Chapter 313: Joint Journey to the Immortal Gathering

After the battle at Yu Danzong, the Five Immortal Sects returned in disarray, and everyone sought Ji You and those near him, intent on killing them swiftly—but not a trace could be found.

They had assumed he feared the might of the Immortal Sects and had gone into hiding under a false name, especially since the current focus was on the ruins, so the Five Immortal Sects did not launch a relentless hunt.

Yet he had appeared like a phantom near the borders of Shanhaige.

No one knew his purpose, but many were startled by his audacity, utterly fearless.

In the dense forest at the edge of the Heavenly Pool Ruins, Huo Shun's gaze was dark and brooding.

The residual force of that palm strike had faded, but his disciples noticed the bulging veins on his hands remained swollen, even his wrists reddened and puffed.

Years ago, Tian Shu Academy had taken in a rural cultivator who had reached the peak of the Lower Realms, and the Five Immortal Sects had all heard whispers of it.

But they treated it as mere gossip, forgetting his name almost as soon as they heard it, never giving it serious thought.

Yet no one anticipated that when they finally saw him in person, he had become a figure of overwhelming might.

"Second Young Master, should we send men to pursue and kill him?"

Huo Xingyun pondered a moment: "The Dao Fruit is paramount—don't stir up unnecessary trouble. He fought a bloody night at Yu Danzong; it's no surprise he's curious about what the Five Immortal Sects intend. Strengthen the defenses—if he returns, let him never leave."

A Wujiang cultivator is hard to kill, and he currently lacks enough high-level personnel.

Besides, that man killed five Wujiang cultivators in succession—sending men after him would be unwise…

High in the heavens, Ji You flew through the air, leaving the Heavenly Pool Ruins.

He had seen enough of the situation here; there was still time before the Youxian Gathering, so he flew toward Duanhun Mountain in Yuzhou.

Yuzhou lay northwest of Lingzhou, the only major province Ji You had never passed through.

Compared to other provinces, its architecture and folk culture were distinctly different.

It was said that the old imperial clan Qin, who founded the kingdom here, had once been allied with the Descendants, and had been deeply influenced by their aesthetics.

As for Duanhun Mountain, it lay in a treacherous region in central-northern Yuzhou, riddled with deep chasms and complex terrain.

Like the Heavenly Pool Ruins, when the ruins opened, Wendaos Sect deployed countless personnel to seal off the forests, layer upon layer, guarding so tightly not even a fly could slip through.

Ji You leapt across the chasms using only his physical strength, suppressing his aura completely as he neared his target.

Through gaps in the trees, he gazed far off: dark mountains lay amid vast wastelands, and countless figures moved in and out of the shadowed mountain passes.

In the days that followed, Ji You observed silently, gradually noticing a troubling pattern.

Though Wendaos Sect and Shanhaige handled the ruins similarly, the number of entrants at the Heavenly Pool Ruins kept growing, while those entering Duanhun Mountain kept dwindling.

On the first day, a hundred entered; by the second day, only dozens remained.

Five days later, a young man in lavish robes and an elder arrived at Duanhun Mountain; after receiving bows from Wendaos disciples, they entered the ruins in silence.

When they emerged again, their faces were grim beyond measure.

Seeing this, Ji You, hidden atop the perilous mountains, his eyes grew deep and thoughtful…

Meanwhile, at Nishan Tian Shu Academy, the ordinary, deserted Baiyu Terrace of Ascension was now packed, with flashes of blades and swords rising and falling continuously.

Just as before the Tian Dao Assembly, the outside world was unaware it was witnessing the Youxian Gathering's preliminary matches.

Though the Tian Dao Sacrifice did not grant Tian Dao feedback to everyone, its appeal was less than that of the Ancient Sages' Sanctuaries, yet the Youxian Gathering was larger in scale than the Tian Dao Assembly.

The reason was that the Tian Dao Assembly had to consider the capacity of the Ancient Sages' Sanctuaries—those realms could not withstand too many intense auras—so all matches were restricted to Tongxuan and Rongdao realms.

But the Tian Dao Sacrifice imposed no realm or age restrictions, offering more slots and thus attracting far more participants.

Even among those at the peak of the Lower Realms, many were restless and eager to compete.

Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin had nearly spent a year trying to break through, yet still hadn't crossed the threshold; now they paused their cultivation and came to the outer courtyard on a spring morning, deciding to enter the competition as Rongdao cultivators.

This strategy mirrored those who broke through just before the Tian Dao Assembly.

Without breaking through, fighting at peak strength gave them a greater advantage within the same realm.

"The Tongxuan matches this year started fast—three bouts already concluded since the announcement."

"With Ji You gone, the Tongxuan matches naturally move faster."

As they spoke, they couldn't help recalling the previous Tian Dao Assembly preliminaries.

Back then, Ji You had been barred from using the Jian Dao of Lingjian Mountain, yet still dominated the entire realm, silencing all challengers—now that grandeur was gone, even the Tongxuan matches lacked the appeal of pure physical combat among peak Lower Realm cultivators.

As they discussed this, they saw Cao Jingsong walking toward them from the Bi Shui Lake, their eyes widening in surprise.

"Aren't you about to break through? Why have you suddenly emerged from seclusion?"

Cao Jingsong halted, his brow furrowed: "I'm uneasy about Ji You—my Dao heart is scattered. I must delay my breakthrough. Have you heard any news of him lately?"

Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin both shook their heads: "Since he left Shengjing after the New Year, we've heard nothing."

"What trouble has he stirred up this time to make the Five Immortal Sects hunt him together?"

Wen Zhengxin spoke softly, hoping to soothe Cao's unease: "Though Ji Young Master is eccentric, he never acts recklessly—he must have had good reason. Besides, his combat power is astonishing; even the Five Immortal Sects may not catch him."

Yet without seeing Ji You safe, these words offered little comfort to Cao Jingsong.

The Five Immortal Sects came to demand justice—could he have raided their sect gates and demanded tolls?

After a long silence, the three raised their heads toward the arena, trying to distract themselves by watching—but noticed the other competitors watching them too.

Familiar time, familiar scene—they all simultaneously recalled how Ji You had once dominated the entire academy's Tongxuan realm.

But this time, they felt Ji You would never participate in the Youxian Gathering.

With the Five Immortal Sects hunting him, even the Elders' Council would be terrified—what courage would he have to show his face again?

Many had seen him strolling through teahouses, markets, and lantern festivals during the New Year, thinking perhaps that was his last public appearance.

After offending the Immortal Sects, no matter how gifted, one could only hide forever, never showing face again.

Just then, the arena decided another victor; the loser stepped down, and a figure slowly ascended, appearing carefree and unrestrained.

Seeing this, Cao Jingsong and the others narrowed their eyes: "Fang Jincheng…"

Fang Jincheng, now on the stage, also looked at them, a cold smirk on his lips.

Since the Five Immortal Sects came to demand justice, after seeking out Kuangcheng and Wei Rui, this Elder's grandchild had emerged from the Mountain Abyss.

He had some sense of Ji You's strength, but in his view, no matter how strong one was, one still bowed before the Immortal Sects.

Now that the Five Immortal Sects were enraged, Ji You was barely holding on—there was no need for him to hide anymore.

Fang Jincheng drew his blade and clashed with the contestant on the stage…

Soon after, he won his match, standing alongside Yu Shiliu, Wang Gaocen, and other Elder's grandchildren.

The Youxian Gathering had far more slots than the Tian Dao Assembly; these Elder's grandchildren had already agreed among themselves not to compete against each other, each securing their quota as they had during the Tian Dao Assembly.

The number of slots at the Youxian Assembly far exceeds that of the Tian Dao Assembly; these Elders and their worthy descendants naturally had no need to compete, having already agreed to a mutual non-interference, each taking their allotted slots as the Tian Dao Assembly had done before.

In the days following the Tongxuan matches, Lu Hanyan, who had been in seclusion, emerged—she had reached the middle stage of Tongxuan and entered the arena, facing Fang Jincheng.

Simultaneously, Xiao Hanyan also emerged from seclusion; she had yet to cross the threshold of Yingtian, just as she had during the Tian Dao Assembly, entering as a top-stage Rongdao cultivator to defend the stage.

He Lingxiu, Shi Junhao, and Chai Ze did not emerge to compete.

They had already found their breakthrough opportunity, and such opportunities were always rare—on their part, the feedback from the Tian Dao Sacrifice might not outweigh the value of their opportunity.

In the following days, the Youxian Gathering preliminaries intensified, drawing many spectators.

Yu Shiliu, Wang Gaocen, and Gu Ze Tao won five straight matches, securing their Youxian Gathering slots.

Meanwhile, Pan Bin, the grandson of Elder Pan from the Elders' Council—who had been overlooked during the previous Tongxuan domination by Ji You—finally achieved his wish.

Also securing slots were Xiang Fu, who had just entered the inner academy last year; Lu Da, who had withdrawn from the Tian Dao Assembly preliminaries; and Puyang Xing, who had once clashed with Lu Hanyan.

The Rongdao results were soon finalized—Xiao Hanyan needed no further mention.

The results of the Fusion Dao realm also came out soon, and Xiao Hanyan naturally didn't need to ask.