Yuan’s Ascension

"Veteran Elder Nie!" Terror flashed in the depths of Earth Immortal Qi He's eyes. He felt the entire heaven and earth pressing down upon him, rendering him immobile from head to toe.

He knew this was the effect of a Tribulation Domain, an ability unique to High Immortals. It was formed by combining a High Immortal's mana with their Dao Field. In terms of sheer power, it rivaled a Dao Realm, created from the Dao profundities of a fully comprehended Dao.

It was nearly impossible for an ordinary Earth Immortal like him to resist a Tribulation Domain. Moreover, Earth Immortal Qi He didn't dare resist, for he understood that the Tribulation Domain was merely one of the most basic abilities of a High Immortal. If he angered the other party, death was a foregone conclusion!

"Speak." The white-robed elderly man's figure loomed over Earth Immortal Qi He, barely holding back his fury.

He was Nie Qing, a veteran elder of the Longstar Immortal Sect, an ancient High Immortal who had cultivated for over 800,000 years.

In his early years, Nie Qing had many children and established a powerful family of immortal cultivators. But as the ages passed, his wives, daughters, and offspring died one by one. Without becoming a High Immortal, one could live 90,000 years at most.

Though he had many later bloodline descendants, the generations were too far removed, and the bloodline had long since thinned. Why would High Immortal Nie Qing care about them?

For immortal cultivators, the more powerful one became, the harder it was to produce offspring. This was one of the operational rules of heaven and earth's essence.

Now, in his twilight years, he was about to face the Seventh Immortal Tribulation. Having only comprehended a Lesser Law to the ninth-level Dao Field stage, he had no confidence at all. He understood that he was destined to perish during his Seventh Immortal Tribulation.

Yet by chance, he had Nie Le. In his youth, Nie Qing was extremely strict with his children, even his daughters, pushing them to succeed. But in his old age, Nie Qing had a change of heart after having this young son.

No matter how strict I am, no matter how much I push them to cultivate diligently, their chances of becoming Earth Immortals are extremely low. It's better to let him enjoy life. Nie Qing doted excessively on this young son, spending enormous resources to help him break through to the Amethyst Cradle phase.

He also constantly arranged for Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses to protect him.

This time, Nie Le had stubbornly insisted on accompanying Mu Xin, and Nie Qing didn’t think much of it. But he never imagined that the Thunder Marsh World, with its relatively low level of danger, would be Nie Le's final resting place.

As one of the sect's most powerful veteran elders, Nie Qing had extremely high authority. He immediately checked the soul lamps of the Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators who had gone to the Thunder Marsh World.

Upon inspection, he discovered that the mana bodies of Protectorate Fang, Chi Chang, and even Qi He had all perished almost simultaneously.

The mana bodies of these Earth Immortals all perished? He quickly scanned the surroundings and found that Earth Immortal Qi He's true self was preparing to flee. Naturally, his heart was filled with rage.

"The thunder beasts... we suddenly encountered a large group of thunder beast elites led by a thunder beast king," Earth Immortal Qi He quickly composed himself and explained with utmost respect, his voice seemingly carrying a hint of fear.

Though he was terrified, he was still an Earth Immortal. His Dao Heart and willpower were naturally incredibly strong.

He had immediately thought it through. Tell the truth? That would land him in big trouble.

Intentionally provoking a top monstrous prodigy of the Autumn Lake Hall was a grave offense. Not to mention that Nie Le had died.

So, he chose to lie!

"My mana body couldn't stop the thunder beast king, so..." Earth Immortal Qi He quickly began.

"Bullshit!" Nie Qing's eyes were cold as ice. "Thunder beast kings only act alone in the Inner Region. It's not even a Beast Deity from the Core Region. How could you be killed so quickly when facing a single thunder beast king? You're fabricating lies!

Moreover, if you encountered a thunder beast king and were killed, why would your true self need to flee? Clearly, there's more to the story." Nie Qing stared intently at Qi He.

Earth Immortal Qi He's heart skipped a beat. Thunder beast kings only appeared alone in the Inner Region? He wasn’t familiar with this intelligence, as this was his first time entering the Thunder Marsh World.

Besides, given that this was a trial and tempering experience, the sect wouldn't reveal all the information to its disciples. If their disciples knew everything, it would defeat the purpose of holding a trial.

But Nie Qing, a veteran elder of the sect, had a high clearance level and was clearly aware of everything.

"Veteran Elder Nie Qing, please calm yourself." A gentle voice resounded.

The colors of heaven and earth shifted as a black-robed figure came treading on waves, swiftly crossing millions of li of space.

"Abbot." Nie Qing frowned slightly, slightly easing the pressure on Earth Immortal Qi He.

The abbot was the face and authority of any sect. Even those with greater power would show respect.

"Greetings, Abbot," Earth Immortal Qi He said respectfully.

"Qi He, I overheard your entire conversation with Veteran Elder Nie Qing just now," Abbot Zhang Xing said with a smile. [1] "You should be aware that I excel in soul secret arts. As long as you relax your control over your soul, you will naturally tell the truth under my questioning.

If you lie, you’ll be punished depending on the severity of your actions. If you haven't lied and are being wrongfully accused, I will have Veteran Elder Nie Qing apologize to you." Abbot Zhang Xing looked at Earth Immortal Qi He.

Earth Immortal Qi He's expression changed slightly.

Soul control techniques? Indeed, Abbot Zhang Xing excelled in soul secret arts, but those were generally aimed at Shambhala/Amethyst Cradle phase cultivators. Even controlling Void Refiner/Elysian Field powerhouses was very difficult.

As for the souls of Earth Immortals? Interference was easy, destruction was hard, and control was even harder.

Moreover, the soul was fundamental to cultivation. The slightest mistake could severely damage one's Yuan Soul or even cause the loss of most memories. How could Earth Immortal Qi He be willing to agree?

"I..." Earth Immortal Qi He was about to speak.

"If you're unwilling, I won't kill you. I'll just send you into the Ninth Prison," High Immortal Nie Qing said coldly from the side.

Earth Immortal Qi He's expression shifted again. He glanced at Abbot Zhang Xing, who stood smiling, showing no sign of intervening.

He immediately understood that unless he was truly innocent, the sect would definitely side with High Immortal Nie Qing and allow him to punish himself as he saw fit.

The sect had many rules in place to protect its disciples, but at its core, the sect was made up of individuals.

"I'm willing to tell the truth," Earth Immortal Qi He said through gritted teeth.

Abbot Zhang Xing and High Immortal Nie Qing exchanged glances. In reality, Abbot Zhang Xing had been bluffing.

Controlling an Earth Immortal's soul without harm? Even if the other party didn't resist at all, he wasn't very confident.

"Tell everything truthfully. If you deceive me again, I'll make you understand my methods," High Immortal Nie Qing said coldly.

"Understood." Earth Immortal Qi He nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken and quickly said, "Over four months ago, I led a group to the Thunder Marsh World... learned of Shadow Blade... and the group was ultimately wiped out by his puppet."

He swiftly recounted everything he knew, not daring to play any more tricks.

Abbot Zhang Xing and High Immortal Nie Qing listened in shock. A Shambhala cultivator who could withstand an Earth Immortal's arcane art without dying? In possession of a puppet at the peak Earth Immortal level?

In their long lives, they had never seen such a monstrous prodigy. As for the puppet? With their strength, they weren't concerned about that. But puppets of this caliber weren't just a matter of price—they had no channels to acquire such items at all.

"Shadow Blade?" High Immortal Nie Qing's eyes flickered.

"This is a grave matter. You will enter the Sixth Prison first and await judgment," Abbot Zhang Xing said in a low voice. "Do you have any objections?"

"None," Earth Immortal Qi He quickly replied. How could he dare to object?

Swiftly, Earth Immortal Qi He left for the Sixth Prison. With the abbot keeping an eye on him, he dared not flee.

The two High Immortals remained behind.

"Given that he’s such a monstrous prodigy, he must have noticed that it wasn’t Qi He’s true self," Abbot Zhang Xing looked at Nie Qing. "Veteran Elder Nie Qing, you must resolve this matter properly, you can't act rashly."

"I understand," High Immortal Nie Qing had already calmed down and said evenly, "I won't seek revenge for my son's death."

Yes, he had doted excessively on his young son. But that was based on the notion that he had no hope of overcoming his Tribulation and only wanted to spend the final years of his life as he pleased.

Nie Le was more like a beloved pet than a child in essence. Since a beloved pet died, of course he was furious. If the killer's strength and background were insufficient, he wouldn't mind exacting revenge.

But clearly, this Shadow Blade was not in that category. Blindly seeking revenge would likely bring great calamity upon himself and possibly the entire sect in the future.

"Such a monstrous prodigy likely has an Astral Monarch behind him, or possibly even a legendary great being," Abbot Zhang Xing said calmly.

"Even if he bears a grudge, he may not dare to seek revenge now. But in the future, if he becomes an Archimmortal, an Astral Lord, or even an Astral Monarch? Anything could happen." Abbot Zhang Xing continued. "Let's report this to the Archimmortals."

"Mm." High Immortal Nie Qing nodded.

Statistically speaking, the chances of this Shadow Blade becoming a super powerhouse were very low, as the vast majority of geniuses perished on the path to immortality. But as long as there was even the slightest possibility, they would prevent it as far as possible.

Soon after, High Immortal Nie Qing and Abbot Zhang Xing received orders from the Guardian Archimmortal.

There were two commands: "First, imprison Earth Immortal Qi He. Second, go to the Void Divine Hall outside the Thunder Marsh World to receive Shadow Blade and apologize to him. If necessary, offer up Qi He as atonement."

"Veteran Elder Nie Qing, I'll go this time," Abbot Zhang Xing said. "I'll handle it well."

"Thank you for the trouble," High Immortal Nie Qing replied.

He understood the abbot's concerns. After all, it was his son who had died. Who knew if he was truly able to control his anger? What if he killed Shadow Blade in a moment of rage?

Shadow Blade could die; geniuses died on expeditions all the time, but he couldn't die at the hands of an immortal from the Longstar Immortal Sect.

What infuriated the super powerhouses most was seeing their disciples bullied by those with higher cultivation levels during expeditions.

1. Zhang Xing = Longstar ☜