When Elder Hou was hauled back before Venerable Zhihui, his aged eyes were filled with desolation.
Humiliating.
He had never felt so humiliated before.
Before several major factions of the Immortal Realm, as a Golden Immortal, he had been forced into an utterly miserable state time and again by that Mechanical Fiend, who was merely a Heavenly Immortal.
If this had been an uninterrupted fight to the death, he would have killed that bastard three or four times already!
But now, that Nine Spirits Sword Venerable was clearly playing favorites!
He, an elder of the Dark Cult and a Golden Immortal protected by the Heavenly Dao, had become a mere backdrop for the Mechanical Fiend to make a name for himself in the Immortal Realm!
What was even more fatal was...
"Elder Hou, you have truly disappointed me."
Anger lurked beneath the cold beauty of Venerable Zhihui's face.
Elder Hou wanted to explain himself, but the words reached his lips only to turn into a sigh. He lowered his head and gave a Daoist salute.
With a sweep of Venerable Zhihui's sleeve, Elder Hou dejectedly returned to the rear of the Dark Cult Immortals;
The surrounding Heavenly Immortals avoided him as though he were plague-ridden, their gazes filled mostly with disgust and mockery.
Elder Hou found a corner to meditate and heal his wounds. He looked up at the Black Obsidian envoy, who was smiling and nodding at him from not far away, said nothing, and slowly closed his eyes.
Black Obsidian looked toward the summit of the thirty-three-tiered staircase and remarked with his hands behind his back:
"Look. This is why the Heavenly Dao fears this guy. Reviving a deadlocked situation is nothing more than basic work for him."
The old woman behind him said softly, "It is only