琅琊榜海宴小说

Chapter 541 - News of the Red Emperor Seal

Long Chen grinned when he met their hopeful gazes. Without saying a word, he took out a weapon from the Primordial Realm and headed towards the mayor and Martial King Qin. 

The Demon Emperor Sword had been shattered by the Demon Emperor, so he had to use something else.

The dying mayor and Martial King Qin had heard Long Yue, and Long Chen’s actions made them panic. When he approached, they realized that the person who was about to join the Dragon Clan was the teenager who had used a bizarre technique to flee! 

Martial King Qin struggled to say, “Long Yue! Do you dare kill me? Once I die, the Martial Alliance will surely send countless masters to chop you to pieces! The only reason the Martial Overlord hasn’t killed you guys is because you are just too insignificant for him to kill! However, since you have overstepped the line, His Majesty will surely avenge me!”  

“Are those your last words?” Long Chen quickened his footsteps. 

“You will regret joining the Dragon clan, kid. The Dragon clan is a thorn in the Martial Alliance’s flesh. In just a few days, they will be completely destroyed by the Martial Alliance!” 

“I have never regretted anything I’ve done!” Long Chen smiled coldly and, with a whoosh, his sword pierced through Martial King Qin’s heart!

“You’re the second Earthly Martial Realm cultivator I’ve killed!” Long Chen said as he saw consciousness fade from the Martial King’s eyes. Then he turned to look at the despaired mayor. 

“Long Chen, we’ll stop here. Although the mayor of Liang Martial City submits to the Martial Alliance, he has not committed any serious crimes. If he dies, I don’t know how many people will suffer,” Long Yue suddenly said when he raised his sword. 

Since he was still considered a good person, Long Chen let him go. He had mostly attacked Lan Ling’er due to pressure from the Martial Alliance. 

“We are connected as brothers and sisters, and we treat each other with open hearts. This is enemy territory, so we’ll forgo the swearing-in ritual. However, Long Chen, you have killed Martial King Qin, proving that you are willing to join the Dragon clan to become our Seventh Brother. You will live and die with us, and we will fight side by side! If you do anything that brings us harm in the future, I will not let you live!” Long Yue said solemnly, standing before him. 

“Big Sister, everyone is in such a good mood. Don’t make it all so serious! Seventh Brother is a good person. Don’t scare him!” said Lan Ling’er. 

Long Chen nodded. “Brothers and Sisters, since I have chosen to join you all, I am willing to put my life on the line for you all! I would never betray my own kin, so you can rest assured!” 

Long Chen’s performance today had gained everyone’s approval, so they were not worried. 

“I was just giving a gentle reminder. Let’s go.” Long Yue looked at him kindly, then she brought Long Chen away from Liang Martial City and returned to the Phantom Ravine. 

“Seventh Brother, cracks have appeared in your body because you used that technique again. Thankfully, I still have some of the spiritual medicine I used on you, and it should be enough for you to recover. Remember not to use that technique again,” Long Yue said with concern when they returned. 

“The Day of the Nine Suns is in five days. I won’t take that risk again,” said Long Chen with a grin. 

When that day arrived, he would become a true master. Long Chen guessed that his combat abilities would likely catch up to his older siblings. As he was both the youngest and weakest, he had no choice but to refer tol them as older siblings. Of course, they also showed him great care. 

“Once you have reached the Ninth Passage Stage, I’ll help you with your cultivation and in comprehending the Martial Realm!” Long Yue said as she prepared the herbs. 

With them here, Long Chen would not need to worry about becoming stronger. It was an amazing feeling to have people looking out for him … 

***

One day and one night later, Long Chen had fully recovered. He swore never to use Blood Sacrifice until he recovered his initial strength. He had just recovered, so even using the first stage of Blood Sacrifice would be enough to cause damage. 

After that, he waited for the Day of the Nine Suns, which would happen in four days. It was fun living in the Phantom Ravine, and Long Chen grew closer to the others. His goofy personality was slowly revealed too. 

Long Yue usually ignored the rest and focused on cultivation. Jiang Wuya also seldom showed up. As for the other three, although they did not speak much, Long Chen realized that they were very pleasant to talk to in private. Especially Chi Ying—as the founder of the largest assassin organization, how could he be a simple person?

Long Chen also learned about Jian Chen’s history. He was usually very quiet, like a cold, sharp sword, but when Long Chen talked to him alone, he would answer all his questions. 

“I’ve lived in a small town all my life. When I was young, I learned how to use the sword and was seen as a prodigy because I showed some talent. That was when the Martial Alliance recruited me. They are like a machine that aggregates all the talented kids together so we can cultivate, then they teach us how to kill. In the end, the kids that do well become ranked higher and higher, while the rest are either kicked out or killed, or even sent to be cannon fodder. I climbed upwards in that kind of environment one step at a time.” Jian Chen sighed as he reminisced. 

“Why did you leave the Martial Alliance to come here?” Long Chen asked, puzzled. He had not expected the quietest Third Brother would be from the Martial Alliance. 

Jian Chen smiled mockingly. “That place did not suit me. I turned thirty this year, but the day I turned twenty-six, the Martial Overlord personally named me the Sword Martial King! I have never liked to be controlled and I was not suited for a place like that. After enduring it all for twenty-six years, I broke free from the Martial Alliance since I was finally strong enough.” 

“So that is why they put you on the Bounty Board and chased you to the end of the world?” Long Chen sweated. 

“The Martial Alliance inflicts severe punishment on traitors, and they especially hate me for joining these guys. The Martial Alliance considers this a huge humiliation. Besides Big Sister, I am the person they want to kill the most among us!” Jian Chen said with a bitter smile. 

Long Chen had a rough idea. 

The Divine Martial Empire was the Martial Alliance’s turf. Everyone living in their borders had to either submit or get killed. They would not be able to survive for long in broad daylight. 

“Our group is able to stay together because we have hearts of freedom. I really like my life right now—it’s so freeing. Isn’t this what life is all about?” said Jian Chen with a smile as he stood up. 

Long Chen nodded. 

Chi Ying suddenly rushed in and shouted, “Big Sister! Everyone, come out! I have news!” 

The Phantom Ravine had always been quiet, so everyone heard his shout. Everyone gathered quickly, and when Long Yue saw how anxious he was, she asked, “What is it?” 

“Good news and bad news. Which one first?” Chi Ying smirked mysteriously. 

“Don’t beat around the bush, Fifth Brother! As usual, we’ll take the bad news first!” Lan Ling’er cried anxiously. 

Seeing as no one had any objection, Chi Ying said, “Because of Martial King Qin’s death, the Martial Alliance is mad and has deployed many masters to kill us. There are a few Martial Saints and almost ten Martial Kings among them! The Martial Alliance has sent out about a quarter of its people after us! Big Sister, Liang Martial City is very close to us. They are heading to Liang Martial City and will start searching from there. That is why this place is no longer safe.” 

Everyone frowned. They looked around, unwilling to leave this place. 

“It’s all my fault,” Lan Ling’er said dejectedly. 

“This is not the time to talk about who’s at fault. I know you don’t want to leave, but we have no choice. We are not strong enough to fight the Martial Alliance. Chi Ying, lead the Red Souls out of here. Let them separate and slip into the nearby cities. They all have clean slates, so they won’t attract the Martial Alliance’s attention. As for us, we need to move,” said Long Yue. 

Everyone nodded. 

“In that case, let me tell you the good news. Everyone, we have information on the Red Emperor Seal!” Chi Ying said with a grin. 

“Red Emperor Seal?” Long Yue looked surprised, and she asked hurriedly, “Tell me, where is it?” 

“The members of the Red Souls heard that two strange phenomena took place in the depths of the Cloud Dream Swamp in the south. Both times, firelight shot up from the ground to the sky, dyeing half the sky red. We hear that someone saw the silhouette of the Red Emperor Seal in the light! Now is the time for all five Emperor Seals to be born, so this must be the Red Emperor Seal!” cried Chi Ying.

Everyone was emotional. 

Long Chen had listened to everything carefully. He knew that they were looking for the Emperor Seal. He thought about the Black Emperor Seal, but after some thought, he decided not to tell them about it. 

“The Martial Alliance has been guarding the Universe Transporters to stop this information from leaking to the other countries. It looks like they want to take the seals for themselves. However, with us here, it won’t be easy for them to get all five Emperor Seals!” Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

Long Yue said, “Since we need to abandon Phantom Ravine and the Red Emperor Seal has appeared in the Cloud Dream Swamp, let’s go there first! Once we get it, we can think about our next base. We must move now!” 

“Yue’er, what will the arrangements be?” asked Jiang Wuya. 

Long Yue looked at everyone, then her gaze fell on Long Chen.