Chapter 516

Chapter 516: Ascend!

“Congratulations, young friend, on attaining the status of a True Immortal.”

The old man smiled widely, extending his hands in congratulations.

But Ji Yang did not respond; he merely sighed and asked,

“I wonder what brings you here, senior?”

The old man replied lightly,

“I have come seeking to borrow the path from you for a use.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yang’s expression did not change. The old man had come closer but had remained hidden until now; had Ji Yang not broken through to the True Immortal Realm, he might not have noticed him at all. The old man had been lurking in the shadows, surely with his own purpose.

Therefore, after the old man spoke, Ji Yang was not surprised; he simply smiled and said,

“What if I refuse to lend it to you?”

A cultivator’s path is not something that can be borrowed! If it could be, his fate would end up like those who had just escaped.

The old man did not respond, and Ji Yang chose not to say more.

In the next instant, Ji Yang unleashed a sword energy towards the old man.

Words were pointless; it would come down to who was stronger, who had the harder fist!

However, as the sword energy approached, the old man’s figure vanished instantly, and looking again, he had appeared in another spot.

If it were the Ji Yang of before, he might not have understood the intricacies involved.

But now, with his powerful primordial spirits, everything became clear in Ji Yang’s sight.

He could even clearly see the old man’s actions as he struck.

Despite this, Ji Yang couldn’t help but marvel at the old man’s strength. Clearly not at the same realm as himself, yet his Space essence was wielded with great mastery, allowing him to shift spaces in the blink of an eye.

Even though Ji Yang’s sword energy was strong, it still could not strike the old man’s true form.

Yet Ji Yang stood in an invulnerable position, for he could see through the old man’s attacks. He might not be able to reach the old man’s true body, but he could shatter countless spaces.

Just as Ji Yang prepared to strike again, the old man suddenly laughed,

“Young friend, what you borrow must eventually be returned.”

At these words, a sense of foreboding rose within Ji Yang. Before he could react, his body suddenly began to vibrate violently.

The time essence, which had lain quietly within him, suddenly began to operate on its own and peeled away from Ji Yang’s body.

No matter how Ji Yang tried to control it, the time essence did not stop.

His unease grew; as the time essence stripped away, his essence of the sword also became unstable, seemingly influenced by the time essence.

In the blink of an eye, both essences had been taken from Ji Yang’s body.

He reached out to grasp them, but before he could touch them, he found himself in another space!

Watching the two essences drift away from him, Ji Yang’s expression soured.

He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch; what he had once received was now being returned with a vengeance.

Soon, the two essences merged into the old man’s body. Upon acquiring them, the old man’s expression turned joyful:

“Young friend, let this old one explore the path to immortality for you!”

The joy on the old man’s face lasted only a moment before it changed drastically:

“How can this be? Is this not your path to True Immortality? Why can’t I sense the fullness of the Way?”

Gone was the old man’s previous kindness; his face became fearsome, filled with anger.

Hearing this, Ji Yang’s expression turned slightly amused. It seemed the old man wanted not his essence of the sword but rather his essence of War.

If Ji Yang had ascended with his swordsmanship, perhaps the old man would have truly succeeded.

Unfortunately, he believed the essence of War was more reliable.

Now it certainly seemed that way!

As Ji Yang smiled, sensing his unshaken realm, the old man realized:

“I understand now; you have two paths.”

“But that’s fine. A True Immortal is nothing extraordinary. Let me see your other path!”

With that, the old man transformed his hand into a sword and launched a sword energy at Ji Yang.

Ji Yang swung his iron pick, ready to counter in the same way.

But halfway through the swing, Ji Yang’s expression faltered.

The loss of his essence of the sword had wiped all his knowledge of swords from his mind. Whether it was Thousands of Sword Energies or other sword techniques, he now stood like a blank slate in swordsmanship.

Only his divine ability of Sword Cultivation remained, but he had already exhausted the sword energy within it.

Seeing Ji Yang at a loss, the old man smiled once more.

Yet as the sword energy struck Ji Yang and slid past his hair, the old man could no longer smile. A look of astonishment replaced it, and he asked, half-frantic:

“What sort of essence is this?

Essence of Earth?

Essence of Metal?

No, that’s not it!”

The old man answered himself, finally turning his gaze to Ji Yang.

“I won’t tell you!”

Ji Yang chuckled, simultaneously swinging his pick at the old man.

Though he had lost his essence of the sword, the perfected essence of War was still formidable!

As the iron pick swung forth, lacking the sharp sword energy, it unleashed only a shadow imbued with the essence of War.

Feeling the threat as his body was targeted, the old man quickly formed seals with both hands, and suddenly countless spaces appeared in front of him!

Quickly, the attack from the iron pick began to weaken and eventually vanished without a trace.

Ji Yang frowned slightly; his essence of War should not be this weak.

Seeing Ji Yang’s confusion, the old man took the initiative to explain:

“I am no ordinary Tribulation Crossing stage cultivator. While my understanding of the space might not have reached the level of a path, it is more than enough to deal with you!”

“If you willingly hand over your path, I can return your swordsmanship to you and give you a chance to become a True Immortal. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude!”

Ji Yang remained unfazed, unleashing a burst of previously stored golden tribulation thunder from his hand.

The old man seemed to have anticipated this; with a casual wave, the golden tribulation thunder vanished from sight.

This was also a manifestation of the essence of space, but the old man’s essence of space seemed exceptionally strong, even rivaling Ji Yang’s.

Is the Supreme essence fully mastered?

Ji Yang furrowed his brow, realizing he was in a tough spot!

“Stubborn and uncomprehending!”

The old man coldly huffed, and the next moment, a scroll inscribed with the patterns of the Way appeared in his hand.

Ji Yang focused on the scroll. It looked small, but at the top was engraved the character "Qian," while at the bottom was "Kun."

Moreover, the scroll depicted many living beings, far more powerful than Li Daoyi’s Silken Lady.

Upon closer inspection, Ji Yang discovered a somewhat familiar dragon within it.

The moment he saw the dragon, Ji Yang spoke:

“Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong!”

“Qian represents heaven, Kun represents earth; Heavenly Communication Artifact, Qian Kun Diagram!”

Recalling the old man’s name, Ji Yang began to understand the old man’s identity.

“This object was left by ancient immortals and contains the true essence of the space Path; even a True Immortal cannot escape!”

As the old man finished speaking, he waved the scroll, and in an instant, Ji Yang’s figure was enveloped within it, disappearing from sight!

Inside the Qian Kun Diagram, Ji Yang’s form appeared on one side of the scroll!

Within the scroll, Ji Yang’s body suddenly materialized. Upon seeing the familiar surroundings, he quickly realized where he was.

The Temple of Heaven, yes, the same place as last time.

At that moment, he also heard the old man’s voice:

“Young friend, since you refuse to hand it over willingly, I will have to take it myself!”

“In three days, the essence of the Way within your body will automatically strip away.”

Hearing the sounds around him, Ji Yang smiled lightly:

“I believe it won’t take three days!”

“Oh?”

The old man’s figure reappeared, but it was merely a shadow cast toward Ji Yang.

Ji Yang surveyed his surroundings, his expression growing more confident.

Since the essence of War could not break the deadlock, he would rely on his own ability to secure his fate!

Ji Yang silently chanted:

“Law of Heaven and Earth!”

As he unleashed his divine ability, Ji Yang’s body quickly began to rise within the Temple of Heaven!

Ten zhang, a hundred zhang, a thousand zhang, ten thousand zhang…

In an instant, the Temple of Heaven that trapped Ji Yang had turned into fragments beneath his feet!

As his body grew to tens of thousands of zhang high, Ji Yang looked down again, and the whole world lay beneath him.

The old man, upon witnessing such a divine ability, showed a hint of astonishment on his face!

Even among the True Immortals of Ancient Times, he had never seen such a power!

Now that Ji Yang had grown larger, he no longer suppressed his powerful body!

With a punch, he struck!

A crack instantly appeared on the scroll beneath his feet!

Feeling that this was not enough, Ji Yang’s gaze shifted, activating the Heart Sword divine ability! At the same time, he infused himself with the Essence of War!

In that moment, Ji Yang saw the entire Qian Kun Diagram and the old man, who acted as the tool spirit!

The old man’s true form was this very scroll beneath him!

The next moment, Ji Yang fiercely swung his fist toward the Array Map below!

"Bang! Bang!"

The crisp sounds of two punches echoed in his ears!

Within the scroll, a dragon was directly blasted out of the lake, and as it looked up at Ji Yang’s gigantic figure and then glanced at its own frail body, it quickly raced away into the distance.

With two consecutive punches, the old man’s complexion gradually turned pale.

His virtual spirit quickly appeared in front of Ji Yang, rapidly commencing the use of spatial techniques in an attempt to trap Ji Yang within infinite space.

If he ignored this, in just a few punches, his true form would be shattered to pieces.

The old man made no attack because he had already sensed Ji Yang’s physical strength!

It was a physique more advanced than the Immaculate Body of the Cultivation World, a body worthy of a celestial!

Yet this kind of physique, even without the essence of the Way, could ascend with just its physical form; why was this child so terrifying!

As he felt himself sinking, as if trapped in endless space, Ji Yang remained unfazed and aimed precisely at the position of the old man’s virtual spirit, suddenly launching a punch.

Wherever the iron fist landed, it made a sound like shattering glass; layers of space were being smashed apart by Ji Yang’s physical might!

In just a moment, the spatial techniques the old man had just set up were more than half destroyed.

Correspondingly, a large amount of spiritual energy began to vanish from the Qian Kun Diagram!

The old man’s face grew pale, yet he still did not intend to release Ji Yang.

He had one last trick, using his true form as a medium to trap Ji Yang in the void.

At that time, no matter how great Ji Yang’s abilities were, he could not escape!

However, if he did this, his true form would surely be destroyed. But the thought of achieving True Immortal status and leaving this world, perhaps with a celestial body, made the old man’s hesitation instantly turn into fervor.

Just as the old man prepared to use this final move, his expression suddenly changed. A sharp sword energy appeared from an unknown direction behind him.

This sword energy was far more terrifying than the essence of the sword he had absorbed from Ji Yang.

Confused, the old man had to evade; even though he revealed a virtual spirit, if he faced death, his true form would also be harmed.

The old man wanted to dodge, but that sword energy seemed to lock onto him through layers of space! Even the essence of space could not evade it, causing the old man’s complexion to change dramatically!

Who is it? How can there be such sword energy!

On the other side, Ji Yang’s eyes lit up as his fists moved with a powerful force, quickly shattering several layers of space and returning to the scroll.

This time, Ji Yang did not hold back and directly smashed both fists into the ground!

"Crack!"

Under Ji Yang’s fierce assault, a crisp sound rang out beneath his feet!

After the sound, a chasm emerged from the ground! Below the chasm was outside the scroll.

Ji Yang decisively withdrew!

Meanwhile, the old man continued stacking layers of space and even utilized a thread of time essence.

But the sword energy followed him like a shadow, crossing time and space, directly pressing toward his face!

As the sword energy slashed through, the old man’s virtual spirit let out a sigh.

He had failed!

In the outside world, Ji Yang, who revealed his figure again, looked down at the Qian Kun Diagram and directly grabbed it, then stepped forward, reaching the location of the crystal ball.

Upon arriving, Ji Yang immediately rubbed the scroll in his hand and then tossed it into the crack of the crystal ball.

As the crystal ball spun, the once-broken fissure instantly restored to nearly perfect condition.

Seeing the Qian Kun Diagram repaired, Ji Yang released his divine ability and returned to his form, turning his gaze toward the distance.

In his line of sight, a familiar figure appeared.

The person wore blue robes, with long hair scattered, and held an iron sword that emitted a light hum, penetrating time and space.

"Thank you, Master!"

Ji Yang respectfully bowed! This bow seemed like gratitude, a farewell, and a reluctant goodbye!

Ye Wuchen responded with only a faint smile.

Seeing his master safe, Ji Yang’s face also broke into a smile.

Ji Yang looked back and gazed at the crystal ball again; although it had absorbed the Qian Kun Diagram and the Heavenly Path had restored much, it was still not enough, as it seemed to lack the most crucial thread of essence.

Sensing the crystal ball’s desire, Ji Yang’s body also emitted a vibration.

He manifested a strand of the Essence of War, and the crystal ball began to spin at high speed in an instant.

Upon seeing this, Ji Yang understood that the missing piece was this thread of his essence.

Looking at the crystal ball’s eagerness, Ji Yang no longer hesitated and infused a strand of the Essence of War into it.

After reaching the True Immortal Realm, his Essence of War was already perfected, and giving away a thread would not leave him lacking.

Once the Essence of War blended into the crystal ball, it erupted with intense brilliance, and the original crack was instantly repaired.

For a moment, the entire world seemed to tremble, and after the tremor, countless cultivators looked up at the sky, their faces filled with excitement; they understood intuitively, feeling the fullness of the Path and the direction ahead.

In a distant place, Ye Wuchen looked toward Ji Yang, a hint of a satisfied smile on his lips.

"Is this for me?"

In front of the crystal ball, Ji Yang gazed at the countless essences emanating from it and asked in surprise.

Among them was not only the Essence of the Sword he had just been deprived of, but also the thread of time essence, in addition to various other essences.

The crystal ball did not respond but slowly disappeared into the air.

As the Heavenly Path, the crystal ball was merely a manifestation of it, perhaps a form that Ji Yang could comprehend.

With the restoration, the Heavenly Path was now everywhere.

In the sky, a colorful brilliance burst forth again, shining down on Ji Yang, and the previous portal opened at that moment.

However, compared to the previous simple doors, this grand portal was much more luxurious; surrounding it were countless stars circling the moon, celestial cranes singing together, and immortals guiding the way.

Ji Yang absorbed all the essences before him, and with no more concerns in his heart, he stepped forward, following the brilliance toward the portal!

He wanted to see what the world beyond this realm looked like!

(End of the book)