CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 455: THESE TWO WEAKEST

Chen Pingping smiled awkwardly and didn’t explain anything.

He had Mao Qiu secretly open a path leading to the outside and informed all the Fairy Valley disciples that they were free to come and go as they pleased. Those who wished to leave would not be stopped, and those who desired to stay would naturally see Yu Changfeng in the future.

He also made some promises.

For example, he would lead the Wuji Sect to invade the Nine Heavens.

Moreover, the Wuji Sect would not only become a superpower in the Southern Diaspora but also a formidable force in the land of the Nine Heavens, where they would look down upon the entire realm.

"I know that Fairy Valley is not as powerful as it once was, but that’s alright; I promise here that we will grow ever stronger."

"I am aware that Fairy Valley regrets not having produced a Great Emperor, but that doesn’t matter; we will have one in the future."

"I’ve heard that Fairy Valley’s Emperor Weapon is already rusting, its God extinguished; I will forge a new Heaven Tao Divine Weapon."

"By merging Fairy Valley with the Wuji Sect, we know you feel unconvinced and harbor resentment towards me, but the truth is... the Wuji Sect is collectively in seclusion, so you cannot enter yet. However, I assure you that once their seclusion ends, all of you will be able to enter. The Wuji Sect and Fairy Valley are one family; at that time, you will also see Grandmaster Yu Changfeng..."

"Secondly, I am not the Sect Master of the Wuji Sect. Our Sect Master is named Hongxiu, a woman of both virtue and talent."

"Lastly, the way to the outside world is already open, and all of you may leave. I will not stop anyone. Those who wish to leave, just tell me, and I will give you some cultivation resources. For those who choose to stay, I will lead you to conquer the land of the Nine Heavens," Chen Pingping declared, his gaze fiery.

At this moment, his confidence was unparalleled. Even he was boiling with passion, as if he saw the future and witnessed the mighty rise of the Wuji Sect. They would all stand shoulder to shoulder with the sky, trample the earth, and even face those Big Shots with fury.

Yes, that was right. This was his ideal: an unknown individual, harboring desires for his Master, leading the sect to storm the Nine Heavens—a grand and distant dream. But Chen Pingping believed in himself; he knew he could do it.

"For those who stay, I will let bygones be bygones..." Chen Pingping said his final words.

Below, immediate commotion erupted as everyone began discussing. To go, or not to go? If they left Fairy Valley, where would they go? But if they stayed in Fairy Valley, what could they do? Should they believe Chen Pingping, or Yu Changfeng?

After a few minutes of discussion, the scene gradually calmed...

Not far from them, Li Qi was enveloped in Divine Brilliance, exuding divinity and holiness, and then he released the True Solar Scripture.

To everyone’s surprise, the released True Solar Scripture was black, contrasting starkly with the golden radiance emanating from his body, making it seem out of place.

Chen Pingping: "???"

Jiang Ni’er, who had given him the idea, was immediately in disarray.

She just wanted Li Qi to show off a little to intimidate Fairy Valley—oh, no, rather, to win back the hearts of the Fairy Valley people, to let them see that the Wuji Sect was actually very powerful, far more than they imagined.

Unexpectedly, this man released a black sun.

Under the gaze of everyone, Li Qi felt the pressure and quickly put it away, whispering, "How was it? Did I succeed?"

"Stay away from me," Jiang Ni’er said, her face ashen, sensing trouble.

"Why?" Li Qi was astonished.

"Who taught you that?"

"It was Xiao Yu," Li Qi replied.

"..."

That girl was a demon cultivator!

Jiang Ni’er felt like vomiting blood.

Such a bizarre practice displayed before everyone’s eyes made the thirteen Saint Realm experts sense something but dare not speak out.

The hundred-plus young talents twitched at the corners of their mouths because they had all been defeated by Li Qi before.

What was more unacceptable for them was when they inquired about the strength within the Wuji Sect, Li Qi responded, "I am the weakest."

This wasn’t self-deprecation or pretense. His Master, Chen Pingping, forbade him from cultivating, entering seclusion, and hadn’t even imparted any Tao techniques, making his cultivation exceedingly difficult and his progress slow. Moreover, with everyone else in the Wuji Sect in closed-door cultivation and undoubtedly set for rapid improvement—especially stimulated by Chen Pingping’s cultivation resources—his claim of being the weakest was quite reasonable.

Over there, Zi Ji also followed Li Qi’s example, hoping to help stabilize people’s hearts for her Senior Brother, and released her "Yuan World."

All the Saint Realm powerhouses present were stunned. An Emperor Weapon! This... was actually an Emperor Weapon! The Wuji Sect possessed an Emperor Weapon! My God!

The Yuan World had no physical form; it existed in the void, akin to a spatial structure, and was one with Zi Ji’s consciousness. Once she summoned it, the Yuan World would materialize. However, while it could be understood as an Emperor Weapon, it still required growth.

"Senior Brother, how is it?" Zi Ji called out. "Is this okay?"

"Store it away first," Chen Pingping was also a bit flustered.

"Should I release the Great Tao..."

"Shut up," Chen Pingping’s face underwent a drastic change.

Zi Ji’s identity and origins were special; she was a princess of the Netherworld. It was best to keep it concealed if possible. Releasing the Yuan World had already caught me off guard. If she were to bring out the Tree of Great Dao, could the Southern Diaspora maintain its peace? Would her identity be exposed? Would it attract powerful beings from the Netherworld?

The Great Tao?

Although she had not spoken fully, those were the two words she uttered.

A group of people instantly turned to stone.

Especially the Fairy, the Scholar, and the others; their faces were frozen stiff because Jiang Ni’er had said, "She’s the weakest."

Their successive displays of strength, though Li Qi’s was somewhat underwhelming, made a significant overall impact, leaving the people from Fairy Valley utterly stunned.

They had a feeling that this so-called trashy Sect was far from ordinary and very different from the rumors. Their strength was also greater than they had imagined. No one spoke; it seemed they had reached a decision in their hearts. Even those who had been hesitant or considering leaving now silently made their choice. It appeared the Wuji Sect wasn’t so bad after all.

"Chen Pingping, now that we are all one family, can you return the Creation Divine Stick to me?" the Scholar called out.

"Only if you defeat me," Chen Pingping looked at him.

"..."

"Or, you could defeat my junior sister," Chen Pingping gestured towards Zi Ji.

Damn it!

The Scholar’s face darkened, remembering the previous battle between Zi Ji and the Fairy—the latter hadn’t even possessed the ability to retaliate. Then, thinking of the Emperor Weapon Zi Ji had just revealed... Is there even a need to fight? But then, he seemed to realize something: he still had the Qiankun Mirror in his hands! A smile curled his lips. "Don’t you want the Qiankun Mirror?"

As soon as he said this, he immediately had a bad premonition.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

A courtyard full of elders, including the Dean and several Saint Realm powerhouses, stared at him unblinkingly.

Chen Pingping bolted, smoke practically coming off his behind.

"Ah! Chen, save me!" the Scholar shouted in alarm, his face drastically changing.

「In the depths of the City of Extinction.」

Yu Changfeng and the Earth Chicken, one man and one chicken, were talking away merrily, as though they had met too late in life, both feeling as though they wanted to turn back time to tens of thousands of years ago.

They chit-chatted about many things.

Yu Changfeng was also sincere, talking about everything from the Wen Dynasty to his failure in Tao Verification, including why he failed, and many other reasons.

When he brought up the history of Star Sea’s rise, the Earth Chicken’s spirit suddenly perked up.

"A Phoenix fell in that region and was picked up and refined into a Spirit Vein by the ancestor of Star Sea, giving birth to the mighty presence of Star Sea. However... back then, Star Sea was still trash; I could have wiped it out with a wave of my hand," he said, lifting his head with pride.

"What about now?"

"Let’s not talk about it!" Yu Changfeng glanced sideways. "We’ve been chatting for so long. By the way, are you a descendant of the true Phoenix? Or a Phoenix reborn from the ashes?"

A descendant meant a being born from an egg. However, if it was a Phoenix reborn from ashes, that held significant meaning, indicating the Earth Chicken herself was a powerful entity. This was also why Yu Changfeng had engaged her in such lengthy chatter: he not only wanted to swallow the Wuji Sect and merge it into Fairy Valley, but he also coveted this Phoenix, desiring her as his mount or even a companion. Indeed, he’d been scheming this for a long time.

Yu Changfeng looked at her expectantly.

"Neither..." the Earth Chicken chuckled.

"???"

"Elder, I have other things to attend to. I’ll come to chat with you some other time," the Earth Chicken winked and quickly escaped because she sensed that Chen Pingping had returned.

Yu Changfeng paused but didn’t say much and immediately turned to go back to his "depths."

"Ah? Where’s my Immortal Cauldron?" a roar of fury echoed out.