"Senior, I admit my mistake..."
Sword Venerable Tiancan's face was pale, his lips trembling slightly, and he subconsciously murmured.
His originally sharp Aura, like a sword's edge, was completely gone, replaced by a deep fear from his Soul, like a startled rabbit. Not a trace of his former arrogant demeanor remained.
This bizarre scene stunned everyone present.
Even more surprisingly, the moment Sword Venerable Tiancan admitted his mistake, the suffocating, terrifying pressure receded like a tide in the next instant, vanishing without a trace, as if it had never appeared.
Sword Venerable Tiancan suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping over Immortal Reverence Yuxuan with uncertainty, then over the several Elders standing ready, and finally towards the cloud-shrouded depths of Lingxu Heavenly Palace, as if trying to find the source of that gaze.
However, as far as his eyes could see, there was only a vast sea of clouds and majestic immortal palaces.
That will came abruptly and left completely, leaving no trace, as if it were just a nightmare he had.
But Sword Venerable Tiancan knew it was absolutely not an illusion!
"Senior Tian Can? What's wrong?"
Immortal Reverence Yuxuan seemed to have guessed something and asked with a smile.
"Cough, cough."
Sword Venerable Tiancan lightly coughed, forcefully suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart. When he looked at Immortal Reverence Yuxuan again, his eyes were incredibly complex, and his previous aggressive Aura had long since vanished.
He took a deep breath, forced a very strained, even ugly, smile onto his face, and said in a dry voice:
"Uh... Daoist Friend Yuxuan, this Old Ancestor's words were quite presumptuous just now. I hope you can forgive me. Thinking about it carefully, this Old Ancestor merely had the advantage of age, so it doesn't count as a win, doesn't count as a win. This Old Ancestor takes his leave!"
After speaking, without waiting for Immortal Reverence Yuxuan and the others to react, Sword Venerable Tiancan's figure flickered, somewhat awkwardly transforming into a sword light, tearing through the Void Realm, and fleeing far away without looking back, at an astonishing speed.
The people of Lingxu Heavenly Palace were left looking at each other, utterly bewildered.
Immortal Reverence Yuxuan frowned, looking at the direction where Sword Venerable Tiancan disappeared, feeling a little puzzled in his heart.
The assertiveness and composure on Sword Venerable Tiancan's face had vanished, replaced by a hint of barely concealed panic.
And for him to be so panicked, it must have been an unexpected person who made a move.
Could it be one of his Lingxu Heavenly Palace's Old Ancestors?
In the distance, countless stunned Disciples were discussing, also noticing the strangeness of the situation.
But no matter what, the other party had left in a hurry.
"It seems this Sword Venerable Tiancan isn't as... as the rumors say."
"Yes, I think he's a good person. To say something like that, he must have felt he won unfairly, right?"
"Look, this is the Legacy of our Lingxu Heavenly Palace. Not just anyone can come here to show off."
... "Could it be... an reclusive Senior who made a move?"
An Elder whispered, his tone filled with uncertain reverence.
If that were truly the case, wouldn't they, as juniors, have shamed their Old Ancestor?
Immortal Reverence Yuxuan was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone, finally looking towards the depths of the clouds, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity and a subtle, unnoticeable reverence: "Everyone, do not make wild guesses.
Old Ancestor went to Great Luo Heaven for Dao discussions a few days ago and will not return in the short term.
Today's matter... is strange."
He paused, then continued: "Regardless of which Senior made the move, their intention was to uphold the dignity of our Heavenly Palace.
This matter, for now, is to be suppressed. There is no need to investigate deeply, nor should it be publicized to the outside world, to avoid further complications."
He couldn't be sure who exactly had made the move, but Sword Venerable Tiancan's hurried departure was undeniable.
Could it be that there were still powerhouses within the palace whom even he didn't know about?
It wasn't impossible.
After all, Lingxu Heavenly Palace has countless years of Legacy, and countless Prodigies have emerged. Who knows, some unknown person might be a peerless powerhouse.
Upon hearing this, everyone respectfully agreed.
Although their curiosity was even greater, they also understood that this matter concerned the Heavenly Palace's secrets and was not suitable for much discussion.
It was just that after this incident, whether it was these Elders or the Disciples under their Sect, everyone felt proud of their Sect's unfathomable depths.
In the cultivation world, whether there are many Prodigies or not doesn't matter; the Old Ancestor must be reliable.
Having a formidable Old Ancestor is enough to settle all troubles.
A formidable Prodigy will only cause big trouble for the Sect... Meanwhile, in Sheng Huang Immortal Realm, within a grand hall.
Unlike the ethereal Immortal Qi of Lingxu Immortal Domain, this place was filled with dense Demonic Qi. Golden light illuminated the totems carved on the walls, casting flickering shadows and adding a touch of solemnity.
"Useless!"
A cold roar, like a thunderclap, echoed through the empty hall.
On the main seat, a majestic man dressed in a dark jade scale robe had a grim expression.
His face appeared middle-aged, with a wisp of demonic crimson hair hanging down from each temple, a pair of small but sharp horns on his forehead, and golden flames faintly swirling in his eyes when they opened and closed, exuding an imposing Aura without even needing to be angry.
He was Fire Fiend Demon Venerable, a core Elder of the Demon Court, stationed in Sheng Huang Immortal Realm, responsible for infiltrating and expanding into the surrounding Human Race Immortal Realms.
In his distinctly jointed hand, a communication Jade Slip had already turned to dust, sifting down through his fingers.
"The Demon Court granted him the opportunity of the Sacred Transformation Pool baptism, and this is how he repays me?
Not only did he fail to suppress the arrogance of Lingxu Heavenly Palace, but he was startled away, merely adding to the ridicule!"
His voice was not loud, but it contained a heart-palpitating anger. The pressure emanating from him made the several Great Demons in the hall frown secretly.
Below, a woman dressed in a snow-white fur coat, with a beautiful face and charming demeanor, gently put down her teacup and said softly:
"My Lord, calm your anger. Tian Can is arrogant and reclusive, but his sword Dao is sharp. His being startled away may not be due to cowardice; it's likely he encountered something unexpected."
She raised her charming eyes, which sparkled with wisdom:
"According to reports from our internal sources in Lingxu Heavenly Palace, there were no obvious energy fluctuations or strong individuals present at the time.
Tian Can's expression suddenly changed, as if his Divine Soul had suffered some invisible heavy blow.
To be able to so easily deter a Peak Profound Immortal Sword Venerable, and leave no trace, the Realm of the person who made the move, I'm afraid..."
Her words were unfinished, but all the demons in the hall understood their meaning.
Only a Great Luo could accomplish such a feat!
Fire Fiend Demon Venerable's pupils contracted slightly. After a moment of silence, he snorted coldly:
"Hmph, the Great Luo of Lingxu Heavenly Palace either went to Great Luo Heaven or are in secluded death cultivation.
Could it be that they are secretly hiding an unknown Great Luo Sword Immortal?"
"Both are possible."
The charming woman nodded gently,
"Whichever it is, it means our assessment of Lingxu Heavenly Palace's strength has a serious deviation.
If we forcefully apply pressure now, it might backfire, and even lead to unpredictable repercussions."
The atmosphere in the hall grew even heavier.
A Great Demon clad in heavy armor couldn't help but speak:
"Are we just going to let it go?"
"Of course not."
Fire Fiend Demon Venerable interrupted him, a flash of blood-red light in his eyes,
"It's also a good thing to know that Lingxu Heavenly Palace still has such a Legacy."
"But the strategy needs to change. Give the order to temporarily slow down our frontal advance on Lingxu Immortal Domain, consolidate our forces, and strengthen the areas we already control in Lingxu Immortal Domain."
He stood up and said coldly:
"Since overt suppression is temporarily unfeasible, then we'll change our approach.
Increase our efforts to win over other wavering forces and cut off any potential external aid to Lingxu Immortal Domain.
This Venerable wants to see just how deep the waters of Lingxu Heavenly Palace truly are!"
In reality, many people tried to divine this matter, but unfortunately, they couldn't calculate anything... On the other side.
Several streams of light appeared one after another. Outside the Myriad Phenomena Garden, Li Taiqing, Nangong Wenjian, and the others who went to watch the battle returned.
Their faces still carried lingering excitement.