Chapter 1726: The Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable |
In the days that followed, traces of monks from the Kudu Monastery could be seen everywhere across Mingwang Star.
As the guardian sect of Mingwang Star, the Kudu Monastery commanded countless subordinate forces. Each monk led anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand cultivators from various sects, searching in all directions.
Everyone was silently alarmed by the scale of this operation. Many even thought that the Wandao Immortal Sect had launched an invasion.
Fang Chen sat in the small courtyard, gazing up at the sky. His eyes pierced through layers of void, landing upon the Firmament frontier.
The Mingwang Star had already been completely sealed off by the Kudu Monastery. Nothing was allowed in, and nothing was allowed out. It could be said that the entire Mingwang Star had been locked down with almost no blind spots.
Old Sheng's voice sounded beside Fang Chen.
"Young master, how is it?"
"Mingwang Star has been completely sealed." Fang Chen withdrew his gaze and smiled faintly. "I estimate that a major figure will be arriving here soon."
Old Sheng fell into thought. A major figure…
He had long noticed that those eight carried the bearing of core disciples. The respect the Kudu Monastery monks showed them further confirmed his suspicion. For eight core disciples of Taicang Realm to all die at once on Mingwang Star, such an event would naturally cause a massive uproar. Only he knew that the one responsible was most likely Core Disciple Fang. But he also knew better than to ask. Even if he had guesses, he kept them buried in his heart.
***
Ten days later.
The Starry Teleportation Formation suddenly erupted with dazzling divine light. At that very moment, the presiding Grand Abbot of the Kudu Monastery personally arrived, accompanied by a group of sixth-transformation immortals, some from the temple, others from various sects, all waiting respectfully.
The hearts of all the cultivators in the city skipped a beat. The experts gathered here accounted for nearly ninety-nine percent of Mingwang Star's total power. Every sixth-transformation immortal present was a renowned figure, widely known by all.
Curiosity arose in everyone's mind, and they all asked themselves the same question.
With so many experts gathered here… what kind of major figure is about to descend upon Mingwang Star?
Fang Chen's divine soul stood in the void. As the dazzling light faded, more than a dozen figures emerged from the formation.
At the forefront were two individuals, a man and a woman, both appearing extremely young. The man was strikingly handsome, dressed in a white robe with a black collar. As he walked, he carried an almost intangible aura of authority that made those present feel a weight on their chests, unable to look at him for long.
Fang Chen's gaze grew serious. This is an Ancient Immortal.
He turned his attention to the woman. Her origin concerned him even more. Her skin was flawless and snow-white. She wore very little, just enough to cover her vital parts. The rest of her delicate, fair skin was exposed to the air. What was strange, however, was that she had the lower body of a beast. She had two powerful limbs, like a lion's legs, yet completely hairless, their skin as fair and smooth as the rest of her body. As she walked, a tail flicked behind her, carrying a flame of deep blue fire. The blue flame seemed fused with her tail, constantly burning.
Even in his out-of-body state, Fang Chen could sense a dangerous aura emanating from that flame.
Fang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Demonic Beast Race…"
This, too, was an Ancient Immortal.
At the same time, the Grand Abbot of the Kudu Monastery wore a warm smile, pressed his palms together, and chanted, "Amitabha. This humble monk greets the Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable and Saintess Yuanyang."
The handsome man nodded with a light smile. "Abbot Wufa, we are already old friends. Why such courtesy? And why mobilize so many fellow Daoists here?"
The local experts of Mingwang Star all bowed in unison.
"We pay our respects to the Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable and Saintess Yuanyang!"
"Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable, it was not this humble monk who summoned them. Upon hearing that you would be arriving, they came of their own accord to welcome you," Abbot Wufa said with a smile.
Fang Chen's thoughts stirred.
Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable? Saintess Yuanyang?"
He had never heard of Saintess Yuanyangr, but the Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable was not an unfamiliar name. He had seen it before in the intelligence Xie Aman had provided before coming to the Taicang Realm.
This Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable had originally been a rogue cultivator. As a lone cultivator, he rose rapidly, defeating geniuses from all corners of the world, and was eventually accepted into the Grand Wei Study as a core disciple.
After becoming a core disciple, he led exploration teams deep into Forbidden Zones. At least five Ancient Forbidden Zones had been conquered and secured solely by him. Within those zones, he also obtained several extraordinary divine abilities.
Later, when the awakened demons began their campaign to sweep through Taicang Realm, the Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable suddenly turned against his own side at a critical moment, injuring several elders of the Grand Wei Study and killing more than twenty core disciples, fully revealing his identity as a Fallen Immortal.
Over the past several hundred years, he had only grown stronger, and his methods were ruthless. On any battlefield he participated in, he had never once been defeated.
According to Xie Aman's evaluation of him at the time, he was extremely troublesome. Xie Aman told Fang Chen he had to be extremely careful if he ever faced the man.
Fang Chen looked at the Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable, his mind churning. For even Senior Sister to describe him as troublesome and warn us to be cautious upon encountering him… it shows his methods have likely reached an unfathomable level. Though compared to her, he should still be slightly inferior. And he is not among the true core figures of the Taicang Realm.
He was curious—what were these two here for today? What methods would they use to avenge Yu Feng and the others?
The Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable smiled and said, "You're all too enthusiastic. I'm only here today to make an appearance and to deliver a message to the Wandao Immortal Sect, as well as the cultivators of Fangcun Realm and Shenwang Realm."
The Yuanyang Saintess suddenly laughed and mocked, "Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable, do you think those little insects might be nearby?"
The Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable chuckled. "Whether they are or not makes no difference to us."
At that moment, the Starry Teleportation Formation behind them lit up once more with dazzling light. This time, several hundred cultivators emerged. They appeared to be escorting a group of prisoners, about twenty or so in total. None of the prisoners looked presentable. They were stained with blood, disheveled, and in tattered clothes. They looked utterly miserable. Yet anyone observing carefully might notice symbols on their tattered clothes, belonging to top-tier factions.
Fang Chen's pupils dilated slightly. Among the prisoners, he saw a very familiar face.
It was Ji Sheng, the tenth Core Disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace. Now, Ji Sheng no longer bore any trace of a core disciple. He looked like a walking corpse, his face numb, his eyes empty.
