Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 310

The Snow Wolf King never imagined it would end like this. Confident that with the Ice Spirit Immortal Pearl, it could easily crush all other cultivators of the same level, it didn’t realize its life was already on a countdown…

The biting cold wind blew as snowflakes danced in the air.

The onlookers finally came to their senses, their eyes filled with awe as they gazed at Ye Junlin.

No wonder he could be the master of the most fearsome demon in the Central Region; his strength was simply absurd!

“Finally some peace and quiet,” Ye Junlin said, looking comfortable.

“Master, I’ve settled my personal matters,” Hong Qianye stated earnestly.

“In that case, there’s no need to stay here any longer.”

Ye Junlin made up his mind and habitually called for his mount: “Ah Kun!”

Strangely, there was no response.

Just as Ye Junlin began to feel puzzled, Li Wujie pointed in surprise and exclaimed, “Master, look over there!”

Following his finger, a high platform made of ice came into view, with several lifelike ice sculptures shining with a sparkling luster.

At that moment, a young man with a middle part was excitedly hammering away at the ice sculptures, looking thoroughly engaged.

Once he finished, Ah Kun landed on the ground, hands on hips, admiring his creation with pride.

“Pretty impressive, huh?”

Nearby, Bai Xiaoxi crouched down, rolling a snowball. Looking up at the ice sculptures, their chubby face filled with astonishment, they exclaimed, “Wow, Kun Kun is so amazing!”

The Great Mushroom King hesitated, then finally mustered the courage to point at one of the ice sculptures. “Why is everyone else human, but mine looks like a giant mushroom?”

“Aren’t you a mushroom?” Ah Kun retorted.

The Great Mushroom King showed a troubled expression. “I am a mushroom, but…”

“See? Stop asking for so much!” Ah Kun replied irritably.

“But why do you have to step on my head?” the Great Mushroom King asked weakly, sounding a bit wronged.

Because on that mushroom-shaped ice sculpture, there was a young figure, arms crossed, looking spirited and full of life.

“Don’t worry about the details!”

“Oh…”

“What are you all doing here?” Ye Junlin approached, his gaze drawn to the towering ice sculptures.

“Master, Master! I made all of this; your ice sculpture is right in the front!”

Ah Kun’s eyes sparkled as he pointed to the central human figure ice sculpture, clearly eager for praise.

Ye Junlin scrutinized the ice sculpture that represented him, and after a moment, he sighed deeply.

“Eh, it’s passable, I guess. But really, my charming and dashing image—how can it be captured by such cold, hard stuff?”

Ah Kun immediately looked dejected.

Hong Qianye nodded in agreement, commenting, “The carving skills are decent, but compared to my true self, it’s leagues away.”

Ah Kun didn’t argue, lowering his head, feeling severely undermined.

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Li Wujie nodded, stroking his chin in acknowledgment.

Ah Kun looked up in dissatisfaction, casting a scornful glance at the Hat Man.

What about you? Do you even know what you look like?

Just then, Ding Zhen stepped forward, praising, “This is fantastic; it’s practically a work of art!”

“Rest assured, under the protection of the Ding clan, these ice sculptures will forever remain, available for all to admire!”

Ding Zhen couldn’t help but start to fantasize about introducing the ice sculptures’ background when visitors came to the Ding residence, boasting about how closely tied the Ding clan was to Ye Junlin and his crew…

Hearing this, Ah Kun finally broke into a satisfied smile; this guy, Ding Zhen, had some sense, huh?

“Ahem, it’s time to leave here,” Ye Junlin said, pretending to cough a few times, looking serious. “Ah Kun!”

“Understood!”

Ah Kun leapt up, and with a dazzling display of celestial light, a massive creature resembling a whale appeared in the sky, its wings blocking out the sun and creating powerful gusts of wind.

Hong Qianye looked meaningfully at the old man in red. “Remember to send offerings to the Fire Cult every year; if you don’t comply, you know what’s coming next.”

“Hong Sect Leader, I promise to do that!” Ding Zhen hurriedly declared, feeling relieved only after they’d left, his expression one of great relief.

“Little Ding, we’re off,” Ye Junlin said before disappearing from sight.

“Senior, Little Ding will miss you!”

Ding Zhen’s eyes filled with tears.

He was truly grateful to Ye Junlin; without his overwhelming intervention, the ruthless Snow Wolf King would have surely rampaged and satisfied its hunger for blood.

“Farewell, senior!!!”

As they watched Kunpeng soar away, the cultivators of Litang City bowed deeply, not daring to slack off, genuinely willing to do so.

Though they’d gone through ups and downs, having witnessed Ye Junlin single-handedly defeat the Snow Wolf King, their admiration had already reached its peak.

So when they saw Ye Junlin riding away on Kunpeng, everyone felt truly reluctant.

“Roar!” Out of habit, the Snow Leopard let out a low growl.

“Snow Leopard, shut…” Ding Zhen started to say “shut up,” but instinctively stopped himself.

For fear of being shot down!

Tianyuan State.

Taichu Holy Land.

An old man dressed in a plain white hemp robe sat cross-legged in front of a turbulent waterfall flowing like a thousand feet.

Perhaps influenced by his aura, the waterfall surprisingly turned a blood-red color, the surface of the water a deep, crimson hue, as if the entire lake had been filled with blood, creating an extremely eerie and horror-invoking scene.

Who would have thought, hailed as the light of righteousness by cultivators in the Central Region, the Taichu Holy Master was secretly utilizing the bloodline abilities of the Blood Clan, ruthlessly ambushing the Immortals from various sects and draining their immortal blood to bolster his cultivation?

Now, the Taichu Holy Master was already a formidable Profound Immortal at the seventh level!

With his current cultivation, he could easily suppress the other three Holy Masters, and even the Profound Sky Holy Master, Jiang Tianming, would be left in the dust.

Combined with the terrifying self-healing ability of the Blood Clan, he even dared to challenge Immortal Sovereign-level experts.

The Taichu Holy Master was glad he made the wise choice of becoming part of the Blood Clan; indeed, they had an unparalleled advantage.

As for the Human Race? Who needs them?

Suddenly, a man appeared on the shore, respectfully bowing before the Taichu Holy Master, who sat at the waterfall’s peak.

“Holy Master, I have urgent news to report!”

Dressed in a black and white outfit, adorned with a crescent belt and wearing a purple-gold ancient crown, he exuded an extraordinary presence. Yet, his gaze was dim, and his face devoid of color, appearing unnaturally pale.

He was Lian Chengbi, the Saint Son of Taichu Holy Land!

But what the outside world didn’t know was that Lian Chengbi had recently undergone a transformation process, becoming a Blood Servant!

Initially, Lian Chengbi was unable to accept it and resented the Taichu Holy Master’s actions until he came to terms with reality and recognized the benefits of being a Blood Servant; his mindset then changed as well.

As a Blood Servant, his own cultivation would be influenced by his master; they were essentially linked in fortune and misfortune.

It was precisely for this reason that Lian Chengbi made significant progress in his cultivation, rapidly advancing from the top-tier True Immortal to the realm of Profound Immortal.

However, from now on, he had to request several drops of life-force rich blood from the Taichu Holy Master periodically; otherwise, he would suffer unbearable pain, go mad, and ultimately lose his sanity, succumbing to demonic transformation.

Such was the tragedy of being a Blood Servant.

Since the day he became one, he was no longer himself, forever an appendage to his master; consequently, he would find it hard to make any further progress on the path of greatness.

But the benefits were clear—the ability to be carried along!

“What is it?” the Taichu Holy Master kept his eyes closed, his thin lips uttering those two words casually.

Then, Lian Chengbi recounted everything in detail.

“Strange, such a thing has occurred?”

With a swish, the Taichu Holy Master opened his eyes, which were deep and unfathomable, a flicker of strange light passing through.

The blood-red waterfall and lake instantly reverted to their former state, the water now crystal clear, revealing swimming spiritual fish.

“Holy Master, every word of mine is true. This startling news has already spread, and soon enough, all the powerful figures in the Central Region will gather in Cangmu State,” Lian Chengbi said.

It should be noted that Taichu Holy Land is located in Tianyuan State, which is surrounded by five major states, each bordering one another.

Cangmu State is one of those five states.

According to Lian Chengbi, a peculiar event had recently occurred in Cangmu State, where a unique chance for immortality had emerged.

Why was it called unique?

Because this chance for immortality was open to everyone, and the means of obtaining it was especially unconventional.

That means… playing chess!!

The chess game was dubbed the “Heaven and Earth Chess Game.”

Anyone who voluntarily entered the game would receive a random heavenly treasure or a substantial amount of Immortal Crystals, with each person allowed three chances.

But regardless of the outcome, anyone who participated would receive rewards from the chess game!

Countless cultivators were filled with excitement.

As the old saying goes, “A fool doesn’t take the opportunity when it arises!”

At any rate, even if they lost the game, they wouldn’t incur any losses; the rewards would still be theirs to keep!

Thus, many cultivators chose to participate, only to lose miserably each time. According to firsthand accounts, the player competing against them appeared as a ghost-like figure, looking very old.

Yet even when they lost, there were still no losses; on the contrary, they walked away with cultivation resources for free, making everyone quite content and singing praises for this chance for immortality.

There even began to be a saying: if anyone could win in the game, they would obtain the true rewards of the Heaven and Earth Chess Game!

Just think about it.

If losing came with rewards, how incredible would the rewards be for winning?

So many cultivators flocked to join; while most were just there to snag a deal, many adept in the Way of Chess aimed to see if they could actually win and truly seize this chance for immortality.

But one and all, they returned empty-handed.

It was precisely because of the nature of the Heaven and Earth Chess Game that its fame grew, causing many formidable figures in the Central Region to break this heavy news, and as time passed, more and more curious people would arrive in Cangmu State to participate in the Heaven and Earth Chess Game.

On one hand, they wanted to experience some excitement and broaden their horizons.

On the other hand…

To freeload!

After all, they had three chances to snag rewards; it would be foolish not to take advantage of it!

Upon hearing Lian Chengbi’s account, the Taichu Holy Master furrowed his brows. Could there really be such a good thing in this world?

From his perspective, he felt something was amiss, though he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Old man asks you, those who participated in the Heaven and Earth Chess Game, did they experience any unusual changes afterward?”

The Taichu Holy Master continued.