Ch. 961Please, Nine Elders, Lend Us Your Strength!
Key plot points and events
- Chen Changqing’s Mount Shu warship unexpectedly changes course toward the dangerous Netherworld Trench. His pursuers, including True Lord Xuanming and the Great Chu covert guard, keep following at a greater distance.
- The Ji Clan grand elder realizes the original ambush plans are no longer useful. He launches a backup plan: anonymously spread the claim that Chen Changqing still carries Chaotic Origin Energy from the Heavenly Void Divine Pool.
- The rumor appears on the Nine Provinces Darknet, accompanied by Chen’s aura signature. Though major sects are reluctant to antagonize Mount Shu, many lesser factions and ambitious True Lords decide the possible reward is worth the risk and head for the Netherworld Trench.
- Daoist Chen Yuan learns of the threat and cannot identify who spread the rumor. He goes to Mount Shu’s Nine-Layer Heavenly Palace, where the sect’s most powerful elders reside, and appeals to his master, Wu Zhen.
- Wu Zhen explains that hundreds of True Lord cultivators may be pursuing Chen Changqing. Rather than ask his master to act directly, he asks him to swallow his pride and visit the fifth heavenly palace.
Character developments and interactions
- The Ji Clan grand elder shifts from a failed direct ambush to a covert strategy that turns potential enemies into a widespread threat against Chen. He believes the rumor is plausible and difficult to trace.
- Shadow Three and True Lord Xuanming remain cautious but committed to tracking the warship, following it at a safer distance.
- Daoist Wu Zhen reveals deep concern for his young disciple and shows humility by approaching his long-estranged master after eight hundred years.
- Wu Zhen’s master, an ancient and formidable Mount Shu elder, listens to the danger without yet committing to intervene.
- Their exchange ends with Wu Zhen’s unusual request that his master approach the fifth palace, leaving the purpose and consequences unresolved.
Significant themes
- Greed and ambition: The rumor drives lesser cultivators to risk confronting Mount Shu for a chance at power.
- Information as a weapon: The Ji Clan uses anonymous intelligence to create a threat without exposing itself.
- Protection versus pride: Wu Zhen seeks help for Chen despite the strain of returning to his master after centuries.
- The danger of rising prominence: Chen’s tournament victory and extraordinary talent make him a target even while he is absent.