Chapter 2255: Gathering

“So, Fellow Daoist Baohua already has a strategy,” the bald man suddenly asked, his eyes darting around. “If that’s the case, we should have a good chance of re-entering the Land of the Primal Seal. But I wonder how many other realms will send aid to this gathering, besides our two realms?”

“To date, apart from the Blackflame Realm, all other realms adjacent to our Saint Realm have again sent personnel,” Xielian replied with a light chuckle. “Although the number is fewer than the first time, there are still over forty of them. The most powerful among them, the Sky Raven Realm, even sent nine Grand Ascension cultivators in one go, and the legendary Elder Bronze Raven has personally arrived in our realm.”

“Elder Bronze Raven? Could that be Bronze Raven, one of the famous Four Birds? Why would he come here personally?” The bald man gasped upon hearing this.

“It seems Brother Jin has also heard of this elder,” Xielian said with a hint of sarcasm. “Indeed, Fellow Daoist Bronze Raven’s reputation across the various realms even surpasses that of our Saint Realm’s three great progenitors. It’s no surprise you’ve heard of him. However, the reason he personally came to the Saint Realm is reportedly because one of the powerful cultivators from another realm, who was previously trapped in the Land of the Primal Seal, is a direct descendant whom Elder Bronze holds in extremely high regard. That’s why he had no choice but to come in person.”

“For someone of Elder Bronze Raven’s cultivation level to risk himself for a mere descendant, that’s truly unexpected,” the bald man said with a sigh after scratching his shiny head.

“It’s said that Elder Bronze Raven has only this one direct descendant,” Xielian said indifferently this time. “He spent countless efforts and precious materials to forcefully elevate them to the Grand Ascension realm. Naturally, he couldn’t stand by and watch them be in danger.”

“That’s true,” Jin Cha said, blinking his eyes before letting out a hearty laugh. “Thinking about it, if I also had a Grand Ascension descendant, I would indeed value them immensely.”

“Since Fellow Daoist Xielian has explained everything clearly, then Brother Crab and I will certainly attend the upcoming gathering,” Han Li said, exhaling a long breath after pondering for a moment. “When the time comes, please trouble Fellow Daoist Xielian to inform us.”

“Of course,” Xielian readily agreed without hesitation. “When the departure date arrives, I will personally send a message to all three of you.”

“Then the three of us won’t trouble you any further,” Han Li said, standing up without hesitation after nodding. “I will take my leave first.”

Upon seeing this, Daoist Crab and Silver Moon also stood up, appearing to follow Han Li’s lead.

“Brother Han, why are you in such a hurry?” the palace-dressed woman said with a smile. “My Facing Heaven Peak has several local spiritual fruits. It wouldn’t be too late for the three of you to leave after tasting them.”

“There’s no need for that now. There will always be opportunities to taste spiritual fruits in the future,” Han Li chuckled. After a slight bow, he flicked his sleeve, and a golden mist flew out, enveloping all three of them. In an instant, they transformed into a golden rainbow, streaking through the air and vanishing outside the hall door in a single flash.

Xielian saw this and, though she didn’t try to persuade them to stay, her delicate brows couldn’t help but furrow slightly.

“Haha, it seems Fellow Daoist Han isn’t very eager to befriend you, a Saint Ancestor of the Demon Realm,” the bald man burst into laughter. “That’s understandable; your Demon Realm just fought a major war with the Spirit Realm. Such a grudge isn’t easily resolved!”

“The relationship between the Saint Realm and the Spirit Realm is not for Fellow Daoist Jin to question, is it?” Xielian asked, her expression slightly sinking. “Now that Fellow Daoist Han has decided to attend the gathering, what are your plans, Brother Jin?”

“Is there even a need to ask? Of course, we’ll participate together,” the bald man said without hesitation after letting out a chuckle. “However, neither of us is interested in sleeping rough outside. We’ll probably have to impose on your hospitality for a while longer.”

“Good, since both Brother Jin and yourself are willing to go, that’s excellent,” Xielian replied, finally revealing a hint of a smile upon hearing this. “As for staying here, there’s no problem at all. It is my honor that two fellow daoists are willing to temporarily stay in my humble abode.”

The bald man and his companion showed satisfied expressions upon hearing this.

At this moment, several palace-dressed women entered from outside the hall door, carrying trays of spiritual fruits and several cups of fragrant spiritual tea…

Meanwhile, Han Li and his companions were flying high in the sky.

Not long after, the three of them landed their escape light in a secluded valley within the Myriad Flowers Mountain Range.

After Han Li raised his hand and released several giant ape puppets, he opened up a temporary cave dwelling on a cliffside within the valley.

As soon as the three entered this temporary cave dwelling, they each went into a private chamber and began to meditate and rest quietly.

Before attending the gathering of Saint Ancestors and powerful cultivators from other realms, the three naturally had nothing to discuss regarding their next steps.

Of course, Silver Moon still couldn’t help but worry about Elder Ao Xiao.

However, after learning that everyone was merely trapped in the Land of the Primal Seal and not in immediate mortal danger, she secretly felt a sense of relief.

For cultivators like Han Li, a month passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, as Han Li quietly meditated with his eyes closed in his chamber, his expression shifted, and his arm suddenly moved, grabbing at the empty space in front of him.

With a soft pop!

A translucent white jade slip was indeed snatched by him from thin air.

Without a word, he placed the jade slip in his palm and gently rubbed it with both hands.

Immediately, the jade slip shattered, and a cluster of green flame erupted from it.

“Brother Han, the time has come. Please come to Facing Heaven Peak. I will be departing today,” Xielian’s calm voice emerged from within the green light, as if she were right there in person.

Han Li smiled upon hearing this. With another rub of his hands, he extinguished the green flame and stood up.

A short while later, Han Li, Daoist Crab, and Silver Moon appeared together in a small, secret hall within the emerald palace on Facing Heaven Peak.

Xielian was there with two charming young women who appeared to be her disciples, along with Jin Cha and his companion.

In the center of the secret hall, a pale silver formation array, about ten feet across, flickered with faint spiritual light.

“This formation array can transport us to the town closest to the gathering point,” Xielian said indifferently to the others. “From there, it’s just half a month’s journey to the agreed location. Brother Jin, Fellow Daoist Han, please proceed.”

“Alright, if that’s the case, then my companion and I will go first,” Jin Cha chuckled, then, seemingly without any hesitation, walked into the formation array with the brawny, long-haired man beside him.

After a faint spiritual light flashed, the two Grand Ascension cultivators from the White Light Realm vanished within the teleportation array.

Han Li’s expression remained unchanged. After gesturing to Daoist Crab and Silver Moon, he unceremoniously stepped into the silver formation array and was similarly teleported away in a flash.

Witnessing all this, Xielian let out a cold chuckle, then led her two female disciples into the silver formation array as well.

Half a month later, at the center of a vast yellow desert, the ground suddenly shook violently. Amidst countless swirling sand particles, an ancient, earthen-yellow city emerged from beneath the ground.

This earthen city was only a few miles across, but its surrounding walls were over a hundred feet high. And to the sound of low drumbeats, lines of armored soldiers surged onto the city walls.

Each of these armored soldiers was expressionless, clad in armor of various colors, and holding different weapons. They were, surprisingly, specially made puppets, numbering in the tens of thousands.

In the center of this earthen city, a resplendent golden palace stood prominently.

The palace was exquisitely luxurious. Not only did it appear to be forged entirely from red gold, with various profound demonic patterns covering its surface, but its roof was also inlaid with countless fist-sized, multicolored gemstones, emitting brilliantly vibrant glows.

Not long after, a neighing sound suddenly came from the sky. Following it, a rolling white light appeared on the horizon, from which a beast carriage, as white as jade, flew out.

The beast carriage was over a hundred feet long, exquisitely elegant in form, and entirely translucent. It was pulled by four white dragons, spewing clouds and mist as they sped like lightning.

On the beast carriage, a man and a woman stood side by side.

The man appeared to be in his forties, with a pale green complexion, dressed in a white robe, beneath which a faint crystal light flickered.

The woman was a young lady in her twenties, with her hair styled high, wearing light blue leather armor, and possessing an extremely delicate face.

In just a few flashes, the beast carriage, pulled by the four white dragons, arrived above the earthen city.

The man made a hand seal with one hand, and with a flash of white light, the beast carriage and the four white dragons instantly vanished.

With a flash of their escape lights, the pair of man and woman each transformed into a wisp of white energy and entered the golden palace below.

The palace was quiet, with no unusual sounds emanating from it.

A moment later, spiritual light flashed on both sides of the horizon near the earthen city. A black rainbow and a silver rainbow simultaneously broke through the air, and after a few flashes, they instantly traversed a hundred *li* to the vicinity of the earthen city, vanishing directly into the palace through its main gate.

Half an hour later, waves of Buddhist chanting emanated from another direction in the sky. Then, after a flash of seven-colored radiant light, a contingent of over a thousand individuals suddenly appeared in the distant void.

This contingent was comprised of an equal number of men and women. Some were clad in golden armor and helmets, wielding axes, halberds, swords, and spears. Others wore five-colored radiant robes, holding zithers, resembling celestial soldiers and fairies.

Amidst these individuals, a seven-colored halo, about an acre in size, rotated unsteadily, with its radiant light swirling.

Within the halo, a colossal chair was faintly visible, upon which sat a tall, robed figure.

This contingent unhurriedly flew above the earthen city. After the seven-colored halo descended in front of the palace and its light receded, an imposing old man, wearing an imperial crown and a seven-colored long robe, suddenly appeared.

After a light cough, the old man glanced at the palace before him, then expressionlessly walked towards its entrance.

At the same time, the armored soldiers and radiant-robed fairies above the earthen city vanished into thin air after a flash, dissolving into specks of spiritual light. They seemed as if they were merely illusions formed from bubbles.

In this manner, over the next several hours, from beyond the desert, either wisps of black qi or a mass of raging flames directly tore through the air. Various strange-looking individuals appeared one after another at the earthen city, all entering the golden palace without a word.