Chapter 244: The Old Crow Brings Word!
A strange look flickered in Daoist Song Shi’s eyes.
He slowly said, “That man is called Yelu Hu[1], he’s a Guardian in the Shaman Sect, and it’s said he has the blood of the heavenly gods in his veins. That elder is Grand Magus Hak, along with Grand Magus Bantu, he is one of the sect’s two great sorcerers. That black-robed figure is called Hunsha[2], also a Guardian. No one knows if they’re male or female, old or young!”
There was a hint of surprise in his expression. “I didn’t expect those three to be the ones taking action, traveling all the way to the Central Plains to search for the spirit child.”
Li Yanchu frowned slightly. “Because they hold very high positions in the Shaman Sect?”
Daoist Song Shi nodded. “Indeed, especially Grand Magus Hak, who almost never leaves the lands beyond the passes.”
Did they just happen to run into Hongtu... or did they specifically target him? A thoughtful light shone in Li Yanchu’s eyes.
“After all this, who exactly is the leader of the Shaman Sect?” Li Yanchu asked.
Daoist Song Shi shook his head. “The leader has been in seclusion for a long time and no longer concerns himself with the sect’s affairs. Everything is handled jointly by Grand Magus Hak and Grand Magus Bantu.”
So Bantu’s betrayal was the result of losing in a power struggle? Li Yanchu couldn’t help speculating.
Even religions built on faith couldn’t escape the struggle for power. All the more so for one that upheld the creed of “might makes right.” In such a place, human sentiment was thin and moral restraints meant little. It was inevitable.
“Grand Magus Bantu betrays the sect and searches the caravans for the key to the Heavenly Palace of Myriad Phenomena. But at the same time, Grand Magus Hak, who holds sole authority over sect affairs, leads the Guardians deep into the Central Plains. That in itself reeks of something strange! Could it be that Hak fears no attempt by Bantu to seize power in his absence? Or is there something within the Central Plains that he absolutely must obtain?”
Li Yanchu took a deep breath; he hadn’t expected a mysterious religion from beyond the passes to be so complicated. Before finding Grand Magus Bantu, it seemed he might need a turncoat.