Stirring the Seas Abroad. The Mantis, the Oriole.

Chapter 481: Stirring the Seas Abroad. The Mantis, the Oriole.

A flicker of black qi crossed Extreme Yin Patriarch’s face at being told his words were superfluous, but the latter part of the man’s speech made him suppress his rising anger. He turned his head and engaged in a sound transmission discussion with Man Brutal Beard and Hermit Qing Yi.

“We shall comply with what you have said, for now. No fighting. Everything can be discussed after the treasure is taken,” Extreme Yin Patriarch said coldly to Wan Tianming a moment later, having finished his consultation.

“Excellent! This is undoubtedly the wise choice for all of you. Let us enter together.” Wan Tianming let out a slight laugh.

He rose and walked toward the massive cyan stone door. Heavenly Realization and the old farmer-looking man followed closely behind, moving in unison.

“Hmph!” Man Brutal Beard snorted disdainfully at Wan Tianming and his companions’ brazen demeanor. His gaze suddenly swept across Yuan Yao and the Core Formation cultivator whom Han Li did not recognize, a vicious light flashing in his eyes.

Almost at the same moment, the two sensed the hostility on Man Brutal Beard’s face. Their faces turning pale, they simultaneously transformed into a streak of yellow light and a streak of red light, fleeing toward the stone pagoda without a second thought.

Seeing this, Man Brutal Beard let out a sinister laugh.

“Where do you two think you’re going?”

He rubbed his hands together, then flung them outward. Two streaks of golden light shot forth in a flash, overtaking the two fleeing rays despite their head start.

The male cultivator hidden within the yellow light let out a miserable shriek. A human figure stumbled and fell, only to be swept up into the air by the golden light. In an instant, the man’s body was cleaved into seven or eight pieces; bloody fragments of flesh and bone scattered across the ground.

The red streak on the other side, struck by the golden light, suddenly erupted with several clusters of blinding green flame. These flames managed to scatter the golden light’s attack somewhat.

As if provoked, the red light instantly transformed into a strange crimson bird. At a speed many times greater than before, it burst through the golden light’s interception and vanished without a trace. The next moment, it reappeared at the entrance of the pagoda’s passageway. After flickering a few times, the person was completely gone.

“Oh? That’s a bit strange.”

The scholar-robed elder and Extreme Yin had not initially paid much attention to Man Brutal Beard’s actions. But seeing the red light actually escape from his strike, they could not help but show surprised expressions. The elder furrowed his brow and spoke softly.

“Man Brutal Beard, what is the meaning of this? Why kill someone for no reason!” Heavenly Realization turned around and questioned upon witnessing the scene, his face dark with displeasure.

“I’m not in a good mood. Killing a few outsiders bothers you? Do you want to seek justice for them, or would you rather try Man’s Heavenly Devil Arts yourself?” Man Brutal Beard glanced sideways at the old Daoist, speaking coldly and indifferently.

“You…”

“Enough, Heavenly Realization! Those two weren’t from our Righteous Path anyway. Dead is dead. Focus on the greater matter!” Wan Tianming stopped the old Daoist without even turning his head.

Hearing this, Heavenly Realization could only shoot a hateful glare at Man Brutal Beard before turning and leaving in frustration.

Soon, the Righteous Path cultivators passed through the stone gate and entered the inner hall.

“Well killed, Brother Man! I dislike having rats scurrying around before a major undertaking myself. Two Core Formation cultivators trying to sneak into the inner hall and fish in troubled waters—they truly had tired of living. However, there seems to be another one here. Why didn’t you eliminate him too, Brother Man?” Extreme Yin Patriarch watched the figures of Wan Tianming and his group gradually recede, then suddenly applauded and let out a dark laugh. His gaze shifted to the ‘Profound Bone Saint.’

The Profound Bone Saint met this scene with an unchanged expression, showing no reaction at all. It was as if Extreme Yin was not looking at him, but at someone else entirely.

“This person shares some history with me—a descendant of an elder who was kind to me. Of course, I won’t touch him. Neither of you will make a move against him either.” Man Brutal Beard said matter-of-factly, surprising the others.

“Since it’s a junior connected to Brother Man, Brother Qing and I naturally won’t act rashly. But I am a bit surprised that Brother Man has even received favors from others,” Extreme Yin said, rolling his eyes once before narrowing them to carefully examine the Profound Bone Saint. After confirming he truly did not recognize the man, he offered an ambiguous remark.

“Heh! Are you interrogating me, Extreme Yin?” Man Brutal Beard’s face hardened as he stared at Extreme Yin Patriarch menacingly.

“How could that be? I was merely asking out of curiosity! Since Brother Man doesn’t wish to discuss it, forget it. But the black-robed woman who just escaped likely has a considerable background. Brother Man should be careful!” Extreme Yin Patriarch yielded with a laugh, but added a significantly meaningful remark at the end.

“My eyes aren’t blind. Do you think I couldn’t tell that woman was using the Three Yang Old Devil’s Green Fire Thunder? Only the closest disciples of the Three Yang Old Devil could possess such an item; ordinary Qing Yang Sect disciples would never have it. Otherwise, do you truly believe that little girl could have escaped my killing blow?” Man Brutal Beard said, his face dark and gloomy after a moment of silence.

“Hehe, I’ve spoken out of turn!” Extreme Yin Patriarch saw that Man Brutal Beard’s expression was not pleasant and tactfully dropped the subject.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if that woman is really someone connected to the Three Yang Old Devil, with Brother Man’s cultivation, there’s no need to fear him. However, this is a critical period of conflict between our Demonic Path, the Righteous Path, and the Star Palace. That old devil’s abilities are considerable; though he hails from the Demonic Path, his actions are erratic, sometimes righteous and sometimes evil. It’s best not to make an unnecessary enemy of him. Let’s spare that girl this once!” The scholar-robed elder interjected, trying to mediate.

Man Brutal Beard was clearly deeply wary of this ‘Three Yang Old Devil’ the others spoke of. He nodded woodenly and remained silent.

This rapid chain of events left Han Li, standing behind Extreme Yin Patriarch, in a state of extreme mental turmoil. A jumble of thoughts cascaded through his mind.

A Core Formation cultivator had been killed before his very eyes, swatted like an ant. Yet Yuan Yao had somehow managed to escape the same fate.

The Profound Bone Saint had somehow formed a connection with Man Brutal Beard, the number one Demonic Path cultivator in the Void Heaven Palace. No wonder he remained so composed.

Yuan Yao seemed to have some link to a ‘Three Yang Old Devil,’ a figure who caused even someone as domineering as Man Brutal Beard to show fear.

All kinds of thoughts swirled within Han Li, but he could not organize them into a clear picture.

He had to keep his expression calm, listening intently to the conversation of Man Brutal Beard and the others, hoping to gather more data to devise a reliable plan.

Unfortunately, the scholar-robed elder brought their conversation to an end with a few bland words.

“Let’s enter the inner hall quickly. Those Righteous Path cultivators are nearly out of our sensory range. We can’t let them shake us off and sneak ahead.” Hermit Qing Yi glanced at the massive passage behind the stone door and spoke in a deep voice, his brow furrowed.

At this, Man Brutal Beard also looked toward the stone gate. After a moment of contemplation, he lifted his leg and walked forward without a word.

Extreme Yin and the elder exchanged a glance, composed themselves, and followed.

Han Li, Wu Chou, the Profound Bone Saint, and the others naturally trailed behind, entering the stone gate.

Gradually, the figures of Han Li and his group receded into the distance along the cyan stone passage, eventually disappearing from sight.

After two or three hours, the dim teleportation array once again erupted with dazzling white light. Two figures, their outlines blurry at first, appeared side-by-side upon it.

They were the two white-robed elders of the Star Palace!

They glanced around cautiously. After confirming that there was truly no one in the vicinity, their expressions relaxed.

“It seems they are all inside. No matter how cunning those old monsters are, they would never imagine that the Star Palace cracked the teleportation restrictions here over a thousand years ago. We can enter this place whenever we please, as we wish.” One of them let out a low, quiet laugh.

“Let’s go. We must be extremely careful. Unless they actually retrieve the Void Heaven Cauldron, we must not act rashly and expose this secret.” The other spoke in an icy tone.

“Of course!” The first man nodded in agreement.

With these words, the two transformed into streaks of white light that shot into the stone gate.

…

Han Li was walking right behind Extreme Yin Patriarch, with none other than Wu Chou at his side. This made Han Li extraordinarily uncomfortable.

But it seemed Extreme Yin Patriarch had said something to Wu Chou, because now Wu Chou was being exceptionally warm and enthusiastic towards him on the road, constantly striking up conversations about this and that, as if afraid of leaving Han Li feeling neglected. It was as if the man’s earlier jealous, hateful demeanor and looks had been the actions of a completely different person.

The more this man pretended, the heavier Han Li’s heart grew.

‘Could it be that Extreme Yin old devil has hinted to Wu Chou that he’ll kill me after the treasure is taken, causing such a drastic change in his attitude?’ Han Li thought bitterly.

Though filled with worry, Han Li maintained a smiling face and entertained Wu Chou’s pleasantries. The scent of falsehood between them was so strong it could be smelled by others from over seven or eight zhang away.

But Extreme Yin, Man Brutal Beard, and the others seemed to see nothing. They advanced in silence. After entering the inner hall, the three Nascent Soul old monsters appeared to become completely serious, their earlier relaxed demeanor completely gone.

What puzzled Han Li, however, was that since their group had entered the pagoda, none of them had encountered any incidents. They had not triggered any restrictions or encountered any danger.

Could it be that they would only trigger the restrictions after entering one of those stone doors?

Thinking this, Han Li couldn’t help but survey his surroundings once more again.

(Hehe! Another chapter tonight!)