The war chariot was not particularly magnificent—it bore no luster whatsoever. Time had carved its marks upon it like a blade, stroke after stroke, leaving behind too many scars. The shaft was nearly broken, yet had anyone known it originated from the Undying Mountain, who would dare look down upon it?

“Go and pluck some leaves from the Enlightenment Immortal Tea.” A voice drifted out from within the carriage.

A servant stepped forward and bowed reverently before a distant ancient tree whose branches blazed with brilliant, crystalline radiance that swayed and shimmered. He recited an incantation, and with a rustling sound, a great many leaves drifted down—each one wreathed in cascading immortal radiance.

The war chariot moved at a leisurely pace, following a particular path, weaving past the numerous formation markings that gleamed with auspicious light. It departed from the Undying Mountain. After countless tens of thousands of years, the being within the mountain had finally set foot once more upon the land of the Central Region!

At the City of Darkness, the great powers of all directions had gathered. Saints from beyond the domain transformed into streaks of flowing light, cleaving through the sky one after another to descend upon the city.

In recent days, this place had been as lively as a mortal festival, with cultivators from ten thousand realms across all the heavens appearing—every conceivable race represented.

Pixiu, Three-Legged Black Phoenixes, God-Devouring Rats, Heaven-Splitting Ants… tribes that had existed only in legend had all appeared.

The day of the grand assembly had arrived. Above the City of Darkness, clouds and mist churned and surged in towering waves, as though a gateway between heaven and earth had been flung open, releasing a sound like rolling thunder.

The great assembly of cultivators would naturally not convene in a place where mortals dwelled. Above this ancient city spread a vast and magnificent divine landscape.

Atop white clouds, mountain peaks soared majestically, and celestial palaces stretched grand and sweeping—this was a floating continent that had flown out from the void itself.

An air of primordial antiquity washed over those present in an overwhelming wave, making one feel the vital presence of some ancient primeval beast, as though one had arrived at the age of Primordial Beginning, truly standing upon ancient seas of clouds.

This was the site of the grand assembly. Great cultivators had joined forces to unseal the void’s restraints and summon forth this long-dormant ancient continent. All disputes would unfold here.

Formation markings crisscrossed like lightning weaving together, flashing with radiance within the sea of clouds, protecting the ancient continent—a formidable defensive fortification.

Clang—

Within a celestial tower hung a great golden bell. When it was struck, its sound carried in all ten directions, resonating clearly throughout the ancient city below.

“The divine bell has rung again,” the mortals remarked, and they all looked up toward the sky.

They saw countless streaks of flowing light shoot upward into the heavens, all manner of sacred treasures flying about, with rosy light scattering in every direction, illuminating the entire heaven and earth in dazzling brilliance. The people within the city felt no alarm, for they had experienced far too much of this—witnessing cultivators every single day had long since become ordinary to them.

The grand assembly had officially begun. Powerful figures from across the universe appeared one after another on this ancient continent, as though they had arrived at the sovereign domain of a heavenly court.

Ye Fan had arrived as well—like a passing traveler, he gazed upon it all with calm composure. He had no desire to participate, only to quietly bear witness. The path to immortality was about to open, and everything here was merely a beginning!

Blazing golden light swept across the sky. The Three-Legged Golden Crows descended, their members standing abreast with a great saint at their head. That clan had appeared once more—their killing intent bearing down on the crowd as they swept their gaze across it.

Ye Fan felt neither joy nor sorrow. At present he had no wish to act—though of course, if anyone sought to trouble him, he would not mind unleashing a massacre.

Boom—

Heaven and earth shook and cracked. A colossal centipede stretching over ten li in length dove down from beyond the domain. Vast grey mist billowed around it, capable of exterminating all life—it was a great saint-level venomous creature.

The cry of a phoenix shook the nine heavens. The old patriarch of the Blood Phoenix Mountain appeared. A flash of crimson radiance burst from the center of his brow, and a blood-red weapon materialized—the Phoenix-Wing Gilded Trident—causing the ancient blue sky to reverberate with thunderous sound.

The sun, moon, and stars all lost their brilliance beneath this weapon. Phoenix energy surged through the nine heavens, causing many meteors and celestial bodies beyond the domain to tremble, nearly falling from the sky.

This was a clear declaration of intent—an aggressive arrival with every suggestion of fighting at the slightest provocation. Fortunately, the imperial weapon flashed and then disappeared, and did not release too much immortal power.

Finally, the Ji Family, Huo Lin Cave, Yaochi Pool, the Primordial Lake, and other major powers all appeared—along with the various races from beyond the domain. Saying ten thousand races was no exaggeration.

Today, all the clans had gathered, each seeking to secure the greatest benefits for their own kind—to preliminarily establish a set of laws and a code of conduct that all races would be required to observe.

In the blink of an eye, countless figures materialized and entered this expanse of sky. White clouds surged beneath their feet, and palace towers stretched endlessly before their eyes—it was as though they had arrived before the South Heavenly Gate.

As the powerful clans grew more numerous, inevitably many arrogant and unruly individuals appeared, full of self-importance and cold contempt.

“There are too many people here. I suggest we clear the field. What standing do some of the weaker, lesser races have to appear here? They can only add to the chaos,” someone declared.

“Well said—then let us begin with you.” An enormous serpent with eight heads nodded, then suddenly lunged one of its heads forward and swallowed the speaker whole in a single bite. Blood sprayed out, utterly horrifying. Its entire body was pristine white as jade, every scale several meters in length. Coiled upon itself, it formed a mountain of serpent-flesh, and each of its eight heads was of enormous size.

Everyone’s heart lurched. This grand assembly was indeed one where raw power did the talking—a saint had been devoured the moment things started, and he had brought it upon himself.

“Fellow Daoist, you are far too overbearing. Even if you disagree, there is no need for this. Your methods are too extreme—this place cannot accommodate you.” An ancient demon with a bird’s head and human body, dressed in Daoist robes, stepped forward. Grasping a peachwood sword, he let out a sharp rebuke and slashed toward the eight-headed serpent.

Thwack!

One of the eight-headed serpent’s heads was severed. It fought back fiercely, but within moments it was slaughtered completely, leaving not even bones behind—everything was collected by the demon Daoist and sealed within a blood gourd.

“What kind of conduct is this? Did you all come to this assembly to cause trouble? Stand down!” A great saint from an ancient clan shouted.

“This assembly was always meant for the clans to deliberate together. Just now, those two had a disagreement and needed to determine a winner—that is perfectly normal,” a great saint from beyond the domain said with cold indifference.

Indeed, the number of arrivals was immense. From ten thousand realms across all the heavens, virtually every powerful race had sent someone, all seeking to seize an immortal opportunity—to wait for the immortal path to open.

Among them were naturally several powerful great cultivators who did not wish so many people competing for the immortal path, and who sought to establish a code of conduct that would cause the vast majority to withdraw in the face of difficulty.

The assembly had begun. Everyone debated loudly, discussing every manner of matter concerning the era of the immortal path’s opening, and which rules and standards ought to be established.

“Does anyone not feel that the Northern Dipper is too crowded? All the other clans combined don’t even amount to a fraction of the human race. If immortal ascension truly becomes universal, won’t that mean the human race will reign supreme in the future?” Someone whispered darkly from within the crowd, their voice eerie, their origin impossible to determine.

“Precisely. The Northern Dipper is humans everywhere. In this ancient land of immortal ascension, such a distribution of power is unreasonable. I suggest all the clans join forces to ‘escort’ them out—keeping a portion would be more than sufficient!” someone echoed.

“Oh? Why don’t you migrate all your clan’s members here then—do you dare?!” The old great saint of the Great Summer Imperial Clan, emanating an aura of rotting corpse, spoke with a grim expression.

Boom—

In the next instant, a dragon sword appeared in his hand—an unparalleled weapon. The imperial dragon energy surged forth, renowned as the technique in secret arts whose offensive power rivals the Battle Saint Method.

Thwack!

In a single instant, bloodshed erupted in front of him. Severed limbs and broken arms flew in all directions, then burst apart together in midair—that location instantly became devoid of all life, with only blood spraying outward, a sea of crimson.

This method made one’s hair stand on end. At a single word, he had killed every last one of them. No one had expected this great saint to carry such murderous ferocity—far more brutal than those who had acted before.

What had happened earlier—killing one or two people—was entirely small-scale. This was truly a ruthless character: in the space of a single breath, he had wiped out over a hundred powerful figures, among them no few who had reached the Saint King realm.

“I hear the Grand Emperor died in the Immortal Palace World. This old great saint has most likely come harboring grief and murderous intent. Going to provoke him now is purely asking for misery—inviting bad luck.”

Everyone trembled with fear and no longer dared to discuss that topic. The human great saint was too reckless—he had directly employed an imperial weapon. Who would dare speak carelessly?

At the Central Heavenly Palace, several great saints strode in—and this was only a portion; only the most powerful could appear there.

When the Great Peacock Bright King and the Ji Family great saint appeared, many people were filled with awe, wondering whether they carried the Demon-Subduing Pestle and the Void Mirror—even some of the most powerful figures from beyond the domain felt a chill in their hearts.

Ye Fan did not draw near. He simply sat down in a pavilion and quietly observed the comings and goings, listening to their fierce and pointed debate.

Mist and clouds rolled and churned at knee height. This ancient continent was mysterious indeed, with quite a few orchids and irises growing upon it, their fragrance drifting pleasantly on the air.

A quarrel broke out over at the Central Heavenly Palace. A great saint overturned a table with a thunderous crash, and two figures shot up into the high heavens, confronting each other with cold indifference—they were nearly on the verge of a great saint battle.

Many people knew that this day would inevitably be filled with one storm after another. No one had imagined that peerless figures of this caliber would be locked in confrontation the very moment things began—nearly at the point of fighting to the death.

But in the end, both of them descended once more. The assembly continued, with the various great powers dividing into many factions to negotiate.

Ye Fan believed that with the human race having produced two or more great grand saints—all wielding imperial weapons—unless all the clans united, no one in their right mind would dare provoke them.

At the Heavenly Palace, it was a sea of people. Many powerful figures expressed their views, overwhelming that place. The surging waves of powerful saint energy spread outward, making one’s heart tremble.

Boom—

Suddenly, the sky shattered. Two figures shot straight up into the nine heavens, vanishing into the vault of the sky, entering beyond the domain—the most earth-shattering exchange had erupted.

The enormous shockwave expanded outward, causing the entire ancient continent to flicker with blazing light. Ancestral formations blocked the vast ripples surging in from beyond the domain—had it not been for these mysterious interwoven laws, the ancient continent would have been struck and sunk directly.

“This is… an extreme path power. Imperial weapons are clashing!”

No one had anticipated such ferocity—imperial weapons were actually crossing blows.

Amid a sky blazing with flames, a white-robed young man of transcendent, jade-like bearing appeared—possessed of unparalleled grace, refined and handsome, as though carved from divine jade, otherworldly and extraordinary.

In his left palm he cradled a furnace of vivid crimson, glistening as though dripping with blood, with all manner of talismanic script flowing across its surface. A tremendous imperial might spread out in all directions, blotting out the sky.

It was none other than Jiang Yifei, the current master of the Jiang Family—wielding the Eternal Universe Furnace, standing in the air like a divine sovereign descended unto the world!

Across from him, a massive black seal rose and fell, trailing down ten thousand silken threads that enveloped a white-haired elder who had grown a third vertical eye on his brow.

It was evident that this was a great saint, and the black seal above his head was an imperial weapon—though this sacred seal clearly had a defect: it was missing a corner, and a crack ran straight through to its center.

“The Human Emperor Seal!”

“To think it is the Human Emperor Seal left behind by the Taiyin Ancient Emperor—how did it end up in the hands of a foreign race?”

A few among the older generation recalled descriptions from ancient texts, and all of them could not help but change countenance. This was unquestionably the weapon of the Human Emperor.

The crowd erupted in an uproar, stirring up a tremendous wave of shock. Countless past events were recalled, and many hearts surged with overwhelming emotion.

In ages past, a divine war had erupted that shook heaven and earth to their foundations. Even the black gourd said to be capable of severing immortals had been destroyed, and the Human Emperor Seal—which had once lorded over nine heavens and ten earths—had been lost in the cosmos. In that war, no fewer than one or two imperial weapons had been damaged or cracked.

Everyone had assumed the Human Emperor Seal was shattered. No one had imagined it would appear again—only now in the hands of a different race!