Gu Qing Shan observed the monk statue.
ââafter removing the dust, the other partyâs body could be clearly seen to be wearing a simple Buddhist robe, but his leg was being held down by a pair of black shackles and buried underground, his entire body pinned down and unable to move at all.
Gu Qing Shan had never seen a situation like this before, so he couldnât help but stay cautious.
This is definitely not a simple individual.
âAmitabha, the wraiths are going to arrive soon, benefactor would have to quickly ascend to have any hope of bringing the world of Kunlun with you and escapeâ the monk said.
Gu Qing Shan looked at the black thread on his hand.
The other end of the thread was emanating a very faint power of Causality, seemingly trying to remind him of something.
ââthe pursuing troops were coming.
Gu Qing Shan nodded to the other party: âThen Iâll think of a way to ascend now, farewellâ
The monk said: âWait!â
âIs there anything else?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
The monk explained: âThe path of ascension that the Seven Institute had set up includes a total of 81 obstacles, only by going through them all would you be able to climb onto the ascension deck, then proceed up to the Jasper Pool Heavenly Palaceââ but the pursuing troops are going to arrive very soon, you most likely wonât be able to pass through those obstaclesâ
âThen what now?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
The monk replied: âI was the preparation that the heavenly beings left numerous years ago, specifically for emergencies like these. Benefactor, I will now help you ascend immediatelyâ
Gu Qing Shan doubtfully asked; âI heard that ascension is an exceptionally tough matter that requires one to face numerous hardship, it is a trial comparable to Heavenâs Tribulation itself. When youâre stuck here like this, how could you help me ascend the heavenly palace?â
There was reason for him to doubt, after all, this was their first meeting, and the other party was being trapped in this hall, unable to move at all.
The monk didnât care too much about that and clasped his hands in front of his chest: âBenefactor, in the past, this humble one met a miraculous person, whom I became the disciple ofâ
âMy master said that the world of Kunlun would eventually face a great trial, so master taught be a few techniques in order to face this enemy also entrusted a certain task to meâ
âWhat task is that?â
âIf one day, I were to be trapped within a temple, and in my hand were holding a foreign object that came from the sky, and standing in front of an outsider, I will have to chant an incantation to prove that I am their ally, not enemyâ
Gu Qing Shan nodded: âPlease show meâ
The monk chanted the incantation in a low voice: âTime, you are the lord of all living beings, but also my closest friendâ
Following the incantation, drifting sand manifested from the void of space, circled around the monk before flying into the air and displayed the form of a dignified woman.
Sensing the familiar power in the void of space, Gu Qing Shan clasped his fist and bowed: âLady Fusi, I did not think I would meet you hereâ
âââan Awaiting from the [Order] faction, controller of time, the Unextinguishing Sand, the Legendary Lady, Sovereign of the Elemental Fairies, the Fairy of Time, Fusi.
She looked at Gu Qing Shan and smiled: âAt the time that the wraiths and the Eternal Abyss fought one another, I once traversed the River of Time in order to sneak a peek into the Wraith realm, but their world was protected by a unique barrier that not even I could completely see throughâ
âHowever, out of coincidence, at a certain corner of time, I discovered this cultivator with temporal talentsââ- this was an exceptionally rare talentâ
âRight now, he is my disciple, as well as a part of our new force, you can trust himâ
Gu Qing Shan replied: âVery well, I understandâ
Fusi continued: âThe Awaitings will awaken soon, so I must remain here to guard and protect themâ
âThe wraiths are a very mysterious bunch, take care of yourselfâ
After saying so, she nodded to bid Gu Qing Shan goodbye as her body turned back into a sand storm and disappeared.
Gu Qing Shan looked at the monk again.
âSo that was the reason. I was wondering why you carried such a familiar power, but then, why exactly were you trapped here?â his voice now carried a bit more intimacy.
âThere is little time, let me first take you to Jasper Pool, weâll talk again later tonightâ the monk said.
Gu Qing Shan clasped his fist: âThen I thank youâ
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.
As if some sort of immense force was shaking the foundations of Kunlun itself.
The sky became dark, from afar, one could see a gigantic shadow slowly manifesting itself
ââit was an unbelievably huge warship, the hull of the ship completely black, with a fanged yaksha mask being hung at the head of the ship.
The monkâs gaze became sharp and spoke: âNot good, the wraiths have arrivedâ
He formed a hand seal with both hands.
The dust on the ground completely scattered away, showing a large formation right at the monkâs feet.
Innumerable golden runes continuously swirled around the monk, giving off immense power to the point that Gu Qing Shan could feel his heart beating faster.
â[Time Withdrawal]!â the monk shouted.
A golden flash of light appeared from his hand and flew straight to the horizon.
Instantly, the gigantic warship disappeared without a trace as it was struck by the golden light.
After unleashing this golden flash of light, the formation around the monk all shattered.
ââ-but a single strike to eliminate the enemy, that is too powerful!
âDid you just erase that ship?â Gu Qing Shan couldnât help but ask.
The monk wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained: âThatâs not the case, thanks to the formation that the heavenly beings left behind, my temporal ability was reinforced numerous times, which allowed me to send that gigantic ship back in time by fifteen minutesââ- the wraiths will have to travel for fifteen more minutes until they could once again reach Kunlunâ
Gu Qing Shanâs heart jumped.
A temporal ability!
The Thaumaturgy that this monk possessed actually had relations to time itself, as expected of Lady Fusiâs disciple.
Most likely, he knows the entire world of Kunlun like the back of his hand.
Itâs a good thing that heâs an ally.
The monk looked at Gu Qing Shan again, then urged him: âHurry, benefactor, take out your sturdiest weapon, then fly to the top of the temple, Iâll directly send you through ascension to the Heavenly Palaceâ
âAlright, then thank youâ
Gu Qing Shan took out the Six Paths Great Mountain sword, flew to the top of the building, then looked down.
âIâm already in place, may I ask how fellow Dao seeker will send me through ascension?â
Gu Qing Shan asked.
At the next moment, the monk took out an ancient-looking giant club from the void of space.
As soon as the club appeared, the monkâs entire body sank down a few centimeters, showing just how heavy it was.
Some heavenly aura and energy could be seen drifting around the long club.
âIs that your weapon?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âCorrect, this is a Divine Armament that the heavenly beings created specifically for my sake, it has the ability to go through all barriersâ the monk replied.
âHave you confirmed that?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âNaturallyâ
The monk displayed a bright smile, then explained: â81 obstacles is a lot of annoying formalities, we wonât make it through all of them in time, so Iâll be able to send you through ascension with just the basic power of this clubââ but you have to make sure to block itâ
Block... it?
Gu Qing Shan abruptly felt uneasy right at that very moment.
The monk raised his club and shouted: âAmitabha, here youâ- GO!â
Instantly, Gu Qing Shan understood the other partyâs intentions.
His pupils dilated, then shouted out loud: âMonk, wait a momentââ-â
But it was too late!
While the club was heavy, the monkâs strike was completely unaffected by the weight, instantly reaching its maximum speed and power at the beginning.
The giant club left a series of afterimages as it violently swung towards Gu Qing Shan.
Gu Qing Shan put his sword in front of himself to block it.
Bang!!!
The sound resounded throughout the entire hall.
Gu Qing Shan was sent flying in a single strike, quickly turning into a small black dot in the sky as he flew through the numerous layers of invisible light and went above the clouds.
ââ-this was his ascension!
Gu Qing Shan continued to fly upwards through the clouds.
Barrier after barrier appeared in the void of space, but couldnât stop Gu Qing Shan at all.
He quickly made it through all the magical barriers and entered a layer of space full of glowing runes.
ââthis was the ascension warp layer.
One could not reach Jasper Pool simply by flying, because the Heavenly Palace might be visible from the ground, but it actually resided in a completely different space.
Gu Qing Shan formed a hand seal to stabilize himself.
Right as he stopped, the runes swiftly surrounded him while slowly flying around him.
A second later, Gu Qing Shanâs figure disappeared from the sky.
Within the tattered temple, the monk cupped his hand above his eyes as he looked above the broken roof to see the sky, appearing sympathetic.
âAmitabha, that swing was quite decentâ
A miniature array of runes suddenly appeared and circled around the monkâs body.
A second later, the monk also disappeared from the hall.