The cruel reality of the wilderness is actually the best place to safely secure a powerful body that can bear her soul without drawing unwanted trouble. I just need to provoke a few ego-driven experts, he pondered, reflecting on what he had just witnessed in his sea of consciousness.
But first, I must get stronger. If not for his sheer arrogance and underestimation, that Immortal could have killed me in a single breath. I cannot afford to run into another powerhouse in my current state. Luck will not always be on my side, he resolved, closing his eyes and succumbing to deep meditation.
"Back at the old demon's house, I obtained this acupuncture technique. He said it was a method of body treatment, but after studying it several times, it is clearly not that simple," Mo Lingtian murmured, turning the ancient book over in the air before him.
"Such a detailed analysis and method of interfering with the natural rhythm and flow of the body... it is too domineering," he continued, now grasping the book in his hands.
"That old demon really isn't simple. I will visit him again in the future. For now, I have to facilitate my plan to venture deeper into the systems of the Demon Continent," he muttered, standing up and pacing around the small room.
Although the chief elder never told me, the overall progression of attacks against my clan seems to point toward a mastermind in the God Realm.
According to the ancient recordings in my clan, the progenitor of the Great Chaos seems to have a direct connection to us, he thought to himself as he arranged a worn-out sheet of paper on the fragile table adjacent to his bed.
The God Realm suffered the most during the era of the Great Chaos. After the fall of the Eternal Creator, if not for the Empyrean, the League of Gods would have plummeted to become just one of the thousands of common clans in the Three Realms. It makes sense that they would try to wipe us out of sheer fear, his thoughts continued.
It is no wonder the Great Dao did not interfere. If someone from the Devil Clan were to start an apocalypse like the Great Chaos, the Dao itself would not inadvertently benefit from it. The powerful figure in the God Realm must have known this too; he took advantage of the subtle desires of the Great Dao, he reasoned, thinking deeply.
"For now, I dare not dream of meddling in these affairs. I can only grow stronger and decide what to do as everything unfolds," Mo Lingtian exhaled deeply, lying down on the bed to sleep.
"Dao You, could we have a talk?" a voice echoed directly in Mo Lingtian's head, immediately rousing him from his sleep.
What was that? Mo Lingtian thought, slowly sitting up from the bed and spreading his divine sense around the room.
"It was that old man. He used his inner voice on you," a commanding general stated from within Mo Lingtian's consciousness.
"What time is it now?" Mo Lingtian asked in reply, standing up and throwing on his outer robes.
"It is evening. You have been asleep for several hours," the commanding general replied.
"It's you, Si, isn't it? I can't think of anyone else among you who talks so freely with me," Mo Lingtian noted. He dropped a paper talisman onto his bed as he swiftly exited the room, flying directly toward the main hall of the sect.
"Am I really that talkative?" Si muttered to himself.
"The first day you woke up in the death zone, you drained everyone with your incessant quibbling, and now you are asking if you're talkative?" another commanding general snorted.
"Is that true? Am I..." Si asked, turning to face the dozens of commanding generals for validation.
All of them shook their heads tiredly, universally agreeing that he was, indeed, talkative.
"You..." Si stuttered in anger, pointing at the crowd before he was abruptly cut short by Mo Lingtian.
"Alright. I need all of you to focus. I am entering the den of a Sovereign Immortal. I can't even stand my ground against a regular Immortal, so you all should know how risky this is. I need all of you to be alert. Continuously scan the hall with your spiritual sense," Mo Lingtian commanded as he landed in front of the massive doors of the main hall.
"One more thing: no one among you under the mid-stage of the Sovereign Immortal realm should probe with their divine essence," he warned, pushing open the heavy doors.
At the far end of the hall sat a dwarfed table holding two cups filled halfway with tea. Seated on the ground on one side of the table, with his eyes closed, was the ancestor of the Eclipsed Sun Sect.
The walkway to the far end of the hall was incredibly long, making every step Mo Lingtian took echo excruciatingly loud in the silence. The atmosphere was stiflingly intense; he had no idea what this old monster was planning.
Upon finally reaching the end of the hall, Mo Lingtian bowed slightly, paying his respects. The old monster did not reply. He remained seated with his eyes closed, his face pale and unreadable.
Is this a deliberate provocation? What is going on here? Mo Lingtian thought, maintaining his slight bow.
"Junior greets Laozu," he said again, lowering his head further, but there was still no reply.
"Senior, did I do something to wrong you?" Mo Lingtian asked, his head still bowed.
"Hmmm. Take your seat," the ancestor finally replied, opening his eyes slowly as he reached out to take a sip from his cup of tea.
"Yes," Mo Lingtian replied, moving to the opposite side of the table to sit cross-legged on the ground.
While seated, neither the ancestor nor Mo Lingtian made the first move. Lingtian patiently watched as the ancestor continuously sipped his tea until the cup was entirely empty.
Then, the old man stood up, turning to face the massive doors at the other end of the hallway.
"Senior, why did you summon me?" Mo Lingtian asked, standing up from his side of the table.
"Dao You, I have some doubts regarding that expert from earlier today," the ancestor finally stated, inhaling deeply.
"Senior, why do you say so?" Mo Lingtian replied, as a chill of fear slowly crept up his spine.
"I have been pondering what happened out there. I do not think that expert is truly your master," the ancestor said, turning slowly to face Mo Lingtian. "I think that was simply a desperate trump card you used to conveniently slay that Immortal vice captain."
The ancestor's gaze bore intensely into Mo Lingtian. "Everything looked far too planned. The only two strongholds in the wilderness capable of sheltering and protecting you are the Lunar Region and my Eclipsed Sun Sect and conveniently, only the two of us received a wisp of that expert's soul to cure our injuries."
"Senior, let us say I indeed used some kind of trump card to deceive you all," Mo Lingtian replied firmly, burying every trace of the fear he was feeling in his heart.
"Considering that I brought back two disciples of your sect safely despite navigating a wilderness filled with cultivators who live by the rule of survival of the fittest and specifically hold grudges against your people, is that not enough for you to let this matter slide?"
"I originally thought of that and wanted to let it slide. However, keeping you, an offender who just provoked the joint alliance of the three lower factions of the wilderness will give those old monsters the perfect excuse to eliminate my sect entirely," the ancestor replied, sighing deeply.
"Senior, I have a proposal," Mo Lingtian said, bowing slightly as he directly faced the ancestor.
"What is your proposal?"
"Even if you cut off all connections with me right now, it does not mean they will let you go. They all saw the peerless expert by my side. If they think exactly as you do that it was merely a desperate trump card I used they will definitely assume that you forcefully stole the remaining powerful keepsakes from me before casting me out of your sect," Mo Lingtian replied.
The ancestor's eyes immediately lit up, flashing with a mix of anticipation and intense curiosity.