MTLNOVEL Chapter 389: Warmth and Coldness
"Boom!"
The intense roaring and trembling began to echo over the peak of Jiang Heavenly Venerable.
The Cave Heaven and Chaos Void simply couldn't coexist, causing Jiang Heavenly Venerable to grow even more frantic, and filling him with a deep sense of despair, "Why! Why!?"
He continued despondently to try fusing the powers of the Cave Heaven and Chaos Void into one, to Refine Void into reality, to extrude a true Cave Heaven, but...
The power of the Chaos Void was already on the brink of getting out of control, and even the spiritual Cave Heaven created by burning the Dharma Phase was gradually collapsing!
This scene, witnessed by many a Hollow Void War Immortal of the Cangwu lineage full of anticipation and longing, was impossible for them to accept.
"Failure!? How could this be!? Heavenly Venerable, how could this happen!?"
"Heavenly Venerable he... his foundation with the Deep Blue Golden Core is so profound, and with the Jade Emperor Supreme acting as protector, with a success rate of over fifty percent, how could he possibly fail!?"
"No! This can't be true! Our Cangwu lineage poured all of our resources, energy, and heart's blood into Jiang Heavenly Venerable, how could he possibly fail? How could he be allowed to fail? How dare he fail!?"
The Hollow Void War Immortals of the Cangwu lineage were shocked and infuriated.
In some of their eyes even surged a deep hatred.
A hatred born of disappointment that iron did not turn into steel.
And...
Hatred that he had wasted so many of Cangwu lineage's resources, and in return, given them this sort of repayment.
"No! No! No!"
While the people of the Cangwu lineage were filled with indignation, Jiang Heavenly Venerable, who was assaulting the threshold of the Hollow Void Realm, felt a fear like never before.
The completely burned-out power of the Dharma Phase, the Chaos Void on the verge of collapse, kept jabbing at his soul, making him keenly aware that death was actually so close to him.
It seemed that any second now, if the Chaos Void went out of control, the exploding force would completely engulf him, erasing all traces he had left in this world.
That unprecedented emptiness, that unprecedented fear, made him involuntarily turn his gaze towards the Jade Emperor Supreme.
"Save me, Master, please save me!"
Not far away, the Jade Emperor Supreme's eyebrows were tightly knit, and his eyes were filled with a stern coldness.
Feeling Jiang Heavenly Venerable's utterly failed ascension status, he couldn't help but snort, "A fifty percent probability, yet you still managed to fail! Jiang Heavenly Venerable, you've disappointed me greatly."
He gave a fierce flick of his sleeve, "Your ascension has completely failed, but you still have some foundation left. If you immediately switch to training as a Hollow Void War Immortal, you might yet save your life!"
Having said that, he turned away without giving another look to Jiang Heavenly Venerable who had lost the possibility of promotion, left the peak.
Originally mired in despair, Jiang Heavenly Venerable suddenly, upon hearing the Jade Emperor Supreme's direction, felt as if he had discovered a new world, seeing a glimmer of hope for survival.
Although becoming a Hollow Void War Immortal had many drawbacks, but...
It was better than perishing in the process of ascending.
To live is to have hope!
As long as he could survive, even if he were to become a Hollow Void War Immortal, with his talent and potential, it wasn't necessarily impossible to practice the Stellar Ring Nine Refinements from the foundation of a Hollow Void War Immortal, and ultimately reach the true Hollow Void Realm, then look further to Refining Void, Shattered Void, and even to become a Dao Lord!
With this thought, an unprecedented desire to survive emerged in his heart, and he managed to retain the remaining power of the Dharma Phase, abandoned the merger of both powers, and did everything in his might to maintain the status of the Chaos Void.
Having spent years alongside numerous Hollow Void War Immortals of the Cangwu lineage, he was very familiar with the ways to transition to being a Hollow Void War Immortal.
With this rich experience, the process of his transition to a Hollow Void War Immortal was unexpectedly smooth.
Soon...
He gained control over the rampant Chaos Void.
Although the fierce burning of the Dharma Phase had greatly damaged his mind and spirit, and he didn't know how long it would take to recover from such soul-level injuries, he ultimately escaped death at the last moment by transitioning to a Hollow Void War Immortal.
"Phew!"
It took a while before Jiang Heavenly Venerable finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Only after he had somewhat stabilized the state of the Chaos Void did he have the leisure to look around.
At this moment did he realize that all of the onlookers who had been around him had left, leaving only many Hollow Void War Immortals from the Cangwu lineage still on the mountain peak.
But these Hollow Void War Immortals were all looking at him, silent and without a word.
This feeling...
Made Jiang Heavenly Venerable somewhat uncomfortable.
A group of Hollow Void War Immortals without a future daring to look at him with such eyes.
But then he thought of something else, was he now...
Also a Hollow Void War Immortal?
At this thought, this scion of the Cangwu lineage felt a stab of pain in his heart.
"Damn it, it's all Alkaid's fault. If not for his intelligence, how would my master have repeatedly urged me to make a rapid breakthrough? If not for my master's urging, how could I have failed the ascension, forced to take the path of a Hollow Void War Immortal, just to save my own life?"
Jiang Heavenly Venerable was in a terrible mood.
However, he knew all too well that he must have deeply disappointed his master, and he probably shouldn't expect any support from him for quite a long time.
And without his master's support...
He turned his gaze towards those "rural poor relatives" from the Cangwu lineage.
It took him a while, but he finally managed to squeeze out a smile, "Elders Xie Xiong, Gelin, and Li An, I've glimpsed the true essence of the Hollow Void during my recent breakthrough. Although I failed at the very last step, I am confident that if I were to try once more, achieving the Hollow Void would be a piece of cake. Therefore, I have decided to follow the path of the Stellar Ring Nine Refinements and re-cultivate into a true Hollow Void! It may take some time, but I believe that day is not far off."
He spoke with a confidence that seemed to have restored the pride he once held as a True Disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect, a Direct Disciple of the Jade Emperor Supreme, and one of the nine ranked candidates for the Hollow Void Realm.
And he wanted to use this pride to infect the people of the Cangwu lineage.
Unfortunately...
The people of the Cangwu lineage used to be influenced by him because they were filled with hope for him, easily moved by his words, but now...
"Sigh."
Xie Xiong sighed.
At that moment, he seemed to have aged suddenly.
"Jiang Heavenly Venerable!"
Li An widened his eyes, pointing at him with his right hand, "Our Cangwu lineage has given you unreserved support, pouring all resources into you for years, so you could stand out and bring glory to our lineage, and this... this is how you repay us!? How dare you!? How dare you!?"
"Useless!"
Gelin scolded without any mercy. Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire
Not just the three of them felt this way, but other Hollow Void War Immortals also expressed their heartache.
"Jiang Heavenly Venerable, you have let us down too much."
"No matter how well you performed in the past, when it came to the actual promotion to Hollow Void, you became a Hollow Void War Immortal—a waste of talent!"
"I said it before, we should never have placed our hopes on someone so obstinate and self-righteous. How could someone with such pettiness and vindictiveness ever properly comprehend the Mysteries of the Void and ascend to the Realm of Hollow Void?"
"We were all blinded by you. If we had spread our resources to others within our lineage, we might have cultivated a Hollow Void by now. Why did we have to wait until now?"
All sorts of comments kept pouring out from the mouths of the many Hollow Void War Immortals.
Jiang Heavenly Venerable, hearing all this, felt his face flush with alternating shades of red and white.
"Enough!"
Unable to bear it any longer, he cried out after a while, "Advancing to Hollow Void is not so easy."
"And what about Alkaid, the Sect Leader? He is younger than you, yet he not only successfully advanced to the Hollow Void Realm, but he has also stepped into the Refining Void Domain. Moreover, he recently thwarted the Yin Moon Sect demon cultivators' invasion of Southern Capital, slaying two Shattered Void Demon Cultivators and five Refining Void Demon Cultivators, earning the title 'Unbeatable in Refining Void' and fame that has spread across the Northern Sea!"
Immediately, a Hollow Void War Immortal stood up to rebuke him without any reservation, "I know that a prodigy like Alkaid is a rare find in the world, but if you had even a fraction of his capability, we wouldn't be so disappointed."
"You... you..."
Jiang Heavenly Venerable, hearing them mention Alkaid and knowing his own shortcomings, felt choked with frustration and eventually couldn't help but roar, "If it hadn't been for you constantly bringing up Alkaid in front of me, distracting me, how could I have rushed into attempting Hollow Void without being fully prepared!? Humph! You brag about his achievements when you cannot provide sufficient help to me. He sought the patronage of Penglai Dao Lord to gain such strength; and you? Are any of you Dao Lords? If even one of you was Refining Void and could provide me a few Dao Artifacts, I wouldn't have had to risk my life! My failure to achieve Hollow Void is largely your fault!"
The Hollow Void War Immortals in the crowd were stunned upon hearing Jiang Heavenly Venerable's retort.
Although Jiang Heavenly Venerable had been similarly unreasonable about certain matters before...
Back then, his cultivation progressed swiftly and he performed well, so the people could still grudgingly accept his words.
But now...
He had become like them, embarking on the path of the Hollow Void War Immortal.
Instead of reflecting on his own faults, he was blaming them?
Gelin and Li An were both infuriated and amused by him.
"I've never seen anyone so shamelessly brazen!"
"Enough is enough. It was our own blindness to entrust our hopes in a thankless wretch like you... Indeed, Elder Wan warned me before that our unwavering support for you might backfire, raising an ingrate. Now we reap what we have sown! It's all our own doing, haha!"
Li An laughed bitterly, turning into a streak of light as he headed back toward the direction of the Cangwu lineage.
Gelin gave Jiang Heavenly Venerable a cold look, "I've seen your true colors now. From this day forward, you are no longer one of us in the Cangwu lineage, we have no more ties with you."
After speaking, he too followed Li An.
The others, like Elder Xie Xiong and the remaining Hollow Void War Immortals, gave Jiang Heavenly Venerable a cold glance and left.
In the blink of an eye, the already sparsely populated peak became even more desolate.
"You... you..."
Jiang Heavenly Venerable's face turned ugly, "So you're turning your backs on me now, huh? You really think I can't make anything of myself without the support of the Cangwu lineage? Fine! Just wait, fortunes change over time, I, Jiang Heavenly Venerable..."
"Jiang Heavenly Venerable!"
At that moment, another voice rang out, "You have now advanced to Hollow Void War Immortal and are no longer a True Disciple. You are commanded to vacate True Transmission Peak within three days, and wait for further arrangements for your duties."
Jiang Heavenly Venerable instinctively wanted to rage, but when he saw the identity of the messenger as one of the Sect Leader's direct disciples, he forcefully suppressed his anger, "Brother Chao Yang, what brings you here..."
The Hollow Void did not bother to engage in conversation, sticking to business, "Alright, vacate True Transmission Peak within three days and do not delude yourself."