Support me at patreon for 520+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk
**
Calming his emotions, Wei Yang's gaze turned toward the Three Leaders not far away. When the Three Leaders noticed his eyes on them, they all smiled and nodded slightly. Wei Yang raised an eyebrow and slowly nodded back. Then, both sides fell silent, as if unsure of what to say.
A faint trace of complexity flashed through Wei Yang's eyes. Earlier, while still inside the mansion, he had watched everything that happened outside from beginning to end.
Only at the very last moment—when that hundred-zhang-wide Rain Sphere was about to touch the barrier—did he finally make a move. To be honest, he felt a bit disappointed by how the Three Leaders had acted this time.
It was clear that despite their fierce shouting and seemingly crazed demeanor, anyone with sharp eyes could tell—the Pill Tower Three Leaders hadn't gone all out at all. What exactly they were thinking back then, it was hard to say.
But one thing was obvious—they had been holding back. Saying that they didn't truly want to kill Eighth and Ninth Tian Zuns wasn't unreasonable. After all, among great powers, there were always unspoken rules—certain understandings everyone silently followed.
Peripheral members, the expendable ones—if they died, then they died. No one would complain, and no one would bring it up afterward. But when it came to core or high-ranking members of a faction, everyone would refrain from killing outright.
Even when holding an absolute advantage, they'd leave a line open, never pushing things to the point of no return. Otherwise, there'd be no clean ending.
Because if you kill one of my high-level members today, tomorrow I'll find a way to take yours. If you can kill, I can too. That kind of endless cycle—how could anyone live in peace? No faction could endure that. You'd be afraid even to step outside your door.
Unless, of course, you had overwhelming strength—enough to completely wipe out the other side.
Like in the original story, when the Hall of Souls wanted to destroy the Falling Star Pavilion, Eighth and Ninth Tian Zuns personally led the attack, joined by Old Ghost Zhai Xing, Black and White Tian Zuns, and many other Dou Zun experts.
In the end, Yao Lao emerged from seclusion at the critical moment and ascended to Ban Sheng, turning the tide. But while everyone else was slaughtered, those two Tian Zuns were deliberately allowed to escape.
Why?
As a Ban Sheng, Yao Lao could've easily kept them there. Yet all he said was, "Since you've come all this way, you should at least leave something behind." Then he merely injured them and let them go.
That alone showed Yao Lao didn't want to completely tear things apart with the Hall of Souls. After all, he still had to think about the Falling Star Pavilion. So, the Three Leaders' decision to hold back and not use their full strength was understandable. Moreover—
Even though this incident happened inside the Holy Pill City, the two Tian Zuns' real target was Yao Chen. Pill Tower had no desire to suffer losses on his behalf, which was, in a sense, also understandable.
But to say they couldn't stop Eighth and Ninth Tian Zuns even with full effort—that was hard to believe. Could they really stand by and watch that hundred-zhang Rain Sphere explode inside the Holy Pill City?
That explosion would've interrupted Yao Lao's breakthrough and caused massive destruction to the city. Such a self-damaging act—yet the Three Leaders acted as if they didn't see it. That was something Wei Yang truly couldn't comprehend.
They could've easily stopped or interrupted the Tian Zuns back when they were condensing the Rain Sphere.
But they didn't. Deliberately so. Could it be…?
Wei Yang's eyes flickered. Suddenly, realization dawned, and his heart settled.
Many thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. Wei Yang swept his gaze around with a faint, knowing smile. Then he nodded slightly toward the Three Leaders, said nothing, and his figure flickered as he returned to the edge of the mansion's barrier.
He paused briefly.
It seemed that his long stay in the Holy Pill City was almost at its end. Indeed, no matter how long one lived on someone else's turf, it was never truly home. Living under another's roof—
Perhaps that was the reason Yao Lao, back then, gave up being a grand Pill Tower Leader and chose to go out on his own. The title of Pill Tower Leader symbolized status and glory. But from another perspective, wasn't it also a kind of shackle?
Even as Leaders, they couldn't decide things with a single word. Beneath them were the Five Great Clans, and above them—aside from the Pill Tower Ancestor—were numerous reclusive elders pressing down.
Inside the Little Pill Tower, those old fellows were the true decision-makers of Pill Tower. A Six-Star Dou Sheng Ancestor, a Two-Star Dou Sheng Grand Elder, and several Ban Sheng Elders—
Those were the real core powers of Pill Tower. The so-called "Three Leaders" were merely the public face—representatives. With Pill Tower's massive foundation and all the interests intertwined, even the Leaders couldn't act however they pleased.
Understanding that, Wei Yang's heart felt much lighter. He no longer felt angry about how Pill Tower handled things. After all, he was merely a "Leader candidate" for now—not a real Leader, much less one of Pill Tower's direct line.
Compared to him and Xiao Yan, who were both outsiders, people like Cao Ying and Dan Chen, born of Pill Tower's core bloodline, were obviously more valued.
"Indeed, everything external is but an illusion. The only thing one can truly rely on—is oneself. Power that belongs to you alone, that is the true king's path."
A faint smile tugged at Wei Yang's lips as he thought this. Then, with a single step, his figure flickered and slipped back into the barrier, disappearing from sight.
The Three Leaders stood silently in the air, watching Wei Yang's figure vanish into the distance. Their hearts, too, were heavy with mixed emotions. Moments later—
"The rift has already formed." Xuan Kongzi spoke softly.
His tone revealed no obvious emotion. Tian Leizi sighed and said nothing. They both understood. The brief honeymoon period between them and Wei Yang was over. Pill Tower would not be able to keep Wei Yang—nor Xiao Yan.
That day had finally come. They had been prepared for it, but they hadn't expected it to arrive so soon. This scene couldn't help but remind them of Yao Chen back then. It was almost exactly the same.
"Heh." Xuan Yi let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh, then turned away without another word.
Her somewhat lonely figure flickered a few times before disappearing completely. She had already tried her best, yet still couldn't change this outcome.
She had thought there was still plenty of time—to slowly work things out, to gradually let Wei Yang's family and Xiao Yan integrate into Pill Tower, to earn the trust of those old fellows.
Once the time was right, she could help Wei Yang and Xiao Yan take up the positions of Pill Tower Leaders. But plans could never keep up with change. The rift had already formed—and could not be mended.
Back then, they couldn't keep Yao Chen. Now, they couldn't keep Wei Yang and Xiao Yan either. The so-called Pill Gathering, the championship, the "Leader Candidate"—all of it was a joke. Even a faction as seemingly tolerant as Pill Tower could not truly be open-minded.
Because you were never one of them. They didn't trust you—simple as that.
To truly become part of a great power, to be accepted as "one of their own," you'd need decades, even centuries—perhaps two or three generations—to take root, to intertwine your interests with theirs. Only then would you stop being an outsider and earn genuine trust.
That was true in any faction. Trust doesn't form so easily. Without shared interests binding both sides, who would dare to trust you?
Since you're not one of them, why should they risk themselves to shield you from the Hall of Souls?
Furthermore—
If it were under normal circumstances, they might've helped, no big deal. But now? Who knew how long Yao Chen's breakthrough would take?
The energy required to step into the Dou Sheng realm was astronomical. Would it take a year? Two? Three? Or even longer?
If Yao Chen kept absorbing energy from within Holy Pill City, the entire city's natural energy would be sucked dry. How were others supposed to live then?
When he finally succeeded and became a Dou Sheng, he'd just pat his robes clean and leave—back to the Falling Star Pavilion. Why should Pill Tower pay the price for that?
Did they owe him anything?
So—
Yao Chen's failure to break through was, in truth, in everyone's best interest.
Everyone would be satisfied.
The Hall of Souls wouldn't send more people to cause trouble, Holy Pill City would return to peace, and life would go on as usual. No one was truly in the wrong. The only mistake was that Yao Chen chose to attempt his breakthrough within Holy Pill City.
That was reality.
"Let's go."
Xuan Kongzi exhaled deeply, waving his hand weakly before turning to leave.
Tian Leizi followed in silence.
As the Three Leaders departed, the Pill Tower experts who had gathered also began to disperse one after another.
The world gradually returned to tranquility.
Only the sky above still shimmered faintly, as streams of five-colored energy slowly flowed toward the Wei Mansion barrier, continuously pouring in.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Support me at patreon for 520+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk