Chapter 292: Conquer the World by Force, Bloodshed in the Martial Arts World!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Fu Baoguo’s voice spread far and wide.
All the deployed soldiers raised the weapons in their hands as they cheered in unison, "This heart and this body are devoted to serving the country; the will shall never waver until death shall it rest!"
With a single command, the troops departed.
Fu Baoguo’s muscular build sat mounted on the horse easily, galloping forward like a released arrow without turning his head back.
Somehow, Old Grand Commandant Fang felt a sense of resolution watching the back of his prized disciple. It was as if… Fu Baoguo was never coming back, this was his last time leaving!
His direct-lined successor, his close disciple – it was farewell!
…
This was a small temple.
Where nothing and nobody existed within thousands of miles in the mountains, this small temple stood quietly.
This temple worshipped the Great Sage True Lord, one of the transcendent immortals of legend for hundreds of thousands of years in the Tianxuan Continent.
The legend of him was renowned, but to have this lord’s temple in such a secluded location was still a wonder in itself, a remarkably picturesque scene.
Incense smoke was curling up in the small temple.
A person in robes was sitting with his legs folded into a lotus position, his eyes closed without moving nor saying a word. His face was obscured by the rising smoke, obscuring it from view.
It was just like the Great Sage True Lord who was being worshipped, where his true face could not be seen; there was a sense of blurriness like this person was amidst the clouds and did not belong to the worldly realm.
There was another person in front of this man – Venerable Lord Saber, who was littered with wounds and bore numerous injuries.
Venerable Lord Saber had been ambushed by three parties prior to his arrival; his basic Qi was already damaged but with Yun Yang’s stab, his skill method was handicapped. He then rushed all the way here without rest nor recuperation. He was near his end; if he recuperated with just his individual cultivation base, it would be difficult to recover for years.
"So, this tower’s various setups in the Empire of Yutang is entirely gone, without any lucky ones managing to escape?" The person in robes spoke faintly.
"Yes." Venerable Lord Saber’s head was bowed.
"Has He Hanqing died as well?" The person in robe said indifferently, "Even his double?"
"A lot of unexpected events have happened recently. First, Ling Xiaozui inexplicably condemned He Hanqing and planted a soul-freezing stab within him; before he could entirely drain the stab away, He Hanqing couldn't use his clone at all. To forcefully use it would only damage his spiritual soul even further. This time, He Hanqing was killed outright, his head separated from his body."
Venerable Lord Saber continued to explain, "Before he died, he executed the Art of Soul Inducement continuously, so his spiritual soul would have been expended. Even if his double were still here, it would have been difficult for him to go back to his body to be resurrected."
The person in robe snorted and said nonchalantly, "So many years of setting up plots, so many years of martial arts world experience, and yet he was uprooted by a child, the one that got away – even losing his life ultimately! If the entire Four Seasons Tower were made up such men, we can hardly speak of a foundation of a thousand years and a conglomerate of eternity!"
Venerable Lord Saber dared not say anything in response to that.
"The hundreds of people set in Yutang is about a quarter of the Four Seasons Tower’s force! How easily they were destroyed!"
The robed man had his eyes closed, his expression stoic. "It looks like He Hanqing is really old!"
Venerable Lord Saber kept quiet for a bit before saying in a low voice, "What has happened up to now may not wholly be He Hanqing’s fault. It’s also partly because the enemy is simply too strong. In the last battle, it’s not the survivors of the Nine Supremes that we were up against, they were… the School of Spring and Autumn and the Concourse of the Underworld… The most fundamental reason for this battle’s failure is the simultaneous appearance of the Concourse of the Underworld’s ten court kings. They performed well and their attack caught us by surprise; their follow-up tactics were incessantly dire too. The difference in abilities of both sides was too much and it was difficult to overcome! Faced with such a situation, perhaps a small move could cause the martial arts world to be at war; this subordinate dared not make rash decisions and has especially come to inform my lord."
The man in robes said lightly, "It looks like it’s been too long since the Four Seasons Tower intimidated the martial arts world. The practitioners have all forgotten the Four Seasons Tower’s terror… the fear that prevented the clans from simply daring to step on the tower."
Despite the indifference in his tone, there was a barely-hidden hint of rage in his words.
Venerable Lord Saber trembled slightly before his eyes exuded a strong sense of fighting spirit.
"Back then, the Four Seasons Tower’s twelve halls, four Supreme Lords, five sides of heaven and earth, twenty-four celestial heads, and three-hundred and sixty-five formidable men subdued the martial arts world and secured the status of being its top sect. So few years have passed and this intimidation is non-existent already?"
The person in robes opened his eyes slowly, two rays of light shot out from them. "The martial world is forgetful; the practitioners have gotten used to forgetting as well. Therefore, a lot of experts dare not return to seclusion once they have obtained fame – because as long as they go back to seclusion, their legend will cease to exist in the martial world."
"A lot of people can only show themselves in the open continuously, continue to perform feats, keep making their reputation known, keep on dueling in the martial world… Only then could their statuses and reputations be maintained. Only when their status and reputation are kept alive for a long time in the martial world that profit will be a constant companion."
"Whoever it is, whether in the imperial court or the martial world, whether scholar or martial practitioner – as long as one is alive in this world, one lives for two words; personal gain!"
The person in robes spoke in a low voice, with a unique cadence.
"This is the origin of the longest circulating saying in this world – being in the martial world, one is bound by its code. It is as simple as that!"
"Being in the martial world and being bound by its code has its own legend. It’s appropriate to use it on those who are at their pinnacle or sects that used to be utterly glorious – because they have contributed enough earth-shattering legends. Although their existences ceased in the martial arts world, there will still be a lot of people, plenty of outsiders, who will spread what they’ve done back in those days of their own accord. This is how their statuses remain."
"Such an existence will only be even more glorified the longer the seclusion takes place; their legends will only be more absurd and terrific. Such is the case for Dugu Chou, Ling Xiaozui, and Jun Moyan."
"As time passes, the legends will only become increasingly unbelievable…"
A hint of mockery revealed itself on the face of the man in robes. "This is how immortals are born in this world!"
The man in robes had been calm as he narrated these statements, but Venerable Lord Saber was sprawled on the floor, profusely sweating and not daring to make a sound.
"These rankings of the martial world – Greatest Beauty, Unrivaled Expert, Unrivaled Swordsman, Unrivaled Saber Knight, Peerless Assassin, Top Sect, Top Ten Unprecedented, so on and so forth..."
"The core of their origins stems from this," the man in robes said faintly.
"Since the Four Seasons Tower has come into view and later exited the picture, it holds a transcendental existence. It is based on such a legend – one that is most formidable currently, yet because it struck out against the Nine Supremes that this legend has fallen into disrepute!"
"The Four Seasons Tower has become a normal sect of the martial world in the eyes of ordinary people, one that is, at most, very cable. Emboldened, the minions are out to play… they think that the Four Seasons Tower is merely so, that they can take down this washed-up legend, this force of the martial world, and even replace it."
"At this time…"
The man in robes stood up, clouds surrounding him as he paced slowly and said, "The Four Seasons Tower can no longer remain placid and allow them to be. It has to attack brutally – conquer the world by force and wash the martial world with blood, so as to build an unshakeable name. This is the way we must go!"
"Like you’ve said, an unprecedented war of the martial arts world is inevitable."
"If there is no movement, the Four Seasons Tower’s opponents or forces that dare attack the tower will only increase!"
The expression of the man in robes was distant and calm. "Since the Concourse of the Underworld and the School of Spring and Autumn have emerged… this tower shall use them to make a statement."
Such simple words, yet they hinted at the approach of a catastrophic war.
The entire martial world would be in chaos due to these two lines – conquer the world by force, bloodshed in the martial arts world!
"Yes!" Venerable Lord Saber sucked in a deep breath.
"Saber!" The man in robe looked at Venerable Lord Saber with a sharp gaze. "How long has your cultivation base been stuck in its current state? How long has it been since there was an improvement?"
Venerable Lord Saber was ashamed as he answered, "Twenty-seven long years. For twenty-seven years, it hasn’t budged forward an inch…"
The man in robe replied indifferently, "This martial war will be a huge test for you. If you do not break through, the chances of you dying from it is more than eighty-percent! Whether it’s the siege of the Yama kings from the Concourse of the Underworld or the old monster who has stepped forth personally… even if was just an elder from the School of Spring and Autumn… you won’t have any chance of victory, your opportunity to survive would be slim!"
"Sword, Snow, Frost, and Ice, the four of them have advanced to the eighth tier in heaven realm now. Frost even has a big possibility to advance to ninth tier this year and he will then try to charge into the realm of Da. Yet you’ve stopped at the fourth tier of the heaven realm for twenty-seven years. There’s nothing to speak of such a difference!"
The man in robes said faintly, "Now the world knows that a blade hangs from the sky but why don’t they know that there’s snow in the sky? How about the rest? You have kept your Venerable title, yet they’ve chosen to quietly increase their capabilities."
"This is the difference! Where there is a gain, there must be a loss," the man in robes said.
Venerable Lord Saber was sweating profusely, his tongue tied.
"You must learn to understand this saying."
The man clad in robes stood with his arms on his back and strolled leisurely around. "With a gain, there must be a loss accompanying it. However, there is still an opportunity to regain that loss after all. If the loss had come first, then there might not be a chance to reacquire that gain…"
He walked out slowly, calm and collected, "Perhaps, it may never be reacquired."
Venerable Lord Saber could only feel chills running through his body, like all the frost in the world had fallen on him; the iciness pierced his bones, going straight into his core.
He followed the person in robe out blearily. It was already snowing rather heavily outside.
Although the weather had turned colder in the worldly realm now, it had not gotten to the stage of snowing. Yet in this mountain where no one lived, silver had enveloped the forest as snow painted it white.