Chapter 453: Saint’s Relics
They flew deep into the Spiritless Wilderness. As soon as they entered, Lin Yun and the forty-nine other disciples all took the Antitoxic Pills provided by the palace.
Although many years had passed, remnants of the Five Poison Saint’s deadly poison still lingered in the Spiritless Wilderness. Because of this, one had to take an Antitoxic Pill upon entry, or risk being poisoned.
They passed a desolate city, half-buried in yellow earth. From the ruins, it appeared to be the very city slaughtered by the Five Poison Saint.
Long since buried in the loess, there was no telling how many bones lay beneath. Many of its inhabitants probably never knew of the Five Poison Saint, nor had they ever wronged him.
Yet, in the Saint’s fury, they were all reduced to skeletons, left to lie silently in this spiritless land.
Flying past the desolate city, they continued toward the deepest part of the Spiritless Wilderness. There, tens of thousands of people were already waiting.
They were from the various powers, large and small, of the Eastern Domain. Due to a rule set by the Five Great Forces, each power could only send ten disciples. These lesser powers had arrived early and were now waiting for the Five Great Forces to appear.
Before these assembled powers stood a lush, verdant pavilion. This had to be the Saint’s Relics.
It was a stark contrast to the rest of the Spiritless Wilderness. Who could have imagined that in the heart of this barren land, where not a single blade of grass grew, such a verdant pavilion would exist?
The area was overgrown with vegetation. Two colors of flowers, red and white, bloomed all around the pavilion, creating a breathtaking sight.
However, layers of Restrictions protected the pavilion, making it seem to shimmer and waver. It felt as if it were right before your eyes, yet also a great distance away.
None of the powers from the Eastern Domain who had arrived first dared to rashly approach the pavilion. They had even deliberately left five large clearings vacant, awaiting the arrival of the Five Great Forces.
At first glance, the groups that had arrived early seemed disorganized. However, a closer look revealed they were separated into distinct camps.
For example, the Bai Family, the He Family, and other powers subordinate to the Flawless Palace were gathered together. They had left a large clearing before them for the Flawless Palace itself.
It was the same for the other Four Great Forces. Their respective subordinate powers had all clustered together, leaving a large open space in front for their patrons.
It was worth noting that as subordinate powers of the Flawless Palace, the Bai Family and the He Family had also received a quota of ten people each. Both families had sent the most outstanding members of their clans to try their luck in the Saint’s Relics.
However, for an event as significant as the emergence of a Saint’s Relics, historically, the inheritance had never once been obtained by a lesser power. The successor was always chosen from among the Six Great Forces.
They had been waiting for many days when, finally, someone shouted, "Look!"
Following the shout, several massive White-headed Eagles appeared in the distance. They were the mounts of the Wuji Sect. The five eagles flew slowly to the front of their subordinate powers and descended.
"Have the others not arrived yet?" The Wuji Sect’s contingent was led by three Supreme Elders. Including the Supreme Elder who had come to scout earlier, they had a total of four Spirit Realm experts.
As for their disciples, the Wuji Sect played no tricks. They brought exactly fifty people—no more, no less—with Song Tianyang prominently among them.
This was only natural. The Five Great Forces had already made an agreement, and no one would be foolish enough to try anything on this matter.
With the Wuji Sect’s arrival, their subordinate powers hurried forward to pay their respects. The four leading Supreme Elders simply nodded faintly in acknowledgment.
Before long, the people from Taiqing Academy arrived as well. Five Cyan Cloud Cranes landed in the clearing reserved for them. They were also led by three Supreme Elders, who, along with the one who had arrived earlier, made a total of four.
After Taiqing Academy came Celestial Eagle Valley. At the same time, the Flawless Palace contingent arrived. The two great powers landed in their respective areas almost simultaneously.
Four of the Five Great Forces were now present, and the atmosphere grew palpably tense. It wasn’t just the disciples; even the mounts of the four powers were eyeing each other with hostility.
The Firebirds, for instance, showed their displeasure toward Celestial Eagle Valley’s Black Feathered Eagles the moment they landed. Spitting wisps of flame, they projected an attitude that screamed, ’I don’t like the look of you.’
Seeing this, the Black Feathered Eagles naturally retaliated. One flapped its hard, black wings a couple of times and shouted at the Firebirds, "Little firebirds, don’t get in your grandpa eagle’s way. Scram."
At these words, the five Firebirds from the Flawless Palace were instantly enraged. The leader shot back furiously, "You son of a bitch, you looking for a thrashing?"
Right from the start, the mounts of the two sides were at each other’s throats. The five Firebirds and five Black Feathered Eagles glared furiously at one another. At that moment, a Supreme Elder from Celestial Eagle Valley spoke up. "Shouldn’t the Flawless Palace keep its mounts in check?"
Hearing this, a Supreme Elder from the Flawless Palace retorted, "I think Celestial Eagle Valley should be the one to manage its own."
While the Firebirds and Black Feathered Eagles were locked in a staredown, the Wuji Sect’s White-headed Eagles laughed coarsely. "Haha, a pair of stupid birds. Same as always, idiotic to the core."
Hearing this, the Firebirds and Black Feathered Eagles instantly turned on the White-headed Eagles and screeched, "What did you say?"
"Hmph. I said you two are stupid birds. What about it? It’s been years since we last fought. You want to go a round now?" the Wuji Sect’s White-headed Eagle laughed, completely unconcerned.
"Fine, if you want a fight, bring it on!" With that, a Black Feathered Eagle flapped its wings, about to take to the sky, but it was stopped by a nearby Supreme Elder from Celestial Eagle Valley.
The Four Great Forces displayed intense hostility the moment they arrived. This was unavoidable. Among the Six Great Forces of the Eastern Domain, with the exception of the Death Row Shelter, the enmities among the other five ran deep. Whenever they met, it was always like this.
Just as the Black Feathered Eagles and White-headed Eagles were bickering, the Spiritual Light Pavilion arrived. Five Wind Spirit Birds landed gracefully in the last clearing.
If one were to ask which of the Five Great Forces was the most popular, the answer would undoubtedly be the Spiritual Light Pavilion. The Pavilion accepted only female disciples and was home to countless beauties, earning it the reputation of a paradise for the men of the Eastern Domain.
And indeed, as the five Wind Spirit Birds landed, they revealed fifty female disciples and not a single man among them. Their group was also led by three Supreme Elders from the Spiritual Light Pavilion, all of them graceful, mature women. While perhaps not beauties capable of toppling nations, they were certainly stunning enough to outshine the moon and make flowers blush.
The moment the Spiritual Light Pavilion arrived, the disciples from the other Four Great Forces turned to look at them. This was especially true for Song Tianyang and the other top prodigies, known as the three great Demon Fiends of the Eastern Domain. Their gazes fell almost simultaneously on a young woman dressed in white.
Even among the fifty female disciples of the Spiritual Light Pavilion, this young woman stood out from the crowd.