Chapter 523: A Strange Occurrence

The imposing Jiang Ran watched as the thousand-zhang-tall White Bone Gate came hurtling toward him and could not help but grin mockingly.

"Your White Bone Gate only deals with death, and only withered bones can pass through. You dare challenge my Celestial Gate with such an inferior gate?"

Shimmering sword light flowed from the Celestial Gate Sword in Jiang Ran's hand and seamlessly merged into the majestic Celestial Gate behind him.

The illusory Celestial Gate solidified into reality in the blink of an eye, looking as though it was sculpted from white jade crystal.

Carvings of dragons, Celestial Phoenixes, Qilins, Spirit Turtles, Vermilion Birds, and other divine creatures were carved into the grand structure alongside etchings of shooting stars, volcanoes, and lightning.

Each engraving exuded a profound aura representing Jiang Ran's comprehended Dao of Sword!

"A mere White Bone Gate is unworthy of mention, like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree. You truly overestimate yourself."

Jiang Ran casually slashed his Celestial Gate Sword toward the White Bone Gate.

Boom!

The Celestial Gate shot forward with the swing of his sword, crashing toward the massive White Bone Gate.

A deep sound resonated across the heavens and the earth.

Auspicious divine beasts sprang to life above the imposing Celestial Gate, unleashing furious roars as they surged toward the White Bone Gate.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Hundreds of the bone puppets were reduced to dust and scattered across the sky.

The ancient White Bone City on the other side of the White Bone Gate crumbled, with buildings collapsing one after another.

"The Heavenly Dao I pursue is something you, Lu Qinghe, will never be able to reach, something you can only look up to for the rest of your life.

"I would have ascended to the True God Realm long ago if the barrier sealing the Abyss had not prevented me from forging a path out."

"Lu Qinghe, you're armed only with your White Bone Gate and some petty tricks. Where do you find the courage to challenge me?"

Jiang Ran laughed wildly as he flicked a finger against the blade of his sword.

Woong!

The Celestial Gate Sword hummed, crisp and melodious to the ear.

Its echoing resonance shattered the still-forming bone puppets within White Bone City.

Boom!

Jiang Ran's Celestial Gate collided violently with Lu Qinghe's White Bone Gate.

The sharp sword intent Jiang Ran imprinted upon the Celestial Gate tore through the White Bone Gate, causing cracks to spread across its towering, thousand-zhang-tall frame.

A sea of black trees shifted in the east, with a gray shadow exuding the aura of death flickering within.

Mu Weifeng of the Blackwood Sect cried, "Brother Lu, I'm coming to help you!"

Meanwhile, Xie Tong reformed the Blood Prison, commanding the churning sea of blood as she charged into the battle above.

"Jiang Ran, you will die today!" she roared.

Xie Tong of the Blood Prison Sect, Lu Qinghe of the White Bone Sect, and Mu Weifeng of the Blackwood Sect were all Immortal Realm cultivators and leaders of their respective sects.

In the face of Jiang Ran's overwhelming strength, the three heretical powerhouses had no choice but to join forces to destroy the Celestial Gate and end Jiang Ran's life.

"No wonder he's the Great Elder of the Sword Pavilion!"

"Elder Jiang is unmatched!"

"The Sword Pavilion always comes through when it counts!"

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The rogue cultivators in Imperial Dominion City watched in awe as Jiang Ran overwhelmed the heretical powerhouses with nothing but his sword and the Celestial Gate conjured from it.

Their spirits surged with renewed vigor, and the flames of hope rekindled within their hearts, burning away all the negative emotions that had taken root within them.

Many cheered loudly for Jiang Ran, faces flushed with optimism as they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jiang Ran's Dao of Sword even astonished Pang Jian.

Though the Celestial Gate was conjured from sword light, it was not illusory and had taken a tangible form.

Sword light was similar to spiritual power in that it could solidify into something tangible when refined to its limit.

It seems sword light can be refined into anything.

Jiang Ran's mastery of the Dao of Sword, embodied in the Celestial Gate, expanded Pang Jian's understanding, opening a gateway to new realms of swordsmanship.

Although Li Zhaotian's swordsmanship was said to be unrivaled under the heavens, Pang Jian had never actually witnessed him in action.

Jiang Ran's Celestial Gate was the most powerful sword technique Pang Jian had encountered to date.

He condensed his sword light into a physical form that embodies the essence of his Dao of Sword. His Celestial Gate seems to resonate with his very divine soul.

It's no wonder he became the Great Elder of the Sword Pavilion.

If his Dao of Sword didn't defy the natural laws of the Abyss, he could've ascended to godhood long ago.

Pang Jian simply could not take his eyes off Jiang Ran's swordsmanship, marveling at the way Jiang Ran's sword danced as he single-handedly withstood the combined assault of three heretical powerhouses.

***

A Sword Boat was anchored in the skies of the Second World.

Liu Junhong gripped his sword token tightly as he awaited Xu Yu's response.

When the sword-shaped symbol representing Xu Yu finally flared to life, he hurriedly asked, "Well? What did Li Wang say?"

"He said...he's aware of it," Xu Yu replied with suppressed anger,

"He's aware of it? What does that even mean?" Liu Junhong exploded. "Jiang Ran has gone to the Imperial Dominion and is likely already fighting the heretical cultivators there.

"Anyone bold enough to seize two divine seats surely has something up their sleeves!

"Jiang Ran is still only in the Immortal Realm. He cannot possibly suppress the chaos in the Imperial Dominion alone!

"This upheaval needs a True God to stop it!"

Liu Junhong's outburst was understandable.

It would not take long for the True Gods to descend from the First World to the Imperial Dominion.

The Sword Boat was not far from the Imperial Dominion, and the elders on board would surely see if a True God descended without concealment.

The True Gods knew what the heretical cultivators were plotting in the fragmented land and understood that failure to intervene could result in the deaths of countless rogue cultivators and the birth of two heretical gods.

Despite knowing this, the True Gods had yet to take action, and there was no sign of them descending to the Imperial Dominion at all!

Liu Junhong could not help but wonder if the True Gods even cared about winning the battle against the foreign races of the Fifth World.

If not, he simply could not comprehend their inaction, no matter how hard he tried.

"What about the others? What did Liu Fu, Li Yuanli, and Su Wanrou say?" Wang Ce asked.

Those three True Gods had a good relationship with the Sword Pavilion and were likely to respond promptly after receiving the news from the Sword Pavilion.

"There's been no response. It's as if they never received my message," Xu Yu replied.

"No response? Xu Yu, did you make a mistake?" Liu Junhong snapped in frustration.

Xu Wei said firmly, "I've exchanged messages with them for years. How could I make a mistake at a time like this? Liu Fu, Li Yuanli, and Su Wanrou have almost certainly received my messages!"

"There's probably something happening behind the scenes that we aren't aware of," Guang He said. "Do the True Gods believe this catastrophe in the Imperial Dominion is also targeting them?"

***

In Imperial Dominion City, Pang Jian deliberately dispersed his demonic energy to blend in with the righteous cultivators.

Suddenly, he sensed a disturbance in the greenish-black sea beneath the fragmented land in his dantian.

His brow arched.

Abyssal Demon, are you interfering with my dantian?

It's not me. The six demonic realms I've refined within the sword are also experiencing abnormalities!

the Abyssal Demon exclaimed.

Somebody seems to be absorbing demonic energy!

For them to disturb the demonic energy within us...they're definitely no ordinary person!

Above! They're up above!

the Abyssal Demon cried out in alarm.

Pang Jian's eyes snapped toward the sky.

At that moment, he recalled the sinister force hovering above the Imperial Dominion, deterring rogue cultivators from attempting to escape upward.

That force resembled a black star suspended in the sky.

When the night fell, the black speck of light blended seamlessly into the black curtain of the night sky, out of sight but still present nonetheless.

The fluctuations in Pang Jian's and the Abyssal Demon Sword's demonic energy were entirely due to its presence.

They recognize both you and me! They always have!

the Abyssal Demon cried, unease deepening.

Pang Jian, they could be a demonic cultivator seeking to ascend to the True God Realm!

Worse still, they could already be a Demon God! Whatever they are, they're undeniably stronger than either of us right now.

Pang Jian, let's just leave this fragmented land and return to the Resolute Expanse.

I still have the demonic orb. I can make you as powerful as a Demon God once you ascend to the Immortal Realm.

Why risk everything in the Imperial Dominion?

asked the Abyssal Demon.

Thud!

A rogue cultivator hovering in the air abruptly plummeted to the ground without warning.

Thud! Thud!

More rogue cultivators fell from the sky, struck down at the peak of their hope.

Their blazing hope transformed into a different kind of fire at the moment of their deaths.

This fire brimmed with endless resentment, seething with rage and violence, preventing their souls from dispersing into the heavens and earth.

Eerie flames wrapped around their lingering souls, feeding on their extreme emotions and nurturing their dark thoughts.

The desolate seas of consciousness of the dead became the gateway to an eerie realm.

Pang Jian glanced at the corpse beside him, intending to use his divine sense to communicate with the one investigating the bodies of the suicide victims. However, his divine sense was abruptly pulled away, drawn into the eerie realm where ghostly flames drifted like lanterns.

Clusters of strange fire floated within the void, swirling and merging as if in the process of forging something.

An old man with a hooked nose emerged from deep within the flames.

When the old man saw the uninvited strand of golden divine sense, he smiled.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jiang Cen, the Second Elder of the Ghost Sacrifice Sect. I guided Han Zhiyuan in establishing the Shadow Specter Sect."