The old woman proposed a contest of strength, and the nearly ten thousand cultivators present had varied feelings toward this. Some were eager, others apprehensive. They faced risks without seeing immediate benefits, causing many to resist the idea.
However, since the opponent was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, and the other three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators seemed to tacitly approve of this arrangement, there was no room for objections.
Fang Chen, in his divine soul form, looked fixedly at the old woman and the group of cultivators she brought, scrutinizing them. The old woman had already stirred up resentment and opposition among the crowd. After the competition, those who didn't secure a place would surely feel aggrieved. If more treasures appeared in the Immortal Tomb, it could easily spark a chaotic struggle.
Could this old woman be a member of the Spirit Blood Sect?
"Even normal cultivators would act similarly; they wouldn't let everyone present today enter the Immortal Tomb, as that would cause chaos. So, this request is reasonable..."
Suddenly, Fang Chen's thoughts shifted. Even without the Spirit Blood Sect's involvement, everything was likely to descend into a chaotic battle. Perhaps the Spirit Blood Sect cultivators hadn't acted yet and were merely waiting.
"Adding fuel to the fire..." muttered Fang Chen.
With this in mind, Fang Chen shifted his attention to the various cultivators of different levels and strengths around him. If he were a member of the Spirit Blood Sect, he definitely wouldn't want to be the instigator of chaos as that would expose his identity.
Adding fuel to the fire was both simple and highly covert. If the information received by Fang Chen's colleague from the Killing Spiritual Division was true, then there were indeed Spirit Blood Sect cultivators present today. They were likely waiting for the situation to escalate sufficiently before discreetly exacerbating tensions to incite a fierce battle.
The other three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators nodded lightly in agreement.
Now that the four Nascent Soul Realms had agreed, even if anyone had objections, they could only swallow them.
Chi Chong chuckled. “Elder Chai, if your disciples and mine join forces and watch out for each other, perhaps we can secure a few spots.”
Elder Chai's eyes brightened slightly as he scanned Chi Chong's disciples. Chi Chong had brought seven or eight disciples. The weakest of them was at the ninth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. There were even several of them at the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth stages! Their overall strength surpassed that of Elder Chai's disciples by a wide margin.
If our two families can cooperate, my family will definitely gain an advantage!
Elder Chai agreed immediately.
He stroked his beard, smiling. "That sounds excellent, that’s great! We're fortunate to have met you, Daoist Chi; otherwise, today's trip might have been in vain."
Fang Chen nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Brother Chai."
Chai Shun chuckled. "Don't mention it. If not for you, we might have taken a few wrong turns on our way here. Let's help each other out."
A tenth-stage Qi Refining Realm young man from the Chai Family overheard Fang Chen and Chai Shun's conversation. He immediately stopped talking with the other disciples, turned to Elder Chai, bowed respectfully, and then said, "Elder, I have a suggestion. I see that Chai Shun and his group are only at the fifth or sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.
"During the fight, they may not contribute much, and we would have to divert our attention to look after them. It might be better to have them observe from the sidelines."
He paused and then looked towards Fang Chen. "As for Brother Dongfang, although his cultivation is higher, he is visually impaired, which could naturally put him at a disadvantage in the contest. It's best if he doesn't participate either."
Chai Shun and several other Chai disciples were astounded. Was this person trying to deprive them of their chance to obtain their immortal fortune?
Chai Shun exclaimed angrily, "Chai Long, it's a brawl. What's wrong with us participating? It could also increase our family's chances of winning. The four Nascent Soul elders haven't limited the number of participants, so why shouldn't we be allowed to join?"
"Yeah, Chai Long, this may be the only chance we will ever have in our life to obtain an opportunity . Don't stop us," a few other Chai Family disciples chimed in.
Chai Long replied calmly, "I'm not stopping you from obtaining immortal fortune. If I enter the Immortal Tomb this time and acquire anything, the Elder will distribute it among us fairly."
The few who had agreed with that suggestion immediately fell silent.
However, Chai Shun knew Chai Long's temperament and was aware of the rules of the Chai Family. If Chai Long really obtained any benefits, he certainly wouldn't share even a bit with them!
A female cultivator under Chi Chong’s tutelage slowly clasped her fist in respect. She was the highest-ranked among them, at the twelfth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. "Master, Senior Chai, I think what Brother Chai Long said makes some sense. We're going to be facing many Qi Refining Realm cultivators, so it's best not to reveal any weaknesses. Only then do we have a chance of surviving until the end."
Chai Long smiled slightly at her words, clasped his fists in return, and said, "Senior Sister Mo Chou understands where I am coming from."
Seeing that the highest-ranked Qi Refining Realm cultivators on both sides were in agreement, Chai Shun's expression turned quite unpleasant. He suddenly pointed at Fang Chen and said, "If we aren't allowed to participate, then fine. But Brother Dongfang is at the ninth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, and he isn't part of the Chai Family. You have no right to stop him."
"If he insists on participating, we won't stop him. But... he can't expect us to protect him amidst the chaos," replied Chai Long softly.
The Chai family elder exchanged a glance with Chi Chong before nodding slightly. "Chai Long makes a good point. This is a chaotic battle, and it isn't suitable for everyone to participate."
Chai Long frowned slightly.
The Chai family elder looked at Chai Shun and said calmly, "Are you sure you want to go against our decision?"
Chai Shun nodded. "This kind of opportunity for immortality… If there's even the slightest chance, I can't afford to miss it."