Chapter 295: Unexpected
By the time the group rushed to Ancestor Mountain and reached the summit,
all of Tianze’s civil and military officials had already gathered before the altar at the center.
Upon the altar, the majestic statue of Tianze’s first ancestor stood tall.
The Tianze Emperor and the National Preceptor, Elder Xu, held sandalwood incense and kowtowed solemnly.
"Peng!"
He Qian hurried over to General Peng Yue and whispered a few words in his ear.
Peng Yue’s expression immediately turned grave. He turned, walked toward the altar, and then quickly came back out.
"Young Master, please rest assured. His Majesty is already aware of the matter. With us guarding this place, those people from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land will not dare to act recklessly."
Peng Yue said reassuringly.
He Qian nodded, then turned to Shen Daoxing. "Young Master Yang, please don’t worry. You are an honored guest of Tianze. No matter what grievances you have with the Celestial Profound Sacred Land, Tianze will protect you. This is our nation. If those people from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land don’t want to anger our ancestor, they shouldn’t dare cause any trouble."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Shen Daoxing cupped his fists and bowed solemnly.
"Let the sacrificial ceremony begin!"
An old eunuch’s shrill voice rang out.
The Tianze ancestor worship ceremony officially commenced.
Below the altar, all the civil and military ministers suddenly dropped to their knees, touching their foreheads to the ground.
The Tianze Emperor and the National Preceptor, Elder Xu, lit the sandalwood incense in their hands. They approached the statue of Tianze’s first ancestor and performed three bows and nine kowtows with solemn reverence.
Finally, the two of them inserted their incense into the censer on the offering table.
The Tianze Emperor stepped forward, clasped his hands before the statue, and uttered an ancient, incomprehensible sacrificial incantation.
Specks of silver light began to float up from the incense censer.
At that moment, a point of light appeared on the chest of the ancestor’s statue, and it grew brighter and brighter.
Faintly, a map actually flew out from within.
The Tianze Emperor extended his hand, and the map flew into it automatically.
"Your Majesty, is this...?"
Beside him, the National Preceptor, Elder Xu, couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
"This is the map that records the Celestial Essence Ore Vein."
The Tianze Emperor turned to the National Preceptor with a smile. "It records the locations of all the Celestial Essence Ore Veins within the Celestial Lake Swamp."
"So the map was hidden inside the ancestor’s statue all along."
The National Preceptor, Elder Xu, was astonished. "No wonder the Celestial Profound Sacred Land could never find it back then."
"Of course."
The Tianze Emperor smiled smugly. "Our ancestor discovered this treasure trove of ore veins in a perilous, hidden land. National Preceptor, look."
As he spoke, the Tianze Emperor slowly unfurled the map before Elder Xu.
The National Preceptor, Elder Xu, looked down and saw that the entire map of the Celestial Lake Swamp was densely covered with markings for ore veins.
"So the ground beneath the Celestial Lake Swamp is filled with Celestial Essence Ore Veins."
The National Preceptor, Elder Xu’s eyes lit up instantly.
"Hehehe!"
The Tianze Emperor laughed with delight. "That’s right! National Preceptor, with your skills in crafting Elixirs and this vast Celestial Essence Ore Vein, we can create not just one Creation Pill, but hundreds! When that time comes, forget the Refining Dust Realm; we can even break through to the Celestial Balance Realm and see the magnificent world that lies beyond."
"That’s right!"
The National Preceptor, Elder Xu, picked up the ore vein map, his eyes gleaming and an irrepressible smile on his face. "Except... the one who will step into the Celestial Balance Realm won’t be ’us.’ It will be me!"
As he spoke, Elder Xu flicked his sleeve and tucked the map into his robes.
"!!!"
The Tianze Emperor froze, then shot his head up to look at Elder Xu. "National Preceptor, what is the meaning of this?"
At this moment, Elder Xu’s expression had changed completely. His face was cold, impassive, and utterly devoid of emotion. He no longer resembled the kind, affable old man from before; he was like a completely different person.
The National Preceptor, Elder Xu, looked on indifferently. "What else could it mean?" he asked lightly.
He clapped his hands lightly.
The next moment, a group of disciples from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land suddenly appeared, completely surrounding the altar.
"You colluded with people from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land!"
The Tianze Emperor was instantly shocked.
"No!"
The National Preceptor, Elder Xu, spoke faintly, then gave a cold smile. "He Wu, I have always been a member of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land. Why would I need to collude?"
As soon as Elder Xu’s voice fell, the surrounding disciples of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land stepped forward in unison and bowed respectfully. "Elder Xu!"
"What!"
Instantly, an uproar broke out among the crowd below the altar.
"I told you these outsiders had malicious intentions and couldn’t be trusted! Father-Emperor should never have let any of them in!"
Below the altar, the Eldest Prince, He Yu, shouted.
The National Preceptor, it turned out, had been a spy for the Celestial Profound Sacred Land all along.
He Qian and He Yong froze, both equally stunned by the revelation.
Shen Daoxing was even more surprised. ’The Celestial Profound Sacred Land didn’t infiltrate Tianze for me, but for the Celestial Essence Ore Vein.’
"Protect His Majesty!"
A cry of alarm rang out.
"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"
At that moment, three figures shot up from the ground and landed on the altar.
In the blink of an eye, General Peng, General Deng, and General Yuan had arrived, surrounding Elder Xu.
"Xu Hong, to think you were a spy for the Celestial Profound Sacred Land."
A furious roar erupted.
The auras of Peng Yue, Deng Fang, and Yuan Yuan suddenly surged, and a dazzling light shot into the sky.
The next moment, the three of them became like a rainbow streaking across the sky, charging toward Elder Xu with unstoppable momentum.
However, Elder Xu didn’t even glance at them. He only slowly raised his hand.
"SNAP!"
He snapped his fingers softly.
The airborne figures of Peng Yue, Deng Fang, and Yuan Yuan froze abruptly. Their eyes widened. Without any warning, the three of them fell from the sky, their bodies suddenly convulsing.
"What did you do?"
The Tianze Emperor was startled and stared at Elder Xu, but as the ruler of a nation, he quickly calmed himself.
"Excellent! Excellent! Xu Hong! You are truly audacious, daring to seize my Celestial Essence Ore Vein."
With no visible movement, the Tianze Emperor’s aura suddenly skyrocketed.
"BOOM!"
A massive boom echoed.
The ground beneath the Tianze Emperor’s feet suddenly shattered.
The people below the altar felt as if a crushing weight had descended upon them. They all faltered, finding it difficult to even breathe.
The Tianze Emperor was a master at the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm. Now that he knew Elder Xu’s true identity, what was there to fear?
However, a faint smile touched Elder Xu’s cold face. "He Wu, did you think I did nothing all these years I spent in Tianze?"
Then, he slowly raised his hand.
"SNAP!"
He snapped his fingers softly.
Suddenly, the Tianze Emperor’s brows furrowed. He seemed to feel something, and then he opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood. The aura that had just surged within him instantly crumbled.
"THUD!"
With a heavy thud, the Tianze Emperor fell to his knees.
"HISS..."
Wisps of black smoke began to rise from his body.
The Tianze Emperor’s face was deathly pale. He trembled uncontrollably, completely drained of strength.
"What did you do."
The Tianze Emperor looked up at Elder Xu, shocked.
Elder Xu didn’t answer, only offering a cold, indifferent smile before raising his fingers and snapping them once more.
In a flash—
"THUD!"
"THUD!"
"THUD!"
...
One after another, everyone present collapsed to the ground. Plumes of black smoke drifted up from their bodies as their faces turned pale and they trembled, utterly powerless.
Only Shen Daoxing remained standing, completely unharmed.