Chapter 2214: The War of the Past
This situation was not only tense for Jing, but everyone's hearts were tightly clenched.
"Why?" At this moment, Chu Chunqiu also stood together with the others, joining forces to deal with the people from the Divine Palaces. He raised his head, his gaze fixed on the powerful figures in the void, his expression cold. "We came from various continents to participate in the Nine Heavens Gathering, trying to change our fate and enter the Divine Palaces. Yet, why is it that after securing a top ten ranking, what awaits us is a coordinated slaughter by the Divine Palaces?"
The devouring intent on Chu Chunqiu's body surged endlessly. This was clearly an outcome he had never anticipated. If he were to be killed simply for obtaining a top ten spot in the Nine Heavens Gathering, how could he accept it?
Not only Chu Chunqiu, but everyone else also looked up, their eyes filled with confusion and resentment. Why were the Divine Palaces doing this?
In the void, the powerful figures of the Divine Palaces stood silently, offering no answer. Only the ten core disciples of the Divine Palaces held their slaughtering Imperial Weapons, exuding an overwhelmingly fierce aura. A destructive hurricane swept through the void, and a terrifying killing intent engulfed the entire space. The atmosphere of slaughter was too dreadful.
Kong Ming chanted a Buddhist verse, then stepped forward. Golden light filled the sky, covering the heavens and the earth. In his hand, a golden Buddhist alms bowl appeared, and in an instant, the area where they stood was enveloped by a terrifying light barrier, resembling an immense, indestructible golden ancient Buddha.
"Prepare for battle," Kong Ming said calmly. Everyone understood that now was not the time to ask why. Soon, the Divine Palace experts would begin their slaughter, and what they needed to do now was fight.
Lin Feng stood in a major position, the ancient cauldron suspended before him. The Array Master stared at Lin Feng with a cold expression. This Ten Thousand Transformations Treasure Cauldron was his ancient cauldron, and Lin Feng could not fully unleash its power. In the past, when he had become an Array Master, this cauldron had accompanied him in fierce battles across the world. He never imagined that after tens of thousands of years of silence, the cauldron would be refined by Lin Feng.
Figures flickered as the top ten experts of the Nine Heavens Gathering summoned their Imperial Weapons, ready for battle at any moment.
At that moment, thunderous attacks descended from the void, crashing heavily against the Buddhist light barrier in the sky. With a crisp cracking sound, the barrier seemed unable to withstand even a single strike.
"If these fellows had summoned their Imperial Weapons earlier, many of the top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering would have already fallen. They were just using the top ten to test their own abilities earlier—too ruthless," the crowd thought, their hearts trembling. Then, another crisp cracking sound echoed as the light barrier shattered completely. The killing intent swept down once more, and an overwhelming sense of crisis made the top ten experts' eyes bloodshot and their faces ashen. What had they done to warrant the ten Divine Palaces joining forces to kill them?
They did not know that all of this was because, among them, someone had triggered the rotation of the Wheel of Fate. In the history of the continent, every rotation of the Wheel of Fate had led to events that the higher-ups of the Divine Palaces could not bear. Therefore, they had to destroy the one who might cause the Wheel of Fate to turn, even if it meant killing the innocent.
In fact, the Divine Palaces had already gone this far and would not mind going further. They could have recruited these geniuses, but they did not. Because the one who triggered the Wheel of Fate concerned not just one Divine Palace. If one Palace took that person, what would the others do? Thus, only destruction was acceptable. They could not let that person live. Moreover, they still did not know who had triggered the Wheel of Fate. They only speculated that it was likely one of these ten, with the top five being more probable.
In the void, the terrifying existence from the Demon Divine Palace looked down coldly, like a Demon King, staring at the space below. He thought to himself, "In the ancient era, because of the rotation of the Wheel of Fate, the Fate Temple nearly gained the power to overturn the heavens, putting the Divine Palaces in jeopardy. In the end, the Divine Palaces joined forces and launched that unprecedented war of fate, which swept across the entire continent. No place was spared, and only then was the Fate Temple suppressed. Since then, the Fate Temple has fallen silent. After countless years, such a thing must never happen again."
Thus, those who had experienced or seen images of the ancient era truly trembled at the memory of that war. That battle, which engulfed the entire continent, marked the boundary of an era. Before it was called the ancient era. After the ancient era, the power of the Divine Palaces began to decline, and the Fate Temple was no exception. Even after countless years, it had not recovered to its former peak.
Now, as time passed in the blink of an eye, countless years later, the continent gradually emerged from the ancient era. The Divine Palaces regained some vitality, giving birth to a new generation of experts. The continent also saw some unparalleled figures. However, a thousand years ago, the Divine Palaces received news that the Wheel of Fate had turned, yet nothing unusual happened. They investigated the Fate Temple, and the lords of the Divine Palaces descended upon it, finding nothing abnormal. But now, over a thousand years later, the Wheel of Fate had moved again. This time, it coincided with the Fate Temple hosting the Nine Heavens Gathering. The lord of the Fate Temple had even activated the Great Fate Technique. The Divine Palaces could no longer remain calm. They began to stir, leading to this battle—to kill all the top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let anyone escape. The goal was to prevent a repeat of the ancient era, a situation that even the current higher-ups of the Divine Palaces could not forget.
Now, the lords of the Divine Palaces were either descendants or disciples of the great experts who had fallen in that ancient war. How could they allow history to repeat itself?
"Fate Temple, those who defy fate—why is it always connected to your Fate Temple? Is this destiny a blessing or a calamity for you?" the powerful figure thought again. Fortune and misfortune were intertwined. Once, the Fate Temple had risen because of the rotation of the Wheel of Fate, producing countless experts and ushering in an unprecedented era of glory, contending with the Divine Palaces. How terrifying that was! Yet, it also triggered the War of Fate, causing the fall of endless experts.
Now, with the Wheel of Fate turning twice in a thousand years, what did it signify?
With a crisp sound, the light barrier set up by Kong Ming shattered. Terrifying attacks rained down from above. Seeing the destructive power, countless hearts trembled violently. Could it be that someone among the top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering would truly fall?
"I had planned to play with you a little longer, but since you seek death, I'll send you on your way sooner," Gu Xuantian said coldly from the void. He then stepped toward the area of destruction, his demon-like armor gleaming with dark, dazzling light.
"No..." Staring at the scene of destruction from afar, her face turned as pale as paper. Qing Feng directly stepped forward, attempting to charge into the battlefield.
"Feng!" Jing shouted, stepping forward. This girl had gone mad. Above were ten great experts from the Divine Palaces. Anyone trying to stop them would likely be courting death.
But at that moment, a brilliant, dazzling light descended from the sky. A blinding white beam shot through the heavens, instantly plunging into the crowd. The Divine Palace experts scattered, and the white light shot up again, swift as lightning.
"Where do you think you're going?" The pupils of the Divine Palace experts constricted. They had not stopped the figure when it first appeared, but only when it took someone away did they act simultaneously, all giving chase into the void.
"Has the Fate Temple made its move?"
This sudden turn of events made everyone's eyes narrow. Only the Fate Temple could stop the Divine Palaces. Had the Fate Temple just acted? And the person it took... Why did it make all the great experts from the ten Divine Palaces give chase? Could it be that the Divine Palace envoys had not come for the top ten of the Nine Heavens Gathering, but for only one of them?
Thinking this, the crowd's hearts pounded violently. They looked at the missing figure in that space. The Fate Temple had taken only one person, and all ten Divine Palaces had given chase. This inevitably sparked endless speculation.
As for the person taken... Chu Chunqiu!
"Why did the Fate Temple take Chu Chunqiu alone? What does this hide?" The crowd's hearts trembled. The ten core disciples of the Divine Palaces had sharp eyes. In the earlier battle, only five could match them one-on-one: Lin Feng, Kong Ming, Chu Chunqiu, Zhou Rongman, and the Array Master. These were the top five. The other five were weaker, suppressed completely. Thus, any of the top five was a possibility!
"This Nine Heavens Gathering ends here. The top ten will follow me to the Fate Temple, where the rewards will be distributed," the Prophet said coldly, his smile finally gone. The ten experts' pupils constricted. With the great figures of the Divine Palaces all gone, they naturally had no power to challenge the Prophet and wisely withdrew.
"All ten gave chase, leaving not one behind. The opponent was too fast to consider, and that person was too important," the crowd thought. But at that moment, the Prophet descended before the crowd. Light shimmered, enveloping them, and he directly stepped away, disappearing in an instant.
"Gone!" The ten core disciples' eyes narrowed. Just then, two beams of light tore through the air. It was the great experts from two of the Divine Palaces returning. Their first reaction had been to chase, but as soon as they set out, they wondered: Could the Fate Temple have done this deliberately?
This possibility was very real—a diversion to make them misunderstand. Any of the ten could be the target, with the top five being more likely. Of course, the one taken was also highly probable.