1821 Sacrifice for Wealth; Kill for Power! (1/2)
Meng Wuzhen's anger pierced through the clouds, riding over the tide.
”Send a message to the Dark Hall! Get ready! I want everybody out for the next battle! I want the Monarch's Hall crushed! I want Ye Xiao ripped into pieces!”
That was exactly what Ye Xiao expected.
The great forces always hid their true power under the table. People could only see a small part of their true power. They all had a hidden force that they wouldn't use unless they had to!
The Dark Hall was the hidden force of the Hall of Returning Nature, the real power of Meng Wuzhen!
In fact, there were only nine people in the Dark Hall!
These nine people were cultivators who could shake the entire martial world!
The Flower King was nothing compared to any of the nine people if he hadn't improved a lot with Ye Xiao's help. Chihuo used to be only one step away from the Undead Stage, but even so, he still couldn't defeat any of these nine people!
These were horrible monsters!
…
Ten days were gone.
Ling Wuxie came to the Monarch's Hall and took his dan beads. After that, he left the city immediately.
The seven great ancestors of the Seven Lotus Clans were missing. They went out together, but nobody knew their whereabouts!
In the ten days, people of the Monarch's Hall had mostly recovered. They were at least seventy percent as powerful as they used to be.
After the big fight, these survivors had improved their mind power a great deal. They had recovered after the ten days, and they had improved quite a lot in cultivation. They didn't stop improving yet. In another word, only less than ten percent of the people of the Monarch's Hall survived, but these ten percent became even more powerful! The Monarch's Hall was actually stronger than before!
The Hall of Returning Nature was full of fury. The Monarch's Hall was too!
Neither of them could forgive the other! There was so much hate!
Perhaps, one thing, a little bit of stimulation could lead to a big war!
One day.
The headquarters of the Hall of Returning Nature was in a fuss. A message spread to the world!
The Jade Phoenix, one of the head managers, was assassinated near the headquarters of the Hall of Returning Nature. She was saved by her own people and nearly died on the way back to the Hall of Returning Nature.
Information from the witnesses indicated that the assassin was wearing all black clothes. The assassin was tall and slim, holding a sword which gave people a feeling of farewell.
The evidence pointed at the Great Executor of the Monarch's Sword, Bu Xiangfeng!
Further evidence indicated that the Jade Phoenix said something before she was attacked. She was in shock. ”Bu Xiangfeng! Your… Your power…”
The assassin put her down with one strike, and then immediately flew away.
The assassin did not say even a word!
He flew away like a bird, riding the wind. Nobody saw him after that. After one sword attack, he just left, without checking if he had successfully killed the target of not!
What an assassin!
One hit, and he left.
If it missed, he was gone anyway!
After that, Young Lord Meng of the Hall of Returning Nature kicked over a table because of the anger!
His anger frightened everybody around him!
”Ye Xiao! You are not the only one who is good at assassination! We can do it too!”
Meng Wuzhen was furious.
…
”We didn't do it. The assassin isn't Bu Xiangfeng!” Xuan Bing said.
Xuan Bing was holding the meeting in the Monarch's Hall. She was sitting on the high chair on the south side.
Yue Shuang and Yue Han were beside her, one on the left, the other on the right. Since Xuan Bing became the new commander of the Monarch's Hall, the three ladies had been staying together.
The others were Chihuo, the Flower King, Bu Xiangfeng, Meng Youjiang, Qiu Luo, and Qu Wuliang.
Ye Xiao was present. There were only ten people in the meeting, but these ten were the most important people in the Monarch's Hall!
Ye Xiao was sitting on the north side, opposite to Xuan Bing. He was sitting on a huge chair, which was made from purple crystal. There was even an energy-gathering power formation under the chair, so there was a purple mist rising up, which made it dark around Ye Xiao. It made him look like a king looking down upon his people.
Xuan Bing specially arranged a platform on the north side of the meeting room. It was thirty feet higher than the south side. On the edge of the south side, the floor slightly rose up.
Ye Xiao owned a big area on the north side.
People who were having the meeting had to sit lower. When they looked at Ye Xiao, they had to look up. However, they couldn't see clearly, because Ye Xiao was in a cloud of mist.
That was his prestige!
”A great man makes strict rules. A great man must be upon all the others!”
They all agreed…
After the war against the Hall of Returning Nature, Ye Xiao had become an absolute legend in the Monarch's Hall!
Nobody could easily get close to a legend!
People worshiped gods, but nobody ever saw a god!
Mystery was the most powerful curtain!
”Master has shown his incredible power. I have to be cautious from now on. I should be careful.” The Flower King said.
Everybody else agreed with him.
They only started to use this meeting room. It was new. Ye Xiao sat on his chair, entangled by the purple qi. He didn't say a word, just sat there. In the end, he made the decision.
Xuan Bing ran the meeting. People wanted her to do it.
She wasn't perfect, but she had done a good job being the leader of a big sect in the old days. Even Chihuo couldn't do better, nor Meng Youjiang who used to own an entire mountain.
Most of the others were independent in the past.
”It must be somebody else who killed the Jade Phoenix. Whoever did that must want us to have a fight with the Hall of Returning Nature again. Somebody wanted to sit there and watch us die.”
Xuan Bing sat on the chair of the host. She looked cold as usual. Her sharp eyes were like a blow of cold wind from the ice mountain.
Even Chihuo, the Flower King, Meng Youjiang, and Bu Xiangfeng felt a chill in their souls when they had an eye contact with Xuan Bing.
They just shivered!
”There are a lot of people in the world who can stick a hand into the business between the Hall of Returning Nature and us. In fact, if we have a fight again, everybody else gets the benefit.”
Xuan Bing's mind was clear. ”The Brotherhood Alliance, the House of Chaotic Storms, the Xuan Bing, the new Great Ye Army… It could be any of them. In fact, there are forces that are far away from us that can get benefit from our war… The royal forces of the five Sky Kings. They would love to build a stable force of their own.”
Xuan Bing said, ”However, with or without the assassination, we won't be friends with the Hall of Returning Nature! We will start the war again. It is only a matter of time.
”We don't have as many people as we did. We won the war, but it was difficult. We can't even keep the Monarch's Hall running normally. The Hall of Returning Nature lost the battle, but they were still a powerful organization. It didn't hurt their foundation. They couldn't come and attack us in a short time though. Anyway, it takes time to start a second war.
”The assassination was planned to provoke Meng Wuzhen. Somebody wanted Meng Wuzhen to start the war earlier!
”The target was the Jade Phoenix, one of the Three Phoenixes of the Hall of Returning Nature. The lady was nice and thoughtful. She is always careful. Nobody, even in the five Sky King's royal forces, could compare her! Meng Wuzhen liked her the most! She was the best assistant he had! She belongs to Meng Wuzhen!
”Killing the Jade Phoenix would be stabbing a knife into Meng Wuzhen's heart.
”Attacking the Jade Phoenix was to hurt Meng Wuzhen in his soft part. Meng Wuzhen would definitely hate us even more, and it would also weaken him a great deal.
”The assassination was such a dirty move. Whoever did this, he didn't even try to hide it from us… No matter what it is, we and the Hall of Returning Nature are already enemies. No matter what the truth is, we won't be able to explain. That was an obvious move!
”He knew Meng Wuzhen's weakness. He did it at the perfect timing. He left no trace for the Hall of Returning Nature! We won't go to explain ourselves, and nobody would believe us anyway.
”The world would believe that Bu Xiangfeng did the assassination!
”The Jade Phoenix was hurt. Meng Wuzhen must have lost control. It broke his plan, also his clear mind. Whoever did that, he did it well… In the Limitless Ocean, there are only two people who could do that.”
”Who are they?” Chihuo asked.
Xuan Bing took a deep breath and said, ”Shangguan Lingxiao is one. He built the strong foundation of the Brotherhood Alliance almost on his own!”
Xuan Bing said the name, the others nodded.
Shangguan Lingxiao was powerful, experienced, and smart. He definitely could do that!
Nobody would doubt that.
”Bai Chen was the other one. He is always casual and wise as if nothing could disturb him. When he wants to do something, he always does it perfectly!”
Xuan Bing looked afraid.
Xuan Bing knew Master Bai. He was a legend!
In the Qing-Yun Realm, Master Bai and his House of Chaotic Storms shook the world even after he left. Nobody dared to talk about him. Hearing the name of the House of Chaotic Storms gave people a chill in the heart.
Xuan Bing heard a lot about Master Bai from Ye Xiao. She knew how he manipulated the Land of Han-Yang, controlling the rise and fall of the world. A history of a world seemed to be just smoke in the air for him.
In the Human Realm Upon Heavens.
How long since Master Bai came back to this world?
He built everything from nothing. Within a short time, the House of Chaotic Storms became one of the most powerful forces in the Limitless Ocean. He could turn over the world with the power in his hands.
The most horrible thing about this man was that he always got things to develop in the way he wanted.
The assassination on the Jade Phoenix was an example.
The assassin must be Bu Xiangfeng, and the world believed it was Bu Xiangfeng. Denying it wouldn't change anything!
Nobody could change it! It became a fact!
”In fact, Ye Changqing's rise and fall was a plan of Shangguan Lingxiao and Master Bai. They didn't work together, but they happened to want the same result. The return of the Heaven's Leaf became difficult because of these two men! The name of the Great Master Ye became less powerful because of it!
”Even though the people of the Heaven's Leaf kept coming to support Ye Yunduan, the power of the Great Ye Clan couldn't rise in a short time.”
Xuan Bing said a lot, and the others just nodded.
That was right. The Seven Golden Lotuses used to look forward to the return of the Heaven's Leaf.
When they tested Ye Xiao and found the blood of the Heaven's Leaf, they were so happy. They were so confident all of a sudden! They couldn't hold down the excitement in their heart!
However, because of the fake Master Yunduan, the Seven Lotus Clan lost their faith in the Great Ye Clan. Master Bai and Shangguan Lingxiao wanted that. The Seven Lotus Clans wanted to follow the true powerful descendant of the Great Ye Clan, but what if the Heaven's Leaf wasn't as good as they expected?
The two wise men had destroyed the Heaven's Leaf!
Ye Xiao was listening to Xuan Bing, and he kept nodding.
He didn't give Xuan Bing any advice for the meeting. Xuan Bing did her own work to prepare for the meeting…
The conclusion she had was exactly what Ye Xiao had in mind.
”I am sure the assassination was the brilliant work of one of these two men. Shangguan Lingxiao is a sharp-minded person, but he is more passive. He wouldn't do anything extreme if he didn't have to. After all, it was the West Sky King behind the Hall of Returning Nature. Shangguan Lingxiao might not want to get involved so soon. He wouldn't want to mess with a Sky King and us at the same time. That aside, he wouldn't want to get the Brotherhood Alliance into this war.
”Therefore, I think Master Bai, Bai Chen of the House of Chaotic Storms was more suspicious!
”If we think deeper, he must have made the plan after we showed the world our power, which could compare the Hall of Returning Nature. What was it that he wanted? The House of Chaotic Storms and the Hall of Returning Nature are enemies. However, neither of them is our friend!”
Xuan Bing said, ”We are not dealing with the Hall of Returning Nature now! In fact, we are facing the House of Chaotic Storms, which is even more dangerous!
”They wouldn't take a move if they didn't have to, but if they did, they did it sharp!”
Xuan Bing said, ”We have to be careful. We need a plan. We can't fear the enemies. We fight, and we kill. However, we must be cautious when the enemy is scheming.”
Chihuo said, ”What should we do? We have to fight the House of Chaotic Storms, which is even more dangerous than the Hall of Returning Nature.”
Xuan Bing took a deep breath and said, ”That is why we are having a headache. We must fight one, but we have to keep an eye on the other at the same time.
”When the Hall of Returning Nature comes with anger, we must fight in full power, because we aren't powerful enough. If the House of Chaotic Storms comes at the same time…”
Xuan Bing frowned.
They knew everything now, but they couldn't come up with any ideas on how to deal with it.
They were powerless. Even if they had a plan, they didn't have enough people to do it!