NOVPUB
Chapter 153: Chapter 150: Inviting the Supreme Elder
"How dare he! How dare he! Gu Jinlai, how dare he!?"
The master of the Monitoring Hall, Chong Qianguang’s eyes blazed with both shock and anger.
"Gu Jinlai, he is staging a rebellion!"
Luu Zhenbei also roared in a low voice.
"It seems that Gu Jinlai knew that after the Divine Sword Tournament, we would inevitably settle accounts with him; to avoid being a sitting duck, he took the initiative to attack us."
Amid his astonishment, Huo Changqing immediately turned his attention to Lu Dengxian, "Sect Master, we must report this matter to the Venerable Daoist on duty."
"Gu Jinlai."
Lu Dengxian, equally shocked that Gu Jinlai would actually lead an army into their Red State territory, said,
His behavior...
Was nothing short of declaring war directly against the Purgatory Sect.
A Golden Robed Elder, challenging one of the Ten Great Demon Sects, the Purgatory Sect!?
This is...
How insane!?
"He attacks the homeland of the Purgatory Sect, Gu Jinlai truly is... audacious beyond measure!"
Lu Dengxian suddenly stood up: "I’m going to meet with the Venerable Daoist on duty right away."
The other hall masters nodded in agreement.
At the same time, they also felt a loss of face.
The situation had escalated to the point where a Venerable Daoist had to intervene, which would certainly bring dissatisfaction from the Venerable Daoists, and they would inevitably face punishment.
If things went poorly, their positions as hall masters might even be revoked.
As for Lin Xiao, who was at the forefront, although his face had turned somewhat pale and he reckoned he could no longer hold onto his position as Deputy Sect Master, his wariness towards Gu Jinlai had now turned into fear.
As long as they could kill Gu Jinlai, resolving this major threat to his life, what did it matter if he lost his seat as Deputy Sect Master.
...
Nearly twenty thousand troops mobilizing could not be silent.
The matter of Gu Jinlai leading a large army into Red State territory was not only known to the Purgatory Sect immediately but also to the Cold Moon Sect, Netherworld Sect, Dragon Sparrow Manor, Yellow Sky Sect, and the State Lord Mansion.
Everyone found it hard to believe at first.
Gu Jinlai had targeted the Purgatory Sect time and again, even going so far as to slay the Purgatory Sect’s Divinity Transformation Elder Tan Qingquan. The Purgatory Sect should have counted itself lucky that there was no retaliation against Gu Jinlai, yet now, he had actually taken the initiative to invade Red State territory!?
It was sheer madness!
After the shock came astonishment.
Gu Jinlai was no fool.
What they could think of, Gu Jinlai surely could too.
In such a situation, his choice to invade Red State, heading straight for the Purgatory Sect, suggested some intriguing trump cards at his disposal.
Especially some well-informed individuals who seemed to have discovered some kind of connection between Gu Jinlai and Xuzhen Tower, adhering to a conspiracy theory principle, they were already guessing if this act was incited by Xuzhen Tower behind the scenes.
Instantly, a large number of spies converged towards Red State territory.
Linfeng City, located at the conflict’s epicenter, became the focal point of everyone’s attention.
...
Caught in a difficult situation.
Lu Dengxian was well aware that the Purgatory Sect had now found itself in a difficult situation.
Even though he was reluctant to disturb the Venerable Daoists at this time, Gu Jinlai had already invaded Red State. If they still remained indifferent and did not launch a thunderous counterattack, the reputation of the Purgatory Sect would undoubtedly plummet drastically.
Once others realized that the Purgatory Sect was essentially a paper tiger, open to aggression, not only would the neighboring forces press them hard, but also those families within Red State that depended on the Purgatory Sect would start to make moves.
At that time...
Red State would inevitably plunge into chaos.
Thus, whether Lu Dengxian liked it or not, he still arrived at the place where the Venerable Daoists were using formations to gather spiritual energy for secluded cultivation.
This was a hill located in the center of the city.
The hill was not more than several hundred meters high and spanned only a few kilometers in diameter, but it was tastefully set up, with every flower, grass, and tree seeming purposely arranged, making it pleasing to the eye.
Following the mountain paths, Lu Dengxian quickly arrived outside an ancient, elegant pavilion.
Here, a girl who looked to be in her twenties but had already achieved Refining God was practicing swordsmanship.
Every move she made was filled with grace and beauty.
In this world, achieving Refining God by the age of thirty was already considered immensely talented.
But people should not be all thrown into the same category.
Some were born with a golden key in their mouths, nurtured with Treasure Medicine from a young age to establish a solid foundation. Once they embarked on the path of cultivation, they progressed at a rate of a thousand miles a day.
Such well-cultivated disciples reaching Refining God by twenty was not unusual.
Of course, the resources consumed for them to reach Refining God could often nurture ten practitioners to achieve Refining God, and if you count the resources used for foundation establishment, even twenty practitioners would suffice.
Therefore, using Treasure Medicine for foundation establishment was often only affordable for top-notch figures.
"Sect Master."
Upon seeing Lu Dengxian approaching, the young girl stopped practicing her swordsmanship and bowed in greeting.
"Junior Sister Liu."
Although the girl had Refining God Cultivation, Lu Dengxian still addressed her as a fellow disciple, "Would you please inform Venerable Daoist Liu that I have an urgent matter to report?"
"Grandmaster has been adjusting his Essence Qi Spirit state these past few days, cleansing his own stray thoughts to clarify his spirit in preparation for recognizing the owner of the Sky Extreme Sword. Is the sect master aware of this?"
"I am indeed aware, but the matter is of great importance, and only by disturbing the Venerable Daoist can it be resolved."
Lu Dengxian said.
"Please wait a moment, sect master."
The young girl immediately responded and entered the loft.
Sometime later, a voice mixed with dissatisfaction came from inside, "Come in, I’d like to know what has actually happened at the Purgatory Sect that you young people can’t resolve, and that it requires us old men to step in."
Lu Dengxian entered the loft.
In a plain and simple room, the gaze of Liu Jingtiao, the Purgatory Sect’s duty-bound Supreme Elder, fell on him.
"Venerable Daoist, this matter involves a Heavenly Monarch named Gu Jinlai."
"Heavenly Monarch?"
Liu Jingtiao frowned slightly. Such a figure, why would he provoke the Purgatory Sect?
However, he still maintained his composure, "A Heavenly Monarch’s Soul Secret Technique might have some influence on the Yin God, but the effect is limited. If one Divinity Transformation isn’t enough, then two, if two aren’t enough, then three. Can he really escape unharmed while being besieged by three or four Divinity Transformation Great Cultivators?"
"This Heavenly Monarch, Gu Jinlai, is somewhat different from others. Not long ago, our Netherworld Sect Elder Tan Qingquan, together with a local Divinity Transformation Cultivator from Star State, were joined by Elder Sha Wuji from the side. They attacked Gu Jinlai together, and the result..."
Lu Dengxian took a deep breath, "Elder Tan and the local Divinity Transformation Cultivator from Star State, Ye Yiren, died on the spot. Even though Elder Sha Wuji intervened at a critical moment, he still couldn’t stop Gu Jinlai from killing Elder Tan."
"Tan Qingquan?"
Liu Jingtiao certainly remembered this elder.
This was someone outstanding even among those at the Divinity Transformation Stage. His flying sword possessed traits of both Breaking the Sky and Tenacity.
It could be said that among the elders of the Purgatory Sect, no one could claim with absolute certainty that they could defeat him.
He, along with a local Divinity Transformation Cultivator from Star State and the cooperative support of the fellow sect elder, Sha Wuji, was still defeated by Gu Jinlai...
Such a formidable figure, if indeed Divinity Transformation Great Cultivators were to be dispatched to kill him, not ten or eight would be guaranteed a sure win.
And once ten or eight Divinity Transformation Great Cultivators were employed, many critical resource points of the Purgatory Sect would be left vulnerable, and the situation would become extremely unfavorable.
"A Heavenly Monarch, to actually have such strength?"
"Besides being a Heavenly Monarch, Gu Jinlai is also a Demon Martial Artist. It seems ... He possesses a special technique that compensates for the shortcomings brought by the Path of Heavenly Master’s Qi Refining and God Transformation, so that while advancing at a rate of ’a thousand miles a day’ on the Path of Heavenly Master, the progress of the Demon Refining Body lineage hasn’t slowed much. So far, his physique has at least reached the peak of a Lower Demon, and..."
Lu Dengxian paused, "He likely has comprehended the Mental Realm."
"The Mental Realm, huh..."
Liu Jingtiao wasn’t surprised.
It has long been rumored that a Heavenly Monarch who cultivates a True Spirit can use the secret of spirituality to simulate the mysteries of the Mental Realm and gradually truly master the power of the Mental Realm through this simulation.
"This Gu Jinlai has existing conflicts with us. Since he killed Elder Tan Qingquan, the conflict has become irreconcilable. Originally, at that time, we intended to request the Supreme Elder to take action to exterminate Gu Jinlai, but unfortunately..." 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Lu Dengxian showed some helplessness, "At the time, Venerable Daoist Lu stated that the Venerables needed to concentrate their energies on the opening of the Divine Sword Conference, so we had to suppress the matter. However, it seems Gu Jinlai has also realized that he can’t just sit back and wait for death. Perhaps he has sought refuge with Xuzhen Tower. In any case, yesterday, he suddenly led troops to invade our Purgatory Sect’s territory in Red State. The situation has now reached a point where it must be dealt with."
"He actually led troops into our Purgatory Sect territory? He’s really audacious!"
A hint of anger flashed in Liu Jingtiao’s eyes.
"Gu Jinlai having obtained such cultivation, and supposedly possessing secret techniques that allow him to anticipate the location of Divinity Transformation Cultivators to avoid being surrounded by a large number of them, to ensure absolute safety, it is necessary for the Venerable Daoist to take action. Thus, I can only disturb the Venerable Daoist’s practice and ask for his intervention."
Lu Dengxian said this, bowing deeply.
"With things having reached this stage, Gu Jinlai daring to lead troops into our territory in Red State, regardless of his reasons, he must die to maintain the prestige of our Purgatory Sect."
Liu Jingtiao stood up, "Then, I shall make a trip down the mountain."
"Thank you, Supreme Elder."
"Give me the detailed information about Gu Jinlai."
Liu Jingtiao requested.
To know one’s enemies and oneself ensures victory in a hundred battles.
Even though he was a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, facing a Heavenly Monarch who had managed to kill two of the three besieging Divinity Transformation Great Cultivators, he would not underestimate him.
"Please overlook these, Supreme Elder."
Lu Dengxian handed over the carefully prepared documents.
The documents emphasized that Gu Jinlai possessed two Slaughter Spirit Artifacts.
It was by leveraging the power of these Slaughter Spirit Artifacts, named ’Red,’ that he was able to slay Tan Qingquan and Ye Yiren, two Divinity Transformation Cultivators. Caution against these two renowned treasures is needed when confronting him.
Liu Jingtiao flipped through them, but as he read, something felt off.
"Is this Gu Jinlai an elder of our Purgatory Sect?"
He suddenly asked.
Lu Dengxian was stunned for a moment, then promptly responded, "Yes."
"An elder of our Purgatory Sect, and also one who has reached the Heavenly Monarch Realm in the Path of Heavenly Master, why would he suddenly raise troops and be forced into a life-and-death struggle against Elder Tan Qingquan?"
A hint of anger flashed in Liu Jingtiao’s eyes, "Lu Dengxian, explain this to me."
