Chapter 2208.1: Halberd

Chapter 2208.1: Halberd

Jaws dropped all over the battlefield. No one imagined that Ouyang Shengtian really had been possessed, and by a wandering immortal! If word of this got out, then wandering immortals all over the worlds would go mad—not just the ones in Great Xia.

……

“So all of this was within his calculations from day one… Even Shenghe was a pawn that he purposefully left in the family…” Weakness overcame Ouyang Shengtian. “Lu Yun laid his plans from the moment he destroyed our trading headquarters. His scheme was in play then…”

Dark Orchid no longer had any excuses to declare war on Darklake. If they stubbornly persisted in their course of action, the three ninth rank empires would punish them accordingly. This was not a price that a fourth rank empire could pay.

“Lu Tianling is… deviously shrewd…” Everyone attributed the day’s outcome to Lu Tianling. No one believed that a young man of eighteen years old could set all this up from such a long time ago. They even thought that Lu Tianling had secretly approved the moniker of Dark City’s greatest pestilence for Lu Yun.

Their subject of admiration kept shaking his head with a rueful grin. All of his plans had to do with absolute strength. He really had overlooked a tiny pawn like the Ouyang Clan, yet it was this unimportant character that affected the entire situation and defused an incredible crisis.

“Hmph, whether or not Ouyang Shengtian is possessed by another, my fiancé is indeed in Darklake’s hands. What do you have to say for yourself, Situ Wenxian?!” Wang Song took a deep breath, he couldn’t back down now.

“Hahahaha!!” It was finally the right moment for Situ Wenxian to step forward. He flared the undeniable majesty of a sovereign ruler. “Wang Song, do you take Darklake for an easy target?! Dark Orchid’s armies have cut straight through Our nation since ten days ago, taking hundreds of cities in your progress. Did you mention Ouyang Shengxiang even once during this time? Did you present yourself as a wedding procession should?!”

He fixed his gaze on Wang Song like a hawk would on prey.

“The Ouyang Clan said…”

“Silence! The one in charge of that clan has been possessed by a vicious character whose ambitions know no bounds. His words cannot be regarded with any degree of veracity!”

Wang Song glowered. What they’d used as an excuse to threaten the Lu Clan had become a killing stroke against them. The image in the sky could not be faked as no one, not even the Human Emperor of Great Xia, possessed the ability to manufacture projections.

“Hahahaha!” Clear laughter rang out of the sky as sword radiance flashed by. A man in white robes and white hair appeared over the Dark Orchid army.

“Has Ouyang Shengtian been possessed by another just because you idiots say so?” He lifted his head proudly. “Dark Orchid’s might must be respected! If Darklake does not open the city gates to welcome our crown prince, then we will wipe a third rank cultivation empire from Jade Ruins Realm!”

“Sui Wuzhou!” A keen light glinted in Wang Song’s eyes when he saw the man.

“Is this the will of Dark Orchid Empire?” Killing intent surfaced on the faces of the three law enforcers in the sky.

“The law enforcers for the realm, is it?” Sui Wuzhou dismissed Helian Shan and his colleagues. “You three are hard pressed to save yourself at the moment. With a place like Immortal Burial Valley appearing in this world, do you think control over the realm still lies with you so-called law enforcers?

“I recommend you stay out of this or you’ll meet with bad ends.” The wind teased Sui Wuzhou’s white hair and his tone was in even higher spirits. He thought nothing of the three.

“As for your chief enforcer of the realm, he will likely step down after the next six months.”

Sui Wuzhou was Prince Sui’s older brother. He rarely ventured out and didn’t often interact with others. Thus, it was an enormous surprise that he was here today.

Prince Sui did not have good relations with the royal family. High-handed and so familiar with court it was as if he was a fish among water, even the Dark Orchid emperor cowered when he saw the prince.

It wasn’t until the Origin Sect came to Dark Orchid a dozen years ago and secretly bolstered the royal family that they had the ability to hold their own against Prince Sui. Sui Wuzhou was no longer someone they had to be fearful of by association.

Despite that, no one imagined that he would appear at this time to intimidate the law enforcers.

……

“He is indeed that person’s heir alright, just look at his bearing.” A man with ordinary features in an unremarkable corner of Dark Orchid’s million strong army looked at Sui Wuzhou with a slight smile.

“Sui Wuzhou, Sui Wuye, and Sui Wuchen are rare geniuses. Sadly, our Origin Sect is not willing to antagonize the person behind them,” sighed another person next to the ordinary looking man.

“The Sui brothers want Jade Ruins Realm, whereas we want only Lu Tianling. There is no conflict of interest between us and it is of no matter what happens to the Dark Orchid royal family.”

Dark Orchid royalty was just a pawn to the Origin Sect. Their survival or prosperity had nothing to do with the latter.

……

Morale soared in the Dark Orchid army with the appearance of Sui Wuzhou.

“Sui Wuzhou, do you and Dark Orchid wish to revolt?!” Helian Shan glowered and pressed down with the aura of an awakened cultivator.

“Heh, Helian Shan, do you honestly think that the law enforcers can do as you wish in the Jade Ruins Realm?” An aura that rivaled Helian Shan’s exploded from Sui Wuzhou’s body.

Latter awakened cultivation!

The personage who normally kept to himself was also an awakened cultivator! His aura was even stronger than Helian Shan’s!

Eyes wide, Helian Shan and the other two law enforcers took a half step back.

“I, Sui Wuzhou, will see for myself today what the mettle of Great Xia Dao Academy disciples looks like!”

Great Xia Dao Academy?

Lu Yun’s heart spasmed when he heard the name “Dao Academy”. But this time, his memories didn’t shift. Only an inexplicable sense of closeness and longing emanated from them. He didn’t want to go to the Dao Academy—he just missed someone too much.

Qing Yu.

The name silently disappeared the moment it formed, leaving sadness in the bottom of his eyes. He didn’t know what he needed to accomplish, only that he could not afford to fail. If he did, he would lose her forever.

……

Sui Wuzhou waved a black metal rod into his hand, swinging it around with the growing aura of a dao weapon.

“Hahaha, since Sui Wuzhou has made his move, then Nalan Tu naturally cannot fall behind!” Hearty laughter boomed the Dark Orchid army. Sword light flashed out as a man appeared in the sky wielding a longsword.

“Helian Shan, Zhan Taixuan, and Luo Yi—you have brought humiliation down on the Great Xia Dao Academy for being my senior brothers! How do Dao Academy disciples look to that empyrean immortal chief enforcer for support?”

Loose robes fluttering in the air, the man called Nalan Tu looked dismissively at the three enforcers.

“Heh, so another Dao Academy disciple is here on the scene. Nalan Tu? That is a very unfamiliar name.” Sui Wuzhou swept a careless glance over the newcomer.

“Nalan Tu is but a nameless nobody. It’s only to be expected that Brother Sui has never heard of me.” Nalan Tu grinned broadly, not minding Sui Wuzhou’s words in the slightest.

“Nalan Tu, you are the first among the younger generation in the Origin Sect. To think that you’ve joined the Dao Academy as well…” Helian Shan digested the unwelcome news.

A large batch of Dao Academy disciples were sent out every one hundred years to test themselves in worlds of cultivation and be their law enforcers. The ones that became this world’s enforcers were undoubtedly the lowest on the rankings in the academy. Worlds of cultivation were a small mud puddle compared to the vast Great Xia. No one was willing to come to this one in particular.

Helian Shan, Zhan Taixuan, and Luo Yi were those eliminated from the academy’s roster from the most recent batch. This was hardly an honorable accomplishment, so they never brought up that they were from the Great Xia Dao Academy.

“Senior brother Helian, this is a bit of a mess now,” Luo Yi chuckled ruefully. “They plainly don’t think much of us if they dare share everything about their background…”

“It’s alright.” Helian Shan comforted his junior brother and looked toward Dark City. Lu Yun’s expressionless face and aloof regard found him. “Our presence today marks the end of our involvement with this matter. None of these people will get away once the heavenly book recovers.”

“The heavenly book?” Sui Wuzhou snorted with laughter. “Since you three trash won’t be sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, get out of the way.”

Whoosh!

An upper dao rank blade appeared in Helian Shan’s hand. He leveled the long black blade at the prince.

“Sui Wuzhou, although we have been eliminated from the Dao Academy, the law enforcers of the heavenly book are not people you can insult,” he snapped. “I, Helian Shan, challenge Sui Wuzhou in the name of the heavenly book!”

This turn caused Sui Wuzhou to jerk with startled solemnity.

“So you do have some courage about you.” He broke into loud laughter and brandished his spear. “I do not fight, I only kill.”

“Then kill.” Light exploded out of Helian Shan’s blade and a gigantic black lotus flower appeared in the sky, whirling toward his opponent.

“You seek death!” Sui Wuzhou roared and flourished his spear, throwing it at the lotus flower.