Chapter 451 - 313: Clouds Stir from 4 Directions, Elites Gather from 8 (3)

Chapter 451: Chapter 313: Clouds Stir from 4 Directions, Elites Gather from 8 (3)

After Gongsun Huang divined this outcome, he was immediately struck with the idea of taking his grandson on a journey. It was simply because their long seclusion from the world had made the Gongsun Clan increasingly simple and naive. With Gongsun Huang present, it was clear that no one would dare provoke a powerhouse of his Demigod-like stature. But if Gongsun Huang were to leave...

He feared that his descendants from the sparsely populated Gongsun Clan would be unable to handle any attacks or conspiracies that came their way. Such a thing might never happen, but it was an expression of the old man’s heartfelt concern.

Gongsun Jian had also long wanted to see the outside world and had been pestering his grandfather, Gongsun Huang, about it for ages. Thus, he was the most excited one on this trip. But when he heard his grandfather say that he also didn’t know, Gongsun Jian felt unconvinced, believing his grandfather was just being modest. ’There’s nothing in this world my grandfather doesn’t know!’

Gongsun Huang gazed at the tranquil Inner City in the distance and at the profound word "Shushan" on the city gate. His eyes glinted as he said earnestly, "Jian’Er, you are very young. Your strength and talent certainly place you at the genius level among the younger generation! But you must understand that this world is filled with countless capable people. Even I have many things I don’t understand and people I cannot defeat! To say nothing of the mysterious Holy Sanctuary, just among the tyrannical Magical Beasts on this continent, there are many that I am no match for!"

Gongsun Jian was still unconvinced. His fierce eyes widened as he retorted, "Even if such people exist, they wouldn’t be here!"

Gongsun Huang shook his head and chuckled. "That’s where you’re wrong. What’s the difference between ’here’ and ’there’? No matter where you go, you’ll always call the place you’re standing ’here’!"

Gongsun Jian was stunned for a moment, then said, "But from what I’ve heard, the most famous person here is that young Marquis. There are many legends about him, but his most impressive battle was merely having one Sword Emperor and two Sword Sect experts die at his residence. It’s not even certain if he was the one who killed them."

The old man’s expression grew solemn. He sighed softly and said, "Jian’Er, your greatest weakness is your tendency to underestimate the heroes of this world! Since you know a Sword Emperor and Sword Sect experts died in his residence, how can you be so certain they didn’t die by his hand?"

"I think—"

"Enough of what ’you think’..." the old man interrupted his grandson, speaking softly. "Since you have no proof of who killed them, you shouldn’t just conclude he had help! Look..." As he spoke, the old man pointed to the sky above the Inner City. "Don’t you notice anything?"

The young man strained his eyes to look. In truth, his strength—much like that of Lie Yang, the direct heir of another super-clan, the Jingwu Family—gave him every reason to be proud. Fortunately, Gongsun Jian’s disposition was not overly arrogant; he simply held the subconscious belief that there couldn’t possibly be any truly strong Martial Artists in the Mortal World.

Gongsun Jian rubbed his eyes hard but still couldn’t make anything out. He could only comment, "The buildings are really quite ordinary, not as magnificent as the ones outside. It seems the master of this place is a rather low-key person."

A middle-aged man behind the old man suddenly spoke up. "Something’s not right."

Gongsun Jian glanced back and asked, "Sixth Uncle, what’s wrong?"

"There’s wind." The middle-aged man was a person of few words, each one precious. After uttering those two words, his eyes returned to their focused gaze on the Inner City.

"Wind?" Gongsun Jian frowned and muttered, "In a place this scorching hot, what difference can a tiny breeze possibly make?"

Gongsun Huang watched his grandson with a silent smile. ’Some things he needs to observe for himself.’ He became even more certain that bringing his grandson out on this trip had been the right decision. Otherwise, no matter how strong his grandson became, he would never truly mature.

"Huh?" Gongsun Jian suddenly let out a soft cry of surprise. "Ha, I see it now! The leaves on the trees aren’t moving in the slightest! Even if the wind is weak, the leaves should at least have the courtesy to sway a little!" Then, his face fell. "But... so what if the leaves aren’t moving? What does that prove?"

’It seems even geniuses have their strengths and weaknesses,’ the old man thought with a sense of resignation. Just as he was about to speak, the middle-aged man spoke up again. "If the leaves aren’t moving, it means what we’re seeing is likely an illusion. In other words, this isn’t the real scenery. It’s an Illusion Array!"

"Illusion Array?" Gongsun Jian had obviously never heard the term before. The middle-aged man glanced at Gongsun Huang, and only spoke after the elder gave a slight nod. "Young Master, surely you’ve heard of a mirage?"

Gongsun Jian’s brow furrowed, then relaxed. He pointed down and said, "Are you saying... the master of that place can create a man-made mirage? Impossible! A mirage is a divine miracle. No mortal could possibly create one!"

The middle-aged man’s lip curled into a smirk. "The methods of the person in there are far more brilliant than a mere mirage!"

At this, Gongsun Huang nodded in satisfaction. "Indeed. If this were a simple mirage, even someone at the Sword Emperor Realm would have long since flown out of it. And that’s to say nothing of the fact that there is someone inside who has reached the realm of a Sword Venerable!"

Gongsun Jian sucked in a sharp breath, and a look of excitement suddenly lit up his face. "Grandfather, I have to become friends with that person! I want to learn how to do this!"

This time, even the middle-aged men behind Gongsun Huang couldn’t help but laugh. Gongsun Huang patted his grandson’s shoulder, a wry smile on his face. "Jian’Er, it’s a good thing that you want to make friends. The master of this place is definitely worth getting to know. But as for learning their skills... Well, I think you’d best forget about that!"