After a lengthy session with the interviewing reporters, everyone dived back into the "Ascension Tower" to spar with the Immortal Emperors.
Nothing was more suitable for testing one's combat prowess than the Ascension Tower.
If you could defeat an Immortal Emperor at your own cultivation level, you possessed the demeanor of a Great Emperor.
Guides were rampant on various websites. Due to the similarity in cultivation techniques among many cultivators, they were highly likely to encounter the same opponents within the tower.
Many video websites were even willing to pay top dollar for individuals who had cleared the first and second floors to create video guides. However, for geniuses who could achieve such feats, money had long become as fleeting as clouds.
Although they had managed to defeat a weakened Sky-Slaying Clan member through combined efforts, a sense of heaviness descended upon them after the initial excitement.
The Sky-Slaying Clan was no easy foe. They were not beasts; aside from their appearance, their intelligence was no different from humans, and they were even fearless in the face of death.
Though Ramo was defeated miserably, he did not beg for mercy until his last breath.
If the Sky-Slaying Clan members all possessed such unwavering resolve, it would be perilous.
He hoped Ramo was an isolated case; otherwise, this war would be difficult to win.
Within the Dragon Palace, all the flying swords from the "Sword Nurturing Gourd" were released, depleting Luo Xiaowei's trump cards.
Therefore, upon exiting, he frantically fed the magical treasures obtained within into the "Hundred Weapons Workshop" to acquire a large number of flying swords, which he then placed back into the "Sword Nurturing Gourd" to be nurtured.
With about ten years of nurturing, the swords, when unsheathed, would directly obliterate Void Refinement realm experts.
Chu Yang did not assign them further tasks, merely urging them to seize the opportunity to rapidly improve their strength, as the subsequent trials would be dangerous.
He was awaiting the return of the three hundred individuals.
...
Today marked the thirty-second day since He Guangxin and his group entered the cultivation world.
For He Guangxin and his companions, it was their nineteenth year.
In nineteen years, out of the three hundred individuals, eighty-three had perished.
This mortality rate was quite staggering, and it was even with their conscious effort to develop safely.
A portion of them were found by the three major forces during their encirclement and annihilation of the remnants of the Five Elements Immortal Sect.
The majority, however, met their demise through assassinations stemming from conflicts of interest with other sects or their own disciples while undertaking sect missions.
Only upon their return could they truly articulate the brutality of the cultivation world.
Fifteen years had passed in the blink of an eye. Some would never return, while others were still struggling arduously. Some were developing cautiously, and others were still fighting a difficult battle for survival.
He Guangxin had been stuck at the Golden Core stage for nearly ten years. He knew the reason: a crucial breath, an unreleased surge of emotion, was missing.
This unresolved hatred prevented his will from progressing.
He retrieved a piece of paper from the Inorganic Inn.
Three names were written on it.
"Situ Kong, Yan Xingyou, Han Qiu..."
As He Guangxin silently recited these names a few times, his eyes grew increasingly cold.
These three were the Saint Son of the Corpse Rotten Sect, the Second Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty, and the Saint Son of the Void Heaven Sect, respectively.
They were all top-tier geniuses and had contributed significantly during the siege of the Five Elements Immortal Sect.
Although these major powers undoubtedly possessed more than one Saint Son-level figure, and during the attack on the Five Elements Immortal Sect, there were more than just them present, they had all participated in the assault on Imperial Sword Peak.
Even if He Guangxin could not kill the direct murderer of his master, killing these geniuses, upon whom vast resources had been expended for their cultivation, should at least cause those powerful figures to feel a pang of loss.
His path of vengeance was far from over; his sword intent could not advance further.
Burning the slip of paper, He Guangxin flew towards the territory of the Great Yan Dynasty.
It was rumored that this autumn marked the four-hundredth birthday of the Emperor of Great Yan. The Emperor had extended invitations to various heroes to celebrate together. Many subordinate sects came to show their faces, and forces of comparable status also arrived to offer congratulations. Even influential figures from higher-tier sects made an appearance.
The influential figures from higher-tier sects initially dismissed it, but having accepted benefits from the Emperor of Yan, they offered him some courtesy.
This was a signal deliberately created by the Emperor of Yan, indicating that the Great Yan Dynasty had powerful backing!
This was the final year. He Guangxin was in a hurry. He did not know if he would have another chance to visit this world, so he had to accomplish something within this last year.
The three individuals on the list were certain to be present at such an occasion; they were the flagship geniuses of the three major powers.
These three were all early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, but He Guangxin was not afraid. A single level difference was not significant.
Of course, this applied to geniuses; others would be better off not harboring such thoughts.
This information was not received only by He Guangxin; his comrades, who had been separated for over a decade, also learned of it.
"Our squad leader definitely won't miss this opportunity. After lying low for so long, it's time to make a move!"
"Damn it, after this one job, we're going back to Blue Star!"
"You've been bullying our squad leader for over ten years, right?"
"..."
This birthday celebration also saw the unexpected arrival of many geniuses from sects in other regions to the Great Yan Dynasty, catching the Emperor of Yan somewhat off guard.
Moreover, these sects were not forces he could easily antagonize; most of them were on par with the Great Yan Dynasty.
So much time had passed since that incident. Those who could be pursued had been pursued, while those who couldn't be caught had largely lost their tracks.
Having come from military backgrounds, their counter-reconnaissance capabilities were top-notch.
A month before the grand birthday ceremony, He Guangxin and over a hundred others secretly gathered.
He was deeply moved.
"Brothers, it's truly wonderful to see you all alive!"
He embraced everyone, tears streaming down his face. Some were unable to attend due to various reasons.
But all who could come, did.
Their aptitude was not low; in nineteen years, they had all reached the late Golden Core stage.
Their attachment to the Five Elements Immortal Sect was not as deep as He Guangxin's. For them, their reunion was primarily to support He Guangxin.
"You guys don't have to take this risk with me..."
"No, no, no, squad leader, that's not right. It's the last year, aren't we allowed to go a little crazy?"
"Exactly! This journey is ending, we can't leave any regrets!"
"Damn it! I just love this feeling of causing chaos in heaven, like being the male protagonist in a cultivation novel!"
"..."
Seeing that his brothers couldn't be dissuaded, He Guangxin smiled.
"Since you're here to support me, you have no problem listening to my command, right?"
"Of course! Squad leader is still squad leader!"
"Then, let's do this..."
He Guangxin had dealt with these sects for a long time. He understood his enemies intimately and thus outlined his plan in detail...