Ascension of the Immortal Asura

"Good luck, and make sure not to die on me in there. I still expect you to make me more spirit crystals than I could possibly imagine," Caz said to John as the two stood up from their chairs and shook hands in a friendly manner.

After seeing the wanted posters in the Forbidden Alliance District, John realized he needed to boost his power further. He obtained the beast blood essence he had set out for, which was available in overwhelming abundance in such a district, and then returned briefly to the Mystic Trade Hall.

It had been a year since he last obtained any new battle arts, and now that he was flush with more spirit crystals than he could possibly spend, John decided to purchase the absolute best battle arts money could buy. As such, he returned to the Mystic Trade Hall, and discussed the prospect with Caz, who was more than happy to oblige.

With his battle axe having the Advent of Annihilation and his scythe having his Divine Reaping Scythe battle arts, John was not wanting for battle arts for either of those weapons. However, he only had the Divine Reaping Scythe manual through the Heaven Tribulation Realm, and the instructions to the next stages were not in his possession. While the Divine Reaping Scythe was an absolutely heavenly battle art that defied battle art norms, even it had its limits. It would be useful against Dao Transformation and possibly even World Expansion opponents, but would surely become less effective as he grew in strength.

However, despite looking at all the available scythe battle arts, John was unable to find one more potent for single target lethality. Even the World Expansion grade scythe arts were less profound than the Heaven Tribulation stage of the Divine Reaping Scythe, which only made him further question the profound origin of the wondrous battle art.

As such, John decided to purchase several new battle arts, mostly consisting of lightning battle arts, but also one scythe battle art. All the battle arts were meant for World Expansion cultivators, but thanks to his monstrous talent, John was confident in being able to use them as soon as he stepped into the Dao Transformation Realm.

Lastly, John purchased a variety of medicinal pills, cultivation aids, formation disks, and more, planning for every situation he could think of.

"How could I possibly die now that I've purchased all these great battle arts and other things from you?" John replied back with a smile on his face as he thought about the wondrous battle arts now in his possession.

'For movement, I've obtained Lightning Pierces The Void, which is much more profound than my ThunderFlash Steps, and even combines the Dao of Space into the battle art. While my grasp of the Dao of Space is weak at the moment, the Divine Reaping Scythe helped me grasp the initial stages at least. The more I learn of the Dao of Space, the faster I will be with this movement technique.

Then I obtained the World Expansion tier for Lightning Disintegration, which will keep it useful all the way through that realm, and lastly, I've obtained the World Expansion portion for Dragontail Decimation as well.

As for the Scythe Art, I've obtained the Ceaseless Scythe-Storm battle art, which is perfect for fighting against multiple enemies at the same time. With this, my combat prowess has once again increased greatly.'

While he would be able to obtain similar lightning-based battle arts in the Heavenly Lightning Sect for free, he did not have the time to travel to his sect before the Divine Source Monastery opened the Divine Wall.

"Haha that's true. Those battle arts are the best I could get for you, regardless of price. If you want anything better in the future, it might be hard to accomplish," Caz replied with a wry smile on his face.

"Oh, there is one thing I want you to keep an eye out for," John chimed up as he took out both the scroll and the jade piece containing the multiple steps to the Divine Reaping Scythe. He had kept the fact that he could read the ancient language of these battle arts a secret, as to not bring attention to himself.

However, with his identity as Asura already leaked, any other attention would only be second in comparison. Combined with the fact that he trusted Caz as well, John had no more reservations about bringing the subject up.

"This is!" Caz said as he noticed the aura coming from the jade piece, which had been the very same one he sold John when they first met.

"That's right. It's the same jade piece you sold me over a year ago. Let's just say if I want you to do your best to see if anything similar exists in this world, hopefully more profound. If you manage to find something like that, I'll make it more than worth your time," John said to Caz as a small smile of hopeful optimism lingered on his face.

"Hahaha, I thought your reaction when you first saw this jade piece was quite peculiar, and it seems my suspicions were correct," Caz replied with a light chuckle, while his words clearly revealed that he knew John could read the language.

John only shrugged his shoulders in response, and put away the jade piece and scroll once more.

"Sure, I'll do my best to inquire into this matter," Caz said with a firm tone, while John nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks. And it's best I get going now. As it is, I'll probably arrive late to the Divine Wall opening," John replied.

"Good luck," Caz said as the two exchanged goodbyes.

…

John sat within his flying ship that sped through the air at incredible speed, graciously given to him by Daoist Eternal Weapon. After leaving the Mystic Trade Hall, he had wasted no time at all in leaving Five-River Freeport, as time was of the essence.

The flying ship was much larger than the one he had originally purchased, and much grander as well. It was nearly one hundred yards long and forty yards wide, and was sleek and elegant in design.

The exterior color was gold and white, which was not to John's liking, was still quite appealing to look at. The interior of the ship was just as immaculate, with the same white and gold designs. High quality furnishings of all types were within, and the ship contained many rooms serving different purposes, from a lounge to a bedroom, a cultivation room, a battle-training room, a pool, a kitchen, and more. It was as if his house from the Heavenly Lightning Sect had turned into a flying ship itself, only even more magnificent and profound.

Most importantly of all was the navigation aspect of the ship, which had tens of thousands of pre-programmed routes to choose from, which traveled all over the continent and even further beyond. As such, John did not need to employ Kirii's navigational help, despite Kirii's adamant protest.

The ship had already surged forward thousands of miles, leaving Five-River Freeport far behind. John currently sat on one of the seats in the lounge, not doing anything particular as if waiting for something.

His unfocused gaze suddenly cleared up as he slowly raised his head, while his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I tried to disguise myself to not get spotted, as I'm in quite the rush, but I guess that didn't work in the end," John sighed as he stood up from his seat and walked over towards the rear of the ship, where one of the exits were located.

His hand pressed against a formation on the wall, upon which the large door opened, and he stepped outside. His hand then pressed against the ship's exterior, which disappeared as he stored it away.

His gaze shifted to the side and underneath him, which was an expansive forest land that seemed to be uninhabited by anything but beasts. Mountains swept out in all directions, while meandering rivers rushed in the valleys between them, making it quite a beautiful location.

'This place seems quite remote, which is perfect for me not needing to hold back at all.'

Flash!

A flying ship traveling at immense speeds quickly appeared in his view and arrived before him in an instant, its speed no less than his own ship. It lurched to a halt instantly, and shortly after six people stepped out of the ship.

Leading the group was a familiar face, which John was not surprised to see at all.

"I figured you would be the one behind the spies who followed me, and it seems I was right," John said calmly as he gazed at the group, led by none other than Vivian of the Starforge Clan, who was surrounded by five Late-Stage Dao Transformation cultivators.