Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

"Who is it? Who dares to kill my disciple of Jade Sword?"

Daoist Jade Sword, who originally didn’t want to lose composure, had already thrown his previous thoughts aside, ignoring Liu Wenzong’s presence, and roared out, his voice filled with unabashed venom.

"Jade Sword, your disciple was probably killed within the territory of Yongxiu City, right?"

Liu Wenzong slightly furrowed his brow and voiced his question, finally waking Daoist Jade Sword up a bit. Then he turned around and nodded, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

"Bufeng is my only disciple, I ask Lord Supervisor to help find the murderer who killed Bufeng. Jade Sword will be eternally grateful!"

It seems Daoist Jade Sword had thought of the various city Emperor Palaces having some kind of connection, and since Jade Sword Sect was only in a corner of Ye City, their reach surely couldn’t extend that far. Thus, he could only ask this Lord Supervisor for assistance.

"Don’t worry, your Jade Sword Sect, at least, is a subsidiary sect of my Emperor Palace. Provoking Jade Sword Sect is provoking my Emperor Palace. The Chief of the Palace will definitely not let the murderer escape justice!"

Liu Wenzong held this obedient subordinate in quite high regard, and since this was just a small matter, he believed that as long as he informed the Yongxiu City Emperor Palace’s Director Fei Qingchen, he could definitely capture the murderer.

At that time, breaking the murderer’s limbs and throwing them in front of Daoist Jade Sword, this Jade Sword Sect Master would only be more convinced and submissive to the Emperor Palace.

Having received Liu Wenzong’s promise, Daoist Jade Sword’s face finally looked somewhat better, and just as he wanted to say something, he was interrupted once more by a hurried sound of footsteps.

Tap tap tap...

After the urgent footsteps, a figure flashed at the door of the hall, appearing in the same hurried state as the previous Second Elder, seemingly indicating something major had happened.

When Daoist Jade Sword saw the old figure, his face couldn’t help but become extremely gloomy because this person’s status in Jade Sword Sect was evidently higher than the prior Second Elder, being the Great Elder of Jade Sword Sect.

"Great Elder, what has happened?"

Though Daoist Jade Sword was quite displeased with the Great Elder also losing composure, he knew that such hurried behavior likely indicated another major incident had occurred, thus he immediately voiced his question.

At the same time, Daoist Jade Sword felt a bit unusual, wondering what was going on today. Everyone seemed to be in such a rush, could it be that Jade Sword Sect was truly in a time of misfortune?

"Lord Supervisor, Sect Master, the underground secret chamber of Hidden Blade Sect has opened!"

The hasty arrival of Jade Sword Sect’s Great Elder apparently didn’t initially realize Liu Wenzong of Emperor Palace was also present. Upon seeing him, he paused for a moment, calming himself, first bowing to the two, then revealing a fact.

"Opened? What’s inside?"

Compared to Liu Wenzong, Daoist Jade Sword’s eyes lit up upon hearing this news. After so many years of struggling with Hidden Blade Sect, he knew the sect’s wealth must be extraordinary.

The wealth belonging to Hidden Blade Sect might not be appealing to the Director of Emperor Palace beside him, but if given to Jade Sword Sect, it might enhance the sect’s strength even further, leading to dominance in Ye City.

"Inside there is..., alas, Lord Supervisor, Sect Master, you’d better come and see for yourselves!"

Jade Sword Sect’s Great Elder initially wanted to reveal the truth but reconsidered after glancing at Liu Wenzong, ultimately not saying it directly. Instead, he gestured, indicating for them to follow him.

"Hehe, let’s go and see what incredible treasures might be inside this small Hidden Blade Sect!"

The demeanor of Jade Sword Sect’s Great Elder did indeed arouse Liu Wenzong’s interest, prompting him to rise with a soft laugh and proceed towards the hall door.

"Great Elder, what’s going on?"

Seeing Liu Wenzong leaving the hall and quickly following him, Daoist Jade Sword couldn’t help but whisper in the Great Elder’s ear, feeling quite peculiar about his behavior.

"Sect Master, I discovered something incredible in the underground secret chamber of Hidden Blade Sect; this matter might even alarm those two in Emperor Canglong Palace!"

A trace of indecision flickered in the Great Elder’s eyes, yet when speaking, he still refrained from revealing the truth. Instead, he uttered a more grave sentiment, greatly startling Daoist Jade Sword beside him.

"This..."

Daoist Jade Sword naturally had to be shocked, even so much so that he dared not ask further, for he had suddenly realized the severity of the situation, secretly worrying if it might bring disaster to Jade Sword Sect.

Though Daoist Jade Sword harbored great ambitions, with the ultimate goal of ascending Emperor Canglong Palace’s vast canopy, he understood well the principle of taking things one step at a time, never wanting to achieve it all at once.

From the Great Elder’s tone, Daoist Jade Sword knew the matter was definitely extraordinary. Many times, achieving great accomplishments didn’t guarantee rewards, but could potentially lead to being silenced.

With uneasy hearts, the group ventured deep into the Hidden Blade Sect, where a passageway covered by stone slabs appeared in front of them. Without hesitation, they stepped into the passageway.

After walking for about 15 minutes, they reached a tightly closed large iron door. There was no one guarding it, likely because the Great Elder knew that the situation was grave and had ordered everyone away.

The Great Elder of Jade Sword Sect was a skilled craftsman. Under Liu Wenzong’s watchful gaze, he stepped forward, fiddled with some tools, and, with a "click", the door of the secret chamber opened.

Creak!

The sound of opening the iron door was a bit jarring, yet it seemed the door hadn’t been untouched for long. As the secret door swung open, the group entered in single file, each feeling differently.

The underground chamber was not small, but it was quite vacant as if there weren’t many items set up. Once inside, everyone’s attention was drawn to some objects further in.

There were offerings on a table, ashes and remains, seemingly symbolizing a consecration to a memorial tablet above. However, from such a distance and in dim light, they couldn’t see clearly.

Swiftly, they moved closer, seeing that the offerings had been gnawed by insects and rats, likely because they hadn’t been replaced for many days and were already ruined. But their attention was evidently not on the offerings.

"This... this is..."

Once their eyes shifted to the sacred memorial tablet and saw the carved words on it, their bodies trembled violently. Even Liu Wenzong, the director of Ye City Emperor Palace, couldn’t help trembling.

"In memory of Long Xiao Battle God, the spirit of Lord Yun Xiao, unworthy disciple Xu Tongshi humbly establishes this!"

The Second Elder of the Jade Sword Sect didn’t immediately react, directly reading the words on the tablet which caused Xu Wenzong to tremble even more fiercely.

"Xu Tongshi? Who is that?"

After the Second Elder finished reading, he still felt bewildered and even voiced his confusion. But upon seeing the reaction of those before him, his expression slightly changed.

"Xu Tongshi? Xu Tongshi? It seems the late Sect Leader Xu Shitong of Hidden Blade Sect was indeed Xu Tongshi!"

At this moment, Liu Wenzong finally came to his senses. After murmuring the name on the tablet twice, he finally spoke a truth.

"L-Lord Supervisor, this Xu Tongshi, was he really a disciple of Long Xiao...Long Xiao Battle God?"

Daoist Jade Sword seemed still somewhat shocked, his voice trembling as he asked. Even though Long Xiao Battle God’s era of domination across the Continent was long past, there remained a lingering fear.

"Hmph, what Long Xiao Battle God? Just a traitor who defected from the Emperor Palace, nothing more!"

Upon hearing Daoist Jade Sword’s words, a hint of dread flashed in Liu Wenzong’s eyes. However, when he spoke, it was with a cold snort, implying disdain.

As the director of the Ye City Emperor Palace, Liu Wenzong was technically just a lower-tier personnel of the Emperor Palace, thus likely knowing little of certain hidden secrets.

What these Emperor Palace directors were informed was that Long Xiao Battle God had defected from Emperor Canglong Palace a hundred years ago, even betraying the entire human race, prompting Emperor Canglong to personally execute him with a single strike.

This event had, over a century, served as a paradigm of Emperor Canglong’s righteousness over family loyalty. Meanwhile, the notorious legacy of Long Xiao Battle God was destined to go down in infamy through time.

"Haha, truly finding something sought after with tireless pursuit only by chance; who knew the elusive disciple of Long Xiao Battle God would meet his end by my hand, Liu Wenzong! This is truly a great achievement!"

After a brief shock, Liu Wenzong’s initial fright vanished, replaced by a deep delight as he glanced at the Sect Master of Jade Sword Sect, Daoist Jade Sword.

In reality, Xu Shitong, or Xu Tongshi, was slain by Daoist Jade Sword’s sword, but at this moment, Liu Wenzong would never acknowledge that Long Xiao Battle God’s disciple had been killed by another’s hand, wanting to claim the credit.

He knew how significant the merit of this event was; perhaps such success could propel him beyond his role as director of Ye City Emperor Palace to an influential figure in Emperor Canglong Palace, a gift from above.

"Yes! Yes! Lord Supervisor’s might!"

As a Sect Leader, Daoist Jade Sword had astute insight; he immediately grasped Liu Wenzong’s intent from his words and gaze, nodding repeatedly, not daring to steal any credit.

"Rest assured, Jade Sword Sect Master, although I claim the chief merit, your assistance won’t be forgotten. I’ll report to the Empress, and perhaps the director position at Ye City Emperor Palace will be yours, haha!"

Full of satisfaction, Liu Wenzong didn’t forget to let Daoist Jade Sword share in the triumph, likely to silence him; anyway, it wouldn’t affect his great merit at all.

"Haha! Haha!"

A director of the Emperor Palace, a Sect Master of Jade Sword Sect, laughed knowingly; in this vast underground chamber, the sound echoed with clarity and eeriness.