Chapter 4: True Immortals, Bodhisattvas

After receiving this token, Ji Ning looked at the valley before him. He was the only one inside.

"So I've been separated from Senior Sister Yu Wei and Senior Brother Slovenly. That makes sense—the Xia Emperor wouldn't let us join forces easily. According to the rules, the more 'tokens' you get, the better your chance of passing the trial. Even if I don't kill, others will come to kill me. In this trial, I must kill!" Ji Ning made up his mind, then his ears twitched.

Boom~~~

A faint ripple spread.

Ji Ning immediately shot up, flew to the top of a nearby mountain, and peered into the distance. On the wild plains, eight men and women were scattered, casting spells and using treasures... Water and fire clashed, the world changed color. They were all top geniuses from across the Grand Xia Dynasty, each with the pride of a prodigy—how could they easily concede?

Soon, one of the girls began to falter. The other seven immediately turned to besiege her. The purple-clad girl swept her divine sense across three hundred li and sent a telepathic message: "Everyone, stop fighting! There are already one hundred and three Wanxiang Adepts lurking nearby. If we keep fighting, we'll only be played."

"What? One hundred and three?" The other seven were startled.

They didn't know how vast the world within the Brightmoon Diagram of Mountains and Rivers was, nor did they think such a brief skirmish would attract so many. But now they realized it had drawn a hundred and three. Though confident, they knew every participant in the Immortal Feast was formidable—none could be underestimated.

Hum!

Hum!

After the purple-clad girl's divine sense sweep, several other Wanxiang Adepts released their own divine sense. Some were reincarnated immortals, some had lingered in the Wanxiang stage so long their souls had reached the divine sense level, and others had supreme visualization techniques. In any case, the discovery shocked them all.

"The beast-skin youth? That's Ji Ning! The one on the mountain who killed a loose immortal."

"Ji Ning is on that mountain."

"Ji Ning is ranked in the top hundred of this Immortal Feast. Let's join forces and eliminate him first." Their divine senses clashed, sending telepathic messages.

Since they were participating in the Immortal Feast, they had naturally bought intelligence from Treasure Hill.

After Ji Ning's second true body killed Floating Cloud Immortal, his fame skyrocketed. Even Treasure Hill believed that with only a perfected Primal, his second true body could slay a top loose immortal. Ji Ning far surpassed Floating Cloud in both 'Dao' and 'secret arts,' making him a hot favorite.

"Let's join forces and take him out first."

"Go!"

The Wanxiang Adepts, as if by tacit agreement, all flew toward the mountain where Ji Ning stood. Over a hundred figures shot through the air like lightning or wind, each terrifyingly fast.

Ji Ning was shocked.

"These are supposed to be elites from various regions, yet they have no grace at all." Ji Ning was helpless. He had seen the eight fight earlier—none were easy to deal with. Against eight, he might have a chance. Against over a hundred? That was suicide.

"Time to go." Ji Ning waved his hand, and a treasure ship appeared before him.

He leaped into the ship.

Whoosh!

The ship left a black streak in the sky and vanished into the distance.

"That Ji Ning runs fast."

"He killed Shaoyan Nong and a loose immortal, and is said to have won King Yan's favor. He has plenty of treasures and is quick to flee." The hundred-plus men and women in the sky were helpless. Unless they cornered him, if someone clearly stronger wanted to escape, it was hard to chase them down.

Soon, they warily eyed each other and began to spread out.

No one wanted a free-for-all with over a hundred people. In a melee of seven or eight, they could still escape, but with over a hundred, once trapped, there was no way out.

"Let's go."

"This is trouble. Over a hundred thousand people, each cunning and cautious. Surviving to be one of the final ninety-six will be hard."

"Strength alone isn't enough. Even the strongest, if surrounded by a hundred in formation, can only die."

They quickly dispersed.

...

The treasure ship fled thousands of li into a great mountain, where Ji Ning finally emerged.

"To pass the Brightmoon Diagram trial, strength is only one aspect; what's more important is wit and mindset." Ji Ning quickly understood. Everyone was a Wanxiang Adept, a top genius who had nearly pushed the 'Wanxiang Adept' level to its limit. Improving further was extremely difficult.

Their average strength rivaled that of a perfected Primal Daoist! If a hundred formed a formation, they could match a top loose immortal!

"Be careful, be cautious, and be ruthless. Seize opportunities and strike swiftly. Never get surrounded." Ji Ning nodded to himself.

...

In the square, the teams from three thousand six hundred commanderies and four seas looked up, tense.

Earlier, they thought their disciples were impressive, but now they saw that everyone was shrewd and skilled. Over ten thousand had reached the twelfth level of the 'Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens.' Those with first-rank earthly fire and cold qi were even more numerous. None were easy to deal with.

"I suddenly feel that Senior Brother Ji Ning, Senior Sister Yu Wei, and Big Senior Brother are in danger." Mu Zishuo blinked.

"Yes," Cangjiang Zhenren shook his head. "I suspect more than half are reincarnated immortals."

Whitewater Ze and Xiaoqing stared fixedly at the image, tracking Ji Ning wherever he went.

...

The atmosphere in the main hall of Heavenly Tribute Palace was much more relaxed.

The black-robed emperor sat, raised his wine cup, and took a sip. Smiling, he said, "This Immortal Feast in the Brightmoon Diagram will last a year. It's just beginning; the excitement is yet to come."

Below, the Celestial Immortals chatted among themselves.

"That little fellow is impressive—he killed one and scared another into abandoning his token. Who is he?"

"Don't know."

"Never seen him."

The Celestial Immortals chatted, often noticing that famous figures like 'Xiamang Zishan,' 'Cangwu Jiu,' and 'Mu Chuan Zhenren' hadn't shown their prowess but were instead besieged and狼狈. Meanwhile, some unknown characters suddenly emerged, displaying terrifying strength.

"The Three Realms are in turmoil; heroes gather." The black-robed emperor watched with satisfaction. "Many formidable figures we've never heard of are revealing astonishing power."

Just then—

A clear voice rang out: "Daoist Xiamang, we have come uninvited today. Would you welcome us?"

The black-robed emperor's expression changed slightly. The nearly thousand Celestial Immortals below fell silent. Eight figures appeared in the clouds outside—a handsome man in a green Daoist robe, a yellow-robed Buddhist, an old man riding an ox, a golden-eyed burly man in a dragon robe...

The eight had unfathomable auras.

The nearly thousand Celestial Immortals trembled inwardly. The Xia Emperor rose from his throne and stepped down.

"Why have you come to my Xia, fellow Daoists?" The black-robed Xia Emperor smiled. "Come, come, take your seats." He waved his hand, and eight seats with low tables appeared below his throne, laden with immortal fruits and wine—far better than what the ordinary Celestial Immortals had.

"Why have we come to your Xia? Don't you know, Daoist Xiamang?" The green-robed man, carrying a flying sword on his back, smiled freely. "The Three Realms are turbulent, with great upheaval looming. This is the time for heroes to emerge. Your Grand Xia world ranks among the top three thousand major worlds in fortune. A future extraordinary figure may be born here. So I, Lü Dongbin, shamelessly came. You won't mind, will you?"

Their voices echoed around them.

But the nearby Celestial Immortals heard nothing.

"Senior Brother Xiamang, my major world just held its Immortal Feast. Donghua dragged me there, and now he's pulled me here." The golden-eyed burly man in the dragon robe said helplessly.

"Di Hao, knowing Lü Dongbin's thick skin, you should have held him back." The Xia Emperor sighed.

"I'm just here for the spectacle. Don't worry, I won't steal people from your Xia world." The old man on the ox smiled amiably.

"I'm just watching, too."

"Just visiting."

They each spoke.

The Xia Emperor was rather helpless. These people were all renowned figures in the Three Realms. Take Lü Dongbin, leader of the Eight Immortals of the Upper Cave—he was the reincarnation of Lord Donghua, who had studied under a great power. After reincarnating as Lü Dongbin, he studied under another great power.

With two great powers backing him, Lü Dongbin combined their strengths into his 'Sword Dao,' making him a terrifyingly powerful sword immortal in the Three Realms. Among Pure Yang True Immortals, he ranked among the top.

But Lü Dongbin was thick-skinned, eccentric, loved to tease, and often roamed the mortal world, leaving his legacies in many worlds.

"Mahasthamaprapta, why has a Buddhist like you come?" The Xia Emperor's gaze fell on the yellow-robed Buddhist. Daoists were wary of Buddhists.

The Buddhist smiled, bringing peace to the heart. He pressed his palms together and said, "Just here to observe."

The Xia Emperor was helpless.

Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva held a high position in Buddhism, a long-time follower of the Buddha, and was also at the Pure Yang True Immortal level. He was good-natured, always smiling, and friendly. Faced with such a nice person, the Xia Emperor couldn't drive him away.

"Everyone, sit down. Standing around makes it seem like we Xia clan don't know how to treat guests." The Xia Emperor said bluntly, "But you all know that for this Immortal Feast, not only I, but my master as well, is paying close attention. So when choosing disciples, my master gets first pick."

"If the Dao Ancestor wants to choose, we naturally won't compete. Xiamang, rest assured. After you're done, if I take a liking to anyone left, I can pick them, right?" Lü Dongbin had already sat down first, grabbed the immortal wine, and drank. His eyes widened. "Mm, good wine! Not bad. You Xiamang clan, descendants of the ancient imperial 'Xia' clan, really have good wine—better than Heaven's Court's. What's this wine called?" As he spoke, Lü Dongbin's eyes darted to the giant Brightmoon Diagram world outside, carefully observing the young men and women.

...