Warrior’s Promise

Dhamma Hall was grand. There was an invisible array at the entrance gate, but it would only block the power in the hall from seeping out. It would not stop the people outside from entering.

Su Mo entered Dhamma Hall to find many rows of human-shaped statues.

These human-shaped statues were about five feet high and placed throughout the deeper ends of the hall. At first glance, there seemed to be more than 800 statues.

His first step into the hall made him feel as though he was standing in chaotic space. The power of various rules intertwined with each other, flooding the entire hall.

These powers did not imply pertinence. Although their forces were great, they would not cause him any harm.

These powers came from those statues. Each statue exuded a different Power Rule, including the Rule of Gravity, the Sun Rule, the Ice Rule, the Rule of Darkness, to name a few.

There were many people in the hall, no less than ten thousand. They sat in front of the statues as they meditated on the Rules.

“Ling… Senior Xuan Qing, do you still remember Wuyi Valley of the Celestial Spirit Sect all those years ago?” Looking at the scene before him, Su Mo asked Ling Chang. This scene looked similar to Wuyi Valley.

“Wuyi Valley?” Ling Chang paused as she fumbled through her memories. Her memories had long fused with Hong Qingxuan’s and become inseparable. Of course she knew about Wuyi Valley of the Celestial Sect.

That was where the Celestial Spirit Sect nurtured their disciples, similar to this place. But those statues with martial arts will were objects related to various Ultimacies, not human-shaped statues. Also, the martial arts will could not compare with these Rules.

“It seems like it was only yesterday!” Ling Chang muttered with a complicated expression. Normally, she would not think much about Hong Qingxuan’s memory. Now that Su Mo had brought it up, memories of Hong Qingxuan’s lifetime swam to her mind as if pulled by a strong tide.

In those memories, the first time she had met Su Mo was at the Holy City of Top 100 in the Hong Domain. They were participating in the Top 100 Talent Competition

There, Su Mo had risen like a comet. He had defeated all the heroes gathered there and become the most impressive talent.

After that, she had taken him to the Celestial Spirit Sect in the Dark Region.

Two hundred years had passed since then, but it seemed to have happened only yesterday.

“Let’s go!” Ling Chang shook her head, shaking off the confusing thoughts in her mind and strode toward the deeper end of the hall.

Su Mo felt the same. He inhaled deeply and strode off as well.

“Look! That’s Xuan Qing, Reverend Jin Wu’s newest disciple!”

“What a beauty!”

“How lucky she is to have been chosen!”

Many people who saw Ling Chang began to whisper amongst themselves. The news of Ling Chang becoming Reverend Jin Wu’s student had spread throughout the entire Palmy Branch. Almost everyone knew about it.

Compared to Xuan Qing, Su Mo was relatively unknown to many. In the great Palmy City, there were far too many disciples of his training level.

The two paid mind to no one as they began searching among the three hundred statues.

Su Mo was searching for the statue carrying the Rule of Life and Death. Ling Chang was also looking for the same one. She knew that was the key to saving Qian Xunyue.

“Rule of Space!” Su Mo found one carrying the Rule of Space. The statue was of an old man, giving off an imposing manner.

The Rule of Space emanating from this statue was extremely vast and mysterious, as though it was not there at all but in another time and space.

“This is the statue of Reverend Jin Wu’s teacher, Lord Fa Wu!” Ling Chang said when she noticed Su Mo staring at it. She saw the man’s portrait in Jin Wu Manor. He was Reverend Jin Wu’s teacher as well as one of the respectable lords in the Ancient Cloud Star Alliance.

“I see!” Su Mo said. It seemed Reverend Jin Wu’s teacher was no ordinary martial artists. In fact, he was a Supreme Master of the Rule of Space.

“The Immortal Rule, the Slaughter Rule, the Sword Rule…!” Su Mo inspected the statues one by one. There were over eight hundred statues here. Although they did not cover all three thousand Pathways, other than some unusual Rules, they had basically covered the common ones.

Su Mo found a statue of the Devouring Rule, but the power of the Devouring Rule emanating from it was completely different from the Devouring Rule he had studied before.

There’s no Rule of Time or Rule of Life and Death!” Su Mo felt slightly disappointed after checking all eight hundred or so statues. The two Rules he had most wanted to study were not there.

But the situation was within reason. Palmy Star might have been strong, but it was only one of the ten thousand or so branches within the Ancient Cloud Star Alliance.

Su Mo sighed as he looked at the many statues bearing the Rules. He wanted to study all of them but that would not be realistic as he did not have all that energy.

He could choose one or two stronger ones to focus on later, like the Rule of Space or the Immortal Rule.

Ling Chang stepped forward and sat down cross-legged in front of Lord Fa Wu’s statue.

Not many gathered in front of Lord Fa Wu’s statue. There were only a few people. They knew that Rule of Space and the Rule of Time were the hardest to study.

“You want to study the Rule of Space?” Su Mo approached her and asked in surprise.

“Yes, our teacher studied it too. With his guidance, it shouldn’t be too hard!” Ling Chang nodded. She still found Reverend Jin Wu agreeable for the time being.

She was not the innocent Hong Chunxuan from the past. She had her own point of view when it came to human nature. Reverend Jin Wu was a trustworthy elder, whereas Xiao Yushu and Lin Ya were not good people.

“Where’s the Myriad Holy Mountain? I’ll go there myself!” Su Mo asked again. He had no time to study the Rules for now. It would be best if he went to the Myriad Holy Mountain and improved his training first.

Ling Chang paused and nodded, “Alright, the Myriad Holy Mountain is up north. With your speed, it’ll take half an hour at most. It’s the largest mountain.”

Originally she had planned to study the Rules with Su Mo, but since he wanted to go to the Myriad Holy Mountain, then she would not follow.

Myriad Holy Mountain was under the Palmy Branch’s jurisdiction. Disciples of the Branch could enter and exit freely. There was no danger.

“Alright, I’ll leave first!” Su Mo nodded and left the place.

Upon exiting the Dhamma Hall, Su Mo left Palmy City and headed straight up north.

“Finally leaving, eh?” In the Palmy City, Shi Heng watched Su Mo leave and laughed. He had finally gotten his chance!

If Su Mo had not left Palmy City, he had planned to provoke Su Mo to violate the regulations of the Branch and be expelled.

Now that Su Mo was leaving, it only made Shi Heng’s job easier.

Snickering, Shi Heng quickly left Palmy City and followed Su Mo northwards.

Su Mo flew in the air at top speed towards the Myriad Holy Mountain.

It was not long before he stopped and looked back to find a young man in black brazenly pursuing him out in the open.

“Why are you following me?” Su Mo called out.

Shi Heng came to a stop just a few thousand feet from Su Mo. Bearing a cold grin, he said, “Wu Shan, if you’re willing to leave Palmy Branch and never return, I shall not make things difficult for you!”

“Do you think that’s possible?” Su Mo asked, his face void of expression.

“I doubt it, so… here I go!” With a flash in his hand, Shi Heng brandished an icy-blue transparent sword, its blade incomparably cold.

“Looks like you’re one of Xiao Yushu’s dogs!” Su Mo’s face paled. It was evident that this man was working for Xiao Yushu.

He had just arrived in Palmy City. He had not contacted anyone, nor was he acquainted with anyone. The only person he had been introduced to was Xiao Yushu.. Other than that man, there was no one else he could think of who would want to fight him.