The Hunt Begins

After accepting the token talisman, Ji Ning looked around the valley. He was the only one here.

“So I’ve been separated from Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei and Senior Apprentice-Brother Lata. It makes sense; the Grand Xia Emperor won’t let us join forces so easily. Besides, according to the rules, the more ‘tokens’ you acquire, the better your chance of passing the trial. Even if I don’t attack others, they’ll come for me. I have to kill in this trial.” Having made his decision, Ji Ning’s ears suddenly twitched.

Rumble~~~

A faint wave of energy rippled through the air.

Ji Ning immediately shot up, landing silently on a nearby mountaintop. He gazed covertly toward the source of the disturbance. In the wilderness far ahead, eight young men and women were scattered in combat, unleashing spells and techniques. Water clashed with fire, heaven and earth trembled. These were all supreme geniuses from across the Grand Xia Dynasty, each with the arrogance of a true prodigy. None would easily admit defeat.

Soon, however, one of the girls began to falter. The other seven immediately turned to surround her. The violet-robed girl swept out her divine sense, covering three hundred li of territory, and immediately sent a mental message: “Everyone, stop fighting. There are already a full one hundred and three Wanxiang Adepts hiding in the surroundings. If we keep fighting, we’ll only play into their hands.”

“What? One hundred and three?” The other seven were all startled.

They had no idea how large the world inside the Brightmoon Landscape Painting truly was. They had assumed the skirmish would not draw so many onlookers this quickly. Yet here they were, with over a hundred watchers. Though confident, they knew every participant in the Immortal Fortunes Assembly was a terrifying figure in their own right. None could be underestimated.

Whoosh!

As the violet-robed girl’s divine sense swept outward, several other Wanxiang Adepts followed suit, releasing their own divine senses. Some were reincarnated Immortals. Some had lingered so long at the Wanxiang stage that their souls had naturally reached the divine sense level. Others possessed supreme visualization techniques. Regardless, the results shocked them all.

“That leather-clad youth? That’s Ji Ning! He’s the one who killed a Loose Immortal.”

“Ji Ning is on that mountain.”

“Ji Ning is ranked in the top hundred for this Immortal Fortunes Assembly. Let’s join forces and eliminate him first.” Through divine sense, they communicated.

Since they were participating in the assembly, they had all purchased intelligence reports from Heavenly Treasures Mountain. After Ji Ning’s second true body slew Immortal Floating Cloud, his fame had skyrocketed. Even Heavenly Treasures Mountain had assessed that since his second true body, merely at Primal perfection, could kill a top-tier Loose Immortal, Ji Ning’s mastery of the Dao and secret arts far exceeded Floating Cloud’s. Naturally, he had become the hottest name in the competition.

“We’ll take him down together.”

“Go.”

The Wanxiang Adepts, almost as if by unspoken agreement, shot toward Ji Ning’s mountaintop. Over a hundred figures streaked through the air like lightning, like gale-force winds—each one terrifyingly fast.

Ji Ning was horrified.

“These are supposed to be the elite of the realm, yet they have no grace at all.” He shook his head helplessly. He had watched the earlier fight among the eight. They were no pushovers. Taking on eight at once? He might manage it. But over a hundred? That was suicide.

“Time to go.” Ji Ning waved his hand, and a treasure ship appeared before him. He leaped aboard.

Whoosh!

The ship became a streak of black light, vanishing into the distance.

“He’s fast.”

“He killed Shaoyan Nong, killed a Loose Immortal, and even earned Lord Yan’s favor. He has plenty of treasures. He slipped away too quickly.” The hundred-plus men and women hovered in the sky, helpless. Unless they managed to trap him completely, a powerful foe who was determined to flee was nearly impossible to kill.

Soon, they began to eye each other warily, slowly spreading out.

None of them wanted a free-for-all with over a hundred combatants. A seven- or eight-man brawl they could survive. But a hundred-man melee? If they got bogged down in the chaos, not even escape would be an option.

“Let’s go.”

“This is trouble. Over a hundred thousand people, and every single one is cunning and cautious. Becoming one of the ninety-six survivors is going to be hard.”

“Strength alone isn’t enough. Even the strongest cultivator, if surrounded by a hundred who work together, will only die.”

And so they dispersed.

Ji Ning’s treasure ship fled for several thousand li before diving into a vast mountain range. Only then did he emerge.

“To survive the Brightmoon Landscape Painting’s trial, raw power is only one factor. What’s truly tested is one’s heart and mind.” Ji Ning understood quickly. After all, every participant was a Wanxiang Adept, a supreme genius in their own right. They had already pushed the combat power of the Wanxiang stage to its near-limit. Each incremental improvement was astronomically harder than the last.

On average, each participant’s strength rivaled that of an ordinary Primal perfection cultivator! A hundred of them, working together in formation, could match a top-tier Loose Immortal.

“I need to be careful, cautious, and utterly ruthless. Seize any opportunity and strike decisively. Never let myself be surrounded.” Ji Ning nodded to himself.

On the grand plaza, the three thousand six hundred commanderies and four great seas’ contingents all watched, tense and breathless.

Before this, they had believed their own disciples were impressive. Now, looking at the competition, they realized every single contestant was a seasoned schemer. Each was formidable. There were already over ten thousand who had cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens to the twelfth level. Those who had mastered first-grade earthly fire and cold sha were even more numerous. None were easy opponents.

“For some reason, I feel like Senior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning, Senior Apprentice-Sister Yu Wei, and Big Brother are all in great danger,” Mu Northson said, blinking.

“Yeah,” Cangjiang True Immortal shook his head. “From what I can see, probably more than half of them are reincarnated Immortals.”

Uncle White and Little Qing stared intently at the floating image above, tracking Ji Ning’s every move. Wherever he went, their gaze followed.

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Heavenly Tribulation Palace was far more relaxed.

The black-robed Emperor sat on his throne, lifting his wine goblet for a light sip. “This year’s Immortal Fortunes Assembly will last a full year within the Brightmoon Landscape Painting. This is only the beginning. The true excitement is yet to come,” he said with a smile.

The assembled Celestial Immortals chatted among themselves.

“That little fellow isn’t bad. He killed one and scared another into abandoning his token. Who is he?”

“Don’t know him.”

“Never seen him before.”

The Celestial Immortals laughed and gossiped, often noting how famous names like Xiamang Purple Mountain, Cangwu Jiu, and Mu Chuan True Immortal had not yet made their mark. Instead, they were being hounded and surrounded. Meanwhile, some completely unknown figures were suddenly revealing terrifying strength.

“The Three Realms are in turmoil. Heroes gather in times like these,” the black-robed Emperor observed with satisfaction. “I suspect many powerful figures we’ve never heard of are about to reveal themselves.”

Suddenly—

A clear voice rang out: “Daoist Xiamang, we have arrived uninvited today. I wonder if you would welcome us?”

The black-robed Emperor’s expression flickered. The nearly thousand Celestial Immortals below fell silent. From the mist outside, eight figures emerged. They were all different in appearance—a handsome man in green Daoist robes, a yellow-robed Buddhist monk, an old man riding a water buffalo, a golden-eyed, muscular man in dragon robes...

Eight beings, each with an aura so profound and unfathomable that even the thousand Celestial Immortals present felt a chill in their hearts. The Grand Xia Emperor rose from his throne and descended the steps.

“Why have you all thought to visit my Grand Xia?” the black-robed Emperor said with a smile. “Come, come, sit.” With a wave of his hand, eight seats and low tables appeared below his throne, laden with immortal fruits and wine far superior to what the ordinary Celestial Immortals received.

“Why have we come? Do you not know, Daoist Xiamang?” said the green-robed man, who carried an immortal sword on his back, his smile carefree. “The Three Realms are roiling with undercurrents. Great chaos is looming, and this is precisely the time when heroes emerge. Your Grand Xia Dynasty is one of the foremost major worlds in the Three Realms, blessed with tremendous fortune. It is entirely possible that a future legend will be born here. And so, I, Lü Dongbin, have shamelessly come. You won’t mind, will you, Daoist Xiamang?”

Though their voices echoed in the hall, none of the nearby Celestial Immortals could hear a word.

“Senior Apprentice-Brother Xiamang, my own major world just held its Immortal Fortunes Assembly. Donghua dragged me to his, and now he’s dragged me here too,” the golden-eyed, dragon-robed man said helplessly.

“Emperor Di Hao, knowing that Lü Dongbin has a thick skin, you should have held him back,” the Emperor said, sighing.

“I’m just here to watch the show. Don’t worry, I won’t steal anyone from your Grand Xia,” said the old man riding the water buffalo, smiling.

“Same here. Just sightseeing.”

“Just passing through.”

One by one, they spoke.

The Grand Xia Emperor could only shake his head helplessly. These figures before him were some of the most famous powers in all the Three Realms. Take Lü Dongbin, the leader of the Eight Immortals. He was originally the reincarnation of Lord Donghua, who had once studied under a great power. After reincarnating as Lü Dongbin, he studied under another. With two great powers behind him, Lü Dongbin had merged the strengths of both schools into his Sword Dao. His combat prowess in the Three Realms was terrifying. Among Pure Yang True Immortals, he was ranked near the very top.

But Lü Dongbin was also known for his thick skin, eccentric temper, and love of playfulness. He often roamed the mortal world, leaving his legacy in countless worlds.

“Great Strength Bodhisattva, why has a Buddhist like you come?” The Emperor’s gaze fell on the yellow-robed Buddhist monk. Daoists still held some prejudice against Buddhists.

The monk’s face bore a gentle smile that calmed the heart. He pressed his palms together and said, “I came just to watch.”

The Emperor was resigned.

Great Strength Bodhisattva was a figure of extremely high status in Buddhism, a long-time attendant of the Buddha himself. He was also at the Pure Yang True Immortal level, and his temperament was exceptionally kind. He was always smiling, always friendly. The Emperor had no way to chase away such a good-natured person.

“Everyone, please sit. Standing there will make it look like our Xia clan doesn’t know how to treat guests,” the Emperor said bluntly. “But you all know that for this Immortal Fortunes Assembly, not only I, but even my master is paying close attention. So, when it comes to choosing disciples, my master gets first pick.”

“If the Daofather is choosing, we naturally won’t compete. Xiamang, don’t worry. After you’ve all chosen, if I see someone I like, surely there’s no problem with that?” Lü Dongbin had already plopped down onto a seat, grabbed a flagon of immortal wine, and taken a big gulp. His eyes widened. “Mm! Good wine! Your Xiamang clan truly is the bloodline of the ancient imperial Xia clan. You have so much fine wine. Far better than what the Heavenly Court serves. What’s it called?” As he spoke, Lü Dongbin’s eyes darted to the massive Brightmoon Landscape Painting floating outside, where he intently studied each of the young men and women within.