Martial Ascent to Divinity-Chapter 601 - 581: Senior Sister

"I’m going to the right door, how about you?" Zhou Leng asked.

The Azure Sword sighed, "I’ll stand at the door and see you off as you go in."

"Then I’m going in."

"Good luck!" The Azure Sword shouted, feeling empty inside, realizing he was cheering for an outsider.

What was going on?

Never mind, after all, the other party was of the Blood of Tyranny, not embarrassing.

Thinking of this, the Azure Sword felt invigorated.

He followed Zhou Leng to the doorway, stopped, and watched Zhou Leng enter the arch, then the person was gone.

The inside of the door was empty, blocked by a screen wall, obscuring whatever lay beyond.

The Azure Sword felt restless, sighed, and stood dutifully by the door.

Zhou Leng bypassed the pine and crane mural screen wall at the entrance and stepped into a new grand courtyard.

It was about the size of a stadium.

The far end of the courtyard was largely collapsed, and most of the structures within it had also fallen.

The left wall of the courtyard was half collapsed, and on the remaining half were many figures painted.

Their clothing was unlike anything seen in the Ten Realms, mostly of an Eastern style.

All figures stood above the clouds, with divine halos frequently seen before floating behind them.

From the edges inward, the stars in their halos grew more dense and larger.

The divine halos on the edge, only had a few broken asteroids, moving inward, they formed a halo of many large asteroids, densely packed.

Closer to the center, the halos were no longer made of asteroids but complete planets, varying greatly in appearance and size.

Near the fractured middle, half of a divine halo was revealed.

Forming this halo were individually distinct suns.

Though only half of the halo remained and the figure of the deity wasn’t depicted, it still evoked a powerful divine being surrounded by stars, eternally radiant.

As Zhou Leng watched, a woman in the mural astonishingly moved.

Like a character in an animated film, she changed from sitting to standing within the mural.

Behind her, a divine halo floated, her figure held upright, her skin snowy white, wearing a heavenly white dress with long black hair cascading to her waist, slowly flowing.

A severe expression marked her delicate melon-seed face, black and cold eyes fixed on Zhou Leng.

As if standing amidst towering mountains and endless clouds, gazing down upon the human world.

"Hmph..."

"Over the eons, always either demon or half-demon."

"No matter what, even if ignorant of the Divine Text, a half-demon is at least a Martial Artist, having True Qi."

"But today, one without True Qi, though with a good shell, has come."

"The Ancient River is doomed."

The woman spoke in Divine Text.

Zhou Leng looked at her.

Her expression grew colder, eyes increasingly indifferent.

Encountering a half-demon who couldn’t understand Divine Text last time had exhausted her patience.

Now, faced with a human without True Qi, she was utterly despaired.

For her power was spent.

Soon, her remaining consciousness would collapse along with this place.

Expectations accumulated over countless eons transformed into resentment.

"This lad, without True Qi, yet eyes so sly, where is he looking? Hmm..."

Seeming to notice something, as she wondered, Zhou Leng spoke.

"Sister Shen Yunxian, it’s the second time we’ve met, and you speak ill of me to my face, that’s not very kind."

The Divine Text wasn’t very fluent, but it was indeed Divine Text.

The animated woman on the wall slightly opened her small mouth, eyes wide with a look of disbelief.

A moment later, Shen Yunxian finally sensed something unusual about Zhou Leng.

The halo behind her stirred ever so slightly.

White celestial light descended from the void, filling the entire courtyard in a flash.

The scattered rubble seemed to flow back in time, retreating, coalescing into the former structures.

Some plants, dead for unknown years, rose anew, growing despite the aura of death, standing upright.

Under the divine light, after countless eons, Shen Yunxian stepped out of the mural.

Her body semi-transparent, dress fluttering, black hair to her waist, halo behind her slowly rotating, composed of densely packed large asteroids.

She took a light step forward, coming to stand before Zhou Leng.

She was slightly shorter than Zhou Leng yet stood in mid-air, gazing down, her eyes frosted over.

"What did you call me?"

Zhou Leng cupped his hands respectfully, "I am Zhou Leng, temporarily the senior brother of the Ancient River Sect as appointed by Master Wu. At the Transmission Hall of the Outer Sect, I previously participated in the ’Long River Flying Moon’ with you, glimpsed the Three Sons of Ancient River. Later, I saw the three of you discussing sect matters in the rear courtyard and thus addressed you as senior brother and sister."

The frost in Shen Yunxian’s eyes turned to fine mist, slowly dissipating.

Her eyes clouded, as if reminiscing, as if remembering fondly.

After a long time, she asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"One of the Three Sons of Ancient River, your martial prowess extends beyond the Celestial Region, divine might unparalleled through history." Zhou Leng flattered her with a hard-hitting compliment.

"I am, Shen Yunxian, the Sect Leader of the Ancient River Sect."

The voice of a woman resounded like a thousand bells, with the heavens quaking with ten thousand drums.

The world suddenly brightened and darkened.

Unimaginable power shook space; Zhou Leng could not stand firmly, his ears ringing, and the earth quaked before his eyes.

"Disciple Zhou Leng, pays respect to the Sect Leader Senior Sister." Zhou Leng bowed and made a formal greeting.

"How did such a cunning lad come out of the Ancient River Sect..."

Zhou Leng was dumbfounded; how could Shen Yunxian, being in the wrong, be the first to accuse?

Could this shred of Shen Yunxian’s consciousness possibly be filled with evil thoughts?

Upon seeing Zhou Leng’s bewildered face, Shen Yunxian couldn’t muster any anger and said, "What did you call me?"

"Sect Leader Senior Sister."

"And your rank?"

Zhou Leng suddenly realized.

The first time he saw the projection of the Three Sons of Ancient River, he was older than them, so he really didn’t consider them as seniors, assuming them to be equals.

He never thought of meeting them in the future, never considered this aspect of their relationship, and even faked being Guan Canglong with ease.

In this meeting, he instinctively called her Senior Sister, forgetting the vast gap in generations between them; it was not just thousands of generations apart.

If this was before the Great Battlefield, Zhou Leng might have honestly apologized and admitted his mistake.

But having gone through life and death again, attacked by national media and public opinion, Zhou Leng’s mindset had changed somewhat.

Being honest only leads to being bullied.

He had already called her that; what’s to be done?

"Regardless of what others think, I will forever be your junior brother; in my heart, you will always be the great, bright, upright, and beautiful Sect Leader Senior Sister." Zhou Leng wasn’t good at flattery; he could only clumsily attempt it.

Shen Yunxian was a bit bewildered. She had lived for so many years and had never encountered such blunt flattery.

Are children this cheeky after millions of years?

The two locked eyes, one openly speaking ill, the other clumsily flattering.

It’s a match of equals, a meeting of worthy rivals.

Shen Yunxian wanted to exert her authority as Sect Leader to say something, but then thought better of it. Her consciousness was about to collapse, so there was no need to discuss Sect Leader authority. More important things remained.

"How did you learn the Divine Text, and how did you master the True Ability of the stars?" Shen Yunxian initially didn’t notice because she completely didn’t believe anyone from an Elementary Civilization could understand the Divine Text.

Only upon closer inspection did she find that Zhou Leng not only possessed the Tiger Talisman but also mastered advanced cultivation methods of the True Ability of the stars, thus prompting the divine light to shine from the mural.

With a flick of her finger, the Tiger Talisman flew out, spinning like a small dog around Shen Yunxian’s fingertips.

A deep nostalgia showed in Shen Yunxian’s eyes.

Zhou Leng thought for a moment and said, "As for the Divine Text, it’s inconvenient to say too much."

"What about the True Ability of the stars?"

"I can’t say either," said Zhou Leng honestly.

"Cunning lad..." Shen Yunxian’s face turned icy cold, "Then tell me your story, say what you can."

"Should I speak only of things related to the Ancient River Sect or everything?"

"Everything, including the world you are from."

Zhou Leng gathered his thoughts, briefly narrated the history of Blue Star, then talked about the Battle of the Ten Realms, and finally shared his own experiences.

Each time he spoke of returning home to cultivate successfully or when Huang brought treasures, Shen Yunxian’s eyebrows slightly raised.

Zhou Leng candidly talked about things like the "Undying Star Body" and "Ten Reversed Beast Fist" that might be speculated on, but every time it involved the Frost Giant Tree, an inexplicable mysterious force naturally stopped him.

When he spoke of obtaining the Eye of the Ancient God in the world of Dwarves, Shen Yunxian’s expression changed for the first time, asking about details of the Eye of the Ancient God.

When he mentioned succeeding at the Celestial Ladder and obtaining the Sea Suppression Fragment Map and Divine Communication Order, Shen Yunxian’s expression changed for the second time, inquiring repeatedly about the Sea Suppression Map.

Soon after, Zhou Leng spoke of his first encounter with the Ancient River Sect, that piece of blue jade stele.

A scene from a dream, where a figure in black carved the stele with a finger; Zhou Leng spoke of it for the first time.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunxian became somber, and the light of the world dimmed, causing immense sorrow to rise in Zhou Leng’s heart, rendering him speechless.

Later, when recounting his experiences entering the Transmission Hall of the Ancient River Ruins, Shen Yunxian listened with particular attention.

Until he mentioned entering the Hundred Peaks Valley and referring to himself as Guan Canglong, Shen Yunxian shot Zhou Leng a fierce glare. She was finally sure, this boy was indeed cunning.

When recounting the Great Battlefield and various experiences within, especially mentioning the Celestial Calamity Envoy, Shen Yunxian’s expression changed slightly, filled with caution.

Hearing that Zhou Leng’s name was left on the Celestial Ladder Monument in the end, she nodded repeatedly.

Finally, Zhou Leng spoke of the misfortunes he faced after his martial arts were destroyed.

Shen Yunxian gave a cold snort, saying, "A mere small star dares to bully a disciple of the Ancient River Sect! Once I emerge, I shall extinguish their myriad stars."

Zhou Leng responded helplessly, "Who called me just a temporary senior brother; no one takes me seriously."

Shen Yunxian saw through Zhou Leng’s little schemes, glanced at the Tiger Talisman, flicked her finger, and the Tiger Talisman flew back into Zhou Leng’s Magic Spirit Bag.

Shen Yunxian asked, "Did any foreign power descend when you accepted disciples?"

Zhou Leng thought for a long time, finally shook his head, saying, "No."

Shen Yunxian sighed, saying, "Forget it. Also, stay away from the Celestial Calamity Envoy. If..."

Shen Yunxian suddenly stopped, pondered for a long while, and slowly said, "If possible, think of a retreat; whether it’s to the Giant or Giant Dragon, both are good choices. Do not go to the Demon Spirit World."

"Why?"

Shen Yunxian looked up at the farthest reaches of the sky and said, "Do you think the Three Sons of Ancient River, with their aptitude, could ascend beyond the Void God to become True God?"

"Of course, the three will surely ascend to divinity," Zhou Leng replied.

"But are you aware that even before my fall, I only remained at the rank of Void God?"

"Why?" Zhou Leng found it hard to believe; even the Three Sons of Ancient River were not True Gods, only Void Gods?

So how great is the talent needed to become a True God?