The immortals of the Chi Ming Heavenly Realm fell like kites with broken strings, several streams of light shooting into the sky only to plummet back down at extreme speed. The old immortal from Mount Lao descended, enveloped in celestial light. Dozens of great cultivators rushed forward to support him. The old immortal staggered, and by the time he could catch his breath, the surrounding cultivators were horrified to discover he was bleeding from all seven orifices and trembling uncontrollably.
"Damn it... there really are no free lunches in this world! I thought after crossing the Heavenly Gate and proving my immortal status, I could roam freely across millions of miles of mountains and rivers without restraint. I never expected a demon king to appear!"
The immortal of Mount Lao's breath was unstable. The incense and wishes accumulated by Mount Lao for two hundred years had all been poured into him. As the guardian of the foremost sect of the East Sea, he had returned to the mortal world in such a disheveled state on his very first ascension.
Just as disheveled was Old Daoist Pei from Mount Longhu.
"This old daoist has never heard of a 'Yuan Shi Demon King.' It truly hurts. What kind of power was that just now... Even as an immortal, I was almost torn apart. If my immortal form were shattered, I would become a false immortal."
Fortunately, this unfamiliar demon king had gone easy on them, only administering a minor punishment. Yet, even a light touch possessed such might, making Old Daoist Pei grit his teeth. He then recalled the rules set by this demon king: to ascend without passing the demon trial, one's true name would be seized, and ten thousand good deeds would be required for a make-up exam.
Indeed, not all good fortune comes easily.
"Forget it, ten thousand good deeds it is. Although if I commit even one evil deed, all my efforts will be in vain, I have at least entered the immortal realm. I have achieved this goal for now. I'll deal with the demon trial later..."
Old Daoist Pei adjusted his mindset. He had cultivated on Mount Longhu for so many years, only to find himself inferior to the three individuals remaining on Mount Wudang. The anomalies on Mount Wudang had already spread to Mount Longhu, so how could he not know that three celestial beings had emerged from Mount Wudang?
It seemed his years on Mount Longhu had been wasted.
Looking at the other junior who had ascended, the father of the next Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu, who had journeyed to Korea, had also crossed the threshold into immortality. This was thanks to the deep foundation accumulated by Mount Longhu.
After all, it was a millennium-old sect, possessing a significant advantage over sects like Mount Wudang, which were only a few hundred years old. Even someone with a considerable gap in cultivation could be forcefully pushed into the immortal threshold.
Northeast Changbai Mountain.
That colossal celestial pillar undoubtedly belonged to Kai Tian Hong Sheng Emperor. Clad in thick fur, wearing a mask, and holding a slender nine-pronged branch, he stood atop Tianchi.
For him, after many years of confinement, this was finally a moment of triumph. However, it did not last long. He also saw the blood-red sky curtain and knew well that even though his cultivation was not based on Daoist magic, this Yuan Shi Demon King might not spare him.
The scope of this was rather broad.
"I was careless. Perhaps I was caught up in this. If only I had ascended on a different day, staggered my ascent..."
He felt a pang of regret, believing he had been inexplicably entangled.
Kai Tian Hong Sheng Emperor's true form was the East Heavenly Nine-Pronged Divine Tree. He had been conferred a title during the Jin Dynasty and became the mountain god of Changbai Mountain. He never expected that as an earth deity, he would still be subjected to a demon king's trial, causing him to shake his head repeatedly.
The owner of the other small celestial pillar had also ascended. The spirits and "immortals" of Changbai Mountain were celebrating this.
"Congratulations! Congratulations to Old Madam Hei on her ascension!"
"With Old Madam Hei guarding Tiecha Mountain from now on, the Northeast will be safe. We hope for your continued care!"
"It seems Nurhaci died at just the right time! He left us such a great inheritance. He had no use for the sun essence, but we can use it!"
The five great spirit mediums, Hu, Huang, Bai, Liu, and Hui, continuously congratulated Old Madam Hei, the great protector among the spirit mediums. Old Madam Hei, though weary, couldn't help but feel happy looking at Old Master Hu and Old Madam Bai.
"My accumulation was insufficient. I only crossed the threshold of Pure Yang last year. Although I managed to obtain those few drops of sun essence and barely refined my form with the sun, there was always a possibility of failure. If not for this opportunity for ascension, I might not have lasted until the end of this month before succumbing to the sun refinement and passing away."
"As for who this demon king is, I don't care. I have no intention of proceeding with further trials anyway."
Old Master Hu roared with laughter, "This is fate! Something that was destined to fail succeeded due to a certain opportunity. All the foundations of my Changbai Mountain since the Jin Dynasty have been depleted, but we have finally pushed you into the immortal ranks. The subsequent matters will be left to Kai Tian Hong Sheng Emperor. With one immortal guarding our spirit mediums, although our outward expansion is insufficient, we have enough to protect ourselves!"
"Who is that demon king? Whoever he is, let him be!"
The spirit mediums cheered boisterously.
It wasn't that they didn't want to undergo the trial. It was just that they knew Old Madam Hei had forcefully ascended, and the celestial pillar had been condensed with great difficulty. Under such circumstances, there was no expectation that Old Madam Hei could advance further. Her potential was insufficient, and this was her limit.
Cutting one's losses in time was also a way to stop further damage.
West Yue Huashan.
The ascendant still looked up at the blood-red sky curtain. As his aura rose, his true name within the curtain fluctuated.
"Hmm?"
Ji Xiang's consciousness instantly appeared within this sky curtain. He saw the Daoist on Mount Hua, holding a gourd, his body radiating intense celestial light, like a true sun descended, his aura surging like a vast ocean. Merit and golden light overflowed from him.
The phantom of a plump, purple-gold pill floated and sank within his Niwan Palace, manifesting externally!
"Purple-Gold Pill?!"
Ji Xiang was surprised. Besides himself, there was another person in the mortal world who had cultivated the Purple-Gold Pill. This person's name was not widely known, only revealing itself to the world at the moment of ascension. This person's good deeds already exceeded ten thousand. Now, he seemed to be hesitating whether to immediately proceed with the next step of the demon trial and reclaim his true name!
Ji Xiang looked closer.
The world was filled with countless wishes and incense. Even outside his body, illusions of conversations among common folk manifested, as if one person embodied the mortal world. This indicated that he had works circulating in the world, or perhaps, he was a "character" within those works!
"Interesting!"
"Do you wish to proceed with the demon trial?"
Ji Xiang's voice boomed, shaking the heavens. Those immortals who were still in shock, or happy, or already giving up, all exclaimed in surprise. They thought this voice was directed at them and were startled, but they quickly understood, and their hearts were immediately stirred by a tempest.
Who?
They were all ascending together.
How did someone suddenly possess ten thousand good deeds and wish to begin the Yuan Shi Demon Trial?
Who was secretly studying!
"Yes."
The voice reverberated, synchronizing with all the blood-red sky curtains. The expressions of those immortals immediately changed, their moods fluctuating like a weather forecast.
"What kind of being is this new demon king? There's no conclusion yet, and he dares to undergo such a demon trial? Arrogant!"
"He's bound to fail!"
The old immortal from Mount Lao in the East Sea had the worst temper. Hearing this unfamiliar voice, he was instantly enraged and began to cry out in confusion.
Among the immortals whose expressions had changed and whose moods were fluctuating, were the three ascendants from the South Sea.
King Lei had not been happy for long before he discovered a great demon head he had never heard of above him. Upon asking the Buddhist Ghost, the latter, an old monk who had once caused great trouble for the Song Dynasty, was also bewildered. This sent a great alarm through King Lei's heart. And now, someone was about to reclaim their true name, which had just been imprinted in the Chi Ming Demonic Sky, right before his eyes?
What was going on?
Was this how the script was written?
Shouldn't he be the strongest in the South Sea, with the faith of the entire South Sea supporting him? Now that he had ascended, he should at least be able to contend with that old geezer in Japan who was messing with the divine kingdom. As for Zhang Tianshi and Empress Bixia, he no longer paid them any mind.
He should at least be on par with that Ming Dynasty Daoist who had single-handedly fought his way to the Japanese mainland! After all, he heard that person was still weaker than Xu Fu.
But now, where did this strong person come from?
A certain location in the Nine Border Garrisons.
The Soldier Ghost Tang Sheng, a divine being that appeared during the Jiajing Emperor's reign, was a manifestation of the army's wishes.
"Hey, it's this guy. As a successor of Emperor Pure Yang and having been incorporated into the Investiture of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin, he naturally has this qualification. He is more than just praised by the common people. If only someone would write a book about me."
"Let's go to the capital and talk to Emperor Wanli. Surely they won't exclude me from this Grand Decree of Investiture?"
Within the garrison, an armored figure walked among them. His celestial pillar retracted, and though the soldiers checked, they could not find his trace.
On Mount Hua, the immortal had begun his Yuan Shi Demon Trial.
In Ji Xiang's eyes, his true name was reflected.
Similarly, there was another "false name" that was passed down by the world! Compared to that true name, the appearance of this false name made Ji Xiang raise an eyebrow, showing great interest!
"Lu Xixing! Successor of Emperor Pure Yang."
"Xu Zhonglin wrote 'Investiture of the Gods,' and adapted him into it—"
"Known as 'Daoist Lu Ya'!"