Chapter 87: Settling In
He gave a cold laugh and, without the least regard for the setting, raised his doubts outright.
“I think the Lord of the Sacred Hall is right. We were able to come to the Southern Wilderness because we trusted the fellow Daoists here. But now you have put the people on display without telling us who they are. It is truly enough to make our hearts uneasy!”
The master of the Hall of Benevolence also spoke up.
The instant he opened his mouth, he introduced a word of vital importance: trust.
With the situation still unclear, no one yet knew what was really happening in the Heavenly Martial Realm. If they could not trust one another, they would soon fall into chaos from every direction!
Moreover, the Sacred Land of Empty Silence, which had previously come to the Southern Wilderness, had vanished without a sound. That, too, left them all somewhat bewildered.
At that moment, the Lord of Purple Sun stepped forward.
He cast a cool, indifferent glance at the man before him and said, “Several of you keep speaking of trust. If you truly trusted us, why would you question us like this?”
“If you do not trust us, then why should we trust you?”
Those words left the master of the Hall of Benevolence speechless. Regret filled her beautiful eyes.
“I understand the concerns in all of your hearts.”
The Lord of Purple Sun did not press the issue. Instead, he spoke to the others in the hall. “I can tell anyone here that the downfall of the Sacred Land of Empty Silence was entirely of Empty Silence’s own making!”
At that, everyone present stiffened again.
Did that mean the disappearance of the Sacred Land of Empty Silence had something to do with the sacred lands before them?
The Lord of Purple Sun had put it so bluntly that no one could really answer.
“Amitabha!”
A Buddhist invocation rang out.
Master Empty Spirit stood. “I am willing to believe that these few are all good people.”
“But I still have one matter I do not understand. I would ask the two of you to explain it if you would.”
“Please, Master, speak.”
“I would like to know how much the two lords know about the recent events in the Profound Heaven Realm. Could you tell us what you know, so that we may also gain some understanding?”
This was the real matter at hand.
Everyone waited anxiously.
The Supreme One of Spirit Age said, “What I can tell you is that the one orchestrating the events our Heavenly Martial Realm faces this time possesses exceedingly formidable power. At the very least, he must be someone at the level of a True Immortal!”
What?
A True Immortal?
The moment those words entered everyone’s ears, the entire hall erupted in shocked exclamations.
An immortal had acted. As expected, an immortal had truly intervened!
“What exactly is the level of a True Immortal?”
They had only heard of immortals; they did not know much about the ranks above that.
“I’ve never heard of it, but anyone who can kill immortals must surely be a terrifying existence!”
The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion.
“If a Supreme One succeeds in ascending, that is only an Earthly Immortal.”
Changsun Chengluo suddenly interjected.
“For the Heavenly Martial Realm, becoming an Earthly Immortal is already immensely impressive. No one would be able to stand against them.”
“But if you place that within the entire Immortal Realm, it is no more than the existence of an ant.”
After Earthly Immortals came Profound Immortals, and beyond them were True Immortals and Heavenly Immortals...
In short, an Earthly Immortal truly was nothing much.
“If a True Immortal has made a move, then everything that has happened in the Heavenly Martial Realm can be explained.”
“After all, a True Immortal possesses supreme power; wiping out our entire Heavenly Martial Realm would only take a matter of minutes.”
Changsun Chengluo’s words plunged everyone present into confusion.
They had once believed that if they cultivated hard enough and rose from Supreme One to immortal, they would gain boundless power.
But now someone had shattered that illusion and told them that even after ascending, they would merely be the lowest rung among immortals.
They would not even be worth more than ants.
“Are True Immortals really that formidable?”
“Then what hope do we have of resisting? We might as well just wait to die!”
“What on earth does our Heavenly Martial Realm have... that could lure them here?”
Once again, the hall filled with voices.
But this time, every face was shadowed by sorrow and despair.
What was there left to compare? They were only Supreme Ones, while the ones coming after them were already at the level of True Immortals!
To call it a gulf would be no exaggeration.
If not for the appearance of an immortal, there would be no way to escape such a catastrophe.
“Since you all say that True Immortals are so terrifying, yet Southern Wilderness claims to possess a power that can suppress all things, could it be that even True Immortals can be held in check?”
Someone asked the question aloud.
The Lord of Purple Sun merely smiled.
“Since our Southern Wilderness was able to invite all of you here, naturally we have our methods. There is no need for you to worry so much!”
Let alone True Immortals!
As long as Senior Zhu was here, would they not be able to deal with them however they pleased?
...
At that moment, in the small mountain village in the Southern Ridge Range.
Ye Qingchen had relied on all manner of persuasion and stubborn persistence to stay in the village.
Even though Senior Zhu had not taken her as a disciple, she did not want to leave this place.
So long as Senior Zhu remained here, this little village would forever be steeped in the lingering resonance of the Dao. If one stayed here for a long time, one could even strengthen one’s foundations.
There was another reason as well: Ye Qingchen had already become an immortal.
According to the law of the Heavenly Martial Realm, once one became an immortal, one had to leave the Heavenly Martial Realm and could no longer remain here indefinitely.
That was also why the immortals who had ascended throughout history had all stepped through the gates of the Immortal Realm, some of them even in great haste.
But as long as she remained in the little mountain village, Ye Qingchen felt no fetters about her body, no restraints at all.
Even if her power were to grow freely, even if she reached the rank of True Immortal, she would still never feel any discomfort or constraint.
Ye Qingchen had considered this point as well: the standing of this little mountain village was far higher than that of the entire Heavenly Martial Realm.
In Zhu Xiaoyuan’s courtyard.
“Master, Master!” Ruofeng hurried into the courtyard and called out, “Ye Qingchen has settled down in the village.”
She brought the news to Zhu Xiaoyuan.
That was an immortal, yet instead of properly ascending she still insisted on clinging to her master here. Ruofeng did not know why this was.
Perhaps it was simply because her master was in this little village?
At the news, Zhu Xiaoyuan could not help but smile.
This Ye Qingchen really was persistent.
“Is Senior at home? Qianxue has come to pay her respects!”
Cold Snow’s voice came from outside.
Zhu Xiaoyuan said, “Come in.”
Cold Snow, along with An Yue'er and a few others, pushed open the courtyard gate with practiced ease and entered. Stepping forward, they bowed and said, “Senior.”
Zhu Xiaoyuan made a slight gesture of support.
“How have you been lately?”