"Elder Nie, wait a moment!"
Jiang Shengxiang shouted in panic to stop him.
Nie Rong flicked the loose hair from his forehead and said with a graceful air, "Village Chief Jiang, what matter makes you wish to keep me?"
Jiang Shengxiang's mouth twitched as he pointed at the heavenly ladder. "Elder Nie, you just said no one was ascending, so why has this heavenly ladder appeared?"
Smack!
Nie Rong slapped his jade fan, suddenly enlightened. "Indeed, the appearance of this heavenly ladder is strange. I fear it may mean someone from the upper realm has descended!"
Jiang Shengxiang's eyes widened. "Elder Nie, are you saying that cultivators from the Spirit Realm are coming down through the heavenly ladder?"
"Yes, that is extremely likely!"
Nie Rong turned back to stare at the heavenly ladder, his expression grave.
"Why would cultivators from the Spirit Realm descend openly upon the Eastern Wilderness?"
Xiao Rong shoved a mouthful of spirit fruit into his mouth, swallowed it in one gulp, and licked his fingers. "Maybe they've come to congratulate Boss on becoming the Eastern Wilderness Xiānzhǔ?"
Nie Rong: "…"
Jiang Shengxiang: "…I think that's rather unlikely."
Xiao Rong drooped his head. "Then I don't know."
Jiang Shengxiang sighed. "…Xiao Rong-yé, you just enjoy your spirit fruits in peace."
He had never expected Xiao Rong to know anything useful anyway.
A surge of immense divine sense burst forth from Nie Rong's body. In the distance above the heavenly ladder, a powerful force immediately struck back, shattering his probing divine sense.
Nie Rong's pupils contracted. "So it really is Spirit Realm cultivators descending!"
"T-this… what do they want? Should we go out to receive them?"
Jiang Shengxiang grew flustered.
In all his years as a cultivator, this was the first time he had seen the heavenly ladder, the first time he had witnessed experts from the Spirit Realm descend!
Nie Rong withdrew his divine sense, feeling their probing gaze sweep over the Invincible Turtle Shell Millennial Shield that protected them. His eyes grew dark.
"Their divine sense is not friendly. Let us remain within the great formation and see what they intend to do."
"But… but won't that offend them?" Jiang Shengxiang hesitated, pacing anxiously.
Xiao Rong sat back down in his jewel-inlaid dragon chair, crossing one leg over the other, his childish tone firm. "What's so special about Spirit Realm cultivators? If they don't behave, Boss can just kill them. They must have lots of spirit stones!"
Jiang Shengxiang gasped and rushed to cover Xiao Rong's mouth. "You mustn't speak such reckless words! If those above hear you, we'll be doomed, and even the Xiānzhǔ will be dragged into disaster!"
Nie Rong frowned. "Master has not yet ascended. Compared to those old monsters, she is still weaker. We truly must avoid provoking them."
Xiao Rong blinked innocently. "Are they really that powerful?"
Nie Rong's expression was solemn. "Powerful is not even the word. After ascension, the spirit energy within their bodies is utterly different from us down here. With a flick of the finger, they could wipe out the three of us together!"
Thud!
Xiao Rong rolled off the ornate dragon chair in fright. "Then let's hurry and kneel to them! We must not anger them!"
Jiang Shengxiang quickly added, "Yes, yes, Xiao Rong-yé is right, we should go immediately!"
Nie Rong leisurely finished his words. "But that's only when they are in the Spirit Realm, free of the Heavenly Dao's suppression. There, they can casually slaughter any cultivator beneath Divine Transformation. But now that they've descended, their cultivation is suppressed—at most to late Divine Transformation. They can no longer wipe us out with a blink."
Xiao Rong and Jiang Shengxiang, who had already run halfway toward the edge of the formation, nearly dashed straight out.
"You could have said that earlier! We ran all this way for nothing!"
Nie Rong snapped open his fan and laughed. "But you haven't actually left the formation yet. Everything is still fine."
Jiang Shengxiang glanced nervously at the heavenly ladder. "I will stay here and keep watch. Even late Divine Transformation cultivators are not people we can afford to offend."
Xiao Rong hesitated mid-step. "Then… should I stay here and keep watch too?"
"Actually, there's no need. If they want to kill us, whether we welcome them or not makes no difference."
Nie Rong fanned himself lazily.
Xiao Rong's legs gave out. He dropped to his knees. "Then I'll stay right here! If they get angry, they'll kill the ones who don't kneel first."
"Xiao Rong-yé speaks wisely!" Jiang Shengxiang followed him onto his knees.
A chill breeze ruffled Nie Rong's hair as he stared speechlessly at the two of them.
"I see… so I'll be the first to die."
"Boss has said before, better the Daoyou than myself!" Xiao Rong raised his little head piously toward the heavenly ladder, kneeling in a posture of worship.
"The Xiānzhǔ truly speaks great wisdom!" Jiang Shengxiang said with heartfelt admiration.
Nie Rong was left utterly speechless.
Come to think of it, he also found Master's words not without reason…
Boom!
Thunder roared, shaking heaven and earth. The Eastern Wilderness was plunged into endless darkness, the only light shining from a few small villages that sparkled like stars.
On the heavenly ladder, countless eyes turned eastward.
"Imperial Brother, what is that village? Since when has the Eastern Wilderness become so rich? They're actually using East Sea pearls as night-lamps!"
The charming Nan Yingying gazed at Longyin Village, her face full of curiosity.
Nan Huoyu raised his brows and smiled. "If Ying Ying is curious, then let us descend there first. The Eastern Wilderness is chaotic anyway. No matter where we land, it's all the same."
Nan Yingying laughed. "Indeed. The people of the Eastern Wilderness have yearned for so long, but in the end it is still the Southern Imperial Dynasty that must come to unify them!"
"Hahaha! Then let us descend!"
Nan Huoyu laughed heartily, leading his group down the heavenly ladder toward Longyin Village.
A dazzling radiance flashed. In an instant, the powerful divine sense on the heavenly ladder pressed directly before Nie Rong, meeting his gaze head-on.
"Strange Nascent Soul cultivator, you seem to know who we are."
Nan Huoyu regarded Nie Rong with curiosity, utterly ignoring the kneeling Xiao Rong and Jiang Shengxiang.
Nie Rong's heart pounded in alarm as he carefully measured them. "Cultivators of the Southern Imperial Dynasty who ascended to the Spirit Realm… You have descended to the Eastern Wilderness, but for what purpose?"
Nan Yingying stepped past Nan Huoyu, swaying her alluring figure, and giggled. "We've gone to great trouble to descend here, naturally to help you. The Eastern Wilderness is a chaotic mess. Only we can bring it order."
Xiao Rong scrambled to his feet. "Ah, so that's it! You're good people. But the Eastern Wilderness isn't chaotic anymore. You came too late!"
"Insolence! Who permitted you to stand?"
Nan Yingying's gaze turned sharp as it shot toward Xiao Rong.
Xiao Rong's body trembled, nearly dropping back onto his knees.
Nie Rong yanked him upright by the arm, his face cold. "You have already ascended to the Spirit Realm. What use is there in occupying the Eastern Wilderness?"
Nan Yingying laughed, her eyes like ripples of spring. "Ah, at least one man here understands. Yes, we came to take the Eastern Wilderness. As for why…" She flicked her long sleeve and threw a bewitching glance at Nie Rong. "Why don't you try and guess?"
Xiao Rong shivered beside him. "This woman looks terrifying!"
Cold sweat broke across Nie Rong's back.
If he hadn't already seen how beautiful his Master was, he might have fallen right here!
"You truly came to the lower realm to seize the Eastern Wilderness?"
Jiang Shengxiang's face froze in shock.