The Wind Cloud Sect's refusal to play by the rules left Jiang Chen genuinely frustrated.
Even if he wanted nothing more than to settle things once and for all with the Wind Cloud Sect, the odds of them obliging him were slim.
The Wind Cloud Sect was clearly willing to employ any means necessary — the more underhanded and repugnant, the better.
An opponent like that was far more difficult to deal with than the Pill Fire City, which had been reduced to flailing rage.
……
The Wind Cloud Sect Headquarters — the inner sanctum of the Wind Cloud Sect Master's dwelling.
It was a place of mystery and ethereal seclusion. Even the Eight Great Dharma Kings could not set foot here without being summoned. Not a soul dared trespass.
At this moment, within the Sect Master's dwelling, two figures stood at his side — one to his left, one to his right. Like a pair of guardian generals, they stood with impeccable deference.
"Elder Peng, Elder Mo, you've both served me for years. There's no need to be so stiff." The Wind Cloud Sect Master waved a hand, gesturing for them to relax.
These two elders were the Sect Master's most trusted personal retainers. Within the entire Wind Cloud Sect, aside from the Sect Master himself, hardly anyone knew they existed. In truth, they were his most capable right hands — his most intimate and relied-upon subordinates. In his eyes, their status far surpassed that of the Eight Great Dharma Kings.
After all, most of the Eight Great Dharma Kings had been recruited from various places — native powerhouses of the human domain. These two elders, however, were his own blood.
"Seventh Young Master, we were ordered by the family to serve you. You are our master. The distinction between master and servant is clear — we would not dare presume otherwise."
The one who spoke was the slightly plumper of the two, Elder Peng. The other — Elder Mo, whose skin was darker and frame even thinner — gave a quiet nod. He seemed to be a man of few words by nature.
The "Seventh Young Master" they addressed was none other than the Wind Cloud Sect Master himself.
"Elder Peng, you've been conducting investigations throughout the human domain these past months. You must have gathered a great deal of information by now. Have you found anything useful?" The Wind Cloud Sect Master looked toward Elder Peng.
Elder Peng promptly replied: "Quite a bit, actually. By and large, the current human domain is in its weakest state since the ancient era. However, that weakness is merely a surface impression. In truth, there is still a contingent of Heavenly Position cultivators. The catch is that every last one of them plays dead — entering long-term hibernation, never revealing themselves. The prevailing view in the human domain today is that the Emperor Realm represents the absolute peak of power. Most cultivators believe there are no Heavenly Position cultivators in the human domain at all."
"Of course, this view isn't entirely wrong. Heavenly Position cultivators are exceedingly rare, and those who do exist take no part in the human domain's affairs. So they're essentially defunct — their presence makes practically no difference."
The Wind Cloud Sect Master nodded slightly. "The human domain has fallen so far. The ancient spirit veins — barely a tenth remain. It's wise of the Heavenly Position cultivators to stay hidden. Showing themselves would only drain what little they have left and hasten the end of their lifespans."
"Heh. All waiting accomplishes is dying sooner versus dying later. Their choice is really just self-deception. If the spirit veins of the human domain can't recover, if the glory of the ancient era can't be restored, they'll simply wither away in their hiding."
Elder Peng's tone carried a note of contempt. Clearly, he held no great respect for those reclusive Heavenly Position cultivators of the human domain.
"That's only human nature, and it's understandable," the Wind Cloud Sect Master said with a nod. "Their unwillingness to act works in our favor. At least our plans will face far fewer obstacles."
"Seventh Young Master, we can look down on these people, but we absolutely cannot afford to ignore them. If they learn of our objective, those old fogeys might just stir themselves into action like rabid dogs. Our best course is to make sure they never learn the true purpose of our visit."
The Wind Cloud Sect Master considered this for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "You're right. The objective must remain concealed at all costs. And we need to accelerate. Once the other powers of Myriad Abyss Island begin lifting restrictions and flooding in, our Xiahou family's advantage will dwindle. Right now, we are the first to have returned to the human domain."
The Wind Cloud Sect Master was none other than the Seventh Young Master of the Xiahou clan from Myriad Abyss Island.
Had Jiang Chen been present, he would have immediately recognized that this Sect Master belonged to the very same Xiahou family — the great adversaries of Huang'er.
Of course, this Seventh Young Master was not the most central figure of the Xiahou family, nor was he the one for whom Huang'er was slated to become a cultivation cauldron. But within the same clan, the distinction hardly mattered.
This Seventh Young Master of the Xiahou family had led a retinue back to the human domain in secret, using a variety of divine abilities to conceal their arrival — much in the same way that Elder Shun had once smuggled Huang'er back to the human domain long ago. The Seventh Young Master had returned by exactly the same covert means.
In truth, a prohibition existed on Myriad Abyss Island. No one from the island was permitted to return to the human domain without authorization.