Chapter 709: The End Finally Arrives
In the end, people will be trapped their entire lives by things they cannot obtain.
Mortals and cultivators alike.
Just like Kong Yang's obsession with leaving behind an immortal artifact for Kongshan Sect.
Having governed Lingxiao Temple for fourteen thousand years, yet still having left behind nothing worthy of praise, among the thirty-one Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators in Chenping Continent's past history, he could only be considered mediocre, and yet Lou Ye also possessed his own obsession.
To leave his name in the annals of history.
Even if his dao perished and his body dissolved, Lou Ye would still fulfill his long-cherished wish.
Cultivation, what exactly is it for?
Where is the end of the immortal path?
This was a difficult question that plagued every cultivator in the world, and nearly every cultivator possessed their own unique answer.
His own answer, what was it?
For a long time, Chen Yan seemed to have no leisure to ponder this question.
Because he had always been pushed forward on the road ahead by the so-called "Heaven's Dao" and "fate."
Chen Yan no longer continued to speak further to Lou Ye. He simply stood firm within the great hall, and toward this Immortal Ascension Realm True Person before him who had already prepared himself to face death, made a deeply respectful bow.
This was Chen Yan's respect for Lou Ye.
And Lou Ye, with complete composure, bowed in return toward Chen Yan's direction.
A flicker of something almost like liberation, like release, even flashed through his eyes.
...
Three days later, Du Cang Mountain, Myriad Laws Platform.
The nine Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators currently on Chenping Continent, along with Mr. You, had all gathered upon this platform forged from Heaven-Derivation Stone.
Mr. You stood alone to one side, both hands clasped behind his back.
While the other eight Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators surrounded True Person Xuzhou, Lou Ye, at the very center.
Today was the day True Person Xuzhou would risk his life by venturing deep into the heavenly rift.
The expressions of every Immortal Ascension Realm True Person present were extremely grave.
Especially Realman Xihe, who, like Lou Ye, hailed from Lingxiao Temple. His expression was grim, and a hint of sorrow mingled within his gaze.
But at this very moment, the one whose expression appeared the most complicated of all was, as expected, the third-generation Ascended Steward of Wind Ravine Valley, Realman Shuangyu, Yin Xia.
The grudge between Wind Ravine Valley and Lingxiao Temple had lasted for a long time. Though as time passed, for the disciples of the two sects in the present day, those past grievances no longer had much of an impact on them.
It was just that the relationship between these two sects was somewhat colder compared to the mutual relationships among the other Five Great Sects.
But for Yin Xia and Lou Ye, these two Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators, it was not so.
Back then, after Yin Xia ascended to immortality, she personally visited Lingxiao Temple and slapped the temple master to death with a single palm strike. At that time, Lou Ye had only just turned thirteen.
The contemporary Sect Master of one of the Five Great Sects, killed by a single palm strike without any ability to resist, and the other party hadn't even paid any price before departing freely.
That humiliation had been carved into the heart of every Lingxiao Temple disciple at that time.
Now, her former nemesis had resolved to face death.
Yin Xia thought this to herself, then raised both hands toward Lou Ye's direction and made a slight bow:
"True Person Lou."
This was also one of the few times in nearly three hundred years since the revival of the immortal path that Realman Yin had spoken to Lou Ye.
Lou Ye fixed his gaze on Yin Xia. He too raised his hands, bowed in return toward Yin Xia's direction, and spoke:
"Take care, Realman Yin."
The dialogue between these two Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators totaled only eight words.
And those brief eight words seemed to draw a somewhat desolate full stop to the thirty-thousand-year grudge between the two great sects.
Lou Ye spoke no more. He cast one final glance around at all the Immortal Ascension Realm True Persons present.
At this moment, there was no distinction of sect origins among them. They were all simply colleagues of Chenping Continent facing a crisis together.
"Everyone!"
True Person Xuzhou suddenly raised his voice, which echoed across the Myriad Laws Platform for a long time:
"Today, this Lou takes the first step. May all of you protect our Chenping Continent and see it through this trial!"
Having spoken, Lou Ye's aura abruptly transformed.
Then True Person Xuzhou tapped his toe against the ground, and his entire body shot into the air, charging straight toward the heavens.
In but an instant, Lou Ye's figure was completely engulfed by golden lightning radiance and blazing true fire, then plunged directly into the pitch-black rift above the sky dome.
That single point of brilliant lightning and fire burrowed into the rift, and the light it emitted made the earth trapped in "Eternal Night" seem as though it were relit by the sun, nearly as bright as day.
The Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators on the Myriad Laws Platform all watched that dazzling trail of lightning and fire light that Lou Ye had transformed into.
It was unclear whether it grew dimmer and dimmer, or farther and farther away.
Within the pitch-black rift, only a gradually fading trace of light remained, like the final embers of a meteor streaking across the night sky.
Then, it vanished completely.
And it was precisely at the very instant that light trace disappeared, the air above the Myriad Laws Platform actually trembled for an extremely subtle moment.
Though exceedingly faint, it was still detected by the Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators present.
"Was that True Person Lou?"
Gu Jing, standing to one side, narrowed his eyes slightly, then slowly spoke.
"Perhaps, before he completely lost himself in the spatial rifts, he tried to transmit some information to Chenping Continent."
Immediately after, Realman Sun-Eroding Liang Huan of Mirage Palace said.
"But... I cannot sense anything at all."
Realman Xihe, who was about to become the sixth-generation Ascended Steward of Lingxiao Temple, seemed to be seeking help as his gaze swept toward the other Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators present:
"Seniors..."
But the other Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators present had no clue whatsoever regarding the final message Lou Ye wished to convey, and could only shake their heads.
Only Qin Qingyu's expression was exceedingly grave. This third Ascended Steward of Star Heaven Sect furrowed her brows tightly, seemingly pondering something.
"Can none of you sense it?"
Just then, Mr. You, who had been standing to one side looking on with folded arms, suddenly spoke:
"Even if you cannot decipher the information Lou Ye wished to express to the world, at the very least you should be able to feel the emotions in his heart when he transmitted that information in his final moment, no?"
On the Myriad Laws Platform, dead silence.
The sky-blotting black rift was like a giant maw that could swallow the heavens, seeming capable of swallowing the entire Chenping Continent whole.
"Tension, and fear."
The dead silence did not last long. A slightly low, girlish voice slowly drifted over.
Everyone's gaze fell upon Qin Qingyu, who had her brows tightly knit.
"True Person Lou, he seemed to be afraid of something, his emotions even somewhat... collapsing?"
Qin Qingyu continued.
Hearing this, Pure Dust True Person took a step toward Qin Qingyu's direction, then spoke:
"Realman Qin, are you saying..."
But before Qiu Siruo could finish her words, she was suddenly interrupted by a sound transmitted from beyond the sky dome.
Dong!
A profoundly resonant bronze bell tone rang out.
The next instant, an incomparably dazzling seven-colored radiance slowly emerged from within the huge, torn-open rift.