Wang Yun returned to the room and gently placed Wang Fang on the bed.
Madam Wang Xinyi stood beside him, her eyes already red.
"Wang Yun…" Xinyi's voice trembled.
Wang Yun looked into his wife's eyes. He could clearly see the sadness and fear she was trying to hide. He sighed softly.
"Xinyi," Wang Yun said calmly, "I know you are upset. But I cannot remain weak."
He clenched his fist.
"This is not just for me. Not just for you. It is for the future of our child."
Xinyi lowered her head, her hands trembling slightly.
"I must move higher," Wang Yun continued. "I must grow stronger and improve my cultivation. And you must do the same."
He looked at her seriously.
"You need to reach the Core Formation Realm within fifty years. Only then will you be able to protect yourself… and protect our child. Even if the elders fail, you must be able to guide him on the path of cultivation."
Xinyi's eyes widened, but she nodded slowly.
"I will return," Wang Yun said softly. "Eighty years from now. Until then, stay safe."
Without waiting for another word, Wang Yun turned and left in the middle of the night.
Ascension
Wang Yun arrived at a sacred structure, a place where cultivators triggered ascension to the upper worlds.
This was the boundary between the First Layer World and the Second Layer World, where Nascent Soul cultivators could move freely.
"I must take this gamble," Wang Yun muttered.
He began setting up formations around the platform. Spiritual symbols lit up one by one.
He then activated the Heaven-Receiving Art.
Instantly, the sky darkened.
Thunder roared as tribulation clouds gathered above. Lightning descended violently, but Wang Yun did not resist.
Instead, he activated the Body–Soul Unification Technique, allowing the lightning to temper his body and soul rather than destroy them.
Step by step, Wang Yun walked onto the Ascension Platform.
He looked around one last time.
He inhaled deeply… then exhaled.
The sky cracked open.
A massive Heavenly Gate descended, connecting the lower realm to the upper world. Golden light surged like an ocean, flooding the surrounding lands.
Far away, countless cultivators saw the golden radiance.
Some were confused.
Some were terrified.
But all sect masters close to the peak knew exactly what it meant.
Someone had ascended.
Meanwhile, inside the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sect…
Yue Luo stand before Wei Jun.
"huh," Yue Luo said, "one of my special men stationed near the Eternal Flame Sect has confirmed it."
"He heard that Wang Yun has ascended."
"What?!"
Shock rippled through the hall.
Wei Jun's expression twisted with fury. He released his pressure uncontrollably.
The entire hall trembled.
Elders fell to their knees. Yue Luo felt his blood freeze.
Wei Jun slowly calmed himself and withdrew his pressure.
"Sect Master, please calm down," an elder said carefully. "We may still have a solution."
Wei Jun's eyes narrowed.
"Speak."
Yue Luo straightened his posture. "Our previous plan was to form an alliance with the Blood Sect and two other sects. As one of the elders in Silent Moon Sect.we would infiltrate as spies and gather intelligence."
He paused.
"But now that Wang Yun is gone, the Eternal Flame Sect is weakened."
Wei Jun sneered. "Do not underestimate them."
"They still have powerful elders," Yue Luo continued, "and more importantly… they are allied with the Void Star Pavilion."
Silence filled the hall.
Wei Jun's voice turned cold.
"So what you are saying is…"
"We must strike," Yue Luo said firmly, "before the Void Star Pavilion arrives."
Wei Jun slowly nodded.
"Prepare, he said. The flames will soon face extinction