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第三千六百八十二章 地玑散人

The atmosphere of confrontation remained evenly matched.

The elder's expression toward Lin Xuan grew increasingly serious. He was one of the two Supreme Elders of the Rain Mist Business Alliance, alongside Lady Rain Pong, who claimed to be the foremost figure in the spiritual realm. His identity and strength were nearly on par with those of the lower-ranked Primordial Demons.

His insights were naturally more profound as he had encountered countless powerful individuals over his lifetime. He could tell that Lin Xuan hadn't mastered a domain yet—no, not even advanced to late-stage Tribulation Transcendence just recently.

How could someone possess such formidable strength and demeanor, almost evenly matched with him? It was hard to believe in the real world that such a figure existed without seeing it firsthand. In time, wouldn’t he become another Asura King?

These thoughts crossed his mind as he looked at Lin Xuan with a hint of envy and jealousy.

Of course, such emotions flashed by quickly before he chuckled silently. This boy was indeed impressive, but the path to becoming an Asura King required countless hardships. It was premature to speak about it now.

Moreover, achieving supremacy in the three realms wasn't easy; whether or not he had such good fortune remained uncertain.

"Friend, why are you laughing?"

Lin Xuan found the elder's haughty attitude extremely uncomfortable. He wanted the other party to understand that he didn’t take lightly his position as a soft target for manipulation.

"I am Earth Crystal Disperser. I have yet to learn your esteemed name, young friend."

The gray-robed elder wasn't angry; his expression remained pleasant. However, before he could finish speaking, the surrounding spectators began to stir.

"What? Earth Crystal Disperser! He is one of the legendary Two Elders of Heaven and Earth!"

"Who are these Two Elders?"

"Hey, you must be quite ignorant if you haven’t heard of the famous Heavenly and Earthly Elders. As a Tribulation Transcender, you should know better. The Heavenly and Earthly Elders are well-known figures—Heavenly Spinor Venerable and Earth Crystal Disperser."

"So that's it. I only knew there were three powerful figures in the Rain Mist Business Alliance, but I didn’t know who they were." The previous speaker seemed slightly ashamed. "Is it true that these Two Elders are so formidable?"

"Of course," another person boasted proudly. "They are among the oldest living cultivators, roughly on par with Loose Immortals and Demon Kings from the same era. They emerged at the dawn of creation, their lifespan a mystery to all."

"They chased stars and moons, vying for treasures in the primordial age. They traversed various planes, engaging in battles against unknown powerful entities from other worlds."

"They once fought against Primordial Demons and had conflicts with the Six Kings of the Netherworld. They witnessed the Asura King's unparalleled demeanor and met True Immortals descending to the spiritual realm. While we are Tribulation Transcenders, they are incomparably different. Don’t you think the Two Elders are extraordinary?"

...

The murmurs continued, and as time passed, the spectators' eyes filled with admiration.

Lin Xuan faced immense pressure at this moment.

Despite his surprise and a hint of jealousy, he ultimately believed that Lin Xuan still had much room for growth and was too weak to be feared. The danger could be contained before it grew.

...

Lin Xuan was unaware of these thoughts. It was impossible to discern such an old monster's true intentions.

Thus, he answered the elder’s question humbly: "I am Lin Xuan. I apologize deeply for breaking your alliance's rules. But there were compelling reasons behind my actions, and I truly had no intention of opposing your sect."

Lin Xuan lowered his stance.

He wasn’t afraid but pragmatic. If submitting and saying flattering words could pass without conflict, why risk it with such a formidable existence?

However, gaining forgiveness was far from easy.

What Lin Xuan didn't expect was that another opponent emerged at this moment.

"Supreme Elder, don’t believe this boy's nonsense. He showed no respect to our Rain Mist Business Alliance just now. His words were extremely disrespectful, calling us mere merchants and boasting about his power. He said he could easily eliminate all of us with a flick of his finger and urged us not to provoke him or face dire consequences."

"He also claimed that the three elders are merely pretenders, that the position of Supreme Elder in our Rain Mist Business Alliance should have been passed on long ago, and it should be his turn..."

"What?"

Earth Crystal Disperser's originally calm expression soured as he glared at Lin Xuan. "Boy, you really said such things."

"Of course I did; how could a subordinate dare deceive the Supreme Elder? This boy is nothing but a chatterbox who loves to speak nonsense. I only regret not being more effective in defending our Rain Mist Business Alliance from his slander."

The Long Eyebrow Venerable of the Seven True Sages appeared deeply pained, his expression filled with self-blame, almost convincing enough that he had no flaws.

Lin Xuan was speechless. While deceit and cunning were common in the cultivation world, such blatant lies in front of others were rare.

Moreover, while deceit among cultivators often stemmed from greed for treasures, the cultivation world wasn't entirely devoid of honor.

Lower-ranking cultivators might lie more frequently to survive, but higher-ranking ones generally avoided such behavior as it damaged their reputation and status.

A high-ranking Tribulation Transcender like Earth Crystal Disperser lying in front of others was something Lin Xuan had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams. Yet, this situation unfolded before him.

Lin Xuan's expression soured, but the spectators exchanged glances without defending him. Although they disapproved of the Long Eyebrow Venerable’s actions, it didn’t concern them directly.

These onlookers had no kinship with Lin Xuan and were unwilling to defend him, as it would bring unnecessary conflict with the Rain Mist Business Alliance.

The remaining six elders from the Seven True Sages remained silent but couldn't support their fellow elder's position.

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