In Fanzhou, eight pillars of blood-red light shot up from eight different locations, piercing through the firmament and reaching into the clouds.
They churned the clouds, swirling them into eight abyssal vortexes that seemed to swallow everything.
After the aurora surged into the sky, it fed back into the mortal world, raining down sixteen rays of golden light—exactly two for each tomb gate.
The alternating blood-red and gold, set against the twilight, created a magnificent and mysterious scene.
Before the people could even regain their senses, the two rays of golden light transformed into two Golden Armored Divine Generals, standing before each tomb gate.
They looked like deities descending to the mortal world.
"What is that?"
"Are those... immortals?"
The noisy clamor gradually subsided as cries of astonishment broke out, but Xu Xian only smiled with disdain, scoffing inwardly.
"Hmph... putting on a theatrical display."
These were merely illusions of light and shadow, not physical entities; they were similar to the projections cast by the Bixu Mirror.
His own projections at least had the pressure of an Emperor weapon to back them up, but these so-called Golden Armored Divine Generals were pure window dressing.
A strong gust of wind would likely blow them away.
Such a trick might fool ordinary creatures, but with his Pupil of Insight, Xu Xian could see through them clearly.
He said nothing, simply watching quietly.
He wanted to see what kind of game this Twilight Emperor was playing.
The Golden Armored Divine Generals appeared in the mortal world like giants of the twilight, moving their massive, clumsy bodies toward the tomb gates.
Then, before the eyes of everyone in Fanzhou, they worked together—one on the left and one on the right—to push open the towering gates.
The hundred-zhang-high gates slowly opened with a thunderous roar; for every inch they moved, a sound echoed, shaking the earth and making space itself tremble.
Krak-krak-krak!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Buzz!
First came a crack, then a door's width, until finally, with two heavy thuds, the tomb gates were flung wide open.
The gateway was replaced by a deep azure light curtain.
Ripples shimmered on its surface, and an ancient, overbearing aura surged out from within.
This time, the tomb gates were truly open.
The two divine generals stood on either side, looking back at the mortal world, their golden eyes beneath their helmets radiating brilliance.
One of the divine generals spoke in a voice that rumbled like a drum:
"The Emperor's Tomb is open. Mortal beings, please enter."
The voice echoed like a great bell, resonating through the air.
Hearts trembled at the sound, and by the time it faded, the golden brilliance had vanished.
The space before the tomb gates was empty; the Golden Armored Divine Generals had disappeared without a trace.
As the scenes and voices played out in succession, the creatures present remained in a daze, not quite understanding what had happened.
That was it?
It was just open like that?
It felt like something was missing...
But the tomb gates were indeed open.
"Hahaha! The Emperor's Tomb is open! My children, what are you waiting for? Go! The immortal opportunity lies within, and time waits for no one!"
A gray-haired old man laughed heartily and made his proclamation.
The crowd grew restless, and the sect disciples who had been waiting for a long time snapped out of their daze and set off without a word.
"Time waits for no one! Charge!"
"Today is the day to make a name for ourselves!"
"Don't any of you try to compete with me!"
"Jie jie jie! This young sect master will be the first man to enter the Emperor's Tomb!"
"Rush in!"
"If you die early, you'll reincarnate early! What's there to fear? Charge!"
...
In the blink of an eye, the sky ahead became a scene of ten thousand people competing to cross.
Some with powerful physical bodies kicked off the ground, shooting through the air like meteors toward the gates.
Others leaped and bounded through the mountains and forests, chasing after one another.
There were even those who sacrificed spirit artifacts to take the lead.
They controlled swords, blades, and the wind, crossing the distance like a flock of gulls amidst a cacophony of shouts, cries, laughter, and the ringing of swords.
Before the towering tomb gates, people jostled against each other in a chaotic mess under the slanting rays of the twilight.
Similar scenes were playing out at the other tomb gates as well.
In the heart of Jiangnan, disciples of the Three Sects moved first to seize the initiative.
In the depths of the North Sea, the descendants of the great demons summoned their true forms, stirring up waves and wind.
Outside the Divine Moon Pool, golden lions, white elephants, and pitch-black snakes surged forward together, the earth shaking under their thunderous roars.
In the Black Sand Desert, the demon son played by Jin Qing gave the order, and thousands of demons howled as they swarmed forward.
"Kinsmen, follow the demon son and charge!"
"Conquer the Emperor's Tomb!"
All of Fanzhou was competing, as if whoever ran the fastest would truly be the one to seize the initiative.
Of course, it was also likely because these were young people with hot blood who loved to compete for superiority.
You walk, I run; you run, I fly—none would yield to the other.
The powerful experts hidden in the shadows watched silently; some were gratified, their eyes crinkling with expectation, while others were worried, their brows furrowed as they prayed secretly.
In this atmosphere, even the disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect began to grow restless, each one impatient to set off.
Yet they suppressed the tremors in their hearts and held back their excitement, their eyes collectively converging on the Cloud Boat in the center.
Standing on that deck was Xu Xian.
It was agreed that the Little Grand-Uncle would lead the team.
If the Little Grand-Uncle didn't give the order, no one dared to move.
On the deck, the two little ones urged impatiently, "Senior Brother, let's go too!"
"Yeah, Senior Brother, if we go too late, the trail will go cold!"
Their words made the people around them not know whether to laugh or cry. What did they mean by the trail going cold?
They made it sound like they were rushing to eat scraps.
As the person in charge, Xu Xian remained calm and unhurried, only replying with a smile, "No rush, no rush. Good things are worth the wait, and a good meal is never too late."
This was the Emperor's Tomb, a game set up by an Immortal Emperor; it wasn't about who entered the fastest.
It was about who could stay inside the longest and survive the longest.
There was no need to rush.
Besides, there were simply too many people; it was too crowded to go in now.
They waited and waited...
A stick of incense passed.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Two hours passed.
The world slowly grew quiet, and the sea of people that had once crowded the tomb gates had thinned out significantly.
The noise had lessened, the cursing had decreased, and most people had already entered.
Ye Xianyu was still perched on the mast, showing no intention of rushing him.
The disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect continued to wait anxiously on the deck.
"What's the deal with the Little Grand-Uncle?"
"I don't know."
"We're still waiting? It's already dark..."
"Are we even going?"
"What's your hurry? Are you rushing to your reincarnation?"
Xu Xian saw that the setting sun had vanished and the stars and moon now filled the sky. The time was indeed right, so he stood up and casually tossed the half-jar of fine wine he had left to Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan caught it with one hand and gave it a shake.
There was still some left.
He put it away with a look of feigned disgust.
Xu Xian stretched and, amidst the expectant gazes of the disciples, issued the command.
"Depart."
The disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect immediately rubbed their hands together, eager to start.
Xu Xian looked up at Ye Xianyu on the mast and bared his teeth in a grin. "Senior Sister, I'm off."
Ye Xianyu acted as if she hadn't heard him, toyed with her hair.
Xu Xian gave a grand wave of his hand.
"Let's go!"
The two little ones cheered and jumped for joy.
Lu Yuan shook his head secretly and stood up to follow.
Yao Xiaoxiao accompanied him at his side.
Zhang Yang and Lin Qianqian followed closely behind.
Over a thousand disciples drew their swords and entered the tomb gate together.
Ye Xianyu watched Xu Xian's back disappear into the gate, her gaze softening under the starlight.
She murmured softly, "May everything go smoothly."
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