by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
After all, it really was impolite for him to sleep right in front of the sect master. But Long Chen knew that this was Wilde’s way of preserving his energy.
Furthermore, Wilde had been alone and suffering for so long. His heart was weary. Having found everyone, his nerves instantly relaxed. He needed some time.
Ouyang Qiuyu merely smiled slightly and expressed that she was fine with it. When her gaze swept over Wilde, shock flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
Retracting her gaze from Wilde, she told everyone, “You’re the geniuses of our Xuantian Dao Sect. You have your own personalities and opinions. Although I hope for you to be united, that’s not really plausible, so I can’t be bothered to waste the effort.
“I’ll just warn you this once. Once you enter the Immemorial Path, no matter who you are, your chances of surviving will definitely not be greater than fifty percent. This has nothing to do with cultivation base. In fact, stronger experts generally have higher mortality rates.”
“What…? Why?”
“Because the stronger you are, the more things you’ll be able to see within the Immemorial Path, things that others don’t even have the qualifications to see. The principle is very simple: those who drown are people who know how to swim.
“On the one hand, because they are strong, they get conceited and challenge more difficult things. On the other hand, stronger people are more likely to run into stronger existences. And stronger existences cannot be beaten with just luck. So the stronger you are, the more likely you’ll fall,” said Ouyang Qiuyu.
Everyone nodded. High risk was accompanied by high rewards. And if you misjudged your abilities, that risk might take your life.
“To sum up, no matter what opportunities you run into inside, don’t think about how you’re going to obtain it first, but think about whether you’ll have a life to enjoy it. Even if you obtain something, you might not have the power to keep it.
“That’s all I have to tell you. Cultivators are all gamblers. If you win, you can soar and continue to the next bet. If you lose, everything will be over. There will be no chance to make a comeback!” After saying that, Ouyang Qiuyu no longer said anything.
Everyone’s hearts became a bit heavy. However, Long Chen didn’t feel any pressure. Compared to luck, he was more confident in his strength.
Three days passed. The flying boat finally began to slow down, and a barren land appeared before them. That land was covered with countless experts.
Chapter 770 Irritating and Shameless
Long Chen looked down and couldn’t help being startled. There was already a huge amount of experts here. From a quick glance, they definitely numbered in the thousands.
Each one of them had powerful auras and a certain Dao charm that marked them as Celestials.
Seeing this many Celestials at once was truly shocking. They were all gathered on the desert in many groups.
Some groups had dozens of people, while some had hundreds. Those large groups were very imposing.
When the flying boat descended, all of them looked over. Ouyang Qiuyu led her people off the boat, and dozens of old experts immediately came to receive her.
“Greetings, sect master Ouyang Qiuyu.”
Those elders all bowed extremely respectfully to Ouyang Qiuyu. A large group of disciples behind them followed suit.
These people were from smaller sects that didn’t possess enough power. They needed to rely on the Xuantian Dao Sect to get by. To put it more bluntly, they could be considered subordinates.
Because they weren’t strong enough to fight against the Corrupt path on their own, they needed to form an alliance. And the Xuantian Dao Sect was naturally the leader of that alliance.
“Everyone is too courteous. Seeing you all with such rising geniuses is truly gratifying!” Ouyang Qiuyu smiled as she looked at these disciples.
She truly found it a bit unexpected that these smaller sects could raise this many Celestials. They had over four hundred Celestials, so on average, each sect had raised over ten Celestials.
“Sect master overpraises us. This generation of disciples truly is the strongest batch we’ve had in all of history. Hopefully, they can temper themselves in the Immemorial Path and become true geniuses. It’s just that the Immemorial Path is filled with dangers, and if those fiends from the Corrupt path attack, we hope that the heroes of the Xuantian Dao Sect can help,” said one elder. He actually bowed slightly toward Long Chen and the others.
Long Chen and the others hastily returned the bow. But Shui Guanzhi and the others only lightly nodded. They didn’t really take this elder seriously.
This elder was only at the peak of Sea Expansion. His strength was even lower than theirs. Thus, they were indifferent to him.
But Long Chen was different. No matter his cultivation base, he was the leader of a sect, and despite his age, he had not hesitated to ask for help from a group of junior disciples. That was something he could admire.
In their entire group, only Long Chen’s people returned the bow respectfully.
“Don’t worry, if our junior apprentice-brothers and apprentice-sisters need help, we naturally won’t just watch.” Shui Guanzhi nodded. His tone was extremely arrogant. He was clearly speaking as the number one person from the Xuantian Dao Sect.
Guo Ran was a bit irritated, but a gaze from Long Chen held him back. Long Chen never cared about standing out, because the bird to stand out was the first one to be shot.
If Shui Guanzhi wanted to seek fame, he could. Long Chen was happy to leisurely wait for the opening of the Immemorial Path. At this time, those disciples from the smaller sects came over to introduce themselves.
Their sect leaders had clearly told them about the Xuantian Dao Sect’s foundation and told them to properly form relationships. Perhaps one of them could save their lives on the Immemorial Path.
Perhaps doing this was a blow to their egos, but the cultivation world’s rules were just that simple. Experts were to be respected, and acting friendly toward experts wasn’t an embarrassing thing.
Those disciples might also be Celestials, but their auras were clearly much weaker than the Xuantian Dao Sect’s disciples. This was the difference. Not every sect had so many resources to raise their disciples.
These disciples were filled with reverence. In order to suck up to the vanity of the Xuantian Dao Sect’s disciples, they asked them a few cultivation questions. These disciples actually benefited a great deal just from the answers.
Even Gu Yang and the others were surrounded by people asking for pointers. As for Guo Ran, there was no need to say any more. He had already begun to spout so much nonsense that the people listening felt like they were lost in the clouds.
“Senior apprentice-brother Guo Ran truly is a dragon amongst men. This wisdom is truly amazing. It’s just that… we can’t really understand what you’re saying. If you could explain it more in detail, we would be incomparably grateful,” said one disciple humbly.
Guo Ran had an extremely serious expression on his face, and in a very showy manner, he said, “The supreme principles of heaven and earth can’t be explained in just a few words. Only comprehension will allow you to grasp the Dao, and only the Dao can allow you to grasp godhood. Everything is up to your own opportunities and comprehension abilities. You can’t force it.”
A snicker almost escaped Long Chen’s mouth. Guo Ran, who was essentially a blacksmith, was actually lecturing them on the Dao. The thickness of his face was something even Long Chen had to admit defeat in.
As for Meng Qi and Tang Wan-er, they were surrounded by a group of women. But what made Long Chen almost cough up blood was that they were actually not talking about proper matters.
“Big sister, you’re so beautiful, and your skin is so nice! What secret technique did you use?”
“Big sister, your hair is so refined. Where did you buy it from? It really matches your temperament.”
“Big sister, this dress of yours is so
decorative! How is it so beautiful? Are these beauty runes?”
Long Chen and Wilde were in the back of the crowd. Long Chen found a place to set up a chair, while Wilde sat on the ground. But considering his size, his head was still on the same level as Long Chen’s.
“Brother Long, I’m a bit hungry,” whispered Wilde.
“What? Did you already finish the Azure Scale Horned Eagle?” asked Long Chen.
“It only lasted two meals,” said Wilde in an aggrieved manner.
Long Chen was speechless. A seventh rank Magical Beast only lasted him two meals? That really was incredible. Even with Long Chen’s wealth, it seemed he still might be eaten out of house and home.
“Brother, endure it. I don’t have anything for you to eat here, but once you’re in the Immemorial Path, there’ll definitely be plenty of food for you. How about you go to sleep for now?”
“Okay.”
Wilde closed his eyes. In just a few breaths, snoring sounds came from him.
Wilde’s body was just too strange. Long Chen had never seen such a constitution. He didn’t need to cultivate; all he needed to do was eat.
And his consumption was also shocking. Whether he was standing or sitting, he would exhaust his energy and quickly grow hungry. Only sleeping allowed him to last longer.
Long Chen had inspected Wilde’s body previously. Currently, almost ninety percent of his cells had awoken.
But there was still a portion that was sleeping. Once he awoke all of them, Wilde would definitely become a terrifying monster.
But to activate the remaining ten percent of cells would require who knew how many Magical Beasts to enter Wilde’s stomach.
“Excuse me, are you senior apprentice-brother Long Chen?”
Long Chen was in the midst of pondering when a young maiden appeared in front of him. She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old, and she was clearly shy.
He was startled, but then he saw Tang Wan-er looking over at him with a naughty smile.
“I am. Do you need something?” asked Long Chen.
“I hear you’re the strongest member of the Xuantian Dao Sect. Is that true?” she asked excitedly.
“What kind of joke is that? The strongest person is currently speaking to your sect leaders. If she heard this, I’ll be beaten.” Long Chen nervously pointed to Ouyang Qiuyu.
That maiden laughed and said, “I was talking about the junior generation.”
At this time, Meng Qi and Tang Wan-er, along with the women they were talking with, all looked over at Long Chen. Their actions drew quite a few people’s attention, and the nearby disciples stopped talking to look.
“How could that be possible? I’m not even a Celestial. The only reason I could sneak my way in is because I bribed the sect master with a fish.” Long Chen shook his head. He couldn’t admit such a thing.
“You’re lying! I heard that during the Xuantian Dao Sect’s trial, you managed to win against the Four Heavenly Geniuses all on your own! You’re definitely the number one member of the Xuantian Dao Sect’s junior generation,” she said worshipfully.
Her words immediately caused Shui Guanzhi and the others’ expressions to sink. That was their greatest humiliation. Although no one in the Xuantian Dao Sect dared to bring it up around them, they all knew that countless people were discussing it behind their backs.
Now that she brought it up, their fury immediately ignited. Long Chen seemed to understand something.
Originally, Shui Guanzhi had acted like he was the number one member of the Xuantian Dao Sect, and he hadn’t retorted. But that didn’t mean everyone had his kind of magnanimity.
This maiden had clearly been used by Tang Wan-er. She had sent her to bring up this topic publicly.
Although Tang Wan-er didn’t like it when Long Chen flirted with other women, he was still the grandest hero in her heart. She wouldn’t let others take that title away from him.
As a result, this maiden’s words were a slap in Shui Guanzhi’s face. Didn’t he want to act like he was the Xuantian Dao Sect’s number one disciple? But even four against one, they had still been defeated.
Thinking of that, Long Chen didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. It really was impossible to understand a woman’s thinking.
“He was just lucky that time. If we fought again, he definitely wouldn’t be able to last even a hundred exchanges against me,” sneered Shui Guanzhi suddenly. His tone was extremely provocative.
“You dare to say that my boss wouldn’t be able to last a hundred exchanges? Idiot, do you know what you’re saying? I immediately challenge you to a life and death battle. Do you dare?” said Guo Ran icily.
Gu Yang and the others were all enraged. They didn’t mind so much when they were insulted, but they wouldn’t hold back once others insulted Long Chen.
Hearing Guo Ran’s challenge, everyone jumped in fright. Guo Ran had actually issued a life and death challenge against a rank three Celestial?
“Guo Ran, don’t mess around,” said Long Chen indifferently.
He knew Guo Ran was confident in his new armor. He had long since grown impatient to test it out and spread his name. But this wasn’t the place.
Although he hadn’t seen Guo Ran’s new armor, Long Chen knew it had to be extremely terrifying. If they fought, perhaps he would be able to suppress Guo Ran, but if it became a life and death battle, then even he wouldn’t have any assurance of winning against that little fellow’s wretched mechanisms.
“Oh, who would have thought that the Xuantian Dao Sect’s side would be so lively? Maybe things would be more peaceful if a few were offered as a sacrifice to the heavens.” Suddenly, a voice rang out that caused everyone’s expressions to change slightly.
Chapter 771 Song Mingyuan Fights
A white-haired crone covered in wrinkles slowly walked over. Her eyes seemed to shine so brightly that no one dared to look at them directly. She carried a simple walking cane.
Behind her were dozens of other elders, and behind them was a mass of Celestial disciples. It seemed that they numbered over twenty more than the Xuantian Dao Sect’s side.
“People from the Remote Heaven Gang!”
The Remote Heaven Gang was an existence that had started out in the Eastern Wasteland. They had existed here for even longer than the Xuantian Dao Sect’s eastern branch.
However, their true foundation was a far cry from the Xuantian Dao Sect. Back when the Xuantian Dao Sect had decided to establish a branch sect here, conflicts had erupted between them and the Remote Heaven Gang.
However, the result of those conflicts was that the Remote Heaven Gang’s core was heavily injured, and they had almost been eradicated. But the Xuantian Dao Sect had had no intention of having their branch sect dominate the Eastern Wasteland, and so they hadn’t exterminated them.
As they had once been the sole ruler of the Eastern Wasteland, once the Xuantian Dao Sect had intruded, the Remote Heaven Gang was naturally irritated. But after that battle, they understood just how powerful the sects from the Central Plains were. Thus, they could only swallow their anger.
Later, the Remote Heaven Gang’s power gradually recovered. But the Xuantian Dao Sect’s branch had also established its roots by then, and they had grown to the overlord level as well.
Both sides minded their own business. However, the Remote Heaven Gang had always been holding back their rage, and so eventually, they began to cause some trouble for the Xuantian Dao Sect.
However, the branch sect no longer needed to bother with them. All their income came from the head sect in the Central Plains, so the Remote Heaven Gang was unable to do anything to them.
The branch sect couldn’t be bothered to deal with the Remote Heaven Gang’s provocations. So in all these years, their relationship was never very harmonious.
The old woman was the newly-appointed leader of the Remote Heaven Gang, Ji Hongling. She was also an Ancestor expert, but she hadn’t wasted her cultivation base or longevity on her looks. That
made her combat power even higher.
It was rumored that Ji Hongling was an extremely haughty and ruthless person. In less than three years of office, she had completely devoured all the smaller sects around the Remote Heaven Gang, turning them into their subordinates. These smaller sects could only rely on them for their protection.
But most arrogant of all, Ji Hongling had actually stretched her claws toward those powers that relied on the Xuantian Dao Sect. The two great powers had definitely clashed privately several times.
But those private clashes were things outsiders were unable to learn anything about. It seemed as if neither side had an advantage. Now that Ji Hongling had brought her people over, her provocation was very clear.
The small sect leaders directly pulled their disciples far away. Now that the two enormous existences were clashing, they had to hide further away to avoid being implicated.
Ouyang Qiuyu also stopped talking with the sect leaders and indifferently looked at the old woman. “It seems the Remote Heaven Gang’s development these past few years has been not bad. Your power has increased quite a bit. But it seems your temper has also grown.”
Ji Hongling leaned against her cane, and a cold smile appeared on her wizened face. “It’s all thanks to your blessing. Just now, I saw that this place was very lively. It almost seemed like a fight was about to break out. Well, there’s still plenty of time, so why don’t we send out a few of our disciples to exchange pointers?”
Everyone’s hearts shook. This provocation was too clear.
“I am Jiu Qifeng, a rank one Celestial. I wonder which disciple from the Xuantian Dao Sect would like to exchange pointers with me? Of course, if you’re afraid of death, then there’s no need for you to come up. I tend to not know how to hold back, and it wouldn’t be good if I accidentally killed you.” One of the Remote Heaven Gang’s disciples walked up. His gaze swept across the Xuantian Dao Sect’s disciples.
Light roved around his body, and the skin of his bare arms had strange lines on them. He was clearly an expert amongst experts, and an extremely dense murderous aura came from him. He was clearly someone who had slaughtered his way out of over a hundred battles.
