NOVPUBThe True Being presiding over the oasis found himself at a loss.
Since the incident at Luoyu City, a substantial amount of time had passed. News that the Falling Clouds Taoist had returned to life and a canonical god of the Donghuang Divine System was slain in a dispute over a treasure had long spread throughout the surrounding major domains.
Most cultivators adopted a spectator’s mentality towards this matter, while the upper echelons of the grotto heavens and blessed lands had long since reached a consensus on the issue.
If the Donghuang Divine System had truly intended to take issue with the Falling Clouds Taoist, they would have made a statement immediately after the fall of their canonical god and then sent a powerful expert to chase after the Taoist.
The fact that the Donghuang Divine System hadn’t pursued the matter immediately meant they had de facto accepted the demise of their canonical god and had no desire to provoke the now seemingly unstoppable Falling Clouds Taoist.
It had been thought that the matter would rest there. Who would have guessed that the Donghuang Divine System would dispatch a Divine Venerable to cross the Donghuang Domain to personally hunt the Falling Clouds Taoist, whose hiding place turned out to be the Green Ark Immortal City that he himself was safeguarding?
Realizing that he had become an innocent victim of the situation, the Huanyang True Being wished nothing more than to expel the Falling Clouds Taoist from Green Ark Immortal City, but he understood that he could not do so.
He represented the sects behind the establishment of Green Ark Immortal City, as well as Mount Yuanchen; if he were to proactively hand over the Falling Clouds Taoist to the Divine Venerable, it would completely tarnish the reputation that Green Ark Immortal City had painstakingly built over thousands of years.
For a trade-focused Immortal City such as this, the protection offered by several major sects was of the utmost importance— it was the very foundation upon which the city was built.
To go against this would be to incur irreparable losses.
Furthermore...
"That Falling Clouds Taoist is no pushover either. If I actually chose to turn him over, there’s no telling if the next strike of that Immortal Sword would be upon my head,
He may not be as strong as the Divine Venerable before us, but it would be all too easy for him to kill a Spirit Refining True Being like me."
At that moment, inside Green Ark Immortal City, all cultivators looked up at the towering colossus that pierced the cloud firmament, its immense divine might rendering them incapable of suppressing the fear in their hearts.
"A Divine Venerable! Such formidable power could only belong to a Divine Venerable."
"Who is this Falling Clouds Taoist? Why would a Divine Venerable come to Green Ark Immortal City to find him?"
"I once saw a divine statue in the City of Giant Mountain within the Donghuang Domain, indistinguishable from the Divine Venerable before us. He must be one of the seven Divine Venerables of the Donghuang Divine System— the Giant Mountain Divine Venerable!" 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Damn it! Why should we, the innocent, be dragged down just because he killed a god of the Donghuang Divine System?"
"I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!"
...
Fear rapidly spread throughout the entire city. In the presence of that massive god who seemed to prop up the heavens, no one believed that the city protecting array formation could keep them safe.
In the midst of chaos, the Huanyang True Being, after much hesitation, finally took the initiative to speak:
"I implore the Giant Mountain Divine Venerable to quell your anger."
"Our Green Ark Immortal City has not seen this Falling Clouds Taoist you speak of, Divine Venerable; could there be some mistake?"
The Giant Mountain Divine Venerable turned his formidable gaze upon him, his mighty divine presence causing the Huanyang True Being’s body, flying in the air, to stiffen, as if he were carrying a massive mountain on his back.
"The Falling Clouds Taoist slew a canonical god of my Donghuang Divine System and has thus been stained with the karma of the Donghuang Divine System.
Before coming here to the Gusha region, I asked the Stars Divination Divine Venerable to deduce the chain of karma and confirmed that the Falling Clouds Taoist is indeed within Green Ark Immortal City. How could there be a mistake?"
The Giant Mountain Divine Venerable outstretched his massive palm, his expression cold as he declared:
"Hand over the Falling Clouds Taoist, and I will depart."
"Otherwise, let Green Ark Immortal City be buried with the Huayu Mountain God!"
The face of the Huanyang True Being flushed red, whether from the terrifying divine might or from the Giant Mountain Divine Venerable’s arrogant words.
His teeth clenched, he cried out with elevated voice:
"I don’t care what grievances you have with the Falling Clouds Taoist, but this is Green Ark Immortal City of the Gusha region, not your Donghuang Divine System’s territory. You are out of line to act so recklessly here.
Giant Mountain Divine Venerable, you have crossed the line!"
"Oh?" The Giant Mountain Divine Venerable’s eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"I’m quite curious to know who gave you the courage to talk to me with such insolence.
Red Sand Sect? Boundless Cave? Or perhaps it’s Mount Yuanchen, one of the 72 Blessed Lands, behind you?"
The massive figure leaned down slightly, breaking through the swirling mists, as if a primordial mountain descended from the heavens, bearing down with unmatched pressure.
"Today, if you could call forth a Void Refining True Monarch from Mount Yuanchen, I might have three points of hesitation.
But to think that a few words from you alone would deter me, Mount Yuanchen is not yet qualified!"
While the 72 Blessed Lands carry a loud reputation, they differ fundamentally from the 36 Little Grotto Heavens.
Apart from Mount Mao as the premier blessed land, most of the other blessed lands lack a True Immortal in residence, some having not produced an ascended being in tens of thousands of years, already having lost contact with the Upper Realm Tao Doctrine.
Once the matter is dealt with, the Giant Mountain Divine Venerable will return to the Donghuang Domain. Even if the True Monarchs or Taoist Doyens of Mount Yuanchen sought revenge, they wouldn’t dare to step into the Donghuang Divine System’s territory.
After all, within the Donghuang Divine System resides a Divine Monarch with strength comparable to a True Immortal.
The gigantic hand slowly rose, casting a shadow that threatened to engulf the entirety of Green Ark Immortal City. The city protecting array formation was automatically triggered.
Yet, it only lasted a moment before collapsing under the divine might, and the immense power of the Incense Offering Divinity Path threw the Green Ark Immortal City into utter turmoil.
Green Ark Immortal City, constructed by various sects and not by the Great Yin Imperial Dynasty, is not a node of the Mortal Path Array. Many of its inhabitants are Loose Cultivators and small cultivation noble families, nowhere near comparable to the true imperial cities of the dynasty.
