Azurewood Daoist Heir and the others fell silent.
The chill and silence even spread to the Immortal Orders' remnants. One asked, puzzled, "A fourth-step Dao Child has invited you. That's a tremendous opportunity. What's wrong with you?"
"Whatever the future holds, discussing profound mysteries and the Dao now can only be a good thing."
"What, do you think he'll kill you here? Is there really any need for this?"
The remnant from the Spiritual Treasure Realm looked torn between laughter and exasperation.
The Dao Children exchanged chilly, faintly horrified glances. Each seemed to see what the others were thinking.
"He really might?"
The Heavenly Mechanism Immortal Palace remnant froze.
They had met that fourth-step Dao Child many times over the past two thousand years, always while serving their sentences in prison. They had worked together on many projects, particularly the all-important project to repair the planar passages. Together, they had driven great advances in immortal-path science across the world cluster over these millennia.
As far as they could tell, apart from being rather fierce on the battlefield, that fourth-step Dao Child was ordinarily a perfect gentleman: modest and eager to learn, respectful of his elders, mindful of old ties, and scrupulous in his manners. He was nothing like the many abnormal sword cultivators, and they could not help admiring him.
He was practically a model Dao Child of the spell cultivators!
As for his conduct on the battlefield, they had been mortal enemies fighting for their lives. That was only natural. Their disciples had gotten along well with the fourth-step Dao Child before.
Why were these disciples acting differently now?
"Ancestor,"
"It's different now. Everything's different."
Facing the remnants' puzzled looks, Ji Liuyue, the Azurewood Daoist Heir, lowered her voice. "We've now reached the threshold for a Sacred Sword Duel.