Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 836: So Curious!

No matter what.

The heavenly tribulation has concluded.

Even if it was a somewhat diminished form of the heavenly tribulation, striking with ninety-nine bolts simultaneously, and despite Chen Huaian's sword formation absorbing half the impact, its force remained formidable and utterly devastating. At minimum, Spirit Void Old Ghost had depleted every ounce of his power, exhausted all his hidden techniques, and was left in utter hopelessness, awaiting his end.

Thus, the Heavenly Dao's authority has been upheld.

Spirit Void Old Ghost had once disdained the might of heaven and earth, yet now he submits fully, fulfilling her intent in orchestrating the heavenly tribulation.

There's truly no call for summoning yet another heavenly tribulation upon Spirit Void Old Ghost.

Aside from his current utter lack of means to withstand such a trial, even the Heavenly Dao's Eye requires a period to recover its energy.

"Let that suffice."

...

Cangyun Realm.

The withered hand of Spirit Void Old Ghost shook as it tenderly traced the warm cloud motifs on the Immortal Bridge.

Immortal spiritual energy streamed like a river from his fingers, spreading through his arms, legs, and torso.

At the severed spot of his left arm, the burned tissue started growing fresh sprouts of flesh, visible even to the untrained eye.

His previously dulled ghostly power resumed its flow inside him, bringing a refreshing clarity reminiscent of being born anew.

Abruptly, he whipped his head toward Chen Huaian, his clouded gaze igniting with a brilliance never seen before, free of the earlier gloom and hopelessness.

In that moment, everything clicked for him.

The heaven and earth hold no favoritism; they pay no heed to whether the lives he took were justified or not.

Reflecting upon himself through the lens of heaven and earth, he beheld only an endless ocean of blood.

He ought to have perished beneath the heavenly tribulation; only the Moon Shadow Sect's destiny energy spared him from doom.

Moreover, Chen Huaian's sword formation bore half the lightning's fury. This went beyond mere salvation; it was a favor like granting new life!

"Chen Sword Master!" His voice rasped, yet it masked none of his thrill. Dropping to one knee sent a faint quiver through the earth. "My survival through this ordeal today owes everything to your noble aid!

Without you providing this Moon Shadow Sect, a land brimming with auspicious geomancy, as my site for ascension to immortality, and channeling the sect's mighty destiny energy to shield and bolster me...

That prior lightning tribulation alone would have overwhelmed me, even with the Heavenly Dao's leniency—I doubt I could have endured until the Immortal Bridge appeared!"

Chen Huaian arched a brow while eyeing him, his fingers still numb from the lingering True Essence used in powering the sword formation.

With the ten thousand top-grade spirit jade pieces wasted fresh in mind, his lip quirked, though he held his tongue.

Undeterred, Spirit Void Old Ghost pressed on with his fervent gratitude, caressing the soul mark on his chest that was slowly vanishing: "I've cultivated for five millennia, waded through piles of bodies and rivers of blood, and witnessed myriad cultivators reduced to dust by heavenly tribulations. I figured I'd share their fate.

Yet the destiny energy of your Moon Shadow Sect proves utterly profound and enigmatic. During that descent of lightning tribulation, I distinctly sensed a robust destiny force encasing my Divine Soul. The lightning meant to purge evil lost a full thirty percent of its might!

And this ascension site—its spiritual energy is so thick it's on the verge of turning liquid, surpassing the Spirit Vein in my corpse storage cave by a hundredfold. Without it, just burning my Vital Essence wouldn't have sustained me until the Immortal Bridge took form!"

His statements held thirty percent honesty and seventy percent self-delusion, all born from his inner mindset.

The Moon Shadow Sect does gather Cangyun's vast destiny energy, but Chen Huaian claims ninety-nine shares out of a hundred.

Were it not for Real Person Jade Compassion's mishap, or White Sword's need for workers, Spirit Void Old Ghost would have met his end.

Since the truth eludes all, each forms their own assumptions.

With that said, Spirit Void Old Ghost rose, brushed off the dirt from his robes. His left arm dangled uselessly still, but his presence had transformed.

The ghostly power encircling him lost its malevolence, acquiring a touch of immortal spiritual energy's purity.

"Chen Sword Master's immense favor—I shall remember it unto my grave!" He offered a grave fist salute, his tone steady and bold. "Having ascended to immortality this day, I head to the Immortal Realm for further cultivation. When you face your own tribulation and attain immortality later, I vow to fetch wondrous relics from the Immortal Realm and lay out a hundred spreads of immortal banquets at the Heavenly Gate to greet and purify you! Given your insight and prowess, immortality awaits as surely as the dawn. It might not even span a century before we meet again in the Immortal Realm!"

In uttering this, Spirit Void Old Ghost envisioned his rapid rise in the Immortal Realm, building influence to pave the way for Chen Huaian.

Soon, he'd be the one shielding Chen Huaian.

These weren't empty courtesies by any means.

Over five thousand years, Spirit Void Old Ghost had encountered cultivators beyond count, like the hairs on a bull,

yet never had he beheld one at the Great Ascension Stage wielding such a fierce, unbound Sword Intent, let alone erecting the horrifying Blue Lotus Sword Domain solo.

Chen Huaian's aptitude marked him as a rarity in ten thousand years within the Cangyun Realm. Immortality would come to him effortlessly.

Chen Huaian dismissed it with a wave, his voice tinged with annoyance, a shadow lurking in his stare: "Enough, enough! Your success in immortality today proves you've earned that fate. My Moon Shadow Sect's destiny energy just played a supporting role.

The Immortal Bridge stands ready to lead you over. If you're set on ascending, get moving. Don't linger at this Venerable One's gate."

For all his words, he instinctively retreated a couple paces, his eyes locking onto the ever-more-substantial Immortal Bridge.

Spirit Void Old Ghost let out a booming laugh, unperturbed by the brusqueness, and pivoted to gaze at the Immortal Bridge.

Now, atop the Immortal Bridge, the seven-colored Radiant Glow blazed brighter, myriad specks of light morphing into streaming rune inscriptions.

The ambient immortal spiritual energy thickened to near-liquid density, making the spiritual herbs and elixirs across the Moon Shadow Sect rustle and glow softly.

"I take my farewell!" Spirit Void Old Ghost bellowed, springing skyward, his form shifting into a gray beam as he alighted on the Immortal Bridge.

The instant his foot met it, the Immortal Bridge quaked fiercely. Vast mists and clouds erupted from its structure, forming vibrant butterflies that fluttered madly in the heavens, encircling him in a joyful whirl.

At once, otherworldly Celestial Music filled the space between sky and ground. No earthly tool could mimic it, as if descending from the lofty Nine Heavens—pure, lilting, and elegant, resounding across the whole Cangyun Realm.

The Immortal Bridge lifted gradually into the sky, its pace quickening swiftly.

Spirit Void Old Ghost's silhouette shone ever more intensely amid the Radiant Glow.

His surrounding ghostly aura vanished entirely, supplanted by untainted immortal spiritual power. His garments billowed in the gusts, lending him a true immortal's poise.

"Chen Sword Master, farewell!" He twisted back and called out, his words cutting through the Celestial Music to ring true in Chen Huaian's hearing.

Chen Huaian lifted his gaze, observing the Immortal Bridge, with its trailing rainbow blaze, pierce the clouds and rocket toward the far horizon.

The clouds parted of their own accord along its path.

Innumerable fine specks of luminous rain descended, settling upon the Moon Shadow Sect's peaks, streams, flora, and fauna, infusing extra life into the already vibrant stronghold.

The Moon Shadow Sect's disciples had assembled in the plaza below, staring upward at the monumental event, their expressions a mix of astonishment and reverence.

They dropped to their knees, bowing repeatedly to the soaring immortal.

Spirit Void Old Ghost's form dwindled steadily, shrinking to a mere glimmer that winked out at the sky's boundary.

Having completed its purpose, the Immortal Bridge dimmed progressively, dissolving into drifting vapors that scattered on the breeze.

As the Immortal Bridge vanished, the immortal spiritual energy in the air started to ebb away.

The once-stifled spiritual energy flowed freely again. The Blue Lotus Sword Domain's golden sheen likewise waned, exposing the undamaged Moon Shadow Sect grounds below.

The thunderclouds were long gone. The skies stretched clear for thousands of miles.

Sunbeams pierced the clouds, gentle and radiant, as though the apocalyptic lightning tribulation had all been a dream.

Chen Huaian averted his eyes, rubbed his chin, peered toward where Spirit Void Old Ghost had gone, and squinted faintly.

The heavenly tribulations of this Cangyun Realm grow ever more baffling.

His true body has reached the Great Ascension Stage already. For his clone to hit the peak of the Great Ascension Three Tribulations realm requires only a simple tribulation.

A little more training, and wouldn't immortality lie straight ahead?

Perhaps he ought to venture to the Immortal Realm and uncover the reality there?

Truly... my curiosity burns fiercely!

Chen Huaian's mind itched like a feline's claws. Reaching the Great Ascension Three Tribulations realm posed no issue, but immortality... best to proceed with caution.

The circumstances remain murky, and Li Qingran hasn't come back from the miniature world.

What if his clone fell? Wouldn't that strip away a way to safeguard Li Qingran?

All at once, the Canglan Mirror on his belt hummed and shook.

Chen Huaian drew it out for a glance, instantly shoving all immortality notions aside.

In full view of the disciples, he picked a nearby stone, settled into a cross-legged seat, and fixed his focus on the Canglan Mirror, absorbing every detail.

— Li Qingran's academy competition preliminary has kicked off.

...