Nine Astra Skies - Chapter 365

Chapter 365: Scapegoat

When the distant spectators saw this scene, their eyes burned with fervor.

“The Purple Demon Armor is too powerful!”

“Even with five great Daemon Kings cornering him, they could not break the Purple Demon Armor. It’s truly an outrageous item!”

“If I have this set of Purple Demon Armor, so what if I bump into Daemon King fighters?”

“Stop daydreaming. By now, any component of the Purple Demon Armor on the market would fetch an astonishing price, let alone a full set of Purple Demon Armor! Assembling a full suit is much more difficult than gathering a few components!”

The discussion over the Purple Demon Armor was still ongoing. When they thought of the Purple Demon Armor’s potent defensive abilities, they burned with passion. However, various factions were now competing for the Purple Demon Armor. Even the lucky ones could get nothing more than one or two components. Assembling a full suit of Purple Demon Armor was a nearly impossible task.

“Look over there!” Someone piped up from the crowd.

They glanced into the distance. A figure with an incomparably formidable presence was racing over here like a meteor.

It was a Godly Venerable combatant!

“It’s Zong Chengtian, the lord of the House of Storms!”

“Why is Zong Chengtian coming here?”

Sha Moling’s Psyche was covering this entire area. When he heard someone saying that the House of Storms’ lord, Zong Chengtian, was coming here, his eyes flared up with fiery rage. The lord of the House of Storms still dared to come!

Two Psyches swiftly went to face this figure while the other two mystical beast Daemon Kings also surrounded Zong Chengtian.

The four great Daemon Kings glowered at Zong Chengtian menacingly.

“The Sand Beast Clan against Zong Chengtian, the House of Storms’ lord. It’ll be another ruthless battle!” The surrounding observers were endlessly stirred up. Usually, it would be rare to witness a battle between super combatants. By perceiving the changes in the worldly chi flow during the battle of Daemon Kings and Godly Venerable Ones, they could gain a deeper understanding of martial arts. This might even help them achieve a breakthrough.

Zong Chengtian wore golden armor as he stood in mid-air. His body was ramrod straight and his battling energy surged to the sky. Even when faced with four Daemon Kings, he was not afraid at all and still had the bearing of a leader.

“Four Daemon Kings of the Sand Beast Clan, I, Zong Chengtian, don’t know how I’ve offended you. Please, I welcome all constructive feedback.” Zong Chengtian looked around at the four Daemon Kings, frowning slightly. He circulated his body’s Celestial Chi, prepared to battle at any time.

“Zong Chengtian, what nerve you have! Your House of Storms is becoming more audacious. You dare to disregard the Sand Beast Clan in this manner!” Sha Moling’s gaze was full of reproach as he roared violently.

“How so? I truly don’t know when the House of Storms had offended the Sand Beast Clan!” Zong Chengtian raised an eyebrow. “If you Daemon Kings of the Sand Beast Clan are trying to bully my House of Storms, surely you don’t have to come up with such an exaggerated excuse? My House of Storms wouldn’y stir things up unprovoked, but if someone relies on fabrication to intimidate the House of Storms, we’ll not shrink back in fear!”

“Humph, big talk! The House of Storms has become more audacious indeed! A puny sect from the Central Empire dares to pick a fight with our Sand Beast Clan – it’s a suicide mission. If the Sand Beast Clan wants to wipe out your House of Storms, it’ll be a child’s play! A puny sect leader dares to speak to me, Sha Moling, in such a tone. Die!” Sha Moling’s Psyche condensed into a massive Sand Beast then pounced downward from the air.

The other Daemon Kings did not attack. Sha Moling alone was enough to handle a Godly Venerable combatant.

However, at this point, wisps of Water-type ripples spread through the air, and runic formations rose. These runic formations contained matchless power, and the worldly chi flow was incessantly agitated.

“What secret technique is this?”

“The chi flow is responding so strongly!”

A formation halo of unparalleled size had taken shape around Zong Chengtian.

There was a deafening “boom” as the enormous Sand Beast condensed from Sha Moling’s Psyche collided against the formation and bounced back a great distance. On the other hand, Zong Chengtian did not budge at all within the formation’s halo.

“An Ancient Heavenly Formation!” Sha Moling’s expression shifted.

“That’s right, it’s an Ancient Heavenly Formation! My Storm lineage has an extensive inheritance. Even the Sand Beast Clan can forget about destroying the Storm lineage!” Zong Chengtian stood tall and proud.

“It’s just one Ancient Heavenly Formation. Do you think that’s enough to safeguard the Storm lineage? If the Grand Supreme fighters of the Sand Beast Clan come over, can a teeny Ancient Heavenly Formation withstand them?” Sha Moling’s face twisted into an ugly sneer. Earlier, he had been infuriated by Ye Chen’s Purple Demon Armor which had unrivaled defenses. In just a short while, someone from the House of Storms was whipping out an Ancient Heavenly Formation of extreme defensive power to provoke him. He had the wild urge to kill someone.

“What’s an Ancient Heavenly Formation?” The two mystical beast Daemon Kings did not know about it.

“In ancient times, powerful fighters were a dime a dozen. Formations were everywhere too. The Ancient Heavenly Formation is a branch of formations, encompassing seven hundred and eighty-one types of formations, all of which are incomparably mighty. However, the ones which have been passed down are extremely few,” another Celestial Beast Daemon King explained, “once this Ancient Heavenly Formation shows up, I’m afraid we can’t do anything against Zong Chengtian! I’ve always heard that Zong Chengtian, the House of Storms’ lord, is a beginner Godly Venerable combatant. Now, it looks like outside rumors contain many inaccuracies. Zong Chengtian is no longer at beginner Godly Venerable Rank. He’s at mid or even peak Godly Venerable Rank!”

“Elder Sha, my House of Storms has no quarrel with the Sand Beast Clan. Why are the four Daemon Kings cornering me the moment I arrive?” Zong Chengtian voiced out, tranquil and composed. If he had assumed a humble manner right from the start and spoken with soft words, the Sand Beast bloodline would surely conclude that the House of Storms would make a good victim. Zong Chengtian first employed a tough stance to provoke Sha Moling, then unleashed the Ancient Heavenly Formation to stop Sha Moling in his tracks. Only then did he humble himself. He was strategic in his behavior, as befitting of a great sect leader.

Sha Moling harrumphed coldly and said angrily, “Someone from the House of Storms killed ten or so Mystique Rank descendants of the Sand Beast lineage, then struck down a mystical beast Daemon King of the Sand Beast Clan. How shall this debt be settled?”

“Killed ten or so Mystique Rank descendants of the Sand Beast lineage?” Zong Chengtian suddenly turned pale. “And struck down a mystical beast Daemon King? How is this possible? Elder Sha, could this be a misunderstanding?”

“Misunderstanding – that’s one way to avoid accountability!” Sha Moling’s eyes widened with fury. “It’s your House of Storms that did it. You’re still trying to deny it?”

The auras of the two Celestial Beast Daemon Kings descended and Zong Chengtian felt a trace of pressure. He said hurriedly, “There must be a misunderstanding between my House of Storms and all of you. Please, allow me to explain.”

“What explanation can you offer? I’ve ordered my subordinates to surround the camp of the House of Storms. The Ancient Heavenly Formation may protect you, but you must consider whether your puny House of Storms can bear the rage of my Sand Beast Clan!” Sha Moling thundered icily.

Zong Chengtian looked into the distance. Currently, blades were flashing in the House of Storms’ camp and the sky above was lit by fire. He did not expect the Sand Beast Clan to be this tyrannical. Before they had heard his explanation, they already ordered their subordinates to attack his camp. Zong Chengtian’s expression turned anguish. Although there were formidable existences among the Storm lineage, the House of Storms was still lacking when compared to the ancient Sand Beast bloodline, whether in terms of their apparent power or their backing factions.

Zong Chengtian said in a panic, “Elder Sha, other than a few Great Ancestors in the House of Storms and myself, no one has reached Godly Venerable Rank. Those Great Ancestors have hidden for over a century, so it can’t be them. As for me, Zong Chengtian, I’ve only just appeared here. Who else in my House of Storms could possibly take down a mystical beast Daemon King and ten Mystique Rank members of the Sand Beast Clan?”

Sha Moling was in a furor but when he heard these words, he calmed down slightly. He did not know whether Zong Chengtian was telling the truth that he was the only Godly Venerable fighter in the House of Storms while the rest were old souls who hid from the world. Sha Moling snorted humorlessly. “But that person was using the Storm Sword of the House of Storms!”

“The Storm Sword? Elder Sha, this is a misunderstanding. Please, Elder Sha, stop the Sand Beast Clan from attacking the House of Storms’ camp or you’ll be hurting an ally and helping an enemy!” Zong Chengtian said quickly. At the moment, the House of Storms’ camp was being attacked by the Sand Beast Clan. How could he not panic? This Sand Beast Clan had always been known to be brutal, tempestuous, and unreasonable. If the fight went on, who knew how many disciples the House of Storms would lose their lives!

Sha Moling raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when Zong Chengtian said, “More than ten days ago, the Storm Sword of my House of Storms was lost. I’ve heard someone saying that they saw the Storm Sword here, so I hurried over. That Storm Sword is a Tier Nine spirit artifact and was used to rule the House of Storms. Later on, I gained another weapon and passed on the Storm Sword to my degenerate son, Zong Yi. Over ten days ago, my son lost the Storm Sword during a fight in the Scarlet Flame Sect. At that time, I’ve informed many sects and parties that the Storm Sword was lost. I would never deceive all of you. If you don’t believe me, you may ask the various sects.”

“The Storm Sword has been lost?” Sha Moling furrowed his brow and realized that Zong Chengtian should not be lying. A lie like this would be too easily exposed. “Does the House of Storms possess a full set of the Purple Demon Armor?”

“Elder Sha, my House of Storms isn’t a super faction like the Tribunal Council. Until now, even the Tribunal Council can’t assemble a full suit of the Purple Demon Armor, let alone my teeny House of Storms,” Zong Chengtian replied. These Daemon Kings of the Sand Beast Clan, before getting the whole story, had already given orders to attack the House of Storms’ camp. They were too bullheaded. Nevertheless, the House of Storms was not willing to provoke a mighty group like the Sand Beast Clan, so Zong Chengtian could only swallow his indignation.

Upon hearing Zong Chengtian’s words, Sha Moling realized that he might have wrongly blamed the House of Storms. Still, he could not possibly admit his mistake. He simply gave a heavy grunt. “I’ll let the House of Storms off for today. I’ll send someone to investigate this. If you deceived me in any way, my Sand Beast Clan will not rest until the House of Storms is annihilated!”

In the distance, the combatants of the Sand Beast Clan who were besieging the House of Storms’ camp now withdrew completely. Sha Moling and the other Daemon Kings soared up and left. Sha Moling’s voice came ringing from far away. “Your House of Storms isn’t completely free of responsibility for what happened today. If you track down that person, let my Sand Beast Clan know. We must be the ones to deal with him!”

Sha Moling and the rest were still coveting Ye Chen’s treasures!

When Zong Chengtian saw that Sha Moling and the rest were backing off, he immediately flew toward the camp of the House of Storms. By the time he arrived, the camp was caught in pitiful cries, in a scene of devastation and desolation. A few Mystique Rank elders of the House of Storms were dead.

Zong Chengtian was endlessly enraged. ‘D*mn that Sand Beast Clan!’ Although he resented this unreasonable Sand Beast Clan, who had killed so many from the House of Storms without discerning who was at fault, he resented even more the person who was brandishing the Storm Sword all over the place.

“If I find you, I’ll break you into ten thousand pieces!” Zong Chengtian clenched his fists. The veins on his arms popped out as overbearing Godly Venerable energy surged outward.