Chapter 198 - 139: The Old Man Who Refuses to Let Go Is Here, He Is Here

Chapter 198: Chapter 139: The Old Man Who Refuses to Let Go Is Here, He Is Here

Gazing at the overwhelming army of Nanling Cultivators covering the sky, the tens of millions of Cultivators across the entire Xingyue City Earth Realm broke out in cold sweat.

Some of the weaker Cultivators nearly lost control of their bodies, on the verge of collapsing to the ground. They bowed their heads, not even daring to meet the gazes of the mighty figures gathered at the Void Peak.

Setting aside the Endless Venerables, Venerables, and Divine Kings gathered at the Peak of the Firmament, even the densely packed young geniuses of Nanling were existences they could only look up to. Pulling out any random genius from their ranks would reveal a Great Power of Transcendence who had stepped into the Mortal Transformation Realm. A single Great Power of Transcendence was more than enough to obliterate the entire Xingyue City Earth Realm.

"Lord City Lord, what exactly has happened? Why haven’t we heard any whispers of this?"

Meanwhile, inside the City Lord’s Mansion.

The experts of the Li Family, Qi Family, Zhang Family, Wang Family, and countless other Great Cultivation Races from the Xingyue City Earth Realm had gathered here. Every last one of them was drenched in cold sweat.

Only moments ago, when the overwhelming host of Nanling experts crossed the skies above Xingyue City en route to the Celestial Sword Sect, panic had seized the Earth Realm. The local forces had mistakenly believed a holy war was breaking out. Consequently, the City Lord’s Mansion summoned all the prominent helmsmen of the Great Cultivation Races across the Earth Realm. Even the Tang Family faction—historically at odds with the Qi Family—had arrived.

The sole exception was the Ye Family. Having previously offended both the Celestial Sword Sect and the Qi Family over a certain young man, they were excluded from the summons.

Now, all the gathered experts trembled in fear. Within Xingyue City, these were titanic figures who held absolute authority. Yet, before the Cultivation army looming at the Void Peak, even Mr. Tang and the City Lord were as insignificant as ants.

Strictly speaking, this couldn’t even be called a standard Cultivation army. A true army consisted of both the strong and the weak, but up there at the Void Peak, the weakest among them was a Nanling genius who had reached the Mortal Transformation Realm. Those prodigies who had yet to break through simply lacked the qualifications to join this expedition.

"Lord City Lord, please, say something."

"Mr. Tang, Patriarch Qi, the two of you are among the strongest Cultivators in our Xingyue City Earth Realm. Do you really not know what is going on either?"

Countless Patriarchs were burning with anxiety. Trapped in this barren land, few of them had ever stepped foot outside the Xingyue City Earth Realm, let alone encountered the formidable auras of Nanling’s supreme experts. To the crowd, the figures above were unfathomably terrifying, but their exact origins remained a complete mystery.

Standing amidst the crowd, Tang Xiao’s breathing was ragged. The mere invisible pressure radiating from above was enough to suffocate the old Patriarch, who was at the Peak of Spirit Transformation Realm. Beside Tang Xiao, Tang Yan and his sister were deathly pale. Tang Xun’Er, in particular, had been drained of all color.

It was only in this harrowing moment that everyone truly grasped the gulf between the strong and the weak. They might have been able to stir up storms within the Xingyue City Earth Realm, but a single Great Power of Transcendence could reduce their entire territory to ash. This highlighted the immense disparity between different cities. Any city protected by a Great Power of Transcendence was considered a regional overlord. In stark contrast, an Earth Realm like Xingyue City—guarded only by Spirit Transformation Realm Cultivators—was utterly insignificant in the eyes of true powerhouses.

"Lord City Lord, Patriarchs, Elders, and Seniors—perhaps the situation isn’t as dire as we fear."

Just as the crowd in the City Lord’s Mansion trembled in despair, a familiar figure stepped forward. Upon closer inspection, it was Wang Jiang of the Wang Family. His bold statement instantly drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Wang Jiang was now a Tier Two Eighth Grade Alchemy Master. Furthermore, after acquiring a tremendous fortuitous encounter in an ancient ruin recently, his cultivation had skyrocketed. His status within Xingyue City had become extraordinary, granting him the right to stand among these leaders.

"Nephew Wang, what do you mean by this?" Qi Tianhai, the current Patriarch of the Qi Family, hurriedly asked, his eyes practically burning with a desperate will to survive.

Wang Jiang, completely unhurried, offered a measured analysis. "Seniors, think about it for a moment. If these terrifying figures were truly here to annihilate our Xingyue City Earth Realm, why would they send such an absurd number of experts?

"Any single one of them could reduce Xingyue City to ash and doom us beyond redemption.

"Therefore, I can conclude with absolute certainty that they have no intention of attacking us. Quite frankly, we aren’t even worth their time."

The moment Wang Jiang finished speaking, realization dawned on many of the Patriarchs and Elders.

"He’s right! We were completely blinded by fear. What could our Xingyue City possibly have done to warrant the attention of such terrifying existences?"

"Does that mean they aren’t here to hold us accountable for anything?"

"Then why are they here?"

Facing their eager questions, Wang Jiang stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Holding court among the most powerful figures of Xingyue City immensely satisfied his vanity.

He slowly raised his head. "While I cannot say for certain why they have come, I am confident of one thing: this may very well be a monumental opportunity for our Xingyue City Earth Realm."

"An opportunity?"

The older generation of Xingyue City stared back in utter bewilderment. Disaster was practically breathing down their necks—how could there possibly be an opportunity hidden in this mess? Even Li Qingyi and her companions in the crowd couldn’t help but stare at him. Since when was being scrutinized by such supreme experts considered a stroke of luck?

Remaining unfazed, Wang Jiang continued, "Think about it. The sheer power radiating from those figures above is beyond comprehension. From my perspective, they must belong to a world-shaking faction from some formidable Earth Realm.

"If even a single Cultivator from Xingyue City manages to catch the eye of one of those experts and gets recruited into their ranks, wouldn’t that be a heaven-defying opportunity?

"Even if only one or two of our Cultivators earn their favor, it would still bring unprecedented fortune to Xingyue City."

A profound silence fell over the City Lord’s Mansion at his words.