Chapter 512 Nine Dragons Palace
Xiangjiang, Nine Dragons Mountain, within the Nine Dragons Palace.
A man in a black brocade robe, with golden swirling cloud patterns edging his attire, exuded an air of mysterious dignity, opposite him sat an elderly man draped in an apricot-yellow Taoist robe.
Both were sitting cross-legged at a stone table, engaged in an intense game of chess.
"Brother Huangfu, you seldom involve yourself in the affairs of the Secular World, why would you get entangled in the Tang Family's troubles? Those mortal beings, despite their renowned reputation in the Secular World, are but ants in our eyes!" The man in the black robe held a Heizi chess piece in hand and placed it on the board, saying indifferently.
This person was none other than the master of the Nine Dragons Palace, a revered figure at the peak among the Xiangjiang School of Law, Real Person Yong Xinghua.
The person sitting opposite him was Huangfu Yang, who, although over twenty years his senior, was far behind in terms of cultivation.
However, Huangfu Yang's unique perspective and understanding of Law Cultivation had earned Yong Xinghua's admiration.
Deep conversations with him were always enlightening, so Yong Xinghua greatly respected him, and they became close friends whose relationship could stand the test of any adversity.
Yong Xinghua often lamented privately that if Huangfu Yang weren't limited by his innate talent, his cultivation achievements would have long surpassed his own.
The Xiangjiang School of Law placed extremely high demands on cultivators' natural talent, several times more stringent than what was required of Martial Artists.
"Hehe, I understand what you're saying all too well, it's just that I have some history with the Tang Family. I owed Tang Liang a favor in the past, and this time, my intervention was to settle that karmic debt!" Huangfu Yang replied with a light smile, explaining his stance.
As he spoke, he placed a chess piece down and warned, "Be careful!"
"I see. I have already sent Qin He over there. The small fray in the Secular World is not significant enough to warrant our intervention. Qin He should suffice!" Yong Xinghua said with disdain.
He then placed a piece of his own, "Haha, thinking you can defeat me is not so simple, this time I must win a game against you!"
"Hehe, I might be inferior to you in cultivation, but in this small world upon the chessboard, how could I make a mistake, you have lost!" Huangfu Yang said proudly, placing a decisive piece on the board.
Just then, a disciple burst in from outside in a panic, "Palace Master, something terrible has happened!"
Yong Xinghua put down the chess piece in his hand, his expression changed slightly, yet his demeanor remained as stable as Mount Tai, he calmly said, "What's the matter? There's no need to panic, explain slowly!"
The Mountain Gate Disciple's face was pale, and he nervously said, "Palace... Palace Master, the Young Palace Master... he's dead... "
Upon hearing this, the aura around Yong Xinghua violently fluctuated, shattering the chessboard in front of him. Regaining composure, Yong Xinghua quickly tried to control his emotions.
But his black robe was still fluttering without wind, showing that his inner turmoil was far from the calm displayed on the surface.
At this moment, Yong Xinghua's mind was indeed in turmoil, filled with roaring thoughts, even Huangfu Yang's expression changed drastically at the side.
"Nonsense, where did this news come from? With Qin He's cultivation, having recently entered the Sixth Grade of Law Cultivation Realm, even if he encountered a Wuxuan Level expert from the Martial Arts World, escaping would not be so easily prevented!" Yong Xinghua suddenly stood up, his face dark as water.
The Mountain Gate Disciple quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, facing the furious Yong Xinghua, he felt immense pressure and hesitantly revealed another shocking piece of news!
"Not only that, but Master Huangfu's disciple, Cao Letian, is also dead!" the Mountain Gate Disciple said sheepishly.
"What?" Huangfu Yang, the old man, couldn't keep his composure like Yong Xinghua and immediately jumped up.
"Just now people from the Tang Family came, saying that it was the murderer Ling Fan who sent them to notify both of you..." The Mountain Gate Disciple said, trailing off timidly.
"Notify us of what? Speak!" Yong Xinghua shouted angrily, completely losing control.
The Mountain Gate Disciple was caught off guard by the aura Yong Xinghua emitted and was sent flying out, crashing to the ground with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"They said... that Ling Fan said, 'You two must go to the Tang Family Villa by tomorrow noon to apologize for offending the Young Palace Master and Cao Letian,'" the Mountain Gate Disciple said, trembling as if he had been drained of all strength.
"Otherwise, they will come tomorrow to level the Nine Dragons Palace!" Having said that, the Mountain Gate Disciple seemed to collapse.
"Ah~ Insolent fools, excessively bullying! Where is the messenger?" Yong Xinghua erupted in fury, his aura fluctuating wildly once again, destroying every piece of furniture around him.
Huangfu Yang was no better; his Taoist robe billowed as if it were in a windstorm, with his old face turning red and purple from holding back his rage.
If it hadn't been for his years of Qi Cultivation Skill, and the fact that this was Yong Xinghua's place, he would have already exploded in anger.
"Where is the messenger? Bring him to me!" Yong Xinghua pressed down the raging fury in his heart and said coldly.
He wanted to know whether Qin He was truly dead or not, and if so, how he died. At this moment, he simply refused to believe that Qin He could be dead!
"Palace Master, the messenger left after delivering the message. However, I did question him," the Mountain Gate Disciple said sheepishly.
The person who delivered the message was clever; he slipped away immediately after informing the Mountain Gate Disciple, speaking harshly enough to ensure that they took the message seriously, lest he failed his task and had to report back to Ling Fan.
But for the life of him, he wouldn't dare to face Yong Xinghua or Huangfu Yang; Officer Ling Fan had killed their two beloved disciples, they were bound to be furious!
Although it's often said that envoys are not to be harmed in times of war, heck, that's a gentlemen's agreement—how many adhere to it?
Seeing them would likely result in losing his life; the messenger was almost reduced to tears in the restroom after receiving this task.
"What did they say?" Huangfu Yang couldn't help but interject and demand.
"The man said Ling Fan's might was unparalleled. As soon as he appeared, he thrashed Superman Li's grandson, Li Zhe, then killed Wu Hua, the Sect Master of the Yin Ghost Sect. Afterward, he killed Cao Letian. The Tang Family's prepared countermeasures were not even deployed before one of his subordinates dealt with them!
In the end, when the Young Palace Master intervened, seeing that they were about to annihilate the Tang Family, she was killed too. As for whether it's true or not, the disciple is not clear, just conveying what was said by the messenger!
Also, the old master of the Tang Family and Tang Hongyi's line perished as well; only Tang Anqi managed to escape. The other two lines, in order to preserve themselves, have already submitted to Ling Fan," said the Mountain Gate Disciple nervously.
"Huff~"
Yong Xinghua let out a breath, trying to control his emotions, "Where are their bodies then?"
"Back to the Palace Master, according to that person, Master Cao's body was mutilated beyond recognition at the scene and can no longer be found," the Mountain Gate Disciple replied hesitantly.
But before he could finish, Huangfu Yang roared furiously, "Outrageous! I swear to shred the villain into ten thousand pieces!"
"And Qin He?" Yong Xinghua strained to keep his emotions stable.
"The other side only spoke four words!" The Mountain Gate Disciple said helplessly, unsure how to respond.
"Which four words?" Yong Xinghua asked coldly. He couldn't imagine a fate worse than Cao Letian's death.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, the Mountain Gate Disciple said with a trembling voice: "Turned to ashes!"
"Bang!"
Yong Xinghua lost control completely, lashing out at the only intact Xuanwu rock carving beside him, smashing it into pieces.
"Outrageous! To kill my disciples, this enmity is irreconcilable! Pass my order, tomorrow we open the mountain gate wide for a battle at the peak of Nine Dragons Mountain. I'd like to see how he plans to level my Nine Dragons Palace!" Yong Xinghua bellowed furiously, his voice thundering.