Chapter 1319 - 1319: Can a Dummy Walk Out?

Everyone could see that the Celestial Pill Department's results were way too abnormal.

But the problem was, no one could pick out any real fault.

If the Heavenly Dao Rules insist on helping the Celestial Pill Department, insist on clearing away their opponents and sending them up, what can you even do?

Looked at this way, it's not that they themselves wanted to cheat; it's just that they're "favored by Celestial Fate," that's all.

What?

You're asking why the Heavenly Dao Rules just happen to help the Celestial Pill Department and not your Sect?

Well, that's obviously because your Sect isn't the one "favored by Celestial Fate"!

You should reflect on yourselves—why can't you obtain the support of the Heavenly Dao Rules…

"Hahahaha, the competition is over!"

"I never thought our Celestial Pill Department would actually sweep the top five."

"This really is an unprecedentedly good result!"

Whether it was Tian Lin or Liuyuan and the others, they were all grinning from ear to ear.

Thinking of how the various Great Sects were sneering at them earlier, every sentence dragging in the Celestial Pill Department just to step on them.

Now seeing this final ranking, their mood was simply ecstatic.

"Oh my, didn't you all say earlier that our Celestial Pill Department couldn't even get into the top three?"

"What's all this now then?"

The Pill Masters from the Yidan Stream like Jin Pi and Zhengxu directly started working their old Yin Yang Person routine.

"Ah, I get it. It must be that our fellow Daoists from the Land of Dao Extinction didn't want to see our Celestial Pill Department do poorly and embarrass ourselves, so they deliberately yielded to us, huh?"

"What kind of spirit of self-sacrifice is that, it's just too moving!"

"But you were a bit too enthusiastic. Even if you're going to yield, you didn't have to all get eliminated, right? Makes us feel really bad."

"We finally manage to come here once, and you're all this hospitable—far too polite."

"Everyone learn from them, see how considerate their manners are?"

This round of words made the Sect Leaders and Elders of the Great Sects feel their livers ache.

Damn it, we didn't yield!

"Enough!"

Daoist Venerable Chengshan, Sect Leader of the Nine Revolutions Pill Sect, who had just lost the top spot, had a dark and stormy face.

"You really have no idea in your own hearts how the Celestial Pill Department swept the top five?"

"We do have an idea."

Celestial Venerable Liu Yuan gave a sly chuckle.

"Our Celestial Pill Department is favored by Celestial Fate, having obtained the recognition of the Heavenly Dao Rules here…"

"Utter nonsense!"

The Sect Leader of Purple Nether Palace, Li Yang Daoist Venerable, loudly cut him off.

"What 'favored by Celestial Fate'?"

"Your Celestial Pill Department has submitted to the Celestial Palace; you're worlds apart from the Land of Dao Extinction."

"No matter who the Heavenly Dao Rules here recognize, it wouldn't be you so-called high Celestial Heart Tier lackeys of the Heavenly Dao!"

His words received heated echoes from the others.

"Right, that was just a coincidence."

"The Heavenly Dao Rules of the Refining Heart Dao definitely mistook the target."

"Just dumb luck, what's there to be smug about?"

"The true orthodoxy of the Alchemy Dao will always be with our Land of Dao Extinction. Your Celestial Pill Department is just a side door path."

"And that whole 'Yidan Stream, Purification Pill Stream, and Ancient Pill Stream complementing each other and fusing into one furnace'—that's hilarious!"

"Just looking at it, it's clearly some crooked, deviant path gone astray."

Their words even made Brother Cheng feel a bit unhappy.

That Alchemy Dao was something he'd passed down to the Celestial Pill Department—how did it become crooked and deviant?

But as for what they were saying about being favored by Celestial Fate, and those Jade River Puppets, he was actually rather intrigued.

There seemed to be a lot to play with in there!

Seeing Venerable Juqiu and the other four finishing the trial and about to return to the arena, he hurriedly transmitted back from the Jade River to Shao Guang Hall.

And called all five of them to a halt.

"When the five of you go down in a moment, don't reveal my identity."

The five thought he was afraid of having his cheating exposed and quickly nodded.

"We understand."

"We definitely won't say it was Elder Jiang who helped us cheat our way up."

Brother Cheng shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I'll be showing up as well in a bit."

"Ah?"

Venerable Juqiu and the others opened their mouths.

"If you show up and people see you, won't everything be exposed?"

Brother Cheng waved his hand. "I have my own plans."

"After you go down, if you're asked, just answer according to what they've been saying—admit that the Heavenly Dao Rules secretly helped you."

"Also, go give Tian Lin and Taiheng and the others a heads-up; once they see me and the Three-Eyed Tiger later, they're all to pretend they don't know us."

Pretend they don't know you?

What kind of trick is this now?

The five were completely confused.

But with Elder Jiang's orders given, even if they didn't understand, they didn't dare disobey.

Soon the five had returned to the ground below.

Once they landed, before the Celestial Pill Department's Immortal Officials could even step forward, they were surrounded on all sides by the Sect Leaders and Elders of the Great Sects.

Not to attack them, but to interrogate them.

"What exactly happened just now?"

"How did you get the top spot?"

"Hurry up and confess the truth!"

"You must have cheated, right? Otherwise, with your abilities you think you could have gotten up there?"

"Speak!"

Venerable Juqiu had originally felt a bit guilty—after all, they really had cheated.

Now hearing their disdainful tone plus that interrogating-a-criminal air, he also felt irritated.

So while transmitting to touch base with Tian Lin, Beihe, Taiheng, and the others from the Celestial Pill Department, he answered exactly as Elder Jiang had instructed.

"We don't know him either; he should be a helper manifested by the Heavenly Dao Rules, right?"

"We originally thought he would attack us, but to our surprise he actually sent us all up."

When everyone heard this—so it really was like that?

This was simply too unbelievable!

"Why would the Heavenly Dao Rules help you?"

"On what basis?"

"This is utterly outrageous!"

"Your Celestial Pill Department isn't even from the Land of Dao Extinction—what virtue and ability do you have?"

Their crazy ranting was suddenly cut off by a clear, cold shout from afar.

"Just because we find the Celestial Pill Department pleasing to the eye, and find you lot an eyesore."

Following the voice, they saw two figures slowly flying out from within the Jade River.

Who else could it be but Jiang Cheng and the Three-Eyed Tiger?

Fortunately, Tian Lin, Jin Pi, Liu Yuan, and the others had all been given the heads-up earlier; otherwise, they'd definitely have rushed over in delight to greet Elder Jiang.

But even with them all pretending not to know him, the scene still exploded into an uproar.

"It's him!"

As soon as Venerable Luo Yun saw Brother Cheng, she couldn't help but cry out.

And it wasn't just her.

The other disciples from each Sect who had been eliminated, as well as the twelve Eighth-Grade Imperial Alchemists, all recognized Jiang Cheng and the Three-Eyed Tiger.

"That's him!"

"He's the one who knocked me out!"

"Aren't they Jade River Puppets?"

"How can they walk out of the Jade River?"

"What's going on?"

To be honest, the ones even more shocked were over in the spectator stands.

The other "audience" members didn't know these two guys—but could Fan Lei Daoist Venerable, Ming Jia Daoist Venerable, and Yan Yi possibly not recognize them?

The three nearly stopped watching and sprang up from their chairs.

Holy crap!

How did those two get in there?

And they even crawled out from inside the Jade River?

So that whole series of abnormal events in the Jade River trial just now was all caused by the two of them?

Thinking carefully, Jiang Cheng really had said earlier that he was going to enter the field.

At the time, the three had been immersed in the Dao-comprehension opportunities of the spectator seats, so they hadn't taken it seriously.

Now suddenly discovering that he really did go in, the three of them inexplicably felt a bit of regret.

With the chance to go in and get close contact with those great masters, why did they bother staying outside in the spectator stands?