Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Although they were over the Sacred Institute, they could still sense the disturbance in the Hero Palace.
The Sacred Institute was located in the spacious Sacred City, while the Hero Palace was 30-odd miles away.
It was imaginable how desperate the battle was if they could sense it from there.
“Guys, the Evil Cloud Palace is invading. Please join me to fight against them!”
The grand elders present were anxious. They wanted to take the strong ones present to go to the rescue.
However, many of those strong people in the Sacred City couldn’t make up their minds.
“The Murongs’ lord made sense. We’ve been obeying the Hero Palace all this time, but over something as big as the royal map, they didn’t tell us a word.”
“The Hero Palace has gained many honors, but most of them came from 1,000 years ago. Nowadays, they’re only a group. Why should they throw their weight around?”
“They’ve ordered us to kill the enemies, so we should just go kill the enemies?”
The undercover members of the audience planted by the Murongs acted now. What they had said was persuasive and malicious.
“Guys, isn’t it thanks to the lead of the Sacred Institute that the Dragon Field has managed to become the core of the Nine Heavens Continent? They’ve been training disciples from various fields free of charge. It’s like planting seeds. Inadvertently, those seeds might take root and sprout, then grow into towering trees one day.”
Of course, there were still people who trusted the Hero Palace, and not just a few.
“The Hero Palace has made so many contributions these years. You can’t just take them for granted!”
“Murongs, this can’t just be a coincidence. You’re being so insidious, and you keep pushing us. Let’s start a war then.”
Suddenly, it didn’t seem so urgent to Shui Yuan to go to the Hero Palace, since they were the ones who were defending, and the Evil Cloud Palace couldn’t crack them alone.
Then they were going to fight against the Murongs.
“Hero Palace! Did the Murongs say anything wrong? You’re always so aloof and proud. How annoying.”
Another strong team formed of Venerables arrived. They were from the Sus, another aristocratic family of inheritance.
A big battle was on the verge of breaking out. Jiang Chen was weighing and considering things silently. Numerous ideas occurred to him.
There was no way he could meddle in the battle of Venerables. He had taken Murong Long by surprise to punch his teeth out, and it had exhausted him.
For that moment, he could only stay there and watch.
Even if the sky collapsed, there were taller people to support it.
That being said, he felt like the Hero Palace was in a very passive situation that day. Considering the Murongs had acted so toughly, they must have planned more moves.
Judging from Nan Gong’s reaction just before, the Hero Palace had been too proud. They were angry with the Murongs’ arrogance, when in reality, they didn’t take it seriously.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
All of a sudden, the deafening tolls of a bell chimed from the Hero Palace. They sounded urgent.
All the disciples of the Hero Palace, including Jiang Chen, turned pale. They all knew what that meant.
These bells would only toll when the Hero Palace was in danger. At that moment, they wouldn’t stop tolling, which seemed unbelievable.
Shui Yuan, Nan Gong, and the other grand elders broke out in cold sweats.
“Hahaha, Hero Palace! What does fear taste like? It’s not a good feeling to live in another’s shadows, is it?” Murong Xiong shouted.
“Neither you nor the Evil Cloud Palace could be strong enough to do this. You! You’re only the chess pieces of others!” Nan Gong lost his usual calmness and looked like a hot-headed old man.
“Huh! Something like the Sacred Institute shouldn’t exist at all. You should realize how institutions like the Sacred Institute have ended in other Planes Worlds!” said Murong Xiong.
Upon hearing that, something occurred to the grand elders of the Hero Palace. They turned extremely pale.
“Dragon Rebel Army?” They mentioned a strange name.
The Gaos and other groups on the Hero Palace’s side all thought it was incredible.
“So the rumor is true?” They looked towards the grand elders.
“Yes.”
The Dragon Rebel Army was the army of a dynasty located in a Planes World above the Nine Heavens Continent.
It was said the Planes World in which the dynasty existed was at war, were recruiting armies and purchasing weapons. They had even imposed compulsory military service, catching able-bodied men in places like the Realm of Milky and the Realm of Nine Heavens to use them in the war.
Those able-bodied men were usually practitioners in the Reaching Heaven State. Even some Venerables had been caught.
“You think the Hero Palace is righteous? Let me tell you one thing. The Dragon Rebel Army set a quota for them, which was to recruit 1,000 soldiers in the Reaching Heaven State by the end of the year,” said Murong Xiong.
The crowd went into uproar. Jiang Chen was shocked, too.
The short-term disciples from various fields would graduate at the end of the year!
He finally realized why the Sacred Institute had suddenly recruited short-term disciples—to reach the goal.
“When the time comes, the Sacred Institute will make everything known to the public. You can make a decision of your own free will,” Nan Gong explained. He had sensed the uneasiness of the disciples.
“Unbelievable.” Murong Xiong shrugged his shoulders and said with a cold smile, “And what will you do if the number of voluntary disciples doesn’t reach 1,000?”
“That so-called Dragon Rebel Army won’t be satisfied with only 1,000 soldiers. They’ll fly into a rage. Being their servant, how many soldiers will the Murongs have to give to them? Ten thousand? One hundred thousand?” Jiang Chen said coldly.
He had hit the nail right on the head. It wasn’t necessary to explain it at all. They just needed to prove the Murongs’ true colors.
What he had said drew everyone’s attention to the fact. If the Dragon Rebel Army wasn’t even satisfied with 1,000 soldiers and intended to eliminate the Hero Palace, how many would satisfy them?
“I can assure you that if the Murongs have to reach the goal, we don’t start from the Dragon Field. We protect our own well-being first. After all, the Nine Heavens Continent is large.”
Murong Xiong showed his shameless side, but it was the most effective way. He said, “The Hero Palace recruited less than 500 short-term disciples. The other 500, needless to say, will come from other disciples. Do you want your disciples to go to such a terrible place?”
The short-term disciples present understood what he was implying. They couldn’t help but cry out, but since most people kept their silence, their voices appeared extremely insignificant.
When it came to the benefits of the folks of the Dragon Field, it just didn’t matter anymore what was right or wrong.
Compared to the explanation the Hero Palace had offered, the Murongs’ was apparently more attractive.
At this moment, an even louder bell toll came from the Hero Palace, and it was followed by the blare of an explosion.
Nan Gong and the others’ hearts sank. This meant the Hero Palace had been taken.
“The Dragon Rebel Army will be here soon. The Hero Palace and the Sacred Institute are doomed. Not much time left for you to make your decision. I want nothing from you. All you need to do is to stay away from the Hero Palace and not meddle,” said Murong Xiong.
It didn’t take long for the Hero Palace’s team to lose two-thirds of their men.
“Tricky.” Jiang Chen realized how severe the situation was.
All of a sudden, he sensed a vicious gaze. It was coming from Murong Long.
Without the Hero Palace and the Gaos, Jiang Chen would lose his protection. Murong Long would find many chances to take revenge!
Then Jiang Chen noticed how Ning Haotian was gazing at Crimson Moon. Jiang Chen felt that things were going badly, really, really badly.
