Chapter 482: Chapter 468: Mishap
As the crowd seethed with indignation...
Shen Lang snorted coldly. "I’ll give you two choices. Either enter the Array within the Spirit Pattern Pillars and I’ll let you leave if you can break it, or crawl down from here right now!"
"You call me aggressive? Well, I am being aggressive. What are you going to do about it? Bite me?"
"I, Shen Lang, never go looking for trouble. But if anyone dares to trouble me, I’ll make them wish they were dead!"
"My specialty is kicking a man when he’s down! You want to talk to me about not backing someone into a corner? Did you fucking think about that before you humiliated the other Sects? ’Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.’ Even a child understands this, yet you don’t. You’ve wasted all your years!"
As Shen Lang spoke, he slapped a nearby Spirit Pattern Pillar, producing a crisp sound.
The old men from the Artifact Origin Sect were completely stunned.
Although their founding ancestor had indeed set a rule that whoever could communicate with all nine Spirit Pattern Pillars should receive them, this was the Treasure of the Sect, after all. Losing it under their watch would be a monumental offense!
If they were to crawl down from here now, they could never return to the Artifact Origin Sect.
They would be lucky if the Sect didn’t send powerful experts to hunt them down for bringing such shame upon it.
As for entering the Array within the Spirit Pattern Pillars... With someone who had already communicated with and taken control of the nine pillars controlling the Grand Array, its power would increase by more than tenfold!
Besides, the kid was so ruthless. If they went in, death was certain!
Just then, the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars suddenly glowed in unison. The nine beams of light converged high in the sky, slowly forming a giant human figure.
A terrifying pressure that made it difficult to breathe swept across the entire arena!
"Elder Ancestor! It’s the Elder Ancestor!"
Tears streaming down their faces, the old men from the Artifact Origin Sect cried out and dropped to their knees in unison.
’The founding ancestor of the Artifact Origin Sect? No wonder the pressure and aura are so terrifying!’ Everyone in the arena was shocked.
Figures flashed through the air. In an instant, Zhuge Xian’Er and Yuan Bupu were standing behind Shen Lang, their expressions grave as they watched the blurry figure in the sky.
Although it was only a Divine Thought, for an expert of this caliber, even a mere Divine Thought could annihilate a King Martial Realm expert as easily as flipping a hand!
They didn’t dare let Shen Lang face such a crisis alone.
In the sky, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi fluctuated. The air currents around Shen Lang surged as one stream of divine radiance after another enveloped him, instantly setting up layer upon layer of defense.
The Elder Ancestors in the main hall of Heaven-Reaching Peak had noticed the anomaly and had all come out in force!
However, their figures were hidden in the sky, completely undetectable to ordinary people.
High in the sky, the figure slowly coalesced into a man whose face was indistinct but whose aura was majestic and vast.
The man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, elegant and otherworldly.
His every move held an unparalleled style and bearing.
He turned, fixed his gaze on Shen Lang, and after a long moment, spoke. "These juniors have acted recklessly. Could you spare them for my sake?"
The entire crowd erupted in an uproar!
’An Artifact Refining Master who dominated the Artifact Refining Realm ten thousand years ago, the esteemed founding ancestor of the Artifact Origin Sect, is speaking to Shen Lang like this?’
’That one sentence seems to place Shen Lang on equal footing with him, doesn’t it?’
’And was that a hint of pleading in his tone?’
’Truthfully, whether in terms of seniority or Cultivation, even the King Martial Realm experts behind Shen Lang were not worthy of being addressed in such a way!’
’This person... seems to know something about me.’ Below, Shen Lang’s expression changed slightly, but he didn’t reply.
This mysterious figure from the Artifact Origin Sect had received guidance from that old fellow in the War God Hall and was gifted the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars.
Strictly speaking, he could be considered the War Emperor’s senior apprentice-brother.
The War Emperor was Shen Lang, and Shen Lang was the War Emperor... which meant this man should be considered Shen Lang’s senior apprentice-brother.
His sentence came out of nowhere, yet it seemed as if he had already guessed Shen Lang’s identity...
The question was, how did he guess Shen Lang’s identity?
On the other hand, in the War Emperor’s memories, there was no record of ever encountering this person.
He had founded the Artifact Origin Sect ten thousand years ago and disappeared without a trace not long after, back when the War Emperor had not yet emerged.
The War Emperor had emerged a little over six thousand years ago.
But this man had already been a dominant figure ten thousand years ago, an expert from the same era as Zuo Wentian!
The War Emperor only knew of this person’s existence and that he possessed the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars from what that old fellow had told him, and nothing more.
This founding Elder Ancestor of the Artifact Origin Sect wasn’t even a member of the War God Hall.
"What do you think I should do?"
Unsure of the other party’s background, Shen Lang could only be vague.
The figure in the air smiled faintly. "They are at fault, but their crime doesn’t warrant this. After all, this isn’t just about them; it involves the face of the Artifact Origin Sect... How about this: I will slay an invading enemy for you, and in return, you do me the favor of letting them go. What do you say?"
A sharp glint flashed in Shen Lang’s eyes, and he laughed. "Since you’ve put it that way... very well. You can be the one to kill this fellow from the Beast Emperor Palace."
The moment his voice fell, a figure shot up from the crowd of various Sect members, transforming into a streak of light and frantically flying down the mountain!
"..." Everyone’s mind went blank for a moment.
’There was a King Martial Realm expert hidden among the crowd of spectators?’
The next moment, divine light flared behind Shen Lang as four Elder Ancestors revealed themselves and furiously pursued the expert from the Beast Emperor Palace!
An expert with a King Martial Realm Cultivation was a being capable of overturning rivers and seas. Letting a King Martial Realm expert from a hostile force like the Beast Emperor Palace run rampant inside the Profound Dao Sect’s territory meant they had already lost half the battle, no matter how it was fought!
If the opponent wished, he could collapse several peaks with a single move, and the Profound Dao Sect would suffer catastrophic losses!
Who would want to fight a battle in their own home?
Wouldn’t they be the ones footing the bill for everything that got broken?
"A man from the Beast Emperor Palace... He’s courting death!" The Elder Ancestors were practically flustered with rage.
Just then, the figure above the Spirit Pattern Pillars moved slightly and said, "Lend me your Divine Weapon for a moment."
Before Shen Lang could speak, the Immortal Celestial Saber in his hand had already flown from his grasp, speeding toward the figure in the air!
The figure in the air flicked his wrist, caught the Immortal Celestial Saber, and with a casual swing, slashed down in the direction the King Martial Realm expert from the Beast Emperor Palace was fleeing.
In that instant, a bone-chilling Sword Intent flooded the entire Profound Dao Sect.
At that moment, everyone in the Profound Dao Sect shivered involuntarily, as if that incomparably powerful Sword Intent, capable of tearing the Azure Vault and annihilating everything, was aimed directly at them!
Everyone felt as though they would be ground to dust in an instant...
From the distance came a blood-curdling scream, and then, everything returned to calm.
By the time everyone came to their senses, they discovered they were drenched in a cold sweat!
Shen Lang caught the returning Immortal Celestial Saber, a peculiar glint in his eyes.
’This founding ancestor of the Artifact Origin Sect has probably reached a Realm in the Sword Dao far beyond that of Shark’s Kiss, the Elder Ancestor of the Li Hen Sect.’
A mere Divine Thought, millions of times weaker than his true self, had borrowed the Immortal Celestial Saber to unleash such a tyrannical strike!
In truth, the Artifact Origin Sect was famous for Artifact Refining, and legend said the man who founded the Sect was a peerless Artifact Refining Master.
For an Artifact Refining Master to have such an attainment in the Sword Dao was rather unusual.
However, none of this had anything to do with Shen Lang, and he couldn’t be bothered to investigate further.
His only regret was that the man had been a bit too fierce... With that one slash, he had even obliterated the Nascent Soul of the Beast Emperor Palace’s King Martial Realm expert. What a colossal waste!
But if the ancestor hadn’t acted, Shen Lang wasn’t very confident that he and the Elder Ancestors could have taken the man down without issues.
After all, this was within the Profound Dao Sect, and there were thousands of people gathered at the Martial Arts Arena... If that bastard had gone on a rampage, even if they had managed to kill him, the Profound Dao Sect would have likely suffered heavy casualties.
When Shen Lang first returned to the Profound Dao Sect, he hadn’t noticed that someone from the Beast Emperor Palace was hiding in the crowd.
But the man spotted Yuan Bupu behind Shen Lang and, in his shock, leaked a tiny bit of his aura, which allowed Yuan Bupu to detect the scent of the Beast Emperor Palace on him.
Yuan Bupu remained calm and sent a voice transmission to Shen Lang. When Shen Lang activated his Silver Eyes of Truth to investigate, he too was startled... He had already killed two Elder Ancestors from the Beast Emperor Palace in the Dark Moon Abyss, yet unexpectedly, another one was hidden among the members of these Sects, having followed the Artifact Origin Sect up to the Profound Dao Sect to watch the show!
Shocked, Shen Lang could only feign ignorance and planned to use the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars to suppress this person after he had claimed them.
Unexpectedly, the Divine Thought of the Artifact Origin Sect’s founding ancestor appeared, easily detected the Killing Intent on the man, knew he was Shen Lang’s enemy, and immediately did Shen Lang a favor by slaying the man from the Beast Emperor Palace on the spot!
"Elder Ancestor... Our nine Spirit Pattern Pillars..." Tong Fan, having come to his senses, seized the opportunity to speak up.
The bastard still hadn’t forgotten about the Spirit Pattern Pillars.
’Since the Elder Ancestor has appeared, even if it’s just a Divine Thought, he’s not someone the mere Profound Dao Sect can handle. Now is the time for our Artifact Origin Sect to regain its glory!’
Tong Fan’s heart swelled with glee, wishing the Elder Ancestor would just crush Shen Lang right then and there.
The others beside him wanted to cover his mouth, but they were a step too late... The old fool hadn’t heard the Elder Ancestor’s initial plea to Shen Lang at all!
The figure in the air snorted coldly. "Such audacity! Has the rule I set down all those years ago become a mere formality to you? The nine Spirit Pattern Pillars go to the one who is capable, and the one who obtains them shall become the guardian deity of the Artifact Origin Sect! Have you all forgotten this?"
Tong Fan’s body shook violently, and he trembled, not daring to speak another word.
Below, Shen Lang’s face darkened instantly. He shouted without restraint, "What the hell is wrong with you people?! All you old geezers are plotting in the shadows, trying to screw someone over? You think I’m going to protect your Artifact Origin Sect just because I took a few pillars? You want me to work for you? In your dreams!"
The group of old experts from the Profound Dao Sect wanted to cry.
’This little ancestor of ours is way too audacious...’
’That person up there is a legendary figure from ten thousand years ago! Even as a Divine Thought, he’s not someone we can handle! Talking to him like that... isn’t that just courting death?’
’That slash just now, how domineering! How powerful!’
’If he aimed one or two of those strikes at us, the Profound Dao Sect would be finished...’
While the Elder Ancestors were feeling apprehensive, the Artifact Origin Sect’s ancestor unexpectedly became bashful. "Well... you could say it’s a mutual assistance thing. The Artifact Origin Sect, you see, is mainly a gathering place for Artifact Refiners. With so many of them, they’re bound to be able to help you with things eventually, right?"
"As for these nine Spirit Pattern Pillars, in a sense, they are actually stronger than ordinary Imperial Artifacts. They can definitely help you out a little. So, you see... considering the connection between us, and for the sake of these Spirit Pattern Pillars, could you please look after the Artifact Origin Sect? I would be endlessly grateful, endlessly grateful!"
Everyone present erupted into a clamor once again.
’Such a powerful expert was saying these things to a disciple of the Profound Dao Sect? Pleading with a disciple of the Profound Dao Sect to protect the Artifact Origin Sect?’
’What in the world was going on?’
’It was simply unimaginable!’
The few men from the Artifact Origin Sect were even more dumbfounded, rendered completely speechless.
The Elder Ancestors of the Profound Dao Sect and the other Five Sects stared at one another, all thinking they must have misheard...
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