The final battle of the Holy Tower commenced, and cultivators from across the realms, who had been waiting before the Mystic Heaven Mirror, surged into the viewing portal at once.
[I'm here, I'm here!]
[Finally, the moment I've been waiting for—the last battle! Let's see who comes out on top!]
[No suspense here. It’s definitely Qingling Mountain—they have the most Sacred Stones.]
[No, no, no. Jade Rhino Valley and Divine Evolution Temple might have fewer Sacred Stones, but they still have a chance to turn things around.]
[Exactly. I’ve spent the past few days analyzing each sect’s odds. Based on past Mystic Heaven Tournaments, Divine Evolution Temple—with the fewest Sacred Stones—would need all six of their disciples to seize the Sacred Banners to overtake Qingling Mountain for first place. Jade Rhino Valley only needs three or more disciples to succeed, while Qingling Mountain just needs one disciple to reach the banner first to win!]
Clearly, the disciples from the three major sects entering the final battle were well aware of this.
"Amitabha." The plump monk from Divine Evolution Temple approached the Qingling Mountain group with a cheerful grin. "Young friends, we are grateful for your aid in the Divine Ghost Valley. But in this final battle, we of Divine Evolution Temple will not hold back. If we offend you…"
He deliberately drew out his words, leaving the rest unsaid, until Lu Jiayao couldn’t resist asking, "If you offend us…?"
The monk sighed with exaggerated solemnity. "Then we shall offend you. The heavens are merciful—they will surely forgive this humble monk. Amitabha."
The Qingling Mountain disciples: "…"
"Nay, nay." Shen Hefeng’s eerie voice cut in. "In my opinion, the heavens have no taste for your nonsense, you bald fool. Beware—bloodshed may befall you!"
The monk immediately rattled his prayer beads and spat toward Shen Hefeng. "Pah, pah, pah!"
Amitabha—he’d curse this mad, cackling crow of a Taoist to death.
Wen Shuangbai watched the monk’s antics with a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
She wasn’t worried about Divine Evolution Temple overtaking them—they seemed plagued by misfortune. Instead, Jade Rhino Valley, with their uncanny luck, was their greatest threat.
But there was no need to fear.
Having come this far, she had already gained much. Now, she would do her best and leave the rest to fate.
Speak of the devil—Yu Xiaoli came skipping in. "Sister Wen, Sister Li, hello!"
Wen Shuangbai smiled and greeted her. "Hello."
As the little turtle from Jade Rhino Valley hunched his back, nervously avoiding Shen Hefeng and shuffling into the Holy Tower, the doors silently closed behind them.
Now, all three sects had gathered.
A low hum resonated from the Holy Tower. Though those inside felt nothing, the elders, sect leaders, and the massive crowd of cultivators and commoners gathered at the mountain’s base sensed a divine pressure radiating outward.
For a moment, fierce winds howled, trees swayed violently, and beasts bowed their heads in submission!
Inside the tower, the thick layers of gray mist shrouding the ceiling dispersed.
All eighteen disciples instinctively looked up.
Above them stretched an endless expanse of stars.
The moon hung in the night sky, its silver light mingling with the brilliance of countless stars.
Wen Shuangbai, with her keen instincts as an artificer, recognized that some of those stars were actually spatial artifacts—crafted from rare materials to seal away the ghostly city from five centuries ago.
As for the others… Wen Shuangbai frowned. She couldn’t quite discern their nature, but one star in particular exerted a powerful pull on her.
"Look!" Lu Jiayao suddenly shouted.
As the last of the mist vanished, radiant seven-colored spiritual energy cascaded from the non-artifact stars, swirling like wind through the tower before settling at the disciples’ feet. There, it formed countless celestial stairways leading upward—each one corresponding to a star and the legacy it held.
Understanding dawned on Wen Shuangbai.
Those stars represented the predecessors who had left their inheritances here before passing.
Her gaze fixed on one particular stairway, shimmering with golden light—the path leading to the star that called to her so strongly.
That was her destiny.
"I sense it," Wen Shuangbai said, turning to her teammates. "What about you?"
Lu Jiayao and Li Zhuohua clearly had their own revelations.
Li Zhuohua lifted her chin proudly. "I do!"
Lu Jiayao beamed. "Me too!"
"I don’t," Xie Ziyin admitted, his brow furrowed as he clutched the starstone pendant at his waist. His eyes lingered on an unremarkable stairway in the corner. "But the starstone wants to go there."
Wen Shuangbai followed his gaze.
At her shoulder, the little wooden puppet—Four Hundred—scratched its head thoughtfully before nodding solemnly. It pulled out a slip of paper and scribbled furiously, then handed it to Wen Shuangbai:
[The star says it senses its moon! It’s telling Xie Ziyin to hurry—it’ll thank him later!]
Wen Shuangbai skimmed the note and passed it to Xie Ziyin.
After reading it, he gave a firm nod. "Understood. I’ll go that way."
With four of them now set on their paths, Shen Hefeng grew frantic. He strained to sense something—anything—but it was like a rooster trying in vain to lay an egg. Nothing came to him.
Shen Hefeng was livid. "Why?!" he snarled, his face dark. "How dare the heavens deny me an opportunity? Jealous of my brilliance, are you?!"
"Hey, it’s fine," Lu Jiayao consoled his friend. "As long as one of us claims the banner, we win. We’ll handle it—"
"Pah! Get lost." Shen Hefeng shoved Lu Jiayao’s face away and turned hopefully to Yin Xuan, whose expression was oddly conflicted. "Brother Yin, you haven’t sensed anything either, right?"
Surely this silver-haired eccentric shared his misfortune. Ha!
But Yin Xuan only shook his head, ruffling his already disheveled hair with a wry smile. "I have."
How strange—he actually had a destiny waiting for him. Huh?
"Damnable heavens!" Shen Hefeng cursed, stomping toward a random stairway that caught his eye. But the moment he tried to ascend, an invisible force shoved him back!
He wasn’t allowed up?!
He tried others—same result. None would let him pass!
Fuming, Shen Hefeng whipped out his tortoise shell and began divining, demanding to know why the heavens denied him his chance.
Meanwhile, Jade Rhino Valley’s disciples had already begun climbing their respective stairways. Not wanting to fall behind, Wen Shuangbai and her team exchanged quick glances before abandoning Shen Hefeng without hesitation.
Shen Hefeng: "?"
He’d thought at least one of them might stay with him.
But no.
Wen Shuangbai tossed him a pouch of talismans and artifacts. Xie Ziyin left him a bag of spirit pills. Then, without so much as a backward glance, the five set off—each stepping onto their own destined path.
Soon, even the monks of the Divine Evolution Temple had all left, leaving him completely alone.
The vast, empty hall of the sacred tower stood silent, with Shen Hefeng left standing there—utterly bewildered, without even a consolation prize to his name.
Excuse me???
[HAHAHA what’s going on, how is Shen Hefeng this unlucky?]
[In previous years’ final battles, have there ever been disciples who didn’t receive any opportunities?]
[From what I know, whether a disciple can ultimately obtain an opportunity depends on their own comprehension. But those who make it to the final battle usually at least get an olive branch from a senior—a chance to climb the celestial steps. Yet this situation, where not a single senior offers an opportunity—]
[Yep, you’re seeing it right. This is the first time in five hundred years.]
