Chapter 323 - Jiang He Must Die! (1/2)
Zhong Wanshan’s wife’s name is Yue Lin.
Indeed, Zhong Yue’s very name was taken from his mother’s surname.
She was a full-fledged Yuan Spirit and the Fourth Elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Being Zhong Wanshan’s childhood friend, they were a match made in heaven and the envy of untold number of people.
But right now, she was engulfed in heavenly bolts and earthen flames.
Zhong Wanshan, eyes red and hysterical, was about to rush inside the array without regard for anything else. The other two Elders of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect had to quickly rush ahead to stop him, exclaiming, “Vice-chieftain Zhong, you mustn’t!’
“The interior of the array is too dangerous! You can’t risk it!”
“Make way!”
Zhong Wanshan growled. “How could I not try to save Lin’er when she’s inside?”
Be that as it may, Zhong Wanshan calmed down clearly then, as the heavenly bolts and earthen flames had cleared. Even so, the interior of the array was an utter blur, with no hope of gaining a clear view of whatever was inside, let alone confirming Yue Lin’s condition.
Zhong Wanshan turned toward Jade Hollow Child then and asked, “True Habitant of Jade Hollow, why hasn’t Cloudy Sky Fairy Child arrived yet?”
Jade Hollow Child flashed a pained smile and said, “I don’t know. Perhaps they were delayed in their journey.”
Despite what he said, Jade Hollow Child was a little speechless.
What the heck was the True Habitant of Nine Dragons playing yet?
How long has it been?
With his speed, True Habitant of Nine Dragons should have returned an hour ago.
“You don’t know?”
“Delayed on their journey?”
A flame of fury ignited within Zhong Wanshan then and he sneered. “Isn’t the Penglai Sect just trying to take advantage of the situation?”
After all, how could Zhong Wanshan not be furious?
The Ten Thousand Swords Sect was not alone in wanting to capture Jiang He, since the Penglai Sect was going all-out as well, sending three of their Elders. Even so, the Penglai Sect merely watched without contributing—Zhong Wanshan’s own family of three had entered the array in their first attempt to crack the array, only to end up with their son’s heart strained and his Yuan Spirit wounded.
And now, when they mounted a second attempt, Zhong Wanshan’s wife was captured within the array, her fate unknown.
On the other hand, while the Penglai Sect had supposedly sent for someone accomplished at cracking arrays ended up nowhere to be seen.
The True Habitant of Jade Hollow frowned and turned towards the array, saying, “Now is not the time for this, Vice-chieftain Zhong. Let’s work together and enter the ray—anything else could wait until after Elder Yue is rescued.”
“Fine!”
Zhong Wanshan nodded, while sneaking a message to Zhong Yue through acoustics, saying, “Don’t be reckless. If I’m caught within the array as well, return to the sect immediately and request help from the chieftain.”
Zhong Yue complied hoarsely.
With that, the two Convergence-tier cultivators present entered the array, triggering the Ten Thousand Phenomenon Array instantly the moment they entered. The array’s radiance surrounded them immediately, with Zhong Wanshan’s whole body shuddering.
He then looked ahead and bellowed in rage, “Lin’er…”
All he saw was his wife’s corpse, lying on the ground, her entire body charred and almost reduced to ashes by the heavenly bolts and earthen flames.
He lunged forward and held her up.
And yet, Jade Hollow Child cried out just then, “Be careful, Vice-chieftain Zhong… the illusory array is not yet broken!”
Jade Hollow Child himself saw nothing on the ground up front.
But even before he finished, the sight before him rapidly altered into a rundown village. Children were playing at the edge, while a woman wearing hemp garments walked up to him and firmly pulled him by the ear, scolding sharply, “Brat! Don’t you ever listen to me? Are you trying to kill yourself, going to fish under the river?”
“There are river daemons beneath the water. Aren’t you afraid they would eat you?”
“Mother?”
Jade Hollow Child’s whole body shuddered as mist swirled in his eyes.
He knew very well that everything he saw was conjurations by the illusory array. Even so, he was possessed, unable to pull himself out.
***
Outside, one joss stick burned out.
Then, two joss sticks burned out.
Soon…
Two hours had passed.
Seeing that neither Zhong Wanshan nor Jade Hollow Child were coming out, Zhong Yue’s eyes went red. Casting another look at the array, he promptly took to the skies and disappeared over the horizon.
The two Elders from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect traded glances, with one of them saying, “Keep an eye on this place. I’ll return to our sect and ask our chieftain for help.”
With that, the other Elder from the Penglai Sect took to the skies as well, and instantly disappeared over the horizon.
He flew as quick as lightning all the way out of the Hua Nation, crossing the vast seas before returning to the Penglai Sect. That was where he found the Penglai Sect chieftain, Vice-chieftain Cloudy Sky, Elder Nine Dragons, and the many other Elders gathered together in a meeting.
“Fifth Elder!”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Fifth Elder, his expression shifting. Even so, he spoked first, “What’s the situation, Fifth Elder? Vice-chieftain Cloudy Sky and myself ran into a little problem on the way back to the Hua Nation.”
He then told Jiang He about meeting Jiang He. In response, the rather indignant and upset Fifth Elder had a colorful look on his face as he froze and muttered dumbly, “You mean… Jiang He was not at home?”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons nodded.
Then, the Fifth Elder asked, “So, the array at Jiang He’s house is unmanned?”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons nodded again.
“So… does he know that someone is trying to crack his array?”
The True Habitant of Nine Dragons thought about it, before shaking his head and say, “Probably not.”
“Haha!”