Chapter 1421 What Are You Doing Here?

As the Chief of the Divine Thunder Bureau, Fan Lei had quite a few Immortal Officials from the Divine Thunder Bureau gathered around him.

Right now they were all sitting under a decorated canopy, waiting to enter the venue on the day the contest started.

Though they were all dignified Immortal Officials, their current setup was a bit shabby.

No helping it—before the first-round mass selection ended, the Celestial Palace didn't arrange any lodging.

And around Lantai, luxurious Palaces weren't allowed either.

"Jiang Cheng!"

As soon as he saw this guy, Fan Lei Daoist Venerable's face went green on the spot.

"What are you doing here?"

Brother Cheng burst out laughing.

"Listen to yourself—if you can come, how come I can't?"

Fan Lei immediately dragged him off to the side, lowered his voice, and voiced his displeasure.

"You're sitting pretty as the Chief of the Celestial Pill Department, what are you doing here joining the circus?"

"Besides, you've already offended Emperor Xiu; the Divine Monarch position was never going to be yours. I think you'd better just go back."

That was what he said out loud, but in his heart, he actually considered Jiang Cheng his biggest rival.

Back then Fan Lei hadn't stayed long in Yunmi Dao. After Cyan Bear Valley's twenty thousand Demon Race were wiped out, he returned directly to the Celestial Palace.

He had no idea about Jiang Cheng's later inhuman feat of killing Yimeng Daoist Saint and unifying all of Yunmi Dao.

Not that it even mattered—that alone was already enough.

In Duan Yang Dao, he had personally witnessed Jiang Cheng's terrifying combat power.

Seeing this guy show up, he immediately realized his own odds of becoming Divine Monarch had dropped another notch.

Brother Cheng grinned. "If it's not mine, does that automatically make it yours?"

"I heard several Daoist Saints are competing, plus a bunch of Upper-rank Star Lords."

"Even if I didn't come, this still wouldn't have much to do with you."

Fan Lei wasn't the least bit rattled by that.

He wiped his Storage Ring, carefully took out a cigarette like it was something precious.

"I came prepared this time."

He stroked the cigarette in his hand like he was caressing a lover.

With proud flair he said, "Daoist Saints are iffy, but Upper-rank Star Lords… I don't even bother to put them in my eyes."

Not just him—the Immortal Officials from the Divine Thunder Bureau behind him all lifted their chins in unison, each one wearing a confident, well-prepared smile.

They had all bought stock from Brother Cheng back then, and to this day none of them had been willing to light one up.

Judging by their posture, they each looked like they were gripping a trump card, ready to go all-out at the key moment of the Divine Communication Assembly.

Brother Cheng's mouth twitched.

You guys are banking on those smokes to turn the whole battle around?

Can you be any more ridiculous?

"I think you really shouldn't be that confident. No matter how good the Treasure is, it still depends on who's using it."

To avoid exposing the truth and damaging his reputation, he could only painstakingly advise these few from the Divine Thunder Bureau to take it easy.

"Besides, battles are messy. It's entirely possible that you'll get one-shotted before you even have the chance to use your Treasure…"

A Daoist Venerable from the Divine Thunder Bureau behind them chuckled faintly.

"Ha, that's not something Elder Jiang needs to worry about."

The other Daoist Venerables were equally full of confidence.

"We're not that weak. As for how to use this Treasure, we don't need you to teach us."

"Exactly. Just make sure you don't leak the power of these Treasures ahead of time."

"We're planning to use them as our secret weapons."

"Best you head back instead of coming here to stir up trouble."

"Let's make it ugly in advance—if we run into you in the contest, don't blame us for using the Treasures you sold to beat you up."

The more they talked, the more outrageous they got; even Fan Lei couldn't listen anymore.

"All of you, shut it. Our relationship with Elder Jiang is good—don't be rude!"

Damn it, this guy's combat power is already way past the Daoist Venerable limit, and he's the wholesaler of Trust Incense.

Where are you getting the confidence to beat him?

The Daoist Venerables of the Divine Thunder Bureau still weren't convinced.

In their hearts: Didn't this guy used to have beef with our Divine Thunder Bureau? Since when is our relationship 'good'?

"Fine, fine, I can't afford to offend you lot!"

Brother Cheng clasped his hands repeatedly.

"Then let me wish you all a glorious performance in this contest."

With that, he didn't even look back as he squeezed into the crowd up ahead.

Because Fan Lei had called out just now, he was still getting quite a bit of attention.

Many Immortals, upon hearing the name Jiang Cheng, all turned their gazes over—some curious, some surprised, some appraising.

For a moment, the crowd was buzzing.

"He's Jiang Cheng?"

"That's right, he's Jiang Cheng, the Chief of the Celestial Pill Department who has never refined a single pill."

"The one who unleashed the Thirteen Layer of Sword Dao on Emperor Sword Star and killed Emperor Xiu's son—that was him?"

"This guy actually came to sign up too. We'll have to keep an eye on him."

"Yet another powerful competitor!"

These murmurs clearly reached the ears of some top Daoist Venerables and Upper-rank Star Lords present.

They stared hard at Jiang Cheng's figure—some wary, some merely shaking their heads in disdain.

"Hmph, he doesn't qualify as any so-called powerful opponent."

"Back then, killing Emperor Xiu's son was on that special Emperor Sword Star, where only the Sword Rule could be used."

"But now…"

"Up against our Star Power, he's not even worth mentioning."

Amid all this discussion, Jiang Cheng finally made his way to the registration desk.

Before the Immortal Official in charge of registration even opened his mouth, Prince Yun, who had been sitting behind them with his eyes closed in rest, suddenly jumped up like his backside was on Fire.

"What are you doing here?"

Same question again, leaving Brother Cheng a bit baffled.

"I'm here to join the Divine Communication Assembly and play for first place. That's not allowed?"

Prince Yun couldn't even be bothered to roast him anymore; he went straight to kicking him out.

"Shoo, shoo, what's the Divine Communication Assembly got to do with you?"

"Go cool your heels somewhere else!"

This scene stunned not only Jiang Cheng, but also the surrounding Immortals.

The news about the Divine Communication Assembly had been spreading for years. They'd seen all kinds of Immortals come to sign up, but not a single one had ever been driven away.

"What's that supposed to mean, I can't register?"

"What do you think?"

Prince Yun glared viciously at this utterly clueless guy, then secretly switched to voice transmission.

"You don't even have a Celestial Heart, what are you signing up for?"

"What business do you have with the Power of the Celestial Dao?"

"Besides, once that bet is over, the Celestial Palace will… expel you."

He'd wanted to say 'get rid of you', but that sort of thing really couldn't be said straight to Sect Leader Jiang's face.

"Can't you have a bit of self-awareness? With your conditions, you've got the gall to dream about becoming Divine Monarch?"

The Hidden Emperor was one thing.

After all, that was just an empty title.

The Divine Monarch was different—that was a genuine, hands-on power holder in the Celestial Palace.

That position, they might give to some minor Venerable, but there was absolutely no way they'd give it to Jiang Cheng.

"Now that's just unreasonable."

Brother Cheng didn't bother with voice transmission; he directly spread his hands at everyone present.

"From what I remember, the Divine Communication Assembly's registration has no restrictions—anyone can sign up, right?"

"The Rules don't limit anyone, yet you single out just me to reject. You've got to at least give a reason, no?"

"Say the reason out loud for everyone to hear. Don't keep it hidden."

Once he said that, the crowd around them began whispering to each other, discussing it.

Prince Yun was so angry his chest felt tight.

Aside from several long-established Daoist Saints from below, every contestant in the Divine Communication Assembly was an Immortal Official of the Celestial Palace.

Immortal Officials all had excellent Celestial Heart Tier, so there'd been no need to pointlessly add that as a restriction for this assembly.