Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 124

Arid Province.

This Dao Province, which made quite the splash in the Eastern Domain a year ago, is now suffering from the ravages of war.

Many cultivators are living in fear, going about their days in constant dread.

In the sky, you can occasionally spot a few Underworld Beings riding war chariots, roaring as they move forward.

And pulling those chariots aren’t rare beasts with precious bloodlines, but rather living human cultivators, their shoulders pierced by dark iron chains, blood flowing freely. Each one fights through the excruciating pain, gritting their teeth and desperately charging ahead, filled with anguish and terror in their eyes.

The Underworld Beings riding the chariots are covered in hardened skeletal armor, with cruel and ferocious greenish eyes.

They crack their whips, occasionally striking the cultivators pulling the chariots, as if they were mere livestock, cackling with harsh laughter.

“Faster, move it!”

“Listen up, from this day forth, you will be the Bone Tribe’s slaves for all eternity!”

On the streets, anyone who happens to look up at this scene grits their teeth in rage, feeling vastly humiliated, but given the current situation in Arid Province, they can only swallow their frustration.

The Underworld army that has taken over Arid Province is led by the Bone Tribe, ranking within the top five among the Underworld’s various factions, known for their astonishing defensive capabilities.

Now, Arid Province is their territory, and they pass their time torturing and killing humans for their amusement!

“Damn it, is Arid Province really going to be this grim forever?”

“Back when Senior Ye made his name, the various Dao Provinces in the Eastern Domain dared not look down on us. How long has it been since those good days, and now this happens!”

“Sigh, even the Xuantian Sect is struggling to protect itself. Even if Senior Ye shows up, he might not be able to change anything.”

“Everyone, let’s just pray for the best!”

In the teahouse, the discussions were rife, and the atmosphere was heavy and suffocating.

Even the storyteller sat there listlessly, sighing, worried about the future of Arid Province.

Suddenly,

A man rushed in shouting, “Come quick! The Bone Tribe is about to publicly execute the rebellious cultivator! I heard this time it’s actually Zhao Ling’er from the Xuantian Sect!”

“What!?”

Inside the teahouse, everyone was taken aback, hurriedly getting up to rush outside.

At that moment,

Around the execution platform, Bone Tribe soldiers stood guard, holding sharp spears, their icy green eyes peering from behind their helmets, cold and heartless.

The crowd surrounding was a sea of troubled faces.

Because such public executions are a slap in the face for the people of Arid Province!

They can only watch helplessly as their fellow kin are slaughtered by alien races!

“Look closely, this is the fate of the rebels!”

A three-meter tall Bone Tribe powerhouse stood on the platform, looking up at the bluish-clad woman hanging there, her breath weak and bloodied, sneering as he spoke.

“I heard you have a high position in the Xuantian Sect? Haha, even your elders dare not open the mountain gates, only hiding inside. How dare you sneak out? Where do you think you’re going?”

The woman in blue, bloodied and with her teeth clenched, refused to beg for mercy, her eyes filled with hatred.

Her name is Zhao Ling’er, the daughter of the Wei Emperor from the Great Wei Dynasty. After being brought to the Xuantian Sect by Ye Junlin, she dedicated herself to her training, and due to her exceptional talent and extraordinary water-type spiritual roots, she was later taken to the interior of Tianxiang Peak by her master to train for three hundred years. When she finally emerged, her cultivation level had reached the Transformation Stage’s pinnacle.

Of course, due to the difference in time flow, only three days passed outside, but she was no longer the naive girl she used to be. She had developed beautifully, with a slim waist and long legs, standing tall.

Later, when the Underworld army invaded, she fought alongside her elders, her mastery of water magic exceptional, earning her wide acclaim among cultivators as Zhao the Immortal.

Sadly, as the number of Bone Tribe warriors increased, pressure on the Xuantian Sect skyrocketed, until their leader and elders were defeated and injured, forcing them to hide in their mountain borders.

The reason Zhao Ling’er sneaked out this time was mainly due to hearing that the Wei Kingdom had been occupied and her father was missing.

As she made her way to the Wei Kingdom, she encountered a Bone Tribe patrol. A fierce battle ensued, and just as she was about to break through, the Bone Tribe leader at the Unity Stage appeared and suppressed her!

Seeing Zhao Ling’er silent, the Bone Tribe leader continued to smirk, “In all of Arid Province, you Xuantian Sect are the biggest pain, but no worries. Today, my great Bone King will gather strength once again to crush your Xuantian Sect! We will slaughter everyone inside!”

Upon hearing this,

Zhao Ling’er’s beautiful eyes nearly burst with anger. “If you dare to do so, once the leader Ye returns from his journey, he will wipe every one of you out without leaving a single one alive!”

“Bold!”

The Bone Tribe leader bellowed, his voice an ear-shattering shockwave, causing Zhao Ling’er to bleed from her seven orifices and her head to pound painfully.

“Hmph, I’ve heard about that person you call Ye Junlin, the so-called ‘White-haired Killing God.’ If you ask me, he’s nothing more than a name without substance. The reason he doesn’t dare return is probably that he’s hiding like a scared little dog! How could he have the guts to take revenge on you guys?”

The Bone Tribe leader sneered, mockery dripping from his words.

“Hahaha…” The surrounding lackeys joined in the laughter, the sound harsh and grating.

“You don’t get to insult the leader!” Zhao Ling’er shouted angrily, her emotions boiling over.

She could never forget that otherworldly figure who had descended upon the Wei Kingdom, a moment that marked her fate forever. No matter how many times she recalled it, she would feel overwhelmed, for that was the strongest and most admirable person she had ever encountered.

Now, being insulted by the Bone Tribe leader made Zhao Ling’er tremble with rage.

Hearing such disrespect towards Senior Ye, the onlookers clenched their fists, faces filled with indignation.

Ye Junlin is widely recognized as the strongest in Arid Province, an idol worshipped by countless cultivators. Now, he was being verbally insulted by an alien being, and the spectators felt utterly pained, their eyes bloodshot, their anger simmering within.

“Everyone, let’s not act rashly!”

“The power gap is too great. Even if we all revolted together, it would be like throwing our lives away.”

From within the crowd, a grey-robed elder with an ethereal presence, feeling the tension rising, quickly channeled a message.

This man was the Banshan Sect’s elder, Ouyang Feng!

Back when he broke through to the Transformation Stage, he was brimming with ambition, only to be brutally disillusioned by reality. After witnessing Ye Junlin’s might, he became a staunch admirer. Only after gaining opportunities in the Luotian Secret Realm had he reached the Completion Stage of Transformation, now just a step away from the Unity Stage.

In fact,

Ouyang Feng was already quite gifted. After all, in such a dire situation in Arid Province, he managed to push through to the Transformation Stage, and now within a little more than a year, he was on the verge of stepping into the Unity Stage. His progress was nothing short of impressive.

But the current situation was changing too rapidly; being at the Transformation Stage wasn’t enough to shift the tides!

Watching Zhao Ling’er on the brink of execution, Ouyang Feng felt anxious. But the Bone Tribe leader was at the Unity Stage, incredibly powerful, and even if he intervened, victory was impossible.

“This pack of damn Underworld beings are simply bullying us too much!” He thought, gritting his teeth as he recalled the grievances of recent times.

When the Underworld army came rampaging through Arid Province under the Bone Tribe’s lead, the Banshan Sect was forced to disband after failing to defend themselves, along with three other sects. Only the Xuantian Sect persisted, while the others retreated, too frightened to confront them head-on.

There was no other way.

The disparity in power was simply too vast.

The only ones able to hold their ground against the Underworld army were the members of the Xuantian Sect, but with the current state of affairs, they too might not survive!

Seeing the helpless expressions of the humans, the Bone Tribe leader felt even more triumphant. He extended his hand, covered in bones, various symbols swirling around, emitting a bizarre glow.

In an instant, several sharp bone spikes materialized from thin air, slowly piercing into Zhao Ling’er’s body, blood oozing from the wounds, the excruciating torment causing her to sweat profusely.

But even so, she gritted her teeth, refusing to let out a single scream!

A heavy silence fell, the atmosphere intensely oppressive.

The crowd felt a weight in their hearts, their noses stinging, eyes reddening.

The Bone Tribe leader frowned; this wasn’t the effect he had anticipated!

He wanted to hear her pleas for mercy or her piercing screams, to fulfill his desire for dominance.

But now, her silence—what was that supposed to mean?!

Not satisfying at all!

Not satisfying in the least!

The Bone Tribe leader continued to cast spells as the bone spikes burned with a scorching heat, the wounds on Zhao Ling’er’s body feeling as if they were being roasted by flames, the acrid smell of burning flesh wafting in the air.

“Ugh…” Zhao Ling’er’s face was strained, her skin pale as paper, her back teeth nearly grinding to dust.

This pain was simply worse than death!!

Yet, she still refused to beg for mercy or scream; she merely endured the agony with all her might!

The Bone Tribe leader’s face grew grim; the girl’s willpower exceeded his expectations.

If she lived, allowing her to continue growing, she would become a terrifying adversary in the future!

“What a fine young lady,” Ouyang Feng’s eyes turned red, moved to the core.

At that moment, his heart was filled with desolation.

From now on, would the cultivators of Arid Province have to live like this, with alien races riding atop them, exerting their will?

Others had similar expressions of indignation, feeling incredibly stifled inside.

“Senior Ye, Arid Province needs you…” At that moment, their emotions reached a peak, longing to once again see that unparalleled figure of supreme grace.

“Hmph, this is so boring.”

Seeing that the desired outcome was not achieved, the Bone Tribe leader surged with anger, waving his hand to manipulate the bone spikes, intending to pierce right through Zhao Ling’er!

“Is this finally the end…” Zhao Ling’er realized that there was no escape, feeling instead a sense of relief.

However, just then, a vast wave of pressure descended, causing the entire world to tremble.

Everyone’s breath caught in their throats, their inborn fears bursting forth like a flood, terrified to move a muscle.

“Wh-what’s going on?!” The Bone Tribe leader felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes widened in terror.

This kind of aura could only emanate from a king among the Bone Tribe.

The next second,

It saw a scene it would never forget for life.

A mythical creature stretching a hundred thousand meters long swooped in with terrifying might, casting darkness across the land, obscuring even the sun, as if the entire world had plunged into shadow.

“An aura of the Tribulation Stage? Is that the Demon Emperor?!” Ouyang Feng among the crowd felt his scalp tingle, gasping in horror.

The gathered onlookers turned pale, their eyes filled with despair.

With the Underworld army invading from the front and the Tribulation Stage Demon Emperor arriving from the back, was Arid Province truly doomed?

Suddenly, a massive divine sense landed on the bloodied Zhao Ling’er, and a gentle tone echoed from the void, “Indeed, there’s a familiar feeling here. Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

Whoosh!

Ye Junlin appeared on the execution platform in a flash, his eyes shining like bright stars, silver hair billowing. Draped in a grand, solemn black robe embroidered with gold, he exuded an air of unmatched dominance.

Zhao Ling’er, her consciousness nearly fading, immediately lit up with hope as she beheld that figure she had yearned for—it was not only a turning point in her fate but also her greatest source of admiration and respect in life.

With a trembling voice, uncertain yet hopeful, she called out, “Is it really you? Master Ye…”