Chapter 2380 - The Wind Stirs!
Chapter 2380: The Wind Stirs!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Thwish!
The leader waved his hand, and that bronze book flew into his hand. He flipped through the pages, which contained various martial arts, including the Lu Wu Mantra and the Mara Mantra.
“This is the secret martial arts manual that they use for their daily training on this island. The information we got was correct. This place truly is an important base of the men in black,” the leader solemnly said.
Over the last three years, Heaven and the Celestial God Organization had seemingly evaporated, vanishing without a trace. But the Great Tang and the rest of the continent had not given up on their pursuit, continuing to hunt them down until they finally found some clues.
“The Celestial God Organization has already been gone for three years. Why would they leave behind such an important book on this island?” one of them asked.
“This can only mean that there was something more important,” the leader said. “Inform His Highness that the Celestial God Organization is beginning to awaken. They might be starting to move again.”
Whoosh!
Following their leader’s order, a messenger bird quickly took flight, making its way northward.
“It all depends on Team Two now!”
On the ground, the leader watched the bird leave as a grave light flashed in his eyes.
……
Whoosh!
A breeze blew through an extremely remote city in the northwest of the Great Tang. A lean figure wearing gray clothes cautiously passed through the city gate.
Behind him, a sign was hung from the rather old city gates, two words written upon it: ‘Abandoned City’!
The Great Tang did not have many abandoned cities, particularly after it had integrated the other countries. With the Great Tang as the center of the world, a large number of people had moved into the interior, making the place more prosperous and bustling than ever before. The people of the other countries living in harmony produced a unique and beautiful sight.
The reports said that there were still around five hundred people in this abandoned city, mostly old people who lived a simple life of beginning work at sunrise and resting after sunset.
Though there were not many people and the place was extremely remote, the Great Tang had not given up on this old and remote city. Not too long ago, the Imperial Court had appointed an excellent official as the county official to manage the area.
According to custom, the official would have to write a report on the current situation after taking his seat, but seven days had passed since the official had entered the city, and there had been no news. Later on, the Imperial Court had sent several emissaries to see what was going on, but they, too, had vanished.
Not only that, a camel caravan passed through the area and discovered that the city was completely empty. Moreover, at dawn, the caravan was attacked by something, and the group fled in a panic. The news eventually reached the Imperial Court, which dispatched this mission.
Quiet!
The city was deathly still, and as that gray-robed figure cautiously advanced, the streets were empty, countless fallen leaves being blown about in the wind.
No one!
No one!
No one!
The gray-robed man went from house to house, but he discovered that all of them were empty. There were still plates and chopsticks arranged on the table, even sumptuous meals, but nothing had been touched. Moreover, the long passage of time meant that this food was already covered in a thick layer of mold.
This sight made the gray-robed man furrow his brows.
This abandoned city wasn’t very prosperous, and its inhabitants were simple and frugal. No one would make food and then suddenly leave without a good reason. This was far too bizarre.
Buzz!
As he continued forward, he began to hear a buzzing sound. The man stopped, frowned, and began to move in the direction of the sound.
In front of him was a massive building. Judging by its appearance, it was probably the local ancestral hall.
After a moment of hesitation, the gray-robed man pushed open the door and entered.
“Ugh!”
The moment he saw what was inside, the man paled, his body trembling as he vomited.
Corpses!
A huge mass of corpses!
The bodies of countless people had been piled high in the ancestral hall—a cruel and gruesome sight.
The buzzing he had heard was the large number of flies attracted by all the rotting flesh.
Among the corpses, he even spotted an official’s hat!
There was no doubt that all the missing people were here.
No one could say what had happened here, but it was so frighteningly gruesome that the man seemed to be greatly stunned, staggering out of the hall and running as he continued to gag.
Bang!
As he charged out of the hall and onto the street, the earth shuddered. With a terrifying roar, the ground cracked open, and a massive black silhouette emerged.
Roooar!
As it rose from the ground, a black tentacle swept toward the man.
The gray-robed man turned his head and saw a giant maw covered with sharp teeth, and also two savage red eyes.
A monster!
The shape of this monster made no sense, and it appeared like a failed product. It appeared like a limp pile of flesh, claws randomly growing out of places that they shouldn’t have. Even so, the monster possessed a frightening ability to kill.
Bang!
As the giant tentacle smashed down, the gray paving stones of the street were shattered apart, the debris spraying everywhere.
The man instantly leaped away, barely dodging the tentacle’s strike.
Creee!
At almost the same time, a dazzling firework shot up from the man’s body, leaving a blazing trail of smoke and light that was clearly visible from even several hundred li away.
The gray-robed man’s eyes instantly turned cold and vicious.
It’s them!
They had already found several areas across the north where someone had been gathering the embryos of various animals, but this was the first time they had received confirmation that the embryos were being used to create Behemoths.
Everyone knew that besides the Supreme King, only one group had the Behemoth Creation Art: the Celestial God Organization.
There was no doubt that the Celestial God Organization that had disappeared three years ago had reemerged.
Clang!
Facing down this monster, the gray-robed man pulled out a pair of sharp daggers and charged, moving as nimbly as a swallow.
……
Several days later, in the distant capital…
Under an overcast sky, several hawks carrying special insignias flew into a government office close to the Imperial Palace.
As the hawks landed, a guard came forward to receive them, smoothly removing their letters before jumping down from the roof and delivering the reports to a black-robed and slender figure who exuded power and majesty.
“Your Highness, reports from Teams Two and Five. They’ve discovered traces of the Celestial God Organization. Together with the reports from the other teams, we have now discovered seven areas connected to the Celestial God Organization,” the guard respectfully said.
“I see. You’re dismissed.”
Li Xuantu waved his hand, his face aloof.
“Yes!”
The guard flew away. As he turned, the special insignia on his waist was clearly exposed for a moment.
On one side of the token was a spear piercing through a golden dragon, and on the other side, the words ‘God Vanquisher’ had been written in ancient script!
It had been three years since the Celestial Palace incident and the disappearance of the Celestial God Organization. Even so, Wang Chong and his allies had not given up the pursuit. The God Vanquisher Group was an organization that Wang Chong and his allies had established to deal with the Celestial God Organization, selected from the elites of the entire world.
The Dragon Guard, the Shadow Dragons, the imperial servitors, Wang Chong’s own elites, and martial experts from various countries were all gathered into this organization. Wang Chong’s own Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Teams, and the intelligence network of the imperial household, had also been merged into the organization.
The God Vanquisher Group was not under the Six Bureaus, and its authority far exceeded any of them.
The leader of this force was none other than the former Crown Prince, Li Xuantu.
Li Xuantu had a special status. Not only was he a member of the imperial household, he was a close ally of Wang Chong. In the Celestial Palace incident, he had done everything in his power to buy time for Wang Chong to defeat Heaven, so he was the best choice to lead this force.
A soft sigh came from behind him. Li Jingzhong, wearing robes of black silk, suddenly spoke.
“Your Highness, on an island in the ocean to the south, we found that the Celestial God Organization had already withdrawn. And to the north, we found traces of Behemoths. This is bad news for us. It seems like the three years of peace are about to end.”
Li Xuantu was the leader of the God Vanquisher Group, and its deputy leader was none other than the chief eunuch of the inner court, Li Jingzhong.
“It was always a false peace. If Heaven’s not dead, there’s no such thing as peace. Didn’t we already know this three years ago?”
Li Xuantu placed his hands behind his back, his face calm and relaxed.
The Celestial God Organization would appear one day. As someone who had taken part in those events, he was keenly aware of this.
“But this is an extremely important matter. Don’t we need to inform the Supreme King?” Li Jingzhong cautiously asked.
While they were the head and deputy head of the God Vanquisher Group, everyone knew that the true leader could only be the Supreme King, Wang Chong.
And only Wang Chong could deal with Heaven!
Li Xuantu slightly frowned as he pondered the question, but he quickly waved his hand and firmly said, “There’s no need. This is only the beginning. Until the final moment, until I have given the order, no one is to disturb the Supreme King. Unless Heaven appears, you should know what the consequences will be for disturbing the Supreme King.”
Three years ago, Wang Chong had announced that he was entering seclusion to seek an even higher realm, after which he had vanished, stepping back from the political stage. With Wang Chong gone, Li Xuantu, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Zhongsi, Ozmish Khagan, Bahram, and all the others had taken the various roles Wang Chong had played and continued to ensure that the continent ran smoothly.
All of them had reached a tacit agreement that until that final day arrived, no one was to disturb Wang Chong. This was because the fate of all countries, all of civilization, rested on him.
If Wang Chong failed, humanity would come to an end.
“Yes! This lowly one understands!”
Li Jingzhong’s heart thumped as he quickly lowered his head.
Li Xuantu glanced at him and asked, “How are the preparations in the other groups going?”
“The various great clans of Lingnan are basically done. In addition, the training in the other groups is nearing completion,” Li Jingzhong hastily said, his expression relaxing.
“Confirm it again. No mistake can be permitted,” Li Xuantu sternly said.
“Yes.”
A few moments later, several messenger birds flew out in all directions.