Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 334 [Inner City]

Chapter 328 [Inner City]

At this moment, the number of corpses in the courtyard has increased to twenty-nine!
Especially since nine elders of the Blackwood tribe died here, that's practically the entire high-ranking position of the Blackwood tribe!
Apart from one clan elder who was not present, the high-ranking members of the Blackwood Clan were all gone!

Such a tremendous change occurred before their eyes, and apart from the incarnation of the centenarian Venerable, the young Lu Kang, the other three were all shocked by this enormous change.

However, Chen Yan suppressed his expression and did not make any changes, just like Lu Kang, quietly observing the process of Donghai killing the elders of the Blackwood Tribe as easily as killing chickens.

After sheathing his sword, Donghai calmly walked around the entire area, examining each corpse one by one, and then reaching out to touch each of the storage magical artifacts carried on their bodies.

Seeing this scene, Chen Yancai couldn't help but sigh softly.

Lu Kang, standing beside him, smiled and asked, "Why are you sighing, fellow Daoist?"

Chen Yan thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's just a reflection on human nature."

The round-faced female cultivator beside them looked at the two in horror, her voice trembling: "You, you, aren't you afraid at all?"

Lu Kang turned around and looked at the round-faced female cultivator with a kind smile: "Don't worry, he said he won't kill us."

Round-faced female cultivator: "..."

“What this fellow Daoist says is correct. The Sword Master has chosen the four of us separately, presumably to give us other instructions. Besides, we know our own affairs and have absolutely nothing to do with these internal disputes of the Ghost Clan, so naturally we are fine,” said the male cultivator among the four.

This guy's demeanor was clearly much stronger than that of the round-faced female cultivator. He pondered for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Yan and Lu Kang and said slowly, "Although the Sword Master has read our names, we have not yet introduced ourselves."

As he spoke, his tone became serious: "I am Luan Yi, a rogue cultivator. I was fortunate enough to have some savings left by my ancestors who were cultivators for generations. After selling them all, I took a desperate gamble and bought a token for the Heaven-Shattering Ceremony at the auction house, which allowed me to come here."

The round-faced female cultivator hesitated for a moment, then returned the greeting with clasped hands: "I... my name is Gongsun Li. I am from a collateral branch of the Gongsun family in Zhongzhou, but we have been separated from the main branch for several generations. Because an elder in my family once saved the life of a great figure from the main branch of the Gongsun family, I received a favor, and this time I used that favor to exchange for this token for the Heaven-Piercing Ceremony..."

Chen Yan said, "I am Zhao Shanhe, a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Harmony Sect."

Upon hearing this, both Gongsun Li and Luan Yi's expressions tightened slightly. Luan Yi immediately said, "Fellow Daoist, you come from a sect of saints. No wonder you are extraordinary."

Lu Kang finally said calmly, "A rogue cultivator, Lu Kang."

His introduction was the simplest, but seeing his indifferent expression, no one dared to ask too many questions. However, the round-faced female cultivator, Gongsun Li, still glanced at Lu Kang a few more times.

"Finished with the pleasantries?" Donghai had already walked over, covered in blood and exuding a murderous aura. He looked at the four of them with a cold expression.

Luan Yi and Gongsun Li were both intimidated by Donghai's blood-stained clothes and immediately fell silent, their expressions solemn. Only the young Lu Kang slowly nodded and said, "We are waiting for the Sword Master's instructions."

Donghai glanced at Lu Kang, seemingly frowning slightly, but then nodded and said, "The four of you, come with me."

"May I ask, Sword Master, where are you taking us?" Gongsun Li asked.

Donghai, too lazy to answer, turned and walked towards a door that had been knocked open by the courtyard. Of the four people behind him, Chen Yan was the first to step forward, followed by Lu Kang, and then Luan Yi. Gongsun Li, seeing that Donghai was completely ignoring her, hesitated for a moment, but seeing that her three companions had left, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and follow.

The earthen building was deserted long ago. After the two massacres, everyone inside and outside the building had fled, especially those who had participated in the Heaven-Striking Ceremony. Some of them waited outside the building after leaving, seemingly trying to find out some information.

But then screams and sounds of fighting came from inside, and a group of elders from the Blackwood tribe rushed in one after another...

Such a commotion naturally attracted attention.

When Donghai led the four people out of the earthen building, there were already quite a few people standing around outside.

Besides some of the license holders who had left the Heaven-Smashing Ceremony earlier, there were also quite a few members of the Kuroki tribe of the Oni Clan, and some patrolling Oni warriors who gathered around.

As Donghai emerged, clad in blood, some of the patrolling ghost warriors were about to step forward, but Donghai waved his sleeve and coldly shouted, "By order of the Ancestor, the nine elders of the Blackwood Clan have been executed. The rest will be dealt with as they see fit!"

After he finished speaking, two golden command seals immediately appeared on his body. As the golden seals shimmered, the surrounding ghost warriors and onlookers all bowed down.

Donghai walked with his head held high. As he passed through the crowd, they automatically parted to make way for him and respectfully watched him leave. Chen Yan and the other three followed closely behind, and soon they headed towards the stone city of the Blackwood Tribe.

Beneath the stone city, a column of demon warriors guarding the inner city had already emerged from within. Upon seeing Donghai approaching from afar, the burly demon warrior at the head of the column dared not stop him. He threw his weapon to the ground, knelt respectfully by the roadside below the city gate, and bowed his head, not daring to make a move.

Donghai led Chen Yan and the other three through the city gate. When they passed under the gate, Donghai paused briefly and asked the leader of the ghost warriors kneeling by the roadside, "Who are you?"

The demon warrior then looked up and said, "Reporting to the Sword Master, I am Zhan Xi, the chief warrior of the Black Rock Hall in the inner city, and I hold the position of the head of the inner city's defenses, responsible for protecting the inner city."

Donghai nodded and said loudly, "Nine members of the Blackwood Tribe, from Muzhou down, disrespected the Ancestor and defied the Ghost Clan. They have all been brought to justice. From this moment on, I will lead the Blackwood Tribe by the Ancestor's decree, and the Blackwood Tribe shall respect me!"

Upon hearing the words "all have been brought to justice," Zhanxi shuddered violently, raised her head, and the muscles in her cheeks trembled slightly.

Nine clan elders, just like that, killed?!

However, upon seeing the cold gaze from Donghai, Zhanxi immediately shuddered, lowered his head, and loudly proclaimed, "Zhanxi and the inner city guards are willing to respect the Sword Master!"

"It's not about respecting me, it's about respecting the ancestor." Donghai's tone softened slightly as he slowly said, "Hmm, your name is Zhanxi? What... is your relationship with Zhanli?"

"Zhanli is my daughter."

Donghai glanced at Zhanxi again, a strange smile appearing on his face: "So he's the biological father of the Cave Girl. He's truly extraordinary."

From this moment forward, I appoint you as the temporary Chief Inspector of the Kuroki Tribe. You only need to report to me; no one except me has the right to interfere in your duties. That includes your cave girl daughter, understand?

Zhanxi's body trembled, and a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Chief Inspector!

In fact, there is no such position in the Kuroki Clan, but since this Sword Master has appointed me to this position on the spot, as the name suggests, Chief Inspector... that means I can inspect everything in the Kuroki Clan...

That's quite a lot of power!

Zhanxi previously served as an inner warrior in the Black Rock Hall within the inner city of the Blackwood Tribe—in fact, among the Ghost Clan, those with good talent all follow the Ghost Clan cultivator route.

Zhan Xi, whose talent wasn't considered top-tier, wasn't even considered a contender for the Heaven-Striking Ceremony when he was young.

Fortunately, because of his naturally amazing physique, he chose the path of physical cultivation, learning physical skills, martial arts, and combat techniques.

For someone like him, this is considered a decent path within the Ghost Clan. After all, the number of cultivation methods available to Ghosts is limited, and the vast majority of Ghosts have no chance of becoming cultivators.

Many others, like Zhanxi, can only take the warrior route—called warriors, but in reality, they serve as the armed force within the ghost tribe, like soldiers.

Whenever there are conflicts and wars between different tribes, or when the Ghost Clan goes to war with the Demon Clan, body cultivators like Zhanxi who follow the warrior path must shed blood and fight for their tribe.

Even if cultivators fight fiercely, once a winner is decided, how to occupy territory and maintain order are not things that a few cultivators can handle. They still need to rely on many ghost warriors like Zhanxi to accomplish these tasks.

Zhanxi is a senior cultivator, and his physical cultivation path is quite good—although the physical cultivation path is not widely passed down among the ghost race, and even the physical cultivation methods obtained by the ghost race can hardly be considered top-grade.

However, Zhanxi remained in the Black Rock Hall, the inner city of the Blackwood tribe, the core of the Blackwood tribe's training of warriors. As a senior warrior, he could receive generous tribal offerings.

In particular, his daughter Zhanxi was found to have top talent at a young age and successfully became a cultivator. She was even taken in as a disciple by Luo Xiuqing, the Yama King of the Blackwood Tribe and the patriarch of the Ghost Clan. As a result, Zhanxi became the leader of the warriors in the Blackwood Tribe because of her father's status.

Even if he were the number one figure in the Kuroki clan's army.

However, the realm is a world of cultivators, and cultivators are the main fighting force. The so-called soldiers, especially in the territory of the Blackwood Tribe, are mostly ordinary people who practice some martial arts techniques to strengthen their bodies. Some may be lucky enough to obtain some body cultivation inheritance and embark on the path of cultivation through body cultivation, but their achievements are often limited.

Therefore, the so-called number one figure in the Blackwood tribe's army did not actually hold a very high position in the tribe as one might imagine—otherwise, he wouldn't even lack the title of clan elder.

However, because he has a good daughter who became a cave maiden and a young genius among the Ghost Clan who has been striving to build her reputation in recent years, Zhanxi has a transcendent status in the Blackwood Tribe.

However, as a man who had spent his life cultivating himself, he ultimately had to rely on his daughter's name to gain status, which made him feel resentful all along.

At this moment, after Donghai was appointed, he was specifically told that he should only report to Donghai, and even Zhanli had no right to ask questions!

Zhanxi felt a surge of warmth in her heart!
This is the first time in decades that it's not because his daughter has gained power!

Thinking of this, Zhanxi took a deep breath and said passionately, "Zhanxi is willing to die for the Sword Master!" After saying that, he kowtowed three times on the ground.

Donghai remained calm and said indifferently, "Pass on my order: from this moment forward, all warriors of the Blackwood Division's inner hall shall be dispatched to guard the inner city! Without orders, no one may enter or leave."

"Yes!"

"Anyone who trespasses, regardless of identity, shall be executed!"

"Yes!"

"Send more patrols to the village to suppress lawlessness and maintain order. Anyone who disobeys orders will be killed! Anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to cause trouble will be killed!"

"Yes!"

"Send men to summon the leaders of all villages and hamlets to the inner city for a meeting. I want to see all the village leaders before sunset tonight. Anyone who fails to arrive by the deadline will be treated as a traitor, and the entire village will be beheaded and the whole hamlet slaughtered!"

"...Yes!" Zhan Xi's pupils constricted sharply, sweat poured down her face, and she answered tremblingly. Inwardly, however, she was secretly chilled: This sword master, what ruthless methods!

Donghai said calmly, "Do you have any questions?"

"No!" Zhan Xi gritted his teeth. He knew that after a lifetime of hardship, this was probably the best opportunity he had ever had to rise to power. So even if the sword master was ruthless, he could only grit his teeth and serve him.

If there is any hesitation... This sword master killed nine clan elders without hesitation, so why wouldn't he dare to kill himself?
"I've given you the opportunity to serve, and I've given you the orders. If you fail to do these three things well, your head will be hanging on the inner city gate by this time tomorrow."

After Donghai finished speaking in a chilling tone, he walked straight through the city gate into the inner city.

Chen Yan and the other three followed quietly behind. Just as they entered the city gate, they heard Zhan Xi shout a command from behind.

With a loud bang, the inner city gate was slammed shut!
·
The inner city of the Kuroki clan is not very large. In terms of area, it is roughly the size of an ordinary middle school in Chen Yan's real world.

There are only five buildings in the city. In the distance, facing the city gate and backed by the Black Mountain, is a building more than 20 meters high. Its base covers a large area and is made of black rocks. The main hall on the base has a very wide gate, and there are stone pillars on both sides guarding it. Various totems of the Black Wood Tribe are carved on it.

This is the most central place in the inner city of the Blackwood Tribe, which is the Blackwood Tribe's shrine. In addition to enshrining the ancestral saint of the Ghost Clan, it also enshrines the ancestors of the Blackwood Tribe and outstanding legendary heroes.

There are two buildings on each side of the shrine.

On the upper left is the council hall, where the clan elders discuss all matters concerning the Kuroki tribe; it is considered the highest authority.

To the left, at the bottom, is the Black Rock Hall, a military and armed organization.

The upper right corner is the training hall, where the Blackwood Clan trains its cultivators.

To the lower right is a prototype stone building, which is the smallest and shortest of the five buildings.

Donghai led the four of them directly to the door of the "Cultivation Hall" on the upper right. Chen Yan was still examining the square stone building in front of him, and he could faintly feel the strong fluctuations of spiritual energy inside. Chen Yan was certain that there was a very high-level spirit gathering array inside.

Donghai stood outside the hall. Soon the door opened and several people dressed in black ghost clan tight-fitting clothes came out. There were men and women, and they looked to be of different ages. The oldest was already walking with a shaky gait, and the youngest looked to be underage.

Everyone walked barefoot, and upon arriving at the gate, they all bowed to the East Sea.

Donghai coldly said, "Lu Kang, Luan Yi, and Gongsun Li, the three of you will temporarily enter the training hall to study. Do not go out unless necessary. Stay here and wait until the Heaven-Striking Ceremony is held in a few days. Someone will naturally take you there."

Lu Kang and Luan Yi remained silent, but Gongsun Li couldn't help but ask, "Isn't the Heaven-Smashing Ceremony... tomorrow?"

Donghai glanced at the round-faced female cultivator, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes: "With such a big incident, do you think the Heaven-Smashing Ceremony can still be held tomorrow? Just stay here and wait patiently."

He paused, looked at the people standing at the entrance of the training hall, and asked, "Arrange training rooms for these three people, and provide them with everything they need."

"Also, give these three a thorough talent test, using the best materials!"

A talent test?
Luan Yi's expression shifted, as if he had guessed something. A restrained joy flashed in his eyes, but he quickly lowered his head.

Lu Kang remained silent and composed, obeying Dong Hai's instructions before heading towards the training hall. He smiled at an elderly ghost cultivator in a black robe at the entrance and said, "My training room needs to be larger. Prepare a soft couch for me, along with some mulberry tea. Also, prepare bathwater for me; I want a hot bath. And get me a set of soft, clean clothes. I won't be able to sleep if I'm covered in blood."

His calm and composed demeanor, and even his proactive approach in making requests, stunned Luan Yi and Gongsun Li. However, the two of them did not dare to be as carefree as Lu Kang. They cautiously stepped forward without saying a word and followed the group of cultivators into the hall.

Lu Kang, however, lagged behind. He looked back at the East Sea, and finally his gaze fell on Chen Yan. He smiled slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist, then we'll meet again later."

After saying that, he left with his hands behind his back.

After bowing to the East Sea, the group of black-clad monks retreated into the meditation hall and closed the door behind them.

Chen Yan felt a little regretful—he was actually quite curious about what the Blackwood Cultivation Hall, this mysterious place that specifically trained cultivators, was like inside.

However, Donghai kept him behind alone, presumably because he had something to say to him. Chen Yan was prepared, and after everyone left, he turned to look at Donghai.

"Senior, am I not going to the training hall?"

"You don't need to. There are other arrangements for you."

As he spoke, Donghai looked at Chen Yan, and a smile finally appeared on his cold face: "If you are interested in this temple, you will have plenty of opportunities to go in and take a look in the future."

Chen Yan looked at the East Sea. Now that there were no outsiders around, Chen Yan stopped pretending and whispered, "Senior, after we parted ways, you..."

Donghai smiled, but quickly shook his head at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood, shutting his mouth.

Donghai pulled Chen Yan's hand over and quickly wrote a few words on his palm.

Chen Yan carefully sensed the meaning and determined that what Donghai wrote was "It is forbidden to speak of external matters."

Can't we talk about outside matters?

That means you can't share any information about your real world?

Donghai noticed Chen Yan's confusion, raised his hand and pointed to the sky, then to his ears, mouth, and nose.

Hmm... Chen Yan pondered in his heart.

Does this mean there are still informants monitoring this place?

This is the core area of ​​the Blackwood Clan, and it also houses a high-level cultivator like Donghai at the Celestial Realm. Under these circumstances, the only way to monitor this place is...

He suddenly remembered the young Lu Kang, this "centenarian venerable one".

Even a venerable saint would secretly come here, wouldn't he?
Then I recalled the legends of the demon race that I had heard before.

The Ghost Clan's ancestor created the Ghost Clan's cultivation method, which allowed them to sense the Heavenly Dao from the beginning and use the power of the Heavenly Dao's rules, making Ghost Clan cultivators far more powerful than other cultivators.

This special cultivation method aroused the covetousness and prying of all sects and families throughout the entire realm!
Ultimately, it was the other sages and venerable ones who developed a special interest in this technique!

Although later, the Ghost Clan's cultivation method had its own major flaws, which caused the other Saints and Venerables to give up their desire to seize it.

But is that really the case?
If he truly had no other thoughts or special interests, then why did the centenarian Venerable transform into the young Lu Kang and come here?
Lu Kang, who considered himself a venerable saint, didn't find it strange at all...

In Lu Kang's view, it was perfectly normal for other Venerable Saints to come here in disguise and spy on him, besides himself.

This also shows that... the Venerable Saints have not truly lost interest in the secrets of the Ghost Clan's techniques!

"Zhao Shanhe, I know you have thoughts, questions, and doubts in your heart. But now is not the time. Let's wait a little longer, and there will naturally be a time to answer them for you."

Donghai laughed loudly, reached out and patted Chen Yan's arm, and said to Chen Yan, "Come with me, I'll take you to another place."

·
(End of this chapter)