Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 505: Where is the Justice of Heaven? Where is the Fairness?

"After centuries of arduous cultivation, at last, I am marked by the Great Dao!" The ascenders bathed in the pool, unacquainted with the likes of Arbiter Lu and unaware of the looming danger. Far from fear, their expressions were solemn, their faces marked with reverence, awaiting the mark that would make them Immortals of the Celestial Court.

In a single step, they rose to the heavens, their spirits soaring boundlessly.

"Come here." Yun Xiao pulled Lian Xi close, holding her in his embrace, as they too drifted in the waves of the Ambrosia Nectar.

Suddenly, the Soulfire Eye split open at his forehead, casting a cold gaze around, while Lian Xi's delicate hands clung tightly around his waist, a look of indignation growing in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Yun Xiao waited a moment, but no anomaly occurred.

This Ambrosia Nectar was indeed a vast spiritual nourishment; it cleansed their bodies, flowed into their meridians, and concentrated into their spirit.

"Purify the filth, ascend the gateway to heaven!" These solemn proclamations boomed around them.

"Excellent!" One by one, the ascenders sat cross-legged, holding their breath and concentrating, guiding the Ambrosia Nectar to cleanse their bodies.

As the nectar entered them, their bodies quickly exuded Immortal energy, expelling impurities and seemingly undergoing a transformation.

The effect brought smiles of enlightenment to the faces of Qing Xuan and Mo Daoyuan.

"This Ambrosia Nectar is genuine, as is the Great Dao marking," Yun Xiao concluded through his Soulfire Eye.

It was clear that these ascenders were undergoing a transformation; as the marks on their bodies solidified, they absorbed the power of the Great Dao Celestial Realm more smoothly.

"Could we have been mistaken?" Lian Xi asked.

"It's hard to say." Yun Xiao did not stop the Ambrosia Nectar from cleansing their bodies, as this transformation would help them adapt to the Great Dao Celestial Realm.

Then, Yun Xiao felt a new mark searing into his spirit, a symbol of belonging that drew him closer to the vast expanse of the Great Dao Celestial Realm.

"Has your mark formed as well?" Yun Xiao whispered.

"Mhmm." Lian Xi nodded. She looked at the other ascenders who had succeeded, her expression puzzled.

"This is wonderful! With this mark, the Immortals will lead us to the Golden Throne of Heaven, and our path shall be unobstructed," Qing Xuan exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.

"Our mortal realms are saved!" Mo Daoyuan's eyes reddened as he looked up, waiting for the Ascension Pool to activate.

Yun Xiao, observing their hopeful faces, frowned and muttered under his breath, "Something is definitely wrong!"

Indeed, at that moment, several deep holes seemed to open around the Ascension Pool, and a black torrent burst forth, pouring into the pool!

In just a short time, the entire pool was nearly blackened.

"What is this?" The hopeful ascenders froze, staring blankly around. They hadn't seen clearly yet, but Yun Xiao had!

"The same Gu worms that devoured Arbiter Lu!" Yun Xiao's face suddenly paled.

Indeed, it was the All Life Devouring Gu!

These thumb-sized black flesh worms, both ends armed with fierce mandibles, clustered together, emitting a sinister chirping. Just one glance was enough to send shivers down the spine.

What was more terrifying was their number—billions upon billions!

Gurgling noises filled the air as they piled up like a sea in this enclosed space. When they sensed the scent of human flesh, they surged forward like ravenous wolves, scrambling over each other in a frenzied rush.

"Everyone gets a share, my darlings, take your time!" The laugh of that old Immortal echoed into the Ascension Pool, pushing the bewildered ascenders to the brink of despair.

They had cultivated painfully all their lives for ascension, just transformed and refined the quality of their flesh, and now, the very worms they feared most on earth had appeared in the Celestial Court's Ascension Pool...

"What is happening..." Qing Xuan, as if struck by lightning, stared wide-eyed. This was the most unfathomable sight of his life. Astonishment, confusion, and blankness filled their hearts.

"Run!" Mo Daoyuan's face drastically changed as he bellowed, summoning a celestial artifact.

"I wondered how that evil Immortal managed such influence in the mortal realm; it turns out the exalted Great Dao Celestial Court is their main stronghold! Hahaha..."

Tears of blood streamed down Yun Xi's face, a look of profound despair etched into her features as she fell to her knees, crying out in anguish, "Where is the justice of heaven? Where is the fairness?"

At the moment her words fell, billions of black Gu worms engulfed them!

Inside the Ascension Pool, sounds of flesh being gnawed, bones being crunched, and of course, the most piercing and desperate screams filled the air.

In the mortal realms, where all creatures lived, they cultivated hard and dreamt of ascension.

Who could have known that on the day of ascension, at the moment of realizing their dreams, they would meet such a tragic end?

Could this era be called prosperous?

The ascenders, recently met but united in purpose, one by one were devoured, their flesh, bones, and organs fiercely fought over and consumed!

Their shattered and despairing faces sank into the dark frenzy right before Yun Xiao's eyes.

Qing Xuan, Mo Daoyuan, and Yun Xi… Never in his life had Yun Xiao seen a more despairing death in anyone's eyes.

A lifetime of belief, collapsed utterly and completely. He couldn't save them, he could barely save himself!

"Ah!" Amid Lian Xi's cries of terror, Yun Xiao could only hold her tightly, while unfurling the Prison Warden Sigil, wrapping them in multiple protective layers!

The black Gu worms indeed feared the purifying power of the nine-headed dragon, retreating in puffs of black smoke as they tried to bite.

Even so, their terrifying impact battered the wrapped pair, leaving them dazed and seeing stars.

These Gu worms were robust and formidable, their assaults and gnashing also draining Yun Xiao's celestial power.

"Hold on!" Yun Xiao's face paled, his teeth gritted in determination.

He knew that aside from themselves, everyone else in the Ascension Pool was dead.

"To fatten these worms, these haughty Iimmortals even deigned to rejuvenate us first with the Ambrosia Nectar!" he thought, his eyes blazing red with fury.

The pool trembled violently.

"Little darlings, wait for the next batch!" The old Immortal's laughter rang out once more.

The black torrent of All Life Devouring Gu finally scattered away with a swish.

Above them, the lid vibrated, clearly about to open.

Yun Xiao had no choice but to sink to the bottom of the Ascension Pool!

Here lay the remnants the Gu worms couldn't be bothered to eat, like pancreases, brain stems, glands... These were all that remained of the mortal dreamers who had aspired to ascend.

"We're just one batch! Over such a long time, how many ascenders have come here only to perish in despair?"

The mortals believed ascension was the beginning, but it was, in fact, the end.

"Quickly, dump the leftovers," the old Immortal instructed with a sinister chuckle.

BOOM! The entire Ascension Pool flipped over, spilling its murky contents and the remains of the dead resembled leftover broth sloshing out of a pot.

Yun Xiao and Lian Xi were mixed within this grisly runoff, dumped out directly!

Fortunately, in the midst of preparing for the next batch of ascenders, the Immortals paid no attention to any fish that slipped through the net.

Yun Xiao and Lian Xi clung together, wrapped in the foul broth as if they had crashed into a dark, stinking tunnel.

More accurately, it was the Celestial Court's sewer!

The flow was fierce, swirling them dizzyingly. Yun Xiao held Lian Xi tightly, repeating, "It's okay, it's all right now!"

BOOM! After what felt like an eternity, light finally appeared ahead.

Stabilizing himself, Yun Xiao looked towards the light, faintly hearing thunderous horse whinnies.

"Where is this?" As he furrowed his brow, they were swept from the Celestial Court's sewer into the unknown.

Lian Xi, still shaken, said, "Look over there..."