Chapter 2373 - Three Months Later
Three months had passed. The atmosphere in the Infinitum Swordsea was dead silent, whether it was Grandsect Mountain or the council hall. After Yi Taoyao had surrendered and put away her Oldgod Ring, spectators outside had been completely left in the dark.
"It's been three whole months. Are those three still alive?"
"Why isn't Yi Taoyao breaking her Oldgod Ring to leave? She already lost!"
"Maybe Lin Feng can't bear to send her out because he doesn't know if she'll survive for sure...."
Everyone was considering such questions. Lin Mu and Yi Daiyan had a history, so people easily made the connection that the youths would have something similar as well. Everyone across the Infinitum Mundus anxiously waited to see how the situation would be resolved. It was something that could have been settled in about a day, yet they had waited for three months.
Shenxii Yao was the last one to have emerged from that place alive. The ebons had asked her many questions pertaining to what happened within. The ebons, Lin Clan, and luxdaemons had each taken many precautions because those three disciples of theirs had yet to return. Many powerful ebons were gathered around the Oldgod Domain, eager to obtain the mysterious ring that Guchi Xiaoyin had obtained. As for the Lin Clan, both the traditionalists and reformists sent quite a lot of people there. The reformists mingled with the ebons, while the traditionalists stuck close to Lin Xiao and Dongshen Yue. They were clearly separated from one another. The luxdaemons, on the other hand, kept quite a low profile; only Yi Taoyao's father remained there.
The other Infinitum Regal Clan disciples had long left, though they also left some elites in the area to keep informed about matters. As far as they were concerned, the relationship between the ebons and the Lin Clan was a minor one, thanks to Lin Feng's actions.
"Given how Lin Feng managed to defeat Yi Taoyao, it's incredibly likely that Guchi Xiaoyin was killed by him."
"Perhaps he took the ring and hid it somewhere."
"Will Lin Mu's son cause the alliance between his clan and the ebons to fail?"
"I wonder what Chi Hun thinks about this...."
"Maybe the Lin Clan will eradicate Lin Xiao and the others as a show of good faith to the ebons!"
"The traditionalist faction isn't weak. It won't be that easy for the reformists to wipe them out."
"Honestly, if it wasn't for Lin Feng's performance during this event as well as his refusal to submit to the ebons, stomping all over them along his way to second place, there wouldn't be a doubt that the Lin Clan would submit to the ebons."
"To think that a junior like him could have such a big effect on things."
"If Lin Mu knew what his son was up to, he'd be celebrating in the afterlife. Who could’ve imagined that he'd spawn such an impressive son out of nowhere?"
The topic had become widely debated in the Infinitum Mundus. The alliance that had been taken for granted seemed ever so uncertain and the ebons had been put in an awkward position.
"Perhaps they won't care about upholding their reputation and will just ignore the rules of the Infinitum Bodhimanda by resorting to violence."
"They already did. There was an assassination attempt on Lin Lao'er."
The undercurrents in Ebonia began stirring, but over the past three months, everything seemed to have ground to a halt.
"Three months is far too long."
"The longer it drags on, the more hopeless it is!"
"They can't be dead, can they? What if they died without anyone knowing, like Guchi Xiaoyin, because they weren't wearing their Oldgod Rings?" For now, all three of their names were still present on the Infinitum Stele.
"That's highly possible! Lin Feng is a candidate nobody expected to come from the Lin Clan. As for Yi Taoyao, she doesn't have many distinguishing characteristics apart from her cultivation speed, so she should rank in the top hundred of the main ranking at best in the future. But Shenxi Shang's talent and background means that he'd at least be in the top ten! If he's lost, it'll be a huge blow to the ebons!"
"That's right!"
"It's a shame about Lin Feng. His recent performance was completely outstanding."
On a particular day after three months of silence, visuals from an Oldgod Ring appeared without warning. A white-haired youth looked outside, gleefully smiling.
"Lin Feng?!" The whole world was shocked to see that he was still alive. They saw Tianming strike from their point of view before the projection disappeared again.
"Yi Taoyao emerged at the Oldgod Domain!" That meant Shenxi Shang must have been kept locked up for three whole months. People wondered if he would go insane from that. Everyone waited with bated breaths, knowing that Tianming would hide his Oldgod Ring but Shenxi Shang wouldn't.
"Wait, wasn't there a ring around Lin Feng's neck?"
"That's solid proof!"
Shocked gasps could be heard all over.
"He was the one that did it after all!"
"How bold for someone so young!"
"Did he predict that the rex mundi would proclaim that no grudges are to be formed from what happens between the disciples during the ranking event?"
Countless discussions erupted once more after three months of silence.
......
"Goodbye, my dear Little Sister," Tianming said, holding his black sword with his remaining black hand.
"May we meet again, fate willing," Yi Taoyao said, smiling as she vanished before his eyes.
Three months had passed without any hope of a breakthrough. However, Tianming had managed to stabilize his cultivation, which strengthened him even more. Shenxi Shang had been simmering with rage for all that time, and even Tianming could feel the heat. There would be no point in dragging things out any longer, so he decided to proceed with the final fight!
While he had made great gains since coming into the ancestral world, he’d also lost quite a bit of his combat potential as well. Ji Ji was hibernating, and Yin Chen's total bodies only numbered around a billion. Fortunately, his totems and divine wonders had recovered. Normally, Ji Ji would have recovered the fastest, but the ancestral world lacked any nova source for it to absorb. Not to mention, Tianming was missing a hand. While the upcoming fight would be a risky one, there was nothing he could do about it. His lifebound beasts were ready, having gotten into combat positions. Eventually, the mini star above them began to shake and crack.
"Lin! Feng!" came a deep, hoarse roar from above.
Tianming looked up, seeing a black-haired, black-eyed youth clad in a black-and-gold robe like his own descend. Gold mist flooded out of his taixi divine eyes, spreading across the entire battlefield. An exotic killing intent surrounded Tianming's body.
"Hey, friend. I've heard a lot about you, and now we finally meet," Tianming said in a relaxed tone.
It was quite clear to see how enraged and murderous Shenxi Shang was. Tianming, on the other hand, looked calm and harmless. Guchi Xiaoyin, Shenxii Yao, and three months of waiting had all contributed to the rage. The cherry on top was how casually Tianming had just addressed him, as if he’d done nothing wrong.
Shenxi Shang wasn't someone with a short temper, having maintained a calm persona for the most part, yet those three factors had touched fresh nerves. He had never been so angered before, as someone born of his status. Every time he had threatened or cursed at Tianming over the past three months had been casually brushed off like air. Even a normal person would go insane with rage from being ignored like that, let alone a scion of the ebons with taixi divine eyes.
What was worse was how Tianming had finally taken out his Oldgod Ring and put it on his left hand. "Friend, I'm really sorry to have let you wait for so long. That girl was far too beautiful. She's more my type than your little sister is, so I had no choice. Love is a truly rare sensation, so I decided to cherish my time with her a little longer. I hope you won't mind me leaving you hanging for three months, haha."
He had brought up Shenxii Yao once more, further wounding Shenxi Shang's pride. Every image he recalled caused him to seethe with anger. His whiteless eyes narrowed, showing the black depths of turmoil within. "Lin Feng!"
"Well, there's that! I’ve nicely put on my Oldgod Ring. While I'm missing a hand, I still won't die thanks to it. No matter who becomes the last one standing, let's take everything in stride!" Tianming flashed his Oldgod Ring at Shenxi Shang. "After this event ends, I'll definitely be heavily rewarded by the clan. What I need to do next is to remain in seclusion for a decade or so, cultivating. I won't be sticking my neck outside. I'm missing my wives after three months of not seeing them, you see. I wonder if you miss that cute sister of yours."
The spectators in Ebonia could see two broadcasts, one from each of their Oldgod Rings. Tianming was jovially chatting while Shenxi Shang's anger continued festering. The fact that he wouldn't be able to kill Tianming, followed by Tianming mentioning his sister again and that he would be secluded in safety for ten or more years were like spikes of poison in his brain. He let his emotions take full control.
"Lin Feng, I know you’re messing with me. I'll give you a chance. Let's raise the stakes," he said, gritting his teeth.
"Raising the stakes? How should we do it?"
"Simple. Infinitum. Duel."
He enunciated each word with great weight.
"Infinitum Duel? Are you kidding me? We aren’t in Ebonia. The Infinitum Bodhimanda won't show up over here to let us fight within."
"We can have an Infinitum Duel of the heart."
"What do you mean?"
"Put away our Oldgod Rings and fight to the death! Neither of us shall be allowed to wear it!"
"Are you serious? Do you hate me that much?"
"Isn't that why you've been trying to agitate me all this time?" Shenxi Shang smiled, not having completely lost his reason. Even so, he still wasn't able to control himself. Tianming had succeeded.
"I won't do it. If you die, I'll definitely be blamed for it. All our seniors can see is that we're talking about something. They can't hear anything about Infinitum Duels. If you die, they'll blame me for it! I can't afford to be held responsible for your death!"
"Showing them is easy." The gold mist near Shenxi Shang's palms formed large words in front of Tianming’s Oldgod Ring that read: Infinitum Duel, fight to the death!
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