Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1650 - 889: The Curtain Rises, Shocking News of the Filthy Immortal Arrow

Right as Zhao Dashan prepared to strike, Zhao San Yue abruptly raised her head, shot him a glance, and questioned out of nowhere, "Who shattered the statue?"

Zhao Dashan’s heart jolted, his face twisting into an ugly scowl instantly: "I don’t know! At the altar ceremony that day, one hundred and ninety-seven people were paying homage to our ancestors. But none lived through it afterward, and the ancestor statue ended up mostly shattered.

Afterward, I questioned the on-duty personnel from that day, verifying that Zhao Luoxin from the Yanling branch was the final one to step into the altar. He’s gone missing now."

Zhao San Yue fell quiet for a beat, her features hardening further with lethal intent.

She fired off another sudden query, "What about the Heavenly Book Ancestor Register?"

Hearing that, Zhao Dashan inwardly sighed in relief, then shook his head gravely: "The Ancestor Register is lost!"

"Lost?" Zhao San Yue’s pitch spiked three levels higher, laced with heavy suspicion.

Keep in mind, the Heavenly Book Ancestor Register qualifies as a True Form Spirit Treasure—snatching it without notice demands cultivation beyond Returning to Void.

That detail alone shrank the list of suspects sharply and piled massive doubt onto Zhao Sheng.

But was the reality truly that straightforward?

Truth was, "it" had smashed countless ancestor statues, "it" had seized the Heavenly Book Ancestor Register, and "it" had butchered every witness to tie up loose ends!

The whole scheme stemmed from Old Ghost Wan Xing’s "Deceiving the Heaven" plot, designed to muddy the waters and mask Zhao Sheng’s destruction of the ancestor statue.

After hearing his account, a veil of mist seemed to shroud Zhao San Yue’s sight, a vague premonition of looming disaster stirring within.

Killing intent blazed briefly in Zhao San Yue’s gaze, and she snapped coldly, "To the Ancestor Hall!"

Her words hadn’t fully faded before she blinked out of existence.

Zhao Dashan’s lips quirked faintly, and he too sped off.

Moments later, they stepped into the altar’s wrecked expanse, where droves of ancestor statues slumped crookedly amid rubble strewn from the devastation.

Weaving amid the thicket of ancestor statues, Zhao San Yue reached the Ancestor Altar, staring at the barren platform with a frost-chilled expression.

"Useless!" Her icy rebuke rang out across the altar, though no one knew her target.

Zhao Dashan lingered at her back, face etched with utmost gravity, as though deaf to her words.

Lacking the Heavenly Book Ancestor Register, zeroing in on Zhao Sheng’s position was out of the question, much less hauling him back for punishment.

Meanwhile, Old Ghost Wan Xing, tucked away in Chong Yue Cave Heaven, gripped the Heavenly Book while trying to track Zhao Sheng.

Cast spells as he might, the Heavenly Book Ancestor Register refused to reveal Zhao Sheng’s spot; it appeared he’d exited All Universes entirely.

That crushed the final flicker of hope in Old Ghost Wan Xing’s chest.

Zhao Sheng... had truly burrowed into the Burial Immortal Ruins!

…

Meanwhile, after emerging from the Ancestor Hall, Zhao San Yue wasted no time issuing her decree.

That same day, the prime capture warrant atop the Foreign Affairs Hall’s bounty board vanished in a flash.

As word of the Great Ancestor’s comeback swept the Ancestral Land and Ten Great Spirit Domains, countless Divinity Transformation and Returning Void clansmen caught wind of the Great Ancestor’s order too.

The decree boiled down simply to one line: This youth wields tremendous power—no clan kin should touch him!

In truth, the Great Ancestor’s warning was redundant; high and low in the Zhao Family, precious few would dare move against Zhao Sheng.

The First Daoist’s prestige loomed large, after all—regular Returning Void elders shrank from challenging it.

That very evening, Zhao San Yue and Zhao Dashan conferred in Unison Hall over strategies to snag Zhao Sheng.

Suddenly, a ragged old stone mason, etched by time and toil, materialized silently before them.

Catching sight of him, the pair shot to their feet, thunderstruck.

A rare glint of respect crossed Zhao San Yue’s face as she bowed low to the elder mason: "March, pays respects to Ancestor."

"Da Shan, pays respects to Ancestor!" Zhao Dashan beamed with delight, bowing swiftly in kind.

The old stone mason flicked his hand casually, his tone gentle: "...We are all family, some formalities can be spared!"

For all his words, Zhao San Yue and Zhao Dashan refused to slack on respect, hastily guiding the Ancestor to the top seat.

The three settled in swiftly; Zhao Xuanjing smiled at Zhao San Yue: "Xiao Yue, do you admit your mistakes?"

A flicker of remorse crossed Zhao San Yue's face as she murmured softly: "March admits her mistake, I should not have emerged at this time. But——"

Zhao Xuanjing cut her off sharply before she could continue: "But what? Our cultivation defies heaven by nature. You had real hope of breaking through to enlightenment, yet now it's all ruined. Trivial gains for massive losses—I misjudged you!"

As Zhao Xuanjing kept talking, his grief intensified, his gaze brimming with "Hate that she doesn’t strive".

Zhao San Yue cast her eyes down, murmuring an apology: "March has disappointed Ancestor!"

Next to her, Zhao Dashan maintained a gravely serious look, as if lost in contemplation, though he was secretly overjoyed inside.

Zhao San Yue’s botched breakthrough had clearly diminished her danger to a great extent.

"Ancestor, the Great Ancestor had good cause too. If blame is due, put it on me. Fault me for failing to safeguard our home, letting intruders storm the Ancestor Hall and disturb the ancestors of every generation." Zhao Dashan declared this right then, shame etched across his features.

Zhao Xuanjing’s face hardened instantly, his voice sharp as he demanded: "Da Shan, tell me, what sort of villain dared invade the Ancestor Hall?"

Zhao Dashan didn’t dare delay, swiftly reciting the prepared "script" to both of them.

Through his tale, he voiced profound regret at being fooled by the thief Zhao Sheng.

He never imagined the boy had covertly practiced Demon Technique to access a Grotto Heaven, and had conspired with Heavenly Demon Path devils from early days.

Eventually, the thief’s error was stumbled upon by him purely by chance.

The moment his demon technique cultivation came to light, the thief staked everything, slaying all four Returning Void elders—Zhao Changying included—before fleeing Divine Continent, his whereabouts a mystery.