novelraw Chapter 420 - 343: The Immortal Path Is Rugged, Life and Death by Fate
Chapter 420 - 343: The Immortal Path Is Rugged, Life and Death by Fate
The immortal path is fraught with obstacles, seemingly without a way, when suddenly a voice of the Way emerges from the mountains.
"Kunlun Mountain bestows the immortal path..."
Zhang Kui’s voice echoed across the Divine Land through the Divine Path network.
A long silence followed.
The common folk were the first to react, each one filled with joy and excitement. Some of them couldn’t cultivate at all, and didn’t even understand the significance of "immortality," but this didn’t stop them from celebrating with glee.
Many naturally believed that Sect Leader Zhang was an innate divine being, and that him imparting the immortal path was just one among numerous joyous events in the Divine Dynasty.
Cultivators from all around the Divine Land also wore expressions of joy.
Though it might still be far from their reach, it symbolized a future that was no longer bleak, with the immortal path within sight.
Only the Mahayana from the Celestial Pavilion, who were executing tasks in the Divine Land, stood frozen in place. Some trembled with lips quivering, others clenched their fists, looking up to the heavens.
Many of them were once Forbidden Land Great Demons, who either feared or respected Zhang Kui and chose to follow him, hoping to break free from the prison of heaven and earth alongside this man of great fortune.
However, as waves of life-and-death crises arrived, everyone was busy surviving and had long forgotten about this matter until Zhang Kui became immortal and resolved the life-and-death situation on the Celestial Essence Star.
Instantly, from all over the Divine Land, mighty qi mechanisms soared into the sky, continuously advancing towards Kunlun Mountain.
At the same time, in the Underworld, silver starships sliced through the sky, racing madly towards Divine Island City.
Three days?!
They didn’t want to wait a moment longer!
As all the Mahayana rushed on their journey, their hearts were in turmoil.
The Sect Leader reopened the immortal path, undoubtedly the first in tens of thousands of years since the fall of the Infinite Immortal Dynasty, but the question was, what kind of immortal path was he imparting?
Ancient Immortal Monarchs opened grotto heavens, controlling immortals with Tao Fruits.
Was the Sect Leader taking the same path?
Though each one cursed upon first hearing of it, when truly faced with such a decision, many asked themselves... they would still choose!
To not follow meant losing a millennium of cultivation overnight.
To not follow meant the decline of celestial beings and the scattering of their Divine Souls.
Many felt sorrowful; after thousands of years of arduous cultivation and enduring countless tribulations, they were revered by the world, yet ultimately they were but ants in heaven and earth.
At least, under Sect Leader Zhang’s guidance, things might be better...
...
On Kunlun, the sheer cliffs seemed to pierce the sky, majestic and towering.
Snow-capped peaks were shrouded in divine light, the rolling sea of clouds displayed infinite phenomena, while below stretched vast plains as far as the eye could see.
Less than half a day after Zhang Kui’s announcement, starships were already flying in the skies above several great cities at the mountain’s base, drawing the citizens’ eager attention, pointing and commenting with excitement and curiosity.
The Divine Land, plagued by constant calamities, saw each starship rise from Shazhou, often executing tasks in the Underworld or at the borders year-round with no idle moment, so the capital’s citizens of the Divine Dynasty were seeing such a gathering of starships for the first time.
However, the Mahayana on board could not bother with the citizens below, their eyes fixed longingly on Kunlun Mountain, communicating among each other mentally.
"Is the Sect Leader on the mountain now?"
"He should be, but I don’t know when he will preach..."
"Three days, indeed a long wait..."
Kunlun Mountain, being the Heaven and Earth Bridge of the Divine Land Array, emanated a majestic and oppressive aura in all directions. Regardless of the array or out of respect, though anxious about the wait, no one dared to approach.
Suddenly, all Mahayana sensed something and looked up.
They saw a silver light soaring from the peak of Kunlun Mountain, reflecting through layers of clouds, exhibiting infinite phenomena.
"What is that?"
"It seems similar to the scene when the Sect Leader became immortal..."
Everyone immediately began to discuss eagerly.
...
At the peak of Kunlun Mountain, Zhang Kui was well aware that almost everyone had arrived below, but he couldn’t spare the attention at the moment.
He sat cross-legged, suspended in the air, calmly looking ahead, with immortal power continuously surging out from within.
The Earth Evil Silver Lotus had long emerged from his body, and as immortal power was infused into it, it spun above Kunlun Mountain, growing larger and larger, while the Yin Yang True Fire blazed brightly, illuminating the entire sky in silver.
Even from space, one could see a spark of divine light flickering non-stop over the Divine Land, as if lighting a beacon on the Celestial Essence Star in the dark cosmos...
Three days later, Zhang Kui’s voice once again rang out from Kunlun Mountain:
"Everyone, come up the mountain and meet me at West Peak."
West Peak?
The Mahayana were all puzzled.
Although Kunlun Mountain was a celestial pillar, when it was built, even Zhang Kui was only a Mahayana and didn’t have the ability to erect a true Heaven-Reaching Stone Pillar. It was constructed by leveling several thousand mountains in the central region of Lai State.
Though the main peak was tallest, several side peaks also broke through the clouds, brimming with Spiritual Qi, perpetually snow-capped and desolate.
The Sect Leader usually resided at the summit, so why choose there?
With many questions, each figure, as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, leaped down from the starships, passed the Earth Demon Hall, and spiraled up along a side peak.
Yuan Huang led the way, and upon reaching the West Peak, saw Zhang Kui casually sitting on a boulder as usual, swinging a wine pot, with his breath restrained like a common person. Yet upon closer inspection, nothing could be detected.
"Greetings, Sect Leader!"
A trace of excitement flashed in Yuan Huang’s eyes, and he earnestly bent down and clasped his hands.
"Greetings, Sect Leader!"
All the Mahayana wore serious expressions, bowing together in salute.
The grace of imparting the Way was already extraordinary, let alone the path to immortality.
At this moment, everyone was completely reverent.
"No need for such formalities..."
Zhang Kui looked at more than five hundred Mahayana before him, among them were members of the Demon Race, the Ancient Race, and human Mahayana like Helian Boxiong, Zhu Sheng, and Gu Ziqing.
These were the Divine Dynasty’s current elite forces.
Yet, to truly embark on the path to immortality...
A trace of helplessness flickered in Zhang Kui’s eyes. Once everyone sat cross-legged, without wasting words, he solemnly and deeply spoke:
"Everyone, I once vowed to seek a path for cultivators across the world. Now that the immortal path has opened, this fulfills that promise."