84: Crossing boundaries to bring the mortal world

In an unknown Mayfly Realm.

The entire world was only ten thousand miles in size, completely devoid of Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence or transcendent beings; there were only Mortal dynasties and wild beasts on the continent.

Tianshuo City, the capital of the Great Shuo Dynasty.

This was a giant city with a population of over a million. Built upon a foundation of hard black ironstone, its thirty-meter-high walls guarded the final heritage of this three-hundred-year-old Dynasty.

The 12th year of the lunar calendar, April 10th.

In the afternoon.

The gray sky was suddenly torn apart by a beam of golden light descending from the highest heavens without warning!

"Rumble—!"

At first, the golden light was just a thin line, but it quickly expanded and spread like the Heavenly River flowing backward, instantly illuminating the entire city and the surrounding hundred miles.

Countless Mortals looked up in astonishment, completely shocked by this sudden celestial change.

In the center of the golden light, a figure slowly descended, finally hovering above the massive square in front of the Imperial City.

The figure was shrouded in a soft yet blinding halo, standing dozens of meters tall. Although his face was unclear, his transcendent posture that towered over all living beings caused the entire city to boil with excitement instantly.

"A miracle! A miracle!"

"The Immortal has manifested!"

"Look, a Heavenly God has descended!"

"..."

Countless Mortals rushed out of their houses and flooded the streets, kneeling and kowtowing toward the Imperial City square. The crowd was like a sea, and their voices shook the heavens.

Inside the palace, bells and drums sounded in unison.

Surrounded by guards, the Emperor of Great Shuo rushed out in a panic, looking up at the figure in the halo with a face that shifted through many expressions.

Where did an Immortal come from in this world?

Could it be someone else performing some kind of magic trick?

"Silence."

A grand and majestic voice rang directly in the depths of everyone's Soul, drowning out all the clamor.

The entire world fell silent.

"This Immortal comes from beyond the heavens."

"Although this realm lacks the Immortal Dao, its people are resilient and teachable. Today, I specifically open a gate of convenience. From among you, I shall select one hundred thousand young men and women of acceptable Heart-Nature and strong physique to be led into the Immortal Realm. Perhaps you may find the path to longevity and escape the suffering of the Mortal world."

Immortal Realm! Longevity! Opportunity!

"Whoosh—!"

The million Mortals in the capital instantly went mad!

Cries, prayers, and the sound of shoving exploded. Countless people surged forward desperately, hoping to be chosen by the 'Immortal'.

Yu Xuzi said no more and gently flicked his sleeve.

"Buzz—!"

In the very center of the Imperial City square, the hard black ironstone ground rippled like water.

Then, a massive gate, thirty meters high and over thirty meters wide, slowly condensed and emerged from the void.

Its entire body was the color of mysterious yellow, and inside the gate was a soft white light, making it impossible to see the scene behind it.

This was the temporary entrance connecting to the Yuxu Grotto-Heaven.

Immediately after, an even more shocking scene appeared.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Heavy footsteps echoed from within the gate.

One after another, massive figures marched out from the white light inside the gate in a perfectly synchronized line.

They were over a hundred Puppets!

They were all over fifteen meters tall, varying in form and shimmering with a cold light.

Leading them was naturally the thirty-meter-tall Xuan Sha Heavenly Tiger. Its eyes glowed with intense red light, and as it stepped forward, the ground shook slightly.

A grand and cold voice emanated from its body, echoing through the capital:

"By the decree of the High Immortal, the selection begins!"

"Those aged ten to thirty, without disabilities or malignant diseases, line up and enter the gate in order!"

"Those who disobey, cause trouble, or deceive—shall be executed!"

The final word 'executed' was thunderous, echoing for ten miles and carrying a chilling Killing Intent that stifled the boiling crowd.

In the eyes of the Mortals, this was exactly like the 'Heavenly Soldiers' of legend!

Of course, it wasn't that the Xuan Sha Heavenly Tiger had developed intelligence; it was merely a simple Formation for simulating sound. These words were spoken by Yu Xuzi behind the scenes, controlled with his Divine Sense.

The selection began.

Under the gaze of the numerous Puppets, countless young men and women, filled with extreme excitement, fear, and a longing for Immortal Opportunity, began to move forward trembling, undergoing inspection under the supervision of the Puppets.

The process was somewhat orderly at first, but shortly after the selection started, chaos broke out.

Several richly dressed nobles, clearly past middle age or even elderly, surrounded by servants and guards, tried to force their way into the line by virtue of their status. They even shouted that they were willing to offer half of their Family's wealth for a spot.

There were also several hunched, gray-faced old men supported by their nephews, crying and trying to sneak through.

"I am the Imperial Grand Preceptor!"

"My Li Family is as wealthy as the nation! Immortal, have mercy!"

"This old man is willing to die for the Immortal..."

They were met with merciless, bloody suppression.

"Splat!"

"Crack!"

Any servant or crying noble elder who rushed to the front was directly crushed into meat paste by the nearby Puppets' palms or had their chests crushed by a foot, unable to even let out a scream.

The entire square instantly became silent.

Blood and minced meat splattered, staining the ground and instantly extinguishing any hope of those trying to fish in troubled waters.

The cold voice of the Xuan Sha Heavenly Tiger rang out again: "Those whose bone age exceeds the limit or who defy the High Immortal's will shall all be erased!"

Bloody! Ruthless!

The distinction between Immortal and Mortal was displayed vividly at this moment.

What Grand Preceptor, what Emperor—Yu Xuzi couldn't be bothered to care.

Anyone who disturbed his trade must die!

All commotion subsided.

The remaining Mortals were all pale, their eyes filled with deeper awe and fear. No one dared to make another move, and the speed of the line actually increased significantly.

Finally, when one hundred thousand eligible young men and women had stepped into the Yuxu Grotto-Heaven, the massive gate began to slowly turn transparent, finally vanishing like a bubble.

Leaving only the empty center of the square and the bloodstains on the ground.

The golden light faded, and the figure in the air, radiating Immortal Qi, had long since disappeared.

Leaving behind countless Mortals who were either ecstatic, sorrowful, bewildered, or resentful, and a "Legend of Immortal Opportunity" that was destined to be passed down for ages and completely change the perception of this realm... Inside the Yuxu Grotto-Heaven.

The selected one hundred thousand Mortals were arranged on a wide plain dozens of miles south of Yuxu Mountain.

"Is... is this the Immortal Realm?"

"Look! What is that in the sky?"

Someone cried out and looked up, only to see two golden figures with wingspans of over thirty meters leisurely circling in mid-air.

"Those are Immortal Beasts!"

To Mortals who had never seen such majestic giant birds, these were undoubtedly "Immortal Birds."

They whispered to each other, curiously observing everything, yet not daring to move about freely, only gathering together instinctively in a daze.

No one dared to be presumptuous.

Because on the periphery of the crowd, over a hundred "Heavenly Soldiers" stood silently, surrounding all the Mortals in the center.

Just a short moment later.

The space in front of the crowd rippled again, and the familiar mysterious yellow giant gate appeared out of thin air.

The voice of the Xuan Sha Heavenly Tiger echoed through the Grotto-Heaven: "Exit the realm in order, do not linger, do not make noise!"

Under the prodding of the Puppets, the hundred thousand Mortals lined up again and stepped out of the gate.

The scene before them changed once more.

They appeared on a vast plain.

Yu Xuzi's figure stood on a low hill on the plain at some point.

He did not look at the bewildered hundred thousand Mortals below. He simply swept his sleeve, and ten pellets emitting a hazy white light and a nose-piercing fragrance flew out, falling into a clear pool a hundred meters in diameter that had been dug beside the hill.

These were the dust-forgetting pills he had just taken the time to refine.

To forget the memories of the past few hours, one pill for ten thousand Mortals—this dosage was something he had "verified" with Mortals a few days ago, and there was even a surplus.

The pills dissolved as soon as they hit the water, dyeing the entire pool a soft milky white.

The fragrance grew stronger, permeating the entire plain.

Yu Xuzi spoke indifferently: "This is the Dust-Cleansing Spiritual Dew. Drinking it can strengthen the physique and remove hidden ailments, which will be of great benefit to your future survival in this place."

"Everyone must drink a full bowl. After that, there will be guidance to tell you how to proceed."

Thousands of rough wooden bowls had already been prepared and placed by the pool.

Under the gaze and prodding of the Puppets, the hundred thousand Mortals excitedly stepped forward one by one, using the wooden bowls to scoop up the milky white spiritual dew and drink it down.

As the spiritual dew entered their stomachs, they felt a gentle warm current spread to their limbs and bones. The fatigue and hunger of their bodies were truly swept away, and even the dull pain from some old minor ailments was much relieved.

Immediately after, the memory fragments of the past few hours—about that mysterious yellow giant gate, about what they had seen and heard in the Grotto-Heaven... and so on—were being completely overwritten and blurred.

In the end, only a vague, general impression remained of being received by a Golden Light Immortal and passing through an Immortal Gate to reach the Immortal Realm... The next day.

Venerable Gu Xuan followed in Yu Xuzi's footsteps and arrived at this plain outside the Tianshan Mountain Range.

Looking at the sea of people on the ground.

He was dumbfounded.

"Fellow Daoist Taiyin, no, Big Brother! Senior!"

He did not hesitate to bow his head directly:

"Previously, I was old and dim-witted, failing to recognize the mountain before me! This old man deserves ten thousand deaths!"

"From now on, my Xuanhuang Sect will definitely follow your lead, Senior! No questions asked!"