Chapter 2216 - 1194: Perseverance of the Strong

Thinking of the miserable fate of those two sworn brothers he had never met, Yang Xiao let out a quiet sigh in his heart. In this world there is only one thing that can never be shared: power.

If it were some other crime, the High Priest might have shown mercy for old times’ sake, but not this. This touched on royal authority, and had to be punished severely as a warning to all.

"Elder Sheng, roughly how many Holy Servants does the Esoteric Sect currently have?" Yang Xiao asked curiously.

"Quite a few, but I don’t think it can be too many. After all, the threshold to become a Holy Servant is high; you need considerable strength, and the success rate isn’t that great either."

Sheng Yanlin gave Yang Xiao a meaningful look and lowered his voice: "You should be grateful that this kind of bizarre thing doesn’t come in large numbers. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble these bastards would stir up. People from the Yin Temple have no bottom line."

Although he had accepted a favor from the Esoteric Sect, deep down Sheng Yanlin still maintained considerable vigilance toward the Yin Temple Influence. These people were anything but benevolent.

That he had managed to live safely until now was half because the Esoteric Cannibal Buddha was giving Yang Xiao face, and half because they saw sufficient profit in him.

Without those factors, his end wouldn’t be much better than falling into the hands of the Dharma Sect. Whether it was Esoteric Buddhism, the Dharma Sect, or the other major forces within the Yin Temple Alliance, in essence they were all the same kind of people. Their reputation was in fact even worse than the Ghost Sect of the Land of Japan.

The evil of the Ghost Sect lay in its outward dealings, whereas people of the Yin Temple treated both insiders and outsiders the same. Objectively speaking, the Yin Temple Angel Envoys were very fair; in their eyes, everyone was "human resources."

"Alright, enough of that. Let me show you something." Sheng Yanlin reached into his sleeve and took out a wooden box, its edges inlaid with gold, the emblem of the Esoteric Sect carved on the lid.

When he opened it, a gleaming golden token lay displayed inside.

"This is..." Yang Xiao’s eyes slowly widened.

"This is the golden token of the Esoteric Sect, bestowed on you by the High Priest. Every Junior Priest of Secret Sect has one. Your name is engraved on it; it’s the symbol of your identity."

"Your name is Dachaya. The High Priest personally gave it to you; it signifies loyalty." Sheng Yanlin ran his fingers over the line of characters on the golden token as he explained to Yang Xiao.

Seeing Yang Xiao’s rather indifferent reaction, Sheng Yanlin smiled with hidden meaning. "What’s wrong, our new-generation Junior Priest of Secret Sect, are you dissatisfied with the position?"

Yang Xiao let out a slow sigh, lifted his head, and gave a bitter smile. "Elder Sheng, don’t mock me. I know perfectly well what I am. This Junior Priest of Secret Sect title of mine is just for show."

"The Esoteric Sect values doctrine and bloodline above all. I’m not one of them to begin with; they will absolutely never allow an outsider to inherit the seat of High Priest."

"The High Priest is not that muddleheaded. Besides, even if he agreed, those Esoteric Elders would never consent." Yang Xiao pierced straight to the heart of it.

Sheng Yanlin closed the wooden box and handed it to Yang Xiao. "You’re not wrong. This is essentially just a means for the Esoteric Sect to draw you in."

"But there’s no need to belittle yourself. At the very least, it proves that the High Priest truly likes you, and holds you in high regard."

"He thinks highly of your future potential. Otherwise, given his status and position, he wouldn’t bother playing such petty games with a little fellow like you."

"You may have no chance of inheriting the High Priest’s seat, but this golden token is a solid, tangible symbol of status. With this in your hand, aside from those old codgers of the core Elder Council that you can’t mobilize, everyone else must heed your orders. When they see the command, they act; none dare disobey."

"According to the Esoteric Sect’s doctrine, if one day the High Priest unfortunately dies, then when the organization selects a new High Priest, all of you Junior Priests holding golden tokens must be present; otherwise, even if a candidate is chosen, it doesn’t count." This living encyclopedia, Sheng Yanlin, was educating Yang Xiao on what this golden token truly represented.

"My foster father has not treated me poorly. If the day ever comes when I, Yang Xiao, rise above others, I will repay him." Yang Xiao accepted the golden token. In his eyes, it represented the bond between him and the Cannibal Buddha High Priest.

"Heh, with that thing in your hand, and with your cautious, suspicious nature, able to bend and stretch, as long as you can keep your head down and endure, you’re certain to have a place at the Peak of Apostle in the future." Sheng Yanlin thought very highly of Yang Xiao. "Little Yang, you’re somebody."

After a few more words of advice, Sheng Yanlin sent Yang Xiao away. Back at his quarters, Yang Xiao ate a little something, then fell into a deep sleep again.

The next afternoon, Yang Xiao was playing chess with two girls. He had lost the first two games despite having the first move. In this third game, whether the girls were going easy on him or he had found his rhythm again, halfway through the match Yang Xiao suddenly sounded the horn of counterattack; his fierce offensive left the girls scrambling.

Just as Yang Xiao was about to win this round, the Forbidden Army of the Esoteric Sect arrived with an order: the High Priest wanted to see him, and he was to come at once.

Yang Xiao dared not delay such a summons, but before leaving he instructed the two girls to freeze the board and not touch a single piece. When he came back, he was determined to slaughter them until their "bodies lay strewn across the field."

Following the Forbidden Army to a large palace, Yang Xiao stepped inside and saw the Cannibal Buddha bare-chested, practicing his fists. His bronze-hued muscles had a powerful visual impact.

Before Yang Xiao could approach, the Cannibal Buddha suddenly exerted force. With a dull "bang," a simple, straightforward straight punch smashed through a hardwood stake as thick as a bowl, breaking it clean in two.