Chapter 102: Stunning the Entire Crowd

As the cries grew louder and louder, Autumn Leaf, standing atop the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, began to feel a little embarrassed.

Sorry, but in truth I had arrived long ago and had simply been watching from below.

After all, I am a master. If I did not make my entrance at the crucial moment, how could I call myself a master?

It had to be admitted: the effect was indeed excellent. No wonder those protagonists always loved to appear at the decisive hour. So this was the feeling one got. It was truly satisfying.

For those trapped in desperate straits, as long as you gave them even a sliver of hope, they would cling to you like a life-saving straw and follow you with unwavering loyalty.

This was a strategy, and also a means of winning hearts.

Autumn Leaf had judged the timing with exquisite precision. If he had intervened directly, there would have been no such peril, and those people would have thought that they could have handled it themselves even without him.

Then there would be no gratitude to speak of.

So, if any of you ever get the chance to traverse into another world, do not be foolish enough to make your entrance first. If you want to be the lead, you must save the best for last. Understand?

Study well. Watch carefully. Got it?

Autumn Leaf's sudden appearance caught every great dark overlord off guard. Their plans had not accounted for this one at all.

"Damn it, where did this guy come from? His strength is terrifying beyond belief. I'm afraid our plan is going to fail..."

As the leader among the dark overlords, the World-Ending Elder cursed loudly. The other overlords nearby echoed him.

"This man is too frightening. He repelled us with only a single sentence. If he were to strike with full force, I'm afraid none of us would leave here alive today..."

In an instant, all the dark overlords gathered together and stared at Autumn Leaf with hostile eyes.

At once they understood that if Autumn Leaf could not be dealt with, they would surely be annihilated today. So their only chance was to join forces and kill him.

"Divine Stratagem, why did you fail to report that such an expert existed in the Great Wilderness? Do you want to see us all die?"

The more the World-Ending Elder looked at Autumn Leaf, the more alarmed he became. He immediately turned his fury on the Old Sage of Divine Calculations, who had always been responsible for gathering intelligence.

Normally, any powerful figure who appeared in the Great Wilderness could not escape his eyes. But now, with Autumn Leaf as an exception, everyone could not help wondering whether the Old Sage of Divine Calculations had withheld information.

"Milord, you have wronged me! I truly do not know where this man came from. There is not a single trace of him in the Great Wilderness. Rumor has it he appeared out of nowhere, and I am completely helpless."

The Old Sage of Divine Calculations cried injustice. This was truly not a false report on his part. The main problem was that there were really no rumors at all about Autumn Leaf in the Great Wilderness.

Think about it: which of the strong figures present had not endured endless trials, contended for destiny, and stepped upon the immortal path, rising step by step to where they stood today?

Each of their stories had spread throughout the Great Wilderness. Each one was a legend.

Only this Autumn Leaf had not the slightest hint of a tale surrounding him. There was nothing at all. He seemed more like someone who had sprung straight from a stone.

In truth, one could not blame the Old Sage of Divine Calculations. The real reason was that Autumn Leaf kept a remarkably low profile. He had kept it up for more than twenty years without fighting a single battle. How could anyone in the Great Wilderness possibly know him?

When a person kept a low profile to the extreme, he naturally stood outside the board entirely. Someone who had never even appeared before could hardly be discovered.

That was the greatest advantage of the supreme recluse: at the crucial moment, he could always deliver a pleasant surprise.

Clearly, Autumn Leaf had already done exactly that. In the Great Wilderness, he had hidden himself so thoroughly that he had become an immortal, quietly dazzling everyone all at once.

After hearing the Old Sage of Divine Calculations, the World-Ending Elder did not dwell on it. After all, their intelligence network was not limited to him alone.

That old fellow had originally belonged to the Great Wilderness camp, and they had always remained wary of him. Thus their intelligence network was actually much broader.

Indeed, as the Old Sage of Divine Calculations had said, their other sources had also never uncovered anything about Autumn Leaf.

"Damn it! Just what level of power does this guy possess? From that zither note earlier, his strength is at the very least above the Immortal Venerable realm. He is not going to be easy to deal with."

The World-Ending Elder frowned, and retreat already began to stir in his heart. Against Great Luo Immortals, they could barely rely on numbers and flawless coordination to put up a fight. But against an Immortal Venerable, or an Immortal King, they had no power to contend at all.

A single strike from an Immortal King could obliterate a world in an instant. That was no joke. Let alone more than a dozen earthly immortals like themselves; even several hundred Great Luo Immortals would not be able to withstand one blow.

Autumn Leaf's strength remained a mystery. For the moment, they did not dare act rashly and could only keep watching him.

The stifling atmosphere lingered for a long time. Then the Withered Wood Daoist walked to Autumn Leaf's side and said respectfully, "Senior, these people are probably the source of this catastrophe. Today, why not eliminate them in one stroke and put an end to this scourge once and for all..."

Autumn Leaf said nothing. He looked at the Withered Wood Daoist with an oddly thoughtful gaze and said, "Do you truly think this is the whole of the calamity?"

"Hm?"

The Withered Wood Daoist froze, then thought it over carefully and immediately understood.

"Senior's words are enlightening. The dark calamity that has plagued the ages cannot possibly have been unleashed by just these few people. They... may only be pawns in someone else's game."

The Withered Wood Daoist shook his head as he spoke, and his heart could not help sinking. This was the truth he least wished to accept, yet it was undeniably real.

Autumn Leaf ignored him and instead swept his gaze back and forth over the crowd, thinking to himself, It should be them. This aura is exactly the same as the one from back then. It seems Little Winter really is in their hands.

However, Little Winter is not here, and I do not know where their lair is. If I reveal my identity rashly, I will only invite trouble. If they use Little Winter to threaten me, then things will become troublesome indeed...

Autumn Leaf did not wish to see a scene of brothers turning on one another. So he had no intention of directly asking after Little Winter's whereabouts, lest he alarm the snake.

As long as Autumn Leaf did not actively reveal himself, they would never guess his true identity.

Because of Autumn Leaf's arrival, the once chaotic battlefield was briefly calmed. The two camps stared at each other from afar, and neither dared to strike first.

The reason Autumn Leaf held back was concern for his younger brother, Autumn Winter. He also felt apprehensive himself, after all; he had very few combat techniques, and even if a battle broke out, he might not necessarily win.

As for why the dark overlords did not move, the reason was simple. They feared Autumn Leaf and had long since begun to think of retreat.

After a long stalemate, the World-Ending Elder stepped out from the ranks and fixed Autumn Leaf with a stare.

"Who exactly are you?"

What they cared about most right now was this question. Even now, they had still not seen through Autumn Leaf's true identity.

Who was this peerless expert who had suddenly appeared?

"Does it matter?"

Autumn Leaf smiled with deep meaning, utterly unafraid, maintaining his ever-calm and detached manner.

This seemed to have already become his standard expression. There was no helping it; after showing off so much, he had unknowingly developed this fine habit.

The World-Ending Elder glanced at Autumn Leaf fearfully, knowing in his heart that today's calamity was a death tribulation and could no longer be avoided.

He threatened, "I don't care who you are. If you dare obstruct our plan, you are our enemy. Seeing as your cultivation was not easy to achieve, you would do well to leave at once. Today, we can pretend nothing ever happened. Otherwise, there is only a dead end waiting for you..."

"How insolent. How dare you speak to my master in such a tone? You're courting death..."

At those words, Willow Sword Dust was instantly enraged. In his eyes, Autumn Leaf was an existence above all others. How dared these filthy vermin address him in such a manner?

No sooner had the words fallen than Willow Sword Dust charged forward once more, and immediately afterward, the Withered Wood Daoist was unwilling to fall behind and also killed in.

Unknowingly, Autumn Leaf had already become the spokesman of the Great Wilderness. His image was their dignity.

These dark vermin dared to look down on Autumn Leaf, which was the same as looking down on the Great Wilderness itself, and looking down on all of them.