Chapter 301: Passage in the Belly of the Mountain
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“But you, as the Dafang Sect Grand Elder, taking action and dealing with the youth Mo Wen, especially during the Sect Leader Preliminary, will cause people to inevitably talk. When word gets out, it will be a joke. It will surely affect the name and image of the Dafang Sect,” Jiang Quangui said somewhat doubtfully.
Sending Great Sect Elder Jiang Youxi to attack in front of the eyes of the crowd before was already breaking the rules. Also, it had been decided on the premise that Mo Wen had killed the two Jiang Clan elders first. However, sending the grand elder to block him now… wouldn’t that make their image a little too despicable? In the eyes of outsiders, weren’t they intentionally bullying people? Resorting to deceit during the Sect Leader Preliminary was a serious crime against fairness and justice.
“That’s not a problem. There is a place without cameras, so for sure nothing will be captured on screen.” A cold light flashed in Jiang Quanfu’s eyes. In the eyes of the crowd, him attacking rashly was somewhat inappropriate, but if the crowd could not see, then that naturally would be a different matter entirely.
There was one place in particular where it was impossible to have a camera, so that was the most suitable place for an attack.
Jiang Quangui frowned as he said, “You are prepared to attack Mo Wen in that place?”
“That’s right. That place is a good spot. I can’t unleash my skills in the cave.”
For an Embryonic Breathing realm strong practitioner, environments like caves were restrictions. Also, they could not destroy the caves, so he would most certainly hold back while battling.
“That place is bizarre. Even if you go there, there will most likely still be danger.” Jiang Quangui frowned. That place had many unknown variables. It was highly possible for an accident to happen.
“Relax, it’s not like I will be going in too deep. Within 1,000 meters, I am confident that nothing will happen. Those preliminary members and the preliminary area are only 500 meters in.”
Jiang Quanfu was not too worried. Although the place was dangerous, it did not affect him much. Otherwise, how would they dare have the Sect Leader Selection Preliminary out there?
Jiang Quangui pondered for a while and then nodded. “Since it’s like that, then carry it out as you intend to.” That Mo Wen was a danger to them to the point that they had to eliminate him. Even if Jiang Quanfu had to face some risk, if they could eliminate this terrifying youth, it would be worth it.
…
In the cave, Mo Wen did not encounter any other obstacle. His journey was smooth, and he soon arrived in the center region. The center region was a vast cave. From above, a ray of sunlight shined in, causing the entire space to be not as dark as the passage.
Mo Wen was undoubtedly the first person to appear in the center region. At that moment, there was no one else in there. The people from the other four caves had not made their way over yet.
He swept a glance around, then without saying a word, found a place to sit down crossed-legged and silently wait.
After passing through the first stage, the second stage would begin in a passage in the mysterious place. When the time came, all of the people participating in the preliminary would enter that mysterious space at the same time.
According to Wang Yinru, that mysterious place and the space that the Huatian Palace occupied were similar. They both were seemingly not in the main space. Instead it was a space that had been split off.
The so called main space was the space in which the Earth’s main material existed. According to the Immortal Cultivation world’s study of space, the main space was the foundation for all affiliated spaces. Because of the existence of the main space, there could be affiliated spaces.
Mo Wen was not familiar with the problem of these mysterious spaces and only knew crude details about them. However, he also knew that if that mysterious place did not belong to the main space, it was already not simple.
A space that had been split off would certainly have unknown secrets.
After around 15 minutes, piercing sounds suddenly filled the center cave. Silhouette after silhouette began to appear. The people weren’t old, at most 30-something years old but not yet 40. However, they had very strong Cultivation. The Inner Qi waves from their bodies were enough to flood the entire space.
There were more than ten of them. Some were injured with bloodstains on their bodies, while some were calm and steady. Their composure was cool, but once they appeared, all of them immediately looked at Mo Wen as though he were an alien species.
A somber looking youth walked out, looked at Mo Wen coldly, and said, “Humph, so you are the brat that the Wang Clan sent?” His tone was unfriendly.
“Who are you?” Mo Wen nonchalantly asked, but he did not lift his head.
“My name is Jiang Mingxiao. Remember it well, for it’s the name of the person who will kill you later.” The youth called Jiang Mingxiao snorted coldly. The gaze he gave Mo Wen flashed with killing intent. He felt it was strange that Mo Wen could reach this place. Based on the clan elder’s intentions, by right it was impossible for this brat to appear in this place alive.
Could it be that an accident had happened? Or maybe the elders of the clan had changed their minds at the last moment? Jiang Mingxiao’s eyes were full of doubt. Under normal circumstances, when the people of the Wang Clan met those of the Jiang Clan, usually there was only one result, and that was death.
“I’ve remembered it.” Mo Wen’s lips curled into a smile. He nodded in all seriousness. No one knew what his reply meant.
Jiang Mingxiao snorted coldly again, then walked over alone to sit down at the side of the cave. The other Jiang Clan preliminary members did so too, one by one sitting around Jiang Mingxiao. It seemed that he was the leader among the people of the Jiang Clan.
As for the members of the other three Aristocratic Families, they had no animosity with Mo Wen. They didn’t seem to care, seemingly ignoring the conflict between Mo Wen and the Jiang Clan members, minding their own business as they found a place to sit down and rest.
Jiang Mingxiao did not know what had happened in cave number five while he was undergoing the preliminary in cave number one. If he knew that three Qi Nucleation realm experts had already died at Mo Wen’s hands, one of them even being Great Sect Elder Jiang Youxi, then he would certainly not have dared to speak to Mo Wen in that manner.
Mo Wen just glanced at that row of people, then once again closed his eyes.
From their appearance he could tell the Zhou Clan, Yuan Clan, and Chen Clan were rather embarrassing. It seemed as though their journey had not been too fair, and they had encountered many difficulties. Many of them were injured with blood stains on them, especially the Zhou Clan, as one of them seemed to have been eliminated. Their original number of four was down to only three.
As for the five members of the Jiang Clan, they all seemed calm and steady. Their clothes were still clean, as though they had not experienced a preliminary at all.
Because the second stage had not yet begun, no one had anything to worry about, and no one was rushing to attack each other. Even the Jiang Clan members left Mo Wen alone.
After almost half an hour, two other people suddenly appeared inside the center cave without a sound or sense of presence. Both were dressed in white, and their hair was also white. They weren’t young. From the aura that their bodies emanated, one could tell that they had Cultivation at the pinnacle of the Qi Nucleation realm. They were not weaker than Great Sect Elder Jiang Youxi.
Mo Wen looked expressionlessly at the two old men. Could the appearance of two pinnacle of Qi Nucleation realm strong practitioners be specifically to deal with him?
He curled his lips. The Jiang Clan was looking down on him too much just sending out two small fry. Could it be that after his actions just now, he still had not baited the Jiang Clan’s big fish?
“Chen Great Sect Elder, Yuan Great Sect Elder.” The appearance of the two elders caused the preliminary members of the Four Great Aristocratic Families to all stand up one by one and bow in respect. Even the five youths from the Jiang Clan didn’t look down on these two elders.
Only Mo Wen remained sitting on his spot as though he had not seen the two elders, not even moving his butt one bit.
The two old men were the clan leaders of the Yuan Clan and Chen Clan, both having Dafang Sect Great Elder status. Although the two clans were not as prosperous as the Jiang Clan, usually in the Dafang Sect they still had honorable status.
When the preliminary members of the Chen Clan and Yuan Clan saw Mo Wen acting so rudely towards their clan leaders, all of them immediately glared angrily at him. Some were even getting ready to teach Mo Wen a lesson.
Looking down on the clan leaders of the two clans was the same as looking down on their clans.
“You are Mo Wen?” The Chen Clan leader extended his hand to stop a youth who was walking towards Mo Wen. The gaze he gave Mo Wen was somewhat complicated.
Mo Wen raised his eyelids and said plainly, “Do you need anything from me?”
Since the three Aristocratic Families refused to cooperate with them, that meant that the three clans were not with him. They could possibly be on the Jiang Clan’s side. In that case, he naturally did not need to be polite to these three clans. Anyway, they had each gone their own way now. Whether they were enemies or friends was still an unknown.
“No.” The Chen Clan leader wriggled his lips, seeming as though he wanted to say something. However, for some reason he shook his head, and after that did not concern himself with Mo Wen anymore.
“Next, we will open the clan’s forbidden area. I am sure you know a bit of what is in there. Five hundred meters into the forbidden area is a Dafang Sect altar built by our ancestors. On top of it is a Dafang Insignia. Among you, whoever manages to get his hands on the Dafang Insignia and bring it back here will become the next Dafang Sect leader.”
The Yuan Clan leader slowly looked at the crowd, then walked to a wall. He took out a token and slowly embedded it into a groove. The next moment, a loud rumble sounded. The mountain wall slowly split in two, revealing the entrance. Inside the entrance, it was pitch black, as though the area was endless.
“Prepare yourselves. In around seven minutes you will enter separately. Whether you can obtain the position of sect leader or not is up to your own ability.” The Chen Clan leader finished speaking, then together with the Yuan Clan leader walked to the two sides of the passage. They sat down crossed-legged, closed their eyes, and started meditating.
The preliminary members in the cave looked at each other, then followed the sequence and entered the passage.
It could have been an illusion, but when the Chen Clan and Yuan Clan preliminary members respectively entered the passage, the lips of the two clan leaders seemed to slightly quiver. It was as though they were talking to themselves, and yet also as though nothing was said.
The bodies of the Chen Clan and Yuan Clan preliminary members froze.They stopped for a while before continuing to walk into the passage.
After all the preliminary members of the Four Aristocratic Families had entered, only then did Mo Wen slowly stand up. He looked at the two elders, and his lips curled into a smile as he said, “The two clan leaders sure know how to play it safe. Do you not fear that the walls have ears?”
Mo Wen laughed bizarrely as his gaze looked cryptically at every corner of the cave. Then, his silhouette dashed forward, disappearing into the passage.