Thunder seed?
Song Wanníng froze for a moment, then the light collided violently with the divine thunder.
The overwhelming shockwave swept out in all directions.
Almost instantly, all the cultivators watching nearby were caught in the blast. With a thud, they collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
At the center, Song Wanníng bore the brunt of the force. She was blasted away as the pit beneath her continued to collapse. In the blink of an eye, she was slammed hundreds of meters underground.
Puff.
Song Wanníng spat blood violently, the crimson spray staining the surrounding soil. The searing pain nearly fractured her consciousness, but she refused to lose herself.
The Heavenly Dao was using its last bit of power to buy her a chance. She had to fight back with everything she had. There was no way she would let The Heavenly Dao of the Mùsù system have its way.
She forced herself up, lifting her head.
At that moment, amid the exploding thunderlight, a small orb shimmering with lightning fell toward her.
Thunder seed?
Song Wanníng's eyes flickered. Summoning her last breath, she stretched out a hand and grabbed for the purple orb.
The orb quickly landed in her palm. The intense electric shock made her body convulse violently. Lightning surged through her hand, rushing through her body as if desperate to break through her meridians and dantian.
If the thunder seed reached its goal, her cultivation would be ruined.
Her face hardened. Clenching her teeth through the pain, she shoved the thunder seed into her dantian.
With a shift in her mind, she directed the thunder seed into her inner world.
The moment the thunder seed entered, her form froze briefly before transforming into a streak of light that pierced the clouds above.
The next second, thunderclouds roiled inside her inner world, lightning flashing wildly.
What was once a lifeless realm began to stir.
The inner world rumbled loudly. Song Wanníng's body on the surface also suffered. Though the Three Lives Mirror had absorbed most of the divine thunder, she still endured a great deal of lightning power.
Just as she writhed in unbearable pain, the inner world suddenly opened a gateway and absorbed all the lightning energy.
The lightning surged through her dantian and widened her meridians.
By the time the last spark was absorbed, her dantian was brimming with electric power.
Puff.
Song Wanníng spat another mouthful of foul blood, collapsing exhausted in the pit. The breath she had been holding finally settled.
She had succeeded!
Above the sky, the two thunder soldiers looked reluctant as the Three Lives Mirror forced them to retreat and vanish.
The storm clouds dissipated, the once blackened sky clearing to endless blue.
Soon, a ray of rosy sunlight broke through the clouds, shining down upon the earth. Where the light touched, everything revived. Life returned, and the land quickly warmed.
The cultivators who had fainted began to awaken one by one. Their first sight upon opening their eyes was a sky filled with blooming flowers. Could it be an ascension phenomenon?
Everyone was stunned, then overwhelmed with emotion. They scrambled to absorb the sunlight. Those with lower cultivation levels even advanced on the spot, grinning ear to ear.
Song Qingyun and the others awoke as well, tears of joy flowing as they watched the glow. They had thought their daughter was lost. Just as they were about to help, the tremendous shock had knocked them unconscious. Thankfully, everything had turned out well!
Meanwhile, in the pit, Song Wanníng's injuries healed at lightning speed.
The Three Lives Mirror fell from the sky, its light extinguished.
Her heart tightened. She hurriedly stored it in her storage ring. The battle against the thunder soldiers had clearly drained most of the Heavenly Dao fragment's power. She wondered how long it would take to awaken again.
Closing her eyes, she emptied her mind, letting the sunlight continue repairing her body.
…
Amid the sea of light, a rainbow beam pierced the sky—the ascension passage had opened.
Song Wanníng rose from the pit, flying toward the beam.
The moment she entered the light, her Primordial Soul seemed to be nourished, filling her with such comfort she felt like falling asleep on the spot.
Looking down, she saw her parents and Li Ruo, their eyes reddened but smiling warmly.
Li Ruo waved excitedly.
Song Wanníng smiled faintly, her eyes holding little sadness.
She knew it would not be long before the family reunited.
She waved once more and turned without hesitation, flying upward through the light beam.
In the blink of an eye, she disappeared.
The light beam faded, the phenomena vanished. If not for the deep pit left behind, many might have thought it had all been a dream.
"I suppose I've seen it all now. Tribulations can really be this terrifying…"
"Right? Maybe this is the difference between Heavenly Dao's chosen ones and the rest?"
"Luckily Song Zūnzhǔ succeeded!"
"…"
Those who survived such a tribulation could no longer be called mere geniuses—they were monsters.
Her ascension did not affect the Song family's dominance of the region.
With that thought, everyone happily gathered to offer congratulations.
Song Qingyun smiled and returned each greeting, his heart full of emotion. His daughter had ascended safely. He no longer had to worry about the family's future. He and his wife would manage the Song family well, making it thrive. If the Secluded Land ever emerged, they would be ready.
A flash of light sparkled in Song Qingyun's eyes.
They still had to work even harder.
…
"Wow, why is this place so barren?"
Xiao Jin grumbled loudly right after landing.
There was no jade pool or heavenly nectar as imagined in the fantasy of ascension.
All he saw was endless desert. Not even a single bird in sight.
Song Wanníng chuckled and stretched her limbs.
"Ascension passages are random. Looks like our luck isn't great…"
In the lower realm, she had contracted the dragon vein and had luck surpassing Ye Chuxue.
But in the spirit realm, everything started anew.
And from the Three Lives Mirror's message, this world also had invaders with shocking Luck.
She had to deal with the invaders and figure out how to merge the spirit realm and lower realm.
This task was anything but easy.
Luckily, she had survived the thunder tribulation. She grinned.
"Let's go!"
She flew off happily with her little companions.
First, she needed to figure out exactly where she was.
…
At the moment Song Wanníng ascended, the Sect Master of the Guhan Sect sensed it immediately. He opened his eyes wide, quickly calculating with his fingers. His eyes lit up with shock.
So soon, that young girl had ascended?
"Hahaha, no wonder she was chosen by me!"
Now not only had the sub-tower returned, but the sect had found a gifted disciple.
Double blessings indeed!