Yellow Court Daoist

"Ha ha!"

"I also owe it to Junior Brother Lu's exceptional talent; otherwise, it could've been hundreds or thousands more years before my brother here could entertain the thought of Ascension."

Ascension was imminent.

Master Mu Yang was indeed in a delightful mood, his smile numbers more than usual. The Three Mountains and Nine Waters were, after all, just the Lower Realm. Here, he was known as 'Number One in Array Knowledge,' his name renowned throughout the lands, but cultivation resources were scarce, there were no mentors or seniors to guide him, and enhancing one's Dao ability was truly difficult.

He had no hope of becoming a True Immortal.

But once he ascended—

There would be guidance from the seniors in his sect, various opportunities in the Spirit Domain, and an abundance of resources.

Ascending earlier would mean a greater chance of becoming a True Immortal.

It concerned his Dao path.

It concerned Longevity.

Even with Master Mu Yang's composure, he couldn't hide his joy.

Lu Qingfeng knew how an Elemental Spirit of the Lower Realm like Master Mu Yang yearned for the Spirit Domain, and couldn't help but laugh, "Our sect is brimming with talent. Zhang Zhou, Chu Ganshan, Peng Jiuhu, and other disciples are all at the Golden Core Peak, any of whom could reach Elemental Spirit level at any moment. Even without me, Brother's Ascension won't be too far off."

The Heavenly Star Sect was among the Ten Great Immortal Sects in the Three Mountains and Seven Gorges, with Elemental Spirits for tens of thousands of years and a thriving sect. The three individuals mentioned by Lu Qingfeng were among the seeds for Elemental Spirits within the Heavenly Star Sect, such as Xun Bai from the Green Wood Valley and Jing Zhan from the Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Mountain, all of whom had reached the limit of Core Formation and were just a step away from Summoning the Elemental Spirit.

"Zhang Zhou, Chu Ganshan, and Peng Jiuhu do indeed have exceptional talent."

"With the careful guidance of you two Junior Brothers, if the three of them all become Elemental Spirits, our reunion in the Spirit Domain won't be far off."

Master Mu Yang laughed heartily upon hearing this.

Previously he had pinned his hopes on these three, but now, he had placed his hopes on the Ascension of these two Junior Brothers. While he felt relaxed and joyful, looking at Lu Qingfeng and Wu Jiu, he also felt a wave of emotion recalling his past struggles.

True Men are easy to train.

Elemental Spirits are difficult to achieve.

Although these three disciples indeed had the potential to become Elemental Spirits, whether they could truly succeed was uncertain. If fate was unkind, and none succeeded, his two Junior Brothers could be wasting an untold number of years in the mortal realm.

Just like his past.

Reunion in the Upper Realm, who knows what year or date, with no promises of an encounter.

With such sentiments,

The three brothers shared tea and conversation.

It was only as dawn broke in the east that Master Mu Yang rose, a treasure sword in hand. He sliced open the Void and stepped through, ascending and departing.

"Brother, may you soon prove to be a True Immortal and enjoy eternal longevity!"

Wu Jiu and Lu Qingfeng stood up, bowing toward the Void, their voices passing into its depths, disappearing into the void.

Master Mu Yang ascended.

Leaving the two of them with their own thoughts.

These two, one entangled in worldly affairs and constrained by ancestral teachings, desiring and yet unable to ascend; the other, with extraordinary power and Dao ability, able to ascend at will but unwilling.

Same world, different fates.

If Wu Jiu knew this, he would feel even more stifled.

Watching Master Mu Yang ascend, Wu Jiu couldn't help but show a hint of loss despite trying to conceal it. After all, they had a deep friendship of two to three thousand years; Master Mu Yang treated him no less than a brother or a father. Master Mu Yang's Ascension foretold a boundless future, and while Wu Jiu was happy for him, he also felt emptiness.

Shaking his head and casting aside myriad thoughts, Wu Jiu looked towards Lu Qingfeng, and suddenly said with a laugh, "Junior Brother, having braved the twenty-seven layers of Array Mountain, even if our sect has no forthcoming Elemental Spirit, the Qin Ancestor will not overlook your stagnation in the Lower Realm, there's no need to worry about Ascension."

Switching his mindset, Wu Jiu was actually comforting Lu Qingfeng.

Lu Qingfeng smiled without replying, thinking to himself, "I've only recently ascended to Elemental Spirit, and here in the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, there is still great room for improvement. Plus, with the newly acquired Yuan Gui City awaiting renewal, once my cultivation is elevated to the Combined Body level and Yuan Gui City rebuilt and flourishing, by the time I ascend, it may very well be two or three thousand years later."

"I just hope that the venerable Qin Feng doesn't rush me too soon."

Fortunately, Wu Jiu was unaware of these thoughts.

Wu Jiu saw Lu Qingfeng smile without speaking and sensed something stirring in his heart, about to speak when he saw the complexion of Junior Brother Lu suddenly change, gazing intently into the Void.

"Junior Brother—"

Wu Jiu opened his mouth to inquire.

Boom boom boom!

Beside him, the Void quietly tore open, emitting surges of the Spiritual Energy Tide from inside, accompanied by the sounds of fighting and a familiar voice.

Upon careful listening,

Wu Jiu's complexion immediately changed, "Damn, Brother is in trouble!"

Without further thought,

He stepped out and soared through the Void. Next to him, iron talismans arrayed, flying out swiftly to the deepest parts of the Void.

"Master Mu, do not panic, I am here to aid you!"

Twelve thousand nine hundred sixty Nine Strategies Xuanhao Talismans flew out, converging in the air to form seventy-two Sky-breaking Divine Swords, assembling into a formidable Sword Array and heading straight ahead.

In the Void,

Surges of Spiritual Energy Tide swept across, and dozens of demons with two wings on their backs, four ferocious limbs, and sharp, elongate mouthparts trembled their wings, waved their claws, and pecked viciously as they besieged one person.

The man, with a tattered Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Daoist Robe and disheveled hair, looked utterly disheveled.

It was Master Mu Yang, who had just ascended.

In the midst of Ascension, he had somehow provoked such ferocious demons, and, unable to defeat them, could only retreat in a panic.

"Master Mu, do not panic, I am here to aid you!"

Caught in a predicament with no way to break through, Master Mu Yang heard a familiar voice by his ear, and knowing it to be none other than his Junior Brother Lu Qingfeng, he turned his head to look. In his distraction—

"Hisss!"

Master Mu Yang felt a searing pain in his right arm, inhaling sharply in shock. Looking down, he saw nothing but empty space where his arm used to be; a Void Demon had taken advantage of his distraction, severing and carrying off the arm with its sharp mouthparts.