Chapter 186: Another Encounter with Wang Tengfei (1/2)

Chapter 186: Another Encounter with Wang Tengfei

The Song Clan was one of the three great Clans of the Southern Domain, and was somewhat isolated in its position. It had a history stretching back tens of thousands of years, and was deeply rooted in the society of the Southern Domain. It existed on the edge of a wide plain which contained some rolling hills, but few mountains.

In the southeast of the plain, however, was a mountain range called Neck of Heaven, under which flowed a river. Look down on it from the sky, and it had the appearance of a woman resting her head on her arm. It was quite pretty and charming.

The Song Clan was situated atop the chain of mountains. It was different from other Clans. Its main gate was actually an ancient castle, connected to which was an enormous wall that snaked throughout the various surrounding mountains, creating a very spectacular sight.

As for the castle of the capital city, it was pitch black and had the appearance of an enormous wild beast, filled with indescribable ferocity. Anyone who saw it for the first time would be left with the impression that the Song Clan was not to be provoked.

The capital city was surrounded by eighty-one smaller cities, which were constructed according to the rise and fall of the mountains. Each city was densely populated by Clan members.

In the sky above the Song Clan was an enormous rotating Sun and Moon. When it was pitch black in the outside world, the sun blazed in the Song Clan. When it was bright and sunny outside, the moon shone in the Song Clan.

This Sun and Moon was a precious treasure of the Song Clan.

Every great Sect and Clan possessed some valuable treasure. Only in this way could their continued status and glory be maintained.

For example, the Black Sieve Sect had their incense burner, and the Solitary Sword Sect its enormous sword. They were all precious treasures. As for the Song Clan, the sun and moon which hung in their sky enveloped the entire Clan, transforming it into a different world than what existed outside.

It was likely because of this treasure that for so many years, the Song Clan had not experienced any friction with outside Sects and Clans, and held such a lofty position. They did not provoke others, and others did not dare to provoke them.

The Song Clan was not as powerful as the Solitary Sword Sect, nor as mysterious of the Blood Demon Sect. It was not as extravagant as the Violet Fate Sect, nor did they have a vast array of magics like the Golden Frost Sect. They were not as erudite as the Black Sieve Sect, either.

Amongst the three great Clans, the Song Clan maintained the lowest profile. Their Dao Children did not perform sensational acts, nor did the Clan struggle for glory. They were relatively quiet. What they did have, though, was information, collected over many, many years.

They did not provoke others, and others did not dare to provoke them!

The mountains they occupied left others with a profound impression. If incredible change rocked the Southern Domain in the future, other Sects and Clans might very well collapse. The one organization that was most likely to remain was the Song Clan.

The degree of their inconspicuousness was such that people knew almost nothing about them. This in turn created a sense of fear and terror.

In the past few hundred years, the only person to venture out of the Song Clan was Eccentric Song [1. Eccentric Song was the guy with the treasure mountain which Meng Hao looted to death. If you want a refresher on that, check out Chapter 48: Eccentric Song and Wu Dingqiu and subsequent chapters], who everyone in the Southern Domain knew about. He had an odd personality, and enjoyed the collection of wild beasts. His occasional excursions gave him plenty of opportunities to interact with other Sects and Clans.

At this moment within the Song Clan capital city, dazzling lights flickered and people bustled about preparing for an ancient tradition of the Song Clan.

Women of the Song Clan were not permitted to marry outsiders. Instead, a husband would be sought from the outside, who would then marry into the family. Upon marriage, the new son-in-law would then become a Conclave Cultivator of the Song Clan.

Throughout the years, many Sects had desired to infiltrate the Song Clan. However, because of their strange and ancient marriage custom, those Sects had long since vanished. The Song Clan, however… still remained.

Of course, there were problems with the arrangement….

Song Jia [2. Song Jia was one of the other competitors in the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. Her last appearance was in Chapter 130: The Perfect Foundation!!] stood quietly at the window, looking out. The outside world was awash with sunlight, but inside the Song Clan, the sky was dark. Wind blew against her face, lifting up her hair and revealing her spectacular beauty. Right now, she wore a sad look and seemed to be apprehensive.

Her apprehension was because of her fate as a woman of the Song Clan. She felt melancholy for the same reason. There was nothing she could do to resist; it was useless to struggle. The Song Clan’s rules had been laid down by the ancestors, and could not be changed.

The soft voice of a woman could be heard from behind her. “We’re different from the other Sects and Clans. As a girl of the Song Clan, it’s impossible to maintain your purity forever. You can’t change that, nor can I.” The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman who gazed affectionately at Song Jia.

Song Jia didn’t reply.

After a while, though, she nodded. In her mind, images appeared from the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. She remembered looking on helplessly as her Blood Phoenix died. She could only watch through tear-filled eyes as it faded away.

“Perhaps it’s just my fate.” Her face filled with exhaustion. The exhaustion did not mar her good looks; in fact, it seemed to give birth to a tender beauty.

The woman behind her could sense what Song Jia was feeling. She stepped forward and stroked Song Jia’s long, beautiful hair. “It is fate,” she said. “But it’s not destiny, it’s a mission. A mission from the Song Clan of the Southern Domain. [3. This part contains a play on words of sorts in Chinese. The characters for fate, destiny, and mission are 命, 命运, and 使命 respectively. As you can see, they all share the same component, the character 命, which can have different meanings depending on the context or the other characters it’s paired with.]”

“The destruction of the Southern Domain. Gather a hundred Clans. Fuse their bloodlines. Evade the palace of the Heavens….” Song Jia murmured the words which she had heard people recite ever since she was young. “But father said that no power within the entire Southern Domain could bring about its complete destruction. Nothing in the Eastern Lands could do so either.” She looked back at the middle-aged woman.

“That’s a legend which has existed since ancient times. Mother doesn’t know what it means either.”

Mother and daughter were silent for a while after that.