Chapter 131: Emperor Jin’s Wrath (2)
Great Jin, the world's number one empire, possessed an internal intelligence system that far surpassed that of the Starcom Consortium.
The highest echelons of major powers such as the Pleiades Guild and Starcom Consortium secretly made moves against Great Jin. Yet, none wished to break off relations with the Great Jin Empire openly.
The moment Emperor Jin issued his proclamation, the calm before the storm ended, and a torrential downpour began. Within just five days, two pieces of news spread across all seven continents of the Central Plains.
Great Jin is offering a reward of ten million silver taels and the title of 'Third Class Marquis of Great Jin' for information on the true identity of Shadow Blade.
Great Jin is offering a reward of 100 million silver taels, a complete set of immortal arts, and the title of 'Second Class Duke of Great Jin' for the death of Shadow Blade.
Almost every expert who had publicly disclosed their residence on the Land Rankings and Human Rankings swiftly received the news.
...
In the Hillstride City of the Jiang continent, Chen Luo sat in his courtyard house, reading the message. As a Grandmaster of Great Jin, he naturally received the news first.
His Majesty has truly lost his senses. He's giving away 100 million silver taels, and even willing to offer a set of immortal arts?
Hmph! If they were willing to grant me a set of immortal arts, I could have slain Shadow Blade that very day. Chen Luo shook his head.
There was no essential difference between secret arts and immortal arts. However, mastering an immortal art was extremely difficult, ten times harder than mastering a secret art.
If ordinary martial artists accidentally obtained a secret art manual, they would only be able to display 50%-60% of its power, as their physical constitutions had yet to reach the necessary level. Nevertheless, as long as they didn't push their limits, they were unlikely to cause irreparable damage to their bodies.
Forbidden arts or immortal arts were different. Crafted by Heavenly Rankers, even the slightest misstep during training could inflict severe injuries upon a martial artist. Moreover, since the constitution of each martial artist was unique, the same forbidden art principle would be modified by Heavenly Rankers based on the end user's physical attributes, amplifying its potency while minimizing harm to the body.
Therefore, a written manual version of forbidden arts was nearly non-existent, as they were all imparted through personal tutoring from Heavenly Rankers. Even if there were lone Grandmasters lucky enough to obtain a forbidden arts manual, none would dare cultivate them without a Heavenly Ranker's assistance. Without a doubt, behind Great Jin, was a Heavenly Ranker.
A burning desire stirred within Chen Luo.
If I could get my hands on a forbidden art, and then a first-grade divine weapon, how could Bu Yu dare act arrogantly in front of me?
Unfortunately, he could only dream. If a Grandmaster of Great Jin made a substantial contribution, there was naturally a chance to obtain a forbidden art, or even a first-grade divine weapon. Sadly, the difficulty was tremendous. Great Jin didn't hand out these treasures easily.
After all, why should a Heavenly Ranker, who oversaw the mortal world and observed the rise and fall of Grandmasters, go through the trouble of guiding a Grandmaster in the cultivation of forbidden arts?
Keep in mind, a forbidden art in itself didn't contribute much to a Grandmaster's ascension into the Heavenly Rankings, and might even be detrimental.
Hmph, this news will soon spread throughout the world. But how many are actually capable of obtaining the rewards?
As the only Grandmaster who had ever clashed with Shadow Blade, Chen Luo was well aware of the man’s prowess. With his incredible martial skills and unimaginable physical stamina, how was one supposed to kill him? A mass encirclement? Against a martial artist at Grandmaster level, a million-strong army was nothing more than a joke. Only a Grandmaster could stand toe to toe with another Grandmaster. This was an iron law that remained unchanged for millennia!
Only those who possess a combat power ranking within the top 30 of the Land Rankings are capable of crushing Shadow Blade. Anyone else will suffer defeat.
Chen Luo sipped his wine.
They think I’m a laughingstock? A bunch of fools, they should try locating Shadow Blade first.
Once a Grandmaster went into hiding, they were nearly impossible to find.
...
The colossal bounty of the Great Jin Empire shook the world.
“Heavens! Ten million silver taels.”
"This is madness."
"Only the Jin royal family would be willing to part with so much silver for a deceased prince. Tsk tsk, princes really are noble."
"100 million silver taels!"
"Idiot, that Shadow Blade is a Grandmaster. How do you plan to kill him? Just be realistic and try to uncover his identity."
Ordinary martial artists were captivated by the allure of ten million silver taels. They didn’t even have to engage in life-or-death combat, they just had to investigate and uncover the identity of Shadow Blade.
According to the information released by the Great Jin Empire, there was a high probability that Shadow Blade resided in the territory of the Cloudstride Sect. Thus, many wandering martial artists in the Jiang Continent began to flock over there.
While ordinary martial artists were mainly attracted by the silver, Land Rankers were tempted by the set of immortal arts.
Naturally, some were hesitant.
"Immortal arts are attractive, but if you want to learn them, you'll have to meet the Heavenly Rankers of Great Jin. At that juncture, your life won't be in your hands."
Many Grandmasters cast a quick glance at the message, then tossed it aside. This was quite a normal reaction. So what if it was Emperor Jin? Enticing Grandmasters to fight was no easy feat.
"Haha, let's take a gamble! I see no hope for a breakthrough in this lifetime. Once I master a forbidden art, my strength will skyrocket, and then I can venture into the Xin Continent with greater confidence."
"A Heavenly Ranker! I don't necessarily want to master any forbidden art. I just wish to meet a Heavenly Ranker and ask a question."
"Shadow Blade? Truly mysterious. He's a Grandmaster, yet seemingly emerged out of thin air. Quite interesting."
Nevertheless, a few Grandmasters were still tempted and set off towards the Jiang Continent.
...
In Cloudhill.
"Tell Emperor Jin that the Cloudstride Sect knows nothing about Shadow Blade. Whether he has relatives, and whether those relatives reside within my Cloudstride Sect, we know nothing." Grandmaster Bu Yu's voice was icy cold as she flatly rejected the request delivered by Great Jin’s envoy.
"Moreover, I suggest Emperor Jin perform some introspection. In the past two centuries, how many clans, sects, and kingdoms has he annihilated? Is it truly unexpected for a Grandmaster to rise against Great Jin?" Grandmaster Bu Yu's voice was frosty.
"If Emperor Jin intends to present me with a grand gift on my 100th birthday, my reciprocal gift will surely please him."
The messenger left helplessly.
...
The southernmost point of Yuanhu Province was the junction of the Jiang, Chu, and Dong Continents. A few hundred li further lay the border of the Min Continent.
In this land of rugged mountains and heavy snow stood an ordinary house, propped up by thin wooden boards. The charcoal fire slowly burned inside as the cold air seeped in from outside.
Outside the house was a low cliff, covered in several feet of deep snow. The sky was filled with falling snowflakes, and the land was littered with numerous withered branches and towering trees.
A world of ice and snow truly offers a different feeling. Oblivious to the turmoil of the world, Wu Yuan gripped his saber, standing amid the snowstorm, allowing the heavy snow to fall on him.
For over ten days, he had secluded himself in these mountains, far away from the battleground where he last clashed with Chen Luo.
If not for the ninth prince’s treasure, I doubt I would be living in such comfort on these mountains. Wu Yuan chuckled. With a flick of his wrist, a pot of wine materialized before him. He took a swig straight from the pot, savoring its light flavor. The liquor was specially brewed to pose no harm to the human body.
Storage artifact! I wasn't expecting such an object to exist in the Middle Land.
Wu Yuan gazed at the wrist guard in his hand. It was the one he had taken from Jin Rensu that day.
After shaking off Chen Luo, Wu Yuan had run another several hundred li and sought shelter in a stranger’s house. After changing his clothes and taking a bath, he then resumed his escape.
He had learned his lesson after the previous time he was tracked down from 600 li away. After taking some time to contemplate the matter, he believed that the group must have tracked him through scent or blood.
Hence, after disguising himself twice, crossing two large rivers, and running for more than 1000 li, nearly leaving the Jiang Continent behind, Wu Yuan finally came to a stop after reaching this wooden house on the mountain.
When Wu Yuan first examined the wrist guard, he couldn't figure out how to use it. He was only certain of its extreme durability, which surpassed that of a third-grade divine weapon.
After a long time, an idea from the webnovels he had read in his past life came to him - feeding it with blood!
Who would've thought, it really can recognize an owner. Reading webnovels did have some use after all. Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.
With a thought, an illusory space approximately three cubic meters in size materialized before his eyes. There were numerous items stored in the space: silver notes, gold notes, liquor, numerous vials, food, as well as plenty of weaponry and natural treasures. There was also a large number of books.
Excluding the treasures I don't recognize, just the ones I do could easily fetch millions of silver taels. I've seriously gotten a windfall.
He tossed the liquor back into the storage treasure. Soon after, a book materialized in his hand.
‘Secrets of Divine Spirit Insects: Volume Two'? Wu Yuan flipped directly to page six. Was this Bloodseeker Spirit Insect what enabled them to track me down previously?
Every book in that pile was hard to come by under normal circumstances. They most likely belonged to the secret archives of the Jin royal family.
However, the value of these treasures combined might not surpass the value of the storage artifact itself. Who could create such a treasure? Wu Yuan was both curious and wary.
Even a Grandmaster expert, despite their immense strength, couldn't possibly study the concept of space. Wu Yuan understood clearly that pocket dimensions were something even the highly advanced Human Federation of his past life hadn't fully explored.
Do immortals truly exist in the Middle Land? Or is this just an immortal relic?
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