Chapter - 282 Visitors Drunk On Magical Lotus In the Green Willow Manor (14) (1/2)

The crowd was startled; immediately they jumped toward the collapsed tree. The tree grew on the southeast corner of the courtyard; there was nobody in the courtyard, so nobody knew how such a big tree fell down just by a puff of wind and in the process crashed half of the surrounding wall. They examined the broken part only to see the core of the tree to be already ruptured, clearly it was shaken by someone with profound skill; so the tree had already withered and dried up, and not fell down because of the wind just now.

They looked around their surrounding and one after another exclaimed, ”Ah, it's strange!” ”There was heavy fighting in here!” ”So fierce, so many people were injured!” The courtyard was full of traces of intense fighting: there were blade marks and imprints of fists and palms on the green flagstones below, on the trunk and branches of the surrounding trees, and on the enclosing walls. They could also see bloodstains everywhere; obviously the battle was truly bloody. There were also deep footprints on the ground, a sign that the combatants were martial art experts who stake their whole internal energies.

Zhang Wuji said, ”Quickly grab that 'welcoming host' monk, we need to ask him clearly.”

Wei Yixiao, Shuo Bude and the others quickly dispersed to look, but the 'receiving guest' monk had disappeared without any trace. The Five Elements Flags also looked everywhere. A little over an hour later all the Flag leaders came back one after another with their report: nobody was found in the temple, but they saw traces of violent battle everywhere. Many of the halls and rooms had bloodstains in them, along with broken blades and other weapons, but not a single body was to be seen.

”Left Emissary Yang, what do you think?” Zhang Wuji asked.

”This battle happened two, three days ago,” Yang Xiao replied, ”Could it be that the entire Shaolin Sect is annihilated and not a single one survived?”

”Wasn't there a few dozens people went out the temple from the back just now?” Shuo Bude asked.

Yang Xiao replied, ”Quite possibly they were the Shaolin Sect's enemy. They were left behind to take care of things in here; but as they saw our large group arrived they slipped away.”

Peng Yingyu said, ”Judging from the turn of events, I think you are right. That 'welcoming host' monk must be an impostor; it's a pity we could not capture him. But among the enemies of the Shaolin Sect, which one is this powerful? Could it be the Beggar Clan?”

Zhou Dian said, ”The Beggar Clan is indeed big, and has a lot of martial art experts, but they don't have the ability to wipe out the entire Shaolin Temple that not a single survivor is left. Only our Ming Cult has this kind of ability; but we clearly did not do it, do we?”

”Zhou Dian, can you not spout nonsense?” Tie Guan Daoren said, ”Our Cult obviously did not do it, do you think we don't know?”

”Reporting to Jiaozhu,” Yan Yuan, the Flag Leader of the Thick Earth came to report, ”It looks like the eighteen arhats in the Luohan Hall have been shifted, but there was no footprint around.”

The leaders knew that Yan Yuan and his Thick Earth Flag were experts in building and construction, so his suspicion must not be unfounded. ”Let us take a look,” they said.

Upon entering the Luohan Hall, they saw quite a bit of blood splattered on the walls and broken blades and meditation sticks strewn on the floor.

”Yan Xiong,” Zhou Dian said, ”What's unusual about these eighteen arhats?”

”Each Luohan arhat was moved from their original position,” Yan Yuan replied, ”At first I thought there was another door somewhere, but after carefully examining the wall, I did not see any secret passageway anywhere.”

Yang Xiao was deep in thought for half an afternoon before he finally said, ”Let us push these arhats and take a look.”