Chapter 149: The Top Three of the Grand Tournament

Because Yu Wei was afflicted by the terrifying Myriad Poison Stinger venom, although she could temporarily suppress it, she was ultimately unable to continue fighting and had no choice but to leave the Bright Moon Diagram.

Watching as Yu Wei discarded a large number of tally tokens and was teleported out by the Bright Moon Diagram, Ji Ning silently waved his hand to collect those tally tokens, then turned to look at Yun Tian, who was gazing at him with a smile not far away. "Senior Brother Yun, let's team up for the rest of the journey!"

"Very well!" Yun Tian responded with a pleasant smile and a nod. Together with Ji Ning, they turned into two streaks of flowing light and departed.

Inside the main hall of Tianmang Palace, all nine Pure Yang True Immortals were watching the Bright Moon Diagram. Lü Dongbin immediately spoke up, "Yu Wei is about to come out. Xia Mang, you should teleport her straight over here!"

"Alright!" Emperor Xia smiled and nodded. Suddenly, a cold-tempered, black-robed young girl appeared out of nowhere beside them.

The abruptly appearing Yu Wei looked around, momentarily dazed. The lofty Emperor Xia and the various Pure Yang True Immortals present—whose auras were not intentionally restrained—filled Yu Wei with awe and dread. In her past life, she had seen Celestials, and more than just one, but the beings before her felt infinitely more powerful. They were definitely entities far stronger than Celestials—Pure Yang True Immortals?

Yu Wei glanced backward; down below, nearly a thousand Celestials also possessed astonishing auras. Recovering slightly from her daze, Yu Wei hurriedly knelt before Emperor Xia to pay her respects.

Lü Dongbin looked at Yu Wei with great interest and suddenly tossed a wine gourd over to her. "Little girl, drink this!"

Though somewhat apprehensive as she caught the wine gourd, Yu Wei tilted her head back and drank the immortal nectar within. Instantly, her somewhat ashen complexion began to turn fair, and the poison inside her body was rapidly neutralized.

"Little girl, the immortal nectar you just drank is no ordinary brew. It is from Emperor Xia's personal collection, rarely brought out, and generally not something ordinary Celestials are allowed to drink. This was specifically prepared for Lü Dongbin by Emperor Xia," the Immortal of Northern Lands said with a chuckle.

Yu Wei moved to kneel and express her gratitude, but Lü Dongbin casually waved a hand dismissively. "No need. It's just a pot of wine. You may leave."

Leave? Yu Wei looked at the colossal Tianmang Palace and the numerous Celestials below, momentarily at a loss for where to go. It was only when Emperor Xia spoke up that she was directed to take a seat behind Prince Yan.

Within the world of the Bright Moon Diagram, misty moonlight illuminated a riverbank where Ji Ning sat cross-legged, while strands of silk-like sword light whizzed back and forth around him.

"This kid Ji Ning truly has extraordinary talent in the Dao of the Sword!" Not far away, Yun Tian lay leisurely on the surface of the water, slowly sipping from a wine gourd.

During this final month, Ji Ning released his divine sense to hunt down opponents wholeheartedly, engaging in battle after battle. Meanwhile, Yun Tian, accompanying him, almost never struck. Even when they occasionally encountered larger groups of opponents and someone took the initiative to attack Yun Tian, he would merely resolve the threat with a casual slash of his sword. Often, right after his strike, those attackers would be frightened into a panicked retreat, leaving Ji Ning feeling somewhat helpless.

Ji Ning honed his sword techniques to his heart's content, seamlessly integrating both the Dao of Rain and the Dao of Fire into his swordsmanship during mortal combat. His sword arts blended softness with strength, and his progress was rapid.

In the blink of an eye, only a little over two hundred people remained in the Bright Moon Diagram, every single one of them a peerless monstrous talent. Among the most dazzling of them all were Yun Tian and Ji Ning.

Finally, the one-year period expired. The eighty individuals holding the most tally tokens passed the trial of the Bright Moon Diagram and were all teleported out.

Above the clouds outside Tianmang Palace, Yun Tian, Ji Ning, and the other eighty figures appeared out of thin air, exchanging glances. Both Yun Tian and Ji Ning spotted widely renowned geniuses such as Xiamang Zishan and Cangwu Jiu, as well as the sloppy-looking Daoist. "Senior Brother!"

"All eighty of you, stand in formation," commanded a tall-crowned attendant standing coldly nearby. "The remaining sixteen will be decided shortly, and at that time, all ninety-six of you will accompany me to pay respects to His Majesty the Emperor. Furthermore, there are several Pure Yang True Immortals from the Three Realms present today. You must all mind your manners and take heed of the rules; under no circumstances are you to offend or provoke a True Immortal."

The tall-crowned, pale-faced, and beardless attendant radiated a chilling aura, and the formless fluctuations he emitted allowed Yun Tian and the others to easily discern that he was a Celestial. Across the entire Immortal Destiny Gathering of over one hundred thousand geniuses, not a single Wanxiang Adept was guaranteed to become a Celestial. Yet even Emperor Xia's personal attendants were Celestials, a fact that could not help but evoke inward marvel.

Soon, as the final sixteen victors emerged and the Celestial attendant effortlessly healed their injuries with a wave of his hand, he led all ninety-six of them into the main hall of Tianmang Palace. The main hall had no ceiling; directly above lay the endless void, while the interior was wreathed in auspicious clouds, truly resembling a celestial realm.

After Yun Tian, Ji Ning, and the others neatly and respectfully paid their respects, Emperor Xia looked down from above and spoke: "You have successfully passed the trial of the Bright Moon Diagram. Next, I will arrange one-on-one battles for you. The losers will be eliminated, and the winners will advance. Among the ninety-six of you, the forty-eight who survive the first round will each receive a celestial-grade magic treasure. After two rounds of duels among those forty-eight, the remaining twelve will each be rewarded with ten million catties of liquid yuan. After two more rounds, the final three will be granted access to the Grand Xia Dynasty's treasury to freely choose any divine ability or secret art."

At Emperor Xia's words, Ji Ning and the others were filled with excitement and fervor, while the surrounding Celestials could not help but feel shocked. The rewards Emperor Xia offered for this Immortal Destiny Gathering were simply too generous.

"Furthermore, by decree of my master, of the three ultimate finalists decided this time, one will be selected by my master to become a registered disciple. Once he breaks through to become a Celestial, he will be accepted as a personal disciple," Emperor Xia's resonant voice echoed throughout the grand hall, stunning all the Celestials into absolute silence. Even the Pure Yang True Immortals grew quiet, as they had been unaware of this news beforehand.

Emperor Xia's master was none other than Ancestral Immortal Chiming, one of the supreme mighty figures in the Three Realms. Such an exalted being did not casually take on disciples, even though he already had numerous True Immortals and Empyrean Gods beneath his banner. It could be said that becoming a Dao Ancestor's disciple meant one stood an excellent chance of eventually becoming an Empyrean God or True Immortal.

"A Dao Ancestor's disciple? What can a Dao Ancestor teach me? At best, it would simply allow me to learn a few more powerful divine abilities and secret arts," Yun Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, his heart entirely calm. Even if he were to take a Dao Ancestor as a master, he cared little for ordinary Dao Ancestors. Perhaps if that Patriarch Subhuti were willing to take him in as a disciple, he might give it a slight consideration!

Soon, the successive rounds of duels among the ninety-six contenders commenced. The battleground was set upon the clouds outside Tianmang Palace, where Emperor Xia had established a sealing grand array spanning a radius of ten miles. He arranged the geniuses into successive pairings to fight one another, filtering them through multiple rounds until the final six were decided: Daoist Sloppy, Cangwu Jiu, Ji Ning, Xiamang Zishan, Yun Tian, and Daoist Muzhuan.

Remarkably, half of the final six hailed from the Black-White College, stunning many onlookers and bestowing immense prestige upon the Black-White College. Immortal Wufeng, in particular, was practically beside himself with joy; after all, two of those six geniuses were his very own disciples!

The top three were likewise determined shortly thereafter. Without a doubt, both Yun Tian and Ji Ning advanced to the top three, while the remaining spot went to Daoist Muzhuan.

Next came the matches for the top three. In the first match, Yun Tian faced Daoist Muzhuan. Yun Tian excelled in offense, integrating his comprehended Dao into the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, unleashing terrifying and razor-sharp might with the sword in his hand. Daoist Muzhuan specialized in defense, mutually reinforcing himself with the Dao of Azure Wood and the Dao of Primordial Water. Regrettably, formidable though Daoist Muzhuan's defense was, he managed to withstand only three of Yun Tian's sword strikes before being forced to concede defeat.

In the second match, Daoist Muzhuan faced Ji Ning. Throughout this battle, Ji Ning unleashed his swordsmanship to the fullest, attacking with every means at his disposal. Daoist Muzhuan attempted a counterattack at first, but was quickly driven into a defensive posture ninety percent of the time by Ji Ning. In combat, playing defense was always a disadvantage. Confronted by Ji Ning's ceaseless, cascading sword arts, Daoist Muzhuan began to sustain injuries. As his strength steadily waned alongside his wounds, he ultimately had no choice but to admit defeat.

The final match was fought between the two peerless geniuses of the Black-White College, Yun Tian and Ji Ning. Both were swordsmen; although they walked different paths of the Dao, their offensive capabilities were both fiercely sharp.

"Senior Brother Yun, I ask that you hold nothing back and let me witness your true strength!" Ji Ning gazed steadily at Yun Tian, his fighting spirit soaring.