Chapter 26: Forty-Eight People

Three guiding light balls arrived at the Mirror Plateau and vanished instantly, releasing the sixty people. Along with the light balls came the eight Directional Swords. As soon as the sixty people emerged from the light balls, they quickly scattered and took positions according to the ten major sects. Of course, Qu Yi stood alone in one spot.

The members of the ten major sects were very worried about Qu Yi. At this moment, everyone was in a competitive relationship. All of them knew that Qu Yi possessed the Poison Fruit, so they kept their distance from him, fearing he might suddenly use it. Although some of the treasures brought by the strong members of the ten sects could resist the poison gas from the Poison Fruit, they didn’t want to lose them now, nor did they want to reveal their trump cards in front of other sects.

Seeing the behavior of the cultivators from the ten major sects, Qu Yi smiled faintly and calmly observed his surroundings. When the strong members of the ten sects saw that Qu Yi wasn’t taking any action, they also began to look around like him.

The sixty people stood on an endless expanse of mirror-like surface. Apart from this water-like mirror, there was nothing else around—just clarity, creating a sense of solemnity. Suddenly, the entire Mirror Plateau trembled. Before the sixty people could react in surprise, the plateau seemed to fold in half, revealing a gigantic mirror before them.

Yes, it was like a mirror as wide as a planet, folded into two vertical surfaces. A gentle breeze blew through the space, rustling the clothes of the sixty people, giving them a very pleasant feeling, as if their spiritual essences were being nurtured in a serene place. The vertical mirror had no visible top, still giving off an endless impression.

Suddenly, a bright spot appeared on the mirror before everyone’s eyes, quickly expanding to form a half-circular, glowing surface several meters long. A figure appeared on this surface—tall, composed, majestic, and just—evoking feelings of reverence in everyone due to the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared there.

Qu Yi and all the strong members of the ten major sects stared solemnly at the man on the surface, not daring to breathe loudly.

“Welcome to my immortal estate,” the man said calmly.

My Immortal Mansion? At this moment, the sixty people immediately realized that the man who appeared on this plane was Emperor Hao—the once-famous Immortal Emperor in the Immortal Realm, the one who had been pursued by fifteen powerful beings of the immortal class all the way to the Cultivation Realm. Although the ten major sects were all supported by those who had pursued Emperor Hao, the fifty-nine powerful beings here did not show reverence; instead, they were filled with shock and began to feel admiration for him.

Qu Yi, on the other hand, appeared relaxed. Earlier, the Weapon God had warned him that the gentle breeze carrying a bewitching aura could affect people’s minds. While it could make one’s body enter a state of clarity, it could also alter certain thoughts. Thus, Qu Yi realized that Emperor Hao wanted to influence all those who were transported in, changing their previous beliefs so that they would serve him wholeheartedly. With the Weapon God guarding his soul, Qu Yi remained calm, quietly listening to Emperor Hao’s words.

It seemed Emperor Hao had known in advance that these sixty people would be surprised, so he gave them some time to recover before calmly saying, “There is one rule for those who enter the Immortal Mansion. I hope you listen carefully. You are not allowed to use primordial energy to attack, or else you will die.”

A wave of astonishment swept through the sixty people, and they all showed unnatural expressions at this rule. Only then did the powerful beings from the ten major sects understand why beings at the Great Vehicle stage, as well as the lords of the Immortal, Demon, and Fiend realms, could not enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion. This was because these people possessed primordial energy within them. Without it, their strength would be inferior to that of beings at the Tribulation stage. Moreover, the top-grade spiritual weapons they carried could not be used either, as such weapons relied on primordial energy to cast spells, which naturally violated the rules of the Haotian Immortal Mansion.

Qu Yi smiled slightly. He had a top-grade spiritual weapon— a Six Directions Blade. Although it couldn’t be used for attack, its sharpness meant that it could kill someone instantly even without the use of true energy. And since attacking was prohibited, Qu Yi had an even greater advantage. With the six Poisonous Fruits he possessed, he was practically invincible. Who among the powerful beings from the ten major sects would dare trouble him?

From Emperor Hao’s rules just announced, everyone also understood Emperor Hao’s attitude toward the Immortal Emperors from the Immortal, Demon, and Fiend realms.

At this moment, Emperor Hao didn’t give the sixty people much time to analyze the situation. He continued calmly, “The region of the Immortal Mansion you’re entering now is called the Eight Deserts Hall, which consists of eight separate areas. You must pass through each one before reaching the inner area of the Immortal Mansion. In each of these eight areas, there are powerful immortal weapons. I wish you good luck in obtaining them.”

Upon hearing this, the sixty people’s eyes lit up. There was an immortal weapon in each area. Though the exact number wasn’t known, there were at least eight of them, enough to change the strength rankings of the top ten sects.

However, before the strong members of the top ten sects could rejoice, Emperor Hao said calmly, “Everyone, before entering the Eastern Wasteland area of the Eight Deserts Hall, those of you who have come in need to control the number of people. There are eight Eight Directions Swords, with six people assigned to each, totaling forty-eight people. Since your current number exceeds this limit, the extra people must be eliminated before you can enter the Eastern Wasteland area.”

This statement immediately caused chaos among the crowd. The strong members of each sect watched each other warily, fearing sudden attacks from other sects.

Qu Yi couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He thought to himself, “This Emperor Hao is really interesting. He created eight Eight Directions Swords himself. Knowing full well that once seized by the major sects, those swords could likely be used together to bring more people into the Haotian Immortal Mansion, he now strictly controls the number of people—only six per sword, with a total of forty-eight allowed into the Eight Deserts Hall.”

If the number of people was reduced from sixty to forty-eight, twelve people would have to be killed.

The leaders of the top ten sects glanced at one another and quickly divided into three groups: those who practiced cultivation, those who practiced magic, and those who practiced demon cultivation. Qu Yi, however, still stood alone. The four factions were once again clearly separated.

All the strong members turned their attention to Qu Yi.

Qu Yi smiled faintly and took out a Poison Fruit from his hand. Smiling, he said, “Everyone, do you want to get rid of me now? Very well. Whichever sect dares to eliminate me, I’ll give them this Poison Fruit.”

Hiss!

The strong members of the top ten sects took a deep breath. Everyone looked at Qu Yi in panic, but none dared speak.

After all, in an environment where they couldn’t use their primal energy, the Poison Fruit was a supreme weapon—no sect among the top ten could resist it. Therefore, they naturally didn’t dare include Qu Yi in that list of twelve.

Seeing that everyone’s attention was no longer on him, Qu Yi began walking around, unwilling to worry about how the top ten sects would decide who would be on that list of twelve.

There were twenty-three members in the four sects of cultivation, twenty in the three sects of demon cultivation, and sixteen in the three sects of beast cultivation. Each group gathered together, watching intently as their sect leaders rapidly exchanged spiritual awareness. Just as the three forces were about to engage in battle, Emperor Hao on the plane suddenly spoke up again, “Everyone, it seems none of you are reckless. Good. Since the battle hasn’t started yet, I’ll set a standard for you. The place where you stand is one million li away from the edge of this plain. Each of you must use your fastest speed to reach the edge. The twelve slowest will be killed by me.” What! The tense atmosphere among the three forces was filled with shock once more—Emperor Hao intended to judge strength based on speed. This method might not necessarily be better than a direct clash, as some powerful cultivators might not necessarily be fast. Especially the three sects of Yingtian Sect, Cangyang Valley, and Xianyue Cliff, which mainly practiced earth-based cultivation techniques—their strong members were generally not very fast compared to those who practiced other techniques. “That’s not fair!” suddenly cried a powerful cultivator from Yingtian Sect in the later stage of the Tribulation Phase. This cultivator had extremely strong defensive abilities, capable of withstanding several attacks from primordial energy. Yet, his speed was notoriously slow among cultivators in the Tribulation Phase. Just as he spoke, a beam of light shot out from the vertical plane and struck him, killing him instantly. “I am called Emperor Hao because of my unwavering integrity and honesty throughout my life. I gave you a choice, but since you refused to fight among yourselves, I’ll set a standard. To dare resist me is to offend me. Those who offend me will die,” Emperor Hao explained calmly. At this, several other cultivators in the Tribulation Phase who wanted to speak up immediately covered their mouths, too afraid to make a sound. Now, there was only one way left: to compete in speed. Qu Yi, who had been casually observing the surroundings, was also shocked upon hearing Emperor Hao’s decision to judge by speed—he hadn’t expected Emperor Hao to have such a trick up his sleeve. With no other choice, Qu Yi flew back to the place where he had arrived earlier. The powerful cultivators from the ten major sects, who had looked somewhat frustrated when they saw Qu Yi return, now showed relieved smiles.

“Qu Yi, you mere beginner at the Tribulation stage dare to enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion? Now, your death is finally here,” sneered a powerful figure from the Taiyuan Sect.
The powerful members of the ten major sects all nodded in agreement after hearing this, sharing the same view.
Qu Yi merely smiled and said indifferently, “If it’s a race, are you really sure you can beat me?”