The Assembly of Ten Thousand Immortals

The tenth level of the War God Hall seemed difficult, but in truth, Ji Ning could have passed it ever since his return from the Realm of Annihilation. However, his Primaltwin had yet to undergo its tribulation, and even if he obtained Pure Yang treasures, he wouldn't be able to use them. Thus, he hadn't been in a rush to challenge it. The last time, he had traded the 'One Breath Nine Yuan Pearl' with the Xia Emperor for various treasures to repair the Rahu Bow and to train in the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and the Starseizing Hand.

This time, Ji Ning was reluctant to trade it away.

With war on the horizon, he himself needed powerful treasures. Although he had obtained quite a few treasures from the Seamless Gate, especially the time when Old Man Yuan had struck, netting him three Pure Yang supreme-grade treasures and one Innate spirit-treasure. Unfortunately… only the Nine-Petal Snow Lotus was of significant help to him; the others provided very little assistance. None of them were what Yu Wei urgently needed. Ji Ning had also given one of the Pure Yang supreme-grade treasures to his master, the Diancai Immortal. The rest he kept for himself for the time being.

"I hope there are flying swords." Ji Ning stepped into the Treasure Hall and saw the Yellow-Furred Bear already waiting there.

"Ji Ning, this time you may choose one set from twenty-two sets of Pure Yang treasures." The Yellow-Furred Bear waved his hand, and a book flew towards Ji Ning.

"Only five more than last time?" Ji Ning was surprised.

"These are Pure Yang treasures. How many do you think there are?" The Bear said, displeased.

Last time, Ji Ning had chosen the 'One Breath Nine Yuan Pearl' from eighteen sets, so seventeen sets remained. With five more added this time, his options increased to twenty-two. In reality… Ji Ning had little interest in the leftovers from his last selection; his real choices were limited to these five new sets.

"Once you become an Empyrean God and become the master of Starseizing Manor, you'll be able to obtain even better treasures. For now, follow the master's rules," the Bear said.

Ji Ning smiled and lowered his head to flip through the book.

There had to be…

There had to be a Pure Yang supreme-grade flying sword! His Primaltwin's Grand Thousand Sword Formation needed flying swords!

"Truly extraordinary." Ji Ning held his breath as he looked.

The Pure Yang treasures collected by Daoist Threelives were indeed not comparable to those of ordinary Empyrean Gods and True Immortals.

In terms of value.

Among the five newly added sets, one called the 'Nine Sub-Child Invisible Hooks' was ranked first. It consisted of nine Pure Yang supreme-grade poison hooks and eighty-one Pure Yang high-grade poison hooks, forming a Nine Sub-Child Grand Formation that could lock space, preventing the enemy from using Greater Teleportation! It was extremely fast and possessed terrifying power.

Unfortunately, Ji Ning needed swords, not hooks.

"These two sets of flying swords…" A look of joy appeared on Ji Ning's face. Among the five sets, two were flying sword sets. It seemed the Bear had considered his needs.

One set was the Three Pure Ones Swords.

This set was composed of three Pure Yang supreme-grade flying swords, personally refined by the Daoist leader, 'Daoist Three Purities'. These three swords were extraordinary even among Pure Yang supreme-grade flying swords.

In his past life on Earth, Ji Ning had heard legends about the Three Pure Ones. But it was only after truly embarking on the path of Immortal cultivation and even becoming Bodhi's disciple that he learned the truth… the Lord of Primordial Beginning, the Lord of the Dao and Virtue, and the Lord of Numinous Treasure from Earth's mythology were actually the three avatars of 'Daoist Three Purities'. As the leader of the Daoist school, Daoist Three Purities stood unchallenged at the pinnacle of power within the Three Realms. The only one who could be said to be stronger than him was probably Mother Nuwa, who had left the Three Realms to venture into the endless Primordial Chaos.

The other set was called the Universal Salvation Sword of Ananda.

Ananda was the attendant of the Buddhist leader. Although only an attendant, he was still a being at the level of a Buddha (Daofather). His status within the Buddhist faith was extremely high, and his strength was enough to rank in the top ten.

This Universal Salvation Sword of Ananda was a set of nine Pure Yang supreme-grade flying swords, personally created by the Buddha Ananda. They were incomparably sharp and could sever the sufferings of the world.

"Unexpectedly, one set of these two flying sword sets was made by the Daoist leader, and the other by the Buddhist Buddha Ananda." Ji Ning smiled. He was a disciple of Bodhi. Although he knew something of both Daoist and Buddhist divine abilities and secret arts, he didn't truly belong to either school. The Daoist school and the Buddhist school were both part of Mother Nuwa's camp. To Ji Ning, they were all allies.

"Made your choice?" the Bear asked.

"The Universal Salvation Sword of Ananda," Ji Ning replied with a smile. "After all, it's nine Pure Yang supreme-grade flying swords. With them as the core, the power of my Grand Thousand Sword Formation will skyrocket."

"Good."

The Bear waved his hand.

Whoosh.

From the depths of the many treasures floating above the Treasure Hall, a powerful ripple descended. Nine pitch-black flying swords descended, hovering before Ji Ning. Simultaneously, nine small golden light-emitting monks flew out from the nine swords. Each of these small monks was dressed in yellow robes, had a shaved head, and looked about seven or eight years old.

Each of these nine small monks radiated an intense, murderous aura.

"Are you our new master?" one of the small monks asked.

"Yes," Ji Ning nodded.

"Will you sever the world's sufferings and bring blessings to countless living beings?" the small monk pressed further.

Ji Ning smiled. "Now that the great tribulation has arisen, I will naturally kill without restraint. The Buddha Ananda, who refined you, and I are on the same side."

The nine small monks immediately pressed their palms together. "Amitabha."

…

With the nine Pure Yang supreme-grade flying swords as its core, supplemented by several hundred Immortal-ranked top-grade flying swords, the power of the Grand Thousand Sword Formation instantly surpassed that of the Nine-Petal Snow Lotus. After all, the Nine-Petal Snow Lotus was only an Innate high-grade spirit-treasure. A Pure Yang supreme-grade flying sword was comparable to an Innate middle-grade treasure, and with nine of them combined in formation, they naturally overwhelmed it.

Furthermore, the Nine-Petal Snow Lotus excelled at trapping and binding enemies, while immortal swords specialized in attack.

On the night of the sixth day of the eighth month.

"Let's go."

Celestial Immortal Tonghe, the black-robed Ji Ning, Yu Wei, the Diancai Immortal, and over two hundred Loose Immortals soared into the sky, then directly tore through space and vanished.

Over two hundred Loose Immortals represented every single Loose Immortal in the entire Anchan Commandery! The various tribes and sects within Anchan Commandery—such as the Heaven-Rending Sword Sect, the Hundred Flower Immortal Realm, the Donghe clan, the Lie-Dragon clan, and others—actually had more Loose Immortals than the Black-White College. But now, they all had to be mobilized. The Xia Emperor's orders were absolutely not to be disobeyed.

"It really is war. All Loose Immortals and Celestial Immortals are being dragged in." Watching the gathering of over two hundred Loose Immortals, Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

…

Above the Grand Xia Imperial Capital.

Spatial ripples appeared from time to time, and groups of Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals emerged. These groups ranged from as few as several dozen to as many as several thousand! If the Shaoyin clan hadn't defected to the Seamless Gate, gathering all the Loose Immortals from the Shaoyin clan and its three commanderies would indeed number in the thousands.

This day was truly awe-inspiring.

Countless people in the Grand Xia Imperial Capital looked up at the sky, watching as the mighty Loose Immortals of the past appeared in countless numbers. Even the lofty Celestial Immortals appeared one after another.

"So many?"

"At the very least, they're all Loose Immortals."

"Heavens above."

The residents of the capital were stunned.

The Immortals in the sky were like countless meteors, streaking across the sky towards the Imperial Palace.

Whoosh.

The group of over two hundred from Anchan Commandery, including Ji Ning, also appeared.

"So many." Ji Ning, watching the massive convergence of Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals, was also shaken. A flicker of fear passed through his heart. "With so many Immortals gathered together, even a Celestial Immortal or True God would be in grave danger fighting alone."

Ji Ning glanced at Yu Wei beside him. Her belly wasn't showing yet. Since he was a Fiendgod and she was a Celestial Immortal, their child would take a longer time in the womb. Ji Ning thought to himself, "Senior apprentice-sister is pregnant. She's not fit for combat. I'll need to speak with the Xia Emperor about it later."

Then, the wave of over two hundred from Anchan Commandery flew towards the Imperial Palace.

…

The square before the Imperial Palace was already densely packed with figures. Looking out, it was like an ocean.

The Xia Emperor had made it clear in his decree that only Celestial Immortals were qualified to gather in the 'Skymist Hall'. There were simply too many Loose Immortals, and the main hall of the Skymist Hall couldn't possibly accommodate them all. Could they cram the Immortals in shoulder-to-shoulder? Back during the Immortal Fortunes Assembly, the main hall of the Skymist Hall had only seated a few thousand people.

"You all stay here."

Celestial Immortal Tonghe gave the order.

The over two hundred Loose Immortals descended. Ji Ning, Yu Wei, the Diancai Immortal, and Celestial Immortal Tonghe soared into the air, flying towards the main hall of the Skymist Hall.

…

Inside the main hall of the Skymist Hall, a large number of Celestial Immortals had already gathered. From the three thousand six hundred commanderies and even the Four Seas, countless Celestial Immortals had come. Although the Seamless Gate's recruitment was very effective, over the endless years, many Celestial Immortals had long been bound to Daofather Crimsonbright's banner, so a great number still answered the call.

"So many." Ji Ning, Yu Wei, the Diancai Immortal, and Celestial Immortal Tonghe caught their breath as they entered the main hall.

"There must be six or seven thousand at least," Ji Ning estimated with a sweep of his gaze.

"Daoist Ji Ning."

"Fellow Daoist Northmont."

As soon as Ji Ning appeared, he immediately attracted many Celestial Immortals who came over to exchange a few words. Of course, some also spoke with Celestial Immortal Tonghe, Yu Wei, and the Diancai Immortal. But clearly, Ji Ning was the most sought after.

After all, Celestial Immortal Tonghe had been in seclusion for far too long. The Diancai Immortal was the least famous. Yu Wei had a bit more recognition, being a disciple of Patriarch Lu. Ji Ning, however, was the most monstrous. As a Void-level cultivator, he had single-handedly resisted the nine Celestial Immortals of the Shaoyin clan. He was a disciple of a Daofather, and his true power was unfathomable. These Celestial Immortals naturally took the opportunity to get familiar with Ji Ning, to put in an appearance, so that if they ever had trouble in the future and needed to ask for his help, they wouldn't even be able to get a meeting.

"So many Celestial Immortals," Yu Wei exclaimed, also shaken.

"In the past, various tribes had some old monsters in seclusion. The exact number of Celestial Immortals each major power possessed was always a mystery. But this is the Great Tribulation of the Three Realms. The Xia Emperor personally issued the order, which essentially means Daofather Crimsonbright is giving the order from behind the scenes. How could they dare not to come? After all, Daofather Crimsonbright is perfectly aware of how many Celestial Immortals are under his command," Celestial Immortal Tonghe said. "All the recluses have emerged, so of course, there are many."

As time passed.

The number of Celestial Immortals continued to climb, quickly breaking through nine thousand and approaching ten thousand.

"How come there isn't a single Empyrean God or True Immortal?" the Diancai Immortal wondered.

"Empyrean Gods and True Immortals were probably invited by the Xia Emperor himself," Celestial Immortal Tonghe guessed. "After all, their status is a bit higher than ours."

Another hour or so passed.

The Celestial Immortals in the main hall of the Skymist Hall were seated by the attendants, each with a low table before them. The main hall could barely accommodate over ten thousand Celestial Immortals.

"His Majesty has arrived."

All the Celestial Immortals turned their heads as one.

They saw the black-robed Xia Emperor enter from a side door, followed by five powerful figures, all Empyrean Gods and True Immortals! The Xia Emperor ascended his throne and looked down upon the assembly.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty." The five Empyrean Gods and True Immortals immediately called out, bowing.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty."

The ten thousand Celestial Immortals all rose and bowed.

Seated high on his dragon throne, looking down upon the worship of ten thousand Immortals, the Xia Emperor felt a surge of pride and ambition for a moment. This was the first time he had ever presided over such a grand assembly.