HSSB387: News on Lin Zhou
Because the battlefield was located beyond the seas, the younger generation disciples who participated in it were mostly from Jade Sea City, the Heavenly Thunder Hall and Turbid Wave Pavilion.
The younger generation disciples of the clans in the inner part of the mainland, Broad Creed Mountain, the Sacred Sun Clan and Infinite Boundless Mountain, were mostly like Yan Zhaoge and Sikong Qing, just having happened to be in the vicinity.
They were mostly active within the Inner East Sea, exterminating the remaining Flame Devils, not going near the Outer East Sea where the main battlefield was.
However, there were also exceptions.
The light of thunder flickered as a Flame Devil was slain.
The Flame Devil’s body exploded, as a rain of fire seemed to descend from the skies.
Amidst the blazing rain of fire, a single figure appeared. It was a one-eyed youth, an icy cold aura emanating from his body.
Of Heavenly Thunder Hall’s direct lineage, the Thunder Rumbling Young Master, Lin Zhou.
Beside him were other martial practitioners of the Heavenly Thunder Hall, their faces all sunken.
A white piece of cloth was tied about Lin Zhou’s head, sliding down his face as it covered his left eye.
His remaining right eye was currently focused on the distant sea ahead.
After a while, Lin Zhou retracted his gaze, swivelling his head to look at the other Heavenly Thunder Hall martial practitioners beside him as he slowly said, “I must thank all of you for remembering your relationship with my father, being willing to take this risk alongside me.”
“You do not have to say this, junior apprentice-brother Lin. Taking revenge for Master is our duty as his disciples. However, you said earlier that you have a plan to deal with the people of Broad Creed Mountain…” A middle-aged man said from beside Lin Zhou in a deep tone, “We also agree with you having chosen Yan Zhaoge as your target, but we can’t even find a trace of him now.”
Lin Zhou said mildly, “We do not have to specifically search for him. If we do so, it would instead make him vigilant against us.”
“While the reason for this is still a little unclear, others can help us to find him.”
That middle-aged man asked, “Who?”
Cold light flickered within Lin Zhou’s right eye, “The Flame Devils.”
Upon hearing this, the people beside him all looked thoughtful.
“Yan Zhaoge…” Lin Zhou muttered to himself, countless thoughts momentarily arising within his mind, his past memories interlinking with their present situation, making it hard for him to calm down.
As news of the Flame Devils’ invasion spread, Jade Sea City’s City Lord Song Wuliang instead being in seclusion and not immediately rushing over to the Outer East Sea, it had already caused Lin Zhou to feel that something was wrong.
With the two Flame Devils having covertly moved afterwards to attack Jade Sea City itself, it was as he had predicted.
While Song Wuliang had remained in Jade Sea City, not having emerged from seclusion, he seemed to be in a state of death seclusion, allowing the two Flame Devil Kings to rampage about as they like, seemingly on the verge of destroying Jade Sea City.
This had caused Lin Zhou to inwardly sigh in relief. Things seemed to being going back on track like he knew of.
However, the changes afterwards had been beyond his predictions.
While he had not witnessed it personally, it had already long since begin spreading on the East Sea that Broad Creed Mountain’s Yan Zhaoge had rushed out alone, luring away a Flame Devil King, temporarily easing the danger on Jade Sea City.
What caused others to sigh in admiration even more was that Yan Zhaoge had not sacrificed himself, instead successfully engaging the Flame Devil King’s attention for a long time before finally retreating fully intact.
While because Jing Zhong, a Flame Devil King equivalent to a human expert at the second level of the Martial Saint realm, had arrived, the Flame Devil King Cheng Huang who had been drawn away by Yan Zhaoge had returned to Jade Sea City, the miraculous feat performed by Yan Zhaoge was still sufficient for everyone to sigh in admiration.
At this moment, things had finally completely diverged from Lin Zhou’s predictions.
When finally, the Jade Sea Pill Heart Sword had been born, Lin Zhou had even become a little numb to it.
“Jade Sea City’s Sacred Artifact should still be lacking some materials, currently still unable to be forged,” Lin Zhou thought, “It is just that I don’t know what materials they are and what changes it were that occurred, that caused the materials to all be gathered?”
He shook his head. There was already no meaning in thinking about Jade Sea City’s Sacred Artifact now
What Lin Zhou was more interested in was how Yan Zhaoge had lured away the Flame Devil King, Cheng Huang.
“That Ye Jing who is long since dead, if he had still been alive now, would have met with the Flame Devils on this East Sea, stirring up quite a bit of a disturbance, greatly attracting the attention of the Flame Devils,” Light flashed within Lin Zhou’s right eye, “I heard that Ye Jing was killed by Yan Zhaoge. Could it be that something of his ended up in Yan Zhaoge’s hands?”
Lin Zhou leapt up, entering the sea. The other Heavenly Thunder Hall martial practitioners exchanged looks before following after him.
They went all the way down to the depths of the sea.
Lin Zhou observed the area whilst advancing, seemingly searching for something.
After a while, the mountain ranges at the depths of the sea appeared before their eyes.
Lin Zhou landed on an underwater mountain, his sword-light flickering as it penetrated through the rock.
Instantly, an extremely hot aura emanated from down below.
The middle-aged man beside Lin Zhou frowned, “An underwater volcano?”
“Senior apprentice-brother Luo, this is not just an underwater volcano,” Lin Zhou said, “Accurately speaking, this is a Fire Pith Vein, having been disturbed, about to surge out of the earth’s surface.’
“The location we are currently at is precisely one of these points.”
The middle-aged man surnamed Luo was slightly shocked, “Who disturbed the Fire Pith Vein here? Could it be…the Flame Devils?!”
Lin Zhou said, “I can’t think of anyone else it would be.”
A thin, yet fearless looking man said from the side, “How do you know of this, junior apprentice-brother Lin? Have you informed the seniors of our clan?”
Lin Zhou answered, “I inadvertently came across a similar situation previously. At that time, I also thought that it was simply an underwater volcano that would soon be erupting, but soon discovered some force intentionally concealing some traces, therefore finding it suspicious.”
“I did not have the time to inform our clan’s seniors. Senior apprentice-brother Zhang, senior apprentice-brother Luo, you should quickly report this to Grand Master now.”
The thin senior apprentice-brother Zhang’s expression changed, “We make the report?”
This was obviously giving them a portion of the credit.
Lin Zhou said quietly, “The only thing that I can think about right now is killing Broad Creed Mountain’s Yan Zhaoge.”
The expressions of senior apprentice-brothers Luo and Zhang were solemn, “What are you planning to do?”
Lin Zhou said, “The Flame Devils will very possibly capitalise on the power of the eruption of the underground Fire Pith Veins to launch a counterattack.”
Actually, it was supposed to have been a deciding move.
In Lin Zhou’s memories, Jade Sea City had been destroyed by the sudden assault of the two Flame Devil Kings, and its higher echelon experts who had headed out for battle, Song Wuliang included, had all perished in this following battle, Jade Sea City thereby walking towards destruction, sharing the fate of Black Nightmare Mountain.
Now, with Yuan Zhengfeng having successfully entered the Martial Saint realm, as well as Song Wuliang having gained the Jade Sea Pill Heart Sword, the participating strength of the Eight Extremities World was even greater.
With the Flame Devils having meanwhile lost a Flame Devil King, Cheng Huang, as this continued, the Flame Devils would be hard pressed to achieve the same results as in Lin Zhou’s memories.
However, with the human martial practitioners currently unceasingly reclaiming their lost land, next suffering such a sudden assault, the situation would inevitably become even more complex.
Lin Zhou said indifferently, “If our clan’s seniors remain careful in this matter, this battle may instead be a fortuitous encounter for our clan.”
“As for us, we can just wait here. With the Flame Devils currently seemingly retreating in defeat, they are actually waiting for the moment of their counterattack. Still, we just have to carefully go around the flow of the underground fire veins here. Even if the Fire Pith Vein here erupts, our safety will still be assured.”
“Stay here and observe. Wherever the Flame Devils are gathering, we will just head there. Yan Zhaoge may very probably be at that location.”
……
“Young Master, you…” Just having received the news, Ah Hu was wide-eyed and tongue-tied as he watched the scene before him.
Yan Zhaoge came before him, asking casually, “What, what’s the situation?”
Ah Hu said dazedly, “Some people saw the Heavenly Thunder Hall’s Lin Zhou leave the region of sea about Long Ocean City, entering the Outer East Sea…”
Not waiting for him to finish, Yan Zhaoge abruptly grabbed him, next sinking down towards an even deeper level of sea.
In virtually the same instant that the two sunk downwards, blazing flames that vaporised the surrounding sea water shot past right above their heads.