Chapter 1889 - The Immortal Peach Assembly

Some of them discussed Su Yi’s accomplishments over the past years. Others tried to analyze what had happened in the Dragon Palace to glean insight into the extent of Su Yi’s abilities. Others just simmered in anxiety, convinced that Su Yi was all but certain to meet with disaster at the Immortal Peach Assembly.

In summary, all of the discussion revolved around Su Yi.

By now, everyone knew about how Su Yi had ascended to the Jing Province’s Ascension Pool on White Deer Mountain, as well as what he’d accomplished throughout the Immortal Realm in the years that followed. And everyone who learned of his accomplishments was left tongue-tied. They couldn’t have been any more astonished.

Su Yi had arrived here not yet an immortal, but in just a few short years, he’d broken into the Universe Realm, the Void Realm, the Saint Realm, and the Miracle Realm in rapid succession. He was already an Immortal King.

The most terrifying part was that his combat prowess was simply heaven-defying. He could kill Great Martial cultivators with ease and even fight back against Great Unity cultivators!

His accomplishments seemed all but impossible. Were he anyone else, everyone would have turned up their noses and dismissed the stories as ludicrous rumors. But this was Su Yi, so they had no choice but to believe it. After all, by now, who in the Immortal Realm

didn’t

know that Su Yi was the reincarnation of the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign?

Given who he was, all of his accomplishments seemed perfectly reasonable.

Even so, most people thought poorly of his chances should he participate in the Immortal Peach Assembly.

Their reasoning was simple. Here, experts were as numerous as the clouds in the sky or the trees in the forest. Those factions qualified to participate were all top powerhouses by the standards of the Immortal Realm as a whole. The experts chosen to participate were all so mighty and influential that they could shake the entire Immortal Realm with a stomp of their feet!

Moreover, rumor had it that divine children would be participating in the Immortal Peach Assembly, and a Great Profound Stage expert would oversee the proceedings.

Su Yi would be fighting on his own. Even if he were far more heaven-defying, how could he possibly face this all alone?

“We can say with certainty that Su Yi only proved his Dao and became an Immortal King a few months ago. What gives him the confidence to come here?” someone asked in confusion.

This very question confounded the vast majority of those in attendance.

“Argh. Why do I get the feeling that His Excellency the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign was deceived? Otherwise, how could he be foolhardy enough to agree to this?”

“If it were me, I’d definitely just lie low for a while. After all, Su Yi proved his Dao and became an Immortal King in just a few years. I’m sure that, given just a few years more, he’d be able to enter the Great Realm and recreate the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign’s peak majesty, so how could he... have been so foolish?”

“You still don’t get it? His Excellency the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign has no choice but to come! They say that his subordinates, as well as members of clans and factions connected to him, have been taken hostage. When the Immortal Peach Assembly begins, they’ll be publicly sacrificed. How could His Excellency possibly stay out of this?”

...The crowd discussed the matter amongst themselves. Opinions were highly varied.

An old man stood silently amongst the crowd. His back was hunched, and he was bony and gaunt. His face bore the marks of countless years. A young woman in plain beast-hide robes stood beside him, her eyes bright and clear.

“Grandpa, will His Excellency the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign really come?” the girl couldn’t help but ask.

She’d already asked the same question many times over, but every time, she struggled to believe the answer.

The old man didn’t even pause to think. “He’ll be here.”

His voice was calm yet full of incontrovertible force.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The old man paused, then added, “I’m afraid that not even Great Profound Stage experts would dare to declare war against the forces gathered at the Immortal Peach Assembly. Even so, I can say with certainty that if Su Yi really is His Excellency, he’ll be brave enough to show up alone and fight them all single-handedly!”

The old man’s voice was muddled and tinged with the vicissitudes of countless years, yet he spoke with staunch conviction.

The girl in beast-hide robes looked up at the sky and muttered, “Only an hour remains until the Immortal Peach Assembly begins.”

......

Halfway up Cloudsoar Peak.

Over a thousand seats were arranged on the slopes, and numerous figures had gathered. They too were conversing amongst themselves.

These were higher-ups of the Immortal Realm’s top factions, including ancient factions like the Church of the Pure One, the Church of Supreme Oneness, the Church of Divine Flame, Qianyuan Sword House, and the Profound Blue Daoist Sect, as well as factions that rose to prominence after the Age of Fallen Immortals, like the Church of the Exquisite Goddess. Pick any one of these experts at random, and they’d be an Immortal King at the very least, and they were sure to be famous throughout the Immortal Realm.

Now, these prominent figures conversed and clinked glasses, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. When they glanced at the sea of people gathered around the mountain, they sighed to themselves; they felt an extraordinary sense of superiority.

Those invited to attend could sit on the slopes and enjoy the scenery. Those not invited could only gather at the foot of the mountain and watch from afar. Those on and off the mountain were separated by an insurmountable barrier of status; the division was stark.

However, it was the ritual grounds halfway up the mountain, by the side of a cliff, that drew the most attention. They were ten thousand feet across, and an ancient sacrificial altar stood at their center.

There were thirty-six black cages arranged around the altar in the shape of a lotus. Each housed a group of captives.

All of them were dressed in rags, their expressions bleak and their heads hanging.

They all had different backgrounds, and they were from all over the Immortal Realm. Their cultivation bases varied, and they included men and women of all ages. There was only one thing they had in common: a connection to the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign, Wang Ye!

Some hailed from clans that once served Wang Ye. Others were descendants of warriors who’d once waged war alongside him. But now, all of them were caged and on display like criminals. Moreover, when the Immortal Peach Assembly began, they’d be put to death as sacrificial offerings. Like true lambs to the slaughter!

Gong Yuxun and several older members of the Gong Family were there too.

Not long ago, as an elder of the Church of the Pure One, Gong Yuxun and other Immortal Kings and Queens of top factions chased Su Yi into the Abyss of Dark Fog. But now, she and her clansmen had been heartlessly imprisoned by the Church of the Pure One for the simple reason that the Misty God Mountain Gong Family had once been Wang Ye’s subordinates!

No wonder he spared my life in the Abyss of Dark Fog...

Gong Yuxun sat there, hugging her knees and fraught with worry. Her beautiful face was deathly pale.

She’d worked for the Church of the Pure One from a young age. She would never have guessed her own sect would one day capture her and treat her like a criminal.

It seems the rumors were true. During the Age of Fallen Immortals, our clan was suppressed by the Church of the Pure One, and we became their pawns. Everything was for the sake of threatening His Excellency the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign upon his return... The most ridiculous part is that the Gong Family forgot this deep grudge and humiliation a long time ago. We actually saw the Church of the Pure One as our master...

Gong Yuxun’s heart was full of bitterness, hatred, and grief.

“His Excellency the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign is sure to come to our rescue!” An old man in a nearby cage roared.

Off in the distance, the influential experts burst into uproarious laughter. How could they take such words seriously? The man was nothing but a captive soon to become a sacrificial offering.

The sound of their laughter made Gong Yuxun quiver with anger, and her heart filled with grief.

Su Yi might well come, but the Immortal Peach Assembly is full of untold dangers. How would that be any different from suicide? After all, he’s... ultimately just the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign’s reincarnation.

I’d actually prefer he didn’t come!

......

The highest point of Cloudsoar Peak.

A lake-sized pool of clear water reflected the clouds and the light of heavens, glowing with dreamlike, resplendent radiance.

This was the Jade Pool!

Numerous figures were gathered here, too. These were the leaders and higher-ups of the Immortal Realm’s top factions, including old-timers whose cultivation had reached the Great Realm.

All of them had enough authority to gaze down upon the world from on high. Their ranks included Sect Leader Qi Nie of the Church of the Pure One, Sect Leader Xuan Zhong of the Church of Supreme Oneness, and Sect Leader Nan Wujiu of the Church of Divine Flame. They now sat to the side of the Jade Pool atop an elevated jade platform. Each of them emanated an all-encompassing, majestic aura.

But two of them drew more attention than the rest.

One, a white-haired man in yellow robes, was called Yue Bai. He was a divine emissary. It would be up to him to carry out the sacrificial rite and lead today’s Immortal Peach Assembly.

The other was a woman in robes as dark as ink. She was slender, with fair, jade-like skin and a flame-shaped symbol at the center of her forehead. Her long silver hair glittered beneath the light of the heavens.

Her name was Li Youxue, and she was an emissary sent here by the Nine Great Demon Clans of the Beyond. She was their representative at the Immortal Peach Assembly. Here, she’d sign an agreement with Sect Leader Qi Nie, claiming sixteen of the Immortal Realm’s forty-nine provinces for demonkind!

“The Immortal Peach Assembly shall soon begin. Are your preparations in order, Daoist Brother Qi Nie?” Sect Leader Xuan Zhong asked with a smile.

“Everything is in order,” Qi Nie said with a faint smile. “Now we’re just waiting for Tyrant Wang Ye’s reincarnation to show up.”

Many of the others’ expressions shifted inscrutably at the mention of Wang Ye’s name. They all knew the true purpose of re-establishing the Central Immortal Court: killing Su Yi. To that end, the top factions of the Immortal Realm had long since sharpened their blades and prepared an inescapable net on Cloudsoar Peak!

“I won’t lie to you. I’ve been racking my brains for days, and I still can’t figure out where Su Yi got the guts to declare war against us,” said Sect Leader Nan Wujiu of the Church of Divine Flame. “Is he really just... unafraid to die?”

“If he were afraid to die, he’d never have become the supreme ruler of his era, the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign,” said Qi Nie, his eyes flashing. “It’s precisely because he’s so terrifying that we’ve forged an alliance and gone to such lengths to arrange this, right?”

The others nodded. The Tyrant really was an extraordinarily terrifying existence. Even if they didn’t want to admit it, there was no denying it!

“But if he shows up, this time, I guarantee he’ll never leave!” Divine Emissary Yue Bai suddenly interjected. “We’re far from the only ones at this Immortal Peach Assembly. Numerous divine children are watching, and numerous divine emissaries are just waiting for a chance to seize Su Yi’s head!”

He paused to drain his cup of wine before continuing, “Even the gods are invested in what happens at today’s Immortal Peach Assembly. In my eyes, Su Yi’s already doomed! What I’m really concerned about is who strikes the final blow. Aren’t you all eager too?”

The crowd’s eyes flashed. Each had their own thoughts.

The skies were bright and clear.

As time passed, the boundless ringing of a bell resounded throughout heaven and earth. Both on and around the mountain, all conversation abruptly died down, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

The Immortal Peach Assembly the whole Immortal Realm was paying attention to was finally about to begin!