Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

Chapter 220: Chapter 127: Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly (Part 2)

The rules of the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly weren’t overly strict, but once inside the venue, there was no changing one’s allegiance. If that was the case, Daomiao could only fight for True Form Temple. Wouldn’t that give the Dragon Image Sect one less chance at victory?

At this thought, Deming’s expression soured further.

Xuzhuang and Meng Fusheng had just alighted from the clouds onto the Jade Platform for Yunlan Province when they felt a sharp gaze cut through the countless stares from all directions. Following the line of sight, they saw a tall, imposing middle-aged Daoist with a majestic air staring fixedly at them.

’Chu River?’ Xuzhuang returned the stare with a smile, his gaze sweeping subtly over the refined man beside Chu River. He compared the man to the portrait Yang Bijie had shown him and nodded to himself. ’It really is He Haojun. Yang Bijie’s guess was correct.’

Of the Celestial Permanence Sect’s two Nascent Soul Third Layer Great Cultivators, Jiang Chengzi was slightly younger than He Haojun, yet he had reached the Nascent Soul Third Layer first. This demonstrated his superior aptitude, so it was only natural that he would gain more support. That was why Yang Bijie had deduced that the one who left the sect must have been He Haojun.

Having confirmed this, Xuzhuang paid it no more mind and sat down with Meng Fusheng. Before they were even properly seated, a long roar echoed from behind them. Two flood dragons pulling a Cyan Jade Carriage burst through the clouds. After circling once in the sky, several streaks of light descended toward the Five Domains High Platform. At their head was a handsome Daoist with his hair in a Jade Hairpin Daoist Bun. It was Yang Bijie, arriving with the rest of the Dragon Image Sect contingent.

The arrival of the Dragon Image Sect drew even more attention than that of the True Form Temple. Yang Bijie, however, was perfectly at ease. He calmly exchanged a few words of what seemed to be lighthearted pleasantries with a dignified Crane Robe Taoist to his left before taking his own seat. The rest of the Dragon Image Sect members then sat down as well.

As the crowd took in the scene, Venerable Youming was the first to ask Deming, "Who is that person beside Yang Bijie? His face is quite unfamiliar."

A look of doubt crossed Deming’s face. He slowly shook his head and replied, "His face is completely new to me. I don’t know who he is."

Youming didn’t press the matter. She sized up Yang Bijie and the Crane Robe Taoist again. Suddenly, she saw Yang Bijie look back at her, smile, and nod. This only piqued her curiosity more. ’Is Yang Bijie truly this composed, or is he just putting on a brave face? Could this person be the ally he’s relying on?’

Though Venerable Youming said nothing, it was because her sect’s Zhenren had an ambiguous attitude. In truth, her heart leaned toward the Dragon Image Sect’s side, so she naturally paid them closer attention.

Several hundred years ago, the Dragon Image Sect, for some mad reason, suddenly began trying to cultivate Top-grade Golden Core Disciples. The project yielded no significant results; instead, it drained much of their sect’s vitality. Perhaps they were hit by a stroke of bad luck, as this coincided with a period of declining talent. This led to a gap between generations, and the sect fell into decline.

To this day, aside from one Nascent Soul Second Level Venerable whose lifespan was nearly at its end, Yang Bijie was the only one in the Dragon Image Sect who had refined Gangyun. The Divine Flow Sect, however, had two Great Cultivators, Chu River and He Haojun. No matter how one looked at it, without powerful reinforcements, it seemed very unlikely that the Dragon Image Sect could survive this trial.

Obviously, Venerable Youming wasn’t the only one watching the Dragon Image Sect. Meng Fusheng was also intensely curious about how they would deal with Divine Flow. After the Dragon Image Sect’s party arrived, Meng Fusheng’s attention was drawn to Yang Bijie’s new ally. The more he studied the Crane Robe Taoist, the more he felt a flicker of familiarity.

Meng Fusheng racked his brain, certain he had never met the Crane Robe Taoist before. But then, the man turned sideways to speak with Yang Bijie, and a familiar Vermilion Gourd was revealed, dangling at his waist. Realization dawned on Meng Fusheng. He glanced at Xuzhuang’s waist—the Vermilion Gourd that never left his side was indeed gone.

Xuzhuang saw Meng Fusheng’s gaze, gave him a slight smile, and then closed his eyes to rest, perfectly at ease. Meng Fusheng understood immediately and kept his mouth shut.

By the time Yang Bijie’s group arrived, the Jade Platforms in the venue were already nearly full. The various parties waited in silence. It wasn’t until the sun was about to reach its zenith that a Flying Palace came crashing through the clouds and hovered just outside the venue.

All eyes turned to it. The palace doors opened slowly, and a dozen or so ceremonial Daoists walked out, lining up on both sides. Only then did a middle-aged Daoist in wide sleeves and flowing robes, brimming with a profound Daoist aura, emerge via Flying Escape, leading five solemn-looking cultivators. They flew slowly into the venue and took their seats on the last remaining high platform.

It turned out this final, headlining group was from the Celestial Permanence Sect. Their leader was none other than the sect’s current Sect Leader and future Master Dongt, Jiang Chengzi.

Although the other three of the Five Domains Great Sects, besides Dragon Image and Celestial Permanence, also had a living Master Dongt, this wasn’t necessarily a good thing for their current Sect Leaders. At the very least, they were a step below a future Master Dongt like Jiang Chengzi. Even those who were dissatisfied with the Celestial Permanence Sect’s actions still had to take the initiative to bow to Jiang Chengzi in greeting.

Yang Bijie, however, merely flicked his Duster, remaining seated on his Jade Platform with an air of utter composure. Jiang Chengzi returned the greetings of the three other sects, and seeing Yang Bijie’s behavior, showed no annoyance. He simply took his own seat, and the five cultivators behind him then sat down as well.

At that moment, the sun had just reached its zenith. The time had come. A Daoist flew into the center of the venue and announced, "All registered sects from the Five Domains, sixteen provinces, and their various prefectures and commanderies have entered the venue. The Celestial Waterfall Immortal Sect Assembly now officially begins..."

Meng Fusheng had no time to listen to the opening remarks. He was carefully sizing up the five cultivators behind Jiang Chengzi, his expression nearly betraying his anxiety. ’It’s between three and five, just as Martial Uncle said... and of course, it had to be five.’

An event like the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly, which determined a sect’s ranking and influenced its fortune—even the very survival of its lineage—for the next three hundred years, would naturally not limit the number of participants. Could it be that if your True Form Temple has two Nascent Soul Second Level Cultivators, my Celestial Permanence Sect, with nearly ten Nascent Soul Cultivators, should only send out two to fight you?

There was no such logic in this world. Therefore, as long as one was willing, you could bring every member of your sect, from Qi Cultivation disciples to Nascent Soul Cultivators. It was just that there was no benefit in doing so.

In short, for a sect from the sixteen provinces like True Form Temple, it was common to mobilize all of their top-level experts. One only needed to look at the Moyun Sect, which had just lifted its lockdown; Qiu Song had brought every single Golden Core Cultivator in the sect. It was nothing like True Form Temple, which had only sent Xuzhuang and Meng Fusheng.

Of course, for the Five Domains Great Sects, their strength was far beyond that of ordinary sects, and their rankings had never changed. They were more like hosts of the assembly than participants, so they wouldn’t mobilize in full force. However, to prevent any accidents, they wouldn’t be too careless either. This was why Yang Bijie and Xuzhuang had predicted that the Celestial Permanence Sect’s entourage would consist of three to five Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Evidently, Yang Bijie’s understanding of the Five Domains Great Sects was flawless. Besides Jiang Chengzi, the Celestial Permanence Sect had brought exactly five people. Unfortunately for Meng Fusheng, this was not good news.

"Two at the Nascent Soul Second Layer, three at the Nascent Soul First Layer..." A challenge hadn’t even been issued, yet Meng Fusheng was already running frantic simulations in his head of how to fight one against five, beads of sweat nearly breaking out on his forehead. Xuzhuang, in contrast, was perfectly composed. He listened as the presiding Daoist droned through his official speech, which ended with a perfunctory invitation: "Three hundred years have passed since the last assembly. Now that it is reopened, if any fellow Daoists from the various sects have objections to the current rankings of the Immortal Sects, you may speak freely."

Not just in the Celestial Waterfall Realm, but in many Cultivation Realms, fighting over Spirit Lands and Blessed Lands was a perfectly normal occurrence. The Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly merely brought these matters out into the open, which to some extent suppressed the incessant fighting between sects. However, it also caused some grudges to deepen.

Thus, the presiding Daoist’s words signaled the official start of the brutal sectarian power struggles. Many in the venue immediately began to stir restlessly.

However, every Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly involved dozens of sectarian conflicts. There was no prize for being first, so the various sects were still weighing the pros and cons of being the one to make the first move.

But at that very moment, on the rather conspicuous Divine Flow Sect’s Jade Platform among those of the sixteen provinces, Mu River slowly rose to his feet. He bowed to the four directions, his gaze already fixed on Yang Bijie of the Dragon Image Sect.

Everyone present immediately snapped to attention. Even those whose resentment was boiling over, who had been unable to hold back from making a move, temporarily extinguished their own plans and turned their gazes toward the center of the field.

’The Divine Flow Sect... are they really daring to challenge one of the Five Domains Great Sects?’

Mu River’s gaze fell upon Yang Bijie of the Dragon Image Sect. Seeing the latter cradling his Duster, looking utterly unperturbed, Mu River paid it no mind. With a solemn expression, he cupped his hands and declared in a clear voice, "The cultivation sects of our Celestial Waterfall Realm have always used the spiritual energy of the Celestial Waterfall as the foundation of our cultivation. We also take it as our duty to bless the living beings of our lands. It can be said that the worthy are the ones who should hold such positions."

Hearing this, a strange look appeared in Xuzhuang’s eyes. Mu River, however, continued without a change in expression, his voice smooth. "In the past, the Dragon Image Sect’s fortune was at its peak and its strength was formidable. It was not unreasonable for it to occupy a Great Domain by the Celestial Waterfall. However, times have changed. The Dragon Image Sect has passed its zenith and entered a decline. If this continues, I’m afraid it can no longer bear the responsibility of an entire domain."

"Therefore, my Divine Flow Sect dares to issue a challenge to the Dragon Image Sect. If your esteemed sect does not accept, then please relinquish the Dragon Image Domain. The worthy should be the ones to occupy it."

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