The copper token in Dong Zongying’s hand radiated with unbelievable intensity before turning into a beam of red light shooting straight for the heavens. It looked unstoppable as it punctured a hole through the clouds. The wind spiraled uncontrollably as the sheer pressure from the light disturbed the stratosphere. 

The Elders and disciples in the Arcane Mountain were immediately alerted by the commotion. 

In a certain building at the Talisman Hall, a man with a shaved head, who looked to be in his thirties, was currently holding onto a book and reading it. The moment he sensed the disturbance outside, he slowly lowered his arm before calmly taking a look outside.

After seeing the extraordinary red pillar that was seemingly holding up the sky, his face flashed with surprise before it was followed by a look of understanding. 

His lips curved into a smile.

“It’s about time,” he said as a slight anticipation could be heard in his voice.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, his expression shifted as he sensed several powerful auras heading his way. 

“So fast? Well played, Dong Zongying.”

Despite knowing the incoming threat, the man didn’t look too bothered. He softly laughed before raising his arm once more to continue reading the book.

Immediately after, a formation appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the building that he was in.

Then, Zeng Shihao broke through the door to the large room with two others behind him. One of them was an old woman whose face was filled with wrinkles while the other was a middle-aged man who exuded a strong medicinal scent. 

The man with the shaved head didn’t look up.

“Combat Hall Master Zeng Shihao, Formation Hall Master Fan Qiang, Alchemy Hall Master Fu Gui, to what honor do I owe this visit?”

“Dongwu Sheng, it’s time we stop playing these games. You should know exactly why we’re here.” Zeng Shihao stepped up and said fiercely. The uncountable scars visible on his arms twitched as though he was ready for a fight.

Dongwu Sheng flipped through the last page of the book. After briefly skimming it, he pulled his fingers together to shut the book closed.

“Indeed. I’m curious, when did the Sect Master find out?” He asked calmly.

The middle-aged man, Alchemy Hall Master Fu Gui shook his head, “We’ve known about you from the beginning. Did you really think you could’ve hidden from the Ancestor?”

The old woman, Formation Hall Master Fan Qiang joined in, “We’ve simply ignored you to keep a close watch on your movements.”

“I see…” Dongwu Sheng smiled. “It was the Ancestor, huh? What a shame I was never able to meet him. This explains why there were so many newly established rules after I joined the mountain. My freedom was limited and I wasn’t able to do much.”

As he spoke, he ignored the three in front of him and looked in another direction.

What a shame, that Heaven Chosen brat, Xie Wen, still has something of mine… No matter, I will return for it soon.

Dongwu Sheng turned back to Zeng Shihao and the other two.

“After all these years… it had been fun. What a shame that I’ll need to leave now.”

Zeng Shihao sneered, “Do you really think you can escape? With us three along with the Formation outside, you can forget about running.”

Dongwu Sheng shook his head, “Run? Why would I need to run? You’re here to kill me so seeing as we’ve known each other for so many years, I’ll just save you the effort.”

His body suddenly morphed into a black ball of liquid after he finished his sentence, catching Zeng Shihao and the others off guard.

It hovered in the air and rippled.

“From today onwards, Dongwu Sheng is dead. The next time we meet, I will be Di Wentian.”

The voice faded with the wind as the black ball of liquid turned clear before splashing down onto the floor. 

A golden wisp of light could be seen emerging from the wet patch but it quickly disappeared into the void the moment it appeared.

The three Hall Masters watched all this with cold expressions.

After a moment of silence, Fan Qiang spoke, “He was just a clone.”

Zeng Shihao snorted unhappily, “Hmph! He also had a strand of Heavenly Merit which allowed him to hide that fact.”

“Let’s go, we need to report back to the Sect Master.”

They left and at this point, the sky above the Arcane Mountain had been dyed completely red by the beam of light that came from the copper token. It stretched beyond thousands of kilometers and the entire Arcane region that the Arcane Mountain ruled was signaled by it.

The smaller and larger sects saw this crimson sight and their hearts dropped.

“A war is coming…”

…

Dong Zongying sat on her throne while listening to the three Hall Masters in front of her.

Upon hearing that Dongwu Sheng was just a clone, her eyes narrowed.

“Di Wentian…? Well played. With that strand of Heavenly Merit, not even the Ancestor would’ve known that he wasn’t the main body.”

“Sect Master, he was reading this when we arrived,” Zeng Shihao respectfully handed a book over to Dong Zongying.

She grabbed it and instantly noticed how worn it was. 

Empress Han Lan and the Amber Soul Kingdom.

A serious expression appeared on her face after she read the title.

The Amber Soul Kingdom? The Ancestor once mentioned there was still a secret there but he never elaborated. Could Di Wentian have found something?

novess

Hello, everyone! Just wanted to announce that my Patreon is open again. Unfortunately, I can't offer any incentives like bonus chapters as I've been spending too much time rewriting chapters and whatnot. This will mainly just be monetary support. Hopefully, I can have more time to dish out more chapters for the patrons but no promises >< thank you all.