Preparation Work

On the day the meeting of the Pavilion Elders concluded, Xu Xian happened to return home, stepping into the small courtyard of Zuiwan Residence.

A row of gazes instantly turned toward him...

There was Lu Yuan with his red hair and blindfold, the muscular Zhang Yang, the graceful Lin Qianqian, and Yao Xiaoxiao with her black-and-white hair.

There was also the innocent-looking Tu Kongkong and Xia Chu Yi, whose large eyes were darting around restlessly.

It was rare for the whole household to be gathered so perfectly.

Xu Xian asked, knowing full well the reason, "Hmm... why is everyone here?"

Leaning against the doorframe, Lu Yuan asked coolly, "Are you going or not?"

"Going where?"

"Don't play dumb."

Xu Xian slowly paced into the courtyard until he reached the table.

Yao Xiaoxiao was quick to pull out a stool, Tu Kongkong grabbed a cup, and Xia Chu Yi poured the tea.

Flattery was written all over their faces.

Xu Xian tapped his index finger lightly on the tabletop, scanning the group before smiling and asking, "What about you all? Are you going?"

Holding the teapot, Xia Chu Yi was the first to speak up, "If my Unc... Senior Brother goes, I go."

Tu Kongkong raised her small hand. "If Chu Yi goes, I go."

Yao Xiaoxiao bared her tiger-like teeth. "If those two go, I'm going too."

Lin Qianqian said cheerfully, "Then I want to go as well."

Zhang Yang scratched his head and said simply, "If you're all going, then count me in."

Lu Yuan shrugged his shoulders. "Since everyone is going, I might as well go too."

Xu Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry; they were even rhyming now. He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before making the final decision. "Fine, then we'll all go together."

"Yay!"

"Senior Brother is the best!"

The two little ones cheered and jumped for joy, while the older ones also wore broad smiles.

Clearly, everyone wanted to go.

Since they wanted to go, they would go; Xu Xian didn't want to spoil their fun.

Truth be told, with the lineup in this courtyard, they truly had nothing to fear. Sweeping through the Emperor's Tomb would be no trouble at all.

...

At the Wendao Sword Sect, the Personnel Hall's records showed a total of three thousand disciples under the age of a hundred.

Setting aside those with gentle temperaments who didn't care for conflict, those who were just coasting through their cultivation, and the newcomers who felt their skills were lacking...

Over the course of ten days, only about eighteen hundred disciples had registered their intent to go.

When Xu Xian received this list, he was genuinely taken aback.

He thought to himself, are the disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect all this laid-back?

They were even better at coasting than he was.

However, it was actually quite good. The fact that nearly half the disciples chose not to go proved that most of them had a good sense of their own limits.

A person's greatest virtue is self-awareness.

If Xu Xian were in their position, he wouldn't go either.

The opportunities in the Emperor's Tomb were indeed massive, but the dangers were just as great.

There was only one grand opportunity, yet so many people were after it.

Failing to snatch it was the norm; losing one's life was a high-probability event.

Whether to go or not was something everyone had to decide for themselves.

Xu Xian noted that most of those going were younger disciples. Because they were young, they were impulsive and wanted to take a gamble.

Most of them also had decent aptitude; because their talent was higher, they had more confidence.

It was only logical.

The matter was finalized in less than a month. At the appointed time, Xu Xian would lead the team. The Merchant Hall would provide Cloud Boats to take them to the border between the Northern Borders and the Central Plains, just outside Broken Sword Mountain. There, they would enter the Emperor's Tomb and compete against the rest of the world.

In the remaining time, the registered disciples began to cultivate bitterly day and night, making early preparations.

The sect also commissioned the Merchant Hall to purchase a batch of supplies from outside.

Formations, talismans, defensive artifacts...

And various pills...

These were for the disciples heading to the Emperor's Tomb to use in case of emergencies.

This was the principle that provisions must precede the troops.

However, the Wendao Sword Sect wasn't the only one with this idea. Other sects and cultivators were also preparing in secret, some even moving faster than the Wendao Sword Sect.

This led to a massive surge in the prices of cultivation consumables in a very short time.

Spirit plants and medicinal herbs doubled in price.

Pills increased several times over.

Defensive artifacts, battle armor, formation talismans, and even Qi-Replenishing Pills were sold out.

Even for an organization like the Wendao Sword Sect, it was difficult to find what they needed.

It was simply ridiculous!

The resistance to purchasing supplies was immense.

Fortunately, the Wendao Sword Sect had a deep foundation. Immediately, the disciples of the Elixir Hall, Formation Hall, and Forging Hall began working day and night.

Forging armor, refining pills, and crafting talismans.

The Merchant Hall also pulled from its accumulated stockpile of materials.

The entire sect was a scene of bustling activity.

They weren't just aiming to fully equip their disciples; they were also planning to take this opportunity to make a huge profit.

Xu Xian took advantage of this trend to make a small fortune himself.

He had always maintained the fine virtue of picking things up, and over the years, he had gathered quite a lot during his travels. When he went to the Demon Abyss, he had also stockpiled some common pills and artifacts.

Now, with prices so high, he brought them all out at once.

He commissioned the Merchant Hall to sell them.

He made a massive profit.

Who would ever complain about having too many spirit stones?

While they might be useless to others, they were extremely useful to Xu Xian. Although he had saved almost enough for the fourth floor of the Sword Tower, what about the fifth floor?

The sixth floor?

The requirements were astronomical.

If there was a chance to make a profit, he would take it. If he could make more, he would squeeze it for all it was worth.

While the Wendao Sword Sect was busy with intense preparations, the Demon Abyss was no exception. The heavenly demon race had already begun moving toward the outskirts of the Blazing Fortress.

However, there wasn't much movement within the Demon God Palace.

Firstly, there were very few descendants of the demon gods with suitable bloodlines of the right age.

Secondly, the demon gods were all waiting.

News from outside the Demon Abyss was constantly being transmitted back. The high-level members of the Demon Abyss were well aware that this opening of the Emperor's Tomb would attract a vast number of competitors.

This was especially true for the human race and the sea demons of the North Sea.

Their numbers far exceeded those of the Demon Abyss, and their quality was even higher. Most notably, their arch-rival, the Wendao Sword Sect, was making big moves.

Furthermore, the entire Golden Generation was of the appropriate age and would definitely go.

Xu Xian's fame had long preceded him.

Not just the human race, but the demon race, the beast race, and even the spirit race viewed the Wendao Sword Sect as their primary rival for this trip to the Emperor's Tomb.

They knew that it would be harder than climbing to the heavens for the younger generation of their own families to gain any advantage over the current juniors of the Wendao Sword Sect.

Their only hope and reliance was the Demon Son, Bai Mang.

Only if he led the team would they have a chance to clash with the Wendao Sword Sect.

After all, they were well aware of Bai Mang's strength.

Xu Xian had slain a seventh-grade great demon in the Demon Suppression Abyss while at the sixth stage.

Bai Mang had also slain a seventh-rank demon king in the Nether Capital while at the sixth stage.

Xu Xian had once summoned a Sword Tower.

Bai Mang also possessed the divine ability of Manifesting Sanctity.

If Xu Xian could summon a divine sword, Bai Mang could also condense nether fire.

At the very least, in the subconscious of the demon gods, Bai Mang and Xu Xian were always considered evenly matched.

In the eyes of ordinary demons, Bai Mang was even stronger than Xu Xian.

No matter how strong Xu Xian was, he was still just a human.

But Bai Mang was an ancestral Immortal-Demon from the ancient era and possessed the bloodline of the Demon Lord.

However, a month had already passed since the Emperor's Tomb appeared, and the Demon Son, Bai Mang, had yet to show his face.

The demon gods had visited the Nether Hall.

They had seen the silhouette of the Demon Son from afar, but were told that he was in seclusion and was not receiving guests.

The High Priest also told them to wait.

There was no rush.

In reality, the High Priest herself was very anxious. She didn't know where Bai Mang had gone, and she wanted nothing more than for him to appear and make a decision.

To fight or not to fight?

Based on her understanding of Bai Mang, he would definitely fight. Moreover, given his personality, it was highly likely he would slaughter the entire Golden Generation of the Wendao Sword Sect.

What she feared was that Bai Mang was unaware of the situation and that by the time he returned, the Emperor's Tomb would already be closed.

Thus, she was very anxious.

And Chi Ji was even more anxious than all of them.

She often spent sleepless nights under the moonlight.

"What time is it already? Why haven't you returned yet?"