After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 315 Pavilion Master
At the same time, the expressions of the several elders of the Dugu family around them changed, and they looked at Dugu Changkong from time to time, as if they wanted to say something, but they didn't know how to start.
Dugu Changkong withdrew his gaze, glanced at the group of Dugu family elders, and said:
"I know what you're trying to say. Don't worry, I know what's important and what's not."

Having said that, Dugu Changkong waved his sleeve and said:

"Back to the city!"

He then boarded the carriage and sped away. The elders around him exchanged glances and immediately followed with a group of younger members of the clan.

The girl in the white dress turned around and glanced at the big black cat in the crowd. Even a cat was so revered, which showed how powerful the Eighth Prince was now.

……

At the same time, the assassins of the Hidden Kill Pavilion seemed to have lost most of their spirits, and they all left with the crowd with dejected expressions.

The defeat of the Killing Saint undoubtedly dealt an unimaginable blow to these Hidden Killing Pavilion assassins.

Seeing their life's pursuit of the pinnacle of the Hidden Killing Pavilion's killing path actually defeated by that young prince, their feelings were a mixture of emotions.

"In any case, the Eighth Prince will be our new Pavilion Master in the future. Perhaps... Killing Saint is not the ultimate limit of the Path of Killing. The true peak of the Path of Killing may be rewritten by the Eighth Prince in the future."

One of the Black and White Rakshasa pondered for a moment before speaking, which could be considered a form of self-consolation.

However, at this moment, Lianxing, who was wearing a mask, glanced indifferently at everyone and said:
"The true path of killing lies in killing others and killing oneself. Although the Saint of Slaughter was defeated, it does not mean that the path of killing is severed. If this is all you have, you cannot even kill the delusions and cowardice in your own hearts. You might as well leave the Hidden Killing Pavilion as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, the dwarf and the others were stunned for a moment, and then they turned around sharply to look at Lianxing.

However, she completely ignored everyone and left on her own, her figure gradually disappearing into the crowd.

"As expected of Lady Lianxing, among us, only Lady Lianxing's path of slaughter is the purest. She is the one who truly has the potential to reach the pinnacle of the path of slaughter!"

The dwarf stared in the direction where Lianxing had disappeared, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding phantom swans and black and white Rakshasa all turned to look at him.

Although they didn't know the meaning of "simp," at this moment they all felt that the dwarf really looked like a simp.

……

At the same time, the Taoist priest in green robes and the monk Shenshu returned to their seats on either side of the chessboard and continued their previous game.

A young Taoist boy dressed in an indigo robe stood beside a Taoist priest in a green robe, his face clearly showing a hint of confusion, and said:

"I really don't know how that prince cultivated? He's so young, yet even such a powerful Killing Saint couldn't defeat him!"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest in the green robe shook his head, suddenly put down the chess piece in his hand, and then looked at the monk Shenshu opposite him and said:
"So? Do you still have any plans to go find that Eighth Prince and get that key back?"

The monk Shenshu's previously calm face showed a slight change in expression. Finally, he put his hands together, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and said:

"The cause and effect of this matter have long been clear. The things that I gave to Benefactor Li Que have now fallen into the hands of that Eighth Prince. Perhaps this is destiny."

As he spoke, the monk Shenshu suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance, saying:
"Perhaps, the Apocalyptic Secret Treasure, which has been passed down for thousands of years, should see the light of day again!"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest in the green robe was taken aback. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the monk Shenshu in front of him for a long while.

Seeing that the other party had withdrawn his gaze, the Taoist priest in the green robe stroked his beard and pondered for a moment:

"The five kingdoms have been divided for a century, and the martial arts world has been in chaos. Now, such a rare and extraordinary talent has emerged. It is very likely that this is a sign of some kind of trend."

At this moment, the monk Shenshu's expression had returned to normal. He continued to examine the situation on the chessboard and slowly said:
"Unifying the world is no easy task, and the other four kingdoms will not stand idly by."

As he spoke, the monk Shenshu suddenly frowned, let out a soft "Eh," and said:
"This game of chess seems a little different?"

At this moment, the Taoist priest in the green robe suddenly burst into laughter, clapping his hands and saying:

"Of course it's different, Shenshu. The game of chess is just like the situation in the world, changing in an instant. Your old, steady methods are no longer able to keep up with my pace."

Having said that, the Taoist priest in the green robe stood up, looking smug, and said:

"Now it's your turn to think things through. This disciple of mine is not so easy to beat."

Upon hearing this, the blue-robed young Taoist priest beside him immediately beamed with joy, then made a face at the monk Shenshu opposite him, and asked the green-robed Taoist priest:
"Master, can we go home now?"

However, the Taoist priest in the green robe shook his head and said:

"No rush. We've come all this way to Dali, so we should go and see my junior brother who's a high-ranking official."

Upon hearing this, the blue-robed young Taoist looked puzzled and asked:

"How come I've never heard my master mention that there's a martial uncle in the capital of the Great Li Dynasty?"

At this moment, the monk Shenshu, sitting opposite the chessboard, sighed softly and with a casual wave of his hand, all the chess pieces on the board were gone.

"This is a draw. I was summoned by the temple and did not have much time to stay here. If we are destined to meet again in the future, I will have another game with Fellow Daoist Qingye."

The monk Shenshu clasped his hands together and spoke, while the Taoist in the green robe waved his hand:
"It's alright, I'll let you have your turn today."

In truth, he wasn't confident he could defeat Monk Shenshu. Since the other party was unwilling to waste time, he was naturally happy to see the outcome.

"In that case, this humble monk will take his leave here, fellow Daoist. Until we meet again."

Monk Shenshu did not linger, but gave a slight bow and turned to leave.

However, at this moment, the Taoist Qingye suddenly asked:
"Are you really not going to go see that Eighth Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Monk Shenshu paused slightly, but said nothing. He uttered a Buddhist chant and then vanished from his spot in the blink of an eye, leaving only Qingye Daoist's unrestrained laughter.

At this moment, Huo Qifeng and Huo Shan, who were standing to the side, exchanged a glance and then immediately drove the carriage away.

The Taoist priest stopped laughing, then suddenly turned his gaze to the direction where Huo Qifeng and the others had left.

Seeing this, the blue-robed young Taoist followed the gaze of the green-leafed Taoist and asked:

"Master, is there something wrong with this group of people?"

The Taoist priest Qingye didn't speak, he simply waved his hand:

"It was just a recollection of some past events."

Immediately, he turned and left, saying:

"Come, I'll take you to see your senior uncle."

...In a carriage heading towards the capital, Song Xingwei and Zhu Wuming, the head of the Tianji Pavilion, sat facing each other.

Song Xingwei's delicate oval face showed a constantly changing expression, sometimes in amazement, sometimes with a frown, and sometimes with a long sigh...

Upon seeing this, Zhu Wuming immediately took a deep breath and asked in a gentle voice:

"What's wrong with Miss Xingwei?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xingwei glanced at Zhu Wuming and pursed her lips, saying:
"You don't understand. Suddenly seeing that my best friend has such an amazing sworn brother, although I'm happy for her, I'm also annoyed at the thought of her showing off in front of me. Why don't I have a sworn brother like that?"

Zhu Wuming's eye twitched slightly. He had thought the other person was thinking something else. So that's all. This girl's thoughts are really hard to fathom.

At this moment, Song Xingwei shook her head and suddenly looked at Zhu Wuming and asked:
"Sect Master Zhu, you just witnessed the duel between the Eighth Prince and the Killing Saint of the Hidden Killing Pavilion. Don't you have any thoughts on that?"

"Thinking?"

Zhu Wuming's expression faltered slightly, then he sighed and said:

"What feelings do I have? It's just that once upon a time, I was a prodigy admired by countless people, but now the roles have been reversed, and I've become one of the many people who look up to geniuses."

As he spoke, Zhu Wuming seemed to realize that at his age, and as the head of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, it was clearly inappropriate and shameful for him to utter such sour remarks in front of a young girl. He immediately changed the subject, saying:

"The Eighth Prince's martial arts prowess far exceeds our expectations, and he is about to take charge of the Hidden Killing Pavilion. Time is of the essence, and we must resolve the misunderstanding between our Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and him as soon as possible. We will have to trouble Miss Xingwei with this matter."

Upon hearing this, Song Xingwei gave Zhu Wuming a deep look, but didn't dwell on his words. She simply waved her hand and said:
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

……

Meanwhile, among the many carriages returning to the capital, an ordinary carriage entered the city, then took a quiet street and disappeared into a small alley in the blink of an eye.

Before long, the carriage stopped in a deserted alley, and two elderly men dressed in plain clothes stepped out of the carriage.

One of the elderly men had a full head of black hair, while the other had completely white hair.

Neither of them had the aged appearance of ordinary people, nor did they exude any martial arts aura. The old man with completely black hair had eyes as bright as stars, while the old man with completely white hair exuded a faint aura of majesty.

After the two got off the carriage, they planned to transfer to another carriage that had been prepared in the alley and leave.

But at that moment, an old man dressed in black robes and wearing a bronze mask appeared silently outside the alley.

Then, his figure approached from afar, and in the blink of an eye, he stopped behind the two people who were about to board the carriage.

For a moment, both of them stopped and slowly turned around to look.

In the alley, the three of them met each other's eyes and exchanged glances.

"Who are you?"

The black-haired elder remained composed, his star-like eyes fixed on the bronze-masked elder, yet a layer of mist subtly rose within them.
In an instant, the entire alley seemed to be shrouded by an inexplicable force, and everything around became blurry.

"There's no need to take action; I mean no harm."

The old man in the bronze mask spoke slowly, ignoring the changes in the surrounding alley. His gaze, hidden behind the mask, fell on the old man with completely white hair, and he said calmly:
"Let me introduce myself. I am the Pavilion Master of the Hidden Killing Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, the black-haired old man's expression shifted, and he looked at the white-haired old man beside him.

The two exchanged a glance, and then the dignified white-haired elder nodded slightly and calmly said:
"We have long admired your name. May we ask what business the Pavilion Master has with us?"

The old man in the bronze mask stared at the white-haired old man for a while, then looked away and said:
"As expected of the emperor of Dali, he remained calm in the face of danger."

Upon hearing this, the black-haired elder narrowed his eyes slightly, while the white-haired elder remained calm throughout, seemingly unsurprised that the other party had revealed his identity.

Clearly, from the moment they met, they understood that since the Hidden Killing Pavilion Master had been able to find them, he must know their identities.

"It is common knowledge throughout the land that the Emperor of Dali has been in seclusion and has not emerged. Yet, the two of you have appeared here today. I am truly curious as to what the reason may be?"

The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master didn't seem to be in a hurry. Instead, he asked Emperor Yuanwu a question.

Upon hearing this, the black-haired elder standing beside Emperor Yuanwu shook his head and said:
"As you can see, Your Majesty and I have just returned from outside the city. Our purpose in going there is to watch the battle between the Eighth Prince and your esteemed sect's Saint-Slaying Ceremony."

The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master glanced at the other party, then looked at Emperor Yuanwu and said:

"I understand. It seems His Majesty does not wish to reveal his thoughts."

As he spoke, the Hidden Kill Pavilion Master, whose face was covered by a bronze mask, waved his hand and said:
"Since you are unwilling to talk about it, I will not force you to."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanwu slightly cupped his hands, his imposing aura remaining undiminished, and calmly replied:
"Thank you for your understanding, Pavilion Master. Why don't you tell me what's on your mind first? If there's anything I can do to help, I certainly won't refuse."

The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master's gaze swept over Emperor Yuanwu from head to toe. Facing him, Emperor Yuanwu remained calm and composed throughout.

He showed no sign of fear despite being the renowned leader of the Hidden Killing Pavilion, who could take his life at such close range.

Is there some basis for it? Or is the emperor's mind unfathomable?
The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master's heart stirred slightly, and after a moment's thought, he spoke:

"I had no intention of disturbing your whereabouts. As for the reason I came here today, it is only for one person."

"Could it be for His Highness the Eighth Prince?"

The black-haired old man raised an eyebrow slightly, his misty eyes fixed on the Hidden Kill Pavilion Master beneath the bronze mask.

"Yes."

The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master nodded, then continued:

"Although the Eighth Prince's martial arts skills are extraordinary, even the Killing Saint in the Pavilion is no match for him, and according to the rules of the Hidden Killing Order, the position of the next Pavilion Master has already belonged to him."

Upon hearing this, the black-haired elder narrowed his eyes slightly and said:
"In that case, Pavilion Master, please follow the rules. Is there any other problem?"

"Of course there is a problem."

The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master's voice was devoid of emotion as he said:
"The Hidden Killing Pavilion has a long history in the martial arts world. It has always stayed away from the imperial court and remained independent of the martial arts sects. This is why it has been able to survive and continue to this day without getting involved with any other forces."

"But things are different now. The Eighth Prince has a special status. If he takes over the Hidden Killing Pavilion and gets it involved in court struggles or even the struggle between the five kingdoms, then the Hidden Killing Pavilion will lose its independent status."

"To be honest, I'm afraid the Hidden Killing Pavilion will be destroyed in his hands in the future."

(End of this chapter)