Chapter 146 – The Hearts of People
Legends said that Immortal Artifacts contained a world of their own, and an Artifact Spirit that possessed boundless energy resided within it. It was able to battle on its own with wisdom similar to humans, and it was intelligent to the extreme.
The might of an Immortal Artifact was so formidable that it was even able to tear open space and shatter a small world into pieces. It possessed terrifying might that dashed to the heavens and covered the earth, and only an immortal Heavenly Immortal Realm expert was able to completely exert its might! And the Buddha’s Trial Pagoda was an Immortal Artifact!
Even though this pagoda had already been damaged long ago and its Artifact Spirit obliterated, but after so many years, there was still no one that was able to subdue and repair it. That’s why it was taken by the various powers of Dragon Lake City as the training grounds for the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
Presently, a group of mysterious and unfamiliar cultivators had actually disregarded their lives and set their sights on the Buddha’s Trial Pagoda. Didn’t that show that they already possessed the method to subdue and repair the pagoda in their hands?
If the old goats of the various powers of Dragon Lake City were to find out about this, they’d surely fight to the death for it, whereas Chen Xi was obviously unable to resist the temptation of an Immortal Artifact as well.
“Lu Ping, you’ve given away too much!” Right at this moment, another black clothed young man with an ordinary appearance walked out from amongst the 32 Devilspirit Guards, and it was precisely the mysterious cultivation called Zhan Kong. He seemed to be the leader of this group of Devilspirit Guards, and the instant he stood out, all the other Devilspirit Guards behind him revealed respectful expressions.
“When you go back this time, go to the Judgment Hall to receive punishment yourself!” Zhan Kong spoke indifferently.
“Captain Zhan Kong, I…” Lu Ping’s face went pale, and he opened his mouth wanting to explain, but when he encountered Zhan Kong’s icy cold and expressionless gaze, he was instantly unable to say another word.
Judgment Hall? Looks like these fellows are all from the same organization. Chen Xi seemed to have thought of something, yet his gaze descended to the young man called Zhan Kong. He faintly felt a strange and formidable aura concealed within this person, and Zhan Kong’s strength was obviously extremely formidable.
“Chen Xi, you can’t go out this time. Only after killing you will I be able to be certain that no secret will be leaked out.” Zhan Kong held his hands behind his back as he spoke indifferently, and a sense of superiority and power over the world gushed out from his body.
“You know me?” Chen Xi spoke in surprise.
“You annihilated 96 Su Clan cultivators and helped me greatly, how could I not know you?” Zhan Kong spoke with an expressionless face. “I can’t deny that your strength has indeed exceeded my expectations, and it’s even to the extent that I don’t dare guarantee being able to take you down by myself. Unfortunately for you, I won’t fight one on one with you. You’ll surely die under the joint attacks of the 32 of us.”
“Aren’t you worried that I’d crush the Transportation Talisman and flee now?” Chen Xi probed.
“I’ve already discerned that you still haven’t given up, even until now, and you want to meddle in something that you shouldn’t. If you don’t give it a try, you wouldn’t be willing to leave now at all.” Zhan Kong replied indifferently.
“You’re right. I will indeed not leave until I kill all of you.” Chen Xi nodded, and then he said with a smile, “All of you have something in your possessions that interests me after all.”
“You’re courting death!”
“Hmph! Shameless boasting!”
“Captain Zhan Kong, should we make a move now and kill this kid that has an exaggerated opinion of his ability?”
Zhang Kong waved his hand and restrained them from continuing to speak, and only then did he speak indifferently. “Chen Xi, do you dare to have a final battle after we enter the Yin-Yang Layer? If you win, I’ll hand over the thing you’re interested in. How about it?”
“That couldn’t be any better.” Chen Xi agreed without the slightest hesitation.
“Captain Zhan Kong, why aren’t we making a move now and are instead waiting until we enter the Yin-Yang Layer?” The nearby Lu Ping asked.
“Because all of you have experienced a fierce battle earlier. Your Captain needs to use this period of time to allow all of you to recover your strengths.” Chen Xi said with a smile, “Whereas I need this period of time as well to find out of some things from all of you. It’s just as simple as that.”
“You’re extremely intelligent, but intelligent people die early.” Zhan Kong glanced at Chen Xi as he spoke coldly.
Chen Xi smiled and said no more. Numerous black hole vortexes had suddenly appeared in the surrounding sky before gushing out with an extremely great suction force that instantly drew everyone present into it and vanished.
The third layer of the Buddha’s Trial Pagoda was the Yin-Yang Layer. The people that were able to enter into it were ranked in the top 100 of the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and they’d already possessed the qualifications to obtain a huge amount of Magic Treasures, medicinal pills, and cultivation techniques.
Regretfully, because of the appearance of Zhan Kong’s group, only a total of 33 people including Chen Xi had entered into the Yin-Yang Layer this time. Moreover, these two parties were about to undergo a battle of life and death, and there wasn’t anything like rankings left to be competed for. So, the Hidden Dragon Rankings this time could be said to only exist in name.
——
“What’s going on? Chen Xi and those villains actually didn’t fight and they’ve all entered the Yin-Yang Layer of the pagoda?”
“He was chatting freely with those villains. Could it be that Chen Xi’s one of them?”
“It’s extremely likely. Bastard! I thought Chen Xi hated evil like poison and intended to help us vent our resentment. But who knew that he was actually a person like this!”
“Perhaps he was always one of them!”
When they saw Chen Xi getting along peacefully with those 32 Devilspirit Guards and had entered the Yin-Yang Layer together, the entire scene went into an uproar, and all of them almost didn’t dare believe their eyes.
“Hmph! I knew since long ago that this animal, Chen Xi, harbored ill intent and was plotting something. Everyone, I suggest that all of us make a move against him once he comes out, skin him alive and torture him before tearing him into thousands of pieces!” On the jade platform, Su Zhentian was delighted in his heart when he saw this scene, and he emitted a sudden loud shout right away. His voice was so loud that it was like billowing thunder, and the entire surroundings of the Buddha’s Trial Pagoda could clearly hear it.
“Right! Kill him! He cheated us! He’s really detestable!”
“It’s not worth pitying the death of someone who assists evildoers!”
“Kill him! Kill him!”
Su Zhentian’s voice had only just sounded out when it instantly aroused the indignation in the hearts of everyone present, and all of them shouted out loudly in unison. Those people that were originally undecided echoed out with the view of the others, and in an instant, Chen Xi had actually become a heinous criminal!
“Brother Su, aren’t you speaking too early?” On the jade platform, the Sect Master of the Wanderingcloud Sword Sect, Ling Kongzi, couldn’t help but speak out with a frown when he saw everyone in the surroundings that was extremely infuriated.
“Fellow Daoist Ling. Presently, all the Fellow Daoists present have seen Chen Xi colluding with villains to commit all sorts of evil with their own two eyes. It’s already proven by evidence, and I’ve instead noticed it too late. If I was able to expose this kid’s repulsive side earlier, then the disciples of the various powers of our Dragon Lake City wouldn’t have suffered such heavy losses.” Su Zhentian smiled coldly and indifferently.
“Looks like Brother Su has a bad opinion about Chen Xi.” Ling Kongzi spoke with a frown.
“Bad opinion? Su Zhentian said seriously, “Not only do I have a bad opinion of him, I even wish for nothing more than to tear this little bastard into pieces. Not only has he slaughtered my Su Clan disciples, he’s even associating himself with those villains at this moment to bring disaster to the disciples of the various powers of my Dragon Lake City. Who amongst the people present is able to agree to not eliminating this kid?”
“Right! We can’t agree!”
“We must not let him off!”
“Well said, Patriarch Su!”
Su Zhentian’s words won the support and seconding of everyone present.
Because of the appearance of these Devilspirit Guards, an unprecedentedly grand Hidden Dragon Rankings has instead become a bloody slaughter, and many of the disciples that had died tragically were the friends and family of many people that were present. In other words, these Devilspirit Guards were their common enemy, and when they saw Chen Xi had actually colluded with these villains, how could they not be enraged in their hearts?
“Why is it like this?”
“Chen Xi isn’t a person like this!”
“These stupid fellows have all been deluded by that ignorant old man, Su Zhentian.”
In the crowd, Du Qingxi, Duanmu Ze, and Song Lin revealed enraged expressions. They understood Chen Xi extremely well, and they knew that Chen Xi didn’t know these fellows at all. How could he possibly be with them?
Besides the three of them, Chen Hao pursed his lips and didn’t say a word, yet his gaze was extremely firm. He believed his own older brother, believed without the slightest reservations, and his belief had never wavered a bit. Even if Chen Xi was really a heinous criminal and became an enemy in the eyes of a myriad of people, he would still stand on Chen Xi’s side without the slightest hesitation!
It was at this moment that a sharp cry resounded out abruptly. “AH! Everyone, look quickly! Chen Xi and those people have engaged each other in battle!”
Engaged each other in battle?
The mass of people that were roaring in rage was stunned in unison, and then they raised their heads to look towards the surface of the pagoda. Sure enough, they saw that within the Yin-Yang Layer, Chen Xi was battling alone against the 32 Devilspirit Guards.
They saw Chen Xi being encircled at the center by the 32 Devilspirit Guards as various Magic Treasures, techniques, and talismans blasted towards him as if they were worthless. The situation of the battle was extremely intense, and it was utterly impossible to fake.
This… This is real?
Everyone was dumbstruck, the rage and hatred in their hearts instantly disappeared without a trace as they stood there standing blankly, and their expressions were ones of extreme embarrassment.
“Everyone, don’t be deceived. Only ten people are able to enter the highest layer of the pagoda, the Oneness Layer, yet including Chen Xi, there are a total of 33 people amongst them, so they have to eliminate 23 people. Chen Xi was helping villains do evil yet was abandoned by these villains, it serves him right!” Su Zhentian wan doubtful and surprised as well, but Su Zhentian couldn’t tolerate Chen Xi washing off his infamy, so he hurriedly shouted out loudly right away.
“You ignorant old goat, I want to ask you. These people are fully aware that leaving the pagoda meant death and they were entirely unable to obtain any rewards from the Hidden Dragon Rankings, so why would they want to enter the highest layer of the pagoda? If my brother is in their group, then why do they have to kill each other? Could it be that he can’t choose to withdraw himself?” When he saw Su Zhentian still slandering Chen Xi at a time like this, Chen Hao couldn’t endure any longer, and he flew up to stand in midair before pointing at Su Zhentian and asking in a loud voice.
“Audacious kid! You actually dare insult me as an ignorant old goat? You’re courting death!” Su Zhentian shouted out explosively before raising his hand to grab towards Chen Hao.
“What? Did this disciple of my Wanderingcloud Sword Sect say anything wrong?” Ling Kongzi took a step forward as he swung his sleeve, and a strand of vast True Essence swept out with a bang to directly strike Su Zhentian to the point he took three steps back.
“Alright! Out of respect for you, Ling Kongzi, I won’t fuss about it with him. But when Chen Xi is unable to resist the overwhelming numbers and escapes from the pagoda in a sorry state, I’ll kill him! If anyone dares obstruct me, then it’s going against my entire Su Clan, and even if…” Su Zhentian’s expression was extremely gloomy as he spoke, yet he’d only spoken halfway when he stopped abruptly, and his gaze looked towards the surface of the pagoda as his face revealed a wisp of disbelief.
When they saw this scene, the attention of everyone present shot towards the surface of the pagoda once more, and then everyone gaped with expressions of extreme shock.
——
Author’s note: About the MC’s cultivation on the Dao of Talismans, it will be portrayed with emphasis in the future. Please give me some time everyone. This book is called Divine Talisman, so it naturally can’t do without the Dao of Talismans.
InVader’s note: This book was called Divine Talisman (神箓) at the beginning, but due to the character 箓being mistaken by many readers and even some other authors, the novel’s name was changed by the author and ZH from chapter 685 onwards to Talisman Emperor (符皇).