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Chapter 214: Chapter 211 Tailgating
The opening of the Aries Star Palace is a tremendous opportunity for Heavenly Masters, so why are there still some who choose not to attend?
Why do so many Heavenly Masters, when participating in this grand event, often have Refining Gods, Divinity Transformations, and even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs accompanying them?
The most critical reason lies in the journey back after leaving the Aries Star Palace.
Those Heavenly Masters who failed to pass the challenges and gained nothing are somewhat safer, as they are less likely to be targeted.
However, those who have passed at least one challenge and reaped some benefits, the Heavenly Masters and Heavenly Monarchs, often face far from peaceful journeys home.
Unless their party includes a might so overwhelming as to be absolutely crushing, troubles and tests are inevitable.
After all, everyone knows that the rewards taken from the Aries Star Palace...
Are at least Spiritual Artifacts or treasures of top-grade spiritual material.
And at this very moment, those with malicious intent set their gazes upon Ye Dongliu, harboring ill will.
...
The group was moving quickly.
They had dashed out of Moon State in just one day.
But even here, everyone remained cautious.
Especially Ye Dongliu, who could clearly feel a faint but persistent malice clinging to him, refusing to dissipate.
"Strange, given Heavenly Monarch Gu’s reputation and his feats of having slain Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, it’s odd that we would be targeted. Why would someone be so bold and seem unwilling to let go?"
Si Tianyan, as a Great Heavenly Master, was equally sensitive to external dangers and knew the crisis had not entirely passed.
The spokesperson conveyed that those residing within the Dragon Sparrow Manor who were in charge of the Heavenly Masters’ affairs had been very active recently, especially Ye Dongliu in his dealings with the people of Lizhou State.
Cheng Wanli said somberly.
"Lizhou State?"
Lizhou, like Island State, belongs to one of the great states isolated overseas.
Despite not being part of Central State or Upper State, it still has a population exceeding twenty million people.
Though the population is small, due to its position at the core of Daqian’s Southern Sea and its close interactions with many islands in the Southern Sea—where the most populous feature millions and the least have tens of thousands—the total exceeds twenty million.
Many islands consider Lizhou State as their hub, leading to a complex web of power within the state. Officially under Daqian’s jurisdiction, the Daqian State Mansion has been effectively decorative. Today, three families, two gangs, and one island form the prevailing powers.
And behind each of these six major forces stands at least one Primordial Spirit True Monarch.
Being accustomed to dealing with the unpredictable climate of the sea and its countless crises, no one knows if they can return alive from a voyage. Therefore, these forces are no strangers to living on the edge.
Even some who have reached Refining God or Divinity Transformation Realm maintain their cruel and savage ways, unaware of the greater picture.
Most people’s idea is to hit it big, then flee overseas to enjoy the spoils in peace.
Moreover, all powers have reserved countless escape routes; they are not afraid of being hunted by large forces. If they can’t win, they just flee.
"So, has Dragon Sparrow Manor reached out to the experts of Lizhou State? Primordial Spirit True Monarchs?"
Ye Dongliu said.
"I fear that Dragon Sparrow Manor will extend its reach and unite all those harboring thoughts against us, then play each side... Often, all it takes to succeed in a venture is a leader who is respected and capable."
Cheng Wanli spoke, pausing to add, "Moreover, during this opening of the Aries Star Palace, everyone left empty-handed except for Heavenly Monarch Gu, who returned brimming with gains. Some forces already harbor resentment...and rumours spread by Heavenly Masters who left the Aries Star Palace ahead of us, claiming that the dazzling Spiritual Artifact created by Heavenly Monarch Gu attracted all the attention of the Artifact Spirit of the Aries Star Palace, preventing others from receiving guidance from the Artifact Spirit..."
"Heh."
Ye Dongliu couldn’t help but want to laugh upon hearing this.
Blaming one’s own failures on someone else’s excellence.
Such people are found everywhere.
Without someone stirring the pot in the background, with Ye Dongliu’s glorious record of slaying two Primordial Spirit Real Persons and four Divinity Transformation Cultivators, they would not dare act even if they harbored grievances. Now with Ye Dongliu, a Divinity Transformation Cultivator from Dragon Sparrow Manor, inciting them,
Even...
It was highly likely that Dragon Sparrow Manor would have a Primordial Spirit True Monarch take action, stirring these people to action.
"I secretly had someone check into it, and there are nineteen forces heading in our direction. Almost every one of them is led by a Divinity Transformation Cultivator, and some forces have more than one. While not all of these forces necessarily harbor intentions against us, and most are merely passing through our path, however..."
Cheng Wanli looked at Ye Dongliu: "Even a Primordial Spirit True Monarch would have difficulty escaping a united attack from ten Divinity Transformation Cultivators. For safety’s sake, should we escort Heavenly Monarch Gu ahead while the rest of the Heavenly Masters follow?"
"No,"
Ye Dongliu immediately rejected the idea: "On our way back, we need to pass through the Champsosaurus Swamp, which is the territory of the demons. If our dozens of Heavenly Masters and Great Heavenly Masters are not protected by sufficient power, the demons will undoubtedly launch an attack. Furthermore, the forces the Champsosaurus Swamp demons would bring to bear on an attack surpass the united Divinity Transformation Cultivators convened by Dragon Sparrow Manor."
"Champsosaurus Swamp?"
Cheng Wanli was taken aback: "Demon attacks on Great Heavenly Masters often involve Upper-level Demons, and as a Heavenly Monarch, Ye Dongliu would most likely draw out the Demon King of Champsosaurus Swamp. Furthermore, I suspect... Should Dragon Sparrow Manor make a move, it will happen at Champsosaurus Swamp. If they make it easier for us to clash with the demons there, resulting in both sides suffering losses, they would be pleased, Yellow Sky Sect would be pleased, and even the demons would happily take advantage of the situation. By that time..."
Cheng Wanli’s words caused Si Tianyan and the others to look resolute: "The possibility of Dragon Sparrow Manor colluding with the Demon King of Champsosaurus Swamp is high. To be safe, we should take a detour."
"With Tianhe under the control of the demons and countless years of accumulation, the depths of Tianhe undoubtedly harbor numerous demons. If Dragon Sparrow Manor is indeed conspiring with the demons, unless we deal with the followers trailing us, our movements will be in their grasp, including those of the demons. No matter which crossing we choose, we will inevitably suffer from demon attacks. Therefore, crossing the river in the Canglang Peak area, where demons dare not act rashly, and entering Yellow State turns out to be the optimal route,"
Ye Dongliu stated.
"But..."
His words left Cheng Wanli and the others momentarily at a loss for a rebuttal.
Gu Jinlai glanced ahead to see a small county city appearing in their line of sight.
Immediately, he issued an order, "Enter the city, we’ll rest for the night."
"To rest at such a time..."
Cheng Wanli and Gu Chifeng exchanged glances, wanting to persuade him further, but Gu Jinlai’s mind was made up, and they had no choice but to follow.
This was an ordinary county city within the territory of the Purple Night Sword Sect.
Although a Hugging Pill Dharma Protector was in charge, they did not dare hinder Gu Jinlai and his group’s temporary stay, instead, they did their utmost to shrink their presence and secretly ordered their cooperation with all of Gu Jinlai’s reasonable demands, hoping to send them on their way as soon as possible.
The group quickly took over the best inn in the county city.
"Patriarch..."
Gu Chifeng wanted to say something more, but was silenced by a look from Gu Jinlai, "When the enemy comes we’ll face them, when the flood arrives we’ll dam it. Since I’ve brought you all out, I will naturally ensure our safe return to Lingxiao City. Now, let no one disturb my rest."
After speaking, he chose a room and stepped inside.
Seeing this, Gu Chifeng and the others had no choice but to start patrolling earnestly and remain vigilant.
Once inside the room, Gu Jinlai sensed his spirit world’s condition and sneered, "Just in time, Qingguang is completely depleted."
He flipped his hand and took out the Heavenly Spirit Pearl.
"Zi Yang wouldn’t have lied to me."
He looked at the Treasure Bead and then...
The Grand Sun Nine Refinement Visualization Method began to circulate.
The pure spiritual energy contained within the Heavenly Spirit Pearl was drawn out entirely, pouring into the blazing Great Sun he visualized, being refined and dissolved at an extremely rapid pace.
As he refined this spiritual energy, he could distinctly feel his Spiritual Sense reserves were strengthening at an extremely fast speed.
If one said that previously, although he possessed advanced technological knowledge, his production was always limited due to inadequate power generation,
Now...
The growth of Spiritual Sense was equivalent to completely resolving the issue of insufficient power generation.
With the energy shortfall resolved, an industrial system that already had a solid foundation began to improve rapidly, and once the industrial system was completely refined, the ultimate production power unleashed...
Would far exceed everyone’s imagination.
...
While Gu Jinlai rested in the county city,
Dozens of miles away, the nine forces trailing him were also informed of this development.
"Quite a bold move, stopping to rest halfway instead of hurrying on their way with utmost speed, huh."
Ye Dongliu of the Dragon Sparrow Manor scoffed coldly.
Beside him were ten Divinity Transformation Cultivators.
Among these Divinity Transformation Cultivators, three were Supreme Elders from major sects south of Tianhe, hired by Dragon Sparrow Manor for a hefty sum.
Two were native Divinity Transformation Cultivators from Dragon Sparrow Manor.
Of the remaining five, four were from families and gangs of Lizhou State, such as the Ouyang Family and Tianhai Gang, while the last one was Elder Yu Fan from the Yellow Sky Sect.
"Elder Ye, as agreed, your Manor’s Venerable Daoist Elders and the Demon won’t take action, and neither will we. Gu Jinlai is extremely powerful; if there’s no one to lead the charge for us, we’re not going to rush to our deaths like cannon fodder," said Yu Fan indifferently.
Although he disdained the collusion between Dragon Sparrow Manor and the Demons, if they could make Gu Jinlai and the Demons moving South from Tianhe both suffer a great loss, it could significantly reduce the pressure on the Yellow Sky Sect, sparing their disciples and protectors from needless sacrifice.
"Rest assured, Elder Yu, once they cross Tianhe, what awaits them will definitely be a deadly strike from the Venerable Daoist Elders of Dragon Sparrow Manor and an innumerable army of Great Demons, and even..."
Ye Dongliu paused for effect, "Even the Champsosaurus King might take action, because passing at least one assessment of the Aries Star Palace marks Gu Jinlai as exceptional among Heavenly Monarchs. That Demon Demon King might not be able to ignore him."
"I’m just worried that Gu Jinlai has already seen through the dangers of Tianhe and Champsosaurus Swamp."
The Divinity Transformation Cultivator from Tianhai Gang, Yuan Chaoxi, said while glancing at Ye Dongliu, "Even if Gu Jinlai doesn’t cross the river, in one month’s time, you must hand over another Spiritual Artifact as promised."
"Please rest assured, Elder Yuan, regardless of the outcome, we will surely deliver the Spiritual Artifacts you desire from Dragon Sparrow Manor," Ye Dongliu bowed and assured.
"That’s good to hear," replied Yuan Chaoxi coolly.
Not having to be at the forefront and yet getting two Spiritual Artifacts per person, where else could one find such a deal?
As for offending Gu Jinlai?
Put aside whether he can escape Dragon Sparrow Manor’s plot; even if he somehow survives, Yuan Chaoxi would have already sought refuge in the Overseas Lizhou State. How could he be harmed by Gu Jinlai?
This was a deal where he couldn’t lose.
