HSSB218: Pillar of the Divine Palace
Elder Li felt his thoughts rigidifying, but looking at that middle-aged man whose appearance was gradually changing, a single thought still abruptly surfaced within his mind, “Imitation Killing Jade!”
The unique treasure Imitation Killing Jade, a one-time use item, extremely rare, not having appeared in this world for many years, usually thought of as extinct.
Within a set period of time after killing a target, the user would be able to imitate the killed target in terms of flesh and blood as well as aura-qi.
The middle-aged man was not of Broad Creed Mountain’s direct lineage, instead being a talent that Elder Li had found from outside, having already followed him for many years, having been very loyal to him, even having saved his life before.
However, today, he bared his fangs, assassinating Elder Li.
What caused Elder Li more shock was that the other party’s words clearly spoke of a greater scheme.
This person having killed him with an Imitation Killing Jade, he would be able to pose as him for a short period of time. Even the circulation of his inner qi, if a fight did not start, was something that the other Broad Creed Mountain martial practitioners would be hard pressed to distinguish.
“Yao Shan!” Elder Li wanted to shout loudly, but discovered that he could not even utter the slightest sound.
In terms of cultivation, the person before him far surpassed his past impression of him.
He could only look at the other party transforming little by little, perfectly taking on his appearance.
The Yao Shan who had already taken on Elder Li’s appearance smiled slightly, “Please do not worry. Having followed you for so long, your habits, style of handling things, actions and tone of speaking-I can reproduce them to about ninety percent. The others won’t be able to see through me.”
“As for why I disappeared,” As Yao Shan spoke, he took out a Shadow Shrinking Pouch.
The Shadow Shrinking Pouch opened, a figure leaping out. Elder Li stared as another Yao Shan appeared before him.
Yao Shan smiled, “This is not from an Imitating Killing Jade. It is my companion, having changed his appearance to that of mine. He is also very familiar with my habits, and won’t reveal any flaws.”
“Moreover, as compared to you, I am much less conspicuous. As long as I do not disappear without any reason or intentionally attract attention, no one would pay any attention to me.”
“I killed you very silently; although there were fluctuations of aura-qi, this is still very normal. Repelling beasts in the desert, we often have to make a move.”
Elder Li’s eyes were still staring wide, but life had already left his body.
Yao Shan smiled slightly, “It was nice knowing you; rest in peace.”
Saying thus, he sorted out the things on Elder Li’s body, moving them to his own, before storing Elder Li’s corpse within the Shadow Shrinking Pouch.
Having kept the Shadow Shrinking Pouch, Yao Shan flicked his sleeves, exchanging smiles with his companion who had taken on his appearance.
One at the front, one at the back, continuing to stride on like the real Elder Li and Yao Shan earlier, as though none of these earlier events had transpired.
Before the stone pillar, Yan Zhaoge stood with his hands behind his back, looking earnestly at the patterns on its surface, “I didn’t see wrong; it is indeed a pillar of the past Divine Palace, having fallen here after it broke off.
Seeing the broken, damaged stone pillar, Yan Zhaoge fell into deep thought, “These marks of damage are not simple. I fear that it wasn’t simply a natural calamity, but…”
Yan Zhaoge raised his head slightly, “If that is true, who exactly was it that caused all of this?”
“Even the powerful Divine Palace was destroyed, the entire world suffering a great tribulation, virtually changing the heavens and switching the earth. Someone who could do all this…”
Although it didn’t really feel real, being so extremely far off from him as he was now, Yan Zhaoge still felt a shadow hanging over his heart, like there was a great mountain weighing down upon it.
Perhaps this pressure was not all that direct, but it was much greater than that from the Sacred Sun Clan and Huang Guanglie.
The global situation of the Eight Extremities could still see balance, could still be fought over, could still see pursuit, could still see resistance, could still see victory.
However, that Armageddon-like power that seemed able to decimate the very heavens and earth-if it were to descend again, how could they tide past it?
Perhaps such a massive tribulation wouldn’t descend in Yan Zhaoge’s lifetime. But, after…
Yan Zhaoge closed his eyes for a long time. When they reopened, his gaze had already regained its calm.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” Yan Zhaoge muttered, extending his palm, pressing it down on that broken, damaged pillar of the Divine Palace.
As Yan Zhaoge’s aura-qi was infused within the stone pillar, numerous patterns of light lit up on its surface, extending down the path the patterns followed.
However, having reached a crack, the light patterns broke off, beginning to dissipate, turning into specks of light that drifted away in the air.
Still, even so, numerous formless waves emanated outwards from the stone pillar, repelling a large amount of wind and sand.
Looking at where the stone pillar was damaged, Yan Zhaoge involuntarily knit his brows slightly.
After pondering for a moment, he infused his aura-qi within once again, the light patterns on the stone pillar lighting up once more.
As the light patterns reached the area with cracks, their glows suddenly became brighter and more dazzling, and also more condensed and real.
Formless, intangible radiance seemed to turn tangible at this moment, with a slow yet stable speed, no longer relying on the stone pillar, actually continuing to extend in mid-air.
Just like this, the light patterns that contained infinite profundities seemed to twine around a complete stone pillar within the air, continuing to intertwine and coil.
The light patterns circulated, coiling around the non-existent, formless stone pillar, becoming more and more complete, the spiritual qi spilling out from within becoming more and more majestic, unceasingly shocking the surrounding air.
The profound concept of that stone pillar which had originally been damaged gradually became complete once more, being very hard to fathom, yet shaking one’s very soul.
A focused expression on his face, Yan Zhaoge instead shut his eyes.
Within his brain, it gradually reappeared, that existence buried deep within his memories, that towering Divine Palace standing above the nine heavens.
The stone pillar buried within the desert suddenly began to shake.
As the stone pillar shook, with it as the centre, numerous spirit patterns began extending far off into the distance within the desert, spreading their claws with a fierce momentum.
The nearby sand dunes all began heaving intensely as the desert seemed to have turned into an ocean at this very moment, wild winds rampaging, strong tides surging.
Standing by the side, Ah Hu and Feng Yunsheng both looked at this scene with serious expressions on their faces, as they barely managed to keep themselves stable.
Yan Zhaoge’s expression was as per usual as after a while, he let out a long breath, ceasing his infusion of aura-qi into the stone pillar.
The shaken desert finally returned to its original state, but on the ground, numerous light patterns that resembled cracks still extended outwards in all directions.
The light patterns on the stone pillar lit up, those patterns of light condensed in mid-air that seemed to cause the broken, damaged stone pillar to regain its original, complete form still present, not yet having dispersed.
Looking at the stone pillar, Yan Zhaoge’s mind drifted slightly as he pondered, “Indeed having become one with the geography of the Great Western Desert.”
“Under such circumstances, wanting to pull out the stone pillar and take it away, I will probably have to achieve an initial refinement of it on the spot first.”
Standing guard by the side, Ah Hu’s mind suddenly moved slightly. Swivelling his head over, he saw Elder Li and a few of the martial practitioners under him returning, seemingly having something to report to Yan Zhaoge.