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Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate Chapter 379: Sun Tianlin's Countermeasures, Jiang Chen’s Crucial Decision
🕑 Added 2023-09-30 18:25:35 +0000 UTC
Just then, a middle-aged man with eyebrows like swords and long, flowing hair suddenly spoke. "Pardon the intrusion, Venerable Tianlin. Why have you recalled all the cultivators? Have we forsaken the defense of the Immortal Martial Continent?"
This man was Lang Xingyuan, a cultivator hailing from the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace, another significant power on the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star.
Commanding an expansive range of forces, the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace stood as a rival to the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, indirectly dominating half of the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star.
"Hmph! If you're aware you're overstepping, then hold your tongue," Sun Tianxin shot Lang Xingyuan a cold glance.
Friction had long existed between the Purple Crest Immortal Sect and the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace. Particularly, the Sun Clan and the Lang Clan were at loggerheads, unable to find common ground.
"Sun Tianxin, can you afford to neglect the Immortal Martial Continent's safety, given that it's integral to the rear security of the Profound Jade Immortal Domain, all for personal grudges?" Lang Xingyuan sneered, then shifted his gaze to Sun Tianlin. "If something goes awry and the Profound Jade Immortal Alliance interrogates us, can you bear the responsibility?"
Sun Tianlin cast a dismissive glance at Lang Xingyuan. "I'll personally report this to the Sect Master. There's no need for you, Daoist friend Lang, to worry."
"Heh, if the Purple Crest Immortal Sect fails to provide a satisfactory explanation, don't fault us for taking the matter to His Excellency, the Star Lord," Lang Xingyuan coldly chuckled. Leading his entourage, he turned to depart.
Sun Tianlin's face turned icy as he softly commanded, "Disband the army immediately and return to your homes!"
"Yes!" The army of a million cultivators acknowledged the order and swiftly dispersed, making their way towards the exit.
The immediate disbanding of the army stunned everyone who had gathered to welcome them home.
Logically, after scoring a major victory for the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, shouldn't celebrations be in order?
Why had they disbanded so abruptly?
Unbeknownst to them, this was a tactic Sun Tianlin had devised to save his own skin.
"Sun Tianlin, explain yourself," the voice of Jiang Chen echoed within Sun Tianlin's sea of consciousness.
"My Lord, if we hadn't disbanded the army immediately, we would've had to return to the Purple Crest Immortal Sect via the teleportation array for inspection," Sun Tianlin urgently communicated to Jiang Chen through divine sense. "Given the current situation, the underground palace is sealed. The only exit is through the teleportation array."
"Disbanding the army allows the cultivators to follow the principle of proximity and return home more swiftly. It will also enable us to deactivate the underground palace's formation barrier, facilitating your departure."
"Should you use the teleportation array, you'd appear directly within the divine sense range of a Nirvana Cleansing realm great powerhouse. I don't want you to be discovered, as that would put my life in jeopardy," he conveyed earnestly.
"Are you carving out an opportunity for me to exit this sealed space?" Jiang Chen's tone was a blend of skepticism and belief, his eyebrows lifting slightly.
"Yes! I understand that your primary objective right now is to depart from here and distance yourself," Sun Tianlin elaborated. "There's no point for you in staying to confront the Purple Crest Immortal Sect openly; that's unfeasible. Crafting this opportunity for you to leave is the wisest move I, Sun Tianlin, can make to ensure my own survival."
"I merely hope that once you've left, we can consider our scores settled and no longer be entangled with each other."
"Be assured, I won't divulge the truth. Given my high-ranking position in the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, I could even facilitate some conveniences for you, or provide cultivation resources," he promised cautiously.
"Heh heh," Jiang Chen let out a cold laugh. "Remember, I killed your sons."
"What's the big deal about losing three prodigal sons? I could father ten thousand more," Sun Tianlin responded with utmost sincerity. "Actually, you might say you saved my life on the Immortal Martial Continent. If demon reinforcements at the Nirvana Peering realm had teamed up with Bo Luncang, survival would've been impossible for me. Truly, you should leave now and let's put all of this behind us!"
"Fine," Jiang Chen uttered a single word before falling into silence.
'Excellent! With Jiang Chen gone, my life is secure,' Sun Tianlin felt a wave of elation but quickly reined in his emotions. He was afraid that any errant thought might cause Jiang Chen to kill him immediately.
Unbeknownst to him, Jiang Chen, despite giving a verbal agreement, had not actually departed.
Just then, Lang Xingyuan abruptly wheeled around, issuing a cold shout. "How audacious, Sun Tianlin! What are you really up to, disbanding the army on the spot? This defies all reason! Could it be that you've actually lost and are now all demon spies, intending to infiltrate the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star for intelligence?"
"Your words are preposterous! We've just engaged the demons in battle; if you dare to slander us so, don't expect civility," Sun Tianlin retorted, his brow furrowed in a cold frown.
"Cousin, what's happening here?" Sun Tianxin interjected, sensing that something was off.
"Nothing to worry about. I'm merely letting them return home for a short while; don't you trust me? At worst, I'll reconvene them for inspection by the Sect Master after their family visits," Sun Tianlin replied, shaking his head with an air of nonchalance.
"Hmph! Rest assured, Sun Tianlin, your rash behavior will be reported to both our Palace Master and His Excellency, the Star Lord," Lang Xingyuan snorted disdainfully, leading his followers away.
"Disperse!" With an icy visage, Sun Tianlin gestured with his hand. His million-strong army promptly dispersed.
Whoosh.
The protective formation enveloping the underground palace lifted entirely, clearing the path.
The vast army of cultivators flowed out of the subterranean space, leaving only core members of the Sun Clan, such as Sun Liu, to stand by Sun Tianlin's side.
In an instant, only members of the Sun Clan remained in the underground chamber.
"Let's move," Sun Tianlin gestured with his hand and soared forward. His wife, Sun Tianxin, along with a cadre of Sun Clan cultivators, followed closely behind him.
Jiang Chen, meanwhile, remained concealed, tailing Sun Tianlin at a discreet distance.
'Sun Tianlin won't leave matters at this,' Jiang Chen mused inwardly. 'He's only acting this way because he knows his life hangs by a thread under my control.'
'Yet, my Ten Thousand Soul Seed Secrets is merely a technique of the Transcendence realm. Against a powerhouse in the Nirvana Cleansing realm, it would be useless and easily shattered.'
'If Sun Tianlin makes it back to the Purple Crest Immortal Sect and consults a Nirvana Cleansing realm great powerhouse, he could break the soul seed limitation in an instant and then seek his revenge,' Jiang Chen thought, a chilling determination settling in. 'Therefore, he must not be allowed to live.'
At that moment, Sun Tianxin glanced intently at Sun Tianlin and said, his hands cupped in a formal gesture, "Cousin, there are urgent matters requiring my attention. I must take my leave."
"Very well, proceed," Sun Tianlin responded, his expression unmoved.
While the exchange appeared inconspicuous, Jiang Chen's eyebrows subtly lifted.
'That Sun Tianxin has definitely picked up on something,' Jiang Chen pondered internally. 'It's true, Sun Tianlin's abrupt decision to dissolve the million-strong army of cultivators on the spot is certainly an oddity. Even though it could be rationalized, the justification would be a stretch.'
'Sun Tianxin and Sun Tianlin share a brotherly bond; there's likely deep mutual understanding between them. The moment Sun Tianxin leaves, he'll no doubt relay his suspicions to some Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouse.'
'And once that happens, even if Sun Tianlin doesn't return to the Purple Crest Immortal Sect himself, Sun Tianxin could seek out a Nirvana Cleansing realm great powerhouse to free Sun Tianlin.'
'Additionally, the dispersed million-strong cultivator army is unlikely to maintain secrecy for long. A person might fear for their own life, but there are moments when that fear of death dissipates. For instance, if their families were to be endangered by the higher-ups of the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, the decision to sacrifice one life for the well-being of the entire family would be an easy call.'
'Since retribution is unavoidable, it would be wiser to deal with Sun Tianlin now rather than later,' Jiang Chen contemplated, a cold, wry smile forming at the corner of his lips. 'And let's not overlook his malicious wife. A family, after all, should be kept united.'
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