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Chapter 733: The North Continent's Gift
Chapter 733: The North Continent’s Gift
Upon hearing this, Tian Wu Elder Ancestor paused, clearly feeling somewhat embarrassed to have been caught speaking ill of someone behind their back.
But soon, he sneered, "Hmph! Since you’re awake, why don’t you come out? Do you expect us to go fetch you ourselves?"
"What a grand display!"
"Senior Tian Wu, please don’t be angry. My master is hindered by his cultivation barrier and cannot come to greet you. Please, follow us."
Jin Xue Dao Ren quickly interjected, respectfully leading everyone out of the hall.
"We are gathered here today to receive the sect’s directive. Tian Wu, stop causing trouble needlessly."
Yu Chi Old Ancestor was the first to stand, subtly reprimanding Tian Wu Elder Ancestor.
San Xian Jiao was already weak in the Great Southern Continent, and Mount Sumeru had never taken them seriously. The entire arrangement of the tribulations had completely overlooked them.
Now, with a directive from the North Continent, there might still be a chance. If they continued to bicker internally, the Great Southern Continent would truly be devoured by Mount Sumeru.
"Hmph."
Tian Wu Elder Ancestor curled his lip. He had only been stirring up trouble to ease his earlier embarrassment. Now that someone had given him a way out, he took it.
The other elders all smiled, knowing the tension between Tian Wu Elder Ancestor and Shen Xu Mountain.
After all, his favored disciple, Qing Luan, had died at the hands of a disciple from Shen Xu Mountain.
But now, they had more pressing matters to attend to, and other issues could be set aside.
"Please, He Xian Shi, step forward to Shen Xu Mountain for a discussion."
Jin Xue Dao Ren stepped out of the hall and bowed earnestly toward the peak shrouded in clouds.
The clouds parted, revealing a slender figure. It appeared to be an ordinary crane, with no trace of divine power, but it was exceptionally beautiful and clean.
So clean that even in the celestial mountain, it gave the impression of a city scholar who had accidentally stepped into a rural field.
The other elders nodded in acknowledgment, a sign of respect, but none of them spoke to it.
The situation was somewhat awkward. In terms of cultivation, they were all Third Rank Da Luo Immortals. In terms of status, they were genuine disciples of San Xian Jiao, while the crane was a child servant under a great power.
Its master, Qingguang Cave True Person, was a Second Rank Hun Yuan Da Luo Golden Immortal, naturally holding a lofty position that they dared not offend.
But for these leaders of immortal sects to fawn over a child servant felt strange to them.
The crane seemed indifferent to this. It held a small golden silk pouch in its beak and, upon hearing the words, slightly spread its wings and landed lightly on the main peak of the Divine Void Mountain, surrounded by eight peaks.
"Everyone, please come in."
The peak masters led the way, walking through a long corridor to a room for alchemy, where a red-lacquered door stood closed.
Once all the elders were in place, the peak masters quietly moved to the back. The respectful smiles and courteous demeanor on their faces vanished, replaced by tense expressions as they silently looked at Qian Feng Dao Ren, each feeling a bead of sweat on their forehead.
Old Ancestor of Shen Xu had already perished in Jianyang Prefecture.
With so many senior fellow disciples gathered here, and the North Continent’s He Xian Shi personally arriving, it would be impossible to deceive them.
If the truth came out, they would have no choice but to meet their end on Shen Xu Mountain.
"..."
Qian Feng forced a calm demeanor, but his hands were tightly clenched inside his sleeves. He gave a bitter smile to his fellow disciples.
The voice transmission had instructed him to do this, and he had no choice but to follow. As for the other party’s intentions, he had no idea.
"Enough of this. We have come here personally. Are you going to continue playing games?"
Tian Wu Elder Ancestor frowned, looking at the red door and waving his sleeve.
The next moment, gray mist gathered, and a clear voice came from inside the door.
"I dare not. I merely heard of important matters to discuss, so I quietly listened to the instructions of the Immortal Teacher."
The words were unproblematic, even showing a degree of humility, but everyone’s expression changed.
The voice was clearly that of a young man, not an old insect.
Qian Feng Dao Ren and the other peak masters trembled. They had not expected their new old ancestor to refuse even the slightest attempt to disguise his voice.
While the other elders remained silent, Tian Wu Elder Ancestor turned to the peak masters, his expression cold. "Who is inside?"
"It is..."
Qian Feng Dao Ren’s mouth opened, and cold sweat formed on his forehead. Despite his Fourth Rank Taiyi True Immortal cultivation, he felt as if a thousand needles were pricking his back, as if one wrong word could lead to his destruction.
Fortunately, the clear voice from the gray mist spoke again.
"My Dao name is Tian Dan."
In theory, a second-generation disciple who had only recently joined would be hard for these lofty leaders of immortal sects to remember.
But this seemed to be an exception.
Before the words had even finished, Yu Chi Old Ancestor raised an eyebrow: "Grandmaster of the Emptiness Heavens?"
Among the young generation of the Great Southern Continent, no one was as mysterious as this person, even surpassing the Great King Subduing Dragons and Tigers of the Bodhi Sect. After all, the latter had at least appeared outside the Northern Flow River, while this person had only summoned a piece of the Void Realm.
The white crane, which had been holding its head slightly high, lowered it again upon hearing Yu Chi Old Ancestor call out this name. It placed down the golden silk bag and began to groom its feathers calmly.
"You, a mere junior, are toying with us here?"
Tian Wu Elder Ancestor's voice was low and deep, his eyes quietly noting the change in the Shen Xu Mountain disciple's expression. Turning around, he resumed his fierce demeanor.
Everyone knew that his disciple, Qing Luan, had died at the hands of this Grandmaster of the Emptiness Heavens.
"The lineage of Shen Xu Mountain has now been passed on to me. The term 'junior' might not be appropriate anymore?"
The young voice was calm and unhurried, showing no sign of guilt. The original humility in his tone had also faded slightly.
Upon hearing this, the other old ancestors frowned.
The concept of lineage inheritance was recognized, but it had almost never occurred.
Before the great calamity, those who reached the Third Rank rarely met with a downfall.
"Passed on?"
Tian Wu Elder Ancestor bared his teeth and suddenly sneered, "You say it's passed on, and it's passed on?"
"Such a lawless thing!"
"Come out and speak to me, old ancestor!"
Clearly, this old ancestor was using this as an excuse for his disciple's death, but no one else intervened. After all, they too wanted to know what had happened at Shen Xu Mountain.
As he spoke, Tian Wu Elder Ancestor extended his right hand. His fingers curled slightly, and his entire arm stretched out like a rainbow, plunging straight into the gray mist.
Seeing this, the Peak Masters were visibly shocked.
It was well-known that if one did not enter the Void Realm, in terms of direct confrontation, even Shen Yi, let alone the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu, would be far inferior to Tian Wu Elder Ancestor.
If Shen Yi revealed his Bodhisattva abilities, it would be a near certainty that he would not survive the day with so many elders of the San Xian Jiao present.
In an instant,
Tian Wu Elder Ancestor's palm seemed to grasp something, and he pulled it out with a cold sneer.
At that moment, a rampant gray mist, like a venomous snake, climbed up his arm and lashed out like a whip.
Crack!
The sharp sound rang out, and Tian Wu Elder Ancestor's expression changed slightly. Although this attack couldn't harm him, it was enough to force him back.
He quickly retracted his arm and glared at the vermilion gate.
Then, from within the gray mist, a hoarse, sinister laugh echoed: "The affairs of Shen Xu Mountain are none of your business, Tian Wu Mountain. If I want to pass down the immortal lineage, do I need to ask your permission, you old fossil?"
This familiar voice sent shivers down the spines of the Peak Masters, their faces turning pale with terror.
Who else could it be but their deceased master?
"..."
After Tian Wu's move, even through the gray mist, these old ancestors could clearly sense two distinct auras. One was the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu, who was just a step away from the Six-Six Transformation.
The other was much weaker but had also reached the Third Rank, having just acquired ten threads of primordial essence and woven them into a Dao Fruit.
Grandmaster of the Emptiness Heavens, who had disappeared outside the Northern Flow River, had now reappeared, having already attained the Great Emptiness Dao Fruit!
How much time had passed since he gained fame by slaying Qing Luan?
No wonder the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu, the insect demon, was willing to pass on the position of the immortal sect's master... He must have wanted to use this young man to ride the wave of the great calamity and ascend even higher.
For a moment, envy spread across the faces of the old ancestors.
"Master He, please understand. My disciple has just broken through and needs to comprehend the Grand Emptiness. If he were to come out now, it might be detrimental to his cultivation", the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu explained politely to the white crane.
"No problem."
The white crane stopped grooming its feathers, its eyes scanning the crowd. "If you've finished arguing, can I get to the main matter?"
Tian Wu Elder Ancestor, holding his arm, wanted to argue further but felt a strange pressure under the white crane's gaze.
He hesitated for a moment. "Master, please proceed."
Seeing this, the white crane's demeanor changed, losing its previous languidness and adopting a more solemn tone: "My sect has long been detached from the affairs of the Great Southern Continent and has never interfered. But now that the calamity has begun, I suspect Mount Sumeru will not allow you to meddle."
"I can't let those monks take over the entire Southern Continent."
"However, your strength is indeed too weak to be of much use."
"Now, I will bestow a few magic artifacts upon you. I don't expect you to achieve great feats, but at least leave some names in the mortal world."
The various old ancestors clearly felt somewhat unconvinced at the comment about their low strength.
But thinking of the figure behind the white crane, they dared not voice any objections and instead focused their attention on the golden silk pouch.
The magic artifacts bestowed by the Second Rank Hun Yuan Da Luo Golden Immortal were indeed quite tempting.
"Master's intention is that Mount Sumeru will handle the assault on the Southern Continent. After the continent is breached, we will not let those monks take over the task of purging the evil entirely."
"We will do our utmost to compete, and San Xian Jiao will not forget your contributions."
The white crane resumed its lazy demeanor, using its beak to open the golden silk pouch. In the next moment, several beams of light shot out.
"Ti Wu, I bestow upon you the Fire Dragon Chariot."
"Yu Chi, I bestow upon you the Ten Li Red Fragrant Silk."
"Shen Xu, I bestow upon you the Nine Luminous Flags."
"..."
As the beams of light approached, everyone grasped their respective artifacts.
Feeling the formidable power within, even Ti Wu fell silent, carefully absorbing the essence. After a moment, he swallowed hard.
With this chariot alone, even if I truly completed the sixfold transformation, I might not be able to escape with my life.
This is the might of the Northern Continent!
No wonder this white crane never took us seriously from the start.
"Take the time to understand and master the use of these magic artifacts. The breach of the Southern Continent should not be far off."
After giving his instructions, the white crane spread its wings and left without a backward glance.
It didn't understand the current situation in the Great Southern Continent, but it was well aware of the strength and character of the monks from Mount Sumeru. Given the Divine Dynasty's strength, holding out this long was already their limit.
The old ancestors watched the white crane depart, bowing respectfully.
Then, they all headed toward the outer reaches of Shen Xu Mountain, eager to return to their respective sects and master the newly acquired magic artifacts.
By the time they reached the vermilion gates, only their own people remained.
Even the most resolute among them, Qian Feng Dao Ren, felt his body go limp, leaning against the stone wall and lamenting, "Old Ancestor, you really scared us to death."
He still couldn't figure out how the other party had managed to "summon" the long-dead Old Ancestor of Shen Xu to deceive everyone.
"..."
In the gray mist, Shen Yi sat cross-legged, with the Six-Winged Soul Bug by his side.
He had been clueless as well.
Until he learned from Qian Feng that no Second Rank Hun Yuan Da Luo Golden Immortal had personally arrived from the Northern Continent, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He decided to stage a performance using the irritable and vengeful Ti Wu Elder Ancestor, shifting everyone's focus to the inheritance of Shen Xu Mountain's immortal lineage rather than insisting on meeting the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu in person.
After all, while he could deceive the senses of Third Rank cultivators using his divine techniques, like the Thousand-Foot Black Dragon did to the Southern Emperor, it wouldn't be the same in a place like this, making it seem like a self-deception.
Fortunately, the effect was quite good.
Shen Yi exhaled lightly, looking at the nine small flags slowly floating in his hand.
He was now involved with three major forces.
He had obtained a significant amount of Imperial Qi from the Divine Dynasty and substantial benefits from the Bodhi Sect, but from San Xian Jiao, he had only managed to get a bit from the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu.
He hadn't expected to receive such a valuable treasure this time.
With this artifact, he would have more confidence when facing the Southern Emperor.
Now, he just needed to spend some time mastering it.
Thinking of this, Shen Yi finally smiled.
But just then.
Outside the gray mist, in the stone hall.
Qian Feng Dao Ren and the other Peak Masters suddenly became alert, all of them struggling to stand up.
They exchanged glances and all moved toward the entrance of the alchemy stone hall.
The next moment, a familiar figure returned.
It was the Ti Wu Elder Ancestor.
He slowly stepped back into the stone hall, his gaze sweeping over everyone and the now calm vermilion gates as the gray mist dissipated.
The Ti Wu Elder Ancestor suddenly smiled, "I almost forgot, there was something I wanted to ask you."
"Please speak, Senior."
Qian Feng Dao Ren stepped forward, maintaining a calm demeanor despite sensing something amiss.
"Old Ancestor wants to know, since you've been here for so long, where is your senior brother Jin Lei?"
"If I remember correctly, there was also someone named Mu Yang, right?"
"..."
With just a few simple words, Qian Feng Dao Ren was drenched in cold sweat.
(End of Chapter)
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