Chapter 316 - The Cloud That Ascended From the Snowy Mountains
Swords Gate’s Mountain, Golden Summit.
"Feng Shouzhu" appearance changed and returned to his original appearance as he walked towards saint palace at the Golden Summit. The battle at the Golden Summit continued, but everything was basically coming to a close as only Grand Elder Yu, Elder Quan, and the magnate Qi Practitioner from Kui Long Celestial Race remained.
The others had all been killed, and those that remained all fell into the encirclement of the disciples from Swords Gate while the three magnate Qi Practitioners were in hot water. Among Jun Sixie, Fang Jiange, and the others, the ones that posed the greatest threat to the trio were the godly spirit and sword spirit of Swords Gate!
“Headmaster….”
Wherever the old man walked past, the disciples of Swords Gate would automatically stand in a row at the side of the path. When they saw the old man, they were all confused yet excited.
“Headmaster!”
One by one, they called out and slowly, and then they shouted all together as loudly as they could!
“Headmaster is back!”
The return of the headmaster caused a major uproar among the disciples, and all of them quickly stood aside and greeted the headmaster deferentially. Except this time, they were all covered in blood, and the surrounding landscape was littered with corpses.
The rebels, on the other hand, threw their weapons on the ground and suddenly seemed utterly lost.
“Feng Shang is alive!”
Elder Quan immediately panicked, and with one swing, the godly spirit claimed his life while the Kui Long Qi Practitioner roared, turning into a single legged Kui Dragon that released a loud roar, forcing those around him back as he tried to escape.
To his dismay, nine malefic weapons flew towards him at all once, all of them stabbing into his chest. With that, even after having achieved the immortal body and stepping into the True Spirit stage, his essence was wholly sucked dry.
At the same time, the power of the Swords Gate's godly spirit and sword spirit slowly faded away, which reduced their threats towards Grand Elder Yu who was all covered with blood. He continued to fend off the attacks against him, and he soon saw the old man walking towards him.
Suddenly, Grand Elder Yu seemed to have lost all his strength; his will broke, and he had lost all signs of resistance as he laughed, "Feng Shang, no wonder I could never beat you. Hahahaha, even before you die, you still manage to outsmart me…."
The old man walked past him and stopped at the gates of the saint palace on the Golden Summit while Grand Elder Yu said, "History is dictated by the victor. Feng Shang, I've lost! Now take my life!"
His words, however, fell on deaf ears as the old man ignored him and shouted, "Disciples of Swords Gate, Grand Elder Yu and I plotted all of this. In order to protect the Swords Gate's peace and the entire Great Wilderness, Grand Elder Yu willingly bore all the shame and humiliation to lure the enemies into the Swords Gate so that we could kill them all! Today, Grand Elder Yu was pivotal to our victory! Unfortunately, after a prolonged and fierce battle with the invaders, Grand Elder Yu had given his life to his dearest Swords Gate not long ago!"
The entire Swords Gate, including Grand Elder Yu, were all in shock, and they were at a loss on what to do.
In almost just an instant, Grand Elder Yu understood the purpose of the actions of the dying headmaster, and he said with hoarsely, "Are you trying to say that if I take my own life, then you will not blame the You Yu Clan for all of this? Am I right?"
The old man then nodded and said, "You may be an evil person, but that doesn't change the fact that the ancestors of your You Yu Clan were once part of the vanguard that led humanity out of our former hell. The You Yu Clan's noble legacy won't come undone just because of you
r selfish actions.
The old man did not say all of that to help Grand Elder Yu clear his reputation, but to absolve the You Yu Clan of the blame that may befall them.
The You Yu Clan was the second greatest clan in the Great Wilderness, and Grand Elder Yu's betrayal would invariably damage their reputation. It wouldn't be long before innocent members of the You Yu Clan get hurled into an abyss from which they would never be able to escape.
With that, the second greatest clan of the Great Wilderness might completely collapse with no chance for recovery.
The old man's speech just then was all to minimize the backfire of Grand Elder Yu's betrayal. In a hundred years, there might be some that remember the true nature of events, but the impact of this blotch in the Swords Gate's history would vanish entirely, and the disciples of the You Yu Clan would not have to bear the shame that was brought on them by Grand Elder Yu.
Grand Elder Yu's eyes lit up, and when he looked at the disciples of You Yu Clan, he saw fear in their eyes.
"Feng Shang, I am not as wise as you, not as smart as you, and not as good as you."
He then raised his hand and slammed it onto his own face, completely smashing it in. His corpse quickly fell to the ground after that.
Grand Elder Yu destroyed his own face because after what he did, he felt that he had shamed the great ancestors of the You Yu Clan.
Upon seeing this, Zhong Yue felt tired, and he did not know what to say.
Feng Xiaozhong who broke free from his seal was still in front of Zhong Yue, and as time passed, more and more people recognized him.
His appearance was as shocking as the reappearance of the old headmaster, but unlike the latter which brought only joy and happiness, Feng Xiaozhong's appearance only brought fear and horror.
Feng Xiaozhong, however, ignored those around him, and he walked towards the old man.
"Father, you wanted to see me so here I am." Feng Xiaozhong bowed as he smiled.
The old man put up a happy laugh, a laugh that could only be seen on a father that had not seen his son for a very long time, "Look at me, I want to take a closer look at you."
Feng Xiaozhong then raised up his head as the old man looked at him carefully. At this moment, the old man did not seem like the untouchable Sword God that he was revered as, but a father that who wanted to make the most of his remaining time left with his son.
“Go!”
The old man closed his eyes and shouted strictly, "The new headmaster will not be able to suppress you! You have no place in the Swords Gate, and as long as I am alive, you will never return to the Swords Gate!"
Feng Xiaozhong was shocked and murmured, “As long as you are alive then I can never return to Swords Gate? Old man, are you exiling me?”
Tears rolled down on the cheeks of the old man, and he suddenly unleashed his power as he shouted, "Get lost immediately! Do you want me to kill you?"
Feng Xiaozhong immediately knelt down, kowtowed and when he got up, he stared carefully at the old man for a moment before he turned around and walked away.
Zhong Yue, on the other hand, was confused. The old man was going to die soon, and by that time, Feng Xiaozhong would be able to return to the Swords Gate quite easily; what was the point of exiling Feng Xiaozhong?
“I’m afraid that Feng Xiaozhong will not be able to return to Swords Gate anymore.”
Realizing Zhong Yue's confusion, Elder Shui sighed and explained to Zhong Yue as he looked at Feng Xiaozhong's departing figure, "Feng Xiaozhong will never return to the Swords Gate from now on because if he does, then it will mean that the old man has died. In his heart, however, his father will never die. This is why he will not be returning. The old man has effectively exiled him for eternity…."
“I see….”
Zhong Yue was stunned as he finally understood why the reunion of the father and son was like the end of the world for them.
Feng Xiaozhong knew precisely of the old man's intentions. He knew that the old man was on his last legs. The old man also knew that he was going to die, so he allowed Feng Wuji to set Feng Xiaozhong free so that he could see his son one last time before exiling him.
There was no place for Feng Xiaozhong in Swords Gate; a madman can never be the headmaster of Swords Gate. This was not to mention the fact that he was crazy enough to kill his own kin.
And after the death of the old man, the madman would listen to no orders because none of them were his father. Aside from this father, he would no longer be beholden to anyone, not even the gods or demons!
Besides, with the number of enemies that Feng Xiaozhong had made in the outside world, no one from the Swords Gate will be able to stop them if they came seeking for revenge after the old man's death. There was no other choice for him but to exile his own son.
"If one day Feng Xiaozhong does return, it can
only mean that he has truly gone nuts and lost all semblances of his old self."
"At that time, he will be at his most fearsome!" whispered Shui Zian to Zhong Yue.
Zhong Yue agreed with what Shui Zian told him because, in that state, Feng Xiaozhong would become extremely reckless and unpredictable. It wasn't hyperbole to say that Zhong Yue would be more willing to face a god or a demon over Feng Xiaozhong.
After exiling Feng Xiaozhong, the goodly sword and the headmaster's robe flew towards the old man. He then summoned Fang Jiange and Jun Sixie and said gently, "Fang Jiange, you've spent your entire life cultivating the sword. Passing you the position of headmaster will only limit your achievements in the future. Therefore, I will be passing the headmaster position to Jun Sixie, are you willing to accept that?"
Fang Jiange bowed and said, “I accept.”
The old man then said to Jun Sixie, "The headmaster of Swords Gate must be prepared to sacrifice themselves, sacrifice to summon the godly spirit and sword spirit, and enter the Devil Soul Forbidden Land before their deaths to carry out their duty for the Great Wilderness. Jun Sixie, are you willing?"
Jun Sixie bowed and replied, "I am willing."
The old man then placed the robe onto Jun Sixie as the spirits of the clans and tribes of Great Wilderness, including the godly spirit and sword spirit of Swords Gate, resonated and emerged as witnesses.
"Headmaster Sixie, the seal was stolen away by Feng Wuji. Remember, you must retrieve it back from him. Right now, I still have use for the godly sword. After my death, the sword will return to Swords Gate with my body."
The old man looked around and said, “I need someone to collect and bring my corpse back to the Swords Gate. Zhong Yue, follow me.”
Zhong Yue then walked out while the old man said, "You will follow me and bear witness to my final battle. After I die, you will carry my body and the sword back. The Swords Gate will need this final battle of mine to show the invaders with ill intentions our power!"
Zhong Yue silently nodded.
The old man then looked at Shui Zian and said, "After I die, there are bound to be some who will still seek trouble with Swords Gate. At that time, we will be relying on you and your tokens."
Shui Zian wiped away his tears and said, "No one will be able to destroy Swords Gate for as long as I live!"
With a nod and a stomp onto the ground, a cloud appeared under the old man's legs and himself and Zhong Yue out of the Swords Gate towards the west.
At the Swords Gate Mountain, the disciples watched the duo fly away with tears streaming down their cheeks. They all knew that this would be the last time they see their headmaster.
Throughout these years, the ancestors of humanity acted as burning candles. They lit the path out of the darkness for us, but at the expense of their own lives. It was because of them who slashed apart the vines in our paths that we have managed to survive in the Great Wilderness.
As Zhong Yue looked at the landscape beneath him, he thought, I am willing to be one of those candles for humanity. But I am still not strong enough….
In the west, the Xiao Mang Celestial Race's army was still trying their best to retreat to the Xiao Mang Celestial Race's territory while the elder priest hurried them and shouted, "Through the Divine Battlefield, it is much faster there!"
The army then marched straight into the Divine Battlefield, but many of the Xiao Mang Qi Practitioners were curious, Why did the elder priest ask us to take this path? We might have the map of the safe route out from the battlefield, but this Divine Battlefield is, after all, filled with all kinds of veiled threats which could have easily claimed our lives if we had not been careful enough….
The Divine Battlefield was incredibly dangerous, and at the pace that the army was progressing, there might be many of them that might accidentally have entered the danger zones. If that happened, not even the magnate Qi Practitioners would be able to save them!
The elder priest then drove the Xiao Mang Celestial Temple to the back of the army, and he thought, The Divine Battlefield which is filled with danger is the only place where I can stall Feng Shang by myself by restricting the available spaces. Only with that will we be able to protect my people from Feng Shang!
As the last person in the army entered the Divine Battlefield, the elder priest suddenly left and sent the temple up into the Divine Battlefield with the young Qi Practitioners in the temple who shouted, “Elder priest, where are you going?”
The elder priest, however, shook his head and laughed as he said, "Just go, I will not be able to return. Remember, pray for me next year on this day…."
He then looked at the Lian Yun Mountains, and he saw a cloud ascending from the snowy mountains.