353: Chapter 353 Mountain of Ten Thousand Beasts

The peaks of the Wan Shou Mountain range towered into the sky, and the main hall on the summit stood majestically.

Dozens of beams of light shot out from the main hall's entrance in a disheveled state, landing on the plaza in front of the hall.

Ji Mitai steadied himself, his face ashen. Behind him followed several Elders of the Wan Shou Mountain "Return Faction," all of them shaken and with unstable Auras.

Ji Mitai had never expected Zheng Nanxun to be so resolute and unyielding. He turned abruptly and shouted sternly toward the hall:

"Sect Master Zheng! Are you truly determined to do this, at the cost of becoming an enemy of my White Rock Holy Land?!"

Before the words had even faded, Zheng Nanxun's figure appeared before the hall entrance, the pressure of a Tribulation Transcendence Stage powerhouse spreading out.

Wan Shou Mountain Sect Master Hong Wanping, Elder Fu Tai, and several other core powerhouses followed closely behind, their expressions grave.

Zheng Nanxun's face was cold, his gaze sweeping over Ji Mitai and the defecting Elders behind him like ice as he said decisively:

"I said it before: want to leave? Fine! Cripple your own cultivation, leave behind the Sect's Legacy, and leave with nothing! Just as when the first Old Ancestor of Wan Shou Mountain was expelled by the Holy Land—otherwise, you will be treated as traitors and killed without mercy!"

His gaze landed on the white-haired Grand Elder Zhang Chengyue, "Grand Elder Zhang, that includes you!"

Ji Mitai's eyes flickered as he rapidly weighed the pros and cons.

Before coming to Wan Shou Mountain, he had thought that using the reputation of a ninth-grade Holy Land to recruit an eighth-grade Sect would be an easy task. He hadn't expected to kick an iron plate; instead of taking a bite, he had broken his own teeth! This was completely different from the smooth takeover he had envisioned.

Seeing this, Grand Elder Zhang Chengyue was burning with anxiety and hurriedly urged Ji Mitai via voice transmission: "Elder Ji! Quickly, think of a way!"

His Lifespan was nearly at its end; if he were to cripple his cultivation and start over, it would be no different from a death sentence!

Ji Mitai's expression was extremely ugly. He thought that if he returned empty-handed, he would have no way to explain it to Grand Elder Jiang, so he had to bring at least some people back.

He suppressed his irritation and replied impatiently: "I know!" His attitude was no longer as composed as before.

Seeing their hesitation, a cold light flashed in Zheng Nanxun's eyes: "Since you are unwilling to cripple yourselves, then this Sect Master will do it for you! From this moment on, Zhang Chengyue, Li Song... you few are expelled from Wan Shou Mountain!"

After saying this, boundless spiritual power began to gather in his palm, and he was about to strike to cripple their cultivation.

"Stop!" Ji Mitai shouted sternly, "Zheng Nanxun! You are courting death! Do you really think the Moonshadow Sect would make an enemy of my White Rock Holy Land for the sake of a tiny Wan Shou Mountain? With your mere Tribulation Transcendence cultivation, are you not afraid that our Holy Land's Supreme, Lady Shi Ji, will unleash her thunderous wrath?!"

Zheng Nanxun's movements paused, a flash of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

He truly could not be certain whether Supreme Moonshadow would offend another Supreme for the sake of Wan Shou Mountain. Hong Wanping, Elder Fu Tai, and the others also wore worried expressions.

Seeing this, Ji Mitai instantly regained his confidence, his arrogance reigniting: "Hmph! I thought you wouldn't dare! Today, I am going to take them away in one piece!"

His gaze scanned the growing number of Disciples watching from around the plaza. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly raised his voice, using his spiritual power to carry it throughout all of Wan Shou Mountain.

"Disciples of Wan Shou Mountain! I am the Grand Elder of the White Rock Holy Land, Ji Mitai! Your Sect's first Old Ancestor was originally an Elder of my White Rock Holy Land! Now, the Holy Land remembers that old friendship and is opening its doors to you!"

"Any Disciple of Wan Shou Mountain, as long as you are willing to return to the embrace of the Holy Land, you will not need to cripple your cultivation. You can immediately become an Outer Sect Disciple of the Holy Land and enjoy the resources of a ninth-grade Sect! With a Supreme presiding, your future is limitless! Isn't that better than being here?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the plaza instantly erupted in chaos!

"What? A ninth-grade Sect Disciple?"

"No need to cripple cultivation? And there's Supreme protection?"

"Is it real? This opportunity..."

A spirited young girl dressed in green pushed through the crowd. Her willow-leaf eyebrows stood upright as she pointed at the wavering Disciples and rebuked them: "You are betraying us! The Mountain Master and the Sect Master have treated us with such great kindness; you do not think of repaying them, but instead wish to leave with outsiders. Is this not ungrateful and treacherous?"

A Disciple who had been incited stiffened his neck and retorted: "Senior Sister Hong, your words are wrong! A wise man submits to circumstances; a good bird chooses the best tree to perch on! The White Rock Holy Land is a great Sect with ten thousand years of history; what is wrong with defecting to the Holy Land?"

Many Disciples showed signs of temptation and struggle on their faces, and a commotion immediately broke out in the crowd.

Zheng Nanxun was furious, his hair and beard bristling: "Ji Mitai! You still want to dig up the Foundation of my Wan Shou Mountain?! You are utterly shameless!"

If he really let Ji Mitai take people away like this, Wan Shou Mountain would not only suffer a loss in strength, but also lose all face, and the hearts of the people would be completely scattered!

But he was wary of the Holy Land's reputation and was hesitant to act; several times he wanted to strike regardless of the consequences, but he forced himself to hold back, his blood and Qi surging within him, nearly making him explode from frustration.

Seeing that his incitement was effective, Ji Mitai was pleased and immediately ordered Zhang Chengyue and the others: "Elder Zhang, Elder Li! Quickly gather the Disciples who are willing to return to the Holy Land with us!"

"Yes!" Zhang Chengyue and the others were invigorated and hurriedly called to the Disciples. As high-ranking Elders of the Sect, they had many Personal Disciples under their tutelage.

Soon, dozens of Disciples stood behind Ji Mitai and Zhang Chengyue with expressions of nervousness and excitement. Following that, many other Disciples also followed.

Some wanted to dissuade their companions, but were eagerly retorted: "What do you know? That is a ninth-grade Sect! The resources are countless! Perhaps that Supreme Lady Shi Ji is even more powerful than Supreme Moonshadow!"

Zheng Nanxun watched this scene helplessly, his eyes almost spitting fire, but he could only clench his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

"It seems I have come at a bad time?"

A clear, calm voice suddenly rang out. It was not loud, but it instantly drowned out all the clamor on the plaza.

Everyone looked up in shock, only to see that the sky had been covered by a massive shadow at some point. A fleet of spiritual boats with streamlined designs and magnificent Auras hung in the sky, blocking out the sun.

The divine boat at the very front, towering like a mountain and flowing with moonlight, was none other than the one famous throughout Cangwu—the tianque divine boat!

Several figures drifted down from the tianque divine boat. The leader wore a moon-white Sect Master robe, his posture upright and his expression indifferent.

Ling Hao swept his calm gaze over the chaotic plaza below, finally landing on Zheng Nanxun, and nodded slightly.

Behind him, Nangong Mei was alluring and charming, Baili Qiao was dignified and magnificent, Shui Liuli was dainty and lively, Shui Wanqing was gentle and quiet, and Yu Zhaohua was cold as frost... A group of core high-level members of the Moonshadow Sect stood in order, each with deep, profound Auras and peerless, immortal beauty. Their powerful Aura instantly suppressed the entire scene.

Zheng Nanxun was both shocked and overjoyed. He hurriedly led Hong Wanping and the others forward to bow and salute: "Welcome, Supreme!"

He had received notice, but he had not expected Ling Hao to arrive so quickly.

Zheng Nanxun said with a look of shame: "The Sect's internal affairs were handled improperly, and I failed to welcome you from afar. To disturb your noble presence, Supreme, is truly a crime!"

At the same time, the Disciples of Wan Shou Mountain on the plaza bowed and saluted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens: "Disciples welcome Supreme Moonshadow!"

Ji Mitai and the others' expressions were extremely ugly, but under Ling Hao's invisible pressure and the current situation, they had no choice but to follow along and bow slightly.

Ling Hao waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Ji Mitai and the group of Elders and Disciples behind him who were preparing to defect with a hint of amusement: "Interesting. Sect Master Zheng, what kind of play is this?"