Chapter 1243 Breakthrough and Ascension

The stone doors of the Meteor Palace slowly closed behind him. Liu Yang, whose fingertips still retained some spatial power, keenly sensed the subtle vibrations coming from outside the palace—the sound of the residual spiritual energy of the Burning Heaven Valley Master impacting the ground after being rebounded from the restriction. He stopped, listened intently for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "It seems this Valley Master hasn't given up on spying on the forbidden area."

Bai Jingjing followed his gaze to the outside of the hall, a hint of disdain flashing in her fox-like vertical pupils: "Just a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, unable to even break through the outer layer of the forbidden area's restrictions, yet he dares to covet the Meteorite Immortal Crystal." As she spoke, she flicked her finger, and a foxfire drifted out through the crack in the door, instantly transforming into an invisible detection barrier, clearly revealing the commotion outside the hall to the three of them—the Valley Master of Burning Heaven was sitting cross-legged at the entrance of the forbidden area, his face as pale as paper, his chest heaving, clearly indicating that the rebound of the restriction had seriously injured him.

Li Qingyue was more concerned about Liu Yang's condition. She reached out and touched Liu Yang's wrist, but the moment her fingertips touched his skin, she was repelled by a gentle yet powerful force of immortal energy. A look of surprise flashed in her eyes: "The aura of the celestial infant is more solid than before, and the immortal energy in your body has also stabilized considerably. Now is the perfect time to break through to the Ascension Realm."

Liu Yang nodded and turned to walk back to the center of the Meteorite Palace. The immortal energy within the palace, due to his previous seclusion, had become increasingly concentrated. Golden particles floated in the air like fireflies, swirling around him. He sat cross-legged, his hands forming the breakthrough hand seals for the "Meteorite Immortal Technique." The immortal infant within his dantian seemed to receive a command and suddenly opened its eyes—eyes identical to Liu Yang's, interwoven with the spiritual light of ice, fire, and lightning, resonating with the seven-colored glow from the palace ceiling.

"Om-"

A deep hum spread from the center of the hall, and ancient runes began to appear on the floor of the Meteorite Hall. The runes spread upwards along Liu Yang's meridians, finally condensing into a rhombus-shaped mark between his eyebrows. The celestial infant slowly rose from within his dantian, his hands also forming hand seals. A surge of celestial power far exceeding that before erupted from his dantian, rushing to his limbs and bones like a volcanic eruption.

Liu Yang felt as if his meridians were being stretched open, with waves of throbbing pain. However, the immortal power released by the celestial infant carried a strange healing power, making his meridians more resilient with each cleansing. He gritted his teeth and focused all his attention on the final layer of the "Meteorite Immortal Technique"—as the incantation flowed, the ice, fire, and lightning spiritual energies within his body began to merge wildly. The originally distinct three colors of spiritual energy were now like crushed paint, gradually converging into a new golden and silver spiritual energy.

"It'll be soon!" Li Qingyue clenched her fists, staring nervously at Liu Yang. "Once the fusion of immortal power is complete, the nascent soul will resonate fully with the main body, and then we can break through to the Ascension Realm!"

Bai Jingjing stood guard at the palace gate, and the foxfire barrier was strengthened again. She could sense that the Valley Master of Burning Heaven outside seemed to have noticed the disturbance inside the palace and was trying to forcefully break the restriction with his spiritual power. However, every time his spiritual power touched the palace gate, it was reflected back by the runes, which even aggravated the Valley Master of Burning Heaven's injuries.

Time slipped away unnoticed during cultivation. According to the flow of time within the hall, two full days had passed (while only four hours existed outside). The fusion of immortal power within Liu Yang's body was finally nearing its end. The immortal infant within his dantian suddenly rose up, transforming into a golden light and merging with Liu Yang's main body. In an instant, an indescribable pressure was released from Liu Yang's body. The dome of the Meteorite Palace was shattered by the immortal power, and a seven-colored pillar of light, tens of meters thick, shot into the sky, enveloping the entire Burning Heaven City.

"What is that?!" Inside Burning Heaven City, the cultivators on patrol looked up, their eyes filled with terror—the immortal power contained within the seven-colored pillar of light made them feel awe from the depths of their souls, and even the spiritual power within their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.

The Valley Master of Burning Heaven suddenly stood up from the ground, staring at the pillar of light that shot straight into the sky, his face ashen: "A...ascension phenomenon! Someone has broken through to the Immortal Rank in the forbidden area!" He roared in disbelief, his spiritual power surging uncontrollably within him—he had cultivated for hundreds of years and had never seen such a dense fluctuation of immortal power, which meant that the strength of the person who broke through was far beyond his imagination.

"No, we absolutely cannot let him succeed!" A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the Burning Heaven Valley Master. He abruptly pulled a black token from his storage bag, the token inscribed with the Burning Heaven Valley's protective runes. He channeled all his spiritual power into the token, which instantly erupted with a blinding red light: "All disciples of Burning Heaven Valley, heed my command! Follow me into the forbidden area and slay the one who has broken through!"

With his roar, the cultivators within Burning Heaven City gathered, and hundreds of beams of spiritual light flew towards the Meteor Forbidden Land. However, as they approached the entrance to the forbidden land, a golden barrier suddenly rose up, covered with ancient runes. The Valley Master of Burning Heaven led his men in a full-scale attack, but they were blasted away by the immortal power reflected from the barrier—dozens of cultivators coughed up blood on the spot, and even the Valley Master of Burning Heaven was forced to retreat repeatedly, his chest wound reopening.

"How is this possible... How can this restriction be so strong?" The Valley Master of Burning Heaven collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with despair. He could feel that the immortal power behind the barrier was still increasing, and the seven-colored pillar of light was becoming more and more dazzling, obviously the breakthrough had entered the final stage.

Inside the Meteorite Palace, Liu Yang slowly opened his eyes. He stood up, his immortal power flowing around him like water, and the diamond-shaped mark between his brows shimmered with a faint golden light. He could clearly feel that his body had completely merged with the immortal power, and he could manipulate the power of space with a wave of his hand, and even vaguely see the tiny cracks in the surrounding space.

"Early stage of Ascension Realm, finally achieved." Liu Yang stretched his limbs, a smile appearing on his lips. He walked to the weapon rack in the hall and reached out to grasp the Ice-Fire Immortal-Slaying Sword—a warm resonance emanated from the blade, as if it had merged with his immortal power. He then picked up the Thunder Pattern Defensive Armor, which automatically donned onto his body. The thunder patterns on the armor surface shimmered with spiritual light, firmly locking his immortal power and forming an invisible defensive barrier.

"Liu Yang, you succeeded!" Li Qingyue and Bai Jingjing surrounded him, their faces full of joy. Li Qingyue carefully examined him, a hint of amazement flashing in her eyes: "The aura of the Ascension Realm is indeed different. Now, you can probably easily crush the Valley Master of Burning Heaven."

Bai Jingjing then raised the spatial teleportation mirror, the spatial ripples on its surface becoming more pronounced than before: "The coordinates of the teleportation mirror have stabilized. As long as we inject immortal power, we can open a portal to the real world. Shall we leave now?"

Liu Yang nodded. He walked to the entrance of the hall and looked out through the crack in the door—the cultivators from Burning Heaven City were still lingering outside the forbidden area, but no one dared to attack the barrier anymore. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he turned to Li Qingyue and Bai Jingjing and said, "Let's go, it's time to go home."

The three arrived at the teleportation array of the Meteor Palace. Liu Yang channeled his immortal power into the spatial teleportation mirror, which instantly emitted a blinding blue light. A circular spatial rift appeared in the center of the mirror, through which the scene of the real world could be vaguely seen. Li Qingyue and Bai Jingjing stood on either side of Liu Yang, and the three of them stepped into the teleportation array simultaneously.

"Burning Sky Valley, we will never return." Liu Yang took one last look at the Meteor Palace before turning and stepping into the spatial rift. As the three figures disappeared, the teleportation array slowly closed, and the seven-colored pillar of light in the Meteor Palace gradually dissipated, leaving only a group of desperate cultivators outside Burning Sky City, and the Burning Sky Valley Master slumped on the ground.

Meanwhile, in the real post-apocalyptic world, atop the defensive fortifications of the Huaxia Safe Zone, a guard gazed at the distant sky—he seemed to see a faint blue light flash, but dismissed it as his imagination, shaking his head and continuing to vigilantly observe his surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, the person they had waited for three months was about to return to this world with even greater power.

Before the faint light from the spatial rift had completely dissipated, Liu Yang, along with Li Qingyue and Bai Jingjing, landed in the dense forest outside Burning Heaven City. The withered leaves beneath their feet were gently lifted by their immortal power without making a sound—after breaking through to the Ascension Realm, his control over his power had become increasingly precise, even able to gather the immortal power dissipating from his body into the surface of his meridians, completely concealing his form.

"First, confirm the direction and avoid the patrol teams of Burning Heaven Valley." Liu Yang condensed a wisp of ice-type immortal power at his fingertips and drew a simple map in the air. According to the information obtained from the Meteorite Palace, there is a "Mist Swamp" a hundred miles west of Burning Heaven City. The swamp is full of miasma, which is perfect for hiding traces. He activated the spatial teleportation mirror.

Bai Jingjing's ears twitched slightly. Her innate fox-like perception allowed her to detect the spiritual energy fluctuations coming from afar: "Three groups of cultivators are approaching from the east. The highest cultivation level is late-stage Golden Core. They should be the remnants of the Burning Heaven Valley." As soon as she finished speaking, Li Qingyue took out the Hundred Herbs Scripture, dipped her fingertips in the juice of the herbs, and smeared it on the three people's clothes: "This is the juice of 'Hidden Spirit Grass,' which can conceal the aura of immortal power. Ordinary cultivators cannot detect it."

Liu Yang gently shook his head, protecting the two behind him: "No need for trouble, it's a good opportunity to test the pressure of the Ascension Realm." As he raised his hand, the immortal power around him was no longer restrained, and an invisible aura spread outwards like a tide—the birds and beasts in the dense forest froze instantly, the screams of cultivators came from afar, and the spiritual light that was originally rushing towards them stopped instantly, and then retreated in unison.

"It's...it's the pressure of the Ascension Realm!" A Golden Core cultivator's voice trembled. "We're no match for them, run!" The three teams of cultivators didn't even dare to hesitate, turning into three streaks of light and fleeing in a sorry state, without even the courage to look back.

A look of amazement flashed in Li Qingyue's eyes: "Just releasing a pressure was enough to scare them away. The strength of the Ascension Realm is indeed terrifying." Liu Yang withdrew his immortal power and concealed his aura again: "The Valley Master of Burning Heaven is seriously injured. These remaining forces are already feeling guilty, so naturally they dare not oppose us. Let's go and get to the Misty Swamp as soon as possible."

The three of them spread out, and Liu Yang used his spatial power to envelop the two of them. With each step, they covered dozens of feet, and the trees beneath their feet rushed backward. In less than half an hour, they saw a swamp filled with gray miasma in front of them. The miasma above the swamp was so solid that even sunlight could not penetrate it, and they could vaguely hear the roars of monsters coming from the depths of the swamp.

"This is it." Liu Yang landed on a boulder at the edge of the swamp and took out the spatial teleportation mirror. The mirror was still emitting a faint blue light. Bai Jingjing stepped forward to examine it for a moment and nodded, saying, "The spatial coordinates of the teleportation mirror have been locked to the real world, but it requires a lot of immortal power to activate. The three of us need to work together to inject it."

Li Qingyue immediately circulated her spiritual power, placing her hands on the back of the teleportation mirror: "My Hundred Herbs Scripture can guide the flow of spiritual power, reducing the loss of immortal power." Bai Jingjing also infused her fox clan's original power, causing foxfire to dance on the edge of the mirror, intertwining with immortal power to form complex patterns. Liu Yang took a deep breath and slowly poured his immortal power into the mirror—as the three powers merged, the blue light of the teleportation mirror became increasingly dazzling, and the spatial rift in the center of the mirror gradually widened, beginning to reflect the outside world.

"Wait, there seems to be a scene of Burning Heaven City in the mirror." Bai Jingjing suddenly spoke up, pointing to the edge of the mirror—where the streets of Burning Heaven City were reflected. Unlike when they left, the streets were now full of cultivators dressed in different clothes, seemingly from different sects, arguing endlessly about the direction of the Meteorite Forbidden Land.

Liu Yang leaned closer to examine it, his brows furrowing slightly: "The teleportation mirror can reflect the flow of time in the outside world? Look, in the mirror, Burning Heaven City is already three months in the future." In the mirror's image, countless notices were posted on the walls of Burning Heaven City, each bearing a portrait of a three-person figure and the words "Bounty for Ascension Realm Cultivators"; outside the Meteorite Forbidden Land, dozens of powerful cultivators had gathered, seemingly studying how to break the restrictions.

"It seems that our ten days in the Meteor Palace have not only resulted in a single day passing in the outside world, but have also caused chaos in the cultivation world," Li Qingyue said thoughtfully. "The various sects must have noticed the ascension phenomenon and are all trying to find the forbidden area to seize the inheritance." Bai Jingjing, however, was somewhat worried: "Will it affect our teleportation? What if a powerful being senses the spatial fluctuations..."

"Don't worry, the miasma in the Misty Swamp can block spatial detection, and once the spatial channel of the teleportation mirror is opened, it will only last for a moment and will not be easily detected," Liu Yang reassured him, while increasing the injection of immortal power—the blue light of the teleportation mirror had covered the entire mirror surface, and the spatial rift had expanded to a width of about ten feet. A familiar apocalyptic aura emanated from the rift, and the outline of the city wall of the China Safe Zone could even be vaguely seen.

"Get ready, the teleportation channel will stabilize soon." Liu Yang grasped their hands and infused them with immortal power. "Once inside the channel, do not resist the spatial power; I will protect you." Li Qingyue and Bai Jingjing nodded simultaneously, their eyes filled with anticipation—they were finally about to leave Burning Heaven Valley and head to Liu Yang's world.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the swamp, accompanied by shouts from cultivators: "They're over there! There are spatial fluctuations at the edge of the swamp, it must be those three Ascension Realm cultivators!" Liu Yang turned around and saw dozens of spiritual lights breaking through the miasma and flying towards the boulder. The leader was actually a late Nascent Soul cultivator, whose aura was several times stronger than the remnants of the Burning Heaven Valley.

“They’re from other sects, probably tracking spatial fluctuations.” Bai Jingjing’s expression changed slightly. “They’re very fast. If we delay any longer, the teleportation channel might close.” A cold glint flashed in Liu Yang’s eyes, but he didn’t turn around: “Ignore them. Continue to inject your immortal power. I’ll hold them off.”

With a wave of his hand, the Ice and Fire Immortal-Slaying Sword automatically unsheathed, its blade swirling with immortal power of ice, fire, and lightning. A sword aura several meters long slashed towards the approaching cultivator—before the sword aura even arrived, the miasma in the swamp was already torn apart. The leading Nascent Soul cultivator's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly summoned his defensive magic treasure, only to have it instantly shattered by the sword aura. He and his treasure were sent flying, and he coughed up blood.

"Anyone who dares to approach again will be killed without mercy!" Liu Yang's voice, carrying the pressure of the Ascension Realm, boomed like thunder across the swamp. The remaining cultivators froze instantly, looking at the injured Nascent Soul cultivator and then at the dazzling teleportation mirror on the boulder. No one dared to step forward—although they coveted the Ascension Realm inheritance, they knew even more clearly that they were no match for Liu Yang.

"Quick, the teleportation channel is stable!" Li Qingyue suddenly shouted. The spatial rift in the mirror had fully opened, clearly reflecting the scene of the Huaxia Safe Zone, and even showing the guards on the city walls. Liu Yang didn't hesitate any longer and led the two into the spatial rift—as the three figures disappeared, the blue light of the teleportation mirror quickly dimmed, the spatial rift slowly closed, and finally turned into a point of light, disappearing into the swamp miasma.

The cultivators outside the swamp exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with resentment as they looked at the now-calm swamp, yet none dared to step into the miasma. Meanwhile, inside the spatial passage, Liu Yang was protecting the two with his immortal power. The surrounding spatial turbulence swept past like sharp blades, yet it could not harm the three of them in the slightest—they were heading towards Liu Yang's original world.