Accelerating to the Summit
Li Yunjing felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife.
He knew that as long as he reached out and grasped his parents' hands, he could stay in this warm illusion forever and never have to face the bloodshed and turmoil of the cultivation Immortal Realm again.
But he couldn't.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Supreme Unity Pure Subtlety Scripture.
A clear and refreshing Daoist intent flowed through his body, and the power to Shatter Illusions swept over him like a tidal wave.
"Sorry."
He said sorry again, then suddenly opened his eyes, a resolute glint in them.
"I have a new home in that world."
The moment he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, unleashing a clear and sharp Sword Intent that shattered the illusion before him.
The figures of parents, the familiar home, the old streets, the bustling school...
Everything shattered like a mirror, turning into countless points of light.
Li Yunjing returned to the 1,500 steps of the Path of Immortal Ascension.
He was breathing heavily, his face still streaked with tears, and his heart was still pounding.
The Heart Devil Tribulation he had just experienced was a hundred times more dangerous than he had imagined. He almost became truly immersed in that false illusion and never woke up again.
However, after this ordeal, his resolve to follow the Dao only strengthened.
He's let go, truly let go.
He had previously thought he had let go of the past and even forgotten his memories of his previous life.
But after entering the illusion, he realized he had been wrong.
He hadn't truly let go; he had simply been suppressing his feelings and preventing himself from thinking about his past life.
After overcoming this Heart Devil Tribulation, he finally came to terms with it. The regrets of his past life could not be made up for, but he had to bear the responsibilities of this life.
Luozhen Sect was his home, and those who were waiting for him to return were his family.
For their sake, he had to be perfect.
Li Yunjing raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, and looked at the Devil Cultivator not far away.
The Devil Cultivator's face was extremely ugly.
He never expected that Li Yunjing could sever such a deep-seated obsession and break free from the Heart Devil Tribulation.
You must understand that he had already done his best, almost going all out, and his curse power was most adept at amplifying the regrets and longings deep in people's hearts; the deeper the emotion, the stronger the curse power.
Li Yunjing's ability to emerge from such a Heart Devil Tribulation demonstrates a level of resolve far exceeding his expectations.
Li Yunjing stared at him coldly, wanting to kill him right now.
He could also see that the Devil Cultivator's overall strength was inferior to his own, and that's all he could do was resort to these petty tricks.
If it really came down to a fight, Li Yunjing was confident he could defeat him in three moves.
However, the time was not yet right, so Li Yunjing could only take a deep breath and suppress his murderous intent for the time being.
The Devil Cultivator withdrew his gaze and continued climbing the Path of Immortal Ascension.
Li Yunjing looked up and saw that Chu Lingxiao's white-clad figure was already far ahead in the clouds ahead, with only five hundred steps left to reach the summit.
Li Yunjing withdrew his gaze and suddenly quickened his pace.
His blue Daoist robe billowed in the mist, and he sped up the steep steps like a blue phoenix spreading its wings.
He took less than ten breaths to climb the hundred steps that would normally take half an hour.
The surrounding cultivators only felt a green shadow flash past them, and before they could react, Li Yunjing's figure had already disappeared into the clouds above.
"Wow, that's fast!"
"Who is that? Wasn't he just at level 1500? How did he suddenly get so fast?"
"This is outrageous! This is the last few hundred levels of the Path of Immortal Ascension, and the pressure is more than ten times stronger than before!"
Exclamations of surprise rose and fell; all the cultivators were stunned by Li Yunjing's speed.
Even the Middle Golden Core cultivators who were struggling to climb stopped in their tracks, staring in disbelief at the rapidly rising azure figure.
On the high platform, the elders from various sects who were watching the scene sat up straight.
"This kid is incredibly fast! And judging from his expression, he seems to be handling it with ease, not even using his full strength!"
" At the Spirit Transformation Early Stage at the age of twenty-five, his Dao heart is so firm that he can easily overcome the Heart Devil Tribulation of level 1,500. He is truly a rare genius!"
"I've heard a little about the Sect Leader of the Luozhen Sect, but I didn't expect him to perform so well!"
On his Path of Immortal Ascension, Li Yunjing's speed increased rapidly.
Level 1600, Level 1700, Level 1800...
He kept surpassing one cultivator after another, and soon caught up with the leader of the second group, Luo Qingyan, the Holy Maiden of the Pill Cauldron Sect.
Luo Qingyan wore a light purple dress, her face covered with a thin veil, and her figure was graceful.
She was struggling against the oppressive force when she suddenly felt a gust of wind pass by. Looking up, she saw Li Yunjing's back flash past her.
A hint of surprise flashed in Luo Qingyan's eyes.
She gritted her teeth and tried to catch up by channeling her spiritual power, but after taking only two steps, she was forced to stop by a powerful pressure and could only watch helplessly as Li Yunjing's figure grew further and further away.
Level 2000, Level 2200, Level 2500...
Li Yunjing finally caught up with Chu Lingxiao.
Chu Lingxiao was walking on the 2,800th step, with only the last 200 steps remaining to reach the summit.
He sensed footsteps behind him, turned his head slightly, and saw Li Yunjing quickly catching up.
Chu Lingxiao's pupils contracted slightly.
He was far ahead from the start, and everyone thought that the first place on the Path of Immortal Ascension was his for the taking.
Unexpectedly, this stranger, whom he didn't even recognize, managed to catch up with him.
A competitive spirit instantly ignited in Chu Lingxiao's heart.
He no longer held back, unleashing his full spiritual power, his body radiating Daoist energy, and his pace suddenly quickened as he tried to shake off Li Yunjing.
But Li Yunjing was even faster.
He has now not only broken through the Heart Devil Tribulation, but the illusions on the Path of Immortal Ascension are no longer effective against him. With the help of the Five Spirits Lord, the pressure on the Path of Immortal Ascension is also ineffective.
Two figures, one in green and one in white, embarked on their final sprint on the Path of Immortal Ascension to immortality.
The surrounding cultivators all stopped in their tracks, watching this scene with bated Spirit Concentration. One was a young prodigy who had long been famous, and the other was a dark horse who had suddenly appeared, a sect leader of a minor sect with only a little fame.
This final competition was more exciting than any other assessment.
Level 2900!
The two walked almost side by side.
For the first time, a serious expression appeared on Chu Lingxiao's face.
He could sense that although Li Yunjing's aura was not as strong as his, it was exceptionally refined. He had already used all his strength, but he still couldn't shake off Li Yunjing.
Li Yunjing was also puzzled. Even with his cheat-like abilities, he still couldn't shake off Chu Lingxiao. Was that reasonable?
Li Yunjing took a deep breath and used the Supreme Unity Escape.
With one step, Li Yunjing instantly passed Chu Lingxiao.
Then comes the second step, the third step...
By the time Chu Lingxiao realized what was happening, Li Yunjing had already stepped onto the last step.
Chu Lingxiao wanted to catch up, but found that the pressure from the final level ten had suddenly increased dramatically. The previous pressure had been nothing more than carrying a heavy iron weight for Chu Lingxiao.
The current oppressive aura felt as if Chu Lingxiao were carrying two mountains on his shoulders.
He paused, then stopped.
He stopped because of the increased pressure.
Li Yunjing successfully reached the summit of the 3,000-step Path of Immortal Ascension!