Chapter 160: Sudden Change
“Let’s go.” Yu Yan released the restriction on the cave residence, summoned his flying sword, and pulled Zhu Yao to his side.
“Are we returning to Advent Cloud Hall?” Zhu Yao casually asked.
Yu Yan turned his head, and glanced at her. “We’re returning to Lightning Divine Hall.”
“Ah? But Goudan is still at Advent Cloud Hall, if I leave too far from him, won’t I turn… Eh?” Only then did Zhu Yao realize that, ever since her master aided her in materializing, she had been maintaining her human form. “What’s going on?”
Yu Yan stroked her head. “That female deity.”
“You’re referring to Tao Manfeng?” Zhu Yao widened her eyes. She suddenly recalled that she was bound by her as well, and that person was even in her dimensional space. “In other words, I won’t have to be continuously tied to Goudan from now on?”
“Mn.”
There was actually a benefit like this. As expected, that little bitch was a very unfortunate girl huh.
“Is it really fine to simply leave Goudan and Mushmush at Advent Cloud Hall?” Zhu Yao was a little worried. “That person who infiltrated Lightning Divine Hall might still be at Advent Cloud Hall. If…”
“His goal is us.” Yu Yan frowned. “Those two are spiritual monsters in the first place. Cultivating at Advent Cloud Hall is instead better for them.”
“But Mushmush, he…”
“Yu Yao!” Yu Yan interrupted her words, and said with a solemn voice. “He’s not Wang Xuzhi.”
“…”
Zhu Yao sent the mushroom a paper crane, telling him that she was going back to the forest first, before following her master as they prepared to return to Lightning Divine Hall. This city was not exactly very far from Lightning Divine Hall. With the speed of her master’s flying sword, they would be able to return in at most an hour. However, before they could even leave, a change occurred.
Just as the flying sword rose, suddenly, the entire city trembled. All of the divine practitioners summoned their flying swords one after another, and in an instant later, cracks began to appear on the ground. As wide as a bottomless ravine, even the buildings that were nicely lined-up earlier collapsed one after another. A moment later, the entire city was swallowed by that ravine; the ground looked as though it had been cleanly sliced apart.
“Master, this is…” Even they, who were in the sky, could sense that momentary quake.
Yu Yan held onto Zhu Yao, and instantly pulled her to his side. “Follow me.” This quake came too abnormally, and even he did not sense any of it before it happened. Just who made these cracked ravines?
The number of deities in the sky began to increase. Most of the people in the city were divine practitioners cultivating in isolation. This sudden quake gave them no choice but to forcefully break from their isolation. There were even people who had been carelessly injured due to the rebound of divine energy.
“What’s going on?”
“Where did this ravine come from?”
“Is it an assault by the Demonic Immortals?”
More and more people began to express their doubts, and the sky was in a complete mess. Suddenly, within the expanding ravine, a figure flew out. He seemed to have suffered a serious injury, and even standing stably on his flying sword was a little difficult.
“It’s a disciple from the Advent Cloud Hall district.” Some people recognized him, and hurriedly went over to receive him, bringing him over to their sides. However, what they were met with was a blood-filled body, and even one of his arms was missing. And it seemed like even his Primal had suffered intense injuries. The people here possessed at least the cultivation of an Earth Deity, and even though the cracks were frightening, they weren’t capable of harming these people who had already turned into deities. Most of them had only been injured by their one divine energy rebound, yet, there wasn’t anyone else who was injured as heavily as he was.
“What happened?” The people crowded out, as evidently, he had encountered a huge matter.
“Heavenly Door… The Heavenly Door.” That person was even incapable of speaking clearly. With a frightened look, he continued. “The Heavenly Door of the Lightning Spiritual World… collapsed…”
When his words fell, everyone took in a chilling breath. The Heavenly Door was a definite path a person must cross when ascending from the Lower Realm to the Higher Realm. If the Heavenly Door were to collapse, that would mean the citizens of that world, would no longer be able to ascend.
“How is that possible?” Although the Heavenly Door was termed as a door, it did not have a physical form. What everyone could see was merely a guiding light. That light had never been extinguished since days of old, connecting from one world to another. Only people, who had experienced the ascension lightning tribulation, would appear within that light.
“It’s true!” That injured disciple said. “The guiding light of Lightning Spiritual World, suddenly disappeared.”
The entire crowd sank into silence, and their expressions varied. They could all faintly sense that a huge incident was about to occur.
“Master, what kind of place is the Lightning Spiritual World?” Zhu Yao turned her head.
Only to see the expression on Yu Yan’s face sinking heavier than ever compared to the past. Hearing her query, he turned, looked at her for a moment, and said. “Our cultivation world, is known as the Lightning Spiritual World.”
“What?” Zhu Yao fiercely widened her eyes. “You’re saying, the thing that was destroyed earlier, is our previous world’s path to ascending into a deity?”
Yu Yan nodded. As though he wanted to say something, his expression suddenly turned cold. Hugging onto Zhu Yao, with his flying sword, in a flash, he left the sky above the ravine where they were stationed at earlier.
From within that gigantic ravine, a white light suddenly emitted, charging straight towards the sky. The moment that rays of light appeared, a heavy pressure came assaulting over, instantly spreading towards every corner of the Divine Realm. Among the crowd of people who stopped in the sky earlier, some were unable to flee in time, and thus were engulfed within the white light.
Zhu Yao concentrated her senses, and she couldn’t dare to believe her own eyes. “Master, it’s spiritual pressure!” Those rays of light were actually spiritual energy. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, the five elemental types of spiritual energy… no, even lightning, wind, and other types of mutated spiritual energy were mixed in them as well. What was going on? This was clearly the Divine Realm, and only divine energy should exist. Why would spiritual energy surge up, and at such density?
The rays of white light came quickly, and left as quickly as well. In less than fifteen minutes, the light began to fade, until it completely disappeared. And the people in the sky that were unable to escape in time earlier, were once again revealed.
“My… cultivation rose.” Suddenly, a person exclaimed out, which instantly received several responses from others as well.
“My cultivation rose as well. That white light, instantly increased my cultivation by two levels.”
“Me too.”
“Me too!”
“Just what in the world was that white light?”
“That’s right, it’s actually able to instantly raise cultivation levels?”
“Just where in the world did it come from?”
Everyone looked at each other, and all of them could barely believe their own eyes. Every single person who was enveloped by that white light, suddenly had their cultivation raised.
Did no one notice that was spiritual energy?
“Master!”
Yu Yan shook his head at her, and only then did Zhu Yao realize that it was not a good idea to disclose this matter. The reason why she was able to see that it was made of spiritual energy was because of her utterly perverse affinity towards spiritual energy. And anyone who ascended into the Higher Realm, would already have their spiritual veins cleansed by the lightning tribulation. So naturally, no one would be able to sense that it was made of spiritual energy. If everyone knew that spiritual energy would still be effective for their cultivation, and in such a huge way, then most likely, they would form groups and head towards the Lower Realm.
“Mistress.” Sesame suddenly popped out from the spiritual monster pouch, and with a dazed expression, it looked at the ravine where the white light was emitted from. “That white light earlier, has your aura.”
What did you say?
“Within that white light earlier, it seems like… you were there!”
“…”
“How’s that possible?” Zhu Yao was dumbfounded. She clearly didn’t do anything, so how could she release that white light?
“I’m serious.” Sesame’s ears straightened, and began to look even more dazed. “I really sensed it.”
“…”
“Let’s return for now.” Yu Yan’s brows furrowed, as he immediately flew in the direction of Lightning Divine Hall with his flying sword. He flew extremely quickly, to the extent were the surrounding scenery had turned into lined blurs. The hand he was holding Zhu Yao onto had tightened as well, as his expression began to turn even more imposing.
“Master?” Zhu Yao could not help but feel anxious, as she faintly sensed that he must have discovered something. After carefully pondering for a moment, her heart sank. “Has that person discovered us?” To have her master become so tense, other than the person who infiltrated Lightning Divine Hall, there couldn’t be anyone else.
Yu Yan did not answer. He instead pressed Zhu Yao gently against his own chest, and guarded her by his side. Leaning towards her ear, he gently muttered. “Master’s here.”
“…” Zhu Yao could only tightly grip onto his sleeves. Her master had said that person’s cultivation level was higher than his. If a fight were to really happen, he did not have the confidence of absolute victory either. Suddenly, she began to regret not working hard in her cultivation, and currently, she had instead become a liability. “Master, why don’t…” In any case, she couldn’t actually die.
“Nonsense!” Knowing what she was about to say, Yu Yan’s voice instantly turned cold, and it was even faintly carrying suppressed anger. Habitually, he reached out his hand to stroke her head, and sighed. “Be obedient.”
“But… Is it possible to escape?”
Yu Yan sank into silence for a moment. “Believe in your master. It’s definitely possible…”
“Really?” An ice-cold voice rang out, and Yu Yan suddenly stopped.
Not far away in front of them, a black figure stood still in mid-air. There wasn’t a sword beneath his feet, nor were there any divine artifacts. He was simply standing there on empty air, dressed entirely in black, and his pair of hands placed behind his back. He clearly did not emit out any pressure, however, they could still sense that person’s aura.
Lightly sweeping his gaze towards them, Zhu Yao once again felt that bone-piercing chill, as though her heart was about to freeze into ice.
“Sovereign Yu Yan?” He spat out these three words, however, there wasn’t even the slightest bit of emotions in his tone, as though there was completely no meaning in the words he just spoke.
Yu Yan did not reply, instead, he simply frowned. After staring at the opposing party for a moment, she could feel the seriousness which he had never once displayed before.
A moment later, he gently released Zhu Yao from his side.
“What are you trying to do?” Zhu Yao was instantly in a fluster, and she reflexively gripped onto his sleeves. “You’re trying to chase me away?”
“Be obedient!” However, he simply reached out his hand to pat on her head.
“The hell.” Zhu Yao was seemingly about to curse out. Did such a great self-sacrificial event really have to happen at this moment? If he couldn’t beat him one-on-one, then they could attack together. “Don’t even think about it, the one who should leave is you. Even after I die, I can still…”
Before allowing her to finish, without giving a warning, Yu Yan tapped on her forehead. Zhu Yao instantly felt the divine energy in her entire body dispersing, and she returned to a piece of jade the next moment.
“What the hell!”
Yu Yan forcefully threw her to the back, and solemnly said. “Sesame.”
Sesame leapt out from the spiritual beast pouch, and latched onto Zhu Yao, who Yu Yan threw out, with its mouth.
“Sesame, release me!”
Sesame, however, seemed as though it couldn’t hear her, as it continued to fly in the direction of Lightning Divine Hall. While that black-clothed man, as though he was completely unable to see her either, continued to stand at where he was, without making a move.
“Sesame!” You’re rebelling against me!? When was he ever so obedient to her master!?
Zhu Yao became furiously anxious, yet, she was getting further and further away. When she turned to look, she could only see two figures facing each other, in a sky filled with rays of lightning.
“Master!”
Suddenly, that black figure, who had been looking at her as a useless object, turned to glance at the direction Zhu Yao left in.
At that moment, Zhu Yao simply felt a large force of pressure charging straight towards her divine sense. She felt as though her entire body was being torn apart by that pressure, and her divine sense was aching with incomparable pain. Even her jade-body was beginning to shatter.
This pressure was…