Chapter 400 – All Thousand-Year-Old Foxes—Why Pretend to Be Pure?

As the saying goes, a turtle lives a thousand years, a tree ten thousand.

Though Hua Ling’s cultivation hadn’t reached such an exaggerated ten-thousand-year span, she was undoubtedly the Star Lord with the longest cultivation years in the current Nine Luminaries Celestial Capital.

Even if a cultivator’s strength doesn’t necessarily correlate directly with their cultivation time, living long enough and witnessing countless events naturally grants profound knowledge. Correspondingly, their power rises like the tide.

Thus, although the Star Lords had rarely crossed blades with each other, Hua Ling’s cultivation and strength were universally acknowledged to be among the top three.

After today, everyone came to realize another truth: they had underestimated her—severely underestimated.

Top three? With strength like Hua Ling’s, she was the undisputed number one in the current Heavenly Capital!

A Half-Immortal—how could Star Lords still struggling bitterly in the Deity Transformation Stage, finding no opportunity for a breakthrough, possibly compare?

Yet even such a powerful Hua Ling had “lost” to Lu Chen.

Though any discerning observer could tell that Hua Ling wasn’t just holding back—she was unleashing an ocean of restraint.

After all, a Half-Immortal’s methods could never be limited to just the first layer of the Law of Heaven and Earth.

Even if Lu Chen had somehow severed Hua Ling’s connection to her Immortal Bone, she had countless ways to reform that Half-Immortal manifestation.

But, putting all excuses aside, forcing Hua Ling to such a state was a testament to Lu Chen’s terrifying power.

And remember, this was merely at the Nascent Soul Stage.

If Lu Chen were to achieve a breakthrough to Deity Transformation, no one dared imagine what heights his strength might reach.

All of this was secretly observed by the other Star Lords.

Whether it was Hua Ling’s true cultivation level or Lu Chen’s fearsome display of the Sword Path, they were all left momentarily speechless.

“Ahem, I just remembered an alchemy furnace I left unattended. I must return immediately to tend to it, lest it explodes,” the Mars Star Lord chuckled dryly before decisively turning away, adopting an unmistakable “urgent matters at home” demeanor.

Seeing this, the other Star Lords seemed to have their memories jogged, each suddenly recalling their own “oversights.”

“Ah, thanks for the reminder, Mars Star Lord. I too just recalled some unfinished business in my palace. I must hurry back, or who knows what chaos might ensue,” declared the Saturn Star Lord, vanishing on the spot in an instant.

Just like that, two of the five Star Lords gathered there were gone.

As for the other Star Lords not present, they were still in seclusion, paying little attention to the events unfolding in the Heavenly Capital.

Observing that only three of them remained, the Mercury Star Lord remarked, “Those two certainly made a quick escape. I doubt they have urgent matters—more likely, they’re afraid of getting involved.”

The Venus Star Lord beside her nodded in agreement. “All millennia-old foxes, why pretend to be innocent lotuses? Who doesn’t know what they’re thinking?”

“It’s obvious they see that Eternal is not to be trifled with, and now the Wood Star Lord has clearly sided with him. Forget about the Half-Immortal; even that Eternal alone could easily handle us ordinary Star Lords.””However, I never expected that someone at the Nascent Soul Stage could force a Half-Immortal to such an extent.”

“With such strength, he truly lives up to the title of Eternal. It’s only natural for him to take charge of the Sanctuary.”

Just as the Venus Star Lord was about to say more, he seemed to notice something.

His smile vanished instantly, and his two goat-like mustaches bristled sharply—clearly agitated by something.

The Venus Star Lord glared furiously toward Lu Chen’s distant location.

It turned out that the Mars Star Lord, who had just claimed he was returning to ‘practice Alchemy,’ and the Saturn Star Lord, who had prepared to handle affairs in his palace, had both coincidentally gathered around Lu Chen and Hua Ling.

Judging by their fawning expressions, there wasn’t a trace of the dignity befitting Incarnation Revered Ones or Star Lords of the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Capital.

Utterly disgraceful!

Without any hesitation, the Venus Star Lord immediately employed ‘Ground Shrinking to an Inch’ and joined the ‘welcoming’ procession for the Eternal.

In an instant, the tense standoff transformed into a ‘welcome ceremony.’

Although Lu Chen had anticipated that demonstrating sufficient power would lead these millennia-old, shrewd Star Lords to make decisions in their own best interests, he had underestimated their cunning.

Or perhaps he had overestimated the so-called ‘dignity’ of the Star Lords.

Once they realized that the risk of scheming against the Eternal and attempting to usurp his position far outweighed the benefits of direct submission, these Star Lords swiftly abandoned their arrogance in favor of sycophantic flattery.

Yes, in Lu Chen’s current view, the behavior of these Star Lords was no different from that of mortal simps fawning over a goddess.

The only distinction was that simps were humble, whereas these Star Lords, despite their fawning, showed no trace of humility.

While currying favor with Lu Chen, they continuously showcased their own value.

If a fitting analogy were needed, the Star Lords at this moment were like simps driving sports cars with seven-figure bank accounts.

However, even as they ingratiated themselves with Lu Chen, the Star Lords didn’t forget to undermine their ‘rivals.’

“I’ve said it all along—the Sanctuary has never made a mistake in all these years since its establishment.”

“Every decision they’ve made has been for the Heavenly Capital and for us. How dare you lot still think of scheming against the Eternal? The billions of cultivators in my Mars Star Territory refuse to associate with the likes of you!”

The Mars Star Lord pointed accusingly at the other Star Lords, his tone full of righteous indignation—particularly targeting the four Star Lords who had been hiding in the shadows with him earlier.

His sanctimonious demeanor might have fooled anyone into thinking he had been Lu Chen’s loyal supporter from the start.

In reality, this was the same arrogant fellow who had once declared, ‘Why can’t I become the Eternal?’

But it must be said—how many fools could cultivate all the way to the Deity Transformation Stage?

The Mars Star Lord, who had always presented himself as ‘hot-tempered’ and ‘crude,’ now displayed a level of political maneuvering utterly inconsistent with his usual persona.

The depth of his cunning was not to be underestimated!

And the other Star Lords were no pushovers either.

“Fine, fine! I always knew you, Mars, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, were full of treachery.”

“Fortunately, I came prepared. See what this is?”The Saturn Star Lord took out his phone, displaying the very scene from their private meeting.

In the footage, the Mars Star Lord’s blazing flame-like eyebrows and hair were particularly striking and highly recognizable.

But before the video could reach its critical moment, the phone exploded on the spot!

The sudden explosion startled everyone.

Even Lu Chen hadn’t anticipated it.

Seeing his “evidence” destroyed right before his eyes, the Saturn Star Lord showed no anger.

He casually brushed off the residual dust from the explosion on his hands and said leisurely, “Mars, oh Mars, do you think destroying my phone means the evidence is gone? Ridiculous!”

With that, the Saturn Star Lord produced a new phone.

At this sight, everyone, including Lu Chen, wore peculiar expressions.

The reason was that the phone the Saturn Star Lord took out this time was still the latest model from the Immortal Alliance, just like the previous one.

Who would have thought that the Saturn Star Lord, who appeared to be in his seventies or eighties, was secretly such a trendsetter, keeping up with the times?

The Mars Star Lord, however, was clearly unaware that mortal technology within the Immortal Alliance had advanced to include “cloud storage” as a technological marvel.

Under the Mars Star Lord’s puzzled gaze, the Saturn Star Lord deftly logged into his account and immediately retrieved the video that could prove the Mars Star Lord was a traitor.

Having suffered from a lack of information, the Mars Star Lord had no idea the Saturn Star Lord had such a backup plan.

Just as he intended to repeat his trick and secretly detonate the Saturn Star Lord’s phone, the Saturn Star Lord, skilled in formations, extravagantly applied a Great Divine Power Formation to his device.

He wouldn’t stumble over the same issue twice!

Under the Saturn Star Lord’s “righteous testimony,” everyone saw how passionately the Mars Star Lord had spoken back then.

“Only Eternals can enter the Sanctuary? Nonsense!”

“I have cultivated for over three thousand years now. Becoming an Eternal—why can’t I aspire to that?”

The Saturn Star Lord triumphantly held up his phone and asked the Mars Star Lord, “Well, what are your thoughts now?”

The Saturn Star Lord had assumed that with this video evidence, the Mars Star Lord would be left speechless and retreat in shame.

But he had underestimated the Mars Star Lord’s Heart-Nature.

“What are my thoughts? We Cultivators have Dao Hearts as lofty as the heavens, aspiring to seek Eternal life—what’s wrong with that?”

“On the contrary, Saturn, you actually find fault with my grand Dao ambition? Could it be that your own Dao Heart is clouded, making you see everything in a negative light and falsely accusing an innocent person?”

Falsely accusing an innocent person?!

At these words, not only the Saturn Star Lord but everyone present was stunned.

None had expected the Mars Star Lord’s audacity to be so thick-skinned that he could twist an unfavorable situation with mere rhetoric, even with evidence right before him.

It must be said, the Mars Star Lord’s cunning far surpassed his seemingly crude appearance.

The other Star Lords, watching the Saturn Star Lord’s discomfiture, couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

After all, it was a rare sight to see a Star Lord so thoroughly bested.

A fine performance, worthy of appreciation!

Although there was a minor interruption, it did not affect the Star Lords’ overall attitude toward Lu Chen.To put it in one sentence, they not only wouldn’t prevent Lu Chen from entering the Sanctuary now, but would instead provide as much assistance as possible.

After dealing with these Star Lords, Lu Chen finally entered the Heavenly Capital. His first stop upon arrival was the Jupiter Star Region where the Jupiter Star Lord resided. The reason for this was that it was best for him not to casually interact too much with other Star Lords at the moment, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. In this regard, the Jupiter Star Lord, who possessed Half-Immortal strength, was undoubtedly the least affected. The other Star Lords wouldn’t say much about it either, making it an acceptable situation for everyone.

On the way to the Jupiter Star Region, Lu Chen recalled the several Star Lords he had just met and asked Xiao beside him, “From what I observed, those Star Lords don’t seem as rigid as you described. Is there some misunderstanding here?”

Xiao explained, “Few who cultivate to such a Realm are truly stubborn. My impression of them mainly stems from their attitude of cutting themselves off from the Immortal Alliance. Do you know how many Star Domains in the Heavenly Capital have had contact with the Immortal Alliance in the past thousand years?”

Lu Chen shook his head. As an outsider, how could he know such details?

Xiao extended his fingers and held up two. “Two. One is my Solar Luminaries, and the other is Aunt Hua’s Jupiter Star Region. The remaining Star Domains only take in without giving out, as if sending people to the Immortal Alliance would mean suffering a great loss.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen roughly understood the main conflict between Xiao and the other Star Lords. Using the terminology of the Immortal Cultivation World, Xiao belonged to the engagement faction, advocating for more cooperation with the Immortal Alliance and maximizing the Heavenly Capital’s power to influence and help more people. Most other Star Lords were part of the seclusion faction, advocating self-sufficiency, no external contact, and staying away from the Mortal World.

As for whether these seclusion-faction Star Lords were truly bad, that wasn’t necessarily the case. After all, human nature is always complex. For instance, in Lu Chen’s view, Hua Ling, the Jupiter Star Lord, was relatively mild among cultivators. Yet, on certain issues, she could also display a strong, domineering side that brooked no opposition—like when she had previously tried to make decisions on Lu Chen’s behalf, all for the so-called balance of the Heavenly Capital. From her own standpoint, what she did was not bad for Lu Chen or the Heavenly Capital. But in Lu Chen’s eyes, such an approach was indeed overly forceful and arbitrary.

Although the other Star Lords had schemed quite a bit before Lu Chen’s arrival, none of those schemes ultimately materialized. Moreover, after Lu Chen demonstrated sufficient strength, they immediately changed their original strategies. Describing them simply as good or bad was undoubtedly inaccurate. These were also situations Lu Chen had anticipated before coming, which was a key reason he decided to come to the Heavenly Capital alone. If he had sought help from the Immortal Alliance, even though that would have made him practically invincible, it might have united the Star Lords to jointly oppose him as an “outsider.” A group of Star Lords at the Deity Transformation Stage joining forces was no easy matter to resolve.Most crucially, forcibly suppressing the Heavenly Capital through external means like this would most likely backfire. Even if these Star Lords temporarily conceded, they might not genuinely acknowledge Lu Chen. When all is said and done, the Immortal Cultivation World ultimately respects strength above all. Nothing would be more convincing or effective in resolving the internal conflicts of the Heavenly Capital in one stroke than Lu Chen subduing the Star Lords through his own power.

It could be said that after this battle, the previously fragmented Heavenly Capital had gradually reached a consensus under Lu Chen’s mediation. As long as Lu Chen could enter the Sanctuary and successfully obtain the title and authority of the Celestial Capital Lord, his control over the Heavenly Capital would become a natural and inevitable outcome.

(End of Chapter)