Chapter 1890 - Unafraid to Die

Everyone looked at the peak of Cloudsoar Peak. The atmosphere was instantly silent and austere.

On the bank of the Jade Pool, Sect Leader Qi Nie of the Church of the Pure One rose from his seat.

Boom!

His imposing majesty filled the heavens, manifesting a ten-thousand-foot-tall dharma body. It stood tall beneath the dome of heaven, gazing down at the world below.

Countless immortal cultivators gazed upon it as if it were a god presiding over the nine heavens.

“Fellow Daoists, you honor me with your presence. All of you have come a long way to gather here on Cloudsoar Peak today. As the leader of the Church of the Pure One, I’m deeply grateful!” said Qi Nie, his voice booming like a bell, resounding throughout the nine heavens and the ten earths with heart-palpitating force.

“The Immortal Realm has been in turmoil for a long time, and its order has collapsed. Its inhabitants have been plunged into misery and suffering. Why? Simple! We lack the oversight of the Central Immortal Court!

“Thus, I shall convene an Immortal Peach Assembly today. I’ve invited influential experts from across the Immortal Realm to re-establish the Central Immortal Court and return peace to the world!”

He spoke with firm conviction and an emphatic cadence. His confidence was contagious. As Qi Nie’s grand, dignified voice echoed throughout the landscape, countless people felt their blood heat up. It was as if they could already see the newly re-established Central Immortal Court bringing peace and tranquility to the entire Immortal Realm.

But many people laughed coldly to themselves.

Who’d believe that pompous bullshit?

After delivering his grand speech, Qi Nie solemnly announced, “Once we’ve signed an agreement with the nine great clans of the Spirit Domain, future generations of the Immortal Realm will live without fear! The masses will no longer need to bear the bitterness and chaos of war!

“Today, we’ll set a new historical precedent. I, Qi Nie, dare not take credit for this achievement, but I’m willing to do everything in my power to bring peace to the inhabitants of the Immortal Realm!"

His impassioned voice resounded throughout the firmament.

The “nine great clans of the Spirit Domain” referred to none other than the Nine Great Demon Races of the Beyond, whom the Immortal Realm had fought for generations.

Qi Nie’s eyes shone like moons and stars as he swept his gaze across the crowd. “Next, I’d like to invite Emissary Li Youxue of the Spirit Domain to sign our agreement...”

But he’d only just said this when a voice boomed like thunder.

“You want to cede sixteen of our provinces to seek reconciliation with the demons of the Beyond? Only you could sink so low, Qi Nie!”

Boom!

The entire area was in uproar. Countless people were flabbergasted. Everyone looked toward the source of the voice.

He was a tall, powerfully built man with coppery skin and imposing, ferocious bearing. His entire body emanated the characteristic aura of an Immortal King.

It was Li Xiehu! The garrison master of the Sixth Gate of Heaven and an Immortal King famed for his combat prowess!

“How could a little land possibly be more important than ten thousand generations of peace in the Immortal Realm?” Qi Nie said calmly from atop Cloudsoar Peak. “Li Xiehu, I know you’ve fought at the Sixth Gate of Heaven for years, but times have changed. You ought to celebrate. At the very least, you needn’t fear death on the battlefield going forward!”

Li Xiehu bristled with anger and roared, “Every inch of our lands was paid for in blood. Countless immortals, our forebears, fought and died to protect our borders, yet now, you want to offer

sixteen

of our provinces to the demons of the Beyond? How can you face the souls of our departed warriors!?”

His voice boomed throughout the cloudy dome of heaven.

Countless people looked ill at ease.

“Qi Nie, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how many of us the demons of the Beyond have killed over the years? Disregarding the distant past, during the Age of Fallen Immortals, they seized our moment of vulnerability to break past our borders and invade. The flames of war rose throughout the Immortal Realm, leaving mountains of corpses strewn across our lands. Blood flowed like a river. Qi Nie... Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?” Li Xiehu’s eyes were bloodshot. “This is an irreconcilable grudge! Anyone who tries to sell off the Immortal Realm is an unforgivable sinner. Future generations will spit upon you and curse you. Your name shall be carved into the pillar of shame!”

Uproar arose on all sides. Countless people approved in silence, but many others sweated on Li Xiehu’s behalf.

Qi Nie’s expression didn’t so much as waver. He wasn’t moved in the slightest. He simply swept his gaze across the crowd and said with dignity, “I’m acting out of consideration for the well-being of the people of the Immortal Realm, with heaven and earth as my witness!”

He fixed his icy gaze on Li Xiefu. “Li Xiehu, you’ve insulted this lofty one in front of the crowd and violated the rules of the Immortal Peach Assembly. Your crimes are unforgivable. To me! Capture him!”

“Understood”

An old man in black appeared out of nowhere, shot through the sky, and arrived before Li Xiehu. Countless onlookers’ expressions shifted as they sensed the Great Martial Stage power emanating from him.

Li Xiehu’s expression filled with grief, then indignation as he laughed, “The heavens are watching! I knew when I came here that I wouldn’t leave alive. All I have left to say is that Qi Nie, even if you were ten times stronger, you couldn’t represent the entire Immortal Realm. You...”

Bang!

The old man in black landed in front of Li Xiehu and suppressed him with a gesture, then brought him to Cloudsoar Peak.

His methods were so crisp and direct that countless onlookers’ hearts shook.

The power of the Great Martial Stage is just too terrifying!

“Sect Leader, what should I do with him?” the old man in black asked solemnly.

Qi Nie waved. “Li Xiehu has protected the Sixth Gate of Heaven for a long time, and he’s achieved enormous military merit. He can escape death but not punishment. For now, imprison him. When he turns over a new leaf, he’s free to go.”

“Feh! Li Xiehu’s eyes bulged, and he spat.

Qi Nie disregarded him, and before long, the old man led Xie Beihu away.

Qi Nie swept his gaze across the crowd and said gravely, “Let me take this opportunity to make myself perfectly clear. Opposing me means opposing the welfare of the masses and peace for future generations! If anyone else dares to violate the rules of the Immortal Peach Assembly, they won’t get off lightly!”

His voice boomed like thunder. The crowd’s hearts shook, and their expressions shifted. All of them were as silent as cicadas in winter.

Numerous top experts of the Immortal Dao had gathered at the Immortal Peach Assembly, and there were countless terrifying powerhouses overseeing things. Who’d dare to act recklessly in the face of Qi Nie’s threats?

Nothing but a pack of motley riffraff entirely unworthy of attention.

Qi Nie laughed to himself. He’d anticipated that people like Li Xiehu would step forth and cause a commotion during the Immortal Peach Assembly, so he wasn’t at all surprised.

Alas, no matter how hard they objected, they were like ants trying to shake a tree. Their resistance would inevitably be crushed!

“Now, let the contract signing ceremony begin. Emissary Li Youxue of the Spirit Domain, please step forth!” said Qi Nie.

“Of course.” Li Youxue rose, her long silver hair glinting beneath the light of the heavens. The fiery mark between her eyes was extraordinarily eye-catching.

But then, another icy voice rang out. “Qie Nie, if you’d cede sixteen of our provinces to our enemies today, who’s to say you won’t offer them the Immortal Realm in its entirety tomorrow?” An old man with graying temples stepped forth, his eyes bulging with fury. “I won’t agree to that even if you kill me!”

Boom!

The crowd was in uproar once more. Everyone exchanged glances.

Who is it this time?

Before the crowd could process what they were seeing, someone else stepped forth.

“A fire won’t go out until it runs out of kindling. Offering land to our enemies in a bid for peace is like giving a fire firewood in hopes that it’ll go away! This principle is so simple that even three-year-old children can understand it, yet you insist on feigning ignorance. Qi Nie, you’ve let your wanton ambitions run wild! I won’t agree to this either."

This time, the speaker was a man in Confucian robes. His face was contorted with fury, and he spoke without fear of death.

The crowd’s agitation increased.

Qi Nie frowned, and his expression darkened.

Li Youxie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fellow Daoist, it seems not everyone is happy to see you bring peace to the Immortal Realm.”

“This is a trivial problem. I can resolve it with a flip of my hand,” said Qi Nie. “Just watch, Fellow Daoist.”

He then scanned the crowd, his gaze icy and terrifying. “If anyone else objects, step forth! I’d love to see just how many of you aren’t afraid to die!”

The experts of the top factions gathered on the peak eyed the crowd hungrily, making no attempt to hide their terrifying auras.

The atmosphere was instantly incomparably tense and murderous. Even the wind and clouds shifted.

Countless onlookers’ hearts quivered with fright. It was obvious to all of them that Qi Nie was enraged, and that stepping forth now would be tantamount to suicide.

But against all expectations and despite the circumstances, several people decisively stepped up anyway.

“Qi Nie, it isn’t your place to decide the fate of the Immortal Realm!” someone leaped forth and bellowed.

“Why cling to life? Why fear death? Even if I die, I’ll die with a clean conscience!” someone threw back his head and roared.

“Well said! That’s how cultivators ought to be!” someone applauded and resolutely stepped forth.

Throughout the endless crowd, more and more stepped forth. Ten, a hundred, a thousand...

Soon, their combined voices and momentum were a sight to behold. The sight shook the audience, and it was far beyond Qi Nie’s expectations.

His expression was instantly overcast. The Immortal Peach Assembly had only just begun, yet they were already provoking him like this. If he didn’t crush the dissent now, how could he proceed?

The other sect leaders and old-timers frowned too.

“Capture them!” Qi Nie expressionlessly issued orders.

“Right away!” A group of experts shrouded in terrifying auras shot through the sky, their combined force and momentum blotting out the sun.

They were like tigers among wolves. Within just a few blinks of an eye, they’d completely suppressed all of the immortal cultivators who’d stepped forth to voice their objections.

Countless onlookers felt chills in their hands and feet. The disparity was just too enormous! How could they possibly fight back?

The dissenters were up against peak experts of the Immortal Dao. They were suppressed with ease!

Reality is, ultimately, cruel: fearlessness in the face of death simply isn’t enough to solve your problems.

The mighty authority figures stood atop the mountain, coldly taking it all in, as if it were no more than an amusing spectacle.

In the face of absolute power, all resistance was futile. They were like eggs slamming themselves against rocks!

“Is there anyone else?” Qi Nie said coldly.

“There is!” A gaunt man in plain cloth robes whooshed over from afar. His sword intent swept out like a windstorm, cleaving the sky asunder.

Upon closer inspection, he was sickly, and he looked like a scholar, yet his sword intent startled the heavens and shook the earth, intimidating everything and everyone on all sides.

“The Sword Fanatic!”

“The greatest of the Central Immortal Court’s Ten Great Immortal Lords!”

“I wouldn’t have guessed he was still alive!”

“No, wait! Look! He’s obviously an Immortal King now!”

...The crowd was in uproar as countless older-generation cultivators recognized the scholarly man in plain cloth robes. This was none other than the Sword Fanatic An unparalleled Immortal Lord famous before the Age of Fallen Immortals!

More importantly, he’d served the old Central Immortal Court.

Now, he’d broken into the Miracle Realm and become an Immortal King, and he’d come here, heedless of Qi Nie’s threats, to publicly voice his objections!