Once the Wutong Tree made the decision, its connection with the spiritual realm was temporarily cut off. Unless it activated the passage again, nobody would be able to pry its existence.
After some time, when Fat Antelope sensed that the Wutong Tree had slowly calmed down, it mustered its courage and asked, “Senior, why were you so agitated just now? Did something happen?”
The Wutong Tree swayed its large branches and answered, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry and just wait here.”
Fat Antelope tilted its head and raised another question, “Is it related to Master Ou?”
The Wutong Tree responded after a moment of silence, “It’s related to him indeed. Heh…”
It could not help but recall what Ou Yangming asked it in the past.
“Don’t regret this.”
‘Regret?’ The face on the tree wall had a strange look on its face.
‘Did you know that a Phoenix powerhouse will come into this world? But since I chose you, and you accepted me, this is our fate, so why would I regret this?
‘Ah, you’re being too petty for asking me to shut this secret realm.
‘That said… I approve of this, and I quite like it.
‘Now, I’ll be waiting for your call here so that I can activate the secret realm again. I hope that it won’t take too long. Mm, I suppose you’ll call me within 1,000 years…’
From the Wutong Tree’s perspective of time, 1,000 years would not be too long.
Nonetheless, it never thought that the period was torturous for a human.
※※※※
“Brother Ou, Brother Ou…”
A hurried voice pulled Ou Yangming’s mental conception out of his sea of consciousness and back to his senses.
The young fellow’s connection with the Wutong Tree was the deepest in his consciousness. In particular, when he ordered that the secret realm be sealed, it involved the secret of his soul. This was the reason he was so engrossed in the process that he did not have free time to pay attention to anything else.
Only when he sensed that the Wutong Tree sealed the secret realm without leaving a trace, he finally relaxed.
By the time Ou Yangming looked up at the sky, another Venerable One appeared in the sky.
The old macaque had unknowingly soared into the sky and was standing with its hands behind its back behind Yuqi the Venerable One.
There were only 2 of them, which made them only half of the total number of insect Venerable Ones. Even so, when the 2 Venerable Ones stood together and released their auras to confront the 4 insect Venerable Ones, they were not in a disadvantageous spot.
Ou Yangming turned to look at Mao Jianbi and asked, “What is it?”
Mao Jianbi was slightly stunned, He suddenly sensed an old and ancient feeling from Ou Yangming for a second just now, and he also felt something that was far more majestic than Yuqi the Venerable One.
While he was dazed for an instant, he could not help but doubt if he had met a fake Ou Yangming.
In actuality, when Ou Yangming’s conception came out, he accidentally brought out a hint of the Wutong Tree’s mightiness. It was only a hint of it, which quickly dispersed, but it was not something that could be withstood by ordinary people.
Mao Jianbi could take it because he was a top-grade Spiritualist and was only a step away from becoming a Venerable One.
One with a slightly inferior cultivation base would have embarrassed oneself on the spot.
The great elder shook his head to cast aside the unbelievable feeling, then he uttered softly, “Quickly leave!”
“What?” Ou Yangming was bewildered. He turned to look at the others and realized that the formidable top-grade Spiritualists including Immortal Fox looked grim and helpless.
Mao Jianbi sighed and explained, “The 4 insect Venerable Ones somehow destroyed the big formation and specifically asked for you and the spirit. Sir Venerable One is holding them back, but he sent me a secret message and asked me to bring you away as soon as possible.”
He reached out and tugged at Ou Yangming’s arm as he said, “Go!”
Who knew, Ou Yangming questioned in a deep voice, “Great Elder, if I leave, will they vent their anger on the Beast King Sect?”
Mao Jianbi’s face twitched, but he responded without any hesitation, “That has nothing to do with you; you only need to protect yourself.”
Ou Yangming looked deeply at him. He did not know if he was touched or agitated, but he experienced an upsurge of uncontrollable emotions.
Immortal Fox and the other foreign top-grade Spiritualists looked at Yuqi the Venerable One and the old macaque in the sky, as well as Mao Jianbi, who acted right after he received his order. They were in admiration and envious, but a few of them scorned and felt regretful.
The wills of Yuqi the Venerable One and the old macaque were the Beast King Sect’s decision. They were mighty for withstanding the 4 insect Venerable Ones’ pressures and risking the sect being destroyed just to send Ou Yangming away.
Despite that, their decision would also bring doom upon the Beast King Sect.
Some of the top-grade Spiritualists could not understand why the 2 supreme powerhouses would be so irrational at this moment.
Having said that, why did their hearts pound?
They knew Yuqi the Venerable One was making the wrong choice, but they somehow applauded it.
Immortal Fox raised its eyebrows and expressed, “Yes, Master Ou, go ahead and leave. I’m not a Venerable One but since I’ve come here, I’m a part of the Beast King Sect before the war ends. Heh, if they’d like to destroy the sect, I might just go all-out and fight this life-or-death battle.”
Everyone else was surprised. They looked at the spirit fox in shock as they could not understand why it would make such a decision.
It was worth noting that Immortal Fox had incredible backstage support. Even if the 4 insect Venerable Ones appeared in front of it at the same time, they might not be willing to harm it.
In fact, as long as Immortal Fox showed up and expressed that it would not take sides, the Insects would not harass it.
However, if the spirit fox insisted on fighting for the Beast King Sect, it could be killed. After all, the Insects had 4 Venerable Ones. Even if it was for the sake of their ego, they could only bite the bullet to do what they ought to do.
Thus, the others looked at Immortal Fox oddly as they could not make sense of its decision.
Immortal Fox glanced at the others and said, “I suppose you haven’t forgotten our final goal.” It sneered and continued, “I only know that if I flinch today, everything that happened today will be a nightmare for me in the future… I don’t want to stay where I am forever!” Its body slowly released a peculiar aura, which made it look unusually dangerous.
Ou Yangming tensed up. He finally understood why the powerhouses including Mao Jianbi and Bear Li were fearful of the small fox.
The fellow’s momentum was so strong that it was definitely the only one that it had seen in its life.
Perhaps Six-armed Giant Beast, which killed Ghost Mo, was the only one that could contend with it.
The other top-grade Spiritualists looked at each other for a brief moment. Other than 3 to 4 of them, who shook their heads and retreated, the rest looked grave and serious.
Nobody summoned them, and none of them said a word, but the powerhouses gave off queer energies.
‘Yes, since Immortal Fox isn’t flinching, how can I turn away?
‘If I turn away today, it might be the beginning of me shying away countless times in the future until I can no longer back away. In the end, I’ll no longer be noticed because I would’ve become incapable.’
Seeing as the eyes of the powerhouses slowly lit up, Mao Jianbi stomped his foot hard. He could not wait to be a part of them, but he had something more important to attend to at this time.
“Master Ou, let’s go!”
Just as he wanted to force Ou Yangming to leave, the young fellow noted, “That
’s not necessary anymore—it’s over.”
“What?”
“Look…” Ou Yangming looked into the distance and mumbled, “It’s here.”
Far away, where one’s eyes could still reach, a massive red light flickered and surged over in an overwhelming momentum.
Chapter 722 - Prestige
Several Venerable Ones faced each other from far in the sky. Their auras were fearsome and dangerous, and they were confronting each other in a unique way.
Yuqi the Venerable One looked grave while the old macaque’s eyes were bright. They stood side by side, but they were proud as though they were not showing a weak impression even if they were facing 4 insect Venerable Ones.
The 4 insect Venerable Ones on the ground were greater in number, but they were hesitant as they faced Yuqi the Venerable One, and especially the old macaque.
Although the old macaque had the combat power of a Venerable One, it was too old, after all. It would be fine for it to burst for a short period, but any Venerable One could take it down in a long fight.
Nonetheless, when the insect Venerable Ones thought about the consequence of killing the old macaque, they felt tingling sensations on their scalps. In particular, the 10,000-legged Venerable One’s eyes kept wandering as it dared not look at the old macaque in the eye; it was afraid that the old yet strong powerhouse would vent its anger on it.
Moreover, Yuqi the Venerable One might have lost control of the Big Mountain-guarding Formation, but his mightiness was clear to everyone. Once he decided to defend the sect to his death, even though there were 4 insect Venerable Ones, he could make one of them a sacrificial victim. As for which insect Venerable One would be chosen, it would depend on which of them was more unlucky.
Besides, if Yuqi the Venerable One were to risk his life to fight, Gold-bodied Venerable One dared not say that it could still perform its secret technique to trap the spirit any longer.
Due to the various concerns, the 4 insect Venerable Ones did not attack right away despite having broken the Big Mountain-guarding Formation. Instead, they kept pressuring Yuqi the Venerable One.
As long as they could take the spirit and Ou Yangming, who came from the lower realm, away, they could leave the Beast King Sect.
Even so, no matter how they forced and tempted Yuqi the Venerable One, he was not moved at all.
Gold-bodied Venerable One twisted its enormous body to further constrain the spirit. It lowered its voice to speak to the 3 other insect Venerable Ones, “In my opinion, let’s forget about the fella from the lower realm. As long as we have this spirit, we’ll be able to go on the path to Heaven, so why should we bother about something so trivial?”
Black-faced Venerable One was stunned for a while before it nodded and said, “Yes, our biggest gain will be getting the spirit. Hmph, Ghost-clawed, 10,000-legged, we’ve lost top-grade spirit beasts but are willing to let that slide. Are you not willing to let go?”
Ghost-clawed Venerable One hesitated for a while, then he turned around and asked, “10,000-legged, I’m sure you know the reason the Beast King Sect’s Big Mountain-guarding Formation crumbled.”
Black-faced Venerable One and Gold-bodied Venerable One tensed up. Given that the Big Mountain-guarding Formation was destroyed without the Humans’ knowledge, the ability must be unordinary, such that they had not heard about it before. No matter what, the powerhouse that made it happen was incredibly mysterious.
They were not afraid, but they did not want to offend such a figure without reason.
The 10,000-legged Venerable One sighed and responded, “Ghost-clawed, I suppose you guessed it? I heard that you have some conflicts with it, but you’ll both benefit from this!”
Ghost-clawed Venerable One scoffed. “Okay, I’ll settle accounts with it once this is over!”
It widened its eyes and said, “Black-faced, Gold-bodied, stop asking so much; the powerhouse that did that is on par with us. I don’t believe that the 4 of us and the one that’s hiding in secret can’t force Old Yuqi to retreat.”
Black-faced Venerable One and Gold-bodied Venerable One exchanged glances. The latter questioned, “Who exactly is it? Why must it be so secretive?”
Ghost-clawed Venerable One sighed and answered, “It can’t be in the light.”
The 2 insect Venerable Ones thought about someone all of a sudden, They could not help but have chills, and they stopped questioning further.
Afterward, Ghost-clawed Venerable One lifted its head and shouted, “Yuqi, you must think this through—don’t put your whole sect on the line!”
It then turned around and pushed its giant claws into the poisonous pill’s spirit.
Due to the illusion, the spirit’s body was filled with thousands of the poisonous pill’s auras. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to find the real pill. Nevertheless, if a Venerable One was not being disturbed, one could still achieve one’s goal by filtering the pills one by one.
Upon seeing how Ghost-clawed Venerable One was acting, the 10,000-legged Venerable One shook its head and looked up warily with the 2 other insect Venerable Ones.
Since Yuqi the Venerable One wanted to stall them, they would let him be. As long as they could find the poisonous pill’s core, not only would they be able to seize the spirit, but Gold-bodied Venerable One would also be free.
Given the situation, the one that should be anxious was not them, but Yuqi the Venerable One.
As expected, while Yuqi the Venerable One looked cold, deep down it was already panicking.
When he and the old macaque looked at each other, the old yet sturdy powerhouse smiled faintly and uttered, “As long as you stay true to your heart, do anything you want.”
Yuqi the Venerable One glanced at the 4 insect Venerable Ones below, then he turned to look at the center of the big formation.
The old macaque could sense his thought, so it chuckled and expressed, “None of the sects in the world can prosper forever. Sometimes, a sect might even become more powerful after a resurrection. I’m sure you’ve made the arrangements.”
“Yes.” Yuqi the Venerable One nodded.
An invasion from the Insects was a serious matter that would affect the Beast King Sect’s existence. Yuqi the Venerable One was confident that the sect would not fall as long as they had the Big Mountain-guarding Formation, but he still prepared for the worst-case scenario.
The sect’s most precious treasures, as well as the loyal and gifted disciples of the sect, had long been sent away through a secret passage.
They were preparations made to meet contingencies, but this was also one of the ways to let the sect live on.
Even if everything that remained was destroyed, as long as the small group of people was still alive, the Beast King Sect could continue their inheritance.
Needless to say, nobody knew how long it would take for those people to make the Beast King Sect great again.
The old macaque laughed. “Yuqi, when I saw you back then, I knew you were going to be the Beast King Sect’s hope. Ever since you’re in charge, you’ve never once let me down. Today, I hope that you’re still the same person you use to be and won’t be affected by external factors.” It slowly lowered its tone and added, “The Beast King Sect can perish, but its spirit of inheritance is unshakable, or it won’t be the same anymore.”
Yuqi the Venerable One’s face changed. He took a deep breath and made his decision.
He nodded hard and said with a smile, “I understand. Okay, let’s go rampant this time.”
With that, the Venerable Ones laughed out loud and let their auras spread.
However, their bodies quivered at that moment.
A peculiar and unbelievably forceful power appeared in the distance in the sky.
It was extremely far from where the formidable Venerable Ones were but as soon as the power appeared, they noticed it and sensed the incredibly frightening pressure.
This was a prestige that transcended time and space—a mighty power t
hat could be sensed no matter where it was as long as it existed in the world.
The entire Spiritual Realm was deeply shocked at this moment.
A humongous illusory figure, which seemed to have covered half of the world, slowly surfaced.
It floated in the void and looked at the world like a deity, but it eventually faded away after a brief moment as if it was never here.
At this point, all of the powerhouses in the Spiritual Realm were dead silent. None of the Venerable Ones made disharmonious sounds.
A red light suddenly spread in the distance and extended across the whole world at the speed of light as though it wanted to envelop everything.
Yuqi the Venerable One could not help but clench his fists at this moment. A look of fear could be seen in his eyes as he mumbled, “It’s here. I can’t believe it… At this time!”
The old macaque was struck dumb. It opened its mouth and smiled bitterly. “Perhaps it’s a good thing that it’s here at this time.”
They might only be anxious, but the powerhouses and insect Venerable Ones on the ground were truly stupefied.
At the center of the Beast King Sect’s big formation, a faint red light immediately lay low and quietly sank into the formation map to become a part of it.
Given that it could do something like that, it was more than just a matter of capability.
It was something that could only be done by a top-notch master that knew the ins and outs of formation maps.
The red light seemed to have disappeared from the world, and it did not leave any trace behind.
Subsequently, the 10,000-legged Venerable One trembled. It made a weird sound out of the blue and turned around to go underground as it went mad about wanting to escape.
‘Escape, escape, escape…’
This was the first choice that it made. As for the safety of its comrades, it was not bothered at all.
Gold-bodied Venerable One and Black-faced Venerable One looked at each other, then at the big hole on the ground. They felt uneasy.
The former asked bitterly, “What’s 10,000-legged trying to do? That, that… Might not be coming for us!”
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