Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2358 - 87: Consolation (Part 3)
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
Having wrapped up his conversation with Gan Xiong, Wang Ba shifted his gaze to the far-off Qiao Zhongxu and Taoist Master Yingyuan, who lingered in hesitation without approaching, and offered them a faint smile:
"Aren't you two going to join us for some talk?"
At Wang Ba's words of invitation, the pair traded looks, then clenched their jaws and soared forward on the wind, delivering a respectful bow:
"Qiao Zhongxu, greeting Taoist Friend Taiyi."
"Jiang Chi, greeting Taoist Friend Taiyi."
Wang Ba's eyes remained steady as they passed over the duo, picking up on the subtle ripples of top-grade Dao Treasure emanating from their Primordial Spirits. All at once, he grinned widely, bypassed Taoist Master Yingyuan, fixed his stare on Qiao Zhongxu, and teased lightly:
"Taoist Friend Qiao, we're bound by alliance and agreement, so why do you act so aloof when spotting an old companion?"
Qiao Zhongxu never imagined that Wang Ba, with his vastly boosted cultivation base, would stay so approachable. He paused in surprise, then forced a grin onto his stern features and replied straightforwardly:
"Circumstances shift, and I'm just a regular fellow at heart. Witnessing Taoist Friend's comeback stirred fears that you might lean on your power, filling me with unease."
Qiao Zhongxu's candid words caught Wang Ba off guard, making him halt briefly before bursting into a booming laugh:
"Excellent! That kind of candor is key to achieving big feats!"
With those words out, his grin faded, replaced by a grave tone as he continued:
"Taoist Friend, you should realize I've come back from beyond. If I'm right, the Supreme True Buddha won't delay sending forces here once more. When they arrive, their seizures could go beyond mere laborers and Dao Treasures. That's why I summoned you—to hash this out."
"Forces from the Supreme True Buddha are returning?"
"How come it's happening this quickly?"
Qiao Zhongxu's face tightened a bit.
Wang Ba gave a nod and explained:
"The Supreme True Buddha knows now about the Sea Market's vanishing. Those arriving this round might include Arhat-rank powerhouses..."
"Arhat?"
Qiao Zhongxu jolted in shock.
"On par with early Crossing Tribulation stage."
Wang Ba clarified offhandedly:
"One Arhat alone isn't a big deal. The real challenge lies in handling the Supreme True Buddha's followers beyond our borders. We ought to hold back from them for the moment... Yet this touches on so many angles that I need time back home to straighten it all out. Right now, I'm just warning you ahead so you can brace yourselves. After I've pieced it together, I'll call you for a proper talk."
Though he shared plenty, Qiao Zhongxu fixated on just one line.
Simply... an Arhat?
Could it truly be so straightforward?
This was early Crossing Tribulation...
A tangle of feelings stirred inside him, but thinking back to how the other had just clashed solo against Taoist Master Chonghua and Taoist Master Man without breaking a sweat, he quieted once more.
Maybe to this Taoist Master Taiyi, an Arhat truly posed no threat.
Yet his focus quickly turned to the threat of 'Supreme True Buddha dispatching forces anew.'
Growing more serious, he saw Wang Ba wasn't keen on delving further, so he skipped further words and promptly bid farewell to Wang Ba.
Wang Ba let him go without protest. He'd gathered them mostly on a whim. Truth be told, fresh from his return, he hadn't yet devised a way to tackle the incoming wave from the Supreme True Buddha.
Stepping back into the Sea of Chaos Realm had been essential.
Still, being here now, he couldn't waste the chance; careful scheming was in order.
But first, certain tasks awaited him.
Chonghua caught his drift, furrowed his brow lightly, and remarked with scorn:
"How tedious this feels."
Wang Ba, catching the comment, just chuckled and replied:
"It won't hold us up in any case."
Chonghua huffed in disdain and willed his mind to act.
From afar, a massive silhouette hurtled swiftly their way—it was Fanming.
Wang Ba and his group soon touched down atop Fanming's form.
Fanming unfurled its wings, unleashed a sharp cry, and blurred into a streak of brilliance...
Half a day passed.
Fanming halted near a domain shaped like a tadpole, encircled by nine vigilant Guard Cities where cultivators streamed in and out endlessly, alive with energy, like the pulsing heart of the Sea of Chaos Realm.
Despite gleaning from Chonghua's recollections the shifts in Little Cang World across these years, beholding its current vibrancy—several times the old bustle—stirred a swirl of sentiments in him, mingled with deep satisfaction.
He swept his sleeve with a flourish.
In a flash, silhouettes tumbled free from within it.
These cultivators, through their garb and bearing, differed sharply from the Sea of Chaos Realm's natives, seeming utterly mismatched; they gazed about in bewilderment, eyeing the Little Cang World ahead, utterly lost.
Yet a handful of them froze in awe, staring at the domain nearby, suddenly struck by a profoundly familiar and intimate sensation deep within.
"Is it possible...?"
Within the cluster of forms, a skinny elder and a young man in earthy robes both locked eyes on Little Cang World, their gazes brimming with astonishment and thrill:
"Little Cang World?!"