Chapter 591: Join

Yan Liqiang didn’t doubt Cui Lichen’s words at all because if Cui Lichen wanted to fool him, he didn’t need to make up such a story. It would be useful to ordinary people but not someone like him.

Although he used the magical dream story to fool quite a lot of people, the Heavenly Stone, Heavenly Realm, and Fu Guang were real. The latter’s existence greatly expanded Yan Liqiang’s knowledge of this world. It allowed Yan Liqiang to know that there were many people and things in this universe that were beyond his imagination. So, he didn’t doubt Cui Lichen’s words at all. Even if someone told him there were G.o.ds in this universe, he wouldn’t feel surprised.

Yan Liqiang followed Cui Lichen’s gaze and looked at the statue. However, the more he looked, the more this indescribable feeling welled up inside of him.

“What’s the small tree in the Jade Luo Heavenly Emperor’s hand?”

“According to our ancestral teachings, the small tree and fruit mean that the Jade Luo Heavenly Emperor has mastery of the law of karma. The other spear represents punishment. It’s the strongest weapon that the Jade Luo Heavenly Emperor uses. The fire and gate beneath his feet represent salvation. The stars and animals on his crest represent creation!” Cui Lichen’s voice had this ethereal and pious tone to it. He spoke as he walked towards the statue.

“Senior, do you believe all this?” Yan Liqiang studied the s.p.a.ce. He saw that there were rows of open coffins on both sides. He glanced at them and walked up to take a closer look. Immediately, his eyes froze and even his skin crawled. Inside these coffins were the dried bodies of demons. They had all sorts of bodies and all sorts of ways of dying. Many of the bodies were incomplete and instead pieced together. But even so, one could see the hideous faces of those demons.

Yan Liqiang felt it was like a museum and instantly refreshed his knowledge.

“Of course I believe it!” Cui Lichen pointed at those coffins, “These are the demons slain by Jade Luo Palace these few hundred years. These are the best pieces of evidence!”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, it was due to the enlightenment of the Heavenly Emperor that the ancestor of Jade Luo Palace knew about the existence of demons. Therefore, Jade Luo Palace was established as an existence to protect the humans of the Silver Continent!” Cui Lichen went up to an empty coffin and put Lin Qingtian’s arm in it before coming back out. He walked to the statue and went below it.

Cui Lichen took out three incense sticks from the table below it and lit it up before placing it in the incense cauldron. He bowed three times before turning to Yan Liqiang, “I know you’re confused, but I need to tell you. If your cultivation reaches my level and you go into deep meditation here, then you can feel the existence of the Jade Luo Heavenly Emperor. You’ll see that it’s no lie!”

Yan Liqiang stared blankly, “It’s that powerful?”

“If Jade Luo Palace relied on false fables, how could it all be pa.s.sed down till today? It’s time you knew about such things!”

“I’m only a Martial Ancestor. I don’t know how long it will take me to reach Martial Emperor!”

“To be able to reach Martial Ancestor at your age, there wouldn’t be a few even in the entire Great Han Empire. It’s already set in stone that you will reach Martial Emperor!” Cui Lichen pa.s.sed over three incense sticks, “If you put three incense sticks before the statue, then you will have officially joined Jade Luo Palace!”

Yan Liqiang looked at the statue and took the three incense sticks. He lit them up and took a deep breath, “Disciple Yan Liqiang faithfully joins Jade Luo Palace before the sacred statue of the Jade Luo Heavenly Emperor. Disciple will protect the secret of Jade Luo Palace and take on the responsibility of slaying demons and protecting the human race. The heavens and earth bear witness to this!” Then Yan Liqiang respectfully placed the incense in the cauldron and bowed three times.

“Take this!” Cui Lichen took out a strange dark crystal from below the table and gave it to Yan Liqiang.

Yan Liqiang accepted it. The crystal’s four corners were plated with gold. There were also dense runes inscribed on the crystal. He was a talisman master, but he hadn’t seen a single one of those runes. He couldn’t decipher their composition, “What is this?”

“This is a Demon Detection Stone. On the first and fifteenth of each month, if there’s a demon within a hundred meters of you, this Demon Detection Stone will get hot. This is also a validation for a Jade Luo Palace disciple. Take care of it!”

“It can only be used two days a month?”

“That’s right!”

“The runes on it are so strange. I’ve never seen such runes before. Who made this?”

“It’s made by the ancestor of Jade Luo Palace. According to the ancestor, the runes were taught by the Jade Luo Heavenly Emperor. It’s completely different from the runes used by other talisman masters on the Silver Continent!”

“Senior used this stone to find out that Lin Qingtian was a demon?”

“You must remember this. Although demons can change into human form, what they do would never be for the human race despite appearing so. They harbor ill will all the time. I’ve long suspected Lin Qingtian, but eventually I used this Demon Detection Stone to verify that he was a demon!” Cui Lichen sighed, “I just didn’t expect Lin Qingtian to be this powerful. Although heavily injured, he still got away. It’s not going to be that easy to find him again!”

Yan Liqiang rubbed the strange dark stone and carefully put it in his arms, “I’ll find a chance to take care of him the next time he shows himself!”

“That’s the only way!”

“What do I need to do now that I have joined Jade Luo Palace?”

“Just remember the rules of Jade Luo Palace and do what you want. You’re favored by the Emperor and there’s great turmoil in the capital. The Emperor has regained power, so this is an opportunity for you. I can tell you’re not someone who wants to be lonely. One year later, if there really is a Heavenly Tribulation, this world will plunge into chaos and the demons in hiding will wreak havoc and slaughter people. While the disaster isn’t here yet, you might as well make preparations. I need at least a year of recovery for my injuries to heal. During this time, unless I find marks of Lin Qingtian, I won’t be intervening again. You decide things for yourself!”

“I understand!” Yan Liqiang nodded and asked another question, “By the way, are there any other people in Jade Luo Palace other than us two?”

“Of course, but you just joined Jade Luo Palace so there are some things you can’t partic.i.p.ate in. You will slowly be able to see the others in Jade Luo Palace once you kill a demon!”

“Last question. What’s the ultimate purpose of those demons hiding in the human race?”

Cui Lichen fell silent as his face went serious, “The enlightenment the ancestor got from the Jade Luo Heavenly Emperor was that the more chaotic the human race was and the more slaughter there was, the power behind the demons would grow stronger. More and more demons would appear in this world. If we can’t stop the demons’ actions, then perhaps one day this Great Han Empire would be ruled by the demons in their original form. The entire human race would plunge into eternal darkness!”