Chapter 550

The distant Water Official Emperor, Water Virtue Star Lord, greeted several familiar-faced high-ranking deities.

"Marshal Turtle, Marshal Heavenly Snake!"

Zhang Jian followed his gaze to a tall and short, one fat and one thin, two great deities.

These two great deities were clearly of divine beast form, still retaining some divine beast features on their bodies.

Only their cultivation was extraordinarily formidable.

These were two deities of the Taiyi Heavenly Immortal level, powerful deities.

When the two deities arrived before him, the Water Official Emperor introduced them to Zhang Jian.

"Ah Yu, these are the Turtle and Snake Marshals under the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable, also renowned deities in heaven and earth!"

"I have paid respects to the two Marshals!"

Zhang Jian slightly clasped his hands.

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable is none other than the Northern True Martial Emperor; this is one of the highest-ranking deities under the Six Emperors of Heaven.

The Water Official Emperor also intended to recommend these two great deities from the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable's mansion to Zhang Jian; at this moment, the short and fat deity among the tall and short deities laughed.

"Emperor needs no introduction; this must be the Source Emperor of the Three Yuan Spirit Officials Hall. My brothers and I have long heard of your esteemed name, Emperor attaining the divine sacred body—congratulations!"

The short and fat Turtle Marshal had a gentle face; compared to the elongated visage of the slender Heavenly Snake Marshal's divine spirit, the serpent youth bore some sternness, now merely forcing a faint smile toward Zhang Jian.

He seemed naturally inept at speech.

The short and fat Turtle Marshal, however, was a chatterbox.

At this moment, several more deities approached one after another, each surrounded by swirling dense divine light.

Zhang Jian gazed upon them, yet the number of Taiyi Heavenly Immortals was only the Turtle and Snake Marshals.

The other three or four heavenly deities were all at the Taiyi Great Perfection realm.

Zhang Jian knew this was not because Taiyi Great Perfection immortals had become more numerous, but due to the Donghua Realm affair—ordinary immortals lacked the qualification to squeeze in.

Even if they squeezed in, it would serve little purpose.

Zhang Jian gazed upon them; these few immortals held extraordinary status.

Among them, one with a black face, wearing the black plague-department heavenly lord's robe, was the Plague Department Divine Lord, the Black-Faced God, deputy to the Plague Department Emperor.

Another, whose skin bore an ancient bronze hue, clad in black-and-red divine robes, this stalwart general was one of the Northern Four Saints—the Black Slaughter Great General.

That is, the Yi Sheng Bao De Marshal, ranking below the Tianpeng Marshal and Tianyou Vice Marshal.

Yet his status is also supremely exalted, for nominally he guards the Northern Polar Central Purple Micro Heavenly Emperor as a close attendant commander, and is also a commander of troops, leading two of the Eight Celestial River Armies under his command, controlling two hundred thousand Celestial River naval forces.

Another, his entire body suffused with intense killing aura, unlike the Black Slaughter Great General of stellar origin, his pupils deep within were razor-sharp, moreover bearing an intense chill.

He is one of the garrison heavenly lords of the Eastern Heavenly Army Group, Yuanheng Heavenly Lord.

These deities Zhang Jian found somewhat unfamiliar; he did not recognize them.

After a slight nod and a few words, the eight passed through the inter-realm transmission array directly into the Donghua Realm.

Only these thirty thousand immortal crystals Zhang Jian spent felt somewhat painful to his wallet.

This time, the Water Official Emperor did not cover the cost for him.

……

Donghua Realm, Purple Mansion Prefecture, Pure Yang Immortal City.

Strand after strand of immortal light flew forth from the void, landing upon the transmission platform.

Before the transmission array, already stood a row of immortals whose bodies were suffused with intense immortal light—Pure Yang Dao lineage immortals—led by a Taiyi realm immortal whose body radiated intense Dao fruit aura.

Upon seeing Zhang Jian and companions manifest their true forms from the immortal light, this immortal spoke.

"Seniors, the Ancestral Master has already prepared a banquet in the Pure Yang Great Hall; seniors, please follow me directly into the Pure Yang Great Hall to pay respects to the Ancestral Master!"

The leading Water Virtue Star Lord directly laughed.

"Lead the way ahead!"

Among the immortals, he held the highest status.

Behind that Taiyi realm immortal, Zhang Jian saw a familiar figure—Qingyao Immortal Maiden was also among the eight attending male and female immortals.

She slightly lowered her head, as if noticing Zhang Jian's gaze, then immediately raised it only to hastily lower it again.

Zhang Jian's mouth corners slightly lifted; he then directly stepped forward.

After he departed, that Taiyi immortal hurried forward to guide the immortals.

Meanwhile, the eight young male and female immortals beside the transmission array slightly relaxed their breaths, lifting their heads.

These are all heavenly upper immortals, additionally holding immortal offices, high position and great weight; even these young immortals still felt considerable pressure.

"Water Virtue Star Lord, Water Official Emperor, Black-Faced Divine Lord, Black Slaughter Great General, Yuanheng Heavenly Lord, Turtle and Snake Marshals, Source Emperor—these are all renowned great deities of heaven, either masters of a division or commanders of an army, otherwise they are attendants beside the heavenly venerables!"

At this moment, a young immortal could not help but clutch his chest and sigh.

The other young immortals unconsciously nodded.

At this moment, one female immortal turned her gaze to Qingyao Immortal Maiden and asked.

"Senior Sister, was that last person just now the Human Emperor of the Zhou Mountain Realm who ascended over twenty thousand years ago, the Holy King of the Xia Dynasty's State and Altar? I heard this Emperor attained his divine sacred body in the Innate Dao Realm of our Pure Yang Immortal Sect?"

"I heard my master mention that he also saved you several times!"

Qingyao Immortal Maiden slightly nodded.

"That is the Source Emperor; not seen for thousands of years, this Emperor's aura has grown ever more solemn and awe-inspiring—gazing upon him inspires dread, one dare not draw near!"

Qingyao Immortal Maiden felt somewhat moved.

The female immortal beside her shifted her eyes, then suddenly spoke.

"After all, he has bestowed life-saving grace upon you, Senior Sister—you cannot miss this opportunity! I heard my master this time has equipped all the upper immortals and Emperors with attendant immortals for errands; everyone is watching this matter. Though it is merely running errands, if one can establish connections with these upper immortals, henceforth entering heaven would not be without some backing!"

Qingyao Immortal Maiden glanced at this female immortal beside her and smiled.

"What, Autumn Maple Junior Sister, you also wish to draw near this Emperor!"

The female immortal called Autumn Maple, however, spoke while heaving with her rising and falling bosom.

"Senior sister, who wouldn't want that? Hearing the master say the Spirit Source Emperor has already become a divine being, achieving the rank of Dao Lord in the future is nearly certain, and besides, any divine being will surely have a bright future—if we could serve this emperor and gain his favor, we wouldn't need to painstakingly climb step by step like other junior brothers and sisters, or even the immortals and gods of other immortal sects and Dao lineages."

What she said was perfectly reasonable.

Qingyao Immortal Maiden glanced slightly at the corner of her mouth, but she too had been moved in thought.

The longer one remains an immortal, the more confused she becomes about her own path.

The path of immortality is too long; without a noble patron's support, even after becoming an immortal, one might still end up at the very bottom of the heavenly realm.

Moreover, the Donghua Realm is about to undergo a realm-wide ascension; these minor immortals, having just stepped into the heavenly realm, will likely have to start over again in such a vast environment.

……

Above the Pure Yang Hall, Pure Yang Dao Lord, together with the other Dao Lords, was presiding over the assembly of immortals.

When Zhang Jian and the others arrived, there were already many ancient immortals and ancient gods present in the gathering.

Voices blended together, a grand and complete assembly.

There were too many immortals and gods here—each one radiant with divine splendor and heroic aura—so even though Zhang Jian possessed a divine body, he appeared utterly insignificant before the host of immortals.

Zhang Jian let his gaze fall upon the upper seat, memorizing part of the titles of the participating Dao Lords.

Besides the Pure Yang Dao Lord, Yang Zheng Dao Lord, Condensing Yang Dao Lord, and Long Eyebrow Dao Lord—whom Zhang Jian knew—

there was also a relatively unfamiliar Dao Lord, dressed in purplish-black Daoist robes, holding a horsetail whisk, appearing as a Daoist practitioner—this was the Seven Cultivations Dao Lord.

Additionally, there were several renowned Dao Lords of the Heavenly Court, such as the Zi Yang Dao Lord, one of the Four Heavenly Masters of the Celestial Master's Mansion, the Tai Su Dao Lord of the Yaochi Heavenly Realm, and the Wu Qu Star Lord of the Dipper Division.

Beside him, the Greedy Wolf, Broken Army, and Seven Killings Star Lords stood together on one side.

These three stars were all powerful star gods at the Great Perfection of the Taiyi realm.

It seemed they also wanted to take advantage of the Donghua Realm's eastern wind to make a big profit.

Among the other Taiyi Great Perfection immortals and gods, Zhang Jian also saw many—such as the four of the Eight Immortals excluding the Pure Yang, Yang Zheng, and Condensing Yang Dao Lords; among these four, He Xian'gu and Zhang Guo Lao were both at the Taiyi Great Perfection realm.

"Deep within the Heavenly Court, truly powerful beings are as numerous as clouds—fortunately, most of them are not immortals and gods born of this yuan kalpa..."

Zhang Jian glanced and silently pondered.

But he did not become careless because of this.

Having mingled with the host of immortals for thousands of years, he had not attended many banquets in vain.

From this, he had come to know many secret matters.

For example, the number of Dao Lords that can be born in each major heavenly realm per yuan kalpa is limited.

It is not because the heavenly realm's origin only has that much, but because each heavenly realm's sovereign only allocates a portion of its fortune to protect and aid Taiyi Great Perfection immortals in their assault on the Dao Lord realm.

Fortune is only so much; using too much would disrupt the balanced development of all major heavenly realms.

The interests of numerous immortals and emperors would also not be guaranteed.

Moreover, Zhang Jian also knew that non-yuan kalpa-born immortals and gods attempting to assault the Dao Lord realm are restricted—they must wait until the later stage of the yuan kalpa, when the primordial source sea of chaos opens, to gain the opportunity to assault immortals and gods.

However, this heavenly dao iron law is not without ways to circumvent it.

Many immortals and gods attempt to use reincarnation and rebirth, relying on the supreme power of the netherworld's underworld, to regain support from the yuan kalpa's fortune, and so on.

Only immortals and gods with background mostly succeed through such means, starting anew and thereby gaining qualifications.

It is likely that many of the ancient immortals and ancient gods present have already managed to regain the yuan kalpa's support through such methods.

Zhang Jian's mind flickered with numerous thoughts.

"I don't know whether, when I attain the Dao, there will still be enough quotas in the Three Emperors' Heavenly Realm and the Central Heavenly Realm!"

He silently pondered in his heart.

Zhang Jian felt a faint worry, but this trace of worry soon vanished.

And now, having just entered the Taiyi Great Perfection realm—though his cultivation progresses rapidly, he is still very far from the Dao Lord realm.

That is, completing the first step: condensing the ancestral qi.

The second step: severing fate—no idea how.

As for wanting to compete for a Dao Lord quota, at the very least one must complete seven steps first.

Whether or not, and having to wait until later to say.

At this moment, after delivering an inspiring speech to boost morale, Pure Yang Dao Lord immediately continued.

"Those who can enter this place and participate in the Donghua Realm's ascension—this poor Daoist feels endless gratitude, but there is one unpleasant word I must say upfront: the positions where you Dao friends take your seats are mostly the pivotal points of a realm; if any Dao friend fears difficulty, shrinks from hardship, they may withdraw now—but if they flee mid-way, damaging my army's morale, then do not blame this poor Daoist for showing no mercy under this Heavenly Escape Sword!"

"Whoever ruins the great affairs of the Donghua Realm shall surely die without doubt!"

Behind him, the immortal sword hummed, an invisible sword qi surged toward the assembled immortals—sword qi rustling, as if the boundless Pure Yang light had manifested, severing all Dao fruits, causing the immortals' faces to lose color.

Deep within Zhang Jian's Earth Emperor Primordial Spirit, a terrifying chill arose, as if there was no escape.

But since the great event is imminent, although the immortals' expressions varied, none withdrew.

Seeing this, Pure Yang Dao Lord sheathed the long sword behind his back and then spoke calmly.

"Good, since no Dao friend has withdrawn, then this poor Daoist shall regard all of you as willing to obey the orders of my Pure Yang Immortal Sect and act accordingly!"

"May all Dao friends remember today's promise!"

Immediately afterward, he mentioned some details, then continued.

"You Dao friends should also know that the Donghua Realm's ascension will inevitably draw the attention of demons and evil spirits; you have surely made some preparations in advance, but this poor Daoist must remind you: demonic methods are endless and ever-changing—do not underestimate the enemy!"

Pure Yang Dao Lord, of a free-spirited and upright nature, having finished speaking, immediately ordered the immortals to proceed to their respective garrison posts to prepare in advance and make final arrangements.

……

The immortals had long known their respective immortal offices; after leaving the Pure Yang Hall, they prepared to go to various places in the Donghua Realm.

Among them, some immortals and gods were secretly communicating, attempting to win over some immortals and gods to increase their self-preservation strength.

Zhang Jian greeted the Water Emperor and the Water Virtue Star Lord, but the three went off in three different directions.

The Water Emperor was to proceed to a netherworld underworld affiliated with the Donghua Realm to take up his post.

The Water Virtue Star Sovereign is to preside over the seas of the Eastern Splendor Realm, jointly guarding the maritime borders with a portion of ancient immortals and great gods adept in water-attribute immortal arts.

Zhang Jian's post of command is not far from here.

It is the location of a divine mountain known as Condensed Emerald Cliff.

This place possesses the Dao lineage of an immortal sect called Mount Shu.

Zhang Jian is to preside over the Earth's Ancestral Aperture beneath Condensed Emerald Cliff.

This Earth Ancestral Aperture winds secluded and deep.

Below lies a vast Netherworld River, which directly connects to the subspace where the Netherworld Underworld resides; due to the collision of Yin and Yang, spacetime rifts are prone to form, making it also a vulnerable point for enemy intrusion.

However, Zhang Jian's current task only requires guarding the subspace where the Netherworld River lies; the above is entrusted to the immortals and gods of the Mount Shu Sword Sect for defense.

The Mount Shu Sword Sect is the domain of the Long-Eyebrow Dao Sovereign.

Furthermore, another Dao Sovereign often pays attention, and the Two Forms Micro-Dust Grand Array is stationed here, making things all the more reassuring.

Within the Earth Ancestral Aperture, at this moment another stone hall stands erect; Zhang Jian transforms into a beam of immortal light descending from the void, and as he lands, an immortal mirror manifests above his head.

This is the second-rank Eternal Immortal Treasure, the Lotus King's Treasure Mirror; its profundity far surpasses that of the Eastern Emperor's Treasure Mirror he holds in his other hand.

The treasure mirror's divine light shines forth, illuminating every detail of the myriad phenomena within the Earth Ancestral Aperture with exquisite clarity.

Within the Earth Ancestral Aperture, besides this ancestral aperture beneath one's feet, it is also the ancestral court of the vast earth spanning billions of li around Purple Mansion Prefecture, containing countless large and small earth spirit apertures, spirit veins, and dragon veins, with the earth veins taking this as their source.

It also subtly resonates with other earth nodes of the Eastern Splendor Realm.

One can imagine that should problems arise here, they will inevitably affect the overall terrestrial configuration of the entire Eastern Splendor Realm.

The Pure Yang Dao Sovereign evidently places great trust in him, hence bestowing such a heavy responsibility.

Naturally, this also reflects his background and capabilities.

Moreover, behind him stand the Three Sovereigns and Five Elders Assembly, whose various Holy Emperors endorse him, and he is of divine stature; thus the Pure Yang Dao Sovereign entrusts him with such a weighty duty.

In the Eastern Splendor Realm, there are altogether three such Earth Ancestral Apertures.

The other two are respectively under the charge of a Dao Sovereign, and likewise a Taiyi Great Perfection Immortal God stationed there.

The Dao Sovereign is Lian Shan Dao Sovereign.

He is a Dao Sovereign unknown to Zhang Jian, heard to be from the Taiqing Heaven One lineage.

And the Taiyi Great Perfection Immortal God is called Ji Cheng, likewise from the Three Sovereigns Heaven Realm, being one of the members of the Three Sovereigns and Five Elders Assembly; speaking of it, he also shares some 'familial ties' with Zhang Jian.

However, regarding this immortal, Zhang Jian does not know him well.

The three great ancestral apertures, with Lian Shan Dao Sovereign as leader, each perform their drills, and together they form the Heaven Earth Xuan Huang Fetal Membrane Grand Array.

This Heaven Earth Xuan Huang Fetal Membrane Grand Array, Zhang Jian has personally experienced it before, but now he must jointly practice it with the other two immortal gods.

And these three persons are the three main array holders.

Naturally, among the three, one occupies the main palace.

Without doubt, among the three, Lian Shan Dao Sovereign is the leader, with Zhang Jian and Ji Cheng as deputies.

Through the induction among the three main holders of the Heaven Earth Xuan Huang Grand Array, Zhang Jian exchanged slight greetings with the other two immortals, and inwardly mused.

"Looks like it's foolproof!"

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but Zhang Jian knew, as one of the three array eyes, he here might be somewhat weaker.

After all, he has only recently attained the Dao; no matter how one looks, he seems easily breakthroughable!

Merely contemplating the Three-Grade Creation Azure Lotus deep between his brows, if those extradimensional demon fiends were aiming at this, he would surely give those demon fiends a 'surprise' when the time comes.