Chapter 617: The Bloody Royal Palace
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
This was the first time the two most famous brothers in the history of the Cultivation circle met within such a close distance after so many years; and they did it to contend for the right of controlling the Sword Formation of Green Mountain.
This was a rather symbolic meeting.
After a long while, a barrage of cracking noises suddenly burst out in the sky, sounding like damp wood being set on fire.
The flying swords on the surface of the huge sword were peeling away, looking like the bark of a tree being peeled off. Soon after, those flying swords scattered at an increasing pace, and eventually turned into the rain of swords filling the sky. In the end, they had all returned to the ground.
Seeing this, all the people felt relieved.
“Looks like your influence on Green Mountain is very limited.”
Jing Jiu said this to Yin San meaningfully after drawing back his right hand. “However, the way you intimidate others is as effective as it was in the old days.”
What Jing Jiu referred to was that Yin San had held back the Immortal Bai for a while.
“As long as it works,” returned Yin San while wiping the bamboo flute with his sleeve. “But don’t forget that I’ve saved your life today.”
“I’ve saved your life many times before,” Jing Jiu returned calmly.
Yin San lifted up his head and said to Jing Jiu, “Hence you think you can always disobey my wishes.”
“I’m your Young Brother, not your disciple,” retorted Jing Jiu.
Yin San was taken aback slightly, and then thought what Jing Jiu said was fairly fascinating; he burst into a laughter. “Do you want to go with me?” he asked the Green Girl.
The Green Girl had come to the square of the royal palace unnoticed, flying around Jing Jiu. Upon hearing Yin San’s question, she shook her head without a second thought.
Yin San sighed for some reason, and walked toward the outside of the royal palace.
As Bu Qiuxiao and the swordsmen of the other sects were intended to do something to Yin San, they suddenly heard the sound of the flute again. The flying swords of Green Mountain on the ground leapt up along with Yin San’s steps, twirling in the air with a whistling sound and crisp sword sound.
Though Jing Jiu commented that Yin San could only influence a limited part of Green Mountain, he was nevertheless capable of exerting some influence.
Along with the melodious tune of the flute, Yin San left the royal palace under the protection of the Sword Formation of Green Mountain, disappearing into the ruins.
The Young Zen Master and Bu Qiuxiao shook their heads after exchanging a glance, indicating that neither of them had detected his trace.
Was it the effect of his current Cultivation state after having succeeded in total transformation?
Thinking of all this, the Young Zen Master felt more troubled. This battle made the Green Mountain Sect and the Center Sect the archenemies, so Chaotian would be in an unstable situation from now on; and moreover, the Immortal Taiping was roaming the world somewhere…As a result, the human race would have a great deal of turbulence at some point.
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The refugees were everywhere outside Zhaoge City; and the cries hadn’t ceased since the onset of the turmoil.
The Zhao Garden had been opened to the public, and received many refugees.
Jing Shang and Marquis Zhao pulled back their gazes from Zhaoge City and exchanged a look; they could see a hint of trepidation in each others’ eyes.
“Looks like they can come home now.”
“Yeah.”
Many people who had been evacuated from Zhaoge City continued their journey to the south. Among them were many horse-drawn carriages of the wealthy families. Under the protection and surveillance of the imperial court army, such incidence as pillage hadn’t taken place in the city.
One of the carriages was lavishly large and comfortable; it was because there was a rooster squatting inside the carriage, and his tail was exceedingly long.
Yin San took the green wine handed to him by the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect and took a sip of it. Then he caressed the rooster’s tail while giving out a regretful sigh.
He sighed not because the world hadn’t plunged into a chaos. He did it because the Immortal Bai had decided to retreat to Cloud-Dream Mountain at the last minute. Due to the event that day, he was certain that the world would be thrown into tremendous chaos sooner or later.
“It’s really regretful,” remarked the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect after pouring a glass of wine for himself. He tasted the wine with his tongue and furrowed his brows since he was still not used to drinking wine. “Otherwise she would have certainly been killed in Zhaoge City today,” he added.
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Seeing Yin San disappear on the other side of the royal palace, Jing Jiu turned and walked back to the stone steps and sat down. Then he took out Ada from his sleeve and caressed him gently with his palm, saying, “It’s a pity.”
While fighting against the replica of the Fairy Lady Bai Ren, Ada was not helpful at all; but if Jing Jiu fought with the Immortal Bai, Ada would be able to make a difference by sneak-attacking her at a critical moment.
As for how he could kill the Immortal Bai…he had already demonstrated his capability when he contended with Yin San for control of the Sword Formation of Green Mountain…At least he was still capable of sneak-attacking her successfully.
Crouching on Jing Jiu’s chest, Ada meowed once indignantly, thinking that it was truly fortunate for him that the Immortal Bai had left without a fight; otherwise, how many of his cat lives would be left afterwards?
As he was about to complain, he suddenly found that Lian Sanyue was looking at him with a great deal of interest. He passed out after rolling his eyes upwards.
Though Ada hadn’t met her that many times over the last few hundred years, he had somehow complained about her and called her “brazen woman” a great many times in his mind; so Ada had absolutely no courage to gaze back at her.
“I’ve reminded you that you should be careful at a certain critical moment,” Jing Jiu said to Bai Zao.
Back when they bade farewell at the Fruit Formation Temple, he told her this. Nobody understood what he meant back then, but it was obvious that he referred to Bai Ren’s intention of possessing her body.
Lian Sanyue shot a glance his way, as she thought that his voice could be very amiable if he wanted it to be.
Bai Zao didn’t turn to face him. She held her knees while sitting on the stone steps and looking at the swords lying all over the ground, pale-faced as she stared at the corpses of her colleagues in the square with; she looked horrible.
If her body had been possessed permanently by the replica of Bai Ren, she would have died as a result.
This was an irreversible process.
The reason she was still alive was thanks to Lian Sanyue and Jing Jiu.
In all of Chaotian, these two people were the only ones who could achieve such a feat; and they had paid a steep price for this.
Lian Sanyue pulled Bai Zao into her bosom, saying, “Take a nap if you’re tired.”
Bai Zao felt much more relaxed and closed her eyes slowly; soon she fell asleep after flapping her eyelids a few times. It seemed as if what Lian Sanyue said had some sort of hypnotic effect.
“She had been sleeping the entire time during six years in the snowland.”
Having said that, Jing Jiu shot Lian Sanyue a glance.
She had been in a sound sleep over the last many years as well.
Lian Sanyue let out a smile, but didn’t say anything.
The two of them sat on the stone steps quietly, saying nothing more to each other.
The seemingly vehement and fierce combat had taken merely a few moments at a time. The morning sun was still in the east, behind the clouds.
As time elapsed, the sun moved to the center of the sky; it was the noon time now.
The dark clouds still obstructed the sun; the holes in the clouds created by the piercing flying swords of Green Mountain were still visible.
A great many rays of sun shone down through those holes and dropped on the square of the royal palace.
The square was fully covered with the swords and corpses.
The scene was fairly eerie, but it was eerily magnificent.
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After a long while, the snowflakes suddenly fell down through those holes in the clouds.
Yuan Qijing had arrived.
Seeing the flying swords and corpses in the square, Yuan Qijing remained silent for a while; then he turned to Lian Sanyue and said, “Thank you so much.”
Lian Sanyue said while waving her hand dismissively, “I just want to fight a few combats because I’ve slept for too long and felt bored. I didn’t do it for your Green Mountain Sect.”
Yuan Qijing remained silent as he thought that she must have done it for the Young Senior Master and that Green Mountain should still be grateful for her help. “I’ll watch over this place,” he said to Jing Jiu, “so you two can take off now.”
The Center Sect had suffered a great loss that day, and they were in a great deal of disorder. As such, they wouldn’t be able to cause another trouble soon, and it would be sufficient if Yuan Qijing looked after Zhaoge City.
Jing Jiu stood up, and Lian Sanyue placed Bai Zao in his arms; they were ready to leave together.
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