Chapter 84: Turmoil

In the following period, Jiang Cheng arranged all the cultivation techniques, martial arts, and other classics obtained from the Eight Clouds Hall. These cultivation and martial techniques were far more advanced than those of the Red Sun Sect. At first, some of the disciples were puzzled about where these secret manuals originated from. However, since the Eight Clouds Hall was so far away and had never been in contact with them, they couldn’t discern it. Therefore, ultimately, they all assumed it was part of the Sect Leader’s original collection. After all, the Sect Leader was an "Immortal"! Soon, the entire Feixian Sect was swept up in a wave of intense cultivation. All the disciples secluded themselves in their cave mansions, and many began closed-door training, deciding not to emerge until they reached the Soul Splitting Realm. Of course, Jiang Cheng was not among them. Without any sense of urgency, he was not inclined to train diligently, only engaging in a half-hearted manner. The Feixian Sect was calm, but the outside world was anything but tranquil. None of the guests who attended the Eight Clouds Hall’s grand ceremony managed to return on time. Such a significant event quickly caught the attention of the outside world. And as people entered to investigate, the news of the Eight Clouds Hall’s annihilation instantly caused a sensation. It’s said that the first person to go inside was so frightened that they fell from the sky. There was no other way; the scene was simply too horrific. With most people being directly suppressed to death by the Azure Dragon Essence Blood, they didn’t look good in their final moments. And Jiang Cheng hadn’t yet developed the noble trait of burying the bodies of his enemies... Such a massive sect, with over a dozen Celestial Fate Realm experts stationed there, along with another dozen as guests and an expert of the Celestial Fate Ninth Layer like the Eldest Prince. How was such a grand lineup annihilated? For a time, all the regions surrounding Feiyun State were rife with speculation and shockwaves. This even sparked a series of chain reactions. For instance, some forces, no less significant than the Eight Clouds Hall, were suspected, and some sects experienced internal strife because their Sect Leaders, who were guests, were killed, and so on... The disciples of various great sects were filled with panic. They had no choice but to be afraid; to silently and unnoticeably wipe out so many Celestial Fate experts at once, how strong did one have to be? Moreover, all the spirit veins of the Eight Clouds Hall had vanished. All of this seemed to indicate that a powerful and terrifying force was behind it. Once that dreadful force took action against their own sect, could they withstand it? Compared to the fear among sects in other states, the interior of Feiyun State was filled with celebration. It wasn’t that the Eight Clouds Hall was particularly evil, but they were one less competitor. There’s only so much resources in the cultivation realm, and the cake is only so big. With the disappearance of the massive entity that was the Eight Clouds Hall, life was naturally much better for others. At the Qianxing Dynasty’s Longyue Imperial City, the atmosphere in the imperial study was extremely oppressive at the moment. Three of the dynasty’s high-ranking officials kept their heads low, not daring to breathe heavily. The Eldest Prince had died in the Eight Clouds Hall, and Emperor Xiang Gaoye was in a towering rage. In the cultivation realm’s dynasties, imperial power is extremely stable and doesn’t need to consider the faces of noble families and clans. Because power speaks here, and this emperor himself, having a cultivation of the Daoist Palace Sixth Layer, is the top expert of the Qianxing Dynasty. "Who can tell Us how the enemy accomplished this?" Just now, the Grand General, the Prime Minister, and the Commander of the Imperial Guard had all observed a ’recording.’ During the grand ceremony at the Eight Clouds Hall, some of the guests had activated their transmission spirit artifacts. Although the transmission spirit artifacts were ultimately either destroyed or confiscated and exchanged for points by Jiang Cheng, the transmitted images remained. Unfortunately, the images they saw only lasted until Ling Yi was knocked down by Qi Yuansheng. At that time, Qi Yuansheng had activated the sect protection array. With the array activated, the outside world was completely isolated, and naturally, the transmission spirit artifacts could not transmit any images out. Prime Minister Yang Jie respectfully said, "Your Majesty, in this minister’s opinion, there was a treasure dispute at the Eight Clouds Hall at that time..." "Do you think We have no eyes?" Xiang Ba’s death had driven Xiang Gaoye into a fiery rage. But in reality, Xiang Ba was not his son but his great-great-great-great-grandchild... How many generations it truly had been, Xiang Gaoye himself may not remember. He had lived for over ten thousand years, with descendants as numerous as cattle. Most of the descendants with average talents and qualifications were given fiefdoms, and over generations, princes devolved into dukes, slowly declining, and eventually becoming commoners. Those descendants with outstanding talent, on the other hand, were summoned back to be raised by his side, and Xiang Ba was one such outstanding figure. Having reached the Celestial Fate Ninth Layer and possessing the Five-Colored Divine Mansion, he had great potential to become a new Daoist Palace Realm expert in the future, and Xiang Gaoye had always had high hopes for him. Being a newcomer within the near 30 years, he was conferred the title of Eldest Prince. Grand General Lu Ran pondered for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, the five transmission spirit artifacts we collected all ended their footage at that moment..." "And at that time, it appears that Qi Yuansheng made some sudden movement on the screen..." "I speculate that the Eight Clouds Hall might have activated the sect protection array!" "Hmm!" Xiang Gaoye nodded and rubbed his temples. "Qi Yuansheng indeed activated the array, but in the end, he himself also died." If Qi Yuansheng hadn’t died, they might have directly considered him the culprit. Even though it was unthinkable for Qi Yuansheng, as the Palace Master, to wipe out everyone in his own sect, the sect protection array could indeed accomplish such a thing. "There must be another force lurking nearby that pitilessly slaughtered everyone inside the Eight Clouds Hall!" Commander of the Imperial Guard Xiahou Jun concluded. "What I want to know is, who are they? What methods did they use?" "According to the reported information, the time of death for everyone inside the Eight Clouds Hall differed by no more than half a stick of incense." "In half a stick of incense, to kill tens of thousands, including those of the Celestial Fate Ninth Layer, is something We cannot even accomplish!" This was what Xiang Gaoye was most apprehensive about; the unknown enemy made him feel a strong sense of threat, like having a prickle on his back. All three high-ranking officials were wrapped in worry. Who could guess this out of thin air? Yang Jie deliberated for a moment, then slowly said, "That Feixian Sect Sect Leader Jiang Cheng, very likely has problems." Lu Ran’s eyes lit up, immediately agreeing, "Indeed, he had his ring taken by Qi Cang, and that ring caused a collective struggle among the high-ranking members of the Eight Clouds Hall..." "There must be some hidden inside story that we are unaware of!" "Even if that Jiang Cheng is dead, the investigation must be pursued!" At that time, many people in the Eight Clouds Hall were killed to the point of being unrecognizable due to the suppression from the Azure Dragon Essence Blood. In the midst of this, it couldn’t be confirmed whether Jiang Cheng was among them. And since the Feixian Sect usually sealed its mountain gates and did not interact with the outside world, they surprisingly still didn’t know that Jiang Cheng was the sole ’survivor.’ Xiang Gaoye nodded, "Then send someone to the Feixian Sect to investigate this matter!" "Lu Ran, you handle this!" Grand General Lu Ran bowed to accept the order and then pondered for a moment, saying, "Your Majesty, if it turns out that the Feixian Sect is not involved..." "Then that sect will have nothing to do with it..." Feeling the emperor’s approval, Lu Ran hesitated momentarily but ultimately nodded and went on. "In that case, we’ll send them help to resist the potential threat of that mysterious force, in case they target us..." It made sense that there was a party involved capable of eliminating all those Celestial Fate experts in the Eight Clouds Hall without anyone noticing. No wonder all the sects in the surrounding states were afraid. After all, who could stand against such a power if it came for them? Compared to the fear of sects in neighboring states, Feiyun State, however, was in a celebratory mood. It wasn’t that the Eight Clouds Hall was so evil but because there was one less competitor. With only so many resources in the cultivation realm, the distribution of power was finite. With the overwhelming presence of the Eight Clouds Hall gone, life naturally improved for everyone else. """