Ascension of The Unholy Immortal

Hearing Dong Tianshu's words, Liang simply smiled. "Brother Tianshu, you said I could be considered part of the family, but your eyes don't seem to agree."

Dong Tianshu's gaze sharpened, narrowing as he stared at Liang for a long while. "How confident is Brother Liang in facing an early-stage Void Return Realm expert?"

Liang wasn't fazed. He shrugged casually. "One hundred percent. At the very least, we'd be equals."

Dong Tianshu inhaled deeply, his expression unreadable. He had expected confidence from Liang, but hearing it directly from him still left him impressed.

After a brief pause, he nodded slowly. "Very well... I assume Brother Liang is aware of the opening of the Heavenly Will Palace?"

Liang nodded nonshelantly."I'm well aware, indeed."

He felt a sense of relief that Dong Tianshu had openly brought up the topic. If he hadn't, he could have easily asked Dong Rui to inquire with her father.

Dong Tianshu smiled faintly. "Yes, I'm sure you know about the Heavenly Will and the position of the Domain Lord. These things are indeed valuable, but to a power like the Dong Clan, they're not that impressive."

Liang's eyes flickered in surprise, though his expression remained impassive. He couldn't help but wonder, What else could there be?

Noticing Liang's lack of reaction, a playful smile tugged at the corners of Dong Tianshu's lips.

"Does Brother Liang know why the Heavenly Will stopped forming and the Heavenly Will Palace ceased opening over a hundred million years ago?"

Liang raised an eyebrow. "The Great Catastrophe?"

Dong Tianshu shook his head. "That's the common tale."

Liang's expression shifted slightly. There's another story?

Seeing Liang's surprised reaction, Dong Tianshu felt a sense of satisfaction. "The truth is, it has nothing to do with the Great Catastrophe. It happened many years before it."

Liang's brow furrowed. "Are you saying that story was fabricated?"

Dong Tianshu shook his head. "Not exactly. What I mean is that it's not the primary reason behind it."

"So what is it, then?"

Dong Tianshu paused for a moment, then asked, "Have you heard of the Nether Sovereign Palace?"

At the mention of it, Liang was visibly shaken. "The Nether Sovereign Palace? That's an ancient power founded by the Nether Sovereign, an ancient Domain Lord."

Dong Tianshu nodded. "That's correct. He was indeed a Domain Lord."

"Was?"

"Yes, was. You see, long ago, an Immortal descended from the Upper Domain. Without warning, this Immortal attacked the Nether Sovereign Palace, which was the ruling faction at the time. The Nether Sovereign had no choice but to face him. But even a Domain Lord wasn't enough. The Immortal shattered the Nether Sovereign's body and soul—and obliterated his Heaven Will completely."

Liang's expression froze, deep shock overtaking him. "What…? An Immortal did that?"

Dong Tianshu's expression turned grave as he continued in a low tone,

"When the Nether Sovereign's Heaven Will was shattered, it wasn't just a single man's fate that ended. A crack formed in the domain's laws themselves."

Liang's eyes flickered slightly.

"Normally, when a Domain Lord falls or ascends to the Upper Realm, their Heaven Will returns to the Lower Domain. It would silently merge back into the Heavenly Will Palace, waiting to choose another worthy successor. That's the natural way—a cycle that has endured since the birth of this domain."

"But the day the Immortal descended and destroyed the Nether Sovereign, he didn't just kill the man—he destroyed the Heaven Will itself. Wiped it clean from the world. That kind of destruction... it shouldn't have been possible."

Liang's expression darkened. "And that broke the cycle."

"Yes," Dong Tianshu nodded, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked toward the sky. "The palace that once glowed with divine brilliance fell silent. No Heaven Will has formed since. No Domain Lord has been chosen. For over a hundred million years, the Heavenly Will Palace has remained closed."

Liang remained quiet. To think that's actually the real reason…

Dong Tianshu gave a bitter chuckle. "To the Dong Clan, the Heavenly Will Palace is just a husk now. A ruin of glory long past. What good is a crown that cannot recognize a king? What use is a path that leads nowhere?"

"What do you think will happen if the domain truly begins to mend? If a new Heaven Will is born—after all these years—do you believe the world will simply accept it?"

Liang's brow furrowed. "You think someone will try to stop it?"

Dong Tianshu's eyes gleamed coldly. "Not someone. Many. There are ancient powers that have thrived in this silence—factions that never wanted the cycle to return. If the Heavenly Will Palace awakens… those buried under history may rise again. And what comes after that…"

He shook his head. "Even I dare not say."

Liang's gaze sharpened slightly, though his tone remained level. "What do you mean by many?"

Dong Tianshu looked at him for a moment before quietly replying, "All of us will."

"...What?" Liang's eyes narrowed, a faint ripple crossing his usually calm expression.

Dong Tianshu turned away, his voice carrying a strange tone. "All the major sects, hidden clans, ancient bloodlines, and forbidden legacies… when the time comes, none will sit idly by. They will all appear. And they will all act to prevent a new Domain Lord from emerging."

Liang didn't respond immediately. He let the silence linger, digesting the weight of those words.

So that's how it is, he thought. None of them want to be ruled. None of them want another to stand above.

They would rather see the Heavenly Will shattered completely… and when that moment came, they would all leap forward—not to guard it, but to destroy it.

"The wedding... it's just a cover. What it truly is—a gathering of the Heaven Exterminating Faction."

Liang's eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar term. "Heaven Exterminating Faction…?"

He had never heard those three words uttered in any records, and he had read more than most.

Dong Tianshu's lips curved faintly, but his eyes remained serious. "It's not a single sect or alliance. It's a loose net of old forces—those that seek to end the Heavenly Will once and for all. Some do it out of fear. Others out of ambition. And some simply out of hatred for the old order."

Liang said nothing for a moment. The implication was clear. What was coming wasn't a mere power struggle.

It was a war of philosophy. A war of succession. A war of annihilation.

Dong Tianshu continued, his tone more reserved now. "Of course, not everyone seeks to see the Heavenly Will destroyed. There are those... who long for its return. Who believe the chaos of this age is the price of its absence."

Liang raised an eyebrow. "You mean… the Nether Sovereign Palace?"

Dong Tianshu's gaze darkened slightly, but he nodded. "That's among one of them."