Chapter 2238: Celebration Begins

For mortals, a year is neither exceptionally long nor exceptionally short. However, for some cultivators who spend years in secluded meditation, it might feel like merely the blink of an eye.

Since the news of Han Li's Mahayana Grand Ceremony spread, cultivators from nearby regions immediately began to arrive in the city in a continuous stream, like ants converging. As the date drew closer, the number of cultivators appearing near Tianyuan City grew daily, and powerful demon cultivators from distant lands also started to emerge. Some of these cultivators entered Tianyuan City directly, while others temporarily settled in the mountain ranges nearby.

As the Mahayana Grand Ceremony was merely a month away, even more cultivators, like a surging tide, arrived at the immense city. Over a hundred thousand people poured in almost daily, transforming the once somewhat empty metropolis into an extraordinarily vibrant place. Cultivators both within and outside the city seized this opportunity. Some actively socialized with renowned individuals, forging important connections, while others frequently organized small trade fairs to acquire necessary resources from one another.

Tianyuan City, not wanting to fall behind, also held a formal auction almost every five or six days within its walls. At these auctions, a continuous stream of rare and exotic items, along with precious natural treasures, frequently appeared. Even the elders of Tianyuan City reaped substantial gains, acquiring unique spirit medicines and wonders that were ordinarily impossible to obtain, causing them to grin from ear to ear.

When only a few days remained until the ceremony, cultivators who had been residing in the nearby mountain ranges also began to pour into Tianyuan City in large numbers. Although Tianyuan City was immense, the sudden influx of so many cultivators of mid to high levels caused it to become increasingly crowded. All areas became severely overcrowded, and some cultivators even found themselves unable to secure lodging.

Upon realizing this, Tianyuan City acted swiftly. After some deliberation, they immediately decided to relinquish some stone towers previously occupied by guards, simultaneously opening several underground chambers and crypts to the public. Furthermore, they worked through the night to construct a large number of temporary lodges and halls in several secluded corners of the city to provide accommodation. This measure finally managed to barely resolve Tianyuan City's accommodation issues. Naturally, with the overwhelming number of foreign cultivators, various other problems arose continuously. However, the elders of Tianyuan City were not to be underestimated; through their frequent interventions, they managed to resolve these issues one by one.

In reality, everyone understood that it was impossible for all these people to attend the Mahayana Grand Ceremony. Among them, perhaps less than one percent would actually be able to participate in the main ceremony. The vast majority likely came in search of their own fortuitous opportunities. Everyone knew that a gathering capable of bringing together so many mid-to-high-level cultivators might not occur again for thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years. As long as one was astute, they might find their own opportunity within it: perhaps gaining a master, directly joining a major sect, or acquiring a spirit item they had fruitlessly sought for years from others. Regardless of the outcome, any of these possibilities would be a tremendous stroke of luck for them.

On the morning of this particular day, while the sky was still a hazy grey, a pristine white platform, several dozen feet high, had, at some unknown point, suddenly been erected in the boundless plaza at the center of Tianyuan City. On the platform stood an unknown object draped in golden fabric. It was three to four zhang tall! Standing beside it was a powerfully built man with bulging muscles and a bare torso, his face devoid of all expression.

However, the area surrounding the platform below was densely packed with tens of thousands of guards clad in various colors of armor, making it utterly impenetrable. Among these guards were surprisingly several elders of Tianyuan City, including the silver-haired elder. A group of Integration-stage cultivators all gazed upwards at the sky, which had just begun to blush with dawn, their expressions calm yet tinged with solemnity.

Before long, the first ray of sunlight finally pierced through the crimson clouds on the horizon.

"Alright, the time has come. Begin striking the bell!" Elder Gu's eyes glinted, and he suddenly turned his head, issuing a low command to the powerful man on the platform.

"Understood," the powerful man responded woodenly, then took a swift step forward and ripped away the golden fabric in front of him, revealing the true appearance of the object concealed beneath.

It was a giant silver bell, suspended in mid-air, its surface adorned with countless five-colored spiritual characters, appearing both opulent and mysterious. With the fingers of his other hand spread wide, a golden light flashed, and a golden long-handled hammer, approximately a zhang in length, materialized in his grip. With a shift of his shoulder, the powerful man gripped the hammer handle with both hands, swung it overhead, and then brought it down fiercely onto the giant silver bell.

A resounding 'BOOM'!

Where the golden hammerhead struck, rings of silver light suddenly flared, expanding outwards in all directions. Within the silver light, the five-colored spiritual characters on the giant bell seemed to awaken, flashing and soaring from its surface, dancing erratically around the entire jade platform. The bell's chime, however, was even more peculiar. It seemed not very loud at first, but after traveling a short distance, it reverberated with a booming roar. The farther it traveled, the more deafening the sound became. In an instant, the bell's chime could be heard with extraordinary clarity in every corner of Tianyuan City.

Initially, those who heard the bell paid it no mind. However, as the bell's chimes resounded in a continuous cascade, the expressions of everyone, from cultivators deep in meditation to friends and family who had been gathering all night, changed drastically. Some even cried out in surprise: "The Heaven-Shaking Bell! The ceremony has begun!"

Many immediately rushed out without a word, while others quickly summoned acquaintances nearby before hastily departing their residences. They all surged frantically towards the source of the bell's sound. However, most of the visiting cultivators in Tianyuan City who were not of particularly high cultivation remained regretfully in their accommodations, taking no further action.

The chimes rang out continuously, ceasing abruptly only after the eighty-first strike. At this point, some nearby cultivators arrived at the plaza first, but upon seeing the multitude of Tianyuan City guards and elders at its center, they were all taken aback.

Seeing this, the silver-haired elder smiled faintly and moved his lips, apparently transmitting a message to someone. Immediately, white light arrays flashed around the plaza, and more armored guards surged forth from them. Their figures flickered as they formed ranks, creating several additional layers of encirclement around the entire plaza, temporarily blocking the cultivators who had just arrived. With such a large number of armored guards appearing, the arriving individuals were startled, but none dared to rashly trespass.

Meanwhile, the armored guards near the high platform suddenly shifted their formation, creating a dozen or so clearings out of thin air. In the center of these clearings, a dozen or so temporary teleportation arrays conspicuously materialized. Upon seeing these teleportation arrays, a glimmer of understanding appeared on the faces of many distant cultivators who had rushed there, though others, after looking around, still appeared utterly puzzled.

"Senior Han must have begun by now. He wouldn't fail to complete what he promised due to time constraints, would he? If so, it would jeopardize the ceremony." Fairy Yin Guang scanned the increasing crowd of attendees outside the plaza with a touch of unease as she asked.

"The power of a Mahayana cultivator is far beyond our imagination. Since Senior Han gave us instructions a year ago, there's no possibility of anything going wrong. Fellow Daoist Yin Guang, please rest assured," the silver-haired elder said with a slight smile.

"Senior Han, being the third Mahayana cultivator of our two races, would naturally not be troubled by such a trivial matter. However, Senior Han previously requested nearly a third of our city's reserves. Although these were merely ordinary refining materials, the sheer quantity was immense," the black-robed figure nearby remarked with a bitter smile.

"Heh heh, no matter the quantity, they are merely ordinary materials; it simply takes a little more time to gather them. If this helps us further strengthen our ties with Senior Han, then what do these trivial materials truly matter?" The silver-haired elder chuckled, shaking his head as he spoke.

"Haha, Brother Gu is absolutely right. It seems among us, Fellow Daoist Gu is indeed the most farsighted," Zen Master Jinyue said with a knowing smile from the side.

In a certain stone tower, Han Li was meditating with closed eyes, his body enveloped by a layer of shifting and swirling purple-gold spiritual flames. When the faint eighty-one bell chimes in his ears finally ceased, Han Li's expression subtly shifted. He opened his eyes and chuckled to himself: "The timing is just perfect. That item has just completed its temporary refinement, and it's perfectly sufficient for this ceremony."

No sooner had he spoken than Han Li executed a hand seal with one hand, and the purple-gold spiritual flames on his body receded, vanishing into thin air. Simultaneously, he opened his mouth and exhaled a ball of silver flames. Within the silver light, a small, three-colored mountain shimmered into existence, appearing almost ethereal. Han Li critically examined the small mountain, a trace of satisfaction gracing his features. He then raised his arm and pointed at the object before him. Instantly, the silver flame flickered, and the small mountain burst forth with dazzling light. After a momentary blur, it vanished without a trace from in front of Han Li.

The next moment, thousands of feet above the central plaza of Tianyuan City, space rippled. After a flash of silver light, a three-colored miniature mountain, only a few inches in size, silently materialized.

With a thunderous 'BOOM' from a clear sky!

The surface of the three-colored miniature mountain was instantly enveloped by countless golden electrical arcs, and it began to grow wildly. After a few flashes, it transformed into a colossal structure over a hundred zhang tall, emitting a terrifying, bone-chilling aura. Space rippled once more beside the three-colored mountain peak, and Han Li's figure materialized nearby. After lowering his head to glance at the dense crowd surrounding the plaza below, a mysterious smile touched his lips. He then looked at the mountain peak again and suddenly opened his mouth to breathe upon it. A cluster of hazy green essence immediately shot forth from his mouth, and with a fleeting flash, it merged into the mountain, vanishing without a trace.

The three-colored colossal peak immediately spun rapidly, as three-colored runes erupted from its surface, simultaneously exuding a terrifying, bone-chilling aura. Immediately, a rumbling like muffled thunder erupted across the sky in all directions. The Heaven and Earth Qi throughout the entire firmament surged wildly, transforming into cascading streams of five-colored light that swirled towards the sky above the plaza. Under the resplendent silver light on its surface, the three-colored mountain peak drew in the Heaven and Earth Qi, and its volume began to expand wildly once more.