Chapter 1439: Three Empyrean Experts!
Jiang Chen wasn't a native of Divine Abyss. He hadn't experienced the chaotic fighting between the ancient races, nor did he know much about Boundary Steles and the other lands. However, he had heard others discuss them incessantly. Mo Wushuang for one, and the great emperors of Veluriyam Capital.
He knew that their purpose was to keep Divine Abyss Continent's races apart. In ancient times, these steles were intended to prevent demons, ravaging the lands of another, from intruding into neighboring territory.
There was another factor though, or at least Jiang Chen was hazarding the guess. Even the strongest factions and top experts in the human domain obeyed an unspoken rule – they were never to touch the Boundary Steles.
Obviously, destruction of said steles was included in that rule.
There was a popular rumor in the human domain from the ancient times that the Boundary Steles were primarily to protect the safety of the world.
Anyone who destroyed them was likely to ruin the peace. In grander terms, doing so would also introduce unknown dangers to the human domain at large. Therefore, Jiang Chen was stupendously shocked when he heard the Boundary Stele had been destroyed.
"Let me take a look." He stood up, wanting to go investigate.
The bird stopped him. "You can't go."
"Why can't I?" Jiang Chen was exasperated.
The bird sounded conflicted. "Boundary Steles were built by innumerable ancient experts in concert as a collaborative effort. Normal cultivators can't possibly pass through their zones of influence, much less break the steles. Whoever did this deed is motivated by only malice!"
Though the Vermilion Bird appreciated Jiang Chen quite a bit, it knew that the human was only emperor realm. If another race was destroying the stele to start an incursion into human lands, the cultivators comprising those forces were sure to be many levels above emperor realm.
Jiang Chen knew that the Vermilion Bird only meant well for him. Still, he couldn't simply sit on his hands at such a crucial time. If the Boundary Stele was broken, humanity would face yet another problem.
The celestial demon lord was already trouble enough for him. Broken Boundary Steles atop this – an invasion by yet another alien species – made his head spin. Insult was certainly being added to injury in this situation.
"You stay here. I'll go take a look." The bird appropriately played the role of a senior. It didn't have much strength remaining, but it was still an ancient divine creature. It wasn't about to let a human junior to risk his life in its stead.
Protecting this place was the bird's duty. This was only an extension of that.
"We can go together," Jiang Chen said.
The Vermilion Bird had no good response to that. However, it did see that Jiang Chen was sincere. Nodding, it instructed, "Alright, I'll take you along. However, you must remember that you can't be impulsive… no matter what happens!"
Jiang Chen inclined his head. He knew what the bird meant. As he was about to utter a reply, an arrogant bray of laughter pierced the air.
"Hahaha, I'm the first one here. That stupid restriction is finally broken! Are these the lands of the fabled human race?" A rough voice sounded like a thunderclap, slicing through the void into Jiang Chen's ears.
"Tsk tsk. The human lands are nothing short of picturesque, just like the rumors say. Eh? There's a palace here."
"This place feels a bit odd. Is this a sect?" A few more voices joined the first one.
The Vermilion Bird's tone was leaden. "I guess there's no need to check," it smiled wryly. "The Boundary Stele is broken. Alien races have invaded!"
"Demons, maybe?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.
The bird had as much of an idea as he did. "I'm not sure," it shook its head. "Divine Abyss has innumerable races and inter-racial warfare used to be rather common."
Three vortices appeared in the skies above. Chaotic spatial winds whipped up as well, creating thick layers of clouds roiling in the firmament. The vortices were three distinct colors: purple, blue, and red.
Each vortex carried its own occupant and divine seals shot out of them. Within the purple vortex was a young man robed in luxurious violet with a youthful complexion and a perfect demeanor. He was more exquisite than the most beautiful of women.
However, his flawless visage contained a pair of arctic eyes. They regarded the entire world around them with frigid superiority, even as they took in the foreign landscape around them. It seemed that the entire world was an affront to him.
"Empyrean experts!"
Watching from afar, Jiang Chen could feel the terrifying forces of nature within the vortices. The speed at which they spun at was something he could only marvel at.
He could easily sense from their flashy entrances and fierce auras that all three were empyrean realm without a doubt.
Out of the other two, one was a bald, burly man in blue. A long, thin ponytail swung at the back of his head, like the tail of a mouse. It made his appearance several times more absurd. However, his brawny build was nothing to scoff at.
Though he couldn't quite compare to the stone golems, he was the biggest among most of the ordinary people Jiang Chen had met. In fact, he was comparable to Tang Hong in this regard.
Built like a veritable bear, he was as big as one too.
The remaining person was an old man in red. His expression was completely impassive, almost like he'd seen beyond the trifling meaning of life. There was absolutely no indication of what his mood was at any given time.
Jiang Chen didn't take the old man lightly because of it. In the end, he might be the hardest out of the three to deal with. The other two were either proud and dominant, or such was Jiang Chen's initial judgment regarding them. This old man in red though, looked deep and unreadable.
This kind of person was typically the most difficult sort of opponent.
The trio hovered within the cosmic vortices high above, as if they were rulers inspecting their territory beneath.
"This palace seems rather interesting. Hmm, is that a formation? There's a corner missing though."
"Is this a problem set out for us? To take us down a notch?"
"Young master Zhong Li, are you interested in a competition?" The bald man provoked the youth.
"What kind of competition?" The violet-robed youth retorted with obvious disdain.
"Let's make it about the palace. There's a powerful formation that surrounds the outside. Those seven pillars and four formation cardinals seem to support each other. One of the cardinals is obviously broken, but the others are still intact! Each man to one cardinal, first one to succeed is the winner. How about it?"
In comparison, the celestial demon lord's deception of a large group of human cultivators and goading of them to continuous attacks had only led to the breaking of a single cardinal.
"What do you intend to bet?" The violet-robed youth asked coolly.
"Heheh, the human domain's resources, of course. Whoever breaks their side first has the priority to divide the spoils. What do you think?"
The red-cloaked old man harrumphed softly. "You certainly have an optimistic view of things. Whether or not you prove faster than us two in the end, even if you did… eh? Is someone over there?"
The old man's consciousness suddenly scanned the top of the mountain.
"Hmph, a few human ants. Nothing to be concerned over. The palace, on the other hand, looks incredibly grand. Is this the heritage of the ancient Primosanct Sect?"
"One of the humans' strongest sects back then, if I recall correctly. Tsk tsk, is our adventure greeted by the gates of fortune opening wide at first light?"
"Forget all that for now!" the baldy called out. "Do you see the restriction formation outside the palace? We'll be taking some risk in breaking and entering if we don't dismantle it first."
Though they might be empyrean cultivators and possess unsurpassed strength, they still possessed a healthy respect for the ancient legacies of old. That was an era that the three of them couldn't dismiss at all.
They stared at the restriction surrounding the ancient sect, choosing to ignore the one direction that was already standing open due to destruction.
Clearly, these alien experts were being very thoughtful. They were concerned that the palace might be a trap. The open direction allowed them to enter directly, while the other three ways were sealed completely tight. It was impossible for them to enter any other way. It was the spitting image of what a trap would look like.
"I'll take the left!"
"Then I'll go right!"
"Since you have both flanks, I'll take the rear. On your marks!"
The three empyrean aliens looked unstoppable without the Boundary Stele. They transformed into three streaks of light, pressing down upon the Primosanct Sect palace in unison.
Wham!
Wham! Wham!
None of the three experts wanted to be outdone by his companions. Their haste was perfectly depicted in the rapidity with which they attacked the restriction.
Jiang Chen frowned. He was sure that the three aliens had noticed both him and the Vermilion Bird. As for the eight stone golem brothers, the outside world could barely disturb them during meditation. They looked just like stone statues. Clearly, the three empyrean experts hadn't paid any mind to what they thought were simple statues.
They were entirely lost in their competition.
Jiang Chen's heart was aflame with anxiety when he saw the trio recklessly destroy the formation's three restrictions. He knew better than anyone that it wouldn't take long for empyrean experts to accomplish what they were doing.
"Senior, if the outer restrictions are broken, will the Primosanct sealing formation be endangered?"
This was the biggest question on his mind.
"That's quite possible! Primosanct's restrictions are generally interconnected. The foundations and spirit veins beneath are part of a harmonious whole. Destroying a part may not affect the whole, but once the entire restriction is entirely destroyed, the formation won't be the only thing affected. The demon lord may have a way out of his prison!"
If the foundations were shaken, the sealing formation would be greatly lowered in its effectiveness. Once that happened, an entity as strong as the demon lord would have a much better chance of escaping!
Chapter 1440: Southern Celestial Tribe, Release of the Celestial Demon
Jiang Chen's expression was quite serious. He was very troubled by the three interlopers before him. The matter of the demon lord was already frustrating him quite a bit. The destruction of Agarwood's Boundary Stele was a doubling of difficulty.
The future of the human domain was destined to be turbulent.
Originally, he and the divine bird had planned to go take a closer look when the shaking had begun. Given the present situation though, he lacked sufficient ability to defend against these three unwelcome guests. After all, the trio appeared somewhere in the vicinity of empyrean realm.
At its peak, The Vermilion Bird wouldn't have feared them at all. Unfortunately, now was not a good time.
The bird didn't feel too great about what was happening either. In the ancient era, it had promised to stay here and protect the seal after owing the Primosanct Sect a great favor. It had been loyal to that duty and promise, but it also desperately wanted to be free from the shackles that bound it here.
"They don't look like demons, senior." That was Jiang Chen's preliminary conclusion after a few moments of observation. The trio wasn't acting in a way that demons typically did.
"I agree," the bird nodded. "Still, they were the ones that broke the Boundary Stele here. That means they don't mean well either. From what we're seeing, they're going to destroy the outer restriction, which will take the sect's foundations with it. The seal on the celestial demon lord will be gone. Calamity is upon humanity, Jiang Chen!"
The bird wasn't exaggerating one bit. Current circumstances were nothing less than a deluge of misfortune.
Just then, the eldest of the stone golems woke from his meditation with a languid stretch. As soon as he did, he noticed the shaking around him.
"Savior, what's happening?" Big Stone was completely confused, his mind not quite quick enough to catch up.
"There are intruders. They broke the Boundary Stele," replied Jiang Chen solemnly.
"Oh?" Big Stone was neither surprised nor downcast. Instead, his eyes lit up. "Are they demons? Where? We brothers will take them on!"
Big Stone quickly noticed what was happening at the palace. The golem's battle instincts compelled him to say, "Savior, those three are very strong. We'll go stop them!"
Jiang Chen didn't have time to agree when a resounding boom came from the other side.
Blinding rays burst forth from the palace, followed by the destabilization of space around the complex. The air crackled with sounds of spatial displacement.
Terrible scars and fissures appeared in the fabric of space, intensifying as the restriction disintegrated. The barrier around the palace was finally no more.
"Hahaha, it's done!"
The fastest among the three was the bald giant. His shattering of the wall in front of him contributed directly to the destruction of the other two a moment later.
The entirety of the Primosanct Sect palace was completely exposed before the three aliens.
The bald giant was exceedingly pleased with himself. "Young master Zhong Liyan, Old Redcloud, it turns out that I, Thunderroar, am the fastest! Hahahaha!" He laughed proudly.
According to their bet earlier, he now had the right to divide the spoils.
The violet-robed youth was the young master; his proper name was Zhong Liyan, and a scowl formed at the corner of his mouth. "What's there to be proud of?" muttered the younger man. "Dumb luck is all that was."
Clearly, he was a bit downcast after the loss.
The red-robed Redcloud remained seemingly impassive, not at all displeased by his temporary failure. The older man was evidently much better at keeping his cool.
"Haha, dumb luck or not, you're not planning on going back on your word, are you?" Thunderroar cackled.
Zhong Liyan harrumphed but said nothing.
Redcloud glanced in Jiang Chen's direction thoughtfully. "Baldy Lei, don't hold your head high just yet. There's someone over on that mountain looking at us!"
Thunderroar shrugged, completely uncaring. "What's there to be worried about? Our information tells us that the humans have fallen quite far. They don't have any empyrean experts whatsoever. It is the hour of glory for the Southern Celestial Tribe. Greatness awaits!"
Thunderroar sounded quite arrogant.
Redcloud smiled faintly, glancing toward Zhong Liyan. "Young master Zhongli, shall we enter the palace or arrest those guys first for interrogation?"
"Humans are very weak in general," the young master mused. "It's a sign of how cowardly they are that they don't dare investigate despite our huge ruckus. We can ignore them for now and see what's inside the palace. Given the restriction's strength, this place must be a sacred place of a great ancient sect. In ancient times, the humans surpassed our race in both foundations and resources. Come! Let's go."
Jiang Chen was still in the throes of shock from seeing the palatial restriction destroyed just like that. It had only taken a few seconds for such radical change to take place. Even the Vermilion Bird was surprised by the development.
"The Southern Celestial Tribe, huh…" The Vermilion Bird murmured. "Jiang Chen, the Southern Celestial Tribe was the mortal enemy of humanity in ancient times! It seems that their fortunes were much, much greater than your race's."
The bird's words was the back-breaking straw, sending Jiang Chen into the pit of depression. Though the experts who had broken the Boundary Stele weren't demons, he was nevertheless none too pleased.
At this time, the seven pillars outside the palace shook vehemently. In the next moment, radiance flared, revealing cracks on the pillars themselves.
The Vermilion Bird was in a real panic now. "This is the worst thing that can happened. The foundations are shaken and the seal is about to be broken! The celestial demon lord will be freed into the world once more!"
Jiang Chen was gravely aghast at hearing this. This was a real flood of misfortune.
The three Southern Celestial tribesmen had come at a terrible time. The most infuriating part of all this was that they had attacked and destroyed the restriction on the palace, shattering the spirit vein beneath the Primosanct Sect's sacred ground!
At its peak in the ancient era, the Primosanct sacred place would have remained inviolate in spite of an attack from thirty such experts.
Alas, time was a cruel grindstone. The restrictions and foundations of this place had been eaten by time's relentless sands almost two hundred thousand years.
There was no fortress in the world that was truly impregnable. The inexorable blade of the seasons could defeat almost anything, regardless of how invincible something might seem at first sight. Only someone freed from the binds of mortality could truly exist as long as the heavens and the stars.
"Hahahaha!" The demon lord's laughter echoed madly between the spheres. The atmosphere itself seemed to dim, darkened by the demonic sound. "Heaven and fate themselves have assisted me!"
The demon lord's physical body hadn't been able to escape because of the formation trapping it. He could only use a sliver of demonic consciousness to control as much as he was able. He'd felt rather stuck because of Jiang Chen's previous obstruction, but the Southern Celestial Tribe's three unwelcome guests had unknowingly attacked the palace's restriction, destroying the spirit vein's roots.
This was wonderful news!
In the ancient era, it had been an extremely powerful existence. The entire Primosanct Sect had relied on its sacred land, restriction formation, and various other traps and snares to barely lock him in place.
Now that the restriction was broken, his body was free of its shackles. He was let loose back in the world again and free to do as he wished!
The demon lord swept aside his dejection, roaring into the wind. His entire body glimmered with demonic radiance and aura. It was an aura intense enough to steal the show from the celestial bodies themselves.
The Vermilion Bird's mood took a sharp nosedive. "This is terrible, truly terrible. Now that the celestial demon lord is free, Divine Abyss will see another calamity upon it!"
Jiang Chen could feel the sheer power of the demon lord. He was as troubled as the bird. "Senior," he asked, "is there a way to save this situation? Can those three bastards of the Southern Celestial Tribe seal him away?"
The bird shook its head. "Hard, very hard!"
"He's freshly freed into the world. Surely not much of his strength has returned?"
"That's exactly why I'm still here. Otherwise, I would have told you to flee long ago. The demon lord's strength isn't something you can possibly imagine." The Vermilion Bird's tone was quite sternly grave. It stared at the space above the palace, now occupied by the demon lord. He was absorbing energy from the air itself.
Thankfully, the spirit energy of this time couldn't remotely compare to that of ancient times. It wasn't going to be easy for the demon lord to return to top form. Even so, his aura was growing stronger and stronger.
The three Southern Celestial experts tensed when they detected the demon lord. They formed a triangular formation, warily looking at the airborne sunburst. Their expressions emphasized an understanding that they had made an appalling error.
"You three, are you of the Southern Celestial Tribe?" The demon lord's authoritarian voice blasted down from an elevated position.
"And who're you?" The bald giant retorted haughtily. "What were you playing at, hiding inside the palace?"
The demon lord burst out into laughter rather than rage. "Hahaha, you're asking who I am? Very good, very good. The ancient war was truly too long ago. Divine Abyss's various races have forgotten their past scars. Perhaps demonkind's fortunes are about to turn for the better! Hahahaha!"
Demonkind?
The Southern Celestial trio all colored at the mention of this. They'd never expected the palace to hold an expert of this caliber from the demon race!
Chapter 1441: Emergence of the Divine Bow
In his vantage point up high, the demon lord was able to catch all the details in his surroundings with the blink of an eye. The celestial demons' majesty was exhibited in every tiny movement he made.
The three empyrean experts of the Southern Celestial Tribe exchanged complicated looks. They read panic in each other's eyes. As uniformly empyrean cultivators, they could feel the immense aura radiating off the so-called demon before them. It was strong enough for even them to feel helpless.
Psychologically speaking, they were unafraid of any human cultivator. They would've even swarmed a human to fight it out first. Hearing that their enemy was a demon weakened their mental fortitude before the fight even began.
The ancient demon-sealing war had embroiled hundreds – nay, thousands of races all over Divine Abyss.
The Southern Celestial Tribe was no exception. It had had less territory and resources compared to mankind, and thus hadn't been a focus of attack. Still, that didn't lessen their fear for their old foes one bit. After all, no native race had remained intact in that ancient war.
"You three, listen up." The tyrannical voice of the demon lord echoed once again. "Your unintentional good work just now inspires me to give you a chance."
All three looked rather disturbed. They traded furtive looks, the desire to retreat evident. They had broken the Boundary Stele solely to raid the human lands. They'd just wanted to plunder and despoil.
They'd never expected this kind of thing to happen before they had gotten hands on any goods. Instead, they'd poked a hornet's nest.
"Haha, don't think about running away. Within my domain, you can't flee regardless of how quick you are." The demon lord's tone wasn't fierce or superficially intimidating, but his even-handed words instantly eliminated the trio's ideas of running.
They hadn't expected even these thoughts to be immediately perceived by their enemy.
"I just freed myself from the restriction, so I need a few useful peons. You three aren't all that bad. Exactly the kind of retainers I need. Remember, this is a reward from me to you. If you know what's good for you, then you should know better than to argue!" The demon lord's cool tone produced goosebumps on the trio's scalps.
Followers? They were very lofty experts within the Southern Celestial Tribe, the best of the best.
They couldn't accept becoming someone's retainer as they were so used to being elevated above the rest. There was a real psychological obstacle.
Thunderroar was the first to roar. "In your dreams, fool! You want me to be your retainer? Do you think yourself worthy? Zhong Liyan, Redcloud, let's kill him together!" He shouted to his compatriots.
Zhong Liyan's eyes glittered with anger as well. He was even more noble than his companions back within his race, a member of its imperial family. He was used to enslaving others, not being enslaved. The reverse experience was worse than killing him outright.
"He needs to die!" Zhong Liyan's killing intent was evident.
Redcloud's face flared with crimson, his own murderous intent bursting forth. "Let's go!"
Three figures turned into three streaks of light, hurtling towards the demon lord.
They launched devastating attacks with the most casual of movements, charging forward in a reckless assault. The aura and momentum of three empyrean experts attacking in unison was incredible. The air crackled and popped, countless ripples appearing upon it in a world-rending manner.
Despite Jiang Chen's distance, he could still feel the terrifying commotion. The heat of battle appeared to be capable of sweeping him up at any moment.
"This is your only chance to leave, Jiang Chen!" The Vermilion Bird reminded.
Jiang Chen considered it for a moment. Leave? Was he going to turn tail and flee, like a cowardly deserter?
He wasn't satisfied by leaving things like this. But what else was he going to do? Would he have a chance to leave later, when the demon lord finished recovering?
He felt helpless for the first time in his life. Things were developing too quickly for him to keep up with.
In the Upper Eight Regions, he'd always felt everything to be within his grasp. No matter how bad things became, he'd never felt particularly powerless.
But the celestial demon lord and the three empyrean experts of the Southern Celestial Tribe had taught him painfully: that some things were utterly unpredictable. That it was normal for accidents to happen.
Jiang Chen looked toward the eight brothers of the Stone Golem Tribe. "Big Stone, how do you feel about the celestial demon lord?"
Big Stone scratched his head. "If we brothers were at our peak form, we're probably the same as him. Now… I dunno."
His customary pride didn't blind him to the reality of the situation. He could feel that the demon lord was recovering extremely rapidly despite not being at peak strength yet. In this regard, the eight Stone brothers couldn't compare.
Their recovery process followed a glacial period of separation between consciousness and body. It was going to take a gradual process to melt the built-up ice.
The demon lord on the other hand, hadn't received a lethal blow to his body even though he'd been sealed away. He simply had to take some time to warm up and familiarize himself with his current faculties.
That wouldn't take long at all.
"No worries, Savior. The demon lord is fierce, but we brothers aren't scared! We fight to the death!" Big Stone proclaimed loudly as he thumped his chest, concerned that Jiang Chen would think lower of him and his brothers because of this.
"He's right. Demons are dumb. Stone golems are never scared!"
"Leave the demon lord to us, Savior! We'll give everything we have before we let him hurt you!" The stone golems were quite sincere.
"No need," smiled Jiang Chen. "The demon lord is frightening, but we don't have to fight him to the death. Now that he's free of the seal, we need to think about…"
As he spoke, he detected a rapid series of pulses beneath his feet. In the next moment, a spiderweb of cracks appeared beneath the mountain top.
The Vermilion Bird blinked, then grew overjoyed. "Jiang Chen, this is an indicator of the reappearance of the legendary bow!"
Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat as he swept his eyes across the landscape.
In the middle of the peak, a fissure began to widen. Rays of light more radiant than stars themselves poured out from within, blazing in their luminosity.
Whoosh!
Light flared upward into the sky. Within that sacred light was an ancient, simply carved bow. It had naturally drawn itself wide, as round as a full moon.
Three golden arrows were nocked on the strings, like an invisible force was controlling the bow. It radiated authority and strength. The nocked arrows pointed accurately towards the palace.
The Vermilion Bird was hugely pleased. "As I thought, as I thought… this makes a lot more sense. The ancient Primosanct Sect couldn't have let the celestial demon lord run free like that!"
Jiang Chen's heart soared even as he examined the strength within the bow, the weapon locking onto the demon lord's direction.
It was as if all the great powers present in this patch of space had been absorbed by the bow and its missiles. The concentration of energy made it seem as if it could shoot down the sun, moon, and the stars.
Over at the palace, the demon lord was preparing to use one of his more powerful abilities to defeat the three of the Southern Celestial Tribe. Suddenly, his consciousness detected an immense killing intent locked onto him from afar. His heart beat with an unknown terror.
This was a warning delivered purely by his instincts as an expert. Cursing to himself, the demon lord clapped his enormous palms together, generating three black tornados that rushed with consuming force towards the three empyrean experts.
The Southern Celestial experts were elated by the demon lord's apparent distraction. The three tornados seemed too casual to be effective, and the trio fearlessly charged headlong into them.
Alas, only when they came near the tornados did they realize that the attacks were far stronger than they'd imagined. The black vortices pulled like all-absorbing black holes, confining the cultivators' bodies with strands of ebon energy. They lost movement in essentially a split second.
This isn't good!
Distress flashed across the trio's minds almost simultaneously.
It was right at this time when…
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three golden arrows arced across space, seemingly ignoring the boundaries of spacetime entirely. A flash of aureate light brought the missiles into the vicinity of the palace.
The three motes of gold arrived with incredible suddenness, faster than even bolts of lightning. Their lethal intent locked down the area completely. The three experts were mentally ready for oblivion.
They finally grasped that the demon lord was trying to use them as meat shields. The three golden arrows were intended for the demon lord, who'd made clever use of their fortuitous presence to attempt a defensive maneuver.
All three experts could feel the approach of death. The dread of the great beyond roiled within their consciousnesses.
It was at this moment that something very odd occurred.
The three arrows disappeared in a burst of light the second before piercing the experts, swerving by the three aliens to beeline straight for the airborne demon lord. This unexpected development allowed all three to breathe sighs of relief. Their bodies were slick with sweat, and their minds exhilarated after being granted new life.
The demon lord, on the other hand, was ghastly pale. He knew how fearsome the three arrows were! They could crush him utterly. That was precisely why he had bound the three Southern Celestial experts as meat shields.
It had never occurred to him that the three arrows could do what they had just done. They'd ignored his feeble deflection, and were heading straight for him!
Chapter 1442: The Might of the Divine Bow
Still sluggish from his long imprisonment, the demon lord's physical abilities and reaction speed were still far too lacking for him to dodge the lightning-fast arrows. Fear finally dawned in his eyes.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Like golden rays piercing the air, the arrows embedded themselves in his flesh.
"Ah!" Despite the pain, the imminence of death made him react faster than ever. A black light containing his consciousness shot out of his body, and not a second too soon. In the next moment, his once tall and imposing figure shattered into pieces, the demonic power within scattering into black wisps of air.
Without special methods, leaving one's flesh left the soul very fragile. The scorching sunlight in particular robbed him of almost all his fighting ability. In that instant, his soul turned into black fog and swooped towards Zhong Liyan.
Struggling to no avail inside the black vortex, the latter could only watch on helplessly. He twitched as the fog crashed into him.
Like a turtledove stealing a magpie's nest, the demon instantly erased his victim's will, destroyed his soul and took over his body!
Everything had happened in the space of a breath, so fast that even Thunderroar and Redcloud couldn't react in time.
"Zhong Liyan's" shrieked strangely. "Humans! You just wait, I'll destroy you sooner or later!"
He turned around and stormed away, not daring tarry a second longer. Zhong Liyan's flesh was clearly struggling to house his formidable consciousness, an incompatibility usually fraught with danger. So though the possession had been a success, if he'd stayed, even Redcloud and Thunderroar could have threatened him, to say nothing of the divine bow.
Fortunately, his hurried retreat was in the opposite direction of the human domain.
Without demur, Jiang Chen called the eight golems and the Vermillion Bird. "Give chase!"
But the ancient bird shook its head. "It's no use."
Thanks to a secret demonic art, no one could match the fleeing demon lord's speed.
Jiang Chen fully spread out his consciousness, but he'd already lost his target's trail.
The divine bow dimmed, losing some of its star-like brilliance after shooting forth the three arrows. The three missiles came back on their own, as if possessing a consciousness and still exuding a bone-chilling, murderous aura.
"Jiang Chen, what are you hesitating for? Bind it to you!" the ancient bird couldn't help shouting.
Composing himself, Jiang Chen dripped his blood on the treasure while mentally communicating with it.
This ancient bow stored the vast inheritance of the sect and possessed its own awareness. It and the arrows had been specially sealed under the mountain as a trump card for the demon lord, primed to aim at the greatest threat the moment the spiritual veins were destroyed.
Hence, they'd avoided the Southern Celestial invaders, firing at the celestial demon instead.
Redcloud and Thunderroar finally freed themselves from their vortexes. Trembling like leaves, their haggard figures seemed closer to stray dogs than empyrean powerhouses. They glanced around, searching for their companion, but alas, the real Zhong Liyan was no longer of this world.
Jiang Chen completed the blood binding at the same time. He nocked an arrow and aimed at the two men from afar.
The Vermillion Bird called out, "Jiang Chen, come up."
The human immediately jumped on the bird's back. The ancient beast turned into a red streak as it shot at the palace.
Seeing the young lord fly their way, bow at the ready, the two Southern Flame men jumped in fright and ran for their lives, making a beeline for their territory. With their cultivation, they vanished from sight in the blink of an eye, leaving Jiang Chen dumbstruck. To think that grand empyrean masters would cower in front of the bow!
The Vermillion Bird sighed with relief. The bow might have recognized the human as its master, but Jiang Chen's cultivation was too lacking yet to make use of its full power.
Thankfully, he'd cut too intimidating a figure for the Thunderroar and Redcloud to think of anything but flight. Nowhere did they have the capacity to consider whether or not Jiang Chen could actually make use of the bow.
For them, this bitter experience was a nightmare. They wanted nothing but to leave this damned place and erase it from their memories.
Landing at the palace, the young lord saw Cloudbillow and the others hunched in a corner below, ready to run at the first opportunity. The sight of these fellows roused his anger. Just then, the eight golems caught up to him.
Jiang Chen immediately ordered, "Big Stone, these guys are demon lackeys now, so spare no one!"
Cloudbillow and the others gasped in terror. Many even prostrated themselves, wailing and begging.
"Young lord Jiang Chen, we were duped! Please have mercy! If you spare us, we'll work for you like horses. Nonono, like dogs!"
"Young lord, we've seen the light! Veluriyam's obviously the only reliable faction. We'll be your most faithful watchdogs!"
Such pitiful behavior from the cream of mankind made Jiang Chen grunt in disgust. His cold gaze fell on Cloudbillow and his companions. Their desire to live was also plain to see, but they didn't beg him on their knees, aware that such gestures would be useless. Their only hope was to disperse and run! At least some of them would make it out alive.
With a ferocious stare, Cloudbillow shouted, "Why are you begging? This brat is heartless, the more you plead the less likely you are to live. It's better to run and leave our fate to the heavens!"
"Indeed, as long as our lord isn't dead, we may live to fight another day!"
"Let's go!" The group swarmed for escape.
With a cold laugh, Jiang Chen aimed his bow at Cloudbillow.
The ancient bow had already demonstrated its might when it had destroyed the demon's body. Jiang Chen couldn't deploy it to those limits yet, but even one percent of its power was a frightening prospect.
"Cloudbillow, you're self-righteous enough for a demon dog. This is where I say goodbye!"
Sunpiercer and the Dayu Bow had all been weapons that Jiang Chen had used in the past. He was no stranger to bows. In fact, he was surprisingly talented with them.
He let the arrow loose, the golden tip glinting in the air.
Cloudbillow might have survived if he'd faced the young man head-on instead of fleeing frantically. Only, he'd lost his demon master and was now hounded by golems. Terror had wrapped around his heart. How was escape possible?
The arrow struck true, piercing the back of his head and exploding his consciousness, leaving it no opportunity to slip away.
The kill made Jiang Chen's blood boil. Once upon a time, he had to exert his all to withstand a great emperor. But now, he'd felled one in one shot.
Whoosh whoosh!
With newfound heroism, he fired the remaining two arrows, hitting the great emperors from the Empyrean River Palace and the Sublime Chord Temple without fail, destroying them body and soul in a golden flash.
Without their three leaders, the rest of the pack ran like headless chickens. The eight golems whaled on them, leaving no one alive.
Anguished howls soon gave way to silence. All those branded by the celestial demon had been slain. Yet, Jiang Chen couldn't rejoice in the slightest.
Chapter 1443: The Spirit Stone Mine
If Veluriyam had been at war with Pillfire, Jiang Chen would have thought nothing of slaughtering their men or their allies. However, these people were nothing but puppets manipulated by the demon. He almost pitied them.
The Vermillion Bird read his mood. "Jiang Chen, you shouldn't grieve for them. I've seen far too many of these low lifes in your race since the ancient times. The ancient human elites showed no mercy at all to traitors. Since they've betrayed mankind, it doesn't count as slaughtering your own kind when you kill them. Not to mention, they would've wreaked havoc upon your kin if they got out."
Jiang Chen knew all this. But this wasn't the cause of his sadness.
A single demon lord had already caused so much trouble. What if all ten demon tribes were to join forces?
He shuddered at the prospect. Fortunately, the demon lord had fled toward the Southern Celestial Tribe. Jiang Chen would've found the nights even more uneasy otherwise.
The worst-case scenario had been avoided, but he still frowned when he saw that the Boundary Stele's crack was big enough the demon could sneak back to the human domain at any time.
"Don't despair. He'll need at least a hundred years to fuse completely with his new body, if he's really succeeded in taking it over. His cultivation skills have been greatly diminished already."
With its vast experience, the divine bird knew the demon couldn't make waves for the time being. Even if he did, the Southern Celestials would be the ones to suffer.
"Senior, can we repair the crack in the Boundary Stele?" Jiang Chen asked, his face dark.
"Probably. It should've been built by the Primosanct Sect, so they've linked it to this holy land. We simply need to restore the spirit veins and all of the formations."
Jiang Chen nodded, thankful for the ancient bird's knowledge.
Killing the demonic servants didn't matter as long as the demon lord was at large and the Boundary Stele broken. The Southern Celestial Tribe or the demon could use the gateway to invade the human domain anytime they wished to if Jiang Chen just walked away now. Leaving would be desertion.
"To think the Southern Celestial Tribe would send three empyrean powerhouses in one go. I wonder how many empyrean cultivators they have in total," he muttered in bewilderment.
All the peak experts of the continent should be gathered on Myriad Abyss Island. The other tribes should've been weaker than humans.
But reality had proven him wrong.
The Southern Celestial Tribe had been inferior to humans in the past, but now? Who knew how many empyrean masters they had? Certainly more than the three that'd come. Jiang Chen sighed. He'd been too narrow-sighted and hadn't realized mankind's weakness. This encounter had been a rough awakening with the comparison. The Southern Celestials were plainly above humans now.
If these three men hadn't attacked the palace's restrictions, hadn't let the demon lord escape, hadn't subsequently triggered the ancient bow...
The results might have been entirely different.
They could've attacked the human domain instead. The three of them were strong enough to cause an enormous upheaval.
One had to lament fate's whimsical nature.
He'd felt powerless in those moments. If not for the sect leaving the bow behind as an ultimate trump card, what else could he have done to prevent the human domain from being engulfed by sheer calamity?
"Your race is fortunate indeed." The ancient bird echoed his thoughts. "In ancient times, many a tribe looked down on your kind. Too frail, cowardly, prone to infighting... there was nothing good about you humans. Yet, you survive doggedly like immortal cockroaches where many ancient tribes have fallen. Your fortunes have ever been decent as well."
In fact, the Vermillion Bird had thought earlier that mankind had finally met its doom. But then the ancient bow had suddenly reversed the situation. Humans and their bloody luck!
If the ancient humans hadn't had so many powerful sects, or left so many inheritances, if...
There were many ifs, but ultimately, mankind's fortunes had been strong enough that they'd weathered the winds of the world.
It wasn't easy for a race to weather the primordial age, the ancient era, and these modern troubled times, surviving despite all odds. How many stronger tribes had been ground to dust by the weight of history?
"Eh, what's going on over there?" Big Stone suddenly shouted.
Jiang Chen looked up to be greeted by the surprising sight of a crumbling mountain top. Countless boulders rained down the slopes from the fragmenting peak, tumbling into the abyss. It wasn't an ordinary landslide, but a bona fide collapse!
He gasped in shock and quickly turned solemn as the topmost layers slowly peeled away, revealing a dazzling mountain of treasure!
Indeed, an enormous mountain of spirit stones lay bare in front of their eyes!
"Tsk tsk…" The Vermillion Bird helplessly shook its head with a wry smile. "I finally understand why your race persists despite all odds. What did I just say about human luck? To think a spirit stone mine would be hidden beneath the Celestial Peak! Jiang Chen, what was that? You're too broke to repair the formation? There was no way to repair it? Hahaha…"
The speechless Jiang Chen couldn't retort. The mine had appeared right on cue. It was more than sufficient to revitalize the sacred land's spirit veins, repair all of the formations, and even mend the Boundary Stele!
"Did… did the ancient seniors foresee this day?" he breathed with delight.
"How would I know? Don't ask me." The divine bird shook its head.
"Providence hasn't abandoned mankind yet!" Jiang Chen exclaimed. He glanced at the Vermillion Bird. "Senior, your mission's over now that the demon's free. What are your future plans?"
His question stumped the bird. Indecision flashed in its eyes. It had kept watch for two hundred thousand years. The outside world now felt foreign. His top priority should have been to look for a suitable environment for his rebirth. But given the continent's situation, where would it find such a place?
"I haven't a clue," it sighed. "No matter, I'll help you fix this place first. I owe it to the Primosanct Sect," it volunteered. It wasn't in its best condition, but the young lord could also count on free labor in the form of the eight golem brothers. Together, they made for the best manpower he could ask for.
Even so, it still took them half a year to comb through all of the formations and mechanisms. He didn't merely repair them. Instead, he returned them almost fully to their former glory. That was the best he could do presently.
His cultivation was far below that of his almighty ancient predecessors. The Boundary Stele, in particular, tested the limits of his ability. But he repaired it enough it no longer tottered on the verge of breaking down.
In the process, he'd used more than half the spirit stones in the mine.
However, he didn't think about taking the mine with him. First, carrying so many spirit stones would be inconvenient and second, there was a strategic meaning to the mine's location.
Or rather, the ancient sect had arranged it there for a particular reason. The spirit stones would make reestablishing the sacred land all the easier.
After ensuring he hadn't forgotten anything, he remarked, "Senior, I've done all I can. The Boundary Stele will hopefully keep the demon outside. It doesn't have to be long, just three to five hundred years will be enough."
The Vermillion Bird smiled. "Don't worry. The demon lord will need a couple centuries to refine another celestial demon body. Then he'll needs to regain his power. It's impossible for him to make waves within three hundred years!"
Chapter 1444: Departure And Changes
Jiang Chen quite agreed with the Vermillion Bird's opinion.
The demon needed to fuse with his new body, refine it, then restore his power. All of which would require at least a couple centuries. He wouldn't be a threat during that time!
In fact, Jiang Chen wasn't afraid of the demons at all. Time was his only enemy. As long as he had enough time to grow into his power, all ten demon tribes together would be no match for him.
He'd simply come to try his luck in Agarwood Valley. The unexpected events had let him experience how unpredictable and exciting life could be!
"Senior, you spoke of three signature treasures. The True Spirit Post is number three, the divine bow number two, so where's the first?"
A signature treasure was too important for him to forget. What did he lack most currently? Not martial techniques or pills, of course, but equipment and resources.
With the human domain's current state, he could only pray for a stroke of luck to stumble on earth-shaking equipment or materials. Thankfully, the current trip hadn't been in vain in that regard, despite the intense ups and downs.
However, despite the divine bird's close relationship with the sect, even it didn't know what the number one treasure was.
Jiang Chen felt some regret for missing out, but if it was destined to be his, he would obtain it sooner or later. To linger further would be a meaningless waste of time.
"Big Stone, are you brothers sure you want to follow me?" He naturally had to settle the eight golems' future before leaving.
Despite their immense strength, golems weren't as mature as humans, at least during childhood. The unknown represented an inexplicable fear for them.
Big Stone instantly tensed. "Savior, do you not want us?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "Of course not. I very much admire your strength and honesty."
"Then we'll follow you."
"Savior, you must take us in. Where are we gonna go if you don't?" All eight brothers sounded very nervous.
The scene struck the Vermillion Bird speechless. Like kids, the stone golems were begging a human far weaker than themselves. Humanity, and Jiang Chen in particular, are truly blessed by the heavens.
Its eyes suddenly flashed. "That reminds me. Jiang Chen, do you think the number one treasure could be these eight brothers?"
The young lord froze, then laughed. "That's right, why didn't I think of that?"
Eight statues towered mightily outside the palace like guardian totems. Yet they were living creatures, placed there by the sect's founder back in the primordial era. And it so happened that Jiang Chen had chanced upon the statuettes containing their souls. What was this if not providence?
His eyes gleamed as enlightenment struck. "Senior, you must be right! No prize could be greater than their help. What do you think?"
"I no longer have words for your amazing luck. Just be thankful for your good fortune!"
The divine creature had seen many so-called lucky men in the ancient times. But none of them could match this genius. The young man had shocked and awed again and again. His luck seemed to rival that of his entire race.
Thankfully, the bird wasn't familiar yet with Jiang Chen's past achievements. What would it think then?
Jiang Chen cast a glance at the golems' imposing stature, a little disgruntled. They were ten times as tall as regular men. Such frightening existences would attract too much attention in the human world. And no matter where they went, people would secretly set their eyes on them.
Jiang Chen thought for a moment. "Big Stone, your size is a heaven-bestowed gift. But you'd be too conspicuous in the human world. I have a technique that can shrink you down to human size. You can always return to your real stature when you need it. What do you say?"
"We want to learn, we want to learn!" Big Stone said hurriedly.
In fact, golems had always been frustrated by this issue. Their huge stature had alienated them from other races and made them the target of unwarranted enmity. It might have partly caused the tribe's downfall actually. So the brothers were of course willing. They didn't want to be seen as freaks and oddities.
The Vermillion Bird tilted its head, puzzled. Why could this young man solve an issue that had defeated so many mighty figures in the past?
The young human seemed more and more enigmatic. He had a special aura not even supreme ancient powerhouses had possessed, as if he was destined to be a leader of his race!
The golems practiced the art taught by Jiang Chen and indeed shrank to the size of a normal man, much to their delight.
Without the demon lord's siren calls and the Vermillion Bird's obstacles, the way back proved uneventful. But to the young lord's surprise, they saw not a soul outside Agarwood Valley.
True, they'd been inside for almost an entire year, but there should have been some people waiting for them even so!
"Maybe they heard some secrets from Newsun and Zi Tan that scared them away?" Doubt took root in his mind.
Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers had also come with him to Phoenix Cry. Where were they? Even if they'd left, they would've left signs for him. Yet he saw nothing of the sort.
All living creatures outside the valley seemed to have vanished, as if carried away by some mysterious power. Increasingly baffled, he looked around, certain that something had happened.
Everything seemed normal, but on closer inspection, he spotted faint signs of fighting. An ominous premonition rose in his chest. Peerless, in particular, was loyal to a fault and would never have left without a word. At the very least there should've been one person left here unless something terrifying had occurred.
Sensing his disquiet, the ancient bird couldn't help asking, "Jiang Chen, what's the matter?"
"Senior, something isn't right. I had three companions stationed outside the valley. They're loyal followers and wouldn't have left without a word."
The bird blinked, then observed the surroundings. "Strange. Is that what they call a paranormal phenomenon?"
Jiang Chen shook his head firmly, many ideas clashing in his mind.
"Let's go back first." Agarwood wasn't too far from the Purple Smoke Sect.
They soon reached it and found someone to inquire. It turned out the sect was equally on tenterhooks as they awaited the forefather's return!
Curiouser and curiouser. Zi Tan and Newsun should have left the secret realm safe and sound.
But they hadn't been at the entrance to the valley and neither had the old man returned to his sect. Jiang Chen's sense of unease grew even stronger.
He returned to the valley. Nothing had changed. There was no soul in sight and nothing but a deathly silence, as if the place had been forgotten in the mists of time.
He searched the area but ended up empty-handed. He could only bear his frustration and return to Veluriyam.
But on the way back, he noted with increasing dismay that a bizarrely bleak, silent, and lifeless atmosphere seemed to have descended upon the human domain. The sense of foreboding almost stifled him. In less than a year, the human world had become thoroughly unfamiliar.
Was it mere illusion? Or had something truly happened?
Restless, he made haste towards Veluriyam, his heart beating faster with every passing second. He would never forgive himself if something had happened to his city!
Chapter 1445: Bizarre News
Even the Vermilion Bird could feel the strangeness in the atmosphere. It couldn't say for sure what was off, but neither could Jiang Chen. As they approached Veluriyam Capital though, the bizarreness thinned out.
Maybe I'm being overly suspicious. Jiang Chen reassured himself. I've been in Agarwood too long and I'm used to being tense. Paranoia after that experience is natural.
The thought relaxed him a little.
The accustomed hustle and bustle of the Veluriyam cheered Jiang Chen up greatly. Things in the city hadn't changed much since he had left. The familiarity of the scenery came rushing back to him.
Thank heavens that Veluriyam Capital is still largely stable! Jiang Chen was extremely anxious as he flew towards Sacred Peafowl Mountain.
The mountain was as fortified as a fortress. The young lord breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Nine Sparks Petalstorm Formation operating as it should. As long as it was still in effect, Sacred Peafowl Mountain and the young lord residence were safe for now.
"The young lord has returned!" His appearance outside the young lord residence immediately caused a commotion.
Jiang Chen heaved a long sigh when he saw the faces he knew so well appear. The family, friends, and daoists that lived here were his greatest sources of motivation. His heart settled back down after seeing them safe and sound.
"Have Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers come back yet?" He asked immediately when he saw Xue Tong.
Jiang Chen's cousin blinked, then shook his head blankly. "Not yet. Didn't they go with you, young lord?"
The young man's heart skipped a beat and his expression became conflicted. He maintained his composure. "We'll talk more inside," he waved.
Everyone within the young lord residence was present and accounted for. They were as relaxed as ever. A burst of joy filtered through the young lord residence at the sight of the young lord. Though Jiang Chen was himself a bit downcast, he didn't let it show through.
Now was not the time to announce what had happened to Emperor Peerless and the rest. Doing so would only create unwanted fear and terror. He wasn't interested in ruining the daily lives of these people for no reason. After all, he didn't want them to worry on his behalf.
There was no need to panic. Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers were unrivaled experts in the human domain. Unless a power as irresistible as the celestial demon lord came about, no one could eliminate them without causing a ruckus in the world. And in fact, it was impossible to have killed all of the cultivators at the entrance of Agarwood Valley.
Jiang Chen felt that there was something more suspicious afoot. But what exactly was it?
He was back to his usual scramble after spending a few days of peace within his residence. Last time, he had only refined the Pinecrane Pill. This time, he was going to refine the Emperor Supremacy Pill as well.
After the Dragon and Tiger Meet, Jiang Chen had made it known to the public that he was purchasing Heavencloud Ganoderma. There were a few accumulated over at Taiyuan Tower now. This was tremendously good news.
He'd paid a high price for them, but the expense was nothing compared to the profit that would come from the pills. It was no less difficult to refine Emperor Supremacy Pills than Pinecrane Pills.
He had the advantage of his improved cultivation level this time, however. His pill dao efforts were becoming easier and easier because of this.
In his previous life, he had become a pill dao master renowned in the heavenly planes without any martial cultivation whatsoever. Now that he had a certain amount of cultivation to back him up, his control and stamina far surpassed what he'd been capable of in the past.
In only half a month's time, Jiang Chen successfully opened his doors once more: a batch of Emperor Supremacy Pills was complete.
He was in a hurry because of his trip to Agarwood. The terror of the celestial demon lord had served as a warning that Veluriyam Capital needed to increase its strength.
When he emerged from seclusion, he called the city's great emperors to him immediately. Since he hadn't been seen for a while, his summons was met with excitement. Their young lord was becoming more mysterious and impenetrable by the day.
There were rumors in the outside world that even wandering cultivator giants like Emperor Wellspring had joined young lord Jiang Chen. This unquestionably increased the worship of Veluriyam's emperors toward their leader. Even Emperor Petalpluck had to offer sufficient respect to Jiang Chen.
"Friends! These past few days, I made a trip to Agarwood. I'm sure you haven't heard any news of that trip yet and I came…" He scarcely finished his sentence when he noticed the others' odd expressions.
Frowning, Jiang Chen glanced at Emperor Coiling Dragon. "Coiling Dragon, is there anything you would like to say?"
The emperor smiled wryly when he was named. "Young lord, have you been behind closed doors since you came back from Agarwood?"
"Yes," Jiang Chen nodded. "I've been refining the Emperor Supremacy Pill for half a month with some success."
Coiling Dragon's eyes lit up. "Have you finished a batch?"
The emperor had desired the pill for quite a while now. The very news of the pill was enough to make his eyes gleam. He tossed all the words he had to say to the wind. His eyes were on the pills alone.
"Serious issues first," waved Jiang Chen.
Emperor Coiling Dragon chuckled, recovering his wits. "Young lord," he laughed, "don't keep it to yourself. Let's talk about the Emperor Supremacy Pill for a bit."
"You'll get one in time. It's not going anywhere."
Everyone else laughed as well. Only Emperor Coiling Dragon could be this casual with Jiang Chen. Before his rise to power, the Coiling Dragon Clan had served as his patron and compatriot.
The other emperors were mildly envious of Coiling Dragon's relationship with the young lord. It was obvious that he would have priority in receiving the pill.
Jiang Chen's solemnity sobered Emperor Coiling Dragon up too. "It's no wonder then. If you've been spending time behind closed doors these past few days… There've been an increasing amount of rumors about Agarwood in the outside world."
"Oh? What of it?" Because Jiang Chen had been refining pills, he hadn't heard any news of the outside world. He knew nothing about the goings-on outside Veluriyam.
"Don't take it to heart, young lord," said Coiling Dragon. "They're just a bunch of liars. They only want to throw dirt at you and slander our Veluriyam Capital."
"Be more specific. What are they saying about me?" Jiang Chen inquired coolly.
"There's a rumor in the outside world that you broke the Boundary Stele within Agarwood without permission. They say that you are a double agent of another race… there's lots of weird and unfounded claims about you, young lord. Nobody who lives in the city believes a word of it."
Currently, Veluriyam Capital was too dedicated and unyielding for the outside world to sway.
Jiang Chen frowned. The Boundary Stele?
The problems at there had been witnessed by Jiang Chen, the Stone Golems, and the Vermilion Bird. The celestial demon lord and his demonic servants had been party as well of course, and the empyrean experts of the Southern Celestial Tribe.
Out of these witnesses, Jiang Chen and company couldn't have been the ones to spill the beans. All of them was here, within the young lord residence.
The celestial demon lord had stolen Zhongli Yan's body and fled to Southern Celestial territory. The other two experts had run back to their homeland as well. It couldn't possibly be one of them here in the human domain.
The only ones left over were the demonic servants who had joined up with the celestial demon lord. But those had been slaughtered wholesale under Jiang Chen and the golem brothers' pursuit. Not a single one had been left alive. He was entirely sure on this point.
Even if there were one or two that had gotten away, how could they have started up such a malicious storm in the entirety of the human domain? There was something very strange about all this.
"Where did the rumors come from?" Jiang Chen frowned.
"The usual suspects, you know? Pillfire City's Emperor Cloudbillow, Eternal Celestial Capital…" Emperor Coiling Dragon looked unconcerned.
"What did you say?!" Jiang Chen cut him off before he could finish. The young man stood up with such vehemence and suddenness that he shocked everyone else present. He was a far cry from his usual calmness.
Emperor Coiling Dragon was amazed. "Young lord, those guys are only a bunch of clowns. They're fabricating rumors and chaos to shake the world into disarray. Most people in the outside world don't believe them. They think that Pillfire is slandering you in particular!"
Jiang Chen looked very serious as he gazed intently at Coiling Dragon. He took a deep breath. "What did you just say? Pillfire's Cloudbillow? The Eternal Celestial Capital's Emperor Castveil?"
"Yes! The Empyrean River Palace's vice palace head and the Sublime Chord Temple's Master Vimalakhirti as well. The worst part is that the Ninesuns Sky Sect's Emperor Newsun is part of them! I thought the Ninesuns Sky Sect wanted peace with you, young lord?" Coiling Dragon was furious when he came to this part.
Jiang Chen's face grew darker by the second.
His excessive reaction worried everyone else as well. They didn't suspect him of any wrongdoing of course, but they realized the gravity of the potential situation on their hands.
Jiang Chen took another deep breath before asking once more. "Coiling Dragon, are you sure that these words were personally spoken by Emperor Cloudbillow and the rest?"
"Yes! Pillfire City and its associate factions are gathering others to their side in order to make a public demand for an explanation. The entire human domain has two voices right now: one that supports you, young lord, and the other… the people who are making trouble with Pillfire."
Chapter 1446: Resurrection From the Dead
Coiling Dragon trailed off as he said this. Jiang Chen's expression made him realize that something was very off. He closed his mouth, not wishing to disturb the young man's thoughts.
"Keep talking." Jiang Chen struggled to calm himself down. "Tell me everything in as much detail as possible. Especially about Cloudbillow and company." He settled down his heart as much as possible.
However, Coiling Dragon didn't know where to start.
The meeting was silent for a time. Everyone's eyes became evasive. Clearly, these great emperors had all been scared off by the severity of Jiang Chen's reaction.
Noticing the delicacy of the atmosphere, Jiang Chen sighed softly. "Friends, are you sure that Emperors Cloudbillow, Castveil, and Master Vimalakhirti all appeared in person?"
"Young lord, is there something wrong about that?" Emperor Void interjected.
Everyone else was rather curious as well. What had happened to warrant such a reaction from young lord Jiang Chen?
Jiang Chen gazed grimly at his captive audience. "The words you speak make me rather doubtful. Are all of you really still you?"
Everyone was entirely confused. What did he mean by that? The young lord's words were becoming more incomprehensible by the day.
Coiling Dragon scratched his head. "Young lord, are there people that dare disguise themselves as us? Appearance is easy to mimic, but bloodlines aren't. Who can copy Coiling Dragon Clan's blood, eh?"
"But the Emperors Cloudbillow and Castveil that the world sees must be fakes." Jiang Chen choked out a dry laugh.
"Huh?" The whole room reeled in stunned disorientation. Jiang Chen hadn't made himself any clearer.
"Those people all died at Agarwood Valley."
What?
They all died?
Veluriyam's great emperors looked at each other in collective amazement.
"Young lord, you… you're not joking, are you? Emperor Cloudbillow and a group of his cronies are spreading libelous rumors about you everywhere in the human domain. That's definitely real, and something that's only happened over the last couple of days. News of it is everywhere. If the rumors had been scarce, they could've been false. But if the entire martial dao world is talking about it, then…"
Jiang Chen nodded. "That's why I think this is strange. There has to be something afoot. I do know one thing though: all these people have already died! Aside from me, Emperor Newsun and the forefather of the Purple Smoke Sect are the only survivors. However, if Newsun has joined Cloudbillow, I assume he's met with some kind of misfortune as well."
Everyone's expressions became conflicted. They saw that Jiang Chen was deadly serious.
The young lord went on plainly. "The secret realm within Agarwood held an ancient celestial demon lord, sealed away by a formation that belonged to an equally ancient sect. He used his demonic consciousness to lure human cultivators into his domain. If not for the alertness I had from the start, I might have fallen prey to his trap as well."
He retold all that had occurred there to the great emperors present. How the cultivators had fallen into the demon lord's trap, how Newsun had escaped with his subordinates' sacrifice, and how the latter had stuck around for a bit before leaving with the Purple Smoke Sect's forefather.
He recounted the intrusion of the Southern Celestial Tribe's experts as well, and how the demon lord had finally struggled free of his seal with their help.
Jiang Chen held nothing back, even the information about the ancient legendary bow. The stakes were too high for him to conceal information. He had a bad feeling that the strange events which were currently taking place only served to hide a brewing conspiracy that was even more sinister.
Most concerning was the faction that had formulated the conspiracy. It was fearsome enough to know everything that can place in the Primosanct Sect's sacred land. This shocked Jiang Chen tremendously. He was now completely sure that there had been a third, terrifying party there.
He hadn't noticed them, the Vermilion Bird hadn't noticed them, and the eight Stone Golem brothers hadn't noticed them either. Even the arrogant celestial demon lord, with his extremely powerful consciousness, hadn't noticed them. From beginning to end, no one had paid any attention to the third party's presence.
They had been the veritable oriole in the story of the cicada and the mantis. Jiang Chen hadn't understood the tale very much before now, but a chill ran down his spine when he considered the possibilities.
The faction behind this was truly dreadful. Not just its subterfuge, but its unspeakable ambitions and unparalleled skill at disguises.
Mimicking the dead Cloudbillow and company plausibly wasn't something that just anyone could pull off! Even their own sects and factions didn't suspect that anything was wrong. The scope of the problem was bloodcurdlingly large.
The celestial demon lord and the Southern Flame Tribe were known threats. Jiang Chen was wary of them, but he wasn't going to lose any sleep over them. This hidden faction could do just that though. He wasn't going to sleep very well after today.
After a long time, Emperor Void spoke once more. "Young lord, from what you say, the culprit responsible for all this is hideously strong!"
Copying one person wasn't hard.
Copying a group of people wasn't nearly on the same level. A proficient team was required, as was sufficient knowledge and understanding of what had happened in Agarwood.
How else would they have been able to make their lie convincing otherwise?
"We can't be so passive, young lord," Emperor Coiling Dragon spat angrily. "We must step forward and unveil them to the rest of the world! This is a conspiracy!"
"Yes, we must reveal their plot. If these people all died and are fakes, it should be easy to do that!"
"Not necessarily. They have large numbers and we very few. They've pretty much made their accusations simultaneously. Young lord Jiang Chen is only one person. How can he debate so many successfully?"
Some were indignant and others worried.
"It doesn't matter who the culprit is," replied Jiang Chen. "They slander me because they are afraid of me. That's why they must resort to such a disgusting method in order to oppose me at all."
"That's right, young lord. They want to ruin your reputation and destroy Veluriyam's prestige! We can't allow this to happen!"
"Quite so, young lord. We must mount a counterattack!"
"Let's make an announcement to denounce those phonies right now! As long as we expose them, their actions should no longer matter!"
As these people spoke, guests arrived. It was none other than the Skysword Sect's head, Han Qianzhan, and the Celestial Cicada Court's leader, Su Huanzhen. These two were intricately tied to Veluriyam in their dealings.
They were evidently bothered by the circulating rumors and were here to seek the truth from Jiang Chen's mouth. Their restlessness was visible from their actions and behavior.
"Young lord Jiang Chen, things are very bad right now. If the Ninesuns Sky Sect stands with Pillfire and helps them stir things up, it will be very bad for you and Veluriyam! The excuse they've come up with is especially bad. Destroying Boundary Steles is a serious crime!" Han Qianzhan cut straight to the point.
Since ancient times, human experts have upheld an unspoken agreement: Boundary Steles and their territories were not to be touched, no matter where they were. Human cultivators, peak experts especially, were forbidden from challenging them.
If Pillfire and its associates held on to this fact, it would be an easy avenue of attack against Jiang Chen and Veluriyam's fame and influence.
There were many loyal supporters of Jiang Chen in the human domain, a group that was expanding by the day. From a broad point of view, Veluriyam had basically surpassed Pillfire to become the leading faction of the Upper Eight Regions.
Pillfire had perfect motive for doing this.
Still, Jiang Chen felt that even Emperor Pillzenith had no ability to make all the cultivators outside Agarwood disappear. Therefore, he considered it quite unlikely for Pillzenith to be the mastermind behind the operation. He was an assistant at most.
Truthfully, he was more worried about Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers' whereabouts than the malicious rumors.
He speculated that the three great emperors had been captured or kidnapped, as depressing as the idea was. Unfortunately, that was the best case scenario. Their bizarre deaths would be a much graver blow.
It was a loss that Jiang Chen couldn't afford to sustain.
Su Huanzhen's voice echoed forth. "Young lord Jiang Chen, Sect Head Han and I don't believe you would be someone so rash. We both think you should step up to condemn what they've said. Your innocence must be declared to the world. Otherwise, their lies will be allowed to propagate until they are indistinguishable from truth. That wouldn't be a good thing for Veluriyam's reputation or the human domain at large."
If Veluriyam fell off its pedestal, the entire human domain would fall into anarchy for a time. After all, many people saw the capital as the only reliable faction in the land.
"What do you think, friends?" Su Huanzhen's concern for Veluriyam's fortunes was evident. The anxiety and distress on her face were overt.
Everyone looked at Jiang Chen, hesitant to speak. Before the young lord's explanation, they didn't even dare announce that Cloudbillow and company had already died. Doing so wasn't much different from an admission of madness. All eyes settled on the young lord to see how he would respond.
"I can't hide what's happened from you, my friends. You've come a long way." Jiang Chen concisely retold the matter of Agarwood and the fakes to the two sect heads.
Their reactions after hearing the entire story were nearly identical. Shock, astonishment, then trepidation!