Chapter 625 - 610: To Leave or to Stay, The Choice is Yours

The figure everyone had been waiting for finally emerged from the path through the bamboo grove.

"Whether my Profound Dao Sect accepts zombies or not doesn’t seem to be any of your Artifact Origin Sect’s business, does it? If you want to fight, that’s simple. I’ll just have Duanmu Xie fight you."

Shen Lang spoke before he even appeared, and his single sentence made the expressions of the Artifact Origin Sect members change drastically!

The moment Shen Lang finished speaking, Duanmu Xie descended from the sky.

As soon as he landed, he backhanded Duanmu Zheng, who was scurrying over eagerly, sending him flying. "Useless trash! You’re a disgrace to our Lord!"

The members of the Artifact Origin Sect were instantly left dumbfounded...

The name of Zombie Emperor Duanmu Xie was earth-shattering.

If the Artifact Origin Sect still had the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars and all their old masters were present, they might not have feared him.

But now, Yin Shanhan was the only Emperor Martial Realm master present, and the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars were in the possession of the very person now speaking!

Yin Shanhan would rather slam his head into a wall than fight Duanmu Xie!

’Yin Shanhan simply couldn’t fathom it. How could a Zombie Emperor who had reigned supreme ten thousand years ago—a powerhouse from a Legendary Demonic Dao Sect who had then vanished for ten millennia—possibly be connected to Shen Lang?’

’The Artifact Origin Sect had never gotten wind of any of this!’

’If I’d known Duanmu Xie was holding down the fort here, I wouldn’t have been so arrogant as to fight my way in...’

’Dammit, this is just bullying.’

’If you’d just said a figure like Duanmu Xie was at the Profound Dao Sect, why would the Artifact Origin Sect have bothered coming all this way just to humiliate ourselves?’

A bitter taste filled Yin Shanhan’s mouth. Not daring to retort, he looked at Shen Lang with irritation and said, "I, Yin Shanhan, have led a group from the Artifact Origin Sect across thousands of miles to pledge our allegiance. Is this how you treat guests?"

Shen Lang slowly approached, swept his robes aside, and leisurely sat down in the chair Duanmu Zheng had brought over.

Looking coolly at Yin Shanhan and his men, Shen Lang chuckled. "Pledge allegiance? Treating guests? If I’m not mistaken, you fought your way to our door... and people who do that aren’t exactly guests, are they?"

Shen Lang’s words made Yin Shanhan so angry he could have spat blood.

Yin Shanhan had been a renowned figure for many years, and he controlled the Artifact Origin Sect, the largest Artifact Refining Sect in the Western Wilderness.

In all his years, no matter where he went, even when facing Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses, he had never been treated this way!

No one had ever dared to speak to him like this!

Even though he had been somewhat prepared for this, anger still flashed in Yin Shanhan’s eyes.

However, before he could speak, Shen Lang turned and glanced at the disciples being supported by their martial brothers, his expression turning cold. "Duanmu Zheng, go over there. Whoever laid a hand on my fellow disciples and injured them, you beat them down. If any of them can still get up when you’re done, I’ll make sure you can’t!"

Such arrogant, domineering words made the blood of the disciples from the various sects boil with excitement!

’So arrogant! So domineering... And so damn satisfying!’

’This is what you get, Artifact Origin Sect! This is what happens when you dare to act so arrogant in front of us!’

’A Spirit Copper Level Influence? Big deal!’

’Artifact Refining Masters? Big deal!’

’In front of our Junior Brother, you’re nothing but dogshit!’

Within the crowd, Tang Yiyi of the Xiu Hua Sect cast a cool gaze upon Shen Lang’s profile. For a moment, it was as if her icy demeanor had melted, revealing a flash of tenderness.

At this moment, Duanmu Zheng let out a bizarre cackle. The ground boomed with his every step as he walked toward the King Martial Realm expert from the Artifact Origin Sect, making it seem like an earthquake.

As he walked, he cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing with a series of loud CRACKS.

Conversely, the faces of the few from the Artifact Origin Sect paled in unison...

’They had thought that with their status, upon arriving at a place like this, even if the Profound Dao Sect didn’t treat them like royalty, they would at least have to curry favor and serve them attentively.’

’Who would’ve thought that before they could even enjoy any offerings, Shen Lang would treat them like enemies and plan to have them beaten in front of everyone!’

’Dignified King Martial Realm Fifth Heaven Powerhouses... Artifact Refining Masters from the Artifact Origin Sect...’

’If we’re beaten so easily in front of so many people, how could we ever show our faces in public again?’

Yin Shanhan snorted coldly. "Shen Lang, my personal presence here is already giving you a great deal of face. I have shown more than enough sincerity. Why must you be so relentless?"

"Even if our method of arrival was a bit arrogant, arrogance has always been the prerogative of the strong!"

Duanmu Xie froze, stopping in his tracks to turn and look at Shen Lang.

Shen Lang tilted his head up slightly. "True strength isn’t measured by the height from which you look down on the masses, but by the depth to which you are etched into their hearts."

"I’m not the relentless one here; your Artifact Origin Sect is. If you were truly sincere, you would have either waited outside the Imperial Capital for a day or two, or you would have come here respectfully... But you chose neither. Instead, you chose to arrogantly and brazenly fight your way in!"

"Were you trying to put me in my place?"

Yin Shanhan fell silent. The truth was, he had indeed wanted to teach the Profound Dao Sect a lesson out of pure anger.

Shen Lang continued, "My principles for dealing with others are simple. If someone offers me a foot of respect, I’ll offer them ten in return. If someone wrongs me by a foot, I’ll wrong them by ten in return!"

"First, let’s get one thing straight: I have never been the one begging your Artifact Origin Sect for anything. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was that old master of yours who was begging me!"

"The fact that you came here with the mentality of bestowing a gift was your first mistake. As I see it, an Artifact Origin Sect that has lost its nine Spirit Pattern Pillars is utterly worthless!"

An uproar swept through the crowd.

To dare point a finger at the patriarch of the Spirit Copper Level Artifact Refining Sect, the Artifact Origin Sect, and call them worthless...

...there was likely no one else in the world besides Shen Lang who would dare.

Such brazen arrogance left the younger disciples completely dumbfounded.

At this moment, Yin Shanhan, a mighty Emperor Martial Realm powerhouse, was so enraged that his old face flushed crimson and his beard trembled.

He pointed a finger at Shen Lang, completely unable to form a single coherent sentence!

To be told to his face that he was worthless—such a colossal humiliation was simply unimaginable!

Shen Lang snorted. "You don’t need to be so angry. I have no intention of provoking you, nor do I wish to belittle you. I simply want you to understand that if I, Shen Lang, so desired, I could spend some time and forge an Artifact Refining Sect ten or even a hundred times stronger than your Artifact Origin Sect!"

"Call me arrogant or whatever you like. As I see it, I’m simply stating a fact."

"You so-called Artifact Refining Masters, with your noses in the air and your arrogant self-importance, are nothing but amateurs in my eyes."

And these incredibly domineering words—words that could make the people from the Artifact Origin Sect cough up blood in fury—were delivered by Shen Lang in the calmest of tones.

The calmer his tone, the more it tormented the members of the Artifact Origin Sect.

Yin Shanhan felt his throat go dry and his face flush. Even his fingers began to tremble.

Listening to Shen Lang’s boundless arrogance, he desperately wanted to argue back, but he simply couldn’t find the words, nor did he even know how to begin.

After all, someone who could simultaneously activate all nine Spirit Pattern Pillars and then completely seize control of them... in his entire range of knowledge, from ancient times to the present, he couldn’t think of a single other person.

And then there was the matter of the Artifact Origin Sect’s founding ancestor suddenly appearing from the Spirit Pattern Pillars...

...and asking Shen Lang to look after the Artifact Origin Sect in front of thousands of people. That couldn’t be faked—thousands had witnessed it.

Before they even came to the Profound Dao Sect, Yin Shanhan and the other elders of the Artifact Origin Sect had held sleepless discussions for days. Ultimately, they decided to act according to their founder’s wishes.

A world-shaking figure like their founding ancestor would have his reasons for doing anything.

To resort to pleading, and even a bit of cunning trickery, just to get Shen Lang to agree to look after the Artifact Origin Sect... the entire situation was utterly mind-boggling.

If something monumental wasn’t about to happen, how could a founding ancestor possibly do such a thing?

So, in the end, the Artifact Origin Sect chose to follow their founding ancestor’s instructions, with Yin Shanhan leading a grand and imposing contingent of Artifact Refining Masters.

However, every single one of these Artifact Refining Masters was proud to the core and held other Martial Artists in complete disdain.

Their leader, Yin Shanhan, especially felt that by personally showing up with so many people at the Profound Dao Sect, he was already giving more than enough face to both Shen Lang and the sect.

’At this point, even if the Profound Dao Sect wasn’t going to roll out the red carpet, they shouldn’t just give us the cold shoulder, right?’

Who could have guessed that after Yin Shanhan’s group arrived at the Profound Dao Sect, they would discover Shen Lang had already left for the Imperial Capital? Left with no choice, Yin Shanhan then followed Zhuge Xian’Er to the Imperial Capital, only to be abandoned outside the city walls with only a few people, left out in the cold!

This was simply intolerable!

’When had the Artifact Refining Masters of the Artifact Origin Sect ever suffered such treatment?’

’Your Profound Dao Sect is just some Profound Iron Level Influence. What’s so damn great about you?!’

’The Artifact Origin Sect has dozens of vassal Profound Iron Level Sects!’

With his heart full of simmering rage, and goaded by the incessant complaints of his subordinates, Yin Shanhan had furiously led his men and charged into the Imperial Capital.

But now, Shen Lang’s words—spoken right to their faces and even more humiliating than before—were like a bucket of ice water dumped over their heads, jolting them back to their senses.

’This youth sitting here is a monstrous talent!’

’And his tone was so calm, so indifferent... There was no pretense in it at all...’

’When it came down to it, he probably really didn’t give a damn about the Artifact Origin Sect!’

’And his skill in the Artifact Refining Dao... it must have reached an unimaginable level...’

Yin Shanhan’s mind was in turmoil. He was caught in a dilemma.

’If I just walk away, I’ll be defying the founding ancestor’s wishes. If he ever returns to the sect, I won’t be able to face him.’

’But if I don’t leave... after being humiliated to this degree... the Artifact Origin Sect will lose all face. Our glory will be a thing of the past.’

At this moment, Shen Lang spoke again. "You don’t need to be conflicted. To put it bluntly, we don’t owe each other anything. You are free to leave at any time. Go back where you came from. No one will stop you."

"But if you choose to stay, first, you need to correct your attitude. Don’t think for a second that the Profound Dao Sect or I, Shen Lang, are beneath you! We need partners, not masters to wait on!"

"Second, if you can truly adopt the right attitude, I can promise that within ten years, I will make the Artifact Origin Sect a Legendary Sect. I will see to it that a Celestial Artifact is born from the hands of an Artifact Origin Sect Master... If you don’t believe me, we can seal it with a contract."

"Stay or go, the choice is yours."

Shen Lang’s words plunged the courtyard into a deathly silence.

"Within ten years, I will make your Artifact Origin Sect a Legendary Sect, and see to it that a Celestial Artifact is born from the hands of an Artifact Origin Sect Master!"

This one sentence not only shook the members of the Artifact Origin Sect to their core, but it also exploded in their minds like a thousand claps of thunder, rumbling endlessly.

It also left the surrounding disciples from every sect utterly stunned...