Chapter 468 (1)
Northern State, Cold Water Palace
Han Lingshuang gazed at the golden invitation before her, lost in thought.
In front of her, several trusted subordinates also examined the invitation.
"Palace Master, what do you think the three Holy Lords of Sacred Mountain intend by convening this Holy Assembly?"
At last, a young man couldn't hold back his curiosity and spoke up.
"What else could it be? Due to the restrictions imposed by the rules of heaven and earth, every time we open the entrance to one of the Four Great Secret Realms, we must expend a tremendous amount of spiritual energy.
"As such, we cannot freely enter or leave the secret realms, spending most of our time resting and recuperating within them.
"For nearly a thousand years, this world has been under Sacred Mountain’s control.
"But now, with the changes in the heavens and the earth, the balance of power has shifted dramatically. Sacred Mountain’s dominance has long since waned, existing in name only.
"This Holy Assembly is likely their attempt to reestablish order and regain control over the world," a female cultivator analyzed."But is that even possible?" someone questioned doubtfully.
"In the past thousand years, the rules of heaven and earth suppressed all cultivators outside the Four Great Secret Realms and Sacred Mountain. No matter how talented they were, they could only cultivate to the peak of the Precelestial Realm at most.
"But reports from our informants indicate that, in the past year, tribulation lightning has been heard across the land.
"This suggests that many powerful figures who had long been suppressed by these restrictions have now undergone their tribulations and stepped into the Golden Core Realm.
"Even if the three Holy Lords of Sacred Mountain have also reached the Golden Core Realm, their true bodies cannot leave Sacred Mountain.
"If they wish to reassert control over the world, I fear that is already impossible."
"Indeed. Whatever those three are thinking, this is not a wise move," another person nodded in agreement.
The fact that the three Holy Lords of Sacred Mountain could not leave the mountain in their true bodies was not widely known but was also not an absolute secret.
The Four Great Secret Realms had known this for a long time.
After all, when three immensely powerful figures who could break through the world's limitations appeared out of nowhere a thousand years ago, how could it not attract attention?
For the past millennium, although the Holy Lords never openly admitted their inability to leave Sacred Mountain, there were many sharp minds in the world.
Various clues and pieces of evidence led many to suspect the truth.
Yet, before the spiritual revival, even without leaving the mountain, the three Holy Lords could dominate the world using their puppet avatars alone.
Thus, the major sects had acknowledged Sacred Mountain’s authority.
But now that the world’s power structure had changed, the outcome of this Holy Assembly seemed far from optimistic.
Some even speculated that Sacred Mountain might be courting disaster with this move.
"Enough. Whatever those three at Sacred Mountain are thinking is not our concern right now.
"The real issue at hand is whether our Cold Water Palace should participate in this Holy Assembly."
At that moment, a middle-aged man interrupted their discussion and went straight to the point.
The group fell into silence.
Indeed, everything else was secondary. The immediate dilemma was whether or not Cold Water Palace should attend.
All eyes turned to Han Lingshuang.
As the Palace Master, the final decision rested with her.
Throughout the discussion, Han Lingshuang had remained silent, simply staring at the invitation in deep thought.
Finally, after a long moment, she lifted her gaze.
"We will attend the Holy Assembly," she declared. "And I will personally go."
"Palace Master!"
The others were visibly shocked.
"Palace Master, you mustn't! You are on the verge of your tribulation. The most important thing right now is to enter seclusion and focus on preparing for it.
"This Holy Assembly is something I can lead the delegation for. There is no need for you to go in person!"
The middle-aged man anxiously tried to dissuade her.
"Indeed, we can go on your behalf, Palace Master. Your cultivation is of utmost priority," others chimed in.
"You wouldn't be able to hold the fort," Han Lingshuang shook her head.
"This Holy Assembly is destined to be tumultuous. The various sects and factions will undoubtedly seize this opportunity to display their strength and compete for resources.
"Though our Cold Water Palace has no interest in such conflicts, we cannot afford to show weakness.
"If we do, countless forces will see us as easy prey.
"That is why I must go personally. Your strength is not enough to make our presence felt."
"But your cultivation—"
"My cultivation has reached a bottleneck. No amount of seclusion will change that.
"Only by overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation and forming my Golden Core can I progress further.
"However, despite my efforts, I have yet to sense the opportunity for a breakthrough.
"But when I received this invitation, I suddenly had a premonition.
"I can feel it—the chance for me to step into the Golden Core Realm lies within this Holy Assembly."
Her gaze returned to the invitation in front of her, an odd feeling stirring in her heart.
That was why she had been staring at it for so long.
She was curious—why would her path to the Golden Core Realm be linked to this Holy Assembly?
Could it be that there was some great opportunity waiting for her at Sacred Mountain?
"A breakthrough opportunity?"
Upon hearing her words, the others fell silent.
If that was true, then there was no longer any reason to stop her.
As cultivators themselves, they understood that breakthrough opportunities were rare and fleeting.
If missed, who knew when the next one would come?
"In that case, we shall accompany you to Sacred City and attend the Holy Assembly together, Palace Master."
Seeing that persuasion was futile, they could only express their support.
Han Lingshuang nodded.
"Very well. It will also give you all a chance to witness how many new powerhouses have emerged since the spiritual revival began."
...
As envoys from Sacred Mountain traveled across the land, delivering invitations to various sects and factions, news of the Holy Assembly spread throughout the world.
This event quickly became the most anticipated gathering since the revival of spiritual energy.
Countless cultivators, upon hearing the news, set out for Zhongzhou.
Even those who had not received invitations refused to miss such a grand occasion.
Even in the distant Cangzhou, within the county of Cang County, the news had reached eager ears.
"Sacred Mountain is convening a Holy Assembly in Sacred City?
"What a grand event! I wish I could witness it myself," said Yan Canghai, the County Magistrate of Cang County, as he read the secret report in his hands, his eyes filled with admiration.
But he knew it was impossible.
As the governor of a county, he could not leave his jurisdiction at will.
Though his father had recently lifted his previous restrictions, allowing him to return to the royal capital at any time, Yan Canghai was no fool.
How could he possibly leave Cang County at a time like this?
After witnessing Lu Qing's divine abilities, he had realized that the man was far more formidable than he had ever imagined.
Cang County was the closest settlement to Jiuli Village, where Lu Qing’s connections ran deep. The Wei family, which had ties to him, resided in the county as well.
Not to mention, his good friend Lin Zhirui was also acquainted with Lu Qing...