A year was neither long nor short for mortal beings.
But for certain cultivators who spent their years sealed away in bitter seclusion, it might pass in the mere blink of an eye.
Ever since word of Han Li's Mahayana celebration had spread, cultivators from the surrounding regions had begun streaming into the city one after another, like ants carrying grain.
As the date drew ever closer, ever more cultivators appeared in the vicinity of Heavenly Abyss City, and among them were already some formidable demon beast powerful ones who had traveled from distant lands.
Some of these cultivators entered the city directly, while others settled temporarily in the mountain ranges nearby.
By the time less than a month remained before the Mahayana celebration, more cultivators poured toward the massive city like a tide, their numbers swelling by over a hundred thousand nearly every day, transforming what had once seemed an somewhat sparse metropolis into a place teeming with bustle and life.
The cultivators within and without the city seized the opportunity to network — some eagerly sought out those whose reputations had long preceded them, forging connections and trading favors, while others began organizing frequent small-scale trade fairs to acquire whatever resources they needed.
Heavenly Abyss City was not to be outdone; nearly every five or six days, a formal auction was held within its walls. At these auctions, all manner of rare curiosities and precious natural treasures appeared in rapid succession. Even several of the city's own Elders walked away with considerable gains, obtaining spirit medicines and rare items they could not normally acquire, each of them beaming with undisguised delight.
When only a handful of days remained before the celebration, the cultivators who had been encamped in the surrounding mountains began flooding into Heavenly Abyss City en masse.
Vast as the city was, the sudden influx of so many mid- and high-rank cultivators quickly pushed it toward its limits.
Every corner grew packed to the brim, and there were even cases of cultivators unable to find a single place to rest their heads.
When the city's leadership caught wind of this, they did not dare dawdle. After a brief conference, they promptly ordered that some of the stone towers used by the city guards be vacated and made available, simultaneously opening up a number of underground secret chambers and subterranean palaces to the public. They also worked through the night to erect a large batch of temporary pavilions and halls for lodging in several remote corners of the city.
Only then was the accommodation crisis in Heavenly Abyss City barely resolved.
Of course, with far more outsiders than the city could reasonably handle, all manner of other troubles cropped up in succession. But the city's Elders were no ordinary figures — with frequent intervention, every problem was managed one way or another.
In truth, everyone understood perfectly well that a Mahayana celebration could never accommodate so many attendees. Of all those present, fewer than one in a hundred would actually participate in the ceremony itself.
The majority had likely come in hopes of finding their own opportunity.
Everyone knew that a gathering capable of bringing together so many mid- and high-rank cultivators was something that might not occur again for thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of years.
If they kept their wits about them, who knew — they might stumble upon their fortune here. Perhaps they could take a renowned master, or join one of the great sects outright, or finally obtain from someone's hands a spirit treasure they had sought in vain for years…
Any one of those outcomes would represent an earth-shattering stroke of luck.
That morning, when the sky still hung grayish and hazy, a towering white platform over ten zhang high had somehow already been erected in a vast, seemingly endless plaza at the heart of Heavenly Abyss City.
Atop the platform sat an unidentified object draped in golden cloth.
Over three or four zhang tall!
Standing beside it was an enormous bare-chested man with bulging muscles and not a trace of expression on his face.
Below the platform, the surrounding area was sealed tight by tens of thousands of guards clad in armor of every color, packed so densely that not a single drop of water could slip through.
Among these guards stood none other than the silver-haired Elder and the full complement of Heavenly Abyss City's Elders.
The Body Integration stage cultivators all gazed upward at the sky, which had only just begun to blush red, their expressions calm yet tinged with solemnity.
Before long, the first ray of sunlight finally pierced through the crimson glow at the horizon.
"It is time. Sound the bell!" Elder Gu's eyes flashed as he turned his head and issued a low command to the giant on the platform.
"Yes."
The giant responded with a wooden monotone, then took a massive stride forward, seized the golden cloth before him, and tore it away, revealing the object hidden beneath.
It was a colossal silver bell, hovering in midair, its surface covered with five-colored spiritual runes that lent it an air of both splendor and mystery.
The giant raised his other hand, fingers splaying wide. With a flash of golden light, a golden hammer roughly a zhang long materialized in his grip.
His shoulders shifted.
Both hands closed around the hammer's shaft. He swung it high overhead, then brought it crashing down upon the silver bell with tremendous force.
BOOM!
At the point of impact, rings of silver luminescence erupted outward, rippling in every direction.
Within the silver radiance, the five-colored spiritual runes on the bell sprang to life, leaping free from its surface and swirling around the jade platform in a dazzling, unceasing dance.