Chapter 450: Sky Sect Against the Regal Pill Palace
The rebuke sounded like a clap of thunder on a sunny day, making everyone’s blood boil. Domineering and prideful, it filled the sky before the speaker had even arrived.
Roughly a dozen figures swiftly shot over.
Dan Chi’s gaze sharpened as he squinted in the direction of the newcomers, a cold smile playing about his lips. It was apparent that this scenario had been within his expectations.
It would’ve been entirely too strange if the alliance ceremony had gone off without a hitch and the Sky Sect hadn’t come to make trouble.
“Which friends have come? Why hide yourselves since you have come as guests to my Myriad Domain? Why not show yourselves so that we, the masters of the Myriad Domain, can properly host you?”
Dan Chi’s melodious voice billowed forth, traveling on the wind into the distance.
His voice alone reverberated 500 kilometers in every direction.
The expressions of the heavyweights of the Myriad Domain all become extraordinarily complicated after Dan Chi had spoken. They could sense the changes in his strength from these words alone.
“Mm? Dan Chi’s cultivation has risen again?”
“No wonder he’s being so arrogantly cocky, his cultivation level has advanced once more!”
“Dan Chi is only a hundred years old, yet his cultivation level is so impressive already. If he breaks through to the sage realm one day, then won’t his Regal Pill Palace become the lords of the Myriad Domain?”
These heavyweights all felt a Gordian knot of emotions. Dan Chi was the youngest of the powerhouses in the Myriad Domain, and had the least amount of experience to boot.
However, his potential was astounding and rate of improvement close to miraculous. He was the last to begin but the first to reach the goal, constantly breaking records in the Domain.
It was impossible for the heavyweights to not harbor the slightest bit of unease in their hearts as they saw the momentum of his rise.
When they saw that his strength had improved again, it naturally didn’t sit well with them.
“Hmph, it’s just because this Dan Chi has impressive potential that he’s stepped beyond his means and dares face off against the Sky Sect. It’d be best if the Sky Sect suppresses him, or he’ll become the tyrant of the Myriad Domain sooner or later.”
“Good, good, good! It looks like Dan Chi has hardened his heart to fight against the Sky Sect to the end. Listen to his tone, he fancies himself the ruler of the Myriad Domain! Heh heh, the Sky Sect is stretching their hands into the Myriad Domain and the Regal Pill Palace wants to be the ones to stick their necks out. I hope both of them end up sorely injured!”
Everyone present had their own schemes. Apart from a minority that continued to have a good friendship with Dan Chi, most were delighting in his misfortunes and hoped to see the Regal Pill Palace fight to a bitter end. It’d be best if both fought to the end and ended up gravely wounded.
That way, the Regal Pill Palace would decline and the Sky Sect would no longer have the ability to set foot in the Myriad Domain. That would be the best outcome.
The powerhouses all took it easy as they held the attitude of watching a fire from the other side of the river. They watched as a dozen silhouettes landed in front of the Regal Pill Palace, the wind of their arrival ruffling their robes.
The figures were all wearing the unique accoutrements of a Sky Sect inspector, but with vastly different coloration.
The leader wore purple accessories and had a large, five pointed golden star embroidered on his chest.
When they saw his attire, the heavyweights of the Myriad Domain all sucked in a breath.
The purple adornments indicated that this was a tenth rank inspector!
This person was naturally the tenth rank inspector who’d appeared in the Tristar Sect before. The people he was leading were all three star inspectors, equivalent to ninth rank inspectors.
These others all wore blue accessories. Zuo Lan was actually the weakest amongst them and stood in the back.
The blue uniforms either had three stars or two stars embroidered on their chest. It was obvious that they were all higher ranked than the one star Zuo Lan.
“You are Dan Chi?” The tenth rank inspector’s tone was ice as his vicious gaze cut like a knife, surging with killing intent as he spoke to Dan Chi.
Dan Chi smiled noncommittally and asked instead of responding, “Who might you be?”
The tenth rank inspector’s face grew frosty alright. How could he not realize that this was one of Dan Chi’s tricks?
Dan Chi hadn’t followed his line of conversation but asked who he was instead. This seemingly careless exchange hid the deeply meaningful battle of words.
They were both trying to seize the control of the discussion.
Dan Chi’s actions had been an obvious proclamation of his initiative. I’m the master here, so naturally I’m the one asking you.
This was a clash of authority, a formless battle for authority and morale. The first round had concluded even before the battle fires had been lit.
The sect heads of the Myriad Domain all quailed inwardly. Dan Chi was the youngest heavyweight of the Myriad Domain alright. His commanding presence and air didn’t give even an inch in the face of a tenth rank inspector from the Sky Sect. He had given them no quarter.
“Dan Chi, don’t you be so full of yourself! Master Feng is the tenth rank inspector of my Sky Sect, on speaking terms with our sect head. Mere leaders of the sects in the lower regions, how dare you be so discourteous? Have you never been taught the courtesies of the sects?”
Zuo Lan had conducted his affairs unsuccessfully before and had decided he wanted to regain some face here, standing out and blustering.
“Sky Sect envoy?” Dan Chi smiled, looking utterly unconcerned. “If I recall correctly, there is no subordinate relationship between the Myriad Domain and the Sky Sect. We will naturally extend the warmest of welcomes to the Sky Sect envoy if he has come as a guest. But if he is here to cause a fuss or raise trouble, then I, Dan Chi, have no intention of welcoming him.”
The tenth rank inspector’s eyebrow rose, “Dan Chi, I didn’t come here to waste my time bandying words with you. My sect has long since deemed the sixteen kingdom alliance as the Purple Light Division and have placed it onto the blueprints of our sect’s plans. Even if you are the local head of the Myriad Domain, you should understand the rule of precedence. Are you attempting to take food from the mouth of the Sky Sect?”
“Don’t want to waste words on me? Pardon my candor, I feel that you’re full of nothing but hot air. What Purple Light Division, what sect blueprint? Has the Precious Tree Sect agreed to this? The lands know of the Sky Sect’s culture of dominance. However, as high-handed as you may be, you haven’t degraded yourself to forcefully occupying other sects, have you? I don’t give a damn about you setting up a Purple Light Division and taking over the Purple Sun Sect, but the Precious Tree Sect has never given verbal or written consent of consent to the Sky Sect. If they have agreed to something along those lines, bring it out as proof. If it really exists, I will dust myself off and leave without another word, and will even offer you gifts in apology. But if you have no such evidence, then drop your paltry argument.”
“Hmm?”
The inspector’s expression grew chilly. “So this means that the Regal Pill Palace had hardened its heart to oppose the Ninesuns Sky Sect?”
The Ninesuns Sky Sect, one of the eight great powers of the Upper Eight Realms, was more than ten times the Regal Pill Palace whether in terms of foundations or strength.
Therefore, at critical moments, if the Sky Sect couldn’t reason with someone, they would use the presence of a first rank sect to overcome someone in the most direct and tyrannical way.
However, the inspector obviously didn’t understand enough of Dan Chi’s personality.
A trace of mockery flashed through Dan Chi’s face. “Oppose? The Ninesuns Sky Sect is far away in the Upper Eight Realms, millions of kilometers away from my Myriad Domain. Just how do we begin talking of opposition? The Precious Tree Sect and Sky Sect have nothing to do with each other, so why cannot my Regal Pill Palace ally with the former? Must we obtain the Sky Sect’s approval for this as well? If this is the case, then the Sky Sect is simply exercising too much jurisdiction.”
Although he wasn’t blatantly defying the Sky Sect, the undertone behind his words was quite obvious. Don’t try using your power to suppress me, I won’t roll over and play dead for you.
The inspector chuckled coldly and nodded with a sinister expression. “Truly a crazed person who doesn’t know the heights of the skies and depths of the earth. Since this is the case, the old rules apply. In the world of martial dao, the strong are venerated. Dan Chi, I hope your strength is as strong as your glib tongue.”
Dan Chi flicked his eyebrow. “What, you want to throw your weight around in my Myriad Domain by virtue of your dozen men?”
The inspector snorted derisively, “When has my Sky Sect ever been afraid of anyone when it came down to numbers?”
The senior sect head of the Tristar Sect stepped in appropriately at this time. “Gentlemen, please calm yourselves. You are both experts of our times. It is simply too unchivalrous to start a mob fight.”
The Tristar Sect being a front for the Sky Sect was a secret that no one knew in the Myriad Domain.
His actions now were something that he’d discussed with the Sky Sect inspector beforehand.
“Sect Head Zhu, what wise insight do you have?” Dan Chi asked mildly.
“Although the strong are respected in the world of martial dao, we are all experts here. There is no grace to be had in everyone rushing into a fight. Neither will it solve the issue at hand. I would like to propose the structure of a bet. The winner would be considered the victor of this argument and their word considered law.”
The tenth rank inspector had yet to open his mouth when a ninth rank inspector in green robes butted in from the side. “Bet? And how do we bet? You Myriad Domain sects are plainly all in collusion with each other, so why should we listen to your opinions?”
He purposefully spoke in this manner to conceal any hint that the Tristar Sect had anything to do with the Sky Sect.
Indeed, Sect Head Zhu’s tone grew displeased. “My Myriad Domain has never won on the basis of numbers. Since sir seems to believe we are all colluding with each other, then I will keep my mouth shut.”
It was rather the tenth rank inspector who spread out his hands and gestured for his man to move aside. He spoke to Sect Head Zhu. “What opinions do you have? Share them with us.”
“The core of the conflict between your two sides stems from the grudges between the Purple Sun Sect and the Precious Tree Sect, growing further to become a conflict between the Sky Sect and the Regal Pill Palace. Why not set an agreement of five or three matches, and whoever wins has the right to speak.”
This suggestion appeared quite just, and all those present for the ceremony nodded, showing their support of a good idea.
“Dan Chi, this is the suggestion of your fellow daoist in the Myriad Domain. Since you wish to be a fierce and ambitious person, do you dare determine the outcome through a bet?”
Dan Chi laughed heartily, “I wouldn’t bat an eye if even the head of the Sky Sect himself arrived. Here, it’s just you, and you’re trying to scare me with a bet?”
“If you’re not afraid, then we’ll make our bet. Five matches or three? You can decide.”
“Three are enough, what need of five?” Dan Chi didn’t want to drag things out either and made another proposal. “Only peers of the same level can battle each other. The minor origin cultivators against another similar, earth origin to earth origin, sky origin to sky origin. Since you and I are sage cultivators, we must be mortal sage to mortal sage, and earth sage to earth sage.”
Indeed, the strongest present was of the earth sage realm. There were no sky sage realm existences in attendance.
Zuo Lan walked over to murmur a few words in the tenth rank inspector’s ears when he heard this.
The inspector smiled faintly and nodded. “We will follow your suggestion. However, since the origin of this matter was between the Purple Sun Sect and the Precious Tree Sect, then those from their sect should participate. I propose that we send two each from our sects, and the Purple Sun and Precious Tree send one each. The outcome will be determined in three matches!”
The faces of those in the Precious Tree Sect all changed drastically when they heard this, and Dan Chi immediately saw through the other’s scheme.
The Regal Pill Palace would end up at most with one win and one loss if they fought the Sky Sect since apart from Dan Chi, no one else in the Palace had absolute confidence in winning.
But for the Precious Tree Sect, it was obvious that no one would be able to defeat old monster Sunchaser.
As opposed to calling this a hidden plot, it was more of a blatant scheme that mercilessly took advantage of the fact that no one in the Precious Tree Sect could defeat Sunchaser.
The most critical thing was that the Regal Pill Palace had no reasonable cause to decline this suggestion. The whole matter had indeed arisen because of the grudges between the two.
And considering the Precious Tree Sect was the host of the ceremony, it wouldn’t do if they didn’t exert themselves at all.