allonlinenovel Chapter 1063: Falling short of success
Chapter 1063: Falling short of success
Cangxuan Domain is one of the top domains of the Nine Domains Continent, with a diameter of over three thousand cosmic years. Within the domain, immortal energy surges like a tide, flowing and swirling. Immortal spirit veins, like dormant dragons, lie deep within the earth. Occasionally, brilliant mineral light pierces through the rock layers, illuminating the clouds in the sky with starlight. At any moment, they will rise into the sky, soaring through the heavens, displaying the beauty of heaven and earth.
The Cangzu Palace, the Daoist temple of the Cangxuan Immortal Clan's progenitor, the Cangxuan Ancestor, is situated atop the most central Cangxuan Immortal Mountain within the domain. The palace is entirely forged from a mixture of chaotic ice and primordial celestial stone. A faint chaotic current flows where the ice and stone meet, and the roof is covered with a layer of snow that has remained unmelted for billions of years. The snow's light mingles with the ice and stone, creating a chilling yet not biting atmosphere. The wind chimes hanging from the eaves are crafted from meteorites, emitting clear, melodious sounds in the immortal breeze. Each chime contains a Daoist charm that cleanses the soul; listening to them for even a moment can purify a cultivator's mind and solidify their Dao heart.
Inside the Cangzu Palace, the Cangxuan Ancestor, clad in a deep blue robe, sat cross-legged on a cloud bed. Embroidered on his robe were surging, towering waves that rose and fell gently with his breath. His aura was vast and unfathomable, in no way inferior to that of the Liexuan Ancestor, a perfected half-step Golden Immortal, and perhaps even slightly surpassing him in the depth of his cultivation. Countless rays of light emanated from him, auspicious clouds floated in the air, and occasionally, illusory cranes circled within the radiance—a myriad of extraordinary phenomena that demonstrated his unfathomable cultivation.
Suddenly, a streak of azure light pierced through the palace door like lightning, ignoring the numerous restrictions within the palace, and landed precisely in the hand of the Cangxuan Ancestor, transforming into a smooth and lustrous communication jade slip.
Immediately afterwards, the Cangxuan Ancestor slowly opened his tightly closed eyes. A trace of doubt flashed across his eyes, and then he flicked his finger, his divine sense instantly surging into the jade slip.
His face, which had been as solemn as an ancient well, suddenly burst into a look of wild joy. His eyes shone brightly, and the pent-up frustration that had accumulated for a billion years seemed to dissipate at this moment, transforming into two tangible beams of light that shot towards the top of the palace.
Then, he slammed his hand on the cloud bed, which was made of cloud cotton mixed with innate cloud marrow over billions of years. It made a muffled rumble, as if the earth itself was trembling. He suddenly stood up, and the myriad rays of light became even more intense, almost dyeing the entire palace with golden light: "Good! Good! Good! After a billion years, we have finally found the secluded place of that old man Lie Xuan!"
The three "good"s, each louder than the last, echoed through the empty Cangzu Palace with barely suppressed excitement and determination, causing a few snowflakes to fall from the roof and the wind chimes on the eaves to ring rapidly, as if cheering for this belated news.
"Lie Xuan, Lie Xuan, no matter how well you hide, you can't escape the net of heaven in the end!" A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the Cangxuan Ancestor. He clenched his fist, and the communication jade slip instantly turned into ashes without leaving a trace of energy fluctuation. "Next, we must deal with that old man Lie Xuan and eliminate future troubles! We must not let him take that final step, otherwise my Cangxuan Immortal Clan will be in grave danger!"
The next second...
"Whoosh..."
With a swift movement, the radiant light and auspicious clouds surrounding Ancestor Cangxuan vanished instantly, and he transformed into a dazzling blue light. Like a shooting star tearing through the void, he pierced directly through the roof of the Cangzu Palace, broke through the clouds of Cangxuan Immortal Mountain, and disappeared into the horizon of the Cangxuan Domain. Only a faint ripple remained in the air, as if no one had ever lingered there.
......
Almost at the same time that Ancestor Cangxuan set off, a bolt of purple lightning tore through the sky atop the Nine Heavens Immortal Mountain in the Nine Heavens Domain; a streak of azure light shot into the sky from the towering banyan tree in the Azure Mist Domain; and a white cloud carrying a figure sped past the Ancestral Hall in the Azure Cloud Domain… Many top-tier domains with half-step Golden Immortals in charge all unleashed powerful auras that tore through the void, converging towards the Fire Crow Domain like stars surrounding the moon. The rules of the nine domains trembled slightly due to this convergence of power.
......
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, millions of years have passed.
In the southern part of the Fire Crow Domain, there is a seemingly inconspicuous little valley, which is surrounded by an eternal mist.
The four Fire Crow Ancestors, including the Grand Ancestor Lieyuan, sat cross-legged on the rock walls surrounding the valley. Just like a billion years ago, they were fully circulating the True Immortal power within their bodies to maintain the layers of immortal arrays and do their best to conceal all the anomalies in the valley, so as not to let the spies of various forces discover any clues and affect the final breakthrough of the Grand Ancestor Liexuan.
"Boom..."
Suddenly, the entire valley trembled violently, as if magma from the earth was about to erupt, and rubble fell from the cliff walls. Immediately afterward, terrifying pressures, enough to make even a ninth-grade perfected True Immortal despair and tremble, descended from the heavens like a collapsing galaxy, crushing down upon the valley. These pressures contained hundreds of distinct yet equally powerful Daoist principles: the violence of thunder, the etherealness of clouds, the vitality of vegetation, the bloodlust of shadows… interwoven into an invisible giant net, firmly locking down the entire valley, preventing even a trace of its aura from escaping.
In an instant, the layers of immortal arrays within the valley trembled violently. The flame runes on the light screen flickered wildly, their light flashing and dimming, yet they swayed precariously like candles in the wind. Faintly, the sounds of shattering glass echoed from all around the valley, signs that the array's restrictions were beginning to crumble under the terrifying pressure. Each sound was like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of the four patriarchs.
"Oh no! We've been exposed!"
The expressions of the four half-step Golden Immortals, including Ancestor Lieyuan, changed drastically. The fiery aura they had been suppressing to the extreme erupted instantly, their robes fluttering and rustling without wind, their eyes filled with shock and anger. An ominous premonition, like a chilling current, coursed through their entire bodies, causing their hearts to clench—billions of years of painstaking concealment, the sacrifice of countless clansmen, had ultimately come to naught!
at this time......
"boom......"
The entire valley trembled violently once more, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, spiderweb-like cracks appearing on the rock walls. Brilliant beams of immortal light tore through the sky, falling like a meteor shower above the valley. As the light dissipated, figures emerged, their auras deep and unfathomable: some clad in lightning armor, crackling and pulsating with lightning; others shrouded in ethereal mist, their forms appearing and disappearing, elusive and unpredictable; still others wielding spiritual roots of plants, their bodies lush and vibrant with life… Each figure exuded the unique pressure of a half-step Golden Immortal, their eyes sharp as knives, fixed intently on the center of the valley, as if trying to see through everything there.
Each ray of celestial light represents a half-step Golden Immortal.
A rough count revealed that there were over a hundred!
Instantly, the overwhelming pressure surged by another three percent, like countless celestial mountains crashing down, threatening to overturn the entire valley. The layers of celestial arrays that had been struggling to hold on were now as fragile as paper; the light barrier cracked and dissipated at a visible speed, and the flame runes vanished in patches, turning into sparks that dissipated. The quasi-immortal celestial arrays around the valley, which were responsible for concealing their auras, were completely annihilated under this pressure, with even their bases turning to dust.
"One...one hundred and sixty-three half-step Golden Immortals, including fourteen perfect half-step Golden Immortals..." Ancestor Lieyuan exclaimed in shock, his voice trembling uncontrollably. The other three half-step Golden Immortals of the Fire Crow Clan trembled, a deep sense of powerlessness sweeping over them, almost causing them to collapse to the ground.
This power is enough to make any half-step Golden Immortal pale. Below the level of Immortal Golden Immortal, even if someone wields an Immortal Artifact, the outcome against such a lineup is uncertain. Although Father (Ancestor) has, with the help of the eighty-first grade Nirvana Fire Lotus, subtly surpassed the perfect half-step Golden Immortal in cultivation, and is only a hair's breadth away from Immortality, he has ultimately not truly attained the Dao. The odds of winning this battle are extremely slim.
Even more critically, the father (ancestor) is at the most crucial stage of his breakthrough, with his sea of consciousness and foundation undergoing unprecedented transformation. If he were to forcibly interrupt his attack at this moment, at best all his previous efforts would be wasted, and at worst his Dao heart would shatter, leaving him with no chance of immortality!
"Damn it, where exactly did things go wrong?" Ancestor Lieyuan frowned, his eyes filled with resentment and confusion, the flames around him flickering with the turmoil of his emotions. "How did these guys find this place out of the blue?"
Over the past billion years, it's not that no spies from various forces have tried to investigate their valley, but without exception, they've all managed to deceive them. Logically, they shouldn't have been exposed so easily.
"Boom..."
A deep, drum-like roar came from the void, as if a massive object weighing billions of tons had crashed down between heaven and earth, shaking the entire valley. It was as if countless ancient beasts had trampled over it simultaneously. The terrifying sound resonated through their souls and entered their sea of consciousness, causing the four half-step Golden Immortals, including Ancestor Lieyuan, to tremble. A trace of golden blood involuntarily spilled from the corner of their mouths. The True Immortal power within their bodies instantly became disordered, and the flame runes maintaining the Immortal Array dimmed considerably, almost completely collapsing.
The next second...
Then a figure stepped out from among the hundreds of half-step Golden Immortals. He wore a star-patterned robe, adorned with countless illusory stars that swirled slowly with his movements, as if draping the entire starry sky over his body. Starlight shimmered around him, transforming into tangible chains that circled him, making him appear like a star king who ruled over the lives and deaths of countless star gods. His aura was so powerful, like a deep abyss and a towering mountain, that even perfected half-step Golden Immortals like the Cangxuan Ancestor and the Cangyun Ancestor seemed to dim in comparison, as if being subtly suppressed by his starlight.
What's even more unsettling is that faint, ethereal Dao essence swirled around him, as if he were about to break free from the shackles of being a half-step Golden Immortal and take that final step to attain the status of an Immortal Golden Immortal.
Qiong Gao Immortal Ancestor, the strongest being outside the nine immortal clans of the nine immortal realms, is said to be only one opportunity away from becoming an immortal golden immortal. He once escaped unscathed from an immortal golden immortal artifact.
His strength is unparalleled among the perfect half-step Golden Immortals in the Nine Immortal Realms.
"Old ghost Lie Xuan, the Nine Immortal Realms cannot accommodate a tenth immortal. Today, with all of us here, you have absolutely no chance of winning. I advise you to give up your fearless resistance. Considering our past friendship, I will grant the five of you a chance to reincarnate."
......