"Then you'll all be doomed." Silently thinking this, Jiang Yuan naturally wouldn't say it out loud.

He only looked at Du Li, who was still dreaming of ascension, with a look of pity mixed with yearning and said loudly, "Then create gods, ascend! Just imagine, sir, thousands of cultivators ascending simultaneously, what a magnificent and shocking sight it would be!"

Immediately, Jiang Yuan understood why this task had such a rich reward—because under normal circumstances, the power of the Celestial Dao near the Earth's core is not something you can easily encounter!

If by any chance the Demon Realm Alliance was guarding a counterfeit, he'd have to wait until he had enough strength and opportunity to reach the Earth's core to complete the mission.

It just happened that a bit of a leak was picked up here, the power of the Celestial Dao in the Wilderness World had been torn out by the previous Black Tortoise, exposed near the surface.

"Tsk! A quarter of this energy is my Yan Xuan's." Thinking about how his contract pet's future ascension to divine beast status still depended on its power, Jiang Yuan felt a deep sense of affection looking at the ball of light.

Du Li continued to daydream, so he gently suggested, "Alliance Leader Du, since there hasn't been a single cultivator throughout history who could ascend just by absorbing and refining this energy, why are you convinced that it can lead to ascension? Is it possible that this vast energy isn't something ordinary cultivators can touch?"

"Where does this brat come from, talking nonsense here?" Before Du Li could respond, an old voice angrily rebuked, "Generations of elders have researched this for who knows how many millennia, sacrificing countless lives. You dismiss our achievements with a single, shallow question?

Ignorant! Laughable!

Moreover, it isn't just any Tom, Dick, or Harry who gets to enter this place, who talks about ordinary cultivators? Only the cream of the crop from this world can participate. They are anything but ordinary, at the very least, they are Great Demon Cultivators ruling over their respective territories.

If an ordinary cultivator rashly participates, ha! I'm not looking down on them, but they simply cannot bear even a bit of the Power of the Celestial Dao's remnant. They would turn to dust in an instant." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Looking in the direction of the voice, an old man, his figure hunched, slowly floated from behind the ball of light. It was evident he hadn't cared for his appearance in eons, with disheveled gray-white hair making his weary old face look even more worn out and exhausted.

Du Li hurriedly introduced him, "This is Elder Li, who has continued his master's legacy, exploring and researching the Power of the Celestial Dao's remnant for nearly two thousand years."

Jiang Yuan: !!!

Nearly two thousand years, just circling around a ball of light in a cave?

In a state of shocked admiration, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Elder Li, having wasted two thousand years without realizing that this energy cannot help him ascend to become an immortal.

"Please calm down, Elder Li. This is Mr. Jiang, a new addition to our alliance…" Du Li was about to say inspector, but remembering that the Inspection Department no longer existed and there wasn't a fitting title yet, he skipped it and laughed, "It's normal to have doubts initially upon witnessing such a divine power. I once thought the same way."

"That's why you all are ignorant children." Elder Li slightly turned, gazing fervently at the ball of light as he murmured, "How could you know its wonders?"

Slowly drifting over, a black cloud beneath Elder Li's feet dissipated, allowing him to land steadily on the plaza in front of the two of them, with a proud expression on his face, "Even if you're unaware of its greatness, you should at least be able to sense the power of the Celestial Dao, right?

If you can't even sense that, then it's best not to cultivate at all, as you'll achieve nothing and will never hope to ascend in this lifetime!"

He beckoned effortlessly, bringing forth a dragon-headed cane and prodded the ground with a merry laugh, "After years of accumulated experience, consuming countless man-hours and resources, we have finally obtained this unparalleled ascension array.

If this still can't absorb and refine the Power of the Celestial Dao's remnant, wouldn't the lifelong efforts of our ancestors be a laughingstock?"

Du Li chimed in, "There is no need to worry, sir. The Demon Realm Alliance has already accounted for every situation. We wouldn't recklessly act on such a significant matter without absolute certainty.

According to the ancestors, this energy is the Celestial Dao's leftover remnants from when the Wilderness World was created. It shouldn't originally be in the depths of Wanmang Mountain…"

He leaned forward, pointing at the deep pit illuminated by the light, yet still bottomless, as he explained, "You see, this abyss below should be the channel through which the Power of the Celestial Dao's remnant surfaced. For some reason unknown, it stopped here, fortuitously acquired by the Alliance."

Jiang Yuan approached and looked; indeed, it was bottomless and ragged. By comparing it with the channel above, one could judge that the upper part was artificially expanded, while the lower part was the original state.

"Several elders attempted to explore its origin, following the pit downward, yet without exception, they disappeared and never returned."

Elder Li gazed into the pit, lightly sighed, "Guarding such an unsolvable mystery is truly unbearable. I hope that, after the Alliance's creation of gods and ascension, the old man here will have the fortune of learning the secret; otherwise, it would be a regret even upon ascension to become an immortal."

Jiang Yuan covertly suggested, "The power of the Celestial Dao probably comes from near the Earth's core…"

Before he could finish speaking, Elder Li interrupted, "Even if it's deep within the Earth's core, so many high-level cultivators should easily reach it, going back and forth within days. It's impossible all disappeared here without a trace."

He gestured for silence: occasionally, there were wailing winds, sounds like raindrops, or many unknown noises emanating from below.

Elder Li, lowering his voice, mysteriously said, "We speculate that below must be a place as mysterious as the Power of the Celestial Dao's remnant. Let's wait and see, if the plan for collective ascension doesn't find its timely moments, before this old man's lifespan ends, I must venture in to uncover the truth!"

He paused, smiling with longing, "At that time, even if my life ends and my Tao fades away, knowing what's below would leave me with no regrets!"

Jiang Yuan didn't know what to say for a moment, perhaps for Elder Li and the others, exploring and researching what they're interested in is a pleasure in itself.

Nearly two thousand years, spent freely indulging in their hobbies, they probably didn't feel burdened.

After witnessing the Power of the Celestial Dao and completing his task to get the reward, he also knew that the Demon Realm Alliance's collective ascension was a dream that couldn't be reached.

Returning to the surface, looking at the well-guarded Wanmang Mountain, Jiang Yuan helplessly smiled, "Actually, Alliance Leader Du, you need not waste manpower and resources; this power of the Celestial Dao isn't something anyone can claim, it can entirely protect itself. Such strict defense is merely pointless waste."

Especially with so many advanced arrays and elite guards all tied up here, with those materials and manpower, couldn't you do something more productive?

"You're mistaken, sir." Du Li laughed, waving his hand, "After all, it's the supreme treasure passed down through generations of the Demon Realm Alliance, it's the hope for ascension for countless cultivators.

Without proper protection, if a malevolent person were to take it with a divine artifact, wouldn't it be a lifelong regret?

Rest assured, sir. I've almost completed preparing the array promised to aid the Human Race, and I'll personally take it over in a few days. Could you please create a list needed for repairing the Heart Mirror? The Alliance will spare no effort to find everything needed and deliver it promptly!"

As he spoke, he handed over a storage bag, "Here are two million Spirit Stones, as an upfront payment. Please prioritize repairing the Treasure Mirror, the sooner the better!"

Having said that, Jiang Yuan had no concrete evidence to prove to him that this energy ball wasn't meant for cultivators, so he could only focus on letting Yan Xuan complete the task as soon as possible.

For now, it's the only one with a chance for ascension. Once it transforms into a Black Tortoise, absorbing a part of the Power of the Celestial Dao, he believes he can find a way to persuade Du Li and the others.

Currently, without concrete evidence, it's not easy to dispel the dream of ascension, not as long as he quickly completes the task!

After receiving the Spirit Stones and teleporting back to the courtyard, he eagerly opened the storage bag to inspect the "spoils."

Besides the hundred Farmland Upgrade Cards, what excited him the most was the Family Portrait Gift Package!

Clicking it open, groups of golden light accompanied by messages flew into the storage bag.

[Contract Pet Upgrade Card +5]

[Contract Sister Upgrade Card +1]

[Contract Disciple Upgrade Card +2]

[Contract Mount Upgrade Card +1]

[Contract Guest Upgrade Card…]

...

Looking at the familiar cards, Jiang Yuan thought, Du Li, oh Du Li, you didn't bind as my guest, you must regret it now!

[Detected that the contract pet Yan Xuan's level is full, this Contract Pet Upgrade Card has been converted into a Task Progress Acceleration Card]

[Detected that disciple Wan Mingchuan is temporarily unreachable in a time vortex, this Contract Disciple Upgrade Card can be temporarily stored and used upon his return]

"The system is as considerate as ever!" His heart felt so relieved, especially since Little White was about to become a Walking Flood Dragon, bypassing Thunder Tribulation to advance a realm at this critical moment is simply heaven sent!

He first called back Xie Chenyuan and himself to painlessly upgrade, not only would everyone be happy but it'd also boost morale for the flood dragon action party!

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuan immediately summoned his contract pet to return home.