Mahayana 98

BGM: Wuthering Waves 2.8A MSQ Part 11[Please Help with subscribe]

Chapter 98: Only Nine Allowed to Enter the Samsara Mansion?
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
Part 1

She wore a pale pink, asymmetrical short dress that clung to her figure, showing off her elegant neck and sharply defined collarbones. Her long dark hair was tied up with a ribbon, a butterfly hairpin resting above it, with a single loose strand falling over her chest. A light touch of makeup only heightened her beauty, making her seem at once a beguiling enchantress and an ethereal snow spirit.

Xiao Yifeng wasn’t drawn to her because of her beauty—of course not—but because in his previous life he’d dealt with this enchantress countless times. This woman was Mò Shuiyao, a true disciple of the Tender Blossom Pavilion.

The man next to her was all refined elegance—handsome, stylish, dressed in black, lazily flicking a folding fan.

He looked easy-going, but he was infamous for being ruthless: Lin Xiao, the top disciple of Jadefire City.

In his previous life, when Xiao Yifeng entered the Immortal Mansion, these two had entered as well. No wonder they had seemed so familiar with the place—they had already been here once.

The others barely caught his attention. They were neatly split into three camps: wandering cultivators, unaligned cultivators; the righteous faction led by Lingyun; and the demonic path faction, including Mo Shuiyao and Lin Xiao.

Xiao Yifeng brought Su Miaoqing with him and quietly took his place on the righteous side, though he still kept some distance from them.

Several groups were watching each other warily. Before Xiao Yifeng arrived, the righteous side had been slightly at a disadvantage.

In the distance, two more meteorites drifted over, and from them descended a man and a woman. The man was dismissed with just a glance — merely an early Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, nothing to worry about.

The woman, however, radiated an early Golden Core realm aura. She was gentle and lovely in appearance, dressed in a pale green long dress. At her cuffs were pale blue peonies, with silver thread outlining a few drifting clouds. Across her chest was a wide strip of light yellow brocade. When she turned lightly, her skirt flared around her, every movement graceful, like a spring breeze brushing through willow branches.

The woman froze when she saw the situation, unsure where she was supposed to stand.

The red-haired Tyrant Blade cultivator, Wang Yue, stepped forward. “May I know which sect this fairy belongs to? I am Wang Yue of the Tyrant Saber Sect.”

Luo Yun caught on immediately. “Greetings, Daoist Wang Yue. I am Luo Yun of Luoshu Manor.” After offering a polite bow, she walked over to join Xiao Yifeng’s group.

Xiao Yifeng did a quick count and realised the number of people present had already risen to twenty-six. His expression darkened slightly.

They waited, but no one else showed up. Then the whole space suddenly shook.

A vast, commanding voice rolled across the space, the same voice that had drawn them in.

“The Samsara Immortal Palace is now open. Only nine may enter. When the number of people within this space drops to nine, the palace gates will open automatically. Anyone choosing to forfeit may infuse half of their vital blood into the palace jade pendant and depart.” [TN: Immortal Mansion will now be called Immortal Palace]

As soon as the voice faded, shock rippled through the entire crowd. Xiao Yifeng reacted at once, pulling Su Miaoqing aside and keeping a wary eye on the others.

None of them had expected the Immortal Palace to impose such a strict limit. Everyone looked around again, reassessing the situation.

Aside from the notable figures, there was also a strangely quiet wandering cultivator standing with the Old Demon King, completely silent.

Counting Xiao Yifeng’s group — the fake Golden Core realm cultivator — there were nine Golden Core realm experts in total.

The righteous path side immediately found themselves stuck, unsure what to do, whereas the demonic path side didn’t bother with such indecision.

A brooding young man among the demonic path members sneered. “Anyone below Golden Core realm should hurry up and scram. I’ll be generous and let you keep your lives. Shall I escort you out myself, or will you do it properly and walk?”

“Mo Yu, honestly, your behaviour is rather crude. At least spare a bit of gentleness for the ladies,” Lin Xiao said with a shake of his head.

“Hehe, Young Master Lin is ever so witty and charming! Could it be that someone here is dear to your heart? You’ll make a girl heartbroken saying things like that,” the seductive Mo Shuiyao laughed lightly.

On the neutral side, the Old Demon King also let out a cold snort. “You lot understand, don’t you? Anyone below Foundation Establishment realm, get lost. I’ve no desire to kill people.”

“You can’t just bully us because your cultivation’s higher! This place is half our life’s work. Who knows how many years it’ll take to reappear? And even then, our path to the Dao’s as good as gone!” a middle-aged man shouted from the crowd.

“Yeah! Don’t be scared of them, there’s more of us. A Golden Core realm cultivator isn’t that bloody terrifying!” someone from the righteous side yelled.

“Heaven gives you a road and you ignore it; hell doesn’t even have a door and you still bash your way in. If your Dao’s hopeless, I’ll make sure your life is too,” Mo Yu sneered.

He flickered like a ghost behind the man and slammed his palm down. The man’s head burst like a watermelon, showering him in blood.

He licked the white fluid off his hand and gave a nasty, devilish grin. Just that alone was enough to have half the crowd shaking in their boots.

Two female cultivators cracked first. They poured half their vital blood into their jade pendants. The pendants lit up gold and tore open space, whisking them away in a heartbeat.

And once a couple bolted, the rest started breaking too, bailing one after another as the pressure became more and more unbearable.

“Daoist Lingyun… Daoist Wu Chen… Fairy Luo… Wang Yue… you’re not going to leg it like those demonic path lot, are you?” someone from the righteous side asked, voice trembling.

That question put the righteous path faction in a really awkward spot. You could practically feel the air tightening around them.

Xiao Yifeng didn’t bother with them. He simply shifted Su Miaoqing behind him and said quietly, “Miaoqing, stay right here later. Don’t go running about.”

It was the first time he’d called her name outright. Even if it was all pretend, it still made her feel strangely safe.

She answered with a soft hum and a determined nod.

The righteous path faction hesitated, unsure what to do, while the demonic path cultivators watched them like it was great entertainment.

“Such paragons of virtue, the righteous path,” Mo Shuiyao said with a playful jab. “I’m sure you won’t act like us demonic path cultivators. But with limited spots into the Immortal Mansion… how will you lot sort it out?”

The atmosphere turned painfully awkward for a moment.

Su Miaoqing looked at Xiao Yifeng with worry, unsure what he planned to do. She also feared he might be exposed, leaving her completely torn.

In the end, it was the Tyrant Saber, Liu Yue, who stepped forward. He spoke in a deep voice: “Since the slots for entering the Immortal Mansion are limited, I’ll play the villain today. If any of you can defeat me, you’re free to enter the Immortal Mansion. If I lose, I’ll leave without a word. Any objections?”

“You call yourselves righteous, yet you behave just like these demonic path folks,” someone in the Foundation Establishment realm shouted angrily.

Xiao Yifeng didn’t bother to respond, only watching these naïve people with a cold, chilling gaze.

Cultivators go against the heavens by nature; the righteous and demonic paths only differ in methods. If you insist on humility above all else, what’s the point of cultivating immortality?

As for Luo Yun of Luoshu Manor, she showed a hint of shame. Xiao Yifeng could only shake his head. The girl might have decent talent, but her mindset was far too lacking.