Chapter 446: All Caution to the Wind! |
When the Sky Source Decree resounded across the sky, the Primordial Academy descended into complete and utter chaos! Many disciples from the myriad worlds were terrified by this world-shaking revelation and announcement, their faces awash with shock and confusion.
"Is Lian Xi really a child of disaster?"
"Yes! She was seen donning the Martial Emperor's Armor. So many have witnessed it firsthand. Even the Heavenly Order Temple has issued the Sky Source Decree. Could it be false?"
Tens of thousands of disciples rushed to gather, their faces panicked.
"How can a child of disaster provoke such public outrage? What unspeakable crimes against heaven and earth have she committed?" a disciple wondered aloud.
"You've just come from the myriad worlds, haven't you? You're unaware of the history with the Martial Emperor Clan. If you knew, you'd understand the hatred!" another replied.
"But Lian Xi seems nice. Why would I hate her? What does she have to do with me?" the disciple asked.
"It has everything to do with you! Are you clueless? First, a few hundred years ago, the Martial Emperor Clan stubbornly and self-righteously waged war against the devils. Even if they annihilated the devils, it led to the deaths of tens of millions from our race, possibly including your ancestors! Second, the Martial Emperor Clan harvested the hearts of young girls to forge the Martial Emperor Physique, causing countless deaths.
"But the most important is the third! The heavens were angered and punished the Primordial Ruins, causing the Five Calamities to turn into Five Decays. With each decline, half the people die. Once you have the chance to face the Five Decays, you'll understand true despair!"
These young people had grown up listening to tales of the Martial Emperor Clan's wickedness. A fact universally acknowledged and documented in all educational texts! Now, because of one such child of disaster, the Primordial Academy had become the target of all!
No matter how much respect some might have had for Lian Xi, even if the disciples weren't narrow-minded, seeing the fiery wrath engulfing the Primordial Ruins, these ordinary disciples who were unclear of the whole situation began to fear.
With the issuance of the second Sky Source Decree, aiding the child of disaster would mean desecrating even one's ancestral graves! This was a world controlled by the Three Immortals. Who would dare?
"We're doomed! Lian Xi is going to be the death of us..."
Panic spread throughout the Primordial Academy.
It was then that the Mystic Zenith Temple issued a notice.
"Disciples and Sacred Sages of the Primordial Academy, who are untainted by the child of disaster and wish to swear enmity against them, come forth to the Mystic Zenith Temple to prove your innocence. You have one day.
"At the stroke of midnight, anyone within the Academy who has not reported will be deemed an ally of the child of disaster, bearing the heavy sins of the Sky Source Decree, with no exceptions!"
With the issuance of this proclamation from the Mystic Zenith Temple, the Primordial Academy was thrown into utter disarray.
The phrase no exceptions clearly implicated even Dean Yu.
At this moment, the Mystic Zenith Temple stood as the representative of the Three Immortals, offering a final opportunity to some and a final ultimatum to others.
"Go now!" Instantly, people from all corners of the Primordial Academy, elders and disciples alike, rushed towards the Mystic Zenith Temple in a frenzy.
"There's only half a day left. If we don't go to the Mystic Zenith Temple now, we'll be branded as accomplices of the child of disaster, bringing calamity to the world!"
Panic covered their faces, their minds buzzing with urgency.
"Stop spouting nonsense!" Ah Yao looked angrily at the crowd before him.
Many of the disciples had been preparing to join him on a mission to the Blood Devil Ruins to slay demons. Until this moment, they naturally supported Yun Xiao and Lian Xi. Now, their hearts trembled with fear.
"What nonsense... Brother Yao, your father is a Sacred Sage of the Academy. If you can't defeat the Three Immortals, you might still escape. But we nobodies hailing from myriad worlds would die unnoticed. How can you ask us to fight to the death?"
Several of his normally close junior brothers stared at Ah Yao, bewildered.
"If your family decides to die for a child of disaster, I have no objections. Everyone has the right to make their choice. But you can't force us..." they said.
"It's not that..." Ah Yao said. A burly youth like him suddenly started shedding tears, then shook his head. "I'm not trying to stop you from going to the Mystic Zenith Temple. I completely understand that you can't stand against the Three Immortals. But... can you please stop cursing Lian Xi? She's such a good girl. You've interacted with her; don't you know that?"
His words silenced everyone. Indeed, they all knew Lian Xi well and respected her.
"The whole world accuses her of being a child of disaster. How do you expect us to judge? In these Primordial Ruins, we're just commoners. Whom should we believe? We don't know..." they said, lost.
"Because we don't know whom to trust, we must keep silent until the day the truth is revealed, to show her some respect..." Ah Yao said softly.
"Okay."
Finally, they nodded in agreement. But, they also had to go to the Mystic Zenith Temple! One by one, his friends left.
In the end, only a few remained by Ah Yao's side.
"Sigh." Ah Yao exhaled deeply. He knew that the Primordial Academy could never return to how it once was.
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After the proclamation from the Mystic Zenith Temple was issued, aside from the Mystic Zenith Temple itself, the rest of the Primordial Academy had been labeled a zone of sin.
An hour after the proclamation, those who hadn't entered the Mystic Zenith Temple were effectively branded as accomplices of the child of disaster, bearing the stigma of a crime worthy of the extermination of nine generations of their family.
At this moment, the Mystic Zenith Temple had gathered over ninety percent of the people from the Primordial Academy! This number only highlighted one fact—the power and might of the Three Immortals were seen as insurmountable by the majority.
In the choice between life and death, people voted with their feet. And so, the Primordial Academy, usually bustling, now lay deserted and declined, with scarcely anyone walking its grounds. It resembled the eve of an apocalypse.
Take the Primordial Pagoda, for example! Before the incident at the Liu Manor, thousands had watched Lian Xi challenge the tenth level of the Primordial Treasure Pagoda.
Now, only a group of people in white robes stood guard outside. They formed a circle, their expressions solemn, their eyes brimming with their own sense of greatness and glory.
"To save the world and its people, they stand opposed to both the enemy and all of humanity, enduring slander and vicious attacks, dragging one drowning soul after another from the depths of despair... Such people are truly great." Yun Xiao stood in a corner far from the Primordial Pagoda, silently observing all this.
This was what it meant for Lian Xi to be an incarnation of transcending calamity.
The resolve in the eyes of these people in white robes had not changed.
Yu Nichang and Yun Dahe had also visited, seeking to understand the situation from Lian Xi. Even though the stain on their reputation came unexpectedly, they did not blame her, indicating they were mentally prepared for this day.
Ninety percent of the Primordial Academy had sought refuge in the Mystic Zenith Temple. Standing guard here, facing the shadow of the Three True Immortals, they walked against the tide of humanity, towards hell, in search of the last glimmer of light in the world!
Lian Xi was the last light in their eyes. What they were doing was true greatness.
Yun Xiao admired them deeply. He possessed many tricks and trump cards, but none of these people knew that. So, in essence, they had long prepared to face death for Lian Xi!
This spirit of embracing death was far more steadfast than Yun Xiao's own determination for Lian Xi.
Yu Nichang and Yun Dahe, as they escorted Lian Xi to the Primordial Pagoda, had eyes shining with brilliance, eyes that held only her.
"Do what you must, leave the rest to us," Yu Nichang said gently, touching her face.
"Do we still have a chance to win?" Lian Xi asked, looking up.
"As long as you are here, there is always hope," Yu Nichang said with a smile.
"But I'm afraid of you dying." Lian Xi held her hand, her eyes brimming with tears.
Yu Nichang paused for a moment, then shook her head softly. "It's okay, we're not important."
After saying that, she stepped back, waved to Lian Xi, who looked back three times before finally entering the Primordial Pagoda.
Yu Nichang took a deep breath and then turned around. What she needed to do was prepare for battle. They all knew that after being branded, the next steps from their adversaries wouldn't take long.
Neither the appearance of the Nian and True Devils nor Yun Xiao becoming the eye of the storm had changed the Three Immortals' determination and decisiveness to deal with Lian Xi!
Now, as the storm loomed, she had stirred up the greatest tempest in 300 years! All eyes were on her. What could Yun Xiao do?
"Three Immortals Day is tomorrow; they're likely to make a move. My original interrogation was the day after, making the only difference a day earlier for me," Yun Xiao looked down at himself. "One less day, but there's a silver lining; no need to hide my edge anymore."
It was time to unleash everything! Yun Xiao then sat down beneath the Primordial Pagoda, pulling out his Giant Bag of Holding, ready to indulge in a fierce battle to the end.
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