Volume 4 Chapter 82
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Volume 4 Chapter 82: The Righteous Path
"We have come this time to search your residence."
Upon hearing Ninglingzi’s words, everyone in the hall looked surprised. Although Ninglingzi and the others are cultivators, appearing godlike to mortals, it seemed excessive to demand a search of the general’s palace right away, as this directly relates to Bai Lianye’s privacy and reputation.
Around the hall, the general’s palace guards were visibly startled. They quickly drew their swords, their eyes full of wariness as they glanced at Ninglingzi and others. Even though they knew Ninglingzi and his companions were legendary immortals, their admiration and loyalty towards Bai Lianye left them no hesitation to draw their swords when Ninglingzi spoke so rudely.
As the guards surrounded them with drawn swords, the ten or so cultivators with Ninglingzi remained calm, but Bai Lianye’s face changed, and he angrily shouted, "What do you think you’re doing? Stand down!"
Upon hearing Bai Lianye’s angry shout, the guards glared fiercely at Ninglingzi and his group before reluctantly retreating.
It seemed that after living and fighting alongside Bai Lianye for over a decade, the guards had reached a point where they no longer feared deities or spirits. Otherwise, any ordinary person faced with legendary immortals like Ninglingzi would not dare to draw their swords.
After ordering the guards to stand down, Bai Lianye’s expression returned to normal. He turned to Ninglingzi, bowing slightly, and said, "May I ask why you wish to search the general’s palace? Is there a reason?"
Ninglingzi took a slow sip of tea and calmly replied, "It concerns secrets of the cultivation world, which I cannot disclose. I ask for your understanding, General."
Upon hearing Ninglingzi’s words, Bai Lianye’s expression grew darker, and he responded, "So, the esteemed immortals want to search my general’s palace for no reason?"
Ninglingzi smiled and nodded.
Bai Lianye stood up and calmly said, "As a rule, esteemed immortals like yourselves, possessing great magical powers, are rarely seen by ordinary people like me. Therefore, I should strive to meet any requests you have and take pride in doing so. But unfortunately, I am not just an ordinary person. I am the Great General of Yunluo Country, the largest nation in the flourishing Middle-earth, known as the Invincible King. I represent nearly a million soldiers of my nation. If I allow you to search my general’s palace without reason, where is the dignity of our nation? How can the morale of a million troops remain? So, I must respectfully decline your request."
Hearing Bai Lianye’s words, the guards in the hall all looked eager; perhaps for these soldiers, dignity is indeed more important than life.
Just as Ninglingzi was about to speak again, Xiao Bieshan from the "Tianxing Sect" suddenly snorted coldly and said, "If we want to investigate, whether you like it or not is no longer up to you."
Then, Xiao Bieshan turned to Ninglingzi with a complaint, "Senior Ninglingzi, I said we should just use the ‘Art of Immobilization’ to detain everyone in this general’s palace and conduct a thorough search. There’s no point talking to these mortals about certain matters."
Hearing Xiao Bieshan’s words, not only did the mortals present frown, but even Xu Qingfan and the other cultivators frowned as well.
Bai Lianye’s face showed a flash of anger, his eyes briefly glowed with a bloody light, and a murderous aura erupted from him, so strong that even experienced cultivators like Xu Qingfan and Ninglingzi felt a slight shudder.
It is only at moments like this that Bai Lianye, who usually seems gentle and refined, reveals that he is indeed a general who has taken countless lives. His notorious reputation on the Shenzhou Continent was not unfounded.
As Bai Lianye’s demeanor changed, the atmosphere in the hall became tense. The guards who had just stepped back drew their swords again, and Ninglingzi’s cultivators discreetly gathered some Spirit Qi.
Just before Bai Lianye could act on his anger, Xu Qingfan suddenly spoke, "Ninglingzi, my friend, might we have a word in private?"
Hearing Xu Qingfan speak, both Bai Lianye, who was ready to act, and the cultivators who were quietly preparing to teach Bai Lianye a lesson, were slightly surprised. Seeing Ninglingzi nodding and standing up, the tension in the hall eased a bit as everyone withdrew their intentions.
Actually, if Xu Qingfan wanted to say something to Ninglingzi, he could just use the secret transmission method. But Xu Qingfan chose to speak to Ninglingzi in front of everyone as a clear gesture of reconciliation. Otherwise, if a conflict arose, even a Lingji Stage cultivator could easily kill thousands of guards in the general’s palace, making it difficult for Xu Qingfan, as the future master and son of Bai Lianye.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xu Qingfan and Ninglingzi walked to a corner of the hall. Then Xu Qingfan frowned and asked, "Taoist friend Ninglingzi, there were too many people earlier, so I couldn’t inquire properly. But I can’t hold back any longer. Why aren’t you training at ‘Qingxu Gate,’ which has just suffered a calamity, and instead, are here with so many major sect cultivators to search this general’s palace in the mortal world?"
Seeing Ninglingzi’s face show hesitation, Xu Qingfan said, "From my standpoint, I really shouldn’t be asking these questions. But before you arrived, General Bai asked me to take his child as my disciple, and I have already agreed, so I feel compelled to inquire."
Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Ninglingzi hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Taoist Friend Xu isn’t an outsider. Besides, from Master Uncle Zizhen’s tone, it’s clear that you helped him a lot in his escape, and now you’re an honorary elder of Qingxu. So I’ll tell you what I know."
Ninglingzi paused, seemingly considering how to express himself, then slowly said, "I’m not entirely clear on all the details. After Master Uncle Zizhen inexplicably left the mountain gate for half a year and returned, notable Mahayana Stage masters like Venerable Deaf Mute Blind, the bookless scholar of the ‘Five Elements Sect,’ and the wise elder of the ‘Tianxing Sect’ visited and gathered with Master Uncle Zizhen. We didn’t know what they discussed then. Later, elite members from major sects gathered at Ronghua Mountain, and we found out the truth. ‘Qingxu Gate’ had been deceived by Liu Ziqing for years, and the sect’s treasure, the ‘Sky Light Pearl,’ was sealed. During its sealed years, there was constant war in the mortal world. When Master Uncle Zizhen unsealed it, they discovered the chaos was caused by the evil ‘Tian Sha’. According to the pearl’s investigation, over a hundred places on Shenzhou Continent showed traces of ‘Tian Sha.’ So, masters mixed the cultivators from various sects, forming squads to destroy ‘Tian Sha’ across the continent. According to the pearl’s findings, one ‘Tian Sha’ location was in this general’s palace. Thus, we insisted on searching here. The reason for the search couldn’t be revealed to keep it secret from whoever placed ‘Tian Sha’."
Hearing Ninglingzi’s words, Xu Qingfan was secretly shocked, not because of the existence of ‘Tian Sha’, which he had suspected for some time, but because such renowned and reclusive Grandmaster cultivators like Venerable Deaf Mute Blind, the book-free scholar, and the wise elder had gathered without reason. Though the discovery of ‘Tian Sha’ was significant, it would just be a command to these Grandmasters. Their gathering hinted at a threat no single one of them could handle alone, one that endangered the cultivation world.
Such a threat that these Grandmasters could not individually defeat and necessitated uniting must be deeply unsettling. In Xu Qingfan’s mind, only one organization fit: the mysterious, elusive, and powerful "Ming."
"Could this mean the righteous path has finally united to confront ‘Ming’? I suspect it’s related to the letter Martial Uncle Liu gave to Senior Zizhen. Still, ‘Ming’ could have been preparing for years. Is it too late for the righteous to unite?"
Xu Qingfan thought to himself secretly.
