Eternal Emperor's Path to Ascension

Tian Yongheng remained seated inside the cave abode long after the communication ended.

For a moment, the cave abode seemed unusually quiet, even the natural Dao rhymes emitting from his body no longer as dazzling as before.

The Sword Venerable... is actually dying.

Even now, that statement felt somewhat unreal to Tian Yongheng.

After all, in his perspective, the Sword Venerable had always appeared detached from worldly affairs, as if he would continue sitting atop Kunlun Divine Mountain forever, silently watching generation after generation pass beneath him. Yet now, even such an existence had reached the end of his road.

Tian Yongheng couldn’t help taking in a deep breath to calm his restless emotions, shaking his head slightly.

The path of Immortal Cultivation truly possessed no eternal banquet. Even Immortal Deities were no exception to this.

After stepping onto this path, this world, one could only strive to move forward, obtain more strength, and control their destiny with their own hands. Looking back was not an option.

Right now, he was only a thousand years old, with a lot of time left, thus, he didn’t have to worry about such matters.

A few moments later, he stepped out of the cave abode.

The sky above the Eternal Peak was still as clear and boundless as ever, with Immortal clouds drifting leisurely across heaven and earth.

The enormous Bodhi Wisdom Tree swayed gently beneath the breeze as endless streams of Immortal Qi flowed throughout the Dao Field.

Everything appeared peaceful, except for the increasingly dense Providence gathering above the Mortal World.

However, Tian Yongheng could no longer appreciate the scenery as he normally would.

His figure gradually floated upward until he stood above the main peak.

From here, the entire Dao Field and millions of miles entered his field of vision.

He saw countless beings cultivate both in and out of the Dao Field.

Many youngsters started their Immortal journeys while countless old cultivators returned to the mortal world to spend their last years.

In the Dao Field, cultivators of all ages sparred with one another as others discussed the Dao beneath ancient trees.

Children ran through the mountain paths while Spirit Beasts rested nearby.

Cultivation had become extremely easy with the increasing Providence and Spirit Qi, just like eating and drinking for talented cultivators, and even for those with Five-Elemental Spiritual Roots, it was now possible to impact the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Looking at the scene inside the Dao Field, Tian Yongheng’s gaze softened slightly.

This was the result of nearly a thousand years of effort.

Back then, when he first established the Eternal Peak, it had been nothing more than a few mountain peaks occupied by him alone, where he spent more than ten years in secluded cultivation and achieved the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Now, it had become one of the greatest cultivation holy lands in not just the Second Great Mortal World, but the entire Lower Realm, comparable to those ancient Dao Lineages that had been established for entire eras, watching the rise and fall of Heavenly Karmic Cycles.

At the same time, however, his thoughts drifted toward recent events.

The connection between the Lower Realm and the Upper Realm, including the 33 Heavens, has been severed...

Does that mean I also can no longer contact Wei Yusheng and vice versa?

If that’s true and even the Symphony of Infinite Distance cannot be used, then things are much worse than expected...

The more he thought about it, the more troubled he became.

Something was definitely happening, the only question was how large the matter truly was.

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

Regardless of what was coming, there was no point dwelling on it now.

He could only continue cultivating and hope to breakthrough to a higher realm as soon as possible to possess greater chances of protecting himself.

His eyes swept across the Dao Field one final time.

Fortunately, the Dao Field was already quite powerful; its strength depended on his true combat power, meaning if he was as strong as a Earth Immortal, then a Heaven Immortal could neither perceive the Dao Field’s existence nor do any damage to it at all, while an Origin Immortal, although capable of forcefully entering the Dao Field, would not be able to locate it at all unless guided by a higher power.

In the Lower Realm, the Dao Field was undoubtedly the safest place.

This realization allowed him to relax slightly.

Then, his gaze shifted slightly.

A moment later, another Tian Yongheng appeared beside him from the cave abode; it was his clone.

The two looked at one another briefly.

No words were exchanged between them, there was simply no need. They shared the same thoughts, consciousness, memories, and even bodies.

The clone nodded once before stepping forward, ripples spreading across space as void parted in a world invisible to the naked eye.

The next instant, he disappeared completely.

On the other hand, the original Tian Yongheng returned to the cave abode.

No matter what happened, caution remained his first priority.

Just because he had now effectively become the strongest under heaven and undisputed number one in the Lower Realm, a Perfect Vagrant Immortal and transformed into a True Immortal, did not mean he had forgotten his original intentions.

What if something unexpected happened when he was traveling outside?

Inside the Dao Field, he wasn’t even afraid of an Origin Immortal, but the same could not be said for the outside world.

It was better to let the clone take the fall.

He had gotten this far by relying on steady development; cultivating cautiously was the kingly way.

...

Two hours later.

A figure traveled rapidly across the sky, space unfolding in layers with each step he took, taking him countless miles away as if distance itself had ceased to exist.

Mountains and rivers passed beneath him as entire regions disappeared behind him within seconds.

This was Tian Yongheng’s clone traveling at the speed of a Perfect Vagrant Immortal, significantly slower than his true speed which was superior to even Perfect Earth Immortals.

The speed of a Grand Perfection Vagrant Immortal was already difficult for ordinary cultivators to comprehend, even the vast Second Great Mortal World felt significantly smaller beneath such movement.

However, Tian Yongheng did not stop; he was in no mood to appreciate the scenery.

The Sword Venerable’s remaining lifespan continuously lingered in his mind, causing a heavy feeling to spread across his heart.

Eventually, familiar terrain appeared before him.

The Central Continent.

Compared to other continents, the Central Continent was even more prosperous under the continuous push of the Lower Realm Spirit.

It probably carried the most Providence throughout heaven and earth in the entirety of the Lower Realm at this moment.

Mountains stretched an immeasurable distance as boundless rivers and vast as entire oceans surged as numerous sects and cultivation forces occupied the surrounding territories.

However, Tian Yongheng merely glanced at them before continuing forward.

Soon enough, another familiar region entered his sight.

It was the Heavenly Region, and at the center of the Heavenly Region stood an ancient mountain that seemed capable of supporting heaven and earth themselves.

Kunlun Divine Mountain, the most ancient inheritance in the Mortal World that has remained unchanged across an unimaginable number of years.

Even after countless years, it still carried an indescribable sense of mystery.

But now, Tian Yongheng’s perspective had broadened a great degree after achieving immortality; this divine mountain no longer felt as insurmountable as back then now that he stood before it.

As Tian Yongheng approached, no one, not even the several Half Immortals scattered throughout Kunlun, noticed his arrival, as if he was detached from this piece of heaven and earth, existing in another layer of existence entirely, which, in a sense, he was.

Several moments later, he stepped onto Kunlun Divine Mountain.

Every single array formation and restriction seemed to automatically ignore his existence, not reacting at all.

The scenery on the mountains remained as beautiful as ever.

Ancient forests covered the mountain and Immortal cranes flew through the clouds, with countless waterfalls descending from impossible heights.

Tian Yongheng did not linger, and before long, he arrived atop the Tenth Summit.

A familiar figure was already waiting there.

It was none other than Tian Yun.

The moment their eyes met, Tian Yun’s expression became somewhat strange.

Although he had expected Tian Yongheng to have already become an Immortal from the commotion in the Eastern Continent around two centuries ago, confirming it with his own eyes still felt a little unreal.

After all, just a few centuries ago, Tian Yongheng was even weaker than him, yet now, he had already surpassed him, becoming an Immortal within the Mortal World.

And from the looks of it, he didn’t even seem to be rejected by the Lower Realm Spirit.

Perhaps it was a special treasure or technique, or perhaps it was something else, he had long since stopped measuring Tian Yongheng with common sense, sometimes wondering who truly was the ancestor of whom among them.

If Tian Yun knew that Tian Yongheng was now already at the Grand Perfection of Vagrant Immortal Realm, on the same level as the Sword Venerable, he would probably be speechless for a very long time.

His gaze lingered briefly on Tian Yongheng before a complicated expression appeared in his eyes.

Something about this guy has changed, he doesn’t have that indifferent expression anymore, becoming much more... human?

However, as soon as this thought emerged, Tian Yun immediately regretted it.

Damn it, the other party was already an Immortal; he could read minds passively!

What was the point of thinking that!?