Chapter 435 - 433: Ascending to the Upper Realm
He sat right where he was.
Javier Sinclair gave a gentle wave of his hand.
The Go board before him cleared, and he picked up a stone to continue the game. But at this moment, the Demon God’s heart was no longer calm. His mind was filled with the memory of holding her in his arms. And the scene of him losing control and kissing her.
He no longer knew where the stone in his hand had landed. Or perhaps, the stone would land wherever his heart was.
"Celeste Grant."
He spoke her name in a low voice.
Javier Sinclair raised his hand, his gaze falling upon the red thread wrapped around his wrist. As the Demon God, such a thing as a thread of fate should not exist for him, yet here it was.
His fingers gently brushed against it.
"Audacious woman."
「Meanwhile.」
Celeste Grant was back in the Cultivation World.
She could go there in an instant and return in the blink of an eye. Celeste Grant was well aware that traversing fifteen thousand years was not something an ordinary Cultivator could do.
’I’m back already. That was fast.’
It seemed that even when she went to see Javier Sinclair in the Demon Realm fifteen thousand years in the past, she would return quickly. But knowing that Javier Sinclair would be fine put her mind at ease. In the days that followed, besides nurturing her pregnancy, Celeste Grant spent her time in seated meditation and Cultivation. She tried to contact Javier Sinclair several times during this period, but it was the same as before.
She hadn’t seen the Demon God again, either.
More than half a year passed in a flash.
Celeste Grant was now eight months pregnant. Many people were by her side, with Nerida giving her meticulous care. Her son also sought out all sorts of storybooks for her every few days to relieve her boredom.
Unlike her previous pregnancies, where she couldn’t eat or sleep well, this time was different. Because she was a Cultivator, countless rare treasures were being used to nourish the child in her womb. So, aside from her large belly, Celeste Grant was in excellent spirits—she could level a mountain with a wave of her hand.
The only thing weighing on her mind was that Javier Sinclair still hadn’t returned. ’He promised he would come back to be with me. Men and their lies.’
Her Cultivation was soaring, and her foundation had become very solid.
Celeste Grant had a premonition that she was going to ascend in the next few days. Perhaps because of the pregnancy, she could no longer suppress her realm.
’The main thing is, I’m pregnant right now. When the Ascension Thunder Tribulation descends, can I really withstand it? I can only hope Father Heavenly Dao goes easy on me and doesn’t strike too hard.’
Although the Heavenly Dao was on her side, the fact remained that she was carrying a child. Thus, to ensure a safe ascension to the Upper Realm, Celeste Grant made thorough preparations. Nerida and her son, Aaron Sinclair, in particular, had layered her with numerous protections.
Aaron Sinclair even hung the Jade Pendant his biological father had left him around Celeste Grant’s neck, hoping it could block the Heavenly Thunder for her. Celeste Grant couldn’t refuse and could only accept it.
In the Cultivation World, a Cultivator’s Ascension Thunder Tribulation is of paramount importance. Those who pass it can ascend to the Upper Realm, enter the vaster Immortal Domain, and continue their Cultivation until they truly become immortal. Those who fail will have their bodies destroyed and their Dao perish.
Celeste Grant was a little worried. It would be fine if she were alone. But she was currently pregnant with her daughter, so she had to be absolutely certain of success.
The Ascension Thunder Tribulation.
It was unavoidable.
A few days later, in the afternoon, rain suddenly began to fall from a once-clear sky.
「Two days prior.」
News of Celeste Grant’s impending ascension had spread like wildfire. In this Cultivation World, which had mobile phones, it took only a moment for the news to reach both the Immortal and Demonic Paths. Now, powerful figures from all over the Cultivation World had come to find prime viewing spots, wanting to observe this momentous ascension. They also hoped to bask in her good fortune, perhaps even gaining some enlightenment from it.
To this, Celeste Grant could only give a dry laugh. ’As the saying goes, a man fears fame like a pig fears growing fat. I really don’t want a huge crowd watching my ascension.’
Thunderclouds gathered in the sky, which suddenly turned terrifyingly dark. Countless bolts of lightning flashed within the clouds. The sight alone was enough to make one’s blood run cold.
At this moment, countless people had gathered near the Forbidden Land.
Deep within the Forbidden Land, Celeste Grant walked into the center of an Array. When it came to facing a tribulation, there was no safer place than this. The area was protected by layer upon layer of Arrays. Therefore, her chances of success here were at least seventy percent. Coupled with the various Magic Treasures she had for protection, her probability of successfully passing the tribulation was over ninety percent, as long as nothing unexpected happened.
The onlooking Cultivators from various factions huddled together, their hearts filled with both terror and yearning. Among them were Demon Cultivators and Cultivators from the Righteous Immortal Sects. However, compared to the Demon Cultivators who were closer, the other Cultivators kept a great distance. Some were even watching via livestream.
In short, on this day, the entire Cultivation World was focused on Celeste Grant’s ascension.
"So this is the Ascension Thunder Tribulation... It’s this terrifying before it’s even started. No wonder they say Cultivation is harder than scaling the blue heavens. That saying is certainly true. Not just anyone can safely pass this final Ascension Thunder Tribulation. Without complete preparation, you’d truly fear dying beneath it."
Many Cultivators in the Cultivation World might never reach this height in their entire lives. Thus, most were just here to watch the spectacle, while those who had hopes of reaching this level were thinking that they must be fully prepared for their own future ascensions.
"From what I know, this lady of the Demonic Sects has reached her current level of strength in less than a hundred years of Cultivation. She must be the most outstanding prodigy the Cultivation World has seen since its beginning."
"It’s not just her. The Young Master of the Demonic Sects is said to have already reached the late Mahayana Realm at such a young age. It probably won’t be long before he also ascends to the Upper Realm."
"Comparisons are odious, aren’t they? How in the world does this family cultivate? Each one is more formidable than the last. Huh? Speaking of which, have you guys noticed that we haven’t heard any news about that Demon for a long time?"
"’Demon’? He’s the one who saved us, you know. Don’t be so ungrateful."
"Haha, a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue! It’s just force of habit. But I do feel like it’s been a long time since we’ve heard any news of that exalted personage."
"You don’t know, do you! According to the news I’ve heard, he seems to have gone to the Upper Realm long ago. He just used some special method to ascend, so we didn’t even notice."
"For real? That can’t be right, can it?"
"What’s so impossible about it? Think about it, that man repaired the Heavenly Dao with a casual wave of his hand. Is that something an ordinary Cultivator can do? My guess is he must be some great power from the Upper Realm who came down to the Lower Realm to experience life."
Hearing this, the Demon Cultivators were completely baffled.
"’There’s something like that going on? How come we don’t know?’" Yet, they found it surprisingly reasonable, as they too hadn’t seen their Exalted One in a very long time. ’Could it be true, just as they said? Has the Exalted One really ascended to the Upper Realm already?’
’Oh! If that’s really the case, then that’s great! When we ascend in the future, we can continue to serve the Exalted One and his lady.’ At this thought, they suddenly felt they had something to look forward to in life.
’Today, the lady is ascending.’
’We really can’t bear for her to leave.’
’We truly can’t be without our lady. We must cultivate diligently in the future and get to the Upper Realm as soon as possible.’