novelapdf Chapter 163 "A Close Call"
Chapter 163 "A Close Call"
Chapter 164 "A Close Call"
Pale golden smoke rose up, wisps of it slowly sinking and seeping into the huge bronze mirror.
This young man was none other than Wen Tianren, the successor of the Six Paths.
As the incense stick was about to burn out, light and shadow shifted on the mirror, and figures suddenly appeared, gracefully settling down on the chairs on the mirror.
In a short while, more than a dozen figures were already seated.
However, these figures all had blurred faces and ethereal auras, clearly not their actual presence, but rather phantoms projected here using secret techniques.
However, the two seats at the very ends are still suspended in mid-air.
Although everyone was in place, no one spoke first.
The entire cave was filled with a solemn and oppressive stillness, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After Wen Tianren finished doing all this, he retreated to the entrance and held his breath.
Every single one of these people would not tolerate him overstepping his bounds in the slightest.
The dozen or so illusory figures on the bronze mirror were all Nascent Soul stage monsters, belonging to both the righteous and demonic paths.
The suffocating silence lasted for a moment, until finally, the figure at the lowest position broke the silence, its voice coming through the shadowy image.
"The incense for communicating with the divine has been lit; surely something important has happened. What could have occurred that would require us all to gather here?"
Before he could finish speaking, a Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Bu from the Taiyang Sect spoke in a cold tone.
"This summons was clearly instigated by you demonic cultivators. Why pretend to be deaf and dumb? Speak plainly about what's going on."
The cultivator who spoke first did not respond to the provocative words from the other side. Instead, he turned to look at Wen Tianren, who was standing to the side.
"Boy, what's going on? Why hasn't Master Rokudo arrived yet?"
Wen Tianren stood respectfully to the side, cupping his hands in greeting, and replied directly, "Reporting to Senior, my master only instructed me to inform you all; I know nothing else."
At this moment, another cultivator spoke up: "This matter is most likely related to the Star Palace. According to my secret report, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, possibly in the late stage, has indeed appeared in Tianxing City recently."
Upon hearing this, an aged voice came from the other chair, tinged with doubt: "Possibly late-stage Nascent Soul? Could it be that one of those old monsters from the Star Palace has broken through again?"
The man who had spoken earlier chuckled dryly a few times, his tone laced with sarcasm, and said, "These questions... I think we should just ask Brother Wu directly?"
Among the many independent cultivators in the Reverse Star Alliance, only Ji Yin can be called "Brother Wu".
At this moment, another voice, tinged with mockery, calmly said, "Old Demon of Extreme Yin, stop sitting there pretending to be mute. Hurry up and come out and say something, let's see if you're even here!"
None of these are the real people; the appearances of the attendees are all blurred, and identification relies mainly on their voices.
If someone deliberately remains silent, it is indeed difficult to guess their identity.
Sure enough, a hoarse voice, filled with obvious repression, rang out from the demonic faction.
"Why ask me? What would I possibly know?"
The sarcastic voice that had been mocking earlier immediately responded, its gloating almost overflowing.
"Hey, Brother Wu, that's not very fair of you, is it? That incident a while ago caused quite a stir. I heard your beloved grandson was killed, and even the wisp of your soul that was attached to him was wiped out with a single sword strike? Tsk tsk, the news has almost spread throughout the Inner Sea. We're not deaf. Besides, we're all allies here. Who would really cause you trouble? You don't need to suppress your injuries and force yourself to endure it."
You can just listen to those kinds of things and let them go.
If news of a Nascent Soul cultivator being seriously injured were to spread, it would be a matter of life and death.
On the path of cultivation, cultivators will inevitably encounter many enemies.
Moreover, this is a demonic force like Extreme Yin Island, which enjoys turning people into puppets.
Upon hearing this, whether it was due to forcing himself to stand up or because he was actually unharmed, Ji Yin's voice suddenly became incredibly sinister.
"Looking for trouble? Fine, I'm happy to oblige. But before that, please allow me to withdraw from the Reverse Star Alliance at any time!"
The implied meaning.
If any force other than the Star Palace dares to cause trouble for Extreme Yin Island.
Regardless of whether it's the righteous or the demonic path, or any other force.
He would immediately identify the person present.
These words shocked everyone present.
The auras of the dozen or so illusory figures on the mirror surface all fluctuated slightly.
Some people, perhaps due to their long period of seclusion, were not well-informed and were still digesting the brief exchange when the so-called Star Palace reportedly produced another late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Others, however, had shifty eyes, secretly wondering whether the Old Demon of Extreme Yin was putting on a brave front or was truly unharmed.
The cave was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, except for the ancient bronze mirror that shone with a cold, eerie light.
Wen Tianren stood to the side, watching with great interest.
Such a scene is truly rare.
The previously mocking and sarcastic voice fell silent.
He had intended to investigate the true nature of the Yin, but he did not expect the old demon to react so violently, directly overturning the table and threatening to withdraw from the Reverse Star Alliance.
This has crossed the line of the alliance.
If Ji Yinzhen were to withdraw as a result, it would set an extremely bad precedent for the prestige and internal stability of the Reverse Star Alliance.
That old man is really good at scheming and deceiving others.
It seems highly likely that he was genuinely injured, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
Should we go over and try to freeload?
Within the Nascent Soul stage, there is a clear distinction between strong and weak cultivators.
The term "weak" refers to figures like Miaohe, Lü Luo, and Jinxia.
They often possess only one or two ordinary ancient treasures. In a battle of magic, their methods are limited, making it difficult for them to turn the tide and making them extremely vulnerable to suppression.
As for the "strong," aside from the subtle differences in their realms, there are two further subdivided paths.
Firstly, there are sword cultivators. Once they enter the Nascent Soul Realm, their sharpness is so great that they can easily defeat opponents of the same level, and they can even fight against multiple opponents at once.
Secondly, one can cultivate one or two top-tier killing techniques, or refine a powerful natal magic weapon.
Among these people were Fire Dragon Child of the Ancient Sword Sect, the rogue cultivator Qing Yi, Master Mu, the Golden Flower Ancestor, and Ji Yin, whose cultivation technique was incomplete.
Below these people, figures like Wang Tiangu of the Ghost Spirit Sect, Mu Tengzi of the Chaotic Star Sea, and Ximen Jia, the elder of the Star Palace, while possessing considerable strength, are ultimately only limited in their power.
Compared to the level of Fire Dragon Boy, there is still a significant gap in strength.
The person who spoke sarcastically about the extreme Yin was Zheng Yunzhou, the head of the Wood Sword Pavilion on Grass Capital Island, a sword cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage.
After a brief silence, a relatively calm voice rang out, attempting to ease the tense atmosphere.
"Fellow Daoist Wu, please calm down. Brother Zheng is just being straightforward and has no intention of targeting us. With the Star Palace eyeing us like a tiger, we are already struggling to stay together. How can we let a few words cause us to lose our composure? Once the alliance is established, we are one, and there is no reason for us to back down lightly."
The illusory figure of the Yin Ancestor exuded a chilling aura, remaining silent as if weighing the pros and cons.
His words just now were seven parts genuine anger, and three parts were an attempt to test the alliance's attitude towards his current situation and his own importance.
"snort!"
A cold snort signaled that the matter was over.
At that moment, the space around one of the suspended main seats suddenly distorted without warning.
Immediately afterwards, a figure materialized from the ethereal and slowly appeared, sitting upright on the platform. It did not deliberately exude any pressure, but its mere presence instantly caused all the Nascent Soul cultivators present to subconsciously restrain their auras.
He was a giant of the demonic path, a supreme saint of the six realms.
"A small matter caused the delay."
His voice was not loud, but it was deep and resonant.
No sooner had he finished speaking than another person suddenly appeared directly opposite the Six Paths Supreme Saint, sitting upright on his throne.
She was dressed in a white Confucian robe. Although she was not there in person, this avatar was incredibly solid and no different from the real person.
The woman had no makeup on her face, her hands were casually placed on the chair, and her legs were crossed. Her eyes swept over everyone with disdain, and she seemed to disregard even the Six Paths Supreme Saint opposite her.
The numerous Nascent Soul cultivators present had no objection to her unrestrained attitude; it was perfectly natural.
This is because the person is none other than Wan Sangu, the Supreme Elder of the Wanfa Sect and the leader of the righteous path.
He was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, just like the Six Paths Supreme Saint.
The Six Paths Supreme Saint didn't seem to mind and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's begin the discussion—"
Before she could finish speaking, Aunt Wan interrupted her impatiently, "Stop rambling on, just say what you have to say."
The Six Paths Supreme Saint remained expressionless, only uttering a single sentence.
"Another late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator has appeared in Tianxing City."
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly stirring the minds of the many Nascent Soul cultivators present.
Although the phantom figures appeared calm on the surface, they were already secretly exchanging whispers.
If the previous rumors about this matter were just unfounded speculations, then now that the Six Paths Supreme Saint has personally confirmed it, its authenticity is beyond doubt.
If this is true.
What is the significance of the Reverse Star Alliance?
Upon hearing this, Aunt Wan raised an eyebrow, a fierce look flashing across her face, and questioned without any politeness: "How did you find out about this?"
'
The Six Saints' voice remained calm, as if they were talking about something trivial.
"I fought him once, and it ended in a draw."
Ji Yin quickly echoed, "Master Liudao is absolutely right! Although I wasn't there in person that day, my soul possessed my grandson, and I faced his power directly. The oppressive feeling was incomparable to that of an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!"
Wan Sangu ignored her, instead letting out a light, ambiguous laugh. She looked Liu Dao Jisheng up and down with a playful gaze, a hint of mockery on her lips.
"Oh? You've fought him before? Could it be that time decades ago, when you wiped out the White Cliff Mountain lineage?"
The latter remained silent, his face revealing no emotion.
Wan Sangu scoffed, "Only someone like you, a demonic cultivator, would do something like this for a woman. And what was the result? You failed, didn't you?"
Her words were clearly meant to prick the Six Paths Supreme Saint's sore spot.
After all, if what he said is true, that he fought against the other party decades ago and the result was "undecided", then...
Hua Yi of Baibishan Villa has been missing ever since; his fate remains unknown, and there is no trace of him.
Doesn't that mean he never actually beat his opponent back then?
This was clearly a case of taking out one's anger on a woman he failed to win over, which led to the destruction of the 6,000-year-old Baibishan Taoist lineage.