Ji Kingdom Cultivators

Fairy Yunshuang’s primary purpose was to inform them that the danger of the third round would increase exponentially, leaving it to the disciples to decide whether to continue participating.

From Fairy Yunshuang’s perspective, as the Sect Master of Yunhua Sect, she naturally did not wish for her disciples to lose their lives in the internal strife of the Righteous Dao Alliance.

Such conflicts were pointless, merely internal attrition.

Why, then, was the Righteous Dao Alliance plagued by internal strife?

The main reason stemmed from the non-aggression pact signed between the Righteous Dao Alliance and the Demonic Dao Alliance, which had maintained peace for over four hundred years.

This prolonged period without a unified external threat had inevitably led to the proliferation of various internal issues.

Cultivators, by their very nature, contended with heaven, earth, and fellow mortals; each individual yearned for higher status, more resources, and greater influence.

This was an unspoken understanding among most cultivators.

Consider the various sects: with a finite amount of internal resources, a greater share would naturally be allocated to disciples who possessed more merit, higher status, and superior talent.

Consequently, everyone strove desperately to climb the ranks, an ascent that invariably meant confronting the obstruction of those above them, who were decidedly unwilling to share their cultivation resources with more individuals.

After Fairy Yunshuang’s explanation, some of the disciples who had advanced to the third round, particularly the more timid among them, heeded her advice and withdrew.

However, very few retreated, perhaps not even one-tenth of the total.

Thus, the Yunhua Sect still faced challenges from other sects.

Although the Yunhua Sect stood as the foremost sect in Jiang Country, it might also be the weakest among the top sects within the five countries, incomparable to the leading sects of other nations.

This was because they had only risen to prominence within the last millennium.

The sect’s foundation largely rested upon the support of its Grand Elder, Fairy Yunshuang; should she ever depart, the sect would likely plummet from its esteemed position.

With such a monumental event unfolding, the major sects of Jiang Country could no longer afford their internal squabbles.

Their internal affairs were their own concern, and they certainly could not allow other nations to profit from their weaknesses.

Therefore, the sects from Azure Nether Sect, who had initially intended to confront Yan Yun, immediately sought out Fairy Yunshuang to declare that their conflict with Yan Yun would be temporarily suspended until after they had dealt with the cultivators from Ji Country.

Fairy Yunshuang then reminded Yan Yun and the others not to target the Azure Nether Sect and similar factions in the upcoming events.

Yan Yun naturally assented, acknowledging that the arrival of Ji Country necessitated setting aside personal grievances; to do otherwise would be to declare enmity against the entire cultivation world of Jiang Country.

And just as everyone conversed, a domineering, deep, and resonant voice suddenly echoed throughout Six Yang Mountain.

“Hahahaha!”

“Chen Yingtian, the Alliance Master of Ji Country’s Immortal Dao Alliance, having heard that the Immortal Dao Assembly these past few days aims to foster friendship between our two cultivation worlds, has arrived uninvited, bringing with him the ten great sects and their exceptional disciples.

I wonder, esteemed fellow Daoists of Jiang Country’s cultivation world, if you would permit us to join in the festivities?”

The voice was laden with immense pressure; even Shangguan Jinyang, a Divine Venerable, found his heart pounding with trepidation.

‘Such terrifying pressure! Is this the might of a Great Perfection Earth-tier Divine Venerable?’

Within the entire cultivation world of Jiang Country, only Fairy Yunxia and a handful of other Earth-tier Divine Venerables could disregard this oppressive aura; all other cultivators, to varying degrees, felt a sense of suppression depending on the strength of their cultivation.

Chen Yingtian was among the most formidable cultivators of the previous era.

The Lower Realm experienced an era every millennium, and while their current era had yet to truly begin, Chen Yingtian was undeniably the supreme powerhouse of the Lower Realm.

Shangguan Jinyang, gritting his teeth, flew upwards.

He gazed into the distance and, forcing himself, responded, “Esteemed guests have traveled far; how could we possibly turn you away?

Please, fellow Daoists from Ji Country, do come in.”

Given that the other party had been polite enough not to simply barge in, Shangguan Jinyang naturally had no choice but to welcome them.

No sooner had Shangguan Jinyang’s voice faded.

The next moment, a colossal and opulent flying artifact soared from the distant horizon with astonishing speed.

As this artifact drew nearer, every cultivator from Jiang Country was gripped by an intense sense of oppression.

Indeed, the flying artifact felt like a towering mountain bearing down upon them.

Upon the flying artifact stood numerous cultivators, men and women, old and young alike.

At the very forefront, a dozen or so Divine Venerables, radiating terrifying auras, commanded attention; among them were not just one, but several Great Perfection Divine Venerables, all of whom were Earth-tier Divine Venerables.

Nevertheless, even Earth-tier Divine Venerables varied in strength.

Within the Lower Realm’s six major realms, cultivating two realms to Great Perfection allowed one to manifest an Earth-tier Divine Venerable Aspect; cultivating all realms to their absolute peak, however, would culminate in a Heavenly Venerable Aspect.

In her time, Yan Lingyun had been but a hair’s breadth from cultivating the Divine Venerable Realm to its pinnacle, which would have allowed her Earth-tier Aspect to ascend to the Heaven-tier.

This was precisely why she had been so formidable, virtually unrivaled throughout the Lower Realm.

Had the Upper Realm not dispatched four Divine Fire Realm powerhouses, she would undoubtedly have reigned supreme over all others.

Among the current Divine Venerables in the Lower Realm, the strongest known cultivated five realms to Great Perfection, followed by individuals like Chen Yingtian, who had cultivated four realms to Great Perfection.

Cultivators who had achieved Great Perfection in four realms certainly numbered no more than ten across the entire Tianchen Continent at present.

The middle-aged man standing at the forefront of the flying artifact, clad in pale golden robes, was Chen Yingtian.

Though he appeared refined and scholarly, his aura was undeniably overbearing.

‘That’s right, the powerhouses from Ji Country’s ten great sects.’

‘Indeed, those individuals must be the powerhouses from Ji Country’s ten great sects, and all of them are Earth-tier Divine Venerables.’

On Jiang Country’s side, the strongest was Fairy Yunxia, an Earth-tier Divine Venerable who had cultivated three realms to Great Perfection.

Following her were the Old Ancestors of Jiang Country’s ten great sects, each of whom had cultivated at least two realms to Great Perfection, making them Earth-tier Divine Venerables.

Shangguan Jinyang was also an Earth-tier Divine Venerable, but he had only cultivated two realms to Great Perfection, rendering him incomparable to Chen Yingtian.

Should a battle ensue, Chen Yingtian could likely contend with three Earth-tier Divine Venerables who had cultivated two realms to Great Perfection, all by himself.

“What an enormous flying artifact! Is this the foundation of Ji Country?”

The cultivators of Jiang Country, disregarding all else, grasped the vast disparity between their own cultivation world and that of Ji Country simply by observing this magnificent flying artifact.

The flying artifact of Ji Country’s cultivation world ultimately hovered above Immortal Alliance City.

Chen Yingtian and his retinue smiled faintly, descending from the sky to land before Shangguan Jinyang and the others.

After their arrival, at least a thousand diverse young cultivators followed suit, descending from above to position themselves behind their elders.

Each of these young cultivators exuded an extraordinary and uncommon presence; the auras they unconsciously revealed caused Fairy Yunxia and the others to furrow their brows.

The caliber of Ji Country’s new generation of cultivators was far superior to that of Jiang Country.

“Fairy, it has been a long time.

Our last meeting was at the Righteous Dao Alliance Assembly, wasn’t it?

Nearly four hundred years have passed since then.”

Chen Yingtian, completely disregarding Shangguan Jinyang, instead greeted Fairy Yunxia.

Fairy Yunxia offered a slight smile.

“Indeed, our last encounter was on the battlefield, contending with the Demonic Dao.”

Fairy Yunxia and Chen Yingtian had met at least four times.

Their first meeting was at the Righteous Dao Assembly held by the Righteous Dao Alliance, where she had contended with Chen Yingtian in the finals—an event that transpired eight hundred years ago.

Subsequent encounters had primarily been related to conflicts with the Demonic Dao Alliance.

“Esteemed fellow Daoists, our Ji Country cultivation world has arrived uninvited this time, and for that, we beg your indulgence.

It is merely that, as you are aware, less than thirty years remain until our peace treaty with the Demonic Dao Alliance expires.

This Venerable One wishes to ascertain whether the new generation of the Righteous Dao Alliance can shoulder this responsibility, and thus, I have brought Ji Country’s most exceptional disciples of this generation to engage in an exchange with Jiang Country’s nascent cultivators.”

“Rest assured, everyone I have brought are young cultivators under the age of thirty, meeting the requirements to participate in Jiang Country’s Immortal Dao Assembly.”

Chen Yingtian stated.

Shangguan Jinyang offered a forced smile.

“Alliance Master Chen, perhaps we should first proceed to the main hall and take a seat?”

Chen Yingtian shook his head.

“There is no need.

I understand that you all delayed the event while awaiting our Ji Country cultivators, solely to allow Jiang Country’s younger generation to witness the strength of our new generation of cultivators from Ji Country.

Since that is the case, let us begin.

This Venerable One is also keen to observe the capabilities of Jiang Country’s new generation of cultivators.

Since the event has already been delayed, how can we make fellow Daoists wait any longer?

I suggest we allow our Ji Country disciples to proceed directly to the event grounds.

Rest assured, they will certainly adhere to the rules of the event.”

The cultivators of Jiang Country found themselves with no other recourse but to nod in agreement.

Consequently, Shangguan Jinyang and his group could no longer remain seated in the main hall; they were compelled to escort the people of Ji Country to the event grounds.

Upon Chen Yingtian’s arrival, one of his companions casually waved a hand, causing a tall stone platform to rise from the ground.

The cultivators from Ji Country immediately ascended it.

Chen Yingtian and his group had somewhat usurped the host’s role.

They even, in passing, constructed a raised platform for the people of Jiang Country, though it was noticeably half the height of Ji Country’s platform.

“Please, everyone, take your seats,” Chen Yingtian declared, gesturing with a sweep of his hand after settling down.

Though the cultivators of Jiang Country felt deeply uncomfortable, they were ultimately powerless.

After all, their cultivation world’s overall strength was vastly inferior to that of Ji Country.

Thus, the high-ranking figures from both cultivation worlds were present at the scene.

“All disciples who have advanced to the third round, please gather at the event grounds.

The third round of activities is about to commence.”

After taking his seat, Shangguan Jinyang gestured to a Divine Venerable cultivator, who immediately rose and called for the participating disciples to come forward.

Yan Yun and the others, guided by Yunwu and his companions, flew towards the event grounds.

As the participating disciples arrived one after another.

The powerhouses from Ji Country, without any reservation, unleashed their divine sense to scan Yan Yun and the others.

This behavior was, in fact, highly impolite.

The cultivators of Jiang Country all felt a wave of humiliation.

“Hmph! How direct they are! Is this typical of Ji Country cultivators?” Yan Yun remarked with a hint of displeasure.

After a sweeping gaze, Chen Yingtian’s eyes settled particularly on Jiang Yao, Su Muyu, and the others.

“Hmm, it seems Jiang Country’s new generation does possess some rather promising talents.

What a pity, though, that such excellent aptitudes are only at the Cavern Heaven Realm.

A great pity indeed.

Were they in our Ji Country, they would likely have reached the Spirit Transformation Realm long ago,” a Great Sect Old Ancestor from Ji Country remarked, stroking his beard with a sarcastic tone.

Yan Yun and the others did not respond to his words, leaving the Old Ancestor momentarily discomfited.

Yan Yun and her companions first glanced at the prominent figures, then their gazes shifted to the young cultivators standing behind them.

‘This? This aura… these must be Divine Mark Realm cultivators, right? Terrifying.’

Yan Yun discovered that a considerable number of these individuals were Divine Mark Realm cultivators.

Regardless of whether these individuals had cultivated the preceding realms to their absolute peak.

Even if they hadn’t, it was still utterly astonishing.