Chapter 1667: 17: Let Nature Take Its Course, No Interference

Chapter 1667: Chapter 17: Let Nature Take Its Course, No Interference

No, it wasn’t that kind of curiosity… From the Heavenly Sword Master’s expression and bearing, it clearly didn’t think there was any other candidate for victory. What it was saying… it was curious about what method that person it had already chosen… would use to win!

Precisely because they saw through this point, Heavenly Venerate Yu Quan and the other Heavenly Venerates from the Other Realm felt that strange sense of unease.

——Just what are these people from the Three Realms Alliance doing? What kind of information have they actually gotten?

To the extent that… it made them choose not to keep waiting?

[Very well]

No one answered Heavenly Venerate Yu Quan’s doubts. After a brief exchange, the Haotian Mirror immediately reached a joint decision with the other Heavenly Venerates: [Fellow Daoists of the Other Realm, since all of this concerns the frontlines of the Dao Courtyard, concerns the future of the All Heavens and Worlds, concerns all living beings, then for us to remain so closed off, hoarding what we have, indeed doesn’t accord with reason]

[In that case, let it be fair competition. We will no longer bar you from entering the Great Wilderness Realm, but we do have requirements regarding how you enter. You must not damage the Heaven and Earth Membrane of the Great Wilderness Realm, and must maintain its stability]

[As long as you can guarantee that, letting your people enter and fight a fair duel with everyone else—what’s wrong with that?]

[Let it be so, a grand struggle, fight it out and determine the strongest, to gain the Opportunity of Unity!

Since the Three Realms Alliance had suddenly changed its attitude and started supporting their entry, the Heavenly Venerates of the Other Realm naturally would not refuse.

In the end, the strength of the Three Realms Alliance was already incredibly vast. Though the alliance of the Heavenly Venerates from the Other Realm was likewise enormous, it was absolutely not something where you could easily and casually decide the outcome. Once they really started fighting and blood feuds were forged, then the two human Cultivator Alliances that might currently be the strongest within all heavens could very well both end up grievously wounded, handing the Heavenly Demons an opening.

[Then so be it.] After a brief consideration, Heavenly Venerate Yu Quan decisively made its choice. As representative, it stepped forward alone and exchanged salutes with the Heavenly Sword Master, also acting as representative, to indicate cooperation: [Everything shall be left to nature. We will not interfere!]

It was likewise extremely confident in its own side’s representative, the Evil Suppressing Sword Master.

[Good! Everything left to nature, and we will not interfere!]

At the same time, deep within the Great Void, the dormant Heavenly Demons also felt it was somewhat unfortunate. The fact that humans had not fallen into internal strife was a huge disadvantage for them.

But since the Three Realms Alliance was willing to open up, that was good news for them——Heavenly Demons had all the opportunity in the world to lurk within human hearts and slip into the Great Wilderness, and unlike the Heavenly Venerates of the many worlds…

——They absolutely would not “leave it to nature”. They were bound to interfere like crazy!

Meanwhile.

Within the Great Wilderness Realm.

At the core skyland of the Desolate Alliance.

Passing through layer upon layer of billowing clouds, what entered the field of view was an enormous colossus rooted in the heavens—a luminous Gold giant tree tore open the sea of clouds. Its gnarled roots, like blood vessels, ran through and bit into seventeen enormous Sky Islands as anchor points, then used its own trunk and its qi-tendrils as connections, winding around countless steel and rock structures to form a continuous aerial continent.

Its canopy blotted out the sky and sun, lush foliage completely replacing the firmament, radiating a candle-flame-like phosphorescence. Under that glow, on virtually every protrusion of the continent, enormous skyport piers had been built. Tens of thousands of flying shuttles and Skyships dragged clouds as they shuttled back and forth; armored flying battalions circled every key node of this Gold giant tree on patrol, leaving not the slightest gap.

This was the place where, after the collapse of the heavens, the first generation Great General of the Desolate Alliance’s Bright Mirror Army, Yuan You Mountain Master, Gu Yeqi, achieved Ascension; it was also where her True Spirit Body, the “Primordial Hidden Treasure Wood,” resided.

At the center of this core skyland of the Desolate Alliance, a long queue was lined up outside the main gate of the Imperial Inspection Office, waiting to be called in.

Since everyone present was an acquaintance, most of them maintained a stern expression on the surface, but their inner moods spilled out into their looks—their faces could hardly suppress the joy.

But there were still a small number of people who, upon running into acquaintances, simply couldn’t keep it in.

“Yo, Chengming, you came to turn yourself in too?”

The speaker was Daoist Kui Xia. This True Person, who had almost defected, had the corners of her mouth turned up as she greeted a True Person of the Phoenix Clan with light Gold long hair: “Haha, never thought there’d be this many people coming to turn themselves in!”

“Haha, yeah. So it’s you, little Colorful Phoenix. Didn’t expect you couldn’t bear the despair either and secretly went over to the enemy.”

The True Person called Chengming shrugged. She bobbed her head and said, “I was just working in logistics on maintenance. Even if I did defect, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But you, if you really went over to the enemy, that would definitely be serious!”

“Don’t say things like ’went over to the enemy’. I repented before I had time to actually defect. Making a mistake in your Heart isn’t a crime; the ancient sages all said a gentleman judges deeds, not thoughts. In the end I never actually defected. I’m just here to explain the details of my contacts with the Heavenly Demons.”

Daoist Kui Xia firmly rejected this kind of ambiguous phrasing, but without a doubt, perhaps the most exhilarating thing in this world is not making a fortune on stocks or futures, but when a whole crowd is about to crash and shatter to pieces, you manage to jump off the train in time, and can sit on the shore joking about it!

However, just as she was about to carefully chat with her good sister about the details, suddenly the entire line burst into exclamations, making Daoist Kui Xia involuntarily turn her head to look toward the direction where everyone’s gaze was now focused.

Then she too widened her eyes in astonishment and said, “Ah, this, this…”

“General Gu, you’ve returned too?!”

At this moment, all the branches and leaves of that sky-covering Gold giant tree stirred without wind. Billions of rays of light intertwined and cascaded down, and within that boundless gentle radiance, a girl-shaped figure coalesced.

This figure first lowered her head to look at the queue of people turning themselves in, and then a pleasant, melodious voice reached the ears of Daoist Kui Xia and the others.

[In the time I was away, you little brats have really grown bold… Hmph, once I get the chance to deal with you lot with unsteady Will, I’ll thoroughly instill some Great Dao virtue into you!]

With that said, she seemed to have something urgent to do, as though racing against time. In a single flicker she vanished without a trace.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Seeing this, Daoist Kui Xia first froze, inwardly thinking how bitter it was——if it were anyone else in the Desolate Alliance, then even for the sake of stabilizing the army’s morale, they would definitely give a bit of leeway to True Persons like them who hadn’t caused actual damage, let them atone with merit, without any truly substantial punishment.

But if General Gu had returned, then the matter was different. Back when she was a foreman in the Bright Mirror Sect, she was famous for her strictness. Having received instruction from the Four Great Emperor Soldiers of the former Emperor Chen Dynasty, once she took command of the army she was like a Ghost God. If you fell into her hands, you’d be in real trouble—she might even scrape off a layer of your skin and make you a labor slave for the Desolate Alliance!

Yet, turning it around, Daoist Kui Xia actually felt even more at ease inside.

Because… even General Gu didn’t have time to punish them, which only further proved the authenticity of that matter.

That Seven Fiend Great Calamity, the Evil Suppressing Sword Master…

Had really returned!