Free Web NovelChapter 413: Chapter 396: Scramble from All Sides
’Is he planning to stop everyone else all by himself???’
This course of action would offend not only Lin Jinghao and Ling Fei, but also Bu Qingyun and his group. In fact, working together here to get rid of the one with the Holy Light Demon Collapse Body would be a wonderful turn of events. Besides, the Holy Hall’s background wasn’t strong, and even if it were, there’d be no proof.
The same thought occurred to almost everyone: killing a person like this would send powerful shockwaves.
Mingren kept his smile, seemingly having seen something in their eyes.
"Mingren, do you know what you are doing!"
Chen Zhuhua said gravely.
"Heh, none of you will be able to enter anyway. To be honest, I just feel a little bad for Lin Jinghao and Ling Fei. After all, they put in a lot of effort along the way. But there’s no choice. Wang Meng desperately needs this. I’ll just have to be the bad guy. Heh, in fact, I’ve always wanted to be the bad guy!"
Mingren shrugged helplessly.
Tch.
Lin Jinghao snapped open his small fan and fanned himself lightly. "How interesting, Brother Mingren. And here I’ve always wanted to be a good person. But I don’t quite understand. Why are you helping Wang Meng? Even if he absorbs all the Power of Soul inside, it might not be enough. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the last time this place was opened, the Power of Dragon Soul was completely absorbed. The accumulation over the past hundred-plus years might be a significant improvement for us, but for a Five Elements Body, it’s likely still not enough."
Clearly, Lin Jinghao knew what he was talking about.
Mingren smiled faintly. "Let me ask you something. What would you do if you’d been waiting for something, only to suddenly discover one day that it had come to nothing?"
"Heh. If it were me, I’d keep trying as long as there was a sliver of hope... You’re a fascinating man, Brother Mingren. But do you think *he’s* worthy?"
Lin Jinghao’s smile was radiant. The two words on his fan—"Good Person"—shimmered with light.
But Ling Fei knew this was a sign that Lin Jinghao was preparing to make a move.
The Power of Dragon Soul was an incredible boon for his Nine Luminaries Cyan Dragon Body. Only three of the Ten Great Sects had shown up because the No Illusion Demon Sect had warned the others away. Their Young Master needed this.
Ling Fei took a step forward. "Jinghao, let him have this one."
Lin Jinghao froze for a moment before his expression returned to normal, and the two words "Good Person" on his fan dimmed. "Sister Ling Fei, what are you playing at? Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Wang Meng?"
"Don’t be ridiculous!" Ling Fei snorted.
Suddenly, Lin Jinghao slapped his forehead. "Oh, I get it. How interesting. Truly interesting. Fine, I’ll let this one slide. I wasn’t that interested in this anyway." He glanced at Mingren. "The Holy Light Demon Collapse Body is very powerful, but it only awakened in you recently. You’re too raw. Tsk tsk, it’d be no fun to fight you now. Mingren, you owe me one."
Mingren smiled faintly. "Anytime you like."
"Fine. To think I came all this way for nothing. Whatever, I’ll go take a look around the Dragon Tomb. You all do whatever you want."
With that, Lin Jinghao stepped into the void beside the Dragon Soul Gate, and his figure vanished in an instant.
The others exchanged glances, unsure whether to press forward or retreat. Bu Qingyun’s group wasn’t afraid of facing Mingren and Ling Fei together, but after a moment of tense standoff, they decided it wasn’t worth it.
"Brother Mingren, would you like to explore the Dragon Tomb?" Ling Fei asked.
Mingren shook his head. "Now that things have settled down, there’s no point hanging around this gloomy place."
Ling Fei nodded and was the first to use the Teleportation Array. Mingren followed suit, using the Teleportation Array to leave. Bu Qingyun and the others looked at one another. If even Ling Fei and Mingren weren’t going to explore the Dragon Tomb, they certainly had no intention of doing so. Lin Jinghao possessed the Nine Luminaries Cyan Dragon Body, which gave him a massive advantage inside the Dragon Tomb; it was useless for other Holy Statues, even if they were stronger than him.
That was likely another reason Lin Jinghao wasn’t too concerned about that little bit of Dragon Soul.
Then, with a series of flashes, everyone left the Dragon Cave.
When Mingren and the others teleported out of the Dragon Cave, they were stunned by the spectacle that greeted them.
Nearly a thousand Cultivators surrounded a few people in the center. Stunned, Bu Qingyun and Yi Fan quickly walked over.
"Sect Leader, what brings you here?" The two of them bowed respectfully.
Of the four people in the center, an elderly man in cyan sect robes turned around. He was none other than the Sect Leader of the Cyan Cloud Sect, a peak expert of the Star Alliance: Wind Celestial Venerable Lu Chenfeng.
"Your martial uncle is dead." Though Lu Chenfeng’s voice was calm, it was clearly laden with sorrow.
"Greetings, Sect Leader." Ling Fei stood quietly before a woman with her hair piled high in an intricate bun. One look was enough to tell she was a very strict person.
"Ziwei has also fallen. The Dragon Race has revealed itself," said Bai Yu, the Flower Fairy Sect Leader.
A middle-aged man was also present. His mere presence seemed to exude an aura powerful enough to eclipse the heavens and the earth. He was clad in imposing, purplish-black robes, emblazoned with the large word "Demon."
Only one person had such an aura: the foremost Demon Cultivator, Sect Leader of the No Illusion Demon Sect, the No Illusion Demon Master—Demon Ba.
"Mo Chen, everyone else is dead, and you’re the only one alive. Isn’t that a little too strange?"
Demon Ba said lightly. Even when facing a Great Perfection expert like Mo Chen—someone not to be trifled with—his domineering presence didn’t diminish in the slightest.
"I had a brief encounter with one of the Dragon Race in the past. That is likely the reason I was spared. However, Demon Ba, even you might not have been a match for him."
Mo Chen was already at death’s door, so he naturally had no fear of the No Illusion Demon Master.
"The reemergence of the Dragon Race is a major affair. We must consider our long-term strategy," Bai Yu said. She was relieved that Ling Fei had made it out; otherwise, she would have truly flown into a rage.
This was supposed to have been a sure thing. No matter the danger, they should have been able to retreat unscathed. Instead, they had lost a Great Perfection master.
The No Illusion Demon Master’s attention fell upon Mingren. In truth, Hundred Flowers Fairy and Wind Celestial Venerable were also staring at him. They had already been informed.
The No Illusion Demon Master walked toward Mingren step by step. Countless surrounding Cultivators watched the center in silence. Who could have imagined the Dragon Race would suddenly appear and slaughter humanity’s top experts as if crushing dry leaves? What did this portend?
"You are Mingren. The Holy Light Demon Collapse Body." The No Illusion Demon Master stared at Mingren, his pressure nearly blotting out the sky.
Mingren’s gaze remained fixed on the Dragon Tomb. He nodded at the question, but his attention clearly wasn’t on the No Illusion Demon Master.
’In this day and age, across the entire Star Alliance, no one had ever ignored him like this.’
Everyone watching broke into a cold sweat for Mingren. Even if he had the Holy Light Demon Collapse Body, the No Illusion Demon Master could crush him with a single finger.
But Demon Ba threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Good kid! You’ve got spirit! I like it! You! Join my No Illusion Demon Sect!"
Mingren showed no sign of acknowledging him. A light breeze swept by, and everyone felt a chill. ’This kid is too arrogant! To actually dare to leave the No Illusion Demon Master hanging like that!’
Just as Demon Ba looked ready to erupt, a quiet question drifted from Mingren’s lips: "Are you the strongest?"
The question almost made the No Illusion Demon Master, who roamed the world unopposed, choke.
’The strongest?’
’In this entire world, who would dare claim to be the strongest?’
"Kid, follow me, and I can make you the strongest. Are you still worried about your sect? I can turn it to dust with a snap of my fingers!"
These words did not sit well with the others, but the leaders of the Flower Fairy Sect and the Cyan Cloud Sect remained impassive. Both Hundred Flowers Fairy and Wind Celestial Venerable were clearly very interested in Mingren as well. Unfortunately, Demon Ba had spoken first. Their only chance was if the boy himself refused.
"You hesitated, which means you are not the strongest."
’Hua Jianyu and the others were going crazy. Who knew the Holy Hall produced such characters? What kind of person was this guy? He was always smiling, yet with a single sentence, he could leave the No Illusion Demon Master speechless. Did he really think the Holy Hall could protect him?!’
Demon Ba couldn’t help but roar with laughter. "Kid, are you looking for the world’s number one expert to be your master? Then you’ve come to the right place! Who dares to challenge me, Demon Ba!"
The roaring Demon Sound left the Cultivators present dizzy and disoriented. Demon Ba was, in fact, one of the most powerful people in the world today.
Lu Chenfeng stroked his beard and chuckled. "Brother Demon Ba, talk is cheap, so be careful not to bite your tongue. I think we should respect this young friend’s own opinion." He then turned to Mingren. "Your sect is a Saint Cultivation Sect, and my Cyan Cloud Sect is the leader of all Saint Cultivators. If you’re interested, you can join us."
"Lu Chenfeng, you old Daoist, are you trying to pick a fight with me?!"
Demon Ba raged.
There were disparities among the Ten Great Sects, but not as large as one might think. At their level, any fight would be a pyrrhic victory, a case of "injuring the enemy by a thousand to wound oneself by eight hundred." Neither was truly afraid of the other; it was simply a matter of whether the fight was worth it.
Lu Chenfeng had excellent composure and didn’t rise to the bait. "I am merely stating a fact: the best fit is the right fit. Besides, being the world’s number one isn’t a title won through boasting."
As the Sect Leader of the Cyan Cloud Sect, Lu Chenfeng was truly not afraid of Demon Ba.
Demon Ba and Lu Chenfeng were both pinnacle experts of their era, existences who could face an Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon single-handedly without being outmatched. The mere clash of their gazes unleashed an aura that seemed capable of destroying the world.
And yet Mingren, the man at the center of it all, simply continued to gaze quietly at the Dragon Tomb.
Just then, a ray of colorful light appeared inexplicably in the sky, a beam that stretched all the way down to the ground.
For a dizzying moment, the sky seemed to split open. A blinding radiance poured out as a Celestial Gate materialized. Accompanied by a series of roars, a troop of knights charged forth from the gate, their mounts none other than Cyan Qilins.
The knight in the lead rode a larger White Qilin. Only one power was luxurious enough to use such Spirit Beasts as mounts.
The number one Major Sect in the Star Alliance, the most mysterious of all factions: Pure Land.
It seemed the emergence of the Dragon Race had alarmed the Pure Land Knights.
"’Damn,’ Ji Rushan couldn’t help but mutter. ’A loud bang in the sky, and a bunch of guys make a dazzling entrance. Talk about making a scene.’"
The lead knight leaped down from his Qilin. "I greet the various Sect Leaders."
His voice was calm, not arrogant, yet his words dismissed everyone else as mere bystanders, not even deigning to address them by name.
"What’s this? Since when is Pure Land interested in the Dragon Tomb? Are you here to fight us for the scraps?" Demon Ba was even less courteous when facing people from Pure Land.
"You jest, Demon Sect Leader," the knight said, walking to stand before Mingren. "I am here on a mission, under orders from the Saintess." He then asked solemnly, "Mingren, are you willing to join Pure Land?"
The knight walked in front of Mingren and asked solemnly.
Mingren glanced at the Pure Land Knight. "Can you wait a little while?"
’Traces of anger flickered across the other knights’ faces. ’Does he really think he’s hot stuff? How dare he disrespect Pure Land!’’
’Demon Ba, on the other hand, was delighted. ’This kid looks so peaceful, but he’s got such a strong personality. Damn, it’s a real waste he’s not on the Demon Dao!’’
The middle-aged knight raised a hand, uttering a single word. "Fine."
