Chapter 749: Recommended List |
Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.
Everyone began to whisper, and the Beast King Dong Hai asked, "Lord Sha, the rules are old, and we have compiled the lists according to the old ways. What is incorrect?"
Sha Ru Lai looked at him and said, "I have no complaints regarding the maritime domain."
"Hmph!" The Beast King Dong Hai chuckled, then, looking at the others, said with a smile, "It's you land-dwellers who have problems. You can explain yourselves to Lord Sha."
He was clearly ready to watch what would unfold and what the problem was.
The head of the Nature Manifestation Sect, Du Yun San, asked, "Lord Sha, does every sect have issues with their list? I don't quite understand. Could you please clarify?"
Sha Ru Lai, seemingly devoid of emotion, calmly stated, "Problems with the lists have appeared from three sects across three kingdoms. The numbers from these three sects across three kingdoms are fewer than before. The Secret Realm of Tian Du opens once every fifty years. Each time, sects from every kingdom send cultivators there. Now that it's my turn to oversee the opening, have you gentlemen intentionally violated the old rules?"
As soon as he said this, everyone understood the matter.
Du Yun San also understood. The Beast King Dong Hai smirked and observed the people's reactions.
The head of the Ascension Palace, Guang Qi Tai, the head of the Ancestral Temple, Qu Fang, and the head of the Heavenly Palace of Song, Wu Cheng Yu, exchanged glances.
The head of the Thousand Beast Sect, Si Hai Tang, sitting nearby, watched them.
The three heads exchanged glances, and finally, Guang Qi Tai stepped forward: "Lord Sha, you misunderstand. It's not that we treat Lord Sha any differently. It's just that the Song Kingdom is currently in a critical situation, embroiled in battles. We are short on people. If we send our disciples now, it would be tantamount to bringing ruin upon our three sects."
Sha Ru Lai nodded slightly: "If the Song Kingdom falls, then its three sects will also lose their place in the Palace of Mystery. This is not the Secret Realm of Tian Du. Your reason is understandable. Even I have nothing to accuse you of." Then, he turned to face the Han Kingdom's representatives. "What about the Han Kingdom? Is the Han Kingdom also on the verge of collapse? Chi Chin Li, what is your explanation?"
Chi Chin Li was the head of the Heavenly Maiden Doctrine. She sat at the table, clad in snow-white robes.
Chi Chin Li felt awkward, for she had to respond. The Han Kingdom was currently attacking the Song Kingdom, aiming to destroy it. And like the Song Kingdom, the Han Kingdom had also sent its elite disciples to battle. If they were to send weaker disciples to war, it would be an unfavorable fight.
Although it was awkward for her to say all this, remaining silent was not an option, so she had to say something.
After a moment of thought, Chi Chin Li slowly said, "Lord Sha, we too were forced to send our elite disciples to counter the cultivators of the Song Kingdom. Among the Song Kingdom's cultivators are also those from the Wei and Qi Kingdoms. Cultivators from three kingdoms are fighting against our Han Kingdom. If we recall our elite cultivators for the Secret Realm of Tian Du, it would likewise be tantamount to bringing ruin upon ourselves."
The heads of the River Valley and Unsurpassed Palace, Yin Ru Shu and Xu Ying Guan, approved of her excuse.
Then Guang Qi Tai, the head of the Ascension Palace, stood up and, pointing at Chi Chin Li, angrily declared, "You hussy! What kind of excuse have you concocted? It's your Han Kingdom that invaded our Song Kingdom. If you withdraw your troops and the two kingdoms cease fighting, would the Han Kingdom face ruin then? Nonsense!"
"Hussy?" Chi Chin Li was enraged. She rose to her feet: "No one gave your stinking mouth permission to speak!"
"I did not summon you here for you to quarrel before me!" Sha Ru Lai's stern voice resounded. He used his spiritual power, causing his voice to boom like thunder.
Guang Qi Tai and Chi Chin Li immediately sat down and fell silent. Though they glared at each other with hatred, they dared not continue their bickering.
Sha Ru Lai calmly spoke again: "And what about the Jin Kingdom? All kingdoms have entered battle. Why has the Jin Kingdom provided so few cultivators?"
In the Jin Kingdom, among the three sects, the Qiyun Sect holds dominance, and there are simply no others. Naturally, the head of the Qiyun Sect was the one to answer for them.
The head of the Qiyun Sect, Tai Shu Fei Hua, also felt awkward. Everyone already knew the Jin Kingdom's intentions. He simply couldn't openly declare now that the Jin Kingdom wanted to hoard its strength to swallow other kingdoms, which was why it wasn't sending cultivators to the forbidden territory. But if he were to say so now, everyone would begin to conspire together against him and the Jin Kingdom.
Tai Shu Fei Hua gave a dry cough and said, "Lord Sha, all the kingdoms have entered into war. Our Jin Kingdom fears that it too will be drawn into battles at any moment. Therefore, we are conserving our strength. For self-preservation!"
At his words, everyone merely cast disdainful glances in his direction.
"Hmph, everyone has their reasons!" Sha Ru Lai said, "It seems the Secret Realm of Tian Du is opening at an inconvenient time. It just so happens that everyone has begun to fight!"
"I am not interested in your fabricated excuses and reasons. Rules are rules. If you do not abide by them, misfortune will befall you. Therefore, while the Nine Supremes have yet to say anything, it is best for you to act according to the rules. However, if you were to proceed in such a manner now, everyone would raise questions about the Secret Realm of Tian Du. But this is the Hall of the Utmost Limit, and here, we do not force anyone to obey the rules. It is up to you."
"So, let us proceed. Since it is my turn to oversee the Palace of Mystery, I shall make the decision! Rules must not be broken, nor can you be placed in a difficult position. Since that is the case, the war between the kingdoms must be halted, and all battles ceased! First, you shall all conclude the matter concerning the Secret Realm of Tian Du, and then you may do as you please. Fight if you wish, kill if you desire. Whatever you fancy. The two matters shall not interfere with each other! After you gentlemen return, send me a new list of who will enter the Secret Realm of Tian Du. Do not try to fool me. Otherwise, none of you will fare well later!"
Stop the battles? Everyone was astonished and began to converse amongst themselves. However, there was no changing anything here.
He had not come to consult with them, but to declare a decision. Sha Ru Lai had, of course, stated the decision of the Nine Supremes.
Those involved in the wars immediately began weighing the benefits and advantages of this.
"One more thing!" Sha Ru Lai's words once again silenced everyone: "Since the forbidden territory is indeed opening at an inopportune time, and everyone has lost many cultivators in the ongoing battles, many good disciples have perished. Furthermore, the resources for cultivators across the world are tied to the forbidden territory. Therefore, the Sacred Supremes have decided that each kingdom may add other cultivators to their roster."
"Ah!" Everyone burst into an uproar.
Those who enter the Secret Realm of Tian Du will compete against each other. And each time, it is a great loss for any sect. What does adding more people mean? It means even greater losses.
Some things people instinctively understand, yet dare not speak of them. The Nine Supremes devised this matter to deplete the sects' strength, preventing them from rising and growing stronger. And now, they are telling them to add even more cultivators. How could they possibly rejoice at this?
"Gentlemen, quiet!" Sha Ru Lai once again suppressed the noise with his voice: "Gentlemen, do not fret. People can be added not from the sects themselves. Many sects are already expending cultivators, so the Sacred Supremes have decided that cultivators may be added from among the rogue cultivators. You will be responsible for compiling the list of rogue cultivators."
As soon as everyone heard that the list would be compiled from rogue cultivators, many immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone pondered this, and indeed. Over these years, many outstanding cultivators had emerged among the rogue cultivators. They had risen cautiously but steadily in cultivation. It seemed the Nine Supremes had turned their attention to them. And now, they wished to weed them out as well. Had it not been for this situation, the Nine Supremes would have found another method to sieve out the rogue cultivators.
One person asked, "Lord Sha, rogue cultivators have no sect and are not bound by the laws of any kingdom. How are we to compile this list? According to the rogue cultivator's place of residence?"
Sha Ru Lai: "Since they are not bound by any kingdom, you gentlemen may choose arbitrarily. Without regard to their residence."
Someone asked, "In this way, many cultivators might be duplicated. And we might not even gather a thousand people."
Sha Ru Lai: "It's simple! To ensure fairness, all you gentlemen here shall create the list. Each of the thirty individuals must select forty people. Then we'll see, and if necessary, we'll gather more." He looked to the side and nodded: "The Four Treasures of the Study!"
After his words, some people immediately began bringing the Four Treasures of the Study to the heads at each table.
Next, many sheets of paper were affixed to the palace walls, preparing to record the names of individuals who would appear multiple times.
Although rogue cultivators would be added, this was no small matter. After all, among rogue cultivators, there were respected individuals, friends, or cultivators useful to these gentlemen. Therefore, before signing someone's name, all the heads consulted among their allied sects, and even with heads from other kingdoms.
Sha Ru Lai sat calmly, sipping his wine, and waited.
After a long time, each presented their list. And for the sake of fairness, these lists began to be copied onto the walls.
Eventually, the heads gathered around the walls and looked at the resulting list. There, they discovered many cultivators from the Dan List.
Many heads wrote down people they knew, or those they wished to exclude.
And in this list were names that repeated. Seeing one of them, Gong Ling Ze's lips trembled.
Next to the names that frequently repeated, the character for 'King' was added. In this list, Gong Ling Ze saw the name Niu You Dao, next to which were three 'King' characters. This meant that at least twelve out of thirty people had written Niu You Dao's name.