Chapter 545: The First of Dan Yuan

Amid the uproar resembling mountain cheers and tidal roars, a shimmering jade light spread across the sky like flowing water, and Chen Heng's figure slowly emerged, stirring the clamor to even greater heights.

"Tai Yi Shen Lei..."

Seeing Chen Heng escorted by Xue Jing and a crowd of retainers into the golden boat, the great hall suddenly fell silent.

After a long while, the presiding elder of the Wenhuang Sect, his face grim, slowly shook his head and broke the silence.

"Cultivating Tai Yi Shen Lei is no easy task; even ordinary True Persons of the Primordial Spirit realm struggle to find its gateway, yet he, a mere Jin Dan practitioner, has successfully entered its doors—truly remarkable."

The presiding elder of Wenhuang let out a helpless bitter laugh, but in consideration of their past friendship, he maintained his dignity and was the first to offer congratulations to Xun Bing, nodding slightly:

"First Master Junyao, now Chen Heng—Elder Xun, your Yu Yu Yuchen has truly seen a succession of outstanding talents emerge lately!"

As his voice broke the silence, the hall gradually grew lively again.

Numerous presiding elders rose one after another to offer congratulations, their faces beaming with smiles; Xun Bing naturally would not neglect them and hurriedly returned each bow.

The presiding elder of Wenhuang was named Yu Ce; he and Yin Yin Wuji's master had studied under the same teacher, both being disciples of Daoist Wei Yu.

With such a connection, Yu Ce naturally understood Yin Yin Wuji's background clearly.

A first-grade Jin Dan, perfected inner scenery, Chrono-Light Divine Water, the Tai Su Yu Shen at the sixth layer of the Yuan realm, two supreme great divine arts mastered, including even the world-suppressing technique, the Ten Directions Illuminating the World Great Epidemic Light.

Such cultivation, such methods—

Whether viewed across any of the great yang heavens, Yin Yin Wuji fully deserved the praise of being a standout among cultivators.

In days to come, he was destined to top the world and surpass Jing Han!

Especially since earlier, even while holding back, he had decisively defeated Yu Yu Huangshang of the Xiantian Mo Zong.

In Yu Ce's view, even if placed against peers like Master Junyao or Ji Fa from the previous Dan Yuan Assembly—those regarded as once-in-an-era Dao seeds—Yin Yin Wuji would absolutely not have fallen short!

Yet unfortunately, this time...

After sighing inwardly, Yu Ce could only lament that this Dan Yuan Assembly was truly too fierce.

The many Dan Yuan True Persons who descended to the field were selections from across the world; there were even four first-grade Jin Dan practitioners, a sight rarely seen across the Nine Provinces—something truly unimaginable before!

Chen Heng, Yin Yin Wuji, Lü Rong, Yu Yu Huangshang, Wei Wei Lingjiang, Zhou Fu...

In most previous years, whether Yu Yu Huangshang, Wei Wei Lingjiang, or Zhou Fu, any of them, with their abilities, could have claimed the title of Dan Yuan champion.

But this time, Lü Rong and Yin Yin Wuji stood blocking the way.

And both Lü Rong and Yin Yin Wuji had been defeated entirely by Chen Heng's hand.

"..."

As soon as such thoughts arose, Yu Ce himself felt them rather absurd, and his expression inevitably turned bitter.

Amid the lively sounds of congratulations, the presiding elder of the Blood River Sect seemed as if wandering beyond the heavens, equally distracted in spirit.

As if by tacit understanding, Yu Ce and he suddenly exchanged glances; after a few breaths, both subtly shook their heads.

After a long while, just as the Wusheng Wusheng Tongzi who had been waiting at the hall entrance stepped forward to report, several golden-robed officers immediately ascended the hall bearing a jade tray, finally drawing the attention of all the Dan Yuan elders.

The jade tray radiated brilliant light, with wisps of clear and turbid qi hanging down from it, while above hovered a layer of bright, dazzling mist, making it obvious at a glance that this was no ordinary object.

On the tray lay nothing else but a golden list, upon which were written the names and origins of this assembly's top ten Dan Yuan participants.

The ranking of these top ten Dan Yuan participants was naturally determined by who had obtained the most bronze fish.

Besides that, if the number of fish obtained was equal, then their battle records and performances during this assembly would be considered.

Although the presiding elders had long formed their own judgments regarding the top ten rankings, their minds as clear as mirrors,

yet since this concerned the formidable fortune of Xu Du, a matter of no small importance, it certainly could not be handled carelessly.

After a round of polite modesty and yielding, Xun Bing was the first to take up the golden list from the tray.

Seeing Chen Heng's name placed above all other cultivators, occupying the very top, he smiled with satisfaction, glanced briefly downward, and passed the list to the person beside him.

"Third place?"

Yu Ce took the golden list, paused momentarily on Chen Heng's name, then saw Yin Yin Wuji's name listed third, beneath Lü Rong.

His face showed no change of expression; he merely nodded slightly, indicating he likewise had no objection.

Although Yin Yin Wuji had eliminated Gu Yi and Pei Zhi, obtaining two bronze fish, Lü Rong had similarly defeated both Wei Wei Lingjiang and Yu Yu Huangshang.

And though the number of bronze fish held by both men was equal, the weight of Lü Rong's two battles was still somewhat greater than Yin Yin Wuji's.

Moreover, before the Alchemical Mist dispersed, Lü Rong had also fought against Chang Chang Qingjue and Tang Xue Xuan, two veteran Jin Dan practitioners, and defeated them easily.

In contrast, Yin Yin Wuji had been deep within Mount Da Xue, harmonizing his magic power and adapting to the erosion of the Chrono-Light Divine Water, without engaging in combat.

Chrono-Light Divine Water—

This divine water personally bestowed upon him by Daoist Kan Li, while it had accelerated Yin Yin Wuji's cultivation steps by several stages, allowing him to master Wenhuang's Ten Directions Illuminating the World Great Epidemic Light earlier,

the erosion it brought along was also quite troublesome, difficult to dispel in a short time; only by Yin Yin Wuji frequently harmonizing his internal breath and smoothing his mental state could he prevent this divine water from affecting his condition.

It could be said that precisely to prepare for that final all-out battle, Yin Yin Wuji had hidden deep within Mount Da Xue.

Otherwise, given his temperament, he would likely have confronted Chen Heng, Lü Rong, and others much sooner!

But even so, although Yin Yin Wuji endured slightly longer than Lü Rong when facing Tai Yi Shen Lei, his ranking still fell one place behind Lü Rong, placing him third.

"Aside from the Dan Yuan champion, the others may also receive considerable benefits, but given Yin Wuji's status, these mean little; whether second or third makes little difference.

It is just a pity, that Xu Du Great Pill..."

Yu Ce's eyes flashed with a deep, heavy light as he thought silently.

This Dan Yuan Assembly, with Yin Yin Wuji participating, could be said to be the session where a Wenhuang disciple had the greatest hope of winning the Xu Du Great Pill.

Yet Yin Yin Wuji had happened to face Chen Heng.

As for when the next time a Wenhuang disciple might hope to claim the championship...

Yu Ce did not know just when that day would come...

Before long, the golden list had circulated through the hands of all fourteen presiding elders; since everyone had no objection to the rankings, it was now time to affix the seal.

However, when it came to the turn of Liu Fu, the presiding elder of the Xiantian Mo Zong,

this elder, who belonged to a different faction than Chen Chen Yushu and even harbored subtle discord with him, suddenly smiled inexplicably, his gaze fixed solely upon Xun Bing.

"I wonder what guidance Elder Liu has for us this time?"

Seeing this, Xun Bing was not surprised, merely speaking in a faint voice.

"Guidance is too kind; your sect possessing such a Dao Seed is truly enviable, however, I suddenly recalled a matter and wish to hear the esteemed opinions of everyone..."

Liu Fu, clad in a great crimson dharma robe, slowly stroked his beard and spoke with profound implication:

"Everyone should know that I entered the Dao very late, only stepping onto the path of cultivation near the completion of a jiazi; thereafter, after enduring great hardship, I finally joined the Xiantianmo Sect.

Prior to that, I once served as a minor local official in a mortal small kingdom within the Earth Continent, and in my leisure time, I encountered many absurd stories fabricated by mortals in those ancient books.

One such tale went like this..."

Meeting Xun Bing's gaze, Liu Fu spoke slowly:

"The book stated that the dragon is an auspicious beast of antiquity; raising one is truly a great fortune for a clan, allowing descendants to receive its blessings and extend their prosperity for generations.

However, the dragon embodies the firmness of Heaven, its nature not gentle; just as the two luminaries cannot vie for brilliance within a single cosmos, forcibly placing two dragons within one clan will, over time, inevitably breed an atmosphere of conflict; the auspicious omen will not manifest, and fear of future trouble may remain.

Fellow Daoists, what do you think of this story?"

Lu Zhi Jie, the presiding elder of Zhong Yi, detected the hidden meaning in Liu Fu's words and faintly shifted his gaze.

The other elders present also understood the underlying implication of these words; some smiled, others shook their heads, their reactions varying.

Ji Ji Fakai—

The young master of the Le Cen Ji clan, one of the six true disciples of Yu Yu Yuchen in the present age.

He was also a figure who, hundreds of years ago, was renowned alongside Master Junyao, personally praised by the current Master of the Wu You Wulong Guan as the "Kun Xiang"!

The Wu You Wulong Guan is located in Northern Hao Province; its members are all virtuous true cultivators hailing from the Bapailiu Sect.

The famous "New Year's Assessment" originates from within the Wu You Wulong Guan, where the venerable elders of the Immortal Dao personally determine the rankings.

As for the Master of the Wu You Wulong Guan, their identity has always been extraordinary; even the Old Immortal of the North Pole once enthusiastically occupied the position of Master for a time, until this individual found new amusement and thus "stepped down to yield to the worthy."

"Containing all and being vast, virtue matching the boundless" is called "Kun," while "Xiang" refers to the manifest form, the paradigm of things.

The title "Kun Xiang" not only subtly corresponds to the Zhi Deng Fa art "Hou Sheng Chui Hui" cultivated by Ji Ji Fakai, but also represents a great hope placed upon Ji Ji Fakai by the current Master of the Wu You Wulong Guan!

However, although Ji Ji Fakai was defeated by Master Junyao and failed to seize the position of Yu Yu Yuchen's Dao Son,

the latter was truly a tremendous anomaly across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas!

As early as when this individual first emerged, the listed immortals of Yu Yu Yuchen had placed great hopes upon him; after news of Master Junyao's death spread, many elders of the great sects even nodded in secret.

That Ji Ji Fakai was defeated by this individual back then, with the difference being merely a few moves, is truly understandable; his performance was actually far superior to many Dao Son figures.

But if it were only so.

Given the momentum of Chen Heng forming the Jin Dan and cultivating the Qing Shen Lei this time, Elder Liu would not have needed to deliberately speak these words.

Yet ever since returning from the Sui Yu Heaven, no one knows what principles Ji Ji Fakai comprehended by borrowing that ancient Buddha's sarira.

And his performance now in the Yu Qi Heaven is truly...

Hearing the hidden meaning in Liu Fu's words, Xun Bing merely responded with a smile, seeming unconcerned, and waved his hand:

"Such groundless talk, and Elder Liu has remembered it until now; no wonder you wandered in the mortal world for a jiazi, trapped by wealth and status before entering the Dao, unable even to secure a mortal position of power."

Hearing this, Liu Fu's eyebrows raised slightly.

Before he could utter a reply, the presiding elder of the Tai Fu Gong, fearing the scene would become unsightly, hurriedly stepped forward to mediate.

Out of respect for this individual, Liu Fu restrained himself somewhat, merely taking his seal in hand and pressing it onto the Golden List.

"Please proceed."

Liu Fu and Xun Bing exchanged a glance, both smiling faintly.

At this moment, all fourteen presiding elders had finished stamping their seals, and the Golden List was hastily delivered by several golden-robed officers to the Forty-Nine Lu Shou Palace for Pei Pei Shuyang, the adjudicator of this great competition, to review.

"Very good."

After verifying there were no errors, Pei Pei Shuyang did not delay, immediately raising his hand to form a seal.

In an instant, a rumbling vibration descended from above, as if the dome of heaven overhead was slowly splitting in two, from which surged countless strange lights.

Colorful clouds and bright mist swayed unpredictably, elusive and intangible, at times scattering and dancing like flight, at times gathering to form brocade.

This grand commotion immediately caused the many cultivators at Ying Ying Jichuan to turn their attention; deep envy flowed in the eyes of many.

"It has begun..."

Within the Golden Boat, Chen Heng casually tucked the Juan Sect that Xue Jing had just handed over into his sleeve and looked up at the sky.

Upon it were dense lines of fly-head script, among which the three characters "Ji Ji Fakai" appeared most frequently.

But at this moment, no one wasted even a shred of mental energy on this; inside and outside the Golden Boat, nearly everyone looked up in unison.

"The fortune of Xu Capital..."

Seeing the surrounding cultivators all focusing their minds, Qi Shang sighed softly in his heart.

As soon as this commotion erupted at Ying Ying Jichuan, the Bapailiu Sect all felt a resonance.

Unknown how many millions of li away, a faint spiritual light first flashed forth from the mountain gate of the North Pole Garden, swift as a meteor, winding like a dragon and snake in flight.

In the blink of an eye, this light crossed layer upon layer of sea borders, plunging directly into the rear hall of the Lu Shou Palace, into the Dew-Receiving Plate personally established by Pei Pei Shuyang the day before.

As this spiritual light descended, an additional layer of illusory mist instantly appeared upon the Dew-Receiving Plate.

It seemed to exist within all things, yet also seemed to transcend beyond objects, awaiting only refinement and condensation into solidity...

"Heh, surprisingly it is my North Pole that is fastest; you Yu Yu Yuchen—"

Seeing this, the Old Immortal of the North Pole chuckled with delight.

Before he could finish speaking, three more strands of spiritual light shone remotely across the cloud curtain from Eastern Mi Province, belonging respectively to Yu Yu Yuchen, Chi Ming, and Hu Zhao.

It was as if a certain great curtain was slowly being drawn open!

In less than the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, a brilliant light rose from the mountain gates of the Bapailiu Sect, crossing the sea from the horizon to fall one after another into the Dew-Receiving Plate in the rear hall.

Divine Control, Yin Scenery, Blood River, Nine Truths, Plague and Pestilence—

Whenever spiritual light flew and stirred, the heaven and earth it traversed seemed to undergo a slow evolution of the clear and turbid two qi into the image of the Primordial, with Yin and Yang unfathomable in their origin, and spirits and ghosts unaware of their nature!

Rolling essence qi of creation surged forth all the way, lingering for a long time without dispersing, causing countless cultivators along the path to be utterly shocked; at this moment, Ying Ying Jichuan was even more inexplicably adorned with falling celestial flowers and sweet springs gushing from the earth, truly resembling an immortal land beyond the mundane world!

Meanwhile, within the Zhongyi Sword Sect, Daoist Lord Master Minqiu, dressed in a green brocade robe and resembling a short Daoist priest, suddenly turned dark-faced and looked extremely unpleasant.

"That old bastard is still full of black water... Damn him, I will certainly not let this rest with you!"

He glared angrily several times in the direction of Xiaoming Great Marsh, his hand hovering several times as if to grab the peach wood branch at his waist, filled with great resentment.

Finally, under the laughing words and mediation of the many Zhongyi Elders, although he mentally cursed Master Master Tongxuan ten thousand times in his heart and wished he could spit fiercely on that old face, he helplessly waved his hand, causing a beam of spiritual light to rise from the depths of the Zhongyi sect gates.

And after this beam of spiritual light from Zhongyi appeared.

After a while, only then did light slowly shine forth from the location of Nanchan Province, likewise traveling toward Ying Ying Jichuan.

"What the Ancestral Master did... why is Daoist Lord Master Minqiu glaring at me? This is truly an unprovoked disaster."

At this moment, the Northern Pole Old Immortal, who knew the inside story, was already bending over with laughter nearby.

Pei Pei Shuyang noticed a rather displeased line of sight falling upon him from afar; he smiled and performed a bowed salute toward the Zhongyi direction, then, seeing that all fourteen sects had gathered, he decisively waved his hand and instructed in a deep voice:

"In the 23,061st year of Zhenghong, the first of the Golden Core..."

As these words were spoken, the many burly divine generals outside the hall immediately exerted their strength to beat the drums, transmitting the message layer by layer while shouting in unison:

"In the 23,061st year of Zhenghong, the first of the Golden Core..."

From the halls on the left and right, zither strings began to play melodiously; the palace music was magnificent, clear, and solemn. A Jin Fu shot forth first from Pei Pei Shuyang's hand and, amidst the eager anticipation of the myriad cultivators, slowly descended from the cloud head.

Chen Heng stepped forward.

It was precisely the moment when the sun shone upon the Fusang tree, a scene of pure Bai Jin Guang, illuminating above and below the clouds, making heaven and earth transparent.

The transmitting voices layered upon one another, by now echoing across the mountains and seas; rolling reverberations came surging in, as if millions of people were shouting together, shaking the dome of the universe!

In the 23,061st year of Zhenghong, the first of the Golden Core!

Chen Heng felt a long-unfamiliar sense of trance.

Although the scene was clearly tumultuous and chaotic, he felt as if the world around his ears had suddenly fallen silent, hearing only the whooshing sound of wind, seemingly coming slowly from an extremely distant place, crossing mountains and seas to arrive.

"..."

Chen Heng slightly lowered his eyelids, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the Jin Fu that was about to reach him.

When he raised his eyes again, his pupils suddenly sparkled with divine light, his sharp edge fully revealed!

Under the gaze of all eyes, Chen Heng laughed once, straightened his countenance, performed a bowed salute, and solemnly stated:

"Chen Heng is present!"

As soon as this sentence was spoken, the silence around his ears was shattered with a boom.

Only the sound waves, like a tide, surged in from all directions!