"The Emperor died, the realms fell into chaos, the Heavenly Court collapsed, undone in a single day..."
The ancient hall was coated in the dust of ages, weathered and mottled, like a wayside inn amid the endless passage of time. Yet that day, a clear voice reading aloud seemed to sweep away some of its twilight gloom and breathe fresh vitality into it.
The hall was spacious and utterly bare. One stone table and two stone chairs were all it contained.
A figure sat in one of those stone chairs, the source of the hall's vibrant life.
Yet chillingly, in stark contrast to his clear voice, thick red hair covered his body. His eye sockets showed the dead whites of a fish's eyes, and black blood streamed endlessly from his mouth, nose, and eyes... How could the word "eerie" possibly do him justice?
This startled a being who had come from outside the hall. Though his delicate features made him look like a frail scholar, he strode like a dragon and a tiger, a mighty momentum faintly accompanying him. It was as though nothing in the mortal world could halt his advance, as though he would sweep everything aside, invincible in heaven and earth!
It was a supreme bearing, an indescribable vigor etched into his bones, something that even seas turning into mulberry fields could never bury.
Yet even such a person could not help being shocked at the sight of that red-haired figure. Something seemed to have been triggered within him: the great dragon of his spine stirred, his forehead bone shone, and he was poised to unleash a world-shaking blow!
"What's the meaning of this?"
At that critical moment, the red-haired figure sighed deeply and put down the Unofficial History of Mythology in his hands. "My friend who has traveled so far, calm down! Calm down!"
"If you're here to place an order, the Heavenly Court welcomes you wholeheartedly."
"And if you're here for revenge, if your friends or family fell beneath the blades of an Assassin Divine Dynasty... well, the sun and moon can bear witness to my loyalty to the Heavenly Court. I, Feng Jiu, would never betray our headquarters. But I can sell you information on the headquarters of our neighbors, Hell and the Human World!"
The red-haired figure spoke with easy confidence, positively brimming with life.
That left the visitor at a complete loss, his taut nerves giving way to bewilderment. "Is... is that right?"
"What's wrong with it?" Feng Jiu asked with righteous confidence. "Our three Assassin Divine Dynasties-the Heavenly Court, Hell, and the Human World-have always been branches of the same tree, as close as family!"
"We're all brothers!"
"Taking a blade between the ribs for your brothers-isn't that only right and proper?"
"My brothers' business is my business; my business is my brothers' business!"
"So what's wrong with Hell and the Human World taking a couple of stabs on behalf of my Heavenly Court?"
Feng Jiu argued his case with perfect conviction.
"..."
The scholar-like youth's gaze trembled, as though this was the first time in his life he had encountered someone so utterly shameless.
If the Heavenly Court could nurture someone like this... was it legit?
The youth suddenly lost confidence in his original purpose.
"Whew!"
He let out a long breath, barely managing to rein in his surging emotions and regain his composure.
"I'm not here for revenge, nor am I interested in Hell or the Human World," the youth said. "I merely heard that of the world's three Assassin Divine Dynasties, the Heavenly Court reigns supreme and possesses the most terrifying Life-Killing Great Art. That's why I wanted to ask you to assassinate someone..."
"Oh, so you're here to place an order!" Feng Jiu smiled. "Easy enough!"
"May I ask whom you want killed, my friend?"
Feng Jiu asked with interest.
"A... Sacred Body!"
The youth enunciated each word. "Of course, this Sacred Body is neither a First Generation nor pureblood. Calling him a Sacred Body is something of a stretch..."
He explained at length, painting a picture of that Sacred Body.
This was no first-generation sacred physique, endowed with transcendent innate gifts and reputed to be capable of challenging an Ancient Great Emperor upon reaching great accomplishment.
It was merely an inherited bloodline. The blood of a once-invincible being flowed through his veins: he was a descendant of one of the nine great accomplishment sacred bodies who had once roared across heaven and earth, holding up the sky for humanity in an age without an Emperor!
His origin was powerful, but not pure and flawless. As a sacred body, he could still battle a first-generation sacred physique before reaching great accomplishment, but afterward, a heavenly chasm would divide their combat strength!
The youth told Feng Jiu that this Sacred Body's bloodline was only half as concentrated, containing merely half the true blood of a genuine Sacred Body. Yet he had inherited everything from a former Great Accomplishment Sacred Body, and fragments of that invincible being's laws were awakening within him, terrifying beyond measure.
"Is it a Bloodline Ancestral Return?"
Feng Jiu expressed his understanding. "It seems a Sacred Body family that lay dormant for years has finally welcomed new life and a turning point."
As he spoke, he frowned again. "Still, I'm not ignorant of the Sacred Body families on Beidou. Of the great accomplishment sacred bodies who were once invincible in heaven and earth, some married, had children, and left behind their bloodlines."
"Only, most of these Sacred Body families suffered ill-fated lives. Not long after their great accomplishment sacred bodies disappeared, they would wither away. Many of their members met unnatural deaths, as though some inexplicable, enormous terror were targeting them."
"By now, only one branch, called the Yang Family, remains. But as far as I know, that family hasn't produced any outstanding figures in recent years..."
"Is this an exceptional talent they've kept hidden? Or has another Sacred Body bloodline lost to the ages blossomed anew?"
"Who knows?" The youth's gaze was clear and bright. "Would your Heavenly Court dare assassinate someone like that?"
"But this is a Sacred Body!" Feng Jiu sighed. "A Sacred Body of 'humanity had no Great Emperor, so nine great sacred bodies battled the firmament' fame!"
"A bloodline like that once rendered great service to humanity. If my Heavenly Court assassinated him, wouldn't that be feeding our conscience to the dogs?!"
The youth looked startled, his expression strange. "Your Assassin Divine Dynasties will kill anyone, yet you actually care about such things? Was I mistaken..."
"So you'll have to pay extra!" Feng Jiu's words rang out with extraordinary force, battering the youth's composure until it broke once more.
"Is This Heavenly Court Legit?!"
Is this Heavenly Court legit?!
Feng Jiu murmured inwardly. It was his question, his lament, raised once again-and certainly not for the last time.
In response to his question, deep within his consciousness, a dim orb of light on the verge of shattering flickered almost imperceptibly, barely managing to radiate a glow. With a hint of aggrieved defensiveness, it said, "Just tell me whether it's called the 'Heavenly Court' or not."
"Yes, it's called the Heavenly Court..." Light flickered and faded as Feng Jiu's figure appeared in that space. Gone was the eerie horror the youth had seen; he was handsome and graceful as jade. "But why the hell would an assassin organization call itself the Heavenly Court?"
"Are you sick in the head?!"
"Thirty years! Do you know how I survived these thirty years?!" Feng Jiu sighed, looking as though he had put on a mask of anguish.
The past was too painful to revisit.
"I was happy to transmigrate. I was pleased to join the Heavenly Court..."
Feng Jiu's brooding gaze settled on the orb. "And with a 'heavenly emperor cultivation system' to boot, I felt my
life was full of promise..."
"But how did things turn out like this?"
"Exactly, how did things turn out like this?" The orb was troubled too. "According to the Fuxi Algorithm, Nuwa Wisdom, Shennong Architecture, Xuanyuan Model... and so on, nothing should have gone wrong."
Its incessant muttering left Feng Jiu speechless, his face buried in his hands.