The moonlight was silver, the vegetation was lush, and the lake was quiet. Vines sprawled out everywhere.
Perhaps this was normal in the Mist province or the Green province, but it was a rare sight of beauty in the Scarlet province.
The oases in the desert were frequently referred to as pearls, while this oasis was the largest pearl in the Scarlet province, Pearl city.
The palace with a circular roof that bore the distinct style of the Scarlet province stood quietly in the darkness. The lamps of the households from the past had been completely extinguished a long time ago. The streets that once bustled were covered in moss. There was not a single sound in the surroundings, whether it be the cries of birds or insects. When the night breeze blew past from time to time, there would be a few clear echoes of wind bells.
The White Camel Sand King stood on the moss, staring at the string of wind bells. He saw how they were originally just a camel bell. Indifferent and unfazed, he made his way off towards the depths of the oasis.
He arrived before a magnificent gate and stepped over the tall door sill, making his way under the mottled plaque.
The plaque was labelled with four fancy words, “King of Wei’s Estate”, which signified its former status.
There was a large lake in the king’s estate, radiating with dense spiritual qi. In the centre of the lake was a small island with many magnificent halls. Originally, this was the heart of the entire king’s estate, as well as the Scarlet province, but it was now enveloped by a towering tree. The aerial roots reached around like snakes while the thick foliage even blocked out the moonlight, hanging over Pearl city like a dark cloud.
The White Camel Sand King made his way over the lake and arrived beneath the tree. He tapped the trunk with his cane. “My old friend, that little friend of yours is far too vicious!”
“Have you come to lodge a complaint?” The Great Banyan Tree King’s simple, elegant face appeared on the tree. His eyes were even deeper and vaster than before.
“No. I’m warning you.”
“Thank you for warning me, but she’s no one’s friend.”
“Originally, I thought she was fighting for you, so you could influence her at least a little.”
“She’s not fighting for me. It was just for a promise. Apart from him, no one can influence her.”
“One of the three ducal ministers has died here. Great Xia probably won’t just let this go.”
“She’s already killed a provincial governor, so why would she care about killing a grand preceptor? And from the moment I began on this path, Great Xia would never let this go. You know I favour life over death, but no matter how mad and unreasonable her actions seem, it’s all based on rational judgement.”
“Is killing them all supposed to be rational as well?”
The White Camel Sand King answered with a question. He had been born and raised in the desert. He was constantly exposed to the difficulty of life, which was why he extended a helping hand towards the mortals again and again. Even to feeble otherfolk, he would give them a chance at survival.
In front of the Painting Tomb earlier, he had tried to give these cultivators blinded by greed a chance at survival as well. He wanted them to not have to face her, but grand preceptor Dong had interfered. Unwilling to face her, he could only retreat. A single painting from grand preceptor Dong had not forced him back.
The end result was even worse than he had imagined. She had not even spared the people that had given up on the Painting Tomb and travelled far away.
“Do you think a few words is enough to get grand preceptor Dong to leave and to disperse these people?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Right now, she has dealt with all of the problems without even uttering a word. She has weighed all of the advantages and disadvantages. That is called being rational.”
“You really are close to godhood now!” the White Camel Sand King said.
If the Great Banyan Tree King had not told him this, he probably would have never imagined that someone had killed one of the three ducal ministers of Great Xia for the sake of saving a few words.
“There’s no need to be angry. I know you cherish life just like me. This is only my speculation of her thoughts. There are indeed many sources of uncertainty in the Painting Tomb, and grand preceptor Dong is the greatest lurking threat. She has cleared up everyone before the Painting Tomb opens to ensure that the person Li Qingshan promised is the only choice. The dangers from the others might not be particularly large, but it barely even took her any effort to eliminate these potential sources of trouble. She must have considered all of this too.”
“She doesn’t trust you.”
“That has always been the path she has taken. Perhaps I’d rather see her trapped in the Painting Tomb too?” The Great Banyan Tree King sighed.
“Aren’t you at least slightly worried that the entirety of the nine provinces would end up like this? She’s far more terrifying than the Soaring Locust King!”
The White Camel Sand King was furious. He raised his cane and pointed at the entire Pearl city. A fierce gust of wind sweeped past the wind bells, making them ring.
A year ago, the governor of the Scarlet province refused to hand over the Scarlet Province cauldron. The Great Banyan Tree King commanded the daemons and otherfolk of the Mist province, while Li Fengyuan led the featherfolk from Clouded city. Due to his friendship with the Great Banyan Tree King, the White Camel Sand King had lended him his support too. The three organisations merged into a single army that attacked the city at full force.
Only she had done nothing the entire time, guarding against any incidents that could potentially occur. Only when they breached the city did she suddenly strike, personally slaughtering the King of Wei, his wife, and eight honoured guests before setting it all ablaze. She did not even spare a single bird or insect.
Then she moved through the Scarlat province, destroying all the sects that had participated in the battle against them. The number of great cultivators that directly died at her hand almost amounted to thirty. The human cultivation community of the Scarlat province had almost completely collapsed.
The name of the buddha nemesis rang through the world!
Only when she emerged from the shadow of Daemon King Northmoon did everyone realise how terrifying her great beauty and her set of white bones were.
The Hawkwolf Guard announced her to be their greatest enemy, even surpassing the Great Banyan Tree King, but neither the Guardian Hawk God or the Heavenly Frost Wolf King had ever showed up. Even when the White Camel Sand King encountered her in his territory, he had to make a detour.
“This is my sin. If it were not for that battle, the developments afterwards would not have been so successful.”
The Great Banyan Tree King shut his eyes. He already occupied the Mist province, the Green province, the Scarlet province, the Harmony province, the Cloud province, and the Lightning province, six provinces in total. That was equivalent to claiming more than half of the nine provinces.
A major reason why everything had unfolded so successfully was because of her influence and deterrence. Even great cultivators experienced fear. They had to weigh the costs and benefits and consider the consequences. After that, the various estates all accepted the Great Banyan Tree King’s conditions and handed over their cauldrons, as none of their guests wished to meet her in battle.
He opened his eyes again. His face was completely filled with worry now. “I’ve never felt so worried before. No one understands her horrors better than me. She assists me in obtaining the nine cauldrons both for a promise and to borrow my power to suppress the Hungry Ghost realm. I don’t even have the courage to disappoint her because then she’ll take matters into her own hands.”
The White Camel Sand King shivered inside. He could not imagine the ensuing consequences, but he also deeply understood one thing. The greatest threat in this world did not come from the invasions of the Demon domain or the devouring of the Hungry Ghost realm. Instead, it was her.
“You should feel very fortunate. She still hasn’t resorted to slaughter purely for the sake of power yet. Hopefully, Qingshan can return quickly.” The Great Banyan Tree King sighed from the bottom of his heart.
Before Chu Danqing could even get another word in, he was sucked into the Painting Tomb.
Xiao An followed close behind him, but the Painting Tomb closed right in her face, so she grabbed the Immortal Relinquished sword and slashed down. She seemed to sense something, which made her glance in the direction of the Pearl city.
Qingshan has taken away the Frost Province cauldron, while the Dragon Province cauldron can’t be taken so easily. Once I obtain the Cool Province cauldron, we’ll begin an attack on the ghost tower. If the attack fails, then I’ll eliminate the greatest obstacle immediately—the Great Banyan Tree King.
