Chapter 183: The Real Motive
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
One of the old generals who was from Empire of Dayuan sighed softly and said, "The Nine Supremes are indeed a legend of our times. The wars these nine people have been through are perhaps more than those that any of us could have experienced in three lifetimes! No wonder Yutang calls them guardians of the empire. They’ve countered each attack and emerged each war victorious, they were never defeated! This old man completely acknowledges them as legends, I can’t deny this fact!"
All the other generals nodded quietly.
His words rang true. No matter how reluctant they were, they had to acknowledge it – it was an irrefutable truth.
Yutang’s border was its battlefield, the wars they faces were incessant, especially so when the legend of Nine Supremes came about and casting Yutang into the role of public enemy number one. Since then, the battlefield had been mostly brutal to Yutang, yet each time Yutang came close to being defeated, the Nine Supremes would save the day. Sometimes, it was just a few of them while other times had all nine of them partaking in the warfare; sometimes, they would end a war only to immediately head into another once the other side called for assistance.
If one had not been involved personally, no one could really know how these nine people had done it.
Most of the generals here had led their troops in the war against the Nine Supremes; with the most reserved estimation of a battle for every person, that would still make two hundred battles in total!
Besides, some of them had definitely been through more than one war involving the Nine Supremes.
At this rate, the Nine Supremes had gone through several rounds of the hundreds of wars; there were also generals who were not here as well as generals who had died fighting them in addition to the wars with the grasslands and southern border.
If one were to calculate the wars Nine Supremes had been through, these generals who were renowned in the continent and prided themselves for having gone through a hundred wars would have to sigh at their own incompetence and be dumbfounded at the Nine Supremes’ achievements.
Now that they had seen the legendary Residence of Nine Supremes with their own eyes, it was like they had once again seen the nine masked people dressed in black on the battlefield who resembled both like deities and devils.
Those nine different masks…
When they came alone, their martial skills were rather ordinary – subpar, even; they were no threat at all. However, their nine powers that allowed them to shapeshift were tricky to defend against.
As long as any two of the Nine Supremes worked together as one within a battle, they would be the pacesetter of the war. They were a force to be reckoned with.
Now, these nine people were finally gone!
Once the generals of each nation had verified the fact, they felt both loss and relief at the same time.
Han Sanhe stepped forward slowly – there was a clear border before the Residence of Nine Supremes that was nine steps away from the residence’s door.
The distance was not far since everyone could see the Residence of Nine Supremes clearly before the border. The line had stopped anyone from moving forward; since the news of Nine Supremes’ doom was relayed, nobody dared cross this line again.
Han Sanhe moved a few steps forward, standing very close to the line.
He could feel countless gazes watching him icily.
Startled by the animosity, Han Sanhe turned around to look for the source yet all he saw was that the veterans cleaning the surroundings had stopped what they were doing to straighten up and watch him with a menacing gaze.
These people’s stares were like airborne black-feathered arrows that were poised to kill!
With a jolt, Han Sanhe stopped before the border in front of the Residence of Nine Supremes.
The other generals had also stopped at the same distance, their gazes growing increasingly perplexed.
Each of them felt that if they continued forward, catastrophe would befall them the moment they came into contact with the line.
Even if the veterans had abilities and could manage to be a threat, the intimidation they formed was already frightening enough that no one dared do otherwise.
Well, not exactly no one – the youth dressed in black who had been following behind Han Sanhe did not stop like everyone else; he was about to take his next step forward when Han Sanhe stretched his arm and said smiling, "This old man’s wish for years has been fulfilled, as I got to see the Residence of Nine Supremes today. It is indeed the legendary Residence of Nine Supremes, its existence is simply otherworldly! Seeing this structure today, I am content, without any further wishes."
His extended arm had blocked the youth’s path to move forward without seeming intentional.
However, a skinny man dressed in black who had been behind a marshal from Empire of Dayuan came forth then and said slowly, "But we didn’t get to go inside the Residence of Nine Supremes after all. That would be regret."
Han Sanhe only let out a short exclamation, "Oh?"
The man dressed in black was skinny with the hollows of his face prominently shown; he was like a dried malnourished fruit. His eyes were cold as they sunk into the sockets of his skull.
By the looks of it, he was most probably not a militant.
Yun Yang was certain with just a single glance; a militant would not possess such an aura.
Therefore, Han Sanhe and the other marshals might not be able to stop this fellow, and he seemed to have further demands that he wished to put through.
Yun Yang’s gaze turned cold then, a smirk hung at the corners of his lips – he would love to see what this fellow planned to do.
It doesn’t matter what cultivation base you possess – even if you were a grandmaster of the times, you will only enter standing and stay lying inside if you have an ulterior motive towards the Residence of Nine Supremes in front of me today!
"This trip today will be difficult to emulate. Allow this lowly one to enter this so-called Residence of Nine Supremes and have a look on behalf of all the generals."
A smirk appeared on the skinny man’s face as he continued indifferently, "Let me see if this Residence of Nine Supremes that has lost its nine supreme owners still possesses the ability to intimidate the world."
Yun Yang put up an angered front and said loudly, "What do you want to do? The Residence of Nine Supremes is a holy place. How can you simply violate it? You despicable one, how dare you overstep the boundaries so rashly?"
Before the sound of his words died, Yun Yang was already making a dash to stop him but a few generals blocked his path.
"Don’t be angered, young master. We are already here. If we can’t see the Residence of Nine Supremes that’s said to be incredibly sturdy with our own eyes, it’s going to be a regret of our lifetime. Besides, what harm can it be to let us verify the legend?"
The old veterans who were sweeping the floor gathered with a smirk but no one came forward to stop anyone. They watched the group with crossed arms as one of them said coldly, "We shall not stop any of you who wishes to trespass in the Residence of Nine Supremes but we’ll put up this disclaimer. Don’t blame us or say that we didn’t remind you when you’ve died inside; anyone who trespasses within the residence dies without a burial, there’s nothing to be sorry about."
The skinny man seemed to be slightly perturbed by this, even as he scoffed coldly. His body then convulsed as the eeriest scene began to take place.
In front of everyone's eyes, a silhouette materialized beside the skinny man dressed in black. The silhouette had the same clothes, appearance, and bearing of this skinny man; they were both exactly the same.
The man’s body convulsed six times continuously, generating another six clones. These seven identical people stood before the Residence of Nine Supremes’ door in a row, like septuplets.
Yun Yang blinked. Shadow clone?
Could this fellow be from the School of Spectre?
He had to admit that it was a pretty good idea.
The technique of the Shadow Clone was the School of Spectre’s sole descending mystique skill. Cultivators who cultivated this skill could produce clones according to the development of their cultivation base; each clone was as real as the original. as they were equipped with the original’s abilities. More importantly, everything and everyone that the clones’ eyes could reach could be seen by the original at the same time.
Although the cultivation skill only had such effects, it was a rare exceptional cultivation skill in the world. This skill had another unbelievable effect – whether it was the original or the clone who had been attacked, the cultivator could recover in a certain amount of time without suffering fundamental damage as long as one of their clones survived even when the original body had died. The cultivation skill was indeed a powerful yet mysterious one.
The man in black had obviously known of the reputation of the Residence of Nine Supremes and prepared himself well. As long as he realized something was wrong, he could just sacrifice his clones. Logically, he did stand a good chance to see the inside of the Residence of Nine Supremes with this skill.
The icy glint in Yun Yang’s eyes danced for the slightest moment before it went away and his eyes continued watching the skinny man’s subsequent actions.
A flash of movement saw a clone of the skinny man in black clothing rushing into the thick fog of the Residence of Nine Supremes.
The clone had successfully entered the Residence of Nine Supremes’ area. The thick fog remained how it was without any sign of being jostled while the silhouette who had gone in emitted no sound.
The skinny man was surprised. He could feel his clone in the Residence of Nine Supremes but he could see nothing. It was unlike the blinding dark where one could not even see one’s own fingers; it was just thick fog as far as the eyes could see but there was no premonition of incoming danger.
After some time of roaming though, there was still nothing concrete that came into contact with his hand.
This was odd.
The Residence of Nine Supremes sat right in front of everyone yet his clone had gone around for so long without touching even a single wall. The clone had even sprinted in just one direction yet there was no obstacle nor end to the run. It was odd indeed!
Sometime later, the skinny man in black's expression began to change. His clone had somehow lost the connection with him, where he had gone was unknown. No matter how he called or controlled the clone, there was no further response.
Yet the clone was obviously not dead; he could still feel him.
"How can this happen?" The man’s sunken face was filled with confusion.
"What is it?" A general from Dayuan asked.
"I’ve lost contact with my clone but he’s not dead. It’s the first time this has happened…" The skinny man answered, still shocked and confused.
"Since there isn’t any danger, just send another one in to pick him up!" The general from Dayuan was not bothered at all, suspecting that the fellow was slacking and was reluctant to give his all, being afraid of the danger contained within the Residence of Nine Supremes.
Looking at the other clones, the general still felt dissatisfaction bubbling in his chest. You have so many clones… just send a few more in! You’ve only sent one clone; he’s alone and can’t do much. If more of them work together, can’t the entire residence still be checked?
It’s obvious this fellow is not wholehearted in doing this.
The skinny man thought about it with a frown. With a wave of his hand, two more clones entered the Residence of Nine Supremes.