Ascension of the immortal Asura

?Amidst the roars of joy and salvation, Lilian began to descend towards the arena below, John held firmly in her embrace. His eyes were closed, his soul weak and flickering. His skin was blackened in many parts, burnt black by the Nine-Petal Yang Lotus' immense heat.

Beneath his blackened flesh was even worse. His muscles were gruesome, with more of them torn than intact. His bones were fractured in hundreds of places, and broken in dozens. His blood was drained, enough to make his body pale white was it not for his burnt flesh.

Finally, his aura was as weak as a flickering candle, the candle saying alight from the remnants of his healing powers, as well as the healing Qi from the Star of the Serpent Tree fruit. Even so, it was as if he were a mere mortal at the moment, one on their deathbed ready to take the final step into the dark abyss at any moment.

The jubilant cheers of the crowd started to die down as Lilian slowly floated down to the arena, with John's condition finally coming into full view. Those cheers were replaced by horrified gasps as they saw his condition, which was far worse than they had ever seen from a still living cultivator.

As she landed on the arena ground, the Prime Shadow rushed up to Lilian, closely inspecting John. A grim look appeared on his face as he studied John's body, the grim frown deepening by the second.

"Ahhhhh, he's pushed himself to the edge of death. This isn't good. If not for the Star of the Serpent Tree," the Prime Shadow sighed deeply. "Healers…we need to get him back to the Guild so that he may receive-" his voice trailed off as he felt someone approach, as did Lilian.

They both turned to look at Ji'Han, who held his unconscious father in his arms. The Sword-Saint's aura was incredibly weak, as were the gruesome injuries covering much of his body. Much like John, his lifeforce flickered like a candle in the wind, ready to be snuffed out at any moment.

Ji'Han gently placed his father on the ground, then walked the remaining distance towards the others, who watched him approach with cautioned expressions. They didn't think Ji'Han was dumb enough to try anything in front of the two of them, but nothing was for certain.

Ji'Han ignored their wary expressions and walked up to Lilian, stopping a few feet away, looking only at John. A small frown appeared on his face as he noticed John's gruesome condition, then looked at Lilian for a moment. The two shared a complicated glance, at which point Ji'Han turned to look at a certain section of the stadium, where the bulk of the Sword-Dao Sect and subsect members were located.

He grimaced upon noticing how many seats were vacant, memories of those who had been sacrificed to the Yang Lotus. He sighed deeply, his grimace replaced with a firm, determined look.

"Members of the Sword-Dao Sect and subsects, with my father unconscious and the Sword-Sovereign in closed-door cultivation, I am for the moment the ultimate authority of the Sect," Ji'Han said, his voice loud enough for everyone in the stadium to hear.

Many held their breath, wondering what Ji'Han was planning. Was he going to command them to help him squash John and the others, trying to use this opportunity to benefit the Sword-Dao Sect? Was he going to leave, leaving the mess to be cleaned up by others? No one knew for sure.

"Healers of the Sword-Dao Sect and subsects. I hereby command all of you to begin healing my father immediately," he continued, then paused and glanced back at John. "As well as John. Do everything in your power to keep both of them alive, or do not blame me for being ruthless in the future if you fail."

Ji'Han's words stunned all eight million remaining cultivators. They had thought of a million possible commands Ji'Han would give, but this was never one of them. Silence filled the arena as everyone tried to process Ji'Han's unexpected words.

"Did you not hear me?" Ji'Han roared angrily. "Heal them, now!"

The crowd suddenly burst to life all at the same time, Ji'Han's furious commands stirring them into a hasty frenzy. Thousands of cultivators took to the sky and flew over towards Ji'Han and the others, landing next to the two injured cultivators.

Lilian and the Prime Shadow exchanged a surprised glance, then looked towards Ji'Han, both nodding appreciatively.

"Thank you," Lilian said, something she never thought she would say to Ji'Han. Ji'Han merely nodded, then walked towards his father and kneeled over him.

The more experienced healers, those in the World Expansion Realm and above, rushed towards the two injured saviors, instantly studying their conditions and barking out orders. In less than a minute, both John and the Sword-Saint were surrounded by a group of thousands of healers, some sending streams of healing Qi into their bodies, others debating on what the best next steps were.

Lilian gently placed John on the ground, then stepped away to allow the healers to fully inspect him. With everything that had happened, they knew each and every healer would do their utmost to save the one who had saved them.

"Healers of the Yang-Dao Sect and subsects," a voice roared loudly, drawing all eyes towards the source. Araxus hovered in the sky above the arena, his expressions firm.

"What are you all waiting for?" Araxus roared angrily. "Healers, get to work and help the others save John and the Sword-

Saint! For those who cannot help there, help the other injured!"

Another wave of commotion broke out as the Yang-Dao Sect healers, those who had remained behind and didn't partake in the Yang-Sovereign's plans, rushed towards the arena. The number was far less than those of the Sword-Dao Sect, as most of the Yang-Dao Sect members had fled when given the opportunity by the Yang-Sovereign.

Many rushed to join the healing in the arena, while others soared about the Yang-Sphere, finding and healing all the injured they could.

"Will he be alright?" the Mage-Sovereign asked as she landed next to the Prime Shadow and Lilian, her gaze locked onto John surrounded by the healers.

Silence answered her, as neither Lilian nor the Prime Shadow had an answer at the moment. John's condition was unlike anything they had seen before, and even for someone like him, recovery was far from guaranteed.

The three then watched on silently as the healers did their best, restoring as much vitality to John and the Sword-Saint, keeping them away from death's edge. After quite some time, an elderly healer, a woman from the Sword-Dao Sect who appeared to be in her sixties but was far, far older, walked over to the Prime Shadow and the others, her face pale from exhaustion.

"The boy's body is a complete mystery," the elderly healer said. "No matter how much healing Qi we pump into his body, his body barely heals itself."

"So you cannot heal him?" the Prime Shadow asked.

"We can keep him alive," the woman said with a deep frown, "but restoring his condition is something else entirely. When it comes to healing an injured cultivator, their rate of recovery is determined by three things, healing quality, healing quantity, and the nature of the one being healed. When healing someone, not only must the quantity of healing Qi be enough to restore their body, but the quality of the healing Qi must be of an equal level to the one being healed, or at the very least comparable."

"So, your healing abilities are not enough to heal him?" Lilian asked.

The woman shook her head, sighing deeply. "The quality of his body is unlike anything any of us have ever seen. Every single cell of his is like a transcendent existence, its quality far too great to be healed by ordinary healing Qi. No matter how much healing Qi we pump into his body, his cells are unaffected. We can stop his condition from becoming worse, but none of us have the ability to completely heal him."

The Prime Shadow eventually nodded in understanding, a grim look on his face. He turned to Lilian and the Mage-Sovereign, his expression becoming cold once more.

"Since John's condition is stable, we should take him from here and find a better source of healing," the Prime Shadow said. "But for now, we need to take care of the remnant traitors outside."

…

Outside the Yang-Sphere, a group of tens of thousands of Yang-Dao Sect members waited at the entrance, their expressions anxious and eager. The dome of flames surrounding the Yang-Dao Sect had vanished, a sign that the Nine-Petal Yang Lotus had been absorbed.

At the head of the group was Seraphia, the Yang-Sovereign's wife. Her expression was the most elated of all, one that grew even stronger as she felt someone leaving the Yang-Sphere. Her wide, joyous smile faded away as the figure stepped through the exit, followed by more and more leaving each and every second.

"What? What's going on here?" Seraphia exclaimed, shock and panic on her face as she stared at the Prime Shadow, the Mage-

Sovereign, and thousands of other cultivators leaving the Yang-Sphere each second. "Where is my husband?"

"Your husband is dead," the Prime Shadow said, his cold eyes locked onto her like a predator about to devour its prey. In that moment, Seraphia felt a horror unlike any she had felt before, and couldn't help but collapse onto the ground, her knees buckling under her.

"Now, if all of you don't want to follow the Yang-Sovereign into death, then surrender yourselves immediately," the Prime Shadow commanded, his aura of blackened darkness emanating from his body. "Otherwise, the Yang-Dao Sect will cease to exist today. Make your choice."