Qing Province, Southern Region.
Xuanqing Sect.
Great Elder Chen Xiu looked at Yan Changkong in disbelief and asked, "Sect Master, are you sure we're not going to Ning Province?"
"Ancestor Lin Feng said this was a secret that could affect the entire Cultivation World, a chance related to ascending to immortality..."
Yan Changkong sighed, then replied firmly:
"No!"
"Have Eighth Elder Qi Yuan take a few disciples. Let them go for experience. The sect will reimburse their travel expenses."
Chen Xiu still looked baffled. This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.
The sects and clans of every province had sent their strongest people, all hoping to seize even the smallest share of the opportunity.
Although Xuanqing Sect wasn't very powerful right now, it still had standing.
With two Great Emperors as their backers...
If Yan Changkong went in person, the other factions would at least have to show him some respect.
And Yan Changkong had actually decided not to go?
Was he really that cautious?
Seeing that the Great Elder still looked reluctant and refused to leave, Yan Changkong could only patiently explain, speaking earnestly: "If this really is a great opportunity, why didn't Ancestor Lin Feng secretly send us word earlier?"
"He didn't do that for a reason!"
"Either there's more to it than meets the eye, or our Xuanqing Sect isn't strong enough yet to claim this opportunity."
The Great Elder was struck speechless, stunned.
Then Yan Changkong continued, "Besides, the whole world is in an uproar this time, and all the major factions are making their moves. Even if I went to compete, what chance would I have?"
"Would I be relying on others to show me respect?"
"If this really is a great opportunity, even Ancestor Lin Feng's appearance might not be enough to help. Once the fighting starts, no one will care who you are!"
A trace of shame appeared on the Great Elder's face.
Yan Changkong went on, "The sect is growing rapidly right now, but we can't let that cloud our judgment! We have to stay calm."
"We have to keep our heads down!"
"Steadily build our strength. Once we're strong enough, opportunities will come."
The Great Elder was overcome with shame, his face burning!
Yan Changkong added, "We can't compete for this opportunity."
"Have the Eighth Elder take a few promising disciples. Let them treat it as training and broaden their horizons."
"Just make sure we have someone on the scene who can learn about the secret our ancestor mentioned as soon as possible."
Tears streamed down the Great Elder's face. The Sect Master had seen the bigger picture, while he'd suspected him of being a coward!
What kind of person was he?
The Great Elder said, deeply moved, "Sect Master, say no more! I'll go tell the Eighth Elder right away!"
"From now on, I'll support every decision you make!"
With that, he turned and walked out of the hall, then disappeared into the distance.
A moment later...
Yan Changkong took a deep breath and swallowed a Calm Spirit Pill.
Then, still shaken, he muttered, "Compete? Go watch those Mahayana Realm experts tear each other apart?"
"I nearly died of fright last time!"
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Ning Province, Heaven's Mist Domain.
In just a few short days, this place had become the liveliest in the Cultivation World.
Countless flying boats, tower ships, and jeweled carriages crossed the sky.
In the end, they all landed in Heaven's Mist Domain, Qing Province.
This time, the major factions had sent far more people than they had the last time they went to Xuanqing Sect.
After all, last time they had only gone to test the Great Emperor's strength.
They had toured the Former Residence of the Great Emperor and the like.
But this time was different. They were genuinely here to fight over an opportunity and uncover the secret of ascending to immortality.
They had come to fight and snatch!
The slightest disagreement could spark a battle that would shake the entire Cultivation World.
After all, nearly every faction was involved.
The super factions wanted the opportunity all to themselves.
The first-rate factions wanted a share.
The second-rate factions hoped to pick up the scraps.
Even the third-rate factions wanted to see if any bones were left.
Even the lowliest factions and wandering cultivators were taking their chances, watching like wolves.
The moment an opportunity arose, they'd strike without hesitation.
Everyone had been following the Great Emperor's Diary for this very day, hadn't they?
As factions from every direction converged on Heaven's Mist Domain with the force of wind and thunder,
the entire domain seemed blanketed in a murderous atmosphere. Even the air grew heavy.
The pressure was on the An Clan.
At this moment!
Tens of thousands of An Clan disciples lived within the clan's territory.
Of course, most of them were ordinary people with mediocre aptitude.
They lived in the outer towns.
Only those with exceptional cultivation talent could enter the An Clan's core territory.
In the past, the An Clan's core disciples had only needed to focus on cultivation.
They'd lived without a care, with resources supplied to them in an endless stream.
But now, even in the An Clan's core city, everyone felt on edge, their expressions grave.
Most knew that Cangwu Mountain, on the clan's lands, held a secret, and that the Immortal Great Emperor had exposed it.
But they didn't know what the secret was.
Still, their ancestors had been roused from seclusion.
And the clan leader, An Shanyuan, had made a series of arrangements.
All of this made the An Clan members realize that their family really was facing a moment of life or death.
Some gifted children had even been secretly sent away from the An Clan and settled elsewhere.
"What secret does Cangwu Mountain hold?"
"Yeah, we've lived here so long, and we never noticed a thing."
"Whatever it is, it's all the Immortal Great Emperor's fault!"
"Damn it! If he hadn't exposed it in his diary, why would our An Clan be facing this calamity?"
"What's there to fear? Our An Clan isn't easy to bully!"
"This is the perfect chance to show everyone what our An Clan can do. We'll live and die with the clan!"
Within the An Clan's core territory, some of the younger cultivators were indignant,
furiously discussing the matter.
At that moment, in one of the An Clan's ancient halls,
the clan leader, An Shanyuan, stood trembling off to one side, bowing respectfully as he explained what had happened from beginning to end.
He also described the series of arrangements he'd made for the An Clan.
Three elderly men with lean faces, white hair, and youthful complexions sat in chairs, listening quietly.
There wasn't the slightest trace of spiritual power fluctuation about them.
They looked just like ordinary old men.
But on closer inspection, they didn't seem ordinary at all. They gave off an unfathomable air, impossible to read.
These three were the founding ancestors of the An Clan in Ning Province.
Ten thousand years ago, they had led their people here, where they'd settled and built the clan into what it was.
They were also the most powerful cultivators in the entire An Clan.
Thousands of years ago, the Three Ancestors of the An Clan had been famous figures in the Cultivation World.
By then, they had already reached the Mahayana Realm.
"Ancestor, that's the situation as it stands..."
After An Shanyuan finished, he waited quietly at the side for their instructions.
Silence fell for a moment.
"Alas..."
The eldest, An Yujun, sighed softly. His expression remained calm as he looked at An Shanyuan and said,
"You've done very well."
The second, An Yudu, and the third, An Yuheng, smiled and nodded as well, their expressions still calm.
As still as a dry well.
An Yujun pondered for a moment, then said, "What's coming will come. I knew this day might arrive."
"Now that it's here, we'll find a way to deal with it."
An Shanyuan's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't dare speak.
Still, the ancestors' return steadied him. It was as if he'd finally found someone to lean on.
He was no longer as panicked as before.
An Yujun continued, "Let's wait for the others. We can't let my An Clan bear the whole burden alone!"
"Many hands make light work. Only when everyone does their part can we resolve this crisis."
An Yuanshan hurriedly replied, "Ancestor, we sent people to notify them long ago. They should be arriving soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, loud laughter came from outside.
"Hahahaha!"
"An Yujun, calling you an old fox really is no mistake!"
"Exactly. You've only just come out of seclusion, and you're already plotting against us!"
"Three old foxes like you could give us quite a headache."
An Yuanshan instinctively tensed, then relaxed. He looked toward the sky outside the door.
It was empty. There was nothing there.
The voice just now had been strangely elusive. It seemed to ring right beside his ear, yet also to come from the ends of the earth.
He couldn't tell where it came from, or whether the speaker was a man or a woman.
But in the next instant, An Shanyuan saw a dozen or so figures, all cloaked in black hoods and capes.
They simply stood in the hall, as if they'd been there all along.
The three ancestors of the An Clan rose and gave them a slight salute.
An Yujun smiled and said, "My old friends, it's been years. I hope you've all been well?"
"Heh, we were well enough. That may not be true anymore."
A moment later, An Shanyuan hurriedly left. The three ancestors of the An Clan had matters to discuss with their guests.
Meanwhile,
also in Heaven's Mist Domain, in a mountain range several hundred miles from the An Clan,
a battle had just broken out.
It caused quite a stir, because both sides had impressive backgrounds.
One side was the powerful Jade Pool Holy Land.
The other was the renowned Liyue Immortal Dynasty!
The reason for the battle was simple.
Both groups were advance forces, sent ahead to seize a foothold in Heaven's Mist Domain.
After all, there were so many factions arriving that the domain was already packed.
They had to get there early and claim a good spot.
As it happened, the Jade Pool Holy Land and the Liyue Immortal Dynasty arrived almost at the same time, and both had their eyes on the same mountain peak.
The peak had unique scenery and offered a view of Cangwu Mountain.
Neither side was willing to yield.
Both had powerful backers, so they went straight to blows.
After the clash, quite a few people on both sides were injured. Fortunately, they showed some restraint, and no one died.
Even after the fighting stopped, the two sides continued to face off.
They waited for reinforcements to arrive.
The standoff lasted for several hours.
When Yuan Ruoyu arrived and heard what had happened, her expression darkened. "You started fighting at the slightest disagreement!"
"What, are the people of the Liyue Immortal Dynasty always this overbearing?"
The Liyue Immortal Dynasty's side saw that even the Holy Venerable had arrived, and their confidence immediately faltered.
Not a single one of them dared to speak.
But just then, nine Flood Dragons appeared in the sky, pulling an extravagantly luxurious Imperial Chariot.
Ye Qingge walked out in a gorgeous imperial robe, her face icy as she swept a glance over Yuan Ruoyu.
Her voice was cool, yet brimming with domineering authority. "Good. The people of my Liyue Immortal Dynasty have always been this overbearing!"
"What do you intend to do about it?"
As the Holy Venerable of the Holy Land, Yuan Ruoyu was hardly one to be trifled with.
She turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Ye Qingge...
For a moment, their eyes clashed, and sparks seemed to fly through the air.
They were at each other's throats!
At that moment, even the air seemed to freeze solid.
Before you continue