Archfiend

Chapter 154: Core Formation Sets to Task (Finale)

Boom! Boom! Boom! Under the golden halo’s illumination, countless weapons all transformed into powdered dust. However, after the golden halo faded away… the broken shadows surprisingly fused together into an immense shadow-dragon!

“ROAAR!!!” The dragon’s mouth was poised towards Daomaster Floatingcloud. In the wake of this roar, a hurricane seemed to blow across the entire stage! Everything fell into chaos!

“Fellow Daoist…” Daomaster Floatingcloud’s voice was cold like ice. He glared daggers at Daomaster Ancientpine’s silhouette. “Are you going to stick up for this insect today?”

Ancientpine sneered, “You act against my partnership agent. Why can’t I move against you?”

“Hahaha!” Pausing for several seconds, Floatingcloud turned to the sky and guffawed heartily, yet this laughter came to an end with a sudden grunt. “Partner?” Floatingcloud’s voice buried and hid a wisp of boundless hatred. “You say… young friend Xu is your partner?”

“Partnership agent.” Ancientpine faced all around and slightly clasped his hands. “Fellow Daoists, the pill master is already collaborating with the Featherwood Guard. All the pill master’s affairs are left to young friend Xu to take care of. It is a sixty-forty split.” 

So that’s how it was!

Floatingcloud’s aged eyes flashed opened yet quietly closed. They softly trembled. He had guessed that Xu Yangyi had made a heavy promise to old ghost Ancientpine, but now he discovered that he was evidently underestimating his young opponent! The heaviness of Xu Yangyi’s promise exceeded his imagination! To his surprise, Xu Yangyi had directly tossed himself out as the agent of the Pill Dao! Full authority as the Featherwood Guard’s representative!

Yes… He gently squeezed his wrinkle-covered fists. Only such a titanic benefit could cause old ghost Ancientpine to publicly deny him due respect!

Those who accomplished great things didn’t bother with insignificant trifles. In order to guarantee dependence and ensure his safety, Xu Yangyi only had Chu Zhaonan bring two words.

Fifty-fifty! It was these two words that brought Ancientpine to stand here today and guarantee Xu Yangyi’s absolute safety. Not only was this hand to disperse the Seed Spirit Great Art, it was furthermore a flagrant action, a crossing of moves with Daomaster Floatingcloud.

At this moment, the Damocles Sword above Xu Yangyi’s head was already spread wide with cracks! In the same vein, Daomaster Ancientpine intently studied Xu Yangyi. Fifty-fifty was not worth falling into hostilities with Floatingcloud. It wasn’t until Xu Yangyi had decisively hinted sixty-forty to him did he tacitly receive this in understanding.

With sixty-forty, even he could imagine… the surging advent of spirit stones as the first batch of medicinal pills came about! In a single motion, the Featherwood Guard could break away from its present state of abject poverty, so poor that a pulling of coat lapels revealed the elbows! Yet for him, as the ancestor of the Featherwood Guard, he was bound to take the greatest slice of the cake!

Wealth, scripture, companions, and land. Among cultivation’s four directives, wealth was number one! Without resources, what was there to cultivate? To defy fate? For this sixty-forty… couldn’t face just be overturned?

Shrouded in black mist, he glanced again at Xu Yangyi. Is sixty-forty the pill master’s bottom line? In such a situation, this child was actually so firm to put forth a sixty-forty split. In all likelihood, it was to make a deal with me, so I would do this for free. Even in a loss of benefit, he still wants to inflict serious damage to old ghost Floatingcloud.

“Talented… and both very ruthless and daring. His grasping of this opportunity is even further precise and frightening…” he said this remark softly, so low that it was inaudible, and spoke no more. Since you are this sincere, I will deliver you to the safety of the east wind!

“This Dao Master hereby solemnly declares…” He glanced at Daomaster Floatingcloud with seemingly deep meaning. Afterwards, he looked at everyone in the auction house and enunciated each word, “Whoever it is, taking action against him is equal to provoking the entire Featherwood Guard.”

“And I myself!”

A wholehearted protection! At this moment, Xu Yangyi seemed to hear the sword above his head loudly shatter into pieces! Below, countless gasps could be heard. Before the other eleven Dao Masters and all of China’s top clans, a Dao Master was sparing no effort to protect a cultivator! After Sunnihilator, there were none who had received such treatment! Today, a second cultivator had appeared.

In his pavilion, Daomaster Floatingcloud’s eyes suddenly widened. Subsequently, they shut, bearing a sliver of anguish. All of this was certainly connected to Chu Tianyi’s grandson. That traitorous dog-crap had informed Xu Yangyi of the Black Kill Order. After that, Xu Yangyi had immediately chosen to enter seclusion for two years until he could then reveal this hidden trump. As soon as he emerged… he promptly joined hands with old ghost Ancientpine! His Black Kill Order was tantamount to a joke! 

The cultivator who had received the Black Kill Order dared not offend him, so how could he dare antagonize another Dao Master? The words of Daomaster Ancientpine had completely allowed Xu Yangyi to evolve into his final form. This insect who he originally believed that he was able to crush with an extended finger! It had been a very, very long time since his heart seemed to have been bitten by hordes of ants. This aching caused the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes to twitch.

“Wisdom approaching a fiend… A hundred secrets but not a single one leaked… This time, I admit defeat! Next time…” he suddenly paused and didn’t continue speaking.

Next time? Next time… Xu Yangyi would’ve already joined hands with old ghost Ancientpine! How could that old ghost look on indifferently as this youngster was met with accident! Xu Yangyi… was the Pill Dao’s bond! The perpetually impoverished Featherwood Guard had captured this great deity of wealth. How could old ghost Ancientpine… be willing to allow Xu Yangyi to run into a mishap?! 

“Mongrel…” he finally cursed and sighed long and deep. When chess players played chess, there was no room for regrets. He’d seized the very first opportunity only to wait for time to pass, so he could slay a great dragon. However, in an unexpected place, he had capsized, suffering defeat. 

“10,000 pieces… of high-grade spirit stones.” As the auction hall was a stretch of deathly stillness, Daomaster Floatingcloud spoke at long last.

Below, everyone’s eyes rounded in unison! Daomaster Floatingcloud… had conceded? In the presence of so many, a Core Formation master had admitted defeat? This… was the compensation?

“Ancestor…” Within the pavilion, a few secretaries nervously came closer. “We…”

“Scram…” Floatingcloud opened his eyes. “Right now, remove yourselves far away from me.”

All of them were dazed yet immediately departed. Murderous aura… At this very moment, the murderous aura on Floatingcloud’s body had almost solidified. So many people had bore witness… in addition to the eleven other Core Formation ancestors… Nevertheless, the situation saw that his target didn’t lose a single hair, and he and two Core Formation ancestors had become estranged! 

“Fellow Daoist Liang?” he asked indifferently and turned towards Liang Jiugong, suppressing the mad desire for fury in his heart.

“Hehehe…” Liang Jiugong laughed. “I only want these three pills and a very minor promise from the pill master. It isn’t as good as you accepting my slap. How about everyone discusses it?”

Impudent! Floatingcloud’s Adam’s apple was fairly sore. His fist rested on his knee, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged. He said coldly, “An equivalent 10,000 high-grade spirit stones to not mention exposing this business.”

“Hehe…” Daomaster Titanspirit’s and Daomaster Yue’s wry laughter just happened to be heard.

Everyone realized that Ancestor Floatingcloud truly did take action just now. However, concerning the reason why, he didn’t want to say. He had retreated by a large stride and swallowed this humiliation in the presence of countless people. Even now, he was warning everyone that if this line of questioning was pursued, he wasn’t to be blamed for immediate aggression!

No one was willing to truly plant the seed of enmity with a Core Formation ancestor. Everyone understood the logic of stopping before going too far. None continued to further examine the heart of this affair.

“Fellow Daoist Titanspirit and Fellow Daoist Yue, I will compensate you each with 5,000 high-grade spirit stones for this misunderstanding. I also don’t wish this little spat to affect everyone’s friendly relations.”

The two Dao Masters naturally wouldn’t reject 5,000 high-grade spirit stones handed over free of charge. They grunted indifferently. He gazed over in the end. After an unknown passage of time, he said dryly, “Young friend Xu.”

At this moment, he hated that he couldn’t slap Xu Yangyi to death! In front of him… This mongrel was right in front of him! As long as he extended a little finger, he could grind Xu Yangyi until there wasn’t even a speck of dust left! Nonetheless… he couldn’t, shouldn’t, and dared not to!

An untold number of eyes were trained on him. Not only was he currently unable to make an arrest… he also had to declare his standing to everyone else with terrible disgust! This declaration wasn’t for Xu Yangyi, but rather for Ancientpine, Skybearer, and all the juniors below!

Otherwise… he wouldn’t be able to shoulder the infamy of a despot. As a Core Formation who had arose later, his foundation in itself couldn’t be regarded as generous. A sect’s power was also something that a single Core Formation ancestor wasn’t able to hold. Without power, could it be that he, a Core Formation ancestor, would have to beg everywhere for spirit stones?

Inhaling deeply a few times, he gritted his teeth and said, “5,000 high-grade spirit stones.” Finished speaking, he no longer looked at anyone. Each gaze caused his old face to become somewhat feverish. He said without the slightest emotion, “I have another important matter I am occupied with. Pardon my departure.”

Just as his voice fell, Floatingcloud’s pavilion scattered with a burst of misty white light and vanished into thin air!

Run off? Ancestor Floatingcloud had run off? In his participation of this auction… he hadn’t bought a single medicinal pill, yet forked over 40,000 high-grade spirit stones! Afterwards… he had flown away?

Legions of cultivators were all flabbergasted at this moment, eyes wide open and tongues tied. They simply dared not believe in all that they had seen. Five Core Formation had made moves and three had crossed swords. Ultimately, it was surprisingly Daomaster Floatingcloud who had secretly acted against a little Qi Condensation cultivator. Furthermore, Ancestor Ancientpine was maintaining absolute security for Xu Yangyi?

In addition… a Core Formation ancestor had actually been compelled to apologize to a Qi Condensation cultivator, without any other choice? 

Sorry, this story line is too unbelievable. Allow us to first clean up and arrange things for three minutes.

The gazes of each top-clan elder and the people they had brought with them twinkled one after another. Amidst their formless contact, they recounted these tangible words, yet right now, no one dared to open their mouths. The senior generation didn’t speak, but the few juniors they had brought were incredibly excited like they were hopped up on energy drinks!

What was awesome? THIS was awesome! Not to mention the Core Formation ancestors, the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had brought new talent like them had been beaten half-dead. Did they risk speaking?

They didn’t! But right now, that silent young man whose eyes were hung at an angle to the master stage had been moved against by a Core Formation ancestor. Nonetheless, the result saw Floatingcloud make amends and put things to an end!

“I seriously can’t believe this!” The eyes of a newly advanced female junior were radiating light. “From today onwards, he’s my new idol! He’s so cool!”

“That was a Core Formation ancestor, huh…” A youth’s face was filled with longing. Tugging at his clan elder’s clothes, he said, “How in the world did he do that?! He only said two or three sentences total, right?!”

“Learn a little…” Incredible passion laid in the clan elder’s gaze as he looked at Xu Yangyi. “Don’t think that only strength is everything. Just like arcane efforts, even if you enter Foundation Establishment, each divine ability isn’t all-powerful. Encounters in the same realm are likewise lost in a word.” 

“Long story short, that’s to paint a dragon and dot in the eyes!” [1]

“And what’s the situation these days? If a cultivator with even better talents only understands how to close a door and bitterly cultivate, it is a dead path.” On the other side, an old man also said to the juniors at his side, bestirred with emotion. “Know how to utilize each of your own advantages. This is called power. A single power can subdue ten methods. In the same vein, four taels can push aside a thousand jin…” [2]

“Clan Elder, is this big brother two taels pushing a thousand jin?” a cultivator at his side asked.

The clan elder smiled wryly and shook his head. “No… he is one tael pushing aside ten thousand jin.”

“That… was Ancestor Floatingcloud…” He gazed deeply into the sky. “Remember, a large fist rules all. This was just a soap opera… If any of this took place in the ordinary world, a situation like this wouldn’t possibly occur.”

1. “Paint a dragon and dot in the eyes” - an idea of adding an important finishing touch, a few words to get to the point.

2. This is a phrase from the Chinese martial art of taiji. The idea of using little force to get a big result.