Chapter 616 - 556: Arrow Cultivator

Chapter 616: Chapter 556: Arrow Cultivator

The moment Wen Yangxi appeared, the atmosphere between the two armies froze solid.

His presence was overwhelming!

Though he had lost an arm, his Qi Mechanism seemed to have been honed through the ordeal, stripped of all dross and left with only a dazzling edge. He was completely different from their first meeting, now like an unsheathed Divine Sword. And the killing intent in his eyes—

—was like ancient, glacial ice.

"Is standing behind that pass the only way you dare to face me?"

Chen Che raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with mockery.

"I received the message you sent, Old Hall Master. Didn’t you travel thousands of miles for revenge? You can’t accomplish that by hiding behind the pass day after day."

"Silence!"

A cultivator from the Azure Dragon Hall behind Wen Yangxi immediately pointed at Chen Che. "You shameless whelp! Our ancestor only fell for your trick because he was careless for a moment. Things are different now! He will surely avenge the fallen cultivators of our clan with your blood!"

"And who are you?"

"I am Wen Tianhong, the current Patriarch of the Wen Family and Hall Master of the Azure Dragon Hall!"

"I heard that only direct descendants of Wen Yangxi can hold the title of Patriarch in the Wen Family. You should be thanking me for eliminating Wen Chaocan and Wen Tianzhu. Otherwise, someone of your standing wouldn’t even be qualified to speak to me."

As someone from an age of information overload, Chen Che was a master of snide, backhanded remarks.

Right on cue, a burst of deliberate, mocking laughter erupted from behind Chen Che.

"There’s no need for a war of words."

Wen Yangxi glanced at his grandnephew before turning his gaze back to Chen Che.

"You aren’t part of the Primordial Sect’s core lineage; Duobao has been targeting and trying to kill you all along. If I’m not mistaken, they’re the ones who pushed you forward to challenge me, aren’t they? If you’re willing to defect to the Star-Picking Sect, it wouldn’t be impossible for us to resolve our enmity."

"I could even discuss with the Old Tower Master about establishing a fifth Hall just for you. All the territory from Chu State to Yunzhou would belong to your Jinyun Valley. If you agree, my Mist Rain Tower will work with you right now to annihilate the cultivators from both of their sects."

While the lower ranks were unaware of many of these matters, they were open secrets among the leadership.

Wen Yangxi’s words were a bombshell, a calculated move to entice, recruit, and sow discord. Others might not have understood the full implications, but Duobao felt a chill crawl up his spine. He stared intently at Chen Che, terrified he would defect on the spot.

Xiao Chan, Chen Xi, and the others stirred, clearly tempted.

’If he’s serious, those terms are incredibly generous.’

The Mist Rain Tower was an alliance, much like the Hong Alliance or the Ten Thousand Gods Alliance, but its factions were far more tightly knit. If a fifth Hall were created for them, they would truly be lords of their own domain, free from any higher authority.

"That trick won’t work on me."

Chen Che, however, remained completely unmoved.

Wen Yangxi turned to Duobao. "You all forced me to come out and fight, and I’m more than happy to oblige. When I’m fighting Chen Che, you can launch a sneak attack from behind. Together, we can finally eliminate this thorn in both our sides!"

Duobao’s mouth twitched.

The moment the words were spoken, he felt several warning gazes land on him.

After that, he turned to the Star-Picking Sect, a mocking expression on his face. "The Mist Rain Tower and the Star-Picking Sect can renew our old agreement. We’ll pincer them from both sides, join forces to destroy the Primordial Sect, and split their territory fifty-fifty!"

At his words, the camps of both sects fell utterly silent. The faces of the subordinate cultivators paled as they began to eye each other with suspicion.

"Hahaha!"

Wen Yangxi threw his head back and laughed heartily.

’How amusing. The two sects knew enough to try and use him as their weak point, but did they really think he couldn’t do the same to them? They’d seriously underestimated him!’

The expressions of the many Chiefs on the field changed drastically.

This Old Hall Master was far more difficult to deal with than they had anticipated; he had fractured their alliance with just a few words. Even Chen Che frowned. Compared to Wen Yangxi, Duobao’s petty schemes seemed utterly amateurish.

This was an open conspiracy, a plot laid bare for all to see, which made it impossible to defend against.

「At this moment.」

Behind the pass, figure after figure began to appear.

Clearly, the other Golden Core Cultivators inside the pass had been alerted and were now rushing over. The Four Greats—the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, and White Tiger Halls—each occupied a sector, while the other smaller, scattered Halls gathered behind them.

"I’ve always heard that the Old Hall Master was wise and resourceful, but I see now that’s not true."

Seeing the other Golden Core Cultivators arrive, Jiang Shaotian knew he couldn’t let Wen Yangxi keep talking. If he did, their alliance would crumble without a fight. He shot Wen Yangxi a cruel smile.

"Your descendants were slaughtered, but you don’t dare to come out for revenge. You just hide behind the wall, barking like a cornered dog. Are you expecting the Mist Rain Tower to avenge you? They’ll just tell you to ’consider the bigger picture’ and put it aside for now."

"If we fail to break this pass and retreat, we will inevitably sign a truce with the Mist Rain Tower. And do you really think they will risk restarting a full-blown war just to let you tear up that treaty and attack Jinyun Valley?"

"By then, you’ll be dragging around that broken body of yours, counting down what little lifespan you have left. Even if you still wanted to attack Jinyun Valley, do you think your Azure Dragon Hall—your family—would be willing to face annihilation just for your personal vendetta?"

Every word was a dagger to the heart.

Each sentence struck one of Wen Yangxi’s deepest insecurities. Although Jiang Shaotian’s words were pure speculation, they were perfectly logical. Common sense dictated that if the two sects failed to breach the pass, the war would inevitably end in the exact scenario he had described.

"Isn’t that right, Wen Tianhong, current Hall Master of the Azure Dragon Hall and Patriarch of the Wen Family? You’re not from the main line of succession. The only reason you’re sitting in that seat is because you happen to have the highest cultivation and seniority right now."