Azure Heaven Saber
Chapter 334 - 334 72 The Door of Good and Evil

Chapter 334: Chapter 72: The Door of Good and Evil Chapter 334: Chapter 72: The Door of Good and Evil “The reason why this place is called Wutong Mountain is that there isn’t a single tree other than the Wutong Tree on the entire mountain,” Sky Stealer said, sitting on a large rock protruding from the mountain top with Feng Yin.

Looking at the boundless sea of Wutong trees before them, he slowly said, “It is said that in ancient times, this place was the home of the Demon King, the Phoenix King. He had the appearance of a Demon Saint, but due to internal disputes within his own tribe, he was tricked into defeat. Outraged, he left his tribe to live here on this mountain and never returned.”

“Later, as the Phoenix King’s cultivation progressed, becoming even more powerful than before, he managed to dominate the Phoenix Tribe. Furthermore, in the competition for the title of Demon Emperor, he had a great battle with the Azure Dragon. They were evenly matched and both enjoy enduring fame. However, this also led to the splintering of the Demon Tribes. Ever since then, land beasts revere the dragon while the birds honor the phoenix.”

“Tribe leader? Does that refer to the leaders of the various tribes within the Demon Tribe? Earlier, the Bear King mentioned that he came to Mount Siji because of a disturbance within his tribe. Then, the Bear Queen also mentioned that when her power is enough, she plans to return to the Demon Tribes and stir things up. So this must be a reference to an internal dispute over the leadership of the Bear Tribe, right? Does this mean that every tribe within the Demon Tribe possibly has more than one Emperor Rank powerhouse?” Feng Yin couldn’t help but feel secretly alarmed.

“Legend has it that before this, the most revered within the Demon Tribe was the Demon Emperor. Only one existed and his position was unrivaled. The leaders of other tribes were called Tribe Leaders. However, after the power struggle between the dragon and phoenix, the divisions within the Demon Tribe became increasingly pronounced. Gradually, the most powerful individual of each tribe called themselves the Demon Emperor. Those Demon Tribes who held the title of Demon Emperor possessed paramount power in the tribe. Hence, those stronger than the Demon Emperor were referred to as Demon King, Demon Saint…”

“The Azure Dragon and Phoenix King battled three times and each battle was earth-shaking and reduced thousands of miles to ruins. During the third battle, both disappeared without a trace and up to now, no one knows whether they are still alive in the world. This constitutes the first unsolved mystery of the Demon Tribe.”

“But after that, people began to speculate that the Phoenix King used to live in or near Wutong trees. As a result, many families across the mainland who have newborn boys plant a Wutong Tree in their yards. The symbolism is clear… Plant a Wutong Tree, and attract a phoenix… They’re hoping to find a good daughter-in-law for their son,” he said.

“Looking at the entire continent, Wutong trees from Wutong Mountain are considered the best material for making ancient stringed instruments, unrivaled by any other.”

“Those Wutong trees from this mountain that have aged, can be crafted into beautiful string instruments. The sound they produce is exceedingly clear and piercing, reverberating throughout the sky. They have the sound of gold and stone, which reverberates for three days, creating an unbroken echo.”

“This even led to a short-lived craze for Wutong wood on the mainland, although the fervor was quickly suppressed.”

“It is said that the suppressor was a descendant of the Black Crow King, protector of Phoenix King, who returned here and made it their main base of operations.”

“From that time onwards, whoever dared to cut down the Wutong trees, regardless of the reason or the circumstances, the Black Crow King’s clan would exterminate them, leaving no trace behind… their terrifying reputation lasted for over 1,200 years. It was this brutally extreme and bloody method of execution that quelled the greed of humans.”

“Afterwards, the influence of the Black Crow Tribe became increasingly powerful, and this area naturally became a forbidden zone.”

“It is unimaginable that the Heavenly Judge has managed to set up training here…”

Sky Stealer’s knowledge was extensive, with intimate familiarity of many historical stories and unusual happenings on the continent.

Even the experienced Zhuang Weiran did not know these legends and anecdotes, yet Sky Stealer was able to easily recount them all, living up to his reputation as a worldly-wise man with expansive knowledge.

But from what Sky Stealer implied, it was obvious there must be some undisclosed connection between the Heavenly Judge and Black Crow Valley.

“As soon as you enter the domain of Wutong Mountain, you will certainly provoke the hostility of the Black Crow Demons. This is a point Mr. Feng Yin must take note of. The Black Crow Demons not only possess extraordinary combat power, but they also excel at surrounding and attacking their enemies. The deadly poison contained in their claws has been rumored to be incurable once it has entered your system.”

“I presume that one of the reasons the Heavenly Judge chose this place has to be his intention to utilize the Black Crow Demons for training the Gold Rank assassins.”

“You must know that one nest of Black Crow Demons contains hundreds of offspring. They do not care about losses in battles of the ordinary sense. For them, it is a form of training; it helps control their rapidly expanding population and reduces resource depletion.”

“But, shifting back to the main point, this form of mutual training is extremely dangerous for you trainees and fraught with hardships.”

“What’s even worse is that the Heavenly Judge’s Gold Rank training might not care about the toll on the assassins at all. Their so-called ‘training’ has essentially devolved into a rigid and quantified process; whether the assassins can survive the training, and how many can, depends entirely on their own strength and luck.”

“Even if all of them die, the Heavenly Judge will not care because the reserve of their assassins is equally massive. Whoever can survive will definitely be the elite of the elites.”

“Right, there’s another thing: once the actual training begins, the attending assassins will naturally form alliances… The Gold Rank assassins from the seven countries will automatically become seven different groups! This is naturally expected. Even if the Heavenly Judge originates from the Qin Country, it still cannot restrict the assassins’ loyalty to their own countries, inevitably forming their own alliances.”

“This means that once conflicts arise, why would the Gold Rank assassins from other countries show any mercy? Mr. Feng Yin, I understand you are a benevolent man but once the training begins, it would be best to set aside the benevolence of a healer.”

Sky Stealer said: “The reason why the different countries are allowing this Gold Rank training led by the Qin Country is likely because each participant in the Gold Rank training has been marked by the higher ups of their respective countries as promising talents for cultivation. In fact, after each round of Gold Rank training, some individuals have distinguished themselves in their homeland, gradually becoming part of the upper class.”

“Life is all about fame and fortune, and every trainee who understands this point aspires to become such an existence.”

“Once they enter, everyone, except for themselves, are enemies!” he said.”

“There’s no such thing as an ally, even Gold Rank assassins from your own country… all have ulterior motives, even if you don’t, others certainly do, so why not be a little selfish?”

“So-called assassin training is, at its core, a brutal elimination process.”

“Mr. Feng Yin, as you enter this time, you must never trust anyone. Circumstances change unpredictably, every step is fraught with danger, there’s no room for mercy!” said Sky Stealer, cautiously reminding.

As Feng Yin listened, he gazed at Wutong Mountain, a clear feeling rising in his heart: entering this time, there will be danger to his life!

“I understand,” said Feng Yin. His eyes were focused, his thoughts were centered. His most pressing concern at the moment was whether or not he’d be able to bring Feng Ying with him.

“Old Ding, do you know if bringing a battle pet along for Gold Rank training is allowed?” asked Feng Yin.

“Yes, it’s allowed. Battle pets are a part of an individual’s battle power. Gold Rank training is about adjusting and training the recipient’s cultivation deficiencies. Hence, having battle pets involved in the training is actually in tune with the objective of the exercise. Mr.Crow, you don’t have to worry.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Feng Yin reached out to stroke the slick little body of Feng Ying.

The little guy had his two front paws on the edge of the pocket, his face full of enjoyment as he squinted his eyes.

Four more days, this final gap has simply turned into waiting time.

But all Feng Yin could do was wait.

Fortunately, at this moment, he had Sky Stealer for company, so he didn’t have to worry about boredom. Whether it was chatting, drinking tea, talking about worldly matters, recounting anecdotes, or various legends, Sky Stealer knew them all like the back of his hand. This wealth of knowledge greatly expanded Feng Yin’s horizon, and was truly astonishing.

Over these days, Feng Yin also gained further understanding of the methods employed by the Heavenly Judge’s assassins. Every now and then, several shadows would flash into being, then mysteriously disappear without a trace, clearly hiding somewhere else.

Even with Feng Yin’s intuition and Sky Stealer’s experience, they couldn’t find the hiding places of these people.

This not only proved that Feng Yin and Sky Stealer didn’t exhaust all their means or put in much effort to search, but it also confirmed that each of the assassins who had managed to advance to the Gold Rank through their unique methods had something exceptional about them.

As time passed day by day, the number of lurking shadows in the vicinity increased and every day many people turned up at Wutong Mountain; but before the tenth, nobody entered Wutong Mountain, let alone ventured into Black Crow Valley.

Because everyone knew that to rashly enter before the time limit would be a reckless act of suicide.

On the evening of the ninth of August, a sudden violent wind started swirling high in the sky. In all four cardinal directions, shadows appeared in the sky.

In groups, they stood in the air, showing off their intimidating power.

A total of ten waves of people, all arrived within half an hour by riding the wild wind.

Ten folks in each wave, totaling a hundred people, lined up in the air, each occupying a different position.

All of these people were dressed in black, their large black cloaks fluttering in the wind, and their powerful energy, soaring to the heavens, silencing miles around.

Witnessing this scene, Feng Yin couldn’t help but marvel.

Clearly, these people were instructors, the instructors assigned by the Heavenly Judge to this mission.

But the number of such instructors greatly exceeded Feng Yin’s expectations: a full hundred of them!

And these hundred instructors, to his estimation, all had at least a Heavenly Level novice cultivation – this was the most conservative estimate!

In other words, each person here, from the point of cultivation, was not weaker than Zhuang Weiran.

After a while, without anyone uttering a word, they just hovered the air, clearly waiting for the arrival of the Chief Instructor.

One could only wonder how many Chief Instructors were there?

In a while, the sky suddenly darkened.

Three figures materialized in a triangular formation, appearing out of thin air, as if they had teleported.

The moment these three met, they simultaneously waved their hands.

A huge image of the Heavenly Judgment appeared in the sky, shining thousands of rays, extremely gorgeous, and it continued for a full quarter of an hour.

Then the three waved their hands again and immediately entered Wutong Mountain.

The hundred instructors who had waited in the sky for quite some time also descended and quickly disappeared.

At that moment, it was precisely midnight.

The tenth of August had arrived!

It was not off by even a minute.

With the arrival of the moment, thick clouds suddenly started rolling behind the valley’s entrance of Wutong Mountain.

The clouds gathered more and more, gradually engulfing the entire Wutong Mountain valley, covering from sky to earth, even the strong wind was unable to shake it.

After a while, a golden light flashed in the air and a huge golden gate heavily landed in the middle of Wutong Mountain, the earth trembling incessantly as a result.

“The Gate of Good and Evil has appeared.”

Sky Stealer said in a deep voice: “You can register to enter now.”