Immortal of the Ages

As thousands of Arbiter prodigies whispered among themselves on the Nine Thunder Arenas, suddenly, from all directions of the Divine Heaven Jade Purity Office, over 100 blinding bolts of lightning shot forth!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Those 100 dazzling bolts of divine lightning morphed into Immortals, descending onto the revered seats of the Celestial Thunder Platform!

At that moment, the previously noisy scene fell into an eerie silence. The crowd held their breath in reverence, gazing up at the white jade platform ensnared by thousands of electric serpents, where the 100 Immortals had already taken their seats.

They were figures of lofty grandeur, each cloaked in a sea of lightning. With each blink of their eyes, true thunder roared. They were adorned in regal, intricately crafted garments, their jewels and gemstones flashing like the eyes of the storm.

Even the appearance of one of these Immortals was enough to capture attention, let alone nearly 100 descending together!

Indeed, their presence instantly overshadowed the entire arena!

Without need for a reminder, following that brief moment of stillness, the 10,000 participants bowed in respect to these 100 Immortals.

"Greetings, Nine Heavens Supreme Thunder General!"

"Greetings, Eight Paths Cloud and Thunder General!"

"Greetings, Thunder Dukes and Thunder Duchesses!"

"Greetings to all the Chief Military Thunder Emissaries!"

A wave of solemn voices rose from across the battlefield.

From the reverent cries of the crowd, it was clear that aside from the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Thunder Voice Universalizing Sovereign, all other senior Thunder Department officials had descended in their true forms, highlighting the importance the Thunder Department placed on this selection for the Immortal Tournament.

Nine of the 10,000 participants here would be joining seven other honorary arbiters at the Celestial Court's Divine Gateway to vie for ultimate glory!

To be one of those nine was not just a step forward, but to have already won more than half the battle!

So, for the Arbiters of the Thunder Department, the Nine Thunder Arena was not just the main event, but over eighty percent of the Immortal Tournament.

The Divine Gateway was merely the final showdown!

With the arrival of these 100 Immortals, the selection was about to officially begin.

While the crowd still bowed in worship, upon that Celestial Thunder Platform appeared a tall, alluring woman in a split violet gown, captivating the masses before her.

Upon her arrival, every man, young and old, found their eyes irresistibly drawn to her.

"She's the Chief Military Thunder Emissary, Cao Shuo."

The name Cao Shuo might sound masculine, but within the ranks of the Thunder Department, most knew this name belonged to a charmingly electric woman, whose fame for both her allure and strict adherence to law had spread far across the Thunder Department.

Her astonishing talents had earned her a nickname—Big Thunder Mama. Of course, no one would call her by this name unless they had a death wish.

“Is Thunder Emissary Cao Shuo presiding over this selection for the Thunder Department?”

With that, everyone understood.

This was normal; among these top 100 Immortals of the Thunder Department, the lowest ranking were the Rank 4 Thunder Emissaries.

There she stood, enveloped in celestial lightning, her gown fluttering, her elegant legs shimmering with phosphorescence in the air, instantly becoming the focal point of all gazes.

Without any superfluous words, she formally declared, "All heed these commands, the selection for the Thunder Department begins now. The order of battle will be randomly decided, and victory or defeat will be judged by the Thunder Immortal Formation. Those called up must fight within 30 breaths, or be deemed defeated."

From this brief proclamation by Cao Shuo, one could discern the ethos of the Celestial Court's Thunder Department: simple efficiency, swift as lightning, decisive in execution.

After Cao Shuo spoke, two changes occurred in the Nine Thunders Arena.

The first was this: the nine vast clusters of thunder clouds around suddenly burst into deafening roars, billions of lightning serpents splitting and racing through the air!

These nine clusters of thunderclouds split into nearly 5,000 smaller thunderclouds, each about 1,500 meters in diameter, encircling the 10,000 participants.

These smaller thunderclouds, numbering close to 5,000, formed the individual battlefields for the duels.

Fighting atop these thunderclouds, not only must one beware the opponent but also the constant threat of lightning strikes—a formidable test for every contestant.

It was said that these lightning serpents of the Nine Thunders Arena were part of the celestial Thunder Immortal Formation.

With nearly 5,000 thunderclouds splitting apart, the battlefield was set.

Next, the battle sequence was to be determined.

Instantly, all eyes turned toward the Nine Heavens Thunder Rankings!

BOOM! The board burst forth with nine different colors of lightning serpents, which, as they writhed, each formed a name on either side of the board!

"Nie Yun, Feng Qi!" At this moment, Cao Shuo's voice was no longer languid or flirtatious, but rather solemn, deadly, and full of vigor!

As the names appeared, nine colors of lightning serpents dispersed and merged into a colossal numeral one!

"Thundercloud One!" Cao Shuo's voice echoed.

No sooner had her words fallen than two figures from among the 10,000 participants dashed at breakneck speed to a thundercloud in the corner, fearful of exceeding the 30 breaths limit.

Once on the fighting stage, there was no restriction on when to begin combat.

And so, the selection battles of the Thunder Department commenced with Nie Yun and Feng Qi.

The Thunder Rankings did not pause; the lightning serpents twisted and formed two new names, then solidified Thundercloud Two.

Two more figures took the stage, ready for combat.

And so it continued!

The Thunder Rankings constantly announced the battle sequence; each name had a chance to resound throughout the Nine Thunders Arena. The moment they heard their names, the eyes of the participants welled up with tears, their hearts ablaze with pride—this was a place of honor, and to be an Arbiter was an honor in and of itself!

This method of announcement was not quick, but precisely because of this, the battles across various thunderclouds were layered, giving each participant a chance to draw much attention during a particular time frame.

It was still the first round; some had quickly finished their battles, while others watched the Thunder Rankings intently, their eyes fiery, holding their breath in anticipation.

The tension was palpable!

Above on the Celestial Thunder Platform, seeing that the selection battle was proceeding smoothly, Cao Shuo, no longer needed for the moment, swayed her waist back to her honored seat, watching the battles below with a smile.

Behind her, at a higher position, sat a bald Immortal in heavy armor, oppressive like a mountain of thunder.

It was Cao Shuo's older brother, General Cao.

General Cao's massive hands rested on the armrests, seated there, eyes closed, resting yet imposing without anger.

He seemed disinclined to speak; however, sitting in a seat of equal stature beside him was a man of a starkly different demeanor—thin and tall, dressed in white and gold brocade, with a very pale face and an elegant posture. Though a refined gentleman, his somewhat thin lips gave him a slightly sinister look.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at General Cao beside him, a small smirk curling his lips, casually inquiring, "General Cao, I hear your adopted son will also compete. What's his name? I’d like to know, so we can all marvel at him."

His words caused a twitch in the cheeks of the high-ranking Immortals of the Thunder Department nearby, their eyes alight with meaningful glances and their mouths twitching into slight smiles.

"Lightning Lord Bo Hong." Cao Shuo turned her head back with a playful laugh. "My brother prefers not to speak with you. I’ll let you know when the time comes."

"Oh?" Bo Hong, the pale, somewhat sinister-looking man, chuckled. "Then I'll be in your debt, Miss Thunder Emissary."

"It’s nothing." Cao Shuo pursed her lips. "I'm just afraid that you might be so intimidated by his talent that you'll never dare to be sarcastic in front of my brother again."

At this, Bo Hong paused, then laughed along with the others.

"I'm looking forward to it." Bo Hong glanced at the stern General Cao whose eyes were closed. "After all, old Cao is famous for his discerning eye. I'm just not sure if he’s spotted a gem or a pig this time?"

Laughter broke out among the group once more.

This small episode before the Thunder Department's selection had now become a joke shared over meals and tea.

It was all in good fun, though General Cao's visibly flustered and somewhat comical demeanor did not escape notice.

As Rank 3 Heavenly Officers, those aiming to climb higher up the ladder to the true pinnacle of power within the Thunder Department were inevitably rivals.

Among them, General Cao and Bo Hong, both scions of distinguished lineages and young achievers, were hot contenders for the future position of the Nine Heavens Supreme Thunder General.

As everyone laughed, the veins on General Cao's neck, wrapped by lightning serpents, bulged visibly, his expression growing dark.

"Hey, just a reminder, my brother’s temper is short. Watch out or he might just thrash you on the Celestial Thunder Platform," Cao Shuo added with a laugh.

"Oh, how scary!" Bo Hong quickly waved his hand, his face still wearing a grin. "Alas, not all of us here are lucky enough to adopt an Immemorial Thunder Seed holder as a foster son!"

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About half an hour had passed, and already thousands of participants had joined the fray!

All around, figures clashed atop the thunderclouds, their forms blurred by the fervor of combat.

Though only the beginning, the Thunder Department's selection battle was fiercely underway, filled with the sounds of thunderous explosions and howling winds.

Some surged forward with songs of battle, while others dimly exited the stage!

Nearly three decades of arduous cultivation were being judged in this single event.

In a corner, Yun Xiao still awaited his name.

After Blue Star and Red Moon had consumed the treasures and True Immortal Jades of Zhao Danming and Chen Yu, they had produced three more Tri Heaven Sariras.

Yun Xiao's spirit had already reached the Essence Manifestation Realm, but he needed to have his cultivation catch up.

He could choose to naturally absorb the energy from the Celestial Sourcecore, but it would take significantly longer, unsuitable for immediate needs.

About 15 minutes later, Yun Xiao exhaled a deep breath. After absorbing the Tri Heaven Sariras, the Sacred Wheel within his Dantian had expanded further, resembling a colossal platinum disc radiating with vitality.

"Mid Essence Manifestation Realm."

After his spirit manifested, Yun Xiao had broken through two stages from the Establishment True Immortal Realm. He was breaking through quickly, but it came at the cost of a lot of resources.

"When will I finally have a real backing? Relying solely on killing for loot is far too slow here in the Celestial Court," Yun Xiao mused to himself. His progress was heaven-defying, yet he still found it too slow.

Of course, there was no immediate solution to his problem. The more complex the society, the harder it was to gain powerful connections.

To find someone new who shared one's goals and to trust each other completely was extremely difficult!

Most relationships were merely mutually exploitative.

Yun Xiao knew this, and so he adjusted his steps, adapting to each moment.

Now out of money, he couldn't rush things; he could only continue to meditate, preparing for the battle ahead.

Just then, a party from Sky Soaring City arrived. It was Jiang Taiping, Dongfang Sheng, and several others.

Among the young ones, the Jiang sisters and Dongfang Yong came together.

Dongfang Yong seemed much calmer now.

The moment he saw Yun Xiao, he gave a cold smile, then quickly suppressed it.

"Governor Jiang, Secretary Dong," Liu Mumu greeted them.

"Have the names of these three kids not been called yet?" Governor Jiang, arriving late, asked.

"Not yet," Liu Mumu replied, relieving them.

Then, they grouped into three small clusters, waiting in silence. Dongfang Sheng and his son were on one side. Yun Xiao and Liu Mumu were on another. And everyone else was on another!

In the corner, Dongfang Yong glanced over at Yun Xiao and suddenly said, "Father, to be honest, I think it would be best to pair me with him."

"Why?" Dongfang Sheng asked.

"It'll make it easier for me to kill him. Once he's dead, he can't stir up any trouble," Dongfang Yong said coldly.

"We can't trouble General Cao over such a trivial matter," Dongfang Sheng replied.

"Understood. The scoundrel gets to live a little longer," Dongfang Yong remarked.

"Indeed," Dongfang Sheng nodded.

Meanwhile, Yun Xiao was continuing his cultivation when the Thunder Rankings rumbled.

"Lu Yao!"

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