Chapter 1487: Who's Smarter Than Who?
A hundred miles, fifty, thirty, ten…
The four stone golem braves expanded from small dots to big blots before Elder Peng's eyes. It took only a few moments before they arrived on the ambush site. Though the golems were still on the outskirts, they were nevertheless already enclosed in the trap.
"Keep your calm. Don't move before I give the word!" Elder Peng was a Myriad Abyss Island expert through and through. His calmness in the face of overwhelming joy bore testament to his status as an elder of House Xiahou. The closer the goal was, the more rational he became.
He knew very well the frenzied strength the stone golems possessed. If they were discovered now, that would be no benefit to the Order.
As the golems had only just entered the area of the ambush, the Soulless Powder of Wind and Cloud hadn't taken full effect yet. Given their incredible combat prowess, it was unwise to fight the golems before they were put out of commission.
Someone backed into a corner often entered a maddened state of mind. In particular, self-destruction for common ruin was frequent. An explosive finale before death was certainly something to be wary about. There was no need to make things harder for oneself.
Elder Peng waited for the four stone golems to notice that things were awry.
Soulless Powder wasn't a fast-acting poison, but an imperceptible and invasive kind. Anyone afflicted by it would lose the ability to resist without even noticing. When they did, it would be too late.
This was also why they had been able to capture so many cultivators at Agarwood Valley's entrance. Not that they didn't have the raw strength to do so – instead, the goal had been to reel them in without a fight. That was unlikely without the poison.
The Soulless Powder had been extremely efficient to that end.
Poisons were unique in that anyone could be susceptible to them, regardless of whether the victim was spirit or empyrean realm. An unwary cultivator was also a dead one.
In ancient times, countless capable men were slain by strange and curious toxins. Because of their wide applicability, poison use was a perennially popular discipline spanning from time immemorial all the way to the present. Moreover, poison-related heritages were also popular.
Everyone held their breaths. No one dared make a peep, that they might unwittingly startle the four stone golems and alert them ahead of time.The ambush site was very large and the poison dispersed over an immense area. The Goldbiter Rats had steered clear of it ten miles out because of this precise reason. No living thing could survive it.
Time passed little by little.
Elder Peng's joy mounted with each ticking second. He could see the four stone golems gradually slowing down. That meant the poison was already beginning to affect them. When signs of their intoxication became clear, it meant the poison had progressed very far along.
Elder Mo glanced at his colleague. Elder Peng inclined his head a little, signalling that his fellow should wait a little more.
It was at this time that the stone golem brave running at the forefront slowed his step. A distressing shriek came out of his mouth. He seemed to utter something to his fellows, who responded with the same kind of unintelligible language. They were evidently roused over something.
Elder Peng was utterly jubilant. He knew that the four golems had finally realized they were poisoned. It was time for the trap's jaws to snap shut.
"Go!" With a wave of the elder's hand, the Order's men shot out from the darkness one by one. They formed a circle a hundred meters or so out from the four stone golems.
The ambush party wasn't large in size. There were only a few dozen here. However, Elders Peng and Mo were clearly a cut above the rest given their empyrean expertise. The remaining were uniformly great emperors. Their average ability far surpassed their human domain brethren.
Myriad Abyss Island produced remarkable people indeed. These were the core forces of the Order of Wind and Cloud, the supreme lord's hidden trump card.
The human domain experts he'd gathered into the Order of Wind and Cloud – the eight Protector Kings, thirty-six Celestial Stars, and seventy-two Earthly Fiends – they were only a portion of the Order's full strength. These men present today were the real elites he'd brought from Myriad Abyss Island, the men that gave him a backbone in this wide world.
The four stone golem brothers affixed these people with angry, wide-eyed glares. All sorts of weird noises came from their mouths.
Elder Peng snickered. "Stop shouting. Speak normally."
Of course the golems were only acting. Acting was their natural weak point because of the tribe's penchant for honesty, which meant that the brothers couldn't exactly do a stellar job.
Pretending to be poisoned, angry, and fearful in the absence of any actual poison was a tremendously tough job.
Jiang Chen had kept their limited acting skills in mind during the planning for this particular play. The only thing he'd asked of them was to shout loudly at the right time. Eschewing speech in favor of incomprehensible shouting made things much easier and much more plausible.
Elder Peng smirked when he saw the four golems' fury.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Their gigantic bodies toppled to the earth amid incensed shouting.
The elder could no longer hold back his brazen laughter. "Elder Mo, we've landed four big catches today. The Order's fortunes are unrivaled, no?"
Elder Mo nodded, but he did utter a word of caution. "Elder Peng, the shouting from those four just now sounded pretty strange."
"Anyone would do strange things upon finding himself poisoned." Elder Peng didn't seem to mind all that much. "Come," he waved, "let's get a closer look."
The four stone golem braves were splayed on the ground, groaning.
Elder Peng approached them, coming to a stop before one of them with a kick. "How does the Soulless Powder taste, you big oaf?"
"Coward!" The stone golem in question cursed.
"What a shame. The Primordial Stone Golem Tribe, fallen in servitude to some petty brat. Hilarious, truly!" As the victor today, Elder Peng found it easy to gloat. "Now you see. Neither Veluriyam Capital nor Jiang Chen can give your tribe a bright future. You only have one way forward, and that is with the Order of Wind and Cloud!"
"What is Order? I'm not joining!" The golem called out.
"Tsk, tsk. The Order of Wind and Cloud is destined to rule the human domain in the future. The supreme lord is a high-born aristocrat from Myriad Abyss Island. How can these dogs of the human domain compare?"
The giant furrowed his brow, seemingly hesitant about something.
"You four are just the appetizer," Elder Peng said coolly. "When Jiang Chen comes back from the Ninesuns Sky Sect, he will become my prisoner too. Remember, no one in the human domain can stand against the supreme lord. Not Jiang Chen or anyone else!"
Elder Mo moved his mouth when he heard his fellow elder's words. However, he didn't say anything in the end. Still, he felt that something wasn't quite right about this. But what? He couldn't say exactly.
The burly man sighed. "Ok, we give up. Antidote."
Elder Peng chuckled. "The antidote? Sure, that's easy enough. However, you must swear your loyalty first. I can't trust you otherwise."
"We swear." The golem nodded. "I, Third Stone, do swear…"
The elder was glowed with pleasure. Once an oath was given, the four stone golems could never betray them.
It was at this moment that something extremely unexpected happened.
The wheezing giant bounced up from the ground like he had been injected with adrenaline He threw his titanic body at Elder Peng with lightning speed.
This rapid shift in circumstances caused made the color drain from the elder's face and his heart to sink. His reflexes were quick enough to allow him to dodge out of the way in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the other three chose to strike in the next second.
Thump! Thump!
Elder Peng was able to dodge the first attack, but not the second or third. The stone golems had just executed one of their secret techniques, the 'Flying Boulder Leap'. It was a remarkably potent attack that treated the user's body as a meteoric object, combining strength and speed into a single blow.
Indeed, the impact might as well have been a meteor from outer space. Even an empyrean expert like Elder Peng suffered tremendous internal injury after being smashed several times over. He coughed up an excessive amount of blood.
"This isn't good!" Elder Mo understood the gravity of the situation when he saw his colleague being hit. He was upright enough to attempt to escape alongside his wounded comrade as a cloud of light.
A few more forces surged towards his back from outside, cutting his plans short. The sheer threat behind them was enough to apply a heavy weight to the elder's entire body. The possibility of fatality was almost certain.
Given the danger they were in, Elder Mo could no longer rescue his colleague. He veered instinctively, choosing another direction to hurtle away in. Getting Elder Peng out of there was impossible. Escaping with his life was the top priority.
He felt more than slight regret at what had happened; the strangeness of it all hadn't escaped him, but Elder Peng had been too insistent on his own strategy, so much so that there hadn't been an opportunity to interrupt.
It seemed that his instincts were correct after all. Elder Peng's optimism had been false!
"I must escape to inform the supreme lord!" Elder Mo had only one thought on his mind now. He had no energy to take care of his fellow elder.
The disabled Elder Peng was happy to see Elder Mo shooting towards him. The other elder was more than likely on his way to bring him out of this bind. Uninjured, Elder Mo was more than capable enough of bringing a rider along on a one-way trip out of this place.
He hadn't quite expected the other elder to suddenly swerve and leave.
In the midst of his shock, a powerful aura blasted into being behind him. A cleaver of an axe slammed down into the earth. There was a scattering of light. Both the elder's body and soul were sliced into two, blood and guts spilling everywhere!
Chapter 1488: The Slaughter Begins
Lingering slivers of fragmented thoughts flickered into Elder Peng's brain before his body broke into a million pieces.
The stone golem brothers who'd looked like they were on death's door were full of vigor again. Their gargantuan forms prowled all over the place, reaping the lives of those around like them like sheaves of wheat. These men were elite experts from Myriad Abyss Island, but the golems were at a decisive advantage.
The maddened slaughter cut down great emperors left and right.
Though Elder Mo had escaped in a relatively safe direction, the pressure behind him hadn't abated. Suddenly, the hurtling elder freezed in his tracks. Panic flashed through his eyes. A giant like the ones he'd just fled from had leaped right into his way, an oversized weapon in his hefty hands. The golem smashed his weapon down with intimidating, world-shaking force.
"An ambush!" Elder Mo drew a sharp breath, making to turn once more. In his brief moment of hesitation, however, several more figures came from every direction.
"Where are you going, old man?" A mocking voice came from the side.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Four shadows appeared in midair. It was the four other stone golem brothers, Big Stone leading the charge. Elder Mo was trapped!
The four brothers had thoroughly locked down the area. The elder felt four veritable mountains bearing down on him, blocking exit through any means. Blanching, he tried to dash away. Unfortunately for him, it was far too late.
The four brothers left no openings. They were walls of tough solid stone, and there was no crack for him to escape through.
"How can this be?" Elder Mo was thoroughly shocked. How were all eight stone golem brothers be at Veluriyam Capital. None of them had gone to the Ninesuns Sky Sect with Jiang Chen?
Was Jiang Chen so arrogant as to not bring both the Vermilion Bird and the eight stone golem brothers? Wasn't he afraid of a confrontation with the supreme lord?
Or had he predicted that the Order's main force wasn't at Ninesuns in the first place? But, if that was really the case, why had he gone to Ninesuns at all?
Elder Mo felt pain shoot through his heart when he thought of this. A terrifying thought flickered through his mind. "Did Jiang Chen calculate all this? Is he not at the Ninesuns Sky Sect at all, maybe? Was his expedition there a smokescreen? A smoke bomb to deceive us with?"
A chill ran down Elder Mo's spine. If that was the case, then Jiang Chen was a fearsome foe indeed. The Order had distracted from their actual goal in order to launch a sneak attack on Veluriyam Capital, but its opponent had guessed everything beforehand! Jiang Chen had been lying in wait for them all along!
The elder's heartbeat raced with unspeakable horror.
It was at this time that the four stone golem brothers approached. "Where are you going, old man?" Big Stone cackled.
Elder Mo's face colored again. He pushed his consciousness to its limits in order to find a ray of hope.
"Don't bother, there's no way out." It wasn't one of the golem brothers, but a different voice from afar.
The elder's pupils contracted violently once more. He glanced toward the source of the sound to see a perfectly relaxed Jiang Chen sitting atop a slope not far from here.
"You… you're Jiang Chen?" Elder Mo suddenly recalled something.
"You're a keen one. I heard that other old fart boast earlier that you were from Myriad Abyss Island, hmm?" Jiang Chen looked back at the old man with a half-smile.
Elder Mo was utterly exasperated. He'd already felt Elder Peng self-reporting their origin was unwise. He simply hadn't considered it too much, given that victory seemed to be within their grasp.
But exposing that information was much more likely to draw trouble now. After all, there was a taboo over the entire island that its cultivators weren't supposed to arbitrarily enter the human domain without permission.
This time, more than a handful of people had trespassed illegally. The sheer number of experts who'd come amounted to essentially a personal army. If Myriad Abyss Island got wind of this, House Xiahou was sure to be censured, or worse.
Though he was unnerved, Elder Mo outwardly harrumphed. "What Myriad Abyss Island? You're talking nonsense! I'm a hermit of the Upper Eight Regions. Jiang Chen, if you want to lead the human race, you must give us older cultivators sufficient respect!"
Jiang Chen burst out into laughter. The old man was lying through his teeth.
"If you really were seniors of the human domain, I would respect you. Unfortunately, you aren't, and neither is anyone in the Order of Wind and Cloud. Tell me, which faction are you from?" His tone was even-handed.
Elder Mo was unwilling to admit to anything. "Jiang Chen, your disrespect to us hermit seniors alone is enough. What is with the 'Myriad Abyss Island' excuse? Who doesn't know about the lack of communication between Myriad Abyss and the human domain?" He appeared to be defiant unto death.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "I was planning to give you a chance to live if you admitted to it. Given that you refuse to talk even when your life is on the line, you can go to hell with the other old fart!"
"Kill him!" Jiang Chen's command was cold and cruel. He had been provoked to the point of no return. The actions of the Order of Wind and Cloud had put one foot too many over the line. Without information from Emperor Peerless and the Veluriyam Pagoda as a relay point, both he and his city would've suffered a catastrophic loss.
If he really had rushed back from Ninesuns and fallen into the midst of this ambush, the eight stone golem brothers and his other subordinates would have all succumbed to the trap.
Without the Stone Golems, Jiang Chen would've had only one choice under the encirclement of two empyrean experts and a couple dozen great emperors: to use his spacetime seal to flee into the Veluriyam Pagoda.
But even if he had managed to escape with his life intact, the others wouldn't have had that kind of luck. What chance of victory did he have against a powerful Order by himself, even if he'd managed to return to Veluriyam Capital?
He was thoroughly alarmed by the extent of the sect's conspiracy. Moreover, he had a natural hostility towards Myriad Abyss Island. Huang'er's suffering at being taken away and Elder Xi's pride had frustrated him to no end. Especially against those hostile to him in the first place, Jiang Chen had no compassion to spare for anyone from the island whatsoever.
Elder Mo knew well that his only choice today was to fight to the death.
Jiang Chen's execution order was countered by the elder's wholehearted effort to match the four golem brothers in frenzied battle. His objective wasn't to win, but find an opportunity to flee.
However, Jiang Chen had already settled on the battle plan. He knew that Big Stone and his brothers were recovering comparatively slowly. They weren't even a fifth of their peak strength yet.
In one on one combat, no single brother was Elder Mo's equal. Things became more even when it was two on one.
Four on one? Clear advantage for the numbered side. This was the kind of tactic Jiang Chen enjoyed.
Of course, Elder Mo was able to hang on to a reasonable degree. Elder Peng had died so quickly because of an ambush. The suddenness of the strikes had grievously wounded him.
Elder Mo was perfectly healthy and at his prime. Even four golems united would have some trouble taking him down quickly.
Thankfully, the four other golems were able to shift some of their attention over after mowing down a group of the great emperors.
In no time at all, six stone golems were involved in the assault on Elder Mo. The remaining two continued their pursuit of the scattered great emperors under Jiang Chen's orders.
Jiang Chen's Holy Dragon Bow didn't lie idle, either. His closed door cultivation had yielded a significant increase in cultivation level, but he'd also developed the crowning treasure of the Primosanct Sect a fair bit.
Currently, he was pairing the power of the bow with his Evil Golden Eye's lock-on ability to snipe great emperors who were being hunted down by the stone golem brothers. The experts in question fled every which way in impotent panic.
Each person Jiang Chen confirmed in his sights meant that someone died to an arrow from the Holy Dragon Bow. As the most prized treasure of the ancient Primosanct Sect, the bow was powerful indeed!
He didn't need to take any breaks in his firing. Eight elites from Myriad Abyss Island were dead in no time at all. Of course, Jiang Chen had enough self-awareness to know that he would have very little success in facing these experts head on.
He was having such an easy time because of the immense pressure the stone golem braves were exerting. The great emperors were too preoccupied with running to perceive the other threats to their lives. This gave Jiang Chen plenty of opportunities to take pot shots.
Under the scope of the Holy Dragon Bow, the great emperors fell one by one. He was revitalized upon each kill. It was the first time he was able to kill so many great emperors so quickly and easily.
The surrounding area was filled with corpses in the blink of an eye.
If any cultivator from the human domain had borne witness to this, they would've been chilled to the bone. After all, the people that had died were all great emperors!
Experts like that in the human domain were fearsome anywhere, guaranteed to be at the top of their class.
"Third Stone, don't overdo it. Leave a couple alive!" Jiang Chen was perfectly happy to kill indiscriminately, but he didn't forget himself. The old man was evidently of no use when it came to information. He could only hope to capture a couple alive in order to extract it from them instead. He wasn't interested in being targeted without knowing who the mastermind was.
Chapter 1489: House Xiahou
As a rule, the Primordial Stone Golem Tribe didn't understand how to leave survivors. Their favorite pastime in combat was to crush their opponents with violent force. This was especially true when they had the upper hand. They relished demolishing each and every enemy in their path.
As such, they couldn't quite come to grips with Jiang Chen's order to capture some prisoners. Still, they had to try their best to comply.
Two great emperors ended up being the lucky ones. The hammer and mace hurtling towards their heads a moment earlier suddenly swerved, the weapons' butts sweeping into them instead. The amount of trauma delivered was immensely different from a no-holds-barred overhead smash.
The only possible consequence of the latter was a head smashed like a watermelon. A hard tap with the handle involved incapacitation and maiming at worst.
Thump, thump. The two elite cultivators fell to the ground, relieved of further fighting ability.
"Savior, here you go." Third Stone was evidently dissatisfied with having to spare two of his prey. He tossed the incapacitated cultivators before Jiang Chen in a heap before taking off with a roar in renewed pursuit.
Jiang Chen grabbed both incapacitated cultivators, dumping them into a corner.
"Alright, speak up. Are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?" He had no interest in wasting words. He didn't find torture particularly palatable, but he would resort to it if he had to.
"Pah, kill me already. How could warriors from Myriad Abyss Island beg for mercy from a lowly human domain cultivator like you?" A short-haired man who looked thoroughly moody had spoken. He didn't appear to be a well-tempered individual, and retained arrogance even as a prisoner.
Jiang Chen burst out into laughter. What a fool. Did he not realize his place as a prisoner? What was he trying to prove?
Jiang Chen didn't want to waste time talking. This kind of foolhardy person was sure to have an equally stubborn personality. It was a pipe dream to expect cooperation from someone like that.
Without further ceremony, he summoned both Long Xiaoxuan and the Astral White Tiger. "Here you go, some food."
The two spirit creatures were tremendously excited to get some fresh air. They set upon the hard-headed cultivator ravenously. And though vitality was escaping from the corpses strewn everywhere, it wasn't doing so briskly. Even carrion was superb nourishment for Long Xiaoxuan and the White Tiger.
The ferocity of Jiang Chen's pets caused the remaining prisoner to blanch in terror.
"Do you want to be like him? Or are you going to cooperate?" Jiang Chen's tone was frigid.
This prisoner was different from his dead comrade. The lack of color in his face was proof enough that this man didn't have nearly the same sort of resolve.
"If you do, I may let you live."
"Really?" This was instantly attractive to the prisoner, who asked after some hesitation.
"Do you think I like telling jokes to worthless strangers?" Jiang Chen smiled coolly.
The prisoner thought about it. "I can tell you everything I know, but… I'll need an oath."
"You won't get an oath, but I never break my promises. I'll let you live, but you must still suffer through some kind of punishment."
"Pun… punishment?" The prisoner stuttered.
"Okay, you know about my offer already. It's up to you whether you divulge your information, but my patience is limited." Jiang Chen looked serenely in the other directions. "There are more still alive right now. Maybe they'll be more interested."
Those afraid of death tended to be characterized by that fear.
The prisoner shuddered and nodded. "Alright, I'll talk! I hope you keep your promise and let me live, though. I guarantee that I will cast off my current identity and never return to Myriad Abyss Island ever again!"
Jiang Chen shrugged. He didn't much care about the prisoner's futures, to be honest.
"Yes, we do come from Myriad Abyss Island." The prisoner inclined his head with quite a bit of certainty.
"Is that it?" Jiang Chen's tone took a turn for the chillier. "Do you think that the fact you come from Myriad Abyss Island is at all useful to me?"
Terror flashed through the prisoner's eyes. "W-we…" he muttered, "we come from House Xiahou on Myriad Abyss Island."
"House Xiahou?" Jiang Chen's face darkened when he heard that name. Some less than pleasant memories resurfaced in his mind. He could not and would not forget them. Huang'er had told him very clearly that this was the house of her mortal enemy.
It was quite a bit stronger than the House Yan that Huang'er belonged to.
The prisoner nodded. "Yes, House Xiahou."
"So, the so-called supreme lord of the Order of Wind and Cloud is someone from House Xiahou?"
"Yes, he's the seventh master of the house. Among the younger generation, he's the third-best genius! Still, the most promising is definitely the third master."
"Third Master? What's his name?" Jiang Chen inquired emotionlessly. The mention of a 'most promising' genius reminded him of Huang'er and the bastard that wanted to use her as a cultivation vessel.
If his estimations were correct, said bastard was none other than the foremost genius among House Xiahou's younger generation… this third master, in other words.
"He… his name is Xiahou Zong. On Myriad Abyss Island, he is also often called Third Master Zong."
Third Master Zong?
Jiang Chen committed the name to memory. This was an enemy he was fated to face, possibly in the near future.
"The supreme lord of the Order is the seventh master? What's his name?" He asked upon taking another deep breath.
"Xiahou Jing. He is quite prominent within House Xiahou too. Without Xiahou Zong's absurd talent, he would be one of the best contenders for the house's inheritance."
"So Xiahou Zong isn't doing well within his house?" Jiang Chen followed the prisoner's line of thought with a half-smile.
"Well, not quite that. House Xiahou is very rich and powerful, enough to raise several geniuses in tandem. Because Xiahou Jing is slightly inferior to his brother, he knows he doesn't have much hope of becoming the heir. That's why he decided to make this dangerous maneuver of sneaking into the human domain to seek his fortune."
"Seek his fortune?" Jiang Chen frowned. Wasn't the human domain significantly worse off than Myriad Abyss Island at present? What fortune was there to seek? Did Xiahou Jing have brain damage? Things were likely more complicated than he had first thought.
The prisoner nodded, then went into more detail to placate Jiang Chen. "I'm not very high up in the hierarchy, so I don't know many secrets, but I did hear that this trip was made to find something very precious. Getting hands on it is supposed to be more valuable than inheriting the whole of House Xiahou. That was why Xiahou Jing took this risk."
"Risk? If he came to the human domain covertly, who could threaten him?" Jiang Chen was stating only the plain truth. He had no intentions of putting down the human domain.
If those from House Xiahou hadn't done anything too exciting or explosive, no one really would have been able to threaten them.
"The real threat comes from the others on Myriad Abyss Island," the prisoner smiled wryly. "Since ancient times, there's been a rule that the island's descendants aren't permitted to enter the human domain. Although the two hundred thousand years time limit is almost up, the restriction hasn't been explicitly lifted. Because of this, it's forbidden to head to the human domain without permission. If no one presses charges, it's fine, but many people would be quite happy to take advantage of this lapse in protocol. If all of them band together, even a faction as big as House Xiahou would be in trouble!"
Jiang Chen instantly understood.
No wonder Elder Shun had been punished so severely and unable to leave the island again. There must have been others who'd hounded him over it.
Jiang Chen felt indescribable worry whenever he thought of Huang'er's plight.
"Let me ask you this, how much do you know of the conflict between House Xiahou and House Yan?"
"Oh, I know all about it, I do," the captive answered hurriedly. "House Yan's Miss Huang'er has returned to Myriad Abyss Island. I heard that she has a tough attitude. She would prefer to die rather than become a cultivation vessel for Third Master Zong."
"How is she doing?" Jiang Chen asked with concern.
"We subordinates only hear about the masters and misses through hearsay. I don't quite know for certain. I'd assume though, that she wouldn't be able to defy the third master on account of her parents still being imprisoned. Third Master Zong isn't planning on using her yet, because his cultivation isn't quite there. When it is, I don't fancy her chances…"
This person clearly didn't know about Huang'er's foray into the human domain or Jiang Chen's relationship with her. He was completely unrestrained in his discussion.
After all, Huang'er's affair was limited to high-ranking members of the house only. It was reasonable for Xiahou Jing to have known, but it would be a stretch to expect the same of a grunt like the captive.
Jiang Chen's face was purple. He was most worried about Huang'er. She was far away on Myriad Abyss Island, so he couldn't help her even if she wanted to. From what this guy was saying, Xiahou Zong was stronger than Xiahou Jing.
If Xiahou Jing was empyrean realm, Xiahou Zong was sure to be higher than that. Even if they were similar in cultivation level, the latter was surely more talented than the former. An opponent like that was very hard for the current him to deal with.
"How strong is House Xiahou on Myriad Abyss Island as a whole?" Jiang Chen asked again.
"Myriad Abyss Island is a huge place. I'm pretty unimportant, so I don't actually know its extent. From what I know through rumors, Myriad Abyss Island is said to be limitless, with countless islands, factions, and kingdoms. There are ten divine kingdoms on Myriad Abyss and House Xiahou is located in Eternal Divine Kingdom. In that divine kingdom, the house is among the top ten factions there!"
Ten divine nations? Countless kingdoms and islands?
The Eternal Divine Nation?
For Jiang Chen, all this information was new. However, it did give him a cursory preview about how Myriad Abyss Island functioned. He'd heard a few tidbits many years ago from Huang'er as well – though she hadn't gone into much detail at the time. Jiang Chen committed all of what he'd heard to memory.
Chapter 1490: An Unparalleled Shot
Jiang Chen wrung quite a bit more information about House Xiahou. The man wasn't able to go into details, but he had quite a good overview of the clan.
The young lord struck the man in the dantian with his palm after he was done.
"Half of your cultivation in return for your life. I believe that's fair." After knocking the man out, Jiang Chen threw him aside, and left him to fend for himself.
Losing half of one's cultivation was still better than death.
Jiang Chen was in a better mood now that he'd finally gathered intelligence on his enemy. However, he still couldn't help but scowl when he was reminded of House Xiahou.
On the bright side, the people behind the Order of Wind and Cloud had finally been exposed.
The Order had ever been in the shadows while he was in the light. He'd no choice but to watch from the sidelines as the sect cast its shadow upon the entire domain. Grasping their background had boosted his confidence by a long mile.
House Xiahou! I don't care how prominent you are in Myriad Abyss Island! If you harm a single hair on Huang'er's head, I'll bury all of you myself!
Jiang Chen wasn't a ruthless tyrant, but neither was he a pushover. He would never show mercy to those who crossed his bottom line.
If Huang'er was harmed in any way, he would destroy this blasted clan and wipe them off the face of the Divine Abyss Continent!
Meanwhile, Elder Mo could barely hang on against the combined attacks of six golems.
Third Stone and Forth Stone were almost done with the stragglers as well. The dozen or so elites stood no chance against the two brothers.
"It's time to end this." Jiang Chen picked up his bow with a cold glint in his eyes. This time, his sights were set on Elder Mo.
With his current abilities, he shouldn't be able to fatally wound the elder. In fact, Jiang Chen wouldn't even be able to fend for himself in a direct face-off.
However, the old man was hanging by a thread, while the young lord burned with rage and killing after learning about the Order's background. His emotions affected the Holy Dragon Bow as well. Unknowingly, his affinity for the bow had developed to the next level.
Without a doubt, this was a fantastic development. Only by increasing his affinity with the bow could he uncover its true potential and might.
His mind was calm as still water as he nocked an arrow to the bow. The Evil Golden Eye and his consciousness also harmonized into the same rhythm.
The bow burst into a deafening dragon roar when the arrow was let loose. Jiang Chen was so inspired and emitted a dragon howl as well.
For a brief moment, the bow seemed to have released all of its hidden potential. The arrow was a meteoric beam of light that could pierce through the sky, sun, and moon!
It arrived in front of Elder Mo in the blink of an eye.
Horror ran down the elder's spine when he noted approaching doom. Unfortunately, he was pinned down by Stone Golems and didn't have any leftover strength to deal with the arrow.
Horror and terror flashed but for an instant as the arrow pierced through his head, leaving a gaping hole in its wake!
His body instantly petrified as though a spell had been casted on him. Even his soul was destroyed before it could attempt escape.
The shot was so frighteningly powerful that Jiang Chen was rendered speechless by it. It was the most powerful shot he'd ever made in his life and wholly unintentional! That he'd actually managed to pierce a hole in an empyrean expert's head was entirely inconceivable!
He was merely sixth level emperor, a hair away from seventh realm. A cultivator of his level could never deal this kind of damage to an empyrean expert, even if said expert was standing stock still. But not only had he caused an injury, he'd taken the elder's life!
He also keenly recalled that, in that moment, a deep rage had rampaged inside his sea of consciousness. His arrow was made even more powerful because of it, but he was succinctly aware that this strength very likely came from the seal inside his mind.
The seal had always been present and protected his mind from outside harm. It'd thwarted multiple attacks on his consciousness, saving his life over and over again, but this was the first time it'd ever reinforced his attacks.
It hadn't done so in a direct manner, but Jiang Chen was certain that it had everything to do with his unnatural, sudden burst of strength.
The stone golem brothers exchanged glances. They were clearly flabbergasted by what had just occurred. They'd joined Jiang Chen's side and addressed him as their savior, but they were well aware that he was only emperor realm.
Logically speaking, such a cultivator could never pose a threat to someone like Elder Mo. After a long battle, the brothers also knew full well that the elder wasn't an easy target.
And yet, their savior had miraculously pierced a hole in the enemy's head!
Even simple-minded creatures like the stone golems could understand the significance of this. This was clearly far beyond the boundaries of common sense.
Thud! Elder Mo's body kicked up a plume of dust as it crashed onto the ground.
"Brother Long, Xiao Bai, don't let empyrean life essence go to waste!" Jiang Chen yelled.
Long Xiaoxuan and Xiao Bai were already furiously absorbing Elder Peng's life essence. They jumped for joy and dug in when another fresh dish was served.
"S-savior! That was an incredible shot!" Big Stone finally came back to his senses and led his brothers back to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen smiled playfully. "It was just an accident. I don't think I can pull off such an incredible shot again."
He wasn't being humble. There were many unexpected factors and coincidences that not even he had foreseen in that shot. It might not be possible to be in the same zone again. However, it did leave a lot of inspiration that surged through his mind. I… I feel that I might break through!
"Big Stone, keep a look out! I'm about to break through!"
"..." Big Stone and the others were completely speechless. As one of the great primordial tribes, they'd seen and experienced all kinds of things. However, they couldn't help but gape at the speed of their savior's growth. How could he be having another breakthrough already?
Guided by inspiration, this ascension was relatively quick and effortless, taking only a few hours.
Advanced emperor realm! Jiang Chen was absolutely delighted and utterly surprised. This was the most effortless and comfortable breakthrough he'd achieved so far in the emperor realm! Most previous progress had come as the fruit of tireless labor, But this time, it'd showed up at his door by itself!
Like an unannounced visit from a long-anticipated friend, happiness had come too suddenly and was so very pleasant.
Advanced emperor realm is such a wondrous leap! My body has become much stronger than before. As expected, a battle of this caliber is most beneficial!
Jiang Chen didn't dilly-dally after his breakthrough.
Cleanup was mostly done at this point. Long Xiaoxuan and Little White ended up gaining the most out of the fight. As if they were competing, the two spirit creatures were making breakthrough after breakthrough.
The Stone Golems couldn't help were equally impressed with the divine creatures. In their era, true dragons and white tigers were equally as strong, if not stronger than Stone Golems. Yet somehow, the two beasts had also become Jiang Chen's companions.
Well, not strictly companions, but more like followers.
"Big Stone, you and your brothers have achieved a great merit. Your achievements today will not be forgotten." Jiang Chen praised them greatly.
Big Stone laughed guilelessly. "It's all thanks to you, young lord. The battle was over before I could even break a sweat! The folks from Myriad Abyss Island are too weak!"
"That's because they fell for our plans and were ambushed. The battle would be a lot more arduous otherwise." Jiang Chen answered solemnly
Jiang Chen wasn't looking down on his own forces. In a direct face-off, Elder Mo, Elder Peng, and their team of elites would definitely put up a strong fight.
Unfortunately, they'd fallen for the young man's tricks and had been completely wiped out!
The golem brothers chuckled. They stood by their opinion that the enemy was too weak.
"Alright, we mustn't delay matters any further. Our departure from Veluriyam Capital is still riddled with risk. The situation at the capital might sour if we continue to linger here. Let's return." Jiang Chen's plan had been extremely successful, but it also put Veluriyam in danger. Having the Vermilion Bird protect the city by itself was extremely risky. But thankfully, in eliminating Elder Mo and Elder Peng, he'd wiped out nearly half of the Order!
Chapter 1491: Jiang Chen Returns
It hadn't taken long for Jiang Chen to eradicate the enemy's shock troops, even accounting for his breakthrough to seventh level emperor realm.
Meanwhile, the supreme lord, also known as Seventh Master Xiahou Jing of Myriad Abyss Island, was mired in a deadlock against the Vermillion Bird. He hadn't ordered the assault yet, wary as he was of the ancient beast. His threatening confidence was nothing but bravado.
The bird hadn't provoked him any further, as if aware of his intentions. The standoff suited it fine. It had little desire for an all-out fight given its physical condition.
"Senior Vermillion, give way and I promise to find a place suitable for your rebirth." Xiahou Jing tested the bird's resolve once more.
However, it was immune to his tricks and merely circled the sky above Sacred Peafowl Mountain in silent disdain.
In truth, the supreme lord was stalling for time as well, calculating how long it would take Elder Mo and Elder Peng to capture Jiang Chen and bring the boy back alive. With the young lord in his hands, the city would crumble without a fight.
But it'd been a long time already. No matter how slow Jiang Chen was traveling, he should be back soon. Why had there been no word yet?
Xiahou Jing stayed staunch despite the sneaking suspicion, but as time trickled by, his doubts slowly morphed into anxiety.
It's been too long. Did he abandon Veluriyam after hearing of our attack to start afresh somewhere else? The possibility wormed its way in his mind. If so, it would bode ill for his plans.
Impossible. Isn't the kid supposed to be loyal to his friends and true to his loved ones? How could he leave so many of them to die?
It seemed hard to believe. Nothing he knew of the young lord suggested he would make such a choice. But if not, there should've been news already. What was taking so long at the border?
Meanwhile, all great emperors were assembled in Sacred Peafowl Mountain.
The siege was a sharp sword looming over their heads, but the passage of time had slowly eased their anxiety. In particular, the return of Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers had greatly boosted their morale.
"Brother Mo, playing the undercover agent must have been rough on you. Do you know where the supreme lord comes from?" Coiling Dragon voiced a question everyone was curious about.
Mo Wushuang's face was grim. "He probably isn't from the human domain."
"Oh? How can you tell?"
"It's very simple. If he were, he would at least somewhat consider mankind's future. But personal schemes and ambitions are the only things on his mind. His every deed exposes his origins. He must be an outsider here with some ultimate motives!"
Sadly, that was merely a guess. Even as a lofty protector king, Peerless had learned very little about the supreme lord in all these years.
"An outsider?" Coiling Dragon frowned. "Is he a demon?"
Peerless muttered, "That was my first guess as well, but that shouldn't be the case. For one thing, he would have used demonic arts to control us and not poison. Not to mention, his highest priority would've been to free fellow demons rather than single mindedly strive for rule over the human domain."
"Poison? Is that how he controls you? Then…" Coiling Dragon froze. "He spoke the truth about the violent poison inside you?"
Peerless remained impassive. "Yes, that's true. It's imperceptible once dormant, but extremely virulent once it erupts. Even so, how can we betray our own? Jiao Yun, Jiao Feng, do you have any regrets?"
Jiao Yun cackled. "Regrets my ass! I'm not an upright man, but I have little desire to help them ruin our domain! Their Order is the scourge of humanity!"
Jiao Feng nodded. "That supreme lord acts so jumpy when it comes to the young lord. He's definitely afraid! And I'm sure the young lord will find a way to remove the poison."
Everyone nodded in agreement as if it was obvious. Anyone else might be stumped, but they had blind faith that the young lord was omnipotent when it came to pill-making.
Coiling Dragon nodded. "There's no poison in the world he can't cure."
Emperor Void sighed softly. "Despite his aggressive posturing, the supreme lord doesn't seem anxious to storm the city. He seems to be waiting for an opportunity, even playing for time. Gentlemen, shouldn't we be worried?"
"Why so?" Coiling Dragon puzzled.
"What's the reason behind his patience? He must be plotting against young lord Jiang Chen! Just think about it. The young lord will certainly rush back if he hears of our situation. If the enemy has an ambush set up along the way…" Emperor Void didn't dare contemplate the consequences.
The great emperors turned grave. Without Jiang Chen, everything was meaningless.
Mountaincrush chuckled. "The young lord isn't easy prey. With the stone golems by his side, even the Order will find him a tough bone to chew."
"True, he has nothing to fear in an open fight. But Daoist Peerless just mentioned they are adept with poison…" That was the core of Emperor Void's worries.
The atmosphere suddenly turned stifling. Clearly, even these great emperors were in the dark about Jiang Chen's secret return. But just then, Dan Fei offered leisurely, "It should be soon."
Soon?
The crowd froze. What did she mean? Was the young lord coming back soon? Why did Madam Dan Fei sound so at ease? Wasn't she worried at all?
Dan Fei suddenly stood up and addressed them. "Gentlemen, young lord Jiang Chen should be back soon. Everyone get ready. You might be in for a pleasant surprise in the battle to come"
As if on cue, the Vermillion Bird crowed with happiness in the sky. Startled, the crowd rushed outside.
Xiahou Jing stiffened. He could perceive the strangeness of the bird's cry. Was it merely illusion? Or was that elation he heard? What was the bird so happy for?
"Hm?" His cold gaze suddenly fell somewhere afar. His consciousness could feel a new powerful force coming closer. He secretly beamed with delight. Are Elder Mo and Elder Peng finally triumphantly back?
The prospect galvanized him.
However, his joy didn't last long. His expression soon turned into a frowned, because he couldn't spot the two elders' familiar figures.
"Jiang Chen!" His heart palpitated when he discovered the newcomers' identity. How could that be? How had Jiang Chen returned safely from the elders' trap?
Had the brat made a detour?
The supreme lord immediately saw red. The plan had been perfect! He'd never considered the possibility that the ambush could fail. So why was Jiang Chen fine and dandy?! Moreover, the eight massive golems at his side seemed full of vigor and eager for a rumble.
"Jiang Chen? You?! How is this possible??" His low, fuming voice almost turned into a roar.
Jiang Chen flew in the sky above Veluriyam, his soaring figure prompting jubilant celebration in the entire city.
"The young lord is back!"
"Haha, we're saved!"
"I knew it. The young lord would never discard the city or abandon its people!"
"Long live young lord Jiang Chen, long live!"
The young lord's appearance breathed new life into the city, instantly dispelling the morose atmosphere and infusing new hope into the inhabitants.
Jiang Chen took in the supreme lord's figure beneath a fluttering cloak and snickered at the pretentious posturing. "Supreme Lord, you don't even have the courage to show your true face, how dare you try to rule over the entire domain? What a joke!"
The supreme lord snorted. Jiang Chen's return left him full of doubts, but in his heart of hearts, he didn't take the young man too seriously.
The ones he feared were the golems standing behind the young man. Without the shock troops led by the elders, it would be difficult for him to withstand all eight brothers by himself, even with all the men at his disposal.
"Jiang Chen, shouldn't you be at the Ninesuns Sky Sect? What, did you miss Veluriyam so much you rushed back to die?" Uncertain of the situation's ins and outs, the supreme lord tried to pry information out of his opponent.
Chapter 1492: The Start Of The Counterattack
"To die?" Jiang Chen laughed despite himself, derision seeping from his voice. "Are you that confident you can kill me and conquer my city?"
Xiahou Jing proudly said, "Why wouldn't I be? You're just a mundane brat with better luck than most."
"True, I come from the mundane world. And what about you? What noble identity lies beneath your mask and cloak? Too bad you're a coward afraid of revealing his face." Jiang Chen mocked to his heart's content. "I know where your sense of superiority comes from! Sadly, it's a mere joke in front of me."
"You'll see very soon who's the real joke!" Xiahou Jing sneered.
"Oh? Do you still have an ace in the hole?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "I have eight great golem warriors. If all of them attack you at the same time, how likely are you to win?"
Despite his brave front, Xiahou Jing paled imperceptibly. With Elder Peng and Elder Mo back, he was confident he could cope with the golems. But to fight eight golems all by his lonesome? That was asking for trouble. Even his life might be forfeit!
With a wave of the hand, Jiang Chen ordered, "Big Stone, this supreme lord seems to be looking down on us. You brothers teach him a lesson!"
Big Stone grinned. "Hehe, let's do this!"
The eight golems turning into streams of light locked down an area several dozen miles around Xiahou Jing.
The latter gasped. Jiang Chen's presence had thrown all his plans into disarray. He'd planned on delaying until the elders came back. But the brat just had to order the golems to attack so decisively without leaving him any leeway. Even retreat was no longer an option now.
As one of the greatest geniuses of Myriad Abyss Island, his reserve of energy and fighting capability surpassed Elder Mo and Elder Peng, even if his cultivation was below theirs. After all, he held many trump cards from his clan.
So, though startled, he showed no fear. He threw Jiang Chen a withering glance. "Kid, remember, this is the difference between us. You'll forever be an ant relying on his subordinates, while I'm a true genius. I've built everything from scratch with my own hands!"
Jiang Chen replied indifferently, "Trying to show off? From scratch? Then what about the empyrean masters at your side?"
Xiahou Jing stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Jiang Chen smiled mysteriously. "And what of the dozens of great emperors? Do these elites not count either? Doesn't your superiority stem from these men?"
Xiahou Jing blanched, shocked to the core. This was his greatest secret, one that even the protector kings and elders weren't aware of. This was the ultimate trump card he'd brought from Myriad Abyss Island.
So how did Jiang Chen know them? If he'd taken a detour on the way back, how would he know about Elder Peng and the others?
Unless...
A terrifying possibility suddenly crossed his mind. Had the two elders been defeated?
But even so, they should have returned ahead of Jiang Chen. Why were they late when Jiang Chen and the golems were already back?
"Xiahou Jing, stop daydreaming. You won't be seeing your shock troops again anytime soon." Jiang Chen's words smashed into the supreme lord's chest like a giant hammer.
The face behind the mask turned pallid. Won't be seeing them any time soon? What did that mean? Were the two elders… dead?
Impossible!
No, no! With the elders' strength and the Soulless Powder, it was impossible for Jiang Chen to escape unscathed! What on earth had happened?
Xiahou Jing turned frantic. Secure in the knowledge he'd planned for every possibility before coming, he'd enjoyed the feeling of holding everything in his grasp. He'd been confident he could conquer Veluriyam without shedding a drop of blood.
But nothing had gone as expected.
Not only had Elder Mo and Peng's elites been of no threat to Jiang Chen, but they might even have been wiped out!
It was enough to drive a man mad if true. He'd created the Order of Wind and Cloud by himself and made it the unparalleled existence it'd become. However, using enslaved human cultivators might have been a shortcut to power and fame, but carried with it inherent dangers.
He needed a personal force he could trust and build on, and that precisely the elites led by Elder Mo and Elder Peng.
"Jiang Chen, don't ever forget you're a mundane dog! I don't know what kind of luck allowed you to escape safe and sound, but you've used it all up now!" Xiahou Jing was a tad hysterical.
Jiang Chen smiled contemptuously. "You better worry about your own luck. You barely made it from that place. If you're to return utterly routed, what do you think will be the fate awaiting even if you do survive? Remember, you'll be less than a dog's fart if your surname isn't Xiahou!"
The young lord added viciously, "But your name doesn't bloody matter today! Xiahou Jing's bleached bones will be buried in Veluriyam!"
The supreme lord shook all over when he heard his name uttered in public. His eyes brimmed with incredulity. How had Jiang Chen so easily discovered the identity he'd worked so hard to keep secret?
Disorientated, his head swam. Jiang Chen even seemed to know much more about him than his name.
Are Elder Peng and Elder Mo… Xiahou Jing finally panicked. Did his most relied-upon elites die just like this?
How on earth did Jiang Chen do this? Xiahou Jing stared in utter disbelief. Had the brat killed them all despite the elders' power and the Soulless Powder? Impossible!
But when facing Jiang Chen's confident smile, he could no longer scrounge up a single shred of confidence.
Seeing that events had taken a turn for the worse, he shouted decisively, "Listen up, men of the Order! Attack Veluriyam! When we're the city's masters, all the secret arts and pill recipes are yours to plunder. All the treasures and women are waiting for you to take! Make Veluriyam's cultivators your slaves! Attack! Show them what you're made of!"
In fact, he cared nothing about Veluriyam. He'd only inflamed his men to create enough chaos to shield his exit. But how would Jiang Chen give him such an opportunity? He pulled the Holy Dragon Bow taut.
Streaks of light shot forward. Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
They struck three Celestial Stars in quick succession. The elders' bodies spontaneously exploded, becoming fleshly paste that sprayed everywhere.
All three elders had been great emperors, even if they had been mere initial stage ones. The crowd burst out in raucous cheers at the instant kills.
"So amazing! Long live young lord Jiang Chen!"
"Young lord Jiang Chen, young lord Jiang Chen!"
Even Jiang Chen himself was stunned. The bow was displaying more and more of its potential as it bonded with its master.
After reaching seventh level emperor realm, perhaps he could've injured or killed a great emperor with an ambush.
But with the leap forward in his strength and cultivation after his breakthrough, added to a greater understanding of the bow, allowed him to feel how much more formidable the weapon had become. He'd felled three great emperors in three shots!
The Order's followers, including the Celestial Stars and Earthly Fiends, were a ragtag bunch of misfits. Apart from a minority of zealots, very few had joined the Order voluntarily. They were brave when they held an overwhelming advantage, but their morale was easily broken, especially in such a situation.
Three great emperors had been killed instantly. And the eight golems hadn't even attacked yet! Anyone who preserved their fighting spirit still was either the supreme lord's die-hard supporter or brain-damaged.
Of course, these cultivators' brains still functioned!
Under the Holy Dragon Bow's threat, most had already slowed their advance, even hiding in the crowd, unwilling to lead the charge.
Xiahou Jing shouted in exasperation, "What are you hesitating for? Charge, damn it! He only has so many arrows, how many total do you think he can kill? Charge, conquer Veluriyam, you'll be heroes! Those who cower, do you still want the antidote? Do you still want a better future?"
Smiling faintly, Jiang Chen watched the man mix promises with threats. "Xiahou Jing, what are you shouting for? Are you expecting anything out of this mob? Future? Do you think you still have the luxury of talking about the future?"
As his words fell, he leisurely aimed the bow straight at Xiahou Jing.
The latter froze. Despite all his skills and power, his consciousness shrank back as the might of the Evil Golden Eye landed on him, trembling as the terrifying invasiveness rippled across his mind.
Chapter 1493: Continued Unexpectedness
As an expatriate from Myriad Abyss Island and a genius of House Xiahou, the seventh master had never taken the human domain's cultivators particularly seriously. His elite entourage, led by Elders Peng and Mo, far surpassed them in quality. Even Jiang Chen was just an unreasonably lucky brat to him.
In truth, Xiahou Jing fundamentally despised Veluriyam's young lord. However, his consciousness was being disrupted by a glare from the youth's Evil Golden Eye.
Cold sweat beaded down his back.
Being targeted from afar by the Holy Dragon Bow made his hair stand on end. In that moment, an incomprehensible thought popped into his mind: Jiang Chen was able to threaten his life!
It was a possibility only because of the stone golem brothers' encirclement, but even that should have been a far stretch.
In Xiahou Jing's understanding, Jiang Chen was only some emperor realm expert. The difference between them was night and day.
He went so far as to believe that if Jiang Chen were a native of Myriad Abyss Island, the brat wouldn't be worthy to tie the young master's shoes. But his conceptions were being shaken by reality.
"I need to get out of here!" Xiahou Jing felt his thoughts slip deeper into absurdity by the minute.
It was at this time that Jiang Chen gave the command. "What are you waiting around for, Big Stone? Take him out!"
Anyone else from Myriad Abyss Island might have been spared. Jiang Chen was no extremist on most days after all. But an opponent from House Xiahou was destined to be his mortal enemy. There was no need to hold anything back. The more of them that died, the better!
The eight stone golem brothers cooperated to form a terrifying stony field. It was as invincible as a fortress of solid rock.
Xiahou Jing's repeated attempts to break out met with continuous failure.
"How can this be?" He knew how strong the Primordial Stone Golem Tribe was supposed to be, but actual combat revealed the extent of their true strength.
Perhaps a single one of the stone golems was weaker than him. Indeed, they were probably weaker than Elders Mo and Peng. But a combined attack of multiple golem brothers changed the game completely.
Becoming one with his spear, Xiahou Jing drilled his weapon again and again, but spirals of demolishing air blasted in every direction in complete vain.
The stony field had been set up by eight brothers of the Primordial Stone Golem Tribe as a unified entity. Because of this, the defense was one unified system as well. Once formed, it required someone twice as strong as the eight brothers combined to break.
"Water-Rending Strike!" Xiahou Jing's ferocious attacks pounded upon the field. Unfortunately, nothing he did seemed to be of any use against the bind he was in.
"Star-Shattering Pierce!" He changed his tactics, continuing to press the attack. It was no use!
The stone golems' stony field was far stronger than he had anticipated. No matter what method Xiahou Jing resorted to, he failed to make a dent in it.
Jiang Chen stood aloft, Holy Dragon Bow brimming with aggressive intent. His Evil Golden Eye charged up, locking onto Xiahou Jing with unmistakable intensity. He was waiting for a chance to inflict a fatal blow on his enemy.
The stone golem brothers brandished their heavy weapons about, landing blow after blow upon Xiahou Jing. In theory, the latter would have had a hard time remaining unscathed against the former's powerful attacks.
Alas, the young master from Myriad Abyss Island seemed to have activated some sort of talisman, increasing his defense by several levels. He was hit again and again by the stone golem brothers, but a strange force allowed the blows to slide right off with minimal harm.
"As expected of a genius from House Xiahou. He has some pretty remarkable treasures." Jiang Chen had fought many people since becoming a cultivator, but all his previous opponents paled before his current one – the once-domineering Emperor Pillzenith included.
Xiahou Jing was unmistakably the strongest of them all.
Jiang Chen had witnessed the golem brothers' fighting ability before. Against Elders Peng and Mo, they hadn't even mobilized as all eight. Both elders had fallen under reasonably ignoble conditions.
The fact that all eight brothers working in tandem wasn't able to defeat Xiahou Jing was telling in itself. He was pressed, but far from beaten.
The eight stone golem brothers had terrifying battle presence. Every attack was imbued earth-moving impetus that showcased the golems' brutality.
Still, Xiahou Jing was able to maintain relative safety in the situation. He was a far cry from being severely hurt.
"Xiahou Jing isn't necessarily much stronger than Elders Peng and Mo were, but his treasures and trump cards allow his combat prowess to surpass his subordinates." Jiang Chen now had a better understanding of his enemy's capabilities. But he didn't despair. Treasures that increased one's fighting ability were temporary.
As long as the eight golem brothers kept up the attack, Xiahou Jing would go down sooner or later.
As for Jiang Chen himself, he stimulated his consciousness constantly in search of a breakthrough.
He was searching for the sensation he'd felt when killing Elder Mo. If he could find that inspiration once more, this next attack would be even more fearsome than the one that had slain the elder.
He hadn't yet achieved seventh level emperor realm when killing the elder. Because he had stepped over an important threshold, his harmony with the Holy Dragon Bow had also been drastically improved.
This was helpful both to his offensive potential and his search for that spark of inspiration.
This arrow would certainly surpass his last. But actually getting there was easier said than done.
Jiang Chen's consciousness whirred without stopping. The chain seal within was reacting a little with each prod.
Suddenly, a potent power burst forth from the seal. It manifested itself as an unnameable will, granting Jiang Chen a burst of insight.
Whoosh!
The arrow was as fast as a comet, bearing down its target in the blink of an eye!
Jiang Chen felt emptied after firing the shot, but his mind was extremely satisfied. He had a hunch that Xiahou Jing was sure to be hit if everything went well.
Moreover, it was sure to shatter the runic defenses on his body. Those talismans were the only reason the eight stone golem brothers' heavy blows weren't able to finish the fight.
Everyone from Sacred Peafowl Mountain held their breath when they saw the fearsome missile.
Some were surprised, others overjoyed, yet others disbelieving. However, all of their expressions morphed into shock in the next moment.
Just as the arrow was about to arrive at its mark, a storm of violet bolts materialized in the air. They snaked about like electric serpents in the clouds, bizarrely tethering onto the arrow.
The arrow tried its best to charge forward, but the violet lightning did the same to force it to remain under their control.
Jiang Chen had scarcely recovered from his own surprise when a giant hand came out of the clouds as well. It slammed down upon the stony field's exterior with baffling momentum.
Boom!
Both field and surrounding space were ruptured by the mysterious force despite their resilience.
Xiahou Jing's reflexes were quick enough for him to transform into a streak of escaping light, slipping through the cracks of the fractured aura.
Jiang Chen's heart sank. Though another arrow was nocked on his bow, he could no longer find the same frame of mind to fire it.
Before the eight stone golem brothers had time to react, Xiahou Jing had activated a glyph and fled far, far away.
With that, the giant hand that had inexplicably materialized slowly disintegrated.
This precipitous change in circumstances had taken place in the span of a few breaths. When everyone realized what had happened, Xiahou Jing was nowhere to be found. As for the giant hand that had disrupted Jiang Chen's plans, who knew what was behind it?
Jiang Chen's Evil Golden Eye was wide open and alertly searching. "Who was responsible for that?!" He was blue in the face. "Disrupting Veluriyam business on Veluriyam land… are you brave enough to show yourself?!"
He was beside himself with fury. If not for this unexpected intervention, the arrow would have at minimum severely wounded Xiahou Jing. With any remotely serious injury, there would be no escape for him from the eight stone golem brothers.
The violet lightning and disembodied palm had clearly come from the same person. What was more, his energy signature didn't seem demonic. Who exactly was this interloper?
It couldn't have been an expert from House Xiahou. If it was, such an expert would've shown himself a long time ago. Why would he have waited until the present?
Given the newcomer's lack of affiliation in that regard, Jiang Chen was all the more enraged by the unwanted interference. He was irreconcilable enemies with the entirety of House Xiahou. He couldn't accept Xiahou Jing's escape from under his nose!
But there was no one that appeared in the air.
As Jiang Chen sulked, an aged voice came from the ether. "Young man, learn some mercy."
The voice's was imposing and full-bodied, as if it came from someone in a superior position.
"Who are you?" Jiang Chen retorted coldly. "Do you understand that the fortunes of humanity hinged on today's battle? Don't you think you went too far with your ignorant meddling?"
"Calm yourself, young man. If you care about the fate of humanity, then you should know that killing someone from Myriad Abyss Island will only bring disaster to the human domain!" There was a hint of reprimand to the voice. It seemed to be taking Myriad Abyss's side.
Chapter 1494: Berating an Empyrean Cultivator
Jiang Chen was incensed.
The voice sounded well advanced in years, but the young man was indescribably disgusted with the self-satisfaction in its seniority.
"If I don't kill him, do you not think a foreign hyena like him will bring disaster to the human domain? The Order of Wind and Cloud's ambitions are quite peaceful, I'm sure!" Jiang Chen's tone carried plenty of righteous passion. "If you have the power to interfere, then you are no ordinary person. Why not show yourself? Let me know who you are."
Though he didn't know where this interloper had come from, Jiang Chen's rage wasn't likely to subside. He hated people who didn't mind their business, especially when they interrupted at the most inopportune times.
"You have quite a temper for one so young. There's no need to ask where I've come from. I've lived in the human domain for more than ten thousand years. I think I know ten times more about the human domain's affairs than you."
Ten thousand years?
Jiang Chen's heart beat a bit faster. The expressions of the great emperors from Veluriyam Capital changed greatly.
A secluded expert? One that lived in the human domain? An empyrean expert?
There had always been rumors that the human domain did have its own empyrean experts, though they preferred to remain hidden rather than conduct business in public.
Some said that the experts were uninterested in mundane affairs. Others claimed that this was because spirit qi was scarce in the human domain. Yet others said that the experts were unwilling to expend their mortal lifespans on trivial matters.
There was a large variety of conjecture about the topic. However, no one had seen a real, live empyrean expert in the human domain for at least three thousand years.
The voice's existence hinted at its identity as a secluded expert of the human domain. Any existence that had lived for more than ten thousand years was sure to have surpassed great emperor realm into a higher form.
It was the first time these great emperors had ever come into contact with someone like that.
Jiang Chen paused a little, then snickered. "From your tone, you sound like an empyrean senior of the human domain, hmm?"
"What? Junior, do you still think you can call the shots here? Do you think your actions represent the fortune and future of humanity? I can tell you that you think too much of yourself!" The aged voice was somewhat mocking. It appeared that its owner had a bit of attitude toward Jiang Chen.
Veluriyam's young lord was far from pleased to be treated with condescension. He responded with raucous laughter.
"What are you laughing about, junior?" The voice reprimanded with some annoyance.
"What am I laughing about?" Jiang Chen turned frosty instantly. "Is that what you're asking about? I'm laughing about the fact that you lack wisdom in your old age! All you know is to use your age to your benefit!"
"You're courting death!" The disembodied voice's volume intensified. The wind picked up and the clouds roiled.
The eight stone golem brothers rushed to Jiang Chen's side and surrounded him to protect their savior.
Jiang Chen was unafraid of the sudden weather change. He'd seen all kinds of turbulence in his previous life and he wasn't going to let a mere empyrean expert scare him.
"Such an awe-inspiring show from an empyrean expert!" Jiang Chen sneered. "Alas, it appears you were absent when Demon Emperor Bloodmalva of the blood demons was rampaging about. You were also absent from the scene when the celestial demon lord broke free of his seal. And if I may ask, where were you when the Southern Celestial Tribe smashed past the Boundary Stele? What about the devastation that the Order of Wind and Cloud has wrought upon the people? Have you done anything about the danger that the Boundary Stele in the northwestern wastes is in right now?"
Jiang Chen was absolutely furious. He had no inborn hostility to the voice, but he was enraged by the foolishness of the speaker's actions. He was actually disgusted more by this voice than by Xiahou Jing.
Xiahou Jing was a locust from Myriad Abyss Island, come to the human domain to ransack and destroy it.
But this supposed empyrean senior of the human domain had appeared at the wrong time for all the wrong reasons. He'd ruined Jiang Chen's perfect plans. Most irritating of all was that he was abusing his old age to rebuke Jiang Chen from a self-satisfied position!
If the voice really was an honorable senior with morals as polished as Emperor Peafowl's, Jiang Chen would give him plenty of respect. But he was far from the shining example he considered himself to be, but he was quite affecting the tone and posture of a great senior.
This utterly disgusted Jiang Chen. Moreover, the young lord had missed an opportunity to kill Xiahou Jing because of the voice's interference. How could Jiang Chen simply accept the situation?
He had worked very hard for humanity's fortune and future, expending every effort for others' sake. This so-called empyrean senior had done absolutely nothing in several of humanity's crises, but chose to come out swinging with his cane at the most inopportune time.
If he did dare come forth, Jiang Chen wouldn't hesitate to spit on him.
The voice was noticeably exasperated by the young man's words. It went silent for a long while before it could muster up a resentful reply. "Alright, brat. Alright! How many years has it been? I didn't expect that a few thousand years later, there would be such a high-achieving human junior who dares talk like this to me!"
"If you've hid yourself for a few thousand years," Jiang Chen retorted with some frustration. "Shouldn't you have freed yourself from the shackles of mortal affairs? Why are you meddling and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong? You didn't come out when responsibility was required, so don't come out and pretend to be a savior now. At least figure out what's happening before you try to save the world."
The voice was clearly agitated. "Good, good, very good! I'll remember what's happened today, brat. One day I'll teach you the consequences of not respecting your seniors!"
Jiang Chen shrugged. Insubstantial threats didn't bother him one bit.
"Why one day? Today's perfect. Do your worst and I'll take the brunt of it. What else are you scared of if you help even invaders escape?" He didn't know why, but Jiang Chen had the urgent need to pull the old codger out of his hiding hole and give him a good beating. He wanted to cut the voice's pride down a notch.
"Hmph. I have more important matters to attend to. I'll let you live for a few more days." The voice disappeared into the distance like rolling thunder.
Jiang Chen's Evil Golden Eye pierced the remote skies, his eyes full of killing intent.
It was at this time that the others swarmed out from Sacred Peafowl Mountain.
"Members of the Order of Wind and Cloud, kneel! Those who don't will die on the spot!" Jiang Chen glared coldly at the now listless grunts.
These ordinary Order members were largely human domain cultivators. Now that their supreme lord had fled in panic, anyone that had the ability and mind to run had already fled. Those that hadn't lacked the sufficient spirit to fight to the death.
As such, there was a wave of kneeling at Jiang Chen's command. There was no room for modesty or egoism before the grimness of death. They'd already lost all sense of self-respect when they joined the Order.
"Jiao Yun, Jiao Feng, tell me which of these joined the Order of their own volition and which were coerced into it. The former is to be executed on the spot and the latter let go, depending on circumstances." Jiang Chen had no desire to execute every former Order member.
Many had been strong-armed into their ranks. Those left at Agarwood Valley's entrance a few years ago, for example: Emperor Peerless, the Jiao brothers, and others.
There was no need to seek any kind of reckoning against these people. Their hearts had never been to the Order in the first place. They were just victims of the circumstances.
It was at this time that Madame Yun approached him with reddened eyes. "Sage brother Jiang Chen, I've never asked anything much of anyone. But this time, I have to make a desperate request. Please, save my dearest Mo!"
Jiang Chen was shocked. He hurriedly took the lady's arms. "Madame, please relax. As my good brother's wife, you are free to ask anything of me at your leisure."
But Madame Yun was inconsolable.
To the side, Emperor Peerless was a little embarrassed. "Excuse the lack of decorum, young lord Jiang Chen. Women are sometimes a bit more emotional than polite."
"Ah, please explain what is exactly wrong, Old Brother Mo." Jiang Chen quickly replied. "Your wife's sadness means this is no small matter."
"The supreme lord of the Order of Wind and Cloud fed the Order's members a certain 'Exultation Pill of Wind and Cloud'," Coiling Dragon followed up. "It's a potent poison, and victims may be hard to save after it acts."
Jiang Chen tensed when he heard this. "Old Brother Mo." He glanced at the man. "And what happened to your face?"
Emperor Peerless chuckled. "Nothing much. There's no need to mention it."
"Young lord, Brother Mo is a righteous man," Coiling Dragon advised. "His loyalty to humanity and Sacred Peafowl Mountain are well-tested. He did that himself to avoid detection from those familiar with him, so that he could stay hidden within the Order."
"It was something that couldn't be helped, really," Emperor Peerless smiled wryly. "The Order gathered many human experts together. Even wandering cultivator giants like Emperors Everviolet and Sabledeep joined up. Many of them know me, hence this unfortunate plan. Plus, the special bloodline abilities I've been cultivating lately masked much of my original martial dao. The two combined meant that I was able to successfully fool them."
Jiang Chen was both affected and respectful when he heard what the emperor had relayed.
"Old Brother Mo, Madame Yun. Don't worry. I'll find an antidote for the Exultation Pill. I may not have full confidence in other areas, but I can cure pretty much any removable poison!"
Emperor Peerless wouldn't have believed this of anyone else. After all, he knew firsthand how fearsome the Exultation Pill was. However, the fact that Jiang Chen was the speaker convinced him a great deal.
"My friends, the impression I got from the voice before was that it belonged to an empyrean expert in the human domain. Do any of you know what secluded experts we have?" Jiang Chen hadn't forgotten about the events that had just happened.
The appearance of secluded expert made him even more anxious than before. The situation in the human domain was becoming more and more complicated.
After crushing the northern alliance and slaying Pillzenith, Jiang Chen had thought the situation here to be within his grasp. It seemed that he had been too naïve.
The rise of the Order and the appearance of a hermit empyrean expert… all signs pointed toward things in the human domain gradually coming to a boil.
Jiang Chen swept his eyes across everyone before him. Unfortunately, he gleaned no useful information from what he saw. Evidently, most of the human domain thought hermit experts to be too far beyond their own realms of expertise…