Pay to Cultivate Immortality? My Sect is Completely Free - Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Dark Night and Strong Wind, Time to Reap! (Fourth Watch)

A draw with Venerable Xuan Ba!

The moment these words fell, except for the Venerable from the Sacred Tiger Sect looking somewhat uneasy, the other Grand Venerables all breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness it wasn’t a Grand Venerable at the Soul Integration Realm!

As long as it wasn’t a Grand Venerable at that level, they still had ways to deal with him!

Although a Peak Venerable in Void Refinement was powerful, he was not invincible. Since he was in the same Grand Realm as them, if they joined forces, they could stand a chance in battle.

With proper preparation, they could even suppress him completely!

Especially the Venerable from the Southern Heavenly Gate, who sneered coldly, “Just a mere Peak Venerable, yet so arrogant—if we didn’t know better, we might have thought you were a Grand Venerable!”

“With such weak strength, you even dared to kill a Venerable from the Southern Heavenly Gate. Once Brother Holy Spirit returns, or our Old Ancestor emerges, just wait and see how you’ll meet your end!”

The other Grand Venerables all sneered in agreement.

“Everyone, we absolutely cannot let him continue this arrogance. At the Third Watch tonight, we will….”

The Southern Heavenly Gate Venerable transmitted his voice to the others, discussing their plan.

“Hehehe…” Upon hearing this, the Grand Venerables’ eyes lit up.

Robbing a Peak Venerable in Void Refinement—no matter how you looked at it—was incredibly thrilling!

“No matter what, even if we can’t kill him outright, we have to at least collect some interest from him first!”

“Our Southern Heavenly Gate has a sixth-tier peak formation. If we combine forces, the Grand Venerables can easily trap a Peak Venerable!”

The Southern Heavenly Gate Venerable continued to transmit details, discussing specifics.

This made the other Grand Venerables even more excited, as if they could already see Su Bai kneeling before them, begging for mercy.

Only the Venerable from the Sacred Tiger Sect remained silent the entire time. His gaze swept over Venerable Xuan Ba’s fingers, then shifted to his own. Since his Storage Ring had already been taken by Su Bai, he paid particular attention to this. Even before Venerable Xuan Ba went to challenge Su Bai, he had noticed the Storage Ring on his finger. But the Storage Ring on Xuan Ba’s finger now struck him as strange—although it looked the same on the surface, it seemed like… it was on a different finger?

He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he suddenly understood something, then transmitted quietly, “Fellow Daoists, I won’t be taking part in this matter.”

“I have injuries that prevent me from fighting again. Please forgive me.”

He excused himself, but his words immediately darkened the expressions of the other Four Venerables.

“Brother Sacred Tiger, we’ve been allies for thousands of years, facing every storm side by side. What are you playing at now, backing out like this?”

“Yeah, Brother Sacred Tiger, your Storage Ring was stolen right under your nose—how can you just swallow that? Tonight, we’ll help you take it back!”

“Brother Sacred Tiger, don’t be stingy—we’re all family here. Let’s not squabble. If we join forces, what kind of trouble could a small sect like the Heavenly Dao Sect really stir up?”

“Brother Sacred Tiger, are you just willing to swallow this bitter pill in silence?”

The Four Venerables from Southern Xuan Prefecture urged him on, wanting the Sacred Tiger Sect’s Venerable to join the battle. One more Venerable would strengthen their formation’s power and increase their chances of victory!

However, the Sacred Tiger Sect’s Venerable was resolute. He declared immediately, “My Sacred Tiger Sect has already been eliminated. Staying here only makes us a laughingstock. Friends, I must take my leave.”

With that, he gathered the members of the Sacred Tiger Sect and turned to walk away without a trace of hesitation. Yet, before departing, he glanced up at the Four Venerables in the sky and sneered bitterly.

“You’re all old foxes with thousands of years of experience. Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

“On the surface, we’re all one family, but when it comes to the crucial moment, they just shoved my Sacred Tiger Sect out as a scapegoat!”

“In the First Round Elimination Tournament, my Sacred Tiger Sect ran straight into the Heavenly Dao Sect. If you don’t think this was your doing, I’d never believe it!”

“The strength of the Heavenly Dao Sect’s Venerable absolutely couldn’t have only ended in a draw against that old fox Xuan Ba. Only by facing them firsthand can you understand how terrifying they are!”

“Hmph, just wait, the day will come when you’ll be the ones crying!”

The Venerable from the Sacred Tiger Sect sneered coldly in his heart. Then, he tore open a Void Rift and led the members of his sect away from Sacred Ruins City.

In his mind, the Heavenly Dao Sect had already become an enemy no one dared to offend.

As for the Southern Heavenly Gate? Heh!

They’d better pray for their own luck first!

The Sacred Tiger Sect’s Venerable sneered continuously, silently muttering, “A bunch of greedy fools—sooner or later, they’ll die by their own greed!”

Meanwhile, the Four Venerables watched the Sacred Tiger Sect’s departure with a chill in their eyes.

“That big old tiger looks like he’s already strayed from our ranks.”

“Hmph, once we settle things with the Heavenly Dao Sect, we’ll take care of the Sacred Tiger Sect too.”

“In Southern Xuan Prefecture, no second voice will be allowed besides ours!”

…

At the pavilion of the Heavenly Dao Sect, Su Bai watched the Four Venerables communicating in the sky. A faint, subtle smile appeared on his face.

The Four Venerables believed their telepathic conversation was completely shielded from everyone else—even Venerables of the same rank couldn’t eavesdrop.

But they hadn’t accounted for Su Bai!

He had heard their conversation clearly and distinctly!

With a wave of his hand, Su Bai established a Sub-Teleportation Formation.

“There are too many factions involved. The First Round Elimination Tournament will probably last about three months. You all should return to your sect to cultivate properly. After three months, come back here to participate in the second round,” he instructed.

The disciples respectfully acknowledged, “Yes, Sect Master!”

Afterward, they entered the Teleportation Formation, transforming into streams of light as they returned to the Heavenly Dao Sect.

As for Su Bai, he folded up the formation and remained behind.

How could he miss out on such a spectacle!

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the first day’s Grand Assembly came to an end.

Su Bai looked up, watching the sun set behind the western mountains, and darkness spread across the land.

Suddenly, Su Bai received a message by sound transmission: “Meet outside the city, thirty thousand li to the southeast, at midnight. Dare to come?”

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

At midnight, the wind howled fiercely; the whole world grew dark and gloomy.

“A dark and windy night—the perfect time to strike!” Su Bai’s lips curved into a faint smile.

He rose to his feet, glanced toward the distance to confirm his direction, then with a sudden leap, left Sacred Ruins City and plunged into the desolate darkness tens of thousands of li beyond.

“Rumble, rumble!”

Thunder rolled in the night sky as dark clouds gathered.

No moon, no stars—pitch black all around, so dark he couldn’t see his own hand.

Violent rain poured down in torrents.

Su Bai strode through the torrential downpour as if taking a leisurely stroll in a quiet courtyard.

After a moment, he stopped, standing motionless in place.

“Boom!”

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the night.

Beneath the flash of lightning, at the horizons in all four directions around Su Bai, figures emerged from Void Rifts.

The Four Venerables had surrounded Su Bai!

At the same time, a massive formation rune appeared on the ground around them, instantly enveloping an area of one hundred thousand li and sealing off the void.

The Four Venerables looked down at Su Bai, trapped within the formation, each wearing a cold sneer.

“You really dared to come here. I can’t tell if you’re just overconfident in your strength or simply foolish!”

PS: Continuing into the fourth update, pulling an all-nighter to write this. Su Bai: “You guys just keep bringing me gifts powered by love, and I’ll snatch one of their Storage Rings~”