381: Chapter 381 Turbulent Waters, Calamity Begins

The tianque divine boat broke through the clouds and mist, arriving at the mountain gate of the White Rock Holy Land.

Floating immortal mountains towered majestically, spiritual springs cascaded down like silver ribbons, and immortal cranes circled with clear cries amidst auspicious clouds, truly presenting a scene of an immortal realm.

On the plaza in front of the main peak's hall, dozens of Cultivators stood solemnly to welcome them. At their head was a woman dressed in a moon-white sword robe, her sleeves fluttering in the wind. She carried a simple, ancient longsword on her back, her posture upright and her brows brimming with heroic spirit.

She waved vigorously upon seeing the divine boat from afar. As Chi Wanhe and the others came into clear view, a flash of curiosity and excitement crossed her eyes. She then cupped her fists and spoke in a clear voice:

“Revered Master! Fellow Daoists of the Moon Shadow Holy Land, you have come from afar; Cen Xi apologizes for the late welcome!”

Chi Wanhe returned the greeting with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before her.

The Holy Land Elders were divided into three groups with clear boundaries. On the right, led by the heroic woman, was a group entirely of female Cultivators, most of whom watched with curious gazes. On the left, led by an old man in yellow robes, was a group mostly of male Cultivators, whose wariness and rejection were almost tangible. The group in the middle was small, their expressions varied—some were scrutinizing, some were observing, and others were quietly weighing the situation.

Shi Qingxuan nodded slightly. “Let us enter the hall first.”

The group stepped into the grand and solemn main hall and took their seats.

Shi Qingxuan sat in the primary seat with a serious expression. “Pass the order to the entire Holy Land: as of today, the White Rock Holy Land and the Moon Shadow Holy Land of Cangwu Prefecture have formed an offensive and defensive alliance to jointly resist the disaster of the Erosion Beasts. These individuals are Personal Disciples of the Moon Shadow Holy Land; they will temporarily reside in our Holy Land to share intelligence and fight side by side.”

As soon as these words were spoken, a suppressed clamor immediately broke out within the hall.

A white-haired, stern-faced Elder immediately stepped forward with a frown. “Sect Master! Is this matter not a bit too hasty? The Moon Shadow Holy Land is far away in Cangwu and has no deep ties with our Holy Land. To rashly form an alliance and share—”

Shi Qingxuan’s cold gaze swept over him like a blade, cutting him off. “My mind is made up. Elder Liu, do you have an objection?”

Elder Liu was choked by that gaze and sullenly swallowed the rest of his words, though the dissatisfaction and gloom in his eyes deepened.

Shi Qingxuan turned to the yellow-robed old man at the front of the left side, her tone icy. “Grand Elder! During my absence from the Sect, why were no reinforcements sent to aid Water Rock City, Qingfeng City, and Chixia City? The Canshi Sect waited for seven days and nearly suffered the destruction of their city and people!”

If Yunjie hadn't come over, she wouldn't even have known how to smooth things over.

Ji Wujiu let out a short, cold laugh. “Sect Master, please calm your anger. It is not that we sat idly by, but rather that the Erosion Beast Tide from the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest was coming with such overwhelming force. Our Holy Land's main forces must guard various vital nodes. If we rashly split our forces to aid one location and cause other defensive lines to fall, who would take responsibility for such a catastrophic crime?”

The cold light in Shi Qingxuan’s eyes surged. “So, you simply gave up on Water Rock City? Gave up on the Canshi Sect? That is an affiliate Sect of our White Rock Holy Land!”

Ji Wujiu stroked his sparse beard and said unhurriedly, “The Sect Master should know that since Lady Shi Ji’s return, the first grand Sect meeting of the year already reached a conclusion. The root of the Erosion Beast Tide lies in the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest, and the suppression power of the rock cauldron is weakening day by day, facing the risk of collapse at any moment.”

“Therefore, we must preserve our core strength to deal with that existential threat. Sacrificing the peripheral lands to protect the Foundation of the overall situation is a necessary act of cutting off one's own hand to survive.”

“Bullshit!”

Cen Xi suddenly sprang up from her seat, her eyebrows arched in anger. “The first grand Sect meeting never said anything about sacrificing the peripheral lands! The lives of tens of thousands of Cultivators and commoners in Water Rock City are just ‘periphery’ that can be discarded at will in your eyes?!”

“Presumptuous!”

A sinister-faced middle-aged Elder beside Ji Wujiu slammed the table and stood up, shouting angrily, “Ignorant child! How dare you roar so insolently in the main hall?!”

Another Elder who followed the Ji Family immediately chimed in with a sarcastic tone:

“Disciple Cen, you were away previously and did not participate in the most recent grand Sect meeting presided over by Lady Shi Ji and Supreme Elder Mingxuan. This move to preserve core strength is a strategy jointly decided by multiple Grand Elders, including Lady Shi Ji and Supreme Elder Mingxuan.”

“By questioning it so, are you intending to negate the decisions of even your Grandmaster Lady Shi Ji and Supreme Elder Mingxuan, along with many other Grand Elders?”

“Grandmaster?”

Cen Xi felt as if she had been struck by lightning and looked toward her Revered Master.

A flicker of shock passed through Shi Qingxuan’s eyes, and then her face turned completely dark.

She stared at Ji Wujiu and said word by word, “Grand Elder, you should be well aware of the consequences of forging a Grand Elder's decree.”

Ji Wujiu’s eyelids lifted slightly as he looked at Shen Yunjie with indifference. “I believe your eldest Disciple should have already told you.”

“If the Sect Master does not believe it, you are more than welcome to personally go to Starfall Cold Jade Peak to seek confirmation from Lady Shi Ji.”

The sinister Elder who spoke earlier immediately added pointedly, “Exactly! Matters of White Rock Prefecture will be resolved by the collective efforts of our Holy Land. As for outsiders... it is best not to stretch your hands too far.”

Shen Yunjie’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she calmly countered, “Elder Wan, your words are incorrect. The threat of the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest is no longer something our Holy Land can resolve alone. Without outside help—”

“What a joke!”

That Elder Wan interrupted with an arrogant look. “Supreme Elder Mingxuan will soon ascend to the Mahayana realm! At that time, our Holy Land will possess two Mahayana Supremes. A mere Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest can be suppressed with a flip of a hand! Why would we need outsiders?”

A Void Tempering stage Elder from Shi Qingxuan’s side couldn’t help but speak up. “Elder Wan! Is a Breakthrough to Mahayana a trifling matter? The time required is impossible to estimate! Right now, there are frequent disturbances in the Ten Thousand Miasma Demon Forest; Water Rock City is a lesson before our eyes. How can we afford to wait?”

The hall suddenly turned into a boiling cauldron. The Elders of Ji Wujiu’s faction spoke up one after another, accusing Shi Qingxuan of 'leading wolves into the house' either explicitly or implicitly, claiming that White Rock Prefecture had the ability to resolve the crisis on its own.

Meanwhile, the Disciples and Elders supporting Shi Qingxuan argued back forcefully, emphasizing that the situation was critical and brook no delay. The sounds of arguing and rebuking echoed through the hall, and the atmosphere became tense and volatile.

Chi Wanhe and Qin Zhaoxue exchanged a look, communicating privately via sound transmission: 'It seems the waters within this Holy Land are even muddier than expected.'

Qin Zhaoxue nodded slightly, her gaze calm.

Looking at the chaotic scene before her, Shi Qingxuan’s face was ashen, and anger surged in her chest. She was just about to forcibly suppress the argument when—

“BOOM—!!!”

A terrifying clap of thunder exploded, sounding as if it would tear the heavens apart. The entire main peak hall shook violently.

A destructive pressure that made almost every Soul tremble descended with a crash!

Shi Qingxuan stood up abruptly and cried out in shock, “Heavenly Tribulation?! This is... the aura of the Nine-Nine Grand Heavenly Tribulation?!”

No longer caring about the argument, everyone rushed out of the hall.

They saw that deep within the Holy Land, above a solitary and proud peak, the sky and earth had already changed color!

Tribulation clouds as dark as ink rolled and roared, and countless purple lightnings as thick as Dragons frantically surged and gathered within the cloud layers, each one emitting a terrifying aura of universal destruction.

In the next moment, a purple tribulation lightning tore through the sky and struck viciously toward the mountain peak.

Chi Wanhe narrowed her eyes, feeling the power contained within that lightning, and thought to herself: 'This commotion... it looks intimidating, but the power seems to be just so-so?'

However, a light of wild joy erupted in Ji Wujiu’s cloudy old eyes as he shrieked excitedly, “It’s Supreme Elder Mingxuan! He... is undergoing the Mahayana Heavenly Tribulation!!”