Spirit Transformation Smoke

"Hehe! Your cultivation is so-so, just passable." Yue Qianchou chuckled and pointed around, saying, "What's going on here? Why did you come as soon as I sounded the horn?"

The Golden Robe Figure solemnly said, "This place was set up a long time ago by a celestial being who shattered the void with his profound cultivation. Once the Ascension Horn sounds, it will reach the heavens directly, and we, the Reception Envoy, will open the corresponding passage to come down and receive you."

"Huh! Then why did I hear the Ascension Horn sounding by itself earlier?" Yue Qianchou asked curiously.

The Golden Robe Figure laughed and said, "Your Excellency may not know this, but we Reception Envoy in the Immortal Realm also sound a welcoming horn at regular intervals. When the welcoming horn sounds, the Ascension Horn in the mortal realm will resonate. Those cultivators whose cultivation has reached a certain level, no matter how far away they are, will hear the call. They will follow the sound to the Ascension Platform and then ascend to the Immortal Realm." As he spoke, he pointed to the basin and said, "Those whose cultivation is not high enough, outside the range of this great formation, will not hear the horn no matter how loud it is."

"The range of the formation, do you mean the area within this basin? Does it include the forest outside the basin?" Yue Qianchou asked.

"The array's range is limited to within the basin," the Golden Robe Figure explained patiently. It was only because he had encountered Yue Qianchou, someone whose cultivation level he couldn't discern, that he had this patience to chat with someone of lower cultivation.

"That's strange. How come I can hear the horn outside?" Yue Qianchou asked, full of doubt. He couldn't very well tell the other party that he was only at the Nascent Soul Realm stage and yet he could hear it. He wondered if the Ascension Horn was of poor quality or had been in disrepair for many years and was broken.

But it was difficult to ask this question aloud. If he tried to show off and fool people, and they found out, they might just kill him. This was a deity descended from the celestial realm! Who knew what Divine Ability he possessed?

What surprised him even more was that the golden bead inside his body was so magical that even immortals couldn't see through his cultivation level.

"Does one have to reach a certain level of cultivation to ascend to immortality? Can those who don't have enough cultivation still ascend?" Yue Qianchou asked, clinging to a sliver of hope. He was quite interested in becoming one of those legendary immortals, and how wonderful it would be to bring his entire family and subordinates along to share in the glory.

The Golden Robe Figure paused, then said, "Those whose cultivation is insufficient simply cannot withstand the heavenly might of this Ascension Passage. However..." He paused again, then continued, "If one has the protection of a powerful immortal or possesses a powerful protective magic treasure, then there's no problem. However, those who possess powerful magic treasures, or those whose cultivation has reached the level of an immortal, would probably disdain doing such a thing..."

Damn it! Doesn't this just tell me there's no hope? Where would I get such connections in the Immortal Realm? If I did, would I be wasting my time arguing with you? You're obviously just a gofer. Yue Qianchou thought to himself.

Seeing him still dawdling there, the Golden Robe Figure, who had been Reception Envoy for so many years, had never seen anyone like this before. He thought to himself, "A master is indeed a master. He is calm and unhurried, slowly studying the matter, unlike ordinary ascendants who are often emotionally agitated."

He had no choice but to remind him, "Your Excellency should hurry up and ascend with me! This ascension passage cannot remain open indefinitely. If there is no response, it will automatically close soon."

Oh no! How do I get rid of him? Yue Qianchou stared at the black hole in the sky, trying to make conversation. "I thought ascending to immortality meant being surrounded by rays of light and riding on auspicious clouds, but I never imagined it involved crawling through this black hole. Uh... could this Seven-Colored Mist be the legendary auspicious clouds? That's a bit too poisonous!"

"Auspicious seven-colored clouds?" The Golden Robe Figure was stunned for a moment. He looked up and saw the large swirling cloud of Seven-Colored Mist that was rotating with the black hole. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, "What... what is going on?"

"I was about to ask you what happened! Don't you know either?" Yue Qianchou glanced at him casually, then paused, noticing the Golden Robe Figure's hands trembling as he looked at him. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you?"

"Seven-colored smoke! Could it be the Spirit Transformation Smoke? Have I been poisoned by the legendary Spirit Transformation Smoke? How could this be? Why?" The Golden Robe Figure raised his head with great difficulty, looking at him in terror, and said, "I have no grudge against you, why do you want to harm me? Why did you use the Spirit Transformation Smoke to harm me? You must have an antidote, you must have an antidote, please give me the antidote, give me the antidote, save me..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker until he could no longer utter a word. He remained frozen in place, his hand outstretched in a state of terror, pleading for help.

Yue Qianchou also froze on the spot, staring dumbfounded at the Golden Robe Figure. This situation was so familiar, just like the dozens of poisoned cultivators from the Jinshan Kingdom that he had secretly seen in the mist before. Could it be that even immortals could not withstand the deadly poison of the Seven-Colored Mist?

"What's wrong with you?" Yue Qianchou asked weakly again, then asked several more times, but there was no response. He was now basically certain that he was dead. Speechless, he looked up at the still-rotating black hole, the surrounding Seven-Colored Mist still being slowly sucked in at a leisurely pace.

"Seven-Colored Mist! Spirit Transformation Smoke?" He muttered to himself, his brows furrowing deeply, a host of mysteries swirling in his mind...

The Golden Robe Figure clearly hadn't expected the Seven-Colored Mist, which he called the Spirit Transformation Smoke, to be here. Where did this come from? In any case, it couldn't have appeared out of nowhere; it was obviously left behind by someone. Or perhaps someone deliberately left it... When the Ascension Passage opened, the rotating black hole naturally sucked in the Seven-Colored Mist, and anyone emerging from the black hole without precautions would suffer.

Even immortals couldn't withstand the Spirit Transformation Smoke! And yet it was placed right here at the Ascension Platform, it couldn't be a coincidence... Yue Qianchou suddenly sensed a conspiracy. It seemed that the entire Misty Forest was a trap set up by someone to prevent anyone from entering and leaving, not even immortals!

It's probably mainly targeting deities. Who on earth has such a grand scheme? Cultivators in the Cultivation World? That's absolutely impossible...

Yue Qianchou pondered this with flickering eyes, "Crack!" A bolt of lightning flashed from the black hole, tracing a twisted and terrifying line across the sky above the basin. The black hole above spun rapidly, faster and faster, until it finally shrank into a tiny dot and slowly disappeared.

The Seven-Colored Mist that had been hanging in the air lost its suction and began to recede, returning to the area around the basin. The sky reappeared, but this time it was filled with stars, twinkling and shining...

The Golden Robe Figure opposite him still looked terrified, reaching out his hands in supplication. Yue Qianchou shook his head and sighed, "I'm sorry, Immortal Brother. I didn't know that a casual whistle could kill an immortal. It was really not intentional. Rest in peace! This place is not safe to stay any longer. I'll take my leave now."

Yue Qianchou took out a few small silver balls and scattered them in four directions, so that it would be convenient if he wanted to come again in the future.

He kicked the golden horn on the ground as he moved his foot—this was a treasure too! He picked it up and was about to put it in his Storage Bag when he stopped and shook his head. He thought to himself, "It's better not to take this. If I attract a few more gods because of this thing, it could cost me my life."

After a moment's hesitation, he picked up the horn and walked to the pillar, pulled down the gold chain again, and two blue flames ignited between his thumb and forefinger. He then reattached the broken chain. After letting go, the horn was hung up again.

"Return it to its rightful owner. I was just wandering around here, it has nothing to do with me," Yue Qianchou shrugged. He casually tossed out a cyan flying sword and jumped onto it, soaring towards the mountain peak with a "whoosh." He glanced back halfway, then, as if remembering something, he turned around and flew back.

He leaped back onto the altar, the cyan flying sword beneath his feet flipping through the air. With a "whoosh," it burst into cyan flames, transforming into a blazing fire sword that plunged straight into the crown of the Golden Robe Figure's head.

In an instant, a burst of vibrant blue flames erupted from the collar, cuffs, and every seam of the golden robe. As Yue Qianchou raised his hand, the blue flames, like a dozen fiery snakes, slithered out from the golden robe and disappeared into his palm.

The golden robe fell limply to the ground, and the person who wore it had vanished without a trace. "Clang, clang, clang..." A bracelet that looked like fine steel bounced a few times on the golden altar.

Yue Qianchou walked over, picked up the golden robe and dusted it off. Apart from a few pieces of fairy underwear, there was nothing else.

"Damn! Are all immortals this poor? No elixirs or magical Law Treasure?" Yue Qianchou unfolded the golden robe and examined it closely, finding nothing of value. The only redeeming quality was the robe itself; he wondered what it was made of. Holding the robe, he sighed, "New for three years, old for three years, patched and mended for another three. We're poor kids from humble beginnings; we don't have many bad habits. We'll just keep it! Maybe it'll come in handy later."

He casually stuffed it into his Storage Bag, then grabbed the immortal's underwear and checked it again, but still found nothing. Then, a surge of azure flames erupted, turning the immortal's underwear to ashes. It seemed he had completely forgotten about the "three years new, three years old" theory he'd just mentioned.

"Poor! So poor..." As he shook his head, his gaze fell on a bracelet that looked like fine bronze, which had rolled to the edge of the altar. The bracelet lay there quietly, looking very ordinary and not easily attracting attention. His brow twitched unconsciously, and he vaguely guessed something.

I picked up the bracelet and weighed it in my hand; it wasn't too light or too heavy. It looked unremarkable, about two fingers wide, grayish-blue, slightly flat, and without any decoration. There were no seams or joints on it; it was a single, seamless piece.

"I hope it won't disappoint me!" Yue Qianchou muttered softly, took it in his hand, and began to channel his Divine Sense it. As soon as he entered, he was immediately drawn into a new space...

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