Seeing Xu Xian speak like this, Jiang Wanyin directly asked for his opinion. "What do you think? Should we go to this Emperor's Tomb or not?"
Xu Xian's gaze swept around, landing on Ye Xianyu, Lei Yunche, and Lin Fengmian one by one, before finally looking back at Jiang Wanyin. Instead of answering, he asked, "What about you, Senior Sister? What are your thoughts?"
Jiang Wanyin pondered for a moment before saying, "Cultivation opportunities are meant to be fought for. By all rights, we should naturally strive for it."
This was her perspective.
The other three remained silent.
Jiang Wanyin added, "Of course, our Wendao Sword Sect has never forced its disciples to do anything. Whether they are willing to go or want to compete for it is for the disciples themselves to decide."
Compete?
There was no need for further explanation.
Since ancient times, every competition involved a struggle.
Risk and opportunity coexist; even a two or three-year-old child understands this principle. For people like them, there was no need to state the obvious.
Even the disciples within the sect knew this in their hearts.
Lei Yunche said in a deep voice, "Wealth is sought amidst danger. I have seen that gate; it is extraordinary. Moreover, that day the heavenly script hung in the four directions, and eight tomb gates opened, spaced tens of thousands of miles apart across the entirety of Fanzhou. With such a massive undertaking, the owner of the tomb must be equally extraordinary. They surely surpass a mere immortal, and the opportunities within must be even more unique."
The others nodded in agreement.
This matter was too significant; it had startled the entire Fanzhou. Across the hundreds of thousands of miles of Fanzhou's territory, tomb gates had appeared, all connected to that Emperor's Tomb.
Such a scene was unheard of in the historical records or mythological legends of the four great races.
Although they did not know what an Emperor's Tomb was or which emperor it belonged to, they all understood that this emperor was extraordinary, surpassing even immortals.
Xu Xian understood the intentions of his senior brothers and sisters. They were consulting him because if he decided to go, they wanted him to lead the team.
Although Xu Xian now had two more junior sisters following him, nominally, he was still the Wendao Sword Sect's Little Grand-Uncle.
The other four worlds outside thought the same.
If he led the team, the disciples in the sect would be willing to listen. His prestige was already established.
Most importantly, his strength was undeniable.
Within a hundred years of age, at least outside of the North Sea, they could not find a single person who could compare to Xu Xian.
Even if someone truly possessed the bloodline of a demon immortal, they might not necessarily be Xu Xian's match inside that Emperor's Tomb.
Lest they forget, years ago, when Xu Xian was only at the sixth stage, he already possessed the strength to slay the seventh stage and hold his own against the eighth stage.
He had even grounded a dignified auspicious beast into the dirt.
Now that he had broken through to the seventh stage, his strength had reached another level. They did not believe that the secluded demon geniuses of the North Sea could compare to the auspicious beast Lu Yuan.
This was also why they felt they should compete.
Because they were strong enough.
What should be taken must be taken, and if they could take more, they definitely should.
There was nothing more to say.
This stemmed from their confidence in Xu Xian and their recognition of the Wendao Sword Sect's power.
However...
In any great tomb like this, the potential threats were not just the people competing with you, but also the hidden dangers within.
For example, there might be guardian beasts.
For example, there might be lethal slaughter formations.
Or even worse, the risk of being possessed or sacrificed...
Even though these possibilities seemed extremely low to them, as the floating heavenly script had already informed the world that this was an inheritance of opportunity, the old saying still held true.
Low probability did not mean it wouldn't happen.
One could never be too careful.
In the face of the unknown, who would dare to give a hundred percent guarantee?
This matter still required Xu Xian to make his own decision; they would not force him.
If he went, they would support him.
If he didn't go, they would understand.
If he went, Xu Xian would likely obtain the opportunity and become even more exceptional.
If he didn't? Maintaining restraint and rationality in the face of such an opportunity would be enough to show that their junior brother's temperament was excellent, which wasn't a bad thing either.
Either way was fine.
Xu Xian picked up his cup and took a small sip of tea. After swallowing, he spoke without preamble.
"The Emperor's Tomb is the tomb of an Immortal Emperor."
Upon hearing this, his senior brothers and sisters' eyes flickered with a mix of confusion and shock.
Immortal Emperor?
It was a foreign term.
They had never heard it before, but even upon first hearing it, those two words felt extraordinary.
Immortal. A peerless powerhouse above the heavens.
Immortal Emperor. He should be an emperor among immortals.
An immortal is but a mortal compared to an Immortal Emperor.
Like a mayfly compared to a great tree, or a speck of dust compared to the stars.
"What... is an Immortal Emperor?" Ye Xianyu asked.
The others immediately cast expectant gazes.
What was an Immortal Emperor? Naturally, they wanted to know.
Xu Xian was not surprised by their reactions. In Fanzhou, an immortal was the peak.
A tenth stage immortal was the ultimate goal pursued by all cultivators.
Even the humans of long ago did not have a precise definition for immortals.
In their eyes, an immortal was an immortal, and an Immortal Emperor was also an immortal; there was no difference.
They couldn't even reach that threshold, so how could they know that after becoming an immortal, there were still six stages of immortality?
After choosing his words carefully, he explained, "Heaven and earth have spirits, and all things have their Dao. When we mortals cultivate immortality, there are the nine mortal stages, from the first stage of body refining to the ninth stage of tribulation transcendence."
"Above the saint is the immortal."
"Mortals cultivate the mortal Dao, while immortals cultivate the immortal Dao."
"Just as mortals have the nine mortal stages, immortals also have the six stages of immortality."
Xu Xian's voice was calm and his words clear. The others listened with rapt attention, their desire for knowledge growing as they delved into this blind spot of their understanding.
Xu Xian continued, counting the six stages of immortality one by one.
"The first stage of immortality: Mortal Immortal."
"The second stage of immortality: Earth Immortal."
"The third stage of immortality: Heaven Immortal."
"The fourth stage of immortality: God Immortal."
"The fifth stage of immortality: Immortal King."
Xu Xian paused, his tone becoming heavier as he looked at them and said word by word, "The sixth stage of immortality: Immortal Emperor."
"The tomb of an Immortal Emperor is the Emperor's Tomb."
The expressions of the others shifted visibly. In their seas of consciousness, they simultaneously tried to visualize the power of an Immortal Emperor.
The peak of the ninth stage is a saint—the pinnacle of mortals.
Only after crossing the Red Dust Tribulation, the Heart Tribulation, and the Immortal Lightning Tribulation can one become an immortal...
And that is just an immortal.
Even that was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Yet above the immortal, one must break through five more stages to become an Immortal Emperor.
An Immortal Emperor.
He was not just an emperor among immortals; he was the overlord of immortals.
A truly peerless powerhouse. As for exactly how strong they were, it was something they couldn't even begin to imagine.
But why would the tomb of such a peerless powerhouse appear in Fanzhou?
If this were true, it explained why the Emperor's Tomb produced auroras, displayed heavenly script, and revealed eight great tomb gates.
How large was this tomb?
Was it an entire small world?
Or a whole continent?
Or perhaps the Emperor's Tomb did not only appear in Fanzhou. Similar scenes might be playing out in other worlds, and the tomb gates might lead to an entire star.
Their imaginations ran wild; words felt hollow.
Ye Xianyu was curious and asked, "Where did you hear this from?"
Xu Xian did not hide it, stating directly, "Have you forgotten? I gained enlightenment from the sword stele. I learned this along with the inheritance."
Ye Xianyu realized. "Oh, I see."
It was a perfectly reasonable explanation with no flaws.
Lin Fengmian stroked his long beard, his eyes shining. "If that's the case, then the immortal opportunities within this Emperor's Tomb are likely enough to overturn Fanzhou's current power structure."
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