Chapter 278: Chapter 145: Zhong Ming: I Am the Demon Lord! Immortal and Indestructible

Qin Zhou: "Waiting until the last second to arrive... He’s just posturing."

Ruan Shi’s delicate brow furrowed, and she shook her head lightly. "A pointless gesture."

Even the Cultists lurking in the shadows scoffed at Zhong Ming’s actions.

’He’s far too arrogant. To deal with him, we probably don’t even need to go to the trouble of sending a Divine Heir candidate. We just need to find a chance to get close and strike suddenly. That’ll be enough to take his life.’

In the end, Zhong Ming’s previous schemes had paid off.

His reputation for being "arrogant" made everyone subconsciously underestimate him, causing them to view him as a minimal threat.

Even the Cultists weren’t planning to send their strongest assassins after him.

...

Naturally, the widespread speculation had no effect on Zhong Ming whatsoever.

Because he had timed his arrival to the last possible moment, the gateway to the Star Secret Vault finished forming just as he appeared.

Seeing this, Prince Qinghe slowly rose and offered a few pleasantries to the crowd. Then, his tone shifted as he made a firm promise: "Any opportunities and rewards you obtain within the Star Secret Vault are yours to keep. I will not interfere, much less take them back."

"It’s actually true!"

"Long live the Prince!"

The Prince’s words instantly ignited the crowd, and deafening cheers thundered through the air.

Prince Qinghe nodded, satisfied with this show of prestige.

He was about to return to his seat, but as he turned, he seemed to recall something. He paused and reminded the crowd in a solemn voice, "We will be able to observe everything that happens inside the Secret Vault from out here. I trust you will all remember to avoid needless slaughter."

With a great calamity looming, his purpose in opening the Secret Vault was to identify the most promising prodigies, raise the overall strength of Qinghe Prefecture and its surrounding territories, and, if possible, recruit some exceptionally talented individuals.

With this goal in mind, he would not allow the Secret Vault to devolve into a free-for-all slaughter. Thus, he would do his best to monitor the situation inside, striving to ensure as many people as possible survived.

This move brought the Cultivators from the smaller and mid-sized sects to tears of gratitude, and their cheers grew even more fervent.

As Cultivators from smaller sects, they feared being preyed upon by the Major Sects after finding treasures. Prince Qinghe’s arrangement undoubtedly offered them a great deal of security.

’As for their treasures being exposed today, possibly leading to their deaths later on... well, wasn’t pledging allegiance to Prince Qinghe still an option?’

Everything was going according to Prince Qinghe’s plan.

From the very beginning of gathering so many Cultivators, he never expected to recruit many from the Major Sects. He was well aware that the True Disciples of the Major Sects would always be loyal to their own organizations, not to him, a mere Prince.

The stronger the sect, the more loyal its disciples.

From the very start, Prince Qinghe’s targets had been the prodigies and elites from small to mid-sized sects, as well as those among the Loose Cultivators.

’With their loyalty secured, I can finally complete the ranks of the Thirty-Six Heroes of Qinghe.’

"BZZZZMM—"

The moment he returned to the Flying Ship and took his seat, the gateway to the Star Secret Vault swung wide open.

At this, the crowd gathered in the center of Crescent Lake exchanged glances before filing through the Star Gate.

The first to enter were, naturally, Zhong Ming—ranked first in Qinghe Prefecture—followed by three Daoists from the six Major Sects: Qin Zhou, Ruan Shi, and Wei Zhong Mountain, as well as Pei Yi, a True Disciple of the Divine Void Sect.

Lin Kong, Zhu Junfeng, Miaoyun... these individuals entered in the second wave.

The regular disciples from the smaller sects followed after them.

"WHOOSH—"

After a swirl of light and shadow, Zhong Ming came to his senses to find himself in a desolate wilderness. In the center of this wilderness stood a majestic, thirty-three-story pagoda, its surface engraved with countless complex and esoteric star-like runes.

’So that must be the Secret Vault of the All Heaven Stars Sect.’

Gazing at the tall pagoda, Zhong Ming didn’t immediately move toward it. Instead, his eyes fell upon Qin Zhou, Ruan Shi, Wei Zhong Mountain, and Pei Yi, who stood not far away.

The others did the same. Exchanging wary glances, no one made a rash move.

"SHUFFLE..."

As these peerless prodigies faced off and the atmosphere grew heavy, the regular Cultivators who entered after them sensed the tense, hostile air. They quickly broke off into their respective factions, gathering around the top geniuses.

A considerable number of people gathered around Zhong Ming. These were the Cultivators who, awed by his overwhelming combat prowess before the Daoists from the six Major Sects had arrived, had decided to join his faction.

Likewise, many Cultivators also gathered around the disciples from the six Major Sects.

Sensing the stalemate and unwilling to waste time, Zhong Ming was the first to break the silence. His voice was cold and direct. "What’s the plan? Do we settle this here and now? Or do we settle the score after we’ve taken on the tower?"

"Either works for me." From the side of the Major Sects, the first to speak was the somewhat cavalier-looking Qin Zhou. He stared directly at Zhong Ming and chuckled. "However, I suggest you attempt the Tower of Stars first. After a fight with us, you won’t be in any condition to face its trials."

"Heh." Zhong Ming laughed at the other man’s words. "I was about to say the same thing to you... Hm?!"

After firing back his retort, Zhong Ming had intended to head to the Tower of Trial to face one of its challenges.

However, before he could even finish speaking, his expression suddenly tensed.

The already-unstable Star Gate shuddered violently and, to everyone’s surprise, teleported another group of people inside.