Chapter 319 - The True Victor
Zhong Yue carried the old man's body on his back. In his hand was the Great Boundless Divine Sword; after a few days of travel, he had finally arrived back at Swords Gate. On the Swords Gate Mountain, the new headmaster led Fang Jiange, Shui Zian, and the other elders to receive him. White banners were everywhere across the whole of Swords Gate, while the disciples' mournful cries resounded throughout the mountain.
Zhong Yue handed over the Great Boundless Divine Sword to Jun Sixie, and Shui Zian had the Shui Tu Clan disciples sending out the tokens to their respective owners with only one request — to ask them to head over to Swords Gate and protect the humans for half a year.
The old man's last two battles of his life shook the world. The death of the Xiao Mang Celestial high priest and Shi Buyi's heavy injuries from the fight had undoubtedly reminded the world of why he was once revered as the Sword God.
But the old headmaster's death signaled the crumbling of the Swords Gate's hitherto staunchest pillar of support. It wouldn't be long before the other races acted. Chief among these aggressors was the Zhong Li Celestial Race of the South Barren, followed then the dragon race and the Kui Long, Shan Shen and the other celestial races of the West Barren.
In order to defend the humans, Shui Zian had sacrificed his tokens, requesting his old acquaintances to protect the Swords Gate. As such, even if the other races were trying to take a chunk out of the Great Wilderness, they would have to tread with caution.
This was a time of chaos and disorder, the Swords Gate was now under the Shui Zian's protection, while the West Barren had plunged into chaos. The celestial races received the news of the Xiao Mang high priest's and the four magnates' deaths. The Xiao Mang Celestial Race had never been this weak before. Hence, they turned their sights towards the Xiao Mang Celestial Race who were at their most vulnerable. The celestial races proceeded to ravage its lands and plunder its wealth.
But the Xiao Mang Celestial Race will remain as always.
Zhong Yue thought, What the Xiao Mang Celestial Race's strength was always because of their race itself as well as the terrifyingly strong ancestor that was slumbering in their temple.
That Xiao Mang ancestor that was residing in the moon was the most terrifying of all; his existence had destined that the Xiao Mang Celestial Race would never fall. Not only that, but the ones to suffer instead, were the celestial races that tried to attack the Xiao Mang Celestial Race.
The consequences that would follow after the heels of the awakening of that Xiao Mang Celestial Race ancestor were unimaginable!
On the other side of the world, the East Barren was also in a chaotic state; Shi Buyi's heavy injuries from the battle against the old Sword God had spread throughout the whole East Barren. The voices of dissent that called for usurping Shi Buyi as overlord had now come to a head. Yan Yunsheng of Sulfur Island and Xiu Tianchen of Jinxiu Island were soon in pursuit of Shi Buyi.
The three magnates were locked in a series of battles. Shi Buyi would be intercepted by the two on his path every time he tried to return to Xian Kong Saint City. The two magnates were stabbing on Shi Buyi's back; Shi Buyi couldn't even let his guard down and treat his wounds for a single second.
Meanwhile, the elders of Swords Gate had gathered together, Shui Zian said, "The two island lords couldn't really do anything to Shi Buyi. After all, Shi Buyi is sly and cunning. He has his own trusted subordinates Tian, Di, Xuan and Huang four elders. Not only that, but one of his disciples, Qiu Qingshan, who is most simple and honest is extremely loyal to him and would surely head over to save him. With the four Tian, Di, Xuan, Huang elders and Qiu Qing Shan, the island lords will surely take a huge blow if they can't take down Shi Buyi before his help arrives."
"Feng Wuji, where is he? Is he still nowhere to be found?" Zhong Yue suddenly thought of something and asked.
The higher-ups exchanged looks and shook their heads.
Feng Wuji had brought the Swords Gate headmaster's jade seal away from them and disappeared to a place unbeknownst to them when the battle was coming to an end. The disappearance of the headmaster's jade seal was a large incident to Swords Gate, and the whole of Swords Gate Mountain was tirelessly in search of it.
"Words say that he has gone back to the West Barren, serving as a white-robed priest in the Xiao Mang Celestial. There is also news that speaks of him being the most likely candidate to become the next high priest! But the West Barren is currently in a disorder. It is not wise to blindly trust these words, the reliability of this information has yet to be verified."
Shui Zian said, "After a few more days, once the envoys I sent out have returned, we will know with certainty whether or not he is seeking refuge in the Xiao Mang Celestial Race."
Jun Sixie then said, "Feng Wuji brought the headmaster's jade seal away, there will be a battle between the two of us, and I will claim back the jade seal!"
Zhong Yue furrowed his brows, he was puzzled and thought, What can the jade seal bring to Feng Wuji? He is now a traitor to humanity, and the whole human race knows that he is a spy from the Xiao Mang Celestial Race. Even the headmaster's jade seal can't gain him the trust of the humans….
All of a sudden, his body shuddered as a thought flashed across his mind, Feng Wuji can be in the West Barren, and he can also still be in Swords Gate! If he is still in Swords Gate, then it all makes sense for him to take away the jade seal!
The【Mystic Duplication Technique】!
Feng Wuji had clearly cultivated the【Mystic Duplication Technique】, his true identity was Feng Wuji, but there were another two identities. One of them was in Swords Gate and had been cultivating the demonic methods!
Zhong Yue had long suspected that the demon expert he met in the Demon Ruins was a product of Feng Wuji's【Mystic Duplication Technique】!
Feng Wuji had personally left the Great Wilderness, but his other incarnation must still be in the Swords Gate, and that one must be holding the headmaster's jade seal!
Rays flashed across his eyes while thoughts turned rapidly in his mind, The headmaster's jade seal not only symbolizes the headmaster's power, but it is also a soul weapon. It is a key that opens certain sealed bunkers in Swords Gate! He has stolen the headmaster's jade seal and passed it to his other identity while he left to draw the attention of the others so that his other incarnation in Swords Gate would be forgotten!
All the while, his other identity will enter the sealed places of Swords Gate with the headmaster's jade seal during the Swords Gate's troubled times!
This identity must be someone that is almost impossible to suspect, and they need to be someone inconspicuous enough to escape being drawn into the recent battles. Those that stood on the opposing were mostly killed on the spot, and some had their cultivation base destroyed. A certain few were locked away and imprisoned. And yet, through all of this, his other identity will have been left unnoticed by the others!
Feng Wuji's incarnation must be a figure that warranted little suspicion or attention and had access to confidential and critical information. Just who exactly could he be?
This Feng Wuji, what is he trying to take out with him from Swords Gate?
Tian Myriad Mother knows of my other identity as Long Yue, and she might have told Feng Wuji about it. If Feng Wuji knows that I'm Long Yue, then he will know that I'm the one who went on to the moon and also the one who killed Xiao Chuqing. But why didn't he inform the Xiao Mang Celestial Race?
Zhong Yue couldn't help but locked his brows. He suddenly felt that Feng Wuji's plans were way more complicated and that it was hard to deduce the rationale behind his actions. Thinking back, he realized that every step and action that Feng Wuji took didn't entirely align with the Xiao Mang Race's best interest. Furthermore, he has escaped back to the West Barren immediately after his defeat in Swords Gate. This felt really odd and bizarre to Zhong Yue.
But what if Feng Wuji is actually killing through a borrowed knife? The death of the four Xiao Mang magnates: Yin, Qing, Yuan, and Que; and the death of the Xiao Mang high priest ... Were they all part of his plan to climb the ladder in Xiao Mang Celestial Race and claim the position of the high priest for himself?
A frigid chill traveled down his spine, and his hairs bristled up. Soon, the initially fragmented pieces of information came together in his mind like a puzzle falling into place. During the incident, the four Xiao Mang magnates died way too quickly before they could even react and inform the high priest of the old headmaster's fake death.
But Feng Wuji had plenty of time to do so!
And yet, not a single move was carried out; he didn't inform the high priest and caused the high priest to lead the Xiao Mang Celestial Race forces to enter the Great Wilderness, eventually forcing the high priest to sacrifice himself for the survival of his people!
The Yin, Qing, Yuan, and Que magnates were also killed in Swords Gate, even if there were other magnates in the Xiao Mang Celestial Race, none of them would be able to compete against the Earth Innate Spirit Body Feng Wuji!
So whose victory was it at the end of this play?
When everything came together, the epiphany dawned on Zhong Yue, and he mulled in his heart, So he is the real victor of it all. This is what Feng Wuji was planning in the first place—not the headmaster position, but the Xiao Mang Celestial Race's high priest! I suppose, the desire to control the strength of the Xiao Mang Celestial Race has led to his plan of taking down the high priest? However, the Xiao Mang Celestial Race has just taken a massive blow, and even with him becoming the new high priest, he can't possibly return the Xiao Mang Celestial Race to their peak form.
***
Meanwhile, in the Xiao Mang Celestial Temple, Feng Wuji was leisurely strolling in the empty palace. In the middle of the hall, the emerald lights glimmered nefariously, while a majestic-looking three-headed Pan Ao stared furiously at a three-headed goddess-like lady that was kneeling down on the floor.
Feng Wuji walked to the corpse of the three-headed beauty. He slowly bent his knee and knelt on the ground at the side of that beauty. In the gentlest manner, he raised the lady's cold hand and lightly kissed it.
"Mother, I have avenged you. Your father, my grandfather, had sentenced you to death, how can I possibly listen to his orders? Hehe, I didn't kill him personally, but his death is definitely because of me. I've used my other grandfather, Feng Xiaozhong, to kill him … Rest assured, mother. No one will ever know what exactly happened and what role I played in this whole series of events. No one will ever know how much time and effort I have poured just for this day to arrive…."
"Grandfather thought that he had full control over me. He thought that I am just a little pawn he could use as he desired. And yet, they are all dead now, and only I am alive at the end of it all. I am the true victor of this war!"
Feng Wuji stood up. The high priest's robe was still crusted with dried blood, but he was now wearing it. The cold and empty palace became filled with his maniacal laughter that seemed to belong to a demon.
"Mother, your son, I am now the most powerful existence to rule this land. I am not the scum they said I was, but the greatest high priest of all! You must be proud of me, right? I will not only be the master of this land, but the master of this continent ... this world!"
"That thing underneath Swords Gate will soon be in my hands, and not long after, all of this world will live in my shadow!"
"I will surpass the human ancestors. I will surpass my father. I will surpass my forefathers, and I will become a god!"
***
Swords Gate.
Elder Pu, who was nowhere to be seen during the incident, walked out from the inner hall. He was now heading towards the upper house of the outer hall with a smile. Clearly, he was in a very good mood.
As of now, the Swords Gate was recovering from the damage of the incident, but his teachings in the upper house continued as usual. Today, after his session of instruction, the elderly man did not return to the inner hall, but instead, he leisurely strolled down the mountain. He even greeted Hall Master Zuo Xiangsheng and exchanged some small words on his way down the mountain.
"It seems like Elder Pu is enjoying yourself, where are you heading to?"
A voice suddenly rushed into his ears, and Elder Pu looked over and found the source of the sound — it was a young man standing in the shade of the trees, away from the sweltering heat of the sun. His hands were clasped behind his back, while he gazed into the vast sky as if something were catching his attention.
“Ah, Hall Master Zhong.”
Elder Pu said laughingly, "Why are you are? I was actually looking for you, but I've heard that the Seal Suppression Hall had a lot of work to do in sealing away the traitors, and so I tried to keep out of your way during this time. I'm heading down to the town now. I'm looking for a few spirit herbs to concoct some medicinal pellets."
Zhong Yue pulled his eyes from the sky and swept his gaze over at Elder Pu, "Indeed, the Seal Suppression Hall has received a large number of guests, but most of them are locked in the Outer Seal Suppression Hall. After all, they are just small figures of little consequence. They aren't qualified to be sealed away in the Inner Seal Suppression Hall. Furthermore, it's mostly Junior Martial Sister Jin'er who has been handling these matters. I'm mainly in-charge of imparting the【Great Boundless Sword Qi】to the headmaster. Elder Pu, it's been a long time since we last met, I still remember the times where I was in the upper house. You were the one who had taught me the【Spring Thunderbolt Sword Skill】. Looking back on it, it really does bring back some memories."
Elder Pu seemed to feel the same, "I never thought that you would eventually reach the heights you are at now. Thinking back on it, you were still a young and inexperienced greenhorn back in the days, and now, you are already the hall master of the Seal Suppression Hall. What were you looking at?"
“A dog-shaped white cloud.”
Zhong Yue said placidly, "My becoming the Seal Suppression Hall Hall Master is really nothing much when compared to what you've achieved. After all, Elder Pu is the true victor of it all."
Elder Pu was bewildered, "What? True victor?"
Zhong Yue smiled, "The headmaster's jade seal is with you, and you've become the high priest of the Xiao Mang Celestial Race. If you are not the real winner, then who is? All three generations of the Feng family are incredibly talented, but what is more alarming is their intelligence. The old headmaster ... and also ... you."