The late spring night still held a trace of coolness, which deepened as time wore on.
A faint silver glow illuminated the leaves of the bright green bamboo, casting dense, fragmented shadows.
The narrow path winding through the bamboo was paved with flagstones, now covered in frost.
At this moment, along this path, a man and a woman, one following the other, walked in the silent surroundings.
The woman in front wore a simple green dress, her appearance disheveled, exuding an air of indolence.
Yet, with every movement, she possessed a beauty that transcended ordinary standards, giving an entirely different impression.
The man following behind wore a carefree smile on his face.
He was dressed in black, a long sword slung across his back, a young man.
This man was none other than Wu Tao.
The woman was Wu Tao's master, Shangguan Yujie.
"Recently, those old Nascent Soul stage cultivators from the Taiyi Immortal Sect are holding a grand five-hundred-year anniversary celebration."
"Firstly, it's to expand the influence of our Taiyi Immortal Sect within the Kyushu Cultivation World, to show the entire Kyushu Cultivation World the current strength of our Taiyi Immortal Sect."
"Secondly, it's to provide some battlefield experience for you, the relatively inexperienced and still immature inner disciples, by holding a grand competition to further enhance your combat effectiveness."
"Thirdly, to select a few outstanding disciples for focused nurturing, to prepare for the sect's future inheritance."
Shangguan Yujie spoke slowly to Wu Tao while drinking.
It turned out that Shangguan Yujie and Wu Tao had just emerged from the Sword Seeking Hall and were heading towards the peak of Sword Peak.
Walking on the path, Shangguan Yujie suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
Seeing Wu Tao spread his hands in a noncommittal gesture, Shangguan Yujie shook her head and continued with a slight frown, "I know you don't want to participate in this celebration, preferring to focus your energy on breaking through to the Core Formation stage in perfect condition."
"But I can tell you one thing: if you don't participate in this celebration, you will definitely regret it in the future."
"This time, for the Taiyi Immortal Sect's five-hundred-year celebration, the Supreme Elders of the Nascent Soul stage want all the dominant powers of the various regions of Kyushu to cast their eyes upon us..."
"To let them all know that our Taiyi Immortal Sect is stronger with each generation."
"Therefore, the Supreme Elders of the sect have been unusually generous this time, with extremely rich rewards. If you can win first place in this celebration, it will be immensely beneficial for your future."
Indeed, the true major event in the Taiyi Immortal Sect recently was the five-hundred-year grand celebration.
The closer the time for the five-hundred-year celebration approached, the livelier the Taiyi Immortal Sect became.
As the center of the Kyushu Cultivation World, any ripple within the twenty great sects of the righteous and demonic paths would quickly be known throughout the entire Kyushu Cultivation World.
Just like now, the Taiyi Immortal Sect, one of the top ten orthodox sects, was holding a five-hundred-year celebration and widely inviting cultivators from both immortal and demonic paths to attend.
This news had already begun to spread months ago.
Almost every day, countless streaks of light, like swarms of locusts, flew out from the territory of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
These streaks of light were inner disciples responsible for delivering invitations to various invited sects or major powers.
The Kyushu Continent was vast, spanning hundreds of millions of miles.
The Qing Province, where the Taiyi Immortal Sect was located, was one of the provinces close to the sea. Although many sects and powers were invited, sometimes the distances were too great. To ensure that the invited powers could arrive in time, the higher-ups of the Taiyi Immortal Sect naturally had to dispatch disciples early, sending invitations months in advance.
As the inner disciples carrying invitations flew in all directions, within months, the entire Great Cultivation World, including the various regions of Kyushu, the surrounding seas, wilderness, grasslands, and snow plains, began to stir.
On the edge of Jizhou and the Changsheng Tian Grasslands, there was an inconspicuous market called "Kuangye Ma Zhu" (Wild Horse Post).
Within this market, Jizhou cultivators could be seen coming and going, from the lowest Qi Refining stage cultivators to the great masters of the Core Formation stage, all moving about like ordinary people.
However, the cultivators living here generally appeared somewhat fierce. The items sold on the stalls they set up were mostly corpses, poisonous elixirs, ghost artifacts, demonic treasures, and things with a strong bloody scent.
It was clear that this market was not controlled by righteous cultivators, but was a market thoroughly controlled by demonic cultivators.
Furthermore, judging by the prosperity of this market, besides a large number of cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, Core Formation stage cultivators were not particularly rare, with one or two appearing from time to time.
The fact that cultivators of various realms from the demonic path, who believed that might made right, entered this market and strictly observed its rules, not using their cultivation to bully others, clearly indicated that the owner of this place was no simple individual.
"Whoosh!!!"
Fifty miles away from the market, a streak of light rapidly shot through the air, its speed incredibly fast.
In the blink of an eye, it appeared above the market with a rushing sound.
As the light flickered, a stern young man in a yellow shirt emerged from within.
Upon his appearance, this young man unreservedly exuded the aura of a righteous cultivator.
A righteous cultivator swaggering into a market governed by demonic cultivators immediately ignited the anger of the demonic cultivators below.
As shouts and curses erupted, a number of demonic cultivators immediately prepared to fly up and teach this arrogant righteous cultivator a lesson.
But in the next second, the item this stern young man took out and his words immediately made everyone stop. The curses that were about to be uttered were involuntarily swallowed back.
"I am an inner disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, named Xu Tian."
"By order of the Sect Master of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, I am here to deliver an invitation. The Plaza Lord of Kuangye Ma Zhu, please come out quickly to receive the invitation, please come out quickly to receive the invitation."
As soon as this young-looking cultivator spoke, all the demonic cultivators below dared not make any rash moves.
Especially the "order of the Sect Master of the Taiyi Immortal Sect" he mentioned, it was as if it carried a special magical power, causing all the demonic cultivators below to freeze on the spot, their eyes flashing with a complex expression, be it awe, hatred, or something else.
If he were merely an ordinary inner disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect without any special mission, this young-looking cultivator's life would have long been taken by this group of cruel and ruthless demonic cultivators.
After all, a mere Foundation Establishment stage cultivator daring to be so arrogant, who did he think he was?
It wouldn't matter if he died, one more or one less, no one would care, no one would be concerned.
However, this young-looking cultivator at this moment represented more than just himself.
He represented the entire Taiyi Immortal Sect, a behemoth that had stood for hundreds of thousands of years in the cultivation world without falling.
No cultivator dared to openly challenge the majesty of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
Unless that person wanted to die, and die a terrible death.
Under the terrifying implications, this group of cruel and ruthless demonic cultivators fell silent, collectively acting submissive.
As soon as the young-looking cultivator finished speaking,
From a magnificent pavilion in the central area of the market below, an aged voice then sounded.
"So it's a young friend from the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Since you're here, please come down and have a chat."
This aged voice was extremely familiar, and deeply respected and feared, by the demonic cultivators who constantly frequented the Kuangye Ma Zhu market.
Because the owner of this voice was a rogue cultivator of the Nascent Soul stage.
Or rather, before founding this market, this old man was merely a high-level rogue cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage.
Yet, this rogue cultivator, who could be said to have nothing but his cultivation realm, single-handedly founded Kuangye Ma Zhu three hundred years ago with his absolute power.
He had brought benefits and convenience to countless passing cultivators on the borders of Jizhou and the Changsheng Tian Grasslands.
As a result, this rogue cultivator elder had a considerable reputation in Jizhou and the Changsheng Tian Grasslands, earning him the resounding nickname "Scarlet Vulture."
However, even such a respected and prominent rogue cultivator had to lower his noble head when facing a behemoth like the Taiyi Immortal Sect, and be so polite to an inner disciple in the Foundation Establishment stage who had come to deliver a message.
Initially, everyone thought that since Scarlet Vulture, a hegemon of this area, had already spoken, this Foundation Establishment stage cultivator would naturally agree and not remain impolitely in the sky.
But soon, they were disappointed again. The young man cupped his fists towards the direction where Scarlet Vulture stood, and then said loudly, "No need, senior. I am only here to deliver the invitation. Three months from now is the five-hundred-year celebration of my Taiyi Immortal Sect. I hope senior will attend the ceremony with this invitation. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave!"
The young cultivator's voice spread throughout the entire Kuangye Ma Zhu market, clearly audible to everyone within.
After speaking, the young cultivator flicked his robes, and a white light shot out from his sleeve, drawing an arc in the air before landing on the ground below.
Without waiting for the old man Scarlet Vulture to reply, after casting the white light away, the stern young man turned and flew away, heading in another direction.
Within the market, the demonic cultivators gathered together, discussing the recent encounter.
Even some stall owners joined in, no longer interested in their sales.
Not just here, but elsewhere too.
Wherever an inner disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect appeared to deliver an invitation, it would cause a stir in that location.