Chapter 1563: Elite Gathering

"I have prepared a banquet. If you esteemed fellow Daoists don't mind, please come with me so we can discuss further," Zhou Ningshuang said courteously, gesturing for them to follow.

Many Nascent Soul cultivators participated in this Hundred Immortals Assembly. Since True Monarch Haoyu and the Azure Lotus Couple were not ordinary individuals, Zhou Ningshuang naturally treated them with the utmost respect.

True Monarch Haoyu, Wang Changsheng, and Wang Ruyan all agreed without objection.

Half an hour later, Zhou Ningshuang, Wang Changsheng, Wang Ruyan, Murong Bo, True Monarch Haoyu, and Li Jiong appeared in a secluded azure pavilion, where the six of them drank tea and discussed the Dao.

The conversation gradually drifted to the internal strife of the Great Qin Dynasty, and Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were both curious when the chaos would end.

The Great Qin Dynasty had been in internal strife for decades, and the chaos had not yet ended. Countless common people had died or been injured, and the number of casualties among low-level cultivators was also significant. It couldn't continue indefinitely; the longer it dragged on, the more cultivators would perish.

While it was understandable if low-level cultivators were unaware, high-level cultivators should have heard news of the impending great calamity. They couldn't possibly allow human cultivators to continue acting recklessly.

"Our ancestor has already intervened," Zhou Ningshuang said with a confident smile. "It shouldn't be long before the war is settled and the people can recover and live in peace."

The ancestor she referred to was Zhou Xingguo, who possessed cultivation at the early Soul Transformation stage and was the guardian deity of the Great Yan Dynasty.

"If Senior Zhou has intervened, this matter will certainly be resolved," True Monarch Haoyu agreed. "The internal strife in Great Qin has gone on for too long; it's time for the chaos to end."

"Fairy Zhou, you must have heard of the great calamity, right?" Wang Changsheng asked with some curiosity. "Could the great calamity be Situ Mei? Or is the origin of the great calamity in the Central Plains?" He noted that throughout the entire Dongli Realm, only the Central Plains cultivation world had not experienced any major incidents.

Zhou Ningshuang nodded and said, "I've heard of it, but it's hard to say for sure about such matters. There are many speculations about the great calamity, and opinions vary."

Just then, Zhou Ningshuang took out a light azure magic disc, cast a spell formula into it, and her eyes lit up, a joyful expression appearing on her face.

"Fellow Daoists, please wait a moment," she said apologetically. "A few fellow Daoists have arrived, and we should all get acquainted." Zhou Ningshuang then stood up and left.

Not long after, Zhou Ningshuang returned with four new Nascent Soul cultivators: three men and one woman. The highest cultivated among them was a burly young man in a golden robe. His arms and thighs were bulging with muscles, showing clear sinews, and his eyes faintly emitted golden light. His aura was slightly stronger than Zhou Ningshuang's.

The other three were all mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Among them, a graceful young woman in a purple dress with peach blossom eyes caught Wang Changsheng's attention; her dress featured a silver turtle pattern. This was the Peng family of Thunder Turtle Island, one of the ten great cultivation families in the South Sea.

The other two Nascent Soul cultivators were a cold-faced young man in a black robe, exuding overwhelming killing intent and a sinister ghostly aura, and a three-foot-tall, fierce-looking dwarf. The dwarf wore a red Daoist robe embroidered with a lifelike fire flood dragon pattern.

"Fellow Daoists, let me introduce you," Zhou Ningshuang began, gesturing to the newcomers. "These two fellow Daoists are the Purple-Gold Dual Immortals from Thunder Turtle Island in the South Sea. This is True Lord Fire Dragon from the Fire Dragon Sect in the Northern Frontier, and this is Fellow Daoist Long from the Myriad Ghosts Valley in the Eastern Barrens."

Wang Changsheng and the other five dared not be negligent and promptly introduced themselves.

The Purple-Gold Dual Immortals referred to Peng Tianyu, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and Peng Tianxue, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. It was rumored that Peng Tianyu possessed a special spiritual physique, while Peng Tianxue was said to have a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

The Peng family was known for its low-key conduct and excelled in alchemy and brewing. The Purple-Gold Dual Immortals had gained fame earlier than Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, but they were quite discreet. When the foreign races invaded, they happened to be in seclusion and thus did not make significant contributions. Consequently, not many low-level cultivators knew of them, though most high-level cultivators had heard of the Purple-Gold Dual Immortals.

True Lord Fire Dragon was a legend in the Northern Frontier cultivation world, his deeds even more extraordinary than Huang Fugui's. He grew up in the marketplace and had been a dwarf since childhood. He entered the cultivation world at the age of thirty, but his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, progressing all the way to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. He once fought three opponents alone and retreated unharmed, making his name renowned throughout the region.

Those who enjoyed such things compiled a list of prodigies: Huang Fugui and Fang Mu in the Eastern Barrens, the Azure Lotus Couple in the South Sea, True Monarch Haoyu in the Central Plains, and True Lord Fire Dragon in the Northern Frontier.

The black-robed young man's surname was Long, and his given name was Chimei. He was said to possess a dark spiritual root, cultivated ghost Dao techniques, and was the successor of Myriad Ghosts Valley.

"My sister and I have long heard of the renowned Azure Lotus Couple. Your reputation precedes you, Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang; would you be willing to offer some pointers?" Peng Tianyu asked, his eyes fixed on Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan with a clear desire to fight.

Throughout the entire Dongli Realm, cultivators proficient in combined attack techniques were few and far between. The most powerful were the Sun-Moon Dual Sages, followed by the Azure Lotus Couple. The cultivators present all showed expressions of interest; they had all heard of the Azure Lotus Couple's renown, but few had actually witnessed them in combat.

"A spar?" Wang Changsheng said solemnly. "I also wish to experience Fellow Daoist Peng's divine abilities. Since it's a spar, I alone will suffice. If my wife and I were to join forces, we would certainly not hold back." He said this knowing that combined attack secret arts naturally couldn't be casually displayed in front of other cultivators. Firstly, it would be easy for others to spot weaknesses; secondly, Li Jiong was present, and he was the Vice Palace Master of the Sun Palace of the Sun-Moon Palace.

"That's fine," Peng Tianyu asked eagerly. "To be able to spar with True Monarch Taihao would not be a wasted trip for me. How about deciding the victor in one move?"

"Alright, one move to decide the victor," Wang Changsheng readily agreed; he also wanted to see the gap between himself and a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Zhou Ningshuang had someone remove the aerial restrictions. Wang Changsheng and Peng Tianyu transformed into two streaks of light and flew out of Chongyang Mountain, with True Monarch Haoyu and the others following closely behind.

Half an hour later, Wang Changsheng and Peng Tianyu appeared in a huge valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, filled with abundant vegetation. Wang Ruyan and the others stood atop a steep peak, their expressions varied.

Countless golden runes emerged on Peng Tianyu's body, radiating dazzling golden light, as if he were forged from pure gold.

With a loud roar, he turned into an afterimage and charged towards Wang Changsheng. Wang Changsheng showed no fear, his body emitting dazzling blue light, and he met the charge.

A golden fist collided with a shimmering blue fist, erupting in a powerful shockwave. Wherever the powerful shockwave passed, earth and rocks fractured, and vegetation was uprooted. Even the four emerald peaks surrounding the valley shattered, sending thick smoke billowing.

Not long after, the smoke and dust dispersed. Wang Changsheng and Peng Tianyu were unharmed, and dozens of thick, elongated cracks appeared on the ground. The two had fought to a draw.

Peng Tianxue's beautiful eyes were filled with shock. Peng Tianyu possessed the Taihao Spiritual Physique, was a natural body cultivator, and cultivated an Earth-grade body-refining technique. He possessed immense strength, which even demon beasts of the same cultivation level dared not meet head-on. Yet, Wang Changsheng had fought Peng Tianyu to a draw.

"Haha, True Monarch Taihao's reputation is well-deserved! That was exhilarating!" Peng Tianyu laughed heartily, his eyes filled with admiration.