Castle of Black Iron

One week later, on July 1, the 906th year of Black Iron Age, Zhang’s Jinwu Palace in Youzhou Province distributed the introduction of their clan to all the other Zhang clans across the country and founded their shrine palace.

The ceremony of the establishment of the shrine palace of Zhang’s Jinwu Palace was held in Xuantian City, the same place where Zhang Tie held the opening ceremony for Iron-Dragon Sect. As they stuck to be low-key, they didn’t invite anyone else except Zhang Tie’s family members and the elders of Iron-Dragon Sect.

The ceremony started on the auspicious time and underwent smoothly and routinely. Males were headed by Zhang Ping, followed by Zhang Tie and Zhang Yang, their uncles from the old mansion, their cousins and the third generation of Zhang family; females were headed by Zhang Tie’s mother, followed by Yan Feiqing and the other women and female cousins standing on both sides. As witnesses, elders of Iron-Dragon Sect and Donder were watching the ceremony solemnly on one side.

Under Zhang Ping’s leadership, Zhang family started to offer sacrifices, and burnt incenses to their forbears. After that, Zhang Tie’s dad mounted on a high sacrificial altar. After clearing his throat, he started to deliver an elegiac address.

“With fair administration, the magnificent Taixia Country has existed ever since immemorial and contained numerous population. Today, a Zhang clan with the bloodline of Xuanyuan will establish a new clan and a shrine palace. We set a sacrificial altar to memorize our forefathers. In the secular world, we intend to link with sages morally and expect that God could bless our ceremony. Despite vicissitudes, there’re always odes. The sun rises and falls; the moon waxes and wanes. The landscape in the secular world is so fabulous that Youzhou appeared being carved by Jade. When swallows are shocked and fly off, they will traverse across the country by eyes and see Zhang’s Jinwu Palace being built. The magnificent scenery contains universal laws. As universal laws are hiding in waters and classics, how could we not bear in mind the developed culture and military expertise in front of the altar? We’re not here for drawing dragons or phoenixes, we’re building a cauldron to shine people immortally…”

“In the far-ancient times, the Jupiter circled around the globe from north to east, south to west, then to the east and ruled all the deities in the universe. After that, all the forces who built walls and fortresses to expedite invaders and expand their own borders would hold the sacrificial ceremony in the desert and select the auspicious moments to adapt to the universal laws. Today, based on the material manifestation and people’s will, we’re going to build our great clan and our brilliant undertaking for innovation. All the people in the world would support us like how the bells bang…”

Zhang Tie slightly squinted his eyes under the sacrificial altar as he watched his dad loudly and sentimentally reading the elegiac address in grand dress.

The elegiac address was written by a famous litterateur. Zhang Tie knew that his dad had practiced reading it for over one week at home.

After practicing it time and time again, Zhang Ping performed it exceptionally.

In Zhang Ping’s words, it was his consummate moment in his life and he must perform it well.

Watching the righteous and generous look of his father who was always reserved and easygoing, Zhang Tie felt complex inside as he didn’t know what to say.

These days, after killing Zhang Taixuan, Zhang Tie only told his parents, “Zhang Taixuan was not righteous and not qualified to be the clan head. Therefore, I’ve already killed him in the shrine palace in Embracing Tiger Mountain. As this event couldn’t be resolved kindly and peacefully, I’ve already determined to write a letter to Huaiyuan Palace with blood to exit it for the sake of Huaiyuan Palace and Zhang family!”

It was a major event for Zhang Tie to kill the clan head and end up the relation with Huaiyuan Palace; however, despite the shock, Zhang Tie’s parents resolutely chose the side of Zhang Tie and Zhang Yang without asking about the reason.

However, at this moment, Zhang Tie’s dad was loudly making the elegiac address on the sacrificial altar, chest thrusting forward.

Zhang Tie was a bit moved by his parents’ unconditional favor and love. Meanwhile, he was happy for his dad because his dad also witnessed and sensed the glory of the new clan at this moment. Zhang’s Jinwu Palace is commonly built by Zhang Tie and Zhang Yang, and the man on the altar. Zhang Ping created this family, including Zhang Tie and Zhang Yang and Zhang’s Jinwu Palace as a whole.

At this moment, Zhang Tie felt pretty complex.

Although Zhang Tie didn’t turn around, he could still sense the facial expressions of onlookers.

Zhang Ping, Zhang Su and some of Zhang juniors were very exhilarating while others were a bit fluctuated like Zhang Tie’s two uncles. The rest were a bit puzzled as they wondered why the Zhang family suddenly reached for this step.

When Zhang Ping read the elegiac address, Zhang Tie sensed Donder’s change in his facial expression as the finger with a finger ring was quivering as if he was communicating with someone else. Donder frowned as he threw a glance at Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie was so familiar and tacit with Donder that the moment Donder threw a glance at him, he had known his meaning——he’s just received a piece of news.

Zhang Tie wondered what it was.

…

After a few minutes, Zhang Ping finally finished the elegiac address while the ceremony came to an end.

“Let’s invite Zhang Yang, the first clan head of Jinwu Palace to unveil the broad…”

After hearing Zhang Ping’s call, Zhang Yang strutted to the altar as he unveiled the golden broad covered with a piece of red cloth and hung at a high place behind his dad, revealing the shiny characters “Zhang’s Jinwu Palace”.

As of now, the opening ceremony of Zhang’s Jinwu Palace had come to an end!

After being the clan head, Zhang Yang instantly announced Zhang Tie to be the grand elder within the others’ expectation. Therefore, the top management of Zhang’s Jinwu Palace was fixed.

After the ceremony, Zhang Tie didn’t even attend the clan’s first conference; instead, he bade farewell to his parents and the others before returning to Iron-Dragon Sect with Mountain Lifting Hermit and Yan Feiqing, Bai Suxian by airboat.

From now on, Zhang Tie would not care about ordinary affairs in Zhang’s Jinwu Palace; instead, he handed them all to Zhang Yang and his wives’ cabinet. He would only focus on cultivation and the expansion of Iron-Dragon Sect.

“What’s happening?” Zhang Tie asked Donder the moment he boarded airboat.

With a strange look, Donder said, “The escaping knights of Huang Clan of Mercury Palace, Qizhou Province and Qitian Sect have been found!”

“They’ve been caught?”

“No. I’ve just received the news——they were killed by the remnants of Heavens Reaching Church in Yinzhou City in an open fight…”

“What?” Zhang Tie replied with a deep frown…