Chapter 177 - 206: Celestial Mountain Mother, Blood Sunflower, and Chaos at the Border
"He’s a decent man."
A faint smile touched Su Bai’s lips as he watched the Captain of the Guard depart.
The Outer Elder of the Profound Blade Sect, however, had slumped to the ground. He kept his head bowed, his expression dark and sullen.
BOOM!!
The commotion here had just quieted down when suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the sky above.
Everyone looked up toward the heavens.
A mass of black clouds, shot through with bolts of lightning, howled overhead!
A bizarre, cackling "HEH HEH HEH" echoed from within the dark clouds.
An old crone’s laughter boomed from the clouds. "I’ve long heard that the Great Xia Elder National Preceptor, Xiao Rongshan, has been with the Fist Sect for many years and is acclaimed as the greatest Fist Venerable beneath the Saint Realm!"
"Seeing you today, it seems you’re not all that impressive!"
After the black clouds passed, a surging Fist Intent swept across the sky like a cascading wave.
A grim-faced, gray-robed old man gave chase, treading on the air itself.
BOOM!
The two exchanged blows in the sky, the force of their battle causing the clouds at the horizon to scatter.
Many people could clearly see that in this fight, Xiao Rongshan was at a disadvantage.
"It’s the Celestial Mountain Mother!"
A member of a Major Sect looked stunned after seeing the old crone attack, then couldn’t help but shout.
The Celestial Mountain Mother!
This person was one of the Divine Platform Realm Elders of the Celestial Mountain Pavilion. She cultivated a very profound Fist Technique and was incredibly powerful.
BOOM—
High in the sky, the two exchanged another punch. The terrifying blast of energy shattered the clouds and radiated for miles!
The next moment, a fearsome power washed over him. Xiao Rongshan’s expression changed slightly, and his body shot backward!
If he hadn’t managed to stabilize himself in mid-air, he likely would have crashed into the Imperial City, causing significant casualties!
"Haha! Everyone says this Xia Imperial City is like an immortal cage."
"But in this old mother’s opinion, it’s nothing special! This old mother can come and go as she pleases!"
"What can you do to me?"
Although she was arrogant on the surface, she knew deep down that she was no match for that newly-ascended Boxing Saint.
So, after delivering her threat, she immediately turned without a look back and flashed away to the east.
However, just as she had fled nearly thirty miles away...
"What... what is that!?"
Inside the Imperial City, someone cried out in alarm!
Attracted by his cry, the crowd quickly looked up.
The next moment, their pupils contracted sharply!
A sky-blotting giant hand, as if catching a small insect, tore through the clouds for miles and descended from high in the heavens!
"AHHH!!"
The Celestial Mountain Mother, who had just been so arrogant, only had time to let out a single scream before she was silenced completely.
BANG!!
Even the black cloud beneath her feet was churned into countless fragments by the gust of wind from the giant hand.
The sky-blotting hand came and went in a flash.
It vanished in the blink of an eye.
The people in the city were stunned. Some disciples from the major powers seemed to have guessed the identity of that existence, and their faces instantly changed as fear grew in their hearts!
SWISH!
Filled with apprehension, they immediately flashed away and departed.
After sending out a wisp of his Divine Thoughts to suppress the Celestial Mountain Mother, Su Bai returned to the prison.
He spent some time imprisoning her deep within a mysterious cavern.
Then, he checked her specific information.
[Criminal: Rong Jiufeng]
[Sin Level: Eight-Star]
[Strength: Divine Platform Realm Third Level]
[Status: Near Death (Imprisoned)]
[Suppression Involvement: 90%]
[Reward: 120,000 Experience Points/Hour]
’The reward isn’t bad.’
Su Bai nodded slightly.
The Celestial Mountain Mother, with only a wisp of consciousness remaining, narrowed her blood-red eyes. She looked at her surroundings, then at Su Bai before her.
Her entire being was plunged into deep confusion.
Her body trembled.
Ignoring her, Su Bai used his Experience Points to raise his Cultivation all the way to the Divine Platform Realm Ninth Layer!
At the same time, he infused the 500,000 Tier Two Experience Points he had previously drawn into his Third Immortal Golden Body Transformation, making his Physique even more formidable.
When Su Bai returned to the B-Class Prison, he saw Zhang Wei discussing something in low voices with a group of Prison Suppression Bureau Martial Artists.
Seeing Su Bai, Zhang Wei’s eyes lit up. He immediately walked over and said,
"Brother Su Bai, we’ve got more work!"
Su Bai, having just returned to the prison, was a little confused.
It wasn’t long before he understood what Zhang Wei meant by "work."
...
Deep in the night, a bright moon hung high in the sky. The city below was aglow with lights, but the streets were nearly empty.
The acrid smell of burning and the faint scent of blood occasionally drifted through the air.
By the light of the surrounding lamps, a group of Prison Suppression Bureau Martial Artists in red robes could be seen on the main street, escorting a crowd of disheveled men and women toward the prison.
CLANG! CLANG!!
The clanking of chains sounded particularly harsh in the quiet of the night.
"Stay in line!"
SMACK!
Zhang Wei slapped a shifty-eyed young man in a black robe, making the man grimace in pain and shrink back, not daring to resist at all.
He couldn’t help but lower his head even further.
These people were all members of both the orthodox and demonic paths who had caused chaos in the Imperial City today. Their Cultivation levels varied.
But now, they were all obediently bound hand and foot by chains. Even those with high Cultivation didn’t dare to resist.
After all, the tragic fate of the Celestial Mountain Mother from that evening was still fresh in their minds!
Because of this, for the rest of the day, even when they were snatching Secret Cultivation Technique Manuals and various Elixirs in the city, they only fought amongst themselves.
They didn’t dare to casually involve the citizens of Great Xia, lest they incur the displeasure of that certain existence.
And the "work" Su Bai and the others had received was to take custody of this group of troublemakers from the orthodox and demonic paths and lock them in the prison.
...
「Meanwhile, in the center of the Imperial City.」
Inside a spacious and brightly lit Emperor’s Hall.
Emperor Xia was sitting upright on a golden throne, his hands constantly flipping through documents on the Jade Table.
While recuperating, he was also reviewing the memorials that had already been marked during the day.
Normally, the memorials were handled by the Ninth Prince, Jiang Guanshui. Then, on his command, the reviewed memorials would be sent by guards to his residence for a detailed inspection.
’Guan Shui’s imperial destiny is stronger than my own!’
After finishing his review of the memorials, Emperor Xia couldn’t help but sigh, his face filled with joy and pride.
A burly middle-aged man approached from Emperor Xia’s right. He glanced at the reviewed memorials and then laughed heartily.
"Haha! Brother! I could tell long ago that boy Guan Shui had it in him!"
"He’s just a bit scrawny!"
"How about it! Let the boy train with me for a few years. I guarantee I’ll return him to you as a strapping young man, skilled in both scholarship and combat!"
His voice, like a great bell, echoed throughout the hall.
"Alright, that’s enough. I don’t want the boy coming back looking like a brute, just like you."
Emperor Xia replied with a lighthearted scolding, then put down the memorial in his hands.
He then chatted idly with his blood brother, King Wu, for a moment.
Soon, their conversation turned to serious matters.
"Brother! These people are secretly distributing large quantities of secret manuals and Elixirs. If this continues, the situation in the Imperial City will likely become more and more complicated."
"If we’re not careful, a bloody uprising could occur!"
King Wu said, his expression grim.
"Martial prowess has always been used to defy the law."
With such a vast number of people from various sects gathered in the Imperial City, the slightest misstep could trigger a massive upheaval.
Once temptation outweighs the rules, so-called order will be on the verge of collapse in an instant!
"I am aware of this matter."
Emperor Xia’s expression was equally grave. "Behind this, it is likely Demonic Forces such as Rashomon and the White Bone Hall pulling the strings."
"And their goal is probably not the so-called Sacred Artifact."
"It’s the cavern deep within the prison!"
"A cavern?"
King Wu frowned slightly, his curiosity piqued.
Despite his status, he had no idea there was such a cavern deep within the prison.
Emperor Xia didn’t say much more.
After all, even he himself only had a partial understanding and didn’t know much about it.
That cavern had existed since the first emperor established the dynasty; it was extremely mysterious.
Perhaps only the first emperor and the few remaining Great Sect Elders who are still alive know the specific details.
Even as the reigning Emperor Xia, he was not qualified to know more.
"By the way, what brings you back this time?"
"Could it be that there’s trouble at the border?"
Snapping back to the present, Emperor Xia asked in a low voice.
At the mention of the border, King Wu’s Heart Spirit grew heavy.
He calmed his emotions and said succinctly, "Brother, I previously sent men to investigate secretly. They discovered that a Blood Sunflower has appeared in the Great Xia Border region!"
"What? A Blood Sunflower!?"
Emperor Xia shot to his feet, his expression changing in alarm!
A Blood Sunflower!
This was a legendary treasure of heaven and earth, and to Demonic Cultivators, it was nothing short of a supreme holy object!
Consuming it could give birth to a wisp of Blood Sun Demon Fire within the body, greatly increasing the chances of breaking through to the Dragon Mansion Realm!
Countless people would flock to it like moths to a flame!
"Why would a Blood Sunflower appear at the Great Xia Border!?"
Emperor Xia’s face was grim.
’Someone must have deliberately placed this item on the Great Xia Border. The goal is to attract Outer Realm demon cultivators to attack and shatter the Great Xia Territory.’
No matter what, the current situation was extremely disadvantageous for Great Xia.
’Internal strife and external threats!’
"Report!!"
Just then, a Guard holding an urgent report from the border entered the great hall!