Chapter 281 - 279: Chaos
"Elder Qi! You are the Chief Instructor of our Sun-piercing Alliance. I trained in the Martial Dao under you, and you taught us to be unfailingly loyal to the Alliance. Now you’re colluding with outsiders to move against it?"
The Martial Arts Grandmaster guarding the underground prison glared at Elder Qi, his expression filled with anger and, even more, a sense of betrayal.
Elder Qi was his first mentor, and he never would have imagined that the very person who taught him to be loyal to the Alliance would be the one to betray it.
"I haven’t betrayed the Sun-piercing Alliance!"
Elder Qi sighed. "Guan Tianming has acted tyrannically. Just look at what he’s done all this time.
The reputation of our Sun-piercing Alliance is now in ruins throughout You Province. This underground prison holds thousands of Martial Artists. Which one of them doesn’t want to take revenge on the Sun-piercing Alliance?
And how many friends and family do they have on the outside? If we let Guan Tianming continue down this path, how can the Sun-piercing Alliance possibly maintain its footing in You Province?"
"Then you could have advised the Alliance Leader, Elder Qi! How could you join forces with outsiders to ruin the very foundation of our Sun-piercing Alliance?"
"If the Alliance Leader were willing to listen to advice, would I be here now? It’s not just an old codger like me. Wasn’t even Vice Alliance Leader Yuwen Shan berated by him?"
Elder Qi shook his head and said in a low voice, "Yuan Dong, I trained you myself. Among the Sun-piercing Alliance’s Primordial Pill Realm Grandmasters, you are the youngest.
If you want to preserve the Alliance, then come with me to find Vice Alliance Leader Yuwen Shan. We will take control of the Sun-piercing Alliance together and withdraw from Sun-piercing Valley with our remaining forces.
But if you remain loyal to Guan Tianming, then we will have no choice but to cross blades."
A conflicted expression appeared on Yuan Dong’s face, his features shifting constantly.
That he was assigned to guard the underground prison naturally meant he was a deeply loyal man.
To be precise, there were no real factions within the Sun-piercing Alliance. Guan Tianming was the strongest, and even if people were dissatisfied with his character, it didn’t change the fact that he was the pillar holding up the Sun-piercing Alliance.
Thus, Elder Qi had been one of Guan Tianming’s confidants, as had Yuan Dong. In truth, however, their loyalty was to the Sun-piercing Alliance itself.
But now Guan Tianming, the Alliance Leader of the Sun-piercing Alliance, was acting recklessly, digging up his own foundation. Such behavior would naturally lead men like Elder Qi, who were loyal to the Alliance, to betray him.
They weren’t betraying the Alliance, only him.
Seeing that Yuan Dong didn’t resume his attack, Chen Yuan knew the situation was stable. The only remaining hurdle was Yuan Dong’s own conscience.
Meanwhile, the dragon shadow from the Cyan Dragon Shadow Killing Array had already burst through the underground prison and soared into the sky, colliding with the Sun-piercing Alliance’s Sect Protection Array. A series of violent explosions echoed from above.
"Elder Qi, I have to go meet up with the other seniors from the Ming Sect. Can this man be trusted?"
Elder Qi glanced at Yuan Dong and sighed. "I taught him myself. He’s the same kind of person as me. How could he be untrustworthy?
Lord Chen, you may go. I’ll have Yuan Dong take me to Vice Alliance Leader Yuwen Shan.
I only hope your Ming Sect will honor our agreement: take only the Sun-piercing Sword, execute Guan Tianming, and do not harm any other innocent members of the Sun-piercing Alliance."
"Rest assured. As long as you don’t make an enemy of us, the Ming Sect will not slaughter the innocent."
With that, Chen Yuan leaped up and out of the underground prison.
Elder Qi looked at Yuan Dong and said gravely, "Yuan Dong, we’re out of time. The Array in the underground prison is shattered. These Independent Martial Artists have been locked up by our Sun-piercing Alliance for so long, and their hearts are filled with rage.
Besides, you must have sensed it. The Alliance Leader set up another Array in the prison to deepen the negative emotions in these Martial Artists. Once they escape, the outside world will descend into chaos.
Come with me to find Vice Alliance Leader Yuwen Shan immediately. We will rally the clear-headed disciples under his banner, leave Sun-piercing Valley, and start anew!
This isn’t about splitting the Sun-piercing Alliance—it’s about leaving the Sun-piercing Alliance a chance, a sliver of hope!"
Yuan Dong was finally convinced. Gritting his teeth, he took Elder Qi and left the underground prison.
Meanwhile, atop a mountain outside Sun-piercing Valley, four figures stood with their hands clasped behind their backs.
One of them, of course, was Mr. Bei, and another was the Vice Hall Master of Dubhe Hall, Du Yuanqi.
Of the other two, one was dressed in simple white robes, a Long Sword strapped to his back. The sword was wrapped in hemp rope and looked almost crude.
He had an ordinary face and looked to be in his early forties, but his eyes were astonishingly bright, like stars in the night sky.
This was Liu Bai, the ’Sword Fool,’ Hall Master of the Ming Sect’s Kaiyang Hall.
Standing in front of Du Yuanqi was a burly man. He was tall, with a thick, curly beard, and wore a suit of jet-black Greedy Wolf Heaven-Devouring Armor while holding a Great Halberd.
This was the Hall Master of Dubhe Hall, Wan Guiyuan.
"I’m telling you, Old Bei, you’re way too reckless. Young Friend Chen is one of the few true talents of our Ming Sect’s younger generation. You just threw him into the Sun-piercing Alliance all by himself? If anything happens to him, the last sapling of our Celestial Fire Hall will be snapped in two!"
Wan Guiyuan was clearly displeased.
He was a man of grand and bold gestures. During the Furnace Opening Assembly, it was only with Chen Yuan’s help that he’d been able to smoothly obtain a Healing Divine Medicine, so he felt he owed Chen Yuan a favor.
He was here to repay that favor. How could he let Xiaochen lead the charge?
"Relax. That kid Chen Yuan’s strength is far beyond what you can imagine. You really think his ranking on the Hidden Dragon Rankings was just for show?"
Mr. Bei sneered. "Speaking of which, I was the one who rushed over to the Furnace Opening Assembly to help you get that Healing Divine Pill. How come I don’t see you showing me this much concern?"
Wan Guiyuan’s eyes widened. "Old Bei, that’s a heartless thing to say! Back when you were besieged by that group of Esoteric Sect Monks in the Western Border, wasn’t I the one who rode a thousand li to save you?"
The two had known each other for years and had a life-and-death bond, having saved each other’s lives countless times. As a result, the concept of favors between them had long since become a blur.
"Hall Master, rest assured. Although Young Friend Chen is only in the Condensing Truth Realm, his strength is no less than that of a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster. What’s more, he is cautious and methodical and would never put himself in a dangerous situation."
Du Yuanqi, standing to the side, quickly added.
In truth, there had been no need for Du Yuanqi to come on this mission.
One more Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster wouldn’t make much of a difference, and neither would one less.
But Wan Guiyuan, wanting to be safe, had specifically called Du Yuanqi along to look after Chen Yuan.
"Even you say so. Is this Young Friend Chen really that powerful?"
Wan Guiyuan was puzzled.
It wasn’t that he looked down on Chen Yuan; he was just worried about his safety.
In his mind, no matter how strong Chen Yuan was, he was still only in the Condensing Truth Realm. He had seen the other talents on the Hidden Dragon Rankings before, so how strong could Chen Yuan possibly be?
Du Yuanqi gave a wry smile. "His strength is absolutely beyond your imagination, Hall Master. Young Friend Chen also performed meritoriously during the mission to seize the Valley Spirit Scripture, and that was after he only took over the matter halfway through.
Now, this mission to obtain the Sun-piercing Sword was planned by Young Friend Chen himself from the start. It’s bound to be foolproof."
Just as Wan Guiyuan was about to say something more, Liu Bai, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke: "They’ve made their move."
The others were momentarily stunned, then turned their gazes toward Sun-piercing Valley, where the Sun-piercing Alliance was located.
Within the valley, the light of an Array flared, erupting in a dazzling, brilliant radiance. The faint shadow of a roaring dragon could be seen within it.
"Let’s move!"
Mr. Bei barked the order, and the group immediately sped toward Sun-piercing Valley.
Back in Sun-piercing Valley, chaos had erupted.
First, the Sect Protection Array was suddenly attacked from within and damaged.
Then, all the Martial Artists they had previously captured began escaping from the underground prison. The thousands of escapees dealt a heavy blow to the Sun-piercing Alliance.
Most importantly, when the Alliance members tried to take action, they discovered two conflicting sets of orders circulating within the Sun-piercing Alliance.
One order declared that the Alliance Leader had acted tyrannically and recklessly, and it called for all Martial Artists loyal to the Sun-piercing Alliance to immediately gather around Vice Alliance Leader Yuwen Shan, break out of Sun-piercing Valley, and start anew.
The other order, issued by Vice Alliance Leader Pang Xing’an, was to use all available force to exterminate the escaped Independent Martial Artists and suppress the rebels who were trying to split the Alliance.
In short, the entire Sun-piercing Alliance was thrown into utter chaos.
Outside the central hall of the Sun-piercing Alliance, a powerfully built, middle-aged man knelt on one knee, his voice urgent. "Alliance Leader! There’s a crisis! Yuwen Shan is leading a revolt, all the Independent Martial Artists we captured have been released, and even our Sun-piercing Alliance’s Sect Protection Array has been breached and destroyed.
Someone is definitely trying to destroy our Sun-piercing Alliance from within! I implore the Alliance Leader to come out of seclusion and restore order!"
This middle-aged man was Pang Xing’an, the ’Mountain-Shaking Hand,’ a Vice Alliance Leader of the Sun-piercing Alliance and Guan Tianming’s staunchest confidant.
Ever since Guan Tianming had entered seclusion two months ago, he had not taken a single step out of the grand hall.
But now the outside world had descended into a chaotic mess. Why wasn’t the Alliance Leader coming out?
There was no response from within for a long moment. Just as Pang Xing’an was about to force his way in, the hall doors were suddenly pushed open, and a tall, gaunt figure emerged.
Seeing this figure, Pang Xing’an was stunned. "Alliance Leader, how did you become... like this?"
𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
In his youth, Guan Tianming, the ’Residual Cloud Sword,’ had been a famously handsome man in the Sun-piercing Alliance. Later, in middle age, he remained exceptionally handsome with a remarkable bearing.
But the Guan Tianming of this moment was so thin he was almost unrecognizable. His cheeks were sunken, his eyes were bloodshot, and his entire being radiated a vicious aura.
However, his aura did seem a bit stronger than before.
"Take me there!"
Guan Tianming turned his head toward Pang Xing’an. His voice was hoarse and cold, like scraping metal—excruciatingly grating to the ear.
Pang Xing’an shuddered under that gaze, feeling as if he were being stared down by some savage beast.
Pang Xing’an was about to nod when Guan Tianming spoke again. "Post men at the hall entrance. Don’t let anyone inside. Anyone who tries... dies!"
Pang Xing’an froze for a moment, then quickly summoned a dozen of his most trusted subordinates to guard the hall entrance while he immediately pointed the way.
With a WHISTLE of air, Guan Tianming vanished from before Pang Xing’an’s eyes, not even leaving an afterimage behind.
Such speed left Pang Xing’an stunned. ’What on earth has the Alliance Leader been doing these past two months? How has his strength changed so drastically?’