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Chapter 3: Chapter Three: The Dragon Gate Assembly

At the bottom of the valley, the central area was expansive and immaculate, while the periphery was strewn with countless stones.

The cliffs rose vertically around the valley, encircling it at the center.

On the cliffs, about a hundred meters above ground level, there were nearly fifty terraces arranged in a horizontal line. Each terrace could accommodate fifty people standing upon it. Two hundred meters above ground level, there were eight terraces arranged in eight directions.

Eight upper terraces and fifty lower ones.

Upon these lower terraces, there were already several individuals standing, their robes billowing gracefully around them, some with swords or knives strapped to their backs.

In the square below, there were nearly three thousand people standing along the edge of the valley floor.

Lord Zhong, accompanied by his eight eldest disciples, arrived at a corner.

Eldest disciple Zhong Tian brought over a large rock and placed it in the corner for Lord Zhong to sit on.

Sitting down gently, Lord Zhong looked at his seven disciples who had reached the pinnacle of the Postnatal stage and began to explain, "This is Dragon Gate Valley. The terraces above are where disciples from various major immortal sects stand. They are divided into upper and lower terraces. The lower terraces are for disciples from lesser immortal sects or independent cultivators to gather, while the upper terraces are where the disciples of the top five immortal sects gather. They may not all be present, but they are here to recruit disciples."

Seeing people already standing on the lower terraces, the disciples felt excited. Were they disciples of the immortal sects?

"Father, what are upper and lower immortal sects?" Zhong Nineteen asked.

"Heh, upper and lower immortal sects are just general terms. As long as your sect is powerful, it\'s considered an upper immortal sect. It\'s just a kind of pride that comes with being a major sect," Lord Zhong chuckled.

"Do you know what these people below are considered in the eyes of these immortal sects?" Lord Zhong asked.

The others shook their heads.

"Cattle," Lord Zhong said with a solemn expression.

"Cattle?" The disciples furrowed their brows in surprise.

"That\'s right. In the eyes of these immortal sects, these people are all considered cattle. Mortals from the mundane world are all cattle, chosen for their selection. In their minds, they are evolving beings, becoming more advanced. And we, we\'re at the bottom, just like those wild savages I showed you last time. Would you consider them to be on the same level as you? Would you treat them as equals, sharing wine and laughter? No, you wouldn\'t. And neither would these disciples of the immortal sects. They are selecting some lucky ones, picking those who catch their eye. Only those chosen will be valued by them," Lord Zhong said with a hint of resignation in his eyes.

Hearing Lord Zhong\'s words, the disciples fell into silence.

In just a short while, Lord Zhong\'s group saw some mortals being brought up to the lower terraces. Just like the Zhao family, at this moment, two young men from the Zhao family were brought up ahead of others because they had connections above.

Lord Zhong patiently waited.

Two hours later, countless sword lights flew across the sky from all directions. One after another, disciples from various immortal sects descended upon the terraces, riding flying swords. There were also those who controlled other magical treasures, as well as monks and nuns flying to the terraces in this valley.

"The Dragon Gate Assembly. If you\'re not chosen to start, you\'ll have to participate in combat and slaughter for the amusement of these disciples from the immortal sects. It\'s quite common for those who are inferior in skill to die on the spot. There are more than three thousand people here, but in the end, fewer than two hundred will walk out of this valley alive. If you don\'t want to take the risk, then don\'t continue," Lord Zhong addressed his disciples.

"Rest assured, Father," the disciples replied with determination in their eyes. This was an excellent opportunity. How could they give up now?

"Mm," Lord Zhong nodded.

In the Dragon Gate Valley, thirty out of the fifty lower terraces were already occupied by individuals from various factions. As for the upper terrace, there was only one person, dressed entirely in white robes, standing at the pinnacle, looking down with indifference.

Before long, more individuals arrived on the upper terrace: a group of radiant monks, a group of elegantly dressed men and women, and a group of people in black robes. Representatives from four different factions had gathered on the upper terrace.

Just as it seemed the proceedings were about to commence, another figure appeared on the empty upper terrace—a woman dressed in purple robes, floating gracefully without a flying sword beneath her feet.

Her arrival captured the attention of almost everyone present. Clad in purple robes with numerous ribbons, she looked exceptionally beautiful. Her bare feet were as exquisite as carved jade, and her figure was alluringly curved. Her delicate face seemed to embody all the beauty of the world, leaving those who beheld her breathless.

However, there was one flaw—her demeanor was icy cold. Her emotionless gaze swept over the crowd below, regarding them like mere ants.

Many on the lower terraces and at the valley floor gazed at her with longing, including Lord Zhong\'s seven disciples, although Lord Zhong himself remained focused on observing the various factions. As for Zhong Tian, he seemed indifferent to the woman\'s beauty, fully dedicated to serving his father.

Even the disciples of the four major immortal sects on the upper terrace, who initially appeared composed, couldn\'t help but shudder visibly when they saw her face. They dared not look at her again.

With representatives from all five major immortal sects present, the Dragon Gate Assembly officially began.

One of the lower terraces, an elderly man with a white beard, was the first to speak up.

"All those under sixty years old who have reached the Innate Realm and those who have peaked in the Postnatal Realm before the age of fifty, stand in the center of the field," the white-bearded man announced loudly.

His voice reverberated throughout the Dragon Gate Valley, signaling the beginning of the Dragon Gate Assembly. Excitement filled the air as everyone understood that the competition had begun.

"Go on," Lord Zhong said, leaning on his cane and addressing his seven disciples.

"Yes!" The disciples replied eagerly and dashed out.

They gathered in the center of the square, forming thirty rows with one hundred people in each row.

Three thousand participants of the Dragon Gate Assembly stood in formation, while about a hundred individuals, like Lord Zhong, stationed themselves at the edge of the valley, knowing they had no chance and had merely escorted their disciples here.

"Those in the Innate Realm who are under fifty years old, step forward," the white-bearded elder continued.

Twenty people, filled with excitement, separated from the main group and formed a line. They were all powerful individuals under the age of fifty.

Meanwhile, on the terraces above, disciples from various immortal sects each threw different objects—a piece of iron flower, a small sword, a pearl—toward the individuals in the Innate Realm. Unbeknownst to each other, they all landed in the hands of those selected by their respective sects. The individuals under fifty years old in the Innate Realm were filled with excitement upon receiving these tokens, knowing they had been chosen by a sect.

"Those who have peaked in the Postnatal Realm before the age of thirty-five, step forward," the white-bearded elder declared again.

Upon hearing this, even Lord Zhong, who was sitting aside, trembled slightly, his face filled with extreme surprise.

Zhong Nineteen, Zhong Tian nineteen was only thirty-two years old!

With great excitement, Zhong Nineteen hurried to the front and stood with the other twelve individuals. He couldn\'t contain his joy—only thirty-two years old, he was only thirty-two years old!

Sure enough, those twelve individuals were also chosen by various immortal sects, and numerous small objects were thrown down from above. Zhong Nineteen received a small wooden sword and looked at the terrace from which it was thrown with great excitement.

Chosen! Zhong Nineteen was chosen! Lord Zhong, sitting aside, trembled with excitement, his eyes filled with extreme joy. Meanwhile, the other two thousand plus participants looked on with envy at those who had been chosen early.

"Good, those in the Innate Realm will face each other, and those in the Postnatal Realm will do the same. Choose your opponents and then separate to fight," the white-bearded elder declared again.

"Yes!" The participants of the Dragon Gate Assembly responded in unison.

Subsequently, the thirty-two individuals who had been chosen stood in one place, while the other two thousand plus participants divided into different areas and began their bloody slaughter.

It was absolute carnage—each participant used their strongest and fastest moves to knock down their opponents. Only by defeating their opponents could they hope to gain the sympathy or attention of the immortal sects above.

The entire battlefield was filled with blood and countless flashes of light. Were they merely livestock, gambling with their lives to earn the favor or a second glance from the immortal sects above?

Big Brother Zhong Tian couldn\'t bear to watch.

"Ahhhh!"

In the distance, as Zhong Xuan chopped off his opponent\'s right arm, a wooden knife flew over from a lower-tier immortal sect and landed in Zhong Xuan\'s hand. At that moment, Zhong Xuan\'s eyes lit up with excitement. He got it, he got it!

With the knife in hand, Zhong Xuan quickly ran towards where Zhong Nineteen was.

"Ahhhh!" "Ahhhh!" "Ahhhh!" ...

The screams continued unabated, with over a hundred people being slaughtered on the spot. Many others received small objects thrown by the immortal sects above.

Zhong Eighteen and Zhong Six were both killed by their opponents, despite Zhong Tian\'s desperate cries. Zhong Tian\'s eyes turned red, and he instinctively wanted to rush out, but he was held back by Zhong Lao. Even Zhong Lao\'s eyes showed a hint of heartache at that moment, but he still held Zhong Tian back.

"You don\'t have the strength to stop them. If you rush out, you\'ll only meet your death. Besides, they chose this path themselves. You can leave now and come back immediately. But the disciples have chosen to fight, all for the chance to enter the immortal sects. Immortality is too tempting."

After a while, Zhong Di also obtained a token. However, Zhong Huang and Zhong Yi were killed on the spot.

Throughout the battle, everyone in the arena was consumed by bloodlust. After defeating one opponent, they would immediately engage in another fight if they hadn\'t received a token yet, continuing until they either obtained a token or exhausted their strength.

An hour later, only five hundred people had been chosen, while only two hundred remained locked in combat. Each of them was covered in blood, and the ground was littered with corpses.

It was brutal—too brutal.

"Stop!" the white-bearded elder commanded.

The remaining hundred-plus individuals, covered in bloodstains, unconsciously stopped in their tracks. Tears of sadness welled up in the eyes of these ordinary heroes as they hurriedly rushed to the bodies strewn on the ground.

"They weren\'t chosen, they\'re gone. Our loved ones, our friends..."

It was a brutal scene, a brutal slaughter. This was the Dragon Gate Assembly. People yearned for it, dreaming of ascending to become dragons. But those who couldn\'t make it would fall to their deaths.

At this moment, Zhong Tian immediately rushed to the center of the field to search for the bodies of Zhong Huang, Zhong Yi, Zhong Liu, and Zhong Shi Ba.

Quickly, carrying the four bodies with tears in his eyes, Zhong Tian returned to Zhong Lao Ye\'s side, his whole body covered in blood.

"Alas..." Zhong Lao Ye let out a gentle sigh. They had chosen this path themselves.

"Father," Zhong Tian looked at Zhong Lao Ye.

"We\'ll take them back and give them a proper burial," Zhong Lao Ye said.

"Mm," Zhong Tian nodded.

At this moment, figures descended from the various platforms above, each locating the person who had chosen them and dispersing to different locations.

"Master, please accept your disciple\'s three bows," echoed the calls from all around.

In each place, the master-disciple relationships were hastily established. Zhong Di, Zhong Xuan, and Zhong Shi Jiu each bowed to their respective sects. Zhong Di and Zhong Xuan joined two Lower Immortal Sects, while Zhong Shi Jiu, feeling incredibly fortunate, joined one of the groups of white-clad Upper Immortal Sect members.

With relationships established, the next step was bidding farewell to the people who had come to send them off, settling their karma. From now on, they would no longer concern themselves with worldly matters, entering the immortal sects to cultivate the supreme immortal dao.

Some bid farewell to their families before departing from their newly-accepted masters.

At this moment, Zhong Lao Ye, leaning on his cane, watched his three grand disciples. He must obtain a Prohibition Breaking Pill from the immortal master.

However, Zhong Di, Zhong Xuan, and Zhong Shi Jiu did not come to bid farewell to Zhong Lao Ye. Instead, they stood on the flying swords or magic tools of their respective masters, flying up to the platforms.