When the group with Gu Xichen arrived, the spiritual energy of Myriad Immortals Star was enough to cause avalanches and shift celestial bodies. Even a Golden Immortal could stir the void of the cosmos, making the simultaneous appearance of nine suns a common occurrence.
The Taiyi Golden Immortals and Daluo Golden Immortals, beings a thousand, ten thousand times stronger than Golden Immortals, acted with power that was naturally extraordinary, grander by several measures than the Star Alliance’s application of technology.
Centered on Myriad Immortals Star, nearly a thousand mountain ranges, large and small, floated in the surrounding void. Some spanned vast distances of hundreds of thousands of miles, while the more exquisite ones stretched for several thousand miles. These mountains possessed complete spirit veins and abundant spiritual energy. Palaces, pavilions, exotic flowers, strange grasses, rare birds, and strange beasts roamed among the peaks. Immortals in feathered crowns and colorful robes soared between the mountains, truly presenting a scene of immortal splendor.
These mountain ranges revolved slowly around Myriad Immortals Star, connected to each other by luminous, rosy cloud roads. Some young Daoist acolytes in green robes—barely boys—walked along these cloud roads, some carrying medicine baskets, others clutching medicine hoes, or holding vases, or bearing bundles of fresh flowers. As they leaped, they moved like shooting stars, incredibly fast, appearing quite mystical.
Moreover, various types of flood dragons, descendants of true celestial dragon bloodlines, danced in the air. Primeval, monstrous snakes, stretching a hundred miles long, lounged lazily on the mountaintops, inhaling and exhaling the essence of the sun and moon. Or perhaps a Qilin roared toward the sun, or other strange beasts emerged from pools and caves; the variety of wonders was endless.
As Gu Xichen led his few companions to fly toward Myriad Immortals Star, two Daoist acolytes in white clothing greeted them from afar, bowing with bright smiles. “Esteemed Daoist friends have traveled far; your journey must have been arduous. Please come to the Hall of Immortal Gathering for tea.”
Though the two acolytes spoke courteously, their hands were anything but polite. The acolyte on the left raised a palm-sized bronze duo bell and shook it toward the group. A patch of misty white light sprinkled down. Gu Xichen and the others started, but they hadn't time to evade. This white light held no harm; rather, once it shone upon them, a layer of purple mist and golden radiance emerged around everyone.
The white-robed acolyte on the right snatched up a jade tablet and a golden brush, scribbling furiously while softly muttering, “Eleven Taiyi Golden Immortals!”
At first, the two acolytes hadn't paid much attention to Gu Xichen’s group. Only after the one recording their cultivation hastily finished writing did they suddenly realize their mistake, snapping their heads up to stare at the company in shock. Taiyi Golden Immortals? The two acolytes looked back at the bronze duo bell in disbelief.
Another wave of misty light cascaded down. Gu Xichen’s party, standing atop the clouds, still radiated purple and gold energies. This time, because they intentionally suppressed their auras, the glow was much dimmer than before, but it was unmistakably the aura unique to Taiyi Golden Immortals.
The white-robed acolytes immediately bowed deeply, their foreheads nearly touching the clouds beneath their feet. Their demeanor shifted to one of utter reverence. They repeatedly pleaded with the "Elder Lords" to proceed to the Hall of Immortal Gathering for tea, even eagerly informing Gu Xichen that a certain Heavenly Venerable had specifically brought out rare celestial tea from his own grotto-heaven to serve guests, implying the lords were incredibly fortunate.
Their switch from arrogance to deep respect was startlingly fast.
Gu Xichen scanned the two acolytes with his divine sense. Though they appeared young, they possessed cultivation at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm. No wonder they were initially aloof; with their standing, they felt no need to be overly polite to just anyone. How many cultivators from the lower realms could reach the peak of the Heavenly Immortal stage?
Ling L snorted, and Gu Xichen crooked his head. “Reward time!”
Boreyo and the Maha brothers, following closely behind Gu Xichen, simultaneously tossed out glittering objects. The two acolytes nimbly caught the items—pale silver pieces, about the size of a fist and weighing nearly a thousand catties—examining them closely. Their faces immediately blossomed into smiles like opening peonies.
These were two pieces of 'Dragon Blood Silver,' purified from the blazing solar fires and then refined with the chilling lunar flames, utterly free of impurities. It was a supreme material formed from the absorption of heavenly essence over countless years by the Earth's core silver marrow, which then absorbed the essence of dragon blood, inherently carrying a deterrent power unique to the Dragon Clan. It was the finest material for forging magic treasures that could repel demonic attacks and guard against inner demons.
Since the two acolytes were at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal stage, they were naturally plagued by surging inner demons when attempting to break through to the Golden Immortal realm—the most perilous step. Having magic tools made from Dragon Blood Silver to protect their primordial spirits greatly increased their chances of breaking through to the Golden Immortal realm. They were naturally delighted and became even more respectful toward Gu Xichen.
Eagerly leading the way, the two acolytes guided Gu Xichen’s entourage slowly toward Myriad Immortals Star. They pointed out the various mountain ranges along the route, explaining which one belonged to which Heavenly Venerable, which to which Demon Ancestor, and which one was absolutely not to be provoked, because its owner was a minor concubine of a certain Demon Saint—women, they warned, were small-minded, and entanglement meant endless trouble.
Gu Xichen mentally filed all this information away; he would inevitably have to deal with these individuals. From the mouths of the two white-robed acolytes, he learned that the Heavenly Venerables valued their reputation—frankly, they were incredibly hypocritical and would not initiate conflict unless absolutely necessary. The Demon Ancestors were the least predictable, liable to kill or sack cities on a whim, acting purely on instinct, and they enjoyed internal strife the most. The Demon Saints were the most eccentric but also the most united; provoking one meant provoking them all. The Ghost Emperors, on the other hand, were the most low-key and secretive; in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, one rarely even heard rumors about them.
Aside from the powerhouses of the Dao, Demon, Monster, and Ghost factions, representatives of smaller powers were not worth mentioning; they had not participated in this grand gathering of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths descending upon the mortal realm. As for the legendary reclusive masters of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, they either hid behind the major faction powerhouses or had other considerations; no one knew what they were plotting.
Just as they were about to fly into Myriad Immortals Star, a cloud of rosy mist suddenly erupted from an exquisite mountain range spanning over two thousand miles nearby. Several figures roughly dragged several massive apes, entirely covered in silver fur and possessing extraordinarily long arms, over to them.
These apes were of an exotic species, standing about twenty feet tall, with immensely long arms and flowing silver fur nearly a foot long covering their bodies. They looked incredibly fierce. Faint immortal energy subtly radiated from them, clearly indicating they were spirits who had cultivated the immortal path, all possessing mid-grade Heavenly Immortal cultivation. Normally, they should have attained human form, but for some unknown reason, they remained in their original shape, being dragged along like this.
One ape perhaps lagged slightly behind. A serving maid abruptly whipped a lash woven from black dragon hide across its back. A flash of black light and dark flame passed, scorching a large patch of silver fur on the ape’s back, revealing a blood-red gash deep enough to see the bone. Faint black smoke wafted off the ape, causing it to visibly tremble and let out a piercing scream.
There were eight exotic apes in total. Seeing their companion suffer, the other seven abruptly stopped, their golden eyes blazing with boundless fury, staring blankly at the serving maid who had struck.
The maids, furious in turn, raised their whips and lashed out wildly at the apes. The restrictions attached to these whips were extremely potent. Judging by the apes' resistance, they must have cultivated body refinement techniques, giving them incredibly tough flesh. Yet, each strike from the whip left a bloody gash deep enough to see the bone. The maids shrieked and lashed repeatedly, sending the apes tumbling chaotically across the clouds.
Gu Xichen frowned slightly, about to ask the two leading acolytes about the origin of these maids, when the Monkey behind him moved.
This Monkey had insisted on accompanying Gu Xichen to see what this so-called Immortal Gathering looked like. To cover his tracks, he had transformed into a middle-aged Daoist, about five feet tall, with relatively fair skin, though his face still looked unmistakably like a hairless monkey. He followed Gu Xichen, hobbling slightly on his bowed legs.
Seeing the apes suffer, the Monkey felt immediate displeasure and charged out at once.
The Monkey moved like the wind, instantly arriving beside the maids. With a casual grab, he snatched the several dragon-hide whips away.
The maids instantly felt a burning pain shoot through their palms. Looking down, they saw the skin on their palms ripped open by the whip handles, blood dripping down. When had they ever suffered such pain? They stared stunned at their palms for a moment, then almost simultaneously raised their heads and began hurling curses directly at the Monkey’s nose.
Having seized the whips, the Monkey merely chuckled, playing with the leather cords while waiting to debate the matter with the maids.
But the maids erupted in a stream of vulgarities, incredibly vile insults, often invoking the Monkey’s ancestors—curses about having a mother but no father, about being raised by no one, and so forth.
The Monkey, however, was a creature nurtured by heaven and earth, possessing an intensely proud nature. For these maids, who he considered less than crawling insects, to insult him so grievously instantly stoked his rage; the short hair on his scalp stood straight up, bristling.
The worst offense, however, came when a maid in a pink gauze dress pointed at the Monkey’s nose and demanded his origin, touching upon a subject he dared not have invoked.
“You despicable creature courting death! Which sect do you belong to? Who pampered you enough to dare interfere in our affairs? Quickly reveal your master’s lineage, and we’ll tie up all those dead Daoists and smelly priests from your sect and whip them for our amusement!”
“Tch!” Yang Jian scoffed from the side. “These women? They’re already dead!”
Insulting the Monkey’s parents was one thing; being born without parents himself, he didn't much care about the honor or disgrace of his ancestors or blood relatives. But once his sect was slandered—once they threatened to bind and whip his Master and elders just like these apes—the Monkey’s fury surged. Golden fur instantly erupted all over him, and his face immediately reverted to its Thunder God visage!
“Court death!”
With a roar, the Monkey’s Doom Gate Staff whipped up a storm of inky black shadows, crashing down upon the maids.
Alas, these maids only possessed cultivation at the first or second rank of the Heavenly Immortal stage. Despite their extreme arrogance, their power level was negligible. The Monkey’s first blow pulverized their physical bodies, even shattering their primordial spirits. The hundreds of subsequent strikes pulverized their fragmented spirits again and again, until they finally dissolved into wisps of green smoke, after which he struck them dozens more times until absolutely no residue remained.
With a cold laugh, the Monkey strode over and grabbed the red copper chains around the apes’ necks, effortlessly tearing them to shreds.
The eight silver-furred apes were also striking. Suddenly seeing that the Monkey was also of ape lineage, they acted with great righteousness, pushing him urgently. “Clan Brother, hurry and leave! You’ve courted disaster; you must go quickly, lest it affect you!” The Monkey grabbed the paw of one ape, sneering, “I’m not leaving! If anyone leaves, you all come with me!”
The apes all managed bitter smiles. They cried mournfully, “We cannot leave. Where could we go? Our primordial spirits are restrained by an enchantment, and our natal spirit plaques are suppressed on the Palace Master’s altar. If we flee, we truly face annihilation! Staying here, though painful, at least keeps our lives safe!”
Hearing the apes’ words, the Monkey became instantly furious and started raining fists and kicks upon them, battering the eight apes until they were bruised and swollen, tumbling across the clouds. He roared in anger, “How lacking in spirit! You have such massive frames, yet you are descendants of the Four Spirits Ape, the Long-Armed Ape! Such spinelessness disgraces your ancestors and soils their reputation!”
The eight apes grit their teeth and ignored the heavy blows of the Monkey’s fists, only pushing him, urging him to leave quickly. The Monkey beat and cursed the eight apes, but he refused to leave the spot, constantly urging the apes to leave immediately.
The two leading white-robed acolytes were already pale with terror. When the Monkey exploded into violence, they had secretly tried to slip away.
But they hadn't managed a few steps before Kuang Hua and Maha, laughing eerily, blocked their path. The two ground their knuckles until they cracked, looking like ruffians harassing innocent maidens as they grinned wickedly at the acolytes. “Two little fellows, where are you running off to? You take our benefits and then try to bolt? That’s quite unrighteous!”
Without allowing the acolytes to protest, Kuang Hua seized both of them by the necks and dragged them before Gu Xichen.
Gu Xichen swept a cold gaze over the two, asking flatly, “What was the origin of those women?”
The two acolytes trembled so violently they shrieked, “Stop asking about their origins! You’ve provoked a disaster of cosmic proportions; you are doomed! Don't drag us down with you; the master of that house is unreasonable!”
Unreasonable? Gu Xichen smiled, shook his head dismissively, and said, “It can’t be helped; they were killed. If they seek trouble over a few serving maids, then... kill them all too!”
Maha swiftly crushed the middle finger bone of one acolyte and forced a strand of foreign demonic energy into his body. He grinned maliciously, “Speak quickly of their background, or you die too!”
The Monkey, meanwhile, was already grinning with bared teeth, shouting proudly, “Unreasonable? Hah! Your Grandpa Sun is the ancestor of the unreasonable! Whatever their origin, daring to abuse my Monkey Clan like this, Old Sun will see it through to the end!”
The eight apes cried out tragically at once, clutching the Monkey’s body and shouting sternly, “Clan Brother, if you don’t leave now, it will be too late! Why throw your life away for wretches like us?”
Frowning, Gu Xichen said coldly, “You eight monkeys show some loyalty, but why are you acting so coy, like women? A few serving maids—so what if they were killed? Is restricting their natal primordial spirits such a big deal?”
He pointed a finger, unleashing the curse-breaking technique from the Great Desolation Scripture—the Great Crimson Evil God Curse Breaking Art. Eight streams of green fire, accompanied by strange whistles, shot into the brows of the eight apes. The apes’ silver fur whipped wildly as faint sounds of ghostly wails constantly erupted from within their bodies.
In the blink of an eye, a muffled explosion echoed from a distance. Several spirit peaks in the center of that mountain range suddenly blasted skyward, and dimly, thirty figures could be seen being thrown hundreds of miles away by the immense blast. Eight streams of silver light, accompanied by sharp, excited shrieks, shot up from beneath the shattered peaks. In a flash, eight fist-sized simian light shadows flew toward them.
The apes looked at Gu Xichen in disbelief, then hurriedly opened their mouths and sucked the eight light shadows into their bodies.
They briefly closed their eyes to sense their physical condition, and the apes cried out in joy, “Our primordial spirits are free of restraints!”
They rushed to kowtow to Gu Xichen, shouting sternly, “Kill those two white-robed boys, and let us leave quickly, or disaster will strike!”
The faces of the two white-robed acolytes turned ashen. They shouted hysterically, “How dare you kill us? We—!”
Kuang Hua slapped one across the face, knocking out several of his front teeth. Kuang Hua sneered, “Shut up! What do you think you are, daring to threaten us? Hmph, never mind how powerful your backing is, we don’t care!”
Kong Sangri, following close behind Gu Xichen, hefted his long halberd and strode forward, ready to impale the two acolytes.
Gu Xichen looked at the twisted, desperate faces of the acolytes and frowned. “Forget it, spare their lives. They’ve found their master.”
Beneath the cave dwelling that had been blasted skyward, thick clouds of green smoke and immortal light poured out from a deep cavern, accompanied by resounding strains of strings and drums. Over two thousand male and female immortals, thronging together, escorted a peerlessly beautiful woman clad in moon-white armor patterned with phoenixes, draped in a light moon-blue battle robe, and wielding a Phoenix Luan Saber, charging toward them.
The immortal lights were swift; the entire group arrived before Gu Xichen’s party in mere breaths.
The woman holding the Phoenix Luan Saber coldly surveyed the eight silver-furred Long-Armed Apes, who were shrinking behind the Monkey, and then snorted a plume of cold air from her nostrils. “Good, very good! Where are Myriad Palace’s serving maids?”
The Monkey, seeing such a grand formation, was so delighted his entire body’s fine hairs stood on end, smiling broadly. He hopped forward cheerfully and said, “Hey, it has nothing to do with anyone else; Old Sun killed them all! Your maids? Old Sun killed them all! Enough chatter, let’s settle this with fists!”
The Monkey’s reaction startled the woman. She frowned, sweeping her gaze over Gu Xichen’s party, genuinely unable to recall any truly formidable figure from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths dressed in such a manner. The woman knitted her brows and stated casually, “Very well, kill them, then.”
She paused, then looked coldly at the Monkey. “No, don’t kill him. Capture this monkey alive; this Palace Mistress intends to use him in a wagered fight!”
A dozen or so immortals arrayed like military generals, flanking the woman closely, immediately swarmed out.
The Monkey threw back his head and laughed three times, his eyes narrowing into slits from sheer delight, and merrily charged forward to meet them.