Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 395: Advancing on the Imperial City

The thirty-five supreme experts stood in their fully manifested forms, towering over the outskirts of Yunzhou Prefecture like thirty-five colossal giants. They did not enter the city itself; beneath their feet, the vast expanse of Yunzhou Prefecture appeared diminutive, like a tiny “toy model”.

As one of the prominent figures representing the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, Xu Lian naturally could not afford to appear too small and diminish his faction’s reputation. Thus, he also assumed a towering form that matched theirs.

However, he still stood out conspicuously because the other thirty-five supreme experts had bizarre, indescribable shapes-grotesque and otherworldly-while he maintained a perfectly “normal” human form.

The thirty-five supreme experts gazed at him, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Most of these gazes were filled with envy and jealousy. Possessing the strength of a supreme expert at the Sage Realm was an extraordinary feat, making him comparable to the second coming of Time Supreme. Who wouldn’t envy or resent such a talent?

But there were also hostile glances. For instance, the gaze of the Supreme from Heaven’s Treasury Sacred Land carried clear animosity.

After all, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands had slain five supreme experts from the Sacred Land of Heaven’s Treasury faction and seized three exclusive cultivation resource zones designated for supreme-level cultivators. This enmity ran deep and would probably never be resolved.

However, Xu Lian showed no fear. He addressed the Heaven’s Treasury Supreme directly. “Senior, why are you staring at me like that? If you think about it carefully, shouldn’t you actually thank our Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands faction? If we hadn’t killed your Senior Brother, you wouldn’t have risen to become the Chief Supreme of the Heavenly Treasury Sacred Land, right?”

His words cut deep, leaving the surrounding supreme experts twitching awkwardly at his audacity.

The Heaven’s Treasury Supreme was visibly enraged, but he refrained from engaging in verbal sparring with Xu Lian. He didn’t want to give the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands another excuse to attack the Sacred Land of Heaven’s Treasury. Instead, he merely coldly snorted and remained silent.

Seeing that Heaven’s Treasury Supreme had backed down, Xu Lian chose not to press further and let the matter drop.

Aside from the envious and hostile glances, there were also friendly glances. The Yin Dynasty’s Supreme, Dantai Wujie, regarded Xu Lian warmly and nodded with a smile as a gesture of greeting.

Xu Lian replied respectfully and bowed slightly as one would to an elder. “Greetings, Senior.”

The Yin Dynasty held a special place in his heart—it was, after all, his double in-law family, and he still bore the title of the Yin Dynasty’s imperial son-in-law.

Seeing his respectful demeanor, Dantai Wujie was even more pleased. “What a fine young man! Back when my direct-line granddaughter held the selection for her imperial son-in-law, it was fortunate that you emerged victorious. Otherwise, our Yin Dynasty would have lost an incomparable genius.”

Supreme Expert Xue Ranfu of the Blood Sea Sect frowned, clearly displeased by the implication that the Blood Sea wasn’t worthy.

Dantai Wujie ignored Xue Ranfu’s reaction and continued to talk to Xu Lian. “Back then, Xue Wuyi, the second-ranked prodigy of the younger generation from the Blood Sea Sect, was defeated by you. After returning to the Blood Sea, I heard that Xue Wuyi was mocked and ridiculed by many of his fellow disciples. Thanks to you, Xue Wuyi can now hold his head high. Losing to you is no disgrace, in fact, it’s a great honor. Those fellow disciples of his don’t even have the chance to face you in battle.”

“…” Xu Lian didn’t know how to respond. He hadn’t expected Dantai Wujie to be so open and accessible. Humble as ever, he replied, “Senior is flattering me. My victory back then wasn’t due to my own strength alone, but rather the unwavering support of the Sword Pavilion, the Huo Clan, the thirteen ancestral clans, and the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands.”

Dantai Wujie waved off his modesty. “The fact that so many top-tier powers supported you only proves that your union with my direct-line granddaughter was fated by heaven. All the other candidates were just supporting acts.”

Senior, do you really have to put others down while lifting me up? Xu Lian was somewhat confused. Was this just Senior’s personality – speaking without much thought, unconcerned about offending others – or was there some deeper intent behind his words?

Xue Ranfu of the Blood Sea Sect could no longer contain his frustration. “Dantai Wujie, what exactly are you trying to say?”

Dantai Wujie replied with a nonchalant tone. “Not long ago, the Blood Sea Sect seemed quite rampant. While the old supreme being of Fire God Mountain was weakened by age, your sect attacked Fire God Mountain and plundered its Fire God Flowers. Did you consult with our Yin Dynasty first?

Fire God Mountain has always been under the protection of our Yin Dynasty. Every few centuries, they pay tribute to us with Fire God Flowers. By attacking Fire God Mountain, your Blood Sea Sect was essentially plundering our vassal state and stealing resources that were meant for us. Do you understand?”

Xu Lian understood now. The Yin Dynasty harbored grievances over the Blood Sea Sect’s assault on Fire God Mountain. Dantai Wujie had used this opportunity to subtly criticize the Blood Sea Sect while conversing with Xu Lian.

Xue Ranfu knew that his side was in the wrong and chose not to argue further. The Blood Sea Sect had suffered greatly after losing two supreme experts to the monstrous foundation of the Qian Dynasty, severely weakening their power. Confronting the Yin Dynasty, which still boasted at least three supreme experts, was something the Blood Sea Sect couldn’t afford to do lightly.

Aside from the tension between Xu Lian and the Heaven’s Treasury Supreme, as well as between the Yin Dynasty Supreme and the Blood Sea Supreme, the relationships among the other supreme experts were far from harmonious. Their disputes were tangled and numerous, like a fishing net that could not be untangled.

The most obvious conflict was between Liang Mu, the supreme expert of the Liang Dynasty, and Lingling, the supreme expert of the Vast Domain. The moment they saw each other, their expressions turned fiery red. Had the occasion been different, they might have clashed immediately.

Xu Lian had plundered all the raw materials for Metamorphosis Elixir from the Qian Dynasty. In a desperate attempt to preserve their future, the Qian Dynasty took a reckless gamble and launched a surprise attack on the Liang Dynasty, seizing half of their Metamorphosis Elixir materials.

As a result, neither the Qian Dynasty nor the Liang Dynasty had enough raw materials left.

As a result, the Qian and Liang dynasties joined forces, and four of their top experts launched a surprise attack on the Vast Domain Faction to seize its Metamorphosis Elixir resources. However, they didn’t know that the Vast Domain had secretly formed an alliance with several surrounding top-tier powers. Seven supreme experts surrounded the four from the Qian and Liang Dynasties, eventually killing one supreme expert each from the Qian and Liang Dynasties.

The seven supreme experts of the Vast Domain faction didn’t stop there-they relentlessly pursued and attacked the Qian Dynasty’s imperial city, provoking the Qian Dynasty’s hidden foundation monster and resulting in the death of one of the Vast Domain’s supreme experts.

At this point, it was difficult to determine who was right or wrong in this tangled web of enmity. If one were to trace the root cause, Xu Lian could be considered the instigator. But that was the nature of this chaotic era – it had descended into complete disorder, and Xu Lian was only one player in this turbulent world.

“Everyone, please listen to me.”

The Shui Family Supreme sighed helplessly. “Right now, our most urgent task is to eliminate the disaster caused by the Qian Dynasty foundation monster. All personal grudges and disputes must be temporarily put aside. Once we’ve dealt with this great calamity, you can settle your scores.”

The Shui Family was also Xu Lian’s double in-laws, so of course he had to support them. “Senior Shui is absolutely right. We are all individuals chosen by the Great Wheel of Calamity . Since ancient times, those chosen by the Great Wheel of Calamity have been able to quell disasters, but at an extremely high cost in lives. Our only chance for survival is to put aside our grievances and work together.”

The assembled supreme experts understood this reasoning and gradually calmed down, agreeing to temporarily set aside their animosities.

The Shui Family Supreme continued, “Time is of the essence. There is less than half a month before the Qian Dynasty Foundation Monster extends its stone chopsticks to pluck someone again. I’m not going to waste any more time, so I’m going to teach you all the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation, followed by an explanation of how to perform them.”

With that, the head of the Shui Family recited the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation out loud.

All the people present were experts at the highest level, so they learned the techniques incredibly quickly. As soon as the Supreme of the Shui Family finished reciting, they immediately began to deduce and master the techniques.

Although Xu Lian wasn’t a supreme expert and couldn’t derive the techniques directly, he had the ability to record them instantly, a process that was even faster than derivation. By the time the Shui Family Supreme finished reciting, Xu Lian had already mastered the techniques.

After that, the Shui Family Supreme provided a detailed explanation, focusing on how to effectively coordinate so that the thirty-five supreme experts and Xu Lian could maximize their combined strength.

After the explanation was over, it was time to practice.

It wouldn’t be possible to train within Yunzhou Prefecture, as even a single stomp from these supreme experts could cause catastrophic destruction.

So they ascended to the sky above.

Under the watchful eyes of the strongest members of various top-level factions, the thirty-five supreme experts and Xu Lian began practicing the Thirty-Six Heavenly War God Battle Formation together.

In just a few days, they had successfully mastered the techniques and could now unleash their full potential. Whether they could defeat the Qian Dynasty’s foundation monster remained to be seen, but they were as prepared as they could be.

Time passed day by day.

Soon, it was the day before the Qian Dynasty Foundation Monster was expected to extend its stone chopsticks once again.

The strongest members of the various upper-class factions began to urge them once again.

“You may proceed now.”

“Good luck! We await your triumphant return and will hold a grand banquet for you.”

Reluctantly, the thirty-five supreme experts and Xu Lian made their way to the Qian Dynasty Imperial City with heavy hearts. Based on the historical pattern of the Great Wheel of Calamity, most of the participants would perish. Few would survive to attend the celebratory banquet – more likely, it would be a funeral banquet.

But even though they knew the odds were against them, they had no choice but to press on. This was dictated by the rules of the Great Wheel of Calamity.

Even without the restrictions of the Great Wheel of Calamity, the various factions at the highest levels would still have pushed them toward the Qian Dynasty’s Imperial City. They wouldn’t allow them to abandon their mission.

If they refused, the top-tier factions themselves would suffer. The principle was simple: better others die than oneself.

And so, with grim determination, the group marched toward the Qian Dynasty’s Imperial City, ready to face whatever horrors awaited them.