Chapter 4530 — Caught Leaving

Among the spirit beasts there were ambitious schemers like the Vermilion Bird and the Azure Dragon, and just the same, among human cultivators such ruthless would-be overlords were by no means rare—in fact, they outnumbered those of the spirit beast clan many times over.

Perhaps they had long since been casting covetous eyes on the spirit beast clan, only never finding a suitable pretext. Now the spirit beast clan had obligingly handed them a handle, and how could they possibly let it pass for nothing?

If human cultivators and the spirit beast clan truly went to war, then inevitably there would be toil and treasure spent, and ruin. The strong could make a fortune out of war; the somewhat weaker could at least flee far away. And in the end the ones who truly suffered were always the ordinary folk who had not yet ascended to the heavenly way and had not yet succeeded in foundation building.

The world is hard, the weak are prey to the strong—this is the eternal, unchanging law of nature. Without sufficient power to protect oneself, whatever one ran into, the end was always utterly miserable.

But for now, none of this had anything to do with Wei Zhao. Wei Zhao was always protective of his own, and he often stepped in when he saw injustice, yet he was never the sort to take the whole world upon his shoulders.

As far as Wei Zhao was concerned, so long as it did not touch the people around him, it made no difference to him if the spirit beast clan and human cultivators really did go to war. He was not about to let his sense of justice boil over and try to stop it. If he had the strength for it, that would be one thing; since he did not, then what was the point of talking?

"Let's go," the ghost-thing said suddenly, after a spell of sighing silence.

"Eh? You don't want to watch any more?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback.

It was only natural that he himself stood apart from it all, for he was, after all, an outsider with no stake in any of it—not only did he have no connection to the spirit beast clan, but even the human cultivators were not necessarily his natural camp. He had come up from the mortal world, and for people like him the cultivators of Cloud Terrace Island had never had any real sense of belonging.

But the ghost-thing was different. This one was a former Azure Dragon Elder of the spirit beast clan. Even if he could let the spirit beast clan go with his lips, in his heart he absolutely could not. And now, watching the spirit beast clan about to be pushed by the Vermilion Bird into an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep, he could actually turn and walk away so cleanly?

"I already know what the Vermilion Bird intends. What meaning is there in staying here any longer? It's of no help anyway, so why should I stay and spoil my mood?" The ghost-thing smiled bitterly, then went on: "Besides, their attention is all on the platform right now. This is the best chance for you to get out whole. Otherwise, once everyone disperses, you'll be in danger."

"You mean they might see through me?" Wei Zhao's heart tightened at once. That was no laughing matter—if there really was such a risk, then flight was the best course, and not a moment could be wasted.

"See through you? Not necessarily. But have you forgotten what kind of place this is? Even among you human cultivators who call yourselves civilized, the killing never stops—let alone among the spirit beast clan..." The ghost-thing gave a bitter laugh and continued: "Don't be fooled by all these spirit beasts getting along so amicably right now. That's only because the Vermilion Bird and the others are up there holding them down. But once they're out of public sight, the devouring of one another goes on unchecked, again and again. And to them you're nothing but a Golden Core stage snack—any one of them might fancy you for a little something to chew on."

"Uh, right." Wei Zhao shrank his neck a little in lingering fear. He had been so worried about his human identity being exposed that he had nearly forgotten this threat. Spirit beasts and spirit beasts had never truly lived in peace, and even if he was taken for one of them now, he was still in grave danger.

Taking advantage of the fact that the whole gathering of spirit beasts had been whipped up by the Azure Dragon beyond all self-restraint, each one cheering and shouting at the high platform, Wei Zhao at once began to retreat without a trace, quietly, quietly back. If some spirit beast at his side happened to glance his way, he would stop and put on a show of shouting along with them. And since he had been standing at the very outer edge to begin with, the whole withdrawal went off rather smoothly.

And yet, just as he could see himself slipping into the dense forest, just as in the next instant he would be able to duck away and be gone, a cold, sharp voice suddenly exploded out from the high platform: "Who is so bold as to leave without permission while this elder is announcing a great matter?"

As the words fell, the eyes of every spirit beast present fixed on the Vermilion Bird, who had spoken so abruptly, and then, following the Vermilion Bird's gaze, shifted to the top of Wei Zhao's head.

Suddenly the focus of the whole gathering, Wei Zhao felt his scalp prickle and a cold sweat break out instantly down his back. In a public gathering of humans, even one crowded with experts, the pressure would not be this great—but the problem was, this was the spirit beast assembly!

To be stared at by so many powerful spirit beasts felt like being a lamb that had wandered into a wolf's den. Wei Zhao could at least keep his face calm; anyone with an ordinary constitution of mind would have been scared witless on the spot.

Not only Wei Zhao—this time even the ghost-thing couldn't help sweating for him, and at the same time he could not help feeling some regret. The decision to slip away before the gathering dispersed could not be called wrong, but the one thing he had never reckoned on was that the Vermilion Bird would be using his divine sense to monitor the whole place at every moment!

After all, even for a being like the ghost-thing, who could be called a grandmaster of the primordial spirit, maintaining divine sense over the whole gathering at all times was an absolutely considerable burden. What he had never in ten thousand years expected was that the Vermilion Bird, in order to hold this spirit beast assembly completely in his grasp, would not hesitate to spend so much energy for nothing.

No wonder—even before Wei Zhao had arrived here, he had already been swept beforehand by the Vermilion Bird's divine sense. So the creature had been monitoring every corner all along.

The Vermilion Bird's cold gaze fell upon Wei Zhao. He had just been about to take up the Azure Dragon's thread and appoint a city lord of Magic Cold City before the whole assembly, when unexpectedly this whelp dared to turn and walk off at such a moment—was that not plainly a show of contempt for him, a top-ranking elder?

Under the gaze of the crowd, stared at by so many powerful spirit beasts with unfriendly faces, Wei Zhao felt a chill in his heart. Forcing down his nervousness, he turned carefully and said, "Reporting to Elder Vermilion Bird, this humble one only wished to relieve himself a little, and was not leaving without permission. I beg the elder's clear understanding..."

At this answer, improvised in the heat of the moment, the assembled spirit beasts all showed looks of understanding. It is said that a person has three urgencies, and spirit beasts were naturally no exception. And since he had to relieve himself, of course he had to find a secluded spot—the answer was entirely reasonable.