AGM 283 - The Truth Revealed
Qin Wentian delivered his words harshly, degrading the bunch of fourth-ranked Grandmasters in front of him as though they were all garbage. As if he intentionally wanted to ignite their tempers.
Who were these people? No matter where they went in Grand Xia, they would all be treated as valuable guests.
But today they were publicly reprimanded, their humiliation brought down by a young lad who was not even twenty. How could their hearts remain unflustered?
However, they made no reply, and no one else was lashing out in anger. Earlier when they forced Ghaus up to do battle, what they wanted was to merely use him as a guinea pig to test out the formation.
They didn’t feel the slightest amount of pity at Ghaus’s death, on the contrary, it allowed them to know that this mysterious illusory formation was strange and unpredictable, and contained many traps embedded within the area. Although the traps were only third-ranked, the mysterious illusory formation could cloak the traps in so many layers that the traps were invisible even to their senses. Hence, it didn’t matter how high their attainments were, because how can one neutralize something that they couldn’t see? Everything was useless if their perception wasn’t strong enough. So even if they were fourth-ranked Grandmasters, if they were careless they might end up dying in there.
Which of them weren’t old freaks who had lived at least a hundred years? Coming across such a situation naturally made them even more cautious.
It didn’t matter if others died, but their own lives were all extremely precious. They would never do something which they didn’t have absolute confidence in. Even if Qin Wentian repeatedly antagonized them, they wouldn’t budge in the slightest.
“Why are you so vicious, young man?” Eccentric Song stroked his beard as he coolly remarked, “You might have gained some insights from that ancient scroll, but do you really think you have the qualifications to behave so arrogantly in front of us?”
“Earlier, we held back so as to give you a chance. Yet I would never have expected that you would be so blind, so foolhardy. If any of us fourth-ranked Grandmasters inscribed fourth-ranked Inscriptions to kill you, would you even be able to withstand our onslaught?”
Eccentric Song laughed as he exchanged glances with the other Grandmasters.
The older in years one was, the more experienced they would be. Why would they need to neutralize Qin Wentian’s formation? They could directly inscribe fourth-ranked Inscriptions to kill him. A simple matter, with no risks attached.
“Truly thick-skinned.” Bailu Yi stared with disdain at those fourth-ranked Grandmasters. Not one of them dared to step forth to neutralize the formation and Eccentric Song still had to ‘explain’ their actions by spouting a load of bullshit. How laughable.
And more ludicrous than their reluctance to neutralize the formation was the fact that the bunch of old freaks were planning to gang up on a youngster by blasting fourth-ranked Inscriptions from afar.
With regards to Bailu Yi’s statement, the people concerned all chose to ignore it.
“Old Liang, this young pup killed your bodyguards, so if we want to kill him, Old Liang should be the one to do the honors.” The black-faced, middle-aged man looked at Old Liang, causing Old Liang to frown. The man continued, “I’ll get my Puppets to act as your protectors.”
He had refined several third-ranked Puppets, but his greatest wish was to refine fourth-ranked Puppets. Hence, the ancient scroll of the Ascendant was an opportunity for him.
“I will engrave a defensive formation to protect you,” Eccentric Song added. Old Liang’s eyes gleamed with an unknown emotion before he finally nodded in agreement.
From this, Qin Wentian understood that although many people came today, the only fourth-ranked Grandmasters other than Fenrir, were these three standing in front of him. Other than that, he couldn’t be sure if the other Heavenly Dipper Sovereign that was standing at the back was a fourth-ranked Divine Inscriptionist or not.
This Heavenly Dipper Sovereign and Fenrir were the strongest cultivators here. The behavior of Eccentric Song and the others seemed to indicate that they somewhat feared this other Heavenly Dipper Sovereign. Since the beginning, they hadn’t dared to ask him to do anything.
As for the others that came, they should all either be the disciples or bodyguards of Eccentric Song, Old Liang, and the black-faced, middle-aged man. Qin Wentian couldn’t be sure if there were still any hidden fourth-ranked Grandmasters within this group of people.
Old Liang warily advanced step by step, his sunken eyes boring into Qin Wentian. His countenance had a heaviness to it, he no longer dared to underestimate Qin Wentian.
Qin Wentian couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing how cautious everyone was. “I, Qin, will sit here and wait.”
After speaking, he really sat down crossed-legged as he closed his eyes, appearing as though anything that happened outside the formation no longer concerned him.
“This brat is really cunning, Old Liang, don’t be fooled by him.” The black-faced, middle-aged man summoned a Puppet to act as Old Liang’s protector, leading the way for him.
Old Liang released his perception to its maximum level as he stomped on the ground. With each and every step, the brilliant glow of runic imprints birthed into being. This fourth-ranked Grandmaster was starting to inscribe his Inscriptions.
Old Liang didn’t dare to advance, he ultimately chose to maintain a certain distance between him and Qin Wentian.
A period of time later, an overwhelming aura gushed forth from the Inscription that Old Liang was currently inscribing. As an experienced fourth-ranked Grandmaster, he only needed two hours to inscribe a flawless fourth-ranked Inscription.
An hour later, Qin Wentian was still leisurely closing his eyes in meditation. A sinister glint of light flashed past Old Liang’s eyes; this brat was waiting for death.
He didn’t bother glancing at Qin Wentian any longer and continued to concentrate on completing his Inscription. The overwhelming aura emanating forth from his Inscription grew increasingly more intense.
“Too slow,” Qin Wentian murmured. His palm slammed down onto the ground and instantaneously, the illusory form of a two-headed flood dragon explosively manifested into reality. With a roar of anger, the flood dragon transformed into a beam of light that shot towards Old Liang. The black-faced, middle-aged man coldly snorted, he had been surveying Qin Wentian and directed the Puppet he summoned to jump in front of Old Liang, intending to block the attack.
“BOOM!” Qin Wentian stomped the ground, materializing a countless number of arrows to fire at Old Liang, locking him down.
Old Liang snorted, such attacks were mere parlor tricks. He stomped on the ground as a shield appeared, formed from the glow of Divine Inscriptions. But the next instant, Old Liang only saw another demonic dragon, explosively flying his way. The two-headed flood dragon acted as its vanguard, driving the protector Puppet into retreat.
The demonic dragon slashed out with a scaly claw, causing Old Liang to retreat in agitation. Lacerating sounds rang out, signaling that the light shield had been torn into pieces.
“GET LOST!” The black-faced man roared when he saw Qin Wentian intent on slaying Old Liang. A terrifying shadow lance appeared in his hands as he dashed forwards, stabbing at the demonic dragon with it. The power contained within the shadow lance was beyond description. Another gigantic black dragon materialized, and a single claw slash was all it needed to dispel the manifestation of the demonic dragon.
Without a doubt, that lance was a fourth-ranked Divine Weapon.
As the last vestiges of the demonic dragon faded away, Old Liang’s countenance turned incomparably ashen. The effort he had put in earlier was all wasted when the Inscription process of the fourth-ranked Inscription was disrupted half-way. The runic outlines shimmered in and out of existence as the complex interweaving lines untangled and fell apart, vanishing into nothing. Qin Wentian’s objective had already been achieved.
“Everyone, stop wasting time, let’s join forces together and slay this unruly child.” The black-faced, middle-aged man brandished his shadow lance as he coldly commanded. With the intention of his will, the manifestation of that terrifying black dragon dashed out again, causing the deafening sounds of an explosion to ring out. The black dragon plowed through the numerous Divine Inscription ramparts that activated automatically when they felt an incoming force. The attack by the black-faced, middle-aged man had no way to breach Qin Wentian’s formation.
Qin Wentian spent a total of three days to set up this Grand Formation. Ever since Bailu Tong intercepted him back then, Qin Wentian’s intuition told him that troubles would soon follow. Indeed, as he expected, a party of fourth-ranked Grandmasters all swooped down like a bunch of vultures descending on their prey.
Old Liang’s eyes narrowed in anger when he heard the black-faced man’s words. He had just narrowly escaped death. Since the black-faced man already had such a plan, why hadn’t he suggested it in the beginning?
Eccentric Song stroked his beard as a sharp light flickered in his eyes. The other Heavenly Dipper Sovereign stood there silently, as though he were merely here to watch a play.
“What are your plans?” Eccentric Song directed the question to that Sovereign, his tone containing respect and a slight bit of fear. This man was the same as Fenrir; other than being a Heavenly Dipper Sovereign, he was a fourth-ranked Grandmaster as well.
“Depend on your own capabilities,” the old man casually commented, yet the tone of his words were filled with an unmistakable arrogance.
“Fine, we will depend on our own capabilities then.” Eccentric Song smiled as three Puppets appeared before him. One of the summoned Puppets was decked in battle armor, and its entire body was seemingly forged from Divine Weapons. Both its arms and legs were adorned with terrifying, wicked-looking blades and sickles, projecting an intense aura of extreme sharpness.
The sight of this caused Old Liang’s heart to tremble with desire. This old freak had lived for so many years, the quality of his treasures would naturally befit his experience. That single fourth-ranked Puppet he summoned was already a priceless treasure.
The black-faced, middle-aged man said nothing, but shadowy wisps of darkness could be seen encircling his shadow lance. Its aura of power couldn’t be belittled, it was a fourth-ranked Divine Weapon after all.
In their eyes, Qin Wentian was just a dancing clown that would die sooner or later. They were only wondering what would happen after Qin Wentian died. Who among them would obtain the ancient scroll? That was the real question. Hence, everyone had yet to go all out, as they had to preserve their strength for the real fight afterward.
However, what made them astonished was that ordinary methods couldn’t kill Qin Wentian. To kill him, they had no choice but to decisively use the most tyrannical method at their disposal.
Old Liang silently cursed, it seemed that his treasures were the most lacking out of the three of them.
“Is this the true strength of a fourth-ranked Grandmaster?” Qin Wentian mused. He appeared as casual and relaxed as before, with no hints of worry staining his countenance.
Bailu Yi’s heart couldn’t help but clench from the sight of this. Bailu You sidled up and whispered maliciously, “Do you seriously think that Qin Wentian has a chance? These are fourth-ranked Grandmasters we’re talking about.”
“Just wait and see.” Hints of stubbornness could be heard in Bailu Yi’s voice, as the sight of Qin Wentian’s serene expression bolstered her confidence.
Old Liang waved his hands as an umbrella appeared in his hands. After he had opened the umbrella, a golden radiance covered him as he pointed the tip of it towards Qin Wentian. He too began to advance in his direction.
“Chi, chi…” The shadow lance swept across space and an instant later, black-colored cracks trailed behind the tip of his lance. The surrounding ground all exploded into pieces as the black-faced, middle-aged man surveyed for hidden traps. His eyes flashed with a cold light, how could third-ranked Inscriptions, no matter how strong, resist an attack unleashed by his fourth-ranked Divine Weapon? Whether the traps were hidden or in plain sight, he would just adopt the most direct method, pure destruction.
Old Liang’s umbrella revolved in a continuous spiral, sending out golden light and scanning the ground for hidden traps as he cautiously moved forward step by step.
As for Eccentric Song, his fourth-ranked, bladed Puppet took the lead, raking the ground apart with each step. Moments later as he neared Qin Wentian, he looked upon him as though looking at a dead man.
“Brat, how do you wish to die?” Eccentric Song sneered. Qin Wentian’s only response was to stand up, as he softly asked, “You guys are so confident?”
“No matter how obscure your cloaking methods are, in front of absolute strength, they’re just ineffectual garbage,” the black-faced, middle-aged man icily stated, waving his lance as he continued advancing, His statement undoubtedly referred to his trail of destruction, made of the shattered earth he left in his path.
“Oh? Why don’t you take a look behind you?” Qin Wentian indifferently added. The black-faced, middle-aged man laughed condescendingly as he decided to humor Qin Wentian. However, he found himself instantly stiffening with disbelief the moment he turned his head back.
Silvery beams of light exploded forth from the ground, interweaving together into the complete outlines of a Divine Inscription. The earlier destroyed ground didn’t seem to have any effect on the activation of this Divine Inscription.
This Divine Inscription continually revolved on the ground, emanating silvery beams of light that shone brighter and brighter, eventually fusing together into a silver-colored tornado that instantly blotted out the sun.
“RUMBLE!” The speed of the revolution ravaged the entire space surrounding it. With one motion, Qin Wentian directed the massive tornado over, its wind force lifting the three other fourth-ranked Grandmasters and himself into the heart of the tempest. In the blink of an eye, the interior of the formation transformed into a silver-colored world.
The Grandmasters were thunderstruck, their bodies quaking as they stared at the young man standing in the air. A myriad of tumultuous emotions passed through them in that instant, striking deep within their souls.
“Still confident?” Qin Wentian’s tone held no hints of anger, merely a cold indifference, and yet it was enough to impress upon them this earth-shattering revelation, jolting their hearts with the truth.
This was the might of a fourth-ranked!