A simple smile, that's all it was; yet on Shui Fengbao, a genuine, undisputed Realmlord, it unsettled the hearts of countless Chosen to utterly indescribable levels. The Green Path of Bitterness that sent Chosen from several generations spiraling in depression, fear, and distraught emotions of defeat and resignation took all of forty-nine seconds!
Moreover, it was by a mere Realmlord! What was abnormal?
THIS WAS ABNORMAL!
"Haha," Shui Fengbao chuckled heartily as he innocently scratched his head, seeming entirely ignorant of his heavenshaking, world-changing, heart-defeating feat!
A few notably silent seconds later, the air distorted as another figure was revealed. When they arrived, Shui Fengbao turned his head with a bright smile.
The fragrant swordswoman calmly absorbed the gaze of the million Chosen of an ending era. Her eyes were extremely serene, gazing briefly at Shui Fengbao. Hong Chunhua didn't comment on Shui Fengbao as she walked toward the hazy Blue Path while waiting.
Soon, as the time reached ninety-eight seconds, thousands upon thousands of figures began to arrive. Their races were as diverse as their cultivation bases, ranging from the Realm World Phase to the Star Core Phase.
This sight caused the silence to become eerily uneasy, weighty, and heart-palpitating. A single word echoed in their hearts and minds:
Ascendants!
Ascendants!!
Ascendants!!!
Normally, these proud and talented cultivators would spew out garbage refuting these existences, slowly bringing them down with falsely spread gossip about their ill-gotten reputations, attributing their strengths and feats to solely their Alchemist to alleviate their endangered ego and Heart of Cultivations, but what was this?
Tens of thousands of elite Chosen? All under a single figure? Even if someone told them all of it was due to Wei Wuyin, the newly ascended Worldly Saint Alchemist, they'd have to throw logic and common sense out of the window as most of these figures were essentially older and Wei Wuyin could, by no means, cultivate these figures to this level in his short time alive.
If he could do so by himself, then what was the purpose of their organizations? The Everlore Association? Any other Alchemist Association? ANY FORCE?!
What was the only logical conclusion? Every one of these cultivators was of the most outstanding caliber, trained properly, nurtured efficiently, and talented beyond measure. This was hard to accept, truthfully.
The Sixth Prince-Tian Baiyan-was among these unwillingly Chosen, surrounded by a posse of followers, his entourage all gawking silently at the tens of thousands of Ascendants.
"No, we're part of the new era too!" The Sixth Prince claimed through gritted, grinding teeth as his eyes pulsed with deeply mustered fighting spirit. His words had a profound impact on the numerous Chosen as their spirits began to faintly shine through their collapsing willpower. The thought of being part of the old, soon-to-be-discarded, generation was far too demoralizing.
Inspired, the Chosen of the previous generation began to rally into a commotion and shared affirmations to their friends of their relevance and strength while rivals shot each other gazes of contention. The sight was very motivating, and it served to increase the liveliness of the area while simultaneously coating the air with a hopeful and joyous air.
"Let's go!" Tian Baiyan said as he walked toward the Black Path of Bitterness with a gait of confidence and presence. His reputation and status rallied the other Chosen behind him as they stopped their acts of cultivating and recovering to challenge the paths!
Just as the Ascendants had all arrived, not a single individual failed, and they were about to challenge the Blue Path of Bitterness! But a figure stood in front of the portal. The Ascendants all gazed calmly at the figure.
It was a middle-aged man with grey hair, mid-length, parted brilliantly at the sides and tied into a short ponytail at the back. He was garbed in an azure robe, and at his back and right hip were two differently designed quivers, both empty. His eyes were mysteriously covered by a jet-black headband with no symbols or runes. With a carefree laugh and a smile, he said: "How about we watch?"
The Ascendants were all growing in the rousing momentum of challenging each other, but as this middle-aged man appeared, none of them hastily acted.
"What are you doing, Hao Youyi?" Hong Chunhua took the lead, questioning the man's intentions instantly. She didn't bother using any honorific in her address due to this being an independent trial of the Ascendants. They were all competitors, they were all enemies, and there was no reason to be respectful.
"I wasn't talking about you." The middle-aged man 'glanced' toward Shui Fengbao, who felt that 'gaze' and laughed awkwardly while looking away, guilty and evading.
Hong Chunhua gave Shui Fengbao a sidelong glance. She felt it was a little unfair for Prime Ascendants to be acting so early and intervening in the competition of regular Ascendants.
Only Shui Fengbao would be so shameless; she had only met him a few times during training over the last two years, and this child of fire was abnormal to the zenith, incredibly unpredictable despite his seemingly simple smile.
"Sorry," Shui Fengbao laughingly apologized as he walked off to the side, vanishing from the eyes of everyone present. The sight caused a few Chosen who hadn't rushed the portal to be utterly shaken. Where did he go?
When they looked back, they swiftly realized that the two- quiver-wielding, middle-aged man who had been called Yao Houyi by Hong Chunhua had vanished as well. There wasn't an inkling of his presence anywhere!
"What?!"
Lin Ming's eyes widened as his Spiritual Sense caught glimpses of their presence. It was hard to pinpoint, but he realized what they were using!
Environmental Integration!
A profound type of concealment!
As a possessor of the Elemental Origin Astral Soul, Lin Ming was quite adept in Environmental Integration and had used it to his advantage greatly over the decades!
While Yi Yun's nose sniffed lightly, and through the over a million different smells present, he found the direction of the two. His sense of smell wasn't just abnormal, it was disgustingly heaven-shaking! However, even he couldn't determine their exact location!
None of the Ascendants felt too surprised by this, but most felt dissatisfied as they had set their hearts on giving their everything in the upcoming paths to surpass Hong Chunhua and Shui Fengbao. Fearless! Their mindsets were unequaled, granted the heavily competitive environment of the Ascendants, how could they not be?
"What do you guys think about watching too?" A voice resounded amongst the Ascendants. Gazes turned to find a young tall, icy-cold human beauty with tied-up black hair, chilly black eyes, and a beauty mole at the side of her upper lip.
"Fourth Commander?" A few Ascendants instantly recognized her! She was Bei Weiwei, the Fourth Commander of the Ascendants.
Hong Chunhua looked too, her heart was always shaken by how frighteningly similar this woman looked to her mother.
Bei Ming was once a Knight of Enforcement that served Wei Wuyin. Almost everyone knew her story, especially the part about her birth that was solely due to Wei Wuyin's existence and grace. Her mother, Bei Ming, served Wei Wuyin diligently in the Myriad Monarch Sect and it translated to her existence here.
However, she wasn't given the slightest benefit of her association with Wei Wuyin as her feats, talents, and disposition despite her young age were worthy of her position. There were no Ascendants who would refute her status, nor dare show her the slightest disrespect due to her age!
Bei Weiwei continued, "We can make wagers on who will go the furthest or reach the Blue Path first." Her words were met by simultaneous shifting gazes to the still-present Chosen and the Black Path's portal that had already been entered by numerous other Chosen. The idea was quite intriguing to many. Moreover, while they didn't want to admit it, the Realmlords had exhausted quite a bit of astral force to pass the Green Path, so this could give them some time to recover.
While they were Ascendants, their energy reserves weren't unlimited.
Eventually, after a series of gaze-exchanging discussions, Hong Chunhua took the lead to say, "How about we bet for each stage-Realmlords, Timelords, and Starlords, and the ones who reach the furthest stage or reach the Blue Path first wins? Three wagers?"
Bei Weiwei added, "Let's exclude a few cultivators from the list." This was all that was needed before the Ascendants began to enter into a commotion as they began to discuss the wagers, betting the 'assigned' resources of Wei Wuyin for a few months. The risk was incredibly high! But the gains...the gains were unimaginable!
Lin Ming's expression was dark. Were these Ascendants treating the rest of Chosen as race dogs? Who can get the furthest? Who can make it first? He had even heard his name being mentioned a few times in the clamor, which had somehow both given him a feeling of pride and disgust, a mixture that was extremely complex and conflicted.
"Should we go?" Chen Yangzi was burning with fighting will, wanting to compete. The momentum of the Ascendants had subtly infected the others, clearly seen as most had already rushed into the portal.
There was a fierce debate being had with Yi Yun as the topic, with some defending adding him to the list of Realmlords while others fiercely fought against it due to his status. Like most forces, the identity of Ascendants wasn't a hidden secret, and they didn't mind spreading it. Yi Yun was simply being cautious with exposing or mentioning anything about the Ascendants. He simply didn't wish to risk breaking a rule by mistake and losing his status and position, especially after choosing his fellow Sect Members over the opportunity offered earlier.
"You're an Ascendant?" Lin Ming's ears perked as the Ascendants debated.
By this point, individuals had already begun to exit from the Black Path. Most of them were Timelords and Starlords, the quickest and strongest bunch of the pack. The feeling of easily conquering the Black Path fueled their momentum as they rushed toward the Red Path.
"Ascendants?" Duan Ru's eyes sparkled as her interest in Yi Yun spiked by a few notches.
Qiao Shulin, Ming Yuling, Tang Xingyun, and Chen Yangzi were also taken aback, not expecting that Yi Yun was an Ascendant! It was only then that Qiao Shulin and Ming Yuling felt that Yi Yun's abnormal strength as a half-elf, half-human hybrid was justified! This was especially so how indiscriminate Wei Wuyin was with accepting members into the Ascendants, having demons and beastmen among them!
Exposed, Yi Yun awkwardly smiled in reply. These Ascendants truly weren't subtle! "I think we should go," Yi Yun said as he decided to disperse this awkwardness by venturing into the Black Path of Bitterness. Chen Yangzi's expression changed several times, and then he sighed softly as he nodded his head. Those fast Timelords and Starlords had already rushed into the Red Path!
Yi Yun ignored the questions in their gazes and rushed into the Black Path.
"..." Lin Ming's gaze on Yi Yun had changed from before. It was a curious thing. Before Lin Ming had more or less accepted Yi Yun, especially after Yi Yun traded him the Spirit- Bound Lotus after he offered a spell that could safely separate it from his spirit. Lin Ming had always thought it was strange that he didn't like this youngster, but now he felt as if he knew why!
"Let's go," Lin Ming decided not to stay passive. The first path was the easiest, so there was no need to worry about fighting others or gaining a Mark of Bitterness. With him leaving, Qiao Shulin and Ming Yuling followed. This led to Ye Zhi and Duan Ru following as well!
As they moved, the grey-robed, bare-footed figure observing from afar stood up. After Lin Ming entered the portal, so did they!
When Lin Ming entered the portal, Tian Jianghan and Tian Yinwu were together in the Sea of Bitterness of the first path, between the nth Wall and 12th Wall, standing calmly amidst that strange power while holding a hand-seal. They seemed to be executing a strange spell that gathered the power using wisps of Spiritual Strength. The wisps carried the power into their eyes, causing their signature hazel-golden eyes to illuminate with radiant, splendorous light.
"Oh?" Tian Yinwu hastily broke his hand-seal. Tian Jianghan reacted and his eyes flashed with spurts of golden light. He, too, broke his hand-seal and concluded the spell.
"You're really not going to wait?" Tian Jianghan asked softly yet the excitement in his eyes was nearly palpable.Tian Yinwu shook his head, "Like I said: If they pace themselves and wait till the last minute to challenge their limits or reach the end with their own power, I won't be able to act due to the restrictions of the Everpath Voyage. The Mark of Bitterness is too unreliable. I rather not risk it. They did move faster than I originally anticipated though."
Tian Jianghan nodded agreeingly! While his expression was slightly pale due to his injury sustained by Na Xinyi, he was incredibly energetic for someone known for his innate laziness. The pride of the Tian Clan was going to be rectified today!
Tian Yinwu walked toward the 12th Wall calmly. He pressed his right palm against it. Three strange runes formed on the back of his hand. If Yun Che or Wei Wuyin was here, they would instantly recognize one of these runes!
A Heavenly Saint's Mana Rune!
Suddenly, the 12th Wall began to shift in hue, including the Sea of Bitterness.
"What are you doing?" Tian Jianghan asked curiously. While he didn't expect an answer, the heart-pounding aura from Tian Yinwu's palm was far too incredible to resist asking!
"..." Tian Yinwu was focused, but he still had the energy to hold a conversation. He explained as the hue of the Sea of Bitterness began to grow violet, "I'm temporarily moving a few functional aspects of the walls. I'll make the 12th Wall have the 96th Wall's durability. While it'll only last for a short period, it's enough."
Tian Jianghan was awed. That was possible? The profound means of tian Yinwu always shook him! Suddenly, he had a thought that he blurted aloud: "What if he shatters it?" Lin Ming was a Chosen, and Tian Yinwu just said there was a chance that Lin Ming could make it to the end! He didn't want to risk it!
"I'm adding a delaying response to the spatial transportation function as well, " as he said this, one of the three runes began to tremble intensely, exuding an aura of Law! Of Minor Spatial Law! He added: "It'll be delayed for the next twenty-four minutes, so even if he breaks the wall, it won't activate."
Abruptly, a Realmlord had just blitzed through the ist through 11th Walls, exerting a simple punch toward the 12th Wall! Shockingly, the scene they expected didn't occur! The harsh backlash of the 12th Wall smashed against them, infusing them with golden strands of energy that formed the Mark of Bitterness!
Stunned, they tried again and again but to no avail!
This happened to all the slow-entering cultivators! They were utterly baffled!! What was happening?
At the same time, a young woman with black-haired with exceptionally pure, untainted black eyes looked across space and time, landing upon Tian Yinwu acting. Her palm was on the barrier, exuding a faint wisp of starforce. Fortunately, only the durability had changed, not the backlash, otherwise, countless lives would've been unfairly lost.
The young woman removed her palm, and then after accepting that the Seventh Prince had done a proper job, causing her to no longer need to take action, she used her index finger as a saber and sliced into the wall.
A sharp light ripped a hole in space as she waltzed through, no longer paying the next events any mind. She only turned back, gazing once again across time and space, entering the 2nd Wall as a bare-footed, grey-robed figure calmly stalked his prey.
"Don't let someone else take your chance away. It'll be your only one," the woman's words echoed across, and the grey- robed figure lifted their eyes, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes that reflected unforgotten death, bloody slaughter, and intense battle.
"I won't," the figure, no, Zuhei replied!
The Fangs and the Claws of the Ascendant Emperor would never allow someone to take his chance away!
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Author's Note: This was a double-stacked chapter into one! As in the typical standard of when semi-colons are used in the title.
Oh boy! I'm antsy with anticipation!
