Chapter Fifty-Seven: Remembering the Glorious Days of the Past

In their worldview, wasn’t Ancestor Grey Crane sealed away in the Wilds of Cangwu seven thousand years ago by the God of War Brahma Immortal and eight hundred disciples of the Returning Void Sanctuary? Though the disciples who personally witnessed that battle between gods and demons have long since faded into the dust of history, and the Sanctuary itself suffered greatly from the conflict in Cangwu—nearly a thousand years of decline followed—the legend of that divine war has always been passed down in the Wildlands.

The four Holy Sons, though they only entered the tutelage of the God of War a millennium after the battle, were intimately familiar with the tale of the Returning Void disciples who calmly went to their deaths for the peace of the Wildlands—a story worthy of eternal remembrance. Thus, how could they be unfamiliar with Ancestor Grey Crane, once one of the famed two guardians of the Cangwu Demon Clan?

The moment the name Grey Crane escaped from Xiu Ji’s lips, the hall fell into a deathly silence. Apart from Xiu Ji and Shen Tu De, who were breathing heavily from fear and anxiety, the entire Dao Ru Pavilion was so quiet that even the drop of a pin could be heard.

After the span of half a tea's time, Lord Heaven’s Punishment shook his head in resignation and, with wisdom and reason, pressed further, “Are you certain the one who committed the murders in Dayong Market was indeed Ancestor Grey Crane, guardian of the Demon Clan?”

“Absolutely certain!”

Xiu Ji straightened, confidence in his voice. “That day, Senior Brother Wushang and I witnessed Grey Crane kill and harvest souls atop Mount Mang. Lacking cultivation, we dared not intervene. We intended to rush back to report to the Sanctuary, but halfway, we encountered Bai Mu’s massacre and destruction of the town. My brother was then ambushed and killed by Bai Mu, which led to today’s predicament.”

No, no, no!

Upon hearing this, Lord Heaven’s Punishment waved his hands. “Since Grey Crane appeared at Dayong Market, the matter is clearly more complicated than it appears. I’m beginning to suspect that Bai Mu, whom you speak of, may be nothing more than Grey Crane’s scapegoat!”

“Senior brother, why are you defending Bai Mu, whom you’ve never even met?” The hot-tempered and impulsive Lord Heaven’s Wrath rose angrily, his smooth face creased with wrinkles from his rage, making his once serene appearance now somewhat unsightly.

“Brother, you’ve trained under our master for thousands of years, yet you haven’t curbed your impulsive temper?” Lord Heaven’s Punishment looked at his enraged brother with helpless amusement. “You may not know Grey Crane well, but I am not a stranger to him!”

“Back then, during the divine war, I hadn’t formally become a disciple of the God of War, but I was already a young attendant in the Returning Void Sanctuary—sweeping the master’s chamber and serving tea, while learning cultivation alongside my senior brothers.”

---

When the divine war was about to erupt, all eight hundred disciples of the Returning Void Sanctuary rushed overnight to Cangwu’s wilds to join the holy battle. I, being younger and less skilled, was left behind to guard the gates at Floating Jade Mountain.

Though I never faced Grey Crane directly, I learned about his ruthless and cunning nature from those few senior brothers who managed to return.

Back then, the eight hundred sanctuary disciples went to Cangwu for the holy war between gods and demons. Just Grey Crane and the Demon Emperor Reverse Qin alone slaughtered three hundred of our brothers. That is how fierce and cunning Grey Crane was...

Report!

Suddenly, a sharp alarm sounded outside, interrupting Lord Heaven’s Punishment.

Enter!

The young attendant at the door hurriedly ushered the messenger into the pavilion.

The newcomer was a man in his forties, bearing a trustworthy face. Though plain in appearance, his robust frame and white fitted robe lent him a distinct presence.

“Shen Que, what’s the urgency?” Lord Heaven’s Punishment inquired calmly from his seat.

“Reporting, Lord. A disciple from the Great Hall says a man and woman slipped through the ethereal illusion and are currently lingering at Immortal Return Cliff. It’s suspected they covet the divine weapons in the Sword Pavilion. Please send someone to apprehend them immediately!”

“What!” Lord Heaven’s Wrath leapt from the table, demanding loudly, “Do you know who they are?”

“No,” Shen Que shook his head, pondering, “No information on their origins yet. According to the disciple’s report, the intruders are a young man and woman. He’s about sixteen or seventeen, quite handsome, carrying an ancient sword and dressed in a white robe that reaches the ground.

The girl, about the same age, is clad in a translucent green veil, her aura swirling with sword energy—clearly a formidable cultivator. Both are at Immortal Return Cliff, likely eyeing the legendary weapons in the Sword Pavilion!”

“It’s them!”

---

“They are Bai Mu and Ling Yan!”

“They killed Sword Immortal Xuan Yuan and Senior Brother Wushang!” Xiu Ji shouted impatiently upon hearing this.

“It’s them?” Shen Que glanced sidelong at Xiu Ji, then looked to the four Holy Sons, his tone uncertain. “The situation is urgent. Please, Holy Sons, decide!”

“Elder brother, why hesitate? We four must hurry to the rear mountain and destroy those two murderers!” Lord Heaven’s Wrath urged anxiously.

Yet Heaven’s Punishment, as eldest brother, sat unmoving, his eyes half-closed in contemplation.

The other two Holy Sons maintained calm, their expressions unruffled, forming a sharp contrast to Lord Heaven’s Wrath’s fiery outburst.

In truth, Lord Heaven’s Wrath was one of Brahma Immortal’s four most cherished disciples, known together as the Four Saints of the Returning Void.

Reason would suggest that, after thousands of years under Brahma Immortal’s tutelage, even the most ill-tempered would have mellowed.

But Lord Heaven’s Wrath remained wild and unconventional, never thinking before acting. Yet, of the four, he was the purest of heart and fiercest against evil, judging right and wrong by his own convictions, drawing a clear line between good and evil.

Perhaps it was precisely this purity that, though the last to apprentice under the God of War, made his cultivation second only to Heaven’s Punishment, ranking him as the second among the Holy Sons, followed by Lord Heaven’s Flame and the middle-aged Lord Heaven’s Blaze.