow. The Confucian school was not a one-man show like the Great Sacred Land.

Couldn't the Bailu Academy in Lu State produce a leader of the Confucian school?
Ancient road under the stars, passage to ascension.

The White Whale Ancestor remained silent, looking at the limping, wounded, and bloodied Lord of Penglai before him, no longer showing the respect he once had.

After thirteen days of arduous climbing, they were getting closer and closer to the vast world above them, and the immense pressure they felt was far greater than ever before!

It felt as if there was an immense burden on my shoulders, pressing down on me from the outside in, making it hard to breathe!
Both of them knew that the journey from the Lesser Thousand Worlds to the Greater Thousand Worlds was an elevation of the living environment, and naturally, they had to deal with the changes in heaven and earth.

The density of the Great Thousand Worlds is more than ten thousand times greater than that of the Small Thousand Worlds. Its weight constantly presses down on the myriad worlds of the void. The further one goes, the more difficult it becomes, because one gets closer to that critical point.

Above me was a heavy, leaden cloud, stretching as far as the eye could see, a feeling of something stuck in my throat.

"This is the barrier between the immortal realm and the mortal realm. Immortals and mortals are separated by a single step. One can ascend to heaven in an instant and become an immortal with a single thought. The ultimate dreams of all cultivators, 'attaining the Dao' and 'achieving immortality,' can only be realized there."

The Holy Lord of Penglai brushed aside the long hair that had fallen across his face, revealing tired eyes, and murmured a long sigh.

He had sighed countless times along the way.

Because along the way, we encountered no fewer than a dozen corpses, all of whom were people who had failed to ascend and perished here, lying quietly in the cold, ancient starry road.

These are the ones they might encounter; there are many more unseen losers who perish on the vast path to ascension!

The corpses were all dried up, and most of their belongings were looted by the later ascenders. However, there were some that had never been discovered, which allowed the two of them to pick up a few.

However, there weren't any particularly valuable treasures among the belongings. If there were, they would have been used up long ago. The fact that it ended up like this suggests that there weren't many good things left.

"Brother White Whale, just hang in there a little longer. We'll be close to the barrier of the Immortal Realm soon. Then I'll take you to find the back door of the Eastern Immortal Realm."

"Brother Penglai, would you like to rest a bit more?"

Although the White Whale Ancestor was excited, he was really worried about the other party's physical condition, especially since the other party was seriously injured and nearing the end of his life, yet still had to climb under the immense pressure of the vast world. What an ordeal that must have been!
The Holy Lord of Penglai shook his head, gritted his teeth, and struggled to his feet, but showed no sign of stopping. A few days ago, he could rest and heal his injuries simultaneously, but with the half-month deadline fast approaching, he had no time to waste!
If they fail to reach the designated location within the allotted time and miss the back door opened by Penglai in the upper realm, they will face the risk of having to force their way through the barrier of the immortal realm.

It should be understood that the barrier between the immortal realm and the celestial realm is not a simple single membrane, but a river with extremely deep and wide spans. It is imprinted with the marks of time from ancient times to the present, and like a natural chasm, it separates the immortal realm from the myriad worlds in the void, creating an insurmountable chasm!
Within it, there are countless void storms, murky liquid world sediment, chaotic magnetic fields that defy the five senses, unbearable gravity, and life-devouring vortexes.
There are hundreds of known dangers!

It's still easier to ascend from the lower realm to the upper realm than to send people from the upper realm to the lower realm. Even top-tier sects don't have that ability!
That's why there are reincarnated immortals, like the Azure Lotus Fairy and the Pure Lotus Hermit, who fight by descending to the mortal realm in a series of roundabout ways.

Even if the two manage to overcome the barrier of the immortal realm and find the Ascension Platform with great difficulty, don't forget that they refined the sixth-grade lotus platform of the Pure Lotus Hermit!

Falling headlong into Jinque's hands is like walking into a trap, unless an old man is so old he's tired of living.

Therefore, smuggling oneself to the Eastern Paradise is the right choice.

With only two days left, they must get there within a limited timeframe; this is their only chance, their only chance to be reborn!
Just as they were desperately climbing up, the Holy Lord of Penglai suddenly shouted. When the White Whale Ancestor turned around, he realized that the other party had almost fallen off the Heavenly Ladder.

"Brother Penglai?"

He was gripping the steps tightly with both hands, his body swaying aimlessly in the starry sky, his face turning deathly pale with fright.

Falling off the ladder during ascension is a major taboo!

Without these two golden steps, the immense pressure of the world would lack the support to counteract the force, making any attempt to climb upwards a pipe dream.

Many who fail to ascend die in despair after falling down the ladder.

Fortunately, he had the White Whale Ancestor by his side, who reached out a helping hand and pulled him up, thus preventing him from overturning and causing an accident.

But along with it came the curse of the Seven Arrows of Nailhead!
The Void Realm Hellish creatures have been lying in wait every day, waiting for this moment to possess and cause trouble. Even though the Holy Lord of Penglai has been dealing with these evil guests for so many days, his deteriorating condition is no longer enough to resist them.

They were even so humble that they needed the help of the White Whale Ancestor to suppress them!

"Bear with it."

This is equivalent to a hellish creature parasitizing the essence and flesh of the Holy Lord of Penglai, and then waging a battle against himself and the White Whale Ancestor. The damage caused in the end is even greater than before!
"Quack! The two little ones are still putting up a stubborn resistance!"

Puff~~~
The blood and phlegm coughed up by the Holy Lord of Penglai this time also contained shattered internal organs and intestines, which is enough to show how serious his injuries were.

Even the great white whale ancestor was terrified. Just imagine how desperate it would be if it happened to him.
"No prey that I, the Heavenly Toad Emperor, have ever set my sights on has ever survived. You will all die on your path to ascension sooner or later, croak croak."

The Holy Lord of Penglai lay on the steps like a dead dog, recalling how he, the once powerful ruler of the mortal realm, had been able to command the wind and rain and whose word was law, was now being toyed with by someone's curse from such a distance, making him wish he were dead!

He clung tightly to the white whale ancestor, his will to survive etched into the bloodstains.

Ascension is just around the corner, success is within reach!
I want to ascend to immortality, I want to go to the celestial realm, I want to break through and rise again!

"Brother White Whale, take me away!"

Without hesitation, the white whale ancestor helped him climb up step by step. Fortunately, as a sea creature, he was strong and even half-dragged him and hung on the ladder.

Next up is the Demon Mushroom King!

A row of tiny mushroom figures began to sing, greedily sucking up the divine energy within him. The demonic sound was so deafening that it almost drove him mad.

The White Whale Ancestor opened his massive hand and ruthlessly pulled and ripped off large chunks of flesh, dragging the Penglai Saint Lord upwards.

It knew it was now a race against time and it had to get there before the back door disappeared!

But the person behind the curse seems to have noticed something amiss, and instead of giving them a chance to breathe, they continue to curse them relentlessly.

After the third wave arrived, they finally encountered the biggest crisis in their history!
Because they changed the person in charge!
"Hahaha, I finally caught him! What kind of level is that old tortoise? How dare he compete with me for the supreme order?"

Fluttering~~~
Suddenly, the Holy Lord of Penglai began to swing his arms back and forth involuntarily. Then, feathers grew out like arrows, absorbing the essence in his body and turning into a pair of gray-white wings!

Immediately afterwards, my scalp started to itch, as if I was about to grow a brain. Suddenly, a tuft of crested feathers popped out, and I opened my mouth and let out a loud chirp.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Black Peacock Emperor, the overlord of the eleventh level of hell! That old tortoise is my servant, yet he dared to take orders behind my back! He's utterly lawless! I just pecked his eyes out!"

What? ? ?
The Turtle King of the Prison Sea is a powerful cultivator in the Void Realm, yet he is merely someone else's servant?
Both were terrified. There must be a huge gap between the Void Realm and the Void Realm. This Black Peacock Emperor might already be at the end of the cultivation path, just one step away from becoming an immortal!

"Brother White Whale, save me!"

The White Whale Ancestor was at a loss, and used its hands to yank the crest of feathers on its head so hard that it almost ripped off the head of the Holy Lord of Penglai!

In desperation, it kept plucking feathers from its arms, but the more it plucked, the more feathers it produced, and the weaker the host became. The Black Peacock King laughed loudly and even flapped its wings, trying to escape.

"Brother Penglai, what should we do?"

As an outsider, there is no way to interfere excessively with the transformation within the body, but the Holy Lord of Penglai is completely incapable of resolving it on his own.

In despair, he finally understood what powerlessness meant!

He looked up and cried out in despair at the injustice!

"Oh, cruel heavens, how have you treated me so cruelly!"

Looking at the celestial realm so close yet so far, the celestial realm he so desperately longed for, he knew he would never have the chance to go there; he could only fall just before his ascension.

The White Whale Ancestor suddenly felt a chill in his hand, realizing that the other party had slipped something into his hand.

"Brother White Whale, I can't go on. You must finish this journey for me, carrying my last wishes as you ascend. These are the coordinates of the passage to Penglai in the Upper Realm. Don't worry about me, go on your way."

"."

At that moment, the two put aside their grudges and seemed to have returned to their original friendship.

Looking at his old friend, the Holy Lord of Penglai felt a bitter sense of guilt. He closed his eyes and shed two lines of bloody tears, handing over the lotus platform to the other party.

The White Whale Ancestor wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by him holding his breath.

"Go immediately!!!"

This roar seemed to have used up all its strength, and then the Black Peacock King completely took over its body. Then it made a cacophony of cackling ...
The White Whale Ancestor stood silently in place, watching the other party shrink into a tiny dot in his eyes, until it became invisible to the naked eye.

He then resolutely turned and left.

Three days later.

The Eastern Paradise, with its three thousand waters and marshes.

At the Twelve Earthly Immortals' Daoist Assembly, countless beings sat below the stage, listening to the immortals impart Daoist teachings and closing their eyes to comprehend their true meaning.

The great white whale stood respectfully behind a middle-aged man, listening to the lecture along with thousands of other creatures.

"Senior Zang Yan, a message from the Penglai Immortal Sect asks when you will return." (End of Chapter)