No way. That was impossible.
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist shook his head.
He knew Jiang He very well.
The kid had cultivated for only a very short time but had ascended up to True Immortal-pinnacle, and could turn the tables against Golden Immortals already, making him an unparalleled prodigy.
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist even heard that Jiang He was extravagant in his cultivation—when he was still a low-ranked martial artist, he would chug Origin Fluid as if he was drinking water, even if it was incredibly precious to other low-ranked martial artist, not to mention that he possessed inestimable troves of spirit stones and immortal crystals.
That being said…
Reaching Golden Immortal was not that easy.
It required remarkable enlightenment in Dao, and was not dependent on the accumulation of resources or whatnot.
Wang Hou gestured that he understood the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist’s reaction very well.
Clapping the other man on the shoulder, he assured him, “Brother Ten Thousand Swords… I understand what you’re thinking.”
“Take myself for an example: when I was out on a trip around eleven years ago, I fell into a cave dwelling of a Void-tier martial artist, hence obtaining his legacy and hence assuming the path of martial arts.”
“After that, I would train for at least an hour every day, no matter how cold or how hot it got. There was no telling how much sweat and effort I had given, and yet he surpassed my eleven years of hard work after training for just half a year.”
“…”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist promptly looked up at Wang Hou.
Wang Hou did not seem to notice it, however, and sighed. “I’ve founded my own Dao and was assured that I would not lose out to Golden Immortals. How could I have imagined that the kid has far surpassed me again?”
There was a helplessness in his voice.
On the other hand, the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist felt the corner of his lips twitching and he cursed inwardly!
Eleven years?
At least one hour each day?
You only trained that long each day, and you are already bragging about it to me?
He then remembered that he had cultivated for almost… 6,000 years.
Surviving untold number of battles and cultivating diligently for eons, he had finally cultivated into a Golden Immortal 4,000 years ago, and founded the Ten Thousand Swords Sect 3,600 years ago.
Even so, he remained a mere top-ranked Golden Immortal.
If nothing unexpected occurred, he may remain Golden Immortal for life.
Beside him, Wang Hou was still endlessly complaining about Jiang He.
Somehow, it was unavoidable that he would mention himself and make comparisons while he complained, especially when he described how his clumsiness had led to such minor accomplishments after eleven years’ worth of cultivation, and more than that…
Everything depended entirely on luck.
For example, falling into a mountain cave in a trip, only to fine a cave dwelling heritage site within.
For example, going to the beach to gawk at bikinis, only for the sea to wash up an iron chest to him, and opening it to find a bottle of spirit pellets and a martial arts manual.
Even more outrageously, he described how he had fallen off a cliff in great detail.
“I remembered that was when I first reached rank-eight… I was exploring an ancient forest when I misstep and fell off a cliff. Heavily wounded and unconscious, I woke up to find that there were a dozen floral spirits growing beneath the cliff.”
“Do you know what floral spirits are, Brother Ten Thousand Swords?”
“You don’t?”
“Ah. It’s the name we gave to certain mutated plants. They grow from absorbing the world’s Spirit Qi and contain concentrated pure energies. Moreover, they had mutated and hence gained certain special abilities, so out of hunger and desperation with those floral spirits within reach, I had to…”
“Silence!”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist barked.
He really could not bear listening to the rest.
His teeth clenched, he bellowed, “Yes, Minister Wang, you are the chosen one who embodies Fortune Qi, which make sense that your cultivation progressed quickly. Even so, that is not a disposition to brag, and if you keep doing that, I’m turning back to the homeworld right away!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking.”
Wang Hou could not decide if he should laugh or cry.
How did his complaining become bragging?
Oh!
He almost forgot that he had cultivated for 111 years and not just eleven years. After all, the century he had spent in the Star Map must be counted in as well.
Though he opened his mouth, Wang Hou ultimately held back.
It was better not to say it.
What if the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist misunderstood him, and assumed that he was bragging about his peerless Fortune Qi and hence obtained the Star Map? How could that not invoke jealousy?
The pair said nothing for a while.
Still, the air was much more relaxed than before.
They continued ahead and were now closer to the Black Demon Star.
“Eh?”
The faces of both men twitched and Wang Hou said, “There should have been a huge battle ahead. The dimensions are turbulent, and the lingering auras of combat is powerful.”
“There’s someone over there!”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist cast his Sky Eye again and said, “No, that’s not human… a dog?”
Realizing with a start, his eyes widened at Wang Hou as he said somberly, “It’s Jiang He’s dog. What is he doing there?”
That further affirmed Wang Hou’s previous thought and he smiled. “I’ve been to Jiang He’s house. His pets are here but his maids are not, so it seems that he had come with full-house to ambush the legion of the Hundred Races Alliance.”
The two men no longer hid their presence nor their aura and rapidly advanced, soon arriving near the battlefield.
Unknown Fox, Dumbo, Trumbo, the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, the two Golden Winged Rocs, and the nine Wise Rock Monkeys seemed to sense them. They all turned toward the two men, unable to hide the look of shock in their eyes.
That was especially so for Dumbo.
Taking off his shades, his exclaimed in surprise, “Why are you here, Minister Wang?”
“I had a hunch that Jiang He would run here to attack the Alliance, so I came to help,” Wang Hou replied, while his eyes turned toward the stars behind Dumbo.
He could naturally clearly sense the Dao and godly techniques marked inside the dimensions with his vision, as well as the corpses and mystic treasures floating in outer space.
Jiang He… had really done it!
His lone-man surprise attack on the Alliance’s legion succeeded!
Moreover, the situation appeared to be a complete victory for Jiang He. Otherwise, there was no way his pets would be having such an easy time cleaning up the battlefield.
Despite having guessed this outcome, the shock on Wang Hou’s face was hardly concealable when it was proved through.
Immeasurable delight soon followed the shock.
Jiang He had wiped out the legion of the Alliance!
Earth’s crisis was resolved!
“Hold on…”
Wang Hou’s expression changed as he turned toward Dumbo and pressed, “Where is Jiang He? How are his injuries?”
Dumbo thought about it, but shook its head.
It mused, “I’m not sure… when I last saw my master, he had returned bathed in blood after the battle and was a little worn in spirit. He did not mention how his injuries actually were and we did not ask, but it’s probably nothing.”
Having been influenced by the old pedant that was Trumbo, Dumbo had gained some bookishness in his speech. He no longer spoke entirely in curses or with the jumbled dialect of Xibei.
Breathing a long sighed, he asked, “Where’s your master now?”
Dumbo pointed at the distant stars with his paw. “Several hundred thousand kilometers from this direction, I think.”
Beside them, the Thousand Swords Daoist was equally petrified.
“No, this is impossible,” he muttered. “How powerful is the legion of the Alliance after all? Not even the immortals of the homeworld could win completely against them, so how did Jiang He repelled all of them by himself?
“What are you saying?”
Dumbo appeared upset at the doubting.
As its anger surfaced, its accent returned as well.
Rolling its canine eyes before studying the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist from head to toe several times, it bared its teeth in cold smile, “Why compare a bunch of trash to my master?”
“How could the legion of the Alliance be a match for my master?”
“He alone charged into Black Demon Star and turned it upside down slaughtering Alliance forces. He slayed thousands of Heavenly Immortals, hundred of True Immortals, and almost a hundred Golden Immortals, along with countless of non-immortal of Alliance legionnaires.”
“My master even blew up all of Black Demon Star. Could your so-called immortals do that?”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist was not angered despite the dog’s confrontation.
Indeed, his entire emotional center had been filled with shock to the point that he could not get angry.
Still, having heard Dumbo, he could not help muttering, “Jiang He is a mere True Immortal…”
“Insolence!”
Furious, Dumbo barked, “How dare you belittle our master? Don’t you believe our master could cut your head off with a single swing of his sword?”
Eh?!
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist was blue with shock.
Is this dog really that tactless?
Still, considering that one must think about the owner before hitting a dog, he did not keep quarreling with Dumbo and said, “I’ve never belittled Jiang He—his combat prowess is peerless and he could turn the tables against a Golden Immortal even as a True Immortal. His true abilities naturally would not lose out to mine, but the Hundred Races Alliance is not so weak a force.”
Could it be…
Turning away, the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist pondered, “Perhaps the legion of the Alliance was unable to gather in time?”
“Was that why they did not have sufficient champions in their ranks?”
“What are you saying?”
Even more furious now, Dumbo bared its teeth and barked wildly at the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist in rage. “Mongrel! In the end, you are just belittling our master, aren’t you?! I’ll slap your big mouth, believe me!”
Of course, it was only trying to win verbally and used Jiang He’s stature to throw its weight around.
After all, the dog was acquainted with the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist—the latter was a top-tier Golden Immortal and a powerful sword cultivator. Would a dog who had just cultivated for half a year be a match for him?
Unknown Fox smiled as he joined in. “You are right, Ten Thousand Swords Daoist. The legion of the Alliance had yet to fully gather.”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist grinned and shot Dumbo the stink-eye.
After all…
That only made sense.
Even if Jiang He’s methods were as mysterious as they were profound, and given the precedent that he had slain Golden Immortals before, the Alliance forces that had gathered here must be several lesser races with just a dozen Golden Immortals. If Jiang He took them on one by one, he would still have a chance of repelling them.
“Oh, no!”
At that thought, the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist quickly said, “Hurry, contact your master—even if this battle is won, the champions of the Alliance could still rally and convene here. If that happens, there would be no running away.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Ten Thousand Swords Daoist.”
Unknown Fox put on a refreshed expression, smiling faintly as he said, “Please allow me to finish and make your choice.”
Ahem.
Unknown Fox cleared his throat.
After being an underling for so long, it was finally time for me to show-off!
Keeping his indifferent expression as if the world collapsing would not even make him frown or even shock him, he calmly said, “A few days ago, Master and I had made haste for Black Demon Star…”
“And we found dozens of races already gathered there.”
No way. That was impossible.
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist shook his head.
He knew Jiang He very well.
The kid had cultivated for only a very short time but had ascended up to True Immortal-pinnacle, and could turn the tables against Golden Immortals already, making him an unparalleled prodigy.
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist even heard that Jiang He was extravagant in his cultivation—when he was still a low-ranked martial artist, he would chug Origin Fluid as if he was drinking water, even if it was incredibly precious to other low-ranked martial artist, not to mention that he possessed inestimable troves of spirit stones and immortal crystals.
That being said…
Reaching Golden Immortal was not that easy.
It required remarkable enlightenment in Dao, and was not dependent on the accumulation of resources or whatnot.
Wang Hou gestured that he understood the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist’s reaction very well.
Clapping the other man on the shoulder, he assured him, “Brother Ten Thousand Swords… I understand what you’re thinking.”
“Take myself for an example: when I was out on a trip around eleven years ago, I fell into a cave dwelling of a Void-tier martial artist, hence obtaining his legacy and hence assuming the path of martial arts.”
“After that, I would train for at least an hour every day, no matter how cold or how hot it got. There was no telling how much sweat and effort I had given, and yet he surpassed my eleven years of hard work after training for just half a year.”
“…”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist promptly looked up at Wang Hou.
Wang Hou did not seem to notice it, however, and sighed. “I’ve founded my own Dao and was assured that I would not lose out to Golden Immortals. How could I have imagined that the kid has far surpassed me again?”
There was a helplessness in his voice.
On the other hand, the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist felt the corner of his lips twitching and he cursed inwardly!
Eleven years?
At least one hour each day?
You only trained that long each day, and you are already bragging about it to me?
He then remembered that he had cultivated for almost… 6,000 years.
Surviving untold number of battles and cultivating diligently for eons, he had finally cultivated into a Golden Immortal 4,000 years ago, and founded the Ten Thousand Swords Sect 3,600 years ago.
Even so, he remained a mere top-ranked Golden Immortal.
If nothing unexpected occurred, he may remain Golden Immortal for life.
Beside him, Wang Hou was still endlessly complaining about Jiang He.
Somehow, it was unavoidable that he would mention himself and make comparisons while he complained, especially when he described how his clumsiness had led to such minor accomplishments after eleven years’ worth of cultivation, and more than that…
Everything depended entirely on luck.
For example, falling into a mountain cave in a trip, only to fine a cave dwelling heritage site within.
For example, going to the beach to gawk at bikinis, only for the sea to wash up an iron chest to him, and opening it to find a bottle of spirit pellets and a martial arts manual.
Even more outrageously, he described how he had fallen off a cliff in great detail.
“I remembered that was when I first reached rank-eight… I was exploring an ancient forest when I misstep and fell off a cliff. Heavily wounded and unconscious, I woke up to find that there were a dozen floral spirits growing beneath the cliff.”
“Do you know what floral spirits are, Brother Ten Thousand Swords?”
“You don’t?”
“Ah. It’s the name we gave to certain mutated plants. They grow from absorbing the world’s Spirit Qi and contain concentrated pure energies. Moreover, they had mutated and hence gained certain special abilities, so out of hunger and desperation with those floral spirits within reach, I had to…”
“Silence!”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist barked.
He really could not bear listening to the rest.
His teeth clenched, he bellowed, “Yes, Minister Wang, you are the chosen one who embodies Fortune Qi, which make sense that your cultivation progressed quickly. Even so, that is not a disposition to brag, and if you keep doing that, I’m turning back to the homeworld right away!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking.”
Wang Hou could not decide if he should laugh or cry.
How did his complaining become bragging?
Oh!
He almost forgot that he had cultivated for 111 years and not just eleven years. After all, the century he had spent in the Star Map must be counted in as well.
Though he opened his mouth, Wang Hou ultimately held back.
It was better not to say it.
What if the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist misunderstood him, and assumed that he was bragging about his peerless Fortune Qi and hence obtained the Star Map? How could that not invoke jealousy?
The pair said nothing for a while.
Still, the air was much more relaxed than before.
They continued ahead and were now closer to the Black Demon Star.
“Eh?”
The faces of both men twitched and Wang Hou said, “There should have been a huge battle ahead. The dimensions are turbulent, and the lingering auras of combat is powerful.”
“There’s someone over there!”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist cast his Sky Eye again and said, “No, that’s not human… a dog?”
Realizing with a start, his eyes widened at Wang Hou as he said somberly, “It’s Jiang He’s dog. What is he doing there?”
That further affirmed Wang Hou’s previous thought and he smiled. “I’ve been to Jiang He’s house. His pets are here but his maids are not, so it seems that he had come with full-house to ambush the legion of the Hundred Races Alliance.”
The two men no longer hid their presence nor their aura and rapidly advanced, soon arriving near the battlefield.
Unknown Fox, Dumbo, Trumbo, the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers, the two Golden Winged Rocs, and the nine Wise Rock Monkeys seemed to sense them. They all turned toward the two men, unable to hide the look of shock in their eyes.
That was especially so for Dumbo.
Taking off his shades, his exclaimed in surprise, “Why are you here, Minister Wang?”
“I had a hunch that Jiang He would run here to attack the Alliance, so I came to help,” Wang Hou replied, while his eyes turned toward the stars behind Dumbo.
He could naturally clearly sense the Dao and godly techniques marked inside the dimensions with his vision, as well as the corpses and mystic treasures floating in outer space.
Jiang He… had really done it!
His lone-man surprise attack on the Alliance’s legion succeeded!
Moreover, the situation appeared to be a complete victory for Jiang He. Otherwise, there was no way his pets would be having such an easy time cleaning up the battlefield.
Despite having guessed this outcome, the shock on Wang Hou’s face was hardly concealable when it was proved through.
Immeasurable delight soon followed the shock.
Jiang He had wiped out the legion of the Alliance!
Earth’s crisis was resolved!
“Hold on…”
Wang Hou’s expression changed as he turned toward Dumbo and pressed, “Where is Jiang He? How are his injuries?”
Dumbo thought about it, but shook its head.
It mused, “I’m not sure… when I last saw my master, he had returned bathed in blood after the battle and was a little worn in spirit. He did not mention how his injuries actually were and we did not ask, but it’s probably nothing.”
Having been influenced by the old pedant that was Trumbo, Dumbo had gained some bookishness in his speech. He no longer spoke entirely in curses or with the jumbled dialect of Xibei.
Breathing a long sighed, he asked, “Where’s your master now?”
Dumbo pointed at the distant stars with his paw. “Several hundred thousand kilometers from this direction, I think.”
Beside them, the Thousand Swords Daoist was equally petrified.
“No, this is impossible,” he muttered. “How powerful is the legion of the Alliance after all? Not even the immortals of the homeworld could win completely against them, so how did Jiang He repelled all of them by himself?
“What are you saying?”
Dumbo appeared upset at the doubting.
As its anger surfaced, its accent returned as well.
Rolling its canine eyes before studying the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist from head to toe several times, it bared its teeth in cold smile, “Why compare a bunch of trash to my master?”
“How could the legion of the Alliance be a match for my master?”
“He alone charged into Black Demon Star and turned it upside down slaughtering Alliance forces. He slayed thousands of Heavenly Immortals, hundred of True Immortals, and almost a hundred Golden Immortals, along with countless of non-immortal of Alliance legionnaires.”
“My master even blew up all of Black Demon Star. Could your so-called immortals do that?”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist was not angered despite the dog’s confrontation.
Indeed, his entire emotional center had been filled with shock to the point that he could not get angry.
Still, having heard Dumbo, he could not help muttering, “Jiang He is a mere True Immortal…”
“Insolence!”
Furious, Dumbo barked, “How dare you belittle our master? Don’t you believe our master could cut your head off with a single swing of his sword?”
Eh?!
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist was blue with shock.
Is this dog really that tactless?
Still, considering that one must think about the owner before hitting a dog, he did not keep quarreling with Dumbo and said, “I’ve never belittled Jiang He—his combat prowess is peerless and he could turn the tables against a Golden Immortal even as a True Immortal. His true abilities naturally would not lose out to mine, but the Hundred Races Alliance is not so weak a force.”
Could it be…
Turning away, the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist pondered, “Perhaps the legion of the Alliance was unable to gather in time?”
“Was that why they did not have sufficient champions in their ranks?”
“What are you saying?”
Even more furious now, Dumbo bared its teeth and barked wildly at the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist in rage. “Mongrel! In the end, you are just belittling our master, aren’t you?! I’ll slap your big mouth, believe me!”
Of course, it was only trying to win verbally and used Jiang He’s stature to throw its weight around.
After all, the dog was acquainted with the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist—the latter was a top-tier Golden Immortal and a powerful sword cultivator. Would a dog who had just cultivated for half a year be a match for him?
Unknown Fox smiled as he joined in. “You are right, Ten Thousand Swords Daoist. The legion of the Alliance had yet to fully gather.”
The Ten Thousand Swords Daoist grinned and shot Dumbo the stink-eye.
After all…
That only made sense.
Even if Jiang He’s methods were as mysterious as they were profound, and given the precedent that he had slain Golden Immortals before, the Alliance forces that had gathered here must be several lesser races with just a dozen Golden Immortals. If Jiang He took them on one by one, he would still have a chance of repelling them.
“Oh, no!”
At that thought, the Ten Thousand Swords Daoist quickly said, “Hurry, contact your master—even if this battle is won, the champions of the Alliance could still rally and convene here. If that happens, there would be no running away.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Ten Thousand Swords Daoist.”
Unknown Fox put on a refreshed expression, smiling faintly as he said, “Please allow me to finish and make your choice.”
Ahem.
Unknown Fox cleared his throat.
After being an underling for so long, it was finally time for me to show-off!
Keeping his indifferent expression as if the world collapsing would not even make him frown or even shock him, he calmly said, “A few days ago, Master and I had made haste for Black Demon Star…”
“And we found dozens of races already gathered there.”
