Chapter 129: Farewell
Among the many prodigies of the Celestial Arc Realm, Vaelor of Stormpeak Citadel was the one who had revealed his strength the least. As the bearer of the Heavenly Law Physique, he had been taken into Stormpeak Citadel at a young age.
Though he was the youngest among them, his cultivation was by far the most unfathomable. Lady Moonveil had crossed hands with him once before, and ever since then, she had regarded him with great caution.
Born into a golden age, the younger generation either possessed extraordinary physiques or had stumbled upon heaven defying opportunities. Their cultivation advanced at astonishing speed.
Lady Moonveil, Torin, and the others had all reached the Paragon Realm.
Even so, they were still some distance away from the Immortal Realm.
No one had expected Wyatt not only to reach the Immortal Realm, but to immediately begin facing the Immortal Tribulation the moment he reappeared.
The shock was immense.
"Hm?"
Vaelor frowned.
A strange sensation passed through him.
His gaze met Prosper’s in the distance.
His expression immediately grew more serious.
For the briefest moment, a sinister black gleam flashed across Prosper’s eyes before he looked away.
Rumble!
Thunder roared within the tribulation clouds.
Violet lightning twisted through the heavens, gathering enough destructive power to wipe out all existence.
Just sensing its aura was enough to send chills down everyone’s spine.
"So this is the Immortal Tribulation..."
Torin could not help recalling the figure who had suppressed him beneath a mountain with a single palm strike decades ago.
The memory remained crystal clear.
That had been true immortal power.
Since the beginning of this era, Torin was the first and only cultivator in the Celestial Arc Realm to have personally fought an immortal.
Only he truly understood how terrifying immortal might was.
Beneath the tribulation clouds, Wyatt remained calm.
His heart was still as water.
His eyes were clear.
Sword in hand, he stood facing the heavens.
His Sword Intent surged across the sky, sharp and boundless.
For decades he had wandered the Celestial Arc Realm without returning to his sect.
If he succeeded today, he would return to Skyspire Order.
If he failed, he would perish completely.
He wondered whether the Heir Apparent still liked to fish beside the lotus pond at Skyreach Monastery.
Whether he still spent his days caring for those treasured plants.
Rumble!
The heavens shook violently.
A violet thunder dragon descended from the clouds.
Wyatt burst into laughter.
Raising his sword toward the tribulation, he unleashed his Sword Intent.
"Heir Apparent! When I become an immortal, we’ll fish together again!"
Clang!
His Sword Intent outshone the thunder itself.
The violet lightning shattered instantly.
Wyatt’s aura climbed higher and higher.
The full force of his Immortal Realm cultivation erupted as the power of heaven and earth gathered around him.
Then the second bolt descended.
Its might far surpassed the first.
It left Wyatt no opportunity to recover.
If he could not withstand it, both body and soul would be erased.
Neither Soulbound nor spirit could survive the heavenly lightning.
There were only two outcomes.
Become an immortal.
Or perish.
There was no third path.
Buzz!
"Sword Heart Enlightenment, Boundless Heaven and Earth!"
The power of the world converged upon his Sword Intent.
Wyatt slashed upward.
His blade clashed against the second bolt, locking it in place for a brief moment.
Even the watching Ascendants found themselves holding their breath.
Boom!
The lightning exploded apart.
Sword light pierced into the tribulation clouds, stirring the vast sea of thunder into chaos.
"He did it!"
Torin’s face lit up.
The words had barely left his mouth.
Boom!
The third bolt crashed down.
Its speed was so overwhelming that Wyatt had no chance to react.
The lightning swallowed him whole.
When the radiance faded, blood erupted from Wyatt’s mouth and stained the sky.
Then more lightning followed.
Wave after wave descended in a furious storm, nearly annihilating both his body and soul.
Suddenly—
The wind ceased.
The clouds froze.
Even the tribulation lightning hung motionless in midair.
Everything between heaven and earth stopped.
At that instant, a figure slowly emerged from the void.
Wyatt’s eyes widened.
The moment he saw Caelum, he understood.
"Heir Apparent. It’s been a long time."
"Only a few decades."
Caelum smiled.
"I wouldn’t call that a long time."
He tossed over a wine jar.
Wyatt caught it steadily and took a long drink.
Then he looked up at the frozen lightning overhead.
"The Immortal Tribulation truly is terrifying."
He sighed.
"I genuinely admire you, Heir Apparent. To think you actually overcame this tribulation."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"A hundred years, a thousand years... my path ends here."
Caelum laughed softly.
"You’ve taken it surprisingly well."
"Whether we succeed or fail, those who pursue the Dao have no regrets."
Wyatt shook his head.
"What is there to be unable to accept?"
He glanced into the distance.
"My only regret is that I won’t be able to sit beside that lotus pond and fish with you again."
He raised the wine jar.
"Please tell my master that his disciple has ridden the wind beyond this world."
"From now on, I wander free beneath heaven and earth."
"Very well."
Wyatt smiled.
"Heir Apparent."
"This is farewell."
Boom!
The lightning descended.
In an instant, Wyatt turned to ash and returned to heaven and earth.
The wine jar slipped from the sky and splashed into the lake below.
A small spray of water rose into the air.
Caelum vanished as well.
From beginning to end, no one else had seen him.
It was as though he had never appeared at all.
The tribulation clouds gradually dispersed.
Vaelor, Torin, and the others stood in silence for a long time.
Countless emotions churned within them.
Moments ago, one of their peers had stood before them.
Now he was gone, erased beneath the heavenly might of the tribulation.
It was a difficult feeling to put into words.
At last, Torin let out a quiet sigh.
"Everyone, farewell."
He departed alongside Alex in a streak of sword light.
One after another, the others left as well.
Before long, news of Wyatt’s death beneath the Immortal Tribulation spread throughout the Celestial Arc Realm.
Many Ascendants lamented his passing.
At the same time, praise for Skyspire Order grew louder than ever.
Since the rise of this great era, the only two cultivators to face the Immortal Tribulation had both come from Skyspire Order.
And one of them had truly become an immortal.
How could the world not be astonished?
Skyspire Order, Skyreach Monastery.
A group of figures stood gathered around a single foxtail grass.
There was a graceful woman whose beauty seemed almost otherworldly.
A stern young man with sharp brows and bright eyes.
A refined gentleman whose bearing was as gentle as jade.
And a lively little girl with braided hair and sparkling eyes.
Over the years, nourished by Primal Essence, the ten plants Caelum had cultivated at Skyreach Monastery had all taken human form.
Every one of them possessed extraordinary talent.
Each far surpassed the prodigies of the current age.
Yet they never revealed themselves, and aside from members of Skyspire Order, no one knew they existed.
The stern young man had been born from Dragonvine and carried the Dao title Wyrmvine.
The refined gentleman had emerged from Wind Lotus and was known as Jadewind.
The graceful woman had originated from Energy Blossom and bore the Dao title Stillwater.
The braided little girl had come from a dandelion and called herself Moonchaser.
The others who had already taken human form were either elsewhere on the mountain or in seclusion.
Only these few spent their days wandering around Skyreach Monastery, carefree and idle.
A streak of divine light descended.
Caelum stepped out of it.
"Master!"
"Master!"
The group immediately bowed.
Moonchaser stared intently at the foxtail grass before her.
Decades had passed.
All of her senior brothers and sisters had already taken human form.
Only this stubborn little thing had held out until now.
Caelum flicked a drop of Primal Essence onto it.
The instant the foxtail grass absorbed the essence, a soft radiance blossomed around it.
The light faded.
A little boy appeared.
He was completely naked, with snot hanging from his nose.
The child blinked blankly as he looked around at everyone.
Then his gaze landed on Caelum.
In a childish voice, he pointed at him and declared,
"You old geezer!"
Everyone froze.
