Chapter 460 - 353: Nine Directions Divine Venerable Disc, Departure for the Refining God Sect

Noon.

Hou Kui finally awaited the arrival of his second younger brother, Hou Yutian.

Hou Yutian currently served as an elder in the Purple Sun Sect.

He happened to be bringing two of the Sect’s geniuses with him, heading to the Refining God Sect for the Celestial Pride List competition.

In the Immortal Realm, the Purple Sun Sect was nothing more than a fifth-rate sect, not even remotely comparable to the powers of the giants.

Otherwise, Hou Shaojie would’ve accompanied his second uncle to Purple Sun Sect ages ago.

The midday sun blazed overhead as a flying shuttle, vast as gathering clouds, hovered above the Hou Family estate.

This scene immediately caught the attention of everyone in Nine Dragon City.

"That flying shuttle is enormous! Who could it be?"

"You don’t know? That’s Hou Yutian, the Patriarch’s younger brother—he’s the Third Elder of Purple Sun Sect! His status is incredibly distinguished!"

"He’s come back this time, probably because of the Celestial Pride List!"

"No doubt! The Celestial Pride List holds a weighty place in the Immortal Realm. What young cultivator at the Divinity Transformation Stage doesn’t want to compete? If you snag a good ranking, your future prospects will be limitless!"

"Really makes you envy those cultivators! Flying through the skies, going wherever they please. If only I could control a sword and travel the world!"

"Who wouldn’t want that? But that’s just fate. If you don’t have a spirit root, who’s to blame but yourself?"

...

The crowd around them whispered among themselves, eyes full of envy as they looked upon the powerful cultivators.

"Big Brother!"

Hou Yutian leapt down from the flying shuttle, entering the Hou Family’s main hall.

Hou Yutian appeared to be in his early forties, with refined features and a hint of sharpness in his brow.

Lin Chang’sheng sensed him and discovered that his cultivation was at the Early Stage of Integration.

It seemed the Purple Sun Sect and the Blood Robe Sect were on roughly equal footing.

"Second Brother, this time, you must be careful on your journey!"

Seeing Hou Yutian arrive, Hou Kui was overjoyed at heart.

The Celestial Pride List was the Hou Family’s chance to shine. Absolutely nothing could go wrong.

"Don’t worry! Even if I must sacrifice myself, I won’t let Shaojie suffer the slightest mishap!"

Hou Yutian thumped his chest and gave his word.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Hou Kui addressed Lin Chang’sheng and the others with courtesy.

Soon after, everyone boarded the flying shuttle, setting off for the Refining God Sect together.

"Take care on your journey!"

Hou Kui urged them, watching as the flying shuttle vanished at the edge of the world.

...

The flying shuttle’s speed wasn’t considered the fastest, but it was by no means slow.

They could cover eight thousand miles a day.

It would take about thirteen days to reach the Refining God Sect, one hundred thousand miles away.

That was just enough time to register for the competition.

Lin Chang’sheng sat cross-legged on the shuttle, keeping some distance from the other young prodigies, cultivating on his own.

Hou Shaojie saw Lin Chang’sheng cultivating and didn’t go over to disturb him.

But someone else, spotting Lin Chang’sheng’s formidable cultivation, immediately approached to kiss up to him.

"Brother, which sect are you from? Your cultivation is really impressive! I’m Luo Xiaoshan, you can call me Luo Xiaopang—pleased to meet you!"

Among the group of young talents, a round, plump youth stepped up to greet Lin Chang’sheng.

Lin Chang’sheng looked at the chubby youth in front of him and almost wanted to laugh.

This guy just had an air of amusement about him.

A cultivator this fat? That was truly a rare sight.

"Lin Chang’sheng, from the Immortal Relic Land. Pleased to meet you."

Lin Chang’sheng replied calmly; he didn’t feel the least bit ashamed about coming from the Immortal Relic Land.

If the other party thought it was embarrassing, so be it—they just wouldn’t associate, that’s all.

"Abandoned Land?"

Luo Xiaopang was slightly surprised—he didn’t expect someone so strong to have come from the Abandoned Land?

Since when did the Abandoned Land start producing such prodigies?

"Is there a problem?"

Lin Chang’sheng asked directly.

"No, no problem at all. I’m just amazed. Brother, your talent is off the charts—if you could cultivate this far even in the Abandoned Land, then once you’re in the Immortal Realm, you’ll skyrocket. You’ll roam the nine heavens like nothing!"

Luo Xiaopang’s expression was full of envy.

There was just no way his own cultivation could compare to Lin Chang’sheng’s.

He was just a loose cultivator, already almost twenty-eight, but only at Middle Stage of Divinity Transformation.

Whereas Lin Chang’sheng appeared even younger than him but had managed to defeat Hou Shaojie at Middle Stage of Void Refining. His talent was undeniable.

"Since you’re from the Immortal Realm, you must know it pretty well, right? If you don’t mind, could you tell me about the major powers in the Immortal Realm?"

Lin Chang’sheng was open to making friends, so he didn’t mind Luo Xiaopang’s company and asked.

In his view, having more friends was always better than having more enemies.

Even if someone’s cultivation was lower, there were things they knew, or were good at, that he wasn’t.

Take now, for example—Luo Xiaopang might be a loose cultivator of the Immortal Realm, but he surely knew more about the place than Lin Chang’sheng did.

"Of course! Though what I know is limited—Brother Lin, just take it as small talk!"

"There are endless powers in the Immortal Realm, so many that you couldn’t possibly count them all. But the three strongest forces—they’re basically every cultivator’s holy lands for cultivation! Number one is the Immortal Martial Hall, number two the Heaven-Suppressing Sect, and number three the Immortal Mansion. After those top three giants, the rest are unranked, but their heritage is still unfathomable."

"With Daoist Lin’s talent, joining one of the top three giants should be no problem!"

"But Immortal Martial Hall, while powerful, is a neutral power and doesn’t get involved in sect conflicts. Once you offend someone from another sect, you can’t expect its protection."

"Heaven-Suppressing Sect and Immortal Mansion are both good. Heaven-Suppressing Sect was once so powerful that they had three immortals on guard; even though one has since fallen, no one can threaten their position. Immortal Mansion, meanwhile, is rich in resources and has a knack for forging powerhouses. Daoist Lin can think it over carefully."

Luo Xiaopang shared everything he knew, talking about the advantages and disadvantages of each major power—his knowledge clearly surpassed most.

The Immortal Martial Hall was the top force in the Immortal Realm, but it was a typical, rules-bound neutral power.

Lin Chang’sheng didn’t much care for it, especially since he wouldn’t get any sect protection.

And as for Heaven-Suppressing Sect, even though they had many strong cultivators, Lin Chang’sheng figured they’d look down on someone from the Abandoned Land, which would mean trouble at every turn.

It seemed the Immortal Mansion was his best bet.

Lin Chang’sheng weighed his options silently.

"Got it, I’ll seriously consider it."

Lin Chang’sheng then continued, "There should be a lot of geniuses at this Celestial Pride List, right? What cultivation level are the strongest at?"

"That’s hard to say, but I’d guess the strongest are at Late Stage of Void Refining. As for Integration Stage—no way. Where do you find anyone under thirty at Integration?"

Luo Xiaopang answered confidently.

"Thanks for the info, Daoist Luo. I’d like to cultivate quietly for a bit."

Lin Chang’sheng said calmly.

Luo Xiaopang took the hint, excused himself politely, and went off to chat with other cultivators.

Lin Chang’sheng continued tempering his body with the Nine Directions Divine Venerable Disc.

...

In a blink, five days had passed.

Though the shuttle hurtled through the skies, along the way they encountered quite a few other cultivators also traveling by shuttle.

They all shared the same goal: to reach the Refining God Sect and participate in the Celestial Pride List.

Five days after Lin Chang’sheng left Nine Dragon City, a man cloaked in black robes and a ghostly mask arrived there.

Tracking Lin Chang’sheng’s trail, he found that he was headed for the Refining God Sect, which made the black-robed man’s face grow grim.

"If that brat enters the Celestial Pride List, gets a high rank, and is snatched up by some great power, killing him will become a nightmare!"

Luo Shang thought to himself. He had to kill Lin Chang’sheng before he joined the Celestial Pride List.

Heh—

Just as Luo Shang pursued Lin Chang’sheng, a white flying horse soared across the heavens.

On the white horse’s back crouched a sturdy man.

"Why is someone from the Gu Family of Hidden Heaven Continent here?"

Luo Shang was a bit surprised, but he didn’t dwell on it, simply continuing to chase after Lin Chang’sheng’s trail.

He hoped to strike Lin Chang’sheng down before the start of the Celestial Pride List.

Meanwhile, atop the flying horse, Gu Shan was also looking troubled.

Because he too had discovered that Lin Chang’sheng was heading for the Refining God Sect.

Less than ten days remained before the Celestial Pride List at the Refining God Sect began. If Lin Chang’sheng made it there and entered the contest, with his strength, he might really stun everyone.

After all, based on what Gu Shan had found, Lin Chang’sheng not only knew grand arrays, but was also extremely strong.

Even compared to the geniuses of the Immortal Realm, he was right up there with the best.

So he needed to hurry—he absolutely had to kill Lin Chang’sheng before he could enter the Celestial Pride List.

Gu Shan didn’t even linger at Nine Dragon City, streaking past atop his flying horse, not daring to lose a single moment.