Chapter 318 Come One Come All, Let’s Conduct a Meeting
Zhu Yao could not help but want to raise Ye Qingcang’s face for a clearer look. Before she could even reach out her hand however, she suddenly felt an icy intent next to her, and something cracked resoundingly next to her ears. The formation she placed down to resist the heavenly lightning bolts had instantly shattered apart.
The bright heavenly lightning bolts roared out, zapping all three of them.
Zhu Yao who reached out her hand: “…”
Before she could even react, she felt her waist tightening, and then, she was pulled into the embrace of someone who similarly had a charred smell. With a stern look, Yu Yan cast a Dirt Removal Art on him and his stupid disciple, then he calmly placed down a new formation. His face was calm and collected, as though the person who broke the formation earlier was not him.
Looking at a certain disciple who was still half-stretching out her hand and glancing at Ye Qingcang, he frowned. He reached out to hold her chin, and then forcefully turned her face towards him, and was only satisfied when he was the only figure in her eyes.
Then he turned his head and looked at that unknown substance at the side with narrowed eyes. His cold aura flowed in all directions.
Unknown substance Little Cang simply trembled, and cold sweat constantly dripped from his forehead. Though he did not know what he had done wrong, he faintly sensed that he should take a few steps back.
However, in the next second, he was no longer able to continue pondering for the reason, as the next heavenly lightning bolt was already striking down. Not to mention, he was not in the range of the newly placed formation!
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In a single day, two of the righteous deity sects were lost. Practically all of Office Shell Sect’s disciples were massacred, and when the reinforcements of the various sects had arrived, the entire Office Shell Sect had already turned into a sea of blood. Most of the survivors were in a daze, as though they had suffered from some immense shock. Even after questioning them back and forth, the reinforcements still could not piece everything together, let alone finding clues about that so-called Demigod heretic practitioner. Furthermore, this was not the end. When the crowd had rushed back to Ness Cesary Sect, the sight in front of them had dumbfounded every single one of them. Ness Cesary Sect, who had been passed down for over thousands of hundreds of years, was destroyed in a single day, levelled to flat ground. Fortunately, there were no grave casualties among the disciples. However, the laughable thing was that the people who saved them from this crisis, were the two people that Ness Cesary Sect had ousted a few years ago. For a moment, the crowd from Ness Cesary Sect felt exceptionally conflicted in their hearts.
When Zhu Yao rushed back to meet up with the sects, she was shocked to see that other than Qu Jiang, Qu Ying had come forward to welcome her back as well. Though, his face was an exceptional sight to watch, as it continued to switch between being green and pale, as though he did not know how he should face this former little martial aunt. The colour of his face continued to change again and again. Even Zhu Yao could not stand giving him a few more glances.
“Thank you, little martial aunt, for your saving grace.” Qu Jiang bowed in front of Zhu Yao.
“It’s best that you call me Zhu Yao.” She said without a mind. “I’m no longer your little martial aunt. You’re making it sound so strange right now.”
Qu Jiang was startled, and even Qu Jiang at the side had stiffened. A moment later, he changed his way of addressing her. “Sovereign… Thank you, Sovereign, for your help. If not for Sovereign’s protection, not just Ness Cesary Sect, I’m afraid the entire world of deity sects would have encountered an inescapable huge tribulation.”
“It’s just a small matter, there’s no need to be polite.” Zhu Yao replied with a smile.
Qu Jiang did not keep up with the courteous talk either, as he lead Zhu Yao into the inner hall. His intention of burying the hatchet was part of the reason he came out to welcome her as well, as he wanted her and Bai Zhiyuan to return to Ness Cesary Sect. In this present state where their nest had been destroyed, Ness Cesary Sect was indeed in a dire need of a protector like her. However, her earlier words evidently meant that she no longer had the intentions to return, so naturally he had no choice but to lay these thoughts to rest.
When Zhu Yao entered the inner hall, the various clans and sects were already in a great uproar, arguing with each other. When they saw that she had appeared, they quietened down for a moment as they bowed towards her. Zhu Yao nodded in return, before she walked towards the highest row of seats while following Qu Jiang’s lead. This time however, she no longer had to stand.
Hua Lin enthusiastically waved his hands at her. “Old… friend. Over here, over here.” He called out as he looked at his own surroundings. Realizing that there were no longer any empty seats, he unceremoniously nudged an early-stage Demigod Sovereign on his right. “Hey, move over.”
That Demigod Sovereign was startled, as if he had never thought that a Demigod practitioner like him would be given such a disgusted look in the open. His face had turned green from fury. He turned to look at the other Demigod practitioners, and they had all turned their heads away, acting as if they hadn’t seen anything. He could not help but let out a cold snort, and then unwillingly moved to an empty seat near the edge.
“There’s an empty seat here, quick, come over.” Hua Lin shamelessly pointed at the seat that was given up just earlier, as he called out to Zhu Yao. The practitioner who just left earlier tripped and almost fell. Even if you’re a wandering practitioner, you shouldn’t be this shameless, hey!
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. Ignoring that practitioner’s resentful glare, she sat next to Hua Lin. Why did she feel as if she had inadvertently garnered a bundle of hatred?
“The heretic practitioners sure have gone mad. On this day alone, they dared to openly launch attacks on Office Shell Sect and Ness Cesary Sect. They will most certainly attack the other deity sects in the coming days. If this danger is not eliminated, I’m afraid the deity sects would be uneasy day and night.” A Nascent Soul practitioner said indignantly.
“Though that is the case…” Someone however had an opposing opinion. “The heretic practitioners have always been scattered, blending among the wandering practitioners. It is extremely difficult to locate them. Furthermore, the various sects have sustained damage from this incident. We should instead focus on recovering our forces and build up our strength.”
When one of the practitioners heard this, he immediately flared up. “Wait a minute! How long are we supposed to wait? The disciples of our Office Shell Sect had all died in the hands of those heretic practitioners, when should be the right time to avenge them? Not to mention the heretic practitioners must have sustained some degree of damage from this incident, we should be taking this opportunity to push for victory.”
“Right not, the situation surrounding the enemies are unclear, it would be extremely unwise to make a move on them now!” Another person stood up to object. “It should be clear from seeing Office Shell Sect’s situation. Our enemies were actually capable of retreating all their forces even before our prompt arrival. This indicates that the capabilities of the heretic practitioners shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“That is sound.” Another person spoke. “Earlier, the disciple that came to report this incident mentioned that there was a Demigod practitioner among them. Furthermore, when we arrived, we were unable to catch a glimpse of even a single heretic practitioner. Who knows just how many Demigod heretic practitioners are there?”
“However, if we don’t make a move on them now, I’m afraid that they would pose a greater threat in the future.”
The hall was once again filled with intense debate, and Zhu Yao frowned at the sight of this. She finally understood why these people had been here for several days. Clearly, they were split into two factions – one which wanted to let go of this incident, and one which wanted to fight. The faction which wanted to fight believed that they should take this opportunity to deal with the heretic practitioners in order for them to cultivate peacefully in the future. The other faction however felt that the damage they had received this time was too huge, no good outcome would result from further fighting, and that it wouldn’t be too late to fight after recouping their losses.
In general, the faction which was keen of fighting was comprised of sects which had more losses, like Office Shell and Ness Cesary. The faction that wanted to let things go was made up of the rest which did not have any losses to speak of.
The more Zhu Yao listened in, the more frustrated she became. If this argument was to carry on, there wouldn’t be an end.
“Umm…” She could not help but voice out. The hall was instantly silent, as the crowd turned their eyes towards her. As the new Sovereign who had saved the disciples of the various clans and sects, the crowd trusted her to some degree. “Uh, I just wish to ask… Just who are the heretic practitioners who had assaulted Office Shell Sect?”
The crowd was stunned for a moment, and they began to exchange glances.
“So no one know?” Then the fart are you guys fighting about!?
The faces of the crowd paled, as though they had truly never thought of this problem till now.
The hall was silent for a short while, before a Nascent Soul practitioner finally stepped out and spoke. “Putting aside who did it, all heretic practitioners in this world simply do not have any good in them. They should be exterminated as soon as possible.”
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. This logic was simply too incredible. “Then how are you planning to find these heretic practitioners?”
He instantly went mute.
In a broad sense, the term ‘heretic practitioner’ was just a label. It referred to opportunistic practitioners who did not cultivate in ways acknowledged by the public. They were practitioners who were even more lawless and disorganized than wandering practitioners. Without a clear goal, how were they going to find them just by this single label? Heretic practitioners wouldn’t write the word ‘heretic’ on their faces after all.
“Junior-martial sister Zhu’s words are logical…” Sovereign Wu Fu who had been sitting at the top suddenly spoke as he looked at her with a smile. “We should indeed clearly locate our enemies before taking action. However… presently, our Ness Cesary Sect’s Skybond Peak is already in the enemies’ hands. Countless treasures can be found within, and I’m afraid heretic practitioners will make use of the items inside to strengthen themselves. Presently, they already possess the guts to openly launch assaults on deity sects, once they strengthen themselves…”
Before he even finished, the faces of the people below paled one after another. Oh, right! Our enemies already possess such huge amount of resources. If they were to strengthen themselves even further, it will spell trouble. At that moment, the practitioners belonging in the faction of letting go, were clearly shaken.
“Oh, you’re talking about Skybond Peak?” Zhu Yao said without a mind. “Don’t worry, it’s not in the hands of those heretic practitioners.”
“It’s not?” The crowd was stunned. Clearly, they did not believe her words.
Zhu Yao chuckled at Qu Jiang. “I’m sorry, Sect Master Qu. I accidently burnt that mountain away. Completely.”
“What?” Wu Fu immediately stood up. Even the crowd below was giving her faces that looked as if they were looking at an idiot. “You… Y-You… You burnt away Skybond Peak?”
“Uh… It was an operational mistake!” When speaking of this, she really felt a sense of guilt from burning down someone’s house. “Umm… I saw those heretic practitioners move Skybond Peak away, so I chased after them at the heat of the moment. But I can’t possibly move it back on my own, right? You guys should understand that I’m a frail woman… So I… Hoho, I think you guys understand by now!”
Crowd: …
They didn’t want to understand her words in the least, alright? That was Skybond Peak, left behind by an ascended ancestor. There were countless treasures within! How could she possibly burn it away just like that!?
Everyone could not regain their senses for a while from this shock. Every single one of them felt like scratching the walls right now!
“Haah, so be it!” Unexpectedly, Qu Jiang was the first to collect his calm, as he let out a long sigh. Though his heart was bleeding, he still spoke in a consoling manner. “At the very least, it’s much better than being left in the hands of the heretic practitioners.”
The crowd all looked as if they wanted to cry as well. In the first place, they participated in the tournament for the sole reason of attempting to take a slice of the pie. Who would have known that the pie would be stolen in an instant, and that it would be burnt into a crisp the next moment? Not a single one of them managed to get even a bite into it. These fluctuating emotions were simply too much to handle.
“Junior-martial sister, have you truly burnt Skybond Peak away? Or did it disappear because of other reasons?” Wu Fu suddenly asked in a meaningful manner.
Zhu Yao frowned. “Other reasons?” What did he mean?
Wu Fu chuckled. “This lowly one is simply curious at the fact that such a huge mountain could actually be burnt into ashes.”
“What are you trying to get?” Little tyrant instantly flared up. “Are you saying that grandma has taken Skybond Peak as her own?”
“I didn’t say that.” Wu Fu continued to speak with a smile. “I just pointed out a suspicion, that’s all. Back then, the ones who chased after the heretic practitioners consisted of junior-martial sister and two disciples, and these two disciples…” He glanced at little tyrant and Ye Qingcang. “Their relationships with junior-martial sister are more than just superficial. When it comes to what actually happened back then, no one else knows for sure.”
When he put it that way, the crowd began to reveal doubtful expressions as well. Indeed. Skybond Peak possessed countless treasures, how could any sane person be willing to burn them all away?
“Sovereign, your words are too degrading.” Ye Qingcang could not help but speak up as well, his tone was filled with anger. “If granny had coveted the treasures within Skybond Peak, when she was the only person who could enter Skybond Peak back then, she could have taken all she had wanted. Why would she wait till now? Furthermore, granny has long attained the cultivation level of a Demigod, what use to her could the items in Skybond Peak possibly have?”
“They are of no use to her, but that might not be true to others.” Wu Fu intentionally swept his eyes across little tyrant and Ye Qingcang, and then continued. “Furthermore, other than medicinal pellets and talismans, Skybond Peak contains countless mystic artifacts, and some at the tenth rank as well. How could anyone not be moved?”
“Like we would even want the items inside!” Ye Qingcang immediately refuted.
Wu Fu however simply let out a cold snort, and did not reply. The crowd could not help but look at Zhu Yao with suspicious gazes after listening to his words.
Just as little tyrant and Ye Qingcang was about to speak up, Zhu Yao immediately pulled them back.
She turned to look at Wu Fu, and with seemingly good mood, she said. “Sovereign Wu Fu, what you’re meaning to say is, I have hidden Skybond Peak, and then intentionally told you all that I have burnt it, so that I can keep it all to myself?”
“Junior-martial sister, naturally, I believe you. I simply wish that you can explain to us in more depth about this matter, so that everyone here can better understand the situation.” Wu Fu gave an even more harmonious smile, and his expression looked as though it was saying he was doing this for her own good.
“I don’t have anything else to explain!” Zhu Yao swept her eyes across the crowd, instantly feeling a little fatigued. It seemed like seeking justice and thwarting the heretic practitioners were all but empty talk. In the end, everything fell behind the word ‘benefits’. “Skybond Peak has been burnt away. End of story.”
The suspicion in the eyes of the crowd grew heavier.
Zhu Yao continued. “However, I indeed did not take a single item from within, nor did I hide the mountain itself. If you guys truly want an explanation…” She sized up the crowd. “Then let me analyze the situation for you!”
“The items within Skybond Peak are categorized to nothing more than a few – medicinal pellets, talismans, cultivation arts and mystic artifacts. Now that I have already become a Demigod, unless it’s a medicinal pellet that can allow me to ascend instantly… am I supposed to keep the rest of the pellets and eat them like they’re candies?”
“As for talismans, you guys should be aware that I have the penta-spirit veins, right? Activating the talismans can’t possibly be faster than casting the arts myself. Unless I’m bored with my longevity and sacrifice speed during battles, I will simply be seeking death if I use talismans to engage my enemies.”
“Of course, there’s cultivation arts inside as well! Just how retarded must I be to cripple my present cultivation level and choose to pick up a new cultivation art? What, I got bored to the point of cultivating it for fun?”
“Then what about mystic artifacts?” Wu Fu asked in a sullen voice, his smile grew deeper. “I believe junior-martial sister is extremely aware that there’s even tenth rank mystic artifacts among the mystic artifacts in Skybond Peak. Presently, there’s not many tenth rank mystic artifacts in the cultivation world.”
“As a matter of a fact, I really don’t covet them.” Zhu Yao rolled her eyes at him, as she continued to drop disdainful remarks on Skybond Peak. “I am a tenth rank artificer myself. The products refined by Wang Shang are neither stylish nor equipped with good functionalities. Do you think this old lady would even want them?”
“…” The hall was instantly enveloped in silence.
“You… You’re a tenth rank artificer…?” Wu Fu was stunned as well. “That’s… That’s impossible.” The flying sword she was using was even at the second rank. Just what kind of artificer would be so frugal like her?”
“Daoist Yu is right.” Hua Lin stood up and pulled out the spiritual ship. “This spiritual ship I have in my hands is something she refined and bestowed to me. It is a tenth rank mystic artifact at the extreme grade.”
When his words fell, everyone in the hall collectively held their breaths.
Zhu Yao: “…” Uh… That wasn’t something she refined!
Student Hua Lin, it is not good to lie. The original creator himself is listening over here!