The other Martial Emperors were also curious. A race capable of refining Prosperity Stone? They had never heard of such a thing.
“The Ancient Stone Human Clan!”
Sheng Qianyu answered. “However, that race only exists in legends. There are no clear records in ancient texts. It’s absolutely impossible for them to appear!”
“Stone humans? Half stone, half human?” a Martial Emperor asked, puzzled. He had never heard of such a race.
“You could say that,” Sheng Qianyu replied. “They have a human form, but their bodies are not flesh and blood, but stone. Have any of you heard of such creatures?”
The Martial Emperors all shook their heads. Such a creature sounded far too implausible, a legend without any basis in reality.
“The possibility of the Ancient Stone Human Clan can almost certainly be ruled out,” Sheng Qianyu said, shaking his head. He continued. “Does anyone have any other insights?”
The group exchanged glances and shook their heads. This bizarre situation left them with no clear guesses.
After a moment of silence, Sheng Qianyu frowned and said. “To destroy a corner of the wall unnoticed, whether by a person, spirit beast, or another race, suggests limited strength. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been just a corner.”
“If that’s the case, it means the crisis in Prosperity City has not truly arrived yet.”
“Of course, it’s also possible the culprit was merely testing the waters.”
“Regardless, this conceals a greater crisis, the threat of the Prosperity Wall being damaged.”
After speaking, Sheng Qianyu paused, then addressed the Martial Emperors. “Prosperity City is the eternal foundation of our ancestors, the bedrock protecting the Southeast Domain. If it were destroyed in our generation, I would have no face to meet our forebears and would fail our descendants. I earnestly request your help, esteemed friends, to assist the Sheng family in uncovering the cause and resolving this hidden danger.”
“Prosperity City is the foundation of the Southeast Domain. As factions of this domain, we will not stand idly by!” Sikong Jian was the first to speak.
“We are also willing to lend the Sheng family our strength!”
Following Sikong Jian, another Martial Emperor spoke up.
Then, the other Martial Emperors chimed in with their agreement.
Sheng Qianyu clasped his hands in gratitude. The discussion was unlikely to uncover the reason behind the Prosperity Wall’s damage.
The main purpose of today’s meeting was to unite the Martial Emperors to protect Prosperity City and assist in investigating the cause.
…
In the days that followed, Prosperity City was in an uproar. Everyone was speculating and investigating the damage to the Prosperity Wall. Countless experts moved in and out of the city.
Meanwhile, the culprit, Lin Xiao, remained in seclusion at Tianjiao Tavern.
At such a critical moment, Lin Xiao wasn’t about to go out and court trouble. If something went wrong and he was discovered, he might not even know how he’d die.
Of course, as a youth preparing for the final summit in a month, he had ample reason to stay in seclusion.
While countless people in Prosperity City were busy, many experts lurked in the shadows around the city.
Among them was a spirited, robust elder.
“I never expected a corner of Prosperity City to be destroyed. This is indeed strange. For now, I’ll observe from the shadows,” the elder muttered, gazing at the distant city.
…
Another half-month passed. Despite nearly the entire city mobilising, with tens or hundreds of thousands of people searching for half a month, no clues were found.
During this time, more experts continued to arrive at Prosperity City, joining the search, but they too found nothing.
At Tianjiao Tavern, Lin Xiao, who had been in seclusion for half a month, emerged from his room. He sat at a table in a private room with Zi Ling and Ling Hu, inquiring about the past half-month’s events.
Learning there were no leads, Lin Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hundreds of thousands of people, over thirty Martial Emperors, searching for half a month. If they knew I was the one who refined the Prosperity Wall, I wonder what they’d think?” Lin Xiao sighed inwardly.
“Lin Xiao, you can refine stone. It wasn’t you, was it?” Zi Ling suddenly asked as Lin Xiao was lost in thought.
Lin Xiao froze, his forehead vein twitching involuntarily.
Zi Ling had actually guessed that he refined the Prosperity Wall?
Looking up at Zi Ling, he saw her sly smile and relaxed slightly.
Thankfully, Zi Ling was just joking, not seriously suspecting him.
“Heh, why didn’t I think of that? You can refine stone. Even if Martial Emperors can’t destroy the Prosperity Wall, it’s normal that you could refine it,” Ling Hu said casually with a chuckle.
Lin Xiao’s heart jolted. He quickly retorted. “What kind of joke is that? I couldn’t possibly do something like that.”
“What couldn’t you do?” Ling Hu said offhandedly.
“I…” Lin Xiao suddenly had the urge to throttle Ling Hu. Are you two trying to get me killed?
Suppressing his frustration, Lin Xiao said exasperatedly. “The Prosperity Wall has stood for over ten thousand years. Even Martial Emperors can’t destroy it, nor could a Martial Saint necessarily do so. Even if I can refine stone, with my Martial Venerable cultivation, do you think I’m capable of that?”
“Just joking! Why so tense?” Zi Ling grinned at Lin Xiao.
“You’d better not make such jokes in front of others, or it could cause big trouble,” Lin Xiao said, exasperated. It was fine as a joke, but they were joking about the real culprit.
If others took notice, they might actually investigate him. Who knew what methods the Sheng family and those Martial Emperors had?
“Heh, we know that,” Ling Hu nodded with a smile.
“But I really have a feeling it was you,” Zi Ling added.
“That feeling…” Lin Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. Was a woman’s intuition really that accurate?
He was about to retort when, at that moment, a heaven-shaking ancient horn blared.
“Woo, woo, woo…”
The rolling sound, like chanting monks or the wail before the end of the world, was filled with the desolation and mystery of ages. Like an ancient war song, it instilled an instinctive sense of crisis.
Then, dazzling light pierced through the private room at Tianjiao Tavern, illuminating Lin Xiao and the others, turning night into day.
The entire Tianjiao Tavern faintly trembled.
“What? It wasn’t you?” Zi Ling exclaimed, shocked. She had thought, based on her observations and intuition, that Lin Xiao might have been the one who refined the corner of the wall.
But hearing the ancient horn again immediately dispelled her suspicions.
The person refining the Prosperity Wall had struck again, and Lin Xiao was right in front of them. It couldn’t possibly be him.
Lin Xiao was no less shocked than Zi Ling and Ling Hu, perhaps even more so.
The missing corner of the Prosperity Wall was clearly his doing. This time, he hadn’t even approached the wall, so how could this phenomenon occur again?
“Could it be him?” A figure immediately surfaced in Lin Xiao’s mind.
His petrifying power allowed him to refine the Prosperity Wall. If someone else was refining it, triggering the ancient horn and beacon lights, it could only be one person.
The Stone Human Clan powerhouse who had taught him the Heaven-Sealing Stone Hand, that youthful stone statue!
“This is clearly someone acting brazenly. Come on, let’s go see!” Lin Xiao said immediately. The three then shot out through the window.
At the same time, Lin Xiao sensed two ninth-tier Martial Lord auras flying out from Tianjiao Tavern.
These were none other than Shi Jindou and Zi Jinchen.
With Zi Huang absent, the two were tasked with protecting Lin Xiao and the others. Naturally, they noticed the trio rushing out of the tavern.
Moreover, with the horn sounding again in Prosperity City, they couldn’t stay idle.
Others also burst out from Tianjiao Tavern, including Zi Long and Liu Yiran, all rushing toward the Prosperity City wall.
The city’s main gate was in the south, but the crowd surged toward the eastern side, with exclamations ringing out.
Lin Xiao and the others followed the crowd, racing toward the east. They soon arrived in the void near the wall, ahead of countless others.
Seeing the scene before him, Lin Xiao’s eyes widened, his eyeballs nearly popping out. He was utterly stunned.
