Chapter 718: Ripples

Miao Gao seemed to be in a bad mood, his face somewhat gloomy. He stepped forward first, accepted the inspection of the mirror, then flicked his sleeve and walked ahead without even glancing at the Netherclan people.

Close behind him was Miao Xiu.

This woman was much more restrained than her father, a faint smile always hanging at the corners of her mouth, making it hard to guess what she was thinking.

“Brother Li, it’s almost our turn. What should we do?” Shi Chuankong transmitted to Han Li.

“Don’t act rashly for now; we’ll see what happens. If any of us is exposed, I’ll use some means to buy time, and you can take us away with your spatial secret technique. If that fails, let Fellow Daoist Mogue handle the rear. At that point, whether you want to go on a killing spree or do whatever, I won’t stop you,” Han Li transmitted back after a brief deliberation.

“We’ll have to do it that way. But I must say, facing such a scene, Brother Li remains so calm and composed—I admire that,” Shi Chuankong replied via transmission.

“As they say, counter soldiers with generals, stop water with earth. Instead of worrying, it’s better to prepare multiple plans and adapt on the fly,” Han Li transmitted back.

Mogue said nothing, just grinned and nodded nonchalantly.

As they spoke, the three of the Three Miao Clan had already entered the doorway, and Mogue stepped forward first.

The Nether Slave responsible for identity verification turned slightly, hovering before Mogue, took the octagonal prism, held it before his eyes, and examined him up and down through it.

After a moment, he gave a soft exclamation, moved the octagonal prism away, and asked, “You are from the Void Harmony Clan—why are you with the Three Miao Clan?”

At these words, the black-robed elder of the Netherclan on the black throne shifted his gaze and landed on Mogue.

“What’s so strange about serving as a guest elder in another clan?” Mogue curled his lip and retorted.

“It wouldn’t be strange if a Three Miao clansman served as a guest elder for the Void Harmony Clan, but for a dignified Void Harmony clansman to serve as a guest elder for the insignificant Three Miao Clan—that’s rather intriguing,” the Nether Slave had not yet spoken when the black-robed elder of the Netherclan suddenly interjected.

As his words fell, a shadow flickered before Mogue, and the black-robed elder appeared there silently, hovering in midair as if teleporting.

He looked Mogue up and down without restraint.

“This man also understands spatial laws.” Seeing this, Shi Chuankong’s pupils contracted slightly, and his fist in his sleeve was already clenched.

Han Li’s heart tightened as well, but his expression remained unchanged.

“A Void Harmony clansman can serve as a guest elder for whomever he pleases. What, does the Netherclan now meddle in the affairs of the Void Harmony Clan?” Mogue glanced at the Netherclan elder and asked.

“This is Netherclan territory,” the black-robed elder said coldly, enunciating each word.

“Is this not the place of the Three Domain Alliance?” Mogue retorted.

“Indeed,” the black-robed elder said.

“Is there any rule that a Void Harmony clansman serving as a guest elder of the Three Miao Clan cannot accompany them to the Three Domain Alliance?” Mogue sneered and said.

“Let him in,” the black-robed elder said, and with a flicker of his form, he was already back in his seat.

“This Void Harmony clansman lowers his own status; why bother with him, Elder?” the thinner Netherclan man beside him quickly leaned in and said with a flattering smile.

“Self-degradation,” the black-robed elder snorted, then closed his eyes.

This scene fell into the eyes of the Blacktooth Domain Lord and the other accompanying lords, who saw nothing amiss. Miao Gao even secretly gave Mogue a thumbs-up, clearly feeling that Mogue’s action had vented some of his anger.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong exchanged a glance, both slightly relieved.

After Mogue swaggered through the doorway, Han Li stepped forward and came before the Nether Slave.

That man moved over expressionlessly, holding the octagonal prism, and looked toward Han Li’s eyes.

Han Li’s face was calm, his demeanor natural, but his nerves were stretched to the limit. If anything went wrong, he would immediately release his time domain.

“Your eyes…” The Nether Slave’s face showed a strange expression as he suddenly spoke.

Han Li’s heart leaped, and he inwardly cried, “Damn it.”

Just as he was about to act, he heard the man continue, “Your eyes… the color is a bit light. Could you be a mixed-blood?”

Han Li’s heart stirred at this.

He had read in ancient texts that “mixed-blood” referred to someone born of mixed heritage, usually with abnormal baleful qi, which manifested in the pupils as lighter or impure color.

Such people were generally regarded as lowly and looked down upon.

“None of your business. If you’re done checking, move aside,” Han Li said, deliberately letting his baleful qi surge outward to create the illusion of being flustered and unstable.

“Go on in,” the Nether Slave said with some disdain.

After the earlier commotion caused by Mo Guang, the elder of the Netherclan was clearly unwilling to lower himself further to verify anything, especially concerning a 'half-blood' like Han Li.

Seeing that Han Li had passed the inspection safely, Shi Chuankong also stepped forward. The Netherclan servant took the octagonal prism and examined him again.

“Eh, another half-blood… strange…” the Netherclan elder muttered in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” The somewhat plump Netherclan member who had previously led the group from Blacktooth Domain came over and asked.

“Elder Yinshan, this person’s eyes seem a bit odd…” the former quickly replied.

“Let me take a look,” said the Netherclan elder named Yinshan.

His cultivation was far above that of the previous examiner; if he personally inspected, Shi Chuankong would most likely no longer be able to conceal himself.

“Fellow Daoist Shi, Fellow Daoist Mo Guang, be prepared…” Han Li sighed inwardly and said.

Within his sleeve, a golden light sphere had already formed in his loosely clenched palm, ready to expand in an instant.

Mo Guang also dropped his joking demeanor, and Shi Chuankong was prepared to summon his silver pipa at any moment.

Standing behind Han Li and Mo Guang, Miao Xiu suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if the two in front of her had somehow become different.

Just then, a rough shout rang out:

“Isn’t this the bunch of bugs from Blacktooth Domain? How do you qualify to come to Rakshasa City for the alliance? This isn’t Boren Lake, nor the Tamuda Assembly. Aren’t you ashamed to show up here?”

Hearing this, everyone’s attention was drawn over, and even Yinshan paused his actions to look that way.

Shi Chuankong breathed a sigh of relief and glanced sideways. He saw a huge green-skinned ape, over two zhang tall, clad in black-green armor, holding a black spear wreathed in baleful aura, striding over. Behind him followed nearly a hundred oddly shaped aliens, all fully armed and looking belligerent.

The various tribes from Blacktooth Domain who had already entered the gate all came out upon hearing the noise.

“I thought it was who, but it’s just a bunch of scum from Nicada Domain…” Lord Lu Hong chuckled.

Hearing this, the green-skinned ape flew into a rage, thrusting his spear forward and stabbing straight at them.

His attack was sudden but measured; though his aura surged, the gray light condensed at the spear tip was solid and did not affect those around him, heading straight for Lu Hong’s brow.

Han Li’s eyes flickered. He noticed that this man was actually a mid-stage Taiyi cultivator, with a baleful aura even stronger than that of the Blacktooth Domain Lord. This strike carried killing intent; if it hit, Lu Hong would either die or be severely injured.

Just then, a figure flashed over, raised a hand, and a black crystal light shield materialized before his palm, colliding fiercely with the gray light.

With a muffled "boom!"

The gray light suddenly exploded, and the immense force jolted the Black Tooth Domain Master back slightly.

"Wu Chongshan, what do you think you're doing? Do you want our two domains to start a war here?" the Black Tooth Domain Master asked coldly, his expression unchanged.

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the Nether Clan elder seated upright before the main gate, but the latter sat with eyes closed, as if completely unaware of the situation.

Yinshan also stood aside, ignoring the matter.

The Black Tooth Domain Master's expression grew colder, realizing that this Nether Clan elder intended to let things take their course.

"Mu Yi, in the Battle of Boleng Lake earlier, who killed my nephew? Hand him over, and this matter ends here," Wu Chongshan said with a cold snort.

Upon hearing this, Miao Gao instinctively glanced at Mo Guang, only to see that he had somehow produced a folding fan again, waving it lightly, looking like a bystander enjoying the show, with no intention of stepping forward, and equally devoid of any fear.

"Hmph, that wretch dared to invade my Black Tooth Domain; he deserved to die," the Black Tooth Domain Master Mu Yi sneered in reply.

As the conflict erupted, not only did the area near the left gate become congested, but people from other races near the other two gates also gathered around, causing chaos.

Taking advantage of the crowd's distraction, Shi Chuankong slipped over to Han Li and the others.

"You're asking for death..." Wu Chongshan bellowed, ready to strike.

"Fellow Daoist Mo Guang, if you keep stirring things up and attract even more formidable characters, it won't be easy to clean up," Han Li transmitted his voice.

"I killed him. So what?" Mo Guang, catching on, snapped his folding fan shut and stepped forward, saying.

At the same time, he released his aura, comparable to a mid-stage Taiyi cultivator, and billowing black mist surged around him.

Wu Chongshan's expression changed drastically. He had only known that the Black Tooth Domain had one Taiyi-level cultivator, Mu Yi, but now another had appeared, and his aura was no weaker than his own.

However, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he was in a dilemma and naturally refused to back down. With a roar, he was about to attack Mo Guang, and his followers from the Nicida Domain also stepped forward, their killing intent surging.

A hint of a smile curled at the corner of Mo Guang's mouth, a gray light flashed in his eyes, and his feet began to blur like smoke, ready to disperse.

Mu Yi's eyes flickered, and he also stepped forward with the Black Tooth Domain group.

A battle seemed about to break out.