Chapter 460: Tian Yongheng?

At this moment, above the Eternal Peak Dao Field in the Eastern Continent.

Tian Yongheng’s clone sat motionless in the air.

Its robes fluttered gently in the wind, but the pair of crimson eyes that had once possessed enough power to annihilate countless Immortals had grown exceedingly dim.

There was no longer any terrifying aura radiating from its body or any trace of the profound Dao that had once allowed it to suppress every enemy who dared approach Eternal Peak.

It was as if the clone had become an ordinary statue, quietly suspended above the Dao Field.

The reason was simple to the extreme.

Its connection with Tian Yongheng’s true body had been severed.

A clone, even one forged using the Dharma Idol Manifestation Technique, was ultimately a manifestation of its creator’s existence, sharing a connection that allowed it to receive thoughts, consciousness, and commands from the true body.

Under ordinary circumstances, Tian Yongheng could control his clone even across vast distances, allowing it to act independently while he focused on cultivation.

However, the current situation was different.

His true body had encountered an incomprehensible existence within an alternate timeline, and the connection between them had been completely severed.

Without that connection, the clone could no longer operate as it normally would.

It could not receive instructions, determine what was happening beyond its immediate surroundings, or even ascertain whether its true body was still alive.

For an existence that had once stood at the summit of the Lower Realm, this was an almost unimaginable predicament.

Yet, the clone remained motionless.

It possessed no independent consciousness capable of making decisions in the absence of its true body, only capable of waiting, waiting for the connection to be restored or until the existence that had created it ceased to exist.

At that moment, a streak of bloody light suddenly appeared in the distance.

The light traveled at an astonishing speed, crossing the surrounding mountains before stopping several thousand miles away from the motionless clone.

As the radiance dissipated, a woman’s figure emerged from the light.

She wore a bloodstained dress, and her long silver hair were disheveled, with several strands sticking to her pale cheeks.

Her breathing was ragged as blood trickled down the corners of her mouth, and the aura radiating from her body fluctuated so violently that it seemed as though her cultivation might collapse at any moment.

It was none other than Yao Qiuyue.

She stared at the figure suspended above Eternal Peak Dao Field, and a desperate light suddenly appeared within her eyes.

"Tian... Yongheng!"

Her hoarse voice echoed across the silent surroundings, but she received no response in return.

Yao Qiuyue’s expression changed slightly.

She immediately rushed forward, arriving before the motionless figure in the blink of an eye.

"Tian Yongheng!"

This time, she raised her voice, desperately attempting to attract his attention.

However, the crimson eyes were still dim, not even glancing in her direction.

Yao Qiuyue froze, and for a moment, she just stared at the familiar figure, seemingly unable to accept what she was witnessing.

She had come here because she had no other choice left now.

The Lower Realm was on the verge of collapse.

A supremely powerful being had descended, and the countless cultivators who had once stood against the Upper Realm were being slaughtered one after another.

Even the ancient powerhouses who had spent hundreds of thousands of years cultivating had fallen beneath the might of their enemies.

Under such circumstances, the Eternal Peak represented the last place where she could hope to find assistance.

Tian Yongheng was the strongest being she knew, no, to be more precise, he was the most powerful being currently residing in the Lower Realm.

Yao Qiuyue had personally witnessed the terrifying aftermath of that sword strike from centuries ago which annihilated seas of ancient stars in the universe.

She knew that Tian Yongheng’s strength was far beyond what even those Immortals of the Upper Realm could comprehend.

If anyone could change the current situation, it would be him.

Yet, now that she had finally reached the Eternal Peak, the person she desperately needed was sitting before her, completely unresponsive.

Her lips trembled slightly before a sense of realization dawned upon her, her expression becoming more complicated.

This was probably a clone.

She had already suspected as much when she first approached the Dao Field.

Furthermore, Tian Yongheng had remained in seclusion these past few decades while his clone handled external affairs.

Given his current circumstances, his true body was almost certainly still undergoing a breakthrough.

Yao Qiuyue clenched her teeth, her fingers curling slightly.

She understood that a cultivator’s breakthrough was a matter of life and death.

If Tian Yongheng was at a critical juncture, forcibly interrupting his cultivation might cause irreversible damage to his Dao foundation.

Even if he successfully emerged from seclusion, the consequences could be disastrous.

However...

Could the Lower Realm afford to wait?

She slowly raised her head, looking towards the distant horizon.

The sky was blood red, the once vibrant Spirit Qi was becoming increasingly thin, and the natural elements that sustained the world were getting sluggish and disordered.

Even from this distance, she could sense the terrifying fluctuations emanating from the direction of the main battlefield.

Countless lives were being extinguished one after another, the ancient powerhouses who had protected the Lower Realm for generations were falling one after another, and the enemy was still advancing.

If Tian Yongheng did not emerge soon, the Lower Realm would truly be finished.

Yao Qiuyue’s fingers trembled.

"Tian Yongheng..."

Her voice became quieter.

"I know you can hear me."

Her internal logic told her that this might not be true, but her subconscious refused to believe it.

Nevertheless, she continued speaking.

"The Cleansing has descended, and the Lower Realm is on the verge of destruction."

She paused, swallowing the blood rising in her throat.

"Even the strongest beings have fallen. We cannot hold them back any longer."

Her gaze remained fixed upon the dim crimson eyes.

"Please..."

The final word escaped her lips almost inaudibly.

She had never imagined that she would one day plead with someone like this.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator over a thousand years old, she had already surpassed countless ordinary beings. Throughout her journey, she had encountered dangers, fought powerful enemies, and witnessed the cruelty of the cultivation world.

Yet, she had never felt as helpless as she did now.

The difference between the two sides was simply too great.

No matter how fiercely the Lower Realm resisted, its cultivators were being overwhelmed, while those who survived could only watch as everything they knew was destroyed.

Yao Qiuyue lowered her head.

She had already considered another possibility.

Perhaps Tian Yongheng was not just undergoing a breakthrough, and something had happened to him.

After all, even the clone before her had lost its ability to operate independently. Such a thing was not normal.

If his true body was experiencing interference from an enemy, then the situation might be far more serious than she had imagined.

The thought sent a chill through her heart.

Tian Yongheng was already the strongest being she knew.

If even he could be restrained, then what hope was there for the Lower Realm?

Yao Qiuyue fell silent for a long while before slowly raising her head once more.

Her eyes were bloodshot, but the desperation within them had gradually given way to determination.

Regardless of whether Tian Yongheng could respond, she could not stay here forever.

If he was truly undergoing a breakthrough, she would wait for as long as she could, but id he was being restrained by an enemy, then perhaps there was something she could do to help.

Even if her strength was insignificant, she could not simply abandon the Lower Realm and flee.

She had already witnessed too many deaths. Too many people had sacrificed themselves for the sake of others.

If she could still move, she would continue fighting.

Even if she wanted to leave, there was nowhere left to flee, so it was better to resist.

Yao Qiuyue took a deep breath and prepared to turn away.

However, just as she began to move, her movements suddenly paused.

In the depths of those dim crimson eyes of the clone, a faint, almost imperceptible radiance flickered by, like a flicker of spirituality.

Yao Qiuyue’s eyes widened as she immediately turned around abruptly, gazing at the figure before her intently.

For a moment, she wondered whether she had imagined it.

After all, the clone had been motionless since her arrival, its consciousness seemingly absent.

Yet, she had clearly seen something.

Her senses as a Nascent Soul cultivator could not possibly deceive her like this.

That was undoubtedly a fleeting trace of spirituality passing through those crimson eyes.

Yao Qiuyue’s heart began to pound rapidly as she spoke up again.

"Tian Yongheng?"

Her voice trembled with anticipation, but the clone remained silent.

However, Yao Qiuyue did not immediately lose hope.

Even if it was only for an instant, something had changed.