fictionpage Chapter 160 Shadow Assassin Temple
Chapter 160 Shadow Assassin Temple
Chapter 160: Shadow Assassin Temple
In the eastern region of the Void Landmass, there is a vast dead zone of desolation, with gray mountains and black water, abandoned for countless years.
But today, a earth-shattering change finally occurred here. As the clear and translucent chaotic ripples spread from afar, the violent and chaotic spiritual tide gradually calmed down. Rolling black gas surged out from the depths of the earth, turning into a pitch-black cloud that covered the sky, only to dissipate under the scorching sun shortly after.
The chaotic light silently penetrated deep into the earth, reaching thousands of feet underground. Wherever it passed, the contaminated rock layers, soil, and all toxic gases and negative energies were completely purified and neutralized. The soil near the surface regained its vitality.
After a moment, when the chaotic light slowly disappeared, the area within a radius of four hundred miles, centered on Qin Muling's location, had completely changed.
In no time, the entire floating landmass would become a beautiful and fertile land, capable of supporting ten times more population than before.
Although the cultivators who stood above all regarded mortals as ants, only a massive population of mortals could give birth to enough potential cultivators to continuously replenish the various sects and forces, big and small. Therefore, the mortal population was the key foundation for the stable existence and development of the cultivation world, and there would be hardly anyone who would oppose it.
"...It's truly amazing. Is this the marvelous use of the power of creation?" Qi Yalan nearby sighed softly. Compared to Luo Huan, this was the first time she had seen her junior brother display such incredible creation methods, and the shock in her heart was indescribable.
Qin Muling is currently only at the True Self Realm cultivation level. If he reaches the same Origin Immortal Realm as her in the future, wouldn't he be able to purify an entire floating landmass with just a wave of his hand? As long as he is willing, perhaps all the landmasses within the sect's territory can be purified and transformed into fertile land?
Luo Huan whispered, "In fact, the major forces in the Extreme Void Starry Sky have means to modify the environment of the floating landmass, including our Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. However, the cost is somewhat exaggerated, and it requires a strong cultivator with True Immortal cultivation level or above to have the ability to do so, which is why it is rarely used on a large scale."
"Only the Daoist Court is an exception. They have many experts and abundant resources, allowing them to consistently advance such plans. Sometimes, even several Emperor-level figures personally take action. That's why over the years, the Daoist Court's territory has become larger and more prosperous."
Qi Yalan nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and asked again, "The Daoist Court has grand ambitions. Sister, do you think they will have the opportunity to integrate and annex all forces, and unify the entire Extreme Void Starry Sky in the future?"
Luo Huan smiled and said, "This possibility exists, and it's not low. As for whether it can become a reality, that's hard to say. At least our Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace is unlikely to agree, and our junior brother, who has grown up, may not agree either."
Qi Yalan nodded thoughtfully. Qin Muling's future achievements will not be inferior to those Emperor-level figures in the Daoist Court. So, who will be the master of the future Extreme Void Starry Sky is still up for discussion.
The ultimate goal that the Daoist Court has been striving for is no longer a secret. Cultivators with normal minds can see it clearly, and it is a legitimate strategy. All the forces in the Daoist Court know it well, but they cannot stop it.
The situation in the Daoist Court has already taken shape, and it is not something that a few Supreme Daoist forces can resist when united. Just the three Quasi-Saint Emperor powers at their peak are enough to suppress any doubts or opposition. Unless more than one-third of the Supreme Daoist forces unite without any grudges, they can directly confront the terrifying pressure from the Daoist Court.
Of course, a small number of powerful ancient divine beast descendants also have the ability to resist the Daoist Court. It is precisely because of this that the high-level members of the Daoist Court still choose a moderate strategy of gradual progress, maintaining friendly relations with the major Supreme Daoist powers, and deepening cooperation in all aspects, instead of resorting to force.
Looking at Luo Huan, Qi Yalan smiled and said, "But now I am more concerned about my own cultivation progress. You are not far from reaching the Mid-Origin Immortal stage, right? Even Senior Sister is not as good as you. If we can close the door and cultivate together for a few years, we should be able to make further progress."
Luo Huan frowned and said, "That's possible, but I think now is a rare opportunity to hunt down the descendants of the Demon Race and earn heavenly merits. Let's wait for a while! It is much faster to improve our cultivation by returning to the main altar of the sect and using the time acceleration array."
The appearance of a large number of Demon Race descendants is indeed a calamity, but it is also a rare opportunity. As long as one's strength is sufficient to hunt down these anomalies on a large scale, one can obtain considerable heavenly merits, which is an irresistible temptation for cultivators.
In theory, as long as enough Demon Race descendants are killed and a sufficient amount of heavenly merits are earned, it is possible to break through to the Quasi-Saint Emperor realm. If this opportunity is missed, it will not be so easy to earn a large amount of heavenly merits in the future.
"Alright, let's do that. After Junior Brother finishes dealing with these dead zones, we will go hunting on the surrounding land together."
Qi Yalan no longer insisted on her own point of view, because as long as she could be with Qin Muling all the time, it didn't really matter what they did.
...
Jade Pearl Star Palace, main altar.
The atmosphere in the council hall was tense and oppressive. The head teacher, Yan Qinyang, sat on the high platform, holding a jade slip in his hand. His face was so gloomy that it seemed like water could drip from it. The elders on both sides also had unpleasant expressions, as if they had been forced to eat feces.
"...Is the intelligence reliable?"
After a long silence, Yan Qinyang's voice, full of killing intent, finally sounded, "Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has really awakened that Empress Xin Yu? How...how dare they?"
Elder Song Zhongting, who was in charge of intelligence affairs, said with a gloomy tone, "The intelligence is true. Although Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace is heavily guarded, this information came from the Daoist Court. Some time ago, Mu Yinghua made some conditions and actually borrowed one billion heavenly merits from the Daoist Court, which allowed that Empress to recover."
"So, we will be very passive next?"
Core elder Xie Changqing asked coldly, "What madness has possessed those important figures in the Daoist Court? How could they lend such a large amount of merits to them? It's simply...simply ignorant!"
Even an Empress, even if she has not yet fully recovered to her peak state, her deterrent power is beyond doubt. If Jade Pearl Star Palace cannot produce equivalent strategic deterrent power in a timely manner, they will be at a disadvantage in many matters and will be overshadowed by Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.
Moreover, in the great war ten thousand years ago, Jade Pearl Star Palace benefited the most from the plundering and division with Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. The grudge between the two sects is the deepest, and there is no possibility of reconciliation. The fight between the two sides must end with the complete defeat of one side.
Song Zhongting sighed, "We can't speculate on the thoughts of the high-level officials of the sect. Now that things have come to this point, we must quickly consider appropriate countermeasures. Currently, the descendants of the Demon Race are rampant, so there won't be any problems for the time being. However, after this calamity passes, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace will definitely come after us, so..."
The core elders looked at each other, and someone said softly, "We also have an Emperor sitting in our sect. There is no need to fear them!"
But no one responded to his words. It is true that there is an Emperor in the Grotto-Heaven secret realm of Jade Pearl Star Palace, but that powerful being has not appeared for many years. It is rumored that they are severely injured and can only rely on deep sleep to sustain their life. Currently, they do not have the ability to take action.
To make this Emperor recover to a state where they can take action in a short period of time, a massive amount of rare resources would need to be invested, enough to deplete the strategic reserves of the sect.
Jade Pearl Star Palace is a large sect, but it has too many disciples, and the expenses are naturally extremely exaggerated. If they really awaken that Emperor regardless of the cost, for at least the next thousand years, everyone in Jade Pearl Star Palace would have to endure a life of hardship and reminisce about the bitter days.
After all, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has Qin Muling, who obtained a large amount of rare resources from the Illusory Mist Secret Realm and persuaded Emperor Qing Huan to lend enough heavenly merits. As for Jade Pearl Star Palace... to be honest, they cannot offer such conditions.
The injuries of that Emperor are said to be more severe than those of Emperor Xinyu. To make them recover to a state where they can take action, a larger quantity of heavenly merits must be invested.
Yan Qinyang gritted his teeth and asked, "They can borrow from the sect, why can't we? We can borrow tens of billions of heavenly merits from them, and the problem will naturally be solved!"
"Well... we can try, but we can't guarantee the result," said one of the core elders. Based on common sense, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace must have paid an unimaginable price to please Emperor Qing Huan in order to obtain this strategic resource. If Jade Pearl Star Palace cannot offer similar benefits, they are unlikely to get the answer they want.
Yan Qinyang fell into silence. Just then, a sweet and soft voice came from behind the screen, "Why bother, Sect Master? Let me take care of this matter. I will bring a generous gift to the sect and plead with that esteemed Emperor. I believe he won't refuse."
With the pleasant sound of jingling ornaments, a slender and beautiful figure walked out gracefully. The full and firm chest and the graceful curve of the jawline came into view. It was a noble and pure woman in a green dress, with delicate and fragile skin, watery and bright eyes full of smiles. In her jade hand, she played with a fan adorned with a hundred flowers, and she slightly bowed to Yan Qinyang.
Yan Qinyang's expression softened. "With Madam's intervention, we can give it a try. After all, we have never been stingy in sending gifts to Emperor Qing Huan. He should give us some face."
This beautiful woman is Yan Qinyang's Dao companion, Lan Yifei. She comes from a noble family with strong influence, and her own cultivation is unfathomable. She has great influence both inside and outside the sect.
Lan Yifei looked around and said in a firm voice, "Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has been recovering too vigorously in recent years. This is not good for our sect in the long run. We must find a way to suppress them and remind them of their place!"
After the rise of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, the first thing they had to do was to cause trouble for Jade Pearl Star Palace. So, from their perspective, it was only natural to hinder Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.
Xie Changqing asked, "Madam, do you have any good ideas?"
"It's simple. I will contact the Master of Shadow Assassin Temple and send a group of skilled elites to assassinate important figures in Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Let's start with Qin Muling!" Lan Yifei's voice was cold, with a hint of killing intent. As the only legitimate daughter of the Master of Shadow Assassin Temple, she was not a harmless fool.
Shadow Assassin Temple was also a member of the Supreme Daoist tradition, and it was an old and well-established one. However, this sect made its name by engaging in assassination business. They had numerous top-notch assassins within their sect, making them a terrifying organization that made countless cultivators tremble.
The union between Lan Yifei and Yan Qinyang was undoubtedly a political marriage, and it was a strong alliance in every sense of the word. Of course, after their marriage, their relationship was harmonious. However, they currently only had one daughter and lacked heirs. Nevertheless, their daughter had good aptitude and potential, so she received the full support of the higher-ups in the sect.
Yan Qinyang pondered and said, "Mu Yinghua's few personal disciples are not simple, especially Qin Muling. Last time, we failed to calculate him, so he must be on guard now. We can't infiltrate the headquarters of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace to find him, so it doesn't feel right to make a move."
Lan Yifei smiled and said, "Husband, don't worry. Our intelligence network in Shadow Assassin Temple recently received news that Qin Muling has already left on a journey. So, we just need to mobilize enough manpower to track his whereabouts!"
Yan Qinyang was pleased and said, "That makes things easier!"
No matter how talented and outstanding a monstrous genius was, once they left the protection of the sect's mountain guarding formation and the shelter of numerous high-ranking elders, it would undoubtedly be much easier to plot against them. Even if they had protectors accompanying them, there was no guarantee that accidents wouldn't happen.
As a giant in the assassin world, Shadow Assassin Temple had stood tall in the Extreme Void Starry Sky for millions of years. They had countless mysterious and ruthless methods that were hard to defend against. Many outstanding individuals had fallen at the hands of their supreme assassins. Even some leaders of certain Supreme Daoist traditions had been successfully assassinated by them, and the number was not small.
No matter how formidable Qin Muling was, he was still just a junior. Regardless of his extraordinary abilities, once he died, he would lose all value. No matter how brilliant his future and astonishing his destiny, they would all turn to nothingness.
Elder Song Zhongting hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked, "Is it possible to capture him alive? If we can use this young person for our own purposes, it would be an unparalleled benefit for the sect. This person is highly valued even by the high-ranking members of Palace of Calamitous Fate. It seems a waste to simply kill him."
Lan Yifei furrowed her brows slightly and thought for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Alright then, I will make sure they exercise restraint. I want to see what special abilities he possesses."
"Very well, it's settled then," Yan Qinyang said satisfactorily. "If he ever intends to abandon the darkness and join the light, I wouldn't mind taking him as my personal disciple!"
(End of this chapter)