465: The Ascension Ceremony is approaching

Days passed one by one.

Heshui Prefecture had taken root in Yanwang Prefecture, re-establishing its mountain gate, creating spirit ponds, and raising some Spirit Beasts, still possessing the grandeur of a former fifth-rank Sect.

Wang Long, Arthur, and others seized many benefits in this attack. Subsequently, they transferred or auctioned off the former site of Heshui Prefecture, along with the entire Chu Kingdom, to various major forces, such as Wang Long's old employer, Xing Shi Sect, and Thunder Pavilion.

After the division of interests was complete, everyone focused on the Void Gazer Dao Lineage's Grotto-Heaven. To precisely locate and guide its descent while preserving its state to the greatest extent, a considerable amount of Materials were needed, as well as a significant amount of time. In short, it was no small matter and certainly couldn't be accomplished within a few years.

This much time was enough for the players to bicker over the future division of interests.

This also gave the top players a very peculiar feeling.

Back then, Duan Kong Cave, Qingling Sect, and Heshui Prefecture, the Three Great Sects, would calculate and guide Grotto-Heavens in advance, negotiate the distribution, and then, when the Grotto-Heaven descended, everything would be under their control.

Although there were some unreasonable foreign Buddhist Cultivators back then who caused the Three Great Sects some losses, generally speaking, the interests were peacefully divided without the numerous Golden Core Immortal Masters engaging in an all-out battle.

Unbeknownst to them, the players had also become the former Three Great Sects, becoming the High-level Cultivators who sat down to negotiate and divide interests... While the top players politely discussed interests, the lower and middle-tier players had their own increasingly fierce competition.

That was the upcoming official Ascension Assembly.

Over a hundred Sects in Yanwang Prefecture jointly held the Ascension Assembly to widely recruit Disciples.

Everyone knew that these Sects were not simple small Sects within a single prefecture but major Sects backed by Grotto-Heavens and rooted in the Eastern Region, with countless branch halls and sub-Sects, far stronger than the original Three Great Sects of Newbie Village.

Moreover, unlike the Ancient Battlefield of the East Sea where Treasures were increasingly difficult to find, joining these Eastern Region Sects was equivalent to a guaranteed path, with boundless prospects!

Therefore, as early as when the Eastern Region Sects released the news, many players were eager to show off at the Yanwang Prefecture Ascension Assembly.

There was about a year between the announcement of the Ascension Assembly and its official holding. During this time, for some unknown reason, a rumor suddenly spread:

【The number of Disciples recruited by the Ascension Assembly is limited】

【Anyone who cannot reach the Great Desert Assembly entrance within the stipulated time will be eliminated】

【Rules must be observed within the Ascension Assembly, but not outside it】

【So, it's better to eliminate strong enemies outside the Assembly first】

This saying, or rather, suggestion, immediately became popular.

Thus, on the road from the state-stabilizing seal Immortal Dynasty to the Western Great Desert, players began to fight amongst themselves.

And within the Western Great Desert, it became a Shura Purgatory, with countless players battling day and night, just to eliminate powerful rivals in advance.

In this brutal struggle, some players who already had minor grudges truly ignited their anger, and some players who originally had no enmity also developed grudges, making the situation increasingly uncontrollable.

At the same time, Heshui Prefecture successfully relocated this year, and Heshui Prefecture players also arrived west of the Great Desert, while players who were originally pursuing Heshui Prefecture came from the east.

These two groups, already harboring animosity, mixed among the Ascension Assembly competitors, making the fighting even more brutal.

Some knowledgeable players believed that someone was deliberately guiding this, and some even posted about it:

【Wen Xinghai and Scarlet General Immortal Master from Red Rain Pavilion are gone! They must be hiding to secretly Breakthrough!】

【It's not just Red Rain Pavilion. From what I know, Immortal Masters from Thunder Pavilion, Xing Shi Sect, and Green Grass Sect have also disappeared. It's clear they've gone into seclusion for Breakthrough!】

【Li Changfeng is also gone!】

【Damn it, we're fighting tooth and nail, our cultivation stagnant, while they've taken advantage of the free time to seize the opportunity to Breakthrough!】

Players weren't fools; they all knew that ever since Qingling Sect, top players had constantly been trying to find opportunities for Breakthrough.

During the Heshui Prefecture incident, many players suddenly disappeared, taking advantage of the chaos to escape into the vast East Sea, and no one knew where they had achieved their Breakthrough.

This Ascension Assembly attracted a large number of middle and lower-tier players, causing their cultivation to stagnate due to the intense fighting, and even leading to genuine anger and hatred. For a long, controllable period, they would not pose a threat to those who sought Breakthrough.

What a scheme!

Many players thought this, but merely gritted their teeth and cursed a few times, then went about their business.

Nonsense, even if the brutal fighting at the Ascension Assembly was indeed orchestrated, would they just stop fighting?

As long as they could stand out at the Ascension Assembly, as long as they could kick their enemies out, there would be a world of difference in their future!

So what if those Immortal Masters achieved Breakthrough?

They were all players anyway, and even if they truly became Nascent Soul True Lords, their personalities wouldn't drastically change to the point of targeting them, right?

Please, the era of Midnight Gao Sou's demonic cultivation was long over!

In short, amidst various thoughts, the middle and lower-tier players didn't care about the top players' secluded Breakthroughs; instead, they fought even more fiercely.

As the date of the Ascension Assembly drew closer, the players' battles grew more brutal, the yellow sands of the Great Desert had long been stained blood-red, and the Vicious Beasts that once rampaged in the Great Desert were startled and retreated.

Yanwang Prefecture, or rather, the various Sects of the Eastern Region, sent people to set up the Assembly entrance at the westernmost part of the Great Desert, which was also a Trial Grounds for basic inspection.

Among them, the player “Jiang Vengeance” came representing Nine Swords Dao, accompanied by dozens of fellow Disciples and colleagues, but his actions were relatively independent, as an Elder who regarded him as a successor stood behind him.

On this day, Jiang Vengeance and his fellow Senior Brothers confirmed the trial content arranged by Nine Swords Dao, standing above the Secret Realm and gazing at the Great Desert.

From their direction, they could still see the sky filled with blood, indicating how brutal the players' battles were.

The Disciples of Nine Swords Dao gasped in astonishment, completely unprepared for how ruthless these players could be, willing to inflict such heavy damage on their own kind for something not yet materialized and seemingly illusory, which was too bizarre.

And the terrifying authority of players to constantly Rebirth made everyone gasp, finding it horrifying.

“If such a powerful race were not disunited, but instead banded together, they would be a great menace!”

A Nine Swords Dao Disciple lamented, and the others nodded in agreement.

Jiang Vengeance chuckled, “Although players are strong, they do not have the concept of being of the same Sect or race. They fight for themselves and seek their own paths. Therefore, Heshui Prefecture can recruit players as successors, my Nine Swords Dao can also recruit players as successors, and those bald monks can also recruit players as scripture-chanting acolytes.”

A Nine Swords Dao Disciple laughed, “In that case, they are not a threat or a disaster. As long as we carefully select, perhaps we can enable my Nine Swords Dao and various Sects to create an unprecedented golden age!”