Chapter 529 Ascending to the Seventh Heaven

The sky burned with dawn’s glow.

Lu Ye soared upward, and within the glow, a towering celestial gate materialized, welcoming his arrival.

"Brother Lu Ye!"

Shangguan Huanling screamed at the top of her lungs.

Lu Ye didn’t so much as glance back.

With this, Shangguan Huanling would likely stay out of his sight for ages, right?

But even in the Sixth Heaven, Lu Ye had rarely seen Shangguan Huanling.

Once he resolved to sever ties, it was over in a flash.

And the further he went, the greater the distance between them became. Lu Ye couldn’t have been happier.

Even though he’d moved on ages ago, he never intended to eliminate them entirely. These people had always clung to him like shadows, and now that he was finally free of them, didn’t it feel liberating?

"Lu Ye, I’m coming for you—I will definitely come find you! Just you wait!"

Lu Ye froze mid-ascent.

For fuck’s sake, stay away! Annoying!

Just when he thought it was over, Lu Ye heard a second voice.

"Senior brother!"

"Senior brother, wait for me!"

"Eldest brother!"

"Senior brother, just let me see your face once more."

The voice was faint, coming from a great distance.

Hearing this, Lu Ye bolted like a bat out of hell.

...

Lu Ye’s figure disappeared into the light.

Shangguan Huanling stopped waving her hand, her gaze dulled with heartache.

Lu Ye had truly ascended, abandoning her yet again. She could lie to herself, but her heart knew the truth.

Regret gnawed at Shangguan Huanling.

Why—why hadn’t she refused in her past life, when Yin Qingcheng had approached her?

Back then, Yin Qingcheng’s approach had been almost timid, she’d sounded so unsure. Shangguan Huanling was certain that if she had refused, Yin Qingcheng would’ve backed off immediately.

But alas, she had agreed!

Peer pressure had won out.

How else would she belong?

Looking back now, if I hadn't done it in my past life and became the only one who stayed loyal to Lu Ye, I probably wouldn’t even know just how rich and happy I’d be in this life!

There really is a cure for regret in this world.

Unfortunately, the only cure for regret ended up going to Lu Ye.

If I could do it all over again, I would never make such a foolish mistake again, and I’d never let the Path of Affection vanish.

Even Vermilion Bird’s eyes held a hint of sorrow.

Helpless. Completely helpless.

Now, she had no idea how to even get close to Lu Ye again. There was nothing left tying them together. She racked her brain, desperate to bridge the gap, but there was simply no way.

Because she had no excuse to even approach him.

They were even further apart than strangers.

If Lu Ye saw a stranger, he might at least be civil—maybe even smile.

But when facing her, his coldness was downright cruel.

"Senior brother!"

"Senior brother!"

"Don’t leave!"

A voice, raw with grief and desperation, grew louder as it neared.

Sun Ruowei and the other two turned toward the source of the voice, their faces brightening with relief.

After such a long time, Yue Hongling had finally broken through.

The three hurried over, only to see Yue Hongling crumple to the ground in a mess, her face streaked with tears.

"Senior brother, why won’t you even see me one last time? Why are you so heartless?"

Yue Hongling was completely shattered.

She had pushed herself to the limit, just to see Lu Ye once more before his ascension, to let her senior brother know that she had always been following in his footsteps.

But now, Lu Ye hadn’t even noticed her.

Or perhaps, he had heard her cries—but refused to even turn around.

The joy the three had felt upon seeing Yue Hongling drained away in an instant, replaced only by desolation.

"Ah..."

A sigh, heavy with grief.

Shangguan Huanling’s eyes now burned with resolve.

"Vermilion Bird, bind me into the Soul Banner!"

Her voice left no room for doubt.

The Vermilion Bird shook her head, "There's no hurry. I'll place you in the Soul Banner when I'm about to ascend. During this time, work hard to enhance your soul strength. That way, you can keep more of your consciousness within the Soul Banner in the future."

"No!"

Shangguan Huanling refused decisively.

"I've already made up my mind. Waiting risks complications. All of you must take good care of yourselves. I'm going first!"

As her words fell, the qi within Shangguan Huanling's body began to grow chaotic, and blood gushed from her mouth and nose.

Self-destruction is agonizing, filled with great terror.

Yet, at this moment, Shangguan Huanling resisted that fear. The Path of Ultimate Emotion burned brighter than ever, surging wildly.

In truth, this was Shangguan Huanling's own struggle to hold onto herself. When a person commits suicide, every part of you fights to survive.

Yue Hongling stared at Shangguan Huanling, her eyes blank with confusion. She still didn’t understand what was happening.

"Take care of each other!"

These were Shangguan Huanling's final words.

"Boom!"

A muffled explosion sounded from within her body. Her fragile Nascent Soul crumbled to dust in that instant, and her internal organs were completely destroyed.

Her life ended instantly, severed on the spot.

Shangguan Huanling's body collapsed limply.

"Huanling!!"

Yue Hongling screamed.

What just happened? Everything was fine just moments ago. It was Shangguan Huanling who had saved her when she tried to take her own life, telling her there was still hope. How had things come to this?

The Vermilion Bird had already caught Shangguan Huanling's falling body.

The Soul Banner appeared in her hand.

"Are you insane?! How could Huanling kill herself? What did you do to her? Why did this happen?!" Yue Hongling's eyes burned crimson as she glared at the Vermilion Bird and Sun Ruowei, her killing aura flaring.

Back then, she'd begged them over and over, entrusting them to take good care of Shangguan Huanling, to steer her right and prevent her from doing anything foolish.

And this?

Now the two of you actually drove Huanling to this? Is this how you guided her?!

"Hongling, get hold of yourself!"

"How can I?!"

During this time, Yue Hongling had truly pushed past all limits, chasing desperately—even after ascending to the Fifth Heaven, she hadn’t sought them out but continued training like her life depended on it.

The insights of her past life as an Emperor allowed her to break through her limits time and again, while the reforging of the Path of Fearlessness propelled her forward unstoppably.

And now it's come to such an ending?

"Yue Hongling chose to end her own life—it was her own request. She knew she couldn't ascend from the Sixth Heaven to the Seventh Heaven. Without Lu Ye shielding her from the divine retribution, she simply couldn't make it through."

"She wanted to catch up to Lu Ye, so the only way was to ascend with us. The only method for her to ascend was to become part of the Soul Banner, so I could carry her upward!"

"There was no other way—don’t you understand?"

Vermilion Bird's tone grew heavier. What, only you two share a deep sisterly bond, and I'm the heartless one?

How is this her fault that things turned out this way?

Yue Hongling—when something goes wrong, her first instinct is always to point fingers.

She *still* hasn't changed!