My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 600 - Hierarchy - Part 2

Soon, the Fire and Earth Hall Master sat across from each other, beside a bubbling spring of celestial water.

Both appeared to be in the prime of middle age. But appearances could be deceiving. These were men whose power few could match across the entire realm.

The middle-aged look simply meant that their lifespan was more than halfway spent.

This exploration of the ancient halls wasn't just the final spark of a dying world. It was their last chance.

When they’d triggered the Grand Union of Yin and Yang, they had cut themselves off from the path to the Deathless Tomb. Not that the tomb was peaceful anymore, either.

Rumor had it that a new ruler now presided over the Deathless Tomb, a mysterious figure worshipped by the Nine Flames Tribe of the Western Extremes, known only as the Crowmother.

But who the Crowmother really was...and what connection she had to all those powerful beings entombed there, none of them had a clue.

Either way, the Deathless Tomb was no longer an option.

So here they were, two of the Eastern Sea’s most powerful men, sitting side by side on stone chairs near a sacred spring.

The Fire Hall Master got straight to the point. “The Sect Master wouldn’t see me. He’s already sent Ping’an to fetch Li Yuan.”

“No fewer than a dozen spirit town lords have come to me,” the Earth Hall Master remarked.

The Fire Hall Master nodded. “I know. Those old-timers, they’ve always feared the rise of outsiders. For years, outsiders have arrived in droves, yet never gained much footing. Because the elders made sure of that. To them, outsiders were cannon fodder, nothing more. But things are different now.”

“Yes...everything’s different now.” The Earth Hall Master sighed. “That’s why they’ve all come to me. Because they believe my brother was killed by Li Yuan. They think I’ll join their side.”

The Fire Hall Master said quietly, “My personal disciple, Wei Huosheng, was like a son to me. He too died at Li Yuan’s hands.”

The Earth Hall Master tilted his head. “So that means...both of us are supposed to oppose Li Yuan now?”

But the Fire Hall Master didn’t answer. Instead, he suddenly asked, “The Sect Master wouldn’t see me. What do you think that means?”

The Earth Hall Master chuckled. “Obviously, he wants to wash his hands of the matter. Have us go test Li Yuan.”

“Your brother died by his hand. You've got every reason to go after him.” The Fire Hall Master raised an eyebrow.

The Earth Hall Master frowned. “Then why don’t you go?”

The Fire Hall master replied dryly, “Didn’t I come here?”

They locked eyes, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

There was no need for more words. Old foxes like these two saw the world far too clearly to be deceived by appearances.

Both of them had a grudge against Li Yuan. The Sect Master entering seclusion? That was his way of giving them tacit approval to act.

The Fire Hall Master showing up here after being refused an audience was no accident. It was a signal.

Soon, the Earth Hall Master would send a disciple to discreetly pass a cryptic message to the twelve town lords. A sentence vague enough to be denied later, but just suggestive enough to make those old dogs believe they had the backing of two hall masters.

And once convinced, they’d act.

Later, of course, the disciple would claim innocence. Say he never meant that. It was all a misunderstanding.

These two were no fools.

No ancient cultivator who had lived this long let hatred cloud their judgment.

The Sect Master wanted someone to probe Li Yuan’s strength because no one truly knew how deep that well went. But he wasn’t about to stick his own neck out to find out.

And neither were they.

Let others test the waters.

The Sect Master could simply vanish behind closed doors. But they...they would need to step in at the right moment, subtly offering protection to Li Yuan’s family.

Those twelve town lords were old-timers of the Immortal Domain. Many were arrogant, hostile, and deeply resentful of the influx of outsiders. Over the years, they had clashed violently with these newcomers. Blood had been spilled, grudges forged. There was no chance they’d sit back and watch Li Yuan become a powerful support for the outsider faction.

They may have hesitated before. But now, with support from two hall masters and Ping’an away, they’d make their move on Li Yuan’s family.

Their plan was simple. Use the family to control the man.

Most analysts in the upper echelons believed Li Yuan was someone who valued familial bonds deeply. Why else would he send Ping’an and Cui Huayin to the Eastern Sea in the first place?

So, the goal was to provoke enmity between the twelve town lords and the Li Family. Just enough to apply pressure, but not so much that Li Yuan would go berserk.

If Li Yuan turned out to be weak? Perfect. They could use his family as leverage, bend him to their will, and toss him and his son into the ancient halls as high-level cannon fodder.

At that point, the Li Family would be finished. And everyone in power would be perfectly fine with that outcome.

But if Li Yuan turned out to be unimaginably strong? Well, then they’d pivot. Reveal that they had been protecting his family all along, clean hands, spotless records.

Still, they didn’t really believe that scenario would play out.

After all, they were both peak third rank cultivators, powerful to the very edge of the realm’s hierarchy. No matter how strong Li Yuan might be, how strong could he really be?

Even the legendary Deathless Tomb of the Western Extremes, with twenty thousand years of nurturing elite cultivators, had produced beings that, while formidable, could at most take on two of them at once.

So even if they overestimated Li Yuan...what then?

Could he really take on two top third ranks?

And what if he could?

The Eastern Sea’s Immortal Domain was now host to five peak third rank cultivators from the Arcane Supreme Sect, five more from the Five Spirit Institute, and three from the hidden clans.

Even if Li Yuan was strong...what could one man do against that?

These 13 individuals had, over time, formed a tight-knit clique within the Immortal Domain.

That was why they had sent Ping’an to explore the ancient halls in the first place.

Now that an even stronger cannon fodder had entered the picture, it only made sense for the 13 to band together. They would rise or fall as one.

Those outside the circle would always remain outsiders. And if an outsider managed to get in, they’d have every last drop of usefulness squeezed out of them.

To make good use of cannon fodder, one had to keep a collar around its neck.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later.

Ping’an, sword strapped to his back, walked steadily toward the flying ship, several disciples trailing behind him.

An elder journeying west with a few disciples appeared perfectly ordinary on the surface.

But this time, he was stopped.

A fourth rank cultivator stood at the edge of the skyport, barring his way.

“Elder Li,” the man said coolly, “orders from above, this time, you’ll be traveling alone.”

Ping’an let out a cold laugh. “Get out of my way.”

He didn’t slow his step. The disciples behind him followed suit.

Among those disciples, of course, were Cui Huayin, Yao Jue, and Jing Shuixiang, all in disguise.

Ping’an had spent years in this Immortal Domain. If he didn’t understand its politics by now, he might as well go dig his own grave.

And because he did understand, there was no way in hell he’d leave his Third Mother, Fourth Mother, or Aunt Yao behind.

He was heading west to the Central Plains, and they were coming with him.

The fourth rank cultivator didn’t budge.

With a flash of steel, Ping’an drew his blade and placed the gleaming edge right against the man’s neck.

“Sect rules forbid internal bloodshed, Elder. You gonna kill me?” The man sneered.

Ping’an stepped forward, gaze icy. “Has no one ever told you another of our sect’s rules? That there’s a difference between ranks?”

With a heavy thud, he slammed the flat of his blade against the man’s chest, sending him flying.

He waved his hand, and the disciples behind him surged forward like a school of fish, heading straight for the flying ship.

Then, Ping’an raised his voice and shouted, “I go west under the direct command of the Sect Master! Anyone who tries to stop me clearly doesn’t respect his authority! ‘Orders from above’? From where above? Higher than the Sect Master?!”

His tone was thunder, his presence overwhelming. As he strode forward, his gaze swept across the onlookers, none dared meet his eye.

Just as his disciples were about to board the vessel, however, the once orderly skyport suddenly erupted with figures emerging from the shadows.

They closed in quickly, some already in third rank.

With the spiritual energy now so abundant, many had recently ascended to that level. Though these new third ranks hadn't yet earned elder titles, their power was real.

At the forefront were the town lords, key figures second only to the abode elders.

And now, five of them stepped out from the crowd.

The leader’s eyes glowed like lanterns, his crimson cloak billowing around a face pale as porcelain. He looked like a man forged of flame and ice, his very presence both searing and deathly still.

He was infamous throughout the Arcane Supreme Sect, a cultivator of the Arcane Fire Hall’s techniques who had stumbled upon a rare opportunity during the first ancient hall exploration.

No one knew exactly what had happened, but somehow his power had skyrocketed, as if he had become a Heaven Soul cultivator. While he hadn’t manifested an Immortal Form yet, the usual gap between a non-soul cultivator and a Heaven Soul was completely gone.

This man’s name was Situ Dan.

Situ Dan and his group quickly positioned themselves in front of the boarding ramp to the flying ship, blocking the way.

“Elder Li,” Situ Dan said, “why are you so aggressive?”

Ping’an didn’t waste time on pleasantries. In a blink, clone after clone emerged behind him until there were 50 in total.

Then, all 51 Ping’ans spoke in unison, “Move.”

Situ Dan clenched his jaw but stood his ground. More and more cultivators from the spirit towns began gathering behind him.

“Are you defying the Sect Master’s orders?” Ping’an narrowed his eyes.

Situ Dan smiled thinly. “All I see is Elder Li acting high and mighty, trampling rules, and bullying the disciples guarding the port.”

“They tried to stop me,” Ping’an said flatly.

“If Elder Li wishes to travel west, you’re free to go,” Situ Dan said, frowning. “But why are you bringing your family with you? You think no one’s noticed that these disciples of yours are just your family in disguise?”

“And if they are, so what?” Ping’an answered calmly.

Situ Dan’s voice turned cold. “Then are you betraying the sect?”

Ping’an had no patience for this. He wanted to cut through the nonsense and leave. His voice rang out sharply, “Insolence! You’re just a town lord, how dare you speak to an elder like that!”

At his word, the 50 clones attacked at once.

“You!” Situ Dan froze for a second. He hadn’t expected Ping’an to strike so decisively.

He hastily activated his third rank realm. Flames burst around him, a blazing beast roaring to life as the power of a fiery world swept outward. The cultivators behind him surged forward with their own skills.

But it only took a few brief clashes for Situ Dan’s side to falter. They couldn’t hold.

And just then, a crimson figure descended from the skies.