Chapter 256: Hurry, Get Them Back
Somewhere in the East Continent, amidst a vast sea of clouds, towering mountains pierced the heavens, standing above the cloud layer.
KREEE—
A clear, resonant crane’s cry rang out.
Several immortal cranes flew slowly between the mountains. Within the ethereal mist, jade pavilions and exquisite towers were faintly visible.
Inside one of the halls within these exquisite towers, eight towering Dharma Aspect projections stood upon lotus daises, their presence imposing.
Each one was exceptionally handsome and elegant, with the air of a celestial being. Wreathed in a soft glow, they looked like deities descended from the heavens.
In their very center was an old man with white hair but a youthful face. His Daoist robes flowed around him, shimmering with light; he was the Celestial Secret Elder, Mountain Master of Celestial Secret Mountain. The others were also Mountain Masters from the various Holy Mountains of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land, along with the Steward Hall Master. Every one of them held an extraordinary status.
Just then, a yellow light flared outside the hall’s entrance. A yellow paper talisman flew up from below the clouds and shot into the grand hall.
A tall figure beckoned with a hand, and the yellow talisman flew over to him automatically.
The tall figure glanced down at it, his brow suddenly furrowing. "Wuchen and Sword Fool are dead. They were killed by the Celestial Slaughter Star."
"That’s not right!"
The Celestial Secret Elder in the center looked grave. "I have used a Daoist Technique to divine the celestial secrets. The Celestial Slaughter Star’s current cultivation is merely at the Grotto Heaven Realm. How could he possibly have killed Wuchen and Sword Fool?"
"But Senior Brother Wuchen and Sword Fool did, in fact, die at his hands," the tall figure said.
The Celestial Secret Elder’s brow furrowed deeply. "Let me perform another divination."
As he spoke, the Celestial Secret Elder began to form hand seals for his calculation. Suddenly, his expression turned to shock. "Hm?"
BLEGH!
He opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood.
"Senior Brother, are you alright?"
The others asked hurriedly.
The Celestial Secret Elder looked down at his own fingers, his brow locked in disbelief. "He... When did he break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm?"
"Oh? The Spirit Transformation Realm?"
A dignified figure raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t the Celestial Slaughter Star only seventeen or eighteen? To reach the Spirit Transformation Realm at such a young age..."
The dignified figure turned to a slender figure beside him. "Junior Sister Xinyan, even that Shangguan Yiran your Yunxiao Mountain just recruited is no match for such talent, is she?"
The slender figure’s eyes were indifferent, her expression cold. She said nothing.
"Reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm at such a young age... He truly is the top genius from this year’s entrance assessment. But since he is the Celestial Slaughter Star, fated to destroy our Celestial Profound Sacred Land, he must die."
The cold, emotionless voice of the Steward Hall Master sounded from the side.
"No matter!"
A portly figure waved his hand dismissively. "Yuwen Wuji, Wang Mingxuan, and Wu Feihua have already reached Ancient Moon City. Wang Mingxuan and Wu Feihua are both masters at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Transformation Realm. Yuwen Wuji is an even greater prodigy at the Earth Profound Realm and our Sacred Land’s youngest Pilot Disciple. With the three of them acting together, no matter how formidable that Celestial Slaughter Star is, he has no chance of survival."
Hearing this, the Steward Hall Master nodded proudly. "That’s right. With my disciple, Yuwen Wuji, taking action, the Celestial Slaughter Star will surely die."
"Speaking of this Shen Daoxing, he reminds me of someone from five hundred years ago."
The dignified figure, the Mountain Master of Luojia Mountain, spoke again.
"Oh?"
The portly Mountain Master of Qiongcang Mountain looked over. "Senior Brother Gu Yuan, are you talking about that person from the Huangliang Secret Realm?"
The Luojia Mountain Master nodded. "He single-handedly slaughtered so many of our Sacred Land’s Inner Sect geniuses. Even our Senior Brother Xingtian, a prodigy of the Earth Profound Realm, fell to him. That was the greatest loss the Celestial Profound Sacred Land has ever suffered. Even the Saint Master was enraged at the time. That person, too, was only seventeen or eighteen, yet he was truly formidable."
"Indeed!"
The Qiongcang Mountain Master nodded and sighed with emotion. "Fortunately, Senior Brother Xuan and Senior Brother Nan Xuan joined forces to kill him in the end. Otherwise, who knows how many more talented disciples our Celestial Profound Sacred Land would have lost."
As he spoke, the Qiongcang Mountain Master looked toward the Celestial Secret Elder and the Steward Hall Master.
But the Celestial Secret Elder shook his head with a look of regret. "It’s just a pity we acted a step too late and couldn’t save Senior Brother Xingtian."
The Steward Hall Master beside him nodded repeatedly. "Indeed! If Senior Brother Xingtian were still alive, with his abilities, this position of Steward Hall Master should rightfully be his."
"Senior Brother Xuan, Senior Brother Nan Xuan, you are both far too modest," the Qiongcang Mountain Master said with a respectful bow. "Eliminating such a scourge for our Sacred Land was a deed of immeasurable merit. You are more than worthy of the positions you hold today!"
The Celestial Secret Elder quickly raised a hand to wave it off. "Enough. It was merely a trivial matter from the past, not worth mentioning again."
With that, the Celestial Secret Elder turned to the Luojia Mountain Master. "Junior Brother Gu Yuan, what have you found out about the Celestial Slaughter Star’s identity?"
The Luojia Mountain Master replied, "The Celestial Slaughter Star’s identity is clear. He’s a boy from the remote Martial Kingdom, a native of Baiyun City. He’s merely an adopted son of the Shen Family, a minor local clan with no significant background."
"Oh? To have achieved such a cultivation level with no powerful faction backing him?"
The Celestial Secret Elder was even more astonished.
The Luojia Mountain Master nodded, then with a light flick of his elegant sleeve, a stream of light shot out, and an illusory figure appeared in their midst. "This is what Shen Daoxing looks like."
The figure was that of a young man in a white robe, carrying a massive, dark sword on his back. His features, no longer blurry, were now presented clearly before everyone.
"Hm?"
Profound Celestial Secret and Nan Xuan looked up and froze instantly. "How can it be him?"
The two of them immediately exchanged a look of shocked astonishment.
The Luojia Mountain Master looked at the Celestial Secret Elder in confusion. "Senior Brother Xuan, Senior Brother Nan Xuan, do you know this person?"
The Celestial Secret Elder and the Steward Hall Master exchanged another glance and hurriedly shook their heads. "No, we don’t know him."
Suddenly, the Celestial Secret Elder’s eyes flew wide as a thought struck him. He whipped his head toward the Qiongcang Mountain Master. "Wait, Junior Brother Yangming, who did you say you sent?"
The Qiongcang Mountain Master replied slowly, "It was Yuwen Wuji, Wang Mingxuan, and Wu Feihua."
The Celestial Secret Elder was horrified. "Quick! Tell them to come back! Come back! Don’t let them throw their lives away!"
The Qiongcang Mountain Master was bewildered. "Senior Brother Xuan, that Shen Daoxing has only just entered the Spirit Transformation Realm. Even if he’s a genius, he can’t possibly be a match for Yuwen Wuji, who is at the Earth Profound Realm!"
The Celestial Secret Elder said urgently, "There’s no time to explain! Just hurry and call them back!"
The Qiongcang Mountain Master looked puzzled, not understanding why Profound Celestial Secret was so anxious. "But the three of them are already in Ancient Moon City. I’m afraid they’ve likely already engaged Shen Daoxing."
"What!"
The Celestial Secret Elder was aghast. "Quick, send someone to help them! Send a Steward Elder at the Refining Dust Realm! Who is closest to Ancient Moon City right now?"
The Qiongcang Mountain Master paused for a moment. "Elder Yuan Hua should be in the nearby Qingyang City, but I believe he has other important matters to attend to."
"What could possibly be more important? Tell him to drop everything and go now!" the Celestial Secret Elder shouted frantically.