Chapter 453: Unforeseen Disaster

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Reflecting on their loud bickering earlier, many sects realized that the Mingshan Sect group had been expelled for good reasons.

After the Big Boss spoke, Chu Jingtang quickly grabbed Wu Jinliang's wrist and tugged, signaling him to stop causing trouble, then whispered, "Stop it, don't spoil the Sect Leader's match." He reminded him to consider the bigger picture, lest he be disqualified from the competition.

Wu Jinliang chuckled twice and replied in a low voice, "Don't worry, Lihuo Sect isn't that powerful. They have to consider the Ten Great Sects, and the Ten Great Sects now have to consider the Big Boss. A few sharp words to him won't matter." The other Mingshan Sect members looked slightly confused, but Shi Chun turned and glared at Wu Jinliang, who then gave a dry chuckle and fell silent.

The presiding elder, who had been directly challenged, turned to the Lihuo Sect Leader. The Sect Leader, however, was observing the reactions of the Ten Great Sects. Seeing that they showed no reproach towards Mingshan Sect, he felt somewhat curious, wondering, "Weren't they trying to find an excuse to expel Mingshan Sect from the competition?" He then recalled the subtle exchanges between Shi Chun and the Ten Great Sects, and how several of them had even come to him to borrow artifact-refining materials. He wondered what kind of clandestine dealings this group was involved in. He also considered that Young Master Nan was backing Shi Chun's group, and his Lihuo Sect was not yet powerful enough to completely disregard Young Master Nan as the Ten Great Sects did.

After much deliberation, the Sect Leader used a magical amplification spell to declare loudly, "Any further rule-breakers will be expelled from the competition grounds!" He didn't specify what constituted a violation; it was merely a token statement to save face. In any case, the matter was quietly swept under the rug. Since the Sect Leader had spoken, the elder presiding over the competition had no choice but to act as if nothing had happened.

Young Master Nan, who had already stood up, breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought he would have to clean up Wu Jinliang's mess again. Relieved that all was well, he slowly sat back down.

In fact, Luo Yan, the Sect Leader of Liantian Sect, had wanted to use this opportunity to teach Mingshan Sect a lesson. However, his gaze swept over Situ Gu and his disciple nearby, then he turned to look at Mu Lanjin on the mountaintop. Considering he might still need to extract the secret of finding divine fire from Shi Chun, he ultimately refrained from making a move. Another matter that bothered him was the relationship between Situ Gu's female disciple and Shi Chun. He had heard rumors of them hugging and kissing. His disciples had been hesitant, unsure whether they should report Situ Gu's disciple.

The disciples from various sects within the competition arena were actually unaffected by the outside world, remaining fully focused on their tasks. In the mirrored view observed by the outside world, only images could be seen, not sounds heard.

However, Bian Weiying knew Tong Mingshan. Upon seeing that Tong Mingshan had completed the first round of the competition, he immediately introduced him to Wei Mo, who looked a bit bored: "Domain Lord, this is Tong Mingshan, the Sect Leader of Mingshan Sect." At this mention, Wei Mo perked up and paid more attention to Tong Mingshan in the image. He also couldn't help but smile faintly, knowing from his information-gathering abilities that the Mingshan Sect Leader was merely a figurehead, and the real decision-maker was Shi Chun.

Nevertheless, he nodded slightly in approval, saying, "Having absorbed four divine fires, it will be effortless for him to break through to the Human Immortal realm later. It's even possible for him to rapidly approach the Earth Immortal realm in a short time. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, his future achievements will certainly be remarkable. This young man encountering Shi Chun can be considered a blessing in disguise. Had he remained in Bailian Sect, he likely wouldn't have reached such heights in his entire life. Mingshan Sect also has two practitioners of fire-attribute cultivation methods who will likely gain something in the Divine Fire Domain."

As he spoke, he turned and stared at the Wukang Mountain group, saying, "If this Mingshan Sect can truly hold together and not disband, with such a foundation, they might well become a renowned major sect, and their future achievements might not be inferior to your Wukang Mountain. This Shi Chun has influenced too many people. I didn't expect even I would suffer unwarranted trouble because of him. You shouldn't have expelled such a capable disciple in the first place."

The Wukang Mountain group didn't heed his other remarks, only surprised that he too was affected. Bian Weiying tentatively asked, "Did Shi Chun implicate the Domain Lord?" Wei Mo replied, "Didn't I say there's a possibility that Shengzhou will have a new leader?" The three from Wukang Mountain exchanged puzzled glances. Bian Weiying asked again, "Is it related to Shi Chun?"

Wei Mo glanced at them, recalling their limited access to information, and explained, "In the Divine Fire Domain, Shi Chun once disguised himself as a masked assassin and attempted a public assassination. He was counterattacked by various sects, and though it's unknown what spell he used, he publicly immobilized the attacks of Fifth-Rank magic treasures, which allowed him to escape..."

Bian Weiying and the other two were startled upon hearing this. They finally understood why the Domain Lord had inquired about the Fifth-Rank Immobilization Talisman, as what else could immobilize the attacks of Fifth-Rank magic treasures but such a talisman?

Indeed, Wei Mo continued, "So, some believed it was a Fifth-Rank Immobilization Talisman. And knowing his origin from Wukang Mountain, they naturally assumed the technique came from your sect. Initially, I also thought so, which is why I called for you to inquire. Thinking about it, you shouldn't have lied to me. If Wukang Mountain truly possessed the method for refining Fifth-Rank Immobilization Talismans, you wouldn't have suffered the previous upheaval; Bian Que and others wouldn't have been powerless to protect themselves; and you wouldn't have been helpless against the bullying of Jieyun Mountain. God knows what trick Shi Chun pulled. However, for some matters, others won't readily believe explanations; they insist on verifying it themselves. So they found me to be an obstacle and tried every possible way to make me move from my position."

The three from Wukang Mountain suddenly understood upon hearing this. So that's what had happened. Elder Yi Huachun couldn't help but ask doubtfully, "If they suspect Shi Chun has a Fifth-Rank Immobilization Talisman, and the Domain Lord has helped us deny it, why don't the relevant people just go directly to Shi Chun and ask where he got it?"

Wei Mo grunted, "You've indeed hit on the key point. This is also why I can't be certain and why I said I 'might' have to move. If they want me to move, I'm not someone who can just be easily removed; the other party would have to pay a price. The crux of the problem now lies with Shi Chun. That fellow, it's unknown what he did, but he's been targeted by the Stargazing Pavilion. Even Xuanji Command Lord Mu Lanjin has personally taken action. It's rumored there might be a connection with the Demonic Path, and Mu Lanjin is currently in the Artifact Cloud Valley, visible in the mirrored image..."

As soon as these words were uttered, the few people from Wukang Mountain gasped in unison. The Xuanji Command Lord personally taking action and a rumored connection with the Demonic Path truly startled them, making them fear if Wukang Mountain would also be implicated.

"You're well aware of the relationship between the Royal Court and the Heavenly Court. If someone falls into Mu Lanjin's hands, who would dare to rescue Shi Chun? If the Demonic Path is involved, whoever tries to rescue him will be suspected of demonic ties. If the Demonic Path is involved, not even the Saint King will show mercy. The Royal Court was severely harmed by the Demonic Path, and the Saint King despises them deeply, wishing to eliminate them quickly. On the matter of the Demonic Path, the Royal Court absolutely supports the Heavenly Court. In other words, if Shi Chun can get past Mu Lanjin, some people will go directly after Shi Chun. There will be no need for them to pay a huge price to move me. As long as I'm in my position, some people won't openly move against you. If Shi Chun cannot get past the Stargazing Pavilion, then the possibility of me being moved is very high. And since your Wukang Mountain cannot move, you'll have to figure out how to explain yourselves to whoever takes over from me."

Upon hearing this, the Wukang Mountain contingent naturally hoped that Shi Chun would be fine, including Yi Huachun, who held a grudge against him. Bian Weiying worriedly asked, "Shi Chun only recently left the Land of Exile; how could he possibly be involved with the Demonic Path?"

Wei Mo replied, "While it's just a possibility, we can't rule it out. That fellow is too restless; he can stir up trouble in anything. It's not impossible that the Demonic Path is backing him. However, if the Demonic Path truly is backing him, it doesn't quite fit their usual style; they seem unlikely to be so high-profile. Furthermore, Mu Lanjin hasn't directly made a move. Yet, if it were unrelated to the Demonic Path, why would Mu Lanjin personally get involved without solid evidence? And could involvement with the Demonic Path be spoken of so casually?"

As he spoke, he seemed to sense something and suddenly looked back. Bian Weiying and the other two also turned their heads to look, seeing a man in splendid robes leisurely walking from among the pavilions. Wei Mo chuckled softly, "He's here. If anyone is going to take over Shengzhou, it's probably him. Let me introduce you first; it's also to let him know that you are my people, and if he goes too far, he'll be disrespecting me."

How could Bian Weiying and the other two remain seated? They all nervously stood up...

On the terrace, Gong Shaoci also pointed to the person who emerged in the mirrored image and introduced him to his father: "Father, that's Tong Mingshan, the Sect Leader of Mingshan Sect." Lan Qiaoyan and her mother had seen people from Mingshan Sect in the Futiang Mirror's reflection at the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly, but they didn't know who was who. Upon hearing this, they now carefully scrutinized the image.

Gong Yuanzhi, who had been gazing at the mirrored image for a while, suddenly turned his head and smiled at Lan Qiaoyan, saying, "Not long ago, I heard some news from the Divine Fire Domain that Shi Chun actually possessed a Fifth-Rank Immobilization Talisman, which he used to block the attacks of Fifth-Rank magic treasures, allowing him to escape from the siege of various sects."

Lan Qiaoyan was startled and asked in surprise, "Where did he get that? Could it be from Wukang Mountain? Can Wukang Mountain refine Fifth-Rank Immobilization Talismans?" Gong Shaoci, who was nearby, wondered if it was his imagination, but he felt his father was carefully observing Lan Qiaoyan's expressions as he spoke.

Gong Yuanzhi smiled, "There are only two sects in the entire cultivation world that can refine Fifth-Rank Immobilization Talismans; I haven't heard of any Wukang Mountain doing it. Could it be some other technique brought out from the Land of Exile? Madam Miao has resided there for a long time, so she should be very familiar with Shi Chun's situation." Lan Qiaoyan shook her head slightly, pondering, "If he had this technique in the Land of Exile, he would have long since dominated; why would he have been trapped there for so long?" Gong Yuanzhi uttered an "oh," his gaze finally moving from her face, and he nodded in agreement: "Madam Miao makes a good point. It's seems more likely that it came from the Wukang Mountain you mentioned."

Lan Qiaoyan, deep in thought, mumbled to herself, "If Wukang Mountain had such capability, they would have long since been renowned and dominated an entire region. Could they have remained hidden until now?"

In the mirrored image, the firelight in Li Hongjiu's hand extinguished, and he carried the refined, fiery red iron ball towards the referees.

"Good!""Well done, Martial Uncle!"

Suddenly, a burst of cheers and applause erupted from the Yanbao Sect's side. They couldn't help themselves; it was all unconscious. This act made the Lihuo Sect Leader, who had just ordered strict rules, feel a burning sensation on his face, as if he was being scrutinized publicly. Yet he couldn't say anything, so he simply maintained a poker face and acted as if nothing had happened.

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