Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Failed Ascension

“A Perfected Person is one who lays the Foundation of the Great Dao Immortal. Only then can they achieve Ascension to Immortality, going from Extraordinary to Saint, and thereafter join the Immortal Class, leaving the mortal world behind…”

Inside his Cave Mansion, Lü Yang sat on a cushion, silently contemplating the words.

’This step, Foundation Establishment, is described differently in various Cultivation Techniques. But no matter which one, when it comes down to the actual practice, the steps aren’t all that different.’

’It all comes down to using one’s own Qi as the foundation to hoist the Spiritual Space, refining one’s form for Ascension.’

For example, the Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis he cultivated, upon reaching Perfection, could be used to Refine the Third Grade Qi known as ’True Dragon Fiend.’

And how to use the True Dragon Fiend to complete the process of refining one’s form for Ascension was further explained in the Imperial Dragonrise Scroll, the more advanced Foundation Establishment Cultivation Technique.

This was where the importance of one’s Qi Grade became apparent.

If one’s Qi Grade was insufficient, they either wouldn’t be able to lift their Spiritual Space at all, or they would exhaust their strength and qi halfway through the Ascension, plummeting to a gruesome death.

The entire process of Foundation Establishment was, in essence, a path of Ascension.

And the end of this path of Ascension was the ’Foundation Establishment Realm.’

Reading this, Lü Yang couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement, “The Foundation Establishment Realm… The Foundation Establishment Realm… so it doesn’t merely refer to a stage, but also to an actual place!”

Ascension was only the first step.

Once a Cultivator lifted their Spiritual Space and fully ascended into the Foundation Establishment Realm, they had to begin building their own Immortal Foundation to ensure they could remain there.

This was yet another major hurdle.

Even if an ordinary Cultivator completed the step of Ascension, most would have exhausted their reserves. As a result, they could only manage to build a precarious, shaky Immortal Foundation.

The result was an unstable Immortal Foundation that couldn’t withstand the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Realm and would violently collapse.

Failing the Ascension might still leave a chance of survival, but if the Immortal Foundation collapsed, the Cultivator themselves would surely die. Luo Wuya had likely fallen at this very stage.

When a Cultivator ascended to the Foundation Establishment Realm to build their Immortal Foundation, they not only needed a solid cultivation base, but they also had to contend with countless Demon Thoughts that would arise from thin air. If their Dao Heart was not firm and their mind was allowed to wander, they would inevitably be swayed by these Demon Thoughts. At that point, no matter how profound their foundation, it would be useless.

’Every single step is fraught with peril…’

After sorting through the process of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Lü Yang committed all the contents, secrets, and various key points of the Imperial Dragonrise Scroll to memory.

Immediately after, he took out the Ascension Order and channeled his energy into it in his palm.

The next second, the Ascension Order transformed into a stream of light and flew into his Spiritual Space. It bathed his mind in clarity, and he felt an ethereal lightness throughout his body, as if on the verge of becoming an immortal.

Closing his eyes, Lü Yang instantly entered a state of deep Meditation.

Within his Dantian, a stream of Qi manifested. It grew horns, scales, claws, teeth, and whiskers… finally transforming into a lifelike True Dragon.

RUMBLE!

With a deafening roar, the True Dragon surged from his Dantian. It ascended through his core meridians, passed the Crimson Palace, entered the Purple Mansion, and shot straight into the depths of his Spiritual Space!

Immediately after, Lü Yang felt a brilliant light flash before his eyes. His Qi, which had seemed so vast and inexhaustible just a moment ago, now gushed out like water from an open floodgate. It transformed into an indescribable, colossal force that pushed his Spiritual Space, causing it to gradually climb higher and higher!

’Thank goodness for this Ascension Order…’

Lü Yang’s mind was clear. Lifting the Spiritual Space into the void was no easy task. Normally, he would have been blocked by the Ninefold Heaven and Earth Pass, and breaking through each pass would have consumed a massive amount of Qi.

However, with the blessing of the Ascension Order from Perfected Yin Shan, the gates of the Ninefold Heaven and Earth Pass were all wide open. His path to Ascension was completely unobstructed.

More importantly, he wasn’t starting his Ascension from the very bottom.

’Because I’ve cultivated ’Theft to Sainthood,’ I already possess a certain Position. So strictly speaking, I’m actually starting my Ascension from mid-air.’

The journey of Ascension was thus shortened by a small fraction.

It might have only been a small fraction, but it could very well have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. It had saved Lü Yang an unknowable amount of effort and mental energy.

Theft to Sainthood and the Ascension Order had each nullified a Tribulation on Lü Yang’s path to Ascension. Meanwhile, his Third Grade ’True Dragon Fiend’ provided him with a deep enough foundation that he didn’t have to worry about exhausting his Qi halfway through. He could proceed step-by-step, rising all the way into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

And so, an unknown amount of time passed.

Lü Yang felt the brilliant celestial light before him gradually dim, as if he had passed through a region. A boundless new world appeared in his vision.

Looking down, Lü Yang was surprised to see… himself.

Besides that, he also saw Yin Mountain, the Stain Sect, the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon, and all the teeming masses of mortals bustling about their lives.

In other words—the mortal world.

He had seen such a scene once before. At the Skull Mountains, Perfected Yin Shan had shown him a great battle between Foundation-Stage Cultivators, and the view had been just like this.

Back then, however, his Spirit had been unenlightened, and he couldn’t see the forms of the Foundation-Stage Cultivators at all; he could only see the light they emanated. If he had the chance to see it again, he should be able to see more clearly. In fact, right at this moment, he could see a figure sitting not too far to his northwest.

It was Perfected Yin Shan.

The Immortal Foundation beneath him was a massive black mountain. Though it stretched for ten thousand miles, it seemed infinitesimally small in the boundless Foundation Establishment Realm.

At the same time, Perfected Yin Shan seemed to have noticed him as well.

The next second, a voice drifted over:

“Concentrate. Don’t let your mind wander…”

The voice was like the tinkling of a clear spring, washing over him and instantly cleansing Lü Yang of his reverie. Only then did he realize with a start, ’A Demon Thought has invaded, stirring up my distracting thoughts!?’

At this thought, Lü Yang dared not hesitate. He immediately refocused his attention on the Foundation Establishment Realm. The effects of Theft to Sainthood, the Ascension Order, and his Third Grade Qi had all been pushed to their extreme limit. From here on, he could only rely on himself. Lü Yang began to gather his Qi, step-by-step, and started constructing his Immortal Foundation.

Soon, however, he discovered a problem.

’I don’t have enough Qi…’

That momentary lapse in concentration had caused him to lose thirty percent of his Qi out of thin air. This made his already low reserves even worse, to the point where he couldn’t continue.

Helpless, Lü Yang had no choice but to reduce the scale of his Immortal Foundation.

The size of an Immortal Foundation often corresponded to a Foundation-Stage Cultivator’s potential, cultivation level, and power. By reducing its scale, he was sacrificing his future prospects for the sake of a successful breakthrough.

He kept cutting it down until it was only half its planned size. Only then was his Qi barely sufficient.

But the next second, Lü Yang saw Perfected Yin Shan suddenly rise to his feet. He strode toward him, a sinister, cold laugh escaping his lips.

“Not bad, not bad at all. Your Immortal Foundation is built.”

“My efforts to help you were not in vain. I have a sentient artifact that happens to need an Immortal Foundation to complete it. Junior Brother Lü, you truly have not disappointed me. You are excellent material!”

Before the words had even faded, Perfected Yin Shan reached out his hand!

A familiar feeling, a familiar terror… Lü Yang had seen Perfected Yin Shan attack once before, and the power he displayed now was identical to his memory…

…Wait, identical?

’That’s not right!’

Lü Yang was suddenly jolted awake. In his memory, Perfected Yin Shan had been fighting the Ancestor. Why would he need such a grand display of power to deal with him? A single glance should have been enough.

’This is a fake!’

The next second, Lü Yang’s vision blurred. When he could see clearly again, the Demon Thought had dissipated. Perfected Yin Shan was still sitting in his original spot, but he let out a sigh of regret:

“A pity, Junior Brother.”

Lü Yang looked down at the sound of his voice and saw that the Immortal Foundation he had just painstakingly built was now riddled with holes, a result of being influenced by the evil thought for that brief moment.

Seeing this, Lü Yang could only give a helpless smile. “How bitter…”

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Before his words faded, the sound of the Immortal Foundation shattering echoed throughout the Foundation Establishment Realm. It even triggered a change in the celestial phenomena of the outside world; the wind howled mournfully, like the sound of Heaven weeping.

As Lü Yang committed this experience to memory, he silently chanted in his mind:

“Centome!”

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