In the silence, a golden figure shot out from the group of flying swords and flew towards the sky; it was the golden eagle, the leader of the Demon Race.
This golden eagle was, after all, Loose Immortal immortal; although the Honeycomb Flying Swords was fierce, it wasn't exactly deadly.
Even so, he looked quite disheveled, with most of the feathers on one wing broken off, and the Demon Race who had followed him had all been wiped out, leaving him all alone and looking rather desolate.
He raised his head, let out a loud and mournful cry, and then flew away from Yu City without looking back, as if he was already terrified.
This golden eagle was already adept at flying, and now, in its desperate escape, it moved with incredible speed, almost like a streak of golden light, soaring into the sky in the blink of an eye.
The other cultivators in Yu City only saw that the Nine Mountains Sect's fortress remained motionless, seemingly knowing that they couldn't catch up, so they didn't want to waste their efforts and could only watch helplessly as the golden eagle escaped.
Indeed, given that they are Loose Immortal cultivators, it's normal that the disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect are powerless to help them.
But the next moment, they realized they were wrong!
Within the fortress transformed from Nine Mountains Department Store, a silver-white metal pipe extends from the roof of the former Artifact Pavilion, looking extremely eerie.
The woman's voice rang in everyone's ears.
"Target locked."
The metal pipe shifted slightly, aligning itself with the direction the golden eagle had fled.
Target locked.
A blinding light shone from the top of the metal pipe.
This is the Divine Firmament Main Cannon installed at Nine Mountains Department Store; it's actually an upgraded version of the previous Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation.
On the one hand, the original Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation relied on the Divine Firmament Legion, which resulted in a slight delay in information transmission and some waste in energy transfer.
Nowadays, most of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation have been connected to the Heavenly Derivation Array Disk. With the help of the Heavenly Derivation Array Disk power, their power, reaction speed, and accuracy have all been greatly improved.
On the other hand, with the support of the Divine Firmament Main Cannon and the many Spirit Stone in the Heaven and Heaven-Earth Bank, its attack power is naturally even higher.
Therefore, the Divine Firmament Main Cannon is the ultimate weapon of this fortress.
The light from the cannon muzzle grew brighter and brighter, and everyone in Yu City felt as if another sun had appeared in the sky.
"Didn't those golden eagles all fly far away?"
One of the cultivators muttered to himself.
The others nodded in agreement.
The golden eagle had long since vanished without a trace, having escaped. Didn't these disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect think it was too late?
Just then, a white rainbow shot out from the cannon muzzle, cleaving through the sky and soaring into the azure heavens.
The entire Northern Continent seemed to be pierced by this white rainbow, and suddenly a mournful bird cry came from the distant horizon.
Above the horizon, a white sphere of light slowly rose, illuminating the Northern Continent. Within the sphere, a golden figure was screaming in agony, its entire body engulfed in white flames.
Who else could it be but the golden eagle that has long since flown away?
The cultivators watched helplessly as the golden eagle was slowly burned to ashes, devoid of any life, and grew increasingly silent.
After a long silence, someone spoke in a very soft, almost murmured voice, "That was a Loose Immortal —and he's dead just like that?"
"That's Loose Immortal!"
In the Strife-Free City, Madam Thousand Mechanisms's murmurs were even more panicked, and her voice was very loud, as if she was about to lose control. After all, she was also Loose Immortal!
It's nothing more than a single shot from the Nine Mountains Sect!
Looking at the Nine Mountains Department Store in the city, Madam Thousand Mechanisms felt a chill run down her spine, as if a cannon was pointed at her.
Looking at the intelligence reports sent by the disciples of Strife-Free City, she said to Daoist Guhong with great relief, "The invading Demon Race from all directions have been repelled by Nine Mountains Department Store."
She paused, seemingly realizing she had used the wrong word, "It should have been said that they killed them."
"Not a single one escaped?"
Not a single one.
Daoist Guhong frowned. Madam Thousand Mechanisms, of course, knew what he was thinking—with the Nine Mountain Sect's fortress so powerful, were the two of them safe?
The Daoist Guhong pointed at the Daoist temple, and the roof of the temple transformed into a white cloud, obscuring the entire Watching Ripples Palace.
Madam Thousand Mechanisms knew this was the city lord's defensive treasure, but she was still a little uneasy and asked, "What about the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow— "
" The Peacock said that the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow relies on the power of Primordial Magnetism. Since I've interfered with the Primordial Magnetism here, we should be safe for now—"
Madam Thousand Mechanisms nodded. The city lord must have some confidence to say that, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "It's fortunate that the city lord wasn't bewitched by the Peacock Great Emperor!"
It now seems that the Nine Mountains Sect was probably prepared all along, just waiting for them to come to their deaths.
Upon hearing this, Daoist Guhong's face darkened even further.
"City Lord?"
"You said all the Demon Race are dead, but what about the Peacock people?"
Madam Thousand Mechanisms blinked blankly at first, then suddenly realized. "Lord, are you saying that he was planning to use us to test him?"
Daoist Guhong nodded slightly and said, "He's probably not in the Northern Continent now. He's either back in his Peacock Heaven, or—he's gone to the Western Continent."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding and saying, "You're right, City Lord. Otherwise, it would be strange if the Peacock Great Emperor hadn't shown up after such a large loss of Demon Race. Fortunately, fortunately, City Lord, you didn't agree."
The expression on the Daoist Guhong's face did not ease; instead, his brows furrowed, and after a long silence, he finally spoke, "I plan to return to Strife-Free Island."
"What?"
Madam Thousand Mechanisms was greatly shocked. Strife-Free Island was the Golden Immortal World of Daoist Guhong, where they had always lived in seclusion.
Entering the Xuanwei is actually about finding a way out in this era of great strife, or even going further.
To Madam Thousand Mechanisms's surprise, the city lord seemed somewhat disinterested and wanted to retreat to Strife-Free Island.
" The Peacock's attitude reflects Lu Mo is thinking."
6
Madam Thousand Mechanisms's heart stirred slightly, and she began to understand the city lord's thoughts. "Does the city lord think that the Golden Immortal Council is just a pretext for Lu Mo?"
"Perhaps not before, but that's not necessarily true now," said Daoist Guhong in a deep voice. "Having benefited in the Pure Land, it's hard to say whether he'll still value us Golden Immortal with no real foundation."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms suddenly realized, "City Lord, do you think that Lu Mo only wants to use us now? And is actually unwilling to share power with us?"
Daoist Guhong nodded slightly. "That's right. He probably only proposed the Golden Immortal Council because he was not strong enough to subdue all the Golden Immortal in Xuanwei, so he had no choice but to back down."
"But now—the situation is different."
At this point, Daoist Guhong stood up and looked towards the Western Continent.
"I had this suspicion all along, and now Peacock's thoughts confirm it even more. At least Lu Mo no longer values us as much as before."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms finally understood why the city lord had been so reluctant to leave; Lu Mo's change in attitude had made him lose all hope.
"But didn't you say before, City Lord, that if we can't gain any benefit from this great calamity, we'll be at their mercy when someone achieves the Grand Luo realm in the future?"
Hearing this, Daoist Guhong's expression became even more distressed. Madam Thousand Mechanisms also understood the difficulties they faced. Their main thought upon entering Xuanwei was that they knew the Grand Luo was about to emerge and the heavens would undergo great changes, so they were preparing to find a powerful patron.
The problem is, it seems that neither thighs nor other options are very reliable now.
The Daoist Guhong sighed, " Grand Luo —it seems that in this world, there are only two people who truly have the potential to become Grand Luo— "
"One is Lu Mo, who was already quite powerful, and now seems to have gained a great deal of benefit."
"Another----"
The Daoist Guhong looked up at the Nine Mountains Fortress in the sky, seemingly unable to continue speaking.
"The other one is Zheng Fa."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms finished adding to his list.
"Yes—he's just Zheng Fa, Loose Immortal." Daoist Guhong sighed. "If it were before, I would never have believed that Zheng Fa could compete with Lu Mo for the position of Grand Luo."
But now—
Lady Wuzheng also looked at the Nine Mountains Fortress, watching these things slowly fall back to the ground and transform into the shape of the Nine Mountains Department Store. She felt that the Nine Mountains Department Store and Zheng Fa were inexplicably compatible. If you treat this thing as a shop, you're just asking for death.
If Zheng Fa is regarded as Loose Immortal, then... the outcome will probably be even more tragic.
"I didn't believe Zheng Fa could compete with Lu Mo at first. But his relationship with the Nine Mountains Sect is really beyond my understanding."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms nodded gently.
It's okay if they don't understand it, but the fact that Zheng Fa, which they don't understand, has caused Lu Mo to suffer losses time and time again means that the Nine Mountains Sect possesses power far beyond their imagination.
"Now these two are quite similar. Zheng Fa is backed by the Nine Nether Emperor, Lu Mo is backed by the Thunderclap Buddha Ancestor —almost no other force can rival them."
"But neither of them is a good master."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms understood Daoist Guhong's thoughts. Lu Mo had said before sounded very appealing, but now it seemed to be nothing more than a temporary expedient and extremely unreliable.
Even now, it seems that Thunderclap Temple is inclined to exploit them.
If it were before, being used wouldn't have been a problem, but with the Nine Mountains Sect being so powerful, they might just be cannon fodder.
But the Nine Mountains Sect is even worse:
The Nine Mountains Sect did not hide its thoughts, and the news of the establishment of the Nine Mountains Immortal Court had already spread.
As the top-tier power in Xuanwei, the Nine Mountains Immortal Court's every move has always been observed by those with ulterior motives.
The Nine Mountains Immortal Court Nine Mountains Immortal Court n't seem to be hiding anything from outsiders, therefore, the two Daoist Guhong, were quite familiar with it.
After learning about it, their thoughts were all similar – a deep-seated rejection.
The Nine Mountains Immortal Court places too much emphasis on mortals and lower-level disciples, imposing extremely high restrictions on their Dao Fruit. How could Daoist Guhong has always been the undisputed leader in Strife-Free City, tolerate such a disparity?
Even setting aside their hatred for the Nine Nether Emperor, the system of the Nine Mountains Immortal Court was enough to make them reject it.
To be honest, the choice is a real dilemma, no wonder the city lord wanted to run back to Strife-Free Island.
Just as the two were silent, a white streak of light flew in from afar. Daoist Guhong reached out and caught the flying Communication Talisman. He opened it and raised an eyebrow. A smile spread from the corner of his mouth to his cheeks, as if the sorrow from before had been swept away.
"City Lord?"
"The letter of the Supreme Dao."
What did the Supreme Dao say?
"They said that if we pledged our allegiance to them, they would provide us with shelter."
" The Supreme Dao— " Madam Thousand Mechanisms frowned, "Lord City, didn't you say they were experiencing internal strife and were difficult to help?"
" With the Dao Venerable here, the Supreme Dao will always find a way out. Even if Grand Luo appears in the future, there will still Dao Venerable the position of Grand Unity in all the heavens and myriad realms."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms nodded gently, finally understanding the city lord's current state of mind.
The city lord now only seeks self-preservation and is unwilling to be a scapegoat for others. In this sense, the Supreme Dao is indeed the most suitable – they cannot advance, but self-preservation is not difficult, and they are very secure.
The Three Reclusive Immortals, including Daoist Guhong, had no background to begin with and had always acted conservatively. Now that they had lost their spirit, the Supreme Dao might not be a bad choice.
It's understandable that the Supreme Dao wants to recruit them. Although the Three Reclusive Immortals are not a major force, they are quite powerful. If they can be brought under their wing, they will have more room to negotiate in the Xuanwei battles.
The Daoist Guhong and the Suspended Island and the Beyond-Heaven Mountain exchanged letters several times and had developed similar thoughts.
On this day, Madam Thousand Mechanisms suddenly rushed in, her expression somewhat solemn.
"How?"
"Manager Han of Nine Mountains Department Store requests an audience."
The Daoist Guhong slowly turned his head, narrowed his eyes, and said, "See me?"
"Yes, they specifically requested to see you, the city lord."
After a long silence, Daoist Guhong finally stood up from the futon and chuckled, "Then let's meet them. Otherwise, Steward Han might think I'm afraid of them."
Han Qi came alone, led by a disciple from Strife-Free City. In the Watching Ripples Palace, many disciples looked at Han Qi with complicated expressions.
A rumor circulates privately within Strife-Free City that the current Steward Han is actually the Strife-Free City lord.
But Chief Steward Han has been keeping a low profile lately, and this is his first time going out since the war, which makes him particularly eye-catching.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Han Qi remained calm and composed, his steps unhurried. He arrived before the Daoist temple, looked at the complex expressions on the faces of the Daoist Guhong and Madam Thousand Mechanisms, and solemnly bowed, saying, " Han Qi, Special Envoy of the Nine Mountains Sect, pays respects to the Strife-Free City."
Madam Thousand Mechanisms was momentarily stunned upon hearing this – this was the second time Han Qi had come to the Watching Ripples Palace as an envoy.
The first time, he was turned away and didn't even get to see the city lord.
This time, standing in the Watching Ripples Palace, he was extremely courteous, yet no one dared to underestimate him.
The changes caused Madam Thousand Mechanisms to sigh inwardly.
"Did Zheng Fa send you?"
Seemingly sensing her emotions, Daoist Guhong let out a cold snort, seemingly with some anger.
"I have been entrusted by the Grand Elders' Council the Nine Mountains Immortal Court to pay a visit," Han Qi said, his expression unchanged, seemingly oblivious to Daoist Guhong's anger, "And to invite the City Lord to join my Nine Mountains Immortal Court."
"Join?" A mocking smile appeared on Daoist Guhong's face. "Your Nine Mountains Sect is the last choice I would make."
"A dignified Dao Fruit being ridden on by mortals."
Why should I wrong myself like this?
Han Qi nodded slightly, seemingly understanding Daoist Guhong's reasons, but then asked, "The City Lord despises my Immortal Court only because of this?"
"Isn't that enough?"
Han Qi chuckled lightly, "I originally thought the city lord would be more confident, but it turns out I overestimated him."
Upon hearing this, Daoist Guhong's expression immediately turned even more unpleasant.
You call me a coward?
"Isn't that so?" Han Qi retorted with a sneer, showing no weakness. "Someone like me, who once usurped the Sect Leader, can still rise to prominence within the Nine Mountains Sect. What is the city lord afraid of?"
"----Who have you robbed?"