Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2364 - 189: Subjugation (Part 3)
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
Wang Ba let out a heavy sigh, nodding with grave seriousness as he declared,
"Then it's settled!"
He rose to his full height and offered a formal salute to Chongyuan Patriarch,
"Regarding the Heavenly Observation Mirror, I request that the Patriarch gives it extra focus."
Chongyuan Patriarch quickly stood up to accept the responsibility.
Wang Ba turned his gaze to the assembled group, scanning the faces around him, then lifted his hand with a grin,
"I need Qitian Patriarch, Grandmaster Shao, Grandmaster Xun, Elder Ji, Realm Lord Gan, Taoist Master Qiao, and King Yan to jointly oversee this scheme of substituting the false for the true!"
Ji Ying had handled countless tasks across the Domain, from the Hundred Arts Academy and beyond, making him indispensable for operations like this.
Xun FuJun boldly schemes and executes; he's an effective operator, though his methods can be brutal. Shao Yangzi brings steadiness and balance, perfectly suited to temper Xun FuJun's intensity.
Qitian Patriarch serves as the key figure pushing this plan forward without diving into the details. In the end, he's among the rare early-stage Tribulation Cultivators in the Sea of Chaos Realm, boasting ample seniority and strength, whereas Gan Xiong, Qiao Zhongxu, and Yan Zhi stand for the Boundary Domain Force and the Outer World Cultivators. Their involvement is essential; otherwise, establishing firm defenses and the wilderness ruse would prove unattainable.
The gathering grasped Wang Ba's purpose right away, and while Qiao Zhongxu wore a strained look, the rest voiced their agreement.
Wang Ba eyed Qiao Zhongxu before addressing him abruptly,
"Oh, right, Fellow Daoist Qiao, during my time in the Realm Sea, I seized some followers of the Supreme True Buddha. Might any hail from the Jade Pot Realm? Would you mind checking them out?"
"You've taken captives from the Supreme True Buddha?"
Qiao Zhongxu showed a hint of astonishment.
Chongyuan Patriarch, Qitian Patriarch, and the others appeared to recall something, turning toward Wang Ba with hopeful stares.
Wang Ba kept his composure, waved his sleeve, and immediately hurled out a silhouette.
The silhouette featured a golden form laced with Demonic Qi, monk-like in appearance, sealed by surface Divine Patterns, its mind lost in unconsciousness.
Yet the instant it materialized, numerous cultivators in the chamber gasped involuntarily.
All those there, with even the least powerful at the Unification stage, sensed the oppressive presence radiating from the monk, unmistakably marking him as a Crossing Tribulation cultivator!
"It seems like early-stage Crossing Tribulation..."
Qiao Zhongxu fixed his gaze on the monk, examining closely, before shaking his head faintly to signal unfamiliarity.
Qitian Patriarch murmured softly,
"That's an Arhat."
The hall's cultivators reeled in shock upon hearing this, leaning in for a better look; a few Outer World Cultivators observing Wang Ba now displayed greater reverence and admiration.
Wang Ba acted unaware, yet another silhouette emerged from his sleeve once more.
"Yet another Arhat!"
Qiao Zhongxu's eyes narrowed just a bit!
Before that mild astonishment could fully settle in his mind, his pupils shrank in an instant!
Nearly simultaneously with the Arhat's emergence, additional Arhat forms tumbled forth.
"Three, four... eight... ten!"
Qiao Zhongxu's face grew solemn, his emotions churning like a massive storm!
That many!
Ten Arhats!
Matching ten early-stage Crossing Tribulation cultivators!
Capturing such a horde of Crossing Tribulation cultivators... This Taoist Master Taiyi, absent for merely over two centuries, what heights has he attained in cultivation now?!
Not only him—in the chamber, beyond the Cloud Sky Realm experts who anticipated it, even Shao Yangzi, Ji Ying, Yao Wudi, and the like revealed faces of utter disbelief!
When did Crossing Tribulation cultivators become so commonplace?!
Wang Ba, on the other hand, furrowed his brow lightly,
"None that you know?"
Qiao Zhongxu recovered from his daze, surprise still flickering in his eyes, as he inspected once more with care, ultimately shaking his head in mild regret,
"No, Fellow Daoist Taiyi has nabbed so many, yet sadly, none from our domain's elders..."
"Don't worry, I've got more—see if any catch your eye."
Wang Ba uttered these words amid the stunned stares of Qiao Zhongxu and the rest, lifting his other sleeve for a gentle flick.
In a flash, over twenty silhouettes spilled from the sleeve successively.
These silhouettes, the moment they landed, prompted the nearby cultivators to rise in stunned awe.
Chongyuan Patriarch and Qitian Patriarch alike, along with the silent Taoist Man lurking in the shadows who had yet to utter a word, all betrayed expressions of profound astonishment!
"Bodhisattva Realm... so many snared!"
Taoist Man's mind raced with both shock and joy,
"My hunch was spot on—he was holding back earlier! He only recently entered Crossing Tribulation? With prowess like this, who but Immortal Monarch Luhe could it be?"
Wang Ba stayed composed, however, turning to the deeply troubled Qiao Zhongxu and inquiring mildly,
"Any you know among these?"
Qiao Zhongxu, right then, drowned in the shock-induced haze.
He stared blankly at the silhouettes, their features blurring in his vision, though the auras surging from them crashed like endless tides, choking even his breaths.
Right then, a profound helplessness welled up inside him.
He grasped the intent driving the other's display.
"Showing off might through seized monks?"
Despair crept into his chest.
Gathering his resolve, he examined the silhouettes individually, halting at a monk with a blazing red form, his eyes lighting up abruptly,
"That's... Grand Ancestor Liu?!"
"Oh? One you recognize?"
Wang Ba showed little surprise, his eyes passing over the figure before lingering,
"Wisdom Truth Bodhisattva?"
The monk rested in oblivion, none other than the famed leader of the Ten Bodhisattvas, Wisdom Truth Bodhisattva.
Qiao Zhongxu swiftly faced Wang Ba,
"Fellow Daoist Taiyi, might you rouse him?"
Wang Ba gave a faint headshake,
"It's not unwillingness on my part, but waking him risks shattering this Taoist Field... and the moment hasn't arrived."
Qiao Zhongxu hesitated briefly, then comprehended, bowing deeply to Wang Ba with respect,
"I pledge to abide by Fellow Daoist Taiyi's plans!"
Wang Ba shot him a look, aware of the misinterpretation, yet with the outcome matching, he saw no need for clarification.
He nodded and stowed away the monks.
This time around, both Qiao Zhongxu and the other Outer World Cultivators displayed far greater deference in their demeanor.
With no more ado, the assembly concluded, as cultivators departed sequentially to ready themselves for the impending fortifications and wilderness ploy.
Following a brief talk with Zhao Feng and the group, learning of the domain's affairs via Chong Hua, he wasted little time.
Before long, after sorting through a slew of duties, he breathed out a deep sigh of ease.
A mere thought later, his form materialized atop the fondly remembered Wanfa Peak.
Atop the summit, an elegant silhouette had lingered in wait for quite some time...