Chapter 334: Stone Pillar
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Jiang Clan had been monopolizing the Dafang Sect and oppressing the other three big aristocratic families. Those three families naturally would secretly ally to resist the Jiang Clan together. However, even the joint efforts of the three big aristocratic families were not a match for the Jiang Clan. Hence, they could only survive at the mercy of Jiang Clan.
The atmosphere in the relatively small meeting room was tense with the top members of the three big aristocratic families present.
“That youngster was too frightening. Even the Sect Grand Elder, Jiang Quanfu, died at his hands. He will be very outstanding in the future.” The Yuan Clan Leader sighed. Why is the Yuan Clan not able to have such a talented genius? One genius would be sufficient to make the clan thrive and not have to live at the other’s mercy in the future.
“Are you sure that the youngster killed the Sect Grand Elder, Jiang Quanfu?” The Zhou Clan Leader’s face looked somber, and shock filled his eyes. He was still in disbelief. That superb expert in the Embryonic Breathing realm actually died at the hands of a youngster! How many such terrifying youngsters could there be in the ancient martial arts world?
The Chen Clan Leader said with a frown, “From the Jiang Clan’s reaction, you can be quite certain that Jiang Quanfu is really dead.”
The genius in his clan had witnessed it, so it shouldn’t be fake. After all, nobody dared to joke about such a serious thing. Furthermore, the Jiang Clan’s genius disciples, including Jiang Quanfu, didn’t come out of the forbidden land. Something definitely must have happened.
“So, what should we do now? That youngster was so terrifying that even the Jiang Clan couldn’t handle him. Moreover, there is another, Wang Yinru, who has broken through to the Embryonic realm, so the Jiang Clan might not be Wang Clan’s match with the death of a Sect Grand Elder. We, the three big aristocratic families, rejected Wang Yinru’s visits previously, so now she might hold a grudge against us,” a middle-aged man remarked worriedly.
It was fine for the Jiang Clan to monopolize the sect if they could completely suppress the two people from the Wang Clan. At most, the three families would continue to bear with it in silence. However, they had to face the danger of taking sides. When everyone heard him, they went completely silent. Now, nobody dared to make a rash decision.
Everyone fixed their eyes on an elderly man, as if that person would be able to give them the right decision. The elderly man was dressed in a gray robe. He looked very old and scrawny with a crooked waist. He was inconspicuous sitting on a chair. However, such an inconspicuous person was the backbone of the three families. This person was none other than the Old Clan Leader of the Zhou Clan, the other Sect Grand Elder of the Dafang Sect, Zhou Honglu.
Zhou Honglu was silent for a long while before uttering a word. “Wait!”
“What does old man Zhou mean?” someone asked, puzzled.
“We don’t have a stance, and now we don’t need a stance. As long as we don’t express an opinion, we will naturally be safe,” Zhou Honglu explained stoically.
Someone said worriedly, “Previously, we rejected Wang Yinru. If she successfully overturns the Jiang Clan, I am afraid we…”
In fact, although old man Zhou said that they didn’t have a stance, everyone knew that not having a stance meant taking the Jiang Clan’s side. After all, they had rejected the Wang Clan, one after another. At this time, if they didn’t express anything or redeem themselves, they would be considered by the Wang Clan to be faithfully standing on the Jiang Clan’s side, even though they didn’t help the Jiang Clan to go against the Wang Clan.
“If Jiang Quanfu died at that youngster’s hands, he is definitely extraordinarily talented. If this is to go on, his future achievements are going to be very frightening. In ten years’ time, perhaps the Jiang Clan will really not be the Wang Clan’s match, but now…” Radiance flickered in Zhou Honglu’s eyes, but he didn’t continue his speech.
“Old man Zhou means that the youngster is still not a match for the Jiang Clan?” Someone looked at old man Zhou in surprise. That youngster killed Zhou Quanfu mercilessly, yet old man Zhou said that he is not a match for the Jiang Clan. Could the Jiang Clan be so terrifying?
Jiang Clan’s Jiang Quanfu had died, and they were left with only Jiang Quangui. Their Cultivations were almost the same. With Jiang Quangui’s ability, was he the youngster’s match? Only the clan leaders of the three families seemed to have thought of something, and then they looked contemplative. The Chen Clan Leader swallowed before asking in a trembling voice, “Old man Zhou, can that person still be alive?”
The other two clan leaders looked extraordinarily somber while glancing at Zhou Honglu. As clan leaders, they knew a little of some things but didn’t know everything.
“Not only alive, but his Cultivation had a breakthrough.” Gloom flashed in Zhou Honglu’s eyes as the reason he guarded the Zhou Clan and lived in seclusion was to avoid the competition for interests with others. He had such a low profile that people had almost forgotten about him as a Sect Grand Elder. It was not because he was afraid of Jiang Quanfu and Jiang Quangui, but of that person.
The three clan leaders gasped when they heard him. That person is still alive! Twenty years ago, there was news about that person being dead but 20 years later, he is actually still alive! How old he must be… could he be an old tortoise which lived for a thousand years!?
Although those present were all the top personnel of the three big aristocratic families, very few people knew about that person. Even the three clan leaders only knew a bit about him. That person was indeed a horrifying person who had lived a very long time ago and had very high seniority.
According to the Zhou Clan Leader, Zhou Honglu, he was only a kid when that person was famous in the ancient martial art world and was an extremely strong expert in the Dafang Sect. Now, after more than 100 years, he was actually still alive!
“You think the Wang Clan’s annihilation that year could have been done by only Jiang Quanfu and Jiang Quangui? The annihilation of the Wang Clan was only possible with the involvement of that person.” Zhou Honglu sighed deeply. The Wang Clan was flourishing that year and was equivalent to the Jiang Clan, but it had been annihilated within a night with almost everyone dead. Only a few people managed to survive.
That person had always been a thorn in his flesh. He had been living in fear for the past few years. As long as that person was alive, Zhou Honglu wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep well.
If the three families were not smart enough to avoid a competition of interests against the Jiang Clan and were no longer useful to the Jiang Clan, the existence of the three families would be an uncertainty.
Zhou Honglu shook his head, lamenting, “That youngster has appeared too early. If he were to appear ten years later, perhaps…” If that extremely talented youngster were to practice for another ten years, perhaps he would be able to fight with the Jiang clan and might have the possibility of winning. But now, the people of the Wang Clan are too impatient!
……..
A while after the meeting of the three big aristocratic families had ended, there was news that the Jiang Clan was suddenly in a rage for an unknown reason. They sent out a large number of disciples to surround the valley and recklessly attacked Wang Yinru. They had then captured Wang Yinru, who was in the Embryonic Breathing realm, alive under the watchful eyes of others. Everyone was shocked at the Jiang Clan’s terrifying strength.
The person who attacked was a secretive person. He was wrapped in a black robe with a bamboo hat covering his face. He emitted an appalling power in his movements. Nobody expected the Dafang Sect to hide such a frightening expert. The influences in the series of the three big mountain ranges were almost all stunned. Even one of the four strongest influences, the Ghost Physicians Hu Clan, was also shocked.
Mo Wen held Gu Jingman’s hand with a gloomy face while they walked up Dafang Mountain. The incident had happened more than ten days ago, so it was pointless being anxious. If Wang Yinru had died at the hands of the Jiang Clan, he would soak the Jiang Clan in a bloodbath.
The gates of the Dafang Sect were enormous with a height of 100 meters, and had a vast grandeur that displayed the style of a big sect. Inside the gates, there was a massive flat public square covered with granite that extended for a long distance. There were layers of buildings looming in the distance like an ancient palace.
In the middle of the public square was a huge stone pillar with a diameter of ten meters, which could only be surrounded by more than ten people, like a heaven supporting pillar towering over the public square.
Those who stood in the public square would be able to see that a person was being hanged on top of the massive stone pillar. The person was a woman with messy hair and tattered clothes. Her body was covered with spots of blood everywhere and welts could be clearly seen.
She had been hanging there for an unknown period of time under the blazing hot sun. Her body seemed to have shrivelled. Her lips were pale and cracked, and her breath was very shallow.
Mo Wen and Gu Jingman walked to the front of the gates. At one look, they could see a miserable woman being hanged on the stone pillar. They were so shocked that their breathing paused for a moment. Gu Jingman gasped in shock. Although the distance was far, and they couldn’t see her appearance clearly, that person was most likely Wang Yinru.
Gu Jingman had heard from the others that the Dafang Sect had tortured her but hadn’t killed her, in order to use her to lure Mo Wen out. However, she hadn’t expected Wang Yinru to be so miserably tortured. It was summer now, and being hanged in the hot air and exposed to the scorching sun… a normal person wouldn’t be able take it for a few days, let alone ten.
Now, whether Wang Yinru was alive was still in question.
That day after the Sect Leader Preliminary had ended, Mo Wen had disappeared for more than ten days, so everybody thought that he had gone into hiding after learning of Wang Yinru’s situation. The people of the Dafang Sect couldn’t find Mo Wen, but didn’t dare to search in the forbidden land, so they used Wang Yinru as bait in hopes of luring Mo Wen out.
In the end, when Mo Wen still hadn’t appeared after more than ten days, so many people were disappointed. They thought Mo Wen was cold and ruthless, and had abandoned Wang Yinru without any concern for her. No one in the Jiang Clan bothered about Wang Yinru’s life, so they simply left her hanging on the stone pillar, waiting for her to swelter to death.
Crack! Crack!
The knuckles of Mo Wen’s fists were cracking loudly while a frightening cold light flashed in his eyes. His frantic aura suddenly exploded and instantly enveloped the layers of buildings while the temperature on top of the mountain had suddenly decreased by more than ten degrees.
Gu Jingman, who was standing beside Mo Wen, became cold. At this moment, Mo Wen was very frightening.
Mo Wen extended his hand to hold onto Gu Jingman’s shoulder as his body moved and uprooted from the ground into the air like a missile. After a few moments, they appeared on top of the stone pillar in the middle of the public square.
The stone pillar had a diameter of ten meters, so the area on the top was quite big. It was dozens of square meters with a cross in the center, and Wang Yinru was tied to it. Her head was lowered with her hair dishevelled like a dead person.
Gu Jingman covered her mouth, stood beside Mo Wen, and didn’t dare to utter a word. Wang Yinru… can’t be dead! After assuming that Mo Wen wouldn’t show up, the Jiang Clan didn’t intend to spare her life.