Chapter 291: Chapter 270: Sensational! Chapter 291: Chapter 270: Sensational! Chen Yuanâs words landed with decisive force, brimming with lethal intent.
In life and in doing things, one must of course keep their word and deliver on their promises.
Since he had declared he would annihilate Gold Mountain Monastery and forge it into a prominent memorial, then it was impossible for him to break his word!
âYour subordinate obeys the order!â
âYour subordinate obeys the order!â
Yue Shan, Mo Donghe, and several others said in unison.
Zhang Xuan, Tao Qingyuan, and a few others kept silent, which was taken as consent to Chen Yuanâs intentions. After all, an enmity that sealed their fate had already been formed and, to prevent future troubles, they naturally had to remove the roots along with the grass!
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The battle at Gold Mountain Monastery had ended, and Chen Yuan among other Reach Profound experts stood in the void, their faces impassive as they smelled the acrid scent of burning oil emanating from within the monastery.
In front of the mountain gate, a towering memorial had been erected, and at the very top was Fa Haiâs severed head.
Although they were the Military Equipment Army, they too relished in this joy unique to the military.
Beneath, the Military Equipment Army and Changle Gangâs Heavenly Patrol Guards gathered in numbers that were significantly less than before their departureâa glance was enough to discern the difference. This was normal, given that the disciples of Gold Mountain Monastery were far superior in average strength compared to those from Dragon Tiger Sect and Azure Flood Dragon Association.
Moreover, the great formation they had previously set up had indeed inflicted substantial damage on many.
âLight the fire!â
With a grand sweep of Chen Yuanâs hand, dozens of torches were simultaneously thrown out by the Heavenly Patrol Guards, scattering sparks onto the oil, and flames erupted instantly.
In the blink of an eye, the entirety of Gold Mountain Monastery was engulfed in a sea of fire.
Watching the blaze rise, Chen Yuanâs gaze seemed to see back to the time when Fa Nan bullied others with his power. At that time, eighteen and standing like a lackeyâŠ
Today, Chen Yuan had given Gold Mountain Monastery a terribly painful lesson.
If Buddhist practitioners lacked a Buddha Heart, then let them be buried in the midst of the inferno.
In a past life myth, there was the story of Lady White flooding Gold Mountain Monastery with water. In this lifetime, it was Chen Yuanâs turn to set fire to Gold Mountain Monasteryâan act of fate preordained!
As the flames grew fiercer, with hardly any indication of being extinguished, Chen Yuan exchanged polite farewells with several people and then started to head back towards Prefecture City.
Before they even reached Prefecture City, news had already spread like wildfire, with all kinds of speculation because someone had noticed that the Heavenly Patrol Bureau was almost fully mobilized,
The elite forces of the Changle Gang had also been completely deployed, inevitably reminding them of the scene when Azure Flood Dragon Association was annihilated.
Opinions were divided; some said they were like startled birds, making wild guesses at the slightest noise, while others speculated that it was the Shenxiao Hall moving on behalf of the court, and some even believed it to be a misunderstanding.
But when over a thousand people returned to Prefecture City, all who saw them fell silent.
Most among the thousand were stained with blood, some missing arms and legs, and amongst them, dozens of carts were being escorted, leading people to be certain that those carts contained gold and silver treasures.
Even a fool could tell that these people did not leave the city for a leisurely spring outing.
Then afterward, a piece of news utterly exploded across Nanling Prefecture City, causing an uproar beyond the ordinary.
Gold Mountain Monastery had been wiped out!!!
Every Martial Artist who heard this news spoke with conviction.
âImpossible, absolutely impossible!â
âHow could Gold Mountain Monastery be destroyed? Itâs the strongest force in Nanling Prefecture, an unparalleled entity among the Five Great Forces. The monasteryâs leader Fa Hai is even a person at the Reach Profound Peak.â
âWith such a powerhouse at the helm, how could they be annihilated? You must be jokingâŠâ
This was the initial reaction of most who knew of the strength of Gold Mountain Monastery.
After all, it was simply too inconceivable.
Some people grew up knowing of Gold Mountain Monasteryâs existence, warned by their families or hearing stories from others. Hardly anyone was unaware of it.
ButâŠ
As news spread and with people personally verifying at Gold Mountain Monastery, everyone fell into an eerie silence.
Gold Mountain Monastery had indeed been obliterated!
And it was the kind where not a single soul survived, and the entire monastery had been reduced to ashes, still smoldering to this pointâŠ
The memorial erected at the gate instilled fear in everyone who went to Gold Mountain Monastery, almost unable to believe all that transpired, yet the head on display at the very top was unmistakably that of Fa Hai.
Huge news, earth-shattering news!
When Dragon Tiger Sect and Azure Flood Dragon Association were previously destroyed, many were shocked, but still, a number of people saw the conflict coming; after all, it had caused quite the stir.
With Chen Yuanâs intolerance to endure offenses, many believed there would be a clash between them, but they had not anticipated such magnitude.
However, this time with Gold Mountain Monastery was different, with no forewarning at all, no one even witnessing the sudden and fatal strike.
Moreover, the most important aspect was that Gold Mountain Monastery was entirely different from Dragon Tiger Sect and Azure Flood Dragon Association. Anyone with a bit of insight knew they were not on the same level.
Gold Mountain Monastery was an institution that had been established for over a hundred years, an eminent force in Nanling Prefecture from the very beginningâ who dared to show disrespect?
The monks of Gold Mountain Monastery were even more pompous and arrogant, acting as if they were the unrivaled leaders of Nanling. Some didnât even take the government into account, yet the government seemed powerless against Gold Mountain Monastery.
One could say that although Gold Mountain Monastery wasnât deemed invincible in the eyes of many, within Nanling Prefecture, it was certainly not to be trifled with.
And the Azure Flood Dragon Association was established only a few decades ago, with shallow roots, relying solely on Tang Qian. Though it has some reputation, that is hardly surprising.
Since its founding, the Dragon Tiger Sect had experienced several peaks and troughs, having had its moments of glory but also times of desolation. The new Sect Leader, Xu Lingtian, who had just reached the Reach Profound realm, didnât have much fame, and even with the old Sect Leader Xu Yongnian present, they could not compare to Gold Mountain Monastery.
The sensation caused by these two was fundamentally incomparable.
After the sensation spread throughout the city, those deeply concerned about the destruction of Gold Mountain Monastery also learned from some Changle Gang members and soldiers of the Military Equipment Army and the Heavenly Patrol Guards about what had happened that day.
Nanling Prefectureâs six Reach Profound warriors battled Fa Hai!
What kind of spectacle was that?
In the end, Fa Hai was defeated, his body dismembered by Chen Yuan, sealing the fate of Gold Mountain Monastery.
Even the burning of Gold Mountain Monastery and the ordaining of monks were Chen Yuanâs ordersâŠ
After the news spread, Chen Yuanâs fame reached its peak. It became common knowledge, and perhaps no one could have imagined that Chen Yuan would be the one to bring down Gold Mountain Monastery, which had stood for a hundred years.
There was even a rumor that Gold Mountain Monasteryâs fall was due to Chen Yuan orchestrating behind the scenes, persuading people like Tao Qingyuan and Shi Yunlong, and some even saw him visiting Wei Xin beforehand.
As for the grievances, the public claim from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau was that Gold Mountain Monasteryâs sins were too deep, and the imperial court couldnât allow such a Demon Sect to exist in the worldâŠ
But nobody believed that story, really. They preferred to believe what they wanted to, that the people of Gold Mountain Monastery had feuds with several Reach Profound experts of Nanling Prefecture,
among which, Chen Yuanâs was the deepest.
Thus, the calamity of their annihilation came to be.
In the shadows, aside from the nickname âDemon Blade,â many martial artists from Jianghu also started calling him âGod of Slaughter!â
This title wasnât made up without reason; it was based on Chen Yuanâs past deeds, from the corrupt family of Yang Wanlou who hoarded silver, to the Ren Family of Qinghe County.
From the Liu Family of Cao County to the Bei Family of the Changle Gang.
From the Dragon Tiger Sect to the Azure Flood Dragon AssociationâŠ
Anybody who provoked Chen Yuan met with the same fate without exception: their families were exterminated, their homes raided. So, was the title âGod of Slaughterâ really an exaggeration?
Some even worried that Chen Yuan, in a killing frenzy, would wipe out all the forces in Jianghu within Nanling Prefecture.
Indeed, many were losing sleep at night, fearing that the God of Slaughter would be knocking on their doorsâŠ
With his fearsome reputation growing ever more widespread, Chen Yuan reached a point in Nanling Prefecture where his mere name would change the hearerâs color, and not just average citizens; anyone who mentioned his name looked around warily as a precaution.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan simply laughed it off. He told Yue Shan and others that people outside were exaggerating: he was simply doing good deeds by gathering those who offended him with their families in the afterlife.
There was no other way, âChen the Great Benefactorâ simply couldnât stand seeing people lonely and forlornâŠ
Those who heard it after were quite speechless.
Ye Chenbai of Ascending Immortal Tower fell silent for a long time after hearing this, showing little surprise, for he had already figured out Chen Yuanâs nature through several encounters.
Shen Yanshu of the Shen Family said after hearing about it that Lord Chen truly was invincible.
The maid Xiao Yu pursed her lips, saying that a man like Chen Yuan was obviously unromantic, delighting in killing, a sure brute, a far cry from the cold, noble young man she had once imagined.
There was no helping it, as the rumors were too outrageous; some even said Chen Yuan required the sacrifice of boys and girls daily.
Originally emotionless, Shen Yanshu blushed when Xiao Yu spoke the phrase âa sure brute,â as if something came to her mind.
The old acquaintance of Chen Yuan, the Prefecture Chief of Nanling, drank alone after hearing the news, recalling the scene of their last meeting and shaking his head slightly.
The martial artists from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau grew even more reverent towards Chen Yuan, their respect surpassing even that for Green Envoy Tao Qingyuan.
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Time flows like water, fleeting in an instant.
Chen Yuan sat alone in the backyard of his house, his gaze profound as he stared into the void, reminded for some reason of the scene when he had returned to Nanling Prefecture City days before.
There wasnât much suspicion. After returning to the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, a brief discussion was all it took before they began to divide the spoils⊠Upon inspection and appraisal,
Tao Qingyuan and others unanimously recognized Chen Yuanâs largest contribution, so naturally, he received the largest share, a total of twelve Primordial Crystals. Tao Qingyuan was next with eight, then Lv Yuan, Zhang XuanâŠ
In short, fifty-two Primordial Crystals were distributed in the blink of an eye. Neither Lv Yuan, Zhang Xuan, nor Tao Qingyuan had any plans to submit these to their superiors.
They simply had the equivalent value counted and recorded to be presented to Lord Jiang He of Qingzhou City.
The fall of Gold Mountain Monastery might prove troublesome, possibly angering that Buddhist force within the Qingzhou Domain. Only Jiang He had the ability to settle such matters.
So, in the assets submitted, no one dared to conceal any part of their haul.
That being said, these individuals werenât exactly short of silver. For them, such worldly possessions werenât as useful as imagined, and what they really coveted were the Primordial Crystals.
Musing on this, Chen Yuan suddenly lowered his head, his eyes flickering. The injuries he had sustained that day would heal in a few days, and then it would be time to pursue the Innate Spiritual Energy.
Hopefully, Wei Xin would know what was good for him.
After all, Chen Yuan had secured quite a bit of benefit for him previously.