Chapter 145 - Inauguration
Zhong Yue prepared himself, he walked into the saint city lord’s manor to see it already brimming with people. Envoys from all the major forces in the East Barren gathered in the hall. The old man first brought him over to meet with the envoys before leading him into the inner hall and asking him to wait.
The inauguration was grand and majestic, the forces that came in congratulations were also many. The atmosphere was very lively. Zhong Yue’s name had spread widely through the East Barren – all over the mountains, rivers, and every place in between.
Whether it be his outstanding performance in the Black Mountain secret realm or the battle against Heaven Monster Li Jun in saint city, or the massacre he carried out on the street ... they were all the hottest topics in the monsters’ daily discussions and gossips.
Of course, Zhong Yue noticed a few of the envoys whose attitudes were subtly less than cordial; their words held many hidden meanings and were effused with hidden killing intents. He knew that it was all because he had killed either their friends, families or disciples in the massacre on the street.
Although his name was renowned around the East Barren, but it was clear to him that the more fame and attention he accrued, the greater the hatred and jealousy it would engender. It was, after all, the taller trees in the woods that got their tops blown off — if a person was exceptionally outstanding, he would be liable to attack. This adage also rung true with the monsters.
The inauguration ceremony had started, the monster saint city lord made his appearance and Zhong Yue was publicly inaugurated. He covertly gazed at the saint city lord in the corner of his eyes. The saint city lord was a middle-aged man and his countenance was solemn and dignified. Although he had not shown his Ming King eight arms, there was a half-opened vertical eye on his forehead. Vaguely, Zhong Yue could distinguish golden rays burgeoning in it. The power it contained was so overwhelming as if it was an enormous volcano that had fermented for tens of thousands of years!
He was not a handsome figure like Heaven Monster Li Jun. He carried himself as a stately man – stern and unflustered, like a grand mountain that would remain immovable in front of the legends of heroes, the vicissitudes of the world, and the ravages of time!
Shi Buyi, so this is the saint city lord’s name.
Halfway through the inauguration ceremony, Zhong Yue heard the saint city lord’s name from the master of ceremonies and he thought, The name has a ‘Shi’ in it, could he have cultivated from a lion monster beast?
“Junior Martial Brother Long, that is the envoy from King Teng’s teacher sect, Qinghe.”
After the inauguration ceremony, Zhong Yue stood beside a wall while Qiu Qingshan walked towards him, twitching his mouth towards one of the guests, said, “The sect that King Teng came from were all cultivators from plants. His teacher is an old creature, an old tree, called ‘Shu Qianqiu’. Shu Qianqiu is a terrifyingly strong old geezer; although not yet a magnate, he is not far from that stage either – very horrific. Junior martial brother you need to be careful of this Qing He, the congratulatory gift she brought was a coffin.”
Zhong Yue’s heart thumped, he gazed at that Qing He and thought to himself, This Qing He will not be stubborn like King Teng right? If she is, then it’s not so good. She sent a coffin, not only as a congratulatory gift, but more like she wants to put me into the coffin….
“Junior martial brother, you’ve killed too many disciples and children of the strong experts. For example, that old man, Xiang Shan, an expert cultivator at the level of Atman Body, his son, Xiang Zhuo had his head crushed into his chest by you.”
Qiu Qingshan pointed here and there, telling Zhong Yue the monsters that has hatred against him, “That old lady there, Maolao Taijun, her daughter Mao Qianqian was sliced into bits by your Sword Qi. Another one there, Xun Shaoshi, his disciple, Xun Hengjiang was beheaded by you. And that one there, his lover’s head was smashed away by you….”
Qiu Qingshan was very enthusiastic when introducing Zhong Yue’s enemies among the guests to him. The more Zhong Yue listened, the darker his face turned. In that battle on the street, he had killed nearly two hundred monsters, some were Rebirth Qi Practitioners and there was even an Awakening Qi Practitioner that opened the Wu Xing Wheel!
In this inauguration ceremony, his enemies had all gathered together, not to congratulate him but to take a good look at him — so that they would know who to look for when they inevitably go to claim his head!
Among the guests, nearly half of them were his enemies!
And if he dared to leave the saint city, one could tell what kind of assaults he would be faced with!
In the saint city, these monster experts didn’t dare to touch him but once he gets out of the city, not even the saint city lord’s prestige would be able to restrain these wild and unruly experts!
“Among the congratulatory gifts from the envoys that came to the inauguration, there were over fifty coffins, there were also funeral banners that wrote junior martial brother’s name, and also loess, which literally means that they will bury you in the loess.”
Qiu Qingshan was gloating, he smirked and said, “Junior martial brother, you are very well-known now, even your senior martial brother, I and your other two senior martial sisters didn’t enjoy such a high prestige as yours! You don’t know it yet, but you’ve earned yourself a nickname in the East Barren – the evil dragon, all thanks to that battle on the street.”
Zhong Yue’s face got even darker and he said, “Senior Martial Brother Qiu is making a joke of me.”
“No, no, definitely not a joke!”
Abruptly, Qiu Qingshan turned solemn and said, “Not only the East Barren, but your name has spread through the West Barren, Great Wilderness, North Barren and South Barren! Being the saint city lord’s closed door disciple will naturally attract attention, even more so after the battle you had against Heaven Monster Li Jun, and the blood-curdling battle on the street. You’ve proven your prowess to be at the highest peak in the level of Rebirth. Such an exceptional performance ... surely the other major forces of the other barrens would’ve noticed you and remembered your name and appearance, all so they can put you down in their own little hit list!”
Zhong Yue was shocked, he cursed in his heart.
Qiu Qingshan sneered coldy and continued, “Back then, during the time of my inauguration, I went out to train myself traveling in the barrens. I was assaulted and ambushed countless times and even brushed with the edge of death a few times. Surely, you will be faced with the same thing when you walk out of the East Barren!”
“Don’t worry junior martial brother, you are our teacher’s closed door disciple now, no one dares to ever touch you in the Xian Kong Saint City.”
Chi Liannu was the second disciple of the saint city lord, her clothes were thin and little, only wearing a tube top and a mini skirt that barely covered her butt – she was extremely seductive. while she chuckled melodically, “But, it’s hard to say if you are out of the city, and even harder to tell when you are out to the other barrens. But, junior martial brother wouldn’t leave the city so soon right?”
Zhong Yue’s eyelids thumped, it was even dangerous to stay in the saint city, although the saint city lord, Shi Buyi, was now his teacher, but there was definitely no room for him in his teacher’s heart!
Staying down in the saint city would be even more precarious than leaving the city!
The inauguration ceremony has finished, and the saint city lord Shi Buyi clapped his hands to summon the seneschal over and said, “Send the congratulatory gifts to the Fengbo Palace.”
The seneschal lowered his head and answered, he ordered the servants to carry the gifts and indeed, Zhong Yue could see dozens of coffins in the gifts. Shi Buyi stood up, he cast his gaze over at Zhong Yue and said, “Long Yue, follow me.”
Zhong Yue’s heart thumped quickly as he followed behind, he was anxious and thought, The saint city lord is asking for me, I wonder what he wants? He wouldn’t possibly kill me now, after all, he has just taken me in. He still needs to save himself some face. If he kills me now, his face would surely be lost … Oh yes, he wants my【Monster God Ming King Art】!
The【Monster God Ming King Art】had a huge flaw as the part that contained the Ming King Divine Eye was lost. As one’s progress in the art advances, the flaw would only become a greater impediment. At the stage where Shi Buyi stood now, it was starting to threaten his life!
All this hassle Shi Buyi went through in selecting a closed door disciple was in fact, a cover for him to acquire the complete【Monster God Ming King Art】!
After the battle on the street, Zhong Yue had killed that unknown Awakening Qi Practitioner, during which he used two Ming King Divine Eyes — one was the sun pupil while the other moon pupil. These two divine eyes were exceptionally strong and powerful, and attracted the saint city lord’s interest!
My sun pupil and moon pupil, although they aren’t the Ming King Divine Eye, their prowess is extraordinary. They would only be better than the original Ming King divine eye! If he acquires the sun pupil and moon pupil, his prowess would increase greatly!
Zhong Yue lowered his head while following behind Shu Buyi, But, it’s impossible to cultivate the sun pupil and moon pupil without the sun spirit and moon spirit. Even if I’ve taught him the arts of sun pupil and moon pupil, he wouldn’t be able to learn it either. So then, I shall give them to him, the more efforts he spent on the moon spirit and sun spirit, the more time he will waste, and the more time I can earn for humanity!
Saint city lord’s manor, in the empty main palace, Shu Buyi placed his hands on the back and stared longingly at the murals on the palace wall, not saying a word.
Zhong Yue stood behind the monster magnate, and he also looked at the murals — paintings that depicted the ancient history of the monster race.
In the murals, the monsters were bullied and enslaved. The enormous gods stood high in the lofty sky, their countenances were vague and blurred while below them were the petty and low monsters. Despite all the worshipping and offerings, one of the gods reached out his hand and clenched a handful of monsters before callously throwing them into his mouth.
While the other monsters were trembling in fear and terror, they dared not run nor recede, and they were just beside watching as their people were eaten as food by the gods.
Then the paintings changed, the second mural was the uprising of the monsters. Monster gods and the other gods fought a bone-rattling battle — the dragon god loomed in the clouds, the phoenix god emerged within the fiery flames, countless monsters contorted their faces in anger, and mustered their strengths in insurrection against the heavens. Their grueling war with the gods was illustrated in the blood-soaked land and its sanguine reflection against the crimson sky.
The third mural was the massacre and repression of the monster race. The monster gods were killed and it was then that the monster emperor emerged. The monster emperor carried on the battle with the gods.
And in the fourth mural, the monster race’s emperor signed a treaty with the gods, earning the monsters a place in the world and their own statues. But the monster race was heavily impaired after all the battles – they were now weak and fragile.
However, through the treaty, the monsters had earned their place, they could now stand up high as they had escaped their prison of being the inferior race. It was then where the tables shifted and they started to enslave the humans.
While in the fifth mural, the ancestors of the monster race opened a path and claimed the land of East Barren and built the Xian Kong Saint City on top of the Black Mountain. They enslaved and raised the humans on this land to offer them to their monster gods.
One mural after another, Zhong Yue witnessed the unfolding of the magnificent history of the monster race. Although the monsters were rivals with the humans, there were many respectable and honorable existences within the monster race that emerged one after another and fought with the celestials, battling for their survival.
And to the last mural, it recorded the battle between the late saint city lord and a mother insect. That monster saint city lord died protecting the monster race while the severely wounded mother insect had seemed to escape.
If I was really a monster, my blood would’ve been boiling and my heart would’ve been filled with fighting spirit. But I’m a human; the monster race’s history was indeed glorious and sensational. But what I fight for is the survival and glory of my race! We of the human race, will not be condemned as food for the monsters from the time of our births!
He said to himself, We of humanity will return to the rightful place we should’ve held in the history – the leaders of all races, and the gods among gods!
“Can you see this, these, they are all our greatest ancestors of monster race!”
Shu Buyi was high-spirited, his sleeves fluttered in the wind and he whispered lowly, “This is the glorious history of our monster race! Long Yue, although half of your blood belongs to the dragon race, the other half belongs to us of the monster race! In the dragon race, you were nothing. But here, in our monster race, you can truly shine with your talents!”
He turned around and his gaze piercing into Zhong Yue’s eyes like thunderbolts. He yelled, “I am, Shi Buyi, and you are my closed door disciple, and one of the top talents in our monster race! Lang Qingyun can’t be trusted, he is very probably a spy from the celestial race. Lian Xin and Chi Lian are both girls while Qiu Qingshan’s talent is not so good. Hence, when I die in the future, you will be the next monster overlord, the monster saint city lord that rules the whole East Barren! I will foster and train you as the next saint city lord! Whatever you can’t have the in the dragon race, I will give them to you here, and all I ask for ... is your loyalty to the monster race!”