Chapter 688: Chapter 687: Mighty Town
Upon returning to the Left Sect’s headquarters, only six out of the ten Ghost Guards remained. Aside from the two traitors, the unexplainable deaths of Fu Ying and Qian Wei had occurred. The elders later speculated that the two must have been caught in the chaos of the battle, unable to escape in time.
Yun Chuoxi met with the Ghost Guards again, this time with a smile on her face. After briefly praising them, she let them leave. Shi Xiaole watched silently, wondering whether this was really a way to inspire loyalty and sacrifice?
Last time, due to the mission, he had no chance to investigate. Upon his return this time, Shi Xiaole immediately started searching for all sorts of books on the Holy Monarch. He found many and spent three days reading them all.
"Holy Monarch, are you really who I think you are?"
According to the numerous records, the Holy Monarch first appeared over eight hundred years ago. Owing to his immense talents, he was revered by the then Sect Master of the Ghost Lethal Sect and followed his advice, which upset many experts of the Sect.
The books only vaguely describe how the Holy Monarch held a position in the Ghost Lethal Sect that was as powerful as the Sect Master. His greatest contribution was proposing the concept of the Supreme Devil’s Domain!
The Holy Monarch believed that Devil Path should open up an area with no rules, no bonds, not even morality needed to exist, where only ’survival of the fittest’ prevails.
If you were strong enough, you could have everything. This was the Supreme Devil’s Realm, suitable for all the people of the Devil Path.
Many followed this belief, while others strongly opposed it, considering the Holy Monarch’s intentions as insidious. After years of quarreling, they eventually split into two factions.
Later on, the Yama Canon was lost, and the Sect Master of the Ghost Lethal Sect lost the power to suppress it. Hence, the sect eventually broke apart, forming the present-day Left Sect and Right Sect.
However, the Left Sect upheld the concept of the Supreme Devil’s Domain.
Shi Xiaole’s mind was in a whirl. As he drowsily walked back to his yard, he unexpectedly found Aunt Mei sitting on a stone bench with a smile on her face and immediately asked, "You seem to be quite interested in the Holy Monarch?"
Shi Xiaole clearly knew that he could not hide his actions from others and exposed Zong Yue’s innocent smile.
"What are your intentions?"
A terrifying oppressive force assaulted him.
Shi Xiaole collapsed to the ground in surprise and shock, touching his head, " Aunt Mei, I... I admire the Holy Monarch very much, and want to understand him and become a man like him."
Aunt Mei sneered coldly. Without any apparent movement, she grabbed Shi Xiaole’s face, jerked it back hard, and caused Shi Xiaole to scream in pain.
Without making a sound, Aunt Mei let go and laughed, "Zong Yue, I never thought that you, a lustful man, would have such high ambitions."
Shi Xiaole snickered to himself.
His disguise had been instructed by Shui Lingping, and with his own years of research, it was already advanced. Without a special potion, outsiders could not detect it.
"Aunt Mei, you misunderstood me. I’ve changed my old lustful habits. You can take all the ten maidservants away from my courtyard, I don’t need them!"
Ignoring what he just said, Aunt Mei had taken it for granted that Shi Xiaole was using a trick to exchange the lesser for the greater and said, "I came here this time to deliver a task from the young lady."
A mission again?
Shi Xiaole knew well that the ten Ghost Guards, as the key cultivation objects of the Left Sect, were not often left at the headquarters, but were frequently dispatched elsewhere for training.
In the process, if someone were to die, it meant that they were not capable. The Devil Path would never pity a weakling.
"This time, you are to go to a place called Purple Beauty Hill..."
Conflict between the Left and Right Sects occurred everywhere, and Purple Beauty Hill was no exception.
Various Martial World Sects occupied the hill. The three most powerful forces among them included the subdivisions of the Left and Right Sects.
Throughout these years, the Left Sect had been steadily advancing, gaining victory after victory.
However, two out of the four Elders from the subdivision mysteriously died last month, causing the situation to deteriorate rapidly, threatening the Left Sect with annihilation, and compelling them to ask for reinforcements from headquarters.
Purple Beauty Hill held a somewhat moderate strategic position - a pity to lose, yet not worth the massive cost to occupy. Therefore, after thinking hard, Yun Chuoxi thought of Zong Yue.
As for this seemingly simple-minded, yet lustful man, Yun Chuoxi didn’t hold him in high regard. However, he was the easiest of the Ghost Guards to control. She might as well take this opportunity to test his worth.
If he turned out to be both wise and brave, Yun Chuoxi wouldn’t mind showing him a bit of goodwill. If he proved to be nothing more than a brute who trained in martial arts, she would show a different attitude.
"Zong Yue, the young lady has high hopes for you, make sure to give your best performance! If you handle this matter well, I can request the young lady to lend you the personal notes of the Holy Monarch written by his own hand."
Aunt Mei encouraged him with a smile.
"Don’t worry, as long as it is the young lady’s command, I, Zong Yue, would climb the Mountain of Knives or dive into the Sea of Flames without batting an eye."
Shi Xiaole thumped his chest, full of heroic spirit.
Do they really take me for a fool?
But hearing the four words ’Holy Monarch’s personal notes’, Shi Xiaole willingly played along and continued his performance.
So, that afternoon, after reporting to headquarters, Shi Xiaole set off for Purple Beauty Hill.
...
Purple Beauty Hill, located in the Jade Region of Tian State, attracted numerous Martial World sects because it was rich in medium-quality jade and many cultivation resources. In terms of strength, it could be roughly divided into three camps.
The Left Sect, the Right Sect, and the alliance formed by nearby sects.
In front of a fortress built from stone bricks, there stood a group of people, with two solemn-looking elders at the front.
"He’s here."
At one moment, one of the elders spoke.
A fast horse was approaching from afar. When it was close, the rider delicately dismounted. He was a tall and robust young man with a firm countenance.
"We greet you, Zong Wei!"
A group of people quickly bowed in salutation.
They had already received the news that the headquarters had dispatched Zong Yue, one of the top ten Ghost Guards, to fill the vacancy of the elders. They couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.
They heard that Zong Yue was quite powerful, but how powerful could he really be? Of the two elders present, both were Twice Tier Earth Immortals, and top-tier Twice Tier Earth Immortals at that.
The Martial World Alliance of the Right Sect and Purple Beauty Hill also had several Twice Tier Earth Immortals, and even had an advantage in numbers.
They pleaded desperately, hoping that the headquarters could send a Third Tier Earth Immortal to hold the fort, but in the end, all they got was this young man. It seemed that the headquarters planned to abandon this place.
Not surprising really, the resources of Purple Beauty Hill were hardly top-notch. Rather than defending it to the death, it would be better to send the powerful fighters elsewhere.
The two elders in front, one surnamed Wang and the other surnamed Chen, were the remaining two of the four grand elders. They invited Shi Xiaole into the fortress with respect, not forgetting to introduce him to the people and the situation there.
"How did the other two elders die?"
Shi Xiaole got straight to the point.
The faces of the two elders distorted slightly. Elder Wang said, "Without hiding anything from you, Zong Wei, our three factions each controlled a region and were constantly fighting. To suppress the Right Sect, we secretly cultivated insiders there over twenty years ago.. One of them did not disappoint us and soon gained the trust of the Right Sect.
"Relying on the information he provided, we kept launching successful surprise attacks. During the most recent one, we learned that an elder from the Right Sect was coming and attempted to dispose of him. However, we fell into their ambush instead."
Shi Xiaole glanced at the two elders. It turned out that it was the Left Sect that initiated the plans, but they couldn’t control the situation and ended up being outmaneuvered by the Right Sect, resulting in heavy losses.
By the time they arrived at their residence, Shi Xiaole had basically understood the situation. He told the two elders, "Thank you both for informing me. If there’s nothing else, you may leave. Keep my direct subordinates here for now."
Everyone frowned secretly. This Zong Wei, what an arrogant attitude!
The two elders quietly took the others and left, leaving only six people behind. Judging by their aura, two of them had astonishingly reached the Divine Border Realm.
In Tian State’s Martial World, even the weakest top-tier forces typically had around thirty Terrestrial Immortals, the more powerful ones had around fifty, and the absolute top forces had around eighty.
The top forces were a huge step ahead of the first-tier forces, even the Divine Strategy Academy couldn’t estimate the number of Earth Immortals present in other top-tier forces.
However, based on his observations and experience, Shi Xiaole estimated the number of Earth Immortals in top-tier forces to be at least in the hundreds.
It wasn’t hard to understand why.
Top-tier forces had strong foundations and occupied the best resources in the Martial World. In combination with the longevity of Earth Immortals, who could live for five hundred years, their numbers accumulated over generations were bound to be huge.
On the other hand, the history of first-tier forces generally didn’t exceed a few hundred years, so naturally, they had fewer Terrestrial Immortals.
"We greet you, Zong Wei."
The six people lowered their heads and shouted in unison.
They had originally served under the two deceased elders, and now that Shi Xiaole was filling the gap, they naturally had to obey him.
Shi Xiaole noticed that, although these six people lowered their heads, a few of them were flickering their eyes, seemingly not very convinced of him.
"As of today, I am your superior. If I tell you to go east, you go east. If I tell you to jump into the river, you jump into the river. Do you have any objections?" Shi Xiaole said.
What did he just say?
All six of them were secretly furious. This Zong Yue, even though he was one of the Ghost Guards and his status was far above theirs, wasn’t he too arrogant? According to him, should they obey even if he asks them to commit suicide?
"Speak your minds. Remember, this is the only chance you will get. After today, anyone who dares to disobey my orders will end up like this bench."
With a casual wave of his hand, Shi Xiaole blasted the stone bench in the courtyard into pieces.
To deal with these Devil Path followers, Shi Xiaole had no intention of being gentle. Being too gentle wouldn’t keep them in line. Moreover, he himself was of the third generation of the Devil Path. What if he was suspected of being insincere?
Confronted with this murderous threat, all six of the previously bowing men raised their heads. The impulsive ones even showed anger on their faces.
"Zong Wei, you hold a higher position than us, so whatever you say goes."
A middle-aged man with triangular eyes chuckled.
Slap!
In the next moment, the middle-aged man with triangular eyes flew sideways, leaving a deep pit in the wall. When he angrily got up, half of his face was swollen like a bun.
The expressions on the faces of the remaining five people changed drastically.
Facing the gloomy gaze of the man with triangular eyes, Shi Xiaole said faintly, "I don’t like people giving me weird vibes. One last time, if you have any objections or grievances, speak up now or hold your peace forever."
A beautifully-featured woman couldn’t help herself and said with a smile, "Zong Wei, since you said so, fine, I do not acknowledge you as our superior!"
