This was Ryan Ling's ultimate cheat mode—only with this kind of move could he guarantee his ascension to the Immortal World, no matter what external forces tried to interfere.
"Damn it! We absolutely can't let him escape. The whole Demonic World must unleash every ounce of power to take this brat down—otherwise our reputation is toast!" At that moment, a colossal voice thundered across the Demonic World. It was obviously one of the realm's titans, and Ryan could feel the source: this presence was absurdly strong, way beyond the Primordial Immortal Realm, already at the legendary Ancestor Immortal level. What was Ancestor Immortal tier? That was the ultimate big shot—the ancestor of all gods and immortals, the kind who'd be a mega-boss even in the Immortal World.
"Go, go, go!" Ryan had zero hesitation left—against a monster like that, he had literally no shot at surviving. If it were just some Primordial Immortal, maybe he'd risk it, but an Ancestor Immortal? That was instant death. So Ryan instantly rammed his qi into Primeval Heavenwood, forcing the whole tree to grow like crazy.
Right now, the entire crown of Primeval Heavenwood had already pierced into the Immortal World. The gates between the Immortal and Demonic Worlds were wide open. Beams of radiant light poured down from the sky, completely enveloping Ryan. In that moment, every last trace of Demonic World aura was scrubbed clean from his body. Forget Da Luo Golden Immortals—even Primordial Immortals couldn't drag him back now.
But right then, that Ancestor Immortal let out a berserk roar. Waves of soul-crushing Ancestor Immortal power slammed toward Ryan, and in an instant, he felt the sun and moon go dark—like he'd been thrown straight into pitch-black oblivion.
And just as Ryan was hammered by that Ancestor Immortal strike, all his protected friends and family started suffering hell-level torment. The weaker ones began to scream; some literally evaporated in the blink of an eye.
Earth, which had been thriving a moment ago, plunged straight into endless gloom. The shadow of death covered everyone. The other top cultivators weren't faring much better—every last one was barely clinging to life. Even the tiniest shred of Ancestor Immortal power was enough to slaughter all living things.
Ryan was scared out of his mind. This kind of attack was 100% fatal—if he didn't figure out something fast, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Ryan, just leave us! Run for it alone—bringing us along is nothing but dead weight!"
"Seriously, go by yourself! Alone you might still have a shot, but if you take us, we'll all get wiped out!"
"Go on, Ryan, don't worry—we'll never blame you!"
......
Right now, all the people Ryan was protecting started shouting—some were friends from the Demonic World, some from the Immortal Domain World, some die-hard bros from Earth. Every last one of them was getting hit by the strongest attack yet. Even with Primeval Heavenwood backing them up, actually escaping was already impossible.
"You little punk! You think a mere Golden Immortal can slip out of my grasp? Dream on! If I can't wipe you out today, I'll have failed as the Demonic World's Ancestor!" That terrifying voice boomed out again. Ryan knew perfectly well: the one attacking now had to be the Demonic World's top dog.
Seeing all this, Ryan secretly regretted it—he'd clearly overestimated himself, and seriously underestimated how terrifying the Demonic World really was. But even now, if it meant leaving all his friends and family behind, he just couldn't do it. So right then he roared in defiance.
"Even if I die today, I swear I'll never abandon anyone!" The moment Ryan finished yelling, he bound the Golden Immortal Conch tightly to himself—man and conch fused as one. He knew better than anyone: these people weren't just his kin, they were the most important part of his life. Without them, nothing he did would mean a damn thing!
And as soon as he finished all that, Ryan went all out, firing up every last shred of his power. He didn't hold back at all—even if it meant burning himself dry, he didn't care. And not just him: Primeval Heavenwood, sensing an unprecedented crisis, started frantically absorbing Immortal World energy to protect itself the instant it touched the Immortal World.
"Kid, you're really delusional. Even if you burn up every ounce of strength, it's nothing but child's play to me. You're still way too weak!" The Ancestor Immortal still didn't take Ryan seriously. Of course, with his power—even with Ryan now at half-step Da Luo Golden Immortal, and even if he'd reached Da Luo Golden Immortal great-circle—he'd still be no match for this Ancestor Immortal!
And just as those words fell, the Ancestor Immortal's power exploded out—heaven and earth shook, the sun and moon went dark, and it felt like everything was being wiped out in an instant. All the strength Ryan had just summoned was swept away, no matter how mighty it was. And it wasn't just Ryan—even Primeval Heavenwood couldn't hold out. In a split second, the whole tree was about to be chopped in half!
"Ryan, you have to run now—if you stay here, you'll die too!" Lady Melody shouted, and the Jennie Family girls joined in. They were a bit stronger, but the rest were already half-unconscious, so crushed they couldn't even speak.
"No way! Even if I die today, I will never run away alone!" Ryan knew this better than anyone—his mind was made up, and he wasn't about to go back on his word.
"Kid, looks like you really do have a death wish. Just now I only used about thirty percent of my power—now I'm going to finish you for good!" The Ancestor Immortal unleashed another wave, this time several times stronger. Ryan instantly felt dizzy, couldn't even stand, let alone resist. His Golden Immortal power started draining like crazy, almost dropping straight down to Profound Immortal.
Right then, Ryan truly felt like his life was over. That Ancestor Immortal in front of him was a mountain, and he himself was just a pebble—there was zero chance of fighting back.
"Heh, you little punk, can't fight anymore, huh? Just lie down and die—it's the best choice! I'll even make it quick for you. Still dreaming about ascending to the Immortal World? Keep dreaming!" The Ancestor Immortal sneered, then unleashed a massive blast of power straight at Ryan's forehead.
Ryan was almost at the point of total despair. The Immortal Gate was slowly closing, and it felt like everything was about to end right here.
But right at that critical moment, a beam of golden light slashed down from some unknown world. Ryan, who'd barely been able to breathe, suddenly felt a hint of relief—his senses slowly came back.
"Ryan, hang in there—don't give up! You have to get through this or everything will be wasted. You'll lose everything, and be thrown into the Eighteen Hells, never to be reborn. Everyone's watching, waiting to laugh at you—snap out of it!" A voice rang in Ryan's ear, one he knew well: it was that Immortal-World Overlord. Ever since Primeval Heavenwood linked to him, this big shot had been secretly helping Ryan all along.
"Got it! But..." Ryan gritted his teeth. No matter who tried to help, it felt like there was no escaping this nightmare.
"You have to believe in yourself—confidence is the key! If you believe, you can break free, and I'll help you too!" The Immortal-World Overlord shouted. And as soon as he finished, Ryan saw the Immortal Gate, which had been shrinking and fading, start to grow larger. Even more surprising, a power started leaking out from inside the gate—one that felt just like the Immortal-World Finger Fragment, only way stronger!
Could this be hope?
Ryan clenched his teeth—there was no room left for hesitation. This was his last shot. Without thinking, he unleashed his power and reached desperately toward the Immortal World...