The cultivation world had not seen anyone ascend to immortality for a long time. By now, the connection between the upper and lower realms had been severed for ages, spiritual energy had stagnated, and the Heavenly Dao was weakening.
If this continued, in just a few centuries, the cultivation world would face annihilation.
Yet, in every era of chaos, one blessed by Heaven’s will is destined to emerge.
After a millennium of turmoil, a prodigy of unparalleled brilliance appeared—Xiao Yuyan, who carried the fate of the cultivation world for a thousand years.
But it wasn’t enough.
The cultivation world was too damaged. What it needed was not a chosen one who could absorb its fortune, but one who, after inheriting Heaven’s will, would willingly offer everything in sacrifice.
To ensure the survival of the cultivation world, the Heavenly Dao, with its faint awareness, made two moves.
First, it stripped Xiao Yuyan of all emotion.
Devoid of joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure, he naturally felt no attachment to anyone or anything in the cultivation world, nor did he care for his own life or death.
His final choice could only be to sacrifice himself to Heaven.
After Xiao Yuyan’s sacrifice, the Heavenly Dao would temporarily be restored, spiritual energy would flourish, and a century of stability would be enough for a cultivator to successfully ascend.
As long as one cultivator ascended, the two realms would reconnect, and the cultivation world would return to its rightful order, securing eternal peace.
Thus, the Heavenly Dao’s second move was Chu Qingchuan.
A man who would stop at nothing to ascend.
Every cultivator in the world knew of Xiao Yuyan’s power.
A strength unmatched in millennia.
From the moment he was born, he had already drawn in spiritual energy. By the age of three, he had comprehended the forces of heaven and earth, and by his youth, he could overpower even the most venerable Mahayana cultivators.
What took others a thousand years to achieve, he accomplished in just twenty.
In the years that followed, he even broke through to the Void Refinement stage in a world where spiritual energy was thinning.
He became the Immortal Venerable Qingyan—a figure so formidable that none dared to look upon him, let alone measure his depths.
Had the Heavenly Dao not been incomplete, he would have long since become the youngest ascendant in ten thousand years.
Such power surpassed all understanding, leaving no room for envy or rivalry.
Yet, they also knew his ultimate fate.
A prophecy divined by the three greatest seers of the cultivation world.
The world’s sole savior.
The Immortal Venerable Qingyan… who would sacrifice himself to Heaven.
In the Taiqing Sect,
the Grand Elder had long since left Luoyu Peak, yet it took him a while to recover from the overwhelming pressure of that single glance.
Though he was a Mahayana cultivator—one of the strongest in the world—before the Immortal Venerable, he was utterly powerless.
And the Venerable’s expression…
was too indifferent.
In that gaze, the Grand Elder did not exist.
Neither did the rest of creation.
Devoid of joy or sorrow, fear or worry, yet it sent a chill to the bone.
The Grand Elder exhaled slowly, steadying his steps.
But his heart had never felt heavier:
Would an Immortal Venerable with no attachment to this world truly choose to save it?
Yet neither he nor any cultivator in the world could influence the Venerable’s decision.
All they could do was wait.
Sensing the ever-weakening presence of the Heavenly Dao around him, the Grand Elder sighed and walked on.
On Luoyu Peak,
Xiao Yuyan gazed at the snow-covered mountain, his eyes calm and detached.
Having reached the Void Refinement stage, he could hear the whispers of all things.
He could sense the fear of every cultivator toward him—and their anticipation of his death.
Yet, his heart remained unmoved.
Nothing in this world held his interest.
Not even his own life or death.
Nor the fate of the cultivation world.
Now, even the Heavenly Dao could no longer control his actions.
This was the price of stripping him of all emotion.
Without attachments, he cared not for his own survival—but neither did he care for anything else.
No one could predict his final choice, not even himself.
Time passed day by day.
Xiao Yuyan’s cultivation had long since reached the limits of what the world could bear.
He stood as an insurmountable peak, towering over all cultivators.
They revered him, feared him.
And awaited the day of his sacrifice.
A hundred years was but a fleeting moment to Xiao Yuyan.
A moment where nothing ever changed.
Until one day, in the endless monotony of time, he caught a glimpse of the future.
His heart still felt nothing, yet his gaze seemed to find a focal point.
After that, the Immortal Venerable Qingyan—whose slightest gesture could shake the cultivation world—began appearing in its cities from time to time.
None could detect his presence unless he willed it.
Like that single strike in Luolong City.
Or that one word of guidance to the Young Master of Jiyun.
Or that brief appearance in the demon realm.
No one knew why, yet all trembled in fear, dreading they might be next.
After all, they knew well—to the Immortal Venerable, there was no difference between immortal and demon.
Xiao Yuyan never cared for their thoughts.
Even now, he did not understand the emotion stirring within him.
Yet, his hands had begun carving a three-leaf lotus without him realizing.
Another stretch of endless time passed.
But this time, each day held a subtle change.
Beneath his slender, powerful fingers, a three-leaf lotus imbued with his divine soul gradually took form.
A treasure so profound even he could not fully grasp its mysteries.
A treasure capable of shielding even from the Heavenly Dao’s gaze.
By then, the world was on the brink of collapse.
The void in the heavens grew wider each day.
Chaos and destruction loomed.
All things mourned.
Yet Xiao Yuyan continued carving his three-leaf lotus.
Until the final stroke.
At last, he lifted his gaze to the heavens.
Beneath the sky, countless beings knelt in his direction.
He did not look down, only walked step by step toward the void.
He thought:
A world that might have her in it… wasn’t entirely without interest.
Just before merging with the Heavenly Dao, he turned slightly, his eyes resting on the direction of the Taiqing Sect.
As if seeing something, his brows faintly furrowed.
Under the pitch-black sky, none could discern his expression.
They only saw his figure gradually dissipate, merging into the Heavenly Dao.
Then, the Heavenly Dao was restored, and snow began to fall.
In a corner of the Taiqing Sect’s treasury,
a three-leaf lotus artifact lay quietly.
Waiting for its true master.
