After the fierce competition at the Grand Assembly Arena, there was a brief intermission. The excitement was about to surge once again.

In contrast to the internal contests within each Stellar River seen earlier, the true essence of the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects was embodied in the Ancestor Immortal Grotto's competition between the 18 Stellar Rivers. This was a genuine clash of the new generations from different Stellar Rivers—usually too vast and separated by barriers, rarely having a chance to directly confront each other.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Now, the Ancestor Immortal Grotto gathered these exceptional talents, making it not only a contest of power but also a moment for each Stellar River to shine its brightest. The outcomes would significantly impact the honor, authority, and future prospects of the celestial sects across the 18 Stellar Rivers.

This was of paramount importance!

Compared to the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, the internal struggles within the Stellar Rivers at the Grand Assembly Arena were merely designed to give mid-tier talents a sense of involvement.

To witness the clash of the pinnacle of talents, one must look to the Ancestor Immortal Grotto.

So, many considered the Grand Assembly Arena merely a warm-up; the real spectacle of talent was at the Ancestor Immortal Grotto.

As Zu Xinchen declared, batch after batch of top-tier talents in the Fifth Baptism Realm entered the swirling vortex of the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, disappearing into the starry maelstrom.

Each one was a prodigy of the highest order, comparable to figures like Zu Xi and Zhao Canglan—true paragons among countless billions!

Their demeanor, heritage, bloodlines, and divine foundations were all exceptional, far surpassing the hundreds of thousands of talented peers witnessing their entry.

Moreover, as they entered, the relative strengths of the Stellar Rivers were apparent.

The number of disciples in the Fifth Baptism Realm couldn’t be faked—showing the depth and power of each Stellar River.

Although the number of participants—ranging from a dozen to over a hundred—couldn't perfectly represent the strength between two Stellar Rivers, it was certainly indicative of broader trends.

With every entry of these top talents, cheers erupted, underlining the high regard in which these prodigies were held.

At this moment, all eyes were on those making their entrance.

Yun Xiao was no exception.

He scrutinized each competitor.

"In the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, there stands an ancient stele bearing the Samsara Rankings—the premier ranking of talents in the Samsara Galaxy, updated every Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects. Only ten are listed, and to make it onto this list means resounding fame across the 18 Stellar Rivers and a likely future of becoming a Boundless Immortal," Wan Ji remarked with longing and admiration.

"I've never made the rankings," Si Ji said nonchalantly.

"But you can't deny the influence of this list. It's a gold standard. If you had made it, our Harmony Divine Palace would have faced far fewer difficulties over the centuries," Wan Ji earnestly replied.

"The influence is indeed substantial. Everyone in the Samsara Galaxy, be they newcomers or those starting anew, dreams of seeing their name on the Samsara Rankings. After all, it was said that even the Supreme Heavenly Court takes notice of this ranking..." Si Ji acknowledged, speaking with conviction.

"Aren't you tired of all these rankings? It's kind of boring, no?" Yun Xiao couldn't help but complain.

"It's different! The Grand Assembly Rankings is about power, while the Samsara Rankings ranks true talent. If you're not interested, I am. I want to stand out," Feng Yao said excitedly.

"I think you just want to lose your head," Yun Xiao chuckled.

"There are many rewards for those who make the rankings, even opportunities to join the Samsara Galaxy Federation. Don't you want to know more?" Wan Ji asked.

"There's no time left; we're about to start, and you're only mentioning this now?" Yun Xiao responded dryly.

"I was going to tell you, but you and Si Ji ran off, didn't you? It’s been half a day. Couldn’t you find time to discuss serious matters?" Wan Ji retorted.

"Let's not talk about it anymore; he doesn't care and probably won't make it anyway," Si Ji quickly interjected, wary of ruining her image in front of Feng Yao.

"Anyway, if you have questions about the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, just ask her; Wan Ji knows the details," Si Ji suggested.

Yun Xiao's focus was indeed more on rescue efforts now. As for competing in the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, he'd see how he felt and what the benefits were. If the rewards were good, he wouldn’t turn them down.

▬ι══🪦✧⚰️✧🪦══ι▬

Amidst the enthusiastic farewells of hundreds of thousands of talents from across the Samsara Galaxy, the top talents from 18 Stellar Rivers entered the Ancestor Immortal Grotto one after another.

The Heavenly Deity Stellar River, being the first host galaxy in history with fewer than ten Fifth Baptism Realm talents, entered last, eliciting some laughter at the thinly populated state from both the crowd and Million Starlight Palace.

If not for the presence of Yun Xiao and Feng Yao, people might have scorned the host as barely having a handful of talents.

Even the team of talents who entered before them struggled to hold back their laughter.

They were demons. There were 33 of them. These 33 demons appeared to be of entirely different kinds, with no two the same.

But what they all had in common was that they were all resentment demons—a special class of demon known for defying the natural order, often unpredictable, and notoriously difficult to vanquish or kill.

Yun Xiao had already encountered numerous resentment demons, particularly corpse demons, but these 33 still evoked a sense of danger, eeriness, and grim foreboding.

They even made figures like Zu Xi feel a chill.

The 33 demons didn't openly mock the Heavenly Deity Stellar River's group; instead, they turned back to give Yun Xiao and the others a chilling cacophony of unsettling laughs before disappearing into the turbulent maelstrom within the Ancestor Immortal Grotto.

"I've heard that the Heavenly Demon Stellar River has grown quite close to the Southern Divine Dragon Realm over the past millennium. They're located near the southern edge of the Heavenly Deity Stellar River, close to the Southern Divine Dragon Realm as well," Zu Xi mentioned, glancing at Yun Xiao as a reminder. "Given the way they were looking at you earlier, there's an eighty percent chance they'll try to take revenge for the Southern Divine Dragon Realm. It's just a guess, but you should still be cautious."

"Thanks for the heads-up." Yun Xiao appreciated the warning. "With 33 resentment demons, each harboring different grudges, there is indeed danger. I'll be careful."

He could sense that among his opponents in the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, many were particularly troublesome—many were reincarnations of old monsters, cunning and vicious, and there were numerous top-tier Seeds of Creation.

"It's our turn. After we enter, we'll use flying talismans to stay in contact," Zu Xi stated seriously.

The need for flying talismans stemmed from the initial chaos upon entering the grotto, where everyone would be scattered to different locations.

Normally, although everyone started in different places, those from the same Stellar River would likely use flying talismans to communicate and try to regroup as soon as possible.

Some preferred to go it alone.

From Zu Xi's attitude, it seemed they were keen on sticking with Yun Xiao.

"Since I'm already a target for the Heavenly Demon Stellar River, won't it be dangerous for you to be with me?" Yun Xiao asked.

"I trust you," Zu Xi replied, recalling how Yun Xiao had dominated with a single strike against 300 geniuses. He joked, "As for the Heavenly Demon Stellar River, they have no quarrel with us. Normally, they'd only beat you up without involving us."

"How honest!" Yun Xiao laughed. "Alright, let's keep in touch with the flying talismans, everyone."

Despite the arrangement with the flying talismans, in such a chaotic environment as the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, finding each other solely based on them would be difficult—it depended on luck. It was said that most of the time, even paired flying talismans couldn't locate each other.

So, the group of eight entered the Ancestor Immortal Grotto together.

As for the disciple named Meng Yan from the Nine Yin Soul Sea, she had already entered with another group earlier.

As Yun Xiao, Feng Yao, and the others entered the swirling tempest of the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, it marked the official start of the competition.

The storm at the entrance of the grotto began to shrink and close.

The hundreds of thousands of talents seeing them off grew tense.

"Let's go! Head to the Million Starlight Palace to watch!"

"Hurry!"

Nothing could be seen from the entrance of the Ancestor Immortal Grotto; the outcomes would ultimately be observed from the Million Starlight Palace.

At the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, after the departure of the hundreds of thousands of onlookers, the area quickly emptied, leaving only the 18 representatives from the Samsara Galaxy Federation and a few members from the Harmony Divine Palace.

"Please follow me," a middle-aged man said, his presence eerie and distinctively pale. His skin was ghastly white, his hair frosty, and even his eyeballs were devoid of color, giving him the appearance of a corpse or a zombie.

"Sure," Si Ji nodded, reassured to see Yun Xiao successfully enter the Ancestor Immortal Grotto. She was now ready to head to the Samsara Hall.

"Wan Ji, will you continue to stay here, or head to the Million Starlight Palace?" the pallid man suddenly asked with a grin that was more disturbing than friendly, startling even his own companions.

"Mind your own business, why so nosy?" Wan Ji replied sharply, her voice chilly.

The man merely gave a ghastly grin and left with the other representatives from the Samsara Galaxy Federation and Si Ji, heading towards the Samsara Hall.

Once they were gone, only Wan Ji, her daughters, and two Young Dragon Consorts, Shen Nanyin and Shi Feifei, remained.

"Mother, who is that representative from the Heavenly Demon Stellar River? He gives off such a creepy vibe," Hai Ying expressed, visibly unnerved.

"Don't bother with him. Just a rotten zombie. He once tried to sneak into our Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, but I chased him off," Wan Ji scoffed.

"Is that the Corpse Cloud Emperor?" Hai Qing realized, "He couldn't even beat mother. Yet, he managed to enter the Samsara Galaxy Federation. Seems like he's good at buttering people up."

"Cough, cough." Wan Ji was somewhat embarrassed. "Actually, I used the power of our grand celestial formation. In a normal one-on-one fight, I doubt I could defeat that monster..."

Her daughters' momentarily inflated egos deflated just as quickly.

"No worries, if that zombie dares to mess around, the Snow Lineage Diva can crush him," Hai Ying huffed confidently.

"By the way, mother, aren’t we from the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, secluded and hard to reach except through the teleportation array? How did the Corpse Cloud Emperor manage to come?" Hai Qing asked.

Wan Ji shook her head. "We are secluded, but some Stellar River powers possess divine vessels or celestial ships of a quality beyond the Nine Heavens Celestial Grades, capable of using the Supreme Celestial Pathways of a Category 4 plane to jump directly to us. The Heavenly Demon Stellar River has such ships. The Corpse Cloud Emperor was actually here on a scouting mission."

As she spoke about this, her expression was deeply troubled...