Chapter 671: The Wait
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Tiantang City was Yutang's capital city. Unless there was an invasion from external forces, the gates to Tiantang would always remain open, allowing common folk to come and go as they please. Therefore, no matter how strict the martial law, commoners must still be allowed to travel in and out, albeit under slightly stricter security inspections!
For the better part of the time, martial world practitioners did not acknowledge themselves as common men, assuming that they were totally different from the common folk. However, at that moment, they were just plain civilians. That was the reality of it - weren't the people of the martial world merely… ordinary people?
The purpose of this ban was just to slow down the influx of martial world practitioners into Tiantang City - that was all there was to it!
Furthermore, while the restrictive ban could curb the common folk and the average martial practitioner, which one of the high-level martial practitioners who thought that they were qualified to seize the dragonhide treasure map for themselves were not characters who could come and go as they wished?
They had hundreds of thousands of ideas on how to invade Tiantang City discreetly, without alerting anyone or any defensive forces in the process.
The first wave of people who entered were the ones who came for the Dictum of Death. These were the assassins who wanted to lie low and retreat but had not gone too far yet.
The assassins' league seemed to have emerged as winners from the vigorous battle against the Four Seasons Tower. Truth be told, with both sides sustaining serious casualties, it was feared that the fearsome Four Seasons Tower would launch a counterattack as an act of revenge. The killers melted away and retreated to the forest at the edges of Tiantang City to recuperate their forces, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make their move.
After all, the assignment was still incomplete, and the mission of the Dictum of Death still remained unfulfilled - how could they just leave things as they were?
Hardly getting any rest in between those days, Tiantang City was unexpectedly plagued by yet another uproar with a sudden explosion!
It was an unforeseeable event that was even more sensational than the Dictum of Death!
At that moment, even Hen Bieli and Hong Zhan could genuinely feel that this was not in their favor!
Bloody hell... this situation clearly did not allow the slightest bit of time for a decent rest!
However, with an otherworldly treasure like this out there – would you restrain yourself from trying to get hold of it?
Speed is a crucial asset in war; do you understand what that means?
Therefore, every assassin flocked, stormed and surged, attempting to establish their presence in Tiantang City.
Following the immense influx of incoming assassins, it was as if a beacon had been lighted; martial artists from all over the world flocked towards the city in an even more exaggerated, unscrupulous manner.
What? The city gates denied entry?
We tried to avoid trouble, and we certainly have no time to start a clash with the officials. If we do not pass through these gates, can we sneak in at night instead?
Therefore, late at night, Tiantang City would be like a giant wok, and the elite of the martial world would look like dumplings falling from the sky, plummeting downwards, one by one…
Actually, comparing them to dumplings was not exactly appropriate; have you ever seen pure black dumplings?
The textile stalls within the vicinity of Tiantang City had completely run out of black fabric. In merely a few days, the price of night-black traveling robes had increased tenfold!
In the Yun Residence, Yun Yang moved a chair over slowly and slowly seated himself beneath the pergola, starting to read quietly. A slight breeze started gently, slightly lifting his purple robes as his sleeves flapped against the wind; his entire being was at ease.
Strands of his hair fluttered at the graze of the wind; his fair face was filled with elegance and grace.
"Do you not feel the slightest tinge of regret in you? Are you not just being hard headed by putting up a facade, insisting on it, while in truth, your heart aches with regret?" Ji Lingxi strolled back and forth beside him, while Shangguan Lingxiu sat facing him.
"That was the Seventeenth Master of the Abyss' dragonhide treasure map you are throwing out there as bait! Such a shame that a precious item is exposed and wasted like that..." Ji Lingxi expressed her distress, especially on behalf of Yun Yang.
"If you managed to obtain that dragonhide treasure map, you only had to search for the indicated location and cultivate the powers within… maybe you could… release this restrictive red glow much earlier… After all, that was the world's most enthralling legend - the legacy of the Seventeenth Master of the Abyss itself…" In the midst of mulling over how much of a waste it was, Ji Lingxi felt a twinge of bashfulness.
Yun Yang blinked, removed his gaze from his book and fixed it upon Ji Lingxi. "... What can I do by releasing this… red light seal?"
"Y-You could..." Ji Lingxi uttered those words unconsciously and felt the heat creeping up her neck. "Yun Yang, get up and fight me!" She bellowed.
"Hahahaha..." Shangguan Lingxiu could not help but howl in laughter as her face was flushed red.
Yun Yang's statement was really…
Upon hearing Shangguan Lingxiu's laughter, Ji Lingxi abandoned her challenged and stomped towards her room. She slammed the door shut, and not a sound could be heard from her again.
Yun Yang raised his head, looking confused. "I did not even utter a word! Why did she just abandon the idea like that?"
Shangguan Lingxiu rolled her eyes and went after Ji Lingxi.
Did not even utter a word?
I am rendered truly speechless by this. Do you think that you can be like this just because you're inexperienced?
On the other hand, strictly speaking, Yun Yang could not be blamed entirely for this. Yun Yang's state of mind was not even focused on the conversation; almost all of his responses were merely casual replies.
Most of his thoughts were occupied by the efforts of analyzing the news from the Nine Heavens Dictum.
Someone had entered the city, some disciple from some school was already in the city, another school was only a few miles away from Tiantang City, and was advancing fast...
When night arrived, Tiantang City would transform into a martial artist's paradise.
Those active at night dashed and scampered around relentlessly as if they were rushing to the market all at once, and they barely even bothered trying to avoid anyone.
In merely four days, the dragonhide treasure map had changed hands four times since the last time it was in Dong Tianleng's possession. These four handovers were the reason behind the continuous bloodbath of at least a hundred martial artists!
When their identities were disclosed, each martial practitioner that was found brutally murdered was revealed to be infamous elites of the martial world.
This included three or four renowned names - each the pinnacle of their time - who was said to have retreated from the martial world a long time ago.
"The treasure map had already been seized from the clutches of the single-sword wielder Qin Zishan, who lost his life to Hong Zhan. However, the treasure map had then fallen into the hands of Cheng Heyun. As of now, Cheng Heyun and his brothers are the highly-sought targets."
"Cheng Heyun has been confirmed murdered alongside three of his four brothers - only the second brother Cheng Mengyun managed to escape with the map in his arms while sustaining serious injuries…"
"... It is confirmed that Cheng Mengyun had been found dead, while the treasure map is now in the hands of a dark-cloaked man wielding a short sword. From the looks of it, it must be the former, long-retired, one-legged bandit Qi Mengluo."
...
News circulated, stacked and layered atop one another; the influx of updates never seemed to cease.
Yun Yang only observed intently with a frown, never making any definite, objective deductions.
He was waiting, waiting for a scrap of highly-anticipated news to appear.
"... The treasure map is now in the hands of the Hall of the Crimson Blade. Currently, the Hall of the Crimson Blade's Hong Zhan had joined forces with Hen Bieli, aided by countless assassins from all directions as they were stuck in the east of the city-
-disciples of the Ma-I Sect, who had long withdrawn from society, swearing to never return to the mortal world, has just reappeared three hundred miles away from the southern gate of Tiantang City…"
The news Yun Yang had been expecting had finally arrived.
"Ma-I Sect!" A cruel smirk appeared along the edges of Yun Yang's lips. "Here at last!"
In a flash of purple, he returned to his room instantly.
At the very next moment, he had vanished mysteriously from within the tiny confines.