Chapter 823: Palm Falls, Stone Emerges
The King of Linghai bowed to Chen Changsheng before the pear tree, then rose to his feet.
The entire process was very swift.
Compared to ordinary circumstances, the speed at which he stood up was somewhat too fast. It could be interpreted as concise in manner, or it could be interpreted as lacking sincerity.
Many people, especially the important figures within the Li Palace, knew that the King of Linghai had never liked His Holiness the Pope, harboring a hidden enmity.
White Rock Daoist and An Lin caught this scene from the corner of their eyes and were not surprised.
The King of Linghai had stood up, while White Rock Daoist and An Lin still maintained their bowing posture. Thus, a difference in height emerged between them.
It was just like the relative positions between the pear tree laden with blossoms and Chen Changsheng.
A gentle breeze brushed by, and countless white petals drifted down, landing on Chen Changsheng's head or shoulders.
The King of Linghai's right hand also drifted downward, heading toward the top of White Rock Daoist's head beside him.
A cold wind howled, the green trees swayed, and the pear blossoms danced wildly.
The force of the wind even reached the distant Wen River. The reflections of the sky in the water became wildly chaotic, and the water plants at the bottom thrashed desperately, as if they had turned into countless snakes.
The King of Linghai's attack was too sudden. Everyone before the hall could not react in time.
In An Lin's peripheral vision, she only saw that palm shadow, like a flash of lightning. She was shocked beyond measure and wanted to stop it, but it was already too late.
However, White Rock Daoist seemed to have been prepared for this all along.
He still maintained his bowing posture, but his right palm had somehow already left the ground. Like duckweed on the water's surface stirred by the wind, it flipped upward.
With a soft crack, the two palms met above White Rock Daoist's head.
The green stone ground before the hall trembled, sinking down several inches!
The divine gate was pulled by the howling wind, emitting creaking sounds, as if it might collapse at any moment.
The King of Linghai's body swayed slightly as he retreated two steps. Countless streams of pure energy leaked out from his divine robe, tearing countless cracks in the air.
White Rock Daoist stood up. His face had turned an extremely deep red, as if countless fine drops of blood were about to seep out from beneath his skin.
An Lin was even more shocked, because the result of this palm clash had completely exceeded her expectations.
The King of Linghai and White Rock Daoist were roughly similar in cultivation level, both at the peak of Star Gathering.
Even if White Rock Daoist had been on guard and prepared, the King of Linghai's descending palm was very sudden and perfectly aligned with the heavenly principles before the hall. It could be said to be the strongest strike of his life. Yet it could not severely injure White Rock Daoist, only gaining a slight upper hand. Why was this?
An Lin sensed the sacred aura emanating from White Rock Daoist's body. Thinking of a certain possibility, her face turned slightly pale.
White Rock Daoist was not bleeding, but he knew that under the King of Linghai's insidious full-force sneak attack, he had still suffered a not-insignificant injury. He had to leave immediately.
He understood these people present very well. Now was the last chance to leave.
The King of Linghai needed time to recover from the shock to his true essence. An Lin had just come to her senses, her battle intent not yet aroused. The young man who had just walked out of the hall was full of sharp sword intent—he should be a young expert from Lishan Sword Sect. But the Lishan Sword Sect was not skilled in the art of pursuit, so he probably couldn't stop him either.
As for that one... He glanced at Chen Changsheng beneath the pear tree, thinking, you are still severely injured and not yet healed. Even if you use the Ten Thousand Swords, how could you stop me?
He let out a cold snort. His movement technique suddenly quickened, turning into a wisp of light smoke in the winter air, and he swiftly dashed out of the hall.
As the most secretive and fastest among the great figures of the State Church, his calculations were not wrong. At this moment, no one present could stop him.
But there was one thing he did not know: from Song Mountain Military Prefecture to Wenshui City, Chen Changsheng had two other people by his side.
That wisp of light smoke wove through the green trees in the garden, yet it could never find its way out. No matter where it went, a little girl would always appear ahead of it.
White Rock Daoist was forced to reveal his form. Staring at the little girl before him, his eyes were filled with shock.
This little girl had a childish face and a dull gaze, as if she could not think at all.
—Then how could you know where I would go next? And why are you so fast!
What made him even more uneasy was that when he was darting through the forest earlier, he had constantly felt a cold wind at the back of his neck.
It seemed someone had been following him all along...
He knew he had to go all out.
A sacred aura emanated from his Daoist robe, and countless rays of pure white light spilled out from between his palms.
It was an extremely round white stone. Those who had been to Cold Mountain Heavenly Pond might recognize it as a Heavenly Stone.
Around this Heavenly Stone was embedded an extremely complex black-gold formation, making it look exceptionally beautiful—one could call it the peak encounter between humanity and nature.
This was the State Church's precious treasure—the Falling Star Stone.
...
...
Seeing this scene, An Lin confirmed her speculation and became extremely furious.
The reason White Rock Daoist could preserve most of his strength under the King of Linghai's full-force sneak attack was precisely because of this Falling Star Stone in his palm.
This Falling Star Stone was a State Church treasure held by White Rock Daoist. An Lin, the King of Linghai, and the others each possessed one as well.
These treasures, comparable to divine artifacts, were an important part of the Li Palace's formation and were extremely vital to the State Church.
Unless ordered by His Holiness the Pope, no one—including the great figures of the State Church who held these treasures—could take them out of the Li Palace.
White Rock Daoist had secretly brought the Falling Star Stone with him. Regardless of his intentions, this was a crime tantamount to betraying the Church!
An Lin swung her right hand. Her sash left her body, carrying countless pear blossoms, and was about to encircle White Rock Daoist.
"Do you think this is enough to keep me here?" White Rock Daoist shouted at the little girl before him.
In truth, this statement was also directed at the ghost-like figure behind him, at An Lin, and even more so at Chen Changsheng.
Even as he spoke, he smashed the Falling Star Stone in his hand toward the ground.
Seeing this, An Lin knew something was wrong. Ignoring the fact that her sash had not yet formed its formation, she swiftly dashed into the forest.
The Falling Star Stone hit the ground without making a sound. The petals and leaves did not tremble in the slightest.
A desolate power, as if from ancient times, suddenly appeared.
Countless gusts of cold wind poured into the Falling Star Stone, and the petals and leaves on the ground followed suit.
The Falling Star Stone seemed to turn into a great vortex, swallowing everything it touched. Even the heavenly principles of the surrounding space began to warp.
An extremely deep, pitch-black hole appeared on the ground. It looked only about ten feet in diameter, yet it seemed boundless and infinite.
The Falling Star Stone floated within it, emitting a faint, ethereal glow, as if it were a real star.
Wind, flowers, and leaves continued to sink into it endlessly, then vanished without a trace.
"Stop him!" An Lin shouted urgently.
The Falling Star Stone, worthy of being a State Church treasure comparable to a divine artifact, had forcibly torn open space, creating a passage leading to who knows where!
White Rock Daoist glanced at her expressionlessly.
By now, the Falling Star Stone had fully released its aura. Neither the little girl before him nor the ghost-like figure behind him could stop him any longer.
He stepped into that pitch-black passage.
If nothing unexpected happened, in the next moment, he would appear on a wilderness hundreds of miles away.
However... the unexpected happened at that very moment.
His foot had clearly landed inside the pitch-black passage, so why did it still feel as if he were stepping on soil?
Why did the soles of his shoes even feel the touch of petals and leaves?