"Come, come, speak your minds! Which clan made such a grand move? They actually dared to bring that one here?! Are they gambling their entire clan's fortune accumulated over hundreds of millions of years?!" The Jiang Clan patriarch, visibly agitated, was the first to broach the subject.
"Hiss-could it be the Yun Clan?!" Another figure, a woman shrouded in hazy azure light, sucked in a cold breath, her voice wavering with shock and doubt. She appeared to be the Feng Clan matriarch.
"I suspect the same. Otherwise, why would that old gossip leave out only the Yun Clan when arranging this gathering? He and the Yun Clan's second brother have been drinking companions for a thousand years!" A voice rang out like clashing metal, utterly certain. This speaker appeared to be a war king from some Immortal Dynasty.
"Ah, you fools! Why not have those charlatans from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion divine it? Then everything would come to light!" a somewhat impatient voice cut in.
"You're the senile old fool!" someone immediately retorted, their voice tinged with apprehension. "That Heavenly Secrets Formation Disc... that 'Star Seer'!" The speaker seemed overly worked up, but abruptly stopped at the crucial point, as though terrified of violating some taboo.
With a terrifying being who could divine heaven and earth and command the tracks of fate, even here in the crevice between reality and illusion, casually mentioning their revered name or symbol might draw their notice and invite unpredictable calamity.
"But their young Yun Qing is already on the Immortal List. Judging by the momentum of his summoning pillar of light earlier, his strength must rank among the very best. Even with the Yun Clan's deep reserves, where would they find such vast fortune to sustain two peerless immortal talents at once?! Especially when one of them is... that one!" The Ji Clan patriarch's voice carried deep bewilderment and a trace of jealousy that was almost impossible to detect.
"Hey! You old block of ice, stop fucking standing there pretending to be profound!" The hot-tempered war king who had spoken earlier turned his fire straight toward the North Pole Ice God Palace's representative. "Come clean! Was that Thirty-Six-Petal Ice Lotus your doing?!"
"Bullshit!" The Ice God Palace's representative suddenly opened his eyes, bitter cold surging through his ice-blue pupils until fine ice crystals formed in the surrounding void. Ancient frost swirled around him like mist and clouds, an image of chilling nobility that stood in stark contrast to the crude words that had burst from his mouth.
"Our North Pole Profound Palace is pure as ice and spotless as jade! How could we commit such a heaven-defying theft of fortune! I suspect it was a contingency left behind by your Xia Clan ancestor! Who doesn't know he was hopelessly infatuated with our Ice Lord back then, yet could never win her heart! This must be some trick you cooked up in secret to frame us!"
"Nonsense! Nothing but slander! Our Great Xia upholds the Human Emperor's Way, openly and honorably!" The Great Xia prince was so furious that his beard and hair bristled, while dragon silhouettes roared around him.
For a time, these mighty figures who normally sat high above the ninefold heavens, whose words became law and inspired awe in countless living beings, behaved like common street folk, recklessly trading accusations, exposing one another's failings, and hurling abuse without a shred of dignity.
The scene became "extremely lively," with currents of chaos churning beneath the impact of their terrifying auras and fragments of law flickering in and out of existence.
Only the instigator, the Jiang Clan patriarch, had retreated to a corner of the void after tossing out a brick to draw forth jade. He watched their quarrel with a merry smile, occasionally adding fuel to the fire or cupping his hands to offer a few words of advice: "Harmony is precious," or "Please calm yourselves, everyone."
Yet his eyes glittered with the excitement of a spectator who never thought the spectacle was troublesome enough.
There were also old monsters who cared about their dignity. They watched this verbal battle, arguably the highest-level one in this world, with cold eyes, each working through their own calculations. Go on, argue. The more you argue, the muddier the waters become. There are probably far more giant crocodiles lurking at the bottom of this deep pool than have shown themselves...
I wonder who will be the first to lose patience and leap out.
The quarrel within the crevice of the void continued, while a towering storm destined to sweep across the entire Heavenly Origin Continent and determine its course for the next ten thousand years quietly began to unfold amid the suspicions, schemes, and secret preparations of the various powers.
The undercurrent of purges Yun Qing had personally set in motion within Yun Clan Territory was merely the first crest to rise within that colossal wave.
Inside the Perching Phoenix Hall, luminous pearls cast a clear glow like flowing water.
Yun Qing was discussing the arrangements for the Cloud Summit Tournament with Yun Huang.
"Young Lord, as is customary, the Little Cloud Summit Trial must be held before the tournament to select those ultimately qualified to participate in the Cloud Summit Tournament. In previous years, the trial was usually held in the Myriad Beasts Ancient Domain. However, the First Elder just sent word that spiritual energy fluctuations have become frequent in its central region, and the Demon Beasts have grown restless. He fears an unforeseen incident and requests that capable personnel be dispatched in advance to eliminate any hidden dangers and ensure the trial's safety." Standing below the jade steps, Yun Qing delivered his report respectfully.
Yun Huang rubbed the space between his brows. A faint trace of weariness seemed to flicker in the depths of his golden eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
The Myriad Beasts Ancient Domain lay on the edge of Yun Clan Territory, adjacent to Desolate City. It was an ancient secret realm overrun with Demon Beasts. More frightening still, all those beasts retained traces of ancient ferocious beast bloodlines, making them exceptionally savage and difficult to deal with.
To use it as the venue for the Little Cloud Summit Trial, someone with a high cultivation level would have to lead a team to clear it out and ensure the central region was safe.
Finding the right person was no easy task.
To ensure the trial's fairness, every branch with contestants participating had to avoid any appearance of impropriety and could not send anyone.
Moreover, calling the Cloud Summit Tournament a grand event for the entire Yun Clan was no exaggeration. Those branches without any contestants... frankly, they lacked the strength to clear out the Myriad Beasts Ancient Domain.
In previous years, they had sent a few guest elders. This year, however, coincided with the Azure Cloud List, and many clan elders and stewards had been dispatched to garrison the various immortal cities to prevent unrest.
And right now, someone who met all the requirements-"high cultivation," "already one of the Twelve Young Masters, with no need to participate in the preliminary trial," and "sufficient status to keep the situation under control"...
The hem of Yun Qing's black robes stirred as he immediately stepped forward and volunteered. "I am willing to go! Before the trial begins, I will thoroughly clear out the Myriad Beasts Ancient Domain and ensure that everything proceeds smoothly!"
It was like finding a pillow just as he was nodding off! He had been worrying about finding a suitable reason to leave the clan and give the Twelfth Elder an opportunity to act.
Yun Huang lifted his eyes and glanced over Yun Qing, letting out an amused snort. "Did you come here to seek my permission, or to bid me farewell?"
The brat was getting a foot on his nose and climbing right up his face.
Yun Qing's thoughts raced. He quickly stepped forward with a broad smile. "I came to request leave from you, Young Lord. Once I have dealt with matters there, I will return to your side at the earliest opportunity to attend you."
Yun Huang watched him silently, his gaze seemingly piercing through his flesh to the calculations deep within his soul. Only after a long while did he slowly speak. "Granted."
That single word fell like metal striking stone.
Relief settled in Yun Qing's heart. He was just about to offer his thanks and withdraw when Yun Huang added, "Give me your spear."
Yun Qing froze, then instinctively summoned the Silent Abyss Spear.
This bonded artifact had accompanied him for years and was already linked to his mind and spirit. Why was Yun Huang asking for it now...?
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but he dared not show the slightest hesitation. Holding Silent Abyss in both hands, he respectfully presented it. "Please inspect it, Young Lord."
Yun Huang did not take it. He merely extended his right hand and grasped at the air. An invisible force enveloped Silent Abyss, and the dark spear gave a low hum. It actually slipped free of Yun Qing's control on its own and flew before Yun Huang.
Then, beneath Yun Qing's astonished gaze, a wisp of dazzling Radiant Sun Divine Flame, like liquid molten gold, ignited at Yun Huang's fingertips!
The divine flame danced, radiating a terrifying aura capable of burning all the heavens to nothing.
"The material is passable. It contains a wisp of chaos mother qi," Yun Huang remarked flatly, his gaze lowered. "The refining technique was rather crude. It can barely support your newly formed chaos nirvana intent. If it encounters a force of utmost yang and unyielding might, it risks shattering."
In the next instant, beneath Yun Qing's astonished gaze, Yun Huang pressed his fingers together like a blade. With that terrifying wisp of Radiant Sun Divine Flame coiling around his fingertips, he slashed straight at the void beside him!
--
Thanks to Yuanyu for gifting an update reminder talisman~
Two updates a day will resume tomorrow!
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