Chen Yan did not speak. He merely lowered his head and glanced twice at the corpses of the two Kongshan Sect Grand Elders.
"Why?"
There was no emotion in his voice other than confusion. Chen Yan simply asked this way.
"You want to return to the Kongshan Sect?"
Mr. You said calmly.
"Yes."
"You cannot return."
Mr. You shook his head and said:
"Now, you carry the Karmic Backlash spanning over sixty thousand years. Returning to the Kongshan Sect would only mean one thing: the Kongshan Sect would be destroyed because of you."
"So, what should I do next?"
Chen Yan asked.
Hearing this, Mr. You showed a very surprised expression, then raised his hand to point at his own face:
"You're asking me?"
"Yes."
"This is Karmic Backlash spanning over sixty thousand years. What kind of answer could I possibly give you?"
Mr. You shook his head:
"Let alone ordinary Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators, even a True Immortal above the Ascended Immortal level would likely have their soul scattered to the winds on the spot if they touched karma of this magnitude."
A True Immortal above the Ascended Immortal level.
The Immortal Venerable Fusheng, who fell seventy thousand years ago, was at this very realm, and also the only cultivator in the Chenping Continent to have reached this level.
Although Su Hongzhen had barely touched the threshold of a True Immortal before his fall, he ultimately never took that final step.
"Although I cannot give you an answer, I can give you a piece of advice."
Mr. You said.
"Please speak."
Chen Yan asked.
"Run. Run as far as you can. It's best not to let anyone find you."
Mr. You said with a laugh.
...
Fallen Sword Mountain Range.
Vast demonic energy permeated the entire Fallen Sword Mountain Range. Centered on the Great Demon's Egg, the forests within a thousand-mile radius had completely turned into withered wood.
Unless one was a cultivator of the Upper Three Realms, it was already fundamentally impossible to set foot into the Fallen Sword Mountain Range.
Otherwise, in an instant, they would be corroded by the demonic energy into a skeleton.
The only five Dao Union Realm great powers of the Chenping Continent gathered near the enormous demon egg.
"The demonic energy is getting denser and denser. Our time is running out. We must suppress and destroy this demon egg before the situation spirals completely out of control."
Meng Shaoyuan, the Supreme Imperial Law Elder of the Lingxiao Temple, frowned as he spoke.
Beside him, Bai Yuze merely nodded with a heavy expression, saying nothing.
He, too, understood the severity of the current situation.
In the sky, dark clouds gathered thickly.
"Has there been no news from He Zongzhou yet?"
Gu Jiancheng, the Supreme Pivot Elder of the Star Heaven Sect, asked gravely.
Just two days ago, the Fallen Sword Mountain Range received a joint letter signed by Si Chen of the North Pass Sect and many Upper Three Realms cultivators.
The contents of this letter were utterly absurd, involving the Heavenly Summit Mirror, the Heavenly Summit Palace, the Cause of Calamity, the Great Demon's Egg, and even the revival of the Path to Immortality.
It was merely a desperate act by those gravely ill seeking any doctor.
This was the judgment of the five Dao Union Realm great powers regarding the Upper Three Realms cultivators who had signed this joint letter.
However, their attitude soon became uncertain because of the simple, ancient jade slip that was delivered along with this letter.
What was contained within this ruined immortal artifact was immortal energy.
Since Su Hongzhen, no one in the Chenping Continent had Ascended to Immortality. Therefore, the immortal energy within this ancient jade slip undoubtedly greatly increased the weight of that joint letter.
The Dao Union Realm great powers of the Five Great Sects decided to first try according to what was written in the letter, as they still believed they had sufficient room for trial and error.
First, conduct the experiment as written in Si Chen's letter. If it truly didn't work, then they would activate the Abyssal Tower to suppress and destroy this Great Demon's Egg.
This task was handed over to the Kongshan Sect.
On the surface, it was said that the current situation was a result of the Kongshan Sect's concealment, so this matter should naturally be handled by the Kongshan Sect.
In reality, it was just bullying the fact that the current Kongshan Sect had no Dao Union Realm cultivator.
If Li Haoran were still here, although the Kongshan Sect's foundation couldn't compare to the Lingxiao Temple and the Mirage Palace, and there was even a gap from the Star Heaven Sect, he would still be the number one figure in the Immortal Dao of the current era in Chenping Continent. The current situation would never have been up to Bai Yuze to take charge.
But there were no ifs.
"The hour of Shen."
Bai Yuze finally spoke:
"If there is still no news from the Kongshan Sect side by the hour of Shen today, I ask all of you to join me in activating the Abyssal Tower to suppress and destroy this demon egg."
The other four Dao Union Realm cultivators did not speak, merely tacitly agreeing with Bai Yuze's words.
...
Time passed slowly.
The Abyssal Tower already hovered above the enormous demon egg, rotating slowly.
A wisp of pale green light flashed across the sky, followed by an old man dressed in pure white Kongshan Sect daoist robes landing beside the five Dao Union Realm cultivators.
A late-stage Divine Ability Realm cultivator, the Kongshan Sect Supreme Surveillance Elder, Xue Xiangming.
"Honored five."
Xue Xiangming bowed towards the five Dao Union Realm cultivators beside the Great Demon's Egg. The expression of this Supreme Surveillance Elder was also very gloomy, just like the dark, cloud-filled sky above the Fallen Sword Mountain Range at this moment.
"The Heavenly Summit Mountain side... has failed."
Xue Xiangming said.
Not only had the operation failed, but Zhai Yushi and those two Unity Realm cultivators had all died on Heavenly Summit Mountain.
Even that fragment of the Heavenly Summit Mirror had vanished without a trace.
This was what Xue Xiangming found most difficult to accept.
"Mmm."
Bai Yuze merely nodded:
"This is not a place you should be. Return first, Surveillance Elder Xue."
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Xue Xiangming bowed once more towards Bai Yuze's direction, then transformed back into a wisp of pale green light, fleeing into the distance.
With his late-stage Divine Ability Realm cultivation, he indeed could not stay near this Great Demon's Egg for too long.
Bai Yuze slowly turned his head to look at the bronze tower in the sky.
"Let's begin, everyone."
He said.
"Disperse!"
Gu Jiancheng roared. Instantly, the dark clouds scattered completely.
As the five Dao Union Realm cultivators jointly activated it, the bronze tower in the sky gradually slowed its rotation until it came to a complete stop above the demon egg.
Then, remnant immortal energy seeped out, beginning to suppress the demon egg.
*Thud!*
The Abyssal Tower struck the demon egg, followed immediately by a piercing metallic screeching sound emanating from within the tower.
Demonic energy began to erode the connection between these several Dao Union Realm great powers and the Abyssal Tower.
Even denser demonic energy began to spread and diffuse. Even these several Dao Union Realm cultivators were completely unable to resist. Their skin began to slowly fester, revealing glimpses of bone.
These Dao Union Realm cultivators understood all too well what it would mean if their combined efforts to activate the Abyssal Tower could not suppress this demon egg.
The apocalypse was coming.
It was all over.
Right at this moment, the demonic energy that had been eroding these Dao Union Realm cultivators suddenly thinned by a few degrees.
A young man with a lean face, devoid of sorrow or joy, dressed in pure white daoist robes, slowly walked towards the direction of the Abyssal Tower.
"As the last Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator of the Chenping Continent, the only Dao Foundation left in this world has been corroded into such a state."
He spoke slowly, as if talking to himself:
"That is, undeniably, rather unsightly."
On the exposed bones of those several Dao Union Realm cultivators, flesh and blood began to regrow.
They turned their heads to look back at the young man wearing Kongshan Sect daoist robes.
A completely unfamiliar face.
"But I respect you. Seven thousand years ago, in a situation where you knew death was certain, you still stepped forward. It's just a pity you were one move short."
The young man continued his monologue. The world-ending demonic energy within the Fallen Sword Mountain Range could not affect him in the slightest.
"But it's alright. Now, the Great Dao of Chenping Continent is clear and bright once more. This can be considered fulfilling your final wish..."
The young man stopped walking, stretched out his hand towards the Abyssal Tower, and profound, clear light burst from his fingertips:
"The Cause of Calamity has been removed. From this day forth, I, Kong Yang, Ascend to Immortality once more."