Limitless Ascension: Strength Amid Adversity – Chapter 685

At the same time, the influence of this battle spread quickly, as it was quite the commotion that garnered a lot of attention from the outer realm cultivators.

“Everyone, something big has happened! One of our powerful Celestial Saints has fallen, and it was none other than the Celestial Court’s ruler who struck!”

“Who was it? How could they be so reckless? Don’t they know to lay low for a bit?”

“Can you believe it? That person is a member of the Divine Eye Race! From the Great World above!”

“What?! A powerhouse from that Great World?!”

“I think I recognize him; his name is Xu Yaolin. Anyone he locks his ‘Divine Eye’ on will be burned to ashes by mysterious black flames! A Celestial Saint of immense strength!”

“Whoa, are you kidding me? Not even he could survive against that Celestial Court ruler? Is that guy really that strong?!”

Suddenly, after learning the insider news, those outer realm cultivators stranded in the Holy Realm were utterly stunned.

If the earlier chaos had made them wary, the death of Xu Yaolin completely reshaped their perception of Ye Junlin’s strength, sending shockwaves through their minds.

For them, Xu Yaolin was no ordinary figure; his strength was undeniable.

Especially with that bizarre third eye, which had caused plenty of veteran Celestial Saints to tremble with fear.

He was immensely stronger than someone like the Ghost Blade Heavenly Saint!

However, such a powerful figure with a prestigious background was slain here in this world by a local?

This was undoubtedly a resounding slap to the face for these arrogant outer realm cultivators!

It’s hard to claim you’re not scared—who among them would dare assert they were stronger than Xu Yaolin?

In this context, the group of outer realm cultivators who had hoped to pick up some scraps were deflated, no longer harboring any nostalgia as they left the Holy Realm, disappointed.

After all, with Ye Junlin around, they couldn’t stir up any chaos in this world. All they could do was stay out of his way; what was the point of sticking around?

It would be better to leave early rather than get caught up and become collateral damage!

“Ha! I can’t see how that guy from the Human Race can fight off the Nine Nether Army coming soon!”

“Once the Nine Nether Army arrives, the whole world will plunge into darkness! The beings here will be washed in blood!”

“Let’s just wait and see! I can’t wait for the Celestial Court to be wiped out!”

…

Almost no outer realm cultivators chose to stay in the Holy Realm to wait for death. Seeing there was no profit to be had, they all left in disappointment.

Before leaving, they didn’t forget to hurl insults, hoping the world would crumble soon!

News of the Nine Nether Allied Forces invading the Holy Realm spread like wildfire; the Celestial Court could hardly keep it a secret.

Initially, the cultivators in the Holy Realm were quite cheerful, but upon hearing the news, their mood soured drastically.

“Have you heard? A war is coming, and it’s going to be bigger than last time. The outer force called Nine Nether is determined to destroy our Holy Realm!”

“Why worry? Let’s go toe-to-toe with those beasts! I was born a Holy Realm being, and I’ll die as a Holy Realm ghost!”

“It’s outrageous! They’re forcing us to the end of the road!”

“Everyone, don’t panic! With Ye Tian Emperor leading us, we absolutely can win this battle!”

In the past, Holy Realm cultivators would have been thrown into disarray, having witnessed firsthand the horrors of outer beings and knowing the vast cultivation gap existed. But now, thanks to Ye Junlin’s various maneuvers, their spirits soared, filling them with confidence that with the Celestial Court ruler at the helm, there was still hope for victory!

That’s right, Ye Junlin had indeed become a pillar of spirit for the vast majority of Holy Realm cultivators!

However.

Under the looming storm, a tiny portion of the populace still worried deeply, skeptical if the Celestial Court could protect the Holy Realm.

At the forefront was Shijia Shengsi, the so-called Buddha Emperor!

Having been humiliated after subduing Ye Junlin’s mount, Ah Kun, and then getting beaten up, he became a laughingstock. Afterward, when Ye Junlin took over the Celestial Court, the inner turmoil felt by Shijia Shengsi was immense, leading him to announce his retreat under the guise of closed-door streaming while secretly wishing not to be seen.

Upon learning of the imminent attack by the Nine Nether Army, Shijia Shengsi sharply sensed something unusual.

This Holy Realm might just be doomed!

He didn’t want to be stuck here waiting to die, nor did he wish to serve under the Celestial Court ruler that he harbored resentment toward.

Seizing this opportunity, Shijia Shengsi wanted to leave this realm, seek elsewhere, and ally with another force.

But given that the outside world was so foreign, finding a place to settle down was indeed a hassle.

Just when Shijia Shengsi began to feel anxious, two uniquely skilled monks visited him. One was tall, the other short; both emanated strong Zen vibes, with colorful halos hanging from the back of their heads that carried a hint of the sacred.

They identified themselves as members of the Buddha Clan, hailing from the Western Sky Realm, and were from the Divine Court’s Great World of the Sacred Path!

They came because Shijia Shengsi was indeed one of their own!

Long ago, the Buddha Clan experienced internal strife, and young Shijia Shengsi was sent to an unknown small world by his elders. Many years passed until the factional struggles concluded, and Shijia Shengsi’s elders emerged victorious, claiming high positions.

Once they remembered the child lost to the outer realm, they began to invest energy into tracking him down, and only recently did they discover that the target pointed to the Holy Realm, thus dispatching two disciples to bring him back.

Upon hearing their explanation, even Shijia Shengsi found it hard to digest such a massive amount of information.

This was just too damn mystical!

No wonder he had such a profound interest in the Zen path as a child, advancing swiftly in cultivation, mastering various Buddhist techniques—it all made sense now with his incredible talent in this area.

He quickly hit the ceiling in that small world, then ascended to the Immortal Realm, which was the precursor to the Holy Realm, also progressing rapidly, eliminating numerous competitors, and rising to become a leader in the Buddhist Sect, acclaimed as the Buddha Emperor!

Now it turns out it was all because he was from the Buddha Clan!

Through careful understanding, Shijia Shengsi learned of the external circumstances as well as the horrifying power of the Buddha Clan.

The Buddha Clan was a super-strong race; in the Western Sky Realm, everyone believed in Buddhism, cultivating Zen, with countless subordinate worlds worshipping Buddhism.

In the current Divine Court realm, the only power above the Buddha Clan was the Dao Clan, whose realm was the greatest in the Divine Court and held a transcendent status!

As for the Holy Realm, it couldn’t even make it into the top thousand; it was merely a small, newly developing Sacred Path world!

“Amitabha, since my two senior brothers have come to escort me, I shall accompany you to the Western Sky Realm,” Shijia Shengsi said, hands clasped together with a serenity that masked his excitement.

His heart couldn’t have been happier.

He had been fretting over having nowhere to go, and now here were folks ready to take him to the Western Sky Realm—what a coincidence!

Shijia was truly fated to be with the Buddha!

“Junior brother, you have exceptional talent. Even in such a backward world, you’ve amassed a Prajna Buddha Heart. Once you return to the Western Sky Realm and undergo the Holy Water baptism to reshape your body and enhance your intellect, your achievements will undoubtedly surpass ours, and you could even become the next Buddha’s child,” the tall monk said, a tinge of flattery in his words.

The ‘Buddha’s Child’ refers to the most outstanding leader among the younger generation of the Buddha Clan, someone who could become a candidate for the Buddha Emperor.

After all, Shijia Shengsi possessed a complete Prajna Buddha Heart, which was given special attention within the Buddha Clan. His origins were also significant—his elders were in high positions of the Buddha Clan, which gave him a slight edge over his seniors, but otherwise, he wasn’t anything special compared to them.

Cultivating a good relationship early would be beneficial for his future!

“That’s not true. I see my junior brother has the aura of a Buddha Emperor!” the short monk chimed in, eager to give compliments as well.

What does it mean to be a Buddha Emperor?

Well, that’s being the ruler of the Buddha Clan and the Western Sky Realm.

His words absolutely elevated Shijia Shengsi to a significant position!