[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ascending-to-divinity":3,"chapter-ascending-to-divinity-ascending-to-divinity-chapter-272":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Ascending to Divinity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2280822,4461,"Chapter 272: Seeing the Characters Is Like Seeing the Person","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-272",272,"\u003Cp>Hold this jade tablet as proof of your privileges in the Yingtian Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You may travel freely within the Chang’an Prefecture borders!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re an official of the Yingtian Bureau.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldier with the spear carefully verified the information, confirmed its authenticity, and his expression softened. “Verified. Permission granted to enter Chang’an Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned around and repeatedly tapped his identity device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After undergoing multiple layers of verification procedures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he stepped aside to let Jiang Jian pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian bowed in thanks and successfully entered Chang’an Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spiritual energy in the heavens and earth instantly thickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang’an Prefecture was as bustling and prosperous as before, with thriving cultivation scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first glance, it seemed no change had occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Summon vehicle service activated. Estimated arrival: one minute!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold mechanical voice echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brand-new hovering vehicle landed before Jiang Jian, its cabin door swinging open with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian climbed the boarding ramp and stepped into the hovering vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cabin lights flickered, followed by a prompt tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Destination: Yingtian Bureau.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Estimated arrival time: two hours and forty minutes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cabin door sealed shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hovering vehicle hummed to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a slight tremor, it shot upward at high speed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian sat by the window, gazing through the porthole toward the sky behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Chang’an Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive Water Star warship had already slipped into the rift in the sky and departed safely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the tens of thousands of squads it had brought, only dozens of airships had barely completed their missions and returned to the warship, barely saving their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tens of thousands of Water Star beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast majority had died here!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His identity device flashed urgently, with continuous regional communications arriving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The casualty figures from this heavenly rift had already been compiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Casualties caused by the Baiye Prefecture rift:”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Earth citizens.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Divine Bestowal Realm: 3,210.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surging Spring Realm: 42.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Non-citizens: approximately 10,000.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The message was extremely brief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet within moments,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>these casualty figures sparked a massive uproar on the forums!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless Earth citizens were furious, their anger boiling over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Related discussion threads had already surpassed one hundred million posts!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Star beings, organized into squads, did not attack the prefecture’s central districts but instead scattered across surrounding cities, counties, and towns, launching frenzied assaults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their primary targets were almost exclusively ordinary civilians!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In these areas, Surging Spring Realm cultivators were already rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the civilians were merely Divine Bestowal Realm, neglecting cultivation in daily life, with virtually no resistance capability!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These prefectures had clearly been prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was the subordinate pavilions of the Yuxing Palace or the prefecture’s guard fleet, all had been dispatched in advance, lying in ambush across the continent’s cities and counties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the Water Star squads landed, they were annihilated with thunderous force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Civilian casualties were reduced to the bare minimum!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>many civilians in remote mountains and wilderness still suffered brutal massacres.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the ambush zones, or in distant areas too slow to be rescued, thousands of ordinary people were easily slaughtered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the surface world had known about the Ba Xia Demon Lord’s intentions all along and prepared extensively in advance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian turned his gaze away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the surface world, seven rifts had opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At each rift, tens of thousands of Water Star beings had scattered and descended!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these Water Star beings were Surging Spring Realm cultivators!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the surface world been truly unprepared,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the death toll from this attack would have skyrocketed to unimaginable levels!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own city, Guangling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its population exceeded three million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Surging Spring Realm cultivators numbered barely a hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people lived in comfort, with mediocre talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they fought, managing to block even a single strike from a Water Star being would be a miracle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a few Water Star squads landing unprepared would spell a horrific fate for this city—unthinkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian reviewed his identity device, recalling the recent regional communications, and understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the condition that the Nine Layers of Chang’an had sealed the world’s gateways,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the surface world had managed, in a short time, to organize such a massive ambush, even infiltrating every city and county, drastically reducing civilian casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yuxing Palace’s central coordination was indispensable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his identity device flashed repeatedly with alerts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Earth planetary barrier had completed its self-repair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All seven heavenly rifts had fully restored to their original state!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The total death toll among Earth citizens had been tallied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fewer than thirty thousand citizens from both realms had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were almost entirely ordinary civilians in remote mountains and wilderness, outside the ambush zones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cities, counties, and towns suffered the most attacks, yet had nearly zero casualties!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was because,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>within the ambush zones,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>not only had the Yuxing Palace’s subordinate pavilions dispatched “cultivators” and “elders,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but also Nascent Soul beings had been stationed there, rushing to rescue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>near the seven rifts,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>non-citizens suffered the heaviest casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Preliminary statistics showed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>their death toll had already exceeded one hundred thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the surface world’s response had been flawless, nearly perfectly neutralizing this assault,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>everyone understood,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>this was merely a probe by the Water Star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Star beings had been nearly entirely sacrificed as cannon fodder to drain Earth’s strength in the early phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More alarming still,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Star side had been willing to sacrifice one hundred thousand cultivators of the Surging Spring Realm in a single vanguard assault, without the slightest hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Earth,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>such a thing was utterly unimaginable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian sat inside the floating vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within his spirit, he faintly sensed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission he had taken on had, somehow, grown heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianjing, located in the Ninth Realm, was the highest official authority on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also the true central hub of Chang’an Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Ninth Realm belonged to Tianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All major decrees and affairs across the seventy surface prefectures originated in Tianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this very moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>most senior officials in Tianjing’s central hub were trapped within the Ninth Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This defense ambush was almost entirely led by the Yu Xing Palace; Tianjing’s role was merely auxiliary support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials from Yu Xing Palace and Tianjing stationed on the surface overlapped to an extreme degree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence their operations proceeded smoothly, without obstruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yingtian Bureau, Deputy Director Zhang Baimu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian lowered his gaze, staring at the wooden box in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, he still did not store it in his storage space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wooden box was specially crafted by Shen Xi to contain fragments of the world’s origin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It contained numerous arrays, their functions unclear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian could not be certain whether storing it inside would expose his storage space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, he had no reason to take such a risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>deep within his soul,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the Dizang Scepter, suspended in midair, trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian put away the wooden box and focused his spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Guide Messenger’s hint to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chosen One of the Seventh Hall was very likely to have ascended to the Hall Master’s seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the struggle for the Yinshan Wonder was about to officially begin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the Dizang Seat truly opened, no Chosen One could withdraw arbitrarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if defeated and killed, one could not escape it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without realizing it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the floating vehicle slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It landed atop a massive steel skyscraper—a costly, premium landing field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few spacecraft came or went here; it was very quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian did not exit the vehicle. Instead, he sat in his seat, activated his identity device, and entered a citizen ID number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yingtian Bureau was too crowded with eyes; he had no intention of going directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, using the identity device serial number provided by Shen Xi, he directly connected to Deputy Director Zhang Baimu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sent a friend request, but received no response for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian leaned back in his seat, calm and unruffled, gently closing his eyes to meditate quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three hours later,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his wristwatch finally began to flash, and a mechanical alert sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Friend request accepted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a voice message arrived from the other end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, positions in Yu Xing Palace are fully filled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deep, resonant male voice came through: “No matter who recommended you, I cannot help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the voice, Jiang Jian’s expression turned strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This voice message was a mass broadcast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>over the past two days, many people had likely added Zhang Baimu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Deputy Director of Yingtian Bureau, he held high rank and power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only families with deep connections could obtain his identity device serial number and actively send a request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Baimu, in his elevated position, naturally avoided offending anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He accepted every friend request without exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he had glanced at Jiang Jian’s communication info.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he was under twenty yet possessed Spring Flow Realm cultivation,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he immediately assumed Jiang Jian was some connection’s protégé, seeking entry into Yu Xing Palace through influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, without hesitation, he copied the voice message and sent it en masse to the other new requests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Deputy Director Zhang seems overwhelmed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian snapped back to awareness and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fingers swept across the holographic screen, typing a message:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second Realm, Master of Guanxi Pavilion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less than ten seconds after sending,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Baimu’s message box flashed urgently—his real-time communication was calling!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the call connected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Shen’s idea actually worked—you really made it out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Baimu tried to remain calm, his voice deep, yet brimming with unmistakable excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>although Shen Xi was in the Academy World,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he had long secretly communicated with him via identity device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>as Shen Xi’s sudden insight,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>this plan had been formally reported, approved by a Spirit Platform Realm True Lord, and became an official mission!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, Deputy Director Zhang Baimu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian raised his wrist politely. “I’m currently east of Chang’an Prefecture. Can you come over?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Baimu steadied himself, his tone solemn: “Student Jiang Jian, please encrypt and send me your surface coordinates. I’ll immediately report mission progress and depart at once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The call ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jian lowered his gaze, staring at Zhang Baimu’s message box, falling silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since this mission had been officially recognized,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>even becoming one of many desperate attempts by the surface realm to prematurely break open the world gate,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his coordinates still needed to be “encrypted” before transmission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was deeply peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Ninth Realm had been compressed by space and completely sealed off,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>everyone had been powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one True Lord from the Moon Realm possessed a secret treasure capable of forcibly shattering the realm gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that treasure had not been activated in a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It required immense resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And needed at least a year of cultivation before it could be barely used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely the official method the Four Realms of Earth and Moon had been waiting for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A year is not long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the current moment—amid rapidly shifting wartime conditions—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>time was precious, truly a matter of seconds counting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>countless beings from Earth and Moon had exhausted every possible method to open the world gate early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet every single method had failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, “prematurely opening the gate” had gradually become a fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many methods or tricks were tried, none could shake the realm barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if new methods were to emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most officials still held a wait-and-see attitude, refusing to believe it possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xi accidentally realized that Jiang Jian was favored by the Yinshan Wonder, and in a flash of insight, devised the method to transport the world’s primordial essence and locate the boundary coordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he had thought of the method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since it had never been tested, no one could be certain it would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xi did not disclose this plan to too many people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in this world, there is no wall that never leaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since not long ago,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>when the Spirit Platform Realm True Lord endorsed the method and ordered Shen Xi to begin trials,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>many beings in Chang’an Prefecture of the Surface Realm, and even within the Nine Layers of Boundary Realms, began to quietly take notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2061,"2026-06-20T01:21:35.424Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","65390e4b90eb0cbfb825fcaed86a818650635ace1bfa996fe7edcfab82450898","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-273","ascending-to-divinity-chapter-271",306,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fascending-to-divinity-cover.jpg"]