Chapter 333 – Central Province Upheaval, East Sea Gate's Prodigy Skinned and Deboned

Although Tianjiu Academy lost this time, everyone was deeply impressed by their performance.

Many Dao Academies also began to pay more attention to the non-human races.

Incorporating non-human races into the Immortal Alliance only began in recent centuries.

While the Immortal Alliance had made considerable efforts in this regard,

integrating non-human races remained fraught with challenges.

After all, “non-human races” was a broad term,

used by the Immortal Alliance to collectively refer to all races beyond the Human Race.

When non-human races looked at other non-human races, they too saw them as outsiders.

For the Immortal Alliance to fully integrate non-human races, the issue was never just about the Human Race and non-human races.

It also involved the complex relationships among the non-human races themselves.

Nevertheless, the duel between Lihuo Dao Academy and Tianjiu Academy

set a positive precedent.

If this could be maintained, it might not be long before the Immortal Alliance restored the golden age of myriad races paying tribute, as in ancient times…

Game World, Central Province.

“Damn it, where did these people come from?”

“They’re untraceable, and each one is terrifyingly powerful. I must get this information out. There’s definitely a hidden, colossal force in Central Province.”

Ao Lie stared at the forest behind him, his expression grim.

In the shadowy woods, several figures were rapidly closing in on him.

Not far away lay the corpses of numerous East Sea Gate Cultivators.

The bodies were strewn haphazardly, their deaths not only varied but also gruesome.

These East Sea Gate Cultivators were the ones Ao Lie had brought from his Sect.

If they hadn’t sacrificed their lives to hold off the black-robed Cultivators,

Ao Lie alone would have likely perished long ago.

Yet even so, Ao Lie was still in dire straits.

Because those black-robed Cultivators seemed to know him intimately.

They were aware of his cultivation level, the Divine Abilities he possessed, the Magic Treasures and Magical Artifacts he carried,

and even understood his personality and what trump cards he might have.

For instance, the reason he had left East Sea Gate this time was because his Junior Brother informed him of an ancient ruin discovered here, rumored to contain a supreme ancient treasure.

As a prodigy of East Sea Gate, Ao Lie certainly coveted such a treasure,

but he wouldn’t recklessly dive into danger.

More importantly, he wouldn’t leave the Sect for an unverified rumor about an ancient ruin.

These mysterious black-robed Cultivators seemed to have anticipated this.

To make the so-called ‘ancient ruin’ credible enough,

they even produced a genuine ancient Spirit Treasure for him.

Although Ao Lie, as a prodigy of one of Central Province’s top ten Schools, East Sea Gate, never lacked Spirit Treasures,

an ancient ruin capable of yielding a Spirit Treasure might very well contain other valuable items.

Thus, the trap was nearly flawless.

The one who gave Ao Lie the information was a fellow disciple, native-born and on good terms with him.

The item his Junior Brother presented was authentically ancient.

Moreover, the ruin was located close to East Sea Gate, so if anything went wrong, he could quickly call for help from the School.No matter how you looked at it, exploring this ancient ruin was nothing but beneficial for him.

Yet this seemingly perfect opportunity became Ao Lie’s burial ground.

In the forest, Ao Lie endured his injuries as he desperately charged toward the outskirts.

This area had already been concealed by the black-robed cultivators using a formation.

Only by breaking through this zone could he call for help from his school.

Thus, escaping the formation had become Ao Lie’s sole thought and his only remaining chance of survival.

Unfortunately, this elaborate trap specifically set for him had considered every possible scenario.

Just as Ao Lie was about to reach the edge of the formation barrier, an intense sense of life-or-death crisis surged within him.

In that split second, a dark green shield materialized in Ao Lie’s right hand.

As he channeled his magic power into the Magic Treasure shield, a massive illusory barrier instantly manifested on his right side.

Bang!

Almost the moment the shield appeared, a vajra pestle violently slammed into it.

Unlike the orthodox magical artifacts of legitimate Buddhist cultivators brimming with Buddhist Power, this vajra pestle not only lacked any trace of Buddhist nature but resembled a monster’s finger – covered with twisted blood vessels and purple skin.

A single glance at it could make one feel spiritually contaminated.

This finger-like vajra pestle was not only bizarre in appearance but also formidable in power.

The moment Ao Lie’s Magic Treasure shield made contact with the strange vajra pestle, he immediately felt the tremendous force transmitted through it.

To withstand the attack from this vajra pestle, Ao Lie had to further stimulate his Dragon Bloodline within.

His appearance increasingly resembled that of a Flood Dragon.

Boom!

By fully activating his bloodline, Ao Lie barely managed to block the vajra pestle’s ambush, violently repelling it.

Yet Ao Lie showed no trace of relief.

Although he had blocked the vajra pestle’s attack, he had also been delayed.

The four black-robed cultivators originally pursuing him had now surrounded him, firmly trapping him in their encirclement.

Besides these four, an esoteric Buddhist cultivator wearing a human-skin kasaya slowly emerged from the shadows.

All five were unmistakably at the Golden Core Stage, and not ordinary Golden Core cultivators at that.

Witnessing this scene, Ao Lie knew escape wouldn’t be simple.

Clutching at unrealistic hope, Ao Lie asked with a grim expression: “Who are you people? Aren’t you afraid our East Sea Gate will hunt you to the ends of the earth?”

“If we stop here, I can pretend nothing ever happened.”

“Besides, I haven’t seen your faces – you needn’t worry about future retaliation.”

“But if you actually kill me, the Dragon Blood Curse within me will follow you forever.”

“No matter where you flee, our East Sea Gate disciples will track you down – it’ll be a fight to the death. Do you understand?”

Hearing Ao Lie’s stern threats, the five exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

One black-robed cultivator, to Ao Lie’s astonishment, removed his hood and mask.

“Senior Brother Ao Lie, how could your Junior Brother not understand these things?””After all, you are a cultivator of the East Sea Gate, and I am also a cultivator of the East Sea Gate.”

Upon seeing the true face of the black-robed cultivator, Ao Lie’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot, his expression twisting into one of extreme ferocity.

He was clearly enraged to the core.

“Luo Hong, it really is you!”

The man named Luo Hong chuckled lightly. “Of course it’s me, Senior Brother Ao. If it weren’t me, how could I have lured you out so easily?”

“As one of the few in the East Sea Gate possessing ancient dragon bloodline, you are a great treasure of our sect.”

“Without careful planning and investing substantial resources, we wouldn’t have such a perfect opportunity to eliminate you.”

Hearing these words, Ao Lie immediately understood he had been betrayed from within.

The moment he saw Luo Hong’s true face, Ao Lie knew only one path remained before him.

Either fight his way out, or die here.

There was no other option.

Thinking this, Ao Lie no longer cared about any future prospects.

He immediately activated a secret technique, fully channeling his flood dragon bloodline.

Within moments, his body began visibly transforming into a flood dragon form.

In a very short time, he had become a hundred-meter-long flood dragon.

In this flood dragon incarnation, Ao Lie’s cultivation rapidly surged to the Peak of the Golden Core Stage.

But with this transformation came complete loss of rationality.

This was precisely why he had been reluctant to use this trump card.

Once his reason was gone, there would be no turning back.

Watching the enraged Ao Lie,

the five surrounding black-robed cultivators showed no trace of panic in their eyes, instead brimming with excitement.

It was as if they were beholding some exquisite delicacy.

As Ao Lie roared and charged toward the nearest Luo Hong,

a fierce battle quickly erupted…

Half a day later.

“Roar!”

A clear dragon’s roar pierced the sky as a several-thousand-meter three-clawed true dragon broke through the clouds, descending upon a certain location.

Wherever it passed, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled with tremendous momentum.

Upon reaching its destination, the three-clawed true dragon transformed amid swirling light into a middle-aged man wearing East Sea Gate robes.

This was none other than the current Sect Leader of the East Sea Gate.

Ao Yu, a Peak Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.

Accompanying Ao Yu were numerous other powerful cultivators from the East Sea Gate.

Yet at this moment, whether it was Ao Yu or the others, all wore grim expressions.

For not far from them lay the skinned and dismembered corpse of a flood dragon.

“Sect Leader…”

A Golden Core Stage cultivator from the East Sea Gate approached Ao Yu, handing him a blood-stained jade tablet.

Looking at the tablet and the character “Lie” inscribed upon it,

even after millennia of cultivation, Ao Yu could no longer contain his fury.

“Search! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, find the one who killed my son!”

“I don’t care who it is – even if they’re from the Azure Cloud Sect, I’ll make them pay in blood!”

“Yes!”

Following Ao Yu’s command, the entire East Sea Gate sprang into action.

Soon, news that the East Sea Gate Leader’s most talented fourth son had been ambushed, skinned, and dismembered spread throughout the Central Province.

For the East Sea Gate had now descended into complete madness.

Many schools that had merely coincidentally encountered Ao Lie were now suspected of involvement and subjected to frantic investigations by the East Sea Gate.Thus, with the East Sea Gate at the center, nearly all sects within a radius of ten thousand li have been thoroughly investigated by the East Sea Gate.

Even some cultivators in secluded training nearby were likewise sought out by the East Sea Gate, causing a tremendous commotion.

This matter even alarmed the Azure Cloud Sect.

Central Province, Azure Cloud Sect, Main Peak.

“Junior Brothers and Sisters, what are your thoughts on the matter concerning the East Sea Gate?”

Gu Liqing looked at the various Peak Lords before him, his expression extremely grave.

After a moment of contemplation, Du Youlan, the Peak Lord of Danyang Peak, said, “The East Sea Gate is truly enraged this time. After all, the one who died was not only a rare prodigy with ancestral bloodline reversion within the East Sea Gate, but his fate was also one of being skinned and dismembered.”

“This is no different from trampling the entire East Sea Gate’s reputation underfoot—utterly despicable.”

“Trying to persuade them to remain calm at this point is undoubtedly unrealistic.”

“Yet if we allow them to continue acting recklessly, the hard-won peace throughout the Central Province may be completely shattered.”

“According to the information I’ve received, the East Sea Gate has already begun recalling its disciples, clearly indicating some major operation is underway.”

“Whatever requires the East Sea Gate to deploy such a formation is certainly not targeting an ordinary sect.”

“It’s entirely possible they are using this as a pretext to deliberately invade other sects.”

Sikong Ming, the Peak Lord of Ten Thousand Talisman Peak, nodded and said, “Senior Sister Du is right. That old Dragon King of the East Sea Gate is no pushover.”

“Initially, he might have stirred up such a commotion out of a desire to avenge his descendant.”

“But as things have developed to this stage, their objectives may have shifted.”

“The problem is, they currently hold the moral high ground, making it extremely difficult for us to intervene.”

“Moreover, this entire affair is shrouded in strangeness from start to finish.”

“Ao Lie was traveling with numerous fellow disciples this time, and while carrying multiple hidden trump cards, he also had a guardian secretly protecting him.”

“Yet, Ao Lie deliberately sent his guardian away, which led to his tragic end.”

“But why did he send his guardian away? And who exactly ambushed him? These remain unresolved mysteries for now.”

“Unless we can find Ao Lie’s killer, there’s absolutely no way we can dissuade the current Dragon King.”

“Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Sect Leader, but the waters of the Central Province… seem much deeper than we imagined. Some people are growing increasingly restless. I fear…”

“Junior Brother, watch your words.”

Seeing that Sikong Ming was about to continue, Gu Liqing immediately interrupted him.

Because further discussion would touch upon forbidden topics.

After all, regardless of what happens privately among the hundred sects of the Central Province,

At least they still maintain superficial righteousness.

But once that facade is broken, the entire Central Province will descend into chaos.

And as the leading sect of the Central Province, the Azure Cloud Sect would undoubtedly bear the brunt of such turmoil and be the most affected.

For a moment, Gu Liqing and the others fell silent, pondering their next move.

After a short while, Gu Liqing reached a decision.

“In my opinion, let our sect take the lead and collaborate with several other sects to each select some disciples, forming a joint team to investigate Ao Lie’s death.” What do you think?”

Sikong Ming and the others exchanged glances, immediately recognizing the advantages of this approach.The investigation team formed by several major Schools not only represented the stance of the Azure Cloud Sect and other factions on this matter, but also indirectly pressured the East Sea Gate to prevent them from going too far. No matter how one looked at it, this was an excellent solution to quickly calm down the East Sea Gate.

Thinking this, Sikong Ming immediately said, “Then let’s proceed this way, Sect Leader Senior Brother.”

“Alright, next we’ll discuss who would be most suitable to send. After all… this matter is far from simple.”

(End of Chapter)