Chapter 294: Infiltration
He Yong walked on the mountain, his mood a little low. "It’s a shame. We failed to summon the Ancestor again."
He Yong had grown up listening to all sorts of heroic tales about the Ancestor. He worshipped the Ancestor more than anyone and his greatest wish was to meet him just once. Unfortunately, the Ancestor had not appeared in over a hundred years.
"If the Ancestor is unwilling to come out, he must have his reasons."
He Qian responded.
He Yong fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up. "Sister, do you think... the Ancestor is really still in Tianze? I heard that back then, the Ancestor had to go into seclusion because his time was running out. Could he have..."
Before He Yong could finish, He Qian cut him off. "He is! Of course, he is! He will always protect us, protect Tianze."
He Yong paused, then suddenly added, "Sister, but did you know? Those guys from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land sent people again yesterday. They wanted to enter Tianze, saying they were searching for some Celestial Slaughter Star, but Father Emperor turned them away."
’Those guys from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land are already in Celestial Lake Town?’
Hearing this, Shen Daoxing frowned, a little worried about Elder Mu and Xin, who were still in Celestial Lake Town.
’But Elder Mu is good at staying hidden, so he should be fine. Still, since the Celestial Profound Sacred Land has taken notice of this place, I should find a way to leave quickly.’
He Yong was quiet for a moment before continuing, "Sister, you know the Celestial Profound Sacred Land has always wanted to get its claws into Tianze. With the Ancestor not having appeared for so many years, their actions have grown bolder and bolder. If this goes on, I’m afraid..."
He Yong might seem carefree, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew that Tianze had remained safe for hundreds of years entirely because of the Ancestor’s protection. If their Ancestor was gone, the Celestial Profound Sacred Land would undoubtedly make a move against Tianze.
After all, Tianze was one of the few nations in the East Continent that they couldn’t control.
"That’s why when we face danger, we can’t always think about relying on the Ancestor. We have to become strong ourselves so that we can protect Tianze even without him."
He Qian paused, then turned to He Yong with a serious expression. "So, Yong, you must not slack off in your cultivation from now on."
"Yes, Sister."
He Yong nodded, his gaze instantly turning serious.
At that moment, Shen Daoxing stood up with a meaningful smile and looked at He Yong. "Third Prince, shall we continue today then?"
"Huh?"
He Yong froze. Recalling his pathetic state from the day before, he shivered and his face paled. "Oh! Yang, I just remembered His Majesty has something for me to do, I..."
Saying that, He Yong turned to slip away.
But Shen Daoxing wasn’t about to let him escape that easily. With a swift grab, he snatched him up.
"AHH..."
"ARGH..."
Miserable screams once again echoed across the training ground.
Passersby on the road couldn’t help but turn their heads, shocked. ’Who is this person, so bold as to torture their prince like this?’
Meanwhile, at the edge of the training ground, He Qian smiled faintly, finding the sight quite pleasing.
He Yong looked at his sister’s smiling, silent face and thought she looked like a demon.
"AHH..."
"ARGH..."
"AHH..."
...
The miserable screams continued until nightfall.
Seeing He Yong lying on the ground, seemingly unable to endure any longer, Shen Daoxing finally stopped and withdrew his power.
Back at his residence.
Shen Daoxing sat in meditation on his bed, his body shimmering with a seven-colored, resplendent light.
He could feel his control over the seven-colored power within him growing more and more proficient.
「Deep in the night, all was still.」
In the city of Tianze, flickering candles were extinguished one by one, and the entire city fell into silence. The sky was dotted with countless stars, and the moon shone brightly.
But at the edge of the Celestial Lake Swamp, figures were moving about. They wore long blue robes with swords on their backs—they were people from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land.
Several of them traveled forward by boat, arriving before a small patch of green in the middle of the lake. They disembarked cautiously, but before they had taken more than a few steps, one of them suddenly fell into the water.
The next moment, the man was instantly dragged to the bottom of the lake by some force. GLUG GLUG. A series of bubbles floated up, and when he resurfaced, he was already a skeleton.
Everyone was startled.
Just then, an ancient, deep voice echoed faintly, "The Celestial Lake Swamp is a land of absolute peril. You cannot take a single wrong step, or you will be doomed beyond redemption."
Immediately after, an old man slowly walked out from the depths of the Celestial Lake Swamp, right across the surface of the lake.
"Elder!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, the members of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land quickly bowed in respect. Clearly, this man held a high position within the Sacred Land.
"Follow me."
The old man said nothing more, only uttering those two words before turning and walking toward the depths of the Celestial Lake Swamp.
The members of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land immediately followed the elder’s steps, proceeding cautiously.
A short while later, they slowly vanished into the depths of the Celestial Lake Swamp.
「The next day.」
The city of Tianze was festooned with lanterns and colorful decorations. The sound of firecrackers filled the air as a lively festival atmosphere permeated every corner.
From time to time, long processions with dancing Azure Dragons, Vermilion Birds, Black Tortoises... and shadow puppets of a hundred beasts paraded through the streets.
He Qian led Shen Daoxing and He Yong through the sea of people.
"This is the Qinyuan Festival, the grandest festival in all of Tianze," He Qian explained, turning to Shen Daoxing. "During the festival, my Father Emperor will worship the ancestors on Ancestor Mountain and simultaneously open a new Celestial Essence Ore Vein. Yang, if there’s anything you need, you just have to ask."
Shen Daoxing nodded. He turned his head and saw nothing but a sea of people, along with a dazzling array of shops selling treasures, Spiritual Medicine, and more.
’It’s just a shame the Celestial Profound Sacred Land is closing in. I have to get what I need and leave as quickly as possible.’
"Young Master! Young Master!"
Just then, a familiar voice rang out by Shen Daoxing’s ear.
Shen Daoxing turned toward the sound and saw Elder Mu, with Xin in tow, pushing his way out of the crowd.
Shen Daoxing was surprised. "Why are you here?"
Elder Mu reached Shen Daoxing’s side, panting as he caught his breath. He saw He Qian and He Yong beside Shen Daoxing and hesitated to speak.
"Speak freely," Shen Daoxing said.
Elder Mu quickly said, "Young Master, I saw people from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land in Celestial Lake Town! I discovered they’ve already secretly infiltrated the nation of Tianze. We have to leave quickly."
"That’s right! That’s right!" Xin nodded repeatedly beside Elder Mu.
’The people from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land are already here?’
Shen Daoxing’s brow suddenly furrowed. ’They sure move fast.’
"Hah, this Celestial Profound Sacred Land is getting more and more outrageous," He Yong exclaimed indignantly. "How dare they sneak in without Tianze’s permission!"
He Qian frowned as well. "We must inform Father Emperor of this immediately. We have to be extremely careful. No matter what the Celestial Profound Sacred Land’s objective is, we absolutely cannot let them ruin Tianze’s Qinyuan Festival."
"Let’s go to Ancestor Mountain," He Qian said, turning to look at Shen Daoxing.
Shen Daoxing nodded. The group immediately pushed their way out of the crowd and hurried toward Ancestor Mountain outside the city.