Chapter 1491: The Sages Gather

There wasn’t actually two choices, of course. Not for Ye Qing. There was only ever the second option.

He was a human. For that reason alone, he could never abandon hundreds of thousands of lives to their fates to fulfill his own selfish wants.

He simply did not have it in him to do such a thing.

So, where was his destination?

The Rakshasa Kingdom, of course.

There was nothing better than saving lives and killing Strangers at the same time.

Besides, this was the strategy they had agreed to from the start. Although the execution and the method greatly differed from their imagination, the result was the same, so it was fine.

“Please give me a moment.” Ye Qing lightly shut his eyes and inhaled.

Nothing seemed to happen inside the corpse, but outside? A violent storm was brewing.

Above the sea, Danxia Zi had just finished contacting the Sea Dividing Sword Saint, the Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King, the Sky Scorching Great Emperor, and Empress Yue Su when suddenly, inexplicable fear and trepidation gripped him. Infinite, terrible waves of power were emanating from the sea below him.

The next moment, the clouds gathered, the wind howled, and the world grew dark.

“What’s going on?” Danxia Zi frowned. The next moment, he saw the demonic fire gathering from every direction and slipping into the sea as if drawn by some sort of mysterious power or willed by some extraordinary existence.

Over time, a whirlpool about fifty kilometers in diameter appeared on the sea surface. The sight of fire-wreathed seawater pouring into the whirlpool was rather grand and intimidating.

Danxia Zi flickered out of existence and reappeared a few kilometers away from the whirlpool. He examined it with a deep frown on his face.

A terrible attraction force existed above the whirlpool. Scratch that, it existed all around the whirlpool. As time passed, the attraction force was only growing stronger and stronger. Even he did not dare to go closer for fear of being pulled inside.

A moment passed, and two beams of radiant light reached his location. The light then faded away to reveal two figures.

One man wore rags and boasted a mediocre countenance. He was carrying a sheathed sword on his waist. He looked like nothing special, but his aura resembled that of an unsheathed sword: sharp, uncontrollable, and unstoppable.

The other man was wearing a crimson gold-colored dragon robe and an imperial crown. His countenance was handsome, and his stature was impressive. Regal and domineering, fire stirred beneath his feet and filled everything within three hundred meters around him with an air of scorching heat and vicious tyranny. It swept away all the wind, clouds, and waves within his range like he was a demon or a god.

“What’s going on, Danxia Zi?” The emperor-like man asked in a high-and-mighty tone as soon as he appeared. It did not sound like he was speaking to a peer.

“I don’t know.” Danxia Zi did not get angry though. It was because the man before him was one of the six Sages of the Profound Alliance and the ruler of the Sun Scorching Divine Kingdom, the Sky Scorching Great Emperor.

The other guy was also one of the six Sages of the Profound Alliance and sect head of the Southern Sea Sword Sect, the Sea Dividing Sword Sage.

“It looks like the demonic fire is receding... but this isn’t how it looks like when the demonic fire recedes.”

The Sea Dividing Sword Sage spoke slowly. He was a slow man in general, but no one could deny that his sword was one of the fiercest swords under the heavens.

“You are correct.” Danxia Zi nodded in agreement. “Moreover, it doesn’t make sense for the Sea Burning Demonic Fire to recede this quickly considering its scale.” The Sky Scorching Great Emperor said suddenly, “You messaged saying that the demonic fire originates from a god demon’s corpse underneath the sea. Do you think something might have happened to it?” “It is the only possibility.” Danxia Zi said seriously, “I believe Elder Profound and our two young friends may have done something!”

The Sky Scorching Great Emperor asked thoughtfully, “Should we head inside then?”

The Sea Dividing Sword Sage said slowly, “The six Sages of the Profound Alliance are as one. Of course we should go.”

“We should, but not now.” Danxia Zi explained, “It is extremely dangerous inside the god demon’s corpse. Moreover, the demonic fire is converging, and we do not have the Ghost Dragon Boat to shield us from it. If we go inside now, we probably won’t survive.”

“I suggest that we wait here until Celestial Suppressing and Yue Su arrives before we make a decision.”

“Sure. We can afford to wait that long.”

The fire underneath the Sky Scorching Great Emperor’s feet transformed into a dragon chair. After sitting down on it, he summoned a pot of wine out of nowhere and began drinking at his leisure. He asked, “Sea Dividing, Danxia Zi, would you like to join me for a drink?”

“I’m fine.”

The Sea Dividing Sword Sage shook his head. Standing in the air, he hugged his sword and entered into a meditative state.

Danxia Zi too turned down the offer and stared unblinkingly at the whirlpool in front of him. Only he knew what he was thinking.

About a teatime later, golden light suddenly burst out of the distant sky, dazzling and bright. Then, the gigantic image of a Wisdom King—it was at least three hundred meters tall—slowly took form.

“You sure are relaxed, Sky Scorching. Is it really a good time to be drinking wine?”

After the Wisdom King image took form, it began walking toward the group. Every time it took a step, the image would grow more solid and shrink ten meters or so.

By the time the image reached them, it had already transformed into a man.

The man was hairless and clad in golden armor. Every single pore on his body was emitting wisps of golden light and giving him the appearance of a god or Buddha.

The man was the island lord of the Floating Light Celestial Island, the Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King.

“It’s not like there is anything to do right now. A few cups are fine.”

The Sky Scorching Great Emperor raised his wine pot in toast. “Want a drink?”

“Sure, but I’m drinking the whole pot.”

The Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King waved his hand, and the wine pot flew out of the Sky Scorching Great Emperor’s hand and into his. He then raised the wine pot and drank it directly from the spout, draining it to the last drop.

“An excellent wine.” The Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King wiped his mouth and tossed the pot back into the Sky Scorching Great Emperor’s hand.

“What a waste of a good wine.” The Sky Scorching Great Emperor shook his head elegantly and nobly. “This is the Blue Sun Wine created from the Sun's True Droplets. It is a drink that should be savored slowly, and yet you downed it all like a bull taking a gulp from a stream. Could you even taste it?”

The Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King grinned. “Wine should be drunk. So long as it passes through my mouth, it is fine. I care not for the rituals and ceremonies!”

The Floating Light Celestial Island and Sun Worship Divine Kingdom were longtime allies, and the two Sages were close enough to act casually around each other.

The Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King greeted Danxia Zi, though he did not even look at the Sea Dividing Sword Sage. He treated the man like air.

“I thought we’re planning to enter the god demon’s body? What are we waiting for?” Danxia Zi replied, “Timing and people.”

“Yue Su isn’t here yet?” The Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King asked even though he obviously knew she wasn’t present. “Women. They like to waste time just like a certain guy.”

This “certain guy” he was talking about was the Sea Dividing Sword Sage, of course.

The Sea Dividing Sword Sage shot him a look and said slowly, “I dare you to say that in front of her face.”

“I sure will. It’s not like she can bite me,” The Celestial Suppressing Wisdom King declared fearlessly.

“She’s here.” It was at this moment all three people looked into the sky.

A moon had appeared in the sky before they knew it. What was a dark and stormy sky was slowly replaced by the elegant, phantasmal moonlight.

Even the terrifying whirlpool and rampaging demonic fire had gained a tinge of softness.

At the same time, a laurel tree slowly grew out of the moon and blossomed in full.