Chapter 458 - Heaven and Earth Rejoice!

"Quick! Start practicing the Ascension Technique now!"

Within the confines of the Mystic Zenith Temple, over 100,000 students and Sacred Sages lay on the ground, writhing in agony as they endured the devastating force of impending doom. The anguish was palpable, and for many ensnared within the realm of five decays, the next tier of calamity was unwittingly invoked.

Some were reduced to ashes on the spot, a sight horrifying to witness.

Screams echoed—a mix of pain, panic, and despair shrouding the hearts of all.

In that moment of chaos, a young man clad in golden robes named Tian Chen descended, his expression solemn. He called out, rallying the disciples with a voice that cut through the despair, "Yun Xiao alone has slaughtered tens of thousands, provoking the heavens to unleash this catastrophe, bringing suffering to all beings!

"The Primordial Ruins face this adversity yet again. Only through the Ascension Technique can we evade divine punishment and distinguish ourselves from the evil fiends. Why hesitate to practice?"

As Tian Chen sat down, encircled by flames, he began to recite the technique. Miraculously, the fire of decay surrounding him vanished, replaced by thick plumes of white smoke rising into the air.

"Practice! Practice!" Many, in their agony, followed suit and sat down to practice.

"You mustn't! It's a cursed technique!" Yue Molin, tears streaming down his face, desperately warned the new friends beside him.

"You can choose not to practice, but don't disturb others!"

"That fiend is adept at slandering the true saints! You witnessed Yun Xiao's massacre, yet you believe the disaster is due to the Three Immortals? Do you believe in the All-Life Devouring Gu? Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

"Everyone has organisms living within them! And look, aren't we all fine?"

Yue Molin collapsed, tears flooding his eyes, "No, don't..."

But his pleas fell on deaf ears as seventy percent of the disciples had already begun their practice, their agony replaced with blissful smiles. As they aged more rapidly, it seemed as though a straw had been inserted into their veins, draining their lifeblood away.

They laughed joyously, their arms open wide as if to embrace a faith that didn't exist in the void.

"Where is the All-Life Devouring Gu?" they laughed in unison.

Lil Xiu, hidden in a corner, trembled as she witnessed the scene, her throat burning, unable to speak, only capable of shedding tears.

"Where does this white smoke go?" she wondered, lifting her gaze only to see countless streams of white smoke converging above the Primordial Pagoda in the sky.

Above, a vast white vortex had already formed, enveloping the Primordial Pagoda in its immense swirl. Within this swirling maelstrom, Lil Xiu could barely make out a silver figure towering hundreds of feet tall, its chest adorned with a face that smiled with a tender mercy...

"Mystic Earth Immortal..." Her lips quivered as she uttered the name, collapsing to the ground, her face ashen.

"Mystic Earth Immortal! His divine might covers the world, his runic laws supreme, safeguarding all living beings on their paths!"

The entirety of the Primordial Ruins fell into a fervor as if reborn from disasters. Millions, with eyes bloodshot, fervently shouted towards the silhouette in the sky, their voices hoarse from their cries.

Unaware of their faces aging, their youth slipping away, they saw only the light in the darkness.

At the moment the Mystic Earth Immortal appeared, the Ascension Technique was practiced fervently. The minds of the people turned to magma, bubbling with the heat, their smiles blooming with an eerie bliss.

Sizzling sounds filled the air as white, fervent smoke blanketed the sky and earth, obscuring the heavens!

And there, the Mystic Earth Immortal, like a giant silver larva, coiled above, its abyss-like maw gaping wide, devouring everything in massive gulps.

"Mystic Earth Immortal, ah, so majestic!"

"Immortal, Immortal, Immortal..."

The people sunk into a deep sea of fervor, forever smiling in their bliss.

And Yun Xiao stood atop a high building, overseeing it all.

"Man! This is great! So freakin' great!!" Blue Star exclaimed, throwing his stubby little hands in the air. "Let's leave; there's no saving this place."

Yun Xiao said nothing, taking a step forward.

BUZZ!

The fire of decay on him erupted, consuming his body in an instant, his skin charred black.

"He's absorbed the power of all living beings. There's no doubt he's planning to use this power to break through the Primordial Pagoda. It's too late. The incarnation of transcending calamity still hasn't fully merged with the Pagoda. Even if you go now, you cannot stop him! At this moment, the Mystic Earth Immortal is invincible!" Blue Star warned.

Yun Xiao took another step forward.

SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!

The fire on him intensified tenfold.

"Stop moving, another step, and the consequences will be more severe than the last Wind Fire Tribulation. You'll invoke the wrath of the Great Decay meant to eliminate any anomalies in the Dao Realm," Blue Star cautioned.

The specter of the Great Decay loomed, its force of decay sweeping over him, igniting his primordial sacred power. Yun Xiao, at this moment, bore a torment ten times greater than any other, and Blue Star's words echoed—a tribulation wrought by the Great Decay could be 1,000, even 10,000 times worse, akin to the previous Wind Fire Tribulation that razed a third of the Demon Continent.

The celestial alignment today, unexpected and abrupt, threw Yun Xiao's plans into disarray, nudging him perilously close to the abyss of life and death.

Meanwhile, the Mystic Earth Immortal became invincible.

With the life force of tens of millions, he descended from the heavens as a silver colossus, his indifference chilling. His god-like, pallid eyes unleashed beams of light upon the Primordial Pagoda.

The fervor of the multitude, their powers willingly offered to aid the Mystic Earth Immortal, became a battle cry: "To exterminate the fiends, we unite in purpose!"

"Destroy! Destroy!"

"To purge the blight and end the suffering, from heaven to earth, let there be no more disasters!"

The deafening roars, alongside the Mystic Earth Immortal, shook the very foundation of the Primordial Pagoda. That ancient edifice, steadfast for centuries, now quivered, its brilliant lights dimming.

Within the pagoda, Dean Yu, along with the last defenders, marshaled their strength, enduring the wrathful fury of millions. Was manipulating the masses futile? This moment revealed the terrifying efficacy of such a strategy.

For the first time, Dean Yu and her companions faced an unimaginable tactic. Under the centuries-long scheme of the Three Immortals, they found themselves at the brink of an abyss.

"A century-long scheme, aimed not just at defeating Lian Xi but at destroying the Primordial Pagoda."

This was the divine artifact the Three Immortals truly feared.

"Hold on..." Dean Yu, her white hair billowing, her eyes red, focused on a sphere of white light at the pinnacle of the pagoda. Within this light, a snow-white maiden with closed eyes floated, her brows furrowed in distress, her body alight with the same fire of decay that nearly matched Yun Xiao's.

"The Primordial Mother of the Dao, the Primordial Mother of Dao..."

Whispers of despair floated around, a mournful echo amidst the chaos.

The tragic plight of the people, reflected on the inner walls of the Primordial Pagoda, was a harrowing sight to behold.

In the heart of the white light, Lian Xi's eyes betrayed her as tears cascaded down, a silent testament to the turmoil within.

The Primordial Pagoda quaked with an intensity that foretold its doom. Stone pillars fractured, walls split, and the roars of thousands outside pierced the defenders' very souls, their battle prowess diminished by the flames of celestial decay.

The alignment of sun and moon, bolstered by the will of the masses, waged a war against the pagoda, a beacon of humanity's spirit, now emitting a mournful cry reminiscent of the Sword Dao Monument toppled by the disciples of the Grand Temple.

The chilling laughter of the Mystic Earth Immortal crept into every ear, an insidious whisper that mocked their plight.

Silver specters flickered outside the pagoda's windows, their laughter taunting, "Dean Yu, you preach of inherent goodness, of confusion among the masses... Yet today proves your ignorance of human nature.

"You argued against killing those misled into aiding malicious forces, yet now, those very people threaten your precious academy's legacy. Dare you not lift a hand against them?"

Their voices, ghostly echoes intertwined with the Pagoda's dirges, stabbed at the heart like countless blades.

"Silence, vermin!" Dean Yu clenched her teeth, her energy pouring into the Primordial Pagoda, bearing the brunt of the Mystic Earth Immortal's assault as if each strike battered her own body.

She spat black blood, her skin cracking open to reveal wounds that mirrored the tower's own.

Her companions, clad in white, grew pallid, blood streaming from noses and ears, some collapsing under the invisible weight.

"Sister, is there still a chance for us?" Feng Qingcong, bloodied and weak, asked with a trembling voice.

"Yes! Hold on! Wait for the people's energy to wane, wait for Lian Xi to merge with the Pagoda!" Dean Yu's reply was a roar of defiance.

"We cannot lose. If we do, the Primordial Ruins, the myriad worlds, will have no tomorrow, just like the Oblivion Demon Sea—where only the Dreamsea Abalones thrive, and all other demons are but corpses living in illusion."

The harsh reality of the Oblivion Demon Sea, where dreams were the final refuge, chilled every defender to the bone.

The Primordial Ruins and the myriad worlds, far more vast than the Oblivion Demon Sea, teemed with life a millionfold...

"Hold on!"

But the cold laughter of the Mystic Earth Immortal turned mocking. "Ah, you still fail to grasp the terrifying power of judgment brought forth by the life sacrifices of tens of millions, each burning a decade of their lifespan for me..."

No sooner had the words left his lips than a thunderous boom echoed. The Primordial Pagoda, a monument to humanity that had stood for many millennia, shattered under the assault of lifespans sacrificed, its pieces scattering across the heavens and earth, becoming but relics of history.

"Hahaha!" the cries rose, "The stronghold of those fiends is obliterated!"

"Celebrate, for heaven and earth rejoice!"

Laughter, feverish and overwhelming, swept through like a tsunami.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Dean Yu and the others, blood spewing from their mouths, collapsed in defeat, their eyes dimming with despair.

"No..." The white-haired woman, wiping blood from her face, rose as if possessed, surrounded by countless beings who looked upon her with utter loathing.

"Look, Dean Yu has lost her mind."

"Such a fool of a woman, hilarious!"

"Rumors say she dallied with her disciples daily, might as well have me have a go."

And in the heavens...

"Lian Xi!" Dean Yu looked up, trembling.

Within the white vortex, a silver colossus descended, its maw wide open.

With a gulp, the unconscious girl within the white light was swallowed whole.

The Mystic Earth Immortal, covering his face, laughed wickedly. "Spread the word through the myriad world, in an hour, at the front of the Jade Immortal Tower in the Primordial Ruins, I will burn the child of disaster, Lian Xi, to affirm the moral order!"

Countless cultivators of the Primordial Ruins raised their arms in excitement, applauding.

"We've won!"

"Justice may be delayed, but it never fails to arrive!"