Chapter 99: Defection

The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace had already gathered all his power, and it seemed he was about to strike at the man in the linen-colored robe before him.

Yet with a casual motion of the hand, the whole world seemed to fall silent. The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace, who had been ready to attack, suddenly felt as though an immense weight had been laid upon his body. He could not move an inch.

Not even a step.

What kind of terrifying existence was this?

With nothing more than a single gesture, a supreme-level figure like the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace could no longer move at all.

Who exactly was this person?

The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace’s expression changed again and again. “Who are you, and what exactly do you want here in my Rufu Palace?”

The middle-aged man in the linen-colored robe merely gave a cold laugh, utterly dismissive of the idea of revealing his name to the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace.

“You do not need to know who I am. I will ask you this: what is the thing in the Southern Wilderness that can shake everything to its core?”

The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace was stunned by the question.

He did not know this man’s true origins, but it was obvious that his cultivation had to be that of an immortal at the very least.

And now he had come asking about the so-called mysterious power of the Southern Wilderness. Could this be connected to the calamities from before?

The middle-aged man seemed to understand what the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace was thinking. “You had better hurry up and answer my question. If you keep indulging in wild guesses, I will make you and all the others feel what it is like to be ants, just like those holy lands that were destroyed before.”

Now it was settled.

He had openly admitted that the destruction of those holy lands had been his doing.

At that instant, the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace’s face became utterly grim.

He knew perfectly well that he had no ability to resist.

Even if the entire Rufu Palace were thrown into the fray, it would still be impossible to contend with the man before him.

Under the middle-aged man’s threat, the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace opened his mouth and said, “I do not know... I have never seen the so-called power that can destroy everything. Perhaps... perhaps only the people of the Holy Land of Extreme Travel and the Holy Land of Purple Wind know the secret behind it.”

“Holy Land of Extreme Travel? Holy Land of Purple Wind? Heh.” The middle-aged man slowly rolled those two names across his tongue.

“I truly do not want to act so casually.”

With that, he fixed his eyes on the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace, a trace of amusement in his gaze. “Do you want to dominate the entire Southern Wilderness, or even the entire Tianwu Realm?”

Dominate? The Southern Wilderness? The Tianwu Realm?

Since he was able to serve as the Holy Lord of a holy land, the Holy Lord of Rufu Palace was by no means a simple man; at the very least, he was a seasoned fox.

With just a few words, he immediately understood what the other man meant.

This person was here to seek that mysterious power of the Southern Wilderness.

But for some unknown reason, he did not dare to go directly to the Holy Land of Purple Wind or the Holy Land of Extreme Travel.

That was why he had asked whether he wanted to dominate the Southern Wilderness. He intended to use Rufu Palace as the weapon, as the bait, to lure out that mysterious power.

The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace could not help hesitating.

However, even that hesitation lasted only a blink of an eye.

He suddenly remembered what Changsun Chengluo had said before: if one could destroy those great holy lands, then one must possess at least the strength of a true immortal.

In that case, the man before him in the linen robe was very likely a true immortal!

And now this true immortal was asking him whether he wanted to, whether he dared to!

What was there not to want?

If he latched himself onto a true immortal, how could he not want that?

Then he thought of how Rufu Palace had once stood in Central State, respected by all. Yet here, he had been reduced to living under another’s roof, and the bitterness in his heart had long since become unbearable.

The Holy Lord of Rufu Palace no longer hesitated. He rose at once and dropped to his knees before the middle-aged man.

“Master, please accept this subordinate’s bow!”

At once, the middle-aged man laughed.

...

At that same time, within the Myriad Sword Sect.

Cao Renjian was waving the long sword in his hand with ever-changing brilliance.

As sword qi surged in every direction, even heaven and earth changed color.

Just as Cao Renjian was fully absorbed in the moment, a man suddenly appeared within his sword domain.

The man wore linen-colored clothing and looked to be in his middle years.

“Who are you!”

Cao Renjian’s eyes flew open, shock filling his face.

At the same time, he gathered the countless strands of sword qi around him and sent them crashing toward the middle-aged man.

No matter who this person was, he was certainly no friend.

His intentions were unquestionably malicious.

But the instant he unleashed the sword qi, space seemed to freeze. The countless strands of sword light solidified in the air.

Not even the slightest movement remained possible.

“Heh, nothing more than an ant, and you still dare to strike at this sovereign? How laughable.” The middle-aged man spoke with contempt.

“Who exactly are you?” A thin sheen of cold sweat appeared on Cao Renjian’s brow.

“You need not concern yourself with who I am. I am here only to borrow your Myriad Sword Sect for a while.” The middle-aged man spoke casually. “Of course, there will be compensation. What do you think of the Southern Wilderness?”

The moment the middle-aged man finished speaking, Cao Renjian’s eyes brightened.

The entire Southern Wilderness.

...

A few days later.

“What is the meaning of the Holy Land of Purple Wind and the Holy Land of Extreme Travel? They invited us all the way to the Southern Wilderness, only to give us those meager resources. It is outrageous.”

“My Myriad Sword Sect is the first to refuse! In the Tianwu Realm, strength has always ruled. Why should they occupy such fine territory while the rest of us are forced beneath them?”

Across the land of the Southern Wilderness, a voice spread everywhere.

That very day, the Myriad Sword Sect mobilized the power of its entire sect and secretly attacked a city under the Holy Land of Extreme Travel, then slaughtered every believer of the Holy Land of Extreme Travel within it.

The news spread throughout the entire Southern Wilderness in no time at all.

Countless people were stunned by it.

“What is the Myriad Sword Sect trying to do? They slaughtered every disciple of the Holy Land of Extreme Travel? Isn’t that far too outrageous?”

“This is the Southern Wilderness! The Holy Land of Extreme Travel is one of the old holy lands here, and its strength far surpasses that of the Myriad Sword Sect. By taking such action, isn’t the Myriad Sword Sect simply provoking the people of the Holy Land of Extreme Travel?”

“What in the world is Cao Renjian doing? Does he intend to drag the entire Myriad Sword Sect to its death?”

Everyone was talking about it.

Before the matter had even been settled, another holy land stepped forward to speak.

“The Southern Wilderness does not belong to the Holy Land of Extreme Travel or the Holy Land of Purple Wind!”

“It belongs to the Tianwu Realm. It belongs to all of us. Why should those two holy lands be allowed to occupy so many resources? They ought to hand over every last one of them!”

“If the people of the Holy Land of Extreme Travel and the Holy Land of Purple Wind cannot deliver the resources within three days, then do not blame this holy land for resorting to methods that should never be used!”