The Eastern Profound Continent had nine provinces in all!
Ning Province sat at the crossroads of all nine. It was immensely prosperous, and the cultivation culture there thrived.
Sects and cultivation clans, great and small, were as numerous as the hairs on an ox.
And in the Heavenly Mist Domain of Ning Province, a powerful cultivation clan had risen over the past ten thousand years.
The An Clan!
The clan had risen to prominence in the Heavenly Mist Domain ten thousand years ago, at a speed that left people dumbfounded.
Though it had weathered several twists and turns, it had made it through them all.
Now the An Clan was not only producing powerful figures one after another, but had also befriended many ancient cultivation clans. Throughout Ning Province, it ranked among the most influential.
At that very moment, within the An Clan's territory.
Inside a grand and imposing hall.
Clan head An Shanyuan's face was ashen. His towering frame trembled faintly as his keen eyes fixed on the contents revealed in today's diary.
He read them again and again!
An Shanyuan's lips quivered. He felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck him from a clear sky!
"Something's gone terribly wrong!"
An Shanyuan came to his senses with a low growl, then paced anxiously around the hall!
The other clan elders remained silent, not daring to disturb him.
But from their expressions, most were tense and uneasy.
"Damn it!"
"How could the Immortal Great Emperor have been to Cangwu Mountain? If what's there gets exposed..."
An Shanyuan stopped in his tracks, unable to bring himself to think further. But now, whatever he said, it was too late!
If this matter wasn't resolved, the An Clan would be finished!
The clan's foundations had been built through ten thousand years of hardship and painstaking effort. One careless move, and it would all go up in smoke.
At that moment, An Shanyuan didn't even have time to resent the Immortal Great Emperor.
His mind raced, searching for a way to get the clan through this calamity.
"What should we do?"
The great cultivator, whose cultivation had reached the late stage of Body Integration, thought of the consequences they were about to face.
Even he couldn't help losing his composure.
An Shanyuan pondered for a long time, but couldn't find any workable solution.
"Clan head!"
An elderly clan member beside him called out with concern, but An Shanyuan seemed not to hear him at all.
The atmosphere in the hall grew unbearably heavy.
After a long while,
An Shanyuan suddenly looked up. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he glanced around and gave his orders gravely:
"Send someone at once to the clan's secret realm and inform the several ancestors in seclusion!"
"Tell them a great upheaval is about to befall the clan!"
Someone immediately bowed and accepted the order, then hurried away.
"Also, send word to the Jiang Clan, the Hua Clan, the Zuo Clan, the Five Absolutes Sect, and the Great Void Gate!"
An Shanyuan paused to consider, then continued, "Have them send people here as quickly as possible to discuss this matter!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone else in the hall accepted the order and left.
The messenger had only made it halfway when An Shanyuan called him back. "Tell them they must come."
"Otherwise, when this thunderbolt comes crashing down, none of them will escape unscathed!"
The man stopped in his tracks. "Understood!"
Having given all his orders, An Shanyuan let out a long sigh.
It was as if all his energy and spirit had been drained in an instant. His aura grew listless.
He walked out of the hall.
His gaze drifted toward the distance, where an ancient mountain range stretched across the land. One peak stood especially tall.
It was like the king among the mountains.
That was Cangwu Mountain, mentioned in the Great Emperor's Diary.
It was also a territory the An Clan had kept firmly under its control. An Shanyuan couldn't wrap his head around it...
How had the Immortal Great Emperor discovered Cangwu Mountain's secret?
And how had he slipped inside without anyone noticing, then left without a trace?
Now the secret of Cangwu Mountain had been exposed along with the diary.
"This is simply unbelievable!"
An Shanyuan uttered the words, his face dark.
Most devastating of all, the An Clan's ten-thousand-year legacy might be ruined by a single sentence in the diary.
The thought was so absurd it was hard to accept.
The contents revealed in this latest entry of the Great Emperor's Diary
had once again set the entire Cultivation World ablaze, sending shockwaves through it.
It could be said that the Great Emperor's Diary had been published for quite some time now.
At last, it had revealed something about a cultivation opportunity—and that was exactly what cultivators under heaven had been hoping to see!
A heaven-shaking secret!
A tremendous opportunity, one that had benefited even the Great Emperor!
This secret concerned becoming an immortal and ascending!
Just these few words were enough to drive countless cultivators mad, willing to explore at any cost.
What's more, the diary had given the exact location.
It couldn't have been more perfect.
At that moment, nearly every cultivator under heaven turned their attention to the Heavenly Mist Domain in Ning Province!
Because there was a mountain there called Cangwu!
The uproar this time was even greater than when the Immortal Great Emperor's sect had been revealed.
For cultivators, no matter the time or place, opportunity was the most irresistible lure.
And this was an opportunity to become an immortal and ascend!
What cultivator could possibly resist?
At that very moment, the entire Cultivation World—major forces and hidden rogue cultivators alike—were sharpening their blades once more.
Their destination: Cangwu Mountain, to seek the secret of ascension.
Aboard a flying ship.
On the broad deck, Jiang Youlong breathed heavily. His face was ashen as he said in a low voice, "Just as I thought!"
"This must all be the Immortal Great Emperor's scheme."
His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding audibly, yet he couldn't stop himself from trembling inside.
Immortal Great Emperor!
Was this your counterattack?
No matter how hard he tried, Jiang Youlong couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong.
And if the Immortal Great Emperor had seen those 'shocking' secrets, how could he still dare to resist?
Did he really think he was invincible under heaven?
Hua Hongyi's expression was grave. "It's too late to talk about that now. We'd better think of a solution—quickly!"
Zuo Qingtian clenched his teeth. "Exactly!"
"If we can find the Immortal Great Emperor right now and kill him, perhaps we can put an end to all this."
Jiang Youlong took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "Head for the Heavenly Mist Domain in Ning Province at once. We can only take things one step at a time now!"
The flying ship sailed above the clouds.
It suddenly changed course and surged forward, heading toward Ning Province at greatly increased speed.
Jade Pool Holy Land.
Great Elder Cang Yuan stared at Yuan Ruoyu and frowned. "Holy Venerable, you intend to go to Ning Province in person?"
"Why not remain here and let me..."
Yuan Ruoyu waved a hand, her expression resolute. "There's no need to say more, Great Elder. I've made up my mind!"
"The diary revealed by the Great Emperor concerns matters of grave importance and affects cultivators throughout the world. I must go and see for myself."
The Great Elder hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded. "In that case, I'll accompany you, Holy Venerable."
He didn't give it much thought.
He simply considered that this latest entry had exposed a heaven-shaking secret, so it was only natural for the Holy Venerable to go in person.
Cang Yuan continued, "Holy Venerable, I'll give the orders at once. We'll set out tomorrow."
Yuan Ruoyu nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Great Elder."
With that, she flashed away and returned to the Heavenly Pool Palace.
Yuan Ruoyu's eyes flickered. She took a deep breath and murmured softly:
"Those people won't stop keeping their eyes on you. Could it be because you discovered their secret?"
"At last, they've shown their hand!"
She drew another deep breath, her voice gradually turning cold. "This time, I want to see who it is..."
"Whoever they are, I'll drag them out into the open."
Liyue Immortal Dynasty.
Gathering Immortal Hall.
Ye Qingge sat upon the imperial throne, her face cold and her presence domineering.
Below, in the great hall,
a group of ministers from the Immortal Dynasty were discussing whom to send to Ning Province.
Suddenly,
Ye Qingge's icy voice rang through the hall. It wasn't loud, but it was utterly firm.
"My esteemed ministers, there's no need for further discussion!"
Prime Minister Gongyang Mu and the others looked up, startled.
The contents revealed in this diary were of grave importance. Choosing whom to send was no small matter.
Zhao Shanhe of the Black Bird Guard would have been the best choice, but he was still in Qing Province and hadn't returned.
Gongyang Mu had even considered simply ordering him to go there.
"Could it be that Your Majesty already has someone in mind..."
Prime Minister Gongyang Mu stepped forward and bowed as he asked.
Ye Qingge's gaze swept over them. Everyone felt their hearts tighten and lowered their heads without thinking.
Then her icy voice rang out.
"This time, I shall personally lead the expedition! My esteemed ministers, make your preparations without delay."
At her words,
the hall fell into a strange silence, then erupted into a flurry of discussion.
The Empress intended to personally lead the expedition!
This hadn't happened in thousands of years. It was a major matter concerning the entire Immortal Dynasty.
Gongyang Mu hesitated and was about to advise her against it, but Ye Qingge cut him off.
"My decision is final. Also, summon Zhao Shanhe of the Black Bird Guard and have him set out for Ning Province at once, ahead of us!"
"Court dismissed!"
Before you continue