Mu Chen frowned at Su Xuanâs words, as he was unfamiliar with that name. Furthermore, he didnât remember offending some Demonic Dragon Palace on their way here. Right?
âAre they really from the Demonic Dragon Palace?â Guo Xiong and Li Qingâs faces changed, going cold, âNo wonder they had such a ruthless formation. So, itâs them.â
Su Xuan lightly nodded. âThe ones who intercepted us earlier were two Heavenly Transform Stages and three Quasi-Heavenly Transform Stages. Not many forces within a thousand miles of the White Dragon Hillock are capable of sending out such a formation.
She smiled at the slightly frowning Mu Chen as she spoke. âYouâre new to the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, so itâs not strange that you donât know about the Demonic Dragon Palace. A few hundred years ago, one powerful force ruled the entire Northern Heavens Continent â the Demonic Dragon Palace.â
âAre they stronger than the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy?â Mu Chen blanked as he considered the inconceivable.
âNo. Even though our Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy resided on the same continent, we never had any thoughts of ruling. We didnât meddle in the events that went on. Thatâs why the Demonic Dragon Palace seized the opportunity to rise, and became the overlord of the Northern Heavens Continent.â
Guo Xiong smiled, âHowever, the Demonic Dragon Palace wasnât satisfied, even after they became the overlord of the continent. The Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy at the center of the continent was a thorn in their side. They knew that they could only become true overlords by removing the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. They wanted to use the continent as their headquarters as they invade and attack other continents.â
Mu Chen swept his tongue around his mouth. How ambitious of the Demonic Dragon Palace. Forget about ruling the Northern Heavens Continent, they actually dared to take action against the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.
âAs a result, the Demonic Dragon Palace began attacking the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy a few hundred years ago. That battle was truly world-shaking and countless experts fell. The entire continent was embroiled in battle.â
Mu Chen seemed shaken. The strength of Demonic Dragon Palace was definitely frightening to be able to rule the entire Northern Heavens Continent. Meanwhile, the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy had contentedly and stably sat at the center of the Northern Heavens Continent for thousands of years. Their foundation was just as deep and unmeasurable.
The collision of such two forces would definitely result in devastating destruction.
âThat battle carried on for years. In the end, Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy stood victorious, while the Demonic Dragon Palace withdrew in defeat, their might declined. Those forces that theyâd once suppressed retaliating against them. The Demonic Dragon Palaceâs ruling seat had been utterly shattered.â
Su Xuan stared at the corpses and said, âHowever, a centipede dies but never falls down. Even though the Demonic Dragon Palace was defeated, they werenât destroyed. Theyâre still hiding out on the Northern Heavens Continent, recuperating, while they wait for an opportunity to arrive.â
âOver the years, the students of our Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy whoâve gone out for training would often encounter various attacks. Half of those are from the Demonic Dragon Palace.â
âEvery year, about half of the students whoâve died out on the Northern Heavens Continent were at the hands of the Demonic Dragon Palace.â
Chill gathered on Su Xuanâs sweet-tempered face as she spoke. She clearly, and bitterly, despised the Demonic Dragon Palace.
âHas the academy taken any measures?â Mu Chen asked with furrowed brows.
âYou know that nothing is gentle after you leave the borders of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. At the same time, it serves as an experience â the only way you can become a true expert is by experiencing the need to kill for yourself. Thatâs why they send students out to train. In this world, how could anyone grow stronger without paying a price?â
âFurthermore, our Northern Heavens Spiritual Academyâs Mission Hall has a special board â the Bounty Board. All the names on it are well-famed, as many students whoâve left to train have died by their hands. Thatâs why our academy issues bounties for them. Students who kill those bounty targets will be heavily rewarded.â
âBounty Board?â Mu Chen was confused. Heâd never even heard of this board before. Clearly, only students whose strength have reached a certain level could gain the access to go after the terrible people on the Bounty Board.
âEach target on the Bounty Board is a ruthless figure, so much so that theyâre even known within the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. All of those missions are extremely dangerous and difficult; thatâs why theyâre known as the most painful missions of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.â
Guo Xiong stood to the side licking his lips. âWhatâs engraved in my mind was the event that shook our entire Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. Back then, Shen Cangsheng had just come out of his seclusion and took on one of these bounty missions. Furthermore, the one heâd accepted was a Rank 3 of the Bounty Board, an extreme talent from the Demonic Dragon Palace â Blood Demon Dragon â Yu Yuan.â
âBlood Demon Dragon, Yu YuanâŚâ Mu Chen muttered.
âThis Yu Yuan was extremely powerful. Before this, the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy had sent out a party of twenty out for training, including two Heavenly Transform Stage Initial Phase upperclassmen. Even the worst among them was a Heavenly Fusion Stage Late Phase. Such formation is already formidable, but when they encountered Yu Yuan, only one Senior Sister escaped, protected by the others.â
âAfter that, our Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy attempted an unsuccessful hunt; two of the hunting party ended up killed instead, increasing Yu Yuanâs fame. After that, no one else dared to accept his bounty mission.â
Guo Xiong had an expression of admiration. âUntil Shen Cangshen came along.â
âShen Cangshen still wasnât Rank 1 back then, only somewhere in the top 10 of the Heavenly Ranking. He often hid away by himself, but, that day, he came out of seclusion and exploded. With his spear, he soared to Rank 1 of the Heavenly Ranking.â
âAfter that, while the student body was in shock, he accepted Yu Yuanâs bounty mission. 10 days later, he returned with his spear over his shoulder and Yu Yuanâs head on the end of it.â
Guo Xiongâs eyes boiled with excitement as he recalled the huge shock thatâd brought to the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy.
âEveryone had been dumbfounded as they raised their heads towards the war god returning with the spear on his shoulder. They were in extreme shock.â
Mu Chen looked at Guo Xiong, whose eyes were still boiling and Li Qing, the ice beauty who seemed faraway at the moment. He could see that this Senior Brother, Shen Cangsheng, who heâd never met before, possessed an extremely high position in the eyes those students.
He was curious. How powerful was this legend-like figure? How strong was he compared to Li Xuantong?
âShen Cangsheng is indeed a powerful individual,â Su Xuan confirmed with a soft voice. âYou could think of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy as a gathering place for geniuses. He Yao, Xu Huang, and the others are also fairly outstanding. There are many whoâve hidden themselves from the public, waiting for the day they amaze the world with a single brilliant feat and become powerful figures soaring to the heavens. Even still, no matter how outstanding they were, they still canât shake the Heavenly Rankingâs peak, that majestic war god.â
âMost of the targets on the Bounty Board are from the Demonic Dragon Palace. Theyâre the only ones whoâd try to kill our students by any means.â
Su Xuan looked at Mu Chen, âNow you know about the blood feud between our Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy and Demonic Dragon Palace?â
Mu Chen nodded. It seemed that this Demonic Dragon Palace shouldnât be underestimated. The Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy allowed this to happen was for the sake of their studentsâ training, but also possibly because they had no way of pulling up the Demonic Dragon Palace by its roots.
âThis time, it seems the Demonic Dragon Palace has noticed us.â Su Xuanâs charming facial features drew together. âAs far as I know, the White Dragon Sovereign who fell here was once a high-ranking member of the Demonic Dragon Palace. However, he betrayed them. Itâs likely that the Demonic Dragon Palace sent their experts because of the appearance of this Sovereign Spirit Treasury. When the time comes⌠weâll have to be careful.â
Mu Chen, Guo Xiong, Li Qing, and Su Xuan all nodded. They felt the inconvenience. It seemed that this mission wasnât going to be as easy to complete.
âWe should move. Weâll take advantage of nightfall and the fact that weâve just thwarted the Demonic Dragon Palace. Best if we lose them completely.â Su Xuan said.
None of them had any objections. They tried to tidy up the area, then headed deeper into the White Dragon Hillocks with increased vigilance.
âŚ
Mu Chenâs party headed deeper into the hillocks. Meanwhile, Bai Dong stood in the forest on a faraway slope, his color turning steel-grey.
âTrash, trash! Four pieces of trash! Heavenly Fusion Stage Late Phase strength and they couldnât even dispose of a girl who wasnât even a Heavenly Fusion Stage Late Phase and a Heavenly Fusion Stage Initial Phase boy!
Bai Dong look down at the four black-colored jade tokens in his hand, which was completely shattered. It showed that those four had already been killed.
The grey-robed elder stood next to Bai Dong, his expression bewildered. âHow is this possible? How could the two of them kill four Demonic Dragon Guards?â
He was familiar with the strength of the Demonic Dragon Guards. Even heâd have to bide his time if he wanted to deal with the four them together. But now, a boy and a girl, still smelling of their motherâs milk, kill them?
Bai Dong was so angry that he crushed the jade shards in the his hand. Then, he looked to the depths of the forest with a sinister look in his eyes.
âInform my father. It looks like we donât need to worry about being exposed, anymore. As long as we obtain whatâs in the Spirit Treasury, we can withdraw from this place. But, before we leave, I want those irksome things exterminated!â