Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Forced Live Broadcast from Another Realm, Part Two

Yet there were many who did not sleep a wink. Tonight, the Green Realm had plainly become a world where doors were left unbarred; even in the pitch-black night, countless people were still awake, discussing what had happened with others who could not sleep. It was a rare spectacle, scarcely seen in many years.

Again and again they marveled at the cultivation and deeds of the honored sovereigns: whether it was the soul arts of the Golden Radiance Vast Sea Immortal Sovereign Zhao, so wondrous they seemed to elevate the spirit itself, or the overwhelming invincible physical strength of the Divine Cauldron Demon Sovereign, or the unrivaled talent and bearing of the Ten Thousand Forms Demon Sovereign, or the spatial power of the Nether Void Demon Sovereign, who had never made a great show of himself, yet wielded it with such effortless grace. They chewed over every detail until it was as if they had lived it themselves.

Nor could anyone count how many people praised the teasing grin Zhao Nan had worn at the end, or his irreverent nature. Many commoners spoke of him as though they were talking about a rather unreliable brother, as if they had known him for years and once even had to clean up after him.

Countless martial artists worshiped crazily at the feet of Yin Wuji, the Divine Cauldron Demon Sovereign, admiring his habit of taking action the moment he chose, knowing that he had built everything from nothing and that the conditions for recruitment in his sect were comparatively lax. They rushed day and night toward the territory of the Boundless Sect, hoping to join his ranks.

There were also masters of formations and cultivators of various “unorthodox paths” who felt vindicated, praising the Ten Thousand Forms Demon Sovereign until their tongues seemed to twist.

Even Xing Qiluo’s final act was understood by everyone at once, and they exchanged knowing looks and laughed without end. That trust in the strength of the other sovereigns, that lovable focus on what mattered most, and the absolute confidence in facing the otherworld beyond the veil all made people beat their chests in excitement, their blood surging, their discussions never ceasing.

How many stayed up all night talking themselves hoarse? How many were so excited they nearly fainted? It was no rare thing. Some even muttered on and on in their sleep. When Zhang Ning lay awake in bed, unable to sleep, it seemed as though he could hear discussions drifting from every corner of the Green Realm, voices ceaselessly repeating the same words: sovereign, sovereign, martial sovereign, martial sovereign, Zhao Nan, Yin Wuji, Chu Hanyu, Xing Qiluo... rising and falling in wave after wave, as though they would never stop.

At last Zhang Ning pulled on a robe and sat up, gazing at the moon in the sky. Of course he knew now that the moon and the clouds were symbols of the Great Freedom Demon Sect, so looking at it tonight filled him with restless emotion, with the feeling of sharing that bright orb with Master from a thousand miles away. He only wondered what Master was doing now.

In a daze, he seemed to see that familiar figure standing tall before him. Tonight’s moonlight was hazy, and in that haze there was tenderness. Zhang Ning closed his eyes, yet still felt he could see clouds drifting across the moon, casting a gentle shadow over his master’s face.

His thoughts too gradually grew misty.

“Someday...” After a long while, Zhang Ning let out a sentence so faint it was impossible to tell whether it was sleep-talk or a dream, “Someday... Master...” He sighed softly.

Three days later.

Zhang Ning hurried back toward the Great Freedom Demon Sect, so anxious he had already developed blisters at the corners of his mouth.

In truth, Zhang Ning had always carried a somewhat inexplicable reluctance toward going to the Great Freedom Demon Sect, and had deliberately slowed his journey before. But after what happened last night, in the grip of anticipation, he was practically bouncing with impatience, eager to return, see his master, and look upon his own sect. The ship named Cthulhu did not disappoint him; it truly covered a thousand miles in an instant.

Yet the Green Realm was simply too vast. After all, it was an otherworld where ordinary people might spend their entire lives without ever leaving their own city. So even with such haste, there were still two or three days of travel before he could reach the Great Freedom Demon Sect.

Today, however, Zhang Ning would arrive at Zhongxing City, where the Spirit Plant Sect was located. It was also the place where he had agreed to meet his third senior brother, Zhuge Yi.

Ever since that night, he had wanted to contact Third Senior Brother Zhuge Yi to ask about Master’s situation. At first, the third senior brother had still replied to his questions one by one, but by now Zhang Ning had gone an entire day without being able to reach him. This inexplicably left Zhang Ning unsettled.

Still, he did not dwell on it too deeply. His own cultivation was so low—could he really be having some sudden intuition? Zhang Ning only thought he must have annoyed his third senior brother and silently decided to apologize later. As for this strange unease... perhaps it was simply because he had been too excited these past few days and not slept well, the result of staying up too late.

Speaking of which, Zhang Ning also remembered another matter. Only after asking Fourth Senior Brother Han Zhifei had he learned that flying artifacts had speed limits, whereas formations did not have that problem.

Back then, when Master Chu Hanyu had subdued those earth spirits by force and had them settle within the Great Freedom Demon Sect’s territory, it was because the earth spirits’ innate talent was not only useful for communication, but also highly advantageous for setting up formations. Using formations for travel could truly be unimaginably fast, especially with the handiwork of Chu Hanyu, the supreme grandmaster of formations. After Zhang Ning had been attacked, most of the Great Freedom Demon Sect’s experts had arrived in an instant by formation.

However, since he had already agreed on a meeting place with his third senior brother, he had no intention of changing plans at the last minute, so he suppressed the urge to jump all the way back to the Great Freedom Demon Sect by formation.

As for the Spirit Plant Sect, Zhang Ning’s feelings toward it had faded to almost nothing. After arriving at Zhongxing City, he did not even want to step down from the Cthulhu. He simply waited there for his third senior brother to arrive, unaware of how much pressure his appearance was placing on the people of the Spirit Plant Sect.

Zhongxing City

Spirit Plant Sect

“Sect Master, Sect Master! What are we to do?”

The Spirit Plant Sect’s sect master, Zhang Yicheng, was an ordinary martial sovereign in cultivation. Because he belonged to the righteous path, he had allowed his appearance to age naturally. At a glance he looked like nothing more than an old man with an ordinary goatee. Usually, with the dignity of his office, he seemed rather immortal and otherworldly, but today, seated in his chair with a face full of worry, he truly resembled an elderly man fretting over household troubles. When the female disciple who had come to report saw him, she only then suddenly realized that her grandfather had grown so old.

“Mulan,” Zhang Yicheng said helplessly, “at this point we only have one choice.”

Zhang Mulan widened her eyes and looked at her grandfather in disbelief.

Zhang Yicheng had always held himself and his sect to exacting standards, and he demanded the same of his granddaughter. Because of that, Zhang Mulan had been raised without the slightest trace of spoiled young-lady arrogance. This was evident even now, in how respectfully she addressed him as Sect Master rather than grandfather. So when she heard her grandfather seemed to be speaking of surrendering to a demonic faction like the Great Freedom Demon Sect, it felt to her as if her whole world were collapsing.

“Grandfather, but that is a demonic faction! The Great Freedom Demon Sect has committed so many unforgivable deeds...”

“Mulan!” Zhang Yicheng hurriedly said. “Silence!”

After stopping his granddaughter, Zhang Yicheng looked at her for a while, then shook his head and sighed. “It is my fault. Because of certain selfish thoughts of mine, many things were never made clear... It was the Great Freedom Demon Sect that helped us survive that calamity all those years ago. Without that Prince Qin, there would be no Spirit Plant Sect today.”