After Changing To The Ruthless Way The Brothers Cried And Begged For Forgiveness Chapter 279

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This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation.

The little foxes didn’t get to meet the clan leader and were instead escorted away by other elders.

Yu Zhao entered the building, which was rich with exotic designs of another race, alone. Before she could even take a seat, Bai Ling impatiently asked, “What did you say to Quan Ye to make him lose control like that?”

Yu Zhao cast him a glance.

Bai Ling could hear Quan Ye’s ghostly howls from earlier. How could he not know what transpired between them?

It seemed he hadn’t given up on Quan Ye yet.

Yu Zhao’s gaze spoke volumes, too blatant to ignore. Bai Ling scratched his nose awkwardly and gave a sheepish smile.

“We’ve learned of your daring rescue of the young cubs in the Dragon Pool Mountain Range. On behalf of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, I owe you a debt of gratitude,” Bai Ling expressed with politeness. However, his eyes were alight with murderous intent.

Those who believed they were safe after escaping the Dragon Pool Mountain Range were gravely mistaken.

Yu Zhao interrupted, “I’d like to use this favor to ask a question.”

Bai Ling exchanged a glance with Jiu Wei.

Jiu Wei inquired, “Does your question concern ascension?”

“Yes.”

The room suddenly grew still after Yu Zhao’s reply.

Moments passed before Jiu Wei’s voice broke the silence.

“Ascension involves the entire cultivation world. Are you sure about this?”

Digging to the root of the matter meant accepting the karmic consequences.

This was why Jiu Wei had avoided discussing it initially. Yu Zhao was too young, and Jiu Wei feared that impulsiveness might lead her to disrupt the tenuous peace, throwing the cultivation world into chaos without achieving anything constructive.

But Yu Zhao declared with unwavering conviction, “I am sure.”

She had once sworn before the Longevity Tree to rebuild the Heavenly Ladder, vowing to never give up until her last breath. That oath had never wavered.

Jiu Wei scrutinized her as though trying to peer into her soul through her eyes.

Yu Zhao remained calm under her gaze.

Bai Ling vouched for Yu Zhao. “She’s not reckless or arrogant. Her words can be trusted.”

To show her sincerity, Yu Zhao presented rare treasures: a beast egg imbued with Azure Dragon bloodline, a phoenix feather, and her claim on the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan’s owed favor. Her determination was evident.

Bai Ling often lamented that if only the Azure Dragon bloodline belonged to Yu Zhao instead, he wouldn’t have to wrestle with inner conflicts. He would have thrown all his support behind her without hesitation. Even if they failed in the end, he believed Yu Zhao would have given it her all, making his death worthwhile.

But alas…

Hearing Bai Ling’s soft sigh, Jiu Wei steeled her resolve.

Using her demonic energy, she isolated them from the outside world and made Yu Zhao swear never to reveal anything she was about to say.

After Yu Zhao took the oath, Jiu Wei finally revealed the secret she had kept for centuries.

“Before Red Tail Ancestor ascended to the Higher Realm, she used a fox clan secret technique to transmit a vision to the clan leader…” Jiu Wei’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Behind the Heavenly Ladder, there’s an endless, thin thread. One end is connected to the cultivation world, while the other vanishes into the unknown. But in the vision, it was clear that the thread was drawing spiritual energy from the cultivation world.”

Even though both Yu Zhao and Bai Ling had speculated that Red Tail Ancestor might have discovered something extraordinary during her ascension, hearing Jiu Wei’s words left their minds blank and their hearts shaken.

Drawing the spiritual energy of the entire cultivation world?

It sounded utterly absurd.

In a cultivation world capped at the Divine Transformation Stage, Yu Zhao struggled to imagine a being that could consume the spiritual energy of an entire realm. Was it a cultivator? Or… an immortal?

“Jiu Wei, could it be possible your ancestor misinterpreted the vision?” Bai Ling hesitated to accept such a notion.

“My ancestor could never be mistaken! Moreover, how else do you explain the increasingly scarce spiritual energy in recent years?” Jiu Wei snapped back.

Bai Ling fell silent.

“Was the vision Red Tail Ancestor transmitted preserved? Has anyone else seen it?” Yu Zhao asked, regaining her composure.

Despite her skepticism, she preferred to verify the claims rather than jumping to conclusions.

Jiu Wei shook her head. “The vision was directly implanted into the clan leader’s Sea of Consciousness. When he tried to pass it on to the next leader, he found he couldn’t extract the memory and could only describe it verbally for posterity.”

“Did Red Tail Ancestor notice any signs of the Heavenly Ladder breaking?”

“No,” Jiu Wei answered before realizing the deeper implication of Yu Zhao’s question. Her voice rose in alarm, “Do you mean the Heavenly Ladder to the Higher Realm is also compromised?”

Yu Zhao turned to Bai Ling, silently asking for confirmation.

“You didn’t tell her about this?” she asked, baffled.

Bai Ling looked even more bewildered. “I thought I did… I didn’t?”

Yu Zhao: “…”

“What are you two whispering about?” Jiu Wei asked irritably, displeased by their silent exchange.

Bai Ling quickly explained everything he knew to Jiu Wei, now too nervous to leave anything out.

Shock waves rippled through Jiu Wei’s mind.

When Yu Zhao first questioned her about the Heavenly Ladder, Jiu Wei had dismissed it, thinking Yu Zhao had mistaken the energy-draining thread for cracks in the ladder. Now it turned out the ladder itself was at risk.

No wonder no one had successfully summoned the Heavenly Ladder in years.

Whether the ladder even still existed had become an unanswered question.

Did the cultivation world have a future?

Jiu Wei was consumed by doubt and despair.

Bai Ling wanted to console her but found himself at a loss for words. In the end, he awkwardly patted her shoulder with gentle motions.

Meanwhile, Yu Zhao’s mind raced with Jiu Wei’s revelations.

If Red Tail Ancestor’s vision was accurate and a thread was indeed drawing spiritual energy from the cultivation world, then whoever controlled the thread must be using it to strengthen themselves. This reminded Yu Zhao of the malevolent spirit inhabiting Ye Cong Xin, which also relied on draining others’ fortune to bolster its host’s cultivation.

Though different in execution, the essence of these methods seemed disturbingly similar.

Was the mysterious thread truly only siphoning spiritual energy? Could it be related to the spirit within Ye Cong Xin?

Yu Zhao had hoped to find answers from Jiu Wei but instead unearthed more questions.

Rebuilding the Heavenly Ladder would be an arduous task.

The clues she possessed were far too scarce…

Then an idea struck her, and her eyes lit up.

She had sought out the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, but why hadn’t she considered consulting the seniors of the One Sect, Two Clans, and Four Schools? As the backbone of the cultivation world, they couldn’t possibly know nothing about the Heavenly Ladder. Perhaps they, like Bai Ling and Jiu Wei, had noticed abnormalities but kept the information under wraps for various reasons.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. She immediately decided to leave Green Hill Mountain and head for the nearest location—Hundred Flowers Valley.

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This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation