Chapter 635 535: Pei Yuhang's Choice, a Flood of White Robes, Together to the Abyssal Palace

"Master, how… could it be you?"

Pei Yuhang stared at the severely injured, blood-coughing old man before him. His eyes trembled, and his voice was hoarse and broken.

He never would have imagined that the one who had started the great war and plunged the world into misery was his very own master, whom he hadn't seen in years.

'But… how is this possible?'

'Our enemy is actually the master who gave me a new lease on life, who saved me from the clutches of that Demon Cave, the Yin Yang Sacred Land!'

'This must be an enemy's Illusion Technique… The Nameless Daoist was as wise as a Saint. How could he possibly do something like this?'

'Or… has Master been possessed by some foul entity?'

Pei Yuhang stood there stunned, the hand gripping his sword trembling uncontrollably. He simply couldn't believe the person before him was his master.

Ye Liyuan stood to the side, a storm of emotions churning in her eyes. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke in a low voice:

"Master, the one who helped me obtain the Linyuan Sword at the Sinful Sword Abyss that day… was that also you?"

Yuan Tianming touched his face, no longer hidden by a mask, and finally gave a faint smile, not denying it.

"That's right. I was the one who helped you get the sword. I was the one who helped Yuhang and Little Yueqiu reunite. And the one who wants to kill you now… is also me."

"I had thought you would all be stopped at the periphery of the battlefield, that you wouldn't make it here.

But, I must say, you are worthy of being my, Yuan Tianming's, disciples. I didn't expect you to be so outstanding, to be among the first to arrive at the Abyssal Sea Palace."

Seeing Yuan Tianming admit it himself, Qing Yueqiu began to tremble all over, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She never expected that the person who wanted to kill her master and herself was the very grandmaster who had guided her through her confusion just a few months ago.

'Doesn't that mean the Blood Skull Chalice, which my master and I risked our lives to retrieve for him, was just a tool he was using us to get?!'

Qing Yueqiu stared daggers at Yuan Tianming, the flames of betrayal burning in her eyes. Her voice was practically a roar:

"Grandmaster, Hall Master of Yama Hall, the Dao Sect's Nameless Daoist, the Pope of the Chosen Organization… you're all of them. With so many identities, which one is the real you?"

"What did you take my master and mistress, and all our brethren from the Dao Sect, for?!"

Yuan Tianming slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were filled with indifference.

"I am all of them, but I am none of them…"

"The Abyssal Sea Palace is about to open. You no longer have any chance to stop me.

Consider this a final warning from me, your master and grandmaster. What's hidden in this Abyssal Sea Palace is not treasure. If you want to live, leave now…"

Among everyone present, only Lin Qianyan remained rational, not having lost her ability to think due to her emotions.

After hearing Yuan Tianming's last sentence, she looked back at the elite Cultivators, Elders, and even the Sect Leader Level Great Powers from various Sects who were continuously converging on this place.

In a flash, a horrifying theory struck her.

"You—you started the war and pushed for the Abyssal Sea Palace to open today, all for the purpose of gathering the strongest experts of the entire Cultivation Realm, and as many Cultivators as possible, right here?!"

"What in the world are you planning to do!"

Lin Qianyan's words made Yuan Tianming give her a second look, his eyes narrowing slightly.

But in the next moment, an utterly bone-chilling female voice suddenly rang out!

[Yuan Tianming, you old fiend, your schemes truly run deep.]

PFFT—

A slender, blood-soaked arm violently burst through Yuan Tianming's chest!

"Damn it… That woman, Ji Shenyun, I can't suppress her anymore!"

Yuan Tianming coughed up a few trickles of blood. He looked down at the arm piercing his chest and grunted. Just before Ji Shenyun could tear his body apart, his demonic eyes released a scarlet curtain of light, setting her free.

BOOM—

The curtain of light exploded, and Ji Shenyun's figure strode out from within, descending upon the mortal world once more!

She looked down imperiously at the blood-coughing Yuan Tianming, her silver hair moving without a wind, her eyes brimming with chilling killing intent.

"Although We do not know what you are plotting…"

Her red lips parted, her voice like ice a million years old. "It is clear that your strength does not match your ambition to manipulate the world!"

Yuan Tianming staggered back, his withered hand clutching the gruesome, bloody hole in his chest. He let out a pair of low chuckles.

"Cough, cough… It is not your place to pass judgment on this old man."

Before his voice had even faded, a series of dragon roars suddenly echoed from the sky!

Dozens of Dragon Corpses tore through the sky and circled around him, protecting him securely.

Yuan Tianming slowly raised his head. His mouth was stained with blood, but his gaze grew ever deeper and more profound.

"Empress… you had best worry about yourself. The real show is only just beginning."

As his words fell, the entire expanse of the sea began to tremble violently!

RUMBLE—

Amidst Ji Xichan's prayers, a thousand-zhang-tall ancient bronze gate finally rose slowly from the earth veins deep within the sea, reappearing in the mortal world.

The ancient reliefs and totems on the gate's surface glinted with a cold, eerie light under the fading twilight sun.

As Ji Xichan formed a seal with her hands, the Divine Maiden Statue behind her suddenly grew to be hundreds of zhang tall. It extended its arms and gripped the crack of the Ancient Bronze Gate tightly.

RUMBLE— With a deep, vibrating hum.

The Ancient Bronze Gate was pulled open, forming a small crack. Through that gap, faint, ethereal white Immortal Qi could be seen drifting out.

It was as if it were making a silent declaration to the world—

The Abyssal Sea Palace was about to open!

By now, the allied forces of the Sects had grown ever larger. Countless people witnessed the sight of this colossal Bronze Gate rising from the Sea Abyss.

"Heavens, is that the legendary Divine Gate that leads to the Abyssal Sea Palace?"

"Legend says the Abyssal Sea Palace is the temple where the Ancient Divine Spirits lived! It holds the treasures of the Divine Spirits and contains a power that surpasses this era!"

A Cultivator who saw this scene had a look of utter shock in his eyes.