By the registration deadline, over a thousand Dharma Idol cultivators had signed up, accompanied by more than a hundred thousand sect elders, kin, and friends. Whether by sheer attendance or the number of immortals present, it was a grand occasion rarely seen in the cultivation world in recent years.
On the first day of the assembly, the immortals would open the altar and preach the Dao. This was customary in the cultivation world: whenever an immortal appeared, they would ascend the altar to preach and instruct the younger generations. The immortals were to lecture consecutively for three days, followed by the evaluation of dharma idols starting on the fourth day.
Qingming's formations were now exceptionally well-developed. The cultivators did not even need to take the stage in person; as long as they manifested their dharma idols within the formation, their manifestations would be fully recorded for the preliminary selection. Only after passing the preliminaries would they qualify for evaluation by the Immortal Monarchs.
Through the immortals' evaluation, twelve candidate Celestial Idols would be selected and publicly displayed in the assembly grounds. Yet as the saying went, there was no undisputed first in literature, and no second place in martial arts; whether a cultivator's dharma idol was truly superior or inferior could only be proven through the results of dharmic combat to convince the masses.
Thus, the assembly had also erected twelve combat arenas. Any cultivator unselected by the immortals who remained unconvinced could take to the stage and do battle. Once the contenders fought it out and twelve final victors emerged, they could challenge the twelve Celestial Idols. Only the twelve dharma idols left standing after these bouts would be recognized as the true Twelve Celestial Idols.
This rule was remarkably fair, fully demonstrating the reality of the cultivation world where might made right. Additionally, spirit pets were strictly barred from the assembly to prevent some immortal from lending their mount—or even their adoptive father—to their disciple.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the assembly's opening arrived. Beginning at the midnight hour, attendees filed into the venue one after another. At the first glimmer of dawn, Immortal Monarch Yanshi was to take the altar and begin his sermon. Afterward, a total of six Immortal Monarchs—representing the four great immortal sects as well as the Bao and Zhao Immortal Ancestors—would preach in turns over three full days. For cultivators outside the immortal sects and great clans, this was an immense stroke of fortune.
The main venue had been constructed by Wei Yuan working around the clock, large enough to accommodate three hundred thousand people! Aside from visiting cultivators, it was also open to those within Qingming. Multiple restrictions were embedded throughout the grounds, which could also replenish spiritual qi for the cultivators.
Cultivators could go months without food or drink, yet as they entered, they discovered attendants pushing carts roving all across the venue, selling wine, snacks, spirit pills, and more.
Some old-fashioned cultivators felt this was truly disrespectful to the immortals. Yet when Immortal Monarch Yanshi himself had voiced no objection, these rustic, aging cultivators could only lament the decline of public morals and the loss of ancient virtues, before strictly forbidding their juniors from buying anything. After all, the wares sold inside were rather expensive—not something countryside patriarchs could afford.
However, many urban parvenus didn't find the prices steep at all. They bought spirit wine by the jar, unsealing them to drink as they waited for the immortals' sermon. Smelling the rich aroma of wine, the countryside patriarchs were furious but dared not speak out.
Just then, a thread of pale light broke across the horizon. The entire venue fell instantly silent. Then, accompanied by his small courtyard and solitary mountain, Immortal Monarch Yanshi descended from the void and began to expound the Dao.
Many cultivators felt only a wave of daze wash over them, after which they knew nothing at all. When they woke, what met their ears was a Buddhist chant.
Baosheng Bodhisattva had just finished expounding the subtle truths of the Dharma; with that, the three days of sermons came to an end.
The crowd of patriarchs and old eccentrics felt as if they had grasped something, yet also as if they understood nothing at all. From the sermons of the immortals, they had not managed to remember a single word.
Right away, an old eccentric at peak Dao Foundation explained to several patriarchs beside him, "This is how immortals impart the Dharma—never set down in letters, graspable only in spirit and impossible to convey in words! I recall how, back in the day, I chanced upon an immortal in a cavern and received a supreme, sublime art. At the time, I didn't remember a single thing either. Only long afterward did I suddenly comprehend a cultivation method, which allowed me to attain my present cultivation!"
The patriarchs nodded in sudden realization, heaping praise upon him.
At that moment, a heavily bearded man grunted and sneered, "What the immortals were preaching was the essence of the Great Dao. Unless one is at late-stage Dharma Idol with a budding mindscape world, one cannot even listen to it. So you lot simply slept for three days! And besides, what kind of gutter-immortal would be down on his luck enough to scrounge through caves in the barren wilderness looking for a disciple?"
The patriarchs were stunned. The peak Dao Foundation eccentric turned purple with rage, looking ready to strike then and there as he snapped, "I do not know your esteemed self; why do you insult us so? If you do not leave your name today, don't dream of walking away! Once this assembly ends, I shall demand justice!"
The bearded man rose lazily and said, "My name is Li Ye, known also as the Spear Saint of the Great Desolation! I'm off to take part in the dharma idol combat right now. If you're not satisfied, you're welcome to step onto the stage and fight me anytime. Oh, right—you don't even have a dharma idol, do you? Want me to lend you a few?"
The peak Dao Foundation eccentric howled in fury, bellowing that a scholar could be killed but not humiliated, and that today he would fight to the death! He was bent on risking his life, but his disciples held him back with all their might, preventing him from breaking free.
Li Ye didn't linger. With a hearty laugh, he strode off.
Just then, a crane's cry echoed across the sky. The venue divided into eight sectors, each carrying tens of thousands of spectators as they slowly shifted toward the perimeter like petals unfolding, revealing an expansive arena in the center. Twelve beams of light descended from the void, illuminating twelve green-jade platforms rising from the center of the grounds.
A graceful, otherworldly figure descended from above. Her bright eyes held an alluring luster, and every glance radiated captivating elegance—so beautiful that the heartbeats of countless patriarchs faltered!
Countless youngsters who had spent their lives in secluded, austere cultivation had never laid eyes on such a beauty. Stunned and slack-jawed, their minds were momentarily filled with purest white Dao intent, untouched by the slightest stray thought.
Her pleasant, gentle voice echoed across the venue: "Greetings, esteemed cultivators and mighty seniors. I am Princess Ningguo of Great Zhao, here specifically to host this grand gathering for you all. Up next are the candidates for the Twelve Celestial Idols, jointly evaluated and selected by the Immortal Monarchs."
This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Hundreds of cultivators began breathing rapidly, all hoping to see their own dharma idols upon the green-jade platforms.
Princess Ningguo chanted:
"The immortal sword pierces the sky to shatter illusion,
The great sun radiates splendor to unveil the Dao's order!
The dharma idol we shall witness next is: Star Lord Bearing the Sword, the Great Sun in the Midst of Heaven!"
Upon the first green-jade platform, Star Lord Shaoyang descended from the sky cradling the Immortal Sword Great Sun, slowly coming to rest right at the center of the platform!
The few discerning cultivators leaped to their feet in shock, utterly struck dumb.
A dharma idol featuring an actual stellar deity was exceedingly rare in this world. If one successfully cultivated such a dharma idol, they might very well cultivate an avatar of the Star Lord, possessing limitless might! This dharma idol could simply not be encompassed by the term "celestial idol" alone.
The venue fell dead silent, the crowd left in a daze. Everyone had arrived brimming with confidence, but who could have imagined that the very first entry would be a Star Lord avatar? How was anyone supposed to compete with that? When had the immortal path become so perilous?
At such a grand gathering, although many immortals were not physically present, they each had methods to watch in real time.
High in the void rested a floating island adorned entirely with vibrant blossoms and jade trees. An immortal of picturesque features, whose gender was impossible to discern, looked down and smiled. "With this dharma idol, this child is bound to surpass me in the future. Hahaha, I'll strive to live a few more years until this child ascends to immortality. From then on, my Xiao family will boast two immortals under one roof—what a fine tale that will be!"
Beside the immortal stood a host of Xiao family elders, among whom Xiao Nian was the only one at peak Dharma Idol. The immortal looked toward him and said, "You need to work hard too! Stop playing out those useless scenes of righting wrongs wherever you go! Your cultivation is about to be overtaken by your grandson—have you no shame?"
"None at all!" Xiao Nian was a man of thick brows and large eyes, yet at this moment he was grinning so broadly that his eyes were squeezed into slits.
In another part of the void stood a majestic immortal radiating righteousness—none other than Cui Zhengxing, the Immortal Ancestor of Song Cui. He grunted, his expression dark, and glared at Cui Chengxiao beside him. He said slowly, "If not for the mess you lot made, how could I not have had a seat on the altar preaching today?"
Cui Chengxiao kept his head bowed, not daring to utter a word.
In the venue, Princess Ningguo chanted again:
"Twin pincers stir the subterranean flame,
A single tail props up the falling sky!
The second candidate for Celestial Idol is: The Desolate Ancestor Pill Scorpion!"
Along with her chant, a gigantic scorpion bearing an alchemy cauldron descended from the heavens!
The scorpion was colossal beyond measure, subterranean fire coursing through its entire form, as though it were fashioned from molten magma. Stranger still, beneath its feet lay crimson ground, while the massive cauldron on its back billowed clusters of tricolored pill vapor.
This scorpion was ferocious to the extreme, and venomous to the extreme, yet within that utmost toxicity it seemed to nurture spirit pills—truly a ferocious entity rarely seen under heaven! Many cultivators caught but a single glimpse of it and instantly felt as if their eyes were being scorched by blazing fire, tears streaming down their faces on the spot.
Even as knowledgeable cultivators were struck with renewed astonishment, they explained to those beside them that this dharma idol had likely already grasped the true intent of the Great Dao. That was why, even across layers of grand formations and restrictions, merely looking at it could nearly inflict injury.
Many cultivators mused secretly that although this scorpion appeared slightly weaker than the Star Lord, if forced to fight, they would still rather face the Star Lord. After all, the Star Lord was intelligent; if one dropped to their knees and begged for mercy in time, they might still keep their life.
The third dharma idol was the Jade Pool Immortal Maiden, Sword-Wielding Immortal. The cultivators all breathed a sigh of relief; at last, they saw a dharma idol that still fell within the realm of normal comprehension.
This dharma idol was upright and balanced, combining sharpness with gentleness, utterly free of any shortcoming. It originally belonged to the tier of formidable dharma idols, clearly a pinnacle creation of the Sword Palace. But contrasted with the preceding two, it suddenly seemed rather unremarkable.
Right after, the fourth dharma idol appeared—it was actually the Nether Dragon of the Wasteland!
A Nether Dragon was already extraordinarily rare, and paired with the wasteland, its power was magnified even further. What baffled people even more was what sort of person, in what frame of mind, could ever cultivate such a dharma idol.
When the third dharma idol appeared, the cultivators had barely managed to find their voices, only to be plunged right back into dead silence.
What the crowd did not know was that the owner of this dharma idol was also grumbling inward: this manifestation had purely been force-fed into existence. Who could have imagined that an ordinary battlefield clash would end with having an immortal's Dao seed shoved down their throat?
The fifth dharma idol began with a grand hall that stood dominating over the realm. Its columns were ancient logs several arm-spans around, its roof thatched with straw weighted down by stone slabs. Though rustic, it was overwhelmingly magnificent, exuding a primordial sense of ancient times that rushed right into one's face!
Then, an ancient Human King's sword plunged down from the heavens, embedding itself before the hall.
Although the palace gates remained tightly shut, hiding what lay within, discerning cultivators had already recognized that this was the hall of an ancient Human King.
Thus, upon seeing this dharma idol, many cultivators who had served as officials in the Nine Kingdoms turned pale. Were it not in Qingming, merely cultivating such a dharma idol would be considered an unforgivable act of treason!
The Nether Dragon of the Wasteland and the Ancient Human King's Hall formed a stark contrast, leaving the cultivators completely breathless. Less than half of the twelve Celestial Idols had been revealed, yet it had already far exceeded the wildest limits of what these patriarchs and old eccentrics could imagine. Even if they got dead drunk and bragged until their dying breath, they could never boast of such dharma idols.
The sixth dharma idol was a delicate-featured monk in plain coarse robes, carrying water and gathering firewood in the mountains. Carrying water with one hand and cradling firewood with the other, he returned to a small thatched temple, lit a fire to cook porridge, chanted scriptures, and paid homage to the Buddha—everything was natural and ordinary. After beholding the terrifying dharma idols earlier, this suddenly natural and pastoral scene allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief and finally speak.
Yet cultivators of experience quickly reminded the others: whenever bald heads were involved, the more ordinary it seemed, the more extraordinary it truly was. That was an old trick of the bald heads.
Thus, the patriarchs returned to awe and trepidation, terrified of saying the wrong thing and tangling themselves in karmic ties.
Meanwhile, outside the venue, two hideous-looking cultivators appeared. The young woman seemed extremely nervous, but the male cultivator was relatively composed as he handed over two admission tickets. The ticket examiner checked the tickets and discovered that both of them were registered Dharma Idol cultivators as well. His attitude grew slightly more respectful, and he let the two enter.
Stepping into the venue and seeing the six colossal dharma idols already revealed in the center, the unprecedentedly massive arena, and the sea of spectators, the young woman grew noticeably more tense. She instinctively grabbed the male cultivator's arm and asked, "Are we really... going on stage to compete? In a place like this? Against these monsters?"
The male cultivator said, "Don't be afraid. Our disguise is seamless! Besides, my second-best brother has already blessed us with thirty years of grass growing on his head!"
The woman's voice trembled slightly. "But... dressing up this beautifully—aren't we just courting death?"
The male cultivator pointed toward the twelve colossal combat platforms in the arena and gritted his teeth. "Don't be afraid! Do you see those combat arenas? Right now, that is the nexus where the karmic luck of this realm converges! No matter what, we must stand upon them today. Otherwise, the grand trends of this world will have nothing to do with us from now on!
I refuse to accept fate, so I must fight for this! At worst, it's just death—so why not die with style? At least when future generations speak of this day, they'll remember our gorgeous figures!"
The female cultivator's nerves finally steadied. A look of fearless resolve appeared in her eyes, and she nodded vigorously.
Then something occurred to her, and she asked casually, "I haven't heard you mention your best brother in a long time. How is he doing?"
The male cultivator was somewhat uncertain. "Probably... gone by now?"
Chapter 1026