Chapter 320 - 311: National Preceptor, Prince, Overcooked

Chapter 320: Chapter 311: National Preceptor, Prince, Overcooked

The murky, gray-white sky seemed to be perpetually shrouded in a thick, viscous fog. The natural wind could not disperse it in the slightest, and the sun was nothing more than a blurry, ill-defined patch of light all year round.

It offered no warmth, and one could stare directly at it without it stinging the eyes.

A colossal, eight-sided tower soared into the clouds, standing majestically in the very center of the Imperial City.

On each of the tower’s eight faces was an enormous stone carving of a Buddha with closed eyes. Each face, in turn, corresponded to a shorter, black pavilion.

The tower was topped with a giant, gilded treasure vase. In each of its four sides was embedded a dark red jewel. From a distance, they looked like four blood-red eyes, coldly gazing down upon the entirety of Yingjing City.

This tower was called the "Thousand Blessings Tower," but it was also known as the "Thousand-Eyed Tower" or the "Thousand Bat Tower."

Beneath the eaves of each of the tower’s floors hung exquisitely crafted copper bells. Countless black bats hung upside down from the corners of the eaves. Iron chains linked the colossal tower to the eight auxiliary pavilions that guarded it, and every chain was covered in prayer flags.

When the demonic wind blew, the countless prayer flags rustled violently. The copper bells swayed, emitting a low hum, like ten thousand Foreign Monks chanting sutras in unison.

At this moment, inside the top floor of the colossal tower, a Novice Monk clad in red and yellow robes was walking barefoot across the smooth, polished floor.

He walked quickly, but his steps were exceedingly light.

Outside the window beside him, enormous prayer flags billowed in the wind, casting faint shadows that flickered like a goshawk soaring past.

Before long, the light around him began to fade.

The young Novice Monk slowed his pace, stepping into a vast, empty hall.

Not a single ray of light penetrated the hall, leaving it dim and deep.

The young Novice Monk looked up. In the darkness, clusters of scarlet candle flames floated in mid-air, burning silently. At the center of the ring of countless flames sat a gaunt, cross-legged figure, its form blurry and its age and appearance indistinct.

The entire hall was filled with an eerie atmosphere, a blend of solemnity and gloom.

The young Novice Monk took several dozen steps into the hall before stopping and dropping to his knees.

The moment he knelt, his figure was swallowed by the darkness at his feet, which was as thick as overgrown weeds. The floating candles and the figure they encircled seemed to instantly become extremely distant, growing ever more bizarre and remote.

"Greetings, National Preceptor."

The young Novice Monk respectfully pressed his forehead to the ground. His voice was swallowed by the surrounding darkness, leaving no echo.

FLICK—

In the darkness, something flapped its wings and flew over.

The young Novice Monk raised his head and, in a daze, saw a black bat rushing toward him.

He subconsciously reached out to grab it, and a flat object landed in his hand.

It was a piece of black skin, icy cold to the touch. Faint red writing seemed to be inscribed upon it.

"In the past few days, among the Lower Five Banners, one family’s Array was destroyed, and two others’ have shown abnormalities..."

In the darkness, the gaunt figure with the obscured face seemed to stir slightly. A calm, hoarse voice echoed from all corners of the hall, converging as one before entering the Novice Monk’s ears.

As the voice spoke, the flickering candle flames in the hall suddenly brightened for an instant—as if countless blood-red eyes were slowly opening in the dark.

"Send someone to investigate... Do not let it interfere with the great Magic Sacrifice."

"Yes."

The young Novice Monk bowed his head low, clutched the black skin in his hand, and answered respectfully.

The figure said no more. The scarlet candlelight returned to normal, and the entire hall once again fell into a solemn, deathly silence.

Having received his orders, the Novice Monk rose, bowed respectfully to the figure one more time, and then retreated step by step from the hall.

Once out of the hall, he walked to a well-lit area, spread the black skin open, and examined it carefully before quickly descending.

The young Novice Monk went from the top of the tower to the bottom. After exiting the colossal structure, he headed straight into one of the eight auxiliary pavilions beside it.

He made his way behind a man, knelt respectfully, and called out, "Your Highness!"

The man, who had a braided queue and was admiring an antique painting on the wall, turned around slowly.

He was about forty years old and handsome, though his slightly narrow eyes gave him a somber, cunning aura.

He wore a Profound Robe of fine material. Embroidered on its front and shoulders were several lifelike, five-clawed golden dragons!

"Rise and speak."

The man in the Profound Robe looked at the Novice Monk before him and spoke in an even tone.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The Novice Monk rose and gave a detailed report of everything he had seen and heard in the great hall.

After finishing his report, he also took out the black skin he had hidden and presented it to the man.

"The Blue Banner Mu Family... the Cyan Banner Ninggu Clan... the White Banner Chaha Clan..."

The man in the Profound Robe stared at the writing on the black skin, his eyes glinting.

After a moment, he put the black skin away and waved his hand dismissively.

"Go. If that old thing makes another move, remember to report it to me at once."

"This lowly one understands."

The young Novice Monk responded respectfully, then turned and departed with quick steps.

After the Novice Monk left, the man in the Profound Robe gave a light cough. From behind him, a figure slowly emerged.

"Your Highness."

The newcomer bowed to the man. Her voice was cool and clear; it was a young woman.

"Go and check on these three families.

The Ninggu Clan and the Chaha Clan have likely already succeeded. Remember to take the Ghost Dragon Beard..."

The man in the Profound Robe paused, then continued, "If they have truly completed their tasks, you should know how to handle the Mu Family."

"This lowly one understands."

The slender young woman in the black dress answered softly, then retreated back into the shadows and vanished.

Having given his instructions, the man in the Profound Robe strode out of the auxiliary pavilion.

He stood in the daylight, looking up at the colossal tower before him, hung with its countless copper bells and prayer flags. A sneer touched his lips as he muttered to himself, ’Old thing, you think you can hold on?’

’The Wuhuan Jin Clan is almost completely wiped out. Let’s see how much longer you can last. Hmph!’

With that, he flicked his sleeve and departed.

...

SPLASH—

A tremendous splash erupted.

Amidst the thick white steam that filled the air, a burning black shadow plummeted from above, smashing heavily into the ground with a BOOM!

A large, radial crater with scorched edges now marred the ground.

Lying in the crater was an enormous, ferocious-looking "black fish"!

Perhaps it wasn’t originally "black," but the marks of a brutal scorching from countless flames had left its entire body charred, radiating waves of heat. Its head and tail even showed signs of being burned red and carbonized.

Chaha Shuo knelt on the ground, staring blankly at the charred giant fish in the crater, which was now completely motionless. For a moment, he couldn’t find the words to describe what he was feeling.

That was the Fish Demon Demon Lord his White Banner Chaha Clan revered—a Fourth Grade Official. Countless human lives had been fed to it, and only with great difficulty had it been raised to its current state.

’And now, someone had brutally... cooked it to a crisp in our own Demon Pool?!’

Everyone around was looking at him with varied expressions. Mu Feng and the others from the Mu Family wore sneers, as if they had long expected this to happen. As for Ning Yuan and his people from the Ning Family, they were all expressionless, but a closer look would reveal that beneath their cold gazes, some rather unpleasant memories were being stirred.

SPLISH—

A crisp footstep echoed.

Chaha Shuo heard the sound and dazedly looked up. He saw a tall, slender figure by the edge of the steam-shrouded Demon Pool, walking barefoot on the water, approaching step by step.

At his side, Mu Feng immediately took a set of fresh clothes that had already been prepared by someone nearby and hurried forward to meet the figure.

Before long, the thick steam parted.

An impossibly handsome Young Master appeared, casually strolling forward while Mu Feng helped him slip his arms into the sleeves of a robe.

Fu Juemin’s hair was still soaking wet. A few drops of water trickled down his smooth cheeks, and his skin was as white as polished jade.

He glanced at the Demon Corpse of the Fish Demon in the nearby crater and commented casually, "Oh, it’s a little overcooked..."

He had just been testing the power of [Tail Star] while in his "Five Souls in One Body" state.

He had barely managed to light a single Red Star—just [Xiushu Yi]—and it had been enough to instantly kill this Fish Demon, whose power was in no way inferior to the Ning Family’s Scorpion Lord!

The overflowing power of the Celestial Star had even completely cooked and charred the entire Fish Demon. It had to be said, his strength had truly grown immensely.

After merging with the [Celestial Star], both his [Flame Monarch] form and its explosive power had undergone a qualitative transformation!