Chapter 1766: Arrival

A gigantic lotus the size of a mountain quietly sat in the sea of clouds in the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Vast and pure waves of energy emanated from it endlessly, causing all sorts of shocking phenomena.

Yan Changsheng and Su Ying were standing in the air, looking into the center of the Withering Glory Heart Lotus. Two youths were sitting there. It was none other than Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e.

They were like black holes, continuously devouring the energy coming from the Withering Glory Heart Lotus. It was a treasure that contained Divine Fruit Authority, and Jiang Qing'e managed to reach the Ninth Transcendent Duke Stage thanks to it. The energy undulations coming from Li Luo became more powerful with each passing day.

Yan Changsheng and Su Ying's gazes lingered on Jiang Qing'e's slender figure. There was a peculiar look in their eyes, as after she had reached the Ninth Transcendent Duke Stage, she started radiating an unimaginably sacred aura. Even the Divine Fruit energy that emanated from the Withering Glory Heart Lotus felt a little lackluster in comparison to her aura.

"Can you sense it? Her light resonance is beginning to awaken. I never would have imagined that the Sect Master's Quasi Tenth-grade light resonance would once again reveal its splendor to the world," said Yan Changsheng, full of nostalgia.

"I never thought that a resonance could evolve to the point of developing its own sentience akin to a living creature. The tenth grade is truly incredible... We cannot possibly begin to fathom it." Su Ying sighed with respect.

She and Yan Changsheng were pinnacle experts, yet there was a colossal gap between them and the Sect Master. She was truly the number one expert to ever live. Only someone on her level was capable of smashing through the Shadow World's most resplendent era, interrupting their development and forcing them into a long period of dormancy afterwards. The only reason that the plague known as Others hadn't been eradicated was because the Origin of Absolute Corruption was far more terrifying than anyone ever expected.

"Yin Qingkun has managed to survive until today. He ended up forming the Origin Reversion Institute, and is working together with the Shadow World. The Sect Master's Quasi Tenth-grade extinction resonance is with him. Just what is going on there?" Su Ying suddenly asked.

Yan Changsheng frowned as he answered, "When the Sect Master chose to seal her resonances all those years ago, the extinction and light resonances were the strongest two and were thus left for last. Before the two of us brought the withering glory resonance away, I could tell from the way she was acting that the extinction resonance was greatly corrupted by the Origin of Absolute Corruption. She used the light resonance to suppress it, but it seems that when the light and extinction resonances were the only ones left, something happened. This probably explains the destruction of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, forcing it and all of its knowledge to be lost in the river of time."

Yan Changsheng's expression was complex. He couldn't believe that an unimaginably powerful organization like the Sacred Void Resonance Sect had collapsed and disappeared literally overnight.

He took a deep breath, his expression icy and gloomy. "Regardless, we can't forgive Yin Qingkun for conspiring with the Shadow World. He has betrayed the iron-clad rules of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. If the two of us ever leave the Spiritual Resonance Cave, we'll have to punish him on behalf of the Sect Master."

Su Ying nodded in agreement. They were a couple, so she naturally understood his temperament. When they were still in the Sacred Void Resonance Sect, Yan Changsheng was in charge of the Discipline Hall, supervising countless elders. This made him the most feared individual in the entire sect. With how stern Yan Changsheng was, there was no way Yin Qingkun would be spared.

"Before we decide what to do, let's find out if we can even leave this place. Li Luo's comprehension of the withering glory resonance has been rather slow. Even now, we have yet to see a single sign of a new withering glory resonance," said Su Ying, deliberately changing the subject.

Yan Changsheng fell into deep thought. In this past year, they had been constantly observing Li Luo as he attempted to comprehend the withering glory resonance. Although his strength was gradually rising due to the absorption of the Withering Glory Heart Lotus' energy, a new resonance had yet to appear. Without a new withering glory resonance, the two of them could not possibly leave the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Not only that, they would eventually turn into dust.

"It looks like it's much harder than expected to produce a completely new withering glory resonance. Furthermore, the Heart Lotus isn't the true withering glory resonance," Yan Changsheng continued.

Absorbing the lotus' energy was a simple task, but gaining enlightenment to produce a new resonance? That was a completely different problem. If Li Luo couldn't achieve adequate enlightenment before the energy ran out, the elder couple would lose all hope for survival.

"We will have to leave everything to fate," said Su Ying. She had made her peace. After all, they had lived for far too long and were already quite weary. If not for the Origin Reversion War and their wish to protect the divine continents, they would've moved on with no regrets.

Yan Changsheng nodded, then they both vanished from the sea of clouds.

......

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Winter left and spring came with blooming flowers. Unknowingly, yet another year had passed. Outstanding geniuses emerged in an endless stream like carp crossing a river. It was a scene of a magnificent cultivation paradise.

Qi Huang, Wang Xuanjin, and the others would enter the Spiritual Resonance Cave every so often to check on Li Luo. Even though his strength was constantly rising, there were no signs of a new withering glory resonance being born. As time passed, the energy of the Heart Lotus was gradually being exhausted.

The hopes in Qi Huang and the others' eyes began to snuff out as time passed, their hearts turning heavy. Without the withering glory resonance, the divine continents would lose the aid of Yan Changsheng and Su Ying, two Divine Fruit Heavenly Emperors. This was a catastrophic and disappointing loss. The divine continents only had three Divine Fruit Heavenly Emperors. This was far fewer than the Shadow World.

Yan Changsheng and Su Ying themselves gradually also started to give up on their hopes of surviving. Perhaps it was fate, after all. They didn't even belong to this era.

On the positive side, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were progressing to the peak of the Ninth Transcendent Duke Stage. With their foundation, they would far surpass ordinary Heavenly Emperors if they broke through. At the very least, they would possess three Authorities.

An average newly ascended Heavenly Emperor only possessed one Authority. Only after further improving their comprehension would they have two, three, and maybe four Authorities. Once one reached that final step, they could nurture a Divine Fruit, reaching the absolute pinnacle of strength.

The Path of Ascension allowed one to forge an extraordinary foundation. Thus, when the duo finally reached the Heavenly Emperor Stage, they would exceed ordinary Heavenly Emperors and the number of top-tier combatants would increase.

......

In the days that followed, Qi Huang and the rest reduced the frequency of their visits to the Spiritual Resonance Cave. Even though the Ten Years of Heavenly Fate were about to come to an end, every expert was still doing their best to cultivate as much as possible, hoping to obtain as much Heavenly Fate as possible before the final moment came.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, however, had reached a bottleneck at the peak of the Ninth Transcendent Duke Stage. Clearly, jumping over that final hurdle was no easy feat, even with all the energy they had accumulated.

That said, they weren't anxious at all and continued to cultivate peacefully, refining and absorbing the remaining energy of the Withering Glory Heart Lotus.

......

Time continued to pass, and only half a year was left. This final stretch was essentially a period of torment for the living creatures of the divine continents, as they felt like time had slowed to a crawl. Even so, the experts continued to cultivate with unstoppable fervor. They all knew that this was the final chance to raise their strength.

At the end of the ten years, the divine continents' blessings and Heavenly Fate would be overdrawn, causing the subsequent several hundred years to perhaps not produce any Kings until things stabilized. Even so, such a consequence wasn't important. If they lost the Origin Reversion War, there would be no future for anyone.

Time ticked by like a clock counting down, echoing in the hearts of the living, causing inexplicable distress.

Five months...

Three months...

One month...

Ten days...

The final day...

It was time.