HSSB702: Flowers bloom only sometimes, blossoming or wilting hard to tell
Within Yan Zhaoge’s hands appeared a metallic fragment that was half-white and half-black.
This was the relic of the legendary Dim Radiant Sect that he had obtained from Old Man Mo in the past.
During the Dim Sun Cold Moon Ritual, it had once served an extraordinary use, helping Yan Zhaoge’s group to refine the power of reversed sun and moon.
He had already had his suspicions before. Afterwards, he had heard this described by Feng Yunsheng and Ah Hu, also having himself refined a portion of the power of cold sun and dim moon. Analysing it once more, many different thoughts had run through his mind.
During Yan Zhaoge’s stay at the North Sea Sword Pavilion in the Grinding Hut Region, news gradually filtered back from the outside.
The Grand Xuan Dynasty had indeed split up its troops previously, attempting for a pincer attack as it had dispatched a detached unit to go around the anti-Xuan forces in an attempt to cut off their path of retreat back to the sword domain of the Grinding Hut Region.
Afterwards, when the Grand Xuan Dynasty had changed its mind and decided to retreat, it had contacted this detached unit as well, notifying it of the change in plans.
Still, due to the timing and their geographical location, the movements of this detached unit were still somewhat slower than that of the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s main force at the end of the day.
Having received the news from Yan Zhaoge in a timely manner, Gu Hong, Zhou Haosheng and the others had searched and chased, finally catching up with them successfully.
“It was indeed Gu Zhang who could not be seen previously. As the number two figure of the Shenling Ten Swords, the Cloud Circulating Heavenly Light Sword was with him as well,” Yue Baoqi praised in admiration, “If not for you having gotten the Southeastern Exalt’s lineage to step in, Young Master Yan, things would have been disastrous for my anti-Xuan troops.”
From Yan Zhaoge’s words, everyone now knew that the descendants of Shen Lingzi’s lineage did not just number nine as had originally been thought.
Aside from the originally known nine that included Gu Zhang and Madame Kang, there was also Kang Ping who had not appeared at all before this, the current number one expert of Shen Lingzi’s lineage.
While they were both early Immortal Bridge Martial Saints and Gu Zhang was Kang Ping’s senior apprentice-uncle, Kang Ping was even more powerful than Gu Zhang.
Hearing Gu Zhang’s name, a particular figure surfaced in Yan Zhaoge’s mind.
While he appeared young, his gaze contained the incomparable vicissitudes of time, as if he had experienced countless ages before.
He had previously joined hands with King Xuanmu, attacking the main altar of the Dim Darkness Sect together. If not for Pavilion Lord Gu Hong of the North Sea Sword Pavilion having arrived in time to assist him, the Dim Darkness Sect’s Chief Zhou Haosheng might have perished right there and then.
Meanwhile, of the Shenling Ten Swords, the other Immortal Bridge Martial Saint aside from Kang Ping and Gu Zhang, He Dongcheng, was the old man with an ancient appearance but a youthful, acute gaze who had blocked the Radiant Light Sect’s Chief Luo Zhiyuan during that same battle.
Previously, He Dongcheng and King Xuanmu had remained with the main force of the Grand Xuan Dynasty, concealing the truth of Gu Zhang’s departure as they had joined forces to launch a fierce attack on the anti-Xuan forces towards the end.
When the anti-Xuan forces had pulled back like they usually did, He Dongcheng and King Xuanmu had retreated along with the other experts of the Grand Xuan Dynasty.
It was just that while Gu Zhang’s detached force had retreated as well, Gu Hong and the others had caught up to it.
With a high-grade Sacred Artifact, the Cloud Circulating Flowing Heaven Sword in hand, Gu Zhang’s martial prowess could not be rivalled by any single anti-Xuan rebel out in neutral territory like this.
However, with the peak experts of the anti-Xuan coalition all gathered, Gu Zhang had been unable to rival all of them at once.
With the Grand Xuan Dynasty also unable to provide him with sufficient support, he was only able to retreat as they battled.
In the end, Gu Zhang himself had returned wounded, while the greater part of the Grand Xuan Dynasty experts under him had been either injured or slain.
After pursuing them yet further, seeing that they were close approaching the coremost territory of the Grand Xuan Dynasty, whilst feeling rather regretful, Gu Hong and the others had only been able to let it end there.
If they continued with this any further, the Grand Xuan Dynasty should really be retaliating.
At the end of the day, the Grand Xuan Dynasty was still more powerful, possessing a more substantial foundation.
Still, even so, the anti-Xuan coalition had already profited greatly off this battle where apparent defeat had somehow ultimately ended in victory.
“The Dim Darkness Sect’s Chief Zhou and our sect’s Pavilion Lord Gu will be returning to the Grinding Hut Region very soon,” Yue Baoqi said.
Yan Zhaoge nodded before asking, “What about the Radiant Light Sect and Copper Men Island?”
Yue Baoqi answered, “The Radiant Light Sect’s and Copper Men Island’s forces who arrived to assist our sect have already been successively leaving in recent days.”
While they had departed, the anti-Xuan forces would not be stirring up anything major in the Royal Reed Sea for the time being.
As the Grand Xuan Dynasty maintained a low profile, the anti-Xuan forces would unceasingly devour its territory, a new tide of conquest arising.
Still, there wouldn’t be many major movements. Everyone was actually just waiting for news, trying to probe out something.
They were waiting for a verdict to be had over at Golden Court Mountain. It could really kind of be said that the person who would decide the Royal Reed Sea’s fate was an external party.
Everyone was currently accumulating their strength again whilst slowly expanding their territory.
Under such circumstances, it was hard to predict how the Radiant Light Sect might decide to act.
While shifting their focus to attack the Eight Extremities World would be rather pointless and petty, with the Extreme Yang Seal that was their true target having been brought up to the World beyond Worlds by Yan Zhaoge, if the Radiant Light Sect really did target Yan Di and Broad Creed Mountain in the Eight Extremities World, Yan Zhaoge would not find it very surprising.
Having to remain on the defensive was not something Yan Zhaoge desired. He preferred to be the one who grasped the initiative in dealing the blows.
After meeting with Pavilion Lord Gu of the North Sea Sword Pavilion and properly interacting as host and guest, conversing happily, Yan Zhaoge met the Chief of the Dim Darkness Sect, Zhou Haosheng.
“Little Friend Yan mentioned an issue that we should analyse together. I wonder what it is?” Zhou Haosheng asked after a short exchange of formalities.
The white-clothed old man was smiling with a benevolent expression on his face, not appearing arrogant at all.
Whether it was towards the Grand Xuan Dynasty or the Radiant Light Sect, the Dim Darkness Sect shared the same stance as Yan Zhaoge.
Something having cropped up during the Dim Sun Cold Moon Ritual, the higher echelons of the Dim Darkness Sect all rather suspected that it might be intentional rather than a coincidence that Yan Zhaoge had miraculously travelled all the way to their main altar from the Flourishing Peace Region.
However, things having come to this point, all of them, Zhou Haosheng included, voluntarily chose to forget about this matter.
Yan Zhaoge’s great achievements of breaking the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation and establishing contact with Golden Court Mountain to cause the Grand Xuan Dynasty to be defeated without battling-just this alone caused the Dim Darkness Sect to want to improve their relationship with him yet further.
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “Chief Zhou is polite. This Yan obtained a treasure by fortune and coincidence, wanting to invite you to peruse it together with me.”
“Still, forgive my impudence, but before that, I have something that I would like to ask Chief Zhou about.”
Zhou Haosheng said, “You can just say it, Little Friend Yan.”
Yan Zhaoge pondered on how best to say it, “The whole world knows that your sect and the Radiant Light Sect stem from the same source, both originating from the Dim Radiant Sect of the past. It was due to the decline of the Dim Radiant Sect that it eventually split apart.”
Zhou Haosheng nodded, saying frankly, “It is precisely so.”
Yan Zhaoge met the white-clothed old man’s gaze, “What this Yan wants to ask is-does Chief Zhou know how the Dim Radiant Emperor perished that year, why the Dim Radiant Sect fell into decline?”
The Dim Radiant Emperor Yin Tianxia was a hegemon who had surged into prominence following the Great Calamity, a legend of the times. He had once been a member of the Five Emperors. It was only many years after he had perished that a new expert arose and filled this deficiency, causing the name of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to resurface.
Led by Yin Tianxia, the Dim Radiant Sect had once flourished for a time, possessing countless experts as they had presided domineeringly over the entire World beyond Worlds, far from how the current Radiant Light Sect and Dim Darkness Sect were restricted to the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.
All these years since, the legacy of the Dim Radiant Sect’s lineage had truly fallen into decline.
Flowers bloom only sometimes, blossoming or wilting hard to tell. The ever-fluctuating state of the world can never be known for sure. Here, this principle was manifested to the point of perfection.
Zhou Haosheng fell into deep silence.
Yan Zhaoge did not rush him, sitting patiently across from him as he waited for him to speak.