Chapter 438: Gathering

**Volume 4: Rise of the Overseas Winds**

A few days later, the number of cultivators arriving at this place gradually dwindled. In fact, not a single new person had entered all morning.

However, Grandmaster Jiyin and the Confucian-clad old man became solemn. Not only did they stop conversing, but they also frequently glanced towards the entrance, as if waiting for someone.

"Could it be that Barbarian?" Han Li wondered. Noticing the change, he felt a surge of curiosity and became vigilant himself.

By the afternoon, footsteps finally echoed from the hall's entrance once more. After a few flashes of blue light, two figures entered from outside, one behind the other.

One was an old Daoist priest with a youthful complexion and rosy cheeks, his hair as white as a crane's feathers. The other was a gaunt, dark-skinned old man dressed like a farmer, his face etched with hardship.

Upon seeing these two, the cultivators in the hall stirred, most looking at them with reverence.

It seemed these two had quite a reputation!

However, Grandmaster Jiyin and the Confucian-clad old man eyed them with extreme animosity.

Grandmaster Jiyin’s expression, in particular, instantly turned sinister.

The two newly arrived cultivators also fixed hostile gazes on Grandmaster Jiyin and his group. The old Daoist priest even snorted and said directly:

"Old Devil Jiyin! You've arrived quite early, haven't you? It seems you demonic cultivators are determined to succeed on this trip to the Void Heaven Temple."

"Tianwu Zi!" Grandmaster Jiyin retorted with a sinister face. "It's not that I arrived early; it's that you hypocrites are too late. I even thought the rumor about you two having a remnant map was false, but you actually showed up! No matter, this works out perfectly; it's time for me to 'purify' you."

"Jiyin! Who are you trying to 'purify'?" Before the old Daoist priest could retort, a deep voice suddenly echoed from outside the hall. "Why not 'purify' me as well!"

Upon hearing the voice, both Grandmaster Jiyin and the Confucian-clad old man’s expressions changed drastically. The beautiful woman, who had been silent until now, suddenly looked up, staring coldly at the entrance as she spoke.

"Wan Tianming, you're here too!"

"Since Madam Wen is here, what's strange about me being here?" As the voice spoke, a figure flashed outside, and a middle-aged man in purple robes with a jade belt entered.

The man had a square face and thick eyebrows. When he spoke, two rows of white teeth gleamed. He casually glanced at the beautiful woman, then turned his gaze to Grandmaster Jiyin, exuding an overwhelming aura.

Grandmaster Jiyin, subjected to such an impolite stare, remained silent, his face gloomy and his lips tightly sealed.

This greatly astonished Han Li, who couldn't help but scrutinize the man.

If even Grandmaster Jiyin, an early Nascent Soul cultivator, showed him deference, could this man be a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator? Han Li mused, a mix of surprise and suspicion in his thoughts.

He now understood that these three were cultivators from the righteous path in the Scattered Star Seas, direct adversaries of Grandmaster Jiyin and the other demonic cultivators.

The commotion among the other cultivators in the hall immediately ceased as the middle-aged man entered. One could only faintly hear whispers of "Master of Ten Thousand Law Sect" or similar titles.

Evidently, this middle-aged man's reputation seemed to surpass that of the previous two.

"Wan Tianming," the beautiful woman named Wen asked, seemingly unafraid, "my sword-serving maid was injured by one of your disciples, wasn't she?"

"Hardly an injury," Wan Tianming replied indifferently, squinting his eyes. "My disciple merely noticed your sword maid's decent cultivation and had a small sparring match. Is Madam truly going to blame me for such a trivial matter?"

"What sparring!" the beautiful woman retorted, her face hardening. "My sword maid is only at the early Foundation Establishment stage; your disciple clearly bullied the weak. Was he deliberately trying to humiliate my disciple?"

"Humiliate Madam's disciple? How could I dare!" The middle-aged man slightly furrowed his brow, then said carelessly, "For the sake of your esteemed husband, Six Paths, I'll have that disciple offer Madam a humble apology later."

"What does my business have to do with Six Paths?" the beautiful woman snapped, growing even more enraged. "If you're unwilling, I'd like to try sparring with Sect Master Wan using the Luan Phoenix Sword Art myself."

"Sparring with Madam? Let's not do that," Wan Tianming said with a hearty laugh, as if it were a very amusing matter. "If Six Paths knew I bullied his wife, he'd immediately come after me. I'm not looking to provoke a great war between the righteous and demonic sides just yet."

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman's face flushed. After glaring at him, she eventually dropped the matter.

While the beautiful woman let the middle-aged man off, he had no intention of letting Grandmaster Jiyin off.

But just as he scoffed at Grandmaster Jiyin and was about to speak,

Suddenly, a rumbling vibration came from outside the passage, causing the entire hall to tremble slightly.

At this, all the cultivators, except for the Nascent Soul old monsters, looked outside in surprise.

Grandmaster Jiyin and the Confucian-clad old man exchanged glances, a hint of joy appearing on their faces. However, Grandmaster Jiyin's joy seemed tinged with a wry smile.

As for Wan Tianming, a cold, blade-like murderous glint flashed and vanished in his eyes.

The old Daoist priest and the farmer-like old man also seemed to know who was coming, but a hint of worry appeared on their faces.

As the tremors grew louder and more frequent, an extraordinarily tall figure appeared at the entrance of the hall.

A strange man with a curly yellow beard, dressed in blue robes, suddenly walked in. With every step he took, the entire hall immediately swayed, as if he weighed over ten thousand jin. It was truly astonishing.

This strange man, amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, surveyed the people in the hall as if no one else was there. His gaze finally settled on Wan Tianming, and he burst into loud laughter.

"I didn't expect Sect Master Wan to be here," the strange man said, his gaze full of provocation towards the middle-aged man. "It seems I truly came to the right place this time. I, Barbarian, have always wanted to spar with Sect Master Wan. Unfortunately, I never had the chance, but this time, I can finally fulfill that wish."

"I've also long admired Brother Barbarian's Heaven-Supporting Art, hailed as the top defensive demonic art in the Scattered Star Seas," Wan Tianming replied, glancing coldly at the strange man without a hint of fear. "I'll certainly have to ask for some pointers later."

"Heh heh! Well said, well said!" The strange man grinned, not concealing the eagerness in his eyes. "I've also long admired Sect Master Wan's Heavenly Net True Art."

But unfortunately, this Sect Master Wan seemed disinclined to stir up trouble at the moment.

After he whispered a few words to the old Daoist and the farmer-like old man, the three of them flew together to one of the jade pillars.

Then, with a smile, the old Daoist priest spoke a few words to the cultivator already on that jade pillar. The old Core Formation cultivator was immediately flattered and automatically gave up the pillar, moving to another spot.

Seeing this, the strange man's face showed a hint of a sneer. After looking around, he suddenly swayed and flew towards a jade pillar.

By coincidence, this pillar was precisely the one Han Li was on.

Upon seeing this, Han Li’s expression instantly changed!

"Scram, I'm taking this spot," the strange man said with chilling words, his massive figure barely stable on the pillar as he fixed his cold gaze on Han Li.

Han Li’s expression instantly turned ugly, and his hands, hidden in his sleeves, involuntarily clenched into fists.

After a moment of silence, he suppressed the urge to retaliate and silently jumped off the jade pillar. From the pillar, the strange man's wild laughter then echoed.

Han Li's face was clouded with frost.

To him, it was utterly humiliating, but he could only endure it for now.

After all, while the restrictions within the hall could greatly limit cultivators' actions, he truly didn't know if these restrictions affected Nascent Soul cultivators as much as they affected others. He certainly didn't want to lose his life due to a moment of impulsiveness.

As Han Li, simmering with suppressed anger, found a clean spot on the ground and sat down again, the Confucian-clad old man, with a smiling face, asked the strange man:

"Brother Man, you've arrived so late this time," he inquired. "I, Qing, thought you had changed your mind and weren't coming."

"Not come? How could that be?" The strange man stroked the yellow beard on his chin, speaking with some doubt. "I'm still counting on things inside the Void Heaven Temple to refine longevity pills! I was just delayed a bit on the way. But Wan Tianming showing up here really surprised me! Could it be that he also knows the Longevity Fruits are ripe and wants to pick some?"

"I'm not entirely sure about that," the Confucian-clad old man said, looking somewhat perplexed. "However, besides the Longevity Fruits, there are many extraordinarily valuable things inside the Void Heaven Temple. Who knows what they're truly after this time."

"This Wan Tianming is one of the top figures in the righteous path," Grandmaster Jiyin said with a hint of worry, as if something had just occurred to him. "Could he be aiming for the Void Heaven Cauldron?"

"The Void Heaven Cauldron! Impossible, right?" Before Barbarian could respond, the Confucian-clad old man was already shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "If that item were so easy to obtain, it would have been taken by previous powerful cultivators long ago. How could it be their turn?"