Chapter 497 - 438: The Second Descent

Kunlun Cave Heaven, Endless Sea.

Celestial Venerable Cang Wu sat face-to-face with his junior disciple, and at five different positions around them, five portraits floated in the air.

On the portraits were three men and two women.

Their clothing and bearing were all different, each with its own distinct flair.

On one of the scrolls, the woman in a scarlet dress actually opened her mouth and spoke.

Her voice carried a slight rasp, which instead lent it a unique charm.

"Cang Wu, you really do have leisure and refined tastes. With so little time, you still find room for a game of Go with your junior disciple?"

The white‑haired youth ignored her, continuing to hold a white stone and place it on the chessboard.

The people in these several scrolls seemed long accustomed to this.

The woman in red did not get angry.

Instead, the scroll beside her suddenly spoke as well.

In the painting was a burly man in a black robe, embroidered with nine five‑clawed golden dragons.

"Cang Wu, tell us what you think."

"Is it really necessary to send three batches of people ahead, just to weaken the Heavenly Dao’s suppression?"

"When the armies press upon the border and the great war is about to erupt, people will die in droves all the same. The fusion of the two Heavenly Daos is inevitable."

"You’re doing this just to protect a few more Nascent Souls?"

Cang Wu heard this yet still did not reply, continuing to drop white stones onto the chessboard.

The woman on the leftmost scroll began to speak.

She wore a dark‑green long dress, with a Bell tied to her hand.

"What do you people understand."

"Cang Wu took that Realm Lord of the Profound Yellow Realm’s palm head‑on. He’s left with a great terror in his heart because of it."

"We have schemed for a thousand years, and now are forced, with no choice, to move the plan forward."

"With Cang Wu’s temperament, plus that great terror in his heart, how could he sit comfortably? How could he not fear that Realm Lord leaving some backhand in the Profound Yellow Realm?"

"This is both to weaken the Heavenly Dao’s suppression, and to carry out a final probe."

"He must have done something to these several batches of people."

"Cang Wu, am I right?"

The white‑haired youth still said nothing.

In his view, what lay in his own heart needed no explanation to others.

Yet it was not hard to see: because his junior disciple obeyed his every word, while the other Divinity Transformation Immortal Venerables all acted alone, Cang Wu truly was the core figure among all the Immortal Venerables.

Of course, there was actually another point everyone was unwilling to state outright.

That was that among all the Immortal Venerables, only he had taken a palm from that Realm Lord!

He understood that Realm Lord far better.

From this, how could it be that only Cang Wu harbored great terror?

Yet his way of responding made another man in a portrait unable to hold back from speaking.

This person wore white clothes and held a folding fan in his hand.

He opened with:

"Eh, Cang Wu, where has your Donghuang Ring gone?"

The aged youth’s right hand, which should have been placing a stone, suddenly paused mid‑air.

"Clack!" The stone fell onto the board.

The Celestial Venerable spoke.

"Shut up."

What answered him was the folding‑fan man’s loud laughter.

The black‑haired old man sitting opposite Cang Wu, however, instantly furrowed his brows.

He raised his eyes directly to look at the folding‑fan man’s scroll.

Between his brows, there was boundless killing intent.

Divinity Transformation Immortal Venerables seldom made a move against each other.

Because there would be a price.

But Cang Wu’s junior disciple cared nothing for such things.

The folding‑fan man immediately let out a few awkward chuckles and stopped laughing.

"Time is about up." Cang Wu tossed the stone in his hand back into the basket.

He raised his right hand and casually pointed toward the sky.

Since he was Celestial Venerable, then this firmament ought to heed his command.

"Heaven Opening." he said blandly.

The sky instantly split open with a huge rift.

Nine pillars of light once more arose at nine positions in the Profound Yellow Realm.

Countless Cultivators flew on their artifacts toward Profound Yellow, still like a swarm of locusts sweeping by.

....

....

The Profound Yellow Realm, East Continent.

It was almost laughable: when the nine pillars of light appeared in the Profound Yellow Realm, last time five pillars were in the East Continent, four pillars in the Western Continent.

This time, it was actually still the same.

This distribution meant that the Cultivators descending into the East Continent would be more numerous than those descending into the Western Continent!

Only, last time they were caught somewhat off guard; this time was different.

Earlier, Ming Xuanji had only said it would be within a month, but the timing was inexact, and no one knew what form it would take.

But now, having already fought one defensive battle, they had naturally made many arrangements in advance.

These Lower Cultivators from Kunlun would not gather in one place.

They would spread out to attack every city and town, every Sect in the Profound Yellow Realm.

There was something strange hidden in this.

Aside from that, the remaining goal was Chu Huaixu.

What subtlety lay within this, no one yet knew.

For now, it seemed perhaps it really was to weaken the Heavenly Dao’s suppressive force.

At this moment, nine Golden Core patriarchs led over four hundred Cultivators, flying toward a large city named Xuantian City.

Previously, they had not succeeded in entering this city.

This time could be considered a gathering of Power, marching to besiege the city.

Among them, there were as many as three Cultivators at Golden Core Great Perfection.

The leader was an old man shrouded entirely in a gray robe.

Though he possessed Cultivation of Golden Core Great Perfection, his remaining yang‑lifespan was already scant.

In truth, most of these Cultivators who had arrived early in the Profound Yellow Realm were in this situation.

—Their lifespan was ending, with no way to turn it back!

Either their Cultivation broke through, or they could only accept fate and wait for death.

And this Golden Core old freak named Patriarch Yishan had in fact already undergone Possession and Reincarnation once.

However, Golden Core Stage and Nascent Soul are different.

Nascent Soul can undergo multiple Possession and Reincarnation, the specific number varying by person.

But at Golden Core Stage, one can only do it one to two times.

Patriarch Yishan’s Primordial Spirit was of average strength; a single Possession and Reincarnation was his limit.

Thus, his life truly was in its countdown.

Yet just as they were about to reach Xuantian City, he saw a figure in the sky that made his breath catch.

The man’s figure was tall, features handsome.

More importantly, he held a black Sword Scabbard in his left hand and wore a black‑and‑gold long robe.

His appearance had long since been etched deep into the heart of every Kunlun Cultivator.

"Chu Huaixu!"

"We actually run into Chu Huaixu as soon as we arrive!"

Patriarch Yishan was wild with joy inside.

This trip of his to Xuantian City was in fact assigned to him.

He had not expected to encounter such a heaven‑sent opportunity.

Was it a coincidence?

Or was there some other reason?

In the distance, that young man in a black‑and‑gold long robe looked at the several hundred Cultivators ahead, and his expression was as usual, utterly calm.

Yet behind him stood only one man and one woman.

The girl’s legs were long, hips full and shapely, her looks of nation‑toppling beauty.

The youth’s features were delicate, gender hard to tell, a massive Sword Box strapped to his back.

In such a situation, he still showed not the slightest panic, even laughed aloud and said:

"Chu Huaixu’s fine head is right here. Whoever dares step forward to take it can trade it in for your Nascent Soul True Monarch seat!"

...