“Hehe… Zhao Tian of the Yangxu Holy Land. Chu Wuji of the Great Sun Imperial Dynasty. And Xiao Huo of the Ancient Xiao Family.”
The Taixuan Holy Lord hovered in the high sky, hands clasped casually behind his back. He looked down at the armada of warships with a faint, teasing smile.
“I never expected three super-experts at the Half-Step Conferred Lord Realm to grace us with their presence personally. However…”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“If you wish to pay your respects to Young Lord Gu, arriving empty-handed shows a distinct lack of sincerity.”
Behind him, the Elders and disciples of the Taixuan Holy Land stood tall. There was no fear in their eyes—only a serene, almost pitying calmness. Some even wore expressions of faint disdain.
After securing that Young Lord’s backing, the other powers of the Eastern Wilderness seemed insignificant.
They were as fragile as clay figures before him.
When one person rose, everyone around them rose with him. Knowing who backed them, they all felt elated.
What were these invading forces worth?
In front of Young Lord Gu, they were a problem that could be solved with a single slap. If they dared to offend him, their entire sects—mountain gates and all—would likely be erased from history by the terrifying existence standing behind him.
With such an invincible backer, why should they tremble?
“What… what is this?”
Below, the invaders were stunned.
The white-robed Zhao Tian, the Imperial Uncle of the Great Sun Dynasty, and the countless cultivators aboard the ancient warships and ferocious beasts… all of them were dumbfounded.
They had arrived with the momentum to swallow mountains and rivers. They expected fear. They expected desperate resistance. They expected begging.
Instead, they found a Sect that had thrown open its gates and was treating them like rude guests who forgot to bring a gift.
It completely defied logic.
“What does the Taixuan Holy Lord mean by this?”
Whispers of shock rippled through the coalition army.
Disaster is looming over their heads, yet they look so fearless? Have they all gone mad? Or… do they truly have a trump card that can crush us?
“Pay respects to ‘Young Lord Gu’? Who is that?”
Zhao Tian, the Supreme Elder of the Yangxu Holy Land, narrowed his eyes in thought.
“Is it that mysterious young man rumored to be close to the Sect? Or is this merely an ‘Empty City Stratagem’ designed to bluff us into retreating?”
Having lived for several thousand years, Zhao Tian sensed something was wrong. The atmosphere was too eerie. The confidence of the Taixuan disciples was too genuine. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
Who on earth gave them this kind of bottomless confidence?
Even if their Supreme Elder returned to life and advanced further, he might not be able to withstand so many attacking powers.
“Hmph! What ‘Young Lord Gu’? Never heard of him!”
A booming voice cut through the confusion. It was Chu Wuji, the old Imperial Lord of the Great Sun Dynasty.
“He sounds like a wet-behind-the-ears brat. Perhaps the successor of some reclusive hermit? But so what?!”
Chu Wuji’s eyes burned with cold killing intent. The feud between his Dynasty and the Taixuan Holy Land ran deep.
“I have brought our dynasty’s imperial artifact today. Once fully awakened, it can fight a Conferred King Realm cultivator!”
“Pointing out a path to life for you, yet you insist on sprinting toward death. Why must you be so foolish?”
The Taixuan Holy Lord shook his head, sighing with exaggerated pity.
“Young Lord Gu’s status… is it something ants like you can even comprehend?”
He straightened his back, his voice turning icy and arrogant.
“Ants wishing to gaze upon the face of Heaven? That is nothing but delusional wishful thinking.”
He was enjoying this. This was the classic “Fox exploiting the Tiger’s might,” and he played the role of the fox perfectly.
By intimidating the other powers today, he could ensure that the Taixuan Holy Land held supremacy in the Eastern Wilderness for some time to come.
And the best part is… Young Lord Gu tacitly allowed this.
The thought made his smile even more mocking.
Below, Chu Wuji’s face turned green. He had a fiery temper, and being called an “ant” by his longtime rival was intolerable.
He could scarcely bear those words.
“Chu Wuji! Wait!”
The Yangxu Supreme Elder quickly stopped the old emperor, who was about to attack.
“Something is wrong. It can’t be this simple. Today’s events are bizarre.”
Although Zhao Tian had brought his sect’s guardian artifact too, he was uncertain. The Taixuan Holy Land’s reaction before everyone disturbed him.
Zhao Tian had lived for thousands of years and was extremely shrewd. He quickly realized something was wrong. Cold sweat ran down his forehead, and a chill crept up his back.
So many powers were competing for the same prize, yet the Taixuan Holy Land remained calm and arrogant.
Was the intelligence wrong? Or had the Taixuan Holy Land deliberately released false information?
At this moment, the leaders of the other major forces also hesitated. They weren’t stupid. They saw the hesitation in Zhao Tian’s eyes and began to connect the dots.
“Hahaha! Brother Su Taixuan, you are absolutely right!”
Suddenly, a boisterous laugh echoed from one of the massive golden warships.
A burly middle-aged man clad in golden armor walked out onto the deck. He wore a simple, honest smile that looked entirely trustworthy.
It was Xiao Huo, the Patriarch of the Ancient Xiao Family.
“I heard long ago that a distinguished Young Lord was gracing your Sect with his presence. My Xiao Family has deliberated for a long time and decided to come here specifically to pay our respects!”
“We merely wish to catch a glimpse of the Young Lord’s heavenly countenance. Naturally, we have prepared many generous gifts!”
Silence.
Dead silence fell over the coalition army.
“This Xiao Huo… is a shameless old fox,” someone muttered.
The cultivators were dumbfounded.
This is too real.
How little time had passed, and already the head of the Ancient Xiao Family had changed his attitude. It was astonishingly quick.
Who had said they would massacre the Taixuan Holy Land when they set out?
Many cursed him secretly for his shamelessness.
And then, they immediately followed suit.
“Yes, yes! We are also here to pay respects to the Young Lord!”
“Please, Brother Su, announce our arrival!”
Others hastened to echo the claim that they had come to pay their respects.
“This Su Taixuan… what a terrifying method.”
Watching the scene unfold, Zhao Tian’s expression changed drastically. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his heart pounding.
That was close.
Thank the heavens I didn’t attack.
…
Fewer than seven chapters to go, everyone, keep them coming. It’s the beginning of the month, so I’ll also ask for monthly votes.