A glimmer of surprise flashed in Yuan Ruoyu’s eyes, and she was visibly moved.
Holding this jade talisman meant she could ascend!
This was an enormous temptation; for any cultivator, ascending to the Heavenly Realm and becoming an immortal was a lifelong dream.
The ultimate goal of cultivating Qi was to attain a carefree and long life, wasn’t it?
Now, an opportunity lay right before her.
Even though Yuan Ruoyu had prepared herself mentally, it was hard to imagine that the appearance of this person would bring her such news.
However, as she stared at the jade talisman in her hand, her heart gradually calmed down.
Yet, an inexplicable sense of fear and anger surged within her!
What did the Heavenly Court take the mortal cultivators for?
If ascending could be treated as a transaction, what kind of justice was that?
In that moment, Yuan Ruoyu began to understand why Lin Feng had been unwilling to ascend the last time the gate to the heavenly realm opened.
“He must have discovered something…”
She pondered for a moment before raising her head again to look at the masked figure not far away, asking, “Ascend? Are there any conditions?”
The masked figure was silent for a moment, and that ethereal voice emerged again from beneath the mask: “Help the Heavenly Court find everything about the Immortal Emperor and bring him to us!”
Yuan Ruoyu scoffed at once, “What if I say no?”
“If you refuse the order, you will be captured and brought to justice without fail!”
Yuan Ruoyu was furious and retorted, “A joke! I am not a criminal, why would I be captured and taken into custody?”
“How, is it true that the Heavenly Realm also has the habit of slapping unjust labels on people?”
The masked figure fell silent, letting out a sigh.
A glint of cold light flashed in Yuan Ruoyu’s eyes, and the next moment, she crushed the jade talisman in her hand, turning it to dust that flowed through her fingers.
“Come on, if you want to capture me, let’s see if you have the ability to do so.”
As her voice fell, a murderous aura surged into the sky.
A radiant light rose behind Yuan Ruoyu, with the manifestation of lotus flowers appearing within it, accompanied by the sounds of the Dao resonating.
Her aura reached its peak, shaking the heavens and the earth.
In the void above.
The masked figure’s robes trembled, and a similar radiant glow rose behind her, with lotus flowers blooming as well.
The two cultivators’ methods surprisingly stemmed from the same source.
Within the secret realm, the winds and clouds surged, and a terrifying hurricane erupted, causing two horrifying auras to clash.
Crack—
Crash, crash—
The immensely powerful auras collided, making the space become turbulent and distorted, extremely unstable, with thunderous sounds ringing out continuously.
Yuan Ruoyu’s expression was grave as she stood amidst the storm, stepping on lotus flowers, resembling a lone boat in a vast ocean.
The masked figure locked eyes with her.
In the next moment, both of them moved simultaneously, transforming into beams of light, colliding with each other at an incredibly terrifying speed.
Boom!
Bang, bang, bang!
At the center of the collision, deafening sounds echoed repeatedly, and brilliant light erupted, shattering the space.
An astonishing storm swept outward, sweeping in all directions!
Wherever it passed, everything was reduced to dust; a distant mountain peak was neatly leveled.
Countless petals rained down, falling into the earth. The ground trembled, and the mountains were directly lifted, as if a cloth was being hoisted into the sky.
Such a level of battle would likely cause even a cultivator at the Integration stage to fall if they were even slightly involved.
About a quarter of an hour later.
The sounds of combat ceased, and the turbulent space gradually regained stability.
Yuan Ruoyu stood in the air, stepping on lotus flowers, quietly observing the masked figure not far away.
There was a complex look in her eyes.
After a while.
Yuan Ruoyu straightened her robes, her expression solemn, and deeply bowed toward the masked figure.
“May I ask which generation of ancestors you are from the Jade Pool Holy Land?”
“Ruoyu has acted rashly today, which is an act of filial disrespect. I sincerely ask the ancestor for forgiveness!”
The masked figure remained still, and after a moment, a laughter echoed: “Good! Good! Good child, it’s not your fault!”
“The Holy Land is in your hands; that comforts my heart!”
Yuan Ruoyu raised her gaze, her expression complex.
During their earlier clash, she had already realized that the other party was determined to die.
The reason they had fought was more about pointing out the flaws and weaknesses in her techniques.
The masked figure shook their head, and their body trembled as gray flames ignited all over them. Their voice was ethereal and faint, “Child, remember!”
“Do not ascend!”
“Do not ascend!”
“Do not…”
Before the words could finish, a sudden sizzling sound erupted, and the flames on the masked figure surged, quickly turning their flesh, blood, and soul into ashes.
Yuan Ruoyu was taken aback.
She wanted to step forward but was stopped by a gesture from the opposite side.
The masked figure’s voice was filled with pain: “I have long since died; there’s no need to be sad.”
“The Immortal Emperor is the one person they cannot control!”
“You must remember to warn all cultivators in the world: do not… ascend!!”
Yuan Ruoyu’s eyes were moist, her expression sorrowful: “Ancestor!”
She knelt again, placing her hands on the lotus platform, lowering her head, and gently kowtowing.
“Farewell, ancestor, on your journey!”
In just a moment, the masked figure was completely reduced to ashes beneath that eerie flame. Not even a trace of their soul remained.
The secret realm returned to tranquility, empty and desolate, with only the distant, leveled mountains reminding Yuan Ruoyu that everything had truly happened.
But even now, she still did not know which ancestor of the Jade Pool Holy Land the masked figure was!
However, the message they brought today shook her heart, leaving her unable to find peace.
“Do not ascend!”
“Do not ascend!”
Yuan Ruoyu murmured softly, suddenly raising her head to gaze at the sky, her eyes seemingly piercing through the heavens.
It was as if she wanted to explore whether there were truly immortals beyond the nine skies.
If there were, then why was there this situation today?
If not, where had the Emperors who ascended gone?
Yuan Ruoyu couldn’t make sense of it, but she faintly sensed that she was already caught up in a tremendous storm.
To extricate herself was no longer possible.
Or rather, it was not just her and Lin Feng; the entire mortal realm was already within the storm.
For now, only Lin Feng had foreseen it.
Yuan Ruoyu recalled what Lin Feng had said when he left her.
“This is something I must do alone!”
“I’ve been targeted; there’s no way out!”
Only now did she understand why Lin Feng had said such things at the time.
Even as an Emperor, perhaps there were still many helpless situations.
Based on the information she currently had, it seemed the enemy not only had control over ascension but could also command the former ancestors of the Jade Pool Holy Land, indicating that they must have hidden power in the mortal realm.
The opponent’s strength was unimaginable.
Once she calmed down… Yuan Ruoyu began to worry about Lin Feng’s safety and sighed softly, “Where are you right now?”
“Why haven’t you come to see me? You know that no matter what happens, I will face it with you!”
In the silent secret realm, her small voice seemed particularly clear.
Yuan Ruoyu glanced once more at the chaotic scene affected by the battle before turning to leave!
The purpose of her seclusion had already been achieved, and there was no need to stay any longer.
The speed at which the opponent acted had exceeded her expectations.
This indicated that it was not just them in a hurry; those others were racing against time as well.
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