"Rumble!!!"
The thunderclouds deep within the painting roared, and lightning as thick as mountains struck from within the clouds.
An aura of world-ending destruction, an aura that defied heaven and earth, was rapidly reviving.
"Hmm? Yongjie, why have you awakened this seat?"
Suddenly, Chen Jiuyang heard an extremely pleasant, seductive voice, one that could shake the very soul.
"'Qing Jue' Ancestor is actually a woman? Could she be a past Heavenly Charm Saintess?"
Even Chen Jiuyang, whose divine soul and Dao heart were as firm as rock, was captivated by this voice.
The spirit of the painting, named 'Yongjie', spoke in its ancient voice: "The new Ancestor of the True Saint designated this awakening. Ancestor 'Qing Jue', please meet the current Sect Master and leave behind your inheritance."
A moment later.
"Rumble!!!"
The boundless thunderclouds within the painting were suddenly torn apart!
Then, a young woman, whose appearance could only be described as 'perfect' from top to bottom, clad in an ancient palace dress, with a 'perfect' figure and posture, slowly emerged from the lightning.
She was enveloped and alternated by three different colors of mist: black, white, and purple. You could seemingly see her face and figure clearly, as if they were being burned into your mind. Yet, the moment you closed your eyes, her image would spontaneously vanish from your thoughts, as if you had lost something of immense importance.
In an instant, she floated to the front of the painting, as if about to break free.
"Hiss!"
Chen Jiuyang inwardly gasped. What was the cultivation level of this 'Qing Jue' Ancestor? It had reached a point where it was unfathomable.
"Yansheng?"
Upon seeing the saber Chen Jiuyang wore, Ancestor Qing Jue's expression shifted slightly.
"Buzz buzz buzz!!!"
The Yansheng Saber emitted an excited hum.
Besides the Han Ling Sword and himself, this was the first time Chen Jiuyang had seen the Yansheng Saber react with an active hum.
Chen Jiuyang inwardly queried the Yansheng Saber: "Yansheng, do you know Ancestor 'Qing Jue'? What is her identity?"
The Yansheng Saber's voice echoed in Chen Jiuyang's mind: "Qing Jue is the only offspring born to the second Saber Master and the Heavenly Charm Sacred Body of that era."
The offspring of the second Saber Master.
Chen Jiuyang's heart trembled. It seemed he had a great karmic connection with this Ancestor 'Qing Jue'.
Qing Jue's gaze pierced through countless layers of space, falling upon Chen Jiuyang.
"Rumble!!!"
An aura that defied heaven and earth descended upon Chen Jiuyang, making him unable to bear it.
Chen Jiuyang fully activated his 'Yuan Dao', then cupped his fists and said with a cold sweat, "Junior Chen Jiuyang greets Ancestor 'Qing Jue'."
Ancestor Qing Jue observed Chen Jiuyang for a long moment, then withdrew her gaze and praised, "You have inherited my father's legacy, walked the path of the Human Emperor, achieved great enlightenment before the age of thirty, and taken the position of Sect Master. Well done."
"I can answer three of your questions and bestow upon you one divine ability."
There were limitations?
Chen Jiuyang's expression faltered, then he quickly organized his thoughts and said, "Ancestor 'Qing Jue', my wife was abducted by the Five Pseudo-Daos and ascended to the Lesser Immortal Realm. I wish to go to the Lesser Immortal Realm to retrieve my wife. Does Ancestor 'Qing Jue' have a way?"
Ancestor Qing Jue pondered for a moment, then said, "This seat has already ascended to the Immortal Realm and is not in the Lesser Immortal Realm. I am not very familiar with matters of the Lesser Immortal Realm. This question is void. I shall bestow an additional divine ability upon you."
Chen Jiuyang's heart trembled. Even the Great Immortal Chunyang Yixian, who had reached the Tribulation Crossing stage, had not ascended to the true Immortal Realm. Yet, this Ancestor 'Qing Jue' had ascended.
Did this not prove that Ancestor 'Qing Jue' was a true immortal from the Immortal Realm, even more powerful than Chunyang Yixian?
Afterward, Chen Jiuyang looked at Ancestor Qing Jue, and she looked back at him. Their eyes met, creating a somewhat peculiar atmosphere.
It took Chen Jiuyang a moment to realize that Ancestor Qing Jue was waiting for him to ask his second question.
Chen Jiuyang tidied his thoughts and asked again, "Ancestor 'Qing Jue', I wish to unify the Nine Sacred Dao Sects and attack the territories of the Five Pseudo-Daos. The current patriarch of the Han clan specifically asked me to awaken you, so there must be a way. May I seek your guidance?"
Ancestor Qing Jue replied without hesitation, "Before you unify the Nine Sacred Dao Sects and attack the Five Pseudo-Daos, you must go to 'Immortal Falling Cliff' to obtain the opportunity for ascension. This path is the karmic path to truly ascend to the Immortal Realm. You walk the path of the Human Emperor and bear the destiny of the Sacred Sect. Only by walking this path can you ascend to the Immortal Realm. Otherwise, you will be like those Pseudo-Daos, confined to the mortal realm and the Lesser Immortal Realm for your entire life, unable to truly ascend."
"This is the path this seat once took, and therefore, I can tell you."
Chen Jiuyang's heart was shaken, no less than an avalanche on Mount Everest.
No wonder the Demonic Dao looked down on the Five Great Sacred Lands, calling them Pseudo-Daos. The fundamental reason was that the people of the Five Great Sacred Lands could not ascend to the Immortal Realm.
It seemed there were deep secrets involved, secrets that even the Tribulation Crossing Great Immortal Chunyang Yixian did not know.
Chen Jiuyang took a deep breath, "Thank you, Ancestor 'Qing Jue'. Junior understands."
"My last question, Ancestor 'Qing Jue', is there a method in this world to bring the dead back to life?"
Chen Jiuyang's medical skills were superb, but he could at most save someone who still had a breath of life. He could not achieve resurrection, something even Chunyang Yixian could not do.
"Yes," Ancestor Qing Jue replied without hesitation.
"Before the great changes in heaven and earth, cultivators in the mortal realm could ascend to the Immortal Realm upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Later, for unknown reasons, the Immortal and Mortal Realms were severed, and the 'Book of Life and Death' was split into two. The Book of Life is held by the Heavenly Court in the Immortal Realm, while the Book of Death is in the mortal realm."
"If you can obtain the Book of Death in the mortal realm, you can bring the dead back to life."
"Throughout the long years, the Immortal Realm has been cultivating forces in the mortal realm, searching for the existence of the Book of Death. It is also because of the Book of Death that a portion of the Immortal Realm was severed and became the Lesser Immortal Realm."
Chen Jiuyang's heart was once again shaken.
The Book of Life and Death!
This mythical artifact, passed down from ancient times, actually existed, and both the Lesser Immortal Realm and the Immortal Realm were related to it.
He took a deep breath. The information he had just received from Ancestor 'Qing Jue' was too secret, and he needed time to digest it, perhaps finding a way to utilize it.
"My true body is in the Immortal Realm, and this conversation with you is to repay the karmic debt to my father and the True Saint Sect. Such actions violate unforgivable heavenly laws. I cannot converse with you for long, or my true body will be discovered."
"Next, listen carefully. I shall impart two divine abilities to you."
"All races in the mortal world shall fear me as they fear heaven!!"
"This is an unforgivable divine ability that violates heavenly laws."
"Its effect is that when you travel the world, you will not be affected by the karmic laws of heavenly tribulations and the Great Dao."
"..." An unforgivable divine ability, and you're teaching it to me? Aren't you trying to get me killed?
But being unaffected by the karmic laws of heavenly tribulations and the Great Dao, this divine ability is very powerful.
If he were to go to the Three Lives Tomb or other forbidden areas again, he might not be affected. Perhaps he could walk around with impunity?
"The other divine ability is..."
"From ancient times to the present, there are no immortals at this moment!!!"