Chapter 3234 - A Terrifying Sight (Two)
Chapter 3234: A Terrifying Sight (Two)
Afterwards, Jian Chen left Soaring Clouds Peak with Bai Yu and Han Xin, directly making their way to the sacred hall above the clouds.
The sacred hall was a representation of the Radiant Saint Hall’s authority. It was a holy land. Without the permission of the elders, even Radiant Godkings who served as the lord of a peak could not set foot in there.
However, Han Xin and Bai Yu who both wielded protector swords obviously were not bound by that rule.
Jian Chen did not expose himself either. In order to avoid any unnecessary problems, he disguised himself as a Hallowed Saint Master, following behind Han Xin silently.
Han Xin and Bai Yu enjoyed extraordinary status in the Radiant Saint hall due to their identities as protectors. As soon as they entered the sacred hall, all of the Hallowed Saint Masters they encountered along the way clasped their fists and bowed, demonstrating great respect.
Some of these Hallowed Saint Masters were the disciples of elders and some were responsible for maintaining order in the sacred hall, or they were envoys assisting the elders in their usual business.
With a single glance, Jian Chen noticed that basically all the Hallowed Saint Masters hid a hint of envy behind their respectful gazes towards Han Xin and Bai Yu.
The protector swords of the Tower of Radiance could send people on a meteoric rise. Everyone in the Radiant Saint Hall, from regular disciples to vice hall masters, wanted a protector sword!
Under the lead of Han Xin and Bai Yu, Jian Chen moved through the sacred hall smoothly, arriving before the Tower of Radiance very soon.
The Tower of Radiance had changed slightly compared to when Jian Chen first saw it. Not only had it become even more dazzling than before, but it also emanated with powerful energy and tremendous pressure.
It was as if the Tower of Radiance had already recovered some of its glory as a sovereign god artifact.
However, it was still sealed there by a powerful formation from a Grand Exalt. As long as the formation remained, it could not break free despite being a sovereign god artifact.
It was still nowhere close to its peak condition either!
Han Xin took out his protector sword. The powerful Laws of the Hallowed immediately emanated from the protector sword. When it reached the Tower of Radiance, a gate immediately opened up.
In the past, every opening of the Tower of Radiance required a tremendous amount of effort from the Radiant Saint Hall. They required experts at the level of vice hall masters.
However, protector swords could directly open it!
Jian Chen, Han Xin, and Bai Yu entered the Tower of Radiance at the same time.
However, as soon as they entered the Tower of Radiance, the space became hazy before they could even make out the surroundings. Everything around them vanished completely, reduced to chaos.
The power from the Tower of Radiance had separated this place, such that it was completely isolated from the outside world. As a result, even if there were Hallowed Saint Masters cultivating in the Tower of Radiance, they would not know what happened here.
Shortly afterwards, a middle-aged man dressed in white robes silently appeared before the three of them. He seemed to radiate with hazy light. His glow filled the entire place.
“Greetings, sir artifact spirit!” Han Xin and Bai Yu immediately demonstrated great respect, bowing in a hurry.
Seeing how Jian Chen just stood there blankly, Bai Yu tugged at his sleeve in a hurry and whispered, “Senior brother, stop standing there blankly. This is the artifact spirit of the Tower of Radiance. You should bow!”
Jian Chen did not budge. He only stared at the artifact spirit with a mild gaze, smiling faintly, even in delight.
But in the next moment, something that left Bai Yu and Han Xin tongue-tied happened. The artifact spirit suddenly dropped down on one knee towards Jian Chen, saying emotionally, “Greetings, master! After all these years, you’ve finally returned, master!”
Han Xin and Bai Yu immediately became dumbfounded when the artifact spirit called him master. They both stared at the kneeling artifact spirit blankly as their hearts surged. Their faces were filled with disbelief.
Jian Chen smiled freely. He personally helped up the artifact spirit. “There’s no need to be like this. You’re the artifact spirit of the Tower of Radiance now. Your identity is different from before. I no longer possess the right to receive such a greeting from you.”
“The only reason why I possess what I have right now is all thanks to master’s nurturing. Master will always be my master!” the artifact spirit said firmly.
At this moment, Han Xin let out a sigh. He returned to his senses first. He gazed at Jian Chen in a manner where he still seemed shaken. His expression was extremely complicated. He sighed. “We guessed a long time ago that you played a factor in why we could obtain the protector swords, but we still never thought, no, not never thought, never even tried to think, never even tried to imagine that you’re actually the master of the Tower of Radiance already.”
“Senior brother, tell me, was it due to your secret arrangements that I could become a protector?” Bai Yu’s eyes reddened slightly, staring straight at Jian Chen.
Jian Chen’s relationship with the Tower of Radiance had shocked them, but they were not completely unprepared for this revelation inside.
After all, not only did all the protectors know about the fact that the Martial Soul lineage was the imperial clan, but they had guessed right from the beginning that the reason behind them obtaining the protector swords was related to Jian Chen.
As a member of the Martial Soul lineage, and hence the imperial clan, his words possessed even more sway than Gongsun Zhi’s. Perhaps he really was capable of influencing some of the artifact spirit’s decisions.
However, they never thought that Jian Chen’s relationship with the Tower of Radiance was master to servant.
“Before master left, he specially instructed me to take good care of you, which was why I bestowed you with the protector swords!” the artifact spirit said.
“Senior brother!”
Tears rolled down Bai Yu’s cheeks. She threw herself into Jian Chen’s arms and burst into tears.
She recalled her past. She had once demonstrated outstanding talent, such that an elder accepted her as a disciple. Her status skyrocketed.
However, good things never lasted. Due to her mediocre performance afterwards, the elder believed she had made a mistake, so she was cold-shouldered. She immediately went from heaven to hell, lonely and dejected.
Afterwards, when she entered the Tower of Radiance, she suddenly received the sympathy of the artifact spirit, hence obtaining a protector sword. She became a protector gloriously and gained terrifying power, becoming a superior existence that even stood above vice hall masters all of a sudden.
The great upheaval made everything seem like a dream to Bai Yu.
Only now did she finally confirm that everything she currently possessed was all from Jian Chen.
That touched Bai Yu deeply.
“You should go for now. I have something to discuss with master privately!” After a simple conversation, the artifact spirit transported Bai Yu and Han Xin out of here, such that only the two of them remained.
Afterwards, Jian Chen and the artifact spirit began a long conversation. The artifact spirit told him about everything that had happened over the years. In particular, he went into detail about how the Anatta Grand Exalt and the Grand Exalt of Ancient Paths had suddenly appeared right when he had been suppressed by the original artifact spirit and was on the verge of destruction, saving him in the very end.
When he heard how the Anatta Grand Exalt and the Grand Exalt of Ancient Paths had both visited the Tower of Radiance, Jian Chen immediately became perturbed. He questioned closely, “Why did they come to the Tower of Radiance?”
“They came to investigate the secrets of the Martial Soul lineage.” The artifact spirit began to explain patiently, telling Jian Chen about everything that happened that day, as well as letting Jian Chen know the secret that the Martial Soul lineage was the imperial clan.
“The Martial Soul lineage is actually the imperial clan, while the Method of the Exalted Saint is actually a cultivation method that only members of the imperial clan can practise. No wonder. It’s no wonder that I found the cultivation method very strange when I first saw the Method of the Exalted Saint, feeling as if it was specially created for the Martial Soul lineage.”
“Since the Martial Soul lineage is the imperial clan, why are they mortal enemies with the Radiant Saint Hall?” Jian Chen asked closely.
The artifact spirit shook his head. “The memories I’ve obtained from the previous artifact spirit aren’t complete. There are many blanks, as well as many fragments that I can’t understand completely. There are many things that I don’t know about.”
Jian Chen then asked about a few more things. Very soon, he learnt about Gongsun Zhi’s fate from the artifact spirit. “Gongsun Zhi is dead? Are you certain?”
“Gongsun Zhi wielded Godslayer’s sword for a period of time. I’ve already sensed through Godslayer’s sword that he has indeed died,” answered the artifact spirit.
“He’s just died like that? Well that’s a pity. The secret techniques of the Grand Exalt he obtained are now lost.” Jian Chen shook his head and sighed regretfully. The legacy of the Grand Exalt had been split in half between him and Gongsun Zhi. With Gongsun Zhi’s death, the items he obtained obviously vanished with him.
“You don’t have to worry, master. As long as the sacred mountain remains standing, the legacy will continue onwards, as I’ve learnt from the memories of the previous artifact spirit that the master of the Tower of Radiance was also the Grand Exalt that appeared in the history of the Martial Soul lineage. Everything he knew also came from the sacred mountain!”
“The sacred mountain?” Jian Chen was doubtful when he heard that.
“The sacred mountain is also known as the Martial Soul Mountain right now. However, during that age, there was no Martial Soul lineage or Martial Soul Mountain. There was only the imperial clan and the sacred mountain. The sacred mountain is where the true core of the imperial clan lies.”
“The Method of the Exalted Saint you obtained wasn’t actually created by the Tower of Radiance’s former master either. It was also from the sacred mountain. However, apart from the previous artifact spirit, only the past members of the imperial clan were aware of this secret.”