Situated at the junction of three major provinces.
And today, Immortal Abode welcomed a day of great celebration for the entire sect.
Thirty thousand years ago today, Immortal Abode had been born.
At the edge of Cerulean Province, in a mountain range bordering two other provinces, the Founding Ancestor established the sect gates.
Its anniversary called for celebration. Thus, early in the morning, Immortal Abode had already become lively, laying out a grand feast as the entire sect celebrated together.
None of them suppressed their cultivation realms, allowing the alcohol to numb their nerves as they relaxed body and mind like never before.
Ordinarily, to preserve the name of one of the Nine Great Immortal Sects, they cultivated diligently and did not dare slack off.
But today, the Abode Master had given special approval: drink as much as they wanted—he would foot the bill!
As the drinking deepened, female disciples sang and danced while male disciples accompanied them in song. The atmosphere was harmonious and joyous beyond measure.
Even the Abode Master personally took the stage to demonstrate the heaven-and-earth arts of a Celestial Realm mighty figure, stirring every disciple's yearning for Celestial Realm strength.
However, just as everyone was immersed in merriment.
The stone statue of Immortal Abode's Founding Ancestor suddenly cracked.
Crack!
The fissures ran from its feet to its head, and the entire statue split apart.
A drunken disciple was the first to notice. Rubbing his eyes, he said, "Holy shit... the Ancestor... cracked?"
As soon as he spoke, he was punched. A tall male disciple clenched his fist and snapped irritably, "Even drunk, you can't disrespect the Ancestor, you unfilial descendant."
Then he looked at the Ancestor's statue, his mouth falling open. "Holy crap, it really cracked."
More and more people noticed the anomaly, their faces filled with shock and their mouths slightly agape.
The statue of the Ancestor, symbolizing Immortal Abode's dignity, had actually cracked.
What... omen was this?
The Abode Master narrowed his eyes and calculated on his fingers, then cried out, "An ill omen!"
Rumble!
Before the Abode Master had finished speaking, a thunderous roar suddenly rose from beneath the earth.
Judging by the sound, it came from deep underground—deep and powerful, like the tolling of great bells.
"Abode Master, can you calculate what caused this upheaval?"
A burly elder asked solemnly.
The Ancestor's statue had cracked, and a buzzing roar came from the depths of the earth.
Clearly, something was about to happen!
The Abode Master calculated repeatedly, yet found nothing. Then he summoned all his mana and forcibly continued his calculations.
The cracking of the Ancestor's statue indicated that what was about to happen might endanger all of Immortal Abode. He had no choice but to be cautious.
Pfft!
The Abode Master calculated with all his strength, yet not only did he fail to discern what was coming, he was also struck by the backlash of a mysterious force. His heart meridian was injured, and he spat out a mouthful of blood as his aura instantly withered!
What he had tried to calculate far exceeded his realm and touched upon a taboo!
Had he not withdrawn in time, he might have died on the spot!
"Abode Master!"
An elder hurriedly supported the Abode Master, his face full of worry. "Do not force yourself."
The Abode Master shook his head, blood staining the corner of his mouth. He struggled to raise his head and look into the sky, only to see nine-colored rays of rosy light descending from above.
"Quick... quickly invite the ancestors!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Before his words fell, the earth suddenly shuddered violently, shaking mountains and ground.
The entire mountain range where Immortal Abode stood was splitting apart. The cracks grew ever wider, spanning a hundred miles.
Dazzling golden light shone from the depths of the fissures.
As the golden light appeared, an indistinct pressure emerged—terrifying beyond measure.
It was a force that seemed capable of suppressing the universe, the ultimate extremity of the Great Dao!
"All Immortal Abode disciples, withdraw from the sect gates and get away from this place!"
"Retreat at once!"
From the depths of Immortal Abode, three figures shot into the sky, releasing the terrifying auras of the Approaching Dao Realm without restraint.
The old man in the middle, whose long eyebrows hung to his waist, roared.
In an instant, every drunken person in Immortal Abode was jolted awake.
"Disciples above the Core Formation Realm who can fly, lead the Vein Opening Realm disciples in evacuation. Move quickly."
The Abode Master soared into the sky, manifesting his heaven-and-earth dharma form, towering between heaven and earth.
Ignoring the internal injuries caused by the backlash, he wielded all the power of heaven and earth to stabilize, as much as possible, the tremors in the area where Immortal Abode's sect gates stood.
Then, the three Approaching Dao Realm ancestors and all the elders acted together, joining forces to stabilize this stretch of terrain.
They needed to buy time for the disciples to evacuate.
Inside Immortal Abode, chaos reigned. Vein Opening Realm disciples could not fly and could only seek out nearby disciples above the Core Formation Realm.
Yet Vein Opening Realm disciples were usually the most numerous in every sect.
For a time, it was impossible to evacuate them all.
Sleeve Universe!
An Approaching Dao Realm ancestor gave up on stabilizing the terrain and rushed into Immortal Abode. Employing a Dao technique, he continuously gathered the Vein Opening Realm disciples who had yet to escape into his sleeve.
Only after confirming that everyone had evacuated did he roar, "Leave the epicenter—retreat at once!"
At once, led by the old man with eyebrows hanging to his waist, everyone rushed into the distance, transforming into countless long rainbows and fleeing farther and farther from the mountain range.
Boom!
The immense upheaval spread once more. The earth shook violently, and great swathes of Immortal Abode's once magnificent buildings collapsed in succession, tumbling into the fissures.
The mountain range split apart, and golden light filled the heavens.
Nine-colored rosy light descended from Tian Qiong.
Layer upon layer of Tian Yu appeared in the sky—thirty-three layers in all. Upon those Tian Yu stood jade towers and jeweled halls, as though immortals dwelled there, while auspicious divine beasts galloped about, a sight that shook the heart.
The people of Immortal Abode who had fled far away stared into the sky with horrified faces, frozen in terror.
The old man with eyebrows hanging to his waist wore an ugly expression. Looking at the awe-inspiring Tian Yu above, his pupils trembled.
The thirty-three layers of Tian Yu exerted far too much pressure!
They blotted out the sky and covered the sun, raining down the rosy light of the Great Dao. Above them, the heavenly music of the Great Dao rumbled, seizing souls and shaking hearts.
As the mountain range where Immortal Abode stood continued trembling, it completely collapsed, revealing an enormous structure within.
This was...
"A tomb?"
The people of Immortal Abode were dumbfounded. Was that enormous structure not a burial mound?
There had actually been a great tomb beneath their sect?
So all these years, they had been living atop a grave?
As the tomb emerged, pale yellow gas gradually drifted up from underground and spread through the air.
The Abode Master drew over a wisp and examined it carefully, then cried out, "Profound Yellow Energy?"
"What?"
Everyone was stunned. They hurriedly drew over a wisp to inspect it, only to discover that it truly was Profound Yellow Energy!
Legend had it that Profound Yellow Energy was born when heaven and earth first opened.
When heaven and earth first opened, there were two energies!
Heaven possessed Primordial Violet Energy!
Earth possessed Profound Yellow Energy!
The old man with eyebrows hanging to his waist stared at the tomb again and again, and gradually, a conjecture he himself dared not believe arose in his heart.
Such a scale.
Such an aura.
Thirty-three layers of Tian Yu.
Profound Yellow Energy.
The faint, indistinct Emperor's Might in the air.