Chapter 695: Tensions among the Six Fangs

Cao Yun was unaware of everything going on around but also within him. Unfortunately, Dian Mo couldn't communicate with Hongyu so he was also stuck observing everything, waiting for Cao Yun to regain even an ounce of awareness. Until then, he had to keep suppressing the Devouring Robber. However, that seventh and last Turbid Demon had grown stronger and stronger. At the moment, it was taking Dian Mo a lot of effort to keep it docile. If he weakened his grip even slightly, Devouring Robber would immediately lash out and attack Cao Yun's sea of consciousness. Considering the young man's current status, he would be killed on the spot. There was no doubt about that.

Thankfully, Hongyu was smart enough to take care of Cao Yun appropriately. The young man had already shown her the array formations he had set up so she had placed him at the perfect spot. His soul had been exhausted but his Soul Embryo had been preserved. As such, he merely required rest. It was as if a mere mortal had spent several days without sleeping at all. Of course, if he overdid it, he would simply go insane and die. But Cao Yun had probably not gone that far or he would be dead already. That being said, it was extremely difficult to know how long he would need to rest.

Obviously, Dian Mo and Hongyu's main concern was those within the Holy Hongxue City. Although she had not seen Cao Yun's attackers, Hongyu could guess that they were dangerous and that they would come back for Cao Yun as soon as they got out. So the question was whether Cao Yun would wake up first or the Six Fangs would break free first. On that matter, no one could give a correct answer.

-

In the Holy Hongxue City, Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan's Six Fangs had gathered as many people as they could within the confines of the Temple of Grace and Submission. The old priest, High Priest Zhihui, was furious. But he had learned to stay quiet about his concerns. When Holy Cardinal Ling Weisheng was in charge, he knew when to keep his mouth shut. Apparently, he had kept that good habit with the Silver Wolf Marshal and his Six Fangs Generals. In fact, he made sure to never cross their path. So, for a few days, he had secluded himself with some other priests within the laboratory of Yu Xiangling. Since the Burning Blood was intact, they decided to use it.

Without the two women stopping him, High Priest Zhihui could do whatever he wanted with this Burning Blood. Thus he used it in order to strengthen his hold on the Temple of Grace and Submission. Obviously, he favored those who were following him by gifting them more of the Burning Blood. That being said, he was conniving but not stupid. He also made sure to leave enough Burning Blood to replenish it later. But they would need more sacrifices. Maybe they could simply sacrifice all those who were desecrating their temple.

Even if Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan had allowed them to get in, they were soiling the sacred house of the Heavenly Demon God. They had to pay with their lives. Besides, most of them were pilgrims who believed in the Heavenly Demon God, so they should be happy to sacrifice their miserable lives for the god they worshiped. Moreover, High Priest Zhihui didn't intend to torture them, he just planned on killing them to take their blood for their god. They would be rewarded by the Heavenly Demon God. It was a good thing even for them, they should rejoice. But he would have to wait for the Silver Wolf Marshal and his generals to leave first.

Outside of the Temple of Grace and Submission, Lu Xiaoya was still studying the array formations around the city. She had had time to set up some defenses around herself. It had taken a lot of time to convince Zhai Tiesheng not to stay guard in front of her. After all, he was severely injured. Jin Bao was only slightly injured. Still, it would take them both mere days to recover. Indeed, Zhai Tiesheng's constitution was extremely sturdy.

Zhai Tiesheng couldn't keep his calm within the temple though. He decided to seclude himself in a room. Otherwise, he might very well slaughter all the priests. But he knew his Marshal didn't want that to happen, it would break his vow. The last thing Zhai Tiesheng wanted was to soil Marshal Shanyin Guan's reputation. Keeping his word was a cornerstone of his morals. Once he had vowed something, he would go all the way.

After eight days, Lu Xiaoya finally called for a meeting. Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan gathered all his generals as well as High Priest Zhihui who reluctantly came. Just being close to Zhai Tiesheng terrified him so he tried to stay closer to the Marshal, knowing he was honor-bound to protect him.

"Sister Lu, can you break down those array formations?"

"I do think I can, but it will take time and effort. I don't know who that man is but he's very good. In order to unravel those array formations, I'll have to take down some of the very defenses of the city itself."

"How long?"

"If I get all the help you can give me, I should be able to do so in around five days."

Without turning toward him, the Silver Wolf Marshal addressed High Priest Zhihui.

"Tell your priesthood that they'll have to give us all the support they can. I understand that your rules forbid you from leaving the Temple of Grace and Submission as you wish. But this is an emergency. We need all the assistance we can get. We'll make sure that none of your priests is hurt in the process, but we can't guarantee it for sure. What say you?"

"Of course, Marshal. We need to take down those array formations as soon as possible. Then, you need to get that heretic and flay him alive. No, it's too nice of a punishment. You should pull his tendons, his bones, his..."

"We get the picture. Go relay our Marshal's orders!"

The short-haired woman Jin Bao who had recovered cut the High Priest short. She was already short-tempered but she had even less patience when it came to those priests. In fact, there was some tension in the room among the Six Fangs and the Silver Wolf Marshal. As much as they all worshiped him as the greatest ruler ever, they had their reservations about the whole situation. In fact, most of them had already voiced their concerns even before he made his vow with the Empyrean Asura. Unfortunately, the Silver Wolf Marshal was convinced that defying him would mean bringing death and destruction to his people. Consequently, he decided to make this sordid vow, knowing full well what it would entail.

"Once we break down those array formations, are we to follow this man? Or are we to bring order back into the region?"

Once again, Jin Bao broke the silence first. Now that the High Priest was gone, they could speak more freely without even using spiritual senses.

"Our orders were to protect Yu Xiangling, which we failed. They were also to stop the rebellion raging in this Yanbei Region. If we don't stop it, it will escalate and probably bring other regions into the mix."

"But the High Priest tasked us with another mission. Which one should we...?"

"Enough!"

Clearly, the Silver Wolf Marshal was upset about the entire thing. In fact, he was visibly upset against himself as he had to obey the Empyrean Asura because of his own vow.

"Our orders are perfectly clear. We are to bring order back into this Yanbei Region. Besides, their little rebellion cannot succeed."

"I beg to differ." Lu Xiaoya interjected, which was rare for her. "With the current state of the Temple of Grace and Submission and the death of General Meng Tian, the entire Yanbei Region might very well fall out of the Empyrean Asura Theocracy's control. Then, it could spark an even larger rebellion. Many regions are plagued with poverty and famine already, because of the war effort and poor management by those priests who are so worried about heretics. The Empyrean Asura might fall as a result. After all, all his armies are mobilized at the border. The mere fact that he asked us away proves that the situation is growing out of control."

"There can't be any victory against the Empyrean Asura. Perish such thoughts. Besides, this is my duty to protect him, no matter what, and against any and all threats."

Everyone could perceive the threat in Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan's voice. This was very unusual.

"I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn, Marshal."

All could see the fatigue on the Marshal's face. It wasn't physical fatigue though. For years now, he had been forced to turn away from the atrocities committed by the Empyrean Asura Theocracy and it was taking its toll on him. However, he had given his word. But even more than that, he was utterly convinced that the Empyrean Asura could wipe out his entire Langyin Region if he really wanted to. That being said, something prevented him from destroying the Hongchen Kingdom that easily. This was why the Empyrean Asura cared more about the situation at the border than his own kingdoms.

Zhai Tiesheng was looking at his Marshal with defiance after he had spoken in such manner toward Lu Xiaoya. Everyone could feel the tension in the room. In fact, apart from Mo Qingsong, the Six Fangs Generals all had some manner of doubt. Only Mo Qingsong had absolute confidence in his Marshal. If Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan asked him to fall on his sword without any reason, he would gladly give his life right away.

Finally, Xun Lieren tried to cut the tension.

"This man is not moving. He's probably exhausted and requires some rest. As long as he remains in the Yanbei Region, he's a threat. In fact, he's probably the one who instigated, or at the very least pushed, this rebellion. I surmise that without it, dealing with the rebellion will be easier. On the other hand, if we don't take care of him, he might ambush us again. Although I'm confident in my 'Blood-Scented Hunt', it can be unraveled as well. Sister Lu would be able to, given enough time. So chasing him before he's able to get rid of the seals seems like a good idea."

"But if we do so, the rebellion might be able to completely overrun the temples. I can't be sure, but they could very well reclaim the entire region in a matter of months given the current situation. That being said, I am confident that the rebellion would surrender to the illustrious Silver Wolf Marshal. Their main concern is the management by the priesthood."

He Wushuang's words were also very clear to everyone. They all understood what he was saying. If they went after Cao Yun, they would help the rebellion take over. And after that, they could simply calm down the rebels. Once the priests were dealt with, the rebels would gladly surrender to Marshal Shanyin Guan's authority. In fact, they might be able to incorporate the Yanbei Region into the Langyin Region. Technically, they would have obeyed their orders in some manner.

Unfortunately, Silver Wolf Marshal Shanyin Guan didn't see things that way... But he was torn apart by that decision. Finally, he spoke.

"If this man remains in the Yanbei Region, he is indeed a threat. We should thus focus on getting rid of him. But someone should stay in the Holy Hongxue City to protect the Temple of Grace and Submission."

There was no volunteer among the Six Fangs. Even Mo Qingsong didn't want to follow this order, simply because he wanted to stay by the Marshal's side. But he would obviously obey if the Marshal asked it of him. Moreover, he had to make amends for his recent behavior. If he had obeyed his brother He Wushuang, they might have already dealt with Cao Yun.

Once again, the tension increased in the room. Such tension was relatively new among the Six Fangs and their Marshal. Even he hated that, but he had to uphold his moral values. Thinking about that, he wondered which moral value he should uphold first. Breaking a vow was something he couldn't imagine doing. But he was also turning away from many crimes. In his entire life, he had never thought he would do such things either...

The door suddenly opened. Immediately, everyone's killing intent was on the young woman who had barged in. In his panic he didn't even notice it right away.

"Noble sirs, something terrible is happening!"

The young woman was a servant of the temple, not that higher than a slave. Considering that she had broken all decorum, they could imagine how terrible the situation had to be. Of course, they all imagined that Cao Yun's array formations were behind it. They weren't completely wrong, but they were not right either.

-

At last, Cao Yun began to regain some awareness. After a few days' rest, he had finally returned to his own sea of consciousness. Although his soul was still exhausted, it was recovering faster and faster. That being said, it would still require around ten to twenty days to regain his full spiritual strength. The very moment he woke up, he heard Dian Mo's voice.

"Boy, you're really insane! We almost died out there, you realize that?!"

"I'm sorry if I've endangered you..."

"That's... That's not what I meant... How do you feel?"

"Like I haven't slept for millions of years. Everything hurts and I can't even feel my body. Just thinking hurts..."

"Well, thinking is that great for you. Look where it got you after all. Anyway, your bird is taking care of you. For the time being, just focus on resting."

"But... if they..."

"If they find us, we're done. There's nothing you can do about that. So instead of worrying on that, simply rest. It's more useful right now. Don't make me repeat myself!"

"Fine, fine."