Chapter 349: The Elite Who Hadn’t Been Seen Before


    Outside the Mysterious Domain, the Huangfu n had imed the mountain closest to the domains exits and built a temporary pce to live in while the guardian of the Huangfu ns young masterthete-Golden Core Stage cultivator, Huangfu Qinpersonally watched over this ce. The Huangfu n master had personally guided the young master to the Mysterious Domain originally, but the n master couldnt stay here permanently; hed already left by now, leaving Huangfu Qin in charge in his stead.


    Aside from him, there were also the Golden Core and Foundation Stage cultivators from the Eight Bewitched Follower tribes. It could be said this muchbined battle prowess was enough to wipe out an entire country, yet all of them were here for the sole purpose of weing the return of the Huangfu ns young master. There were also up to a thousand servants, including a few hundred charming and delicate maids and dancers led by some very experienced older maids, all of whom had cultivation levels. There were so many people that secluding themselves to a single mountain hadnt been easy, to the point it actually felt rather crowded.


    Restrictive formations surrounded the mountain, and any cultivators who got within a hundred feet of the perimeter were to be killed on sight. Fang Xing arrived during the early hours of the day and squatted a hundred feet out, hiding inside a bush while observing what was going on like an animal silently watching their prey. Just an hour before the first light of dawn, he heard the formations being lifted from a mountain path leading to the temporary pce, right before the sound of crispughter settled into the air and a dozen or so beautiful maids walked out holding a sky-blue-colored vase apiece.


    After a weeks worth of observation, Fang Xing had established some of the typical habits for the Huangfu ns temporary pce. These beautiful maids would travel a full mile to a river for the sake of bringing back water to the pce; the elder of the Huangfu n never uses any backwater and he didnt permit men to bring wateronly young and beautiful maidens like these were allowed to do so. The group of beautiful maids giggled andughed as they walked towards the river down the hill while two mid-Foundation Stage n guards protected them from the sides.


    Fang Xing quietly followed within the bushes from afar. The group of beautiful maids finished gathering the water, raised the water vases over their hair topknots, and began gracefully walking back amidst their chattering while the two Foundation Stage protectors silently watched from ten feet behind. When the group in the front rounded a corner, the two protectors in the back were unable to see themthis was the moment Fang Xing was waiting for.


    Fang Xing had hidden himself inside deep ditch, and just as the maids in the front turned the corner, he flicked his finger and startled a hare, causing it to abruptly jump and flee towards the forest. The group of maids didnt have a very high cultivation level, and as they all turned to look in surprise, Fang Xing covered up the third-tost maids mouth, slit her throat, pulled her into his storage sack, and took her vase into his hands, all at the fastest speed. Hed used the Mask of Wanluo to take on her appearance beforehand and quickly moved to take her ce.


    The maids all rxed and began tough. Pfff, we are cultivators as well, yet we all jumped at a small wild hare. The two protectors saw the change and flew closer, but when they saw everything was fine, they began to rx as well.


    When the maid behind Fang Xing saw him rise from the ditch, she began to smile; in her eyes, it had looked as though hed nearly fallen and only just managed to stand back up. Youre bing more and more timid, Qiaoer, for a wild hare to nearly scare you into a ditch. You must be very careful; if youd broken the water vase, the head maids wouldve hit you again.


    Nn! Fang Xing softly answered in a muffled voice. From there, he raised the water vase above his topknot like the others and continued on ahead.


    The group of maids chatted while walking ahead without anyone aware there was a different person in their group. Once they arrived in front of the temporary pce, the lead maid said a few words with the mountain guardscausing the restrictive formations to openand the maids began entering in an orderly fashion. The maids moved to the back kitch, poured all of the newly-obtained water into a giant milky-white jar, and then each went back to their own residential courtyard to change their clothes.


    Servants soon began bringing red-colored meal boxes with breakfast, and as all the maids were finishing their meal, a round-faced girl teasingly took a lotus seed from Fang Xings bowl ofsnow fungus soup1. In revenge, Fang Xing casually caressed her breasts and finished up his breakfast amidstughter, right before two cold and stern-faced head maids arrived at the courtyard to instil order.


    The young master has confirmed he shall leave the Mysterious Domain after a quarter past nine. All of you, those who are to hold flower bouquets will hold flower bouquets, and those who are to offer wine will offer wine. All of your actions must be ording to procedure, and your ears must listen carefully to obey the orders given from the protocol officer. With such a serious event, anyone who dares to break a rule can say goodbye to their petty little life; a punishment such as death by caning would be leniency. Itll bete to regret should such happen; dont say we didnt remind you!


    The maids all replied that they would not dare to do so and held their heads low without even daring to breathe too loudly. Once the two head maids finished their instructions, they repeated the rules once more before having all of the maids do a mock practice. Fang Xing watched coldly from the side and memorized the rules as fast as possible, to the point that after a mock practice, he didnt seem different from the others at all.


    Fifteen minutes before nine, all the maids followed the head maids out from the courtyard and departed to the entrance of the Mysterious Domain to wait. The temporary pce of the Huangfu n had be a bit chaotic and very busy by this point, with groups of guards and servants running from one ce to the other under the housekeepersmands. Those in charge of the decorations and orchestra were all focused on their own jobs at hand, while the group of maids brought about fresh flowers, rare fruits, and wine with the head maids leading all of them in an orderly procession.


    A ceremonial tform a hundred or so feet wide had been built in front of the Mysterious Domain, and a ten-feet-wide, three-hundred-feet-long silk carpet colored a bright red had been ced from the ceremonial tform all the way down all the steps leading right in front of the Mysterious Domains entrance. When their young master left the Mysterious Domainter on, he would walk on this silk cloth step by step to the ceremonial tform, then report back to the ns elders about all the aplishments hed obtained within the Mysterious Domain as a show of respect.


    Everyone waited under the scorching sun for another hour until smoke began to rise up from within the Mysterious Domain and a blue-robed young man appeared at the entrance. Behind him was a personal guard d in red armor, and behind even him were four powerful cultivators with different types of bodies, some half-human and half-beast while others werepletely bestialthe remaining young leaders of the Eight Bewitched Followers.


    The young master has returned, may the heavens bless the n of Huangfu!


    After a clear shout from the protocol officer, the pageantry surrounding the Mysterious Domain began in full force. The orchestra yed music that traveled out hundreds of miles, and a countless number of people began to gather around the temporary pce to watch with awe and envy as the Huangfu ns young master made his return.


    So this is the young master of the Huangfu n? The only cultivator in all of Jambu who made it into the rank of the Big Dipper? I have heard his name numerous times already, but the Huangfu n was simply too low-profile. In all these thousands of years, they hid within ckwater Lake and didnt once show their true appearance.


    Im afraid the Huangfu n wont be so low-profile after the Mysterious Domains opening. The so-called hidden royal family might make their way to center stage!


    Hmph, the Huangfu n doesnt seem all-powerful though. Didnt arge number of their people get killed? Didnt the Sword Mound get robbed?


    All kinds of emotions could be witnessed while everyone discussed amongst themselves a hundred feet away from the pce. Some were filled with envy, others with awe, and there were naturally those who were dissatisfied and spoke with bitter sarcasm.


    The third most powerful elder of the Huangfu nHuangfu Qinswept his gaze across the crowd and all the chattering died down in an instant. In front of the third most powerful person in the Huangfu n, no one dared to speak so casually.


    A single gaze was enough to intimidate the cultivators. The trace of a smile appeared on Huangfu Qins face and he no longer paid them any more attention, instead looking towards the young master at the entrance to the domain. Shener, Ive heard of the aplishments you achieved within the Mysterious Domain. Youve done well to challenge an elite from Videha and win, and the rank is also within the rankings of the Big Dipper. Such impressive results are things only the children of our Huangfu n can achieve. Such words were powerful and resonated with great passion, purposefully loud enough to be heard by all.


    There were still some who were unconvinced even after hearing this, however. The Huangfu ns young master was indeed the only person to make it into the rankings of the Big Dipper, but he was not the first person to dare challenge someone from Videha. To count, the very first to challenge a Videha cultivator was the western deserts Han Ying of the Han n, even though Han Yings rank was a little lower.


    The Huangfu ns young master showed a calm expression. If it werent for the time constraints, the rank could have been higher.


    At this, all the cultivators gasped in amazement. For the Huangfu ns young master to challenge someone from Videha and obtain a rank within the Big Dipper was already a grand feat, yet he was saying he could have gone even higher; did this not mean he was actually eligible to battle it out with the cultivators in the higher rankings? The people might not have necessarily believed such words if they hade from someone else, but since they were spoken by the Huangfu ns young master, there was no doubt at all.


    When Huangfu Qin heard this, he let out augh and said, Very good! You are indeed the child of our Huangfu n, for it is only us who would have such ambition! He then pped his hands and smiled. Shener, remove your armor ande up; let us return to our n. You may not know this, but Videhas Li HentianGrand Elder Hentianhas sent a letter. He wishes to call you over to study under him in Videha, and once you enter his sect, you will immediately be one of his core disciples. After you return to ckwater Lake to give your respect and bid farewell to the grand elder, you may pack your belongings and prepare to depart for Videha!


    These words caused even the calm-looking young master to show a trace of a smile with gleaming eyes.


    The eyes of the surrounding cultivators were so round with envy they were nearly popping out. That was Videhas Li Hentian! Their sect was considered one of thergest within all of Videha, and to think their grand elder would actually invite the Huangfu ns young master.


    It seemed as though the rumors were not false. If someone were to leave their name behind on the Monument b, they would assuredly be given the chance to enter one of therge sects of Videha.


    Young Master, please remove your armor. Some of the beautiful maids came up and helped the young master undress his blood-stained armor before redressing him in soft, lightweight robes. He then began to step onto the ceremonial tform with an escort of maids, while the red-armored guard and the four young leaders of the Eight Bewitched Followers halted their steps behind him. It was a great honor to step onto the Huangfu ns ceremonial tform, something they did not have the qualifications to do.


    As the Huangfu ns young master continued to step onto the tform, the maids on both sides half-kneeled between the tform with their heads lowered, waiting for the young master to pass while presenting fresh flowers, rare fruits, and wine. Within those maids was Fang Xing, holding a bunch of grapes.