The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 512 Another incident
The sacred fire of Bright Peak is said to have been escorted all the way from Persia, and is eternally burning. It is the incarnation of the Great Ming Lord and a sacred object worshipped day and night by the followers of the Ming Cult.

A century after the failure of the Qian La Rebellion, the next leader of the sect escorted the sacred flame to Kunlun Mountain and chose the present-day Bright Summit as the main altar. He built an altar on the summit and enshrined the sacred flame there again, guarding it day and night.

The fact that the sacred flame can find a home signifies that the area within hundreds of miles of Bright Peak was chosen by the Great Ming Venerable. The Ming Cult also has a long-standing saying that as long as the sacred flame remains burning, the Ming Cult will endure forever.

Then Jiang Ruocheng rolled his eyes at Wu Chengyu and scoffed, saying that this damned sacred fire had actually been extinguished countless times.

The summit of Bright Peak is at a high altitude with thin air. When the wind blows, sand and stones fly everywhere, and in winter, heavy snow falls everywhere. What kind of sacred fire can be eternally extinguished? The Ming Cult was extinguished when it first moved to Kunlun Mountain, and after that, it simply couldn't be lit no matter what.

Finally, thanks to the Fiery Banner's accidental discovery of some viscous black oil on the northeast side of the Kunlun Mountains, the sacred fire was finally ignited. The fire was maintained by the black oil on ordinary days, and it was extinguished seven or eight times over the past hundred years.

Only the upper echelons of the Ming Cult knew about these things; the lower and middle-level followers, brainwashed, actually regarded this sacred fire as a divine object.

Wu Chengyu also understood that the so-called religious doctrines were actually aimed at the lower classes. The people who were least likely to believe in these doctrines were often the upper echelons of these religions, because they were the ones who created them in the first place.

However, the black oil still caught Wu Chengyu's attention. It was clearly petroleum. Thinking back, the northeast side of the Kunlun Mountains is close to the Tarim Basin, and oil fields were indeed discovered in the southwestern part of the Tarim Basin in later generations, with considerable reserves.

The Fiery Banner may not know the many applications of oil, but it now has the ability to extract shallow oil and apply it in its initial stages, which is far beyond Wu Chengyu's expectations. Oil is a treasure, but the Fiery Banner is an even greater treasure.

The sacred fire altar at Bright Peak has always been guarded by dedicated personnel. When Yang Xu returned to Bright Peak to become the leader, one of the conditions on which Fang Yaning stepped forward to help him appease the followers was that Yang Xu could not exterminate Fang Yu's personal guard.

Yang Xu's condition was that these hundred-odd second- or third-rate guards would be dedicated to protecting the Sacred Flame, and Fang Yaning was not allowed to mobilize them or participate in any affairs of the Ming Cult.

This was merely a temporary measure. Fang Yaning's plan was to bide her time and seek revenge when the opportunity arose. These personal guards were always her trump card, and everything was just a temporary retreat.

Yang Xu only wanted to quiet these guys down for the time being. Once he was firmly in control of the sect, he would either recruit them or kill them.

Both sides valued the Royal Guard highly, but were also willing to let time tell, so these past few months have been very grueling for the Royal Guard.

The Sacred Fire Altar is located at the highest point of Bright Summit. It is now October, and while other places are just entering autumn, Bright Summit is already covered with heavy snow, a vast expanse of white and truly clean.

The wind was strong and the snow was heavy. Even if you stayed by a fire all day, there was not much warmth. You had to guard it day and night. The sacred fire could not be separated from you for a moment.

The four gates of Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning had more than a hundred people, divided into three shifts. The most difficult time was, of course, the dead of night. The sacred fire was a torch-shaped altar, covered with a gilded canopy to protect against rain and snow. There were no walls around it except for a few large white pillars.

In such wind and snow, there was no comfort for a moment. The thirty-odd people gathered in the small wooden house by the sacred fire, with a fireplace lit, wearing fur coats and drinking strong liquor, but the chill still lingered.

"I heard from the brothers who came down the mountain to get food today that our new leader got beaten up. A lama came alone to challenge him, one-on-one, and the leader was defeated before he even finished three moves. He had to be carried back."

"Yes, it's really shameful. All the leaders of our Ming Cult have been top masters of their time. Except for the old leader who was poisoned by Nangong Luan, none of the other leaders have ever been defeated. How could they be like Yang Xu, who is fine when he stays at home, but gets beaten up as soon as he goes out?"

"I heard that the lama wasn't alone. He had people from our Ming Cult working together from the inside and outside. More than 400 elite Five Elements Banner soldiers were wiped out in a very short time. And they were hiding on Bright Peak. I wonder which group they were from. They were so powerful."

"What's the big deal? The Five Elements Banner is just a group that has a lot of people and knows a few tricks. Apart from the banner leader being a first-rate fighter, the ordinary Five Elements Banner disciples are barely even third-rate. Putting others aside, we brothers could send fifty of us to raid them."

"What's the use of saying all this? Aren't we still being forced up the mountain to watch the sacred flame? If it weren't for the young lady's insistence that we be patient, I would have already given up."

"Back then, the old leader rushed to Hubei without taking us with him. Otherwise, how would Nangong Luan have dared to rebel, and we wouldn't be suffering this wrath of Yang Xu now."

"I don't know how much longer I have to endure this. Anyway, Yang Xu, as the old sect leader's personal disciple, colluded with Nangong Luan to rebel. I have no respect for him as the sect leader."

If you ask me, we should take advantage of his serious injuries, have all of us over a hundred brothers rush down the mountain, swarm him, hack him to death, and then support the young lady as the leader.

"I won't have to force myself to stay on this mountaintop anymore. I'm so close to the fire, but the cold seeps into my bones; it's unbearable."

"Keep your voice down. Yang Xu has been sending people to monitor us. Be careful that his people don't overhear us. We must trust Miss. She will definitely take revenge. Right now, she's just temporarily holding back. As long as we brothers are here, we will eventually have our day of revenge."

"There's no point in saying more. It's better to drink some strong liquor. Liu Laoliu, the liquor in the house is finished. Go to the cellar next door and bring over two more jars."

"Why should I go? I'll be hit with a mouthful of snow as soon as I open the door, and then I'll be shivering for ages."

"Nonsense, you're nothing compared to me. I was the one who taught you the basics. You're a greenhorn. Now get going."

After some arguing, the man named Liu Laoliu, unable to persuade the others, grumbled as he pushed open the door and went out. A little while later, Liu Laoliu returned carrying two jars of wine.

"Haha, in this weather, sitting around the stove, warming up some wine, adding some ginger slices, one sip and you'll feel warm all over. Liu Laoliu, you've done a great job. Why aren't you saying anything, kid? Aren't you the one who loves to complain the most?" Liu Laoliu's face was covered in snow. He ignored the person who asked the question and just kept leaning against the stove, pointing to his throat.

Someone nearby immediately filled in the blanks for him: "No need to ask, he must have caught a chill as soon as he stepped out the door and can't speak now. Ignore him, let's drink."

After several rounds of drinks, low moans and groans were heard from inside the wooden house. On this mountaintop, far from the main altar, the sounds of wind and snow masked the noise, and no one noticed anything amiss.

Then the man called Liu Laoliu opened the door, dragged another Liu Laoliu back from outside, threw him into the wooden house, and then quickly disappeared into the wind and snow.

The next morning, Bright Summit became lively again. Yang Xu, who had been healing his wounds overnight and was showing some improvement, was also disturbed by the commotion.

"What's going on outside? When have my Ming Cult disciples become so unruly?"

A disciple ran in from outside, looking panicked: "Reporting to the sect leader, something has happened. All the disciples who were on guard by the sacred fire last night are dead. There were more than thirty of them, and no one found out until this morning when the shift changed."

Yang Xu's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and his inner energy almost reversed. These were turbulent times, and he was afraid that the Ming Cult would suddenly cause some kind of disturbance, which he would be powerless to suppress.

The guards responsible for protecting the sacred flame were Fang Yu's personal guards, all of whom were second- or third-rate fighters. How could more than thirty of them be wiped out in one night? He immediately thought of the fifty men who had raided the Five Elements Flags. Right now, only they had that kind of fighting power.

"Quick, take me there quickly."

When Yang Xu arrived, the area around Sacred Flame Peak was crowded with people. The most eye-catching group was a group of disciples surrounding the wooden house. Yang Xu was very familiar with them. They were the personal guards of the old sect leader Fang Yu. There were a total of 100 people, but now only more than 60 people were still standing here.

These people all had cold expressions, their swords drawn, and they surrounded the wooden house, not allowing anyone to enter. Their eyes were filled with wariness and hatred when they saw Yang Xu.

"Let me in! I am the leader of the Ming Cult. Who dares to stop me?" Yang Xu was focused on investigating the cause of death, but he did not expect that even his personal guards would dare to stop him.

Immediately afterwards, Wu Du also brought a group of disciples over. Seeing that the guards had drawn their swords against Yang Xu, Wu Du waved his hand and ordered his men to surround the guards. The situation was about to escalate.

"We are waiting for the young lady. No one is allowed to go in before she arrives."

"Damn it! I am the Left Envoy of Light, and the Cult Leader is here! How dare you disobey orders and rebel? Guards, take him away..."

Before the words were finished, a cold and suppressed voice came from behind, a voice that Yang Xu and Wu Du had not heard in a long time.

"What is Wu Zuo Shi trying to do? Does he intend to wipe out all the guards left behind by my father?"

“I dare not say I have met the Holy Maiden. However, they are not only the old leader’s personal guards, but also disciples of the Ming Cult. As members of the Ming Cult, I have a responsibility to punish them for their disrespect towards the leader. Do you agree, Holy Maiden?”

After returning to Guangming Peak and saying a few words to Yang Xu, Fang Yaning has been keeping vigil by Fang Yu's grave and has not made any public appearances since.

Two months had passed since they last met, and Fang Yaning seemed to have lost even more weight, her figure noticeably thinner. However, she looked to be in good spirits, no longer showing the listlessness she had displayed upon returning to Bright Peak. Instead of answering Wu Du's question, she turned her gaze to Yang Xu.

Following her discussion with Zhou Dao, or rather, under the constant persuasion of Wu Chengyu, Fang Yaning chose to temporarily back down and return to Bright Peak to slowly seek opportunities.

But after two months, she seemed to have come to her senses again. According to Zhou Dao, she was right, but by staying in seclusion, her influence in the Ming Cult seemed to be waning.

And then, surprisingly, that Zhou Dao stopped contacting her altogether, and she heard that he spent his days drinking and gambling. The young woman finally realized that she had been deceived.

Zhou Dao was just using the pretext of persuading himself to curry favor with Yang Xu; as for whether he would seek revenge later, he didn't care at all.

Fang Yaning didn't know if her guess was right, but she was after all carrying the burden of her father's revenge, and she wasn't the type to be good at enduring things. After suppressing it for two months, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

But just then, a disciple suddenly reported that one-third of the more than one hundred guards from the four gates of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, whom she regarded as an important force, had died overnight. Therefore, no matter how much she had to endure, she had to step forward now.

"Junior sister, I know what you're thinking, but I can tell you that you're wrong. The best course of action now is to find out the cause of death first."

Fang Yaning knew, of course, that Yang Xu had been challenged and seriously injured. She had originally seen this as an opportunity. Now that they were face to face, based on her understanding of Yang Xu, she immediately knew that her senior brother's injuries must be quite severe.

She pondered for a moment, glanced at Wu Du behind Yang Xu, and suppressed her urge to act immediately. She simply waved her hand to dismiss the guards, and then walked into the wooden house with Yang Xu and Wu Du.

The stove in the cabin had long since gone out because no one had added firewood. The bodies of the dead guards were all frozen stiff, each one with a gruesome death, clearly having suffered immense pain before their demise. Most strikingly, almost all of them had a pool of black blood flowing from the corner of their mouths.

(End of this chapter)