Chapter 320: You’d Better Think This Through
Profound Secret Elder suddenly turned his head toward Tianze City and rose into the air. He soared high into the sky, gazing down upon the entire city from above, like one of the Immortals and Buddhas surveying the ants on the ground. "He Yi!"
His voice was abrupt.
Inside the imperial palace, He Yi saw the man in the black Daoist robe in the sky. With just a slight flicker of his form, he instantly appeared above the gates of Tianze City.
However, He Yi did not look at Profound Secret Elder. Instead, he gazed toward a distant spot in the Celestial Lake Swamp and said coolly, "Since you’ve all come, why are you still hiding? Or are the people of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land unable to show their faces in public?"
As He Yi’s voice faded, light and shadow surged in the sky above a certain spot in the Celestial Lake Swamp, and a cold, indifferent man emerged.
He had an imposing figure, slightly graying hair, and sharp features, making his age impossible to guess. He strode through the sky as if taking a leisurely stroll, orbited by seven Flying Swords.
With every step he took, a Flying Sword would automatically fly beneath his foot, serving as a stair.
He Cheng, the Old Ancestor of Tianze, looked up and was stunned to see the two men who had suddenly appeared in the sky. ’That’s the Mountain Master of Celestial Secret Mountain, Profound Secret Elder, and the Hall Master of the Steward Hall! To think the Celestial Profound Sacred Land would even deploy them.’
The masters of the Seven Great Sacred Mountains held the crucial duty of guarding their respective Holy Mountains and would rarely take action themselves. They would only emerge if the Celestial Profound Sacred Land faced a crisis of life and death. None of the Holy Mountain Masters of the Seven Great Sacred Mountains had been seen for over a hundred years, yet today, the Mountain Master of Celestial Secret Mountain, Profound Secret Elder, had personally come to Tianze.
Moreover, the Hall Master of the Steward Hall was in charge of all punishments within the entire Sacred Land. Although he did not have a Holy Mountain of his own, he possessed a status equal to that of a Holy Mountain Master and was just as formidable.
The Old Ancestor of Tianze couldn’t help but stare with wide eyes.
Outside Tianze City, the Hall Master of the Steward Hall, who had been strolling through the air, slowly arrived above the city gates and spoke indifferently:
"He Yi, this time, my Celestial Profound Sacred Land will set aside our grievances with you for the moment. We have come only for Shen Daoxing. As long as you hand over Shen Daoxing, I guarantee the safety of Tianze!"
"Hand over Shen Daoxing?"
He Yi’s eyes were cold as he stared straight ahead. He suddenly let out a sneer. "You lot from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land are truly nothing but vermin, crawling out to bite at the first opportunity. It was the same five hundred years ago, and it’s still the same now. Do you really think Shen is that easy to bully?!"
Profound Secret Elder’s cold, indifferent voice sounded out: "He Yi, are you saying you’re unwilling to hand over Shen Daoxing?"
He Yi, unperturbed, simply smiled faintly. "If you want Shen, you’ll have to ask my sword first!"
As he spoke, a flash of white light flared, and a small, slender longsword materialized in He Yi’s hand.
Seeing this, the Hall Master of the Steward Hall shook his head indifferently. "If that’s how it is, He Yi, then don’t blame my Celestial Profound Sacred Land for what comes next!"
And just as his words fell, the clouds above the Celestial Lake Swamp began to churn, and one after another, Cloud Ships descended from within.
Aboard the Cloud Ships, disciples of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land gripped their Magical Artifacts, standing at the prows, radiating killing intent.
One, two, ten... Dozens of enormous Cloud Ships appeared in a vast and mighty fleet, blotting out the entire sky.
In just a moment, they transformed into streaks of light and streaked forward, surrounding Tianze City completely, like an army of Divine Soldiers descending from the heavens.
With such a massive and imposing display, it was obvious the Celestial Profound Sacred Land had come well-prepared.
Inside Tianze City, the Old Ancestor of Tianze and everyone else raised their heads. Seeing the dark, oppressive mass above, their faces filled with stunned disbelief. ’It seems the Celestial Profound Sacred Land won’t rest until they’ve annihilated Tianze this time.’
Profound Secret Elder looked at He Yi indifferently. "He Yi, you need to think this through. Shen Daoxing is just a stranger to you. Are you really going to sacrifice your entire nation of Tianze for him? Even with your immense power, do you truly believe you can protect everyone here from my Celestial Profound Sacred Land?"
Profound Secret Elder spoke coolly, "He Yi, will it be Shen Daoxing alone? Or the people of Tianze? You’d better think carefully."
As his words fell, all the Cloud Ships surrounding Tianze City suddenly raised the Spiritual Essence Cannons on their decks.
Enormous red fireballs began to glow within the pitch-black cannon barrels, ready to be unleashed. The people inside Tianze City were struck with terror and instantly thrown into a panic.
The Old Ancestor of Tianze and the Emperor of Tianze were also at a loss.
Shen Daoxing looked up at the sky full of Cloud Ships, his expression darkening. Although Tianze’s Old Ancestor, He Cheng, wanted to hand him over to the Celestial Profound Sacred Land, the Emperor of Tianze, He Qian, and He Yong had always treated him well.
Shen Daoxing could not just stand by and watch them die before his very eyes.
With this, he hurriedly looked inward into his own body and called out, "Elder Blood Dragon, Elder Blood Dragon."
Things had come to this; if he wanted to protect everyone, his only option was to find a way to ask for the Blood Dragon’s help.
However, no matter how much Shen Daoxing called, the Blood Dragon gave no response.
At this very moment, the Blood Dragon was deep in slumber, still digesting the Soul Origin Crystal Stone it had just absorbed, and thus gave Shen Daoxing no reply.
He Yi, however, merely looked on with a nonchalant expression. He gave a faint, cool smile. "Sorry, I’m not one for making choices. I want it all!"
The corners of the Steward Hall Master’s mouth quirked up, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He raised a hand and swung it down gently. "Fine, then! He Yi! Let’s just see how you’re going to ’have it all’."
Suddenly.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
All the Cloud Ships’ Spiritual Essence Cannons fired at once. One by one, enormous, brilliant fireballs streaked through the air, blooming across the entire sky above Tianze City like dazzling fireworks.
And just as the massive fireballs were about to crash down, all the Snow Trees inside Tianze City began to sway and unfurl, though there was no wind. They stretched out, growing larger and longer, in one moment surpassing the houses, in the next surpassing the city walls. In an instant, they had become colossal trees that towered between heaven and earth.
The giant Snow Trees overlapped, layer upon layer, forming a massive, snow-white forest that sheltered the entirety of Tianze City beneath its branches.
The blasts from the Spiritual Essence Cannons struck them, creating nothing more than brilliant sparks before fizzling out.
The Hall Master of the Steward Hall raised his head and glanced coolly at Tianze City, now sheltered by the forest of Snow Trees. "He Yi, do you think you alone can stop everyone from our Celestial Profound Sacred Land?"
As he spoke, he reached out and waved a hand toward the Cloud Ships behind him.
Instantly, all the Celestial Profound Sacred Land disciples aboard the Cloud Ships leaped into the air, transforming into streaks of light as they charged toward Tianze City.
The Hall Master of the Steward Hall then took a step forward. The seven small Flying Swords by his side shot toward the sky, growing larger and larger until, in an instant, they were the size of Cloud Ships, transformed into colossal blades that could hold up the heavens.
"Fall!"
The Hall Master of the Steward Hall shouted softly, pointing a finger forward.
The seven colossal swords, like a divine punishment visited upon the mortal world, smashed down fiercely toward Tianze City.