Chapter 322 - Chapter 322: Chapter 79: The Final Act of the Heavenly Gate! (10,000-Word Update)_1

Chapter 322: Chapter 79: The Final Act of the Heavenly Gate! (10,000-Word Update)_1

The deity statue towered mightily.

Lu Yuansheng ascended through the clouds, finally landing on one of the god-like hands in front of the statue.

He could vaguely see a silhouette above the statue’s head, a figure sitting high in the clouds.

He didn’t dare to look closely.

He immediately prostrated himself, showing utmost respect.

“I have committed trespasses. Please punish me, Sect Hierarch!” he cried.

At the top of the statue, silence followed for a long time until Lu Yuansheng felt a tinge of unease.

Finally, Ning Daohuan’s voice echoed.

“Rise, you are an Elder of the Golden Core realm, not the Foundation Establishment disciple of the past. You don’t need such formalities.”

His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.

However, at that moment, a chilling sensation suddenly welled up within Lu Yuansheng’s heart.

His fingers, hidden within his sleeves, once again stiffened over his Spirit Beast Bag.

He immediately bowed respectfully and stated:

“Yes.”

“Hmm, come a little higher and talk with me,” said Ning Daohuan. His voice was gentle as ever.

Lu Yuansheng slowly rose as he kept bowing, flying up to the top of the statue.

He saw Ning Daohuan sitting atop the statue, his face full of smiles as he scrutinized him, as if admiring a masterpiece of his that he was most satisfied with.

An eerie chill suddenly ran down Lu Yuansheng’s spine.

However, he made no movements. Struggling to suppress the trembling in his heart, he respectfully halted several paces away from Ning Daohuan.

Ning Daohuan smiled slightly in apparent surprise, then pointed to the boundless black Daze below and asked Lu Yuansheng:

“Yuansheng, do you know why the headquarters of our Tianmen Cult looks like this?”

Lu Yuansheng bowed his head: “Disciple doesn’t.”

Ning Daohuan laughed carelessly: “It’s normal for you not to know. After all, even I only learned the secrets from the previous Sect Hierarch.”

With that, he sighed with emotion.

“This world is just too barren!”

“The countless generations before us have already exhausted the natural treasures bestowed by heaven and earth to cultivators. They squandered recklessly, inflicted damage wantonly, but could live long lives and ascend to the Heavens, reaping all the benefits… And we, the latecomers, have to bear all the consequences.”

“No cultivator doesn’t want immortality, and none wish to halt their progress. However, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is gradually thinning, all the natural treasures were long swept clean by our predecessors, and all precious cultivation resources are controlled by the powerful Sects of various continents. We who are like ants wish to advance further, and we can only work on those places ignored by the large Sects, and attempt to make some use out of their waste.”

“Otherwise, it would be tough to even reach the Nascent Soul Realm.”

He paused slightly, looking at Lu Yuansheng, a strange shine in his eyes.

“That’s why we have the Tianmen Cult…”

Lu Yuansheng fell silent, seemingly digesting Ning Daohuan’s words.

Ning Daohuan laughed carelessly: “Do you think the Golden Core Elders within the Sect are useful?”

Lu Yuansheng hesitated before responding, “They should… be useful… right?”

“No use, they are completely useless.”

Ning Daohuan’s voice was filled with disdain: “The vast majority are mediocre beings who have managed to fluke their way into the Golden Core realm.”

“Their biggest use is to serve as… nourishment for the Sect Hierarch, just like the elderly Golden Core Elders under the command of the previous Sect Hierarch.”

Lu Yuansheng’s pupils contracted sharply!

Unable to hold back, his fingers tightened around his Spirit Beast Bag within his sleeve.

However, Ning Daohuan seemed not to notice at all, his gaze landmarks far away, calmly a recounting of the astonishing events that once happened here.

“This is where the first Sect Hierarch slaughtered the Golden Core Elders. You know, at that time, he was only at the peak of the Golden Core realm. In order to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, he exhausted all the resources of the Sect, scraping the ground for every last bit. Even during the chaos of the Chu Dynasty, he blood-sacrificed the entire kingdom and finally built the prototype of this statue.”

“Since then, this country became a barren and desolate land, surrounded by water…”

“He devised a way to slaughter all the Gold Core realm cultivators at the time, turning them into sacrifices for his achievement of the Nascent Soul… Unfortunately, he failed during the process of reaching Nascent Soul. Because of the lack of a conduit, the overwhelming mana infusion caused his body to explode and he died.”

“This place completely turned into an inundated area.”

“But… in my heart, he is undoubtedly a hero!”

“He provided my teacher, the previous Sect Hierarch, with a path to the Nascent Soul realm… Therefore, my teacher summarized the breakthrough process of the first Sect Hierarch, conquered various areas, strived painstakingly, gathered countless resources, rebuilt the deity statue, and just before his lifespan was exhausted, he successfully advanced into the Nascent Soul realm with the help of the elderly Golden Core Elders.”

Admiration and regret filled Ning Daohuan’s eyes: “Unfortunately, to replenish this path caused him too much damage. After acquiring the Golden Rainbow Residence, he soon could no longer control his mana. He passed away, just like the first Sect Hierarch, his body disintegrating into a bloody mist.”

“But before his death, he completed the last link in this path…”

“Immortal Ascension!”

Upon hearing these two words, Lu Yuansheng’s whole body shuddered, his eyes filled with shock.

“Immortal Ascension?!”

“That’s right! In the Nascent Soul realm, one stands at the pinnacle in the forty or so small nations of Fenglin Continent. But this is nothing in front of the five major forces.”

Ning Daohuan’s eyes gradually hardened as if he remembered some unforgettable displeasure.

“Only by reaching Immortal Ascension! Only an Immortal Ascension patriarch will receive respect from those in the great forces, will not be looked down upon, will not be humiliated, will be qualified to share with them!”