Chapter 660: The Separation of Immortals and Mortals Again

Since the day Ren Yidao and Di Zui reached their cooperation, the two had not had any further communication.

Ren Yidao did not go to the Zuixian Small Pavilion again, nor did he even step a foot inside the gates of Chongzhou City; he spent his days at the Divine Path Sect playing with Xinying and tutoring her in the various knowledge she lacked.

Di Zui's side also did not send any members of the Butian Alliance to contact Ren Yidao's side, and the entire Butian Alliance made no moves, as if they had completely forgotten their agreement.

It seemed that neither of these two people had the other on their mind anymore.

However, had these two sides really done nothing?

While the Immortal Gods were accumulating strength and waiting for an opportunity, the cultivation world was flourishing in anticipation of the coming Great Era, and mortals were living their lives as usual.

Changes had already quietly occurred.

That day, the Butian Alliance issued an invitation to all current Ascension Realm experts, regardless of whether they were ancient Immortal Gods or contemporary ones, inviting them to travel to Zhongzhou for a banquet on the third day of the third month of the following year.

This banquet was named the Yaochi Gathering.

The venue was held upon the ruins of the Ancient Heavenly Court, specifically the Yaochi once managed by the Yaochi Heavenly Maiden, which had now been fully repaired and restored to its former splendor.

It was just a pity that while the Yaochi remained, the Heavenly Maiden within the pool had already passed away, unfortunately perishing in the chaos of the Ancient Heavenly Court, which was truly regrettable.

This Yaochi banquet not only set the location at the Yaochi but also followed the specifications of the ancient times, preparing a large quantity of Immortal Fruit; attendees could not only enjoy them but also obtain some to take back.

Do not underestimate these Immortal Fruit; their medicinal effects were effective even for the Ascension Realm, possessing the power to bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh and bone, holding a great temptation for the currently weakened ancient Immortal Gods.

Di Zui, or rather the foundation of the Butian Alliance, was, as Ren Yidao had guessed, exceptionally deep, having secretly seized control of the Ancient Heavenly Court's immortal herb gardens and Immortal Fruit forests.

The withered trees and fallen leaves in the outside world were merely a facade; the true great medicines were all hidden and occupied by them, used to refine great medicine.

This was why the Butian Alliance could continuously create powerhouses like the Four Symbols Lord under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao; even if a certain Four Symbols Lord perished, it did not matter, and there was almost never a generational gap. They relied on these Immortal Fruit and immortal herbs to forcefully boost their cultivation.

Facing such a grand gesture, the Immortal Gods were suspicious, but most could not resist the temptation, and they were also certain that the Butian Alliance could not make a move against so many people; in the end, seventy percent of the Immortal Gods arrived for the banquet as promised on the third day of the third month.

And when they arrived in Zhongzhou for the banquet, they saw an unexpected scene.

There was no order of precedence for the seats of the Immortal Gods; they sat surrounding the Yaochi, with no distinction of high or low.

But, at the main seat belonging to the Butian Alliance as the host, two people stood side by side!

One person wore silver armor and was the current Alliance Leader of the Butian Alliance.

And the other person had the appearance of a youth; he looked harmless, but that casual glance he swept across them made who knows how many Immortal Gods tremble in their hearts, almost fleeing on the spot.

The youth leaned back, resting against a white fox, lazily greeting everyone.

Most crucially, the youth was on the left, while the boy... was on the right!

In this world, the right is honored!

Of course, in the end, after the Immortal Gods had mostly arrived, the boy greeted everyone, rode the white fox, and left leisurely for a long while before people thoughtfully realized what was going on...

The Butian Alliance had never invited him at all; he had come uninvited and brazenly ran over to stand on the Alliance Leader's right.

None of those attending the banquet could figure out what this represented.

Was it that even the Butian Alliance Leader could not stop Ren Yidao and let him act recklessly?

Or was there a tacit understanding between these two that outsiders were unaware of?

No one knew the truth, but Ren Yidao's attendance and departure left an exceptionally deep impression in their hearts.

So much so that after the Yaochi Gathering officially began and the Butian Alliance discussed serious matters, they did not belittle them but instead earnestly listened to Di Zui's proposals.

After all, with that previous scene, no one could say for sure whether they would end up opposing the Butian Alliance or offending that guy as well.

Two months after the Yaochi Gathering, the Butian Alliance made its official move.

Mortals did not know what happened that day, nor did they care; they continued living their lives well.

Only the residents living near Zhongzhou noticed some changes and vaguely saw that astonishing scene.

On this day, Zhongzhou shook, and the entire continent flew toward the high sky once more, triggering changes in celestial phenomena.

On the four sides of Zhongzhou, visions of the Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and Vermilion Bird emerged, each supporting a corner of the world as they ascended, with a momentum that shook heaven and earth.

The western position of the White Tiger was lacking, but an extra giant hand appeared, easily supporting the sinking corner.

The entire continent finally leaped up by several thousand feet before stopping, almost completely hiding the entire Zhongzhou within the clouds of the high sky; it was difficult for mortals looking up from below to see the general shape.

The four Heaven Gates were all closed, and the entire Zhongzhou entered a state of lockdown.

From this day on, cultivators discovered more changes, and many things happened one after another like a chain reaction.

Many people had seen a red divine bird carrying a massive city fly across the high sky, flying in from overseas, entering from the Southern Border, crossing the entire Zhongzhou, and finally rushing into Beiming to disappear.

In the Western Desert and Beigan, the two divine continents, ancient Immortal Gods were extinct, and no clues could be found.

In the Southern Border, the Immortal Gods chose to hide, and no one could know the whereabouts of others, but they occasionally appeared, opening sects and recruiting disciples, and also occasionally manifested incarnations to befriend those with affinity.

The remaining numerous Immortal Gods gathered in the Eastern Wasteland, scattered in various places, and carved out numerous Daoist Fields, suppressing the cultivators of the entire Eastern Wasteland so they could not lift their heads; many people chose to flee from the Eastern Wasteland to other divine continents.

However, although they were arrogant in their posture, they also hid in their Daoist Fields all day long and did not reveal their forms to the outside.

Also from this day on, the name Ren Yidao gradually faded from the vision of mortals.

As time passed, they did not know what the name of the Divine Path Sect's heaven-defying walker was, and many mortals had not even heard of the Divine Path Sect.

And what was more known and discussed by them... was a deity named the Fox Immortal.

They only knew that on a certain day in the past, a fox held a blade in its mouth, used the will of all living beings to sever the Dao, returned the heavenly mandate to all spirits, performed great merit, enjoyed the blessings of ten thousand generations, attained the Dao and ascended to immortality, and transformed into the Fox Immortal.

All living beings were grateful for this act and spontaneously set up shrines for it, erecting Longevity Tablets in their homes, and feeling gratitude every day.

A massive force named the Xianhu Temple appeared in the world, spreading across every state and region; wherever there were people, there were its Daoist Temples.

However, although the Xianhu Temple was a massive force, it did not interfere with secular affairs, nor did it require visitors to provide any offerings.

They seemed not to care about these offerings at all; the purpose of their existence seemed only to provide a place for mortals who were grateful to the Fox Immortal.

In the shrines within the Daoist Temples, the statues of the Fox Immortal enshrined within had a unique design; it looked up at the sky, slightly raising its head, as if silently observing something.

Or perhaps... it was also as if it were supervising something.

Mortals were unaware of this, but some clever cultivators gradually tasted some secrets from the changes in heaven and earth and the traces left behind.

It seemed that an invisible giant hand had quietly separated the Immortal Gods from the mortal world.

The immortals and mortals that had originally been somewhat integrated once again had a barrier that was there yet not there.

They did not understand the cause, but they knew the result.

From that day on...

Immortals and mortals were separated once more.