Chapter 1224

"As expected of the highest quality fairy artifact mask of the Samsara Palace. Under such transformations, it is exactly the same as me," Chang Qi could not help but say.

"Wonderful, wonderful … In this way, even many elders of the Show Mountain Sect may not be able to distinguish the real from the fake," Zhou Xianyang praised as he clapped his hands.

"Next, I hope that fellow Chang can describe the characteristics of your cultivation method to me in detail," Han Li said to Chang Qi.

Because he wanted to avoid all kinds of trouble, he was already very familiar with disguising as someone else. Therefore, as he moved his hands and feet, his actions and demeanor had already changed. He looked very similar to Chang Qi, causing Zhou Xianyang and Zhou Xianyang to exclaim in admiration.

"Of course," Chang Qi nodded and said.

"You guys talk in detail here. I will go and collect information on the various sects participating in this selection," Zhou Xianyang said and left first.

In the secret room, only the sound of Han Li and Zhou Xianyang's discussion remained.

…

A month passed quickly.

In the morning, the entire Jiuyuan City was empty. Almost everyone gathered at the foot of Jiuyuan Mountain.

The selection for the Bodhi Banquet would be held outside the gates of the Jiuyuan Temple today.

Han Li had already changed his appearance long ago and transformed into Chang Qi. He followed Zhou Xianyang and several elders of the Show Mountain Sect to Jiuyuan Mountain.

Along the way, although Han Li did not speak much, he would occasionally exchange a few words with a few elders of the Show Mountain Sect.

Elder Chang Qi, who he was pretending to be, had been wandering outside and rarely met with the other elders, but there were still one or two people among them that he was familiar with.

However, the current Han Li was able to deal with it easily. His every movement was like Chang Qi and did not give himself away at all.

The few of them came to the foot of Jiuyuan Mountain and saw a huge mountain range that reached into the clouds from afar.

The mountain range stretched on and was incomparably green. Half of the mountain was covered by a thick layer of clouds, making it impossible to see the scenery on the mountain.

Between the rolling clouds, there was a faint glow. It was obviously a sea of clouds formation that protected the mountain range.

On the mountain peak behind the front gate, waterfalls poured down and rainbows hung in the sky. Cranes and apes could be heard everywhere. The mountain breeze was also enshrouded with Immortal Qi, and the spiritual power of heaven and earth was extremely abundant.

In front of the mountain gate, there was a huge square with a circumference of hundreds of miles. It was divided into many areas, and each area had a martial arts arena that was a few feet above the ground.

The area outside the Martial Arts Arena was separated by the array. At this moment, there were already tens of thousands of spectators gathered. From standing on the ground to floating in the air, they were densely packed and hard to count.

Han Li and the others walked along the passageway that had been opened since long ago, and under the guidance of the disciples of the Nine Origin Temple, they walked all the way to the entrance of the mountain.

On a huge semi-ring-shaped stone platform.

At the entrance of the mountain stood a huge archway with three floors and twelve corners. It was not painted red and green like the ones at the foot of the mountain, but it was carved entirely out of spirit jade, looking like a huge piece of dark green jadeite.

On top of the memorial archway, there was a white jade plaque with the words "Nine Elements Grand Realm" written on it in ancient golden seal script.

Han Li followed the archway and looked in. He saw a stone staircase winding upwards, leading into a patch of mist. The scene on the mountain path disappeared and could not be seen clearly.

Coming to the semi-circular stone platform, Han Li saw that there were already rows of seats set up on it. They were also densely distributed and faced the dozens of martial arts arenas in front of them.

The people of Show Mountain Sect were guided by the disciples of the Nine Origin Temple to a seat on the left that was slightly further from the center.

Zhou Xianyang greeted a few familiar sect leaders nearby and then sat down at that seat. The other people came and stood behind him.

"I heard that the Elder Chang Qi who had always been travelling has returned to the sect. I have not been able to visit him before, I wonder who it is?" A white-haired old man sitting next to Zhou Xianyang turned to look at the people of Show Mountain Sect and asked.

Han Li had already looked through the information that Zhou Xianyang had gathered and recognized this person.

He was the Mountain Master of Wuji Mountain, Zhao Yuanlai, and the cultivator who was fighting for their sect this time was his younger brother, Elder Zhao. He was a late stage Primordial Unity cultivator who cultivated the power of laws of ice and was not weak in battle.

"Junior Brother Chang, since Mountain Master Zhao wants to meet you, you should come and visit him," Zhou Xianyang said with a smile.

"Greetings, Mountain Master Zhao," Han Li stepped out of the ranks and bowed to Zhao Yuanlai.

Zhao Yuanlai looked Han Li up and down, then exchanged a glance with a slender and effeminate Youth dressed in a white brocade robe behind him. They seemed to be communicating telepathically.

Han Li also knew this person. It was Elder Zhao. Their gazes met and they both nodded.

Zhao Yuanlai nodded and praised, "His divine splendor is restrained and his aura is calm. He is indeed the trump card that Sect Leader Zhou has always kept a secret. It seems that with Fellow Daoist Chang here, the Show Mountain Sect is determined to get the Bodhi Token."

He had put on a good show, but Han Li could see that he had not seen through him. Instead, he looked down on him.

When Zhou Xianyang saw all this, he laughed inwardly. If Elder Zhao could really meet his "Junior Brother Chang" in the competition, there would be a good show to watch.

While he and Zhao Yuanlai were exchanging pleasantries, an elegant man in a green robe with bamboo patterns, followed by several beautiful women in simple and clean clothes, also walked up to the half-ring stone platform and walked towards a seat on the other side.

As soon as he saw this person, Zhou Xianyang's face suddenly darkened and a look of resentment flashed in his eyes.

Zhao Yuanlai also followed his gaze and his expression also changed slightly, a look of disgust flashing in his eyes.

"That fellow, Sikong Jian, always acts like a modest gentleman no matter where he goes. Does anyone in the Golden Origin Immortal Domain not know that he's a shameless hypocrite?" Zhao Yuanlai didn't suppress his voice at all as he berated.

Han Li also looked over and saw that Sikong Jian was holding a fragrant tea offered by the woman next to him. Just as he brought it to his mouth, he seemed to hear Zhao Yuanlai's words and looked over with narrowed eyes.

His appearance was indeed worthy of the words "handsome". He raised his eyebrows and revealed a provocative smile towards Zhao Yuanlai and Zhou Xianyang as he took a sip of tea.

"Why didn't this guy bring his eldest disciple this time? He didn't even bring the elders of his Solitary Sun Peak. He only brought a few female disciples?" Zhao Yuanlai asked doubtfully.

Zhou Xianyang was not surprised at all. He glanced over and said, "There is no need to guess. This old man is most likely throwing caution to the wind and wanting to personally compete with the juniors."

"This …" Zhao Yuanlai was a little surprised to hear this.

As a sect leader, it was not impossible for him to personally participate in the selection. At least, it was not prohibited in the previous announcement. However, most sect leaders would consider their status and would not do so. After all, if they made a mistake, they would lose the entire sect's face.

"Dong …"

While the two were talking, a loud bell suddenly rang out from the mountain gate of Jiuyuan Temple.

Accompanied by the lingering sound of the bell, a colorful cloud floated in the sky and directly passed over the tall jade archway, landing on the ring-shaped stone platform.

A multicolored light flickered on the stone platform, and five figures emerged from it.

Seeing this, the sect leaders who were participating in the competition stood up, tidied up their appearance, and bowed to the five people in the colorful light.

Han Li also bowed to the five people, but he was looking at them from the corner of his eyes.

In the middle of the group, there was a person wearing a golden crown and a Heavenly Official uniform. He had slender eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips. He was the Immortal Messenger from the Central Mainland Celestial Realm.

On the left was a person wearing a dark green robe and a lotus crown. He was the head of Jiuyuan Temple, Taoist Chun Jun. On the right was a person of medium build, ordinary appearance, and a warm smile on his face. He was the head of the Golden Origin Palace, Lu Chuanfeng.

There was another person beside each of them. Han Li had never seen them before, but he had heard Zhou Xianyang mention them before, so he could guess their identities.

On the left was a pale, swollen, purple-robed old man with a big belly. He looked listless and tired. He was the leader of the Life Alliance, Heavenly Star Venerable.

On the right was a Young man with a slender body and dark hair. His long hair stood up high, and there was a lock of white hair hanging down in front of his forehead. He was quite handsome and had an extraordinary bearing. He was the current Mountain Lord of Mount Baizao, Huo Yuan.

According to Master Jing Yang, whom Han Li had met in the Wild Crane Valley in the Black Mountain Celestial Realm, Mountain Lord Huo Yuan should be the fifth Mountain Lord of Mount Baizao.

After the five people appeared, there was a burst of enthusiastic cheers in the square.

Taoist Chun Jun saw this and walked forward. He raised his hand and pressed down in the void, signaling the crowd to be quiet. Soon, the mountain gate of Jiuyuan Temple became quiet.

Then, he walked back and talked with the Immortal Messenger of the Heavenly Court for a while. Then, he arranged for everyone to sit down.

"Coincidentally, the Bodhi Grand Gathering is around the corner. I have been blessed by Heaven and am willing to celebrate with all the cultivators in the world. Today, I will specially issue 12 Bodhi Orders to all the major Celestial Sects in the Golden Origin Celestial Realm, so that everyone can have the opportunity to attend the banquet and enjoy the Bodhi Dao Fruit together," Taoist Chun Jun said to the crowd in the square.

When the crowd heard this, they were ecstatic, as if they had already shared the Heavenly Court's blessing.

"Heaven's grace is vast, blessing the common people …"

"Heaven's grace is vast, blessing the common people …"

…

No one was the first to say this, but the crowd followed suit. The entire mountain gate was instantly drowned in a wave of cheers, each stronger than the previous.

When the Immortal Messenger of the Heavenly Court saw this, he seemed to be quite satisfied, and a smile appeared on his face.

Beside him, except for the Heavenly Star Venerable who was dozing off, the others also had a smile on their faces.

At this time, an elder of Jiuyuan Temple who was in charge of the competition walked forward and said to the crowd.

"Our Golden Origin Celestial Realm is vast, and there are many Celestial Sects. However, the number of Bodhi Orders is limited. There are only 12 of them, and it will depend on the strength of the Celestial Sects present here."

When the leaders of the surrounding 96 sects saw this, they stood up and cupped their fists. "Since it is a gift from the Heavenly Court, we will naturally do our best."

"Previously, all the sects have submitted the list of participants. Next, let's invite the cultivators who will participate in the competition to come forward and draw lots for the first round," the hosting elder said in a clear voice.

When Han Li heard this, he exchanged a look with Zhou Xianyang and strode forward. Zhao Yuan Lai, who was standing behind him, also followed him to the front of the stage.

At the same time, the cultivators from the other sects also came forward.