Chapter 518: A Palace (II)

The Assembly of Immortal Sects consisted of three stages: the Great Selection of the Four Seas, the Competition of a Hundred Sects, and the Battle at the Imperial City.

The Great Selection of the Four Seas involved a series of arena battles, in which hundreds of sects across the four seas and nine provinces competed to become one of the eighty-one teams that would proceed to the next stage.

The Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten were akin to seeded players and did not need to participate in the Great Selection. However, teams from the imperial family and from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau had to go through the selection process like everyone else. This showed the high status of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten.

In the second round, the Competition of a Hundred Sects, no privileges would be given to anyone. All representative teams would compete fairly to become one of the top ten teams selected to enter the final round, the Battle for the Imperial City.

The Mount Shu Sect had been eliminated in the second round for the last four consecutive assemblies. Due to their repeated failures to advance to the Battle for the Imperial City, the disciples of the Mount Shu Sect were mockingly referred to as the Gatekeepers of the Imperial City by disciples of the other Divine Nine sects.

Nonetheless, the disciples of the Mount Shu Sect were never resigned to accept this nickname. After all, the gatekeepers of the imperial city were supposed to be standing behind the gates, inside the city...

Chu Liang's team did not have to participate in the first round, but they traveled to the capital of Yu a day early anyway. They intended to use the extra day to familiarize themselves with the environment and observe their future opponents.

At every Assembly of Immortal Sects, there were dark horses who slayed the competition and emerged victorious from the preliminary rounds, advancing onward with impressive performances. So, Chu Liang's team could not afford to be complacent.

They arrived at the gates of the capital of Yu to find people waiting there to receive them. The imperial court had arranged for Chu Liang's group to be transported by carriage to their accommodation at the Emperor's Mound.

...

The Emperor's Mound was the site of a dragon's rising[1] and the place where the founding emperor of the Yu Dynasty had unearthed the Panyang Ancient Jade. It was just an unremarkable-looking hill outside the capital of Yu, but it held major significance to the Yu Dynasty.

The Yu Dynasty's ancestral shrine had been built at the top of the Emperor's Mound. Every spring, the emperor would bring the imperial family and the officials of the imperial court there to hold religious ceremonies. When major events like wars or natural disasters occurred, sacrifices would be made to deities at the temple.

That was why there was a palace that served as a temporary imperial residence halfway up the hill, surrounded by many houses and lodgings. They were for the emperor, his family, and his officials to stay overnight.

The Assembly of Immortal Sects' second round, the Competition of a Hundred Sects, was going to be held on the Emperor's Mound. Of course, the emperor would not allow cultivators to fight near the ancestral temple.

Instead, the disciples of the immortal sects would be battling it out in a hidden realm. The base of the Emperor's Mound would serve as a viewing area, ensuring that the ancestral temple on the mountaintop would remain undisturbed.

This location was chosen for two reasons. The first was that it would be disruptive for such a large number of cultivators to gather in the city. The second was that the imperial court wanted to demonstrate that it held the Assembly of Immortal Sects in high regard.

The imperial court gave the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten special treatment for the event. Their representative teams were allowed to settle in the lodgings halfway up the Emperor's Mound early and rest up before the battle.

Upon arriving at the foot of the Emperor's Mound, the carriage carrying Chu Liang's team went up the hill, following a straight road. The hill was not particularly large, so it didn't take long for the carriage to reach the lodging area.

When Chu Liang's group got off the carriage, they found there was a young palace attendant already waiting to greet them.

However, before the palace attendant could do so, the carriage driver approached the group first.

With an embarrassed smile, he quietly asked Chu Liang, "Young Hero Chu, I found it too embarrassing to ask earlier, but does your divine whip... really have

that

kind of miraculous effect?"

Seeing the driver's earnest and eager expression, Chu Liang could only advise him realistically, "Elder Brother, you should be seeing a doctor for that."

The driver left in disappointment.

On both sides of the main road were short, simple houses that appeared rather shabby at first glance. These lodgings were, after all, for officials to rest in when they went there for the religious ceremonies at the ancestral temple. That meant they could not be luxurious; they had to be simple and modest to reflect the nature of the business being handled there.

The young palace attendant then continued with his task of leading Chu Liang's group to their lodgings, but first, he took the chance to speak with Chu Liang's group while they were still standing idly on the side of the road.

The young palace attendant greeted them formally. "Greetings, young heroes and Esteemed Cultivator Wang. I am Lao Fangrong. I'm in charge of overseeing this temporary residence. Today, I will guide you to your lodgings. Please follow me."

Chu Liang had been puzzled that such a young palace attendant was wearing such fine clothes. It indicated that his rank was probably quite high. Nevertheless, Chu Liang figured it out straightaway when he heard the young palace attendant's name. The young palace attendant, Lao Fangrong, was likely Warrior Lao's adopted son.

Wang Xuanling nodded. "Thank you, Eunuch Lao."

As always, Wang Xuanling, the grand peak master of the Mount Shu Sect, put on a rather imposing demeanor when in the presence of outsiders. He held his hands behind his back and gazed at Lao Fangrong with a grave expression. Wang Xuanling naturally exuded the dignified air of an esteemed cultivator.

Lao Fangrong led the group through a street of simple houses.

Then as they walked by a courtyard with a rare pavilion and a fence, someone suddenly called out from inside.

"Miss Jiang—I mean, Young Hero Chu, has your team from Mount Shu arrived too?"

Chu Liang's group turned to see several robust young men standing in the courtyard. One of them was a familiar face—Feng Chaoyang of the Celestial King Sect.

It had been a while since Chu Liang last met him. Feng Chaoyang's eyes were now bright and sharp. He had clearly undergone some intensive training.

As for the three youths beside Feng Chaoyang, Chu Liang did not recognize them, but it did not matter. He had heard early on that the team representing the current generation of the Celestial King Sect's disciples consisted of Feng Chaoyang and his three "accessories."

The first person Feng Chaoyang had looked at was Jiang Yuebai... which was understandable since Jiang Yuebai was the most eye-catching and always the first one that everyone looked at. Feng Chaoyang had been about to call out to her earlier when he noticed Chu Liang standing beside her, so he reluctantly switched to greeting Chu Liang instead.

"Brother Feng, you seem to be in high spirits. It looks like you must have made great progress in your cultivation," Chu Liang replied with a smile.

Feng Chaoyang laughed. "

Hehe,

I don't know if I can beat you in the assembly, but you've definitely lost in picking a place to stay. This is the only pavilion around here, and we got it first."

Chu Liang laughed too. "You sure beat us to it."

He looked around and found that most of the houses there were indeed simple. They were not much better than his cabin on Mount Shu. The only pavilion was the one that Feng Chaoyang's team had taken.

"The conditions here are indeed quite modest, but it's not that the imperial court doesn't hold the Assembly of Immortal Sects in high regard. The ancestral temple is above on the mountaintop, so the officials do not dare to indulge in extravagance," Lao Fangrong explained. "This particular residence happens to be the residence of the Guardian Ruler[2], which is why it's slightly more refined."

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Cultivators don't place much importance on material things; these are of no consequence," Wang Xuanling commented.

He had been to this place many times, starting from when he participated in the Assembly of Immortal Sects as a youth to when he accompanied the representative teams there as a grand peak master. So, he was unsurprised by the accommodations.

Wang Xuanling pointed to the residence next door. "We'll stay next to the Celestial King Sect's team then."

The Mount Shu Sect had a good relationship with the Celestial King Sect. Seeing as they had already exchanged greetings, Wang Xuanling thought it was best to be neighbors.

Unexpectedly, Lao Fangrong said, "Esteemed Cultivator Wang, I do not wish to stop you. However, the lodging for your team has already been arranged, and it is not here."

"

Hm?

" Wang Xuanling looked at him in surprise. "Then, where is it?"

Lao Fangrong raised his hand and pointed at the residence at the end of the road.

He answered respectfully, "There."

Everyone turned to look, and astonished expressions appeared on their faces.

The residence in question had green-tiled roofs, white walls, pavilions, and grand architecture—all of which were completely out of place in this modest setting.

It was, unmistakably, an imperial palace.

1. This could also be referring to the emperor's rise to the throne or where he gained power to rise to the throne. We're not sure since it does mention a dragon in this chapter.> here. ☜

2. The Guardian Ruler guards the Celestial Northern Prison and is a Master of the Heavenly Origin from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau. First mentioned in this chapter. ☜