Chapter 284: Chapter 189: Reinforcements_1
“This…”
As the spirit light dissipated, everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
Is the Spell King planning to attack the Tianshu Sect?
It was within expectations, logical, and there was nothing wrong with it.
But why not take them along and also remove the Taoist curse skills from their bodies?
If the Spell King was confident, believing that annihilating the Tianshu Sect would be a piece of cake, then that might explain it.
But right now, he clearly regarded the Tianshu Sect as a life-or-death enemy.
Facing a difficult road ahead and uncertain life or death, did he not need cannon fodder to scout the way?
And about the Tianshu Sect, trapped for ten years, they dared not step out of their door, not even a squeak—why was the Spell King still so wary of them? Could it be that they had some sort of backing that could turn the tide and defeat Green Jade Mountain?
Everyone was puzzled.
Despite their confusion, no one dared to think further, and they all knelt down together.
“We are willing to follow the Spell King to annihilate the Tianshu Sect!”
“The Tianshu is unkind, and the Three Sects are even worse. The world has suffered from them for a long time; everyone wants to punish them!”
“The Spell King imparted his teachings to us, a grace akin to rebirth. Though we don’t carry the name of master and disciple, we already have the reality of it. How can we turn our backs on our master at this critical moment? Regardless of whatever backing the Tianshu Sect has, we vow to follow the Spell King to the death!”
“The Cultivation Realm of Liang Country is like welcome rain after a long drought, now flourishing—it must not be cut short midway. Although our cultivation is shallow, our united hearts also have strength. We wish to be the vanguard for the Spell King!”
A group of Golden Core Cultivators knelt on the ground, their words a flurry, each expressing their stance.
Seeing this, the people behind them also knelt down in droves, including the disciples of the former two sects.
Was it sincere, or was it feigned?
No one could tell for sure!
Green Jade’s rule over the world for ten years was clear for all to see.
The Spell King’s dissemination of his teachings brought prosperity to the Cultivation Realm, which was common knowledge.
Add to that the Robbing Cultivators’ sweeps, the establishment of laws, the clarity of the universe, and the righteous energy of Qiankun—if anyone said they didn’t win the people’s hearts, it would surely be false.
However, if one said they were truly wholehearted, willing to go through fire and water, and spill blood, that would again be somewhat insincere.
After all, cultivators transcend the ordinary. In a short ten years, even with the ability to act as a moral mentor, it is very hard to change a mature heart.
Not like the disciples from the fantasy worlds of Great Zhou and Great Tang—most of Great Zhou and Great Tang’s disciples were orphans raised by him from a young age, with ample time for guidance, the establishment of values, and cultivation of beliefs. And it certainly wasn’t like those Demon Beasts and Spirit Monsters who were bound to him by methods like Beast Taming and Earth Deities’ powers, with a ruler’s brand connected by blood.
These cultivators were all adults with mature mentalities and established personal values. External forces could hardly change them. Teaching skills and traits might be good, but they lack the ability to control the heart, unable to make these people wholeheartedly loyal.
At least not for now.
This was also why, even though Xu Yang unified Liang Country in ten years, he didn’t open up large sect gates to recruit disciples.
One reason was that it was unnecessary. The law was spread throughout the world, and the skill effect was there.
Second, loyalty was unreliable, detrimental to concealment, affecting his plans.
Right now, it was hard to say whether the people’s expressions of support were sincere or just a facade.
But it didn’t matter, whether genuine or fake, it was all the same to Xu Yang.
These people were his “cultivation accelerators,” and he certainly couldn’t afford to sacrifice them as cannon fodder.
In fact, he had done so much, mostly to protect the Cultivation Realm of Liang Country, to prevent the Tianshu Sect from bringing down the sword in a large scale after his departure, destroying the world of cultivation he had painstakingly built.
That would be a huge loss for him.
Therefore…
“My mind is made up, no need for further words!”
Xu Yang’s expression was indifferent, his words unemotional: “You may leave.”
“Spell King!!”
The crowd’s eyes sharpened, still wanting to speak.
“Go now, just go!”
Xu Yang, however, did not say much more, his dust whisk swept, and his figure gradually became ethereal.
Afterward, a person stepped onto the platform—it was Feng Qingqing, the second sister of Green Jade Mountain and the so-called “Great Steward.”
“The master’s will is firm, not to be changed by anyone; do not entangle over it!”
Feng Qingqing took the platform, silencing everyone’s chatter: “Starting today, Green Jade Mountain, Medicine King Valley, and all the major markets will be closed. We will no longer be operating, preserving only the acquisition of materials and the exchange of Mana Money.”
“Spirit Fields and Spirit Rice, Spirit Plant Spirit Medicines, as well as the breeding of Spirit Beasts, and the veins of Spirit Land that have matured, will all be harvested and submitted. The rest will be personal property. The ownership of various Spirit Lands, Cave Mansions, and shops will not be changed.”
“Green Jade Mountain is fully preparing for war. In one month, we will attack Tianshu. During this period, we will not deal with external affairs.”
“Everyone… take care of yourselves!”
Having said this, Feng Qingqing also did not speak further and turned to leave.
Leaving everyone in turmoil and unease.
Amidst the crowd, Xiao Miao’s expression was also bewildered.
He had finally gained his freedom, rid of the “remnant” status of the Green Jade Sect that had nothing to do with him.
But he did not feel happy, instead somewhat at a loss, and even filled with panic and fear.
It wasn’t because he was being self-deprecating, but rather…
“It’s over, this old ghost is going to stubbornly fight the Tianshu Sect to the end!”
“That group of little bastards definitely isn’t his match, but the problem is that behind those little bastards are a bunch of old bastards!”
“Why do I always encounter such messes? Could it really be that digging up the ancestral graves truly harms one’s moral fortunes?”
“What should I do now?”
Elder Zhen was wordlessly choked up, and Xiao Miao could only respond in silence.
He could already foresee what kind of massive quake would strike Liang Country once this news spread.
However, such a quake was just the beginning.
The tremors would be followed by a major battle, and the aftermath—retaliation—would be the real crisis and terror.
The lineage of Tianshu, the Big Dipper Immortal Sect…
The outside world was too vast, and too dangerous.
Could this small Liang Country withstand the impact?
Hearts were filled with trepidation, and changes were afoot from all directions, but none could stop the passage of time.
One month later, in the Tianshu Sect.
Yunji, Jing Yue, and that Old Demon, including the two half Nascent Souls—each one’s expression was strange.
A month ago, that man consecutively traversed three tribulations, reached the Nascent Soul stage, refined a Spiritual Treasure, and even mastered a heaven-shocking Divine Skill.
They originally thought he would seize the opportunity to attack them, storming the Tianshu Great Array. Yet unexpectedly, during the subsequent month, he made no move at all.
Well… not entirely motionless; they had also heard rumors about Green Jade Mountain fully preparing for war, closing off all marketplaces, ready to attack the Tianshu Sect.
But… was it necessary?
What war preparations were needed? If that man came to their doorstep, couldn’t they just fight directly?
Could the Tianshu Great Array actually hold back him who had traversed the 99 Heaven Tribulations?
Yunji couldn’t make sense of it, and more of his silver-white hair fell, but he had no mind to care about it.
Though he couldn’t understand, no mishap occurring was always good.
Now, with the one-month period having come to an end, the Tianshu Great Array remained intact and unblemished, and the three of them were also safe and sound, about to open the Void Spirit Passage to guide the reinforcements from their main sect.
At that time, the situation would be different.
“Hum!”
Just as the three were projecting their minds into the distance, a sudden ripple surged in the void.
“The time has come!”
Yunji’s eyes focused, snapping out of it, and he immediately operated the Tianshu Great Array. A dazzling sprit light rose, entering the void to resonate with the Big Dipper.
In an instant, the Seven Stars appeared together, the Tianshu aligning and returning, piercing through spatial barriers, forging a pathway.
Immediately after, lights of the stars traveled through space, emerging and falling in front of the three.
Trail upon trail of starlight, figure upon figure appeared, and in the end, twenty-one people were revealed, divided into three distinct groups.
“Chen Zhang, junior brother!”
“Yuyao, senior sister!”
“Dikui… Uncle-Master, even you have come!”
Seeing the three groups of people and particularly the last person, Yunji couldn’t stop his expression from changing.
Three teams, each with seven members, were all Nascent Soul Cultivators, with their leaders being the Great Cultivators at the Pinnacle of Nascent Soul.
One of them was a young man, with an upright stature, as staunch as frost, carrying a Seven Stars Treasure Sword on his back, with swordlike eyebrows and starry eyes, exuding an extraordinary aura.
There was also a woman, with a graceful figure and a delightful smile. Though she did not openly display any magical weapons, the starlight flickered in her eyes like waves, showing signs of a vast cosmos within, hinting at the profound mysteries of her arrays.
Last of all was a middle-aged man, with an unusual visage, stern and unsmiling. His presence was heavy like a mountain, oppressive to those around. His indifferent gaze was majestic, but within that majesty was a chill.
The cultivation of all three was at Nascent Soul, the stage of perfection.
But within that perfection, there seemed to be fine distinctions in their levels. The young man and the woman were comparable, implicitly revealing that the middle-aged man stood a notch above them.
Yunji was not surprised to see this.
For this person was his Uncle-Master.
In the path of cultivation, those who are more advanced in achievements lead the way.
Whether it was the Big Dipper Immortal Sect or the lineage of Tianshu, the hierarchy among disciples was determined by their Cultivation, Golden Core with Golden Core, Nascent Soul with Nascent Soul—with some exceptions.
This “Dikui” Uncle-Master was such an exception.
His Cultivation was not at Nascent Soul but at Divinity Transformation, and he was in the late stage of it.
Alas, due to a great battle where he fell, although his Primordial Spirit escaped and seized a new body to continue cultivating, the limit of his cultivation was locked at Nascent Soul, forever losing the hope of returning to the stage of Divinity Transformation. Only his generational seniority as a Divinity Transformation Cultivator was preserved as a form of compensation from the Sect.
Even though he no longer possessed the cultivation of Divinity Transformation, Yunji still dared not neglect this Uncle-Master and immediately went up to greet him, bowing deeply in respect.
“Hm!”
Dikui nodded, looking at Yunji then turning to the uneasy Jing Yue and others: “The message you passed on, is there truly not a single falsehood?”
“Not a single one!”
Yunji solemnly asserted, “That man indeed mastered the Heavenly Sword, a month ago he even faced three tribulations, achieved Nascent Soul, refined a Spiritual Treasure, and explored the laws of Divine Skills, standing firm against the 99 Heaven Tribulations, definitely not someone to be taken lightly!”
“Really?”
Dikui looked at him coldly, “Then why has he let things take their course for a whole month and not come to seize this array?”
“This…”
Yunji faltered in his speech, unable to explain, and he could only insist: “This disciple also does not know, perhaps he was injured during the Heavenly Tribulation, harming his Yuan Qi, and needs time to recuperate, or maybe there’s some other reason. However, everything the disciple said before was seen with my own eyes, and there’s no falsehood. If there’s any error, Uncle-Master may take my life!”
Dikui listened to this and finally nodded, “It isn’t that the Sect distrusts you, but this matter is of great importance and must be treated with caution. I hope you understand!”
“This disciple understands!”
Yunji bowed again and then looked at everyone, asking cautiously, “Uncle-Master, it’s just the three of you leading the teams here…”
“Are we three not enough?”
The remark hadn’t finished when the young man stepped forward, arrogantly saying, “Three teams: one sword, one spell, one array; twenty-one Nascent Soul combatants. Even if this man has really become the Heavenly Sword, taking him down will still be more than enough.”
“Chen Zhang, junior brother, don’t be so overconfident!”
As soon as the young man’s voice fell, the woman named Yuyao smiled gently and rebuked him lightly, then turned to Yunji to apologize, “Don’t be offended, Yunji. On our way here, we encountered the followers of the Brahma Sect and saw the current heir of Purity Temple full of grace and vigor. Junior brother Chen Zhang, who was eager to compete, requested a bout, only to lose by half a move. He’s been carrying that grudge inside, which might have spilled over here.”
“Purity Temple?”
“The current heir?”
“Lost by half a move?”
Yunji was taken aback, turning to look just in time to see the young man’s face turn ashen, yet he maintained a cold gaze without retorting.
“Yes!”
Yuyao laughed, adding fuel to the fire, “How old was that heir of Purity Temple? Since junior brother couldn’t go all out, he suppressed his realm, his cultivation, and simply contended in swordsmanship, but still lost by half a move. Tsk, Purity Temple truly lives up to its reputation, passing down their legacy uniquely, indeed talented. Even our Tianshu Sword Cultivators are slightly inferior!”
“You…!”
“Enough!”
Before the two could continue, a voice pressed down.
“Is this the time to talk about such things?”
Dikui stepped forward, his voice cold as he controlled the scene, “This Void Spirit Realm is no ordinary place, and the fall of the Void Spirit Monarch back then relates to a significant secret. Now, with such a figure wreaking havoc here, there must be some cause and effect.
“The Brahma Sect has already received the news, and other major Immortal Sects are ready to act. There are those from the Sacred Places in the Northern Domain who won’t be outdone. Plus, the Grand Cultivators involved with the fall of the Void Spirit Monarch… If this Void Spirit Realm opens, it will become a battlefield of dragons and tigers.”
“We must seize the initiative. At the latest, within a hundred years, there will be huge changes in this realm!”