Book 25 Chapter 16

Emergency Chiefs Meeting

-Captains of Forty-three

The meeting usually began with the Twelfth Captain, Iron Mask, because the Twelfth was in charge of espionage and intelligence. The captain had been wearing an iron mask for generations to hide his identity, so everyone called him Iron Mask, but he had a formal name.

Stealth (隐身秘影) Hidden presence (隐存).

It was more of an authorized name than a real name, a name that was given because it was uncomfortable to not have a name to call. The Twelfth was in charge of espionage and intelligence, and no one here used their real names. He was using the character John, but what he really wanted to use was 尊, which was higher than John. That's a lot of confidence.

Those who abandoned the past and lurked in the shadows, that was the nature of the Twelfth.

"The number of invaders now stands at two dozen, with the possibility of more, most of whom have been identified as emissaries of the Celestial Academy, possibly in league with the remnants of the Celestial Academy that remained within each."

"Why would they have to force their way through the gates, and if they were emissaries, they would have passes?"

He was dressed in robes torn like a lion's mane and wore a huge iron bead around his neck. On his chest was the number three. He was the leader of the Third Generation, a monk of the Eightfold Path. He was tall and had a bushy black beard like a steel needle, but his head was bald. It was rumored that he had once been a Shaolin monk, but had been excommunicated, but he would neither confirm nor deny this. However, there was no disagreement that one of his goals was to create the Hundred Eighty-Nine Realms, and since that goal conflicted with Changlang Dai's plan to create the strongest realm law, they were not on good terms.

"Don't you know it, there must have been a guy without a pass."

Cang Lang, the ninth chief, said with a frown. He was dressed in a blue robe, with the character "nine" and a wolf emblem on his chest. He wore an iron pole with three sharply curved crescent-shaped blades on each shoulder like a scabbard. A pair of "Cang Lang Yue Azo" were his only weapons. He looked at Cang Lang with a very unpleasant gaze, and Cang Lang laughed like a wolf tearing at a bloody carcass. He didn't hide his teeth, as if to say that he would accept any challenge. The air that threatened to turn nasty was neutralized by Eunjon.

"Captain Changlang is right, two of them were outsiders who didn't have passes."

"Have they been identified?"

"One of them identified herself as 'Bi Ryuyeon', the winner of the last volcano conference. The other is a young girl, but we don't have much information on her yet."

"Hao, that's very interesting, but rumor has it that this Bi Ryuyeon guy is a braggart and an opportunist, and that he just happened to get to the top of the Uninhabited Mountain by accident this time?"

"One of its nicknames in the past was the transportation bomb."

As the leader of an intelligence unit, he had gathered quite a bit of information on Bi Ryuyeon.

"He doesn't sound like much from the way he talks."

"But it's also rumored that he was the mysterious figure who helped extinguish the volcanic conflagration."

"That's the mysterious master Xin Fengkai?"

Xin Fengkai. He was a mysterious master who was rumored to be the one who had quelled the last volcano. The rumors were fueled by the words of the Heavenly Three, who were thanked by the people for subduing the flames in the valley that had raged like a maddened fire dragon.

"Huh? You don't have to thank us. Because we didn't do that. We were actually about to give up."

"Yeah, I thought I was going to die this time. That was pretty hot."

"But I'm alive, right? All's well that ends well, and I've learned a lot from this."

So who did it, they asked?

"I can't teach you that. The young man told me not to tell you."

"A promise is a promise. You guys figure it out when you're free."

Since then, the mysterious young master has come to be known as "Xin Feng Hai," but there are many who believe that it was simply a prank by the Heavenly Three, as there is no reason why a young man who can perform such feats shouldn't be able to identify himself openly. Moreover, common sense dictated that there could be no young master who could accomplish what the heavens had declared impossible. The public likes to think and understand things on their own terms. As a result, the initial interest in the Xin Feng Association had dwindled to ashes.

"Of course, not all reliable sources are admitting this is true. They just don't think anything close to such a transfer is possible given his track record."

"Isn't that an empty cart then?"

"But there's a story out there that the Heavenly Three are quite fond of him."

"Why?"

"They say it's because it's fun."

"It has nothing to do with being strong, right?"

"It's not easy to win the favor of the universe."

"Doesn't it matter who he is, it's been a while since we've had a kill?"

"You look like you're enjoying yourself, Captain Changlang."

Eunjon asked.

"They're invaders, and it's good to have a chance to fight. I've been dissatisfied with our lack of practice. We've been wanting to do some more hands-on training, but it's been a bit of a struggle. The boys are bored, and I hope this intruder has a taste for chasing. Doesn't that make your blood boil?"

In fact, he wasn't the only one excited about the unexpected intruder. The reactions of the other commanders were generally very positive. It's strange to be positive about an intruder, but it's true: there's a slight, lighthearted excitement in the room.

"Doesn't the chief priest, who has been granted permission to live, have anything to say?"

We need to hear from the other captains as well, so Eunjon asked, and the man with the scar across his face, who had been sitting still in his seat, slowly spoke up.

"If there's a fight, we'll get more patients."

The tone was indeed nonchalant.

"Does that worry you?"

"No, I think it's a good thing. It's good for the guys to have more patients, and I want them to have a variety of injuries, so they have a variety of practice."

Simply put, having more patients was good for them because it gave them practice.

"How is the great Captain Cheon Byeong Manhwa?"

"Huh? Me? I'm an old man like me, I guess it doesn't matter. It's a kid's weapon, and it's going to get spoiled, but you've got to feed it some blood once in a while, don't you? If you get your hands on a good sword, bring it back, and I'd like to see someone with an unusual weapon or something, to add to the collection."

This meant that it didn't matter as long as you could get your hands on an unusual weapon or sword name.

"How's the third battalion field commander?"

"Are there any Shaolin Temple kids in there?"

His interest seemed to be solely in Shaolin Temple.

"There is a report of one Wu Shuang who appears to be from Shaolin Temple."

Then the eyes of the field lit up.

"Ho-ho, yeah? Well, I guess I'll have to educate you as a senior. I'm curious to know what the kids' water is like these days."

The intruder didn't seem to mind that he had gotten in.

"Nameless Captain of the Sixth, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Half dozing, he was startled when he was called out.

"Oh, me? No, can I just go to bed? I've been sleeping more and more lately……."

"Dismissed."

"Wouldn't it be a good thing if the enemy headed for the Dead Sea first, so we could leave the dirty work to the kids……."

"What if it fails?"

"I don't think they'd ever do something that incompetent, but if they did, it's not too late to stop them, and it's not like it's a big group anyway, right?"

"Even the biggest dike can crumble through a small hole."

"Ho-ho, will they be good enough to punch a small hole in this thick dike?"

A spear broke into their conversation.

"That remains to be seen. But it's not a good idea to let your guard down, they've been handpicked by the Celestial Academy."

Xin Liang's gravelly voice called for attention.

"That's great that you picked it out, because it looks like it's going to be an interesting hunt."

Changlang laughed, licking the corner of his mouth with his tongue.

"In it are the heirs of the Eight Great Families and the unheralded disciples of the Old School."

"Ho, ho, the descendants of those land-locked bobbers? Those are some promising raiders. They must be tasty to hunt. A little taste of the big world is always a good thing, so the meat stays fresh and not rotten."

"Let's see if they can make it through all four islands."

"Wanna bet how many we can get through, we?"

"You're all so carefree."

It was then that the meeting began, and the hitherto tightly shut mouth of the Grand Marshal opened. At the sound of his voice, which was hushed but powerful, the eyes of the assembled captains turned to the commander-in-chief, who sat arrogantly in his blood-red robes, looking down on them.

"Have you been drinking the poison of peace for too long? Your tensions are slackening, and that's not good."

His voice was calm, but there was a monstrous, slowly multiplying power in it.

The Thousand and Thirteenth Commander-in-Chief, One Hundred and One Thousand and One.

He had a face that gave away his age, a black beard that fell to his chest, and eyes that glowed like blades. This Red Poet was the leader of the twelve untamed beasts, lording it over them with an overwhelming presence of a different kind.

"I'm a very dignified person, and I can't have the Temple of Heaven being dismissed as a place where anyone can come and go, because that's disrespectful, and when you're disrespected, you're looked down upon. And I don't want to be looked down upon. Do you understand?"

Suddenly, a tremendous qi wave emanated from his entire body. For a moment, it was as if a ferocious wind blew through the entire room. The bodies of those who prided themselves on their strength trembled. Such a powerful presence.

"No one is to be left behind. Do you understand?"

It was a voice that didn't take no for an answer.

"This could turn into a diplomatic issue with the Heavenly Martial Academy, are you okay with that?"

Captain Eunjon of the Twelfth asked for confirmation.

"I don't care, I'll tell the footnotes, you guys do your thing. What do you think four thousand and thirty-three was made for?"

No one answered. After scanning the faces of the captains in this row, one by one, Bai Xiaochun opened his mouth again.

"It's about defeating the 'enemy'."

Then, after a short gap, I added this last one

"And these are the 'enemies.' The destruction of the enemy, that's all you need to think about. You don't have to think about the rest of it, because that's for me or for the footnotes. You don't have to think about it, and you don't have to be responsible for it."

He glanced to his left, his eyes quiet.

"I will issue a decree of extermination."

The bosses were stunned, not expecting such a top-level hard line.

"You mean the Decree of Extermination?"

"This is going to be a huge problem, and I love a good fight."

Cang Lang chuckled.

"What would you do with a footnote?"

We needed the state's permission to order the extermination, and the question was, who would pay for a problem that had the potential to get out of hand?

"I thought I told you the rest was a no-brainer, do you want your captaincy back?"

"……!"

The dissent was soon silenced. When he was satisfied that no one was talking anymore, he was satisfied.

"This concludes the meeting. Dissolved."

When the adjournment was declared, the captains of the various troops, accompanied by their troop leaders, left the commander-in-chief's office. Left alone, Bai Tiancheng, the twenty-third commander-in-chief, remained seated, staring at the number seven.

An empty spot.

By the time the Great Council was finished, the Seventh Great Leader, Blood Winged Jade Jade, had not appeared.