Chapter 3 The Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers

In the main hall at the highest level of Tianmang Hall, the black-robed emperor immediately said, “Prince Qi.”

“Your Majesty.” Prince Qi responded at once.

“Go and announce the rules of this Immortal Fate Assembly,” the black-robed emperor commanded.

“Yes.”

Prince Qi immediately flew out of the main hall, stood above the clouds, and looked down, his voice echoing between heaven and earth: “The total number of participants in this Immortal Fate Assembly is one hundred nine thousand three hundred and sixty-two!”

His voice was clear and resounded through heaven and earth.

On the square more than nine thousand li below, Wanxiang True Masters from all over the Great Xia Dynasty and even from other great worlds listened attentively.

“One hundred nine thousand and more?” Ji Ning raised an eyebrow. Although a sweep of his divine sense could have checked the number of people around him, within the imperial city, knowing that the Great Xia Emperor was above, no one dared to recklessly release their divine sense to investigate.

The voice above continued: “Each of you more than one hundred thousand will receive a token, and you will all enter the emperor’s magic treasure, the ‘Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers’! The Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers… contains a universe, forming a world of its own. In this painting, you may fight freely and seize others’ tokens. If you feel your strength is insufficient, you may also abandon your token, and you will be quickly teleported out of the painting. Although this counts as a loss, at least you will preserve your life.”

“Those who choose to give up…”

“Those who are killed…”

“Their tokens will be obtained by the victors. You must spend at most one year in the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers. When the year is up, the eighty people with the most tokens will be considered to have passed the trial of the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers. If within the year, say after only three months, the fighting reduces you to only eighty people, then the trial of the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers will end early. The surviving eighty will be considered to have passed the trial.”

“If the year ends and eighty have passed, but there are still other living Wanxiang True Masters in the painting, they will be gathered in one place for a final battle… until only sixteen remain, who will also obtain the final sixteen opportunities.”

“The trial of the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers will allow at least eighty and at most ninety-six people to pass.”

“Remember, in the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers, you are forbidden to use any talismans or any puppet curios! This trial requires us to examine your own strength. Every move you make in the painting is under the observation of His Majesty and under the observation of the many Celestial Immortals. Do not act recklessly. Those who disobey will be killed without mercy!”

Killed without mercy!

The final three words made the hearts of the more than one hundred thousand below tremble.

“At least eighty? At most ninety-six?” Ji Ning, Yu Wei, and the Slovenly True Master looked at each other, all feeling the bloody slaughter about to come.

It was too crazy.

Consider that these more than one hundred thousand were almost all top geniuses, at least at the level of Fire Saint! More than one hundred thousand peerless geniuses, many of whom likely had hope of becoming Earth Immortals or Loose Immortals, yet because of the ‘Immortal Fate Assembly,’ they had to engage in bloody slaughter. Although they could give up, at the critical moment of life and death in battle, many would probably die in the process.

“At most ninety-six people, across the whole realm of three thousand six hundred commanderies and four oceans. On average, only one emerges from several dozen commanderies.” The Slovenly True Master sighed. “Truly crazy.”

“I wonder which of us three will pass this trial.” Yu Wei’s expression also became very serious.

Ji Ning also felt the pressure.

In past Immortal Fate Assemblies, it was generally not this bloody. In the past, there were usually twenty to thirty thousand people, and they would go through several rounds of selection, narrowing it down to the top hundred, then the top fifty, gradually, until the top ten and top three were selected.

But this time, more than one hundred thousand were directly filtered through the ‘Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers’ to at least eighty and at most ninety-six people.

…

Main hall of Tianmang Hall.

Prince Qi walked back and bowed respectfully: “Reporting to Your Majesty, the announcement has been made.”

“Mm.” The black-robed emperor nodded slightly. His gaze had long since passed through the obstacles of the hall and clouds, landing on the more than one hundred thousand young people in the square. He wanted to observe… observe who would be the true powerhouses that would rise in the turmoil of the Three Realms.

“There are over a hundred with golden light of merit.” The black-robed emperor pondered silently. “Those with high merit naturally have high luck. But even those with low merit may also have very high luck, perhaps even astonishingly high.”

Luck and merit are not the same thing.

High merit naturally brings the blessing of luck.

But for example, becoming a disciple of a great power in the Three Realms also brings the blessing of luck.

For example, if one’s parents are great powers in the Three Realms, that also brings the blessing of luck.

A major fortuitous encounter also brings the blessing of luck.

The level of merit can be seen at a glance, but luck… is more elusive and difficult to judge.

“Whoosh.” The black-robed emperor suddenly produced a scroll in his hand, which he unrolled directly. Faintly, one could see a bright moon and mountains and rivers on the scroll.

The Celestial Immortals standing below all brightened their eyes.

The Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers…

It was a Pure Yang magic treasure, very attractive to them. But these Celestial Immortals were also thinking constantly. Today, the Great Xia Emperor hadn’t said much to them, directly proceeding with the selection of the ‘Immortal Fate Assembly.’ They could feel the importance the Great Xia Emperor placed on this assembly, and the mere fact that he took out the ‘Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers’ as the trial ground was evidence enough.

“Rumble~~~”

Ji Ning and the others all looked up at the sky. The teams from the three thousand six hundred commanderies and four oceans also looked up.

In the sky appeared a huge painting, ten thousand li in scope, as if covering the sky, and one could even faintly see the world within the painting.

“Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!”

Ji Ning, Yu Wei, the Slovenly True Master, and the other one hundred nine thousand three hundred sixty-two people, who had been standing there, uncontrollably shot up into the sky, all sucked in, and the vast ten-thousand-li painting also rippled. Each person touching the painting caused a small ripple, like raindrops falling on a lake.

In the blink of an eye.

All more than one hundred thousand people had disappeared.

…

In the main hall of Tianmang Hall, the black-robed emperor finally smiled and said calmly, “The trial of the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers will likely last a year. You may watch slowly. Set the banquet.”

Immediately, a large number of maids swiftly came up.

They set out low tables, served immortal wine, and served immortal fruits.

One by one, the Celestial Immortal patriarchs sat cross-legged, while their attendants and servants sat behind and to the side of the Celestial Immortals.

“Everything in the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers can be watched.” The black-robed emperor pointed into the distance above the clouds outside the hall. The huge ten-thousand-li painting hung there, the world within it clearly visible. It contained mountains, water, a bright moon, and a large number of scattered Wanxiang True Masters, over one hundred thousand in number.

“Dongyan, why do you think His Majesty values the Immortal Fate Assembly so much?” The one sitting next to Patriarch Dongyan was an old man with a head like a leper. “He personally presides and gives orders. Even with so many of us Celestial Immortals here, he still focuses on the Immortal Fate Assembly. Is this assembly special? Is there some very powerful reincarnated figure? I recall that the underworld was suddenly attacked decades ago, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation collapsed. Could it be related?”

“How would I know? But the collapse of the Six Paths of Reincarnation is a huge matter, and the secrets behind it are very shocking. We’d better stay obediently in our own great world and not run around outside. Otherwise, we might fall at any time. Besides, although the Six Paths have collapsed, the Dao Ancestor has rebuilt the reincarnation for us dozens of great worlds. We have the protection of the Dao Ancestor, so there’s no need to panic.” Patriarch Dongyan transmitted.

The old man with the leper head nodded.

While Patriarch Dongyan and Patriarch Liangjiang worried about the coming great turmoil, Jiulian, who was behind Patriarch Dongyan, stared intently at the ten-thousand-li painting.

The ten-thousand-li painting was enormous, and one could clearly see the figures inside.

“Where is Ji Ning?” Jiulian couldn’t help searching.

…

“Where is Ji Ning?” Yuchi Xiyue sat cross-legged behind King Yan, also staring intently at the huge painting. “Little brother, you must be careful, be careful.”

…

“Where is the master?”

In the square below, in the camp of the Anchan Commandery team, beside Mu Zishuo were a snow-white dog and a green-clad girl. Ji Ning was going to fight, and spirit beasts were forbidden to be brought in, so Bai Shu and Xiaoqing temporarily followed Mu Zishuo to watch the battle.

“Don’t worry, senior apprentice brother has heaven-defying talent. Back then in the Wu Jiang Immortal Mansion, facing such a desperate situation, he still managed to kill Shaoyan Nong and that demon god. He will not easily give up or die.” Mu Zishuo’s eyes shone as he looked up at the sky, where a huge phantom of a world had appeared.

This phantom was the scene inside the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers.

One could clearly see the mountains, rivers, plants, and even the figures inside.

Bai Shu, Xiaoqing, and Mu Zishuo all quickly swept their gazes across the huge painting, across the figures in that world.

“Look.” Bai Shu suddenly spoke, staring at one spot.

Mu Zishuo and Xiaoqing followed Bai Shu’s gaze and indeed saw, in a corner of that world, in a valley, a youth in animal skins.

“Senior apprentice brother.” Mu Zishuo’s eyes lit up.

“Master.” Xiaoqing watched excitedly.

The nearby Wufeng Immortal also quickly spotted him, his eyes full of anticipation.

…

At this moment, the teams from the three thousand six hundred commanderies and four oceans on the square all looked up, searching for their own people. They soon found them, and all watched with anticipation, hoping that their own would become one of the final ninety-six survivors.

…

In the world of the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers.

Ji Ning only felt that after touching the huge painting, the scene before him changed, and he appeared in a valley.

“A valley?” Ji Ning instantly produced two Northmoon swords in his hands, carefully and vigilantly looking around. To be cautious, he didn’t even use his divine sense, because once he did, while discovering enemies, he would generally also be discovered by them. After all, almost more than half of the participants in the Immortal Fate Assembly already possessed divine sense.

“Swish.” Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before him, and a green jade token materialized.

“Each of you more than one hundred thousand has a token. If you don’t want to fight and choose to give up, just throw away the jade token, and I will throw you out of the Painting of Bright Moon and Mountains and Rivers.” The voice of the Great Xia Emperor sounded in the minds of the more than one hundred thousand people.

Ji Ning immediately reached out and grabbed the token.

…