In my twilight years of cultivating, I became a Supreme Daoist of the Longevity Path

Meanwhile.

Chen Dengming had already stepped into the Ice Wind Forest, notified by the Eighteen Shadow Guards. He was aware of how many people were coming this time.

However, as he looked at the Misty Cliff that reached high into the sky and deep into the earth like a dragon sucking in water, although he was shocked, he didn't see any trace of cultivators.

"Such a commotion... I wonder if this is an ancient Dao of Immortality formation, or is it caused by the arrival of a cultivator? If it's a cultivator who has arrived... I'm afraid it's not as simple as a low-level cultivator."

Chen Dengming furrowed his brow, pondering for a long time. Recalling the warning from the Eighteen Shadow Guards, that the innate grandmasters on the peak had already started their standoff, he chuckled and dismissed the idea of getting any closer to the peak.

The Deity Conference wouldn't officially start until half a month later. The so-called immortals had not yet arrived, but fights had already broken out. It was all about reputation and invitations, and he didn't feel like involving himself in such trouble.

So, he continued to lie low in the distance and observe, getting his daily updates from the Eighteen Shadow Guards.

On the second day, the Shadow Guards reported: Nangong Shuo, the first ranked innate from the Nangong Family, had a friendly spar with the sixth ranked Yue Kun. It was a close match, but Nangong Shuo emerged as the winner.

On the fourth day, they reported: Nangong Shuo had a fight with Xu Changqing, the third ranked innate known as Wind Qing one strike. It was a draw, but Nangong Shuo won by a small margin.

On the sixth day, they reported: Shaoyu Feng, ranked fourth among innates, battled Wang Shiduo, who was ranked fifth. Shaoyu Feng won by a narrow margin.

On the ninth day, they reported: Two Shadow Guards were tracked and found by Shaoyu Feng who suddenly descended the mountain. They were discovered due to a snake Gu warning, and both Shadow Guards committed suicide. The other Shadow Guards quickly retreated, ending the information gathering operation.

"Shaoyu Feng... Nangong Shuo..."

Chen Dengming stood in the forest with his hands behind his back, his eyes reflecting a hint of curiosity as he gazed at the far-off sight of the still shocking Misty Cliff.

Both Nangong Shuo and Shaoyu Feng had sequentially sparred with other innates, yet none of those encounters had gotten serious. It seemed as if they were simply probing, neither seeking to establish their dominance in martial arts, nor trying to get any invitation from anyone. Their motives were unclear.

The time was not yet ripe, so he chose to continue laying low.

Having lived for more than eighty years, he was no longer the hot-blooded youth fantasizing about a time of alternating power like when he first crossed over. What he had now were patience and composure.

Eleven days passed.

Apart from the dozens of people who had already reached the mountaintop, more were attracted to the spectacle of Misty Cliff. But they were all deterred by the grandmasters' might and dared not ascend, remaining on the mountainside.

However, their arrival provided convenience for the Shadow Guards to gather information.

The atmosphere at the top of the mountain had grown increasingly tense. With dozens of people harboring their own thoughts, Nangong Shuo and Shaoyu Feng exchanged glances which conveyed more than any spoken word, their impatient glares revealing their restlessness.

"The current situation is different from what we predicted, Chen Dengming has yet to show up. Could it be that the person holding the invitation is not him, but some other expert?"

"The two men I tracked a few days ago were both first-class fighters in the martial arts world, yet they chose to commit suicide by poison when I caught up. Only nine families in the martial arts world could train such experts and make them willing to die. But only Chen Family has yet to arrive."

At the end of their exchange, both men were grinding their teeth, disgusted at this unparalleled croucher.

"This fellow has been hiding and keeping a low profile for years. He's really patient. Let's wait for two more days, at most. If Chen Dengming still doesn't show up, then we'll target Hu Lei. Based on yesterday's probe, Hu Lei is the easiest one for us to take down among them."

...

A couple of days passed quickly.

The Deity Conference was to officially start within the next three days.

The remaining sixteen Shadow Guards, who had disguised themselves among the crowds midway up the mountain, managed to procure fresh intelligence once again for Chen Dengming. Without warning, Nangong Shuo and Shaoyu Feng had jointly attacked Hu Lei, the seventh ranked warrior on the Sky Ranking, and only ceased their attack after he handed over his invitation.

"The knife appears when the map comes to an end, huh... These two old foxes, after all these days of superficial contact, were actually probing, just to make the final move. Poor Hu Lei."

Chen Dengming received intelligence from the Shadow Guard, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He knew that, compared to Hu Lei, if he, as the eighth in the world, emerged, he might be seen as a softer target by the two old foxes.

Though he was confident that his trump card could render any schemer toothless, it was fundamentally intended to ward off the Immortals. Now, after laying low for more than ten days, his efforts hadn't been in vain as he had evaded unnecessary trouble.

He flipped his hand and a Blood Centipede Gu, the size of a baby's finger, appeared in his palm. He felt an inexplicable connection to it, as if it was linked to his bloodline.

"Go!"

Chen Dengming commanded nonchalantly. The Blood Centipede suddenly spread its wings as thin as cicada's and promptly burrowed into his right ear following his intention. It curled up inside his ear, and its aura rapidly weakened.

He would soon confront the Immortals, and to avoid any potential divinatory techniques they might have, he had to hide his trump card—the Blood Centipede Gu—deep enough.

The next moment, he slung a large knife on his back and swiftly darted through the forest, gliding like a giant bird. He traveled a distance of over 70 feet in a single leap, closing in on the Misty Cliff to standby and climb up the mountain at any time.

While many people were gathering on the peak, nobody noticed that a gigantic teleportation formation, bordering between illusion and reality, had already been established deep within the cloud layer on the top of the fog-covered Misty Cliff.

Hundreds of shiny, crystal stones, resembling stars, were neatly set within the formation, corresponding to the numbers of the thirty-six Heavenly Gangs and the seventy-two Demon Stars. This formed into a massive platform in the sky.

At this moment, five figures had already gathered on this platform.

Three men and two women, each exuding an exceptional aura. Their bodies radiated with Spiritual Energy, imbuing them with a mysterious yet Immortal aura, earning the reverence of mortals at first glance.

But what these five Immortals were discussing was as commonplace as jail guards gossiping about which new inmate was the most interesting. Their conversation lacked any hint of the noble aura of Immortals; it was utterly mundane.

A man wearing a square scarf pointed at Shaoyu Feng, chuckling casually, "Look at this mortal who is over seventy, so desperate for an invitation that he has pulled out all the stops to attend the Ascension Conference. And he didn't even bring any family heir with him. Could it be that he plans to participate himself?

With this age, what is he expecting by cultivating?"

Another enigmatic old Immortal retorted with a disgruntled smile, "The old have their own benefits. Friend He, do not divert the topic. We have all placed our bets, and it's your turn to choose someone and put down the stake."

The man in the square scarf laughed and shook his head, "This small Nanxun Kingdom, it's our first time here since that Demon Star arose from here. A hundred years ago, our Sects jointly issued Ascension invitations here, hoping that someone could prove the Dao through martial arts, and another powerful Martial Immortal would rise.

However, seeing the situation now, the people of this small kingdom simply aren't talented enough. The eight Innates and other nearly departed old folks, while skilled in Martial Arts, have all lost potential. How can they cultivate into Martial Immortals?

It seems we'll have to settle for taking back to the Sect any of their juniors who possess a spiritual root. As for this bet, I won't be gambling."

"Fair enough!"

Then, a woman in red casually mentioned, "Since Friend He doesn't want to choose, I'll place a bet myself. I bet the owner of the tenth invitation, who has not yet appeared, might be the chosen one. All the owners of the other nine invitations have already shown up, except for the one for the tenth invitation, which is indeed very mysterious. I am betting five medium-grade Spirit Stones."

A refined lady with an oval face stifled her laughter in surprise, "Placing a bet of five medium-grade Spirit Stones on an unknown mortal, how generous! What if the holder of the tenth invitation doesn't appear at all? Sister Luo, it seems that Brother Luo must have given you quite a hefty betrothal gift when proposing to you, to advance together on the Dao of Immortality."

The elder chuckled mockingly, "Friend Luo comes from a spirit land in the Southern Region. The betrothal gifts there are always remarkably high. Men there need to prepare a good cave house, purchase spirit boats and treasure cars, and some even need to prepare a domestic Spiritual Beast. It's tough indeed."

People always say that Immortals have it good, but little do they know that Immortals have their own troubles.

After all, Immortals are also human, and these so-called Immortals, as the powerhouse of Nanxun Kingdom, are not True Immortals, but just Cultivators.

The many grandmasters on the mountain, who had been reigning over the Jianghu for many years, were unaware that they had been reduced to betting pieces in the eyes of the Immortals, with their every move being evaluated from above.

Their fierce disputes, in the eyes of the five Cultivators, were just like the infighting of caged roosters—a source of much amusement...