Chapter 1473 - 1130: Dragon Ball!
Everyone should have self-awareness and should not act clever.
However, obviously, those who act clever do not consider themselves as such, which is a sign of lacking self-awareness.
Shangguan Yun was clearly a person lacking self-awareness as well.
Ever since acquiring the Dragon Pearls of the Chamu Clan, he has been killing all over the place for years, even his own wife was not spared, all in order to obtain more Dragon Pearls, living in seclusion and studying the means to harness more power from the Dragon Pearls.
In the end, he successfully gained more powerful strength, elevating his abilities gradually from being equal to Meng Baichuan, the Sect Leader of the Poison Sect, to the Heavenly Human 9th Realm, even condensing the Three Flowers.
Behind this rapid and enormous elevation, the Dragon Pearls were indeed indispensable and also encouraged his quest for more Dragon Pearls to break through to the Returning to Truth Realm, yet he overlooked the cultivation of his mind.
The rapidly growing power not only fueled his ambition but also inflated his confidence, distorting his mind.
This led him to become arrogant, paranoid, and insane.
This was why when Meng Baichuan and others intended to surrender to the Black Wind Village Chief, he chose to kill Meng Baichuan and others defiantly, becoming crazed enough to be an enemy of the Black Wind Village Chief.
Regrettably, at this point, the arrogant and paranoid Shangguan Yun would not think he did anything wrong at all.
Or perhaps from a perspective of interests, Shangguan Yun actually did not do anything wrong.
As long as he took the two other Dragon Pearls from Meng Baichuan and Qiu Tangbai after eliminating them, he would then possess six Dragon Pearls alone.
By then, all he needed to do was to flee, abandoning the thousands of disciples of Zhongxin Hall, avoid facing the Black Wind Village Chief directly, and hide in the deep mountains and forests for hundreds of years before coming out again; this too could be considered a very rational emergency evasion tactic.
But unfortunately, he repeated his mistakes. After suddenly attacking and killing Meng Baichuan and the other three, he did not escape but arrogantly stayed in Zhongxin Hall, intending to wait for the Black Wind Village Chief’s arrival to negotiate with his strength.
...
In the fresh mountain air, there was a heavy smell of blood.
As soon as the weapons clashed, it was like chopping melons and vegetables, unstoppable.
On the long, winding stone steps stretching towards the main hall of Zhongxin Hall were scattered the corpses of disciples from Poison Sect, Ten Thousand Sword Sect, Qiushui Manor, and Qiankun Sect, blood splattered all over the place, pooling into streams quickly down the steps.
It was Shangguan Yun who caused the deaths of this group of people.
At this moment, he spread his hands wide, with a yellow bead emitting electric arcs suspended above each palm, filled with overwhelming energy fluctuations.
It was indeed Shangguan Yun.
He, holding two recently snatched Dragon Pearls, descended the steps step by step, bursting into wild laughter, his eyes filled with dazzling thunder and lightning, his aura like a demon or a monster, full of madness.
A large number of disciples and players who rushed to the scene were shocked and bewildered.
Seeing the Sect Leader obviously in a state of madness filled with evil qi, and then looking at the scattered corpses on the ground, even among them were people like the Poison Sect Leader, they couldn’t help but reveal a look of horror.
"It’s over! Our Sect Leader is insane, he actually killed our allies!?"
"Now it’s really over, the Black Wind Village Chief hasn’t even attacked yet, and our Sect Leader is already insane."
"Something’s wrong, see the two beads in the Sect Leader’s hand, they might very well be the legendary Dragon Pearls of the Chamu Clan, perhaps the Sect Leader went mad for these Dragon Pearls."
"What’s the use of grabbing two beads? Does the Sect Leader think that just with these two additional Dragon Pearls, he can compete with the Black Wind Village Chief? World Association’s Xiong Ba got the legendary Divine Stone, and he ultimately fell and died. I heard that the Divine Stone was shattered to pieces."
"Such a Zhongxin Hall, the scale is too small, I feel that we won’t escape this calamity, we should find a chance to slip away."
In the crowds gathering from all directions, many players of Zhongxin Hall, seeing the madness and unusual state of Shangguan Yun, were already in fear, some even started to quietly retreat towards the courtyard walls, preparing to avoid the fight and escape the disaster later.
However, just as these thoughts were emerging among some players, Shangguan Yun, striding like a dragon or a tiger, had already walked down the stone steps, snorted coldly, and his words, gathered with power, echoed throughout the entire Zhongxin Hall.
"All disciples of Zhongxin Hall listen—return to the mountain gate and stay put, now is the moment when our Zhongxin Hall faces a great enemy. If anyone dares to leave the mountain and defect, I, Shangguan Yun, will abolish their Martial Arts!"
As soon as these words came out, many players of Zhongxin Hall seemed to be struck by lightning, their expressions changed dramatically, all receiving similar warning prompts on their panels, once secretly slipping away down the mountain, they would face extremely severe punishment and pursuit by the sect.
For a moment, many players inwardly cursed, caught in a dilemma, not knowing whether to stay or to flee, having no choice but to stay within the mountain gate to observe the situation.
Many disciples appearing to be faithful to Zhongxin Hall but secretly carrying Robber Flags of the Eight Desolates were even, at this moment of desperation, suddenly hoping to see the arrival of the Black Wind Village Chief, best if he could directly take down their own Sect Leader.
Since there was no choice, then let it be destroyed, everyone would perish together, you go your Ghost Gate and I go my Radiant Road.
If their own Sect Leader insisted on seeking death, then let him die, though after his death, these Zhongxin Hall players would become homeless orphans, and their sect Martial Arts learned in the past would all have great risks of not being able to advance in the future.
But for the Eight Desolate Disciples, who make their home wherever they are, if Zhongxin Hall is gone, Black Wind Village would be their home.
If sect Martial Arts can’t advance, then go to the Black Wind Village known as "All Martial Arts in the World Come from Mountain Villages" to learn knock-off Martial Arts.
Moreover, if by then Zhongxin Hall gets destroyed, it can’t be said that no Martial Arts will remain to be taken to Black Wind Village, it wouldn’t be a hassle to learn.
The key is that every Eight Desolate Disciple hiding in Zhongxin Hall has seen the great wealth under the risk of sect annihilation. As long as their Sect Leader dies at the hands of the Village Chief, can’t they just take the opportunity to loot their own sect? They are closer to the water’s edge than those waiting at the mountain’s base and get the first glimpse of the moon.
...
Under the anxious and tense anticipation of the masses, dusk slowly approached, with cold winds swirling through the mountains, stirring the mist that cloaked the peaks.
In the distance, among the rocky peaks shrouded in shadows, a fist-sized black dot suddenly appeared.
Accompanied by the piercing cry of an eagle that tore through the clouds and fog, the fist-sized black dot rapidly expanded, becoming a black-feathered majestic eagle that flew transversely through the clouds, pulling with it a cascade of pine needles in the forest below.
This instantly caused a stir among the groups of people who had waited a long time in the mountains, on the official road, by the river, and on the mountain path.
Jiang Dali frowned as he surveyed the Eight Desolate Disciples spread across the mountains.
Especially those guilds that blatantly placed coffins on the road, he couldn’t help but feel worried about the locust swarm army he created himself.
This time he chose to avenge Chamu Long, and indeed had no intention of letting Shangguan Yun off.
Since there was hostility, and Shangguan Yun truly committed the act of exterminating clans in the past, then it’s a matter of repaying a life with a life, without much to say.
The opponent must be very aware of the danger signified by his personal arrival.
For any force in the Martial World, Shangguan Yun could be considered a top expert.
Yet to him, Shangguan Yun was not an invincible character.
Standing up for a loyal follower to resolve personal grudges can not only gain Chamu Long’s loyalty but also send a positive signal to more experts who want to surrender, attracting more people to come.
However, from beginning to end, whether it was Jiang Dali or Chamu Long, the target was only Shangguan Yun, and would not implicate other innocent disciples of Zhongxin Hall, nor follow Shangguan Yun’s past deeds of clan extermination.
But at this moment, the arrival of a large number of Eight Desolate Disciples has immediately made the situation complex and more tense, ready to spark a large-scale bloody brawl with killing intent filling the wilds.
At this point, although Jiang Dali felt troubled, he did not immediately come up with an emergency plan to regulate the behavior of these Eight Desolate Disciples, and planned to truly resolve the Shangguan Yun matter first, then make further arrangements based on the situation and the Players’ state.
As the continuous buildings of Zhongxin Hall on the mountain peak in front revealed themselves, Jiang Dali simultaneously sensed a powerful Qi Mechanism emanating from the crowd gathered in the building square below.
This Qi Mechanism was so strong that it subtly gave him a faint sense of threat, like a needle prick.
However, within the Spiritual Sense’s perception, this Qi Mechanism seemed to be filled with an air of external strength but internal weakness.
"Buzz! Buzz! —!"
Just then, Chamu Long’s clothes emitted a bright yellow glow, accompanied by a vibrating buzzing sound.
He immediately looked shocked as he took out a Dragon Ball hidden in his clothing, seeing it vibrating ceaselessly, seemingly resonating with the strong Qi Mechanism below, Chamu Long’s face became grave and unpleasant, speaking.
"Not good, Village Chief, it seems that Shangguan Yun has likely completely refined the four Dragon Balls he holds, or he has acquired more Dragon Balls, otherwise he wouldn’t have such a strong attraction to the Dragon Ball in my hand, causing it to activate spontaneously."
Jiang Dali had long known that Chamu Long had a Dragon Ball hidden on him, yet he had never actively sought to inspect it, planning to wait until resolving the other’s grievances to talk about it.
At this moment, seeing the Dragon Ball in Chamu Long’s hand unexpectedly releasing an energy fluctuation no weaker than that of the past Evil Emperor Relics, Jiang Dali felt slightly surprised, saying.
"I didn’t expect this so-called Dragon Ball from the Chamu Clan to conceal such unassuming energy in just one bead, no wonder Shangguan Yun’s aura became quite strong after acquiring several Dragon Balls, but unfortunately, this force, forcibly elevated by external objects, ultimately has significant flaws and isn’t stable."
Hearing Jiang Dali say this, Chamu Long immediately felt relieved, inwardly thinking that the energy within the Dragon Ball in his view was already very strong, yet according to the Village Chief’s mouth, it could only get a "not weak" assessment.
But he figured it out, that even though Shangguan Yun had become much stronger now, it was still to no avail, so he promptly handed the Dragon Ball respectfully with both hands to Jiang Dali for inspection.
"Village Chief, you had not inquired about the Dragon Ball previously, so I didn’t hand the Dragon Ball to you for inspection. If you need the Dragon Ball for support, I’m willing to offer this Dragon Ball."
Looking at the Dragon Ball handed over by Chamu Long, Jiang Dali smiled inwardly, knowing that this person had truly put down his guard and fully trusted him now.
This was understandable, as there were simply too many in this world who take benefits without doing the work, evading with various excuses. Chamu Long handing over the Dragon Ball was akin to "communicating hearts."
Nevertheless, given the many treasures Jiang Dali possessed, he indeed had an attitude of indifference towards this so-called Dragon Ball, hence he hadn’t paid much attention before. Now curious, he took the warm and luminous Dragon Ball, casually glanced at its Attributes, but couldn’t help but feel startled.
"Eh?"...
...
...
...
(The additional update was 10 minutes late! Sorry!)