’It’s a good thing I didn’t bring Lan Xuan, Susu, and the others. Otherwise, this would be real trouble!’
At that moment, Zhang Chi was paying attention to several Tier Four Demon Fiends inside the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion. He had specifically captured them along the way to use in an experiment.
He wanted to test the truth of what he had learned from a Soul Search: that beings below the Divinity Transformation stage could not be brought along during Ascension.
Of course, he had already deduced that this was true.
But he still decided to test it anyway.
As a result, the moment they entered the spatial passage, the Divine Souls of the few Tier Four Demon Fiends shattered without warning, killing them instantly. Even being inside the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion couldn’t save them.
At the same time, he and the many other Divinity Transformation Cultivators felt their own Divine Souls being torn at by an invisible force. However, their Divine Souls were powerful, so they weren’t injured, let alone killed.
This invisible force undoubtedly came from the Ascension Passage.
’Don’t worry. When I grow stronger, I’ll definitely come back. I’ll find a way to quickly raise your Cultivation and extend your Lifespans. Then, you can all become Divinity Transformation Cultivators and come to the Spirit Realm with me!’ Zhang Chi thought, his mind turning to Qin Susu and the others who were sealed away.
But Zhang Chi wasn’t worried. He knew Qin Susu and the others would be safe for the time being. He had placed their Profound Ice God-Sealing Coffins inside the Celestial Repair Sect’s Grotto Heaven, and he had hidden that Grotto Heaven with a powerful Array that not even other Divinity Transformation cultivators could find.
AWOOO!
Just then, a sudden roar echoed out, and a powerful pressure enveloped the entire Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion and the surrounding area. Everyone then saw a white wolf with two wings on its back, treading upon the turbulent void as it flew past.
The white wolf was a full ten thousand zhang long, a true behemoth. Its Cultivation surpassed the Divinity Transformation stage; a single glance from it seemed to make Zhang Chi’s and the others’ blood run cold.
Fortunately, the white wolf was just passing by. After casting a curious glance at Zhang Chi and the others, it continued on its way, quickly disappearing from the Cultivators’ sight.
"What was that? Could it be one of the legendary Void Giant Beasts?"
"So strong! I’m afraid it must be at the Void Refining Early Stage at least, right?"
"Good thing it had no interest in us."
"Yeah, we’re probably just ants in its eyes!"
"Indeed. And thanks to Senior Brother Zhang’s Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion, we were protected. Otherwise, the immense pressure radiating from that Void Giant Beast alone would have been enough to severely injure us!"
Seeing this, the Cultivators breathed a collective sigh of relief. They waited a while longer, and only after confirming the white wolf was gone and out of earshot did they begin to discuss it amongst themselves, all of them still shaken.
’This illegal passage is truly dangerous!’
Even Zhang Chi broke out in a cold sweat.
It was rumored that many powerful Demon Fiends existed within the Chaos Void, among which was a particularly mighty type known as the Void Giant Beast. This white wolf was undoubtedly one of them.
SWISH!
Meanwhile, the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion continued to press forward, like a small boat in a raging current, at constant risk of capsizing or being swept away and losing its way.
Fortunately, the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion was of high quality, and Zhang Chi’s Cultivation and Divine Thought were exceptionally powerful. The other Cultivators also held nothing back, all pouring out their Magical Power to help Zhang Chi pilot the Immortal Mansion, ensuring it stayed on the correct course.
After that, Zhang Chi and the others had a run of good luck and encountered no further anomalies.
After what seemed like both a long time and a mere instant, the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion finally neared the Spirit Realm.
BOOM!
The Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion shuddered violently, instantly shattering a patch of already unstable space. It had finally left the Chaos Void and truly entered the Spirit Realm.
"So you’ve finally arrived. This old man has been waiting so long. Now, all of you can die!"
However, before Zhang Chi and the others could even begin to rejoice or survey their surroundings, a cold and ancient voice rang out.
CLANG!
Before the Cultivators could even see who had spoken, the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion was struck by a golden giant hammer the size of a mountain. It let out a tremendous clang of Golden Iron, and the defensive Array on its surface shattered completely on the spot.
Then, the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion let out a mournful cry as it suddenly shrank and flew into Zhang Chi’s body.
Zhang Chi and the other Cultivators were left exposed.
Worse, not only had the blow nearly destroyed the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion, but it had also sent shockwaves through it, causing the Cultivators inside—who had been pouring all their energy into piloting the Spiritual Treasure—to vomit blood and suffer grievous injuries.
Some of the Divinity Transformation cultivators with relatively weaker Cultivation were even killed on the spot by the impact.
"This is bad! A powerful expert is ambushing us! Quick, everyone scatter and flee immediately!"
The remaining Cultivators were terrified, but Zhang Chi decisively gave the order.
Fearing there was no time to speak, he sent the message directly via Divine Thought, wasting not a single moment.
"Right, Senior Brother Zhang! We’ll meet again!"
"Take care!"
The Cultivators didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately scattering in all directions.
The reason was simple: the enemy’s Combat Power was clearly immense, otherwise they couldn’t have caused so much damage in a single strike.
Therefore, even if they joined forces to fight, it would be suicide.
Not even Zhang Chi could change this fact, so escape was their only option.
SWOOSH...
In the next instant, the Cultivators used every technique at their disposal, transforming into streaks of Escape Light and fleeing the scene in every direction.
Zhang Chi did the same, immediately activating all his defenses and casting the Blood Shadow Divine Escape.
At the same time, he even burned his Primordial Spirit, activating the Asura Blood Burning Technique and the Giant Whale Devouring Sea Technique.
In that instant, his escape speed surpassed that of all the other Divinity Transformation Cultivators present.
Not only that, but several other streaks of Escape Light also shot out from his body. Each one was a powerful Puppet, intended to distract the unknown enemy.
That’s right—even with his powerful Divine Thought, he still couldn’t pinpoint the enemy’s location or specific situation.
Evidently, the enemy’s strength had, in all likelihood, surpassed the Void Refining Early Stage.
"Eh? Not dead? Is that an Upper Grade Spirit Treasure? Excellent, that treasure belongs to this old man now. As for the rest of you, just die!"
Seeing that Zhang Chi and the others were still able to flee, the enemy was clearly surprised, but a greedy sneer soon appeared on his face as he launched another wave of attacks.
This time, the giant hammer split into a sky full of hammer shadows, striking many of the Cultivators. Like ants, most of them were killed instantly, their bodies and bones obliterated.
Only a very small number survived, and they were all on the brink of death.
Zhang Chi was given special attention by the enemy, but he too was a survivor.
He was struck by a hammer shadow, and a sweet taste filled his throat as he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
But this blood immediately merged with the light of his Blood Escape, instantly increasing its speed by a large margin.
In a flash, he was far from the battlefield.
"Junior, where do you think you’re going!"
Unfortunately, the enemy had locked onto Zhang Chi. With a loud cry, the giant hammer fiercely pursued him, and the enemy even began to ignore the other Cultivators for the time being.
Of course, this was because the other Cultivators were already severely wounded and had lost their ability to fight. In the enemy’s eyes, they were insignificant and could be dealt with after he killed Zhang Chi.
More importantly, Zhang Chi possessed an Upper Grade Spirit Treasure. As long as he could kill Zhang Chi, it didn’t matter if the other Cultivators escaped.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
At this moment, Zhang Chi was desperately engaged in a Flying Escape while the giant hammer relentlessly bombarded him. His injuries grew more and more severe.
Even the Defensive Spirit Treasure Zhang Chi wore was like foam, completely unable to withstand the enemy’s giant hammer.
If it weren’t for his powerful physical body and solid Cultivation, he would have been killed long ago.
RUMBLE!
In the chase, they covered an unknown number of thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. Finally, under another bombardment, Zhang Chi’s entire body was shattered, and he vanished completely within the dazzling shockwave.
’Hm? What’s going on? Was he blasted into nothingness? Even his Storage Ring and that Upper Grade Spirit Treasure are gone? Dammit, how did this happen? He was too weak! All that chasing was for nothing!’
The next moment, a white-haired old man appeared on the scene, a shrunken Golden Hammer Spirit Treasure circling around him.
Looking at the scene, the old man couldn’t help but feel deeply disappointed.
’Forget it. At least I killed the junior and completed my mission. Now I just need to kill all his companions. This is the price for provoking our Yi Family!’
However, the old man quickly accepted reality and flew back to the previous location.
But there were hardly any Cultivators left.
Apparently, the few surviving Cultivators had taken the opportunity to flee, and some had even carried away their immobile companions.
"Heh heh, trying to run? In your dreams. You couldn’t escape my pursuit even at your peak, let alone now!"
The white-haired old man sneered, immediately using a Secret Technique to give chase, relying on his immense power.
He even sent a message to his family, and soon more Yi Family experts arrived, setting up an inescapable net for the few surviving Cultivators.
It turned out these Cultivators were from the Yi Family of the Immortal Feather Sect.
They had long ago divined the approximate location and time that Zhang Chi and the other Cultivators might use for their illegal passage. They had since been using a Secret Treasure to monitor these locations, and as it turned out, their waiting had paid off.
The one who had acted this time was a Void Refining Late Stage expert from the Yi Family, responsible for this region.
——
SWISH!
Extremely far from the location of the illegal passage, a bloody light flew violently onward. Within it was Zhang Chi.
As it turned out, Zhang Chi had indeed been killed earlier, but he had successfully activated the Puppet Substitute Death Technique.
The Puppets he had released earlier had all been carrying a Death Replacement Puppet. The instant he was killed, those Puppets lost control, but one of the Death Replacement Puppets suddenly shattered. Following a spatial fluctuation, Zhang Chi appeared where the Death Replacement Puppet had been.
Then, Zhang Chi immediately cast the Blood Shadow Divine Escape and continued to put distance between himself and the scene.
Because he was fast enough, even though the Yi Family experts conducted a series of pursuits afterward, they failed to surround him.
’I wonder what happened to my companions, but they’re most likely all dead, aren’t they? The ones who attacked were probably the Yi Family. I swear, one day, I will annihilate them!’
Zhang Chi flew over an incredibly wide river, silently vowing revenge.
After that, he could no longer hold on. He stopped fighting to stay conscious and allowed himself to pass out and fall into the great river below.