Chapter 269: Chapter 8: A Battle of Wits or Overthinking?

Zhang Deming arrived on an Inner Sect Immortal Crane, landing on the Main Peak. He was then escorted by the Law Enforcement Team before the legendary Grand Hall of the Celestial Spirit Sect.

The team bowed in unison to the person at the entrance, then turned and left.

Zhang Deming also bowed to the person at the entrance. The man offered a smile and said, "You can go in on your own. The ancestors are waiting."

Zhang Deming hesitated. The man hadn’t used his name, and he didn’t know how to address the man in return, so he simply smiled and said, "Alright."

Zhang Deming then passed through the massive doors and stepped into the great hall.

Just as Zhang Deming entered, a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power emanated from the great doors behind him.

Zhang Deming glanced back. A Light Curtain had appeared—a clear sign that an Array was activating. He paused for a moment before continuing into the hall.

The entire hall was immense—a vastness Zhang Deming had never witnessed in his previous life.

A person would feel minuscule within it. Yet, as Zhang Deming stood in the hall, it didn’t feel overly empty, giving off a strange sense of perfect proportion.

He could clearly sense that this hall had been constructed by integrating a hundred different disciplines. It was no ordinary building. In terms of the Array Dao alone, it was at least at the Three-Star level.

Zhang Deming reached the center of the hall. It was completely devoid of onlookers; there wasn’t a single attendant in sight.

At the far end of the hall, fifteen chairs were arranged in a fan shape on a raised dais. At that moment, only the seven in the center were occupied.

The three on the right all had white hair and beards, yet their faces were youthful and unlined.

Of the three on the left, two were elders—one plump and amiable, the other looking honest and serene. The last was a rather cold-looking, middle-aged man.

The man seated in the very center was also middle-aged, but he was nothing like the cold man beside him.

He was refined and gentle, his presence as comforting as a spring breeze. The auras of the two men were a stark contrast, yet they shared a strange, subtle compatibility, each possessing a unique middle-aged charm.

Zhang Deming stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Disciple Zhang Deming pays his respects to the esteemed ancestors."

None of the seven spoke. They simply stared at Zhang Deming in silence, making the atmosphere somewhat eerie.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming kept his head lowered and also remained silent.

After a moment of silence, a flash of Spiritual Light glinted in the eyes of the white-haired elder on the far right, Guk Liancai.

Almost simultaneously, the spectral image of an old man rose from Zhang Deming.

The phantom was several times larger than Zhang Deming and enveloped him completely. It was the very image of Elder Huang. Dressed in ordinary clothes, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, shielding Zhang Deming.

"Hmph, the Blessed Fortune Path?

"Trying to intimidate us right to our faces? Do you really think..." Guk Liancai’s expression soured, but he found himself unable to finish the sentence.

This time, it wasn’t Gan Zili or Yuee Mengsheng who acted, but the gentle-looking Dang Jun’an in the center seat. With an almost imperceptible raise of his hand, he sealed Guk Liancai’s lips, casting Silence on him directly.

Guk Liancai, suddenly Silenced, flushed crimson and was about to struggle when Gan Zili’s voice transmission sounded in his ear.

"I knew I shouldn’t have brought you. Can’t you take a closer look? Use your head for once.

"He’s just using an empty-shell blessing to make a statement, which is already a humble gesture. How did you manage to see that as an attempt at intimidation?

"You’re making a fool of yourself. Can you just keep your mouth shut?"

Guk Liancai froze. Another flash of Spiritual Light glinted in his eyes as he looked at Zhang Deming again. Upon realizing it truly was just an empty-shell blessing, his face flushed an even deeper shade of red, though it was hard to tell if from anger or shame.

Zhang Deming felt the Protecting trigger and then heard Guk Liancai’s words. His expression darkened.

’Wait, no!

’I put up this empty-shell blessing to show that I have someone powerful backing me. But since it’s just an empty shell, it’s really just meant as a simple greeting.

’How did that get interpreted as an attempt to intimidate them? Shouldn’t a master of his caliber have seen through it at a glance?

’How could he not see it?

’I wasn’t trying to hide it. I put it on full display! It’s just an empty shell!

’Did my clever plan backfire?

’What am I going to do?

’This is going completely off-script. Should I just unleash my power and make a run for it?’

Zhang Deming kept his head bowed, not daring to look up and observe their reactions as his mind raced.

"My apologies for the display, fellow Daoist," Dang Jun’an said with a smile. "Those who follow the path of Spirit Nurturing become engrossed in researching Techniques and tend to lack social graces. I’m sure a fellow Daoist such as yourself can understand."

Dang Jun’an spoke with a smile, his comforting presence washing over Zhang Deming like a spring breeze, putting him slightly at ease.

’Fellow Daoist?

’What the hell?

’Someone from Spirit Nurturing, and I’m supposed to understand?

’What does he mean by that?

’Where did I slip up? Have they found me out?

’It’s over. It’s all over. Don’t tell me these masters used some unconventional method to trace the Zhang Wu alias I used before?

’Destiny Peering?

’Karmic Entanglement?

’Mind-Eye Empathy?

’...’

’I’m done for. It’s over. Have they figured out everything, down to the color of my underwear?

’Was I too complacent? I should never have underestimated a power of this magnitude. All my preparations feel useless now!

’Should I try to run? But can I even escape? These seven are all masters of the Three Talents realm, aren’t they?

’Even if I burn through all my Cultivation, with my half-baked Blessed Fortune, I probably can’t escape in time, can I?’

Zhang Deming’s thoughts raced like lightning. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown, yet not a hint of it showed on his face—a testament to his most well-honed skill.

Internally, he was panicking, but he put on a look of mild surprise and said, "Sect Leader, you must be joking with this Disciple. If I have done something to cause the ancestor’s misunderstanding, then it is I who should be apologizing."