Chapter 1821: Crisis at the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor
On this day, the Snow Calamity Continent was in an uproar, as countless cultivators were startled by the fluctuation of Supreme-level power emanating from the Thirty-First District.
Many believed it was a great conflict triggered by the emergence of a hundred-thousand-year-old ancient sacred medicine.
Thus, experts who had reached the Saint King Realm rushed over one after another.
Not long after, a piece of news spread, causing quite a stir across the Snow Calamity Continent and even throughout the entire Eastern Domain Sacred City.
"A Nine-Step Saint King was suppressed and killed by a Supreme Sacred Artifact, leaving no bones or remains behind. The Supreme power enveloped an area of a hundred miles, lingering for a long time without dissipating."
"The Nine-Step Saint Kings who were slain are Feng Chengdao and Bai Yuejun of the Nether God Hall."
...
The fall of a Nine-Step Saint King was no trivial matter. For a powerful realm like Ruiya Realm, the impact might be somewhat minor. However, for weaker realms, the death of a Nine-Step Saint King was akin to a major earthquake.
For a time, panic spread among the people.
"Could it be that experts from the Hell Realm killed them?"
"The Eastern Domain Sacred City is a gathering place for cultivators. If an expert from the Hell Realm, carrying a Supreme Sacred Artifact, were hiding in the city and began killing indiscriminately, rivers of blood would surely flow."
The destructive power of a Supreme Sacred Artifact was terrifying; it could annihilate all cultivators in an entire district in a short time.
This was precisely why everyone felt endangered.
"Don't worry. A formation earth master from the Heavenly Palace is leading a group of sacred masters to repair the ancient formation inscriptions in the Sacred City. Once the repairs are complete, even if Hell Realm cultivators wield a Supreme Sacred Artifact, they won't be able to cause too great a catastrophe."
The Eastern Domain Sacred City was a key location on the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield, so the Heavenly Palace would naturally prioritize its defenses and not allow the Hell Realm to destroy it easily.
The various districts and streets within the city were already protected by formation inscriptions. If a battle broke out on any street, the formation inscriptions would activate, confining the battle's aftermath within a certain range.
Once the ancient inscriptions were fully repaired, the defensive power of every district in the Eastern Domain Sacred City would be greatly enhanced.
One of the Six Supremes of the Nether God Hall, known as "The Traveler," stood in the ruined snowfield of the Thirty-First District, surrounded by interweaving lightning, his fury blazing: "Whether you are a cultivator from the Hell Realm or a being from the Heavenly Court Realm, anyone who dares to strike against the Nether God Hall must die!"
Having been in the Kunlun Realm for less than a month, several Nine-Step Saint Kings had already fallen. The Nether God Hall's losses were undeniably severe.
Even though the Nether God Hall had deep foundations and countless experts, it had still suffered damage to its core strength.
The Traveler had collected traces of residual power from the Supreme Sacred Artifact on the battlefield. As long as that Supreme Sacred Artifact was activated again, he would be able to track down the culprit.
At the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor.
All the saints of the Chen Clan had emerged from seclusion and gathered together.
Everyone was solemn and dignified. In the great hall, the atmosphere was stifling, making people feel extremely oppressed.
The Chen Clan saint who had been rescued by Zhang Ruochen had already returned to the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor and was standing at the center of the hall, recounting the entire sequence of events.
The Eastern Domain King, Chen Yin, sat at the highest seat on a golden-carved table and chair, his body interwoven with sacred qi, exuding a saintly might that seized the hearts of all.
Chen Wutian, the heir of the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor, stood up and said, "So, the scroll was destroyed by Hua Cangying of the Sacred Ze Realm?"
That Chen Clan saint said with deep regret, "Yes, it was my incompetence."
All the saints of the Chen Clan changed color in shock, filled with fear and unease.
An elder of the Chen Clan said, "These saint realm cultivators are utterly shameless. They claim to come openly to help the Kunlun Realm resist the Hell Realm's invasion, but in truth, they are here to plunder by force. We should report this to the Heavenly Palace right now."
Chen Wutian remained very composed, saying, "The scroll is destroyed, so there is no evidence to prove that those realm cultivators will attack the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor. Even if we report it to the Heavenly Palace, what can they do? Would the Heavenly Palace believe our one-sided account?"
"It's all my fault."
That Chen Clan saint said, "The scroll had captured the evidence of their conspiracy. If I hadn't been too careless and allowed the cultivators of the Sacred Ze Realm to destroy it, the images on the scroll would have been enough for the Heavenly Palace to convict them."
"Now is not the time to assign blame, but to find a way to deal with the impending calamity."
Chen Wutian continued, "Their attack on the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor is undoubtedly for the 'Forty-Nine Mystical Art.' We must find a way to send the 'Forty-Nine Mystical Art' away first. No matter what, it must not fall into the hands of other realms."
The "Forty-Nine Mystical Art" was the inherited cultivation method of the Eastern Domain Chen Clan and was the first half of the "Eighty-Nine Mystical Art," one of the eighty-one divine skill classics on the "Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking."
It was worth noting that even among the top hundred strongest realms, many did not possess a single divine skill that could rank on the "Taiyi Divine Skill Ranking."
If they could seize the "Forty-Nine Mystical Art," it would surely greatly enhance the overall strength of a realm and skyrocket its ranking.
This was a strategic treasure, countless times more precious than a hundred-thousand-year-old ancient sacred medicine, capable of determining the future of a major world. For this reason, countless cultivators who had come to the Eastern Domain Sacred City had their eyes fixed on the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor, hoping to take the "Forty-Nine Mystical Art."
However, the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor was a key site under the supervision of the Patrol Envoy, so no one dared to act rashly.
Secondly, the Chen Clan controlled the Zhou Tian Grand Formation that covered the entire Sacred City. Capturing the Chen Clan without anyone noticing was no easy task. It required the cooperation of multiple forces to be possible.
Chen Wutian continued, "The Heavenly Palace is not absolutely fair and just. It is composed of various major worlds, and the stronger a world is, the heavier its voice in the Heavenly Palace. So, don't expect the Heavenly Palace to favor us. If it doesn't become an accomplice, we should count ourselves lucky."
"Now, we can only seek help from the imperial court, but... the imperial court is also struggling to handle its own affairs. It is said that the conflicts in the Central Imperial City are even more intense than those in the Eastern Domain Sacred City."
Someone said, "No matter what, we have to try."
Chen Wutian's gaze shifted to Chen Yin, who was seated above.
Chen Yin nodded, then mobilized his sacred qi, injecting it into the Domain King Official Seal on the golden table, establishing contact with the Central Imperial City.
Sitting in the Central Imperial City was the Grand Chancellor Wang Shiqi. Additionally, the Six Ministry Heavenly Kings and Shengshu Cainü all revealed their prominent figures, standing in the Purple Micro Palace, conversing with Chen Yin.
As expected, the situation in the Central Imperial City was now tense, with countless experts gathered, ready to erupt into major upheaval at any moment.
After all, the treasury of the First Central Emperor contained the most extensive collection of cultivation manuals and treasures in the world, and many major realms coveted it for themselves.
The light on the Domain King Official Seal faded, and in the great hall, all the saints of the Chen Clan fell into silence.
The imperial court could not help them now; they had to rely on themselves to face the impending great calamity. But how could the Chen Clan's strength alone withstand the siege of top experts from multiple major worlds?
After a long silence, Chen Yin made a difficult decision, saying, "Wutian is right. We must first send the 'Forty-Nine Mystical Art' away. As long as the 'Forty-Nine Mystical Art' remains in the hands of the Chen Clan, the Chen Clan will still have hope for revival. We cannot let them cut off our path."
A Chen Clan saint said, "The entire Eastern Domain Saint King Manor must already be under tight surveillance. Sending the 'Forty-Nine Mystical Art' out is simply impossible."
"Don't be so despairing yet. Our Chen Clan has guarded the Eastern Domain Sacred City for over a hundred thousand years, with deep roots. It won't be so easy to bring us down. We still have some trump cards to use. If they want to destroy the Chen Clan, they'll have to lose half their forces first."
With these words, the Eastern Domain King Chen Yin led Chen Wutian out of the great hall and walked toward the depths of the Saint King Manor.
"Domain King, do you want me to take the 'Forty-Nine Mystical Art' and leave?" Chen Wutian asked.
Chen Yin walked ahead, saying, "Your talent can be considered the best among the Chen Clan's younger generation since the Middle Ages. If the Chen Clan is destroyed, only you can revive it."
Chen Wutian's will was very firm, saying, "Domain King should understand that Wutian will live and die with the Chen Clan and will never flee alone."
Chen Yin suddenly stopped, patted Chen Wutian on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "The Chen Clan cannot perish, and the 'Forty-Nine Mystical Art' must not fall into the hands of other realms."
Chen Wutian was silent for a long time, then said, "Even if I want to leave, I probably can't. The Eastern Domain Saint King Manor now is likely only allowing entry, not exit."
Chen Yin continued walking until he reached the foot of a sacred mountain deep within the Saint King Manor. On the cliff face of the mountain was a stone door.
"Beneath the Saint King Manor lies an ancient space teleportation array, personally arranged by the ancestor who invited Fangcun Master, the senior disciple of Xumi Saint Monk. It can teleport you to the Chen Clan's ancestral land. The ancestral land has already awakened, and there may be supreme opportunities waiting for you. Go now and select a group of outstanding Chen Clan disciples to take with you. Once you leave, I will destroy the teleportation array."
...
Meanwhile, Zhang Ruochen, accompanied by Murong Yue and Xie Chengzi, arrived at the Golden Rainbow Continent of the Eastern Domain Sacred City. Before them, peaks rose in clusters, sacred qi drifted, resembling a celestial realm.
Not far away stood a stone tablet engraved with four ancient characters, "Divine Sword Sacred Land."
The former master of the Divine Sword Sacred Land was Lu Yuanzhi, the sixth disciple of Emperor Ming, and thus Zhang Ruochen's sixth senior brother.
However, the sixth senior brother had died several hundred years ago.
Now, the master of the Divine Sword Sacred Land should be Lu Yuanzhi's grandson, known as the "Jade Saint," Lu Huaiyu.
The strength of the Divine Sword Sacred Land might be far inferior to that of the Eastern Domain Saint King Manor and the Three Paths and Seven Sects, but its mastery in artifact refining ranked among the top three in the Kunlun Realm.
The broken Abyssal Ancient Sword had been repaired here at the Divine Sword Sacred Land.
Zhang Ruochen had come to the Divine Sword Sacred Land naturally to help the sword spirit of the Abyssal Ancient Sword condense a Dao body. If possible, he also wanted to take all the artifact refiners of the Divine Sword Sacred Land to King Mountain.
Having a group of artifact refiners under his command would be of great help in rebuilding the Sacred Bright Central Empire.
But upon arriving at the Sword Stele, Zhang Ruochen sensed a strange aura, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
Murong Yue stood behind Zhang Ruochen, dressed in a moon-white robe, her slender waist tight, her long legs graceful, and a hood on her robe covering most of her beautiful face. She said, "Your Highness, someone has used a talisman to conceal this space. The Divine Sword Sacred Land... may have undergone a drastic change..."