Chapter 759: The Haunting Temple!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At almost the same moment, the Ten Kings of the Concourse of the Underworld alongside their master, and the only two gold-ranked assassins left were gathered in the midst of a dark and gloomy valley respectively.
There was a figure standing before the Concourse, his silhouette shrouded by flapping purple garbs — who else would it be, but Yun Yang himself?
"When I attempted to find the whereabouts of Sister Lan the other day, I unexpectedly noticed that the condensed chillness in the vicinity of this land differs from the norm."
Yun Yang stood, his hands folded behind his back as he stared across the mountain range in the midst of darkness. "With a heart filled with curiosity, I went to investigate the matter, and found out that there is a dense and large amount of Yin energy located beneath this mountain range — I can confirm its existence after checking it through and through. Additionally, all of this is controlled by a mechanism hidden somewhere — in other words, this is completely man-made."
"Well, my body does not require Yin energy, as I am unable to convert such energy into combat strength anyway… it was as though I am blessed with a mountain of treasures, yet I am unable to use it. I was informed that such Yin energy was the best source for the practitioners in the Concourse after I crossed paths with King Qinguang. To confirm this, I sought out this place once more to find the origination point of the mechanism, and lo and behold — I have thus located the entrance. I suppose I could say…" Yun Yang said, nonchalantly. "This must be another Haunting Temple."
Haunting Temple!
The Ten Kings perked up with interest, waves of emotion reflected upon their faces. Just the other day, a series of events had led them to venture into a Haunting Temple, which allowed them to advance their cultivation bases from the large reserve of Yin energy within.
It was precisely due to this they had formed ties with the Nine Supremes.
In such circumstances, if this was truly the Haunting Temple, it would certainly be related to the Nine Supremes!
Upon reaching this conclusion, each of the kings had a bewildered expression upon their faces. They were rendered speechless.
Leading the Concourse of the Underworld was the Man In Black. He was obscured by a blanket of thick, abyssal fog, yet his cultivation base was unmistakably levels above the ten kings. He was every bit dignified, true to his role as the leader of the Concourse — the master of them all whom Yun Yang was not destined to meet with until now.
He was solemnly silent at this moment as he stepped forward. He walked over, attempting to find the pivoting point of the said mechanism. Not too unexpectedly, he managed to locate an unassuming rock protruding from one corner, just as suggested by Yun Yang earlier.
The Man in Black did not waste another second, nor did he hesitate any further. He exerted some pressure upon it, and after a moment, a series of soft rumbling could be heard. In no time, a large crevice appeared before them.
The freshly-emerged crevice was not large. It was, at most, the size of a bedroom, and the atmosphere within was one of underworldly darkness — a looming aura that would deter even the slightest form of contact. Nonetheless, the members of the Concourse were overjoyed, for the underworldly aura within the crevice was clearly made of the fog of the abyss itself. Upon further inspection, ten luminous pearls hovered in the midst of the abyssal fog, permeating a dense mass of mist from time to time.
"Not bad, not bad! This is really another Haunting Temple," King Qinguang exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.
"We, the Concourse of the Underworld, may be known as the best of the world's top three assassin organizations, yet, stripping it down to the core, it's hard to deny that such a reputation, for the most part, stems from fear of the dark aura we possess. Their advancement that day was all part of their karmic cycle — it was a great aid from the Supremes, headed by Supreme Earth himself. The haunting temple had been concealed beneath the ground, and the ground belongs to earth — earth, the leader of the Nine Supremes himself. Hence, to commemorate your favor, from this day onwards I shall be known as… Earth Treasury!"
The master of the Ten Kings turned around with a sullen expression and gave Yun Yang a deep bow of gratitude.
"There is no need for your esteemed presences to do such a thing…" Yun Yang was taken aback by the unexpected gesture before him, not knowing how to respond appropriately.
"Whatever it was that happened prior to this, we are nonetheless committed, so of course it has to be this way. I have made my decision — there is no need to be troubled, Supreme Cloud."
Earth Treasury took a deep breath and turned around. "Ten of you — cover your right hand over those ten Abyssal Qi Pearls according to your respective bearings; then, muster up all you can to channel the Yin energy — open up the Haunting Temple!"
The Ten Kings agreed simultaneously and stepped forward.
Each of them took a deep breath and extended an arm, bringing their palms over the Abyssal Qi Pearls and activated their bases to the best of their abilities. Their gestures seemed to suggest that this was not their first time to engage in such a ritual — the entire process was smooth-sailing and there were no accidents.
As if triggered, the abnormally dense fog thickened even further in a snap. Even with Yun Yang's incredible eyesight, the scene before them lapsed into total darkness— they were unable to distinguish anything at all within the murk.
This situation stretched for a moment before the whole valley erupted into a state of severe, earth-shattering vibrations. Every entity shook and quivered, as though a dragon had turned on its side beneath the ground.
Yet, everyone present was equipped with formidable strength. This little ruckus was well-anticipated, and to them, it was nothing to worry about!
The slight commotion only lasted for a moment. The space enclosed by the ten Abyssal Qi Pearls in the crevice crumbled, and the tremors gradually came to a stop.
Everybody's attention was caught at that moment, highly focused upon a dark, massive temple slowly emerging before them.
Writings in black, darker than darkness itself, flickered momentarily — 'The Devas' Haunting Temple Second Court!'
After a moment, the temple gates swung open after the black writings had faded away.
The temple seemed even darker on the inside. The shaft stretched deep into the ground, its exact length unknown.
Earth Treasury, the Master of the Ten Kings, took a deep breath, and solemnly declared, "The Concourse would like to extend our utmost gratitude for Young Master Yun's assistance this time, but this is where your help has reached its limits, for only those who practice the dark arts shall be permitted access — it will only bring you harm if you go beyond this point. We will not appear anytime soon after venturing into these grounds, therefore… do take care of yourself, young master! Soon, there will be a chance for us to meet again in the future."
Yun Yang replied, "I completely understand. Do as you please, everybody — and as mentioned by your esteemed presences — there would most certainly be a chance to meet again in the future!"
The Ten Kings stepped forward on cue, bidding their goodbyes to Yun Yang. Each of them was overwhelmed with reluctance, especially First Court King Qinguang. He was the earliest among them to rub shoulders with Yun Yang, and he was the one who dealt with him the most. King Qinguang was the most candid amongst the rest of his comrades, and upon knowing that it was time for Yun Yang to leave, he grumbled about the parting for the longest time.
Just as everybody from the Concourse was about to step foot into the Haunting Temple, putting a temporary halt to their journey, a voice emerged out of the blue, "Wait a moment!"
Everyone directed their gaze towards the sound, their hearts spiking with increased caution — was somebody spying on them?
It was followed by a killing instinct, one that blended perfectly into the aura of the netherworld they were in. If there was any indication what hell would feel like, this would most likely be it.
Earth Treasury and the Ten Kings focused their attention on the direction where the sound originated.
Witnessed by everyone present, two silhouettes emerged from the shadows beyond, launching themselves towards their direction feverishly, quickly closing the distance in no time. Upon further scrutiny, they realized the incoming projectiles were the two assassin leaders — Heng Bieli and Hong Zhan.
The Concourse of the Underworld, the Hall of the Crimson Blade, the Merciless Tower — these three great assassin organizations were known fly at each other's throats, the animosity deeply ingrained since the beginning of time. Needless to say, the situation turned even more confrontational when facing their respective arch nemeses.
With a hand over the hilt of his sword, First Court King Qinguang asked ominously, "Why are you here? Do you wish to lend us a hand by coming here to die?"
With such a poor choice of words, he had pushed the situation even further to a hostile edge.
However, Hen Bieli and Hong Zhan were cool and composed. There was not an ounce of animosity from them as they first extended their respects to Yun Yang before facing Earth Treasury, solemnly saying, "The two of us desire to become members of the Concourse. We hereby extend our respects before your esteemed presences — are you willing to take us in?"