“You can board my ship if you want,” Xu Zimo said calmly, “but from now on, if I give any orders, you must obey them. This is the price you pay before you reap the rewards.”
“So long as it’s within reason, of course we’ll stand with you,” the Celestial Sage replied with a smile.
“Very well then, I accept the guest elder position,” Xu Zimo said with a light smile.
“Great, we’re one family now, no need to be so formal,” Elder Mortal Cloud said with a grin. “Please, stay on the Heaven Ascension Holy Mountain for a few days.”
“Just call me Young Master Xu,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.
“In that case, Young Master Xu, please make yourself at home,” the Celestial Sage also smiled. “I’ll have the Heaven-Derivation Astrolabe sent to you shortly.”
Xu Zimo stood at the summit of the mountain and looked around, finding many spiritual trees and rare herbs planted there.
The place was lush with flowers and vegetation.
Amid the greenery, a wooden hut stood alone.
“This your residence?” Xu Zimo asked, intrigued.
“Yes. It’s quiet and peaceful. A place for cultivating the heart,” the Saint replied with a smile.
The Celestial Sage had already reached the Immortal Sovereign realm and was striving to ascend into the Undying Immortal relam.
At this level, spiritforce alone wasn’t enough to progress.
Every step forward required deeper understanding of one’s Dao Heart, clarity on the martial path one wished to follow, and how to evolve it. One had to remain unshaken and not get lost along the way.
For beings at this stage, it wasn’t uncommon to go into seclusion for a thousand years without food or drink, just to study their path.
Meanwhile, within the Heaven Ascension Holy Mountain, Yin Cai’er, Yin Wushuang, and a large group of disciples had gathered.
Though Yin Cai’er looked calm on the surface, her pale complexion revealed her inner turmoil.
“Senior Sister Yin, don’t worry. The Ancestor personally came out of seclusion this time. It’ll be fine,” a disciple reassured her.
“But I heard he destroyed the entire Heaven-Severing Sacred Ground… Is it really going to be okay?” another disciple asked hesitantly.
“What are you afraid of? I heard the Ancestor invited people from the Immortal Mortal Sacred Ground. I doubt Xu Zimo would dare act recklessly,” another disciple scoffed.
Yin Cai’er took a deep breath and looked at Yin Wushuang beside her. “Sister, if something really happens… you must save me.”
“I’ll do my best,” Yin Wushuang nodded.
Just then, four figures descended from the sky.
Besides Xu Zimo and the two elders, the fourth was Lin Fengyue, the Sect Master of Heaven Ascension Holy Mountain.
As the four arrived, the gathered disciples quickly knelt in greeting.
“Rise,” Lin Fengyue sighed and said.
“Everyone else, leave. Cai’er, stay.”
“Sect Master…” Yin Cai’er looked up at Xu Zimo with panic in her eyes.
“Didn’t expect we’d meet again, did you?” Xu Zimo smiled faintly.
“I let you go once before, and you didn’t treasure it. Now that I’ve come to the Heaven Ascension Holy Mountain to kill you, what of it?”
“Young Master Xu, please spare me! I was blind and foolish,” Yin Cai’er begged desperately.
But no matter how much she pleaded, Xu Zimo remained smiling, unmoved.
Seeing this, Yin Cai’er turned to Lin Fengyue, hoping he’d intervene.
“You have to face the consequences of your own actions,” Lin Fengyue shook his head.
“Cai’er, I watched you grow up… It’s not like I’m heartless.”
“Young Master Xu, please spare my sister. Don’t stoop to her level,” Yin Wushuang also pleaded.
“I already gave you face once at the Liu Estate,” Xu Zimo said flatly, looking at her. “Don’t push your luck. Your face isn’t worth that much.”
Hearing this, Lin Fengyue quickly shouted, “Wushuang, step back.”
Seeing this unfold, Yin Cai’er wiped the tears from her face.
Her expression suddenly calmed. She asked, “Is there really no chance at all?”
“Take your own life,” Xu Zimo said as he tossed her a short sword. “Out of respect for your ancestor, I’ll let you die in one piece.”
Yin Cai’er’s hands trembled as she took the blade. After a deep breath, she lifted it toward her own neck, but in the next instant, the blade turned and she lunged at Xu Zimo instead.
“Ungrateful fool,” Xu Zimo snorted coldly.
Spiritforce surged around him, and with a single palm strike, he sent her flying.
The blow was so powerful it pierced through her chest.
A gaping, bloody hole exploded in her body.
Yin Cai’er collapsed, lifeless.
“Bury her,” Lin Fengyue said softly, unable to keep watching.
“No,” Xu Zimo replied flatly. “Throw her corpse to the beasts on the mountain.”
Lin Fengyue paused, looked at the Celestial Sage beside him, then finally nodded.
After staying a few days on the Heaven Ascension Holy Mountain, Xu Zimo prepared to leave.
During his stay, he had received the Heaven-Derivation Astrolabe.
The disk was oval in shape, appearing like a pocket-sized night sky.
Countless stars shimmered, and a silver river of stardust flowed through it, beautiful and ethereal.
For Xu Zimo, it was merely a support tool, something to keep handy in case of emergencies.
There was a teleportation array that could take him from the Holyflower Region to the Eastern Continent.
However, the Heaven Ascension Holy Mountain didn’t have one.
So Xu Zimo had to return to Dark Corner Capital instead.
To assist, the Heaven Ascension Holy Mountain dispatched a Sageship to take him there.
Dark Corner Capital was as grim as ever, murder and sin ran rampant.
Perhaps surviving long-term in a place really could remake a person.
As Xu Zimo entered the city, he noticed the atmosphere was tenser than usual.
There were more people dressed in gray robes, each with a longsword strapped to their backs.
They patrolled the city frequently, searching for someone. Though many were angry, no one dared resist.
Xu Zimo paid no attention and returned to the Mo Imperial Clan’s little tea house.
He asked the Mo Imperial Clan to prepare the teleportation array, he intended to return to the Eastern Continent.
But Mo Zhan informed him that Dark Corner Capital had issued a new restriction.
No one was allowed to use teleportation arrays to leave the city.
They could only be used for incoming travel from outside.
“Who made this rule?” Xu Zimo asked calmly.
“It was the Thousand Sword Gate,” Mo Zhan quickly answered. “Maybe you should wait a few days, sir. They’re searching for someone in the city, or so I’ve heard.”
Dark Corner Capital had three major powers. Death God Palace, Radiant Temple, and the Thousand Sword Gate.
Xu Zimo smirked with interest, then narrowed his eyes and said, “Looks like destroying the Death God Palace wasn’t enough of a lesson for some people. They really think this place is their backyard.”
With that, he stepped out of the tea house and walked straight toward the outside world.