Chapter 55: Yang's Scheme

  "Master, won't this way make us afraid of being discovered by those monsters from the Holy Alliance?" Murong Yunfan asked.

  "Heh heh, Yun Luan, you still haven't grown up. The conflict between the righteous and evil paths isn't as simple as it seems on the surface. All conflicts will disappear when driven by interests, even the hatred between the evil and righteous paths will temporarily disappear under certain interests." The old man's words caused Mu Rong Yun Luan to break out in a cold sweat.

  "Master, won't this lead to drawing fire to oneself and inviting wolves into one's home?" Murong Yunfan asked immediately.

  "Heh heh, you still don't understand, do you? Whether it's the Cultivation Realm or the Mortal Realm, even the Immortal Realm now prioritizes self-interest above all else. If you don't believe me, then what significance does the Great War between Good and Evil, which occurs once every fifty years, hold for you now?" the old man retorted.

  "Hmm, indeed, the Demon Dao War that occurs once every fifty years now seems to be meaningless. It feels like both sides are just going through the motions." Murong Yunfan said after some thought.

  "Heh heh, to be honest with you, now on some of the planets where both sides border each other, there are markets that have been opened, exchanging crystals, medicinal materials and whatnot that both sides need. The Holy Alliance has long turned a blind eye to this. The so-called 'War between Good and Evil' that occurs once every fifty years has already changed from a life-and-death struggle in the past to just going through the motions now. And as for our actions against the Instrument Spirit Sect this time, the Holy Alliance knows something about it."

  "What? You knew about it, so why did you still allow the demonic cultivators to slaughter the disciples of Qīng Líng Zōng?" Mù Róng Yún Huán exclaimed in surprise.

  "It's strange that the Qiling Sect is too overbearing. The Holy Alliance has invited those senior elders of the Qiling Sect to join many times, but they didn't take the Holy Alliance seriously at all. So, teaching some Qiling Sect members a lesson is also the intention of the Holy Alliance. We just followed their intentions and did it. I told you so much because I hope you can do your best during the competition. Alright, I'm going to meet with the Alliance Master to discuss something, you should rest well." The old man finished speaking and walked out.

  "Alas, I didn't expect the Cultivation Realm to be so dark. It seems I've been too naive. The way of Tao is natural and follows the trend. Since that's the case, I'll just have a good fight. Qi Ling Sect? You can only blame your own bad luck." Murong Yunfan sighed in her heart.

  Xuantu Star, although it is the residence of the Holy Alliance, but the location of the Holy Alliance is not in the majestic mountains of Xuantu Star. Instead, it is suspended at the sky boundary. Normally, due to the formation method, it cannot be seen by people. However, today is an exception as the illusionary array is fully opened, and a floating island appears at the sky boundary of Xuantu Star, just like a large continent rising up.

  Looking up from the bottom, countless crystal stones are inlaid on the bottom of the flying island, giving a sense of a fairyland.

  "Tomorrow, let's go, we'll head up there. Alas, if it weren't for this trial, I really wouldn't want to go to that place." Ming'er gazed at the flying island where the Holy Alliance was located with a face full of helplessness.

  "Master, I was wondering why I haven't sensed the presence of so many people from the Holy Alliance these past few days. It turns out they were right above us all along! What a formidable illusion array! Hmm, not bad. By the way, what's the name of this island?" Meanwhile, Sun Ming seemed to ignore the master's helpless expression and instead became interested in the flying island.

  "Uh, this island is called the Suspended Island. To call it an island is actually not as good as calling it a continent. The older generation of scattered immortals from the Holy Alliance used their immortal powers to pull out a large landmass from Xuantu Star and transformed it into this place. Unfortunately, it's said that back then, for the sake of this island, the crust of Xuantu Star underwent violent movements, causing mountains to collapse and lands to split, resulting in countless mortal deaths and injuries." Dusk Heart sighed gloomily at this point.

  "Alright, let's go up." Ming Xin said to the crowd beside him as he saw one after another cultivator flying upwards.

  "Wow, it's so big!" This was the first impression that the Suspended Island gave to Sun Ming. As he flew up, Sun Ming looked around and found that he couldn't even see the boundary on the other side. Compared to the mainland below, this Suspended Island seemed more deserving of the name "continent". The mountains were layered and towering, and at a glance, they seemed endless, with what appeared to be several rivers flowing through them.

  "Unbelievable, there's actually a lake this big." Sun Ming exclaimed. Before him, a massive lake appeared at the center of Xuan Kong Island, with an aura that was overwhelming, its waves sparkling and shining under the sunlight, looking exceptionally enchanting.

  "Hehe, some of the elders of the Holy Alliance are water-attribute, so it's not surprising that there's a lake here. There are many spiritual beasts in the water, such as Jiaolong, Jinli, Linggui and so on. This good lake has become a paradise for spiritual beasts." Sun Ming explained beside Dusk Court.

  "Alright, let's go down." Zan Xing said and flew downwards, Sun Ming and the others closely followed behind.

  "Hmm, what is this?" Sun Ming looked at the scene in front of him with some confusion. A completely different view from what he saw in the sky appeared before his eyes. It was a magnificent and resplendent building complex, with pavilions, towers, and mist-shrouded eaves. Even several spiritual beasts flew by, creating a truly heavenly scenery on earth. Sun Ming couldn't help but praise it in his heart.

  "Hey, aren't you the ones from Qiwu Xiu Men Pai, the Qiling Zong? How come you just arrived? Come over and greet the 'firsts'." A elderly man with a somewhat ethereal appearance suddenly stood before everyone, leading three young disciples, and said in an unusually loud tone.

  "Ah, nice to meet you all." The three disciples bowed and exchanged greetings, but it was clear that they looked down on each other.

  Sun Ming and the other two also returned a courtesy, reluctantly looking at the arrogant crowd in front of them. In their hearts, they couldn't help but smile wryly, it seemed that the thousand-year seal of Qiling Sect had indeed been forgotten by everyone, to the point where even these small sects dared to come forward and mock them, alas.

  "Haha, the Tai Shang elders of your Qiling Sect are indeed old-fashioned. Sealing off the mountain for a thousand years, how can the remaining prestige of their predecessors intimidate people for a thousand years?" Yun Zhongzi suddenly interjected, seemingly dissatisfied with his disciple being looked down upon, and attributed this dissatisfaction to the Tai Shang elders of the Qiling Sect. Sun Ming could only smile wryly in his heart.

  The two senior elders and the two elders did not say anything, and Sun Ming's three people also didn't dare to make a move, they just stood there silently staring at the three arrogant men in front of them.

  "It's been a long time since the Taoist friends of the world gave that empty name, let's not mention it, let's not mention it." In the end, it was still Tianyi who came out to mediate as the kind old man.

  "Ah, I have no other intention, just to pay respects to the great name of Qixing Sect. I heard that Qixing Sect is participating in this trial, so I came over to say hello. Since that's the case, we'll take our leave." The old man said and led his three disciples away, after all, he didn't want to offend two scattered immortals. Although this was Xuandou Star, although this was Xuan Kong Island, they still couldn't do anything too out of line.

  "Master, why didn't you take action to teach them a lesson just now?" Sun Ming said with some anger, "This old Taoist is clearly here to mock us."

  "Hmph, these people are just some lackeys, the ones from the Instrument Repair Alliance are our true opponents. Why bother getting worked up over these people? Besides, this is Xuan Dou Star, and resorting to violence will inevitably offend the Holy Alliance. If you want to teach them a lesson, wait until the competition and humiliate them properly. Remember, since they're also instrument craftsmen, the ultimate way to humiliate them isn't by directly attacking them, but by making them lose confidence in their instrument crafting abilities. As for how to do it during the competition, figure it out yourself. Although they're just small lackeys, they're being a bit too arrogant." Ming Xin said expressionlessly to Sun Ming.

  "Alright, disciples understood." Sun Ming said, and then led everyone's footsteps forward.

  "Tomorrow, you're going to be a cheap master with such a ruthless heart!!" Yun Zhongzi suddenly said this sentence that made Sun Ming quite depressed.

  "What's wrong, Master? Isn't it just a blow to those arrogant alchemists? What's the big deal? Besides, they're too arrogant anyway, humph." Sun Ming said disapprovingly.

  "Heh heh, that cheap master of yours let you bully those alchemists. Do you think it's just a matter of bullying? Think about it, if it were you, under the watchful eyes of everyone, in your own domain where you're most skilled, and yet still suffered humiliation at someone else's hands, would you still be able to show your face?" Yun Zhongzi retorted.

  Sun Ming thought for a moment, and his heart couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. If he had to give up on the path of refining equipment...

  "I see, when a person is hit in their strongest field, they often become disheartened and never recover. That's why I say you're a ruthless master, but it's no wonder, having survived three heavenly calamities as a loose immortal, one can't be soft-hearted." Yun Zhongzi said.

  "What should I do then, Master? Are we just going to let those three go?" Sun Ming asked.

  "You foolish disciple, why did you let those three go? Offending a disciple of mine, Cloud Middle Son, how can they not accept punishment!! You should thoroughly humiliate them and make them stagnate in their alchemy practice for the rest of their lives." Cloud Middle Son said harshly.

  "Master, I've discovered a problem. It turns out that the higher one's cultivation is, the more ruthless their heart becomes. Master, you truly live up to your reputation." Sun Ming smiled to himself in his heart.

  In another part of Xuantu Star, the four people that Sun Ming and his group had just met were now talking to another group of people.

  "The leader, I have made it clear that there are seven people from the Qilong Sect, including three disciples, two elders and two scattered immortals. They should be the two elders who are usually stationed on this Xuan Dou Star, Mu Xin and Mu Ting." The old man said with great respect, while the three disciples who were just proud and arrogant, all lowered their heads in silence.

  "How is the cultivation of those three disciples?" asked Huafeng Alliance Master.

  "Hmm, I've taken a closer look, and it turns out that two of the Nascent Souls are in their initial stages, while one is actually at the Golden Core stage. This sect has been closed off for a thousand years, and yet its disciples have fallen to such a deplorable state; if not for the support of some older generations, they would have collapsed long ago." The elder said with great disdain.

  "Jindan initial stage?" Huafeng Alliance Master smiled and said

  "It seems that the restrictions of this trial have really made Qī Líng Zōng anxious, haha, go tell Yún Luán to put her mind at ease about the trial. Humph, I'd like to see how you guys win this time."

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