Reverend Jing Shan fell silent. Pass the news?
The Huoyan Sect had broken out in a massive commotion, with countless Huoyan Sect immortal cultivators fleeing for their lives, leaving their sect headquarters deserted. How could such news be concealed?
All the immortal cultivators across the Summerpeak mainland had already spread the news of the battle that erupted in the Middle Land far and wide. It was only after Reverend Jing Shan received the report that he went to question Daoist Long.
Yet Daoist Long acted as though he took the initiative to spread the news?
However, Reverend Jing Shan couldn’t be bothered to correct Daoist Long, there was no point.
For hundreds of years, the Starcom Consortium and Jingshan Sect had joined hands to keep the Huoyan Sect in check and suppress Reverend Huo Yan’s rise.
“Senior Long, Wu Yuan promised to come today, why hasn’t he arrived yet?” Reverend Jing Shan couldn’t stay silent for long. “Why don’t we head straight to Cloud Capital in the Middle Land?”
“If he said he’ll come, then he’ll come. Even if he really doesn’t show up, we can just leave tomorrow.” Daoist Long responded in a deep voice.
“Remember, the protectorate of the devil hall and even the great immortals are all looking forward to receiving Wu Yuan.”
“Once he survives the Bloodforge, his status will skyrocket. By then, unifying Summerpeak will be a piece of cake for him.” Daoist Long said.
Reverend Jing Shan fell silent once more. This was his main concern.
Once Wu Yuan rose to power and unified Summerpeak, what would happen to the Jingshan Sect?
The Starcom Consortium was established by Daoist Long to gather cultivation resources. He was the founder of the organization, and even if it fell in the future, Daoist Long might not be too heartbroken.
One might use a tool for a long time, but if it broke, then so be it.
On the contrary, Reverend Jing Shan grew up in the sect, receiving teachings from the older members of the sect, and later became the sect leader, developing a deep sense of belonging to the sect. Naturally, he wouldn’t want to see the sect destroyed.
“He’s here.” Daoist Long gazed north, his enormous draconic eyes scanning the distance. He had received a message from Wu Yuan through the token.
“Where?” Reverend Jing Shan began looking around.
All he saw was the vast blue sky and boundless sea, with not a soul in sight.
With Reverend Jing Shan’s keen eyesight, he could easily see what was happening in the Middle Land thousands of li away.
Suddenly, a streak of light cut across the vast sky without a sound, rapidly approaching them from thousands of li away. In a single breath, he had almost reached the island.
Whoosh~ It was a man cloaked in a white robe, his aura concealed. At first glance, he appeared quite ordinary, but the more one looked at him, the more extraordinary he seemed, possessing a magnetic quality.
The figure in white robes slowly descended.
“Daoist Long, sorry to keep you waiting.” Wu Yuan smiled slightly and turned his gaze to the middle-aged man in green robes standing to one side.
He could sense his aura – Amethyst Cradle! He was most likely a sixth-stage Amethyst Cradle cultivator (sixth-degree immortal root).
Of those who could advance to the Amethyst cradle phase, more than ninety percent had sixth-degree immortal roots or stronger.
After all, while there were no fixed criteria to advance from the Golden Core phase to the Amethyst Cradle phase, weaker immortal roots often meant inferior talent. Their Dao comprehension aptitude was unlikely to be high, making breakthroughs naturally difficult.
On the other hand, cultivators with first-degree or second-degree immortal roots were only able to establish such strong immortal roots due to special reasons. Even if their Dao comprehension aptitudes were somewhat weak, they were still top-tier compared to most immortal cultivators.
“I’ve just arrived too,” Daoist Long lifted his head and smiled. “Allow me to introduce my good friend, Reverend Jing Shan, the hierarch veteran elder of the Jingshan Sect.”
“Reverend Jing Shan,” Wu Yuan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
He wasn’t surprised. In the whole Summerpeak World, there were only a few peak powerhouses. The information he had received from Daoist Long mentioned him.
“Daoist Wu Yuan,” Reverend Jing Shan was inwardly shocked by Wu Yuan’s overpowering aura and smiled. “I heard about your remarkable feat of defeating the mighty Huoyan Sect’s army. Even the combined forces of the Divine Flame Array and the Heavenly Flame Bow could not defeat you.”
“I am truly in awe of you,” Reverend Jing Shan laughed, his demeanor growing increasingly humble.
“You flatter me, Reverend Jing Shan,” Wu Yuan replied with a smile.
He didn’t know Reverend Jing Shan well. However, in the absence of conflict, Wu Yuan didn’t mind being courteous.
“Daoist Wu Yuan, don’t be modest. The whole Summerpeak mainland is singing praises of your heroic deeds,” Daoist Long flattered with a smile, his draconic beard swishing with each word, “The remaining Golden Core elders of the Huoyan Sect have all fled overnight, and a large number of Qi Sea immortal cultivators are scattered.”
“The entire territory of the Huoyan Sect is in chaos.”
“Oh?” Wu Yuan was slightly stunned.
In the past few days, he had been busy with the cultivation of his two true selves and hadn’t been paying much attention to the affairs of the Summerpeak mainland.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s talk business,” Daoist Long said with a chuckle.
Wu Yuan saw no reason to refuse but remained silent. When dealing with Daoist Long, he harbored a sense of gratitude mingled with wariness.
“Daoist Wu Yuan, Reverend Jing Shan and I spent hundreds of years formulating a strategy to deal with Reverend Huo Yan,” Daoist Long said, “But we are weak, and never dared to confront him directly.”
“In a way, if it weren’t for Reverend Huo Yan’s inability to return to Summerpeak at will, we wouldn’t have a place to stay,” Daoist Long sighed.
“Huo Yan’s strength far surpasses ours,” Reverend Jing Shan added.
“He’s that strong?” Wu Yuan asked quietly.
“Mm,” Daoist Long nodded solemnly, “Reverend Huo Yan may only have a sixth-degree immortal root, but he is an eighth-stage Amethyst Cradle cultivator. I’m sure you understand what this means, Daoist Wu Yuan.”
“Eighth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase?” Wu Yuan’s pupils shrank slightly.
This time, he was in real trouble!
The transition from the sixth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase to the seventh-stage Amethyst Cradle phase was a qualitative shift.
One would simply need to deduce a Lesser Law to the seventh-level Domain stage and wait for their mana to accumulate before naturally stepping into the Amethyst Cradle stage.
But to transition from the sixth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase to the seventh-stage Amethyst Cradle? One must reach the True Intent stage, and this step was incredibly challenging.
Take the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, for instance. Out of millions of Golden Core disciples, fewer than a hundred could comprehend the True Intent of a Dao within a century or two. All of them had the potential to become hereditary disciples.
Among the two hundred thousand Amethyst Cradle cultivators in the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, only about twenty to thirty thousand, barely a tenth, managed to comprehend the True Intent of a Dao.
And this was within the Dragon Star Immortal Sect. For the rest of the world, the percentage was even lower.
Wu Yuan hadn’t expected that the Summerpeak World would give birth to such a powerful Amethyst Cradle cultivator.
The might of an eighth-stage Amethyst Cradle cultivator’s mana combined with True Intent Dao comprehension is enough to overpower me. Wu Yuan realized instantly that he stood no chance in a head-on confrontation.
Daoist Long and Reverend Jing Shan shared a glance.
Both were incredibly astute. Despite Wu Yuan’s attempts to hide it, they still caught the fleeting surprise and anxiety in his eyes. They had him cornered!
“Wu Yuan, don’t worry too much.” Daoist Long laughed, “We won’t just stand by and watch you lose to Reverend Huo Yan.”
“Reverend Huo Yan is a formal member of the devil hall and can’t return here easily. Even if he applies to leave right away, he needs to wait ten days before returning according to the rules.” Daoist Long said.
“Ten days?” Wu Yuan murmured to himself.
So that meant he only had seven days left?
“Reverend Huo Yan is strong himself, but what I’m more worried about is his ability to tap into his connections from the devil hall.” Reverend Jing Shan said solemnly, “He has spent many years in the devil hall, and inviting a few friends over would be easy for him.”
Upon hearing this, the tension in Wu Yuan’s heart tightened further.
One Reverend Huo Yan was challenging enough. How could those worthy of becoming official members of the Bloodforge Devil Hall be weak?
If it really came down to that, forget protecting the Middle Land, even Wu Yuan himself would be hard-pressed to survive.
Suddenly, Wu Yuan seemed to realize something. He abruptly raised his head, respectfully addressing Daoist Long and Reverend Jing Shan. “May I have your advice on this matter, Seniors?”
If they truly had no chance of winning, these two apex powers of the Summerpeak World wouldn’t have sought him out. They wouldn’t be so calm and collected.
Yes, Reverend Huo Yan is formidable, but I suspect he isn’t as formidable as they’re making him out to be. Wu Yuan thought to himself. It’s hard for the powerful inhabitants to leave the Bloodforge Worlds, but it’s equally difficult for strong outsiders to enter.
Reverend Huo Yan, a powerhouse of the Summerpeak World, already found it this difficult to return. How much more difficult would it be to invite other powerhouses into the worldlet?
These two were exaggerating.
A certain type of person came to mind—a provocateur!
They typically blew things out of proportion to instill fear and urgency. Then only revealed their true intentions when they gained their victims’ trust!
“We can’t stop Reverend Huo Yan,” Reverend Jing Shan sighed. “We’d like to help you, but we’re powerless. At most, we can provide some information.”
“Please let me know if there is any way, I implore you,” Wu Yuan quickly responded, as though trying to suppress his panic.
“It should be enough,” Reverend Jing Shan’s voice echoed in Daoist Long’s mind.
“Daoist Wu Yuan,” Daoist Long suddenly said. “I might have a solution, but I’m not sure if you’d be willing to agree.”
“Please, speak your mind.”
“The source of Reverend Huo Yan’s power and influence is his status as a full-fledged member of the Bloodforge Devil Hall,” Daoist Long said in a low voice. “With the devil hall standing behind him, we can’t touch him.”
Wu Yuan knew he was telling the truth.
“The best solution is for you, Fellow Daoist, to join the Bloodforge Devil Hall,” Daoist Long finally brought up the main point.