The imperial experts of their alliance had all encountered a similar situation. Naturally, they sensed something fishy about this.
Before actually getting here and meeting up with the others, they’d assumed it was just them, but now, after talking it over with their fellows, it seemed things weren’t as they’d thought at all.
They hovered in the sky and looked at each other. None of them rushed into the mausoleum. They simply remained there, deep in thought, their brows tightly knit. None of them spoke.
“You all ran into a man in white whose features were obscured?” asked the Jade Pool Palace Master.
The others nodded gravely. Their hearts instantly grew heavier.
All of them were clever. They were here, and they naturally all had their own thoughts on the matter. However, the sheer fishiness of it all suddenly gave them misgivings. They couldn’t help but wonder if they’d overlooked something.
“Could it have been a diversion to get us to leave our territories unguarded?” Su Wan’er narrowed her eyes.
Everyone here was the leader of their respective faction. Historically, they’d all had to remain in their territory to protect it. But now, they’d all rushed over; this naturally represented a huge drop in their factions’ strength.
Some of them seemed to echo Su Wan’er’s doubts, but others thought them unlikely.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” said Chao Feng. “Even with us gone, those we left behind are enough to secure our foundations for a time.”
The others nodded. Take the foxes: they’d left Su Yan and Su Liu’er. Between the two of them, they were enough to intimidate the masses.
Many of the Four Direction Palace’s highnesses were within its borders, and the Society of Saints had plentiful star bearers; its defenses were practically impregnable. As for the Hermits Palace, they were an association of healers, and every master healer had numerous expert attendants at their back and calls. There was no need to doubt its defenses.
The Jade Pool, meanwhile, had three hermits of its own, all of them imperial experts. The Sea of Innocence was much the same.
Although they were their factions’ leaders, they weren’t running them alone, and their factions wouldn’t just crumble in their absence. Since they’d dared leave their bases, they’d naturally prepared for every eventuality first.
Taking advantage of their absence to attack their home bases? If the man in white really was planning that, well, he just wasn’t thinking deeply enough.
“If you ask this old man, we needn’t worry,” said the Hermit Emperor, stroking his mustache. “We’re no longer inexperienced children. We didn’t doubt that person’s words when we met him; that we’re here is proof of that. There’s no way he had ill intentions!”
“I agree with the Hermit Emperor.” Xuan Ji nodded.
All of them had keen judgment; they weren’t three-year-olds anyone could deceive.
That hidden figure had never revealed his identity, but from what he did reveal, they could sense his intentions. He bore them no ill will.
“It really is strange, though. Why did the mausoleum descend to a lower plane?”
After suppressing their concerns about the man in white, the group turned their attention to the mausoleum below.
At their cultivation, it was inevitable that they’d understand quite a bit about it. In the past, it had always descended somewhere in the Upper Three Realms. Every appearance led to vicious fighting, and it was hard to avoid devastating the local inhabitants.
Before the mausoleum descended this time, the great emperors even worried that it would appear somewhere in their territory.
“The space is so weak here, it seems we could shatter it just like that.” The Jade Pool Palace Master gently drew her hand through the sky, and a pitch-black rift formed before her. “I really can’t understand why it would appear here. If we fight here, won’t we wind up destroying the entire plane?”
“In the past, this place would suppress our cultivation, but I can’t sense any sign of that now,” said Xuan Ji.
“The suppression of the Laws in the surrounding area is much weaker than usual, too,” said Xue Yang.
The questions of the mausoleum’s location and the identity and intentions of that white-robed expert lingered in the great emperor’s hearts, weighing them down.
Despite their sharp minds, they couldn’t see through to the underlying mysteries.
“We’ll just have to take things as they come. We’re already here, so what’s the point in wondering about all that?” laughed Bi’an. “I, at least, am interested in the Divine Mausoleum. There’s a chance at transcendence hidden inside. That’s enough to make countless long-reclusive old fogies red-eyed with envy. For instance, I just bumped into the Northern Divine Mountain’s Bai Mei.
“He’s here too?” The Ocean Emperor was stunned.
Bai Mei was an imperial expert of the Northern Divine Mountain’s older generation, dating all the way back to when Xue Yang’s father was on the throne. However, Bai Mei hadn’t shown his face in public since Xue Yang took the throne.
Although the entire Northern Divine Mountain was nominally under Xue Yang’s jurisdiction, in reality, there were some people and cities he couldn’t exert any restrictions over. The “Bai Mei” Bi’an mentioned was one such figure.
“Quite a few reclusive yao experts are showing up too,” said Su Qingyan.
“It seems those old fogies can’t sit still any longer,” said Bi’an with an indifferent laugh. “Then we’d best not waste too much time. Although we know none of us are fated to transcend already, I’d still like to get my hands on some of the treasures inside. The more that winds up within our alliance, the better. Even if they wind up with some of those unaffiliated old farts, I’ll be uncomfortable; they’re not our enemies, but at the end of the day, they’re not on our side, either.”
Suddenly, an enormous rift appeared in the sky.
Unearthly winds howled forth, and before long, the space surrounding the rift was in ruins. At the same time, several figures emerged from within the void.
“Zhou Wu.” Su Qingyan and the others’ gazes darkened.
Yuchi Kong, Huangfu Youming, and the Divine Arbiter were here too.
The Divine Arbiter’s deal with their alliance was an insider secret, so when they saw her now, they all felt waves in their heart. However, they couldn’t let it show in front of Zhou Wu, so they treated her as coldly as ever.
“I heard that you’ve been constantly busy seeking transcendence of late, and that you’d already found a doorway. And here I thought you wouldn’t show up, but you’re here after all.” Ocean Emperor Xue Yang snorted. “It seems God Emperor Zhou Wu’s breakthrough ended in failure, so you had no choice but to come here and test your luck?”
Their alliance and Zhou Wu had long since abandoned any pretense of civility, so there was no need for false pleasantries.
After leaving seclusion, Zhou Wu and his followers had made straight for the Divine Mausoleum. They hadn’t planned to encounter this group here. Now, after hearing the Ocean Emperor’s taunts, Zhou Wu’s expression was so sour, it threatened to burst.
“Emperor, I humbly urge you not to lose your temper,” said Yuchi Kong tentatively.
Their primary purpose in coming here was the great fortune they might obtain within the mausoleum. They saw that the door was already open, which meant that there was already at least one person inside.
The later they entered, the lower their chances of finding the gateway to transcendence.
Starting trouble with the Ocean Emperor and his allies offered no advantages whatsoever.
Zhou Wu was keenly aware of this as well. Although he hated that he couldn’t just kill them and be done with it, he had no choice but to suppress his rage and ignore them.
“Oh? It seems just about everyone’s here, huh?” However, just as Zhou Wu was about to lead his people inside, yet another uninvited guest appeared in the skies above the Divine Mausoleum.Chapter 1625 – Countless Misgivings
