Chapter Thirty-Three: Where From, Where To

In the dead of winter, the cold was bone-piercing.

But in the Yan Prince's mansion, Princess Xiyue was filled with rage. She slammed the table and said, "This Shaoyan clan deserves to die! They dared to assassinate within the Great Xia imperial capital. Damn them, damn them, damn them to hell!"

"Cousin, although the Shaoyan clan sent rogue immortals as death warriors, they still died at my hands," said Ji Ning. "Don't be too angry, cousin."

"How can I not be angry?" Princess Xiyue looked at Ji Ning. "I'm still breaking out in cold sweat. Thank goodness you're strong enough to block the White Bone Annihilation Needles and handle that Floating Cloud Immortal one-on-one. Otherwise... little brother, besides Grandfather, you're my only family."

If her only little brother were to die... Princess Xiyue didn't know what she would do.

"This Shaoyan clan deserves to die," Princess Xiyue said, trembling with anger.

"Since the rogue immortals they sent this time have failed, they probably have no other moves for now. As long as I'm in the Great Xia imperial capital, the Shaoyan clan can't do anything," Ji Ning quickly comforted his cousin.

Weichi Xiyue took a deep breath and nodded. "Right. They have no other way to deal with you now. But at the Immortal Destiny Gathering a year from now, they might use the rules of the Gathering to go after you."

"Although I dare not claim to be invincible under heaven, I am somewhat confident in my ability to preserve my life," Ji Ning said, his eyes suddenly brightening. "Cousin, the storage artifact left behind by the deceased Floating Cloud Immortal—my second true body has just refined it."

"Oh?" Yuchi Xiyue's eyes lit up. "Let's see what treasures the Floating Cloud Immortal left behind. However, since he came to assassinate and brought the White Bone Annihilation Needles and the Blood Coil Heaven-Sealing Formation, I'm afraid he wouldn't have left many treasures on him."

"Let me take a closer look," Ji Ning nodded.

Immediately, within the Water Mansion, his second true body carefully examined each treasure, when suddenly Ji Ning revealed a look of shock.

"What's wrong?" Yuchi Xiyue quickly asked.

"The other treasures are as I expected, but I found a scroll," Ji Ning said, flipping his hand to reveal a golden scroll. The golden scroll emanated an ancient and peculiar fluctuation.

"This scroll?" Yuchi Xiyue also looked at it curiously.

Ji Ning directly opened the scroll. On the golden scroll was only a simple line of text and a signature, which read—

"Where you come from, where you go. Xiamang Xun."

Each stroke was simple, yet it carried an overwhelming pressure.

Ji Ning and Yuchi Xiyue both felt their hearts tremble, as if facing the heavens themselves. Even when Ji Ning had seen that ancient deity in Yushan Dahuang Swamp, he had never felt such terror.

"Whoosh." Ji Ning quickly rolled up the scroll, and the terrifying pressure completely withdrew.

"What is this?" Yuchi Xiyue asked in astonishment.

"I don't know either," Ji Ning shook his head.

"Just a single line—'Where you come from, where you go.' The signature is only a name—Xiamang Xun. Who is this Xiamang Xun? Could he be some ancient figure from the imperial Xiamang clan of the Grand Xia?" Yuchi Xiyue was puzzled. "I've never heard that name before."

Ji Ning frowned and said, "The one who wrote this line should be this Xiamang Xun. Judging from the pressure it emitted, this Xiamang Xun is an existence of terrifying power."

"I'll go ask my grandfather," Yuchi Xiyue said quickly. "Wait for me a moment."

"Asking in the dead of night?" Ji Ning was startled.

"It's fine. My grandfather is a Celestial Immortal ancestor. What difference does day or night make to him? Besides, he lives alone, and even maids and servants are forbidden to approach. It's no problem for me to visit him late at night. I'm also very anxious—I feel this scroll is extraordinary. Wait here for me; I'll be right back." Yuchi Xiyue swiftly departed.

In just the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Yuchi Xiyue flew back gracefully, her face full of excitement.

"What is it, cousin?" Ji Ning was also very curious about what this scroll really was.

"Do you know who Xiamang Xun is?" Yuchi Xiyue asked, looking mysterious.

"Who?" Ji Ning asked.

He had never heard that name before either.

"He is the Emperor of our Grand Xia Dynasty!" Yuchi Xiyue said in a low voice. "Also the founder of our Grand Xia Dynasty, the emperor of a major world."

"The Emperor?" Ji Ning was stunned.

The Grand Xia Emperor, lofty and exalted, was the emperor of this major world, possessing immense power and authority. It could even be said that the Grand Xia Emperor could converse on equal terms with the Heavenly Emperor of the Celestial Realm. One was the emperor of a mortal major world, the other the emperor of the Celestial Realm.

From the age of gods and demons to the present.

The Grand Xia Emperor had never changed. He rarely appeared, for this ancient dynasty that had existed for countless eons had long formed its own established rules; ordinary trivial matters were handled by ministers.

He was mighty—after all, it was he who had single-handedly ended the age of gods and demons and founded a vast dynasty that unified the world.

He was mysterious—through endless ages, he rarely appeared.

He was noble—no one in the Great Xia dynasty dared defy him.

As an emperor who had stood at the pinnacle of this world from the age of gods and demons to the present, he was a being that many scattered immortals and earth immortals could not even approach. Even his name was known to very few.

“Yes, it’s the Emperor—this is the Emperor’s name.” Yuchi Xiyue was extremely excited. “Xiamang Xun… that is the Emperor’s name.”

“Xiamang Xun… the Emperor…” Ji Ning suddenly felt a tremor of fear in his heart.

In the unseen…

It was as if a pair of eyes were watching him.

Before he knew this was the name of the Great Xia Emperor, Ji Ning had felt nothing special. But as soon as he learned it, he sensed that pair of eyes in the unseen looking over at him.

“Do you know what this scroll is?” Yuchi Xiyue, utterly unaware of anything, was simply excited. “This is a Rebirth Decree! A Rebirth Decree personally written by our Great Xia Emperor. If you carry this decree, once you die, it will escort your soul to the underworld. When the Ten Kings of Hell see this decree, they will naturally show respect to our Great Xia Emperor. The phrase ‘from whence you came, to whence you return’ means that no matter which major world or tribe you belong to, you will still be reborn into that same major world and tribe.”

Ji Ning understood.

The Ten Kings of Hell and Lord Cui were the highest authorities in the underworld. Allowing some immortals to be reborn into their original worlds and tribes was a trivial matter. It also formed a good karmic connection with the mighty one who wrote the ‘Rebirth Decree.’

“By the way, my grandfather told me not to spread the Great Xia Emperor’s name.” Yuchi Xiyue quickly added, “According to my grandfather, if you speak the Emperor’s name, he will sense it. But since we are within the Yan Prince’s manor, the Emperor won’t pay too much attention.”

“I understand. I won’t spread it.” Ji Ning quickly replied, but inwardly he was startled. The feeling of being watched by a pair of eyes in the unseen just now was probably the Great Xia Emperor.

…

Time passed. News that Ji Ning’s second avatar had slain the Floating Cloud Immortal spread, and Ji Ning’s fame naturally grew. Within the Great Xia imperial capital, it was almost universally acknowledged that Ji Ning’s comprehension of the ‘Dao’ was extremely high—higher than even the Floating Cloud Immortal’s. Otherwise, how could he have overcome an immortal of a higher level?

…

In the quiet chamber of the Black-White College in Anchan Commandery.

The number one disciple of the third generation, the ‘Slovenly Daoist,’ sat cross-legged, wearing only trousers, his upper body bare. Layers of tortoise-shell-like patterns appeared on his skin, and a surging, ancient aura spread out.

“Whoosh.”

Suddenly, an enormous phantom of a tortoise-snake appeared in the quiet chamber, filling almost the entire space. The Slovenly Daoist was on the back of the phantom. The entire tortoise-snake phantom began to move, and both the tortoise head and snake head let out roars.

The Slovenly Daoist, sitting there, had a layer of tortoise shell covering his entire body, while his eyes resembled those of a snake, inspiring fear.

His aura was incomparably ancient.

“Hmm?” The Slovenly Daoist frowned. He sensed something in the unseen drawing him…

“The Immortal Destiny Convention?” The Slovenly Daoist murmured to himself, “What’s going on? Why, when I was cultivating the ‘Black Tortoise Great Divine Ability,’ did I have a premonition of the future? That Immortal Destiny Convention seems very important. To me, it appears to be a great opportunity.”

The intense attraction was so strong that the Slovenly Daoist could not suppress it.

The Slovenly Daoist knew well that such premonitions were not to be doubted. Since it felt like a great opportunity, he should go.

“I dislike fighting and conflict; I only want to cultivate in peace and leisure. But it seems I must go to this Immortal Destiny Convention.” The Slovenly Daoist nodded gently. “I’ll go with the flow. What is meant to be mine will be mine; what isn’t, I won’t force. I’ll go to this convention and meet the geniuses and heroes of this major world.”

“I’ve just finished the second turn of the Black Tortoise Great Divine Ability and was about to break through to the Nascent Soul level. Now, it seems there’s no rush. I’ll wait until after this Immortal Destiny Convention to break through.” The Slovenly Daoist then stopped thinking about it and continued his cultivation.

The enormous tortoise-snake phantom filled the quiet chamber.

The Slovenly Daoist, like an ancient god or demon, sat silently, comprehending.

…

In the North Sea, there was an immortal island called ‘Golden Crow Island.’ Its master, known as the ‘Golden Crow Immortal,’ was a terrifyingly powerful returned-to-vacuity earth immortal. Although he had only entered the returned-to-vacuity stage a hundred years ago, he had already made a great name for himself. Possessing the Golden Crow bloodline, even as a mere returned-to-vacuity earth immortal, he was nearly as powerful as a celestial immortal.

In the North Sea, countless forces sought to recruit him, but the Golden Crow Immortal remained solitary and carefree. With his Golden Crow bloodline, he was eccentric and fierce; few forces dared to provoke him.

Inside Golden Crow Island.

The Golden Crow Immortal, clad in a golden robe, sat in the main hall expounding the Dao. Below him, six young men and women listened respectfully. These were the six disciples under the Golden Crow Immortal.

During a break in the lecture, the senior disciple, a human, spoke up: “Master, I hear the Great Xia dynasty is holding an Immortal Destiny Convention. Your disciple wishes to attend. May I?”

“With your strength, attending the Immortal Destiny Convention? Are you seeking death?” The Golden Crow Immortal said indifferently. But as soon as the words left his mouth, his expression changed.

…