Joint Invitation to All Who Hold the Map

The words of that wandering cultivator made everyone realize the formation was even stranger than they thought.

Patriarch Fenn said, "It looks like this formation has mutated. Everyone, let's attack it together and break it apart."

With Patriarch Fenn about to make a move, the Three Palaces and all the major families began preparing as well.

"That's right, two disciples. One is our Hundred-Bloom Palace Lord, Flora Bloom, the Flower Fairy. The other was just a mortal with no cultivation—he's probably dead by now," said Fairy Blossom, the senior representative.

"Hundred-Bloom Palace Lord? Flora Bloom, the Flower Fairy?" Patriarch Fenn asked in surprise.

"Yes, exactly. Flora Bloom met the Wine Immortal when he was recruiting disciples, so she joined. She told me the other disciple was just a mortal, no cultivation at all," said Fairy Blossom.

Subduing Nine Tribulations experts in a single move isn't easy, especially since they couldn't harm them—so they had to use quick, precise techniques to knock them out.

Once everyone was subdued, they realized only Patriarch Fenn, the Ninefold Palace Lord, the Heaven-Mystic Palace Lord, and Fairy Blossom were still clear-headed; all the others they'd brought had already succumbed to the strange effects.

"Damn it, what kind of power is hidden in this formation? It's terrifying," Patriarch Fenn said coldly.

At that moment, the Ninefold Palace Lord's expression changed drastically. "It might be the wine. My body is starting to act on its own too."

Everyone looked at the Ninefold Palace Lord and saw he was showing the same symptoms as the others—his face slowly turned red, and his limbs stopped obeying him.

"Sorry, my friend," said Patriarch Fenn. He knew the Ninefold Palace Lord was privy to a lot of secrets, and if he started rambling, it would be a huge embarrassment—so Patriarch Fenn knocked him out before he could change any further.

Just like that, another one went down. Patriarch Fenn glanced at the remaining two; they hesitated, then helplessly shook their heads, indicating they were fine for now.

"Now it's just the three of us, plus this friend here. Let's break this formation together," said Patriarch Fenn.

"No problem," the man nodded. The other two palace representatives nodded as well.

So everyone gathered their strength and attacked. As they struck, the formation trembled, almost as if it was about to shatter. They kept going.

During this, the Heaven-Mystic Palace Lord suddenly succumbed too—his whole body turned red, and Patriarch Fenn had to subdue him as well. In the end, only three remained.

Of the three, two were at the Pseudo-Immortal Stage, and one was Fairy Blossom, who was at the Sixth Stage of the Nine Tribulations Realm.

Fairy Blossom said helplessly, "If we keep going, I might not last either. There's something weird in this formation's aura."

"Then don't exert yourself. Leave it to the two of us," said Patriarch Fenn.

Fairy Blossom nodded, so Patriarch Fenn and the other continued their assault. Each time they broke one array, another appeared outside it—it felt like the arrays were all nested within each other.

Evan Yang watched the changes inside with Heaven's Eye and Thousand-Mile Echo. Seeing only the Pseudo-Immortal Stage cultivators left, he sighed, "Pseudo-Immortals really are powerful. Unless you use an Immortal-grade array, you can't trap them."

But Evan still couldn't set up Immortal-grade arrays; these were just multiple pseudo-Immortal arrays stacked together, even chained.

After about a quarter of an hour, the arrays were finally all broken—over a hundred in total. Just breaking them cost a lot of spiritual power, and Patriarch Fenn was so angry he wanted to curse out loud.

Once the arrays were broken, those who hadn't gone inside saw everyone lying around on the ground and exchanged strange looks.

Patriarch Fenn woke up the unconscious palace lords, while Fairy Blossom explained at the side.

Unfortunately, aside from the palace lords who woke up and seemed mostly normal, the others were still groggy and muttering. The palace lords, furious, knocked them out again, then focused on where the arrays had been—only to find nothing but a few broken jars.

"Damn it, it was a wine array," Patriarch Fenn said angrily when he saw the jars.

The other palace lords and clan leaders with Pseudo-Immortal experts felt the same way, so no one objected to Patriarch Fenn's proposal.

"Who knows. He deliberately lured us here to get information, so he must be hiding somewhere in this formation," said Patriarch Fenn.

When Evan Yang saw the statement, he gave a crooked smile. "All that scheming, and in the end they just admit everything. Fine by me—saves me the trouble. When the five fragments gather, that's when I'll make my move."

Patriarch Fenn and the other palace lords had no idea what Evan Yang was thinking. For now, their focus had shifted from chasing suspects to openly inviting anyone with a map to join forces. Everyone would contribute, then compete based on true strength.

All the experts searched the area where the formation had been, but found no trace of any suspicious person. Instead, they ran into many old monsters who hadn't appeared in years.

Those old monsters glanced at Patriarch Fenn and the palace lords, then slipped away.

"Fenn, looks like there's no one left," the Ninefold Palace Lord said, his expression sour.

"Let's go. We'll discuss the next steps back home," said Patriarch Fenn, feeling irritated as he recalled everything that happened in the formation and planning to talk strategy at the Fenn estate.

So the palace lords and major family members returned to the Fenn estate, and the planet grew quiet again.

Evan Yang stepped out from a hidden spot and smiled. "There are six Immortal-Gate Entrance Map fragments, and now four are accounted for. That leaves two—looks like it's time to stir things up a bit more."

Back at the Fenn estate, Patriarch Fenn and the others held a heated debate until Patriarch Fenn said, "Who is this person, really? He can work arrays—and they're wine arrays, with very strange wine."

"I know a few people who can make wine arrays, but it's probably not them," the Ninefold Palace Lord said, frowning.

"Who?" asked Patriarch Fenn.

"The Wine Immortal. He took in two disciples a few centuries ago, then went into seclusion and hasn't come out since," said the Ninefold Palace Lord.

"The Wine Immortal? His wine arrays are formidable. Didn't he take two disciples?" Patriarch Fenn immediately focused on those two disciples. If Evan Yang heard this, he'd be shocked.

"That's right, two disciples. One is our Palace Lord, the other had no cultivation—most likely dead by now," said Fairy Blossom.

"Hundred-Bloom Palace Lord? Fairy Blossom?" Patriarch Fenn asked in surprise.

"Yes, that's her. She happened to meet the Wine Immortal when he was recruiting disciples, so she joined. I remember her telling me the other one was just a mortal with no cultivation," said Fairy Blossom.

This made Patriarch Fenn ponder, when the steward beside him couldn't help but speak up, "That other disciple with no cultivation—you all know him."

"Who?" Everyone looked at the steward in surprise.

The steward couldn't hold back: "Evan Yang. Back then he used a Hidden Dragon Elixir, so he appeared to have no cultivation and fooled everyone."

"What!" This revelation sent a fresh wave of shock through the crowd.

"Evan Yang again? He even knows wine arrays!" Patriarch Fenn muttered. Everyone's faces were full of questions and astonishment.

"Exactly. He used the Wine Immortal disciple identity to blend in. Later, Fiend Palace tracked him by special means, but by the time I realized, it was already too late," said the steward.

"Do you think this time it was him working with that disguise master?" the Ninefold Palace Lord asked suspiciously.

Patriarch Fenn had the same suspicion. If that was true, everything would point back to Evan Yang. Just then, news arrived from outside. When the steward announced it, everyone was furious.

"Damn it! Who leaked the news?" Patriarch Fenn raged.

The news said there were six Immortal-Gate Entrance Map fragments: one with the Fenn Family, two with the Three Palaces. Now everyone knew half the map was in their hands.

This instantly made them targets for countless hidden old monsters, since half of all fragments were concentrated in their group.

"Stop guessing. It must be the same person who first spread the Immortal-Gate Entrance Map rumor," said the Ninefold Palace Lord.

"All the things said inside the formation must've been overheard and then spread," Patriarch Fenn realized, furious.

"So what do we do now, Fenn?" asked the Ninefold Palace Lord helplessly.

"Haven't you noticed? He's been using the Immortal-Gate Entrance Map as leverage this whole time. Don't you want to know what he's really after?" asked Patriarch Fenn.

"What does he want?" the Ninefold Palace Lord asked, puzzled.

"He's spreading this news so everyone knows about the three fragments, but unless you reach the Pseudo-Immortal Stage, it doesn't matter if you have a map or not. He's probably trying to lure out the holders of the other fragments. But this method isn't that effective—at most, it just gets the rogue Pseudo-Immortals without maps to focus on us," Patriarch Fenn analyzed.

"That makes sense, Fenn. So what should we do now?" the Ninefold Palace Lord frowned.

"Since everyone knows about the maps, but we don't know where the other two are, we're at a disadvantage. So let's issue a joint public invitation," Patriarch Fenn proposed.

"A joint invitation?" Everyone was confused.

"We'll announce to the world that we do indeed have three Immortal-Gate Entrance Map fragments, and invite the holders of the other three to come forward and discuss how to reach the Immortal-Gate Entrance. Everyone will be treated equally—getting in will depend on true strength and luck. If you don't have the strength, having a map is useless anyway," Patriarch Fenn explained.

"I agree," said the Ninefold Palace Lord. After all, he wasn't at the Pseudo-Immortal Stage himself, but the Pseudo-Immortal seniors behind his palace had been urging him to find the entrance.

The other palace lords and families with Pseudo-Immortal experts felt the same, so no one objected to Patriarch Fenn's proposal.

Seeing everyone agree, Patriarch Fenn immediately had the statement sent out.

When Evan Yang saw the statement, he gave a strange smile. "These people argue and scheme, but in the end they admit everything. Well, that's fine—it saves me effort. When the five fragments come together, I'll make my move."

Patriarch Fenn and the others had no idea what Evan Yang was thinking. For now, their focus had shifted from chasing suspects to openly inviting anyone with a map to join forces. Everyone would contribute, then compete based on strength.

Having an Immortal-Gate Entrance and Pseudo-Immortal Stage strength doesn't guarantee entry to the Immortal Realm. It's said you also need a special key.

As for what the key is, only a handful of ancient seniors know—the rest are still in the dark.