Chapter 153
Chapter 153: The Rules Set by Oneself
Zhi Ye’s mind once again flashed with the image of that young man, a Lock Force cultivator with no future, yet standing at the lowest point, gritting his teeth at the sky.
The fact that this person had survived a killing tribulation had already earned Zhi Ye’s respect. And now, he had the audacity to openly pressure the Elder Court.
If the Elder Court conceded…
From then on, anyone caught secretly interfering with their affairs would be impossible to ignore. The deacon named Wu Yun dared not even move, even if there was Zhi Qing behind him.
“Has the Elder Court responded?” Zhi Ye asked.
“Not yet,” came the answer.
Zhi Ye smiled. “Afraid of losing face, or afraid of losing the unspoken rules?”
The reporter did not dare to speak further.
Zhi Ye waved for them to leave.
The Elder Court dared not open this door. The unspoken rules were everywhere. Once this door opened, it would affect the interests of many.
What truly impacted Black White Heaven through the Lock Path interval were not the materials, but the Lock Force cultivators themselves. This touched upon the Star Cloud battlefield.
This aunt was certainly not idle.
The news spread throughout Black White Heaven, even reaching the other three major training grounds. The name Wang Jie once again reached the ears of many.
They remembered hearing about this person not long ago. How had he come up again?
Could a Lock Force cultivator really have such presence?
“Did you hear? The Elder Court has been in meetings for two days and still can’t reach a consensus.”
“I heard it wasn’t about whether they should acknowledge the issue, but rather about why someone like Wang Jie has the audacity to threaten the Elder Court.”
“Deacon Elder went to complain to the Black Realm Lord.”
“Although the Lock Path interval belongs to the Black Domain, it should be independent. What if Wang Jie doesn’t even care about the Black Realm Lord’s face?”
“No way. If that happens, let those younger disciples die. Do the Elders really care about them?”
“Don’t you understand? Those people are merely pawns in this game. Whether they live or die doesn’t matter. What matters is that through them, the Elder Court is now being directly confronted. The Elder Court must take a stand. Either they ignore the deaths of these people, remove Wang Jie, and force the Lock Path interval to obey, or they acknowledge the rules set by the Lock Path interval.”
…
“We’ve received news, the Black Realm Lord is not intervening in this matter.”
“How is that possible?”
“Are you stupid? This is normal. Wang Jie, a ten-seal cultivator, first provoked the Deacon Hall and Discipline Hall, even forcing the higher-ups to send out the Shen Wang to hunt him down, but he still failed. This shows he has someone behind him. This is a battle involving true lords.”
“Lords above the realm lord? Could it be… Zhi’s family?”
…
“Latest news: An Elder has gone to the Zhi Upper Realm. It seems the Zhi family is also discussing this matter. The Lock Path interval is crucial, and neither the interests nor the face of the Elder Court can be abandoned.”
“But even Ancestor Zhi Yu cannot deny the rules set by the ancestors.”
“If it weren’t for this rule, a single Elder could slap the Lock Path interval into pieces. Now, the reasoning lies with the Lock Path interval.”
…
“Master, Deacon Elder requests to see you.”
Zhi Xing Xue looked up. Had he come?
“Let him in.”
Soon, an old man in a white robe entered and bowed slowly before Zhi Xing Xue. “Long time no see, acting Realm Lord.”
Zhi Xing Xue’s eyes flashed. “Acting Realm Lord? It’s been a long time since anyone called me that. Those were old matters. Why bring it up, Brother Shang He?”
The old man was Si Shang He, the highest-ranked Elder in the Elder Court, of the same generation as Zhi Xing Xue. They had once trained together.
“Xing Xue, since you still call me Brother Shang He, then there’s no need for me to say much about today’s matter, right?”
“Wang Jie?”
“This child, though only a little fellow with ten seals, dares to act in such a manner. It’s very similar to what you did back then. There’s no way he could do this without your support. I’ve personally come here. If you want something, you may speak directly.”
Zhi Xing Xue looked at Si Shang He. “What Wang Jie wants, is what I want.”
Si Shang He furrowed his brows. “You’ve changed. The you back then, weren’t so pretentious.”
“You’ve changed too. If it were the old Brother Shang He, you would’ve come to see me long ago.”
Si Shang He’s gaze turned intense. “How many hearts were hurt when you left in anger? Now, you still wish to return to the past. It’s no longer possible.”
Zhi Xing Xue nodded. “So, I don’t blame you. I will pay the price that I must, but this matter… there’s no turning back.”
Si Shang He stared at her. “No room for negotiation?”
“None.”
Si Shang He stared at Zhi Xing Xue for a long moment, then sighed and smiled bitterly. “Let him go. I, the Elder Court, guarantee from this point forward, the Lock Path interval will set its own rules. No one, openly or secretly, may interfere with Lock Path interval’s matters. If they do, it is a violation of the Elder Court.”
Zhi Xing Xue breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Si Shang He turned to leave, then paused a few steps later. He spoke coldly, “Our bond, it’s severed.” He turned and left.
Zhi Xing Xue closed her eyes, silent for a long time.
The old woman’s gaze dimmed. “Master, Deacon Elder has always staunchly supported you and has done much for you. Why must things be this way? Sigh, it’s all because that child went too far. No one expected him to be so extreme.”
Zhi Xing Xue opened her eyes. “He did well. He’s just like me, isn’t he?”
The old woman thought for a moment, then nodded. “Indeed.”
With the Elder Court’s announcement, the entire Black White Heaven fell into silence.
Wang Jie, a mere Lock Force cultivator, had forced the Elder Court to bow its head. This time, the Elder Court’s face was thoroughly lost.
Of course, everyone knew this loss wasn’t to Wang Jie himself, but to the lord behind him.
Wang Jie, and those younger disciples who had been captured, were nothing but the lowest-level ants in this grand game.
What the outside world thought of this matter didn’t concern Wang Jie. All he knew was that the Lock Path interval was free now.
At least, temporarily free. No one would dare to interfere with the Lock Path interval at this moment. Anyone who did would first have to face the Elder Court. They were hoping for someone to ignite a spark.
At Lone Peak Gorge, Zong Cheng Ping and others bowed to Wang Jie. “From now on, the Four Alliances and Lone Peak Gorge will all respect you.”
Wang Jie watched them bow, feeling strangely unfamiliar.
In Blue Star, he had always been alone, dragging two good brothers with him. The same was true in the Silver Radiance Empire and Frost Radiance Sect. No matter his position, power had never been tied to him. This was the first time.
It felt… not bad.
He knew that these people respected him because of Zhi Xing Xue, who had made the Elder Court bow, not because of him.
But that didn’t matter.
“There’s no need for formalities. How much longer until the annual Lock Force cultivator transfer?”
“Just one more month.”
“Is the number confirmed?”
“Already confirmed, ten million in total, waiting to be sent to Ping Xiao.”
“No need to send them to Ping Xiao. Send them according to this new list of places.”
Zong Cheng Ping and the others looked at the list Wang Jie had provided, which listed five locations and the numbers next to each place, totaling over ten million.
“What is this?”
Wang Jie replied, “No need to ask. Just send them.”
The Star Cloud battlefield was a collective name for multiple scattered battlefields. Ping Xiao was the transfer hub for Lock Force cultivators going to the Star Cloud battlefield. Many cultivators would enter Ping Xiao, and based on the needs of the Star Cloud battlefield, they would be sent to different locations.
This was the greatest benefit controlled by Wu Yun and the forces behind her.
Each battlefield was tied to a lord of Black White Heaven. By distributing battlefield quotas, they exchanged for other benefits with those lords. Cataclysm materials were just a visible benefit. Star Force cultivators didn’t care about them. It was just a guise.
The outcome of each battlefield affected some people’s status within their sects.
This was a bottom-up chain of interests.
Now, the entire chain of interests involving Lock Force cultivators was in Zhi Xing Xue’s hands. She gave the list to Wang Jie. Each location had someone sent by the battlefield behind it to receive the Lock Force cultivators. This way, the pattern of the Star Cloud battlefield would change.
One or two times would not be noticeable.
Ten million Lock Force cultivators entering the battlefield was like a drop of water in the sea. It would have no immediate effect. A battlefield could lose hundreds of thousands. But over time, it would be different.
Every year, even if thirty percent survived, the accumulated number would still be significant. Those who reached the Hundred Star Realm or Star Refining Realm would live for hundreds, even thousands of years.
Their trade would focus on the future, not the present.
Through this, Zhi Xing Xue had essentially taken the first step in regaining control of Black White Heaven’s authority. She had gained initial leverage. Every location represented a high-level figure with whom she could exchange benefits.
Before, she had none.
Ships set off toward various destinations.
The Lock Path interval seemed the same, yet everything had changed.
Wang Jie, meanwhile, awaited the arrival of materials.
With so many Slaughter Stone Planets, every month materials would be gathered and sent to the Four Alliances and Lone Peak Gorge, then transferred to Black White Heaven. This meant Wang Jie would receive a large amount of materials every month. This was the material summary of the entire Lock Path interval, not just one individual in the Four Alliances. There was no need to send it out.
This meant that in just three months, he would gather enough materials to deepen his tenth seal to Heaven Reversal.
In one year, he could acquire enough materials to deepen four seals to Heaven Reversal.
Such a tremendous amount. Far beyond what the Frost Radiance Sect could compare to.
A month later, when batches of Lock Force cultivators were transferred, the task for the year was complete.
At the Zhi Upper Realm, Zhi Ye was writing when a report came in. He looked up. “What about mine?”
“Yes, in past years, less than a million Lock Force cultivators were sent to Hao Qian domain. Most would be lost as soon as they reached the battlefield. The number left was small, with fewer than thirty million Lock Force cultivators remaining. Of those, fewer than a hundred could be considered combat elites. Many tasks couldn’t even be carried out.”
“Now, the number has suddenly increased so much. It’s likely Hao Qian domain will be much easier now.”
Zhi Ye smiled and lowered his head to write. “Did Aunt not tell me in advance? Was she trying to surprise me?” He paused. “I’ll accept it. Though the surprise is small, it’s better than nothing.”
“Understood.”
Elsewhere, the old woman happily reported to Zhi Xing Xue. “Master, Elder Li Tong He asked me to thank you on his behalf.”
Zhi Xing Xue smiled. “He is Li Xiang’s son. Though he didn’t lean toward me, at least he doesn’t hold any hostility.”
“We’ve just increased his Ying Yang battlefield by six times the Lock Force cultivators. This is a great gift for him. When Zhi Qing controlled the Lock Path interval, he only got less than three hundred thousand. The battlefield was limited, and he couldn’t gain much. He had many defeats and was unable to increase his standing. It was hard to gather enough battle achievements to trade. Now, things are different. He’s directly wealthy.”
Zhi Xing Xue smiled. Just as she was about to speak, her expression changed. “Little Blue, prepare for the guest.”
The old woman looked outside, her expression stern. She stepped out.