Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2405 - 204: Lost Treasure (Part 2)
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
In a place as intricate as this, only bold and swift moves can secure victory and ensure total triumph.
And what defines such a bold move? Clearly, it's about picking a target to demonstrate power.
He had initially intended to use Fan Fenglei as that example, yet the man yielded too readily, denying him the chance.
Cheng Lianzi surrendered even faster, leaving him momentarily unsure and allowing the moment to slip away.
With this in mind, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.
His attention drifted a bit, settling back on Fan Fenglei nearby.
Right as he prepared to open his mouth.
Fan Fenglei trembled, emerging from his earlier daze, and quickly declared:
"I, Fan, pledge to follow True Man Taiyi together with Spirit Origin Prefecture!"
"Hmm?"
Wang Ba furrowed his brow lightly, caught off guard:
"I've slain your grandson, and still you want to join me?"
Fan Fenglei gave a wry smile and let out a sigh:
"It's all part of fate and destiny. Besides, that earlier pact of three swords has already been settled with the True Man, hasn't it?"
Wang Ba paused. Deep down, he wasn't the type to kill without mercy or slaughter indiscriminately—he simply couldn't bring himself to it. He tsked softly in disappointment and grudgingly agreed:
"Fine, you may follow me. Such a shame..."
Fan Fenglei picked up on the reluctance in his voice and felt a twinge of worry.
Confused in his thoughts:
"Why does it feel like he'd rather I resisted?"
But Wang Ba didn't waver. Here, sparing lives wouldn't build the dominance needed. A ruthless strike was essential to calm the crowd.
He swiveled his head toward the six cultivators still locked in combat with the Demon Ape, a chill gleaming in his eyes as he uttered in a chilling whisper:
"And you?"
Deep in their intense clash with the Demon Ape, the six men's faces paled at the words.
They banded together once more to push the Demon Ape away and pulled back in unison.
Spotting Cheng Lianzi, Fan Fenglei, Yin Tianzhi, and Realm Master Sangkong all positioned behind Wang Ba sent a jolt through their hearts.
One Demon Ape alone had them barely holding on, escape seeming impossible. Now toss in this enigmatic True Man Taiyi plus four more mid-stage Crossing Tribulation experts...
This realization hit them hard, and without even exchanging looks, the six blurted out almost together:
"Golden Water Pond submits to True Man Taiyi!"
"Yutang Prefecture..."
"Longcong Prefecture..."
As the words escaped, the six jolted at their synced decisions, sharing glances filled with shock, bitter amusement, and mounting tension.
Wang Ba's brow creased deeply—everyone choosing to follow meant no one left to make an example of.
Without that show of force, how could he keep these backstabbing rogue cultivator groups in line?
"All of you want to follow me?"
He swept his eyes over the group, then fixed them on the Golden Water Pond's master, his gaze sharpening:
"You struck first back there—surely you hold a grudge against me?"
While saying this, the Yellow Dao Domain quietly activated around him, poised to unleash.
Feeling the Yellow Dao Domain's looming danger, where one misstep could bring devastating fury, the Golden Water Pond master’s pulse quickened, and he shook his head frantically.
His eyes flicked to Cheng Lianzi's grim expression behind Wang Ba, inwardly cursing him for yielding first and trapping them all. In a flash, his thoughts raced, and he protested his innocence:
"True Man, please see the truth! It was Cheng Lianzi who urged me to lead the assault and probe your power. I was blind then and failed to grasp the True Man's greatness. Now I've seen the light and beg the True Man to kindly accept me."
"Situ Fei, stop your deceit!"
Cheng Lianzi's face twisted a little. Though he restrained his rage, a wave of anger boiled up inside.
But with the Golden Water Pond master leading the charge, the other five's eyes lit up, seizing the opening, and they jumped in to support:
"Exactly, I heard it myself. Cheng Lianzi set it up, making Taoist Friend Situ take the front."
"I can vouch for it. Taoist Friend Situ tells the truth. We were all swayed by Cheng Lianzi..."
"Count me in too..."
The five had long harbored grudges against Cheng Lianzi for his early betrayal. Seizing this chance, they piled on relentlessly, trapping him with no way out in their accusations.
In mere moments, they depicted Cheng Lianzi as the shadowy orchestrator at Zhang’s Ruins, revealing countless shady deeds.
Cheng Lianzi's allegiance to Wang Ba had been forced, his heart already brimming with deep regret. Now under group assault and his dirty secrets laid bare, his standing crumbled further, pushing him over the edge into a heated argument, trading barbs and mutual blame.
Observing the charged, on-the-brink tension between these rival factions, Wang Ba's look grew oddly amused.
"Looks like... I won't need to assert dominance myself."
The hidden and overt rivalries among Zhang’s Ruins forces had simmered for ages. They allied at times but clashed often. In this way, they kept each other in check naturally, sparing him extra work and easing fears of them banding together against his control.
After all, some among them would always flip for personal gain.
In that moment, he grasped why these Zhang’s Ruins groups, with their structured lineages and thriving offshoots, still got branded as 'rogue cultivators'.
"Their loyalties waver, without unity or honor. Unless they shift, they'll never rise to true heights."
Put plainly, too many burdens weighed them down, filling their days with suspicions of neighbors, endless plots, and no room for self-focus. Distracted by trivial squabbles, how could they pursue the Great Dao?
By contrast, in the Cloud Sky Realm, the Cloud Sky Sect claimed a whole domain, letting lesser powers flourish unchecked within, even aiding them at times for shared progress—that felt like a true haven for cultivators.