On the high platform on Emperor's Mound, the elders of the immortal sects sat in small groups. For those with keen eyes, much could be inferred just by observing the seating arrangements.

Generally, the members of the sects in the Divine Nine sat together, while the members of the sects in the Terrestrial Ten clustered with their own. It was rare for an elder of a sect in the Divine Nine to lower themselves to sit with any member of a sect in the Terrestrial Ten, just as it was uncommon for an elder of a sect in the Terrestrial Ten to mingle with any member of a sect in the Divine Nine, as doing so could tarnish their reputation and label them as social climbers.

Among the higher-ups of the sects in the Terrestrial Ten, Huyan Dong, the City Lord of Taotie City, Huang Hanshan, the Lord of the Thunderbolt Stronghold, and Xu Bashan, the Chief of the Four Seas Whale Gang, were seated together.

It was rather interesting that these three were sitting together.

Huyan Dong, with a square face, broad features, and graying temples, appeared to be in his forties or fifties. He seemed like the kind of person who could give off an air of authority without ever raising his voice.

Dressed in wide-sleeved robes, he looked like a simple man. However, as he had been the wealthiest man in the realm of immortality cultivation for a very long time, he naturally exuded a noble aura.

His life story was legendary. He was not a member of the direct lineage of the Huyan Family, nor was he a resident of Taotie City. Instead, he was part of a distant branch of the Huyan Family, living in a village outside the city. If this were a tale of an emperor with poor relatives, he would certainly play the role of those poor relatives.

But through his own grit and talent, he clawed his way up, eventually managing most of the Huyan Family's enterprises. His cultivation level and acumen far surpassed those of the Master of the Huyan Family at the time. After the family elders "begged" him multiple times, he finally agreed to take over the supervision of Taotie City, allowing his family to become the rightful lineage of the Huyan Family.

He married the most beautiful woman from the Ascending Dragon Academy, who was sixty years younger than him. He was truly the winner in life.

Now, his biggest wish was to help his city rise to the ranks of the Divine Nine while he was still the city lord. Judging by the progress of this Assembly of Immortal Sects, it seemed he was closer than ever to realizing that dream.

After Yang Shenlong killed most of the members from the Mount Shu Sect team, no one believed Chu Liang could pull off a comeback on his own. Thus, Huyan Dong's biggest competitor became Huang Hanshan.

Huang Hanshan shared the same thought.

Huang Hanshan sat to the left. With his broad face, bushy beard, and fierce eyes, he resembled a bandit chieftain.

Huyan Dong, with his noble bearing, sat on the right, wearing a faint smile.

Between them sat Xu Bashan, appearing calm as a pond.

He sat between them because he had good relations with both. He had sworn brotherhood with Huang Hanshan. Obviously, this was a bond that was one of life and death.

Meanwhile, the Whale Gang and Taotie City maintained close business ties. The Whale Gang had established shops along nearly an entire street in Taotie City, creating an inseparable relationship of mutual interest between the two.

Additionally, the Whale Gang, like Ascending Dragon Academy, was rooted in the Four Seas and Nine Provinces, with no ambition to compete for a position among the Divine Nine. As a result, they had no conflict with either side.

Thus, when Taotie City and Thunderbolt Stronghold were at odds, he naturally became the ideal mediator between the two.

As the disciples of Taotie City entered Misty Waters City, Huang Hanshan remarked with a sneer, "City Lord Huyan, what a cunning plan... Latching onto Penglai's support is surely a clever way to step into the ranks of the Divine Nine."

By saying this, he was implicitly mocking that the Taotie City was acting like a lapdog to the Penglai Supreme Sect, but Huyan Dong ignored his comments.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

When Du Wuhen entered Misty Waters City, Huyan Dong smiled and replied, "The head disciple of Thunderbolt Stronghold sure has guts, going out of his way to ally with enemies."

Huang Hanshan glared. "Considering the situation, why not? Nothing wrong with that."

"True, it's certainly the move of a real man," Huyan Dong replied sarcastically.

"Alright, alright," Xu Bashan interjected. "Neither of you has much room to talk. The disciples are the ones fighting in the illusory realm—what good does it do for you two to argue here?"

Huang Hanshan and Huyan Dong both let out cold snorts in response.

At this rate, it looked like both Taotie City and Thunderbolt Stronghold could make it into the top ten by relying on Penglai. From what they had shown in the past, Thunderbolt Stronghold had a slightly better track record, but not by much.

If the Mount Shu Sect actually lost their place in the Divine Nine, Taotie City could rely on its vast wealth and make generous contributions to the imperial court as well as other sects in the Divine and they might actually end up being the one to take Mount Shu Sect's place.

Huang Hanshan, observing the situation in the illusory realm, couldn't help but furrowed his brows.

Du Wuhen was on his own, so he wouldn't be able to eliminate the entire team from Taotie City, especially since Taotie City was protected by the Penglai Supreme Sect team. Huang Hanshan began strategizing his next moves so that his sect could be the one to take Mount Shu Sect's place.

Huyan Dong didn't have absolute confidence either; in terms of sect heritage and legacy, the Thunderbolt Stronghold was certainly more legitimate than Taotie City.

At this moment, he started scanning the high platform, contemplating how best to bribe the elders of the other immortal sects.

"What? Already thinking about whom to bribe?" Huang Hanshan's words hit the mark.

"Lord Huang, these are interesting words coming out of your mouth!" Huyan Dong replied. "If there truly is an empty spot in the rankings of the Divine Nine, do you really think it could be bought with money? Your sect has often accepted gifts from my city. If bribery worked, would your sect have stepped down from competing for this spot?"

"That just means you haven't offered me enough," Huang Hanshan laughed. "If you offered a tempting price, why wouldn't we consider giving you the rank of the Divine Nine?"

"Lord Huang, you speak as if it's already decided that your sect will take Mount Shu Sect's place," Huyan Dong retorted.

"I think there's a point to what you're saying," Xu Bashan interrupted the argument with a steady voice. "Why are you both talking as if that seat is already empty? As long as Chu Liang lives, neither of your sects stands a chance."

"Even if your little brother is exceptionally gifted, what can he do by himself? Wipe out two teams like Yang Shenlong did?" Huang Hanshan scoffed.

"Just take a look at what he's doing," Xu Bashan suddenly remarked.

As he gazed at the display in mid-air, his calm demeanor finally broke into a genuine smile.

…

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

A sudden barrage of Thunderfire Pills shook Misty Waters City, leaving its residents stunned.

This was Penglai's territory, one that its members had cleansed and purged. Who would dare to cause trouble here?

Near the eastern part of the city, a few disciples of Taotie City emerged into the streets amidst the rumbling shockwaves. Huyan Bin, both shocked and enraged, yelled, "What's going on?"

"City Lord Junior, let's get out of here first," urged the Taotie City disciples around him.

"The entire Misty Waters City is blowing up! Where do we hide?" Huyan Bin snapped. "Raise the shields!"

At his command, three disciples behind him raised twenty-four talismans, which immediately transformed into massive golden shields in the air.

Together, the seventy-two shields created a barrier across the sky, deflecting the incoming Thunderfire Pills. Despite the intense explosions, the shields only wavered slightly.

Taotie City might not have the strongest cultivation legacies, but they certainly had wealth.

Each talisman was worth a fortune and could only be used once, yet these disciples didn't hesitate to use seventy-two of them.

From a bird's-eye view, it appeared to be an attack of Thunderfire Pills met with a defense of talisman shields. But in reality, it was more like a clash of Vermillion-Bird coins and sword coins.

But in the next instant, a shadowy figure streaked through the street, arriving in a flash.

"Who's there?" A disciple of Taotie City quickly raised an enchanted tool, summoning a wall of raging fire to block the path.

However, the figure seemed to have felt nothing, charging straight through the wall of divine fire and landing a punch as it reached the ground!

Boom—

The disciple who had summoned the wall of divine fire was obliterated by a single punch, disintegrating into a soul crystal.

Only then did Huyan Bin finally see clearly—it was Chu Liang who had launched this night raid.

Huyan Bin's heart skipped a beat.

Huyan Bin's bribery was the main reason why Yang Shenlong had gone to attack the disciples of the Mount Shu Sect. Now, as Huyan Bin saw Chu Liang descend from the sky like a god, he naturally felt a twinge of guilt.

Especially since Chu Liang, with flames raging behind him, resembled a vengeful deity coming to wreak havoc!

"Retreat! Find the people from Penglai!" Huyan Bin shouted.

Even though they outnumbered Chu Liang three to one, he didn't hesitate to order a retreat.

He made a wise choice, but he was not wise enough. If they had fled upon hearing the explosions, they would have had a chance to escape. And now, with Chu Liang closing in, where could they possibly go?

The three disciples from Taotie City summoned a pair of massive golden wings behind them, their gleaming feathers shimmering with light. With a single flap, they transformed into streaks of light, flying hundreds of zhang in an instant.

They were so fast, even their afterimages were barely visible.

Taotie City possessed a new legendary artifact ranked among the top hundred, named the Golden Wings That Brush Against the Clouds. What they now summoned was a high-level replica of this artifact.

Yet, no speed could match the all-encompassing rain of swords.

The moment they raised their golden wings, Chu Liang unhesitatingly drew his flying sword and hurled it into the air.

With a piercing sound, the sword split into countless streams of sword light, slicing through the sky and raining down like a storm!

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

That was the Myriad Talismanic Sword!

Chu Liang used the swiftest talismanic script, the Talismanic Script of Wind, causing the endless sword light to descend instantly.

Once more, the area was engulfed by sword qi, bringing complete devastation to Misty Waters City that night.

The explosions from the Thunderfire Pills had already reduced much of the city to rubble. Now, as the attacks from the Myriad Talismanic Sword rained down on the remnants, even the rubble was obliterated, leaving half the district in dust.

The two Taotie City disciples didn't even have time to scream before the sword light overtook them, turning them into soul crystals.

Only Huyan Bin survived the rain of swords, as a gentle light suddenly enveloped his entire body, protecting his life and instantly transporting him ten zhang away.

"The Salvation Bodhi Mantra?"

Chu Liang instantly recognized it as a highly valuable Buddhist relic in the realm of immortality cultivation—a life-saving talisman for critical moments.

"Brother Chu…" Huyan Bin smiled bitterly. "It's been a while. There's no need to rush; we could sit and talk this through. Spare me, and I can give you money…"

"Brother Huyan, you're not short on money, and neither am I," Chu Liang replied with a smile. "I'm pressed for time right now, so let's catch up another day."

Before Chu Liang finished speaking, he had already appeared in front of Huyan Bin.

Huyan Bin raised his hand, summoning four fierce and intimidating Vajra Puppets to block Chu Liang's path.

But Chu Liang wielded the Dustless Sword, its sword light surging as the Geng Metal foundational qi from his two Golden Cores filled the sword. With a single strike, he cleaved through two of the puppets at the waist!

Every sect provided their disciples with numerous pills, enchanted tools, and useful items before entering the illusory realm. However, there was a limit to what one person could manage, and carrying too much would only become a burden.

Huyan Bin clearly seemed to be panicking as Chu Liang drew closer.

He didn't dare block with his cultivation energy. In fact, he had lost all sense of judgment, wildly throwing enchanted tools and hoping that one would be enough to block Chu Liang's advance.

Chu Liang even saw him throw out a worn boot and someone's embroidered dudou. Huyan Bin's frantic scrambling suggested that there were simply too many things in his storage tool, resulting in a mental overload.

But no matter the tool, Chu Liang sliced through each one with a single stroke!

Indeed, wealth was part of one's strength, but beyond that, Chu Liang's own power was truly elite. In comparison, Huyan Bin fell far short.

I have money, and so do you.

But I possess top-tier talent for comprehending immortal arts, do you?

I have two ultimate-tier Golden Cores circulating within me, do you?

I have two times the foundational qi of the fifth realm due to my two Golden Cores, do you?

I have Large-Headed Dolls tirelessly working for me, do you?

I have Senior Sister Jiang, do you?

I have inherited more than one dragon legacy, did you?

As the sword light drew nearer, Chu Liang shattered not only Huyan Bin's enchanted tools but also Taotie City's hopes of ascending into the Divine Nine.

As Huyan Bin watched Chu Liang descend with demonic swordlight, he suddenly realized that it might have been a grave mistake to go against the Mount Shu Sect!

In despair, he managed one last shout, "Brother Chuuu! I even bought you a meal once!"

Slash!

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT