Chapter 538 - 239: Divine Weapon?

Chapter 538: Chapter 239: Divine Weapon?

The roof of the great hall was high. Fang Shuwen told Luo Shuqing to watch her footing, then carefully lifted a tile.

Luo Shuqing gently rubbed her wrist. She glanced at Fang Shuwen before peering through the opening left by the tile.

Sure enough, the hall below was packed.

She counted seven in total. Aside from their unknown number one leader and Jin Yuheng—the one Fang Shuwen had killed—the other seven leaders were all present in the hall.

As Fang Shuwen listened closely, his expression turned peculiar.

’They’re actually discussing the identity of their mysterious leader...’

Jin Yuheng had met his fate during the day, but since the news hadn’t made it back yet, they were still in the dark.

They knew nothing of the matter.

After all, their status was different from that of the black-clad captains; these leaders were the top administrators on Black Island.

They didn’t need to report their movements daily when they went out.

While this granted the leaders a certain freedom, it also meant that if one of them died, no one would know. It was hard to say if that was a blessing or a curse.

Fang Shuwen listened to them debate for what felt like an eternity, but they got no closer to figuring out their leader’s identity. He was growing impatient, half-tempted to just drop in and kill them all.

’After all this time, Zuo Xuan and the others have probably already taken care of the ship. Without a ship, this lot won’t be able to escape Black Island, no matter how capable they are. This place is a deathtrap now. I can take my time killing them.’

But just as Fang Shuwen was about to go down and give this group a scare, someone suddenly spoke up:

"Do any of you know the origin of that Profound Celestial Iron Mirror? What’s so miraculous about it?"

The speaker was the seventh leader, Chen Qingyan, "The Sickly Gentleman."

His face was pale and his eyes were listless, giving him a perpetually sickly look. Though he wasn’t coughing, anyone who saw him couldn’t help but worry that he might suddenly gasp for air and drop dead on the spot.

At his question, the others merely looked at one another.

The Profound Celestial Iron Mirror was hailed as the greatest marvel of the East Sea. Legend had it that whoever could decipher its secrets could unite the entire East Sea.

But they were all seasoned Jianghu veterans and knew to take such rumors with a large grain of salt...

Still, even if they knew better, a rumor like that was impossible for anyone to ignore.

As a silence fell over the room, a clean-shaven, pale-faced middle-aged man slowly raised his teacup and scraped the lid against the rim twice.

"I’ve heard a few rumors about that, though I can’t say whether they’re true or not."

"Really, Second Brother? Tell us, enlighten us a little."

The next to speak was Song Xiang, "The Heart-Hook Finger." He had no right hand; in its place was a single finger.

It was made of some unknown metal and looked utterly bizarre.

Song Xiang, "The Heart-Hook Finger"; Mo Qi, "The Ghost Blade"; and the second-in-command, Xie Quan, "The Impermanence Slip"—the three of them had originally been assassins for an East Sea organization called Yama Hall.

But later, for reasons unknown, they had a falling out with Yama Hall.

The three of them led several hundred assassins in a rebellion against Yama Hall.

They ultimately crushed Yama Hall, but of the hundreds who joined the rebellion, only the three of them survived.

Song Xiang had lost his hand in that very battle.

Without the protection of Yama Hall and with their notorious reputations in the East Sea, the three eventually vanished.

Later, they were found by the head leader and brought here.

At Song Xiang’s prompting, Xie Quan slowly exhaled and began to speak.

"As far as I know, what is hidden inside the Profound Celestial Iron Mirror isn’t some Divine Skill Manual or Martial Arts legacy."

"It’s... an extremely powerful Divine Weapon!"

Hearing this, Fang Shuwen suddenly grew interested.

And just then, someone in the hall cried out in surprise:

"A Divine Weapon?"

"How can one unify the East Sea with just a single weapon?"

The others were confused.

Xie Quan shook his head.

"That I don’t know. And what I do know might not even be true."

"Besides, there’s another, more outrageous legend about this..."

"It’s said that a long, long time ago, before the Eight Forbidden Lands even existed, there was an incredibly fearsome Sect in the East Sea."

"The Sect teemed with geniuses, and its masters were as numerous as the clouds."

"Their power was immense, their Martial Arts earth-shattering, and they controlled the entire East Sea for a full thousand years."

"What this Sect was like at its founding is unknown, but in its later years, it became cruel and merciless, hated by all."

"Finally, someone gathered the Martial Arts and wisdom of all the Jianghu people of the East Sea to forge a Divine Weapon!"

"Wielding this Divine Weapon, they destroyed the Sect."

"However, the one who forged this Divine Weapon felt it was an affront to cosmic harmony, so after destroying the Sect, he destroyed the weapon as well."

"But he couldn’t bear to let the fruit of so many people’s labor be lost, so he secretly inscribed the forging method and named it the ’Profound Celestial Iron Mirror.’"

"It has been passed down to this day..."

"But again, who knows if it’s true. Just take it as a tall tale; don’t take it too seriously."

The men were captivated by his words, and for a moment, their thoughts were unreadable.

Suddenly, someone stood up.

"Ninth Brother left this morning and has not yet returned. Could it be that he discovered something?"

The men exchanged glances, and Song Xiang roared with laughter.

"Fourth Brother, you don’t actually think he’ll come back, toss the Profound Celestial Iron Mirror in front of you, and give you a big surprise, do you?"

Yan Pojun, "The Black Stupa," chuckled.

"You never know, right?"

They all exchanged a look and burst into laughter.

Fang Shuwen let out a scoff of his own.

He didn’t bother to stifle the sound, so it was instantly noticed inside the hall. Xie Quan shouted sharply:

"Who’s there?"

The words had barely left his mouth when he flicked his wrist. SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! Three Soul-Chasing Nails shot toward the roof in a triangular formation.

But just then, with a loud CRASH,

A man and a woman leaped down from the roof, and all eyes immediately turned to them.

They saw a woman wearing a mask, and a young man who, despite his handsome features, looked remarkably young...

Just as they were wondering where the pair had come from, the young man spoke with a smile:

"It would be rude not to return the favor."

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, and the three Soul-Chasing Nails Xie Quan had just thrown shot back toward their owner’s face.