Chapter 396 - 390: Respective Schemes, the Port Governor
"Mr. Xuan is truly righteous!"
The Spirit Control Sect cultivators cried out joyfully, cupping their fists in respect.
With Mr. Xuan, a Mid-stage Crystal expert, on their side, they would have enough power to assassinate the governor of Hope Port and overthrow the Nanyaoguang Corporation’s rule on the Far South Continent!
They, a group of hunted exiles, would finally have a place to call their own!
Of course.
As the leader of this group, Mr. Wu appeared overjoyed.
But inwardly, he was sneering.
’Hmph...’
’Righting wrongs and restoring the righteous path?’ Mr. Wu glanced at Mr. Xuan. His black face covering seemed to be some kind of magical treasure, completely obscuring his true features.
’How can someone who won’t even show his face dare to act so righteous?’
’It’s absolutely ridiculous!’
Cultivators who were zealous for justice and hated evil as if it were a personal enemy were rare in the current Cultivation Realm, but they weren’t nonexistent.
But such a cultivator would act with integrity and honor; they would never hide their identity like this!
In Mr. Wu’s view, this Mr. Xuan was likely from some Outer Sea power, looking to take advantage of the internal strife within the Nanyaoguang Corporation to get a piece of the pie.
That was surely why he had shown up uninvited,
seeking out their group—Spirit Control Sect cultivators who had been expelled and branded as traitors—and offering his help...
’Still, that’s to be expected.’ Having lived a long life, Mr. Wu saw things clearly.
The world’s teeming masses all come for profit.
They scatter and disperse for the same reason.
For a mighty Crystal Stage expert to seek nothing in return would be the truly strange thing.
’Besides, bringing in an Outer Sea power is the only way to counter the Nanyaoguang Corporation... to right the wrongs and execute those traitors to the sect!’
As this thought crossed his mind.
Mr. Wu’s eyes turned grim.
A flash of unforgettable, bone-deep hatred glinted in his cloudy, aged eyes.
As for how the Spirit Control Sect would coexist with this Outer Sea power after the traitors were slain and wrongs were righted...
What else could they do?
They’d have to make do.
After this catastrophe, the Spirit Control Sect’s power would be a shadow of its former self. To hope to maintain their previous standing was pure fantasy.
However.
But as the saying goes, a mighty dragon can’t crush a native serpent.
The Spirit Control Sect had been rooted in the Spirit Realm Sea Region for hundreds of years. Its foundations were deep, its connections vast and tangled.
Even a great power from the Outer Sea would need the Spirit Control Sect’s cooperation to rule the Spirit Realm Sea Region... and from the looks of it, Mr. Xuan understood that.
As for the details.
It would be nothing more than a matter of splitting the profits.
That could be negotiated.
"But as for the sect’s traitors... their crimes can only be washed away with blood!"
Mr. Wu muttered fiercely, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
...
Then.
There was no time to lose. The cultivators moved out at once.
CREAK.
An old wooden door opened, and the cultivators filed out of the cellar.
Once they left the squat building, the breath-concealing talismans failed, and the fluctuations of their Magical Power became quite conspicuous within the city.
—Even though the cultivators themselves had mastered the Breath Concealment Skill, the combined fluctuations leaking from a dozen of them gathered together crossed a certain threshold, enough to draw attention.
The Spirit Control Sect cultivators knew this as well.
Therefore.
Time was of the essence; speed was paramount in an attack!
VMM!
Each of the cultivators slapped their Spirit Beast Pouch, and a dozen or so Tier-2 Spirit Spiders of various species appeared out of thin air.
The cultivators mounted the Spirit Spiders and took to the sky. In an instant, the Magical Power fluctuations of more than a dozen Foundation Establishment experts, accompanied by gusts of demonic wind, shot toward the Governor’s Mansion like a tornado.
"Heh... What nerve!"
"You traitors to the sect actually dare to show your faces?"
"You’re like weeds... impossible to stamp out!"
From the Governor’s Mansion, a cold, sharp female voice rang out.
A moment later.
A beautiful but icy female cultivator soared into the air.
The Magical Power fluctuations of the Crystal Stage blossomed from her like a lotus!
She wore a Dark Gold Robe, her long hair tied back in a ponytail, giving her a sharp and capable appearance. Her expression was cold and aloof, and a faint, murderous aura clung to her.
It was the bearing of a person in power, one who held the authority of life and death!
This female Crystal Stage cultivator was none other than the governor of Hope Port, Phantom Zhenren!
Power is the best Spirit Medicine. After serving as governor for many years, Phantom Zhenren’s entire demeanor had changed significantly from what it once was.
"According to sect law, those who betray the sect are sentenced to the punishment of being devoured by ten thousand spiders..."
As she spoke.
Phantom Zhenren paused, a smile blooming on her lips.
"However..."
"But I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll waive your punishment. Instead, I’ll send you..."
"...to a swift death!"
SWOOSH!
As she spoke!
Phantom Zhenren’s expression turned frigid.
Thousands of silk threads shot forth from her hands!
A pair of long, glossy black gloves with a rubber-like texture materialized over her hands. On the back of each, the spectral image of a spider began to glow!
"Thousand Silk Spider Hand!"
These gloves were the life-bound magical treasure Phantom Zhenren had personally refined!
SHIIING!
A sharp, cold light glinted along the threads.
In an instant.
The sound of countless things tearing through the air filled a radius of several miles!
At the same time.
As the threads sliced through the air.
BOOM!
Hundreds upon thousands of spectral Spirit Spiders materialized in mid-air!
Trailing behind the apparitions were streams of purple flame, threatening to blot out the very sky!
The display of power was immense, profound, and mysterious!
CRASH!
The spider phantoms and their threads seemed to merge into a monstrous tidal wave that came crashing down!
When a Crystal Stage Zhenren made a move, their every gesture could cause a change in the very heavens.
Before this tide of spiritual light, the dozen or so Spirit Control Sect cultivators were like a lone canoe in a tempest, about to be torn to shreds at any moment.
But.
Just then.
Mr. Xuan made his move!
With a cold snort, he brandished a pale cyan banner, golden tassels on either side swaying in the wind.
He raised the banner and gave it a shake. Cyan and gold light bloomed, and hundreds of swirling vortexes of wind appeared. With a flick of a technique, they transformed into countless cyan wind arrows!
BANG!
The cyan wind arrows collided with the silken spider phantoms!
The sky filled with a blinding spiritual light, but after a moment, the cyan glow surged, overwhelming the other!
The flickering cyan wind arrows shattered Phantom Zhenren’s silken spider apparitions, tearing them apart into countless motes of spiritual light that scattered and vanished like fireworks.
But the cyan wind arrows, their momentum unbroken, continued their assault on Phantom Zhenren!
Phantom Zhenren’s expression shifted. With a flick of her sleeve, she produced a treasured Tier-3 Mid-Grade talisman, which manifested a Flame Pillar Wind Roll to block the attack!
FWOOSH!
Finally, the Flame Pillar Wind Roll wore down the power of the cyan arrows until nothing remained.
With a wave of her hand, Phantom Zhenren dispersed the last of it.
But her expression held no joy. Her eyes fixed on Mr. Xuan as she asked grimly, "A Mid-stage Crystal expert... Who are you?!"
"I am no one of consequence."
"Just a Loose Cultivator from the Outer Sea," Mr. Xuan said breezily.
"Hah?"
’A Loose Cultivator? Tell that to the ghosts!’
A cold glint flashed in Phantom Zhenren’s eyes.
In that last exchange.
Her opponent’s Magical Power foundation was incredibly solid.
At the same time.
Furthermore, his Cultivation Technique and his magical treasure were in perfect sync, with no conflict whatsoever.
Phantom Zhenren was no stranger to such a trait; she herself used a complete system of Cultivation Techniques and magical treasures to amplify her combat strength.
—Only cultivators from major sects had such an advantage!
On top of that.
There was also the matter of his attire—wrapped up so tightly it practically screamed, ’My identity is a secret’...
Phantom Zhenren was now almost certain: this unidentified Mid-stage Crystal expert was definitely from a formidable Outer Sea power.
At this thought.
Phantom Zhenren’s gaze turned sharp and cold as she looked toward the Spirit Control Sect cultivators!
"Colluding with outsiders... You deserve death!"