Dazzling City, at the top floor of the Moonseeker Pavilion.
"Father, the people of the dao palace are headed toward Dazzling City,” Dongyang Yun said from the door.
"So soon? I was just about to ask you to lure them over. That’s alright. The sooner they’re here, the sooner we solve this. It’s exactly what I want,” said the man in the room.
"Will Meng Tingyu reveal your plan?” asked Dongyang Yun.
"Trust me, she won’t say a word even if she dies. Perhaps other parties leaked news of Dazzling City. But it doesn't matter. We’ll let the people of the dao palace witness the power of the Cyclic Mirror with their own eyes. This is the fundamental link of my plan,” said the man.
"I understand. The greater the fire burns, the more likely Weisheng Yunxi is to change the state of the Evil Suppression Pillar,” said Dongyang Yun.
"Your performance comes next.”
"Yes.”
……
Tianming and the top powerhouses of the Dao Palace whizzed through the air, fast as lightning. After advancing to Sky Saint, Tianming’s saint ki was boundless. The Saint Palace Spring that resulted from his three battle arts was comparable to that of a fifth-level sky saint.
This change was brought about by the Primordial Chaos Beasts. His lifebound beasts also possessed the same superior saint ki. With three saint springs and the Grand-Orient Vortex, Tianming wouldn’t have to strain himself if he encountered Dongyang Fen once more.
The powerhouses of the Decimo Dao Palace were well aware of his transformation. However, with the urgency of the situation, they weren’t in the mood to praise him.
"For more than forty years, the Cyclic Mirror remained in the hands of the Theocrats. They’re no longer the same as before, allowing the Cyclic Mirror to absorb human souls under the eyes of the masses. Now they’re using the Dazzling Pavilion, with its numerous branches all over the kingdom, to secretly traffic people. With Meng Tingyu personally in charge, they managed to keep it under wraps.”
"It’s no wonder the Dazzling Pavilion developed so rapidly over the past forty years. It turns out that Autarch Qian personally supported their development.”
"So who was in charge of the Cyclic Mirror after Autarch Qian’s death?”
That was their biggest question. It was unlikely to be Meng Tingyu. Aside from the fact she was already an eighth-level Sky Saint, she had a terribly tough personality. Despite their joint efforts, they were unable to dig the truth from her lips.
"The urgent transportation of three hundred thousand people to Dazzling City must’ve been rather conspicuous. The Earthorigin Sect Master traded with Meng Tingyu three times before that, and each time it was about seven hundred thousand people. Five months ago, seven hundred thousand more people were transported to Dazzling City. I wonder if they’re still alive," said Li Wudi.
He had seen enough to know that his former opponent, Jun Shengxiao, was nothing compared to the Theocrats. Jun Shengxiao’s strength was superficial at best.
"Let’s speed up,” said Weisheng Yunxi.
It is said that the last three hundred thousand people had just arrived in Dazzling City a few days ago. Perhaps they might be able to save them and catch the owner of the Cyclic Mirror off guard if they arrived in time.
……
Soon after, a magnificent city that resembled a graceful goddess appeared before their eyes. The prosperous Dazzling City was the Dazzling Pavilion’s territory, and the Moonseeker Pavilion was the residence of the pavilion lord, Meng Tingyu. No one was allowed inside, not even Meng Qingqing. None of them knew why Meng Tingyu alone occupied such a large area of land that was completely closed off. But now the Decimo Dao Palace understood.
"Who dares break into Dazzling City?!” As soon as they flew over the city, someone came up to intercept them.
However, the people of the Dazzling Pavilion couldn't catch up to them. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared before everyone's eyes.
"I think I saw Bai Mo and Ye Yi. ”
“Isn’t that the palace lord of the Decimo Dao Palace, Weisheng Yunxi? ”
"You’re right!”
"What’re they doing in Dazzling City? Aren’t they supposed to attack the Sun-Moon Imperial Formation tonight?”
"I don’t know!”
Dazzling City grew turbulent.
Tianming and the others soon came across Siege City. Siege City was surrounded by high walls, completely enclosed by a heavenly pattern formation. In the middle stood a tall, magnificent building, which was the Moonseeker Pavilion. With a four-star heavenly pattern formation surrounding it, everything within Siege City appeared a little fuzzy. Having contemplated the situation, Tianming thought that the elders might cause a loud din trying to break the formation and end up wasting time as well as startling their enemies.
So he shouted, "Everyone, let me handle the formation.”
Since Weisheng Yunxi and the elders knew that Tianming's arm had the ability to tear open the Infernal Soul Formation, they allowed him to go ahead. Without another word, he descended on the formation and tore a hole in it with his left hand.
Led by Weisheng Yunxi, the group quickly charged in. Tianming entered last, and the gap in the formation closed behind him.
An open space greeted them. The entire place resembled paradise, with marvelous palaces and pavilions, lush grass, greenery, and a sea of flowers everywhere. The waters were clear, the flowers fragrant, and birdsong filled the air. A patch of pink peach blossoms stretched for dozens of kilometers, enclosing a crystal clear lake.
Almost in the first instant, Weisheng Yunxi and the elders headed toward the lake. They landed beside it and stood motionless on the ground. Tianming quickly followed.
"What do you see?” asked Weisheng Yunxi, her voice trembling.
Bai Mo’s face was rather pale, and his voice tinged with a hint of pain and pity for the fate of mankind. He had obviously seen something. "Palace Lord, everyone is dead. There must be about a million people in this lake,” he said in a hoarse voice.
Weisheng Yunxi gritted her teeth. Unsteady, she almost seemed to collapse. She sat weakly on the ground, helplessly crying. Everyone stared at this scene blankly, bereft of speech.
In Tianming's eyes, innumerable corpses lay floating on the water, all swollen and bloated. Their faces were frozen in an everlasting smile, eyes widened. At the moment of their greatest joy, these people had perished and their souls were scattered. Most of them were vigorous youths with infinite possibilities ahead of them, filled with hope and life. But now, their stinking corpses densely covered the surface of the water.
Despite the absence of blood in the lake, it was in fact a bloody hellhole. Like a poisonous thorn, this image was stuck in Tianming's head, making it difficult for him to breathe. The true meaning of “hell is empty and all the devils are here” was something he would never forget.
Squeezing his own throat, Tianming exerted much effort just to breathe, his eyes bloodshot. Even with the Soul Tower, he felt a stinging in his brain. Like a storm, this had a fatal impact on his Imperial Will. His gaze swept across the bodies in the lake; the corpses were different from each other, but at this moment, their smiles were the same.
"They said that tens of billions of bones remained buried under the Divine City for tens of thousands of years. They all died on the Cyclic Mirror. However, I hadn’t witnessed it until today....”
He thoroughly understood the hatred and enmity the martyrs and elders of the Decimo Dao Palace felt toward the Theocrats.
"Isn’t this clan worthy of annihilation?!”
Voice hoarse, Tianming couldn’t fight a discomfort that made him retch. He wasn’t afraid, but tremendously furious. There was a storm raging inside of him. Sure, he didn’t know these people, nor did he have any feelings for them. But he was human, after all! The basis of humanity was the presence of emotions and the ability to reason. Who could still remain calm after seeing their own kind so ruthlessly slaughtered?
Hearsay was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes and smelling the stench of a million rotting corpses was another matter entirely. Bai Mo and the others had experienced the era from more than forty years ago. Perhaps they had witnessed the exact same scene in the Cyclic Mirror Lake. But even so, their eyes were bloodshot.
"Palace Lord...."
Sky Hall King Weisheng Yumo helped her aunt up.
"I...." Weisheng Yunxi gasped.
Her shoulders looked thin and weak. It was painful to see a kind and gentle soul like her facing the cruelty and ruthlessness of the Theocrats. Tianming would never forget every word she had said to him, or her dream of a better era.
"How despicable! This group of dogs are unworthy to live in this world! Look for them!”
Having glanced at the lake, Li Wudi clenched his fists so tightly that his veins violently burst. Blood and ki welling up inside of him, his gaze swept around the area and finally locked on the Moonseeker Pavilion. It was the only possible place within Siege City. Although the scene in the lake had drastically affected their emotions, it had merely lasted a few breaths’ time. Without saying anything else, Li Wudi rushed toward the Moonseeker Pavilion.
"We showed up unexpectedly. Perhaps there’s still someone there,” Ye Yi said, following Li Wudi.
The others immediately came to the same realization. With their numbers, they could easily search the area.
At that moment, a figure in red suddenly left the top floor of the Moonseeker Pavilion.
"Why are you here?“ the man shouted, his expression changing drastically. Rising up into the sky, he quickly fled.
"Dongyang Yun!“
In that instant, they all recognized him. What did his presence mean?
"Stop! ”
Weisheng Yunxi, Ye Yi, Bai Mo, and Li Wudi were the first to catch up to him. Because he was the first to move, Li Wudi was the closest to Dongyang Yun. Without another word, he darted toward him with a bloody gleam in his eye.
"Go to hell!”
The huge blade that appeared in Li Wudi’s hand came slashing at Dongyang Yun. Swinging his sword, Dongyang Yun blocked the attack. However, he immediately felt his arm go numb as he was blown thirty meters away. Eyes wide, incredulity was written all over his face.
Unfortunately, he didn't have time for shock, as the rest of the Decimo Dao Palace had arrived, each fiercer than the other. Their attacks were unanimously aimed at Dongyang Yun.