Chapter 282

Chapter 282: Tianwai Pavilion

Whoosh!

Yuan Daokong, Yue Ruyi, and the others instantly turned to look at Lin Qianmo, their eyes filled with shock.

This woman before them was an Immortal King—how dare Lin Qianmo say such a thing?

Everyone was deeply shaken. Though they had long suspected Lin Qianmo possessed an extraordinary background, none had imagined she would dare challenge an Immortal King!

The Dao King frowned unobtrusively, glancing towards Li Ruoshui.

Li Ruoshui had previously informed him of Lin Qianmo’s techniques, but regarding Lin Qianmo’s identity, she had revealed nothing at all. He was completely in the dark.

"Senior Sister Miaochang, you wish to protect him?" Li Ruoshui’s smile froze, her delicate brows slightly furrowing.

Lin Qianmo nodded.

"If you move against him, Junior Sister Li, you move against me." She looked directly at Li Ruoshui and added, "I will not repeat myself."

The Dao King’s gaze deepened. Where exactly was Lin Qianmo’s confidence coming from?

Furthermore, why was Li Ruoshui addressing her as "Miaochang"?

"A second life?"

Suddenly, the Dao King’s pupils contracted slightly as he instantly thought of the possibility of reincarnation.

"Just as I suspected," the Dao King thought inwardly. "Lin Qianmo is the reincarnation of a formidable figure from the Immortal Realm. Her previous life’s origins are indeed extraordinary."

Li Ruoshui sighed softly, and the immense pressure enveloping them dissipated instantly. Nangong Zhandao slumped to the ground, drenched in blood and sweat, looking utterly miserable.

"It’s been many years since we sisters last met," Li Ruoshui said, her smile returning. "We shouldn’t cross swords the moment we reunite. Today, I’ll give you face, Senior Sister. I will spare him."

"Acknowledged."

"However," Li Ruoshui’s expression cooled again, "Nangong Zhandao is someone our Founder explicitly demanded. Even if I spare him today, there will be a next time." Her voice turned steely. "The next time, I will not relent until I achieve my goal."

"So be it," Lin Qianmo replied.

"Wuyou, let us depart." Li Ruoshui turned to leave, then paused briefly. "You’ve been in the lower realm too long. Much has changed in the upper realms."

"Your old rival has now reached the peak of Immortal King. I fear it won’t be long before they reach the end of the Great Dao and ascend to Immortal Venerable."

"The great change approaches, Senior Sister. Your time is running short."

With these words, Li Ruoshui and the Dao King departed together.

A flicker of intensity crossed Lin Qianmo’s eyes.

"So soon? On the cusp of achieving the Immortal Venerable fruit?" Lin Qianmo murmured to herself. "It seems I must accelerate my cultivation significantly. If I don’t, when the great change arrives, my very life will be at stake."

"Many thanks for saving my life, Senior Sister Lin," Nangong Zhandao clasped his hands and bowed deeply.

Lin Qianmo looked back at him. "Li Ruoshui has already achieved Immortal Kinghood. Her strength is unrivaled in the lower realm. You heard her. She will come for you again."

Nangong Zhandao’s expression turned grave.

"I could only save you this once. Next time, I won’t be able to." Lin Qianmo stated plainly. "The luck of the Yuan Realm you carry is both opportunity and the seed of calamity. In the end, the only one who can truly save you is yourself."

"I understand and I am instructed, Senior Sister," Nangong Zhandao replied with utmost humility.

Turning to Yuan Daokong and the others, Lin Qianmo said, "Dear friends, I need to leave for a while. Please protect Dawn City in my absence." Her gaze swept over them. "When catastrophe strikes, you should consider seeking refuge at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion to implore His Excellency for aid."

Lin Qianmo’s figure slowly dissipated.

……

"Master, why did you let Nangong Zhandao go?" Dao King asked with confusion. "Exactly what origin does Lin Qianmo possess that makes you so wary?"

"Lin Miaochang’s former identity was merely the ruler of a Divine Empire in the Tian Huang Realm," Li Ruoshui recounted calmly. "But she experienced great ups and downs, saw through the illusions of the mortal world, comprehended the Red Dust Tribulation Sutra, and upon ascending to the Upper Realm, revealed an unparalleled demeanor."

Li Ruoshui continued, "She caught the eye of a certain individual."

Dao King’s spirit shuddered; that "one person" was likely someone whom even Li Ruoshui, and indeed even the founding ancestor of the Taihao Heavenly Sect, deeply feared.

"Xuan Du Ancient Immortal."

Reverence flickered in Li Ruoshui’s eyes.

If the founding ancestor of the Taihao Heavenly Sect still offered her a sliver of hope to chase after, then Xuan Du Ancient Immortal was someone utterly beyond her reach in this lifetime.

Dao King’s eyes sparkled, his interest growing ever stronger.

"Is she a disciple of Xuan Du Ancient Immortal?" Dao King inquired.

Li Ruoshui shook her head.

Dao King was puzzled again. If she wasn’t Xuan Du Ancient Immortal’s disciple, why should Li Ruoshui fear Lin Qianmo?

"She is the saintess of Tianwai Pavilion."

Li Ruoshui frowned slightly, saying, "Tianwai Pavilion was established by Xuan Du Ancient Immortal. Though Xuan Du Ancient Immortal doesn’t personally reside there, once an Immortal Venerable dared to offend Tianwai Pavilion, and Xuan Du Ancient Immortal obliterated him with a single finger."

"Even the Purple Star Heavenly Court shows Tianwai Pavilion considerable deference."

Dao King frowned. "Master, Immortal Kings are hailed as indestructible, and Immortal Venerables are supreme experts who stand at the end of the Great Dao, having fully transformed into the Dao itself, becoming rules. Can such existences truly be extinguished?"

"The gap between immortals and mortals is vast; it’s natural you don’t yet grasp the profundities of the Immortal Dao."

"As the one favored by our founding ancestor, I can offer you a little guidance."

Li Ruoshui spoke unhurriedly. "Do you know? Beyond the Immortal Venerable realm lies the Immortal Emperor realm? The Heavenly Emperor of the Ancient Heavenly Court, the current Emperor of Heaven, they are peerless powerhouses at this level."

"Someone like Xuan Du Ancient Immortal dare not claim the title of Immortal Emperor; he can only be considered a semi-Immortal Emperor."

Dao King listened silently.

"Immortal Venerables, acclaimed as having reached the end of the Great Dao where the Great Dao remains unbroken, yet in the face of the ultimate powerful beings who have stepped into the final realm… they can return to the past, to the moment when you were weak, and easily subdue you."

"Time holds no meaning for them."

"Only the Heavenly Dao can constrain them."

A chill ran through Dao King’s heart.

He finally understood the fundamental difference between those strong enough to reach the ends of the Great Dao, and those ultimate powerful beings at the peak.

The key point was this: even if your present self cannot be destroyed, facing an ultimate being capable of leaping through past and future at will, they could return to the past to kill you before you became strong.

Once slain then, it meant true death.

The power to reverse time belonged solely to semi-Immortal Emperors and true Immortal Emperors.

"If the Ancient Heavenly Emperor was invincible in his era, how could the Ancient Heavenly Court have been overthrown?" Dao King asked, thirsting for knowledge. "Could it be that even an Immortal Emperor has vulnerabilities? That they too can be subdued?"

"Silence!"

Li Ruoshui’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed sharply as she rebuked him. "Watch your words, lest disaster comes from your mouth."

This was a forbidden secret of the Immortal Realm.

Even she herself, though intensely curious, dared not speculate.

A flicker of disdain passed through Dao King’s eyes. Cultivators pursued transcendence as the ultimate goal; one should press forward relentlessly, utterly without reverence or fear.

The Heavenly Emperor, the Emperor of Heaven, Xuan Du Ancient Immortal – these were merely targets in Dao King’s mind.

In his heart, there was only himself.

"Master, you mentioned earlier that Lin Qianmo has an old rival?" Dao King’s eyes shifted subtly. "Who would dare oppose the saintess of Tianwai Pavilion?"

"When it is time for you to know, you will know," Li Ruoshui’s voice turned cold. "You’ve been told enough already today."

A flash of anger rose in Dao King’s heart, but his face merely twisted into an insincere smile. "Disciple merely had a thought. A strategy."

"What if we were to send word to the Immortal Realm, to inform Lin Qianmo’s old rival? Would that existence perhaps… come down to this world?"

"In that case, Master wouldn’t have to worry about incurring Lin Qianmo’s enmity, and the Taihao Heavenly Sect would avoid making an enemy of Tianwai Pavilion."

A trace of surprise appeared in Li Ruoshui’s eyes.

In such a short time, Dao King had conceived this flawless plan of letting one foe kill another. He truly was clever.

"No wonder the founding ancestor holds you in such high regard," Li Ruoshui praised. "This scheme is indeed sinister, yet it is an excellent strategy."

"Master honors me with too much praise."

Dao King appeared exceedingly humble.

"Sister Miaochang, for the sake of the founding ancestor’s grand plan, for the eternal future of the Taihao Heavenly Sect, I must reluctantly let you suffer a little," Li Ruoshui’s lips curved into a slight, mocking smile.

"Truly a foolish woman."

Beside her, Dao King’s face also betrayed a flash of scornful derision.

Being an Immortal King represented strength; it did not represent intelligence.

This Master of his was utterly unremarkable.