Chapter 2290: Chapter 2292: New Forces
The True Sage Diaosou came to find the True Immortal Chen Xi, initially seeking to inquire about which True Sage the Qing Ji had entrusted the God Statue to in the Jinwu Sect.
Actually, he could get the answer by directly asking the Jinwu Sect, but the problem was... a True Sage should not lose their dignity this way.
He needed to ascertain who held the God Statue, then directly engage with them. This was the proper conduct for a True Sage.
This was not being pretentious, but respecting the rules. A True Sage represents the highest combat strength Tianqin can deploy, deserving respect.
Just like how the True Sage Luan Xiong was dissatisfied with the True Sage You Xuan’s attitude towards the Wanhuan Sect, yet he could not intervene; otherwise, he would seem overbearing.
When the True Sage Diaosou heard that the God Statue was entrusted to Luan Xiong, he decided against negotiating with the Jinwu Sect. Luan Xiong’s genius and pride were well-known among the seven sects and eighteen paths.
He wasn’t worried about the True Sage Luan Xiong withholding information from him; he was concerned Luan Xiong might candidly divulge everything — Luan Xiong was that proud, unafraid of speaking up, while the True Sage Diaosou was a seasoned Emergence Stage cultivator with a reputation to maintain.
He preferred arranging for someone to seize another God Statue over being considered as taking advantage of the True Sage Luan Xiong — as if my Xuanhuang Sect could only obtain information from Jinwu.
Without this thought, the True Sage Diaosou then learned that the True Immortal Chen Xi encountered the major migration of the Insect Race, and his curiosity could no longer be contained — even True Sages have an inclination to enjoy the excitement.
He remarked that, given there are a hundred True Immortal Insects in that swarm, a few True Immortals are insufficient, and if something happens, they might not react swiftly — even if Feng Jun can lead them away in time, should our esteemed Xuanhuang bow to others’ whims?
Moreover, with a True Sage present, there’s no need for concealment talismans. Concealing presence isn’t something you need to concern yourselves with.
Xuanhuang will certainly prepare the concealment talisman; however, during the True Sage’s escort, saving a bit is more efficient.
The True Sage Diaosou privately proposed this request to Chen Xi; he couldn’t propose it to Feng Jun — the rejection would be embarrassing, and with the precedent of the True Sage Tuotuo, he couldn’t casually lash out at Feng Jun either.
Feng Jun was somewhat astonished upon learning the True Sage Diaosou wished to join; even True Sages wanted a lift?
However, upon reflection, he realized the risk wasn’t high, and having a True Sage accompany indeed provided reassurance, so he stated, "I have never tried to travel with a True Sage. If my capabilities fall short, then I ask not to be blamed for any offense."
This was a very practical issue; both the True Immortal Chen Xi and the True Sage Diaosou considered this — a horse capable of bearing 500 pounds may collapse under the weight of 5000 pounds.
So Chen Xi explained, "True Sage possess Shadow Following Technique, shouldn’t bring much impediment. Rest assured, even if it doesn’t work out, you won’t be blamed, right now the question is whether you’re willing or not?"
Had it not been for the Guardian providing that trace of presence, Feng Jun would not dare to readily consent. He estimated that even with the Stone Ring’s meager energy, it might not be enough to trap a True Sage completely, let alone the chance of evading if the True Sage intervened.
But with this trace of aura ensuring his tether back to the Earth Realm, he thought the matter was worth considering, as he hadn’t teleported during the Emergence Stage, "If the True Sage doesn’t mind, of course, I have no objections... However, we must hurry."
"Of course, we must hurry," the True Immortal Chen Xi candidly replied, "That side is trailing a massive infestation of insects. If an unintended conflict arises, we must arrive swiftly, there’s no room for delay."
Xuanhuang’s operational efficiency was indeed commendable, especially now exploring new realms, personnel were essentially in wartime mode.
Chen Xi returned approximately six hours later, ready to depart once more, with personnel and materials all prepared, and even an additional True Sage — as for his experiences and submitted spoils, they could be analyzed slowly; those two injured True Immortals could also provide considerable information.
Yet, even as they were set to depart, a True Immortal from Yuangang arrived uninvited.
The visitor was the Yuangang Elder Yaoyang, who chuckled and cupped his hand, "Chen Xi has returned, how wonderful... Huh, why is True Sage Diaosou here? Are you venturing deep into the heart of the Insect Race?"
The passage entrances and associated defense arrays were consistently a collaboration between Yuangang and Xuanhuang; for genuine cooperation, both sides performed tasks jointly most of the time — not only to prevent shortcomings but also to emphasize unity against external threats.
So when the True Immortal Chen Xi returned, both Xuanhuang Disciples and Yuangang Disciples noticed.
Because of the agreed information sharing, Yuangang Sect had already known that Chen Xi followed Feng Jun.
Yuangang even knew Chen Xi brought along the Sword Cultivator Ming Xin — Ming Xin in Xuanhuang wasn’t someone who settled quietly, evidenced by his audacity to seize opportunities meant for the Nascent Soul Middle Phase True Immortal Huo Liu, proving his potential for causing trouble.
So Elder Yaoyang arrived with the speed of thunder, covering the ears in surprise; you are all barging into the core territory of the insects, and now obviously temporarily returned, why not let us at Yuangang Sect join in?
He waited for this opportunity for over three months — he even once suspected that the True Immortal Chen Xi might never return.
Now that the opportunity arose, he certainly intended to grasp it tightly — this world is jointly developed by our two families, and the casualties are comparable, why should you alone join Feng Jun’s team?
Translated by ChatGPT
To be honest, the Yuangang Sect had long known about Feng Jun, after all, the Qinggang Sect in the Kunhao Realm was a sub-sect of Yuangang.
However, those who could pay attention to Feng Jun had very limited discourse power. Even if the message was reported up, no one would pay much attention—lower-level cultivators are just lower-level cultivators, and Feng Jun is only adept at helping people form Golden Cores, not catching the eyes of high-rank cultivators.
Although the Xuanhuang Sect did not have a sub-sect in Kunhao, a similar aura struck the Xuanhuang’s high point. Later, due to Rongyang True Immortal and Yitian True Immortal, Feng Jun, not only resented the Lingmu Sect and Chess Sect, but also found himself at odds with Xuanhuang.
Later on, Feng Jun and Yi Jue caused such a great upheaval within the Lingmu Sect that the Xuanhuang Sect naturally paid more attention to him.
So, the laughable situation arose where Xuanhuang Sect, with no sub-sect in Kunhao, paid more attention to Feng Jun than the Yuangang Sect.
Chen Xi True Immortal felt somewhat helpless and looked at Feng Jun, "In this matter, Elder Yaoyang, you have to ask Mountain Master Feng."
I’ve been dealing with your interruption long enough, Feng Jun was also somewhat helpless, "Elder Yaoyang, personally I welcome you to join, but our team includes elders from the Spirit Plant Sect, Xuanshui Sect, and Jinwu Sect, I can’t make decisions for them."
"I understand," Elder Yaoyang nodded straightforwardly, clearly he had done his homework lately, "Yi Jue, Cang Jing, and Elder Qing Ji, am I right? Leave the negotiations to me, as long as you don’t object."
Feng Jun paused for a moment and then gave a bitter smile, "I don’t think I have the qualification to oppose."
"As long as you don’t object," Elder Yaoyang said without even glancing at You Xuan True Sage, speaking to himself—it’s not that he dared to ignore True Sages, but he didn’t dare to look, "When will we depart?"
"We’ll leave immediately," Feng Jun replied in a serious tone, "Over there, we’re trailing a major legion of the Insect Race, over a hundred True Immortals, more than ten thousand Golden Core cultivators, a great deal of pressure... Elder Yaoyang, if you follow along, I can’t guarantee your safety."
"Over a hundred True Immortals, more than ten thousand Golden Core cultivators?" Elder Yaoyang shuddered at the words, but after glancing at You Xuan True Sage, he felt more assured, "Then I’ll find someone else and call Hua Sheng along, is that okay?"
Feng Jun had a good impression of Hua Sheng True Immortal, whose first appearance was particularly nonsensical, directly charging into the formation of Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation, but he offered compensation right away—he dealt fairly with lower-level cultivators, seemed like a straightforward person.
So he nodded, "Alright then, be quick, we’re about to leave."
"Don’t worry, faster than you think," Elder Yaoyang immediately released his divine sense, "Hua Sheng, come quickly."
Who knows if Hua Sheng True Immortal was waiting for the call, but five minutes later, he showed up.
Seeing the manpower was ready, Feng Jun didn’t say more; he took out his mobile phone and directly chose the footprint.
Most disciples of the two sects knew how to hitch a ride with Feng Jun, Hua Sheng True Immortal even directly grabbed him.
You Xuan True Sage was relatively reserved. His intention materialized, splitting into a thin rope lasso, wrapping around Chen Xi.
Originally, Feng Jun thought teleporting You Xuan True Sage would consume a lot of energy points, but it turned out his worries were unfounded. Teleporting You Xuan True Sage consumed almost as few energy points as teleporting a Nascent Soul True Immortal.
Actually... this was his misunderstanding, and he later paid a price for it, but that’s a spoiler.
In the next moment, they were inside the depths of the Insect Race, although slightly off from the main legion. Yi Jue and the others had tirelessly tracked the Insect Race, deliberately maintaining a gap but traveling quite far.
Rushing for a while, they caught up with the main force, and You Xuan True Sage questioned aloud, "Where are so many Insect Races heading?"
How would we know where they’re heading? The people present were all clueless.
Since a True Sage had spoken, everyone had to respond. Elder Qinghuang answered, "We analyzed that they might be going to seize other Insect Race territories... it seems they’re going to war."
You Xuan True Sage also felt this was a close-to-truth answer, so he snorted with approval, "Don’t rush to act, keep trailing them slowly. When I tell you to move, then you act."
Indeed worthy of a True Sage, his words were entirely natural, and nobody felt there was anything wrong—We’re waiting for them to suffer enough losses so we can gain cheaply, no need to rush to act.
They followed the Insect Race for over twenty days, but hadn’t covered much distance, mainly because the Insect Race was traveling with family, wanting to speed up was impossible.
Finally, a star system appeared in front of them, one star with about ten planets, the most common arrangement in the cosmos.
However, less than half a day after the Insect Race flew into the system, over a thousand saucer-shaped aircraft appeared ahead, meeting them with aggressive intent.
(Update until summoning monthly tickets.)
