Chapter 206 - 174: The Ascetic Order Has a Few Too Many Managers

Chapter 206: Chapter 174: The Ascetic Order Has a Few Too Many Managers

Inside the Spirit-Locking Tower.

On the ninth floor, Ling Xuzi walked alone to the front of the sealed alloy sphere.

He had been here before and spoken with the person inside.

During that exchange, he had not received the answer he sought.

"So it’s you. No wonder," Xiang Zhe said.

He figured as much. An ordinary person would never have the skill to break the seals of the Spirit-Locking Tower.

Only Ling Xuzi had the ability and the knowledge to do so.

"Senior, what are your thoughts on the Celestial Dao Alliance?" Ling Xuzi asked.

"Utter bullshit. They proclaim themselves the Celestial Dao, but their actions are no different from what we did back in the day," Xiang Zhe said. "The Celestial Dao is impartial; it doesn’t care about cultivation levels or talent. The true Celestial Dao is fair to everyone."

Ling Xuzi remained noncommittal. He had no intention of debating the Dao with Xiang Zhe—he had done that long ago. He already knew this man was far more arrogant, a firm believer in the law of the jungle, where the strong devour the weak.

He had only asked to gauge Xiang Zhe’s attitude toward the Celestial Dao Alliance.

And he was very satisfied with the attitude on display.

"I can let you out, Senior..." Ling Xuzi began.

"Let me out, and I will swear a Heart Demon oath to do one thing for you," Xiang Zhe interrupted before Ling Xuzi could finish.

"You jest, Senior. With your abilities, a Heart Demon is merely nourishment. A Heart Demon oath would have no binding power over you," Ling Xuzi said. "I have nothing to ask of you. It’s just... regaining your freedom will not be easy. Although the Celestial Dao Alliance only has four Divinity Transformation Stage cultivators today, their strength far surpasses that of the ancient cultivators of the past..."

"You want to use my hand to eliminate your enemies? A clever scheme. Now, let me out. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to move my body," Xiang Zhe said.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xuzi did not hesitate. Flashes of sword light streaked through the air, rapidly shattering the seals on the alloy sphere. Simultaneously, with the Spirit-Locking Tower breached, a warning that all its prisoners had escaped was transmitted to the various law enforcement organizations of the Celestial Dao Alliance.

Squadrons of law enforcement shuttles and unmanned Spirit Puppets were already on their way.

When the seals on the alloy sphere were only halfway broken, Xiang Zhe exerted his own power from within.

BANG!

A single punch shattered the sphere by force.

Xiang Zhe had been absorbing Spiritual Qi for a long time during his confinement. While his strength had not fully recovered, he had regained about sixty percent of it.

Sixty percent was by no means a small amount.

In a one-on-one confrontation, he was confident he could overwhelm any cultivator in the world today.

Like tearing paper, Xiang Zhe dug his fingers into the breach and ripped the entire alloy sphere apart, revealing his figure.

A withered, aged body was revealed.

His body had been deprived of Spiritual Power for over three thousand years; to maintain his current state was already a sign of incredible power.

Ling Xuzi met his gaze, and with a single look, their Divine Thoughts clashed invisibly in the space between them.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

Cracks spread across the alloy body of the tower around them.

It could not withstand the aftershocks generated by the collision of their powerful Divine Thoughts.

"You’re stronger than Yu Xuan. He taught a fine disciple," Xiang Zhe said, averting his gaze with a smile.

"Thank you for the compliment, Senior," Ling Xuzi said impassively.

Inwardly, he was actually quite horrified.

He had assumed that after being sealed for so long, Xiang Zhe’s strength would have declined significantly. With his lifespan approaching its end and his Qi and Blood failing, he believed the ancient cultivator’s outdated methods would render him relatively weak.

But in that moment, Ling Xuzi realized he had misjudged.

The Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart he had cultivated with his Heart-Devouring Demonic Arts was likely no inferior to any of the modern era’s computational arrays.

This senior had long been at the forefront of the era.

"They’re here."

Xiang Zhe’s gaze shifted toward the void, where he could sense four powerful auras.

The moment he broke the seal, he had alerted the Four Elders of the Celestial Dao Alliance.

"Let me see if you’ve made any progress after all these years!"

Xiang Zhe let out a savage laugh as terrifying power erupted from his withered frame. In an instant, he shot upward.

BOOM!

Space itself warped as Xiang Zhe smashed directly through the top of the Spirit-Locking Tower and shot out.

While in the air, his immense Divine Thought spread out, instantly blanketing the entire Void Heaven.

Far in the distance, above Nine Nether Deep Technology, Mo Ye’s expression was one of utter disbelief.

’He’s still alive?’

So much time had passed, and there had been no sign of him for so long.

Many had forgotten Xiang Zhe even existed, assuming he had already perished under the seal.

Mo Ye knew his family had such an Elder Ancestor in the Spirit-Locking Tower. He had even seen him once when he was only at the Nascent Soul stage, but this was the first time he was truly seeing him in person.

Recalling the tales of this Elder Ancestor’s past deeds, he suddenly realized things were about to get seriously complicated.

Dugu Yunfeng and the two others who had just rushed to Void Heaven were also stunned.

They had just received a message that Ling Xuzi had appeared near the Spirit-Locking Tower and were still wondering why.

Now, it all became clear.

"We absolutely cannot let the Heart-Devouring Old Demon and Ling Xuzi join forces! We have to suppress him again now, while he’s just broken the seal and hasn’t recovered his full Spiritual Power!" Nangong Zhiqing sent via voice transmission.

"I don’t think Ling Xuzi came for the Heart-Devouring Demon Lord," Zhuge Mingyuan said, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Even though his Direct Disciple had died, he wasn’t particularly grief-stricken, nor did he harbor much hatred toward Ling Xuzi and the Ascetic Order.

His self-modifications were too extensive; for the sake of greater computational efficiency, he had removed too many unnecessary emotional systems.

Aside from his thirst for knowledge, few of his other emotions remained.

"Regardless, he must answer for his actions here today!" Dugu Yunfeng said grimly.

The Celestial Sword Group had produced a traitor who caused all this trouble; as Ling Xuzi’s senior brother, Dugu Yunfeng felt the responsibility was his to bear.