The Ferryman of Heavenly Tribulation's immortal tribulation was over. Cultivators from all regions bid their farewells. For the past six months, the Thunder Emperor Hall had procured a vast amount of fine wine, which was gifted to these billions of cultivators.
As for spirit stones and magic treasures, none were given. This was simply because the number of recipients was too immense to afford. With the Thunder Emperor Hall's current modest wealth, gifting magic treasures would likely incur debt for several centuries.
The billions of cultivators bowed to His Majesty the Thunder Emperor and departed. Wan Lei clasped his hands, watching them leave. Most of them returned to their homelands, but many others did not. Instead, they headed towards the Liu family ruins. According to whispers, the Demon Marshal Qianniao was waiting there for the Demon Lord's arrival, intending to relay a message to His Majesty the Thunder Emperor.
People speculated that since the demons had colluded with the Liu family for so long, the teleportation coordinates for the demons from the outside world would naturally be at the Liu family's location. Everyone was there to witness the spectacle, completely unconcerned about the possibility of being annihilated by the Demon Lord should he arrive before the Thunder Emperor. Their confidence had soared after the Thunder Emperor's ascension to immortality. "What kind of Demon Lord could possibly be more powerful than our Thunder Emperor? Our Thunder Emperor has also ascended. If you dare to come, Demon Lord, our Thunder Emperor will swat you away with a single palm."
Qianniao, who had been alone in the void of this dead land, indulging in feelings of homesickness and solitude, felt a wave of helplessness as tens of millions of people arrived, filling the air with a cacophony of sounds. These people, truly disruptive to the atmosphere… no, truly eager for excitement. That was the Demon Lord, a being whom even their Thunder Emperor had to cautiously implore all beings for help in his ascension to deal with. They were truly like calves unafraid of tigers.
At this moment, Wan Lei had entered the space where the Heart of the Universe was located. Fang Xiaoyu was still sitting cross-legged beside the Heart of the Universe, cultivating diligently. Wan Lei could sense that Fang Xiaoyu's bottleneck had loosened, and the immortal status had already entered her Sea of Consciousness. All that was needed now was for her to wait for the breakthrough. The Heart of the Universe was continuously channeling energy into Fang Xiaoyu's body, assisting her in her ascension to immortality.
Upon seeing Wan Lei arrive, the Heart of the Universe asked him, "The Will of the Immortal Realm just sent down a celestial ascension channel, but I blocked it. It asked me to ask you, when do you plan to ascend to the Immortal Realm?"
"Can I choose the time freely?"
"Yes, but you cannot exceed a thousand years. If you have not chosen to ascend after a thousand years, then you will have to break through the cosmic barrier to the Immortal Realm on your own, which is not an easy feat."
"A thousand years? That's enough. It won't take that long. Once we've dealt with the Demon Marshal and the matters of the Lei Feng Realm, we'll ascend."
"Alright, when you say the word, I will have the Immortal Realm lower the ascension channel."
Wan Lei nodded and said no more. He walked over to Fang Xiaoyu's side, sat down cross-legged, and watched her cultivate. Fang Xiaoyu was completely immersed in her cultivation world, comprehending the path of immortality with all her heart. She was entirely unaware of someone arriving beside her. Here, she would face no danger. Even if the Demon Lord appeared and defeated the Lei Feng Realm, Wan Lei would rush to save her first.
Looking at the girl's exquisite face, her long, playful eyelashes, and her perky nose, Wan Lei couldn't resist the urge to pinch her little nose. He had been looking at this face for ten years, and it never ceased to amaze him; it only grew more beautiful the more he looked.
Three days later, a majestic aura emanated from Fang Xiaoyu's body. She opened her eyes.
"Ah, when did you get here?" Fang Xiaoyu widened her eyes, looking at Wan Lei with curiosity.
"Cough, cough… about half a year ago."
"Pah, only half a year has passed in total, I don't believe you ascended so quickly." Fang Xiaoyu pouted. Her charming appearance stirred Wan Lei's heart, and he immediately embraced her and kissed her gently.
A moment later, Fang Xiaoyu suddenly remembered something and her eyes widened, "You ascended before me, so that means you won our bet?"
"That's right. Now, it's time to settle the bet." A triumphant, wicked smile played on Wan Lei's lips.
"You… you're making me so shy!" Little Yu's face was flushed red.
"It's alright, there's no one else here."
"It's watching." Fang Xiaoyu pointed to the Heart of the Universe.
"Even if we go outside, it can still see. Just pretend it's not there. Hurry, hurry, I can't wait."
Hearing this, Little Yu took a deep breath, glared fiercely at His Majesty the Thunder Emperor, and uttered charmingly, "Daddy~~"
"Hiss… wonderful!" His Majesty the Thunder Emperor happily and triumphantly hugged the Empress and kissed her. The blushing Empress, filled with shame, wanted to kill His Majesty the Thunder Emperor.
"Get lost, I need to undergo my immortal tribulation." Fang Xiaoyu kicked him away fiercely.
After completing her immortal tribulation, Fang Xiaoyu successfully transformed into the Hao Tian Battle Body. The two bid farewell to the Heart of the Universe, left that space, and rushed towards the Liu family. Fortunately, the Demon Lord had not appeared within these three days.
The arrival of Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu, the two immortals, was met with cheers from countless people around the Liu family. "Are these people crazy? This place is about to become a battlefield, and they're still crowded here to watch the show." Qianniao looked at the crowd outside with helplessness. "You don't understand how passionate people in the Prime Plane are about watching a spectacle. Forget it, let them watch. If I win, they'll all survive. If I die, they won't be able to escape anyway. Let them be."
As he said this, Wan Lei paused and looked at Qianniao. "Qianniao, have you thought about how you'll get back? I can tear open the cosmic barrier of the Lei Feng Realm now, but I certainly can't tear open the barrier of the Prime Plane. I heard that requires the power of a saint. How about you stay here? Or you can come with me to the Immortal Realm."
"Staying here to grow old and die in a foreign land? Going to the Immortal Realm is even more impossible. You have no idea how much the people in the Immortal Realm hate demons. I already have a plan. When the Demon Lord's teleportation beam descends and they arrive here, that teleportation beam will retract. I'll seize the moment of its retraction to enter the beam and return to the forward base in the Sea of Bitterness."
"Do you have to leave? Aren't you afraid of being judged?"
"I'll just say I was captured by you and then escaped at great risk. They have no evidence."
"Sigh… alright then. I wish you good luck, brother. I hope we can meet again one day."
"I don't hope we can meet again. The positive and negative planes will always be enemies. If we meet again, we will be enemies."
"That won't happen." Qianniao's mind was made up, and Wan Lei couldn't force him to stay. However, he would forever remember the favor he owed Qianniao.
Days turned into weeks. Wan Lei, Fang Xiaoyu, Qianniao, and those ten million cultivators waited quietly. Then, half a month later, the sky vibrated violently, space twisted, and a teleportation channel tore through space and descended. From within, three powerful auras could faintly be sensed.