Unlike ordinary cultivation methods, the Eternal Void Ascension Technique followed a fundamentally different path. It was a system created for the Infernal Void Serpent race, a lineage of True Spirit beings whose very nature allowed them to sense the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth without effort.
Because of this innate ability, they did not require a process of spiritual awakening, nor did they possess spiritual roots in the traditional sense. The first step of their cultivation was therefore not the Spirit Awakening Realm, but a unique foundation known as the Void Seed Realm.
Liang had studied this method long ago, and he understood clearly that its danger lay in its simplicity.
In this realm, the cultivator condensed a Void Seed — a tiny black speck that appeared insignificant at first glance, yet contained astonishingly dense spiritual power. Unlike ordinary Qi accumulation, progress depended entirely on mental focus and spiritual stability. The cultivator had to continuously nourish the seed with their mind and spirit, allowing it to slowly grow and awaken their latent potential.
When the seed matured completely, it would begin to emit a unique energy known as Void Qi.
This marked the transition to the second realm — the Void Palace Realm.
Where ordinary cultivators formed a Spirit Palace within their consciousness, Infernal Void Serpents developed a Void Palace inside a natural void slot that existed within the brain itself. The consciousness born within this structure was vastly superior to ordinary spiritual awareness, possessing far greater clarity and penetrating power.
Liang knew from experience that at the late stage of this realm, an Infernal Void Serpent's consciousness could rival the divine sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Once the Void Palace stabilized and Void Qi flowed smoothly throughout the body, the cultivator could advance to the third realm — the Void Core Formation Realm.
At this stage, Void Qi was compressed into a core that resembled a miniature black hole. Unlike a traditional Golden Core, this structure did not merely store power. It continuously absorbed surrounding energy and possessed the terrifying ability to distort space itself.
Even Liang could not deny the overwhelming dominance such a core represented in battle.
Like most major cultivation realms, the Void Core Formation Realm was divided into three stages, each corresponding to deeper strengthening and expansion of the core's devouring force. With each refinement, the core's gravitational pull grew more stable and its control over spatial distortions became increasingly precise.
When the core reached full completion, the cultivator could attempt the next transformation — entry into the Nascent Void Realm.
Unlike human cultivators, Infernal Void Serpents did not produce a Nascent Soul. Instead, their core underwent a qualitative evolution, transforming into a Nascent Core that embodied both their consciousness and power.
From this point onward, their mastery over Void Qi increased dramatically.
The Nascent Void Realm was likewise divided into three stages, each representing a further rise in both control and destructive potential. At higher levels, Void Qi could influence not only energy but the structure of space itself, making it one of the most feared powers among True Spirit lineages.
Liang understood all of this clearly.
He had once stood at a far higher level, yet now he had to walk the path again from its very beginning.
With his mind settled and his breathing steady, Liang slowly closed his eyes and began cultivating according to the Eternal Void Ascension Technique.
***
Meanwhile.
Azure Mountain — Azure Sword Sect.
Four figures in black robes emerged silently from the drifting mountain mist, their presence so sudden that even the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to recoil. Each of them radiated an aura so dense and oppressive that the air itself felt heavier, as if pressed down by invisible mountains.
Every one of them stood at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm — and not merely at the surface level. Their power carried a depth that only those who had walked through countless life-and-death battles could possess.
They did not speak.
They simply stood there.
The mountain wind swept past, causing their cloaks to flutter like dark banners of death.
The leader stood at the front — tall, broad-shouldered, and utterly still. A long curved sword rested at his waist, its faint, cold gleam reflecting in his eyes. His aura flickered strangely, rising at times beyond the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, touching the threshold of Spirit Severing.
Behind him, the other three carried weapons suited for silent killing — twin daggers, a slender longbow, and concealed poison blades hidden within their sleeves.
They were not warriors.
They were executioners.
The leader spoke at last, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.
"Remember," he said quietly, "leave no survivors."
The other three simply nodded.
Then, without another word, they stepped forward.
---
At the sect's entrance, several disciples stood guard, chatting idly beneath the stone gate.
One of them suddenly froze.
"…Do you feel that?"
Before the others could respond, a cold shadow passed through the group.
Four thin lines of red appeared across their throats.
They collapsed silently.
---
Within moments, the alarm bells began ringing.
"Enemy attack!"
"Defend the sect!"
Disciples rushed from every direction, summoning swords and spirit arts, but chaos spread faster than orders could.
The assassins moved like ghosts.
A disciple raised his sword —
— a black blade passed through his chest before he could even shout.
Another tried to activate a defensive talisman —
— an arrow pierced his forehead mid-incantation.
Everywhere they passed, death followed in silence.
Panic spread through the sect like wildfire.
---
At last, in the inner courtyard, four powerful auras surged into the sky.
The four peak Nascent Soul elders had arrived.
They descended like pillars of authority, their robes billowing as their spiritual pressure swept across the battlefield.
One elder roared furiously:
"Who dares slaughter my Azure Sword Sect disciples?!"
Another elder, older and calmer, narrowed his eyes.
"These… are not ordinary enemies."
The assassin leader stepped forward slowly.
His voice was cold as ice.
"You should ask yourselves a different question."
A brief pause.
"Who did you offend?"
The youngest elder's face darkened.
"Speak clearly! Which faction sent you?!"
The leader gave a faint, humorless smile.
"Names no longer matter."
His eyes turned sharp.
"Tonight… Azure Sword Sect ceases to exist."
---
The hot-tempered elder exploded with rage.
"Arrogant fool! Kill them!"
Spirit energy erupted violently.
The battle began.
---
One elder formed a defensive barrier of radiant sword energy, shouting:
"Hold formation—"
A black-robed assassin appeared behind him mid-sentence.
A hidden blade pierced directly through the barrier.
Straight into his heart.
The elder's voice died in his throat.
His eyes filled with disbelief as he collapsed.
---
"Impossible—!"
Another elder barely had time to react before lightning exploded across his chest, hurling him backward in a burst of smoke.
The remaining two elders fought desperately, unleashing devastating sword techniques that shook the courtyard.
But their attacks struck nothing.
The assassins moved like shadows between dimensions — untouchable, relentless.
Their leader finally stepped forward.
One clean strike.
One precise motion.
A flash of cold light.
The last elder fell.
---
Silence descended.
Only the crackling of burning buildings remained.
The sect that once stood proudly on Azure Mountain now lay in ruins.
The leader surveyed the devastation without emotion.
"Mission complete."
The four black-robed figures turned and walked into the mist.
Within moments, they vanished entirely — leaving behind nothing but death and ashes.