Wu Zhengyang watched that retreating figure and suddenly felt his eyes grow a little hot.
A Mid Golden Core cultivator, facing a lineup of one Nascent Soul and five Golden Cores, saying, “This Venerable Self alone is enough.”
What audacity was that?
Wu Zhengyang took a deep breath and withdrew to his own side’s line, but he didn’t relax his guard. His right hand gripped the Magic Artifact at his waist tightly, ready to act at any moment.
Over on the Blood Lotus Sect’s side, the moment they saw Lai Li’an walking toward them, the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Several Golden Core cultivators gripped their Magic Artifacts simultaneously, while the Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood on high alert, the light of Spiritual Power flickering in their hands.
Yin Wuji was the first to clearly see Lai Li’an’s face.
That face—he would never forget it.
The mysterious expert who had revealed the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Token was now standing before him once again.
Yin Wuji’s pupils violently contracted, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
He instinctively retreated half a step, then realizing his loss of composure, forcefully stopped himself.
“Elder Yin?”
The Golden Core cultivator beside him noticed his abnormality and asked in a low voice, “Do you know this person?”
Yin Wuji’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“I know him… He is an extraordinary man.”
His gaze passed over Lai Li’an and landed on the direction of the Wuyue Sect. Suddenly, he understood something.
No wonder Shao Jiao had risked his life to run outside—so he went to find this person.
His voice dropped even lower.
“Last time I barely made it out of the Bamboo Forest alive. This man is a successor of the Ancient Dao Sect.”
“What you’re saying… is it true?”
“He didn’t make a move, but he had a Token in his hand, forged from Primordial Mystic Gold. In the entire Cangwu Realm, there shouldn’t be a second one.”
Yin Wuji’s tone carried no hesitation at all.
“And the most terrifying thing about this man is that his whole body is full of openings. The moment you attack, he’ll see right through you.”
The several Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances, all seeing unease in each other’s eyes.
Gong Jiwang, at the Mid Nascent Soul Stage, stood at the very front of the formation, catching every word Yin Wuji said without missing a single one.
His brows furrowed slightly as his gaze settled on Lai Li’an, who was walking toward them.
His Cultivation really was Mid Golden Core.
But a Mid Golden Core cultivator, facing the Aura of Pressure of a Mid Nascent Soul Stage elder—how could he walk so calmly?
Lai Li’an stopped about ten zhang away from the Blood Lotus Sect’s formation.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Gong Jiwang.
“You are the Steward in charge of this operation?”
Gong Jiwang didn’t answer immediately. He stared at Lai Li’an for a moment, then slowly spoke.
“This Seat is Gong Jiwang, Protector Elder of the Blood Lotus Sect. Who are you? Why do you interfere in the grudge between my Blood Lotus Sect and the Wuyue Sect?”
Lai Li’an didn’t answer his question. Instead, he reached into his robe and withdrew an object from his sleeve.
It was a Token.
Completely pitch black, neither metal nor jade, with no patterns on its surface. Only four archaic characters were carved on the front—Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.
The Token emanated an indescribable Dao Resonance. Those four characters seemed like Flame burning in the night sky, faintly radiating Dao Resonance.
Gong Jiwang’s pupils contracted slightly.
He was a Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, having lived for several hundred years, and had seen far more of the world than Yin Wuji.
He recognized the material of that Token at a glance—it truly was Primordial Mystic Gold.
Gong Jiwang’s back felt slightly cold.
When Yin Wuji had said this man came from the Ancient Dao Sect, he hadn’t fully believed it. But now, looking at the faint Dao Resonance flowing across that Token, he had no choice but to believe.
Lai Li’an weighed the Token in his hand.
“This Venerable Self came down from the mountain this time with no intention of meddling in others’ affairs. But the Wuyue Sect has some connection with This Venerable Self, and that boy Shao Jiao also has some fate with This Venerable Self.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the Blood Lotus Sect’s formation.
“Gentlemen, for This Venerable Self’s sake, how about you withdraw here and now?”
The moment those words were spoken, a low murmur stirred through the Blood Lotus Sect’s formation.
Several Golden Core cultivators exchanged looks, all seeing hesitation in each other’s eyes.
Gong Jiwang fell silent.
His gaze was locked dead onto that Token, his mind spinning at full speed.
Ancient Dao Sect—the weight of those four characters, he understood better than anyone.
Those reclusive Dao Sects, any single Disciple they sent out was enough to stir up the winds and clouds of the entire Cangwu Realm.
If the man before him truly was a successor of the Ancient Dao Sect, then killing him would be equivalent to making an enemy of the entire sect.
The Blood Lotus Sect might have considerable influence in the Cangwu Realm, but compared to those Ancient Dao Sects with tens of thousands of years of heritage, they were nothing more than a slightly larger ant.
But if he withdrew just like that…
Gong Jiwang found himself caught in a dilemma.
Lai Li’an saw the hesitation in his eyes and secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
It’s working! This Token really does the trick!
Without showing anything on his face, he glanced at the System Panel and saw a notification that made his heart race.
[New target “Gong Jiwang” detected. Fantasy Value toward Host: 45/100]
A Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, and his Fantasy Value toward him had already risen to forty-five!
Lai Li’an almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. He forcibly suppressed the curve of his lips and decided to pour more fuel on the fire.
“Fellow Daoist Gong.”
His tone grew even more indifferent.
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to examine it closely.”
As he spoke, he casually tossed the Token toward Gong Jiwang’s direction.
The Token arced through the air, flying straight toward Gong Jiwang.
Gong Jiwang instinctively reached out and caught it. The moment it touched his hand, his entire body went stiff.
The Token felt warm and smooth to the touch, like a piece of jade polished by countless millennia. Within the Token, a faint breath flowed, as if it were a strand of Dao Resonance sealed inside since the very beginning of heaven and earth.
Gong Jiwang’s fingers trembled slightly.
He had lived for centuries and never felt a breath like this.
This was something no Magic Artifact could forge. This was true Dao Resonance—the mark left by the great Dao of heaven and earth upon physical matter.
Lai Li’an watched the shock on Gong Jiwang’s face and felt greatly reassured.
He stood with his hands behind his back, raised his head to gaze at the moon, and spoke with the loneliness of one who stands where it is cold:
“This Venerable Self has no desire to cause more bloodshed. So, Fellow Daoist, please withdraw your troops.”
Gong Jiwang’s hand holding the Token tightened slightly. He looked at Lai Li’an’s calm, undisturbed face, and the reverence in his heart grew even deeper.
[Ding! Target “Gong Jiwang”‘s Fantasy Value toward Host increased to: 60/100]
Lai Li’an saw the notification and rejoiced inwardly.
Sixty! A little more, and maybe I can break through to Nascent Soul!
The corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch upward. He decided to press the advantage.
“Fellow Daoist Gong, This Venerable Self knows you still have doubts.”
Lai Li’an withdrew his gaze and settled it on Gong Jiwang’s face.
“You’re thinking, how dare a Mid Golden Core like me stand here and say these things?”
Lai Li’an let out a soft sigh.
“This Venerable Self’s Cultivation—what you see is only what This Venerable Self wants you to see.”
His voice was unhurried.
“If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to try. But This Venerable Self must warn you—if you can’t kill me, then all of you will have to stay.”
As he finished speaking, he even slightly spread his arms, revealing a completely defenseless posture.
That posture seemed to say: Go ahead, I’ll let you strike. If you can land a hit, I lose.
Gong Jiwang’s expression changed, and Yin Wuji’s face turned even paler.
“Elder Gong!”
Yin Wuji’s voice was trembling.
“This man absolutely must not be offended! His strength is unfathomable!”
His voice wasn’t quiet. Everyone in the Blood Lotus Sect’s formation heard it loud and clear.
The several Golden Core cultivators’ faces went white in unison. How terrifying must this person be to make a Golden Core cultivator fear him like this? And right now, this man was spreading his arms wide, inviting their Nascent Soul Elder to attack.
This was no longer negotiation. This was naked provocation.
Gong Jiwang’s face alternated between pale and flushed.
The hand holding the Token trembled slightly. He had lived for centuries, climbed step by step to the Mid Nascent Soul Stage, stood above ten thousand people in the Blood Lotus Sect—when had he ever been treated with such contempt?
A Mid Golden Core cultivator, spouting arrogant nonsense right in front of him.
Absolutely absurd!
Gong Jiwang took a deep breath and clenched the Token in his palm.
“You have quite the big mouth. A Mid Golden Core, putting on ghostly airs before a Nascent Soul cultivator. You think This Seat will believe you?”
Lai Li’an looked at his furious expression and felt his heart drop.
Damn it. I overplayed my hand.
He’d only wanted to raise the Fantasy Value a bit more. He never expected to provoke the man directly.
The dignity of a Nascent Soul cultivator, after all, was not something to be trifled with.
Gong Jiwang tucked the Token into his sleeve and slowly raised his right hand, a mass of crimson Spiritual Power beginning to condense in his palm.
The moment that Spiritual Power appeared, the surrounding air instantly heated up. The two Golden Core cultivators nearest to him instinctively took several steps back.
The Aura of Pressure of a Mid Nascent Soul Stage poured down like a waterfall, pressing down on everyone present until they could barely breathe.