Chapter 832: Hidden
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As well as the headquarters of Huatian Palace, there were also many other palaces that were part of it, including one in the Taihang Mountains. In fact, in any mountain range where there was a large number of warriors, there would be a branch of Huatian Palace. This allowed better management of the sects to take place. If there was not a powerful force to restrain these sects, the world outside would have already been thrown into chaos.
Of course, in a little place like the series of the three big Mountain ranges, there were no branches of Huatian Palace.
Wan’er’s master was going to the branch palace of Huatian Palace to carry out some tasks for the sect. Wan’er had been brought along to broaden her horizons. Each ancient martial arts sect had a very close relationship with Huatian Palace. This was because Huatian Palace was an enormous resource pool, and there were resources that every ancient martial arts sect dreamed of.
Many sects that had managed to become strong mostly had done so mostly because they had received some powerful items from Huatian Palace. Of course, the resources of Huatian Palace would not be given away for no reason. Any sect hoping for a windfall from Huatian Palace had to pay with something of similar value.
Mo Wen was very knowledgeable about such exchanges. It exactly the same as the way that the executors of Huatian Palace and Huatian Palace itself had a mutually beneficial relationship except it now involved sects rather than a person. Furthermore, Huatian Palace had no intention of making a loss and was happy to take advantage of others.
“Big Brother Mo, you are an ancient martial artist as well. You know about Huatian Palace, don’t you? Do you want to go and take a look?” Wan’er said somewhat excitedly.
A warrior like her would not normally have the right to reach out to an existence like Huatian Palace. As such, she naturally wanted to share the joy with Mo Wen.
Mo Wen considered it for a moment and decided to visit the branch palace to take a look. He had been badly injured and his original plans had changed. He was not going to meet with Wang Junru and was prepared to move alone. In this way, he would have more time to allow his injuries to heal and did not have to deal with the extra matters of those sects. This would ensure that he would fully recover his cultivation before the Martial Arts Circle Convention.
However, he was changing his plans at the last minute and had not informed Wang Junru or the others from the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension. As such, he needed to find someone from Huatian Palace to help him deliver some letters.
At eight in the morning, Mo Wen and Su Wan’er left the wooden house and arrived at the gates of the Five Tigers Sect. Wang Qian was there too, waiting at the gates. When she saw Wan’er and Mo Wen, she approached them. Wan’er was happy to take her along with them.
The three of them waited at the gates for a moment before a man and two women emerged from within. The man was about 60 or 70 while the women seemed to be in their 30s and 40s. They had the mature charm of women that age.
Wan’er approached them when she saw the beautiful woman. One of the two middle-aged women was her master.
Wang Qian immediately bowed when she saw the two women. She was very respectful and would not usually get to see an Elder.
Mo Wen simply put his fists together and did not say anything.
“Wan’er, are these your friends?” Mei Yixuan looked at Wang Qian and Mo Wen. Her gaze rested on Mo Wen for a moment before she looked away.
“Yes, Master. They are good friends of mine, and I want to take them with us. I hope that you and Elder Uncle Qi Hang will allow that,” Wan’er said respectfully.
“They are both young people. We can liven up the atmosphere if we take you all along. I don’t mind,” Mei Yixuan said with a smile. Then, she turned to look at the elder.
The elder called Qi Hang nodded and did not disagree.
The branch palace of Huatian Palace in the Taihang Mountains was on the Five Fortune Mountain. This was the name given to it by the people of the Martial Arts circle. The name did not exist on maps of Huaxia.
The Five Fortune Mountain was only three hundred miles away from the Five Tigers Sect. Keeping in mind that there were three young people with me, they did not move fast. They only reached the Five Fortune Mountain at noon.
The Five Fortune Mountain was more than a thousand meters above sea level. On the surface, it did not look any different from other mountains. However, Mo Wen could tell at a glance that the mountain had a psychedelic array.
Mei Yixuan and Qi Hang, who were familiar with the route, brought the others around the mountain. The scene before them suddenly changed. Numerous palaces and buildings appeared before them. These buildings were built into the mountainside and were gorgeous. They merged with the greenery on the large mountain, and it felt as if they had entered an ethereal place. It seemed as though the clouds had parted, and they were seeing the brilliant moon.
“Whoa, it’s gorgeous! It’s much more impressive than the Five Tigers Sect. There wasn’t anything on this mountain earlier; why did the palaces suddenly appear?” Wan’er said curiously as she looked at the sight before her with wide eyes. She had been walking in the mountains when the scene before her had changed completely. Wang Qian also looked stunned. The architecture before her was amazing. Furthermore, it had been hidden extremely well. They had not seen this when they were at the foot of the mountain.
“Let’s go. The branch palaces of Huatian Palace are not something our ancient martial arts sect can compare to,” Mei Yixuan said with a smile. She had worn the same expression when she first visited the branch palaces of Huatian Palace. The mysteriousness of Huatian Palace was not something they can imagine.
As the entourage entered the Palace, they realized that there were many ancient martial arts warriors from the Taihang Mountains present. They were simply walking around and the place was bustling. However, the warriors who could come to this place were powerful and the lowest cultivation any of them possessed was in the Sea of Qi Realm. Warriors of the Regulated Breathing Realm like Wan’er and Wang Qian were rare, and people of that level were all here with elders.
Mei Yixuan placed something that looked like a token into a nook which drew back slowly. Moments later, it spat the token out again. Then, an intangible light flashed before them and disappeared without a trace.
“Master, what was that?” Wan’er asked curiously.
“Not anyone can enter the branch palace of Huatian Palace. You have to have an identity token before you can do so. Don’t think that there is nothing before us. There is an invisible force field that will stop you from entering,” Mei Yixuan replied.
“That’s amazing.” Wan’er’s eyes were filled with unending curiosity.
The group crossed through the square and approached an enormous palace. Many people were going to and from the palace, and many executors were dressed in the Huatian Palace uniform.
The executors of Huatian Palace here all had average cultivation levels. Most of them were half-star executors. Two-star executors could probably be leaders here. After all, it was just a branch palace and there were limitations to staff allocation.
“Wan’er, you all walk around. Meet me in the square outside in two hours. I and Master Qi Hang have some things to do,” Mei Yixuan instructed. She left in a hurry with Qi Hang, leaving Wan’er and the other two behind.
“Wan’er, what is your Master going to do?” Wang Qian asked curiously. They had not taken them along, so it was obvious that they did not want the three to know what was going on.
“I don’t know either. Master did not say anything.” Wan’er shook her head. She continued, “It must be something very important. Let’s not ask later.” She could tell that her Master had come to Huatian Palace this time for something very important.
“Wan’er, do you think I am stupid? Of course, I won’t be silly enough to ask. However, since it is a very important matter, then why have they brought us here at all?” Wang Qian asked, bewildered.
“It’s because they want to use you all as a decoy,” Mo Wen answered with a smile.
Mo Wen had thought it was odd earlier as well. Why had the two elders of the Five Tigers Sect taken them along? Wang Qian was a disciple not of their sect and was a stranger to them. He now understood that they had brought some insignificant people with them to serve as a decoy. Others would then think that they had come to Huatian Palace for an insignificant reason.
After all, looking at this objectively, if there was anything important, they would not bring them here. They were just newbies. Their use was to confuse those who were plotting something.
Furthermore, Mo Wen also realized something else interesting. On their way to Huatian Palace, two people had followed them secretly. Their cultivation levels were not low and they were in the Embryonic Breathing Realm. In the Five Tigers Sect, they could become grand elders. The two followed behind them suspiciously but Mo Wen did not sense any danger from them. If he had guessed correctly, the two hidden amongst them were probably from the Five Tigers Sect as well.
If his deduction was correct, then it was not just two ordinary elders from the Five Tigers Sect who had come to Huatian Palace this time. There were also two grand elders. They did not come openly because they probably wanted to stay hidden to do what they wanted to and not draw attention to themselves.
Neither Wan’er and Wang Qian were stupid. They immediately realized what was going on when they heard what Mo Wen said.
“So that’s why. I was wondering why the powerful elder would take me to Huatian Palace.” Wang Qian smiled bitterly, realizing that she had been made use of.
“I… I didn’t know either.” Wan’er felt a little awkward. She did not know that this would happen.
“It’s nothing. Being used by elders means that I am valuable. I didn’t lose out on anything either. I have even been able to come to Huatian Palace to broaden my horizons. Look at what’s in front of us. There are so many people gathered there.” Wang Qian did not want Wan’er to feel guilty and hurriedly changed the subject. It was not a big deal, and she had not lost out on anything by coming to Huatian Palace. She could only say that they had all gotten what they needed.
There were quite a few people gathered in front of the main palace. Some people approached it curiously and realized that everyone was looking at the walls on both sides of it.
Rows of words swirled around on the wall. Mo Wen knew what it was at a glance. “It is the Mission Palace Hall of Huatian Palace. I heard about it a long while back.”
Wang Qian looked at the wall excitedly. Messages flashed on the wall. They were all various tasks. The tasks were varied and included any type that one could think of. These missions were known as bounty missions in the martial arts circle. The people who released the missions were not only from Huatian Palace but also from various large sects.
Each sect could disseminate these bounty missions to Huatian Palace through this channel. They had to pay Huatian Palace to use this channel at the same time. As such, the Mission Palace Hall of Huatian Palace was always bustling. Only 10 percent of the missions were from Huatian Palace. The remaining 90 percent were from various sects.
Of course, the missions that were released in Huatian Palace were no ordinary missions. People like Wan’er and Wang Qian could only just look at them. There was not a single mission on the wall that they would be able to complete.
“Oh, I see a mission that rewards you with a pass to attend the Martial Arts Circle Convention,” Wang Qian said suddenly, pointing at a mission on the wall.