BXBX NOVEL Chapter 79 - 79: Damn, He Fooled Me Again
Inside the dark hall.
More than ten figures emerged from the darkness, gathered around a long bronze table. In front of them were twelve bronze lamps, but one of them was extinguished, signaling the absence of its owner from this meeting.
“Gong Gong is in trouble,” said Xuan Ming, wearing a double-snake mask.
The others turned their heads, looking at the empty seat.
“His identity was exposed. Yesterday, there was a strange phenomenon in the Eastern Sea area. A big shot died near there,” continued Di Jiang.
“The only non-royal Marquis of Tian Lan Ancient Country, Tang Baizhan, commanded a million marines and ruled thirteen coastal counties. He was a Void Refining Stage cultivator.”
“Tsk, a Marquis,” Yan Zi, leaning on the table, commented, “I wonder if he was good-looking.”
Tian Lan Ancient Country, a second-tier power, had Body Integration Stage cultivators. A Void Refining Stage Marquis was undoubtedly a high-ranking figure.
“He claimed to be a pirate, but was actually a government bandit… No wonder he knew so much about maritime forces,” said Qiang Liang, wearing a tiger mask, with a cold laugh.
“Ha, a mere Void Refining Stage cultivator dares sit at the same table as me?” scoffed Ju Mang.
“What realm are you?” asked Zhu Rong, glancing at him from across the table. “I’m in the Transcendence Stage” Ju Mang replied with an air of superiority.
Zhu Rong smirked, disbelieving.
“How did he die?” Yan Zi asked.
Di Jiang answered, “Yesterday morning, Gong Gong… That is, Tang Baizhan’s soul lamp in the Marquis’s mansion shattered. Tian Lan Ancient Country sent experts to the sea, and later found a headless corpse on an island.
Further investigation revealed that three days prior, Tang Baizhan had assembled a new marine force from various places. After his death, this force also vanished.”
He added, “This is all published in the Cultivation Daily, and is not a secret… However, there might be details not disclosed.”
“There were no killing formations or guards in the Heavenly Emperor’s realm, and the true spirit incarnation of the ancient emperor had no reason to kill Gong Gong… Someone must have killed him outside the heavenly realm, then entered it and took the legacy,” said Zhu Rong.
“How did someone else learn about the emergence of the Heavenly Emperor’s realm?” Ju Mang questioned.
Everyone’s gaze turned towards Zhu Long at the back of the table.
Zhu Long:
“There’s no need for that. This… definitely has nothing to do with me,” Zhu Long defended, spreading his hands.
“The token I gave Gong Gong had no hidden schemes, or it would have been rejected by this space… Besides, if I wanted something from the heavenly realm, I could have just traded with Gong Gong or taken the task myself.
Wouldn’t that be easier?”
The others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Zhu Long’s statement seemed straightforward and honest.
The gathered individuals communicated openly, discussing their interests and aims without any need for internal strife.
However, their suspicion of Zhu Long was not genuine; they were using this opportunity to extract more information from his statements to ascertain his true identity.
“If Gong Gong had obtained Emperor Xu’s imperial weapon and extracted the fragments of the destiny spirit treasure to form the Creation Chart and offered it as a sacrifice to this space, the Immortal Tomb could descend within three months, ” Xuan Ming sighed.
Unfortunately, Gong Gong had failed.
“It seems there indeed are forces working against us,” Di Jiang pondered. “We are in the open, while our enemy remains hidden.”
“How can we, residing in this peculiar space, be schemed against when even fate is obscured?” Zhu Rong expressed confusion.
“What’s so surprising about that? This peculiar space, left by the master of the Immortal Tomb, must have formidable enemies too,” Ju Mang stated matter-of-factly.
“As the master of the Immortal Tomb could create this space and form our organization, so could his enemies.”
Zhu Rong found no rebuttal to this logical argument.
“You seem new to the cultivation world. It’s understandable. You need to gain more experience,” Ju Mang advised Zhu Rong like an elder.
Zhu Rong:
“Fate, destiny, and causality,” an old man at the end of the table suddenly spoke. He wore a yellow dog mask and was known as in the organization.
Shebi Shi, with a mysterious background, was usually quiet and enigmatic in his few contributions to discussions.
“This is a tribulation destined for us,” he added, creating a solemn atmosphere in the room.
After a moment, Ju Mang knocked on the table:
“Talks of predestined fate are nonsense. If we believed in fate, what would be the point of cultivation!
As cultivators, we fight for our destiny. If there’s karma, we should resolve it ourselves!”
His words were inspiring, causing a stir among those present and leading them to reconsider their view of Ju Mang.
“Could he really be a Transcendent Cultivator?” Zhu Rong began to wonder.
“Cough, cough…” Xuan Ming cleared his throat.
“Ju Mang is right. Our lives as cultivators revolve around struggle and combat.
We must not amplify others’ prestige at the cost of our own spirit.”
“But indeed, this matter should be prioritized now.”
Xuan Ming shifted the topic.
“Let’s not focus on whether there’s an opposing organization or not. The fact that someone has repeatedly obstructed our efforts is true.”
“The Ghost Mage Sect went to Shangyang City to collect offerings for the resurrection of their Ancestral Magus, wiping out a small cultivation family in the process,” Di Jiang pondered.
“It was reported that disciples from Sancai Academy were seen there. This incident could be linked to He Yuanfeng’s failed sacrificial ritual and investigated together.”
“Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
“Agreed.”
The members unanimously nodded.
“I’ll handle this matter,” someone volunteered.
“Alright,” Di Jiang nodded in approval.
“Leave the investigation of the Barbarian God’s incident to me. I have some connections in the Southern Ridge,” said Ju Mang.
“Weren’t you in the Western Desert just the other day?” Zhu Rong asked.
“I possess divine powers. Where can I not go if I wish to?” Ju Mang replied indifferently.
Zhu Rong:
Damn, fooled by him again.
“The matter of the Heavenly Emperor is somewhat related to me,” Zhu Long spoke, “I’ll take care of the Eastern Sea incident.”
The group scheduled the necessary tasks. Hou Tu asked, “When will the new Gong Gong emerge?”
Gong Gong was merely a code name used only within this peculiar space.
They had all entered this place by chance, but this was the first time they faced the situation of replacing the owner of a mask.
“Between three days and a month,” Xuan Ming answered..