Eternal Emperor's Path to Ascension

As soon as Yang Wei said those words, Tian Yongheng paused briefly before continuing to tap his finger lightly against the stone table.

*Tap!* *Tap!* *Tap!*

Each sound echoed softly throughout the room as his expression gradually became thoughtful.

The Lower Realm Spirit pushing forward the Providence of the Mythical Era, the strange movements of the Upper Realm Immortals and Gods, and the growing sense of unease shared by both himself, Yang Wei, and probably many other powerhouses throughout the Lower Realm...

Separately, each matter might not seem particularly alarming, however, when placed together, they formed a pattern that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

After contemplating for a long time, Tian Yongheng finally shook his head.

"Regardless of what is coming, there is little we can do about it right now."

Yang Wei remained silent, listening to him speak.

Tian Yongheng calmly picked up his teacup.

"The cultivation world has always been like this; some dangers can be avoided, but others cannot. If even the Lower Realm Spirit is preparing for something, then whatever is coming is not something we can influence at our current level."

He took a sip of tea before continuing, "Rather than worrying endlessly, it is better to focus on cultivation. The stronger you become, the more options you will possess when the time comes. Don’t worry about other things unnecessarily, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

Yang Wei listened quietly. Although the uneasiness within his heart did not disappear, he had to admit that his master was correct.

Strength was the foundation of everything.

Without sufficient strength, knowing the future would not necessarily change anything.

Eventually, he nodded.

"This disciple understands."

Tian Yongheng smiled faintly.

"Good, continue cultivating. If anything unusual occurs, inform me immediately."

Yang Wei stood and bowed respectfully.

"Yes, Master."

Soon afterward, he departed from the cave abode.

The stone gates slowly closed once more.

However, this time, Tian Yongheng did not immediately resume cultivation.

The moment Yang Wei disappeared, the smile on his face faded, his brows furrowing subtly.

After this conversation with Yang Wei, he had already thought of many things.

Previously, he believed that the bad premonition he had was related to the Ancestral Heavenly Family, but now, it doesn’t seem to be as simple as that.

Then, as if remembering something, Tian Yongheng waved his hand, taking out a Communication Jade from the system space.

It was the Communication Jade from Tian Yun which he had gotten from the latter quite a while ago.

Without hesitation, he activated it.

A familiar fluctuation crossed through space.

Several moments later, Tian Yun’s voice emerged, sounding slightly surprised.

"Tian Yongheng? I didn’t expect you to contact me. Is something the matter?"

Tian Yongheng immediately spoke.

"Fellow daoist, I wanted to ask about two matters, the first concerns a subordinate of mine who ascended to the Upper Realm..."

He briefly recounted Wei Yusheng’s situation, from the abandoned Ascension Platform, the empty Ascension City, to the mysterious forest that disappeared later on.

There was silence on the other end for a while before a reply came, "I do not have any relevant information about the place you’re referring to, what is the second matter?"

"Can’t you contact the Kunlun of 33 Heavens and ask someone there? As for the second matter..."

Tian Yongheng paused briefly.

"I have recently been feeling somewhat uneasy, as if something is approaching, and it’s not just me, but others around me as well."

The moment those words left his mouth, the other side became silent.

This silence lasted much longer than expected.

Tian Yongheng’s eyes narrowed slightly; he sensed that something was wrong.

Finally, Tian Yun spoke.

However, his voice was far more solemn than usual.

"Before discussing those matters, there is something you should know."

Tian Yongheng’s expression became serious.

"What happened?"

Another period of silence followed before Tian Yun slowly replied, "A few decades ago... all communication between the Lower Realm and Upper Realm was severed."

Tian Yongheng’s pupils contracted slightly.

"What?"

Tian Yun’s voice remained heavy as he continued.

"Not just ordinary communication, but divine rituals, will manifestations, dream transmissions, secret techniques, communication Divine Powers, and even certain karmic methods; all failed simultaneously."

The more Tian Yongheng listened, the uglier his expression became.

This is not even remotely normal...

Tian Yun continued.

"The connection between the Nine Great Mortal Worlds and their corresponding Upper Realm forces has effectively disappeared, countless ancient inheritances and major factions have been affected, and even Kunlun is no exception."

Tian Yongheng immediately sat upright.

"What about the 33 Heavens?"

Tian Yun sighed before saying, "That’s the problem, there has been no response from the Divine Realm either, the Kunlun Divine Mountain in the 33 Heavens has also completely fallen silent, our messages cannot even leave the Lower Realm, and their messages never arrive. All secret arrangements, teleportation formations, and ancient passages became useless overnight."

Tian Yongheng fell silent at these words, a cold feeling spreading across his entire being.

According to what he knew, Kunlun wasn’t some ordinary force; it was one of the oldest inheritances in heaven and earth.

If even they lost contact with their main branch, then the problem was far larger than he originally imagined.

At this moment, Tian Yun suddenly asked.

"You said you’ve been feeling uneasy lately?"

"Yes." Tian Yongheng nodded, "The feeling has grown stronger over the years."

This time, Tian Yun did not appear surprised, speaking in a certain tone.

"It is the same for me."

Tian Yongheng’s gaze sharpened.

"What do you mean?"

Tian Yun answered calmly.

"I feel it too, and master does so as well."

For a moment, neither side spoke.

Finally, Tian Yongheng broke the silence.

"Has something happened to the Sword Venerable?"

The moment those words were spoken, Tian Yun became strangely quiet.

His silence lasted so long that Tian Yongheng immediately realized something was wrong.

Eventually, Tian Yun let out a deep sigh filled with helplessness, extremely rare for him.

"Master... he doesn’t have much time left."

The words struck like thunder, causing Tian Yongheng to freeze.

"...What?"

Tian Yun’s voice became somewhat malencholic.

"He has lived for over ten millions years. Even as an Immortal, the shackles of lifespan are extremely hard to break."

Tian Yongheng remained silent for a while.

Vagrant Immortals, possessing over ten million years of life.

Right now, he was one such existence too.

Such beings seemed eternal in the eyes of ordinary cultivators, but in reality, they were not truly Immortal; their lives still possessed an end.

The only difference was that the end arrived much later, and was much more permanent.

Tian Yun continued slowly, "There are at most several years left, possibly less."

For a long time, Tian Yongheng said nothing.

Although the Sword Venerable was not his master, he had undeniably helped him greatly.

Without those lifelong insights into his Sword Dao he gave him, reaching his current level of Sword Dao would have taken much longer.

At this moment, Tian Yun spoke again, his voice returning to its usual calmness.

"Master wanted me to tell you something."

Tian Yongheng slowly raised his head.

"What is it?"

"He wants to see you." Tian Yun answered quietly.

Tian Yongheng was slightly dazed at this moment.

A strange feeling surfaced within his heart.

Truthfully speaking, in both of his lives, the number of people he knew who passed away due to the natural end of their lifespan was extremely small.

Perhaps Tian Hai was the only one, but he had already established karma with him and entered reincarnation, and it wouldn’t be long before they met again.

The Sword Venerable... might be the only one.

And he was a Vagrant Immortal.

After he achieved this realm, he learned many things, but the first one was the fact that Immortals had already achieved physical body immortality.

However... when their lifespan came to an end, what died was actually their soul.

It meant they could no longer enter reincarnation, forever disappearing from heaven and earth.

Immortal Cultivation was a process of defying the heavens.

This was the price Immortals and Gods had to pay for defying the heavens.

Unless some extremely powerful mighty figure intervened to reverse time, alter fate, or fix eternity, then this change, this death, was irreversible.

After a while, Tian Yongheng stepped out of his dazed state, his gaze becoming calm once more.

"I understand."

Tian Yun didn’t interrupt, waiting for an answer.

Tian Yongheng slowly stood up, his voice remaining steady.

"I’m coming to Kunlun."

On the other side, Tian Yun’s calm voice came through again.

"Alright, I’ll tell master."

Tian Yongheng didn’t speak anything else, his thoughts drifting away slightly as the connection cut off.

Regardless of the strange events currently occurring throughout heaven and earth, the approaching great change, or anything else, this journey was necessary.

The Sword Venerable had once helped him comprehend the Supreme Sword Intent; that favor alone deserved repayment.

More importantly, this might very well be their final meeting.

Perhaps one day, he might be able to reverse all changes in heaven and earth, but he was not at that level right now.