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"He’s just in the early stage of Golden Core!"
"Do you realize that since the record of Diwu Hall began, there has never been such a case?"
"And you, heh, you sure took it easy, taught someone for a few years, then patted your butt and went off to West Sea Country, not caring about anything. Not only did you not care, but you also left Wang Ba with a ton of problems. Do you have any idea how many people you’ve offended?"
"Wang Ba cleaned up your mess, going to great lengths to specially cultivate the spirit food that can treat my skin. Do you think he’d have such a tough time if he had a reliable master?"
"Does he really need to be distracted by menial tasks in Diwu Hall, delaying his cultivation?"
"Now look at you, showing up after decades, claiming that Wang Ba is your disciple and that his achievements are all because of you. Do you have the decency to be so brazen? Have you no shame?"
Ma Shengxu vented all the pent-up frustration in his heart in one breath, feeling exhilaratingly relieved.
He had been holding back these words for many years.
Yao Wudi, faced with this barrage, stood there stunned.
The words of Ma Shengxu struck him with a great impact.
He had envisioned Wang Ba making a name for himself with Beast Control and spirit food.
But he never expected that day to come so quickly.
How many years has it been?
Upon reflection, his disciple had already become the Right Enforcer of Diwu Hall. Wouldn’t it be time for the Vice Hall Master of Diwu Hall to make way for his disciple... well, the likelihood of that was not very high, considering that the Vice Hall Master of Diwu Hall was already part of the upper echelons.
A Golden Core Craftsman was still too young and not fit to be put forward.
He felt a slight disappointment in his heart.
At this moment, the scene of Wang Ba materializing from the Jade Pendant in Juhai City of the West Sea Country years ago flooded back into his mind.
He couldn’t help but shake his head slightly.
Even today, he still couldn’t fathom what exactly Wang Ba had done that day.
But he was certain that he had chosen the right disciple.
With that thought, Yao Wudi no longer cared about Ma Shengxu’s taunts and jeers; his mind was solely focused on something else.
He waved his hand grandly.
"I understand!"
"I’m off!"
He laughed heartily and then shot up into the sky.
Ma Shengxu, slightly astonished by Yao Wudi’s rapidly disappearing figure, furrowed his brow:
"What does he understand?"
...
On the Jade Emperor’s Peak, the wind was fierce and the sky vast.
"Elder Uncle, is everything arranged?"
"Everything is set up. If people from the Kingdom of Immortals do come, as long as they are not those Evil Gods in person, two or three dozen Nascent Souls from the Kingdom of Immortals, even if they are at the peak stage of Nascent Soul, definitely cannot breach the borders of Chen State."
"Has everything been put in place on Song’s side as well?"
"Rest assured, as long as Master Song and the others pass by this area on their return, even if they are chased by the Kingdom of Immortals, once they trigger the measures we’ve set up in Song State, a dozen or so ordinary Nascent Souls can be held off. Moreover, you don’t need to worry too much. Although the Kingdom of Immortals has many Nascent Souls, they won’t likely bring too many at once." 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
"That will do..."
Wang Ba nodded, feeling a bit of relief in his heart.
Although he had appeared confident earlier, it didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.
Song Dongyang had ventured deep into Kingdom of Immortals territory to steal cultivators and resources from Qi. A mishandling of the situation could potentially trigger a war between the Kingdom of Immortals and Jin.
Based on the resources he currently had access to, the Sect might just be testing the waters, with no preparation for war.
Nevertheless, accidents could happen.
Thus, he had suggested to Tang Ji to prepare early, not only as a precaution against the Kingdom of Immortals but also to assist Song Dongyang.
Tang Ji had similar thoughts, and with Wang Ba’s additional inputs, the plan was promptly perfected and swiftly set in motion.
On Chen State’s side, even though no Immortal Ascension Elder had come to take charge yet.
They still had the necessary defensive resources, and setting up some defensive measures wasn’t too difficult.
The somewhat troublesome part was within Song State’s borders. That was deemed a neutral zone by the two powers, and patrols were irregular. This required the measures to be more discreet.
Wang Ba was not particularly skilled in these clandestine matters, but the Sect had its own experts, so he didn’t need to worry too much.
And so, several days passed by.
The disappearance of the four Shanxiao Lineage cultivators did not attract the attention of the cultivators from the Kingdom of Immortals.
This was normal. To cultivators, a few days were but a fleeting moment, and those four were Nascent Soul Cultivators, with no one daring to inquire lightly into their whereabouts except the Evil Gods. Therefore, no one noticed for the time being.
A few more days passed, and Rende Hall, seeking to recruit talents, sent cultivators to the Ghost Market in Chen State.
The Ghost Market of Chen State had become an important gathering point for Rogue Cultivators and refugees from various countries.
Every day, numerous cultivators entered and left the market, conducting transactions.
Around the Ghost Market, various immortal caves and small Sects were gradually established.
To Wang Ba’s delight, among the cultivators from Rende Hall that arrived, there was his good friend, Xi Wushang.
More than twenty years had passed, and the damage caused by his failed attempt to cross Nascent Soul had fully recovered, yet he had still not tried to undertake Crossing Tribulation.
"The first Crossing Tribulation, was in the most perfect state possible for me. Without a special breakthrough, I do not have the assurance of definite success, so I must wait. Unfortunately, I once thought that I would have the chance to vie for the title of personal disciple."
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