Chapter 57: Anomaly Outside the Sect
Chapter 57: Anomaly Outside the Sect
Su Wu’s consciousness awakened swiftly but faded just as quickly.
Though Su Ming felt some regret at not being able to say everything he wanted, he didn’t show it outwardly.
At the very least, he now knew the location of the Chaos Dao Lord’s next inheritance site.
By following the legacy of this once-greatest powerhouse of the Void Beyond, his family would surely reunite one day.
With this thought, Su Ming deactivated the time-acceleration formation and turned his gaze toward the distant Tower of Ascension.
Two days remained.
At his current strength, he no longer had to worry about failing the Tower of Ascension’s trials. If anything, he was more concerned that his rapid progress might disqualify him from the Longevity Realm challenges.
His recent cultivation had pushed his meridians and dantian to the brink of complete fragmentation.
According to records, this was the absolute limit of “Meridian Shattering.”
His next breakthrough would trigger the nirvanic rebirth of his meridians and dantian.
Yet Su Ming was only at the seventh layer of the Longevity Realm.
Thus, he turned to Qu Xiangyang—the only person who could answer his questions, given the Three Saints Sect founder’s experience in the Void Beyond.
However, Qu Xiangyang was still reeling from the shock of Su Wu’s brief appearance.
He had never imagined that the Dragon Court Mark could be outright destroyed.
And Su Wu’s unrestrained declaration had shaken him to his core.
In the Void Beyond, the Dragon Court was a supreme power—every time its members ventured out, they commanded awe and reverence.
Qu Xiangyang had once witnessed a Dragon Court procession from afar, and the sheer majesty of it had left an indelible impression.
Yet to Su Wu, these mighty dragons were nothing more than insects.
This realization only deepened his gratitude for having made the right choice in siding with Su Ming.
Only when Su Ming repeated his question did Qu Xiangyang snap back to attention.
“I’ve reached the final stage of ‘Meridian Shattering.’ What happens if I break through further?”
“You… you’re already at the final stage of ‘Meridian Shattering’?”
Qu Xiangyang was stunned once more.
He had only heard rumors of such a phenomenon—where prodigies could skip minor realms entirely when breaking through major ones.
Never had he expected to witness it firsthand.
“If that’s truly the case, after ‘Meridian Shattering,’ you will instantly ascend to the Nirvana Realm… And if you can sense Celestial Power during the Nirvana Realm and ignite the stars within your body ahead of time, you could even bypass minor realms to reach the Star Realm directly.”
A living legend stood before him.
In that moment, Qu Xiangyang suddenly felt a pang of pity for Su Ming.
Had the young man not been confined to the Heaven Primordial Continent but instead raised under Su Wu and Ling Xiao’s guidance, his achievements would have been far greater.
It was said that the elite disciples of certain supreme factions could reach the Void Realm in their teens.
Su Ming was undoubtedly that caliber of genius.
Then again, Qu Xiangyang also felt a surge of relief—had Su Ming not been left in this world, he would never have had the chance to latch onto such an immensely powerful figure.
“Even in the Nirvana Realm, one can skip minor realms and enter the Star Realm?”
“Indeed. In the Void Beyond, there is a faction called the Eternal Tower. It’s said that the current Tower Master’s personal disciple sensed Celestial Power at the seventh layer of the Nirvana Realm, ignited his inner stars, and ascended directly to the Star Realm.”
“I see…”
“Since the Young Master intends to challenge the Tower of Ascension, it would be best to suppress your cultivation for now,” Qu Xiangyang advised.
Once Su Ming entered the Nirvana Realm, the Tower of Ascension would naturally adjust its trials accordingly—a disadvantageous scenario.
“That was my plan as well. Let’s go. There are still two days before the Tower of Ascension opens.”
“As you command, Young Master.” Qu Xiangyang bowed deeply before following Su Ming toward the tower.
However, less than fifteen minutes into their journey, a streak of light shot toward them.
“It’s the Three Saints Sect’s secret messaging technique,” Qu Xiangyang explained before channeling spiritual energy into the light.
Liu Yong’s voice emerged:
“Ancestor, Sect Master Su… There have been strange occurrences around the Three Saints Sect recently. Multiple settlements have been attacked, with casualties exceeding a thousand…”
“We dispatched disciples to investigate, but no traces were found at the scenes. It’s highly likely the work of demonic cultivators.”
Hearing this, Su Ming immediately knew the answer.
Chu Fan had previously cultivated demonic techniques and even drained Ye Nantian to death.
Following this lead, the culprit was obvious.
“Have them monitor Chu Fan’s movements closely. That should reveal who’s behind this.”
“But if they find anything, they must not alert him. Understood?”
Though puzzled by Su Ming’s certainty, Qu Xiangyang obeyed without question.
What if Chu Fan really was responsible?
After all, their investigation into Li Jianping had revealed his close ties to Green Sun Peak—he had even taken the master-disciple pair to the Three Saints Pool.
As the saying went, “A crooked stick will have a crooked shadow.” With someone like Li Jianping involved, it was highly probable that Green Sun Peak was also compromised.
After relaying the orders, Qu Xiangyang and Su Ming continued toward the Tower of Ascension.
Meanwhile, back at the Three Saints Sect—particularly on Green Sun Peak—a different scene was unfolding.
Jiang Wang felt like he had fallen into a trap.
After regaining his dantian, Chu Fan had indeed displayed the brilliance expected of a genius.
Even his innate Yang Fire Physique had mutated under the influence of the Soul Devouring Body Tempering Technique, the flames he controlled gradually transforming into bloodfire.
Just as both Chu Fan and Jiang Wang were reveling in this development, Chu Fan suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed unconscious.
Jiang Wang was stunned. How had Chu Fan, who had been perfectly fine moments ago, suddenly ended up like this?
The Soul Devouring Body Tempering Technique shouldn’t have backlash effects.
Before he could process the situation, the Taotie Remnant Soul seized control of Chu Fan’s body and launched an attack using the spiritual energy left behind by Ye Nantian.
Fortunately, Jiang Wang reacted swiftly, forcibly resealing the Taotie Remnant Soul and averting disaster.
Had the Taotie detonated Chu Fan’s dantian again, all his meticulous efforts would have been wasted.
But when he brought Chu Fan back to the Three Saints Sect to recuperate, the young man’s condition took another sharp downturn—as if he were teetering on the brink of death.
Back on Green Sun Peak, Jiang Wang had no choice but to expend his own precious pills to treat Chu Fan, using his spiritual energy to stabilize the youth’s injuries.
Just as he thought the crisis had passed, he suddenly detected an extremely well-hidden formation surrounding Green Sun Peak.
Had he not been at the peak of the Star Realm, he might never have noticed it.
“Have I been exposed?”