The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 1344 - 513: The Arrival of the Nether Ancient_2

"Now there’s trouble in the lower realm, if you have compassion for all beings, join ’Ying,’ and take charge of the Heavenly Dao."

"..."

Wandering in the Blood Sea Territory like a lonely soul and ghost at the beat of the Time Drum, suddenly awaking, forcibly expelling the Power of Disaster that had invaded his body.

"The soldiers of the Ancient Nether, not yet fallen..."

"Heavenly mandate, Heavenly fury, Heavenly censure, Heavenly decree... Our ancient struggle, under the watchful eyes of the Nether Ancient ancestors, might indeed seem laughable..."

The Time Drum sighed faintly, as mists of time once again enveloped it, its declining spirit and vitality gradually picking up:

"Enough, you seek death through ’Calamity,’ we seek life through ’Calamity,’ the cycle of karma has always been so."

"Since it is the charge of the Nether Ancient, and I hold the station of a Double Seal God, it’s only right that I calmly accept the destiny that is mine."

"However, one who is qualified to be called the Newborn Cosmic Venerate also includes the ancient ’Underworld.’"

"Heavenly Punishment is dead, He... has perhaps awakened?"

...

Primordial Earth Divine Mountain, now Ice Divine Mountain.

Snowflakes fluttering down, crushing the branches, leaving a ground covered in frost and white.

The lightness and flawlessness of ice and snow were fully displayed here.

In the heart of the earth, a long-sealed coffin violently shook.

"Bang!!"

The lid of the coffin was shattered by a fist, a headless corpse risen up stiffly.

It did not immediately leap out from the coffin, standing still below the neck, as if pondering or sensing something.

"Whoosh..."

Finally, the headless corpse slowly climbed out of the coffin.

In an instant, the snow stopped.

Where once was encased by ten thousand years of cold ice, it melted in a moment into a lake so deep its bottom couldn’t be seen.

The headless corpse stood upon the lake’s surface, with narrow shoulders and a slender waist, standing there full of incomparable poise.

Its figure was too perfect; draped in a green robe, hazy from afar, exquisite up close, the spirit of purity embodied.

Yet, beneath its feet were a pair of green lotus-leaf embroidered shoes, with the intricacy of moon carving and cloud tailoring, rivaling the craftsmanship of a Ghost Artisan.

The only incongruity was at the neck.

Above the collar, as if sliced by some sharp blade, the head cleanly severed, hence the head was lost.

The wound had long since scabbed over, but those streaks of dark green blood seemed eternally frozen on it, prompting a sigh of regret from those who glimpsed it.

"Boom!!!"

As cicadas fell silent, the headless corpse stomped, and the lake evaporated in an instant.

Leaping upwards, it seemed as though invisible wings were draped behind, soaring to the heavens, like a dragon taking flight, leaping ten thousand li.

"Rumble rumble rumble!!!"

In the Ice Calm Abyss at the far end of the world, an ice valley that had slumbered for more than a hundred thousand years collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Statues that should have stood unyielding, now shattered into pieces with irresistible force.

The Ice Divine Sealed Vein guarding the vicinity trembled violently.

They saw a crystal clear head, shooting across the sky like a meteor, then with a swift and electric recoil, vaulted across the universe.

"Snap!!"

As the headless corpse truly stepped into the Blood Sea Territory.

The rapidly approaching head, as if by sheer coincidence, landed perfectly on its neck.

In a flash, flesh began to grow.

The severed wounds, the upper and lower halves, meshed together like the most intricate of gears.

From a ghastly wound to seamless joining, the neck was now smooth as jade, without a single imperfection.

"Crack!!"

There was a hint of nostalgia, that weighty sensation above the neck.

Goddess Ba gently rotated her neck, from the tailbone of the spine up to the cervical vertebrae, emitting a sound like the chant of dragons and the cry of phoenixes, stirring the soul.

Ye Hanjun could still not see Her face.

But She clearly glanced around, then fixed Her gaze on the Time Drum and Ye Chengfeng, as if comprehending something.

"Ancient Hanba God, congratulations."

"This old one does not know if Nether Ancient has ’Underworld,’ but at present, our three spirits are ranked among the Divine Venerates, indeed the key to support the Heavenly Dao, resisting ’Calamity.’"

"Heavenly Punishment is dead?"

"Yes."

"What about the other eight?"

"Already dead, about to die, none shall be spared."

"..."

Goddess Ba became quiet once more, her cool gaze scrutinizing heaven and earth, as if making a decision.

After a long silence, she spoke again:

"I have no interest in guarding the Heavenly Dao, looking down upon all beings."

"If I am to cross this calamity, my wish is—to be unrestrained, to be myself again."

"This... may be quite difficult."

The Time Drum showed a look of concern, then suddenly heard "Illusion" say:

"Possible."

"If everything returns to peace, just as long as you give up power and desire, relinquish the propagation and inheritance of your race, you can naturally transcend the earthly plane with us, and together explore the ultimate truth at the world’s end."

"If you do not wish to give up your status and accomplishments in the lower realm, then create a new Heavenly Dao on your own."

"As long as the meaning you give to your existence is justifiable, no one can interfere with you. Do whatever you wish, follow your heart’s desire."

"Good."

Goddess Ba nodded and asked directly:

"How is it to be done?"

"It’s simple, control the realm and Ink, limit the situation, only then can casualties be reduced."

"With my help, along with you two as Heavenly Venerates, the three of you are just right to take on the main pillar."

The Ancient Nether Illusory God said indifferently:

"Once all Nine Heavenly Venerates are dead, the old powers stripped away, ’Calamity’ will inevitably snatch them."

"If ’Calamity’ takes it all, its power will become even stronger; at that time, realm and Ink, with only this portion of power, will not be able to stop it. The withering of all beings will just repeat itself."

"As the Heavenly Venerates of the new era, you have only two missions: one is to recover as many privileges of the Heavenly Dao as possible, don’t let Calamity proceed as it wishes."

"The other is to accumulate power, and when the time comes, fight to the death; success leads to life, defeat to annihilation. Your fate, in the end, is in your own hands."

"What is the right moment?"

Goddess Ba asked again, equally succinct, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

The Ancient Nether Illusory God replied coldly:

"’Calamity’ can disrupt heaven and earth, bring endless disasters."

"’Calamity’ can also disturb the mind, turn good gods into evil gods, coalesce as allies."

"You must try everything to stop it, gods with conscience should be rallied, and those who fall into corruption should be exterminated."

"When Calamity attacks the common folk to the extreme without success and manifests its true form, the final battle will not only decide your fate but also the fate of all heavens."

The Ancient Nether Illusory God paused, weighing his words, and added:

"Without any accidents, the transition from the Second Epoch to the Third Era is the critical juncture."

"After that, the powers of ’realm’ and ’Ink’ will diminish greatly, and Calamity will become strong enough to slaughter the Myriad Spirits as easily as picking something out of a bag."

"Only just over four thousand years?"

The Time Drum fretted:

"Such a brief time, it will pass in the blink of an eye, how can we gather enough powerful forces?"

"Even if the Heavenly Dao shatters, and True Gods face no obstacles to impact Divine Venerates, to reach the level of defeating ’Calamity’, we must stack up the quantity of Divine Venerates..."

"Alright, that’s all there is to say, we must return to silence now."

The Ancient Cleansing Deity spoke timely, taking over from "Illusion" who had interjected for a while, and said flatly:

"There is still hope, for instance, Little One and his human companions."

"You have always been the favored ones of the Heavenly Dao, and now with the Heavenly Venerates gone, all malice in the firmament has turned to ’Calamity’."

"If you can perceive the essence of this world, not much, just a little, it will be enough to find life from a desperate situation."

"Whoosh..."

On GuaGua’s neck, the jade stone disappeared from sight.

There was silence in their ears; the Broken Instrument Valley was very quiet, the lurking Beast Soldiers didn’t dare to breathe throughout the whole affair.

They couldn’t hear the voice of the Ancient Nether, but they could see the Ancestor ascend to the Unknown Land, to face the ultimate terror.

Ye Hanjun scanned them one by one, and finally turned his gaze towards the vanishing reflection of all heavens, coincidentally catching the gaze of Goddess Ba, Ye Chengfeng, and The Time Drum at the same time.

"Whoosh..."

The imagery vanished, and with it any insight into what lies beyond the valley.

Ye Hanjun slowly exhaled the stifled breath from his chest, and soon let fresh air fill his limbs and body anew.

If more Gods with the Double Seal are needed to confront ’Calamity’...

Then does the unprecedented Double Crowns possess the power for one final battle?