Volume One: The Misty Cloud Immortal Palace Chapter Forty-Four: The Sixteen Immortal Palaces
Chapter Forty-Four: The Sixteen Immortal Palaces
At dawn the next day, on the Sword Practice Plaza.
Fifteen figures—five elders and ten disciples—stood facing the pale light just breaking in the east.
“Since everyone is here, let us set off!” With a sweep of his sleeve, Immortal Lord Yunmiao summoned a seven-colored auspicious cloud, which carried them all into the distant sky.
When the radiant cloud reached the main gate of Yunmiao Hall, Yunmiao produced a token with due solemnity. The two death guards at the gate immediately gave way. Zhou Hao, watching this, grumbled inwardly, “Seriously? Even the palace lord needs to show his token to leave. They really only recognize the token, not the person!”
Soon they soared into the void, the auspicious cloud speeding forward at an unimaginable pace—if any mortal were to sit upon it, they would likely stop breathing on the spot!
“We’re almost there. Prepare to land!” Yunmiao steered the cloud as though he were piloting a ship.
Ahead, a colossal cloud shaped like a coiled dragon loomed in the cold, dark cosmos, resembling a harbor—a haven for immortals traversing this boundless expanse of space.
The Ascension Platform!
This was the venue for the grand assembly of the Immortal Palaces, the place connecting the mortal realm and the immortal domain. Time and space here were unstable; mortals who reached a certain level could shatter space and step into the realm of immortals!
Thus, the Sun and Moon Immortal Domain was the closest to the mortal world; ninety-nine percent of those who ascended from the lower realm would be taken in as disciples or elders by the great palaces here. Of those, the Sixteen Immortal Palaces were nearest the vital Ascension Platform—a crucial strategic location.
The snowy white platform was vast and open, clouds swirling in splendor, immortal lights blossoming all around. Upon the platform stood two stone steles: one, only two meters tall, bore the inscription “Ascension Platform” to mark the place; the other was awe-inspiring, ten zhang high, set at the platform’s edge with the black void of the universe as its backdrop. For Zhou Hao, encountering the second stele was his life’s second greatest stroke of luck, for it was the Celestial Stele of the Immortal Domain—the landmark connecting the mortal and immortal realms, and the very point where his journey from mortal to immortal began!
Thinking of this second stroke of luck inevitably reminded Zhou Hao of the first—the “black fellow,” the jet-black slab once called the Heavenfallen Immortal by the world. He had, rather carelessly, left it at the foot of the Celestial Stele. Now, returning to this place, Zhou Hao longed for a chance to reclaim it.
“Haha, it’s the Yunmiao Palace! Yunmiao, you old ghost, three hundred years have passed and your bearing is even more magnificent than before!” On the Ascension Platform, seeing Yunmiao approach on his rainbow cloud, an old man in gray robes hurried forward with his people to greet him.
“Haha, Chenhun, you old devil, how have you been?” Yunmiao replied, stepping lightly forward with a courteous salute.
“Ah, I’m getting old!” the gray-robed elder sighed, waving his hand. “But it seems we’re early—so many palaces have yet to arrive!”
“Your Chenhun Palace is always the first; how could the others be as eager as you? Hahaha!” Yunmiao teased.
“Hahahaha, Yunmiao, Chenhun, you both are early indeed!” At that moment, a strange red cloud appeared in the sky, carrying more than a dozen figures. At its center smiled an old man in a robe patterned with flames.
“So the old ghost from the Fire Blaze Palace has arrived too! It seems the three of us are all here,” Chenhun and Yunmiao went forward to greet him—the elder was none other than the lord of Fire Blaze Palace, an old friend of theirs among the Sixteen Immortal Palaces.
As the saying goes, a day apart feels like three autumns. Old friends reunited, they had much to talk about, leaving their elders and disciples “abandoned” for the time being.
Yet, before the three could finish their exchanges, more and more guests from the immortal palaces arrived, descending upon the Ascension Platform and making the vast space lively and bustling.
“At last, the day has come—genius disciples from all the palaces gathering!”
“Hundreds of years have passed since the sixteen palace lords last convened—what a rare grand event!”
“To choose the top three from a hundred and sixty prodigies—such a merciless elimination is truly a cause for sighs.”
...
Even before the assembly began, the air was thick with heated discussion, yet everyone’s focus remained on assessing the talents of the various palaces’ disciples.
“Muqi Palace actually sent Luolan this time! They say her talent rivals that of Yunmiao’s Yu Yang—in just three hundred years, she’s reached the threshold of Golden Immortal!”
“Xin Nan from Fire Blaze Palace is here as well. He’s mastered the legendary Fire Cloud Art and has long been at the quasi-Golden Immortal level!”
“Cai Lingzi! Even the personal disciple of Palace Lord Caixiang has come. No one knows his true strength, but no one dares question it!”
“The brothers Sanyi and Bang Le from Weituo Palace are here too! What exceptional feats will this Buddhist palace display?”
“And Su Qing from Yunmiao Palace, acclaimed as the most elegant goddess among the sixteen palaces! Her strength is well known—surely a favorite for the championship!”
...
Amidst the crowd, disciples from every palace exchanged fiery glances, their eyes blazing with desire for battle—not just to win a place among the top three, but to prove their own strength was second to none!
“Their eyes are so fierce!” Xiao Shanshan, blinking her large, dark eyes adorably, nestled herself behind Yu Nan like a timid bird.
“They’re just putting on airs—nothing to be afraid of,” Yu Nan comforted her, sounding every bit the elder sister.
“If you’re scared of a mere look, how will you fight them when your turn comes?” Zhou Hao couldn’t help but tease from the side.
“Hmph! Stupid Zhou Hao, how dare you mock me? Don’t think you can bully people just because you’re in the spotlight now—believe it or not, I’ll have senior sister teach you a lesson!” Xiao Shanshan shot back, unwilling to be outdone.
“How am I bullying you? I’m just speaking the truth!” Zhou Hao shrugged innocently.
“Senior sister, look at him! So thick-skinned—I really don’t get what you see in him,” Xiao Shanshan pouted.
At those words, the mood became oddly tense. Yu Nan’s cheeks flushed as she buried her face, Zhou Hao awkwardly scratched his nose, and dozens of icy gazes turned toward Yunmiao Palace—more precisely, toward Zhou Hao.
If Su Qing was the one person in all sixteen palaces no one dared offend, then Yu Nan was surely the second. Though they belonged to the same palace and Su Qing’s brilliance was dazzling, Yu Nan was never overlooked—thanks in part to being Yu Yang’s sister, but more so for her stunning beauty and graceful figure, the very image of an earthly courtesan. If Su Qing was a graceful ink painting, Yu Nan was a vivid, richly colored scroll. Su Qing seemed untouched by worldly dust, ethereal and remote, while Yu Nan exuded the regal charm of a queen of the mortal world. Thus, among the male disciples, their adoration for Yu Nan could be summed up as “willing to die beneath a peony blossom.”
Zhou Hao inwardly cursed his luck—Xiao Shanshan had well and truly sold him out! He could already feel the jealous eyes upon him, signaling the trouble to come.
“Ah, so many admirers for Yu Nan! What karmic debt did I owe her in a past life?” Zhou Hao could only suffer in silence.
Just then, the sixteen palace lords and their elders took their seats above the Ascension Platform, ready to announce the rules.
“The Grand Assembly of the Immortal Palaces is about to begin. The sixteen palace lords will now explain the competition rules!” they declared, looking down upon the hundred and sixty disciples.
The crowd instantly fell silent, every disciple listening intently.
“From a hundred and sixty disciples, only three shall be chosen as the strongest! Your abilities will be tested in every aspect. Raw power alone is insufficient—you must know how to cooperate, to adapt, to surprise your opponents, and more. Thus, your first trial will be a battle royale—everyone for themselves, no distinction between palaces. Besides yourself, everyone is your enemy. Do you understand?”
The disciples shouted in unison that they understood.
“The time limit is one hour. Any disciple severely injured or who surrenders will be eliminated. The contest begins now!”
At the command, the disciples shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow, attacking any opponent in sight without mercy. Though not as brutal as a true immortal battlefield, the combat was real enough—a life could certainly be lost.
Clang!
Zhou Hao drew his sword and swept through the fray, his right hand wielding a golden blade radiating sword energy several meters long. He charged ahead, few able to match his momentum.
“Kill!”
Suddenly, a figure dropped from the sky, swinging a black-gold staff at Zhou Hao’s head. Zhou Hao met the blow without fear, parrying with his sword. The clash rang out over and over, as if the very heavens were being hammered, sparks flying in all directions.
Swoosh!
Sword light pulsed like a true dragon’s breath as Zhou Hao flicked his blade, transforming into a streak of gold that tangled with the staff-wielder. Sword energy soared skyward, black light gleamed, and the clangor of their weapons filled the air—neither could gain the upper hand, their arms matched in strength.
Zhou Hao, unwilling to waste more time, unleashed the Ethereal Immortal Steps, seeking victory through speed!
Step after step, he moved like a phantom, each stride covering the ground of a hundred. He swept past the staff-wielder, whose reactions could not keep pace, and in a flash defeated him, leaving him wounded and unconscious.
“Next!”
With a shout, Zhou Hao plunged back into the melee. Yet, even as he did, several figures began to close in on him...
Buzz!
Four beams of divine light shot skyward, piercing the clouds and converging upon Zhou Hao’s back. Ever since his encounter with the venomous snake, Zhou Hao’s senses—especially for attacks from behind—had grown exceedingly sharp, as if he had grown an invisible eye on his back. He reacted instantly to the four-pronged assault!
Boom!
A golden palm print, as large as a hill, thundered in retaliation, extinguishing the divine lights in a breath. Zhou Hao himself swung his sword behind him, forcing the four assailants to scatter from his fierce counterattack.
“Hmph, I’d like to see how you so-called ‘goddess guards’ measure up to Yunmiao Palace’s disciples!” Zhou Hao’s gaze flashed with icy electricity, his golden sword poised for the strike. The four male disciples glared back, one with a blade, another with a bow, another riding a sword, and another gripping a spear—their shared hostility unmistakable.
The battle erupted! Zhou Hao charged like a tiger descending the mountain, his golden sword sweeping all before him. Not one of the four could stand alone against him. They recalled how Zhou Hao had seemed evenly matched with the staff-wielder just moments before—why was he now so overwhelming?
“So he was only pretending before!” The four quickly realized that Zhou Hao had deliberately prolonged his earlier duel to mislead them.
“Heh, you’re only realizing now? Too late!” Zhou Hao sneered, his sword blazing with cold light.
In a blinding storm of sword energy, Zhou Hao revealed his true strength, defeating all four prodigies in rapid succession. His speed and power were already at the pinnacle; the four were utterly outmatched and could only be battered into submission. In the end, as expected, all four fell bleeding to the ground—yet Zhou Hao spared their lives.
An hour passed swiftly. The sight on the field was astonishing: from the original one hundred sixty disciples, only sixty remained. The white Ascension Platform was now stained with mists of blood, and many disciples were carried from the field.