Chapter 1121: The Great Han Summoned You to an Audience—Why Did You Leave Them on Read?
...Even the Great-Grandmaster who was directly mentoring Lu Ding and treating Elder Shui’s injuries spoke up: “Count me in too, Xiao Lu. I’m going as well.”
Lu Ding looked at him. “Great-Grandmaster, you…”
The Great-Grandmaster cut him off: “What’s the big deal? We’ll take Elder Shui along on the Flying Vessel, and we’ll fly it ourselves. Even if I don’t lift a finger, just let me watch, that’s fine too.”
What he really wanted was just to stay by Lu Ding’s side.
It was like a child who hadn’t been home in ages finally returning for the New Year. Wherever that child went, their parents and elders wanted to keep their eyes on them.
A more subtle way to put it: they’d randomly wander into your room for no reason, not doing anything—just pacing around. In truth, it was only to get a few more glimpses of you.
For Lu Ding, these might be elders he had just met. But for the Black-Robed Great-Grandmaster, he had been watching the entire time the Crooked-Mouth Old Man spent with Lu Ding. It was like being on a one-sided video call: “When is the kid coming home already!!!”
Now that he was back, they had to cherish every moment.
“Alright, alright, alright—then let’s all go together.”
Well, no one was left behind.
The Black-Robed Great-Grandmaster wrapped the sleeping Elder Shui in Spiritual Energy and, along with Lu Ding and the others, boarded the Flying Vessel.
With the ten thousand demons now a full-fledged army, pulling the vessel with loud, rhythmic chants, the thing shot forward—whoosh, whoosh—heading straight toward the Profound Nether Cult.
They made no effort to hide their tracks.
Not long after Lu Ding and his group set out, the various nations that had been in their meeting all received another message from the Great Han.
Instantly, countless eyes swiveled to land squarely on the Profound Nether Cult’s leader.
“Damn it! They’re treating my Profound Nether Cult like a soft target!” he roared.
“Let’s see how the Great Han dares to blame us! Do they really think they can wage open war against my Profound Nether Cult?”
As he spoke, the ruler of Lu State chimed in: “We’re all on the same front. If the Great Han dares to start a war with your Profound Nether Cult, that means war against all of us. Keep us posted anytime, and we’ll reinforce you immediately.”
The other nations echoed their agreement one by one.
The Profound Nether Cult leader’s projection clasped his hands in gratitude. “Many thanks to all my fellow allies. This Great Han is pushing things too far—demanding an answer from us within two hours. How overbearing! Do they really think no one in this realm can bring them to heel?”
The Sacred Lord of Jade Cauldron Mountain added: “But the Great Han’s move is indeed unusual. My scouts report that within the Great Han’s capital, a Flying Vessel is hovering, pulled by tens of thousands of demonic creatures—quite extraordinary. The banner on the vessel is unfamiliar; I’ve never seen it before. Does anyone have any clues?”
The Sacred Lord projected a blurry photo of the Lü Mountain Flying Vessel, taken from far away.
Everyone looked at it and burst into laughter.
“What era is this? Still using a Flying Vessel? The Great Han is supposed to be all about technology, and yet they’re reversing history! We don’t even use such things anymore, and they’re trotting them out?”
“That must be some rusty old Flying Vessel dug up from some backwater corner. A decrepit faction! If this is the extent of their allies, then the Great Han isn’t worth mentioning. Acting so arrogantly will only dig their own grave.”
“I’ve never seen that faction’s emblem before. It’s probably not from any of the surrounding nations—likely an outsider group.”
“As the saying goes, ‘A foreign monk chants better sutras.’ We can say what we want, but we should still be on guard. What if they actually have something?”
“Don’t say ‘what if’—they probably do have something. Otherwise, the Great Han wouldn’t be acting so out of character. We’d better be cautious, but only cautious. There’s no way we’re actually going to heed their summons like that, right? That would be an outright insult.”
The Sacred Lord of Divine Sword Holy Land spoke up: “If this foreign faction really has some substance, then the deaths of our strongmen sent out earlier are definitely connected to them. If they were the ones who did it, then their power is not to be underestimated. Here’s the plan: let each of us dispatch our strongest fighters to reinforce the Profound Nether Cult right away. Send plenty—to be safe, at least double the force we sent to surround Lu Ding last time. That way, even if it was them, we’ll still have the leverage to confront them.”
Arrogant as they were, none present were fools. They all knew to keep their backup plans ready.
The Sacred Lord’s proposal made the ruler of Qi State ask, “Double the force? If we do that, the total number of God Ascension cultivators we’d be sending out would be close to a hundred. Add in what we’ve already lost before—that’s over half of each nation’s God Ascension experts, not to mention the ones who died under strange circumstances…”
The Sacred Lord glanced at him. “It’s better to be overly cautious than not cautious enough. If we send too few and the worst happens—pardon my bluntness—if they get wiped out, the loss would be catastrophic. Sending more allows mutual support and gives us more opportunities to fight back. Numbers alone will make them think twice.”
With that said, no one had any more objections. They all chimed in: “I’ll arrange it right away. Should be there in about half an hour.” “I can be quicker—twenty minutes.” “I’ll need half an hour too.” “I’ll take at least an hour.”
Everyone was jabbering away.
What they didn’t expect was that the Lü Mountain Flying Vessel had already burst out of the Great Han’s territory and forced its way into the Profound Nether Cult’s domain.
Half an hour? An hour? Too slow—eat their dust.
From the Profound Nether Cult leader’s projection came a thunderous roar: “Wretches of the Profound Nether Cult! Get the hell out here, kneel, and accept your death!!!”
This shout shattered the meeting’s atmosphere in an instant.
The Profound Nether Cult leader’s face twisted, and he logged off without another word.
“Quick!!!” the Sacred Lord of Divine Sword Holy Land shouted, following right after.
At the same time, inside the Profound Nether Cult’s territory.
Lu Ding was piloting the Flying Vessel, feeling the thrill. He slammed the thrust lever forward and rammed the vessel straight into the Profound Nether Cult’s zone.
Boom!!!
The Protective Grand Array shattered like it was nothing—someone might have mistaken it for a speed bump, it wasn’t even bumpy. They plowed right through, smashing into the peak of the Cult Leader’s main hall, carving a chunk out of the mountain. The Flying Vessel came to a halt atop the cliff, rubble flying everywhere.
The Profound Nether Cult leader revealed his true form. When he saw the Flying Vessel surging with demonic energy, his heart instantly turned cold.
But he still mustered his breath and bellowed, “Who dares to invade my Profound Nether Cult? State your name!”
Lu Ding stepped out of the Flying Vessel, his scholar-warrior sleeves strikingly conspicuous. No introduction needed.
“Lu Ding?!” the Profound Nether Cult leader shouted instantly.
Then, he saw figure after figure flying out behind Lu Ding, their auras swelling like true gods descending, like celestial beings alighting. The mere residual shockwaves from their presence caused tens of thousands of miles of the Profound Nether Cult’s lands to crack and split inch by inch.
The ten thousand demons pulling the vessel dropped their chains and glared with cold hostility, their frigid aura piercing every living creature in this realm.
It was the scent of natural predators.
Lu Ding looked at the Profound Nether Cult leader ahead. “Cult Leader Luo, the Great Han summoned you to an audience. Why did you leave them on read?”
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Extra update for the Gift King sent earlier by the big boss who loves mint cake ghosts. Thank you, big boss. And thanks to BB Long for saying to post more updates for the big boss’s Gift King. Thank you, big boss.