Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1757 - 944: Sword Slays Immortals, Life Demon Returns

The sword’s speed was astonishing, its ruthlessness absolute—moving faster than time itself, so swift that even Zhao Sheng and Zhao Xuanjing could not react in that critical moment.

Just as the pair sensed danger and prepared to unleash their full power, a blood-stained iron sword plummeted from the heavens.

Though its radiance was faint, the blade pulsed with an immense killing intent. A mere glance conjured images of endless corpses, a sea of blood where wronged souls wailed, and fragmented weapons piled into mountains, ceaselessly emitting a baleful aura that pierced the sky.

Right in the center of this iron sword, a new, three-inch long, half-inch deep knife mark now marred its surface.

In a flash, quicker than lightning, a gleaming little knife materialized from thin air and struck the iron sword with vicious force.

The little knife’s appearance was sudden, its speed almost incomprehensible.

Despite the iron sword’s desperate attempts to evade, it could not escape the swift slash.

A flash of sword light erupted; another fresh knife mark appeared on the iron sword’s body.

“Time Blade!”

Witnessing this marvel, Zhao Sheng’s eyes blazed with divine light, and a wave of relief washed over his heart.

Suddenly, a surge of divine thought rushed towards him: "Chonghe, be cautious! That is the Heavenly Spirit Treasure, the Immortal Slaying… Sword!"

Before the warning concluded, Zhao Xuanjing had already manifested his ten-thousand-zhang Dharma Body, his Stone Axe flashing and vanishing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the span of a microsecond, a Bronze Bell materialized and descended, perfectly encasing Zhao Xuanjing.

Zhao Sheng’s eyes widened in fury as he prepared to strike, but before he could, his vision plunged into darkness, and he abruptly found himself in a hazy, gray, unfamiliar realm.

Before he could even muster a counterattack, an immense, boundless power descended from the void, instantaneously binding him completely.

A furious roar erupted from Zhao Sheng’s chest, his boundless Mana surging forth. In an instant, his entire form expanded thousands of times, transforming into a colossal giant, ten thousand zhang tall.

At that moment, his strength amplified by more than tenfold.

The moment this Giant Spirit Dharma Aspect took form, it shattered the surrounding heaven and earth.

In the next instant, light flooded Zhao Sheng’s vision, and he reappeared in Near Heaven.

His overwhelming divine thought thundered outwards, scanning the surroundings. Zhao Sheng’s gaze narrowed, and he instantly perceived the entity that had attacked him.

No—astonishingly, it wasn’t a person, but a drab, gray cloth bag!

Alas, just as he clearly made out its form, the cloth bag vanished into thin air, leaving no trace for him to pursue.

“Heavenly Spirit Treasure… the Human Seed Bag?!” Zhao Sheng’s mind raced; he had already identified the origin of the gray pouch.

Dang! Dang! Dang!

Countless bell chimes rang out, immediately capturing Zhao Sheng’s attention.

A flash of light, and Zhao Sheng materialized instantly beside Zhao Xuanjing.

It was a pity he was still a step too late; the Bronze Bell had already made its escape, vanishing without a trace just before he arrived.

Upon realizing the Bronze Bell had escaped, Zhao Sheng’s heart stirred; he abruptly raised his head and surveyed his surroundings…

As anticipated, the blood-stained iron sword had also disappeared completely.

The Time Blade could no longer trace its fluctuations and could only return, hovering once more above Zhao Xuanjing’s head.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng felt a suffocating anger welling in his chest, yet there was nothing he could do at the moment.

By now, he understood the source of Second Ancestor’s ‘Human Tribulation’.

The Immortal Slaying Sword, the Human Seed Bag, the Manggu Bell… three paramount Heavenly Spirit Treasures appearing in unison, all with the sole purpose of eliminating Tianyunzi, who was on the cusp of Ascension!

Unlike Zhao Sheng and the other Righteous Great Venerables, the Demon Path Great Venerables and entities like these Heavenly Spirit Treasures were barred from ascending to Immortal Heaven through the orthodox path.

To achieve Dao and ascend, these wicked demons and unorthodox cultivators could only forge their own divergent paths.

And the act of slaying a Righteous Great Venerable on the brink of Ascension happened to be a shortcut proven effective through practice.

For the wicked demons, the act of killing an Ascender was akin to accumulating ‘Infinite Merit’.

When an Ascender’s soul was annihilated and their body destroyed, it was virtually the same as their entire lifetime of cultivation being returned to the natural order.

Upon receiving this "great benefit," heaven and earth, in accordance with unseen mandates, would bestow back the boundless "merit" upon the one who vanquished the target.

Demon Path Great Venerables and the disenfranchised, such as Heavenly Spirit Treasures, would also seize this juncture to attempt their ascent to Immortal Heaven.

Since antiquity, the number of those from the Righteous Path who achieved ascension is beyond measure, yet instances of Evil Demons and Outer Path cultivators ascending are virtually unheard of.

This is because impeding the Dao is simple, but destruction is arduous!

The Immortal Slaying Sword had endured countless years of waiting, and at long last, its chance for transcendence had arrived.

However, the outcome was tantamount to success being squandered in the final moments.

Tianyunzi's skill proved a hair's breadth superior; he had summoned the Time Blade to his presence beforehand, thereby evading the dire fate of being decapitated by a single sword stroke!

Witnessing the perpetrators' escape, Zhao Xuanjing was consumed by fury and could not refrain from letting out a cold snort: "Hmph, they are fortunate to have fled swiftly. Were it not so, this old man would undoubtedly have them all suppressed."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng promptly sought to pacify him, stating, "Ancestor, please calm your rage. The ascension of Second Ancestor is paramount now; all other matters are but trivialities. Moreover, this score will be settled with them eventually. For today, let them depart—for now."

Before his words concluded, an elegant figure materialized silently before them: "Ancestor, Hongyun is not gravely injured. By this time, he should have already smoothly ascended to Immortal Heaven."

The instant Zhao Sheng recognized the newcomer, he immediately bowed with profound respect and a formal salutation: "Chonghe pays his respects to Great Ancestor!"

"Amidst this unexpected turmoil, you managed affairs exceedingly well." Zhao San Yue regarded Zhao Sheng with eyes full of admiration and offered gentle praise.

Zhao Sheng was about to utter a few words of humility when he abruptly detected an anomaly overhead.

He jerked his head upwards just in time to observe the Auspicious Light of Immortal Heaven once more descending upon the Lower Realm.

The Taiyi Stars blazed anew, and wisps of Divine Thought pierced through the void, collectively extending felicitations to Tianyunzi for his Ascension to Immortality!

"Our congratulations to Fellow Daoist Tianyun... for... proving... the... Dao... and... ascending..."

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Tianyun on proving the Dao... and ascending..."

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Tianyun..."

"Congratulations..."

As choruses of congratulation reverberated through the Star River, an unending cascade of Ganlin Jade Dew descended from Near Heaven, traversing Divine Palace Heaven and Dark Sky, finally reaching the Taiyi Spirit Realm.

Instantly, throughout the vast and boundless Taiyi Spirit Realm, a sweet spiritual rain began to fall. Trillions upon trillions of life forms were simultaneously imbued with the nourishment of the Spirit Mechanism; awakening consciousness and gaining enlightenment became commonplace, and countless individuals experienced surges in their strength.

Innumerable beings possessing extraordinary talent also seized this immortal destiny, appearing once in ten-thousand eons, to shatter the limitations of their ancestral bloodlines, thereby vastly expanding the ultimate potential of their future cultivation.

The Dragon Ancestor, Zhao Jin Ao, likewise revealed his colossal True Body, extending for ten thousand miles, ravenously absorbing the endless Ganlin Jade Dew.

Zhao Sheng and Zhao Xuanjing, however, held a different perspective. Their gazes were fixed upon the receding Ascension Gate Tower in the distance, their hearts stirred with valor, their ambitions igniting.

Just as all the Great Venerables jointly voiced their congratulations, another anomaly emerged!

In a sudden instant, a fog of immense proportion, capable of obscuring the heavens, materialized from thin air.

The moment this grey-white mist appeared, time itself came to a standstill.

The fog blanketed a Star Domain spanning over ten thousand Constant Years, its reach far surpassing the comprehension of mortals.

This fog was inexplicably peculiar. It did not merely manifest in Near Heaven but simultaneously appeared within Divine Palace Heaven and Dark Sky.

Even the Taiyi Spirit Realm was engulfed by the mist.

Yet, paradoxically, the inhabitants of the world remained utterly oblivious to its presence.

No—there were precisely two exceptions!

One was Tianyunzi, poised on the brink of Ascension; the other was Zhao Sheng, who was gripped by extreme terror.

At the very instant the sky-encompassing fog descended, the Hundred Generations Book, which lay dormant deep within his Soul Sea, suddenly emitted a faint luminescence.

This radiance surged forth from the Soul Sea, effectively repelling the fog's encroachment.

Concurrently, the Life and Death Pen also produced an exceedingly faint, clear light, similarly warding off the fog from the outside.

"This... th‑this this..."

Zhao Sheng found himself trapped, much like an insect encased in ancient amber, incapable of any physical movement. Only his consciousness, his very thoughts, remained lucid and unbound.

The familiar, omnipresent gray-white mist immediately brought back the chilling memories of his Sixth Life and the utterly bizarre encounter he had then.

A Life Demon!!!