Chapter 4035: Concessions by the Powerful

Taiji spiritual Qi constantly emerged from the gigantic spring, amassing in the air.

But at this moment, no one was in the mood to collect the Taiji spiritual Qi. Countless eyes gathered on Jing Mumu, filled with mixed feelings, amazement, reverence, and fear.

Jing Mumu hovered in the air with her sword in hand, enveloped in blinding light as her presence surged. She was like a god of war. As a single person, she left several hundred thousand cultivators breathless.

After expelling the disciples of the Blade Sect of Trickling Moon from the Taiji mountain range, Jing Mumu did not seem to have any intentions of stopping. She glanced past the cultivators and gazed towards the very centre of the gigantic spring, the region occupied by the Cosmic Grotto.

The strongest core disciple from the Cosmic Grotto, Shi Tian, conversed secretly with Xiao Wuming from the Thousand Mountains clan. When Jing Mumu gazed over, Shi Tian shuddered violently inside. An ill omen welled up inside him.

That was a cold gaze of animosity.

Shi Tian immediately ended his conversation with Xiao Wuming. He stood up and extended another invitation towards Jing Mumu, expressing his good will.

Clearly, it was Jing Mumu who faced him haughtily and aggressively, yet not only was he forbidden from showing any disdain, but he even had to cater to her with a wide smile. As the strongest core disciple of the Cosmic Grotto, Shi Tian had yet to experience such a frustrating situation.

However, after witnessing Jing Mumu’s battle prowess, Shi Tian was forced to be like this.

Behind Shi Tian, a disciple of the Cosmic Grotto stood with an ugly expression. He was extremely uneasy.

That was because he sensed that Jing Mumu’s gaze was on him.

His name was Hua Shengchi, a late Nine-heavenly Xuan Immortal. He possessed quite the status among the core disciples of the Cosmic Grotto. At the same time, he had used his background from the Cosmic Grotto to claim over a dozen strands of Taiji spiritual Qi from Ye Kai soon after the Taiji mountain range had opened.

“You, get over here!” Suddenly, Jing Mumu raised the sword in her hand, pointing directly at the people from the Cosmic Grotto as her sword shone.

Jing Mumu’s actions immediately made the cultivators in the surroundings narrow their eyes. Was she provoking the Cosmic Grotto?

However, after a moment of surprise, the countless cultivators in the surroundings began to watch on with laidback interest.

However, Ye Kai and the others from the Black Demon Palace were uncertain. They were concerned, wary of the Cosmic Grotto.

Shi Tian’s smile vanished. His voice clearly became more serious. “Fellow Jing, our Cosmic Grotto doesn’t seem to have provoked you in any way.”

“You can ask the person right behind you if you want to know,” Jing Mumu said coldly.

Shi Tian was clearly taken aback. Only now did he realise that Jing Mumu was pointing her sword at the disciple behind him and not him.

He followed Jing Mumu’s gaze and looked over. He immediately noticed the unsettled Hua Shengchi.

“What’s going on?” Shi Tian’s face sank as he barked.

Hua Shengchi’s face was wry. He faltered as he explained how he had made the Black Demon Palace hand over the Taiji spiritual Qi.

After hearing that, Shi Tian sighed inside. Similar situations were all too common in the Taiji mountain range. He did not think that Hua Shengchi had done anything wrong. The only mistake he had made would be not recognising that Jing Mumu was such a powerful prodigy earlier.

“Junior brother Chi, apologise to fellow Jing immediately. Regardless of how much Taiji spiritual Qi we initially borrowed from the fellows of the Black Demon Palace, our Cosmic Grotto will pay you back two fold in consideration of fellow Jing.” Shi Tian ordered Hua Shengchi authoritatively.

Hua Shengchi immediately obliged. He did not dare to object at all. In reality, he was filled with anguish as well. How would he know that the Xuan Immortal junior he did not even take seriously back then would end up being so terrifying?

“Fellow Jing, are you satisfied?” Afterwards, Shi Tian looked at Jing Mumu.

Jing Mumu shook her head. “Make him leave the Taiji mountain range. Also, your Cosmic Grotto will pay us back ten fold for the Taiji spiritual Qi you’ve taken from us!”

When they heard that, many of the surrounding cultivators could not help but gasp. Ten fold? This was a naked slap to the Cosmic Grotto’s face. As the hegemon of the Taiji Heaven, since when did the Cosmic Grotto ever face such demands in their territory?

Everyone could already imagine that if the Cosmic Grotto made this concession, their prestige would plummet. They would become a laughingstock.

After all, paying back the exact amount and compensating by ten fold was intrinsically different.

Before they knew it, a few alliances in the surroundings started silently retreating, leaving behind enough room. It seemed as if they had already anticipated that a battle between Jing Mumu and the Cosmic Grotto would be unavoidable.

Shi Tian’s face sank as well. This was robbery. If he conceded, it would affect the sect’s reputation. He could not afford to back down.

As core disciples of the Cosmic Grotto, they could fail and die in battle, but they could not make a compromise for the greater good under such insulting conditions.

In particular, everyone was watching the current situation. As representatives of the Cosmic Grotto, that was even more reason that they could not back down.

Jing Mumu seemed to see Shi Tian’s determination. Her presence gradually sharpened as her fighting spirit soared. Sword Qi rushed into the air as if she was already charging up a startling attack.

Xiao Wuming of the Thousand Mountains clan was uneasy and uncertain. He began to hesitate as if he was considering whether to stand with the Cosmic Grotto or not.

As for the remaining forces in their alliance, they were also extremely conflicted, unsure about the choice to make. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

For a moment, the atmosphere became very oppressive. A battle seemed to be on the brink of erupting.

But at this moment, Shi Tian’s expression suddenly changed. He received a message from the upper echelon of his sect, and the message made his determination for a battle to the death immediately deflate like a balloon.

“Alright, our Cosmic Grotto agrees to your conditions.” Shi Tian emphasised each word as he ground his teeth, conceding to Jing Mumu as the Cosmic Grotto’s representative.

When he said that, not only were the organisations in the surroundings deeply surprised, but even the disciples of the Cosmic Grotto behind him were perplexed.

“First senior brother, how can we agree to such stringent conditions? Our Cosmic Grotto is the greatest organisation on the Taiji Heaven. How can we accept such an insult…”

“First senior brother, don’t compromise. If push comes to shove, we just won’t take part in the remaining battle for Taiji spiritual Qi. We’d rather suffer a hard-fought defeat than back down…”

“All of you, shut up!” Shi Tian bellowed furiously. He slowly glanced past everyone with a glare and said, “I don’t need you telling me what I should be doing.”

Afterwards, he looked at Hua Shengchi again and said, “Hua Shengchi, leave the Taiji mountain range immediately!”

Hua Shengchi’s expression changed, but in the end, he sighed inside and left the Taiji mountain range without another word.

“Fellow Jing, as for the Taiji spiritual Qi we need for compensating the Black Demon Palace, we don’t have that much on hand right now. However, please do not worry. It’ll take a few days at most. We’ll definitely be able to give it to you without a strand missing.” Shi Tian had already cast aside his honour as the strongest disciple of the Cosmic Grotto. At that moment, he had also thought something through. Since Jing Mumu could make a great elder of the Cosmic Grotto back down, her origins must have been significant.

“Perhaps Jing Mumu’s backing is extremely terrifying, so terrifying that even our Cosmic Grotto does not have the courage to provoke them.” Shi Tian guessed inside. On the Taiji Heaven, many organisations were aware that Jing Mumu had entered the Taiji mountain range under the identity of a disciple from the Wind Guiding Pavilion, but in reality, she had absolutely nothing to do with them.

Moreover, the Wind Guiding Pavilion was only an organisation with Immortal Emperors. How could they nurture such a terrifyingly talented genius?

Jing Mumu nodded. With the gigantic spring’s appearance, Taiji spiritual Qi had become extremely abundant. However, the hundred-odd strands of Taiji spiritual Qi had stopped being of interest a long time ago. She did not care about the compensation but the principle of the matter.

At this moment, Jing Mumu withdrew her presence. Under everyone’s watch, she began to slowly approach the very centre of the gigantic spring. She did not move very quickly, but her steps were extremely firm.

Her target was the very centre of the gigantic spring.

Her action immediately made Shi Tian narrow his eyes slightly, but in the end, it only turned into a helpless sigh. Their Cosmic Grotto had already made a concession. They had lost all of their momentum and influence. Now that they faced such a forceful Jing Mumu, they did not have any fighting spirit at all.

Xiao Wuming from the Thousand Mountains clan watched Jing Mumu walk over with mixed feelings. He also let out a gentle sigh inside. He yelled to the disciples of the Thousand Mountains clan behind him, “Retreat!”

“First senior brother, a-are we also going to back down?” Behind him, a disciple of the Thousand Mountains clan asked regretfully. They had nothing to do with Jing Mumu.

Xiao Wuming was filled with powerlessness. “This isn’t a decision that I made but an order from the great elder. Jing Mumu’s talent is very terrifying. Her legacy can even be considered as world-shaking. As long as she does not perish prematurely, her future accomplishments will be unimaginable. The great elder special instructed us to not offend such a talented prodigy over some Taiji spiritual Qi.”

Just like that, the powerful alliance forged by the Cosmic Grotto and the Thousand Mountains clan backed down when faced with Jing Mumu.

Jing Mumu arrived at the very centre of the gigantic spring without any obstacles. She drew a circle in the air with her sword, enveloping a region of ten kilometres across. “Anyone who enters this region will be slain without mercy!”

This region just happened to be the territory that the Cosmic Grotto and the Thousand Mountains clan had previously occupied, but Jing Mumu had taken it over now.