Chapter 3318 — Boundless Fury

"Very well. Then I shall wait quietly in my room for Young Hero Lin to come and heal my injuries!" The Grand Elder turned and departed, chuckling as she went.

Watching the Grand Elder's retreating figure, a faint smile flickered at the corner of Gu Mengyao's mouth. In this moment, she had finally become the Palace Master of the Dark Night Palace in more than name alone—she truly held the Dark Night Palace in her grasp. From now on, even the Grand Elder would obey her every word!

Mother, your daughter has done it. With Wei Zhao's help, I have done it. Are you happy?

In truth, all along, Gu Mengyao had been nursing a grievance over her control of the Dark Night Palace—she wanted to clear her mother's name, so that when Ye Rou'er returned to the Dark Night Palace once more, who would dare pay lip service while doing otherwise?

"Yaoyao, come in!" Wei Zhao's voice sounded from within the room, drawing Gu Mengyao back from her thoughts. Startled, she quickly pushed the door open and stepped into Wei Zhao's room.

"Wei Zhao, have you recovered your stamina and true qi?" Gu Mengyao was somewhat surprised. Wei Zhao had recovered in such a short time?

"Not yet, but it's nothing serious now. Let's talk," Wei Zhao said.

"Mm." Gu Mengyao nodded and sat down obediently beside Wei Zhao.

"Yaoyao, that so-called Cloud-Tier Island plan—has there been any new word of it?" What Wei Zhao cared about most now was the future legacy of the Cloud-Tier Island plan. Ever since Feng Xiaoxiao had chosen to remain at the Ice Palace, this matter had been inseparably bound to Wei Zhao's fate.

The only thing that truly galled Wei Zhao was that the one directing this affair was none other than Ancestor Xuanchen—his sworn enemy.

"Not yet." Gu Mengyao shook her head. "The Dark Night Palace and the Five Luminaries Sect have never been on good terms. Everything will have to wait until the future Heaven-Tier Assembly before the specifics can be known."

"I understand. I will attend this Heaven-Tier Assembly," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

While Gu Mengyao and Wei Zhao were conversing, Kang Jingming was in Ancestor Xuanchen's room, the two of them gloating over the tragedy they imagined was unfolding within the Dark Night Palace. Just then, footsteps came from the doorway. Kang Jingming guessed it must be the men they had sent returning—by his reckoning, it was about time they were back!

"Ancestor, it should be Little Three, Little Four, and Little Five returning," Kang Jingming said, rising. "I'll get the door."

"Good," Ancestor Xuanchen nodded.

But when Kang Jingming opened the door, the ones standing outside were not Little Three and the others—it was the man from the Five Luminaries Sect charged with guarding the soul jade tablets!

"Ancestor Xuanchen, something terrible has happened—Third Brother's soul jade tablet has shattered!" The disciple held up a broken soul jade tablet, speaking frantically.

"What?!" Ancestor Xuanchen shot to his feet, staring at the soul jade tablet in the disciple's hand. His eyes went wide, filled with incredulous shock! How could this be? Had Little Three been killed? Otherwise, how could his soul jade tablet have shattered?

"What about the others?" Ancestor Xuanchen asked urgently. "What of Little Four and Little Five?"

"Fourth Brother's and Fifth Brother's soul jade tablets are unharmed," the disciple answered cautiously.

Ancestor Xuanchen breathed a sigh of relief. So only Little Three had fallen. Little Four and Little Five were fine—that was good. So long as it was not a total wipeout. Could it be that the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect had made its move?

Ancestor Xuanchen's brows knitted tightly. The way things were developing infuriated him. The Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect had actually interfered again. It seemed that unless he stepped in himself, the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect would never learn how high the heavens were and how deep the earth!

Still, it was hardly surprising. Ancestor Xuanchen convinced himself that Little Three had been slain by the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect. In his view, Little Three was a formidable expert at the peak of the late Heaven-Tier. Within the Dark Night Palace, no one could do anything to Little Three—and Wei Zhao least of all. So the only ones who could have acted were the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect.

Just as Ancestor Xuanchen was stewing in suspicion, the disciples of the Five Luminaries Sect arrived outside his room, carrying Little Three, Little Four, and Little Five. Seeing the door open, they wasted no time on ceremony and poured straight in, eager to report to Ancestor Xuanchen at the first opportunity!

"What is the meaning of this...?" Ancestor Xuanchen looked at the crowd filing in. Little Three's corpse was being carried on a disciple's back—that did not surprise him; with the soul jade tablet shattered, Little Three could not possibly have survived. But Little Four and Little Five had also been carried back, and that made Ancestor Xuanchen's heart clench!

"Master, Fifth Brother and I... we're crippled..." Little Four said, his face ashen. He knew his own injuries; he knew that even with all his master Ancestor Xuanchen's power, they could not be healed. They would spend the rest of their lives as invalids.

"What?!" Ancestor Xuanchen flew into a rage on the spot. "Damn that Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect—I will not let this rest!" He knew Little Four would never speak nonsense. If he said they were crippled, then truly crippled they were, with no hope of recovery—otherwise one would call it injured, not crippled.

"The Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect?" Little Four was taken aback. How had the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect come into this? What did this have to do with the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect? Not a shadow of anyone from the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect had even appeared.

"Eh? What—today's business was not the work of the Blood-Robe Yellow Springs Sect?" Seeing the astonishment on Little Four's face, Ancestor Xuanchen immediately realized that matters might be quite different from what he had imagined.

"Master, the one who struck today was Wei Zhao!" Little Four said hatefully. "That Wei Zhao—his strength was there all along. With a single move he killed Third Brother in an instant, and with two casual strikes he crippled Fifth Brother and me! What rubbish about being chased overseas like a stray dog? That's a load of utter crap! Wei Zhao is formidable—by his strength, I'd say he's no weaker than you, Master..."

"What?!" A shadow of gloom flashed across Ancestor Xuanchen's face. He Dantou had actually dared to deceive him? Though Ancestor Xuanchen did not believe He Dantou would dare, his own disciple could not be lying—the bald facts were right before his eyes. All three disciples had been beaten to this state by Wei Zhao: one dead, two crippled. Could anyone still claim Wei Zhao had no strength? "Wei Zhao—is he now an expert at the great perfection of the late Heaven-Tier peak?"

"No, only mid Heaven-Tier!" Little Five said with certainty. "I checked several times, and from the strength revealed when he circulated his mental cultivation method, he is mid Heaven-Tier. But the martial techniques he unleashes are absolutely at the level of great perfection."

Ancestor Xuanchen did not think Little Five had misjudged. Then Wei Zhao was a mid Heaven-Tier expert! (To be continued...)