Chapter 349: Chapter 314 The Three Palace Masters
Inside the War Beast Hall.
The Envoys and all the new disciples were completely stunned as they watched the ten Bloodstripe War Beasts turn to ash and heard the continuous booming of the "Sacred Shock Drum."
No one had expected that Jiang Yao, this breathtakingly beautiful girl, truly possessed techniques as formidable as Ye Chen's!
The Sacred Shock Drum really resounded!
"My heavens, the Sacred Shock Drum is booming loudly! After nine hundred and sixty-eight years, the Sacred Shock Drum has sounded again!"
"Since joining the Heavenly Sacred Palace, I've never heard the Sacred Shock Drum. It's only been recorded in the scriptures of the Heavenly Sacred Palace, and now, today, I've actually witnessed the Sacred Shock Drum sound again!"
Every one of the seven Great Heavenly Saint Envoys was filled with disbelief.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen, Jiang Yao, and the other new disciples all looked up at the dome of the War Beast Hall, where they saw mysterious formations etched into the ceiling initiating the drumming of the Sacred Shock Drum.
Actually, it wasn't just the dome of the War Beast Hall; within the main hall of the entire Hidden Dragon Hall, where the assessments were held, and the ceilings of various side halls' mysterious formation lines were activated, letting the drumming of the Sacred Shock Drum resound.
The entire Hidden Dragon Hall was echoing with the sound of the Sacred Shock Drum!
The people within the Hidden Dragon Hall were immersed in the thunderous roar of the Sacred Shock Drum.
Outside the Hidden Dragon Hall.
Five Holy Temple regions.
"What is this sound?"
As the "boom boom boom" of the drum continued, the older disciples of the Heavenly Sacred Palace who were cultivating in the five Holy Temple regions were all startled.
Everyone searched for the source of the sound.
When they sensed that this noise originated from the Hidden Dragon Hall on the very edge of the Heavenly Sacred Palace and saw strange auras of light emerging from the entire backyard of the Hidden Dragon Hall, all disciples of the Heavenly Sacred Palace thought of an event recorded in the sect's scriptures.
This event was precisely the mysterious legend associated with the "Sacred Shock Drum!"
"It's the sound of the Sacred Shock Drum!"
"Hidden Dragon Hall, the assessment of new disciples, triggered the loud booming of the Sacred Shock Drum!"
"These days are the time for the Envoys to bring new disciples back to the sect. Could it be that this time they have selected several exceptionally powerful new disciples?"
With this thought, disciples who were cultivating in the various Holy Temple regions couldn't help but fly at top speed toward the Hidden Dragon Hall.
From the True Qi Realm cultivation area of the Fifth Holy Temple, which was closest to the Hidden Dragon Hall, flying demonic beasts carried True Qi Realm disciples as they flew out from various main halls of the Fifth Holy Temple and soared towards the sky above the backyard of the Hidden Dragon Hall.
In the backyard of the Hidden Dragon Hall, a nine-story treasured pagoda stood proudly—this pagoda was what the new disciples had to face after overcoming their first challenge of "Battling the Bloodstripe War Beasts"—it was the second round of the assessment, known as the Holy Temple Tower.
The strange auras of light that had emerged previously from the backyard of the Hidden Dragon Hall were in fact emanating from the top of the Holy Temple Tower after the Sacred Shock Drum had sounded!
Not only the disciples from the Fifth Holy Temple were gathering towards the Holy Temple Tower, but the Spirit Sea Realm and Rotating Pill Realm disciples from the Fourth and Third Holy Temples were similarly taking flight from their respective temples and zooming towards the Holy Temple Tower.
And within the deeper regions of the Heavenly Sacred Palace of the Second Holy Temple and the First Holy Temple, there were likewise countless sounds of flight.
The Second Holy Temple and the First Holy Temple are gathering spots for the most talented disciples below the Heavenly Saint Realm within the Heavenly Sacred Palace, and at this moment, all of these disciples were flying toward the Holy Temple Tower while showing strange expressions.
"Who could have caused the Sacred Shock Drum to sound?"
"It looks like our Second Holy Temple and First Holy Temple are about to welcome a few genius new disciples!"
"The old disciples' hierarchy is going to be broken!"
Among the flying crowd, a young man in dark clothes was frowning deeply.
This young man in dark clothes was none other than Yin Qianjue, the most formidable disciple from the ten great demonic sects of the Western Wilderness training in the Heavenly Sacred Palace. He was at the late stages of the Rotating Pill Realm and ranked fourth among the countless talented disciples of the Heavenly Sacred Palace in the Heavenly Saint True Dragon Ranking.
At this moment, Yin Qianjue had a bad premonition.
He felt that the ringing of the Sacred Shock Drum might indeed be related to Ye Chen, the new disciple from the Southern Territory who was about to enter the Heavenly Sacred Palace, as mentioned in the messages he received.
"If the Sacred Shock Drum rings truly because of Ye Chen,"
"If Ye Chen draws the attention of the formidable saints from Heavenly Saint Mountain,"
"That would be troublesome!"
"If it's really him, then I have to hasten my plans, otherwise, the Western Wilderness will face a great problem!"
In the end, a bone-chilling coldness radiated from the depths of Yin Qianjue's sinister eyes.
Disciples of the Five Holy Temples stirred upon hearing the sound, while from within the deepest parts of Heavenly Saint Mountain, silhouettes of powerful figures seated in meditation all turned their gazes towards Hidden Dragon Hall at the outermost perimeter of the Heavenly Sacred Palace.
"Hidden Dragon Hall? The place for new disciples' assessment?"
"To think a new disciple has successfully caused the Sacred Shock Drum to ring. It seems that we at the Heavenly Sacred Palace have brought back some formidable geniuses this time."
In one of the mountain ranges on Heavenly Saint Mountain, five saints with exceptionally strong presences looked at each other and all revealed a hint of a smile.
In their smiles, their figures vanished simultaneously from the mountain range.
Their voices echoed throughout the mountains, "Us old fellows from Shetuo Mountain have yet to find apprentices to our liking. Let's see if anyone impresses us this time!"
Feeling the aura of these five saints, it was evident that all of them were of the mid-phase in the Heavenly Saint Realm!
"Sacred Shock Drum?"
"If I remember correctly, it should have been nine hundred sixty-eight years since we last heard the sound of the Sacred Shock Drum."
In the deepest part of a mountain range on Heavenly Saint Mountain, an elder in black robes also turned his gaze towards Hidden Dragon Hall.
"The last time the Sacred Shock Drum sounded, I accepted my second disciple, and now, that disciple is already a mid-phase power in the Heavenly Saint Realm."
"This time let's see if my third disciple will appear!"
After muttering to himself, the elder reached out towards the void with a large hand and instantly, a rift in the void appeared. With a move, he stepped directly into the void and vanished.
If any of the saints on Heavenly Saint Mountain were to see this elder, they would surely recognize him as one of the three most powerful beings in the Heavenly Sacred Palace, a late-phase eminent personality and one of the three great palace masters, the "Skyscraper Palace Master."
As the Skyscraper Palace Master traveled through the void to investigate Hidden Dragon Hall, in another realm deep within the same mountain range, another elder was similarly leading two youths through a void rift.
This elder, dressed in light blue garments and radiating vigor, strangely resembled Mu Qingqing in his facial features.
As this elder traveled through the void towards Hidden Dragon Hall, he said to the two youths beside him with a laugh, "My granddaughter has returned as an Envoy this time. Just a couple of days ago, she sent me a message saying she would let me truly appreciate her discerning eye."
"Could it be that the ringing of the Sacred Shock Drum is caused by the new disciple she has brought back?"
As the elder spoke with a fully content smile, the two youths beside him also laughed, "Certainly, Sister Qingqing wouldn't act without certainty. It seems this time she has truly picked a formidable genius."
"It's quite likely related to the youngster named Ye Chen, whom we've been hearing about in the Heavenly Sacred Palace recently."
While speaking, the three had already completely entered the rift in the void, and the void rift behind them closed up once more.
If anyone were to recognize these three figures, they would certainly know that these two youths were the rising powers of the Heavenly Sacred Palace from the past several centuries, also having been selected during the great ringing of the Sacred Shock Drum. They were two truly supreme geniuses who dominated the very top of the "Heavenly Saint True Dragon Ranking" of countless saints on Heavenly Saint Mountain.
And the elder beside the two youths was another one of the three great palace masters in the Heavenly Sacred Palace, Palace Master Mu Yao!
From their conversation, it was evident that this Mu Yao was none other than Mu Qingqing's grandfather.
Mu Qingqing's grandfather was actually one of the three great palace masters of the Heavenly Sacred Palace!