Ch. 1111 - Alchemy Gathering Begins

Back at the inn, Xu Zimo turned to Miss Jing and asked, “How much do you know about the Alchemy God Tower?”

“In the thirty-six realms of the Mortal Ascension Heaven, the Alchemy God Tower is the strongest, this saying spreads throughout the Mortal Ascension Heaven. How could I not know?” Miss Jing smiled.

“It’s a holy land of pill refinement, representing the highest standard of alchemy in the entire Mortal Ascension Heaven.”

As she spoke, she suddenly realized something and quickly added, “Wait, are you saying that people from the Alchemy God Tower will be participating in this Myriad Alchemy Gathering?”

Her tone carried curiosity. After all, this competition concerned Heaven's End, Ocean's Edge, something like an internal affair of the Brahma Monarch God Realm.

A supreme titan like the Alchemy God Tower would rarely involve itself in such matters.

“Not the Alchemy God Tower itself, but one of its disciples will be competing on behalf of Buddha Faction,” Xu Zimo explained.

This was something Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters had told him.

The Buddha and Demon Factions were sparing no effort now, almost to the point of madness.

The Myriad Alchemy Gathering was divided into two parts.

One part was the competition between the Buddha and Demon Factions. The other part was the gathering of renowned alchemists from across the world for friendly duels.

Originally, such contests would be held at the Alchemy God Tower.

Later, the Alchemy God Tower collaborated with the Brahma Monarch God Realm to hold it in Brahma City, with the Alchemy God Tower presiding as host and judge.

Its authority was self-evident.

“Then you should be careful,” Miss Jing reminded him.

“People from the Alchemy God Tower are not simple.”

“Get some rest,” Xu Zimo waved his hand and stepped into his room.

……………

Night deepened. A round moon hung in the sky.

The silent darkness was like a furious beast, roaring endlessly.

The streets outside gradually quieted.

Xu Zimo, seated cross-legged in cultivation, slowly opened his eyes.

The candle on the table flickered and went out with a gust of wind.

A figure had silently appeared in his room at some point, standing there wordlessly watching him.

“Why bother climbing the window when there’s a door?” Xu Zimo chuckled.

“Let’s cooperate once,” the shadow hidden in the void said in a low voice.

“Cooperate in what?” Xu Zimo asked.

“You want to enter Heaven's End, Ocean's Edge, don’t you?” the shadow said.

“Tomorrow at the Myriad Alchemy Gathering, all you need to do is deliberately lose the match. I’ll guarantee you free entry and exit from that world for three years. How about it?”

“From Buddha Faction?” Xu Zimo smiled.

“That doesn’t matter. The deal is all profit, no loss,” the shadow said.

“Besides, you’re not truly part of the Demon Faction. We can also ensure your safety.”

“And if I refuse?” Xu Zimo asked.

“A smart man wouldn’t refuse,” the shadow replied calmly.

“Sorry then, I refuse,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

“Why? You don’t lose anything,” the shadow pressed.

“Even if you side with the Demon Faction, it doesn’t mean you can win first place.”

“No reason. I just don’t like the feeling of losing,” Xu Zimo answered.

The shadow was silent for a while, then suddenly turned into black smoke and vanished. Before Xu Zimo could even turn around, the void behind him shattered. A long blade cut across the void, slashing straight at him.

“Recruit me then try to silence me?” Xu Zimo snorted coldly.

He flicked his fingers, colliding with the incoming blade tip.

A resounding boom!

The long blade shattered, and the figure hiding in the void was blown back violently.

Smashing through dozens of walls along the way, the figure landed heavily out on the street.

The shadow’s face was indistinguishable. He didn’t even tend to his injuries, he rose immediately and fled into the distance.

Xu Zimo only chuckled lightly, unhurriedly picking up a shard of the broken blade.

With another flick of his finger, the fragment shot out like a streak of light.

……………

The fleeing shadow had already put several miles between them in just a few breaths.

Seeing Xu Zimo wasn’t chasing, he finally exhaled in relief.

He stopped at a courtyard.

Inside the pavilion, Ghost Buddha was drinking tea with a young man while admiring the moon.

Seeing the shadow arrive, Ghost Buddha asked with a smile, “Is it done?”

But before the shadow could answer, the blade shard pierced through the void and came stabbing over.

The shadow had no time to react, eyes full of terror.

The young man beside him surged with spiritual energy, wind rolling clouds, dragons roaring, he teleported behind the shadow, reaching for the shard.

A wet puff! Blood sprayed.

The shadow collapsed heavily to the ground.

The young man froze, staring blankly at his right palm.

The shard had pierced straight through, unstoppable, then driven into the shadow’s throat.

Its force shattered the man’s soul and his internal organs alike.

“No saving him,” Ghost Buddha said, shaking his head as he stood and looked at the corpse.

“How interesting,” the young man murmured, his gaze shifting eastward, toward the inn where Xu Zimo lived.

It was as though his eyes pierced through the layers of void, landing directly above the inn.

“You alright?” Ghost Buddha asked.

“It’s nothing. But this was your misstep,” the young man said.

“You sent someone to assassinate without even investigating who he was.”

“What do we do now?” Ghost Buddha asked.

“Let the competition proceed as normal. Trust the people from the Alchemy God Tower,” the young man replied.

He lifted his head slightly, gazing at the bright full moon and said softly, “The moon waxes and wanes.”

……………

The night passed without incident.

At dawn, the first to arrive was Golden Cicada Lord, ordering his disciples to deliver celestial herbs to Xu Zimo.

Soon after, Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters himself came.

He carried three boxes, clearly containing the main ingredients.

“I made a lot of bold promises in front of others and cashed out on countless favors, only then did I manage to gather these three things,” Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters said.

“Don’t let me down.”

“When does the competition begin?” Xu Zimo asked.

“It starts this morning, but other participants will go first. Our Buddha and Demon Factions won’t compete until around noon,” Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters explained.

His tone grew solemn as he added, “I’ve already investigated the three contestants representing Buddha Faction. Aside from Jiang Tu and Zhuo Yiyang, the third is said to be from the Alchemy God Tower. Until this morning, I couldn’t confirm who.”

Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters’s expression grew heavy as he explained, “Zhuo Yiyang is a disciple Buddha Faction has cultivated for years. Jiang Tu was originally supposed to represent our Demon Faction, but they stole him away. Those two are about the same level. The real trouble is the Alchemy God Tower’s representative.”

“Who?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Green Cloud,” Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters said solemnly.

“Who?” Xu Zimo asked, puzzled.

“In the Alchemy God Tower, he’s the most renowned alchemist of recent years,” Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters replied gravely.

“I don’t know what kind of benefits Buddha Faction promised, but they actually managed to bring him here.”

“That puts me at ease,” Xu Zimo chuckled, patting his shoulder as he headed toward the inn’s exit.

“Come, let’s go see the others compete first.”

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