Chapter 451: The Qian Emperor's Wrath, Daoist Feng Yuanqing

Wan Wan Zhuliu frowned.

Even through the bronze mirror, he could feel the Qian Emperor's wrath.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Wang Jin's heart was filled with shock and suspicion.

When the Xieshen Sect and the Wudadao Sect clashed and ground against each other, no matter which side suffered, the imperial court was the biggest winner. By all rights, His Majesty should have been pleased to see it happen — so why was he furious? Wang Jin was inwardly suspicious, yet he hurriedly bowed and urged: "Your Majesty, please think it over."

When dogs fight, the master of the house should, of course, stand by and watch.

"That old ghost has treachery in his heart!"

From the other end of the bronze mirror, the Qian Emperor's anger had yet to fade: "I suspect that old ghost has been secretly communicating with outsiders — seizing the Chang Hong Yi Qi sword means he's preparing for the Grand Sacrifice!"

"That old ghost wants to perform the Grand Sacrifice?"

Wan Wan Zhuliu's gaze darkened slightly.

The Grand Sacrifice at the Eight Directions Temple was a grand matter the Qian Emperor had only just agreed upon with that self-styled Yellow Dragon Son, an outsider, before the year-end.

And this Grand Sacrifice required outsiders to preside over it.

"There are traitors in the court!"

Wang Jin's face went cold.

"How that old ghost learned of the Grand Sacrifice — never mind that for now. But Him secretly communicating with outsiders and wanting to perform the Grand Sacrifice — that absolutely cannot be allowed!"

The Qian Emperor's voice was very cold: "Arrest Him and bring Him to the Divine Capital to see me."

"Your subject obeys!"

Wan Wan Zhuliu bowed and accepted the order.

The light of the Great Sun Monitoring Heaven Mirror faded, and Wang Jin was still frowning: "My Lord, shouldn't we think this over a bit more?"

Like the Wudadao Sect, the Xieshen Sect was only nominally subordinate to the imperial court.

The Fierce Gods of the Xieshen Sect, when alive, were without exception renowned experts who shook the world; after death, they remained extremely defiant and savage, hard to command, and had never truly submitted.

To want to take that old ghost…

"His Majesty has given an edict; as a subject, one must, of course, obey."

Wan Wan Zhuliu gave him a casual glance, and the latter's heart gave a jolt, and he hurriedly lowered his head in acknowledgment.

"Let's go."

Wan Wan Zhuliu flicked his sleeve, and he had already landed on the Dun Tian Zhou. Wang Jin hurried to follow, urging the great vessel to break through the sky and depart.

A cold wind blew through the mountains, scattering flakes of withered leaves and accumulated snow to the ground.

At that moment, someone slowly walked out from the shadows.

It was a middle-aged man with a handsome face, his temples faintly streaked with white, his features weathered, a sword hanging at his waist — apart from that, he carried nothing else.

Walking slowly beneath the cliff face, he reached out and grabbed a handful of bone-ash: "Parted for thirty years, who could have known that when we met again, we would be separated by life and death. Brother Wei, walk slowly — wait for this old man to send someone down to keep you company!"

The bone-ash at his fingertips was scattered by the wind. Daoist Feng Yuanqing slowly raised his head, faintly able to see the faint traces left behind after the Dun Tian Zhou had departed: "Wan Wan Zhuliu, Master of the Qian Yan Fa…"

He raised his hand and lightly pressed his brow, sensed briefly, and then shot up into the air.

Sword-light like a tide wrapped him within; in the next instant, he had vanished into the mountains and forests, his speed extreme.

At the border between Henglong Dao and Yanshan Dao.

A mountain range stretching for tens of thousands of li, thick with miasma.

The main altar of the Xieshen Sect.

Inside the great hall, Yan Yan Tianxiong reclined askew in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his brow tightly furrowed.

"The Wudadao Sect has sent letters throughout the world. In every Daozhou, prefecture, and even down to the counties, more than eighty percent of the temples have been sealed and banned."

"Within Mount Yunmeng Dao, every Qian Yan Bodhisattva temple has been razed flat. The Chang Hong Sword Sect has gone mad, hunting down our branch halls everywhere — several helmsmen have been killed."

"Daoist Feng Yuanqing has appeared in Mount Yunmeng Dao…"

Inside the great hall, a black-faced old man reported in a low voice.

The Scarlet Flame Dragon King sat quietly to one side, his sidelong gaze measuring the other Dharma Kings and those two great elders; the whole assembly's faces were dark as still water.

"Old… why did the Master want to kill Wei Wei Tianzuo?"

The tall, pale-faced Bai Xiang Wang looked very displeased. He was in charge of the Mount Yunmeng branch hall, and now a number of his subordinates had been killed and several branch outposts destroyed.

"Sect Master, did that old ghost inform you before he acted?"

A short, child-like old man asked with a frown.

His name was Guan Shi, the Left Elder of the Xieshen Sect.

"…No, he did not."

Yan Yan Tianxiong's face darkened slightly; inwardly he was annoyed, yet also somewhat helpless.

Of the nine great Dharma Masters, he had, to varying degrees,

met most of them. Sword Spirit Master, Hundred Arms Daoist — those could still be talked to. But this Qian Yan Bodhisattva…

He truly believes himself a god.

"He…"

Yan Yan Tianxiong's heart gave a sudden leap, and everyone in the great hall felt it too, turning one after another to look outside the hall.

A low, cold voice echoed through the mountains: "Where is Qian Ling? His Majesty has an edict — go to the Divine Capital!"

Crack!

The sound-wave was like sudden thunder.

Throughout the mountains, a host of Xieshen Sect followers and experts emerged one after another from caves and tunnels, looking up in horror.

They saw only a colossal warship, grand as a city, hanging in the sky, its banners standing like a forest, with tens of thousands of elite armored soldiers upon it.

On the deck, a silver-haired middle-aged man stood with his hand on his blade, looking down upon the mountains. An invisible aura spread out, and the clouds and miasma filling the sky seemed as though dyed ink-black, pressing down upon them.

"Ten thousand, Martial Suppression King!"

"Dun Tian Zhou, Imperial Guard!"

"Martial Suppression King!"

Among the mountains, cries of alarm rang out and quickly fell silent; the vast majority of people shrank back into their earth-holes and tunnels.

Only Yan Yan Tianxiong and the others walked slowly out of the great hall.

"Brother Wan, the Lord of the Law is still in seclusion. Please wait a moment."

Yan Yan Tianxiong responded, and ordered those at his side to go find someone, yet his brow could not help but furrow.

The sect's main altar was a hidden place; for this fellow surnamed Wan to arrive so brazenly, it was likely not to show the Wudadao Sect the way. Behind him, the faces of a group of Elder Dharma Kings were extremely unsightly, having anticipated this very point.

Wan Wan Zhuliu did not answer; Dun Tian Zhou had already let out a soft hum, slowly descending.

In an instant, a hurricane suddenly rose among the mountains, blowing the grass, trees, mud, sand, and accumulated snow scattering in all directions.

"What does the Martial Suppression King intend?"

A reply came from among the mountains.

Streams of incense-ash rose like cooking smoke, weaving together into a living Bodhisattva spirit-form with a thousand eyes, tall as a mountain peak.

It stood among the mountains, a pure-gold divine sword thrust into its chest; behind it, layers of mist, as if other spirit-forms flickered in and out of view.

"His Majesty has decreed that you enter the palace for an audience!"

On Dun Tian Zhou, Wang Jin was as if facing a great enemy; Wan Wan Zhuliu spoke calmly: "Receive the decree!"

The sound-wave was like a sudden thunder; the light and aura of Dun Tian Zhou both dimmed for an instant, as a sea of ink-light surged upward, staining the sea of clouds black.

Within it, a Canglong seemed to coil, and divine edges spat forth matchless sharpness.

"Demon-Subduing, Dragon God Form!"

Before the great hall, Yan Yan Tianxiong and the others' expressions shifted; they felt Wan Wan Zhuliu's will — if they did not receive the decree, he would strike.

"Audience..."

A cold laugh came from the mountains; Bone Vajra's voice was loud: "Ridiculous! We and the imperial court have never had a superior-subordinate relationship, so where does this talk of an audience come from!"

Behind the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva's spirit-form, one after another spirit-forms emerged — some large, some small, some with missing limbs, some born with nine heads, some like swords, some like Canglongs...

"What gall!" Wang Jin burst into great rage.

Wan Wan Zhuliu raised a hand to stop him, only looking indifferently at the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva spirit-form: "Thousand Spirit, do you mean to defy the decree?"

"What if I defy it?"

The Rushan spirit-form looked levelly at Dun Tian Zhou, calm and indifferent. It naturally knew the Emperor of Qian's thoughts: "The Emperor of Qian wishes to hold the Grand Rite, yet did not inform this seat. In that case, this seat shall hold the Grand Rite on its own — what has it to do with him?"

Crack!

Thunder burst from the mountains, heaven startled and earth shaken.

On Dun Tian Zhou, the sound of a divine blade leaving its sheath echoed among the mountains. With just one sound, there was no longer a human voice among the mountains; even before the great hall, apart from Yan Yan Tianxiong, most of the Dharma Protectors and Elders hurriedly retreated and dodged.

"Wait!"

Yan Yan Tianxiong's head ached, yet he had no choice but to speak out to stop them: "Brother Wan, hear me out."

On Dun Tian Zhou, Wan Wan Zhuliu — the gaze of the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva in the mountains converged upon him.

"The Lord of the Law's injuries have not healed, making it difficult to go to the Divine Capital in person, but since His Majesty has a decree..." Yan Yan Tianxiong sighed: "In that case, let us compromise — the Lord of the Law shall split off a spirit-body, with one of the sect's Elders temporarily serving as a vessel, to go to the Divine Capital and face the Holy One. How about it?"

All around fell silent; no one answered.

After a moment, it was still the Thousand-Eye Bodhisattva who spoke first.

Wan Wan Zhuliu looked at Yan Yan Tianxiong: "You shall serve as the vessel, to have audience with His Majesty."

Yan Yan Tianxiong's face twitched, but since he had come out to stop them, he was naturally prepared in his heart. He immediately bowed: "Naturally, I can."

Hurry up and fight!

Somewhere in the mountains, Daoist Feng Yuanqing sat cross-legged amid the miasma roasting a Xiong Zhang. With Dun Tian Zhou as a guide, he had naturally found his way here.

At this moment, watching Dun Tian Zhou depart, he felt regret in his heart.

If not for that Yan Yan Tianxiong...

"Very well, being able to find this place is also no small gain."

Finishing the Xiong Zhang unhurriedly, Daoist Feng Yuanqing reached out and pinched his face; his features shifted accordingly, and soon he had transformed into a swarthy-complexioned middle-aged man.

"If I can find these old ghosts' divine shrines..." Wiping the oil from his hands, Daoist Feng Yuanqing narrowed his eyes.

These minor gods of the Xieshen Sect were extremely hard to kill — either break their temples and cut off their incense-ash, or grind them down repeatedly with spirit-forms; but either method was very troublesome.

Another way was to find the divine shrine, raise a hand and smash it — then not to mention the Upper Masters and Fayin Fayin Tongzi, even the Lord of the Law would have their soul scattered.

This third method was relatively simple, provided one could find it.

"Even if I cannot, I must take back the Chang Hong Yi Qi sword!"

His heart slightly chilled, Daoist Feng Yuanqing walked into the mountains. The face he had pinched into shape belonged to a hall master of the Xieshen Sect he had slain on the road — a man of high status.

In the mountains, startled by Dun Tian Zhou, let alone hidden sentries, there were not even open posts.

"They really value their lives."

Encountering a Xieshen Sect follower on the road, Daoist Feng Yuanqing made conversation without changing expression, yet could not help feeling somewhat suspicious in his heart.

This old fellow's body seemed to carry a whiff of that old Monk Long Yingch...

"Hall Master Brother Helian, I've long admired you."

It was an old man with a deathly pale face — whether from fright or from excessive blood loss was unclear. He cupped his hands and said: "I am Yu Yu Banzhou, Vice Hall Master of Youzhoufentang."

The matter of Wei Wei Tianzuo's murder spread across the realm like a hurricane; for a time the court and the countryside were shaken, the jianghu was in an uproar, and no one knew how many fights and undercurrents surged.

In Dragon-Tiger Temple too, there was a certain feeling of a storm about to break.

The second day after Wei Wei Tianzuo's murder, the Various Sects Martial Exhibition had already been suspended. Though the true inheritors and Elders of each sect had not yet left, they were merely waiting for the final decision among the Dao Sects.

"Hoo!"

On Dragon Gate's main peak, in a small courtyard, Li Li Yuanzhong was flipping through a thin wooden booklet of only thirteen pages.

This list was famous far and wide, enumerating the twelve active Land Immortals of the present age.

Wan Wan Zhuliu was first, taking up two pages by himself; the remaining eleven had no ranking among them. Adding the Wudadao Sect and Xinyi Sect's Great Master Master Dading of the Xinyi Sect, there were eight in total. Still, this Divine Ranking's credibility was not high.

First, Long Xi Xiang was not on the list; second, he also did not believe the imperial court had only these three Sanzunda Sect Grandmasters—Wan Wan Zhuliu, Wu Wu Yingxing, and the Commander of the Pacification Bureau.

"Hah!"

Closing the Divine Ranking, Li Li Yuanzhong calmed his thoughts, rose, and took up a standing-posture stance.