319: A sword opens the gate of heaven

He let out a long cry, his voice shaking the nine heavens.

The iridescent treasure light around his body perfectly merged with the Sword Intent of the Guhong Sword in his hand, and an unprecedented, majestic Aura surged into the sky, causing the wind and clouds to change color and thunder to flicker.

No longer needing any complex Move, he poured his lifelong cultivation into a single sword strike.

“Om—!”

The Guhong Sword let out a sword cry, the Dragon and Phoenix patterns on its body seemed to come alive, a golden Dragon raised its head, a fiery Phoenix flapped its wings, and the entire sword radiated immeasurable light, illuminating the entire sky!

Lu Jiuyuan raised his arm, and he and the sword seemed to become one, transforming into a peerless sharp edge that sought to pierce the blue sky.

“Open!”

A shouted command, like the first thunderclap that split heaven and earth!

He simply and directly swung his sword towards that highest and furthest point!

With this sword, a Sword Qi condensed to the extreme, burst forth from the sword tip, piercing straight through the firmament!

At the end of the light beam, that incredibly solid barrier, which had separated this realm for countless years, let out a mournful wail of unbearable strain before this beam of sword light.

“Crack… crackle…”

Subtle yet clear shattering sounds, audible throughout the entire Divine Capital, rang out, as if heaven and earth themselves were groaning.

Under the gaze of countless utterly shocked eyes, at the top of that light beam, at the highest point of the firmament, a massive crack was forcibly “cut” open!

The crack quickly expanded and spread.

An Aura completely different from this realm emanated from the opening.

The Heavenly Gate had opened!

Lu Jiuyuan retrieved his sword and stood, the transformed Guhong Sword quietly suspended by his side, its light contained, with only the Dragon and Phoenix patterns on its blade, harmonious and intertwined, proving what kind of obstruction it had just cut through.

He looked back one last time at the ground beneath him.

His gaze swept over the magnificent Divine Capital, over the tens of thousands of kneeling subjects, over the new Emperor Lu Hao, who was trying to straighten his body and whose eyes were firm, in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony,

Finally, he gazed deeply at Shangguan Yan, who was teary-eyed but forcing herself not to cry out, in front of the Phoenix Palace.

A thousand words were contained in that silent glance.

There was no farewell, because on the path ahead, there was no need to look back.

He laughed loudly, his laughter full of unrestrained freedom and transcendence.

“The path ahead is open, my Dao is not alone! If you want to follow in my footsteps, come find me in the Heaven Beyond Heavens!”

Just at this moment, an unexpected change occurred!

“Hahaha! The Heavenly Gate is open, the opportunity for Ascension is at hand! Lu Jiuyuan, thank you for paving the way for us!”

A long laugh, filled with fanaticism, tore through the sky, and two figures, moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, shot up from two different directions of the Divine Capital, carrying an overwhelming Aura, and unhesitatingly soared towards the slowly closing Heavenly Gate!

It was none other than Evil God Gu Mutian and the Elder of the Frontier, who had been reclusive for many years and were once greatly feared by Guan Yutian!

Lu Jiuyuan’s sword opened the Heavenly Gate, and the Qi of heaven and earth was drawn, so there was no need to hide anymore. These two immediately seized this fleeting opportunity, intending to snatch the qualification for Ascension!

Their speed was too fast, and their minds too decisive. Almost the instant Lu Jiuyuan disappeared into the Heavenly Gate, they arrived from behind, like two Retrograde meteors, plunging into the resplendent, auspiciously glowing void, their figures instantly swallowed by the magnificent light!

“Master!” “Master!” … Below, the shouts of Shangguan Yan, Ouyang Mingri, and others, mixed with shock and worry, faintly reached them, but no one could stop it now.

Everyone thought that these three peerless existences of their generation would step into the unknown Immortal Realm together.

However, just as the figures of Gu Mutian and the Elder of the Frontier completely vanished inside the gate, and the Heavenly Gate, losing its power support, accelerated its closure, leaving only a final sliver of a gap—

Another change occurred!

The figure of Lu Jiuyuan, who had originally disappeared deep into the Heavenly Gate, blurred like a reflection in water, and then completely dissipated, as if he had never existed!

And at the ten-thousand-foot altitude where Lu Jiuyuan had originally stood, space rippled slightly, and a figure slowly materialized from the Void Realm, quietly appearing.

Red hair, Dragon robes, a calm face—who else could it be but Lu Jiuyuan?

He hadn't entered the Heavenly Gate at all!

Lu Jiuyuan stood with his hands behind his back in the Void Realm, coldly watching as the last sliver of the “Heavenly Gate” completely closed and disappeared, and the sky returned to its entirety, as if nothing had happened.

A faint, almost imperceptible, mocking curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Ascension? Heaven Beyond Heavens?” He murmured to himself, his voice only audible to himself,

“Two old geezers, hiding from me like cats. One whose Dao is of utmost sincerity and can foreknow, the other who can calculate and sense danger. If I didn’t trick you two out and send you away, this mortal realm would ultimately have hidden dangers.”

The possibility of Ascension could mask all sense of crisis.

As for what lay beyond the Heavenly Gate, or whether they could survive, that was no longer his concern. His Ascension relied on Guhong, not the Heavenly Gate.

“This matter is settled, it’s time to depart.”

As his words fell, the Guhong Sword emitted a soft hum, its body glowing brightly, instantly enveloping Lu Jiuyuan.

The next moment, while the myriad beings below had not yet recovered from the shock of the Elder of the Frontier and Gu Mutian rushing into the Heavenly Gate,

Lu Jiuyuan’s figure, amidst a dazzling but not blinding light, transformed from solid to ethereal, like ice and snow melting into sunlight, silently dissipating between heaven and earth.

“Respectfully send off the Grand Emperor for his Ascension to the Upper Realm!”

“Respectfully send off the Grand Emperor for his Ascension to the Upper Realm!”

Among the officials, Ren Qianxing reached out and took Yan Cangfeng’s hand. With the Grand Emperor’s Ascension, no one would stop the two of them from being together anymore!