The Temptation of a Daofather

Chapter 10: Daoist Shou and Daofather Crimsonbright

"If you die because of this, I guarantee you will be reincarnated back into our Shaoyan clan. I will accept you as my personal disciple." Ancestor Xuanji looked at Shaoyan Xuan. "Xuan'er, opportunities are rare. You must seize it!"

Shaoyan Xuan could feel Ancestor Xuanji's desperate longing. He also understood the weight of the burden.

"If you succeed," Ancestor Xuanji said, his voice filled with hope, "you could become a mighty figure on par with even the Emperor himself."

Shaoyan Xuan nodded heavily.

"You have reincarnated nine times just to survive the tribulation and become a Celestial Immortal. To become a Celestial Immortal is far, far too difficult. The path you were on before was almost certainly a dead end, girl. If you can become a disciple of Daofather Crimsonbright, how could you still fear failing to become a Celestial Immortal?"

"Jiu'er, you definitely have the strength to rank in the top three of this Immortal Fortunes Assembly. Although my Cangwu clan is ranked among the very top clans of the Grand Xia Dynasty, we have reached our limit. The Grand Xia royal clan will never give the Cangwu clan a chance. Not unless our clan produces a Pure Yang True Immortal. But that is far too difficult... and now, you have this opportunity! You must seize it!"

Throughout the great hall, the various major tribes, sects, and schools were all urgently speaking with their own geniuses.

If the Celestial Immortals had been relaxed and casual before, now that they knew Daofather Crimsonbright was going to accept disciples, they had thrown all caution to the wind. Some even hated themselves for not having personally instructed their young prodigies earlier! If they had, the young geniuses on their side might be even stronger now.

Unfortunately, they had never truly taken these so-called 'geniuses' seriously before. There were simply too many geniuses. Now, it was too late for regrets.

Ji Ning and Yu Wei drew close to each other, even holding hands. Their silent communication through their eyes was so blatant that Yuchi Xiyue and the Slovenly Daoist couldn't help but look away.

"Junior apprentice-brother, junior apprentice-sister... you two?" The Slovenly Daoist blinked.

"You just noticed?" Yuchi Xiyue teased.

Ji Ning and Yu Wei exchanged a knowing smile.

Their shared life-and-death struggles over the past year had long since forged a profound, wordless understanding between their hearts.

"Haha, congratulations, congratulations! For the Black-White College to have two disciples participating in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly and end up as Dao-companions—this will be a tale for the ages!" The Slovenly Daoist laughed.

"Slovenly Daoist, Ji Ning, don't take this too lightly," Yuchi Xiyue said seriously. "Didn't you hear? The top three of the Immortal Fortunes Assembly have a chance to be accepted as disciples by Daofather Crimsonbright. This is a chance to rise to the heavens in a single leap. Daofather Crimsonbright is a true霸主 of the Three Realms, an existence who has grasped a Heavenly Dao."

"Yes! Such an opportunity must be fought for!" the Slovenly Daoist agreed, nodding.

Ji Ning nodded as well, but inwardly he asked, "Senior, if I take Crimsonbright as my master, will he recognize the 'Starseizing Hand' and figure out my connection with Daoist Threelives? Could that cause trouble?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out in his mind. "Do not worry, Ji Ning. Daofather Crimsonbright was born as a Chaos True God. He was born from the primordial chaos alongside my master, and they roamed and fought together through life-and-death trials. Their friendship is deep. While he was not one of my master's closest friends, their relationship was still a good one. Even if he learns of your connection to my master, he will not harm you. A being of Daofather Crimsonbright's stature would not stoop to scheming against you."

"Chaos True God? Life-and-death trials?" Ji Ning was confused. "My master, Daoist Threelives, was a supreme power of the Three Realms. Daofather Crimsonbright is also a supreme power of the Three Realms. Did they still need to go through life-and-death trials?"

"I am not entirely clear on the details. I only know that there are truly terrifying dangers within the Three Realms. My master and the other Chaos True Gods had to band together and fight side-by-side. They shared extremely close bonds. Some of them were friends who would entrust each other with their very lives," the Yellow-haired Bear transmitted. "Rest assured, the Chaos True Gods are a very united group."

"Furthermore, the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens that you practice was created by Daofather Crimsonbright himself," the Yellow-haired Bear transmitted with emotion. "Countless ages have passed, and Daofather Crimsonbright has grasped a Heavenly Dao and become a Daofather. If my master were still alive... perhaps he too would have grasped a Heavenly Dao by now."

"Daofather Crimsonbright has a very good temper. He has an excellent reputation among the Chaos True Gods. If you can become his disciple, you might be able to learn news of my master from him." The Yellow-haired Bear had always yearned to know whether Daoist Threelives was truly alive or dead.

"Then I'll fight my way into the top three, even seize first place, and do my best to make Crimsonbright choose me as his disciple," Ji Ning transmitted back.

"Mm." The Yellow-haired Bear was also filled with anticipation.

Yan Wang suddenly turned his head to look at the Slovenly Daoist, transmitting a message. "Little Slob, do you also wish to become a disciple of Daofather Crimsonbright?"

"Of course I have to give it my all," the Slovenly Daoist replied, puzzled. "How could I miss such an opportunity? If I miss it, I might never have another chance like this in my entire life."

"And your 'Grand Black Tortoise Divine Ability', how did you learn it?" Yan Wang asked.

The chubby, slovenly youth smiled. He knew that using it would expose him, as the Grand Black Tortoise Divine Ability was far too easy to recognize. He transmitted back with a laugh, "Your Highness, I just got lucky with this Grand Black Tortoise Divine Ability. I stumbled into an ancient grotto while I was out adventuring, received the inheritance, and learned this divine ability."

"Oh." Yan Wang understood.

He realized that this Slovenly Daoist probably still didn't know that his master was actually the Black Tortoise God!

Inside the main hall of the Heavenly Tribulation Hall, the gathered Immortals were chatting and laughing, but their attention was fixed on the sealed formation atop the cloud outside the hall, where battle after battle was taking place.

The first round of combat was underway.

The first match was Cangwu Jiu versus Qi Long. The fight was exceptionally brutal. Both were Fiendgod Body Refiners. In the end, Qi Long was forced to admit defeat after his divine power was nearly exhausted. The look in his eyes, however, was filled with unwillingness. The Wanxiang Celestial Immortal of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, watching from the main hall, could only shake his head and sigh in frustration. The opportunity was lost.

The second match was Mu Chuan the Realperson versus Zhuanxu Qi. Zhuanxu Qi immediately resorted to forbidden arts, fighting with suicidal desperation. Mu Chuan the Realperson, however, showed mercy. At the critical moment, he severely injured Zhuanxu Qi but did not kill him. Zhuanxu Qi had no choice but to admit defeat.

Battle after battle—everyone was fighting with everything they had.

"The temptation of becoming a Daofather's disciple... who can resist it?" Lu Dongbin sighed, shaking his head as he raised his wine goblet for a drink. "But what they don't know is that even becoming a Daofather's disciple just makes you a disciple. The master guides you, but the cultivation depends on the individual. The supreme powers of the Three Realms... every single one of them achieved their status through their own efforts."

"This Lu Dongbin, you speak as if it's so easy. You have two Daofathers backing you, even more Daofathers guiding you from time to time, and here you are sighing in self-pity," the Northern Territory Immortal Elder said, somewhat annoyed. "Even an old man like me can't stand to watch it anymore."

"You're just jealous," Lu Dongbin shot him a glance.

"Jealous my ass! This old man here is also a Pure Yang True Immortal. If you ever have the skill to become a Daofather, I will naturally admire you. I will even come to your abode obediently to listen to your lectures and treat you with the respect due a master," the Northern Territory Immortal Elder said.

"You shameless old coot. If I ever truly become a Daofather... whether or not I'm willing to lecture you will depend entirely on my mood," Lu Dongbin shot back. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt they were a bit too arrogant. After all, becoming a Daofather was no easy feat. He himself had yet to grasp a Heavenly Dao. Pointing outside, he said, "Look, the disciple of the Black Tortoise God has also taken the field."

The sixth match was the Slovenly Daoist versus Yun You the Realperson.

Yun You the Realperson was indeed a peerless beauty of the mortal world. However, the gap in strength between her and the Slovenly Daoist was simply too large. The Slovenly Daoist mercifully held back, allowing Yun You the Realperson to keep her life before she conceded defeat and withdrew.

The Grand Xia Emperor sat high upon his throne in the great hall, looking down upon the scene below. His voice was calm and authoritative as he announced, "The forty-first match. Ji Ning of the Black-White College versus Zhu Xiang of the Red Lotus Sect!"

His voice echoed not only through the great hall but also across the imperial plaza.

The teams from the three thousand six hundred commanderies and the four seas all looked up at the sky. A giant water-mirror high above was displaying the battle within the sealed formation upon the clouds.

"Junior apprentice-brother, you need to be careful," the Slovenly Daoist said with a laugh from inside the hall. "This Zhu Xiang of the Red Lotus Sect is a Fiendgod Body Refiner. Fiendgod Body Refiners are the most troublesome to deal with. I got lucky earlier facing Yun You, who was a Ki Refiner—it was much easier."

"Ji Ning, be careful," Yu Wei also said, looking at him.

"Don't worry. I'm aiming for first place," Ji Ning said with a smile, rising to his feet and heading outside.

At the same time, a youth who had been sitting cross-legged behind another Celestial Immortal elder also stood up and walked out. This youth had a wild, unrestrained look about him, as if he were perpetually half-asleep. He was the number one Holy Son of the super-sect 'Red Lotus Sect', and his strength was indeed extraordinary. Before this Immortal Fortunes Assembly, very little was known about him in the outside world.

He's out! He's out!" Mu Northson looked up, his face filled with excitement. "Look, Senior Apprentice-Brother Ji is out!"

"Brother Ji Ning's strength is formidable. This Red Lotus Sect's Zhu Xiang is no match for him at all. Brother Ji Ning is aiming for first place!" Beishan Baiwei watched excitedly as well. Seeing his good brother rise higher and higher on the path of Immortal cultivation filled him with joy.

"Excellent! The Black-White College becomes famous in a single battle! Famous in a single battle!" Wu Feng the Immortal exclaimed, his spirits soaring.

"Master." Little Qing also stared, her eyes bright.

The Whitewater Hound looked up, his heart surging with emotion. Big brother... if you were still alive, and could see Ji Ning shining so brilliantly at the Grand Xia Dynasty's Immortal Fortunes Assembly... how wonderful that would be.

Within the sealed formation atop the clouds.

Ji Ning and the Red Lotus Sect's Zhu Xiang had both appeared inside. Zhu Xiang's robes were worn very casually, hanging loosely off his frame, revealing most of his chest. He looked at Ji Ning as if he had just woken up, and said with a light sigh, "I didn't think I'd run into you in the very first match. I've heard you're one of the hardest opponents to deal with in this assembly. During our time in the Brightmoon Landscape, I was always with my sect brothers, so no one forced me to use my ultimate technique. Who would have thought that now, in the very first battle, I'd have to use it right away. Being defeated by my ultimate technique... consider it your good fortune."

"Zhu Xiang." Ji Ning spoke. "Do you know what you look like to me?"

"What?" Zhu Xiang raised an eyebrow with a light laugh. "A pile of shit? An ant? A mighty dragon? Or what?"

"No. To me," Ji Ning said with a smile, "you look like an Immortal-ranked magic treasure."

Boom.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ji Ning shifted his body, instantly growing to eighteen zhang in height. At the same time, he manifested the Three Heads, Six Arms, with six Immortal-ranked flying swords appearing in his six hands. An aura of boundless, terrifying power immediately radiated throughout the sealed arena.

To be continued...