Chapter 642: The Cocky Sacred Sword Palace
It wasn’t until everyone crossed the bridge and was a few hundred meters away that the sense of blood faded to a barely perceptible level.
“Be mentally prepared; the palace is up ahead, and there are even more ghastly sights inside…” Dan Chi reminded everyone, his tone somber.
The so-called palace was also ruins, but some of the half shattered walls and the outlines of the crumbled structures demarcated where the palace began. The group threaded their way through the ruins and saw a spacious platform extend in front of them with something on it. But when they drew closer, their hearts pounded as their stomachs roiled and threatened to expel their contents.
The scene in front of them could no longer be described as ghastly. It was the the epitome of ruthlessness and showed a utter lack of human nature!
The platform was filled with sculptures, starting with infants to the left. The oldest were barely seven, eight years old, while the youngest seemed not even old enough to walk. These babies had obviously been alive, and once made of flesh and blood. It seemed like they had been drenched in molten metal, and directly cast into sculptures. Some of the infants lacked heads, others limbs, and still others slashed open so that their guts spilled out. None had been given an easy death.
To the right were the women. Every single one was naked, and the molten liquid had been poured over their heads first. Every cruel sight imaginable had been inflicted on them. The molten metal had captured every detail of the harrowing expression on their faces, giving silent voice to the horrifying torture they’d been exposed to be before they’d died.
“Animals! Absolutely filth, what barbaric animals!” Even the young folks couldn’t help but curse loudly when they saw this scene. With his memories of two lives, even Jiang Chen had the urge to go on a rampage. While it wasn’t unheard of to destroy a kingdom or slaughter a clan in the world of martial dao, this went far beyond the realm of the acceptable.
But even if one were to kill or take revenge, there was no need to do so in such a cruel manner. The towers of bones and corpses, Bloodlight River, and all these sculptures… this was no longer something that could be put under the purview of the word “revenge”. Although Jiang Chen hadn’t met anyone from the Great Scarlet Mid Region till date, he could absolutely imagine how tyrannical and brutal they were from the ruins of the Myriad Empire. It was so appalling that it was a rare tragedy on earth.
Exhibiting one’s strength in such a brutal and merciless fashion was truly uncommon in the world of martial dao.
“Why haven’t we destroyed them? So they can rest in peace?” Ling Bi’er asked in a low voice.
“Destroy them?” Elder Lian Cheng snorted coldly. “You’re too naive. Every one of those restrictions contain methods unique to the Great Scarlet Mid Region. They’ll strike back as soon as you touch them. Not only that, but those of Great Scarlet will also know at first light if you did. They left a warning that they wouldn’t mind coming back for another round of slaughter if these things were destroyed. And…”
“And what?”
“They said that if they come again, there won’t be any cultivators left in the Myriad Domain able to reach origin realm when they leave.” Elder Lian Cheng’s facial muscles twitched slightly when his words left his mouth. He was obviously very wary of the Great Scarlet Mid Region as well.
Palace Head Dan Chi walked up and waved his hand. “Alright, let’s not talk more about this for now. I expect that the other sects have already arrived. Let’s convene at the altar first.”
The altar was located within the Myriad Empire’s imperial ancestral temple, just a slight distance from the atrocity of the statues. The others were all too willing to leave such a depressing area, so they all followed Dan Chi. As the temple that honored the ancestors of the Myriad Empire royals, it naturally hadn’t been left intact. It too was a destroyed mess. But this was where the remembrance and memorial would be held.
When the Regal Pill Palace arrived, they noticed that the Dark North Sect and the Great Cathedral had already arrived.
“You’re here too, ole brother Dan Chi?” Honored Master Tian Ming was slightly startled when he saw how few the Regal Pill Palace had brought.
“You’re here early, ole brother Tian Ming.” Dan Chi greeted him warmly.
Those of the Great Cathedral all had solemn expressions on their faces as they looked over at the Regal Pill Palace. Xiang Wentian merely nodded his head at Dan Chi from afar. It was apparent that everyone’s emotions were quite complex when they came here. No one was in the mood for small talk.
“Are the other sects not here yet?” Dan Chi looked around.
“The Walkabout Sect should be here soon, I’m not sure about the Sacred Sword Palace. The sects below us should also be on their way.”
Apart from the traditional attendance from the six great sects, some of the fifth rank and sixth rank sects would also come pay their respects. It was just that it’d always been the six great sects who held sway on everything. Now that the Tristar Sect was destroyed and its territory carved up, they were now the five great sects.
The Walkabout Sect group arrived as they spoke. They had brought roughly two hundred with them, just like the Great Cathedral and the Dark North Sect. So when they saw how few the Regal Pill Palace had brought, Walkabout Sect Head Wei Wuying smiled, “Ole brother Dan Chi, your Regal Pill Palace is keeping quite a low profile this time.”
Dan Chi smiled faintly, “It’s a remembrance and memorial ceremony. There’s nothing untoward in bringing a small group.
Wei Wuying chuckled, not saying anything else. Yet, from the distance was a particularly proud snort, “I say that it’s not about a low profile, but rather that you’re scared out of your mind by the Ninesuns Sky Sect, hmm?”
Everyone knew without having to think that the Sacred Sword Palace had arrived, thanks to this voice and tone. Only the Sacred Sword Palace would act like mad dogs whenever it concerned the Regal Pill Palace. They had to lunge forward for a bite no matter what. And indeed, Wang Jianyu appeared, a large sword slung across his back, taking large strides over to the group. Behind him came a great number of the Sacred Sword Palace senior executives and genius disciples. They outnumbered even the Great Cathedral! It looked like they were determined to shine at the ceremony this time.
“Wang Jianyu, is your zodiac sign a dog? You just can’t resist going in for a bite whenever you see my Regal Pill Palace, hmm?” Palace Head Dan Chi fired right back.
It was obvious that the conflict between the two wasn’t something that could be mediated anymore. The other three sects didn’t say anything, especially the Great Cathedral and the Walkabout Sect. It looked like they’d made up their minds to watch the show.
Wang Jianyu halted not too far in front of Dan Chi, a cocky expression on his face as he swept his eyes over the latter. He then looked behind the palace head with a hint of mockery. “Dan Chi, it looks like you’re not much of a palace head either. You don’t have enough charisma at all! Why else would you have shown up with so few people, and these crab and shrimp-like minor character at that?”
This description deeply infuriated the geniuses behind Dan Chi, particularly Shen Qinghong. He roared, “If my Regal Pill Palace are crab and shrimp, what does that make your Sacred Sword Palace? The fish that eat the trash off the ocean floor?”
“Blasphemy!” Wang Han was behind Wang Jianyu and took the opportunity to stride forward, looking sideways at Shen Qinghong. “Shen Qinghong, who was the cowardly turtle at Mt. Rippling Mirage last time? What, do you think you’re something after breaking through to the sage realm?”
Wang Han’s aura blashed outward as he spoke, so strong that it seemed to be an enormous sword that’d just revealed its sheen and blatantly crashing down on Shen Qinghong. Although Shen Qinghong had broken through to the sage realm, there was still a difference between him and Wang Han at peak second level sage realm. He instantly felt like the very air had been filled with the edges of a blade as this aura expanded to cover him. However, he wasn’t in the sage realm for nothing, so even though he felt it slightly difficult to bear up in the face of this aura, he wasn’t being crushed by it.
The two geniuses had already started facing off privately when Dan Chi waved his hand lazily, breaking off this competition in the shadows. He said faintly, “Qinghong, this is the ancestral temple of the Myriad Empire. Don’t act rashly here.”
Wang Han didn’t continue when he saw Dan Chi interfering, but he also didn’t forget to take a shot at Shen Qinghong, “Shen Qinghong, I forgot to congratulate you. Without that vermin Jiang Chen, you’re truly the first genius in the Regal Pill Palace. But as for your strength…” he drawled out his words. “I still stick to what I said before, your name isn’t on the list of the preeminent geniuses in the Myriad Domain!”
Wang Han had used these words in the Pill Battles to provoke Shen Qinghong. At that time, he and Zhu Feiyang were all first level sage realm, and Shen Qinghong was one step away. Now that Shen Qinghong was in the sage realm, Wang Han had reached the peak of second level, still firmly ahead of Shen Qinghong. Therefore, he fell back on his old tricks and attacked Shen Qinghong verbally, wanting to crack his confidence and his dao heart. As the top geniuses of their respective sects, they’d inherited the grudges of the previous generations. As the future leader of the Sacred Sword Palace, Wang Han was more than happy to take hits at the Regal Pill Palace.
Ling Bi’er, on the other hand, couldn’t listen any further. She furrowed her brows “Wang Han, this is the imperial ancestral temple. You seemed to be displaying your might and power at an inappropriate location. If you’re so talented, then go to the Great Scarlet Mid Region and wash away the shame of the Myriad Domain! You’re throwing around your weight quite well in a small, dispirited place like this.”
A sinister smile flashed through Wang Han’s eyes as he swept his glance over Ling Bi’er’s face and chest. He smiled leisurely, “I’ve often heard that the first beauty of the Regal Pill Palace is pure and innocent. Looks like that’s all talk. I saw you being quite close with that vermin Jiang last time. Now that his life has been cut short, are you planning on shifting your attentions elsewhere?”
Jiang Chen had been planning on being low key and just observing the situation with his appearance as Mu Gaoqi. He hadn’t been bothered to pay any attention to Wang Han hopping up and down. But, he could no longer sit idly anymore now that the other was mouthing off about “that vermin Jiang Chen” and disrespecting Ling Bi’er. He walked forward and looked dispassionately at Wang Han. “Wang Han, you seemed to have lost quite a bit of face in last time’s trip to Mt. Rippling Mirage. What, do you feel like you hadn’t lost enough face?”
Mu Gaoqi?
Even the other two geniuses amongst the four great Regal Pill Palace geniuses, Jun Mobai and Nie Chong, didn’t dare stand out to defend Ling Bi’er at this time. But a cowardly Mu Gaoqi had dared to? Even Shen Qinghong was startled, much less Jun Mobai and Nie Chong. They thought this to be unbelievable.
Wang Han was even more baffled as he looked at “Mu Gaoqi”. He rather thought he was hearing things. He had a slight impression of Mu Gaoqi, but only that this fellow was Jiang Chen’s follower. And a cowardly and timid one at that. An ant dares rebut me to my face? Wang Han’s astonishment suddenly transformed into boundless fury.