Chapter 69: Ferrying the Moon Raft

The Human World

The Human World

Many cultivators could be seen gathering towards the entrance of the Yuanzhao Sect. Some flew through the air, others used magical artifacts, and some could only travel on foot. These were likely all cultivators participating in the Immortal Ascension Assembly.

However, not all of them were necessarily rogue cultivators.

Martial Uncle Yue had warned them not to take any opponent lightly once they entered the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone. The Yuanzhao Sect was an orthodox sect, well-known in the nearby cultivation world. Many disciples from cultivation families would attend the Immortal Ascension Assembly; they were not struggling rogue cultivators. Each of them had deep foundations and surely possessed inherited protective magical artifacts.

As Qin Sang stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing out, two cultivators swiftly passed by him.

Everyone was an opponent, and they might even encounter each other again after entering the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone. At that point, it would be a matter of life or death, so there was no need for polite greetings.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Qin Sang."

"Where are you from?"

"I am from Ning State and once served as a general in the mortal world of the Great Sui Kingdom."

Facing the inquiry of the Yuanzhao Sect's Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, Qin Sang answered truthfully, as Martial Uncle Yue had instructed. If he passed the Immortal Ascension Assembly and joined the Yuanzhao Sect, the sect would send people to investigate his background.

"Ning State... Great Sui..."

The Yuanzhao Sect cultivator pondered for a moment, then said with some surprise, "The people coming to participate in the Immortal Ascension Assembly these past few times are certainly coming from increasingly farther away."

Qin Sang respectfully replied, "This disciple has yearned for the immortal path since childhood, but unfortunately, has never found the way in. Hearing that the Yuanzhao Sect is willing to guide rogue cultivators like us to the immortal path and open its doors widely, I yearned for it and traveled thousands of miles to come here."

The Yuanzhao Sect cultivator stroked his beard and smiled. "As a rogue cultivator, reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining at your age is no easy feat. There's no need to belittle yourself. Take this jade token and go to the hermitage behind the mountain to rest and rejuvenate. On the morning of the day after tomorrow, sect cultivators will take you to the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone. Do not miss it."

"Understood!"

Qin Sang took the jade token and followed a junior Yuanzhao Sect cultivator towards the back mountain. On the way, he encountered a senior sister from the Kuiyin Sect. Their eyes met, but both pretended not to know each other.

Settling down in the hermitage, Qin Sang took out the jade token to examine it, recalling the rules of the Immortal Ascension Assembly that Martial Uncle Yue had explained to them.

Unlike other cultivation sects, the Yuanzhao Sect's Immortal Ascension Assembly was not a series of arena duels.

The Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone had a total of nine areas. Everyone would be randomly transported by a restriction to one of the eight outer areas. These eight areas were separated by restrictions but were all connected to the central core area.

Among all participants of the Immortal Ascension Assembly, the first twelve to reach the central core area would be the winners.

Due to the presence of restrictions within the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone, even cultivators couldn't discern directions. Each rogue cultivator participating in the assembly had a jade token. Once sent into the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone, they had to seize others' jade tokens. Only after collecting ten tokens would a guide to the central core area appear on the jade token.

If one's token count was insufficient, even if they managed to find the central core area by chance, they wouldn't be able to enter.

In the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone, combat with others was inevitable. If one was lucky and encountered weaker opponents, they could quickly collect enough tokens. If unlucky and facing stronger opponents, they might not only fail to seize tokens but also lose their lives.

In addition to this, there were many demonic beasts living within the forbidden zone, making every step fraught with danger.

On the morning of the third day.

Qin Sang hurried to the hermitage for assembly. He found that four to five hundred people had already gathered, with more continuously arriving. When the appointed time came, a Yuanzhao Sect cultivator explained the rules of the Immortal Ascension Assembly to them, which did not differ significantly from what Martial Uncle Yue had told them.

Finally, the Yuanzhao Sect cultivator summoned an unassuming wooden raft. Qin Sang overheard people discussing it and learned that this raft was called the Moon-Crossing Raft, a famous magical artifact of the Yuanzhao Sect.

The Moon-Crossing Raft didn't seem large, but it grew slightly with each person who stepped onto it. Eventually, it carried everyone and soared into the sky.

The raft soared through the clouds, the biting winds blocked by the green light emanating from it. Despite carrying so many people, it still moved with astonishing speed. The mountains, rivers, and lakes below flashed by, a truly marvelous sight.

The mountain range where the Yuanzhao Sect was located was as vast as the You Mountain range. The Moon-Crossing Raft sped through the mountains for two hours, finally landing on a stone platform atop a barren mountain.

Standing on the stone platform and looking around, all he saw were desolate hills and wilderness, a scene of utter desolation. There was no exceptionally rich spiritual energy as he had imagined. He wondered where the so-called Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone could be.

As Qin Sang looked left and right, secretly wondering, he noticed a cave dwelling beside the stone platform. As soon as the Moon-Crossing Raft landed, the cave dwelling's gate opened. Four Yuanzhao Sect cultivators emerged, all at the tenth level of Qi Refining or higher. Seeing the Moon-Crossing Raft, they hurried over and bowed respectfully.

"Disciples greet Martial Uncle!"

The Yuanzhao Sect cultivator who piloted the Moon-Crossing Raft nodded and said, "The Immortal Ascension Assembly begins today. Go and open the restriction."

"Understood!"

The four Yuanzhao Sect cultivators walked to the edge of the stone platform, each taking a position, and sat down cross-legged, chanting incantations.

Spiritual patterns manifested on the stone platform, forming a mysterious array. Then, each person conjured a short sword. The short swords were all different, shining with blue, red, yellow, and white light respectively, their material indistinguishable.

The four cultivators' expressions slightly darkened. They tapped their fingers on the short swords several times, and the short swords immediately erupted with brilliant light, forming four flickering orbs of light that lingered at their fingertips.

The next moment, the orbs of light stretched and elongated, astonishingly transforming into four giant swords several *zhang* tall.

The four suddenly raised their hands, pointing diagonally at the sky, then simultaneously let out a loud shout.

"Strike!"

The light swords shot out abruptly.

*Whoosh!*

Surprisingly, the light swords did not fly into the distant sky, but seemed to strike an invisible barrier, halting their momentum abruptly. Then, the void above the light swords rippled, and massive ripples appeared out of thin air. Winds surged all around, and the outline of an ancient restriction was fully revealed before everyone.

The sky seemed to be torn open with a massive gap. Inside the enormous hole, endless gale winds howled; one could even see streaks of wind blades with the naked eye, seeming to tear everything apart. Five-colored divine lights collided and dissolved, their aftermath exuding a terrifying pressure that made one's scalp tingle.

Witnessing this apocalyptic scene, everyone on the Moon-Crossing Raft turned incredibly pale. They had no doubt that if they were accidentally sucked into the restriction, they would instantly be torn to shreds.

At this moment, the four let out a soft shout, and the four light swords immediately plunged into the hole, shattering completely.

As the four light swords dissipated, tiny specks of light scattered into the black hole, and the chaotic restriction surprisingly calmed for a moment. The Yuanzhao Sect cultivator seized the opportunity; the Moon-Crossing Raft trembled slightly, then suddenly shot into the air and darted towards the restriction.

Amidst a flurry of exclamations, at the moment they entered the opening, the Moon-Crossing Raft was suddenly recalled by the Yuanzhao Sect cultivator, and everyone tumbled in like dumplings.

Qin Sang only felt a dizzying sensation, falling into complete darkness, and all the people around him vanished.