The South Hong Seven Sons’ Immortal Chariot was like a blazing sun hanging between heaven and earth, below which lay the treasured lands of the Seven Sects.
Many cultivators soared into the clouds, casting their gazes toward the silhouettes that appeared intermittently amidst the radiance.
The sect masters gathered together to attend a feast at the Dragon Palace.
In just half a night’s time, as dawn was just breaking, they returned. It somewhat differed from the grand banquet they had envisioned. However, the subtly changing skies of the previous night and the sudden stirring of the aura between heaven and earth were proclaiming that a colossal being had fallen.
The seven sect masters bore a profound and undamaged aura; the fallen creature was probably a venerable presence from within the Dragon Palace.
But at that moment, the entire Southern Hong waters were eerily quiet.
They didn’t even dare to make a noise!
As this thought crossed their minds, a group of cultivators swallowed hard, suddenly feeling an indescribable excitement welling up from within, though they bowed under the Immortal Chariot, they oddly felt their spines straighten.
Seven Sons emerged, sternly overseeing Southern Hong!
"We, welcome the sect master’s return to the sect——"
The uniform and prolonged voices passed through the mountains and soared to the skies, as if to disperse the vast fog, making the twinkling Nanyang shine even brighter.
"These youngsters seem quite happy."
The Ling Yun Sect Master shook his head, expressing his approval of Shen Yi’s previous response.
As a cultivator, who didn’t know that the path ahead was fraught with accidents, especially since even the Western Dragon Palace had witnessed the death of a Heaven Realm dragon offspring, the instability of the situation was evident.
Perhaps he had been too cowardly.
Hoping to protect the lives of the Seven Sects by staying in one corner depended on whether others allowed it.
Sect Master Shen’s actions, though risky, had seized the initiative into his own hands.
It was time for him to recollect that long-lost audacity to stake his life.
Ye Jiu unusually fell into silence, but no one minded him; anyone who knew the Heavenly Sword Sect Master knew he wasn’t worried about the future of the Seven Sons.
He simply itched for a fight after clashing briefly with the South Dragon King, but lamented not being able to draw out the old dragon for a life-or-death battle.
Just then, Ye Jiu suddenly looked up in a certain direction.
A look of doubt crept across his face.
At that moment, the Seven Sons’ Immortal Chariot was the most dazzling object in all of Southern Hong, but in the direction Ye Jiu looked, a golden light suddenly soared, speeding across Southern Hong at an almost invisible speed, resembling a golden curtain and a vast carpet that blocked out the sun, extending straight to Western Hong.
Looking at its form, it almost seemed to have the tendency to penetrate the entire Hongze.
Under this golden light, the Immortal Chariot instantly seemed dull and faded.
Several sect masters stared intensely at the place where the golden light arose, the initially tranquil waters also started surging tumultuously in an instant, subtly revealing the emotions of the South Dragon King.
Ye Jiu slowly rose from his throne, glanced over his many fellow disciples, and with a hint of astonishment, as if confirming, said, "Merit-based Ascension?"
Ji Jingxi’s lips slightly parted, Qi Yansheng’s expression was wooden.
Even these three Heaven Realm powerhouses showed such expressions, let alone the other sect masters.
Only Shen Yi sat on his throne with a somewhat peculiar expression, raising his eyebrows: "What is Merit-based Ascension?"
Ji Jingxi exhaled softly, looking at the broad golden light, murmured: "This guiding golden light leads directly to the Immortal Court."
"And under our very noses, there has been such an old thing hidden?"
Ye Jiu gasped, and before he could finish, he was glared at by Qi Yansheng, the Ling Yue Sect Master who hadn’t said a word about Ye Jiu in the Dragon Palace before, but now sternly said, "Be polite in your words."
The person capable of invoking such a response from the Immortal Court must have endured immense hardships.
Southern Hong couldn’t possibly have accumulated so much hardship to create this supreme merit-based golden light, and on reflecting, it could only be the countless lost souls left from the decadal calamity.
Among these lost souls were even those fellow disciples from the Nanyang Sect.
In other words, this was the benefactor of the Seven Sons.
Ye Jiu also realized this, suppressed his resentment, sighed, and meticulously bowed toward the place where the golden light arose: "You are magnanimous, and I spoke out of turn, please forgive me."
For cultivators, ascending to immortality or becoming an ancestor, attaining immortality came before becoming an ancestor.
Having cultivated for such long years, seeing someone ahead of them achieve this was understandably complex.
"So, does Hongze now have two immortals?"
Shen Yi asked again, and only then did everyone notice he was still seated; Ji Jingxi pursed her lips slightly, imperceptibly pulling him up.
It’s fine not to bow, but basic respect is necessary.
Seeing this, Ye Jiu opened his mouth and silently laughed, genuinely liking this young Sect Master Shen. If it weren’t for the future Immortal being the benefactor of the Seven Sons, he wouldn’t have bothered to be polite.
Ever since the destruction of Nanyang, which one of their brothers hasn’t harbored the thought of slaying immortals, but due to weak strength, they could only think about it.
All are cultivators, respect my ass!
"That wouldn’t necessarily be the case, in fact, we’ve only heard it said so." Ye Jiu picked up the conversation, with a touch of emotion: "They say that after union with the Dao, one is entitled to ascend to the Immortal Court and partake in the celestial stipend, but in reality, that’s just talk."
"Either one truly has extraordinary talent, like you, if not for being in Hongze, after your union with the Dao, some senior expert with connections to the heavens should introduce you to an Immortal Official and escort you to ascend."
"Or one has a deep background, after all, these seniors with connections also have their own children and junior relatives to cultivate to the necessary cultivation level, and send them upwards if possible."