Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 713: Chapter 551: The Secret of Ancient Texts

"I hail from Rongcheng Patrol Division, and this Captain Qu is my colleague," Yang Xiao confessed truthfully, facing the Netherworld-level master.

"Since ancient times, heroes have emerged from the youth. For you two to defeat a Ghost Level Evil Cultivator together is no small feat. Our academy owes you thanks for this," the elder nodded toward Yang Xiao.

"You flatter me, senior. Were it not for your condescending to protect me in person, I might have already been beheaded," Yang Xiao dared not continue along the lines of the elder’s words and had to bow once more. After all, the elder had saved him several times.

"Do you have a grudge with the Yu Yuan Sect?" the elder asked, gazing at Yang Xiao.

"It’s a long story. During a mission, I happened to run into them, and that’s... that’s how we became enemies."

In front of this man, Yang Xiao knew he couldn’t appear too slick. After all, someone who had attained the elder’s status was sure to have seen all types of people. Being too slick would only be off-putting, not to mention spouting bureaucratic nonsense was completely unnecessary.

"You are quite impressive," the elder rarely showed curiosity toward Yang Xiao. "I heard from a woman that you took two Magic Artifacts from them, one being the knife in your hand and also a mirror. Is that true?"

Yang Xiao dared not lie and nodded, "Yes, senior. It was purely by chance that I obtained the two Magic Artifacts from the Yu Yuan Sect."

Seeing Yang Xiao grow more anxious, the elder suddenly laughed, "What, are you afraid I’ll covet your two objects?"

"No!" Yang Xiao hastened to explain, "With your divine skills, why would you covet my trivial tricks? However, if you believe these Evil Cultivator artifacts are an eyesore, please feel free to take them. There’s no one better than you to take care of them."

Hearing this, the elder chuckled, stroked his beard, and sized up Yang Xiao, "Not bad, quite interesting. You really know how to handle situations."

Yang Xiao felt complicated inside. There was no doubt the elder had saved their lives, but whether he might silence them next was unknown. After all, to someone of the elder’s status, killing them was as trivial as slaughtering chickens.

However, the elder did not make things difficult for Yang Xiao. Instead, he sat down and asked Yang Xiao to recount everything he witnessed that night in great detail, including the final moments of Liu and the other elder. Yang Xiao did not dare delay, narrating everything he knew in minute detail. The elder slowly nodded his head, and the next second, Yang Xiao’s eyes widened in shock. The elder casually drew a line next to his body, splitting open a crack in space. He reached into it and a moment later withdrew a blood-stained head.

The head’s hair and beard were covered in blood. Through the gore, one could see disheveled silver hair. The face was contorted in a hideous expression, the mouth agape with only half of its purple tongue remaining. More importantly, Yang Xiao recognized this head—it belonged to one of the two elders who had been beheaded in the academy that night.

As the elder grasped the old man’s head, a horrifying scene unfolded. The head, already as dead as could be, suddenly began to tremble inexplicably, especially the slightly closed eyes, which rolled around muddily. It felt as if memories were being forcibly extracted. It was at this moment that Yang Xiao finally understood why this elder had been able to find him ahead of the murderer.

This person’s methods were profoundly mysterious and allowed him to spy on the scenes the deceased’s eyes had witnessed. Through those fragmented visions, the elder had seen himself.

Such was the terror of a Netherworld-level Apostle!

Furthermore, according to Han Jun, even he had initially failed to recognize the elder’s identity. It should be noted that Han Jun was the second-in-command in the Elder Council, his status in the academy second only to the dean and the chief of the Elder Council—an undisputed third-in-command. His failure to recognize the elder instantly meant the elder rarely showed himself in the academy, likely an old-generation powerhouse.

Han Jun himself had said that even the dean, who was also Netherworld-level, did not possess the elder’s skills. It seemed the elder was akin to a stabilizing figure within the academy, only emerging for matters critical to the academy’s survival.

Indeed, these famous clans all had their trump cards. Looking at it this way, even if the Daoist robe old ghost was truly released, he would be suppressed by the combined efforts of numerous top experts. These top-tier masters were the real backbone supporting the Confucian Forest Academy’s stance in the world of martial arts. ƒreewebɳovel.com

As for the grudge between Confucian Forest Academy and Yiling Academy, Yang Xiao was not interested—that wasn’t his concern.

Yet, Yang Xiao deliberately overlooked it, but the idle elder unexpectedly brought it up, "Do you know what Han Jun mentioned about Yiling Academy?"

As soon as this was mentioned, Yang Xiao tensed up, knowing that knowing too much was not good, especially matters as lethal as this. He dared not speak, merely shaking his head.

Nonetheless, the elder continued as if no one else was present, "Ten years ago, Yiling Academy’s dean accidentally obtained an ancient manuscript fragment," he explained, "which contained an important clue. To decipher this clue, under the invitation of Confucian Forest Academy, the dean, among others from Yiling Academy, secretly visited our Confucian Forest Academy. Both their journey and meeting agenda were strictly confidential. However, surprisingly, on the return journey after the meeting concluded, a sudden mishap occurred, and the delegation from Yiling Academy, including the dean, disappeared and remains missing to this day."

"No bodies were found either?" Yang Xiao asked, unable to dodge the question any longer.

The elder slowly shook his head, sighing, "No, if there were bodies, the situation would have been clearer. But this inexplicable disappearance inevitably provokes deep thought, with many powers in the world of martial arts suspecting it was our Confucian Forest Academy’s doing."

"And the ancient manuscript was lost too?"

"Of course. Everyone outside suspects that our Confucian Forest Academy deciphered the clue, eliminated the delegation from Yiling Academy, and wanted to monopolize the secret for ourselves." The elder’s tone grew more complex and helpless.

"It’s normal to have such speculations, but I believe that your academy would not engage in such actions. I have an old friend who is a disciple of your academy, and he is someone I can trust," Yang Xiao recalled Yang Tea, feeling he was worthy of that praise.

"And even if your academy had such intentions, they wouldn’t choose such a sensitive time to act. A distinguished guest arrives with a valuable treasure but gets ambushed and annihilated on the return journey, losing the treasure as well... Such an act would be too foolish," Yang Xiao analyzed.

"You are right, we are guiltless, but rumors are fearsome. Over the years, Yiling Academy has viewed us as thorns in their side, constantly seeking trouble, and increasingly..." The old man paused, his tone suddenly turned icy, "their tactics have become too excessive!"

Yang Xiao dared not casually comment on this—it was a game between two significant powers, and he wanted no part in it, especially because his own identity was sensitive, representing the Rongcheng Patrol Division. Although he held a low position, he ultimately had a team and backers.

"Elder, why don’t you contact the higher-ups at Yiling Academy and have a frank discussion? Maybe things could improve," Yang Xiao could only offer this superficial advice.

"We’ve done all we could, said all we needed to, but they wouldn’t listen. They just clamor for us to hand over the murderer for retribution, and also to return an original copy of that precious ancient book; they think we still have it." The old man turned his head to look at the corpse of Han Jun. It seemed this kind of incident was not the first, nor would it be the last; the feud between the two parties had solidified.

After a pause, the elder averted his gaze and looked back at Yang Xiao, but this time his eyes changed, becoming unusually deep, as if he could see through Yang Xiao’s soul, "I’ve finished my story, now tell me about yours."

"Me?" Yang Xiao was taken aback.

"Judging by your age, you must have joined the Patrol Division not long ago, yet you have numerous magic artifacts of rare quality. However, more artifacts aren’t necessarily better; the most important thing is suitability, or else they could lead to your demise," the elderly man started.

"Thank you for your guidance," Yang Xiao was very polite. He had heard similar advice before, but all this was beyond his control as he didn’t own the magic artifacts—they were exclusively his sister’s, and he only had the right to use them.

"How many magic artifacts do you have?" the elder asked casually.

"Replying to the elder, 5," Yang Xiao habitually concealed the Underworld Robe, vital to him.

Unexpectedly, the elder smiled and slowly shook his head, "Isn’t that incorrect? You’ve omitted one; it should be 6."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao instantly became alert—this person had even noticed the ever-dormant Underworld Robe, which complicated things.

However, Yang Xiao quickly thought of a remedy, feigning embarrassment, "You are right, elder, but one artifact... one artifact has a questionable origin, so... so I dare not disclose it openly to you."

"Oh?" the elder raised an eyebrow, "Which one?"

As he spoke, Yang Xiao, using his remaining right hand, pulled out the Ghost Duster, laid it flat, and respectfully handed it over, "This one, please have a look, elder."

"It’s from the Little White Robed Buddha under Black Buddha Mother, in the Southeastern Miasma Land; he’s somewhat notable there, but who would have expected..." The elder handed back the Ghost Duster to Yang Xiao, sighing with emotion, "that his personal Protective Magical Artifact would end up in your hands."

"I stumbled upon this Ghost Level ultimate artifact. It belongs to the Evil Cult under Black Buddha Mother, and... and I dared not mention it. I hope you can forgive me," Yang Xiao said as he put away the horsetail whisk, apologizing again to the elder.

Unexpectedly, the elder laughed again, shaking his head, "You really don’t know the value. The personal artifact of a disciple under Black Buddha Mother wouldn’t be a mere Ghost Level; it’s clearly a Netherworld-level artifact, and even within the Netherworld class, it ranks quite highly."

"Netherworld-level?" Yang Xiao was also stunned. He hadn’t realized the object was so valuable.

"Genuine indeed," the elder nodded.

"Thank you for your guidance, elder...I... I really have learned something today," Yang Xiao gave another respectful bow to the elder, showing impeccable manners.

The elder gently patted Yang Xiao’s hand, then, squinting his eyes, said with a smile, "Now, let’s talk about that other artifact of yours."

"Which one?" Yang Xiao was confused.

The elder’s gaze shifted downward, staring at a piece of red revealed under Yang Xiao’s torn clothing, "The one inside... that garment."

The elder gently patted Yang Xiao’s hand again and, squinting his eyes, smiled, "Now, let’s discuss another one of your artifacts."

"Which one?" Yang Xiao didn’t understand.

The elder’s eyes dropped, focusing on a patch of red momentarily exposed under Yang Xiao’s torn clothes, "The one inside... that garment."

The innermost... that garment.