Alone and Infinite

Li Xia also gazed at the starry sky, feeling a sense of indescribable remoteness and grand mystery that sent shivers down her spine.

The beam of light did not stop; it continued to extend upwards, as if it were flying towards the end of the universe.

But when it reached a certain limit, the beam of light suddenly stopped.

It was as if a small hole had been punched through this starry sky, and then countless cracks appeared around the hole.

The power I had once felt in the light of ascension surged out through the small hole.

Li Xia couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

A sudden, intense itching sensation spread under my skin, as if countless ants were crawling inside my blood vessels.

But this feeling lasted for less than half a second before turning into a burning pain.

Every cell in my body seemed to be screaming, and all my muscles were twitching wildly.

The bones made unsettling cracking sounds, as if someone were carefully grinding each bone into powder with a millstone.

Then someone mixed the powder with blood and reshaped it into bones.

On the contrary, there was an extreme comfort to the soul, and a cool power slowly flowed into the top of the head.

It was as if the spirit and body had separated and flown to the heavens.

The physical pain and the spiritual comfort intertwined to create an extremely strange feeling.

"Grass!"

Li Xia spat out a single word through gritted teeth, his hand gripping Ye Ji tightly.

To Hei Tan's horrified gaze, countless fine wounds suddenly appeared on the surface of that steel-like skin.

Crimson blood gushed from the wound like a jet, and then the powerful healing ability of the Ascension Light completely repaired the wound.

It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like a fleeting moment.

The pain finally subsided slowly, leaving only extreme pleasure in my soul.

Just then, in the vast starry sky above, the small hole had expanded into a huge hole that covered half of the starry sky.

Suddenly, a huge eye appeared in the hole, as if some mysterious being was peering into the world through the small opening.

These eyes were filled with endless chaos and distortion; upon closer inspection, they resembled white worms forming the whites of the eyes.

The oddly shaped branches pieced together to form a pupil.

The instant the eyes appeared, several mournful and angry roars echoed from the ruins of the royal capital.

The Water Temple area.

A monster that terrified countless apostles, once a titled arcane mage, the Ring of Water.

Suddenly, he raised the trident in his hand, and the huge shadow hidden under the water broke through the surface. In an instant, the entire Water Temple area seemed to have suddenly grown into a dense forest of tentacles.

The trident gathered terrifying twisting power, and with a piercing shriek, it transformed into a streak of light and pierced towards the giant eye in the sky.

At the same time, strong energy fluctuations rose in various areas of the capital.

These powerful monsters, who had long surpassed the second tier, seemed to be filled with deep-seated hatred, and used all their strength to hurl their strongest weapons at the eye in the sky.

A hint of disdain and mockery seemed to flash in the giant's eyes, showing no concern whatsoever for the incoming attack.

Instead, his pupils slightly turned downwards, gazing at Li Xia on the ascension platform below.

In an instant, Li Xia seemed to hear chaotic murmurs and whispers.

The true qi spontaneously began to circulate, transforming into a hazy white light that enveloped the body.

Fine, illusory dragon scales also appeared on the body's surface.

Smaug and the phantom of the Lava Dragon roared to the sky behind him.

The three-pointed double-edged spear seemed to be on fire.

Li Xia slung the spear over his shoulder and stood there, staring into the eyes of the giant eye in the sky.

He knew whose eyes they were, and he guessed what was hidden behind the hole.

'The Old Gods!'

From afar, on the three-thousand-meter-high platform, a tiny figure carrying a long spear stares back at the enormous eye in the vast starry sky.

The whispers in my ear grew closer and closer, as if the world around me was also distorting.

[Confusion Resistance +1]

Corrosion resistance +1

[Twisting Resistance +1]

A series of notifications popped up.

Li Xia, who was calming his mind and mobilizing his true qi to resist, was stunned. It actually had this effect?

But in that moment of distraction, the giant eye seemed to seize the opportunity.

He stared at Li Xia's figure with boundless malice.

"Buzz!"

Li Xia felt a sudden dizziness, and then the "Ω" symbol of the Hall of Light quietly appeared above his head.

The giant eye, as if it had been gouged out, vanished suddenly in a state of utter panic.

[Final Stage Main Quest: Ultimate Ascension!]

[Mission Objective: Travel to the Radiant City, the capital of the Arcane Dynasty, activate the Supreme Ascension Platform, and initiate the Ascension Ceremony!]

[Task status: Completed]

[Absolute defense shield activated]

Please wait where you are.

Suddenly, a semi-circular transparent dome appeared from nothingness, covering the entire ascension platform.

The faint shimmering light on it gives one a sense of invincibility and unbreakability.

Li Xia finally relaxed, her heartstrings, which had been taut.

He sat on the ground, leaning on his spear, and laboriously untied the ropes binding him. Then he released the dragon spirit that had possessed him.

A streak of blue light detached from the silence of the night and transformed into a howling sound.

As soon as it manifested its form, Awoo shook its head excitedly and said:

"I killed at least several thousand mutants with His Highness before!"

Black Charcoal stared blankly at it, if you count it that way.

Wouldn't that mean it also joined forces with its master to kill thousands of enemies?

Let's embellish it with some artistic flair.

Suddenly, a picture of himself with sunglasses flashed into Heitan's mind. That year, with his hands in his pockets, he killed tens of thousands of enemies with just music!

[Executioner, please prepare to be teleported.]

A powerful push-back sensation surged from below, catching me completely off guard, without even a countdown.

Direct spiral ascension to heaven!

The ascension platform and the earth shrank rapidly until the entire Demon Prison Star was beneath his feet.

The teleportation abruptly stopped, and they drifted in the silent, deep universe.

The entire Demon Prison Star appeared as deathly still as a withered yellow and charred black, with a streak of light occasionally flashing across it.

These are the other apostles who passed the trials.

But in the end, there were only about seventy of these streaks of light.

Apart from the more than two hundred apostles who were killed at the beginning, only this many of the five hundred apostles who descended on Demon Prison Star remain.

The pass rate is only about 30%!

Advancing to the next level is truly an extremely difficult step!

"There probably won't be a summary of the pass this time, right?"

Awoo whispered, "This is a simple rank-up battle, completely different from the usual dungeon world."

As soon as they finished speaking, a phantom of light and shadow suddenly appeared before their eyes.

Warm sunlight shines on the ground, accompanied by a stretching of the viewpoint.

Li Xia immediately recognized it as the Supreme Ascension Platform!

Three thousand six hundred floating islands surround the entire capital, gleaming in the sunlight.

The deep blue magical veins resonated and echoed, radiating one beautiful halo after another.

The "Eternal Sun Palace" floats above the sea of ​​clouds, with surging golden light encircling the entire palace like a sun crown.

A figure whose features were obscured slowly walked toward the center of the Supreme Ascension Platform.

Only the extremely magnificent golden robe he wore symbolized his status.

This is the emperor of the Arcane Dynasty!

Li Xia stared in shock at the scene before him; he had already understood.

The scene before us is exactly what happens before the ascension ceremony begins!

The scene continued to unfold as the emperor arrived at the center of the ascension platform. Behind him stood seven figures, their bodies wreathed in terrifying magical energy, standing side by side.

The Arcane Dynasty boasts seven titled Arcane Mages!

The emperor's back remained still; he raised his head, as if waiting for something.

Scenes flashed before my eyes.

In every city, every ascension platform, and every square of the Arcane Dynasty, huge crowds gathered.

They raised their hands high, calling out the emperor's title with fervor and devotion.

"It's time."

With the help of the alchemical equipment, the grand sound instantly spread throughout the entire planet.

"This glory will not be enjoyed by me alone! I will bestow the opportunity for ascension upon every citizen of the Arcane Dynasty!"

The deafening cheers seemed about to burst through the scene before them.

The seven titled arcane mages bowed, offering their loyalty and reverence to this eternal holy king.

It was under the leadership of this Holy King that the Arcane Dynasty reached unprecedented heights.

Even though this sage king was ambitious, capricious, and stubborn.

But he still lived up to his title of Holy King, because he never forgot the people of this dynasty.

"Teacher, are you considering it?"

The Holy King's voice suddenly softened, and anyone could hear the reluctance in it.

"cough cough cough cough"

An elderly man dressed in elaborate and profound robes leaned on a staff, coughing with difficulty, before a genuine smile appeared on his aged face:

"No, I'm too old now. But the scene of that warm afternoon 167 years ago, when you first called me 'teacher,' feels like it was just yesterday."

The old man straightened up, walked to the enormous Holy Grail that Li Xia had once seen, and slowly said:

"Having served as the Grand Master of the Palace for so many years, to be able to see the path to a higher realm at the end of my life is already enough to satisfy me."

Let this old man ignite the final sacred flame!

Otherwise, the sacrifice of at least two thousand pure souls will still harm our people!

Sparks emanated from the old man's body, and powerful magical energy surged and spread towards the sky.

The court archmage, whose power rivaled that of a titled arcane mage, ignited his own soul, and in doing so, the sacred fire.

Within the enormous Holy Grail, flames soared into the sky, and concentric rings of light, resembling shockwaves, emanated from the flames.

At the same time, all the ascension platforms in the entire Arcane Dynasty were activated simultaneously, with beams of light shooting straight into the sky.