Chapter 47: Dawn

Chapter 47: Dawn

A pure, jade-like full moon hung in the night sky, looking down upon the world like a high and aloof deity.

If there truly were a god upon the moon, I wonder what kind of world she saw through her eyes.

Was it filthy or clean?

Moonlight spilled into a vast, deep pit. Even though the light was dim and hazy, with Zhong Yan's formidable strength, he could see clearly: at the bottom of the pit lay countless piled-up skeletal remains.

These corpses ranged from large to small, male and female, but without exception, they had once been human. Indeed, the vast majority of them had been spirit masters.

Zhong Yan lowered his head and looked at a heap of dust beneath his feet. "Just a single evil spirit master, just a single fish that slipped through the net and hid here."

Zhong Yan looked left and right, found a rock to sit on, and gazed up at the moon, falling into deep contemplation.

"Tang San? With the mindset of a god, how exactly do you view this world? How are you able to sit high above in the nine heavens and calculate every single life in this mortal realm? With what attitude do you manage to turn the entire world into your personal backyard?"

Zhong Yan stood up. As his first spirit ring flared with a yellow light, the deep pit slowly began to close.

Within mere minutes, the original pit transformed into a massive grave. Zhong Yan used a giant boulder as a tombstone, and using the Primordial Jade-Tipped Spear, he carved line by line into the stone:

Here lies the final resting place of three hundred and twenty-seven souls.

——Erected by Zhong Yan of the Spirit Hall.

After finishing the inscription, Zhong Yan stood silently before the tombstone, gazing at the gravesite.

Even in his past life—that era of information explosion—he had heard of many similar events, whether caused by some religion or some war. Yet, hearing a hundred times could never compare to seeing it once.

As a member of the Spirit Hall, hunting down evil spirit masters was his responsibility. Because of their negligence, three hundred and twenty-seven people had lost their lives. When piled-up skeletons were stacked before your eyes, that deep sense of powerlessness and self-blame flooded his heart.

It was not until the rising sun of early morning cast its first ray of light upon the earth that Zhong Yan seemed to finally snap back to his senses.

Watching the sun slowly climb into view, he murmured, "Has the dawn arrived?" A trace of firm determination emerged in Zhong Yan's eyes. "No, the true dawn has not yet come."

Zhong Yan took one final look at the grave. "Tang San, you had better not become the person I remember."

With that, he turned and walked away, striding into the sunlight. Yet, from this moment onward, a hint of spirited vitality seemed to have been added to his golden, brilliant dragon eyes.

Zhong Yan channeled his spirit power, no longer traveling at the leisurely pace of before. In just a short half-day's time, he arrived at the capital of the Sylvan Kingdom, Sylvan City.

The time approached dusk. The city gates bustled with people coming and going, and the guards at the gate conscientiously inspected everyone seeking entry.

Zhong Yan bypassed the long queue waiting before the city gates, walked straight up to the guards, and lifted the token at his waist. "Take me to the Spirit Hall of Sylvan City. I have urgent business; please hurry."

The guard took the Spirit Hall token, glanced at it briefly, and then said to Zhong Yan, "Understood, my lord! Please follow me."

Seeing that the guard intended to summon a carriage, Zhong Yan could not help but shake his head. [This world is truly spoiled rotten.]

He immediately instructed the guard, "Just run ahead. I can keep up. Move quickly, I am in a rush."

Hearing Zhong Yan's command, the guard abandoned the idea of fetching a carriage and broke into a run straight toward the city interior.

This guard was also a spirit master, and his speed far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

Within a minute or two, Zhong Yan spotted a relatively large building ahead, marked with the emblem of the Spirit Hall. He tossed a gold spirit coin to the guard and said, "That's enough, I see it."

Instantly, he burst forth with a speed far exceeding the guard's, transforming into a streak of shadow as he dashed toward the Spirit Hall.

The guards stationed at the entrance of the Spirit Hall saw a golden shadow flying toward them and hurriedly shouted, "Halt! Who goes there? This is the Spirit Hall!"

Zhong Yan landed before the gates of the Spirit Hall, produced the token at his waist, and said to the guards at the entrance, "Take me to see the bishop."

The guards at the entrance inspected the token, returned it to Zhong Yan, and nodded, "Yes!"

One of them immediately turned and led the way. Looking at the back of this guard dressed in the iconic attire of the Spirit Hall:

[The guard stationed at the very gates of the Spirit Hall is actually a Grand Spirit Master, whereas even the guards at the city gates were mere Spirit Masters. It's just a pity that the Spirit Hall can only protect the Spirit Hall itself. If an enemy were to attack, by the time it reached the point where the Spirit Hall needed to intervene, the civilians gathered near the city gates would long since be dead. The two great empires? Hmph.]

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Please enter." Inside the office was a burly man of around forty years of age, whose strength had already reached the Spirit King realm.

Seeing Zhong Yan push the door open and walk in, he asked, "May I ask who you are?"

Zhong Yan retrieved another token from his spirit tool and tossed it to the bishop. The bishop picked up the token, took a look, and immediately stood up, walking over to Zhong Yan. He bowed and offered the token back with both hands.

"Greetings, Lord Holy Son!"

"No need for formalities. Fetch pen and paper. I need to write a letter, and I require your guarantee that this letter is delivered into the hands of His Holiness the Pope within three days." Zhong Yan's words lacked their usual gentle warmth, carrying instead a hint of biting chill.

After all, that evil spirit master had been discovered within the territory of the Sylvan Kingdom, which fell under the dereliction of duty of the bishop before him. Naturally, Zhong Yan was not going to give him a pleasant expression.

Xiusi felt a bit uneasy inside; he had no idea how he could have offended this young Holy Son. Still, he immediately led Zhong Yan to his desk, drew paper and pen from the drawer, placed them on the table, and retreated to the side to wait.

At times like this, speaking less and doing more was the wisest course of action.

"Teacher, your disciple has now arrived at the capital of the Sylvan Kingdom. Originally, I planned to reach this place two days later, but I discovered an evil spirit master within the borders of the Sylvan Kingdom. This compelled me to accelerate my journey here, and I am writing this letter to report the matter to you.

............

The course of events is as stated above. This is the first time your disciple has witnessed havoc wreaked by evil spirit masters. It feels as though I can still see those piled skeletons before my eyes; they seem to be crying out to me for help, and at the same time questioning my dereliction of duty.

Three hundred and twenty-seven human lives. The beauty of life should have been like brilliant blossoms. Yet, hands capable of wielding heavy blades cannot grasp the fluttering, scattering petals.

Eradicating evil spirit masters is undoubtedly the responsibility and obligation of the Spirit Hall. However, through a thousand years of heritage in the Spirit Hall, evil spirit masters have become increasingly rare on the continent. Far too many people have forgotten the existence of evil spirit masters, and even some within the Spirit Hall have forgotten this responsibility.

Your disciple believes we should seize this opportunity to launch a continent-wide investigation and eradication of evil spirit masters at all costs. The two great empires must also cooperate.

Furthermore, we can no longer allow the Consecrated Hall to stand aloof from this matter. The Spirit Hall must not forget the original intent of its birth through a thousand years of inheritance; how could they forget how the Angel God ascended to divinity!

At the same time, taking advantage of this opportunity, we shall popularize the dangers of evil spirit masters to all common folk of the Douluo Continent.

I have designated this as the 'Morning Glow Plan'. Before the dawn arrives, someone must illuminate the darkness just a little, must they not? Once your disciple reaches the Spirit Saint realm, I will personally take charge of this plan. For now, I ask Teacher to give this plan detailed consideration.

However, Teacher, the objective of the 'Morning Glow Plan' must be to bring about the true dawn! The two great empires, especially those so-called nobles, shall also become—no, they must become—the darkness I shall purge."

"Personally addressed to His Holiness the Pope.

——Your disciple, Zhong Yan, writes."