The Seamless Gate's Gambit

“Mm.” The purple-robed maidservant nodded slightly.

Ancestor Xuanji, however, was quietly observing. The golden robes of the young envoy standing before him were embroidered with prominent purple flowers and grasses, a clear mark of distinction. The ten Celestial Immortals behind her all wore ordinary golden robes… which also reflected a difference in status.

“Shaoyan Xuanji, do you know why I have come to find you?” the purple-robed maidservant said with a smile.

“I cannot guess the Envoy’s intentions,” Ancestor Xuanji replied, his posture extremely humble.

The purple-robed maidservant laughed. “Hahaha… Over the years, our Seamless Gate has aided your Shaoyan clan several times. I believe you can sense our sincerity. And as for our Seamless Gate’s power… although we have only revealed a tiny fraction of it, you should still be able to feel our strength. We of the Seamless Gate walk freely and openly throughout the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. And what can the imperial Xiamang clan do about it? Nothing but watch helplessly.”

“Indeed,” Ancestor Xuanji responded.

The Seamless Gate was clearly aware of the Grand Xia royal clan’s power, yet it still dared to act so brazenly. Would it dare to do so without sufficient confidence? So many of their Celestial Immortals could not possibly be fools. The Grand Xia royal clan’s reaction was itself an indirect testament to the Seamless Gate’s might.

“I can tell you this: in the entire Grand Xia, there are already many powers that have pledged allegiance to our Seamless Gate,” the purple-robed maidservant said with a sigh. “Their tribal forces have grown much stronger. I can state plainly: if your Shaoyan clan is willing to submit, we can immediately increase your strength several times over.”

Ancestor Xuanji continued to smile.

A joke.

The ones who had submitted so far were generally small powers—sects like the Eastforest Sect or the Blood God Cult. Very few feudal lords had likely done so. Once they submitted, they would be making an enemy of the Grand Xia royal clan. Behind the Xia Emperor stood Daofather Yinglong and Daofather Crimsonbright! They were no easy foes to provoke. With a flip of their hands, they could annihilate them.

“My coming in person should show you our Seamless Gate’s sincerity,” the purple-robed maidservant said, looking at Xuanji.

“Your personal visit does indeed fill me with gratitude, Envoy,” Ancestor Xuanji said. “However, this matter concerns the life or death of my entire clan. I dare not make a decision on my own. I will return and inform the other clansmen so that we may carefully deliberate.”

The purple-robed maidservant shook her head. “To show you our sincerity, let me tell you one more thing.”

“Please, speak,” Ancestor Xuanji said, his eyes lighting up. The Seamless Gate had indeed helped the Shaoyan clan several times.

“I have heard that your Shaoyan clan is currently very troubled by one person… a man named Ji Ning,” the purple-robed maidservant said.

“That is correct,” Ancestor Xuanji admitted directly, his eyes brightening. “Could it be that the Envoy is willing to eliminate Ji Ning for our Shaoyan clan? If you were to do so, our Shaoyan clan would be endlessly grateful.”

“Eliminate Ji Ning? It’s not impossible. All your Shaoyan clan has to do is submit to our Seamless Gate. Within a single day, no matter who backs him, our Seamless Gate can take his life.” The purple-robed maidservant was brimming with absolute confidence. She gave a knowing smile. “But since your Shaoyan clan has not submitted, our Seamless Gate naturally will not take action for you.”

Ancestor Xuanji sneered inwardly.

Submit?

Ji Ning was indeed a threat.

But submitting… that carried the risk of clan-wide annihilation.

“This Ji Ning has a few very important relatives and friends,” the purple-robed maidservant said calmly. “If you wish to make a move, simply keep an eye on his relatives and friends. Naturally, Ji Ning will show himself.”

“But his master, the Diancai Immortal, is already a Celestial Immortal,” Ancestor Xuanji said, frowning. “And he lives within Anchan City. As for the few clansmen who are important to him within the Ji clan, they are all within the Yan Mountains… Our Shaoyan clan has no opportunity at all.”

“No. He has a junior apprentice-brother, named Mu Northson,” the purple-robed maidservant said. “He and his junior brother share a bond of life and death.”

“But Mu Northson has been missing for over twenty years,” Ancestor Xuanji said, shaking his head.

The purple-robed maidservant smiled. “Ji Ning has already rescued him.”

Ancestor Xuanji was secretly shocked.

The Shaoyan clan had investigated Ji Ning’s intelligence very thoroughly. They knew all about Mu Northson, the Diancai Immortal, and so forth. They had long known that the Diancai Immortal had become a Celestial Immortal. However, they had not managed to uncover the news that Mu Northson had already returned. This showed that the ‘Seamless Gate’ was far superior to them in terms of intelligence gathering.

“Furthermore, Mu Northson is not in the Yan Mountains, nor is he in Anchan City.” The purple-robed maidservant flipped her hand, producing a beast-hide scroll. She tossed it directly to Ancestor Xuanji.

Ancestor Xuanji caught it.

“Mu Northson’s location is marked on this map,” the purple-robed maidservant said. “As long as you keep an eye on Mu Northson, it won’t be long before Ji Ning goes to visit him! If you are truly anxious… you can simply seize Mu Northson and force Ji Ning to reveal himself. The choice is entirely up to your Shaoyan clan.”

“Thank you, Envoy.” Ancestor Xuanji glanced at the beast-hide scroll and was instantly overjoyed.

“Our Seamless Gate has helped your Shaoyan clan once more,” the purple-robed maidservant said calmly. “Our Seamless Gate has patience, but our patience is limited. If you continue to refuse to submit… we will have no choice but to consider you a die-hard loyalist of the Grand Xia royal clan. In the future, when we deal with the Grand Xia royal clan, your Shaoyan clan may be the first we strike.”

Ancestor Xuanji’s face changed. He quickly said, “Rest assured, Envoy. I can feel the Seamless Gate’s sincerity. There are disputes within my Shaoyan clan, but one thing is certain: we are not die-hard loyalists of the Grand Xia royal clan. Absolutely not.”

“Well said.” The purple-robed maidservant waved her hand. “You may go.”

Only then did Ancestor Xuanji quickly withdraw.

Soon, only the purple-robed maidservant and the ten Celestial Immortals remained on the lonely, cold mountain peak.

“Milady, is the Shaoyan clan strong enough to deal with Ji Ning? That Ji Ning knows the Eight-Nine Arcane Art,” a golden-robed Celestial Immortal said in a low voice.

“Don’t underestimate the Shaoyan clan,” the purple-robed maidservant said, shaking her head. “The Shaoyan clan survived the primordial Pangu’s World and later migrated to the Grand Xia world. Such ancient tribes… all possess some extremely formidable techniques. Remember, the Zhuanshui clan once fought the Xiamang clan for the imperial throne of the Grand Xia. The Zhuanshui clan was a branch of a major tribe from the primordial Pangu’s World, backed by a host of True Immortals and Empyrean Gods. The Zhuanshui clan and the Shaoyan clan have been locked in struggle for so many years. Although the Shaoyan clan has suffered losses, they have never been destroyed and remain this prosperous. How can the Shaoyan clan be underestimated?”

“Mm.” The Celestial Immortals nodded slightly.

“Just watch,” the purple-robed maidservant said calmly. “Let the Shaoyan clan fight first. We can also investigate secretly, probing Ji Ning’s other methods and gaining a better understanding. If the Shaoyan clan is so incompetent that they cannot even destroy a single Ji Ning, then after we obtain detailed intelligence on his strength, we can calmly make our own arrangements and then destroy him in a single thunderous blow.”

“If my guess is correct, given that the Shaoyan clan dares to struggle against the Zhuanshui clan to this extent, their background must be astonishing. As long as the Daofather backing Ji Ning does not intervene, killing him should not be difficult,” the purple-robed maidservant said with a smile.

The Shaoyan clan deliberated in secret, and based on their intelligence, they formulated several plans to ‘kill Ji Ning.’

“This operation will be carried out by the four of us: Xuanji, Kubu, Jinzhong, and I, Chixin,” a handsome young man said, sweeping his gaze across the others. “The three of you will follow my orders.”

“Alright,” Ancestor Xuanji nodded.

“Chixin, I trust you,” said the burly man who was holding a great bell with one hand.

“Mm.” An old man with white, withered hair also nodded.

Ancestor Chixin was a weathered, elderly man with a faint, hidden sorrow in his eyes, but his strength was formidable. ‘Chixin the Celestial Immortal’ had a certain reputation within the Three Realms, placing him among the truly top-tier Celestial Immortals.

“Jingyu, you will be in charge of guarding the tower,” Ancestor Chixin instructed.

“Alright,” Ancestor Jingyu nodded.

“Let’s go.” Ancestor Chixin spoke.

Immediately, the three Ancestors Xuanji, Kubu, and Jinzhong followed him as they departed.

…

Taking advantage of the night, these four Celestial Immortal Ancestors set out covertly for the Anchan Commandery. In terms of raw strength, all four of them were quite powerful. Ancestor Chixin was ranked first. Ancestor Kubu was formidable in his spell techniques, and Ancestor Jinzhong was powerful due to his magic treasures; their strength was roughly equal. Ancestor Xuanji, though ranked last, was still considered a Celestial Immortal of decent caliber.

Within the Anchan Commandery. On a desolate plain, four figures quietly appeared in the space above a lake.

“Look, there it is.” Ancestor Xuanji pointed into the distance. On the lakeshore stood a wooden cabin. A white-robed youth with a few streaks of white in his hair was sitting on the porch, looking up at the bright moon, holding a jade orb in his arms. “Little Xia. It’s the sixteenth today. The moon is actually fuller than it was last night.”

“It’s so round. Legend says there’s a Moon Palace and a fairy named Chang’e on the Taiyin Star, beyond the Three Realms.” A woman’s voice came from within the jade orb, filled with envy.

“Mm. When I’m strong enough, I’ll take you, Little Xia, to visit the Taiyin Star. To see if there really is a Moon Palace, and a Chang’e,” the white-robed youth nodded.

“Alright, you said it!”

The four Celestial Immortal Ancestors in the distance, however, had long since concealed themselves.

“It is indeed Mu Northson.”

“The Seamless Gate’s information is correct.”

“Begin setting up the formation now. Prepare everything. Do not activate the formation for the time being. Wait until Ji Ning arrives before activating it,” Ancestor Chixin began issuing orders.

“What need is there for a formation? If I take my great bell over there, he’ll be dead,” the man holding the bell said confidently.

“Your Golden Bell is a treasure our Shaoyan clan brought with us when we migrated from the primordial Pangu’s World to the Grand Xia. Its power is extraordinary—it’s a supreme Pure Yang-ranked clan-guarding treasure. But Ji Ning managed to escape an assassination attempt by the Bloodcry Tower. We absolutely must not be careless. We must prepare all our means, layer upon layer,” Ancestor Chixin instructed.

The four Celestial Immortal Ancestors lay in ambush by the lakeside. With their abilities, Mu Northson was naturally incapable of detecting them.

Celestial Immortals have endlessly long lifespans, and their patience is, naturally, exceptionally good.

…

Grand Xia Imperial Capital, Yan Estate.

It was the second day of Ji Ning’s stay at the Yan Estate. He was accompanying his cousin-sister, Yuchi Xiyue, as they strolled through the estate’s gardens.

“You have to leave so soon?” Yuchi Xiyue said, reluctant to part. “Your Yan Mountains are said to be heavily reinforced with formations, as solid as an iron kettle. Isn’t it safe enough?”

“I need to go see my junior brother. I’m worried about him,” Ji Ning said.

“Worried about what?”

A voice rang out.

A tall, burly man, wearing a loose dragon robe, walked out from a corner of a gravel path in the distance.

“Greetings, Yan Wang,” Ji Ning said quickly.

“You came all the way to my estate without even meeting me, and now you want to leave?” Yan Wang said with a laugh. “Come, walk with me for a while. Let’s have a good chat.”

Ji Ning and Yuchi Xiyue accompanied Yan Wang as they strolled along the path, discussing various major events currently unfolding in the Grand Xia. Suddenly, Ji Ning asked, “Senior Yan Wang, I have heard that Daofather Crimsonbright has established a small-scale reincarnation cycle for some of the major worlds under his command. Does senior know anything about this?” Ji Ning had always been trying to learn about the reincarnation of his parents.

Yan Wang was a member of the imperial clan and should know something about the small-scale reincarnation.

“Of course I do.” Yan Wang nodded, then suddenly said with a beaming smile, “Have you forgotten one of my epithets?”

“Epithet?” Ji Ning was momentarily startled.

Yan Wang was also known as the ‘Yama King.’

“After the Daofather re-established the cycle of reincarnation, it encompasses dozens of major worlds and countless minor worlds under his dominion,” Yan Wang said with a smile. “It naturally also includes ten Yama Kings. I am one of the Ten Yama Kings of this small-scale reincarnation cycle.”