Chapter 1757: Arrival

Spirit Phase Grotto-Heaven.

Amidst the sea of clouds, a lotus throne as vast as a mountain stood quietly in place. Vast, surging streams of pure energy poured forth without end, stirring countless earth-shaking wonders across the sea of clouds.

Yan Changsheng and Su Ying hovered in the air, their gazes fixed on the center of the "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus," where two young figures could be seen sitting facing each other.

It was Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge.

The two of them were like black holes, ceaselessly devouring the energy contained within the "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus."

And the "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus" truly lived up to its reputation as a supreme treasure of the world imbued with the power of a Divine Fruit's rank. With its aid, Jiang Jiang Qinge had now stepped into the Peerless Ninth Grade realm, while the energy fluctuations emanating from Li Luo's body were growing ever more vast and domineering.

Yan Changsheng and Su Ying's gazes lingered on Jiang Jiang Qinge's slender, graceful figure, their eyes carrying a peculiar glint, because after reaching Peerless Ninth Grade, a kind of sacred aura beyond imagination was beginning to radiate from within Jiang Jiang Qinge's body.

Under this sacred aura, even the "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus," which contained the "power of the Divine Fruit," seemed to dim somewhat in comparison.

"Do you feel it? Her Light Phase is gradually awakening. I never expected that after such an endless span of years, we would once again witness the Sect Master's 'Pseudo Tenth-Grade Light Phase' manifest in this world." A hint of reminiscence flickered in Yan Changsheng's deep, weathered eyes.

"I never imagined that a single phase could evolve to such an extent, spontaneously generating spiritual intelligence, no different from a living being. The realm of 'Ten' is truly unfathomable, beyond all reckoning." Su Ying sighed with reverence as well. She and Yan Changsheng could both be considered the peak powerhouses of this world, yet even at such a realm, facing the Sect Master's might, they still felt like mayflies gazing at the sky.

She was truly the foremost person across all ages.

Only such an existence could, when the Dark World was at its most glorious and powerful, sever its path of evolution, forcing it into an endless slumber thereafter.

That war—if not for the "Source of All Evil" being too bizarre and terrifying, this long stretch of chaos would likely have been ended by the Sect Master long ago.

"I've heard that Yin Qingkun is also alive in this world, and has even founded a 'Return Society,' with considerable collusion with the Dark World. The Sect Master's 'Pseudo Tenth-Grade' Annihilation Phase is also among them. What exactly is going on?" Su Ying suddenly said.

Yan Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly. "Back then, when the Sect Master was severing her phases, the Annihilation Phase and the Light Phase were the most powerful, so they were left for last. When you and I departed with the 'Withering-Flourishing Phase,' judging from the Sect Master's condition at the time, the 'Annihilation Phase' was most likely contaminated by the Source of All Evil. The Sect Master used the Light Phase to suppress them at the time, but looking at it now, when the Sect Master finally severed the Annihilation and Light Phases, a great catastrophe must have occurred."

"And this great catastrophe also led to the complete annihilation of the Faceless Holy Sect, vanishing into the river of time."

Yan Changsheng's expression was complex. Even now, he found it hard to believe that the Faceless Holy Sect, which stood at the pinnacle of an era, immensely powerful beyond imagination, would collapse and vanish in a single night.

He took a deep breath, his expression suddenly turning cold and profound: "But regardless, Yin Qingkun's collusion with the Dark World has gone too far. This is a betrayal of the Faceless Holy Sect's ironclad rules. If my wife and I can ultimately leave the Spirit Phase Grotto-Heaven, then we should uphold the Sect Master's will and punish the traitor."

Su Ying hesitated, then finally nodded lightly. She and Yan Changsheng were husband and wife, so she naturally knew his temperament. Back in the Faceless Holy Sect, Yan Changsheng had been in charge of the sect's penal code, overseeing many elders and high-ranking members, and was the most feared.

Colluding with aberrant beings of the Dark World, as Yin Qingkun had done, was the greatest taboo for Yan Changsheng. Once caught, there would be no mercy.

"Let's wait until the two of us can truly walk out of the Spirit Phase Grotto-Heaven. Over this past year, Li Luo's progress in comprehending the 'Withering-Flourishing Phase' has been extremely slow. Even now, there is no sign of the Withering-Flourishing Phase being born." Su Ying shifted the topic.

Yan Changsheng fell silent upon hearing this. Over this past year, they had been observing Li Luo's progress in comprehending the "Withering-Flourishing Phase." Although his strength was gradually increasing as he absorbed the Divine Fruit energy of the "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus," the brand-new "Withering-Flourishing Phase" had still yet to appear.

And without the power of the "Withering-Flourishing Phase," the moment the two of them stepped out of the Spirit Phase Grotto-Heaven, they would turn to dust under the backlash of time.

"It seems the birth of the brand-new 'Withering-Flourishing Phase' is even more difficult than we imagined. After all, this 'Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus' is not truly the Withering-Flourishing Phase itself." Yan Changsheng said.

If it were merely a matter of absorbing the energy of this "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus," that would naturally be a simple task. But to give birth to a brand-new "Withering-Flourishing Phase" while absorbing it—the difficulty was extraordinary.

If Li Luo could not comprehend the "Withering-Flourishing Phase" before the energy of the "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus" was completely exhausted, then Yan Changsheng and Su Ying would basically have all their hopes cut off.

"Everything can only be left to fate."

Su Ying, however, took it in stride. After all, they had lived far too long and long grown weary. If not for the approaching Return Unity War, and their desire to contribute one last effort to defending the Outer Shenzhou, they might not have needed to worry so much.

Yan Changsheng nodded slowly. It could only be so.

At this thought, the two figures also gradually faded and dispersed within the sea of clouds.

Winter departed, spring arrived; flowers bloomed and fell. Unconsciously, another year had passed.

Heaven's proud sons of this world emerged in endless streams, like carp crossing a river.

What a magnificent scene of a flourishing cultivation era.

Qi Huang, Wang Xuanjin, and others entered the Spirit Phase Grotto-Heaven at regular intervals, but to their regret, although Li Luo's strength was steadily climbing, the Withering-Flourishing Phase still showed no sign of being born.

And as time passed, the energy of that Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus had begun to show signs of weakening.

The hope in Qi Huang and the others' eyes had gradually dimmed after repeated fruitless waits, their hearts growing heavy, because without the "Withering-Flourishing Phase," their Ten Outer Shenzhou would lose two Divine Fruit Li Li Tianwang like Yan Changsheng and Su Ying.

This loss was simply suffocating.

After all, one had to know that, looking across the foundations of today's Ten Outer Shenzhou, there were only three Divine Fruit Li Li Tianwang in total.

Compared to the Dark World, the gap was vast.

And Yan Changsheng and Su Ying gradually let go of that hope. Perhaps this was the will of heaven; after all, they did not belong to this era in the first place.

The only slight consolation for Qi Huang and the others was that both Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge had climbed to the peak of Peerless Ninth Grade. Given their foundations, if they could truly take that step and advance to Li Li Tianwang, their strength would far surpass that of ordinary Li Li Tianwang.

At the very least, they would forge three ranks!

Most newly advanced Li Li Tianwang could only forge one rank. Only as their foundations grew stronger could they refine a second, third, or even fourth rank.

And once one possessed four ranks, one could use them to nurture a Divine Fruit, thereby stepping into the supreme Divine Fruit realm of this world.

The Peerless Path was, in itself, the foremost path under heaven. Thus, stepping into Li Li Tianwang, the starting point far surpassed that of ordinary Li Li Tianwang.

Therefore, if Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge could step into the Li Li Tianwang realm, it would indeed allow the top-tier combat power of the Ten Outer Shenzhou to grow stronger by a measure.

In the days that followed, Qi Huang and the others visited the Spirit Phase Grotto-Heaven less and less frequently. After all, the Ten-Year Heavenly Fortune had now entered its countdown, and all powerhouses were cultivating desperately, trying to gain more favor from fortune when the settlement moment arrived, and thereby break through their own shackles.

However, after Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge's realms climbed to the peak of Peerless Ninth Grade, they began to stagnate. Clearly, this final step was so difficult that even with their unimaginable foundations, the two of them could not achieve it overnight.

But the two did not grow impatient because of this, and continued to cultivate in tranquility, refining and absorbing the dwindling energy of the "Withering-Flourishing Heart Lotus."

And at this moment, only half a year remained before the end of the Ten-Year Heavenly Fortune.

In the perception of countless beings of the Outer Shenzhou, this final half-year seemed to become especially agonizing.

The passage of time also seemed to slow considerably.

Yet the cultivation of countless powerhouses grew ever more frenzied.

Everyone knew that this half-year was the final period for them to improve their strength.

Once the moment the Ten-Year Heavenly Fortune ended, the Ten Outer Shenzhou would enter a period of fortune overdraft. For the next several hundred years, the Outer Shenzhou might find it very difficult to see the emergence of any new King-realm powerhouses.

But this no longer mattered, because once the Return Unity War was lost, the Outer Shenzhou would have no future at all.

Time passed, day by day.

The countdown echoed in the hearts of countless beings like a clock, evoking an inexplicable sense of suffocation.

Five months...

Three months...

One month...

Ten days...

Five days...

One day...

Until that moment, the true arrival.