Eternal Life through Drawing Lots

[Saint Ascension Conference, where heroes rise. Fortune follows the wind, and fate lies hidden.]

[Upper-Middle Fortune: Enter the Riding the Wind Celestial Spirit Array. As the Wind Spirit flutters, a Tier Five opportunity may be obtained. No future troubles. Auspicious.]

[Upper-Middle Fortune: Enter the Thunder Control Profound Celestial Array. As the thunder jiao roars, a Tier Four opportunity may be obtained. No future troubles. Auspicious.]

[Middle Fortune: Remain in the Saint Formation. You will be nourished by the abundant energies of heaven and earth. No danger, but no unexpected gains. Neutral.]

[Lower-Middle Fortune: Enter the Red Flame Falling Swamp Array. Water and fire clash, repelling and destabilizing. A Tier Four opportunity might be gained, but you will attract too much attention, hiding future disaster. Inauspicious.]

Fang Yang narrowed his eyes.

He suppressed his impatience and observed carefully.

Although the Saint Ascension Conference was being held in the Red Profound Cloud Sea Realm...

...the true host was not Sen Yue, but the legendary Longevity Heaven!

And every member of Longevity Heaven was, without exception, an outstanding figure who had led their era.

As far as Fang Yang knew, among the current saints of the Changkong Clan, only the ancestor with the surname Sen—Sen Yue’s Great Saint father—was qualified to enter Longevity Heaven.

Therefore, the Saint Ascension Conference had a distinction between a main formation and sub-arrays.

Choosing the right formation to undergo the tribulation for sainthood was, in itself, a skill.

’Heroes rise... that must be referring to prodigies like Jiang Venerable Sword, Dongfang Mobai, Minghai Waves, and the other Dao Seed Level geniuses.’

’Fortune follows the wind... Wind? Does that mean cultivators from the Wind Dao School will have an easier time ascending to sainthood at this conference?’

Despite his confusion, Fang Yang looked at the fortunes and quickly made his decision.

There were two Upper-Middle Fortunes available: one for a Tier Four opportunity, the other for Tier Five. Seeing this, he naturally prioritized the Tier Five option.

He would enter the Riding the Wind Celestial Spirit Array first to pursue the Tier Five opportunity.

If he had another chance, he would then go to the Thunder Control Profound Celestial Array for the Tier Four opportunity.

If there was no chance, he would return to the Saint Formation to absorb the energies of heaven and earth, consolidate his foundation, and advance his cultivation.

But in all likelihood, there wouldn’t be a second chance. After all, there were countless cultivators at the Saint Ascension Conference.

As for the Lower-Middle Fortune, he had already decided to ignore it.

Fang Yang exhaled softly and said to his clan sister, "I’ll probably meet up with Xiaohui in the main formation first, then head to the Riding the Wind Celestial Spirit Array. As for you, cousin, perhaps you can go to the Thunder Control Profound Celestial Array first. Pay attention to the opportune moment when the thunder jiao roars."

"Go to the Thunder Control Profound Celestial Array and watch for the moment the thunder jiao roars..." Fang Min’s gaze grew heavy as she fell into thought.

...

「Longevity Heaven.」

Palaces floated among the clouds, wreathed in thick Immortal Mist, with the silhouettes of great and terrible beasts looming within.

Some resembled Azure Dragons but had feathered wings; others looked like Divine Phoenixes but were covered in crimson scales. The forms of these great beasts were innumerable.

But upon closer inspection, one would discover that these beastly forms were actually manifestations of the spiritual will and Dao-rhythm emanating from a series of tombstones.

This was the place that truly controlled the Xuan Realm.

Its members were all of the Golden Clan’s bloodline, and only those who had once ridden the tides of their era could enter.

They were essentially all at the Great Saint level of cultivation, on par with the Vast Sea Pavilion of the Great Xuan Dynasty in the Hong Realm.

This was the true foundation of the Golden Clan!

"A hundred years have passed. It is time for the Saint Ascension Conference once more," a will as cold as eternal ice spoke faintly.

The scene instantly grew lively.

"Heh heh, I hear this generation’s star is from the Sen family of the Changkong Clan again. And a Young Venerable, no less!"

"Oh? A Young Venerable? Impressive. Truly impressive."

"I hear his younger sister, Sen Wei, also shows the potential of a Young Venerable."

"No, that’s impossible. A single great domain cannot support two Young Venerables in the same era, not unless Sen Yue perishes, or Sen Wei travels to the other seven domains."

"Hahaha, Brother Sen Hao, those are your descendants, aren’t they? Truly, each generation is more outstanding than the last. Why don’t you show yourself?"

"..."

As the tombstones began to rumble, this world seemed to tremble as if in celebration with gods and ghosts alike, shaking the very surroundings.

Finally, a withered black hand emerged from one tombstone, while two others revealed wisps of pure consciousness.

In other words, a total of three Great Saints were slowly manifesting themselves through peculiar means.

"Sigh... If only we could have abundant lifespans out in the Eight Domains of Heaven and Earth," someone suddenly remarked, plunging the gathering into silence.

Longevity Heaven was a blessing, but also a cage.

Once these Great Saints of the past left Longevity Heaven in their true forms, they would immediately be hunted by the Heavenly Will of the Eight Domains and face all manner of terrifying calamities.

They feared that the moment they appeared, the Heavenly Will would strip them of their lifespan and scatter their souls, reducing them to nothing but the ashes of calamity!

Furthermore, even while residing in Longevity Heaven, their lifespans were still dwindling away bit by bit.

They were merely living on borrowed time.

But the very fact that they could eke out an existence at all was a testament to the profound foundation of a Venerable’s Dao lineage!

...

「Purple Gold Refining Fire Hall.」

Divine light glowed brilliantly, and immortal radiance sparkled.

At this moment, Sen Yue was smiling, his eyes crinkled, as he presented the two Sacred Artifacts he had acquired to his younger sisters.

"Xiaohui, this is the Three-Plume Cyan Bottle, a Sacred Artifact. See if it suits you."

"Wei’Er, this Sacred Artifact is called the Sea-Suppressing Seal. It’s a Water Dao Sacred Artifact. Not only that, but it also touches upon the Mystical Skills of the Dao of fortune. It might be helpful to you. You should take it."

He had obtained the Three-Plume Cyan Bottle by forcefully suppressing the Minghai Difficult Crossing during the Xuan-Yu War.

The Sea-Suppressing Seal was a treasure he had found on the eighty-first floor of the Thunder-Control Celestial Heaven-Reaching Pagoda.

Although these two Sacred Artifacts didn’t align with his own school of cultivation, they were so precious that fathers and sons would turn on each other for them, and Dao companions would kill one another.

But now, in his hands, they were nothing of the sort.

"Brother, this is too precious," Sen Hui said, shaking her head frantically, refusing to accept it.

Sen Wei, however, calmly put away the Sea-Suppressing Seal, then grabbed Sen Hui’s hand and made her take the Three-Plume Cyan Bottle.

Sen Wei said, "Xiaohui, just take it. It’s a token of our brother’s goodwill. Besides, he has his own path to follow."

Then, she added, "Brother, when do you plan to help us refine these two Sacred Artifacts?"

Sen Hui had passively accepted the Three-Plume Cyan Bottle.

But for some reason, she felt a sense of unease, her heart fluttering with anxiety.

She watched her brother and sister discuss the state of the world, debating which prodigies from the great Venerable Dao lineages were worth guarding against...

Inexplicably, she felt her mind descend into Chaos; she didn’t understand any of it.

She raised her head to the sky and, for some reason, thought of Fang Yang.

’If only Fang Yang were here,’ she thought. ’He could talk with me about music and harmony, about the arts of an Alchemist Doctor.’

’There would be so many things we could talk about!’

Her distracted expression did not escape the notice of Sen Yue and Sen Wei.

Sen Yue sent a secret voice transmission. "Wei’Er, what’s wrong with Xiaohui?"

Sen Wei replied, "She probably finds our conversation too dull. I’ll bet she’s thinking about her Mr. Fang."

"Mr. Fang? You mean Fang Yang, right?" Sen Yue chuckled, finding the situation amusing.

He had recently learned of Fang Yang’s progress.

He had a rather high opinion of Fang Yang.

He didn’t oppose his sister Sen Hui’s relationship with Fang Yang.

In any case, Fang Yang would be a safe choice, a guarantee for his sister’s basic happiness.

After all, while he might be considered peerless among his generation in the Xuan Realm, like the Thunder Saint Ancestor reborn, he was not without rivals in the other great domains.

The Great Sun Dragon Lady of the Great Xuan Dynasty, for instance, was someone he had to take seriously, not daring to be the slightest bit careless. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Because that Great Sun Dragon Lady was the youngest daughter of the Vast Sea Venerable Emperor!