The Dark City — its walls were a deep, dark red. After so many centuries of warfare upon its stones, the walls themselves had been dyed this color by the blood.

It was called the foremost city, yet standing before it, one did not feel any great magnificence. Its walls were only twelve zhang high, not appreciably more imposing than those of an ordinary city.

The passage of time had left mottled traces upon the walls, and formation markings hidden beneath the knife-cuts and arrow-holes flowed with a dim light, providing the city’s defenses.

It was called the foremost city of the Central Domain not because of its size, but because of the weight of its history. Every great dark upheaval throughout the ages had seen this place become the primary battlefield. Too much had transpired here.

To speak of the Central Domain, to speak of the chaos of the Undying Mountain — one inevitably had to mention this city. And so the name of foremost city had taken hold.

“Candied haw on a stick — the old recipe of the Chen family, big and round and sweet!”

“Fortune told, fate read — the mysteries of creation laid bare. A guardian from the heavenly realm descended to earth, deciphering the threads of three lives, asking questions of the blue sky.”

Many years of respite, and the wars having receded into the distance — the Dark City of today was richly prosperous. The chaos of defeat from tens of thousands of years ago had long since vanished. People came and went in a constant stream, shoulder to shoulder, the vitality of the mortal world surging to the skies.

After entering the city, Ye Fan saw a scene of flourishing industries and peacefully settled lives, with many cultivators blending in among the ordinary people.

In truth, within the city as a whole, cultivators made up nearly half the population. After all, this was a place that had lived through the most terrifying upheaval in human history — those who walked the path of cultivation were the one thing it had in abundance.

He climbed to a restaurant floor close to the main street of the Dark City, and looked out through the window. The road below was a sea of carriages and people. The calls of vendors rose unceasingly, and in the sky above, divine lights streaked through at intervals — with so many coming and going, traffic filled even the air.

There was no need to go out of one’s way to gather information. All one had to do was find a crowded place and sit down, and the latest news would come to one’s ears. With so many cultivators arriving by now, everyone was talking about the current situation.

People believed that the immortal road was about to open — for too many had come from the ten heavens and ten thousand domains, saints pouring across like a tide, descending upon the Northern Dipper.

Moreover, the great forbidden zones of life were no longer quiet. Someone had seen a beautiful woman inside the Primordial Forbidden Zone playing a flute as she swept across the sky, transcending all beneath her, shaking the entire Northern Region.

Others had heard that from within the desolate ancient forbidden zone in the Southern Domain, the sound of iron chains swaying had been carried out. The nine sacred mountains there shook day after day, and from deep within the abyss, boundless mist surged upward.

Still others had seen ancient steles inside the Immortal Mausoleum glowing as if about to pierce through the sky, emanating a deeply unsettling aura.

The strange occurrences of recent days left people uneasy and yet full of anticipation. If the immortal road truly appeared, it would be the greatest upheaval since antiquity — heaven alone knew what would come to pass.

“Everyone says that in this age, the Immortal Domain may make contact with the mortal world. Is that true or not? How did such a secret come to be spread by the mouths of the foreign saints from beyond the realm?”

“There should be some truth to it. Otherwise, why would they risk life and limb to cross the stellar rivers all the way from the other end of the universe?”

“That is also true. If not for this, only great-emperor-level figures would be able to break through into the Immortal Domain. What hope would anyone else have? How I look forward to it — if all beings under heaven ascend to immortality at once, even we of ordinary standing might be carried along by that tide. What a magnificent spectacle that would be.”

Ye Fan drank alone, having concealed his true appearance. He had no wish to be recognized and cause a commotion. He sat quietly to one side, listening to the discussions around him.

By this point, there were truly very few in the world who could harm him. Unless a quasi-emperor emerged, he could already reign sovereign over the mortal world — every clan would respect and revere him, at least outwardly.

“Oh — who is that? Could it be the Ancient Emperor’s Daughter, Huo Lin’er? She… she has actually returned from beyond the realm!”

A graceful silhouette swept past, level with the restaurant’s windows, crossing above the street below, moving through the air like a spirit skimming the water.

Her long hair was a water-blue shade, cascading freely and flowing with a sapphire-gem luster. Her robes billowed around her. Her skin was snow-white. Her eyes held both a gentle spirit and an authority that carried quiet weight.

She flew into the city just like that, and disappeared before a grand ancient gateway.

“They say she returned to her clan’s ancestral grounds. Who would have thought that over a hundred years later she would appear again? That woman’s combat power by now would probably make even a Great Sage cautious.”

The crowd talked of her, then naturally drifted to the topic of the Flame Unicorn Cave, and from there to Huo Qizi.

“Do not let the setback the Flame Unicorn Cave suffered in the Eternal Universe fool you — no one still dares cross them. If anything, they may be even more feared now.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Do you not still remember — from the moment Huo Qizi first emerged into the world, he was often seen lingering outside the Primordial Ancient Mine? Many people witnessed it. Do you understand what that implies? Just by virtue of that hidden connection, the clan will flourish without end!”

As more and more cultivators gathered, all manner of secrets were spoken aloud, and the Dark City became a din of noise.

“Oh — who is that woman? She wears a crown of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, and carries herself as one who reigns over all beneath the heavens. How extraordinary!”

“Have you not heard of her? She is the Great Peacock King of the Amitabha Ancient Star Domain. The great battle at Mount Sumeru has only just concluded — she may well be the foremost master of the Buddhist path in the current age.”

“That may not be so — the Battle-Victorious Buddha should be stronger than her. He has simply departed.”

The Great Peacock King wore a golden crown, eight pairs of armlets upon her arms, her ceremonial strings of jade ornaments swaying as she sat atop a golden peacock that carried her into the city. That manner of entrance sent shockwaves in all four directions and drew the attention of everyone around.

Not long after, from the direction of Central Region, surging dragon energy rolled forward in a spectacle that shook the heavens. A dragon sword tore the void apart directly, and with a single step, an elderly man crossed through it and entered the city from Central Region!

The Grand Emperor Sword, like an ancestral dragon shaking its head and swishing its tail, released an aura that made everything tremble in terror. It shook the mortal world with an unrivaled killing aura, pressing down upon the nine heavens.

“That is — a Great Sage, and yet so flagrant about it, driving an emperor weapon to come, as if itching to split this entire place in two!”

“The people of the Great Xia Imperial Clan have come. Do not provoke them under any circumstances. It is said that news emerged from the Immortal Realm world only a few days ago — the founding Grand Emperor of that clan died inside.”

“What — a sovereign of that generation has fallen…”

“That is right. He died on the immortal road. There are suspicions it is connected to the Undying Heaven Emperor. This Great Sage has arrived in such a fashion — most likely he means to bring grief upon the ancient clans.”

The Dark City was roiling with upheaval. One powerful figure after another arrived, stirring up boundless anticipation in everyone watching. This time, the chances were high that enormous waves would break.

Without a sound, another figure appeared on the street — carrying an aura of decay, and yet sending tremors through every saint nearby. For the figure of the Great Xia Imperial Clan had walked past this person and given a nod.

“Who is this?” The crowd felt a chill. For the saint of Great Xia was absolutely someone who had survived from tens of thousands of years ago into this age — and this newcomer was evidently someone he recognized. Without question, this was a figure of the same generation.

For this newcomer also carried an aura of decay, as though he might dissolve into the yellow earth at any moment.

“That is the Great Sage of the Ji Family — he showed his face during the great battle at Mount Sumeru.”

Everyone was astonished. The ageless great traditions were no longer keeping a low profile. Without concealment, their Great Sages had emerged into the world!

When one thought carefully about it, of course this made sense. All of them were sacred grounds, yes, but those that had produced great emperors were of a different order entirely. Only an ancient supreme being could refine the divine spring liquid capable of sealing a saint, and so such reserves were an absolute certainty. They had merely kept quiet because the time had not been right. But the moment true swords were drawn, what clan could compare to one that had given rise to a great emperor? They could pierce the heavens outright.

A gust of wind blew through, and the two Great Sages were gone.

The Dark City erupted. Figures from tens of thousands of years ago had appeared — an absolute sign that the immortal road was not far off.

At the same time, the news of the Grand Emperor’s death spread as if it had grown wings, reaching every corner of the ten directions and stirring an enormous wave that left every heart racing.

Had the Undying Heaven Emperor killed the Grand Emperor? Or had the Grand Emperor, old and weakened, his blood and qi spent, ultimately perished on his own — fallen into the blood-soaked path of the immortal road? This became the focal point of heated debate.

“Who is that woman — she is truly breathtaking, as if she stepped out of a painting. What is her standing?”

“Heavens — who is walking beside her, keeping pace with her? Is that a divine being, a sacred spirit?”

A great cry rose from the Dark City. A pair of peerless figures came walking forward — the woman’s beauty crowned all beneath heaven, her bearing without equal in the world; the man handsome and dashing, his presence extraordinary and magnificent.

These two together — it was impossible not to notice them. Of surpassing temperament, like cranes standing among common fowl, they could be picked out at a single glance even in a sea of people.

“That is the Moon Spirit Princess of the Nine Li Divine Realm, named by those with a fondness for rankings as the second most beautiful woman in Central Region.”

At last, someone recognized the peerless beauty. She wore a phoenix crown and robes of colored clouds, emanating streaming radiant light in a cascade of brilliant hues, as though dawn clouds were dancing around her.

Her skin was smooth as finest jade. Her black hair flowed freely. Her brows curved gently. Her eyes were lively and expressive. Her nose was elegant and straight. She was a rarely seen beauty, with little one could find to fault.

Ye Fan’s expression shifted — he recognized her. Long ago, on the Qinling Mountains in the west of Central Region, their paths had crossed.

In those days, Ye Fan, Gai Jiuyou, and the Moon Spirit Princess had all enrolled in the Qin Sect, along with Hua Yunfei and Li Xiaoman — all of them going for the sake of the Military Script technique.

In the end, Ye Fan and the Ailing Elder had both gained from it. Now, looking back across so many years, it all seemed like a dream. Ye Fan suspected the Moon Spirit Princess had also obtained the Military Script technique.

The years had left not a single trace upon the Moon Spirit Princess’s luminous white face. Her eyes were dark as black gems, as beautiful as ever. Her radiant, city-toppling, country-captivating looks more than lived up to the name of the first beauty of Central Region.

Beside her, a young man radiated heroic energy. His brows were sharp and angular, slashing into his temples — a look of formidable and divine martial bearing. His eyes were sharp as cold lightning — when that gaze swept past, no one could meet it head-on. It was like a blade-flash striking.

Most distinctive of all: he had arms of stone — identical to those of a divine being. Yet every other part of him was blood and flesh. A powerful undulation of energy leaked through, flickering just beneath the surface in a way that shook the heart.

Everyone was astonished. The Moon Spirit Princess’s peerless beauty went without saying — but this young man left people trembling. Could this be a near-perfect divine being?

He wore silver armor, brilliant and gleaming. His bearing was grand and imposing, every inch of him a vision of heroic magnificence. His steps were forceful and sure. He stood tall and broad-shouldered, black hair flying — clearly a figure of towering talent and exceptional distinction.

“Without question, this is a divine being — I sense that distinctive aura!” A sage from beyond the realm said, his expression grave.

It was said that a truly complete divine being would eventually see its stone body transform into flesh and blood. And yet this young man had only two stone arms — all other parts of him had already become flesh. How powerful was he? Every heart present lurched.

“Not a quasi-emperor. If I have read this correctly, it is simply because the blood of a remarkable divine being lineage — blood of imperial origin — flows within him.” An elder from the Tongtian Star said.

Such a pair of peerless figures walking together — the man’s bearing world-shaking, the woman’s beauty unmatched in her generation — naturally drew the gaze of all. The street remained relatively quiet until they had passed, then erupted into a torrent of discussion and heated debate.

This Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Clans had drawn forth such a parade of extraordinary figures. With so many remarkable personages descending upon this place, the moment they sat down to establish a framework, fearsome standoffs — or even outright blood-letting — were all but inevitable. The display of such powerful presences was precisely intended to intimidate others and secure advantage for one’s own clan.

The Dark City was a swirling chaos — and another terrible place was stirring with movement on this very day.

The Undying Mountain — cloaked in a curtain of terrifying mist.

One black peak after another formed a terrain around the innermost zone that was both transcendent and fearsome. Since antiquity, even supreme beings from the outside world who entered the Undying Mountain would halt before this point!

The mist hung thick and pale, and the black peaks had grown even more immense and overwhelming.

Yet at precisely this moment, an ancient war chariot slowly rolled out from within. A voice came from inside the chariot, saying: “After all these years, the Dark City still stands. The Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Clans is about to begin. Very well — I shall go and have a look.”

On either side of the chariot, a few attendants followed in silence, accompanying the advance without a word.