A year is neither long nor short for mortals.
But for some cultivators who spend years in secluded meditation, it might pass in the blink of an eye.
Since the news of Han Li’s Grand Ascension celebration spread, cultivators from nearby regions began trickling into the city like ants.
As the date drew closer, more and more cultivators appeared near Sky Abyss City, including some powerful demonic beings who had traveled from afar.
Some of these cultivators entered Sky Abyss City directly, while others temporarily settled in the nearby mountain ranges.
By the time only about a month remained before the celebration, even more cultivators arrived in waves, flooding the city with tens of thousands daily, transforming the once-spacious metropolis into a bustling hub.
Taking advantage of the gathering, cultivators inside and outside the city either eagerly sought connections with renowned figures or frequently organized small trade gatherings to exchange resources.
Not to be outdone, Sky Abyss City itself held formal auctions every five or six days.
These auctions featured all manner of rare treasures and spiritual materials, even yielding unexpected gains for the city’s elders, who obtained some usually inaccessible spiritual medicines and artifacts, leaving them visibly delighted.
When only a few days remained before the celebration, the cultivators who had been staying in the nearby mountains also began pouring into Sky Abyss City.
Despite its vast size, the sudden influx of mid-to-high-level cultivators quickly made the city overcrowded.
Every corner was packed, and some cultivators even struggled to find lodging.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Sky Abyss City acted swiftly. After discussions, they decided to vacate some of the guard towers for temporary housing, open underground chambers and crypts, and hastily construct temporary pavilions in remote corners of the city.
These measures barely managed to resolve the accommodation crisis.
Of course, with so many outsiders, other troubles inevitably arose. But the elders of Sky Abyss City were no ordinary figures—through frequent intervention, they managed to resolve each issue one by one.
In truth, everyone knew that not all of these people could attend the Grand Ascension celebration—likely fewer than one in a hundred would actually participate.
Most were simply seeking their own opportunities.
Everyone understood that a gathering of so many mid-to-high-level cultivators was a rare event—perhaps not to be repeated for thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years.
With a bit of wit, one might find a great opportunity—perhaps securing a master, joining a major sect, or obtaining a long-sought spiritual treasure.
Any of these outcomes would be a tremendous stroke of fortune.
Early one morning, when the sky was still dim, an endless plaza at the heart of Sky Abyss City suddenly featured a newly constructed white platform over a dozen zhang tall.
On the platform stood an unknown object covered in golden cloth, about three to four zhang high.
Beside it stood a bare-chested, muscular giant, expressionless.
Below, tens of thousands of armored guards tightly encircled the area, including the silver-haired elder and other Sky Abyss City elders.
The assembled elders gazed at the sky, which had just begun to redden, their expressions calm yet solemn.
Before long, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the crimson horizon.
“Good, the time has come. Begin striking the bell!” Elder Gu’s eyes flashed as he turned and commanded the giant in a low voice.
“Yes!”
The giant responded mechanically, stepping forward and tearing away the golden cloth to reveal a massive silver bell floating in midair, adorned with multicolored spirit runes—both majestic and mysterious.
With a flick of his other hand, a golden glow flashed as a ten-foot-long golden hammer appeared in his grip.
His shoulders tensed as he gripped the hammer with both hands, swinging it down with tremendous force onto the silver bell.
**BOOM!**
Where the hammer struck, silver ripples erupted, spreading outward in all directions.
The multicolored runes on the bell came alive, detaching and swirling around the platform.
The bell’s toll was peculiar—initially soft, but as it traveled outward, it grew thunderous, becoming deafening the farther it spread.
In moments, every corner of Sky Abyss City could hear it clearly.
At first, people paid little attention.
But as the tolls continued without pause, whether they were meditating or socializing, their expressions changed drastically. Some even exclaimed, “The Heaven-Shaking Bell! The celebration has begun!”
Many rushed out without hesitation, while others quickly gathered their companions and hurried toward the source of the sound.
However, most of the lower-level visiting cultivators remained where they were, resigned to their exclusion.
The bell tolled eighty-one times before finally falling silent.
By then, some nearby cultivators had already reached the plaza, only to be stunned by the sight of Sky Abyss City’s guards and elders.
The silver-haired elder smiled faintly, murmuring something as if sending a message.
White light arrays flashed around the plaza, and more guards surged forth, forming multiple layers of encirclement, temporarily barring the arriving cultivators.
Faced with such numbers, none dared to force their way in.
Meanwhile, the guards near the platform shifted formation, revealing over a dozen empty spaces, each now housing a temporary teleportation array.
Some cultivators immediately understood, while others remained bewildered.
“Senior Han should be starting soon, right? I hope he hasn’t run out of time to complete what he promised. If so, it could delay the celebration,” Silverlight Fairy murmured uneasily, eyeing the growing crowd.
“The power of a Grand Ascension cultivator is beyond our comprehension. Since Senior Han gave us instructions a year ago, there’s no chance of error. Rest assured,” the silver-haired elder replied with a smile.
“Senior Han is the third Grand Ascension cultivator of our two races. Such a trivial matter couldn’t possibly trouble him. Though, he did take nearly a third of our city’s stored materials—common forging ingredients, but the quantity was staggering,” a nearby black-robed man said with a wry smile.
“Hah, no matter how much, they were just common materials. We can always gather more. If this helps us forge a bond with Senior Han, it’s a small price to pay,” the silver-haired elder chuckled, shaking his head.
“Well said, Brother Gu. It seems you are the most far-sighted among us,” Golden Moon Zen Master remarked with a smile.
Inside a stone tower, Han Li sat in meditation, his body enveloped in swirling purple-gold flames.
When the eighty-first toll faded, his eyes opened, and he smiled faintly. “Perfect timing. The object is just finished, enough for the celebration.”
With a hand seal, the flames dissipated, and he exhaled a silver blaze.
Within the glow, a tri-colored miniature mountain flickered, seemingly intangible.
Han Li examined it with satisfaction before pointing at it.
The silver flame flashed, and the mountain erupted in dazzling light before vanishing.
Moments later, high above Sky Abyss City’s central plaza, space rippled as the tiny mountain reappeared.
**BOOM!**
A thunderclap echoed as golden lightning coiled around the mountain, which rapidly expanded to over a hundred zhang, radiating an overwhelming aura.
Space rippled again as Han Li appeared beside it. Glancing at the dense crowd below, he smirked before blowing a stream of azure qi into the mountain.
The tri-colored peak spun violently, spewing forth runes as its aura intensified.
The sky rumbled as the world’s spiritual energy surged, forming multicolored clouds that rolled toward the plaza.
The mountain absorbed the energy, its silver glow intensifying as it swelled even larger.
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