Elites of the Dreamhaze Sect had joined the rebels in attacking the Martial Sacred Land, leaving their home base vulnerable.
The Goldbiter Rats were a slippery bunch. They came back with the information Jiang Chen needed not long after.
“Young master Chen, the head of the Dreamhaze Sect has a direct grandson. The boy is in the sect, but has two eighth level empyrean personal guards at his side. They seem to be the sect head’s deathsworn, and have been tasked to keep his grandson safe.”
Jiang Chen smiled slightly and asked, “Do you have an exact location?”
“Yes,” the rat king responded with confidence. “I’ve planted a few rats around the area. As soon as you draw close, you’ll notice.”
Jiang Chen turned to Prime Puresmoke. “Will you join us, Prime Puresmoke, or leave it to us?”
The rebellion was Martial’s own responsibility. It’d be unbecoming of her to let outsiders do their job. She responded without hesitation, “Take me there. This seat will take the matter in my own hands.”
Two eighth level empyrean guards were nothing in Prime Puresmoke’s eyes. She had a myriad of ways to take them out. After all, she was a prominent figure in the sacred land and was close to being a demigod.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Chen entered the sect’s territory in a flash. Although it was guarded with restrictions and defensive formations, they were nothing when it came to formation masters like Prime Puresmoke and Jiang Chen.
They easily snuck through the restrictions at the mouth of the mountain.
They were powerful enough to break in without much difficulty, but they opted for stealth just to be on the safe side. If the sect head’s grandson got wind of their arrival and escaped, that would be far from ideal. Neither Jiang Chen nor the prime wanted to alert their enemies.
The Dreamhaze Sect turned out to be deserving of their reputation as a first tier faction. Its grounds were a world of its own, evident of a solid foundation.
However, with most of their elites deployed, the place was vulnerable. Although their defenses were strong, the lack of manpower would be a problem.
It didn’t take long for Jiang Chen and the prime to locate the sect head’s grandson. They locked onto him with both their consciousness.
The sect head was a demigod and ruled over the sect for more than seven thousand years. This grandson was the one he favored the most out of all his descendants. The boy was the handpicked heir and being groomed to take over the sect.
As one of the four demigods among the rebels, sect head Meng Qianqiu wielded strong influence. If something happened to him, more troubles would beset the rebels.
Inside a secret realm, a boy with a complexion as clear as jade was practicing martial techniques in a monotonous manner on a training field. There were defense posts scattered throughout the field, and two eighth level empyrean guards stayed close to the boy.
This was Meng Qianqiu’s grandson, Meng Tianxing.
After completing a set of sword techniques, Meng Tianxing angrily propelled his long sword through a wall and into the lake outside.
He huffed and dropped onto a stool, fuming. It was clear he wasn’t in the mood for practicing.
The two personal guards exchanged a look. They could tell their young master was upset, but they didn’t know how to cheer him up.
“Young master…”
Meng Tianxing’s fair face reddened in anger. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your master.”
“Young master, the sect head has assigned us to serve you. That makes us your servants. If you’re angry, please take it out on us!”
Meng Tianxing scoffed. “What good is that going to do? If you truly consider me your master, take me to the Martial Sacred Land. I want to join the war and earn my glory!”
The two guards didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They knew the source of the boy’s anger, but the sect head had ordered them not to let the boy leave. If anything happened to him, they would be held accountable.
Thus, they couldn’t give Meng Tianxing what he wanted. Anyone would follow the sect head’s order in this case. They could only try to pacify the boy’s anger.
“What? You were assigned to protect me, but you don’t even have the courage to fight? Don’t you want to follow me to earn glory?”
“That’s not our job, young master. Our duty is to protect you. If anything happens to you, the sect head will skin us alive and pull out our tendons.”
“Cowards!” Meng Tianxing yelled angrily. “If you’re not willing, I’ll go myself one day when you’re not looking!”
“You mustn’t, young master,” one of the guards tried. “There will be a time when you can prove yourself. You’re still learning and should use this time to improve. You’ll get a chance to kill enemies in the future.”
“Hmph, in the future? That’s going to be years later. I hear that Miss Yu Ling, one of the sixteen golden hairpins, is in the sacred land. Many young men in the nation pant after her like dogs. If I miss this opportunity, who knows which of those bastards is going to get the girl?”
So that was what the matter was about.
The two guards shared a look. They finally understood why their young master wanted so much to fight in the sacred land.
“Young master, it’s said that Miss Yu Ling isn’t even in the sacred land,” the other guard spoke up. “You don’t have to worry about her being taken.”
“Nonsense. She’s the holy girl. Why wouldn’t she be in the sacred land?”
“This subordinate hears that she and her master Prime Puresmoke are at the sacred land’s spirit herb base rather than its headquarters.”
“Oh? The spirit herb base?” Meng Tianxing’s eyes darted around as he plotted. His eyes lit up suddenly. “Then let’s go to the base!”
“We can’t.”
Meng Tianxing snickered. “You’re such cowards when it comes to my grandfather. Relax, I’ll take responsibility if anything happens. Happy?”
The two guards didn’t waver. If something did go wrong, not even the young master would be able to save them from the sect head’s ire. Besides, if something happened to the young master, how would he going to shoulder the blame?
“Please give up those thoughts, young master. If the girl is captured, we’ll do everything we can to deliver her to you.”
“No, it’ll be too late when you hear the news. Countless young men from the numerous factions are all trying to get her.”
“Elder Liang, I hear that years have been kind to Prime Puresmoke and that she’s still one of the most beautiful and graceful women in the nation. Don’t you want a piece of her as well?”
One of the guards, Elder Liang, smiled wryly. “Young master, Puresmoke is beautiful, but she’s not someone people like us should covet.”
“How do you know without trying? Don’t you want to pin her down and have your way with her?” Meng Tianxing was young, but he was born a lecherous man.
Elder Liang cackled, the look in his gaze obscene.
“This subordinate wouldn’t dare.” Elder Liang smirked. “But you, young master, you’ll have a good time sleeping with both of them. It would be gracious you to let me have a taste afterwards.”
Suddenly, the atmosphere around them changed. It felt like an invisible mountain was bearing down on them with great power.
Elder Liang’s eyes widened with fear when he turned to the side. A tremor ran through his body.
The other guard was staring at them with wide eyes, blood streaming out of his eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth. He’d been killed without any of them noticing!
Bam!
The guard keeled over like a wall, kicking up dust into the air.
“This is bad! Run, young master!” Elder Liang rushed to Meng Tianxing after he recovered from his shock, intending to escort him out. However, before he could reach the boy, Meng Tianxing vanished.
When the elder saw the boy again, he was held up high in the sky by numerous vines. The vines writhed in the air, wrapping around the boy tightly like he was a rice dumpling.
Scared witless, Meng Tianxing howled, “Elder Liang, help! Help me!”
He was a genius, but he was young. His cultivation was about the level of Eternal’s Five Great Gentlemen, and the lower tier ones at that. He was no match for Jiang Chen or Xiahou Zong. He might not even be able to defeat Holy Girl Yu Ling.
The sudden turn of events completely panicked the boy.
It was Elder Liang’s duty to protect his young master. He flashed into the sky to cut the vines, but he was stopped by the appearance of a beautiful woman.
It was Prime Puresmoke, and her icy gaze was fixed on the elder.
“You…” Elder Liang stared at her in shock like he’d seen a ghost. Why would the prime appear in the Dreamhaze Sect?
He thought back to the obscene remarks he’d made. Bedding both the prime and her disciple? He should really kill himself right now!
“Hm? Don’t you recognize this seat?” Prime Puresmoke asked frigidly.
