Chapter 271: Wang Ping's Vicious Plan

The Eight Trigrams Furnace, Eastern Sea.

Amid the rolling waves, a towering, eighteen-story tower ship nearly ten miles wide cleaved through the surf, slowly advancing toward the rising sun.

The Frontier-Expanding Void-Crossing Ship.

Rather than a ship, it was a city at sea. Such a vessel was extremely precious even in the Brahma Nation; not just any disciple could possess one.

The treasure ship comprised over a hundred separate components. Taken individually, each piece possessed the quality of a magical artifact; combined, they formed the absolute pinnacle of artifacts, pushing the profound mysteries of crossing the void to the extreme. Once operational, bridging distances that were close yet worlds apart took but a single thought.

At the bow of the treasure ship.

The Luan Phoenix Khan gazed out at the boundless ocean, his face full of emotion and a deep sense of accomplishment. Seething ambition filled his eyes, and fighting spirit soared in his heart.

"To think that one day, it would be my turn to helm this treasure," he said.

"I heard the Venerables had to pull many strings to request this vessel and secure approval. It shows just how high their hopes are for me."

At this thought, the Luan Phoenix Khan grew even more invigorated. He wished he could immediately follow the Venerables' plan and slaughter his way to that place called Guanchao City.

"According to the Venerables, there are only martial artists there."

The corners of his mouth curled into a mocking smile. In the past, he might have held some wariness toward martial artists.

Strictly speaking, there wasn't much difference between them—one was crafting material, the other was a meal. Their fights had essentially been weaklings pecking at each other, with martial artists even holding a slight advantage. During the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle a hundred years ago, according to his elders, quite a few Heavenly Monster Great Sages had been killed by martial artists.

Of course, that was all in the past.

With a mere thought, five streams of divine light fanned out behind the Luan Phoenix Khan like a peacock displaying its tail feathers. Cyan, yellow, red, white, and black—the five colors and five elements unfurled, inspiring awe and dread.

This was his bloodline spell.

No, it should now be called a bloodline Divine Power!

With Venerable Jinhai's help, his bloodline had achieved the ultimate sublimation. It no longer stopped at mere spells but had undergone Ancestral Reversion, forging the might of Divine Powers.

"According to Venerable Jinhai, my current Five Elements Divine Light is already comparable to a Minor Divine Ability. Not even the first-generation Great Sage of the Peacock Clan could match me!"

This made the Luan Phoenix Khan's ego swell even further.

After all, based on the history of the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle a century ago, even the strongest Great Grandmaster Rank among the martial artists was only marginally stronger than the Tribulation Transcending First Layer.

But now, he could cross blows with those at the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer!

With such a gap in strength, once he entered the Great Shun, as long as he was careful not to be discovered by immortal gate cultivators and only targeted Mortals, wouldn't he be able to slaughter at will?

"Times have changed!"

At this thought, the Luan Phoenix Khan brimmed with confidence. He was just waiting to seize this opportunity to establish his merits and build a legacy. In the future, he might even earn the honor of being eaten by a Wisdom King!

Thinking of eating suddenly stirred his appetite.

"Hmm, once we reach the Eastern Sea, I'll eat a few cities first to tide myself over," the Luan Phoenix Khan said, wiping a line of drool from the corner of his mouth, growing increasingly impatient.

After all, this Eastern Sea was simply too vast and entirely too desolate.

He had even asked the Venerables about this place, but the answers he received were highly ambiguous, only stating that this ocean was the product of a fallen mighty figure.

As to who it specifically was, even the Venerables didn't know.

They only knew that, according to rumors, the Eastern Sea was just like the Great Shun and the Royal Court—at the end of the sky, at the very bottom of the ocean, there also existed an endlessly vast world.

What exact world was it?

No one knew.

The Luan Phoenix Khan shook his head, tossing aside these stray thoughts. He had no interest whatsoever in the Eastern Sea. His only impression of it was the annual tide.

But that wasn't a bad thing. Every tide brought massive amounts of monster beast meat to the grasslands, sometimes greatly alleviating famines. Moreover, eating that meat could faintly strengthen the monster blood in their bodies. The benefits were immense, and the price was merely the deaths of a few lower-class people.

Why wouldn't they welcome it?

Just as the Luan Phoenix Khan was letting his imagination run wild, a sudden, massive explosion shattered his thoughts. He looked up at the sky, only to see a streak of heavenly fire crashing down.

Boom!

In an instant, the heavenly fire burned through the void, illuminating a clear path. The Luan Phoenix Khan's eyes flickered at the sight. "Such a phenomenon... could a rare treasure be emerging?"

...

"Cough, cough, cough!"

On the Eastern Sea Coast, Wang Ping staggered up from the seabed once again. Split seawater surrounded him, while rolling clouds of steam—born from the collision of water and fire—billowed overhead.

He could even see a rainbow hanging in the air.

'I lost,' he thought.

Wang Ping didn't feel much disappointment, quickly shifting his train of thought. 'That last sentence Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang spoke... the one who took action was a remnant of the Great Rebellion?'

'That Wood Qi Daoist Master?'

Even so, he felt no pleasant surprise. Instead, he grew increasingly vigilant. 'No one else could hear the True Person's words; only I could. That was absolutely no accident.'

'Was it on purpose?'

'Did that Wood Qi Daoist Master deliberately let me hear it to show goodwill, or did they have ulterior motives?' Wang Ping didn't dare be too optimistic.

After all, someone who helped you wasn't necessarily a good person. It would be best to ask the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron later and see if he could pry out any intelligence regarding this Wood Qi Daoist Master... As for breaking through the lockdown of Divine Powers, it was obvious he had failed again. The True Person's intervention had left absolutely no way out.

'Perhaps I still need Heavenly Yin Metal.'

Wang Ping didn't despair. After all, failure had its benefits. At the very least, it proved that a True Person stood on his side and was willing to take action for him.

Besides... there were still opportunities.

Obtaining the Heavenly Yin Metal was a slim chance, ranking as his worst option. Fighting an immortal gate cultivator and using Great Rebellion Exploits to elevate his presence—that was his best option.

Beyond those, there was a middle ground, but it was the most vicious and treacherous option of all. It just required a prerequisite condition that Wang Ping currently lacked.

However, since his best option had already ended in failure, he no longer cared whether it was vicious or not. If anyone was to blame, they could only blame the Immortal Gate for bringing it upon themselves.

'As for that prerequisite condition... perhaps Xianfu can help me?'

Wang Ping was deep in thought.

Suddenly, two streaks of escaping light descended from the sky. Xianfu and Kunlun stepped out of them. Kunlun wore a heavy expression, while Xianfu's face was tinged with regret.

"Junior Brother Dousheng, this was no easy battle," Xianfu said, looking at Wang Ping. "Come back to the Capital with me first. The Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron oversees that place, so your recovery will be a bit faster."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother..." Wang Ping cupped his hands, about to agree, but he suddenly froze.

Sensing something, he turned his head and looked toward the rising shadow deep within the Eastern Sea.

...

"Khan, the situation doesn't seem quite right."

Aboard the Frontier-Expanding Void-Crossing Ship, an accompanying Heavenly Monster Great Sage lowered his voice. "Heavenly fire falling from the sky is highly likely the result of cultivators clashing."

"There must be quite a few cultivators nearby."

"If we rush over recklessly, I'm afraid we'll be exposed... Has the Khan forgotten? The Venerables demanded that we move quietly and first scout out the current situation in the Great Shun."

It was a very fair suggestion.

However, the Luan Phoenix Khan cast a look of utter disdain at the Heavenly Monster Great Sage who proposed it. He then let out a cold sneer. "Coward. You severely disappoint me."

"So what if they're cultivators?"

"We're heading to the Eastern Sea Coast right now, at the absolute fringes of the Great Shun. Even if there are cultivators, they'll just be independent cultivators—nothing to fear at all."

"Or do you think that the moment I head over, a swarm of cultivators with Divine Powers and Immortal Gate True Transmissions at the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer will pop out to catch us all in one fell swoop?"

The Luan Phoenix Khan shook his head. "Impossible. Those major figures will only choose to stay in the Great Shun's Capital, overseeing the central hub and issuing orders. Aren't our Venerables the same? As long as it isn't someone at the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer, with the Frontier-Expanding Void-Crossing Ship here, we can always run if things genuinely go wrong."

"It's foolproof. What is there to be afraid of?"

"But..."

"No buts!" The Luan Phoenix Khan raised his brows, hostility bleeding into his tone as he issued a grim order. "Who do you think I am? Bring the treasure ship closer!"

As soon as the words fell, the Luan Phoenix Khan saw a look of absolute terror wash over the Heavenly Monster Great Sage's face. His frown deepened, deciding he would no longer tolerate such cowardice.

He had only asked him to pull the ship closer, yet he was this afraid.

What an absolute disgrace!

The face of the Royal Court had been completely dragged through the mud!

Yet in the next second, he heard the Heavenly Monster Great Sage's teeth chattering as he stammered in a trembling voice, "Kh-Khan, b-behind, behind you..."

'What's behind me?'

The Luan Phoenix Khan turned his head, only to discover that three figures had appeared at the bow of the ship at some point. And before this, he hadn't detected a single trace of their auras!

'Calm, stay calm, don't panic!' he told himself.

Taking a deep breath, the Luan Phoenix Khan forced his expression to remain stoic.

Immediately after, he let out a cold sneer.

"Three Daoist friends, you'd better think things through before making a move. Don't blame me for not warning you—I still carry four traces of divine sense left behind by the Venerables of the Brahma Nation."

"Once I activate them, I can use a Venerable's Divine Powers four times in a row. The sheer might is no worse than the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer. Whoever isn't afraid of dying, take a step forward!"

He seized the initiative with a show of force!

Anyone capable of approaching him so silently was, conservatively estimated, at least at the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer, or possibly even a cultivator with a Major Divine Ability. In all likelihood, he was no match for them.

Under these circumstances, the four traces of Venerable divine sense in his hand were his bargaining chips. If he could scare them off, that would naturally be for the best. After all, the Venerables' divine senses were exceedingly precious; unless it was an absolute last resort, he really didn't want to use them. But if the other side pushed too aggressively, he would have no choice but to burn his bridges and fight to the death...

However, what made his heart sink was...

Faced with his threat, the three people before him showed absolutely no signs of apprehension. Instead, they exchanged glances, smiled, and took a unified step forward.

'Not good. Could they have similar trump cards?'

It was possible. After all, according to the Venerables, the Immortal Gate also had major figures at the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer stationed in the Great Shun. Siphoning off a bit of divine sense was only natural.

"Oh, so there's no room for negotiation?"

In a flash, the Luan Phoenix Khan felt rage rise from his heart and viciousness surge in his gut. With a swift swish, the five-colored divine light fanned out behind him. He then lowered his voice, saying:

"Fine. I am a cultivator under the rule of the Brahma Nation. Since you insist on fighting, let's do it according to the rules of the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle! One on one!"

"No one better try to break the rules!"