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Chapter 719:Parting Ways
Chapter 719:Parting Ways
Chapter 719:Parting Ways
"Stop."
Right at this moment, the Infernal Tribe elder finally spoke up.
His voice rang out like the sound of a massive gong being struck, reverberating incessantly within the minds of everyone present.
"Asura City is not the place for your senseless battles. Settle down, or you'll be evicted from the Infernal Region right away."
Wu Chongshan was looking for an opportunity to de-escalate the conflict, so he immediately extended a respectful salute toward the Infernal Tribe elder before backing down, while all of the people from the Black Teeth Regino also did the same.
In the wake of that farce, Elder Yin Shan forgot to examine Shi Chuankong, and he was granted entry into the city.
......
That night, the people from the Black Teeth Region were arranged to stay in a residential palace by the Infernal Tribe.
As night arrived, Han Li's trio arrived at a branch of the residential palace before announcing their arrival.
Before long, Miao Gao and Miao Xiu emerged to greet them, and the five of them entered Miao Gao's residential quarters together.
After sitting down around an ornate black stone table, Mo Guang said, "My apologies for coming to disturb you at such a late hour."
Miao Gao faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied, "There's no need to apologize, Fellow Daoist Jiang Gu. Can I help you with something?"
"We will be leaving tomorrow morning, and I've come here to bid you farewell," Mo Guang said with a smile.
"Why are you leaving all of a sudden?" Miao Gao asked with a puzzled expression, and Miao Xiu's brows also furrowed slightly upon hearing this.
"I was initially planning to stay for the Three Region Conference, but it feels like there's a lot of animosity here, and I don't wish to be swept up in any conflicts, so I think the best course of action would be for me to leave. I much prefer more amicable and festive settings like the one at the Tamda Festival, although that also ultimately devolved into a battle.
“On top of that, I heard that the inverted street in Asura City is quite renowned, so I want to pay it a visit to see if I can find some good treasures there," Mo Guang explained.
A peculiar look flashed through Miao Gao's eyes upon hearing this, and he replied, "That's a shame, but if you've already made up your mind, then I won't try to dissuade you. However, do keep in mind that outsiders like us are only allowed to move around in certain areas of Asura City, while the rest of the city is off-limits for us."
"Please pardon my interjection, Senior Jiang Gu, but the three of you have entered Asura City as guest elders of our San Miao Tribe. If you won't be accompanying us to the Three Region Conference, then you'll have to adopt a different identity as you travel through the city," Miao Xiu suddenly said.
Han Li took a glance at her upon hearing this.
What she was implying was that once they left the San Miao Tribe, all ties would be severed between them, and their actions would have nothing to do with the San Miao Tribe, clearly indicating that she didn't believe Mo Guang's excuse for leaving.
Mo Guang was also aware of this, but his smile remained unchanged as he said, "Rest assured, Monarch Miao, I'm an avid traveler, and I won't cause any trouble."
"Forgive me for perhaps rambling a little, but the Infernal Region has harbored a great deal of enmity toward the tribes of the Reincarnation Region, and in the wake of what just happened, there's a chance that you could already be under some scrutiny. Hence, please make sure to be extra careful in case you're attacked," Miao Gao cautioned.
"Thank you for the cautionary words, Monarch Miao Gao, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Mo Guang replied with a warm smile, and Han Li's trio departed shortly thereafter.
Following their departure, Miao Xiu turned to her father and said, "Father, they..."
"I know what you want to say, Xiuxiu," Miao Gao interjected. "It's fine. There's no way we can go to the Young Dawn Region to verify Jiang Gu's identity, but his aura is most definitely genuine, and his two servants also seem to be quite powerful. It's clear that they've come to Asura City for some type of ulterior motive, but seeing as we've already decided to vote for the Reincarnation Region, it's best for us to remain on good terms with them."
"But Father, are you not worried that their true objective for coming to Asura City could cause trouble for our San Miao Tribe? I can't shake the feeling that there's something strange about them, and I feel like even their initial contact with our tribe was orchestrated by them in advance," Miao Xiu said.
"What trouble could they possibly cause? It's fine as long as they don't harbor any ill will toward us. It's not like they'll go around telling everyone that they came here with our San Miao Tribe, and we're certainly not going to tell anyone, either. Besides, do you not want to see someone stir things up a little in Asura City?
“We still haven't fully exacted revenge on the Nirarbuda Region yet, so it would be quite welcome if they could stir up a little trouble in the Infernal Region. Having said that, I will have to think of a good explanation to provide to the regional monarch," Miao Gao said with a nonchalant smile.
Miao Xiu was still a little unconvinced, but there wasn't too much else that she could say on this matter.
......
The next morning, Han Li's trio left the residential palace and set off northward.
Earlier, Han Li had already heard from Miao Gao that Infernal City was split up into nine major areas, with each area taking up hundreds of thousands of kilometers. As opposed to a city, it really was more like a nation.
The residential palace that they had been staying on was situated on the border of Asura City, and they had to pass through three entire areas in order to reach their destination.
There were many people on the streets, but in contrast with Han Li's trio, who were walking along, most of them were hovering roughly a foot above the ground.
Their appearances were quite similar to humans, but all of them wore cold expressions, and whenever they gazed upon Han Li's trio of outsiders, they did so with a great deal of enmity in their eyes.
At this point, Mo Guang had already changed into a loose-fitting black cloak, and there was a disdainful look on his face as he remarked, "These Infernal Servants really are a pain to look at."
Han Li adjusted the hood of his cloak slightly as he said, "The Infernal Tribe is just as xenophobic as Fellow Daoist Baili claimed they would be. They're not even making any effort to hide their animosity."
"Fellow Daoist Li, we know far too little about the Infernal Tribe. Are we really just going to venture into a sacred area of theirs like this? It seems far too risky no matter how I look at it," Shi Chuankong said with a concerned expression.
Han Li hadn't kept his meeting with Baili Yan a secret from Shi Chuankong. He had informed him of the two options, namely to return to the Immortal Realm through the Reincarnation Palace or to travel to the Baleful Cleansing Pond, and he had presented Shi Chuankong with two choices, the first of which was that Shi Chuankong could travel on his own to the Reincarnation Region, then wait for Han Li to return from the Infernal Region before taking him to the Reincarnation Palace, while the second was to accompany Han Li to the Infernal Region before traveling to the Reincarnation Region together.
Unsurprisingly, Shi Chuankong chose the latter option, both out of concern for his own safety and on the basis of his Baleful Quelling Pill requirements.
"If it isn't for this Three Region Conference, we wouldn't even be able to enter Asura City. If we don't go this time, the option will be forever lost to us," Han Li replied with slightly furrowed brows.
"It seems like the Infernal Tribe holds the Baleful Cleansing Pond in very high regard. Up to this point, we've barely been able to find out any information about it, how are we supposed to find it?" Shi Chuankong sighed.
"It's fine, let's just go to the inverted street first. There are supposed to be a lot of shops there, so I'm sure we can find out more about the Baleful Cleansing Pond there, and perhaps we could even secure a copy of Asura City," Han Li replied.
"I suppose that's all we can do for now," Shi Chuankong replied with a nod.
Meanwhile, Mo Guang was walking along with his hands clasped behind his back while observing the people around him, looking very casual and relaxed.
......
Asura City, Passive Mountain Area.
On the summit of a giant mountain was an artificial plateau that was a result of the original summit being shaved off, and on the plateau was a majestic palace.
In front of the palace was a spacious black stone plaza that was constructed on a cliff, and beyond the railing was the sheer cliff face, at the foot of which was a vast expanse of black mist that was rippling incessantly in the wind.
At this moment, there were two figures, one black and one white, standing within the railing, looking out in the direction of the Fallen Lake Area.
The black figure was dressed in an enormous black cloak that was riddled with black dragon patterns, and the long tail of the cloak was trailing along on the ground, enshrouded in faint baleful qi.
Beneath the cloak was a tall and imposing man who was hovering roughly a foot above the ground. He had a head of long hair, and he was clad in a suit of antiquated azure armor, the breastplate of which was riddled with specks of rust and had been fashioned into the form of a beastly head.
The man's complexion was quite pale, and he had a set of clear-cut and angular features. There was a very cold look on his face, and he was looking directly forward in a completely expressionless manner.
The white figure beside him was an elderly man whose hair and beard were as white as snow, and he was dressed in a Dao robe of a very high caliber. There were waves of light constantly flowing down the robe from his shoulders before splashing down onto the ground beneath his feet.
The waves of light were giving off water law power fluctuations that weren't all that formidable, but were perpetual and unrelenting.
There was a cloud of water vapor around the elderly man, acting as a wall to completely keep out all of the baleful qi in the surrounding air, and he turned to the tall figure beside him as he asked, "What do you think are our chances of coming out on top in the vote during the conference?"
"Less than 30%," the black-robed man replied in a cold voice.
"Are there already that many tribes of the Black Rope Region that have thrown their support behind the Reincarnation Region?" the white-robed elderly man asked as he raised an eyebrow.