Wang Lan stood on the Ascending Immortal Stage, Star Power surging wildly around him. The Star Power raged within his body, visibly turning his body a lustrous, glaze-like color.
Suddenly, countless gems underfoot emitted dazzling light, and a spatial fluctuation appeared around Wang Lan. In just an instant, his body disappeared without a trace.
"Wang Lan—" Jiang Xinyu's heart trembled. She hastily took a step forward, only to find the Ascending Immortal Stage empty.
Wang Lan felt his vision change abruptly as he arrived in a hazy Different Dimensional Space. This space was very narrow, yet the Spiritual Energy was extremely rich. The Heavenly Earth Star Power condensed, turning into Fairy Fog that, like evaporating dry ice, wafted freely throughout the space.
"Huh?" Wang Lan suddenly noticed a gate in the distant fairy clouds, seeming to flicker in and out of existence. He approached, arriving before an ancient gate covered with endless cracks.
"Ascending Immortal Door?" Wang Lan looked up, examining the classic stone-carved lettering on the gate plaque, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
This ancient gate was severely damaged, with cracks as thick as fingers in many places, as if patched together from fragments. Wang Lan didn't even dare to reach out and touch it, fearing that the slightest contact would cause the gate to collapse.
Could this be why it can only be used once? It's easy to enter the Ascending Immortal Stage, but the Ascending Immortal Door is already damaged, Wang Lan muttered to himself. CRACK. Suddenly, he seemed to step on something. Crouching down, he saw it was a skeleton.
The skeleton lay in a very carefree position, on its side, one hand propping up its head. Its hollow eye sockets stared towards the distance opposite the doorway, as if waiting for someone, or perhaps merely having lain down for a midday nap.
It seems this person came here later. Zhang Lingxian has already achieved immortality and ascended, so the Ascending Immortal Door is useless. He was trapped and died in this void space, Wang Lan reflected.
"You are mistaken there."
A voice arose in the ethereal world. Wang Lan instantly tensed, his gaze sweeping around warily. "Who? Who is speaking?"
"I am right before you, yet you ask who I am? Weren't we just making eye contact?"
Hearing the voice, Wang Lan's gaze fell upon the skeleton before him.
A burst of white light emanated from the skeleton, transforming into particles of light that swiftly rose and coalesced in the air. The cluster of light dispersed, and a faint, ethereal figure appeared before Wang Lan.
This was a figure with hair as white as snow, yet possessing the youthful, handsome face of a young man. His age and Cultivation Level were indiscernible.
"Firstly, this person is no newcomer. Since the Ascending Immortal Stage was hidden, only two individuals have ever stood before this Ascending Immortal Door: myself, and you.
"Secondly, while the Ascending Immortal Door can indeed only be used once, that opportunity still exists. Zhang Lingxian never stepped through the Ascending Immortal Door. Greetings. I am Zhang Lingxian."
"You are Zhang Lingxian?" Wang Lan scrutinized the ethereal figure from head to toe. "Weren't you supposed to have ascended to immortality? Why are you here, dead in this place?"
"Let's not discuss that matter for now," Zhang Lingxian said suddenly, seating himself cross-legged. "I ask you, is becoming an immortal a good thing? And don't just stand there. Come, let's sit and talk."
"Becoming an immortal is naturally good," Wang Lan responded. "But stepping through an Immortal Door doesn't necessarily make one immortal. If it's merely a long journey, especially a one-way trip with no return, then it's not so great."
"Hahaha... You do understand," Zhang Lingxian laughed. "But are you aware that in the Earth Star Realm, longevity-granting substances are scarce and Spiritual Energy is thin? Ordinary mortals live fleeting lives. Even if we cultivators strengthen our bodies and extend our years, we can at best live for two mortal lifespans."
"Of course, I know that."
"And do you know that in the Cultivation World—the place you described as a 'long journey'—there are more advanced Cultivation Techniques, abundant Spiritual Energy, and substances that grant long life? There, with the right fortuitous encounter, one can shatter the limitations of their life wheel and attain a far longer existence.
"Three hundred years, five hundred years, even a thousand. Though one might still feel it insufficient as their end approaches, what does it matter? At least they will have truly lived long."
Really? Wang Lan was astonished. He had assumed the Cultivation World, located in the Magellan Galaxy, would be much like Sky Blue Star. Zhang Lingxian's words, however, painted a far more enticing picture.
"I wouldn't lie to you."
"Then why are you still here? Shouldn't you have stepped through the Ascending Immortal Door long ago?"
"Do you think I wanted to be trapped in this space?" Zhang Lingxian said, his voice rising in anger. "Do you know how difficult it is to resist the temptation of stepping through the Ascending Immortal Door to reach the Immortal World?
"The Immortal World was right before my eyes. One step across, and I could have pursued eternal life. Yet, there was no retreat. If I didn't pass through that door, I was doomed to perish here—from starvation, from thirst, from unending solitude.
"In those years, countless times I was on the verge of yielding to the urge to cross. Truly. But each time my foot extended, I was forced to pull it back. The torment, the agony... it nearly drove me mad."
"Why?"
"Because after arriving here, I saw the River of Destiny. Within it, I captured a fragment of destiny. I was not the one fated to step through the Ascending Immortal Door.
"No destiny is immutable. Each comes with choices, and different choices shape different fates. If I had stepped through back then, the passage between the Human World and the Cultivation World would have been completely severed, and humanity would be forever confined within the Milky Way.
"This was the destiny I shouldered: the fate of severing humanity's path to advancement. One step, and I would attain liberation, but humanity would be eternally condemned. The second person to arrive here carries a different mission: to become the bridge between the Human World and the Cultivation World, liberating humanity from the confines of the galaxy. Their future journey lies across the sea of stars.
"Hahahaha... What virtue or ability did I, Zhang Lingxian, possess to carry the fate of the entire human race? A single thought determined creation or destruction. I truly should have been more selfish. As the saying goes, 'After I am dead, let the world be damned by deluge!'
"Even if I had chosen to step through the Immortal Door, humanity would never have known their fate had been silently sealed. Hahaha... But why was I so foolish back then, to actually starve to death here...
"On the brink of death, I finally comprehended the Ghost Path. I stripped away my spiritual soul and anchored it to my mortal remains. I simply could not resign myself to it. I had to see what kind of person would make that second choice for humanity, what manner of hero they would be."
Wang Lan's eyes flickered, a hint of shock in his heart. He hadn't expected humanity's fate to have always been within destiny's grasp.
If someone else had told him this, Wang Lan would have scoffed. But he didn't doubt Zhang Lingxian in the slightest.
Years ago, King Jiangshan also glimpsed a fragment of destiny's secrets, thereby sealing himself within a primal stone to await rebirth centuries later. And indeed, he lived again, though that life was fleeting. Had King Jiangshan not gone to war then, he could have lived for a very long time.
Moreover, was Zhang Lingxian not speaking the truth? Wang Lan possessed Divine Might and a completely independent space. He truly could, through his Divine Might, become the bridge connecting Sky Blue Star and the Cultivation World.
People from the Earth Immortal World could come to the Human World through him, and people from the Human World could reach the Earth Immortal World through him.
Digesting what he had heard, Wang Lan slowly raised his head and looked at Zhang Lingxian. "Do you have any regrets?"
"Regrets! I regret not heeding Lady Hou Tu's counsel, insisting on venturing into this void. Once here, there was no escape: either pass through the Ascending Immortal Door or die."
Wang Lan slowly stood up and bowed respectfully to Zhang Lingxian. "Mr. Zhang, your righteousness is truly profound!"
"Enough flattery. I've waited two thousand years—two thousand long years! Now that I've seen the one, my wish is fulfilled. It's time I returned to the Netherworld."
"Senior, having cultivated the Ghost Path, can you not endure indefinitely?"
"What is the Ghost Path? It means being a ghost, nothing more! Can ghosts remain in the world of the living? My wish fulfilled, isn't it time I hurried to the Underworld to report?"
Zhang Lingxian stood up, flicking his sleeves. "Right, aren't you going? Beyond this door lies the Immortal World. I've sacrificed so much for humanity. When I reincarnate, you must compensate me handsomely."
"Me? How could I compensate you?"
"You are young yet remarkably powerful; undoubtedly a child of destiny. Upon entering the Immortal World, you are sure to become a prominent figure. When that day comes, find me. I shall make a small concession: I will reluctantly take you as my master and become your disciple. How does that sound?"
"Are you sure that's a concession on your part?"
"I, Zhang Lingxian, possess peerless talent, towering above all others. Throughout history, how many have managed to transcend the mortal boundary by their own power alone? Taking me as your disciple? You'd be gaining immensely, you know!"
Wang Lan hesitated for a moment, then nodded silently. "While I wasn't a firm believer in reincarnation before, having now even met Lady Hou Tu, there's little I find unacceptable. But how am I to find you after your rebirth?"
"There are two characteristics. First, I will be born with a piece of jade in my mouth. Second, I'll have an enormous appetite."
An enormous appetite? Wang Lan's eyes widened, struggling to keep up with this predecessor's pace.
"Nonsense! I starved to death, remember? In the Ghost Path, that makes me a hungry ghost. Ever heard of a hungry ghost reincarnating?"
"Makes sense."
"Those are the conditions. Please, proceed." Zhang Lingxian gestured towards the Ascending Immortal Door.
"Well, this was all rather sudden. I haven't had time to inform my family. I need to go back and let them know."
"It seems you still haven't grasped my earlier words. I told you, this is an enclosed space. One either passes through the Immortal Door or is trapped here to die. Go back and explain? Explain what? If escape were possible, I wouldn't have starved to death here!"
"We are different, Predecessor Zhang. I'll take my leave for now. I'll return when I'm prepared." As his words faded, the space around Wang Lan distorted, and his form rapidly vanished within the twisting ripples.
Seeing Wang Lan disappear, Zhang Lingxian was left with his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long, long time.
In Zhangjiajie, beside the ancient city's Ascending Immortal Stage, a group of high-ranking leaders had gathered, including the Five Emperors. Jiang Xinyu gazed anxiously at the Ascending Immortal Stage. Nearly two hours had passed. Even if he had only gone for a quick look, he should have returned by now.
But Jiang Xinyu couldn't use her Divine Might to check on Wang Lan. If she went, neither of them would be able to return.
Suddenly, the Divine Might Space quivered. Joy illuminated Jiang Xinyu's face. Her eyes snapped open, the pinwheel in her left eye spinning furiously. The space before her twisted, and Wang Lan's figure appeared in front of Jiang Xinyu.
"Wang Lan, you're back."
"How was it? How was it? Was it the Immortal World?"
"The records were accurate; indeed, only one person can achieve immortality this way. The Ascending Immortal Stage is undamaged, but the Ascending Immortal Door can only be opened a single time."
"Is that so..." The gathered dignitaries murmured, their expressions tinged with regret. If it could only be used once, Zhang Lingxian had evidently already used the opportunity.
