Chapter 68

On the square of the Grand Void Gate’s Great Hall stood dozens of teleportation arrays.

From here, one could travel to each of the Grand Void Gate’s peaks, each peak connected by a pair of teleportation arrays—one for each direction.

At this moment, the square was already crowded with disciples.

All the disciples wore pale moon-white robes.

After another two hours, disciples from nearly every peak had gathered.

A senior in a purple-red Daoist robe suddenly appeared.

The elder was tall, with snow-white whiskers, his face etched with the marks of time, his eyes gleaming with luminous radiance as they swept over the disciples, as if piercing through their very souls.

“Silence!”

The elder waved his dust whisk and said: “I am Xuan Yang.”

Whoosh—

Upon hearing this was Elder Xuan Yang, every disciple knelt to the ground and bowed to him.

“Greetings, Elder!”

“Greetings, Elder Xuan Yang!”

“Greetings, Grandmaster Xuan Yang!”

Xuan Yang held the dust whisk in his left hand and stroked his snow-white whiskers with his right. “Enough. Good. Rise.”

He was pleased with the disciples’ manners.

“Today, I shall lead you to the Cuiping Mountain Secret Realm to participate in the Dao-Xuan Alliance’s trial!”

“Do you all have your Life-Death Tokens?”

“If anyone lacks one, speak up now!”

Xuan Yang scanned the crowd.

The Life-Death Token was the white jade tablet He Pingsheng held—when shattered, it instantly formed a array to teleport the disciple out of the secret realm.

“Good. Since you all have them, I’ll repeat: once activated, this token will extract you from the secret realm. Once you leave, you forfeit all right to further exploration.”

“Also, there is a three-breath delay after activation.”

“Use it with the utmost caution!”

“Yes!” The crowd bowed and replied: “Thank you, Elder, for the warning!”

“Enough!” Xuan Yang swept his wide sleeves. “Come, follow me!”

In his hand, Xuan Yang suddenly produced a flying vessel no larger than a palm.

Under his magic power, it instantly expanded into a massive blue-green ship, a hundred zhang long.

On the ship’s hull, over a dozen array light membranes flickered.

Xuan Yang stepped first onto the prow: “Board!”

The disciples climbed aboard one by one.

Though the ship was large, it hovered only a few zhang above the ground, so even disciples like He Pingsheng, whose cultivation was only Qi Refining Seventh Layer, could leap aboard easily.

Once aboard, He Pingsheng noticed the railings held one hundred and eight slots.

Each slot held a spirit stone.

One hundred and eight in total.

These one hundred and eight spirit stones served as the flying vessel’s power source.

Of course, the array light membranes drew energy from other sources as well—what exactly, He Pingsheng could not tell.

All had boarded the immortal vessel.

The Jin Dan elder stroked his whiskers and asked: “Are all present?”

A young cultivator stepped forward: “Report, Elder: All from Yun Peak are aboard!”

Another said: “Lotus Peak disciples have boarded!”

“Morning Glow Peak is assembled!”

“Dusk Fall Peak is assembled!”

“Heavenly Unity Peak is assembled!”

“Pine Ridge Peak is assembled!”

“Graceful Bamboo Peak is assembled!”

“Jade Dragon Peak is assembled!”

“Gathering Crane Peak is assembled!”

“Goddess Peak is assembled!”

All disciples of the Grand Void Gate’s Ten Peaks were now assembled!

“Good!” Inner Affairs Elder Xuan Yang nodded. “Let us go…”

Boom—

The hundred-zhang flying vessel slowly rose, turned its prow southeastward, and glided through the air.

Perhaps due to the sheer number of passengers—or perhaps other reasons.

Regardless, though large, the vessel flew very low.

It hovered barely above the mountain peaks.

Above, the sky remained blue, clouds still drifted high.

The vessel’s speed increased, and the white clouds overhead and the mountains below receded faster and faster.

Under the clear sky, sunlight bathed the peaks in emerald green, with patches of white scattered through—the exposed giant rocks.

A fine sight!

Not long after, on the right side of the mountain range ahead, dark clouds gathered thickly.

Between the ink-black clouds, lightning crackled.

Then came a torrential downpour, drenching that stretch of sky and earth.

But He Pingsheng’s vessel passed unaffected, skimming along the edge of the massive storm.

A few breaths later, the clouds thinned, the wind calmed.

The dark clouds drifted far to the rear, shrinking to a dot, then vanished behind the retreating layers of peaks.

The sky ahead cleared once more.

After half a day’s flight, He Pingsheng saw another long, towering mountain range.

The vessel could fly only along the range’s right flank, its altitude still less than half the mountains’ height.

Then the crowd beheld a magnificent spectacle: snowflakes swirling through a sky choked with black clouds.

“This is Ice Pole Mountain—the highest range in the entire Dao-Xuan Alliance territory!” chuckled the Jin Dan elder, stroking his whiskers. “Though it’s frozen and snow-covered, there’s a vast sect atop it: the Ice Pole Immortal Sect.”

“And the spiritual energy there is extraordinarily dense!”

At Xuan Yang’s words, everyone was stunned.

A sect existed atop such a colossal mountain?

Seeing the elder so amiable, a disciple dared to ask: “Elder Xuan Yang, why does our vessel fly so low—lower than a paper crane?”

At once, all turned to stare at the bold disciple.

Others looked curiously at the elder.

The elder merely smiled. “I’d love to fly higher, but carrying so many of you strains the vessel—I can only fly low.”

“Hahaha…”

The elder himself laughed.

The disciples joined in.

Only then did they realize Elder Xuan Yang had a pleasant disposition.

He Pingsheng noticed the vessel flew not only low but also slow—slower than a paper crane.

Yet its advantage was the defensive light membrane shielding its exterior, protecting against attacks.

After two days of flying aboard the immortal vessel, it finally arrived above a mountain range of modest height.

Boom!

The vessel landed on a vast square.

He Pingsheng looked up and saw the square packed with people.

All wore Daoist robes of varying colors.

Clearly, many other sects of the Dao-Xuan Alliance had arrived.

He knew the Alliance contained over twenty major sects.

Beyond them, over a hundred cultivation families.

Altogether, more than a hundred factions.

Each trial drew nearly ten thousand disciples.

The vessel landed; disciples disembarked in order, taking up a corner of the square to rest.

Elder Xuan Yang mingled with elders from other sects, exchanging boasts.

He Pingsheng’s gaze, however, turned to the square’s rear.

There stood a massive array, guarded by eighteen cultivators clad in golden Daoist robes at its entrance.

Clearly, this was the entrance to the secret realm.