Severing All Ties!
Severing All Ties!
"We had thought that with the nine of us sacrificing wholeheartedly, we could at the very least ensure peace in Heavenly Punishment for eternity! But we had never imagined you guys would go back on your words right before our eyes! What sort of logic is this? Don't tell me that vow and promise back then was just merely a worthless piece of paper! Were we, the Mystic Beasts, really so easy to dupe?!"
That burly man's face was completely pale. His expression was somewhat dispirited. But he was extremely forceful when he spoke! There was an extremely furious look in his eyes as he stared intently at the twenty men before him. He made it clear that if there was any disagreement, they would start a battle immediately and there would be no room for salvation!
Clearly, the other party's behavior of forcefully starting the war in Heavenly Punishment without caring about the safety of Heavenly Punishment had thoroughly enraged him!
"Saint Emperor Lu has misunderstood. The Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master is our common enemy; if this person is not eliminated, the danger and threat to the continent will never be resolved. With regards to what Saint Emperor Lu asked earlier, there are a lot of sudden changes in this situation, so do allow me to give you an explanation at a later time. After all, we are all injured and need to immediately return to recuperate. A small matter like this can wait till the next time we meet. Then we shall clarify everything for good." Brother Cao gave a forced smile, awkwardness plastered across his face.
"Small matter? Cao Guo Feng, you are truly shameless. Are you telling me that this matter of Heavenly Punishment is merely a small matter in your eyes? You're still trying to obscure the facts with your words! What I want is not that so-called explanation of yours! I want an honest answer!"
That burly man wore an extremely cold expression as he spoke in a deep voice. "If you do not give me an answer today, then all twenty of you can remain in Heavenly Punishment! Just because you are Saint Emperor experts, you think you can invert right and wrong in Heavenly Punishment?!"
This Heavenly Punishment Saint Emperor really has quite a temper!
Jun Moxie, who had concealed himself, mentally exclaimed in admiration. Although this fellow was simple minded and had an upright character, causing him to easily be tricked and taken advantage of, he didn't give a sh*t when he really argued! Like a real man!
Cao Guofeng snickered. "Brother Lu, if this was over three hundred years ago, perhaps I really would have considered carefully when you made this statement. But… After being completely exhausted after three hundred and seventy-five years, you wish to hold all twenty of us back in here… Haha, even though we have all sustained injuries, I highly doubt that is possible? Conversely, if we take the risk of our injuries worsening, which side do you reckon will have a greater chance of leaving this place alive?"
Beside him, another person snickered and added. "Brother Lu, as the saying goes, everything changes with time. Those days where the world cowered at the feet of Heavenly Punishment are long over. It will never return. We are all old acquaintances; why can't we talk over this amicably? Why must we have to engage in meaningless brawls… With the current strength of Heavenly Punishment, is it really capable of doing any good?"
Saint Emperor Lu's expression darkened. He said coldly, "Well said. What you mean is that… you begged us for help when we were strong, now that we are not as powerful, we should be at your mercy? Allow others to butcher us?"
Although this was what everyone meant, some things were better left unsaid. But he had spelt it out so clearly, causing the few Saint Emperors and Saint Kings to feel a little embarrassed.
After all, the nine Saint Kings of Heavenly Punishment had devotedly guarded the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master for so many years. And clearly, Heavenly Punishment was doing them a favor. But the reason they did not fulfil their end of the promise was because they no longer had any use for Heavenly Punishment, so they decided to destroy the bridge after crossing the river. And no matter how hypocritical these Saint King experts were, they still needed to preserve their last shred of dignity, so there was no way they could openly admit to this.
"The clenched fist is the strongest argument! It is a fact that the current Heavenly Punishment's strength is far from how it was in the past! Saint Emperor Lu is always open and honest; I believe you would not deny this fact?"
That white-clothed man paused for a moment before continuing. "That is the rule of the pugilistic world, and that is the way it has been for ten thousand years. Comradeship and loyalty… Saint Emperor Lu, in this iron-blooded pugilistic world, don't you think that they're just a joke?"
"The one surnamed Bai, can I take it as you are speaking on behalf of the Misty Illusory Manor?" The Saint Emperor Lu took a step forward, a glow radiating in his eyes and he stared at his face, his hair and beard flaring upwards!
"Of those from the Misty Illusory Manor present here, I am the most senior one here!" The white-clothed man hesitated for a moment before raising his head and replying. This sentence not only outrightly admitted to all the things said earlier, but also represented the standpoint of the entire Misty Illusory Manor!
"Good! Good! Good!" Saint Emperor Lu nodded his head heavily and said. His gaze turned to the other people. "Everyone from the three Holy Lands also means this?"
Everyone exchanged looks. A long while passed, but still no one spoke up. That person from Misty Illusory Manor had already made things clear. They were both on the same team, and if they denied it, they would have offended the Misty Illusory Manor. If they admitted to it, they would offend Heavenly Punishment Forest. They were completely caught in the middle. They were all cursing Brother Bai in their heads for driving all them to the edge of the cliff!
But these people thought about how their juniors had targeted Heavenly Punishment not too long ago. And even ganged up to beat the current Lord of Heavenly Punishment Venerable Mei to death. This vengeance and hatred alone had already made it impossible for both of them to share the same sky. And now these seniors of Heavenly Punishment have reemerged, there was no way they could hide the incident. Might as well be honest and make it clear first.
And now Heavenly Punishment Forest had been greatly weakened, and these nine senior Beast Kings were on the verge of dying. The junior Beast Kings were still weak, it seemed… that there was no need to be this careful…
Might as well keep silent and admit to it silently!
Looking at the awkward and guilty expressions on everyone's faces, yet the fact no one was speaking, Saint Emperor Lu couldn't help but laugh coldly in indignation. "Good, great, it's excellent! For the sake of an illusory, unreal promise, we nine brothers had slogged for almost four hundred years. To the point that even our primordial spirit was severely damaged. Under the impacts from the seals, we have really become spent forces. Since the three Holy Lands and Misty Illusory Manor think that the current Heavenly Punishment is nothing, then this Seat does not have the cheek to demand for an answer! This being the case, this tiny little Heavenly Punishment Forest is also unable to receive deities like yourselves! Farewell, all of you, I shall not see you off!"
His eyes suddenly glared, and he declared. "From now on, all ties shall be severed! Heavenly Punishment will also not be involved in anything concerning the Mystic Mystic Continent! Even that War for Seizing the Heavens is none of our business! Friendship and gratitude of ten thousand years shall all be written off in one strike! Take it as it had never existed! From now on, we are strangers! If any human dares to trespass into the ferocious land of Heavenly Punishment, their fates shall be entirely up to Heaven!"
He sounded determined to sever all ties, as if he was in great grief and anger. A grief that came from deep within could be heard in his words! And the meaning behind his words was very clear; from now onwards, they were no longer friends or allies, but… enemies!
In just a couple of sentences, the five greatest powers of the Mystic Mystic Continent fell apart!
Saint Emperor Lu could not be blamed for being reckless regarding this matter!
Saint Emperor Lu and his eight brothers were in extreme grief and fury!
When that solemn vow was taken, all four parties had simultaneously made a serious promise that they would ensure the peace of Heavenly Punishment Forest and even give more generous conditions. Thus, the nine Beast Kings were willing to sacrifice themselves and enter the Mist formation set up by the Illusory Manor, devotedly guarding it, resisting the strikes from the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master with all their might!
Before entering the forbidden grounds, amongst these nine great Beast Kings, Saint Emperor Lu who had the highest cultivation level, had the strength of a first level Saint Emperor! The other eight Beast Kings were all at the level of Saint Kings! Three of them had even reached the second level of a Saint King!
But in this duration of almost four hundred years, the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master had struggled incessantly, day and night. Dragging these nine men along with him through hundreds of years of torment! Originally, this sort of high-level resistance would allow them to easily upgrade in their strength, but they could not achieve it because they were stuck in the crucial positions of the seal! Not only were they unable to level up, it had extremely detrimental effects to their body, damages that were almost impossible to recover from!
The strength of these nine Beast Kings was constantly sucked into the seal so support it! So they practiced without rest, but it was not enough to supply the amount of energy the seal consumed!
Never mind just having their strength sucked away. But coupled with the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master's incessant attempts at breaking free, the amount of energy the seal required also gradually increased! To the point in recent years, it led to their pitiful state, both physically and mentally!
For almost four hundred years, these senior Beast Kings not only did not make any improvements, but compared to before, they had weakened drastically! And they suffered injuries that they would never fully recover from!
These were injuries that consumed them from the inside. Wearing them down mentally! Cutting their lifespan short!
But this was something that no miraculous medicine that had appeared on the Mystic Mystic Continent could replenish and heal!
Three hundred and seventy-five years!
Those junior Saints from the three Holy Lands back then had already become Saint Emperors! The Saint King experts from back then had all successfully levelled up to become Saint Emperors! But these nine brothers ended up like this after wasting three hundred and seventy-five years!
They had suffered a huge disadvantage with this alone. But they did not expect that the moment the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master had escaped, and the seal lost its effectiveness, these people immediately shamelessly fell out and turned hostile! Destroying the bridge after they crossed the river!
Not only did they go back on their promise, they even insisted on starting the battle in Heavenly Punishment! The most despicable deceit and the most shameless replies and excuses left people bitterly disappointed. All the solemn promises of the three Holy Lands and Misty Illusory Manor were merely a worthless piece of paper! A giant joke that was not amusing at all!
Thank goodness, for some reason, the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master stayed in the air since he came out. Otherwise, the entire surrounding region would already have been thoroughly ruined!