Chapter 745: Hall Of The Gods (I)
It was the height of summer. The blazing sun beat down upon the earth, while a gentle breeze carried waves of warm air. Outside Xuandu City, an endless stream of travelers came and went. This was the imperial capital of Great Wei, the largest and most prosperous of all its cities. Several burly figures mingled among the mortals as they lined up to enter the city.
A refined-looking young man dressed in white and holding a white folding fan gazed up at the city and sighed softly in admiration. "This place is worthy of being the imperial capital. It really is magnificent."
"Although it's a city of mortals, its grandeur is far beyond anything Yanwu City can compare with," another man agreed.
Clearly, it was also his first time visiting Xuandu City.
"Fellow Xiao, is this your first time in Xuandu City?" Ji Haozhong asked with a smile from beside Lin Zheyu.
Lin Zheyu had asked around among all his friends in the Martial Alliance, but in the end, Ji Haozhong was the only one interested in the Ascension Assembly. Thus, for this Ascension Assembly, Lin Zheyu and Ji Haozhong were leading six young martial artists from the Martial Alliance to participate.
For a faction composed entirely of martial artists like the Martial Alliance, attending the Ascension Assembly was more a matter of courtesy than anything else. They simply had to send someone.
Having Lin Zheyu and Ji Haozhong, two Shackles realm cultivators, lead the group was already more than sufficient. After all, the Martial Alliance was not an especially powerful faction. The number of martial artists who had cultivated to the limit of the Shackles realm and forged their own martial cultivation path could be counted on one hand. Among them, Senior Xia Ping had remained in seclusion ever since Lin Zheyu's reminder last time and had yet to emerge.
Lin Zheyu had originally planned to seek out Senior Xia Ping for a discussion on the Dao after returning to the Martial Alliance, hoping to see whether the man had gained any new insights.
𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Unfortunately, Senior Xia Ping had yet to leave seclusion. Alliance Leader Qin Hu remained as mysterious as ever. No one knew what he was busy with, and he was rarely seen. Senior Nie Zhiyu had to remain behind to guard Yanwu City, while Senior Wang Zhengtian had gone out on a mission. As for the senior Lin Zheyu had never met, there was still no news of him whatsoever.
That senior was named Yun Long. He was fond of exploring secret realms and ancient ruins. More than a decade ago, he had ventured into a secret realm on another continent and never returned. Everyone had originally assumed that he had died somewhere outside. However, after news of Woo Jin's death spread, the martial artists of the Martial Alliance became increasingly convinced that the Martial Alliance senior who had killed Woo Jin was Yun Long.
Senior Yun Long had returned! At least, that was what everyone believed. Lin Zheyu, however, knew very well that this was not the case.
Martial artists at the Shackles realm like Lin Zheyu and Ji Haozhong were already considered powerful experts capable of handling matters independently within the Martial Alliance. Thus, the two of them had brought six young martial artists to attend this Ascension Assembly as representatives of the Martial Alliance.
In previous years, the Martial Alliance had likewise usually sent Shackles realm martial artists to lead its delegation. As the name 'Ascension Assembly' suggested, this was ultimately a grand gathering for immortal cultivators. Martial artists like Lin Zheyu and the others were mostly here just to make an appearance.
"Yes, it's my first time here. It really is impressive," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.
His powerful senses had already spread out silently. Within his sea of consciousness, the golden Heavenly Eye discreetly examined the formation restrictions surrounding Xuandu City. Every city in Great Wei was equipped with a powerful Heaven-Monitoring Formation. The formations in the various cities were closely interconnected, forming an enormous spiderweb-like network that covered the entirety of Great Wei.
However, from Lin Zheyu's observations, Xuandu City's Heaven-Monitoring Formation was somewhat different from those of other cities. The formation here was more powerful and far more complex, seemingly serving as the core of the Heaven-Monitoring Formations throughout all the other cities. The city gate was enormous, and before long, he and the others passed through it and entered Xuandu City.
Upon entering Xuandu City, Lin Zheyu suddenly felt his entire body relax. The omnipresent demonic qi was so sparse within the city that it was almost nonexistent. One had to remember that this was an ordinary mortal city, not a grotto-heaven realm. With demonic qi pervading the world and intertwined with spiritual qi, expelling the demonic qi while maintaining the purity of the spiritual qi was extraordinarily difficult. Yet Xuandu City had managed to accomplish precisely that. Truly, it was worthy of being the imperial capital.
"Can you feel it...?" Lin Zheyu asked softly.
"Mm. This really is a wonderful place!" Ji Haozhong exclaimed with admiration.
If he had been able to live in a city like this back when he was still an ordinary martial artist and had yet to advance to the Martial Innate realm, how wonderful that would have been.
"The power of faith in the city is incredibly dense, dense enough to purify even the demonic qi within it. If the power of faith in the imperial capital is already this concentrated, it's hard to imagine what the Black Tortoise Realm must be like," Lin Zheyu said curiously.
The atmosphere of worship and religious offerings in Xuandu City was far stronger than in any city Lin Zheyu had ever visited. Shrines and statues of gods, large and small, could be seen almost everywhere, while a faint scent of incense permeated the air.
"It's grand and magnificent... The Black Tortoise Realm is home to the Hall of the Gods, though I've never been inside it myself," Ji Haozhong said regretfully.
According to rumor, the true bodies of the various deities worshiped and offered sacrifices by the common people of Great Wei resided within the Hall of the Gods. The Divine Power Crystals consumed by cultivators throughout Great Wei's cultivation world were likewise produced there.
"The Hall of the Gods? I wonder how the gods within it compare to the demon gods worshiped by the Nine Nether Sect and the Painful Holy Sect. Which side is stronger?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously through voice transmission.
Some matters were unsuitable for open discussion, nor were they things that martial artists with insufficient strength ought to know. For cultivators whose realms and strength were lacking, knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing. Thus, the two deliberately communicated through voice transmission. Leading the six young martial artists of the Martial Alliance, they headed toward the center of Xuandu City.
The Black Tortoise Realm was the private realm of Great Wei's imperial clan, the Wei Family. The entire Black Tortoise Realm belonged exclusively to the Wei Family, and they kept extremely strict control over its entrances and exits. Lin Zheyu and the others could only enter through a teleportation formation in Xuandu City.
"I have no idea. Matters like that involve a level far beyond us. How could insignificant Shackles realm cultivators like us possibly know?" Ji Haozhong said with a shrug.
He was merely a Shackles realm martial artist of humble origins who had risen above ordinary mortals through sheer perseverance and martial cultivation talent. He had neither a powerful background nor extraordinary strength, so where could he possibly learn secrets of this level?
***
When they arrived outside a massive pavilion, the cultivator on duty said respectfully, "Please present your invitation."
Lin Zheyu and the others took out their invitations and handed them over, then followed the crowd into the Directorate of Celestial Observation. They entered the pavilion, passed through a series of covered corridors, and arrived at an enormous plaza within. Dense and incredibly intricate defensive formations were inscribed all around the plaza.
The plaza was vast and bustling with activity. Many cultivators had already arrived ahead of time and were waiting to be teleported into the Black Tortoise Realm. Lin Zheyu even spotted several familiar figures.
"Have you heard? Fairy Mu and Fairy Lei are participating this time too. We'll finally get a chance to behold the beauty of those two fairies," a handsome man said to his companion nearby.
"They're participating too? Where are they? Why haven't I seen them?" The man's companion looked around eagerly, impatiently searching for Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan.
These two newly risen geniuses had attracted the admiration of countless male cultivators throughout Great Wei because of their monstrous natural talent and breathtaking beauty. Even catching a glimpse of them from afar was enough to leave many cultivators reminiscing about it for a long time afterward.
"What are you thinking? There's no way they'd enter the Black Tortoise Realm from here. The cultivators who come through this place are all from mid- and lower-tier factions," the handsome man said, rolling his eyes.
He jerked his chin toward the front. "Look, those two female cultivators are pretty too. Judging by their bearing, they should be disciples of the Extreme Cold Palace."
"Let me see. Mm, not bad at all..."
Lin Zheyu stood among the crowd, listening to the surrounding chatter with an amused smile. When he heard the two cultivators mention the Extreme Cold Palace, he could not help glancing over. Coincidentally, he spotted someone he knew.