Chapter 1335: Treasure Master"s Secret Plan
"Haha! Azure Dragon King, since you came already, why the rush to leave?"
Just at this moment, laughter came from the sky. An old man with an imposing appearance slowly walked over.
This old man exuded a strong aura from his body, putting pressure on everyone. This was a Ninth Heaven Sovereign Martial Emperor, a person who rivaled the three Holy Masters of the Tianwu Continent.
Xiao Chen"s heart skipped a beat as he guessed the other party"s ident.i.ty. This should be the person who signed off as the Five Poison Old Man on the invitation letter.
"Former Sect Master, why are you here?" When Tang Feng saw this old man, he immediately received him respectfully.
The Five Poison Old Man snorted coldly. "Tang Feng, later, you will have to account for the attempted a.s.sa.s.sination on the Azure Dragon King. I got you to receive the Azure Dragon King, but the Azure Dragon King nearly died. If word of this spreads, where can my Five Poison Sect put its face? If the Supreme Sky Prime comes to question us, I will not know where to hide my old face."
Tang Feng lowered his head and said, "Former Sect Master, you are right to chide me for this."
Clearly, the one with the most authority in the Five Poison Sect was not the current Sect Master but this Former Sect Master, who already retired.
This somewhat surprised Xiao Chen. He had not expected this Former Sect Master to make an appearance when a decision had already been issued.
In that case, would the Five Poison Sect"s position change?
"The two of you, may this old man speak with the Azure Dragon King alone?" the Five Poison Old Man asked the seniors of the Yinyang Paradise and the Heavenly Province Academy.
"Haha! Of course, you may."
"Naturally, I would not have any opinions about this." Then, two Holy Scions nodded quickly, leaving Xiao Chen"s side.
A short while later, Xiao Chen and this Five Poison Old Man appeared at the top floor of a pavilion.
After the Five Poison Old Man looked at Xiao Chen carefully, he asked, "Azure Dragon King, will you tell me how you killed that Fifth Heaven Martial Emperor?"
Xiao Chen hesitated for a while, then spread his palm wide, and a Buddhist lamp slowly floated out.
Faint Buddhist chanting echoed in the place. As the śarīra floated in the air, it gave off rings of Buddhist halo lights. One could even vaguely see an indistinct illusory arhat in the Buddhist light.
The Five Poison Old Man narrowed his eyes and stared at the Heavenly Snow Divine Flame in the Buddhist lamp. He asked uncertainly, "Is this a primal-chaos-level flame?"
Xiao Chen nodded. "The primal-chaos-level Heavenly Snow Divine Flame. I just nourished it to Rank 1, and it gained some special abilities. Now, it can swallow up the Primordial Energy in an opponent"s body without him noticing, weakening the opponent temporarily."
This explanation startled the Five Poison Old Man. This Xiao Chen was really lucky. He had obtained not only a primal-chaos-level flame but also a Buddhist lamp and śarīra. Otherwise, it would take an extremely long time to raise the primal-chaos-level flame even to Rank 1.
However, this was not right. One would not be able to kill a Fifth Heaven Martial Emperor just by relying on this Heavenly Snow Divine Flame. After all, a Rank 1 primal-chaos-level flame was still too weak.
Even if Xiao Chen caught Elder Ma off guard and injured him, swallowing up most of Elder Ma"s Primordial Energy, Elder Ma still possessed trump cards that would allow him to run if he wished.
The Five Poison Old Man"s eyes flickered with light as he muttered, "Just relying on this Heavenly Snow Divine Flame is not enough to kill Elder Ma."
Xiao Chen"s heart skipped a beat. This Five Poison Old Man"s eyes were really sharp. However, Xiao Chen did not intend to reveal his Dharmic World trump card to him.
The Dharmic World was a Major Magic Skill of the Immortal Arts. It was Xiao Chen"s greatest trump card, which could allow him to pull off an instant reversal.
Once it was known, allowing Xiao Chen"s opponent to guard against it, it would no longer guarantee a sure kill.
After all, this Dharmic World could last for only a few seconds. It relied on catching the opponent off guard and killing them instantly.
Xiao Chen nodded and said, "Indeed, I still have the greatest trump card in my hand. However, please forgive me, but I cannot tell Senior this trump card."
"Hahaha! This old man still understands this principle. I"ve thought it through. The Five Poison Sect startled you this time, so we can be considered as owing you a favor. Just tell us how we should repay this favor in the future," the Five Poison Old Man said while laughing, not minding Xiao Chen keeping his trump card a secret.
Xiao Chen rejoiced in his heart. The Five Poison Old Man saying this was equal to him overturning the earlier decision to remain neutral.
"Many thanks, Senior."
---
Outside the pavilion, Tang Feng, Tang Xun, and Gong Taihua waited anxiously.
Tang Xun appeared dazzled, his voice somewhat weak as he asked, "Father, is it already sure that the Five Poison Sect will support the Dragon"s Gate?"
Tang Feng nodded. "It is most likely the case. The strength that the Azure Dragon King showed is too shocking. The Heavenly Province Academy and the Yinyang Paradise are definitely going to place their future in his hands. The Former Sect Master needs to conform with the times."
Tang Xun"s expression darkened slightly, appearing extremely dissatisfied. As for Gong Taihua, his expression sank, his heart depressed and conflicted.
Tang Feng waved his hand and said, "Oh, right, Elder Gong, when the Azure Dragon King comes out, apologize to him."
"What! You want me to apologize to him?" Gong Taihua exclaimed with shock on his face.
Tang Feng glared and shouted coldly, "What"s wrong? You are not willing?"
Gong Taihua felt the pressure coming from Tang Feng. Cold sweat ran down his back as he sighed softly, "I only have myself to blame. When he comes out later, I will personally apologize to him."
---
After Xiao Chen finished chatting with the Five Poison Old Man, he walked out feeling at ease. He accepted Gong Taihua"s apology with a smile and did not make things difficult for him.
After Xiao Chen came out of the pavilion, the two elders from the Yinyang Paradise and the Heavenly Province Academy continuously pestered him, not letting him off.
This placed Xiao Chen in a difficult spot. Both sides offered magnificent hospitality and were hard to decline. It was hard for him to pick which to go to first. In his heart, he wanted to choose the Heavenly Province Academy. He was rather interested in the remnants and relics that the other party mentioned.
However, Tong Susu put on a pitiful expression that was truly hard to reject. Furthermore, she had spoken up for Xiao Chen earlier.
After some deliberation, Xiao Chen chose to go to the Yinyang Paradise first. However, he promised to head for the Heavenly Province Academy immediately after leaving the Yinyang Paradise.
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Two days later, the news of the failed a.s.sa.s.sination reached the ears of the Divine Daughter, Tian Youxi.
After a Fifth Heaven Martial Emperor used a Dimensional Talisman, he still failed to kill Xiao Chen. This news shocked Tian Youxi. Could it be that killing Xiao Chen would require a Sovereign Martial Emperor?
However, Sovereign Martial Emperors were the peak fighting force of any faction and were extremely rare.
If a Sovereign Martial Emperor were hastily mobilized, it would trigger a chain reaction resulting in an all-out war.
However, the time was not yet ripe. It was still not the time for an all-out war. Furthermore, if they utilized a Sovereign Martial Emperor and Xiao Chen escaped, it would be a great loss.
After the shock came rage. Tian Youxi"s face turned fiery-red, her dignified and solemn countenance flus.h.i.+ng in anger.
This a.s.sa.s.sination not only failed but even resulted in the three Holy Lands of the Eastern Sea all agreeing to help Xiao Chen at the crucial moment.
There was a saying, "Trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it." This situation was precisely what this saying meant. Tian Youxi was extremely depressed.
Tian Youxi felt like there was a rock on her chest, pressing down on her and inflicting considerable discomfort.
The news of Xiao Chen killing a Fifth Heaven Martial Emperor and obtaining the support of three Holy Lands spread out and set the entire Heavenly Starry Ocean abuzz.
The fame of the Dragon"s Gate"s Xiao Chen soared with the change in the situation and, consequently, suppressed the Deity Dao Union"s prestige.
It reached the point where the Deity Dao Union saw no hope of turning things around, as many of the Rank 9 sects adopted a wait-and-see att.i.tude.
The sects that had originally agreed to join the Deity Dao Union returned the Deity Race"s gifts. This development compounded Tian Youxi"s sense of defeat, making her feel extremely helpless.
Now, the entire Heavenly Starry Ocean discussed where Xiao Chen would go next. The Azure Dragon King"s momentum was like the sun of midday, flouris.h.i.+ng as time went by.
"Divine Daughter, there is no need to worry. When the Divine Son comes out, he will be able to flip things around and suppress Xiao Chen in one go. There is a saying, the greater the height, the harder the fall. Let"s see how long he can remain proud of himself," consoled Qin Xiu, who had fumbled the matter.
Tian Youxi rubbed her temples and said softly, "I have confidence in the Divine Son. As long as he comes out of closed-door cultivation, all the problems will be resolved. However, I"m afraid that by the time he comes out of closed-door cultivation, all the Holy Lands of the Heavenly Starry Ocean will already be gone."
Qin Xiu said in a deep voice, "Do not fear. There is still the Northern Sea Alliance. Since Xia Houjue said that he is confident, he should be able to panic Xiao Chen. When Xiao Chen is fl.u.s.tered, we will place all our cards on the Lunar Palace."
Tian Youxi nodded vigorously and said, "That"s right. The Lunar Palace. We must pull in the Lunar Palace. No matter how many Holy Lands Xiao Chen obtains support from, as long as the Lunar Palace joins the Deity Dao Union, all his efforts will go to waste."
Qin Xiu smiled and said, "Furthermore, the Lunar Palace had a deep grudge against the Azure Emperor back then. During the Four Seas Hero Gathering, the Lunar Palace"s Palace Master even directly chased Xiao Chen away."
After the various a.n.a.lyses, Tian Youxi"s emotions settled down. She stood up and paced calmly. Then, she said, "Xiao Chen feels that he does not need to spend much effort on the Northern Sea Alliance, thinking of it as his own backyard. His next stop should be the Cyclic Astral Palace. Uncle Qin, do we have any means to stop him?"
Qin Xiu muttered, "The Cyclic Astral Palace is rather difficult to deal with. Of the many factions in the Heavenly Starry Ocean, if we ranked them by acc.u.mulations, the first would be the Lunar Palace and the second would be the Cyclic Astral Palace. That Cyclic Astral Lord has shown no intention of meeting us from the very beginning."
Tian Youxi shook her head and said, "This Cyclic Astral Lord is a sly old fox. He clearly saw the situation and directly stated that if we build any shrines in the Cyclic Astral Palace"s territories, it would be tantamount to a declaration of war."
Qin Xiu said coldly, "He does not know how to appreciate our kindness. This is a great opportunity given by heaven. The Thunder Sovereign is not around; this is a great opportunity for our Deity Race to rule the Kunlun Realm. No one will be able to stop our momentum."
Tian Youxi waved her hand and warned, "You"d better not say this again. Now is not the time to reveal our true intentions."
"Should we go and visit the Treasure Master?" Qin Xiu suggested.
When Tian Youxi heard the Treasure Master"s name, she revealed a grave expression. "Let me think about it. The Deity Sovereign told me before that even he found the Treasure Master unfathomable. If we can avoid meeting him, it is best not to. This is in case he figures out our trump card."
"However, right now, the Azure Dragon King is proceeding with great momentum. The Divine Son is not out of closed-door cultivation yet. The personal disciples of the East Mountain Ghost Monarch and the Heaven Punis.h.i.+ng Corpse G.o.d have not arrived, either. We do not have many pieces that we can use."
"We"ll meet him!"
Indecision invariably led to trouble. After thinking for a while, Tian Youxi finally made up her mind. In order to stop Xiao Chen from convincing the Cyclic Astral Lord, she would listen to the Treasure Master"s suggestion. If necessary, she would make use of the Treasure Master"s forces.