Immortal of the Ages

At dawn's first light, the Primordial Ruins were waking up, the sun cresting over the ship's bow, marching towards the stern, bathing the divine vessel in a new day's glow.

"Salute the sun, bow to the Three True Immortals!" a voice rang out.

Yun Xiao emerged from the shadows, the bustling market ahead alive with fervor. He paused at the corner, eyes drawn to the market's heart where a temple, resplendent in gold, stood majestically.

Inside, three towering idols loomed, their faces etched with compassion, overlooking the masses from on high.

Thick incense clouded their visages, mingling with the mystic fog of gold and silver, adding an eerie aura to this holy site. freew ebnove l.com

Along the temple-front street, incense burners were placed every few yards, each brimming with offerings.

A world steeped in heavy fragrance and devotion, where every soul was lost in reverence, faces solemn and fervent.

"The seventh hour has struck, kneel!" boomed a voice from the temple.

At its command, thousands of cultivators bowed in unison, their devotion as palpable as the incense smoke spiraling heavenward.

Yun Xiao scanned the horizon, noticing similar temples dotting the adjoining streets, each fronted by a sea of worshippers.

"A burner every yard, a temple on every street. Is this the essence of the Primordial Ruins?"

Their zeal left Yun Xiao puzzled, his plan to interrogate someone about Lian Xi's whereabouts thwarted by the mass prostration.

"With the first bow, bow to the Human Zenith Immortal," the solemn voice intoned once more.

At its call, the crowd prostrated before the rightmost idol, a collective thud resonating as heads touched the ground.

The entire landmass that was the Primordial Ruins quivered, the wind chimes of a nearby tavern jangling in the aftermath.

"With the second bow, pay homage to the Mystic Earth Immortal," echoed another voice from the temple.

The crowd, in solemn silence, turned towards the leftmost idol, bowing once more, sending the Primordial Ruins into another tremble.

"Third bow, for the Sky Source Immortal!" guided the temple's voice, leading the masses in a reverent prostration towards the central figure.

BOOM! The most intense quake yet shook the Primordial Ruins, even cracking the flagstones under Yun Xiao's feet.

"How many people are bowing in unison?" Yun Xiao couldn't help but marvel.

It was utterly astonishing.

And eerily peculiar!

Scanning the crowd, it was clear even to the untrained eye that even the common folk here were of a high caliber, most treading the Second Dao Tribulation in their cultivation journey!

Nearby, a few were even at the Genesis Spirit Realm, and further afield, undoubtedly, were those of even greater power.

Who could guess their cultivation?

"Back in the Sky Source Ruins, those people mentioned Three True Immortals in their conversion. They should have even a higher status than that Yuan Xianjun," Yun Xiao squinted towards the temple's three idols.

No doubt about it, the Human Zenith Immortal, Mystic Earth Immortal, and Sky Source Immortal had to be the revered Three True Immortals.

And the Sky Source Ruins likely had ties to the Sky Source Immortal.'

But for now, these three seemed uninvolved with the world burning business.

"Still not rising?" Yun Xiao expected the crowd to disperse post-bow, each to their own business, yet there they remained, knelt even after the homage was paid.

"After worshiping the Immortals, one may pursue the path of cultivation!"

At this moment, an elder with white hair and beard, exuding an aura of a sage, emerged from the temple.

His complexion was ruddy, his presence nearly rivaling that of the Yuan Xianjun.

Another titan in the world of immortals!

"Kinda formidable," Yun Xiao thought, impressed. Zhang Qingwei was strong, but to see her fall in a blink to Yuan Xianjun's sword showed the Primordial Ruins truly were a den of dragons and tigers, soaring above countless realms.

Under Yun Xiao's watchful eye, the temple elder, with a smile that could light up the darkest corners, proclaimed to the disciplined crowd, "Remember, diligent practice of the Ascension Technique breaks the five decays and leads you to the heavenly palace!"

The crowd's eyes sparkled as they chanted in unison, "Diligent practice of the Ascension Technique, break the five decays, to the heavenly palace!"

"With the dawn's light, all hearts and spirits rise! Begin the practice!" the elder said with a grin that was all warmth and wisdom.

"Yes!" The crowd responded in perfect harmony, shifting from kneeling to sitting.

Heads held high, chests puffed out, in utter solemnity, they began to circulate their cultivation techniques right there on the street, seeking enlightenment.

The hum of sacred power buzzed around them, a collective cultivation session so powerful it seemed to shake the very air.

Yun Xiao saw the spiraling light of sacred power on thousands, converging and rising like a spiral towards the heavensa tangible sense of ascension.

The light from the celestial sun at the divine vessel's bow mingled with these spiraling forces, casting everyone in a golden hue.

It was the picture of health and vigor, amidst the thick incense smokea vivid scene of a whole populace devoted to the path of cultivation laid bare before Yun Xiao.

"All of them, cultivating with the sunrise... Seems the effect is indeed remarkable. No wonder they're all so advanced."

Initially finding the scene somewhat eerie, Yun Xiao couldn't help but be struck by awe after a closer look.

A single street, tens of thousands of people, their collective energy forming a golden vortex overhead, soaring skyward, each individual thriving from the shared momentum, their progress unstoppable.

"Only in the Primordial Ruins," Yun Xiao mused, having witnessed a higher path of cultivation, the mortal in him couldn't help but feel a touch moved.

"Hogwash," Blue Star suddenly scoffed. "Take a closer look behind the facade."

"Something amiss?" Yun Xiao peered closer, noticing each cultivator lost in a state of utter self-forgetfulness, their cultivation growing increasingly... fervent.

"Hmm?" Glancing up, Yun Xiao spotted three ethereal figures atop the golden whirlwind, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. They loomed like mountains over everyone, their forms eerily twisting with the vortex's spin.

"Practice diligently for ascension, break through the five decays, and ascend to the heavenly palace..." the crowd chanted, their expressions slipping into vacant stares.

The Primordial Ruins fell eerily silent at this moment, giving Yun Xiao a chilling realization: it was as if there wasn't a single living soul around.

"How could this be?" Yun Xiao whispered to Blue Star.

"This is a Gu nurturing immortal cultivation method called the All-Life Devouring Gu, a forbidden art that feeds on the souls and beliefs of the many to bolster one's own path, one of the darkest methods in the realm of cultivation," Blue Star explained with a grim chuckle.

"But they all look so vibrant after their practice," Yun Xiao puzzled.

"Just a facade. The power they cultivate isn't truly theirs. By the Second Dao Tribulation, most will age rapidly and die, their souls consumed. The cruelest part? Their souls are so eroded by the practice, they'll never realize the truth. Even if you told them, they'd think you're the fool," Blue Star said coldly.

Yun Xiao's gaze shifted to the temple, eyeing the three idols, "Is it the work of those Three True Immortals?"

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