Jiang Chen sighed to himself. The voice had clearly taken control of the situation. Even the great emperors were dancing to his tune. Or bluntly put, they were being led about by the nose.
If an ancient sectâs inheritance truly was at hand, then playing along might not be a bad idea. However, Jiang Chen didnât believe that tall tale, not even for a second. But now wasnât the time to stand out. To wait and see had been his plan from the start.
Primosanct Sect or not, he stuck to his goal of unearthing all of the realmâs secrets and acquiring the greatest benefits.
He wasnât so different from the others in that regard, but unlike them, he hadnât been blinded by greed. He hadnât fallen prey to the voice, his every step manipulated like a puppet.
âDear juniors, itâs too early to rejoice. Perhaps youâve made ninety nine strides forward, or maybe youâve made just the first. None of it matters unless you make the hundredth one! Donât be complacent, for you can easily stumble in the next trial.â
The voice dumped cold water on the cultivators, as if it could hear the greedy whispers flaring up.
âOpen your eyes wide and take a good look around. There are seven pillars around the palace in accordance with the Big Dipper. Together, they form a seal. Youâll have to break it in order to enter the palace. Otherwise, you arenât deserving of my sectâs inheritance!â
No matter how august and indifferent, there was a certain magic to the voice, as if one couldnât help prostrate oneself in front of its loftiness.
âThe main gate is on the southern side. Break the seal there and the entire restriction will crumble. You will then be annointed as my sectâs successors, ushering mankind into a grand new era!â
Young and old, the blood of the cultivators boiled at the irresistible enticement within the voice. To inherit the strongest sect in antiquity and lead mankind into a new era? Who could resist such temptation?
Loyalty to oneâs sect? Righteousness? Such considerations had long collapsed in front of domineering temptation.
Like bees, the crowd swarmed towards the southern gate. An enormous board was mounted there, three words written in a calligraphy style of old: The Primosanct Sect!
Like kings haughtily surveying the world from high above, the majesty of only three words awed the crowd.
The Primosanct Sect? Jiang Chen blinked. Against all expectations, was this truly the ancient sectâs sacred land? Not necessarily! Bizarreness and traps pervade every corner of this realm. After encountering so many illusions, am I to simply believe everything I see? He held firm to his first conclusion.
The words hadnât shaken his conviction, but he was the exception to the rule.
Almost everyone else had rushed to the southern gate. The huge pillar there towered over them like an ancient guardian. A golden layer of light spiraled around it, sparkling with the brilliance of a thousand stars.
Indeed, it was one of the pillars of light theyâd seen outside.
Jiang Chen stood behind the crowd, his face inscrutable. Having reached the palace doors, he had a strong hunch that the truth would soon be revealed. Would the so-called âPrimosanct Sectâ truly bring them happy surprises?
He rather doubted it. His intuition remained staunch and unyielding.
At the front, Long Baxiang cackle. âEmperor Cloudbillow, I was the first to challenge the Gate of Life. I trust you wonât object if I go first again.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Emperor Cloudbillow snorted. âSuit yourself. I simply fear youâll prove insufficient to the task and embarrass yourself.â
Long Baxiang sniggered. âIf I fail, you wonât succeed either. Whatâs there to be afraid of?â
He gathered all the Heavenly Dragon Sectâs elites. âOn my command, attack the seal!â
His momentum swelling, he ordered an all-out assault.
Even if he wasnât number one in his sect, he still ranked in the top three. Added to that his sectâs superb martial skills and the exceptional strength of his bloodline, that placed him on par with Cloudbillow.
His figure spun furiously, churning up a dragon-shaped whirlwind. His sect members also merged with it, wholeheartedly pouring their energy in to strengthen his strike.
With extraordinary speed, the breathtaking attack crashed heavily into the enormous pillar.
Boom!
Terrifying vibration rumbled continuously in the air like fearsome claps of thunder. Golden light spilled everywhere, rippling outward from the pillar.
Struck by the light, Long Baxiangâs figure swiftly rebounded a thousand feet away before he finally steadied himself. His mouth bleeding, he scowled malevolently. Heâd clearly sustained considerable damage.
How did such a monumental attack suffer such a crushing defeat? The powerhouses from the other factions stared in abject disbelief.
The fearsome seal had withstood the combined might of the Heaven Dragon elites. Could anyone else break it?
Not in the mood for sarcasm, Cloudbillow fixed the seal with a meaningful stare. Inside the golden haze, innumerable tadpole-like runes were engraved on the pillar, abstruse and indecipherable. How can a seal from eons past retain so much power? Our cultivation is far too lacking compared to ancient times. How do we break it?
All of the other great emperors shared the same thought.
Long Baxiangâs failure was a tremendous blow to their confidence. No one even had the desire to mock him.
âCloudbillow, arenât you going to try?â Still frustrated, Long Baxiang tried to goad his rival into action, wanting to bring the latter down to distract from his own shame. If Cloudbillow also failed, no one would think much of the earlier fiasco.
Cloudbillow paid him no heed. As if in a trance, he stared intently at the runes on the pillar. One might even be tricked into thinking he could understand them.
âHeh, you later generations are ignorant indeed. Do you think you can solve the problem by yourselves? If you could, then you wouldnât need my sectâs inheritance to begin with.â Derision tinged the indifferent voice.
âPerhaps itâs time to take a stand. Your only hope is to work as one.â The voice continued, utterly uncaring. âUnited you stand, divided you fall. The decision is yours.
âHowever, this sacred land only suits the strong. Now is time to discard your preconceptions and work together. Remember, after entering the palace, all of you will become the Primosanct Sectâs heirs! As peers of the same sect, perhaps you will forget all prior grudges.â
The notion sounded preposterous.
However, no one could retort otherwise. If they truly completed this trial, they would indeed become members of the same sect whether they wanted to or not.
Uniting against the seal was their only hope of success!
The more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
âLadies and gentlemen, I must admit that Emperor Dragontyrant is rightâ Cloudbillow finally took the initiative. âIf he canât break through it, neither can any of us. Why donât we set aside past prejudices and work together without ulterior motives? The glory of the ancient holy land is waiting for us!â
âI agree. Itâs a life-changing opportunity for all of us. Do you want to cling to your old lifestyle and wallow in mediocrity for the rest of your lives?â
âLetâs do it! As long as we succeed, our names will resound throughout the ages! We will become heroes of the human domain!â More and more supported Cloudbillowâs suggestion.
Of course, it was still only first rank sects had the right to speak. The second and third tier factions had been mostly marginalized, even though quite a few of them were present. The Upper Eight Regions had the final say.
Only the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Ninesuns Sky Sect were holdouts.
Long Baxiang smiled coldly. âEmperor Cloudbillow, Iâm not one to beat around the bush, so letâs get the unpleasant parts sorted out first. Letâs agree on the division of spoils. Otherwise, it might cause unwarranted conflicts and mutual losses later!â
Getting the unpleasant parts out of the way first was his style of doing things.