Chapter 1075: Chapter 1074 Leading_1
Beneath a grand and expansive, circular stone altar spanning two hundred zhang, stood a dense crowd of people, men and women, old and young, all clad in coarse cloth, indistinguishable from ordinary farmers at first glance.
However, upon closer inspection, one would realize that everyone present, even children as young as six or seven, had an air far sturdier than many experts of the Martial World, and some seemed to meld with the void itself, like drops in the ocean, having reached the Supreme Realm where the natural and the self are one.
Many more were hurrying over, clamorously discussing who it might be, their words laced with excitement and anticipation.
"Brother Meng, should we make a move?"
At the forefront of the crowd, a square-faced and resolute man asked. The noise around him immediately ceased, and everyone turned their attention to the date-faced man beside him.
Clearly, the two of them were the leaders here.
The date-faced man, also known as Brother Meng, pondered for a moment before saying, "Using the Ancestral Altar Array System to construct a Void Channel and summon our clansmen is a secret technique of our Meng and Shi clans, not to be employed lightly."
The square-faced man said, "Brother Meng, are you worried about consuming too much energy?"
"No! To stir the Ancestral Altar to such an extent, it must be an exceptional person of our clans, and it’s worth any expense. What I worry about is being discovered by those people."
Upon hearing Meng Chou’s words, Shi Fu couldn’t help but show a look of understanding.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the otherworldly beings who came from beyond descended in thirty-six branches, and with the prowess of the Meng and Shi clans in former times, they certainly ranked among the top five.
Unfortunately, after the cataclysmic blood disaster, the Meng and Shi clans were severely weakened. Though thousands of years have passed and they have vastly rejuvenated, even nearing their peak period, one must not forget that the other branches have also been advancing, especially those that were originally on par with the Meng and Shi clans—it is hard to imagine how powerful they have become.
Rash actions could alert them, akin to startling the grass to scare the snake, and invite trouble.
"They regard us as traitors, wishing nothing more than to kill us swiftly. Indeed, they are not to be underestimated. But there’s no need to be afraid of them either; in the battle of old, our Meng and Shi clans never shrank back."
Another member of the Meng clan declared loudly.
"We’ve been lying low for tens of thousands of years and cannot afford to take this lightly. However, old sixth is not wrong. Especially considering the commotion emanating from the Ancestral Altar, such an occurrence has only happened a few times in ten thousand years. I really want to see which of our clans’ heroes it is, hahaha..."
A member of the Shi clan spoke, and his words resonated with the crowd.
Besides accumulating the ashes of heroic spirits for worship, the Ancestral Altar also served to test bloodlines. Bloodlines and talents were not an absolute correlation, but closely related.
The current commotion at the Ancestral Altar was unprecedented, unseen by anyone present, and only comparable to a certain record from the ancestry—it couldn’t have drawn so many clan members otherwise.
Which of the clansmen wouldn’t be curious about such a matter?
"Uncle Meng, Bald Grandpa said everything is up to you," said a child as he rushed over from a distance, covering a kilometer in just a moment.
Meng Chou fell silent for a moment, then his eyes sharpened suddenly, "Shi Jin, Shi Kai, Meng Chong, Meng Ti... prepare yourselves, each take a corner of the Wuji Array, and begin the summoning immediately. If anyone tries to obstruct us mid-way, harming our clan’s prodigies, show no mercy—kill without hesitation!"
"Kill without hesitation!"
Meng Chou’s words exhilarated the crowd, their blood boiling with eagerness. They had feared their leader, like in the past, might choose to remain covert, and they were also curious about which hero of the clan was on the other end.
Ten masters took their positions around the altar. Then, ten fearsome streams of Vigorous Air surged like tsunamis, spreading wildly in all directions and filling the void within the blink of an eye.
Underneath the royal city of Zrin Kingdom.
Within the crumbling light of the Ancestral Altar, a semi-visible door of light appeared.
"This is..."
Finally snapping out of his anguish, Shi Xiaole felt a remarkably stable force of space emanating from the door, like a channel leading to an unknown place.
To know, within the depths of the void, the chaotic forces are immensely terrifying; even a Forbidden Martial Emperor would be torn to shreds upon entering, a force that mere mortals cannot contend with.
Yet now, someone had forcibly carved out a path through the chaos, and although it was intensely laced with the power of an Array System, the ability to activate such an array attested to the world-shaking power of the one who intervened!
"Child, our clansmen are guiding us, but during the journey, it might attract the attention of other otherworldly beings, so it’s not without risk," said the National Master.
"I want to see the ancestral land and meet our clansmen," stated Shi Xiaole firmly.
The National Master showed a smile of helpless satisfaction, as if he had anticipated this response, and reminded him, "Follow behind me." He took the lead towards the light door, and Shi Xiaole followed closely, both vanishing through it in a flash.
"They’re coming; there are two people!"
On the other side of the Ancestral Altar, the ten masters maintaining the Array System were visibly excited, though their faces were pale.
Summoning through the void was purely a fantasy within the Martial World, believed to be impossible. To turn the impossible into possible, even for a brief moment, drained the grandmasters of unimaginable energy, which if prolonged, could even damage their very life essence.
The people of Peach Blossom Village awaited tensely, and since the news had spread quickly, almost every family had come to see.
Within the Void Channel.
Shi Xiaole moved ten thousand meters with each step, observing the cracks on the surface of the channel as he advanced.
These fissures were created by the impact of the currents of chaos; the shallow ones were several meters deep, while the deep ones nearly breached the channel. Shi Xiaole even felt streams of the force of chaos directly hitting his face, which made his hair stand on end.
Yet amidst the tension, he couldn’t help but become engrossed in it.
Void has always been the most enigmatic and mysterious existence. All things under heaven exist within the void, yet no one can comprehend it, just like a mirror. You see only yourself in it, but who can penetrate the essence of the mirror itself?
In the Martial World, there is a saying that whoever grasps the essence and truth of the void can ascend to the martial dao peak, shatter the void, and wander the universe freely.
Shi Xiaole did not dare to think so far ahead, but having finally entered deep into the void, he wanted to take this opportunity to truly feel the power of the void, which might aid his cultivation.
Threads of the chaotic stream’s force, weak enough to be negligible, brushed past Shi Xiaole’s body, and he gradually indulged in them. These forces seemed to become countless swords, countless hands, creating various trajectories.
The National Master was watching him closely, and upon seeing this, he could not help revealing a hint of astonishment and admiration. A person who can immerse himself in perception at any moment, even if not very insightful, should not be underestimated, let alone Shi Xiaole.
Whoosh!
A terrifying void storm suddenly attacked from afar, sizzling as it tore open a large gap in the Void Channel.
"Not good!"
The National Master reacted quickly, grabbing Shi Xiaole and flinging him to the rear while simultaneously extending his hand as a claw. The moment his vigorous air came into contact with the void storm, it was instantly shredded and then clung to his hand.
Fortunately, much of the power of the void storm had been exhausted, and with the National Master’s timely retreat, he avoided severe injury. However, his palm was still left bloody and mangled.
Boom, boom, boom.
This incident was no accident; more void storms surged from afar, intent on annihilating Shi Xiaole and the National Master.
"You sneaky scum, have the guts to come out!"
At the end of the channel, someone shouted loudly. The mighty power of their palm, when encountering the force of chaos, similarly triggered a void storm, blocking the previous one.
In front of the Ancestral Altar of Peach Blossom Village, the faces of the Meng and Shi clans were unsightly, having finally been discovered by outsiders.
"So it’s you traitors. Still dreaming of guiding the bloodline of your clan, how ridiculous!"
The storm grew more intense. More than one person had noticed the anomaly in the void and launched attacks toward Shi Xiaole and the National Master in the channel.
Crack, crack, crack.
The already barely stable Void Channel split into pieces in the blink of an eye, on the verge of completely breaking apart.
The ten top experts of the Meng and Shi clans were furious. These were once-in-a-millennium talents from their clan. If an accident occurred, they would be the first to not forgive themselves.
The ten people struck out in a frenzy, stopping those who were causing trouble while not hesitating to consume their vital blood to reinforce the channel.
"Kill!"
The others from Peach Blossom Village also made their move. Under Meng Chou’s command, they quickly formed the Minor Ten-Wuji Array, with a continuous flow of power entering the bodies of the ten individuals.
Meng Chou and Shi Fu had prepared for such an eventuality from early on to prevent accidents.
Boom, boom, boom.
The force of chaos, like waves, struck repeatedly. Shi Xiaole saw clearly, each blow having the power to easily annihilate top Heaven Realm Martial Emperors, and even the Forbidden Martial Emperor might not escape unscathed.
It wasn’t that the attackers were more powerful than the Forbidden Martial Emperor, but once they stirred up the force of chaos, even they couldn’t control the situation. It was like a torpedo causing a tsunami, where the destructive force of the tsunami itself exceeds that of the torpedo.
"Dongguo Clan, Ge Clan, Murong Clan, well done!"
This outcome was clearly to the advantage of the saboteurs, as the Void Channel was on the brink of collapse.
"This is the fate of traitors, die!"
More than one person sneered from afar, cold and merciless.
"Child, go back!"
The National Master seemed to activate some secret technique, exploding into a mist of blood, and his momentum surged like a rising tide. With a forceful push, Shi Xiaole uncontrollably flew backward, faster than the rate at which the channel was breaking.
However, this meant that the National Master was unable to escape. Shi Xiaole watched helplessly as his father was exposed to the chaotic streams of the void, his heart wrenching painfully as he shouted, "Dad!"
Clang...
Just one second before the guiding gate completely shattered, Shi Xiaole retreated out, and the light pillar of the Ancestral Altar also receded. Shi Xiaole stood still, as if he were a clay statue.
But an indescribable, incomparable killing intent erupted from his body, as if a million swords were resonating together, wanting to pierce through the heavens and shatter the blue sky.
Even though the National Master was not the complete Shi Xuanzhong, in a way, he was Shi Xuanzhong to him. For his sake, he had resolutely sacrificed his life.
"No, it can’t be. Dad has so many methods. He is the Holy Monarch, an unparalleled Holy Monarch; he must still be alive, and even the chaotic streams of the void can’t do anything to him!"
Shi Xiaole muttered to himself, his lips trembling uncontrollably. Fortunately, the relationship of subordination between the National Master and Shi Xuanzhong gave him some hope, making him feel that the National Master might not have fallen.
But in his heart, Shi Xiaole silently remembered the Dongguo Clan, the Ge Clan, and the Murong Clan. When the day came, he would surely avenge the grudge of today!
