Chapter 577: Nine Phoenix Cauldron
The second attack was ten times stronger than the first. Once it descended, even a Saint would fall.
All the Saints of the Black Market were terrified and restless. If not for the presence of the Nine Nether Sword Saint, they might have already begun to flee in all directions.
Just as the second attack was about to fall, a black city flew over from afar, taking all the Black Market Saints into the city.
“Whoosh!”
From within the black city, an ancient green cauldron with nine legs flew out, shattering the Yin-Yang Fish Imprint in the sky and crashing into the Zhou Tian Grand Formation.
With a thunderous roar, the nine-legged cauldron emitted a surge of Supreme Power, tearing a gap in the Zhou Tian Grand Formation.
Seizing this opportunity, the black city flew through the gap and disappeared into the vast expanse of clouds and mist.
From beyond the heavens, a ethereal voice echoed throughout the Eastern Domain Sacred City: “Chen Yin, the Heir of Time and Space’s life belongs to us, the Black Market! You can protect him once, but not a second time.”
The Eastern Domain King stood on the ground, gazing up at the sky. No one could see his expression at that moment.
With a wave of his sleeve, the dark clouds covering a thousand miles were instantly swept away, revealing the bright sunlight once more.
It seemed as if everything had passed, and the Eastern Domain Sacred City had returned to peace.
But the ground was a scene of devastation, with lightning and flames still lingering.
The Black Market Saints had retreated, leaving behind thousands of corpses. Some were mutilated, some charred black, some a bloody mess—it was impossible to distinguish which were members of the Chen Clan and which were Black Market cultivators.
Second Senior Brother Zhu Hongtao stamped his foot in frustration. “How infuriating! They still managed to escape. I never thought they could break through the Zhou Tian Grand Formation.”
Third Senior Brother Wan Ke said, “There’s no helping it. The Zhou Tian Grand Formation hadn’t fully closed in yet. Otherwise, even if the Black Market had the Nine Phoenix Cauldron, they couldn’t have escaped.”
“Third Brother, what did you say? That cauldron that flew out just now—was it the legendary Evil Emperor’s Supreme Sacred Artifact, the Nine Phoenix Cauldron?” Zhu Hongtao exclaimed in shock.
“Didn’t you sense the Supreme Power emanating from the cauldron?”
Third Senior Brother Wan Ke continued, “Only the power of the Nine Phoenix Cauldron could have torn a gap in the Zhou Tian Grand Formation.”
“Wait! I seem to recall that the Nine Phoenix Cauldron was supposed to be sealed inside the Holy Mountain of the Saint Academy. How did it fall into the Black Market’s hands?” Zhu Hongtao said.
The Nine Phoenix Cauldron being sealed inside the Holy Mountain was a highly secret matter, known only to the Saints within the Saint Academy.
Even with Wan Ke’s status and position, this was the first time he had heard of this secret.
Wan Ke’s expression changed drastically. “Is this true?”
Zhu Hongtao was startled by Wan Ke’s reaction but still didn’t fully grasp the situation. “Of course it’s true. Didn’t you know?”
Wan Ke’s eyes shifted constantly, and his hands clenched involuntarily. “It’s over. A major upheaval has likely occurred at the Saint Academy as well. It seems the Black Market Saints’ attack on the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor was nothing more than a diversion. Their true goal was to retrieve the Nine Phoenix Cauldron.”
“I should have realized from the start—I was thinking in the wrong direction. Even if the Black Market wanted revenge on Little Junior Brother, they wouldn’t have made such a grand spectacle, let alone deployed Saint-level figures.”
“The Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor was just one piece of their scheme. Their real target… was the Saint Academy.”
Zhu Hongtao finally caught on and slapped his head, but still spoke carelessly, “The Nine Phoenix Cauldron has already been taken. Even if we rush back now, it won’t do any good. Third Brother, first think about the problem at hand.”
Zhu Hongtao glanced in Zhang Ruochen’s direction, a complex expression in his eyes. “The Black Market will never let Little Junior Brother go. If the Nine Nether Sword Saint makes another move, the two of us won’t be able to stop him.”
In the past, even if the Black Market wanted to deal with Zhang Ruochen, they wouldn’t have gone all out, at most sending young experts from the younger generation.
But now that Zhang Ruochen’s identity as the “Heir of Time and Space” had been exposed, the Black Market’s next strike would be a decisive one, leaving him no chance.
“Send a Message Light Talisman to Master.”
Wan Ke let out a long sigh. “The entire Eastern Domain is about to be shaken to its core.”
…
A day and a night had passed since the Black Market’s attack on the Eastern Domain Sacred City, but the situation had not calmed down; instead, it had escalated.
News came from the Saint Academy that the Nine Phoenix Cauldron, sealed in the Holy Mountain by Empress Chi Yao, had been taken by the Hall Master of the Black Market First Class Hall.
At the time, five Academy Masters had been stationed at the Saint Academy.
In principle, no matter how powerful the Black Market was, they shouldn’t have been able to break the seal and steal the Nine Phoenix Cauldron.
However, there was a mole within the Saint Academy—the Sixth Academy Master, Ji Kongtong. He had collaborated with the Black Market First Class Hall’s Hall Master from within and without, ultimately making off with the Nine Phoenix Cauldron.
But under the combined attack of the other four Academy Masters, Ji Kongtong had fallen on the spot, dying on the Holy Mountain.
That very day, the Ministry of War had dispatched troops to exterminate Ji Kongtong’s clan, the Ji Holy Clan.
It wasn’t just the Ji Holy Clan. Under the full investigation of the Saint Academy and the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor, it had been confirmed that seven Saint Clans, twelve Ten-Thousand-Year Ancient Sects, and seventy-three sects and families had closely cooperated with the Black Market in this operation.
Further investigations were still ongoing.
But it was already foreseeable that in the coming months, the Eastern Domain would witness a bloody purge, with countless sects and families facing annihilation. The prisons of various prefectures and commanderies would likely be overflowing.
When Zhang Ruochen saw the stream of information coming from outside, he realized that the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor had only been one of the important battlefields.
The Black Market’s true goal this time was the Evil Emperor’s Nine Phoenix Cauldron.
Back when the Evil Emperor was alive, the Eastern Domain had been the Black Market’s stronghold—a land of darkness where demons ran rampant and the people lived in misery.
The Black Market’s power had been at its peak.
Even the current Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor, the Chen Clan, was far from being able to contend with the Black Market of that era.
Later, Empress Chi Yao killed the Evil Emperor, suppressing the Black Market and leaving it in decline.
Over the following centuries, the forces of the Chen Clan, the Martial Market Bank, the Moon Worship Demon Sect, and the Liangyi Sect in the Eastern Domain grew stronger, eventually forming a five-way stalemate.
At the same time, the imperial court dispatched troops to garrison the Eastern Domain Sacred Land, driving out barbarian beasts, besieging evil cities, expanding territory, and stabilizing all factions.
The chaotic Eastern Domain Sacred Land gradually became peaceful.
On the outskirts of the Eastern Domain Sacred Land, once a desolate wilderness with few people and rampant barbarian beasts, human civilization had now emerged, giving birth to over twelve thousand commandery states, one of which was the Yunwu Commandery.
Hundreds of years later, the Eastern Domain was no longer the dark land it had once been. It had become prosperous, with martial arts flourishing. Though still not comparable to the Central Domain’s Nine Prefectures, it far surpassed the Eastern Domain of the Evil Emperor’s time.
It was precisely because of Empress Chi Yao’s civil and military achievements that the human cultivators of the Eastern Domain revered her like a deity, tolerating no disrespect toward her.
The Black Market’s theft of the Nine Phoenix Cauldron this time had indeed caused a massive upheaval, one that could even alter the entire Eastern Domain’s landscape, plunging it back into darkness.
Of course, matters of this magnitude were not something Zhang Ruochen could involve himself in.
He was merely a cultivator at the Fish-Dragon Second Transformation, and his primary concern was how to stay alive.
Lin Fei, who had been lying in bed, had woken up.
After a day and a night of rest, her injuries had recovered somewhat.
Lin Fei was still very weak, her voice faint and breathless. Her first question was, “Chen’er, what day is it today?”
“The sixth,” Zhang Ruochen replied, sitting by the bed and gently holding Lin Fei’s hand.
Lin Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Good… at least I haven’t missed your wedding. If I had delayed your marriage because of me, how would I face the King in the underworld, how would I face the ancestors of the Zhang family…”
As she spoke, her voice turned choked with sobs.
Huang Yanchen immediately stepped closer to comfort her. “Lady Lin Fei, Zhang Junior Brother and I’s wedding is not that urgent. Please don’t overthink it. Focus on recovering from your injuries first.”
Lin Fei grew flustered and forced herself to sit up, grabbing Huang Yanchen’s hand tightly. “No, it must happen… Tomorrow is the seventh. You must get married. Promise me… cough, cough…”
In her urgency, Lin Fei broke into a fit of coughing.
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen couldn’t fully understand Lin Fei’s thoughts. To her, the Zhang family had suffered a great calamity and was nearly without heirs. Zhang Ruochen had to shoulder the responsibility of continuing the family line.
For an ordinary person like Lin Fei, martial arts and the sacred path weren’t as important. No matter how high Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation reached, it probably wouldn’t bring her as much joy as having a little grandson.
So, no matter what, Zhang Ruochen had to marry Huang Yanchen immediately.
The Zhang family needed descendants.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Huang Yanchen. She was momentarily stunned, then a rare blush crept onto her face as she nodded to him.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Mother, I promise you. Tomorrow, I will marry Senior Sister Yanchen. Even if the ceremony is simple, it will not be delayed.”
There was no other choice. With such a major incident in the Eastern Domain Sacred City and the Chen Clan suffering heavy casualties, if Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen still wanted to marry, they would have to keep it simple.
…
Just then, a troop of soldiers riding Golden Armor Beasts approached from afar, stopping outside the gates of the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor.
This troop numbered only a hundred.
But every single soldier was spirited and imposing, clearly the elite of the elite.
Wan Zhaoyi, clad in Azure Dragon Armor, rode a white flood dragon, standing atop its head at the forefront of the Golden Armor Army. He snapped his fingers, and the white flood dragon immediately halted.
Wan Zhaoyi looked up at the plaque of the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor and laughed. “I heard that yesterday, the Black Market experts smashed the Chen Clan’s gate, but today they’ve already replaced it with a new one. Heh.”
“Who goes there?”
Two Half-Saints rushed out from the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor, standing on either side of the steps, staring warily at Wan Zhaoyi atop the white flood dragon.
“Clatter, clatter!”
Hasty footsteps sounded as two squads of soldiers charged out, surrounding Wan Zhaoyi and his hundred Golden Armor Soldiers in the center.
After the Black Market’s disturbance, the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor had naturally heightened its vigilance. Any unusual activity would draw a large number of manor-guarding soldiers.
Wan Zhaoyi couldn’t be bothered to even glance at the two Chen Clan Half-Saints, ignoring them entirely.
“How dare you! Can’t you see that we are the Imperial Golden Armor Army?”
A man riding a Golden Armor Beast behind Wan Zhaoyi let out a fierce roar, sending out a powerful sonic wave that forced the surrounding manor-guarding soldiers to stagger backward.
“Imperial Golden Armor Army?”
A puzzled voice came from behind the gate.
Third Senior Brother Wan Ke stepped out from behind the Saint Prince Manor’s gate, scanning the Golden Armor Army before fixing his gaze on Wan Zhaoyi.
This man had actually tamed a flood dragon?
A flood dragon was not a mere serpent—it was a dragon.
Wan Ke’s instincts told him that this man was extremely formidable, no ordinary figure.
So, he became alert and asked, “How should I address you, sir?”
Wan Zhaoyi looked at Wan Ke with interest and smiled. “Not bad. You’re someone worthy of speaking with me. My surname is Wan. I have come to the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor on the Empress’s orders to arrest the criminal Zhang Ruochen. Lead the way.”