Chapter 118: Nascent Soul Late Stage, How Is This Possible!

Four Seas Pavilion. Residence of the master of Four Seas City.

It was unusually lively today.

Inside the pavilion, song and dance rang out, the music winding around the rafters.

More than a dozen beautiful maids danced in the center of the great hall, their figures alluring and silk sleeves fluttering. The scent of wine and roasted meat mingled with the powdery fragrance of the young women, turning this once-dignified and solemn hall into a courtesan's den.

Seated in five positions around the hall were five people: four Golden Core cultivators and one Nascent Soul.

Closest to the principal seat on the left, a small-eyed, middle-aged man in a purple brocade robe rose to his feet, his face plastered with smiles. Holding his cup in both hands, he bowed deeply to the ugly, fat dwarf in the seat of honor, who had an arm draped around a woman on either side. The man's tone was fawning.

"Elder Profound Demon, I never expected it would be you representing the Three Upper Sects for this inspection. I hope the elder won't take offense at my lack of preparation. Back then, I owed so much to your patronage; my only regret is that we didn't meet sooner..."

He paused, then tossed his head back and drained the cup in one swallow, a look of resentment rising on his face.

"Back then, if that Soul Wraith Island ancestor hadn't forced us to submit as subordinates—threatening to slaughter us all if we refused—would we have ever become Soul Wraith Island's lapdogs?

Our North Star Island wouldn't have lost two Golden Core deacons in vain. What a pity we didn't get to kill that old devil's grand-disciple, Canfeng, with our own hands. Sigh."

As he finished, the man across from him—who had a thoroughly thieving cast to his features—quickly rose to pick up the thread.

"That's right! In those days, our subordinate islands were severely oppressed by Soul Wraith Island! We lived in terror day and night, afraid that the Soul Wraith Ancestor would snatch us up to extract our souls and refine our essence.

Luckily, heaven gave us a chance. It brought about Soul Wraith Island's fall in a single night, and delivered the Three Upper Sects and Elder Profound Demon to us."

At these words, the other three nodded repeatedly in agreement, their mouths pouring endless praise upon the ugly dwarf in the principal seat.

The dwarf listened to their flattery with a hint of satisfaction on his face, clearly quite pleased. He pulled the two beautiful women beside him a little closer.

Resistance flickered in both women's eyes, yet they dared not struggle at all, forcing themselves to let him toy with them.

The dwarf chuckled a few times, slowly set down his wine cup, and changed the subject.

"I have heard that over a hundred years ago, Old Devil Jiuyou not only broke through to the Middle Nascent Soul Stage, but also consumed a Hundred-Year Lifespan Extension Fruit. He vanished after the battle at Yi Feng Valley. I wonder where that old devil is these days?"

At his words, the atmosphere in the great hall seemed to freeze for an instant.

The four Golden Core cultivators below naturally heard the worry behind his question.

After all, Old Devil Jiuyou's strength was terrifying. In those days within the allied army, he held the reputation as the "number one person beneath the Three Great Cultivators," and ordinary cultivators at the Nascent Soul Early Stage could not last three exchanges against him.

If that old devil was truly still alive and came back for revenge, let alone one Elder Profound Demon, it would be useless even if the Three Sects behind him came in full force.

On the left, the North Star Island Lord—or rather, the current master of Four Seas City—shifted his eyes cunningly before offering a deferential chuckle.

"Senior, relax. That old devil had precious little lifespan left to begin with. Even with a Hundred-Year Lifespan Extension Fruit, he would have only gained a few more decades. It has been over a hundred years now; he surely passed away in some forgotten corner long ago. Hahaha."

"That's right, exactly."

The others quickly nodded in agreement. The atmosphere in the hall grew lively once again. The maids danced even more vigorously, terrified of offending these five lords.

Hearing this, the ugly dwarf laughed out loud. His shrill, grating laughter echoed through the great hall. He was clearly very pleased with the North Star Island Lord's answer.

He snatched the wine flask off the table and tilted his head back, gulping it down.

Then he gave the chest of the maid beside him a hard pinch. The maid cried out in pain, a delicate sound that stoked the dwarf's internal fires of lust. He violently forced her head down, letting out a loud, delighted laugh.

"That's right! What damn Soul Wraith Ancestor? What 'number one beneath the Three Great Cultivators'? In the end, wasn't he just a coward who feared death? Hahaha—"

The lamplight flickered, and the music in the hall grew loud and chaotic. The beauties preened and posed while the men shouted out jokes, relentlessly flattering the ugly dwarf just as they had once flattered the Soul Wraith Ancestor. The scene was shamelessly lewd and utterly absurd.

Laughter roared through the hall amid the wanton music.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom shattered the air!

The heavy hall doors were violently smashed open! A fierce wind carrying frigid air gushed inside; the candle flames shuddered violently, nearly extinguishing.

Everyone abruptly froze, their heads snapping toward the doorway.

"Which dog-spawned bastard is so brazen? Do you have a death wish? Didn't you know this City Lord is receiving honored guests?"

The small-eyed middle-aged man had initially been startled, but after glancing at the ugly dwarf in the principal seat, his nerve returned. His face flushed with anger, he glared at the doorway and roared.

Before his words could even fade, a disdainful cold snort suddenly echoed through the great hall.

"Oh? Is that so?"

The very moment the voice fell, a blue-gray light exploded within the hall. As the radiance receded, a figure in azure robes emerged from it.

Jiuyou stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his azure robes snapping in the wind.

His gaze swept coldly over the hall, as if looking down upon ants.

The maids who had been dancing turned pale with fright, screaming as they ducked behind the pillars. The Golden Core cultivators abruptly bolted from their seats, staring at the sudden intruder in high vigilance, their eyes brimming with terror.

The dwarf fixed his gaze on Jiuyou, his face fraught with disbelief. This person had appeared far too bizarrely; even he hadn't been able to see how the man entered. Furthermore, the youth wasn't leaking a single trace of his aura, making it impossible to gauge his depth.

But he could be certain of one thing: this was undoubtedly a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator!"

The ugly dwarf let out a startled cry, shoving the two maids beside him away. Shock and doubt swirled in his eyes. Swallowing hard, he cupped his fists toward Jiuyou and lowered his tone.

"I am the Supreme Elder of Spiritual Cliff Cave, Master Demon Profound. Dare I ask which sect and school you hail from, fellow Daoist? What business brings you to seek me out?"

Hearing this, the others present all secretly gulped. They exchanged looks of disbelief before turning back to the youthful figure. A Nascent Soul cultivator? This man, whose youth defied logic, was actually a Nascent Soul old monster!

Jiuyou's gaze was frigid; he did not answer.

He took a few slow paces of his own accord, his eyes sweeping across the entire room. Looking at the Soul Wraith Great Hall of his memories reduced to such a state, his face remained entirely devoid of expression.

Nor did he show the slightest intention of paying the ugly dwarf any heed.

Seeing the youth treat him with such open contempt, the ugly dwarf's expression instantly darkened. He understood at once—the visitor had not come with good intentions.

A guess instantly arose in his mind.

This youth was so young—even if he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, at most he was like himself, at the Nascent Soul Early Stage. Yes, it must be so. This youth was nothing more than a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator who only knew some tricks to hide his aura, putting on airs.

And he, a veteran of the Nascent Soul realm, had come today representing the Three Sects; he didn't necessarily need to fear this person.

"Preposterous!"

Feeling a measure of reassurance, he cursed out loud in anger.

His body rose to hover three feet in the air, magic power circulating wildly around him. Making sweeping gestures with his hands, he sent a small golden bell flying from his palm. Expanding rapidly upon contact with the air, it grew to about a zhang in size and hung suspended above his head. A brilliant golden light aimed in Jiuyou's direction, ready to strike.

Seeing this, the other four Golden Core cultivators each stepped back a distance, secretly summoning their own Natal Magic Treasures and aiming them at the mysterious youth who had suddenly appeared.

Jiuyou tilted his head slightly, giving the group a sidelong glance.

A cold snort issued from his nose.

"Did I tell you to move?"

His words had barely faded.

An immense, boundless oppressive pressure crashed down from the heavens, heavy as a toppling mountain and overwhelming as a reversing sea.

The four Golden Core cultivators were instantly crushed beneath the weight, slammed to the ground with a heavy thud. Their Natal Magic Treasures clattered to the floor as their bodies were violently embedded into the stone. Deep within them, even their Golden Cores fractured with fine fissures under the terrifying pressure. No matter how they struggled, they could not move a single hair's breadth.

As for the ugly dwarf, being a Nascent Soul cultivator, he fared slightly better. Yet he was still violently swatted from the air by the oppressive pressure, crashing into the ground hard enough to smash a shallow crater.

His eyes were wide open, his eyeballs bulging as his voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Nascent Soul Late Stage!"

"How is this possible... This is absolutely impossible!"