My Clones Can Cultivate
Chapter 76: Iron Saint... A Walking Troublemaker
Chapter 76
The members of the Order had gathered, and the reason for the gathering was far from being something simple; well, it made sense, as only something truly mind-blowing and earth-shaking could warrant summoning every member of the Order... those who stood as experts among experts, the truest elites among the world’s greatest cultivators.
As always, the Eternal Sage was the one coordinating the meeting. "Today’s gathering has been summoned because something very, very important has appeared," he said, and as fate would have it, "another Sacred Grade cultivator has surfaced."
The moment those words were spoken, his gaze shifted toward the little blue-haired girl.
Little Blue’s expression immediately twisted.
Another Sacred Grade cultivator, and she hadn’t seen it? One had to know that she was perhaps the only human alive with the deepest affinity toward Fate itself.
Her Lasting Peering Vision allowed her to peer directly into the future of the world, making it seem as though she had already lived through the future while still existing in the present.
The fact that she had been the very first person to detect the first Sacred Grade cultivator spoke volumes about the terrifying extent of her abilities, and yet, she had been completely unaware of this second Sacred Grade cultivator.
Hearing the Eternal Sage’s words, Iron Saint raised an eyebrow before looking toward Little Blue. "Well, would you look at that; so there really is something that even you can’t see."
He paused before a teasing grin spread across his face. "Or perhaps your Peering Vision has started declining because of your old age." Little Blue immediately became furious upon hearing those words; one had to know that one of her greatest sore spots was being called an old woman.
"It seems you’re the one suffering from vision problems," she replied with an annoyed smile. "If not, how could you possibly mistake a little human girl like myself for an old woman? You old savage."
Iron Saint wasn’t moved in the slightest by her retort; instead, the grin on his face only grew wider as he casually rubbed the side of his ear.
"If I remember correctly, compared to a certain someone who’s famous for his immense savagery, my own style of combat can practically be considered calm and pleasant to watch, unlike a certain someone whose fighting style is so savage that it’s painful to even look at."
Although he never mentioned a name, his finger slowly pointed toward where Beast Emperor was sitting. The Beast Emperor’s eye twitched. This bastard... did he always enjoy bringing trouble upon himself?
"Hey, Iron, pull that finger back if you don’t want me to help you tear it off," the Beast Emperor spoke calmly, yet hidden beneath that calmness was a savage tone that clearly promised there wouldn’t be a second warning.
Iron Saint, however, wasn’t intimidated in the slightest; instead, he simply looked back at Little Blue with an expression that clearly said: *See? I’m telling the truth.*
Everyone present noticed it, and small chuckles escaped from several of the members. The Beast Emperor’s face darkened; had it not been for the presence of the First Order, he would have already pounced on that idiot.
Now genuinely annoyed, the Beast Emperor smiled... it was the kind of smile capable of making countless beasts flee in every direction... and he looked directly at Iron Saint before speaking. "After this meeting, let’s have a friendly spar."
His gaze was feral, dangerous, and filled with unmistakable battle intent, yet Iron Saint remained completely unfazed. Instead, he grinned excitedly before immediately nodding. "Let’s do it, right after the meeting ends."
Before either of them could continue, someone interrupted. Life Bloomer’s gentle voice echoed throughout the hall... it was soft, calm, yet carried a trace of concern.
"You two should really learn to get along with everyone else," she said, letting out a small sigh before continuing. "And regarding this spar, I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree. The last time you two fought, several kingdoms had their landscapes completely altered, and countless innocent lives were almost placed in danger."
She smiled apologetically. "So, I’m sorry to dash your hopes, Iron, but there won’t be any battle today."
Of course, everyone knew this had become something of a tradition; at almost every gathering, Iron Saint would deliberately provoke someone in hopes of finding himself another worthy opponent.
Despite the fact that everyone present knew he had most likely come directly from another battlefield before attending this meeting, it was as though his hunger for battle could never truly be satisfied. He always wanted another fight, and after that, yet another.
Iron Saint simply smiled after hearing Life Bloomer’s words, as though fighting Beast Emperor had never truly been his plan from the very beginning. "Okay," he shrugged before looking away, doing his best to suppress the itch for battle; he could always satisfy it another time.
Beast Emperor also nodded... his tone remained calm, though the dangerous edge hidden beneath it never disappeared.
"Although I still believe he deserves a proper beating to knock some sense into that thick skull of his, I’ll follow the decision this time."
The large man sitting upon the largest throne finally spoke, his voice as sturdy and imposing as his massive build. "I believe that one person might deserve some beating, though."
The moment those words fell, everyone’s attention shifted. "The meeting only started a few minutes ago, and Dream Weaver is already asleep again."
Hearing that, everyone turned toward the seat where the young woman, who looked as though she hadn’t gotten a proper night’s sleep in what felt like forever, was sitting. Her head was lowered, and a tiny bubble rose and fell from her nose; she was sound asleep.
Every member of the Order couldn’t help but feel the corners of their eyes twitch; this scene was far too familiar. Well, why wouldn’t it be? Dream Weaver almost always fell asleep only a few seconds after every meeting began.
"Should I do the honor of waking her up?" Iron Saint asked as he cracked his knuckles, looking as though he were about to head into war.
Every inch of his actions screamed violence; even the simple act of waking up a young lady didn’t seem to promise any mercy.
"Hey, Iron, sit back down. No one asked you to," World Pillar said as he crossed his massive arms. Iron Saint’s smile immediately froze as he looked toward the towering man.
"Isn’t he the one that just said someone deserved a beating?" he narrowed his eyes. "I should beat him up after the meeting as well." World Pillar met his gaze head-on; his expression never changed.
He wasn’t afraid of the so-called God of War; if anything, he believed Iron Saint should be the one afraid of him, after all, he was the one who had never been defeated, the one who had remained standing, unshaken and unbroken, for countless years.
Seeing the situation beginning to escalate once again, Eternal Sage simply snapped his fingers. A tiny ripple of energy gently struck the throne where Dream Weaver was fast asleep; what appeared to be a harmless wave of energy was, in reality, an incredibly powerful burst of spiritual force.
A few moments later, Dream Weaver slowly opened her sleepy eyes before looking around in confusion. "Oh, is the meeting already starting?" she couldn’t help but ask.
Iron Saint immediately raised an eyebrow. "Must you always be sleeping?" "Of course I need to sleep," Dream Weaver replied matter-of-factly. "I’m always busy, you know." Iron Saint scoffed.
"Busy? I’ve been fighting powerful monsters continuously for more than two years without resting or sleeping, and yet I don’t complain about needing sleep. But you, you’ve been sleeping ever since I first met you."
Dream Weaver merely looked at him as though he had just told the greatest joke in history. She casually shrugged. "What do you mean? Do you honestly think your task is more demanding than mine? You only have to slaughter monster hordes a few times every day, for about three years.
What? A few hundred thousand monsters or so?" She lazily waved her hand. "But me? I have to enter and manipulate the dreams of millions upon millions of people across the entire world every single day just to fulfill my responsibilities, and you’re saying your job is more exhausting?" She shook her head.
"You really have no idea how tricky and mentally exhausting manipulating even a single dream can be, not to mention millions of them." Iron Saint raised an eyebrow. "It still can’t possibly be so exhausting that you can’t even stay awake for two full minutes before falling asleep again."
"Of course it is," Dream Weaver answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Enough of this. The meeting needs to proceed, and you lot need to stop your constant bickering," a distorted voice suddenly echoed throughout the hall.
It belonged to Void Walker, whose white eyes were firmly locked onto Iron Saint, who seemed completely determined to cause trouble wherever he went. "I’ll do you guys one better. Why is Iron Saint always looking for trouble?" World Pillar suddenly added.
Ashen Monarch, who had remained silent until now, finally decided to speak. "No, I’ll do you all one better. Why the hell can’t every single one of you just shut up and let the meeting proceed?" His blue flame-like eyes glowed faintly as he continued speaking. "You are all wasting my precious time here."
The next person to speak was the one dressed the most luxuriously among them all. Golden Tyrant casually adjusted his sleeves before speaking. "No, let me do you all the best," his calm gaze swept across everyone present.
"When are all of you planning to pay the debts you owe me?" The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere immediately changed.
Everyone suddenly began looking elsewhere; some even started whistling under their breath as though they had just been caught doing something terribly wrong.
Even the usually arrogant and prideful Ashen Monarch had quietly closed his eyes, pretending as though he hadn’t heard the question at all. Little Blue calmly retrieved a piece of baked bread from her Soul Space before leisurely taking a bite, acting as if Golden Tyrant wasn’t even speaking.
Silent Reaper, who was normally one of the most noble and composed members of the Order, wasn’t acting noble in the slightest either; instead, he was staring intently at the beautifully engraved wall beside him. The only problem was there wasn’t even a single engraving on the wall.
Heck, when Golden Tyrant looked toward Thousand Faces, the expression on the ever-changing mask had somehow become that of someone casually whistling away, despite the fact that the fellow himself owed an absolutely staggering amount of money.
Among the entire gathering, there was only one person brave enough to actually meet Golden Tyrant’s gaze, and unsurprisingly, it was Iron Saint once again.
Golden Tyrant slowly raised an eyebrow. "So, are you finally ready to pay?" Iron Saint immediately shook his head. "No, I don’t remember owing you anything. I’m pretty sure I cleared all my debts a hundred years ago."
Golden Tyrant’s face twitched violently. "You still owe me, you brat." "For what?" Iron Saint asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Three kingdoms." "...What?" Iron Saint looked genuinely confused. "I don’t remember borrowing any kingdoms."
Golden Tyrant narrowed his eyes. "You didn’t borrow them. You owe me because you broke them." Hearing those words, Iron Saint’s memories were instantly stirred; a brief moment later, he quietly turned his head away as well. He really didn’t have the money to pay.
Seeing every single member deliberately avoiding eye contact with him, Golden Tyrant nearly cried; traitors, every single one of them was a traitor. Not one of them wanted to repay his money... his precious, precious money.
"Ahem." Eternal Sage gave a light cough before finally speaking. "Now that everyone has finished with their usual banter, I believe it’s time for us to become serious, because what we’re about to discuss is something of immense importance: the appearance of a second Sacred Grade cultivator. Silent Reaper has personally confirmed it."
The eyes of every member of the Order immediately lit up... surprised, extremely surprised... yet even more than surprise, they felt joy. Another unparalleled genius had appeared within the world; that alone was wonderful news.
"That is the good news," Eternal Sage paused. "But there is also bad news." The relaxed expressions around the hall instantly disappeared.
Every member became serious as they looked toward the skinny man; his tone remained calm and composed as he continued.
"The second Sacred Grade cultivator is Silent Reaper’s son, and since he has already begun cultivating, it means the Vile One’s curse has already descended upon him as well."