In the Immortal Palace, green candle flames were oscillating.

A cold wind seemed to be blowing over.

Xiang Shaoyun’s gaze was sharp. His blood was about to boil. He was giving off a terrifying energy.

Li Sansi was holding a wooden sword.

Everyone tensed up.

Immortal encounter, immortal encounter. But an encounter would only be possible if one was alive.

The candle flames turned into a dark green in an instant, as if someone was spying on them in the dark.

The atmosphere in the Immortal Palace was very… odd.

“I think this is a setup,” Mo Shougui said.

“This is not where an immortal encounter will take place at all. This is simply a burial ground. Who knows what kinds of ghosts were buried here?”

The gloomy wind and the dark green flames were extremely exotic and peculiar.

Kong Nanfei took a roll of bamboo slips from his book box. Glancing at Mo Shougui, he said, “But who told you an immortal encounter couldn’t take place in a burial ground?”

Li Sansi did not meddle in the disputation between Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfei.

He looked up into the farther end of the Immortal Palace.

The two rows of dark green candle flames extended to the interior of the Immortal Palace. He could not see where they ended.

Holding the wooden sword, Li Sansi slowly walked.

“According to the design of the burial ground of typical underground palaces, after going through the gate, we’ll see a narrow passage. Further down the corridor, there will be a front chamber, a middle chamber, and a rear chamber.

“The design of this Immortal Palace is even more complicated. The owner of the burial ground must have been in a high position. Otherwise, the Immortal Palace couldn’t be so grand. Just watch out.”

Li Sansi was not interested in the so-called immortal encounter at all. If it were not for the Daoist giants’ order, he would not have bothered to come. However, by then, the current treacherous situation kind of piqued his interest.

“Whether there will be an immortal encounter or not, this trip is worth it, since we are seeing such a magnificent Immortal Palace.”

Li Sansi laughed off their concerns.

How big-hearted he was.

“Fools! If this is only an average trap, how could it pose a threat to us?”

Xiang Shaoyun threw Mo Shougui a sharp glance.

Mo Shougui was speechless. He did not respond.

Suddenly, the Immortal Palace became very quiet. The four of them were going deeper inside.

“Earlier, when we came into the Immortal Palace with Qi Plaques, the others with Qi Plaques were also drawn here. However, there are only four of us now in this passage, which means there is more than one passage in this burial ground.”

Looking into the dark and deep passage, Li Sansi thought for a moment.

“Go deeper. I have a feeling the immortal encounter is right in there,” Xiang Shaoyun said.

They walked deeper. The dark green candle flames were oscillating.

All of a sudden…

Xiang Shaoyun, who was walking at the front, paused.

Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei paused one after another as well.

“Listen.”

Xiao Shaoyun looked serious. This Immortal Palace was too… weird.

Fortunately, they were all extremely talented men from the Great Zhou Dynasty. If they were ordinary people, they probably would have been freaking out facing this indescribable fear.

The four stood there, motionless, listening.

The dark green flames of the two rows of candles all started to flicker.

A gloomy cold wind blew over, with a low sob, a low rustle.

“Something is… coming, ” Xiang Shaoyun said after breathing out.

His voice echoed in the space.

The ax on his back instantly fell into his hand.

Rustle… Rustle… Rustle…

Along the walls on either side of the passage, the dark green flames were extinguished one after another.

As the flames were extinguished, one by one, evil-looking, bizarre skinny humanoids, adhering to the walls on either side, crawled toward them at high speed.

The dark green candle flames kept dying out. And darkness was sweeping over.

With no time for discussion, the four men’s Qi and blood immediately burst out.

The unusual noises of the Grandmasters’ Qi and blood kept echoing in the passage.

A powerful scream came.

Xiang Shaoyun’s eyes were ablaze like torches. The ax flew out at high speed. His Qi and blood vibrated. A small ghost jumping over to approach him was cleaved into half.

Dreadful energy gushed out from the cleaved ghost. Xiang Shaoyun kept throwing the ax, as several small ghosts were cleaved dead this way.

Mo Shougui, Li Sansi, and Kong Nanfei sucked the air through gritted teeth…

Because the pressure these ghosts gave them was not weaker than average, First Resonance Grandmasters at all.

However, for Xiang Shaoyun, killing One Resonance Grandmasters was as easy as cutting vegetables or cutting a melon open.

The small ghosts were all cleaved into half.

They turned into pale blue airflows of Spirit Qi, which whizzed down the passage.

Xiao Shaoyun’s eyes suddenly lit up. He had a moment of clarity!

“Immortal encounter… This is the immortal encounter!”

“Interesting. To run into an immortal encounter, you must be strong enough. If you are not strong enough, even if you come to the right place, you will only lose your life!”

“Immortal encounters are for the strong!”

Xiao Shaoyun burst out laughing. “I, Xiang Shaoyun, am totally convinced by the immortal’s arrangement!”

Bang!

Xiang Shaoyun’s Qi became more vigorous, and his blood flowed faster. The dreadful strength of a Grandmaster was fully demonstrated in the passage.

The passage was illuminated by the pale blue airflows that came from the dead small ghosts.

The airflows were clinging around Xiang Shaoyun, and he kept breathing to take them into his Qi Core.

Looking at him doing so, Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei’s eyes twinkled.

They were not dumb. Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei immediately realized what the so-called immortal encounter was.

They could earn themselves Spirit Qi by killing those small ghosts!

In the passage…

The overlord, waving his shield and ax and with pale blue airflows flowing around his body, looked like a god or a demon. This scene was like an unrealistic dream.

Li Sansi threw his wooden sword over lightly. It pierced through a small ghost’s head. A pale blue airflow flew out immediately and wrapped around his body.

Li Sansi felt his spirits refreshed right away.

“That’s good stuff! Is this the Spirit Qi of the universe?!”

He exerted the Transfusion Technique, and the Spirit Qi flowed into his body instantly. It kept flowing into his body, but unfortunately, in the end, he failed to absorb it. It simply diffused in his body.

“Am I supposed to refine the Qi using the cinnabar field?”

Seeing what Xiang Shaoyun was doing, Li Sansi was enlightened.

He threw his wooden sword over once again and killed another small ghost with three thrusts.

He drew in a Spirit Qi into his Qi Core, and it sank in there.

Bang!

Li Sansi’s hair flew all over. He spat out an impure Qi.

“I felt it!”

“This turns out to be the immortal encounter! Hahaha!”

Li Sansi was flushed with excitement.

That Spirit Qi in his Qi Core made his strength soar. He felt as if he had experienced a violent storm in a dangerous environment.

The same happened to Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfei.

They were shocked. Then, after the shock, all three came to realize these seemingly dreadful small ghosts were encounters!

They could earn themselves the Spirit Qi of the universe by killing those small ghosts!

However, they realized it a little too late.

About 100 small ghosts had swarmed into the passage, which could be compared to 100 First Resonance Grandmasters.

However, almost all of them had been killed.

At the front of the passage…

Standing in the same place, Xiang Shaoyun was still waving his shield and ax, as hot steam rose from his body. He looked like a god or a demon.

There were as many as four wisps of Spirit Qi clinging around his body…

Li Sansi absorbed one wisp of Spirit Qi by killing ten small ghosts. He achieved the First Stage Qi Core.

Mo Shougui got nothing, despite killing five small ghosts.

It was the same with Kong Nanfei.

By comparison, Xiang Shaoyun killed almost 80 small ghosts and absorbed two wisps of Spirit Qi…

“The transformation rate is kind of low… No, it’s because I don’t have any immortal cultivation methods!”

Xiang Shaoyun lifted his head. A crazy enthusiasm flashed in his eyes.

Since this was a burial ground, there could be immortal cultivation methods among the owner’s grave goods.

If he could get such a method, his success rate to refine his Spirit Qi would be hugely improved!

When he had realized this, Xiang Shaoyun did not hesitate. He suddenly sprinted out into the deeper part of the Immortal Palace.

Li Sansi opened his eyes. His hair flying, he jumped on his tiptoes and executed some acrobatic skills to follow Xiang Shaoyun.

Since there was an immortal encounter for real, he certainly would scramble for it.

Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfei also followed.

They were both proud people. So why would they be willing to lag behind?

Not far from the passage where Xiang Shaoyun and his companions were, there was another passage.

At the moment, a battle was going on in the passage as well.

However, compared to the easy battle Xiang Shaoyun and his companions faced, the battle here was much more challenging.

After all, every small ghost could be compared to a First Resonance Grandmaster, and not everyone was the overlord of the West County, for whom killing a Grandmaster was a piece of cake.

At this moment, blood was flowing everywhere in the passage.

Only three of the six candidates were still alive. The three who had survived were also drenched in blood.

Heavily injured, they sat cross-legged and took in the Spirit Qi in the passage to strengthen themselves.

******

“My name is Jiang Chao. I was a Qi Refiner from ancient times. My Qi Core Realm is in Great Completeness.

“I lived in the world for 500 years. I fought with the Sovereign in ancient times to suppress a rebellion. I fought the rebellion army formed by Qi Refiners in Internal Organs Realm at the cost of my life. I was buried in the Hidden Dragon Ridge.

“But why am I still alive?”

In the middle chamber of the underground palace…

A low profound voice came from the coffin placed at the center of the coffin chamber.

Creak… Creak…

In the coffin…

A stiff body sat up slowly.

******

Outside of the Immortal Palace…

Tantai Xuan was wearing a military uniform. Behind him, the troops stationed at the foot of the mountain had assembled.

The number of soldiers from all counties totaled 50,000. The ridge was densely packed.

Mo Ju waved his feather fan lightly. Standing behind Tantai Xuan, he let out a sigh at this sight.

“Lord, I’m afraid that is not a good idea,” Mo Ju said, trying to talk him out of his plan.

However, Tantai Xuan waved his hand.

“Even if there are immortals in this world, in my opinion, they are just some strong martial arts cultivators.”

“Even a Grandmaster at the peak of martial arts practice won’t be able to fight 10,000 soldiers alone… No matter how strong the immortal is, even if 10,000 soldiers are not enough to deal with him, we will just send 20,000. Even if 20,000 are not enough, then we will send 100,000!

“Besides, Mo Ju!

“The imperial power is endowed by the immortal. Whether immortal encounters really exist, once Xiang Shaoyun walks out of the Immortal Palace alive, the whole world will be convinced. And I believe the immortal’s existence will become the general trend… The thirteen counties’ rebellion against the Great Zhou will be nothing but a joke. The family of the overlord will become the most powerful force in the world. And the world… will almost be under the Xiangs’ rule!”

“How will I make that happen?!” Tantai Xuan said slowly with a sharp look.

Mo Ju opened his mouth. You made a perfect sense…

Tantai Xuan’s red cape was fluttering in the wind.

Waving his flag, he mobilized his army. “Where are my heroes from the North County?!”

“Break through the Immortal Gate!”

“The first to break through the Immortal Gate will be awarded with 100,000 silver taels!” Tantai Xuan roared.

Not only Tantai Xuan but also Mayors of all counties in the Hidden Dragon Ridge area mobilized their soldiers.

These Mayors and Tantai Xuan were thinking the same thing.

The signal flag was fluttering.

The war cries were deafening, which alerted the birds living on the mountain. They crashed out of where they had been hiding.

Soldiers and generals swarmed out of different parts of the Hidden Dragon Ridge. The mountain was packed with people, like a city with dark clouds hovering above. They were rushing toward the Immortal Palace despite the pressure!

*****

On the Lake Island…

Lu Fan was holding a bronze liquor cup. The green plum wine in the cup was tepid.

Feeling the aggregation of the Spirit Qi in his body, he felt quite pleased.

All of a sudden…

He raised his eyebrow.

Lu Fan looked at the chessboard, on which densely packed red dots were rushing at the Immortal Gate of the Hidden Dragon Ridge.

He felt he could hear the deafening war cries across the mountain.

He shook his head slightly as if he had seen this coming.

He took a sip of the tepid wine.

He murmured, “Heaven and earth are ruthless and treat the myriad creatures as chess pieces.”

Holding a chess piece between two long delicate fingers, he placed it onto the chessboard decisively. With his middle finger pressed against the chess piece, he lightly pushed it forward on the chessboard.

The next moment…

The swarming red dots on the chessboard vibrated.

Ice turned into water. Snow melted.