Chapter 7: Confrontation

After Deacon Yang left the main hall, Elder Zhang also put away his indifferent expression. He knew this matter could not be delayed and had to be settled as soon as possible. Hastily, he called upon Li Yao, moved his body slightly, and in an instant departed from the Suspended Mirror Hall.

Under normal circumstances, the elder guarding the Suspended Mirror Hall is not allowed to leave. Rules exist for a reason; even elders are punished if they act recklessly.

But Elder Zhang could no longer afford such concerns. The value of a genius is limitless. If nothing unexpected happens, this young talent could one day reach the level of a great power, a rare treasure for any faction.

After the deacon left, he would surely inform those behind him. Multiple factions would then join the scramble, turning what was once a certain matter into uncertainty.

Like a divine rainbow of blazing sunlight streaking across the sky, Elder Zhang, carrying Li Yao, rushed toward the Rising Sun Divine Island. Once there, this matter would finally come to a close.

Li Yao was enveloped in the divine rainbow; the things before his eyes stretched into a line of light. He could see nothing, for the speed was so great it exceeded the limits of his vision.

The dazzling brilliance of the sun god’s radiance swept across the horizon; in the blink of an eye, they had traveled an unknown distance. Though this stretch usually felt insignificant, at this moment, Elder Zhang felt it was indeed quite long.

Finally, just as another divine rainbow sped from afar, Elder Zhang and Li Yao burst into the Rising Sun Divine Island.

“Brother Li Zhong, to storm into my Rising Sun Divine Island with such fierce momentum, I wonder what business you bring,” a clear voice rang out the moment Li Yao’s feet touched the ground. He had not yet adjusted to the sudden change before hearing the sound.

He turned toward the voice and saw two figures standing in confrontation on the distant horizon. Both exuded immense power, and merely by standing there, the void itself seemed to waver. The overwhelming pressure made the entire sky tremble as if alive.

The speaker was a middle-aged man who appeared no older than thirty, tall and robust, clad in armor like a warrior from myth.

Opposite him stood an elderly man who looked to be in his seventies. His pure, radiant divine power surged like a blazing sun. Though aged, he carried an awe-inspiring majesty that brooked no challenge.

“Zhang Chong, you know why I have come,” the hoarse voice of the elder sounded. His silver hair fluttered in the wind as he stared unyieldingly at Zhang Chong.

Now on the Rising Sun Divine Island, where the concentration of vital energy was even greater, Li Yao’s Heavenly Scripture was absorbing this energy at an accelerated pace. If before he absorbed energy like a novice cultivator just beginning to open the Sea of Suffering, now he was at least comparable to a cultivator who had shrunk that sea to the size of a pigeon’s egg and was breathing in the world’s essence with full might.

The vast vital energy entering his body did not go straight into the Heavenly Scripture. Instead, it circulated through him, strengthening his constitution.

This made Li Yao, already remarkable in his Dao resonance, appear even more extraordinary. Among the powerful, he was undeniably a prized treasure, one everyone wished to claim and unwilling to let go.

Although his current absorption rate might seem trivial to those strong enough to transform into dragons, this was only the speed of someone who had yet to begin cultivation.

Even a fool could see that to be so remarkable before setting foot on the cultivation path, once begun, his progress would be like a dragon plunging into the sea or a roc soaring into the heavens—a trajectory of unstoppable ascent.

Zhang Chong looked at the half-grown youth protected behind his father with great excitement. When Elder Zhang had rushed into the Rising Sun Divine Island, he had briefly explained the situation by voice transmission. Now he understood the broad contours of the issue.

The struggle for gifted disciples was an old tradition in the Radiant Light Sanctuary.

Where there are people, there is rivalry. Even within the same faction, one that dominates the boundless Eastern Wilderness, internal factions abound.

It would be one thing if Li Yao had not entered the Rising Sun Divine Island, but now that he was here, there was no way to send him away.

“Li Zhong, I respect you as a senior, so I speak politely. Everything today has followed the rules. My father guards the Suspended Mirror Hall, so deciding where disciples go for rank assessments is within the rules. If this matter reaches the Divine Sovereign, my Rising Sun Divine Island is not afraid,” Zhang Chong said decisively, no longer pretending with Li Zhong.

Li Yao felt like a mere spectator, watching two grand elders dispute over his fate.

Only now did he begin to comprehend the extent of the commotion he had caused.

To be honest, his innate talent was not truly at this level. But because the Heavenly Scripture automatically absorbed vital energy, powerful cultivators mistook this as extraordinary talent, seeing his body actively drawing in energy.

If he were already practicing cultivation, this would not be strange—some rare scriptures allow cultivation through all activities of daily life.

But since Li Yao had been examined by the Suspended Mirror, it proved he had never practiced before.

For someone uninitiated in cultivation, the vital energy actively entering their body was nothing short of heavenly favor.

The elder’s expression darkened. He knew he had arrived too late. Before Li Yao reached the Rising Sun Divine Island, he could have intercepted him and taken him back to Dragon Head Peak. Though this would provoke backlash from the Rising Sun Divine Island, it would be settled, and any displeasure would have to be endured.

Dragon Head Peak, one of the twelve sects of Radiant Light, did not fear the Rising Sun Divine Island. But now the situation was reversed.

Still, the old man was unwilling to give up. Li Yao, now drawing in the world’s vital energy, was too tempting. Whichever faction obtained him would undoubtedly gain a future great power.

“This disciple was discovered and brought back by my Dragon Head Peak’s deacon. Everything should be handled by Dragon Head Peak. Your Rising Sun Island is overreaching,” Li Zhong argued, clutching at straws, but he no longer cared.

Zhang Chong laughed bitterly, then shouted in anger, “Since when did a disciple on an external mission represent Dragon Head Peak instead of the Radiant Light Sanctuary?”

As Zhang Chong’s fury rose, the burning brilliance of the sun god’s radiance surged like a purifying flame, seemingly able to cleanse all evil from the world.

“Enough with your nonsense. You know full well that you alone cannot change anything. With me here, you cannot take Li Yao, and there are many powerful figures within my Rising Sun Divine Island.”

As if replying to Zhang Chong, several formidable auras rose into the sky from deep within the divine island.

Li Yao’s heart jolted as he felt the sudden weight of the atmosphere grow heavier. He could not help but wonder if a battle was about to erupt.

Of course, an actual fight was unrealistic. Though the Radiant Light Sanctuary had many factions, they belonged to the same force. If a real battle broke out, the Divine Sovereign’s lineage would surely intervene.

Sure enough, though Li Zhong looked displeased, he ultimately left unwillingly. This was the Rising Sun Divine Island, not Dragon Head Peak. He naturally would not dare to make a move here.

Watching this farce end, Li Yao felt a slight relief. He disliked being the subject of others’ disputes.

What he wanted most now was a brief moment of peace—to obtain the scripture, then embark on the path of cultivation, unlocking more ways to harness the Heavenly Scripture and mastering his own destiny.