History's Strongest Senior Brother c1-1474
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The final possibility was comparatively better, being that a Principal Elder of Broad Creed Mountain’s Martial Inheritance Hall like Xu Fei had been the actual culprit.
But even if that had been the case, it also didn’t make for much optimism.
Xu Fei asked heavily, “How long has it been since that person came to find you?”
Lu Wen silently calculated for a moment before answering, “It was about ten days ago.”
Xu Fei nodded without any change in expression, his heart feeling heavy.
Ten days ago meant that this matter had just happened recently, a very long period of time already having passed since Elder Liu and the others had been captured. Naturally, it couldn’t be those spies of the Decimating Abyss who had already been exposed.
This meant that operatives of the Decimating Abyss still existed within Broad Creed Mountain, also very possibly having a cultivation base and position that was not low.
After Lu Wen had moderated his condition for a bit, Xu Fei said, “Junior apprentice-brother Lu, if your condition is fine now, let us go together to see the elders of the clan.”
While Lu Wen was still not in the best condition mentally, he still stood up, “Okay.”
The first person the two saw was Xu Fei’s Master, Shi Tie.
Shi Tie’s expression remained calm, not changing in the least as he questioned the two carefully, after which he said ponderingly, “Let’s first go to see junior apprentice-brother Fang.”
They proceeded to the Assignment Hall, but were informed that Fang Zhun had departed not long ago.
Fang Zhun had also not returned to his dwelling.
They discovered to their shock that they were actually temporarily unable to find any trace of Fang Zhun.
While with Fang Zhun’s cultivation, if he wanted to conceal himself, only a limited few of the entire Broad Creed Mountain would be able to discover him, if there was no special reason for it, Fang Zhun obviously wouldn’t do this.
This happening at this sensitive, volatile period, people would naturally link some matters together.
Xu Fei and Lu Wen exchanged looks, Lu Wen’s face which had originally seemed devoid of blood was tragically pale at this moment.
Only Shi Tie remained composed as always as he said calmly, “This matter is out of the ordinary, but before understanding the situation, do not overthink things.”
“Look for him first, but do not spread the matter. Only notify junior apprentice-brother Yan, senior apprentice-aunt He and the others, just informing them about this matter.”
After saying this, Shi Tie’s gaze swept across Xu Fei and Lu Wen, finally coming to rest on the latter, “I, personally, am willing to believe in junior apprentice-brother Fang.”
Xu Fei and Lu Wen both nodded in agreement, but unconcealable worry could still be seen within their gazes.
If Fang Zhun was not of the Decimating Abyss, with him disappearing now, the current situation should be greatly dangerous. It was possible that he had noticed something cropping up, currently being entangled in that situation, unable to extricate himself.
…but there was also the possibility of him having met danger, despite his great strength.
If even Fang Zhun was unable to deal with it, the viciousness and fearsomeness of the other party’s attack this time could be imagined.
This was actually still thinking on the bright side.
As for the worse side of things, if Fang Zhun had joined the Nine Underworlds and the Decimating Abyss…
Xu Fei and Lu Wen were both silent, really a little afraid to think any further down this line.
Shi Tie said, “Whatever has happened with junior apprentice-brother Fang is something we currently still do not know. However, from the problem in junior apprentice-brother Yan’s family, your, Lu Wen’s encounter, as well as his abnormal disappearance, it is for certain that the other side is already raring to make their move, having accumulated their strength and being about to exert it.”
“Do not spread the matter of looking for junior apprentice-brother Fang. However, our clan must increase our vigilance for dealing with outside enemies as well as the spies that might exist internally a step further, being fully prepared for any occurrences. The enemy is right about to move.”
On their way to find Shi Tie, Lu Wen had already heard Xu Fei’s narration of the major incidents related to the Decimating Abyss that had occurred in the outside world while he had been in seclusion.
Now, he and Xu Fei both answered solemnly, “Yes, this disciple understands; we will inform the others now.”
Raising his head to look at the dense sky of dark clouds, Xu Fei’s gaze hardened, “It looks like this time’s storm will truly not be small.”
……
At this moment, in the Central Heaven Region’s Yunzhen County, at the Yan Family ancestral mansion, standing within a courtyard, Yan Zhaoge was similarly looking upwards at the sky.
Here, the sky was clear for thousands of kilometres all round, the sunlight bright and beautiful.
However, Yan Zhaoge didn’t relax, still pondering non-stop, “If I were the other party, what would I do?”
“If Grand Master successfully achieves his breakthrough into the Martial Saint realm, it would be assurance as well as hope for our clan to progress further in the near future.”
“However, from a certain perspective, it is also just that Grand Master is currently in his weakest state. If there are enemies cooperating from both the inside and the outside, he would be the most ideal target. Pulling out the firewood from beneath the furnace-such is the meaning.”
“With father possessing control of the Clear Qi Robe and the Broad Creed Grand Formation, he is currently the most powerful person of our clan. However, with that in mind, if father is defeated, our clan will immediately collapse.”
“Eldest apprentice-uncle and I both have devilish marks on us, having yet to completely disperse. If anything happens to the both of us, there would be the possibility of the Sand Region’s Great Nine Underworlds Door opening once more, and this is also a possibility that the clan cannot not guard against.”
“Eldest apprentice-uncle’s cultivation base is high, and with me having continuously wrecked the Decimating Abyss’s Devilish Domain Grand Formations and plans, this should also lead to their attention, marking me as an important target.”
Yan Zhaoge rubbed his temple, “The most important thing is whether or not there are people of the Decimating Abyss amongst our clan’s higher echelons. Otherwise, many plans will be unable to be executed, otherwise being leaked and counteracted, with the situation ending up even worse.”
“That’s why they say that guarding throughout the day and night, it is thieves within one’s own family that are hard to guard against ah…”
As Yan Zhaoge was pondering, Ah Hu rushed hurriedly over, “Young Master, the Principal Elder of Lianhu County has sent over an urgent message; someone has established a formation there, wanting to bring about the descent of the Nine Underworlds!”
“Cough, there is no need to guess whether there are spies this time; there definitely are, the problem just being who they are,” Yan Zhaoge rolled his eyes.
Like Yunzhen County, Lianhu County was also in the Central Heaven Region, being an important land of Broad Creed Mountain.
With people having infiltrated into this place, establishing a formation as they attempted to open the Great Nine Underworlds Door, if there had not been anyone helping them internally, that would really be like meeting a ghost.
And the person helping them internally also had to be one whose position and status were not low.
After Yan Wenzhen and the others heard this news, their moods also turned heavy as Yan Zhaoge said, “It’s not that simple. Setting a bit of fire at our clan’s doorway, a random basin of water would be enough to extinguish it. Wanting the fire to truly blaze, other methods will definitely be waiting to obstruct us who would extinguish the fire.”
As he
said this, immense pressure that caused Yan Zhaoge’s mind to numb and tremble suddenly arose from afar, instantly enveloping the surrounding heavens and earth all around!
“Hell!” Regaining his wits, Ah Hu directly cursed, “Martial Saint?!”
Yan Zhaoge let out a long breath, “He’s come indeed. Devil Saint, Yuan Tian.”
History's Strongest Senior Brother Chapter 274: A battle at the Martial Saint realm!
HSSB274: A battle at the Martial Saint realm!
While Yan Zhaoge had always had a rather high opinion of himself, speaking from the bottom of his heart, even if there was someone specifically coming to deal with him, it truly didn’t warrant a Martial Saint to personally make a move.
The appearance of the Devil Saint Yuan Tian was undoubtedly the Decimating Abyss putting external pressure on Broad Creed Mountain, drawing their attention and luring the tiger away from its mountain, buying opportunities for those in other places.
After all, no matter how high the level of a spy, the idea of helping Yuan Tian secretly infiltrate Broad Creed Mountain’s core lands without anyone noticing was truly not putting Broad Creed Mountain in their eyes at all.
However, Broad Creed Mountain was helpless in that they could not ignore Yuan Tian’s appearance.
Otherwise, if he began rampaging madly, the damage caused by him within a short period of time would not be much inferior to that by the Decimating Abyss.
If outsiders caused trouble like this on their territory and Broad Creed Mountain still remained firmly shut in, they would lose all face.
As for Yuan Tian taking care of Yan Zhaoge as he arrived at Yunzhen County, that was just an accompaniment to the grander plan.
In this, there was also possibly the intention of forcing Yan Di to emerge from Broad Creed Mountain along with the Clear Qi Robe.
While Yan Di and the others were not people who feared things, Yuan Zhengfeng was at a critical moment in his breakthrough, and these were volatile times. With internal and external problems surfacing simultaneously, there was the possibility that Broad Creed Mountain would suddenly act differently this time, and would choose to forcibly endure things before finding Yuan Tian for revenge afterwards.
Capturing Yan Zhaoge was but to add another chip to their hands to force Yan Di out of the Mountain.
With the arrival of Yuan Tian, Yan Zhaoge couldn’t leave now even if he wanted to. Stabilising his heart, Yan Zhaoge just gazed into the distance.
Over the distant horizon, a grey fog surfaced, obscuring the sky and concealing the sun as it drifted over towards the Yan Family ancestral mansion.
The sky and sunlight which had originally been bright and beautiful completely disappeared at this moment, the world between the heavens and earth all grey.
Amidst the vast grey sea of clouds, countless figures vaguely surfaced, the clouds seemingly transforming into numerous pained, distorting faces, looking downwards together as they released simultaneous, soundless howls.
Yan Zhaoge, Ah Hu and the others all clearly felt a gloomy cold pervade them.
That cold did not infiltrate through the body’s senses, but was rather a chill that arose from their very hearts, as though they were facing the greatest terror of their lives.
Gazing at those dark clouds, Yan Zhaoge secretly nodded, “There are indeed shadows of the Impermanent Devil Clan behind him. It is just that it is unknown whether he has begun to integrate the thoughts of Buddhism’s impermanence within?”
As Yan Zhaoge knew, the Impermanent Devil Clan of before the Great Calamity had once experienced a massive change, with disputes having arisen on issues from the essence of the clan’s martial arts to the legacies of the clan’s experts.
Yan Zhaoge was not clear on the specifics, having only heard some general news on this.
However, along with the descent of the Great Calamity, it seemed like without having settled on this matter, the Impermanent Devil Clan had returned to the soil along with the heavens and the earth.
At this moment, looking at the dark clouds that enveloped the sky and covered the earth, Yan Zhaoge’s mind involuntarily wavered slightly, many past memories surfacing within.
The dark clouds immediately enveloped the entire surrounding heavens and the earth, a great darkness concealing the sunlight, as Yunzhen County seemed to have descended into the darkness of night.
Having arrived here, Yuan Tian did not waste time on words, his powerful fist-intent suppressing the area, turning from illusory to real.
In front of Yuan Tian, the Yan Family Grand Formation seemed not to exist.
Numerous light dragons still soared and danced within the sky, but they seemed like illusory embellishments as they were completely unable to obstruct Yuan Tian.
Seemingly not needing to distinguish him at all, Yuan Tian’s fist-intent directly zeroed in on Yan Zhaoge.
Against his will, Yan Zhaoge’s body began rising on its own.
While all Ah Hu and the others within the Yan Family ancestral mansion could feel was numbness.
Soon after, they felt as though their internal organs were being gripped in someone’s hands, being squeezed tightly.
Popping sounds resounded from their entire body’s bones, their bodies seemingly about to explode, blood vessels shattering as blood shot out from all the pores on their body!
Of everyone here, the one with the highest cultivation base, Yan Wenzhen, was but at the fourth level of the Martial Grandmaster realm, at the early Essence Spirit stage.
Not needing to himself appear, Yuan Tian could already sweep over the entire area, capturing Yan Zhaoge alive as he simultaneously decimated the Yan Family ancestral mansion.
However, as the target of Yuan Tian, directly facing his strength, Yan Zhaoge remained composed as there were no changes in his expression whatsoever, with him instead viewing and analysing Yuan Tian’s fist-intent somewhat interestedly.
Yuan Tian might have noticed this abnormality in Yan Zhaoge, but he didn’t ask anything of it, instead continuing to move according to his pace.
As one of the current six great Martial Saints of this world, he fully possessed the ability to do so.
Sadly for him, his thoughts were destined to be unable to reach fruition.
The world suddenly shuddered as countless streams of clear qi surged into existence, instantly sweeping through the all-encompassing dark clouds within the sky, sunlight emerging as it penetrated through the cloud layer once more, illuminating the great earth.
A domineering sabre-intent cut through the horizon, shattering Yuan Tian’s fist-intent that was exerting force on the Yan Family ancestral mansion.
Just having hovered up a few metres, Yan Zhaoge landed within the ancestral mansion once more.
Ah Hu, Yan Wenzhen and the others all simultaneously let out relieved breaths, no longer pressured to the point that it seemed like their bodies would literally explode.
The dark clouds roiled within the air, dispersing to the sides, revealing a single person. It was a pale-faced middle-aged man with the appearance of a scholar.
It was the Devil Saint Yuan Tian, famed within the entire Eight Extremities World!
Yuan Tian frowned slightly, “Clear Qi Robe, Yan Di?”
As the winds and clouds between the heavens and the earth surged vigorously, a handsome man who looked not yet thirty, yet with a bit of whiteness already at his brows, appeared. It was precisely Yan Zhaoge’s father who was currently serving as Broad Creed Mountain’s Chief, Yan Di.
Seeing Yan Di appear, Yan Wenzhen and the rest all let out relieved breaths once more.
Yuan Tian focused his gaze on Yan Di, or rather the white robe that Yan Di was currently in.
A broad white robe covered Yan Di’s body, seemingly distorting the surrounding space around him, containing infinite profundities that transformed the space of the very heavens and earth into clothes.
Countless streams of clear qi emanated from the white robe in all directions, seemingly drawing the surro
unding world within.
“Clear Qi Robe,” Yuan Tian nodded as he then looked at Yan Di, “Why are you here? Actually taking the Clear Qi Robe and leaving Broad Creed Mountain on your own initiative-could it be that you were specifically coming for this Yuan? How could you be sure that this Yuan would definitely appear here?”
His hands behind his back, looking calmly at the Martial Saint Yuan Tian, rather than replying, Yan Di instead asked, “Yuan Tian, with your strength and status, why are you willing to work for the Nine Underworlds? What can they give you? Could it be that you also want to give up on being human in exchange for eternal life?”
Yuan Tian shook his head, “It’s also fine. Anyway, I originally came here to force you to leave Broad Creed Mountain. You being willing to come out on your own initiative fits my intentions perfectly.
“I can generally also guess some of your thoughts; trying to take the initiative into your hands, taking me by surprise before saving your son and immediately rushing back to the mountain. That way, it would instead be our people who definitely wouldn’t be able to react in time, making their move over at Broad Creed Mountain.”
Below, the corners of Yan Zhaoge’s lips curled up slightly.
His father and Yuan Tian both didn’t have any intention of answering each other’s questions. While their tones were mild, they were continually standing off mightily against each other.
The concepts of the two great experts had begun clashing intensely ever since they had met, pushing against each other, causing the surrounding heavens and earth to tremble.
Looking at Yan Di, Yuan Tian said indifferently, “But, bringing your son away before me-would it really be that easy?”
Saying thus, he raised his hand, clenching it into a fist.
A terrifying force instantly agglomerated.
He punched out, striking with a momentum that shocked the heavens!
History's Strongest Senior Brother Chapter 275: Without much of a difference in cultivation level, I am the superior!