Chapter 260: 260. Chapter 257: Setting Foot in the Ascension World

260. Chapter 257: Setting Foot in the Ascension World

For cultivators above the Primordial Soul realm, there is a dedicated passage from the Dao Cultivation World to the Ascension World.

Ding Huan, along with Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng, entered the Ascension World through that dedicated passage.

Upon arriving in the Ascension World, Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng didn't find anything special about it; this wasn't their first time here.

But Ding Huan immediately sensed that the Ascension World not only had denser heaven and earth spiritual energy, but more importantly, its rules were clearly more complete than those of the Dao Cultivation World.

This struck Ding Huan as strange. Ordinary grand arrays could only block the regional connection between the Dao Cultivation World and the Ascension World; they absolutely could not block the rules of heaven and earth and cause differences in those rules.

"Alliance Leader Hu..."

Ding Huan wanted to ask Hu Wuxin, but Hu Wuxin laughed heartily:

"Ding Huan, I won't call you Sect Leader either. Now that we've arrived in the Ascension World, we can count as a team. In this place, our cultivation is all at the bottom, so let's just call each other by name—no need to be so formal."

Mo Zheng immediately said, "Right, I agree with Brother Wuxin's meaning."

Ding Huan didn't mind either and spoke again:

"Old Hu, I'd like to ask—who set up the blocking array between the Dao Cultivation World and the Ascension World?"

Hu Wuxin hadn't expected Ding Huan to come up with "Old Hu." Was he really that old?

Still, "Old Hu" was "Old Hu"—it sounded a bit more friendly than "Alliance Leader" and the like.

Now that Ding Huan was asking about the protective array, he actually knew a bit about it:

"No, this blocking array seems to have existed since humans appeared on the Three Heavens Star Continent, and it's been there ever since.

But the blocking array from the Mortal World to the Dao Cultivation World seems to have been set up by later generations. As for who set it up, I'm not entirely sure."

Ding Huan, however, understood a bit more now.

Apart from a huge difference in spiritual energy, the changes in the rules of heaven and earth between the Mortal World and the Dao Cultivation World didn't seem to be that great.

Since Hu Wuxin said that array-pattern barrier was artificially set up, that did make sense.

After all, on the Three Heavens Star Continent, no matter how powerful a person was, they couldn't alter the rules of heaven and earth.

After explaining the inter-realm blocking array, Hu Wuxin pointed in the direction of the Heaven-Opening Battlefield.

"It's still ten days' journey from here to the Heaven-Opening Battlefield. We can reach Ten Treasure City within ten days, spend a few days preparing there, and then get ready to enter the Heaven-Opening Battlefield."

Hu Wuxin was preparing to give Ding Huan a detailed account of the dangers and opportunities in the Heaven-Opening Battlefield; if they were teaming up, they should at least have some baseline understanding.

Mo Zheng, however, spoke up from the side:

"Ding Huan, your backpack is a bit conspicuous. I'm worried that once we reach Ten Treasure City, someone might take the opportunity to inspect your backpack."

This was exactly what Ding Huan had been worrying about all along.

Although most people wouldn't inspect someone else's backpack, if they happened to run into a sanctimonious scumbag like Shi Qiqiu, it wasn't impossible for him to take the chance to inspect his backpack.

Hu Wuxin nodded:

"Indeed, that kind of thing is possible. There are plenty of eccentrics in the Ascension World. They come from major sects and look down on cultivators from our Dao Cultivation World."

Hu Wuxin was being tactful—what did he mean, "look down on"?

In the eyes of Ascension World cultivators, cultivators from the Dao Cultivation World didn't even count as ants. As for their status, it was probably even worse than those people's beast pets.

Ding Huan hesitated for a moment, then said:

"I'm a cautious person by nature. Once, when I entered a secret realm, I couldn't use my divine sense inside, and I almost perished there.

So this time, entering the Heaven-Opening Battlefield, I've added a safeguard for myself—some ordinary resources are placed inside the backpack."

Ding Huan's excuse had some issues. Even if a cultivator couldn't use divine sense, as long as their magic treasures were on their person, that was enough.

After all, most cultivators could go long periods without eating or drinking.

But Hu Wuxin's eyes lit up—why hadn't he thought of that? This was a trip to the Heaven-Opening Battlefield; not being able to use divine sense was perfectly normal.

Not being able to use divine sense was one thing, but what if somewhere there wasn't even any spiritual energy?

Anything could happen in the Heaven-Opening Battlefield; running out of spiritual energy would be perfectly normal, wouldn't it?

Cultivators—even those who had cultivated to the Void God realm—still needed to replenish their energy.

Mortals replenish with food, and cultivators replenish with spiritual energy.

Once spiritual energy runs out, although cultivators can last longer than mortals, after enough time, they too need food and water.

"Ding Huan, your idea is excellent. I think I need to get a backpack too."

Hu Wuxin immediately agreed with Ding Huan's foresight.

"Once we reach Ten Treasure City, I'll go buy a backpack." Not only Hu Wuxin, but Mo Zheng also nodded and said it was definitely a good idea.

Ding Huan casually took out two backpacks from his storage ring and handed them to the two of them:

"Haha, I have plenty of these things, so I'll give them to you both."

"This is actually a spirit artifact, haha..." Hu Wuxin also laughed heartily.

He immediately slung the backpack onto his back and tossed some daily necessities into it.

Mo Zheng followed suit.

Ding Huan secretly nodded to himself—these two friends, he figured, were worth making.

Whether it was Hu Wuxin or Mo Zheng, even if they were going to carry backpacks, they didn't need to put them on right now. They could have simply taken the backpacks out and worn them just before entering the Heaven-Opening Battlefield.

The fact that the two of them put on their backpacks now was equivalent to helping him, Ding Huan, out.

Clearly, both Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng sensed that the reason Ding Huan was carrying a backpack was definitely not the reason Ding Huan had stated.

From the entrance of the Ascension World to Ten Treasure City, ordinary cultivators needed at least one to two months.

Because there were no teleportation arrays, most people could only rely on flying.

The reason Hu Wuxin said it would only take ten days was that he possessed a top-grade flying magic treasure—a Twin-Wing Ship.

It had originally been a top-grade flying spirit artifact, but later its owner added two wings to it, and those two wings were also top-grade spirit artifacts.

With just this small modification, the speed of the Twin-Wing Ship skyrocketed by a notch.

Feeling the speed of the twin-winged vessel, Ding Huan sighed inwardly—he had just obtained a supreme-grade spiritual artifact, the Polar Light Shuttle, from Lu Yuan's ring.

Now, seeing Hu Wuxin's twin-winged vessel, he marveled that spiritual artifacts truly had no limit—only better, never best.

"Old Hu, you must understand the Opening Heaven Battlefield better?"

With nothing else to do, Ding Huan asked Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng about the Opening Heaven Battlefield.

For Ding Huan, seeking treasures in the Opening Heaven Battlefield was secondary; the most important thing was to find a Starry Sky Spirit Vein.

Without a Starry Sky Spirit Vein, he could hardly reach a higher level.

According to Ding Huan's plan, after finishing cultivation on his mid-grade Starry Sky Spirit Vein, he would venture into the vast starry sky to seek opportunities.

Since Hu Wuxin told him there were Starry Sky Spirit Veins in the Opening Heaven Battlefield, and since the Blue Star Sect—if it had any Xuanshen cultivators—would have to go there anyway, he might as well go himself.

He was not a Xuanshen cultivator; only he knew that. To outsiders, Ding Huan was a Xuanshen cultivator.

Hu Wuxin's expression turned grave:

"Ding Huan, the reason Mo Zheng and I wanted to invite you is because the Opening Heaven Battlefield is far too dangerous. As Xuanshen cultivators of the Dao Cultivation Realm, we have no choice but to go."

I assume you've prepared for the worst? As far as I know, before the Opening Heaven Battlefield fully opened, many had entered—not just a few, but even more were Earth Immortals.

Yet to this day, not a single one has survived.

Since the Opening Heaven Battlefield opened, over ten thousand have entered—and the outcome remains just as brutal: no one has emerged."

Ding Huan sucked in a sharp breath—so dangerous.

Mo Zheng sighed:

"Have you ever wondered why the Ascension Realm built an Ascension Platform between the Dao Cultivation Realm and the Ascension Realm?"

It's because many in the Ascension Realm refuse to enter the Opening Heaven Battlefield—the mortality rate is simply too terrifying.

So they turned their attention to the Dao Cultivation Realm, even forcing people to enter the Opening Heaven Battlefield."

Ding Huan fell silent.

Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng also lost the will to chat, both feeling stifled.

After several minutes passed, Ding Huan finally placed the Ascension Token and wristband on the table.

Mo Zheng and Hu Wuxin stared at Ding Huan in shock, not understanding his intent.

Ding Huan spoke slowly:

"The Ascension Token contains a teleportation array pattern, and the wristband holds surveillance array seals and binding array seals…"

"What?" Hu Wuxin and Mo Zheng, hearing Ding Huan's words, immediately pulled out their own Ascension Tokens and wristbands.

Their faces turned grim—binding seals and surveillance seals in the wristbands meant exactly what, and they knew all too well.

"But I examined mine carefully—it seemed fine, only a complex directional guide and positioning seal."

Ding Huan pointed to the wristbands and Ascension Tokens:

"These array patterns won't activate now. Once we enter the Opening Heaven Battlefield, they'll trigger automatically, placing us under constant surveillance."

"So ruthless," Hu Wuxin's eyes burned with resentment.

He was well-traveled and often schemed against others himself.

He never imagined the Ascension Realm forcing them into the Opening Heaven Battlefield was bad enough—now they'd rigged the wristbands too. Was there anything more despicable?

"What do we do?" Mo Zheng looked at Ding Huan.

Ding Huan chuckled:

"If we didn't know, we'd be helpless. But now that we know, we have ways."

"Once we enter the Opening Heaven Battlefield, we'll create a crisis. Actually, we don't even need to create one—the battlefield is full of dangers…"

"You mean?" Hu Wuxin's eyes lit up—he began to understand Ding Huan's meaning.

"Exactly that. When the time comes, don't leave anything behind—not even a few clothes. Even your backpacks should be discarded…"

Ding Huan nodded—he would not discard his own backpack.

He revealed this now, rather than waiting until they entered the battlefield, because he feared the wristbands might already be active.

Once active, nothing they did would be convenient.

"Fine. Once we enter the Opening Heaven Battlefield, we follow you," Hu Wuxin decided immediately.

He felt choosing to team up with Ding Huan was incredibly wise.

Even before entering the Opening Heaven Battlefield, Ding Huan had uncovered the most critical issue.

He and Mo Zheng had possessed their Ascension Tokens and wristbands for a full year—and never noticed anything amiss. Ding Huan spotted it so quickly.

Fortunately, his other Ascension Tokens and wristbands remained stored at the Dao Cultivation Realm Alliance, where any Xuanshen cultivator could apply to obtain them.