The Celestial Destiny Realm... was about to open!
Everyone stood stunned, their hearts quaking. As the bubbles under the sunlight began to rupture and shatter, torrents of dense, surging energy intertwined and swept through the surroundings. The forests swayed violently under the howling gales, startling birds and crows into flight. No one could keep their eyes open—even the martial artists, with their vigorous blood and qi, were forced to shield their gaze.
Tempestuous winds roared, and above, dark clouds seemed to roll and churn. A suffocating pressure loomed over all, weighing heavily upon every heart.
Xiang Shaoyun slowly rose, his gaze fixed upon the ruptured bubbles. In the deep crater, a palace veiled in immortal mist began to emerge. His heart grew ever heavier.
Xiang Shaoyun could not deny it—immortals were indeed formidable. Twice, he had been suppressed by that transcendent power. It had taught him a humbling truth: he was not yet qualified to contend with the immortals.
And yet, precisely because of this, an even fiercer flame of determination ignited within him. Since stepping into the realm of Grandmaster, he had lost his direction—but the emergence of the immortal palace was like a doorway thrown open before him.
One day... he would claim the right to speak as an equal with the immortals!
Li Sansi, Kong Nanfeng, and Mo Shougui also fixed their eyes upon the revealed underground palace. Wisps of pale blue energy lingered and danced, each thread brimming with an almost sentient intelligence, like sprites drifting between heaven and earth.
"What... is this?" Li Sansi, dressed in white, was utterly astonished.
Mo Shougui stared at the immortal palace, eyes flickering with awe and avarice. Kong Nanfeng adjusted the bookcase on his back, took a deep breath, and murmured:
"My master once said that this pale blue energy is spiritual essence. Heaven and earth possess spiritual essence—it is the key to transcending the shackles of martial cultivation and breaking through the constraints of this world."
His words sent shockwaves through Li Sansi and Mo Shougui. To receive such praise from a Confucian master meant the legacy hidden within this underground palace was incomparably precious.
After all, even in the Great Zhou Dynasty—despite the world's crusade against the Grand Preceptor—his words still held absolute authority.
Xiang Shaoyun remained silent. He understood spiritual essence better than anyone—for it coursed through his very veins.
The last remnants of the bubbles dissipated. Within the sunlight, even the purple glow seemed to be stripped away, casting its luster upon the immortal palace. Violet light surged—noble, mysterious, divine.
Glazed golden tiles, vermilion walls, radiant energy coiling about—splendid colors shimmered in a dazzling display.
Everyone stood entranced.
Five miles away, Dantai Xuan trembled all over. His gaze locked onto the immortal palace, a flush of crimson blooming on his face.
"Immortals... Are there truly immortals in this world?!"
"If I seize this destiny, why should I not become emperor of men?!"
His eyes burned with greed and ambition.
Even Mo Ju, his feather fan gently waving, found the sight beyond comprehension—it defied all he had believed for years.
And not just Dantai Xuan. All the governors of the various prefectures and the sages of the Hundred Schools stood frozen in awe.
On a grassy knoll, Lü Mudui leaned on his jade-green bamboo staff, gazing at the radiant immortal palace with a knowing smile, as if everything had gone just as planned. Beside him, the beautiful Lady Qianqian stood dumbfounded, eyes wide, lips slightly parted in amazement.
The immortal palace shimmered amidst the billowing spiritual essence.
Xiang Shaoyun's eyes narrowed. He gripped the Qi Talisman tightly and suddenly shot forward like a bolt of lightning—he had to seize the initiative, talisman in hand, and enter the palace.
At the moment Xiang Shaoyun moved, Li Sansi and the others snapped back to their senses and immediately followed.
Buzz...
Suddenly, the immortal palace trembled. In the unseen void, it seemed celestial music resounded faintly.
In the next instant—shock filled their faces. The Qi Talismans in their hands emitted a radiant glow and flew from their grasp, drawn by an irresistible force.
And they were not alone.
Those previously lurking in the crowd, clutching their Qi Talismans, were also compelled to reveal themselves—the talismans soared forth uncontrollably.
Ten Qi Talismans, gleaming with dazzling brilliance, hovered before the celestial gate.
"When the ten talismans unite, the celestial gate shall open. Like a great roc, it shall rise upon the wind in a single day."
"This is the land of fate, where bones shall bleach. Life and death lie in the decree of heaven."
Suddenly, two lines of glowing characters appeared before the gate, shrouded in immortal mist and exuding an overwhelming majesty.
All raised their heads to gaze at the golden words. Sunlight rained upon them, cloaking their forms in divine brilliance.
In the next moment, the ten Qi Talismans spun rapidly in the air. The gate of the immortal palace creaked open with a long, ancient groan.
A terrifying suction force erupted.
The ten talisman holders were pulled in, bodies beyond their control, drawn into the palace by the immense power.
Then, with a thunderous boom, the gate slammed shut once more.
The ten Qi Talismans burst into radiant light like meteors, scattering across the four corners of the world.
They vanished—once again dispersed.
Everyone was stupefied.
The palace had taken the talisman holders and shut its doors once more.
"Why... why did it close again?"
Five miles away, Dantai Xuan clenched his fists, bloodshot eyes brimming with fury—he had no talisman.
Beside him, Mo Ju narrowed his eyes.
"The Qi Talismans, after opening the gate once, have scattered again. If we gather them anew... could we open it once more?"
Mo Ju had glimpsed the possibility.
Dantai Xuan drew in a deep breath. "Even if we could, so what? Now that they're scattered again, who knows when we'll find them?"
"Men!" Dantai Xuan roared.
A general stepped forward in deference.
"Summon the army!"
"Ready the fire ballistas! No talisman? I'll break the gate down with force! I'll pile bodies if I must—we'll buy our place with blood!"
Mo Ju frowned, his feather fan still. "My lord, this must not be done!" he advised. He believed it wiser to seek out the scattered talismans and open the gate once more.
"It's too late for that... Now that we've confirmed the immortal legacy within, how can we afford to hesitate?!"
"To claim immortal fate is to become emperor of men!"
Dantai Xuan cast him a cold glance, ignoring the counsel, and continued giving orders.
Mo Ju sighed deeply. For the first time, he questioned whether serving Dantai Xuan, the Prefect of the Northern Commandery, had truly been the right choice.
And Dantai Xuan was not the only one.
Now that the celestial legacy had been confirmed, the other governors could no longer sit still. Some sent envoys to search for the scattered talismans. Others rallied their troops—Dantai Xuan's actions had inspired them all.
They, too, intended to breach the palace by force.
Even an immortal palace—could it withstand the charge of hundreds of thousands?
…
Northern Luo, Lake-Heart Isle.
Lu Fan reclined in his wheelchair, holding a bronze wine cup filled with warm plum wine. Seated on the terrace, clouds roiled overhead.
The wind stirred his white robe and tousled hair.
He stared at the chessboard, faint lines flickering in his eyes.
"To gather the ten Qi Talismans is to open the celestial gate. But once opened, they scatter anew. Rarity breeds pursuit—this is how the world is compelled to chase destiny."
Lu Fan toyed with his cup, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
In his eyes, lines danced—his powerful soul surged and churned. Through the spiritual pressure of the chessboard, he seemed to see all that transpired atop Crouching Dragon Ridge.
He heard Dantai Xuan's roars. He saw the governors deploying their forces.
Lu Fan took a sip of plum wine and shook his head with a faint laugh.
His gaze shifted—falling into the immortal palace.
…
Inside the palace.
Xiang Shaoyun, Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and the others stood still.
Compared to the kaleidoscopic brilliance outside, the interior was silent as the grave—dim, damp, and suffused with the scent of death.
Yet the palace was vast. Along the walls burned rows of eternal white candles, their flickering flames illuminating the gloom of the subterranean chamber.
"This place... feels more like a royal tomb," Li Sansi said softly, his voice echoing off the stone.
Xiang Shaoyun shot him a glance but said nothing, brows furrowed as he surveyed the surroundings.
There should have been thousands of threads of spiritual essence within this palace—so why was not a single trace visible?
Where had it all gone?
"An immortal tomb? Do immortals... die too?" Mo Shougui asked.
Kong Nanfeng remained silent but retrieved a metallic compass from his bookcase.
He placed it on the ground—yet it yielded no reading.
"This palace is too strange..." Kong Nanfeng inhaled sharply.
Mo Shougui rested his hand on his sword, eyes narrowing.
"Don't you feel like this whole place is a trap?"
"It's as if someone is—"