CHAPTER 693: 571 LI JINGXU ASCENSION

Deng Yin, ever since he extinguished the positive thoughts in his heart with the Emperor’s Demon Refining Spell, had been in a state of "demonization," worsened after his contact with the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword.

Shi Feiyang trapped him inside the Nine Suspicions Tripod, and with the Heavenly Treasure Mirror, he created the Void Illusion Realm. In just half a day, he finally let him completely indulge and lose the ability to extricate himself.

The moment Deng Yin shattered the tripod was the beginning of his true fall into the Void Illusion Realm.

Sending him to reincarnate was not easy; he had reached a realm "Shape and Spirit Both Marvelous," equivalent to that of a Heavenly Immortal. Even if forcefully sent into the womb, he would not be mysteriously separated by the Yinyang; as soon as the Void Illusion Realm retracted, he would immediately awaken, and with a mere thought, he could emerge from the womb.

That was still "better"; he could also crazily give birth to a Demon Embryo by way of the fetus and the pregnant woman, using the fetus to control the body of the pregnant woman, frantically consuming people and causing chaos...

Deng Yin was only obedient in front of Shi Feiyang, but that was before his "demonization." In his current state, no one could predict what he might do.

After all, he was a Blood Demon that made all Sword Immortals throughout Central Earth tremble with fear; there were very few in the entire world who were not afraid of him.

He had fought with Divine Nuns from Little Cold Mountain and Master You Tan, both of whom had suffered a great loss!

Ordinary human wombs simply couldn’t withstand the energy of the Blood Demon, unless both the man and woman were Sword Immortals who had attained the Dao for a thousand years. But people of such cultivation would have long lost interest in the pleasures of the flesh, finding them tedious, so how could they have children?

Thus, Shi Feiyang took half a month to fetch Red Snake and Xuan Turtle from the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain in Antarctica, using their Heaven and Earth Harmony to conceive this child.

Red Snake and Xuan Turtle were among the earliest "elders" to follow Shi Feiyang, and they had received customized Cultivation Methods from him long ago.

They held high positions on Outer Heaven Divine Mountain as the famous Turtle and Snake Generals, commanding naval forces of a hundred thousand Daoist Soldiers each.

Outer Heaven Divine Mountain practiced "government-owned mountains and seas"; all land, oceans, and mineral resources were state-owned. Nonetheless, Shi Feiyang granted them two fiefs, a mountain named after Red Snake and a pond after Xuan Turtle.

The Red Snake Mountain was planted with exotic flowers and trees, with various snakes, insects, birds, and beasts roaming freely. Beneath it was Xuan Turtle Lake, filled with all manner of fish, soft-shelled turtles, shrimps, and crabs.

These two places were practically permanently leased to them, and every year they had to pay the average lease cost of mountain and sea products to Yu Country...

Over the years, through their generous salaries as generals and the produce from their two lands, they had accumulated vast resources. Their Dao Level had soared, and they had already refined their Nascent Souls, taking on human forms.

They wished to ascend to the Spiritual Space Immortal Realm and reincarnate there, elevating from the path of beasts to that of humans.

Yet they didn’t desire ascension; now, with Divine Power equivalent to an Earth Immortal’s level, they far surpassed ordinary Loose Cultivators.

Both inherently symbols of union, the Cultivation Method Shi Feiyang passed onto them also followed this principle. Thus, even as their Dao was high, they still rewarded each other every nine years, merely exchanging True Yin and True Yang without congealing offspring, so they had never produced descendants.

Upon receiving Shi Feiyang’s decree, they rushed to Yellow Mountain, and upon grasping their task, they laughed, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this is what we excel at!"

Hence, they began rewarding each other at the place designated by Shi Feiyang.

With their current strength, the union of turtle and snake immediately provoked Heavenly Phenomena, and a sort of profound aura even drew out turtles and snakes from nearby mountains, as well as other spiritually sentient creatures, to surround them, absorbing the essence of Heaven and Earth Harmony and comprehending the principles embodied within.

Only with these two stepping into the fray and stirring the vital energies of heaven and earth, were they finally able to forcibly draw in Deng Yin.

The turtles and snakes each emitted True Yin and True Yang; heaven and earth mingled their essences, sun and moon upheld each other, masculine Yang broadcasted mystic efforts, feminine Yin metamorphosed into yielding embrace, chaos intertwined, the seat of power established foundations, managed nourishment and growth, concentrating to form the body...

After three days and nights, a Mystical Pearl finally congealed within Xuan Turtle’s body.

During this process, Shi Feiyang, within the Void Illusion Realm, used the Circulation Golden Talisman to seal Deng Yin’s memories.

He ceased his Spell, brought Red Snake and Xuan Turtle back to his abode, and gave them each an Elixir.

Ever since they succeeded in their cultivation, the union of turtle and snake was always Yinyang contained and did not deplete Mana. This time, however, they released True Yin and True Yang to conceive a child, consuming vast amounts of Essence Energy and spirit. If they were to repeat this a few times, their Dao Level would fall, so they needed proper replenishment.

Shi Feiyang instructed them to return to Outer Heaven Divine Mountain to nurture the fetus, "The child will be born in three years; the egg will hatch. Take good care of it, staying between Turtle Snake Mountain Lake, and go nowhere else. I will have Jin Xunu and Yuan Hua take care of everything else, so don’t worry about a thing. When the child is born three years from now, there will be another tribulation. Don’t panic, just stay in the mountains."

Red Snake asked, "In three years, will Your Majesty come to attend the child’s birth?"

Shi Feiyang nodded, "If I don’t go, the tribulation will be severe. If I do, it will be resolved, so I will definitely be there."

Only then did Turtle and Snake feel at ease; they knew that this child they were carrying was extraordinary.

Shi Feiyang handed the Child Mother Dragon Sparrow Ring to Xuan Turtle, instructing her to wear them at all times without removing them for even a moment. Once the child was born, they were to be placed on the child’s wrists and ankles.

Red Snake and Xuan Turtle then left Central Earth and returned to Outer Heaven Divine Mountain.

As for Li Jingxu, he returned with the Five Fortune Fairy, Sun Xun, and the Hundred Flowers Fairy, Ni Fangxian, to Wuyou Cave at Chang Chun Rock in Yunnan’s Lion Ridge.

The three gathered to calculate the future.

The future outcome is bleak. Chi You will rise again, bringing forth a catastrophic disaster upon Heaven and Earth. The Blood Demon could also return to wreak havoc among mortals, not to mention the calamities that Earth Immortals face every one thousand three hundred years.

If they choose to remain in the Human World, they will inevitably be swept up in these events. As Chi You once said, when the time comes, it will be impossible to leave.

Though Li Jingxu has achieved Body Ascension, he is not at risk of falling into Tribulation. However, Sun Xun and Ni Fangxian might lose their Dao Level and be cast into Reincarnation, with no telling how long it would take them to achieve Ascension as Heavenly Immortals again.

What’s most terrifying is that after the great disaster, the Spiritual Energy in this world will rapidly deplete. Immortal Swords and Magical Treasures will become mundane objects, Sword Immortals mere mortals, no longer able to ascend—although Golden Immortals possess indestructible bodies, that’s only true for those who have achieved the Golden Immortal Position. A "Earth Immortal" like Li Jingxu who hasn’t reached that level is still at risk of losing their Dao Level.

After much calculation and discussion, the three decide: Ascend!

Children and grandchildren will have their own fortunes. Li Jingxu, bringing along two Heavenly Immortals, has already done quite well. There’s no way for him to look after more people.

Thus, the three of them begin preparations for Ascension.

First and foremost is their personal cultivation. They must first adjust their mentality, previously tied down with concerns in the Human World—unable to let go of this or that—now they have relinquished everything, severing all ties and focusing solely on departure.

Then, this mentality is reflected back upon the Primordial Spirit, merging Spirit Concentration with Essence Energy of the self.

During this period, they also seek out Qin Yu to settle their affairs.

Li Jingxu prepares three letters and their three Flying Sword Magical Treasures. Apart from a few special ones, the rest are given to Qin Yu.

As someone who’s achieved Body Ascension, Li Jingxu’s physical form is that of a handsome young man.

His body has already reached Perfection through Cultivation. Hindered by his disciples, dealing with their affairs, and waiting for his two lovers, he could not leave for a time, so he left his original body in the mountains. Furthermore, he fashioned an adorable child-like body from refined Five Elements Essence to function in the outside world, merely a temporary vessel. Now, the time has come to return his Primordial Spirit to his own handsome youth body, achieving unity of form and spirit, as golden Immortal Energy and light radiate from his entire being.

Sun Xun and Ni Fangxian, lacking such high Dao Level, are Heavenly Immortals Ascending.

The difference between a Heavenly Immortal and a Corpse Resolving Immortal lies in the step of ’Returning Pill Refining Form.’ They must refine the Essence Energy throughout their entire bodies into the Divine Body of the Yang God, ultimately leaving behind a cast-off husk.

The difference between a cast-off husk and a corpse is like that between a cicada’s shell and a dead cicada—the former is just an empty shell.

On the day of Ascension, the three sit side by side, Li Jingxu in the middle, the two women flanking him. Immortal lights emerge, Li Jingxu’s glow is golden, the women’s white, all joining together as they rise from the ground.

Li Jingxu ascends entirely, leaving nothing behind, while the Heavenly Deities ascend in spirit, leaving their husks in place. Holding hands, still in their seated positions, they pass through the rock and soil above the cave.

Qin Yu rushes outside, only to see the master and his two mistresses ascending rapidly towards the clouds; their ascent swift as they rode the clouds-electric, shooting straight to the Heavenly Heart, disappearing into the vast and icy mist.

It is said that Qin Yu has also been following Li Jingxu’s Cultivation since over a thousand years ago. Due to being harmed by Evil Demons, he was forced into a Fallen Tribulation, and after several lifetimes, the master retrieved him into the Immortal Sect each time, restoring him to the fold.

During these cycles of Reincarnation, various other sect members, as well as two mistresses who had taken on disciples—brothers and sisters, all had once existed and followed through several lifetimes—but as time passed, they eventually disappeared, leaving only him behind.

Thinking of the profound favor of his teacher and their final parting, even though he knows his master and mistresses’ Ascension fulfills centuries-long aspirations, he can’t help but tear up, his tears unrestrained.

With his current level of Cultivation, not only is he inferior to the trio "Three English, Two Clouds" but also lags behind others like Ruan Zheng. It’s not that his mana is lacking, but that his Primordial Spirit cannot achieve Pure Yang, always flawed. Sometimes he considers undergoing another Reincarnation, but the journey is fraught with extreme danger. An incautious step can plunge him into the endless cycles of Reincarnation, and he might not return to the Immortal Sect for hundreds or thousands of years, becoming indistinguishable from ordinary folks.

He doesn’t want to plead with his master to stay and guide him through another lifetime...

He feels he can never ascend and will never see his master again.

Overwhelmed by this thought, he bursts into tears.

After crying for some time, he examines what his master left him.

Inside one of the three Jade Boxes left by Li Jingxu, he finds a letter addressed to him. Besides the letter, there are the Flying Sword Magical Treasures, Spirit Pills, and Divine Talismans—treasures accumulated over a thousand years, the vast expanse within the Jade Box nearly filled to capacity.

He opens the letter, which outlines his future.

Li Jingxu tells him about a calamity in his fate that he avoided thanks to Shi Feiyang, which would have required him to undergo three more lifetimes of Reincarnation to succeed.

Having avoided it reduces many trials, but it leaves his spirituality imperfect, hence his Yang God always contains some yin residue, impeding purification. Regardless of how high his mana is, without Pure Yang, Ascension is impossible.

Li Jingxu suggests two paths: continue practicing the same Cultivation Technique he taught him, necessitating another tribulation, during which he’ll face a demonic trial associated with Shi Pi the Elder’s wife, Ada Hanpo. There’s a high chance of falling into the Demon Path. Without Li Jingxu, past foes will surely intervene, leaving him little hope of returning to the Immortal Sect or reaching the Heavenly Immortal realm.

Should he choose this path, he must seek aid from Shi Feiyang, asking for protection and guidance. Shi Feiyang, however, has other matters to attend to. Any lapses and he’s doomed, with virtually no chance of achieving Heavenly Immortal before Spiritual Energy runs dry, likely fading into obscurity...

The second path, highly recommended by Li Jingxu, is to become a disciple of Shi Feiyang, allowing Shi Feiyang to tailor a Cultivation Method for him. While also difficult, it avoids the tribulation, and Shi Feiyang will surely nurture him and assist in accumulating Outer Skills, much simpler than the former path, with Ascension left to his own volition.

Even if he doesn’t become a Heavenly Immortal before the great disaster, Shi Feiyang plans to take him to another world, ensuring his Immortal endeavors yield fruit.