Chapter 1120: Four Immortals

The Fifth Star Ring’s crimson aurora was extraordinary and full of mystery. After all, it stretched out over the entire Fifth Star Ring, and contained unknowable fantastic properties.

But beyond that, there was also the fact that it was patrolled by twelve inspectors from the Immortal Capital. All twelve of them were Lower Immortals. That said, they didn’t make public appearances very often. They only came down when the Fifth Star Ring was facing impending catastrophe.

But right now, as the aura disappeared, some of the inspectors were revealed. That was because... the second round of the Trial of the Hunt had reached a critical point. It needed... protection from all four corners of the star ring!

Four stars appeared in the pitch black canopy of heaven, and they were visible in the east, west, south and north, in all four of the Fifth Star Ring’s planetary systems.

In the south was the Grand Immortal Mountain.

Within that mountain was a grand hall of pure silver. Out of it strode an old man in a silver robe who had the demeanor of a transcendent being. He was surrounded by a mysterious swirling energy as he walked out into the clouds. His cultivation base could shake heaven and earth, and sent out fluctuations into time itself. The sky rippled as he pulsed with heaven and earth power.

This old man was the patriarch of the Grand Immortal Mountain. He was Immortal Monarch Vastpeak! He had been sent into the south by the Immortal Capital to act as overseer. His cultivation base... was Lower Immortal!

As he emerged, he grew taller and taller, and the silver light shining off of him grew brighter and brighter. Eventually, he became the most spectacular and dazzling person in the entire south. Because there was no aurora in the dark sky, he became the only source of light in the south. All living beings there bowed their heads in astonishment.

Meanwhile, in the northern planetary system, there was the Sword Immortal School. In the east of that location was the Star Ring Pagoda. Cultivators emerged from those locations as well, provoking similar reactions from the people.

A stream of sword energy emerged that could sever heaven and slaughter gods. It shot high into the sky with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force, unstoppable and destructive. In the presence of that sword energy, Quasi-Immortals would bow their heads, Imperial Sovereigns would tremble, and Smoldering Gods would be struck senseless.

The boundless sword light turned into an immortal. The sword he wielded bore the name Blue Mallard, and the person who wielded it was Sword Immortal Blue Mallard. He wore blue clothing, had gray hair, and carried an ancient sword as he rose up into the sky.

Something similar happened in the east, except there was no sword. Instead, it was a woman with eyebrows as dark as distant mountains, and eyes as glistening as autumn ponds. She wore palace attire embroidered with gold and silver. Depicted in the embroidery were auspicious dragons and phoenixes that were incredibly lifelike. She wore a jade belt around her slender waist, and had black hair cascading down her back. She swayed gracefully as she walked, and was surrounded by the fragrance of a delicate perfume. Her every frown and smile seemed capable of deeply stirring the hearts of anyone.

As she emerged, her gown flowed around her. All living beings in the east bowed their heads and murmured her name. None of them dared to look at her.

She was Immortal Mistress Star Phoenix.

Last came the west.

Three astonishing figures had risen into the dome of heaven in the other locations, but an unprepossessing old man walked out of the Dao Immortal Sect. He wore a coarse robe that was a bit dirty. In fact, he almost looked like a farmer that had been interrupted in the middle of doing some farm work.

He didn’t seem special at all, and the only thing he had with him was a wooden walking stick. He always carried that walking stick with him. It was so cracked and splintered that it seemed that after countless years of use, it was about to collapse.

Shaking his head, he walked up into the sky. With every step, he teetered, almost as if he were walking through the depths of time itself. There was no dazzling glow to him. He didn’t cast out resplendent fluctuations. He seemed completely and utterly ordinary. The light that reached his face from the other three individuals just accentuated the wrinkles.

After he strode into the heights of the sky, he looked to the east, south, and then the north.

That was when Immortal Monarch Vastpeak spoke from the south. “You’re late, Poison Monarch!

“How come you’re always late?” asked Star Phoenix from the east. “What was it this time? Were you busy tending your little flower garden?”

Sword Immortal Blue Mallard from the north didn’t say anything.

The man they had referred to as Poison Monarch didn’t seem very pleased with what the others had said. What was more, when he saw how the others were shining with dazzling light, like stars, he snorted and unleashed a black light that spread through the sky. It was clearly a paramount star on par with the others.

However, while the light from the others was gentle, aggressive, and cold, his light was like nighttime, and it pulsed with evil and wickedness. His disposition was quite opposite of theirs.

“I don’t have time to chat with you three,” Poison Monarch said in a sinister voice. “Also, you know I don’t like being called that. And if any ignorant fool uses that form of address on me again, I’d be more than happy to go over to their lands and distribute some poison canon.”

This old man actually had multiple names. Sir Virtuous. Immortal Monarch Boundless. Old Man Immortal Flood. And of course, Poison Monarch. The first three were names he had given himself. The fourth was what other people called him.

In response, Immortal Monarch Vastpeak just smiled. Star Phoenix from the east had a thoughtful look on her face.

As for Sword Immortal Blue Mallard, he looked up at Poison Monarch and said, “You’ve reached the critical point?”

Vastpeak’s gaze hardened, and Star Phoenix’s eyes shone brightly.

Poison Monarch in his farmer's clothing was clearly more tolerant of Sword Immortal Blue Mallard. In response to the question, he nodded slowly. “I’ve touched the thread. But I lack some karma.” He didn’t seem inclined to go into any more details. Sounding a bit impatient, he said, “Hurry up. We’re wasting time.”

Sword Immortal Blue Mallard’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t make any more inquiries.

It was Immortal Monarch Vastpeak’s turn to officiate this round of service, so he said, “Since we’re all here, then in accordance with the rules set forth by the Immortal Capital, we will now begin the legacy phase of the second round of the Trial of the Hunt. This will really heat things up. It will reflect well on us if some people with true potential rise to the top. If that happens, maybe we’ll be able to end our service early and get back to the Immortal Capital.”

Immortal Monarch Vastpeak waved his hand, and out of nowhere appeared a mountain made of natural and magical laws. In the blink of an eye, it went from something rather small to something massive floating in the sky over the south. All people in the south with permission medallions could see and sense it!

In the north, Sword Immortal Blue Mallard waved his hand, sending out a stream of sword energy that divided into countless bits of sword will. And thus, a sword rain began to fall in the northern planetary system.

In the east, Star Phoenix’s legacy was a green cup. An ancient and mysterious energy pulsed from the cup, making it clear that despite its ordinary appearance, the cup was obviously something marvelous. In fact, the people with permission medallions who saw it were shaken to the core and felt sensations of deep terror.

After looking at the east, south, and north, Poison Monarch from the Dao Immortal Sect unleashed a divine ability that caused a black bamboo slip to appear. He crushed it. Instantly, black light erupted out.

Because the aurora was gone, the sky was already dark. Then Poison Monarch began to emanate darkness. But now, it was an even darker black.

The black light from the shattered bamboo slip surpassed everything else. It was like the most extreme black possible, the source of all darkness. Compared to this, the previous sky might as well have been called bright. As it spread, all of the west was cast into utter darkness. All light in the world was eradicated. For the moment, it didn’t even exist. Even magical techniques and divine abilities that could create light were now incapable of doing anything.

This scene was very different from the ones playing out in the other cardinal directions. In those areas, everyone could look up and see what the legacy was. But in the west, when people looked up, they just saw darkness.

The unusual development caused the other three immortals to look over quizzically. All of them were fully aware that there was an unspoken agreement between the four of them about how the legacy phase of the second round worked. The legacies that were revealed had to be unique, such that even if someone gained enlightenment of them, even the other immortals, it wouldn’t be possible to continuously use the legacy.

They were said to be legacies. But similar to dao lineaments of authority, they actually contained a bit of canon! It was impossible to put into words how precious of a chance this was.

These were legacies that had been prepared for the immortals’ personal apprentices. In other words, only people who had approval could gain enlightenment of their fundamental nature. Of course, anyone with a permission medallion could seek enlightenment. But without approval, the process would be astonishingly difficult, and the chances of success would be virtually nonexistent.

This arrangement was the result of a tacit agreement between the four immortals. Of course, there was still a need to put on a pretense of giving everyone the chance.

And yet, despite all that... Poison Monarch didn’t seem to be putting on a pretense at all right now. The legacy in the darkness from the bamboo slip could only be perceived by people with special qualifications, regardless of whether or not they had a permission medallion. Only people who met that qualification would be given a chance. No one else would.

Vastpeak shook his head.

Ah, who cares? The old poison freak is always trying to cover up his mistakes. The west hardly has anyone talented anyway. That’s why he’s doing this....

Paying no further attention to what was happening, he vanished. The other two reacted similarly.

Meanwhile, Poison Monarch from the Dao Immortal Sect was already gone.

The sky in the Fifth Star Ring was now rumbling as legacies from the east, south, and north all shone brightly.

Only the west was covered in darkness.

***

In the darkness of the west, a bit to the east, there was a vast expanse of land that contained a restricted area controlled by the Li Clan. There were 9,000 pagodas there, arranged into a shocking spell formation. The central tower was some 300,000 meters tall, rising high into the night sky.

A person sat atop the tower. It was one of the eight Shining Stars of the Fifth Star Ring, and the only one associated with the west.

Li Mengtu. At the moment, he was looking up into the darkness above. He knew that this was a destined opportunity given to him by his Master. All he had to do was seek enlightenment.

If I succeed, then I’ll have five types of authority. And this new one has a scrap of canon in it, which means I’ll have a much higher chance of reaching immortal ascension later!

With such thoughts in mind, he took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with determination. He was fully aware that, given his current battle prowess, he would have no problem going to the Immortal Capital. All he had to do was reach immortal ascension, and then his clan would truly rise to prominence.

His clan had produced a Summer Immortal in the past. It was the clan patriarch. Supposedly, that patriarch wasn’t a native of the Fifth Star Ring, but had actually come from another star ring. He had eventually fallen into a deep depression and then passed away in meditation. But his descendants were still around.

Li Mengtu knew... that the stories were completely true. As his clan fell into decline, he had worked hard, relying on his talent, killing anyone who got in his path, and ultimately becoming an apprentice of the only Lower Immortal in the west.

I have to keep working hard!

With that, Li Mengtu looked up into the sky and began seeking enlightenment.

***

Atop the Primary Dao Precipice, Xu Qing was also looking up. When the sky suddenly turned dark, he realized it looked like a huge flower. And every flower petal had the face of a beautiful woman on it.

“Is that...?”