Chapter 83

In the entire territory of the State of Zhao, a few experts at the Core Formation stage immediately flew towards the Tower of Heaven.

In the depths of the Zhiyin Sect's underground cave, Ye Zizai's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he similarly vanished from his spot, teleporting away and fleeing far. Before leaving, he used a green jade slip to issue an order to all Zhiyin Sect disciples.

"The old man will be away for several days. The great array will be sealed. Any who attempt to breach it will be killed without mercy!"

Teng Huayuan, the patriarch of the Teng family, was meditating in the Teng family's ancestral hall when the seven-colored heavenly aura appeared. He suddenly opened his eyes, looked up at the sky in shock, hesitated for a moment, left a voice transmission jade slip, and then fled.

The same scene played out in the demonic sects like Tian Dao Men, Hehuan Sect, and Wufeng Valley, as well as the righteous sects like Piaomiao Sect, Yuantian Sect, and Jie Mi Sect.

Rainbows of light flew from several places within the State of Zhao, quickly converging at the Tower of Heaven.

The Tower of Heaven is a landmark building symbolizing membership in the Cultivation Alliance. After each member state joins the alliance, the alliance constructs the Tower of Heaven. Inside, a Cultivation Alliance envoy is permanently stationed. The envoy does not interfere with any disputes in the country, only stepping in to resolve major events.

Pak Nam-jae was the first Core Formation expert to arrive at the Tower of Heaven. He is one of the few remaining Core Formation cultivators from 500 years ago, and his cultivation has reached the peak of the middle stage of Core Formation, on the verge of advancing to the late stage.

Furthermore, his experience in the extraterritorial battlefield has solidified his position as the top cultivator in the State of Zhao.

Wearing a gray robe, he appeared in the air below the Tower of Heaven. The octagonal tower soared into the clouds, emitting a dazzling array of light, looking mysterious and unfathomable.

After appearing, Pak Nam-jae looked at the Tower of Heaven with a lingering sense of fear. This was his second visit; the first was 500 years ago, when all 23 Core Formation experts in the State of Zhao, under pressure from a fourth-tier cultivation nation, had to enter the extraterritorial battlefield.

500 years later, only he returned.

During these 500 years, Pak Nam-jae didn't know how he managed to survive. Every day was filled with intense battles, and life and death hung in the balance.

During these 500 years, he saw countless powerful cultivators, some of whom could kill him with just a flick of their fingers.

Among the other Core Formation experts from the State of Zhao, such as one of the founders of Hengyue Sect, Pak Nam-jae personally witnessed him being swallowed whole by a seemingly ordinary cultivator.

The more he saw, the more afraid he became. The more afraid he was, the more he felt a sense of不甘 (unwillingness). He was unwilling to remain at the Core Formation stage for his entire life. The 500 years of extraterritorial warfare taught him that beyond Core Formation, there were the Soul Transformation and the Infant Transformation stages.

With a complex mix of emotions, he bowed respectfully to the Tower of Heaven and said, "Envoy, Pak Nam-jae of Xuan Dao Sect pays his respects."

"Pak Nam-jae, we are old acquaintances. There's no need to be so formal," a cheerful voice came from inside the tower, followed by an elderly man stepping out. The old man was slightly plump, unremarkable in appearance, wearing a long robe made of green silk that emphasized his protruding belly, making him look rather comical.

However, Pak Nam-jae did not dare to show any disrespect. He flipped his right hand, took out a storage bag, and presented it with both hands, saying, "Envoy, these are some materials I collected upon my return, including a few items you specifically requested."

The fat envoy squinted his eyes, laughed heartily, took the bag without even looking at it, and put it in his pocket, saying, "Pak Nam-jae, you are the first Core Formation cultivator to return from the extraterritorial battlefield since I became the envoy in the State of Zhao. I have reported all your information to my sect. They have sent a message: if you can advance to the late stage of Core Formation within a hundred years, you will be exceptionally accepted as a named disciple."

Pak Nam-jae's face lit up with joy. He took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.

As they were talking, two rainbows of light shot through the sky and landed, revealing a man and a woman. The man looked to be in his thirties, with a sinister and handsome appearance. Seeing the fat envoy, he immediately bowed and said, "Chen Huan of Hehuan Sect, paying respects to the Envoy."

The woman, dressed in a mature and alluring manner, also bowed and said, "Chen Yan of Hehuan Sect, paying respects to the Envoy."

The fat envoy nodded slightly and then ignored them, continuing to chat with Pak Nam-jae. In his view, among all the cultivators in the State of Zhao, only Pak Nam-jae was worthy of a few words.

Soon, more than ten others arrived, including Teng Huayuan. The last to arrive was Ye Zizai. As soon as he entered within a thousand miles of the Tower of Heaven, the fat envoy let out a light "hmm" and looked up, a strange smile appearing on his lips.

Once all the Core Formation cultivators from the State of Zhao had gathered, the sky became even more overcast. The fat envoy's expression turned serious. He made a hand seal and cast several magical seals into the sky.

The clouds immediately began to swirl, and a red beam of light shot down from the sky, striking the Tower of Heaven. Then, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet beams of light descended in sequence, filling the sky with a dazzling array of colors.

After absorbing the seven beams of light, the Tower of Heaven trembled violently. A massive, rotating pillar of light, several dozen feet wide, shot out from the top of the tower, piercing the clouds and forming a huge black hole in the sky. Lightning crackled around the black hole.

Looking up, one could see ripples spreading out from the center of the light pillar. The clouds around the light pillar dissipated rapidly, like hot water poured on snow.

Gales of wind emanated from the rotating light pillar, causing the clothes and hair of the gathered cultivators to flap loudly. Most of them, being at the early stage of Core Formation, were forced to take a few steps back by the gales. Only four people remained standing firm.

These four were Pak Nam-jae, Ye Zizai, a white-haired Daoist from the Piaomiao Sect, and a gaunt old man from the Tian Dao Men.

The fat envoy's expression was unusually solemn. He appeared in mid-air and said loudly and respectfully, "Lin Yi, the inspector of the third-tier cultivation nation, respectfully welcomes the envoy of the Cultivation Alliance."

A massive head emerged from the black hole, coldly scanning the gathered cultivators.

All the Core Formation experts from the State of Zhao, including Pak Nam-jae and the others, felt their hearts race and their cores nearly collapse under the giant's gaze. They had no doubt that if the giant continued to look at them, their cores would not withstand the immense pressure and would explode.

Pak Nam-jae was the first to recover. His face was pale, and he recognized the giant as a powerful cultivator from the Jumei Clan in the extraterritorial battlefield. This clan of cultivators grew stronger by consuming others, and the founder of Hengyue Sect was swallowed by one of their experts before revealing its true form.

The giant finally focused on Lin Yi, his expression softening slightly but still showing impatience. He said, "The spiritual energy in this place is so thin, it's a joke. If it weren't for the alliance's restrictions, I could suck all the spiritual energy out of this small country with one breath... Listen carefully: in five months, the portal to the extraterritorial battlefield will open. Your State of Zhao is responsible for clearing the battlefield at 58 degrees north of the northern suburbs, a ten-thousand-mile stretch. Here are seven tokens. The rules remain the same: at least four of the seven tokens must be destroyed. In five months, only up to three sects can enter the extraterritorial battlefield. If more than three tokens remain, the State of Zhao will lose its clearing rights."

After speaking, the giant opened his mouth, and seven flashes of lightning shot down, landing on the ground and revealing seven ancient tokens. After doing this, the giant's head retreated into the black hole, but he quickly reappeared and shouted, "If you find a pearl like this in the extraterritorial battlefield, immediately turn it in. The one who turns it in will receive an Infant Transformation-level magical treasure, and their sect will receive ten corpses with cultivation equivalent to the Soul Transformation stage. The cultivation nation will be promoted to a higher tier. If anyone dares to keep it for themselves, their entire nation will be exterminated. Lin Yi, this is a message from the high-level nations of the alliance, which you will receive in a few days."

As he spoke, his eyes flashed, and the clouds in the sky transformed into an image showing a round stone pearl with clouds carved on it.

If Wang Lin were present, he would recognize that this pearl was stored in his chest.

After speaking, the giant muttered a few words, and a massive arm emerged from the black hole, grabbing the stone pillar shooting out from the top of the Tower of Heaven. He roared, "Lin Yi, I'm taking this seven-colored magical artifact. I can't come here for nothing."

In a violent tremor, the light pillar was pulled into the black hole, which then disappeared instantly. The seven-colored clouds in the sky dissipated, and the sky quickly returned to normal. The immense pressure that had covered the State of Zhao vanished.

The fat envoy Lin Yi's face turned grim. He let out a light hum, flicked his sleeve, and flew into the tower. His dark voice echoed from inside:

"The old rules apply: Core Formation and above cannot intervene. Send out all the Foundation Establishment cultivators from your respective sects. They are the main force in the competition for the tokens. Go back and prepare. The battle begins in three days."

The seven sects, both righteous and demonic, each picked up a token, glanced at each other, and then leaped away without a word. Notably, the three righteous sects, led by Pak Nam-jae and the white-haired Daoist from the Piaomiao Sect, all went in the same direction.

The gaunt old man from the Tian Dao Men's eyes flashed with a cold light. He turned to the remaining cultivators and said, "Fellow Daoists, would you like to visit my place?"