Ye Yun, who had disappeared amidst the white light, now found himself in a circular grand hall.
The hall was resplendent with gold and grandeur, revealing that he was indeed inside the golden palace he had seen from the outside, rather than in some other space.
Ye Yun noticed a peculiar feature: the walls of the hall were adorned with murals that constantly depicted scenes like a landscape scroll, with myriad wondrous sights within.
Aside from this, on the platform in the center of the hall, a golden skeleton sat in meditation.
"It seems this is the remains of that sage, truly extraordinary."
Ye Yun slowly walked forward, his gaze fixed on the sage's bones.
He discovered that even after tens of thousands of years, these bones still emitted a soft glow, with the essence of the Dao flowing around them.
Ye Yun also knew of the sage's identity.
"Flying Moon Sword Saint, Xu Yuemian..."
As he was observing, a golden light emanated from the skeleton, and a golden silhouette materialized before him.
"Kid, we meet again."
This golden figure was undoubtedly the tomb's owner, Xu Yuemian.
Xu Yuemian smiled as he looked at Ye Yun, sighing, "Your comprehension just now truly startled this sage. You actually managed to shatter the Spirit Communication Bell."
"I presume your comprehension level has reached beyond the ninth tier?"
He was not wrong about this. Ye Yun shrugged, "Something like that. Just got a bit lucky."
This too, was not a lie. After all, without good luck, he wouldn't have received such lavish rewards. His luck had clearly been excellent thus far.
However, Xu Yuemian perceived this as humility and did not press further.
"Never mind. This sage has limited time and won't waste it with you."
Xu Yuemian gazed at Ye Yun and slowly asked, "Kid, have you ever heard of the Heavenly Domain?"
The sudden change of topic made Ye Yun pause slightly, but he soon nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, of course, I've heard of it. The legendary place of ascension, though its existence has always been uncertain."
"So it is indeed like that..."
Xu Yuemian let out a sigh, lost in thought.
Ye Yun, however, became curious and asked in return.
"By the way, with your talent and strength, Senior, ascension should not have been a problem, right? Why haven't I heard of you attempting to ascend?"
Through the countless ages, countless prodigies had emerged on the continent. Among them, the Flying Moon Sword Saint, Xu Yuemian, was considered among the very peak.
In Ye Yun's opinion, a genius of such caliber should not have been unable to ascend, unless the Heavenly Domain truly did not exist.
Upon mentioning this, Xu Yuemian's expression darkened, and he said in a deep voice,
"This sage did attempt to ascend. However, for cultivators of our Profound Sky Continent, ascension is a dead end!"
His words were filled with immense resentment, spoken through gritted teeth.
Ye Yun raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? A dead end in what way?"
"You shall see for yourself."
Xu Yuemian did not explain directly. Instead, the murals around the palace began to glow, and everything in Ye Yun's vision started to fade and become ethereal.
Before long, Ye Yun was astonished to find himself as if immersed in a panoramic cinematic scene.
At the peak of the continent, a figure sat cross-legged, surrounded by boundless Dao energy. The sheer power emanating from him shook Ye Yun.
From his appearance, it seemed to be the Flying Moon Sword Saint, Xu Yuemian.
"Kid, watch what happens next."
Xu Yuemian, in his energy-body form, spoke with a somber tone as he looked at his distant self.
Hearing this, Ye Yun stared intently into the distance. After a moment, the world suddenly changed, and the boundless sea of clouds seemed to be stirred by the power surrounding Xu Yuemian.
Shortly after, a beam of light formed from infinite Dao energy shot straight into the sky. Simultaneously, a force exuding a profound aura descended from the heavens, enveloping Xu Yuemian's form.
Even though they were not in the same dimension, Ye Yun could feel the supreme majesty contained within that power.
"Is this... ascension?"
Ye Yun's eyes narrowed. The scene before him was clearly Xu Yuemian receiving the summons of the Heavenly Domain, the phenomenon of a cultivator reaching their peak and ascending!
And judging by the stable aura, there seemed to be no possibility of failure. Yet, under these circumstances, an anomaly occurred in the sky!
As the summoning power intensified, an incomparably terrifying aura suddenly appeared in the sky, accompanied by a resonant roar that echoed through the heavens.
"A mere ant from a small realm, dare to attempt ascension to the Heavenly Domain? Truly seeking death!"
The voice boomed, and then a palm strike descended.
This seemingly casual palm strike contained supreme Dao might and world-destroying power. It instantly unleashed a torrential aftershock upon the land, and even Xu Yuemian, in the midst of ascension, was severely wounded by this power.
The scene froze at this point, then gradually dispersed, revealing the hall once more.
Xu Yuemian looked at Ye Yun and said in a deep voice, "Kid, do you understand now? Why, throughout history, has no one been able to ascend to the Heavenly Domain?"
"Yes, it's truly unexpected."
Ye Yun's eyes narrowed coldly, "Did those above deliberately block the ascension channel?"
"That's correct. Precisely so."
"But... why would they do that?"
"This sage doesn't quite know the specific reason, but..."
Xu Yuemian explained in a deep voice, "This matter was done by the people of the Heavenly Dao Divine Hall in the Heavenly Domain, who consider themselves guardians."
"Tens of thousands of years ago, the people of the Heavenly Dao Divine Hall prohibited the ascension channel for our Profound Sky Continent. Anyone who dared to attempt it would be attacked by powerhouses from the Heavenly Domain."
Ye Yun looked at him in surprise, "You haven't been to the Heavenly Domain, so how do you know all this?"
"Well, it's a bit embarrassing..."
Xu Yuemian coughed lightly. "After my failed ascension, I was extremely unconvinced. I spent my entire life and finally found a spatial rift connected to the Heavenly Domain."
"By means of this clandestine entry, I once entered a corner of the Heavenly Domain, and it was there that I learned of these matters."
Mentioning the Heavenly Domain, Xu Yuemian's spirit seemed to lift, and he couldn't help but lament,
"I must say, that is a truly great world. The prodigies and monstrous talents from all sides are far beyond those of our small realms."
"Unfortunately, it wasn't long before my identity as a stowaway was discovered, and I was pursued by the Heavenly Dao Divine Hall."
Ye Yun frowned, "And then you fled back to the Profound Sky Continent?"
Xu Yuemian nodded.
"That's right. While being pursued, I was fortunate enough to be gifted an immortal treasure by a female cultivator. It was through that immortal treasure that I managed to return to the Profound Sky Continent relatively smoothly."
This piqued Ye Yun's curiosity, and he couldn't help but ask, "Oh? What immortal treasure?"
After all, something that allowed Xu Yuemian to evade pursuit from the forces of the Heavenly Domain and return to the Profound Sky Continent could not be an ordinary treasure.
Mentioning this, Xu Yuemian chuckled lightly, "That immortal treasure is called the Immortal Demon State Map. As my cultivation was not high, I could only use some of its functions."
"But even so, I relied on it to roam the Profound Sky Continent for many years. It could be said that it accomplished me."
Ye Yun finally understood. Legend had it that the Flying Moon Sword Saint possessed an unparalleled magical treasure and used it to dominate the land. That unparalleled magical treasure, it seemed, was the Immortal Demon State Map.
Looking at it this way, the people from the Four Great Immortal Palaces this time might have come for the Immortal Demon State Map.
After all, if one could obtain a treasure of this caliber, it would greatly enhance their combat power and create a suppression against other Immortal Palaces.
However, Ye Yun did not care about these things. He looked at Xu Yuemian and asked with a frown,
"So, Senior, what is your purpose in telling me all this? Are you perhaps hoping that I will help you get revenge on the Heavenly Dao Divine Hall?"
"That would be too much. This sage is not that shameless."
Xu Yuemian shook his head and slowly said, "This sage simply wishes for our Profound Sky Continent to have successors, to break the blockade of the Heavenly Domain forces, and to step into the Heavenly Domain with dignity!"
"Although the agreement we sages made ten thousand years ago was to conceal the truth of ascension to the Heavenly Domain, I believe we should not continue to submit to the Heavenly Dao Divine Hall!"
"Thus, I left this tomb, hoping to wait for a suitable successor who can carry my legacy and once again find an opportunity to enter the Heavenly Domain!"
As he spoke, Xu Yuemian's gaze towards Ye Yun gradually became fervent.
"And in you, this sage sees great hope!"