Chapter 256: Chapter 255: Secrets of the Cyan Simurgh Palace
Jiang Qiu’s brow furrowed deeply as he listened. When he heard that Gao Yuan City had also suffered a massive attack a week ago, his fists clenched tight.
Gao Yuan City was his birthplace. His parents had died over a decade ago when the city’s defenses were breached. Most of the Outer City District had been devastated in that battle, which had nearly destroyed the schools near the Inner City. One could only imagine the carnage.
The Kunlun Demon Clan was now even stronger than they were at their peak under the Red Flame Spider Mother’s leadership. They had even managed to annihilate Tianshan City. Gao Yuan City was likely in dire straits.
’[Chen], I swear I will kill you.’
A murderous thought flashed through Jiang Qiu’s mind.
Humans and demons could never coexist. Since one side had begun a slaughter, the other was bound to repay it in kind. All this talk about the "Great Dao Imperfection"... If it’s imperfect, then it must be mended.
’I’ll kill [Chen] and use him to mend it for myself!’
With this in mind, he asked solemnly, "Do we know what Realm [Chen] is at right now?"
"We don’t know. [Chen] hasn’t acted personally in a very long time. The higher-ups speculate he might be in Kunlun City focusing on his Cultivation, condensing Spirit Charm to forge Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands for his subordinates and nurture the next generation of Demon Race prodigies."
An Ling’s expression was grave as she shared everything she knew without reservation. "The ruins of Kunlun City have been completely occupied by the Kunlun Demon Clan. Furthermore, during last year’s university entrance exams, the local Secret Realm connected to a mysterious Secret Realm world—the Twelve Great Halls. The Secret Realm Masters from Ancient Inscription Academy can no longer pinpoint its location. It’s possible that [Chen] has also entered the Twelve Great Halls.
Moreover, there are no historical texts that corroborate the existence of those twelve halls. It seems they weren’t a well-known area in ancient times, so very little information about them remains.
During the incident at the entrance exams, Grand General Luo led numerous Vice Admirals and Major Generals to charge inside. They managed to bring out many Treasures of Heaven and Earth and Secret Technique Manuals, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the areas couldn’t be opened. [Chen] is likely also using the resources within to develop the Kunlun Demon Clan..."
The Twelve Great Halls.
Those three words pulled Jiang Qiu’s mind back to the university entrance exams. That great hall was the very place that had witnessed [Chen]’s reincarnation. Using the Treasures of Heaven and Earth from the Nine Great Hot Springs as a foundation... it was hard to imagine what caliber of body [Chen] had forged for himself.
That was also the first time the Twelve Great Halls had appeared. At the time, the generals all believed it was the lair of the Red Flame Spider Mother.
In reality... it was one of the Scripture Pavilions left behind by the Cyan Simurgh Palace.
[Chen] was one of the top Demon Emperors of antiquity. His name could be found in numerous ancient texts. All the Secret Realms that had emerged on Blue Star were fragments of the Celestial Profound Great Realm. In other words, every accessible Secret Realm should, in theory, have been a part of the former Celestial Profound Great Realm.
And after Jiang Qiu broke through to the Peeping Dao Realm, a portion of the ancestral legacy from the North Sea Palace was gradually unlocked for him. This included information about some of the Cyan Simurgh Palace’s arrangements in the Celestial Profound Great Realm.
As one of the main forces opposing the Demon Emperors in the Celestial Profound Great Realm, the branch of the Cyan Simurgh Palace had naturally left behind many ruins, such as the one at the bottom of Cold Heaven Cliff, the North Sea Palace, and the North Snow Tower.
But in the end, the Northern Boundary was considered a remote corner of the vast Celestial Profound Great Realm. The Cyan Simurgh Palace’s branch was located in the Central State, and among its holdings were the Twelve Great Halls, used to store manuals and Secret Techniques.
However, it was unknown why [Chen] was connected to the Twelve Great Halls, or why all traces of the Cyan Simurgh Palace had vanished from the annals of history.
It was also a mystery where the Cyan Simurgh Palace had gone. After all, it had produced four powerful Exalted Masters capable of sealing the remains of a True Dragon and the entire Northern Boundary. It was inconceivable that they wouldn’t have left behind a stable legacy.
He still remembered the words left by the mysterious old man’s silhouette when he received his inheritance in the North Sea Palace:
"The barren Northern Boundary can no longer contain my will. Thirty thousand years have passed, and even the long-sealed Ancestral Realm has been invaded by the Demon Race. The remnants of those bygone eras have been reincarnated, or perhaps they’ve infiltrated from an independent plane."
’The "remnants of bygone eras" must be referring to [Chen] and his kind. As for what this "independent plane" is, I have no idea.’
’This trip to the Northern Boundary has raised too many questions. Unfortunately, there’s no way to answer them any time soon...’
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from the distance. Jiang Qiu’s gaze focused, and a familiar middle-aged face came into view. "Junior Brother, you’re back!"
"Senior Brother."
Seeing him again, Zhai Song’s bear-like frame was as towering as ever. His stubble was a bit thicker, but it couldn’t hide a vicious, claw-shaped scar. A decaying aura emanated from the purplish-black wound.
His left eye had been slashed through and had already been removed. The eyelid twitched as he gave a broad grin. He clapped Jiang Qiu on the shoulder, his single remaining right eye sizing up his returned junior brother. "As expected of the genius who could best Tang Guang in the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm! Even without revealing your Realm, you radiate an aura that makes one’s heart tremble!"
Back when the Capital City was deciding who would carry the Golden Tokens, he had fought a match against Tang Guang from Jiangnan and was defeated in a single sword strike. He’d been quite disgruntled about it.
But then he heard this morning that Jiang Qiu had returned from the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm and had even reached the Grandmaster Realm. It was incredibly satisfying!
Without a doubt, Tang Guang had lost to Jiang Qiu.
In fact, all the top prodigies in the world had lost to Jiang Qiu. And this was his very own junior brother.
Feeling his senior brother’s fervent gaze, Jiang Qiu’s heart trembled slightly. The awkwardness from their half-year separation instantly dissipated. He vividly remembered how his senior brother had specially applied for the Flame Spirit Melting Fragrance resources for him, taught him martial arts in their master’s stead, and personally guided him.
Back then, he had just been an ordinary student who had "climbed the ladder" to become the dean’s personal disciple thanks to a recommendation letter from Grand General Luo Beixing. Yet, Zhai Song had never looked down on him and had fulfilled all his responsibilities as a senior brother should.
"Senior Brother, how did you get that scar on your face?"
Jiang Qiu’s gaze was focused, his tone serious.
"This little thing? Got it from a Great Demon while I was reinforcing Tianshan City," Zhai Song mentioned casually, then changed the subject. "Oh, right. Has An Ling told you about the celebration the university is planning for you?"
"She did. It’s tomorrow."
Seeing that his senior brother didn’t want to elaborate, Jiang Qiu didn’t press the matter.
’It’s enough to know he was wounded by the Kunlun Demon Clan while reinforcing Tianshan City. To inflict that kind of injury, it must have been either an extremely powerful Ancestral Great Demon or a Demon General.’
’From now on, I’ll kill every Demon General I see.’
’For now, though, I should probably focus on the university’s celebration. It signifies that I’m about to receive the rank of Major General and graduate early.’
’Because of the special nature of my past contributions, high-ranking officials from the Northwest Province’s Military Department and Martial Education Department will be attending. They’ll probably present all the awards at once.’
’Besides, with frequent battles in the Northwest Province and the Kunlun Demon Clan at the height of its power, the Military Department and the Martial Education Department have suffered repeated setbacks. I’ve heard that many graduates who went to the front lines have already died.’
’Northwest Martial University desperately needs a ’victory’ to boost morale.’
’The Battle of the Chosen in the Northern Wilderness Great Secret Realm... The winner wasn’t just the Kunlun Demon Clan’s number one genius, [Feng Li]!’
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