The Perfect Ascension Ritual

Meanwhile, Xie An recovered from his daze and carefully handed the slip of paper in his hand to the Yellow Wind Little Sage.

"This is the handwritten decree written as Your Excellency requested."

Xie An's tone was calm, though his eyes carried a hint of curiosity.

The Yellow Wind Little Sage eagerly accepted the slip of paper.

He could clearly sense that, though the paper appeared ordinary, it carried an aura that transcended the mundane.

This handwritten decree possessed White Impermanence's Mythic Trait, words personally written by White Impermanence's reincarnated body, and White Impermanence's original true name.

With all three combined, even if a true deity of the Underworld awakened, they would likely believe this handwritten decree truly was proof left behind by White Impermanence.

Not to mention a mechanism like the Northern Yin Mountain Temple that operated according to rules—it would absolutely be unable to distinguish truth from falsehood.

The Yellow Wind Little Sage opened his mouth and tossed the handwritten decree into Greedy Mouth.

Greedy Space did not reject the handwritten decree, and the ordinary slip of paper entered Greedy Space without issue.

This meant that, according to Greedy Space's judgment mechanism, the value of this handwritten decree was comparable to genuine Mythic Material.

"I'll owe you one!"

The Yellow Wind Little Sage smacked his lips, his tone carrying a trace of ease.

He had already obtained the most important item for this trip. All that remained was to head to the Northern Yin Mountain Temple and retrieve the Mount Luofeng Deity Tablet.

Now, the Yellow Wind Little Sage only wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible. Xie An carried far too many secrets.

White Impermanence's reincarnation, a student of the Five Great Academies, and that bizarre coincidence... All these matters tangled together into a complex mystery.

The Yellow Wind Little Sage even suspected that Xie An's years of being stuck at Scavenger First Rank, as well as his grave injuries from this trap, had not been simple accidents.

Behind it all, there might be a game between deities.

This kind of plotting at the level of deities was not something a minor figure like a Scavenger Second Rank could meddle in. It was better to stay far away early on, lest he get swept into some inexplicable trouble.

Upon hearing the Yellow Wind Little Sage's words, Xie An's expression turned solemn.

He bowed deeply to the Yellow Wind Little Sage, bending at a full ninety degrees and remaining there for three whole seconds before straightening.

"Your Excellency saved my life. This kindness weighs heavier than Mount Tai. A mere handwritten decree is nothing more than a small effort; it cannot possibly be mentioned in the same breath."

He paused, then continued, "Previously, Your Excellency entrusted me with gathering information related to Ascension Rituals.

"I compiled materials from various factions and gathered quite a bit of useful information through every possible channel.

"These materials involve knowledge at the mythic level and contain extraordinary power. Ordinary technological devices, such as computer hard drives, simply cannot bear content of this level. They can only be stored in traditional books, bamboo slips, Golden Books and Jade Registers.

"I organized all the relevant materials and left them in the hidden compartment of a shelf in Fortune Shop.

"That is a concealed space. I sealed it with the ability of Traversing Yin and Yang, so those people from the Night Banquet Gang should not be able to find it anytime soon.

"If Your Excellency needs them, you may secretly go and take them."

At these words, the Yellow Wind Little Sage's round eyes immediately lit up.

Whether it was searching for an Ascension Ritual or planning to use the handwritten decree to retrieve the Mount Luofeng Deity Tablet, both were, at their core, preparations Zhou Yao's main body had made to advance into a Mythic Walker.

The Mount Luofeng Deity Tablet was now within reach. If he could also obtain detailed information on Ascension Rituals, then both conditions would be met, and it would be time to seriously consider his main body's advancement.

"Thank you for telling me!"

The Yellow Wind Little Sage clasped his fists and solemnly returned the gesture to Xie An.

Seeing the Yellow Wind Little Sage's delight, Xie An's expression instead turned somewhat grave. After pondering for a moment, he decided to offer a reminder.

"Your Excellency is seeking information on Ascension Rituals in order to help someone advance into a Mythic Walker, correct?"

Xie An's tone grew serious.

"However, I must solemnly remind Your Excellency of one thing.

"The traits of Mythic Walkers vary through a thousand transformations. Even if they follow the same Mythology Diagram and contain the same type of Mythic Material, each person's Ascension Ritual will still differ.

"Therefore, the materials I compiled can only serve as reference, offering some ideas and directions. They absolutely must not be copied wholesale, or the result may very well be the opposite of what was intended."

Xie An's expression became stern, and concern showed in his eyes.

"Once, an elder told me that the essence of an Ascension Ritual is merely a means of allowing the traits of Mythic Material to truly merge into oneself. It can take any form and use any vessel.

"A pill, a Buddhist scripture, a single remonstration, a battle, a moment of enlightenment... All of these can be considered Ascension Rituals.

"The key lies not in the form, but in whether it can help the Mythic Walker complete their transformation and allow the power of the Mythic Material to fuse completely with them."

The Yellow Wind Little Sage listened intently, while Zhou Yao also carefully took notes.

Knowledge of Ascension Rituals explained by a gifted student of the Five Great Academies would be priceless information in the outside world.

Xie An paused to organize his thoughts, then continued, "Among all Ascension Rituals, two are considered the most perfect.

"The first is to cast aside the mortal body and completely merge one's essence with the Mythic Material. It is not simply containing its traits, but fundamentally changing one's own form of existence and becoming an extension of the Mythic Material.

"This method allows one to fully command the essence of the Mythic Material and wield one hundred percent, perhaps even one hundred and twenty percent, of its power.

"Mythic Walkers who advance in this manner are practically born sacred. They are no longer humans who wield mythic power, but true mythic creatures.

"Yet the Cost of this method is also unimaginably great. Since the sources of most Mythic Materials are not human, choosing this path means completely giving up one's identity as a human.

"No matter how high one's cultivation rises in the future, one will forever have no connection to the human race again.

"Furthermore, finding suitable Mythic Material to reshape one's physical body is extraordinarily difficult. Such material is exceedingly rare in this world, something that can only be encountered, never sought."

The Yellow Wind Little Sage's small body trembled slightly, and even Zhou Yao's pupils suddenly contracted.

Because the first perfect Ascension Ritual Xie An described was virtually identical to Zhou Yao's incarnation ability!

The Yellow Wind Little Sage's physical body had been formed by fusing the Yellow Wind Great Sage's hair with Mythic Factors. He was no ordinary incarnation, but a true mythic creature possessing the Yellow Wind Great Sage's traits.

"As for the second perfect ritual, it involves using Lost Mythology, taking a Mythic Beacon as the ritual, and using one's own body to contain traits while tracing back to the most primordial mythic source.

"Not only must one discern the essence of the Mythic Material, one must also find a compatible Mythic Beacon. Its difficulty far surpasses that of the first."

Hearing this, Zhou Yao instinctively directed the Yellow Wind Little Sage to ask Xie An:

"In the second perfect Ascension Ritual you mentioned, what exactly is the beacon through which Lost Mythology manifests in this world?"

At this, Xie An merely shook his head.

"This is a treasure left behind in the present world by Lost Mythology. It is not itself any tangible object and may be anything.

"A turtle shell, an apple, perhaps a reenacted stretch of history, an ancient city—perhaps even a world or a starfield.

"But if we are speaking of the most common Mythic Beacons, the Yellow Wind Little Sage should have heard of them as well."

"Mythic Invasion is also one kind of beacon!"