810: Chapter 806: Slaughter Order!
810: Chapter 806: Slaughter Order!
“…”
Ye Zhicang’s words left Ye Tian in deep silence.
Even though he was a descendant of the Divine Race, it was merely a matter of bloodline inheritance.
In reality, Ye Tian’s identity as an orphan had never changed…
As a member of the Divine Race, Ye Tian had neither fortune, fame, nor power.
Instead, his status often brought him trouble.
“Well then, Ye Zhicang, tell me—what exactly does Heavenly Gate intend to do this time?
And why can’t I kill that guy, Daichong?”
Ye Tian asked seriously.
Ye Zhicang began to explain at length, “In truth, ten years ago, Heavenly Gate was just a minor sect.
The entire sect had fewer than 100 disciples, not even as prominent as some families.
To expand its influence, Heavenly Gate began openly recruiting outer disciples!
The cultivation techniques of the force of nature were highly sought after among martial artists, so Heavenly Gate quickly grew in size.
While the number of inner disciples didn’t increase, the number of outer disciples ballooned to several thousand!”
Ye Zhicang was recounting the history of Heavenly Gate, a tale that piqued Ye Tian’s interest.
He remained silent, listening intently…
“Of course, Heavenly Gate’s aim was merely to appear more populous on the surface.
In reality, the core structure of the sect remained unchanged!
Afraid that outer disciples might use the cultivation techniques of Heavenly Gate against them, the Qi Transmission Masters intentionally withheld the most essential parts of the techniques when teaching the outer disciples.
As a result, the strength of the outer disciples lagged far behind that of the inner disciples!
But that’s not the worst of it.
Due to the sheer number of outer disciples, the sect couldn’t manage them at all.
The conflicts between inner disciples and outer disciples were left unchecked, and the sect even issued a rule explicitly stating it wouldn’t interfere in the internal fights within Heavenly Gate.
And so, battles between inner and outer disciples became commonplace and perfectly justifiable!”
“Heh heh~~~~~ What a bizarre sect!”
Ye Tian chuckled, mocking the situation.
To expand their power, they went on a spree of recruiting outer disciples, yet were too afraid to fully trust them, holding back critical teachings during training.
The bloated number of disciples led to chaotic mismanagement, while the sect turned a blind eye to infighting among its members…
A sect like this was insufferable even to Ye Tian.
In Ye Tian’s ideal, the perfect sect was compact and refined.
Even with only ten disciples, each would be an elite with formidable combat strength!
Ye Tian’s own Night King Hall was built on the model of an elite sect.
Though it only had over thirty martial artists, it was strong enough to uproot the Sima Family’s ancestral estate…
“Indeed!
Heavenly Gate has a poor reputation within the community.
If it weren’t for the support of the Divine Race, this sect would’ve been eradicated long ago!”
Seeing Ye Tian chuckle, Ye Zhicang couldn’t help but laugh along.
“But Ye Tian, never underestimate Heavenly Gate.
As questionable as their methods may seem, this sect is no easy target!
Take this time, for example—they’ve set their sights on you!
Ye Tian, if you don’t want to die, you’d better prepare yourself!”
Ye Zhicang’s expression turned grave as he spoke.
“They’ve set their sights on me?”
Ye Tian looked puzzled.
Despite his dislike for Heavenly Gate, he had never openly opposed them.
Even his actions in obliterating the Sima Family’s ancestral estate had gone unnoticed.
How did Heavenly Gate target him?
What were they planning to do?
Ye Tian was utterly confused.
Ye Zhicang went on, “That’s just how it is, Ye Tian.
Although Heavenly Gate’s internal management is chaotic, to assert their dominance, they conduct a mandatory gathering of all disciples every five years.
This takes place at Tianshan, the location of Heavenly Gate’s headquarters.”
“Tianshan?
That far?”
Ye Tian froze for a moment.
Tianshan was a whopping ten thousand miles away from Jiangcheng!
The Ding brothers from the Night King Hall had departed in compliance with a Heavenly Gate emergency summons, and Ye Tian originally thought they would return soon.
But hearing that Tianshan was where the summons originated, it made sense why the Ding brothers hadn’t returned yet…
“That’s right—it’s Tianshan!
The Divine Race supporting Heavenly Gate resides just south of Tianshan!”
“South of Tianshan?” Ye Tian fell silent for a moment before asking, “Ye Zhicang, tell me—who exactly is the Divine Race backing Heavenly Gate?
What kind of force gives them this support?”
Ye Zhicang let out a long sigh and replied, “Ye Tian, do you think I’m omnipotent?
It’s already impressive that I know the Divine Race is their supporter.
As for their exact identity?
How would I know?
The Divine Race has remained in the shadows for so many years, with almost no one knowing their whereabouts.
Finding them is no easy task!”
“Ye Zhicang, I was just asking casually.
If you don’t know, forget it.”
Ye Tian smiled and moved on, seeing no point in pressing Ye Zhicang for information he didn’t have.
Ye Zhicang continued, “Ye Tian, with your boundless potential and Divine Race bloodline, the secrets of this world could all eventually be within your grasp!
But for now, you’re still too weak.
If you rashly provoke Heavenly Gate or the Divine Race, you’ll die with no hope of burial!
So, before facing a powerful enemy, focus on advancing your cultivation technique and first deal with the immediate crisis at hand!”
“What crisis?
Is Heavenly Gate targeting me directly?”
Ye Tian asked in astonishment, only for Ye Zhicang to shake his head and reply, “Not exactly.
It’s not Heavenly Gate as a whole coming after you—it’s Sima Yun targeting you!”
“Sima Yun?
The Clan Leader of the Sima Family?”
Ye Tian sneered.
Although he had never met Sima Yun personally, the name had come up several times.
“Yes, Sima Yun himself!
At Heavenly Gate’s upcoming emergency gathering, all disciples will be made to demonstrate their cultivation progress.
Should any disciples wish to settle their grievances through combat, arrangements will be made.
And if a feud runs deep enough, a death agreement can be signed—a duel to the death, with no regard for survival!
This is one of the ways Heavenly Gate addresses internal disputes among its disciples.
However, the emergency gathering also resolves enmities between their disciples and outsiders.
That said, Heavenly Gate doesn’t aid its disciples in their vendettas, not even the inner disciples!”
Ye Zhicang’s words made Ye Tian smirk bitterly…
“A sect that doesn’t even mediate its disciples’ feuds—Heavenly Gate is nothing more than an empty shell!
If this continues, the sect will gradually lose its grip on its members, growing weaker and weaker over time!”
Indeed, as Ye Tian remarked, a truly cohesive sect would unite the hearts of all its disciples.
A sect like Heavenly Gate was bound to decline…
“Oddly enough, that’s not the case.
Remarkably, Heavenly Gate hasn’t fallen apart.
Instead, no one dares provoke it!
I suspect that’s entirely due to the Divine Race’s backing.
No matter how chaotically their Sect Leader runs things, Heavenly Gate still commands influence within the martial arts world!”
Ye Zhicang explained, his expression turning serious once more.
“Ye Tian, stop treating this as a joke!
The matters of Heavenly Gate may sound ridiculous, but they are closely tied to you!”
“Closely tied to me?”
Ye Tian’s expression grew heavy.
From Ye Zhicang’s words, he could already tell the situation wasn’t simple.
“Exactly!”
Ye Zhicang nodded firmly.
“As I mentioned before, Heavenly Gate rarely interferes in its disciples’ disputes with outsiders.
But that doesn’t mean they do nothing.
There’s one critical matter they address at every emergency gathering—and that’s the ‘Slaughter Order!'”
“Slaughter Order?”
Ye Tian’s face darkened.
Just from the name, he could tell it was nothing good!
Ye Zhicang elaborated, “The so-called ‘Slaughter Order’ allows Heavenly Gate disciples to report the names of their sworn enemies directly to the sect, after which those named would be marked for elimination!
Now, since Heavenly Gate’s leaders don’t involve themselves in settling scores, the disciple reporting the name is responsible for carrying out the revenge personally.
Because of this arrangement, outer disciples—being too weak—almost never submit names.
Inner disciples, despite their strength, understand that reporting a name means their grievance becomes public.
Should they fail in exacting revenge, they’d face humiliation.
In that sense, the ‘Slaughter Order’ often feels superfluous!”
“Indeed, it’s redundant!”
Ye Tian nodded in agreement.
However, he found it fitting for a peculiar sect like Heavenly Gate to create such counterproductive practices…
A disciple reporting their enemy’s name effectively exposed them to public scrutiny.
If they lost to their rival, their dignity would be trampled upon.
Ye Zhicang gave a wry smile, adding, “While it might seem pointless, this time’s emergency gathering saw an inner disciple take advantage of it.
That disciple is none other than Sima Yun, Clan Leader of the Sima Family!”
“I see!”
Ye Tian murmured quietly, already anticipating what Ye Zhicang was about to reveal next.
“So, the name Sima Yun reported—is it mine?”
“Correct!
It’s you!
The King of the Night—Ye Tian!”
Ye Zhicang’s face darkened, while Ye Tian, by contrast, appeared calm and composed…
“Ye Tian, at this emergency gathering, inner disciple Sima Yun uncharacteristically reported his sworn enemy’s name and vowed to kill you!
Sima Yun is considered a standout among Heavenly Gate’s inner disciples, so when he reported your name, it garnered significant attention from Heavenly Gate!
According to their rules, any disciple who reports an enemy’s name must ‘cleanse’ their target within one month.
Meanwhile, Heavenly Gate assigns someone as an observer—a ‘judge,’ whose duty is to monitor the entire ordeal and report the outcome to the sect!”