The Dao’s Call

The Golden Crow Immortal sensed a powerful, inescapable pull from the unseen.

“Why would I suddenly have such a strong premonition?” The Golden Crow Immortal was shocked. As a cultivator, he had learned to trust these instinctive feelings from the void. “It seems… the Immortal Fortunes Assembly is very important to me. It feels like I am being drawn to it…”

“Master, your disciple believes his strength is passable. If I truly cannot win, I will immediately concede and withdraw,” the senior disciple said reluctantly. “This Assembly brings together countless geniuses from this entire major world. An opportunity like this… one might only get it once in a lifetime.”

The Golden Crow Immortal, who had been lost in thought, quickly snapped back to attention.

“Enough!”

The Golden Crow Immortal frowned and barked, “You think this paltry strength of yours is ‘passable’? Isolated on a single island, your vision is terribly shallow. You have only heard rumors of the Immortal Fortunes Assembly. How could you possibly know how terrifying the true geniuses who participate are? This is an intelligence report on the last Assembly gathered by Heavenly Treasures Mountain. Take a look for yourself.” As he spoke, a book appeared in his hand, and he tossed it down.

The senior disciple caught it.

“Without real strength, if you go to the Immortal Fortunes Assembly, you won’t even have time to concede before you die.” The Golden Crow Immortal then rose. With a whoosh, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light and vanished.

“Elder apprentice-brother, you’ve angered Master.”

“Elder apprentice-brother, let me see that book! How strong are the people who attend the Assembly?” The other junior fellow disciples all crowded around.

Meanwhile, the Golden Crow Immortal had already arrived at his immortal mansion.

This immortal mansion could not be taken with him, but it possessed a tremendous amount of power.

There was no one else inside. The Golden Crow Immortal quickly strode to a pavilion. Within the pavilion sat a man in black robes. This man’s appearance was nearly identical to the Golden Crow Immortal’s, save that the Golden Crow Immortal’s aura of ferocity was far stronger.

“The reason for my premonition is undoubtedly because my true body is still at Wanxiang Perfection,” the black-robed man said, rising to his feet. “Although I have encountered great opportunities in the past, my intuitions tell me that… the Immortal Fortunes Assembly is extremely important. I might be able to use this Assembly to truly soar into the heavens.”

“I, Bu Yi, wish to become a Celestial Immortal. It seems my opportunity lies in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly,” the black-robed man murmured to himself.

He was the son of a fisherman. When he was young, he had gone out to sea with his father to fish. A hurricane and giant waves had capsized the ship, and he fell unconscious. When he woke up, he was shocked to find himself inside an underwater grotto.

This grotto was a legacy left by a powerful senior from a bygone era. Within, he had found a vast collection of cultivation techniques, secret arts, divine abilities, and even top-tier visualization methods. There were also Dharma treasures and strange items. Even Primordial Liquid, accumulated over endless eons, had formed a massive lake, weighing tens of millions of jin. Amongst the countless curiosities, he had discovered a ‘Golden Crow Egg.’ As a child, he buried himself in training within the grotto.

It seemed he had been a cultivator in a past life, his soul naturally strong. With the help of the supreme visualization technique, by the time his true body reached the Wanxiang Adept stage, he had split his soul in two. One part of his soul directly possessed the Golden Crow Egg. Soon, the eggshell cracked open, and a Golden Crow was born.

The bloodline of this Golden Crow was exceptionally pure, and it hadn’t been able to take human form until it had cultivated to the Void stage.

In the long years that followed, Bu Yi roamed the North Sea, undergoing countless life-and-death adventures. Thanks to the many treasures he had found as a child, as well as his second true body, the ‘Golden Crow,’ he had managed to survive every calamity. After enduring the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, his second true body had finally made the breakthrough to become a Void-level Earth Immortal. The next Tribulation was still two hundred years away, so Bu Yi had plenty of time.

“Although my second true body is a Golden Crow and incredibly powerful,” the black-robed Bu Yi shook his head, “this is still a possession. I am human, and the Golden Crow is a member of the Yaos. Although I possessed the egg… our compatibility is only seventy to eighty percent. Cultivating to the Void stage is probably the limit. To hope to survive the Tribulation and become a Celestial Immortal? There is absolutely no hope!”

Possessing a Golden Crow egg was an incredible opportunity. When he had been weak, he had chosen to do so without hesitation.

But possessing a second true body with insufficient compatibility… it was difficult enough for an ordinary person to become a Celestial Immortal. For a Golden Crow divine bird with such an extremely pure bloodline, the difficulty was even greater. With his soul and body only seventy to eighty percent compatible, he knew perfectly well that he had no chance of surviving the Tribulation.

“My intuition tells me that the Immortal Fortunes Assembly is my opportunity.”

“I, Bu Yi, have dominated the North Sea on the might of my second true body, the Golden Crow Immortal. This time, my true body will truly shine at the Assembly.” The black-robed Bu Yi was filled with anticipation.

Three days later.

The Golden Crow Immortal instructed his disciples to train hard, saying he wished to travel for a while. Then, he quietly departed, heading for the Grand Xia imperial capital.

Within the clouds, a small boat sailed through the sky. On it sat a black-robed man with a machete lying before him.

“Hm?”

The black-robed man suddenly opened his eyes. A moment ago, he had been meditating, idly thinking about the Immortal Fortunes Assembly. His heart gave a lurch, and an epiphany struck him from the void.

“After taking my leave from my master, I traveled to various major worlds to train. This Grand Xia Dynasty world is the ninth major world I have visited. I had no interest in the so-called Immortal Fortunes Assembly, after all, I am already a disciple of my master. So why did I suddenly sense… that I should attend this Assembly? If I don’t go, it feels as though I will miss something, will lose something.” The black-robed man was also confused. Still, he did not doubt his instincts.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll go to the Grand Xia imperial capital and participate in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly. I want to see just how formidable the geniuses of this Grand Xia Dynasty world really are.” With a thought, ripples appeared around his small boat, and it vanished directly from mid-air. He had just executed a Void Shuttle to head towards the Grand Xia capital.

Inside a wineshop in an ordinary Grand Xia city, a grimy young girl was completely drunk. Straw was tangled in her hair as she shouted, “More wine! Come on, hurry up and bring the wine!”

“Miss, you’ve already used up all your money for wine,” the attendant said hurriedly.

The grimy girl glared. “All used up?”

“All you men and women around here, listen up! I’ll let you kick and beat me without fighting back! But you have to pay for my wine! I won’t ask for much, just fill this gourd. That’s all I need!” the dirty girl called out.

“Let you kick and beat us?” Some newly arrived guests became curious.

“Poor thing. Another one’s falling for it.”

“That gourd of hers can never be filled.”

Some of the regulars muttered quietly amongst themselves, making the guests who had been tempted to kick her feel uneasy, so they stopped.

The grimy girl held her gourd and looked around, but no one wanted to come and beat her.

“I’ll let you kick and beat me, I won’t fight back!” the dirty girl called out again. “Ah, looks like I’ll have to find a new place. This small town isn’t good enough for scamming. Maybe I should go to a big place… the biggest place of all, the Grand Xia imperial capital?”

The girl suddenly froze.

The drunken, blurry look vanished from her eyes, which suddenly brightened.

“The Immortal Fortunes Assembly?”

She felt a powerful pull.

Originally, her cultivation path should not have led her to the Immortal Fortunes Assembly. But the feeling from the void was unmistakable.

“One thought came to me: I should go to the Grand Xia imperial capital. And immediately, I sensed the Immortal Fortunes Assembly… It seems I really must go to this Assembly. Perhaps this Assembly can actually help me survive the Tribulation and become an Immortal. I have already reincarnated nine times. If I fail this time, I will have no hope left.”

Whoosh.

The drunken girl vanished from the wine shop. The mortals inside felt nothing, as if she had never even been there.

One by one, truly powerful figures hiding in various corners of the vast Grand Xia Dynasty—even some peerless, monstrous geniuses who had previously disregarded the Immortal Fortunes Assembly—were drawn by an unseen force. One after another, they changed their minds and rushed towards the Grand Xia Dynasty.

Within the Yan Estate of the Grand Xia imperial capital, there was a lake before Ji Ning’s immortal mansion. A small boat drifted on the lake, and Ji Ning was lying inside it, letting the boat float where it would.

Perhaps because he had grown used to Serpentwing Lake, lying in a boat drifting on a lake… allowed Ji Ning’s heart to feel especially ethereal, often allowing him to make some gains in his comprehension of secret arts.

“Young master Ji Ning.” A maidservant called out from the shore.

A handsome youth dressed in animal skins stood up from the distant wooden boat. With a single step, he vanished from the boat and appeared on the lakeshore.

“Young master Ji Ning.” The maidservant hurriedly bowed. “Outside the estate’s main gate, there is a group of people who wish to see you.”

“See me? Who?” Ji Ning asked.

“They say… they are your junior fellow disciples, your senior fellow disciples, and such,” the maidservant said.

Ji Ning’s eyes lit up. In the next instant, he transformed into a streak of wind and vanished.

At the main gate of the Yan Estate.

A gust of wind blew in, and Ji Ning appeared.

“Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning!” A white-robed youth rushed over excitedly.

“Junior apprentice-brother Shuo.” Ji Ning was overjoyed to see his junior apprentice-brother as well. The two brothers bear-hugged each other tightly before pulling apart.

Ji Ning had always treated Mu Northson like a real little brother.

“Senior apprentice-brother, you are truly incredible! You actually managed to form a second true body and even killed the Floating Cloud Immortal!” Mu Northson was brimming with excitement. “When I heard the news at the Black-White College, I was ecstatic! Haha, you killed that Shao Yanong and that Fiendgod. Now, all the assassins the Shao clan have sent have died by your hand. I wonder how furious the Shao clan must be!”

“It would be best if they died from anger,” Ji Ning said, before turning to look at the others at his side. “Senior apprentice-brother Cangjiang, Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, and Senior apprentice-brother. Why are you all here?”

The people before him were the Slackerly Realperson, Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, Senior apprentice-brother Cangjiang, and Junior apprentice-brother Mu Northson.

Yu Wei laughed. “Senior apprentice-brother and I have also come to participate in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly. Senior apprentice-brother Cangjiang and Junior apprentice-brother Mu Northson came to watch. I imagine that by the time the Assembly officially begins, our Black-White College should have more disciples coming to watch. After all, few are participating, but many will want to watch.”

“Senior apprentice-brother is also participating?” Ji Ning was surprised. When he had spoken with Yu Wei before, it seemed she was the only one from the Black-White College participating. The others, including the number one third-generation disciple, the Slackerly Realperson, had not originally planned to.

“It felt right to come, so I came,” the Slackerly Realperson said with a laugh.

“This time, our Black-White College has three people participating in the Immortal Fortunes Assembly: Senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei, Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, and Senior apprentice-brother. Our Black-White College will definitely make a great name for itself!” Mu Northson looked on with eager anticipation.