My Husband’s Ascension C39
Chapter 39 Assault
The nearer they drew, the more awe-inspiring that heaven-piercing spiritual energy pillar became.
Within grotto-heavens and blessed lands, heaven and earth seemed one, the surface of the water smooth and mirror-like beneath their feet. As they advanced toward the base of the pillar, they realized it rose from beneath the water, thrusting straight toward the azure sky.
The depths below were unfathomable; a single glance revealed only a shadowed abyss.
“…What in the world is this?”
Mo Lingyun felt his mind go blank. Never had he imagined he would witness such a thing within the borders of Mount Ling.
“This is the essence of water.” Li Feng attempted to touch the pillar, but as expected, it rejected him outright. His fingertips recoiled as though struck by lightning.
“Many years past, I heard of the practice of human pillars. In the distant era before the Demon, Yao, and Ghost Realms knew of order, human sacrifice was commonplace. They used captured humans as material, refining them into pillars to serve as the foundations of palaces and the beams of lofty pavilions. They believed that by entombing the living within, the power unleashed in the instant before death would nourish those residing there.”
Zhao Zhao felt her scalp tighten, a chill racing down her spine.
To live in a house with a living person entombed in the walls… what nourishment could that be? One would be frightened to death long before benefiting from anything.
“In all my years wandering the Demon, Yao, and Ghost Realms, I have never seen a human pillar on such a scale.” Li Feng’s face had gone pale. He nudged Zhao Zhao with his elbow, “Speaking of which… our seven-year yao contract is about to expire, isn’t it? You cultivators are terrifying. Shouldn’t you consider letting me—”
“What? Are you saying it's so terrifying that you want to stay longer to protect us?” Zhao Zhao’s gaze locked onto the pillar, and together with Xiao Bai she seized Li Feng tightly to prevent him from slipping away. “I knew you were loyal and righteous. Very well. I approve. Let’s extend the contract another ten years.”
Li Feng: “…”
From the instant Mo Heng had laid eyes upon the pillar, a quiet heaviness had taken root in his heart.
Just how long had Mount Ling existed? And whose body had been used to forge this human pillar?
Whatever the truth was, it was unquestionably the work of heretical deviance. Even the Demon, Yao, and Ghost Realms had long abandoned such practices, yet within the Cultivation Realm, such monstrosity had arisen without anyone’s knowledge.
“…We must return to the sect at once and report this to our Sect Masters. The entire Cultivation Realm must be informed.” Mo Heng’s long brows knit tight as he turned to head back toward the exit.
But Zhao Zhao caught his sleeve. “Wait. There are still doubts unresolved. I am not seeking excuses for Mount Ling, but if this pillar truly originated from them, why did they not discover this grotto-heaven?”
Mo Heng halted mid-step.
Zhao Zhao’s expression grew more solemn.
“If we spread the news recklessly now, once word gets out that a human pillar suddenly appeared inside a grotto-heaven already claimed by Cloudculm Abode… rumor will run wild. By the time stories twist beyond recognition, Mount Ling could simply cast all blame upon us.”
The four listened to Zhao Zhao, and found her reasoning sound.
Yet—
“Then, Miss Immortal, are you intending…to simply pretend we saw nothing?” Gui Fangliu spoke softly. “With all due respect, the longer this is delayed, the worse it will be for Cloudculm Abode.”
Zhao Zhao pressed her lips together. Her palms had already grown damp.
“…I have a conjecture.” She steadied herself, then bent down to touch the surface of the lake beneath their feet. “This spirit pillar may not have been planted here originally. It might have stood somewhere else.”
Just like the time within the Blessed Land of Langhuan, where beneath the Soul-Shattering Abyss lay yet another hidden Langhuan Bochord. By stepping upon a sealing formation within that Bochord had allowed her to leave the Blessed Land of Langhuan through a different exit altogether.
“Suppose the cultivator used as a human pillar had first been entombed underwater?”
Mo Lingyun began to understand her meaning. “They believed that suppressing him beneath Mount Ling’s waters would leave no trace. But if the lakebed concealed another exit, then the pillar’s spiritual power could have overflowed to this side…right into a grotto-heaven they never discovered in the first place—”
Then all of this…clicked into place.
“We must dive beneath the waters,” Zhao Zhao said quietly, “find the root of the human pillar, as well as the second water surface.”
The turmoil in her heart only grew heavier, and her mind began to drift back to her prophetic dreams:
Mount Ling.
Yao Ling’s bloodline and origins.
And that so-called ‘annihilated clan’.
—Precisely which clan was annihilated by Dao Lord Tianshu?
If events had unfolded as in her dream, if she had never set foot in the Cultivation Realm at all—
Then, back at Small Sword Pass, when yao and ghosts attacked Cloudculm Abode, and Dao Lord Tianshu arrived with his sword—if he had come a moment too late, and Daoist Ming Jue truly had fallen to the yao…
Would Yao Ling have believed it was Dao Lord Tianshu who slew him?
Without the shelter of Cloudculm Abode, Rong Yu would have been reclaimed by the Demon Clan, raised as their Successor.
And Yao Ling, who was no more than six years old, alone and helpless, could never have grown into that future figure of unmatched cultivation. Could she have been taken in by Mount Ling?
At twelve, still bearing the frame of a six-year-old, she was unmistakably unlike ordinary folk. Yet, even with Mount Ling’s blood running through her, she differed from their shamans, cultivating with ease and remarkable aptitude.
Would Mount Ling, upon discovering this, have nurtured her with utmost care? Shaping her into a blade meant to shield them?
If so…could Dao Lord Tianshu’s so-called demonic corruption and sect-slaughter be tied to these human pillars of Mount Ling?
The deeper her thoughts spiraled, the clearer and more terrifying the truth became.
Zhao Zhao’s expression grew solemn. She pulled the ornamental hairpin from her hair, removed her shoes and stockings, and prepared to enter the water.
When she turned back, she found all four staring at her in undisguised astonishment.
“…What is it?” she asked, genuinely puzzled.
“If my memory hasn't failed me, Miss Immortal, you practice the Divine Farmer Dao. Your cultivation should fall within the second great realm, Blacknaped Oriole’s Cry, between its ninth and twelfth minor stages. Is that correct?”
Zhao Zhao inclined her head in acknowledgment.
The Divine Farmer Dao comprised four great realms: Dawn of Heaven, Blacknaped Oriole’s Cry, Heaven-Earth Reverence, and Life Springs Forth.
Zhao Zhao had cultivated for seven years and now stood at the tenth minor stage of Blacknaped Oriole’s Cry, a pace that was nothing short of astonishing.
Yet in the eyes of others, even a Divine Farmer practitioner who reached Life Springs Forth was one who struggled to defend themselves.
“The depths beneath this water are unfathomable. Even a sword cultivator skilled in combat would think twice,” Mo Heng cautioned, brows knotted as he moved to bar her path. “It is too great a risk. With just the few of us, going down there is little different from courting death. The prudent course is to seal this grotto-heaven for now and return to summon the Seven Great Sects to deliberate together. That is the only way to ensure safety.”
Zhao Zhao murmured, “But—”
“No ‘buts’, Miss Immortal Tanzhao,” Mo Lingyun cut in, still shaken. He tugged at her arm, urging her toward the exit. “For all we know, Mount Ling’s people may already be lying in ambush outside. If we tarry any longer, we may not escape at all.”
A secret of this magnitude…were they in Mount Ling’s place, even if unaware that this grotto-heaven had revealed their hidden atrocity, they would still silence all intruders without hesitation.
Running toward the exit with the others, Zhao Zhao nevertheless cast one last glance at that heaven-piercing human pillar.
They were not wrong. For now, preserving their lives mattered more than uncovering the truth. As long as this grotto-heaven remained secure, there would always be another chance to investigate.
“Take these.” Zhao Zhao tossed everyone a small vial of pills.
“These are Five-Hued Incense Pills (五色醒香丸) my Master devised. Once taken, the body emits a faint fragrance that repels ordinary gu.”
After suffering twice at the hands of Mount Ling’s spiritual gu, Zhao Zhao had spent a fortune of spirit stones urging Daoist Ming Jue to develop a pill capable of countering their arts.
As long as it was not that same supreme gu previously used to control Rong Yu, the common gu posed little threat.
When the seven of them stepped out of the grotto-heaven, golden radiance surged behind them.
The ten-layered sealing formation took effect at once: ring after ring of light contracted upon itself, shrinking the entrance until it vanished entirely into the void.
For now, only Zhao Zhao could open this place again.
“So many bugs!” The keen-eyed Mo Lingyun spotted a cluster of insects already scrambling across the toe of his boot, at least a dozen of them. Yet thanks to the Five-Hued Incense Pill, the pests were sluggish, barely clinging on before he shook them loose and crushed them underfoot.
Still shaken, Mo Lingyun lifted his gaze, looking at Zhao Zhao with newfound gratitude.
“Your pill truly saved us, Miss Immortal Tanzhao. Rest assured, if there is any ambush ahead, Senior Brother and I will protect you. We won’t let you come to harm.”
Zhao Zhao was momentarily taken aback, then laughed lightly. “Then I shall thank you, Sir Immortal, in advance.”
Walking behind them, Li Feng cast him a sidelong glance, inwardly amused.
These ignorant disciples of the Moyan Sect still had no inkling of how fearsome Xie Tanzhao truly was; she was no ordinary practitioner of the Divine Farmer Dao.
…
Night had deepened. Mount Ling was no place to linger, and the group hastened toward Jimo Sea without pause.
“Let us rest a short while tonight. At first light tomorrow, we return to Moyan Sect and request the aid of our sect master—” Mo Heng broke off mid-sentence, his gaze suddenly drawn beneath the veil of clouds.
Midnight should have been still as stone, yet from Jimo Sea City came faint, ominous sounds.
“Demonic qi is surging. Jimo Sea’s border has fallen.”
It was as though a bolt of lightning cleaved the heavens—
Before his words had fully settled, Yin Shanji shot downward at the fastest speed he could muster.
The others felt their hearts lurch, then followed after without a moment’s delay.
Zhao Zhao instantly turned toward Beaconlight Mountain, not sparing even a single word, and spurred the celestial deer forward at full speed.
Mo Heng: “A’Yun and Gui Fangliu, go protect Miss Immortal Tanzhao. Yin Shanji and I will reinforce the barrier at the border!”
In a flash, everyone split into two groups and moved out.
As they drew closer to the ground, the clash of blades below in Jimo Sea grew ever clearer.
Fortunately, Jimo Sea was long accustomed to dealing with the Demon Clan. Though the years of peace had left them somewhat unprepared at first, once they steadied themselves, each clan swiftly rallied their forces to resist the demons flooding into the city.
Faster—
Faster still—
The celestial deer sprinted desperately toward Beaconlight Mountain. The female cultivator riding on its back had her hair coming loose at the temples, but she had no mind to tidy it.
In the darkness, her eyes burned as she stared ahead, at the Zhongli disciples fighting the demons in the mountain, at the chaos already overtaking the sect gates.
“Rong Yu!” Zhao Zhao stumbled as she landed, nearly falling, but once she steadied herself, she immediately seized a disciple and demanded, “Where is Rong Yu?!”
“He’s at Moonlit Peak (照月峰)—”
Before the disciple could finish, dozens of evil demons swarmed toward them.
These mindless demons knew only slaughter, and struck with vicious ferocity. The disciple, a Zhongli Clan sword cultivator, knowing that the sect master cultivated the Divine Farmer Dao, shielded her with his own body even though he knew he could not defeat them alone.
“Sect Master, run—!”
The evil demons surged forward in waves, and no single sword strike could possibly hold them back. The sword cultivator's heart sank; he was prepared to die when suddenly a massive shadow dropped from the sky. The colossal construct crashed down squarely atop the swarming evil demons, crushing them into pulp.
“With disciples of the Moyan Sect present, evil demons, cease your rampage!”
Following the towering puppet upward with her gaze, Zhao Zhao saw a youth in dark robes, hair bound neatly, seated atop an exquisitely crafted wooden kite. With rapid hand seals, he directed the puppet to sweep its arms in all directions, scattering the evil demons’ assault in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Mo Lingyun looked quite pleased with himself. The young man, full of spirited pride, called out to Zhao Zhao, “Miss Immortal Tanzhao, hurry and come up! I’ll take you to find that Rong—”
Before he could finish, an arrow whistled through the air. Its tip burned with fierce flame as it pierced the wooden kite, and in an instant, the blazing arrow blew Mo Lingyun’s craft into splinters.
…What in the world?!
Thankfully, he had leapt clear just in time; another moment and he would have been incinerated along with it!
Plummeting from the sky, Mo Lingyun braced himself for a hard, humiliating fall—yet the moment he was about to hit the ground, something coiled around him, yanking him abruptly onto the celestial deer’s back.
The deer let out two bleats.
Mo Lingyun lifted his head and saw the female cultivator’s back before him; flustered, he shouted, “Take caution! That demon’s archery is superb, and those arrows are no ordinary shafts! Miss Immortal, we need to flee!”
Zhao Zhao stared at the arrowhead hovering a mere inch from her brow.
Sparks crackled along its tip, the heat searing her skin. Even as she poured spiritual power forward to hold it back, the blazing arrow pressed closer, inch by inch, refusing to yield.
“Truly superb archery arts. No matter which way I dodge, it pursues me with unerring precision.”
Mo Lingyun could not see her expression; he only heard her gentle, unhurried appraisal at such a perilous moment, which nearly drove him mad with anxiety. “Where’s your yao familiar? That uh, what’s his name—Li Feng! Hurry and save her! If you don’t come now, your master’s going to die!”
Below, Li Feng was locked in battle with the evil demons, shielding the young disciples behind him. He lifted his head for a brief glance.
Curling his lips in a lazy half-smile, he drawled, “Relax. Xie Tanzhao won’t die.”
Mo Lingyun nearly choked on rage. Miss Immortal Tanzhao was but a delicate Divine Farmer Dao practitioner, how could she possibly contend against such a terrifying foe—
His pupils reflected the sight of the female cultivator’s hands forming seals in swift succession.
The night wind howled, whipping her spider-silk-fine black hair, and she seemed like a dark-feathered bird poised to take flight.
In the next instant, that murderous arrow suddenly jerked as if caught by some unseen force, and without warning, it snapped backward!
The demon who had loosed the shot was still frozen in the posture of firing when, in utter disbelief, he watched his own arrow reverse course and in the blink of an eye pierce straight through his chest.
Boom!!
Flames erupted violently, and the demon commander who had led the evil demons was reduced to a heap of ash by his own arrow.
It was a long while before Mo Lingyun finally came to himself. He blinked, stunned.
Had he been secluded within the sect for far too long?
Were all practitioners of the Divine Farmer Dao now so formidable?
“The demon general has been slain.” The young woman’s voice, tender yet unwavering, rang through the mountains. “Everyone, hold for a moment longer. Unite your strength and together defend Beaconlight Mountain!”
Author’s Note: Our baby has grown up!
