Chapter 524 - 317: Revival of the Divine Statues, the Scramble for Ascension, and the Journey to the Returning Ruins Silent Sea

The collapse of the Dragon Peak Cave Heaven accelerated, with more and more pockets of void appearing in the surroundings. The pitch-black emptiness looked utterly terrifying.

This indicated that the Grotto Heaven would crash into the Central Plains World at an incredible speed.

A seven-colored divine light appeared deep within the altar, and everyone’s gaze simultaneously snapped toward the ancient structure.

In that instant, the entire world trembled. The oppressive force from the heavens and the earth was so shocking that even experts of the Upper Three Grades were alarmed, to say nothing of the other Middle Fifth Grade Cultivators, who were overcome with terror.

It was an instinctual fear of the awesome power of nature.

"BOOM! BOOM!"

In the sky, a dense web of lightning streaked through the clouds, producing deafening cracks. On the ground, every mountain transformed into a volcano, spewing thick smoke and lava.

The world fell into darkness, illuminated only by the crimson glow of the lava surging from the ground. It flowed toward the Imperial Capital, toward the Dynasty’s altar.

「Mongol Na Imperial City.」

All the Native Beastmen were so terrified they collapsed to the ground. Some wailed, some kowtowed, and some prayed to the Divine Beings...

Faced with this apocalyptic scene, no one could remain calm.

Lu Mingyuan, who was in the middle of a battle against the Demon Race army led by Long Xuan, looked up toward the source of the commotion and mused, ’The Ascension Platform has emerged. The very life of this entire Grotto Heaven has become precarious. It seems my earlier suspicions have indeed been verified.’

’This realm was created solely to hide the Ascension Platform.’

’In fact, one could say this entire Grotto Heaven exists only to seal away the Ascension Platform.’

’The Human-Demon War disturbed the altar, causing the Ascension Platform to awaken.’

Now, the entire world was plunged into turmoil.

From where Lu Mingyuan stood, he could clearly see Dragon Halberd, Long Xuan, Prince Kunpeng, and the others across from him, along with dozens of Demon Race masters who possessed the bloodlines of Ancient Fierce Beasts.

These Demon Race masters had all taken human form. There were men and women among them, most with extraordinary beauty and all possessing formidable power.

They had all ceased using their Divine Techniques, clearly also aware of the Ascension Platform’s awakening.

"DONG!"

From deep within the altar, a dazzling pillar of light shot toward the heavens, showering the firmament with a golden, celestial radiance. This light was imbued with a powerful divinity; any living being bathed in it could feel their aura slightly strengthen and their injuries begin to mend.

At the same time, the light also shone upon the numerous Celestial Demon Divine Statues at the mountain’s base, along with the broken and bizarre Buddha and Confucius Statues.

Pairs of crimson lights ignited within the eyes of the toppled and cross-legged stone statues.

"RUMBLE! RUMBLE!"

Heavy, rumbling sounds issued from them as their massive bodies began to twist mechanically and rise to their feet. Their towering stone forms looked majestic and imposing.

Many of the Barbaric Beast Clan People and Human Race Cultivators were dumbstruck by the sight.

They had thought the statues at the mountain’s base were just decorations, but they had all come to life.

A revived statue with a human head and a serpent’s body turned cultivators to stone wherever its gaze fell.

Another statue, a towering Bull-headed Great-winged Celestial Demon, jabbed its Trident into a volcano, cleaving the mountain in two. Sparks rained down upon the earth, kicking up torrents of flame.

There was also a giant bat statue that conjured a massive, full moon above its head and smashed it downward, obliterating several mountains.

The cultivation strength of these statues was astounding. They began to indiscriminately slaughter any living being that approached the Dynasty’s altar.

For a time, both the Human Race and the Demon Race suffered heavy losses.

Dragon Halberd of the Eight Thrones glanced into the depths of the altar and snorted. "Emperor of Great Yan, wait until I’ve seized the Ascension Platform. Then I’ll settle our old scores."

’Now that the Ascension Platform has revealed itself, I can’t linger here.’

’If I let the other Thrones get the upper hand, I’ll lose my advantage. Getting bogged down here isn’t a wise choice.’

’I originally thought the other Dynasties would stand on the sidelines, wary of their enmity with the Great Yan Dynasty.’

’But I never expected the Human Race to unite against a common foe.’

’If I make a move, the Chess Saint will too.’

’These revived statues are incredibly difficult to deal with. They have no physical form; they’re manifestations of the consciousness of remnant Divine Beings. Even I would find it hard to suppress and destroy them.’

’Rather than remain at a stalemate here, it’s better to go search for the Ascension Platform first.’

"That’s assuming you get the chance to seize it," Lu Mingyuan replied with a faint smile.

"BOOM!"

The fissure in the center of the altar widened further, splitting the majestic mountain in two.

More than half of the Imperial Palace halls below collapsed, turning into dilapidated ruins.

At this moment, an almost imperceptible figure passed by the base of the mountain.

A man in a green robe with a full head of black hair and a dignified bearing watched the battle between the Demon Race Throne and the Human Race’s strongest expert. A faint smile played on his lips, giving him an enigmatic air.

He was none other than that remnant soul of an Immortal from before—the Eternal Emperor.

He stared at the radiance spilling from the Ascension Platform and murmured, ’It has finally emerged. To think, back in the day, the Human Race went through untold hardships and still failed to claim the Ascension Platform. Now it has appeared again, and the same story is repeating itself. I wonder how many will die in the Returning Ruins Silent Sea.’

’After all, the fall of the Eternal Immortal Dynasty was because of the Ascension Platform.’

’After the war of Ascension to Divinity, the Divine Beings retreated, and the Human Race won its freedom. The world entered a golden age of peace.’

’However, the several Ascension Platforms that represented Divine Power fell into the hands of different races.’

’How to divide the Ascension Platforms became an immense problem.’

’The flames of war soon swept across the world.’

’The major races parted on bad terms.’

’Without the intervention of the Divine Beings, a war of unprecedented scale was on the verge of erupting.’

’Even the first Celestial Destiny Dynasty, the Eternal Immortal Dynasty, was unable to escape its fate. Its Destiny was at its peak, its power supreme among the Human Race, and it housed countless experts—several of whom had strength rivaling the Divine Beings. Yet, it was still destroyed, buried in the ancient pages of history.’

’Those flames of war burned for a full three thousand years before they were finally extinguished.’

A hint of reminiscence flickered in the depths of the Eternal Emperor’s eyes, and then he quickly vanished from the mountain’s base.

...

「Meanwhile, at the Dynasty’s altar.」

Quite a few experts had already begun to leave the summit. The destructive power of the revived statues was simply too terrifying; staying would only lead to more casualties.

Dragon Halberd led the way, transforming into his thousand-meter-long dragon form and soaring away. His body radiated an azure light, his scales glinted coldly, and he dove downward.

The Demon Race army retreated down the mountain at incredible speed.

During their retreat, the cultivators from the various Dynasties were obstructed by the Demon Race, who had no intention of letting the humans escape the mountaintop altar so easily.

Lu Mingyuan saw the Demon Race’s intent. He positioned himself on the only path down the mountain, guarding the exit alone with his saber drawn.

His massive Taotie Dharma Body stood tall in the void, clad in majestic Treasure Armor forged from Thunder and wielding the Blazing Flame Long Saber. It struck down every last one of the meddling Demon Race Cultivators.

A moment later, a voice transmission from the Chess Saint reached Lu Mingyuan’s ear:

"The location of the Ascension Platform has been confirmed. It’s in the Returning Ruins Silent Sea."

"In the Returning Ruins Silent Sea?"

Lu Mingyuan frowned. "Does that mean there is another landmass across the great sea? A hidden place?"

"Very likely."

"But, Senior, I heard from the natives here that the Returning Ruins Silent Sea is extremely dangerous. The sky above it is filled with countless Immortal Evil Thoughts. Without enough Divine Fallen Blood Stones, I fear it will be impossible to reach the center of the Silent Sea."

Lu Mingyuan relayed this information.

"The Blood Stones are a supreme treasure of the Royal Family. The only way to get a large quantity of them is to go to the Imperial Palace," the Chess Saint advised.

Lu Mingyuan’s eyes lit up. ’Of course! The natives here must have gathered a large quantity of those stones. The Imperial Palace is bound to have a huge stockpile.’

Having come to this realization, he immediately flew toward the Royal Capital’s walls.

He arrived to find that many people had already reached the Royal Capital and begun to pillage it wantonly.

The Chess Saint wasn’t the only one who had thought of it; the Demon Race had also realized that the Divine Fallen Blood Stones could be used against the Immortal Evil Thoughts above the Returning Ruins Silent Sea.

The beings from the outside world who had broken into the Royal Capital immediately began a bloody slaughter and barbaric looting.

The Human Race Cultivators were relatively restrained, refraining from wantonly killing the innocent. The Demon Race and other Demonic Cultivators, however, showed no such restraint.

Wherever they passed, buildings were turned to rubble and natives were devoured by giant Barbaric Beasts.

Large numbers of Native Beastmen had gathered in the Imperial Palace and deployed numerous Arrays. These held back the experts from the various Demon Race clans, preventing them from entering the palace’s central region.

At the same time, ten Golden Armored Knights flew out from the center of the Imperial Palace. They were surrounded by dancing Dragon Shadows, held Large Shields and Long Spears, and looked incredibly majestic. The fluctuations of their auras were comparable to those of Twelfth Realm Great Cultivators.

Lu Mingyuan could only roughly gauge the strength of these ten from his instincts.

"Protect His Majesty! Repel the Outer Celestial Demons!"

The ten Imperial Throne Knights stood guard before the Imperial Palace, their loyalty unwavering.

They utterly detested these invaders, and the face of each knight bore an expression that showed they were ready to face death.

Lu Mingyuan fixed his gaze on the distant, Blood-colored Sacred Mountain.

Those sacred mountains sat behind the Imperial Palace. They were majestic and holy, covered in densely packed palaces, and it was obvious they were all made of Divine Fallen Blood Stone!

’To think there are so many Divine Stones,’ Lu Mingyuan thought. ’This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime fortune.’

Lu Mingyuan watched the seven-colored mist of light that poured endlessly from the mountaintop altar, drifting out toward the sea.

His resolve hardened. ’I must use these Divine Stones to travel to the Returning Ruins Silent Sea and find the Ascension Platform.’

’Whether I can resurrect my father-in-law all depends on this.’

...

I’ve been on the road recently, so updates have been unstable. My apologies, everyone.