If not for her duty to protect the Wentiān Sect, Liu Lanyi would have ascended more than twenty years ago.
All these years, she had lived alone at the back mountain, never once leaving the sect. Solitude had never chilled her heart, but today, the reaction of the crowd left her cold. nEven if she had no achievements to her name, surely her sacrifices counted for something?
Yet the truth was plain. No one was happy for her.
Only blame.
Liu Lanyi's expression grew calm and unreadable. She turned to glance at Song Wanníng. Only now did she truly understand what Song Wanníng meant when she said, "The Wentiān Sect is not worth it."
"So be it."
Her ties to this sect had run their course. Better to cut the cord cleanly and ascend without regret. She straightened her robe, lifted her eyes, and swept her gaze across the gathered crowd. Her voice was slow, composed.
"I have guarded the Wentiān Sect for decades, never slacking, holding back my cultivation through gritted teeth. But now, my cultivation has reached the point where I can no longer suppress it. There is no other path. I must ascend through tribulation.
In the future, the sect will be protected by the two remaining elders and you, my fellow disciples. I leave it in your hands. I believe you will guide the Wentiān Sect to even greater heights." Her words were calm and graceful, delivered with a smile. But her composure only made the faces around her shift and darken.
She had said it clearly. Her cultivation could no longer be suppressed. The tribulation was coming. Did they think they could stop it?
Impossible.
Everything was already set. Liu Lanyi had no choice but to ascend. If she tried to remain in the lower realm, it would only lead to spiritual backlash.
Even so, no one could bring themselves to smile.
Only the Second Elder stepped forward with a grin and bowed respectfully. "Congratulations, Shishu. May you pass the tribulation safely and ascend in broad daylight."
Once, the leadership of Wentiān Sect had been noble.
Now, they were driven by nothing but profit, every thought centered on their own gain. Not a shred of warmth remained.
The Second Elder knew this all too well. Sometimes, she had no choice but to play along. But now, watching Liu Lanyi break free from her chains, she felt genuinely happy for her.
Liu Lanyi's gaze softened. So not everyone had turned cold.
She nodded to her. "Thank you for your kind words."
Then she patted Song Wanníng's hand. "Take care. We'll be waiting for you in the upper realm."
There was no need for more words. All she wished now was for Wanníng to stay safe.
"Go without worry, Ancestor." Song Wanníng embraced her tightly, not weighed down by sorrow. She firmly believed that before long, they would reunite.
Liu Lanyi gave a quiet hum in reply. In a flash, her figure rose into the sky, soaring toward the depths of the back mountain to avoid harming the sect's disciples.
Heavenly thunder instantly locked onto her aura, crashing down in rolling waves.
Song Wanníng and the others watched from afar.
No matter what had happened earlier, everyone now hoped that Liu Lanyi would survive the tribulation.
Disciples looked on in awe and reverence, eyes bright with longing. They dreamed that one day they, too, might ascend like their venerable elder.
Boom—!
Crack—!
Bolts of tribulation lightning struck one after another, but Liu Lanyi remained serene, showing no sign of panic. The stone she had bound turned out to be a Void Realm Stone, capable of opening a world of its own.
By the time she realized it, it was already too late. She was firmly bound to it—unless her soul scattered or her Dao collapsed, there was no way to sever the connection.
But the stone's power was immense. It formed a protective domain, shielding her completely, rendering even heavenly lightning powerless against it. With that, she passed the so-called most dangerous ascension tribulation with ease.
The clouds scattered, divine light shone down.
The gate to the upper realm opened, and a beam of warm, dazzling light bathed Liu Lanyi from above.
She looked down at the Wentiān Sect one last time.
Her duty here was done. It was time to go.
At the end, she turned her gaze toward Song Wanníng from afar, then stepped into the ascension gate without hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished.
The radiance faded, leaving only the wreckage of the back mountain in its wake.
Disciples stood in place, dazzled, their hearts yearning. They couldn't tear their eyes away, captivated by dreams of the world beyond the sky.
The Sect Master watched it all with a complicated expression, torn between envy and fear. He envied Liu Lanyi's successful ascension, but feared for the sect's future.
With no late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator to hold the line, it was only a matter of time before other forces found out and moved against them, looking to carve up Wentiān Sect's resources.
In the cultivation world, strength ruled. Without power, there was no room to speak of ideals. Resources were limited, and sects and clans endlessly schemed, battling for supremacy in secret.
The Sect Master's priority now was to seal the news and send urgent messages to the other two Divine Transformation elders, urging them to return immediately.
His greatest hope now was that one of them would break through to late-stage Divine Transformation.
With a heavy heart, the Sect Master left, frowning deeply.
The other elders followed, each sighing with their own tangled thoughts.
Only the Second Elder remained for a moment longer, her gaze fixed on Song Wanníng. Her instincts told her—Song Wanníng had something to do with all this.
Recently, Song Wanníng's cultivation had advanced at a shocking pace. Now, she had shown up beside Liu Lanyi. It was impossible not to wonder.
Song Wanníng felt the scrutiny and turned around. She was surprised. It wasn't the first time the Second Elder had spoken on her behalf. The two of them had been rivals since entering the sect, never willing to yield.
From the Inner Sect tournaments to the Heavenly Pride battles, from the Golden Core competitions to the War of the Gods, they had fought on every battlefield. Win or lose, they refused to go easy on each other.
Even now, it was rare for them to exchange a civil word.
Seeing Song Wanníng's puzzled look, the Second Elder folded her hands behind her back and snorted. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I still hate your guts."
Hmph! She really couldn't stand her!
Song Wanníng raised a brow and gave her a once-over, unimpressed. "You say that like you're so lovable."
Their popularity in the sect? About equally dismal.
"Get lost—!" The Second Elder instantly lost her cool and stomped off in a huff.
Song Wanníng watched her leave, a smile tugging at her lips. Then she turned back toward the courtyard and walked inside.
She went straight to Liu Lanyi's old residence, lifted the entire structure from the ground, and stored it in her spatial ring.
Even if her Ancestor would never live there again, she wouldn't let anyone else touch it, let alone desecrate it.
The News Spreads
News of Wentiān Sect's ascended elder spread like wildfire. Within half a day, the entire region had heard.
The Sect Master had no time to contain it.
It had happened so suddenly that none of the surrounding sects were prepared.
"Haha! So Wentiān Sect is headless now, is it?"
"No telling what happened to their other two Divine Transformation elders. Let's wait and see…"
From the shadows, sects and clans began watching, waiting for their opportunity.
Now that Wentiān Sect had one less Divine Transformation cultivator, if the remaining two had not yet reached late-stage, they would be forced to cede part of their territory and resources.
They would be delisted from the Seven Sects and Four Orders, falling to the level of a mid-tier sect.
Panic rippled through Wentiān Sect. Everyone was waiting for the two remaining Divine Transformation elders to return in glory.
—
"Are you serious?"
An Ze stood up excitedly and walked towards the next table.
Just now he was sitting in the inn drinking to relieve his sorrow when he suddenly heard the people at the next table mention "Baiyou Grass".
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In this novel, the Cultivation Realm's peak cultivation stage is Divine Transformation. Beyond that, cultivators ascend to the Spirit Realm, then the Immortal Realm.