Chapter 963: Lin Feng Confirms His Suspicions
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"What happened next?" Lin Feng asked as he stared at the Parasol Tree King.
The Parasol Tree King nodded his head and said slowly, "Xuehua, a member of the Hades Tribe, helped me to defeat him."
Lin Feng said nothing but he furrowed his brows tightly. He had heard of Xuehua of the Hades Tribe.
Many years ago, when the Hades Emperor, Tianhai, ruled the Barren Expanses, the Hades Tribe became the most powerful tribe in the Barren Expanses. Other than the Hades Emperor himself, there was another powerful member of the Hades Tribe known as Xuehua.
Normally speaking, she was referred to as the Xuehua Grand Sage in the Vipralopa stage. Legend had it that she was the sister of the Hades Emperor.
However, the Xuehua Grand Sage fell during the last War of the Two Worlds.
Lin Feng fell silent before he said, "To what I know, the Phoenix Tribe and the Divine Parasol Tree Tribe did not participate in the last War of the Two Worlds."
The Phoenix Grand Sage nodded her head and said, "That’s right."
Lin Feng stared at the Phoenix Grand Sage and the Parasol Tree King. According to the morals of the Phoenix and the Divine Parasol Trees, they would normally repay kindness in kind. While they might not want to be embroiled in a war between the Divine Lands and the Barren Expanses, if the Xuehua Grand Sage had asked, the Phoenix Grand Sage and the Parasol Tree King would not have rejected.
The Phoenix Grand Sage said nothing. Her expression was calm and there was no visible sign of distress from her. While she appeared normal, Lin Feng could feel a sense of scorn from her.
By her side, the Parasol Tree King sighed and continued, "When the Hades Emperor ruled the Barren Expanses, he conquered all demons. While the Divine Parasol Tree Tribe hid ourselves away, he did not forget about us."
"However, regardless whether it was the phoenix or me, we both did not want to participate in the war against the Divine Lands. Hence, we kindly rejected the Hades Emperor’s request."
"The Phoenix and the Divine Parasol Trees are truly exceptional if you can make the Hades Emperor go back empty-handed."
The Parasol Tree King shook his head and sighed, "Please don’t make fun of us, Master of the Celestial Sect. The power of the Hades Emperor was extraordinary indeed. Even if the two of us joined forces, we could only hope to take him down with our lives."
For the phoenix and the Divine Parasol Trees, this was a normal reaction. They would rather die than submit and they would never submit to threats. They did not fear facing extinction.
However…
Lin Feng arched his eyebrows and asked, "I don’t think the Hades Emperor would give up so easily. Wouldn’t he have forced your submission?"
The Parasol Tree King nodded his head and said, "The Phoenix Grand Sage was a close friend of the Xuehua Grand Sage. Hence, the Hades Emperor was not too forceful. Our Parasol Tree Forest was hence saved from destruction."
"Afterwards, as we were grateful to the Xuehua Grand Sage for the assistance she rendered, the Phoenix eventually decided to join her in the subsequent War of the Two Worlds. When the battle began, I was still injured and hence, I remained behind."
Here, the Parasol Tree King shook his head and said, "However, it was a trap."
"The Hades, Xuehua, actually had ties to the person who attacked me!"
Hearing that, Lin Feng was shocked as he said, "Is that so?"
The Parasol Tree King said, "When the War of the Two Worlds broke out, before the phoenix attacked, I had obtained this piece of news. I tested it out and while there were still unanswered questions, I knew that we were tricked. Hence, the phoenix quickly returned to the Parasol Tree Forest and did not participate in the war."
Lin Feng looked at the Phoenix Grand Sage who was silent and then shook his head and laughed, "While my knowledge of the Hades Emperor is superficial, that was completely unlike his usual way of doing things. It is likely that the Xuehua Grand Sage helped him with it and came up with this plan."
The Parasol Tree King sighed and said, "Regardless whether it’s the Hades Emperor or Xuehua, both are dead. There’s no point in mentioning this anymore."
Lin Feng shook his head and said nothing. To him, understanding the intrigue in it all was extremely useful.
The mysterious master of the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage could not only be linked to the Xuehua Grand Sage, but it could also possibly involve the entire Hades Tribe. The difference in significance between the two theories was vast.
If she knew members of the entire Hades Tribe and even the Hades Emperor, then it could confirm a suspicious Lin Feng had.
If she only knew the Xuehua Grand Sage, then the situation would be completely different.
Lin Feng looked at the Parasol Tree King and the Phoenix Grand Sage and said, "Forgive me as I still have one more question, but I’m curious, how did you, the Phoenix Grand Sage, find out?"
The Phoenix Grand Sage replied, "Through the Divine Lands."
Lin Feng nodded his head and said nothing.
The human cultivators of the Divine Lands naturally did not want the Phoenix and Divine Parasol Tree to take part in the War of the Two Worlds.
However, their information was certainly reliable. After all, the Phoenix Grand Sage would not be easily convinced by a few words. She would surely need confirmation and evidence.
As expected, the Phoenix Grand Sage continued, "The person who intruded into the Parasol Tree Forest was later injured by human cultivators. With the help of the Xuehua Grand Sage, he was able to escape."
"As he was injured, he left some clues behind. This allowed the human cultivators to discover the truth about what had happened in the Parasol Tree Forest. This was how the information reached me."
"According to the information, he was severely injured and no one knew if he was dead or alive. However, I did not know much about the specifics."
After the War of the Two Worlds, as the Parasol Tree King was injured, the Phoenix Grand Sage rarely left the Parasol Tree Forest. However, the phoenix continued to investigate what had happened all those years ago. Even though they only obtained scraps of information here and there, they managed to obtain many important information.
She looked at Lin Feng and nodded her head and said, "I don’t know how powerful the opponent was, but he definitely had ties with Xuehua. Whether or not the opponent had ties with the entire Hades Tribe and the Hades Emperor, that I do not know."
Hearing that, Lin Feng arched his eyebrows and fell into deep thought.
If what the Phoenix Grand Sage said was true, then it appeared that this person, who might have ties with the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage, was better known in the Divine Lands amongst humans.
However, there was no such information from the Divine Lands.
To what Lin Feng knew, not even the Great Void Sect knew anything about the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage’s true self.
Furthermore, it appeared as if no one from the Divine Lands knew about the person who had injured the Parasol Tree King. It was as if he had never existed.
If the Great Void Sect did not know about it, then who was the one who told the Phoenix Grand Sage?
"The Great Thunderclap Temple…" A name that had almost faded into obscurity surfaced in Lin Feng’s mind. "If that’s the case, then there’s a reason why the final battleground of the Hades Emperor was at the Great Thunderclap Temple."
"From this, I can know that the person who intruded into the Parasol Tree Forest all those years ago was not only linked to Xuehua, but the entire Hades Tribe including the Hades Emperor."
Lin Feng sighed and thought, "If that’s the case, then my guess is confirmed. While there are many things I don’t know, I am sure they will slowly reveal themselves…"
He shook his head and laughed, "Ha, it is still half a lead, half a lead. There are still many things that are unclear. However, I already have enough information before me."
Lin Feng calmed himself and clasped his hands at the Phoenix Grand Sage and the Parasol Tree King and said, "My questions were abrupt today. Thank you for clarifying my doubts."
The Phoenix Grand Sage and the Parasol Tree King shook their heads and said, "It’s alright."
After chatting for a while more, Lin Feng invited the Phoenix Grand Sage and the Parasol Tree King to Mount Yujing. Then, he brought Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao and company away from the Parasol Tree Forest.
After they left the ancestral home of the Phoenix and the Divine Parasol Trees, Lin Feng was in deep thought as they flew in mid-air.
Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao and the rest looked at each other. When Lin Feng talked to the Parasol Tree King and the Phoenix Grand Sage, he did so telepathically and hence, they could not listen.
"What did master talk about with the Phoenix Grand Sage and the Parasol Tree King?" Luo Qingwu asked curiously.
Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao, Li Yuanfang and Yang Qing shook their heads. They too did not know how to answer her question.
Lin Feng retracted his thoughts and smiled at his disciples, "Nothing much, I went there to have some of my suspicions clarified, and I was given even more things to think about."
While he did have more questions, Lin Feng’s expression was calm and neutral. Looking at it, Wang Lin, Shi Tianhao and the rest knew that the situation was not important.
Shi Tianhao smiled and looked at Zhuge Zhan, who was with Zhuge Wanqiu and said, "What are your plans, Mr Zhuge?"
Zhuge Zhan clasped his hands at Lin Feng and Shi Tianhao and said, "I have attained my objective for entering the Void Battleground. Subsequently, I don’t plan on running around anymore. Instead, I want to spend time with my daughter."
Shi Tianhao said, "Normally, we are fine with allowing Wanqiu to leave the mountain and travel together with you. However, this time, when she returns to the mountain, she has to do closed-door training till she forms her core."
"While it’s fine for Mr Zhuge to look after her during that period, she is ultimately still a disciple of our sect. It is best for I, as her master, to look after her while she forms her core. This is more beneficial."
Zhuge Zhan nodded his head and said, "I understand."
Zhuge Wanqiu could naturally switch over to cultivating his Divine Light of the Sun Mantra and he would be placed in charge of her core formation. However, Zhuge Zhan was very content and happy with the entire Celestial Sect of Wonders. Today, since his daughter had spent much time cultivating under Shi Tianhao, he had no intention of asking her to change.
He too had witnessed the powers of the Celestial Sect of Wonders. Even he, a naturally arrogant and wild person, was in awe.
Furthermore, his daughter got along well with her fellow disciples. She had made many good friends, unlike him who struggled to make even an acquaintance. Zhuge Zhan was unwilling to separate his daughter from her friends.
However, he was still unwilling to say goodbye to his daughter after not seeing her for so long.
He thought for a while and then clasped his hands and said seriously to Lin Feng, "Master Lin, I have an unreasonable request and I hope that you would permit it."