Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 2405 - 204: Lost Treasure (Part 2)

In this intricate environment, nothing short of a bold strike can secure the victory and guarantee utter triumph.

What exactly defines such a bold strike? Obviously, it's about picking a target to demonstrate dominance.

He had initially intended to use Fan Fenglei as that example, yet the foe yielded too readily and denied him the chance.

Cheng Lianzi surrendered even faster, leaving him momentarily unsure and causing him to lose the moment.

With this in mind, a sharp glint appeared in his gaze.

His eyes shifted subtly, fixing once more on Fan Fenglei nearby.

Right as he prepared to open his mouth.

Fan Fenglei trembled, emerging from his earlier daze, and quickly declared:

"I, Fan, am willing to follow True Man Taiyi along with the Spirit Origin Prefecture!"

"Hmm?"

Wang Ba furrowed his brow lightly, caught off guard:

"I killed your grandchild, yet you still wish to follow me?"

Fan Fenglei gave a wry smile and let out a sigh:

"It’s all fate and destiny. Moreover, the agreement of three swords earlier was already written off with the True Man, was it not?"

Wang Ba paused. After all, he wasn't accustomed to acting as a ruthless killer who slays without reason, nor did he possess the ability to end lives carelessly. He tsked softly in mild disappointment and agreed with reluctance:

"Very well, you can follow me. What a pity..."

Fan Fenglei picked up on the reluctance in his voice and felt a twinge of worry.

Perplexed inside:

"Why does it feel like he'd rather I refused?"

But Wang Ba showed no delay. In this setting, sparing lives to show power falls short. A ruthless kill is essential to calm everyone down.

He swiveled his head then, eyeing the six cultivators locked in combat with the Demon Ape, a flicker of chill in his gaze as he uttered in a spectral voice:

"What about you?"

The six were deeply immersed in their intense clash with the Demon Ape, and at those words, their faces paled a bit.

They banded together anew to push the Demon Ape away and pulled back as one.

Spotting Cheng Lianzi, Fan Fenglei, Yin Tianzhi, and Realm Master Sangkong positioned behind Wang Ba made their pulses race.

One Demon Ape alone had them barely holding on, with escape proving tough. Toss in this enigmatic True Man Taiyi plus the other four at Crossing Tribulation middle-stage...

That realization hit, and without even glancing at one another, the six blurted out nearly in unison:

"Golden Water Pond is willing to follow True Man Taiyi!"

"Yutang Prefecture..."

"Longcong Prefecture..."

As they voiced it, the six jolted at their synced intentions, sharing looks filled with shock and bitter grins, all laced with unease.

Only Wang Ba creased his forehead, since their choice to submit left him without anyone to use for dominance.

Without establishing dominance, how could he keep these backstabbing rogue cultivator groups in check?

"All of you wish to follow me?"

Sweeping his eyes over the group, his focus soon settled on the Golden Water Pond's master, his lids narrowing a touch:

"You struck first before, so you must hold some grudge toward me, right?"

While saying this, the Yellow Dao Domain quietly activated around him, poised to unleash.

Feeling the looming danger from the Yellow Dao Domain, where one misstep might trigger a devastating blow, the Golden Water Pond master’s heart pounded as he shook his head fast.

His eyes darted to Cheng Lianzi’s grim expression behind Wang Ba, silently cursing him for yielding first and trapping them all. In a flash, his thoughts raced, and he protested his innocence:

"True Man, please see the truth! It was Cheng Lianzi who urged me to take the lead in probing your power. I was blind then and failed to grasp the True Man’s greatness. Now, I’ve seen the light and beg the True Man to kindly accept me."

"Situ Fei, stop your deceit!"

Cheng Lianzi’s face shifted a little. Though he restrained his rage, a wave of anger still boiled up.

But with the Golden Water Pond master leading, the other five’s eyes lit up, spotting an opening, and they jumped in to support:

"Exactly, I heard it myself. Cheng Lianzi set it up, making Taoist Friend Situ take the front."

"I can vouch for it. Taoist Friend Situ tells the truth. We all got pulled in by Cheng Lianzi..."

"Me too..."

The five had harbored grudges against Cheng Lianzi for surrendering first and turning on them. Seizing this chance, they piled on relentlessly, boxing him in with their accusations and revealing hidden deeds.

In mere moments, they depicted Cheng Lianzi as the scheming force behind Zhang’s Ruins, exposing countless shady acts.

Cheng Lianzi had submitted to Wang Ba out of necessity, his mind already churning with deep regret. Now, under group assault and with his dirty secrets laid bare, his standing crumbled further, pushing him to snap and trade barbs with them, flinging charges back and forth.

Observing the charged, on-the-brink tension between these factions, Wang Ba’s look grew a tad odd.

"Looks like... I won’t need to show dominance myself."

The overt and covert rivalries among Zhang’s Ruins forces had simmered for ages. They allied at times but clashed often too. Viewed this way, they kept one another in line naturally, sparing him extra work and easing fears of them banding together against his control.

Because surely, some would flip allegiances for gain.

In that moment, he grasped why these Zhang’s Ruins groups, with their structured lineages and thriving offshoots, still got branded as rogue cultivators.

"Their loyalties waver, without unity or honor. Unless they transform, they’ll never rise to true heights."

Put plainly, too many burdens weigh them down, filling their heads with suspicions of neighbors, endless plots and tricks, leaving no space for self-focus. Distracted by small squabbles daily, how could they pursue the Great Dao?

By contrast, the Cloud Sky Realm lets the Cloud Sky Sect claim a whole domain, permitting side groups to flourish unchecked, even aiding them at times for shared progress—that feels like the true home for cultivators.