Sovereign of the Three Realms - Chapter 1782

Chapter 1782: 1782

While Jiang Chen was preparing for his trip with Huang’er, several of House Xiahou’s executives urgently plotted in secret in a hidden base .  They met at their venerated forefather’s hermitage .  

The forefather in question had closed his doors to cultivate for more than three hundred years . It had been nearly a millennium since news of him had last circulated . In fact, it was a mystery to the outside world whether he was still alive at all .

“Xiahou Zong is dead?” A wizened, emotionless voice came from within the serene valley . It was the house’s sole, remaining forefather, Xiahou Ming .

He was more than ten thousand years old . There was barely anyone alive in the Eternal Sacred Land older than him . Someone of his age should’ve come to terms with life and death long ago, and the emotions tied to mortality . However, the forefather sounded strangely affected .

Xiahou Zong’s death astounded him a great deal .

“Forefather, we juniors have failed in protecting Xiahou Zong . We were incompetent!” Despite his status as the patriarch, Duke Xiaoyao was careful to be on his best behavior before the forefather .

“Ah…” Xiahou Ming sighed wistfully . “I divined Xiahou Zong’s fate and fortune once . A calamity was fated to strike him before forty . I emphasized it time and time again, but none of you ever took it to heart . He didn’t need to die . If he had passed the ordeal, he would have risen into the skies and attained true greatness . Now that he’s gone, House Xiahou’s fortunes will be severely affected . ”

Duke Xiaoyao was intensely distress . “I have failed, Forefather . Please punish me harshly . ”

“Punish you? If that did anything, I would kill you on the spot . But what good would that do for us? Moreover, you weren’t the main reason for Xiahou Zong’s death . At the end of the day, his fortunes didn’t run deep enough . His nature hadn’t been tempered properly . Such is the case with countless geniuses in the world of martial dao . But his talent… what a shame, what a shame…”

There was unspeakable regret in Xiahou Ming’s aged voice .

“What should the house do from now on, forefather? Do our plans proceed?” the duke couldn’t help but ask .

“The arrow is nocked on the bow, why should it not be fired? Matters here in Eternal Divine Nation must be resolved eventually . Xiaoyao, any faction at the zenith of its strength, yet still unable to replace the sacred land, is destined to decline . The sacred land will eventually suppress it to become a second or third-rate faction – or worse, cause it to disappear from history forever .  

“Remember, we cannot foresee the limits of our own future, but we must cherish this opportunity . After these long years of expenditure, the Eternal Sacred Land is on the verge of exhaustion . We are becoming stronger each year, while the sacred land is becoming weaker . Do you not even understand this much?” Killing intent flashed in Xiahou Ming’s eyes .

“This junior understands . ” Of course the duke knew all this . He had hesitated merely because of Xiahou Zong’s death . He wondered whether the house had enough luck left to challenge the Eternal Sacred Land .

“What are you perplexed about, then? Xiahou Zong is a genius that comes once in ten thousand years, yes . But House Xiahou hardly relies on a single youth for its strength . If you’ve lost your fighting spirit because of his death, you disappoint me . ”

“My fighting spirit burns as brightly as ever,” the duke affirmed hurriedly . “Especially since you are leading us, Forefather . ”

“How are things everywhere else in the nation? The other factions?”

“Of the three sects and seven houses, seven out of the ten have formed a coalition in order to disrupt the current state of affairs and end the sacred land’s rule . The sacred land’s dictatorship will come to an end . ”

“Seven? So three have sided with the sacred land?”

“No no no, not at all . Declined trash like House Yan can be taken out of the equation automatically . Though they seem neutral, they are actually on our side . They simply lack the strength and resources to participate in a momentous matter like this . ” Duke Xiaoyao’s tone was filled with disdain for House Yan .

“House Yan?” Xiahou Ming harrumphed . “If I remember correctly, the root of Xiahou Zong’s trouble was this house, yes?”

“Yes…” Duke Xiaoyao was rather embarrassed . “Shao Yuan hated Xiahou Zong because of a House Yan girl . ”

“Women have ever been a source of danger . If Xiahou Zong could not understand even that much, he had good reason to die at his enemy’s hand . ” Xiahou Ming’s tone carried a hint of displeasure still .

“Our great work is at hand, Xiaoyao . You must compose yourself . Don’t let the sacred land perceive anything awry, or all we have done will have been for naught . ”

Xiahou Ming instructed Duke Xiaoyao .

“Don’t worry, Forefather . We’ve kept everything quite secret . If we destroy the sacred land, then the imperial family…”

“Hmph, what will the imperial family amount to once the sacred land is gone? It’s just a puppet of the most powerful faction . Useful for keeping up appearances, but totally superfluous otherwise . The current imperial family has too many idle thoughts . Quite a bold stance to take, I should say . It will not be allowed to exist in the nation’s future . ”

Xiahou Ming’s tone was icy despite the topic of the conversation . The imperial family’s existence was a trifling matter to him .

Duke Xiaoyao crowed with laughter . “Exactly what I think, Forefather . The imperial family is too ambitious for its own good . We are merely making use of its ambitions and connections to form a stronger alliance with the other factions . There would be no reason to suffer them otherwise . ”

The imperial family had been an accessory of the sacred land from the outset .

Precisely because the sacred land’s usual involved role in their affairs, it was tired of playing the puppet . It wanted to become a master in its own right .

Sadly for it, it would never get that chance in Eternal Divine Nation .

Whether the ruler behind the scenes was the sacred land or House Xiahou, no serious consideration would be given to turning over any real authority to the imperial family .

“Your line of thought is still clear enough at the moment, Xiaoyao,” Xiahou Ming declared coolly . “I hope the death of Xiahou Zong will not cloud your judgment . ”

“Don’t worry, Forefather . House Xiahou has prepared so many years for this moment . I will grasp this opportunity with all my might . ”

“Remember, wait for my command . I’ve observed the old man in the sacred land for thousands of years . When I act, you must immediately respond by conquering the sacred land . Kill everything alive within, whether man or beast!”

“We are to eliminate sources of future trouble?” Duke Xiaoyao chuckled . “I understand . ”  

“Go . Call together your men and ready for battle . It might very well happen in the next few days . ” Xiahou Ming’s aged voice sounded rather sinister .

……

One day of preparation was more than enough . Jiang Chen intended to sneak Huang’er and Bi’er out of the Eternal Sacred Land . The current situation was far too complicated to risk alerting anybody .

The lower a profile he kept, the better . The more people that knew meant the more potential for trouble .

Though he was able to force himself to stay calm the entire day, there was an uncomfortable sense of dread within . He only became more resolved to carry out his plan because of it . The sooner Huang’er and Bi’er got out of here, the better .

Everyone disguised themselves before departing the sacred land in the dark of night .

Upon traveling a few dozen miles out, Jiang Chen frowned slightly . His unease hadn’t abated a single bit . They traveled a bit more before he quietly called everyone to a stop . “Hold on, everyone . Looks like someone’s tailing us . ”

“Someone’s after us?” Yan Qingsang was among the company as well . He wasn’t heading to the human domain himself, but he did want to accompany them . Jiang Chen had seen no reason to refuse .

“They latched onto us as soon as we left the sacred land . ” Jiang Chen’s expression was as black as his tone . “But it’s fine . The people following us aren’t particularly strong . Perhaps we’ve been taken for normal disciples of the sacred land . ”

“Oh? How strong?” Yan Qingsang brightened when he heard this . He wanted to practice on someone his own level .

“We’re not far from the sacred land . They’re not exactly going to make a move here . Let’s head on out another thousand miles or two . ” Jiang Chen didn’t mind taking them out if their stalkers stubbornly followed .

Being followed was hardly a good thing . There was something inherently wrong about being shadowed starting from the sacred land’s outskirts . That meant someone was observing the sacred land’s activities . To send stalkers after a few likely insignificant characters could mean nothing else .

It was clearer than ever that the Eternal Sacred Land could no longer exercise its authority of rulership .  

In the past, who would dare monitor anything within several hundred miles of the sacred ground? Doing so was tantamount to a death wish .

A thousand miles or two was quite close for an empyrean cultivator . It didn’t take long at all for Jiang Chen to notice that the group was still on their tail . They behaved as if they wouldn’t relent .

He was rather upset at the unwanted attention .

“Take care of Huang’er and sister senior Bi’er, Qingsang . I’ll send these blind fools to hell myself . ”

Regardless of who it was, a group of secret pursuers could only mean ill . Jiang Chen didn’t want a horde of unwanted ghouls at his back . It would affect the speed of their trip as well as risk revealing their destination .