Chapter 1671: Returning to Skyward (III)

“We shouldn’t dawdle here if there’s a continued lack of news about the rest of the universe. Fog Mountain, let’s go back if nothing happens after a while,” suggested Deepsea.

“We can discuss next steps later.” Fog Mountain was in no hurry, he didn’t want to go back to Skycloud major world. And clearly, Deepsea wasn’t just speaking on his own behalf. Perhaps he was bringing a message from the Skycloud master.

Deepsea furrowed his brows. If Fog Mountain didn’t want to go back with him... that meant the man had made up his mind to leave. This would be... very troublesome!

Fog Mountain, do you understand the world master’s meaning? You’re a peak seventh rank! You’ll have to fully give up your strength. The world master will never agree to letting you take seventh rank strength with you!

Fog Mountain hadn’t handed over the strength from Red Velarium’s death because he didn’t think it was enough. There was no point in offering it. He would keep it for now and continue to collect until he reached enough to purchase his freedom.

Hopefully, the world master would agree to his departure then.

Deepsea was immensely troubled by the situation because Fog Mountain was rather popular in Skycloud. The former’s growing concern was that Fog Mountain would not be swayed from his decision to leave and that they would become enemies for it.

There were four seventh ranks in Skycloud. Everyone was more or less on good terms with Fog Mountain, but he was not the world master. The world would become a laughingstock if they erupted in civil war over this!

Fog Mountain ignored Deepsea upon seeing the man fall silent. Fog Mountain was contemplating the situation himself.

After this occurrence, Red Moon could basically be certain that New Martial was not nearby. Otherwise, this had been such a rare opportunity that New Martial was bound to have taken action. They hadn’t, so Red Moon’s greatest threat was temporarily eased.

So the Human King was not here. There’d also been sightings of the Human King near Skyward lately, of the man just walking around. Who knew what he wanted?

As for Red Moon... would they come to Skyward after devouring Orchid Forest and stabilizing their world? They had two seventh ranks in residence now.

However, they would need some time to consolidate their situation.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

In addition, the Silver Moon king and Void seemed to have come off a little worse for the wear. They hadn’t obtained everything for their effort. Everything they’d done had gone to benefit Orchid Forest and Red Moon. What did they have up their sleeves now?

Based on what Fog Mountain understood and his dealings with both Void and the Silver Moon king, these two were extremely audacious characters. Would they leave a situation after gaining nothing at all?

Or were they still looking for more opportunities around Red Moon?

Did they have other plans in mind?

When will the Silver Moon king come to Skyward and open the dao universe for me? I’ve already done what I said I’d do and I’ve expressed my determination to leave Skycloud to the world master.

Fog Mountain could have remained quiet, but he wanted Skycloud to be prepared since it was his home. He didn’t wish for his departure to cause unrest and decline in the world. If the world master was caught off guard, he might fall to another person’s schemes.

While the situation might not end with everyone as friends in the end, it would be a grave sin if his departure resulted in his home being plotted against and destroyed.

Therefore, Fog Mountain raised the issue of his own accord. It also served to demonstrate his resolve and burning of his boats.

I must leave!

It would be so humiliating to stay after he said he would leave. People would laugh at him in the future!

Thus, all that was on his mind now was when the Silver Moon king would return to open the Skyward dao universe.

Whether I succeed or not, I must give it a try!

“Milords,” the Observatory leader said carefully at this time. “Some powerhouses have been reaching out to various Skyward factions lately, hoping that assorted parties will make their dao foundation sites open for experimentation...”

“What?” Fog Mountain was unaware of the situation, but Deepsea seemed familiar with it.

“Some guys think that the appearance of the Skyward dao universe has to do with the dao foundation sites. It appeared when the water and fire envoy sites were destroyed.

“Therefore, there’s a portion of people who wish to experiment and continue destroying dao foundation sites. Wasn’t Demon Summit the site of the dark envoy back in the day?” Deepsea smiled. “These people intend to destroy these sites one by one to see if they can elicit a reaction from the dao universe!”

This suggestion had been raised before, but dao foundation sites were a key reason why Skyward appealed to so many exalted emperors. It would become an empty shell once they were destroyed, so vast sums of wandering cultivators hadn’t agreed to this before!

After all, a ninth rank dao universe had nothing to do with them.

But times were different now. Both Skycloud and Light were in agreement for this course of action, which completely sidelined the wandering cultivators. Could they disagree? Did they dare do so?

These dao foundation sites weren’t that useful to major worlds. So what of an eighth rank dao foundation site? Their world master was an eighth rank and still alive! The places they cultivated at contained more dao foundation than these!

In that case, they could give destroying the other ones a try.

Fog Mountain frowned. He didn’t actually care, but he knew that Demon Summit was different. The dao chess was possibly inside—no, it

was

inside. Void wouldn’t have been able to teleport away if not.

Once Demon Summit was open to the public and even damaged, revealing the dao chess... Would the Silver Moon king and the rest come back?

It was the primary lure bringing them back here for now.

“Demon Summit will not open to the public for now!” Fog Mountain intoned.

“Why not?” Deepsea was puzzled. Everyone else had agreed, why not Fog Mountain?

“It’s not that I won’t permit it to be accessible, but that it shouldn’t be the first batch available,” Fog Mountain explained calmly. “Let’s wait to open it! These guys want to destroy the dao foundation sites and sever the hopes of wandering cultivators. That will also break some roots of various major worlds.

“These sites are a key to attracting chaos wanderers and critical to developing fringe parties. We can destroy them, but we must start from another location!”

The Observatory leader was caught in an awkward spot. He didn’t want to destroy Demon Summit either, but there was nothing he could do other than say, “They... they say that the southern region of the world is most closely tied to Skyward’s dao universe. It was the destruction of two southern region sites that summoned the dao universe.

“Right now, the strongest site in the south is Demon Summit. Therefore, they hope to start with Demon Summit.”

“And who are

they?”

Fog Mountain leveled a look at the increasingly nervous faction leader.

“Some... some masters of major worlds... including Light!” He didn’t say that Skycloud had also agreed. They were just notifying Fog Mountain and hadn’t thought that he would object. It turned out, Fog Mountain did object!

The hell??

This was just a small matter that not even Dragon Observatory cared about. Neither did the Skycloud master care either. It was best if they could find the dao universe, so why did Fog Mountain care?

Or... had they stumbled upon his true motives?

Did Fog Mountain linger here because he knew this was where the dao universe could be found?

That wasn’t without possibility!

This was another point that people had guessed at, because this was where Fog Mountain had come first after entering Skyward. He was the first seventh rank on the scene after the dao universe appeared and had even sealed off the world at one point.

Speculation swirled that Fog Mountain held some insider knowledge. If it wasn’t for his strength and the death of a seventh rank, he would’ve been subject to interrogation already.

Deepsea looked meaningfully at Fog Mountain. Had they guessed correctly, that destroying the dao foundation sites of the southern region really could summon the dao universe? Did Fog Mountain insist on staying here because Demon Summit could achieve that deed?

How strange!

Fog Mountain was trapped in his current situation. The masters of major worlds were no fools. While their guess was wrong, they’d stumbled upon another truth instead. The destruction of Demon Summit would expose many things, including the might of a ninth rank that appeared on that day!

Therefore, he couldn’t permit the site to be vandalized. How troublesome!

The Skyward dao universe was indeed related to the dao foundation sites, but not by much. The key laid with the Silver Moon king. Well, he might need to borrow strength from the sites.

“Just tell them I don’t agree and to start from somewhere else first!”

“But...” Deepsea hesitated.

“There are no buts!” Fog Mountain glowered. “What, are you and Dragon going to force me into agreeing?”

“......” Deepsea didn’t know what to say. He was just increasingly certain that there might really be a connection between Demon Summit and the Skyward dao universe, and that Fog Mountain was drawing the lines between himself and Skycloud.

He rose with some regret. “Then we’ll try the other areas first. If they don’t work... Demon Summit will be destroyed still, Fog Mountain! A seventh rank cannot change that!

“The master of Light and many other major worlds, including Dragon Region and Blazing Sun Region, have sent delegations to the world. As strong as Skycloud is, we cannot withstand them all!”

Withstand?

Fog Mountain laughed. Skycloud was probably eager to destroy the site as well. How would they put up any resistance? This was really very troublesome!

“Then we take our leave,” said Deepsea when Fog Mountain didn’t say anything further. “Fog Mountain, would you like to come watch?”

“Nope!”

“......” This further deepened Deepsea’s certainty that Fog Mountain knew their attempts would be futile. He did know something and wasn’t even bothering to hide it!

Deepsea left without a second word; the Observatory leader looked carefully at Fog Mountain and quickly left with the other Dragon Observatory exalted emperors. Dragon Observatory’s patron was Skycloud, not Fog Mountain. He just couldn’t afford to offend this personage, that was all.

And so, only Fog Mountain was left in the enormous hall. No, there was a servant as well. One that poured tea and wine for him.

Fog Mountain drank tea, not wine. After a while, he flicked a glance at the servant beside him. “When do you think they’ll return?”

“......” A nervous expression spread across the servant’s face.

“What, no guesses?”

“It’s... it’s not that... milord... I...”

“Aren’t you familiar with them, Big Claw?”