Translator: AnubisTL
The old man riding the ox was none other than Grand Elder Taixuan of the Taiyi Sect, also known as Grand Elder Taixuan!
It could be said that the righteous path's current decline hadn't yet led to its annihilation by the demonic path, largely due to this elder's efforts.
Grand Elder Taixuan's cultivation was unfathomably deep, having long ago reached the mid-stage of the nascent soul realm, granting him immense power.
The three patriarchs of the demonic path all feared this formidable elder. Even Gui Li, who wielded the forbidden artifact, the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron, dared not underestimate him.
If cornered, the consequences would be unimaginable. Sacrificing a demonic path patriarch in a desperate exchange would likely be a trivial matter for him.
As the saying goes, "Better to sacrifice a fellow Daoist than oneself." None of the demonic path's patriarchs wanted to be the one Grand Elder Taixuan took down with him.
This was precisely why the demonic path had yet to launch a full-scale assault on the Taiyi Sect—everyone was wary.
The Rakshasa Demon Lord, ancestor of the Blood Spirit Sect, sneered coldly, "How fares your junior brother Chi Yuan, old ghost Taixuan? After being struck by my Blood Corrosion Hand, his days must be quite miserable now."
True Monarch Crimson Origin had once been ambushed by Gui Li and the Rakshasa Demon Lord. Even now, he remained severely wounded, incapable of contributing meaningfully to the battle.
Grand Elder Taixuan glanced calmly at the Blood Spirit Sect's ancestor before speaking in a measured tone:
"Thanks to Fellow Daoist Rakshasa, my junior brother's condition has improved. I expect he will fully recover from his injuries soon."
"Is that so? Congratulations, then," the Rakshasa Demon Lord replied. Though he couldn't discern whether Taixuan's words were true, he remained confident in the potency of his Blood Corrosion Hand. He refused to believe that True Monarch Crimson Origin, whom he and Gui Li had nearly beaten to death, could possibly recover.
"Speaking of which, where is that Pure Yang Physique? It's been ages since we've seen him. Is the Taiyi Sect still hiding him even now?"
Grand Elder Taixuan lowered his eyelids, not even deigning to look directly at the demonic path patriarch before him.
"The person has already arrived. Rest assured, the Taiyi Sect does not go back on its word."
Upon hearing this, the Rakshasa Demon Lord threw back his head and roared with laughter before declaring:
"Excellent! Once the Moonchase Grand Assembly concludes, let us commence the final battle between our factions!"
His words carried a hint of urgency, but everyone knew the demonic path's ultimate goal was to eliminate the Pure Yang Physique.
They were willing to pay any price to achieve this.
Eliminating the Pure Yang Physique would sever the righteous path's last hope for the future, allowing the demonic path to gradually conquer them.
Conversely, if they failed to eliminate this troublesome existence, the demonic path ancestors would face dire consequences.
At that moment, the mountain gate of Moonchase Palace swung wide open, welcoming the two figures whose influence reverberated throughout the Great Wilderness Domain.
"Fellow Daoists, please enter the palace first. It would be poor hospitality for Moonchase Palace to leave such distinguished guests waiting outside the gate."
A radiant Moon Disc ascended from Moon Palace, its surface reflecting a solitary figure. Had it not been for this reflection, many would have mistaken it for a second moon in the sky.
"Since the palace master has spoken, this old one shall comply," Grand Elder Taixuan replied calmly, showing no trace of the arrogance befitting the righteous path's foremost figure.
The Rakshasa Demon Lord shook his head and took two steps forward, instantly appearing within Moonchase Palace.
The days leading up to the Moonchase Grand Assembly were far from peaceful. Not only did powerful cultivators continue to arrive, but some with old grudges nearly came to blows within the palace grounds.
"Kun Ying, you dare show your face before me? Come here and die!"
"Heh heh heh, Brother Xu, why such anger? I truly don't know what I've done to offend you."
"Still playing innocent? You're courting death!"
Of course, since this was Moonchase Palace, the two sworn enemies were immediately restrained before they could fight.
Such incidents were common, with several clashes occurring almost daily.
The most serious incident occurred when someone from the demonic path attempted to infiltrate the spirit peaks where righteous path cultivators were staying to gather information about the Pure Yang Physique.
This nearly ignited a powder keg. The supreme elders from the Taiyi Sect who had come to observe the assembly immediately erupted in fury and demanded an explanation.
However, Moonchase Palace ultimately suppressed the matter, with both the righteous and demonic paths granting the cultivation sect face.
Amidst this tense, powder-keg atmosphere, the Moonchase Grand Assembly was finally about to begin.
On the appointed day, all the cultivators invited to Moonchase Palace emerged from their respective cave abodes.
On a spirit peak brimming with spiritual energy, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing also flew out of their cave abodes.
"Senior Brother, I've heard that important figures from both the righteous and demonic paths have arrived these past few days, but news of the Pure Yang Physique hasn't leaked out," Shen Ningbing said.
Li Qing nodded slightly. "After all, it's the Moonchase Grand Assembly. The other sects naturally have to show their respect."
"But I don't think we need to worry too much. No one would dare cause trouble on Moonchase Palace's territory."
Li Qing's tone was relaxed, clearly ready to enjoy this rare grand assembly.
In the skies above Moon Palace, figures soared through the air. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these were all renowned cultivators from the Great Wilderness Domain.
Some were supreme elders of cultivation sects, others were rogue cultivators who commanded respect, and still others were Clan Heads from ancient families with long-standing inheritances.
As Li Qing and Shen Ningbing took flight together, someone quickly recognized him.
"Heh, Fellow Daoist Limitless, what a coincidence! I never expected to run into you here."
A gaunt, silver-haired elder approached, a flicker of barely perceptible wariness deep within his murky eyes.
Upon seeing the elder, Li Qing immediately plastered on what he considered a warm and friendly smile.
"Hahaha, indeed, Fellow Daoist True Bone! I never imagined we'd meet here either."
As he spoke, Li Qing deliberately moved closer, his smile growing even more ingratiating.
Yet this display only made True Bone Immortal tremble inwardly. Had they not been on Moonchase Palace territory, he would never have allowed Li Qing to approach so closely.
This man was an absolute fiend. The scene of Li Qing slaughtering Crimson Hair Immortal remained vividly etched in his memory.
"It's all fate, fate!" True Bone Immortal stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Being in such close proximity to a ruthless fiend made him deeply uneasy.
Seeing this, Li Qing sighed inwardly. He realized that the image he had cultivated in the elder's mind was proving impossible to erase.
True Bone Immortal had already branded him as an utterly ruthless cultivator, and no amount of friendliness could change that.
Reluctantly abandoning his attempts to improve the elder's perception of him, Li Qing instead asked with genuine curiosity:
"Fellow Daoist True Bone, to be honest, this is my first time attending the Moonchase Grand Assembly. I'm not familiar with the specific procedures. Could you enlighten me?"
The Moonchase Grand Assembly offered certain benefits, but Li Qing had never paid much attention to it before and wasn't aware of what those benefits might be. He wanted to gather information from True Bone Immortal beforehand to avoid being caught off guard.
Hearing this, True Bone Immortal didn't hesitate to answer honestly:
"To tell you the truth, this is also my first time attending the Moonchase Grand Assembly."
"After all, the last assembly was hundreds of years ago. Back then, I was still striving for foundation establishment and hadn't yet caught the eye of Moonchase Palace, so I never received an invitation."
As he spoke, True Bone Immortal noticed Li Qing's brow suddenly furrow. Alarmed, he quickly added:
"However, I have made a point of researching the assembly's general procedures and conditions. Allow me to explain in detail."
Only then did Li Qing nod in satisfaction, adopting an attentive posture.
"Fellow Daoist Limitless, you should know that selecting each generation's holy maiden of Moonchase Palace requires not only surpassing her peers in strength but also achieving resonance with a unique moonstone."
"The source of this extraordinary moonstone lies within Moonlit Ridge!"
"When a holy maiden is chosen, the current palace master of Moonchase Palace uses a secret technique to activate the moonstone, drawing special lunar energy from Moonlit Ridge to baptize the holy maiden."
"During this process, some spiritual objects from Moonlit Ridge are inadvertently brought out as well!"
"These spiritual objects are the benefits we can obtain."
By this point, Li Qing had gained a basic understanding of the so-called Moonchase Grand Assembly.
However, a question still lingered in his mind: why would Moonchase Palace share these spiritual objects with the world instead of keeping them for themselves?
True to his habit of asking questions, Li Qing directly asked, "Fellow Daoist True Bone, do you know why Moonchase Palace shares these inadvertently retrieved spiritual objects with us? Don't they need any for themselves?"
True Bone Immortal had anticipated this question. He shook his head and replied, "Fellow Daoist Limitless, you mustn't overlook one crucial fact: Moonlit Ridge is a true forbidden land of life. Even core formation realm cultivators who recklessly venture in risk certain death!"
"This forbidden land is incredibly malevolent. Legend has it that any spiritual objects brought out from within are tainted with misfortune!"
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c658. [+4.9k]
🌐Read for FREE Upto Ch586 on the Site. Visit 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦.
🔥Translated [1.5k+] Chapters and [3.04M+] Words.