Chapter 456: Ascension Platform

When Lu Sangjiu finally passed through the path full of temptations, her consciousness abruptly cleared.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw that high in the sky, the Immortal Gate was wide open, surrounded by auspicious clouds. A Heavenly Ascension Ladder stretched down from it, all the way to Lu Sangjiu’s feet.

’This... is this Ascension?’

Lu Sangjiu’s heart surged with emotion, but she didn’t forget to glance back at Gu Jue.

"Mr. Gu, thank you for your help. I will remember my promise and will definitely find a way to help you!"

Gu Jue stood in the distance, watching her. His expression was placid as he said, "Take care."

Lu Sangjiu didn’t look back again. She walked up the ladder step by step until she finally pushed open the Immortal Gate. She felt the power throughout her body transforming!

After a blinding flash of white light, Lu Sangjiu found herself facing a new scene and new people.

At this moment, however, she had no time to observe her surroundings. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees!

It was because she felt the last trace of Heavenly Punishment Qi in her body vanish into nothingness at that instant. As a result, the Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi within her immediately went on a rampage!

Normally, after Ascension, one’s cultivation would reach the Earth Immortal level, and the Spiritual Energy in their body would be compressed into Immortal Qi.

But Lu Sangjiu didn’t just have Spiritual Energy in her body; she also had Demonic Qi.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Punishment Qi, which had been suppressing both energies and preventing them from running wild, disappeared the moment she left the Spirit Void Realm. This threw the energies in Lu Sangjiu’s body into immediate chaos.

For a moment, she could only feel the two streams of energy intertwining within her, neither willing to yield in the slightest.

Her body, which served as a vessel, naturally became the one to suffer. For a moment, she felt as if she was about to be torn apart by the tyrannical power!

"Fellow Cultivator, what’s wrong?"

In her agony, Lu Sangjiu heard someone ask a question nearby. She struggled to raise her head and saw a male cultivator. His cultivation was so profound she couldn’t see through it; he must be stronger than an Earth Immortal.

Although she said nothing, he seemed to guess what she was thinking from her eyes and introduced himself, "Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person."

"This is the Ascension Platform within the Qiyue Sect’s territory. My name is Shi Song. I’m a disciple assigned by the Qiyue Sect to guard the Ascension Platform and receive cultivators from the Lower Realm."

"Regardless of whether you join the Qiyue Sect, I can offer you some simple assistance to help you integrate into the Immortal Spirit Realm more quickly."

"But the state you’re in right now..." A trace of confusion flashed in his eyes. "Were you attacked with Demonic Qi?"

Apparently, Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation was a rare practice even in the Immortal Spirit Realm. So, the man before her subconsciously assumed Lu Sangjiu had been attacked with Demonic Qi, not considering any other possibility.

Lu Sangjiu didn’t know how Demon Cultivators were viewed here, so naturally, she wouldn’t reveal too much.

So she just forced herself to shake her head. "I’m fine... Thank you."

After speaking, she endured the pain racking her body and staggered forward, wanting to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Shi Song had seen many cultivators who had ascended from the Lower Realm and understood perfectly well that most of them were highly vigilant.

So, seeing Lu Sangjiu act this way was nothing strange to him. He quickly took a couple of steps to catch up and pressed a Jade Scroll into her hand.

"This Jade Scroll records a lot of information about the Immortal Spirit Realm. Take it. It might be helpful to you."

Lu Sangjiu paused. She glanced at the Jade Scroll in her hand, then back at Shi Song, and gave a difficult nod. "Shi Song... Thank you."

After saying that, she didn’t linger any longer and quickly left the area.

Not long after Lu Sangjiu left, the space at the Ascension Platform suddenly fluctuated, and in the next moment, a handsome man appeared.

Shi Song felt the aura of an Immortal King coming from the newcomer and hurriedly bowed politely.

"I was not aware of Your Majesty’s arrival. Is there some urgent matter?"

Ji Li’s expression was frosty. Sensing the residual aura here, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

"The Female Cultivator who just ascended here, where is she?"

Shi Song’s heart tightened. Sensing the other party’s unfriendly attitude, he couldn’t help but wonder to himself, ’Who in the world was that Female Cultivator? Did she have enemies here the moment she ascended?’

Although he didn’t know the full story, he didn’t dare be vague when questioned by an Immortal King. He answered honestly, "She went that way."

Ji Li glanced in the direction he pointed but didn’t rush to give chase. He simply asked, "Did she seem unusual in any way?"

Shi Song nodded hesitantly. "The moment she appeared on the Ascension Platform, she collapsed to her knees, her face wracked with pain. I saw what looked like rampaging Demonic Qi around her. It seemed she had been afflicted by Demonic Qi."

Ji Li sneered. ’Just as I thought.’

He had already considered this before Lu Sangjiu’s Ascension: after she ascended, the Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi in her body would go on a rampage. At that point, he might not even need to act; she would tear herself apart.

He hadn’t expected to be outsmarted by that new Heavenly Dao and Lu Sangjiu, allowing her to ascend stealthily before he noticed.

But the thought of her despair—believing she had a chance at survival, only to find she still couldn’t escape her fatal predicament—instantly lifted his gloomy mood.

’No matter how much she struggles, she’s just an ant. How ridiculous!’

Ji Li said no more and turned to pursue her in the direction Shi Song had indicated.

Shi Song didn’t dare lie about this, because her residual aura still lingered here. If he had pointed in the wrong direction, Ji Li would have discovered it immediately.

Indeed, Ji Li did detect Lu Sangjiu’s aura in that direction, but after chasing for only a short distance, it abruptly vanished.

Ji Li narrowed his eyes. "...Thousand Faces of Life."

He knew her trump cards all too well. The only one that would still be effective in the Immortal Spirit Realm was the Thousand Faces of Life.

The Ascension Platform was in a remote area that few people visited. There was no one around, making it impossible to even find someone to ask for information.

For now, Ji Li had completely lost Lu Sangjiu’s trail.

Of course, he wasn’t in a hurry. Lu Sangjiu was a drifter here with no roots or support. She wouldn’t find anyone to help her in time. No matter how hard she tried to hold on, she wouldn’t be able to endure the rampage of Demonic Qi and Spiritual Energy for long.

’She’s as good as dead.’

Despite thinking this, Ji Li had suffered at Lu Sangjiu’s hands before. After some thought, he decided to issue a wanted notice for her directly throughout the Immortal Spirit Realm.

’I’ll only be at ease when I see her corpse.’

Having done all this, Ji Li wasted no more time on Lu Sangjiu. From the very beginning, the only opponent he had ever truly acknowledged was Xie Ningyuan.

Letting a little bug like Lu Sangjiu escape was inconsequential, but he absolutely could not allow any more mishaps to occur with Xie Ningyuan!

Meanwhile, Lu Sangjiu, wearing the mask of the Thousand Faces of Life, had transformed herself into the guise of an ordinary young boy.

Right now, she dared not go toward crowded places, nor did she dare venture deep into the mountain forests. She simply found a place that looked relatively safe after getting far enough away from the Ascension Platform and stopped.

By now, the clash between her Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi had reached its peak. Lu Sangjiu could no longer suppress it. She had no choice but to sit down on the spot and face the impact head-on!