by Mars Gravity
If a Sky Profound Realm profound practitioner took in a refined Coiling Dragon Feeler, that profound practitioner would immediately break through a large realm, achieving the level of a Throne.
Furthermore, Seven Stars Divine Palace also possessed a divine pellet that was ranked at the apex of the Azure Cloud Continent and was famous throughout the world—the “Seven Stars Heaven Crossing Pellet”. Its effects were to allow someone at the peak of the Emperor Profound Realm to immediately breakthrough that bottleneck, achieving the level of a Overlord, similar to the Overlord Pellet of the Illusory Demon Realm.
And, the material for the “Seven Stars Heaven Crossing Pellet” that was the most important and also the hardest to find, was exactly the Coiling Dragon Feeler. Even with the forces of Seven Stars Divine Palace, they could only find one an average of once every two hundred years. Once traces of a Coiling Dragon Feeler could be sniffed, they would obtain it no matter the price… Even if they had to annihilate an entire clan to seize it.
That person who was saved by the ancestor of the Grandwake Clan, was precisely being hunted down by Seven Stars Divine Palace. Their reason was naturally to seize the Coiling Dragon Feeler from his hands.
The ancestor of the Grandwake Clan brought the Coiling Dragon Feeler back to the Grandwake Clan from the southern territory. He was deeply aware that this Coiling Dragon Feeler was enough to allow their Grandwake Clan to ascend to the skies and was even more so aware that if this was exposed, a crisis of the annihilation of their clan would probably be brought upon them. He had hesitated for a long time over keeping it and personally handing it to Seven Stars Divine Palace and in the end, he chose the former. He sealed the Coiling Dragon Feeler in an absolutely secret place and left behind an unique key, which was then passed down to every generation of Clan Master. Only when a genius with an upright conduct had broken through the Sky Profound Realm under the age of thirty-five appeared in the clan could it be retrieved with the key, allowing that disciple to take in the Coiling Dragon Feeler and achieve the level of a powerful Throne. That person would then inherit the position as the new Clan Master, leading the Grandwake Clan to even greater and more prosperous heights.
All these were recorded in the secret codex left behind by that ancestor of the Grandwake Clan and this secret codex could only be read by each generation of Grandwake Clan Masters. Thus, other than every generation of Clan Masters, no one else was aware just what this “treasure” being passed down through the generations of Grandwake Clan was. They only knew that only when a peerless genius were to appear in the clan, could the “treasure” finally be retrieved.
In these few years, Su Haoran had been harboring ulterior motives and had deliberately wanted to pry into the secrets of the clan treasure. Then, one time, he took the opportunity while Su Hengshan was not in the clan to overturn his inner chamber and accidentally activated a hidden profound formation. He discovered that secret codex and from then on, found out about the origin and secret behind the clan treasure.
After finding out that one had to be at least in the Sky Profound Realm to take in the Coiling Dragon Feeler and without sufficient profound strength, forcefully taking it in would be undoubtedly an act of suicide, Su Haoran was disappointed and resentful that even if he obtained it, there was nothing he could do with it. However, his foolishness and madness had led him to forming the thought of dedicating it to Seven Stars Divine Palace to curry their favor.
But he did not speak of this to Su Hengshan nor anyone else. Rather, he secretly came up with countless schemes and at all costs, searched for opportunities to speak with people from Seven Stars Divine Palace face-to-face… After all, this was a “huge merit” belonging to him, he definitely could not make use of others to pass on the message.
After two years worth of “hard work,” he finally obtained an opportunity and informed a “divine envoy” of Seven Stars Divine Palace the news of a “Coiling Dragon Feeler” being hidden within the Grandwake Clan face-to-face.
From then on, after Su Haoran, who had received Seven Stars Divine Palace’s “commendation,” returned to the Grandwake Clan, he speedily collaborated with Su Hengyue, Su Wangji and Black Wood Stronghold, to force Su Hengshan to hand over the key to the treasure. With the terrifying “Seven Stars Divine Palace” as their backing, members of the Grandwake Clan fearfully defected to Su Haoran’s side one after another.
As for all those who were not obedient, other than Su Hengshan, they were heartlessly massacred and their corpses were abandoned in the bamboo forest in the rear mountains.
Yun Che’s hand slowly loosened from the black-robed divine envoy’s head, the peripheral light in the corner of his eyes swept towards the trembling Su Haoran. With his head lowered, he slowly said. “It seems you did not lie. In that case, I shall keep my promise and grant you a pleasant death!”
“Uugh…” Deep fear and despair surfaced on the black-robed divine envoy’s face.
Yun Che withdrew his hand, flinging the black-robed divine envoy onto the ground and then, stomped his foot.
Spurt!!!
Yun Che’s right foot instantly stomped through the black-robed divine envoy’s chest, heavily landing onto the ground’s surface. A mashed bloody hole appeared in his chest from the stomp and a large amount of scarlet blood, broken bones and organs fiercely scattered, sprinkling the surrounding area of about a dozen meters with stains of blood.
The four limbs of the black-robed divine envoy spasmed before he completely went silent, no longer making a single breathing sound.
Yun Che raised his leg, yet his leg was not stained even with the slight trace of blood. He kicked away the black-robed divine envoy’s tattered corpse in disgust and then his fingers gently moved.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang…
The Trees of Frozen End that buried all of the Divine Palace disciples heartlessly exploded. The Divine Palace disciples who endured the long ice hell torture let out their final screams of despair as their bodies fragmented and shattered amidst the fluttering snowflakes that filled the sky.
Looking at the scattered ice crystals and broken corpses, the large number of Grandwake Clan disciples in the surroundings toppled onto the ground. Amidst their screams, as though they had awoken from their dreams, all of them dropped the weapons in their hands and fled in a haphazard manner.
“Heh, still thinking of fleeing!?” The corner of Yun Che’s lips revealed a cruel cold smile. His palm slowly opened and flames were ignited. The sky above the Grandwake Clan was suddenly covered entirely in red.
Chapter 877: A Will That Hovered Between Life and Death
The aura of death hurtled down from below and blanketed the area. The fleeing disciples of the Grandwake Clan screamed in pain and terror as they felt like they had suddenly been thrown into a blazing furnace.
Just as a raging Yun Che was about to burn them all to ashes, Su Hengshan’s hurried shout rang out behind him, “Yun Che! Don’t hurt them!”
Yun Che’s movements stopped for a moment but he only stopped for just that moment. After that, he immediately flipped his palms as the flames that were hovering in the sky mercilessly exploded downwards.
“Stop… STOP!!!”
Those loud yells nearly tore Su Hengshan’s throat… In an instant, the flames which filled the sky stopped in place while Yun Che’s expression fluctuated. Amid the stifling fear which had seized everyone’s heart, he finally took in a deep breath and withdrew his palms.
The flames in the air had all been extinguished as well, immediately allowing the gathered members of the Grandwake Clan to escape that terrifying and hellish furnace. After that, all of them sank to the ground limply, their bodies shaking in fear.
Su Hengshan’s lips trembled before he spoke in an agonised voice, “Spare them. Seven Stars Divine Palace. These four words are far too terrifying, so they had no choice but to go along. It was not even for their own lives but for the lives of all of their family members… Their sin is not worthy of deat
h.”
“Their sin isn’t worthy of death?” Yun Che asked in a deep voice, “Then could it be that you committed a sin that was worthy of death? Or could it be that those other clan members, whose bodies litter the bamboo forest, deserved death?”
“The ones who were truly loyal to the Grandwake Clan have all died a terrible death but these vile things who have betrayed their clan, renounced their ancestors, harmed their fellow clan members and clan master and willingly became someone else’s lapdog deserve to live instead?”
As he thought of his fellow clan members who had thrown their bodies in front of him and collapsed one by one in their own blood, Su Hengshan’s heart was filled with agony. Tears streamed from his eyes as he spoke, “The result of today’s events is mainly due to the uselessness of this clan master and my incompetence in educating my own children. They meant to do me harm but I am unable to watch them suffer injustice. Too many people from the Grandwake Clan have died already… Let them go…”
Yun Che’s words caused all the disciples of the Grandwake Clan to bow their heads in shame but Su Hengshan’s words caused all of them to tremble violently. They felt so ashamed that they wished for death and they were unable to lift their heads.
Since Yun Che had already withdrawn his Golden Crow flames, he was not planning on wiping all of them out anymore. His eyes coldly swept across the surrounding area as his spoke in an incredibly dark and grave tone, “Sincerely kowtow ten times to Clan Master Su. After that is done, all of you are to disappear from my sight immediately! Also, you are never to call yourselves members of the Grandwake Clan ever again!”
Yun Che’s words were undoubtedly a special pardon for all of them. The gathered disciples of the Grandwake Clan collapsed to their knees in panic as they heavily banged their heads against the ground as they faced Su Hengshan… Their kowtows were especially deep and heavy and it was not only due to their desire to live, it was also because of the gratitude and shame that burned in their hearts.
“Clan Master, it is we who have wronged you. We are not even worthy to be called dogs or pigs. We will never have the face to ever see you again, we wish you… all the best!”
“Clan Master, in our next lives, we will definitely work like cows and horses for you in order to repay your great magnanimity…”
Tears streamed down the faces of some of the Grandwake Clan disciples who had finished performing their kowtows. There were others who kowtowed tens of times, smashing their heads against the ground until their heads bled and there were still others who bid farewell to Su Hengshan while kowtowing; they were too ashamed to look him in the eye.
They made their retreat swiftly, before all of them finally dispersed. Yun Che observed their flight coldly but he did not block their retreat.
Su Haoran, Su Hengyue, and Su Wangji were huddled together. All of them were planning on quiety creeping away but a heavy, icy-cold aura suddenly pressed down on them, causing all of them to freeze in place.
“Did I say the three of you could leave?” Yun Che’s bone-piercingly dark voice rang out from behind them.
All of three men trembled as they turned around. Their legs had grown weak and they were on the verge of sinking to their knees. Their lips moved continuously but not a single sound came from their throats.
“Su Hengyue, Su Wangji,” Yun Che said, his dark and tyrannical gaze piercing the two pale-faced men, “Six years ago, the both of you teamed up together with Black Wood Stronghold in order to intimidate and threaten Clan Master Su. Those actions were already equivalent to betraying your clan and even if the both of you had been killed on the spot, it would not have been unjustified. But on account of your relationship with the clan, Clan Master Su not only did not seize the opportunity to severely punish you, he even directly overlooked your actions, deciding not to pursue the matter any further. But the two of you were not only not grateful towards him in the slightest, you actually even conspired to commit such an ungrateful and ugly act!”
“And as for you, Su Haoran,” Yun Che said as he gritted his teeth lightly. “As the Young Clan Master of the Grandwake Clan, you terribly harmed your own clan members and your own father for the sake of personal gain! You destroyed the foundation that the Grandwake Clan had built up for hundreds of years in a single day! You are simply completely devoid of conscience, not even worthy to be called a dog or a pig, a person who deserves to be struck by lightning! So are you shameless enough to still think you deserve to live!!?”
Su Haoran’s entire body trembled uncontrollably before he suddenly knelt to the ground and started kowtowing towards Su Hengshan without stopping, “Father, I was wrong… I’m truly repentant, save me… Save me please… Father!!”
“You still have the face to call him father?” Yun Che said as he slowly advanced towards them, his mind flashing with the most terrible and cruel ways to ensure that they died in great agony. “The fact that Clan Master Su has a son like you and the fact that Ling’er has a elder brother like you is truly the greatest shame of their entire lives.”
“All of you can go as well,” Su Hengshan’s disappointed voice rang out from behind Yun Che, causing their bodies to jump.
“Never ever appear before me again… I have no desire to see any of you again.” Su Hengshan’s eyes were downcast, his voice drifting, it was as if he was talking to himself.
“…” Yun Che’s feet ground to a halt, his face a cold and frigid mask.
Su Haoran and the other two people could barely believe their own ears after they had heard Su Hengshan’s words. All three of them widened their eyes as they climbed to their feet while shaking in fear. They tried to see if they could retreat a few steps… and after that, they practically bowled themselves over as they scrambled to flee like three dogs that had their tails snipped off.
Yun Che stood at his original spot and did not pursue them. It was only after a long period of time that he finally turned around and arrived in front of Su Hengshan.
Su Hengshan sank to the ground limply, his head drooping low amidst his unkempt hair. He muttered to himself, “Yun Che, my present state is definitely something that you despise… Heh heh heh…” He gave a miserable laugh before continuing, “If it was any other clan master, they would have long ago leaped at the chance to personally tear them to shreds but I… I was not able to do so…”
“These past few years, I have always remembered our relationship as a clan and a family. As a result, I kept compromising and giving way to them, thinking that this would definitely be able to correct everything. But in the end, I… am simply not fit to be a clan master. If not for my indecisiveness, compassion and soft-hearted ways, the Grandwake Clan would not have walked this path under my supervision…”
Su Hengshan’s shoulders were heaving as hot tears flowed down his face.
“…” Yun Che did not deny Su Hengshan’s words because six years ago, he had already seen Su Hengshan’s soft-heartedness and compassion.
“Clan Master Su, perhaps you were indeed unfit to be the leader of a clan but at the very least, you are someone worthy of respect and everything you have done in your lifetime has been done with a clear conscience and is above all reproach,” Yun Che said sincerely.
Su Hengshan’s shoulders stopped heaving at those words. He raised his head and steadily looked at Yun Che, “Yun Che, did you come this time for Ling’er? Does the current you still… still remember the words you said six years ago? Are you still willing… to take care of Ling’er?”
The Yun Che six years ago had given him a far too distant and hollow feeling. The current Yun Che had grown strong to the point where Su Hengshan believed that he would never be able to fathom his strength. During these six long years, he had never truly dared to believe that this kind of person would still be willing to marry his ordinary daughter.
“I remember, of course I remember.” Yun Che nodded with incredible vigor, “All of these years, I was not able to return because… because of circumstances that I could not contr
ol. But during the past six years, Ling’er has always been on my mind. Don’t worry, I will immediately go and find Ling’er. I will definitely bring Ling’er back safe and sound, no matter what, even if I have to bet my own life.”
“Good… Good!” Su Hengshan’s eyes once again flowed with tears. He could sense the pure sincerity and concern in Yun Che’s voice and eyes… From the moment Yun Che had killed all of the people from Seven Stars Divine Palace for his and Ling’er’s sake, he had no reason to not believe him.
Su Hengshan stretched out a hand and retrieved a small and exquisite crystal. It was shaped like a rhombus and radiated a weak purple light.
“This is?” Yun Che unconsciously spoke.
“This is Ling’er’s soul crystal,” Su Hengshan said softly. After that, he carefully and gently placed it in Yun Che’s hand. Su Hengshan’s solemn and dignified attitude made it seem like he was entrusting his entire world to Yun Che, “As long as this soul crystal does not shatter, it means that Ling’er is still alive. If Ling’er is in the vicinity, its light will grow stronger… I beg you please, definitely find Ling’er.”
Ling’er’s… soul crystal!
Yun Che held it softly in his hand before gravely nodding his head, “Alright. Don’t you worry, I will definitely bring Ling’er back safely.”
“Good, good.” Su Hengshan said with a light nod of his head, a small and relieved smile finally showing on his face, “Then I will entrust… Ling’er to your care.”
Just as he was about to agree, he suddenly sensed that there was something wrong with Su Hengshan’s words.
Just as he had sensed this, Su Hengshan’s entire body shook before his eyes lost their luster. His body slowly toppled to the side, a bright stream of blood running down the side of his mouth.
“Clan Master Su!!”
Yun Che was so startled that the color drained from his face. He rushed to Su Hengshan’s side at lightning speed, extending a hand to catch his body. But he discovered that his life force was swiftly flowing away like a stream of flowing water.