Chapter 2147
The sacred grounds of Achilles Sect were steeped in sorrow and anguish.
Kane had died.
No one had expected such a tragedy.
Elder Percy conducted the funeral while the other elders observed the ceremony with sorrow in their eyes.
The disciples were weeping openly as they kneeled before Kane’s altar, their heads low as they chanted scriptures for their former chief.
His death was a great loss to Achilles Sect.
“Who is it?”
There was an unexpected commotion at the gates. Elder Percy looked up and frowned slightly. After instructing the other elders to take charge of the ceremony, he marched briskly towards the gates.
A dozen disciples had gathered at the gates with staffs and had surrounded Ethan, Gareth and Tegan.
“They’re from Clearheart Sect. Are you Ethan? You murderer!”
“I can’t believe the nerve you have, turning up at our doorsteps after you’ve killed our chief. Let’s kill him!”
“Don’t let him escape!”
The disciples were overcome with rage. The fires of fury that were alit within them could burn Ethan alive.
Ethan simply stood there with no expression on his face. He didn’t seem to be fazed by their threats.
“I’m here to pay my respects to Master Kane,” he said mildly. “Shouldn’t you at least let me do that before you kill me?”
“You’re not worthy!”
“Murderer! All this talking is just a waste of time!”
The disciples charged at Ethan.
Murderer!
In their eyes, Ethan was the murderer who had killed Kane. Who else could it be?
They knew that Ethan had secretly learned Achilles Sect’s Diamond Fist and he had used the Diamond Fist to kill Kane.
They had to kill him to avenge Kane.
With a thunderous roar, more disciples joined the charge. The faces of Tegan and Gareth paled. It had been as they had predicted. Coming to Achilles Sect had been akin to seeking death.
“Stop!” someone thundered suddenly. Elder Percy had appeared at the gates and was staring at Ethan. “Everyone, stop right now.”
They were no match for Ethan. Trying to fight him was akin to suicide.
The elder had come to the conclusion that Ethan wasn’t the murderer some time ago. He had inspected Kane’s wounds and had been certain that the murderer wasn’t Ethan.
“He’s not the one who killed Kane,” said Elder Percy.
The disciples froze in stupor.
“Elder Percy, did you just say that he’s not the murderer?”
“That’s right. It’s someone else. He’s here to pay his respects to Master Kane. Let him in.” The elder nodded.
The disciples parted and let Ethan through. The eyes that followed Ethan fixedly as he walked past them were still red with fury.
Ethan walked right up to Elder Percy.
“This way, please,” said the elder.
Ethan walked next to Elder Percy as the latter led the way into the courtyard, down the corridor and for the great hall, where the altar had been placed.
Two rows of disciples flanked Ethan as he walked down the hall. They were all staring at him with looks filled with intense and unfathomable emotion.
He did not pay them any heed as he walked through the crowd and arrived before the altar. He got himself three incense sticks, lit them with the burning candle, then walked right up to the altar and bowed three times.
“Master Kane, I pray that you rest in peace.” He turned and extended a slight bow towards the elders. “My condolences.”
Elder Percy and his fellow elders returned the bow.
Ethan placed the incense stick in the incense burner, then walked to the side of the hall so that he would not disrupt the ceremony.
His intentions had been to pay his respects to Kane all along. He had felt truly sorry when he had heard about the latter’s death.
During the negotiation, Kane had been the only one out of the six sect leaders who had genuinely strived for peace and stability inside the mountain. Unfortunately, he had messed up someone else’s plan.
Ethan had come to pay his respects and that made him a guest. Elder Percy wasn’t a man who didn’t know his etiquette.
He instructed someone to receive Ethan and invited him to take a seat. After he had attended to other matters at hand, the elder approached Ethan.
“Achilles Sect thanks you for traveling all the way here to pay your respects,” said Elder Percy. “We’ll be chanting scriptures for our chief for the next few days before we bury him. Unless there are any other matters you wish to discuss with us, I’m afraid that we cannot let you remain here.”
The look on his face was somber.
“Kane died an unjust death,” said Ethan. “Are we going to let the murderer escape scot free?”
Something flashed across Elder Percy’s face when he heard what Ethan had said.