Martial World (Web Novel)

Chapter 2108 – Undercurrents

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As Lin Ming followed the many Elders to the Ancient Eon Sect Headquarters, news that another Elder was joining the Council of Elders rapidly spread through the entire sect.

These people were all incredibly curious; just who was this new Elder and where had he come from?

However, they soon discovered that this new Elder was not a True Divinity level abyssal but an upper Empyrean.

For a time, the entire Ancient Eon Sect was thrown into an uproar.

It had to be known that within the Ancient Eon Sect, an Elder had extraordinary status. They possessed the authority to directly control the wealth of the sect, they could freely read through any rare cultivation methods, and they could even perceive the abyssal Laws and demon crystal left behind by Eon.

Such privileges left one simmering with envy!

In particular, when it came to perceiving the Laws left behind by Eon, there were simply far too many disciples in the Ancient Eon Sect that wished to do so. Because of this, it was nearly impossible to obtain the chance to perceive the Laws of Eon. According to the rules of the Ancient Eon Sect, only those who obtained accomplished great deeds and obtained enough sect points would be able to exchange them for a chance to meditate on Eon’s Laws.

But the Elders weren’t bound by such limits. Even if they had zero contribution points they could perceive these Laws whenever they wished.

Many high level characters within the Ancient Eon Sect dreamed of becoming an Elder.

But there was one condition to become an Elder. That was… one had to be a True Divinity level abyssal.

The disparity between an Empyrean abyssal and a True Divinity abyssal was far too great. To many Empyrean level abyssals, this was a moat that could not be crossed. Thus, their dreams of becoming an Elder could only remain dreams.

But now an upper Empyrean level abyssal had somehow magically become an Elder, and this newcomer would be apportioned some of the time allowed to perceive Eon’s Laws. How could anyone be convinced by this?

Suddenly, from all through the Ancient Eon Sect, both high and low, many disciples were unhappy.

Because the Council of Elders had yet to announce that the Book of Eon had been found, the disciples didn’t know why Lin Ming was able to become an Elder.

On almost the second day since Lin Ming entered the Ancient Eon Sect, many of the sect’s Empyrean level abyssals desired to challenge him.

Compared to the humans of the 33 Heavens, the abyssals preferred to be direct and find solutions to problems through violence. This was a world where strength was revered above all, and if they didn’t like what they saw they would change it with their own strength.

Within the Ancient Eon Sect, where would there be Empyrean level abyssals that dared to challenge an Elder?

But, the situation was different if that Elder was only an upper Empyrean level abyssal.

If their strength was greater and their cultivation was higher, how come Lin Ming could become an Elder but they couldn’t?

This was the thought process of the overwhelming majority of Empyrean level abyssals. Several Empyrean abyssals had already cultivated to the peak Empyrean realm, moreover, they were even outstanding existences amongst peak Empyreans. In the Ancient Eon Sect their status was only inferior to the Council of Elders’.

They had been in the sect for so many years and had always coveted the position of Elder. Yet now, some outsider had ridden above their heads to become one, so these people certainly weren’t happy about these events. These people all had loud voices and a great deal of power. Driven by them, the sounds of discontent grew louder and louder in the Ancient Eon Sect.

Now some peak Empyrean level abyssals and upper Empyrean level abyssals, and even middle Empyrean level abyssals, requested to challenge Lin Ming. Their momentum was far too great and their requests made it to the Council of Elders.

But the Council of Elders didn’t do anything about this at all. They had no obligation to help Lin Ming in this matter, and as they saw this situation, some of them even gloated over it.

If one wished to become an Elder with an upper Empyrean cultivation, then they would naturally have to face the troubles that followed it.

If Lin Ming were to walk through the Ancient Eon Sect in the future, one could expect that there would be higher abyssals challenging him from all corners.

In truth, besides being able to examine some of the internal texts in the Ancient Eon Sect, Lin Ming’s title as Elder gave him no true power or prestige.

However… Lin Ming had no plan to walk through the Ancient Eon Sect to begin with, and he simply turned a blind eye to all his challengers. As soon as he entered the Ancient Eon Sect, he went into seclusion and started to perceive the Law crystal left behind by Eon.

This left many Empyrean level abyssals even more dissatisfied; they felt that Lin Ming was timid, scared of them.

However, since Lin Ming was in seclusion, they naturally couldn’t do anything against him. They became even louder.

Seeing this situation, several Elders of the Ancient Eon Sect gathered in the Assembly Hall.

“Elder Eon God, about this matter concerning the Book of Eon, what do you plan on doing? Are you really planning to allow this boy to take the book into the Demon God’s Tomb?”

Within the hall at the highest heights of the Ancient Eon Sect, an Elder suddenly asked.

Every Elder of the Ancient Eon Sect had their own title, a title that started with ‘Eon’. But, there was only one who could be called Elder Eon God – this was the Ancient Eon Sect’s Great Elder.

The Ancient Eon Sect had no Sect Master. According to traditions of totem level influences, the Sect Master of a totem level influence was the totem level abyssal itself.

Now that Eon had died, the seat of Sect Master had been empty for all these years.

“This Ninth Elder isn’t even at the True Divinity realm. Even if he doesn’t bring the Book of Eon with him, the chances of him surviving the Demon God’s Tomb are low to begin with. And if he were to bring the Book of Eon with him, he would absolutely be seeking death!”

Another Elder said. The Ninth Elder he referred to was Lin Ming.

When Lin Ming entered the Council of Elders, he was ranked ninth; this was also the last rank. He didn’t have a title and the Council of Elders didn’t even know his name nor could they be bothered to find out.

Thus, they simply called Lin Ming the Ninth Elder.

An upper Empyrean level abyssal wanted to take a ceremonial rites book into the Demon God’s Tomb. In this situation, any logically-thinking abyssal would believe he would die without a doubt.

Another Elder said, “We’ve obtained the Book of Eon after so much difficulty; we cannot lose it again.”

To the Ancient Eon Sect, the Book of Eon was an object required to stabilize their sect’s destiny. If the Book of Eon were to be wrested away by someone after being taken into the Demon God’s Tomb, then no one would feel comfortable about this.

Facing the questions of so many Elders, the Great Elder remained silent.

The Great Elder thought for a moment, then said, “Have you all thought about why the Ninth Elder wishes to bring the Book of Eon into the Demon God’s Tomb, what his goal is?”

The Great Elder’s words caused the rapid discussions to slow down. In truth, they had also thought of this question but they just couldn’t figure out why.

The Great Elder continued to say, “The Ninth Elder should know that with his strength alone, it should be impossible for him to protect the Book of Eon from others. In this world there are always arrogant and conceited individuals in all generations, but there shouldn’t be anyone arrogant to such a degree. Rather, this would be stupid, and the Ninth Elder isn’t stupid at all. Thus he should have another goal in mind.”

As the Great Elder finished speaking, another Elder said, “No matter what his goal is, it isn’t anything good for us.”

“That is true. The Ninth Elder doesn’t come from our Ancient Eon Sect so it is impossible for him to do anything for our Ancient Eon Sect. He should only be using us for our asylum and being able to provide him with a spot to enter the Demon God’s Tomb safely, all so that he can obtain his own benefits. So, I don’t plan on letting him succeed…”

The Great Elder slowly said. A cold light shimmered in his faint red eyes.

This old abyssal was like a snake lying in the grass, flicking out its tongue and staring at its prey.

“Or, how about we just kill him now. Since the disciples who know about this have been sealed away by us, matters concerning the Book of Eon will also be absolutely confidential! If we kill him now and take away the Book of Eon, this would be the best and most simple plan!”

A younger Elder said. His Elder title was Eon Light and he was eighth amongst the Elders. He was the youngest of them but also possessed the greatest potential.

He had his own ambitions. He even wanted to take the Book of Eon and bring it into the Demon God’s Tomb himself.

There were no rules in the cycle by which the Demon God’s Tomb opened. Sometimes the Demon God’s Tomb would open after several tens of millions of years, and sometimes it wouldn’t even open once in a billion years.

If he missed this chance, there was no guarantee that he would be able to take the Book of Eon into the Demon God’s Tomb in the future.

The Great Elder faintly looked at Eon Light, a meaningful look in his eyes.

Eon Light’s stiffened and no longer spoke.

The Great Elder said, “The Book of Eon is connected with the influence of our totem level influence. This is not a rumor, but the truth. We cannot move against the Ninth Elder. Whether it is killing him ourselves or hiring someone to kill him, neither choice is one we can make. But, while we cannot move against him in that manner, we can still use some external conditions so that he cannot enter the Demon God’s Tomb.”

The Great Elder gently pressed down on the stone chair he sat on. He didn’t use any force, just gently brushed it, but that chair made of timeless god stone seemed to experience the weathering of countless years as it turned to black dust and completely vanished…