Chapter 660 - 442: Illusory Dream Celestial Sound Zither
Luoxia Ridge, the ruins of Celestial Profound Sect are surrounded by tens of thousands of people, all gathered to watch the spectacle.
A few Martial Saints from Beiding Continent quickly approached Gu Qingshan and Zhou Shen to pay their respects. Normally, they disliked seeing these two, but at this moment, it was as if they’d found their rock.
After all, to them, Celestial Profound Sect had been wiped out without reason. If a powerful outside force had set its sights on Beiding Continent, they hoped the Demon Hunter Organization would step forward, or at least provide some intelligence on who destroyed Celestial Profound Sect.
Gu Qingshan and Zhou Shen responded politely, asking if anyone had seen the scene of the battle.
As soon as they spoke, these Saint Realm experts realized that even the Demon Hunter Organization didn’t know who had destroyed Celestial Profound Sect, and couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
The Saint Master of Yellow Sand Valley spoke, "No one saw the process of the attack. It’s said that only a massive bell toll was heard, followed by the earth quaking. When people arrived here, Celestial Profound Sect was already in this state; not only was everything destroyed, but not a single corpse was found, everything turned to dust."
He paused and added, "According to the first people who arrived, when they got here, the ground was still smoking, as if it had been scorched by fierce flames."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingshan shook his head, "It wasn’t flames, it should have been struck by lightning."
He made a grabbing motion in the void, and a wave spread through the heavens and earth. Soon, a small wisp of electricity gathered in his hand.
Seeing this scene, several Saint Realm experts furrowed their brows, pondering which Imperial Soldier or Martial Emperor Powerhouse they knew of had the ability to wield lightning.
"In all my knowledge, there is no such weapon among the Eastern Domain’s Imperial Soldiers." Zhou Shen spoke.
Eastern Domain’s powers that possess Imperial Soldiers have been around for at least fifty to sixty thousand years, and the characteristics of these Imperial Soldiers are known throughout the world.
"No, there is one Imperial Soldier with the ability to harness thunder!"
A voice rang out, and Zhou Shen looked up to find that the speaker was the Saint Master from Yunxiao City.
"Which one?" Zhou Shen couldn’t help but ask.
The Saint Master from Yunxiao City took a deep breath and said, "Qi Daozhen’s Illusory Dream Celestial Sound Zither."
With these words, several Saint Realm experts’ eyes lit up, for Qi Daozhen had not left behind any power, and people had nearly forgotten that he wielded the Martial Emperor Divine Soldier, the Illusory Dream Celestial Sound Zither.
"Yes, previously in the Wilderness, it was Qi Daozhen’s descendant who killed Elder Xuanqing of Celestial Profound Sect. It’s not impossible for them to bring out the Illusory Dream Celestial Sound Zither to destroy the Celestial Profound Sect, since killing a Saint Realm expert from Celestial Profound Sect results in such a huge grudge, only wiping out the sect entirely could remove the threat."
A Saint Realm expert said, all pieces fitting together.
"Idiot, didn’t you hear it was a bell toll, not a zither sound."
Zhou Shen couldn’t help but say. Others might not know, but he and the old Clan Leader knew that the Bone Tribe hadn’t gotten hold of Qi Daozhen’s Illusory Dream Celestial Sound Zither. Even if it was in the Bone Tribe’s hands, the bell toll and zither sound obviously didn’t match.
This Saint Realm expert froze, realizing the problem.
Everyone fell silent, having finally found a power that had a grudge against Celestial Profound Sect and possibly an Imperial Soldier, but the weapon didn’t align.
The Saint Master of Yellow Sand Valley spoke up, "When I was gathering news earlier, someone said that yesterday during the day, Celestial Profound Sect seemed to know some terrifying powerhouse might attack and had already activated their Mountain Protection Array."
Which means Celestial Profound Sect knew who they had provoked, but now all Celestial Profound Sect disciples are dead, and no one knows who destroyed the sect.
"There’s another strange aspect!"
The Saint Master of Yellow Sand Valley’s voice was somber, "Typically, once an Imperial Soldier is invoked, its power is world-shattering, affecting hundreds of miles around, but the Martial Kings who arrived here first said they were only tens of miles away from Celestial Profound Sect at the time, yet didn’t feel the world-shattering power, only sensed the aura when Celestial Profound Sect’s Holy Array clashed with an enemy."
Gu Qingshan pondered for a while, and apart from confirming it wasn’t the Demon Fiend’s doing, he found no clues, so he didn’t linger here and left with Zhou Shen; as for these trembling Saint Realm experts, they didn’t care to manage them.
Normally, when the Demon Hunter Organization meddled in Jianghu matters, they’d be targeted, so now they’d let these people taste the fear.
"What do you want to say?" After flying for a while, Gu Qingshan couldn’t help but ask Zhou Shen.
Zhou Shen revealed a meaningful expression, "Leaving aside the Imperial Soldier, the bell toll, and all that, don’t you find this method of destruction familiar?"
Gu Qingshan froze, "You mean Wei Fan?"
The House-Slaying Demon Fiend wasn’t infamous for nothing; he had earned his reputation through true violence. Given Wei Fan’s grudge against Celestial Profound Sect, it could indeed be his doing.
"It’s very similar, but he shouldn’t be capable of this. Based on the reports, Celestial Profound Sect might have been wiped out in an instant."
The style is similar, but he doesn’t think Wei Fan has such ability.
"That’s not certain; that kid is very sinister, few know his true cards. Yesterday near Binjiang City, there was a Saint Realm battle, I worried something had happened to him and rushed over, but everything had ended, and three Dharma Martial Saints were dead. I suspect one of them was the Profound Sword, because in last night’s house-slaying event, Profound Sword did not appear. We’ll wait a few days to see if any other sects get wiped out..."
As they spoke, the two vanished into the horizon.
...
Daqian Kingdom, Yun Jin City.
"Everyone thinks he’s easy to bully, that they all want to kill him, little knowing not doing so is already his mercy." Zhi Hua sighed.
Zhou Shen was still suspicious, but she was one hundred percent certain Wei Fan destroyed Celestial Profound Sect, because she had seen the Ten Thousand Spirits Bell and knew the terror of that Great Golden Bell on Wei Fan.
"Little sister, what are you talking about?" Yang Tao walked over, puzzled, looking at Zhi Hua.
Zhi Hua shook her head, "Nothing, you heard wrong."
Yang Tao didn’t probe further, "Celestial Profound Sect has been destroyed, various powers are scrambling for their mines and stores, Father Emperor sends word for you to quickly return to the capital."
...
"Next, destroy Fire Cloud Cave!"
A day later, Wei Fan appeared at the Transmission Domain Gate in Celestial Star City, stepping into the gate leading to the Nanhe Continent.
He couldn’t leave Beiding Continent and go to other continents to hunt the Demon Saints unless he resolved these enemies one by one. These Holy Sects were shameless and wouldn’t hesitate to capture his friends if he disappeared.
...
Nanhe Continent, Fire Cloud Cave.
It is said that many years ago, the ancestor of Fire Cloud Cave traveled here and became a Saint inside a cave that spewed red clouds. Later, he established a sect here, naming it Fire Cloud Cave.
Though no descendants have ever seen that cave spewing red clouds, Fire Cloud Cave has flourished in Nanhe Continent since then.
"Saint Master, bad news! It’s being widely rumored that Celestial Profound Sect was annihilated by a mysterious person, leaving no survivors."
After three days, the news of Celestial Profound Sect’s annihilation finally reached Nanhe Continent.
"Destroyed?"
The Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave suddenly felt his hands and feet turn cold, as if he had plunged into an ice cave.
When his master Jiang Yiyun’s Soul Token shattered, he had a bad premonition and immediately sent someone to Beiding Continent to inquire about the news, never expecting to receive the news that Celestial Profound Sect had been wiped out overnight.
His master had just died, and the Celestial Profound Sect, who had allied with his master Jiang Yiyun to kill Wei Fan, was destroyed; there was no such coincidence in the world.
Moreover, that Wei Fan has been dubbed the House-Slaying Demon Fiend, which is also characteristic of him.
"It must be Wei Fan who did this, Fire Cloud Cave is in danger."
The Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave had alarm bells ringing in his heart. Even if it wasn’t Wei Fan who destroyed Celestial Profound Sect, it was related to Wei Fan. Based on Wei Fan’s past behavior, after Celestial Profound Sect’s destruction, if not them, then it would be Yuan Yi Sect next. Regardless of which comes first, his Fire Cloud Cave would still be endangered.
"Is there any other news? Who did these things?"
He hoped it wasn’t Wei Fan so that Fire Cloud Cave could be preserved. With his master’s death, there was little difference in strength between Fire Cloud Cave and Celestial Profound Sect. If Wei Fan could destroy Celestial Profound Sect, he could destroy Fire Cloud Cave.
The one reporting shook his head: "I don’t know, it’s said that no one in Beiding Continent saw how Celestial Profound Sect was destroyed. By the time people arrived after hearing the commotion, Celestial Profound Sect had already been erased from existence."
The Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave’s pupils constricted, realizing it wasn’t a battle that lasted several days and nights before Celestial Profound Sect was destroyed. Things were worse than he imagined, and it seemed likely to involve Emperor’s Power.
"Tian Qiuping, you beast!"
If Tian Qiuping weren’t dead, he would have killed Tian Qiuping himself. By now, Fire Cloud Cave had lost two Martial Saints and five or six Martial King Ninth Layer disciples.
"No, I must notify the Zhou Family, only they can protect my Fire Cloud Cave."
With a flick of his wrist, a Communication Jade Token appeared in his hand, and the Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave prepared to contact the Mountain Sea Zhou Family.
"No, I must first disperse the disciples of Fire Cloud Cave."
He quickly realized it was inappropriate; even if the Zhou Family sent experts, they wouldn’t arrive in time. He needed to disperse the disciples first. Even if Wei Fan and the powerful people behind him came to attack, at most, they’d destroy the mountain gate, but as long as the disciples were around, the legacy of Fire Cloud Cave would endure.
"Crack!"
But before he could issue any orders, the space above Fire Cloud Cave suddenly cracked open, revealing the pitch-black Void World.
When the Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave looked up, he saw a Golden Bell falling from the cracked sky, expanding with the wind.
"What is this? A treasure falling from the Void World?"
The Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave was stunned. The Void World was a battlefield for Saint Realm powerhouses; throughout endless ages, many Saint Realm powerhouses chose to bury themselves there when their lifespan was exhausted. It was essentially a massive treasure trove.
On the Golden Bell, all spirits paid homage, a Three-legged Golden Crow flapped its wings, Tiger Roar and Dragon’s Chant resounded, and there was a purple lightning symbol. Every part of it was filled with mysterious runes he, as a Great Saint, had never seen before, but importantly, he didn’t sense any danger from it.
Unable to contain his delight, the Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave soared up into the sky, preparing to capture the Golden Bell falling from the Void World.
The next moment, his Martial Arts Spiritual Sense sent a warning.
He then disregarded the treasure altogether, retreating back while throwing a punch to stop the Golden Bell from falling into the mountain gate. But when his Fist Seal struck the Golden Bell, it was actually shattered by a terrifying force.
"This isn’t good..."
His expression finally changed. The enormous Golden Bell began to emit radiant light reaching into the heavens, and the myriad spirits on it rose from their kneeling positions, all directing their gaze towards him, seemingly angry at his interruption of their worship.
"What a strange thing, could those shadows be alive?"
Those shadows appeared as real people, and he felt the genuine scrutiny in their gazes. Among them, some seemed to possess the aura of Saint Realm powerhouses, and one gaze felt strikingly familiar, almost like... Master Jiang Yiyun.
"Master?"
Looking closely, one of the shadows on the Golden Bell was indeed none other than Master Jiang Yiyun. Although the true appearance was obscured, the unique demeanor was unmistakable, and the clothes were the same ones worn when leaving Fire Cloud Cave.
The Saint Master of Fire Cloud Cave felt his scalp tingle; could his deceased master have transformed into one of the shadows on this mysterious Golden Bell?
"Dong..."
The next moment, the Golden Bell vibrated, and a melodious, resonant bell sound echoed in his ears.