Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Movement of All Parties (One More Update)
Celestial Origin Mansion, Nine Heavens Alliance.
Cui Shengshu, the leader of the Nine Heavens Alliance, received a letter from Kong Qingquan. He was brimming with pride, feeling as if he were basking in the spring breeze.
The time had come! He had waited so long, and finally, he would witness the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure!
The top martial artists from Jianghu had now gathered within the Nine Heavens Alliance. Nearly every major Sect wanted a piece of the action. Their sole motivation was the allure of the "Nine Dragons Secret Treasure."
Cui Shengshu, carrying the Purple Dragon Long Blade, said with a smile, "Gather the disciples! We’re heading to Fengxiang Prefecture!"
His son, Cui Wenzheng, had been ready for some time. He immediately gathered the elite disciples and elders of the Nine Heavens Alliance. Upon learning they were setting out to seek the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure, the members of the Nine Heavens Alliance were incredibly excited.
They were certainly qualified for such a grand undertaking.
Seeing this, other Jianghu People also grew eager.
They might not have been qualified, but with their sheer numbers and strength, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for them to try and force their way in.
"What is the Nine Heavens Alliance planning? Where are they going?"
"I’m not sure, but there’s no harm in following them. We might get a share of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure when the time comes."
"Everyone who matters is here. Even Abbot Tianqing of Celestial Cyan Workshop has come, and so has the sect leader of the Celestial One Daoist Sect. The Nine Dragons Secret Treasure is truly a powerful lure."
"Don’t get ahead of yourselves. These prominent figures won’t miss out. Whether we can even get in will depend on them."
This time, nearly all the Top Ten Martial Arts Masters had appeared. It wasn’t for any other reason; everyone wanted a part in this quest for the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure.
Cui Shengshu didn’t reveal their destination, so everyone simply followed from a distance. The foremost experts and the older generation in Jianghu were nearly all trying to discover Cui Shengshu’s objective. But alas, only he and his son, Cui Wenzheng, knew where they were going.
If they didn’t speak, who could possibly find out?
"Father, it seems we have quite a few people following us," Cui Wenzheng said gravely. "Moreover, Leng Huatuo and the people from Golden Mountain and Silver Sea Manor have joined forces. It looks like they’ve teamed up."
Leng Huatuo possessed the Lanlong Needle, one of the Nine Dragon Keys. The Manor Master of Golden Mountain and Silver Sea Manor had also brought the Profound Dragon Axe, another of the Nine Dragon Keys. The only ones yet to appear were those associated with the Imperial Court’s White Dragon Halberd and Silver Dragon Spear.
Kong Qingquan had mentioned in his letter that the Cyan Dragon Crescent Moon Saber had fallen into the hands of the Profound Yellow Sect. Now, the initiative truly lay with them.
For Cui Shengshu, just being able to enter the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure was enough. What one could obtain from it would depend entirely on individual skill and luck!
"Leng Huatuo is fortunate to have made it here alive from Silver Armor Snow Mountain," Cui Shengshu sneered. "But unfortunately, his cooperation with Golden Mountain and Silver Sea Manor is a misstep. Golden Mountain and Silver Sea Manor doesn’t have any true masters."
Golden Mountain and Silver Sea Manor is famous for one reason: money. Their Manor Master, Tong Tianpeng, has little ability himself. He relies on silver to attract many experts, but those people still don’t measure up. At least in this endeavor, Golden Mountain and Silver Sea Manor has no real say!
「Fengxiang Prefecture.」
On the Official Road, a troop of soldiers clad in golden armor marched with imposing momentum, holding high the banner of the Great Qian Dynasty’s army. All commoners and Jianghu People along the way hastily made way for them. This was the renowned Golden Armor Army, the exclusive military force of Grand General Qian Baichuan.
Clad in golden armor and wielding the Silver Dragon Spear, Qian Baichuan had a stern expression and an extraordinary bearing, his eyes filled with killing intent. He hadn’t wanted to get involved with the emergence of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure. But His Majesty had issued a command, instructing him to investigate, while someone else temporarily guarded the border regions. Qian Baichuan had no room to refuse this order.
Within their ranks, a magnificent Dragon Chariot was heavily protected. Naturally, seated inside the Dragon Chariot were several princes from the Imperial Palace.
Ninth Prince Luo Chenjun was in charge of this expedition. Several other princes accompanied him; aside from the Crown Prince, it seemed the remaining princes all had their own agendas. Moreover, these princes had each secretly dispatched numerous followers. Additionally, members of the Ten Great Clans were also en route.
Luo Chenjun chuckled, idly playing with the White Dragon Halberd in his hand—an entirely snow-white weapon with a white dragon coiled around it. "It seems Seventh Brother has caused quite a stir this time. I wonder what his plans are."
Hearing this, the expressions of the other princes turned cold. The name Luo Yushu was like a colossal mountain pressing down on them. They had practiced martial arts since childhood, but compared to Luo Yushu, it seemed their skills, no matter how formidable, were useless. This prince, possessing unparalleled martial talent, had become an insurmountable mountain blocking their path.
The feeling of hopeless despair was agonizing.
The Fifth Prince narrowed his eyes. "I heard Seventh Brother’s strength has recovered?"
Luo Chenjun nodded. "According to news brought back by the Brocade Guard, it seems to be true. After all, Seventh Brother is truly Heaven’s Pride."
The term "Heaven’s Pride" sparked a flicker of disgust in the eyes of the other princes. Weren’t they also Heaven’s Pride? So what if his talent was a bit better? That position required not only strength but also the ability to govern!
Eighth Prince Luo Qingbei, sitting quietly in a corner, appeared calm, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.
Ninth Prince Luo Chenjun suddenly spoke. "I heard Consort Shen has also come to Fengxiang Prefecture. Eighth Brother, are you aware of this?"
The affair between Shen Rongyin and Luo Yushu was almost a taboo subject. It could scarcely be mentioned within the Imperial Palace.
Eighth Prince Luo Qingbei raised his eyes slightly, a flash of contempt and a weariness beyond his years in their depths. Everyone turned to look at him.
Luo Qingbei said coldly, "I know."
Those two words seemed to be all he was willing to utter.
Luo Chenjun wasn’t fazed by this. Instead, he smiled. "I wonder how Consort Shen will treat Seventh Brother. She brought Heaven’s Defect and Earth’s Lack with her. If anything happened to Seventh Brother, it would be troublesome, and then even the Shen Family might face dire consequences."
Luo Qingbei, still sitting in the corner, remained eerily calm, as if all of this had nothing to do with him. His detached, ’none-of-my-business’ attitude made the other princes somewhat uncomfortable.
This matter, after all, was related to the Eighth Prince’s mother. Anyone else in his position would surely not let it rest, would they? But Luo Qingbei? He seemed utterly indifferent. It was as if Shen Rongyin weren’t his mother at all. His demeanor was entirely different from the Luo Qingbei they knew.
"By the way, I heard Father Emperor summoned you for a private meeting before we left?" Luo Chenjun mentioned casually, his eyes lowered, feigning indifference.
The other princes immediately furrowed their brows. They hadn’t known about this. At a time like this, for His Majesty to privately summon a prince was not a good sign.
Luo Qingbei glanced at Luo Chenjun. "Aren’t you overstepping a bit?" he said coldly. "It’s not wise to have so many spies in the Palace."
Hearing this, Luo Chenjun burst into hearty laughter.
The others all wore solemn expressions, watching the two of them exchange veiled words.