Chapter 468: Who Is Stalling for Time

"Brother Cao, long time no see."

"Long time no see."

"When I heard Changpei mention it a while ago, I knew I would be able to see you one last time, so I came."

"Is it time for you to step down?"

"You are paying attention."

"I have heard something of it."

"With major events imminent for you, Brother Cao, it is truly not easy that you can still spare the time to follow my news."

"Are you nearing Spirit Decay?"

"A few more years, perhaps."

"Time passes truly quickly."

"Indeed."

The Old Sect Master revealed a look of nostalgia, then composed himself and suddenly asked, "Brother Cao, is your origin within this avatar?"

"What do you think?"

"I cannot guess."

"If you want to fight, then fight."

"I was just saying, if it is not in this avatar, since this avatar of yours is just stalling for time and drawing fire anyway, we might as well reminisce a bit more."

"It is useless."

"Having not met for many years, Brother Cao is surprisingly so cold."

"You would be the same if you were about to die."

"Before death, one should become increasingly warm."

"Perhaps."

"However, I did not expect that you, Brother Cao, would choose the Forbidden Land of your original sect. How does it feel to fight to the death with your own junior sect brother?"

"I am afraid if I went to Yujing, I would not last half a minute."

"It seems it is not in this body."

"Perhaps."

The Old Sect Master looked at Cao Ci with a complex expression, while Cao Ci remained as calm as ever, revealing nothing.

……

East of Dayi, Hezhou.

The Changpei Daoist Leader looked at his old friend with emotion: "Brother Cao, you have aged too."

"You are doing well."

"I am a bit younger, and I have had some success with health preservation in recent years; I may have another dozen years or so. Perhaps about the same as Brother Mei," the Changpei Daoist Leader said. "Has your other part met Brother Liu?"

"Met him."

"He has aged too."

"People all grow old."

"Brother Cao, stop now." The Changpei Daoist Leader paused. "Three feet above one's head there are spirits, and the Secret Sect walks the world; you cannot succeed."

"Are you trying to persuade me?"

"Hinting to you."

"It is too late."

"More than two hundred years ago, I truly could not have imagined that when we met again at three hundred years old, it would be like this."

"Worldly affairs are impermanent, and the winds and clouds are hard to predict."

"My apologies, Brother Cao."

"It should be so."

The Changpei Daoist Leader closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, golden Buddha Light radiated from his body.

In the distance, fighter jets pierced through the clouds like thunder.

……

On the edge of Zhongzhou, within a small country.

The Sword Master stood in mid-air holding his Sword and shouted to the distance: "Today is the day of your death. You son of a bitch, you have done every evil thing, you deserve to die... but for the sake of our past friendship, I have brought you a farewell drink; you may finish it before you die."

"Did you bring side dishes for the wine?"

"You are still thinking about so much."

"I haven't eaten braised chicken in yellow sauce for many years."

"Drink it or don't."

The Sword Master's Sword was already unsheathed; facing only one avatar, he was confident he could cut him down within a few minutes.

……

Nanzhou, beyond the fog.

A cluster of Hunter Aircraft hovered over the sea, the cabin doors opened, and everyone stepped out one after another, walking on the air as if on flat ground.

Besides the eight people from Yiguo, there were four young members of the Demon Race from Yaoguo, two young talents from the Northern Continent, and several people from Lanya. Everyone looked up at the wall of fog in front of them, which had no visible boundaries to the left or right, and no end to be seen overhead.

Zhang Suannai stood with her Sword and spoke first: "Past this layer of fog is Nanzhou. Inside, one side is filled with strange beasts, and the other is eroded territory."

"Are there any tactical arrangements?"

"Do not scatter."

"Focus on stopping and stalling."

"If a fight breaks out, be cautious in close combat, avoid direct collisions with him, and focus primarily on protecting the long-range attackers and providing long-range harassment."

"Everyone is aware of this."

"Time is limited, don't delay; there's no time for further discussion, let's go in directly."

"Alright."

After the group exchanged a few words and reached a simple consensus, they charged directly into the mist.

It was still this layer of seemingly ordinary mist, which appeared pitch black through the Spirit Eye; the group passed through without any obstruction, and could even feel the chill of the mist.

Their field of vision shrank rapidly, though not as severely as it had a few years ago; the mist seemed to have thinned significantly.

Everyone maintained an appropriate distance from each other, not daring to spread out too much.

At the same time, its width seemed to have narrowed considerably; the area that previously took quite some time to cross by boat was now traversed in just a moment.

Before them lay an endless stretch of land, with no end in sight vertically or horizontally; many flying exotic beasts soared above the land, and this land was divided into two parts by a straight boundary line—the right side was a dense jungle with mountains and water, while the left side was barren and devastated.

The Spiritual Barrier on that boundary line was incredibly thick, and the land on the other side was like an apocalypse, as if telling how cruel the war that had lasted for five thousand years, unknown to outsiders, was on this land.

The group was instantly shocked.

"Head west."

The Group Leader said, and flew west.

Over the past two days, Yiguo had been continuously launching special probes here, which could locate the general position of Cao Ci.

The group followed along.

Just as he entered the sky over the southern part of this continent, Chen Shu felt an extremely unfamiliar power; it was difficult to describe the form of this power, just as it is impossible to describe a color one has never seen before, and at the same time, it carried an unfamiliar will that filled every inch of this world.

This power was like air or water, instantly attaching itself to them, clinging tightly to their bodies, and exhibiting extreme aggression.

Fortunately, the Divine Power within their bodies blocked it.

The group flew south all the way; the land was desolate and riddled with holes, with deep craters like those from meteorite impacts, land where crystals had formed for hundreds of kilometers, and places covered in abyss-like cracks, and the group's destination was the Nanzhou Forbidden Land.

That was also where the source of the otherworld power lay.

Chen Shu saw the Saint Ancestor Cube again, but soon passed it by.

In the distance, meteors constantly pierced through the mist overhead, only to disappear quickly.

These were not real meteors, but support-type Zhineng Zhanlue Wuqi launched by Yiguo; they had no target and would not detonate upon direct impact, but would hide themselves at extreme altitudes after reaching the support area, waiting for further instructions from the authorized troops below.

Traveling over a thousand kilometers along the midline that divided the continent into north and south from east to west, as they neared the Forbidden Land, Wu Eiwei had already established a connection with these Zhineng Zhanlue Wuqi via her mask and released drones from several large Storage Artifacts she carried to help with searching and auxiliary combat.

The Wangting Sword Sect had always been at the forefront of Cultivators.

However, they didn't get to use the drones; they soon encountered Cao Ci.

At this moment, Cao Ci was much older than he had been last year at Xixiao; he looked like a twilight-aged old man, and as the intelligence report stated, he had to constantly resist the erosion of the otherworld power here, and his condition was very poor.

Yet, the group still dared not act rashly.

To put it bluntly, most of these dozen or so young people had illustrious backgrounds, illustrious enough to make one look up to them, yet even the ancestors in their backgrounds were merely supporting characters to Cao Ci in his youth.

Furthermore, their mission was to stop and delay.

Now, Cao Ci was just standing quietly on a mountain, gazing at the Forbidden Land in the distance—the Forbidden Land that no one had set foot in for five thousand years, and the place used by Shengzu to seal the otherworld power; besides that, he did nothing at all, so how could they talk about stopping or delaying him?

The group couldn't help but look at each other, communicating with their eyes.

In the end, it was Cao Ci who looked at them first; his eyes were cloudy, yet they seemed to shimmer with light as he swept them over one by one, and finally spoke:

"Only you?"

It seemed unexpected, yet not unexpected.

Facing his gaze, the group had varied expressions, pondering how to answer.

Chen Shu activated his Spirit Eye, quietly glancing around, sensing the increasingly irritable otherworld power in the surroundings, occasionally glancing at the mist seal in the distance, and occasionally at the Forbidden Land on the other side of the mountain that sealed the otherworld power.

The Group Leader, with a calm expression, was the first to stand up, cupping his hands in a salute: "Senior Cao Ci, we meet again."

"How have you been since then?" Cao Ci asked indifferently.

"This junior is fine, I just returned and was in a coma for more than half a year." The Group Leader's attitude was very good, as if facing the concern of an ordinary elder, "Thank you, Senior, for showing mercy."

"It was only for the sake of Meng Jingming."

"Still, thank you, Senior."

"As long as it didn't affect your cultivation."

"That it did not, it was just a delay."

"Are you the only ones who came?"

"There is residual otherworld power here, and ordinary people cannot easily step inside, so only we came to persuade you, Senior." The Group Leader remained gentle and polite, "Please, Senior, stop."

"Heh..."

Cao Ci revealed a faint smile, then looked at the others: "I have heard of you; I heard you are the group with the best talent of this generation, and the best talent in history. It seems it is true."

"Amitabha..."

Dharma Master Tongdeng stepped out, taking over the heavy responsibility of stalling for time from the Group Leader, and bowed to Cao Ci with his hands pressed together: "Our talent is mostly the result of intervention by the gods; it cannot compare to Senior Cao Ci."

"What is your relation to Daoxin?"

"The Calamity-Responding Buddha is my grand-master."

"What is your name?"

"This humble monk's Dharma name is Tongdeng."

"Tongdeng..."

Cao Ci savored the name, then his gaze swept over them again: "You should leave; you can do nothing here. Besides, you are the successors designated by them; it would be a pity to die here."

His words remained flat.

No one knew what he, who longed to become a god but was shut out, was thinking as he faced his former friend who was about to become a god, along with a group of young people who were only in their twenties but had already been earmarked by various gods as successors.

Chen Shu thought to himself while continuing his investigation.

His brows gradually furrowed, his expression growing increasingly grave.

The crowd looked at each other once again.

They did not know how else to stall for time.

A tall figure stepped out and took on the heavy responsibility once more: "I often hear my master speak of you..."

"Speak of me how?"

Cao Ci actually turned around again: "Your master is Mei Shuguo?"

"My master's surname is Mei, his given name is Duzhou."

"He used to be called Mei Shuguo, but later he met me and changed his name after losing a bet."

"Holy crap! For real?"

Seeming to recall memories of his youth, Cao Ci could not help but smile and asked in a low voice: "What did he say about me? Did he speak ill of me?"

"I forgot..."

"..."

"Senior, have you ever seen 'The Tale of the Little White Dragon Seeking Its Kin'?"

"What is that?"

"It's a long story." Zhang Suannai said with a straight face, in a narrative tone, "Once upon a time, there was a little white dragon, and it was born without parents..."

"..." Cao Ci's expression remained calm, "You are exactly the same as your master was when he was young."

"You are the fifty-three thousand six hundred and fourth person to say that. I might as well tell you, my eight senior brothers and sisters before me are all exactly the same as my master." Zhang Suannai faced this world's strongest expert without fear, "If you trace it back, the first Sword Master was like this too."

"Is there more?"

"What?"

"Is there anyone else?"

"Yes! This Daoist also has something to say to you!"

"?"

"Uh..."

Little Master Xuanzhen had to stand out, and after holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out: "My grandmaster also often mentioned you, mentioned the years of the past..."

Cao Ci looked at them but did not speak.

The other young talents from Lanya, Yaoguo, and the Northern Continent stood to the side, listening in a daze.

Just then, Chen Shu withdrew his gaze and suddenly spoke: "Senior Cao, we are waiting for your external avatar to be destroyed; what are you waiting for?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Some were confused; although the methods of these Yiguo people were childish and funny, they were stalling well, neither fighting nor in danger, so why interrupt?

Others gradually realized something was wrong, their brows furrowing.

Cao Ci turned his head calmly and looked at Chen Shu:

"From the Spirit Sect?"

"Yes."

"Is Liu Zhenru well?"

"Soon."

"Hm?"

"It seems this avatar of Senior Cao arrived here a long time ago, and because it is cut off from the outside world here, losing contact with the main body and other avatars, information is not shared, so you do not know that two months ago our Old Sect Master already stepped down from the position of Sect Master due to approaching Spirit Decay." Chen Shu paused, noticing that Little Master Xuanzhen, Dharma Master Tongdeng, and the Group Leader beside him had already begun to frown and ponder, then continued, "Senior Cao entered the Nanzhou Forbidden Land so early, it wasn't for the Nanzhou Forbidden Land, was it?"

"You are as clever as Liu Zhenru."

"That Senior Cao has been able to stay here for so long without being completely corrupted is truly worthy of this junior's admiration."

"They are weaker than I thought."

"A pity; if Senior could become a god, suppressing them would surely be as easy as turning over one's hand."

"Since you are willing to be here, then stay here."

"Is it already beyond saving?"

"You came too late."

"Then what about you in the end?"

"I am merely an avatar; I have already been corrupted and am destined not to return."

"In that case, your avatars are not just five, right? The main body is not among those five outside, is it?"

"..."

The others were suddenly shocked and looked at each other in dismay.

Some guessed Cao Ci's intentions but did not know what he would do, nor how to stop him.

"Whoosh!"

A Night Person suddenly flew backward, wanting to first pass the news to the outside world that he wanted to break the Nanzhou Fengyin and that there were seven of his avatars, but Cao Ci's speed was clearly faster; almost as soon as he had flown a short distance, Cao Ci appeared behind him and struck out with a palm.

"Slap!"

A dull thud echoed in the air.

Having stayed in Nanzhou for so long, he had been relying entirely on willpower, and by now he was at the end of his rope, yet even so, he sent this Night Person flying with one palm.

Another Night Person said in a deep voice:

"Attack!"

Immediately, he was the first to turn into a blur, rushing toward Cao Ci.

The others did not hesitate either; the tense atmosphere between the two sides was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest touch.

Chen Shu felt helpless inside, feeling it was a bit reckless, but things had reached this point and he could find no other way to stop him; plus, since the battle had already begun, he could not just stand by and watch everyone fight, so he had no choice but to join in.