Chapter 319: The Failed Heavenly Dao Sacrifice

In fact, after seeing Ji You's single sword subdue the Elder of Lingjian Mountain, many things suddenly made sense.

For example, why Xiang Fu had been admitted to the Inner Court, and why his seat at the Youxian Banquet had been at the main table.

Even why the Five Immortal Sects had remained utterly still.

The higher a person's combat power, the greater their influence and the deeper their roots; even an Immortal Sect could not quietly kill them without caution.

At this moment, everyone's mind conjured different images.

There was Elder Fang's weary words in the snowstorm: "Let it be," and Fang Jincheng's frantic flight from Zui Xian Pavilion.

"His combat power…"

"It seems his journey to the Shrine of the Ancients was not in vain—perhaps he gained the most."

He Long recalled the Ju Xian Banquet, where they had divided Fengzhou among themselves, and his heart trembled.

How arrogant he had been then, how terrified he was now.

Upon hearing "gained the most," everyone turned to look at the twin disciples of the Chen Clan, and saw Chen Luo and Chen Xi, clad in golden-embroidered immortal robes, also gazing at Ji You.

At first, they had assumed these two disciples had gained the most.

But as they stared, they suddenly remembered something.

When they had left the Shrine of the Ancients, everyone had said Ji You had made no progress, and rumors had spread across the land—but these two disciples had said nothing.

Even when others had sought confirmation, they had uttered not a single word.

Now, looking back, those outside the Shrine had only seen the surface.

Only Chen Luo, who had been at the Shrine's center alongside Ji You, had truly seen what lay within him—and that was why he had remained silent.

"This year, the Heavenly Book Academy admitted a disciple from Fengzhou—a bottom-rank cultivator who had broken the age limit before turning twenty."

"A rustic self-taught cultivator—just a minor footnote…"

At dusk, the western sky blazed crimson as Ji You and Cao Jingsong left the viewing tower.

Lu Hanyan's injuries were not severe, but upon waking, she gazed at Ji You with watery eyes.

Then came the finals.

Vast spiritual energy clashed violently, spells striking like the roars of tigers.

Ji You had been in the Heavenly Book Academy for years and had offended nearly every immortal clan; so it was not just Yan Hao—other clans also hoped to teach him a lesson during the matches.

After all, many of the disciples sent by the Heavenly Book Academy were closely tied to him.

But after that sword had sliced through the barrier, all such thoughts vanished; under its awe-inspiring presence, no one dared move, and even the disciples of the Heavenly Book Academy were treated with caution.

Powerful cultivators are terrifying—but those who disregard rules entirely are even more terrifying…

As match followed match continued, people's thoughts returned to the competitors.

Ji You's display had been astonishing, but rumors had circulated for half a year—they had prepared themselves mentally.

Yet the young disciples of the Immortal Sects, whose realms were shockingly high, left them increasingly silent.

A few prodigies appearing in one generation was not strange, but prodigies sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain? They had never heard of such a thing.

"That Elder Chen Feng…"

"Chen Feng?"

"Two years ago, I met him a few times—he was only at the Yingtian Initial Realm. Now, seeing him again, he's reached Wujiang. Truly shocking…"

Cultivation beyond the top five realms grows harder with each step; many spend their entire lives stuck in one realm.

Yet sudden breakthroughs? They had never heard of such a thing.

Even if some faintly sensed this matter was extraordinary, they could not articulate why.

Even outsiders of the Immortal Sects, who had spent years in the Inner Sect, felt baffled when facing their younger siblings' explosive progress.

After the finals ended, the Eastern Courtyard of the Heavenly Book Academy fell silent.

Zhengxin Immortal had not reached the final; Xiao Hanyan had barely secured a spot in the Heavenly Dao Sacrifice, but was badly wounded.

Yu Shiliu, Wang Gaocen, and others had been eliminated in the third round, sitting in silence as they sipped tea.

They had lost at the Heavenly Dao Assembly before, but this time felt utterly different.

Even in defeat, they had once been rare prodigies—but now, they felt as if they were being drowned in a sea of talent.

Too many younger cultivators matched their realms; they felt they had lost all uniqueness.

"Where exactly has gone wrong…?"

"Could there truly be a method to ascend in a single step…?"

Xiao Hanyan sank into self-doubt, murmuring to herself as she clutched her porcelain cup.

On the eve of Lixia, the crimson clouds painted the sky.

Countless carriages and palanquins raced along Rihua Avenue, their drawn spiritual energy converging into a river that wove a silver-blue curtain beneath the heavens, surging toward the darkening west.

After passing through a dense forest, they arrived at the vast human altar.

From afar, the altar was encircled by towering walls that stretched into the sky, their grandeur and height revealed by the creeping night.

Ji You arrived by carriage and disembarked before the packed walls.

The grand bronze gates stood open; he glanced at the two characters above the archway—Qian Men—then stepped into the dark tunnel and ascended.

Behind him followed Cao Jingsong, Wen Zhengxin, and Ban Yangshu—the four walked together.

The Lu sisters had also wished to join them, especially Lu Hanyan, but Lu Xiong and his wife had pulled them toward Kunmen.

His enmity with the Five Immortal Sects was no rumor; even with his astonishing combat power, it remained unwise for others to draw too near.

Fortunately, since Ji You had taken his seat at the Immortal Sects' main table and slashed the Lingjian Mountain Elder, Lu Xiong and his wife had never again mentioned arranging a marriage for them.

At this moment, Ji You climbed the towering wall encircling the altar, facing a fierce wind.

Looking down from above, he saw the altar rose high in the center and sloped low at the edges, like an inverted jade bowl, its surface carved with countless intricate patterns linked by lines, resembling a star map.

"This is the human altar?"

"Yes. When the altar is ignited, divine light resonates with the Heavenly Dao. Cultivators who meditate here will have a chance to harmonize their souls with the Heavenly Dao."

"What are the odds?"

Cao Jingsong shook his head: "That depends on the cultivator themselves."

Ji You turned to look at his instructor: "Their talent?"

"Their Dao heart. Over a thousand years of Qingyun, there have been many with poor talent but Dao hearts attuned to the Heavenly Dao—after the Heavenly Dao Sacrifice, they gained much, like opening a gate, ascending swiftly."

"I see."

As they spoke, figures began to appear in their sight.

The hundred or so cultivators who had ranked in the Youxian Banquet entered in order and seated themselves along the altar's center, soon filling the central area.

Then an old man, draped in straw and painted with pigments, arrived at the center and sat among them.

He was the hereditary high priest of the human altar; when the altar was activated, he would meditate with them, guiding their souls through chanting.

The Heavenly Dao was vast as an ocean and profoundly mysterious; without guidance, they might sink into it and never return.

Thus, the old priest served as an anchor.

Night slowly descended; stars began to dot the sky.

Cultivators stood atop the eight walls, all watching the center, as if awaiting something.

Some youths, who had spent their lives in seclusion and never attended the Youxian Banquet, felt puzzled, thinking: Is this it?

In their minds, the Heavenly Dao Sacrifice should be grand and awe-inspiring—not so eerily calm.

Yet amid their confusion, everyone suddenly felt a sword aura surge, and a slender figure shot into the clouds.

The young mistress of Lingjian Mountain, clad in luxurious immortal robes and crowned with a lapis crown, stood atop the heavens like a celestial goddess, her divine form radiant.

The human altar could not be opened by ordinary means—it required the permission of the vessel-bearer and the sacred artifact's origin as a key.

For years, the Seven Immortal Sects had taken turns hosting the altar; now it was Lingjian Mountain's turn.

Above, the young mistress, bathed in divine light, gently opened her palm, and a stone mirror floated into the air; instantly, the altar erupted with a vast, boundless aura.

Then, a beam of divine light shot from the sacred mirror in her hand and struck the altar's center.

In an instant, the entire altar ignited—endless divine light burst forth from the intricate patterns.

The young mistress parted her lips in silence, murmured a word, and the divine light surged skyward, gathering around her body before shooting straight into the heavens with her gesture.

Watching this, everyone's eyes held a trace of reverence.

During the Youxian Banquet, they had seen too many cultivation prodigies.

Seventeen-year-old Tongxuan, twenty-five-year-old Rongdao—they had been stunned.

But only now did they remember: the young mistress of Lingjian Mountain, who reached Tongxuan at ten and Wujiang at twenty-two, was truly the most astonishing—even Ji You's strange power could not match her.

Now, seeing her wield the sacred artifact, summon divine light, and draw heavenly radiance, they were utterly awestruck.

On Kunmen, Cao Jingsong, Ban Yangshu, and Wen Zhengxin gazed upward, stunned at the divine beauty of the mistress, then involuntarily turned to Ji You, their expressions dazed.

Such a celestial being… is his disciple.