Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 438 The One Who Escaped
Time stood still at that moment.

The cultivators who had fought desperately stopped on the spot, their faces still contorted with ferocity and their bodies radiating killing intent, but now they were all silent.

The slowly descending heavens ceased their descent, and the drifting clouds and mist stopped flowing.

Only between heaven and earth, two Yun Yis faced each other, one calm and the other surprised.

"You are... the Master of the Overturning Heaven Pavilion?"

"Yes."

"You are me?"

"As you can see."

"If you are me, then who am I?"

"I am still me, and you are still you."

"Why?"

"If you want an answer, experience it for yourself."

……

"Yi'er, why are you slacking off again? How can you pass the imperial examinations if you're so lazy?!" A familiar and warm female voice rang in her ears.

Yun Yi couldn't help but sigh, the voice was exactly like his mother's... However, he had always been diligent since childhood and had long been determined to become an official in the court to bring honor to his family, so his mother would never find out that he had been lazy...

Wait a minute? What am I thinking?
The feeling of being touched lasted only a moment, followed by a sharp pain in my ear.

Yun Yi was almost pulled up, and he kept saying, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

The woman said irritably, "If it didn't hurt, I wouldn't hit you!"

After saying that, she shook the rattan cane in her hand, revealing that she still had a "magic weapon" to use. "Tell me! Did you do your morning prayers today?"

Yun Yi looked at the woman in front of him in surprise, and murmured, "Mother?"

How could this be? My mother is clearly long gone... No, why has my body turned into that of a boy...?

A sudden, sharp pain shot through his head, making it almost impossible for him to think of anything.

Upon seeing this, the mother's face turned cold: "Here we go again?"

But a moment later she knelt down, held her son's head in her arms, and asked worriedly, "Yi'er, are you alright?"

The pain vanished in an instant, and when Yun Yi opened his eyes again, his gaze had returned to the clarity of his youth.

In my dream, I was unaware that I was a guest.

He simply assumed he had taken a long nap while being lazy and dreamt that he had become an immortal who could travel to heaven and earth, which further strengthened his determination to seek immortality and enlightenment.

The mother asked with concern, "Yi'er?"

Yun Yi said with a grin, "I think I've developed a strange illness that makes my head hurt whenever I read a book."

"What?!" Mother suddenly realized that she had been tricked by this scoundrel again, so she lashed out with the rattan cane, leaving a red welt with each strike.

"That little bastard is always trying to annoy me!"

Yun Yi stubbornly replied, "I don't want to take the imperial examinations; I want to become a sword immortal!"

The mother glanced around and sure enough saw the storybook on the table, called "The Legend of the Sword Immortal".
She was so angry that she picked up the storybook and was about to burn it in the kitchen. Yunyi saw this and quickly chased after her, saying, "You can't burn it. I borrowed it from someone. If you burn it, you'll have to pay for it."

Mother paused, "Really?"

"How could I afford a storybook?"

So the mother put the storybook in her bosom and continued to beat her son.

In the past, Yun Yi would have run away grimacing, but for some reason this time he obediently took the beating, even with a smile on his face.

The more her mother hit her, the more frightened she became, wondering if she had hurt herself.

……

As night fell, a middle-aged man who looked seven or eight parts like Yun Yi returned home, carrying firewood on his back.

He quickly washed himself with well water and went inside to find Yunyi sitting on a small stool, shivering from the cold.

The wife was busy applying ointment to her son's body; clearly, the boy had been beaten again today.

However, the mother was also heartbroken. While applying medicine to her son's back, she secretly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

The father asked with a smile, "Got beaten again?"

Yun Yi pouted and glared at him.

The mother said, "Stop making sarcastic remarks. I asked you to make a bath tub when you had time, but you always forget. Look how cold Yi'er is."

"Mom, I'm not cold!"

"Why are you shivering if you're not cold?"

When Yun Yi looked at his father, his expression immediately changed, and he said ingratiatingly, "Dad, could you take some time to make me a swing?"

The father asked curiously, "I've never seen you like playing on the swings before, why have you suddenly changed your mind?"

"I plan to practice my sword-flying skills by swinging on a swing first, so I won't be afraid of heights later."

"Flying with a sword?"

Mother slapped the red welt on his back, "You're talking nonsense again!"

……

At night, Yunyi, being young, felt tired and went back to his room to sleep.

Under the hazy moonlight, the mother sighed, "My child just won't study, what can I do?"

The father laughed and said, "Reading storybooks counts as reading too."

Before he could finish speaking, he sensed the murderous glint in his wife's eyes, so he immediately laughed it off and stopped talking.

Mother: "It's all because our poor, remote village doesn't even have a schoolteacher. Our Yi'er started his education late to begin with..."

Father: "You should save your worries. I don't want him to pass the imperial examinations. Whatever he does in the future, I just want him to be happy."

"Easier said than done."

"If we can't predict what will happen in the future, then let him live a carefree life now."

"Yi'er has become like this because you spoiled him!"

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault, my wife, please don't blame me."

Mother turned away angrily, too lazy to look at the man and that troublesome brat. But after a long silence, she suddenly asked:
Are you asleep?

"not yet."

"Make the swing as soon as possible."

"Tsk, Yi'er has been spoiled like this by you."

……

Spring came and autumn went several times, and then a plague broke out in the town for no apparent reason. Many people did not survive, and only a few remained.

Yunyi buried his parents near the old house so that he could easily go and clean it.

That day, he knelt before the tomb and said, "Your son plans to go out to seek immortality and ask questions. I don't know when I will return, so I specially burned extra paper money for you two. If it's not enough, remember to come to me in a dream."

There was no sadness on his face, only excitement at leaving the town.

"I heard that someone saw a fairyland in the desert, but after searching carefully, they found nothing. They guessed it was a mirage. I think that's possible, but I still want to go and try my luck."

"After this serious illness, I've finally come to a complete understanding. Entering the court as an official, becoming famous throughout the world—these are all empty titles. If you lose your life, they're all just bubbles and illusions."

"The only thing that matters is survival. Don't worry, I will live a long time and live forever! Hehe!"

He has now shed his youthful naiveté and looks quite spirited.

After wiping the tombstone, he locked the doors and windows one by one. Before leaving, he touched the bathtub, swung it around a couple of times, and it made a creaking sound.

Finally, he shouldered his bag and left home.

Little did they know that this journey would take them across countless mountains and rivers, to the ends of the earth. It would be a final farewell.

……

A rather rare storm swept across the desert, seemingly foreshadowing something big.

With his luggage on his back and his lips chapped, Yun Yi continued his search for "fairyland" amidst the endless yellow sand.

For ordinary mortals, seeking immortality and enlightenment is no easy task.
He left with great ambitions, and now he is just as disheartened.

Yun Yi thought to himself that these sandstorms and thirst were just hardships. As long as he persevered, he would surely gain something.

He had investigated for a long time and confirmed that the young man who saw the fairyland was definitely not seeing things.

"After all, he's an immortal; only those with the right destiny can meet him," Yun Yi comforted himself, and then continued to explore the desert according to his plan.

Unexpectedly, the storm suddenly intensified that day. Despite his extensive preparations, how could mere human strength contend with the power of nature?

Before long, he was so dizzy from the wind that he almost fainted.

I thought Yun Yi would die on his journey to seek immortality, but unexpectedly a pure white camel appeared in the desert.

In the world of cultivation, this camel is the most common spirit beast, the White Sand Camel, which can travel across the desert against the wind and sand.

But for Yunyi at this moment, it was a lifeline.

The white camel seemed to possess a spirit, and it took the initiative to sniff Yun Yi. Yun Yi then took the opportunity to flip over and climb onto the camel's back, saying, "Good camel brother, you saved my life today, and I will definitely repay you in the future."

The white camel was naturally dissatisfied and began to gallop forward with the rogue on its back. After an unknown amount of time, it finally arrived at a rare oasis in the desert.

As the storm gradually subsided, Yun Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and discovered that there was a spring here, which turned out to be the legendary Spring of Forgetfulness.

He was washing himself with spring water when Bai Sha Tuo, as if they were old friends, started rummaging through his pack. However, he wasn't interested in the dry rations inside, but instead became quite interested in a pot of liquor.

Yun Yi hurriedly stopped him: "You can't drink this! You'll die!"

During a struggle between the man and the camel, the wine bag was accidentally thrown into the spring. Just as Yun Yi and the camel looked at each other in bewilderment, a whirlpool suddenly appeared and swept him into it.

……

What is the Flying Secret Realm?

It can make someone famous overnight and soar to great heights.

When Yun Yi left the Flying Heaven Secret Realm alone, he carried the Great Dao inheritance of Nangong Feitian. From then on, his cultivation journey was smooth sailing, and breaking through realms was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.

Thus, everyone in the cultivation world was amazed and envious. A young man who was neither righteous nor demonic had appeared out of nowhere, forming his own sect with an unknown origin.

This person is blessed with great fortune and has encountered several extraordinary opportunities in succession.

Rumor has it that many experts at the Dao Integration Realm admire him greatly and have expressed their desire to take him as a disciple. This young man has politely declined them all, showing his extremely high aspirations.

However, the Demonic Sect also produced a cultivation genius named Song Xinci.

These two names are often discussed together, and they are said to be the strongest of the younger generation with unlimited potential.

Interestingly, Yun Yi and Song Xinci had met several times, but none of the meetings were exactly "pleasant".

The two of them were always vying for opportunities, and they couldn't wait to fight each other whenever they met. They never even had time to sit down and exchange a few words.

One is aloof and arrogant, the other seems cheerful but is actually conceited.

Neither of them would submit to the other, so they were destined to be enemies.

As a result, the Demon Sect members, because of Song Xinci, naturally had a poor relationship with Yun Yi and often secretly sabotaged him.

As the saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," and Zhengdao actually had a good relationship with Yunyi, especially after learning that he was a disciple of Nangong Feitian, he took extra care of him.

Once a person begins to cultivate, they will find that "immortality" is a matter that has almost no end.

Living for hundreds or even thousands of years is not enough.

Therefore, Yun Yi increasingly longed to reach the Ascension Realm and go to the Heavenly Realm, which was truly a place like a fairyland.

He wasn't lonely on his path of cultivation. He and Song Xinci were constantly chasing each other, and he sometimes gained the upper hand in their struggles, while at other times he suffered greatly.

……

Decades have passed in the blink of an eye.

In recent years, almost nothing major has happened in the cultivation world, simply because those two have taken all the limelight.

Compared to them, everyone else is just an extra.

Some say that only these two are a good match for each other, but there is not only no romantic love between them, but also an increasingly strong competitive spirit.

Having survived several near-death experiences, Yun Yi and Song Xinci both achieved Dao and continued their ascent, reaching the moment when they were about to ascend.

Faced with the challenge of ascension, the two came up with the same idea and decided to engage in a life-or-death battle.

Fair and just, straightforward and satisfying.

On that day, the two arrived at the agreed-upon battleground—Yunmeng Marsh. Only the two of them knew about this; no one else was aware of it, making Yunmeng Marsh unusually quiet.

Otherwise, who knows how many more cultivators would come to join the fun, as well as evil cultivators who want to secretly reap the benefits.

Song Xinci, with a cool and aloof air like a fairy from the moon palace, said: "You've arrived."

After thinking it over, Yun Yi said, "I'm here."

As the saying goes, "If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much." Since there's nothing to say, why not use the sword in your hand to speak for yourself?

The battle lasted for three days, with the two fighting fiercely and evenly matched. Over time, they even developed a sense of mutual respect for each other.

When their spiritual energy was completely depleted and they had exhausted all their means, they unexpectedly encountered their own opportunity to ascend.

Therefore, the battle ended inconclusively, and the two were busy undergoing their respective tribulations.

Yun Yi was scorched to a crisp by the heavenly tribulation, almost becoming a charred corpse.

However, the black outer shell of the corpse then peeled off, revealing the smooth, jade-like new skin underneath.

In contrast, Song Xinci's heavenly tribulation was incredibly gentle, with a rainbow bridge descending from the sky to invite her to ascend to the celestial realm.

Even though Yun Yi successfully overcame his tribulation, seeing this scene still made him feel that "comparison is the thief of joy."

Song Xinci invited Yun Yi to go to the Heavenly Realm, but Yun Yi declined, saying that he had another place to go.

It was his hometown, which he had not returned to for many years.

At this moment, all he wanted to do was pay respects to his parents and tell them that he had successfully cultivated immortality and would be immune to all diseases and live forever.

He decided not to go to the Heavenly Realm, but to stay in the mortal world to subdue demons, eliminate evil, and heal the wounded.

Then, just as he figured this out, a strange phenomenon appeared above his head.

Yun Yi had a bad feeling. He looked up and saw that Song Xinci, who had ascended to the heavens, had golden light covering her eyes.

She was expressionless, neither sad nor happy, like a majestic deity, impossible to look directly at.

Then, for some unknown reason, the entire sky suddenly began to burn fiercely, centered on Song Xinci.

It was not an ordinary, fiery red flame, but a pure white one, which felt completely cool to the touch.

It was neither scorching hot nor freezing cold.

However, any living thing that touches it will be burned to ashes in an instant.

This entire world was burned to the ground by a celestial fire.

Yun Yi couldn't understand. His gaze pierced through the flawless flames and he vaguely saw the desolate and empty Heavenly Realm, as well as Song Xinci, who was expressionless but had tear stains at the corners of her eyes.

They looked at each other, yet could not understand each other.

Both of them are the most difficult scriptures to understand in this world. They can barely understand themselves, let alone understand each other.

As a wisp of heavenly fire was about to engulf Yun Yi, he was filled with resentment and unwilling to die.

How can all the hard work and cultivation go to waste?

So he used the "Great Evolution Escape Technique," transforming himself into one of the three realms that escaped, disappearing without a trace.

(End of this chapter)