Nine months later, in the autumn of Ming year 512.
It was a crisp, clear autumn day, with not a cloud for ten thousand miles above Three Pure Ones Mountain.
At precisely noon, the sun hung high in the vault of heaven. Though the sunlight was strong, it was late autumn, so it was neither scorching nor oppressively hot, only bright-exceptionally bright, bathing heaven and earth in radiance.
Just then, beyond the Third Heaven, the Heavenly Gate suddenly appeared.
A streak of white light flew out of Three Pure Ones Immortal Mountain, soaring straight toward the heavens.
The white light was dazzling, like an autumn sun. At the same time, the true autumn sun in the sky shone brilliantly too. The two lights answered each other, illuminating the void in pure white. Against that bright, pure-white background, every mountain and stream, every flower and blade of grass stood out with exceptionally distinct outlines, like a painting on white paper.
Not only that, but the white light was everywhere, illuminating every stretch of space, so shadows ceased to exist. Everywhere was fervent, pure radiance, and the colors of brilliant flowers, green mountains, and clear waters became extraordinarily vivid, giving people a sense of unreality, as though this were an illusory world.
Yet no one panicked. The disciples of Three Pure Ones Mountain and everyone within several thousand miles who could see this extraordinary sight, immortal or mortal, all squinted up at the sky with smiles on their faces.
This was "Ascension in Broad Daylight," an ascension sign of the upper eight grades.
The Ten Thousand Methods School had announced it long ago: today, Patriarch Ji, the former Sect Leader of Three Pure Ones Mountain, would ascend to heaven to report joyous news.
What joyous news? Naturally, that the Demon Calamity had