Chapter 154 - The Last Ascender

Only after he repeated himself did Jiang Qi understand what he meant. He cried out, “You mean heavenly gods are fake too? Someone made them?”

His expression made it clear that this was the first time he had heard the claim. The shock ran deep.

Xu Ying took out the hand of the Dragon Abyss heavenly god and explained what he had discovered. “Writing carries the Dao. Some of these bird-worm seal scripts are wrong, so their principles are bound to be flawed. If heavenly gods were incarnations of the Heavenly Dao, they would never make such mistakes.”

How could the Heavenly Dao make errors in its own incarnations? Yet the Heavenly Dao runes on the palm were wrong in eight places. That could only mean the heavenly god was synthetic. The creator of the fake heavenly god had misunderstood the Heavenly Dao, resulting in numerous flaws.

Heavenly gods being Heavenly Dao incarnations had been an unshakable fact since ancient times.

Jiang Qi steadied himself. “I only knew the Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts were fake. That they were mere imitations forged by someone acting in the name of the Heavenly Dao to preserve their own rule. I never expected that even heavenly gods were fake.”

Whether the runes on the palm were genuine or false was extremely difficult to determine. After all, who could claim profound knowledge of Heavenly Dao runes? Even if someone had studied them deeply, their conclusions might not necessarily be correct.

Had anyone else told Jiang Qi that the heavenly gods were fakes, he would’ve scoffed at them, maybe even slapped them across the face. However, Xu Ying had made the claim, so he had no choice but to take it seriously and consider the reasons behind it.

Xu Ying was unlike anyone else. As early as the Great Zhou era, six thousand years ago, legends of his agelessness had already spread. Many Qi Cultivators of that age knew that although this ageless youth was muddleheaded and ignorant, he could decipher certain lost scripts.

For example, he could decipher jade slips containing the immortal Dao, as well as Heavenly Dao runes embodying the Heavenly Dao.

His insight surpassed that of anyone from that era!

Jiang Qi knew that if Xu Ying said the runes on the palm were wrong in eight places, then they were wrong in eight places. Not one more; not one less.

He drew in a ragged breath. His injuries flared again, sending a dull ache through him. Enduring the pain, he said, “Ageless Immortal...”

“Grand Preceptor, just call me Xu Ying or Ah Ying,” said Xu Ying.

Jiang Qi gave an apologetic smile, paused, and said, “Senior Ah Ying, I don’t know much about that stretch of history, but I have heard a rumor concerning heavenly tribulations.”

He paused again, then continued, “The rumor says that ancient immortals gathered the power of the Heavenly Dao and created Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts, then bestowed them upon the heavenly gods of the Heavenly Dao World, entrusting them with the governance of the myriad realms.”

Xu Ying was stunned, then laughed despite himself. “So those martial-blind fools were immortals!”

Jiang Qi was slightly taken aback. Although he held the exalted position of Grand Preceptor of the Great Zhou and was extraordinarily intelligent, he had no idea what martial-blind meant.

“The heavenly gods control the artifacts that control the Qi Cultivators’ heavenly tribulations. They reward and punish the myriad realms, and when a world commits great treason and rebellion, they use the divine artifacts to unleash tribulations upon it.”

Jiang Qi continued, “The Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts also control the intensity of a Qi Cultivator’s heavenly tribulation. According to my information, the artifact determines the next heavenly tribulation’s intensity based on the strength of the previous Qi Cultivator who transcended their tribulation and ascended.”

At first, Xu Ying sensed nothing amiss. But after thinking it through, he immediately spotted the problem.

Doesn’t that mean the next Qi Cultivator must be at least as strong as the previous ascender to survive their tribulation?

Xu Ying cried out, “Only if the next ascender is stronger than the previous one can they survive the heavenly tribulation. And the next one must be stronger still! If this continues, the tribulation will eventually reach a level that the overwhelming majority of Qi Cultivators cannot survive!”

He recalled the super heavenly tribulation Zhou Qiyun faced.

Then there were the ruins left by more than forty super heavenly tribulations in Huotong Grotto Heaven, along with the traces of two hundred sixty-seven in Taiyi Little Profound Heaven!

These super heavenly tribulations clearly proved that, in some ancient era, an unimaginably powerful Qi Cultivator once existed. After he survived his tribulation and ascended, the Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact designed the next heavenly tribulation based on his strength.

That heavenly tribulation severed every Qi Cultivator’s hope of ascension, turning tribulation-based ascension into a nightmare that haunted them all.

From then on, no one could ascend.

Jiang Qi seemed to understand what he was thinking. “That’s right. It was the super heavenly tribulation.”

Dazhong asked, “Grand Preceptor, super heavenly tribulations already existed six thousand years ago?”

Jiang Qi said, “Yes, they existed during the Great Zhou period and may even predate it. Back then, I investigated numerous ancient grotto heaven ruins and found traces of super heavenly tribulations dating to remote antiquity.”

Xu Ying, Yuanqi, and Dazhong were all startled. They had thought super heavenly tribulations could be traced back only to high antiquity at most. They had never expected them to date back to remote antiquity!

Jiang Qi said, “I traced them back to forty-eight thousand years ago. That was where the record of super heavenly tribulations ended.”

“Forty-eight thousand years ago?” Xu Ying felt a little dizzy. That was far too ancient.

Jiang Qi said, “Forty-eight thousand years ago, heavenly tribulations were not as terrifyingly powerful as they are now, but they were still astonishing. The tribulation clouds spanned a circumference of six thousand li.”

A circumference of six thousand li was already terrifying. The power of heavenly tribulations back then was likely not much less than it was now!

“Go back another thousand years, and the tribulation clouds had a circumference of five thousand five hundred li.”

Jiang Qi continued, “Another thousand years back, five thousand two hundred li. Farther back still, four thousand nine hundred li.”

He traced them back to sixty thousand years ago. The tribulation clouds then had a circumference of only three hundred li, a relatively manageable scale for most Ascension Stage Qi Cultivators. A three-hundred-li heavenly tribulation was difficult to survive, but not so powerful that ascension was impossible.

Further back, even grotto heavens and spiritual sanctuaries contained few traces of heavenly tribulations. Whatever traces remained had been eroded by time, having endured for far too long.

“Three hundred li, sixty thousand years ago. That should be when the Heavenly Dao Divine Artifact was created. Before that, when Qi Cultivators underwent tribulations, the artifacts probably didn't govern them. The strength of the heavenly tribulation depended on the Qi Cultivator’s own destined calamity.”

Jiang Qi said, “After that, the Heavenly Dao Divine Artifacts governed heavenly tribulations, with each tribulation’s strength determined by the previous ascender. Anyone capable of ascending had to be stronger than the previous ascender. This continued until forty-eight thousand years ago, when the system finally encountered a super ascender and became an unsolvable problem.”

The Super Ascender had been so incomparably powerful that it inspired despair. Their heavenly tribulation covered a radius of more than one thousand li, with a circumference close to seven thousand li. It finally transformed the Qi Cultivators’ dream of ascension into a nightmare.

He thus became the final ascender.

After him, no one could ascend. No one could cultivate to his level, let alone surpass him. Naturally, no one could survive the heavenly tribulation.

His ascension forty-eight thousand years ago thus marked the beginning of the Qi Cultivators’ gradual decline.

Xu Ying slowly pieced together the events from forty-eight thousand years ago to the present and said to Yuanqi and Dazhong, “After the final ascender ascended, the top Qi Cultivators of that era fell one after another beneath the super heavenly tribulation.

“The strongest figures from one lineage after another were wiped out, and the world gradually entered the Age of Qi Cultivator Decline.”

He spoke unhurriedly, laying out his deductions. His words captured not only Yuanqi’s and Dazhong’s attention but Jiang Qi’s as well, making the latter forget even his pain.

“With no path forward, the Qi Cultivators sought every possible route to ascension, but every attempt failed. Among them was the discovery of the Other Shore,” Xu Ying said.

Jiang Qi opened his mouth, unable to resist interrupting. He wanted to refute Xu Ying and tell him that the attempt to ascend to the Other Shore had not failed.

But after thinking it over, his expression dimmed.

Ascending to the Other Shore was not true immortality. In the end, it was still a failure. Otherwise, why would they have needed to return?

Xu Ying continued, “The Qi Cultivators of the Great Zhou period discovered the Other Shore and immortal herbs. Many Qi Cultivators tried to cross the vast distance to the Other Shore to gather immortal herbs to achieve immortality. Among them, the emperor of Zhou drew the most attention.”

He said softly, “He unified all under heaven, commanded the feudal lords, ordered the realm’s divine weapons to be surrendered to him, and refined the Other Shore Divine Vessel.

“He intended to bring his entire court, both civil and military, aboard it and cross to the Other Shore, allowing the whole court to ascend and attain immortality. However, after reaching the Other Shore, they discovered that they were trapped there.”

Yuanqi hurriedly raised his tail and added, “Old Ancestor Chanchan was entrusted with refining the Other Shore Divine Vessel. Though she held the honored rank of Master Craftsman of the Great Zhou, she cut corners, so after the vessel set out, accidents plagued it.”

Xu Ying looked at Jiang Qi. Jiang Qi nodded repeatedly and sighed. “There were plenty of accidents, yes, but they were all minor. Master Craftsman Zhu may lack integrity, but her skill was superb. The vessel forced its way through countless hardships and reached the Other Shore.”

The dangers and close calls along the way were not for outsiders to know. So, he didn’t say anything further.

Xu Ying said, “Emperor Zhou carried the strongest Qi Cultivators of that era to the Other Shore. That left many Qi Cultivation inheritances that no one could understand. After suffering another tremendous blow, the Qi Cultivation tradition declined even faster. Then some people put their clever minds to work, setting the stage for the later rise of the Exorcist Masters.”

From the Great Zhou to the Great Qin, Exorcist Masters rose from obscurity. Many events during this period reshaped the generations that followed.

For example, Ancestral Dragon discovered that exorcism arts concealed hidden traps, and most of the arts circulating outside were false. Therefore, he burned the books and buried alive the Exorcists and Qi Cultivators who had spread those false arts.

Another event occurred during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Great Han. A Qi Cultivator surnamed Dong dismissed the Hundred Schools and honored only the Exorcist Arts, setting off a wave of Heaven-Man Resonance. This wave of resonance led the most powerful Qi Cultivators of that age to make contact with foreign gods.

For reasons unknown, the Heaven-Man Resonance evolved into the Great Seal of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and earth folded in upon themselves, the Divine Land shrank, and famous mountains, great rivers, and sacred lands vanished one after another, swallowed by the Abyss of Cangwu.

Qi Cultivators vanished completely for three thousand years, and exorcism arts fully replaced Qi cultivation as the orthodox path.

“This continued until Xu Fu killed people in Zhudu Kingdom, summoned the Plague God, made the Hell River change course, and brought about the underworld’s invasion.”

Xu Ying concluded, “From that point on, a series of drastic changes took place. The Abyss of Cangwu returned the sealed lands along with ancient famous mountains, great rivers, and all the major sacred lands, which appeared one after another.”

Jiang Qi listened, absorbed, then suddenly asked, “Who is Xu Fu?”

Yuanqi said, “He looks to be in his twenties or thirties and stands atop a boulder one zhang square. He wears black clothes with a red sash. There’s a scar at the corner of his left eye, and when he gets excited, the scar turns red, like a blood centipede crouching there.”

Jiang Qi said in surprise, “His name is Xu Fu?”

Xu Ying asked, puzzled, “Grand Preceptor Jiang, do you know him?”

Jiang Qi said, “Minister Coachman Gongyang Ce once mentioned him. Gongyang Ce was the vanguard who scouted the route for the divine vessel, and he returned to the Divine Land before I did. In a great tomb near Haojing, Xu Fu nearly murdered him. Are you saying he orchestrated the new lands’ appearance?”

Xu Ying recounted Xu Fu’s deeds, beginning with how he had gathered a group of Qi Cultivators in Zhudu Kingdom to kill people and offer sacrifices to the Plague God.

He then described how the Hell River changed course and how the underworld was invaded. He mentioned Fairy Qingbi's rescue, the emergence of new lands, the resurrection of the Ancestral Dragon, and several other events.

“He said he had three goals. The first was to resurrect the Ancestral Dragon, and that has already been accomplished,” said Xu Ying.

Xu Ying said, “The second goal is to restore the Qi Cultivation path. In my view, cultivating both the Exorcist Arts and qi is the best path. Restoring the Qi Cultivator tradition is out of step with the times and doomed to fail.”

Jiang Qi’s eyes gradually brightened as he praised Xu Fu. “This man will use any means to achieve his goals. He is formidable.”

Xu Ying pondered for a moment and said, “He went to visit the Qi Cultivator Li Xiaoke of Jiucailing Ridge on Mount Jiulong, and then Li Xiaoke released the new land of Mount Jiulong back into the world. Because of that, I suspect all the new lands, large and small, appeared because he visited the vanished Qi Cultivators.

“Even the reappearance of Yunmeng Marsh might be connected to him.”

Jiang Qi was just about to speak when the world within the fish’s belly lurched violently, shaking with tremendous force. Then the sky split open.

The people living in the Fish Belly Realm panicked and fled in every direction, but where could they run? Their ancestors had fled the Divine Land, traveling far from the Yuanshou Realm before settling here.

Life had been too comfortable, and they had little contact with the outside world, so they had long since lost the qi-refining arts their ancestors had passed down. The strongest Qi Cultivator in this world had only reached the Gate-Knocking Stage. Escaping this world was impossible.

“The Dragon Abyss heavenly god has found us!”

Xu Ying’s heart turned cold. He looked up and saw that the sky was the great fish’s belly. Now that the belly had been cut open, the great fish was bound to die. Once the great fish died, the Fish Belly Realm would collapse. Everyone in the Fish Belly Realm would perish along with the fish inside this gaseous planet.

Jiang Qi’s face darkened. With a sigh, he said, “I wanted to clear the obstacles for Emperor Zhou, seize more Origin Dao Essence, restore the cultivation of some of my people, and then return to our homeland. I never thought we would encounter the heavenly god and die here today.”

He reached toward the gourd at his waist, and his expression changed slightly. “Where is my Origin Dao Essence?”

Yuanqi hurriedly took out the gourd and said awkwardly, “I picked it up.”

Jiang Qi rallied his spirit. He had no time to ask where Yuanqi had found it. Struggling to his feet, he took the gourd. “I most likely won’t survive. His recovery ability is far stronger than mine. All I can do in this battle is risk my life and—”

He was about to pull out the stopper and tilt his head back to drink the Origin Dao Essence when Xu Ying reached out, snatched the gourd from his hand, tilted his head back, and drank deeply. Then he sighed and said, “All I can do in this battle is risk my life”