My Husband’s Ascension C38
Chapter 38 Human Pillar
Gathering a crowd to place wagers quickly attracted Daoist Ming Jue’s attention.
The disciples participating in gossip on the practicing platform were ordered into formation and punished with five hundred sword swings each.
For them, five hundred swings amounted to little more than a mild warning. Daoist Ming Jue picked up the sheet of paper covered with names, his gaze landing on the one at the very end: Dao Lord Tianshu.
“You’re discussing your Sect Master’s future Dao companion. How did you manage to drag Dao Lord Tianshu into it? Who voted for him?”
Yao Ling and Rong Yu already knew of the entanglement between Zhao Zhao and Dao Lord Tianshu. They could scarcely resent him more; there was no way they would have written his name down.
A little disciple, still unversed in lessons, swung his sword while speaking with unabated enthusiasm. “I did! Our Sect Master is so wonderful; only the finest man in the world would be worthy of her!”
Daoist Ming Jue stroked his beard with benevolent patience and told him, smiling, “Well said. As a reward, add another hundred swings.”
Little disciple: ?
A disciple from the Zhongli Clan curled his lip. “What ‘finest man in the world’? He’s nothing more than a hypocrite playing at virtue. If he were truly that noble, back when our Zhongli Clan fell into hardship, he would’ve extended a hand instead of casting us aside.”
The other disciples of the Zhongli Clan all nodded in agreement.
By the time they were born, the Zhongli Clan was already on the brink of collapse. The elders often spoke of its former glory, but they had never seen a trace of it.
To this generation of Zhongli disciples, it was the Sect Master of Cloudculm Abode who lifted their clan back onto its feet. The swords in their hands and the clothes on their backs were bestowed by Cloudculm Abode; they had nothing whatsoever to do with Dao Lord Tianshu.
No matter how powerful the legendary Dao Lord Tianshu might be, he remained a distant myth to them; worthy of a measure of respect, perhaps, but nothing more.
Only Zhongli Shun parted his lips, as though wanting to speak in Dao Lord Tianshu’s defense. “Dao Lord Tianshu… isn’t quite that terrible. These years, the Demon Realm has fractured from within, with multiple factions attempting to storm the Cultivation Realm and seize their Successor to command all demons. If Dao Lord Tianshu hadn’t fought battle after battle to suppress them, Jimo Sea would’ve taken the brunt of it. How would we have enjoyed seven years of peace?”
“……”
Everyone fell silent. His words held validity.
In these seven years, just at the city pass of Jimo, the Demon Realm had launched attacks countless times, both overt and covert.
Had it not been for disciples sent from the Immortal Realm of Kunwu to guard the city, and Dao Lord Tianshu himself arriving on three occasions to drive the enemy back countless kilometers, the terrain of Jimo would have long since rendered its people destitute.
“But merely being virtuous does not mean one is suited to be a Dao companion. I still cast my vote for yao familiar Li Feng!”
“I vote for yao familiar Xiao Bai! Only yao familiar Xiao Bai is truly fit to be a wise and supportive Dao companion!”
Daoist Ming Jue muttered, “…You all never seem to learn your lessons. Be careful, or your Master might overhear…”
“She already has.”
Beneath a single tree of gongfen plum blossoms, a female cultivator in jade-green robes held her hands together, the hairpins lightly swaying in her black hair.
At her appearance, the young disciples who had been obediently practicing sword forms surged forward, clustering around her with exaggerated complaints: “My arms are so sore, Master!” and “It hurts, it hurts! I can’t swing the sword anymore!”
She regarded these overly lively and restless disciples with a hint of helplessness.
Their little faces, upturned like sunflowers toward her, were clearly feigning coyness to avoid punishment, yet it was impossible to punish them with any severity.
“You’re whispering about my Dao companions behind my back, yet still hoping I’ll intercede… Let’s see whose vote leads!”
Daoist Ming Jue shook his head. “You spoil them far too much. It’s high time you showed a little of what it means to be a Sect Master.”
Zhao Zhao glanced over the slip of paper with names and votes, her gaze briefly resting on Dao Lord Tianshu’s name.
“Sounds as if you were ever like a Sect Master yourself,” she remarked.
Tilting her head, Zhao Zhao addressed the young disciples around her, “How many times has our Grandmaster gotten lost recently?”
The disciples raised their hands in unison; some showing five fingers, others eight.
Daoist Ming Jue looked up at the sky. “What lost? That is merely me pondering the Dao, lost in thought for a moment…”
Laughter, good-natured and teasing, rose from the practicing platform.
…
The disciples of the three great sects remained at the guest lodgings of Cloudculm Abode for roughly ten days.
During this time, though most of their hours were spent studying formations near the lodgings, the commotion from outside would occasionally filter in.
“…There aren’t actually that many people in Cloudculm Abode, yet it’s lively all day long.” During a brief respite, Mo Lingyun toyed with the brush in his hand, resting his chin upon his palm, a faraway look in his eyes. “I really want to go out and see… what is it that keeps them laughing all day?”
Yin Shanji cast him a sidelong glance. “So curious, are you? Why not marry into Cloudculm Abode, provided, of course, that their sect master finds you worthy.”
Mo Lingyun’s face flared crimson.
“What…are you implying! Who said I had any interest in Miss Immortal Tanzhao? She is the esteemed leader of an entire sect; surely she har–harbors no thoughts of romance. Don’t sully her name!”
Yin Shanji merely let out a cold chuckle, turning back to the table to conduct the final checks on the sealing formation.
Mo Lingyun ran a hand through his hair. Yin Shanji’s words left him restless, as if ants crawled beneath his skin. He could not sit still.
In an attempt to mask his embarrassment, he paced the room while muttering, “Besides, we’ve only met a few times. Yin Shanji, what you said is far too rude. Luckily, Miss Immortal Tanzhao did not hear, otherwise she would misunderstand and think we’re some licentious scoundrel—”
“She heard.”
A childlike voice drifted from the window. Yao Ling, peeking out from behind a red monster mask, had popped her head inside. “All four of our ears heard it. Are you the one who wants to marry into our sect?”
The four, who had been relaxed moments before, snapped to full alert, eyes darting warily toward the window.
Besides Yao Ling in the red monster mask, another figure appeared—Rong Yu, wearing a fox mask.
Two heads peeked silently side by side at the window, yet the four disciples inside the room remained entirely oblivious.
“Stop babbling—” Zhao Zhao, who had been approaching from behind, scooped the two away from the window and urged them to wait by the rear mountain.
Turning back, she entered the room, smiling at the four, “Children speak without caution; do not take it to heart. I hear the sealing formation is nearly complete. Pray tell, when shall we depart for Mount Ling?”
Mo Heng replied, “Before we set out, may Miss Immortal Tanzhao personally inspect it once more.”
The scattered diagrams and array materials on the table were cleared away. The four of them clasped their hands in intricate mudras, and the void shimmered with a sealing formation, a circular construct of ten layers stacked above and below.
Yin Shanji explained, “Once this formation is sealed, only those who possess the key to its secrets may break it, or perhaps by gathering the elite disciples from our three sects who are versed in formations; though such a breach of sect honor would never occur. Fear not, Immortal Tanzhao.”
Zhao Zhao’s eyes widened slightly at the exquisiteness of the formation, and she looked up at Yin Shanji, “Remarkable. Truly the most refined sealing formation I have ever seen. You are all so young and yet so skilled—surely your futures hold great promise.”
Yin Shanji, who had always devoted himself solely to cultivation, was taken aback by such direct praise. His first instinct was to stiffly deny it, “It is not merely I… this formation was the result of all four of our efforts…”
“Does that not mean you had a part in it as well? How impressive.”
“……”
Watching the cold-faced youth quietly retreat behind Mo Heng after her compliments, Zhao Zhao cocked her head, somewhat confused.
Though she did not dwell on it, simply thinking that geniuses tended to be aloof.
“Since the sealing formation is complete, we shall depart for Mount Ling today. Once the formation is set, one lingering concern will finally be settled. Otherwise, my heart remains uneasy.”
Mo Lingyun watched Zhao Zhao walk toward the two yao familiars waiting outside the gate, then turned back to tease Yin Shanji. “A few words of praise and you get all shy… Don’t know whose springtime feelings are stirring, truly a frivolous fellow.”
“…You’re insane.”
Mo Heng saw the two bickering again and could only helplessly shake his head.
Once everyone was ready, he followed Zhao Zhao and, after a moment’s thought, added a caution, “Mount Ling holds a unique status within the cultivation world. No other sect has ever discovered a grotto-heaven or blessed land nearby. Though we do not know Mount Ling’s disposition, we must take care not to offend them on this journey.”
Zhao Zhao was no stranger to the peculiar reverence cultivators held for Mount Ling.
Riding atop her celestial deer, threading through the mist, she caught a distant glimpse of the mountain’s jade-hued silhouette and remarked, “I have always wondered, what makes Mount Ling so exceptional that all sects treat it with such reverence?”
The question caused Mo Heng to pause, caught slightly off guard.
What makes Mount Ling so exceptional…
“Miss Immortal has stumped me,” Mo Heng replied with a wry smile. “Since the time I began cultivation, or rather, since my Master and my Master’s Master cultivated, Mount Ling has always existed.”
He gazed slowly at the distant Mount Ling and continued, “The Cultivation Realm has endured for over ten thousand years, yet those who ascend to immortality are few. Of those whose names can still be traced, the presence of Mount Ling’s Wu-Shamans is ever near. These shamans possess extraordinary bloodlines; they are nearly incapable of normal cultivation, their lifespans immense, and their growth painfully slow. Yet they wield heaven-reaching powers, able to hear Heaven's Dao and guide mortals.”
Mo Heng turned to Zhao Zhao, “However, despite their heaven-reaching abilities, they have no means of self-preservation. Even the art of the spiritual gu was invented by this current generation’s Wu-Shaman Xian. Before that, shamans of Mount Ling had on several occasions been seized by cultivators with ill intent.”
“Perhaps for this reason, all sects in the cultivation world share a consensus: Mount Ling nurtures those with talent toward ascension, and all sects accord Mount Ling the respect it is due, never daring to oppress it.” He paused, then added, “Seven years ago, it is said that Dao Lord Tianshu, in a fit of anger, slew more than ten shamans of Mount Ling. The reason remains unknown. The outside world criticized him, claiming he abused his power and bullied the weak. As to why he acted thus, no one has ever discovered.”
Zhao Zhao’s eyes flickered, as if recalling something.
Yet the ripple of thought quickly passed. She gazed at the distant mountain, her voice soft, almost absentminded, “I see.”
This is the foundation upon which Mount Ling stands.
As long as the art of divining and consulting the heavens exists, the cultivation world will respect Mount Ling for as long as that art endures.
After all, who does not long for ascension? And how many would not wish for Mount Ling’s favor, just as the immortal ascendants of old had it, a Mount Ling ahead of them, foreseeing the future and clearing obstacles in their path?
Zhao Zhao lowered her eyes, folding away the trace of worry.
At first, her desire to protect Yao Ling and Rong Yu had been tinged with selfishness. She knew her mortal strength alone could never match the foremost Dao Lord of the cultivation world, and so she had wished for Yao Ling and Rong Yu to become the blades with which she could strike.
But now, more than any immortal pair destined to slay a demonic-corrupted Dao Lord or save the world, Zhao Zhao simply wished for them to endure less hardship—to grow steadily and safely, just as they were now.
Yao Ling’s body had shown no significant growth in these past seven years.
Considering the traits of Mount Ling’s bloodline, Zhao Zhao had already begun to form a quiet conjecture in her heart.
It was this conjecture that had driven her to cultivate relentlessly over the years, all so that when the storm finally came, she could protect them.
“Mount Ling lies just ahead,” Li Feng suddenly announced.
As they reached the mountain, the celestial deer twitched its nose at the scent of a feast, its dark, gleaming eyes blinking with excitement.
Behind them, Gui Fangliu reached out, brushing against the mist in the void. “Mount Ling has set a maze. It seems they do not wish for us to find our way in easily.”
Seizing a rare chance to show off, Mo Lingyun’s eyes brightened, and he strode forward. “Such trifling tricks are hardly worth mentioning; before the might of our Moyan Sect, they are but child play—”
Before he could make a move, something nudged the small of his back.
The celestial deer shook its antlers, shoving aside the human who blocked its path, then gleefully carried Zhao Zhao through the mist.
What maze? Before a celestial deer capable of sensing the world’s spiritual energy, any array was mere decoration. Unfazed, it guided them straight to the entrance of the grotto-heaven, spinning anxiously in place as if waiting for Zhao Zhao to feed it.
“This deer…is rather capable,” Mo Lingyun muttered, a hint of embarrassment creeping into his voice; he had not expected his own skills to be outshone by a deer.
“The formation here shows signs of having been forcibly broken,” Mo Heng said solemnly after a careful inspection. “Fortunately, we arrived in time. A little later, and who knows what might have happened. Let us enter quickly.”
The sealing formation’s core must be placed within the grotto-heaven. Zhao Zhao nodded, dispelling the seal, and led the others inside.
The mist that had previously shrouded their vision suddenly cleared.
Within the grotto-heaven, daylight shone brilliantly, and the spiritual energy was as abundant as when Zhao Zhao had first set foot in the Blessed Land of Langhuan. This place, too, was a treasure comparable to Langhuan.
During the previous hurried sealing, Zhao Zhao had not had the chance to examine the area closely.
Now, as she surveyed her surroundings, a golden pillar, stretching toward the heavens, immediately drew her attention.
It was not a physical pillar, but rather a manifestation of spiritual energy, rising straight from the earth and piercing the sky—a sight Zhao Zhao had never before witnessed.
“What is that?” Xiao Bai also caught sight of the pillar, and could not help but voice his amazement.
Only Li Feng and Mo Heng remained fixated on it, their gazes deepening with intensity.
Mo Heng’s gaze stiffened as he stared in that direction, murmuring under his breath, “That…That cannot be—”
“It is a human pillar.” Li Feng’s usual lazy smile vanished, replaced by unprecedented seriousness, “Such immense spiritual energy…this human pillar was made from someone of considerable ability.”
Author’s Note: A quick word about the ‘crematorium’ arc: currently, we’re about 180,000 characters in, marking the completion of the early-stage setup. The next part is when the crematorium truly catches fire, and the male lead completely loses his mind. Once we reach the latter half, both physical and emotional torment awaits.
As hinted in a previous chapter, the male lead will die once and pay a price. Honestly, much of my motivation in writing right now is figuring out how to make him suffer.
Ok, I won’t spoil any more. Rest assured, everything meant to happen will happen~
TL Note: Not sure if it’s the same thing, but there is a wiki post regarding human pillars - Da sheng zhuang (打生桩) is a cultural practice of human sacrifice through premature burial before the construction of buildings. A person was buried alive under or near large-scale structures like dams, bridges, and castles as a prayer for protection. It was believed this would safeguard the building from natural disasters or attacks.
