Chapter 648: Send You On Your Way!

At the Cao Immortal Manor, Yun Xiao had just returned from outside to find an additional presence—a diminutive figure with a large head and squinty, smiling eyes.

It was none other than the Longevity Immortal, a favored figure of the Imperial Treasury, and a disciple of the Dragon Tiger Sovereign. Renowned throughout the Great Dao Celestial Realm, there wasn't a soul who didn't know of him.

Unexpectedly, the Longevity Immortal had come to him, not waiting for Yun Xiao to seek him out in the divine land of the Celestial Court. His eagerness about the matter of receiving incense offerings even surpassed Yun Xiao's disdain.

With an impassive expression, Yun Xiao greeted him, "This humble Immortal greets the Longevity Immortal."

Standing before him was a Rank 2 Heavenly Officer whose cultivation far surpassed that of a Golden Immortal.

Yun Xiao, capable of sweeping across those at the same level as him, now faced one whose spirit was vast and whose celestial power was as boundless as an abyss.

However, figures like the Longevity Immortal, Gu Suwan, and Moon Sword Goddess could never have guessed that, in just one night, Yun Xiao's cultivation had explosively increased by three whole stages from a night of intense

wrestling

. He was now comparable to some Rank 3 Heavenly Officers.

His arrival at the Celestial Court was recent, yet in terms of innate talent, no one across could compare. Protagonists like Ye Xingchen, Ling Chen, and Lu Fan from other sagas, who typically dominated their stories, were mere dust beside him.

In the celestial realm, Yun Xiao stood unparalleled.

To Yun Xiao, the resources needed to form the Tri Heaven Sariras and Origin Orbs were still of utmost importance. Lacking resources, he could only continue to grind slowly.

The Longevity Immortal, Gu Suwan, and the Moon Sword Goddess all noticed his overnight transformation.

"Where were you last night?" the Moon Sword Goddess asked softly.

"In a forsaken place of retreat," Yun Xiao replied.

"Was it fruitful?" she asked, her voice tinged with a deeper curiosity.

"Quite fruitful indeed," he confirmed.

From behind, the Longevity Immortal chuckled, "Your talents surpass even those of the Chaos Sovereign."

"You compare me to him, which only shows your lack of imagination," Yun Xiao suddenly remarked.

"Uh."

The Longevity Immortal hadn't expected Yun Xiao to be so forthright, and was momentarily taken aback by the blunt retort. But he quickly smiled, changing the subject with ease. "Today, I've come to the Thunder Department to assist you in receiving the imperial blessing of a thousand starlit offerings. Since your vitality has been restored, shall we set off?"

After speaking, he smiled and squinted at Yun Xiao, who remembered this exact grin—one that often stewed pot after pot of ascenders.

"Please, Longevity Immortal," Yun Xiao nodded.

"And us?" Gu Suwan asked.

"Do not worry, my friends." The Longevity Immortal chuckled, stroking his beard. "I shall protect your son and disciple, ensuring his safe and enriched return."

It was clear they were not invited to join.

The rites of receiving incense offerings had their rules, and the Moon Sword Goddess and Gu Suwan knew better than to insist.

"Let's depart."

With a slight smile from the Longevity Immortal, a celestial ship shaped like a golden ingot soared towards them, casting a brilliant golden light. Though not as grand as the Nine Thunders Divine Ark, this golden treasure ship had plenty of space for both Yun Xiao and the Longevity Immortal.

"Immortals above, the fire of mortals below, a reflection of heaven's virtue!"

With a beaming smile, the Longevity Immortal took the helm. The golden treasure ship lifted off from the ruins of the Thunder Department and ascended into the sky.

Elsewhere, on a high tower of the Myriad Divine Thunder Bureau, nine identical violet-haired youths stood with a stern gaze, watching the departing golden treasure ship.

"The world of the Immortal Asylum?"

The Nine Thunders Sovereign, his eyes sparking with electric serpents, his expression deeply cold, faced the wind and cast a flying talisman towards the Divine Gateway.

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The golden treasure ship rose into the sky, surrounded by the fierce blaze of the Celestial Sourcecore, roaring like hundreds of thousands of volcanic beasts around them.

Yun Xiao stood at the prow, his hair flowing in the fiery clouds. Suddenly pointing in a direction, he asked, "What place is that?"

Without even looking, the Longevity Immortal replied with a cheerful smile, "That is the Ascension Pool I oversee!"

"Oh, the place where the ascenders get stewed?" Yun Xiao chuckled, shaking his head.

"Shh," the Longevity Immortal winked. "We mustn't speak carelessly. The Ascension Pool's duty is to guard the gateway of the Great Dao Celestial Realm, to keep the foreign devils at bay. These days, true ascenders are few, and devils many. What we stew are mostly those devils with ill intentions."

"So, you must be terribly busy on most days?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Indeed." The Longevity Immortal sighed, his voice tinged with resignation. "Batch after batch, it's enough to wear an old Immortal out."

"Despite such busyness, you still found time to accompany me to receive the offerings. I truly appreciate it," Yun Xiao expressed.

"Don't mention it. Guiding a young Champion like yourself onto the path is also a privilege granted by the Emperor," the Longevity Immortal paused, then added with a smile, "Once we've done this the first time, your future descents among the mortals, becoming a faith for the masses, will all be smooth sailing."

Yun Xiao nodded deeply, then, pointing in the direction of the Ascension Pool, he asked, "Hey, is the Ascension Pool always this lively?"

"What?" The Longevity Immortal was taken aback for a moment.

He looked towards the Ascension Pool and saw waves of disturbances, billowing smoke, tumultuous celestial magic, and heard numerous screams of agony.

"There's trouble at the Ascension Pool!" the Longevity Immortal exclaimed.

This was no small matter!

In all his years overseeing the Ascension Pool, such an incident had never occurred.

"It's fortunate that we stumbled upon this."

The Longevity Immortal's squinted eyes widened slightly as he said to Yun Xiao, "This may delay us a bit."

"No matter, attend to your urgent matters first," Yun Xiao replied.

"Agreed!"

Without further ado, the Longevity Immortal altered the course of the golden treasure ship, steering it towards the Ascension Pool.

KLANG! KLANG! KLANG!

The area around the Ascension Pool was fortified with the celestial formations of the Celestial Sourcecore, making it exceedingly difficult for outsiders to breach.

However, as the master of the Ascension Pool, the Longevity Immortal navigated the ship through layers of clouds and turbulence, finally entering the vicinity of the Ascension Pool.

"Up ahead!"

Stepping onto the landing, the Longevity Immortal widened his eyes to see the area around the Ascension Pool in chaos, with continuous screams piercing the air.

"Which devil dares to intrude upon the gateway of the Celestial Court!"

With a cold declaration, the Longevity Immortal signaled for Yun Xiao to stay put. He then leapt from the golden treasure ship, transforming into a streak of light, and dashed towards the Ascension Pool!

"The Longevity Immortal has arrived!"

His arrival stirred waves of calls and exclamations.

"Who is causing this mayhem?"

Approaching the white jade bridge that led to the Ascension Pool, the Longevity Immortal gazed into the waters, now dyed red with blood. The structure of the pool was riddled with damage, and Ambrosia nectar splashed all around from the devastating blows.

Beneath a ghostly white figure, the bodies of officials from the Imperial Treasury were strewn about, each gruesomely mangled, their forms marred by lightning and flames.

"Uh..." The Longevity Immortal's face turned ashen!

His eyes widened in horror at the sight of the small, delicate figure in white, looking as innocent and fragile as a porcelain doll, yet her hands wielded a pair of massive meteor hammers!

"Divine Dawn!" The Longevity Immortal trembled from head to toe.

"Weren't you at the Divine Gateway? How are you here!" he stammered, panic seizing him as he stumbled backward.

The powerful Taisui Sage had fallen at the hands of this princess; the Longevity Immortal knew he stood no chance in combat.

"I came out specifically to send you on your way," the girl in the white dress said, her voice soft and sweet, reminiscent of a cat's purr but with a tone as fierce as a tiger's roar.

BOOM!

The words had barely left her lips when the smaller of the hammers burst through the thick smoke, striking like thunder, and hitting the Longevity Immortal squarely at the back of his head.

BOOM!

With that blow, the Longevity Immortal's body transformed into a golden gourd, rolling and bursting on the ground.

"Seventh Princess, don't kill me! I am a good person!" the golden gourd screamed.

In response, a massive flaming hammer fell from the sky, instantly pulverizing the golden gourd into dust and blasting the celestial hall into fragments!

The Longevity Immortal was obliterated, body and spirit!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The fair-skinned girl hovered in the air, wielding the Primordial Doom Stars with abandon, smashing everything in the Ascension Pool to bits. Wherever her thunderous strikes and fiery blasts reached, only ruins remained!

The Longevity Immortal and his subordinates didn't even have a chance to send a distress signal; they all perished right there!

JustLivingJL's Thoughts

I feel like this is close enough... Would you consider a pumpkin a gourd?