The Reincarnation Writ

Deep winter, deep night. Bitterly cold.

But within the Yan Estate, the Princess Xiyue was burning with fury. She slammed her hand against the table. "That Shaoyan clan! How dare they! To attempt an assassination within the imperial capital of the Grand Xia! Damn them! Damn them! Damn them to hell!"

"Cousin-sister," Ji Ning said. "Although the Shaoyan clan sent a Loose Immortal assassin, he still died by my hand. There's no need for you to be so angry."

"How can I not be angry?" Xiyue Princess looked at him. "I'm still breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. Thank goodness you were strong enough, that you were able to block the Bone-Slayer Immortal-Executing Needles and then face down that Floating Cloud Immortal in single combat. If anything had happened… little brother, aside from Grandfather, you are my only true family left."

If her only remaining brother were to die… Xiyue Princess didn't know what she would do.

"That Shaoyan clan truly deserves to die." Xiyue Princess was trembling with rage.

"The Loose Immortal they sent this time has already failed," Ji Ning said, trying to comfort his cousin-sister. "I doubt they have any other methods for now. As long as I stay within the Grand Xia imperial capital, the Shaoyan clan can't touch me."

Yuchi Xiyue took a deep breath, then nodded. "You're right. They can't do anything to you directly now. Their only option will be to use the rules of the Immortal Fortunes Assembly a year from now to deal with you."

"Among all Wanxiang Adepts at perfection, I wouldn't dare claim to be invincible. But I am confident in my ability to survive." Ji Ning's eyes suddenly lit up. "Cousin-sister, I've just finished refining the storage treasure left behind by that slain Floating Cloud Immortal with my Primaltwin."

"Oh?" Yuchi Xiyue's eyes lit up as well. "Let's see what treasures that Floating Cloud Immortal left behind. But then again, since he came to assassinate you, carrying the Bone-Slayer Immortal-Executing Needles and the Blood-Coil Heaven-Sealing Formation with him, he probably didn't leave many valuable items behind."

"I'll take a careful look," Ji Ning said with a nod.

His Primaltwin, within the aquatic manor, immediately began to carefully inspect each item. Suddenly, Ji Ning's face revealed a look of shock.

"What is it?" Yuchi Xiyue asked hurriedly.

"All the other treasures are more or less what I expected," Ji Ning said. "But I found a scroll." He waved his hand, and a golden scroll appeared. The golden scroll emanated a strange, ancient ripple.

"A scroll?" Yuchi Xiyue looked at it curiously as well.

Ji Ning opened the scroll directly. On the golden scroll, there was only a single line of text and a signature. It read:

"Return hence, from whence thou came.
—Xiamang Sun."

The strokes were simple and plain, yet they carried a suffocating pressure.

Both Ji Ning and Yuchi Xiyue felt their hearts tremble. It was as though they were facing the vast heavens themselves. Even Ji Ning, who had seen that ancient Fiendgod in the Mount Yujue Wasteland, had never felt such a profound sense of dread.

"Hiss." Ji Ning quickly rolled up the scroll, and the terrifying pressure completely vanished.

"What is that thing?" Yuchi Xiyue asked in astonishment.

"I don't know either," Ji Ning said, shaking his head.

"Just a single line—'Return hence, from whence thou came'—and a signature with just a name, Xiamang Sun. Who exactly is this Xiamang Sun? Could he be some ancient existence within the Xiamang royal clan of the Grand Xia?" Yuchi Xiyue was utterly confused. "I've never heard that name before."

Ji Ning frowned. "The person who wrote this line should be this Xiamang Sun. From the pressure it released, this Xiamang Sun is a being of terrifying power."

"I'll go ask Grandfather," Yuchi Xiyue said quickly. "Wait for me here."

"Ask him in the middle of the night?" Ji Ning was taken aback.

"It's fine. Grandfather is a Celestial Immortal ancestor. What difference does day or night make to him? Besides, he lives alone; even the maids and servants are forbidden from getting close. It won't be a problem for me to go see him late at night. I'm too anxious. I feel like this scroll is something special. Just wait here for me; I'll be right back." Yuchi Xiyue swiftly departed.

In the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.

Yuchi Xiyue flew back, her face flushed with excitement.

"What did you find out, cousin-sister?" Ji Ning was extremely curious as well. What exactly was this scroll?

"Do you know who Xiamang Sun is?" Yuchi Xiyue asked, a mysterious look on her face.

"Who?" Ji Ning asked.

He had never heard of that name before.

"He is the Emperor of our Grand Xia Dynasty!" Yuchi Xiyue said in a low voice. "He is also the founder of our Grand Xia Dynasty, the Emperor of this major world."

"The Emperor?" Ji Ning was startled.

The Grand Xia Emperor was an exalted, untouchable figure, the Emperor of this major world, wielding immense authority. It could even be said that the Grand Xia Emperor could converse on equal footing with the Heavenly Emperor of the Heaven Realm. One was the Emperor of a mortal major world, the other was the Emperor of Heaven.

From the Fiendgod Era all the way to the present.

The Grand Xia Emperor had never changed. He rarely appeared. After all, this ancient dynasty, which had existed for endless billions of years, had long since formed its own inherent rules. Trivial matters were naturally handled by a number of officials.

He was mighty—he was, after all, the one who had single-handedly ended the Fiendgod Era and established this vast, unified dynasty.

He was mysterious. Throughout the endless ages, he rarely showed himself.

He was exalted. No one in the Grand Xia Dynasty dared to defy him.

As the Emperor who had stood at the very pinnacle of this world from the Fiendgod Era to the present, he was a being that many Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals could not even approach. His true name was known by very few.

"Yes, it's the Emperor. This is the Emperor's name." Yuchi Xiyue was extremely excited. "Xiamang Sun… 'Sun' is the Emperor's name!"

"Xiamang Sun… the Emperor's name…" Ji Ning suddenly felt a shiver of fear run down his spine.

In the depths of his soul…

It felt as though a pair of eyes were watching him.

Before he knew it was the Grand Xia Emperor's name, Ji Ning hadn't felt anything special. But the moment he learned the truth, he sensed that pair of eyes looking over from the depths of the cosmos.

"Do you know what this scroll is?" Yuchi Xiyue didn't notice his reaction at all; she was consumed with excitement. "This is a Reincarnation Writ! A Reincarnation Writ personally written by our Grand Xia Emperor! If you carry this Reincarnation Writ with you, then when you die, the writ will protect your soul and escort it into the Netherworld Kingdom. When the Ten Kings of Hell see this writ, they will naturally show face to our Grand Xia Emperor. The line 'Return hence, from whence thou came' means that no matter which major world or tribe you came from, you will be reincarnated back into that same original major world and tribe!"

Ji Ning understood now.

The Ten Kings of Hell and Lord Cui… they were the highest authorities of the Netherworld Kingdom. Allowing an Immortal to be reincarnated back to their original world and tribe was a trivial matter. This was also a way for them to form a bond of good karma with the mighty figure who had written the 'Reincarnation Writ'.

"By the way, my grandfather warned me not to casually spread the Grand Xia Emperor's name." Yuchi Xiyue quickly added. "According to my grandfather, if you speak the Emperor's name, the Emperor will be able to sense it. But since we're inside the Yan Estate, the Emperor won't pay it too much mind."

"I understand. I won't spread it." Ji Ning quickly reassured her, but he was secretly alarmed. The pair of eyes he had sensed watching him from the void… that must have been the Grand Xia Emperor.

Time flowed on.

News of Ji Ning's Primaltwin slaying the Floating Cloud Immortal began to spread. Ji Ning's fame naturally grew. Within the Grand Xia imperial capital, it was nearly universally accepted that Ji Ning's level of enlightenment in the Dao was extremely high—even higher than the Floating Cloud Immortal's. Otherwise, how could he have crossed realms to deal with him?

In the Anchan Commandery, within a quiet room of the Black-White College.

The number one disciple of the third generation, 'Lata Realperson', sat cross-legged, wearing only a pair of trousers. His entire upper body was bare. Layers of lines, resembling the patterns on a tortoise shell, began to appear on his skin. A surging, ancient aura spread out, thick and heavy.

"Hua."

Suddenly, an enormous Turtle-Snake phantom appeared in the quiet room, nearly filling the entire space. Lata Realperson was seated on the back of this phantom. The massive Turtle-Snake phantom began to move, its turtle head and snake head both letting out loud roars.

Lata Realperson's entire body was covered in a layer of that turtle-shell pattern, and his eyes seemed to become those of a snake, a sight that would terrify anyone.

His aura was incomparably ancient.

"Hm?" Lata Realperson suddenly frowned. He felt a mysterious pull, something calling out to him in the depths of his consciousness.

"The Immortal Fortunes Assembly?" Lata Realperson murmured to himself. "Strange. When I was training the 'Black Tortoise Grand Divine Ability', I suddenly had this premonition of the future. That Immortal Fortunes Assembly seems extremely important. To me… it feels like it might be a great opportunity."

That powerful pull was so strong that Lata Realperson couldn't suppress it.

Lata Realperson knew that this kind of mysterious premonition was not to be doubted. Since his senses told him it was a great opportunity, he should go.

"I don't enjoy fighting and killing. I just want to cultivate peacefully and leisurely. But it seems I have no choice but to attend this Immortal Fortunes Assembly." Lata Realperson nodded gently. "Take things as they come. What is meant to be mine will be mine. What isn't, why force it? I'll go and take a look at this Immortal Fortunes Assembly, and meet the prodigies and heroes of this major world."

"I've just finished the second cycle of my 'Black Tortoise Grand Divine Ability'. I was originally planning to break through to the Primal Daoist stage, but it looks like there's no rush. I'll wait until after this Immortal Fortunes Assembly is over." Lata Realperson then stopped thinking about it and continued his cultivation.

The massive Turtle-Snake phantom filled the quiet room.

Lata Realperson sat there silently, like an ancient Fiendgod, comprehending his art.

In the North Sea, there was an immortal island known as 'Suncrow Island'. The master of this island was called the 'Suncrow Immortal'. He was a terrifyingly powerful Earth Immortal of the Void stage. Although he had only entered the Void stage a hundred years ago, he had already established a fearsome reputation. He possessed the bloodline of the Suncrow, and despite being merely an Earth Immortal of the Void stage, his power was nearly comparable to that of a Celestial Immortal.

In the North Sea, countless powers sought to recruit him. But the Suncrow Immortal enjoyed his solitary freedom. Coupled with his Suncrow bloodline, which gave him a bizarre temper and a fierce, cruel nature, very few factions dared to provoke him.

Within Suncrow Island.

The Suncrow Immortal, clad in a golden robe, was seated high in a great hall, lecturing on the Dao. Below him, six young men and women were listening respectfully. These were the Suncrow Immortal's six disciples.

During a pause in the lecture, the senior disciple, a human, spoke up: "Master, I have heard that the Grand Xia Dynasty is holding an Immortal Fortunes Assembly. I would very much like to go. May I have your permission?"

"With your strength, if you go to that Immortal Fortunes Assembly, you would be seeking death," the Suncrow Immortal said dismissively. But the moment the words left his mouth, his expression suddenly changed.