Looking Back Again!

Above the capital city of the Great Xia World.

Wow~~~

A ripple spread through the space, and a young man dressed in a simple light yellow Daoist robe stepped out.

It was Zhou Hao, who had just been teleported from the Eight Views Palace.

"It's only been a year since I left..." Zhou Hao looked down at the endless capital city and the towering Heavenly Brilliance Hall, the imperial city, which stretched for 99,999 miles, and murmured to himself.

"When I left, I was just a somewhat special monstrous Myriad Phenomena True Person. Now that I've returned, my body and Qi cultivation have reached the Void Return level, no less than a top-tier Celestial Immortal. I've also mastered the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and possess two spiritual treasures, far surpassing the Half-Step Pure Yang level."

"Furthermore, with the ' Tai Chi Great Dao ' fully mastered and the first level of Taiji Power, the ' Moonlight Realm, ' firmly established... he's not far behind ordinary True Immortals and Celestial Gods, is he?"

A rapid improvement in strength naturally brings about a different state of mind.

When the Immortal Fate Assembly began, he entered the royal capital for the first time. He sensed the grand array surrounding the entire capital and witnessed millions of cultivators coming to pay homage to Xia Emperor, which deeply shocked him.

Looking back now, it's no wonder he feels like he's lived through a different world.

"Master, is this the capital city of your Great Xia World?" The voice of the spirit of the Cosmos Diagram echoed in Zhou Hao's mind. "It seems that your Great Xia Dynasty has a very deep foundation. The entire capital city should be a huge array diagram, connecting at least three pure Yang magic treasures and thousands of immortal-grade magic treasures."

"Such a powerful array, especially in the imperial city as its central hub, is so formidable that even ordinary Pure Yang True Immortal or Great Teleportation Dao Talisman cannot break through its void and teleport within it!"

Zhou Hao nodded.

The formation that the Xia Emperor used to guard his lair could not be simple.

"However, it's still not enough for me." The spirit of the Cosmos Diagram continued, "Does Master wish me to tear open the sealing array and teleport directly inside?"

"No need," Zhou Hao said quickly.

Although he was confident that he could now rival ordinary True Immortals and Heavenly Gods in battle, he would still be far inferior to an ancient Pure Yang True Immortal like Xia Emperor, who had an astonishing background.

Besides, we're already above the imperial city, why would we tear apart the sealing array...? Isn't that just asking for trouble?

"Alright." The spirit of the Cosmos Diagram seemed to still feel a little regretful.

"The Cosmos Diagram hasn't appeared in Master's possession for a long time; it seems it's been holding back for quite a while. Despite being a normally composed spiritual treasure, it's acting like a little fatso." Zhou Hao shook his head.

As for the chubby little guy with the Purple Gold Hammer yelling in his mind that he was going to come out and smash the magic array below, he completely ignored it.

Whoosh!

With a single step, Zhou Hao flew into the imperial city's magic array and arrived outside the main hall on the top floor of the Heavenly Brilliance Hall.

It is currently the Immortal Fate Assembly, and the sealing array only isolates spatial fluctuations and prohibits teleportation, but does not prohibit entry or exit.

At this moment, the Imperial City Square was bustling with activity, but the atmosphere in the main hall of the Heavenly Brilliance Hall was somewhat tense.

Since the top six of this Immortal Fate Assembly have already been determined, the next step is to decide the top three!

Previously, when Xia Emperor announced the rewards for the Immortal Fate Assembly, he had already stated that one of the top three would definitely become a disciple of the Dao Ancestor.

The six prodigies of the Myriad Phenomena Realm —Slovenly True Person, Cangwu Jiu, Ji Ning, Mu Chuan True Person Zhenren, Blackstone True Person, and Xia Mang Zishan —all remained silent.

The remaining thousands of celestial beings seated in the hall also waited silently.

After an hour of quiet reflection, the six people will begin their fourth round of three decisive battles.

Three will be eliminated, three will remain!

Who will be eliminated? Who will stay?

Until the very last moment, even the Xia Emperor, Lü Dongbin, and the other nine Pure Yang True Immortal couldn't say for sure, and they were chatting and discussing amongst themselves.

"That's about it." Just as Xia Emperor was about to speak, a thought suddenly struck him, and he looked outside the main hall.

"Who's here now?" The other eight Pure Yang True Immortal, including Lü Dongbin, Northern Land Immortal Elder, Crimson Pole True Lord, also turned to look.

"Could it be that the Xuanwu Great Emperor sent someone to pick up Little Sloppy?"

This thought flashed through the minds of all nine true immortals and celestial beings.

After all, Xuandu Grand Mage came to pick up Zhou Hao first, and now that the Immortal Fate Assembly is nearing its end, it's not surprising that Xuanwu Great Emperor sent someone to come.

In fact, the extraordinary fortune of this Immortal Fate Assembly has exceeded the expectations of these true immortals and gods.

I thought it was already remarkable that Zhou Hao was chosen by the Three Pure Ones.

Unexpectedly, another Slovenly True Person appeared, who also possessed the ' Xuanwu Great Divine Ability '. Later, even the Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor wanted to choose one of the three strongest individuals from the Immortal Fate Assembly to take as his disciple.

Three powerful Dao Ancestors and three of their disciples gathered at this Immortal Fate Assembly, a feat unprecedented and likely to be repeated.

The strange behavior of the nine True Immortals and Gods, including Xia Emperor, at the top of the main hall naturally attracted the attention of thousands of Celestials and all the Myriad Phenomena True Person below.

"Another important figure has arrived?"

Wow!

Everyone looked outside.

Even the six generals who were about to begin the fourth round of the decisive battle, including Ji Ning, Slovenly True Person, Cangwu Jiu, and Xia Mang Zishan, were no exception.

Then a young man wearing a light yellow Daoist robe strode in.

The young man exuded a powerful aura, which even made the surrounding celestial beings feel a little uneasy.

But compared to the man's aura, his appearance surprised everyone even more.

"Zhou Hao?"

It's Zhou Hao.

"Wasn't he taken to the Eight Views Palace by Xuandu Grand Mage? It's only been a year, how come he's back already?"

"This aura... Are you kidding me? Could he have survived the Heavenly Tribulation in just one year? How is that possible!"

The thousands of celestial beings were all deeply shocked.

"Zhou Hao," the Xia Emperor stood up and said with a smile, "Why did you return to the Great Xia World instead of cultivating at the Eight Views Palace?"

"Yes, junior brother." Lü Dongbin also asked in confusion, "Didn't Master arrange for you to go to the Heavenly Court?"

He recalled that after he became a disciple, he spent a day in the Eight Views Palace, where his master imparted teachings and bestowed treasures upon him. Afterward, he was assigned to the Heavenly Court and given a sinecure as one of the Eight Immortals of Upper Cavern, where he cultivated on his own.

"Xia Emperor, Senior Brother Lü," Zhou Hao said with a smile, "I finished my cultivation and saw that the Immortal Fate Assembly was still going on, with some friends still dueling here, so I came back to watch. As for going to the Heavenly Court to see the Jade Emperor, there's no rush. I'll bring my Daoist partner and family to the Heavenly Realm after the Immortal Fate Assembly ends, which will save me from making another trip."

"Haha, that's perfect. Xuandu Grand Mage left in a hurry earlier and didn't have a proper chat with you." Xia Emperor waved his hand and arranged another seat next to Lü Dongbin, inviting him, "Please sit here."

"Okay." Zhou Hao walked straight to the top of the main hall. Along the way, he saw Ji Ning and the Slovenly True Person sitting next to a middle-aged celestial being, with Yu Wei and another bright young girl beside them.

"This must be Ji Ning's cousin Yuchi Xiyue, and her maternal grandfather, the celestial ' King Yan ' of the Xia Mang Clan."

Zhou Hao nodded slightly to the others, and seeing Ji Ning and Yu Wei standing close together, seemingly intimate, he thought to himself, "As expected, they've gotten together at this Immortal Fate Assembly."

Without stopping, Zhou Hao saw his master Kong Fang Fangtianxian, and Liu Yu Yun Yuchan all looking at him. He grinned at them and transmitted his voice, "I have already become their disciple. We'll leave together after the Immortal Fate Assembly."

"Junior brother, come and sit down," Lü Dongbin greeted. "You've come at the perfect time; the most exciting round is about to begin."

"You've arrived." Zhou Hao smiled and stepped forward to greet the other True Immortals and Celestials, after which they all took their seats.

Not to mention the envy and jealousy in the eyes of the other celestial ancestors and Myriad Phenomena True Person as they watched Zhou Hao, who had returned after a year's absence, chatting and laughing with Xia Emperor and nine other true immortals and gods.

Even the gazes of Ji Ning, the Slovenly True Person, Xia Mang Zishan, the Blackstone True Person, Cangwu Jiu, and the Mu Chuan True Person were filled with fervor and longing.

"So this is the disciple of the Dao Ancestor."

"If I can win just one more match, I can enter the top three and have a chance to be chosen by Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor, from which I can soar to great heights!"

We must win!

"This will be the biggest turning point in my life!"

"An opportunity like Zhou Hao's, to stand on equal footing with Pure Yang True Immortal like Xia Emperor!"

"We must win!"

"Junior Brother."

Seeing Zhou Hao looking down at the six Myriad Phenomena Prodigies who were competing against each other in the fourth round, Lü Dongbin chuckled and teased, "You were a participant in the Immortal Fate Assembly last time, and now you sit at the head of the table, drinking and watching the battle. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

"It feels like a dream," Zhou Hao said with a smile.

"That's a beautiful dream," the immortals, including the Northern Land Immortal Elder, said enviously.

Ordinary celestial immortals could only sense the faint palpitations emanating from Zhou Hao, but with their Pure Yang True Immortal eyesight, and sitting so close, they could naturally see the extraordinary nature of the Daoist robe Zhou Hao was wearing.

Only a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, or even an innate supreme treasure, could possess such power.

Not to mention, Zhou Hao's exposed skin was fair and delicate like a child's, yet every single hair seemed as tough and powerful as a celestial-grade magic weapon.

"It's only been a year! His strength has obviously undergone earth-shattering changes. He truly deserves to be regarded as a peerless prodigy by the Three Pure Ones." Everyone looked at each other, sighing in their hearts.

"It's about to begin." Zhou Hao's eyes lit up.

The two rather plain-looking, unassuming, Mu Chuan True Person Slovenly True Person below had already gotten up and walked out of the hall.

They were the two opponents in the first match of the fourth round.

"Senior brother, how strong is this Mu Chuan True Person? The Slovenly True Person ' San Pang ' is my close friend, and we even learned the Xuanwu Great Divine Ability together," Zhou Hao asked Lü Dongbin, who was standing to the side.

"So it turns out that you and that slovenly boy learned the Xuanwu Great Divine Ability together. I knew it was impossible for the Xuanwu Great Emperor to leave behind two divine power inheritances in the Great Xia World." Lü Dongbin suddenly realized.

"Although that Mu Chuan True Person doesn't possess top-tier supernatural abilities or secret techniques, his strength is still quite good. In the realm of 'Azure Wood Path,' he's even stronger than Little Sloppy. This round's clash between the two is a true battle of equals, and either of them could potentially make it into the top three."

Zhou Hao nodded.

He understood what Lü Dongbin meant: San Pang was strong in supernatural powers and secret techniques. He himself had also cultivated the "Xuanwu Great Divine Ability" and the "Wave-Stacking Secret Art." After all, these were among the top 100 supernatural powers and secret techniques in the entire Three Realms, so their power was naturally overwhelming.

But the Mu Chuan True Person is strong in the realm of the Dao.

According to the information he had previously obtained from the Myriad Phenomena Windcloud Ranking, the Mu Chuan True Person had been cultivating for nearly five hundred years, and his Second Primordial Spirit was already Earth Immortal of the Void Return. However, for the sake of this Immortal Fate Assembly, he had stubbornly kept his true body in the Myriad Phenomena Realm until now.

"It's precisely when the two sides clash that things become more exciting," Xia Emperor said with a smile, his gaze fixed on the sealing array outside the main hall.

He would watch each of the three upcoming matches with utmost seriousness.

Although the Watermark Technique will eventually be presented to Master Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor, the Watermark Technique is only an image; those who watch it in person can feel the fluctuations of the 'Dao'.

If the master were to inquire, one must be able to answer.

Inside the sealed formation.

The Slovenly True Person and the Mu Chuan True Person face each other from afar.

Boom! Boom!

The two transformed into towering giants almost simultaneously, each with Three Heads and Six Arms, and charged at each other.

The Mu Chuan True Person held a large hammer in each of his six hands, while the Slovenly True Person was empty-handed. He directly Xuanwu Great Divine Ability, using his fists as weapons, and unleashed the Wave-Stacking Secret Art, which was like a monstrous wave, crashing down.

Bang!

A sledgehammer slams into a fist.

Known for his defensive prowess, Mu Chuan True Person merely trembled slightly, thus dissipating the terrifying impact of the hammer and fist colliding.

He moved like a humanoid tree, wielding six massive hammers and taking each heavy step, enduring every punch from the Slovenly True Person.

After the Slovenly True Person used the 'Overlapping Waves' secret technique to seize the initiative, all six of his fists attacked like waves, each wave more turbulent than the last, constantly stacking and increasing, causing the Mu Chuan True Person's expression to change slightly.

"San Pang's Xuanwu Great Divine Ability should still be at the second level. His body is comparable to Earth-Grade Dharma Treasure, which is slightly lower than my previous level. However, his mastery of the Wave-Stacking Secret Art is even higher, which shows that he has put in a lot of effort." Zhou Hao secretly praised him.

Although he and San Pang received the Xuanwu Great Divine Ability at the same time, after nearly a hundred years of cultivation, their strengths had long since diverged. He had integrated the mysteries of the Wave-Stacking Secret Art into his self-created ' Taiji Fist Art,' using the Taiji Fist Hammer Technique as a framework and combining it with the profound mysteries of the Five Elements to create the fourth move, ' Five Elements Hammer.'

"It all depends on whether San Pang- un can take down Mu Chuan True Person before the power accumulates to its limit."

Zhou Hao knew that although the Wave-Stacking Secret Art was powerful, it could not be stacked indefinitely. Once the accumulated power reached a certain level, the user's body would collapse and become uncontrollable.

That's why he thought of using the Five Elements cycle to control this secret technique. Although there is still a limit to the superposition, at least it won't easily collapse and create flaws in the moves.

The fourth move of Taiji Fist Art, "Five Elements Hammer," is a powerful and unstoppable move that embodies the endless cycle of the five elements.

"If nothing unexpected happens, San Pang should be able to win this match." Zhou Hao looked at the Slovenly True Person who had the upper hand and was happy for his friend.

But just as this thought arose, a large amount of water appeared out of thin air around the Mu Chuan True Person who was struggling below.

After the appearance of the Mu Chuan True Person water, the feeling one gets also changes.

If he was like a humanoid tree before, he was certainly resilient, but his moves were somewhat clumsy.

At this moment, the hammer wielded by Mu Chuan True Person had become more agile, and his moves were more flexible and precise.

"Yuanshui Avenue?"

"Besides the Green Wood Avenue, he is also extremely skilled in the Source Water Avenue."

Lü Dongbin, Xia Emperor, and the other nine true immortals and gods were immediately shocked, and Zhou Hao was also astonished.

Greenwood Avenue and Source Water Avenue are two complementary avenues.

The fact that Mu Chuan True Person possesses at least the "Great Dao Domain" level in both of these "Great Daos" simultaneously means that his power is far more than simply one plus one equals two.

"Previously, I thought that among all the cultivators in this Immortal Fate Assembly, only Fellow Daoist Zhou Hao was cultivating several Great Daos, and all of them were at a high level. I never expected that Mu Chuan would also have such monstrous comprehension." The Northern Land Immortal Elder sighed in admiration.

He also majored in the two paths of wood and water, and when he saw the Mu Chuan True Person was equally skilled, he felt a sense of appreciation for his talent.

Knowing only that the Xia Emperor valued the group of prodigies at this Immortal Fate Assembly, he never asked for their services, no matter how tempted he was.

After all, even when Lü Dongbin expressed his desire to take Ji Ning as his disciple, Xia Emperor rejected him without hesitation.

He was merely a carefree Pure Yang True Immortal in the Heavenly Realm. Although his strength was not bad, his background was far inferior to that of Lü Dongbin, who had two powerful figures from the Dao Sect behind him. Naturally, he was unwilling to open his mouth and risk being rebuffed.

"You're also tempted by the Northern Land?" Lü Dongbin teased. "If you ask me, if you agree to join the ranks of Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor and want to take on disciples, Xia Mang will definitely not stop you."

"If the Northern Land are willing to join Master's ranks, as long as Mu Chuan doesn't make it into the top three and isn't chosen by Master, I will give him to you. Even the prodigies from this Immortal Fate Assembly are yours to choose from." After saying this, Xia Emperor looked at Crimson Pole True Lord, "The same goes for Chi Ji."

Among the assembled immortals and celestial beings, only the Northern Land Immortal Elder and the Crimson Pole True Lord were free spirits, not affiliated with any Dao Ancestor or great power.

At most, they could be considered members of the Dao Sect lineage, attending lectures given by prominent Dao Sect masters; they weren't even considered registered disciples.

"We're all used to a life of leisure, it's better not to give up our carefree days for a disciple," both the Northern Land Immortal Elder and the Crimson Pole True Lord shook their heads repeatedly.

Although he secretly harbored the idea of finding a powerful backer to weather the impending catastrophe before the Three Realms were thrown into chaos, a powerful figure like the Crimson Bright Dao Ancestor, who ruled over dozens of great worlds for countless years and commanded dozens of True Immortals and Heavenly Gods, was not a good place to go.

If they actually joined, they might not get many benefits, and they would most likely become cannon fodder in the future. They're not stupid, so naturally they wouldn't want to.

"I've heard of using magical treasures, rare items, cultivation techniques, and supernatural abilities to attract powerful individuals, and using Myriad Phenomena True Person geniuses as disciples as bait, but this is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing." Zhou Hao glanced at them, but his gaze remained fixed on the two people fighting desperately within the sealing formation.

Based on his familiarity with the Wave-Stacking Secret Art, he could already tell that the Slovenly True Person was nearing his end.

The Mu Chuan True Person, however, was incredibly resilient. Wielding six large hammers with his six hands, he not only defended flawlessly but also launched counterattacks time and again, attempting to disrupt the rhythm of the Slovenly True Person's attacks.

soon.

The disheveled master Slovenly True Person momentum was growing increasingly ferocious, suddenly paused. His wave-like attacks also stopped instantly, revealing a slight opening that was immediately seized upon by the Mu Chuan True Person.

"Bang!!!"

A large hammer slammed directly into the Slovenly True Person's chest, blasting countless cracks into the tortoise-like patterns on his body, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Bang bang bang!

The Mu Chuan True Person Zhenren pressed his advantage, swinging his sledgehammer repeatedly, striking the Slovenly True Person several times in an instant, causing him further serious injury.

"I surrender!" the Slovenly True Person shouted as he struggled to defend himself.

The first match of the fourth round: Slovenly True Person vs. Mu Chuan True Person.

Mu Chuan True Person Wins.

I was planning to finish this in one long chapter, but I'm so sleepy, I'll continue tomorrow.

Without Zhou Hao's participation, the Immortal Fate Assembly will not be described in too much detail; it will only be mentioned briefly as a transition.

Thank you to my friend 'wesket' for the 10,500 points.

Thank you to my friend 'Genuine Leather VS Sofa' for the 1666 points!

I bow in gratitude to the Suifeng!