In the Northern Zhou Dynasty, at Kunlun Mountain, spiritual energy gathered abundantly, and the landscape was lush and verdant.
A figure suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain, dressed in feathered robes, wearing a star-adorned crown, and surrounded by swirling mists. Though the mist partially obscured her figure, her graceful silhouette revealed she was yet another emissary from Golden Turtle Island.
She gazed upward at the solitary peak. Her Li Huo Golden Eyes, capable of piercing illusions and false visions, seemed veiled by a thin mist, preventing her from seeing any dwellings hidden among the white clouds. Layers of empty space stretched endlessly, and the distance between horizon and fingertip often hinged on a single thought.
“This is indeed the true lineage of Primordial Unity. No wonder they dare to claim the Jade Void Palace atop Kunlun Mountain,” the emissary from Golden Turtle Island murmured to herself, recalling the information she had deliberately gathered.
“The Primordial Emperor” Su Meng, a legendary figure with qualities akin to the Transcendent Shore, whose mere word could become the law of the world!
As the great calamity drew near, countless formidable figures emerged, each one not to be underestimated. Yet, he had only just attained the Dharma Body. Whether she was willing or not, she had to deliver this invitation.
She casually plucked a leaf, holding it in her palm. Suddenly, within her eyes, the sun rose and the moon fell, constellations shifted, the earth formed, and mountains and rivers rose, as if another realm descended into that very moment.
Her five fingers, white, translucent, and resembling jade, opened. The leaf transformed, becoming profound—each flower a world, each leaf a universe. Laws reflected outward, deepening the veins of the leaf, forming words:
“At the Winter Solstice, at the edge of the Eastern Sea, at Golden Turtle Island Banquet, let us meet without fail.”
Once the invitation was complete, the emissary lightly stepped forward, instantly piercing through layers of void, arriving before the Daoist temple marked with the plaque “Yuxu Palace.”
Just as she was about to extend her right hand, knock on the gate, hand the invitation to a Yuxu disciple for delivery to Su Meng, and then silently depart, she abruptly halted.
Because within her spiritual perception, the temple was completely empty. The supposed protective arrays were mere formalities. It was like an abandoned mountain temple, devoid of the Grandmaster Su Meng and any disciples!
At least it was a named sect—yet not even a gatekeeper was present! The Golden Turtle emissary stood stunned before Yuxu Palace’s gate. As a Celestial Immortal, having lived countless years through secret techniques, she had never encountered such a state from any orthodox sect.
Most importantly, who was supposed to receive the invitation?
Was she to simply toss it inside and wait for Su Meng or his disciples to return and discover it?
She had forcefully opened a world within the leaf to intimidate Su Meng into attendance. However, the leaf’s material was difficult to sustain for long as a vessel for an entire world. Without proper safeguarding by disciples, the slightest disturbance could cause it to vanish into dust. Then, when Su Meng returned, would he find no invitation—or would he never see it at all?
The temple stood empty and silent, with only lotuses blooming and withering, awaiting their next blossoming.
The Golden Turtle emissary stood at the entrance for a long time, accompanied only by the chirping of birds. Finally, with her left hand, she crushed the leaf into powder. With her right hand, she released Daoist power, inscribing the invitation’s content onto the screen wall inside the gate.
All her previous efforts were in vain…
Who could have imagined that Kunlun Mountain’s Yuxu Palace would appear like this?
…
Huoli Shang boarded a ship, intending to travel to Changhua Island.
Qu Bai Mei had just died, and the Island Lord’s Mansion had been annihilated. Changhua Island was in a state of leaderlessness and internal struggle, making it the perfect place for Huoli Shang to take risks suited to his current strength, seeking enough wealth to heal his wounds. Given the distance between the two islands and Huoli Shang’s incomplete recovery, he dared not fly for long, fearing a worsening of his injuries.
The night was moonless, stars hidden high above. Darkness surrounded everything, broken only by the distant sound of ocean waves and the faint light from the ship illuminating the undulating sea, creating an unusually serene and tranquil atmosphere that stirred homesickness and loneliness.
Huoli Shang was overcome by his long-felt sorrow of separation. He hid in a corner of the deck, gazing into the distance, unable to calm his thoughts.
When a person strays from the Dao, it is like a wanderer leaving home, enduring countless hardships before returning.
The “Thousand-Faced, Myriad-Era Cultivation Method” suited Huoli Shang perfectly. Though dangerous, it faintly revealed hope of returning home.
Unfortunately, this time he had encountered the mysterious organization’s “Taiyi Heavenly Venerable” Han Guang, misjudging his strength and trouble-causing potential. Huoli Shang had always been one step behind, nearly losing himself, believing his past experiences were illusions—illusions caused by the identity swap.
As thoughts surged, Huoli Shang suddenly saw a small boat pass by. Standing at its bow was a young Daoist wearing strange green robes. His hair was loose, his appearance handsome and refined.
What a delightful scene—rowing across the sea, braving the waves. Huoli Shang chuckled inwardly, recalling his own past exploits.
Anyone capable of such feats must possess considerable confidence. This young Daoist was no exception, though Huoli Shang didn’t recognize him.
As the two vessels passed, the refined young Daoist suddenly turned his head, fixing his gaze on Huoli Shang. Everything seemed to pause, a mysterious aura spreading around them.
Even with Huoli Shang’s experience and courage, he inexplicably felt his heart still, sensing a danger even greater than when facing that mysterious Celestial Immortal!
“The greatest taboo of the Thousand-Faced, Myriad-Era Cultivation Method is encountering someone who disregards it entirely or failing to shoulder the karmic consequences of identity-switching and goal pursuit. Otherwise, endless illusions emerge, all actions turn adverse, every step falters, the self becomes indistinct, and backlash ensues,” said the disheveled young Daoist, his voice refined yet tinged with a trace of world-weariness.
“This…” Huoli Shang was stunned, as if his deepest secret had been exposed.
How did this young Daoist know the taboo of the Thousand-Faced, Myriad-Era Cultivation Method?
Seeing his stunned expression, the young Daoist slightly frowned: “Didn’t Qian Huan tell you about these things?”
He paused, suddenly sighing:
“It must be my delusion. Qian Huan likely perished long ago…”
His tone was seasoned and wistful. The small boat resumed movement, and in an instant, the young Daoist vanished into the vast ocean under the night sky.
…
Tianyi Island, Li Huo Divine Hall.
The forbidden technique of the “Golden Crow Holy Tripod” was activated. Five-colored lights—red, cyan, yellow, white, and black—surged forth, entwining one another like startled swans and dancing dragons.
The familiars, including Fan Lishuang from the Golden Crow Sect, each held sacred seals, continuously forming hand mudras and weaving them into a net over the five-colored lights. Sweat dripped from their brows—dark red, like tiny flickering flames. They had already failed once before—there was no room for another mistake.
However, having learned from that failure, Fan Lishuang felt significantly more confident in success this time.
Meanwhile, Meng Qi sat cross-legged with eyes closed, channeling Daoist power into the hall’s formation, transforming it into pure Golden Crow Sect true energy to supply Fan Lishuang and others.
This step would normally be extremely troublesome for others, as differing natures led to slow conversion, possibly failing to meet Fan Lishuang’s consumption needs. But Meng Qi was different. He directly used the Eight-Nine Art to simulate Solar Flame, nearly identical in origin and nature, allowing instantaneous conversion. This surprised Fan Lishuang, who felt the Night Emperor’s Daoist power was unfathomable and inexhaustible, enabling increased infusion to maintain post-conversion output.
The five-colored lights gradually coalesced. Metal generated Water, Water generated Wood, Wood generated Fire, Fire generated Earth, Earth generated Metal, forming a harmonious cycle. Their inherent laws intertwined, jointly constructing the foundation of a world. A faint Immortal Sword, shimmering with five-colored radiance, began to take shape, its interior subtly forming substances, swirling and rising.
“Night Emperor,” Fan Lishuang suddenly called out.
After enduring great hardship, they had finally reached this stage. Whether true success followed now depended entirely on Meng Qi’s final touch. At this point, the chance of forging a Celestial Immortal-grade divine weapon stood at only fifty percent.
Meng Qi had already prepared, holding in his hand a slightly dull crimson longsword. Its blade was extremely thin, exuding an eerie beauty.
Buzz!
The Blood Transformation Saber struggled fiercely, but it had already been branded by Meng Qi, and its damage had not fully healed. Wrapped in the Supreme Infinite Primordial Auspicious Cloud, it could not escape.
Then, Meng Qi pushed both hands forward, sending the Blood Transformation Saber into the center of the five-colored lights.
He would use the Blood Transformation Saber to complete the sword forging, achieving perfection in the final step!
Over these nine days, the Golden Crow Sect had taught Meng Qi many finishing techniques, including self-sacrificial forging and standard Daoist power sealing chants. Meng Qi chose the best and most wasteful method—using a Celestial Immortal-grade divine weapon as the sacrifice!
Boom!
The five-colored lights erupted, bursting from the hall and illuminating the entire Tianyi Island. A streak of crimson was caught within, struggling desperately.
Drawn by the force, the massive golden crow corpse inside the “Golden Crow Holy Tripod” suddenly opened its mouth, exhaling a small flame—dark golden, nearly black.
The flame landed directly on the Blood Transformation Saber. Then, brilliance beyond description erupted, blinding everything.
Relying purely on instinct, Meng Qi chanted the sword-sealing chant with his spiritual power. The brilliance gradually receded, revealing a longsword forged from swirling energies.
It shimmered with five-colored lights, inscribed with numerous Dao-infused engravings. With a gentle tremble, it flew toward Meng Qi.
Meng Qi sensed the heavy concealment of Earth, the sharp eruption of Metal, the vibrant vitality of Water, the flourishing growth of Wood, and the radiant brilliance of Fire, blooming like flowers—perfectly forming the cycle of all things’ development. A world had been opened, the Four Symbols established, and substances generated!
“People say Immortals and Buddhas exist beyond the Three Realms, outside the Five Elements. But with this sword, even Immortals and Buddhas return to the Five Elements. Thus, it shall be named ‘Li Xian (Separate Immortal).'” As Meng Qi spoke, the sword gained two ancient seal script characters:
“Li Xian!”
The Li Xian Sword gently trembled, like a kitten rubbing against Meng Qi’s palm, filled with affectionate familiarity.
Sacrificing a Celestial Immortal-grade divine weapon… Fan Lishuang wiped his sweat, feeling the past nine days had been too intense. A disciple with weaker willpower might have broken down.
Meng Qi sheathed the Li Xian Sword, bowed in thanks to Fan Lishuang and others, then transmitted a message outward, summoning Yun Yue to enter with the reward.
Yun Yue entered, her expression somewhat strange. Meng Qi remained composed, waiting until they were aboard the ship before inquiring what had happened.
“Master, Golden Turtle Island did not send a Celestial Immortal to pursue us and erase our traces. Instead, they widely issued invitations, inviting other Dharma Bodies to a banquet at the Winter Solstice, creating quite a stir. If we hadn’t concealed our trail, perhaps, perhaps the invitation would have already arrived,” Yun Yue honestly replied. To tell the truth, she felt much relieved—no longer fearing pursuit by a Celestial Immortal.
Attending Golden Turtle Island’s banquet? Meng Qi furrowed his brows.
Why take such a risk? He had already obtained a Celestial Immortal-grade divine weapon!
As thoughts raced, he had already decided: “Go find your master and tell him the game is over.”
Of course, the real Night Emperor should attend the invitation from the fake Night Emperor!
“But, but we don’t know where our master has gone…” Liushang and others lowered their heads, feeling it better for the fake Night Emperor to go, ensuring the real master’s safety.
Meng Qi smiled: “No worries. We share a karmic link. How could we fail to find him?”
As his words ended, layers of void overlapped, chaos darkened, and the warship pierced through multiple barriers, appearing before another sea vessel.
Huoli Shang stood at the bow when he suddenly saw the familiar “himself,” four concubines with strange expressions, and then heard the familiar words:
“The game is over.”
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