Chapter 529: Have I Gone Mad?

Boom!

Above the clouds, the giant character formed of purple qi exploded with a thunderous crash, then dissipated as rolling purple qi, filling the silent Divine Capital with its presence.

In that instant, heaven and earth fell silent.

Inside and outside the Imperial City, throughout the Divine Capital, all who witnessed that final scene were shocked and terrified.

Before the scroll shattered, not only were high-cultivation Jianghu Sect masters alarmed, but even ordinary commoners saw the Zhenwu King, as if facing a great enemy, engulfed by Lei Guang!

The Zhenwu King, who had secluded himself in the Eight Temples for fifty years and ascended to the realm of the Supreme Grandmaster, seemed unable to prevail...

"I, I am not..."

Like a thunderclap from flat ground, it made Elder Li's scalp tingle; he almost forgot his current state and nearly bolted.

Ghosts!

Truly ghosts!

"That, that is me?!"

Li Yuan leaned back, nearly floating off the Star-Gazing Platform; the image he had just seen still lingered in his eyes, while his heart was overwhelmed with shock and disbelief.

Even if he were mad, he would never assassinate the Old Dragon Head!

"How could that possibly be me?!"

Li Yuan was almost stunned into silence.

He had been searching the scroll for traces of himself, even once believing he would suffer a sudden calamity in the future, but he never expected that he himself would be the one challenging the world with the backing of ten Supreme Grandmasters.

This is utterly unreasonable.

How could his Li Yuan be such a boastful person?

"Damn..."

Li Yuan wanted to stay, but only a few instants after the purple qi scroll shattered, he felt his body grow light, surrounded by swirling, interwoven lights and shadows, before vanishing from the Star-Gazing Platform.

The one who opened the temple is Li Yuan!

Like thunder exploding over the Divine Capital, after a moment of silence, the city erupted in uproar, with overlapping exclamations of "Li Yuan? Who is Li Yuan? Who is that?"

"Li Yuan!"

Amidst the city-wide uproar, the masters of several major Dao Sects, along with their disciples within the city and those in the Jianghu who knew who Li Yuan was, all turned pale.

Only the people of Longhu Temple fell into an eerie silence.

"This brat..."

The moment he saw Li Yuan on the dragon head, Nie Xianshan had already drawn his sword, retreating several steps as if facing a great enemy, and looked alertly at the others from the major Dao Sects.

"Brother Long Dao..."

As Feng Yuanqing Fuxiu Daoren turned his head, Great Ding Chan Master, Tian Tian Shezi, Fang Fang Sanyun, and other masters and elders of the Dao Sects all looked together at the people of Longhu Temple.

"Rebellious disciple!"

A furious shout echoed through half the sky, suppressing nearly half the city's boiling noise; commoners in the streets and alleys, as well as patrolling Constables and armored soldiers, all turned to look.

There, on the eaves of a riverside tavern, an old monk draped in torn robes flew into a rage, pointing at the sky and cursing loudly; he was clearly furious beyond measure.

His long Bai Mei eyebrows flapped up and down, making a "whoosh whoosh" sound:

"Misfortune to our sect, to have taken in this disciple who killed his master and betrayed the Pan Sect! I, Long Yingchan, failed to recognize people properly; how can I face our ancestors after death!"

How astonishing is the voice of a Grandmaster?

Long Yingchan gathered his true qi; at first, only the nearby half-city could hear, but by the end of that sentence, even those tens of li away in the Imperial City heard it clearly.

That sense of shock, anger, indignation, and heart-wrenching grief spread like a hurricane, making countless people feel it vividly.

"You..."

Feng Yuanqing Fuxiu Daoren's eyes widened.

The masters and elders of other Dao Sects, who were shocked and angry and about to demand answers, were also stunned into place by this unexpected roar.

Only then did they realize that among the ten Supreme Grandmasters Li Yuan was prophesied to kill in the scroll's future, Longhu Temple alone accounted for no fewer than three.

The Sect Master and the Supreme Elder were both assassinated within their own sect!

"Rebellious disciple!"

Before Long Yingchan's roar had faded, another angry rebuke rang out.

A handsome young monk with red lips and white teeth slammed his foot down with a "bang," nearly shattering the sixteen-story tavern; it was Long Xi Xiang, who had been startled by his senior brother, finally reacting.

He had still been in shock, but now he suddenly reacted; he was even more heart-wrenchingly grieved than Long Yingchan, and after a single angry rebuke, he spat out a mouthful of rebellious blood:

"Rebellious disciple Li Yuan, how dare you kill your master and betray the Pan Sect!"

The voices of the two old monks were too loud; for a moment, not only the people of other Dao Sects, but also the city's commoners, patrolling soldiers, and even Nie Xianshan were left speechless.

He simply did not believe Li Yuan would kill his master and betray the sect; what he was guarding against were the other Dao Sects and even the imperial court.

But soon he too reacted; with a single sword strike cutting the sky eight hundred zhang, sword qi tore through the sea of clouds, its momentum so vast that the entire Divine Capital could see it:

"Wicked creature!"

"Nie swears to kill this unfilial disciple!"

For a moment, the Divine Capital fell silent; for a time, only the heart-wrenching roars of the three Supreme Grandmasters of Longhu Temple echoed.

How intense is the will of a Grandmaster?

The indignation and grief of the three infected countless people, even causing some to join in righteous fury and curse loudly.

"

Feng Yuanqing Fuxiu Daoren, Fang Fang Sanyun, and others looked at each other, momentarily speechless.

"Rebellious disciple!"

As Long Yingchan was about to rebuke again, Feng Yuanqing Fuxiu Daoren finally could not hold back and transmitted his voice:

"Brother Long Dao, this is too much!"

That old monk!

The people of the other great sects cursed inwardly, and following Long Yingchán's angry rebuke, the people of the imperial court were also drawn over.

Separated by several long streets, the crowd also felt the chill on Wan Wan Zhuliu's blade.

"Your Majesty is on tour, commoners disperse!"

A sharp, ringing shout exploded down the long street; the many commoners, soldiers, and even men of the Jianghu in the alleys and lanes either knelt or cupped their fists in salute, hurriedly stepping aside.

In just a moment, by the time the Qian Emperor arrived at this stretch of long street, the commoners within several li had all withdrawn, leaving only the people of the great sects and the Xinyi Sect.

"Does Sect Master Long have something to say?"

The Qian Emperor spoke, his voice as cold as his gaze.

Behind him, Wang Jin, Wu Wu Yingxing, and Shen Shen Qisheng all wore faces dark as water; Shen Shen Qisheng especially—he was one of the ten great sect masters prophesied to be killed, and his mood at this moment was extremely foul.

Inside and outside the long street, the Dayun Imperial Guards stood silent as iron and stone, some holding bows and crossbows, others mounted on grey eagles, sealing off this section of the city.

Long Yingchán first offered a salute, then frowned as he swept his gaze over the Dayun Imperial Guards inside and outside the long street:

"Our sects were invited by the imperial court to observe the rites. What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

He asked with feigned surprise. The Qian Emperor's expression did not change, but the people of the other sects could not help cursing inwardly—this old monk, in a single sentence, had dragged them in as well.

"Long Yingchán!"

Wang Jin stepped forward and snapped, "In the prophecy just now, surely you saw it? Your Dragon-Tiger disciple Li Yuan attempted to assassinate Your Majesty—a crime deserving the execution of his entire clan!"

"Purple qi wove together and covered the entire Holy Capital city. Unless one is blind, who could fail to see it?"

Facing Wang Jin's rebuke, Long Yingchán's expression did not change. He only paused briefly before saying, "Did Commander Wang perhaps not hear that among the ten great sect masters assassinated in the prophecy, there are also three from my Dragon-Tiger Temple?"

"You—!"

Wang Jin's face darkened. That old bald donkey was clearly calling him blind.

But after that casual remark, Long Yingchán no longer paid Wang Jin any attention.

He landed on the long street, and across the entire street offered a salute to the Qian Emperor, his expression desolate: "It is the misfortune of my sect to have produced such a traitorous disciple. Long is truly ashamed—alas, alas…"

'Old fox!'

The Qian Emperor's gaze turned cold, but he could not retort, for in the prophecy, it was Dragon-Tiger Temple that suffered the heaviest blow.

But that was only the one-sided word of that Daoist surnamed Qi; it was not necessarily true, whereas his own Guan Chun had seen it with his own eyes…

"That beast Li Yuan has no lord and no father, murdering his sovereign and slaying his master—his crimes cannot be pardoned!"

Wu Wu Yingxing's face was dark as water. He spoke now: "I wonder how Sect Master Long intends to capture and deal with this beast?"

The moment he spoke, everyone else turned to look as well, including the other great sects.

Being assassinated in the prophecy was naturally alarming and infuriating, but after all it had not happened yet, and it was fifty years away; whereas the 'Temple Opener' was a matter of great consequence.

After Wan Wan Zhuliu's fifty-year closed-door cultivation in the Eight Directions Temple, that blade strike—which could be called peerless—weighed far more than any mere prophecy.

"This traitorous disciple has an eccentric and reclusive nature. In the few years since he entered the sect, he has barely exchanged a word with the other disciples; one can imagine he harbors resentment because of this…"

Long Yingchán sighed at length, rambling on for quite a while. Seeing that everyone was growing somewhat impatient, his tone shifted again:

"For such a traitorous disciple to appear under my sect, Long bears inescapable responsi—

bility! Therefore, I am willing to lead two junior brothers into the temple to personally capture and kill this traitorous disciple—only, I require Your Majesty's permission."

"Hmm?"

The moment these words fell, not to mention the people of the imperial court, even those of the other sects came to their senses—this old fellow meant to borrow the imperial court's hand to enter the Eight Directions Temple?

"My Green Dragon Pavilion has received imperial grace for generations—how could I stand by in the face of such a monstrous, unfilial wretch? This poor Daoist is also willing to bring his disciples to capture and slay this beast!"

Tian Tian Shezi reacted swiftly.

"My Xinyi Sect…"

"My Three Virtues Cave…"

"Mm, this poor Daoist is also willing to make the trip, to capture this villain for Your Majesty!"

Almost simultaneously.

The other great sect masters present followed suit one after another, their reasons thoroughly sound—things like "Being assassinated in the prophecy is nothing, but daring to assassinate Your Majesty is absolutely intolerable," and "I wish to offer my humble service," and so on.

This caught the Qian Emperor somewhat off guard.

"My lords, truly loyal and devoted to the realm."

Looking at this crowd of 'filial and loyal ministers,' the Qian Emperor was nearly amused into laughter by his anger.

"Every word Long has spoken comes from the bottom of his heart. I humbly ask Your Majesty to discern clearly and decide.

Long Yingchán cupped his fists in another salute, his peripheral gaze sweeping over the people of the other sects. Inwardly he felt somewhat relieved—compared to being assassinated fifty years from now, the Eight Directions Temple was far more enticing.

But he also felt it had been rather a close call.

If in the prophecy not a single person from Dragon-Tiger Temple had died, then even if he had ten tongues, he feared he could not talk his way out of it.

That boy nearly got this old man killed…

The Temple Opener, the Temple Opener—and that boy actually entered the Eight Directions Temple!'

Long Yingchán turned these thoughts over in his mind.

The Qian Emperor did not reply, but looked toward Wan Wan Zhuliu. The latter gathered the silver light in his eyes and gave a slight nod.

"This minister believes it is feasible!"

"Hmm?"

The moment he spoke, the Qian Emperor frowned, and Long Yingchán and the others were also quite startled.

"Mm…"

The Qian Emperor glanced at Wu Wu Yingxing, who seemed about to object, paused briefly in thought, and then agreed:

"The intentions of you all, I know full well. However, regarding this matter of entering the temple, there are still some points that need to be deliberated…"

Hum—

The scene before his eyes flowed and shattered.

"Ah!"

Breaking free from the intense weightlessness, Li Yuan gasped for air, his sweat already soaking his clothes; he paid no heed to the little mother dragon's startled questions.

His whole person sank into a vast daze, and as he recalled what he had just witnessed, his heart was seized with alarm and uncertainty:

"Could I have gone mad?"

Author's note

Good evening, everyone… my typing efficiency was a bit low, sorry about that.