Chapter 470 - 263: Ranked So High?
In the eyes of Shangguan Yang and Zhuo Qingcheng, Jiang Man was only at the Late Stage of Golden Core.
So pairing the weakest with the strongest was, in a way, a fitting match.
Zhuo Qingcheng was somewhat worried. Since Jiang Man had offended a Peak Master, she was not certain of Shangguan Yang’s intentions.
But since Jiang Man had agreed, she wasn’t in a position to object.
Besides, she also needed to maintain a certain distance from him.
If someone with ill intent were to see them together, it would cause immense trouble.
The Peak Master’s influence was never direct. It stemmed more from how others calculated their loyalties.
They had to decide: was it safer to partner with someone who hadn’t offended the Peak Master, or with someone who had?
To those people, the answer was obvious.
Even if the person who offended the Peak Master had a powerful background, would he turn around and help you?
Highly unlikely.
No one would gamble with their family’s fate.
Her family was no different.
As for people like her, they were merely members of the family and couldn’t influence much.
Many things were not simply a matter of their personal wishes, because every decision could lead their family to ruin.
Zhuo Bufan had said that success would allow the family to reach new heights, but was that really the case?
Would the Zhuo Family even survive that long?
They would have been devoured long before then.
Besides, the family wasn’t united.
In the end, Zhuo Qingcheng, Monk Zhen Kong, and their group entered the right path.
Shen Yao and her group entered the one on the left.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but no one voiced an objection.
Along the way, Zhou Qing whispered to Shen Yao, "I have a feeling the middle path might be the real one."
"I know. That prodigy probably knows, too, and the Primordial Spirit Great Power is even more aware of it," Shen Yao said.
"So we’re not going?" Zhou Qing asked.
"Do you really think they’d share it with you? It’s obvious that prodigy wants to challenge the Primordial Spirit Great Power. He’s so full of himself he thinks he can take on a Primordial Spirit cultivator. He deserves whatever is coming to him. In any case, we’re not going," Shen Yao said calmly. "And don’t be fooled just because that Primordial Spirit cultivator claims he’s only in the Early Stage. Who knows what he’s hiding."
"We just need to safely secure whatever other opportunities we can. It’s fine if we don’t find anything."
"The times have changed. Opportunities are important, but we can do just fine without them."
"Staying alive is what’s most important."
"The next time we all regroup, I’m guessing that prodigy will have vanished without a trace."
"I have to admit, he’s the best fighter I’ve ever seen among the Golden Core prodigies."
"He’s only in his twenties, and he beat us this badly."
"It’s a shame he doesn’t know restraint, even daring to provoke a Primordial Spirit cultivator."
"He’s not long for this world."
「Meanwhile.」
Zhuo Qingcheng looked at her two companions and asked, "Don’t you have any thoughts on the matter?"
Monk Zhen Kong shook his head.
Ling Dang asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"
"Jiang Man went off with someone else. Does that not affect you?" Zhuo Qingcheng asked.
"It won’t," Ling Dang said, shaking her head. She answered honestly, "We’ve been sharing our locations the whole time, and Jiang Man is sharing his as well, so there’s no issue."
Zhuo Qingcheng was a bit perplexed by this.
’Jiang Man is sharing his location, too?’
But she didn’t press the issue.
Instead, she began asking about Shangguan Yang, trying to see how much her two companions knew.
Unfortunately, she learned nothing of value.
It seemed Shangguan Yang was not their partner.
With that, she stopped dwelling on it.
—
Jiang Man and Shangguan Yang proceeded down the corridor.
The vast palace was not dim; on the contrary, it was exceptionally bright.
However, there was no telling where this path led, as the surrounding walls were completely identical.
"Senior Brother, where do you think this path leads?" Jiang Man asked.
In his view, this path was certain to lead to the location of the Immeasurable Calamity.
The other man definitely wanted him to be the one to unleash it.
And with that, the Immortal Sect’s tournament would be over.
He was just curious why the Immortal Sect hadn’t acted yet.
’They can’t possibly intend to just let him release the Immeasurable Calamity, can they?’
’Unless the order came from Ting Fengyin.’
Jiang Man believed the man was truly capable of such a thing: allowing the Immeasurable Calamity to emerge, then using it to find every last Evil God and leave none alive.
And that was him on a good day. If he truly went mad, he wouldn’t care about some list of powerful figures, or even the Immortal Sect itself.
Jiang Man felt he would kill them all.
The only side effect would be that everyone would have to die.
At this thought, Jiang Man’s expression darkened. He could only rely on himself for now.
He could only hope this matter had nothing to do with Ting Fengyin. If it did, he could only pray the man was in a stable mood.
"The middle path usually leads to the correct destination," Shangguan Yang said, looking at Jiang Man. "Junior Brother, you’re number one in the Outer Sect and at the Late Stage of Golden Core."
"Such talent is rarely seen in any age."
"Aren’t there supposed to be no prodigies in the Golden Core realm?" Jiang Man asked.
"That’s true, but you can always spot those with the potential to go far," Shangguan Yang said with a sigh. "When I was in the Yunqian Bureau and the Outer Sect, I once thought of myself as a favored son of heaven, just like you, Junior Brother."
"But after reaching the Golden Core realm, my progress slowed. After the Primordial Spirit realm, I could barely advance an inch."
"Only then did I awaken to the reality that I was just another face in the crowd."
"My path forward would not take me very far."
"I fear I will remain at the Primordial Spirit realm for the rest of my life."
Jiang Man listened quietly as the other man continued, "There’s one thing none of you know. I’ve actually known where the treasure is all along, and I know which path is the right one."
"At first, I intended to keep the treasure for myself."
"But now I’ve changed my mind. I cannot go much further on my path. Even with the treasure, I could at most reach the Returning Void realm. Becoming an Immortal is out of the question."
"But I still wanted to try."
"That is, until I met you, Junior Brother. I recognize your Talent, and I understand that you are destined for great things."
"So..."
Shangguan Yang turned to look at Jiang Man. "I’ve decided to give the treasure to you, Junior Brother. I have only one request: when you achieve the Great Dao, you will help me become an Immortal."
Jiang Man looked at the man beside him, stunned.
If it weren’t for the reports from the Zhenyue Bureau, he might have actually believed him.
Even if he didn’t fully believe him, he would have at least thought the man before him was a good person.