Chapter 124: The True Strength of Lingbo Town (Part Two)

As he called out loudly, five streaks of golden light suddenly descended from the distance. Each streak tore through the atmosphere, trailing long tails of fire and churning the sea into massive, towering waves. Upon seeing these lights, True Person Wanchun hurriedly exclaimed, "True Person Haiyu, True Person Kunling, True Person Canbei, True Person Fulu, True Person Liuhen! You have all arrived!"

"True Person Wanchun, did you receive the talisman decree as well? We also received the distress signals from our three junior brothers and set aside our alchemy to rush here. That damned Demon Commander! How dare he target disciples of our Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce! His time is up!" The five True Persons landed on the deserted island, their expressions grave.

These five were also masters of the True Underworld Realm, peers to True Person Wanchun, and they addressed each other by name rather than by titles of seniority. In an instant, six masters of the True Underworld Realm had gathered—the strength of the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce was truly terrifying.

But the matter did not end there. Over the next few hours, more disciples from Lingbo Town arrived one after another. Some had not yet mastered Underworld Arts but possessed powerful flight artifacts; others, while not inner-sect disciples, had reached the eighth stage of the Void Underworld Realm, such as the inner-sect disciple Zhang Tianhao and others.

Such a massive event in the South Sea spread to every corner and region with astonishing speed within half a day. By nightfall, the deserted island was crowded with Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce disciples, wandering cultivators, and even elders and disciples from the Central Immortal Island.

"The Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce is truly formidable... Look at those outer-sect disciples; each one possesses such profound means. They are worthy of being the world's premier righteous sect," Fang Yu whispered to Ye Ningbing, blending into the crowd.

"Indeed. These past few days, by currying favor with Zhang Tianhao, we obtained a few Underworld Infant Pills. After taking them, I feel my physical body has improved significantly. The efficacy of the Underworld Infant Pills from the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce is incomparable to common grain-abstinence or essence pills. If I could take these regularly, I could enter the Underworld Arts secret realm within three years. Then, I would have my revenge and challenge Jiang Feng on the Heavenly Punishment Platform!" Ye Ningbing nodded in agreement.

"Underworld Infant Pills are truly miraculous. It is a pity our connection to the Langya Chamber of Commerce is so shallow. To think they sent so many disciples, including six True Underworld masters! If we can only win their favor and be rewarded with those pills, our chances of reaching the Underworld Arts secret realm will increase tenfold."

Yuan Jiankong was also on the island. Their high-grade Underworld artifacts were not fast enough for long-distance flight, forcing them to land and rest, whereas the inner-sect disciples of the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce remained aloft, their high-grade artifacts still brimming with power.

By now, four or five hundred inner-sect disciples had arrived, the weakest among them being masters of the Divine Transformation Realm with physical strength exceeding ten horse-power. There were also thirty or forty direct disciples. The six True Underworld masters were naturally the backbone of the group. United, these six could sweep through the thousands of wandering cultivators in the South Sea and make even the great demonic sects tremble with caution, fearing a crusade against them.

A True Underworld master, if they were to establish a sect, could gain immense prestige among the wandering cultivators. These masters enjoyed long lifespans of at least eight hundred years and possessed the ability to forge high-grade Underworld artifacts to empower their followers.

"Senior Brother Nengren has arrived! Let us, the disciples of the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce, welcome him together!"

Just then, another direct disciple descended from the horizon, his voice booming like the reading of an imperial decree. The six True Persons immediately cupped their hands and shouted in unison, "Welcome, Senior Brother Nengren!"

Simultaneously, hundreds of inner-sect disciples and dozens of direct disciples roared, "Welcome, Senior Brother Nengren!" The immense sound wave scattered the clouds, revealing bright starlight, and carried for thousands of miles. This display of power was a thousand times more majestic than the shouts of courtiers in the secular world.

Fang Yu, Ye Ningbing, and other passing practitioners were struck pale with shock. Amidst the chorus of hundreds of masters, music suddenly echoed from the heavens. Ninety-nine women appeared, playing flutes and other instruments, followed by ninety-nine handsome men carrying banners. Then, nine massive golden dragons—each as large as the Black Water King Snake—pulled a colossal throne through the air.

The golden dragons moved with majestic, steady power. As they descended, everyone felt a crushing pressure. On the throne sat a Taoist, eyes closed in meditation, motionless as an emperor descending to inspect his realm.

"Four-clawed Golden Dragons! These are legendary ancient snake-kin, mentioned alongside the Red-Eyed Black Water Snake, the Heaven-Swallowing Python, the Blue-Blooded Flying Dragon, and the Ice Great Chi! The power of a single one of those dragons could wipe us out, yet here, nine of them pull a carriage!" Fang Yu muttered in awe.

"Silence. This is a Great Underworld Master among the direct disciples, a figure comparable to Senior Brother Hua Tianjin. The most outstanding disciples of the Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce are bestowed with the character 'Neng' in their names—Nengren, Nengba, Nengjue, Nengzhan... They are all masters who have forged Pseudo-Underworld Pills, or possess Heavenly Dharma forms, or have even defied the heavens to change their fate. They will be the primary rivals of Senior Brother Hua Tianjin at the Langya Chamber's great tournament in a few years," Ye Ningbing said, her eyes filled with envy.

"If I had such cultivation, I could crush Jiang Feng and avenge my uncle," Fang Yu said with a bitter, ferocious smile. She was the descendant of the Fang family from Nine-Rock Town, the daughter of Fang Chuhan.

The nine golden dragons hovered in the air. The Taoist, Senior Brother Nengren, opened his eyes, and in that moment, everyone felt as if he were staring directly at them.

The six True Persons flew up to meet him. "Senior Brother Nengren, we received the decree and arrived, but we found that our three junior brothers have vanished. We have searched everywhere, but found nothing."

"No need to search. The three junior brothers have been murdered! Upon arriving at this island, I sensed the lingering resentment and deathly aura they left behind."

"What! That Demon Commander is bold! He dares to kill disciples of our Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce! His Demon Sect shall be annihilated for this!" True Person Wanchun roared in fury.

"We must capture the Demon Commander first and interrogate him. If it is indeed he who killed our junior brothers, he shall not escape death—not even Ying Xiantian could save him. If he was framed, we will investigate until the truth is laid bare!"

Senior Brother Nengren spoke slowly, but every word carried a soul-shaking power, as if his words were absolute truth.

"Listen well: notify every sect and faction immediately and issue the Heavenly Dao Pursuit Order! Hunt down the Demon Commander! I shall return to the sect to consult with the elders and prepare to besiege the Innate Demon Sect. We will force Ying Xiantian to hand him over! If the Innate Demon Sect does not give us an account, our Lingbo Town Langya Chamber of Commerce will see their entire sect destroyed!"

With a wave of his hand, the dragons pulled the throne back into the sky and vanished.

"Yes!" the disciples responded in unison.

"Disciples, issue the Langya Pursuit Order! Send it to every sect, every wandering cultivator, and the nine righteous sects!" The six True Persons bellowed, their voices carrying far and wide.

This marked the beginning of a bloody storm between the righteous and the demonic...

Jiang Feng, of course, was unaware of these monumental changes. At that moment, he was inside the White Emperor Glazed Cauldron, using the "Six-Sun Holy Water" to soak and refine the splinter of the "Holy Tree of the Immortal Realm."

In the ancient past, the "Holy Tree of the Immortal Realm" was said to be the center of the world, a tree that grew directly into the Immortal Realm. It was a legendary object that even the millennia-old "Jue" had never seen. Jue had been endlessly curious about the fragment, never ceasing his research. Yet, despite applying all manner of Underworld Arts—sacrificing, splitting, and extracting—nothing had worked. It was as unyielding as the most stubborn stone; water, fire, wind, thunder, crushing, or decomposition had no effect. Jue knew that even if the Demon Commander unleashed the "Soul Collapse," he likely could not destroy the fragment.

However, as Jiang Feng dripped the Six-Sun Holy Water onto it, the fragment began to undergo an unexpected transformation...