《Late Night Tales Of The Capital》


 Chapter 1 Returning to Ones Ancestral Roots

    13th year of Shenwu.


    Spring rain fell on both banks of Luo River and the capital saw peonies blossoming overnight.


    The evening was about to arrive. The sunset in the twilight combined with the sunset glow outlined Luoyang City in a myriad of colors. Boats cruised along the streams and rivers as singing filled the whole place.


    Lights began to illuminate both sides of the river amid the backdrop of a darkening sky. During this season, the capital wouldn''t close their gates before 11:45 p.m. The people thronging the bustling night market wouldn''t disperse until late at night. It was currently the hour just after dinner. Most people poured out of their homes and headed for the night market, brothels, restaurants, and lavishly-decorated ships on the riverside.


    The roadside was lined with lanterns and the riverside was lit by unextinguished fire lights. Vendors shouted as the street performers put on lion dances and beat their gongs. Wispy sounds of obscene noises drifted from the prostitutes'' rooms in the brothels.


    Inside a shabby sedan chair made for two, Ye Que looking at the scene around him while touching his young, tender arm. In his dazed eyes were traces of shock and in his puzzlement was a hint of disbelief.


    "Since when did I become a teenager?"


    "Is this the Human World?"


    "Is it Luoyang I''m stepping on?"


    The night descended, bringing the excitement in Luoyang City to its peak. Some young master set off fireworks out of boredom, perhaps to elicit a smile out of a beautiful woman. The large canopy of brilliant, flickering flames covered the sky. Ye Que raised his head to look at the sky, where the bright moon had quietly appeared amidst the clouds.


    "Everything is peaceful."


    "I can''t detect even the slightest hint of Demonic Qi."


    "Has the demon already left the Human World?"


    The capital Luoyang was crisscrossed with lanes extending in all directions, where magnificent carriages and precious horses flowed endlessly. Princes, ministers, nobles, and rich merchants had their respective luxurious mansions. There were galloping jade chariots with continuous use of golden whips, as well as imperial canopies with tassels in the mouths of embroidered phoenixes.


    "Childe, we''ve arrived at the General''s Manor," a dull male voice drifted from the front of the sedan chair.


    "The General''s Manor!" There was finally a dramatic shift in Ye Que''s expression. Moreover, he was able to confirm something, something unimaginable.


    Perhaps he had truly returned to his teenage years, back to one hundred years ago.


    It was like a dream.


    Moments ago, he was still fighting a hundred thousands of demons in the Celestial World but he had now returned to Luoyang of one hundred years ago.


    Standing in front of the gates of Luoyang, and now in front of the main entrance of the General''s Manor, Ye Que was deeply touched.


    Ye Que, nicknamed Demon-slaughtering Asura, was an exceptional genius of the Qingqiu Sword Sect who ascended the Celestial World in the 43rd year of Shenwu. He was invincible for decades in the three realms, triumphing in every battle. Back when the army of hundred thousand demons ambushed the three realms, Ye Que and his sword alone killed 3,006 demons. The incident made him the idol of the younger generation in the Celestial World.


    No one could have imagined such a hero would suffer such a great humiliation in the General''s Manor in Luoyang. The reason was that he was an illegitimate child and some people suspected he was here to scramble for power and profit.


    The truth was Ye Que had lived in the countryside with his mother since he was a child. Before his mother died, she expressed her hope that he would return to the General''s Manor to return to his ancestral roots. Ye Que had come to Luoyang alone to fulfill his mother''s wishes.


    Standing in front of this aristocratic General''s Manor, Ye Que hesitated as to whether he should enter. When he first came here, he had found everything around him to be spectacular: the pavilions, lush trees, safflowers, maids and servants, as well as the armored guards everywhere. Back then, he felt inferior and a little afraid. However, his main emotion was joy because he thought this place would be his home from now on. He believed he would also have a father and would have the opportunity to become a general with outstanding military achievements in the future.


    The penniless Ye Que hired a sedan chair after arriving in Luoyang, thinking he should appear as presentable as possible. He even boasted to the sedan bearers that he was a childe of the General''s Manor.


    Imagination was beautiful but the reality was terrible. This place didn''t welcome him at all.


    "You dare to claim your ancestral roots when you''re an illegitimate child?"


    "Keep dreaming!"


    Looking back now, it was indeed laughable. Both he and everyone else had simply viewed the sky from the bottom of a well.


    "Tread, tread, tread!"


    There was a rapid sound of horse hooves as a herd of armored horses galloped around the corner. The leader was a young master with beautiful eyes and sharp eyebrows riding a big horse. Behind him were seven to eight heavily-armed cavalries.


    The man lifted the rein, stopped the horse, and dismounted.


    In addition to the young master leading the group, the rest of the cavalries moved in impressive uniformity. Ye Que could tell they were definitely not ordinary soldiers that guarded the city walls. These were calvaries who had stormed battlefields and tasted blood.


    "Whose sedan chair is this? Why is it blocking the entrance of our General''s Manor?" The young master waved his golden whip and encircled the sedan chair Ye Que hired. In his opinion, it was impossible for a shabby sedan chair like this to belong to a guest who had the right to enter the General''s Manor.


    Still immersed in his memories, Ye Que didn''t speak. He had just returned to his youth and he was still integrating his memories with his surroundings. He was in a complete daze.


    He might not be speaking but the sedan chair bearers who were waiting to collect their fee dared not to linger around. This was the General''s Manor. They were terrified just looking at the swords hanging at the waist of the soldiers. If they made even the slightest mistake, they might end up dying without even collecting his fee.


    "Sir Officer, it was the young master in front who hired this sedan chair. He said he came to the General''s Manor to return to his ancestral roots. I''m a poor sedan chair bearer who exchange my labor for a meal. I wouldn''t dare to block the entrance of the General''s Manor for no reason," the sedan chair bearers said with a bitter face.


    "Return to his ancestral roots? Who is he? On what grounds is he returning to his ancestral roots?" The young master riding the tall horse raised his voice by one decibel after listening to this explanation.


    "He said his father is General Ye." The bearer looked like he was close to tears. He knew his words were ridiculous but he didn''t dare to lie. He could only tell the truth. His heart was nearly bursting with his resentment for Ye Que.


    "His father is General Ye? If his father is General Ye, what does that make me? Everyone in Luoyang knows that there''s only one young master in the General''s Manor."


    "That person is me, Ye Yunhai."


    Ye Yunhai tugged on the reins and arrived in front of Ye Que in a few steps. With the horse''s head squarely opposite Ye Que''s face, he looked down at Ye Que with a ferocious look. "Kid, it''s the first time in Luoyang that someone''s trying to scam the General''s Manor. Speak. Who gave you such great courage to pretend to be me?"


    The two sounds of severe scolding caused Ye Que to recover his senses. He slowly raised his head to look at Ye Yunhai. His gaze then shifted to the soldiers nearby who had unveiled their weapons. Finally, he turned his head and glanced at the shaking legs of the bearers. With a calm expression and tranquil eyes, Ye Que said, "I''m Ye Que. I''m from River Village in Weicheng. It''s true that I came to the General''s Manor in Luoyang to return to my ancestral roots. It was my mother''s dying wish and I dare not disobey her. What I said to the bearers isn''t a lie."


    Ye Que reached into his bosom and took out a jade pendant. "This is a token that my mother gave me. I believe it can prove my identity."


    In Ye Que''s previous life, he hadn''t hesitated after arriving at the General''s Manor. Thus, the one he met hadn''t been Ye Yunhai but the second lady of the manor. He had been promptly thrown out of the manor. To his current self, the small General''s Manor was too insignificant to even enter his mind. However, this was his mother''s dying wish after all and he would say whatever necessary. It didn''t matter whether he was speaking to the madam of the manor or the young master.


    To the current Ye Que, it wasn''t at all important whether he could return to his ancestral roots. The cultivation journey was extensive, profound, boundless, and unpredictable. How could the vulgarities of the Human World compare?


    "Weicheng, River Village, Tang Wanru?" Ye Yunhai seemed to have recalled something and his expression became a little solemn. However, the corners of his mouth were lifted to form a mocking smile as if he was both ridiculing and despising Ye Que. "You''re the bastard who was driven out of the General''s Manor back then?"


    Ye Yunhai snorted as he raised his head haughtily.


    "To think that the evil seed of a slave still has the face to return to his ancestral roots."


    "Who sent you here?"


    "What''s your purpose to come back at this time?"


    Ye Yunhai couldn''t be blamed for his line of thinking. General Ye Zhengru had fallen gravely ill after this year''s Spring Festival and had been bedridden for three months. Ye Que''s return at this time definitely courted suspicions. Even an illegitimate son was a son. Who could guarantee that General Ye wouldn''t think of his affection back then when he was at the end of his life? People tend to act out of character whenever they were about to die. Ye Yunhai would inherit the entirety of the massive family business if not for Ye Que. Naturally, anyone in his position would be nervous over the possibility of half of the fortune going to a son who had popped out of thin air.


    "I have no purpose but to fulfill an elder''s wish."


    After a pause, Ye Que continued, "Since you''re the young master of the General''s Manor, you should be careful with your manner of speaking. To insult me is to insult yourself."


    "I''m older than you. From the strict point of view of Father''s generation, I should be calling you Younger Brother. Since you''re still young, I won''t lower myself to your level and ignore your words earlier."


    When Ye Que spoke, his posture and facial expression were all of a young master''s. He didn''t look inferior even though he was dressed simply and was shorter by half than Ye Yunhai, who was riding a horse.


    Ye Yunhai stared at Ye Que, nearly bursting into laughter. He was bemused that a poor boy from the countryside would unexpectedly want to be his older brother. This boy''s intention was as clear as day. However, he was simply an evil seed born out of an intoxicated night who had no foundation whatsoever in the family. It was ridiculous to think that this boy would try to gain half the family fortune with a shabby jade pendant.


    "Kid, what qualifications do you have not to lower yourself to my level? Do you have any sense? Have you ever been to the Golden Palace of Violet Nets? Do you know what the names of the sixteen prefectures and nine towns of the capital are? Do you know how many tribes there are in Great Yan or how many sects there are in Qingqiu? Do you know how tall Mount Shu is or how many floors there are in the Demon Imprisonment Tower?" Ye Yunhai''s mocking expression gradually turned vicious and domineering. It was as if he was heaven looking down upon an ant.


    "Look carefully. This is Luoyang, the capital Luoyang. In front of you is General Ye''s Manor and I''m the only young master and heir here. Put away the jade pendant in your hands and forget the delusion of returning to your ancestral roots. Return to the countryside and be your poor young master. I can pretend as if nothing has happened today."


    Ye Yunhai leaned close to Ye Que as he spoke. Finally, he whispered, "Otherwise, don''t blame me for being ruthless. It''s not easy to make someone disappear for no reason in Luoyang but it''s not difficult either."


    "Since you''re clever, I believe you''ll make a wise choice."


    "Stop using the name Ye Que in the future."


    "You don''t deserve to use the surname Ye."


    This was blatant humiliation. Ye Que didn''t think he would once again suffer humiliation in the General''s Manor after meeting the second lady in his previous life, but here he was again. This time, it was even worse. This time, he didn''t even step beyond the entrance of the General''s Manor. It was as if everything was predestined.


    It was quiet all around.


    It was as if there was a storm brewing.


    Ye Yunhai was prepared. The moment Ye Que made the slightest movement, the soldiers behind him would be able to subdue him in an instant. What awaited him would be an endless prison career.


    However, what happened next was out of everyone''s expectations.


    Ye Que wasn''t angered. Neither did he try to argue or curse Ye Yunhai. He calmly bent down to arrange his luggage before paying the bearers who were standing in a corner. He then left the place without even looking back, leaving behind only one sentence.


    "It''s my parents who gave me my name. It''s not something you can take away as you wish. You don''t have the right."

 Chapter 2 Divine Book

    After leaving the General''s Manor, Ye Que walked aimlessly on the streets of Luoyang City.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t want to teach Ye Yunhai a lesson earlier. However, he had returned to his youth. Though he didn''t lose his memories, all of his magic powers, supernatural abilities, precious treasures, and weapons had disappeared without a trace. His body was now the body of his teenage self, so weak that he didn''t have the strength to truss a chicken. Never mind Ye Yunhai''s soldiers behind him, even the two sedan chair bearers could suppress him.


    Even though he had lost the divine power he had accumulated over a hundred years, Ye Que wasn''t dejected. He could slowly cultivate all things as long as he maintained his state of mind. Moreover, he had risen from the lowest level when he was in Qingqiu Sword Sect using the most rudimentary cultivation techniques. His foundation wasn''t solid back then. Were it not for his talent and constant fortuitous encounters, he might not be able to obtain his subsequent achievements.


    Well, he would have to start from scratch now and take one step at a time.


    Ye Que was confident he would experience a different kind of journey on his second road to immortality.


    Whether one was cultivating to be a Perfected Immortal, Immortal, Demon, or Devil across the three worlds, the realms were strictly divided into seven realms and forty-nine stars.


    The first was Psychic Realm, the second level was Glorious Star Realm, the third level was Non-materialization Realm, the fourth level was Dawn of Heaven Realm, the fifth level was Void Metamorphosis Realm, the sixth level was Immortality Realm, the seventh level was Supreme Sage Realm. Each level was further divided into seven stars.


    Those in the Psychic Realm were called martial artists. They were further divided into nine ranks.


    Those above the Supreme Sage Realm were called deities. The realm of deities was unspeakable.


    In the current Human World, 99% of the cultivators were cultivating the Truth. Only a select few who had experienced fortuitous encounters were able to cultivate to be an Immortal. Those who cultivate the Truth were cultivating True Energy while those who cultivate Immortality were cultivating Divine Energy. Under the True Energy was the Internal Force, the foundation of cultivating martial arts. Above the Divine Energy was the Celestial Force. This force seemed to exist only in the legends.


    Truth cultivation was divided into the Pre-heaven Realm and Post-heaven Realm. Once one broke through the peak of the Post-heaven Realm, he could enter the Psychic Realm. Meanwhile, the cultivation of martial artists was even slower. In terms of realms alone, a first-rate martial artist at the peak of his level had barely reached the doorstep of Pre-heaven Realm.


    By the time Ye Que dominated the Celestial World a hundred years later, his cultivation had reached the peak of the Void Metamorphosis Realm and he was about to enter the Immortality Realm. He could be considered one of the top cultivators in the three worlds. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been praised as the future of the Celestial World and the genius with the most potential to enter the Supreme Sage Realm.


    General Ye''s Manor was located on Yong''an Street. If one walked west along the street, one would cross the Bridge of Long Life over Luo River. The Bridge of Long Life was like a boundary, separating the east bank where high officials and noble persons mostly inhabited. Meanwhile, civilians, merchants, peddlers, carriers, as well as a large number of brothels, casinos, and wine shops occupied the west bank.


    Hundreds of sky lanterns rose from the west of the Bridge of Long Life, forming a long yellow river in the air. In the night market, dancing lions and dragons became a string of unextinguishable flames. The crowd frolicked and revelled. Luoyang City had become a sea of joy.


    Ye Que walked across the Bridge of Long Life and stopped in front of a tavern called Peony Pavilion. "Waiter, a pot of apricot blossom wine and two taels of spiced beef."


    "Of course."


    "One pot of apricot blossom wine and two taels of spiced beef."


    "Please be seated."


    Before Ye Que entered the tavern, he heard the waiter''s answer coming from the inside. The food and drink were ready within minutes. The Peony Pavilion had three floors. The lobby on the ground floor accommodated eating and drinking guests, while the hotel on the first and second floors accommodated overnight guests. From their decorations, he assumed the rooms would be rather pricey.


    Of course, Ye Que didn''t care about these worldly things now. Money wasn''t essential for cultivation and they couldn''t pay for real treasures. However, his body was still the body of a child. Eating and sleeping were unavoidable. If he became hungry or drowsy, he would still be dizzy.


    He had no idea how to calculate the price to spend a night here. Believing he would be able to start cultivating after tonight, he had already considered how to start his own path of cultivating to be an Immortal. For an Immortal cultivator, money was basically something at his fingertips.


    He had seen bankrupt merchants jumping off buildings but had never heard of Immortals starved to death for lack of money.


    Besides, he estimated the Demon World should have begun invading the Human World.


    Demon slayer would eventually be the most popular occupation.


    To Ye Que, becoming a demon slayer was most suitable.


    In his previous life, Ye Que chose to leave Luoyang City and walked all the way south after experiencing humiliation at the General''s Manor. He met the disciples of Qingqiu Sword Sect who had come out for experience en route and barely left the sect in the next thirty years. The only thing he knew to do was cultivating behind closed doors. Even though his cultivation improved rapidly, he also lacked the experience of entering other worlds and his mental state was imperfect. This time, Ye Que wasn''t prepared to take his previous path. What he could learn in Qingqiu was long engraved in his heart. He didn''t need his Master to take him into the sect either. It suited him fine that he could get a good experience in the world of mortals.


    "The east wind at night calls to bloom blossoms of a thousand trees; as if the drifting stars were like the drizzling rain. Precious horses and lavish carriages leave behind a scented trail. The tunes of phoenix flute resound as the timekeeper witnesses the turning of hours throughout the night; the fish and dragons dance all through the night..."


    With a bard''s crooning and zither tunes in the background, Ye Que drank two cups of apricot blossom wine and ate three pieces of spiced beef. Then he waved to the waiter. "I want a room."


    When Ye Que disappeared up the staircase between the ground floor and first floor, a green-clothed page hidden in an inconspicuous shadow near the door of the Peony Pavilion moved. He returned to the east the Bridge of Long Life along the same path Ye Que had come in and finally entered the cold, detached General''s Manor.


    In the General''s Manor.


    Ye Yunhai sat on a gold-rimmed bench carved out of the Phoebe Zhennan tree in the reception room with his legs crossed. Standing opposite him was a woman in a silk gown. It was the Second Madam of the General''s Manor and Ye Yunhai''s biological mother, Xiao Huating. Not far from them was the green-clothed page kneeling on the floor.


    "Reporting to Young Master: The youngster named Ye Que walked east along Yong''an Street after leaving the General''s Manor. Just now, he had just stayed in the Peony Pavilion. During that time, he didn''t enter other places or have close contact with anyone," the green-clothed page said. His train of thought was exceptionally clear.


    "Looks like this person doesn''t wish to leave Luoyang City easily." Ye Yunhai knocked on the arm of the bench.


    "There must be something strange when things go wrong. His timing is suspect, only coming after the old man is about to die. Do you think this is possibly a coincidence?" Xiao Huating said placidly. "He took out a jade pendant wanting to return to his ancestral roots as soon as he met us. Who would dare to do something like that? Did he think it''s that easy to enter the main doors of the General''s Manor?"


    "Xiaohai, you should consider the cause and effect when things happen. Don''t let emotions affect your judgment," Xiao Huating continued. "If Mother is gone, you''ll have to support the entire General''s Manor. You must learn to grow up. You can''t rely on others for everything or you''ll suffer serious setbacks."


    "I heard you, Mom!" Ye Yunhai raised his voice ever so slightly.


    Ye Yunhai immediately put down his leg and asked anxiously, "Mother, do you think someone is backing up this Ye Que?"


    "Whether or not someone''s backing him up, everything must be settled. We can let it slide if Ye Que leaves Luoyang tonight but if he stays behind, he''ll forever be a concealed danger to us," Xiao Huating replied coolly.


    "Then should we strike first and gain the upper hand?" Ye Yunhai tried to sound out his mother''s intentions.


    "Spring rain has been frequent in the capital these days, turning Luo River fast-flowing. A person who walks by the bank will inevitably slip into the waters," Xiao Huating said neutrally and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.


    Ye Yunhai''s mouth formed a vicious smile. There wasn''t a need to make things plainly clear with words. The hint was all he needed.


    "By the way, I''ll decide on your marriage in these few days. The only daughter of the Heights Lord of the Extinction Sword Heights, Lin Mei''er, is said to have incredible beauty on tops of excellent martial arts. She''s worthy of you, Xiao Hai. I''ll arrange for you two to meet tomorrow," Xiao Huating added, speaking as if she had just recalled the matter.


    "Marriage? Lin Mei''er!" Ye Yunhai jumped up from the bench in surprise. "You''ve decided on the marriage when I don''t even know what this person looks like?"


    "I disagree! I absolutely disagree! I want to decide on my own marriage!"


    "Lin Mei''er''s father has just broken through the Pre-heaven Realm a month ago," Xiao Huating abruptly said.


    Pre-heaven Realm!


    The next realm would be Post-heaven Realm, and then realm after would be the Psychic Realm.


    Regardless of whether Lin Mei''er''s father was in the Post-heaven Realm or Psychic Realm, Ye Que had reached the top floor of the Peony Pavilion. He was ready to start cultivating.


    Ye Que''s chosen path wasn''t an ordinary cultivation path. Most people would need to find a place where the Spiritual Force was concentrated in order to get twice the result with half the effort but not him. He also wasn''t setting out using the cultivation technique of the Qingqiu Sword Sect as it was nevertheless the cultivation technique of the Human World. Since his ultimate goal was Immortality, he must form a solid foundation. In his previous life, he found a secret land of death at the junction of the three worlds and accidentally acquired the Treasure of Living Beings. Recorded inside was half the contents of the Divine Book.


    Based on the Divine Book, the cultivation method he was using was born at the same time as the three worlds. Cultivating using the Divine Book could lead him down any path. It enveloped all energies, including the Spiritual Force of the Human World, the Immortal Qi of the Celestial World, Demonic Qi of the Demon World, even the Devil Qi and the boundless Astral Force in the night sky. It was basically open to the absorption of all energies and forces for its own use.


    When cultivating using the Divine Book, one would begin with the primary chapter and immediately begin with Divine Energy. This was the most domineering cultivation technique Ye Que had ever seen. Were it not because Ye Que was close to the Immortality Realm at that time and because one would have to abolish his previous cultivation to cultivate the Divine Book, he would surely fail to resist the temptation.


    Now, Ye Que was back in his teens and he had to start from scratch. The Divine Book was just right.


    Sitting on the top of the Peony Pavilion, Ye Que calmed down and recalled the information in the one-half segment of the Divine Book.


    "The gate to the enlightenment of the three worlds begin in heaven."


    The words on the first page of the primary chapter of the Divine Book abruptly appeared in Ye Que''s mind.


    Most cultivation techniques today emphasized the defiance of the natural order and practices that contradicted nature. The outcome was the method to oppose heaven and earth. However, the Divine Book did the exact opposite. Right from the get-go, the book helped the reader analyze the structure of the whole heaven and earth. It emphasized learning about heaven, understanding heaven, and finally, winning over heaven. Since the Divine Book was born at the same time as heaven and earth, it naturally understood heaven and earth best.


    Moreover, the Divine Book wasn''t merely about refining Qi but also strengthening one''s physique. Without a strong body, how could one know heaven and earth, come close to heaven and earth, and finally prevail over heaven and earth?


    The merriment continued in Luoyang while the air around the roof of the Peony Pavilion seemed to have frozen in an instant. A transparent ripple began to slowly form around Ye Que. First, the Spiritual Force in the air poured into his body from all directions. Then, the Luck of the Imperial City turned into an illusory dragon dancing atop his head. Soon after, the stars in the night sky abruptly brightened and the full moon even started emitting a silvery fluorescence.


    It was as if the entire heaven and earth had begun assisting Ye Que from the moment he started cultivating using the Divine Book. The milky-white Spiritual Force, the pale yellow Luck of the imperial family, and the silver Astral Force hovered and fluttered in a circle around him. Incredibly, the stars in the night sky also began moving. The seven brightest stars converged with the full moon in a very short period of time. The string of stars illuminated the top of Ye Que''s head.


    It was such a strange phenomenon, yet the people seemed to have not detected it at all and continued their business.


    Right then.


    Heaven and earth had opened a back door for Ye Que.

 Chapter 3 Fox Demon

    The sun rose and set with the turn of the Big Dipper.


    Ye Que cultivated without moving on top of the Peony Pavilion for twenty-four hours.


    Integrating with heaven and earth, he learned about heaven and earth as well as himself and the law of life. No one disturbed him.


    The golden sunset glow enveloped Luoyang and cast its radiance on Ye Que''s face. When the sun disappeared into the mountains, Ye Que opened his eyes. The air around him froze in that split second before fiercely disintegrating. The rapidly spinning Spiritual Force, Imperial Qi, and Astral Force dissipated in the air. Ye Que''s silhouette slowly became clear, only this time his skin was clearer and his eyes were brighter. Even the curves of his body seemed to be imbued with a natural explosive force.


    The mountains were still the same mountains, water was still the same water, and heaven and earth were still the same heaven and earth.


    However, everything had changed to Ye Que.


    "This Divine Book undoubtedly deserves its title as a treasure that was born alongside heaven and earth, to be able to send me straight into the Pre-heaven Realm on the first day I''m cultivating. I''ve even surpassed the threshold of being a martial artist. This is at least a hundredfold faster than the cultivation technique of Qingqiu Sword Sect. Back when I first cultivated the Qingqiu Sword Art, I spent a whopping hundred days to enter the Pre-heaven Realm. If I improve at this current speed, I''ll be able to enter the Psychic Realm in three months at most." Ye Que was pleased to know he would be truly stepping on the road to immortality after entering the Psychic Realm. Everything had gone much smoother than he had imagined.


    He stood up, closed his eyes, and carefully examined his internal state.


    "What is this?"


    "I didn''t see wrongly, did I?"


    "Primordial Heaven Realm!"


    When he saw the fine gold thread on the snowy mountain in his heart, he couldn''t help exclaiming aloud regardless of how calm he was. In fact, it was no wonder he was so surprised. One could only condense the Primordial Heaven Energy in the Celestial World. It would only appear after one passed the Heaven-bridging Path and had the Immortal Qi of the Celestial World purify one''s body.


    In the Human World, if the conversion of the Spiritual Force into the True Energy was considered electrical power, then the conversion of Divine Energy would be akin to nuclear power.


    One could imagine just how great the gap between electricity and nuclear power was.


    Even though there was only a tiny wisp of the Divine Energy, many little things would add up to something great. He would eventually achieve the Milky Way.


    Clenching his fists, he suddenly exerted his strength. Suddenly, he heard a series of crackling sounds coming from all over his body. "It''s such a feeling to have power!"


    If the present Ye Que was placed in front of the General''s Manor yesterday, he would surely react differently to Ye Yunhai''s threat and provocation. He would now make easy work out of those tall and big soldiers, even if they had been to the battlefield and had tasted blood. Strictly speaking, he had just entered the Pre-heaven Realm. However, one mustn''t forget that Ye Yue wasn''t a newbie whose cultivation soared overnight. He was the Demon-slaughtering Asura whose combat experience was madly off the charts.


    Perhaps due to the fact that Ye Que comprehended heaven and earth in Luoyang City, it was yet another full moon night after sunset descended. Stars twinkled all over the cloudless night sky.


    Instead of going to the lobby on the ground floor, Ye Que asked the waiter to send his meal to his room. On the one hand, he needed to stabilize his state and mull over the mnemonic chant of the Divine Book. On the other hand, he was also sorting out the large collection of fighting skills in his mind. Some of the sword arts, spirit-summoning techniques, formations, and the like were suitable for his use at his present stage while others weren''t. This was the process of selecting the essence of the matter to master the subject.


    Ye Que knew better than anyone what the world was like.


    The law of the jungle was that the weak were prey to the strong.


    The one with the stronger fist would survive.


    The resources of the three worlds were limited and everyone, regardless of human or demons, wanted the best. That was why humans would advocate slaying demons in the name of justice. However, if demons were slaughtered to the point of oppression, the Demon World would be cut off from its roots and would experience the danger of genocide. Even a panicked dog would jump over the wall, never mind demons.


    "Invade the Human World, save our people, and recapture the homeland of demons." This had become the slogan of the Demon World that all the demons responded to. If he remembered correctly, the first batch of demons had arrived in the Human World when Ye Que left Luoyang to enter the Qingqiu Sword Sect in his previous life. After a careful calculation of the timing, he determined it would be these few days.


    After a simple meal, Ye Que sat cross-legged on the bed and continued to cultivate. The strange phenomenon last night didn''t appear again. He assumed it was the reward for comprehending the Divine Book for the first time. It was reasonable as well. If it was so powerful every step of the way, the Divine Book would become too great an existence to stay in the three worlds.


    It was getting dark. More and more diners filled the lobby of the Peony Pavilion. The 19 tables on the ground floor were occupied. In the innermost corner, one man and one woman occupied a table meant for eight. The table was covered in all sorts of exotic delicacies.


    The man wore a silk gown, with a jade pendant and spice sachet tied at his waist. In his hand was a folding fan painted with green bamboo stalks and plum blossoms. The woman had an enchanting figure. On her oval face were red lips, white teeth, a tall nose, sculpted eyebrows that were vaguely knitted, as well as phoenix eyes that looked vaguely annoyed. She was a beautiful woman with a full face. Both of them could be called a beautiful pair. However, upon careful observation, one could see that the woman''s beauty was haunting. Unexpectedly, she was able to coquettishly provoke the man seven times in the time it took to finish two cups of wine.


    They didn''t touch the dishes much even after 15 minutes later. The two pots of West Phoenix wine all entered the man''s mouth.


    The man drew close to the woman''s ear and exhaled. "Miss Lin, a moment of spring night is worth a thousand pounds of gold. Let''s not waste our time," he whispered.


    "Young Master Qian, you must think it over. There are some things you must take responsibility for." The woman reached out her slender finger and tapped the man on the forehead.


    "I won''t disappoint your expectations."


    The man surnamed Qian narrowed his eyes as he replied in a solemn manner. He abruptly stood up, grabbed the woman''s waist, and walked up to the first floor. "Waiter, give me the VIP room. Lead the way and put the drinks and food on my bill."


    The short wooden stairs took them no more than a dozen steps and several minutes. The man''s hand constantly wandered on the woman''s body while the woman''s beautiful eyes never once left the man as she leaned on his shoulder amorously. The sight of them both invoked lustful feelings in the diners below. To their surprise, Qian Shuxiao shook his head and recited poetry as he walked. "May I ask the pipe is played amid the purple smoke? I once learned to dance in my most beautiful years. Why do you hope to die when you have succeeded in your goal? I''d rather be a pair of mandarin ducks than an immortal."


    "There Qian Shuxiao that perverted swine goes, ruining yet another an innocent woman."


    "He''s clearly a hooligan."


    "Well, he''s filthy rich. Where would he find the guts to call himself one of the four young masters of Luoyang otherwise?"


    "The woman earlier looks really familiar."


    "I heard she has just arrived in Luoyang today to visit her relatives."


    "Sigh! Public morals are declining with each passing day!"


    When the diners gathered, what they coveted wasn''t wine but gossip. Qian Shuxiao''s behavior was precisely what they wanted and in a flash, he became their object of discussion.


    Qian Shuxiao was born in the Qian family of Luoyang. His family had been engaged in trade, shipping, medicine, tea, silk, weapons, and the like for generations. They were involved in basically any business that would make them money. It was said their golds and silvers were so numerous they could be piled to form mountains. While they were far from having wealth that equal the royal coffers, they were still rich enough to rival a city''s coffers. Qian Shuxiao was the only son of this generation of the Qian family. It was apparent a noble son born with a silver spoon in his mouth was free to do whatever he wanted in Luoyang. He could basically dominate Luoyang as long as he didn''t provoke the powerful.


    Just as Qian Shuxiao took Miss Lin to the first floor, Ye Que who was on the same floor abruptly opened his eyes.


    "Demonic Qi?"


    Ye Que''s Divine Energy was still weak and the area he could envelop was still small, no more than 10 meters at most. However, Divine Energy was nevertheless Divine Energy; it wasn''t something cheap like True Energy. Even a wisp of Divine Energy could be converted into a tenfold psychic force. Without the use of skills, it wouldn''t cause significant damage. However, it wouldn''t pose a problem for it to be used to snoop on others within a short distance.


    With a turn of his mind, the invisible psychic force quietly flowed out of the door. Soon, the force detected the charming woman next to Qian Shuxiao.


    "She''s a little fox that has recently gained human form?" Ye Que smirked. His piqued interest died in an instant. For him, she was the lowest form of the demon race and had negligible offensive power. He didn''t want to waste his strength to subdue her. Besides, small demons like her typically wouldn''t dare to really hurt people. She would absorb men''s Yang Qi at most before wisely leaving.


    Ye Que thought there was no need to waste his energy on slaying a demon that wouldn''t truly harm people.


    Heaven''s laws were capricious. When things reach an extreme, they could only move in the opposite direction.


    There must be a bottom line in the pursuit of cultivation. The greater one''s ability, the more one mustn''t run amok.


    Only one wall divided the VIP room and Ye Que''s room.


    The moment Qian Shuxiao entered the room with the little fox, he immediately began to undress. If one were to carefully observe Qian Shuxiao''s eyes, one could see wisps of purple Qi in his pupils. Evidently, the little fox had charmed him. They didn''t even close the door before throwing themselves onto the bed in a few steps.


    The waiter who followed after them watched with a smirk. He cleverly closed the door for them. However, he had just stepped out of the room when he spat on the floor. In a low voice, he said, "Beast!"


    After thinking about it, he was still puzzled. He then added, "Prostitute!"


    Even Ye Que next door shook his head helplessly. "Little demons these days are really impatient. They''ve entered your house and climbed onto your bed. Do you think they''ll still run away? So unromantic."


    In the time it took for Ye Que to deliver his lines, Qian Shuxiao had already waged war against the woman. It was incredibly erotic but the process was brief. In no time at all, Qian Shuxiao''s eyes lost focus and his limbs slowly drifted into the air.


    The little fox lying under him stuck out her tongue to lick his lips. A snow-white tail brushed his skin and swirled around his body. Then, pure-white Yang Qi slowly flowed out of Qian Shuxiao''s seven apertures. In the blink of an eye, the little fox absorbed them all.


    "Young Master Qian, I''ve already told you there are some things you must take responsibility for. A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pounds of gold. I''ve given you a spring night. This is a debt of gratitude, and it must be repaid," the little fox said softly, her fingers sliding on Qian Shuxiao''s body bit by bit.


    "I''ll refuse the thousand pounds of gold. I''ll just ask for your body as payment."


    After finishing her words, the little fox sealed dozens of acupuncture points on Qian Shuxiao''s body as quick as lightning. Finally, her index finger struck the space between his eyebrows. Qian Shuxiao''s complexion turned bloody red and he had also awakened. However, he couldn''t move at all. He widened his eyes and cried out in horror, "You''re, you''re a demon!"


    "Save, save me. Save me." Even though Qian Shuxiao tried his best to yell, his voice seemed to be stuck in his throat and couldn''t be heard at all.


    In the blink of an eye, a scalding drop of blood converged between his eyebrows. It was the Blood Essence that humans depended on for survival.


    "Evil creature! Isn''t it enough for you to absorb someone''s Yang Qi? You still want to absorb his Blood Essence!"


    "Don''t you know the rules?!"

 Chapter 4 The Expert Makes His Move

    The door of the VIP room opened silently on its own.


    Ye Que slowly walked in with his hands clasped behind his back. He was the one who chided the little fox for not knowing the rules earlier.


    "Who are you? You''re not welcome here. If you don''t want to die, scram." The little fox retrieved her tail the moment when Ye Que came in, but she didn''t let go of Qian Shuxiao. It hadn''t been easy to find such a matching incense stove. Moreover, this man was the first human she absorbed Qi from. She mustn''t let him go no matter what.


    "Didn''t your elders tell you that you can absorb Yang Qi but not the Blood Essence of humans is the bottom line? You''ll have to pay with your life for absorbing another''s Blood Essence." Ye Que walked to a position about five meters away from the little fox demon and stood still as he looked at her with great interest. He wasn''t in a hurry. With him here, it was impossible for the fox to take away the man''s Blood Essence. What he was curious about now was who had given her so much courage to do so. Moreover, they were in the capital Luoyang. Was there no righteous sect governing the place?


    The demons had all come to the foundation of the imperial city.


    Ye Que might not be in a hurry, but someone else was. Qian Shuxiao felt as he had found his savior. Though he couldn''t speak, he couldn''t help grimacing in pain. He mouthed at Ye Que, imploring him to save him immediately. He would agree to any of Ye Que''s conditions or any sum of money the latter demanded. He had nothing but money, after all.


    Qian Shuxiao was so frantic that he was nearly crying, but Ye Que didn''t even look at him. He just stared at the little fox demon in front of him.


    "Back then, you people had flattened the entire Fox Mountain. How could there be the elders you speak of? Stop being a hypocrite and show me your phony mercy. This old woman doesn''t buy it," the little demon fox retorted fiercely, changing her gentle and lovely manner.


    "Old woman? How old are you even? How unbridled for a little demon fox that has just taken human shape." Her words nearly caused Ye Que to burst into laughter. However, he was able to guess this fox''s experience. Most likely, her clansmen were wiped out by the righteous faction and she was the only one who escaped the genocide. She cultivated each day while in hiding and once she was able to shapeshift into a human, she came to the Human World for revenge. Unfortunately, she was unlucky enough to meet Ye Que the first time she moved against humans.


    "Either way, I''m older than you. To think a boy whose hair hasn''t even finish growing would be this daring. Aren''t you afraid? I''m a demon, you know. I''ll eat you up."


    The little demon fox''s reply was cold but before she finished her words, she abruptly pushed Qian Shuxiao aside and sent a burst of magical power at Ye Que.


    "Sneak attack?" Ye Que curled his lips. "Aren''t you moving a little too slow?"


    Ye Que extended his forefinger and middle finger and put them together like they were a sword. Facing the fox''s ferocious claws, he lifted his fingers and flicked. Ye Que didn''t even move his feet but the little demon fox had been thrown two meters away. The fox stepped on the bedhead and rebounded without any pause, her speed and strength even greater this time. Simultaneously, purple light glinted in her pupils. She had quietly activated the innate charm of the fox demon clan.


    "Insignificant little talent!"


    Ye Que didn''t even use the Divine Energy in his body for his mental force alone was enough to shatter the incomparably crude enchantment. His cultivation was now in the Pre-heaven Realm. A little fox demon that had just left her mountain like her was in the second rank Martial Arts Realm at most. It was impossible for her to charm Ye Que.


    However, this little demon fox was really trying her utmost and didn''t give up even after her enchantment had failed. Be it her fists or claws, she spared nothing in fighting back. However, she failed to touch even the corner of Ye Que''s jacket as he blocked her attacks with his finger-sword.


    "Impudent!" Ye Que snorted. His finger-sword swiftly danced in the air, producing a mysterious sword flower. Then, he pointed to the wine jug on the table inside the room before pointing to the little fox demon.


    In a split second, the previously unusually fierce little fox widened her eyes in horror.


    It was like magic.


    The wine jug on the table split open suddenly while the wine inside was frozen in midair. The next moment, the wine seemed to be endowed with life and turned into an inch-long water-sword in an instant. With the flash of dim light, the water-sword struck the little fox demon.


    When the water-sword was less than an inch away from her in an instant, a bright orange psychic shield appeared out of thin air to block the water-sword. Simultaneously, a bronze compass appeared on the little fox demon''s waist.


    "Boom!"


    A loud explosion resounded. The sound was similar to the sound of a bullet hitting a steel plate. The aftermath instantly shattered all the decorations inside the room. The wooden bed beneath Qian Shuxiao also collapsed.


    "It''s a defensive magic treasure!" Ye Que muttered while frowning.


    He hadn''t made a killing move earlier because he wanted to ask the little fox demon some questions. However, he never expected the fox, which had just been transformed, to possess such a powerful defensive magic treasure. Moreover, she was able to discard her magic treasure, give up her white foxtail to push her speed to its limit at the last moment and escaped right under Ye Que''s nose. She left behind only a pile of magic weapon fragments and a pool of blood.


    "There are too few skills I can use since I have just started cultivating." Ye Que shook his head, looking a little regretful. However, after picking up the bronze compass that was broken in half on the ground and looking at it, his eyes became penetrative. "This is a skill of the Demon World!"


    "Has the Human World invasion started? So fast?"


    "Is their first stop the capital, Luoyang?"


    "How audacious!"


    Such a great commotion soon disturbed the tavern owner, who brought two waiters as he rushed to the door of the VIP room. They didn''t dare to enter for they were cautious of Qian Shuxiao''s identity. Everyone could tell what he was trying to do earlier. If they rashly push the door, enter, and see something they shouldn''t, the Peony Pavilion might not be able to continue operating in Luoyang.


    They could no longer hear any sound coming from the room. The tavern owner knocked on the door before urging his waiter to ask, "Young Master Qian, are you inside? What happened earlier? Are you okay? Please call for us if you have any problem. We''re waiting outside the door."


    No reply came from inside the room.


    "Younger Master Qian? Are you inside?"


    The tavern owner pestered the waiter, pointing at the room with his lips. He gestured for the waiter to push the door.


    "Younger Master Qian, I''ll be coming in then," the waiter said, making a last-ditch effort to inform Qian Shuxiao. He placed his hand on the door as he spoke.


    The second before the door was pushed open, a voice finally came from inside.


    "What are you shouting about?! Are you trying to press me to death? Or are you afraid I won''t be able to pay for the room? Since when did the Peony Pavilion cultivate such a habit? Are you hoping to eavesdrop on me bedding someone?" Even though the sound was faint, it was indeed Qian Shuxiao''s voice.


    "We dare not, Young Master Qian. Please calm down. We heard a loud noise coming from your room just now. We''re just afraid of something happening to you. We''re not courageous enough to spoil your good mood, Young Master. We''ll be taking our leave right away." The tavern owner immediately tried to mediate the situation.


    "Get out of here. Whatever happens, I''ll take care of it. If I damage your belongings, I''ll also compensate you. I can even afford to buy your entire Peony Pavilion. Do you still worry that I can''t pay for the room?" Qian Shuxiao''s voice carried a hint of impatience. His desire to send them away was obvious.


    No one dared to reply again. The sound of footsteps leaving in a hurry resounded.


    Inside the room, it was a whole other scene.


    Ye Que sat squarely on the stool, looking calm and restrained. The pale-faced Qian Shuxiao sat on the collapsed wooden bed in a daze.


    "Sir, I wish to thank you for your help with more than just words. Please accept a bow from Qian Shuxiao." Qian Shuxiao struggled to get up as he panted. He bowed deferentially to Ye Que while trembling, making a 90-degree bow before straightening his back. If Qian Shuxiao''s father saw this scene, his jaw would surely drop. Not even he had received such a great show of respect after working like an ox for his son for nearly 20 years.


    "Don''t mention it. It''s no big deal." Ye Que casually waved.


    "It might not be a big deal for you, but it is life-and-death for me. No matter how shameless I am, I can still tell good from bad." Qian Shuxiao looked moved. "Please tell me what you need. I''ll give them to you with both hands and without objection as long as it''s something I, Qian Shuxiao, have."


    Qian Shuxiao patted his forehead with a smile as if he had recalled something. "You''re a deeply unfamiliar face. Perhaps you don''t know me. I''m the only son of the Qian family of Luoyang. My family is wealthy, incredibly so. It''s not a problem for me as long as it''s a problem that money can solve or something money can buy."


    "You don''t know, my family, ahem, ahem, ahem!" Qian Shuxiao coughed violently before he could finish his words, and the cough even worsened. He looked as if he was going to cough up all his insides.


    "Half of your Yang Qi has been absorbed and your Blood Essence was nearly stolen as well. Don''t speak so much. You sure are different. Qian Shuxiao, is it? Sit down here. I''ll examine you." Ye Que patted the stool beside him.


    "Half of my Yang Qi! Stolen Blood Essence! Cough, cough. How am I still alive" Qian Shuxiao asked in horror.


    Ye Que smacked his lips as he scanned Qian Shuxiao''s body from top to bottom. "No wonder the little fox demon has a crush on you and is desperate to absorb your Blood Essence. Just how many supplements have you ate since young?! Your blood is more exuberant than that of regular people, to the extent you yourself is almost akin to a living ginseng."


    "Ginseng?"


    "I have plenty of ginseng at home. Usually, I eat them like I eat pickles," Qian Shuxiao said in a show-off manner.


    After Qian Shuxiao sat down on the stool, Ye Que gave him a quick pulse examination. "I suppose this is what they call karmic retribution. But your life is definitely safe. You''ll experience a serious illness, at most."


    "Oh, please don''t! It feels terrible to be sick! I won''t be able to leave home for many days! Moreover, I have something important to do the day after tomorrow. I definitely can''t get sick. Sir, would you be kind enough to help me again? I know you must have a way," Qian Shuxiao said pitifully. A perfectly flirtatious young master now looked like a mistreated young wife. Someone who didn''t know what was going on might assume Ye Que was bullying him.


    "Sir!" Qian Shuxiao was about to get up and beg him again. He noticed Ye Que was amenable to coaxing but not coercion. Neither did the latter cared for his money. In his understanding, an expert like this generally valued etiquette and friendship.


    "Sit down," Ye Que said helplessly. "Turn around."


    "Sir?" Qian Shuxiao was puzzled.


    "Shut up!"


    Ye Que reached out to clap Qian Shuxiao''s head. He thought to himself, "This man speaks and lacks too much. No wonder the demon would latch onto him."


    He pointed at the middle of Qian Shuxiao''s back and Divine Energy poured into the latter''s body like the rush of a scalding heatwave. He replenished Qian Shuxiao''s Yang Qi and steadied the latter''s Blood Essence almost immediately. The process took no more than a few minutes and was so comfortable that Qian Shuxiao almost moaned aloud.


    Right then, three young masters dressed in expensive clothes stormed into the lobby of the Peony Pavilion. "Qian Shuxiao, you asshole! You only care about your own pleasure and forgot about your brothers. This time, you''re dead."

 Chapter 5 The Four Young Masters of Luoyang

    "Thud!"


    Qian Shuxiao hadn''t recovered his senses from the comfort he was in when someone kicked the door open.


    "Come out here, Qian Shuxiao, you brat who pays more attention to your lover than your friends! You promised we''ll enjoy good things together but once you cheated a beauty to sleep with you, you actually ran off to have fun with her all on your own! Don''t you think you''re shameless? Do you want to be kicked off the group of four young masters of Luoyang?"


    Qian Shuxiao, whose enjoyment was interrupted, was about to curse when he recognized the voice. He stood up at once, quivering. With an awkward expression, he was about to explain himself when Ye Que met the eyes of the three young masters who looked like they were here to question a criminal.


    "Boy, oh boy. The one surnamed Qian, are you looking down us brothers after meeting your new flame? You aren''t bringing us to play now, are you? Sick of us, aren''t you?" The leader of the group smacked his lips while looking around the messy room. "Look, guys. Just look. What a great commotion! Even the bed collapsed. Look, look, look, the noise is so loud. The bed is collapsing. Two dragons playing together. You''re making great progress!"


    Glancing at the calm-looking Ye Que on the stool, the man said disdainfully, "This pretty boy sure knows the ropes more than we do, knows how to play too. Looks like it''ll be just us three young masters in Luoyang from now on. From tonight onward, the four young masters of Luoyang are history."


    "Old Han, shut up." Qian Shuxiao was so anxious that beads of sweat were drenching his forehead. He had witnessed Ye Que''s skills, after all. The latter had defeated the demon with a single move, and it was even a magical power that turned the wine into a sword. Though Ye Que was young, he was unmistakably an expert among experts. He might even be one of those legendary Immortals. It was said the Immortals were both beautiful and skilled and one couldn''t determine their age by appearance alone.


    Now, his good friend was calling Ye Que a pretty boy the moment they showed up. If this angered the expert, they would all suffer the consequences. What if the expert also struck them with his sword? Wouldn''t they meet a certain death?


    "Hey, the one surnamed Qian. Did you tell me to shut up? Did you tell me to f*cking shut up? Looks like you''ve forgotten the great favor I gave you when I helped you block the wall brick, how much of my fine wine you''ve drunk over the years and how many of my beautiful concubines you''ve molested over the years."


    "I''m breaking off my friendship with a homo like you today!" The young master surnamed Han began to shout at the door, "Whoever has a sword, bring me one! I want to break off my friendship with the one surnamed Qian!"


    Qian Shuxiao looked like he was about to burst into tears after seeing his good friend''s adamant manner. He couldn''t care about that much at this moment and yelled at Young Master Han, "Han Yu, can you please shut your mouth? Will you die if you don''t speak? If you really want to die, don''t drag us brothers to your grave!"


    Qian Shuxiao looked like he was disappointed in his friend for being this stupid. He pointed at Han Yu''s nose and began scolding him. The more he scolded, the more unpleasant his words became. "Do you even have a brain? Did the donkey kick your eyes? How does this room look like two dragons are playing in here? Would you tear down the room when you''re having fun?"


    "I was nearly eaten by a demon earlier. If not for this mister here, you guys would find a corpse instead. If you''re even unluckier, you''d meet the demon and die in her hands." Qian Shuxiao pointed to Ye Que respectfully with a smile. He then glared at Han Yu. "Sir, these three are my good friends, Han Yu, He Xiqi, and Hao Le. Please don''t take their offensive words to heart."


    Qian Shuxiao tugged at Han Yu hard. "Quick, apologize to this mister."


    "Apologize?"


    "To him?"


    Han Yu pushed Qian Shuxiao and looked at him like he was a madman. "Have you gone mad?"


    "You said there was a demon earlier? How could there be demons in Luoyang? Do you believe them, He Xiqi, Hao Le?" Han Yu looked at the other two young masters.


    Both of them shook their heads. Their faces were full of disbelief.


    "I saw the demon with my own eyes. The fox demon''s face was this close to me." Qian Shuxiao raised his hand and formed a sesame-sized distance with his fingers. "There''s the foxtail as well. The entire thing was wrapped around my waist. Do you think I''d lie to you?"


    He then saw Han Yu and the other two nodding.


    "Fine. It''s okay if you don''t believe me, but you should believe in yourself, no? I came upstairs with the fox demon and I''m sure you got wind of it. But where is she now? If she''s really human, there''s no way she can fly out of this place. It''s because she''s a demon that she can escape unnoticed."


    Han Yu looked at the messy room before shifting his gaze to Qian Shuxiao and Ye Que. "That''s right. I forgot the main issue here. Where''s the beauty? Where did you hide her? I heard she''s extremely beautiful. This time, you mustn''t dream of ravishing her alone. I''m telling you, it''s impossible."


    "Goddamnit." Qian Shuxiao pointed his index finger at Han Yu. He took several deep breaths but failed to calm down. "You''re really a freaking fool."


    In the end, he had no choice but to curse his friend out. "You''re a complete fool who can''t distinguish good from bad. You''ve lost your mind. Why did I befriend someone like you? How frustrating!"


    "Well, you guys handle your own affairs. I don''t have time to amuse you here." Ye Que clapped his hands and stood up. Without even looking at Han Yu and the other two, he went straight outside. Suddenly, he stopped halfway to look at Han Yu. "The ignorant are fearless. You''re the first person who dares to call me a pretty boy. You sure are courageous."


    Ye Que snorted. He might be angry, but he wouldn''t really retaliate. To him, these weak, flirtatious young master was like an ant. There was no need for him to lower himself to his level. Moreover, while his history of slaying 10 million demons wasn''t fake, he wasn''t one to disregard human life. There was an inherent difference between the two.


    "What are you staring at? What are you snorting about? What''s wrong with me calling you a pretty boy? Don''t you think you''re great just because you have good looks? I''m giving face to the one surnamed Qiao, or else I would''ve taught you a lesson today. This is a world where you can get by with your looks. Everything depends on your strength."


    Han Yu patted a muscular man who had just entered the room. It seemed that the man was his bodyguard. He had a sturdy physique with muscles all over. In his hand was a fine steel sword.


    This man was fearless because he was ignorant and willful because he was fearless. He was able to spout conceited nonsense because he was willful. There was no crime in being ignorant but repeatedly taking the initiative to provoke people meant he wasn''t sensible.


    "Strength?"


    "Frog at the bottom of a well!"


    Ye Que shook his head without making any visible movement. Suddenly, the fine steel sword in the muscular fellow''s hands suddenly stood up straight.


    "Whoosh!"


    There was a flash of green light as the fine steel sword flew and spiraled as fast as lightning in the air. Then, it slid across Han Yu''s face like a thunderbolt and penetrated the floor between his legs.


    The body of the sword was straight.


    The blade penetrated three inches of the wooden floor.


    Besides Qian Shuxiao, everyone present felt their backs soaked in cold sweat. Han Yu''s face had turned pale. He looked so stifled that he no longer looked like someone venting his anger. Within a minute, the smell of urine came from Han Yu''s crotch.


    "Y-young master, are you all right?" The first person to react was the bodyguard. However, he didn''t take a step forward either and asked his master in a shaking voice. He glanced out of the room as he spoke, fearful something would be inserted between his legs out of thin air.


    "Is, is that the legendary flying sword?" He Xiqi, who came with Han Yu, was in disbelief.


    "Expert!" A dumbstruck Hao Le looked at the fine steel sword between Han Yu''s legs. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty.


    Han Yu was in deep trouble now. This was the first thought that came to the minds of both of them. They weren''t ignorant commoners. Being young masters who grew up in one of the largest families in Luoyang City, they were nonetheless privy to some secrets.


    For example, there was a palace hall deep in the grassland in the north with innumerable armored wolves. For example, there was a green hill on the south of the prosperous Tang dynasty, where there were dozens of Truth-cultivating sects. For example, there were Immortals in this world and flying wasn''t a dream, etc.


    The more they thought about it, the stronger their shock at this moment.


    Just how powerful was this young expert? Would he hold grudges?


    Whatever these people were thinking about, Qian Shuxiao immediately chased after Ye Que with a lift of his leg. The body that the little fox demon tormented had fully recovered after Ye Que healed him. He even felt more energetic than before.


    "Sir! Sir, please stay." Fortunately, Qian Shuxiao''s reaction was quick enough. Otherwise, he would have no face to say anything if Ye Que had already closed his door. He wouldn''t have the courage to knock either.


    "Your body is fine now. You won''t be getting sick either," Ye Que said dully.


    "That, I can feel for myself. Even if a tiger is to come now, I think I''ll be able to chop it into eight pieces." Qian Shuxiao patted his chest hard.


    "Then what else do you need?"


    "If I may be so bold as to do so, I''d like to invite Sir to stay in my family house for a few days. This is a tavern, after all. It''s a little uncomfortable for you, Sir." Qian Shuxiao looked terribly sincere.


    "It''s nice here." For Ye Que, a stable realm was the most important thing now. Living conditions weren''t important at all. He could cultivate even if he were to sleep outdoors in mountains and fields.


    "I know you don''t care about these worldly details, but you saved my life. I need to repay this debt of gratitude. Since you''re now in Luoyang, you must allow me to play host no matter what." Qian Shuxiao bowed to Ye Que once again. "Otherwise, I''d feel guilty."


    After a careful look at Qian Shuxiao, Ye Que mulled over the offer with a frown. "Tell me the truth. Don''t come here to flatter me. It doesn''t work every time."


    Qian Shuxiao''s proper expression became momentarily frozen. He gave an awkward laugh. "Nothing can escape your eyes, Sir. It''s true there''s something minor I need your help on when I invite you to my family home. It''s a small matter to you. I promise it''ll be no trouble at all."


    "Troublesome." Ye Que didn''t wait for Qian Shuxiao to continue before interrupting him. He didn''t have the spare time to play with a frivolous young master like him.


    Ye Que ignored Qian Shuxiao and slammed the door shut.


    "Sir, all I need is for you to attend a flower-viewing drinking party. You just have to stand beside me and watch."


    "I know you''re definitely not short of money, but this flower-viewing drinking party is most certainly not about tasting wine. That''s only the superficial appearance."


    "It''s actually an auction. It is said there would be magical treasures each time, even magic treasures from Qingqiu. I believe you''d definitely need them."


    "Sir." Qian Shuxiao summoned his courage and knocked at the door lightly.


    With a stubborn creak, the door opened by itself.


    "Are you sure there will be magic treasures from Qingqiu?"


    Qian Shuxiao immediately raised three fingers. "I swear on my integrity. There will absolutely be magical treasures there."

 Chapter 6 Den of Snakes

    Ye Que wasn''t in a desperate need for magic treasures of the Cultivation World, but tonight, the little fox demon reminded him that the Demon World ought to have begun invading the Human World. People might not pay it much heed now, but the time left for him was certainly limited.


    Ye Que had a plan to improve his cultivation, but he couldn''t get anywhere without things he needed. It required some luck to obtain certain spiritual herbs and ingredients. If there was an auction with things prepared for him, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to pay a visit.


    Noticing Ye Que''s excitement, Qian Shuxiao swiftly added, "Sir, rest reassured. Whatever that you like, you don''t even have to lift a single finger. I''ll definitely get it and present it to you with both hands. In Luoyang City, the Qian family has never been afraid of anyone when it comes to riches."


    "If I do find something I like, I''ll owe you a favor," Ye Que said in low voice.


    "Please don''t say that. It''s a tremendous favor to have you accompany me." Qian Shuxiao was so overjoyed that he was grinning.


    There was no need for Qian Shuxiao, the sole heir to the Qian family of Luoyang, to be so servile when befriending someone. However, his family was a merchant family. For generations, their offsprings were blessed with a keen eye for people. They knew whom to befriend, whom to share a close friendship with, and whom to befriend no matter the cost. Humans were the best investment. The Qian family owed their survival to the fact that they always had the help of nobles.


    From the first time he laid eyes on Ye Que, he was shaken by the latter''s skills. Moreover, Ye Que also saved his life. In his opinion, Ye Que was the luck-bringer of his life.


    The so-called group of four young masters of Luoyang was no more than fair-weather friends. He could have fun but not endure tribulations with them.


    Ignoring Han Yu and the rest, Qian Shuxiao immediately led Ye Que out of the Peony Pavilion.


    It was soon midnight. The entire Luoyang sank into a state of drowsiness and the bustle of the night market also dwindled. The diners in the lobby on the ground floor of the Peony Pavilion had deserted the place as well. The owner was currently calculating his income for the day using an abacus. The waiters swiftly finished their work with agile hands and feet. The guests on the first and second floors were fast asleep.


    The kitchen of the Peony Pavilion was located behind the lobby, and on the left of the kitchen was a lodge. Beneath the lodge was a wine cellar that contained aged fine wine that wasn''t commonly sold. The wine was kept inside the cellar all year round. If there was a great shortage, the wine would be replenished. Recently, several circuses from the Western Regions had come to the night market of Luoyang. Thus, the Peony Pavilion was especially busy, and the aged fine wine was also running out at a faster rate than usual. Today happened to be the day the wine would be restocked.


    Zhang Xiaojiu was the nephew of the owner of the Peony Pavilion. Thus, the nice task of replenishing the wine stock naturally fell on his shoulders. He touched the bulging money pouch tied to his waist. Humming, he walked toward the wine cellar while carrying the last jar of aged Du Kang''s wine.


    With one hand holding the wine jar and the other holding onto the wooden ladder, Zhang Xiaojiu climbed down into the wine cellar with great familiarity. It was only about three or four meters deep. In the blink of an eye, he found himself his way into the wine cellar. Having spent so much time on replenishment duty, he wouldn''t trip even if he walked with his eyes closed.


    "Never mind dragons and phoenixes and put aside talk of fated marriage. Your appearance alone has made you an occupant of my heart." After receiving the wine from the winery, Zhang Xiaojiu was in a particularly good mood and hummed a little song with great interest. The wine cellar wasn''t small but since he was the only one inside, the echo of his voice was naturally magnified.


    "Tsk, tsk."


    "Who?"


    Zhang Xiaojiu yelled uncertainly. Just now, he seemed to have heard some faint movement in the depths of the wine cellar.


    "Tsk, tsk."


    He had just finished yelling when he heard two more sounds. It was as if something was rubbing against the ground.


    Zhang Xiaoqiu''s palms became drenched with cold sweat. After all, he was in this dark underground cellar at midnight. If something happened, he wouldn''t be able to even find a place to cry. He subconsciously took out a match and blew on it with all his strength while quivering. Soon, the whole wine cellar was lit up.


    He raised his head and narrowed his eyes to get a better look. There was nothing inside the wine cellar except for hundreds of jars of wine. Zhang Xiaojiu exhaled. He patted his chest and wiped the sweat off his palms. A person could very well frighten himself to death.


    "I''ll never restock at night next time. This place is too eerie," Zhang Xiaojiu muttered. He casually placed the jar of Du Kang''s wine in his hand onto the shelf next to him. He turned around and immediately walked out of the cellar. He was a little scared now and didn''t want to stay here for even a second longer.


    "Buddha, please bless me. Buddha, please bless me," Zhang Xiaojiu murmured as he walked.


    However, at the moment he turned around, the blood-red tongue of a snake poked out from within the shadow of a wine jar. Then, the head of the green snake appeared as well. In no time at all, the green silhouette zigzagged toward Zhang Xiaojiu. The moment he raised his leg to climb the wooden ladder, the snake bared its four white fangs.


    "What the heck?" Zhang Xiaojiu felt a jab of pain in his ankle before an aching numbness abruptly washed over him. He held up the match in his hand and looked down at his feet. When the match slid behind him, his eyes widened, and an expression of extreme fear appeared on his face. He swore he had never seen such a terrifying scene in his life.


    As far as his eyes could see, the wine jars that filled the wine cellar were surrounded by snakes¡ªblack, cyan, green, and of any color. There were too many of them to count.


    On the wall in the far end of the cellar, the light of the fire cast a dark shadow. The silhouette was both human and inhuman.


    A shriek came from the underground cellar.


    However, the lodge where the wine cellar was located under was some distance away from the lobby of the Peony Pavilion. The kitchen was also empty at this hour, so no one heard Zhang Xiaojiu''s last cry for help,


    Even though time seemed to fly, only a quarter of an hour had passed.


    The sound of snoring permeated the guest room on the first floor, where a fair and fat merchant was lying on the bed. From time to time, he would also mutter in his dream. The fat merchant didn''t let down the bed curtains, perhaps because he couldn''t stand the heat. His room happened to face east, where moonlight filtered in. Under the moonlight, a long and slender shadow slowly moved its way to the bed. As if the shadow had the ability to target its victim, it directly climbed up the fat merchant''s belly and bared its fangs.


    At the same time, a woman who came to visit relatives from another country staying on the second floor was also surrounded by snakes. In the neighboring room on the corner, a young man who came to Luoyang to make a living was also killed. The cry of help could only be heard from one room on the first and second floors of the entire Peony Pavilion. It was a scholar from Qingzhou Prefecture who came to Luoyang to take part in the imperial examination. He studied hard through the night, forgoing sleep. However, he happened to witness the entire process of being besieged by snakes. Though he was awake, he only lived for a few more seconds. How could a weak scholar defeat a den of snakes?


    The owner of the Peony Pavilion was counting the bills when he suddenly raised his head and asked one of his staff, "San''er, was there a sound just now?"


    "It seems to be coming from the second floor," the staff called San''er answered uncertainly.


    "What bad luck! It''s nighttime but the problems are never-ending. First, it was that young master surnamed Qian. Then, it was that young master surnamed Han. What''s the matter now? Is there any honored guest on the second floor?" The owner rubbed the space between his eyebrows. He could feel a headache coming. "San''er, go up and have a look. Tell them to rest early if they have nothing to do and ask them not to look for trouble. This is Luoyang. There are laws and rules here."


    "Got it, boss. I''ll go right away." San''er gave a quick reply and went to the first floor.


    He walked slowly to the first floor, but in an instant, he ran down in panic and shouted in fright, "B-boss! S-snakes!"


    "Snake? Where? Do you have to cause so much fuss just because of a snake? Just find someone to throw the snake out and your problem is solved. Look how useless you are!" the owner scolded with a stern face.


    "No, not just one." San''er gesticulated while tripping over his words. It must be noted that he was a waiter of the lobby and his work mostly depended on how well he talked. "B-boss, behind, behind you..."


    "Thud, thud, thud."


    "The sky is dry, and the ground is parched. Be careful of things that burn."


    On Yong''an Street west of the Bridge of Long Life, the old watchman staggered past the Peony Pavilion. He smiled contently as he thought of the small jar of wine he had drunk before nightfall.


    The Qian Manor wasn''t located on Yong''an Street but on Vermilion Bird Street further north. The manor boasted of ten houses and hundreds of rooms. Even though the area the manor occupied wasn''t as large as the one in their hometown, this was Luoyang where every inch of land was worth money. It was said that manor used to be the official residence of a prince of the previous dynasty. When there was a regime change, the Qian family spent great amounts of money to buy it.


    It took a long time before Qian Shuxiao''s large six-person sedan chair stopped in front of a garden enveloped in the shade of green trees.


    "We''re home, Young Master."


    After getting out of the sedan chair, Qian Shuxiao pointed to a house in front. "Sir, this guestroom is the best location in my family manor. There''s a pond with a hundred of fish in the back and a green bamboo forest in front. It''s only 100 meters away from my room. It''s quiet and elegant, with green trees and red flowers. Please see if it''s to your taste. If it''s not, I''ll find another room for you."


    Ye Que looked in the direction where Qian Shuxiao was pointing to. At the end of a path paved with gravel that led through a small bamboo forest was a house with a red roof and green tiles. "I can live anywhere. I don''t have much of a requirement for these things. You''re free to put me anywhere as long as it''s not too noisy."


    "Then I''ll have to ask you to put up with this, Sir. This way, please." Qian Shuxiao led the way. "By the way, how should I address you in the future?"


    "Ye Que."


    "The Que comes from the idiom ''better to have nothing (Que) than substandard choices''."


    "Good name."


    "Are all merchants so fond of flattery?"


    "I''m not flattering you. Your name is really excellent." Qian Shuxiao clutched his hair awkwardly. Even he himself didn''t believe that those weren''t words of flattery.


    It was nearly midnight by now. Many houses and rooms in the Qian Manor had turned off their lights for a night''s rest except for some maids and servants working the night shift. However, what was strange was a brightly lit room north of the green bamboo forest several steps away. Judging from the size and structure of the room, it obviously wasn''t the servants'' quarters.


    Qian Shuxiao was particularly apt at discerning what people were thinking from their body language. With one glance at Ye Que, he explained, "This room was originally empty, but for some reason, my Elder Sister insisted on moving here some time ago. She also became obsessed with writing and painting here. Sometimes, she would spend the entire night painting. It''s strange."


    "Has your sister painted before?" Ye Que casually asked.


    "Though my Elder Sister''s name is Qian Shuhua, she never touches a paintbrush."


    A demon would surely be found at the root of any strange phenomena. Ye Que subconsciously looked at the brightly lit room and saw the silhouette of a short-haired woman by the window. Judging by her posture, she seemed to be painting. The front door of the house was open, with two little maids standing on the left and right of the door. Both were so drowsy that they were beginning to yawn. There was a painting hanging on the wall behind the main door of the room. The mountain and river in the painting were blanked in a dense fog.


    From a distance, the painting looked imbued with meaning. Upon closer look, the mist unexpectedly resembled a fierce beast that ate humans. The cluster of clouds formed the beast''s gaping mouth.

 Chapter 7 Painting Demon

    "Wait here while I go in and have a look." Ye Que''s expression was a bit serious. "Unless I call for you, no one is to enter no matter what happens or what strange sight you see. Or else, you''ll have to bear the consequences."


    "Sir, did you notice something? Will my Elder Sister be alright?" Qian Shuxiao hastily asked. That was his biological sister in the room. Something must be wrong, judging from how serious Ye Que''s expression was. In fact, he himself thought there was something off with his sister during this period of time, but he couldn''t find the reason. Now, she was likely to have encountered something dirty.


    "I''m not sure. I''ll only know after checking on her."


    "I''ll leave it to you and wait here then, Sir. Shout if you have any orders and I''ll be right there."


    Ye Que placed his hands behind his back. He wasn''t nervous. For the next hundred years, there was likely no one in Luoyang, even the whole world, who could truly strike fear and anxiety in him. Since he had a good idea of what was going on, he naturally felt no fear.


    However, he felt as if the Demonic Qi in Luoyang had grown stronger overnight. It was like he would meet demons everywhere he went. Wasn''t the frequency of the demons'' appearance a little too high? Or perhaps, was his luck too good?


    When he entered Qian Shuhua''s room, he saw a woman about twenty years of age standing squarely in front of the desk. Holding a delicate paintbrush in her hand, she wantonly slid it across the fine writing paper in front of her with rapt attention. The woman didn''t have long and black hair like an ordinary lady. Her hair was very short, about shoulder-length. Light peeked out of her black pupils, making her look energetic. Her cheeks were pinkish against her fair skin. Looking at her figure alone, she was definitely an exquisite lady.


    Qian Shuhua looked a little too focused at this moment, even a little obsessed.


    Sniffling, Ye Que carefully observed the landscape painting hanging near the main door. He snorted when he found a censer with three expensive incenses under the painting. "These small demons are really bold now. They dare to come out and harm people without even understanding what it means to cultivate."


    "The green hills stretch 30,000,000 miles; The gate to heaven is cut down with one sword strike. Show your true shape."


    Right now, there was a trace of Divine Energy stored in Ye Que''s body. He might not be able to use the martial arts techniques of the Celestial World, but he could use some of the techniques of the Cultivation World, especially the spells of the Qingqiu Sword Sect. After all, it was the place where he was once born in and the spells were also his most frequently used techniques. For example, he could activate the rudimentary Seal-breaking Spell just by opening his mouth. He didn''t even have to lift a finger.


    Following Ye Que''s spell, a sealing talisman appeared out of thin air and struck the landscape painting.


    It was like throwing boiling water into a pan with boiling oil. The landscape painting seemed to come to life in an instant. Large clusters of fog began to diffuse from the painting. The fog churned back and forth in the air and in a flash, condensed into a ferocious three-eyed demonic beast. It was still inhaling and exhaling the fog as if it was trying to cover the whole room in fog.


    "What an audacious and ignorant child to disturb Grandpa''s cultivation in isolation! Don''t you want to live?" A buzzing voice came from the fog, sounding like an old man who was about to croak after living for hundreds of years.


    "Cultivate in isolation?" Ye Que said disdainfully. "What kind of isolated cultivation requires messing people''s mind? What a joke!"


    Ye Que pointed to Qian Shuhua, who was still painting with all the strength she could muster. "You''re just a small painting demon. Do you expect people to light incense for you and worship you?"


    The great commotion occurred within a few meters of Qian Shuhua. She was obviously awake but was unmoved as if she was blind to it. She remained traveling in the world of painting.


    "I''m a sage on the mountain and a Taoist immortal in the painting. What''s wrong with people worshipping and respecting me?" the painting demon retorted haughtily.


    "How dare a demon like you call yourself an Immortal," Ye Que shouted.


    "You deserve death for defaming Taoist Immortals."


    The three-eyed demonic beast that exhaled fog suddenly opened its three bloody eyes and sprayed a burst of fog at Ye Que. The fog that filled the room had just dispersed continued to churn. From a distance, the entire room began to look illusory as if was submerged in water. It was as if the inside of the room had become a different world from the outside.


    "You dare to show off in front of an expert with a mere Bewitching Formation?" Ye Que, who was in the thick of the fog, ignored it. An illusion and bewitching fog of this caliber were incapable of affecting his judgment.


    "Close by my door are moored boats from Eastern Wu; Sword Qi soars into the clear sky."


    Once again, he used his fingers as a sword. Once again, he made the rudimentary sword skill of the Qingqiu Sword Sect. In the blink of an eye, a blast of Sword Qi punctured the thick fog to pierce the landscape painting behind it. Everything he saw was an illusion. The real thing was outside the painting.


    The landscape painting was the painting demon''s Gate of Vitality. If he kept focusing on the three-eyed demonic beast created out of the fog, he would never win. The beast was obviously an illusion.


    In an instant, the fog inside the room began to gather in the direction of the painting and swiftly condensed into a shield made of Qi. However, it was helpless against Ye Que''s Sword Qi.


    One burst of strength was enough to break tens of thousands of spells.


    Compared to Ye Que, the painting demon was still too inexperienced.


    "Please spare my life, Immortality Master!"


    With the outcome already clear, the painting demon dropped his insolence earlier. He opened his mouth to plead with Ye Que.


    "Please let off this small demon, Immortality Master."


    "You dare to seek survival after wreaking havoc in the Human World?" Ye Que pointed his right finger to the void and placed his left finger behind his back.


    "I swear to the heaven I''ve never done anything harmful. All I did was asking for a few incenses for worship. I don''t dare to harm people." The painting demon pleaded with a miserable face. Even the fog it produced was a lot weaker.


    "Did you really not harm anyone before?" Ye Que asked.


    "Absolutely not. Please give me a chance to live, Sir. I''ll definitely express my thanks in the future." The painting demon was righteous with his convictions.


    "Alright then. Show me your true shape. After I check that you really didn''t harm anyone''s life, I promise not to destroy the landscape painting," Ye Que said in a somewhat more amicable tone.


    "Thank you, Sir."


    Immediately, the three-eyed demonic beast and the shield made of Qi disappeared amidst the fog, and an old man with a white beard appeared, prostrating in front of Ye Que. However, at an unseen angle, a flicker of craftiness crossed his eyes.


    "Please, Sir."


    Before the white-bearded old man even finished speaking, an illusory cyan Spirit Sword abruptly perforated his chest. The Sword Qi that had been lying dormant also made a spin around the room before turning into a fine rain of swords. In the blink of an eye, the old man''s pierced body dissipated, leaving no trace of him behind.


    "I''ve said that small demons like you shouldn''t come out to harm people when you don''t even understand what it means to cultivate."


    "If pleading for your life guarantees your life, doesn''t that mean demon slayers can all be jobless? You said you didn''t harm anyone? Who do you think you''re fooling? I can even smell your evil air," Ye Que muttered. Then, he reached out to remove the landscape painting from the wall.


    The painting demon''s Spiritual Force returned to the painting after it was killed by Ye Que. Generally, demons that cultivated illusions didn''t have strong attacks. However, its life''s magic treasure was surely imbued with ample Spiritual Force. It was exactly what Ye Que needed right now. He would consider it his reward.


    He slowly walked out of the room and waved at Qian Shuxiao. The latter eager walked over to him.


    "Is it over, Sir?" Qian Shuxiao and several servants witnessed everything as clear as day. The ferocious three-eyed demonic beast was a complete savage.


    "Just a useless small demon. I''ve subdued it. I suppose this painting is its life''s magic treasure?" Ye Que raised the landscape painting, looking as if he was going to return it to Qian Shuxiao. "Do you still want it? From the looks of it, it must cost a fortune."


    Everyone, including Qian Shuxiao, took several steps backward as if they were stung by a bee. Qian Shuxiao waved his hand. "Sir, please put that thing away immediately. I don''t dare to keep it. This painting kills."


    "Don''t frighten me anymore. I''m a coward."


    "I''ll be taking it then." Ye Que conveniently rolled up the landscape painting and placed it behind him. He looked up to check the position of the moon. "It''s getting late. Everyone should go back and rest."


    He pointed to Qian Shuxiao. "Your sister should be asleep now. Get someone to send her back to her room to rest. She was put under an illusory spell these few days, but she''ll recover soon now that the demon is killed. She''ll be alright."


    After handing Qian Shuxiao the responsibility of dealing with the aftermath, Ye Que returned to his own room.


    The decoration of his room was incredibly lavish. From the looks of it, it was indeed the room the Qian family used to accommodate their most honored guests. Ignoring all these, Ye Que took out the landscape painting as soon as he closed the door and began pacing inside the room. Every step he took, he would move his fingers to chant a spell.


    Thirty-seven steps later, he had cast thirty-seven spells.


    When he completed his last spell, a pagoda-shaped, spell-based formation took shape. In the middle of the spell-based formation was the landscape painting. Right then, the painting was emanating a milky-white soft radiance. Threads of Spiritual Force swiftly seeped out of the painting.


    The spell-based formation was something Ye Que accidentally obtained while breaching a Devil''s Sect back then. It was called the Spirit-stealing Formation and was capable of extracting Spiritual Force from its owner''s magic treasure for the spell-caster''s personal use.


    Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Ye Que swiftly entered a state of meditative consciousness. The Spiritual Force seeping out of the Spirit-stealing Formation began encircling him in the air.


    The night provoked; stars dotted the whole sky. Tonight was destined to be an unpeaceful night.


    After spending an entire night cultivating, the sun rose on the next day as usual.


    The landscape painting that was filled with Spiritual Qi yesterday had yellowed after having its Qi absorbed for an entire night. The paper became old and the ink marks that made up the landscape became indistinct. From the looks of it, its Spiritual Force had been exhausted.


    The sky had just brightened outside when a screech resounded at the door of the Peony Pavilion, west of the Bridge of Long Life near Yong''an Street.


    Soon, one hundred officers of the Court of Judicial Review surrounded the Peony Pavilion so thoroughly that not even a fly could enter.


    "Lord He, there are twenty-nine corpses in total from the lobby all the way to the second floor. One owner, three staff, twenty-five guests. None lived."


    The man called Lord He was the newly-appointed Right Vice Minister, He Fei. He didn''t expect to encounter such a big case on his second day of work. Ignoring his subordinate''s report, he entered Peony Pavilion alone and walked from the lobby to the second floor. He examined every corpse that he saw.


    "Did everyone here die of a venomous snake bite?" He Fei asked.


    "Replying to my Lord: That''s what the coroner said."


    "Why didn''t anyone run out of the place?" He Fei frowned as he looked at the structure of Peony Pavilion.


    "Maybe there were too many snakes. The coroner said there must surely be a frightening number of snakes here last night to cause such wounds on the corpses."


    "How many can there be?" He Fei asked solemnly.


    "Tens of thousands!"

 Chapter 8 Flower-viewing Drinking Banque

    t


    Court of Judicial Review, Gale and Thunder Hall.


    He Fei kneaded the space between his eyebrows as he poured through the documents relating to the Peony Pavilion murder case. He wasn''t worried about the number of deaths. After all, he had even reviewed a major case involving the massacre of over a hundred villagers. What was worrying was the lack of evidence left behind, as if the victims had truly died of snake bites.


    "Is it possible?" He Fei had once asked himself.


    His answer was a resounding no. On the surface, these people might have died of snake bites but there was surely a perpetrator. Otherwise, why would those in the Peony Pavilion be the only ones who died? The inhabitants of the neighboring buildings were left intact. Moreover, they couldn''t even find the shadow of a snake within a hundred meters. These snakes were like an army, in terms of their strict organization, clear-cut task delegation, and orderly movement.


    "Lord, how do you think we should handle this case? So many people died, after all. If we can''t get to the bottom of this, we won''t be able to explain to our superiors. Why don''t we say it''s a snake epidemic?"


    "Snake epidemic? Isn''t that a little too concentrated in the Peony Pavilion alone? Do you think our superiors are fools?" He Fei scolded in a cold voice.


    "But it''s true that we found no evidence at all. How do we even investigate without a clue at all?"


    He Fei didn''t answer his subordinate''s question. He once again read the documents in the file from start to finish with a frown. Suddenly, a detail caught his attention. "Besides the owner and his staff, the account book notes 28 guests. But why were only 25 corpses found in the guest rooms? Shouldn''t there be three more people in the tavern?"


    "Based on statements from diners yesterday as well as the identification of the corpses, there were originally three more people indeed. One of them was the Young Master of the Qian Manor, Qian Shuxiao. He brought a foreign woman to stay in the VIP room. The other one was called Ye Que, also a foreigner who came to Luoyang to visit relatives. The only thing was that Qian Shuxiao and Ye Que left together afterward and the rooms were charged to the former. From the looks of it, he didn''t return home for the entire night."


    "Qian Shuxiao? Ye Que?" He Fei muttered. "What about the woman?"


    "We''re not sure. We questioned quite a few diners yesterday, but all said they didn''t see her coming downstairs. No one would remember incorrectly since the woman is incredibly beautiful."


    "Did she register her name?" He Fei asked.


    "No. The room was registered under Qian Shuxiao''s name. The word ''two'' was scribbled next to it."


    He Fei tapped the desk with his fingers before bringing his palm on it and standing up. "Go and investigate Qian Shuxiao and Ye Que. I have a feeling there''s a problem with these two."


    "Oh right. Did you mention the Qian Manor earlier? Which Qian Manor?"


    "The first manor on the Vermilion Bird Street. The number one merchant family in Luoyang. That Qian Manor."


    "Got it. Work carefully. Don''t inadvertently alert the perpetrator. Furthermore, don''t cause unnecessary trouble for the Court of Judicial Review. You must find clues to solve the case within three days. Don''t let the Imperial Censor laugh at us."


    While He Fei had settled everything on his end, Ye Que had just awakened from his cultivating state. Taking in the Spiritual Force of the world was more refreshing for him than for an ordinary person to sleep. The painting demon must have spent a long time cultivating inside the landscape for it had accumulated great amounts of Spiritual Force. If all the Spiritual Force inside was given to a martial artist, it was basically enough to promote him to a whole new rank.


    Coupled with the Spirit-stealing Formation Ye Que lay down last night, he basically wasted no Spiritual Force at all. Thus, his Realm essentially stabilized overnight, and he also saw a small growth in his Divine Energy. Ultimately, he only tricked the painting demon last night because he didn''t have a lot of True Force in his body. If he were to do it again now, he wouldn''t waste his time talking.


    If things couldn''t be solved with one sword attack?


    Then he would deliver two sword attacks!


    "Thud, thud, thud."


    "Thud, thud, thud."


    The sound of urgent knocking resonated through the green bamboo forest in the Qian Manor.


    "Is someone inside?"


    "Are you awake?"


    Unexpectedly, such loud knocking was the work of a woman.


    Ye Que, who had just waken up, frowned. "The Qian family is considered an influential family, but why is their maid so rude? Does she have to knock so loudly? It''s not like their guest is deaf. Didn''t I tell Qian Shuxiao last night that I like the quiet and detest noise?"


    Ignoring the urgent knocking on his door, Ye Que calmly tidied his bed before rolling up the landscape painting on the desk and placing it in a corner. He carefully neatened his clothing before walking to the door to open it. Right then, the door was knocked so much that it was on the verge of collapse. Moreover, the knocking became more and more urgent and the voice became louder and louder.


    With a creaking sound, the door finally opened. Nearly at the same time, a figure threw herself into Ye Que''s embrace.


    With a shift of his feet, Ye Que subconsciously got out of the way. Having undergone countless battles, he basically didn''t have to think before performing certain actions.


    "Thud!"


    "Ah!"


    The sound of flesh crashing onto the floor was accompanied by a loud screech.


    Lowering his head to take a careful look at the person, Ye Que was surprised to find it to be the Eldest Young Lady of the Qian Manor, Qian Shuhua, whom he saved last night. He had found the girl to look dignified last night. She had exuded an extraordinary temperament when she picked up her brush to paint. The second time he saw her, she was sitting on the floor with her legs wide. She kneaded her shoulders as hard as she could while grimacing in pain.


    It took Ye Que one glance to understand why Qian Shuxiao was so sure that his sister wouldn''t touch a paintbrush. From her violent knocking early in the morning, aggressive disposition, fierce temperament, barging into the room when the door wasn''t opening, she was basically a masculine woman. Ye Que thought this girl shouldn''t be named Qian Shuhua (T/N: "Shuhua" meaning painting and calligraphy) but Qian Shuba (T/N: "Ba" meaning a tyrant) instead.


    Ye Que looked doubtfully at Qian Shuhua. Though he didn''t talk, the implication was clear. "What are you doing?"


    Glancing at Ye Que, Qian Shuhua said vigorously, "Stop looking. Help me up."


    To Ye Que''s surprise, she was extending her hand to him without care for propriety between men and women.


    Of course, Ye Que wouldn''t touch her hand. Most cultivators were perfectionists. No matter how tender her hand was, he wouldn''t take the initiative to reach for a hand that had wiped the ground. "Get up on your own."


    "Would I ask for your help if I can get up on my own?" Qian Shuhua retorted loudly. "It hurts! Didn''t you see that I fell? Don''t you know how to speak up when you''re opening the door? I knocked so many times earlier. Can''t you hear me?"


    "I''m not deaf."


    "If you''re not deaf, why aren''t you opening the door then?" Qian Shuhua raised her eyebrows.


    Ye Que slightly raised his foot and kicked, causing the chair next to the dining table to fall steadily next to Qian Shuhua''s hand. He was indicating her to use the chair to get up. Naturally, he wouldn''t bother answering her question why he didn''t open the door earlier.


    Ultimately, she had to use the chair. She was even using her hand. Qian Shuhua wasn''t picky. She propped herself up using the chair. The moment she got back on her feet, she patted Ye Que on the shoulder. Perhaps it was because of their close proximity or perhaps Ye Que hadn''t expected it at all but Qian Shuhua actually managed to hit him. "Thanks for last night. I heard what happened from A Xiao. He told me it''s you who saved me. No wonder I kept feeling lethargic recently and my wrist was hurting too. It turned out that a demon had put up a spell over me. It even made me paint day and night. How did the demon even think of that? I..."


    Qian Shuhua gesticulated as her speech became more and more vigorous. However, before she finished talking, she noticed Ye Que''s expression becoming increasingly displeased.


    Then, she noticed the gray palm print on Ye Que''s shoulder. She compared the print with her own palm and smiled awkwardly. "I''m sorry, so sorry. I didn''t notice. I just didn''t."


    While smiling, she added, "I''m here to express my thanks."


    "Your brother has already thanked me."


    "He and I are different people."


    "Alright. Express your thanks, then."


    Qian Shuhua sneakily fished out a book from within her sleeve. Moreover, she solemnly placed it in front of Ye Que. "This is a book of secret records that I procured after spending huge sums of money. I was going to use it myself but after learning that you''re an expert among experts, I think it''s better that you use it first."


    "How about it? This is enough sincerity, yes?" Qian Shuhua said vigorously.


    Ye Que took one look at the book of secret records before turning around to leave at once. He didn''t even say a single word.


    "Hey, you''re turning down a book of secret records? Why don''t you stop calling yourself Ye Que and call yourself dim-witted (T/N: from the word "Que") instead?" Qian Shuahua then carefully put away the "secret records" and said, "Forget it. It''s not like I want to give it to you! I''ll gift it to my Yunhai later. He''ll definitely like it."


    The moment Qian Shuhua put away her "rare book", one could see the words "Ultimate Rare Book!" written in powerful calligraphy on the yellowed cover of the book.


    Ye Que couldn''t bring himself to deal with this strange Eldest Young Lady. "Calling me dim-witted? What a joke. Even an idiot can tell that thing is obviously a scam. What family would give the name ''Ultimate Secret Records'' to their secret records? Isn''t that a complete joke?!"


    He hadn''t walked far when he met Qian Shuxiao, who had rushed over to his room.


    "Sir, did you rest well last night?" Qian Shuxiao must have something to deal with, considering how rushed he was. Even so, he still paid his respects to Ye Que.


    Thinking of the lunatic-like Qian Shuhua, Ye Que swiftly replied, "No."


    His brief answer put an end to their conversation.


    "This..."


    "Tell me what happened." Ye Que could tell that Qian Shuxiao was struggling to hold back what he wanted to say.


    "The flower-viewing drinking banquet will begin today. Let''s leave at once. It''s a little far away and we need to take a boat there. I''ll have to inconvenience you during the journey, Sir." Qian Shuxiao took out a red invitation card and handed it to Ye Que as he spoke.


    Rain drizzled all over the streets of the capital. The grasses were green from afar, but upon closer look, they were pretty sparse. Now was the best time in spring, much better than when the city was full of green willows.


    Luoyang, the capital, was unimaginably beautiful after being bathed in spring rain. Outside the city, the surface of Luo River was rippling. Red flowers and green trees lined the river. Qian Shuxiao and Ye Que sat on a luxurious pleasure boat as it flowed down the river. According to Qian Shuxiao, the flower-viewing drinking banquet was held in different venues each year. This time, it was held on an armored dragon boat on the lower reaches of Luo River.


    While Ye Que was on the boat, the doors to the General''s Manor also opened and Ye Yunhai led a group of men out. In his hand was a red invitation card. Similarly, there was also a boat waiting for him by Luo River, where a young woman was waiting. Her every frown and smile were deeply beautiful.


    Thousands of miles away in Chang''an City, there was an eighteen-story building with a plaque reading "Star-plucking" hung in front.


    Right then, on the top floor of the eighteen-story Star-plucking Building, a red-eyed old man stared blankly at the thirteen copper coins standing erect in front of him. "Change in the stars, mountains of skeletons, tens of thousands of demons everywhere, an Immortal emerges from a river."


    "The heaven is fickle. Where''s our path to survival?"

 Chapter 9 Pour Me a Drink

    "Wandering the Jianghu with a Xiao flute and a sword; a jar of wine solves all emotional worries. Turning over the mortal road with both feet; treating the sky like a lid and the ground like a furnace."


    Two poem verses were engraved on the hull of the armored dragon ship, inscribed with the name "Mortal World Pavilion".


    Legend had it that the Mortal World Pavilion had a history that spanned several hundred years. In the beginning, the pavilion peddled information involving the Jianghu. Later on, when its influence expanded, it even got involved in the Cultivation World. In the recent hundred years ago, it even began selling rare treasures, immortal beasts, and raptors. It was said that every master of the Mortal World Pavilion possessed profound cultivation and omniscience. Every master was rumored to have the ability to make astronomical observations and break dragons'' veins. Even the imperial family and nobles revered them.


    Since this was a flower-viewing drinking banquet that the Mortal World Pavilion organized, the level was surely extraordinary. The final valuable treasure was worthy of anticipation.


    The armored dragon ship stopped in a spot in the river where the waters ran deep. The hull was thirty-two meters long and nine meters wide. The ship was four-story high. From the looks of it, it ought to be an altered imperial ship retired from its military duty.


    There was already a group of people gathered on the deck, all of them wearing luxurious clothing and speaking with grace. Evidently, they were offsprings from influential families. After handing their invitation cards over, Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao were invited into the dragon ship.


    "Sir, please take a look around as you please. I''ll have to excuse myself to handle some matters regarding the quotation for the auction. The banquet ought to have begun. You can appreciate it first; there ought to be a talent performance later," Qian Shuxiao whispered to Ye Que.


    "Go ahead. You don''t have to worry about me." Ye Que waved his hand.


    Those who could enter this dragon ship were all wealthy and respectable people. Those invitation cards were unlikely to be free of charge. Thus, the service was also superb. Since the Mortal World Pavilion prided itself as the symbol of quality goods, it wouldn''t bring shame upon itself. Everything was available here from good wine to culinary delicacies, all free for the guests'' consumption.


    An ancient song featuring tinkling tunes drifted from the front. Following the melody, a white-clothed young woman put a lively dance with her long sleeves flying high as she moved. The seven purple-clothed women behind her were all holding a musical instrument each: a standing bell, a long zither, a pan pipe, a flute, a Chinese harp, a wind instrument, a vertical reed instrument. Seven different kinds of tunes came from seven different kinds of ancient instruments made out of metal and stone. The sounds of bouncing pearls and vibrating jade made one sink into a state of infatuation.


    "The night gently descends upon Weiyang; under the green-jade clouds, the dancers perform the ''Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers'' as immortal tunes play. The sound of flute fills the space; the palace atop Mount Li remains empty on a full moon."


    The person, the song, and the dance harmonized to form an exquisite rendition of Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers.


    Not far from the young woman was a wicker basket. A small wooden plate with the words "Bai Yu" was placed next to the basket. The basket was already full of flowers by now. Short of an unexpected incident, this young woman named Bai Yu ought to be the Queen of Flowers this time. She could be considered as having answered everyone''s expectations and fully deserving of the title.


    The young women who took the stage after Bai Yu were unable to put on a performance that rivaled the splendor of the Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers. It was now close to midday and the guests of the banquet were gathering at the bow of the ship. Having spent a hundred years cultivating, Ye Que realized that he hadn''t joined such entertaining activities of the Human World for a long time. Allowing joy to wash over his mind and body now could be considered as a way of cultivating the mind and freeing himself from boredom.


    "Pour me a cup of Yuxie wine."


    Ye Que was strolling as he pleased when a lily-white hand came from his side and held a jade cup in front of him. Ye Que looked confusedly at the person beside him.


    He saw a woman who was handing him a wine cup with one hand. She twisted her slender waist ever so slightly to speak to the person beside her. "I''ve told you that this Yuxie wine is a famous wine in the previous dynasty. From filtered water and bluish-green waves come Yuxie wine. Get drunk and you''ll not wake for a thousand days; the taste remains unchanged even after ten years. I must savor it today. Mortal World Pavilion deserves its name indeed; it''s so lavish in its service."


    "Young Manor Master, you''re a warrior among women indeed. Your knowledge is impressive," the others near the woman praised.


    "You''re too kind. It''s simply because my father enjoys good wine and I''ve gained some knowledge from him." The woman called Young Manor Master smiled brightly after receiving compliments.


    "I heard Manor Master Lin has broken through the Pre-celestial Realm several days ago. Is it true?"


    "It''s true. My father is now in the Post-celestial Realm."


    "Congratulations! Congratulations! Please send my regards to Manor Master Lin if the chance arises."


    "Of course."


    The young woman''s identity became clear with just a short conversation. She was Young Manor Master of the Extinction Sword Manor House, as well as the only daughter of Lin San and the fiancee that Xiao Huating found for Ye Yunhai, Lin Mei''er.


    "Didn''t you hear me? Pour me a cup of Yuxie wine." Lin Mei''er spoke to Ye Que for a second time. Moreover, she was also looking him up and down this time.


    Following Lin Mei''er''s gaze, Ye Que looked around and soon realized that he was wearing the same clothes as the waiters of the flower-viewing drinking banquet: the same grey shirt and trousers. Even the material of their clothes was similar. The guests all around were all dressed in silk gowns and dazzling garments.


    Ye Que had been wearing the same clothes ever since returning to his youth and coming to Luoyang to return to his ancestral roots. If he remembered correctly, this was a new set of clothes that he custom ordered before leaving his hometown. Yet he was now mistaken as a waiter. Ye Que wasn''t angry. Rather, he felt more like laughing.


    "I''m not a servant of the Mortal World Pavilion. If you want wine, you can help yourself or find someone else for help." Ye Que didn''t take the jade cup from Lin Mei''er. In his opinion, his explanation was sufficient.


    Ignorance wasn''t a crime. This young woman wasn''t purposefully trying to offend him.


    "You''re not a servant of the Mortal World Pavilion? Then which family''s servant are you? Who''s your master? Tell him that Lin Mei''er is borrowing his servant to pour a cup of Yuxie wine." Lin Mei''er didn''t withdraw her hand after hearing Ye Que''s explanation.


    "Remember to fill the cup to the brim."


    The innately charming woman was looking at Ye Que with an elegant yet terribly arrogant expression. She was just like a white swan. The reason she was able to make such an unreasonable demand in a matter-of-fact way was that she was the Young Manor Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House and her father was called Lin Shan. In addition, she was also about to become the daughter-in-law of the General''s Manor.


    Ye Que narrowed his eyes and smirked. Then, he completely ignored Lin Mei''er and walked past her. He found it to be a waste of life to converse with a mannerless woman like her.


    "What an audacious person!" the person next to Lin Mei''er said indignantly. However, upon closer look, the person''s indignant expression was laced with a hint of teasing. "Heroine Lin, aren''t you very powerful? Why can''t you even find someone to pour you a cup of wine? Looks like your Extinctive Sword Manor House still isn''t influential enough. Your reputation isn''t strong enough to strike fear into others. Even a servant who dresses like that dares to disregard you."


    "That''s right. You mustn''t let him off so easily. You must teach him a lesson," said another person who wasn''t afraid of causing trouble.


    Lin Mei''er felt a fit of inexplicable anger after hearing all these peculiar words and soon the fire overwhelmed her mind. In the first place, she had a bad temper and enjoyed looking good in others'' eyes. Ye Que had embarrassed her. The way she saw it, this was a plain and simple provocation. He was essentially humiliating her.


    "Moreover, what''s that final expression on his face? What did he mean with that smirk? Did he think I didn''t notice? How dare a servant like him to laugh at me! What right did he have to mock me? How dare he?"


    Thinking of this, Lin Mei''er clapped the wooden chair under her and rose to her feet. She stared fixedly at Ye Que as she walked up to him. The hands that she kept behind her was beginning to slowly accumulate power. Having trained in martial arts since young, her strength was very close to that of Rank 2 martial artist. Coupled with the fact that her father would pour True Energy into her to nurse her meridians every few days, she had every confidence to prevail over a genuine Rank 2 martial artist. If it was a life-or-death battle, she was confident that she could escape unscathed thanks to the secrets of the Extinctive Sword Manor House.


    Now only ten steps away from Ye Que, she had already targeted more than ten large acupuncture points on his back. With a quick point of her fingers, she could make it so that Ye Que would be bedridden for three months.


    Lin Mei''er never thought of killing Ye Que but she must vent her anger and prevent others from looking down on her. This wasn''t only about her, but also the Extinctive Sword Manor House and perhaps even the General''s Manor.


    "Fengchi Acupoint?"


    "Shenzhu Acupoint?"


    "Or maybe Xuanshu Acupoint?"


    Lin Mei''er had finished gathering power in her fingertips. Right now, she was less than three steps away from Ye Que. She had already imagined the course of events that would occur later: She would bypass Ye Que from his left, using her right finger to point at his Xuanshu Acupoint. Ye Que would feel dizzy for two seconds, giving her enough time to move the chair next to her behind him. When he falls, she would step aside. From afar, it would look as if he had fallen asleep.


    "I''ll just use 70 percent of my power; that''s enough to make him bedridden for three months." Taking in Ye Que''s physique, she thought, "I''d better go with 50 percent. This person is too thin and weak. If I kill someone in the Mortal World Pavilion, it''ll be quite troublesome. Father said I can''t cause trouble for my husband''s family before marrying over. I have to be a wise and virtuous woman."


    "Alright, I''ll use 50 percent of my power," Lin Mei''er muttered. She then bypassed Ye Que from his left and abruptly thrust the right hand that was behind her back all along. She pointed at Ye Que''s Xuanshu Acupoint while grabbing a chair with her left hand. All that was left was for Ye Que to faint.


    However, the scene she imagined didn''t come to fruition.


    "The sensation isn''t right! I hit the air instead!"


    A light bulb went off in Lin Mei''er''s head. She had expected Ye Que to faint in advance or even screech but never imagined that she would slip up. She was a Rank 2 martial artist and a famous heroine from a reputable family in the Jianghu, after all. She was the Young Manor Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House.


    "How could I have failed to ambush a little servant?"


    "This isn''t logical!"


    She swiftly stopped, turned sideways, and gained a firm footing. She looked at Ye Que, who was still wearing a faint smile as if he was teasing her.


    "How dare you!" Lin Mei''er bellowed. She poured energy into the soles of her feet and got close to Ye Que with a single step. Her power was now twice as strong.


    Even though this was a close-combat fight, Lin Mei''er was showing a quick and violent demonstration of the "Flexible Finger-sword" technique. She targeted the weakest Gates of Vitality of the human body each time. In the beginning, she still looked calm and composed. However, she soon looked somewhat surprised.


    After demonstrating the twenty-one moves of the Flexible Finger-sword technique, she was stunned to discover that she didn''t even manage to touch the corner of Ye Que''s sleeves. Never mind injuring him or making him bedridden for three months.


    Right then, Lin Mei''er finally understood why Ye Que would disregard her and even show a mocking expression. He had the qualification to do so and had already seen through her cultivation. Yet she still dared to make him pour her a drink and call him a servant.


    Sayings like "no matter how good you think you are, there is always someone out there that is better" and "the frog at the bottom of the well" were all referring to her attitude earlier.


    Even though Lin Mei''er didn''t stop moving her hands, her face was already burning red.


    If she didn''t exert all her strength, she would be too ashamed to show her face.


    "This person has no shame. He has such high cultivation yet still dresses that way. He''s clearly playing dumb to take advantage of others! How detestable!"


    "Stop, Mei''er!"


    Out of the blue, Ye Yunhai''s voice resounded. Simultaneously, two experts of the Mortal World Pavilion quietly walked over to them.


    "I was wondering who it is. So, it''s the illegitimate child of our General''s Manor. You''re really a persistent ghost. How unexpected that a poor youngster from the countryside is entitled to enter the dragon ship."

 Chapter 10 Snow-covered Wasteland

    Ye Yunhai stood at the center of the deck of the armored dragon ship as he looked arrogantly at Ye Que. He said righteously, "So this is what you base your confidence on. No wonder you have the courage to come to the General''s Manor to return to your ancestral roots. Let me guess your cultivation. Rank 2 martial artist? Rank 1 martial artist? It must be a result of your good fortune accumulated over three past lifetimes. That''s why you must know how to be grateful and not dream of coveting things that you''re not worthy of."


    "There''s always someone better than you out there. Don''t assume that you''re all that impressive. There are so many people stronger than you."


    Then, Ye Yunhai waved his hand at Lin Mei''er. "Don''t lower yourself to the same level as this uneducated country hick. How would he know what Yuxie wine is? I fear it''s probably his first time even hearing about it. Let''s go. I''ll personally pour a cup for you."


    "Elder Brother Yunhai." Lin Mei''er''s expression immediately changed the moment she laid eyes on Ye Yunhai. Forget about her viciousness and fierceness earlier, she now looked like a cute and helpless girl. Her every frown and smile was delicate and gentle. She smiled so happily that her eyes bent to form a straight line, amplifying her charm to its extreme. "You''re so kind."


    The commotion had drawn the attention of other guests.


    "So this person is an illegitimate child."


    "Did he think that the General''s Manor is a place that anyone can enter at will?"


    "I heard the old General Ye used to be a frivolous playboy in his youth. His handsome looks made him a pretty boy loved by all in Luoyang City. There were innumerable women who adored him. It''s inevitable that he''d leave a few ''romantic debts'' behind but if every one of them goes to the General''s Manor to return to their ancestral roots, wouldn''t that be maddening?"


    "Well, it''s understandable since he wants to play up to people of power and influence. It''s just that he thinks too highly of himself."


    "It looks like Ye Yunhai and Lin Mei''er are getting married. That''s going to be a couple with connections in both the court and Jianghu. Second Madam played her cards well this time. Seems like Xiao Huating and Ye Yunhai will be presiding over the General''s Manor from now on."


    The crowd chimed in one after another and soon made Ye Que out to be an ignorant kid who came from the countryside to Luoyang City with the dream of leeching off the General''s Manor. This also proved that regardless of whatever era it was, that the influence of gossip and rumors remained as great as ever, so much so that what was black could also be whitewashed. If Ye Que was mentally weak even by a little, he would have died of anger.


    Would Ye Que be angry?


    Of course, he would. However, if you were to ask him to argue with the bystanders, it was absolutely impossible for him to do so. He didn''t have the mood to do so either. He wouldn''t pay these people any mind.


    This was how he saw it: If he was bitten by a dog on a street, was he going to turn around and return the favor?


    Humans were humans; dogs were dogs. There was an intrinsic difference between the two.


    Even so, even if Ye Que wouldn''t go and bite others, it wouldn''t stop others from coming to bite him. Ye Yunhai and Lin Mei''er hadn''t left for long before a young man walked over with a cold expression.


    "I''m Dao Shisi, Lin Mei''er''s senior brother. Since my junior sister isn''t skilled enough, let me learn from you as her senior." Dao Shisi slashed the air with his right hand and the saber inside the scabbard in his left hand automatically flew out. The saber landed on his palm.


    "Pre-celestial Realm!"


    "Man and Saber as One!"


    The crowd took a sharp intake of breath. The Extinctive Sword Manor House was impressive, indeed. Manor Master Lin Shan had just broken into the Post-celestial Realm, but his disciple had already entered the Pre-celestial Realm.


    "I heard Dao Shisi has become the Eldest Senior Brother of the Extinctive Sword Manor House," someone muttered.


    "Eldest Senior Brother? If he''s called Dao Shisi (T/N: Dao Fourteen), that means he''s the fourteenth disciple of Lin Shan. If he wants to be the Eldest Senior Brother, he must prevail over thirteen people. He''s really terrifying," someone commented in a quiet voice.


    "Rumors had it that Dao Shisi adores his junior sister, Lin Mei''er, since young and dotes on her more than Lin Shan does. Looks like we''re in for a good show this time. Ye Yunhai attacked with his mouth, but not his hands. Dao Shisi is really leaving that kid no way out. He has every intention to kill him."


    Ye Que looked a little annoyed now. The reason he attended this flower-viewing drinking banquet was to see if he could obtain some materials to forge magic treasures of the Cultivation World or spiritual herbs that could enhance his cultivation. He never thought of creating trouble here. His attitude was tempered through a hundred years of cultivation and all of his sharp edges had long been dulled until he was no longer a temperamental person. Right now, he was just afraid of troublesome things.


    However, even if he didn''t go out seeking trouble, trouble would still come knocking anyway.


    Like a wise saying in the three worlds went, "Where there are people, cultivators could be found. People have no freedom to act independently when cultivating."


    Ye Que scanned the crowd around him before shifting his gaze toward the determined-looking Dao Shisi. He sighed a little helplessly. "These young and inexperienced brats these days really don''t know the perils of cultivating!"


    "What does true cultivation look like? What are the regulations of the three worlds?"


    "Either way, all those nonsense about formidable heroes with long swords and the tender sentiments of beautiful women are just a legend. Those are created to attract group after group of people to join without fear. This is all to replenish the young blood of the Cultivation World."


    "The real three worlds are a wasteland soaked with blood that is full of order and power. They can''t contain the dreams and hot-blooded recklessness of the youth. Dreams are things you lie to the lower-rung disciples about. When you spill too much blood, you''ll die."


    Ye Que neither moved nor spoke. He wore only a bright smile on his face.


    Right when the serious mood reached its peak, a burst of melodious music reverberated. In the blink of an eye, two experts from the Mortal World Pavilion inserted themselves between Ye Que and Dao Shisi.


    "Sir, the flower-viewing drinking banquet is a place for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. Battling and murdering aren''t a good idea. It''ll be a waste of this beautiful scenery on this river. I ask that you two show me some face and refrain from fighting," said a clear, sweet-sounding voice. The guests turned around in unison and saw that it was the young woman who danced the Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers, Bai Yu. She made a small bow at everyone as a sign of good fortune.


    "This is the Mortal World Pavilion. Those who don''t adhere to the regulations may get off this ship," the two experts from the Mortal World Pavilion added at the tail of Bai Yu''s words.


    One party was playing the hero, while the other was playing the villain.


    They had shown both Ye Que and Dao Shisi every courtesy. If both of them didn''t accept it, they were free to leave. The ability of the Mortal World Pavilion to handle emergencies was truly extraordinary.


    Ye Que wasn''t bothered as he had encountered such situations one too many times. He indicated to Miss Bai Yu that he was alright and pointed to Dao Shisi. The crux of the matter was the latter''s response.


    A brief moment later, Dao Shisi stopped putting up a resistance and returned his saber back to its scabbard. His expression was still grim, however. He still looked as if he wasn''t going to let Ye Que go and stared fixedly at the latter for some time. Suddenly, he raised his hand. "I can deal with Junior Sister''s matters some other day. Since the Mortal World Pavilion is the organizer of this flower-viewing drinking banquet, you all have the right to determine the regulations. Fine then. I want to ask this person. How did you board this dragon boat?"


    "We all heard what Young Master Ye Yunhai said earlier. He grew up in the countryside and this is his first time coming to Luoyang. Even though his skills are decent, he''s nameless. After all, we all know you need an invitation card to attend this flower-viewing drinking banquet. I''m very curious as to how you obtained the invitation card. Or perhaps, you didn''t have an invitation at all and sneaked in through other means?"


    Dao Shisi glanced at the crowd and said loudly, "Everyone, you saw his skills earlier. He''s equally matched with my Junior Sister. It''s not a challenge for him to slip in unnoticed."


    He arrived in front of Ye Que in a few steps and pointed to outside of the ship. He emphasized every word as he added, "Follow the rules of the Mortal World Pavilion. If you don''t have an invitation card, please leave this place immediately. This place doesn''t welcome swindlers. Scram out of the long boat!"


    He strung his sentences well and his argument was reasonable. It seemed like Dao Shisi was determined to humiliate Ye Que. The guests around them also noticed that Ye Que might really have sneaked in, considering his attire. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have dressed so casually. Even if he was a family servant and came here with someone else, he would definitely not have an invitation card in hand. If other guests with invitation cards strongly requested him to leave the ship, not even the Mortal World Pavilion could do anything about it.


    The Mortal World Pavilion couldn''t be the first to break their own rule.


    "Mr. Shisi, where it is possible to let people off, one should spare them," Bai Yu said softly,.


    Dao Shisi snorted after sparing Bai Yu a glance. "I''m just an unrefined person who knows only martial artists and not a thing about poetry and painting. This young lady, please know that Junior Sister is the only one in my heart."


    "So, an insignificant Queen of Flower like you can shut your trap."


    Dao Shisi then turned to look at Ye Que. "If you can''t take out your invitation card, get the hell out of this place."


    He looked at the two experts from the Mortal World Pavilion. His meaning was clear: This was their time to uphold justice.


    The experts from the Mortal World Pavilion basically didn''t give it a second thought. Expressionlessly, they told Ye Que, "Please show us your invitation card."


    "Why aren''t you examining his invitation card?" Ye Que pointed to Dao Shisi.


    "Mr. Dao Shisi is the Eldest Senior Brother of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. He has attended events that the Mortal World Pavilion organized many times and we have met him before. That''s why we don''t have to verify his identity."


    "Did you hear that? They don''t need to verify my identity. But that won''t work for you. You''re an illegitimate child and a country bumpkin. What identity do you even have? I advise you to leave the ship on your own as soon as possible lest you embarrass yourself." Dao Shisi stood there proudly as he repeatedly sneered at Ye Que.


    Ye Que didn''t move and stood there by his lonesome. No one knew what he was thinking.


    The sounds of the guests discussing became louder and louder. They were also gesticulating at Ye Que as they talked.


    Some distance away, Ye Yunhai, who had his back against them, was pulling Lin Mei''er along by her hand. A victorious smile appeared on his face.


    "Get out of my way."


    "Get out of my way."


    "Get out of my way, all of you!"


    Suddenly, a fit of uproar came from outside the crowd.


    "Who''s asking Mr. Ye to leave the ship?"


    A young man pushed aside the crowd and abruptly ran to join Ye Que''s side. Qian Shuxiao, who had disappeared for some time, finally showed up.


    "Who was it? Which audacious person dare to ask Mr. Ye to leave the ship?" Qian Shuxiao yelled while pointing at everyone.


    "Was it you?" he asked viciously as he pointed at one of the guests. The guest responded with a shake of his head. Then, he pointed at Dao Shisi and the two experts from the Mortal World Pavilion.


    "We requested that he show his invitation card. Without an invitation card, he can''t join the flower-viewing drinking banquet," one of the experts from the Mortal World Pavilion said stubbornly. He knew it was impossible that Ye Que wouldn''t have an invitation card. How could the magnificent Qian family of Luoyang be considered one of the richest families if they couldn''t even obtain two invitation cards?!


    "Invitation card?" Qian Shuxiao nearly burst with rage after hearing the explanation. He walked up to the expert in two steps and pointed at the latter''s nose with all his strength. "Which eye are you using when you see that Mr. Ye didn''t have an invitation card? How did he board the dragon ship if he didn''t have a card? Is this how the Mortal World Pavilion treat their guests? I''m telling you, you''re done for! You''re freaking done for! I''ll go and complain about you. I''ll definitely complain about you! Someone like you wants to stay in the Mortal World Pavilion? If you belong to the Qian household, I''ll definitely beat you until you''re crippled!"


    "Didn''t you want to see the invitation card?" Qian Shuxiao stretched his hand into his bosom and fiercely fished out a stack of red papers. He didn''t even care whether any of those were the invitation cards but he shoved them to the expert''s face anyway.


    "Is this enough? If not, I still have more! You''re wasting so much energy just because of a damned invitation card. Let me tell you. Something like this? However many that I want is exactly however many that your flower-viewing drinking banquet will have to deliver to me!"


    "And you''re foolish enough not to ask around just how much money I spent at the Mortal World Pavilion!"

 Chapter 11 Using Force to Bully Others

    The two experts from the Mortal World Pavilion who were being harshly scolded by Qian Shuxiao showed no change in expression. They still looked as aloof as ever. After taking a glance at Qian Shuxiao''s invitation cards and verified that they were authentic, they automatically retreated to the side. They had no reason to make things difficult for Ye Que. The Mortal World Pavilion was a business; there was no such thing as turning away money.


    "Who is this person? He''s so audacious! Isn''t he worried about being beaten up as soon as he steps out of his home?" someone asked confusedly in a quiet voice.


    "How could you not know him? You''re not a Luoyang native, are you? He''s Qian Shuxiao, the only grandson of the Qian Manor," someone else immediately explained.


    "Is he very rich?"


    "His family riches might not be able to rival the coffers of an entire nation, but more than enough to rival that of a city."


    After Dao Shisi saw that Qian Shuxiao was backing the young man up, he understood that it would be impossible to humiliate the man today and that he would have to find another opportunity to avenge his Junior Sister. However, he was confused as to why a poor country bumpkin would be acquaintances with a playboy Young Master from Luoyang. The two of them obviously came from different worlds and there shouldn''t be any sort of connection between them.


    He snorted before turning to flash the faraway Lin Mei''er an apologetic expression. He was prepared to leave as he wasn''t interested in the selection of the Queen of Flowers. Lin Mei''er was the only one for him in this multifarious world, whether or not she could be his partner. To him, the final auction item was the main show. If he could win a great gift for his master, his trip here wouldn''t be in vain. His master''s 50th birthday was about to arrive.


    "Wait a moment."


    The moment Dao Shisi was about to leave, Qian Shuxiao stopped him.


    "Were you the one who shouted at Mr. Ye and demanded that he get off the dragon ship?"


    Qian Shuxiao pointed respectfully to Ye Que. "Do you think Mr. Ye is someone you can chide as you please?"


    Qian Shuxiao was truly furious this time. All he could do was shout at the people from the Mortal World Pavilion. Though he had his backing, it would implicate too much if he did anything and the gains wouldn''t make up for his loss. However, Dao Shisi was nothing to him. Compared to Ye Que, he was even more insignificant than an insect.


    After all, Ye Que was Qian Shuxiao''s savior as well as the lifetime luck-bringer that the latter selected. He was also the first person that Qian Shuxiao sincerely wished to befriend. Perhaps there were people similar to Ye Que next to his grandfather or father but those were all his elders and not someone of his generation. Neither were those people his trusted aides. He, who was destined to helm the Qian family, must pave his future road.


    Yet the impertinent Dao Shisi had humiliated the person that he chose. This was worse than humiliating himself.


    "What do you want?" Dao Shisi had some misgivings because he recognized Qian Shuxiao. His tone was also much more polite.


    "Apologize to the old Mr. Ye. Seek his forgiveness and plead for his understanding," Qian Shuxiao replied matter-of-factly.


    "Apologize?" Dao Shisi pointed to Ye Que. "To him?"


    "And plead for old Mr. Ye''s understanding? Is his hair even fully grown? You dare call him old? What a joke."


    As if he had predicted that Dao Shisi would respond in that manner, Qian Shuxiao said, "I''ve given you a chance. If you apologize now, I''ll pretend as if nothing has happened. But it won''t just be as simple as an apology later on."


    Dao Shisi''s expression didn''t change as if he didn''t hear what Qian Shuxiao said. He raised his foot, about to walk away.


    He couldn''t be bothered to lower himself to the level of a frivolous Young Master like him.


    "One year''s worth of weapon procurement in Luoyang City," Qian Shuxiao said coolly while narrowing his eyes.


    Dao Shisi stopped in his tracks. He turned around to look at Qian Shuxiao.


    "I''m the sole grandson of the Qian family and my word represents the entire Qian household. You can choose not to believe me and you''re also free to test it." Qian Shuxiao shrugged. "I''m not afraid anyway."


    Dao Shisi weighed the impact of Qian Shuxiao''s words on the Extinctive Sword Manor House against both his and Lin Mei''er''s egos. Finally, he clenched his teeth and chose to be silent. His expression was now incredibly unpleasant.


    "Courageous!" Qian Shuxiao raised his voice a little. "One year won''t do? How about three years?"


    Dao Shisi''s steps became as heavy as a mountain.


    "Still not enough?" Qian Shuxiao stared at Dao Shisi''s back and once again raised his voice. "How about if all the shops belonging to the Qian family stop selling weapons from the Extinctive Sword Manor House?"


    "How about from now on, the Qian family terminates all business dealings with the Extinctive Sword Manor House?"


    "Try and guess how much money the Extinctive Sword Manor House can still make in a year."


    "Will the Extinctive Sword Manor House still be able to feed their disciples? Can they still afford rent for the mine under government contract?"


    Qian Shuxiao paused for a moment and calculated on his fingers.


    "I heard the weapons that the Chinese Redbud Manor House, Amid Clouds Forge, and Mount Qingcheng produce aren''t inferior to those that your Extinctive Sword Manor House makes. Their prices also seem to be a little lower."


    Qian Shuxiao grinned with his eyes narrowed. Dao Shisi''s expression had already turned dark.


    "You." Dao Shisi pointed at Qian Shuxiao with a malevolent expression. "Fine, you win."


    Clenching his teeth, Dao Shisi walked to Ye Que in just a few steps. He took a deep breath and said, "I''m sorry. I was blind earlier. Please forgive me."


    He spoke quickly without even looking up to see Ye Que''s expression. Arrogant as he was, it was impressive that he was able to say such words. He wanted nothing more than to find a hole to bury himself at this moment. He was so terribly ashamed but he must do this. He was neither Lin Mei''er nor Ye Yunhai. He was just the Eldest Senior Brother of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. If the business of the Extinctive Sword Manor House suffered a tremendous loss because of him, he had every reason to believe that his Master would beat him to death.


    He knew his Master better than anyone. To his Master, the Extinctive Sword Manor House was more important than his own life.


    "You''re going to leave just like that?" Qian Shuxiao once again stopped Dao Shisi after seeing the latter apologize.


    "What more do you want? Don''t you think you''ve humiliated me enough?" Dao Shisi yelled as he glared at Qian Shuxiao. He thought that he had shown sufficient humility and fawning. Wasn''t that enough?


    Qian Shuxiao''s smile vanished. Putting an emphasis on his every word, he said, "I''ve already said that I''ll give you only one chance and if you let it pass, it''ll take more than an apology to solve this issue."


    "If an apology is useful, why do we need money?"


    "Making a fuss about nothing; where it is possible to let people off, one should spare them; every dog has its day. Aren''t you worried that you''ll fall into the hands of the Extinctive Sword Manor House one day?" Dao Shisi retorted coolly.


    "Are you threatening me?"


    "There are other Manor Houses aside from the Extinctive Sword Manor House. But if you lose my Qian family, where would you peddle your weapons? What other families have the ability to cover the entire capital, nine cities, and 16 prefectures with their shops?"


    "Moreover, let me remind you that you and the Extinctive Sword Manor House are different entities. Are you sure you can represent the Extinctive Sword Manor House? Does your Master know how you''re speaking to me?" Qian Shuxiao took out his final trump card. He understood very well what people like Dao Shisi feared the most.


    "Fine, fine, fine."


    Dao Shisi was rendered speechless but had no position to retort. Qian Shuxiao''s every word was like a sharp sword that pierced the weakest points of his heart as well as his deepest fears. His words drew blood at once.


    "You win!"


    "Speak. What exactly do you want?" Dao Shisi''s expression was no longer malevolent. Rather, he looked more like a deflated balloon. He seemed to have given up trying to resist.


    Qian Shuxiao smacked his lips and revealed a victorious smile. Then, he pointed to Luo River that flowed under the dragon boat.


    "Jump down from here!"


    "Get the hell out of the dragon boat!"


    Qian Shuxiao had always been one of the hedonistic Young Masters of Luoyang. He was particularly skilled in using force to bully others. There was no way he would let Dao Shisi off with just an apology.


    The guests gathered on the deck of the ship had seen something spectacular today.


    There were so many twists and turns in such a short time and the young man who they viewed as a pauper ended up becoming the final victor. The one who would get off the dragon ship and jump into the water was unexpectedly the Eldest Senior Brother of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. Moreover, since he would do it out of his own will without anyone forcing him, no one tried to stop him.


    Naturally, the Mortal World Pavillion wouldn''t interfere much in things like this. Moreover, such an incident would easily be gossip fodder for the guests. It could also be considered a free promotion for them. There was no reason for them to stop it.


    "Everyone, please enter the cabin. The selection of the Queen of Flowers has ended, and the auction of treasures will begin very soon," a green-robed man said in a clear voice. Then, more than a dozen of chamberlains filed out to lead the guests up the floors.


    Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao were the last to enter the cabin.


    "Mr. Ye, I''m really sorry for what happened. I was a little late. I didn''t think there would be someone this rude in a flower-viewing drinking banquet that the Mortal World Pavilion organized," Qian Shuxiao said apologetically. It was true that he was a little embarrassed. He had brought Ye Que here but caused his guest to suffer humiliation for no reason.


    Ye Que waved his hand. "It''s no big deal. He bears a grudge against me in the first place. I still have to thank you for helping me settle the matter."


    Qian Shuxiao immediately rejected his expression of thanks. "I didn''t do much; all I did was using force to bully others. Since they have something they need from my family, they have no choice but to oblige."


    "I''m not good with words and I''m worried about causing a fuss too. You''re impressive for being able to use your mouth to solve this issue." Ye Que was polite, but Qian Shuxiao seemed to have detected some connotations to it.


    "Not good with words? Then what is he good at? Expressing himself without words."


    Qian Shuxiao felt his heart tightened. He immediately said, "Mr. Ye, this is the Mortal World Pavilion. Though it looks ordinary on the surface, rumors had it that they have as many experts as there are clouds in the sky. They even have legendary Taoist immortals who can fly in the sky and burrow into the ground. Unless absolutely necessary, don''t make your move in this place."


    "Taoist immortals?" Ye Que looked at the man dressed in a green robe with a faint smile. "He''s not even in the Psychic Realm. Can you call him someone on par with Taoist immortals?"


    Without responding to Qian Shuxiao''s warning, Ye Que entered the cabin by himself. Qiao Shuxiao caught up to him just as he was about to cross the wooden steps.


    Turning his head to look at Luo River, he happened to see Dao Shisi buoying up and down in the water. He looked like he was about to return to the shore.


    "You can go and meet that Dao Shisi later. Tell him that he owes you a life," Ye Que said indifferently.


    There was no expression on his face.


    "If you hadn''t shown up, he would be a corpse by now."


    Ye Que then entered the hall inside the cabin with his hands clasped behind his back, leaving Qian Shuxiao behind to savor his words all by himself.


    In early spring, the waters in Luo River flowed gently. Even though there had been some light rain several days ago, the water level was still normal. There was still a long time to go before the monsoon season would arrive. That was why the dragon boat would be so stable, seemingly without rocking at all.


    A shoal of fish had gathered under the dragon ship and under them were verdant and lush water plants as well as some oddly-shaped river corals. All of them existed in harmony, but unknowingly, the sludge at the very bottom of the river began bubbling.


    Far away on the shore, two figures could be faintly seen behind the reed that lined the sides.


    A little further away, at a spot where the mountain and the clouds met, more than a dozen sword lights hovered uncertainly.


    The clear and boundless sky that hovered over Luo River.


    Right now.


    A storm was brewing.

 Chapter 12 Theres Yin-and-Yang Inside

    The guests filled the hall of the cabin. The Mortal World Pavillion didn''t whet their appetite. First, they announced the winner of the Queen of Flowers title this time and it was unsurprisingly the lady who danced the Raiment of Rainbows and Feather, Miss Bai Yu. She was also named the host of the auction today. The combination of treasures and a beautiful woman was indeed a treat for the senses.


    "Esteemed guests, the auction will begin very soon. Before then, please allow me to explain some simple rules. The items up for auction this time have been entrusted to us by a third party. There''s no shortage of valuable items and precious treasures, but there might also be counterfeit items with defects. Whether or not you''ll be able to fulfill your wish will have to depend on your judgment, knowledge, and experience."


    "The rules of the Mortal World Pavilion state that you must pay if you win the bid and that no returns are entertained."


    "I hereby announce that the auction has officially begun! Please bring out the first item!"


    Bai Yu, who had changed into a luxurious robe, came forward with a tray in hand as soon as she spoke. A red cloth was draped over the tray. "The first item is the Frosted Clouds Life-revitalizing Pill. It can extend your lifespan, improve your concentration, and solidify your foundation. If an ordinary person consumes one pill, he can extend his lifespan by three years."


    Several guests raised their bid cards without waiting for her explanation to end. The treasures of the Mortal World Pavilion were indeed popular. Moreover, they were also skilled at grasping people''s minds. Most of the guests here today were ordinary folks with very few being practitioners. What was the most precious to ordinary people? Naturally, it was their life.


    Extending one''s lifespan had always been the dream that everyone chased after since time immemorial. The pill could add three years to one''s life. No matter how expensive it was, there would definitely be people falling over themselves to buy it.


    "The bidder makes a 10,000 taels of silver bid." Bai Yu''s voice had barely faded and not even ten seconds had passed before the price of the Frosted Clouds Life-revitalizing Pill increased by tenfold.


    Qian Shuxiao shuffled closer to Ye Que and asked quietly, "Sir, how you do like the item? Do you need me to bid for it?"


    Without waiting for Ye Que''s response, he added, "The reason I attended this flower-viewing drinking banquet is to exact revenge. I''ll come clean without fearing you laughing at me, Sir. I also attended an auction by the Mortal World Pavilion last year and spent a thousand taels of gold to buy a bunch of so-called treasures. But after returning to Luoyang and verifying the items, most of them were defective counterfeits. For some reason, this became known to the public and the entire Luoyang City laughed at me for half a year. No matter what, I must recover my dignity this time."


    "All the items were counterfeits?" Ye Que asked in surprise.


    "Not all but every item was several times pricier than their actual prices."


    Ye Que mulled over it before replying, "Rest assured. I''m here. You won''t be overpaying this time."


    Qian Shuxiao''s face lit up with joy. "Then I''ll leave it to you, Sir. Then, do we bid for the Frosted Clouds Life-revitalizing Pill?"


    Ye Que curled his lips in disdain. He couldn''t even be bothered to look at the pill. Even a quick sniff of the item was enough to tell him whether it was authentic. "How effective can a pill concocted out of fire weaver, lingzhi mushroom, Bbulnesia Sarmientoi, and some multi-colored ginseng be? It''s only useful for ordinary people. Now that I think about it, it probably wouldn''t add three years to the user''s lifespan. How could a small sect like the Frosted Clouds Sect produce such a high-quality item? They''re bluffing."


    "Items of such quality are everywhere in Qingqiu. It''s only good enough to cheat ordinary people. I think even 5,000 taels are too high a price for that thing. The Mortal World Pavilion is really skilled at business, indeed. Just by giving their every item an impressive name, they can flip their prices tenfold and more. Items entrusted by a third party? It''s just an excuse."


    "If you want something like that, all you have to do is prepare all the ingredients and give it to me. I can refine more than one hundred of such pills in a quarter of an hour. Moreover, I can guarantee that they''re a hundred times more effective than that pill."


    No matter how disdainful Ye Que was, the Frosted Clouds Life-revitalizing Pill was ultimately sold to a plump man for 11,000 tales of silver. The moment the man received the item, he immediately opened the bottle and swallowed the pill as if he was afraid of someone snatching it out of his hands. After eating it, he wore a look of contentment.


    The second item up for auction was soon brought out.


    "Jade Dragon Jadeite Bracelet, an item for women that originates from the Jade Dragon Spring of Mount Shu. If the user wears it, it can help her maintain her youthful looks and improve her appearance. If she dips the bracelet in her face-washing water, it can make her skin fairer and lovelier. If she wears it during summer, the bracelet will relieve her of the heat and lower her body temperature. This item starts at 10,000 tales of silver."


    Evidently, the second item was targeted at the beautiful women present at the banquet today. What beautiful woman could resist the words "maintain youthful looks and improve appearance"? Even Lin Mei''er''s eyes brightened. She inadvertently used additional force when holding Ye Yunhai''s hand.


    "You like it?" Ye Yunhai asked her softly.


    Lin Mei''er nodded firmly without hesitation.


    Ye Yunhai rubbed her head affectionately and then raised his hand to bid. "50,000."


    "The Young Master of the General''s Manor is generous indeed to raise the price by fivefold with the first bid." Someone else wanted to buy the bracelet as well but withdrew her hand after glancing at Ye Yunhai.


    Looking around, most people had stopped trying to bid. Even a blind person could see that this was the first present that Ye Yunhai would give his fiancee. They would incur hatred if they tried to steal what those two coveted. Moreover, Ye Yunhai had named 50,000 tales of silver for his first bid. The bracelet was decent£¬ but it couldn''t match up to the life-revitalizing pill. The bracelet was good to look at but had no true purpose otherwise. After weighing the pros and cons, no one bade again.


    "Sir, what about this bracelet?" Qian Shuxiao had already decided that he would question Ye Que about every item regardless of whether it was good or bad.


    Ye Que glanced at the stage. "It''s an ordinary jade artifact with an invisible Taoist talisman added to it. A year later, the talisman will dissipate on its own and the bracelet will return to its original form when the time comes."


    "Is that so?" An idea came to Qian Shuxiao. "60,000."


    Qian Shuxiao wasn''t an ordinary person. Others might fear Ye Yunhai but not him. The amount of money that the Qian Manor gave as part of their offering to the court wasn''t something that ordinary people could imagine. Each time the court launched a crusade against the tribes, they would go to the Qian Manor to raise funds and provisions for the troops. It was understandable that the death-exemption plates accumulated in the secret warehouse in the Qian Manor over the years were now as many as 10. Moreover, there was also an unseverable emotional connection the family shared with the imperial court. Even the current Imperial Consort was Qian Shuxiao''s biological paternal aunt.


    The General''s Manor?


    There was no telling which side should be more concerned!


    Ye Yunhai frowned after hearing someone bidding and raising the price. He followed the voice to see who was so impertinent. When he saw it was Qian Shuxiao, he snorted and muttered, "Idiot!" However, he didn''t look surprised. Qian Shuxiao had always been a frivolous Young Master and an infamous prodigal son. It was quite ordinary for Qian Shuxiao to fight him for the bracelet.


    "70,000." Ye Yunhai once again raised his hand. His bottom line was 80,000. Past that mark, he wouldn''t even pay even a single tael more.


    Qian Shuxiao took one look at Ye Yunhai''s expression and thought it over before saying, "75,000 taels."


    "80,000," Ye Yunhai said without even thinking about it. He had decided that he would let Qian Shuxiao have it if the latter increase the bid again and then laugh at him. In his opinion, a frivolous Young Master like Qian Shuxiao wouldn''t quit after just bidding once or twice. This was the nature of auctions. One could get addicted after repeatedly asking to raise the bid and sometimes even fail to stop.


    However, the reality was always different from one''s imagination. After Ye Yunhai made his bid, a moment passed without anyone speaking. No one raised the bid!


    "Mr. Ye, a gentleman doesn''t steal what someone else covets. Since you like the jadeite bracelet so much, I''ll give it up to you. I''m sure Miss Lin will definitely like this jadeite bracelet worth 80,000 taels." Qian Shuxiao burst into laughter after he finished talking. He looked so smug that he deserved a beating.


    After his laughter subsided, he quietly said to Ye Que, "I know you don''t like this person, Sir. Today presents us with a fine opportunity to trouble him."


    A brief interlude later, all sorts of items were put on display in succession. With the passing of time and the increasing excitement of the guests, the time it took for every item bid to be successful rapidly shortened. The guests also took a much shorter time to decide on each item and the decision-making almost seemed instinctual.


    "This is the Birds Looking up to the Phoenix Green Jade Bamboo Fan from Mount Fengming. The user can summon fire with this."


    "This is the Humane Copybook from the Sage of Calligraphy from the previous dynasty. The user can gain concentration and peace of mind from this."


    "This is the Guanyin (a Bodhisattva) Pill from the Medicine Valley. The user will definitely get pregnant after consuming the pill and the infant will definitely be a boy."


    "This multi-colored, three-hook jade pendant is from Mount Kun. If the user wears it all year round, his intellect will improve, and he will be able to read quickly."


    "This sword..."


    In an hour''s time, 47 items with differing functions were displayed before the guests. However, under Ye Que''s advice, Qian Shuxiao didn''t bid seriously even though there were so many times. In Ye Que''s words: "Nearly all of these so-called treasures are trash that came out of the Cultivation World. They''re either defective, about to lose their effectiveness or wicked items portrayed as good. They''re poles apart from the exaggerated descriptions of the Mortal World Pavilion. They''re so bad that they''re not worthy of attention at all. Whoever who buys them will know how foolish they are after the fact."


    Even though they didn''t bid for any treasure, Qian Shuxiao didn''t just idle around. He appeared to be wearing a foolish grin, but he was staring fixedly at Ye Yunhai and Lin Mei''er. Whenever he spotted them showing interest in an item and preparing to raise their bid card, he would follow suit and raise the price without anyone''s notice. With Ye Que''s verification, he had a good idea of the worth of the items on auction. Thus, he was able to stop bidding within the range that Ye Yunhai and Lin Mei''er were comfortable with paying.


    One of them was the Young Master of the General''s Manor and the other was a Young Manor Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. When it came to business and estimating the value of an item, how could they compare to Qian Shuxiao who grew up surrounded by abacuses?


    Putting aside other things, he could tell from the expressions of Ye Yunhai and Lin Mei''er alone that they had become a little angry. It was evident to them that he was artificially inflating the prices. However, few people would believe them if they said it out loud. After all, Qian Shuxiao was infamous as a prodigal son who spent money like water. He was always the one who was fooled. When had anyone seen him hoodwink someone for the sake of money?


    They had no choice but to suffer in silence.


    "The following item is the Exquisite Afterglow Spice Bag. It''s from the ten miles of ancient tombs in Youzhou. It''s said that it will emit a unique fragrance that can reach a hundred miles if it comes into contact with sweat. It can also harmonize one''s Yin and Yang. The starting price is 5,000 taels of silver."


    Bai Yu had just finished talking when a momentarily stunned Ye Que narrowed his eyes and took a careful look at the item.


    Qian Shuxiao, who had been observing to Ye Que all along, noticed something abnormal at once. "What do you think? Is there something strange about this thing?"


    Ye Que was still expressionless, the same as he previously was. Without moving his lips, he transmitted his voice into Qian Shuxiao''s ears. "What Exquisite Afterglow Spice Bag nonsense? A unique fragrance that can reach a hundred miles? Harmonizing one''s Yin and Yang? Bah! Do you even know what that is?! That''s obviously a Yin-and-Yang Pouch! The design is a little different, that''s all. There''s also a concealed seal placed on the pouch. You''ll easily be fooled if you don''t take a close look."


    "Is it a treasure?" Qian Shuxiao asked quietly.


    "Putting aside the fact that there might be items inside, the pouch alone costs more than 5,000 taels."

 Chapter 13 Qi-gathering Body-tempering Pills

    Qian Shuxiao''s eyes lit up after getting Ye Que''s verification. "Does this mean that you think there''s a Yin-and-Yang inside the spice bag? And there might even be other treasures hidden inside?"


    "I''m not sure. It might just be clothes, but it could also be priceless secret treasures. That will have to depend on your luck and whether you''re fated," Ye Que said placidly.


    "Then how much do you think it''s worth?" Qian Shuxiao was already mulling over how much money he should spend to win the bid. Out of so many items up for auction, Ye Que had only selected a single one. No matter what, he must win the bid. Of course, it would be better if he could save money where he could. Who knew if there would be even better things later on?


    "I don''t have an exact idea how much money it''s worth but in the Cultivation World, it''s worth at least 100 Spirit Stones."


    Even though the Yin-and-Yang Pouch didn''t have much offensive or defensive ability to speak of, it wasn''t something that ordinary cultivators can produce. Only cultivators specializing in Mount Meru Law would be able to refine it. Moreover, the demand for such things was great because nearly everyone needed it. Thus, the supply of the Yin-and-Yang Pouches was unable to meet the demand at any given time in the Cultivation World.


    The rarer something was, the greater its value. Naturally, its price would also be higher.


    "6,000 taels." Inspiration struck Qian Shuxiao. He took one glance around him before raising his bid card. However, he didn''t name too high a price.


    All the spice bag was good for was its unique fragrance and ability to harmonize Yin and Yang. In the presence of other treasures in the world, it wasn''t something eye-catching. There weren''t too many guests who fought Qian Shuxiao for it.


    The eager-looking Qian Shuxiao even muttered, "Harmonizing Yin and Yang, harmonizing Yin and Yang. How wonderful! Wonderful indeed."


    Realization suddenly dawned on those who overheard him. One woman who sat closest to him frowned and said, "Pervert."


    Ye Yunhai, who had secretly suffered quite a few rounds of humiliation, couldn''t resist when he saw Qian Shuxiao taking the initiative to raise his bid card. Without even taking a careful look at the spice bag, he raised his hand to inflate the price. "7,000 taels."


    "7,001 taels." When he saw that it was Ye Yunhai who made the bid, he said nothing and leaned on the back of his chair unconcernedly. He lazily made another bid but added only one tael.


    "8,000 taels."


    "8,001 taels."


    "10,000 taels."


    "10,001 taels."


    In the blink of an eye, the price of the spice bag rose to 15,001 taels. While Qian Shuxiao kept his expression fairly neutral, it was Ye Yunhai who was beginning to frown. More than once, his gaze flitted to the item on the stage. He was no longer as swift in raising the price. It was just that he simply couldn''t swallow this humiliation. He made a quick calculation earlier and realized he had lost a few tens of thousands of taels thanks to Qian Shuxiao''s disturbance earlier.


    "Elder Brother Yunhai, don''t fall for that hooligan''s trick. I think the Exquisite Afterglow Spice Bag on the stage looks ordinary. It''s just that it has an impressive name. Its function is simple and its appearance is plain. Moreover, I don''t like overly feminine ornaments. I might as well have a sword; that''s more practical."


    Lin Mei''er tugged at Ye Yunhai''s hand. "I think he''s trying to trick you and deliberately angering you, so you''ll buy this useless item."


    From afar, Qian Shuxiao noticed Ye Yunhai and Lin Mei''er conversing in whispers and deliberately slapped on a cunning smile on his face. Then, he gestured at Ye Yunhai before pointing to the spice bag on the stage. He made himself clear without needing to speak: "Keep going if you have the capability to do so. Whoever gives up first is the loser."


    Ye Yunhai patted Lin Mei''er hand, his expression swiftly relaxing. He seemed to have thought it through. "You''re so clever, Mei''er. I nearly fell for this guy''s trap. Trying to trick me into spending more money than necessary again? Dream on! 15,000 taels for a shabby spice bag? Let him have the spice bag to play with the girls!"


    "Is there anyone else who wants to raise the price?" Seeing that Ye Yunhai had given up, Bai Yu knew the auction for the spice bag was basically concluded without anyone bidding again. "If no one is going to raise the price, then I''ll congratulate, Mr. Qian. For 15,001 taels, this Exquisite Afterglow Spice Bag is yours. Please keep it properly."


    After receiving the spice bag, Qian Shuxiao handed it to Ye Que without a second thought. Qian Shuxiao then gestured at the guests around him and nodded at Bai Yu, indicating that there was nothing to see here and that they could continue.


    First, Ye Que turned the spice bag around in his hands and took a careful look at it from left to right. Then, he closed his eyes and moved the Divine Energy inside his body toward the spice bag to probe it. "Let me check what kind of seal is placed on this. It''s cast quite covertly. Not bad, not bad."


    "There are two layers of seal here. The first layer is the Moon in the Water Incantation; the second is the Bewitching Miasma Incantation. There was even a trap of Samadhi True Fire attached in the middle. Interesting. The cultivation of the one who cast the seals might not be skilled but he''s very skilled."


    No matter how seals or traps there were, or even how skilled the caster was, it was merely the work of someone at the bottom of the Cultivation World hierarchy. It didn''t pose a challenge to Ye Que. Moreover, he had Divine Energy accumulating in his body. Whether it was in terms of strength or destructive power, the difference between Divine Energy and True Energy was like heaven and earth.


    After swiftly and decisively breaking the two layers of seals as well as breaking apart the trap of Samadhi True Fire, the somewhat different-looking Yin-and-Yang Pouch appeared in front of Ye Que.


    "Let me see what is hidden inside. To think that this pouch will be layered with so many seals."


    Hearing Ye Que muttering to himself in a quiet voice, Qian Shuxiao immediately shuffled closer to him. "Sir, what is inside? Let me see. Let me see!"


    Ye Que looked disdainful at first but suddenly, surprise took over his expression. Then, as if he had seen something good, the unexpressive Ye Que looked rather delighted at the moment.


    "Hurry up and let me take a look too. There must be something good inside, right? You must have seen something good inside." Qian Shuxiao tugged at Ye Que with force.


    He saw Ye Que nodding. "We''ve found a treasure, indeed."


    "We hit a jackpot by paying only 15,000 taels. Even if it costs 1,500,000 taels, we''d still be making a profit."


    "We made a hundredfold profit?" Qian Shuxiao asked in surprise after calculating with his fingers.


    "To be precise, it''s a three hundredfold profit. I don''t think you can buy even one-third of this item with 1,500,000 taels."


    Ye Que took out a small porcelain bottle as he spoke. "30 Qi-gathering Body-tempering Pills. If an ordinary person consumes a pill every day, he''ll be able to complete the Qi-gathering and body-tempering process in thirty days. After fully absorbing the pills, he''ll be able to enter the Pre-celestial Realm."


    "These pills are typically only found in the Inner part of large sects. It''s meant to help those extraordinarily talented children enter the Pre-celestial Realm. Ordinary sects will be hard-pressed to see even one pill, let alone 30 of them. It''s just right for you. After fully absorbing the pills and casually learning one or two martial arts techniques, even ten of Lin Mei''er couldn''t come near you."


    After his explanation, Ye Que placed the porcelain bottle in Qian Shuxiao''s hands. "Keep these pills. I think it''s enough to recover your previous losses."


    "I, I can''t." Qian Shuxiao might be verbally rejecting the offer, but his expression betrayed his joy as he held the porcelain bottle. How could a frivolous Young Master like him not be envious of those skilled warriors? He said, "Y-You should have it, Sir. It''ll be a waste to use on a weakling like me."


    Ye Que rolled his eyes at Qian Shuxiao. "Hypocrite!"


    "Since I''ve given it to you, just hold tight. I don''t have any use for it since I''m already in the Pre-celestial Realm. Moreover, that''s not the only thing inside the Yin-and-Yang Pouch. There''s still something else. It''s enough for us two."

 Chapter 14 Monster of Luo River

    Ye Que was now rather interested in the so-called ten miles of ancient tombs in Youzhou as it was able to unearth the Yin-and-Yang Pouch. Furthermore, there were even Qi-gathering Body-tempering Pills inside. This meant that the owner of the ancient tombs could not be an ordinary person. It was highly likely that he was a cultivator with decently high cultivation. That was because there was something else inside the pouch that was impossible for regular cultivators to obtain unless they encountered a great opportunity.


    The item was a brocade box engraved in seal script. If Ye Que recalled correctly, the box ought to be called the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords. There were 13 Spiritual Swords inside, one Maternal Sword and 12 Progeny Swords.


    The brocade box engraved with seal script was evolved from the Nine Palaces of Supreme Oneness Divinatory Diagram. Those who didn''t know how to decipher diagrams wouldn''t be able to open the brocade box. If one tried to use external force to open the box, all of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords would self-destruct and be destroyed indiscriminately.


    Rumors had it that this brocade box engraved with seal script was the sword box of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords.


    The obverse side of the sword box was arranged according to the positions of the Eight Divinatory Trigrams and the attributes of the Five Phases of Philosophy. The Sun Figure and Divine Pivot of each Qi section were completely identical to the Nine Palaces. The shape of the sword box was an asymmetrical disk. The disk was overly rounded, with four lines dividing it into equal parts. At the end of the lines was the engraving of nine surnames. The second faced the eighth, the third faced the seventh, and the fourth faced the sixth. Amazingly, it employed a different approach from the Luo Scroll Square but was able to result in an equally satisfactory outcome. Nine steps up and one step down; three steps to the left and seven steps to the right; second targeting the eighth; fourth targeting the sixth; and then conforming to Qian (one of the Eight Trigrams, symbolizing heaven).


    The Nine Palaces, Eight Divinatory Trigrams, the center of the circle, and line separation on the brocade box, that also functioned as a sword case, could be twisted left and right. If one wished to open this box, one must certainly be a physiognomy expert.


    "13 surnames of the various sages of the Spring and Autumn Period; their rise and fall like that of a dragon transformation," Ye Que said rather emotionally. "In my previous life, you became the companion of my Senior Brother in the Qingqiu Sword Sect. This life, you''re fated with me. Then why don''t you weather the chaos of the three worlds with me?"


    While speaking, Ye Que began moving his hand left and right on the brocade box.


    While he wasn''t skilled in physiognomy, he was familiar with the unravelment of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords. This was, after all, a treasure of the Qingqiu Sword Sect. Even if he didn''t interfere this time, it would eventually end up in the Qingqiu Sword Sect and fall into his Senior Brother''s hands. His Senior Brother had single-mindedly studied the seals for 30 years before finally unraveling them. More importantly, he had shared the various insights he gained during that period of time with Ye Que.


    Soon enough, crisp creaking sounds came from the thing in Ye Que''s hands.


    If one were to perk up his ears and listen carefully, one could sense countless precise mechanisms moving without leeway for mistakes.


    "Sir, what is this item?" Qian Shuxiao had been watching Ye Que looking at the brocade box in his hands with concentration. The latter even ignored the item currently being auctioned on stage. He was a little curious.


    "This item is called Spring and Autumn and contains the 13 Mother and Children Swords. It''s a genuine treasure but it''s not suitable for you." Ye Que gave Qian Shuxiao a brief explanation but his hands never stopped moving. His ten fingers moved so swiftly that they were close to leaving residual shadows.


    "That''s not what I mean. If you like it, it''s yours, Sir." Qian Shuxiao was content with the porcelain bottle containing the Qi-gathering Body-tempering Pills that he was holding. To be able to enter the Pre-celestial Realm in just a month was something that he wouldn''t even dare to imagine just moments ago. "There should be a batch of offensive treasures coming up later. Why don''t you take a look?"


    "Rest assured. This won''t take much time." All it took Ye Que to verify the item on the stage was a quick lift of his head. It was a black ancient sword. "Mystical iron coupled with Luetong. It''s engraved with a Speed Spell. It''s decently fast but the sharpness of the blade is just average. This is a Rank 1 low-grade magic treasure, unworthy of you spending a large sum of money to purchase. If you like it, I''ll refine one for you when I have the time."


    The magic treasures of the three worlds were divided from Rank 1 to Rank 7. The higher the rank, the stronger its power. Each rank was divided into three levels: high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade. The magic treasures in the current Cultivation World were mostly between Rank 1 and Rank 3. Magic treasures beyond Rank 3 could be considered as immortal objects. This was akin to cultivation realms. Back when Ye Que ascended to heaven, he was in the Level 4 of Apocalypse Realm. The magic treasures of the Destructive Lightning Calamity were also Level 3 high-grade treasures.


    If all 13 of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords were together, their rank would lie between Level 2 high-grade or Level 3 low-grade. In the Cultivation World, the swords could be considered as really powerful.


    The principal magic treasures of the 10 large sects of the Cultivation World were usually Level 4 and above treasures while those of the small sects were usually Level 3 and above treasures. Thus, it was an incredibly fortunate thing for Ye Que to unexpectedly obtain the Spring and Autumn Swords here.


    "If you wish to cultivate, I can impart a Qi-refining Taoist technique to you. After all, it''s not the orthodox path to enter the Pre-celestial Realm through pills. If you want to improve in the future, you must focus on cultivating without slacking off." Ye Que glanced at Qian Shuxiao. "It''s best not to visit places like brothels unless absolutely necessary. Those places damage your vitality."


    "Shuxiao will definitely remember your advice," Qian Shuxiao said earnestly. "Then, what kind of magic treasure do you think suits me?"


    He rubbed his hands awkwardly. Even though he knew the magic treasure wasn''t worth its price as per Ye Que''s words, being at the auction and looking at the glittering treasure made him somewhat unable to control his desire to purchase it.


    "Since you''ve never experienced systematic cultivation, you''ll become very passive once your opponent gets close to you in a battle. The best thing to do is use a magic treasure with a long-range attack such as..."


    Ye Que was about to name magic treasures when over on the stage, Bai Yu presented an odd-looking bow. "The Languid Bow of the Firebird''s Nest originates from the depths of the Mount Shiwan. Legend has it that this bow requires no arrow and its bowstring will automatically produce Spiritual Arrows. However, it''s Taoist technique has been lost a long time ago. It''s been waiting for a fated person to use it again. It''s very worth collecting."


    "Why is the Firebird''s Nest appear here? Isn''t it the magic treasure of that Older Sister from the Emei Sect?" Ye Que asked curiously. He then gestured at Qian Shuxiao. "This bow is not bad. It suits you very much and I have its Taoist technique. Go ahead and bid for it."


    Just as Ye Que was wondering how the Firebird''s Nest ended up in the hands of the Mortal World Pavilion, Dao Shisi who had been swimming for a very long time in Luo River outside of the dragon ship finally saw the shore.


    "Ye Que, Qian Shuxiao, I''ll remember you both. The humiliation I suffer today, I''ll definitely repay twofold in the future." Dao Shisi scolded under his breath as he raised his aching shoulder. Carrying the Bloody Saber that weighed twenty catty made him swim for two whole hours. Whoever in his shoes wouldn''t feel good about it. Only him, who had just entered the Pre-celestial Realm, had the physical body to withstand it. Someone who was a Rank 2 martial artist like Lin Mei''er might just suffer a different kind of fate.


    "To think a weak, frivolous Young Master dares to humiliate me this way. Just wait and see!" Dao Shisi yelled while gnashing his teeth.


    "Pui!" Dao Shisi spat out a mouthful of river water. He was frowning so hard that his face was nearly as crumpled as the skin of a bitter gourd. "Why is the water of Luo River so tart? Stinks too. Strange. Why didn''t I notice this before?"


    Looking at the riverside, his vision reached nearly one hundred miles into the distance. "How bloody unlucky. Had I know earlier, I wouldn''t have come to this damned flower-viewing drinking banquet."


    Perhaps it was because he was too indignant or perhaps it was because he was about to go ashore. He dropped his guard against his surroundings to the point that he didn''t realize a shadow swimming under his feet.


    It was a very strange shadow. If one were to swim deep into the waters, one would discover that the entire shadow was approximately two meters long. It had the head of a lizard, the body of a fish, and the claws of a wolf. There was a layer of brown carapace on its back. Its tail was both thick and long. Its mouth was gigantic and lined full of ferocious-looking teeth. Green viscous liquid was seeping out of the gaps between its teeth and soon dissolved in the waters. It was likely the reason for the stink that Dao Shisi was complaining about earlier.


    Evidently, this strange creature wasn''t something a human had ever seen.

 Chapter 15 Devious Iguanas

    If Ye Que was at the scene, he would surely recognize the oddly-shaped river monster. It was obviously an iguana from the Demon World. It shouldn''t appear in the waters of Luo River at all.


    The Devious Iguana was an amphibious demonic beast that could swim speedily in water and run like the wind on land. An adult Devious Iguana could prevail over three hungry tigers in a fight. Devious Iguanas lived in groups and any group with three in it could fight a pack of wolves. Even a Pre-celestial Realm expert would have to avoid a group of ten Devious Iguanas.


    Without giving Dao Shisi the chance to react, the Devious Iguana in the water opened its mouth and bit his foot the instant it came close. It exerted strength and pulled him underwater.


    "Who is it?!"


    Dao Shisi immediately recovered his senses after feeling a piercing pain in the sole of his foot. He focused all of his internal strength on the bottom of his feet and escaped out of the bite of the Devious Iguana with a burst of power. Having just entered the Pre-celestial Realm last month, his internal strength had yet to convert into True Energy. However, he was nonetheless an expert and escaping the grip of the Devious Iguana wasn''t a challenge for him. He also finally got a good look at the scene before him.


    In the somewhat murky river waters, Dao Shisian''s vision was filled with malevolent-looking demonic beasts that were Devious Iguanas. With a sweep of his gaze, he could count at least ten of them. The barely distinguishable beasts surrounded him so tightly that he saw no way out. Moreover, each of them was an adult Devious Iguana nearly two meters long.


    Dao Shisi took a sharp intake of breath. "What monster is this? How could there be so many of them?!"


    Right then, a trace of blood was flowing from the wound on his ankle. Following the water current, the blood swiftly spread out in the river.


    The blood stimulated the Devious Iguanas so much that they became agitated in a flash. They alternated between opening and closing their gigantic mouths, making sounds akin to the muffled cries of a bull.


    Dao Shisi showed no hesitation. Without even bothering to reach the surface for a breath of air, he instantly unsheathed the Bloody Saber strapped to his back. He knew that there weren''t many opportunities for him to escape with his life. The slightest mistake could mean his death. "Junior Sister, please bless me so that I can get out of this place alive."


    "A slash of downwind cuts down mountains and rivers!"


    While Dao Shisi was trying his utmost to save his life, Qian Shuxiao was auctioning on the dragon ship ten miles away and was crying "490,000 taels of silver!" in order to obtain the Firebird''s Nest.


    This time, Ye Yunhai was able to guess Qian Shuxiao''s intention. He kept raising the price, forcing Qian Shuxiao to name a price five times the starting price of the item. However, it didn''t seem to bother the latter at all. For as long as Ye Yunhai dared to raise the bid, he dared to play along. In his opinion, he would never a falter before a problem that could be solved by throwing money at it.


    "Young Master Qian is offering 490,000 tales of silver. Is there anyone who will offer a higher price?" Bai Yu looked at the guests present with a bright smile. Being a member of the Mortal World Pavilion, she naturally hoped that the price would rise as high as possible. Of course, she wouldn''t stop the guests from fighting over an item. The fiercer the fight, the happier she was.


    It was to the point that Bai Yu would sometimes fan the flames. For instance, when she was asking if there was any guest who would like to offer a higher price, she would purposefully glance at Ye Yunhai. Her meaning was evident: "Are you still fighting?"


    This time, Ye Yunhai didn''t pay Lin Mei''er''s dissuasion any mind. He was determined to teach Qian Shuxiao a lesson. "You want this item so badly that you refuse to let go, yes? Fine, then. Just cough up as much money as you have. Show me how much you''re willing to pay. Isn''t your family famous for having coffers that rivals that of a city? I don''t believe it!"


    "500,000 taels," Ye Yunhai yelled while giving Qian Shuxiao a provoking look.


    As if he knew Ye Yunhai wouldn''t give up, Qian Shuxiao didn''t appear angered. He turned his head to look at Ye Yunhai. "Young Master Ye, you sure are interesting to buy this bow for 500,000 taels. May I ask if you know how to use it? Or perhaps you already know the Taoist technique to open this Firebird''s Nest?"


    "You don''t have to worry about that for me. I like this bow and it''s priceless. I''m willing to pay for it."


    "It''s priceless and you''re willing to pay for it? But that depends on whether you can afford it! Miss Bai Yu, I request that his deposit registration at the Mortal World Pavilion be inspected. Does he still have 500,000 taels left after deducting the money for all the items he won earlier? If the answer is no, then he''s bidding maliciously. I can request that his bidding right for this item to be withdrawn." Qian Shuxiao saluted Bai Yu and then hinted at the green-clothed person next to her.


    Qian Shuxiao had a rough idea of how much money a Young Master of the General''s Manor possessed. Moreover, the largest bank in Luoyang City belonged to his family. Ye Yunhai had already bought seven or eight items today. How could he cough up another 500,000 taels of silver? Qian Shuxiao wasn''t afraid of spending money but he also wasn''t a fool.


    A short moment later, a gray-clothed young servant discreetly approached Ye Yunhai. "Young Master Ye, the sum registered under your name is insufficient to pay for this item. The green-clothed person, Lord Leng, told me to pass on a message to you: Stop while you''re ahead."


    Simultaneously, a gray-clothed servant also walked to Qian Shuxiao. "Young Master Qian, a person of great moral stature doesn''t remember the offenses committed by someone with a low moral stature. Please make another bid and consider it as a favor to the Mortal World Pavilion. We''ll adjust the price later and return the difference."


    Qian Shuxiao took note of Ye Yunhai''s expression before looking at the green-clothed man who remained quiet all along. Right then, he knew that the Firebird''s Nest was his. He had no plans of kicking Ye Yunhai while he was down. After all, when it came to business, amiability was what ushered wealth in and facilitated networking.


    "500,001 taels," Qian Shuxiao yelled with his hand raised.


    As expected, Bai Yu swiftly declared him the owner of the Firebird''s Nest. Moreover, she even personally delivered the bow to him.


    Qian Shuxiao had just accepted the Firebird''s Nest when he heard Ye Que exhaled a drawn-out breath.


    "Ka!"


    A sharp and clear sound.


    The sword case containing the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords opened with a creak.


    "Done." Ye Que clapped his hands and then immediately closed the lid of the case.


    Even so, tens of people inside the hall turned to look at Ye Que in unison.


    Ordinary people, even Qian Shuxiao who sat so close to Ye Que, might not notice at all. However, cultivators, even a Rank 2 martial artist like Lin Mei''er, had noticed a burst of enormous Sword Intent the moment Ye Que unraveled the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords.


    The Sword Intent surged as violently as large rivers. Moreover, it came in waves. The entire process occurred as swiftly as the blink of an eye.


    "What''s that item? To have such sharp Sword Intent!" the green-clothed man next to Bai Yu muttered to himself. He was the person-in-charge of the dragon ship that hosted the flower-viewing drinking banquet this time and a Grade 2 executive of the Mortal World Pavilion, Leng Wuxin.


    "This brocade box doesn''t seem to be one of the items up for auction this time. Did this person bring it himself? But why would he open it here?" Leng Wuxin looked confused.


    Right then, Bai Yu brought a silver crystal ball to the stage. There appeared to be a droplet suspended inside the crystal ball. The amazing thing was that the droplet kept shifting its form despite no one touching it. It was sometimes a sphere, sometimes a rhombus, and sometimes a needle. It was incredibly strange and mysterious.


    Ye Que happened to lift his head at that moment and saw the droplet. Ye Que, who was eternally calm in the face of events, finally began to sweat profusely.

 Chapter 16 Crisis on the Dragon Ship

    "Secret Key to River Soldiers!"


    "It''s actually the Secret Key to River Soldiers!"


    "Why is it here?"


    Even Ye Que was panic-stricken when he saw the strange and mysterious droplet. Of course, this didn''t mean that the Secret Key to River Soldiers was a demonic object that would swallow humans whole. It was the exact opposite, actually. This treasure was a very rare treasure. With it, one would have the hope of finding the River Soldiers.


    The River Soldiers were one of the Nine Great Divine Tools that were famous throughout the three worlds.


    However, that was the precise reason that Ye Que was panicking. Every place in the three worlds that had anything to do with the Divine Tools as well as every person or object bearing the karma of the birth of the Divine Tools would suffer from a Heaven and Earth Calamity.


    There would be rivers of blood, every plain would wither, and dried bones would pile as high as mountains.


    For the past ten million years, there had been no exception.


    If Ye Que was still the same Ye Que who was invincible in the Celestial World, he could consider coming across the Secret Key to the River Soldiers as fate and would try to obtain it no matter the cost. However, the current Ye Que was only in the Pre-celestial Realm. Without a thorough preparation, he was doomed to be cannon fodder.


    "Leave this place immediately."


    "We must leave at once. Perhaps the demons we meet in these few days appeared in Luoyang because of this Secret Key to the River Soldiers."


    "The best thing to do is concealing my strength and biding time. It''s not the time to show off."


    It took Ye Que only a second to understand everything. The sooner he left this flower-viewing drinking banquet and this dragon ship, the better. He must make no delay. "Pack up and leave with me."


    He stood up from his seat, dragging Qian Shuxiao up with him.


    "What''s wrong? What happened?" a confused Qian Shuxiao asked.


    "Save your questions for later. Let''s leave this place first." Ye Que was beginning to sound somewhat anxious.


    "We''re leaving now? The auction isn''t over yet!"


    "It''d be too late by then. This place is very dangerous. People will die. When the time comes, I won''t be able to protect you."


    Right then, Bai Yu had just finished her explanation on stage. She placed both her hands on the silver crystal ball and gave it a light clap. As if triggering some mechanism, the crystal ball opened with a creak.


    It was as if the droplet was finally able to get a breath of air. It slowly floated up to the air and began emitting a faint light. Like ripples, the faint light gradually extended throughout the hall. The light appeared weak yet was able to pass through the boards of the ship as well as the bodies of people. Then, it extended far into the distance.


    "This is bad. Let''s go at once." Ye Que no longer paid Qian Shuxiao''s questions any mind and directly dragged him out of the hall. Meanwhile, the guests were all drawn to the mystical air of the Secret Key to the River Soldiers, so much so that they can''t look away from the stage.


    In a flash, which also at the exact moment Ye Que walked out of the door, a low-level executive of the Mortal World Pavilion staggered as he ran in. The moment the executive entered the hall, he made a beeline for the person-in-charge of the dragon ship and the Grade 2 executive of the Mortal World Pavilion, Leng Wuxin. He looked so panicked that he didn''t look like an executive at all.


    "Boom!"


    A muffled loud sound came from outside the hall, rocking the entire dragon ship.


    The initially clear and boundless sky, where not even a cluster of clouds could be seen, that hung over the Luo River suddenly changed. In a speed observable by the naked eye, a large cluster of dark clouds floated over from the distance. The sky turned darker and darker.


    "Rumble!"


    An ear-splitting thunder resounded from the depths of the firmament as a bolt of lightning ripped the horizon.


    The clouds that carried sparks of lightning gathered. It was as if they would blanket the entire heaven and earth.


    In the spot where the faraway mountains and the dark clouds intersected, a massive flock of blood-colored crows flew over like a wave of darkness that could cover the entire sky, leaving behind a trail of nasty-sounding cries.


    "What''s going on? How impolite to behave so anxiously!" Leng Wuxin chided as he looked at the executive in front of him.


    "L-Lord, bad news. There''s a monster outside."


    "Boom!"


    Another round of loud sound.


    The executive''s simple explanation, the dragon ship that was abruptly rocking, coupled with the change in the sky caused all the guests inside the hall to immediately fly into a panic. Everyone stood up, with some beginning to questioning in loud voices and some cursing. There were also those who began to crowd at the hall entrance.


    The sound of screeching, chiding, questioning, and cursing resounded continuously. In an instant, the hall of the dragon ship became a mess.


    "Pa!"


    Once again, someone pushed open the door of the hall. This time, the one who entered was a man who was so bloodied that one couldn''t tell the color of his clothes. No one could tell what grade of an executive he was. However, what was most striking about him wasn''t his clothes but the sword in his hand. It was a fine sword forged out of mystical iron. Right then, there were seven to eight marks on the blade. One could tell from a single glance that they were bite marks left behind by large teeth.


    "Lord, we can''t hold on much longer out there. Please send reinforcements at once."


    This time, the guest closest the door finally saw what was going on outside.


    The deck of the dragon ship was no longer in the condition they left it in. The floor was covered in bloodied water and ten or more malevolent-looking Devious Iguanas were everywhere. Tens of green-clothed executives of Mortal World Pavilion were trying their utmost in brandishing the swords in their hands. Their swords were soaked in their own blood as well as the green saliva of the Devious Iguanas.


    Evidently, these Devious Iguanas had ambushed the dragon ship. Many of the executives guarding the deck were caught by surprise and suffered injuries or died from the bites. There were even those who were dragged into the water, never to show up again.


    The entire ordeal, from the beginning to the current standoff, lasted no more than three minutes. The moment everyone in the hall felt the ship rock was the moment when these Devious Iguanas jumped on board the dragon ship.


    "What are those things?"


    "Monsters! These monsters eat people!"


    "It was still fine earlier. How did things become like this in an instant?"


    "Can I even return to Luoyang City alive?"


    "I don''t want to die! I can''t die! I still have a lot of money that I haven''t spend!"


    It was probably better if those near the door didn''t see what was happening. Once they found out, their faces immediately paled. Several of them even vomited. They then turned around and crowded in the furthest corner of the hall.


    "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! There are monsters outside! Get out of the way at once!"


    "Get out of the way if you don''t want to die!"


    Many of the guests standing inside the hall didn''t see the situation outside. They were even tiptoeing, wanting to see what the others were making a ruckus about.


    "Inform all the executives on the dragon ship to be on standby immediately. Have all of them gather at the hall entrance right away." Leng Wuxin immediately responded after listening to his subordinate''s report. He himself tried to squeeze through the crowd to reach the door. However, the crowd was panicking so badly that everyone had gotten up from their seats to gather at the same place.


    "Let me through. Let me through! Get out of the way. Don''t panic, everyone. Please make way first."


    "If everyone crowds, no one will be able to move."


    "Why aren''t you getting out of the way? Didn''t you hear that there are monsters outside?"


    Ye Que looked helpless at the disturbance unfolding before his eyes. "No matter how I calculated, I couldn''t have foreseen encountering the Secret Key to the River Soldiers at this flower-viewing drinking banquet. I''ve already responded quickly enough but I still failed to escape in time. From the looks of things, the monsters have already surrounded this dragon ship."


    He glanced at the green figures outside the door. "Devious Iguanas, is it? No doubt, they''re from the Demon Race!"

 Chapter 17 In a State of Disunity

    The current situation on the Luo River.


    The clouds that carried lightning had filled the entire sky, leaving a gray horizon that stretched as far as the eye could see. The sound of thunder rung incessantly in the background as the flash of lightning stood in contrast against the lightning clouds. It was as if there were countless dragons of lightning storming the sky.


    Right now, the world was changing unpredictably.


    "Take note, all guests. Don''t gather on the ground floor and head upstairs. You''re free to stay anywhere from the first floor to the third floor. Please don''t stay in the hall as to make way for the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion."


    "Don''t panic, people. Go up in an orderly manner. Watch your feet."


    "Try your best to keep to your right when you go up. Leave a path on your left."


    "The executives of the Mortal World Pavilion will spare no effort in guaranteeing your safety. The homing pigeon had already left to call for reinforcements. Please wait patiently, everyone. The army of Luoyang City will come here as soon as possible. Two hours at the latest."


    A brief moment of chaos later, the guests went upstairs and all the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion on the dragon ship had gathered in the hall on the ground floor under Leng Wuxin''s guidance.


    Ye Que followed the crowd and went up to the first floor as well, though he stayed at the rear. When the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion gathered, he turned his head to look at them. "A Post-celestial Realm expert, nine Pre-celestial Realm experts, more than a hundred Rank 2 martial artists. They''re trying to fight the Devious Iguanas with that kind of lineup? That''s hardly insufficient."


    Regardless of what he thought, the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion gathered at the hall had begun their counterattack. The first wave of executives fighting the Devious Iguanas on the deck already seemed weary. They desperately needed to be relieved of their duties.


    The dragon ship belonged to the Mortal World Pavilion and it was also the organizer of the flower-viewing drinking banquet. Naturally, they would be the first line of the defense against the siege of the Devious Iguanas. This logic was sound and irrefutable but the real question was whether they could truly stop the attacks of these iguanas.


    "Low-level executives, form groups of six. Grade 3 executives, form groups of three and team up for a barrier assault. You must all use your numbers to your advantage to kill the iguanas as soon as possible. You mustn''t overexert yourself. Return to the hall before you exhaust your energy and conserve your strength. The nearest reinforcements need two hours to rush here. We can''t let these beasts take even one step inside. Confine the fight on the deck. We can''t ruin the reputation of the Mortal World Pavilion with our hands," Leng Wuxin said expressionlessly. Then, he violently unsheathed the sword he kept with him and pointed it to the deck. "Let''s go!"


    From the first to the third floor of the dragon ship, the terraces of the cabins were filled to the brim. The fourth floor was particularly packed, with nearly 80 percent of the guests gathered here. After all, everyone knew that those on the lower floors would be the first to die in the event that the monsters barged into the cabins and that those on the top floor had the biggest chance of surviving.


    Everyone watched the battle on the deck closely because it would determine their life and death.


    The moment those on the deck exchanged blows with the Devious Iguanas, the battle was pushed to its peak. There was nothing to discuss between demons and humans. It was the death of either one or the other.


    Soon, the guests garnered a good idea of the strength of both sides. The monsters with the head of a lizard would fight the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion alone. Unless the executive was in the Pre-celestial Realm, none of them could defeat the Devious Iguanas on their own. However, even a Pre-celestial expert would panic when facing the siege of the Devious Iguanas and end up dodging throughout.


    Fortunately, the Mortal Pavilion had a formation to aid them. The formation allowed six Rank 2 martial artists to withstand a Devious Iguana and six Rank 1 martial artists to kill a Devious Iguana.


    In no time at all, the bodies of the Devious Iguanas filled the deck of the dragon ship, with the viscous liquid oozing out of them dying the deck green. However, even though the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion were numerous, there seemed to be no end to the Devious Iguanas. After they killed one of them, another would immediately emerge from the river and climb onto the deck.


    Leng Wuxin, who had been paying close attention to the battle, felt his palms turning damp with sweat. He frantically racked his brain to determine the strength of both sides, how they could hold on for a little longer, and how he could reduce the casualties among his subordinates.


    However, the truth was that casualties were inevitable.


    On the terrace of the third floor, a fat and wealthy merchant pointed to the deck and shouted, "Look! Some of the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion can''t hold on any longer!" He then glanced to his left. "Hey, didn''t you say that you''re an excellent martial artist without a rival in the world? Why aren''t you going down to help? An extra person means an extra hand."


    The expression of the person that the merchant pointed out changed. "Who said I''m without a rival in this world? I was bragging! I''m at most a Rank 2 martial artist. If I go down, I''ll just be stepping into my grave. Don''t just point me out. Why aren''t you ordering your two family servants to go down? I think they''re at least Rank 1 martial artists."


    "I need them to protect a weakling like me." The merchant snorted and stopped speaking.


    "Hey, brother. Go down and help, won''t you? I''ll pay you 100,000 taels."


    "Going down means death. What use is money when I''m dead?"


    "If you all don''t help out, we''ll all die."


    "Didn''t they say the reinforcements are coming? How long would a pigeon need to fly back to Luoyang City? I believe we''ll all be saved soon."


    "Dream on. How can you guarantee that there won''t be monsters on their way here? If the whole Luo River is filled with monsters, who will the people in Luoyang City rescue first? I can assure you that they''ll be rescuing the people closest to them. We''re too far away from Luoyang City."


    The guests hiding in the cabins joined the discussion, all well-aware that the situation had gotten so dire that they could die at any time. However, no one wanted to step up. Whoever who went down now would be the first to die.


    Soon, the discussion turned into a chaotic argument.


    On the first floor, Ye Que listened to the garbled sounds coming from the argument above. He commented, "What a show of disunity."


    He then looked at the battle unfolding on the deck of the ship. "What a pointless struggle."


    "Sigh. Looks like we can only resign to our fate," Ye Que thought helplessly. There was nothing he could do without the right tools at his disposal. This in itself was a trap. With his current cultivation, he had no issue protecting himself for the short term. However, it was an impossible challenge to escape this ship unscathed. "If the so-called reinforcements can really make it here in two hours, then there''s still some hope left."


    The reason for Ye Que''s pessimism wasn''t that the Devious Iguanas were invincible. In fact, it was the exact opposite. He wouldn''t be this nervous if the Devious Iguanas were the only things around. In the Demon World, they were the lowest of all demonic beasts and the stereotypical large-bodied but brainless creatures. They were a bunch of low-intellect demonic beasts.


    Ye Que refused to believe that such an organized and structured assault was designed by the Devious Iguanas.


    He was certain that there was surely a Demon Race cultivator controlling these Devious Iguanas whether at the bottom of the river or some other place nearby. The cultivator must be of decently high cultivation, at least in the Psychic Realm.


    The person responsible for this siege was the truly terrifying presence here.


    "Give me the Firebird''s Nest." Ye Que slowly exhaled. Ever since he returned to his youth, today was perhaps the first day he would be truly fighting. Everything in life was destined. What he faced was still endless and ceaseless demons.

 Chapter 18 Who Leaves, Who Stays

    Ye Que took the Firebird''s Nest and looked at the terrace on the first floor. Without speaking to anyone, he silently walked to the spot with the best view and began checking the bow in his hand. He cast five illusory incantation seals on the body of the bow. As soon as the seals were cast, they entered the bow and the entire Firebird''s Nest seemed to have come to life. Even the bowstring began to emit a soft white light.


    In fact, the secret as to why the Firebird''s Nest could shoot without arrow lay in this bow. Strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to call this a mobile formation rather than a bow. It was the Targeted Arrows Consonance Formation.


    After activating the Targeted Arrows Consonance Formation, one could condense arrows of Spiritual Force by pouring Spiritual Force into the bowstring.


    "Ha!"


    Ye Que took a deep breath. "Come on. How daring of you insignificant Devious Iguanas to do whatever you please in the Human World. Just because you''re a little tall and buff, did you really think everyone is afraid of you?"


    The number of Devious Iguanas on the deck of the dragon ship was increasing while the defense range of the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion under Leng Wuxin''s leadership became smaller and smaller. The power of the Six Earthly Misty Rain Formation that six executives formed was also increasingly suppressed.


    The smell of blood became denser and denser.


    The Devious Iguanas became increasingly violent after being stimulated by the blood. Often, just as the swords were about to cut the bodies of the Devious Iguanas, they would be stuck in the flesh. The executives would have to spare at least one second to pull their swords out. In such a battle, even the briefest moment of stagnation would present a flaw to be exploited. They would often be captured for the dauntless Devious Iguanas naturally felt no pain.


    The beheading of each Devious Iguana would typically cause at least an executive of the Mortal World Pavilion to sustain injuries. The beheading of 10 Devious Iguanas would cause the death of at least one executive. Even though there were more than one hundred of the executives here, they seemed unable to withstand the endless assault.


    "Damn it. We''re still a little slow in killing the monsters. This will make the flaw in the formation more and more obvious," Leng Wuxin scolded under his breath.


    By now, there were already Devious Iguanas that escaped their defense to approach the hall entrance.


    Seeing the situation on the battlefield, Leng Wuxin yelled at the nine Grade 3 executives next to him, "Barrier Combined Assault Formation!"


    "Behead the demons and get rid of the devils!"


    "Guard the dragon ship!"


    "Defend the honor of the Mortal World Pavilion!"


    The nine Pre-celestial Realm experts bellowed uniformly, their actions carrying both strength and power. Finally, they joined the battlefield as well. Earlier, after they had gotten the situation on the deck after control, they had returned to Leng Wuxin''s side. The low-level executives looked as if they were unable to hold on any longer. They had no choice but to step in.


    With the oppression produced by the difference in realms, coupled with the aid provided by the Barrier Combined Assault Formation, the assault of the Devious Iguanas was momentarily under control.


    The more than a hundred Rank 2 martial artists had also retreated into the hall. They immediately consumed medicines to heal their wounds in hopes of recovering their strength as soon as possible.


    Thanks to the Barrier Combined Assault Formation, the Pre-celestial Realm experts were able to behead a Devious Iguana in 10 seconds with the force of their True Energy. Within 15 minutes, each time a Devious Iguana appeared on the deck, it would be instantly killed.


    Sounds of acclamation came from upstairs.


    "They''re experts of the Mortal World Pavilion, indeed. Impressive."


    "Those are the nine Pre-celestial Realm experts, after all."


    "The destructive power of the True Energy is truly terrifying. They''re beheading the beasts like they''re cutting vegetables."


    "This is the land of mankind. It''s not a place for the monsters to do whatever they please."


    "We must make these beasts pay a terrible price for what they''ve done!"


    "Mang!"


    A muffled noise resounded. It seemed to be coming from the depths of the river. The nine Pre-celestial Realm experts who were doing everything they could in the battle didn''t notice. Neither did the guests in the cabins upstairs. Ye Que was the only one who was frowning.


    One second later.


    "Boom!"


    The three-meter-tall immense waves rose from the surface of the river and crashed onto the deck of the dragon ship. The moment the spray disappeared, all 30 Devious Iguanas emerged from the river. Their huge, razor-sharp teeth, as well as sharpened wolf-like claws, glinted dangerously midair.


    The sudden increase of Devious Iguanas immediately doubled the pressure on the nine Pre-celestial Realm experts. In a moment of carelessness, one of them had his sword flying out of his hand after an attack. The Devious Iguana also chomped down on his right arm.


    "This is bad!"


    "Someone''s injured!"


    With one injured, the Barrier Combined Assault Formation formed by the other three fell apart without external force. This resulted in an approximately five-meter gap in the defense on the deck of the dragon ship.


    "Damn it! Why are the monsters increasing in number?!"


    "The executives of the Mortal World Pavilion can''t hold on for much longer!"


    "What about us? Why aren''t the reinforcements here yet?"


    When the guests occupying all four floors saw a flaw appearing in the defensive measures of the ship, they instantly flew into a panic. If these Devious Iguanas charged into the hall and climbed up the ship, there would be no hope for their survival. Their fate was as good as sealed.


    "We must think of a way to escape."


    "Yes! We can''t stay in this dragon ship anymore."


    "This is a dead end. The Mortal World Pavilion men should protect us as we escape. Let''s go downstairs together and find a way to run."


    Someone took the lead in suggesting ideas and calling for action. In this life-or-death moment, everyone immediately agreed as if they had finally found their backbone.


    The hall on the ground floor.


    The moment Leng Wuxin saw the gap in their defensive measures, realization immediately hit him. He knew that the Barrier Combined Assault Formation formed by his nine subordinates wouldn''t be able to withstand the repeated attacks of the Devious Iguanas but he never thought that the formation wouldn''t even last 15 minutes before a flaw appeared.


    "Executives of the Mortal World Pavilion, it''s now a matter of life and death. The monsters outside might storm in at the next moment. But tell me, what should we do as long as we''re still breathing?" Leng Wuxin addressed the low-level executives in the hall that were just beginning to recover their strength.


    Everyone fell into silence for three seconds.


    "We pledge our lives to defend the dragon ship!"


    Their replies came in unison.


    They stood up in unison.


    "Unsheath your swords!" Leng Wuxin bellowed.


    "Wait a moment!"


    Right then, shouts came from above. Soon after, a large group of guests rushed down the stairs.


    "Mr. Leng, please wait a moment." The one who spoke first was none other than the plump, wealthy merchant who spoke the most on the terrace of the third floor earlier. "If you lead all your men outside now, what difference is it from jumping into your graves?"


    "Look at all these people. How many of them still have the energy to fight? Such a futile defense serves no meaning! It''ll just cause the death of even more people!" the plump, wealthy merchant said loudly while brandishing his left arm.


    Leng Wuxin didn''t reply. He turned his head to look at the group of guests in front of him.


    "You don''t have to look at us like that. What we''re suggesting is that we can find a way to escape this ship. We can''t sit here and wait to die, can we? If we wait any longer, we''ll really die. We won''t even leave intact bodies behind."


    The fat and wealthy merchant pointed to the deck of the dragon ship. A Devious Iguana that had failed to get close to the Barrier Combined Assault Formation earlier was now bitting the body of a recently deceased executive of the Mortal World Pavilion. It raised its head and swallowed the body whole with three or four gulps. Blood flowed from the corner of its mouth without ceasing.


    "We can''t maneuver the ship now. Believe me, I''ve tried. The moment the boatman dipped his paddle into the water, it''ll be instantly destroyed by the monsters around us. We can only defend the ship to the death and await the reinforcements," Leng Wuxin said expressionlessly.


    "We know that. There''s no way for the large ship to move now but if I remember correctly, this armored dragon ship is transformed out of an imperial ship. There should be reserve boats in the ship," the merchant said in a lowered voice. "We can give up the ship, create a small opening in the rear, and leave on the boats."


    The merchant looked hesitant before continuing, "That''s a definite solution but if we want to live, we must leave people on the ship to attract the attention of the monsters."


    The suggestion sounded simple enough but the real issue soon cropped up.


    "Who leaves?"


    "Who stays?"

 Chapter 19 The Silent Arrow

    It was a simple suggestion and a simple issue, yet it was enough to cause everyone''s hearts to tremble.


    "Who leaves?"


    "Who stays?"


    "This concerns our survival!"


    Temporary silence fell over the hall as everyone mulled over this issue. How should they choose?


    "What''s there to choose?" Suddenly, one of the guests spoke. "We''re guests that the Mortal World Pavilion invited. You people are the organizers of the flower-viewing drinking banquet, you people are the ones who chose the location, and you people own the dragon ship that we''re on. Naturally, now that we''re facing the attack of monsters, you people should stay behind and we should leave. In the first place, it''s your duty to protect us."


    "That''s right! The guests should leave first. You people from the Mortal World Pavilion should stay behind to protect your dragon ship."


    "I agree."


    "So do I."


    Nonconformity would be punished in such situations. Now that someone had spoken up, the rest naturally echoed his sentiments. This was a life-or-death moment, after all.


    Taking a step back meant life, while taking a step forward meant death.


    However, these yelling guests failed to notice that the low-level executives nearby, now no longer numbering one hundred, had narrowed their eyes at them. Their breathing became urgent as well. "So these are the people that we protected earlier. Timid, cowardly, and without a sense of responsibility. They knew only to escape in the face of danger and couldn''t even be bothered with the most basic word of thanks."


    "The guests to leave and the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion to stay behind? To think they can say something like that!"


    "Aren''t they embarrassed?"


    "Aren''t they ashamed?" Some low-level executives were beginning to mutter under their breath.


    Leng Wuxin stared at the group of guests in front of him without speaking. He was surprised but upon second thought, found their behavior reasonable. "These merchants and influential officers who live a life of comfort and safety have never experienced battles involving monsters and beasts. It''s already impressive that they can still stand upright now."


    Unfortunately, imagination was often beautiful while the reality was harsh. Leng Wuxin said emotionlessly, "We''ll assure your safety. That''s what we''re obliged to do. If an accident happens during an activity organized by the Mortal World Pavilion, naturally there''s no such thing as having the guests die before we do."


    "That said, I don''t agree that you should leave as it''s very dangerous. But I won''t stop you either."


    "The problem is that there aren''t that many small boats on this dragon ship. There aren''t enough to accommodate all the guests here."


    No matter how hard the guests considered this matter, they never thought they would receive such an answer. They felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over them.


    The fat and wealthy merchant spearheading the group was initially stunned. Then, a decisive look appeared on his face. "We''ll take whatever boats that are available. I suggest that ordinary folks leave first and those who know martial arts or cultivation to follow after."


    Looking at the people around him, the merchant raised his voice as he said, "It''s natural for the strong to protect the weak. Don''t you all agree?"


    There were quite a number of affluent merchants and influential officials among the guests but even larger in number were their bodyguards and visitors. Naturally, the bodyguards were martial artists and the visitors were cultivators.


    The merchant''s words were reasonable and logical but the atmosphere instantly became frozen.


    "Whoosh!"


    A crisp noise resounded as an arrow coming from an unknown direction cut through the air and pierced the throat of the Devious Iguana that was about to break through the Barrier Combined Assault Formation outside the hall.


    The arrow penetrated the Devious Iguana, with its coarse skin and thick flesh, with one hit like it was paper.


    Even so, no one noticed the arrow. It was like anyone who got on the small boat would be able to survive and anyone who stayed behind would die. If that was the case, was there any need to guard the dragon ship anymore? Then for whom were those blood on the deck of the ship spilled for? For what reason?


    No one agreed with the fat and wealthy merchant''s suggestion aside from those wealthy merchants and influential officials. The majority of the guests chose to be silent. The only thing was that the breathing of these quiet guests had become slower. If they didn''t retaliate during the silence, then they would be dying in silence.


    "Who dictates that you people should leave while we stay behind?"


    "Who are you people?"


    "What were you people doing when the dragon ship was attacked? Don''t you guys know who guarded the hall? The entrance? Why aren''t you asking the names of the corpses outside? They all have mothers and fathers. There''s no rule as to who should live on and who should die!"


    Finally, a youngster among the group of low-level executives of the Mortal World Pavilion trying to recover their strength stood up with a red face. He yelled, "We belong to the Mortal World Pavilion. We eat the food the Pavilion provides and the money the Pavilion prepares. It''s our duty to die for the Pavilion but what do your words mean? Why can''t I hear even a word of thanks after listening to you for so long? Don''t you think you guys are overdoing it?!"


    The youngster had just finished speaking when Leng Wuxin chided him.


    "Silence. You don''t have the right to speak here."


    "I think this youngster is right. No one is born to die," an attendant of one of the wealthy merchants said, suddenly stepping out from the crowd. "Mr. Leng, I don''t belong to your Pavilion."


    "Exactly! We don''t agree with this."


    "Who wants to stay behind should stay behind. Either way, I''m stepping on the boat. I''ll kill whoever who dares to fight me over the boat," a martial artist said viciously. "I''d like to see whose fist is harder."


    "That''s reasonable. The boat belongs to whoever who manages to snatch it. This is the fairest way."


    "That''s right. We shouldn''t distinguish between classes."


    In order to escape and survive, everyone unleashed all of their negative feelings at this moment.


    However, no one noticed that the battle on the ship deck was still continuing. The two Barrier Combined Assault Formation made out of eight people were able to block the assault of the Devious Iguanas just like that. Moreover, Devious Iguanas were continually emerging from the river to climb onto the deck.


    "Whoosh!"


    The crisp noise from earlier resounded again. It was still the same long arrow of two Chinese feet and three inches. It still perforated a Devious Iguana with matchless precision.


    Each time the arrow flitted across the sky, a Devious Iguana would fall to the ground without exception.


    Few noticed this as most were immersed in the argument, including the nearly one hundred executives of the Mortal World Pavilion. Not even Leng Wuxin could control the situation and no amount of yelling seemed to be effective.


    The will of the people seemed to have crumbled in an instant at this critical moment.


    "Whoosh!"


    The sound of the sword piercing the sky once again resounded and yet another Devious Iguana fell. However, perhaps the beast crashed with too great a force. Inertia caused its entire body to fly and crash into the main entrance of the hall.


    "Boom!"


    Following the loud noise, the doors of the hall entrance snapped.


    A throat poked out of the throat of the Devious Iguana.


    Soon, a large pool of green bodily fluid appeared near the entrance. Less than a minute later, the arrow slowly faded until it completely vanished.


    "It''s an arrow condensed of True Energy!" a cultivator muttered in shock.


    "Did the arrow alone kill the monster?"


    "That''s too outrageous, isn''t it?!"


    The death of the Devious Iguana stopped everyone from arguing.


    "Whoosh!"


    Once again, a crisp sound reverberated as yet another silent arrow brought down a Devious Iguana.


    This time, everyone saw where the arrow had come from. They finally noticed why the ship deck was still intact and why the people inside the hall had the time to argue despite there being only eight executives left and there being a defense gap of about five meters.


    The reason was someone on the first floor.


    The reason was that someone was silently killing the monsters.

 Chapter 20 Arenst You Ashamed?

    The arrows condensed out of Spiritual Force were shot one by one out of the first floor, each piercing the throat of the Devious Iguanas and killing them.


    Each sword met its target.


    "Whoosh!"


    Yet another arrow caused the collapse of a Devious Iguana. Finally, there was a change in the expression of the guests inside the hall. The fierce arguments earlier dissolved into silence.


    Before long, the sound of the arrows reverberated again. The arrow once again perforated the throat of a Devious Iguana. This time, everyone noticed that these seemingly invincible and endless monsters were also vulnerable. The throat between the head and shoulder of the giant iguana was the weakest and tenderest part of its body.


    Leng Wuxin''s eyes brightened as he stared at the Spirit Arrow coming from the first floor without blinking. "Executives of the Mortal World Pavilion! Those of you who aren''t afraid to die, follow me to attack their throats. Let''s cut these beasts to pieces to avenge our dead brothers!"


    "Kill!" Leng Wuxin bellowed.


    He unsheathed his sword and charged out of the hall.


    "Kill!"


    They bellowed in unison.


    They charged forward in unison.


    "Have these people gone mad?" one of the guests asked in confusion.


    "Did they think they''ll win just because they discovered the monsters'' weakness?" another said with a complicated expression.


    "So what if he pierced the monsters'' throat with a single arrow? There''s no end to these monsters! How many arrows can he shoot? Does he think his True Energy is inexhaustible?"


    "Is there any use grappling desperately with the monsters? Survival is the key here," someone said sourly with his head lowered. However, his voice was very quiet.


    Despite all the comments, no one brought up running via the boats anymore at the moment. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to mention it. They simply were too ashamed to say so, for arrows flew continuously out of the first floor. The arrows came one after another as if they were endless.


    The arrows killed the Devious Iguanas yet what they shot were human''s hearts.


    The arrows had clearly perforated the monsters'' throat but the guests who couldn''t move their feet felt as if they were shot through the throat as well. They wanted to talk or even shout out loud but they were unable to let out their voices. It was as if there was something in their Adam''s apple inexplicably blocking their voices.


    Dejected, depressed, dispirited, ashamed.


    It was an asphyxiating sort of embarrassment!


    Not far from the deck, the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion had fallen into a killing spree. Leng Wuxin''s arrival happened to make up the flaw in their Barrier Combined Assault Formation. In an instant, the situation was reversed and they killed nearly all of the Devious Iguanas. The moment their heads emerged from the waters, their throats would be slashed.


    A miracle seemed to have appeared.


    However, everyone could tell that this was just a temporary energy surge before disaster truly struck. Though Leng Wuxin''s realm several times higher than that of the Devious Iguanas, the nearly one hundred low-level executives could not make up for their inferior physical strength with fervor alone. The three Barrier Combined Assault Formations made out of nine executives wouldn''t remain unbreakable forever.


    "Now." The one who spoke was the fat and wealthy businessman again. "Now is our best chance."


    "If you want to escape, go and find the boats now. There''s only one chance. If you fail to grab it, you''ll have to pay with your life."


    Some people in the crowd were staying put out of fear being ridiculed while some were hesitating. Others were obviously looking at the situation, each with his or her own thoughts.


    "You people are a bunch of hypocrites. You dare to think about it but not put it into action?"


    "You''ll die if you stay here!"


    "Stay if you like. Either way, I''m leaving. I don''t want to die."


    While yelling in agitation, the fat and wealthy merchant shoved people aside to make a beeline for the storage room on the side of the dragon ship.


    "Whoosh!"


    A crisp sound resounded. The merchant had run no more than three steps when he stopped in his tracks. Soon, a bloodied arrow wound appeared in his chest and an inch-long small arrow lingered behind his back for a brief moment.


    An arrow straight through the heart!


    The faint sound of footsteps coming from the wooden ladder leading to the first floor reverberated. Ye Que walked down step by step, with Ye Que not far behind him.


    Ye Que didn''t even spare the fat and wealthy merchant a glance. He said coolly, "Running before the demonic beasts are all dead? And you''re even a master with one foot stepping into the Pre-celestial Realm. You said you want the ordinary folks to go first and the cultivators to stay behind, yet you put on such an act. Your martial arts is not bad but your skin is impressively thick! Since you don''t even want your dignity anymore, why do you still need your life?"


    The guests were stunned after hearing Ye Que''s words. Only then did they realize that they were nearly fooled.


    "To think that guy is an expert! I really couldn''t tell!"


    He must''ve learned some kind of Qi-concealing Taoist technique."


    "No wonder he''s making so much fuss about wanting to get on the boat. He has his strength to back him up."


    "He wanted the men of the Mortal World Pavilion to stay behind as cannon folder. When we encounter monsters on the boat, he''d definitely use us a bait. How cruel!"


    Ye Que ignored the crowd''s comments and beratement. He took a spin around the group of guests, scanning each and every one of them. His expression soon became full of contempt, even somewhat mocking and teasing.


    "People sure are interesting. However, people can''t be compared. We''re all cultivators and martial artists, but how could our disparity be so great?" Ye Que looked a little perplexed when he spoke, but everyone could tell that he was faking it.


    "So you''re fine with the men of the Mortal World Pavilion killing demonic beasts out there but not with yourselves doing the same? They''re guarding their gold-lettered signboard, but you people are guarding your lives!" Ye Que smirked. "You wanted to escape the siege of demonic beasts alive without lifting a finger? Don''t you think that''s too naive of you?"


    "Do you really treat everyone here as fools?"


    Ye Que looked at the men who were doing everything they could to fight on the deck. "No one has the obligation to bleed for you for no reason. They''re not your parents."


    "Don''t you think that you''re the only clever ones here. The demonic beasts outside are called Devious Iguanas. How could these four-limbed creatures with robust bodies and lackluster brains besiege the dragon ship on their own? How could there not be a mastermind? Do you think it''s possible for you to abandon this ship as bait and slip away on a boat? How could the beasts let a piece of meat placed next to their mouths to run?!"


    After pausing for a brief moment, Ye Que said, "There''s only one way if you want to live: kill all the creatures here or wait for reinforcements to come."


    "You sure put it lightly. Do you know how many Devious Iguanas there are in the river?"


    "Wait for reinforcements? Two hours? Four hours? What if everyone dies and no reinforcement comes?"


    "Your plan is easier said than done. I think you''re just trying to trick us into going out to fight with our lives," a guest retorted in a strange tone.


    Ye Que walked close to the guest and asked curiously, "How did you cultivate your Pre-celestial Realm?"


    The guest looked stunned. Then, he subconsciously blushed. "What does it have to do with you?"


    "Since you''re already in the Pre-celestial Realm, I suppose you won''t die on this dragon ship even if the others do. Your cultivation realm is so high yet you''re so afraid of dying. Aren''t you embarrassed? Aren''t you ashamed?" Ye Que looked disdainful.


    He then pointed to someone in the crowd. "Young Manor Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, didn''t you proclaim that you''re an expert earlier? I heard your father''s a great hero. If he finds out that you''re just hiding in the crowd, will he die of anger?"


    Lin Mei''er, whose name was pointed out, blushed but said nothing. She shuffled closer to the person beside her.


    Ye Que snorted in contempt and turned his attention on Ye Yunhai. "Young Master of the General''s Manor, I heard you''re a mounted military officer of the capital. Are you planning to hide until the end now that demons have shown up in the river? Shouldn''t you come out and guide us? Don''t tell me that the legitimate child of the Ye Clan is this cowardly." "If you don''t come out now, you''ll be throwing all the face of the General''s Manor!"

 Chapter 21 13 Swords

    Hurt someone without resorting to physical attacks; kill someone without destroying his will.


    Ye Que''s words were like a sharp sword that pierced the chests and hearts of all the guests present. Moreover, they were powerless to retort.


    There was nothing to be said, for none of them had stepped out to fight the Devious Iguanas to death. To make things worse, none of them even had the courage to step out of the entrance. Ye Que had the right to say these things because his arrows had killed more than 10 Devious Iguanas.


    The right to speak was won through strength.


    A complicated mood cast over the guests.


    Were they upset? A little.


    Were they ashamed? A little.


    Their strongest emotion was embarrassment. They had lost their face!


    Who were these people in Luoyang City? They were all wealthy, respectable people! They had never suffered such great humiliation in their lives.


    Lin Mei''er had never experienced it, and Ye Yunhai even more so!


    "Stop spouting nonsense that is easier said than done. Did you think your shabby bow is all that impressive? If you''re that great, go out and fight the demonic beasts face-to-face! What does a country bumpkin like you know? Let me tell you. The one you killed earlier was the owner of the Moon of Virtue Pavilion, not some cultivator who''s nearly in the Pre-celestial Realm. You''ve murdered him out of malice. I''ll be reporting this to the Court of Judicial Review after we return to Luoyang City. Just sit still and wait to be imprisoned!"


    Ye Yunhai''s voice was loud but he didn''t take a step forward.


    "You''re right! If you''re that great, go out now and fight the demonic beasts face-to-face! Otherwise, shut your damned mouth!" Lin Mei''er said contemptuously. However, like Ye Yunhai, she didn''t take a single step forward either.


    "That''s right! What right do you have to chide us? What status do you even have?" someone yelled.


    "Creak, creak!"


    While the guests were still yelling, a burst of unnatural sound came from the direction of the deck.


    More than 10 thick tentacles climbed onto the bow of the ship as a large flock of Bloodied Zombie Birds burst out of the horizon. Finally, another type of demonic beast had appeared on the dragon ship aside from the Devious Iguanas.


    "Humph, humph."


    Ye Que snorted. He looked disdainfully at the guests. "You''re a bunch of rubbish indeed; all you know is standing here and yapping. You don''t even have the courage to take a step forward."


    "You people want to see me fighting the demonic beasts face-to-face?"


    "I''ll grant your wish."


    After handing the Firebird''s Nest in his hand to Qian Shuxiao, Ye Que walked toward the deck with his right hand behind his back. He lifted his left hand ever so slightly and a circular brocade box appeared in the hollow of his palm. The box contained the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords.


    Ye Que raised his foot to step over the doorstep of the hall while muttering, "Distinguish not between family and strangers, distinguish not between nobles and peasants; once decided to follow the Way, I now proclaim ownership!"


    "These swords formerly belonged to the 13 sages of the Spring and Autumn Period."


    The hilt of the small sword that had been hovering inside the hall after piercing the owner of Moon of Virtue Pavilion suddenly changed direction after Ye Que finished speaking. Its blade stood erect, with its sharp end pointed to the nearest Devious Iguana to the hall. With the flash of a green glint, the Devious Iguana died.


    "Human nature is evil, all that is good about human nature is man-made. Nature is the true law. Where a human acts in evil, his character will follow."


    The center of the sword case revolved and an exquisite small sword of red color flew into the sky. It paused ever so briefly before charging toward a Devious Iguana that had just climbed onto the deck.


    "Tao that can be described is not universal and eternal Tao. Name that can be named is not universal and eternal Name. The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth; the namable is the mother of all things. Heaven and earth don''t act from any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the straw dogs are dealt with."


    Ye Que moved his right hand forward and wiped the sword case. Extending his forefinger and middle finger, he made a gentle flick at the air. "Where one has attained the Tao, one may mow down the straw dogs."


    Two small swords of blue color flew out of the case and made a spin while riding the wind. In the distance, two Devious Iguanas collapsed loudly.


    "Did Zhuangzi dream he was a butterfly? Did the butterfly dream it was Zhuangzi? The dream of a butterfly!"


    "Heaven and Earth aren''t omnipotent, sages aren''t good at everything, and nothing can serve all purposes. Celestial signs!"


    "Those who kill ought to die, those who injure ought to be punished. Ink steel!"


    Three swords flew out in unison. There was no longer any trace of Devious Iguanas on the deck.


    Ye Que didn''t stop and made four consecutive flicks at the air. "Distinguishment, impermanence, careful speech, five elements."


    While the swords dance in the air, the entire flock of Bloodied Zombie Birds above the dragon ship died. The number of swords remaining inside the case was 11.


    "Confucius claims kindness. Mencius claims to give up life for justice. Only be persevering in what is right can benevolence be attained."


    Finally, two milky-white small swords flew out of the sword case. The Progeny Sword sought justice while the Maternal Sword sought to die for a good cause.


    With the emergence of the swords, an overwhelming Qi descended!


    One of the swords soared into the sky and cut off the 19 tentacles on the deck. The other plummeted into the water and cut off the hideous head at the end of the tentacles.


    "Struggles, evil nature, enlightenment, straw dogs, the dream of a butterfly, auspicious heaven, ink steel, distinguishment, impermanence, careful speech, five elements, the pursuit of justice, dying for a good cause!"


    13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords. With the launch of the 13 swords, all the demonic beasts on the deck of the dragon ship died. None managed to escape.


    Inside the hall of the dragon ship, Lin Mei''er who had worn a look of contempt and glared earlier was so frightened that she went pale in the face. Ye Yunhai, who had wanted to send Ye Que into prison, widened his eyes and frowned. The hands that he rubbed on his sleeves were soaked with sweat. The guests, who had been so suggestive in questioning Ye Que earlier, looked at each other in dismay. Many of them held their breath, unable to believe their eyes.


    How could there be such a mystical martial arts technique in this world?!


    How could there be such terrifyingly precise flying sword?!


    Everyone followed Ye Que''s fingers with their gaze and witnessed how the demonic beasts were slaughtered. When they recovered their senses, they stared at the 13 small swords stopping in front of him and the strange, unfathomable brocade box in his left hand. All of them thought, "Is he still a human?"


    "Leng Wuxin of the Mortal World Pavilion is a so-called Post-celestial Realm expert yet was only able to fight more than 10 Devious Iguanas. There''s no clear difference in power between both sides. But this so-called illegitimate child of the General''s Manor, a country bumpkin, is able to kill all demonic beasts as soon as he makes a move? Are all these beasts made of paper?"


    "This isn''t scientific!"


    Never mind all these people who didn''t know Ye Que. Even Qian Shuxiao, who had been mentally prepared, had to pick up his jaw from the floor. To him, Ye Que was already an incredible expert, an expert many times greater than the rest. He thought that Ye Que was capable of solving the crisis at hand and turning peril into safety, but never in such a manner.


    "Decaying forces are easily destroyed!"


    "This isn''t logical!"


    These were the only descriptions that Qian Shuxiao could come up with.


    Standing in the spot between the hall and the deck, Ye Que turned around and smiled faintly. "Now, who dares to say I don''t have the right?"


    "Who still wishes to see me fighting the demonic beasts face-to-face?"


    "Who''s willing to slay demons and get rid of devils with me?"


    His three questions were like three sharp swords that pierced the crowd''s hearts. Only silence remained inside the hall, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing. One second, two, and then three. The sound of breathing became louder and louder. The eyes of some guests began to redden. Some of them even felt a burning heat in the pit of their stomach, an unprecedented sensation of heat.


    Ye Que''s words were like a blaze that swept the hall and ignited everyone''s hearts.


    It burned all negative emotions of cowardness, weakness, fright, selfishness, and narrow-mindedness to ashes, leaving only immense passion that filled one''s heart.


    Out of the blue.


    A woman dressed in a hanfu slowly stepped out of the crowd.


    She lifted the long dress covering her legs and cut them off with a wave of her sword. She then wrapped the torn piece of cloth around her waist and effortlessly gathered her neat hair and placed them on the back of her head. "The death of a person is akin to the extinguishment of a light. It''s just mere trauma on our left and right; don''t tell me that we''re really allowing these creatures to be so unbridled on our territory?! And you dare call yourselves men even though you don''t even have the courage to put your life on the line. Your words are just nonsense! Even I feel ashamed on your behalf!"


    "I''m Bai Yu, secret messenger of the Adjudication Department. I''m willing to follow you to slay demons and rid of devils, Sir!"

 Chapter 22 The Youngsters on the Back of the Whale Beas

    t


    "Third-generation disciple of Inked Sleeve Pavilion of Luoyang City, Yun Feihe, is willing to follow you to slay demons and rid of devils, Sir!"


    "Bladesmith of the Cloud-reaching Manor House of the Qingzhou Prefecture, Shi Lei, is willing to follow you to slay demons and rid of devils, Sir!"


    "Fourth Young Master of the Zhao Manor of the Vermilion Bird Street of Luoyang City, Zhao Ting, is willing to follow you to slay demons and rid of devils, Sir!"


    "Imperial bodyguard of the front Ancient Truth Hall of You Prefecture, Luo Sihai, is willing to follow you to slay demons and rid of devils, Sir!"


    A single spark could start a prairie fire. Ye Que''s words and actions finally ignited the blood of these people. Within seconds, more than ten voices resounded inside the hall. Moreover, their voices were increasing loud as if anyone who was quiet was someone without the guts to go into battle.


    "Qian Shuxiao of the Qian Manor of Luoyang City is willing to follow you to slay demons and rid of devils, Sir!" Even Qian Shuxiao, who was standing on the sidelines, became affected by the mood and followed suit in yelling. However, Ye Que resolutely glared at him. "Stop causing trouble. You need to think of your capabilities when trying to slay demons and rid of devils. Those beneath Rank 3 martial artists, don''t leave the hall."


    Meanwhile, Lin Mei''er and Ye Yunhai who stood amidst the crowd felt so incredibly awkward that they wanted nothing more than to bury their heads in a hole somewhere. "These people must be mad! They must be! Aren''t they afraid of f*cking dying? Fighting demonic beasts? Even the slightest error will kill them! Not even their corpses would be intact!"


    In the blink of an eye, demonic beasts swiftly began climbing onto the deck that had just been cleared up. It was as if the scene was corresponding to Ye Yunhai''s thoughts. This time, Devious Iguanas and Bloodied Zombie Birds weren''t the only ones to appear. There was also more than a hundred cyan-colored Water Snakes.


    "Everyone, follow my lead. Don''t kill the demons recklessly. Brothers from the Mortal World Pavilion, please return to the hall to rest. The guests will get on the deck, with the Pre-celestial experts in front and martial artists behind. Mainly aim for the throats of the Devious Iguanas and mainly aim for the wings of the Bloodied Zombie Birds. Make a seven-inch cut on the Water Snakes to kill them."


    There were 67 people in total who took the initiative to step up and willingly follow Ye Que, with 12 of them being Pre-celestial Realm experts. They were influential officials of Luoyang City, indeed. All of them were concealed talents. Ye Que gave them a quick scan and instantly made up his mind.


    Right now, he wasn''t sure just how many demonic beasts had surrounded the dragon ship. It wasn''t realistic to kill all of them. The only solution was to await the arrival of the reinforcements. He understood the Demon Clan very well. Once the demons had their eyes on someone, the person would have to fight to live. Otherwise, the demons wouldn''t let their prey escape.


    The more time passed, the more one persevered, the higher the chance of surviving.


    Ye Que was already seated on the floor, with the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords placed beside him. However, the sword case was long closed shut. Like what some guests thought, the formidable 13 swords that were able to awe everyone earlier logically shouldn''t exist.


    However, what Ye Que used wasn''t his True Energy as they had imagined but his Divine Energy. On the other hand, the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords were Level 2 high-grade magic treasure that had stored up their Sword Qi inside the sword base for many years. Once their Sword Qi was fully unleashed, their might doubled and was as good as a Level 3 magic treasure.


    Killing some demonic beasts was as easy as chopping vegetables. All it took him was a turn of his hands.


    Even though the effect was great, Ye Que ended up not having Divine Energy left in his body. He was completely drained. Never mind the 13 swords, he couldn''t even use the Firebird''s Nest now. The only things he could do now were to recover his Divine Energy as soon as possible and to direct everyone to stop the assault of the demonic beasts.


    The lightning-infested clouds hanging over Luo River had already descended incredibly close to the surface. They gathered into a mass and continuously emitted the sound of thunder.


    Gradually, rain began to fall on the deck of the dragon ship. It didn''t take more than five seconds before the raindrops turned into a drizzle and the drizzle into heavy rain. It rained so heavily that it was as if the skies were crying and threatening to drown the world. Rain poured down in torrents from the lightning-infested clouds and called forth a sudden gale.


    The gale, coupled with the torrential rain, was like countless whips that fiercely attacked the ship deck.


    The furious waves rose and crashed as lightning thundered in the background. The shower of rain fell and splashed, making the entire place a hazy mess.


    "Don''t harbor a competitive desire when it comes to killing the Devious Iguanas. The best thing to do is to slice their throats from the side. These creatures have gigantic bodies that slow their speed when it comes to turning around."


    "It''s best not to pierce the Bloodied Zombie Birds. Taoist techniques similar to Rain of Swords work best against them. Don''t let them injure you; their becks are venomous."


    "You must make a seven-inch cut on the Water Snakes. Don''t use Palm Styles and throw the snakes on someone else lest you accidentally hurt your comrades."


    "We''ll switch formations every 15 minutes. Us guests will retreat and the Mortal World Pavilion men will take our places."


    For a whole hour, Ye Que sat on the ship deck without moving. He never stopped directing the counterattack throughout. Even when the downpour obscured his vision, he never made a mistake.


    With his guidance, it seemed as if the assault of the demonic beasts was useless no matter how many of them showed up on the deck.


    He was always able to make the wisest choice at the most crucial point. The blood of the demonic beasts stained the ship deck. There were no casualties among the guests and executives of the Mortal World Pavilion, only superficial wounds. Moreover, most of them incurred those injuries because they didn''t properly follow Ye Que''s orders.


    Throughout two hours, Ye Que showed everyone what it meant to be omniscient and what it meant to have a precise, calculated plan.


    Had it been Ye Yunhai taking the lead, perhaps he wouldn''t even measure up to Ye Que by one-tenth. A mounted military officer from the General''s Manor? He was worse than a dog!


    There was no longer anyone calling Ye Que an illegitimate child or country bumpkin. The people doing their best to put up a fight on the ship deck, be it the influential officials or the executives of the Mortal World Pavilion, had gained the utmost respect for him.


    "It turns out that demonic beasts aren''t as scary as we thought."


    "It turns out that we can fight in this manner."


    "It turns out that I''ve been using the wrong sword skills all along."


    Ye Que was rather emotionless. To him, this outcome was well within expectations. Should there be no unexpected incidents, this was the right and logical outcome. His experience and judgment told him that as long as everyone listened to his orders, they would have no problem fending off a small group of demonic beasts.


    However, Ye Que didn''t feel happy in the slightest throughout the battle. Neither did he lowered his guard. That was because up until now, he hadn''t seen anyone from the Demon Race other than demonic beasts. Where was the person directing the assault of the demonic beasts? Was his target the Secret Key to the River Soldiers?


    Meanwhile, the two people treading through the mass of reed earlier was currently on a small boat a mile away from the dragon ship. It so happened that the boat was flowing down the river toward the dragon ship. There was also another person aside from the two people on the boat. Upon closer look, one would discover that it was unexpectedly Dao Shisi, who had climbed ashore alone after jumping into the river. However, his face was currently deathly pale. His head was lowered and his shoulders were drooping. He emitted no vigor at all.


    No one rowed the boat that was traveling under the rain. Neither did any of the three people hold up an umbrella.


    Half a mile away from the dragon ship, five black-clothed and black-robed youngsters rode on the back of an enormous Whale Beast.


    One of them was holding a skeleton of a lizard-shaped head. Another had a three-colored Bloodied Zombie Bird that emitted red radiance perched on his shoulders. A third one had a seven-colored viper curled around his arm.


    The other two was holding a sword and a saber respectively.


    "No news yet. This people on this dragon ship is tenacious, indeed. It''s been so long yet they''re still not done in by the Devious Iguanas. Interesting. Looks like there''s an expert aboard!"


    "How good can the expert be? The tribe''s information can''t be wrong. We got a head start because the large sects of the Cultivation World aren''t aware of the birthplace of the Secret Key. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have allowed us to come and get the treasure. The moment someone on the rank of Elder makes a move, it''d definitely alert everyone."

 Chapter 23 Hand over the Magic Treasures

    The dragon ship rocked under the weight of the torrential rain. It was as if it would turn over and sink into the river water at any time.


    Those doing their best to fight on the ship deck could feel their legs losing strength and being increasingly uncooperative. Even so, their eyes and hearts were still burning with enthusiasm.


    Ye Que was like a flame that would burn forever. As long as he was around, it was as if everyone had no need to worry. It was as if no one would die or there was no demonic beast capable of breaking into the hall.


    "See? That''s a member of my Qian household! With him around, you people can rest assured. We''ll definitely hold out until the reinforcements arrive," Qian Shuxiao said proudly with his head raised. He looked incredibly haughty, but no one found it inappropriate. Right then, being friends with Ye Que was something worth being proud over.


    "No, from now on, he''s my brother. He''s the closest brother of I, Qian Shuxiao." It was as if Qian Shuxiao was afraid that the others didn''t grasp his meaning. He explained, "It''s the kind of brother who will go to the ends of the world for you without a reason. I, Qian Shuxiao, can do it."


    He didn''t forget to raise three fingers. "If I break my vow, let my family line die with me. Make it so that I''ll never die a peaceful death."


    "Rumble!"


    A bolt of lightning flashed across the horizon and a burst of thunder emerged from above the firmament. The rain became even heavier.


    In the dense mist, a small black dot appeared in front of the dragon ship.


    The black dot was both close and far. Very soon, it appeared one hundred meters away from the ship. Everyone finally got a clear look at what it was.


    It was an enormous black whale. Even though Luo River was fairly large, it was nonetheless a river. How could there be a whale? Moreover, it was such an enormous whale! Thus, everyone was able to guess that this wasn''t an ordinary marine creature and was likely a demonic beast.


    Perhaps the whale was simply too large. It took them a while to notice the five youngsters on the back of the whale.


    The youngsters were all dressed in black robes and clothing, with some sitting and some standing. None said a word but their aura was formidable and piercing. Even the torrential rain seemed to be avoiding them as if afraid of being sucked in.


    Over on the boat a little farther away, where the three men were forgoing an umbrella in the rain, the one who stood at the forefront raised his paper umbrella ever so slightly. He looked over at the dragon ship and said quietly, "Old Tortoise, the youngsters from the Feng Division of the Demon Race ought to be retrieving their nets now. When should we make our move? We can''t let that thing fall into their hands. Even though the Secret Key isn''t a Divine Tool, we''ll have the right to take initiative if we get it. I want to fight for it."


    The hunchbacked old man standing at the end of the boat coughed. He opened his eyes ever so slightly and replied in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness, our Demon Race has wind speakers. My race has the Mirror of News-bearing Scales. Logically, the only ones who know of the birthplace of the Secret Key to the River Soldiers are them and us. However, the affairs of life are unpredictable. I keep feeling ill at ease. There are so many great powers and large sects in the Cultivation World. Who can guarantee that they don''t possess some sort of method to secretly transmit messages?"


    "But no one has yet to show up. The people aboard the dragon ship has fallen into an impasse. The humans of the Cultivation World are always boasting that they''d slay demons, rid of devils, and promote the correct path? The demons are right in front of them and they''re close to being swallowed alive. Even if there are ambushes planted all around, can they truly to withstand the assault?" The one addressed as Your Highness sounded unsatisfied. There was also a hint of disbelief in his words too.


    "No gentleman exists in the face of Divine Tools. This logic has never failed in the past hundreds of thousands of years." The hunchbacked old man stared languidly at his Highness. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; yet the most terrifying one is still the hunter! Your Highness, you''re our hope to revive our race. We can''t make a mistake. Even if a Divine Tool is at stake, it''s not as precious as you to me."


    The hunchbacked old man made no movement after saying these words. The boat remained in place under the torrential rain, still half a mile away from the dragon ship without inching forward.


    Meanwhile, the youngsters from the Feng Division of the Demon Race that the old man was talking about had finally stood up as a team. Their leader even adjusted the long saber tied to his waist to the angle at which it was most comfortable for him to unsheathe.


    The youngster raised his head with his long brown hair dancing in the wind. His straight brows were like flames and his gaze like torches. He stared coolly at the people on the ship deck and said, emphasizing every word as he did, "I''m Feng Xingyu of the Demon Race."


    "Those of you who put down your weapons."


    "I won''t kill!"


    Three simple sentences, 18 words. Feng Xingyu articulated each word clearly and calmly. His tone wasn''t vicious in the slightest yet his aura was so formidable that every word was like a sharp blade that sliced the listeners'' throats.


    Moreover, the arrival of the five youngsters caused the Devious Iguanas that had been causing havoc on the deck to become obedient. They stopped bellowing in rage. The Bloodied Zombie Birds that had been desperately attacking the hall entrance also hovered above the dragon ship, dithering nonstop. The Water Snakes were nowhere to be seen, having retreated into the waters in the blink of an eye.


    It was as the presence of these youngsters was enough and the demonic beasts no longer needed to attack.


    The ones standing at the forefront of the deck were no longer demonic beasts but the fearless executives of the Mortal World Pavilion and the enthusiastic guests.


    "Who the heck are you?"


    "Did you think you''re impressive just because of a shabby little whale?"


    "You''re not going to kill those who put down their weapons? What a shameless boast! What will you do if I don''t put down my weapon?" The one yelling was the imperial bodyguard of the Ancient Truth Hall in You Prefecture, Luo Sihai. He was a Pre-celestial Realm expert.


    Over on the back of the whale, Feng Xingyu smirked and grazed his scabbard with the thumb on his left hand. His saber jumped out of its sheath.


    There was no ground-shaking bellow or surging waves, only a burst of cold wind.


    The passing of the wind ushered the death of Luo Sihai.


    Ye Que, who was sitting upright in front of the hall entrance, frowned. "A Psychic Realm youngster from the Demon Race? Wolf cubs of the Feng Division? Are these five youngsters the masterminds?"


    Ye Que didn''t save Luo Sihai but it wasn''t because he couldn''t make it in time. After recovering for two hours, a sliver of Divine Energy had already converged inside him. It would be hard for him to repeat his performance with the 13 swords earlier but it wasn''t a challenge to stop a Wind Incantation.


    However, while he could stop one attack, he couldn''t do it forever. He was merely in the Pre-celestial Realm, after all. He had no problem transcending a realm to kill a Post-celestial Realm expert but transcending two realms to kill a Psychic Realm expert was a stretch. Moreover, he had just entered the Pre-celestial Realm recently while Feng Xinyu was already a Psychic Realm expert for some time. The latter had at least a three-starred Psychic Realm expert.


    "Those of you who put down your weapons, I won''t kill!" Feng Xingyu repeated his words while staring at the dragon ship. Once again, he emphasized his every word calmly. Only this time, he added another line.


    "You can live if you hand over the magic treasure!"


    Feng Xingyu had just finished speaking when another youngster behind him began to yell, "Did you hear him? Our Young Master Feng has spoken! Hand over the magic treasures that you own!"


    "Hand over your magic treasures obediently while we''re asking nicely. Don''t try to play tricks. I won''t tolerate any nonsense. Anyone who refuses will suffer the same fate as that guy earlier!"


    The loud youngster paused to think for a moment. He then pointed at Leng Wuxin and the rest. "And you people from Mortal something or other! Bring out all the magic treasures on your ship, regardless if you''ve already auctioned them off."


    "I''ll make this clear: If I find someone trying to hide his treasures, everyone will die with him!"

 Chapter 24 Treading on Wind and Weaving Through the Rain to Come

    Could a Wolf Cub in the Psychic Realm and his four Post-celestial Realm helpers swallow the dragon ship whole?


    The answer would''ve been uncertain two hours ago because Ye Que was around.


    However, Ye Que now possessed only enough strength for a single attack and the remaining fighters were all exhausted. They were a spent force. To be frank, they were no match for Feng Xingyu and his group without the presence of any untoward incident. To be precise, the moment their group made a move, it would just be a slaughter.


    Would there be any untoward incident?


    Ye Que believed there would be. Even so, not even he knew when it would happen. Perhaps it would occur in the next second or at the moment when everyone was massacred.


    "10 seconds!"


    "You only have 10 seconds."


    The loud youngster from the Demon Race began to yell, "We didn''t ask you to take out the treasures yourselves because we''re afraid of you. We''re just saving ourselves the trouble!"


    "You can take it as buying your lives with magic treasures. Magic treasures are just objects, but you people are living, breathing creatures. If a person dies, even the greatest magic treasure is useless."


    It was completely silent on the dragon ship. It was true that some of them were still high on adrenaline but a Pre-celestial Realm expert had just died in front of their eyes in a flash. They were still shocked. Just what realm was the youngster called Feng Xingyu in for him to be that powerful?


    Even though the group didn''t spell it out, any perceptive person could tell that they were likely the masterminds of the besieging of the dragon ship.


    Should they hand over their magic treasures?


    Everyone began to ponder over this question, with a majority turning to look at Ye Que.


    A frowning Ye Que rose to his feet and scanned his surroundings. He lhen looked at the faraway Whale Beast and sighed. "Listen to them. Take out all your magic treasures. Our lives are more important."


    He kicked the sword case containing the Spring and Autumn Swords. Simultaneously, he looked at Feng Xingyu and his group. As expected, the five youngsters riding the back of the Whale Beast didn''t even bother to spare him a glance.


    "They''re really here for the Secret Key to the River Soldiers. I knew it. This thing can''t be touched. Who touches it, who''ll meet misfortune," Ye Que muttered with his head lowered. To be frank, he wasn''t concerned about obtaining the Secret Key. It wasn''t much of a pity to abandon tasteless food, after all. Either way, he didn''t have the power to fight them over it. Perhaps, if this had happened three years from now, things might be different.


    Leng Wuxin reached Ye Que''s side in a few steps. He asked quietly, "Mr. Ye, are we really handing them the treasures just like that? Or do you have other preparations?"


    Even a great Grade 2 executive of the Mortal World Pavilion was inquiring Ye Que''s opinion at such a crucial moment. This was proof of Ye Que''s importance to everyone right now. If even he gave up resisting, who would dare to fight?


    "I think they''re here for something else, not our lives. Even they''re from one of the Five Main Tribes of the Demon Race, they''d have to pay a significant price to blockade the Luo River for several hours."


    Ye Que looked into the distance. "I believe these people will leave quickly if we follow their orders."


    "But they''re demons," Leng Wuxin said, sounding conflicted. "We can''t give in to demons just like this; at least, I can''t represent the Mortal World Pavilion in making this decision."


    Then, he began storing power in the hands that he placed behind his back. Even though he knew he might be attempting the impossible, he had no other choice.


    Without any apparent outward motion, Ye Que pressed his hand on Leng Wuxin''s shoulder. "It''s not wrong to slay demons and rid of devils, but it doesn''t mean throwing your life at any time."


    "If everyone thinks like you, wouldn''t everyone be trying their utmost to attack the Demon World?"


    "Just what kind of spectacle would that be!"


    "But the fact is that we''ve never seen people lining up at the Immemorial Copper Gates!"


    After patting Leng Wuxin on the shoulder, Ye Que said calmly, "As long as the green mountains are there, one need not worry about firewood. The humiliation you suffer today, you can repay tomorrow."


    Ten seconds passed in the blink of an eye.


    More than a hundred magic treasures piled up on the ship deck. Those included the items the Mortal World Pavilion had yet to auction off. There was nothing to hide; everyone here was perspicacious.


    Even if they hadn''t witnessed the brutality of the Demon Race, they had at least heard of it. More than 10 corpses were lying on the deck, their bodies had yet to go completely cold. Everyone had desperately fought the Devious Iguanas earlier just for a chance of survival.


    To those aboard the ship, it was a godsend solution to remedy their predicament with magic treasures. They weren''t some impoverished folks. Rather, they were so wealthy that they wouldn''t miss the money at all.


    The Secret Key to the River Soldiers was none other than that droplet. It was now on the ship deck. However, the crystal ball that it was contained in was locked. From afar, it didn''t look mystical in the slightest. However, the moment it was carried out, the eyes of the youngsters on the back of the Whale Beast brightened. Even Feng Xingyu''s hand on his saber seemed to be trembling out of excitement.


    "Young Master Feng, that ought to be the Secret Key." The loud youngster that had been yelling behind Feng Xingyu was now speaking as quietly as he could. It looked like his yelling earlier had been a pretense.


    Feng Xingyu nodded.


    "I''ll go and get it?" The loud youngster rubbed his hands in excitement.


    "I''ll go." Without waiting for him to move forward, a sword-carrying youngster who had been keeping quiet all this while finally spoke.


    The sword-carrying youngster was similar to his manner of speech: simple, direct, and emotionless. With a turn of his body, he flew into the sky and landed on the ship deck. Then, he walked step by step toward the pile of magic treasures.


    No one stopped him.


    Everyone had consciously gathered at a spot. If the other side made good on their promise, everyone would''ve solved their predicament with riches and could leave immediately after handing over the treasures. That would be the win-win outcome for everyone.


    Otherwise, in the event of a life-or-death battle, it was likely that most of the people present would perish.


    However, seeing the current situation, it seemed that this scenario was unlikely to happen. The attention of these five youngsters was never on them. They seemed only concerned about the pile of magic treasures.


    "Is the Demon Race very poor?" Qian Shuxiao, who stood inside the hall, muttered after seeing what had happened. "Considering their attitudes earlier, their cultivation must be pretty high. Why are they acting as if they''ve never seen magic treasures? They''re staring so much until their eyes are round."


    "Could it be?"


    Qian Shuxiao, whose body was flowing with the blood of a merchant, suddenly turned to look at the pile of magic treasures. He finally realized that this group''s target might not be them after all, but the magic treasures in front of them!


    The rain was still pouring down in torrents, almost forming a pillar of raindrops.


    The moment the sword-carrying youngster reached out to grab the Secret Key to the River Soldiers.


    Out of the blue.


    The torrential rain stagnated in the air and stopped falling. Light cut through the chink between the raindrops, followed by a second light, and then a third...


    In the blink of an eye, all of the raindrops above the sword-carrying youngster turned into saber radiance out of nowhere.


    Perhaps it wasn''t quite right to call them saber radiance. That was because it was a sword skill. The only difference was that its speed had reached an extreme.


    "Immobilizing wind and rain with a single sword strike!"


    Feng Xingyu''s heart throbbed furiously after seeing this sword skill and the sword in his hand subconsciously flew out of its scabbard.


    Amid the lightning-infested clouds, a group of white-clothed youngsters treaded on the wind and weaved through the rain.


    Before they had shown up.


    Their swords had already arrived.

 Chapter 25 Only a Genius can be Obsessive

    "Immobilizing wind and rain with a single sword strike!"


    "Sword skill of Shushan!"


    "Why would a disciple of Shushan appear at this moment? How could they have arrived here so quickly?" thought Feng Xingyu, his brow furrowed as he rode on the back of the whale with a disgruntled expression on his face.


    He knew that he would not be getting the Secret Key to the River Soldiers today, no matter what. This was because he had counted a total of 37 Shushan disciples in the rain, and 10 of them were of Psychic Realm strength. Seems like Shushan had already gotten wind of this secret and sent out disciples of such level and below, so as not to draw the attention of the other sects.


    However, this was the Human World after all. As it was not the natural habitat of the Demons, their plan was not as sound as that of Shushan.


    Judging by the fact that the disciples of Shushan had suppressed their urge to fight until the very last minute, it seemed that they were bent on obtaining the artifact today, even at the cost of the lives of other humans.


    Just as Feng Xingyu was thinking about the next course of action he should take, all 37 disciples of Shushan had boarded the dragon ship and surrounded the sword bearing youth of the Demon Race.


    Without wasting a breath, they drew their swords in unison, forming a tight circle around him.


    The youth, who was still behaving arrogantly and suppressed everyone with his commanding aura moments ago, was pierced through by multiple swords very shortly. His body was burnt to ashes with a Mystical Green Fire Curse and scattered by the winds into the Luo River, leaving only his long sword on the deck of the ship as a mark of his presence earlier on. The sword trembled slowly, as if mourning for the loss of its owner.


    A youth in a white shirt, who was standing in front of the other disciples, looked indifferently at the scattering ashes of his opponent before turning his attention to the whale not far away.


    "Go!"


    Feng Xingyu did not hesitate any further. Upon his instructions, all four of them on the back of the whale leaped into the air and fled in different directions. Feng Xingyu was the most skilled of them, and the demonic saber underneath his feet was ranked the highest. As such, his speed was the faster than his other companions, and he transformed into a long rainbow that arced across the sky. The other three were not as lucky.


    The youth who was wielding a skull of a scorpion was run through by a flying sword, while the other one with the Bloodied Zombie Bird on his shoulder had his arms chopped off a short while later. Finally, their companion wearing the Seven Colored Water Snake as a belt was beheaded.


    They were of Post-Celestial Realm level, and there was no hope of them surviving the siege of the Psychic Realm level Shushan disciples. In the Cultivation World, the flying swords of Shushan were the swiftest and most vicious, especially toward demons.


    Think about it- how many demons had been crushed under the Demon Containing Tower, which shot up into the Heavens, over the millennia?


    No other sect in the Human World knew more about demons than Shushan.


    Therefore, when Feng Xingyu saw disciples of Shushan approaching, and that their numbers and power were greater than him and his companions, he was prepared to die.


    "Faster, faster," muttered Feng Xingyu as he channeled the True Energy in his body with all of his might into the demonic saber at his feet. Even so, he felt wafts of cold air behind him. The pressure grew, and soon, he began to even feel a prickling sensation.


    Someone was attacking with a sword behind him.


    He wanted to see who it was but dared not, afraid that the action would slow him down. His father had taught him that survival in any fight with a disciple of Shushan could be decided in a split second. During that time, however, he was young and foolish, but now he regretted his arrogance.


    What he regretted the most was not listening closely to what his father had said after that. "What should I do during instances like this?" he thought.


    "How can I survive?"


    The prickling sensation grew more painful to bear.


    The sword of his opponent was drawing near!


    "Fight on!" Feng Xingyu shouted through his teeth. He took in a deep breath and leaped, spiralling sideways for about three meters. He then grabbed the hilt of his saber, which was flying across the air, with both hands.


    "The Clouds Disperse as the Gale Approaches!"


    A gale appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around his blade as he struck toward his back.


    As he expected, there was someone there wielding a sword.


    "Remember my name- I''m Zhou Bufan of Shushan."


    The man struck with a blow of his sword after he had finished speaking. There was no fearsome gust of wind or torrential downpour, and he did not shout. There was simply a green ray of light being produced.


    This harmless looking ray of green light pierced through the fearsome gale, targeting the weakest spot of the demonic saber and flew straight at Feng Xingyu''s heart.


    Feng Xingyu''s heart beat very quickly as he saw the ray of light heading straight toward him. His eyes turned blood red as the sleeves of his shirt burst apart. He grabbed the ray with his claws, chanting, "I want to, and I''m willing. Return me home!"


    It was the shapeshifting skill of the Feng Division wolf clan, which would ignite the user''s blood!


    Zhuo Bufan''s eyebrows arched as he said, "He is merely at three star Psychic Realm level, isn''t he afraid of being permanently crippled from forcefully shapeshifting? Oh that''s right- he''s going to die anyway. He might as well give it his best shot."


    "Your courage is commendable and worthy of another attack!"


    Zhuo Bufan shook his wrists, producing another green ray of energy.


    Feng Xingyu, who was standing not far away, was already extremely irritated. He was never humiliated like this in the Demon World before.


    "Damn you! I curse your entire family to be crippled for the rest of their lives! The next time we meet, I''ll kill you!" Feng Xingyu replied. The energy ray was drawing close, but he did not block it and instead dived toward the Luo River below him.


    After all, he was using the secret technique of the Wind Division, and the ignition of his blood brought Feng Xingyu''s speed up to another level. In the blink of an eye, he was about to touch the surface of the river, but unfortunately the speed of his opponent''s attack was even greater.


    The bolt of green energy was heading straight toward Feng Xinyu''s back with unerring accuracy.


    Feng Xinyu''s speed increased again, from the ignition of his blood and the force of Zhuo Bufan''s attack.


    "Splash!"


    There was a small splash on the surface of the Luo River, which was also pelted by rainfall from the torrential downpour. Feng Xingyu''s figure was reduced from a black shadow to a black dot, before completely disappearing from sight.


    Zhuo Bufan frowned as he hovered above the surface of the river. He saw that his second attack had failed to kill Feng Xingyu. The demon was hiding a magic artifact with defensive properties on his back, and it was no ordinary trinket. It had saved his life at the most critical moment.


    Zhuo Bufan''s sword was also no ordinary weapon. There was blood in the splash above the Luo River just now.


    If he continued his pursuit, he was certain Feng Xingyu would die.


    He hesitated, however, upon noticing the strong currents of the river and the filthy muck at its bottom. Anyone who knew Zhuo Bufan well would understand that the swordsman had purposely allowed Feng Xingyu to escape not because he wanted to, but rather the water of the Luo River was too dirty for him.


    Zhuo Bufan hated dirt and everything filthy, the river included.


    Feng Xingyu would most likely have not expected that he managed to survive because his assailant was Zhuo Bufan, the gifted teenager from Shushan.


    Zhuo Bufan summoned his flying sword back to his side and immediately drew out a white pristine handkerchief from his shirt sleeves to wipe down his weapon thoroughly, especially its blood-stained tip. His actions were extremely well rehearsed, evidence that he had performed them many times before. After finishing cleaning, he instantly threw the handkerchief into the river.


    If Qian Shuxiao was here, he would have laughed derisively and made fun of the youth''s obssessive compulsive disorder.

 Chapter 26 Are You Bandits?

    The emotions of the hundreds of guests on the dragon ship fell and rose throughout the day from witnessing the exciting dance by the beauty to the nervy auction of magic treasures, followed by the attack of the Devious Iguanas, the overwhelming aura of the appearance of the youth from the Demon Race, and finally the appearance of the sword master from Shushan out of nowhere. They felt as though their hearts were going to leap out of their chests.


    Now, the reinforcements that they had been waiting for had arrived, and the danger was finally over.


    Cheers soon rang out around the dragon ship.


    "We''re saved!"


    "The sword master of Shushan is really cool!"


    "We don''t have to worry any longer. I nearly died from fright just now. If the young demon did not keep to his word, many of us would have died."


    The guests of the ship began discussing excitedly, and some of them even embraced each other, extremely relieved at having survived the ordeal. Even Leng Wuxin heaved a long sigh of relief. As the second in command of the Mortal World Pavilion and overall in charge of this flower-viewing drinking banquet on the dragon ship, he would have a lot to answer for if he could not guarantee the safety of the lives and properties of his guests.


    Even if he had somehow managed to survive, he would not dare or want to go back home. His only option would have been suicide in the Luo River.


    Now, even though there were some casualties, most of his guests had survived, and it was the best outcome that he could have wished for.


    He smiled gently as he observed the cheering guests and waved to them as well. "I''ll keep the magic treasures on the deck and return as much of the guests'' possessions back to them as I can, so that I can create a record of some kind."


    After giving out instructions, Leng Wuxin surveyed his surroundings and walked up to Ye Que.


    "Let''s be re-acquainted with one other. I''m Leng Wuxin, second in command of the Mortal World Pavilion," he said, before cupping his right first with his left hand and bowing slightly.


    "I''m Ye Que," the youth replied, telling the man how to write his name in Mandarin. He had a good impression of Leng Wuxin and felt that it was useful to know him- he might need to call on the man''s help in the future.


    "Thank you for what you did today. If it weren''t for you, as the person in charge of this dragon ship, I would have killed myself in shame," Leng Wuxin continued in a grateful tone.


    "I just did what I had to do. Besides, I wouldn''t have been able to stop the attack of the demons on my won," Ye Que said honestly.


    Just as Ye Que was chatting with Leng Wuxin, there was a commotion near them on the deck.


    A red-faced low-level officer of the Mortal World Pavilion was pointing at the pile of magic treasures in front of him and he seemed to be explaining something. A disciple of Shushan stood in front of him. The swordsman did not speak, but he used his body to separate the officer from the artifacts, as if he did not want anyone to be able to reach them. A few other guests had crowded around them, and they looked as angry as the officer.


    Leng Wuxin frowned and signaled for Ye Que to follow him, as he walked toward the crowd.


    "Excuse me, please give way to us. These magical artifacts belong to the Mortal World Pavilion and its guests. We have to get them back," the low-ranking officer tried explaining again.


    The Shushan disciple lifted his head to look at officer and curled his lips. He did not speak nor move away.


    "You''re an Immortal Master of Shushan, and we''re truly grateful for your help in rescuing us. However, these artifacts are ours, and you''ve no right to deny our access to them. We wouldn''t mind giving them to you if they were ordinary trinkets, but they are extremely valuable and I''m afraid I''m not in the position to let you take them."


    The disciple of Shushan remained silent. A crowd quickly gathered around them as more people overheard their argument.


    In a few words, the whole story was revealed.


    "How can this happen? That''s unreasonable. These artifacts are our possessions to begin with, so why is he not allowing us to retrieve them?"


    "Does he think he can bully us after fighting off the Demon Race?"


    "These people from Shushan are really shameless. To think that they''re the leaders of the Cultivation World, and that they claim to be the top swordsmanship sect?"


    All sorts of arguments could be heard, and they came not only from the officer of the Mortal World Pavilion, but also the guests from Luoyang City. Now that the Demon Race had been chased away and the imminent danger removed, the nobles and businessmen, who had just been humiliated, were not afraid of the disciples from Shushan. In their eyes, it was a reputable sect that went by the rules.


    Would the disciples of Shushan really dare to misbehave?


    Are they not afraid of earning a bad reputation?


    "Shut up, everyone!"


    "None of these magic items can be taken away."


    With a loud roar of anger, Zhuo Bufan walked through the crowd and looked around coldly. "These magic items are related to the demon race. I need to take them away to Shushan for further investigation to determine if any humans are in cahoot with the demons."


    After he had finished speaking, Zhuo Bufan signaled to his fellow sect members, and some of them began to gather up the pile of magic treasure.


    "Immortality Master of Shushan, I''m afraid your actions are not very right," Leng Wuuxin spoke up suddenly.


    "My name is Zhuo Bufan," the swordsman said as he looked at Leng Wuxin without displaying any emotion.


    "Immortality Master Zhuo, I guarantee you that these magical artifacts are auction items from the Mortal World Pavilion or personal items of our guests, and have no connection at all to the Demon Race. They are all private property," said Leng Wuxin in a low tone.


    "Private property? Nothing to do with the demon race? " Zhuo Bufan sneered, "What proof do you have?"


    Zhuo Bufan continued, pointing to a pile of magic weapons on the ground, "If these magical items have nothing to do with demon race, then why do they try to rob the ship? If there isn''t any connection, why would they spend so much effort to lay seige to this dragon ship? What was their motive?"


    "Don''t forget that they weren''t looking to take your lives," he continued, totally disregarding Leng Wuxin after he had finished speaking. He did not think highly of the weak Mortal World Pavilion. To ordinary folk, it was a big faction, but to Zhou Bufan, it was just a small gang that was weaker than even other third-rate sects like the Green Mountain Sect.


    "Do the items that the Demon Race covet need to have any connection with them? I heard that they want to take over the Demon Holding Tower. Does that mean that Shushan is also in cahoots with the Demon Race?"


    Ye Que walked out of the crowd, just as Zhuo Bufan turned around. The teenager tucked both of his hands into his shirt sleeves and wore an ironic look on his face.


    "Ridiculous!"


    Ye Que snorted contemptuously at Zhuo Bufan, then pointed to the nearby pile of magic treasure surrounded by Shushan disciples. "Be truthful if your actual intention is to seize these artifacts for yourself. You''re acting like a whore who''s trying to work under the guise of a legitimate shop. This is disgusting. Does Shushan nurture its disciples in this manner?"


    "To think that you people keep vowing to rid the world of demons and uphold justice."


    "I don''t think you people are here to rescue us or to slay demons. This is an obvious robbery attempt!"


    Ye Que pointed at Zhuo Bufan and gang as he questioned them.


    "Are you bandits?


    "I just want to ask, are you bandits or not?"


    Most of the guests had begun arguing, but no one dared to step forward and confront the swordsmen, as they knew that the Shushan disciples were much stronger than them. Who could possibly take them on in a fight, if they really wanted to seize the magical artifacts for themselves?


    The Demon Race was strong, but only their ashes were left.


    Why was Ye Que unable to understand this? He could see clearly, but that did not mean he could take it lying down. When he was still a member of the Qingqiu Sword Sect, he had already hated the culture of Shushan. They were fake, loved to show off and their purported chivalry was an act.


    The sight of Shushan disciples made him feel nauseated.


    Disgust!


    "Who are you?"


    "What nonsense!"


    "How dare you slander the disciples of Shushan and claim that we''re bandits!" Zhuo Bufan turned to deride Ye Que.


    "I''m no one. I''m just a guest of the Mortal World Pavilion," replied Ye Que. He would not budge and remained firm.


    "You''re courting death!"

 Chapter 27 The Telepathic Misty Rain Finger

    Zhuo Bufan struck at the same moment when he shouted.


    The first lesson any disciple of Shushan learned when practicing swordcraft was to be quick, hit accurately and viciously.


    With one glance, Zhuo Bufan had seen through the strength of Ye Que and knew that he was a rookie that had just entered the Pre-celestial Realm. He could act tough in front of ordinary folk or martial artists, but he was nothing but putty in Zhuo Bufan''s eyes, something no more than a plaything.


    Due to his anger, Zhuo Bufan chose to attack in a manner that would be most humiliating to his opponent.


    He got close instantly.


    Slap!


    He smacked the left side of Ye Que''s face with his right palm infused with True Energy. Just like Zhou Bufan expected, he was able to smack Ye Que back more than 10 meters back with 30 per cent of his strength at Psychic Realm power. It was not enough to kill him, but his face would definitely have been swollen.


    The force from his palm cut across the air and touched the left side of Ye Que''s face with unerring accuracy.


    However, Zhuo Bufan squinted, immediately sensing that something was amiss.


    His palm strike had missed its target!


    It was completely beyond his expectations. "How could Ye Que, who''s two levels below me, dodge my strike? "he thought.


    A piercing pain shot out from his wrist nearly the same time when he squinted, and he wanted to retract his palm, but he felt his elbow go numb, followed by his right shoulder.


    Just as Zhuo Bufan was intending to form a move of his sword skill with his right hand, he suddenly realized that the True Energy flowing toward his right arm seemed to be blocked by an insurmountable mountain. He grew alarmed and immediately realized that even though the young man in front of him was merely at the Pre-celestial Realm, he could not be dealt with so easily.


    "I have to maintain the distance between us! "Zhuo Bufan thought, as he realized how laughable his earlier decision to draw near and slap Ye Que was. The sword skill of Shushan was best used to kill one''s opponent at hundreds of kilometers away. Practitioners of such skill were most adept at long range strikes as it was faster and more accurate than any other technique.


    After drawing close to his opponent, however, the natural advantage his skill gave him disappeared completely.


    "Linked in countless ways, a flexible energy will envelop one''s finger, "Zhuo Bufan chanted as he bit through his own lips. His left arm was pierced by Ye Que another three more times before he finally formed a close combat seal.


    In an instant, dozens of yin sword energies, as thin as silk threads, shielded Zhuo Bufan''s entire body, finally allowing him the chance to observe his opponent, the youth known as Ye Que.


    He was even more alarmed as he observed his opponent closely. It was not because he had seen the youth turn into a demon, but rather he could not lock down Ye Que''s movements. By this point time, Ye Que was darting around like a phantom, and he never ceased moving as he circled around Zhou Bufan, as if he could figure out all of the older man''s actions.


    Ye Que''s footwork was bringing him in the complete opposite direction of Zhuo Bufan''s movements!


    Ye Que was completely aware of the sword skills, seals and footwork of Shushan. He was someone who had fought the leader of the sect.


    Ye Que''s sword energies pierced throught the silk-like gentle energies of his opponent as he moved quickly. He struck at various points of Zhuo Bufan''s body with ferocious speed using his finger, hitting a different spot with every attack, from his opponent''s chest to his back.


    Ye Que returned to his original position after a short while, and Zhuo Bufan did not try to break free from his opponent''s attacks again, his right palm still extended forward.


    A grin appeared on the corner of Ye Que''s mouth as he took a step foward slowly, appearing before Zhou Bufan. He reached out and smacked his opponent''s face twice gently.


    "Who''s courting death now? "


    "Didn''t your master teach you that you need to behave politely toward others? "


    "There''ll always be someone stronger than you out there. Don''t think that you''re invincible just because you''re in a higher realm than others. You''re still too young. "


    After he had finished speaking, Ye Que wiped the hand that had struck Zhou Bufan on the front of his opponent''s shirt, as if he had dirtied his palm by touching the older man.


    "Let''s go. "


    Ye Que turned to shout at Qian Shuxiao, who was not far away. He then bent to pick up the sword case of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords before cupping his fist and paying his respects to the surrounding guests.


    "Where''s the small boat? "


    Leng Wuxin pointed to a small ladder at the side of the boat.


    "Thanks. "


    The black thunder clouds gathering above the Luo River dispersed instantly.


    The storm, that had been raging on, also gradually stopped.


    A misty haze of rain began to form.


    Ye Que led Qian Shuxiao up a small wooden boat in the slight shower and flicked his sleeves, disappearing into the mist in the blink of an eye.


    After a long while, a splitting roar came from the deck of the dragon ship, followed by a ray of sword qi shooting forth.


    After about 15 minutes, the ragged looking Zhuo Bufan kept his sword and left. In the mist and drizzle, it would be hard to search for a dragon boat even, much less Ye Que.


    He gritted his teeth as he stared at everyone on the deck of the ship with bloodshot eyes. "The guests can retrieve their own magic treasures, but the auction items from the Mortal World Pavilion have to remain behind. "


    He looked at Leng Wuxin before continuing, "Give me a sum, and someone will bring the requisite amount of silver to your esteemed residence. "


    Before Leng Wuxin could reply, however, Zhuo Bufan stopped him by extending his arm. "Don''t bargain with me, I still haven''t changed my mind! "he continued.


    "I''ve already been very lenient toward you people. "


    Zhou Bufan said as he stood unabashedly before the pile of magic treasures and stared at the people surrounding him.


    Soon, dozens of treasures were picked out and brought away by their owners. The Secret Key to the River Soldiers was still left behind on the deck, but even though Zhuo Bufan and Feng Xingyu knew which item it was, neither of them was willing or able to show that they knew, and could only try to hide the fact for as long as they could.


    That pile of magic treasure was a cover for them. Even when he was fighting Ye Que earlier on, Zhuo Bufan did not allow his attention to stray from the Secret Key to the River Soldiers. Nothing else mattered except for that item.


    It is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge even after ten years.


    Zhuo Bufan believed that he could wait to take revenge on Ye Que. He promised himself that he would beat the teenager into unrecognizable pulp. "Kid, you''re the first person that dares to dirty my clothes with his or her filthy hands. I''ll remember you. "


    The water of the Luo River came from the Heavens itself, and it contained a total of nine bends and eighteen turns.


    Since Ye Que dared to humiliate Zhuo Bufan, he had already come up with an exit plan. There were many twists and turns in the river, and no one could hope to catch a boat sailing through it under the cover of darkness, fog and rain. Furthermore, Ye Que was the person rowing it.


    The power of someone''s faith was transmitted into the water, slowing down the rate of its flow considerably.


    "Mr. Ye, Brother Ye, no, my dear brother, tell me what happened just now? I''m even calling you my blood brother now! "asked Qian Shuxiao excitedly. "You''re really something. You suppressed the genius of Shushan in the blink of an eye, and he couldn''t even retaliate! "


    "According to what I''ve seen, you''re much more powerful that the demons. All five of them that arrived here on whales have been slain by the disciples of Shushan, and you managed to suppress the strongest amongst them. Doesn''t that mean that you''re the most powerful person on this ship? Tell me quickly, what Realm are you at? Advanced Sky? Psychic? Or perhaps you''re the reincarnation of an immortal? "Qian Shuxiao went on and on.


    "Shut up! "


    "Be quiet! "


    "Call them over carefully. Let me warn you that I''m completely exhausted now. I was bluffing just now, and soon he''ll be able to react! "


    These words made Qian Shuxiao so afraid that he immediately kept quiet and surveyed his surroundings with a fearful expression on his face.


    "What about him? "Qian Shuxiao asked as he mimicked the comical actions of Zhuo Bufan, as well as the two slaps that Ye Que gave him.


    "The Telepathic Misty Rain Finger. "


    "Just now, I used the''Telepathic Misty Rain Finger'', a kind of Taoist spirit sealing technique used specifically to suppress experts of the Psychic Realm. "It was originally used on prisoners, forcing the prisoner to remain motionless, and then sealing his body at 17 spiritual caves on Thursday to solidify his True Energy. "


    Ye Que paused before continuing. "I''m of the Pre-celestial Realm, while my opponent is of the Psychic Realm. That''s a gap of two levels between us. Luckily, he was over confident and came too close to me. Why wouldn''t I use the sealing technique on him? If it weren''t for my lack of Divine Energy, he wouldn''t have been able to move for another three days. "

 Chapter 28 Strange Signs from Heaven

    Before nightfall, Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao returned to Luoyang City.


    They did not stop for any rest and headed straight to the Qian Manor.


    After causing such a huge commotion on the dragon ship, Qian Shuxiao felt a little nervous to return home.


    "Brother Ye, go back to your room and rest first. I''ll go see grandpa. I''ve to tell him about what happened today, otherwise I''ll feel inhibited. Don''t you worry, however. As long as I''m alive, no one will dare to look for trouble with you in the Qian Manor. Rest assured about that."


    One would know who one''s true friends are, in times of need. Qian Shuxiao had already begun to treat Ye Que as his own brother, and he would not be dissuaded.


    "That''s Shushan you''re talking about. Think carefully," said Ye Que calmly. "Don''t trouble the old master too much. Even though you''re the only child of his eldest son, your family has many employees. Their livelihoods depend on your family''s survival."


    "I know what I''m doing. The Qian family would not have remained standing for so long without some real power," Qian Shuxiao said, lowering his voice before continuing, "To be honest, when I was young, I saw more than one Immortality Master appear in our manor. Yes, those practitioners that could fly and burrow into the ground."


    "Think about it- the wealth of our family is one par with that of many nations. Wouldn''t people eye our riches? If we didn''t have some real skill, we would have been robbed long ago. In our day and age, would anyone be able to sustain a business without being able to satisfy both the law and the underground factions?"


    "How about you?"


    Ye Que wanted to speak, but he felt his heart quiver.


    He looked up into the night sky subconsciously.


    The original night sky.


    Filled with stars.


    At this moment.


    A beam of golden light shot out at a spot in Luoyang City, rising all the way up into the skies until it was out of sight. The light illuminated the entire night sky, and an ancient power came toward it from afar, mixed with terrifying spiritual qi. The boundless qi blew across the land like a cool breeze, spreading for hundred of kilometers in an instant.


    Almost at the same time.


    On the skyscrapping 18th storey of Chang''an City, one could see the seven stars blinking from the roof of the castle. Totems began floating in the air of royal palaces, and the swords buried in tombs deep within the mountains began to resonate. A mystical light filled all of the 367 sects of the green plains, which stretched for thousands of kilometers.


    "Seems that the Secret Key to the River Soldiers was still activated," Ye Que muttered to himself.


    "Strange signs from heaven."


    "All congregating on Luoyang."


    This was the secret Ye Que had heard about the River Soldiers previously.


    When a divine tool emerged, it would not allow itself to be easily obtained. The swordsmen of Shushan thought that they had got the Secret Key for themselves but they did not know that activating it would cause strange signs to appear in Heaven and Earth. The entire Cultivation World, even the three domains, would be alarmed.


    Shoot the first bird!


    The secret key of this river pawn is a hot potato. Zhuo Bufan still wants to find trouble with Ye Que? I''m afraid at this time even he has to find a way to hide.


    Ye Que dared to bet that within three days, the entire clan of the Xiuzhen sect will send someone to Luoyang, and will the royal family of the prosperous Tang Dynasty watch the artifact be born under their noses? Is it really indifferent?


    In charge of the whole central plains of gas and resources, behind the royal family, there is no doubt that there must be a very large power support, even if of shushan is known as the first sword, even to avoid three points.


    Otherwise, where is it worthy for all nations to worship?


    " Ye, Brother Ye, what is this? A light seems to reach the sky. " Qian Shuxiao looked at the night sky with his head held high in astonishment.


    " Artifact River Death Coming Soon."


    " This is a vision of heaven and earth triggered by the secret key of the river pawn, and it is regarded as a warning of heaven and earth to the world." Ye Que didn''t hide Qian Shuxiao. People respect me for a foot and I respect people for a foot. Since Qian Shuxiao is sincere to himself, Ye Que has no reason to protect him. People live for a lifetime and love and righteousness are in my heart.


    " If I didn''t guess wrong, today on the dragon boat, whether the five demon youths or the disciples of Shushan, they all came for the secret key of the river pawn, but in the end Shushan was superior." Leaves short of thought for a moment and said.


    " The river died? Artifact? Is it very powerful and valuable? " Qian Shuxiao asked doubtfully, the problem of merchant''s birth will never be changed, with a mouthful of foul smell.


    " There are tens of millions of magic weapons in the world. Since ancient times, rivers have ranked in the top nine. You said they were not strong enough." Ye Que said.


    " I understand, I completely understand." Qian Shuxiao grabbed his hair hard. " It seems that this is a big event. Brother Ye, go back to your room and have a rest first. I have to find my grandfather now. We can''t solve this situation by ourselves."


    Qian Shu smile and disappeared into the large Qian manor after he finsihed speaking, without waiting for Ye Que''s reply.


    Shook his head, leaves lack helpless and the pie mouth, Qian Shu smile so nervous, it seems really unnecessary in leaves lack, " a small disciple of shushan, really don''t need to worry too much. What''s more, when the visions of heaven and earth come, Zhuo bufan, as a disciple of Shu shan, is probably too busy to take care of himself. where is there any leisure and interest to come to Qian fu to find trouble? "


    " Shushan? Hum! Let''s think of some way to meet the challenge from the whole truth-fixing," Ye Que whispered, as he turned back to the house.


    On a trip to the Huakui cocktail party, Ye Que got Qian Shuxiao got a dry Kun bag, a Luan nest bow and 30 pieces of gas-gathering and quenching Dan. He got 13 swords from his mother and son in the Spring and Autumn Period. He has exchanged hands with cunning lizards, bloodied birds, water snakes, and outstanding men of Shu mountain. It was a little thrilling, but it was quite fruitful.


    At the same time, this trip also made Ye Que find one of his weaknesses or defects.


    No matter how seals or traps there were, or even how skilled the caster was, it was merely the work of someone at the bottom of the Cultivation World hierarchy. It didn''t pose a challenge to Ye Que. Moreover, he had Divine Energy accumulating in his body. Whether it was in terms The state is slightly lower, the explosion is more than enough, and the endurance is insufficient. Although the Tian Yuan in his body is one hundred times stronger than the real Yuan in terms of strength and attack power, the quantity is too thin. of strength or destructive power, the difference between Divine Energy and True Energy was like heaven and earth.


    On the dragon boat, only supporting Ye Que shot three times, once activating Luan Nest, once spring and autumn period, thirteen swords, and once rain and smoke. The effect is good, but the weakness is too obvious.


    Now, the death of the river is imminent. Luoyang city will surely become the source of disaster and chaos. wind and rain are approaching. it is better to rely on others than on yourself.


    Only one''s own strength can guarantee a long life.


    Ye Que practiced an esoteric method of the heavenly book. The snow mountain at the heart gate of the body is enormous. If others are like streams, Ye Que''s body is a big river, which can absorb multiple of the spiritual force of the heaven and earth than others. And every time you absorb a little spirit, you will be purified.


    This is also why Ye Que could only unleaseh his technique for three times on the dragon boat.


    His body has been transformed into a bottomless pit by the heavenly book.


    With a sigh, Ye Que sat cross legged on his bed and was ready to meditate. When his eyes glanced at the Spring and Autumn Sword Box, a flash of light flashed thlight flashed through his mind.


    " The spring and autumn period and the child mother 13 sword between the second-order magic weapon and the third-order magic weapon, and is a combination of matrix magic weapon, stored in the sword box is able to raise the spirit of god, but if the 13 sword coagulation refined into the body, in the heart gate snow mountain position draw a poly spirit sword array. With spring and autumn as the focus, shock wave as the core, and sword as the focus, we can certainly absorb spiritual power faster. "


    As he thought about it, Ye Que stood up directly, taking two steps to the spring and autumn sword box.


    " Little babies, listen up - I''ll change your home!"

 Chapter 29 The Guide

    A sleepless night.


    The sun rises yet again.


    As Ye Que walked out of his house, a ray of warm sunlight shone on him, giving him the look of an impressive swordsman from afar. The Spirit Sword Gathering Formation, a technique that was created using the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords as its core, allowed him to quickly devour any surrounding Spiritual Force as and when he wished, and it even began to alter his natural qualities.


    In the past, Ye Que was introverted, but now, he was open and daring, like a sharp sword that had been unsheathed.


    Just out of the door, Ye Que looked around unexpectedly. Overnight, it seemed that earth-shaking changes had taken place in the Qian manor. No one felt it last night, but now there are so many yogis. In this small courtyard where Ye Que is located alone, he sensed the breath of the three experts of Pre-celestial Realm.


    " It seems that Qian Shuxiao''s grandfather has already started making arrangements."


    It should have been reported that Qian Shuxiao soon rushed up with two huge black circles under his face. It seems that he definitely did not have a good rest last night, even stayed up all night.


    "Brother Ye, how was your rest?"


    " Gee!"


    " You look strange today, sharp-edged, and a little scary!" Qian Shuxiao started to cry out before he arrived, but his voice became softer as he approached. In the end, one could hardly hear him. It seemed that he was in awe of Ye Que''s aura.


    " Nothing strange, just the spring and autumn period and the child mother 13 sword drawn into a sword array, income in the body. There may be some extra money these days, but it will be fine in a few days. " Ye Que said.


    " Put a sword array in your body?" Qian Shuxiao asked in surprise. " It''s too horrible to hurt yourself."


    " No."


    " Go ahead, come to me so early. What''s the matter?" Ye Que did not believe Qian Shuxiao''s expression. This fellow is an actor by nature. The whole person''s expression is completely controlled by himself. He laughs when talking and laughs and cries when talking. necessarily true. It is estimated that most of them are flattering.


    " Flower chief cocktail party, I have already told the old man, including of shushan the disciple surnamed zhuo. The old man said, as long as we don''t pay the government, he will keep us safe. Even Shushan won''t come here to arrest people directly, but if we leave the government, we need to be on our guard. After all, the flying sword of Shushan is too sharp. "


    Qian Shuxiao changed his old smirk and said solemnly.


    " Is that all?" Ye Que seemed to have expected it, and looked up at the buildings of Qianfu. He thought to himself, " I didn''t notice just now. It turns out that the whole Qianfu mansion is a large array, and it is really difficult for ordinary people to break through when the array is started."


    " Is that all?" Looked at the money book smile awkward appearance, leaf asked again.


    " One more thing."


    Qian Shuxiao rub the rub hands, look embarrassed, seems to be some uneasy.


    " Brother Ye, I want to ask you one thing."


    " I want to practice with you."


    " I hope you can be my guide and guide in practice."


    " I don''t want to be a businessman anymore. I also want to fly into the earth and live forever!" With that, Qian Shuxiao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the leaves sincerely.


    "Based on statements from diners yesterday as well as the identification of the corpses, there were originally three more people indeed. One of them was the Young Master of the Qian Manor, Qian Shuxiao. He brought a foreign woman to stay in the VIP room. The other one was called Ye Que, also a foreigner who came to Luoyang to visit relatives. The only thing was that Qian Shuxiao and Ye Que left together afterward and the rooms were charged to the former. From the looks of it, he didn''t return home for the entire night."


    " Really?" Ye Que asked.


    " Sincerely." Qian Shuxiao hard nodded, " the first time I saw Ye Ge, I had this idea. Standing on the dragon boat yesterday and watching you pull open the phoenix nest and shoot the cunning lizard, this idea became even more firm. I made up my mind when I saw you sweep all the monster beasts on the deck with thirteen swords. "


    " I want to practice. I want to be like you. I can be fearless when encountering demons." Qian Shu laughed loudly and said.


    Ye Que looked at Qian Shuxiao and did not promise in a hurry. He looked around casually. " I think there is not no capable person in your Qian Fu. Why did you choose me as the guide?"


    " These people are all my grandfather''s or my father''s, as well as those from my ancestors." Qian Shu smiled and pointed around. " I didn''t choose any of them myself. every generation of money owners has a pair of wise eyes and firmly believes in their own eyes. once they choose, they will never waver."


    " If the Qian family can survive for a thousand years, it will always rely on the help of noble people."


    Qian Shuxiao stretched out his hand and pointed to Ye Que. " Ye Ge, you are the noble I have chosen. I believe in my vision and intuition."


    " Therefore, I hope to follow you in your spiritual practice and promise that one day when I am here, the Qian family will be Ye Ge''s forever friend and will spare no effort."


    Staring at Qian Shuxiao for a long time, leaves lack of heavy voice asked, " want to clear? There is a road to study hard in Shushan, and the sea of learning is endless. This practice is 100 times more difficult and even life-threatening than the sea of learning in Shushan. "


    Qian Shuxiao did not answer, but his expression became more serious. His eyes were bright and firm.


    " If you just want to keep fit, the 30 pieces of gas quenching Dan have more than enough, but if you let me be your guide, it is not that simple. This body of yours has already passed the age of optimal practice, and it takes a lot of energy to reverse it. " Leaves short of looking at Qian Shuxiao body, pondered over and said.


    " Consumption?"


    Qian Shuxiao paused, subconsciously answered, " The problem that money can solve has never been a problem for me."


    " Well, as long as you think clearly, I can be your guide."


    Ye Que pondered for half a ring, then said, " Wait for me here for an hour, I''ll write a list, you go shopping, and when you''re ready, start practicing. First of all, you should prepare two copies of the items on the list, one for you and one for me, and consider them as my remuneration. I also need to improve my accomplishments as soon as possible in times of trouble. "


    " Yes, I will prepare two copies if you don''t say so."


    " After reading the list, I think you may need to look for your grandfather."


    After Ye Que finished speaking, he motioned with his hand and went back to the house.


    A cool breeze blew, and it was peaceful in the small green village.


    Soon, all the maids and pages around got up one after the other, drawing water, cooking, and the fireworks were getting stronger.


    Sitting in the pavilion of the small garden, Qian Shu was drowsy with a small wind blowing with a smile.


    I don''t know when, a cool breeze blowing, head suddenly hit a blow hammer. Qian Shuxiao, who woke up in his sleep, opened his eyes and saw his own sister, with her hands in her waist, facing her crossly and coldly, looking angry.


    " What''s the matter, sister, who made you angry?" Qian Shuxiao asked, looking perplexed.


    Looking at Qian Shu Hua next to him, he stared, panting, gnashing his teeth and asked, " did you attend a cocktail party yesterday?"


    " Yes."


    " Has Brother Yun Hai gone too?"


    "Who?"


    " the second son of the general''s office."


    " Yes."


    " Did he bring a woman, Lin Meier?"


    "What''s the matter? Is there a problem? "


    " I heard people say, that Lin Meier is the fiancee that Brother Yunhai''s mother selected for him? Is it true? "


    " It seems to be true."


    " Then why you didn''t tell me earlier."


    Qian Shuhua finished with a blow to Qian Shuxiao''s head, then left angrily. Qian Shuxiao was used as a punching bag.


    " Qian Shuhua, are you my sister or not?"


    "Crazy!"

 Chapter 30 Doomed Love

    " The five-leaf Tianshan Snow Lotus, the purple-red scenery, the seven lines of any first, withered cliff wind dogwood, weak water at the end of the Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, three-leaf licorice, Yundian fog Cherong, South China Sea Peng Ge turtle glue. . . "


    Qian Shuxiao looked at the thick piece of paper in his hand. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he became. " Ye Ge, are you sure we are just trying to get started? Isn''t this a test of immortality? How can you use so many strange herbs! I haven''t even heard of many! "


    " However, don''t worry, I''m sure I''ve collected all these herbs. " Qian Shuxiao dian the paper, " this one? No? Ye Ge, I didn''t say you. You probably don''t really know my money family well. "


    " Who said one for each?" Ye Que glanced at Qian Shu and smiled, then said, " Look at the end, look carefully. "


    Qian Shuxiao was stunned and picked up the piece of paper, freezing after he had read it.


    " Everything! "


    " One hundred catties! "


    Qian Shuxiao rubbed his eyes and looked at them again. Yes, it was 100 catties each.


    " Ye Ge, do you need so much?" Qian Shuxiao has seen a lot of the world. At this time, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.


    On the other hand, Ye Que looked like his natural self. " I told you just now. After reading the list, I''ll brag about it. You probably have to ask your grandfather for instructions. "


    " These are nothing is not needed? Do you think it is possible to delete it?" Qian Shuxiao felt a little weak for the first time in his life. He was really afraid that he might not be able to make it. These herbs are not ordinary goods by name alone. If only one copy of each is needed, he believes he can do it. However, if each sample weighs 100 kg, it is beyond his ability.


    " Everything has to be purchased. "


    " Not a cattie less. "


    Ye Que said indifferently before shrugging. " If you wish to train alongside me, these are pre-requisite items. How can the training of someone I introduced be ordinary?"


    " Is there no room for discussion?"


    Ye Que shook his head.


    " Well, I''ll go to my mother now, I told her, these things are for his son to marry a daughter-in-law, I see if she can make it. I still don''t believe it. A mere 100 catties of herbs can still make me laugh. " Qian Shu laughed loudly and shouted.


    " It''s a 100 catties of each, and not a total of 100 catties, " Ye Que interrupted, his expression not showing any emotion.


    Hit the nail on the head.


    " Brother, can''t you let me cheer myself up?" Qian Shuxiao said morosely and left Cuizhu Garden.


    At this point, it is already late in the morning.


    Ye Que rubbed his eyes and went to the empty space in front of the house and punched. It is a set of entering boxing techniques of Qingqiu Sword Gate. It was originally used to loosen tendons and forge bones for disciples.


    A set of punches came down. It looked as if it was a fist breaking the wind, but in the wind it was firm but gentle.


    Within three zhangs, with firm but gentle as the rotation, with leaf deficiency as the heart, all the spiritual power is rapidly absorbed, like an invisible tornado, boxing wind, spiritual power.


    At the same time, these spiritual forces absorbed into Ye Que''s body converge to the position of Xinmen Snow Mountain through the eight channels of the strange meridian, and then slowly purify Tian Yuan.


    At first, when practicing gobbledygook, a wisp of golden Tianyuan like silk thread has gradually grown into the size of hemp rope.


    If you don''t take too many steps, you''ll never reach a thousand miles. If you don''t accumulate small streams, you can''t become a river or a sea. The same is true for the road of spiritual practice. If one gathers less and becomes more, one can succeed with perseverance.


    When Ye Que was concentrating on his spiritual practice in the small garden of Cuizhu, a young girl stormed into the general office two blocks away.


    The intruder was Qian Shuhua.


    " Ye Yunhai, Ye Yunhai, get out of here. "


    " Today you must give me the words clearly, why want to marry a vixen? Where am I worse than her?"


    " In school, how did you promise me? Have you forgotten now?"


    " Has your heart been eaten by dogs?"


    Qian Shuhua shouted in the general''s office, but no one dared to stop the gathering because everyone had seen and knew the girl. This is a big miss Qian Fu, the apple of the Qian family''s eye, unless tired of living, who dare to provoke easily!


    What''s more, who doesn''t know, this girl has always liked her second son.


    Qian Shuhua, the eldest daughter of the Qian family, likes Ye Yunhai, the second son of the general office. This is not a new thing in Luoyang. It is a well-known but untold secret. I''m afraid he and General Ye Lao were kept in the dark.


    Qian Lao and Ye Lao had some feuds when they were young, so no one of the next generation of children dared to associate with each other. If they were found, they would definitely be beaten.


    If in the past, she would not have stepped into the general government if she had given money to calligraphy and painting, but today, she has to come.


    Don''t come, her man will be robbed.


    It is intolerable to endure which cannot be tolerated. At this time, where can I still manage the hatred of the older generation? I have to fight for my own happiness!


    " Stop shouting about calligraphy and painting. The sea of clouds is not at home today. " At present this kind of situation, also can only Ye Yunhai mother Xiao Huating to come forward.


    Seeing Xiao Huating speaking, Qian Shuhua''s momentum suddenly weakened by three points, and he stopped calling Ye Yunhai''s full name. After all, he was her future mother-in-law. " Aunt Xiao, let me meet Yun Hai''s brother. He came back from Luohe yesterday, but he hasn''t heard of him going out today. "


    Xiao Huating explained softly, " The sea of clouds is really not at home. Can my aunt still cheat you?"


    " however, I sent someone to wait outside the general''s office early in the morning and did not see brother yun hai go out. " Qian Shuhua can be sent away in three or two sentences. She came to ask for an explanation today.


    Xiao Huating looked at Qian Shuhua''s angry appearance and frowned. " This is all my aunt can say to you, believe it or not. "


    " Also, my aunt has to advise you that it has always been such a truth that men should marry when they are big, women when they are big, parents and matchmakers. "


    " This is the rule, and no one can be an exception. "


    After listening to Xiao Huating''s explanation, Qian Shuhua kept his head down for half a day and did not speak.


    When she looked up again, her eyes were already full of tears, and she looked at Xiao Huating with her red eyes straight at wait for a while. " But I like Yunhai elder brother, and I know Yunhai elder brother likes me too. He can''t marry that Lin Mei son. If he marries that person, he won''t be happy, and he certainly won''t be happy! "


    Let money calligraphy and painting such a noise, almost half of the general office people gather together. Those who did not dare to come to the front yard also listened with their ears firmly erect. If no accident occurs, the whole Luoyang city will be able to spread the news of today''s event in the morning but at night.


    Today, I''m afraid it''s not just Qian Shuhua and Ye Yunhai that are shameful. The whole Qian family and the general government and even Juejian Villa have to suffer, which has become the talk of others after dinner on the wine table.


    Xiao Huating''s face had cooled down by this time, and the money, calligraphy and painting in front of her also looked like she would not stop until she reached her goal.


    As time went by, the door of Ye Yunhai finally opened with a stubborn voice. The second before the door was pushed open, a voice finally came from inside.


    " You know I like you? Who did you hear that? Why don''t I know? Who I want to marry and who I don''t want to marry is my own business. It''s not up to you to dictate. Who do you think you are? Brother Yun Hai, do we know each other very well? Please don''t call me that in the future, it sounds awkward and nauseated! "

 Chapter 31 All Lies

    In the general''s residence.


    Ye Yunhai looked coldly at Qian Shuhua, as if he had just seen the plague.


    "Qian Shuhua, no matter what, you''re the eldest daughter of the Qian family and from a respectable family of Luoyang City. Aren''t you ashamed of yourself for causing a commotion in our residence today? If you aren''t, please go out into the streets. You''re not welcome here. In fact, we wouldn''t welcome anyone from the Qian family."


    Qian Shuhua''s eyes teared up as she looked dazedly at Ye Yunhai. "I didn''t come here today to kick up a fuss. I just want to ask if you''re marrying Lin Mei''er. Is she your fiance?" she asked.


    "Does that have anything to do with you?" Ye Yunhai replied in a cold tone. "I''ll marry who I want. Do you think that I need your advice on that?"


    ¡°You''re Qian Shuhua, and I''m Ye Yunhai. We don''t have anything to do with each other," Ye Yunhai continued, his voice turning increasingly loud, as if he wanted everyone around them to hear him, especially the inhabitants of the room behind him.


    "If you''re done with your questions, please leave- leave the general''s residence. I don''t know you, and I don''t wish to see you. Am I being clear enough?"


    Ye Yunhai''s words were pierced deep into Qian Shuhua''s heart like needles. As she made her way here, she expected to be counseled or rejected, but never in her mind did she expect to be humiliated. Now, under the watchful eyes of the public, she was humiliated badly.


    She felt so aggrieved that she wanted to cry, but her heart ached so badly that the tears would not flow. She wanted to speak and question him, but she swallowed her words as they reached her throat. She was still worried that her words would hurt Ye Yunhai''s public image if she did.


    She thought for a while before saying softly, "Yunhai, we grew up together, studied and played together. We''ve seen so many shooting stars together, and went through so many lantern festivals together. You love spears and great horses, while I love heroes who use the saber and sword. You told me that you would continue to like me no matter the obstacle before us, and I believed you. Therefore, I''ve been waiting for you without complains."


    ¡°Now, I hearing you telling me that you don''t know who I am!" Qian Shuxiao said. She pointed at the maids and help of the General''s manor before continuing, "Ask them, as the huge city of Luoyang. Who would believe you?"


    "In terms of looks, family background and intellect, where am I inferior to Lin Mei''er? Why are you marrying her all of a sudden?" Qian Shuhua asked. She was not speaking very loudly, but everyone around her could hear her clearly. "One cannot be so cold-hearted, and one has to keep to his or her promises."


    Ye Yunhai remained silent for a long while before staring at Qian Shuhua, as if he wanted to see through he inner thoughts.


    He stepped forward and came within one meter of Qian Shuhua.


    "What you said just now was ridiculous."


    "Lin Mei is my fianc¨¦ now, why can''t I marry her?"


    "Intellect? Can you write or compose a poem? You can''t even grasp a brush firmly. Family background? The Qian family is indeed wealthy, but that''s about it. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, you''re all just unscrupulous merchants. Mei''er''s father is the master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, and there''s something that you possibly are unaware of- as of yesterday, the Sword Manor House had already become part of Shushan. That makes it a branch of Shushan, and my father-in-law a disciple of Shushan. He was bestowed with potent medicine and he''s now at Psychic Realm."


    "The old man has promised me that soon, both Mei''er and I will become disciples of Shushan."


    "And let''s talk about looks. Are you sure you''re a lady? Do you even know how a real lady behaves? I''m looking for a wife, not a brother," said Ye Yunhai as he stared straight at Qian Shuhua. "Do you get what I''m saying? I''m already being extremely blunt."


    "I don''t understand!"


    "Yunhai, there must be something troubling you that you can''t speak of. Tell me, and we''ll solve it together. Is Lin Mei''er threatening you? Rest assured, Shushan is a respectable sect and I''ll get my grandpa to talk to them."


    Before Qian Shuhua was done, Ye Yunhai interrupted her coldly, "I''m not hiding anything."


    "I don''t believe you!"


    Qian Shuhua shouted. "Are the words carved on the parasol tree in front of the academy false?"


    "The words ''Holding your hands and turning old along with you.'' Are they false?"


    Xiao Huating, who was watching from the side, could no longer stand idly by. She was afraid that Qian Shuhua would come up with some startling revelation, and she was worried that it might affect her son''s image. "Shuhua, there must have been some misunderstanding somewhere. Why don''t I apologize on Yunhai''s behalf? Please go back home," she forced herself to say in a gentle voice.


    Ye Yunhai glanced at her. "Mum, you don''t have to advise her. If she wants to know whether the words on the parasol tree were real or not, let her see for herself," he said.


    Ye Yunhai went directly back into his room after he finished speaking and shut the door mercilessly.


    Even though the maids and help surrounding them dared not speak, their looks betrayed their inner thoughts- mockery and contempt.


    How could the Eldest Young Lady of a respectable family not feel ashamed of herself after behaving in such an undignified manner? Was she desperate for men? It was obvious that it was an one-sided affair, yet she still tried to cling onto him, and even came to his house to look for him. It was utterly disgraceful behavior!


    It was soon approaching noon, and Yongan street was soon bustling with people.


    Qian Shuhua walked aimlessly like a zombie, her eyes blank as her feet shuffled along. Behind her were about nine young men dressed in the garb of the academy, and they were sweating profusely as they carried a huge parasol tree with them.


    If one examined closely, one would notice that the tree was cut down not long ago, at most two days earlier. Wht was strange was that even its trunk had been slashed many times, and most of its bark had been hacked off.


    Of course, to the youths that were carrying the tree, they knew why it looked this way.


    The tree was felled on the orders of Ye Yunhai, and he had personally sliced off the portion of the trunk that carried his declaration of love.


    Ye Yunhai knew what sort of woman Qian Shuhua was. Since he had found a new love, he had to completely erase any hope of getting him back from her mind.


    He was not really concerned about how Qian Shuhua would think. He was the young master of the General''s family, and he was meant to accomplish great things. Marriage was supposed to aid him, not to make him feel loved.


    Love was a matter best left to young couples, in his opinion.


    ¡°Senior, where do you want us to carry this tree to?" asked one of the youths from the academy. He was totally exhausted and could not help asking Qian Shuhua.


    "This tree is too heavy, and I can''t keep up for long. If we still have to continue walking, I''d rather not claim the reward of 100 taels of silver," another teenager complained. Qian Shuhua had actually paid them to help her.


    "Senior, please think about us."


    "My legs are starting to shake."


    They looked at Qian Shuhua, and she was still silent. Her face was blank, as if she had just lost her soul.


    The skies over Luoyang City cleared up after the storm, and there was not a single cloud to be seen.


    The sun blazed over the city when it was exactly noon.


    Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao walked side by side at the end of the street corner. They looked a little awkward, especially Qian Shuxiao, who looked extremely hideous.


    "Big sister."


    ¡°Come back with me," he said as he approached Qian Shuhua, his heart aching.


    Qian Shuhua finally lifted her head upon hearing her little brother''s voice. A glimmer had returned to her eyes as she gazed at his face. When she turned her attention to his waist, she noticed that he was carrying a saber.


    "Lend me the knife."


    Ye Que''s eyebrows arched as he sighed. "What for," he said as he watched Qian Shuhua''s disappearing back view.

 Chapter 32 I Once Studied Dancing in the Prime of my Beauty

    Qian Shuhua carried her brother''s saber as she walked in the heat of noon.


    She returned empty handed two hours later.


    Her eyes had swelled into the size of a goldfish.


    Without a doubt, she had gone to fight Lin Mei''er. Unfortunately, she was full of anger but lacked actual kung fu and ended up being punched silly. Luckily for her, her opponents had not used their full force, on account that she was the eldest daughter of the Qian family.


    There was a tavern on Vermilion Bird Street that was owned by the Qian family known as ''People Come Drunk''.


    On the best spot, a window seat on the second floor, sat Qian Shuhua, her brother and Ye Que. They had been sitting there from noon to dusk.


    They did not budge from their seats throughout the entire afternoon. Ye Que sat motionless on his stool, and Qian Shuxiao looked worried and wallowed in frustration. His sister, who sat opposite him, seemed to only have eyes for liquor and drank flask after flask of it.


    After Ye Que finished channeling energy for 49 cycles as specified in the entry level technique of the Divine Book, he could see that Qian Shuhua''s face had turned peach red.


    Her eyes had turned completely unfocused, and she was supporting one of her cheeks with one palm, while the other hand has reaching for her wine cup unsteadily. After she somehow managed to find it, she drank a huge gulp of wine and breathed in deeply before licking her lips gently. She looked out of the window while muttering constantly to herself.


    Even though she was not a peerless beauty, she was pretty. She loved to practice martial arts since young, and there was a slight hint of boyishness in her looks. After a few drinks, she looked extremely seductive from afar.


    The sun was setting, and night was about to fall. The last remaining rays of sunlight was shining on Luoyang City, illuminating the buildings, giving them a dazzling look.


    Qian Shuxiao stared directly at this sister. Qian Shuhua as still looking listless and drinking Xinghua wine. She soon lost interest even in liquor and just waved her empty wine glass around and seemed to be gazing at the setting sun. She had drunk an entire jar of wine, and she realized it when she shook the empty jar to find it totally empty.


    "Someone!"


    Qian Shuhua cocked her head and shouted as she raised her hand.


    "Bring more wine!"


    She squinted to see Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao seated opposite her. The corner of her lips curled as she smiled mindlessly before raising another finger.


    "Two pots!"


    She shouted before the waiter could even come over, and began smacking the table top. "Why is the wine not served yet? Do you people want to lose your jobs? Do you know where you are now? Do you know who I am? I''m Qian Shuhua, and this tavern belongs to my family. If you don''t listen to me, I''ll have you all removed from your jobs."


    "Bring the wine over here quickly!"


    She shouted breathlessly before laying down on the table and muttering a poem to herself.


    "Liars, all liars. What''s on the books are all lies. He said he loved to watch swordplay, so I went to learn swordcraft. Which woman would really like learning martial arts? Which girl wouldn''t like to learn the fine arts? He even said that we would become lovebirds and make the immortals envious. Envious my foot!"


    "It''s all daydreaming!"


    She described a dream to herself, a dream about a couple that had grew up together.


    They had made a deal to travel the world and grow old together in the past.


    She loved music, dance and white horses, while he loved to drink, compose poems and uphold justice.


    Dreams were beautiful, but reality was cruel. In the eyes of many, dreams were meant for the mind to wander, but it was dangerous to try actualizing them. Yet, Qian Shuhua had made up her mind to realize her dreams, and she had waited so long for Ye Yunhai without regrets, because it was the kind of love she longed for.


    Love must be thorough and vigorous.


    She doesn''t care what others thought or said. She would love as she pleased.


    Even if the entire city thought that she was driven insane by love, she did not care.


    Now, however, her dream had been shattered, and an entire sky of fireworks was left with nothing.


    They had swore to love each other, but today, she was humiliated and trampled upon.


    Two pots of apricot wine were placed squarely at the table.


    Qian Shuhua shook herself up, pinched a piece of pickled beef and threw it into hermouth. She dipped her index finger into the apricot blossom wine and wrote Ye Yunhai''s on the table. She stared at the words in front of her for a long time. The more he looked at them, the colder she looked. Without waiting for the wine to evaporate, she rubbed them away into gibberish. She then grabbed the flask, and drank its contents down in a few big gulps, as she choked and cried.


    Alcohol was harmful for the body, and tears even more so.


    Ye Que finished channeling his technique and looked at Qian Shuxiao before turning to his sister''s tearful and unrecognizable face. He sighed helplessly.


    ¡°Is it worthwhile to humiliate yourself because of a man?" Ye Que asked Qian Shuhua without showing any emotion. He seemed to be consoling her, yet his tone sounded as if he despised her.


    She raised her head and glanced at Ye Que before snorting. "What do you know? Humiliate? I didn''t humiliate myself. I''m fine," she said.


    "Who am I? I am the eldest young lady of the Qian family!"


    "For men? Bah!"


    "Let me tell you, you men are all sons of bitches, none of you are any good."


    Ye Que looked at her without changing his expression. "Do you feel better after venting?" he asked in the same slight tone of despise.


    "No!" Qian Shuhua shouted. "Aren''t all of you men bastards? He grew up with me, yet now he claims to not recognize me. He even said I''m not a lady. In which aspect am I not a lady?"


    Qian Shuhua said before pointing to her face, and thrusting out her chest.


    "He humiliated me in front of so many people. I stood like a fool in the General''s Manor."


    "Do you know that he used to be weak and frail, and that he was frequently bullied when young? I always stood up for him. I''m a girl, but I protected him like a crazy shrew. From a young age, all of my teachers said that I should have been born as a boy."


    "I don''t understand how he could change so much, so quickly!"


    "Is he completely heartless?"


    Ye Que continued to look at her. "Are you done?" he asked.


    Qian Shuhua shook her head before glaring hard at him. "Don''t you know how to say anything else? I''m very sad now, why can''t I scold him a little? Can''t I question my fate, my destiny and my life?"


    Ye Que retained the same irritating expression on his face. "Do you know what fate, destiny and life are?"


    "You haven''t even lived long enough to question the meaning of life!"


    "You!"


    Qian Shuhua exclaimed, her face red. She pointed at Ye Que for a long while before coming up with a reply.


    "Bastard!"

 Chapter 33 Creating a Sec

    t


    He completely ignored Qian Shuxiao''s verbal abuse.


    Ye Que poured himself less than half a cup of apricot blossom wine and said flatly, "I''ve seen these kinds of situations happen a long time ago. In my opinion, you are a complete fool. Your brain is retarded and you have a foolish heart."


    "You dare to believe a man¡¯s pledge of eternal love? Don''t you know that love and honor are no match for money? Aren¡¯t you ashamed of trying to die and numbing your senses?¡±


    " I''m afraid you''re still the eldest daughter of the Qian family."


    "I''ve also heard about the feud between your two families. If your grandfather knows about today''s events, he''ll break your legs."


    Ye Que took a few sips of the apricot wine. "To be honest, if you were to appear in the general office on Ye Yunhai''s wedding day naked, believe it or not, the person who will clothe will not be him."


    Qian Shuhua flew into a rage after hearing his words. "I seek death? I try to numb my senses? What are you talking about?"


    "Would you still be speaking like this if it happened to you?"


    Ye Que laughed coldly as he looked at Qian Shuhua. "I wouldn''t."


    "If you can''t do it yourself, then don''t talk about others," said Qian Shuhua in a ''I told you so'' manner.


    "If it were me, I would have slain that adulterous couple."


    "I''ll use two blows if one isn''t enough."


    "I''ll carve them with a million blows if two aren''t enough."


    "I wouldn''t be like you, to be humiliated and then beaten. Yet, you can still sit here and cry. I can''t stand such people!" said Ye Que as he looked at Qian Shuhua with despise, before acting as if he could not be bothered with her affairs.


    Qian Shuxiao, who was beside them all this while, looked at Ye Que with surprise. "It''s too cruel to stab someone who jilted you with hundreds of blows," he said.


    As for Qian Shuhua, Ye Que''s words seemed to have woken her from her drunken stupor, and her entire behavior changed. Even so, her head was wobbly from drinking too much wine, but there was a fierce glint in her eyes.


    "Cut to pieces?"


    "That''s a good point. A vixen like Lin Mei''er should be cut into pieces without mercy."


    "As for Ye Yunhai, if he doesn''t want to make peace, then he shouldn''t blame me for coming after him!"


    It was impossible to persuade her to do otherwise. "Ye Yunhai, I''ll spare you if you can reverse the flow of time. However, you can''t, and therefore you''ll have to die," she continued.


    She finished what was left of the pot of apricot wine in one gulp and stood up unsteadily. "From today onward, my goal will be to rid the earth of him. We''re mortal enemies from now on."


    She slumped to the table after shouting, a tear rolling down her cheeks.


    The sun set.


    The stars and moon emerged.


    ¡°Brother Ye, thank you." Qian Shuxiao said. Even though Ye Que''s words were ruthless, he said them to make Qian Shuhua snap out of her sorrow. He knew that sometimes the truth hurt.


    "It''s nothing. Besides, I didn''t lie to her," Ye Que said with a casual shrug. Even though Qian Shuhua was stubborn, she gave him a good impression, and he knew that she was not a bad lady. There was no reason for him not to help her.


    The tavern was completely reserved by Qian Shuhua, and only the three of them were in it. It was very quiet.


    "Brother Ye, my mum has agreed to help me gather the herbs in the list you gave me earlier today. She needs a total of seven days to get them. If we need those herbs urgently, she can send them in batches, with the first one arriving tomorrow. We''ll get everything you need, but perhaps lesser in quantity by a bit," Qian Shuxiao said. He had only drunk tea throughout the afternoon.


    ¡°So soon?" Ye Que asked, feeling a little surprised. The efficiency of the Qian family far exceeded his inital calculations.


    "In the entire Tang Empire, I''m afraid only our family can get you all of those herbs in such a short time," said Qian Shuxiao confidently as he grinned.


    "Then go get a special furnace for us, the higher quality the better."


    "We don''t need to search for something like that. I''ve the thing you need in the store room of my house. I''ll let you choose one when we get back. That whichever you fancy," he said.


    Qian Shuxiao slapped the back of his head as he spoke, as if having remembered something. "Right, there''s something that I keep forgetting to tell you."


    "Last night, there was news from the palace that said all practitioners in Luoyang City had to head to the Court of Judicial Review for registration. The court will then issue uniform identity tablets to them."


    "In future, any practitioner that cannot produce said tablet will be deemed as having trespassed, and the Judicial Board will have personnel arrest them. They''ll then be locked up in the topmost cells."


    Qian Shuxiao looked at Ye Que''s suspicious gaze before continuing. "I heard that these measures were taken because the Demon Race could very possibly have already inflitrated humankind in large numbers, and that these precautions are meant to prevent demons from entering Luoyang City, having designs on the royal court and to protect the safety of the civilians."


    He pondered about the new revelation before continuing,"Didn''t we meet encounter something similar on the dragon ship? Many people died, and I''m afraid to even think about it."


    "Do we have to register our sect¡¯s information as well?" asked Ye Que.


    ¡°They have to, and their details will be verified later. They cannot be faked. I always forgot to ask you, Brother Ye. Where are you from?"


    Qian Shuxiao displayed a curious look, but in fact his grandfather had already researched about Ye Que''s origin. Until now, he could not find any information on where Ye Que learned his skills, only that he was an illegitimate son of old general Ye.


    "I don''t have a clan. I am a clan myself." His answer was beyond Qian Shuxiao''s expectations, but the younger man was alright with it. He knew everyone had their own secrets.


    "You don''t have a clan?" Qian Shuxiao frowned as he began thinking. "Then let''s set up one."


    Qian Shuxiao turned animated at this point in time. "Right, I''m really dumb. We could''ve set up our own sect if we didn''t have one."


    "Brother Ye, you''ll be the founder, while I''ll be the First Elder."


    "I am so smart."


    "Creating a sect!"


    As the night lights were lit, a white robed woman and a hunch-backed old man came walking into the Yongshi gate of the Southern part of Luoyang City. The woman held the reins to a white horse in her left hand, and she held an umbrella in her right. Not far behind the hunchback was a huge man with a saber.


    If one observed carefully, one would remember that the old man was the person who stopped halfway before reaching the dragon ship that night. The woman was the ''Highness'' he spoke of, and the man carrying the saber was the eldest disciple of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, Dao Shisi.


    "Your Highness, this is Luoyang. After all, it is the Imperial City and heart of the emperor. Be careful," the hunch-backed old man whispered.


    "Heart of the emperor? Why would I worry about that with other ordinary folk?" said the woman coldly. "Our purpose of entering Luoyang today is to find out the whereabouts of the Secret Key to the River Soldiers. With the appearance of the strange signs, I''m afraid that the entire Cultivation World has been alarmed."


    "It''s said that one has to look for riches in times of danger. It''s worth trying to get our hands on the artifact."

 Chapter 34 Have You Seen Someone Being Killed?

    The moon was already hanging high up in the sky when Qian Shuhua woke up.


    Only Ye Que remained on the table opposite her.


    Qian Shuhua shook her head and felt a splitting headache coming. She took a long while to gather herself before finally asking, "Where''s my brother?"


    Ye Que opened his eyes to look at her and replied, "He went out to do some errands. He was afraid of waking you up and thus he didn''t send you back. He told me to wait here for you."


    "Rascal. How dare he leave his sister behind. Is he not afraid that I''ll be taken advantage of?" Qian Shuhua said as she re-arranged her clothing and glared at Ye Que.


    "Stop looking, no one touched you. Doesn''t this tavern belong to your house?" Ye Que said, rolling his eyes.


    "It''s good that you know that," Qian Shuhua replied before grunting. She got up and wanted to walk, but began to stagger after only taking two steps.


    Not only did Ye Que not help to support her, he even took a step backward. "If you can''t walk on your own, quickly hail a carriage to get you back. I don''t know how to pamper women, and you''ll be responsible for yourself if you fall."


    "I''ll walk the way I please. What is it to you? Don''t make your stance so clear immediately. I still remembered what you said in the afternoon, so who are you trying to kid?"


    "How did my brother get to know a ruffian such as yourself," Qian Shuhua said as she pouted angrily.


    The ''Humans Leave Drunk'' tavern was situated in the northern district of Luoyang City, and they had to walk across four streets to get back to the Qian manor. If one strolled, the journey could take up to two hours.


    Ye Que and Qian Shuhua left the tavern and took a turn into Yongle Street. It connected the northern and southern districts of the city, and night market vendors lined both of its sides. Hawkers and various passers-by filled the street from morning till night, and it often seemed that there could never be a moment of peace here. As such, it was named ''Yongle'', which meant ''Eternal Joy'' in Mandarin.


    The sounds of bustling, arguments, giggling, shouting and fighting filled their ears.


    Qian Shuhua walked unsteadily, obviously still not completely sober. There were many people who greeted her as she walked past, and from this one could see that the city was filled with businesses related to the Qian family.


    Naturally, no one would dare lay a hand on her, unless he or she was looking to die.


    There was a saying that went ''It''s the right time to kill when the skies are dark and the wind is strong, and there are always potential assailants lurking in a crowded market'', however.


    A group of people stood silently under a row of broken down shop-houses. They wore their felt caps very low, nearly obscuring their faces with them. Only their mouths and noses could be seen.


    Their gaze never left Ye Que''s throat since they appeared in his sight. As for the man himself, he looked straight ahead as usual with his hands behind his back.


    The moon moved away from the dark clouds and illuminated the night sky even more.


    There was no wind or rain tonight, and the skies were filled with stars.


    The group with the felt caps seemed to have tagged silently behind Ye Que and Qian Shuhua for a long while to make sure that they were alone. Soon, their figures appeared on the street, falling into sync with the continuous footsteps of the other passers-by. They drew out sharp blades from the sheaths on their waists which were covered with black cloth.


    Not far away, on a stone bridge, three youths in white robes were gazing far ahead with swords in hand.


    The person standing at one side was Zhuo Bufan of Shushan.


    "Junior Zhuo, was this the person that managed to seal your divine acupuncture points before retreating in one piece?" asked the youth who stood before the group in a low voice.


    "I underestimated him. He''s far below my level of cultivation," replied Zhuo Bufan coldly, his tone a little worried and indignant. He was the genius of Shushan and ranked within the top 30 young disciples of his sect, but yet an unknown martial artist had managed to surprise him.


    Zhuo Bufan kept telling himself that Ye Que managed to seal off his divine power that day on the dragon ship because he had underestimated his opponent, and because Ye Que had launched a sneak attack.


    "The fact is you lost. You should know when to admit defeat," the leader of the group admonished Zhuo Bufan without raising or lowering his voice.


    "Thanks for your advice, senior," Zhuo Bufan replied humbly. He may have been able to be impudent with other people, but not to this particular person. He was ranked ninth out of all the young disciples of Shushan and known as Chen Qing.


    Zhuo Bufan thought for a while before giving more information about Ye Que. "He''s called Ye Que, an illegitimate son of the general. He came to Luoyang a few days ago, and I noticed on the dragon ship that he''s good at close combat and swordplay. He even knows some unorthodox Spirit Sealing Techniques, and even though he''s not of a higher realm, he''s very hard to deal with."


    Chen Qing replied coldly as he looked at Zhuo Bufan, "Why did he retreat immediately after sealing your seven divine acupuncture points that night on the dragon ship?"


    Zhuo Bufan paused before replying, "Perhaps he was afraid. I had 36 other juniors with me that day, and he would not have been able to retreat if he killed me."


    "Wrong!"


    Chen Qing replied, sounding a little disappointed. "You''re wrong. It''s not because he was afraid of not being able to retreat. It''s because he ran out of True Energy."


    Chen Qing paused before continuing, "I asked some witnesses on the dragon ship. Ye Que made three moves in total, and they were all extraordinary strikes. He attacked viciously, aiming for vital points each time."


    "Would such a person be merciful?" Chen Qing asked as he squinted. His hands touched his sword subconsciously as he continued, "There''s another possibility. He could have a lack of True Energy, and most likely he just entered the Pre-celestial Realm. When his qi transformed into True Energy, he had enough of it to make explosive attacks, but he could not sustain them."


    "You were fooled by his act."


    Zhuo Bufan frowned and considered his senior''s theory. "You''re really observant, senior. I''m wrong," he said, suddenly enlightened.


    At this moment, Ye Que and Qian Shuhua had arrived at the busiest section of the night market. Qian Shuhua walked in front of Ye Que, and she bent over suddenly, most likely in expectation of vomiting. Ye Que stopped behind her.


    Zhou Bufan gazed ahead before looking at Chen Qing. "Senior, why did you choose him?"


    "Fate. Our sect is determined to obtain that item, and we have to get ready, no matter in the Cultivation or mortal world. Now, the Extinctive Sword Manor House already belongs to us, and the General''s family also shows signs of wanting to join us. There are still many people observing from the sides, however."


    "It''s too troublesome trying to negotiate with all the families. We have to shed some blood in Luoyang City. The Shushan of today is different from what it was. If our swords can slay demons, we can slay humans without mercy as well."


    "It just happens that the Second Lady of the General''s family doesn''t want to see Ye Que again. We''ll do her a favor and send him to her. Also, wouldn''t it be great if we can have some fodder acting as our vanguard," Chen Qing continued, his sword arm twitching again.


    The water under the bridge that the three of them stood on rippled, even though there was no wind that night. A layer of dead fish surfaced the first time Chen Qing struck, and when he moved again, the oars of a boat parked 100 meters away split right down the middle.


    Ye Que stood still in the center of the night market, only lifting his head slightly to observe the moon. "Qian Shuxiao, your grandfather is really accurate. We''ve just come out today, but already people are here to do us harm. What luck," he said.


    "Urgh!"


    Qian Shuhua puked her guts out immediately after bending down, and even her tears and mucous can flying out.


    The group with the felt hats came slashing at Ye Que with their sabers at this moment, and their leader roared.


    "Return our senior Dao Shisi back to us!"


    "Kill!"


    They were the relatives and close friends of Dao Shisi from the Extinctive Sword Manor House. They could not find his body, and in the eyes of many, Ye Que was responsible for his death.


    "Qian Shuhua."


    "Urgh!"


    "Have you seen people get killed?"


    "Urgh!"


    Ye Que turned around slowly. His shirt shook as his calm and serene expression turned into one filled with killing intent.

 Chapter 35 Flurry of Saber Strokes in the Nigh

    t


    Qian Shuhua was sprawled at one side of the street and kept vomiting as she bent over. She was seeing stars, and her breath reeked of alcohol.


    She had seen her fair share of fights before, but they were child''s play. The eldest daughter of the Qian family had not witnessed any real bloodshed before.


    As such, she opened her eyes wide when Ye Que asked if she had seen people being killed before.


    Many shifty figures appeared in the skies, and Ye Que stood in the middle of them.


    The group of people with felt caps had come for revenge, and their leader shouted as he raised the saber that was hanging from his waist. They swooped down from the roofs in all directions.


    "Sabers are not meant to be wielded in this manner."


    Ye Que said to his attackers, before reaching out with his bare right hand to grab hold of the saber of their leader with amazing speed. At the same time, his left leg moved forward slowly.


    The saber was produced by the Extinctive Sword Manor House, and its body was stiff and its tip slightly curved. There were two grooves carved into the dull edge of the saber, and it looked like a modified saber which had originated from the previous dynasty.


    By this time, Qian Shuhua was already largely sober and full of expectations.


    What would witnessing people being killed be like?


    Her eyes were wide open and she stared at the saber in Ye Que''s hand, before watching it slide directly into the chest of the leader.


    However, the sight of blood spewing out did not materialize.


    At the most critical moment, Ye Que switched the sharp edge of the blade with the dull one.


    There was a heavy ''clunk''.


    Accompanied by the clear sound of bones breaking.


    Each time Ye Que brandished his saber, the dull edge of his blade would strike the chest of one of his opponents with unerring accuracy. He did not even have to use his Divine Energy and merely used a little True Energy to make their chest bones cave in.


    Strangely, there were no cries coming from the large number of combatants in the middle of the street. There was only the sound of bones breaking and people collapsing to the ground after fainting.


    The burly man who had charged to the front of the pack and was shouting just now did not even manage to touch the corner of Ye Que''s shirt before he was knocked backward. He flew with the force of a broken kite, and landed with a terrible crash about 10 meters away. Unfortunately for him, he landed in a wok of boiling oil, and immediately stopped growling in anger.


    Very quickly.


    All of the assailants that had leaped down from the rooftops were already lying unconscious on the ground. Those that were still on the roofs looked instinctively at the saber in Ye Que''s hand and the long arc of their leader''s fall.


    Fear spread from their eyes throughout their entire body.


    Humans had to be without trepidation to be without fear.


    The remaining goons were undecided. Should they make the leap? If they did, they would be remembered as honorable, but they would feel the pain of their bones being crushed by their opponent''s saber. If they did not, they would lose face amongst their peers in the Extinctive Sword Manor House as well as the people of Luoyang City.


    "Kill!"


    Finally, someone who did not value his life shouted before leaping down.


    A figure flew toward him, and there was a loud crash as his body flew backward for another 10 meters, smashing into the corner of a wall. His chest had caved in, and his head was bloodied!


    No one else dared to jump for a long while.


    Ye Que lifted his head suddenly to look at the rooftops.


    The goons above instinctively took a step backward.


    Ye Que glared at them, and they took another step backward.


    He laughed derisively before raising the saber in his arm, as if he was going to slash at them.


    Many loud noises rang out as the roof tiles began flying around. In the blink of an eye, no one could be seen standing on the roofs.


    Chen Qing furrowed his brows together as he stood on the stone bridge, far away from the scene. He believed that Ye Que was strong. How else could he have sealed the seven divine acupuncture points of a Shushan disciple in the Psychic Realm?


    However, he had not expected him to be this strong!


    Outsiders were there to witness the commotion, but real martial artists observed Ye Que''s movements.


    One''s level of cultivation and realm only determined a part of one''s power, while the effective use of power was another factor. Great strength would be useless without effective usage, and even though one could have a low level of cultivation, if one could unleash a power greater than one''s actual level, the effects would be terrifying.


    Furthermore, the difference between the Pre-celestial and Psychic realms was two levels. There was actually a subtle rule in the Cultivation World.


    One had to build the necessary foundation before one can shine brightly.


    It meant that if one had not reached Level 2, also known as ''Bright Star'', one would still be considered as an elementary practitioner. The ''Bright Star'' level was the entry standard.


    This also meant that the previous three realms did not increase one''s power as much as people liked to think. At most, there would be some difference between the amount of True Energy, quality of soul and toughness of physique between practitioners at these three different realms.


    There had been many instances of practitioners from the Pre-celestial Realm killing opponents of the Psychic Realm in the annals of history.


    Life and death were normally decided in the blink of an eye.


    "Ye Que has managed to exert near-total control over his power. Each ounce of it is used for its exact purpose. I thought that this group of people could have made him use up some of his True Energy, but turns out that they''re a joke," Chen Qing said as he looked at the group of goons fleeing from the rooftops of the city.


    Zhuo Bufan had not noticed those people that fled. Since the start of the fight, he kept his gaze locked onto Ye Que, especially his saber. On the dragon ship, he thought that he had lost because he underestimated his opponent, and that Ye Que had launched a sneak attack.


    Now, Zhuo Bufan placed himself in the shoes of the goons in felt caps. He simulated leaping down from the roof and engaging Ye Que in combat. He realized that he could not escape from his opponent''s blow and as long as he got within Ye Que''s range, there was no way he could avoid being hit on the chest with the saber.


    It was unexpected and strange.


    Zhuo Bufan''s palm had already turned sweaty. He gripped his sword even more tightly, and his mind whirled as he tried to figure it out.


    Finally, he let out a long breath of air- he had come to a conclusion. "I''m no match for Ye Que if I get close to him. If I want to beat him, I have to maintain the distance between us and make use of the speed advantage I have if I use the sword skills of Shushan."


    Chen Qing had also run the same simulation. He was ranked the ninth out of the young talents of Shushan. But, even he had to admit that he had no clear chance of beating Ye Que in close combat.


    This had nothing to do with one''s level of cultivation. Instead, it was about combat experience, confidence in battle and most importantly, talent.


    Chen Qing felt that most likely he had more experience than Ye Que. "Could it be that he''s really an exceptional talent?"


    None of the three figures on the bridge moved, and none of them spoke. Zhuo Bufan and Chen Qing were still simulating, while the other youth was just here to catch some action. He did not even know who Ye Que was.


    Ye Que''s assailants had either fainted or fled. The incident was over very quickly- the fight took only about 10 minutes, even before the hawkers had time to react.


    Qian Shuhau looked in stunned silence at Ye Que, just like the other onlookers.


    She was about to speak, before she realized that Ye Que was still holding onto his saber.


    He turned around and away from the rooftops. His expression had not changed in the slightest, but he was frowning slightly, and he did not look very pleased. "Is that brat from Shushan a fly? Why are the disciples of Shushan everywhere? Aren''t you people irritating!" he muttered to himself.


    After speaking, he held his saber out and licked gently.


    The ground did not shake, nor was there are loud noises made.


    However, a drop of boiling oil from the wok lying on the ground shot into the skies.


    Ye Que made a gesture with his fingers without even looking, and the drop of oil came in front of him instantly. He then focused on it, as if giving it instructions. The droplet of oil immediately came alive.


    It buzzed with alarming frequency in the air.


    Perhaps it was moving too fast, as there were sparks produced by its movement.


    It took only a few seconds.


    Ye Que grinned in the direction of the stone bridge as he flicked his index and middle finger.


    The oil droplet disappeared from the air.


    A spark shot across the air from where Ye Que was standing toward Chen Qing and Zhuo Bufan, who were standing on the stone bridge. It looked as if it was tearing through space and had pierced through all the surrounding dirt, streaking toward the Shushan disciples.


    Chen Qing saw Ye Que grin and flick his fingers, and he dared not underestimate his opponent after seeing how he fought.


    He triggered all of his True Energy in an instant, as he projected his will in a 100-meter radius. In the blink of an eye, five barriers were already erected before him.


    Chen Qing believed that any kind of technique, curse or magical skill would not be able to reach him from such a distance, and under such heavy protection.


    20 seconds passed by.


    Nothing happened.


    Chen Qing''s will was not stirred, nor did he use a single ounce of his True Energy.


    After a long while, he turned around and left without even speaking. The willpower that he had painstakingly set up around him was broken up instantly, and he reabsorbed the True Energy surrounding him back into his body.


    Zhuo Bufan and the other youth from Shushan were dumbfounded.


    "What happened?"


    "Is the fight over?"


    "What happened just now?"


    Under the night sky.


    A breeze blew.


    A strand of hair from Chen Qing''s sideburns flew with the breeze. His hair was originally straight and not wavy, but the end of this strand of hair was twisted. On close examination, one could notice that it had turned yellow, and that it was emitting a faint burnt smell.


    The droplet of oil had burned it!


    "I can''t beat him in close combat, and I''m not as fast as him from long range. I''ll just be making a fool of myself if I continue on," Chen Qing thought. He had understood how pointless the fight was going to be even before Zhuo Bufan did.


    But he did not know the entire truth. The drop of oil was actually True Energy channeled by Ye Que. Chen Qing could sense it from the will barrier he set up.


    "Thud!"


    The hawker closest to Ye Que finally regained his senses, and the pot he held in his hands fell onto the ground. He opened his mouth wide and pointed at Ye Que, and then at the pile of goons on the floor, unable to speak.


    "Eldest young lady, are you alright?"


    The merchants from the Qian family finally recognized Qian Shuhua and hurriedly went up to check if she was fine.


    She waved her hand in irritation, shooing them off as if they were flies. Qian Shuhua glared at Ye Que before walking toward him. She opened her mouth before closing it. "You!" she finally said as she pointed at him.


    She paused, as if trying to change her words.


    "Didn''t you say you were going to kill? Why did you just knock them unconscious?"


    By this time, Ye Que had reverted to his usual calm self, and he resumed walking with his hands behind his back.


    He looked at the exasperated Qian Shuhua before saying, "How dare you to believe the words of a man."


    He took two steps forward and looked at the unconscious goons in front of him. He kicked them out of his path, saying, "It''s not a crime to knock people unconscious, but can you bear the responsibility for committing murder?"


    "Are all of them experts?" Qian Shuhua asked, following closely behind Ye Que.


    "Right."


    "How are they compared to Lin Mei''er?"


    Ye Que curled his lips as he looked at her derisively.


    "Teach me, then."


    Qian Shuhua mimicked his earlier actions, and began whirling her arms wildly in the air, nearly falling over in the process.


    "You?"


    "Ah!"


    Ye Que''s brows were furrowed in concentration, as if he had met with a tough problem.

 Chapter 36 The Song of Fire and Ice

    Both Qian Shuxiao and Qian Shuhua did not behave like a respectable master or mistress in Qian Manor. One was an infamous rich playboy, while the other was a lady well-known for causing trouble and kicking up a big fuss.


    Now, they were considering training with Ye Que.


    Throughout the entire night, Qian Manor was filled with noise and commotion.


    The brouhaha finally stopped when dawn came. The lush garden that Ye Que resided in had undergone a complete makeover.


    The garden was gone, and the red pavilion was completely removed. Even the fish pond in front of Ye Que''s room had been filled up overnight.


    Taking their places were three ponds of equal height.


    They were arranged in a triangular formation, and in its middle was a huge cauldron about the height of two people. Three bronze pipes led out of it into the ponds.


    The first batch of medicinal herbs, in the shopping list which Ye Que gave Qian Shuxiao, had already been delivered to the manor early that morning.


    "How about that, Brother Ye? Everything is constructed in accordance with your specifications. I believe they''re acceptable," said Qian Shuxiao as he clapped his palms together. He stayed behind throughout the entire night and even began to help out with construction work eventually. His hands were covered with filthy mud now.


    "That''s right," said Ye Que as he nodded in satisfaction. "Tell someone to begin adding water into the ponds. They should at least be at waist level."


    "Fine, take a good look at this," Qian Shuxiao replied before issuing orders loudly to his men. Very quickly, all of the help in Qian Manor was mobilized.


    Dozens of maids and manservants carried a wooden bucket each to fetch water from the well, before pouring it into the three ponds.


    Ye Que himself sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron. More than a hundred different kinds of weirdly shaped herbs were placed behind him.


    Ye Que opened the base of the cauldron after thinking for a moment. He then picked seven types of red herbs and threw them in one after another, before creating a column of Samadhi True Fire with his inner Divine Energy. The flame blazed immediately after it struck the herbs.


    Ye Que had told Qian Shuxiao to prepare these seven herbs personally, and they were also those that he needed the most of.


    These herbs would be used as fuel to keep the flames burning, and it was remarkably effective when combined with the Samadhi True Fire.


    The water level of the ponds was gradually rising, and the heat emanating from the cauldron grew stronger. Ye Que began to officially add in the herbs into the pill compartment at the center of the cauldron.


    His arms moved like precise machines as he added in 100 different kinds of herbs at different time intervals into the cauldron within 30 minutes.


    If the cauldron was made of transparent material, one would be able to observe a thick viscous fluid slowly solidifying in the pill compartment. Its color turned darker gradually and there were a few bubbles being produced on the surface of the fluid from time to time.


    "You two, come over here," Ye Que said as he finally got up, after adding the last ingredient into the cauldron.


    Qian Shuhua and Qian Shuxiao, who had been waiting at a corner for a while, came running toward him immediately.


    Both of them were already getting impatient.


    "Sit in the middle of the pond," Ye Que instructed as he pointed at the ponds surrounding them. "Take one pond each."


    "Just like this?"


    Qian Shuxiao said as he pointed awkwardly at the ponds. They were filled with well water from the early Spring season, and they were fetched early in the morning to boot. He could already observe a cold layer of air on the surface of the ponds, and needless to say, it would be chilly inside.


    "Brother Ye, shouldn''t the water be warmed up a little? Perhaps I could tell someone to add some hot water into the ponds. I easily get sick if I feel cold," said Qian Shuxiao as he scratched his head. Just looking at the well water alone gave him the goosebumps.


    Qian Shuhua, who was standing beside her brother, nodded vigorously as well.


    "No need for that. It''ll get warmer soon," Ye Que replied coolly. "It may even get a little hot; both of you have to bear with it. Let me tell you first, none of you are to emerge from the water unless I tell you to. Of course, I''ll send you flying back inside if you still insist on coming out."


    "If you want me to be your mentor, you''ll have to possess a little tenacity," he continued, before hurrying the siblings somewhat impatiently," Get inside now. I still have to teach you the techniques to train in, and we don''t have time to be chatting here."


    After taking a look at Ye Que''s expression, Qian Shuxiao gritted his teeth and closed his eyes before leaping into a pond with a great shout.


    His body was instantly soaked in icy well water, causing him to shiver till he curled up into a ball. From a distance, it looked as if he was having the fits.


    At the other side, Qian Shuhua gritted her teeth twice and even dipped her hand into a pond to test the temperature of the water, before she looked helplessly at Ye Que. "What about my clothes? Should I leave them on?" she asked.


    She looked like she was about to cry after she had finished speaking.


    "Whatever. I don''t have any objections if you wish to strip down before going into the water," Ye Que replied casually. He did not even bother to look at her and kept his gaze focused on the cauldron in front of him.


    "Hooligan!"


    "Bastard!"


    Qian Shuhua cursed Ye Que before leaping over the rampart and walking into the center of a pond, seemingly to have made up her mind somehow.


    She did not shiver as her brother did, but her face was as pale as his while she tried her best to withstand the cold.


    "Sit down."


    Ye Que ordered as he turned back to look at both of them.


    The siblings spat and slowly sat down in a cross-legged position as they tried to withstand the bone-chilling cold.


    The water was on the level with their necks, just below their shoulders.


    "Qian Shuxiao, I''m going to impart the Great Tao Sutra to you; you''ll have to understand the foundation part carefully. Qian Shuhua, you''re going to learn the Sutra of Womanly Grace. It''s made especially for women, and likewise, you''ll have to understand the basic parts of it."


    "Gather your spirits."


    "Focus on being enlightened."


    Ye Que''s arms began to circle the air after he finished speaking, as he traced out two extremely complicated sets of talismanic words in the space. The words transformed into two globes of fluorescent flames which flew directly into the foreheads of the siblings in an instant.


    Both of them took in a deep breath instantly as if having been enlightened.


    Endless lines of seal script appeared in their heads as if they were real.


    They raised their heads and closed their eyes.


    The chill from the well water was no longer important; they were now immersed in the process of understanding the complicated words. If the elder of any sect in the Cultivation World saw this scene, he would have stared in surprise. This was the most top-notch way of imparting skills from Tantric Buddhism. There was no need for the teacher to speak, he would simply condense his insight into a talisman and apply it to his students.


    If any insider had seen how reluctant the siblings were to enter the water just now, they would have been furious.


    This was the sacred Insight Condensation Teaching Technique of Tantric Buddhism. Why would anyone be unwilling to bear with the slight discomfort of cold water?


    Blasphemy!


    Of course, Ye Que had chosen this method of teaching because he wanted to be done with it quickly; it was not because he thought of himself as a lousy teacher. He was good at cultivating his own skills, but he had no patience for teaching and dispelling doubts.


    "A master is only responsible for guiding his disciples to take their first steps. How well they can cultivate their skills will be up to their fate," he muttered.


    Time ticked on by slowly.


    Suddenly.


    The huge cauldron in front of Ye Que began to give out a slight vibration.


    Three columns of dark purple liquid began flowing out of the cauldron into the bronze pipes. They then flowed slowly into the ponds.


    The fluid quickly turned the well water purple the instant they came into contact with each other, as if it were ink.


    One could even observe the temperature of the water quickly going up.


    A layer of steam soon pervaded the air of the garden.


    30 minutes later.


    A huge bubble appeared on the surface of the pond Qian Shuxiao was in.


    "It''s scalding me!"


    Qian Shuxiao broke off from his meditation instantly, as if having been electrocuted. He stood up quickly and wanted to leap out of the pond, just like he was on fire.


    Ye Que''s expression grew stern as he saw it.


    "Go back!"


    "Sit down properly!"


    Qian Shuxiao''s head cocked to a side, as if he had been slapped on the forehead by Ye Que, who was standing dozens of meters away, and he fell back into the pond.


    It took only one blow to nearly knock Qian Shuxiao unconscious, and he took a long while to regather himself. He could no longer make himself sit still, however. He leaped up, as if a fire was burning his behind, and exclaimed, "Brother Ye, this is too hot. Why is the water so hot!"


    "I can''t stand this, let me out now."


    After her brother finished shouting, Qian Shuhua broke off from her meditative state as well and stood up instantly, running toward the edge of the pond by instinct.


    As expected, she was struck on the forehead as well.


    "Go back, both of you. Focus your minds and enter a meditative state. Think about solidifying your bases and pay no mind to the temperature of the water."


    "Let it be. You can picture a cool breeze blowing if you want to."


    "Don''t be ungrateful. Do you know that smaller sects would find over this pool of water in the Cultivation World? Both of you are not that talented, and you''ve only begun training past your optimal ages. You have to reverse your physical attributes."


    "Qian Shuxiao, didn''t you proclaim loudly that you''ll slay demons by yourself in future? Why can''t you bear with a little discomfort then? And you, Qian Shuhua. You kept going on and on about taking revenge, and how you''re going to tear off the skin from Lin Mei''er''s face. If you carry on like this, I''m afraid you wouldn''t succeed even after death," Ye Que chided the Qian siblings derisively.


    He paused for a moment before continuing, "The longer you remain in the pond, the more medicinal qualities your body will absorb. It''ll only do both of you good. Be content!"


    After he finished speaking, Ye Que leaped up and flew into the middle of the last pond.


    He closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.


    Thick viscous fluid was still flowing out of the cauldron, and the temperature of the pools gradually got higher.


    Ye Que remained motionless.


    Qian Shuxiao slapped himself hard before muttering resolutely, "I''ve to put my foot down and think of what I want to achieve!"


    His sister, who was in the other pool, remained silent as her eyes were filled with tears. She sat down cross-legged in the water again and bit down on her lips so hard that a trail of blood was soon flowing from the corner of her lips.


    Time ticked on by slowly.


    The pool that Qian Shuxiao was in began to stop bubbling after about two hours, and the water in it was soon still.


    Qian Shuhua''s pool also began to stop frothing, and ripples began appearing on its surface, in the shape of leaves from the willow tree. It looked as if a mysterious woman was dancing.


    The Great Dao and Womanly Grace sutras.


    They used vast amounts of qi.


    The principle of both sutras was a calm mind that was unemotional.


    As for the pool Ye Que was in, the water in it had been churning wildly ever since purple fluid had flowed into it. As qi from the Divine Book and Spirit Gathering Sword Formation combined together, the contents of his pool immediately turned into a rapidly moving whirlpool.


    Mist enveloped the garden situated deep within Qian Manor, as the doors of the ancestral hall situated close to Ye Que''s room began to open slowly.


    First Ice, then Fire, and now they could hear words being spoken in Sanskrit.

 Chapter 37 How Many People Are at the Gates of Heaven?

    The technique Ye Que used to create the herbal pools was modified from a basic method the Demon Race used to refine their bodies. It was a considerably brutal method of reversing one''s undesirable physical attributes.


    On the first day, the temperature of the pools was only raised by a little. As time went on, the potency of the medicine would increase, and their willpower would be tested even more.


    Their bones would be hardened.


    Their tendons would be toughened up.


    One could imagine how much pain they had to go through.


    If one could withstand such torment for 30 days, the torture in prisons would be chicken feed.


    Of course, to Ye Que, the impact of the medicine on his body was negligible. His qi storage area and the pool of divine energy were many times larger than that of ordinary humans. There were many times when he felt that the herbs should have been more potent.


    With the help of the medicinal pools, and coupled with a pile of Qi-gathering Body-tempering Pills Ye Que concocted especially for Qian Shuhua, the siblings immediately began trying to break into the Pre-celestial Realm.


    Ye Que himself continuously gathered and concentrated the Divine Energy in his body, while waiting for the opportunity to break into the Celestial Realm. He was not lacking in enlightenment, but the amount of Divine Energy.


    He understood that his time would come.


    Spring transited into Summer.


    Flora everywhere began blooming after enduring a season of rain. The nests of the Northern birds began to dry off, and their bodies felt lighter, causing their movements to become more graceful.


    The maids and manservants of Qian Manor had also finally finished enduring the most unforgettable and eventful month of their employment.


    In the past month, their routines were completely disrupted. Aside from their daily tasks, all of them had to fetch water from the well continuously, and throughout one day the hundreds of servants in Qian Manor had to do so for a few times each.


    If that was all, it would still be bearable. Additional physical labor would only lead them to be more tired at the end of the day. After all, when was the job of a servant not tiring?


    After the garden had been reconstructed, however, the terrible cries of the Qian siblings could be heard once in a while, and they were of the blood-curdling kind.


    There were instances when they lost all strength to scream. They had undergone unimaginable amounts of pain and suffering.


    In the past, they would give in immediately when faced with the slightest bit of torment, but this time they stuck through it for an entire month. They were in the pools every day, even at night.


    The Master and his wife moved out after enduring two days of howling. They told everyone that they wanted to visit their friends, but they were obviously trying to escape from the visual and auditory torment.


    The maids of the manor claimed that Ye Que and the Qian siblings had not slept for the entire month and spent all of their time in the medicinal pools. They even had their meals while remaining immersed in them.


    Huge batches of herbs would be delivered to the garden twice every day, once in the morning and once at night. Ye Que would then add them into the cauldron.


    When the last shrub of Japanese Morning Glory with four leaves was thrown into the cauldron, the amount of mist surrounding the garden reached its peak. It grew so thick that it could not disperse, and from afar it looked like a paradise of immortals.


    At this moment, the blazing Sun was hanging high up in the sky.


    A lotus-shaped column of mist began rising from the northernmost pool, as a ray of sunlight pierced through the thick mist and hit its petals.


    Qian Shuxiao took in a deep breath, before beginning to inhale and exhale powerfully.


    At noontime of the 29th day, his Great Tao Sutra skill was at the Pre-celestial Realm.


    At around midnight that day, when the moon was shining brightly in a night sky with only little stars.


    A bright moon manifested from the mist surrounding the westernmost pool, adding splendor to the night sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold.


    Qian Shuhua opened her eyes suddenly as she began to unleash rays of light from her fingers.


    In the first few hours of the 30th day, Qian Shuhua had attained Pre-celestial Realm in her Sutra of Womanly Grace.


    As for Ye Que, he had already broken into Post-celestial Realm a few days ago. There was no extraordinary phenomenon from his pool. Perhaps, to the Divine Book, any stage before reaching the Starburst Realm was considered as elementary.


    However, he could begin learning the second page of the book.


    "A man should behave like the Heavens and strive for continuous improvement!"


    The words appeared in the air.


    More strange looking words could soon be seen suspended above a narrow and winding path, each of them containing profound meaning.


    The second page of the Divine Book described Heaven and Earth as always striving for self-improvement; Nature was strong and sturdy as always. A man should behave likewise, continuously improving himself and be robust in character. He should also be hardworking and not allow himself to get lazy. As Nature absorbs the power of sunlight and nourishes flora and fauna, a man should inculcate good habits and set an example for others before he can become one with Nature.


    "With a mind to seek continuous self-improvement, he should pave his way into the Psychic Realm!"


    The amount of Divine Energy within Ye Que had increased considerably from a thin thread to the size of a huge golden python after he broke through into the Post-celestial Realm. It snaked its way through his qi storage area and pool of Divine Energy before quickly absorbing all of the Spiritual Force within his body.


    The mist enveloping the garden of Qian Manor began to dissipate slowly at noon of the 30th day, and purple fluid stopped flowing out of the cauldron. The medicinal properties of the three pools began to grow weaker and the temperature of the water in them began to drop as well.


    The skies were visible again.


    The three of them got out of their pools simultaneously and gazed upward.


    The Qian siblings stood at attention for a while before wading out and bowing toward Ye Que with a serious expression on their faces.


    At first, being outsiders, they did not understand how hard cultivation was. Now, they truly understand what a great opportunity Ye Que had given them. What they had seen with their eyes in the past was not real; Nature contained much more mysteries and was more amazing.


    In the Qian family ancestral hall, which was separated only by a wall from the garden, an old man whose hair had turned entirely white leaned against his recliner and smiled. Another elderly man stood behind him, and if the servants of the manor saw them, they would have kowtowed in respect.


    The man leaning against the recliner was the Old Master of the family, and behind him was the Chief Butler.


    Legend has it that the Qian family owned a total of 8572 shops in the golden age of the Tang Dynasty, and the Chief Butler knew everything that happened in them, be it small or huge matters.


    "Congratulations Master. Both the Eldest Young Lady and the Second Young Master have entered Pre-celestial Realm. I''m afraid we''re going to have two little Immortality Masters in our family soon," said the Chief Butler as he said cheerfully to the Old Master.


    "Both Xiao''er and Shuhua are very fortunate to have such good fate," said the Old Master softly. "Our family have been doing business for generations, it''s about time we rewrote our destiny."


    He stroked his white beard before ordering, "From tomorrow onward, every shop owned by the Qian family is to serve porridge for free for a month. The manor will pay for all costs; in this way, we''ll have repaid the kindness shown to those kids."


    "Master, allow me to arrange this personally."


    "Fine, go."


    The door of the ancestral hall creaked upon before it was shut again. Old Master Qian reclined slowly back onto his cane chair, feeling satisfied as he mumbled to himself, "Ancestors above, I pray you''ll grant my wish and allow each generation of Qians to be aided by benefactors in their lives and live healthily forever."


    The three youths went to the Humans Leave Drunk tavern as usual.


    This time, however, only a flask of apricot wine was placed on their table, along with four dishes.


    "Brother Ye, this Great Tao Sutra is really amazing. I''ve really been living in vain; now the entire world seems different to me. Each breath I take feels so wonderful," said Qian Shuxiao as he played around with his wine cup. With a light flick of his wrist, the contents of his cup flowed upward in the direction of his mouth.


    Ye Que shook his head and remained silent.


    Qian Shuhua, on the other hand, looked at her brother in despise. She unleashed her will, causing the wine to splatter on his face before it went into his mouth.


    "Sister! What are you doing!"


    "Nothing much, I just can''t stand you putting on airs," replied Qian Shuhua before she grabbed hold of her brother''s ear and giving it a hard twist. "You''ve merely begun cultivation but are now behaving so conceitedly. Do you think you can actually slay demons like this? Aren''t you afraid of being eaten up by them?"


    "Who dares to do that!" Qian Shuxiao retorted, looking very indignant.


    He then slapped the back of his head before continuing, "Look at me."


    "Brother Ye, let me show you something," he said as he fished out a token made of blackwood. "Remember we spoke of setting up our own sect? I''ve made some progress in that aspect."


    "I''ve managed to get the necessary permits from the Court of Judicial Review, Council of Sects Members and the Judicature. With your approval, we can set up our very own sect."


    "Set up a sect?" Ye Que replied, stunned. "What sect?"


    "The Divine Sect!"


    "This name I''ve thought of is cool, isn''t it?"


    "I would you guys to know that I''ve spent 3000 taels of silver on it." Qian Shuxiao said proudly. Upon noticing Ye Que''s look of doubt, he continued to explain, "Didn''t I tell you before that all practitioners in Luoyang City have to register themselves? You said that you didn''t have one, now that''s resolved."


    "This piece of blackwood is the token of the sect leader, and the leader of the Divine Sect can only be you."


    "Only you!"


    Ye Que sighed helplessly as he looked at Qian Shuxiao''s satisfied expression. "How many people are there in the Divine Sect?"


    Qian Shuxiao smiled awkwardly.


    He showed two fingers before pausing and extending another one.


    "Three members!" Qian Shuhua exclaimed, laughing so hard that food nearly spewed from her mouth. "Your sect is really huge. Say, are you dumb or what?"


    Qian Shuxiao lowered his head before pointing at himself, Ye Que and then his sister.


    "Me? Why didn''t I know anything about this?"


    "Anyway, the records in the Judicature shows all three of our names. Ye Que is the sect leader, while we''re the first and second elders," Qian Shuxiao said as he smacked the table top, looking like he was about to do something reckless.


    The infamous rich playboy of Luoyang City had become obsessed with cultivation after witnessing Ye Que''s amazing technique first hand. At first, he had believed that Ye Que was a genius of the Green Mountain Sect, but Ye Que said himself that one man could be a sect as well.


    It was fine not to belong to any sect.


    It was also not a bad idea to set up a sect. Anyway, Ye Que alone was enough if he wanted to learn martial arts techniques.


    Ye Que casually picked a mouthful of food with his chopsticks and looked out of the window. "Did you inquire about the matter like I told you to? Did any extraordinary happen in Luoyang City this month? Since the Judicature has begun registering practitioners, it means they''ve already noticed that members of the Demon Race have infiltrated the city."


    "By my estimation, they should already have arrived."


    "Of course, of course, how could I not have done that?"


    Qian Shuxiao looked excited and even glanced to his sides as he spoke, as if afraid that someone else would eavesdrop on their conversation.


    "I got a shock after making inquiries. Guess what happened this month?"


    "Extraordinary!"


    "On the seventh day of the third month of the lunar calendar, which was the next day after both of you were ambushed, a family of eight that lived in the third house of the left street of the night market were killed overnight. Nothing was left of them, not even a single drop of blood, except for eight human skins. On the 10th day of the month, on Magpie Bridge, a couple who were flying a Kong Ming Lantern had their heads bitten off by a fish monster that leaped out from the water underneath the bridge. On the 13th day of the month, there was a huge fire in the residence of King Qing, and 47 people were burned to death over the course of one night. No one managed to catch sight of the perps as if ghosts had done it..."


    "Didn''t anyone investigate?"


    Ye Que frowned as he listened to Qian Shuxiao speak for a full 15 minutes.


    "How could that be! So many people were killed, definitely, the authorities had to give the people an explanation! Just yesterday, 33 demonic beasts were beheaded on the Black Tortoise Platform, and the green blood that spewed from their necks could not be washed away for the next two hours. The entire stunk," said Qian Shuxiao as he spoke expressively, even covering his nose in the process.


    "The government caught them?"


    "Part of them. The other demons were captured by various famous sects from the Cultivation World. According to our butler, not less than 30 sects have set up their bases just in Luoyang City alone within this past month. These are the official records, but others have used more covert methods, like Shushan which had already incorporated the Extinctive Sword Manor House."

 Chapter 38 Hunger Is Everywhere

    "In times of trouble."


    "The daring will profit."


    "This may not be a bad thing."


    Ye Que said as he drank a sip of apricot wine, before turning toward Qian Shuxiao. "Don''t look at me like that. Do you think that cultivation only applies to meditate deep in the mountains?"


    "Wrong!"


    "You''re hugely mistaken!"


    "The real Cultivation World is filled with darkness and filth. Every place in it is filled with lies and violence. Let me tell you, nearly all of the largest sects were created with sword and dagger."


    "Both of you know very well how many herbs we''ve used up in the past month just to get you into the Pre-celestial Realm. Do you think that cultivation alone will bring you all the herbs we need? Breaking into the Post-celestial and Psychic Realms will take more than herbs. If you want to achieve that quickly and become more than other practitioners, you''ll also need Spirit Stones, and many of them."


    "The phrase ''It''s easy to get a thousand taels of gold, but it''s hard to obtain a Spirit Stone'' speaks for itself."


    "A discovery of a sacred mountain that can produce spirit stones will definitely lead to many sects fighting over it."


    Ye Que said calmly. "Since both of you decided to train with me, you''ll have to remember the Law of Hunger, also known as the First Law of the Three Realms."


    "The law states that any sect or practitioner that can survive is like a lone wolf who is always hungry and searching for food. Such wolves will wander in the bush and forests, using their sharp claws to bash their way through branches while trying their best to tread silently. They even have to breathe carefully."


    Ye Que paused before he lowered his voice and continued, "Even the strongest sects have to act carefully, as there will many other lone wolves wandering in the woods. There are always people stronger than you out there, and no one can guarantee that he or she will remain at the apex."


    "Once you spot your prey, there''s only one way to react- pounce upon it at your greatest speed and snatch it away. Any delay can lead to your destruction."


    "Becuase, danger is everywhere."


    "Because, hunger is everywhere."


    Ye Que squinted slightly as the corner of his lips curled into a seemingly bright, sunny smile. The feeling that it gave, however, was not one of happiness nor warmth but ruthlessness.


    A bone-chilling ruthlessness.


    It shook the Qian siblings, and they opened their mouths, wanting to speak.


    Ye Que interrupted them with a raised arm. "Keep these words in your heart and do not speak of them constantly. There''s no meaning in doing that."


    He then pointed at Qian Shuxiao before continuing, "As for the ''extraordinary'' events that you spoke of, they''re actually quite common. I can tell you certainly that everyone- either the beasts of the Demon Race or the big sects of the Cultivation World- have gathered at Luoyang to gain control of a Divine Tool. In this case, it''s the food for the lone wolves that I''ve mentioned earlier."


    "Only now the prey has not shown itself, but everyone is already gathered here to plot their next moves."


    "Dark times are upon us, and this is also our chance," Ye Que said as he turned to look out of the window. "Even though your family is rich, it''ll be impractical to try buying enough Spirit Stones. Now, we don''t have to worry about that anymore. There''ll soon be Spirit Stones appearing in every corner of this huge city."


    Qian Shuhua supported her head on her hands as she listened to Ye Que speak. She frowned and thought hard for a long while, eventually scratching her hair hard as she asked with a perturbed expression on her face, "Where are they?"


    Ye Que placed his palm on his forehead as he sighed disappointedly. He gazed at the bright moon hanging outside the window before drinking up the contents of his wine cup.


    Qian Shuxiao looked even more dejected. "Sister, my sister, I''m beginning to doubt if you''re really one of us Qians. Think about it, so many Taoist sects and Demons are gathering in Luoyang. Some of them even have to set up emergency branches here, don''t they need resources? Wouldn''t they need Spirit Stones to create defensive magical formations? Don''t they need to train and replenish their True Energy levels?"


    "This is our chance."


    "The Law of Hunger!"


    "Didn''t Brother Ye speak of the Law of Hunger just now? Those Spirit Stones are our food."


    "If we can''t buy them, why can''t we snatch them for ourselves?"


    "Our Divine Sect has officially been set up. Now, there are three of us, but no Spirit Stones in our sect! We''re waiting to be fed!"


    Qian Shuxiao cocked his head and leaned in front of his sister. "Sister, do you understand after hearing my explanation?" he asked.


    Qian Shuhua slapped her brother out of her way before smacking the table top. "Isn''t this merely robbery? We wouldn''t know if we''ll succeed or not without trying!" she said spiritedly as she placed her hands upon her waist.


    "It''s not purely for the sake of robbing them. I imparted archery and spear techniques to both of you this late morning, but understanding how they work is different from mastering them; you''ll have to go through actual combat. This is called killing two birds with one stone," Ye Que awkwardly tried to supplement her statement after hearing her speaking righteously of robbing others. "Luckily, we''re in a tavern owned by your family. If not, you''d be severely reprimanded for speaking like that," he thought.


    "Have you gone crazy!"


    Luoyang City in the fourth month of the year.


    It was still chilly, with vague signs of warmth.


    It was still bright yesterday, but today the skies were covered with dark clouds.


    For one entire day and one entire night, the official path linking Qingzhou Prefecture to Luoyang City was covered in rain and mist. Rain pattered on the tiles covering the roof of the relay station, and it splattered into a puddle as it dripped down onto the ground. Rainwater in the Northern parts was chilling, and it was particularly cold on this night. As one looked out, one''s vision would be obscured by sheets of rain and mist.


    Gradually, it grew darker, and as rain continued to fall, the number of people on the road began to dwindle, even though this was the official path to Luoyang City, which was not far away. There would occasionally be horse carriages passing by, but they did so hurriedly without stopping.


    With the aid of light, one could still make out the surroundings of the path. It was dark in the forest at the side of the road, however, and it was covered with trees, completely obscuring its interior from sight, and it looked pitch black inside.


    At such a time and setting, ordinary folk would normally be found indoors. Those that could still be spotted along the path were definitely not normal civilians.


    That night, when it became completely dark, a group of people sped past the end of the path.


    They wore grey conical hats, wore grey woven raincoats and rode on grey Liang horses.


    Rain splattered onto their hats, and the hooves of their horses sploshed up huge puddles of water.


    A figure dressed entirely in black was hiding amongst the shadow of the trees, and his head was covered. The person gave out a strange, low whistle as he observed the riders speed past. He then followed closely behind with nifty footwork. Amazingly, the person''s speed was not much slower than that of the horses, and there was only a gap of fewer than 100 meters between them. His piercing gaze was fixed on the end of the column.


    Voices rang out from a spot beside the road that anyone who wanted to travel to Luoyang City had to pass by, after the two groups disappeared from sight.


    "Brother Ye, this has already been the seventh group that is traveling toward Luoyang City after nightfall."


    "One group is even tailing the other. Should we follow?"


    "There''s demonic aura!"


    "What about the Spirit Stones?"


    "Where there are demons, there will be Spirit Stones. They''re part dog, and they''ll only act after having picked up a scent."


    The voices were obviously that of Ye Que and the Qian siblings. From what they had just said, it was evident that they were planning to go ahead with robbery, and they were prepared to beat their opponents at their own game.


    Seems like everyone needed Spirit Stones urgently now.


    The way of cultivation was like that. One would be pushed back further down the food chain if one did not get stronger. There was no chance of staying stagnant.


    One day of training was enough to get you hooked on the game for life. It was addictive; once you had seen the amazing view from what lay behind the scenery in front of you, you would want to see what the Heaven and Earth actually looked like. Eventually, you would want to observe all forms of life.


    If it took money for scholars to achieve their goals, the price one had to pay for seeking Tao and becoming immortal would be even much higher.


    Any practitioner who wanted to improve his or her level of cultivation, create magic treasure or elixirs of immortality, set up magical formations, or rear Spiritual Beasts would require Spirit Stones. In the Cultivation World, and in the larger context of the Three Realms, silver was not the usual form of currency of exchange. It was the Spirit Stones.


    The higher one''s level of cultivation was, the more Spirit Stones one needed.


    The riders wearing grey conical hats and raincoats halted and got off their horses as they reached the relay station closest to Luoyang City. Their leader struck the bell of the station with his saber twice, and after a while, a soldier walked out slowly. He raised his head to look at the group while remaining silent.


    The leader drew out a token from his coat swiftly before showing it to the soldier. "We are traveling on the Second Prince''s top urgent orders and have to reach the capital over the night. The relay stations along our way have to aid us in whatever way they can."


    The soldier glanced sideways at the token before raising his kerosene lamp to take a better look at the face under the hat. He then patted the horses behind the group languidly.


    He turned around and rubbed his nose before coughing a little. "Since it''s the orders of the Second Prince, I''ll definitely comply and do my best. No, I''ll do my best to work with you guys," he said.


    The soldier paused before he shrugged and continued helplessly, "However, we have a shortage of horses lately. Just this evening, a high-ranking officer from the army took a huge batch of horses, and those that he left behind haven''t fully recovered yet. I''m afraid I''m going to have to disappoint you, gentlemen."


    He pointed at the grey horses behind them before continuing, "I see that your horses can still continue running. We''re just about 10 kilometers away from the city, and if you go fast enough, you''ll be able to make it."


    "I''m sorry, folks!" the soldier pointed, wanting the riders to leave.


    The riders did not expect something like that to happen, and even their leader was stunned.


    "Our horses have been running for an entire day. If they could still run, why would I stop to change horses? Who would be responsible for the time we wasted? Let me repeat myself, we''re carrying something that belongs to the Second Prince, and we have orders to travel at least 150 kilometers every single day. How dare you, a lowly soldier in a relay station, hold us back? Be careful, or you''ll be beheaded!"


    "Humph, humph."


    "What a joke!"


    "I can''t help it if I don''t have any horses to spare. I''m just following the rules, you can report me to the Ministry of War if you have the ability to," the soldier said, raising his voice. "Who''s trying to frighten who now? Don''t you know what kind of times we''re in now? An item of the Second Prince? Top urgent? Since when isn''t anything that comes through our station not urgent? Whose task isn''t urgent?"


    "Let me stop beating around the bush. If you play by the rules, you''ll get your horses!"


    "If you don''t, please leave!"


    If Ye Que''s analysis was true, more kinds of forces would be gathering in Luoyang City during such dark times. There were so many of them that even the soldier could sense that something was abnormal. The lesser the supply, the higher the value of the item. Since all of them wanted to reach Luoyang fast, horses had become a valuable commodity.


    If anyone wanted horses, it was not enough to insist on having them.


    There was a brief moment of respite before someone in the middle of the crowd removed his hat, revealing a huge, chubby face. He parted his way out of his companions and took a few steps toward the soldier. "Young brother, please do us a favor. All of us are suffering in this cold weather," he said cheerfully.


    As he spoke, a sack of fragmented silver was stuffed into the sleeves of the soldier without anyone noticing.


    The soldier immediately began to smile as he shifted his sleeves.


    "Sigh, look at my bad behavior. This is the personal order of the Second Prince we''re talking about; how could I not have any horses for you? Hold on a minute."


    Very quickly, the riders set off to the city again, and all was quiet at the relay station again.


    Shortly after the riders had turned away from the path leading to the station, a figure clad in black sneaked into the post.


    The moment he stepped in, he could see the soldier, who was still behaving in a high and mighty fashion moments ago, lying on the ground, and his face had turned purplish black. He was clutching the bag of silver in his palm, and a horrifying green glow was emanating from the silver fragments.


    At the same time.


    The horse of the leader tripped and fell onto the ground after it had only traveled for 500 meters.

 Chapter 39 Searching Everywhere

    In the pitch black forest.


    It was dark and obscured from sight.


    A murderous spider web appeared out of nowhere.


    The riders sped toward the web, and they were caught unawares. Their leader''s horse was directly cut into two by the web, and it tumbled onto the ground, sending the leader flying.


    "An ambush!"


    The leader shouted as he drew his saber. The horses began neighing in fright.


    "You people can leave, but your items have to remain behind."


    A hoarse warning was issued from the woods. At the same time, an extremely thin strand of web flew silently toward the last rider''s throat under cover of darkness and rain.


    The man had wanted to shout for help after being attacked, but it was too late. Eight brown limbs appeared behind the entire group of riders and pierced cleanly through the man''s chest, before they flung his corpse out with great force, as if it were a scarecrow.


    The riders immediately began to panic.


    "We''ll rise again after defeat!''


    One of the riders gave out a low growl before tossing out three flaming talismans. One illuminated the area around his companions, another flew up into the skies, while the last one shot out toward the back of their group.


    With the aid of the flames, everyone could finally see what was exactly blocking their path. It was a huge spider with the head of a human.


    The men in grey then lifted their heads upward and saw that there were many lines of spider threads laid around them, and they were like moths flying into a spider''s web. The trap had been laid long ago for them.


    The demon had the face of a woman, and her hair was disheveled. Her skin was brownish-red, and she did not look like a normal person. She smacked the flaming talisman closest to her with one palm, before twisting her body like a poisonous scorpion and licking the fresh blood on her front limbs.


    "This road has been blocked off. Leave your belongings behind," the hoarse voice croaked again. Before the spider demon had even finished speaking, countless poisonous creatures the size of a palm began appearing on the webs above her head. Doubtless, they were summoned by the demon herself.


    "Demon!"


    "Let''s see if you have the capability to take our belongings from us!"


    "Kill!"


    There was no need for any instruction to be issued; the riders knew that only one side could survive this battle. After one month of preparation, the Demon Race''s infiltration into the human world was no longer a secret, and many people had already fought with them in fact.


    Win or loss was unimportant.


    This would not simply end when one side had won. There was only one conclusion when humans met demons- only one side could walk away from the fight alive! There was no other way out! Both races had grudges with each other for millions of years, and they were destined to kill each other on sight.


    "Clack, clack."


    The spider demon twisted violently but did not directly engage the humans. In terms of strength, she was at Post-celestial Realm, but there were five riders at Pre-celestial Realm. Even though she was slightly more powerful, it was hard to determine if she could survive a battle to the death.


    For a long while, the demon only defended. Light from the sabers of her opponents glinted around her and True Energy was being tossed around the air.


    "Die, demonkind!" the leader of the riders roared as he infused his weapon with True Energy, before charging at the demon with the force of a gale.


    "Die? What a joke!" the demon replied as the corner of her lips curled up mysteriously. She did not even attempt to dodge and unleashed one of her own attacks.


    Suddenly.


    There was a weird sound in the air, as if a mosquito had flapped its wings.


    Just as the leader of the riders was about to slice through the head of the demon, his body ignited in flames when it was still in mid-air. It turned into a ball of dark green fluorescent flame in an instant, and it was soon burned to ashes.


    In the blink of an eye, the humans, who had just been holding the upper hand, turned into balls of green fluorescent flames and three rectangular boxes made of mystical iron dropped onto the ground.


    The entire scene was so strange that it looked shocking!


    "You people are courting your own deaths!" "There will be no escape for a moth that falls into a spider''s web," the spider demon said in its hoarse voice, before lowering its head to look toward the trees.


    There was a brief movement amongst the shorter shrubs, before a three-foot-tall green beast, which was a cross between a mosquito and a fly, appeared. Countless green spots could be seen attached to its body, and they were continuously giving off a fluorescent glow.


    As expected, it was most likely the cause of the flames.


    The leader most likely had not expected to lose to such a half-breed demon.


    The spider demon reached its front limbs out to pry open the three mystical iron boxes, and three faint green glows appeared.


    "Spirit Stones!"


    "Three entire boxes of Spirit Stones!"


    "These people are really generous!"


    The spider demon opened its eyes wide open when the boxes were opened, and it gave a strange, piercing cry before dashing forward. It was an unexpected reward for slaying a caravan that was passing by.


    The earth beneath the box trembled slightly the instant its front limbs caught hold of the box. The cover obscured part of its vision, and its alertness grew a little slack from its over excitement.


    A black dagger shot past its limbs and pierced directly into its head.


    It was infused with ultra-compressed True Energy, and it was as powerful as a bomb.


    It could kill in one blow!


    The owner of the dagger revealed himself. He was dressed entirely in black, and his face was covered.


    Ye Que had seen this person before.


    He had been tailing the group of riders, and now he finally showed himself.


    He struck only when he was sure of dealing a lethal blow.


    "Beep!"


    A piercing sound like that of teeth being ground came from the bushes, and a second after the spider demon was attacked, the fly-mosquito demon attacked the assailant in fury. In the blink of an eye, countless green flies were swarming toward the man in black.


    They would ignite upon touch!


    Anyone caught in these flames would definitely be killed!


    "A Fluorescent Fire Mosquito Demon!"


    The man in black was stunned for a while, but he did not seem to panic. He swept his black robes aside and tucked his dagger back into his waist band before raising his right arm and chanted.


    A grey longsword appeared behind him and shot out into the skies. Grey flames surrounded the blade, and it transformed into a ferocious beast that enveloped the swarm of green flies.


    A life and death struggle was taking place here, but 200 meters away, on the official road to Luoyang, another scene was unfolding.


    Ye Que was standing there with his hands behind his back and the Qian siblings beside him. "Seems like the man in black is not using his entire repertoire of sword skills. He''s most likely a member of the Five Elements Divination Sect and at Post-celestial Realm."


    "This is a great opportunity for you to try out the archery technique I taught you this morning. Even though disciples of the Five Elements Divination Sect have good footwork, their defensive skills are mediocre," Ye Que advised softly.


    "How about me?" asked Qian Shuhua in a soft voice as well.


    "Follow after me in a while," Ye Que replied casually. "Remember the tenets of the spear technique- act decisively and forcefully!"


    A red flash shot out into the skies just as he finished speaking, and only the Firebird''s Nest was left trembling in Qian Shuxiao''s hand.


    The figure in black, who was standing 200 meters away, was already confident of victory. With a little adjustment, the flames and flies from the half-breed demon should not be able to harm a practitioner of his level. In his mind, the three boxes of Spirit Stones were already his. But unexpected things always happened in life, and it was a classic case of a predator being hunted down by another larger predator.


    However, just as his sentient sword was about to destroy all of the green flies, he saw a red flash of light streaking toward him from the end of the road.


    "Who''s that?"


    "Despicable!"


    He cursed while his hands kept moving as he redirected the grey sword from the demon to the red bolt of light.


    "Pfft!"


    There was no resounding ''boom'' of two bolts of True Energies colliding, and the man in black mysteriously lowered his head to see an arrow made of True Energy stuck to his chest. The tip of the arrow did not pierce into his body, and he could clearly feel it still spiraling at great speed.


    "This arrow!"


    "How did it change direction on its own?"


    "Unless, unless this is that technique?"


    The man in black lifted his head to see three figures approaching from the dark road.


    "I''m Huang Han of the Five Elements Divination Sect, and my master is the third elder of our sect," said the man in black with great effort, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He could already feel the True Energy in his body slowly dissipating, and he did not have much time left. As such, he could only hope that the name of his sect would scare away his attackers.


    "If you kill me, our sect will be hell-bent on taking revenge. Think carefully, or there''ll be serious consequences!" Huang Han said as he tried to maintain calm. The three figures drew closer and closer to him.


    "There are three boxes of Spirit Stones here. If you let me go, they''re yours," he said, as he glanced meaningfully at his feet.


    "I also have a Blood Dagger of Refined Energy- it''s a magical artifact of high quality. I can give it to you as well," he added. There was no reaction from the other party, however.


    "I..."


    "Beep!"


    A long spear pierced directly into Huang Han''s chest just as he was about to speak.


    "So much nonsense!" Qian Shuhua said as she tossed her lance at Huang Han, causing him to collapse to the ground.


    "Humans will also come out with all kinds of nice words when they''re about to die. You should have allowed him to struggle a little."


    Ye Que grinned and walked toward Huang Han''s corpse after having witnessed the good show. He shut his eyes and picked up the mystical iron box at the man''s feet with a look of satisfaction. He weighed the box on his palm before lifting a corner of its lid up. Having ascertained the contents of the box, he nodded in satisfaction.


    "Spirit Stones?" Qian Shuxiao asked as he observed Ye Que''s expression.


    "What else could it be, to have so many people fighting over it?" Ye Que said before tossing the box to Qian Shuxiao. "Take care of it."


    Qian Shuxiao received the box carefully and prodded Huang Han''s corpse with his feet. "He claimed to be from the Five Elements Divination Sect, and that its third elder was his master. Would that be a problem for us?"


    "Five Elements Divination Sect?" Ye Que replied, a look of despise on his face. "They''re thieves. What is there to be afraid about?"


    "Furthermore, who would know that we did it?" Ye Que continued, as he pointed at the half-breed demon lying not far from them. "Do you believe that there are deities watching over us?"


    Qian Shuxiao looked at the demon and the ashes of the riders. "He was a true disciple of a reputable sect. Is this too brutal?" he could not help but ask.


    "Tell me about it after you''ve fallen captive to one of those so-called ''reputable'' sects," Ye Que said somewhat dismissively. "Whichever party that is stronger and can last till the end will be known as a reputable sect."


    He gazed at the half breed demon who looked furious and still refused to leave, before lowering his voice to speak, "Do you think the demons will be willing to live in that barren wasteland? They''ll seize any chance to infiltrate the human world. Doesn''t that answer your question?"


    "Let''s go."


    The three of them disappeared into the night.


    The demon watched them leave before it leaped onto the corpse of Huang Han. There was a flash of green fluorescent fire on the road before everything turned dark again.


    "Brother Ye, we''ve managed to get these stones far too easily."


    "This is a classic case of searching high and low for something, but it ends up right in front of your nose."


    "We won''t be so lucky every time. We have to start consolidating our own power in Luoyang City now. Right now, we know next to nothing and our efficiency is too low."

 Chapter 40. The Demons Smile

    Chunyu''s palace was located on the Taifeng Avenue of Luoyang city. It was also the house of the second prince in the dynasty.


    He Fei, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, just came on a visit by himself at daybreak.


    The second prince Li Chunyu was sitting at the owner''s position of the main hall with a sulky face. How could he be not sulky when three full boxes of spirit stones disappeared overnight? He felt heartache though he was a prince.


    As arranged, the spirit stones should be delivered at Chunyu''s palace before 21 o''clock yesterday. However, there was no spirit stone being delivered. If they had been in trouble, someone should come back to send a message, but there was not.


    "Your Highness. He Fei, the Right Vice Minister of Court of Judicial Review, is here asking for admission." The butler said cautiously, arching his back.


    "Let him in." Li Chunyu adjusted his emotion. A prince should never expose his feelings, at least in public.


    Soon, He Fei was led to the main hall. He was holding a saber in his left hand and a parcel in his right hand.


    "Mr. He, any news for your case?" Li Chunyu asked.


    "According to the details provided by you, we did get some clues after checking the number of people and routes."


    Then, He Fei put the parcel down on the ground and opened it.


    There was a pinch of black and green powder.


    "What is that?" Li Chunyu frowned and pointed at the powder confusingly.


    "Bone ashes of people being burned. But these ashes were caused by a kind of special flame." He Fei came straight to the point with no reservation.


    "Bone ashes?" Though Li Chunyu could guess so, he had one last hope. But now, he could let it go. The spirit stones had really came to a bad end.


    "Who did it?"


    "The bone ashes were found near the Qingluo post house, which was less than 20 miles from Luoyang City. Based on the field investigation, someone was attacked by demonic beasts. We found dead man-headed spiders there." He responded in a soft voice after a moment''s thinking.


    "Demonic beasts?"


    "Man-headed spiders?"


    Heard what He Fei had said, Li Chunyu squinted and said, "Can man-headed spiders burn a human into ashes? Mr. He, you think I''m a fool?"


    "We also found some dead bodies of parasitic fly beasts, but we couldn''t find the mother beast and these ashes must be caused by it. Besides, a human body on the spot was indeed killed by man-headed spiders." He Fei said in a way neither servile nor overbearing.


    "How many demonic beasts have been found?" Li Chunyu asked with his right hand knocking at the chair back.


    "One."


    "Anything else? Such as a few boxes?"


    He Fei glanced at Li Chunyu, then shook his head and said firmly, "No. Regardless of the body attacked off by man-headed spiders, only the ashes were left. If it didn''t drizzle last night, and the ground got wet, these ashes might be blown off clearly by the wind. "


    After just 15 minutes, He Fei walked out from Chunyu''s palace. This was only an official routine to report a case, and He Fei did not have a friendship with the prince, so it would be fine if the situation was not too awkward.


    The emperor was in his prime, He Fei believed that it would be too early to stand in a line of any prince at this moment. And He Fei was the Right Vice Minister of Court of Judicial Review, the emperor won''t allow him to be disloyal.


    Once one betrayed him, he was not far from death.


    "Be in your post, and take your responsibility." He Fei was very clear about this principle.


    "The Court of Judicial Review can do nothing for what the demon race have done." He Fei murmured to himself, then rode a horse and left Taifeng Avenue.


    Back in the main hall of Chunyu''s palace, Li Chunyu''s face grimed. Then he snatched up a teacup near his hand and directly threw it into pieces. "Butler, now go to the office of Judge Department and bring me Zhang Jingzhe. What the hell are those officers in Judge Department doing? Are they all good for nothing? Demonic beasts have already been in Luoyang City; are they blind?"


    One day later, an official notice was posted up in Luoyang City.


    The general meaning of the notice was that the demon race was troubling human world and committing serious crimes. The government attached importance to this phenomenon and hoped that people could provide clues. People who provided certain clues and contributed to arresting demons would be awarded handsomely, while people who were related to demons would be killed. Inscriber: Judgment Department.


    A sensational Demon-Hunt movement started in Luoyang City.


    At the same day, Qian Shuxiao brought back one of the government notices and threw it on the desk casually. And Ye Que happened to see it.


    Ye Que read the notice twice and clucked in praise, "Someone gives me a pillow just when I need it. What a timely rain! I am just troubling for generating a pretext."


    "Qian Shuxiao, do you remember what I told you last night?" Ye Que was playing a fighting sword, making it flying up and down in his hands.


    "What?" Qian Shuxiao was puzzled.


    "I am going to find some helpers, we can''t have only three people in Tianmen."


    "That''s quite easy. My family owns so many shops; it won''t be a problem for me to order a few staffs to help you."


    "Your family''s shops cannot be mingled with Tianmen''s affairs. And your family, you, and Tianmen should be demarcated clearly."


    Seeing Ye Que was so serious, Qian Shuxiao shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sure, anything you say. You are the chief of Tianmen, and I follow you."


    "I refined some Qi-gathering body-tempering pills before. Some are for you and your sister; some are left. I want to sell out the left because I need money. And I hope you can help me to sell them out."


    "It won''t be a problem. The pills you refined work well and will definitely be popular. Don''t worry, I will sell them out in half a day."


    "Besides, I need you to find me a distribution map and a name list of hooligans in Luoyang City. For hooligans, I don''t want those in gangs, but those in grass-roots."


    "I will ask my butler to send you the documents. He is good at this kind of business. Basically, our family shops are all associated with some of these kinds of people, so to speak, local villains."


    Sanjiu place, which was located in the southern-west of Luoyang City, was a place gathering the three religions and the nine schools of thought in Luoyang City. With wager shops, whorehouses, restaurants, peddlers, acrobats, beggars, poor scholars, lumpers, this place was where the most down and cut, the filthiest, the poorest, and it was also a place with the highest population density in Luoyang City.


    Fighting and brawling, killing and Robbing, were all usual here. Even officers of the Court of Judicial Review were unwilling to take charge of a case happened here. Because they couldn''t make any profit here, criminals here were all poor. If they had wanted to find a scapegoat, this was where you could find one. In one terrible night, someone was killed. After more than a month, no one would like to notify the local government about it.


    If you were a beautiful young lady from a better-off family, you would be warned to keep away from Sanjiu place before you left home.


    Sanjiu place was considered as a malignant tumor of Luoyang. It was hideous but could not be directly cut off. Even if it was cut off, it would come out somewhere else again.


    Ye Que was reading comments on the map, circling Sanjiu place, smiled and said, "Let''s start from here."


    Then Ye Que turned over another booklet. Hundreds of names were listed on it, each was noted with a simple introduction.


    While reading the map and the booklet, Ye Que slowly moved towards Sanjiu place.


    "Chu Dongnan, aged 18, was born in Sanjiu place, Luoyang. His father was a gambler and his mother was a hooker. Chu Dongnan was never educated nor cared for by anyone. Fighting, for him, was an almost daily routine. When he was 13, he followed after a salt dealer and traveled extensively. When he was 16, his boss was killed in a turf-battle with a salt smuggler. Then he alone broke through the smuggler''s house with a sword and revenged for his boss. Later he became the leader of his original gang with about 20 people, occupying an illegal salt factory."


    "A young street king with courage and uprightness is the one I am looking for. Now let''s see if you are a wild-ambitious person and whether you can seize the opportunity." Ye Que murmured Chu Dongnan''s name twice.


    At the end of a narrow alleyway with turn-by-turn directions, a small wooden warehouse appeared, with a shaky handwriting character ''SALT'' on the door.


    Ye Que put the map and the booklet into his arms, tidied up his clothes, hands at the back, then walked inside.


    Soon, sounds of a struggle were coming out from inside. The battle started fast and ended faster. In just one breath, it became all quiet.


    Ye Que was decently sitting on a chair, which was put in the middle of the warehouse. And eight or night tough guys were lying on the ground in disorder; they were groaning painfully. Inside were bags of illegal salt put in order.


    Looking around, Ye Que knocked at the wooden handle of the chair and asked, "Chu Dongnan is your boss, right? So who is Chu Dongnan?"


    People lying on the grounds were groaning louder than before, but no one responded.


    Ye Que turned his lips and hummed chilly, "I have been mercy just now, and you guys should have known. So if you really want to die, you might choose not to answer my question."


    "I am going to count from one to three. If nobody answers me, don''t blame me."


    Without looking at people on the ground, Ye Que started to count. "One."


    Groaning became louder and louder, but yet no one responded.


    "Two."


    Someone secretly opened his eyes and looked at Ye Que, but still, no one responded.


    "Three."


    These hooligans were raised around fighting, and no one was really afraid of the counting. They won''t give up until facing death. For them, what so-called mercy by Ye Que was just his scruple, and they believed that Ye Que was not dared to kill a person.


    A gust of cold wind blew across.


    And in the last second, one person who was the nearest for Ye Que was still groaning; in the next second, he was beheaded. A stiletto was floated on the body.


    Fresh blood spilled all over the floor.


    The groaning stopped immediately.


    "Our boss went out and will be back in an hour." Someone yelled in the next second just after the man on the ground died.


    Hooligans were not men of sacrifice. They fought all day but they were also afraid of death.


    "Well."


    Ye Que smiled at that person.


    In an instant, the person who spoke felt damp and hot on his trousers, but he was not dared to move. He swore that Ye Que''s smile was the most dreadful smile he had ever seen in his life.


    Just like a demon''s smile.

 Chapter 41 The Deep Abyss of Desire

    The Salt Commission Square was completely silent, and the smell of blood pervading the air grew stronger.


    The burly man who was beheaded had completely bled out. Still, no one dared to come forward, and no one dared to moan in pain again. No one even dared to move a finger.


    Ye Que sat pristinely in front of them, and he looked indifferent as usual. He was grinning, but to the others, he looked as terrible as an evil demon. This was truly indiscriminate killing on his part; even demonic beasts would not smile when they feasted on humans.


    The lower the rank of ruffian, the more he would believe the theory of ''winner takes all''. The person who was the strongest had the right to lead.


    It was real, direct and effective.


    One hour passed by very quickly.


    When the door opened again, the group of burly men lying on the floor felt as if a huge stone was lifted off their backs; it was very obvious. They were genuinely worried that Chu Dongnan would not return within one hour, as that would very likely anger Ye Que and cause him to kill again.


    Chu Dongnan drew the machete he always carried with him the instant he came to the front of the door, as he had noticed a very strong smell of blood. Instinctively, all of the muscles of his body began to tense up.


    "Someone is here to challenge us!"


    This was Chu Dongnan''s first reaction. He was dealing with the underground business which was not protected by the law. It was up to himself and the strength of his fists to ensure his survival.


    Chu Dongnan immediately saw the corpse of the beheaded man upon stepping into the room, as well as all of his other surbodinates, who were lying on the floor. He then noticed Ye Que sitting on the stool in the center.


    Chu Dongnan regulated his breathing and stopped himself from acting. It was very obvious, from how things had turned out, that even though Ye Que looked extremely youthful, his martial arts were definitely top notch.


    "Are you Chu Dongnan?" Ye Que asked calmly.


    Chu Dongnan did not reply immediately. He pointed at Ye Que, the floor and then their surroundings. "Who are you? Why did you kill my brother? What are you here for?" he asked.


    Ye Que took a good measure of Chu Dongnan before saying indifferently, "Work for me in future."


    "What?"


    Chu Dongnan thought that his ears were spoiled.


    "Work for you?"


    Chu Dongnan laughed coldly, as if he had heard an extremely funny joke. He then attacked suddenly, charging directly at Ye Que with a machete in hand. In his opinion, when dealing with an opponent stronger than himself, he had to give 100 percent of his effort and kill his foe in one blow; any other fanciful moves were unnecessary.


    Ye Que shook his head as he looked at Chu Dongnan''s machete. He blocked the blow with only one finger before following up with a kick to his chest.


    The man flew backward to where he came.


    He shot out as if he had been struck by a cannon ball, and blood spewed from his mouth as his body flew backward in an arc and crashed onto the door.


    The wooden door cracked instantly and crashed onto the ground. Chu Dongnan was still conscious, however. Ye Que was not out to kill him, and as such he would not allow the man to become just another corpse.


    "Will you work under me or not?" Ye Que asked as he got up and walked slowly to the front of Chu Dongnan. He stood there and observed him from above.


    "I spit on you!"


    Chu Dongnan, who was lying on the floor, cracked into a smile as he spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.


    "Dream on!"


    "You have some guts," said Ye Que. He was not angry but pleased at this new finding. "However, you shouldn''t overestimate yourself. Also, you''re the boss of these men here, and as a boss you have to be willing to assume responsibility."


    No one noticed Ye Que move, but a huge man that had been lying on the ground immediately began floating up into the air. His right arm began twisting at an unnatural angle, as if it had been grabbed by an invisible hand.


    Cries of pain immediately rang out from the burly man''s mouth.


    "Crack!"


    His right arm was broken in this manner.


    Chu Dongnan''s eyes were wide open, and it looked as if rage could spew out of them at any moment. There was nothing he could do now, however. Ye Que had immobilized him with just one leg. Machete wielding aside, even moving a finger took great effort.


    "Will you work under me?" Ye Que asked again. At the same time, the left arm of the burly man behind him also began twisting.


    "Boss, save, save me."


    A terribly shocked, pleading voice came from the man suspended in mid-air. Real fear was created not when the victim knew he or she was going to be killed in one blow, but when he or she knew that there was nothing he or she could do in such a situation except wait for the Grim Reaper to arrive.


    "I, will definitely, kill you," said Chu Dongnan, who had crashed into the door. He was gritting his teeth and he spat out each word.


    "Kill me?" Ye Que asked as he raised his hands slowly. "You''ll never have such a chance for your entire life."


    He raised his hand, and the head of the huge man behind him fell to the ground.


    "No!" exclaimed Chu Dongnan as his eyes opened wide all of a sudden. Ye Que was just twisting someone''s arm not long ago, so why would he kill someone now?


    "Bastard!"


    "You''ll die a terrible death!"


    "Aren''t you afraid that I''ll report this to the authorities?"


    Ye Que did not bother about Chu Dongnan''s shouts and kept his gaze fixed on the man below him. "Opportunities will not always be available. Think carefully before you speak to me. Look at your brothers here and make a count of them. I''ll take one life for every sentence you speak. Let me see how long you can keep this up."


    "Demon."


    "You must be a demon."


    Chu Dongnan muttered to himself as he looked at Ye Que. The other survivors standing some distance away were shocked out of their wits and wanted to flee, but their legs had turned to jelly. They wanted to plead for mercy, but they were afraid that it would draw attention to themselves, thus leading to their deaths. Everyone of them could only try hard to stare and hint to their leader.


    Ye Que was grinning as he looked at Chu Dongnan. He lifted his hand and asked again, "Will you work for me?"


    Chu Dongnan did not speak for 10 seconds before he cocked his head and shut his eyes before replying very softly, "From now on, you''re the boss."


    Even though he spoke very softly, his word was still his word. The burly men close to him sighed with relief.


    Ye Que straightened his back and swept his gaze across all of the frightened ruffians. He then straightened his clothes with his hands before walking casually out of the room, leaving only some words and a piece of paper behind.


    His instructions were simple to understand. "From now onward, all of you people will belong to the Divine Sect. You can try to escape or leave Luoyang City, and you can try to report today''s incident to the authorities, but be mindful that you''ll have to bear the consequences of doing so. I will not interfere in your daily activities, but you''ll have to put aside everything to complete any task issued to you by the Divine Sect."


    "As a reward, a sum of silver will be sent to you every month, along with a secret manual."


    "Divide the silver amongst yourselves. As for the manual, anyone of you can read it, but whether you can successfully comprehend it and master the skill will be up to you people. We''ll send people to check on your progress every month. Those that complete the tasks in the most efficient fashion and progress the fastest in their training will have a chance of joining the inner circle of the sect."


    "You''ll be able to gain more silver, a better house and more powerful manuals if you work hard."


    Ye Que paused after he took a few steps forward. He turned his head back and looked at the ruffians before adding a few words.


    First, he told them, "Remember my name. I''m Ye Que, and I''m your leader."


    The second was, "No one was born to be a ruffian. A person needs to have the ambition to succeed. What is the difference between humans and maggots without ambition?"


    A piece of paper floated into the small Salt Commission Square as Ye Que left. A breeze blew it right before Chu Dongnan''s face.


    When he left his residence this morning, Ye Que had casually written down dozens of sword and saber techniques.


    People from the Cultivation World would probably not care about them, but people from the martial arts community would go in a frenzy to obtain them.


    What fell before Chu Dongnan''s eyes was a set of saber technique.


    There were a few brief lines of saber technique and dozens of pictures drawn on it and Chu Dongnan trembled as he saw them, not out of pain but from excitement. To a ruffian of the lowest order like him, even the simplest martial art techniques were things that he could only dream of, much less those that were of high-grade.


    As he looked at the piece of paper, Chu Dongnan suddenly felt that he did not hate Ye Que anymore. Conversely, he was slightly hoping to see the youth again, as the piece of paper had ignited a flame in him.


    The name of that flame was ambition, or also his wishes.


    For three whole days and nights, Ye Que did not rest and traveled to the filthiest corners of Luoyang City.


    While everyone else was capturing demonic beasts and searching for traces of the Demon Race, Ye Que moved quickly and introduced himself violently to 80 percent of the city''s ruffians.


    Some gangs chose to surrender to him after only suffering once, while others would only give in when their leader was killed. There were some that would not give in no matter what, and there were also some who were total idiots and did not understand the disparity between their strength; they ended up choosing the path of no return.


    No matter what path they chose, to Ye Que, there were only two options available to them¡ªeither surrender or die.


    If they worked for the Divine Sect, they would earn a sum of silver and a set of martial arts technique.


    Ye Que knew that a large portion of them had agreed to surrender to him but secretly still could not accept him. To him, that was superficial.


    "I''ll give you silver that you need to survive, martial arts techniques that allow you to fulfill your ambitions and a chance to start life afresh."


    "Do you want that?"


    "If you do, serve me obediently."


    "If you don''t, when your supply of silver has run out, you''ll also not receive any more manuals from me."


    Silver and manuals of martial arts techniques were two things that were as addictive as drugs. Anyone who got their hands on them would not be able to keep clear, and they would immerse themselves so deeply that it would be impossible to get out.


    There were times when Ye Que would think, "In fact, the Divine Sect is also an abyss of desire."


    "Once you step into the Divine Sect, you''ll find that it''s so immersive that your soul no longer belongs to you."


    On the early morning of the fourth day, Ye Que returned back to the small yard.


    Qian Shuxiao seemed to have never left. He had been sitting cross-legged in the room while maintaining a state of meditation.


    He broke off from meditation just as Ye Que walked into the room.


    "My brother, can you please be more reliable? How could you leave just like that? You''re the leader of our Divine Sect, how could you behave so irresponsibly? You disappeared just like that, and we couldn''t find any trace of you," Qian Shuxiao began to nag as he got up.


    A small book flew toward his face before he could finish speaking.


    "These people are the eyes and ears of our Divine Sect. From now on, you''ll be responsible for liaising with them. Give them tasks regularly and allocate taels of silver according to how well they complete them. I''ll also give you a stack of martial arts manuals every month, and you can distribute them accordingly."


    "You may also come up with a ranking system so that we can better pick some good seedlings."


    Qian Shuxiao looked surprised to hear Ye Que''s words. "Are you for real?" he asked.


    Ye Que glared at him before replying, "Of course! Do you think the Demon Race infiltrated this city for fun? They''re just testing us and collecting intelligence on the human race currently. The real battle will come after that. Once that happens, blood will flow freely and bodies will be strewn all over the streets, while bones from decayed corpses will pile up. All these will become common sightings."


    "If you want to live, prepare for war."

 Chapter 42 Two Paths

    Ye Que spent three entire days and nights to consolidate all of the gangs in the entire Luoyang City under his wing. It was not huge news, but it did not go under the radar either. Some people or organizations were bound to find out, such as the Court of Judicial Review.


    The ruffians were originally under the jurisdiction of the Court of Judicial Review. It would allocate those sort of tasks that were unspeakable or did not require any technical expertise to them, and in turn, they would be somewhat protected by it if they stayed within the law.


    However, overnight, 80 percent of them had switched allegiance to another faction, and the Court of Judicial Review was paying considerable attention to the matter now.


    They felt as if someone had pulled the rug out from underneath their feet.


    Of course, the entire matter was settled very quickly. That very afternoon, Qian Shuxiao brought taels of silver to the Court to smooth things over with them. The officials received 10,000, 1,000 or 100 taels of silver in accordance with their importance to the investigation, and he covered his tracks well after that.


    Naturally, with the help of the payments, things were settled much more quickly. The ruffians were originally vagrants without any sect to lead them, and they were a nuisance but also useful in certain ways. Now that someone was willing to take them in, and since that somebody was also wise in the ways of the world, it was a win-win situation for the Court of Judicial Review.


    Everyone had their good and bad points. Ye Que trusted Qian Shuxiao enough to hand the hooligans over to him, and after all, he had to do something if he wanted to be known as the first elder of the sect.


    After a month of observation, Ye Que realized that Qian Shuxiao was not particularly focused on training, and he seemed to only desire the effect of immortality. He took quickly to the task of organizing the ruffians, however. This probably had something to do with his identity. After all, he was going to inherit the Qian family in future.


    Rather, it was Qian Shuhua that surprised Ye Que.


    There were not many women who learned to use a spear, and there were even fewer like Qian Shuhua who wielded one with such poise and a total lack of shyness. She behaved more like a chivalric hero than the first young lady of a huge family.


    Perhaps Lin Mei''er had really triggered something within Qian Shuhua. She trained like crazy, and everything she did was ruthless. She chose the most ruthless spear techniques, wielded her spear ruthlessly and was ruthless in pushing herself during training. There were times when even Ye Que began to think if teaching her the Sutra of Womanly Grace was a wrong decision.


    "Is there anyway to improve my skill level as quickly as possible?" she asked Ye Que seriously.


    "Taking merely one month to enter the Pre-celestial Realm is already quick enough," Ye Que replied as he toyed with the 13 swords; it was something he would do when free. One by one, the swords appeared, from the Zhizheng Sword to the Chengren Sword. It looked like he was fooling around, but he was actually using the sword formation to concentrate the Divine Energy in his body. To Ye Que, he had already absorbed his training into his soul. "One cannot be too hasty during training, and it''s best to take it one step at a time," he said.


    "That said, I want my progress to be even faster than this. Maybe you can help add more damaging power to my spear technique. Let me tell you first that I won''t learn those fanciful but useless skills," Qian Shuhua said stubbornly.


    "I didn''t teach you anything fancy and useless. Also, you used the skill to kill someone," replied Ye Que indifferently.


    "Someone that just stood still for me to hit was more target board than human," Qian Shuhua said. Her voice was not too huge, but it sounded very resolute.


    "Are you really in such a hurry?" Ye Que asked.


    "Someone is going to get married soon, and there''s something I have to do before that happens," Qian Shuhua said. Anyone who heard her would know that the ''someone'' she was referring to Ye Yunhai, and the ''thing she had to do'' was to beat Lin Mei''er up, even though she was not being specific.


    Ye Que''s mouth twisted as he listened to her. He did not reply and went away for a while, eventually returning with a long spear that was entirely black. He tossed it in front of Qian Shuhua and said, "Lift the spear with both of your arms. For the next six hours, the tip of your spear cannot slant, the shaft of your spear cannot tilt and you cannot use your True Energy. Come and look for me after you''ve managed to do that."


    "Right, the net weight of the spear is 50 kilograms."


    "Do your best."


    Before Ye Que could finish speaking, Qian Shuhua gave out a great shout and raised the spear. She kept her arms level and her gaze straight.


    It was now noon, the hottest part of the day.


    Luckily, Qian Shuhua''s physique had been refined by the medicinal pool and the Sutra of Womanly Grace. Otherwise, there was no way she could have stood in this pose for 15 minutes, much less six hours. Even so, it was a challenge that was seemingly insurmountable.


    In the end.


    She really remained in that position for six hours, until the sun had completely disappeared from the mountain. She finally fainted when the stars and moon were appearing in the sky.


    Ye Que managed to catch sight of her collapse just as he returned to his residence. Even the usually unemotional and calm youth was stunned by the girl.


    However, on the next day, Ye Que did not impart any profound or powerful skill to Qian Shuhua when she came looking for him. He only taught her an extremely simple movement and told her to repeat it continuously everyday.


    She was to stab the space in front of her!


    She had to perform the movement 3000 times in the morning, noon and afternoon respectively.


    "This is the devastating spear technique that you''re going to teach me?" Qian Shuhua asked, a look of disbelief on her face. She felt that she had been tricked.


    "There are 12 movements to all spear techniques in this world, and they are unpredictable. They can also be grouped into six variations."


    Ye Que walked slowly toward the 50KG heavy black lance as he spoke. "To me, however, there''s only one type of spear technique that was created for killing. Its attacks are like lightning strikes."


    After speaking, he raised the lance level above his head and stabbed northward.


    There was a whistling sound as the spear moved faster than wind, and a decorative mountain within the manor, which was 100 meters away from them, cracked apart. There was the imprint of the spear''s tip at the center of the crack, such was the power of the attack.


    "This spear is named Virile Perforation."


    "With it, you''ll be able to conquer anything in this world."


    In truth, a real master would not have made such matters so clear. Normally, he would leave his student to her own comprehension. If she got it, it would be due to her talent. If not, it was also part of her training. Ye Que, however, had no time for that. He was most afraid of trouble, and the thing that could give the most trouble in the entire world was women. Making things clear with them would not mean the matter would be settled, and if one did not, it could end up backfiring spectacularly.


    Ye Que thought that Qian Shuhua would not persist with her training, just like he predicted Qian Shuxiao would come looking for his assistance.


    He was badly mistaken this time.


    Every day at dawn, Qian Shuhua would appear in the small yard punctually and begin training her piercing strike. She would only leave when it was dark and quiet, and even then she would return back to her room to practice the Sutra of Womanly Grace.


    She did this everyday, and she persisted with her training.


    As for Qian Shuxiao, he chose a completely different path. After Ye Que subdued all of the ruffians in Luoyang City and threw them to him, the youth seemed to take an instant interest to the task. The Firebird''s Nest was kept at a corner, and he would only allocate some free time at night to practice the Great Tao Sutra.


    Within a few days, Qian Shuxiao had put in place a set of strict regulations, and they were stricter than that of ordinary sects.


    It covered everything¡ªfrom how the ruffians could increase in rank, how tasks were being allocated, how they could receive tasks, how they could earn the rewards of silver and manuals from the Divine Set, how their level of training would be observed to how disciples of the inner circle would be chosen. He seemed to have a unique and natural obsession for management, and he was extremely gifted at it.


    Three days ago, Qian Shuxiao had hosted and convened the first secret meeting of the Divine Sect as the first elder. Ye Que, as the sect leader, listened from the side, and there were a total of 78 ruffians present.


    It was said that when they ruffians left, all of them looked red in the face and they were in high spirits and extremely excited, as if they had been infused with chicken blood.

 Chapter 43 How Many Flowers Fell as We Dreamed

    The rising northern wind swept the yellow sand beyond the Great Wall and blew along the winding Luo River to invade Luoyang in a single night.


    Snow ceased to fall in the middle of April, while the end of April and beginning of May brought an end to the frost. Life began flourishing at the beginning of summer but the resentful middle of May cast a dry spell on the farmland. Early June, however, was silent and still.


    During this time, Ye Que continued making Qian Shuhua practice making a 90-degree jab. However, the spear became heavier and longer over time. Thanks to him, what little gentleness and beauty left in her was refined into gallantry and intrepidity. Not even an inch of fair skin could be found on her body; all of her was now a bronze color.


    The members of the Divine Sect had also increased from the original three to several hundred to the current thousands.


    Of course, the sect was no match for those top-notch Truth-cultivating sects, but it was a considerable force within Luoyang City. Particularly, they were a force to be reckoned with when it came to intel-gathering. Within two hours, they could gather and deliver nearly all the news regarding the main streets and small paths to Ye Que.


    These scattered and fragmented intel allowed Ye Que to make frequent inferences. He had a good grasp of the movements of the Demon Race and the Cultivation World in Luoyang City.


    But as to where and when the River Soldiers would show up?


    This remained a mystery to all.


    Now was the calm before the storm. Everyone was in a state of restraint, nervousness, and sensitivity but no one dared to act blindly for the fear of igniting a war between both races.


    Even the members of Mount Shu who had constantly hooted about slaying demons and ridding of devils as well as preaching the orthodox path had a million reasons to tarry if one were to ask them to be the first to face off the Demon Race.


    There was secret intel saying that the members in the hall up the mountain weren''t as united as they appeared. The majority were more or less linked in countless ways with other Truth Cultivation sects while only a minority had unknown relations with the Demon Race.


    In the face of power, strength was absolute.


    Moreover, there was no such thing as staying uncorrupted. In the past hundred years, demons had learned the way of humans even if learning by rote. For example, tricks such as using clever deception to fool people into attacking, honey traps, and collusion.


    These tactics were rough but effective.


    Under the stimulation of great rewards, there were undoubtedly brave men ready to rise to the challenge.


    However, Ye Que ignored all these. He continued to filter through the intel to find some acceptable perimeters and took Qian Shuhua with him.


    They went on a night walk in Luoyang.


    Each time they made a move, Ye Que would be the first to detect the demons. They acted only when members from both orthodox sects and the Demon Race were present. Moreover, they would strive to kill with a single strike and make it look as if demons were ambushed by members of the orthodox path or vice versa.


    If Ye Que noticed an expert in the Psychic Realm or beyond hiding behind the scenes, he would immediately retreat and use the Divine Sect, which boasted thousands of disciples, as his cover. He was basically untraceable, leaving no mark behind whatsoever.


    Though his current cultivation was in the Post-celestial Realm, there was a minimal chance of him being in danger in Luoyang City thanks to his insight and perception of Divine Energy.


    With this, the problem of Spirit Stones was finally solved. Though there definitely wasn''t enough for the whole Divine Sect, there was more than enough for Ye Que and the Qian siblings.


    This treatment was on par with the treatment that gifted disciples would receive in large Truth Cultivation sects.


    It was now midsummer.


    Today, the clear sky stretched on for miles and miles.


    Over on Yongning Street in Luoyang City, the swirling of the willow seeds in the air had just settled. The plants that lined the street were moist and dense like butter. From afar, the grass vaguely looked like a sheet of green. Upon closer look, they were full of life under the warm sunlight. Luoyang City would soon welcome the most beautiful season of the year.


    Today, Qian Shuhua didn''t practice her spear techniques. She had gone out early in the morning to first prepare a gift for Qian Shuxiao and then head to the Academy of Classical Learning. Today was the day of Qian Shuxiao''s coming-of-age ceremony.


    Boys came of age at 20 and it was a significant day for them. It was her obligation as a sister to attend the ceremony.


    After collecting a gold-plated abacus with pearl beads that she custom-ordered the other day from the Treasures Gallery, she set off for the academy.


    The White Horses Academy, established 437 years ago, was the oldest academy of classical learning in Luoyang City. Numerous civil and military officials, as well as merchants and influential people, sent their heirs to the academy. The academy was established in the same year as the glorious Tang Empire and saw the empire through its growth. It had also cultivated countless esteemed statesmen for the empire.


    On her way there, Qian Shuhua saw more than 10 lavish horse-drawn carriages traveling on the same path. The occupants of quite a few carriages even invited her onboard after recognizing her but she tactfully rejected their offers.


    Ever since she started cultivating with Ye Que, she had bidden farewell to means of transportation like horse-drawn carriages. Traveling on her feet could help her comprehend the way of the world even more.


    The bright sunlight bathed the entire Luoyang City. In a spot to the right of the northern part of the city, fragrant grasses covered an impressively wide courtyard in neat lines. In the small square in front of the courtyard, a statue of white horses towing scrolls. Walking deeper into the square, one would be greeted by a mural of a row of lush safflower trees. Standing behind the wall was countless ink-like black-and-white buildings. Everything was like an interesting and appealing painting.


    "Senior Sister, what brought you to the academy today?" The voice of a youngster pierced her ear.


    When she turned her head, she saw that it was a Junior Brother of hers when she was still in the academy. Qian Shuhua replied placidly, "It''s A Xiao''s coming-of-age ceremony today. I''m here to attend it." Then, she noticed a shadow from the corner of her eye.


    Bypassing the white horse in the square and the lush safflower trees, one would find a black-and-white central building. Inside, a woman dressed in a red marital gown was swaying her slender waist with a faint smile on her face.


    Five meters in front of her was a scholar holding his breath as he painted with rapt attention.


    The woman was Ye Yunhai''s fiancee, Lin Mei''er. The scholar was a gifted scholar and painter that she hired with large sums of money.


    Lin Mei''er came to the academy today to complete a set of paintings that she wished to gift her husband on the day of their wedding. For this, she requested that the painter drew her against the backdrop of the White Horses Academy and outlined her beauty with his drawing brush as to leave her husband with an image of her loveliest years.


    Watching Lin Mei''er''s every frown and smile from afar, Qian Shuhua was so angry that she felt as if she couldn''t control her own feet. She was so disgusted that she wanted to vomit.


    The cool breeze blew gently, bringing a chill.


    The wind was able to cause the downfall of summer flowers yet was unable to cool Qian Shuhua''s fiery anger.


    She was deep in thought as she trod the path that stretched a hundred meters. Seeing every grass and tree in the academy, countless scenes flitted across her mind. "I remember how I loved chatting and how you loved laughing when we were young. Once, we sat side by side under a peach tree amid the whistling wind and chirping birds. Somehow, we fell asleep, not knowing how many flowers fell as we dreamed."


    The wind was the same as it was in the past, as were the birds. The differences were...


    The trees had fallen.


    The dream had shattered.


    The person was gone.


    Standing in front of Lin Mei''er who wore a red marital gown, Qian Shuhua''s expression finally returned to normal. Moreover, she looked as tranquil as water. In her opinion, this was her domain. She must learn to restrain herself.


    "Lin Mei''er, this is the White Horses Academy, a place for students to seek knowledge. It''s not your family''s garden."


    "A good dog doesn''t block the way. You''re blocking the painter." Lin Mei''er wouldn''t show Qian Shuhua any courtesy. Moreover, she had been learning martial arts since young and never studied in any sort of private academy. She had never learned to be diplomatic or even be obedient.


    "This place doesn''t welcome you. Please leave." Qian Shuhua tried to be polite even as she pointed outside the courtyard.


    "Who do you think you are, asking me to leave?" Lin Mei''er placed both hands on her waist. Her face was full of mockery.


    "I''m their Senior Sister." With a point of Qian Shuhua''s fingers, a group of students that had gathered nearby nodded in unison. They pointed at Lin Mei''er. "If you want to act coquettish, please do it at home!"

 Chapter 44 A Single Strike

    The saying went that the wrath of the emperor would result in millions of corpses and blood that flowed for thousands of miles while the wrath of scholars would result in a comet striking the moon and a halo in the sky. However, angered commoners had no choice but to remove their hats and shoes and helplessly knock their heads on the ground, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.


    What about the wrath of a woman?


    Naturally, an angered woman would go into hysterics and accept no reasoning. If she couldn''t win with her arguments, she would scold. If she couldn''t win with her scolding, she would hit. This had been the case since ancient times.


    "Don''t you feel shame for stealing someone else''s man?"


    "Yunhai doesn''t know you at all! Don''t flatter yourself!"


    "We were childhood friends and sweethearts. If not for a vixen like you, why would he become the way he is now?"


    "I think you''re jealous that I''m more beautiful than you and knows a man''s heart better than you. You''re just jealous of the martial gown I''m wearing."


    "Bah!"


    "Humph! It''s no wonder Yunhai doesn''t pick you considering your quality. I think no one would want you even if they''re paid to do so!"


    "You''re playing with fire. I''m warning you to leave now or you''d definitely regret it."


    "What a joke! Ever since I, Lin Mei''er, have been born, I have never regretted."


    Due to a man, the two women refused to give into each other. Neither could explain or come to an understanding. What could they do? What was there to do? Naturally, it would result in a fight.


    The glorious Tang Empire was built on the foundation of martial arts. Even an academy of classical learning like the White Horses Academy would have a martial arts drilling ground. Qian Shuhua and Lin Mei''er had both argued and cursed. Seeing as they couldn''t determine a victor with words, they had no choice but to settle the score with their fists.


    In no time at all, the three layers beyond the martial arts drilling ground were packed with people.


    "Good luck, Senior Sister! We all support you!"


    "Teach this vixen a good lesson!"


    "Let her understand that us students of the White Horses Academy aren''t easy to be bullied!"


    Qian Shuhua had a very solid reputation in the White Horses Academy. Fighting here was essentially fighting in her home ground. Even so, the students didn''t have much confidence in her despite their words. Everyone knew that Ye Yunhai''s fiancee was the Junior Manor Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. Currently, she was even a formal disciple of Mount Shu. It was said that she was now in the Pre-celestial Realm after receiving support from Mount Shu.


    When Qian Shuhua went to the manor house three months ago, she was nearly pummeled to death. Back then, Lin Mei''er was only a Rank 2 martial artist. In just a short three months, would there be a change in the outcome of a battle between them both?


    Most of the onlookers were pessimistic but they must at least win some face even if they couldn''t win the battle. The students of the academy must show unwavering courage even in the face of an army of millions of soldiers.


    Losing wasn''t a terrifying prospect. Not having the courage to act was the true show of cowardice.


    Lin Mei''er stood in the middle of the martial arts drilling ground. With a flick of her wrist, the wooden sword tied to her waist appeared in her grasp. "You know, it''s not terrifying for one to be foolish. What''s terrifying is ignorance. It''s when one doesn''t have a clear understanding of what one''s capable and isn''t capable of."


    Qian Shuhua eyed the spear that was nine Chinese foot long sitting at the end of the weaponry rack. She gently picked it up and weighed it. She smirked as if she wasn''t quite satisfied with it before glancing at Lin Mei''er. "It''s indeed terrifying to not know what one''s capability, but even more so to covet what doesn''t belong to you. That''s because you must return it."


    "Moreover, don''t you feel disgusted eating someone else''s leftovers?" Qian Shuhua mocked.


    "Well, in order for you to have the right to say those words, you must''ve at least ate it." Lin Mei''er''s expression didn''t falter.


    "Impertinent peasants shouldn''t delude themselves into thinking that they can pass the dragon gate. You should take a good look of yourself in the mirror. You''re no more than an uncultured swine. Don''t ever dream of rising to be a phoenix."


    The most terrifying of them all was an educated woman who could deliver the most venomous words. She could disgrace her enemy without using dirty words. Lin Mei''er, who had been trained in martial arts since young, had no way of winning Qian Shuhua with words.


    "You''re digging your own grave!"


    "I was merciful the last time! Don''t go over your head!"


    Lin Mei''er''s face had turned utterly cold.


    "You can stop with your mercy today. The sword discriminates not and I resign my fate to heaven!"


    Qian Shuhua lifted the spear with a single hand. Her words were firm and her posture was straight.


    "You asked for this." Lin Mei''er raised her eyebrow coolly and drew an outline with the sword in her hand, sparking green radiance with her movements. Then, she charged at Qian Shuhua with alarming speed. She was using the Cool Breeze Sword Skill of Mount Shu.


    The students of the White Horses Academy couldn''t help closing their eyes or turning their heads away after witnessing this scene. No one was willing to see their Senior Sister being bullied. However, the students here had always been academically strong but physically weak. Considering Qian Shuhua''s character, she wouldn''t allow them to help either. Furthermore, this was a fight over love.


    Even the youngsters who were confident in Qian Shuhua sighed after seeing the weapon that she selected.


    Lin Mei''er was now a disciple of Mount Shu, which said to be the number one sword sect in the world. Meanwhile, no one had ever heard of a spear user winning against someone using the sword skills of Mount Shu.


    A spear was more appropriate to be used by a gallant martial artist or used in a confrontation between two armies. In a duel between two people, a sword was undoubtedly the victor.


    The sword skills of Mount Shu were as fast as lightning. Thus, the outcome of battles was often decided in an instant.


    Green radiance flashed.


    The academy students heard the muffled sound of a collision nearly at the same time.


    Those with their eyes shut immediately opened their eyes. What they saw made them gasp.


    Their imagined scenario didn''t come to fruition. Their Senior Sister, Qian Shuhua, stood firmly in place with the wooden spear in hand. Meanwhile, Lin Mei''er was thrown into the air and crashed to the ground some distance away. There was an obvious dent in her chest. The wooden sword that was in her hand also flew out of her grasp.


    "What happened just now?" a student, who had his eyes closed, asked quietly. He was dumbstruck.


    "Is that really our Senior Sister?" another student asked in a low voice.


    "I''ve heard that Senior Sister is awesome at fighting but I didn''t know that she can even prevail over a disciple of Mount Shu." The quiet whispers soon turned into loud discussions.


    "I think your description isn''t accurate enough. Did she simply prevail? She basically slaughtered Lin Mei''er!"


    "With a single strike!"


    "Our Senior Sister used only a single strike!"


    "One strike without any embellishment!"


    "From now on, Senior Sister is my idol."


    "I love you, Senior Sister!"


    The academic courses in the White Horses Academy were rigorous but these students were all heirs of esteemed nobles and officials. Their thinking was rather avant-garde. Barely any time elapsed before some youngster cried that he adored Qian Shuhua. If their elderly teacher was here, he would certainly faint from anger. What a show of impropriety!


    Never mind the others. Even Qian Shuhua was shocked at herself.


    It turned out that the "Virile Perforation" skill that Ye Que imparted to her was this impressive. She was able to crush Lin Mei''er with a single strike.


    Qian Shuhua, who stood ten meters away, wore a faint smile as she looked around her. Her gaze eventually landed on Lin Mei''er.


    "Satisfied now?"


    Qian Shuhua''s two words were spoken with great power.


    On the other hand, Lin Mei''er''s martial gown was wrinkly and tainted with soil. When she fell, her hair slid across the ground. The hair that had been styled into a delicate updo was currently in disarray. Disbelief filled her pupils but the acute pain in her chest told her that this was the reality.


    She lost. She, Lin Mei''er, lost to Qian Shuhua.


    She, the Young Manor Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House of a subsidiary institution of Mount Shu and a formal disciple of Mount Shu, lost to a young lady of a merchant family in a battle of martial arts!


    "Satisfied now?"


    "Of course, not!"


    However, Lin Mei''er couldn''t bring herself to raise her head because it was indeed her loss. She had lost with a single strike.


    Her eyes reddened. She could feel the mockery in the gazes of the students. Suddenly, she felt terribly aggrieved and the corner of her eyes became damp in a flash. She had actually teared up.


    Right then, a deep and resounding voice came from outside the crowd.


    "Not satisfied!"

 Chapter 45 Indulgence

    Qian Shuhua was standing tall in the middle of the martial arts drilling ground while Lin Mei''er had fallen 10 meters away. They were surrounded by the academy students.


    Following the deep and resounding voice calling "Not satisfied!" earlier, a gap was created in the crowd of students. It was as if there was an invisible pair of hands separating the curtains of fog.


    Shortly after, five men walked in. The leader was tall and beefy and wore an arrogant expression. He had a square face, giving others the impression that he was a tall mountain. His expression immediately cooled after seeing a teary-eyed Lin Mei''er on the ground.


    "How audacious of a silly little girl still wet behind her ears to punish someone so arrogantly. Did you think the Luoyang subsidiary of Mount Shu is easily bullied? How dare a child from a merchant family provoke one of us when it comes to cultivation." The man first walked over to Lin Mei''er to help her up before turning around to look at Qian Shuhua.


    "Weren''t you looking for someone to duel? Weren''t you asking if she''s satisfied?"


    "I''ll answer your challenge. I''m unsatisfied."


    With a wave of his hand, he summoned the wooden sword that had flown out of Lin Mei''er''s hand. It flew into his own hand with a whoosh.


    Holding the spear in one hand, Qian Shuhua raised an eyebrow after hearing the man''s words. "Who are you? What does this have to do with you?"


    "I''m Lin Shan."


    "Lin Mei''er is the young lady of my family. This has everything to do with me."


    The burly and arrogant-looking Lin Shan didn''t go red in the face in the slightest when saying these words. On the other hand, Qian Shuhua appeared a little stunned. To think that in a fight between two women over a man, one of them would even obtain the support of one''s elder. A loss was a loss. It wasn''t like Qian Shuhua wanted Lin Mei''er''s life. Was there a need for the latter to summon her elder?!


    Qian Shuhua looked at Lin Mei''er with raised eyebrows. If the latter had guts, she would advise her elder to back down. It would be too embarrassing otherwise.


    "What''s the benefit of you, Lin Shan, winning against me? What loss will I, Qian Shuhua, suffer if I lose to you?"


    "Could it be that he wants to start a war between the two races?"


    "Where did your Lin family find such confidence?"


    The onlooking students were filled with indignation after listening to the man''s introduction.


    "How upright do you think you''re being, for an elder to bully a junior?"


    "You''re the Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House and the Deputy Chief of the Luoyang subsidiary of Mount Shu. Aren''t you ashamed to interfere in the matters of the young?"


    "Senior Sister, let''s not stoop to his level. A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. We all witnessed what happened. It''s your victory."


    Though the students were all persuading Qian Shuhua, the latter had her eyes on Lin Mei''er. She wanted to see what choice would Lin Mei''er make. She wanted to see what kind of person that Ye Yunhai had chosen to be his wife.


    She didn''t worry about being bullied. She was more afraid of being blind. If the wife that Ye Yunhai chose didn''t have this bit of guts, she would feel so sorry for herself.


    The result was...


    Qian Shuhua was indeed blind.


    Lin Mei''er completely disregarded Qian Shuhua. She tried her best to widen her eyes and pointed hatefully to Qian Shuhua. "She dirtied my marital gown and messed up my hairdo. She even injured my face. How can I continue to be painted today? I''m going to marry Brother Yunhai very soon. She''s trying to cause a mess because she couldn''t bear watching me enter the General''s Manor."


    "You mustn''t let her off easy today."


    With that, Lin Mei''er shot Qian Shuhua a smug look. Yet, what she received in return was a dismayed and helpless expression.


    After thinking about it, Qian Shuhua decided to be calm about the matter. She lowered her head and addressed the man, "Uncle Lin."


    However, before she could finish her words, Lin Shan interrupted her. "Don''t call me Uncle. I''m not your Uncle; I''m not worthy enough to be. The sale of weapons coming out of the Extinctive Sword Manor House has always been dependant on your family''s shops. I shouldn''t act this way but you shouldn''t have bullied my daughter. I''ve promised her late mother that I wouldn''t let Mei''er suffer grievances."


    "Don''t tell me about the cause and effect. I''m not interested in listening. I''m Mei''er''s father. It''s your fault that Lin Mei''er shed tears." Lin Shan looked as if he had already gotten to the bottom of matters. His every word sounded firm and sure.


    However, to the onlookers, Lin Shan''s words were incredibly unreasonable.


    This was a case of thorough indulgence.


    Indulgence without bounds.


    "Then what do you want?" Qian Shuhua understood what Lin Shan was getting at. He wanted to avenge his family''s young lady.


    "Pick up your spear. The sword doesn''t criminate; we will both resign our fates to heaven. Do your best." Lin Shan had the attitude of an expert yet his words were beyond shameless. He truly wanted to fight Qian Shuhua!


    "Don''t agree, Senior Sister. This is the White Horses Academy. I''d like to see who''d dare to bully one of us." The students were burning with fury.


    "Hey, old man! Don''t tell me you''re really going to make a move!"


    "Extinctive Sword Manor House, is it? I''ll remember the name. I''ll have my father launch a thorough investigation tomorrow. Just wait to shutter your doors!"


    "Protect Senior Sister!"


    It wasn''t certain who was the one who yelled that but it was enough to prompt the group of inexperienced scholars to rush in front of Qian Shuhua. Some of them had already rolled up their sleeves in preparation to do their best to fight Lin Shan.


    The duel between Lin Mei''er and Qian Shuhua was a matter between women as well as a grudge between youngsters. No one could put in a word as to who won or lost. Yet, why was the Manor Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, a powerful expert in the Psychic Realm, sticking his nose into this? Why was he showing off his might here? What a bully!


    In the words of these youngsters: "You''re really not treating us students as true men!"


    Lin Shan''s gaze swept the students around him. He then addressed Qian Shuhua, saying, "I won''t force you. If you don''t want me to make a move, then apologize to Mei''er and beg for her forgiveness. You have to bear the consequences of hurting someone."


    Qian Shuhua was so angered by his words that she nearly burst into laughter. "It was a duel that your daughter lost. How is that my fault? Then why should we even duel? Did you think we were playing house?"


    Trying her best to suppress the fury inside her, she yelled to those around her, "I''m grateful for your kind thoughts, Junior Brothers! But no coward has ever walked out of the gates of our White Horses Academy! One scholar alone can confront millions of soldiers; one mouth alone can win a verbal spar!"


    "That''s the spirit of our academy! Even though I, Qian Shuhua, is a woman, I''m unwilling to bring shame to Sir."


    Qian Shuhua abruptly carried the spear and pushed aside the crowd to walk to the front. She first shot a glance behind her before turning around to point at Lin Shan.


    "If you want a fight, I''ll give you one."


    "I, Qian Shuhua, am here."


    "Unsatisfied? Come at me then!"


    Lin Shan stared at the insolent expression on Qian Shuhua''s face in a daze. Moments later, he dropped his smile and sent a jolt down the hands that hung on his sides. In the blink of an eye, a burst of Qi waves engulfed everyone in the vicinity. The students, which had assembled into a group, were forced backward by a few meters. They leaned unsteadily from side to side as they found themselves at the edge of the martial arts drilling ground. "Aren''t you unafraid of your tongue knotting after spouting so many lies?"


    "Clang!"


    The wooden sword immediately flew into his hand. In the span of a second, the sword emitted an expansive red radiance. It was as if they were now engulfed in a blaze.


    "Scarlet Flame Sword Skill of Mount Shu." For an inexplicable reason, Lin Shan became solemn when facing Qian Shuhua and showed no sign of being perfunctory. Though he was in the Psychic Realm, he confronted Qian Shuhua as if she was an evenly-matched opponent.


    Qian Shuhua could feel the burning Qi waves hitting her face despite the distance of ten meters. The Sword Qi that radiated all around was strong and ferocious. It was countless times fiercer than Lin Mei''er''s sword.


    Qian Shuhua couldn''t stop her heart from thumping furiously. It was to the point that she could feel a slight shudder running through her body but she remained firm and did her utmost to control herself. She gripped the spear in her hand tightly and recalled the details of Ye Que''s impartation. Then, she said solemnly, "Virile Perforation of the Divine Sect."


    One walking along Yongchang Street would find the academy after taking a turn. Ye Que, who had come to attend Qian Shuxiao''s coming-of-age ceremony as well, would reach this turn in another ten meters.


    The turn would also take him to the Coming and Going Tavern. Like the Peony Pavilion, the place pedaled wine on the ground floor and received guests on the first floor. In the VIP room on the first floor, the original main character of the day, Qian Shuxiao, was sleeping to his heart''s content at the moment. Not even he knew just how much he drank with the chieftains of the Divine Sect.

 Chapter 46 Long Lost Fury

    Qian Shuhua stared at Lin Shan who stood 10 meters away from her, watching how the flame continued to rise from the wooden sword in his hand. She felt like she was facing an insurmountable mountain.


    The scarlet flame seemed to be igniting all the air around them while wisps of smoke climbed into her vision. The figure of Lin Shan became blurry to her.


    Qian Shuhua tightened her hold on the spear as Ye Que''s voice resounded inside her ears. "When a spear user stays still, she''s like a mountain. When she moves, she''s like a bolt of lightning. When there''s a spear in her hand, the world is hers!"


    She placed the spear in front of her body and perfused it with True Energy, causing it to emit a faint black radiance. Though the radiance was dim, it was dense. Even though she knew she was facing a Physic Realm expert that she had no chance of prevailing over, she didn''t feel the slightest inclination to retreat.


    It was because of the Truth that she was cultivating.


    She would advance bravely!


    The crowd standing on the sidelines of the martial arts drilling ground held their breath.


    Qian Shuhua''s spear became increasingly dense while the flame licking Lin Shan''s sword became brighter. The expression of many students changed. Even those who didn''t know how to cultivate could tell that Lin Shan was using all of his prowess without holding back. What was he trying to do? Kill her?


    No one got a clear look at Lin Shan''s expression amid the flames and thus, he smirked. Perhaps everyone thought he was avenging the young lady of his family but only he knew the truth.


    The Extinctive Sword Manor House had fallen under the control of Mount Shu. They were about to be aligned with the General''s Manor via marriage. The Second Prince had made it clear last night that he would support Mount Shu in Luoyang. Everyone knew that the Second Prince had never gotten along with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince''s wife was the daughter of the patriarch of the Qian family and Qian Shuhua''s paternal aunt.


    The Second Prince had once implied that the Crown Prince should be given a little warning, though it must be reasonable.


    The incident today happened to be an opportunity to do just that.


    "Who told you to be born as part of the Qian family? Who told you to be the Crown Princess'' niece?"


    "Burn!"


    Suddenly, a fire dragon emerged from the wooden sword in Lin Shan''s hand and dominated half of the martial arts drilling ground with its fangs and claws. From afar, the clothing of Qian Shuhua who stood in the middle of the fire dragon appeared to be dyed a burnt yellow. Her hair was flying around her and her entire being seemed to have sunken into a furnace.


    Qian Shuhua neither screeched nor retreated, only frowning deeply. The fire around her seemed to flare up in her eyes.


    It was a kind of battle fever.


    "Scarlet Flame Sword Skill! Burn it all to ashes!"


    With a roar from him, the fire dragon tried to take a chomp out of Qian Shuhua.


    "Virile Perforation!"


    With a turn of her wrist, Qian Shuhua thrust her spear. The spear turned into a mass of sharp black radiance and charged into the sea of flames.


    Time seemed to be frozen at this moment. Everyone stared wide-eyed.


    Right then, Ye Que had just walked into the White Horses Academy. Since he couldn''t see anyone, he followed the noise coming from the martial arts drilling ground. The moment Qian Shuhua and Lin Shan''s battle ended was the moment when he coincidentally looked over to where they were.


    For a moment, Ye Que couldn''t help feeling dumbfounded. His body also became a little stiff.


    The human wall made by the students of the academy had taken a fall after experiencing Lin Shan''s Qi waves earlier, allowing someone from the outside to get a good view of the center of the martial arts drilling ground.


    Ye Que saw Lin Shan''s Scarlet Flame Sword Skill rapidly fade. The fire dragon subsequently vanished as well.


    Qian Shuhua''s figure slowly became evident. In the span of a breath, her clothing had essentially been scorched black. The white of her skirt had long disappeared, revealing a pair of malt-colored legs. One side of her thigh and calf was dripping with blood. The collar covering her neck and shoulder had been burned so badly that there was nearly no scrap of clothing left; right then, it was still emitting faint wisps of smoke.


    Patches of scorched blackness covered her face, hair, hands, arms, and shoulders. Only her eyes remained as determined and unfathomable as before. The end of her spear had met the ground but its body was still in her hand. Her back was perfectly straight.


    A short moment later, she fell to the ground like a plank.


    Standing at a distance and watching this scene unfold, Ye Que was reminded sharply of the first time Qian Shuhua learned how to use the spear. He had her hold the spear for six hours and watched as she fainted when the moon and the stars lit up the sky.


    It was the same scene as the current one.


    Stubborn, obstinate, one-track minded!


    Back then, Ye Que thought that this woman was awfully inflexible and foolish. He truly found her silly. Though she didn''t have much aptitude, she tried her very best to cultivate. Truth to be told, he neither had expectations of her nor admired her actions and behavior.


    However, for some reason, he couldn''t help frowning after witnessing this scene. Moreover, he even felt a shred of anger and this anger gradually rose to fury. Though the fury was small, he knew he was truly angered.


    How long had it been since he felt something like this?


    As far as he remembered, this was the first time ever since returning to his youth.


    Long lost fury!


    Ye Que looked at the collapsed Qian Shuhua and slowly walked over without saying a word. He leveled a look at the nearby Lin Shan, where he spotted a small hole in the latter''s left shoulder. Qian Shuhua must have left that injury on him.


    Ye Que arrived at the center of the martial arts drilling ground with a frown. Inexplicably, none of the students tried to stop him and even scurried aside to make a path for him. His expression seemed to be terrifying them. Reason told them that they better not stop him at this moment or the consequences would be grave.


    He stopped in front of Qian Shuhua and sighed when he looked at the incomparably obstinate young woman. A burst of unstoppable and inexplicable emotion abruptly rose inside him. He had never experienced such emotion before and it made him feel both a little stifled and impetuous.


    Instinctively, he examined Qian Shuhua''s pulses to make sure there wasn''t any danger to her life for the time being. After some thinking and a short pause, he lowered his raised hand and imbued Divine Energy into Qian Shuhua. Only then could he rest assured.


    Ye Que swept the crowd with his eyes before looking at Lin Shan once again. He then bypassed him to look at the nearby Lin Mei''er. Finally, he addressed the students that surrounded the place. "Who can tell me what exactly happened here?"


    "I want to listen to the cause and effect of all this."


    His two simple sentences carried no trace of anger but the students could feel a burst of pressure. The pressure seemed to be examining them at all times. It was as if the words that left their mouths in the following second must be the truth and that any liar would suffer.


    "This old man is a bully."


    "When the daughter lost in a duel, the father showed up."


    "He''s relying on the fact that he''s the Master of the Extinctive Sword Manor House who has the backing of Mount Shu and that his family is about to have an alliance marriage with the General''s Manor. He''s completely unreasonable!"


    The group of indignant students clarified the incident in no time at all.


    Ye Que nodded after listening to everyone''s explanation. He bent his waist to pick up the collapsed Qian Shuhua and turned around to leave. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at Lin Shan.


    "What''s your name?"


    "Lin Shan."


    Lin Shan continued to wear an arrogant expression but didn''t refuse to answer as if unafraid in the slightest that he would suffer retribution. Neither was he worried to let that it was he who injured Qian Shuhua. In fact, he was even subtly but deliberately making it so that others would spread this news.


    "Very well. I''ve seen many cases of a Physic Realm expert bullying a Pre-celestial Realm expert but someone who bullies a young lady with such a poor excuse like you is a rare sight. Moreover, you were able to land such a heavy blow. Consider me impressed!"


    Ye Que continued indifferently, "Lin Mei''er is your daughter. Since you''ve made your move for her, then be prepared for the consequences."


    "I''ll also make my move."


    "I hope you''ll be able to withstand it."


    Lin Shan snorted but didn''t reply. It was evident from his expression that he didn''t take Ye Que''s words to heart. However, Lin Mei''er behind him glanced at Ye Que. "What does this have to do with you? Mind your own business!"


    Ignoring her, Ye Que turned his head and walked out of the place. He muttered to himself, "That''s because I''m her guiding master!"

 Chapter 47 Premeditated

    Qian Shuhua dreamed of petals of exquisite beauty, where peach blossom flowers formed an ocean. Two youngsters sat side by side on the branch of a peach blossom tree. The cool breeze brought with it a faint delight while the migratory birds cooed. It was a poetic and picturesque scene. She didn''t know when but a rain of fire began to fall from the sky above. The flames rapidly ignited all the petals, set the peach blossom tree on fire, and burned the migratory birds to death. The youngers were also separated by the fire.


    Wonderland turned into purgatory. Qian Shuhua wanted to cry but no tears came. She wanted to scream for help but no voice came. All that was left in her vision was a field of red.


    Out of the blue.


    A pair of strong yet gentle arms embraced her. Slowly, the sea of purgatory fire extinguished. The cool breeze picked up, caressing the scorched plains. Young shoots quietly sprang from the ground, gradually replacing the blazing world with a field of green. Newborn migratory birds broke out of their shells. It was to the extent that she could faintly smell an aroma wafting in the air.


    It wasn''t the smell of fragrance but the smell of incense.


    It was the overwhelming aroma lingering inside a Hall of Classics filled with nothing but scrolls and books.


    In her dream, Qian Shuhua fell asleep while smelling this aroma.


    When she woke up, the sky had completely darkened and her vision was enveloped entirely in the warm yellow candlelight. Next to her bed was a cup of warm tea and in the distance was a small medicinal stove. Ye Que sat beside the medicinal stove and every now and then, he would toss something into the pot with a concentrated expression.


    "You''re up."


    Ye Que''s voice reached Qian Shuhua the moment she woke up, sounding as placid and indifferent as he did when imparting the art of spearing to her all this while. It was as if he was forever emotionless.


    "How did I get home?" Qian Shuhua asked weakly. After all, she had just experienced a fierce battle.


    "I carried you home. I happened to have gone to the academy as well," Ye Que replied indifferently. After dusting off his hands, he walked to the bedside and flipped open the corner of the blanket to check her pulse. He nodded a short while later. "You''re fine. You''ll fully recover after medicating for a few days."


    Qian Shuhua propped up her body to look at Ye Que and said softly, "Thank you."


    Ye Que looked at her without saying anything.


    "I won against Lin Mei''er. I used the art of spearing that you taught me and won against her with a single strike." Qian Shuhua hurriedly explained herself after seeing his expression.


    "That''s to be expected. You''re stronger than her in the first place," Ye Que said.


    "But I lost to Lin Shan. I even reported the name of our Divine Sect. I brought shame to you." Qian Shuhua was surprisingly embarrassed, as if this was more important than winning against Lin Mei''er.


    Ye Que chuckled. Subconsciously, he raised his hand to caress her hair. "It''s not shameful. Lin Shan is a Psychic Realm expert while you''ve just entered the Pre-celestial Realm recently. It''s natural for you to lose. Moreover, you don''t have to be dejected over it. Your attack wasn''t completely useless; you made a hole in Lin Shan''s left shoulder."


    After pausing for a moment, Ye Que continued, "This is already very impressive of you. After all, you''re not facing an ordinary cultivator. Lin Shan is now a formal disciple of Mount Shu and he was also using the sword skills of the number one sword sect in the world."


    Qian Shuhua fell into deep thought after listening to Ye Que''s explanation. Only then did she stopped being so tense and displayed a relieved expression on her face. From the beginning to the end, she neither asked nor complained about her injuries as if it was of little importance to her.


    No voice resounded inside the room for a moment, leaving only the quiet bubbling of the concoction in the medicinal stove.


    "I forgot to ask you. How was A Xiao''s coming-of-age ceremony? Did it go well?"


    "He got drunk last night and completely missed the timing. He only just recovered earlier. Right now, he should be at the old man''s place."


    "He got drunk?" Qian Shuhua''s voice rose by several octaves. "Ridiculous! He dared to even miss the timing of his coming-of-age ceremony! What is he trying to do? Who did he get drunk with? Female entertainers?"


    "I think he got together with the chieftains of the Divine Sect again. It happened to be the end of the month, the time when money and secret manuals are distributed. He''s very upset over this. To be fair, he wasn''t playing. He simply didn''t have a good grasp of himself." Ye Que walked back to the medicinal stove. After observing it for a moment, he added in more medicine.


    "This can''t do. I must look for him. He can''t go on like this. If he''s not even serious in cultivating, what can he hope to achieve?" Qian Shuhua was about to get off the bed.


    "That''s enough. Everyone has their own aspiration. It''s best for you to focus on yourself. Lie still." Ye Que gave Qian Shuhua his most piercing glare. "I''ll have a chat with him later."


    The ancestral hall of Qian Manor.


    Old Mr. Qian reclined quietly on the rattan chair with his eyes partially closed, looking as if he was dozing off. Qian Shuxiao stood in front of him, looking indignant. Beside him was a plump man. It was Qian Shuxiao''s father, Qian Fulin.


    Qian Shuxiao placed both hands on his hips and yelled, "Grandpa, I think we must remove all the weapons from the Extinctive Sword Manor House from the shelves of our shops immediately. How dare they bully my sister! I must make them pay and teach them that our Qian family isn''t an easy target!"


    Old Mr. Qian said nothing. Qian Fulin, who stood nearby, said unhurriedly, "Amiability brings riches, amiability bring riches. What''s the point of fighting and killing? What benefit will we get by removing the weapons from the Extinctive Sword Manor House from our shops? You''re letting your emotions cloud your judgment!"


    "Didn''t you see how they had injured my sister? That''s your biological daughter! Can you take this disgrace lying down?" Qian Shuxiao looked at his father in disbelief.


    "I can." Qian Fulin abruptly widened his eyes and said solemnly, "I''ve examined your sister''s injuries. They''re nothing, just superficial wounds. She won''t die from it."


    "Grandpa!" Qian Shuxiao directly sought help from Old Mr. Qian.


    "No matter who you beg, it''s no use." Qian Fulin lowered his voice and continued, "Second Prince had openly expressed his support for Mount Shu yesterday. The Extinctive Sword Manor House is now the Luoyang subsidiary of Mount Shu. If you remove their weapons from our shops now, wouldn''t you be openly going against Second Prince? They already dislike our family because of your aunt''s status. Do you think that we don''t have enough trouble on our hands?"


    "Since Aunt is the Crown Princess, why do you even fear Second Prince?" Qian Shuxiao asked.


    "We''re merchants. We can''t put all of our bargaining chips in one basket."


    "So we''re going to ask my sister to suffer?"


    "That''s her obligation. There''s no such thing as being exempted from suffering. Even your mother must sacrifice for the sake of our family," Qian Fulin said righteously.


    "Well."


    "Very well."


    "You''re a good father indeed. Consider me impressed." Qian Shuxiao snorted. "Since you won''t interfere in this matter, I''ll do it in your place. Since my sister has suffered grievances, I as her younger brother must avenge her."


    Qian Shuxiao raised his hand to stop Qian Fulin from persuading him. "Rest assured. I won''t use our men or use our family''s name. I''ll be responsible for anything that happens."


    With that, he turned around and ran out of the hall. He gave the doors of the ancestral hall a fierce push before slamming it loudly and forcefully.


    Inside the ancestral hall, Old Mr. Qian slowly opened his eyes and stared at Qian Shuxiao''s back. He then directed his gaze at the nearby Qian Fulin. "Do you know why I refuse you the title of the family''s head and only allow you to manage the shops?"


    Qian Fulin glanced at his father and felt a stab of anger and dread. Finally, he said in a low voice, "Since I''m the one managing the shops, it''s my word that counts. I can''t command you, but don''t tell me that I can''t command my own son."


    In a small park filled with bluish-green bamboos.


    The night wind was cool and refreshing.


    Qian Shuxiao didn''t enter the house, not wanting to see his sister''s current state. His heart ached for her. He sent a maid to call Ye Que out.


    "I must teach that Extinctive Sword Manor House a lesson. It''s fine if they bully me but they can''t bully my sister."


    "Go and gather the chieftains of the Divine Sect then. We''ll finally see our extensive preparation pay off."


    "They''re no longer chieftains. I call them Branch Masters. I divided Luoyang City into 36 branches, with each helming one branch. They''re all selected from a martial arts competition."


    "This is a new medicine that I refined today. Find a way to put it on the black market but the one who supplies this kind of medicine must pretend to be a disciple of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. He must make it look like this medicine belongs to the Extinctive Sword Manor House."

 Chapter 48 Natural Law Remains Constant; Flowers Inevitably Wil

    t


    In the short span of an hour, 36 Branch Masters of the Divine Sect were all gathered in one place. Ye Que personally took charge of the meeting and put in order three missions.


    Qian Shuxiao didn''t say a word throughout the meeting and kept his brows tightly knitted. After everyone had left, he could no longer hold himself back and said, "Brother Ye, is this the strategy that you''ve prepared? Isn''t it a little lacking?"


    Ye Que glanced at him and replied, "Then what do you think we should do?"


    Without even thinking, Qian Shuxiao answered, "Start a war. Have a true battle with the Extinctive Sword Manor House and break the legs of that damned Lin Shan! I''ll kill him for bullying my sister!"


    Ye Que shook his head, chuckling. "Isn''t your plan the true child''s play? Start a war against the Extinctive Sword Manor House? With what? With those hooligans that we took under our wings? Most of them just started cultivating three months ago. Even the most fast-progressing of them are merely Rank 2 martial artists. What stands behind the Extinctive Sword Manor House is none other than Mount Shu. If we fight them openly, we''re essentially striking a stone with an egg."


    Glancing at the night sky, Ye Que continued, "Natural law is constant. The wilting of one flower is the blossoming of another."


    "Do you know how to make a flower wilt?"


    Ye Que extended three fingers. "Cut off the leaves, cover the sun, and eliminate the roots!"


    After hearing Ye Que''s words, Qian Shuxiao''s confusion deepened even further. "What does this have to do with the missions you lay out earlier?"


    "Of course, it has something to do with the missions. Those missions are so we can cut off the leaves of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, cover the sun atop their heads, and eliminate the foundation that they rely on. Do you know what the most terrifying thing in the world is?"


    Ye Que''s voice became low. "Food is necessary for survival but what the spiritual world fears even more is gossip."


    The Extinctive Sword Manor House was located on the suburbs of the Luoyang City. It was like a massive weapon manufacturer. Due to their large number of disciples, their daily consumption was significant.


    The moment dawn ascended, the menial workers responsible for the day''s ingredients set off from the back door of the Manor House on five horse-drawn carriages. Their daily task was buying ingredients and returning to the Manor House to prepare meals.


    Though they were dressed in the attire of Extinctive Sword Manor House disciples, their true identity was that of a cook.


    With the cries of insects for company throughout the whole journey, the five horse-drawn carriages bearing the symbol of the Extinctive Sword Manor House sped past the city gate and arrived at the nearest morning market on Vermilion Bird Lane. Here, farmers had long set up stalls to pedal their fruits and produce.


    Tian Xiaosi was recruited into the Extinctive Sword Manor House a month ago and his mentor happened to be the main cook of the kitchen. The experienced Tian Xiaosi was a sweet-talker and served the main cook like the latter was his biological father. Thus, the cushy job of procuring ingredients naturally fell to him.


    Walking toward a vegetable stall, he checked the freshness of the produce with a quick glance. He nipped a small chunk off the vegetables for taste and asked, "How much are you selling this?"


    The vegetable farmer raised his head to look at Tian Xiaosi. His expression didn''t change even after seeing the latter wearing clothes bearing the symbol of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. He lowered his head and said coolly, "I''m not selling."


    "What did you say?" Tian Xiaosi asked, thinking that there was something wrong with his ears.


    The vegetable farmer lowered his head and repeated his words. "I said I''m not selling."


    "You set up a vegetable stall but don''t sell vegetables? What are you trying to do?" Tian Xiaosi looked confused.


    "Mind your business. Either way, I''m not selling these vegetables." The vegetable farmer continued to lower his head, not even sparing Tian Xiaosi a glance.


    "Lunatic!" Tian Xiaosi muttered under his breath. He turned around to walk to the other stalls. To think a damned vegetable farmer would have such ego! Even if the farmer vegetable refused to sell him anything, there were still other farmers to buy from. Wasn''t it the act of a fool to go against money?


    Tian Xiaosi was in a terrible mood after he was forced to go to another stall. He saved the small talk and directly asked, "How much are you selling these?"


    The farmer glanced at Tian Xiaosi. Without even thinking, he replied, "I''m not selling."


    "Are you in cahoots with that person earlier?" Tian Xiaosi noticed that something wasn''t quite right.


    "No."


    "Did I anger you?"


    "No."


    "Then why are you refusing to sell me these vegetables?"


    "No reason. I''m simply not selling them."


    The answers that Tian Xiaosi got out of two people were the same. They refused to sell him any vegetables, not even a single one. Utterly confused now, Tian Xiaosi asked the third vegetable farmer and received the same refusal.


    "I''ll pay double the price; are you selling now?" Tian Xiaosi wondered if their Manor House had been bargaining for too low a price, causing these farmers to be upset.


    "It has nothing to do with money. I''m not selling no matter how much money you''re offering." Even after Tian Xiaosi doubled the price, the farmer still refused to sell him anything.


    After making a round in the market and returning to the mouth of the Vermilion Bird Lane, the group of menial workers exchanged looks. They saw the confusion reflected in one another''s eyes.


    Tian Xiaosi clutched his hair with force. "What''s going on today? Have all these people gone mad? All the stalls aren''t selling!"


    The menial worker beside him frowned and added, "Si''er, it''s not that they''re not selling. They''re just not selling to us."


    An idea hit Tian Xiaosi, prompting him to ask, "Did any of you cause trouble here recently, Brothers?"


    "We''re all so busy that we didn''t even have time to breathe. Aside from buying ingredients in the morning, who''d have the time to come here? We''re always together when buying ingredients. Do you think no one will know if we cause trouble?" another menial worker retorted.


    "Let''s put this aside first. Since we can''t buy anything from Vermilion Bird Lane, aren''t we going somewhere else? In the vast Luoyang City, it''s not like this place is the only place that sells vegetables."


    Soon, the five horse-drawn carriages from the Extinctive Sword Manor House left the Vermilion Bird Lane and headed to another morning market in the east.


    To the left of the memorial arch of the Vermilion Bird Lane was a small house, with a small stall selling wonton in front of its door. Ye Que sat at the stall quietly, the bowl of wonton placed in front of him had gone completely cool. A burly man with a scarred face sat next to him.


    "Have you made your orders to your subordinates?" Ye Que said placidly while staring at the back of the horse-drawn carriages going off into the distance.


    "Rest assured, Sect Leader. The 36 Branch Masters had given their orders last night. I guarantee that no member of the Extinctive Sword Manor House would be able to buy even one stalk of vegetable or one bite of food in Luoyang City," the burly man with a scarred face said confidently.


    "Don''t let even a single fish escape the net." Ye Que glanced at the burly man.


    "There absolutely won''t be. Perhaps you don''t know this; we have information on everyone who makes a living on the lanes. If someone is dishonest and resorts to trickery and stealing, his entire family will suffer the consequences. "Trust me. Not even government officials are as persuasive as we are. Besides, we didn''t ask them to kill or commit arson; we''re only asking them not to do business with a family. No one will play with their lives," the burly man explained carefully.


    "Moreover, all Branch Masters have their eyes peeled. I guarantee that this will go without a hitch."


    Since the beginning of dawn to the scorching noon, Tian Xiaosi and his group had gone to a whopping five markets but ended up not buying even a single stalk of vegetable. The pedalers all took one look at him and said, "I''m not selling."


    Five horse-drawn carriages left the Extinctive Sword Manor House empty and returned in the same state.


    When noon fell, the disciples who had been busy for the entire morning rushed to the kitchen to get their food. On a typical day, the aroma of rice and dishes would already be lingering in the air at this hour. However, for some reason, there wasn''t even the smell of raw vegetables.


    They entered the kitchen in confusion and found only pickled vegetables, porridge, steamed buns, and noodles in plain water.


    "Noodles in plain water? Don''t they have stew? Are they kidding?!"


    That afternoon, the main cook helming the kitchen of the Extinctive Sword Manor House suffered 10 lashes of the whip as per regulations. Meanwhile, the group of menial workers knelt in front of the Commandment Hall for an entire night.

 Chapter 49 Fear Is Omnipresen

    t


    The moon and stars were pale in the quiet night.


    The inhabitants of Luoyang City had been struggling in the stifling heat for an entire day. The clouds that had gathered into a thick mass just before nightfall was so close to the ground that they seemed so close to touching the faraway Jinshan Temple.


    It was so stuffy that people could hardly breathe. Even cicadas, crickets, and toads had lost their zeal to bellow their grievances, only emitting weak cries when they simply couldn''t bear the heat. First, the clouds obscured the moonlight. Then came the faint rumbling of thunder. One could even see bolts of lightning flashing in the crevices of the clouds. It seemed that a rainstorm was coming.


    A group of silhouettes sped along the path leading to the Extinctive Sword Manor House from the direction of Luoyang City.


    In no time at all, Ye Que showed up in the vicinity of the Manor House. Following right behind him were no less than one hundred Divine Sect disciples. They were selected from the group of people who studied the secret manuals that Ye Que distributed and selected to be formal disciples after showing particular talent.


    Unlike regular Jianghu martial artists, these people conducted their business on streets and lanes all year round. They were well-versed in shady activities such as scare tactics, threats, robberies, and arson. Though they now possessed a preliminary understanding of cultivation, they had no inclination whatsoever to follow rules.


    Of course, Ye Que didn''t expect them to discover the Truth and become immortals.


    It was fine as long as they were useful.


    The great war between the Three Realms a hundred years later taught everyone a lesson through spilled blood: whether one was a gentleman or a scoundrel, whether one was despicable or vulgar, a method that could achieve one''s goals was a good method.


    The distinction between evil and good didn''t apply to methods, only humans.


    It was Lin Shan''s misfortune that he provoked Ye Que.


    Twigs shivered audibly as the wind swept the mountain and along with it, came the faint smell of terror.


    Qian Shuxiao, who followed behind Ye Que, sneezed noisily when the wind swept sand onto his face. He fished out a handkerchief from his bosom and wiped his nose with it. Following a tremble, he began polishing the Firebird''s Nest in his hand.


    "Sect Leader, why did you ask everyone to come here so late at night? Are we ambushing the Extinctive Sword Manor House? Then we should''ve called the rest too. I don''t think our numbers are quite enough." Qian Shuxiao addressed Ye Que as his brother in private but in front of outsiders, he would only address the latter as Sect Leader. In his words, "These are the rules. Even if I''m the First Elder, I can''t break them. I must set a good example."


    "Now isn''t the time to ambush the Extinctive Sword Manor House. That''s just courting death." Ye Que glared at Qian Shuxiao. "Tell everyone to surround the Manor House and keep an eye on all the roads leading out of it. But stay 2.5 kilometers out of the house. Once they detect disciples of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, tell them to report it to me immediately."


    After watching everyone disperse with squinted eyes, Ye Que muttered, "From now onward, you disciples of Extinctive Sword Manor House better stay indoors at night."


    The main income of the Extinctive Sword Manor House came from the sale of their weapons. They would typically take advantage of the fact that they had many disciples and had them forge the weapons in advance. Only then would they work through the night to deliver the weapons to all the large prefectures and cities. That allowed the latest weapons to either go on sale or reach their buyers the next day.


    It was as lucrative as it was efficient.


    It was right after 11 pm. Following the heavy noise of spinning axles, three horse-drawn carriages carrying seven or eight disciples of the Extinctive Sword Manor House each left the Manor House with their products.


    One carriage headed for the mountain path leading to Qing Prefecture, another carriage headed for You Prefecture, while the last made a beeline for Luoyang.


    The Qing Prefecture Government was the government closest to Luoyang.


    The journey took 10 hours. Under normal circumstances, the carriage would reach their distance before sunrise.


    The entire carriage was filled with one hundred Blue Steel Swords, one hundred Wild Goose Sabers. Out of the numerous Extinctive Sword Manor House, some were specially tasked to transport the goods. Thus, the Manor House rarely entrusted such tasks to the Escort Agency.


    This group of people had traveled no more than 2.5 kilometers when Chu Dongnan, who hid by the road, spotted them. As the first hooligan that Ye Que conquered and the first person who received a saber and a manual, his growth was the quickest. After cultivating day and night for three months, he was now about to become a Rank 1 martial artist.


    Several days ago, Chu Dongnan distinguished himself in the selection competition and became one of the 36 Branch Masters of the Divine Sect, the Master of Sanjiu Lane. He was also bestowed with a secret manual on Truth Cultivation to help him go beyond martial arts and enter the Pre-celestial Realm.


    Chu Dongnan had great trust in his instincts, which had long told him that he must stay right beside Ye Que.


    As long as he was following Ye Que, he would be promised unimaginable wealth. He even dreamed that Ye Que was the greatest opportunity of his life.


    Thus, as long as it was Ye Que who made the order, he would execute it to the best of his capabilities.


    Though the night was stuffy and the wind was great, Chu Dongnan didn''t even blink as he stared at the road in front of him. When he noticed the disciples, he immediately turned around and retreated to report it to Ye Que.


    Fifteen minutes later, Chu Dongnan and Ye Que caught up to the group of disciples.


    "Sect Leader, the group ahead ought to be the disciples transporting the weapons from the Extinctive Sword Manor House. I checked the furrows made by their carriage; the carriage has more than one hundred weapons, at least," Chu Dongnan said, lowering his voice.


    "We''re not leaving survivors, are we?" Chu Dongnan gestured at his neck.


    Ye Que gave him a glance before shaking his head. "Wait here, all of you. I''ll go myself."


    Without concealing himself, Ye Que stealthily infiltrated the carriage.


    Moments later, the disciple at the rear of the carriage suddenly widened his eyes and clutched his neck in shock. He swiftly fainted. Then, the disciple commanding the carriage immediately pulled onto the reins. His hands and legs began to tremble like he was experiencing a seizure. Soon, the crotch of his trousers became soaked. Finally, the two disciples flanking the carriage and the disciples opening the path passed out as if they had seen a ghost.


    Ye Que had moved and retreated as swift as the wind, returning after no more than the span of time it took to down a cup of tea.


    Looking at Chu Dongnan, he said, "Don''t get close to this group or touch the things inside. Just stay guard and see in the vicinity until daytime when their people come over to save them."


    Despite the numerous doubts in his mind, Chu Dongnan nodded in agreement without thinking. "I''ll obey your orders, Sect Leader."


    To him, everything Ye Que did was accurate and everything he said was an imperial edict.


    On the other side of the mountain, another carriage filled with weapons was traveling on the road leading to You Prefecture.


    "A Le, are you hungry? This steamed bun with pickle filling is disgusting. I didn''t eat my fill during lunchtime and we''re still having steamed buns for dinner! There''s not even a vegetable dish!"


    "The way I see it, the menial workers of the kitchen deserve a good beating. They idle all day long and can''t even prepare a meal properly. They deserve to be menial workers for the rest of their lives."


    "Without food in my stomach, I have no energy whatsoever."


    "Hold on! When day time comes, I''ll find a restaurant for you. We''ll fill our stomachs first before continuing; after all, You Prefecture isn''t just a stone''s throw away."


    "Then I''ll express my thanks, Brother."


    "You''re welcome..." Before he could finish his words, the disciple transporting the goods suddenly widened his eyes and pointed in front of him. Cold sweat drenched his face. "Look, look. Wh-what''s that?"


    The disciple began to shiver as he spoke. However, there was nothing in front of him except for his fellow disciple taking the lead with a raised torch.


    A blood-curdling screech shattered the night sky.


    The same night, another screech resounded inside the black market in Luoyang. The difference was that there was truly something terrifying in front of the one who screamed: a demon with a malevolent expression. The demon cautiously pinched the neck of a small porcelain bottle with two fingers, greedily sniffing the smell from inside the bottle.


    If one took a careful look at the bottom of the bottle, one would notice a small carving of a sword. Those familiar with it would know that it was the symbol of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. If one was to trace the origin of the porcelain bottle, one would also pinpoint it to one location: Extinctive Sword Manor House.

 Chapter 50 Seeing a Ghos

    t


    Early morning, Extinctive Sword Manor House.


    The head cook that had gone through a whipping personally led the group of menial workers that had been punished to kneel for an entire night to procure ingredients. Even though the head cook knew some martial arts for self-protection, it was impossible for him to walk or ride the horse after enduring 10 lashings of the whip.


    Fortunately, they had the five horse-drawn carriages meant for procurement. After helping his master settle down on the back of the carriage, Tian Xiaosi personally took the reins.


    The group of six were the earliest to leave the Manor House. Their carriage wobbled along the road to Luoyang City. From afar, the road was shrouded in the marble white fog of the mountain. The head cook had fallen asleep the moment they left the Manor House, perhaps because he didn''t sleep well last night because the whipping was too vicious. He fell asleep and even began snoring.


    "Whoa!"


    The head cook had just fallen into a deep slumber and he didn''t feel as if it had been long when the carriage came to an abrupt stop.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Did you forget how to speed on a carriage as well?!" The rude awakening, coupled with the anger that had been bubbling in him, caused the head cook to be full of resentment.


    "Master, there''s something in front." Tian Xiaosi turned his head to glance at his master before pointing to the front.


    "What''s going on?" the head cook mumbled to himself. He cocked his head to one side and looked past Tian Xiaosi to see the front of the carriage.


    He immediately saw a three-meter-tall pole with a flag with the symbol of the Extinctive Sword Manor House carved on it. Then, he noticed several three-meter-wide large wooden boxes of a reddish brown color.


    "Why is the transporting team here? I heard they set off last night," the head cook muttered. Suddenly, he felt his heart tighten. When he straightened his back earlier, he saw several bodies lying haphazardly on the ground next to the fleet.


    "This is bad!"


    "Something bad has happened!" The head cook gave himself a hard slap and used all his strength to shake his head in trying to clear his mind as soon as possible. "Hurry! Hurry and see what''s going on!"


    Obeying his master''s order, Tian Xiaosi swiftly ran over. The closer he got, the more he thought to himself, "Considering the circumstances, could they have been ambushed? "That doesn''t seem right; there''s no smell of blood. There''s no sign of blood or wounds anywhere."


    "Strange." Tian Xiaosi took a few deep breaths and mentally gave himself a little push. He drummed up his courage and cautiously approached the people lying on the ground.


    "Eh?"


    "They''re breathing. They''re still alive!"


    "Master, they seem to be still alive! They''re just passed out!" Tian Xiaosi examined everyone and discovered that they were basically in the same condition. Their breathing was stable, though their pulse was in a bit of a disorder.


    Soon, another menial worker helped the head cook down the carriage and brought him over. He frowned after examining the people lying on the ground. "Their condition doesn''t seem serious and the carriage is intact too. Even the weapons appear perfectly intact. Then what exactly happened to them? Why did they faint? And each of them fainted without exception as well!"


    The head cook came up with a decision after giving it some thought. "Si''er, carry these people into the carriage with a few of your brothers. You''re quick on your feet; go back to the Manor House now and report this to Steward Sun. Ask him how should we handle this."


    "Stone, stay behind to guard the carriages and the wounded. The rest of you, follow me to Luoyang City to continue our procurement. We''ve let everyone starve for the whole day yesterday. If we fail to bring anything back again, we can just pack up and leave." The head cook waved his hand, considering the matter to be settled.


    However, after Tian Xiaosi made a mad dash back to the Manor House, he found that Steward Sun, who was responsible for dealing with emergencies, had gone out. As an insignificant menial worker, he was neither acquaintanced with another steward nor knew how to handle this matter. He could only wait anxiously.


    Fortunately, Steward Sun returned to the Manor House in a hurry shortly after. Behind him was a fleet of horse-drawn carriages. Tian Xiaosi went over and immediately became stunned. Subconsciously, he yelled Steward Sun''s name.


    "Steward Sun!" Perhaps Tian Xiaosi was so agitated that his voice became loud. He instantly drew the attention of Steward Sun.


    "Who is it? State your business immediately. Can''t you see that I''m busy?!" Steward Sun responded impatiently.


    "I''m Tian Xiaosi, a menial worker of the kitchen. The head cook is my master. There''s something that requires your attention," Tian Xiaosi said quietly, his head lowered.


    "Requires my attention? Am I your father for you to look for me when you have a problem! "You must not have suffered enough pain from kneeling yesterday!"


    "Scram!" Steward Sun had been suppressing so much anger that Tian Xiaosi happened to be the perfect punching bag.


    After seeing Steward Sun''s expression, Tian Xiaosi swiftly explained, "It''s not my personal problem; it''s about the Manor House. On our way to Luoyang City to procure ingredients this morning, we came across our Manor House''s carriage responsible for transporting goods. The team is all passed out on the ground, with their pulse and breathing intact. The goods are completely fine as well. It''s just that the team is unconscious."


    Steward Sun was stunned. "The transporting team? From the Manor House?"


    "It bears our flag. There''s no mistake," Tian Xiaosi said solemnly.


    "Give me a rundown of the situation, especially about our disciples." Steward Sun''s expression became a little more serious.


    Tian Xiaosi looked past Steward Sun and extended his hand to point behind the latter. "I think their condition is more or less similar to those people."


    Two hours later.


    Three carriages stood neatly on the side of the courtyard in front of the Extinctive Sword Manor House, with 18 disciples lying quietly inside.


    A stone-faced Lin Shan walked over with his hands clasped behind his back. "What exactly has happened for you to be so frantic? Where''s your decorum?"


    "Manor Master, there''s something that requires you..." Steward Sun bent his waist and whispered into Lin Shan''s ear.


    Before he could finish his sentence, he saw how one of the disciples lying inside the carriage as if they were fast asleep, the one in the middle, suddenly sat up as straight as ramrod.


    "Ghost!"


    The disciple had just sat upright when his face began twitching. He sprang like a spring and rolled down the carriage, all while screaming about a ghost until his voice turned hoarse.


    Everyone present was dumbfounded. Even Lin Shan looked over with some surprise.


    Before anyone could even process what had just happened, another disciple abruptly sat upright with a similarly terrified expression. He also rolled down the carriage in his attempt to escape. Like the disciple before him, he also repeatedly muttered, "Ghost. There''s a ghost! Don''t come over; don''t come over! Go away!"


    In the short span of 15 minutes, all 18 disciples regained their consciousness and showed the exact same reaction. It was as if they had gone mad. Some screamed until their voices turned hoarse while others kept muttering to themselves like they were having a spasm.


    However, the word that left their mouths was the same: ghost!


    The team of menial workers off to procure ingredients ought to have returned before 9 am and get ready to prepare the meals. However, around noontime, the five carriages that ought to be filled with ingredients quietly stopped in front of the back door of the Manor House. The head cook sat at the rear of one of the carriages with a gloomy expression, his fury long risen to its peak.


    He had personally gone to the markets today, even looking for his old acquaintances. He had assumed buying some fresh vegetables, meat, and ingredients would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. However, beautiful imagination was often betrayed by cruel reality. He, too, came back empty-handed. Not even one hawker was willing to sell him anything.


    "Head Cook, we''re home. Please get down from the carriage."


    "Get down from the carriage? What for?"


    "We still have to cook. It''s almost noon."


    "Cook? What can we cook without the damned ingredients?"


    Luoyang City.


    The shadow of the sundial quietly crawled over to the median line, indicating it was noontime.


    Ye Que strolled into the Prefectural Magistrate''s Office, carrying two blades with him.

 Chapter 51 Two Blades

    The Prefectural Magistrate''s Office of Luoyang was located in the middle of the southern line. It was accessible from all sides, making transportation convenient.


    The tip of Ye Que''s foot had just touched the grounds of the Prefectural Magistrate''s Office when a large crowd of commoners emerging swiftly from the 36 lanes of the city. Watching from a high vantage point, the stream of people looked like black threads. The point of their convergence was also the Prefectural Magistrate''s Office.


    When the glorious Tang Empire was established, it was expressly stipulated in the law that all cases must be transparent and all investigation files were put on the public record to ease supervision.


    A significant crowd had gathered outside the lobby by the time the Senior Prefectural Official of Luoyang, Song Gongming, was prepared to begin the trials. If one were to take a careful look, one would easily discover that most of the Branch Masters of the Divine Sect were here as well.


    Song Gongming hit the gravel, startling the crowd into silence. He asked solemnly, "Who is it that has come here? For what reason?"


    "I''m Ye Que. I''m here to resolve a business dispute," Ye Que said in a clear voice.


    "Business dispute? Please state the cause of it." Song Gongming had been worried when he stared at the crowd outside earlier. If this was a scandalous case or if the case involved high officials and nobles, it wouldn''t be easy to deal with this matter with so many pair of eyes watching. The moment he heard that it was a business dispute, relief immediately washed over him. No matter how serious a business dispute was, it was ultimately a matter of money.


    "This is what happened: The other day, I purchased a batch of sabers and swords in the weaponry marketplace with the plan of selling them in the Western Regions. The swords were Mystical Iron Swords and the sabers were Goose-quill Sabers, both produced by the Extinctive Sword Manor House. The swords cost 130 taels each; the sabers cost 110 taels each. It was a clean transaction where the payment was made the moment the goods were delivered. There ought to be no need for follow-ups after."


    Ye Que articulated his explanation well and continued at a neutral pace. "But after returning home, I unexpectedly discovered that the sabers and swords were defective goods. They look no different from ordinary sabers and swords but they''re completely useless when you use them."


    He then took out two sabers from behind his back and pointed to the one on his left. "This is a Goose-quill Saber from the Extinctive Sword Manor House."


    He pointed to the one on his right. "This is a vegetable knife from my home."


    "I can give demonstrate the quality of this saber here, Sir, and show you whether it''s a high-quality or defective item." Ye Que took a step back. "You can order your men to inspect them first, Sir."


    This case was clear; similarly, the cause and dispute weren''t complicated either. With a wave of Song Gongming''s hand, a bailiff stepped forward to pick up the two blades and carefully inspected them. Then, he nodded at Song Gongming.


    Ye Que wasted no time in taking a step forward and lifted the two blades. First, he showed them to Song Gongming and then to the crowd outside.


    Then, he raised the blades and crisscrossed them over his head.


    "Clang!"


    An ear-piercing clanging resounded!


    "Crash!"


    Half of the Goose-quill Saber fell to the ground.


    Song Gongming, the bailiffs that flanked him, as well as the crowd surrounding the court were all dumbstruck to see this. The vegetable knife had been able to hack the Goose-quill Saber in half without suffering any harm.


    "Sir, this saber is from the Extinctive Sword Manor House of Luoyang. Since the transaction has been completed, I''ll accept that this is my misfortune. However, I hope you can investigate this strictly, Sir. We can''t allow shoddy weapons like this to come out of Luoyang and our Tang Empire. If the investigation shows that there''s really a quality issue with the weapons, then the Extinctive Sword Manor House owes all weaponry merchants an apology!"


    While talking, Ye Que waved his hand behind him. Chu Dongnan immediately walked into the court while propping up a large chest and dropped it to the floor with a resounding noise. "These are one hundred weapons that I purchased from the Extinctive Sword Manor House. I damaged one at home and damaged another in my demonstration earlier. This leaves 98 sabers and swords. Please accept them as evidence, Sir."


    "Is that saber made of meat, to break with a single slash?"


    "Meat? I think it''s worse than meat. It''s ridiculously soft."


    "Saw that? The symbol on the handle of the saber. Remember the symbol of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. We absolutely can''t buy weapons from them in the future. This can''t do. I must inform my uncle; he operates an escort agency. If they use weapons like these, they''d definitely die. I''m frightened just thinking about it."


    "Fortunately these weapons didn''t go to the army. The death of our soldiers would double or triple if they use these weapons against another army."


    "What evildoers!"


    The commoners surrounding the court chimed in with their thoughts one after another and soon, turned the Extinctive Sword Manor House into a pariah. Song Gongming had the feeling that something was off with this case. However, on the one hand, there were too many onlookers and on the other, the plaintiff Ye Que didn''t make unreasonable demands.


    Ye Que neither demanded money nor life, only wanting an explanation. He even handed the court evidence on the spot. Song Gongming thought that this case should end here for today; his men could slowly investigate it after. No matter what, it wasn''t a good thing to conduct business in front of so many people.


    The crowd dispersed as quickly as they had gathered. In no time at all, they had vacated the place.


    The audience might be gone, but it wasn''t the end of this matter.


    This was Luoyang, after all. Countless traders, calvaries, bards, performing troupes, and foreign diplomats came and went in the capital, Luoyang, each day.


    Similarly, the speed of which this piece of news was spread was also as astonishing.


    Before the sky even darkened outside, the news that the sabers and swords from the Extinctive Sword Manor House were as soft as soy pulp had spread throughout Luoyang City.


    "Did you hear the news? Someone went to the Prefectural Magistrate''s Office today and filed a case against the Extinctive Sword Manor House because of a saber."


    "How can I miss the news? This is about a vegetable knife hacking a Goose-quill Saber!"


    "To think they''d be so dishonest in making even a saber."


    "Public morals continue to decline with each day."


    From the wine shops to the brothels, from the teahouses to the theaters, from the streets to residential courtyards, this piece of news spread like wildfire from one to another. By the time night fell, the news had left the mouths of countless people.


    The initial story of a vegetable knife hacking the Goose-quill Saber gradually turned into countless fabricated versions. Some even said that the saber from the Extinctive Sword Manor House was fashioned out of paper and wood and that it was nothing beyond its fearsome appearance.


    Gossip was a fearful thing!


    Rumors were the most terrifying thing!


    Everyone who heard the news would process it with their brain. When they repeated it again, they would tack on their judgment and embellishments. The rumor would get increasingly far from the truth.


    "Brother Ye, just how does your brain work?! This is awesome!" Inside a teahouse, Qian Shuxiao wore a look of excitement as he listened to the conversations of those around him.


    Ye Que smirked. "If it''s a problem that can be solved by the sword, I''d suggest that you use your sword. If it''s a problem that can''t be solved by the sword, then you''ll have to learn to use your brain. Nothing is difficult if you set your mind to it. Even the most solid of dams would be afraid of those who carve it."


    Qian Shuxiao raised a cup of tea after hearing Ye Que''s guidance. "Let me salute you with a cup of tea in place of wine, Sect Leader!"


    After saluting Ye Que with the cup of tea, he sipped the tea emotionally and wiped his mouth. "Borrowing someone else''s sword to kill. I like this tactic!"


    On the same night.


    It was said that the Extinctive Sword Manor House, located on the outskirts of Luoyang City, was brightly lit throughout the night.


    Its Manor Master, Lin Shan, had been venting his anger for an entire night. He even smashed one of his beloved porcelain bottles.


    His anger didn''t come as a surprise. For six meals throughout two whole days, nearly nine-tenths of his disciples were unable to fill their stomach. This afternoon, 18 disciplines even went mad. Not only did they fail to deliver the promised goods, they even caused panic by screaming about seeing a ghost. Someone reported to him that news had come from Luoyang City that there had been a quality issue in his weapons and that his sabers and swords were no better than paper!


    "Bullshit!"


    "Can the paper in your house slash someone?!"


    "Isn''t that complete nonsense?!"

 Chapter 52 Seven Days

    Inner Hall of the Extinctive Sword Manor House.


    The disciples and stewards were gone, making Lin Shan and Lin Mei''er the only ones there.


    "There''s something odd about what happened the past couple of days. I feel as if someone''s deliberately trying to go against us." Lin Mei''er looked at Lin Shan with a frown, her face full of suspicion.


    "There''s no doubt someone''s trying to go against us." Lin Shan paced inside the Inner Hall, his anger still burning.


    "Should we seek Senior Brother Zhuo''s advice? We can ask them to investigate this." Lin Mei''er pointed to an even deeper part of the Inner Hall, her voice carrying rare hesitation. Even though it was a distinguished and orthodox family, for some reason she felt distaste for Zhuo Bufan and the others. It wasn''t fear; either way, she was unwilling to stay with them for too long.


    "No need." Lin Shan raised his head and snapped Lin Mei''er''s line of thoughts. "Mount Shu didn''t make us their Luoyang subsidiary to share our tribulations. If we have to disturb them for something like this, we might as well just shut down the Extinctive Sword Manor House."


    "But we still have to solve the problem," Lin Mei''er said.


    "You must know what matter is a priority and what isn''t. The most important matter is your wedding, your grand wedding with the Young Master of the General''s Manor. Just ignore everything else. The foundation of the Manor House will be stable as long as the marriage alliance with the General''s Manor succeeds," Lin Shan said solemnly.


    "Your wedding is in seven days. We mustn''t let any mistake happen."


    "Then how do we handle today''s matter?" Lin Mei''er asked.


    "Expel the head cook and all menial workers of the kitchen out of the Manor House. The deputy cook will take his place. Get Steward Sun and a few disciples to tag along to the market. Isn''t it just a matter of buying some ingredients? Don''t tell me I have to do it personally," Lin Shan replied impatiently. "As for 18 disciples who have gone mad, lock them all in the dungeon. We can''t let them cause panic."


    Lin Mei''er nodded after listening. Then, she asked, "What about the quality issue of our sabers and swords?"


    Lin Shan didn''t even give it a thought before answering, "Those are all rumors. I know the weapons that I make the best. There definitely wouldn''t be a quality issue. How can a vegetable knife hack the Goose-quill Saber? Only idiots would believe this. Ignore it. The matter will subside after a few days."


    The grand wedding of Lin Mei''er and Ye Yunhai would occur seven days later.


    Lin Shan thought, "No matter what, let''s persevere for these seven days. It''s not too late to conduct the investigation after."


    Someone else shared his thoughts, except it wasn''t to persevere but to cause destruction. He wanted to make Lin Shan unable to persevere.


    Ye Que glanced at Qian Shuxiao while reading the information that Chu Dongnan sent him. "The grand wedding of Lin Mei''er and Ye Yunhai will happen in seven days. Interesting."


    "We must wreak as much havoc as possible for the Extinctive Sword Manor House in these seven days."


    "He wants these seven days to pass smoothly and peacefully? I refuse to let him get his wish."


    "Dongnan, order the others to do as planned."


    Ye Que watched Chu Dongnan as he left before turning his gaze outside the window. "Old man, did you think it''s that easy to be a tortoise hiding its neck (T/N: a coward)?"


    "You''re on the verge of losing your life, but yet you think you have the luxury of being an old tortoise?!"


    In the short span of seven days, all 5,637 members of the Divine Sect¡ªbe it official disciples, probationary disciples, outer executives who couldn''t cultivate, the Branch Masters, even Ye Que¡ªall made their move.


    Everyone besieged the Extinctive Sword Manor House and lay out a precisely-weaved wide net.


    First, it was food. The next day, Steward Sun and a few disciples tagged along with the menial workers to procure ingredients in Luoyang City. They ended up not even seeing a stalk of vegetable and the axle of their five carriages inexplicably snapped as well. The horses suffered shock as well, causing three pairs to run out of sight, a pair to froth at the mouth and die, and another pair to go weak on the legs and unable to stand upright.


    Nothing could be done. Lin Mei''er, Lin Shan, and the rest were able to consume some vegetables and meat, but the remaining two thousand or more members of the Manor House only ate salted vegetables and steamed buns the whole day. After serving everyone steamed buns for three days, the stock of flour in the Manor House was nearly depleted.


    To make things worse, the weapons that the Manor House manufactured each day ought to be delivered to the shops in different cities overnight. However, the stock was unable to leave 2.5 kilometers away from the Manor House. After the first incident, Lin Shan sent a few teams of disciples and horses to deliver the goods and each team had doubled in size as well.


    However, they would discover the teams somewhere nearby the Manor House early the next morning without exception. The disciples delivering the goods would all be knocked unconscious and when they woke up, their symptoms were similar to those before them. They would all go mad.


    Thus, the talk of a ghost became widespread in the entire Extinctive Sword Manor House. No one dared to deliver the goods overnight anymore.


    It was so bad that no one dared to step out at night!


    Lin Shan was left with no choice but to send his disciples off during the day, thinking they would be able to deliver the goods before night fell. The disciples could rest for the night there before returning the next day. Though the goods turnover rate would slow by a day, it was better than having their stock pile up in the Manor House.


    The team delivering the goods in daytime managed to successfully leave the Manor House but failed to return after two whole days. News conveyed via homing pigeons told them that the goods had been delivered and the team had left as well. However, it was simply that the team was nowhere to be seen, not even their corpses. Now that those delivering goods during the day had gone missing, no one was willing to leave the Manor House anymore. They refused to leave even though there was nothing left to eat.


    The rumor swirling in the Manor House went as such: "Those forging weapons in the Manor House are all cursed. Those who leave this place with the weapons would be plagued by ghosts."


    "They steal your soul at night!"


    "And steal your life during the day!"


    On the fifth day, returned goods from all places arrived at the Manor House like an avalanche of snow.


    Some wanted their down payment back, while others demanded compensation. It had gotten so bad that the authorities even wrote them a letter, asking them to send someone to the Prefectural Magistrate''s Office in Luoyang City as soon as possible and cooperate with their investigation.


    Lin Shan was in such dire circumstances that he couldn''t even sleep soundly at night.


    Lin Mei''er had repeatedly told him to seek help from the Immortality Masters of Mount Shu in the rear courtyard if they couldn''t solve their problem. They could deal with the consequences after solving their desperate predicament.


    However, Lin Shan ultimately didn''t follow the advice after much thought. He could see that the one going against him was trying to make life difficult for him and break the regular operation of the Extinctive Sword Manor House. The person simply wanted to infuriate him.


    "Very well. Cut off my food supply, my source of wealth, and my aides?" I won''t be holding back then." Lin Shan then yelled, "Mei''er, come here!"


    Shortly after, Lin Mei''er ran over. "What''s wrong, Father? Have you thought it through? Are we going to ask the Immortality Masters of Mount Shu for help?"


    Lin Shan waved his hand.


    "No need!"


    "Inform the rest: The Extinctive Sword Manor House will be closed down for two days!"


    "Take out all our dry food reserves. I''m sure they''re enough to feed our disciples for two days. Two days later, when your wedding is over, our in-laws will naturally find a way to solve this problem for us."


    Lin Shan snorted. "Food? Weapons? Prefectural Magistrate''s Office? With the support of the General''s Manor, are these even worthy of being called problems?!"


    Ye Que didn''t idle around for these seven days. Whenever he was free, he would sit by the medicinal stove and create medicinal pills.


    Every time he finished producing a batch of pills, he would put half of them in the black market and leave the other half for himself.


    Thanks to Ye Que''s strange pills, the appearance demonic beasts became increasingly frequent in Luoyang City in these seven days. Moreover, most of them appeared near the black market. It was as if these pills posed an irresistible attraction for them.


    The seventh day of the seventh month, the day of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were allowed to meet.


    It was an auspicious day for a wedding.


    Both the General''s Manor and the Extinctive Sword Manor House inside and outside Luoyang City hung red cloth and lanterns as well as pasted cutouts of the word "happiness" without prior consultation.


    The grand wedding was about to begin.

 Chapter 53 Raiding the Mountain Under the Guise of Demons

    "The auspicious pair, a match made in heaven, pay their respects in the Jade Hall. The crowd fights to get a glimpse of the delicate bride and the dapper groom. The marriage is so loving that the couple had the leisure to play with parrots. They play the mouth organ, attracting the attention of phoenixes. During the family reunion in the month of flowers, the gem-lined fan is removed. The slim and graceful lady takes on a new shape. Rumor has it that she bears an heir. The days of bliss continue." The Prefectural Magistrate of Luoyang, Song Gongming, congratulated the old general, Ye Zhengru, for the marriage of his son.


    "Guests get drunk on exquisite wine during the delightful banquet. The luan and the phoenix soar above the houses in this magnificent nation, bearing witness to the beautiful cooperation of two families. They reflect the laughter and kissing in the newlywed home. The newlyweds play the mouth organ in bliss while mimicking Xiaoshi. They raise the platter of food as high as Meng Guang raised his eyebrows. They sing pieces from the Book of Song in the evenings to express their good wishes. May the Three-life Stone be carved with the wish that their feelings last." An official from the Department of State Affairs also congratulated the old general, Ye Zhengru, on his son''s wedding.


    "This happens to be the precisely auspicious year for weddings. Family and friends strive to matchmake a good marriage. The perfect pair has feelings as sweet as honey for each other. The sea warns, the mountain pledges, and the stone competes over strength. Warm and agreeable sisters-in-law are the result of a refined mother-in-law''s teaching. The parents-in-law see that the daughter-in-law bears a heart filled with reverence. All of her philosophical teachings have come to fruit and all she needs is to learn to manage human relationships." The Crown Prince''s Grand Tutor, Zhou Gongtai, congratulated the old general, Ye Zhengru, on his son''s wedding.


    It was just after 9 am.


    The entrance of the General''s Manor was as busy as the marketplace with noble guests coming one after another. This included the Grand Tutor and the Prefectural Magistrate. Nearly half of the imperial court had come. It was said that the Second Prince would personally take charge of the wedding.


    Such a show clearly indicated the influence of the General''s Manor. It was also a testament of the old General Ye''s conduct.


    The truth was that even if no one in the court had close relations with the General''s Manor, the officials would still come. They didn''t dare to do otherwise. Never mind other factors. The Ye family''s 200,000-strong army, the army that Ye Zhengru personally trained and led through decades of war, was enough of a reason to come.


    It was now 9:45 am.


    Over at the west gate of the Luoyang City, an enormous bride-fetching procession entered the city amid the ringing of gongs and drums.


    Ye Yunhai, mounted on a white horse from Northern Liang, led the procession. He wore a crimson robe with a strip of golden silk cloth tied around his waist. His black hair was styled into a tall bun that sat under a green jade-colored hat. His slender back was perfectly straight. His handsome and refined looks emanated a hint of innate nobility.


    Eight famed generals from the General''s Manor, as well as eight close friends and fellow White Horse Academy students, trailed behind Ye Yunhai. They were all lively and full of enthusiasm, mounted on large horses and dressed in luxurious clothing. Following behind them were the bride-fetching procession beating gongs and holding up damask silk fans. Naturally, the one in the middle was the bride''s marriage palanquin. The procession involving a whopping eight famed generals of the Ye family''s army was an impressive sight.


    Eight carriers hoisted the palanquin steadily and reliably.


    Lin Mei''er had lost her mother at a young age and had neither siblings, cousins, aunts, nor uncles. Thus, the one sending her off was naturally Lin Shan himself. It was an act of social climbing for a Jianghu man to marry his daughter into the General''s Manor. In his eyes, it was a significant event like no other. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that this marriage would bring honor to his ancestors. He would personally come here today, no matter what. For this, he had discussed this with Lin Mei''er beforehand and concluded that she could skip the first return to her parental home. Both ceremonies would be conducted together with the two families splitting the responsibilities.


    "The liveliness also proves that our family attaches great importance to this," was what Lin Shan told his daughter. However, he knew best that his daughter wasn''t the only reason. He also wanted to meet someone, someone that he should have met 18 years ago.


    He had yearned for that person day and night and suppressed that longing in the depths of his heart. Despite how much he yearned for that person, he never dared to show even the slightest hint of his feelings.


    Lin Shan knew that she had been staying in that courtyard all along but he didn''t dare to go. It wasn''t until today that he managed to drum up his courage. He also finally had enough of a position and background that allowed him to openly walk past that manor''s doors, enter that courtyard, and see that person. If nothing untoward happened, he would likely be able to exchange several words with her.


    When the bride-fetching procession walked past the western gates, Ye Que entered the city through the southern gates.


    Ye Que had gone to the Extinctive Sword Manor House early this morning, though the route he took differed greatly from the one Ye Yunhai took. He had set off from the black market all the way to the Manor House.


    On his way there, several hundred medicinal pills were hidden in his sleeves. When he returned to Luoyang City, his sleeves were empty.


    He pinched the pills into fine powder and scattered them in the air, beginning from the black market in Luoyang all the way to the Extinctive Sword Manor House. Then, he infiltrated the Manor House and found their sword-forging smelting furnace. He threw almost one hundred pills into the furnace.


    The pills disintegrated the moment they became bathed in fire and turned into green smoke. The green smoke of medicinal Qi wafted through the air.


    Its aroma could be found within 50 kilometers of the Manor House!


    However, humans were unable to smell this aroma. It was evident only to demons.


    In the Demon World, such pills were called Beast Spiritual Pills. The ingredients needed for production weren''t at all uncommon but its refinement technique was peculiar, making the success rate low. Thus, very few of these pills exist and the rarer something was, the more valuable it was. Naturally, these pills became something a rare item deeply coveted by the demons.


    Moreover, the Beast Spiritual Pills was a medicinal pill essential for a demonic beast''s transformation.


    The transformation of a demonic beast was equivalent to a cultivator entering the Psychic Realm.


    It went without saying how important this was.


    The fact that the aroma had been fermenting in Luoyang for quite some time meant that the demons nearby Luoyang City had long had their eye on the Beast Spiritual Pills. The clues all led to the Extinctive Sword Manor House. Then there was also the ground powder scattered in the air as well as the aroma coming from the furnace inside the Manor House thanks to Ye Que.


    This was akin to tossing dynamite onto a fire spark.


    The explosion would be instantaneous!


    Not long after Ye Yunhai''s bride-fetching procession left, nearly a thousand demonic beasts of every shape and appearance emerged from all directions of the Extinctive Sword Manor House.


    If Ye Que was there, he would certainly recognize them.


    There was Lihao with a face like that of white ears and a body that lay prostrated as it walked; Zhesu, with a body that resembled both a horse and a deer and a scarlet tiger-like tail, Fuchi, with its sheep-like body, nine tails, four ears, and eyes on its back; Qujiao, with its three-foot body and human face, whose cry was taken to be its name...


    There were more than ten young men riding on the Three-eyed Bloody Wolves behind these herd of demonic beasts. Their features were clearly defined and their wild nature was blatant for all to see.


    The moment the firecrackers went off in front of the General''s Manor, the herd of demonic beasts outside the Extinctive Sword Manor House also charged down from the hill.


    "The auspicious time has arrived!"


    "Will the bride please get down from the marriage palanquin!"


    Following a loud and clear cry, Ye Yunhai personally pushed aside the beaded curtains of the palanquin for Lin Mei''er and supported her through their stroll into the General''s Manor. The bride-fetching procession as well as the team that sent off the bride filed into the General''s Manor as well.


    Lin Shan wasn''t in a rush to move forward and entered only after the group of youngsters did. Today, he was Ye Yunhai''s father-in-law and the in-law of the general''s family. Naturally, there was a particular servant welcoming him in. Honored guests were always the last to go on stage, after all.


    Perhaps the two families'' ostentation had gotten a little out of hand. The number of guests present at the wedding was overwhelming. For a moment, he wasn''t able to enter through the main entrance.


    With his waist bent, Steward Sun addressed Lin Shan next to him and said loudly, "Manor Master, it''s a good thing, it''s a good thing that there are so many people. This sure is amazing; as expected of the General''s Manor!" In such a crowd, speaking in a soft voice was as good as not speaking at all.


    "Of course, it''s great. You have to see who''s the bride." Lin Shan laughed heartily.


    "Hey."


    "Lin Shan."


    Out of the blue, two youngsters walked over to Lin Shan with a smile on their faces. They acted so familiarly that from afar, they looked like they were his family members.


    The youngster who stood a little ahead of the other suddenly asked, "Do you have to be that happy over marrying off a daughter?" He finally turned his face to Lin Shan. It was Ye Que.


    Even though there was so much noise around and Ye Que''s voice wasn''t loud, his words reached Lin Shan''s ears as clear as day.


    "Have you ate well this morning, Manor Master Lin? Is there still space in your storeroom to keep your piling weapons? You''re sure ruthless; you can even imprison your disciples in the dungeon. Aren''t you worried about people stabbing you in the backbone? But the way I see it, it''s not like you made a mistake. Everyone already knows that the sabers and swords that your Extinctive Sword Manor House produce aren''t even as strong as paper. You might as well just give them away, lest they cloud your mind!"


    Ye Que spoke leisurely without a change in expression. He was still smiling.


    "So you''re the one behind all these!" Lin Shan''s expression fell and his anger instantly flared up.


    "Correct," Ye Que replied frankly. He then pointed to the cutouts of the word "happiness" pasted on the doors of the General''s Manor. "This word is written really beautifully!"


    "You brat! Have you gotten bored of living?" Lin Shan asked fiercely. However, he swiftly suppressed his anger. Today was his daughter''s wedding. He mustn''t cause trouble no matter what.


    Regardless if he won or lost this argument, he would be embarrassing both himself and his in-laws.


    "Vent your anger while you still can. You won''t have the time to do so later."


    Ye Que had just finished speaking.


    A paper sword suddenly appeared!


    The sword broke through the air!

 Chapter 54 I Said Isd Make My Move

    The Paper Sword was a sword of Mount Shu that could transmit messages over 500 kilometers.


    The sword ripped through the air to stop and hover in front of Lin Shan.


    It trembled ever so slightly before opening from the middle. The handle of the sword bent and in the blink of an eye, transformed into a slip of paper bearing the symbol of the Mount Shu. Shortly after, the slip of paper fell gently on Lin Shan''s palm.


    "Demonic beasts have besieged the mountain."


    "The number of casualties is high."


    "Return immediately."


    Three lines of sentences and 14 words appeared vividly on the paper.


    Lin Shan''s face immediately paled after reading the slip of paper. He clutched his hand to form such a tight fist that blue veins protruded on his skin. "Who exactly are you? What do you know? What relations do you have with demonic beasts?"


    Staring at Ye Que''s smiling face, Lin Shan wanted nothing more than to swallow him whole.


    "Me?" Ye Que pointed to himself before grinning. "I''m me. I don''t have any relations with demonic beasts, but I do have relations with you."


    "I''ve already told you back in the White Horses Academy. You were willing to make your move for your daughter''s sake, then I''d also make my move. I even told you to prepare yourself or the consequences will be grave."


    "I said I''d make my move."


    "Then, I''d definitely make my move."


    "I would never lie to people."


    "But it looks like you''ve disregarded my words back then."


    Ye Que paused momentarily before adding, "Oh well, so be it. Either way, it''s your business. I don''t have an opinion."


    "Are you behind all those demonic beasts as well?" Lin Shan asked, gnashing his teeth.


    "What do you think?" Ye Que chuckled when he saw Lin Shan''s eyes. His expression was cheerful but his eyes were crazed.


    "You''ve committed a gargantuan crime by colluding with the Demon Race. You''d definitely be punished to be killed by pulled in five directions by horses. You''ll die with your body dismembered," Lin Shan said fiercely with a lowered voice.


    "Do you have proof?" Ye Que pointed to the slip of paper in Lin Shan''s hand. "How much time has Mount Shu''s 50 kilometers message bought you? I wonder if you''ll be able to solve the predicament of Extinctive Sword Manor House if you go back alone."


    "While it''s true that Mount Shu has this ability, a faraway well can''t cure your current thirst. I suppose there aren''t many Mount Shu disciples left in Luoyang City. If you call for reinforcements, I don''t think they''ll be able to reach here before dark even if they travel on their flying swords at the highest speed. When they arrive, I fear the Extinctive Sword Manor House has already become Extinctive Human Manor House!"


    Ye Que raised his head to look at the nearby General''s Manor. "Oh, this reminds me. You''re now Ye Yunhai''s father-in-law and the general''s in-law. Since the in-law is in trouble, they would naturally do their best to help you."


    "Let me give you an idea. Hurry and borrow soldiers from the General''s Manor. If they borrow you even a small portion of their 200,000-strong army, you''ll be able to solve the predicament of the Extinctive Sword Manor House in no time at all."


    "If the other party agrees, you''ll definitely be able to rush back within an hour!"


    Ye Que reached out to pat Lin Shan on the back. "Don''t blame me for not reminding you. You don''t have much time left. Demonic beasts are fierce creatures. Moreover, who knows if there are even stronger demons around."


    Lin Shan shrugged off Ye Que''s hand with a dark expression. Eventually, he clenched his teeth and walked toward the General''s Manor with quick steps and his head lowered.


    "Manor Master Lin, congratulations! Congratulations! Please come with me." The servant responsible for welcoming Lin Shan had long been waiting by the door. He immediately led Lin Shan to the designated VIP seat.


    Lin Shan saluted perfunctorily and asked anxiously, "Where''s my in-law, Old General Ye?"


    "The Old General has been suffering from weak health. He hasn''t come out yet. I fear he''ll only show up during the tea ceremony when the wedding officially begins. He should be resting in the hall behind," the servant replied with a frown.


    "Then is it convenient for you to take me to the Old General?" Lin Shan''s voice became even more frantic as if he was truly panicking. There was no way he wouldn''t be. The 2,000 members of his Manor House was waiting for him to return with reinforcements.


    The servant immediately shook his head and waved his hand. "That goes against the rules. I can''t take you in. This is the General''s Manor, not an ordinary commoner''s home. My every word and conduct must follow the manor''s rules. Today''s also the day of our Young Master''s wedding. I can''t act recklessly."


    "Please take your seat immediately." The servant pointed to the right VIP seat in front.


    "To hell with that!" Lin Shan widened his eyes and pushed aside the servant''s hand. In a few quick steps, he walked to the front.


    "Bah!"


    "You uncultured commoner!"


    "An uncultured commoner will always be an uncultured commoner; forever unpresentable on grand stages. If not for your lovely and delicate daughter, do you think you''ll have the right to come here?" The servant spat on the ground and turned around to serve the other guests. In the first place, no one had come here to show respect to the Extinctive Sword Manor House.


    It would have been a different story had it been the wedding of the daughter of Mount Shu''s Sect Leader.


    Lin Shan arrived at the front in just a few steps. It was now very close to the time of the ritual-kneeling ceremony and everyone had slowly gathered in place. Lin Mei''er stood quietly in front of the memorial tablets while Ye Yunhai¡¡was greeting the person next to him with a beam.


    He was carrying the manner of a family master.


    "Yunhai, Yunhai, come here. I have something to tell you." Lin Shan didn''t care what Ye Yunhai was doing and immediately interrupted the conversation.


    Right then, Ye Yunhai was talking about family affairs with the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments. Being a mounted military officer, he typically had no opportunity to meet so many big shots of the court. Naturally, he would take advantage of this to get close to them. Who knew if one day these connections would be useful?


    In particular, the Ministry of Appointments wasn''t a place where unimportant people roam.


    Frowning, Ye Yunhai turned his head in displeasure. He wondered who was being so rude; didn''t the person see that he was occupied?


    When he saw that it was Lin Shan, he felt helpless. This was his father-in-law, after all. Sometimes, he truly couldn''t understand why his mother insisted on him marrying Lin Shan''s daughter. Were the ladies of the Jianghu that good? It wasn''t like Lin Shan''s daughter was the daughter of Mount Shu''s Sect Leader!


    "Lord Assistant Minister, I''ll return in a moment. Please take a seat. If you have anything you need, please instruct the servants," Ye Yunhai said apologetically.


    "There are many things to attend to while conducting a wedding. Please go about your business." The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments waved his hand with a chuckle.


    Ye Yunhai saluted him in apology once again before walking over to Lin Shan. "What has happened, Lord Father-in-law? Why are you so anxious? It''s Mei''er''s wedding today; you must keep a cool head even in a crisis. You can''t let your anxiety cloud your judgment."


    Lin Shan opened his mouth but then closed it again. He looked at Ye Yunhai and took in a deep breath. "Yunhai, can you lend me 5,000 troops and horses now? I have an urgent need for it."


    Ye Yunhai was surprised to hear that Lin Shan wanted to borrow troops and soldiers after being so hesitant. "Esteemed Father-in-law, did I mishear? You wish to borrow 5,000 troops and horses?"


    Ye Yunhai extended a palm and gestured.


    "You didn''t mishear me. I need 5,000 troops and soldiers. If it''s inconvenient, 3,000 will do." Lin Shan''s expression became increasingly unsightly.


    "What do you need so many troops and horses for?" Ye Yunhai asked confusedly.


    "There''s an urgent need. Don''t ask now," Lin Shan replied.


    "I''m only an insignificant mounted military officer. I don''t have the power to personally command the troops and horses. Even if I have the power, I can''t do so. How can we use the troops and horses as we please? Commanding more than 3,000 troops require written approval from the Ministry of War or an imperial edict." Ye Yunhai put on a helpless look.


    "If 3,000 can''t do, then 2,000," Lin Shan said, extending two fingers. He lowered another finger after seeing the look on Ye Yunhai''s face, leaving only his forefinger upright. "1,000 should be fine, right?"


    "Esteemed Father-in-law, it''s really not about the number. This is a matter of principle," Ye Yunhai said in a lowered voice.


    "I''m Mei''er''s father! You''re talking about principle with me?" Lin Shan was already unhappy to have to plead with an inexperienced youngster and now he was unexpectedly turned down. There was no way he could restrain himself and he immediately roared in retaliation.


    In a flash, a pin-drop silence fell over the place.


    The guests turned to look at Lin Shan and Ye Yunhai.


    Even Lin Mei''er, who had a red veil over her head, tore down the veil and rebuked sharply, "Father, what are you shouting about?!"


    "Why do you think I''m shouting?! We''re about to lose our home!"


    Right then, outside the General''s Manor.


    Someone in a red armor sped here on his horse from the direction of the Imperial City, as fast as lightning. It was so crowded outside the General''s Manor that no one could enter. The red-armored horseman got off his fine horse. As if familiar with the ways of the world, he yelled and soared into the sky. He leaped over the crowd to land in front of the doors of the General''s Manor.


    Holding the reins, bringing the horse to a stop, dismounting from the horse. The movements of the red-armored horseman were as fluid as the flowing water. Ignoring the onlookers'' stupefied gaze, he headed straight for where the big shots of the court were seated.

 Chapter 55 A Glance

    "A large group of demonic beasts has been discovered outside of Luoyang City."


    "His Highness has decreed that all officials from the three departments and six ministries, nine courts and five directorates, 16 guards of southern magistrates and 10 armies of northern magistrates must report to duty within an hour. No excuse for delay is permitted."


    Due to Lin Shan''s shouting earlier, the place was already deathly quiet. Thus, the words of the red-armored man rang loud and clear in the ears of the esteemed guests and the onlookers, including the nearby Ye Yunhai.


    It was a rude shock for everyone to learn about the appearance of a large group of demonic beasts and during daytime at that. They rose to their feet in unison and felt cold sweat forming on their back. All of them prayed hard that their respective departments wouldn''t slip up. If something happened, it would be a crime punishable with the execution of one''s entire clan.


    After taking a glance at the people around him, the Assistant Minister of Ministry of Rites explained to Ye Yunhai, "Esteemed Nephew Ye, I won''t be attending your banquet since duty is at hand. Please apologize to the Old General on my behalf. I''ll pay a visit again when the matter is over." Then, he made a beeline for the door with frantic steps.


    The crowd had thronged into and then out of General''s Manor as if the whole thing had been rehearsed. They showed no hesitation in leaving.


    Now that demonic beasts had already arrived outside of their door and displayed atrocious behavior, no one dared to stay here to enjoy the banquet. There was no way they would feel at ease doing so.


    Ye Yunhai stood at the frontal part of the banquet with a gloomy expression. His chest heaved uncertainly and flames were nearly flaring from the depths of his pupils. To think that something like this would happen on the day of his grand wedding.


    Half of his guests were gone before the kneeling ritual even commenced.


    Ye Yunhai was sure that in less than two hours, he would become the laughing stock of the entire Luoyang City.


    "Yunhai, will you be lending me the troops? Give me your agreement. I need only 1,000 troops and horses. I need it now." Even though Lin Shan could tell that now wasn''t the time to say such things, he had no other choice. Lives were at stake here.


    "Lend you troops?" Ye Yunhai stared fixedly at Lin Shan. "Did those demonic beasts appear near the Extinctive Sword Manor House?"


    Ye Yunhai wasn''t a fool. Judging from the message earlier, coupled with Lin Shan''s abnormal behavior, it was highly likely that those demonic beasts had appeared outside his Manor''s door. Otherwise, considering Lin Shan''s character, he would never make such a strange request on today of all days. This was completely unreasonable.


    It was completely illogical!


    Lin Shan lowered his head and remained deep in thought for a long time. Finally, he sighed. "Correct. I received a thousand-mile message from a Senior Brother of Mount Shu saying that Extinctive Sword Manor House is currently besieged by demonic beasts and that the casualties are heavy. He wants me to return and help as soon as possible. However, my return alone is akin to pouring a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood. It''ll essentially be pointless. I can only ask to borrow troops from you. We''re both now in-laws; naturally, we must help one another."


    "How many demonic beasts are there?" Ye Yunhai asked.


    "I''m not sure," Lin Shan replied.


    "You sure 1,000 troops are enough to help you out of the situation?"


    "I''m not certain but it''s better than not having any."


    "Ridiculous! If you can''t get out of the predicament, then lending you my 1,000 troops and horses is as good as sending them to their graves!" Ye Yunhai said coldly, "You said it yourself. The demonic beasts have besieged the mountain. Those are fearsome creatures that kill without even blinking. I can''t put my brothers'' lives on the line for your benefit."


    After pondering for a moment, he continued, "I''m very curious as to why those demonic beasts are besieging your Extinctive Sword Manor House during the day. Does your place have anything that they''re interested in? Demons are like humans; they won''t wake up early if there''s not something in it for them. Those creatures won''t besiege you for no good reason."


    Ye Yunhai was nevertheless the youngest military officer of the glorious Tang Empire and the Young Master of the General''s Manor. He was able to pinpoint the crux of the matter after a quick contemplation.


    He even suspected that Extinctive Sword Manor House was hiding a priceless treasure.


    Lin Shan, a Jianghu veteran, was naturally able to catch the connotations of Ye Yunhai''s words. "Yunhai, don''t overthink this. This time, I''m being framed."


    Then, he looked around him and swiftly found Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao at the corner of the courtyard. He pointed to them. "It''s him. I can guarantee that he used certain trickeries to draw those demonic beasts to attack my Extinctive Sword Manor House. Or perhaps he himself is a spy for the Demon Race."


    "A spy for the Demon Race?"


    A stunned Ye Yunhai followed the direction in which Lin Shan was pointing to and saw Ye Que who stood there with his hands clasped behind his back.


    Like always, he was as tranquil as water with an expressionless face. He remained the same as he looked when he first came to Luoyang several months ago and first came to the General''s Manor.


    "Ye Que?" Even he was surprised that the spy for the Demon Race that Lin Shan was referring to was Ye Que.


    Lin Shan raised an eyebrow and asked confusedly, "You know him?"


    "Do I know him? Why would I know him? Since you''re so sure that he''s a spy for the Demon Race." Ye Yunhai''s expression changed and he waved his large hand.


    "Men!"


    "Capture him!"


    With Ye Yunhai''s bellow, several imperial bodyguards in golden thread-like armor swiftly appeared and rushed over to Ye Que.


    The guards still left at the General''s Manor felt as if they had seen specular things today, one after another. First, it was an elder angering his son-in-law. Then, it was the daughter-in-law berating her father. Afterward, half of the guests left. Now, it was a spy for the Demon Race.


    This wasn''t a wedding; obviously, it was a show! It was even more entertaining than an opera.


    Seeing was believing. It had been an eye-opening day for them.


    Qian Shuxiao, who stood behind Ye Que, asked quietly, "Brother Ye, what should we do?"


    "We''ll deal with it as it comes. Don''t worry about me. The General''s Manor isn''t enough to lock me up. Since their attention is all on me, you can just escape during the chaos. Our aim today has been achieved. I think the wedding is as good as over." Though Ye Que''s lips weren''t moving, Qian Shuxiao was able to hear the former''s voice next to his ears.


    No sooner said than done, something happened.


    Just as the imperial bodyguards of the manor was about to approach Ye Que, a majestic voice emerged from the rear courtyard.


    "Halt!"


    The voice wasn''t loud and even sounded aged and haggard. However, the grandeur and dominance in that voice were able to strike fear into everyone''s hearts.


    "Clang, clang, clang..."


    Suddenly, the sound of a steel staff striking the ground resounded again and again. Soon, an old man with a head full of white hair slowly walked out with the help of a noble lady. It was evident that the old man''s legs weren''t working as well as they used to. He needed the support that the dragon-head steel in his hand provided in order to move forward slowly. Behind the pair was another old man. Judging from his attire, he seemed to be the steward of the General''s Manor.


    "Old General Ye!"


    "Second Madam!"


    The guests at the table closest to the trio that was still occupied immediately rose to their feet and cried out in surprise. In the past half a year, few people had seen Ye Zhengru in Luoyang City. He also stopped showing up to the monthly imperial court session. It was rumored that he was ill beyond cure.


    It seemed that he truly had one foot in the grave!


    One of the wittier guests immediately walked up to him and warmly showed concern for him. "Old General Ye, please take it slow. It''s windy out here. Why don''t you sit down and rest?"


    Ye Zhengru glanced at the person but said nothing. He continued slowly walking forward. Beside him, Xiao Huating carried herself in a dignified and impressive manner. She showed no arrogance in the least.


    They walked over to where Ye Yunhai was, the frontal part of the wedding location. Only then did Ye Zhengru turned around and stopped. He slowly looked around at everyone present.


    "I heard that demonic beasts have been discovered outside Luoyang City?" Ye Zhengru asked solemnly.


    "Yes, Esteemed Father," Ye Yunhai whispered with his head lowered.


    "Then what are you all doing here?"


    "It''s my wedding today. The ceremony is about to begin very soon."


    "Wedding?"


    Ye Zhengru''s voice rose ever so slightly. Then, he knocked the ground with the dragon-head staff twice with great force.


    "What wedding! The fire is about to burn right up to our eyebrows! You''re a mounted military officer of the Ye family army, responsible for guarding the safety of Luoyang City! Is this how you guard the city?"


    "What is more important, love affairs or the nation? Don''t you know how to prioritize?" Ye Zhengru shot Ye Yunhai a vicious glare.


    One look from his father was enough to make Ye Yunhai break out in cold sweat all over.


    After berating Ye Yunhai, Ye Zhengru turned to look at Ye Que, the one that Lin Shan accused to be a spy for the Demon Race.


    It was a similarly fleeting glance, yet Ye Que felt a complex mix of emotions. "Is this person my father?"

 Chapter 56 Star-harvesting

    Passing through the entire wedding scene.


    Ye Que and Ye Zhengru stared at each other.


    Ye Que caught Ye Zhengru''s gaze earnestly. Reflected in his eyes were a sense of inquiry, curiosity, bewilderment, and even hatred. Even after dominating the Three Realms in his previous life, one regret remained in him: he never managed to meet Ye Zhengru. It was also his heartache.


    Ye Que''s eyeballs remained motionless. Ever since he started looking at the old man, it felt as if his gaze had become frozen.


    On the other hand, the faraway Ye Zhengru didn''t harbor many thoughts. In Luoyang City, even in the entire glorious Tang Empire, there were countless people who admired him or even considered him their target. He had gotten used to this kind of gaze a long time ago.


    His gaze was no longer as sharp as it had been in the past¡ªin fact, his eyesight had worsened.


    Even so, it took him one glance for a faint voice to tell him that the youngster wasn''t a spy for the Demon Race, definitely not.


    Two intense coughs later, Ye Zhengru looked away from Ye Que. "You accuse him of being a spy for the Demon Race. Do you have any proof?"


    Ye Yunhai looked at Lin Shan. "Esteemed Father-in-law."


    "He admitted it himself!" Lin Shan pointed to Ye Que.


    "He admitted it himself?" Ye Zhengru coughed again. "There are people who would admit to being a spy for the Demon Race? Would that make them mad or foolish? Or perhaps suicidal?"


    "You people must think I''ve become unable to distinguish right from wrong because of my age." Ye Zhengru''s voice suddenly became severe. "I don''t care if he''s a spy for the Demon Race now. That''s for the Judicature to decide. What I''m concerned about is the demonic beasts outside the city."


    "Did you people not think about this possibility? Their siege is outside the city today, but what if they surround our city tomorrow?"


    "How should we deal with that?"


    "We can only put our lives on the line and go all out in slaying demons and ridding of devils."


    "Have I not make myself clear? What are you people still doing, standing around like fools?" Ye Zhengru once again slammed his steel on the ground with all his strength, making a resounding sound.


    In an instant.


    Chaos swept everyone in the General''s Manor. The guests who were still around stood up from their seats in the banquet in a panic and walked toward the door helplessly. Ye Yunhai was no longer standing in the frontal part of the banquet. With a grim face, he also walked toward the door without saying a word. One of the imperial guards had run off to bring him his horse.


    "Husband, is this proper? There are so many great generals in the court, why do you insist on Yunhai going? Today is our Yunhai''s wedding, after all," Xiao Huating said softly. She was supporting Ye Zhengru by holding onto his arm.


    "The Ye family doesn''t nurture flowers in the greenhouse. He can only be successful if he can survive tempering and beatings."


    Ye Zhengru then turned around and slowly walked to Lin Mei''er, who had been standing on the sidelines in a daze all along. He reached out and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Girl, you''re called Mei''er, yes? We''ve wronged you today. However, seeing as you''ve walked past that door today, you''re a member of the family now. You must be prepared yourself for this truth: the men of the Ye family don''t belong to their families. Their lives belong to the nation and His Highness."


    Following the crowd, Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao swiftly made their way out of the General''s Manor.


    However, before they could go far, Ye Que stopped in his tracks. "Go home without me. I have something to do."


    He didn''t wait for Qian Shuxiao''s reply. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared out of sight.


    15 minutes later, the middle gate of the West Gate of the Luoyang City opened wide. A whopping five thousand valiant mounted soldiers stormed out the gate with their pikes pointed at the Extinctive Sword Manor House. The leader of these soldiers was the mounted military officer of the capital, Ye Yunhai.


    The five thousand valiant mounted soldiers had just moved on when a little monk who looked about eight or nine entered Luoyang through the same West Gate.


    The little monk was dressed in a pale green kasaya. He had thick eyebrows, large ears, and a vibrant gaze. He looked no more than eight or nine years old and yet he walked like an old man. With his hands clasped behind his back and his head raised, he resembled a monk who had obtained the Truth. It made him look completely adorable. If those noble young ladies caught sight of him, they would likely run over, give him hugs, and plant a big kiss on his shaved head.


    It seemed to be the little monk''s first time in Luoyang. He exclaimed inwardly at his surroundings as he walked and even ended up muttering of himself. His voice was too small, however, making it difficult for others to hear him.


    After walking past an intersection, a horse-drawn carriage abruptly sped past him. Perhaps the little monk was simply too small in stature but the carriage driver failed to see him. The carriage whizzed past and was so close to knocking him down.


    It was too late for the carriage driver to change the path of the horses by then. He had no choice but to pull on the reins as hard as he could.


    The horses raised their legs high up in the air before planting them on the ground with force.


    Oddly, the bloody scene that the others were expecting didn''t happen. The little monk, who had been walking at a constant speed, had crossed the intersection safely. He was like air or water. Perhaps, he didn''t exist within the same time and space as the horse-drawn carriage. Or perhaps, there was something wrong with everyone''s vision?


    The scene was so strange and unfathomable yet had an odd sense of harmony to it.


    A green bird who had flown from the end of the street happened to witness this scene and uttered two loud caws.


    Moments later, when the little monk was walking down the street, the ground under him shook without warning. The stall vendors on the street turned to look at the far end of the street in surprise. "Ye Yunhai has just led five thousand soldiers past this street. How long has it been since then? Why is there commotion again?"


    At the far end of the street, a large troop of imperial guards, cavalries, white horses, white-armored soldiers, white feathers, and white robes, trod on dirty grounds from the direction of the Imperial City to this place. Foreigners might be unaware but it was impossible for locals not to recognize them. This was obviously the Emperor''s Imperial Army of Guards!


    The troop consisted of 320 men.


    The battalion arrived majestically. The sounds of their footsteps ended in unison as the soldiers unmounted their horses uniformly. The commander leading the Imperial Army of Guards knelt on one knee with great deference." Wan Youchang, the battalion commander of the Emperor''s Imperial Army of Guards, pays respect to Immortality Master Zhai Xingzi."


    "His Highness requests your presence."


    As chill waters of the night enveloped the palace steps, she sat down to watch the Herdsman and Weaver Maid (T/N: an excerpt from the poem "Autumn Evening" by Du Mu).


    On the seventh day of the seventh month, what caused the biggest commotion and what most widely talked about among the inhabitants of Luoyang City was marriage. However, what everyone talked about this year wasn''t whose family''s daughter fell in love with some penniless scholar or which family''s son had a crush on a brothel entertainer. Rather, it was about a wedding that should have been grand and majestic.


    The Second Young Master of the General''s Manor, Ye Yunhai, was turned into a laughing stock overnight. The bride married into the family without even kneeling to heaven and earth. The groom hadn''t returned home since then.


    It was said that he was still battling the demonic beasts at the Extinctive Sword Manor House outside the city until now. Whether he was dead or alive remained uncertain. Meanwhile, his father, Old General Ye Zhengru, was lying on the wooden platform with tightly knitted eyebrows and a frail expression.


    Ever since Ye Zhengru fell gravely ill, his wife Xiao Huating came here less and less often. Sometimes, she wouldn''t come here even once for the whole day. It seemed like she always had something to do at any given time and busier than even the court officials.


    "Cough, cough. Cough, cough." Ye Zhengru abruptly woke up after a violent fit of coughing.


    The old steward, that had been standing by the bed all along, immediately walked up to him. "Sir, are you alright?"


    "Not enough to die." Ye Zhengru propped up his body with great difficulty and leaned against the bedframe. He first calmed down his breathing before opening his eyes to look at the old steward. "Has the problem with the demonic beasts outside the city been solved?"


    "News has just come that they''re at the completion stage. There shouldn''t be any twists," the old steward answered softly. After thinking about it, he added, "Young Master Yunhai is there as well. I heard he''s active on the frontlines and has killed quite a few demonic beasts."


    "He''s a mounted military officer of the Ye family army. That''s his responsibility."


    For a moment, the room was completely silent.


    Moments later, the old steward suddenly said, "Sir, there''s something else. I don''t know if I should tell you."


    Ye Zhengru raised his head to glance at the old steward. "Speak."


    "After the wedding today ended, someone gave me an item and told me to pass it to you no matter what. I recognize the item. I didn''t want to add to your sorrow; I can just keep quiet about it. But after thinking about it, I thought that I should hand it to you, Sir."


    "What is it?" Ye Zhengru asked, confused.


    "It''s a jade pendant."


    "The person said it''s his mother''s relic. Before his mother died, she told him to hand the item to you."


    "What''s the person''s name?"


    "Ye Que. His mother is called Tang Wanru."

 Chapter 57 Three Questions in the Observation of Heaven

    The seventh day of the seventh month. It was close to 11 pm.


    The Imperial Palace of the glorious Tang Empire, the Forbidden City.


    The little monk that walked into Luoyang during the day was now standing tall on the roof of the Ziluo Golden Palace with his hands clasped behind his back and pale green kasaya billowing in the air. It made for an incredibly peculiar scene.


    On the worshipping square several kilometers away from the Ziluo Golden Palace, the Emperor of the glorious Tang Empire was leading a dozen or more of his cabinet ministers. He waved his hand and looked at his ministers. "Is this the person the astronomer of the Star-harvesting 18-storey Tower?"


    "In response to Your Highness: This person is called Zhai Xingzi. Even though he looks about eight or nine, he''s more than 60 years old. He''s the most senior astronomer in the Star-harvesting 18-storey Tower. If even he fails to calculate where the River Soldiers would be born, then in this world, or at least in the glorious Tang Empire, there would be no one else who can calculate it."


    Tonight, the Herdsman and the Weaver Maid would be meeting at the bridge. The bright stars twinkled as the moon hung in a night sky that was clear for miles and miles.


    Out of the blue, 108 sky lanterns rose into the sky and surrounded the Ziluo Golden Palace as well as the five halls that surrounded it. Together, the sky lanterns formed a Five Elements Heaven-concealing Formation.


    The little monk, the one everyone called Astronomer Zhai Xingzi, stood in the heart of the formation.


    The roofs of the five halls were engraved with charms of the element Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth respectively. The charms were approximately ten meters wide and twenty-five meters long.


    Looking at this scene from high above, spiritual energy was undulating and the fire of incantation was raging!


    Zhai Xingzi looked up at the firmament above. The River Soldiers were about to be born. To be frank, the astronomers of the Star-harvesting 18-storey Tower had tried calculating this a few times but all of them failed. In his opinion, all those calculations lacked a certain something.


    The Luck of the Imperial Court!


    Since they were calculating the birth of an invincible Divine Tool, then they must rely on and sacrifice something of corresponding value. The Ziluo Golden Palace under his feet, as well as the surrounding five halls, represented the highest authority of the glorious Tang Empire.


    Using the Imperial Qi to calculate heavenly secrets and using the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth to reveal the divinatory diagram would certainly make their mission successful.


    Midnight had just passed. Cumulonimbus clouds shrouded the sky above the Imperial City, discharging electricity. It was as if heaven had heard the questions of the Human World and was warning it not to speculate about heavenly secrets.


    Ignoring this natural phenomenon, Zhai Xingzi clapped his hands together. Suddenly, his kasaya shattered and the wind turned into a raging fire. He then spat out a lotus flower from his mouth and a section of closely-written seal script drifted in the air. When they crossed the fire, they would separate into five. All of a sudden, they ignited the charms of the Five Elements Heaven-concealing Formation.


    It didn''t take long for Zhai Xingzi''s forehead to become drenched with sweat. One could tell from his face alone, just how challenging and taxing it was to decipher heavenly secrets.


    It must be known that Zhai Xingzi wasn''t an ordinary cultivator. His cultivation had long broken into the Psychic Realm, surpassed the Starburst Realm, and entered the Formless Realm. The realm after his current realm would be the boundary between the Human World and immortality.


    "The birth of the River Soldiers will bring disaster to the Human World. For the sake of all lives, I hope that Heaven will comprehend your disciple''s call and painstaking efforts and reveal your heavenly secrets to me."


    "I offer my blood as a tribute to Heaven!" Following a slash of Zhai Xingzi''s finger sword, the blood on his palm instantly spilled on the Hall of Supreme Harmony that represented the element of fire. "I ask of you a question, Heaven. When will the Divine Tool be born?"


    The moment the words left his mouth, a highly-charged lightning bolt descended from the firmament and struck Zhai Xingzi''s right arm.


    Zhai Xingzi calmed himself and controlled his breathing as he activated the True Energy flowing throughout his body. He used the strength of the Formless Realm to withstand the lightning bolt. Finally, he poured his power out and flung it. The power of the lightning bolt fell on the fire charm engraved on the roof of Taihe Hall.


    Out of the 108 sky lanterns in the sky, the light in 23 lanterns extinguished!


    The flames died out, the thunder and lightning subsided, and the last spark converged atop the Hall of Supreme Harmony to form three characters: "Human, demon, blood."


    "There''s divinatory script! It worked!" the minister next to the Emperor exclaimed.


    "Write down the divinatory script first and discuss it later!"


    Zhai Xingzi silently gauged the meaning of the divinatory script but his expression didn''t relax. Deciphering heavenly secrets was an act that incurred karma. He knew better than anyone just how devastating the karma could be.


    "I must determine the exact information of the birth of the River Soldiers no matter what. Chaos will soon descend upon us. Whatever that can raise even a little of our winning chances is worth it." Zhai Xingzi had steeled his resolution.


    With both of his hands fluttering in the air, a series of incomparably abstruse incantations dispersed. Every incantation drew a golden wisp of Imperial Luck. The colors azure and gold intersected into an entity that resembled a formless dragon soaring into the sky.


    "The emperor shoulders the weight of his people''s expectations. I ask of you the second question, Heaven. Where is the birthplace of the Divine Tool?"


    Following the second question, the azure and golden dragon instantly split in half. The azure dragon charged into the Hall of Perpetual Peace, which represented the elemental power of water, while the golden dragon charged into the Hall of Precious Unity, which represented the elemental power of gold.


    "Kaboom! Kaboom!"


    Following two resounding explosions, dozens of hole appeared in the huge column in the middle of Hall of Perpetual Peace and Hall of Precious Unity respectively at the speed of visible to the naked eye. The halls that had stood firm and tall even after hundreds of years were unexpectedly making sounds of crumbling at this moment.


    Moments later, another loud explosion resounded as half of both halls collapsed. Out of the 108 sky lanterns in the air, another 36 was extinguished!


    Stones flew in the air.


    The dust scattered in the air.


    15 minutes later, the words "Dragon''s Heir" appeared on the ruins of the Hall of Perpetual Peace while the words "Imperial Mausoleum" appeared on the ruins of the Hall of Precious Unity.


    "The birthplace of the River Soldiers is the Dragon''s Heir Imperial Mausoleum!"


    "What should we do?"


    "Both the Hall of Perpetual Peace and the Hall of Precious Unity have collapsed. This is a bad omen."


    The ministers immediately started discussing this in quiet voices. Even the Crown Prince and Second Prince, who stood next to the Emperor, were frowning.


    "We can rebuild the halls if they''re destroyed. The key is obtaining the Divine Tool to protect the nation." The Emperor exhaled in a stern manner. "Now isn''t the time to discuss. Open your eyes wide, all of you. Don''t miss any details. Deciphering heavenly secrets is the greatest destruction one can do to his cultivation. If the astronomer so unfortunately dies, you must restore the whole process."


    "Please rest assured, Imperial Father. Everyone in the Judicature is making notes of the astronomical observation. There won''t be any issues, I assure you," the Crown Prince whispered into the Emperor''s ear at just the right timing.


    What he received in return was his Imperial Father''s gentle nod.


    He then turned to look at Zhai Xingzi who stood atop the Forbidden City. The astronomer, who had the appearance of a child, had grown wrinkles on his face after asking two questions. It must be known that he was a cultivator of the Heaven-defying Rejuvenation Arts; a situation like shouldn''t happen at all. This was likely the condemnation of heaven and earth to him.


    "There are already divinatory answers for when and where."


    "The third question is on the verge of being asked."


    "Who obtained the Divine Tool?"


    Right now, the wind was howling and the lightning was flashing incessantly in the firmament. There was even a faint sound of rage reverberating in the sky. It seemed that Zhai Xingzi had asked heaven one too many questions and provoked divine anger.


    "Mad that I''m deciphering heavenly secrets?" Zhai Xingzi muttered to himself as he looked at the sky. Suddenly, he grinned. "The more you dislike it, the more you try to stop me from doing it, the more I want to do it. What astronomer have you met that fears heavenly power? Those who join the ranks of astronomers are doomed to be shackled by karma and I''m no longer without a care in this world."


    The sky was thunderous.


    The warning sound was vast and powerful.


    Zhai Xingzi, who had the Forbidden City under his feet, suddenly straightened his back. He turned from a child into a teenager, from a teenager into a young man, from a young man into an old man.


    The Image of Heaven Realm, where one''s life was a totem condensed into an illusion. In order to ask heaven the third question, Zhai Xingzi had to put all his life''s accomplishments on the line and gamble on it!


    "I ask of you the third question, heaven. Who has obtained the Divine Tool?"


    Zhai Xingzi''s voice reached the nine layers of heaven. The Celestial Totem blossomed and the Five Elements Heaven-concealing Formation subsequently exploded. The fire in all 108 sky lanterns was snuffed out.


    15 minutes passed.


    When the Emperor led his ministers to get a closer look, they found that Zhai Xingzi seated cross-legged on the roof of the Ziluo Golden Palace. He was completely lifeless. A vigorous and powerful word suspended in the air.


    "Sword!"


    Countless thoughts came to everyone''s mind. Who did the word "sword" represent? Was it a person? Or was it a sect? Perhaps it was too dark around. They had a clear look at the word "sword" but no one noticed the word was slightly different from the typical word for "sword". The character on the left seemed to be missing a dot. It was as if the dot had been swallowed by someone.


    It had taken two hours, at the very most. It was still completely dark out. Over in the courtyard with a small forest of green-jade bamboo inside the Qian Manor, rapid knocking resounded at Ye Que''s door.


    Ye Que frowned slightly after being disturbed in his concentration.


    "What happened?"


    "Something big! The birthplace and birth time of the River Soldiers, the Divine Tool, have been determined!"


    "Really?"


    "100 percent correct! My aunt is the Crown Princess, you know!"

 Chapter 58 A Chance for Everyone

    "I have bought the Peony Pavilion, along with the rest of the other buildings and premises adjacent to it, Brother Ye," Qian Shuxiao muttered suddenly, still plopped in his seat in Ye Que''s dwelling.


    "The Peony Pavilion?" Ye Que managed. He was caught off-guard by the name.


    "The place we were first met," Qian Shuxiao described, further expounding more on the realization of his vision, "The preliminary phase of its renovations is almost complete. I wish to open it to the public in a few days."


    "Open it to the public? What are you doing with it?" Ye Que asked, the feeling of dread growing stronger with every word.


    "A seminary for our Divine Sect!"


    "I wish to start a Divine Sect Seminary!"


    "This seminary shall be where we, the students of the Divine Sect, meet," said Qian Shuxiao, the excitement and fervor evident in his eyes.


    Ye Que took in Qian Shuxiao''s present demeanor with exasperation, frowning heavily. The boy was never short of new shenanigans to aggravate him, he thought. "I hope you have placed good thought in this," Ye Que reminded, "Starting a seminary or a school is no easy feat; this is not an undertaking that guarantees you rich returns. Moreover, never build a stronghold or a seminary in the center of Luoyang City. Do you know why most schools or orders of Truth Cultivation seek only to build their strongholds at hallowed grounds or even a pocket dimension? That''s because you''ll need the rich spiritual force for training purposes; only these places have such concentrated deposits of spiritual force."


    "It''s different."


    Qian Shuxiao''s voice cut suddenly as he shook his head. "The Divine Sect Seminary that I envision to build, is different to most sects and orders of Truth Cultivation."


    "I have done my due diligence before I came to my decision. Almost all of the monasteries or strongholds of the greatest Truth Cultivation schools are all within the domains of pocket dimensions or hallowed grounds. The students that they accept into their ranks either show promises of great potential or hail from powerful and influential households. ''You do what many dream of all their lives. Dream? Strive to do, and agonize to do, and fail in doing?'' Is this the fate of the common folk? That they could only fail and dream at what others are being able to accomplish?"


    Qian Shuxiao placed a hand on his chest, indicating himself. "I understand my own limits; the sparse potential that I was born with. There is but only so much that I could achieve from continuing down the path of pursuing arcane knowledge and skills. But I have stepped through the threshold into a whole new domain, and I see the vision of a marvelous future."


    "Hence, I began meditating on my own Path!"


    "What should the Path of me, Qian Shuxiao, be?"


    "When I first began, I had not the slightest inkling of what to do. But it was you, Brother Ye, who had enlightened me. You consolidated the gangs and mobs of Luoyang City and had me handled them. You had shown me what should my Path be during that very instance."


    Qian Shuxiao cast a glance out of the house. There was an air of serenity about him. He threw his sleeves wide and chanted, "The sages of old helped educated humanity, helped them shape the very civilization we live in and bring fortune to all, ensured the tradition of their past predecessors, and brought peace for countless generations to come. I am but a common man. But it is my vision that even the common folk will not be denied the right to study the arcane ways of Truth Cultivation. It is my wish to see that even the poorest and most miserable beggar to be given the chance to feel and see with his senses the true length and breadth of the world we live in; to let the study of the arcane wisdom and skills be open and free to all who wishes to learn."


    "This, is my Path."


    An unnatural silence pervaded the little house.


    Qian Shuxiao''s revelation of his vision spread uneasy ripples across Ye Que''s usually flawless confidence; the confidence bolstered by his once-invincible supremacy, in spite of his best efforts to show nothing of it.


    "You wish to open a chance for everyone? The chance to learn and train in the arcane ways?"


    "How confident are you?"


    "It will be a doorway that opens to countless possibilities!"


    Ye Que fell into silence, still wrestling in his mind over the virtue of his companion''s decision. At length, he spoke, "Do you know how difficult this will be? The challenges and obstacles that will seek to thwart your quest? To open the chance for everyone, you say? There is nothing but darkness before you; no one has done what you strive to do. You are walking in the dark without a guide, without even a lamp to light up your way! You will have to fight and hack at the thorns and briars of adversity that will earnestly try to hinder you. You might even be visited by the pain of Death itself."


    "I am not afraid," Qian Shuxiao replied adamantly, without an iota of doubt in his voice.


    "Besides, I am certain that it is not dark before me."


    "Why?"


    "Because..."


    "... I have you!"


    Guilelessly, Qian Shuxiao drove his elucidation to the point. "You are the Leader of the Divine Sect, that makes you the Leader of the Seminary too! You will be the mental bulwark of all the disciples on their relentless pursuit of enlightenment in the arcane arts. You will remain untainted and unyielding; the unwavering rock that sustains everyone. As long as you remain, we will go all out and do our utmost in your name!"


    Qian Shuxiao''s speech was rousing and freely spoken from the heart, but Ye Que stared blankly at him, his face pallid and ashen as he remained wordless.


    Seconds ticked by awkwardly.


    "Keep up, if you will."


    Ye Que could not pull himself to disagree somehow. Training and meditation¡ªit was the only thing he was good at with unfailing efficiency; as if he was being born for this very purpose, to train and meditate for every minute and every second. Had he ever felt the tingle of loneliness pinching during his forlorn attempts to reach greater heights? In fact, he did.


    "The never-ending journey of training and meditation might seem a tad shorter if they are appropriate and acceptable distractions, I guess," Ye Que muttered quietly.


    Qian Shuxiao rose, slapping his palms together with satisfaction as the discussion ended in his favor. "The Seminary will open in three days, Brother Ye," he said, "We need a set of martial disciplines that would be suitable for elementary learners, but would also be proper and fitting! We need something suitable for everyone, old and young, male and female; so that they could strengthen their physical bodies, and yet sense and feel the awesomeness of Nature while appreciating the laws that govern it. Surely not something savage or terrible like that which you had given to Chu Dongnan!"


    Within the fastness of the imperial palace;


    Thrice Zhai Xingzi had conducted the rites to request omens from Heaven; his auguries had invited retributions of appalling consequence: five of the great halls in the imperial city were utterly destroyed in one single night.


    The Emperor would have been fraught with anger, if it was anyone else save him who had wrought such havoc. Rather, he was hardly displeased when news of the destruction and mayhem reached him. "The ruin of barely a handful of halls is nothing to our great Tang Empire," he was heard saying, "I could easily rebuild as many as I wish to. What matters are the omens from Heaven."


    The entire Judicature apparatus sprang into full motion once the omens from Heaven had been augured.


    Almost every seer and soothsayers from the Capital City, the nine great cities and all sixteen provinces across the whole Empire were assembled for one single purpose:


    To assist in the auguries of the three omens from Heaven!


    Every one of them began their work in earnest, trying their best with their eyes tightly shut in concentration.


    For days and nights they labored, finally, in the dusk of the third day, the results of their calculations were delivered to the Emperor.


    The omens were requested about the time and date to which the Divine Tool would make its appearance; but instead, what came was only three runic scripts: "Man", "Demon", and "Blood".


    Strangely, on the surface the three runic scripts seemed to hardly have anything to do with the manifestation of the Divine Tool. After some calculations and discussion, it was deduced that the appearance of Divine Tool had little to do with time and date; rather, its manifestation required a condition; one that conjoined the elements of "Man", "Demon", and "Blood".


    The requirements might appear to be superficially difficult to fulfill, yet that might also hardly be the case: much blood would be spilled between Man and Demon since the beginning of time; there was no lack of carnage and destruction between both races in their strifes against one another.


    However, the omens did indicate that the Divine Tool would manifest at the Imperial Mausoleum, where, in most cases, the ley lines of the Imperial family''s sovereignty would remain hidden. This was a secret where few among the common folk would know. But anyone close to the Imperial Household would find it easy to locate the site of the Imperial Mausoleum which was an open secret to almost anyone in the Imperial family. But the Imperial Mausoleum would only be built on one of the most auspicious hallowed grounds in the country, making it one of the most ten carefully guarded spots in the country.


    Moreover, to enter the Imperial Mausoleum hastily would be nothing but a fatal folly! Common folk without the abilities of practitioners of arcane skills would surely perish if they were to venture in haphazardly. In fact, the dangers that lurked within the macabre vault that housed the remains of the Imperial household were so great that even practitioners of sorcery and martial skills would die if they lacked enough power and strength.


    Only those above the ranks of the Psychic Realm and below the Formless Realm, would be able to explore the Mausoleum with relative safety.


    The contingent of seers and soothsayers had little to no disagreements as to the first two inquiries about the Divine Tool. The greatest catch remained on the third and possibly the most critical question.


    "Into whose hands would the Divine Tool fall?"


    Only one single rune was given as an answer: "Sword".


    The cryptic message first made everyone think of Mount Shu, for it was the greatest school of swordsmanship in the domain of the Cultivation World, in addition to their association to one of the key objects of this entire mystery: the Secret Key to the River Soldiers. It was hard not to believe that the omens pointed to them, given the clear signs that Mount Shu might have in fact taken possession of the River Soldiers.


    "But if Mount Shu had indeed claimed possession of the River Soldiers, why did the signs not say "Shu" or "Mount" instead? The runic script of "Sword" does not point to Mount Shu at all, I say."


    With People comes Conflict, thus the existence of the Jianghu; the seers and soothsayers, all from varying school of thoughts and practice, began bickering about their beliefs and theories. "If the script of "Sword" points to a sect or an order, then we could easily include a few other organizations that wield power similar to Mount Shu for them to claim the River Soldiers. The Priory of Swords of Qingqiu can be counted as one of them; the Tomb of the Swords and Bones of the Peak of Blight is another, while there is also the Chamber of the Rainy Duel from the kingdom of Nanyue in the south."


    "But if you were to argue that the runic script of "Sword" points to a person. Say, one of the young swordsman prodigies who rank between the Psychic and Starburst Realms maybe? This argument shows greater promise to me."


    The Crown Prince had remained dutifully by his father''s side throughout the ordeals of the recent days. He had long seen the contents of the papers that bore the calculations of the seers when his father first pored upon them. He hesitated for a second after hearing the arguments between the soothsayers, and spoke softly to his father suddenly. "There is a matter which may be of consequence, Father," he said, "I wonder if I should disclose it to you."


    "Speak freely, my son," the Emperor replied, waving lazily for the Crown Prince to go ahead, as much of his attention was still on the calculations on the papers clasped in his hand.


    "You may not have noticed, Father, that during my youth, I have had a daughter outside among the common folk. During her Zhuazhou rites, she had picked a sword. Hence, she was named Jian Qi, because she was the seventh of all the offsprings I have sired."


    "Since her young age, she has been trained by an Abbess Qingyin, reaching the Starburst Realm at the age of seventeen, a feat never before accomplished by anyone in a century, in addition to growing to be a rare prodigy in wielding the sword."


    The Crown Prince paused for a breath before continuing. "She may not be included into our household, but I have always viewed her as one of mine," he said, as his voice grew meek at the end. "But the rites of augury this time was fomented by Your Majesty''s aura and spiritual force, with our Imperial Regalia, the Divine Tool, as a vessel..."


    "Continue."


    "Can it be possible?"


    "The "Sword" script indeed refers to my daughter, Jian Qi?"

 Chapter 59 Blockade

    "The great Divine Tool¡ªthe River Soldiers will appear soon!"


    "It will manifest at the Imperial Mausoleum, at the ley lines of the imperial sovereignty!"


    On the very same day the Emperor had received the results of his seers'' and soothsayers'' auguries, word of the prophecy began leaking quietly out of the imperial city into the public through various channels.


    Like the faint trembling spreading from the centermost skeins of a vast spider web, the news caused ripples in the domains of the Cultivation World and the Five Main Tribes of Demon Race alike; the news was readily available to anyone who had an ear to it. The site of the Imperial Mausoleum, with its restrictions and the various dangers that skulked within, became known to anyone interested. What should have been a carefully-guarded secret had become as public as a flaming brand in the dark.


    It was no longer a secret; but a general knowledge to everyone, even the common folk.


    One could not help wondering if it was in fact part of the Imperial Family''s designs to intentionally allow the word to escape for purposes yet unknown.


    Many were suspecting if this was a trap to see anyone guileless enough to spring it, as the Imperial Family remained in the shadows, readying itself to pounce.


    There was hardly any doubt in the authenticity of the information that escaped the tight confines of the Imperial Palace complex. However, it would be prudent to suspect if part of it was tailored as part of a ruse. There could be integral parts which have been misrepresented or even omitted, which explained how the news could spread like a fire in a barn.


    "To act or not to act?"


    That was the very same conundrum now felt by almost every faction within the domains of the Cultivators and the Demon Race.


    It was a masterful stroke that had kept everyone on their heels as none dared to make the first move. But despite the mind-boggling mystery, none of the sects and orders chose to withdraw; rather, almost all of them dispatched their disciples or acolytes to the site to investigate.


    As the saying went, with no risk, came no rewards. Fruits and bounties of labor never came without blood, sweat, tears, and in some cases, death. This was exactly why guilds and sects were founded in the first place: to unify the strengths of individual practitioners of arcane skills in pursuit of a common goal or ideology.


    Why else would there be sects and guilds of Cultivators of the arcane skills?


    However, Qian Shuxiao had an answer contrary to what most would believe: to bring blessing to everyone!


    "Especially the poor," he was heard saying, "For the poor had lost most, if not all, of what they should have as their own. Nobility is not measured by wealth, as all men are born pure and righteous."


    Suffering built character, just as how, by the hands of Man, an environment could change, Ye Que mused, as he witnessed a surrealistic deja vu¡ªdid the Great Tao Sutra not embody part of Qian Shuxiao''s beliefs, he wondered.


    For the next few days, Ye Que continued training and meditating. But somehow, he began to experience an exponential increase in his progress, as did Qian Shuhua. He was well aware of Qian Shuhua''s alarming rate of growth that he began to fear her. While most people trained and meditated to the best of their abilities, Qian Shuhua never stopped challenging the greatest extent of her boundaries that she would even endanger herself.


    The pale light of sunrise nudged over the horizon.


    The ring of shops around the Imperial City of Luoyang, numbering to thirty-six of them, began to fill with a mob of crowds. Every one of them was clad in the same grey linen frock with two words on their chest: Divine Sect.


    "Where to at this early hour, Ah Feng?" A female fishmonger asked offhandedly.


    "It is the inaugural opening of the Divine Sect Seminary today, Auntie," Ah Feng replied cheerily, "Anyone can come and have a look. Do come over when you''re free in the afternoon. I''ll teach you how to meditate and train." He was once a hoodlum, condemned to a life of misery and barbarity. But on this day, he was different; his life was completely tipped over. He was now able to spread the teachings of arcane knowledge and skills, learnings which were once jealously guarded by immortals and deities.


    Also present around was Chu Dongnan. Despite his new position as a Branch Master, he was also humbly dressed in the same grey linen attire.


    Once, a small-time ringleader of salt smugglers, he had achieved greatness by turning into a Rank 1 martial artist, partially attaining the Pre-celestial Realm. He was filled with myriads of emotions as he began reflecting of his past and his tireless journey up to this day, as the memory of his first encounter with Ye Que and how Ye Que had given him a thrashing was still vivid in his mind.


    The one kick from Ye Que had landed Chu Dongnan into a whole new world beyond his imaginations.


    A kick that had given him the perspective to the boundless possibilities and potentials that this world had in store.


    The row of shops which were once inns and tea houses to the west of Yong''an Street after the Bridge of Long Life was no more; they had been renovated and fitted with a brand new plaque that hung on the main doorway entrance, although the vestiges of the establishments they once were could still be noticed.


    The plaque was shrouded in a long cloth dyed in rich scarlet red.


    Inscribed upon the plaque would ostensibly be the words: the Divine Sect Seminary.


    Before long, the Masters of the thirty-six branches of the order, with all one thousand two hundred and eighteen disciples were present. The courtyard of the ten shophouses which had been refurbished into one large premise for the use of the Seminary, was utterly filled with the thousand-man strong assembly.


    Ye Que stood beneath the nameplate of the Seminary, erect and proud. Qian Shuxiao and Qian Shuhua flanked by his side; the former with a manuscript in his arms like a devoted assistant, while the latter with a long, coal-black spear with the semblance of a staunch sentinel.


    "The proposed auspicious hour is at fifteen minutes before ten in the morning, Sect Leader! We have sent word to as many people as possible about our opening! Let us commence with all the fanfare we can muster!"


    The excitement was evident on Qian Shuxiao''s face as he continued, "Everyone is vying for the River Soldier Divine Tool now. What happens if by a stroke of fortune, you were able to claim it? It would be a travesty when you proclaim yourself and nobody recognizes our name!"


    "The mere thought of such prospect is already upsetting enough."


    "Nevermind if it indeed actually happens."


    "What makes you think I''ll be going to the Imperial Mausoleum?" Ye Que hissed with exasperation at Qian Shuxiao. "You think the contest for the Divine Tool is child''s play?"


    "That is a contest of life and death."


    Ye Que could not elaborate further. He was not present to witness the manifestation of the River Soldiers before his rebirth, for he was at the of Qiuqiu Sword Sect then, still learning the sword skills. The arduous labors of contesting for the Divine Tools would hardly fall upon his shoulders as a junior; only his seniors which were of higher ranks and realms commanded sufficient power and authority to take part in such endeavors.


    But the mere recounts of his seniors were daunting enough for him: scores of prodigies and virtuosos from different denominations all entered the Imperial Mausoleum, including those of the Demon Race, yet only one emerged victorious to claim the ultimate prize: the Divine Tool. The rest were maimed, cleaved, or bloodied; doomed to join the dead that slumbered in the depths of the necropolis. The number of casualties never fell below seven-tenths of the original number that went in.


    Seven out of every ten warriors who ventured in the Mausoleum would end up dead, with two of the remaining three badly wounded. A bloody and gruesome game of death in its truest definition.


    where the survivability of each contestant vying for the prize hung on a delicate balance.


    Ye Que did not hear anything else from his seniors, but the snippet of revelation he caught was enough to send chills down his spine.


    The sun rose higher and higher as mid-day came and Qian Shuxiao''s smile slowly faded as the hour grew late, his warmth and cheerfulness evaporating with the swelter of the sun.


    "Look at the time, why is none of the guests here yet! The invitations have long been delivered a few days ago!"


    "That''s weird."


    "It doesn''t make sense."


    But if Qian Shuxiao could ride on his sword to fly into the air and look at the entire Yong''an Street of Luoyang City, his question would be instantly answered.


    It was not the matter of whether the guests were coming, rather, it was a question of if they could come, or not.


    An entire battalion of soldiers had been mobilized to bar everyone from going to the Divine Sect Seminary! All points of entry to the Seminary from the Bridge of Long Life of Yong''an Street to the Bridge of Everlasting Peace, from the Vermilion Bird Street in the north to the Xuanwu Street in the south, were closed to the public by the soldiers!


    There were two palanquins of ordinary appearance sitting to the right of the Bridge of Long Life. None of the attendants of the palanquins were in sight, save for a sentry armed with a saber who stood steadfastly beside the palanquins. His keen eyes were constantly in motion, scanning the surroundings with the watchfulness of a shepherd watching over his lambs with the poise and mien that bespoke his abilities of a powerful warrior.


    A hand reached through the drapes of the palanquin, revealing a cold and vile face with squared aristocratic chins. There was an unmistakable whiff of depravity about the man, a deplorable thirst for grandeur which would have fully personified if only any government and officials present to prostrate themselves at his feet, groveling at his ankles while proclaiming loudly, "Your Highness the Second Prince!"


    The Second Prince''s drapes rose a little, followed by the curtains in the next palanquin, revealing its occupant to be Ye Yunhai.


    "Please leave this to me, Your Highness," Ye Yunhai said, his horrid-looking eyebrows dipping slightly, "No man or soul will be able to pass through the barricades to reach the so-called Divine Sect Seminary."


    "I am at ease with you at the helm, Master Ye," growled the Second Prince, "I trust that the hosts of the Ye Clan would be handle menial tasks such as this at least." The Second prince stretched an arm out his window, to bath his hand in the sun''s swelter. But his finger had barely touched the sunlight, only to have him jerked his arm back with disgust as if his finger had just grazed a pile of manure and filth.


    "My older brother has gone overboard; day in and day out he remained by Father''s side, feeding His Majesty with honeyed words. Not only he wishes to interfere with the River Soldiers Divine Tool, but he even tries to bring his bastard daughter into the fold! What a stupid farce!"


    "If his daughter is the one destined to defend the Empire, then I would have been the Celestial Emperor myself..."

 Chapter 60 Ten Lashes It Is

    At the head of the Bridge of Long Life.


    Thirty-two soldiers of the Ye Clan guarded the bridge, casting stern glances upon the group of curious onlookers that began to crowd around them, as many of the people began clamoring distastefully at the blockade.


    "What''s going on at the front? Why are you barring the road? This is outrageous!" A man shouted loudly at the soldiers.


    "The Ministry of War is conducting an investigation. No irrelevant personnel is allowed to pass until further notice," growled the sergeant of in charge of the troop.


    "Irrelevant personnel? What irrelevant personnel? I used this road every day! In what way are we irrelevant people here."


    "Anyone without the authorization pass issued by the Ministry of War is considered irrelevant personnel."


    "My house is just at the street in front. How am I supposed to go with you fools barring the road?" Another voice yelled over the boisterous din.


    "The blockade will be lifted after mid-day." The orders issued by a superior was absolute to soldiers, for military discipline was paramount in the army. As such, the soldiers held their line at the bridge, with complete deference to the directives they received without questioning them.


    The sphere of the troops'' blockades was hardly extensive, but they had effectively sealed off all roads leading to the Divine Sect Seminary. The blockades would only be lifted after mid-day, when the inauguration ceremony would have long ended and the food in the feast would have gone cold and hard.


    The entire operation was a deliberate challenge!


    They were trying to prevent wellwishers from visiting the Divine Sect Seminary!


    It was a gambit aimed towards embarrassing the Crown Prince: the Seminary was established under Qian Shuxiao''s name, and Qian Shuxiao was the heir of the Qian Clan which was close with the Crown Prince. A humiliation unto Qian Shuxiao would be tantamount to a disgrace of the Crown Prince; a message of intimidation delivered to the heir of the throne without being overly conspicuous.


    Little did Qian Shuxiao realized that his opening of the Divine Sect Seminary had instead entangled him in the political strife between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.


    Seconds ticked by, but the entire street outside the entrance of the Divine Sect Seminary was as empty as the silence that hung over the whole area like a gloomy pall. Neither a shadow nor the patter of footsteps could be seen and heard.


    The cool breeze blew gently;


    Whistling drearily with desolation.


    The crowd at the barricade did not subside as the time loomed closer towards ten in the morning; rather, more and more people congregated at the blockade, although none were allowed to pass through. None dared to defy the decree of the Ministry of War, and the name of the hosts of the Ye Clan only added to the common folk''s forced obedience despite their grumbling displeasure. Before long, whispers and hushed tones began to arise, indicating that the blockades were in fact authorized by the Second Prince himself.


    "What a high-handed manner of managing Luoyang City..." A man griped who was from abroad.


    "This is the son of the Emperor, do you not understand the simple fact?" A local quipped in response, "I''ll hazard we''re still far from the end of it!"


    "This is a battle between juggernauts which we can only witness haplessly."


    "There''s a tea stall just in front. How about a cup of tea as we wait to see what transpires next? The plot''s about to thicken."


    The sun inched higher and the morning wore on.


    Ye Que had remained calm and still, but the Qian Shuxiao beside him was seething with rage. Word of the blockade around the Seminary had finally came to him.


    "What? An investigation by the Ministry of War?"


    "Preposterous!"


    It was hardly a secret that the Ministry of War and the Second Prince were in league with each other. Qian Shuxiao would never believe that the whole matter was not part of their intrigue and conspiracy.


    At length, a person emerged from amongst the mob of crowds at the head of the Bridge of Long Life.


    A woman, dressed in a richly-woven brocade dress, came forward with a smile so cold that the soldiers had to suppress a shudder, knowing that she could not be anyone ordinary. She strode to the sergeant of the troops and spoke softly to him with her back to the crowd, "I am an agent of the Judicature. I have a business in the vicinity, and I need your cooperation, please allow me to pass."


    The woman fished out the authority pass issued to her by the Judicature and showed it to him furtively before slipping it back into her robes.


    The sergeant peered at her thoughtfully. He paused for a moment, pondering. "I''m afraid I cannot allow you to pass. My orders are explicit: no one is to be allowed into the quarantined area before noon."


    I am confident that this includes also anyone from the Judicature."


    The sergeant felt contrite immediately as he finished. "If you are indeed on urgent business," he added hastily, "You can request permission from the Ministry of War. We will be able to allow you to pass if you are able to procure an authorization from the Ministry."


    "Otherwise, I''m afraid we have our orders to follow."


    "Not even as a favor for me?" The woman appealed, frowning with disdain. The woman made a quick hand gesture that could only be seen by them both.


    "My orders are absolute!" The sergeant bellowed sternly after seeing the woman''s gesture. "I am a soldier of the Ye Clan. You of the Judicature should know full well the excellence of our military discipline and our adherence for rules and regulations!"


    "Were you trying to insult me with your gesture?"


    More than a hundred soldiers of the Ye Clan manned barricades in four different directions from the Seminary. Even coercion or persuasion could do little to dilute the soldiers'' steadfastness to their orders, that no one would be able to pass their encirclement of the Divine Sect Seminary before noon.


    But the hard and unyielding stance of the soldiers angered the crowd of people who slowly stirred and grew restless.


    But this was Luoyang, the capital of the mighty Tang Empire, where law and order reigned supreme! Who would dare incur the wrath of the Ministry of War? Who would dare offend the legions of the Ye Clan and push past their blockades?


    The wheel that squeaked the loudest got the grease, but the tall poppy shall be the first to be sheared.


    "A true man seeks to use his strengths to good and just, and governs his life with chivalry!"


    "Without chivalry, what honor is there left for us!"


    A strong voice rang from the midst of the crowd as the female agent of the Judicature blended into the crowd.


    The voice was barely strong and thunderous, but everyone could clearly hear him.


    "I am only a common scholar. My eyes may deceive me, but I fail to see how this looks like a true and credible investigation. You are soldiers, you say? Under strict orders not to allow anyone to pass? Very well, I shall seek to trouble you not."


    A gaunt man, in the garb and disposition of a fragile intellectual, made his way through the horde of onlookers and rowdy malcontents, and stopped before the thirty-two soldiers. He heaved a breath and spoke loudly, for the benefit of everyone present.


    "You are under orders of the Ministry of War to seal the roads here?"


    "That is correct."


    "There is an investigation underway, you say?"


    "That is what our orders say."


    "So enlighten me, what is the punishment for a person who intrudes upon an official investigation by the Ministry of War, in accordance to the laws of the great Tang Empire?"


    The sergeant''s eyebrows rose quizzically as he raked through his memory for the answer, which he gave after a quiet moment.


    "Ten lashes with the stick!"


    The scholarly young man gently furled up his sleeves as he listened to sergeant''s reply. "Very well," he said, "Let me be convicted of intruding upon the business of the Ministry of War today."


    "What I do, is a personal matter of mine. Feel free to charge me with this offense in accordance with the law," he continued, "I will gladly await my sentence, for I am Zhao Ting, the fourth son of the Zhao Manor of Luoyang."


    "Mark me down for these ten lashes. Inform the Court of Judicial Review that I shall be awaiting their summons. I will not flee or hide."


    With that, Zhao Ting, the fourth son of the illustrious Zhao Manor, marched proudly across the Bridge of Long Life.


    The sergeant''s arm shot upward instinctively, but the cry for his men to act stuck at his throat as his arm sank slowly back to his side. He of all the people present knew full well the name of Zhao Ting, who was hardly a common student and intellectual; more so for the name of the Zhao Manor, which commanded tremendous respect in the capital, being the residence of the Grand Preceptor of the Imperial Court, Zhao Yuntian. Additionally, Zhao Ting had most recently been crowned the Grand Scholar, the title of the academic with the best results in the imperial examinations. With a boundless future ahead of him, he would undoubtedly rise swiftly up the hierarchy of the Imperial Court in no time.


    Arrest Zhao Ting?


    And condemn him to a sentence of ten lashes?


    I dare say no one from the entire Court of Judicial Review would dare take the case, the sergeant gulped hard. With Zhao Ting''s pedigree and potential, no one would dare aggravate the person who could one day hold greater office and authority within the court lest they value their life and career too lightly!


    A brief lull of silence hung over the crowd and the soldiers that watched the Bridge of Long Life; a stillness that was broken only by the soft rustling of leaves and the light whistling of the breeze.


    Another man stormed forward and came to the sergeant. "The name is Yun Feihe, from the Inked Sleeve Pavilion of Luoyang City! Mark me down for the ten lashes!"


    Swiftly, another voice boomed, "My name''s Shi Lei of the Cloud-reaching Manor House of Qingzhoufu (present-day Yidu, Shandong). Ten lashes it is then!"


    "Me too! Leng Wuxin, Second-tier Executive of the Mortal World Pavilion. Please mark my name for the punishment of ten lashes too!"


    "And I..."


    With a phenomenal paradox akin to the butterfly effect, Zhao Ting''s valiant gallantry had evoked a rush of recollections that roused the hearts of the many heroes that had been present that day.


    The eloquent and lucid reminiscence of the brotherhood that they all shared during the battle against countless demons at Luo River.


    One by one, the heroes stood forth and proclaimed their names proudly. Their number was merely a fraction of the whole swarming throng flocking around the barricade. But their voices resounded over the stunned silence of the mob as each and every syllable the heroes bellowed echoed deeply through the hearts of everyone present that day.


    All for the want of the chivalry they all shared.


    All for the want of the destinies and fates that they all shared.


    "So, what if it''s ten lashes?"


    "Do you think we would have fretted even if it''s a hundred lashes?"

 Chapter 61 The Shuiyue Seminary and Dreaming about Buddha

    "Mister, I wish that you never stop improving, and I wish that the Divine Sect Seminary is here to stay forever."


    Zhao Ting was the first person to walk on Yong''an Street and into the doors of the Divine Sect Seminary. He stood respectfully before Ye Que, completely devoid of the mannerisms of a young master of the Grand Preceptor''s residence, and he even seemed a little emotional in fact.


    Just as he finished speaking, dozens of people came walking in one after another, including Bai Yu, Yun Feihe, Shi Lei and Leng Wuxin. They wore innocent expressions, and they had silly grins that belied their innate pride at the success of their friend.


    What they had just done was indeed very cool, but logically speaking, it was also extremely harmful to them.


    Zhao Ting could end up losing his authority in Zhao Manor, and Bai Yu could be demoted beyond Judicator. Even Leng Wuxin could be stripped of his post as second in command.


    How could they not understand the implications of their actions?


    Had they not considered the severity of the issue at stake?


    Of course, they were clear and had thought about it well. Even after doing so, they chose to stand up for their friend.


    Ye Que remained silent as he looked at their proud expressions. He repositioned his hands from his back to his front subconsciously before lifting them up and cupping his right hand over his left, as a sign of greeting! In fact, he did not have a deep impression of the people in front of him, but it was not important.


    They were here.


    This was more important than anything else.


    The officials and important people that had not arrived were those that were truly dispensable.


    "Sect Leader, it''s already three quarters past the Si hour," Chu Dongnan said softly as he walked silently up to the back of Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao.


    "Let''s unveil the signboard then," Ye Que replied as he raised his head to look at the red silk cover above him.


    "Unveil the signboard!"


    Qian Shuxiao shouted loudly, before walking up with Qian Shuhua to the signboard, and each of them stood at its respective ends. There were two red ropes prepared for them, and they could pull the red silk cover back with a tug.


    The red silk fell back.


    The words ''Divine Sect Seminary'' were presented for everyone to see.


    A frenzied burst of firecrackers going off followed closely, and no one knew how many of them Qian Shuxiao had prepared, but it was a long while before the sounds stopped, as if he wanted to attract everyone in Luoyang City.


    It was a good idea, but the reality was harsh. The sounds did attract people over, but none of them could enter; they were blocked outside of the seminary.


    More and more people were drawn by the firecrackers and crowded over.


    "This Divine Sect Seminary is really lavish, and it has organized a grand opening ceremony. It''s a pity that they offended the soldiers of the General''s Manor; how could they expect to survive?"


    "I heard that it was the Second Prince who ordered the streets fenced off."


    "Qian Shuxiao''s aunt is the concubine of the prince."


    "I heard that the Divine Sect Seminary wants to teach us commoners in cultivation. Do you know what that is? Isn''t cultivation meant for Immortality Masters? Can we civilians learn that?"


    In the crowd.


    An old man was pushing another elderly man slowly toward the seminary.


    "The kid''s Divine Sect Seminary is in front of us. I heard that he''s even become its Sect Leader. According to my investigation, he should be a practitioner, and his level of cultivation is not low," said the old man pushing the wheelchair as he walked.


    The elderly man in the wheelchair grunted softly as some form of a reply, before lifting his head to look in front of him. "Why are there so many people? Go take a look."


    After a while, the old man pushing the wheelchair returned, and he looked a little troubled. "Old Master, I managed to find out that the Army is in operation and has sealed off the entire street. They won''t allow anyone to pass through until afternoon."


    "The Army needs to seal off an entire street for an operation? When was such a rule implemented? Who sealed the street off?" the old man in the wheelchair asked. He grew animated and lively once they were talking about matters of the state, and he sounded different from before.


    "The Ye army," the old man pushing him said with much difficulty.


    "Ridiculous!"


    Soon, the two old men had pushed their way to the front of the crowd. Along the way, they could hear all kinds of complaints. Even the Emperor himself had not ordered an entire street to be sealed off during his procession, and such pompous behavior would most definitely draw the anger of everyone.


    The expression of the old man in the wheelchair turned increasingly ugly as he heard the crowd complain. By the time he reached the Bridge of Long Life, his face had almost frozen up.


    Xiao Lianyue was the highest ranking officer of this obstruction mission, and naturally, he was in charge.


    He could hear people discussing and complaining around him, but he filtered them away consciously; he would never bother himself with the complaints of civilians. He had held the same post for nearly eight years, and all this while he believed that his luck was bad, and that he lacked opportunities to shine.


    As such, when Ye Yunhai requested for him to accept the mission, coupled with the Second Prince''s hints, Xiao Lianyue had accepted without even thinking.


    "As long as I can complete this mission well, my future will be good," he thought. Xiao Lianyue was long past the age of actual warfare, but he believed that he could climb up the ranks with his resume as part of the Ye army. He felt that he only lacked the opportunity.


    As for the implications of this incident, Xiao Lianyue was completely unconcerned. What could anyone do to him, even if something happened? He was a high ranking officer of the Ye army, and only someone unafraid of death would dare offend a 200,000 strong army.


    Perhaps, Xiao Lianyue had been carried away by his perfect dream.


    "Bam!"


    A sharp pain shot upward from his waist area before he had even finished dreaming. It felt like a blunt metal instrument had smashed into him.


    "Ah!"


    Xiao Lianyue exclaimed in alarm before turning to retreat quickly. He had also drawn the longsword hanging from his waist instinctively.


    He immediately opened his mouth to chide his attacker, as if he had already rehearsed the words to say. "Are you sick of living? How dare you attack an officer of the Ye army? Take them away!"


    The words never left his lips, however. His eyes were wide open, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.


    "Ge-general?"


    "Si-sir, wh-why are you..." Xiao Lianyue stammered as he looked carefully at the old man in the wheelchair in front of him, who was holding on a cane with a dragon''s head, before he turned his head with much difficulty to look at the other officers beside him.


    The 31 officers of the Ye army stood ramrod straight, and their eyes looked sharp, as if they were generals being inspected by the Emperor himself. None of them exchanged glances with Xiao Lianyue. Evidently, they had already seen Ye Zhengru earlier on, except him.


    "What is your name?" asked the old man, or rather Ye Zhengru, who should be bedridden, in a low voice.


    "General sir, I''m Xiao Lianyue, and I belong to the Flying Shuttle Scout Battalion of the Ye army''s Feng Division," the officer replied as he instinctively straightened his back and raised his voice to shout, as if he had poured all of his strength into his words. Unfortunately, the sword that had been drawn a while ago seemed especially glaring at this moment.


    "You''re from the Flying Shuttle Scout Battalion of the Ye army''s Feng Division?"


    "Good."


    "Very good."


    Ye Zhengru continued to say, "Not anymore."


    "Not anymore!"


    They were just a few simple words, but to Xiao Lianyue, it felt as if the skies had collapsed.


    "You''re not worthy of being a member of the Flying Shuttle Scout Battalion, and our Ye army doesn''t need an officer like you," Ye Zhengru said coldly, "Who gave you so much privileges? Why did you seal off the entire street? When has the streets of this city become a battlefield of our army? Since when did civilians have to seek for the Ye army''s approval before they could return home?"


    "Have you forgotten all about the rules of the Ye army?"


    "Scram!"


    "Don''t let me see you again."


    Ye Zhengru said as he glared at Xiao Lianyue. He then turned to the other 31 officers before telling them, "Return back to camp and receive your punishments. On double quick time."


    Ye Zhengru suddenly turned to face the crowd after he finished lecturing the officers, and he bowed his head slightly.


    "I''ve failed in leading my men."


    "This has caused everyone to suffer."


    As the sounds of firecrackers exploding in front of the Divine Sect Seminary''s doorstep just stopped, the four checkpoints blocking off all entry to the streets were completely removed.


    The crowds surged quickly toward the seminary, and even if they had failed to take notice of it in the past, they could at least remember its name clearly after today.


    "All things of this world have natural access to Tao. Everyone''s equal and can begin cultivation. It''s a process that doesn''t differentiate between wealth and status, and only patience and persistence is required. I will follow up with a demonstration of a martial art technique, as well as a breathing technique. Everyone here can go back to slowly comprehend what you''ve seen here today, and those that are fated will definitely be able to step on the path of cultivation."


    Ye Que stood on a circular platform used for demonstration, and his white robes began to move, seemingly due to some profound reason. "Tao refers to the commonality between all beings in this world. Cultivation refers to the act of learning good habits, having an open mind, and self-control. Abandonment refers to the Shuiyue Seminary, and dreaming about Buddha..."

 Chapter 62 How Much Do You Know About the Past?

    In the deepest corner of everyone''s mind was memory so painful that we wished we could keep forever locked, never to resurface again.


    Everyone had dreams, however, especially nightmares. Those painful memories would frequently appear in our nightmares, causing to wake up from shock. As time went by, the nightmares became more terrible, and the memories turned darker, before the dreams became vivid.


    Ye Que suffered from a vivid nightmare like that once. It haunted him for decades, and it became a mental issue when he was ascending, nearing killing him.


    It originated from a fragment of his memories.


    Then, Ye Que was still an infant.


    It was still midwinter in his dreams, and the weather was extremely cold. Huge flakes of snow were falling from the sky, and his surroundings were all white. His eyes were blinded by the dazzling snow, and everything around him was covered by it.


    He could feel that his face, hands and body were extremely cold, and his eyelids were as heavy as sheets of steel. A faint warmth came from the front and back of his body, and a soft voice was whispering into his ear, "Don''t sleep, don''t sleep, please don''t fall asleep."


    He could still feel incomparable hunger and coldness, and he was close to breaking. At this time, a warm liquid flowed near the corner of his lips.


    Instinctively, Ye Que sucked at the liquid with all the strength that he had left for a long while. Gradually, his hunger was satiated, and he regained some strength. He opened his eyes slowly to see a gentle face.


    Ye Que could sense that she was his mother. He lifted his small white arm to scratch an itch away from his lips, and he could see a smatter of bright red liquid on it when he lowered it.


    The liquid at the corner of his lips was fresh blood.


    Baby Ye Que in the fragment of his memory was surely unaware of this fact, but he felt nauseous every time he saw this scene unfold in his dreams. This was because he had drank his own mother''s blood!


    The baby version of Ye Que calmed down gradually as his mother hugged him close to her bosom, and he even seemed to be on the verge of laughing.


    Soon, peace was disrupted by the appearance of wild dogs, who were drawn by the scent of blood. Ye Que''s mother had just took out half a bun to eat. It was her food for the entire day, and it was why she had to let Ye Que drink her blood. How could a mother produce milk just by eating a bun for an entire day?


    She was slow to react, probably due to the extreme cold, and she had just ate a mouthful of her bun when the wild dogs had surrounded her.


    Her muscles tensed instinctively as she raised her head to look at the wild dogs around her. She gazed fiercely at the dogs, quickly understanding that they were starving like her.


    The child in her bosom was food in the eyes of the wild dogs.


    No matter how fierce her stare was, it was not strong enough to overcome the animals'' instinctive nature when overcome by hunger.


    She did not hesitate for much longer and began to act. She kept her eyes and body fixed on the wild dogs, while carefully shifting Ye Que backward into the hole in the tree behind them with one hand.


    "Howl!"


    Ye Que, who was lying sideways in the hole, witnessed the most unforgettable and darkest scene in his entire life.


    A hungry mother.


    A pack of hungry wild dogs.


    Fighting with each other.


    It was a true life and death struggle, and Ye Que did not know where his mother got her strength from, but she used her feet, hands, nails and teeth to inflict maximum damage on the dogs.


    Drops of blood splattered onto the white snowy ground.


    Shrieks and howls rang out and died down.


    It was a cruel and bloody battle.


    It was also the source of Ye Que''s nightmares since his childhood.


    Ye Que knew what happened later. Villagers who passed by saved them, but his mother''s face had been completely chewed off and her body grew frail. Just her looks alone were more frightening than demons, and Ye Que killed many of their kind later on, but he never felt disgusted by them. This was because from a young age, he had heard others describing his mother as a demon.


    The vivid nightmare had not surfaced in Ye Que''s mind for a long while.


    Today, however, it was back.


    It had resurfaced because of the appearance of someone. Perhaps, in his subconscious, this person was the root cause of his nightmares.


    Ye Zhengru!


    He was also Ye Que''s father.


    He had appeared at the Divine Sect Seminary as the performance winded down and proposed to chat with Ye Que, which brought us to the present scene.


    A pot of tea and two cups between two people sitting opposite each other.


    Ye Que lifted the teapot and filled a cup of tea. He placed the teapot back in place, leaving only his cup filled.


    Steam rose from his teacup like smoke from a chimney. It quickly dispersed, filling the entire room with the fragrant aroma of tea. Ye Que remained silent and looked at Ye Zhengru calmly. He wanted to observe his biological father, the great general whose fame had spread around the entire Tang Dynasty.


    The steam was gone, and the tea had turned lukewarm before Ye Zhengru finally spoke.


    "Your mother?"


    Ye Zhengru did not have to ask Ye Que if he was his son, and neither did Ye Que have to ask the general if he was his biological father. The jade pendant was one thing, but the inseparable bond between father and son was the key to proving their relationship to each other.


    "My mother?"


    "She''s no longer with us," Ye Que replied. He did not conceal anything nor scream and vent out at the general at the top of his voice. It was just a simple, plain answer.


    "She...?" Ye Zhengru started to speak.


    The general was interrupted by Ye Que mid-sentence, as if he knew what Ye Zhengru was about to ask.


    "Didn''t lead a very good life."


    "Suffered all kinds of afflictions known to man."


    "Experienced all kinds of disappointment and harshness."


    Ye Que kept looking at the eyes of Ye Zhengru. When he finished this sentence, he saw a guilty flash in the eyes of the general.


    The corners of Ye Que''s lips formed into a derisive grin as he saw the guilt in the general''s eyes. "How fake, hypocritical and disgusting you are. If you really felt guilty, where were you? Who are you putting on a show for? Do you think that the guilty look can make me acknowledge you?" he very much wanted to ask.


    Ye Que felt this way, but he did not voice his thoughts out. He was not scared, but unwilling to do so. He did not want to hurt the feelings of his late mother; she had never mentioned about this man before, much less speak ill about him.


    Neither to his face or behind his back.


    "Can you tell me how both of you have been all these years?" Ye Zhengru asked. He stopped looking at Ye Que directly and lowered his head, before filling a cup of tea for himself and drinking it down in a single gulp. The tea had long gone cold, but it would not matter to him anyway, for the warmth in his heart had disappeared.


    The cup of cool tea caused him to cough violently.


    Ye Que watched quietly and did not react.


    He spoke only after Ye Zhengru stopped coughing. "Want to hear how we survived all these years?¡±


    "Do you think you have the right to listen to me speak about that?" Ye Que asked. His tone was not inquisitive, and even though his words were sharp, he spoke casually, as if he was not talking about himself.


    "I can''t make decisions on my own for many things," Ye Zhengru said as he looked at Ye Que. "How would you choose between love and country? You cannot understand the turmoil I went through, for you haven''t experienced such matters before. So, even if you hate me, I won''t blame you. Everyone''s fate is determined by Heaven, and we all have our own paths in life."


    "Everyone leads their own path in life?"


    Ye Que paused as he heard the last statement from Ye Zhengru before laughing bitterly. "So, it was you that told her that."


    "Laughable."


    "Pathetic."


    "Disgusting."


    Ye Que shouted thrice, and he had even slammed his palm on the table while making the last statement. "Do you want to listen to our story? Fine! Today, I''ll tell you a story, and I want to see if you still feel so at ease after hearing that!" he said while pointing at Ye Zhengru.


    "Before speaking, I want to ask you a question first." Ye Que calmed himself down and said, "Do you think that a woman living to the age of 36 is considered as having had a long life?"


    "According to the statistics from households in the Tang Dynasty, it''s a short life span," Ye Zhengru replied after thinking for a moment.


    "For some people, it''s too long. She should have died peacefully when she was 18, but she endured another 18 long years of hell-like torment."


    "Some people would have called her insane or foolish. If she was in so much pain, why didn''t she smash her head in and end everything?"


    "Hey, if only it were that simple. I wouldn''t have said that she led a long life, if that was the case."


    The story was about Ye Que''s own life, and he was talking about Tang Wanru, his own mother.


    Since he was young, she kept telling him, "Everyone''s fate is determined by Heaven, and we each have a path to follow in life. I was destined to lead a life of suffering and raise you up by myself. I promised him that I''d provide for you until you were 18."


    Ye Que said as he looked directly at Ye Zhengru, "Since I could start remembering things, she repeated this statement a few times every day. I didn''t understand it before. Today, I finally understand that she was encouraging herself. If she couldn''t raise me up, she wouldn''t dare to die."


    Pointing to his face, Ye Que continued, "Have you seen the face of a monster? It''s ugly and terrifying. But do you know how others describe her face in the village?"


    "It was uglier and more horrible than a monster''s, and it could stop babies from crying in the night. In order to protect me, she wrestled with wild dogs, and her whole face was bitten off.¡±


    "Do you know how many meals can 10 copper coins buy? You live in a magnificent general''s house, surely you wouldn''t know that," Ye Que said as he raised his index finger. "One month! For many years, she had ten copper coins to buy food for a month."


    "Because she was afflicted with illness and had no strength in her hands, she couldn''t grow stuff. She could only do some needlework and sell it."


    "With the face of a monster, who would dare buy the shoes that she sewed, even if they were beautiful? Even if they did, how much would they be willing to pay? If someone sells them for five copper coins each, she could only sell hers for two at most. Would she be in a disadvantage? Definitely. But she didn''t care, as long as she could live on, as long as she can continue to bring her son up, she doesn''t care."


    "Her eyesight was extremely bad, and she was pricked so often by the needles that she had to discard so many shoes or handkerchiefs because they were stained with her blood. At first, she could still manage, but as her eyesight continued to deteriorate further and she began to injure herself more often, her earnings became far lesser than her expenditure, and her only source of income was destroyed."


    "But her son was still young, and she still had to survive."


    "She had no skills and no strength, how could she continue to live on?"


    "She knew that there was a way out, but she was unwilling to step on that path. It was okay for life to be tough, but she felt that she had to uphold her status and dignity."


    "She resisted for two days, and she gave up after watching her son faint from hunger thrice."


    "From that day on, an ''old witch'' began to appear in the villages surrounding the outskirts of Wei City, begging for food. She left her house began dawn and returned only after dark. She never begged in her own village, however. She wouldn''t take any food offered by the people of her village, as she felt that she had to hold on to that last shred of dignity. She didn''t want other children to call her child a beggar."


    "In her heart, she has always believed that her son''s was nobler than the whole village, 100, no, 1000 times more noble. She felt that it was a fact that did not have to be said."


    "She never slacked off, no matter the season or weather. Because if she did not go out to beg, her son would starve."


    "One extremely cold winter, she realized her son was missing when she came back from begging. He was four that year and frequently cold or hungry. He was frail and seldom went out. Usually, he would stay at home all day to wait for her return."


    "She searched like crazy for him and shouted till her lungs ached and her voice could be heard throughout the entire village. Finally, she found him in the chicken coop of her neighbor. She was so angry that she flogged him for the first time. When they arrived back home, she asked him why he had to sneak to the neighbor¡¯s chicken coop."


    "Tears streaked down the cheeks of her four year old son, and he was crying so much that he spoke incoherently."


    "I''m cold."


    "It was only a few words, but they made her cry. She cried her heart out."


    "That night, her son developed high fever, and his forehead was as hot as a stove. She was frightened sick. She knew that her son needed a physician''s attention, but where would she get enough money for that? She didn''t even have a single copper coin. She went down on her knees and begged the entire village, finally managing to gather enough money when it was dawn."


    "From then on, the thing that she feared most was her son''s illness, not about her own face."


    "Just like this, she made shoes for two years, and begged for eight, until her son was ten years old."


    "It was another winter. She wanted to go home. When she got to the door of the house, she suddenly collapsed. She became bedridden and never got up again."


    "That year, she was only twenty-eight, but she looked like eighty-two."


    "Her son who lay beside her was already 10, but frail and weak. Even the younger children in the village who were half his age were stronger than him."


    "What would happen to them, now that she was sick? She could not think of a solution throughout the entire night. Before it was daybreak, however, she realized that her son had sneaked out into the heavy snow outside, and he returned only when it was beginning to get dark again. His face was red from the cold, and there were bits of ice all over his hair and body."


    "She was ready to blow up again, but her son explained the truth to her and took out a handful of millet from his shirt. Turns out that he had went into the hills alone to chop firewood, carried them down and bartered with the villagers for the millet."


    "From this day on, the burden of supporting the family fell on the 10 year old boy."


    "Day after day, year after year, he went up into the hills to gather firewood and lugged them down to the village in exchange for food. He never went to school, as did his mother, therefore he could only use whatever little strength he possessed to survive."


    "Fortunately, God was somewhat kind to her son. From that day onward, he never got ill again, and his strength increased as he grew up. He could gather more firewood, and exchange them for more food. As he ate better, his body began to fill out, and naturally he could do more things."


    "He progressed from firewood gathering to working in farms, tending to cattle, working in a blacksmith and even in a small tavern. Basically, he tried his hands in every kind of work available in the village."


    "He was never picky, and he could not choose. Neither did he know how to choose."


    "Their life became better, but her health got worse. Her son could sense that she was forcing herself to live on, and it made his heart ache."


    He had secretly requested for a doctor to take a look at her. The doctor''s reply was, "Her vitality was gone for a long while, and there''s no way to cure her. She''s hanging onto her life by a thread, and as her son, you can try to persuade her to let go of worldly affairs and move on to the next world peacefully."


    "Her son thought about it for many days, before talking to her. He told her about the doctor''s advice truthfully, and she wasn''t too surprised upon hearing it. She had long expected it."


    That day, she grabbed her son''s hands and told him slowly, "Son, your mother was destined to lead a life of suffering. I''ve long given up hope, and I could have died a long time ago. I can''t do that now, for I''ve to see you grow till you''re 18. When that day comes, I''ll give you an object and tell you something, then I''ll move on in peace."


    Just like this, life carried on like usual in her family. She struggled through every day, till her son was 18.


    Perhaps miracles did come true. That day, she stood up unexpectedly and pulled her son into their yard. She pointed west toward Luoyang City and told him, "Your father is Ye Zhengru, and he resides in the General''s Manor in Luoyang. Now that you''ve grown up, you have to return back and acknowledge your ancestors!"


    After saying this, she stroked her son''s cheek with her hand. "Son, your mother is tired, really tired. Hug me, and let me rest."


    Under the setting Sun.


    She rested her head on her son''s shoulder.


    She slept.


    His shoulders were broad and warm. Suddenly, she felt as though she had returned to a long long time ago...

 Chapter 63 Strange Happenings

    The sounds of the evening were melodious, and the distant mountains gradually faded away from sight. The clouds looked like burning coals, and there was a faint darkness around them.


    Heaven and Earth seemed to have been separated as one gazed out of the third storey of the Divine Sect Seminary. If one gazed below, one would see huge crowds of people, horses and carriages. If one gazed above, one could see the Sun setting.


    They had finished speaking and drinking their tea, and remained silent for a while.


    Ye Zhengru coughed softly after a long while and stood up slowly. He placed one hand on his cane, and raised the other toward the skies, before pausing and bringing it down to Ye Que''s shoulder. He patted his son twice, neither lightly nor heavily.


    "I''m old, and can''t sit for long," Ye Zhengru said softly before turning around and walking out slowly. He stopped after taking two steps and continued, "I couldn''t make decisions for many things in the past; I didn''t have a choice then. I can try to fulfil her wish now, though. Since she wanted you to be accepted by your ancestors, you can come look for me anytime you wish."


    "Your name should be on the Ye family scrolls."


    "It''ll state that Ye Que is the son of Ye Zhengru and his wife Tang Wanru."


    The sounds of footsteps came from the stairs as Ye Zhengru left, and Ye Que was still sitting in the house. He did not move. He had not tried to retain the general, nor did he get up and send him off, leaving only the words that his father said reverberating in his ears.


    "You can recognize your ancestors, and you and your mother should have your name on the genealogical records."


    A simple sentence.


    Yet it caused huge upheaval in Ye Que''s mind.


    His Spiritual Sea was even more turbulent, and his spiritual power surged. Even the golden serpent that was his Divine Energy began to swim rapidly.


    Ye Zhengru''s words had opened a path to the Psychic Realm for Ye Que.


    Unexpected, yet it was also reasonable.


    Regardless of whether it was the Ye Que who reigned across Three Realms from his past life, or the Ye Que who had returned to his youth, being recognized by the General''s Manor as a young master of the Ye Family would probably not bring him many benefits nor much improvement, but it was the last wish of his mother.


    To his mother, it was her ultimate wish for him to be recognized.


    Regardless of whether Ye Que acknowledged his ancestors or not, the words would haunt him every time, even when he ascended to the Celestial World. It was a defect that he carried in the deepest recess of his mind.


    At this moment, his mother''s wish was fulfilled, and his Spiritual Sea trembled.


    Both the Pre-celestial and Post-celestial Realms focused on increasing the amount of one''s True Energy. The Psychic Realm increased the spiritual energy of one''s heart, exactly what Ye Que was feeling now.


    The gates to the Psychic Realm were thrown wide open at this moment.


    "A man should behave like the Heavens and strive for continuous improvement!"


    The narrow lane filled with weeds appeared again in front of him, and the seal script appeared clearly in the air.


    The gates were opened, and all that was left was for him to bash his way through the grass. Very soon, a Spiritual Force vortex circled round Ye Que''s body.


    While Ye Que walked onto the path to the Psychic Realm, some of the people downstairs in the Divine Sect Seminary finally began preparations to enter meditation for the first time.


    A Dozen of young people sat awkwardly in a cross-legged fashion on futons. Some were street vendors, some were tavern waiters, some were lackeys of the big families, and there was even a lady from the brothels of Willow Alley.


    There were a total of 17 people.


    These 17 people were the first batch of guinea pigs. No matter how legendary Ye Que''s displays of skills were, or how well Qian Shuxiao''s speeches were, who would have dared to try learning the skills of the Divine Sect without witnessing or experiencing first hand for themselves?


    "Don''t be hasty, everyone. The process of cultivation is very complicated, and you''ll need to persevere. Have patience and be committed. It''s very common to be unable to enter a meditative state the first time you channel a technique."


    Qian Shuxiao spoke in an unhurried fashion. "Everyone''s physical attributes are different, as are our talents. It''s okay to fail in your first attempt. You can try again, and one day you''ll be able to feel the difference in this world. The gates to the world of cultivation will be open to you then."


    Qian Shuxiao also ordered someone to light three Mind Focusing Joss Sticks to calm everyone down and aid them in achieving a meditative state more quickly.


    As for whether it would actually help, even Ye Que could not tell, much less Qian Shuxiao.


    Some people were extremely smart and could enter a meditative state within seconds to become one with Nature. Most ordinary people, however, could only achieve this after a long period of continuous effort.


    Qian Shuxiao was about to turn back to face the youths to continue his explanation when his gaze fell onto the person closest to him.


    He breathed steadily and looked calm, his mind one with his spirit. An extremely faint Spiritual Force was slowly circling around his body, and after 49 cycles, it was slowly absorbed into his body.


    This person was actually in a state of meditation!


    Qian Shuxiao looked shocked, and his mouth was wide open. Just moments ago, he had told everyone that it was hard for ordinary folk to enter a meditative state, but now someone had proved him wrong.


    It took him less than a quarter of an hour!


    Qian Shuxiao had taken the same amount of time to enter a state of meditation with the help of Ye Que. "Could it be that this man is extremely gifted? Is he a genius? Have I just found a potentially valuable member of the Divine Sect?" thought Qian Shuxiao.


    Shaking his head, Qian Shuxiao suddenly raised his hand and pressed it around. "Everyone is as quiet as possible. Now someone has successfully entered the state of being settled. After he finishes, everyone can ask about his feelings. How is it going to practice?" What is going on? Is it good to practice?"


    "Seeing is believing."


    "I''m really lucky today. This will be much more convincing than just giving lectures!" Qian Shuxiao thought, feeling very pleased with himself.


    He gave a few more instructions before shouting for Chu Dongnan to come over. "Watch over them. I''m going upstairs for a peak and will be back shortly."


    Qian Shuxiao noticed that Ye Que had remained alone in the house after Ye Zhengru left, and he felt a little uneasy about it. He pushed the door to Ye Que''s room open gently and saw the Spiritual Force flying around. "Our boss is really great. He never ceases to practice!" he thought.


    Qian Shuxiao could hear the sounds of discussions going around everywhere in the seminary as he walked up to the stairs just now.


    When he walked back downstairs, it was so quiet that it seemed no one was below.


    Qian Shuxiao descended slowly, and he saw many stunned faces of the Divine Sect disciples, Chu Dongnan included. Everyone looked as if he or she had just seen a ghost.


    "What happened?" Qian Shuxiao asked instinctively.


    All he received in return were their collective hushing.


    They raised their index fingers to their lips in unison, implicitly telling him to remain silent.


    He continued to walk silently down the stairs with a look of doubt on his face, before turning to look.


    His expression became exactly like the others after taking only one look, and perhaps it was even more exaggerated. The entire first batch of brave civilians who had signed up for the workshop had entered a state of meditation just after 30 minutes!


    Qian Shuxiao rubbed his eyes vigorously, an expression of complete disbelief on his face. He walked over to take a closer look. He wanted to confirm that they had entered a meditative state!


    He pulled Chu Dongnan to a corner of the room quietly and asked him in a soft yet serious tone, "Did you arrange for this ''display'' earlier on? Who is really in a meditative state now? Which of them had undergone cultivation before?"


    Chu Dongnan shook his head vigorously and replied firmly, "Elder Qian, I can use my head as a guarantee that this is not faked at all!"


    "Really?"


    "Definitely!"


    "There''s no explanation for this. Could it be that our Divine Sect Seminary is a gateway to Heaven?"

 Chapter 64 This Nigh

    t


    The Divine Sect Seminary was obviously not a heavenly paradise.


    How could a place situated in the worldly Luoyang City become a gateway to Heaven?


    Those 17 civilians managed to enter a meditative state so quickly because of Ye Que''s help.


    The path that Ye Que bashed through after studying the Divine Book was no ordinary one leading to the Psychic Realm. It was not exaggerating to call it a path to Heaven. Of course, it was not the Heaven in the skies, but the ''Heaven'' of Spiritual Energy. Normally, practitioners would train their True Energy, but Ye Que cultivated his Divine Energy.


    The difficulty of breaking through was unavoidable.


    Similarly, in the process of breaking through, the environment around him was also be more or less affected.


    Everything Ye Que took a step forward, he swung his saber once, and every time he did that, a seal script would be slashed into pieces. It would delay the Spiritual Force surrounding him, and as it got closer to him, the effects would become more pronounced.


    Ye Que was sitting cross legged at the second storey of the Divine Sect Seminary, and he had covered 100 steps in 15 minutes. A youth downstairs managed to connect with his Spiritual Force and became the first person to enter a meditative state. After Ye Que walked another 100 steps over the next 15 minutes, all of the 17 volunteers had entered their own zones.


    The position of the seventeen people was just below Ye Que, where his Spiritual Force was the most abundant.


    At this moment, it was not an exaggeration to say that this place was a gateway to Heaven.


    After two hours, the first batch of seventeen people gradually exited from their meditative states. They had ruddy faces and looked fresh and energetic.


    "It''s amazing, how can this be?"


    "Is this cultivation? It''s no wonder that it''s something only that the gods can do.¡±


    "I''ve never felt so comfortable before, and it''s better than immersing myself in hot springs for 100 times.¡±


    "There is a lot of strength in my body, and I feel that my punch can kill a cow."


    "I''ve decided that I want to join the Divine Sect Seminary; I have to learn more techniques; I want to begin cultivation!"


    Someone who had not experienced the joy of cultivation would not understand its amazing properties, but once anyone did, it would be hard to turn back. He or she would be hooked onto the pleasures of cultivation and not be satisfied with just learning one technique.


    The volunteers had fulfilled their tasks, and the resulting conclusions sounded somewhat ridiculous.


    Some believed it, while others were in doubt. There was a small group that was undecided.


    The second batch of ''bravehearts'' began their first cultivation session. It went smoothly, and they entered a meditative state quickly, even faster than the first batch of volunteers. This was because Ye Que was taking more steps and slashing at more seal scripts now, causing the Spiritual Force surrounding his body to intensify.


    Batch after batch of volunteers arrived, and each batch was larger than the previous one. Very soon, all of the civilians that had come to witness the opening ceremony of the Divine Sect had picked up the Qi-refining technique, and aside from a few outliers, most of them also got to experience the profundity of entering a meditative state.


    Cultivation was something that anyone could pick up, but some people could go further than others. That said, even if one was extremely untalented and ended up having the same level of cultivation for life, the Heavens would still allow one to achieve a small amount of progress.


    As long as you were fated.


    What was fate then? It was something that could help a beginner learn the Qi-refining technique, create a gateway to Heaven that had an abundance of Spiritual Force, and it could also help guide you along your path and answer any questions you had.


    If all three factors were present, one would be able to embark on one''s journey of cultivation.


    News of the amazing feat accomplished by the Divine Sect Seminary spread throughout the entire Luoyang City after dinner. Naturally, it reached the General''s Mansion and to the ears of Ye Yunhai and Xiao Huating as well. They were not concerned about the Seminary or cultivation, however.


    "Mother, did father really went to the Divine Sect Seminary today?" Ye Yunhai asked, somewhat in disbelief.


    Xiao Huating nodded very confidently.


    "What exactly does he want to do? Why can''t he stay at home and rest? Has he become senile with old age?" Ye Yunhai asked angrily.


    "What does he want?"


    Xiao Huating blinked and said, "Can''t you guess? He''s not senile at all. Since he was willing to visit that vile spawn, he wouldn''t keep that person away from our family."


    "Does he want to...?" Ye Yunhai''s face turned pale for an instant, as if his tail had been trampled upon.


    "Naturally to allow that person to be acknowledged by his ancestors," Xiao Huating sneered. "The first thing that vile person will do upon entering Luoyang City is to come here and acknowledge his ancestors."


    "No way!"


    "Impossible!"


    "I disagree!"


    "The general can only have one son, me. I won''t allow anyone else to enter the General''s Manor," Ye Yunhai said through gritted teeth, his expression hideous.


    "Rest assured, Yunhai. As long as Mother''s here, no one can snatch away what belongs to you," Xiao Huating said as she walked up to her son. Her expression was calm, but her tone was very firm. She grabbed Ye Yunhai''s shoulders gently as she continued, "You''re the master of the General''s Manor. You have to be; from the day you were born, you were destined to be the master of this manor."


    "Mother," Ye Yunhai replied, sniffling.


    "You don''t have to worry about this; let me handle it. All you have to do is to quickly improve your level of cultivation. Three Psychic Sword Pills have been sent here from Shushan and you should take them tonight. The Divine Tool, River Soldiers are about to emerge, and there''ll be many things for you to attend to."


    Xiao Huating walked slowly away after speaking, and she muttered to herself along the way. "I''ve stayed in this house for 20 years just for a chance to become its owner, to lead the 20,000 soldiers of the Ye army. No one knows how much sacrifices I''ve made. Do you think that your plan of dividing your assets with that brat will succeed?"


    "Have you become senile?"


    "Looks like you have."


    This very night.


    Ye Que had taken 4,800 steps on the path to the Psychic Realm, made 4,800 slashes and slashed 4,800 seal scripts. It was less than one-seventh of the entire journey, however.


    On the same night.


    Xiao Huating did something extraordinary. She went to Ye Zhengru''s room alone, and she knocked, opened the door and then shut it behind her. The warm yellow light from the candles in his room instantly turned to a purplish-black glow, and strange demonic like shapes were reflected on the paper covering the windows of the room.


    Xiao Huating opened the doors of the general''s room again after the candle flame had died off, and she walked out alone silently.


    Under the moonlight.


    Xiao Huating''s gaze was piercing, and she smiled. It was a cold, emotionless smile, and if one looked closely enough, one would notice that there seemed to be a traces of blood on her fingertips. They had coagulated on her skin and looked purplish black in color.


    She snapped her fingers lightly, and countless shadows flitted across her.


    The black figures quietly concealed themselves in the yard of the General''s Manor under the cover of night.


    Shortly after, faint sounds of meat cutting through flesh came from within the manor, followed by the sounds of heads rolling on the floor. There was a sudden downpour, and all of the blood was washed away by the rain. Just like this, not even a little scent of the bloodshed was dispersed.


    At dawn, the rain stopped and the sounds stopped.


    The manor was still intact, but many people had been killed.


    This night, demonic aura filled the air surrounding the General''s Manor.

 Chapter 65 The White Dew Falls as the Wind Blows from the Wes

    t


    The leaves of the lotus flowers had begun to fall, and the lushness of summer was fading away. The West Wind blew, and it was quiet all around the city.


    It was time for White Dew to fall, and the cicadas remained silent in the night. Warmth faded away slowly, and the birds began to migrate to warmer climates in flocks, from the North to the South.


    Overnight, the General''s Manor was completely draped with white cloth. Lamps burned throughout the entire night, incense paper and joss sticks were lit, and sounds of crying rang out. Ye Yunhai had arrived in the palace dressed in mourning wear for the morning court session, and the news quickly broke out throughout the entire Luoyang City.


    General Ye Zhengru had passed away!


    It caused a great ripple across the entire city!


    Even though there had been news that the old general was getting on in age and bedridden, he was seen outdoors yesterday. So how could he have passed on so suddenly?


    Some people spoke admirably about his life while others lamented the loss of the old general. There were even people that suspected foul play, but nothing could change the fact that he was gone.


    The most imperative thing within the palace and beyond was not why the old general was so suddenly gone, but how to deal with the aftermath of his death. The funeral was a minor issue; it was more important to assign control of the 20000 strong Ye Army to his successor.


    Within half a day, many homing pigeons could be found flying over Luoyang City.


    On the same day, there was an earthquake of considerable magnitude in the Northwest direction from Luoyang City. If one observed carefully, one would realize that the Imperial Mausoleum of the Tang Empire, set along the ley lines of sovereignty, was at the epicenter of the quake.


    Only slight tremors were felt in Luoyang City and there were no casualties. As a result, the citizens were not really concerned about the earthquake. To some of them, it was a common occurrence.


    Shortly after the earthquake.


    The mountain gates of Shushan were threw open, and a group of 28 people traveled northward with their swords in tow.


    Young men dressed in animal hide walked barefoot from the Baizhang Royal Family of the Dayan Nation. The traversed southward across vast plains.


    Sword qi surged from the tombs on the Peak of Blight which contained the bodies of powerful swordsmen and their weapons. Soon after, 10 swords flew out of the tomb on their own accord and landed before 10 youths who were practicing their swordcraft.


    The morning bells rang out in unison on the Temple of Six Buddhas on Yinshan and Tzu Chi Palace in Yangshan, and a group of monks and Taoist priests walked down the hill as the sounds accompanied them from behind.


    Other sects like the Chamber of the Rainy Duel, The Court on Ancestors in Yunzhou, the Silent Monastery in the Silent Flower Valley, the Five Elemental Divisions of the Demon Race, and even all reputable sects in Qingqiu sent out their disciples.


    These sects were spread all over the land, and they came from everywhere, but amazingly their destination was the same. All of them were heading to the Imperial Mausoleum along the ley lines of sovereignty.


    On the same day, an old man broke into the Divine Sect Seminary just as Qian Shuxiao had sent away everyone and was about to shut the doors. He was stumbling, he was breathing rapidly, and his face was deathly pale. Qian Shuxiao knew who he was. He was the old butler of the General''s Manor and he had served by Ye Zhengru''s side for more than half his life.


    The old man seemed to be in pain. After seeing Qian Shuxiao, he poked the youth''s elbow with much force and opened his mouth, as if he wanted to speak.


    "Are you looking for Ye Que?" Qian Shuxiao tried to guess.


    The old man nodded vigorously.


    "He is in retreat, so I am afraid he can''t see anyone." Qian Shuxiao smiled and shrugged. "I can see that you seem to be in discomfort. Why don''t I find a doctor for you?"


    The old man shook his head in disagreement without even thinking, before frowning. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and the color of his face turned from white to red, then to purple. He looked as though he was about to go and he took out a jade pendant with much effort from his chest eventually. "Tell...tell Ye...River...River Soldiers..."


    The old man gripped Qian Shuxiao''s hands and had just said those few words when a flame lit up around his chest. The black flames soon burned his body into ash.


    Nothing of his body was left.


    He could not even manage to cry out.


    Qian Shuxiao stood rooted to the spot. "A second ago, he was still well and alive. Now, he had turned into ash!"


    "Jade pendant?"


    "River Soldiers?"


    "What exactly is going on?"


    Seeing an adult disappearing right in front of him without even being touched was something that Qian Shuxiao could not help but feel emotional about. How would he settle this? Should he report this to the authorities? He gave up the idea without further consideration. He was no ordinary civilian, and Luoyang City was currently in turmoil; a slight misstep could lead to his doom.


    Ye Zhengru had just died last night, and his personal butler died in front of him today.


    What could explain this?


    Nothing. Even one with a glib tongue could not give a proper excuse.


    Qian Shuxiao did not dare to make his own decisions and hoped that Ye Que would regain his senses soon.


    The funeral was held as scheduled, and the officers of the Ye Army, from the lower ranking ones to commanders, had made a trip back to Luoyang just to send the old general away.


    The huge General''s Manor was filled with people for the past few days. It looked like it was daylight even in the night, and sorrowful music filled the air. Yellow incense paper filled the air. The posthumous title of ''Loyal and Honorable'' conferred by the Emperor himself was carved neatly in the middle of the tablet- "In remembrance of the Loyal and Honorable General who Protected his Country, Ye Zhengru, who lies here."


    The funeral lasted for seven days, and the General''s Manor made sure it was grand. The government had also gave as much face as it could. The Crown Prince and Second Prince had come down to the manor personally to pay their respects to the late general on behalf of their father. He had also given special permission for the entire procession to be organized like that of a prince.


    As for the ritual of releasing souls from purgatory of the first seven days, half the monks of the entire Luoyang Qingyin Temple were invited.


    Buddhist chants filled the air throughout the night.


    Early morning on the second day.


    A slight drizzle fell on Luoyang City after the seven day mourning period was over.


    The criers walked in the rain, as white mourning banners and yellow incense paper appeared everywhere. Sorrowful cries filled the air in the General''s Manor. The funeral procession departed slowly toward the Ye family graveyard at Xishan, outside Luoyang City.


    Ye Yunhai walked in front of the team, his eyes were red, his face was creased with sorrow, but no one could not see any tears in his eyes. Behind him was Xiao Huating, who held the rope of the hearse in one hand and covered her face with the other hand. It seemed that she had been crying for a long time, and she kept humming the dirge ''Xie Lu'' softly.


    The whole team departed from the General''s Manor, along Yong''an Street, over Bridge of Long Life, out of Ximen, and into the grave. The distance was not too short, but the team was huge. When Ye Yunhai had reached the Bridge of Long Life, the tail end of the team had just came out of the General''s Manor.


    The old general was about to be buried today, and the citizens of Luoyang City had long known about it. Many of them had already stood at both sides of the street to wait for his procession to pass by. He had been a soldier for his entire life, and he had placed it on the line for the Tang Dynasty to protect the well-being of his nation. The people had seem him walk the talk and remembered. Now that he had passed on, seeing him off was the least they could do.


    The Divine Sect Seminary was located on the side of Yong''an Street. Ye Que woke up from his meditation just as the sounds of mourning came into the seminary.


    For seven days and seven nights, Ye Que smashed out sixty-seven thousand and two hundred knives and smashed up to sixty-seven hundred and twenty hundred seal scripts. He had finally traversed the entire length of the path to the Psychic Realm.


    Spiritual Qi surged out when he opened his eyes.


    In the corner of the house, there was a flower pot. Qian Shuxiao had just thrown into an epiphyllum into it casually, but now it had grown at alarming speed. Its roots had sprouted out, many branches had grown, it had many leaves, and also the blooming of its flowers gave off a radiant brilliance.


    Epiphyllums blossomed for a very short time.


    Ye Que grinned.


    He shut his eyes and the Spiritual Force suddenly stopped flowing around his body. When he next opened them, all of the energy was instantly absorbed back into his body.


    Inside the door of his heart, between the Spiritual Sea and the snow-capped mountain, a little Divine Energy core was jumping happily, as if it was full of infinite vitality.


    Within seven days, Ye Que had passed from the Post-celestial to the Psychic Realm.

 Chapter 66 We Came from the Same Place

    The sounds of mourning passed through the windows into Ye Que''s ears.


    He walked to the windows and gazed far away to the head of the Bridge of Long Life, shaped like a stone arch. He caught sight of Ye Yunhai wearing a mourning head dress and clothes of hemp. A huge coffin was following him from behind, and Xiao Huating was standing behind it humming a dirge softly. Further away behind them was an endless procession of mourners.


    "Has someone from the General''s Manor passed away?" Ye Que thought instinctively before an idea struck him. "How many people are worthy enough of causing Ye Yunhai to put on mourning wear, and for Xiao Huating to hum an elegy? Aside from Ye Zhengru, I doubt anyone else has such influence."


    "Impossible!"


    Ye Que rejected the idea because he had just seen Ye Zhengru a few days ago. Although the general''s body was indeed weak and he was afflicted with illness, Ye Que judged that he would not be in any risk of dying for the time being. If Ye Que had used his full powers, it was not impossible to have restored the general back to his original health.


    Although Ye Que had no feelings toward his biological father, and he even hated him, he did not know why but his legs moved on their own accord, and he directly leaped out from the second storey of the Divine Sect Seminary onto the center of Yong''an Street.


    Ye Que looked at the end of the street with a look of mixed expressions.


    The funeral procession got closer and closer.


    Ye Que did not display any intention of moving away until Ye Yunhai was about five meters from him. The latter raised his hand, and the entire procession stopped.


    "The General''s Manor is holding a funeral procession, and idlers should step aside instantly," one guard of General''s Manor shouted at Ye Que. "If you''re here to send the general off, please retreat to the side of the road."


    There was a little commotion due to the sudden halt of the funeral procession.


    Ye Yunhai raised his head and looked in front of him. "It''s you?" he said.


    "Who''s in the coffin?" Ye Que asked in a low tone.


    Ye Yunhai looked at Ye Que. He was not surprised about his half-brother''s appearance, but he wondered why it took him so long to show himself. He had not shown himself at the manor for the past seven days, and neither did he offer incense to the old man nor tell anyone else that there was another young master of the General''s Manor.


    Originally, he thought that Ye Que had already conceded and left. Who ever thought that he would be waiting here?


    "My father, Ye Zhengru," Ye Yunhai replied without any expression.


    Hearing this answer, Ye Que paused while, and then he replied in a low tone, "Impossible. I saw him a few days ago. He has not reached the end of his life."


    "What a joke."


    "Would I lie about such a thing?" Ye Yunhai replied. His eyes were fixed on Ye Que, but he pointed behind. "The person lying in that coffin is my biological father. Would I be mistaken about that? The entire Luoyang City knows that my father had passed away, and you''re claiming that it''s impossible? What are you trying to achieve?"


    "What was the cause of his death, then?" Ye Que asked.


    "An old sickness relapsed and he died in the middle of the night suddenly." Ye Yunhai replied without any hesitation. He had gave the same reason so many times over the past few days that even he began to believe that it was true.


    One could begin to believe one''s lies after telling them too many times.


    "I''ve seen him, and his old illness isn''t fatal, nor would it cause him to die in his sleep. It''s completely different from his true cause of death," Ye Que said. His voice was uncharacteristically stubborn, and perhaps even he himself had not noticed that it was the first time he behaved in this manner.


    "What do you mean by this? Would my father have been assassinated in his own home? Do you think anyone can sneak into the General''s Manor without alarming anyone?" Ye Yunhai said in a derisive tone.


    "I didn''t say what the reason was, because I have not seen his body."


    "See the body? You want to see my father? You want to see the body of the Loyal and Honorable General?" Ye Yunhai asked coldly. "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to do that? Today is the day of my father''s burial, I don''t want to make things hard for you."


    "Get lost if you know what''s good for you."


    "Scram!"


    In the face of Ye Yunhai''s insults, Ye Que did not move but slowly stretched out his fingers and pointed to the huge coffin not far away. "He told me that I can always acknowledge my ancestors."


    "I''m also a Ye," Ye Que said, pointing to himself.


    "I''ve all the right in the world to see him," Ye Que said. His tone was unhurried but firm and resolute.


    Ye Yunhai looked at the expression of Ye Que, and the corner of his mouth suddenly tilted up. "You finally said your purpose. You want to enter the General''s Manor, don''t you? You tried all means for a chance of acknowledging the ancestors, and now you even want to use my dead father to fool people!"


    After a pause, Ye Yunhai continued, "Even if you are the father''s son, the Young Master of the General''s Manor, may I ask where have you been these past few days? My father has returned to Heaven, and as his son, I guarded his soul by his coffin for seven days."


    "You?"


    "Where were you?"


    "You didn''t even offer him any joss stick."


    "Do you think that you''re worthy of being called a Ye? Do you feel that you have the right to acknowledge your ancestors?"


    "Today, in front of the elders of our Luoyang City, I, Ye Yunhai, swear before my father''s coffin that as long as I''m alive, the gates of the Ye Family will never be open to you."


    Ye Yunhai spoke firmly, and his words were powerful.


    They were as sharp as swords.


    Cutting words.


    The citizens of Luoyang City that stood at both sides of the street began to point and speak about Ye Que after they heard Ye Yunhai. In life, one had to be filial to one''s parents. In death, one had to bury them correctly and perform the necessary rituals to remember them.


    "That is to say, no matter what, you will not let me see him today?" Ye Que asked.


    "Get lost if you know what''s good for you."


    "I won''t repeat the same words a third time."


    Ye Que was still indifferent and did not move at all, Ye Yunhai snorted, "On account that we bear the same surname, I don''t wish for any blood to be shed on the day my father is going to be buried. Don''t force my hand."


    "Men."


    Ye Yunhai shouted, and a team of soldiers dressed in white stepped out in an orderly fashion from the vast procession behind him. They eyes were bloodshot.


    The air around them seemed to have frozen. Most people had heard the youths clearly. Ye Que claimed to be the legendary illegitimate son of the late Ye Zhengru, and that he wanted to take a final look at his father on the very day he was going to be buried; he did not believe that the general had suffered a relapse and died in his sleep. Ye Yunhai, however, had not agreed and did not even acknowledge Ye Que as his half-brother.


    They were flesh and blood who shared the same father!


    Why would two brothers be in a hurry to kill each other?


    Normally, Ye Que would have given in. At this moment, he stubbornly refused to let go from the center of the street.


    Was it necessary to start a battle between life and death?


    At this moment, at the corner of the other direction of the Divine Sect Seminary, a young boy ran over, very fast, with all his might.


    The man went straight to Ye Que and didn''t slow down until he reached his side. He even poked Ye Que''s elbow, saying, "Wait, wait."


    The person who came here was Qian Shuxiao. He gasped and stretched out his hand and said "wait" to Ye Yunhai, but his face was facing Ye Que, back to everyone. He opened his mouth but no words came out. "Leave first, there''s some insider news," he said eventually.

 Chapter 67 Burning Ship

    After moving out of the way and returning to the Divine Sect Seminary, Ye Que shot Qian Shuxiao a look. "You better give me one..."


    Qian Shuxiao threw a jade pendant at him before he could finish his sentence.


    Ye Que caught the pendant with ease and looked at it. "Why is this pendant with you?"


    Ye Que remembered vividly that this jade pendant was something his mother left behind. Several days ago, he had personally delivered it to Ye Zhengru. How did it end up in Qian Shuxiao''s hands?


    "Old General Ye''s housekeeper delivered it to me. It''s his private housekeeper; you''ve met him," Qian Shuxiao explained. "The day after your meeting, he secretly came here in the evening to see you. But you were in the midst of your close-door meditation then, so he handed it to me. He also left a message."


    "What is it?" Ye Que frowned.


    "Tell Ye this: River Soldiers." Qian Shuxiao counted on his fingers as he spoke. "Five words, that''s all he said."


    "That''s all? Five words?" Ye Que looked confused. There was neither a head nor a tail to these words. He was sure it wasn''t the entirety of the message.


    "He must have more to say but after saying those five words, a black flame suddenly appeared in the pit of his stomach and instantly burned him into ash." Qian Shuxiao fished out a small pouch from his spice bag¡ªthe Yin-and-Yang Pouch he won in the Mortal World Pavilion auction¡ªand handed it to Ye Que.


    Ye Que accepted the pouch and opened it. Inside was fine ash. He pinched and rubbed the ash with his fingers before putting them at the tip of his nose for a sniff. His expression gradually cooled. "Not only it''s a black fire appearing in the pit of his stomach, but there''s also this scent. It can only be the result of Dark Venom."


    "Why would it appear in the General''s Manor?"


    "The Devil Race is the only one who uses the Art of Venomous Curses like Dark Venom!"


    "Don''t tell me..."


    "Don''t tell me there are members of the Devil Race in Luoyang City!" Ye Que thought in great shock. For the first time, panic colored his expression.


    The Demon Race and the Human Race had shared a bloody history of immense hatred for generations. One would not give up until the other was exterminated. However, the Devil Race was a race that treated both the Demon and Human Races as food and preyed on humans. It was evidently frightening.


    Ye Que had seen Ye Zhengru''s private housekeeper and knew the latter''s cultivation was at least in the Starburst Realm. It was obvious how powerful the Devil was, to be able to conceal himself in the General''s Manor and covertly plant venom-based poison inside the body of a Starburst Realm expert.


    After closing his eyes and thinking deeply for some time, Ye Que gave Qian Shuxiao a solemn look. "Keep this between us. You mustn''t mention this to others, especially the housekeeper''s cause of death. From today onward, you mustn''t take even a single step inside the General''s Manor no matter what."


    "What''s wrong?" Qian Shuxiao asked.


    "Don''t ask. You just have to obey me," Ye Que said decisively.


    "But I''ve already sent two groups of men to investigate the General''s Manor," Qian Shuxiao said awkwardly, "and the first group didn''t enter the manor. They reported that the manor appeared normal from the surface but upon closer look, and they discovered the guards were changed after the Old General died. The current guards are all new faces. Some of them aren''t even from the Ye family''s army."


    "What about the second group?"


    "Yet to return."


    "Find a way to tell them that the mission is canceled. They''re not to provoke the General''s Manor anymore."


    Then, Ye Que picked up the pouch filled with dust and walked out alone. "Go back to Qian Manor tonight. Stop staying in the seminary; it''s not safe here."


    After leaving the seminary, Ye Que walked aimlessly on the streets and made a full circle around Luoyang City. It wasn''t until the sky darkened that he stopped. He had pondered deeply during his walk.


    He recalled his harsh life with his mother and remembered why he came to Luoyang. He thought of his years cultivating in the Qingqiu in his previous life, the fleeting youth when he ascended to the Celestial World, as well as the bloody spectacle in his many years of campaigning against the Demon World. Of course, the memories he recalled most vividly was the past several months after returning to his youth, despite how brief they were.


    He was very glad to have met the Qian siblings and the people who fought courageously next to him in the Mortal World Pavilion.


    These people gave him a sense of reality and constantly reminded him that he wasn''t the Demon-slaying Asura who dominated the Three Realms. He was the current Ye Que, the Leader of the Divine Sect.


    Of course, he didn''t forget his conversation with Ye Zhengru several days ago. He had told Ye Zhengru a story and settled a cherished desire of his. He and his "father" also had bodily contact for the first time.


    Ye Zhengru had patted him on the shoulder twice, neither too strongly nor too gently. It was a feeling he had never experienced.


    It was both warm and powerful. He felt very secure inside.


    However, all these went up in smoke in a single night.


    "You all killed him before he could fulfill his promise and compensate my mother," Ye Que muttered to himself while sitting by the Luo River outside the city. "If anyone''s killing him, it should be me! How dare you people jump the queue?"


    "His life belongs to me. Without my permission, no one''s allowed to claim his life! How vile!" Ye Que pounded his fist on the ground, causing a tremor with his force.


    "All he did was to listen to my story. I haven''t heard theirs; how they met and why did they end up having me. All we had was one conversation, just one. All we did was exchange a few words."


    Ye Que''s words unexpectedly revealed a hint of guilt toward the man that he had once dreamed of torturing and killing.


    Perhaps it was because they were father and son.


    He could hate Ye Zhengru his entire life. He could torture and kill Ye Zhengru in his dream. He could curse Ye Zhengru to have a painful and spiteful death.


    But others couldn''t!


    Because Ye Zhengru was his father!


    For the first time since returning to his youth, Ye Que was grieving. It was a state of mind that emerged from the depths of his blood. It was uncontrollable and irresistible. The only thing he could do was to endure in silence.


    He stood by Luo River, allowing the cool wind at night to brush across his cheeks.


    From afar, a burning wooden boat drifted over. The fire licking the boat alternated between burning and extinguishing.


    People in Luoyang believed that in the nether world, a deceased must cross a river of Yin, where not even a goose feather could float. The burning ship was meant for the deceased to cross that river safely and reach paradise.


    "River-crossing boat?"


    "I wonder if anyone set a boat on fire for you."


    "When Mother passed away, I burned a boat. Now that you''re gone, you wouldn''t be able to meet her if I don''t burn another. I suppose she''ll be very upset."


    "Turbid!"


    With a slash of his finger-sword, the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords inside his body emerged.


    13 Spirit Swords revolved around a weeping willow by the river. Sword Qi danced madly, causing wood shavings to swirl in the air. Soon, the willow tree was shaved down to a long and narrow wooden boat.


    With both hands, Ye Que carried the boat and pushed it into the water. With a swipe of his fingers, the wooden boat ignited violently in a flash. The boat slowly drifted away along with the flow of the river and gradually faded into the night.


    "In the world of the living, you chose righteousness."


    "In the nether world, I hope you''ll repay your debt of devotion."


    After returning to the courtyard of bluish-green bamboo in Qian Manor, Ye Que broke his unchanging tradition of cultivating and instead ordered someone to fetch Qian Shuxiao.


    Looking at the once frivolous Young Master who had transformed into a hot-blooded youth who wholeheartedly preached cultivation to the people, Ye Que took in a deep breath. Only then did he say, "I''m leaving Luoyang. I''ll jot down the remainder of the cultivation methods of the Divine Sect Seminary tonight. I''ll also be leaving you some other Taoist techniques, sword skills, saber skills, formations, and so on. I''ll write down everything I can think of that will be suitable for you all. You must take good care of them. It''s best if you don''t keep it on you lest you lose them somewhere."


    "Where are you going?"


    "The ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum."

 Chapter 68 The Depths of the Tall Mountain

    Unorthodox men had a heart of steel. When the sage didn''t see the river filled with red autumnal leaves, it was like a traveler''s eyes were filled with blood.


    Ye Que didn''t cry. Though his journey was doomed to be perilous, he didn''t think that he wouldn''t be able to return. He had said everything that he had to say and met everyone that he had to meet last night. Thus, he left this morning without bidding farewell.


    Out of the things the Qian siblings gave him, he took nothing except for a spice bag. There would be many treasures in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum and an abundance of golden Divine Energy in the Spiritual Sea. He also had his 13 Spring and Autumn Swords in his heart. These were more than enough for him.


    With his hands clasped behind his back, he left Luoyang City amid the exquisite morning sunshine and the bleakness of the autumn air.


    The ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum were northwest of the city, hidden in the depths of towering mountains. It was said that snow wouldn''t melt during winter and heavy downpours were accompanied with impenetrable fog during summer. The mountains were covered in dense forests infested with vicious beasts. Ordinary people who entered the forests would never walk out alive.


    With a precise map smuggled out of the palace in hand, Ye Que traveled by foot for three days before finally arriving the spot marked with a red dot.


    The entrance of the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum was located in a gorge.


    There, he found a long and narrow path splitting a lofty mountain¡ªso tall he couldn''t see its peak¡ªin half as if it was as sword breaking into the sky. The path formed a canyon.


    A three-meter-tall stele towered over the entrance of the canyon. It was inscribed with the words: "Death to all those who enter the Imperial Mausoleum!"


    Though he could already see the colors of autumn, it was still warm throughout his journey here. However, the temperature fell sharply when he reached this place.


    He stood at the entrance of the canyon and stared at the scenery from a distance. A burst of cold wind hit him straight on the face. The grass under his feet was a dark green color yet the grass inside the canyon was already yellowing. The stark difference made it look as if both places seemed like two different worlds.


    "Death to all those who enter?"


    "Then let me try this perilous land in the vulgar world and see what it''s like. There''s no way it''s worse than the graveyard of the fairyland," Ye Que muttered to himself. He strolled past the boundary between the green and yellow grass and entered the gorge.


    The Spiritual Sea inside him stirred.


    The Divine Energy wandering overhead took the shape of a golden python. With a shake of its tail, his Spiritual Sea recovered its tranquility.


    "Formation!"


    "I must''ve stepped past the edge of a large formation earlier. To think that I didn''t notice that there''s a formation here at all!" Ye Que''s expression finally turned grave. This was indeed the birthplace of the River Soldiers. Sure enough, there were ruins here.


    "I think this formation is designed to restrict visitors'' realm. No wonder the news said that people who wish to enter the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum must not only be cultivators, but also cultivators between the realms of Psychic and Starburst. Commoners and high-level cultivators both would perish if they enter!"


    Ye Que slowly walked along the long and narrow path in the gorge while inhaling and exhaling Qi. Soon enough, his breath condensed to form a frosted fog. The walls of the gorge, already sparse in the first place, were completely void of vines. The only things that remained were some dried-up and wilted branches dancing in the wind.


    His vision gradually dimmed. When he looked up, all he saw was a sky that resembled a strip of white ribbon.


    The howling of the cold wind in the gorge rang next to his ears. He could increasingly smell an acrid scent at the tip of his nose.


    His Divine Mind stirred and a small sword that emitted blue radiance instantly emerged from the door of his heart. The sword hovered in the air. What Ye Que summoned was the fourth sword of the 13 Spring and Autumn Swords, Straw Dog. The light of the Straw Dog sword was the brightest. Without a torch in hand, the sword was the most useful at times like this.


    Ye Que''s Divine Mind could effectively replace his sense of touch but not his vision. He still needed the right amount of light to see.


    With the Straw Dog Sword illuminating his path, he would see star-like red speckles of blood on the walls of the gorge every few steps he took. He took several steps forward and wiped the wall gently with his fingers. It was blood no older than a few days.


    "Looks like someone''s here," Ye Que thought.


    Someone was already here?


    Ye Que had underestimated the actions of all those large sects. This place hadn''t simply been visited by someone else. In fact, Ye Que was probably the last one to come to this place and cross the gorge. The youngsters in the Psychic and Starburst realms from other sects had arrived in this place several days ago.


    The object at stake was no other than the Divine Tool, River Soldiers. Who would be willing to see it fall into another''s hand?


    Sometimes, a single misstep could create a world of difference.


    Another burst of cold wind blew. Ye Que''s eyebrow suddenly jumped. The Spiritual Sword hovering in the air, the Straw Dog Sword, suddenly stood upright. The tip of the sword was slanted to the left. Then, the sword swiftly slanted right and flew with a sharp howl.


    Ear-piercing, mournful cries came from both sides of the forge approximately five meters in front. The dark blue Straw Dog Sword performed several sword styles in the air, prompting the mournful cries to stop with a grunting sound. Suddenly, a wisp of gray light emerged in the sky.


    "Ghost?"


    "To think I''d stumble across a ghost before I even really stepped onto the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum!" Ye Que muttered to himself as he stared at the gradually dissipating grey light in the distance. It was no wonder only cultivators were allowed to enter. Never mind entering this place, commoners might not even be able to make it out of this small gorge.


    Ghosts were people who couldn''t enter the wheel of reincarnation after their death, resulting in their soul being left behind in the mortal world. Since this was the Imperial Mausoleum of the glorious Tang Empire, Ye Que guessed that most of the ghosts here were commoners who died tragically back when they were building this mound. Just by looking at the imposing state of this gorge, he could imagine the Imperial Mausoleum being a spectacularly glorious existence.


    In the span of an hour, he encountered no less than one hundred ambushes from ghosts before finally making out of the gorge. Aside from the star-like speckles of blood, he didn''t see any sign of cultivators or their corpses.


    Upon second thought, he found this to be reasonable. Those who dared to come here was inevitably well-known figures from the various sects. The insignificant ghosts couldn''t do anything to the cultivators as long as they practiced caution. The most useful trait of these ghosts was likely preventing commoners from going forward.


    His vision swiftly widened after walking out of the gorge and the damp scent in the air disappeared as well. When he looked up, the blue sky greeted him. When he looked down, he saw a forest that extended as far as his eye could see.


    Perhaps it was because the sky was gradually darkening. Perhaps it was because the trees were gradually wilting. The forest he saw seemed to be dyed with a faint red color.


    It was the color of the sky that was faint.


    It was the color of the maple forest that was red.


    By now, he had already walked for three days. Seeing as he was just entering the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, he didn''t hastily charge into the forest.


    Seeing as the Divine Tool wasn''t born yet, he was in no hurry. Speedy travel wasn''t necessarily a good thing, just as slow travel wasn''t necessarily a bad thing.


    He made a small deviation away from the entrance of the gorge and walked to the side for several hundred meters. Then, he found a cavity in the wall of the gorge that would shield him from the wind. He prepared to stay the night there. Countless bloody lessons taught him that no matter where he was, traveling at night was many times more dangerous than traveling during the day.


    The darkness of the night imperceptibly evoked the longing deep in the hearts of humans, and perhaps even demons.


    Bloodthirstiness, violence, darkness, and massacre often took place at night.


    Ye Que made a simple examination of his surrounding radius of several hundred meters and found nothing abnormal. He did discover several sweet potatoes, though.


    The sky darkened at frantic speed in the mountains. It was merely overcast earlier but it was soon completely dark.


    Ye Que had already built a bonfire in front of him using maple trees. Inside the cavity in the wall of the gorge, he was protected from the night wind. He sat cross-legged next to the bonfire, staring at the gentle swaying of the red flames as they emitted crackling sounds.


    Ye Que picked up a twig and poked at the two sweet potatoes placed in the flames. He was recalling what the old housekeeper of the General''s Manor told him: "Tell Ye this: River Soldiers."


    "There''s no doubt the old housekeeper''s death has something to do with the Devil Race. The venom was proof. Then how did Ye Zhengru die? Is it the Devil Race''s doing? But if it''s them, why would they guide me to find the Divine Tool, the River Soldiers? What connects all these?"


    The aroma of the sweet potatoes that carried a hint of maple gradually permeated the air.


    Ye Que fished a roasted sweet potato out of the bonfire. Using his fingertips to hold the sweet potato, he slowly tore away the slightly burnt skin. He lowered his head and began to slowly eat its steaming white flesh. The radiance coming from the flames shone upon him, casting a shadow on his face every now and then.

 Chapter 69 Competition Over Sword Qi

    The moon fell behind the crevice of the mountains, leaving only a ray of moonlight to emerge quietly in the night.


    Leaves the color of blazing flames enveloped the maple forest before Ye Que. Following a sweeping autumn wind, the firey-red maple leaves appeared even more coquettish. Coupled with the tall piles of dead leaves on the ground, the world seemed integrated as a whole. He felt as if he had stepped into a fairyland.


    The bonfire built on a pile of maple wood had long ceased burning, leaving behind star-like sparks and a wisp of smoke. By now, the forest was shrouded by a thin layer of frosty mist. It was as if it was putting on a thin layer of clothing on the maple leaves that covered the entire mountain.


    The cold wind emerged from the crevices of the canyon.


    It swept a wide-awake Ye Que, the mist shrouding the forest, as well as the frosted maple forest.


    The wind carried a fiery-red maple leaf to him.


    The leaf trembled when it was three feet away from him. Then, it was sliced squarely in half as if by a sharp blade. One leaf turned into two.


    The intangible Spiritual Force seemed to have formed a protective shield around him, blocking the cold wind and other miscellaneous objects from invading.


    The cold wind gradually picked up, carrying even more maple leaves toward him. Some were tossed away before they could come close to him while others were instantly shredded by that intangible force before floating to the ground.


    Ye Que only finished his usual meditative cultivation when the sky brightened. He stared at the countless shreds of leaves in front of him and knew that he had thoroughly stabilized his Psychic Realm. He was beginning to crawl toward the Starburst Realm.


    Those in the Pre-celestial and Post-celestial Realms were restricted to imbuing objects with their Spiritual Force. They could only fully utilize their Spiritual Force through the use of objects. It wasn''t until after reaching the Physic Realm that they could link their True Energy with the Spiritual Force in the world and display that power.


    The fragments of maple leaves piled on the ground in front of Ye Que had came for this reason. Of course, he wasn''t using True Energy but Divine Energy.


    He extinguished the bonfire that was still emitting smoke and purified his body of dust. After finding his direction, he breathed in the morning air and set forth for the maple forest.


    Amid the swirling maple leaves in the air, he moved steadily through the forest.


    He pondered the abstrusity of the Psychic Realm while walking.


    The Divine Energy in his body continued to connect with the ubiquitous Spiritual Force around him. Then, he controlled the Spiritual Force to crush the maple leaves falling near him into smithereens.


    The further he traveled, the more maple trees he saw and the denser the leaves became. His command of the Spiritual Force also became increasingly precise.


    Subconsciously, he grew tired of merely crushing maple leaves.


    He began manipulating the Spiritual Force to slowly but precisely slice the midrib and veins of the leaves. Since the midrib and veins of every maple leaf were different, he had to adjust his strength and angle when slicing them.


    He had only a limited time before each leaf fell to the ground. In the beginning, he could only cut the petioles. Later on, however, he began to successfully cut the veins.


    Ye Que was like a skilled artisan brandishing an ink-dipped brush across the maple leaves.


    Gradually, he entered a deeply mysterious realm. He used the Spiritual Force to slice maple leaves while walking for an entire day and night. He didn''t stop and not even a single maple leaf came close to him throughout the journey.


    It wasn''t until noon the next day that he finally stopped walking. It was because he had walked out of the maple forest and there were no longer any leaves for him to slice.


    In front of him was a seven-feet-tall waterfall with a rapid current. Under the waterfall was a semi-circular lake and the water closer to the bank was beginning to freeze. The water closer to the waterfall remained in liquid form, though it was filled with frosted fragments that fell last night. It seemed like a mass of hairy white grass that was somewhat adorable in the way it dazzled.


    Ye Que opened his hands in the direction of the waterfall and felt his mind unload.


    "It''s already my second day in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum but I have not encountered any danger or cultivator. Am I walking in the wrong direction?" Even though he was fine being alone, it was nevertheless a little boring.


    "Boom!"


    While mulling over that question, he heard a sudden smothered noise coming from the waterfall. He instantly recognized it to be the sound of clashing swords. Then, he spotted a silhouette falling from the sky and straight into the lake. A loud splash resounded.


    Soon, blood began dyeing the limpid lake water red. The figure that fell into the lake floated to the surface. The person wore a short garment of crisscrossing white and green colors. His cuffs were partially rolled up, revealing a tattoo of the word "sword" on his left arm. The calligraphy was both bold and powerful.


    Ye Que was stunned after seeing the person''s tattoo and clothes. "Qingqiu Sword Sect!"


    "It''s a Qingqiu Sword Sect disciple who fell into the water!"


    His cultivation journey had begun in the Qingqiu Sword Sect. He wouldn''t mistake that tattoo and attire.


    He jumped into the water without hesitation and dragged the person to the shore. However, the moment he placed his hand on the person''s stomach, he could tell that the latter''s arteries and veins were shattered. There was no cure for him!


    When he raised his head to look in the direction of where the person fell, a few faint silhouettes appeared in his vision. He poured Divine Energy into the arteries and veins in his ear and perked up to listen. The sound of a dispute gradually became distinct.


    "We''re the one who found and hunted this Three-eyed Spirit Deer first! It''s unreasonable of you to snatch this deer. To make things worse, you even ambushed Senior Brother Xia and threw Senior Brother Lin down the waterfall! Is this how a member of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel acts?"


    "What a joke! You said you hunted this Three-eyed Spirit Deer? Why didn''t I see anything? Obviously, there are two arrows in this deer and one of them is a Rainy Duel Arrow!"


    "You stabbed the deer with the arrow just minutes ago!"


    "Who can prove it?"


    "We''re all members of famed orthodox sects. Reason and rules should dictate everything we do."


    "Reason? Are you kidding me? In the past 800 years, since when did your Qingqiu Sword Sect and my Chamber of the Rainy Duel reason with one another? Whoever is stronger, whoever is the reason!"


    Having said that, there was no reason for the argument to continue. Their voices quietened. Under the waterfall, Ye Que grasped a basic understanding of what was going on. If the person falling into the water was the work of a Chamber of the Rainy Duel disciple, then it was no accident.


    That person was right. Ever since the Qingqiu Sword Sect and the Chamber of the Rainy Duel branched out of a single sect 800 years ago, there was never any reason to be had whenever their disciples met. That was because reason did no longer matter at all.


    What they fought for was Sword Qi.


    What was at stake was their belief.


    Both originated from the same sword sect, which was considered the strongest sect in the Cultivation World then. It had no rival. The sect, with its countless masters, was a formidable power that deserved its title as the head of the Cultivation World. Perhaps it was lonely at the top; the experts in the sect began to differ in their interpretation of cultivation.


    The Qingqiu Sword Sect believed that when one cultivated swordsmanship, one must wield the sword to manipulate Qi. The sword was the principal factor while Qi was secondary. However, the Chamber of the Rainy Duel believed that one should manipulate Qi to wield the sword. Qi was the principal factor while the sword played second fiddle. The disputes between the two factions were endless until a big fight eventually took place. It worsened to the point that the factions divided the sect and formed two separate ones.


    Ever since then, disciples from the Qingqiu Sword Sect and the Chamber of the Rainy Duel would inevitably fight upon meeting and strive to kill. Such was their endless enmity. In the past 800 years, there had been tens of wars between the two sects. They could be considered a pair of nemeses in the Cultivation World.


    "Is that a bratty child from the Chamber of the Rainy Duel? They''re getting more and more unbridled these days!" Ye Que muttered, his eyes revealing a boundless fighting desire. It was as if his blood was boiling just from hearing that name.

 Chapter 70 Overrated

    The ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum.


    The waterfall at the Grass-pecking Cliff.


    Nalan Rongruo stood at the edge of the waterfall, feeling her rage burn in the pit of her stomach. She was so furious that she nearly died of anger.


    She hadn''t believed her Senior Brothers when they told her how shameless those from the Chamber of the Rainy Duel could be. Now, she was witnessing it with her own eyes. "Shameless" was too kind a word to describe them.


    Nangong Jie, dressed in a snow-white attire, stood 10 meters away from her with a three-feet-long sword in hand. He looked distinguished and proper yet his behavior was beyond disgusting.


    He was the great Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel. Having entered the Starburst Realm at the age of 18, he was known as the future genius of the Chamber.


    It was shocking for him to do something as outrageous as stealing someone''s prey, ambushing another, and blatantly lying. Even if both sides didn''t like each other because of the feud between their sects, a battle would have been the right way to settle their problem. Wasn''t he ashamed to do something so disgusting?!


    However, the two Senior Brothers in the Starburst realm who led their group of Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples were now dead. The remaining six were all in the Physic Realm. They were no match for Nangong Jie.


    Undoubtedly, they would be helpless against him in a fight.


    All they could do was glare at him.


    "Hurry up and hand over that Three-eyed Spirit Deer before I change my mind. You all can leave after." Nangong Jie wore the smile of a victor. He extended his finger and pointed to the spiritual deer behind Nalan Rongruo.


    None of the six Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples said a word. Their grip on their sword tightened.


    Qi Shenghua and Yue Shu, who stood in front of Nalan Rongruo, had already begun to adjust their breathing. They raised their wrist so that their sword hilt was pointed inward while the blade was pointed outward. Determination flicked in their bright eyes.


    Both were the remaining male disciples in this group of disciples. Naturally, they were the ones to make a move at this moment.


    No one had ever heard of Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples being too cowardly to fight despite knowing they had no chance of winning.


    Nangong Jie noticed their gaze as well as their wrist movement. His eyebrows instantly knitted and impatience flitted across his pupils when he saw that they were disregarding his words. "Don''t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. The spiritual deer is the only thing I want. If you don''t appreciate my kindness, then I''ll have all of your lives instead. Judging from your appearance, it must be your first time coming out to experience the world. Do you really want to die together in this Imperial Mausoleum and leave not even a skeleton behind?!"


    He shot Nalan Rongruo a glance. "Female disciples as beautiful as flower like you will change beyond recognition after getting gnawed on by vicious beasts. I wonder if you all will dare to reincarnate after reaching the Underworld."


    "If all of us die here, naturally there will be Senior Brothers avenging us," Nalan Rongruo replied solemnly.


    She had a baby face and two adorable dimples on her cheeks. Though she was glaring at him, he couldn''t bring himself to feel hatred. Rather, he somewhat pitied her.


    "Idiotic!"


    "Naive!"


    "Is your brain screwed on right?"


    "With all of you dead, who would know that I murdered you?!"


    "Even if they know, who would dare seek revenge? I''m the Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel! Do your Senior Brothers have the guts to come to Southern Yue? Even if they do come, do you think they''ll live to return?"


    Nangong Jie laughed wantonly while pointing at Nalan Rongruo. This female disciple who was exploring the world for the first time was so adorably foolish. He was beginning to feel hesitant to kill her.


    "You''re the idiotic one!"


    "Your entire family is idiotic!"


    "Go to hell!"


    Nalan Rongruo narrowed her eyes and frowned after hearing Nangong Jie mock her. Following a snort, she unexpectedly unsheathed the sword hanging at her waist. In an instant, she courageously closed the 10 meters of distance between them and aimed for Nangong Jie.


    She used the Wind-slicing style, one of the styles from the nine entry-level sword skills of the Qingqiu Sword Sect.


    "No more than fancy tricks!"


    As if he had predicted her actions, Nangong Jie tapped the tip of his foot on the ground and flew backward by several meters. With a gentle wave of his finger, the sword in his hand flew at Nalan Rongruo''s Wind-slicing sword style while glowing with blue light.


    The blue light transformed into foggy rain in midair. There was obviously one sword yet there seemed to be an endless rain of swords in everyone''s eyes.


    After failing to hit her target with the Wind-slicing sword style, Nalan Rongruo twisted her waist and unleashed the remaining eight sword styles one by one.


    Thorny Rain, Crystalized Frost, Scattered Mist, Sudden Thunderclap, Mountain-crushing, Water-ceasing, Cloud-reaching, Burning Sun.


    One sword followed after another.


    She cried each time the swords flew out as if she was practicing her swordsmanship.


    Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples were most familiar with the nine entry-level sword skills. Those were also the easiest for them to perform. After using the Wind-slicing Sword, she was essentially unleashing the remaining eight sword skills out of instinct. She didn''t even have to think.


    After unleashing her nine sword skills, she swiftly wielded her sword in a defensive stance. Her chest was heaving and her small face was red. Even though she was gasping for breath, her eyes were filled with excitement. This was her first time leaving the sect for experience as well as her first time fighting a life-and-death battle. Moreover, her opponent was a genius whose cultivation was one realm higher than hers. She didn''t expect to unleash the entirety of the entry-level nine-sword swordsmanship and surprised herself by performing it so smoothly. Could it be that she had a gift for battling?


    "Be careful!"


    She first heard her Junior Brother Qi Shenghua''s alarmed cry coming from behind her. Then, she saw a sword mysteriously and inexplicably emerge out of the foggy rain that she had sliced earlier. It stabbed her chest at an exceptionally tricky angle.


    Feeling a wave of Sword Qi hit her face and seeing the mysterious shadow of the sword charging at her, her reaction evidently slowed. After all, she was an inexperienced rookie battling for the first time. What did she know about techniques used in life-and-death battles? She had thrown all of her power behind her previous attack and left nothing for her defense. Right now, her energy was completely exhausted.


    "Swordsmanship from the Qingqiu Sword Sect."


    "Overrated!"


    "Using swords to manipulate Qi?"


    "That''s the biggest joke I''ve ever heard!"


    Nangong Jie scoffed. "Today, I''ll show you what true sword skills look like and what it truly means to be a sword hegemon!"


    His voice had barely faded when his sword reached Nalan Rongruo''s face!


    ...


    The two male disciples had been watching the battle attentively. At this crucial moment, one wielded his sword defensively to block Nangong Jie''s mysterious attack. The other reached out to drag Nalan Rongruo and brandished his sword with his other hand.


    However, the difference in power between realms wasn''t something that headcount could make up for. To make things worse, Nangong Jie was using Qi to manipulate his sword. He was apt at long-range attacks and had better cultivation, too. It made him more powerful than any of them.


    The sword with a mythical body brushed past Qi Shenghua''s wrist before skewering Yue Shu''s shoulder. Finally, it pointed at Nalan Rongruo''s midbrows.


    The remaining three female disciples who had yet to make a move couldn''t react quick enough to save them. They cried out in alarm but their cries sounded a little off. It was as if they were shocked, but not terribly sorrowful.


    A terrible scene was about to unfold before their eyes.


    However, right then, a voice rang next to their ears.


    "Stop!"


    The simple command seemed to carry extraordinary power. Unexpectedly, the sword charging at Nalan Rongruo stopped a centimeter away from her midbrows.


    The sword had no choice but to stop.


    The sword didn''t dare to not stop.


    The moment the voice resounded, Nangong Jie sensed a dangerous vibe coming from behind him. Simultaneously, he also felt an intense stab of pain.


    He was shocked to discover a sword clinging to the back of his head!


    Nangong Jie, a Starburst Realm cultivator, had completely failed to detect the sword! What kind of crafty swordsmanship was this?!


    Gradually, a figure emerged from the stone steps that led to the Grass-pecking Cliff. He appeared far away upon first glance and yet he was standing behind Nangong Jie in the next glance. "Who''s the one spouting conceited nonsense earlier, calling the sword skills of Qingqiu Sword Sect overrated and using swords to manipulate Qi laughable?"

 Chapter 71 Theres a Young Lady Who Came Here on a Fish

    Nangong Jie didn''t sense the sword at the back of his head at all.


    To a Starburst Realm cultivator like him, it was either that the newcomer was an expert manipulator of True Energy who didn''t leak any of his energy or that the sword behind him was a high-level weapon. Level 1 was a Taoist object while Level 2 would make it a spiritual object. This sword was at the level of Spirit Sword at the minimum.


    The gurgling sound of running water rang next to Nangong Jie''s ears. He lifted his hands. Sweat was forming on his forehead and he dared not to make any movement.


    He could feel the skin on the back of his neck tremble from the ice-cold sensation coming from the tip of the sword. Without turning his head, he asked cautiously, "Who are you?"


    "I''m nobody," Ye Que replied indifferently.


    "You wield a Spirit Sword and even ambush someone from behind?" Nangong Jie continued, innuendo lacing his words.


    "That''s the way I like it. Mind your business." Ye Que chuckled.


    "Not playing by the rules?" Seeing that Ye Que didn''t fall for his trick, Nangong Jie began to panic. No matter how high his cultivation was, he was powerless in such a tight space. Once the sword pierced his head, his death was all but certain.


    "My sword is stronger than yours, so that makes me the rule. Don''t you understand this logic? What did your master teach you? Is this your first time leaving your sect?" Ye Que said mockingly. These words were somewhat familiar.


    "Are you from the Qingqiu Sword Sect?" After carefully racking his brain, Nangong Jie realized that those words were what he said earlier.


    "What do you think?" Ye Que neither denied nor confirmed his assumption.


    Nangong Jie was so irritated with their conversation that he nearly blew a fuse. This man was clearly wasting his time.


    "Let''s not take this seriously and give each other some leeway. There''s no need to humiliate anyone." Nangong Jie''s expression was so dark that his face was almost stiff. "I''m Nangong Jie, the Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel. You need to consider the consequences of killing me. You can''t even imagine the price you''ll have to pay for that."


    Ye Que leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "Do you think that I''m humiliating you?"


    "Aren''t you?" Nangong Jie asked in a nasal voice.


    Ye Que was momentarily silent before asking, "You''re unsatisfied, aren''t you? You think I''m bullying you?"


    "You have the clear advantage with your Spirit Sword!" Nangong Jie retorted loudly without a second thought. He even lifted his hand by several inches. "If you''re that capable, I dare you to fight me face-to-face."


    "What if the outcome is still the same?" Ye Que''s tone was tranquil as if he was stating a fact.


    "I''ll obey your orders without objection," Nangong Jie replied decisively.


    Silence shrouded the place as no one spoke. Nangong Jie''s sword was suspended in front of Nalan Rongruo''s midbrows while Ye Que''s sword halted behind Nangong Jie''s head. The disciples wanted to warn Ye Que to be careful of Nangong Jie''s trickery. They might be strangers who met by chance but this was after all a junction between life and death. However, they felt like whatever they say would be superfluous instead.


    Moments later, Ye Que named his condition. "Retrieve your sword first."


    "Retrieve your sword first." Nangong Jie had the exact same words to say. His sword was his sole bargaining chip now. After all, he had already killed two Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples and even used a dirty trick to ambush one of them. If Ye Que was truly connected with that sect, retrieving his sword might just spell his death.


    "You''re the Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel. Your life is more precious but unfortunately, you don''t have a choice."


    Ye Que threw the option back to Nangong Jie.


    "You can only gamble."


    "Gamble on the fact that I''m not immoral."


    No less than ten seconds elapsed. With a tight frown and trembling fingers, Nangong Jie finally clenched his teeth and swung his finger-sword to the side. The sword pointed at Nalan Rongruo''s midbrows instantly returned to his side, with its sword hilt pointed outward and tip pointed inward.


    Simultaneously, the True Energy inside Nangong Jie rose to its peak. If Ye Que was immoral, he didn''t mind dragging Ye Que to hell with him at the final moment. He had long estimated their distance and locked onto Ye Que''s position.


    If worse came to worst, he would just drag Ye Que to the Underworld with him!


    The first thing Nalan Rongruo did after being rescued was yelling. "Kill him as revenge for Senior Brothers!" However, the Junior Brothers next to her immediately stopped her and even clasped a hand over her mouth.


    In their opinion, Ye Que wasn''t a Qingqiu Sword Sect disciple. He had gone above and beyond in rescuing them. How could they ask him to kill Nangong Jie?


    Nangong Jie was right. He was the Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel, after all. Whoever who killed him would be inviting countless trouble upon himself.


    "Please retrieve your sword lest people look down on you," Nangong Jie said coolly. Even though his voice was cold, everyone could detect his anxiety and attempt at reverse psychology.


    Ye Que acted as if he didn''t hear him. He slowly walked away from Nangong Jie and walked toward Nalan Rongruo. However, he didn''t move the sword pointed at the back of Nangong Jie''s head.


    Nangong Jie''s forehead was drenched with sweat. The sweat was even trailing down his cheek toward his lower jaw before falling drop by drop to the ground. The only thing he could was adjusting the angle of the sword to point at Ye Que. It was the little initiative that he could strive for.


    "Can I borrow your sword?"


    After walking up to Nalan Rongruo, Ye Que made his request in a quiet voice while pointing.


    "Are you really going to fight him? This is a Qi practitioner in the Starburst Realm; he uses Qi to wield his sword. His power is boundless," Nalan Rongruo said softly, looking anxious. However, she didn''t know how to persuade this man. She couldn''t ask him to be a lowly character and break his promise, could she?


    The greatest cultivating taboos were being disloyal, breaking one''s promise, and turning back on agreements.


    Finally, the young lady clenched her teeth and handed Ye Que her sword. Her face was filled with worry.


    Ye Que gently gripped her sword and patted her on the shoulder with a smile. "Rest assured."


    "Since he said that Qingqiu Sword Sect swordsmanship is overrated and using swords to manipulate Qi is a laughable idea, I won''t allow him an easy death. I need him to witness what true swordsmanship means."


    "He has no right to humiliate the Qingqiu Sword Sect swordsmanship."


    Ye Que turned around to look at Nangong Jie. With a swipe of his hand, the sword that had remained stagnant behind Nangong Jie''s head flew back into the door of his heart in an instant.


    Nangong Jie narrowed his eyes. "Sure enough, it''s a Level 2 Spirit Sword!"


    He carefully observed Ye Que. "How dare you be so arrogant when you''re a Psychic Realm cultivator! Now that you lost the chance to ambush me, stay put and wait for your death!"


    Vapor from the waterfall beneath the Grass-pecking Cliff rose upward and hit everyone on their faces. The wind swept them, gently lifting the lapel of their clothing. Nangong Jie stared fixedly at the nearby Ye Que. He took a deep breath before pouring all of his True Energy into the blade of his sword. He didn''t hold back any of his Starburst Realm strength. He was ready to go all out to recover his dignity.


    His sword, suspended in midair, began to tremble violently. The foggy rain condensed out of True Energy slowly but surely spread to all corners of the place. White flowers blossomed in the rain one after another. It was a sword skill of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel, Pear Blossom Suppressing Crabapple!


    The wind at the cliff, the water in the waterfall, as well as the Spiritual Qi in the air, were stirring. It was as if they were going to explode.


    By contrast, Ye Que appeared completely calm. He lifted the sword ever so slightly while placing his left foot forward and his right foot behind. His knees were bent. Unexpectedly, he was using the starting stance of the nine entry-level sword skills of the Qingqiu Sword Sect!


    Nalan Rongruo and the other five widened their eyes. They nearly cried out in surprise.


    Out of nowhere, a golden dot appeared in the sky above the Grass-pecking Cliff. The dot gradually came close. Very soon, it was a hundred meters away from everyone. Surprisingly, it was a four-finned flying fish. The fish was an incomparably massive and healthy goldfish with four fins that resembled the wings of a dragonfly. Seated above the fish was a young lady.

 Chapter 72 Conquer Minds Rather Than Destroy Bodies

    The blooming of pear blossom flowers spelled the arrival of fine rain.


    Nangong Jie''s sword rain exploded and looked like it was about to envelop everything.


    Ye Que finally made his move. He shifted his wrist ever so slightly and tapped lightly on the tip of his foot while bending his body. He moved like a burst of wind sticking close to the ground, evading and erasing the sword rain with his Wind-slicing sword style.


    He slashed at the edge of the curtain of rain.


    Before the Wind-slicing sword style landed, the Thorny Rain was already unleashed. The tip of the sword pierced the dazzling rain formation right in the middle with incredible precision.


    There was a real sword lying in the heart of the formation!


    Following an ear-piercing sound of friction, Ye Que unleashed the third and fourth sword styles: Crystalized Frost and Scattered Mist. The wind picked up and forcefully spiraled around Nangong Jie''s mythical sword. The ruptured True Energy on the body of the sword instantly shattered. The blooming flowers imploded into incomparably sharp petals.


    Rather than stopping, Ye Que abruptly picked up speed. He used the fifth sword style Sudden Thunderclap to sweep along the ruptured True Energy in a perfectly straight manner and advanced by several meters. The moment the True Energy scattered its Spiritual Force, the sixth sword style Mountain-crushing and seventh sword style Water-ceasing immediately imploded the ruptured spiritual energy into half. It happened to slash both sides of Ye Que.


    Nangong Jie''s illusory sword rain disappeared in a flash and the real sword hovered nakedly in the sky.


    When one used Qi to manipulate one''s sword, one had speed and long-range attacks as advantages. However, the body of sword was ultimately a mythical one. No matter how nimble it was, it was no match for a sword firmly grasped in one''s hand.


    Nangong Jie turned his two fingers and swiftly connected with his True Energy. The real but bare sword shook like a leaf. However, the tip of the sword had just risen when Ye Que''s sword tapped on it. It moved onto the edge of Nangong Jie''s sword, hilt, and finally the end of the blade. Ye Que''s sword pressed Nangong Jie''s sword to the ground. The eight sword style Cloud-reaching made four spins until Nangong Jie''s sword was no longer in the air.


    In the split second, Nangong Jie completely lost all traces of his sword in his Spiritual Sea.


    Without any hesitation, Ye Que swiftly followed up with the ninth sword style Burning Sun after the Cloud-reaching sword style. Nangong Jie rapidly retreated while hastily unleashing his Qi-sword. However, every Qi-sword he made was unable to come close within three feet of Ye Que. The Qi-swords were crushed each time through their weakest point: the part where they most easily tremble and become crooked.


    Ye Que was like the blazing sun.


    Silent.


    Irresistible.


    Moving at the speed of light.


    He arrived in front of Nangong Jie with his sword and slashed the latter''s sleeves and shoulders. He even pierced Nangong Jie''s collarbones. He crisscrossed his swords and pressed them against Nangong Jie''s knee before finally pointing his sword-finger at the back of the latter''s head.


    The ice-cold sensation returned.


    The only difference was that in the spirit sword battle this time, Ye Que was using Nalan Rongruo''s Qingqiu Sword.


    Right then, Nangong Jie''s mythical sword had just reached the ground. He himself no longer dared to transfer even the slightest bit of True Energy to his sword.


    After three seconds, a resounding thud was heard as Nangong Jie fell to his knees. Blood trickled down from the corners of his mouth. He was no longer the distinguished gentleman he looked earlier. He was the very picture of misery, though the truth was that he suffered no internal injuries whatsoever. In fact, his True Energy was coursing steadily inside him.


    From his arms, shoulders, collarbones, to knees, all of his injuries were external.


    Within 10 meters.


    Ye Que had used nine sword styles.


    What he employed was the nine entry-level sword skills of the Qingqiu Sword Sect: Wind-slicing, Thorny Rain, Crystalized Frost, Scattered Mist, Sudden Thunderclap, Mountain-crushing, Water-ceasing, Cloud-reaching, Burning Sun. He used exactly nine swords, not one more and not one less. He even performed the sword styles in the exact same sequence as Nalan Rongruo.


    The same sword skill performed by two people had produced outcomes that had a world of difference.


    Nangong Jie''s pupils were filled with puzzlement and anxiety. What exactly had happened in the past few seconds? He was obviously a Starburst Realm expert while his opponent was merely in the Physic Realm. In terms of True Energy, he was clearly superior.


    How did his opponent determine and pinpoint his real sword amid the rain so accurately? How did his opponent shatter his sword skill so cleanly? How did his opponent slash his real sword? More importantly, how did his opponent follow his footwork and hit his true body?!


    Clearly, his realm was superior!


    Clearly, it was a face-to-face confrontation!


    Clearly, he was beyond familiar with the nine entry-level sword skills of the Qingqiu Sword Sect!


    But why did the outcome turn out so differently? How did he lose? Nangong Jie''s face was deathly white and his eyes were filled with worry. Unmoving, he knelt on the ground with his head lowered. It was to the extent where he no longer paid the finger-sword pointed at the back of his brain any mind.


    He looked like he had abandoned himself to despair.


    "The victor has been determined. I was the one who said I will obey the victor without objection earlier. What can I do? Don''t tell me I''m really going to have to beg them for forgiveness! The Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel begging for forgiveness? From Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples to boot? I might as well die. Even if I somehow survive by a fluke, my father will still personally kill me when I return."


    Nangong Jie''s eyes fluttered shut. He resigned himself to listen to the victor. In a genuine battle of swords, he wouldn''t begrudge his opponent for killing him after winning.


    "You know what the Qingqiu Sword Sect swordsmanship is now, don''t you?" Ye Que patted Nangong Jie''s shoulder with the back of his sword. For a Starburst Realm expert like Nangong Jie, his current injuries weren''t enough to claim his life.


    Nangong Jie frowned. He didn''t respond.


    "Do you still believe that using swords to manipulate Qi is a laughable idea?" Ye Que patted him on the cheek with his sword.


    Nangong Jie continued to keep mum and still.


    Sometime later, he finally raised his head. "How did you do it?"


    Ye Que was stunned.


    "I''m asking you how you did it." Nangong Jie turned his head and stared fixedly at Ye Que. "Have you already broken through the Physic Realm? Am I mistaken?"


    Ye Que shrugged. "You''re not mistaken. I''m in the Physic Realm."


    "You''re not using the nine entry-level sword skills of the Qingqiu Sword Sect, are you?" Nangong Jie continued to ask.


    Ye Que chuckled. "What you see is what you get. You should be able to tell."


    "Then what exactly is the reason?" Nangong Jie was like a child asking a million whys.


    "It''s simple."


    Ye Que''s smirk deepened.


    "Because using swords to manipulate Qi is the superior method. Because using Qi to manipulate swords is wrong. Because the Qingqiu Sword Sect is orthodox. Because your sect has gone down the wrong path. That''s all."


    The four reasons essentially boiled down to one answer. Nangong Jie felt like this explanation seemed to have answered all of his confusion but a huge earthquake was taking place in his mind. Even the True Energy inside his body was spiraling into chaos.


    "It''s my loss!"


    The three words finally left Nangong Jie''s mouth. His voice was hoarse and terribly dispirited.


    "It''s your loss?"


    Ye Que repeated his words. He gave it some thought and then looked at Nangong Jie. "Since you''ve lost."


    "Then scram!"


    "Stop bothering us with your presence."


    The cold wind carried the splashed water from the waterfall and hit Nangong Jie on the face. It was ice-cold! He stopped kneeling and rose to his feet with great difficulty. A clean freak like him left with even wiping the mud off his clothing and tidying up his messy hair. He walked away with a bent waist and lowered head. From behind, he looked just like an old man.


    He hadn''t walked far before a voice came from behind him.


    "Remember this. I''m called Ye Que. ''Ye'' from the word leaf and ''Que'' from the idiom ''better to have nothing than substandard choice''."


    Silence returned to the scene. In particular, Nalan Rongruo and her fellow Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples had their jaw hanging and eyes rounded. They looked as if they had seen a ghost.


    Suddenly, a black shadow floated down from the sky.


    It was the young woman riding a goldfish who stopped a hundred meters away from the battle scene. She wore tight black brocade and a head of beautiful jet-black waist-long hair. Her hair cascaded on her back as carefreely as the waterfall. Her bare feet were fair and tender. Her facial features were defined and her eyes were bright, though her gaze was somewhat burning. She was staring at the sword in Ye Que''s hand without blinking. Her little tongue was licking her lips as if she had encountered some delicacy.


    Another burst of wind brushed past, causing her hair to flutter. Her beauty was so devastating that she could topple nations.


    She narrowed her bright eyes as a faint smile appeared on her lips. She pointed to Ye Que''s sword. "Your sword is so strange; does it conquer minds or destroy bodies?"

 Chapter 73 Sword Fanatic Who Eats Swords

    "Conquer minds or destroy bodies?"


    The young lady who came here on a fish stared fixedly at Ye Que as she questioned him curiously.


    Ye Que stared at the plump goldfish in the air that was shaking its wide tail and displaying its four transparent fins. With a sway or two of its body, it landed on the Grass-pecking Cliff. Then, it transformed into a bulging spice bag with a single shake and automatically hung itself on the young lady''s waist. After witnessing this strange scene, Ye Que asked indifferently, "Conquering minds or destroying bodies? You can take it whichever you want."


    "I think it''s conquering minds." The young lady placed a finger to her lips. She encircled Ye Que and then looked at the marks left behind on the ground by the battle earlier. "I spotted your Spirit Sword from afar. If I''m not mistaken, it''s one of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords recorded in the Million Swords Registry."


    "Judging from the situation, your first attack was a warning to Nangong Jie that he shouldn''t act outrageously because there''s always someone stronger out there."


    The young lady walked to Nalan Rongruo and sized her up. "You fight a duel with him because you wanted to rescue them. On the other hand, it''s also to persuade Nangong Jie that his cultivation might be higher but his swordsmanship is no match for yours."


    "You injured him only superficially with your nine sword skills and left his Spiritual Sea of True Energy intact. This shows that you''re trying to ruin his Taoist belief." The young lady pointed to Ye Que. "Your swordsmanship isn''t gentlemanly at all!"


    "Since you''ve won, why didn''t you directly kill him? Be careful of inviting endless trouble upon yourself." Nalan Rongruo''s face reddened after listening to the young lady''s speculation. She was still a little angry. She was upset that her fellow disciples stopped her earlier.


    The young lady raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly as if she had seen something funny. "Killing him is what will invite endless troubles. Do you think he won''t have Life-preserving Talisman with him? His father isn''t that stingy. Once you step out of the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, be prepared to be hunted to the ends of the world."


    With her finger still pointed at Ye Que, the young lady continued, "You should thank him. He sincerely wishes to save you all. He even reported his name in the end as a way of claiming all responsibility."


    "I don''t want to thank him! He''s obviously a thief!" Nalan Rongruo yelled.


    The rest was stunned. Only then did the other Qingqiu Sword Sect recalled what had happened.


    "Thief?" The young lady looked confused.


    "Yes, a thief! We''re all Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples but we''ve never seen him!" Nalan Rongruo pointed at Ye Que. "Why did he know how to use our nine entry-level sword skills? Where did he learn them? If he''s not a thief, what is he?!"


    Ye Que looked a little awkward while the young lady looked like realization had just hit her.


    "I''m not a thief," Ye Que said with certainty.


    "Then are you a Qingqiu Sword Sect disciple?" Nalan Rongruo questioned. "I''ve never seen you. Moreover, your name isn''t included in the list of people coming to the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum for training."


    After carefully racking his brain, Ye Que replied quietly, "I suppose I''m a Qingqiu Sword Sect disciple."


    "Suppose" was a very vague word and not even Ye Que looked certain.


    "Suppose?" The young lady clasped her forehead, looking like she had been defeated.


    Taking in the look of disbelief on everyone''s faces, Ye Que took in a deep breath and put on an expression that said he had his own reasons. Eventually, he looked as if he couldn''t take on the pressure and finally confessed his secret through clenched teeth. "My master is the Intoxicated Immortal, Zhao Hongding."


    "Martial Uncle Zhao!"


    "Intoxicated Immortal?"


    "Huh!"


    Everyone, including the young lady with the goldfish, looked like they finally understood what was going on. Nalan Rongruo cried with surprise while the young lady uttered "Intoxicated Immortal" in shock. The rest sighed in unison.


    Ye Que''s expression didn''t change but he was mentally wiping off cold sweat.


    Zhao Hongding, the Intoxicated Immortal, was truly the weirdo of the Cultivation World. Never mind his cultivation, he had unparalleled talent in two of his hobbies!


    One of them was drinking.


    The other was accepting disciples.


    Moreover, he often accepted disciples while drunk without regard for time, place, and talent. He followed only his desire and left everything up to fate. If he glanced at a person while in a happy mood, he might very well accept the person as his disciple. Sometimes, he might even forget a disciple that he took in just the day before.


    However, the Intoxicated Immortal, Zhao Hongding, occupied a very special position in the Qingqiu Sword Sect. Not even the Sect Leader could do anything about him.


    This resulted in a very awkward situation whereby strangers would sometime come to the Qingqiu Sword Sect and claim a connection. They would insist that they were a disciple of the sect and that their master was the Intoxicated Immortal. These people included hawkers and nobility, even entertainers at brothels. Evidently, this had become a laughing stock for the Cultivation World.


    "Since you''re Martial Uncle Zhao''s disciple, then there''s no problem."


    "You should''ve said so earlier."


    "It''s not really embarrassing."


    "I''m Nalan Rongruo." Nalan Rongruo, who had looked angry earlier, was now wearing a completely different expression. She flashed her two adorable dimples at Ye Que. This girl was truly temperamental.


    Since all of them hailed from the same sect, they soon started exchanging their names as a way of understanding one another. Finally, everyone turned to look at the young woman with a goldfish.


    Don''t look at me."


    "I''m Li Jianqi."


    "I''m from Silent Monastery."


    Li Jianqi introduced herself confidently and frankly. Then, Nalan Rongruo and her fellow disciples uttered nearly in unison, "Sword Fanatic!"


    Ye Que became curious after seeing their expressions. "Sword Fanatic? Is she famous?"


    Nalan Rongruo recalled that Ye Que, being a disciple that the Intoxicated Immortal conveniently accepted, wouldn''t be familiar with the affairs of the Cultivation World as he hadn''t even entered the sect yet. She deftly explained, "Li Jianqi, the last disciple of the Master of the Silent Monastery. She''s a sword genius born in the Pre-celestial Realm. She entered the Post-celestial Realm at eight, the Physic Realm at 13, and the Starburst Realm at 16. She''s the most well-known genius in the past hundred years in the Cultivation World as well as the most promising one from the Silent Monastery to ascend to the Celestial World."


    "Legend has it that this young lady is a mysterious being who has an incredible infatuation for cultivation and tremendous love for riding fish. Her hobby is eating swords, especially those belonging to experts. Cultivators who lose to her would have their swords taken. Thus, she gained the nickname of Sword Fanatic."


    Nalan Rongruo slowly shifted near Li Jianqi while enthusiastically explaining to Ye Que. Finally, she tugged onto the young lady''s sleeve. "Excuse me. Can you give me your signature? You can sign my clothing."


    "Sword Fanatic?"


    "Girl genius?"


    "The future of Silent Monastery?"


    "Loves riding fish? Addicted to eating swords?"


    "I''ve never heard of her at all!" Ye Que racked his brain and confirmed that he had never heard of this name. It was to the extent that he didn''t have any impression of the names of Nalan Rongruo and her fellow disciples.


    He had stayed in the Qingqiu Sword Sect for tens of years. If not even he had heard of their names, then there could only be one explanation.


    The seven people in front of him had all died in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum!


    This explanation was the only one that made sense!


    Moreover, if Ye Que didn''t show up earlier, it was likely Nangong Jie would have killed Nalan Rongruo and her fellow disciples. The current scenario wouldn''t occur at all. Ye Que was like a butterfly that had flapped its wings. Amid all the imperceptible influence, this world was already differing from the world he experienced in tremendous ways.

 Chapter 74 Cracked Ground

    These were his fellow Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples, his senior brothers and senior sisters, and yet Ye Que didn''t know any of them.


    He hadn''t even heard of the name of the so-called girl genius.


    His knowledge of the birth of the Divine Tool, the River Soldiers, was even more so sparse.


    This sounded like a fantasy but the truth was that he really had no idea.


    In his previous life, he had been reticent and laser-focused on cultivation when he first entered the Qingqiu Sword Sect. He completely ignored what was going on in the world outside, least of all the gossip in the Cultivation World. By the time he began communicating with those around him like an ordinary person, a few years had passed and the incident at the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum was already a done deal. Not only did the Qingqiu Sword Sect gain nothing, but they even lost their disciples. Naturally, they wouldn''t spread this news.


    Everyone chose to forget about this matter.


    His speculation that these people in front of him might die in this place wasn''t completely baseless.


    On the one hand, this place was the birthplace of the Divine Tool and a bloodbath was sure to follow. Swords didn''t discriminate; life and death depended entirely on fate.


    On the other hand, the formation here limited everyone''s realms between the Psychic and Starburst realms. This in itself was a sign of danger. It was common knowledge in the Cultivation World that those under the Starburst realm¡ªeven if it was a girl genius like Li Jianqi¡ªwouldn''t be much of a threat. Moreover, her nickname ''Sword Fanatic'' was not a reference to her prowess as a swordswoman. It was her obsession with swords and eating swords that resulted in that nickname.


    Rather than calling her Sword Fanatic, it might be more appropriate to call her Sword Eater.


    The records that she broke weren¡¯t all that impressive either. It could be achieved by any genius who put in the effort to cultivate. Talent bestowed by heaven wasn''t something ordinary people could feel envious of.


    Li Jianqi called Ye Que''s sword strange.


    It was indeed strange.


    Technically, he had employed the use of the nine entry-level sword skills of the Qingqiu Sword Sect. Yet, the reality was that it wasn''t as simple as using the sword to manipulate Qi.


    Having spent more than a hundred years cultivating and battling, Ye Que had long broken free of the shackles the Qingqiu Sword Sect presented. To top it off, he had tens of years of experience in the Celestial World. The secret arts he had under his belt were innumerable. The foundation of his cultivation had been established in his previous life so it wasn''t a good idea to change it.


    Now that he had to start anew, he wanted to slowly put into practice some thoughts that had been brewing in his mind.


    What characterized the most powerful Physic Realm?


    What tactics should a Physic Realm cultivator use to be most effective in a battle?


    Physic Realm cultivators could control Spiritual Force, fly on their sword, and use powerful sword skills and Taoist techniques. They looked an incomparably mighty force that couldn''t be surpassed.


    However, the truth was that all these traits were very weak. Cultivators were merely more sensitive to their environment and had a better understanding of the minute changes in their surroundings compared to ordinary people. Moreover, cultivators manipulated these changes to achieve control of their environment.


    However, this couldn''t change the fact that cultivators themselves were weak beings.


    Cultivators weren''t heaven or earth. They were movers of the Spiritual Force in heaven and earth.


    One reason Ye Que, a Physic Realm cultivator, could prevail against Nangong Jie, a Starburst Realm cultivator, was the advantage that his Divine Energy gave him. Another reason, a more important reason, was that he had firm control over the one-meter space around him.


    Even if his opponent could reach the sky with his flying sword, call forth rain as a shield, invoke a clear sky, and summon a million of sword shadows, Ye Que was in an invincible realm as long as he had a firm grasp of the one-meter space around him. Regardless of how impressive and worldly his opponent''s sword was, it was all meaningless.


    This was the same logic behind Ye Que''s manipulation of Qi to slice maple leaves.


    Regardless of how flamboyant his opponent''s sword skills were, all he had to do was keep his invincibility within the one-meter space around him and go on defense or offense!


    Though many thoughts crossed Ye Que''s mind, only a split second had passed.


    Li Jianqi fished out a vermilion-colored writing brush from her bracelet and dipped the tip in her mouth. She then confidently signed her name on Nalan Rongruo''s clothing. Meanwhile, Qi Shenghua and Yue Shu had already begun cleaning up the corpses of their deceased Senior Brothers with a sorrowful expression.


    "Rumble!"


    Right then, an ear-piercing quake came from below. The ground subsequently began shaking.


    Everyone standing on the Grass-pecking Cliff subconsciously raised their head and looked around.


    First, they watched as the waterfall split in half at a speed observable by the naked eye and scatter water everywhere. Then, the entire Grass-pecking Cliff began shaking violently. The ground cracked and sent stones flying.


    Nearly simultaneously, the hailstone struck in the clear sky that stretched for miles.


    "It''s an earthquake!"


    "Run!"


    Ye Que''s expression changed. He twisted his turn and made a forward dash. Nearly at the same time, Li Jianqi also rode her plump goldfish and flew up the sky.


    "Senior Brothers'' bodies!" Qi Shenghua yelled.


    "Hurry and run! You will lose your life if you don''t go now! We can find Senior Brothers'' bodies later," Nalan Rongruo screeched. She grabbed Qi Shenghua and immediately made a run for it. The sword in her hand had already flown up the sky.


    The hail overhead became increasingly dense and behind them was an endlessly cracking ground. The eight of them used their own tricks to swiftly escape the Grass-pecking Cliff.


    The stones that fell within one meter of Ye Que, within the range of his Spiritual Force, were all crushed or flung aside by him. When he spared some time to turn his head and look behind him, the waterfall and the cliff had nearly completely collapsed in an instant. The ground had sunken in and he couldn''t see any trace of the faraway maple forest that he had entered from. Everything had changed beyond recognition.


    15 minutes later, the ground calmed and the hailstone mysteriously dissipated in the sky.


    The eight of them were panting heavily. It was to the extent that Nalan Rongruo and her five fellow disciples felt as if their legs were beginning to tremble.


    After all, they were merely disciples in the Physic Realm. Though they could fly on their sword, their Spiritual Force couldn''t sustain them for long. To make things worse, they were forced to frantically run. If the earthquake didn''t stop any sooner, they might very well get buried here and die.


    Tranquility returned to the world.


    "Why are you still following me around?" Ye Que looked at Li Jianqi.


    "You have something that I''m interested in. You''re also interesting," she replied, not looking away from him.


    "Something I have? What is it?" Ye Que looked confused.


    "You have the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords. Those are Spirit Swords in between Level 2 and Level 3. I can smell them even 1,000 meters away. You have merely put them away." Li Jianqi licked her lips. "I''ve never eaten such great swords! I''m sure they taste amazing!"


    Ye Que rolled his eyes. "Don''t even think about it."


    "Don''t worry. I know that you won''t just hand them to me, so I''ll defeat you and then snatch them from you," Li Jianqi said with certainty.


    "You want to fight me?" Ye Que chuckled.


    Li Jianqi cocked her head and gave it some thought. "Not now. I have seen your battle with Nangong Jie. The sword that you''re using is very impressive. You have no flaws within the one-meter space around you. I haven''t come up with a way to counter that."


    Ye Que laughed again. "That means you''re not fighting, right?"


    "Not now. We''ll fight after I''m done thinking about it," Li Jianqi said earnestly. Then, she suddenly took out something from the bracelet wrapped around her wrist and threw it to the ground with a resounding thud. "I''m hungry. Does anyone want to eat? I''m going to start roasting venison; anyone who sees this can have some!"


    Li Jianqi''s bracelet seemed to have the capacity for storage. What she threw to the ground was that Three-eyed Spirit Deer earlier. No one knew when she had grabbed the deer and put it away.

 Chapter 75 Consuming Meat and Expulsion

    "That Three-eyed Spirit Deer belongs to us." Even though Li Jianqi was her idol, Nalan Rongruo was never one to yield when it came to principles.


    "The Spirit Deer was left on the ground without anyone picking it up. Since I picked it up, naturally it''s mine," Li Jianqi said righteously. "Besides, you caught this deer for food. I didn''t say that I''m going to eat it alone. Everyone''s free to join."


    "If anyone''s eating it, it''s ours," Nalan Rongruo replied stubbornly.


    "Let''s just say the deer is yours, alright?" Li Jianqi rolled her eyes.


    "So are you eating or not?"


    "Of course! Whoever doesn''t eat it is an idiot."


    "I have never eaten this deer before."


    Their Spiritual Force was fluctuating after spending a good 15 minutes running for their lives. Nalan Rongruo and her fellow disciples had depleted nearly all of their Spiritual Force. This Three-eyed Spirit Deer was exactly what they needed at the moment. To be fair, they had to thank Li Jianqi. Had she not been quick enough to spot and grab the deer, everyone would have to recover slowly.


    It was now late afternoon.


    They ignited dry wood and placed the deer into the fire. They then huddled around it.


    Moments later, the strong aroma of meat filled the place. The Three-eyed Spirit Deer was a rare object even in the Cultivation World. It wasn''t easily sampled. The smell of the meat swiftly gathered and formed a dense Spirit Fog that covered a small area. The eight of them inhaled this Spirit Fog and felt their Spirit Sea shrink like a sponge coming into contact with seawater.


    Ye Que rotated the rack set above the fire at an ordinary pace to roast the deer. Li Jianqi sat upright beside him. She swallowed her saliva and reached out to try and hack off a piece of meat to satisfy her hunger. That earned her a glare from Ye Que. Thus, she resorted to hugging herself and closing her eyes.


    Out of sight, out of mind!


    Ye Que was no stranger to the taste of the Three-eyed Spirit Deer. He was also very familiar with its cooking method. His past memories that spanned a hundred years weren''t merely of him cultivating and battling.


    Time was the best kind of mentor. It could teach a person everything he wanted to learn as long as he lived long enough.


    It was the same logic behind the saying "wise men were often elderly men".


    Ye Que mentally calculated one hundred breaths. The deer had been roasted long enough that it was edible but he was having second thoughts. He was of the opinion that taste was a very important factor and he mustn''t mistreat his stomach. Thus, he silently calculated another thirty breaths.


    The process of waiting idly for a delicacy was an incredibly painful and tortuous one, especially to a group of tired and hungry youngsters who had their Spiritual Force depleted.


    However, Ye Que thought that his food must have the right texture while the rest didn''t possess any culinary prowess.


    They had no choice but to wait patiently.


    The aroma of the meat was getting denser and denser. Ye Que could hear the rumbling sound coming from the stomach of a certain someone sitting near him.


    Those who had no idea how to enjoyed life often sliced open the meat after it had just finished roasting and stuffed it into their mouth. Though the meat would be incredibly juicy, this was the wastage of perfectly decent meat. Moreover, they were currently roasting the valuable Three-eyed Spirit Deer.


    Rather than putting the best part of the meat directly into the mouth, the accurate method was letting the meat sit so it would absorb all the oil and juice. This would give them the tenderest and juiciest meat to chew on later.


    Ye Que waited patiently for the optimal time without missing a beat. Then, he lifted his knife and sliced off a huge chunk of venison, revealing the intersection of the deer that was the size of a sword hilt. The golden-colored flesh was enough to make onlookers salivate.


    The meat had been a blood-red color before being barbequed. The current yellowish gold color was the best color for the meat.


    The yellowish-gold meat had a tender inside and a crispy outer. It was incredibly tricky to roast the entire Spirit Deer until it turned this color. It was to the extent that it greatly tested one''s patience and control of Spiritual Force.


    It was easy to overcook antelope meat because of how tender it was, and the meat of the Three-eyed Spirit Deer was even tenderer.


    Ye Que pinched the sliced-off venison with his fingers, first observing its surface color and then bringing it to his nose for a sniff. Only then did he slowly put it into his mouth.


    He chewed slowly and purposefully.


    The venison was perfect in terms of color, taste, and smell!


    When Ye Que turned his head, he saw seven pair of eyes staring fixedly at him. Saliva was even leaking out of the corner of Li Jianqi''s mouth. However, the young woman didn''t care about this insignificant detail and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She might look like a proper, adorable, and easygoing noble young lady with her long hair falling to its slender waist yet her actions were anything graceful but casual and relaxed.


    "How does it taste?" Li Jianqi was no longer using her brain to comprehend things.


    In between his chewing of the meat, Ye Que replied, "Delicious."


    "Is it really that good? Is it tastier than Spirit Swords?" Li Jianqi asked, frowning.


    "Nonsense. How can swords compare to meat?" "Swords are for killing. Meat is for consumption." Ye Que was already beginning to taste bliss from chewing the venison.


    "I don''t believe you," Li Jianqi said.


    "You can choose not to eat if you don''t believe me." Ye Que shaved another piece of meat as he spoke but it was swiftly snatched by Nalan Rongruo. She took such a large bit of the meat that her lips were smeared with oil.


    Ye Que continued cutting the chest of the roasted Three-eyed Spirit Deer with a smile, with every piece of meat snatched away as soon as he cut it. Disciples of impressive sects like Li Jianqi and Nalan Rongruo were usually under strict supervision and guidance of their masters. Most of their time would be spent on cultivating.


    They would have heard of barbecuing meat in the wild but might not have personally tried it.


    In no time at all, Ye Que cut the chest of the barbequed deer clean and started moving his knife to the middle. Evidently, the meat there was even tenderer.


    The meat there was obviously lean meat yet after undergoing Ye Que''s roasting process, it formed a layer of juicy fat that made it soft and tender. After being cut, the meat shook gently on the back of the knife like it was jelly.


    Li Jianqi once again swallowed. Finally, she let go of her hesitation and decisively went up to Ye Que. She reached out her hand to accept the knife in his hand.


    "You don''t have to do anything. Just eat." Ye Que flicked Li Jianqi''s small clawing hands away.


    "Just eat?" Li Jianqi was stunned. "It''s not like I''m uncultured! No need to trouble you; I can cut it myself!"


    Ye Que shook his head with a laugh. "You wouldn''t know how to cut this Three-eyed Spirit Deer. You''d be wasting the meat if you make a wrong cut. It''s our luck to come across such a great treasure; we mustn''t waste it recklessly!"


    "But, but how can we eat with our hands?" Li Jianqi muttered. No matter how carefree she appeared, it was merely an image she put conscious effort into creating. Her status requested that she had a bottom line regardless of how she wanted to connect with commoners. Due to her status, there were some things that she absolutely mustn''t attempt.


    It might be no problem for others but if she did it, it would be a grave breach of societal norms!


    "I know how to cut it!" Li Jianqi yelled, panting with range.


    Ye Que shook his head resolutely. Seconds later, Nalan Rongruo snatched the piece of meat on the back of his knife and swallowed it with a few bites with a satisfied expression.


    Why wouldn''t she be satisfied? Eating the meat of a Three-eyed Spirit Deer was a double-attack on both her spirit and taste buds.


    Her Spiritual Sea immediately rose in temperature after the piece of meat entered her stomach and her Spiritual Force recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. Coupled with the tender meat on the tip of her tongue and the rich aroma of the meat, how could she be anything but satisfied?


    Finally.


    When Ye Que was on his third round of cutting, Li Jianqi reached for the back of his knife.


    She grabbed the fleshy piece of meat that was the width of a finger.


    First, she placed one-tenth of the meat to the side of her mouth. Then, she opened her mouth as if trying to decide where to start biting.


    Out of the blue!


    An immense force pushed the hand that was holding the meat and she felt the entire meat get shoved inside her mouth. For a moment, her cheeks were stuffed full.


    Her cheeks were even bulging!


    "You!" Li Jianqi pointed at Ye Que with anger all while muttering incomprehensively to herself.


    Ye Que glanced at Li Jianqi with distaste before saying, "That''s how you should eat meat. It''s not like you''re some kind of precious princess; what''s the point of eating so carefully?"


    "I!" Li Jianqi, with her mouth stuffed with venison, pointed to herself. She looked as if she was caught between protesting and explaining herself.


    "Stop talking and eat." Ye Que stuffed another slice of meat into her mouth without bothering to listen to what she was muttering about.


    From chewing with a frown, she ended up gorging herself.


    The experience of eating the rich and layered taste of a Three-eyed Spirit Deer, coupled with the satisfaction coming from the depths of their Spiritual Sea, was something rare even in the Three Realms. Otherwise, the Young Chamber Lord of the Chamber of the Rainy Duel, Nangong Jie wouldn''t have ambushed them just to get his hands on the deer. Evidently, he had eaten it before.


    Those who had tasted the deer would naturally be unable to resist such a temptation.


    For a split second, even Ye Que became befuddled.


    What did it mean to be truly alive?


    Being alive meant being able to eat this sort of top-notch delicacy.


    Not only could he absorb Spiritual Force from it, but he could also satisfy his taste buds. This was what life was all about.


    The meal was incredibly satisfying for everyone. Not much had time had passed; it had been at most an hour. When Li Jianqi ate the tenth slice of meat, a large shadow suddenly floated above everyone''s heads. They subconsciously raised their head to take a look.


    A black cloud?


    "This cloud flies so quickly!" Nalan Rongruo said casually.


    Then, they noticed the sudden change in Ye Que''s expression. Li Jianqi also stopped eating her meat.


    Once again, everyone raised their head and watched attentively.


    It wasn''t a black cloud at all. Rather, it was a large flock of blood-colored flying insects! There were tens of thousands of insects, so many that it covered the sky! They flew madly as if it was an army of insects.


    The ground shook ever so slightly under their feet as at the end of their sight, a herd of antelopes and horses were galloping wildly.


    Even so, as fast as the antelopes and horses were, they were no match for the flying insects. The blood-colored flying insects swept past them and the creatures that had been alive and well earlier turned into a pile of bones.


    Nearly at the same time, the ground once again split open from afar and sank.


    Overhead were the bloodthirsty, deadly insects!


    The ground then sank under their feet!


    Once again, they had to reenact their escape earlier. Only this time, no one could fly on their sword. The blood-colored insects feared no one. If there were only hundreds or even thousands of them, they could have still handled the situation. However, this vast amount was enough to cover even the sky. Who among them dared to stay behind and fight with this endless stream of insects? Even if they managed to win by a fluke, they wouldn''t have any ground to step on. It was a death sentence anyhow.


    The eight of them didn''t hesitate. Neither did they have to think much. All they had to was run.


    To conceal a world in a grain of sand!


    The ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum seemed to be concealing a world of its own.


    No matter how they ran or looked, they felt as if they couldn''t see the ends of this place!


    Of course, if one had the ability to observe the grand formation enveloping the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, one would clearly see that what Ye Que and his group were encountering wasn''t something unique.


    As long as one was in this place, heaven and earth would inevitably chase one away to draw close to the center. It didn''t matter which human, demon, or object it was. It seemed that everything was predestined!


    It was ordained that no one was able to resist the summoning of the place!

 Chapter 76 The Youngster Who Admits His Cowardice and The Girl Whos Unafraid of Dying

    They ran as if their lives depended on it.


    The group had been running from noon to dusk, from the Grass-pecking Cliff to the lush green forest and all the way to the dark wasteland. The sun gradually descended, dimming what little light in the wasteland as twilight gained strength.


    Standing against a backdrop of the setting sun, Ye Que and his seven companions looked at the pure-black silhouette that had gradually transformed into a blood-red canvas from afar.


    By now, they had noticed some rhyme and rhythm to all these phenomena. Every hour since the destruction of the maple forest, the ground would collapse, disappear, and become a hole of immeasurable depth. The ground would start caving in from the sides and gradually compress toward the center. The process would last for 15 minutes each time.


    This place was like a living rounded pocket that progressively shrunk in an attempt to herd all living creatures toward its center.


    The blood-colored flying insects were so far behind that no trace of them could be seen. However, just because they couldn''t see the insects didn''t mean that the insects didn''t exist. Death was certain to await those who dared to let down their guard.


    During their mad dash to safety, they finally spotted other cultivators¡ªall corpses.


    Judging from their clothing, these cultivators included monks from the Mount Yin Sixth Buddhist Temple and Taoists from the Salvation Palace of Mount Yang. Some were obviously warriors from the Demon Race. When Ye Que examined their stomach and arms, he discovered the Hill Tribe.


    Seeing as these people were covered in wounds, they had evidently died battling.


    The only thing that Ye Que couldn''t explain was the lack of blood in these corpses. It didn''t appear to be the work of Blood-sucking Beasts. Rather, it seemed like the ground had absorbed the blood from these corpses.


    If he were to speculate using clues he obtained along his way, he was sure his group was the last to enter the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. He didn''t know if it was a fortunate thing or not. The ones who entered this place first were caught in a bloody battle while the ones who entered after experienced the ground chasing them out.


    Either way, it was terribly dangerous.


    Li Jianqi, a genius in the Starburst Realm, naturally didn''t need an explanation from Ye Que. She adjusted her running pace on her own accord. To someone born with a gift for swordsmanship like her, it wasn''t anything challenging. On the other hand, the six disciples had to receive care and support from Ye Que.


    He patiently instructed them on how to take in Qi, condense Spiritual Force while running, and how to maximize their running distance while using the least amount of Spiritual Force and physical energy. This knowledge wasn''t something they could learn from the masters at the Qingqiu Sword Sect.


    After all, no battle would require them to run such a long distance.


    It wasn''t until the darkness swallowed the sky whole that Ye Que and his companions finally came across a group of living cultivators.


    There were more or less 30 of them. Nearly all of them were disciples from various sects in Qingqiu. Judging from their appearance, their situation wasn''t any better than theirs. The disciples looked dejected and depressed; none maintained their arrogant and prideful air.


    "Hello, we''re from the Qingqiu Sword Sect."


    "Oh, and from the Silent Monastery of the Floral Fragrance Valley too."


    As usual, Nalan Rongruo took the lead in engaging with the other group. Despite her young age, she was good at feigning familiarity and unafraid of interacting with strangers. In fact, she even looked excited at the prospect.


    "Oh."


    The group seated on the ground raised their head to look at Ye Que and his companions before making a perfunctory acknowledgment. They pointed to the other side and it appeared that they considered this to be enough for a greeting.


    Caliginous Stars and Moon.


    It was pitch-black all around.


    The group didn''t even bother setting up a fire. They sat on the ground in complete darkness while quietly recovering their Spiritual Force. When nearly an hour had passed, they stood up in unison and continued walking. Once again, no one said a word.


    "What''s wrong with them? They seem odd," Nalan Rongruo quietly asked her Senior Brother.


    "They must have encountered something terrifying or something is giving them great pressure, so much so that they''re not even unwilling to say a word to us," Qi Shenghua replied in an equally quiet voice.


    "Could it be those blood-colored insects? Or the cracking and sinking ground?" Nalan Rongruo speculated.


    "Would you be scared of those things?" Li Jianqi interjected.


    "Of course, I''d be worried. But I wouldn''t go so far as to say I''m scared," Nalan Rongruo replied.


    "If you''re not scared, why would those Qingqiu disciples be? Cultivation-wise, they''re stronger than you!" Li Jianqi said. Her hands were clasped behind her back.


    "Then what do you think it is?" Nalan Rongruo asked.


    "No idea." Li Jianqi walked away with a shrug.


    They followed the group and ran for a good 15 minutes. Silence once again fell over everyone. This time, Ye Que discovered that not everyone in the group was focused on meditating. One of them would always be on high alert, observing all activities in their surroundings.


    He used his shoulder to nudge Nalan Rongruo and motioned at the man who wasn''t meditating with his lower lip.


    What he received was the expression of someone who understood perfectly what he meant.


    The girl swiftly walked over to the man. No one knew what tactics she pulled but the two soon began chatting. They even gesticulated while talking as if they were describing something.


    Sometime later, Nalan Rongruo returned to her group with news that she had learned.


    "The danger within the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum isn''t restricted to just insects and cracking ground. The scariest things in this wasteland are wolves, an endless pack of human-eating wolves. They''ve been ambushed three times so far. In the beginning, there were more than 50 of them but now they were down to 30."


    "Wolves?" Li Jianqi was confused.


    "What''s there to be afraid of?"


    "The wolves here are apparently vastly different from the ones we typically see. They''re like¡­ well, they''re like a troop of soldiers that had undergone strict training. They''re organized and attacks as a team," Nalan Rongruo said, recalling her conversation with the man earlier.


    "Soldier-like wolves? Impossible! Even if there''s a Wolf King among these wolves, they''re still animals. How can they compare to a troop? It''s not like they can think strategically. Don''t tell me they''re a bunch of demons that attained mythical powers!" Li Jianqi retorted indifferently.


    The others were instantly stupefied.


    "Demons that had attained mythical powers!"


    "Do you think it''s possible?" Li Jianqi whispered with uncertainty.


    Right then, a voice drifted to their ears. "There''s no need to guess. The Demon Race is definitely nearby and they''re not alone. It''s likely there are many of them around, and with high cultivation to boot."


    "That''s also why we didn''t make a bonfire." The man spoke in a terribly quiet voice. "We''re now racing against time."


    "There should be quite a number of us disciples from the Cultivation World entering the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum this time. Why should we fear them?" Nalan Rongruo asked after pondering over it.


    "Of course, we outnumber the disciples of the Demon Race. But who could bring us together? The division between sects is an invisible ravine. Us disciples from Qingqiu managed to emerged unscathed because we were able to support each other. Even the monks from the Mount Yin Sixth Buddhist Temple and the Salvation Palace of Mount Yang would only exchange greetings when they meet; how could they be asked to fight together? What sect doesn''t hold grudges from the battles over the past hundred years? Who could sincerely work with one another?" the man said pensively, sighing.


    Under the night.


    Darkness stretched on without an end.


    Ye Que and his companions settled down on the ground without speaking.


    The melodious sound of a wolf''s howl came from afar. Soon, they discovered green flitting lights at the end of the dark wasteland: the eyes of the wolves. However, these green lights didn''t immediately charge at them and watched silently from a distance.


    The pack of wolves alternated between converging and scattering. There appeared to be few of them, yet many at the same time.


    "Let''s go. We can''t rest anymore." Someone from the other group issued a command and the rest looked around helplessly.


    The group began to quietly decamp and continued walking into the faint night.


    Li Jianqi walked close to Ye Que and whispered, "This is no solution! If all we do is avoid the wolves, they''ll bite our heads off sooner or later!"


    "What do you propose?" Ye Que glanced at the young woman whose long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.


    "Since we know demons are controlling these wolves from afar, we must teach them that we''re not an easy target." Li Jianqi shook her fist.


    "Did you think they wouldn''t think of such a simple answer?" Ye Que pointed to the group of people walking in front of them.


    "Just because they can''t do it doesn''t mean we can''t." Li Jianqi pointed to herself and then Ye Que.


    "We haven''t seen the masterminds or the offensive power of these wolves. I can''t guarantee that I''ll return alive," Ye Que said earnestly.


    After some thought, he added, "Get this straight: I''m terribly afraid of death. If something happens that is beyond my ability, I''ll take care of myself first. My priority is my life."


    Li Jianqi didn''t expect such an answer from him. Surprised, she asked, "Don''t you Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples pride yourselves on never fearing death and never lacking courage? Why would you think this way?"


    Ye Que shrugged. "My master is the Intoxicated Immortal. He taught me sword skills from the Qingqiu Sword Sect and nothing else. Besides, I''m not officially their disciple."


    "Strictly speaking, I''m just a common Rogue Cultivator."


    "Of course, I''d be reluctant!" Ye Que said matter-of-factly.


    "I have no idea how you train your swordsmanship. And you say you want to remain invincible within a one-meter space with that way of thinking?" Li Jianqi gave Ye Que a despising look.


    "It''s precisely because I''m afraid of death that I can remain invincible within a one-meter space."


    "It''s only when you''re unafraid of death that you can cultivate a sword that can travel a thousand miles to sever your opponent''s head." Ye Que gestured with his hand. "If a sword carrying my True Energy travels a thousand miles away from me, then what do I use to protect myself?"


    "I always thought that a sword like that is a complete joke."


    "It looks awesome, I''ll give you that. But I''d basically be playing with my life," Ye Que said with certainty.


    "You''re just a coward. Why find so many excuses?" Li Jianqi scoffed. She ignored Ye Que and walked by herself. Occasionally, she would look over her shoulder and carefully scan her surroundings.


    After the group changed directions for the third time, Li Jianqi abruptly vanished into the night.


    Aside from Ye Que, no one took notice of her. Female disciples from the Silent Monastery had always been independent. Since she was neither a Qingqiu disciple, a sect mate, nor a friend of theirs, no one paid her any attention. In the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, it was best if everyone could support one another. However, if someone disappeared from the group, no one would search for the missing person.


    Time quietly elapsed.


    Under the cover of the night.


    A girl with a head of long hair that cascaded like a waterfall and her massive goldfish sneaked up to a pack of wolves as quiet as a ghost.


    Unknowingly, the ground started cracking again and the trained pack of wolves dashed in a particular direction in their usual manner. Nevertheless, it was a worldly phenomenon and a rarely-seen disorder revealed itself in the pack of wolves.


    A petite silhouette took advantage of this disorder to infiltrate the pack.


    Soon, an incomparably sharp Sword Qi shattered the firmament and pained howls shattered the night sky.


    "Is she unafraid of death just because she''s born a sword genius?"


    "It''s enviable how silly this girl is!"


    Ye Que, who was seated on the ground, stared into the distance with a raised eyebrow as he muttered to himself. Then, he shut his eyes. In the midst of danger, one must ensure that his state was constantly at an optimum. This was a lesson that he paid for with uncountable bloodshed.

 Chapter 77 Born a Wolf

    The night was so dark that there wasn''t even a ray of moonlight. The only light source was the dim stars in the sky. The campsite that they hastily found was a canvas of darkness. This place seemed even darker than the wasteland around them.


    Silence persisted. The only noise was the faint sound of breathing. The group had changed their campsite three times in a single night. Even if their bodies were made of iron, they would inevitably go hungry.


    Out of the blue, a sniffling sound came from afar.


    It didn''t sound like the wolves were trying to ambush them but the person on guarding duty was still nervous. Ye Que opened his eyes momentarily before shutting them again.


    Soon, the sound became closer and it became clear who it was.


    It was the independent female disciple from the Silent Monastery.


    She was still riding her plump goldfish but the fish appeared to be in a miserable condition. Half of its golden scales were gone, exposing its pink and tender flesh. Its large eyes seemed to have suffered a massive punch, causing them to swell to the size of large bowls. Three of its four beautiful fins that resembled the wings of a dragonfly were drooping. It seemed like the fish would have to recover for quite some time before it could take flight again.


    Li Jianqi, who was sprawled on the back of the goldfish, was also filthy all over. Her hair was a mess and there were quite a few holes in her clothing. She held two items in both of her hands but it was too dark to see what they were.


    "Gulg, gulg."


    Seeing that she had finally caught up to the group, Li Jianqi suddenly regained her spirits and straightened her back. Those not in the know would have thought she was a victorious general.


    She threw the things in her hands to the ground. They turned out to be two large wolf heads with a malevolent expression and three-inch tooth inside a bloody, wide-open mouth.


    Standing with her hands on her hips in the middle of the campsite, Li Jianqi yelled, "Wake up, guys! Wake up! You can all stop living in fear now. I''ve decapitated the Wolf King!" While yelling, she didn''t forget to point to the two wolf heads on the ground.


    "Decapitated the Wolf King?" Nalan Rongruo asked in surprise.


    "You''re kidding me!" someone retorted skeptically.


    Amid the confusion, everyone roused from their meditative state and stared at Li Jianqi with their mouths open. Then, they turned to look at the wolf heads on the ground.


    "You said you decapitated the Wolf King but why are there two heads here?"


    "Shouldn''t there be a single Wolf King and a single wolf head in a pack of wolves?" Nalan Rongruo asked uncertainly.


    "That seems logical," someone said in agreement.


    In the middle of the crowd, Li Jianqi grabbed her hair awkwardly. Blushing, she mumbled to herself, "Who can tell which is the Wolf King out of so many wolves? No need to be that serious!"


    Ye Que didn''t question her because he knew what she had run off to do. However, a Wolf King wasn''t that easily killed. Furthermore, did she think the pack of wolves would dissolve just because their Wolf King was killed? If the Demon Race was pulling the strings behind the scenes, the death of the Wolf King was as good as pointless.


    In fact, it was a tremendous stroke of luck that Li Jianqi was able to return to the campsite in one piece. The reason lay in her timing; it just happened to be a brief moment in time whereby the pack of wolves had no leader.


    It was still the same dark wasteland.


    The only difference was the direction.


    Under their feet was a layer of gray and hard grains of sand. Next to them were about seven or eight withered old trees laying horizontally.


    Out of the blue, countless small bugs of every kind imaginable emerged from the bare old trees. When a gust of cold wind swept past them, a faint smell of blood lingered in the air.


    A young man wearing a hairpin leaned against a tree trunk. "We''ve been doing nothing but running! When will we finally see an end?" he asked in annoyance while stepping on the withered branches on the ground.


    "It''s been several days since we came! Is there no end to the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum? The birth of a Divine Tool? We couldn''t even see its shadow!" another young man complained.


    "Keep holding on. Our master has given us a strict order to fight for the Divine Tool no matter what. Obtaining a Divine Tool is all about chance; we might very well be the fated people. Once we get the approval of the Divine Tool, we''ll be fearless in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum regardless of how many enemies we face. All we have to do is kill them." The one who spoke this time was the leader of the team. His voice was calm but his nervousness was evident when he mentioned the Divine Tool. There was even a hint of excitement mixed in.


    "Before nightfall, I heard Senior Brother Kong Ming from the Sixth Buddhist Temple say that there''s something odd about this dark wasteland. He told us to be on our guard lest we fall for our opponents'' trap."


    "What''s there to be afraid of? We now understand the rules to the sinking ground and the blood insects are also nowhere to be seen. I think all we have to do now is wait, wait for the Divine Tool to appear."


    "The scariest thing isn''t the world but the human heart. We must guard against the schemes of other sects. The moment the Divine Tool is born is the moment the bloody battle for it begins. We''re all rivals this time; there''s no telling if someone will break the rules," the leader said solemnly.


    "Who''s that?"


    Suddenly, the teen who had been leaning against the tree trunk violently turned his head to look into the darkness nearby.


    "What''s wrong?" Everyone was on high alert.


    "Someone''s there." The teen pointed at the darkness.


    Under the withered trees, the bugs of every kind on the ground gradually increased.


    The faint smell of blood drifted over to the team.


    Finally, a group of Taoists slowly appeared. Simultaneously, countless pairs of green eyes began drawing close.


    "I''m Qing Yuebai of the Salvation Palace. Name yourself," the leader yelled. He could sense the increasingly strong smell in the air. He could detect more than ten smells of Starburst Realm cultivators alone.


    No one replied.


    A sword that ripped through the air pulled open the curtains to the prologue of a battle.


    This was a confrontation of starkly different strengths. On one end was the Salvation Palace disciples numbering about 10. On the other end were all the disciples from the Five Main Tribes of the Demon Race. Putting aside the size of the groups, Starburst Realm cultivators from the Demon Race alone outnumbered the whole group of the Salvation Palace disciples.


    The battle began quickly and ended even quicker. Life-and-death battles usually didn''t last long as each attack made was meant to be fatal.


    There was resistance in the beginning but several seconds later, the battle turned into a one-sided massacre.


    "Who are you? Why are you attacking us disciples of the Salvation Palace?" Qing Yuebai asked weakly and helplessly, titling his head. He was covered in blood all over.


    "The Five Main Tribes of Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, and Mountain are all here."


    "You suffer no injustice in your deaths."


    With that, the conversation was over. The blade of the saber glinted as it fell. A decapitated head rolled to the ground.


    Thin blood seeped into the earth, worsening the smell of blood.


    A graceful red-haired woman dressed in red clothes slowly walked over and gently placed her hand on the teen''s shoulder. "Feng Xingmo, the treasure-hunting team from the Salvation Palace is all dead. Where do we go next?"


    "Keep going, of course. It''s best if we can kill all the disciples from the Cultivation World before the birth of the Divine Tool, the River Soldiers. They''re all a group of haughty people who don''t know their place. Kill all of them. We don''t fear anyone," Feng Xingmo said solemnly, "Order everyone from your Fire Tribe to scatter and search the place. Leave no one behind."


    In the end, Feng Xingmo added a final reminder. "Remember to coordinate with my wolf cubs."


    Wolf cubs?


    It was a simple sentence yet it seemed to suggest that the pack of wolves in the dark wasteland was his. The truth wasn''t far off, though. Feng Xingmo was born a wolfkind. From the moment he was born, he was capable of commanding tens of thousands of wolves. It so happened that there was an endless supply of wolves in the dark wasteland.


    It seemed like the world was aiding the Demon Race.

 Chapter 78 The Rapport Between Shameless Factions

    The curtain of night enveloped the dark wasteland as a massacre quietly began.


    Different groups of cultivators were huddled toward the same area by the cracking ground within a short time. The repeated encounters led to fierce battles. The density of humans became increasingly high while the Five Main Tribes of the Demon Race gradually acted upon the cultivators.


    Some were so terrified that they began hiding while some disguised themselves as demons and killed their opponents in the confusion. There were also those who quietly prepared to hunt demons as a way of gaining notoriety.


    Soon, countless silhouettes began engaging in a confused battle.


    The dead fell to the ground, battered and bloodied.


    The living fought back even more fiercely.


    Gradually, the earth absorbed more and more blood, some belonging to the human cultivators and some belonging to the cultivators from the Demon Race.


    Even if those from the Cultivation World were divided into their own sects, they understood the severity of their situation in regards to the righteousness of their own race. They might not be able to communicate in the cover of the night but they surely would be able to find a way after daybreak.


    The strength of both sides slowly reached equilibrium.


    However, the price they had to pay was too great. Over ten treasure-hunting teams from different sects were wiped out in a single night and that was a modest estimation. There were also too many casualties to count. To make things worse, it wasn''t the official statistics.


    There was certainly over a thousand cultivators who entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum but one-tenth were dead before anyone even saw a shadow of the Divine Tool.


    The shadow of death began to creep over everyone''s hearts.


    "Urgh!"


    The dark of the night obscured many scenes of the battle. When daylight finally arrived, many female disciples couldn''t stomach such bloody aftermath and vomited.


    The group Ye Que was following had likely become immune to the bloody scene after experiencing several vicious battles. They chose to conceal themselves as much as possible while moving and change campsites the moment they heard any sound of movement.


    In order not to fight, all changes should be made.


    Though it was tedious, it was great in that it was safe.


    Currently, one of the strongest powers in the dark wasteland was the Five Main Tribes of the Demon Race. The other was the allied forces of the Judicature of the Tang Empire and the cultivators who commanded Mount Shu.


    Due to the cracks on the ground, the dark wasteland had become increasingly narrow and the encounters between different groups became increasingly frequent.


    Perhaps out of rapport, the two powers chose not to battle it out during this time. They avoided each other as much as possible and rooted out other opponents around them.


    Right now, Feng Xingmo''s talent appeared incomparably precious. No amount of people could outnumber the wolves in the dark wasteland. With these wolves as his eyes, he essentially knew everything that was happening inside the wasteland.


    "Kill!"


    Once again, they besieged a group of cultivators from a small sect. Feng Xingmo waved his hand and more than ten people subsequently charged forth with a bellow. Such wanton massacre was exactly what these warriors from the Demon Race liked and enjoyed. It was as if they were born to battle.


    "Barbarians!"


    The ninth disciple of Mount Shu, Chen Qing, watched the distant battle from the back of a red-crowned crane with the cool eye of a bystander.


    "Aren''t we saving them?"


    Zhuo Bufan frowned at his Senior Brother.


    "The only reason we''re here is the Divine Tool, the River Soldiers. Everything else is secondary. Besides, even if you make it there in time, do you think you''ll be able to save them? Even if you manage to save them, there''s a chance that they''ll return your kindness with evil when the Divine Tool is born. We might as well let them perish on their own. It''s also a way of exhausting the strength of the Demon Race," Chen Qing said coolly.


    He glanced at the troop of the black-armored soldiers nearby. "Don''t forget that our cooperation with the Judicature is temporary. The Judicature has always been a supporter of the Crown Prince while we''re in favor of the Second Prince. This is a distinction you must make."


    After hearing Chen Qing''s words, Zhuo Bufan nodded and said no more. He had only one final question to ask. "What is Eldest Senior Brother doing? Why can''t I see him anywhere?"


    Before he could finish his question, he earned himself a vicious glare from Chen Qing. "Don''t ask questions you''re not supposed to. Do you think Eldest Senior Brother has to report his whereabouts to you?!"


    After the massacre came to an end, Feng Xingmo led his troops even closer to the center as usual. The situation couldn''t get any clearer by now. The Divine Tool would certainly be born in the heart of the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Since theirs was the strongest power in the area, there was no reason for him not to check it out.


    Of course, they didn''t stop weakening other forces along the way. It wouldn''t do to forget reaping the lives of the human cultivators. He mustn''t allow those from the Cultivation World to unite. It would be best that they would continue fighting among themselves.


    "Ouuu!"


    Suddenly, a grey wolf with silver fur covering its head howled at him. It seemed that the wolf had discovered people.


    Feng Xingmo stared at the wolf and asked, "How many?"


    "Ouuu!"


    "One?" He smirked in apparent distaste. He bent down to caress the wolf with silver fur, went close to its ear, and said something. The wolf subsequently turned around and ran frantically, disappearing out of sight.


    Soon, a pack of wolves gathered at the rear of the troops of the Five Main Tribes. From the looks of it, Feng Xingmo wanted the wolves to act independently. Since the opponent alone, he saw no need to use his large forces.


    However, these wolves left quickly and returned even quicker.


    When the wolves departed, they were baring their fangs with exceptional viciousness. When they returned, all of them looked like they had encountered something incredibly terrifying. The pack of wolves crouched on the ground, shivering. They only returned to their senses after Feng Xingmo spent some time placating them.


    No matter how he asked, the wolves stubbornly refused to respond to what they had gone through. It was as if they would feel afraid just by thinking about it.


    On the dark wasteland, a woman walked past at this moment.


    She held a silk umbrella with a plum blossom painting and a bamboo stem for the handle. Her clothing was entirely white save for strange cloud patterns on the sleeves. Her face was as delicate as cotton roses and her brows were as straight as willow. Her skin was exquisitely smooth and tender. Her head full of black hair was casually tied with a silver ribbon and she wore no hair accessories. The two strands of hair that cascaded down her cheeks swayed gently with the wind, fluttering along with her silver ribbon. It made her look rather elegant, adding to her grace.


    Considering the timing and direction, the one that pack of hungry wolves encountered earlier ought to be this woman. For some reason, the encounter alone had sent the wolves scattering and running in an instant. It was like a mouse running from a cat.


    Could this woman be a predator of these wolves?


    That was unimaginable!


    Peace once again returned after the ground shook.


    The feast of blood continued.


    A teen who was obviously from the Wind Tribe approached Feng Xingmo and said quietly, "Young Master, we found another group of human cultivators in front. They''re not from the allied forces of Mount Shu and the Glorious Tang Empire. I think they''re the people we released yesterday. There are about 30 of them. Judging from their apparel, they ought to be disciples from Qingqiu. They''re rather strong so if we want to kill them all, we''ll have to spare some energy."


    "Opponents that we''ve previously defeated? I suppose most of them have lost all courage by now. What does it matter if there are more or less of them? I''m sure those from Mount Shu share our plan to eliminate all these unrelated people and fight for the Divine Tool later," Feng Xingmo said.


    Five Main Tribes weren''t the only ones from the Demon Race that entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Some smaller tribes had also sent their disciples but most of them were betrayed to Mount Shu. Several small teams were also tacitly betrayed by the allied forces of Mount Shu and the Tang Empire to the Demon Race.


    "Surround them. Don''t let even one go."


    With a wave of his large hand, tens of silhouettes followed the pack of wolves to head toward Ye Que''s location. Soon, those from Mount Shu had a good guess of what was going on. They tacitly retreated to the side, giving the Demon Race a small space while putting in distance between them and Ye Que''s group.


    Due to their disadvantageous size and their frightened state of mind, the group Ye Que was in didn''t send anyone to check their surroundings. They merely placed themselves on high alert.


    This could be considered an achievement for a group made up of disciples from different sects.


    The group once again struck camp. Ye Que and Li Jianqi sat at the rear.


    He looked at the girl who was covered head-to-toe in filth. "Do you know how silly your actions were last night?"


    "My master once said that decisiveness and courage are crucial in the face of trouble. Whatever idea you have, you should act upon it immediately. Being indecisive is often an omen of defeat," Li Jianqi said self-righteously. "When you''re acting against a large pack of wolves, all you have to do is find the Wolf King and behead it. This is the most effective and wisest choice."


    Glancing at the group that was once again decamping to continue their journey, Li Jianqi said in distaste, "Such evasive behavior doesn''t solve anything at all when the root cause isn''t eliminated. Some danger is necessary."


    Li Jianqi didn''t keep her voice down. She believed those in front must have heard her but no one responded. Everyone acted as if they didn''t hear her.


    Ye Que shrugged. "See that? No one agrees with your idea. Furthermore, there''s a distinction between being decisive and dogmatic. In particular, courage and rashness are two different things. You need to be clear about this."


    After interacting with this girl for more than a day, it was clear to him that this Sword Fanatic was a naive girl without malice. He didn''t want to see a tragedy happen in this dog-eat-dog environment.


    He was determined to help as much as possible, knowing that Li Jianqi and Nalan Rongruo would undergo a life-and-death trial. Since his presence here had already caused some changes, he didn''t mind making a few more.


    "Are you calling me silly?" Li Jianqi asked angrily after digesting Ye Que''s words.


    "Regardless of your understanding, I hope you''ll use your brain before you act in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Being rash won''t solve any problem," Ye Que said earnestly, "It''s for your own good. No one wants to harm you here!"


    "Who needs your concern?" Li Jianqi curled her lips.


    "There''s something else. Your Sword Qi yesterday was very sharp but too dispersed. Even you''re free to use Sword Qi as you like due to your innate affinity for swords, you need to understand how to conserve it," Ye Que said.


    "Are you going to interfere with my cultivation as well? Not even my master has commented on it before." The curl in Li Jianqi''s lips deepened. Since young, she had always had the final say. No one would dare to tell her otherwise or command her, much less on matters about cultivation. After all, she was the famous Sword Fanatic gifted with an innate affinity with swords. She was typically the one instructing others and not the other way around.


    "Didn''t you say you want to win against me and eat my Spirit Sword?" Ye Que asked.


    "Does your recommendation work?" Li Jianqi retorted with dissatisfaction.


    "Never mind if it works. Either way, you''ll be able to kill. A method that can kill is a good method in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum." Ye Que pointed to their surroundings. "Don''t assume it''ll be peaceful forever. I''m willing to bet that we''re already in grave danger. In fact, I''d even go so far as to say that danger is lurking on every side."


    It seemed that Ye Que was right on the mark.


    The two greatest powers in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum tacitly declared death sentence for Ye Que and the rest.


    Those who knew the truth would certainly curse out loud at this moment. "Two shameless factions! Are you working together to exterminate every cultivator who entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum?!"

 Chapter 79 Single-log Bridge or the Underworld

    It didn''t take long for the temperature in the dark wasteland to drop tremendously low.


    The wind never ceased. Though the gusts weren''t terribly cold, they could pierce the depths of the body through the crevices of clothing like fine strands of hair and gradually rob the body of its warmth.


    After evading yet another cracking on the ground, Ye Que''s group finally detected something unusual.


    The Eldest Senior Brother of the Seven Sabers Sect of Qingqiu, Yan Ziyue, stared into the distance with a frown. Looking past the sparse and short shrubs, he could vaguely see some shadows moving.


    "Something''s wrong. Let''s not set up camp first. Send a few people to scout out the place," Yan Ziyue said, sounding a little uncertain.


    "Senior Brother Yan, did you notice something?" Lin Xibei from the Incense Fragrance Valley of Qingqiu turned his head to look around.


    "Better safe than sorry. It''s never wrong to be more cautious," Yan Ziyue said.


    "Then let''s have someone out to check. To be fair, all sects must send someone," Lin Xibei told everyone.


    Though they were exhausted, no one protested seeing as it was a fair request meant to ensure their safety.


    As the first ray of morning light shattered dawn, several silhouettes moved away from the campsite in four directions.


    Soon, the disciples responsible to check their surroundings rushed back. Four people came from four directions, all of them wearing changed expressions.


    "We found wolves crowding in from the east. Moreover, we can vaguely see shadows. I think they''re from the Demon Race."


    "We also spotted wolves in the north. We confirmed that there''s a demon controlling them."


    "Nothing in the south but the cracking on the ground is catching up to us. The ground under us will sink in another hour at most."


    With enemies spotted in the north and east, and a natural disaster waiting on the south, everyone turned to look at Nalan Rongruo. She represented the Qingqiu Sword Sect to check on the west side. She was frowning and looked as if she was trying to think about how to describe what she saw. Moments later, she finally said, "It''s strange in the west."


    Nalan Rongruo pointed to behind her. "When I went over, the first thing I saw was a large group of cultivators. Judging from their clothing, they''re disciples of Mount Shu and members of the Judicature of the Tang Empire. But before I could get close, they retreated westward by more than a kilometer."


    After a brief pause, she added, "What happened next is the strange part. The cultivators had just retreated when more than twenty warriors from the Demon Race chased a large pack of wolves down the same path. What''s strange is that both sides didn''t fight each other at all!"


    To think that disciples from Mount Shu and warriors from the Demon Race could coexist peacefully!


    Everyone fell into silence after listening to the outcome of the inspections. A burst of coldness rose from the soles of their feet into their foreheads. This coldness, like an omen of death, seeped deep into their bones.


    "We''re surrounded!"


    This was everyone''s first reaction.


    "Why did Mount Shu and the Judicature retire? Can''t they tell that this is the Demon Race''s scheme?" Yan Ziyue, the Eldest Senior Brother of the Seven Sabers Sect of Qingqiu, said indignantly.


    "Even an idiot can tell that the Demon Race is trying to exterminate all of us from the Cultivation World. Don''t they know just how many small sects has the Demon Race wiped out?" The tone of Lin Xibei of the Incense Fragrance Valley of Qingqiu was even worse. He was so mad that he nearly cursed.


    Li Jianqi was the only one who looked confused. She looked at everyone and asked softly, "Isn''t Mount Shu the number one sword sect in the Cultivation World and the leader of the orthodox path? Why did they pretend that they didn''t see anything? Shouldn''t they slay demons, rid of devils, and spread the word of the Orthodox Path? What a great opportunity it is! Where would they typically find that many warriors of the Demon Race?"


    The moment Li Jianqi finished speaking, everyone immediately looked at her with an odd expression.


    Ye Que glanced at her and rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Did you really believe all that talk about slaying demons, ridding of evils, and spreading the world of the Orthodox Path is real? It''s just a form of marketing, a form of..."


    Ye Que paused. For a moment, he couldn''t find the right word. Finally, he sighed and said, "You can consider those words as boasting or farting. There''s not much difference."


    Boasting?


    Farting?


    "Mount Shu imprisons tens of thousands of demons in its Demon Holding Tower. How do you explain this? Is that boasting as well?"


    Seeing the disbelief in Li Jianqi''s expression, Ye Que continued, "Of course, if they meet demons and have nothing better to do, they''ll slay the demons. But it''s not the same now. This is the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Everyone came here to fight over the Divine Tool. It''s easy for them to save you but after the Divine Tool is born, won''t you try and snatch it? Wouldn''t they have an additional competitor?"


    Ye Que didn''t continue his explanation. He was sure everyone understood what he meant.


    Mount Shu and the Judicature of the Tang Empire had given up slaying demons and chose to turn a blind eye in their quest for the Divine Tool. It was a realistic, ruthless decision but not the wrong one. In the first place, the Cultivation World was a snow-covered wasteland filled with social order and power. It wasn''t a place that tolerated dreams and impulses; cultivators would only unsheathe their swords for their own profit.


    Of course, if they knew this was the rapport between the two sides, they might not find it excusable. They would probably scold them for being shameless.


    Nevertheless, regardless of how fiercely they scolded the two sides, there was nothing that they could do. Humans had no choice but to bow their heads under the eaves. The situation had forced their hand. Their most urgent task was figuring out how to deal with their current predicament.


    With time swiftly running out, everyone began racking their brain. Some people were even starting to consider their own profit. Staying in the group gave them a small advantage and mitigated the risks as well. The goal of a group was undoubtedly more eye-catching than that of a single person.


    The few Rogue Cultivators in the group might share this thought but those from sects couldn''t. Nalan Rongruo looked at the crowd and saw that no one said anything. In a moment of anxiousness, she stepped forward. "We must do something. Since Mount Shu and the Judicature are turning a blind eye to us, we must think of a way to force them to save us."


    "What are you suggesting?" Yan Ziyue asked.


    "Let''s fire our sects'' flares into the sky. They''ll definitely notice at this distance and so will other sects. Mount Shu is a famous Orthodox sect. They wouldn''t want to taint their reputation." Nalan Rongruo pointed to the west. "If they don''t want to save us, we''ll find a way to force them to."


    "Sounds like a plan. Give it a try." Yan Ziyue pondered over it before adding, "But that''s the ideal situation. We must prepare for the worst-case scenario."


    "What should we do if no reinforcement comes?"


    The most realistic problem was brought up.


    The siege was gradually revealing its outline.


    It was indeed a siege by the Demon Race. The atmosphere instantly stiffened.


    Finally, a Rogue Cultivator without a sect or an affiliation stepped forward with a sullen expression. In a hoarse voice, he said, "I won''t interfere in whatever you plan to do next but from this moment onward, I''m leaving this group. We''ll go our separate ways. Let''s meet again if we''re fated."


    The person then walked away and stood at the edge of the group.


    "We''ll go our separate ways?" Those words sounded pleasant but everyone could tell that this person was planning to use them as a bait. When the Demon Race attack, they would certainly attack the biggest group. This would give a solo cultivator a chance and if the cultivator was fortunate enough, he might very well escape.


    "Leaving now, not a minute earlier or later. What do you take us for?" "Fools?" Yan Ziyue said coolly, prompting about nine males to stand up. The number of the Seven Saber Sect of Qingqiu disciples in the group was the greatest. Thus, they were also the most nervous ones about the group breaking up. If that happened, they would turn out to be the biggest target.


    "Staying alive is triumphs everything."


    The Rogue Cultivator who had swiftly removed himself from the group said frankly, "What you think is your business."


    Yan Ziyue tried very hard to suppress his rage. "That wasn''t what you said when you wanted to join our group a few days ago."


    The Rogue Cultivator shrugged. "The Demon Race wasn''t besieging us then."


    "Are you betraying us?"


    "You can take it however you want."


    While talking, the Rogue Cultivator took a few more steps away from the group to indicate that he was drawing a line.


    At the same time, another three Rogue Cultivators left the group in different directions but all bearing the same thought of escaping amid the chaos.


    Ye Que watched everything from his position next to the Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples but said nothing. His origin wasn''t apparent from his outfit, making him look no different from Rogue Cultivators.


    "Internal conflict before the battle even begins? Did they think death isn''t coming fast enough?" Ye Que thought as he slowly walked over to the Rogue Cultivators that had just walked away.


    The person frowned at him. He only relaxed when he saw that Ye Que was also without sect or affiliation.


    Li Jianqi and Nalan Rongruo opened their mouth, wanting to yell at Ye Que, but they realized there was nothing to be said. They weren''t close, having just known one another for several days. What right did they have to yell at him? Everyone had their own fates and pursuits.


    Silence fell over the campsite. The only audible sound was the whistling of the wind.


    Ye Que slowly took another step backward so that he was behind the Rogue Cultivator. The Rogue Cultivator didn''t reveal any abnormal expression or went on the defensive. He had his eyes locked in the scene before him, looking nervous. Subconsciously, he had considered the Rogue Cultivator Ye Que as one of his own.


    Out of the blue.


    He noticed the drastic change in the expression of the group of people in front of him.


    In the following moment, he felt a stab of coldness in the door of his heart. Then, an acute pain spread to all corners of his body and his vision turned to black. He fell to the ground and went to the Underworld with his eyes still open. He didn''t know what was going on even as he was dying!


    Chaos broke out!


    The three other Rogue Cultivators who left the group panicked even more.


    Ye Que clapped his hands lightly as if he had done something of no significance. He pointed to the corpse on the ground. "It''s true that staying alive triumphs everything but watching someone live while you die, well, that''s just painful."


    "There''s a price to pay to inflict pain on innocent people for no reason."


    "There''s no reason for others to die while you live." Ye Que glanced at Yan Ziyue of the Seven Sabers Sect of Qingqiu and then at Lin Xibei of the Incense Fragrance Valley of Qingqiu. Finally, he turned his gaze toward Qi Shenghua of the Qingqiu Sword Sect.


    These were all intelligent people. They instantly understood what he meant.


    Several cold lights flashed amid the cold wind. The other three Rogue Cultivators died as well.


    "Now, we can discuss how to deal with our enemies." Ye Que slowly returned to the group. His tone was neutral as if he had just done something of no importance.


    When he walked past Li Jianqi, the girl gave him a look. The look seemed to be saying, "You shouldn''t have just killed him. That was very unreasonable."


    Ye Que returned with a look of his own. "These people courted their own death. They can''t blame anyone else."

 Chapter 80 Isll Kill You If You Disobey Me

    The sun bathed the clouds in blood-red sunlight.


    The daytime that should represent vitality now resembled the white cloth hung during a funeral. Danger and death were knocking at the door but the discussion was still ongoing. This concerned their lives; no one was willing to make a joke out of it.


    "I think we should break out of the siege from the east. There, we can prevent a two-sided attack. Who knows if those from Mount Shu and the Judicature aren''t mad? If they''re really trying to weaken our strength to obtain the Divine Tool, they might silence us with death!" Yan Ziyue of the Seven Sabers Sect of Qingqiu suggested the cruelest, worst-case scenario.


    "Not the east. We should break out the siege from the north. Don''t forget the natural disaster that will swallow us is right behind us. What if the ground cracks while we''re breaking out? The north is safer," Lin Xibei of the Incense Fragrance Valley said serenely.


    "Didn''t any of you consider that Mount Shu and the Judicature might not have given up on us? If we put in more effort and attack from both sides, we might be able to eat up these demons. Shouldn''t we try to attack from the west and gauge their reaction?" someone suggested in a quiet voice. However, perhaps not even he believed such a possibility.


    Someone interjected and said, "Isn''t it too dangerous to break out of the siege? We can try dividing into two groups: one to lure the enemies in and the other to ambush from the sides."


    Another person immediately rejected the idea. "You must be kidding! There are so few of us as it is! Who''s going to go and lure the enemies? Who''s going to stay and ambush? That''s not practical at all!"


    "Some will have to sacrifice themselves in bloody battles like this. Otherwise, we can all forget about surviving."


    It took barely any time for the discussion to gradually dissolve into a dispute and then a heated argument between red-faced people. In the end, everyone''s expressions turned bleaker and bleaker. They finally realized that no matter who it was or what method they used, they shared a similar goal: their own survival.


    As for the rest?


    What did it have to do with them?


    This wasn''t an individual problem yet everyone was focused on themselves. They were acting in a way that defeated their purpose by ignoring the group. How could they expect themselves to win against enemies stronger than they were? Death was certain to await them!


    This continued until a certain point in time.


    The howling of wolves came from all around them.


    When the crowd looked up and around, they realized the siege was close to completion and the attack on them could happen at any time. If they don''t make a decision now, they would be a mess when the attack happened and end up fighting among themselves.


    If that was the case, their survival was entirely up to fate.


    "Cough, cough."


    Ye Que, who had been keeping an eye on their surroundings in lieu of participating in the discussion, finally opened his mouth to speak.


    After coughing twice, he said loudly, "Be quiet, everyone. Listen to my two cents."


    The discussion continued, for few people cared to listen to Ye Que''s opinion. To them, Ye Que''s position wasn''t any better than that of the Rogue Cultivators. Otherwise, why wasn''t he wearing the outfit of the Qingqiu Sword Sect? Besides, even if he really was a disciple, the sect must have been attacked considering the fact that they didn''t have a Starburst Realm expert left.


    Those without strength had no right to voice their opinion.


    "Ah!"


    An ear-piercing screech resounded and continued for a whopping ten seconds. Everyone''s attention was finally drawn.


    Nalan Rongruo, who had screeched earlier, pointed to Ye Que. "Silence! Listen to him."


    Everyone turned to look at Ye Que.


    He was a little stunned to be on the receiving end of everyone''s attention. Then, he began to speak openly.


    "I''ll lure the enemies."


    "The rest of you will break out of the siege from the south."


    These two simple sentences were enough to dumbfound everyone.


    To think that there would be someone who would take the initiative in luring the Demon Race! To think that a reckless, brainless fool that didn''t fear death would exist! Did he want to gain fame through this battle? For a moment, everyone didn''t notice the other odd detail in his words. "You''re going to lure them?"


    "Yes, me," Ye Que said with certainty.


    He added, "The rest of you will break out of the siege from the south."


    "Which direction?"


    "Which direction, you say? I think I misheard you."


    "South?"


    "Can we break out of the siege from that direction? Are you sure it''s not suicidal? Did you make a mistake?"


    Taking in everyone''s expressions, Ye Que calmly and earnestly repeated his words. "There''s no mistake. It''s the south. By contrast, the south should be the safest location later."


    Perhaps out of concern that the rest found his plan to be confusing, he explained, "The obstacles waiting for us in the east, west, and north are the Demon Race. Those obstacles are living creatures with intellect; only the one in the south is a non-living thing. It''s a cracking ground with a discernable pattern. As long as everyone follows the outermost part of the crack, I''m sure no one will confront you head-on. Even wolves are afraid of death."


    "All you have to do is make sure you don''t fall into the abyss. You don''t have to worry about other things for I''ll do my job in luring the enemies. I might even be able to seek revenge on them if a chance presents itself," Ye Que muttered.


    Everyone exchanged looks but no one argued. What was there to say when someone was offering to die in their place? Furthermore, even if they ran toward the south, it wasn''t like they would be jumping to their deaths. They could very well run whenever there was a risk of falling. Since their legs were theirs, they were the final decision-makers on where and if they should run.


    "Are you sure you can lure them?" Yan Ziyue asked uncertainly.


    "That''s not the point. You guys wouldn''t be able to do it anyway. Even if you can, you''re not willing to. You have no choice but to trust me," Ye Que replied calmly.


    He thought for a moment before adding, "Who among you have Spirit Beasts? I want something fast. Do everyone a favor and contribute it. It''ll improve my chances."


    It wasn''t suitable to fly on a sword under such circumstances. On the one hand, even if those whose cultivation was beneath the Apocalypse Realm could fly on their sword, they wouldn''t be fast. Traveling on a sword and killing on a sword were two different things. On the other hand, riding a Spirit Beast wouldn''t distract him. He could even manipulate his sword to fly and kill enemies.


    Due to the urgency in entering the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, Ye Que hadn''t had the chance to equip himself with a Spirit Beast until now. However, he believed that Spirit Beasts were a standard for these official disciples of the various Qingqiu sects. In fact, most of them would own more than one.


    "Hurry up. Don''t waste time," Ye Que said, glancing into the distance.


    "Me."


    A young man in the crowd suddenly raised his hand. "I have an extra Spirit Beast with me. I''m sure it''s fast enough, but¡­"


    "But what?"


    "It''s a wild Spirit Beast with a bad temper. Not only does it easily injure humans, but it''s also very disobedient."


    Ye Que immediately replied, "Wild Spirit Beast?"


    The young man tossed him a talisman. "It''s a Cloud-hoofed Red Hare caught just last month."


    After Ye Que caught the talisman, he imbued Spiritual Force into it. In the blink of an eye, a Cloud-hoofed Red Hare the color of blood-red appeared in front of everyone with a thud. It displayed its wild side the moment its cloud-hooves landed on the ground, twisting its body in a manner that looked like it was about to soar into the sky. It even emitted a high-pitched humming sound as if it was celebrating its freedom.


    However, the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare''s impudence didn''t even last for more than three seconds before it suffered a terrible blow on the head. The force was so great that its cloud-hooves were squashed to the ground. It was obvious that a brief spell of dizziness had hit the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare. It shook its head, the size of a deer or horse''s head, and for a moment it couldn''t gather its bearing.


    It shook its massive head, the size of a deer or horse''s head, and tried to get up. It wanted to see who had the audacity to hit it. It was so angry that steam was shooting out of its nostrils but it had barely lifted its head when a slap landed on its head.


    "Boom!"


    A muffled explosion resounded. The head of the pride Cloud-hoofed Red Hare once again met the ground.


    Subsequently, a youngster appeared in front of the hare''s wide eyes.


    "I don''t have the time to waste words on you," Ye Que said coolly, staring into the hare''s eyes.


    "I have one rule." He lifted a finger.


    "Be obedient."


    He paused and leaned down. With a faint smile and a calm but determined voice, he said, "If you disobey me, I''ll immediately kill you. You have my word."

 Chapter 81 Skewed Four in One Go like a Candied Hawthorn Stick

    In no time at all.


    Ye Que tamed the extremely wild Cloud-hoofed Red Hare. The hare had no choice because it could feel, through its human-like cloud-hooves, that the youngster in front of it would definitely keep his word and kill it.


    No matter how wild the hare was, it was nonetheless one that knew its capabilities. This logic was particularly evident in the world of beasts.


    The Cloud-hoofed Red Hare shook its head, the size of a horse or a deer''s head, and curled its thick lips. It shook its large buttocks with force and even blinked its large eyes. Its meaning was clear without needing to be verbalized. Not only it had completely surrendered, but it was also trying its best to placate its new master.


    Ye Que ignored the beast and took out a 10-meter-long pike from the spice bag tied to his waist. Initially, he had prepared the pike for Qian Shuhua but he discovered it when inspecting his spice bag yesterday. The stubborn girl must have secretly put the pike inside. It happened to come in handy now.


    Howling rang throughout the dark wasteland.


    It was as if the wolves were announcing the completion of their siege.


    Giving the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare a pat on its head, Ye Que climbed onto it. He raised his head and looked at the faint shadows in three directions.


    For now, the pack of wolves and the Demon Race were quietly standing at a distance and coolly watching Ye Que''s group. It was as if they were signaling the beginning of a feast of death. The cold wind whistled as it pierced deep into everyone''s bones. Even breathing became labored. Breaths of white air escaped their mouth before dissipating in the air.


    "Tread!"


    No one bellowed or screamed.


    With a slight force, Ye Que charged forward like an arrow shot out of a mythical bow.


    A wisp of wind swept past everyone''s cheeks while their guard was down. After a moment of hesitation, they frantically ran toward the cliff in the south. Human thoughts were a form of inertia; while making a decision was difficult, it didn''t take much determination to go according to the flow.


    "South? So be it. We won''t be the first to die either way." Though the group had taken Ye Que''s advice, most of them were still doubtful. No one believed that he would accomplish his task.


    Three directions, thousands of wolves, nearly a hundred warriors of the Demon Race. How could they be lured away so easily?


    Ye Que, riding on the back of the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare, was charging toward the east with his head lowered and the 10-meter-long pike in his hand pointed backward. His eyes were bright and full of life.


    The sound of cloud-hooves treading on the dark wasteland was urgent and forceful. From the sound of it, the hare''s every step seemed capable of causing the ground to shake and leaving a cloud of fine sand in its wake. The human and beast gradually picked up speed. From afar, they looked like a scarlet blade.


    In the sky above the dark wasteland, the morning sun dyed the clouds a brilliant red. The mood gradually became solemn amid the sound of hooves. Be it wolves, humans, or warriors of the Demon Race, all felt their heart tightened and blood boiling.


    The charging of a single person had signaled the start of the battle.


    In Ye Que''s vision, the dark shadows gradually became visible. Tens of burly men wearing animal-skin armor stood in the middle of a large pack of wolves. Judging from the black-and-white totem on their cheek, these were members of the Five Main Tribes of Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, and Mountain. All clans were gathered here.


    In the face of Ye Que charging at them, the siege in the east didn''t seem to waver in the slightest. In fact, the troops didn''t even move.


    Every gaze, including that of the wolves, was on Ye Que. They looked at him like he was a corpse.


    He was someone who was about to die.


    He was an idiot who struggled in vain, hoping to invent a miracle, in the face of death!


    But was it possible?


    Feng Xingmo didn''t believe that a miracle would happen.


    "Kill him," he said placidly.


    His voice hadn''t even faded when a muscular guy with totems covering all of his skin charged out with a bellow. The warriors of the Demon Race were all bloodthirsty savages who were born with a love for battles. Naturally, they would unleash the entirety of their character in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. They were free to kill whoever they wanted without having to worry about bearing the consequences.


    After all, a dead man wouldn''t be able to seek revenge.


    The muscular warrior with totems all over his skin was a six-star cultivator in the Psychic Realm, though he was close to entering the Starburst Realm. Facing the weak-looking Ye Que, he naturally felt no worry. He ran out, holding a massive black hammer in one hand.


    Soon, Ye Que''s red figure collided with the muscular warrior. The warrior lifted his massive hammer high up in the air and green Spiritual Light swirled around him. Then, he swung it down on Ye Que with tremendous force.


    "Tch!"


    The radiance of the Spiritual Force around Ye Que didn''t even flicker before he perforated the muscular man with his pike. The tremendous impact caused the head of the pike to pierce through the muscular man''s chest. The muscular man that was at least 200 pounds heavy was killed by the pike just like that.


    Then, the pike trembled and sent the muscular man flying more than a few meters away.


    If the others hadn''t seen this with their own eyes, who would believe that a Physic Realm warrior of the Demon Race dropped dead after being pierced once by a pike? However, this was the truth. If someone went up to examine the muscular man, they would notice something in his chest. The radiance of Spiritual Force didn''t flash at all. That was because Ye Que wasn''t using his True Energy but Divine Energy.


    Divine Energy, found only in the Cultivation World, was imbued in the pike attack. It wasn''t something a Psychic Realm cultivator could withstand.


    Ye Que slowed his pace but his direction remained the same. The mocking smirk on his face was evident to everyone. It was as if he was saying, "Is that a warrior of the Demon Race? Pretty overrated, isn''t it? To fall after just one strike!"


    His mockery was clearly reflected in the eyes of the group in front of him.


    Three silhouettes rushed out without waiting for Feng Xingmo''s instruction.


    Once again, they roared. Only this time, they didn''t recklessly charge toward Ye Que. Even though they couldn''t see the fluctuation of Spiritual Force in Ye Que''s body, they were sure that he had used a certain skill earlier.


    Eventually, a man from the Wind Tribe speedily recited an incantation. The black sand on the ground suddenly rose. A yellow dragon of smoke, dust, and soil emerged out of a cloud of endless sand and charged at Ye Que. The dragon even blocked the vision of the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare.


    The two other warriors borrowed the force of Sudden Thunderclap and put forth fists of raging flames respectively.


    Three warriors.


    Three directions.


    They closed in on Ye Que.


    The wind carrying sand, smoke, and dust rapidly spread from one meter to three meters, before finally forming a seven-meter-tall wall. It enveloped all four of them. The cry of the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare pierced through the wall of the wind, followed by three roars and six clanging sounds of iron colliding.


    A brief moment later, all sound ceased. The mood became as stiff and uncomfortable as if a screeching rooster suddenly had its neck snapped.


    The wind of sand, smoke, and dust rose swiftly and died even more swiftly. In the blink of an eye, it had completely dissipated into the air.


    The three warriors had surrounded a single person earlier. In the end, three died, leaving only one survivor.


    The door of the three men''s heart, where their Spirit Sea resided, was perforated with several identical holes. The holes cut through their heart.


    Ye Que remained on the back of the blood-red Cloud-hoofed Red Hare, staring disdainfully in Feng Xingmo''s direction. Lying disorderly next to the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare were three corpses. One of them was a muscular man from the Wind Tribe, a youngster from the Thunder Tribe, and a man from the Fire Tribe. The three of them were staring with their eyes open, having died with grievances!


    The bitterly cold wind in the dark wasteland came sweeping, hitting Feng Xingmo on the face hard enough to make a resounding noise and leave a burning sensation. Four warriors from the Demon Race were all dead within two rounds of battle. To make things worse, their opponent was a mere young Rogue Cultivator in the Psychic Realm.


    Blatant humiliation.


    An irrefutable, crushing defeat.


    Even if Feng Xingmo had thicker skin than the city wall, he was nevertheless ashamed at this moment. It was unbearable for him to see that look on Ye Que''s face!


    One''s temperament was shaped by his environment and cultivated by his experience. It was a slow and gradual process over the years. Ye Que had experienced more than a hundred years of ups and downs. His battles against the Demon Race alone amounted to decades. The deaths he had witnessed, as well as the bloodthirstiness he had sniffed, were probably more than what the people here had witnessed altogether.


    Thus, Ye Que was calm. He was used to staying calm.


    He gripped the pike in his hand.


    He wielded the Spirit Sword, Straw Dog Sword, in his other hand calmly in front of all the warriors of the Demon Race. With four strikes of his sword, he had decapitated four heads and calmly skewered them with his 10-meter-long pike.


    The four heads on the pike made it look like a stick of candied hawthorn.


    He sat still.


    Straightened his body.


    Raised his pike.


    Ye Que''s gaze swept the warriors of the Demon Race nearby, including Feng Xingmo. Then, a smirk appeared on his face. He emptied one of his hands, steadily lifted it, and placed it in front of his chest to slowly make an obvious gesture.


    In the Demon Race, this gesture was equivalent to a slap in the face. In fact, in many circumstances, it was even more destructive than simply slapping someone on the face. It wasn''t a mere humiliation but a disgrace of the beliefs of all warriors of the Demon Race and a degradation of their souls. The moment this gesture appeared among the Demon Race, it inevitably meant the beginning of a life-and-death battle that wouldn''t end until one side died.


    The air stiffened at this moment.


    White streams of vapor slowly emerged from the nostrils of the group of Demon Race warriors and rose into the air. Their chest heaved as they breathed and their eyes gradually turned a scarlet red.


    The warriors stared fixedly at Ye Que''s face and four decapitated heads on his pike.


    Their rage began rushing to their brain!


    This was the greatest difference between demons and humans. Sometimes, humans were able to control their urges because they knew recklessness was the act of the devil. However, demons found it nearly impossible to restrain their anger. In their mind, the debt of blood must always be repaid in kind and no other option would be entertained.


    Ye Que didn''t drop his hand gesture. He slowly turned around and allowed his pike to touch the ground. The head nearest to the tip of the pike began making contact with the ground. He gently pressed both of his legs onto the abdomen of the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare, prompting the hare to make a light stomp and begin jogging in small steps. Instantly, the head of the Demon Race warrior began rubbing against the black grains of sand on the ground.


    A trail of eye-catching bloodstain appeared in his vision.


    Feng Xingmo had detected something strange about the whole situation, especially about the youngster in front of him. Unless he was trying to dig his own grave, he must be up to some trick. However, when he saw the bloodstain on the ground, he knew his words would fall on deaf ears. That was because some emotions were impossible to restrain.


    With a sigh, he slowly raised his hand above his head and abruptly pointed to Ye Que.


    "Behead him!"


    In a split second, more than ten Spirit Lights flashed and Spirit Beasts of varying heads appeared in front of the warriors alongside several hundred black wolves. The beasts charged forth like a tide upon a shore.


    "Kill!"


    Continuous sounds of anger resounded as all Demon Race warriors, including those leading the charge on the back of Spirit Beasts or the beasts that were madly charging, stared ahead with red eyes. There was nothing in their vision except for Ye Que and the pike behind him.


    Several hundreds of cloud of dust and soil rose into the air. Ye Que retreated from the east with a black cloud overhead and made his way westward.


    Through some unknown method, the Demon Race warriors and wolves in the north appeared to have received their command and were charging in this direction at the same time.


    The parameter of the siege began to tighten. Meanwhile, Nalan Rongruo and 30-something of her fellow Qingqiu disciples just happened to arrive at the cliff in the south at this moment.


    The ground began shaking under them, signaling the beginning of the cracking.


    After glancing at the two clouds of smoke and dust in the distance, Yan Ziyue narrowed his eyes and yelled, "Keep up your spirits! The moment the ground starts cracking, we''ll run north. But don''t run too quickly; try to avoid any collision with the Demon Race as much as possible. If Ye Que somehow manages to lure the Demon Race away, only then will we pick up speed and fight for a chance to escape the siege."

 Chapter 82 More Demonic Than The Demon Race

    The bellowing sent jolts throughout the sky and the sound of hooves treading the ground was as loud as thunder.


    If seen from a birds-eye perspective, one would see two black lines chasing after a red dot.


    The Cloud-hoofed Red Hare was indeed a fast Spirit Beast. Coupled with the Immortal Qi and Divine Energy poured into its body, it galloped at such an incredible speed that it was close to leaving residual shadows. Moreover, it remained firmly ahead of everyone else. The siege in the west was a kilometer away, with the group of the Demon Race warriors in a rigid formation.


    Narrowing his eyes to look ahead, Ye Que fashioned his left fingers into a sword and made a cut in his right palm. In no time at all, his blood flowed down the pike.


    The strange thing was that every drop of his blood seemed to be imbued with life. It began moving along the body of the pike on its own and soon crawled all over it to form a long, strange seal script.


    The seal script disappeared in a flash. From the outside, the pike looked completely normal.


    Ye Que watched the blockade line in front of him coolly. No emotion was discernable in his pupils except for extreme concentration on the Demon Race warriors in the middle. He observed their stance, analyzed their expertise, and predicted their upcoming response.


    The rage of the group of demons hunting after Ye Que had reached its peak. Whoever saw one of their own get their head decapitated, willfully rubbed against the floor, and finally turned into a pile of mud would see their anger skyrocket.


    Thus, Ye Que ran in a perfectly straight line without any inclination. He knew that the moment his speed slowed, he might be surrounded or even overtaken.


    Not even he would want to see something like this happen.


    One kilometer.


    500 meters.


    100 meters.


    Ye Que got closer and closer to the blockade line in the west. The group of Demon Race warriors there had unsheathed their sword and poured True Energy into their weapon in anticipation of his arrival.


    When Ye Que was 50 meters away from them, more than 10 warriors stormed him with Spiritual Force.


    The sharp end of blades broke through the air.


    Simultaneously, Ye Que raised the pike in his hand horizontally. Borrowing the speed of his assault and the power of the Divine Energy that fully filled the spike, he thrust his pike. He pressed on the abdomen of the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare at the same time, sending a violent Divine Energy through both him and the beast. Both of them soared into the air.


    In a flash.


    The hem of Ye Que''s shirt, as well as his chest, were perforated with seven holes. The belly and neck of the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare were also slashed, leaving two long wounds. However, both of them managed to evade the worst of this wave of Spiritual attack!


    The flying pike, imbued with mythical power and momentum of the Sudden Thunderclap, directly ripped through the sky.


    The pike wasn''t fast but its power was astonishing. Even an idiot could tell that it wasn''t something that could be intercepted.


    The disarrayed footsteps shifted as the blockade line moved, forming a narrow gap.


    Thanks to the best attack of the pike filled with Divine Energy, the narrow gap expanded to a width of between one to two meters.


    The moment the gap appeared happened to be the moment Ye Que landed on the ground.


    Following the path opened up by the pike, Ye Que rode the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare through the blockade line. The army chasing after him abruptly slowed down.


    "Chase after him. Catch him no matter what."


    "I want to see his being if he''s alive."


    "I want to see his corpse if he''s dead."


    Little time had passed from the moment Ye Que set off until this moment. The cracking in the south hadn''t stopped but he had successfully enraged all of the Demon Race warriors. Moreover, they had to suffer the rage internally without being able to vent it.


    The more the rage simmered, the poorer their judgment.


    "Capture him."


    "Rip him into shreds." Such a thought had eroded the entire group of demons. Judging from their stance, they wouldn''t give up until they capture Ye Que. If they allowed him to escape, then they might as well knock themselves to death with a block of tofu.


    Until this moment, they firmly believed that it was only a matter of time before they overtook and captured Ye Que.


    Not only did he run away alone, but he had also used his explosive power several times. How much more True Energy would be left in his body?


    "The moment he exhausts his True Energy is the moment he dies!"


    Ye Que had passed the demons'' blockade line at lightning speed but his shoulder and back still suffered the slashes of the Spirit Blades.


    Those were unavoidable!


    Blood slowly seeped through his shirt.


    The blood was warm whilst the wind was cold.


    Ye Que didn''t even spare the blood a glance as if these wounds didn''t belong to him. There wasn''t even the tiniest change in his expression. After experiencing so much of life, he naturally found this to be insignificant.


    The biting-cold wind sweeping the dark wasteland didn''t seem to cease in the slightest.


    His shirt billowed in the wind yet the strands of hair covering his forehead remained motionless. That was because the hair was intertwined into a sticky mess after getting soaked with blood.


    Ye Que continued to run at a maddening pace, showing no sign of slowing down.


    Under him, the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare didn''t dare to stop for a rest. Even if it was an animal, it knew that its fate would be to be dismembered and nothing else if he stopped at this moment. As a Spirit Beast, its mental capabilities were limited. Since it couldn''t find an answer, then it had no choice but to do its utmost to run in hopes that it could shake off those hunting them.


    Three black tides finally converged and the one leading the chase was still Ye Que.


    "The onlookers who do nothing to help must be feeling bored, I suppose?"


    "You have to pay to watch a show, you know!"


    "Since their goal is to exhaust, then let''s make the exhaustion thorough!"


    Ye Que muttered to himself while riding the back of the Cloud-hoofed Red Hare. He finally saw another group of silhouettes in front of him. This direction led to the temporary campsite of Mount Shu and the Judicature. Even if the group had retreated several kilometers earlier, the distance didn''t take longer than several seconds to cover.


    Soon, the allied forces of Mount Shu and the Judicature noticed something strange. Chaos swept the forces that were nearly 200-people strong. They didn''t know what had happened in such a short amount of time.


    All they saw was a wide black tide reaching for them. The one taking the lead was a youngster and behind him was a boundless sea of wolves and Demon Race warriors.


    "What''s going on? Is this group of idiots mad?" Chen Qing frowned deeply while staring at the black tide in the distance. With a wave of his hand, all the Mount Shu disciples rose to their feet and took their place in a formation.


    "Are we preparing to start a war?" The Chief of the Judicature muttered. More than a hundred black-armored soldiers immediately summoned their respective Spirit Beasts.


    Though they found the situation odd, the Chief of the Judicature and Chen Qing of Mount Shu exchanged uncertain looks. Anyone with a brain could tell that this wasn''t the best time to start a war, regardless of what happened. The Divine Tool wasn''t born yet. What benefit would there be for one another if they fought and depleted their strength so soon?


    Was the rapport they had just developed so worthless? Was it so fragile that it could be invalidated at any time?


    Logic told them that they couldn''t be reckless.


    "Retreat northward and make way," Chen Qing and Chief of the Judicature yelled in unison.


    The allied forces of Mount Shu and the Judicature adjusted their position and made a path leading westward. Ye Que smirked and adjusted his direction as well. Evidently, he was aiming for them.


    Ye Que had long picked up speed. The Cloud-hoofed Red Hare under him was running so hard that it was on the verge of coughing up blood. Naturally, it wasn''t so simple to get out of their way. More people meant greater strength but it also meant it would be all that more challenging for them to break away from their adjusted position.


    "Kill!"


    When Ye Que was 500 meters away from them, he suddenly raised his right hand and yelled so loudly that his voice turned hoarse. It was a simple command of "kill" yet it stunned all the Mount Shu disciples and Judicature soldiers.


    All of them could distinguish that Ye Que''s pronunciation didn''t belong to the Human Race. It was a roar and intonation that only the Demon Race would use.


    Ye Que had become one with his Spirit Beast. Like a sword with an exceptionally sharp blade, he charged into the allied forces of Mount Shu disciples and Judicature soldiers without the slightest hint of hesitation.


    13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords.


    13 swords emerged in unison.


    Sword Qi rose into the sky, emitting a murderous aura that shook heaven.


    Right then, Ye Que didn''t look anything like a disciple of the Cultivation World. He looked more savage, disdainful of the living, and violent than any demon. He appeared more demonic than the Demon Race itself!

 Chapter 83 The World Is Small; Not Our First Meeting

    13 swords emerged in unison.


    They were directed at the allied forces of Mount Shu and the Judicature. In a flash, five died and eight were injured.


    Blood sprayed liberally. Meanwhile, the troops of the Demon Race and the allied forces also met at this point in time. Their respective leaders might have an indescribable rapport but not the frontline soldiers and warriors. The Orthodox Path slew demons and rid of evil, while the Demon Race slew members of the Orthodox Path¡ªthis was heaven''s law and earth''s principle itself. The moment both sides met was the moment of a bloody battle began. No words were necessary; one only had to unsheathe his sword and attack.


    In a split second, the battle reached its peak.


    It was certain that large-scale sword skills couldn''t be employed at such close proximity. The only thing that both sides could fight over was control over the details.


    The Demon Race had the number of their wolves for their advantage while the allied forces relied on the coordinated and large legion of black-armored soldiers of the Judicature. The strength of both sides was almost on par.


    The only difference was that the Demon Race was more focused on Ye Que. In particular, Feng Xingmo had developed an immense hatred for Ye Que. He was completely sober by now and understood the scheme of this young Rogue Cultivator.


    What he didn''t understand was whether this youngster was truly so unafraid of death.


    What benefit would this younger get to lure the Demon Race to fight fiercely with the allied forces? How could he escape once he was caught in this crossfire? Was he really sacrificing himself so that others could flee?


    "Does such a person exist?" Feng Xingmo stared fixedly at Ye Que. "Is there still someone who wishes to be a hero in such a world? Isn''t he afraid of dying without leaving even his skeletons behind?"


    Right now, it was impossible for Ye Que to continue his mad dash. He controlled his 13 Spirit Swords to continually kill the people around him without regard whether it was a Mount Shu disciple, a Demon Race warrior, or a black-armored soldier of the Judicature. All those who came close to Ye Que were attacked.


    Everyone had the impression that the Demon Race was the cruelest existence in the world but at this moment, Ye Que was even more savage than demons. Every move and attack he made inevitably took someone''s life.


    More and more blood seeped into the ground of the dark wasteland.


    The number of times Ye Que waved his Spirit Swords became fewer and fewer. No one noticed that each time he waved his swords, the spot where blood spouted was different. Moreover, he didn''t take even a single step away from the spot he was standing the entire time.


    A faint blood pattern slowly formed under his feet. The pattern was bizarre and seemed to be harboring enormous energy. However, this energy wasn''t targeted at his enemies but Ye Que himself.


    10 more seconds later, the pattern was finally completed.


    Meanwhile, Feng Xingmo approached Ye Que with several of his trusted aides.


    Without hesitation, he launched his most powerful attack. With a biting-cold murderous aura, a gale as sharp as a blade swept Ye Que.


    The cold wind abruptly made an ear-piercing whistling sound!


    Unexpectedly, Ye Que who stood at the heart of this attack put down his hand and even retrieved his 13 Spirit Swords. He looked as if he had given up resistance but the smirk on his face made Feng Xingmo''s heart tremble.


    There was no getting back once the attack was launched.


    Even if Feng Xingmo thought something was off, he had no way of stopping his attack.


    In the blink of an eye.


    The blood-red radiance enveloping Ye Que flashed and subsequently died. The sharp, violent blade-like wind looked like it was about to hit him on the chest.


    "Did I succeed?"


    Feng Xingmo muttered to himself. However, in that brief moment, Ye Que unexpectedly vanished into thin air. Not even his breath could be detected. Meanwhile, a 10-meter-long black pike appeared in the spot in which he had disappeared. The body of the pike was filled with blood-red patterns.


    If one carefully examined the pike, one would see that the blood-red patterns on the black pike were very similar to the patterns that Ye Que drew on the ground.


    Those besieging Ye Que were shocked.


    "Where did he go?"


    "Did he disappear?"


    "You must be kidding me! Is there something wrong with my eyes?"


    Several kilometers away, a girl had appeared in the spot where Ye Que had thrown his black pike at the west blockade line of the Demon Race.


    The girl was dressed in white and carried an oil-paper umbrella. One moment, she was observing the black pike on the ground and carefully examining the patterns on its body. The next moment, she was able to detect the faint Divine Energy in it. "How could there be someone capable of controlling the breath of the Celestial World in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum?!"


    The white-clothed girl frowned. Following a summoning motion, the black pike fell on her palm. She gently brushed across the body of the pike with her tender hand and faint Primordial Desolate Force came to surface. It was neither the True Energy of the Cultivation World, Divine Energy of the Celestial World, nor the Demonic Origin of the Demon World.


    It was right then that the blood-red patterns on the black pike glowed. In the blink of an eye, the pike disappeared and a youngster appeared in its place.


    The youngster crashed into the white-clothed girl''s embrace. For some reason, the girl didn''t move. It was as if his body was made out of cotton.


    Evidently, this youngster wasn''t fully conscious and his vision wasn''t all together focused. He muttered to himself, "It''s a bit of a challenge to use the Tantric Buddhism''s Object Swap skill as a Physic Realm cultivator."


    He subsequently fainted.


    The youngster was Ye Que.


    For a brief moment before he lost consciousness, he was flabbergasted. "The ground in the dark wasteland should be full of sand! Why is it so soft? And why can I smell a faint fragrance?"


    "That''s weird!"


    How could it not be strange?


    If someone was here to hear his thoughts, he would spit on Ye Que for being a fool who didn''t know how to appreciate what he had!


    "How can it be anything but soft when you''re in the girl''s embrace? How could there not be any fragrance? Stop acting so demure when you''ve taken advantage of the girl! I''ve never seen such a hooligan before!"


    The girl looked astonished as well. For a moment, she didn''t know how to react.


    It was her first time experiencing something like this. For nearly one hundred years since she was born, no man had ever touched her skin, never mind lying in her embrace!


    Moreover, she didn''t know what did this mean. She only knew that she had a strange feeling about all of this. She began pondering how she should react. Should she immediately kill this man who fell into her embrace? Or should she wait for him to wake up and inflict a cruel trial on him until his Primordial Spirit dies? Or perhaps, should she pretend that nothing happened?


    Her information bank contained many of the secret rumors she had heard, long-lost martial arts techniques, as well as various languages from different countries. Unexpectedly, she discovered that no one had ever taught her how to solve her current predicament in all of her memories.


    Perhaps, no one ever thought that a man would be able to approach a girl of her status and even touch her!


    She lowered her head to look at Ye Que.


    "Where have I seen him before?"


    The white-clothed girl continued pondering with a frown but no matter how she racked her brain, it felt wrong to her. Why wouldn''t she let go of him?


    "Thud!"


    The moment the thought struck her, she let go of her hands and Ye Que fell to the ground, causing a layer of dust to rise. The strands of hair covering his forehead also flopped over at the same time, revealing his face in its entirety.


    The girl finally recalled something after looking at his face. She was also sure that she had seen Ye Que before, and not for the first or second time.


    The first time.


    On the Luo River, she stared at the armored dragon ship in the distance and saw a youngster following up his sword skills with martial arts techniques. She watched as he killed a ship full of Devious Iguanas. Those unbelievably ugly creatures had always been something she detested the most. Never mind touching them, she wasn''t even willing to spare them a glance so as not to strain her eyes.


    Thus, she viewed the youngster''s actions favorably.


    The second time.


    She was in Luoyang City then. Back then, it was her first time entering the city and traveling in the Human World. However, everywhere she went was auspicious and peaceful, making her feel incredibly bored. That night, she saw someone brandishing his sword and scaring away a group of useless men with a sword skill at an incredible speed.


    Back then, that person stood at the head of the stone bridge while she stood at the tail. She found the person to be an interesting character.


    The third time.


    The day she prepared to leave Luoyang was a sunny and beautiful day. It was also the day that a seminary opened its business for the first time and many went to look around. Out of boredom, she went as well. In the arena, someone dressed in white performed a series of boxing skills and said something. His speech was long and she was unable to remember the whole of it. But she remembered his first sentence: "The way of the Tao is natural for all living things in the world; all humans are born equal." She was particularly fond of that last sentence: "All humans are born equal."


    That day, she thought that the person in the arena made a lot of sense.


    To the white-clothed girl, everyone she encountered in the Human World was the same. Due to her status, her view of the ordinary person was equivalent to the view of an ordinary person toward an ant. To humans, all ants were the same regardless of their number. There was no difference.


    Yet, the protagonist of these three memories had left a vague impression on her. She simply never thought too deeply about them before. The three faces turned out to belong to the same person, this youngster in front of her. Unexpectedly, he was the first one who entered her embrace, the first "person" to do so!


    The three faces in her memories gradually fused with the face of Ye Que, who was lying on the ground, and froze.


    She never thought that a "person" would reside in her memories or that she would remember a person. However, that was the truth and not even she could control this.


    The white-clothed girl''s straight brows gathered into a frown as she stared fixedly at Ye Que''s face. Then, she heaved an unprecedented sigh. She knew she wasn''t intended to kill this person anymore, not now.


    She thought, "I''ll refrain from killing him so I can ask him a few questions."


    "What are those patterns on the pike?"


    "How did you exchange positions with an object?"


    "And is it true what you said in the arena that day¡ªthat all humans are equal?"


    "Oh, another thing..."


    These thoughts swiftly convinced her.


    There were still so many things that she hadn''t clarify, so the person lying on the ground mustn''t die. What a pity it would be if he died just like this. Who would give her answers to the questions she mentioned earlier?


    The cracking on the ground in the dark wasteland gradually ceased and the earth regained stability. Even the cold wind had stopped raging. However, the battle continued, consuming the attention of more than one hundred Demon Race warriors, pack of wolves, Mount Shu disciples, and the Judicature soldiers. From the moment the first drop of blood was shed, both sides were determined to clinch a victory.


    Even though Ye Que had mysteriously disappeared, both sides subconsciously thought he had something to do with the other and that they had fallen for the other''s trap.


    Meanwhile, Nalan Rongruo''s group had regained freedom after breaking out of the siege without a hair out of place.


    "Shouldn''t we go back and find Ye Que?" Li Jianqi asked softly.


    "I think we should. He did it; he lured all the Demon Race warriors away," Nalan Rongruo replied. The words had just left her mouth when next to her, Qi Shenghua tugged on her sleeve.


    "There''s no need, is there? I''m not willing to say it, but obviously, he''s gone. There''s no chance for anyone to survive such a massive demon hunt." The Eldest Senior Brother of the Seven Sabers Sect of Qingqiu coughed. "We should thank him, not dig our own graves."


    "The world is small; if we''re fated, we''ll meet again."

 Chapter 84 Thats a Lot of Nonsense from You

    Following the cracking on the ground, the entire dark wasteland eventually fell into the abyss by the precipe.


    The battle between the Demon Race warriors and the allied forces of Mount Shu and the Judicature had long ended. As expected, it ended with a terrible blow to both sides. After killing and bleeding for a good hour, after their rage had dissipated in disproportion to the number of people they had killed, their intellect finally returned to their brain.


    Li Jianqi, Nalan Rongruo, and the others were even more level-headed and practical. Once Ye Que was submerged in the sea of people and had no chance of returning alive, they decisively chose to swiftly break out of the siege and run out of the heart of the dark wasteland at top speed.


    Even though Li Jianqi and Nalan Rongruo protested, the majority were unwilling to take the risk. Even if Ye Que was still alive, they might not be able to rescue him even if everyone went.


    They might as well not go.


    After walking out of the dark wasteland, the ground they stepped on was no longer a field of darkness.


    A majestic forest of unbelievably lush green appeared before their eyes. The beautiful forest was filled with birdsongs, fragrant flowers, and gentle breezes. Even the biting-cold gale seemed to have vanished without a trace. Sunshine bathed the earth, making the place look like a paradise.


    The sinking of the ground appeared to come to a complete standstill at this place.


    If they looked up at this place from the direction of the abyss, they would realize that the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum had transformed into a massive cone-shaped structure suspended upside down. The land floated over the abyss, its flat ground now completely covered in the verdant and majestic forest. What was inside was a mystery.


    There appeared to be quite a few paths leading into the forest, though none showed its end.


    The white-clothed girl with an oil-paper umbrella was currently walking along one of the winding paths into the forest. Surprisingly, a tall and sturdy black bear was following her.


    The black bears in this forest ought to be savage and violent. However, the one following the girl was even more obedient than a puppy. It was expending a great deal of effort in making sure its body was straight and its paws were crossed in front to carry a youngster.


    A girl, a black bear, and an unconscious youngster journeyed at a neutral pace.


    The girl had walked for more than half the day. She had found the black bear in the dark wasteland. Since she wanted to ask Ye Que some questions, naturally she had to bring him along. She refused to personally carry him on her back or in her embrace, so in the end, she resorted to this.


    When the bear first carried Ye Que, he was breathing out more Qi than he was taking in. However, in the short span of half a day, he seemed to have mostly recovered with most of his external injuries gone.


    The Snow Mountain in his Spiritual Sea was even stranger.


    "To think someone can absorb the Spiritual Force in the air with such abandon."


    "Well, nothing is too bizarre in this wide world!" The girl glanced at the youngster behind her. Others might not notice but she could see the dense layer of Spiritual Force gathered around Ye Que. In fact, she couldn''t use the word "gathered" anymore.


    The Spiritual Force, as if it had found some treasure, was fighting to be the first to pour into his body. While other people had to struggle to detect Spiritual Force, Ye Que was like Jiang Ziya angling fish.


    Only the willing should take the bait!


    The Spiritual Force was free to come and go!


    The longer they traveled along this path, the more winding it became. The trees along the path were also increasingly strange and there were some that she hadn''t even seen before.


    Unknowingly, a rotten smell assailed their nostrils.


    The white-clothed girl raised the handle of the oil-paper umbrella, revealing her incomparably delicate face. Her cool eyes narrowed ever so slightly.


    "What''s this smell?"


    After passing another bent in the path, the scene before their eyes abruptly changed.


    As far as they could see, countless coffins were unearthed from under the ancient trees along the path. The coffins sat upright, spilling the corpses and skeletons inside.


    The corpses were turned upside down!


    The stench was overwhelming!


    The paradise-like scenery had turned into exceptionally strange in the blink of an eye. It was truly shocking.


    Here, the ancient trees in the forest were so tall that they were high in the sky. Their branches and leaves were exceptionally exuberant, forming a natural and tight protective screen that made everyone''s vision somewhat dark. Coupled with the stench of the corpses by the path, the Yin Qi here was particularly thick.


    The white-clothed girl stopped in her tracks and muttered to herself before she continued walking. The black bear beside her followed closely behind.


    However, at this moment, the branches and leaves of the ancient trees shook lightly and a pale green fine powder fell like the sprinkling of cherry blossoms. The moment the upside-down corpses inside the upright coffins came into contact with the fine powder, they began moving in an instant.


    Moments later, the bodies resurrected and became walking corpses that had lost all consciousness. They began shaking and swaying out of the coffins.


    Perhaps it was because the white-clothed girl near them was carrying the Qi of the living. The walking corpses immediately threw themselves at her.


    "Venomous Corpses?"


    "Or the Great Bugs?"


    The white-clothed girl glanced at the walking corpses behind her in disgust.


    "How dare these vile creatures to come out!"


    The oil-paper umbrella with a plum blossom print and green-bamboo handle instantly folded shut.


    She waved the handle in her hand and an almost tangible Desolate Force attacked the walking corpses behind her in an instant. The first wave of walking corpses was thrown into the air with a sweep of her umbrella. The rotten skeletons and flesh scattered all over the ground.


    The ancient trees and coffins within several hundred meters.


    Numerous walking corpses that crowded together.


    What should have been a terrifying scene was like paper paste in front of the white-clothed girl. Never mind falling on her and tearing apart her flesh, the walking corpses couldn''t even come within five meters of her.


    The black bear carrying an unconscious Ye Que followed closely behind her.


    They maintained the speed at which they had entered the forest of ancient trees. The girl didn''t slow in her pace in the slightest.


    After walking past the final coffin, the army of walking corpses behind her suddenly came to a standstill. Then seconds later, they unexpectedly returned to where they came from. It was as if nothing had happened.


    "So it''s a formation!"


    "Is it an illusory formation or a spectral formation?"


    "This ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum is quite interesting."


    The white-clothed girl scrunched up her nose and once again opened the oil-paper umbrella in her hand. She continued her journey calmly but when she stepped on the ground, wisps of gray gas overflowed from the small cracks in the ground.


    In the beginning, it was nothing more than a layer of faint mist. However, in the blink of an eye, it turned into an exceptionally dense and mysterious smoke!


    The girl raised an eyebrow after getting a whiff. "Miasma?"


    Having made a guess, she adjusted the handle of her umbrella and waved it once again. A crevice appeared in the mysterious smoke. The gray gas didn''t dissipate in the slightest or showed any sign of being driven away.


    She couldn''t see even the shadow of the tall ancient trees nearby and she was gradually losing her sense of direction as well.


    Frowning, she stood in place without moving. Her expression was turning unsightly. She seemed to be racking her brain.


    Right then, a weak voice came from the direction of the black bear that had remained still. "Qian represents Heaven; it means to cut. Unorthodoxy is heretical; heretical means carp. When the heart is calm, the Qi will obey and consolidate at every step."


    "Try taking six steps to your left and three steps forward."


    Ye Que was already awake when the walking corpses resurrected but couldn''t summon even the slightest bit of energy. Forcefully using the Tantric Buddhism''s Object Swap skill had taken all of the Divine Energy inside him. Coupled with his large-scale energy consumption and grapple with his enemies beforehand, Ye Que had depleted himself so badly that he was one step away from his tomb.


    After opening his eyes, he was bewildered as to where he was. Why was a large black bear carrying him? And why was it following behind a little girl?! However, after careful thought, he determined that the girl had likely saved him.


    Before he could regain complete consciousness, the "miasma" had obscured his vision.


    Unlike the white-clothed girl, he instantly knew what it was. He made his earlier suggestion after carefully considering the matter and recalling their previous position.


    However, things didn''t turn out as he had hoped. His feet wasn''t his own at the moment and the black bear refused to listen to him.


    "No, you''re walking in the wrong direction," Ye Que said, worried. Then, he began coughing violently.


    Ye Que raised his voice. "You should walk to the left."


    "Wrong, that''s wrong. You won''t be able to walk out in this direction. Why aren''t you listening, girl?!" Ye Que continued to persuade the white-clothed girl. His forehead was beginning to sweat. "Could she be deaf?"


    Suddenly, a wind-fist landed on the top of his head.


    "Thud!"


    In such a critical moment, the white-clothed girl unexpectedly knocked Ye Que out with a punch!


    "That''s a lot of nonsense from you!"


    "Do you think I don''t know how to walk?"

 Chapter 85 Red Bean

    By the time Ye Que regained consciousness again, the miasma earlier had already disappeared.


    He looked around in confusion. All that he saw was collapsed ground and cracked stones. Countless ancient trees lay on the side in disarray. Some were cut in the middle, while others appeared to be pushed over with immense power. The big black bear was still carrying him while walking behind the girl.


    "Just how valiant is this girl? Does she have to go so far when it''s just an illusory formation?" Ye Que kneaded the swollen part on the back of his head. He then coughed. "Order this black bear to put me down. I can walk on my own."


    There was a clear improvement in Ye Que''s health after recovering all this while. Though a battle might still far-fetched for him, it wasn''t a problem for him to walk.


    The white-clothed girl cast him a glance and then gave the big black bear a look.


    "Thud!"


    The black bear that had been carrying Ye Que all this while threw him to the ground without any warning. Then, it disappeared into the forest without looking back. It looked as if it had received some kind of pardon.


    The big black bear ran even faster than a rabbit!


    "You!"


    On the ground, Ye Que pointed at the white-clothed girl. He was about to use profanity but after the word "You!" left his mouth, he swallowed the rest of his words. Looking at the deformed ancient trees around him, he decided he should provoke as little trouble as possible.


    In the end, he had only this to say, "Fine!"


    He quickly staggered to the roadside and randomly picked up a wooden stick off the ground. Leaning against the stick, he pointed to a spot in front of him as if to say, "Since you''re so awesome, go ahead. I''ll be right behind."


    The white-clothed girl sized him up and appeared to be pleased with his attitude. She even made a subtle nod to acknowledge him. Then, she continued walking with one hand behind her and another holding her oil-paper umbrella.


    The girl was as arrogant as a peacock showing off its tail. No, she was even haughtier than that. It was as if nothing in this world was as noble as she was.


    In reality, this girl was walking in a heart-rending manner as prescribed by heaven''s law and earth''s principle. It was as if this girl should be walking in this exact manner.


    Ye Que took in a deep breath and suppressed his unhappiness. Moreover, he persuaded himself by saying, "Don''t argue with a girl. Be more magnanimous and bighearted. You''re not a child."


    Neither the sun nor the moon was observable in the mountains. Unexpectedly, the concept of day and night was foreign to this forest. Only faint darkness lingered without any change. The two of them walked for half a day, with one leading the other. Ye Que had recovered enough that his limbs were increasingly nimble. He was no longer staggering. Perhaps it was all owing to the rich Spiritual Force in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum.


    After walking past more than ten curves in the path and about seven to eight bridges, a layer of muslin-like mist enveloped their vision. Behind the mist was a golden light of incredible brightness.


    The closer they went near the light, the more the light flourished. They could faintly see the outline of a grand building.


    Pushing past the mist, they saw an enormous gilded palace in the distance. It was astonishingly glorious and splendid. The golden light they saw earlier was emitted from this place.


    After watching the golden palace attentively, a wave of impressive pressure engulfed them. Due to his injuries, Ye Que instantly staggered and nearly fell down. The white-clothed girl stood firmly, though the corner of her clothing swayed.


    "This must be the birthplace of the Divine Tool," Ye Que said softly.


    "Hm," the white-clothed girl in front of him said. She continued walking without sparing Ye Que a glance. He didn''t know what she was thinking.


    The nearer the two were to the golden palace, the more vivid the majestic building became.


    Earlier, he hadn''t noticed it because of the distance but after coming close, he discovered that there were several hundred people standing in front of the palace. In front of these people was a towering transparent column the size of a human waist. The center of the column was evidently full of thick and viscous blood.


    The column was nearly 34 meters tall and a golden string was suspended from the top. The blood inside the column was slowly climbing up and looked like it was about to submerge the golden string at any time.


    A board with the words "River Soldiers" was hung at the front of the enormous palace behind the column. Hanging under the board were scrolls of carved painting. There were no less than one hundred of them and all were so vivid that they were lifelike. It seemed like there were enough of these paintings to encircle the palace.


    The scrolls were a continuous painting of something ancient. If Ye Que wasn''t mistaken, the paintings chronicled the origin of the "River Soldiers".


    Ye Que followed the white-clothed girl to the palace but before they could get close, they saw the large column in front of the golden palace emit dazzling rays of light. The blood inside had finally submerged the string.


    The rays of light coming from the column shone above the doors of the golden palace.


    "Creak."


    "Creak."


    "Boom!"


    First, a resounding sound of friction rang. Then came a loud explosion as the doors of the palace opened!


    It was as if everything had been orchestrated. The several hundred people in front of the palace charged inside. These people included disciples of the Cultivation World and Demon Race warriors. Since they hadn''t even seen the shadow of the Divine Tool, they restrained themselves because they knew now wasn''t the time to fight.


    If they fought in front of the doors, they would only benefit the bystanders. No one was stupid enough to do so.


    By the time Ye Que and the white-clothed girl arrived in front of the doors, the others were already gone. He raised his head to look at the scrolls of life-like painting on the wall. He felt as if he was witnessing the scenery before his eyes.


    Subconsciously, neither of them entered the palace. They took a walk around the building instead, observing every scroll of painting.


    "So the River Soldiers contain the tragic souls that died on both banks of Luo River over the past ten million years." Ye Que heaved a drawn-out sigh. Every Divine Tool had its own story.


    "Hmph, hmph." The white-clothed girl snorted. "These paintings aren''t the complete truth."


    "The River Soldiers don''t just contain the deceased souls on both banks of Luo River."


    "Those souls alone aren''t enough to induce the birth of a Divine Tool."


    The white-clothed girl then pointed to the paintings. "The history left behind by the Human Race."


    "Hypocritical!"


    Ye Que, who stood next to her, looked stunned. "Human Race?"


    "What do you mean? Aren''t you a human being?" Ye Que once again carefully sized up the girl but the outcome was still the same: fruitless. He couldn''t see through her, for she was like a mystery. Not even an examination by his Divine Energy revealed anything about her.


    "I''m warning you for the last time: don''t try and sound me out," the white-clothed girl said coolly, turning her head to look at Ye Que. Even her gaze seemed to be made of frost. "Don''t flatter yourself just because you can control the Divine Energy of the Celestial World."


    "In my eyes, that''s a common and sloppy practice."


    "Who exactly are you?" Ye Que''s heart jumped after hearing her words. This was the first time since he returned to his youth that someone saw through his tricks. He was surprised that at this stage, at the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, within a crowd of mostly Starburst Realm cultivators, someone knew about Divine Energy. Moreover, that person was able to accurately verify it.


    "I''m the only one who can ask questions here."


    "You don''t have the right to question me."


    The white-clothed girl continued to speak in a cold tone. She moved the handle of the oil-paper umbrella in her hand slightly downward. Her expression was indifferent. She gave the impression of a person who was a thousand miles away from the rest of the world.


    "Then how should I address you? I suppose you were the one who saved me in the dark wasteland. Don''t I have the right to know my savior''s name? That''s not asking too much, is it?" Even though Ye Que found the girl''s expression to be haughty, he didn''t find it hard to comprehend. Perhaps even he looked haughty to others sometimes.


    His hundred-year-old soul and experience had returned to his youth. The current Ye Que naturally wouldn''t continue to possess the nature of a youngster.


    His reply caught the white-clothed girl by surprise. Couldn''t he understand her meaning? However, after thinking about it with a frown, she decided there was no harm in telling him her name.


    In the first place, there were not many whose faces she remembered. The first time she saw this youngster, she had found him pleasing to the eye. The second time she saw him, she had found him interesting. The third time she saw him, she had found his words logical. Due to these three experiences, Ye Que ought to have the right to know her name.


    However!


    The fourth time she saw him, Ye Que had given her too much of a surprise.


    She was so surprised that it gave way to faint anger!


    Even shame and resentment!


    That was why she was treating him so coolly right now. The moment she saw his face, she would recall how he had crashed into her embrace. She would feel frustrated whenever she recalled that.


    She disliked this feeling immensely. It made her heart feel terribly uncalm.


    A confused heart would stop her from an unremitting pursuit, which would lead to her making mistakes. She couldn''t tolerate making any mistake.


    "I''m Ye Que, the ''Que'' from the idiom ''better to have nothing than substandard choice''." Ye Que stared wide-eyed at the white-clothed girl and introduced himself calmly. "Are you afraid to even tell me your name?"


    "Afraid?"


    "This ''human'' dare to suggest that I''d be afraid!"


    "Ever since I''m born, there''s nothing that I''ve ever been afraid of doing." With a raised eyebrow, the white-clothed girl stared daggers at Ye Que.


    "You can call me Red Bean."


    "Red Bean?"


    Ye Que muttered the name twice and belatedly realized that he had no impression whatsoever of this name. When he looked up again, he saw that the white-clothed girl was already strolling into the golden palace.


    "Hey, don''t you have a surname?"


    Before he even finished speaking, he saw Red Bean entering the doors of the golden palace. Her figure became subtly warped for an instant. It was as if she had walked past a layer of water. The entire process appeared illusory and mythical.


    Dejected, he heaved a sigh. He realized that this was the first person who could infuriate him¡ªwhether through her actions or behavior¡ªever since he returned to his youth. However, the girl seemed to be emanating a kind of magical attraction that compelled him to want to approach her.


    This feeling was foreign to him. Not even in the past hundred years had he experienced it.


    If he knew that Red Bean once experienced similar feelings, it was a mystery whether he would be able to understand his own.


    The phrase "fate brings people together no matter how far apart they may be" wasn''t without its reason. A person who should appear in another''s life would always appear no matter what. Moreover, once the person appeared, he or she would enchant you to the point that you would lose control over yourself!


    This devastating attraction would make you forget your environment, mission, and even yourself.

 Chapter 86 Life and Death Have Always Been Predestined

    The long river, setting sun, faraway mountains, city...


    The moment Ye Que stepped inside the golden palace, the first thing he saw was a golden-colored Exquisite Nation Sandbox. After a careful look, he was sure that it wasn''t merely golden-colored. The sandbox that measured nearly 34 meters long and 10 meters wide was made out of gold.


    More than ten people gathered around the sandbox.


    "As expected of the Imperial Mausoleum of the Glorious Tang Empire! Look at that grandeur! Just how much money would they need to make a sandbox out of gold?"


    "That sandbox itself is money. Isn''t gold money?"


    "Say, if we take this Exquisite Nation Sandbox out of this place, do you think it''s enough to purchase an entire city?"


    Ye Que smirked. He marveled at the structure inwardly but didn''t linger around. Such objects served a cultivator like him no purpose whatsoever. He had nevertheless been a cultivator for more than a hundred years. Mere gold wasn''t enough to interest him.


    After a quick glance at the crowd, he quickly found Red Bean nearby.


    She was acting on her own, as always. She walked at a regular pace with one hand behind her and another holding her oil-paper umbrella. She kept her eyes focused without sparing her surroundings a look. It was as if she had grown weary of gold.


    He quickened his pace and caught up to Red Bean. Once there, he noticed something unusual: the doors were made of gold, silver, and gems. First the Exquisite Nation Sandbox, and now coral carved out of agate. Whatever one could think, one would find it here. Moreover, there were great quantities of them. In fact, there were enough gold ingots nearby that they piled up to form small mountains.


    Several disciples were beginning to move these treasures. From the looks of it, they intended to move these worldly treasures out of the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. Ye Que estimated that they were recruited from the private sector by the large sects in the past few years. They were not inexperienced enough to turn a blind eye to worldly riches, especially after such a huge visual attack that the mountain of gold presented.


    They lost their determination to obtain Tao in a flash and immersed themselves in the dazzling mountain of gold.


    Noticing the sound of footsteps behind her, Red Bean stopped in her tracks and turned around. When she saw that it was Ye Que, her expression remained cold. "Don''t you like gold and silver?"


    Taking in her earnest expression, he gave it some thought before replying, "Gold and silver have always been tempting but it''s easier to pick them up than to take them away."


    Glancing at Ye Que''s increasingly nimble legs, Red Bean said hesitantly, "I''m surprised that you can remain so detached."


    He might be detached but that mentality didn''t apply to others. Some of the disciples were poverty-stricken commoners who only agreed to enter the large sects and cultivate so that they could one day become privileged nobles who stood above others. In the first place, their determination to obtain Tao was impure.


    It was still fine in the beginning but after being lingering around the mountains of gold for some time, they found it increasingly hard to suppress their desire.


    Of course, it was only a minority who were unable to resist the temptation of gold and silver. After all, they were disciples from large sects in the Psychic Realm and above who had a promising future ahead of them. Naturally, they swiftly moved on.


    The crowd gradually ventured deeper into the palace. Within minutes, the only ones left were those infatuated with the mountains of gold.


    "Argh!"


    Suddenly, a shriek came from the direction of the Exquisite Nation Sandbox.


    A Truth Cultivation disciple who had been trying to move the entire sandbox found his hands abruptly expanding. His skin, still intact only seconds earlier, became dotted red in an instant. The red dots then spread all over his body at a frightening speed. His skin was also gradually rotting. When the red dots went near his chest, his breathing became so urgent that it sounded like the busy signal of a telephone.


    Before he could do anything about it, he dissolved into red mud in between hitched breaths.


    The pile of mud was like the fuse of an explosive. Following a sweeping wind, everyone infatuated with the mountains of gold and treasures died. There were no exceptions.


    Never mind taking these treasures away, these people couldn''t even step out of the palace.


    Pin-drop silence instantly shrouded the hall.


    After walking through the hall containing the mountains of gold and exiting a long, narrow passage, the crowd''s vision abruptly widened. A fresh smell assailed their senses as a massive tree that was nearly 30 meters tall appeared in front of everyone.


    Nine medicinal stoves were placed around the massive tree, with auspicious Spiritual Qi rising from each stove.


    Rows upon rows of wooden racks stood near the stoves. Each wooden rack stored pills and elixirs of all kinds. There were medicinal pills that could temper one''s body, pills that aided psychic communication and rendered shape, as well as pills that could rearrange bones and grow muscles. This place likely had any and all pills that one could think of.


    The disciples were mostly fine, but those from the Incense Fragrance Valley of Qingqiu instantly shuddered after taking a whiff.


    While the connoisseurs recognized the artistry, the laymen simply enjoyed the show.


    Lin Xibei of the Incense Fragrance Valley of Qingqiu made a beeline for the rows of wooden racks.


    "Tricolor Goldenrain Tree Pill, Grade 6 Red Sage, and Twin-reed Flying Snow! My God! What am I seeing? There are even Lotus Flowering in Seven Steps Pills here! Aren''t, aren''t these pills long extinct? To think I''d find them here!" An infatuated-looking Lin Xibei continued muttering to himself while gently caressing the porcelain bottles on the wooden racks. He refused to move even a single step away from the racks.


    Someone next to him noticed his strange expression and gently called his name. "Senior Brother Lin? Senior Brother Lin?"


    "Lotus Flowering in Seven Steps Pills! These really are the Lotus Flowering in Seven Steps Pills! Do you know this? One pill can extend your life by one hundred years!" Lin Xibei yelled with a deranged look on his face, all while tightly gripping a small jade bottle.


    "One hundred years of life!"


    The cultivators near him were stunned and desire subsequently consumed them. Even though cultivators lived much longer lives than ordinary people, the end of their lifespan would inevitably arrive someday. If they could extend their lifespan by one hundred years at no cost, they might be able to enter a different realm. Who knew if they would be able to enter the Apocalypse realm and become an immortal?


    "Nine-Nine Reincarnation Stoves!"


    "These nine stoves are Nine-Nine Reincarnation Stoves!"


    Lin Xibei had just finished speaking when someone else shouted in surprise. Everyone''s gaze turned toward the vicinity of the massive tree.


    Subsequently, surprised voices rang out again and again as people continued to discover strange, miraculous pills.


    Red Bean stood under the massive tree and took a look at the crowd. She smirked in disdain. "To be so surprised at items of this quality. Haven''t they seen pills before? One hundred years of life? What''s the point of living for that long?"


    Ye Que looked at Red Bean and asked softly, "Don''t you wish for a longer life?"


    "I don''t have to wish for it. I''m born with long life," Red Bean replied confidently, "What about you? Don''t you wish for it? The way I see it, you seem completely unmoved."


    Ye Que shrugged. "Life and death have always been predestined. I don''t care about my lifespan. Besides, my lifespan will be extended after I enter the Apocalypse realm and I will exist alongside heaven itself once I ascend to the Celestial World. Since time immemorial, life-extending elixirs have always been created for the use of emperors. What good will they do for me?"


    "That''s reasonable. There is indeed no need for you to worry about your lifespan after entering the Apocalypse realm."


    Even though their conversation was run-of-the-mill and their expressions were relaxed, those who overheard them would look at them in disdain. "These two sure know how to boast. Do you think you will enter the Apocalypse realm just because you say so? In the entire Cultivation World, the number of Immortality Masters in the Apocalypse realm can be counted on one hand!"


    "How shameless of you two to say that."


    "Aren''t you embarrassed?"


    "How conceited."


    By the time their conversation ended, some disciples were already beginning to consume the pills.


    Lin Xibei emptied the bottle of Lotus Flowering in Seven Steps Pills into his mouth.


    Ye Que noticed what Lin Xibei had done but did not stop him, despite getting the feeling that something was wrong with these pills. The Divine Book and cultivation techniques inside his body were very sensitive. There ought to be tremendous Spiritual Force in a place with so many potent pills and yet Ye Que detected nothing at all. This place was the same as everywhere else.


    "In the dark wasteland, I once saved his life by personally luring the enemies and helping them retreat. I thought that once my energy was depleted, someone would come and save me."


    The reality was that his savior was not anyone from the temporary camp but a white-clothed girl that he did not know at all¡ªRed Bean.


    "Public morals are degenerating with each passing day and hearts are no longer as pure in they were in the past. It seems that we can only resign ourselves to fate," Ye Que murmured. Even so, he subconsciously scanned Lin Xibei''s surroundings as if to check if Nalan Rongruo and Li Jianqi were around.


    Those two girls were not the type to be so merciless!


    Right then, a pleasantly surprised voice came from the direction of the wooden racks. The speaker was even more joyful and excited than before.


    "I did it!"


    "I did it!"


    "I made it into the Starburst Realm!"


    It took no more than several minutes for the disciples who had consumed the pills to see an obvious growth in their cultivation. Some even successfully broke into the next realm!

 Chapter 87 Not Allowed to Look Up

    "Realm breakthrough?"


    "He went straight from the Psychic realm into the Starburst realm!"


    Realm breakthroughs were crucial to a cultivator. How could the rest not be envious after seeing a peer achieve a realm breakthrough via pills?


    "Did he make a realm breakthrough without digesting the pills?" Ye Que muttered after hearing all these surprised voices. It wasn''t impossible for a cultivator to break into a higher realm via pills but thorough preparation was necessary for that to happen. Moreover, the cultivator needed enough time for his body to gradually digest the pills. He had never seen anyone breaking into a higher realm immediately after consuming pills. Not even Immortal''s elixirs were that effective.


    Ye Que was a person who had made numerous realm breakthroughs. Now that he had returned to his youth to start his cultivation journey again, his frame of mind had naturally returned to a neutral state. However, those caught up in the current situation naturally didn''t have the mental capacity to understand such logic. If they lose the chance to make a realm breakthrough, it may never come again.


    The saying that one wouldn''t know the shape of a mountain while standing on it aptly described their current situation.


    Now that someone had challenged the laws of cultivation, it was natural for someone else to seize the opportunity as well. Making a realm breakthrough without breaking a sweat? Where else would they find such a good chance?


    "The ignorant is fearless!"


    "Aren''t they afraid of killing themselves?"


    Red Bean with her oil-paper umbrella watched as those who failed to resist the temptation search for "miraculous pills" that could help them break into a higher realm and consume them in droves.


    "These miraculous pills are truly a wonder. I feel like I''m full of Spiritual Force from head to toe."


    "I finally broke into the Starburst realm! Damn you, genius disciples! I''ll have you all clean my shoes for me when I return!"


    "We jumped one realm after consuming one pill. What would happen if we take a second pill? Will I enter the Formless realm?"


    "I don''t see any adverse effects after consuming the pill. Could this be the chance of a lifetime that heaven has bestowed on us?"


    The more contemplative one was, the more calculative he would be. Soon, another possibility came to mind. They had their reservations because of how simple the realm breakthrough was and how they have never heard of such things. Even so, this was the reality. After carefully examining the Snow Mountain in their Spiritual Sea, they saw that their cultivation had indeed improved by a realm. There was no way to fake that.


    Unless one possessed an iron will or a calm mind, who would be able to resist such a temptation?


    Numerous disciples from small sects and Demon Race warriors from lesser tribes began consuming the miraculous pills without a word.


    Ye Que shook his head at their greed for immortality and ecstatic expressions. Now, he was fairly sure that something would happen to these people. It would be odder if nothing happened. There were rules for everything in the world.


    It wasn''t wrong to defy heaven but such an easy method to defy heaven simply didn''t exist. If one could so easily shatter the rules made by heaven, then heaven wouldn''t be heaven.


    The disciples found their breath denser and denser after consuming the pills. It was to the point that some were gradually elevated to the Formless realm.


    However, those who overdosed on joy would inevitably fall into despair!


    Ye Que watched as these people began to rapidly lose their Living Qi. The faster their cultivation grew, the faster their Living Qi depleted.


    The first person who consumed the pills, Lin Xibei of the Incense Fragrance Valley of Qingqiu, was initially a pretty boy with a distinguished temperament. Now, his appearance was beginning to change at an alarming rate. First, he was a young man standing tall, then an unmistakably a 40-year-old man, then a 60-year-old man conscious of death with partially grayed hair, and finally a 70-year-old white-haired old man.


    Lin Xibei could still stand firmly at first but toward the end, his legs became too weak to support him properly. The vigor reflected in his eyes gradually turned into sorrow and confusion. Following a gentle breeze, he exhaled his last breath and died.


    It took no more than one pill and several minutes to consume a young life.


    The silver lining in the cloud was that Lin Xibei''s method of death was incredibly peaceful. In fact, he was even wearing a faint smile on his face when he died. Perhaps this was the so-called "peaceful death" in the secular world.


    Those who didn''t consume the pills took a sharp intake of breath after seeing Lin Xibei''s outcome, feeling lingering fears. Subconsciously, they retreated by several meters and moved away from the wooden racks filled with miraculous pills.


    "How could they bear an unearned opportunity like that? Even if they have the luck to consume the pills, they must have the luck to survive," Red Bean said expressionlessly.


    "Humans are never content. Like a snake that tries to swallow an elephant, they always attempt the impossible. These people failed to suppress their greed. They have no one to blame but themselves for losing their lives." Ye Que had become immune after witnessing death too many times.


    Red Bean looked at him. "Don''t you wish to elevate your realm? If we go by the norms of the Cultivation World, you have just entered the Psychic realm. There aren''t many chances like these."


    "Aren''t there many?" He looked disdainful. "It''s not that hard to refine pills that improve cultivation. Compared to the ones here, I would rather trust the pills I refine myself."


    He glanced at Li Xibei''s corpse on the ground. "I would feel at ease, at least."


    There seemed to be no end to the massive golden palace.


    One would lose all sense of direction, as well as destination, after entering the palace.


    More than hundreds of people entered the palace but the further in they walked, the smaller the group became. Some even began wondering if an enormous Killing Formation lay under their feet. One could even say that it was a Trial Formation, one meant to choose the most suitable "Predestined Master" of the Divine Tool.


    It was a matter of course for the Divine Tool to seek its Predestined Master.


    Those who lusted over riches were all dead. Those with weak minds about cultivation had also passed away peacefully.


    Those who remained became more vigilant.


    After walking out of the hall containing the enormous tree and pills, they reached a sudden steep slope at the end of the gilded passageway. The path began to stretch downward. Even the color of the passageway faded from golden into an intense blue.


    Shortly after, a thick vapor hit them on the faces. The roof of the passageway also began to turn transparent.


    Ye Que and Red Bean continued to bring up the rear. Neither of them was desperate. Just because one walked quickly didn''t mean that one would obtain the Divine Tool. If it were that easy to conquer the Divine Tool, it wouldn''t be called a Divine Tool.


    When they looked up, they saw that the passageway seemed to be reflecting a transparent crystal. Pale blue-colored seawater seemed to be flowing outside the crystal, with all sorts of grotesque marine creatures swimming carefreely and willfully in it. They set off the pale blue-colored radiance bouncing off the seawater by contrast. It was a breathtakingly beautiful scene.


    After a school of small seven-colored fish swam past them, a humanoid fish abruptly appeared outside the crystal. The crowd couldn''t get a clear look at the fish at first but after nearing the crystal, they saw a devastating beauty under a head of beautiful blue hair. Moreover, the humanoid fish that was naked from head to tip turned out to be a mermaid.


    As if they had noticed people walking past, more and more mermaids gathered. All of them wore faint smiles and seductive gazes. They appeared somewhat pitiful and bewitching. Their every frown and smile was destructively attractive.


    Before Ye Que and Red Bean made it there, there were already young disciples unable to move away from the mermaids. Each time someone stopped, a mermaid would instantly cross the crystal and slowly walk up to the person.


    Ever since they stepped foot into this golden palace, Red Bean had always remained in front of Ye Que. She rarely ever turned her head around. Yet, when they came to this area, the girl unprecedentedly turned around and looked at Ye Que. After mulling over it, she said, "Those fish."


    "You''re not allowed to look at them."


    "Not even a single glance."


    Red Bean''s sudden order in the middle of their walk caught Ye Que off guard and for a moment, he couldn''t recover his senses. "What''s wrong?"


    "I said you''re not allowed to look at those fish." Red Bean abruptly widened her cold eyes.


    "Why not?" Ye Que looked confused.


    Red Bean stared at his face for 10 seconds before spitting out a word.


    "Disgusting!"


    Having said that, she looked like she was still ill at ease. She turned around again and said, "If you dare look up, I will annihilate you immediately."


    She cast him a sidelong glance as if she was declaring her ownership. "I''m the one who saved your life, so you must obey me."


    Ye Que immediately balked at her words. "Since when am I yours? I''m a human, not an object! Much less your pet! I will look at whatever I want, thank you very much. What can a silly little girl do about it?"


    Before he could express the words he wanted to say¡ªthe word "I" had just left his mouth¡ªhe found an umbrella next to his mouth. The tip of the umbrella was emitting a frosty glint and the canopy was emanating a murderous aura.


    "Shut up!"


    Subconsciously, Ye Que raised his hands to indicate that he had surrendered. He even put on a complaisant expression as if to say, "You''re the Madam; your word is final. If you say I''m not to look up, I wouldn''t dare to look up even if you give me all the courage in the world. I wouldn''t look up even if you beat me to death. The one who looks up is a dunce."


    Just like that, two weirdos appeared in the one-meter-long crystal passageway. Taking the lead was a girl holding an oil-paper umbrella at such a low angle that her face was obscured. Behind her was a youngster gripping a shabby wooden stick with his back arched and head lowered. He resembled a little old man. Unexpectedly, he didn''t even look up once when faced with such splendid scenery.


    "Men who are not promiscuous are wasting their youth and yet, I have never done so in the past. Now that I''ve regained my youth, I''m not even allowed to take a peep. What a pitifully dull life," Ye Que muttered with his head lowered. He was such a sorry sight, not at all resembling the Demon-slaying Asura. He was basically a walking punching bag.


    Environments could transform people.


    Ever since he returned to his youth, his mentality had gradually meshed with his current identity. Sometimes, he even wondered if his hundred-year experience was nothing more than a dream and that the current him had merely woken up.


    He had just walked out of the crystal passageway when the sound of clashing swords pierced his ears.


    A curtain of light stood at the end of the crystal passageway. After crossing the curtain of light and taking no more than a hundred steps, the path abruptly ended. What awaited was a cliff. The only thing was that there were more than 10 chains hanging down the cliff.


    Looking down from the end of the passageway, a sea of steles stretched on as far as the eye could see. It was as if there was no end. One could vaguely see script or drawing carved on each stele.


    The first wave of the crowd who reached the end of the passageway had already climbed down the chains and entered the forest of steles. The sound of clashing swords drifted from the direction of the steles. Two disciples of the Cultivation World, one wielding a saber and the other a sword, had somehow gotten into a battle in front of a stele.


    Ye Que looked at the endless steles and said, "Be careful. There''s definitely something wrong with those steles."


    "You''re the one who should be careful." Without turning her head, Red Bean gently leaped down the cliff without even touching the chains. Yet, she didn''t crash straight to the ground. The oil-paper umbrella in her hand seemed capable of controlling the wind. She along with her umbrella fell gently like a blooming dandelion.

 Chapter 88 An Inexplicable Sense of Security

    Red Bean and Ye Que walked amid the boundless forest of steles. It was shocking to them even with their mental state.


    They couldn''t tell from a distance but once they came close, they realized that this wasn''t a forest of steles at all. This was an all-inclusive secret depository of cultivation techniques.


    From swords skills, saber techniques, curses, venomous insects, formations, astronomical observations, to even Tantric Buddhism incantations¡­ They could find anything they wanted on these steles as long as they searched carefully for it. Moreover, the records were incredibly detailed: the method to exhale and inhale, the way to operate True Energy, and the essential movements of styles. Furthermore, all the cultivation techniques recorded on the steles were long-lost ultimate cultivation techniques. If even one of these steles was taken out to the world, a bloodbath would likely follow.


    "How is the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum constructed?"


    "To think there would be so many secret techniques of various sects here."


    "Is there a need for the Imperial Mausoleum of a secular empire to be this grandiose?"


    Even Ye Que was perplexed now. No matter how large an Imperial Mausoleum was, there ought to be a limit to it.


    "Who told you that this is an Imperial Mausoleum?" Red Bean said placidly, upon hearing Ye Que''s confusion. "How could an Emperor be this capable? I don''t think he will be able to construct even this grand formation."


    "Besides, take a good look at these cultivation techniques. None of them are meant for the use of the common folk. Even the weakest ones were meant for the use of those in the Cultivation World. If this was an Emperor collecting cultivation techniques, do you think they will be such high-level techniques?"


    "Your words make sense, but¡­"


    "No ''but''. If I say this isn''t an Imperial Mausoleum, then it isn''t."


    "Don''t question me." The words had just left Red Bean''s mouth when the umbrella above her head suddenly turned to its side. A revolving scimitar hit the canopy of the umbrella before it swiftly rebounded.


    Two persons were standing at an angle more than 10 meters away. One of them, a youngster, had his arm chopped off. Blood gushed out of his wound and soaked the ground under him. Judging from his appearance, he ought to be a member of the grassland royalty of Great Yan.


    Since his scimitar rebounded, it was naturally his loss. He lost his arm the first time, and now he was getting stabbed in the chest.


    Simultaneously, the disciples of the Cultivation World that had been brandishing their swords and sabers to cut others down shouted, "How dare a grassland barbarian like you touch a saber skill as precious as the Saber in the Wind Transforms the Nation! Go to hell!"


    So, the battle was over a stele.


    However, it wasn''t as if the stele was limited to one person. Couldn''t others take a look as well?


    The reality was that such battles had quietly begun inside the forest of steles. It was to the extent that some would swiftly memorize the contents of a precious cultivation technique and then destroy the stele.


    This could be considered a malpractice in the Cultivation World.


    The only reason a cultivation technique was precious was that there were few who knew it. If everyone had seen and learned the technique, then it couldn''t be called precious.


    The sound of killing finally reverberated inside the forest, especially from battles between disciples of the Cultivation World and Demon Race warriors. They barely kept it in throughout their journey here. In the first place, they were low-level disciples who entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum to serve their sects. They understood very well that it was impossible for them to obtain the Divine Tool. Even if they somehow obtained it, it wasn''t up to them to use.


    Even the nearly one hundred disciples of Mount Shu had come to serve their Senior Brothers. The reason they tried to weaken other parties in the dark wasteland was so that they could relieve the burden on their Eldest Senior Brother in the end. Similarly, they entered the golden palace to open up a path for their Eldest Senior Brother and eliminate all obstacles inside.


    They had no choice in this matter. This was the rule in the orthodox sects.


    However, after entering the forest of steles, the disciples realized that the reason that they serve the sects was to obtain better cultivation techniques and sword skills. If they continued on this journey, they might very well lose their life. They might as well stay here and seek their own chance. There must a cultivation technique that suited them in this sea of techniques.


    Even if the techniques didn''t suit them, they could study and comprehend the techniques after leaving this place. Their trip wouldn''t be in vain, at least.


    When a Demon Race warrior dashed past them madly, Red Bean swatted him away with her umbrella. She nudged at one of the steles with her mouth. "Aren''t you, an insignificant Rogue Cultivator in the Cultivation World, going to memorize some of the cultivation techniques? An opportunity like this doesn''t come often."


    Ye Que followed Red Bean''s gaze and read the script on the stele. He lost interest after just a quick glance. "Is there a need to memorize these cultivation techniques?"


    "It''s nothing impressive."


    Red Bean shot him a disdainful look. "Boastful."


    "Who''s boasting? Believe me, I¡­"


    Red Bean interrupted him before he could finish. "I don''t believe you."


    "You!" Ye Que pointed at Red Bean. He looked like he was about to explain himself.


    "You''re boasting." Once again, she didn''t give him the chance to finish his sentence.


    Out of the three sentences that Ye Que intended to say, he had to swallow two. He felt as if he was choking on his words. He had been gauging his strength throughout the journey and estimated that he was unlikely to win against this girl in a battle. He felt like he was going to blow a fuse.


    In the end, Ye Que opened his hands and said, in a foot-in-the-mouth way, "Fine. I was boasting. I desperately covet and need these cultivation techniques, but I''m simply too stupid. I couldn''t understand them at all. How''s this answer? Does it satisfy you?"


    Red Bean nodded in satisfaction after hearing Ye Que''s explanation. "If you''re stupid, just admit it. It''s not that embarrassing. It''s fine if you don''t understand them but it''s your fault for boasting."


    She paused for a moment before adding, "The way I see it, it''s true that these cultivation techniques aren''t all that impressive."


    "They''re incredibly shallow."


    With that, she had delivered all the positive and negative arguments.


    To avoid the influence of these steles, Ye Que and Red Bean picked up speed.


    Whenever they encountered battles along the way, they would turn a blind eye if those battles didn''t affect them. But those who blocked their way, Red Bean would send flying with a swipe of her umbrella. If one swipe wasn''t sufficient, she would swipe again.


    Since Ye Que had not fully recovered, there was naturally no need for him to make a move. It saved him quite the effort.


    While walking, he began to wonder since when did he start enjoying walking behind someone. Moreover, he also stopped worrying about making a move immediately after encountering danger. Had he gotten lazy? Or was it something else?


    He raised his head and looked at Red Bean''s back.


    Fluttering white clothes.


    Straight back.


    Even somewhat tall and large.


    He was surprised that a girl like her gave him an inexplicable sense of security. He felt as if he had nothing to worry about for as long as he walked behind her, for he could depend on her for everything!


    He shook his head with force and tried his utmost to toss this unspeakable feeling out of his mind.


    Their journey continued, one step at a time.


    Passing one stele after another, they walked for a long time before the end of the forest of steles came into the view.


    Simultaneously, the sound of musical instruments drifted to their ears.


    The melodious sound that entered their ears were sometimes so loud that it reverberated and sometimes as quiet as a whisper. It was sometimes mellow, sometimes quivering...


    Ye Que and Red Bean slowly walked out of the forest of steles in pursuit of the music. What they saw was a fresh-water lake that was as clear as a mirror. In the heart of the lake was a small pavilion, where 37 different musical instruments sat. That was where the music they heard originated from, but the strange thing was that there was not one player in front of the instruments.


    The musical instruments were playing on their own!

 Chapter 89 The Man-eating Lake

    The music seemed capable of penetrating the human heart.


    The closer people were to the mirror-like lake, the more affected they became. Even though he was standing at a considerable distance from the lake, Ye Que could feel his heart beating wildly. It was as if all sorts of feelings had begun to well up in him all of a sudden. He couldn''t help feeling dispirited.


    That was until the music entered the Spirit Sea in the depths of his heart and encountered the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords inside him.


    The Noble Death Sword was the first to attack, followed by the Justice-seeking Sword. In an instant, the music was shredded by the 13 Spirit Swords. Ye Que''s emotions immediately returned to normal.


    The white-clothed girl, Red Bean, also paused in her tracks when she first heard the music. In a flash, the oil-paper umbrella in her hand began emanating Primordial Force. This force was like a protective screen that cut off the invasion of the music.


    Ye Que kneaded his midbrows and asked, "Are you alright?"


    "Mere demonic tunes aren''t enough to affect me. Worry about yourself." Perhaps the music did instill some frustration in Red Bean. She sounded even more impatient than before.


    After taking several more steps, the surroundings of the mirror-like lake finally revealed itself in its entirety.


    Less than one hundred people were gathered opposite of the small pavilion on the lake. The rest had all died on the way to this place. From the mountains of gold and gems, miraculous pills, lustful mermaids, to cultivation techniques and secret arts, the journey was an immensely challenging examination for newly-minted cultivators.


    The moment a person mental state showed even the slightest flaw, he would be giving this grand formation a chance to kill him.


    Thus, only a minority of cultivators was able to make it this far.


    Upon closer examination of the crowd standing at the edge of the lake, Ye Que realized those were all unfamiliar faces.


    Once again, the number of Mount Shu disciples was the highest. Chen Qing had been leading the group but the leader was now a good-looking youngster with sharp brows. The youngster looked focused and impressive. Even in a crowd, he was like a crane in a flock of chicken. Eight people dressed in black stood behind him, all of them masked. No symbol of Mount Shu could be seen on them and yet they joined the ranks of the Mount Shu disciples.


    Next to them was the Judicature. There were fewer of them. After all, they were the group with the strictest discipline to enter the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. This meant that they had better defense against temptations presented by the formation. After all, who could guarantee that the information leaked from the palace was all true? The Judicature might very well know secrets that others didn''t.


    The one standing in the front line of the Judicature had always been their Deputy Night Timekeeper but he was now replaced by a girl bearing a sword on her back. However, she looked like she was being coerced into this. She looked so unwilling that it was as if she had suffered the greatest grievance in the world.


    "Li Jianqi?" Ye Que recognized the girl leading the Judicature to be Li Jianqi at once. "Why is she standing there? Is she from the Judicature?" "That doesn''t sound right. Even if she''s a spy for them, her status should have disqualified her from standing in front! Since when did the Silent Monastery and the Judicature have such a good relationship?"


    Opposite the Judicature was the Five Main Tribes of the Demon Race. They had obviously lost a considerable amount of warriors along the way. Feng Xingmo''s expression was so cold that frost threatened to grow on his face.


    The other Orthodox sects or lesser tribes with fewer people were scattered in two sides. Of course, humans and demons stood in clear divisions.


    The ones who led the Orthodox sects with few remaining members were mostly new faces as well.


    The logic was simple. The actual disciples the sects sent to obtain the Divine Tool were undoubtedly geniuses that they had carefully nurtured. Naturally, these disciples would enjoy preferential treatment. Even after entering the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, they would not be treated in the same way as ordinary disciples.


    More importantly, these were people with great arrogance and competitive streak. Naturally, they would be far ahead of their teams. If not for the fact that the golden palace didn''t open its doors until late, they would likely be done searching the entire place now.


    There were a total of 37 musical instruments in the small pavilion in the middle of the lake but only seven or eight instruments were playing earlier.


    As more people gathered around the lake, more instruments began to join the ensemble of tunes. Not only was the tempo abruptly increased, but the rhythm also became increasingly urgent.


    The music was capable of bewitching hearts; this was something all the cultivators around the lake could tell.


    In an instant, a myriad of magic treasures were taken out to resist the invasion of the music. Everyone also started looking for a path to continue their journey at the same time. Unfortunately, the lake was ring-shaped. After taking a walk around the lake, they would inevitably return to the same place. There were not any obvious paths that would lead them somewhere else.


    That was unless the path was inside the small pavilion in the middle of the lake. This was the likeliest possibility.


    It wasn''t a problem for the Orthodox sects with more disciples in their team to resist the invasion of the music by combining magic treasures and Spiritual Force. However, this made the rest look pale by comparison.


    The first person Ye Que spotted in the crowd was Li Jianqi. The next one that he saw was Yan Ziyue of the Seven Sabers Sect of Qingqiu. He was alone, without fellow disciples or members of the temporary camp standing behind him.


    Li Jianqi had found her place in the Judicature. What about the rest? Where were Nalan Rongruo and her fellow Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples?


    He failed to find what he was looking for after carefully scanning the crowd. Could misfortune have befallen them?


    Ye Que felt a faint stab of anger.


    It was as if heaven had sensed Ye Que''s rage and acted on his behalf. The magic treasure in Yan Ziyue''s hand was shaking so hard that it had dropped to the ground and he couldn''t help shuddering. A moment later, he actually burst into tears in front of so many people.


    In the beginning, Yan Ziyue''s tears were sporadic sobs. Gradually, it turned into wailing. Tears drenched his face as he wept sorrowfully. It was as if he had remembered something heart-wrenching. So many tears welled up in his eyes that the others couldn''t tell if he was truly crying or merely faking it. For a moment, several Truth cultivation acquittances looked helpless.


    Ye Que had seen people crying after getting beaten up and people weeping after suffering a severe injury. However, he had never seen a cultivator wailing so openly in the public.


    In an instant, the scene became somewhat absurd.


    The more strange thing was that Yan Ziyue was beginning to walk toward the mirror-like lake while crying and wiping his tears. Even though he was slow, he was already standing at the edge of the lake in the first place. He entered the lake in just a few steps and it was too late for anyone to stop him.


    The water in the mirror-like lake slowly reached Yan Ziyue''s knees, waist, and finally neck. He looked completely oblivious to it all as he continued to weep. The more he cried, the more sorrowful his tears became. The sound of his wailing finally ceased when the lake water covered his mouth and nose. The surface of the water suddenly bubbled in concentration.


    Soon, the bubbles on the surface of the water gradually disappeared. A corpse floated to the surface the right side up.


    To a certain extent, cultivators possessed the ability to breathe underwater like a turtle. They would not be in danger even after getting submerged in water for a period of time. However, that was under the condition that they were using their True Energy to protect their heart meridians. They could use Spiritual Force to transform the oxygen in the water to aid their respiration.


    Yan Ziyue submerging himself in the water without moving even a shred of his True Energy made him no different than a regular human. He would still drown.


    To think that the music was strong enough to manipulate a person to drown himself in the lake!


    It was as if the lake water was a man-eater as well!


    For a moment, everyone around the lake elevated the protection their magic treasure cast on them. Some of the weaker disciples from small sects began running far away to evade the music.


    The farther away they were, the less effective the music would be.


    Just as Yan Ziyue met his death, several Demon Race warriors also failed to resist the attack of the music. Their eyes clouded over and the magic treasure in their hand fell to the ground.


    Feng Xingmo began to panic after taking all these in. "Come back, all of you! Guard your mental state! Don''t let the music affect you!"


    His sudden bellow, imbued with True Energy, violently pierced the Demon Race warriors who had lost their mind. Unfortunately, it was completely ineffective. The warriors continued to walk to the lake without stopping.


    The sound of weeping once again resounded, this time even louder and sorrowful than Yan Ziyue''s.


    The leader of the Five Main Tribes this time was Feng Xingmo of the Wind Tribe. However, even though he was born a wolfkind and a combat-type genius, he wasn''t an expert in resisting this sort of mental attack. Not even he had a way to stop it, never mind the other Demon Race warriors.


    Demons were good at battling but when it came to curses, they were vastly inferior to the Orthodox sects.


    "Good-for-nothing."


    "How hopelessly stupid!"


    "Are you going to watch your warriors die?"


    Suddenly, a girl''s voice came from behind the group of Demon Race warriors.


    Then, a sturdy and muscular man slowly stepped out of the ranks and walked to the front of the group. His appearance would change slightly with every step he took. His body grew increasingly thin, and his face increasingly delicate. Even his hair began changing from dark brown to blood-red color.


    By the time the sturdy and muscular man walked past Feng Xingmo, he had become a red-haired girl.


    While walking toward Feng Xingmo, she conveniently plucked a leaf from a willow tree by the lake.


    After calling Feng Xingmo a good-for-nothing, she didn''t even cast him another glance. She placed the leaf gently on the corner of her mouth and the crisp sound of leaf-flute reverberated.


    When the sound of the leaf-flute pierced the ears of the enchanted warriors, they immediately paused. Their legs that were about to dip into the lake water halted. Within a few seconds, the warriors'' eyes gradually regained clarity. Within a few minutes, they completely regained their consciousness.


    "Retreat one thousand steps backward. Before the music stops, you''re not allowed to come near this mirror-like lake," the girl said, casually issuing a command. She looked as if it was a matter of fact for her to do so.


    The Demon Race warriors who had just sobered up didn''t know what had happened at all. They subconsciously looked at Feng Xingmo.


    "Who are you?"


    "Which tribe are you from?"


    "Since when is it your place to issue commands? Hadn''t your tribe elders teach you the regulations?" Feng Xingmo looked at the red-haired girl with a frosty expression. He did not expect that a young girl would suppress him, their leader. He would not have shown her any pleasantries, regardless.


    "Which tribe? I don''t belong to any tribe," the red-haired girl replied softly.


    "Since you''re not a warrior from any of the Five Main Tribes, that means you have no right whatsoever to speak. Don''t flatter yourself that you''re amazing just because of your little knowledge of psychokinesis. You''re still too inexperienced. Return to your position immediately." Feng Xingmo''s tone was harsh. Had he not considered the fact that the girl''s psychokinesis might come in handy, he would have slapped her across the face and save the effort of telling her all these nonsense.


    "You''re asking me to return to my position?" The red-haired girl frowned at Feng Xingmo.


    "Haven''t you seen how many warriors have died since we entered the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum? Would there be so few of us left if it weren''t for your poor leadership? You''re asking me to return to my position before I even blame you? Who granted you such fearless courage? Did you lose your mind?"


    When she saw that Feng Xingmo looked like he was about to utter even more rubbish, the red-haired girl said in annoyance, "I''m Nan Fengxiu, ranked 15th."


    To the rest, her five words sounded like a simple introduction. To Feng Xingmo, however, they were like a lightning strike!

 Chapter 90 The Cyan Halo Cuts off the Music

    "Nan Fengxiu? Ranked 15th?"


    Who in the Demon Clan would introduce herself with her ranking?


    No one would, except for the Demon King''s personal disciples. That was because no one else had the right to. Feng Xingmo looked up and stared at the girl with blood-red hair, unfathomable cultivation, and tremendous ego. There was no mistaking it!


    "Nan Fengxiu? Fengxiu? Feng?" Feng Xingmo muttered under his breath. His forehead was drenched with sweat. "Is she the Phoenix of the Imperial Clan?"


    It went without saying that the Demon King''s personal disciples didn''t belong to any tribe. Naturally, they had the right to command any Demon Race warrior as well as mock Feng Xingmo for being useless and take away his position as a leader. Even if he was born a wolf and a genius, he was incapable of breaking this rule. It was impossible even if he was the Wolf King.


    For a long time, he didn''t know what to say.


    "Lord¡­"


    "Retreat to the rear and don''t let me see your face again. From now onward, all Demon Race warriors will listen to my command," Nan Fengxiu said solemnly. She also waved her hand impatiently. It was well within her rights to kill Feng Xingmo since he disrespected her but now wasn''t the time. Besides, she wasn''t fond of shedding unnecessary blood. She found it dirty.


    There was an extremely strict hierarchy within the Demon Race. Seeing as Nan Fengxiu was the Demon King''s personal disciple, she was naturally their leader now. No one protested and neither did anyone dare to.


    Out of the blue, a giant shield as tall as a human appeared in front of her. Curiously, no one saw how she conjured it. She grabbed the shield single-handedly and threw it in front of the Demon Race legion.


    With the shield absorbing most of the music, its attack weakened significantly.


    However, Nan Fengxiu''s appearance in the Demon Race worsened the impact of the music on the Orthodox cultivators. The pressure on cultivators from smaller sects was even greater.


    "Originally, there is no Bodhi tree. Neither is there the stand of the bright mirror. Originally, everything is empty. Where could the dust alight? It is the demon that creates confusion among humans. Those who create chaos will eventually be subdued." Bringing up the rear of the Cultivation World legion was a round-headed, big-eared, benign-faced monk. After uttering a Buddhist saying, he closed his eyes and slowly walked to the edge of the lake. He placed his hands together and a large clock nearly 10 meters tall abruptly materialized in front of everyone.


    Using his fist like a hammer, the monk gently hit the large clock in the middle and sent a far-reaching sound reverberating like a hum.


    "Chronometer of Dawn from the Sixth Buddhist Temple!"


    "Who is that monk? That''s the Chronometer of Dawn from the Sixth Buddhist Temple that he is using!"


    Even the Mount Shu disciples were shocked.


    Chen Qing carefully searched his memories while staring at the monk standing in front of the Chronometer of Dawn. Then, he walked up to his leader and whispered, "The one controlling the Chronometer of Dawn is the Curator of the Scriptures Atheneum from the Sixth Buddhist Temple. His Dharma name is Wu Ming and he''s a monk in the Starburst realm."


    "Wu Ming?" The youngster leading the Mount Shu disciples repeated the name expressionlessly. It seemed that he didn''t expect to hear this Dharma name.


    "The ''Wu'' from the term ''moment of enlightenment'' and ''Ming'' from the word ''mirror''," Chen Qing explained in a quiet voice. "With the Chronometer of Dawn here, we won''t have to fear the music coming from the heart of the lake anymore. After all, it has been ringing in the Sixth Buddhist Temple for more than a thousand years. The sacred sound has accumulated power over the years. It''s not a problem for it to offset some insignificant mind-controlling music."


    Next to Red Bean, Ye Que stared at the changes taking place on the mirror-like lake. He nodded and said, "Looks like these geniuses are all born to steal the Divine Tool! Look, all of them are armed with priceless treasures!"


    "We will see if they can even break the musical instruments inside the pavilion. It''s no use to block the attack of the music and do nothing else." Red Bean looked like she was ready to directly head for the pavilion in the middle of the lake with her oil-paper umbrella.


    "Wait." Ye Que grabbed Red Bean''s arm. "Be patient. It seems that there''s no need for you to make a move."


    Even though he didn''t use excessive force in grabbing her arm, a strange expression immediately flitted across her face. She wanted to shake his hand off and yet for an inexplicable reason, her heart stirred. Her arm itself stayed still, allowing Ye Que''s hand to hold onto it.


    On the contrary, Ye Que didn''t notice her expression at all. He pointed at the Mount Shu disciples. "The Demon Race has its shield while the Sixth Buddhist Temple has its Chronometer of Dawn. Mount Shu, the leader of the Orthodox sects, wouldn''t allow itself to be overshadowed. The thing people coming out of that mountain are most concerned about is their reputation."


    "They would rather lose their life than their reputation."


    What happened next seemed to be affirming Ye Que''s words.


    Out of the blue, a cyan halo rose from the edge of the mirror-like lake.


    The cyan halo rose behind a youngster and flew into the sky. First, it absorbed all of the vapor above the lake and then, fell onto the pavilion in the middle of the lake.


    The cyan halo engulfed countless bolts of lightning and turbulence flow that could rip apart space and instantly smashed the roof of the pavilion. In an instant, the 37 musical instruments inside flashed with a blinding light.


    37 sound waves, observable by the naked eye, transformed into 37 bladed weapons of all kinds. The weapons immediately attacked the cyan halo.


    A deafening roar resounded.


    The lake water gushed out of the core of the mirror-like lake, flooding the bank. The heart of the lake became visible to everyone.


    The roaring resounded again and again. The speed at which the lake water gushed out increased as well and the water enveloped everyone''s vision in the blink of an eye. However, they could vaguely see that the resounding of each roar coincided with the cyan halo slashing a weapon evolved from the musical instruments. The cyan halo would then continue in its direction undeterred and slash the pavilion in the middle of the lake.


    37 roars resounded in total.


    The lake water vanished, leaving the entire lake dry. The small pavilion in the middle of the lake had completely disappeared from everyone''s sight. The 37 musical instrument was nowhere to be seen, not even their fragments.


    The breeze brought with it a misty rain.


    Amid the gentle wind and fine rain, the cyan halo retreated and crashed behind the youngster leading the Mount Shu disciples.


    It was only now that everyone saw that the cyan halo was actually a sword, a sword harboring the mythical bird Luan.


    "Mount Shu''s Cyan Luan!"


    "It''s the Cyan Luan Sword of Mount Shu! Is that youngster the Sect Leader of Mount Shu? Isn''t their Sect Leader the only one who knows how to use the Cyan Luan Sword?"


    It was impossible for a cultivator who made it to this stage to be a mere no-name. Putting aside cultivation, one would certainly have some experience. Besides, the Monarch''s Sword, a Level 3 Top-grade weapon, was essentially a household name. No cultivator who majored in swordsmanship would be ignorant of the Cyan Luan Sword.


    Li Jianqi, who stood at the helm of the Judicature, widened her eyes so much that her eyeballs threatened to fall out of their sockets. She was inches away from salivating. The girl had been unable to step away after seeing Ye Que''s Spirit Sword in a battle. Now that she saw the Cyan Luan Sword, she was so excited that she nearly fainted.


    The eyes of the red-haired Nan Fengxiu gleamed as well. She pointed at the Mount Shu disciples. "Who is he? Who among you knows?"


    After seeing the Demon Race warriors around her lower their heads, looking as if they did not dare to speak, she stamped her foot. "Get that idiot from the Wind Tribe to come over."


    Feng Xingmo, who had just reached the rear of the team, was forced to run over to her. "Your command, Lord?"


    "What is that halo earlier? Who is the one who controlled the halo?"


    Nan Fengxiu didn''t frequent the Human World and thus, had little understanding of the affairs in the Cultivation World.


    Naturally, Feng Xingmo had witnessed the battle earlier. He said unhesitantly, "Lord, that halo is the Cyan Luan Sword, a Monarch''s Sword of Mount Shu. The swordsman is the Eldest Senior Brother of Mount Shu in the current generation. He was the top-scorer in last year''s Starburst Examination. His name is Jiang Liuyun."

 Chapter 91 All Living Things Are Equal

    The dust settled and the mist dispersed as a cool breeze blew across everyone''s face.


    It hit the face of Wuming from the Temple of Six Buddhas. This time, the round-headed and big-eared monk did not squint and wink but merely kept his Chronometer of Dawn. Li Jianqi licked her lips as it blew across her face, and she stared at Jiang Liuyun''s back. Nan Fengxiu did not raise her huge shield. The eyes of the 15th disciple of the Demon King lit up, but no one knew what she was thinking about.


    As for Ye Que and Red Bean.


    One of them looked despisingly and claimed that Jiang Liuyun a vain pot, while the other looked at disdain and said that he was flashy and had no substance.


    No matter how vain or flashy they were, it was enough to strike everyone with awe. It was the ''Cyan Luan'', a top-notch level three Monarch''s Sword and just one level below an Immortal''s Sword. The green beam of light was also amazing. If they had not guessed wrongly, it was the Falling Sword Technique of Shushan.


    Anyone who could unleash the Falling Sword Technique with the Cyan Luan Sword should at least be in the Formless Realm. Evidently, Jiang Liuyun had used the technique at Starburst Realm power, however. The move was perfect. After all, he was currently the leader of Shushan and the top-ranked expert in that realm in the Cultivation World.


    The little pavilion at the center of Lake Mingjing had been destroyed, and the 37 instruments were missing. All of the water in the lake had been splashed onto the shore, and a bottomless portal had appeared above the destroyed pavilion.


    The hole was about nine meters wide and a faint golden glow emanated from the opposite end of the portal.


    Everyone walked to the entrance of the pit. A wave of spiritual energy swept up toward them, and even though it did not carry too much offensive power, it shocked all of them. Just the shockwave of spiritual force given off by whatever in that portal was so immense. It was obvious how valuable the thing inside the pit was.


    "The River Soldiers should be below here," everyone said. They already knew what was underneath them.


    Ye Que did not walk over immediately, because Red Bean had remained motionless at the edge of the lake. She was walking normally before the appearance of the pit and the shockwave of spiritual energy had swept up. She froze, as if she had been immobilized by a curse.


    The practitioners and the demon warriors leaped into the pit one after another. Only Ye Que and Red Bean were left on the barren Lake Mingjing.


    "What happened?" Ye Que asked softly as he noticed the strange behavior of Red Bean.


    Red Bean remained silent and still for a long while. She only snapped out of her daze and spoke up after some time. "The divine tool is in the pit; I can sense it already. Take care of yourself no matter what happens later. I would probably be unable to help you."


    Red Bean took in a deep breath of air and continued to speak. "Maybe, I''ll be unable to protect even myself."


    She continued speaking without giving Ye Que a chance to reply. "There are a few questions that I have to ask you. You have to answer me honestly."


    Ye Que swallowed the words that he was about to say when he saw how serious Red Bean looked. "Ask away. I''ll definitely reply to you according to the best of my knowledge. You saved my life, and I''ll never lie to you."


    Red Bean stared directly into Ye Que''s eyes and began to question him after a moment''s thought. "A few months ago, on Luo River, you were once attacked by demons. There were devious iguana, water snake and bloodied zombie bird. It was a boatload of demonic beasts, so why did you only kill the devious iguana?"


    Ye Que did not expect that she would ask him such a strange question and looked at her in surprise. He thought about carefully before replying, "Because the devious iguana was extremely ugly and disgusting. I could not make too many blows with my sword then and chose to kill it first."


    Red Bean nodded and continued questioning him. "There was one night in Luoyang City when a bunch of martial artists and three disciples of Mount Shu ganged up to attack you. You could have killed them then, so why did you just scare them away? You unleashed for more than one blow of your sword that night, if I''m not mistaken."


    "Luoyang City? Being attacked by a gang of martial artists and disciples of Mount Shu?" Ye Que frowned, and he seemed to be unable to recall the incident. He finally remembered what happened after muttering a few times under his breath.


    It was the same night when he had accompanied Qian Shuhua to drink, and when he chased away his attackers.


    Ye Que could stop his lips from curling into a faint smile as he replied, "Indeed, I could have killed them that night but firstly I was afraid of causing additional work to myself and secondly, it wouldn''t be fun."


    "Is killing not fun?"


    "It really does seem a little uninteresting." Red Bean agreed after thinking for a while. She felt that it was an acceptable answer and began asking him again, "There''s a Divine Sect Seminary in Luoyang City. You once demonstrated a set of cultivation technique on the platform of the seminary and said a few words."


    "I remembered you began your speech by saying that Tao resides in everything on this world, and everyone was born equal. Do you really believe that? What if other races? How about demons or something even more terrifying than them? Do they have the right to request equal treatment in the land of humans?"


    If the first two questions had surprised Ye Que, the third one gave him a little shock. This was because no ordinary person would have questioned him in this manner. The essence of Red Bean''s questions was not about equality between humans of different backgrounds, but rather the equality between humans and other races.


    Ye Que thought about it for a while and looked at Red Bean. "What really constitutes a human being in the wide variety of beings in the world? Any being with autonomous thought, sentient and having a sense of self can be considered as human. Human beings, demons and devils are just another way of calling people, and there actually isn''t any real difference between their intrinsic qualities. At the very least, Nature will treat them all as her children. As such, logically they are born equal."


    "You mean to say that every living being in the world is a human being?" Red Bean asked, evidently conflicted about the definition of a human being.


    "If you think that the word ''human'' doesn''t have a wide enough scope, what about living beings? Every living thing in the world are living beings, and they are born equal," Ye Que suggested as he raised his arm and traced out the two words in the air, causing them to leap to life.


    "Living beings?"


    "All living beings are equal?"


    Red Bean muttered the phrase two more times and stopped focusing on the question anymore. She looked at Ye Que again, seemingly with something more to ask him, but no sound came out of her when she opened her mouth.


    "Ask me whatever you wish. It''s not like you to be so hesitant," Ye Que said, as if he was chatting with an old friend. In truth, he had just got to know Red Bean not long ago and did not really know what her character was. Neither he nor Red Bean felt that his observation was a little strange, however.


    "Alright. Let me ask you then. I saw a long black spear on the Dark Wasteland that was inscribed with blood red divine runes. Was that yours?" she finally asked.


    "Long black spear? What spear?"


    "The lance which turned into you later."


    Ye Que looked as though he had just understood what she was talking about and nodded. "The lance turned into me? Then that should be mine, you''re right."


    "How did you do that? How could you use the unique skill of Teleportation in the Psychic Realm?" Red Bean asked, looking extremely perturbed.


    "I used the Position Switching Skill of the School of Tantric Buddhism. It''s a special chant, and the black lance you saw was part of it. I created a set of blood red runes at another location, and they could sense each other. Then, I ignited the talisman to activate the skill, which would work within a short radius. In fact, what I used was not really Teleportation. Only Greater Powers at the Apocalypse Realm and above can comprehend the laws of Space and Time." Ye Que explained in detail to Red Bean.


    "What happened after you activated the Position Switching Skill? Do you remember any of it?" Red Bean immediately asked after listening to his explanation. She spoke extremely fast and softly, as if afraid that someone else would overhear her, and she also seemed reluctant to bring up the incident.


    "After that?"


    Ye Que furrowed his brows, seemingly trying hard to recall the incident. "I can''t remember, I really can''t. I should have fainted right after that; using the unique Tantric Buddhism chant in the Psychic Realm took a look out of me. Furthermore, I was also exhausted then. I was already lucky to have successfully activated the Position Switching Skill."


    "You really can''t remember?" Red Bean asked again.


    Ye Que shook his head confidently.


    "It''s better if you can''t recall that incident forever," Red Bean muttered as she blushed. She seemed to have remembered what happened when Ye Que fell into her arms. At that time, his arms seemed to be have moved, or was she hallucinating?


    "Alright, I''m done asking questions."


    Without waiting for Ye Que to look at her, Red Bean had turned and already took one step into Lake Mingjing. The bottom of the lake was as smooth as a jade ornament, and their feet sank a little as they walked on it. Red Bean''s steps were incredibly quick and light, however.


    "What did you ask me all that for?"


    Ye Que chased after her for a while, but he had just recovered after all and could not walk fast. Coupled with the smooth and slick pebbles beneath him, he was unable to catch up with Red Bean and a huge gap opened up between them after a few steps.


    Red Bean eventually stopped as she heard his footsteps coming closer. She turned her head slightly and looked at the panting Ye Que. Her expression was still icy, but the corners of her lips tilted upward, and she seemed to have smiled for a while.


    "I''ve met you more than once before, but you didn''t know that."

 Chapter 92 Ripples in the Vortex

    Outside the Imperial Mausoleum situated at the ley lines of sovereignty, the water level of River Luo began to drop gradually when the small pavilion at the center of Lake Mingjing was destroyed and when the 37 musical instruments were thrown into the air and everyone had entered the underground cave.


    It did not decrease only at one spot. Instead, the water level of the entire Luo River, which passed through half of the Tang Dynasty, had decreased. Even though it was minimal, one had to consider the entire volume of the river.


    With the Imperial Mausoleum, all of the corpses within and beyond the gold palace began to meld with the earth, as if it was going to absorb them.


    "Whoosh!"


    Just as Ye Que and Red Bean had found their footing at the bottom of the cave, an incredibly huge vacuum began to pull them toward the deep end of the cave.


    It came without warning, and everyone was caught unaware.


    Ye Que wanted to grab hold of Red Bean instinctively, but before he could even reach his arm out, she was already hugging him from the waist. The oil paper umbrella that she always carried with her was open.


    "Ah!"


    Some of them came well-prepared, and some of them carried extra magical artifacts with them. Naturally, a few would be the unlucky ones and they shrieked as the vacuum dragged all of them, along with the others, deeper into the cave.


    "What the hell is this? I can''t control my body at all!"


    "The flow of True Energy in my body has also been affected."


    "Even my breathing..."


    The person stopped talking suddenly and seemed to have smashed into the walls of the cave.


    The suction power seemed to have combined with the force of nature, and even a genius of Mount Shu and the top-ranked practitioner of the Starburst Realm like Jiang Liuyun who possessed the Cyan Luan was unable to defend himself and could do nothing to resist the vacuum.


    All of them were like lonesome boats in a raging sea that had no control over the direction they were heading. They could only allow the suction force to draw them deeper inside the chasm.


    The suction got stronger as they advanced deeper inside the cave. Even Red Bean was beginning to struggle now, and green veins could be seen popping out on her hand which was gripping onto her oil paper umbrella. Ye Que, on the other hand, was feeling extremely comfortable as he was doing nothing. That said, there were some strange movements of the Divine Energy that was formed into a gold python by learning the cultivation technique from the Divine Book, which resided in the Spiritual Sea of his Snow Mountain.


    It seemed excited, puzzled and even a little lost. It was tumbling about rapidly within his Spiritual Sea on its own will, and Ye Que, who had just recovered, instantly reverted back to the condition before he was released upon suffering from the effects of the gold python''s turbulent movements.


    "There''s something down here that can stimulate the cultivation technique from the Divine Book?"


    "It''s the River Soldiers Divine Tool. It shouldn''t be specifically targeting me, right?"


    "This suction force which comes from the deep part of the cave seems to be endless. At which point will it stop sucking us in? At this rate, we''ll soon be drawn into Hell!"


    Ye Que observed the practitioners around him by glancing to his sides as he spoke. Some unlucky folk had smashed directly into the hard rock walls of the pit, blood and gore splattering all over the place and rapidly being repelled out of the vortex.


    All of them, disciples of the Cultivation World and warriors of the Demon Race alike, were in complete disarray.


    Li Jianqi, who had been protected by the Judicature all this while, could be seen looking at Ye Que absent-mindedly. She quickly turned away, and she seemed to have shouted something.


    The most alarming sight was that of Nan Fengxiu, the 15th Disciple of the Demon King, slowly spinning in the direction of Jiang Liuyun from Mount Shu. No one knew when she had started to head in his direction. She was hand-picked by the Demon King after all and was likely to have many magic treasures on her. She was covered by a snowy white robe that shone brightly, and everyone who laid eyes on it knew that she was no ordinary artifact.


    Jiang Liuyun held onto Cyan Luan, the Monarch''s Sword, in one hand, and he seemed to be the person who had the most stable footing among all of them, even though he could only readjust his position to align himself with the direction of the vortex''s swirl and keep himself from looking too sorry.


    The top-ranked third generation disciple of Mount Shu had to maintain his poise at all times.


    Seeing that everyone else was busy fending for themselves and no one had the time to observe what the others were doing, Nan Fengxiu suddenly spun a few more steps toward Jiang Liuyun.


    "Let''s get to know each other. I''m Nan Fengxiu, the 15th Disciple of the Demon King," she said softly, her smiling face emerging from her white robe.


    Jiang Liuyun glanced at her and remained expressionless. He did not speak but continued to survey his surroundings carefully.


    "My master went to Mount Shu once when he was young, and he could have been considered to have met your Headmaster once. This means that we''re family friends, so why should you keep me at arm''s length? It wouldn''t kill you to speak to me," Nan Fengxiu said as she squinted, a faint smile appearing on her lips.


    "Our Headmaster''s inability to slay your master was the regret of his life," Jiang Liuyun said after a long silence, "If this makes us long lost friends, then I would have ''friends'' like you everywhere in the world, demoness."


    "Our elders are our elders, you and me are not one of them," Nan Fengxiu said as she pointed at Jiang Liuyun and then herself after spinning for another round.


    "We don''t have much to talk about except for the sword in my hand," Jiang Liuyun said seriously.


    "The sword in your hand? Do you want me to train with you?" Nan Xiufeng acted as though she was thinking about it. "Not now though, I''ll look for you after I''ve sent the River Soldiers Divine Tool back to my master."


    "The River Soldiers will be sent back to Mount Shu as long as I''m around. Don''t even think about it." Jiang Liuyun glanced haughtily at Nan Fengxiu. "I advise you not to have any weird thoughts. I won''t be seduced by your beauty."


    "Seduce you? Who..."


    Nan Fengxiu had just uttered the three words when the suction vortex suddenly made them take three sharp turns. Everyone in it wobbled, and some even began to somersault within the vortex.


    "Take your hands away from me."


    No one knew what happened just now, but Nan Fengxiu, who was in their blind spot, had wrapped her hands in a tight embrace around Jiang Liuyun''s back, and she was holding on to dear life.


    "You demoness!"


    "Have you gone insane?"


    Jiang Liuyun looked furious, and he tried to struggle free of Nan Fengxiu''s embrace. The suction of the vortex grew stronger, however, and he could not divert any of his True Energy to attack her. It was also obvious that the personal disciple of the Demon King was no slouch either. The position and angle at which she was hugging him were chosen with care, and Jiang Liuyun could only suffer in silence for the time being.


    It was impossible for him to attack anyone within the suction vortex. There was no way to emit his True Energy.


    Morever, it was the first time he had encountered something like this.


    Nan Fengxiu was the first woman that he had come into close contact with, her identity as a demoness notwithstanding.


    "Take your hands away from me and don''t touch my waist. As the Demon King''s own disciple, don''t you have a little bit of dignity in you? What do you think your master would think of you hugging me? How would all the other demon warriors look at your master after this?" Jiang Liuyun said. He suppressed the volume of his voice and tried hard to readjust his position in the hopes of breaking free of her embrace, as well as trying to prevent the others from noticing her holding onto him.


    The leader of the third generation of Mount Shu disciples was being hugged by the Demon King''s own disciple.


    What a big joke it was!


    If news of this incident spread around, Jiang Liuyun would have committed a sin so serious that he could be sentenced to imprisonment for a century within the Demon Holding Tower.


    There was a strange scene within the swirling vortex of Red Bean grabbing Ye Que''s waist and Nan Fengxiu hugging onto Jiang Liuyun''s back. The two ladies looked normal, but the two young men looked especially awkward. Ye Que felt a little embarrassed, but Jiang Liuyun was feeling extremely disgraceful.

 Chapter 93 The Emergence of the Relief Sculpture After Being Bathed in Blood

    Which teenage girl would not dream of love?


    The girls of the Tang Dynasty, Cultivation World and Demon Race¡ªall of them would.


    This was the law of Nature, and no one could stop it. Even though Nan Fengxiu was the 15th Disciple of the Demon King, she could not control her primal urge. The men of the Demon Race, however, were mostly huge and ugly looking. How could they meet the requirements of a maiden?


    Even though the demons seldom communicated with practitioners of the Cultivation World, a certain career and a certain thing changed all that.


    The career was that of painting, and the object was the paintings themselves!


    The first time Nan Fengxiu saw Jiang Liuyun was from paintings. There were a total of 167 of them, and each of them described a scene. They could be linked into a story, and the main character of that story was Jiang Liuyun of course.


    The story described how Jiang Liuyun represented Mount Shu to take part in his first competition of the Starburst Realm, and how he swept through the Cultivation World effortlessly and became the leader of the third generation of his sect, as well as the number one practitioner of the Starburst Realm. He looked extraordinarily handsome and elegant, and naturally he became a hit with the maidens.


    Overnight, the stories and paintings of Jiang Liuyun spread among the teenage female practitioners, and he became their super idol.


    His heroic feat today of slashing through the music with his sword by Lake Mingjing made Nan Fengxiu admire him even more. If it were not for the fact that they belonged to opposing factions, she would have long dashed in front of him to introduce herself.


    Since a young age, Nan Fengxiu''s temper meant that she got whatever she wanted, regardless whether it was magical treasure or slaves. She would use her smarts, talk her way out of things, go soft or hard on her targets as things dictated, and if nothing worked, she would punch that unfortunate person unconscious and carry the thing she wanted back.


    She had taken a liking to Jiang Liuyun the moment she laid eyes on paintings of him, and now that she saw him in real flesh, all the more she wanted was to get close to him. She did not care about the difference between their races. It was common for the more powerful leaders of the Demon Race to harbor a few beautiful women of the Cultivation World in their residences, and they did not get charged with anything.


    Her target this time, however, was a little hard to get!


    Just the thought of grabbing the leader of the third generation of Mount Shu''s disciples made her feel excited.


    After a long time.


    The suction vortex gradually dissipated and a great circular hall appeared in front of everyone. It was wide and majestic, and a platform for religious rites was erected in its center. Two lifelike sculptures knelt on the platform, and one of them was a warrior in gold armor while the other was a huge dragon soaring into the skies.


    The walls around the platform were decorated with reliefs, and they gave out an immensely majestic aura.


    The reliefs were of swordsmen from the Cultivation World and warriors of the Demon Race. Both parties were not warring with each other, however. Instead, they seemed to be facing the invasion of another faction alongside each other.


    The features of the people that they were fighting against were not reflected on the reliefs. Instead, they looked like huge black masses, and they seemed to possess endless strength in battle. There were countless numbers of swordsmen and demonic warriors, but they were just on par with the shadowy figures.


    A long winding river was below the battlefield, and it did not seem to end. Vaguely, the onlookers noticed the outline of Luo River in the relief.


    The river in the relief had turned blood red, and countless corpses were lining its banks. Further away, a pile of corpses about 300 meters high could be seen, and there were countless dried-up bones at the foot of it. Battle was still ensuing in the skies, and the bodies of the dead were still falling from above. Rivers of blood had formed, corpses were strewn all over the battlefield, and there were piles of bones. Just looking at the reliefs made one feel the chills run down one''s spine.


    Ye Que did not know if he was hallucinating, but he could sense something wrong with the river shown on the reliefs the instant he stepped into the main hall.


    "The river seems extremely realistic, no matter how I look at it."


    "It seems that the river is still flowing slowly."


    Ye Que shook his head vigorously and looked at the platform in the middle of the hall. The gold python made up of Divine Energy from the Spiritual Sea in his Snow Mountain began to rumble again as he looked at it, but the strange thing was that it seemed to be aiming at the bottom of the platform, as if something underneath it was calling the gold python.


    Nan Fengxiu had long been separated from Jiang Liuyun by this time.


    No matter how bold she was, she would not have forcibly hugged him in front of so many watchful pair of eyes. She liked handsome and elegant young men, but she was no love-struck fool. The Demon King would not have accepted her as his disciple if she was.


    After all their ordeals, less than 100 people were left standing in the main hall.


    "This place is really cold!" someone remarked instinctively as he walked into the main hall, and everyone else immediately agreed with him.


    It was not the kind of coldness related to the actual temperature of their surroundings, but a kind of bone-chilling cold that pierced right through their souls. All of them were geniuses in the Cultivation World and most had already forgotten what coldness felt like. Today, however, they were going to understand how merciless Nature could be again.


    Li Jianqi, who was with the Judicature, blew a breath of hot air on her palms and suddenly ran toward Ye Que.


    She grabbed onto his hand immediately after reaching his side. "Ye Que, you''re still alive!" she said, looking very emotional.


    "I really want to thank you. If it weren''t for you, most of us would have been slain by the demons."


    "What happened exactly? Earlier on at the Dark Wasteland, weren''t you surrounded by warriors of the Demon Race? How did you manage to escape?" Li Jianqi asked excitedly and curiously.


    "I..." Just as Ye Que was about to reply, a huge force traveled from his back, causing him to be separated from Li Jianqi''s grasp.


    "Take your hands away and don''t touch him."


    Red Bean, who was dressed entirely in white, said coldly. She walked forward as she spoke and stood between Ye Que and Li Jianqi eventually, gazing coldly at the girl.


    Red Bean was half a head taller than Li Jianqi, so it seemed as though she was looking down upon the human girl a little. Coupled with her tone and expression, she immediately triggered a hatred within Li Jianqi.


    "He doesn''t belong to you, so why can''t I hold his hand?" Li Jianqi retorted. She placed her hands on her hips and pouted.


    "He''s not mine, but I picked him up. I''ll decide whether you can hold him or not," Red Bean said as she folded her umbrella and placed it before her chest. She suddenly extended the umbrella outward and told Li Jianqi, "I don''t like people to stand too close to me."


    "You!"


    "How are you point your umbrella at me and verbally attack me!"


    Li Jianqi raised her right arm and tapped her back with the tip of her sword. A milky-white long sword rose into the air, and nine fat goldfish were carved on it. Each of them looked lifelike, but they turned into vicious creatures as she infused her True Energy into the weapon. The ornamental goldfish opened their huge mouths, revealing rows of sharp pointed teeth.


    It was a sword that Li Jianqi had not used before.


    Judging from the aura generated by the sword alone, it was of high quality.


    Ye Que took two steps forward as he saw the two of them about to fight with each other.


    "Get lost!"


    "Shut up!"


    Without waiting for him to speak, Li Jianqi had already told him to scram, while Red Bean yelled at him to shut up. Also, two forces generated from their palms swept toward Ye Que. Even though they did not contain much offensive power, Ye Que was still pushed a few meters away.


    "This is a perfect example of the weak getting bullied!"


    If he had not been seriously wounded and had his Spiritual Sea not been drained, Ye Que would not have been knocked back by the energy from their palms. Furthermore, he had been yelled at by the two young ladies, and there was nothing he could do! Even so, what else could he do? There were strong-willed women with bad tempers, and neither of them would give in to the other. "Will they really end up fighting?" he thought.


    "Wouldn''t it be a joke if both of them ended up fighting even before the emergence of the River Soldiers? The others would definitely laugh at us!"


    "Your Highness, do not be hasty, we should be attending to the task at hand," said the Deputy Night Timekeeper, Jue Shuo. He had run over the instant Ye Que was knocked back.


    "Your Highness?"


    Ye Que was stunned at hearing how Jue Shuo had addressed Li Jianqi. "How come the lady sword fanatic of the Silent Monastery has now been called "Your Highness" by the Judicator? What sort of person could have made the Deputy Night Timekeeper call her as "Highness"?"


    "This woman humiliated me, and I''m going to teach her a good lesson. Don''t bother about my affairs; this will not stop us from completing our tasks!" Li Jianqi shouted angrily.


    Jue Shuo looked at Red Bean and tried to gain a sense of her level of cultivation. His observation told him that it was unfathomable, and even the True Energy that he had sent out had completely disappeared.


    "Anyone who has made it here is somebody powerful," he muttered.


    "Your Highness, now is not the time to fight. You can do as you wish once we leave the Imperial Mausoleum, but can you listen to my advice while we''re here?" Jue Shuo asked earnestly before pointing behind him. "There are not many of us from the Judicature left, and I can''t predict what is going to happen later. No matter what, nothing can happen to you."


    "Take a step back, and you''ll realize how small the incident was."


    "It is not too late for a person of honor to take revenge even after ten years."


    "Your Highness!"


    Jue Shuo looked as if he was about to kneel, but before he could do that, thousands of oil lamps lit up suddenly in the hall. Earlier on, they had been relying on the glint that was emanating from the reliefs, but now the entire main hall was brightly lit.


    There was a trace of warmth in the incredibly chilly main hall now.


    An inexplicable evil aura began to spread.


    The disciples of the Cultivation World in the hall began to feel uneasy all over, but the warriors of the Demon Race did not seem to have any reaction.


    A demonic warrior, who had been standing at the furthest spot of the perimeter of his people, had walked up to the edge of the murals without anyone noticing him. He looked upward at the reliefs above his head and was a little lost as he realized that one of the relief sculptures seemed to have trembled slightly. Originally, he thought that his vision was blurred, so he prepared to move forward for a closer look.


    "Strange, this relief seems to be moving by itself."


    Feng Xingmo, who was standing furthest behind the ranks of demonic warriors, turned to look at the reliefs as well. "What''s going on?"


    "These reliefs..."


    The warrior saw Feng Xingmo pointing something behind him. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed the change in Feng Xingmo''s expression and saw Feng Xingmo running toward him at full speed. Also, Feng Xingmo was signaling for him to be careful.


    It was too late, however. Before the warrior from the Demon Race could turn back, sharp claws had dug into his chest and ripped his beating heart out.


    At the same time.


    On the mural.


    The river, which looked like the Luo River, began to flow rapidly. It was not filled with water but blood, and wind blew its contents toward the domed roof of the hall. All of the relief sculptures that were splashed with blood began to come to life.


    Faintly, a scene similar to that of Zhai Xingzi''s observation of Heaven in the Royal Castle was unfolding.


    The River Soldiers were going to emerge after being bathed in the blood of humans and demons!

 Chapter 94 Puzzled

    The reliefs on the murals leaped into life as blood washed over them. Each sculpture was semi-translucent and looked like a ghost. Collectively they looked like a bunch of extremely powerful spirits.


    "Is this the resurrection of devils?"


    Everyone began retreating from the vicinity of the murals and stood at a relatively safe distance away. The huge sects of the Cultivation World began to gather, as did the warriors of the Demon Race.


    "Don''t panic, everyone. These relief sculptures that have come to life are not devils. I believe they are dark souls used to suppress the Divine Tool," said Wuming, the monk from the Temple of Six Buddhas, in a low voice.


    In the blink of an eye, more than 10 sculptures had come into life after being splashed with blood. Half of them dashed toward the practitioners from the Cultivation World. Ye Que was following behind Red Bean and did not stand with the other practitioners. Both of them were rogue cultivators who belonged to no sect and they were afraid that the other practitioners would not be happy if they went over to them. Furthermore, Red Bean had been in an argument with Li Jianqi not long ago.


    The Deputy Night Timekeeper of the Judicature had addressed Li Jianqi as "Your Highness". It was proof that her status was incredibly important.


    The relief sculptures of the dark souls looked exactly the same when they were alive. They looked like swordsmen and demonic warriors, but there was no life in their eyes, and their bodies seemed to be ethereal and stone-like at the same time.


    The sculptures had lost their sense of pain and ability of thought, but not how to fight. Perhaps it was because it was already ingrained in them.


    A swordsman dark soul relief unleashed the Qingfeng sword skill of Mount Shu. Its sword was made of stone but incredibly sharp, and each blow was aimed at the vital organs of its opponent; they were incredibly vicious. At the same time, a demonic warrior followed behind him, and the emblem on its chest showed that it used to be a wolf cub of the Wind Tribe. It moved its fingers swiftly, and a Lethal Wind Curse came crashing onto its opponents behind the sword of Mount Shu.


    Users of the Qingfeng sword technique defeated their opponents with chains of attacks, but they lacked offensive power. With the Lethal Wind Curse, however, its characteristics were completely changed.


    Even Jiang Liuyun, who was head and shoulders above anyone else from his generation in Mount Shu, was a little stunned. He had never imagined that the Qingfeng sword skill could be combined with the curse of the Wind Tribe; it was simply amazing.


    "Set up the formation."


    "Seven Wonders Trapping the Clouds."


    Jiang Liuyun looked at the onrushing dark soul reliefs and shouted before taking a step forward.


    Instantly, six more disciples of Mount Shu followed his orders and walked up to his back, taking up their positions with their swords ready. Among them were Chen Qing and Zhuo Bufan.


    The spot where Ye Que and Red Bean were standing at was also attacked by a dark soul.


    "Stand behind me," whispered Red Bean softly before closing her oil paper umbrella. The paper wrapped tightly around the umbrella''s shaft, forming an object like a short staff.


    Red Bean did not shout in anger or give out a dainty cry. Instead, she tapped the tip of her feet and stabbed with her umbrella, piercing the dark soul''s wrist. The semi-transparent creature looked as though it was touched by lighting the instant the umbrella hit it, as if there was some sort of energy on the oil paper umbrella that had triggered the reaction.


    A hoarse groan was emitted by the dark soul, and it followed up with more concentrated attacks on Red Bean.


    This time, however, it began to dodge, trying as much as possible to not allow the oil paper umbrella to hit its body.


    Ye Que observed Red Bean while stealing occasional glances in Jiang Liuyun''s direction. Mount Shu was truly a leader of practitioners. Under Jiang Liuyun''s control, the Seven Wonders Cloud Trapping Formation was dealing with four dark souls without many problems. The disciples of Mount Shu looked as though they could defeat the dark souls soon.


    As for the warriors of the Demon Race, there was no way they would be defeated by a few dark souls with Nan Xiufeng to lead them.


    The dark souls seemed to be made up of a combination of Yin energy and soul power. Ordinary weapons would definitely be unable to harm them, but they could totally be killed by True Energy or True Force of higher power.


    Within the time taken for five breaths, Red Bean had pierced through the skull of a dark soul with her umbrella.


    A clear cracking sound followed. The dark soul instantly turned into a smatter of fairy light that dispersed into the air. The Seven Wonders Cloud Trapping Formation of Mount Shu also killed the dark souls attacking the practitioners as well.


    Wuming, along with a few practitioners from the other sects who had survived, had basically not made many moves.


    "The dark souls are merely as powerful as this!"


    A disciple of the Sword Tomb on the Peak of Blight said softly. Before he could finish speaking, however, another group of relief dark souls had emerged from the murals. This time, there were 30 percents more of them.


    Everyone focused their gazes on the reliefs.


    "Let''s face our enemies together. Spread out a little and don''t commit fratricide," Jiang Liuyun said as he looked at the onrushing dark souls. He stole a glance at Chen Qing, who was standing beside him, and gave him a signal, as if wanting him to exit the Seven Wonders Cloud Trapping Formation.


    Jiang Liuyun swept his gaze across the eight figures in black who had been following behind him as well. He did not communicate with them, nor did he instruct them to attack and destroy the dark souls.


    Chen Qing immediately understood Jiang Liuyun''s intent and switched places with another disciple of Mount Shu. He ran off in the opposite direction as the dark souls swooped down, and he began to sneak into the main hall for a look.


    They had to defend against the attacks of the dark souls to survive, but their goal of entering the mausoleum was obtaining the River Soldiers Divine Tool.


    Very quickly, everyone else noticed Chen Qing''s actions. The Demon Race sent out a thin warrior to roam about the hall as well.


    There was not much reaction from the people of the Cultivation World. It was not hard to understand why. They would allow Mount Shu to discover the location of the artifact before moving on it as well.


    It was most important to conserve their strength for now!


    The real battle for the artifact would only begin later on.


    The strength of the dark souls was at most equivalent to that of practitioners at the Psychic Realm, and aside from the absence of the feeling of pain in them, they were not a big threat.


    Time ticked on by slowly.


    By now, more than 100 relief sculpture dark souls had been slain in the main hall. Red Bean herself had killed about seven to eight of them, and this caused the others to be secretly alarmed. The white-robed maiden seemed to be young, but her level of cultivation was extremely high. The umbrella in her hand was also definitely a high-level magical artifact and was most probably Level Three King Class magic treasure. Otherwise, it could not have killed the dark souls so easily.


    Chen Qing had already searched the entire main hall once by now, including the platform at the middle. He had not managed to discover anything out of the ordinary, however, nor had he triggered any mechanism. Throughout the entire process, he was ambushed by a dark soul who had been left behind by the others, and there was a wound about an inch deep on his back now.


    The demon warrior tasked to search for any secret mechanism in the hall met with a more tragic conclusion. His pelvic bone was shattered by a dark soul who was about three meters tall. The demon did not die, but he had basically lost all ability to walk. It was akin to being sentenced to death within the dangerous Imperial Mausoleum.


    The demonic warrior was savage. He found a suitable opportunity to ignite the Spiritual Sea of his Snow Mountain and perished along with the dark soul who had shattered his pelvic bone.


    Ye Que followed closely behind Red Bean during this period of time and began focusing on replenishing the Divine Energy that was drained from his body. At the same time, he observed his surroundings with both eyes to look for any secret mechanism as well.


    He could vaguely spot something odd about the platform used for religious rites. However, Chen Qing and the demon warrior had pondered over it for a long while without making any findings.


    "Strange."


    "This should not be the case."


    "Since the gold python formed by my Divine Energy was stimulated so greatly by the platform, there''s no doubt that something is wrong with it."


    Ye Que blanked out for a while. The relief sculptures on the murals began to change again, and a red glow flashed across the domed roof as another group of dark souls emerged. This time, however, their leader was evidently more tangible than his comrades from the previous waves; its body no longer looked as transparent as theirs.

 Chapter 95 Do You Believe?

    After just one exchange.


    It was all it took for everyone to realize that the battle prowess of this new wave of relief sculpture dark souls had increased greatly, and they were nearly as strong as practitioners of the Starburst Realm. Each of their punches was powerful enough to shatter mountains, and they attacked the Seven Wonders Cloud Trapping Formation of Mount Shu with immense force, as if they were manifestations of the valiant Undefeatables.


    On one hand, the disciples of Mount Shu stood at the forefront of their peers and withstood the highest amount of pressure. Secondly, because they had been fighting for far too long, a few weaker disciples were already showing signs of exhaustion.


    The sudden increase of the relief dark souls'' battle prowess caught everyone by surprise. The unfortunate ones that were hit by their fists either had their chests smashed open or heads bursting apart, limbs shattered and flesh grinded away as they died. Jiang Liuyun tried his best to salvage the situation, but this wave of dark souls was simply too huge, and each of the dark soul had power close to the Starburst Realm. Even he could not slay all of them in a short span of time.


    "Everyone retreat and focus all your attention on defense. The dark souls with more tangible bodies have powers close to the Starburst Realm. Disciples of Psychic Realm level should not engage them forcefully and should instead concentrate on assisting from the side," Jiang Liuyun shouted. A sharp ray of energy emanated from Cyan Luan, the Monarch''s Sword, and flew toward a dark soul closest to him.


    "Work together to face the dark souls before us, everyone. Don''t move on your own," Wuming of the Temple of Six Buddhas shouted as well. He summoned the Chronometer of Dawn again.


    "Work together?"


    "Do you want us to resort to fighting alongside the demons opposite us?"


    A few people glanced at the demon warriors not far away from them as they heard Wuming''s cry. Under Nan Fengxiu''s leadership, the demons were not completely annihilated, but still they suffered heavy casualties after the sudden onslaught of the more powerful dark souls of this current wave.


    "Fight against the enemy together?"


    "There seems to be no end to killing them. When can we actually get rid of all of them? It won''t work out if this situation carries on. The River Soldiers aside, I''m afraid that even our pathetic lives will be forfeited here."


    The situation was becoming increasingly chaotic and a few practitioners were already beginning to have some strange ideas.


    A few of them even began to reserve their energy. These group of people were obviously not putting in effort to fight; they were still wielding their swords and sabers and there was no channeling of True Energy to be observed. The strength of the dark souls was amplifying as that of the practitioners began to weaken gradually.


    Once their emotions were messed up, many openings appeared.


    A dark soul that resembled a divine monkey grabbed the weapon of a disciple from the Sword Tomb of the Peak of Blight. The practitioner looked as though he was going to be slain, but not only did his peer from Tzu Chi Palace of Mount Yang not come forward to help him, instead, he backtracked quickly and dashed toward the other side where the Mount Shu disciples were, afraid that the mutated dark soul would notice him as well.


    Without any hesitation, the Spiritual Sea of the Sword Tomb''s disciple''s Snow Mountain was torn apart.


    On the other hand, even though the formation of the demon warriors looked precarious as well, it was still reasonably stable. At the very least, there was no infighting among them. The benefits of the demons'' hierarchy system were in full display now. As long as the disciple of the Demon King was standing before them, none of the demon warriors dared to harbor any funny thoughts.


    "We''re simply too weak!"


    "I''m afraid most of us would have ended up dead before the Divine Tool has been unearthed."


    Ye Que used his deft footwork to evade the attack of a dark soul. Red Bean''s oil paper umbrella then crashed onto the dark soul''s skull.


    "After observing for such a long time, have you found a way to beat them?" Red Bean asked as she glanced at Ye Que.


    Ye Que had just regained a sliver of his Divine Energy and could merely move his feet quickly to evade the attacks of the dark souls currently. Counter attacking was still out of the question.


    Pointing at the murals around them, he said confidently, "The sea of blood below the relief sculptures is the key to defeating them. I believe that destroying the reservoir of blood will cut off their source of power."


    "Have you noticed that all of the dark souls that appeared from the murals are bathed in blood? Only after being tainted with the bloody water of that river, can they emerge from within the murals."


    "I immediately noticed that something was not quite right with the river in the relief as we just walked into the main hall. It''s no ordinary river, and if I''m not wrong, it''s actually depicting Luo River," Ye Que said. He paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you remember the ring of murals around the sign board as we walked into the gold palace? It described how the River Soldiers came to exist. Since it was formed by the condensation of souls around Luo River, naturally the water of the river would be the key to their existence."


    "These dark souls should be the souls absorbed by the River Soldiers. They don''t exist within any of the Three Realms and can never be reincarnated," Ye Que said pensively as he surveyed the murderous dark souls around them.


    While he was discussing with Red Bean about a plan to handle the dark souls, the practitioners of the Cultivation World had already begun to collapse and fall apart.


    Even though Zhuo Bufan was a disciple of Psychic Realm level, his powers of comprehension and talent were extremely high, and he was earmarked for development by Mount Shu. He had followed Jiang Liuyun along to open his mind to the world and gain first hand experience, but the situation he was in now was far beyond anything he expected.


    His throat was violently grabbed by a dark soul with a tangible body as he loosed focus for a short while. A bone chilling cold engulfed his body quickly, first freezing his hair then all of the blood vessels before finally covering his aura and Spiritual Sea.


    His life was hanging on the line.


    Suddenly!


    A green sword cut through the air and directly sliced off the arm of the dark soul that was grabbing onto Zhuo''s throat, before circling back toward the dark soul''s chest at an incredibly fast speed.


    The true energy enveloping the green longsword looked as though it was power from the Starburst Realm, but it was concentrated beyond reason. It even faintly seemed to be more condensed than that of Jiang Liuyun''s.


    The dark soul was slain within three moves, and its fairy fire was scattered into the air. Zhou Bufan''s body was violently sucked backward and landed at the feet of the figures clad in black.


    "Cold, so cold."


    Zhou Bufan said in a faltering voice; he did not even have the strength to tremble. The figure in black that had saved him did not speak but instead placed a palm on his chest gently before covering it with his other hand. A stream of extremely pure True Energy began to flow into Zhuo Bufan''s body.


    Within 10 breath cycles, Zhuo Bufan had purged the chilly energy out of his body, and the Spiritual Sea of his Snow Mountain became much more abundant.


    Zhuo Bufan opened his eyes wide all of these happened, as though he had seen something amazing. He stared hard at the figure in black before him and was about to shout something when he saw the gaze of his saviour turn cold. Instinctively, he swallowed his words back.


    It was evident from the figure in black''s three attacks that he or she was extremely powerful. Since they entered this main hall, however, the mysterious characters had only struck once, as if everything that had been happening around them was not their concern.


    All of the disciples of Mount Shu did not care about their inaction and allowed the eight of them to remain in the safest spot.


    There was nothing the disciples could do, even if it bothered them. Their Headmaster had personally instructed them to follow the disciples, and even Jiang Liuyun could not give them orders. They were allowed to do whatever they wished and no one was supposed to stop them. As such, the eight mysterious characters had enjoyed what was almost the best service of the Mount Shu disciples along their journey.


    Just as Zhou Bufan was saved, Ye Que had concluded his discussion with Red Bean and began shouting loudly to the others.


    "Everyone listen."


    "Focus all your energies on destroying the relief river on the mural."


    "These dark souls are able to resurrect themselves because they have absorbed blood in that river."


    All the survivors were stunned as they heard him shouting. They stole glances at the river on the mural. It circled the entire main hall, and if the key to stopping the dark souls from emerging was this river, it was going to be a monumental task!


    "How did you notice that?" a practitioner asked breathlessly as he sliced off the arm of a dark soul.


    "Yes, what proof do you have? This is a life and death situation, and every ounce of Spiritual Force we have is precious. We can''t simply waste it on your hunch," someone else shouted.


    Ye Que swept his gaze across the field of practitioners. Nearly all of them looked partially in doubt.


    "It''s my guess."


    "I don''t have any evidence."


    The two simple phrases silenced everyone.


    "What are you babbling about, if you have no proof?"


    "You''re merely an exhausted rogue cultivator of the Psychic Realm. What right do you have to spout nonsense here?"


    "So, every one of us has to try to destroy the relief river surrounding this entire main hall, just because of your word? What if it doesn''t work? Shall we just die alongside you then?"


    It was a most anxious and sensitive moment for everyone, and just a slight amount of stimulation could trigger everyone. It was as if Ye Que''s words would actually cause all of them to perish. Was there really a need for them to criticize and shoot him down, even if they did not believe him?


    Was Ye Que angry to be at the receiving end of their criticism?


    Of course!


    However, there was nothing he could do. This was because he had no proof at all, and his statements were purely based on his deductions.


    Red Bean opened her mouth and seemed as though she wanted to speak, but no words came out from her. It was that she could not voice her thoughts out, but rather she did not know how to package them. What could she tell them? She was always been more adept at letting her fists do the talking for her.


    Obviously, now was not the time to attack the disciples from the Cultivation World.


    It was as though Ye Que was kidding. After the others derided him, they went back to acting on their own will. This would ultimately result in their inevitable deaths or injuries. Those who had derided Ye Que were also trying to come up with a plan, but they could make no progress with it.


    "I believe what he said."


    Eventually, Li Jianqi stood out and proclaimed loudly that she believed Ye Que. Within a short span of time, a few more people had been slain, and the number of dark souls had grown much larger. Even Jiang Liuyun''s shirt sleeves had been ripped off by the dark souls.


    "Your Highness, don''t speak rashly. He''s just an exhausted rogue cultivator of the Psychic Realm, what does he know?" said Jue Shuo, the Deputy Night Timekeeper of the Judicature somewhat anxiously as he saw Li Jianqi''s actions.


    "He''s not a rogue cultivator. He''s a disciple of the Qingqiu Sword Sect, and his teacher was the Intoxicated Immortal," Li Jianqi replied seriously as she looked at Jue Shuo. "Furthermore, he''s exhausted because he saved me. He drew all of the demon warriors away so that I could successfully break free from them."


    "Would such a person talk indiscriminately?" Li Jianqi said righteously, "Since none of you know how to stop the dark souls, why don''t you people consider his suggestion? Do you mean that only the words from your mouths are correct? Would you begin to believe him if I said that I also believe that the way of breaking this never ending cycle is the river within the murals?"


    "I''m the Sword Fanatic of Silent Monastery and the biological daughter of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. Will you people believe me?"

 Chapter 96 Enveloped

    "The Sword Fanatic of Silent Monastery!"


    "The daughter of the Crown Prince!"


    Li Jianqi''s identity shocked all of the practitioners from the Cultivation World. The question now was, should they trust her?


    If the idea of destroying the relief river had originated from Li Jianqi at the very beginning, and she had told everyone her identity at the start, most of them would have believed her. However, it was very obvious to them now that the suggestion had been made by Ye Que, and she had chosen to support him because of personal reasons.


    No one laughed or criticized her this time. Instead, everyone opted to remain silent.


    They did not speak or voice their opinions in deference to Li Jianqi, but it did not mean that they thought Ye Que was right.


    They did not care whether she believed him or not.


    Li Jianqi''s expression turned extremely ugly upon noticing that everyone was remaining silent. She turned around to look at Deputy Night Timekeeper Jue Shuo. "Since they don''t believe me, we shall do it on our own. Get all of the Black Armored Warriors of the Judicature to destroy the relief river."


    Jue Shuo did not move upon receiving Li Jianqi''s instructions. Only his expression changed, to one of awkwardness.


    "Do my orders no longer carry any weight?" Li Jianqi continued, her voice already turning cold. She was a naturally optimistic young girl and rarely displayed such emotion or spoke in such a tone. It was obvious that she was already furious.


    "Your Highness," Jue Shuo shouted softly before trying to signal Li Jianqi with his eyes.


    "Are you going or not?" Li Jianqi asked as she pouted.


    Jue Shuo''s inaction, lack of response and that glance that he showed to Li Jianqi had already told her what stand he was taking on the issue. "Everyone doesn''t agree with Ye Que now. Even if all of the warriors from the Judicature went forth to destroy the river, our strength would be severely inadequate, and it will disgust all of the others. There wouldn''t be any point to our action, and it''ll be self-defeating."


    "People who are easily swayed will always be discarded the quickest."


    "We have to act as the situation dictates. We''re not in the divine capital Luoyang now, and the influence of the Judicature is not enough to affect everyone here."


    Li Jianqi gritted her teeth and did not bother about Jue Shuo any longer. She swung her sword and cut out a path for herself as she sprinted to the murals.


    Ye Que and Red Bean did not remain idle any longer as they saw Li Jianqi move. They caught up with her in a few steps.


    When words failed, it was time to make their actions count.


    The two maidens, one wielding a sword and the other an umbrella, began attacking at the relief river on the murals. It took only one attack for both Li Jianqi and Red Bean to realize something strange. The mural looked ordinary, but the force that rebounded from their attacks was rather huge, especially at the spot where the river was located at.


    Each blow of the sword and umbrella struck the river, and a thick bloody force surged into their Spiritual Seas, as if the river itself had a soul.


    At the same time, a few dark souls had turned their attention back to the river. The creatures had been attacking Jiang Liuyun and the others, but suddenly they changed direction and came charging at Ye Que and the two ladies.


    "Be careful, a few dark souls are charging toward us," Ye Que remarked, looking anxious.


    "That''s right, this proves that we made the right choice. The more the dark souls seem to care about the river, the more it tells us there''s something wrong with it," Li Jianqi said excitedly. Even though she chose to attack the murals because of Ye Que, she also wished that her decision could be validated.


    "You continue to attack the river. I''ll stop the dark souls," Red Bean said as she glanced at Li Jianqi.


    Li Jianqi still seemed to be angry with Red Bean and did not reply. She did begin to swing her sword with more vigor, however.


    "You ladies carry on, I''ll go check out the platform," Ye Que said. He noticed that the dark souls present in the main hall were divided up into three groups. One was attacking the disciples of the Cultivation World, another was surrounding Nan Fengxiu and the demons, while a small group had splintered off and were charging toward Li Jianqi and Red Bean, who were standing before the murals. The ritual platform in the middle of the main hall was standing there all by itself.


    Ye Que circled around to avoid drawing the attention of the dark souls, before finally walking up to the platform.


    The first thing that caught his eye was the two life-like statues. They depicted a warrior in gold armor and a huge dragon soaring into the skies. Strange Sanskrit texts were inscribed below the statues, and even the area around the platform was covered with mystical charms.


    The gold python of Divine Energy above his Spiritual Sea began to toss and turn once again, transmitting an incredibly clear signal to Ye Que''s brain.


    Ye Que could not help but lift his right arm up slowly and place in down on the platform.


    In a flash, an incredibly huge cage appeared within Ye Que''s mind. A gigantic black dragon, the size of an entire mountain, circled in the air above the cage and a warrior clad in gold armor stood astride its back. In the center of the cage was a pool of azure gooey crystalline substance. It looked as though it was made of mercury; its shape kept changing.


    It was shaped like a sword at first, before changing to a saber, then a huge axe capable of cleaving through mountains. The next second after the axe was fully formed, it transformed again into a huge hammer. Each time it transformed into another weapon, the grains on the crystalline substance even shaped into the structure of a ferocious beast.


    The crystalline substance appeared only within Ye Que''s mind. The immense aura it gave off was suffocating.


    "River Soldiers?"


    "This crystal should be the Divine Tool, River Soldiers!"


    Ye Que thought. He realized, however, that the gold python of Divine Energy in his body had no reaction at all to the River Soldiers. His mind seemed to be obsessed with what was beneath the River Soldiers, as though there was something more magical hidden there.


    However, when Ye Que tried to probe at the deepest part of the cage, the image in his mind suddenly broke up.


    The platform was still a platform.


    Ye Que immediately took his arm away before placing it back onto the platform. There was no reaction this time; there was no response from the platform at all, just like when Chen Qing came over to inspect it earlier on. The practitioner had felt that something about the platform seemed odd, but he could not find any mechanism to trigger it.


    Ye Que was very sure now that the River Soldiers were definitely sealed within the platform, and there was something sealed inside there that he needed most urgently. Or rather, what the gold python of Divine Energy in his Spiritual Sea needed most urgently.


    Any object that could draw the attention of Divine Energy from the Celestial World had to be at least an Immortal Artifact. Mortal objects like Cyan Luan did not interest the gold python in the least bit, even though it was a Class Three Monarch''s Sword.


    It was energy from the Immortals after all. As such, it had zero interest in Cyan Luan.


    Ye Que turned his head back toward the main hall. He did not know how long he had remained in a daze. There was a drastic change in the situation back at the battleground.


    Nearly all of the dark souls had begun to chase after Li Jianqi and Red Bean. The two teams led by Jiang Liuyun and Nan Fengxiu respectively finally had a chance to catch their breath.


    As the two maidens had to fend off the attacks of dozens of dark souls now, they were unable to divide their attention on the plan to destroy the relief river on the murals. They could only circle around the main hall at top speed and slash at the murals each when they could. Every time they struck the river, the dark souls behind them would moan.


    Their voices were exceptionally ear-splitting, and it spoke volumes of the dark souls'' fear.


    They were very concerned about the river in the murals and were very afraid that someone would destroy or damage it.


    "Jue Shuo, what are you still waiting for? Does this still not prove that Ye Que''s deduction was right? The relief river is the key to stopping the dark souls. Hurry up and destroy the mural, use your True Energy to do it," Li Jianqi shouted loudly as she ran around the Great Hall. She threw in some threats for good measure, "Let me tell you, if any harm comes to me, my father will carve you into pieces and wipe out nine clans of your family. You should be very clear on the consequences if anything bad happens to me."

 Chapter 97 Fighting

    With the hard facts spelled out to him, Jue Shuo did not hesitate any further. Upon his orders, all of the Black Armored Warriors of the Judicature charged forth to attack the relief river on the murals. Even though Li Jianqi had spoken viciously, she actually knew that Jue Shuo had her well-being on his mind. How could she not have realized that all of the people from the Judicature had begun to side with her after she started to attack the murals?


    Jue Shuo''s task was to protect Li Jianqi and accomplish his secret mission. Nothing else was more important than her safety, and he was not really concerned if he had angered her in the process of protecting her or not.


    As a young girl, Li Jianqi could act as she wished, but as the Deputy Night Timekeeper of the Judicature, he had to keep calm.


    Rashness was even scarier than demons.


    The situation now was different, however. Obviously, it was highly probable that Ye Que''s guess was correct; the key to disarming the murals had to be the relief river. That removed any reason for him to try to talk Li Jianqi out of her plan. He had to attack the river, even if it was for his own survival.


    In an instant, all of the practitioners who still had some energy left in them, including the demon warriors, began to close in on the murals quickly. They then started to hack at the relief river with all their might.


    With a clear goal, everyone began to feel motivated to take the initiative. Since the dark souls were so concerned about the murals, they were sure that they could take advantage of this weakness of the creatures.


    Under Jiang Liuyun''s orders, the practitioners were divided into two groups and took up positions diagonal to each other. One group would focus all of its energy on damaging the reliefs to draw the attention of the dark souls. Once all of the creatures were drawn over, the other group would immediately attack the reliefs in the opposite direction.


    The dark souls were incapable of autonomous thought and were driven by their instinct to fight and their obsession with protecting the relief river. If the practitioners and demons could find out their lethal weakness, everything else would be simple.


    As all of them destroyed more of the river, the amount of energy generated by the blood in it diminished, resulting in lesser numbers of relief sculptures being tainted by it. Without being touched by blood from the river, the sculptures were unable to come to life.


    The source of their vitality had been cut off.


    It took two whole hours to destroy the river covering the murals. Marks left behind by swords and sabers had completely defaced the river. During the entire process, however, a few disciples had been unable to withstand the energy that rebounded back from the relief river, and their Spiritual Seas were severely damaged.


    The dark souls in the Great Hall gave out a terrifying shout as the last mural was destroyed. They ceased to concern themselves with the reliefs and began to attack anyone around them in a frenzy, even resorting to kamikaze type attacks.


    "They are making their last stand," Ye Que said softly as he looked at the dark souls in the hall.


    All of the dark souls were slain over the next hour.


    Faint fairy fires had dispersed in mid-air. At the same time, Ye Que, who was standing close to the altar, heard a gentle click. He could see a groove shaped like a water droplet appear northward of the platform, right in the middle of numerous magical enchantments.


    The flames of all the oil lamps in the Great Hall were extinguished instantly. There were close to a thousand of them.


    The spots of glittering starlight on the reliefs of the murals also dimmed down gradually, leaving only the center of the altar as the sole source of light. It glowed gorgeously, and all of the magical enchantments surrounding the platform, along with the Sanskrit words on the roof, seemed to have come alive. They floated slowly into mid-air.


    "It has appeared!"


    Less than 50 survivors were remaining in the Great Hall, and only about a dozen of demon warriors were left standing behind Nan Fengxiu. Less than 10 of the Judicature remained, while slightly more of the Mount Shu disciples were alive. The other survivors were made up of Red Bean, Ye Que, and Wu Ming from the Temple of Six Buddhas, and the Eldest Senior Brother of the Sword Tomb from the Peak of Blight, along with a few rogue cultivators.


    Everyone held their breath at this moment.


    Close to 1000 practitioners had entered the Imperial Mausoleum at the ley lines of sovereignty. Less than one-tenth of them remained now.


    Even a super genius like Jiang Liuyun was also staring fixedly at the altar not far away from him.


    After a long while, he strode up toward the altar. Everyone else began to tense up.


    "Amitabha. Senior Jiang, we shouldn''t act rashly before the Divine Tool emerges. Why can''t we wait to see what happens?" Wu Ming of the Temple of Six Buddhas said casually as he clasped his palms together. His tone sounded a little like a warning, however. He was the only surviving monk left from his temple, out of the 17 that had entered the Imperial Mausoleum. Now that the Divine Tool was about to show itself, how could he let Mount Shu make the first step?


    Even though the strength of Mount Shu was the greatest among all our factions officially, it just meant that the sect has poured in the most manpower and sent the most number of its disciples into the Imperial Mausoleum. This did not mean anything, however. Which sect would not have prepared a trump card for something as important as this?


    Wu Ming was certain that everyone who was still standing in the Great Hall had some secret weapon up their sleeve. It was no exaggeration to say that they could take on the disciples of Mount Shu.


    "Reverend Wu Ming is right. We should all calm down first," the Eldest Senior Brother of the Peak of Blight''s Sword Tomb said coldly.


    "Let''s see what the Divine Tool looks like. We can fight over it after making sure that it''s the River Soldiers."


    "I don''t wish to die before seeing how it looks like."


    Nan Fengxiu did not speak, but all of the demon warriors suddenly drew their weapons out in a flourish, making themselves clear that anyone who acted without their permission was declaring war against them. The warriors of the Demon Race were never afraid of engaging in battle.


    Jiang Liuyun stopped; he had just taken a few steps forward. He turned back to look at the others, saying, "Do any of you know how to activate this mechanism?"


    He pointed to the notch-shaped like a water droplet on the altar.


    Everyone else paused for a while as they looked at the mysterious mechanism not far away from them. Just at this moment, they recalled a rumor that they heard before. The secret key to the River Soldiers Divine Tool had long been seized by Mount Shu, and most likely it was supposed to be inserted into this very notch.


    "If you people don''t wish for me to open it, do it yourselves," Jiang Liuyun said as he moved slightly to the side of the altar, leaving a path open to it.


    No one replied. Everyone else remained silent.


    Even so, Jiang Liuyun stood at the same spot without moving.


    After a long while, Wu Ming from the Temple of Six Buddhas began to laugh awkwardly. "Senior Jiang, please step forward and activate the mechanism. All of us wish to witness the glory of the River Soldiers Divine Tool. What we said just now was a little uncalled for."


    The Eldest Senior Brother of the Peak of Blight''s Sword Tomb also looked equally awkward. He opened his mouth to speak but ended up making a symbolic sign of greeting by cupping one fist with the other hand.


    Jiang Liuyun turned his head to look at Nan Fengxiu. The dozen demon warriors had kept their weapons as fast as they drew them without even waiting for him to speak. She did not look awkward in the least bit and even smiled at Jiang.


    After realizing that no one else was going to oppose him again, Jiang Liuyun finally began to walk slowly to the altar.


    He stood in front of the notch-shaped like a drop of water and drew out a transparent crystal ball from his shirt. It looked like something one would keep in a Yin-and-Yang Pouch.


    He tapped the crystal ball lightly with his fingertip, causing it to split apart. A water droplet that kept changing form rose out of the breakage.


    It drifted slowly into the air and began traveling toward the notch on the altar without Jiang Liuyun''s control.


    Ye Que, who was not far away, observed the drop of water and suddenly realized that it looked like it was made of the same material as the pool of crystalline substance he had seen in the cage.


    The droplet slotted perfectly into the notch.


    A faint blue glow emanated from the notch, then the Sanskrit words on the altar, the surrounding magical enchantments, and finally even the two statues on the platform began to look life-like.


    The blue glow grew brighter, and the entire platform turned transparent.


    Via the enchantments surrounding the altar, everyone could vaguely spot a crystalline substance that kept changing form at the center of it. A faint mysterious aura emanated from the platform.


    "That should be the River Soldiers, right?" someone asked instinctively.


    "It really is the Divine Tool!" another person said.


    "It must be the Divine Tool. What else could keep shifting form and have grains on it that vaguely resemble a ferocious beast from ancient historical times?"


    By this time, Jiang Liuyun was standing closest to the altar. He secretly prepared himself after noticing the crystalline substance. In fact, he had begun to hold his power after taking out the Secret Key to the River Soldiers. No one knew how it would emerge.


    Six rays of sword energy tunneled their way toward the center of the altar.


    Nearly at the same time, everyone else in the Great Hall began dashing toward the platform, all of them looking as though they were fighting for their lives. Only Li Jianqi, the Judicature, Ye Que and Red Bean stood still.


    Ye Que was helpless. He counted himself lucky to be able to protect himself from fratricide and did not even think about trying to seize the Divine Tool for himself. At the very least, he was helpless now.


    As for Li Jianqi and the Judicature, it was evident that their focus was never on the River Soldiers Divine Tool. Red Bean herself had never even looked at the artifact once.


    How could someone not have entered the Imperial Mausoleum for the Divine Tool?


    In the blink of an eye, more than 20 magical artifacts which had not appeared before were summoned. All of them were Level 2 divine artifacts and above, and even Nan Fengxiu herself drew out a Level 3 Monarch-class magic treasure that was no weaker than Cyan Luan.


    "Buzz!"


    "Thump!"


    The sound of a bell accompanied that of drums. Two magical artifacts drifted beside Wu Ming at the same time. The Chronometer of Dawn was on his left, and the Evening Drum on his right.


    "When did the Temple of Six Buddhas work together with Tzu Chi Palace? It''s true that the chronometer belongs to the Temple, but the drum was enshrined in the Palace all this while. It hasn''t been shifted from its spot for the past century."


    The Chronometer of Dawn itself was a Level 2 magic treasure, and combined together with the Evening Drum, they were as powerful as Level 3 artifacts.


    After releasing the six rays of sword qi, Jiang Liuyun let Cyan Luan fly as well.


    At this moment, no one cared about the difference between the Humans and Demons, or whatever sect they came from. They only had eyes for the Divine Tool now.


    Jiang Liuyun''s attacks reached their target first. Unexpectedly, nothing shattered. There was merely a gentle ripple of energy across the magical enchantments on the altar, followed by the same effect happening on Cyan Luan''s attack. The effect on the sword was even greater than that of the enchantments, however.


    In the blink of an eye, the second wave of attacks came, including that of the Chronometer of Dawn and Evening Drum. 35 rays of divine energy shot toward the enchantments surrounding the altar in total.


    The enchantments began to tremble violently and looked as though they were about to break apart.


    At this moment, three attacks were suddenly made on the people who had charged toward the platform.


    One came from the warrior in gold armor, the second from the huge dragon soaring into the skies, while the last came from Jiang Liuyun''s Cyan Luan. It turned out that the prodigy from Mount Shu had not even used his full strength earlier on and was launching a sneak attack on the others right now!

 Chapter 98 Five Elements Divination Sec

    t


    There was a loud sound!


    Three cries of agony!


    The sound came from the altar. Finally, the magical enchantments that surrounded the altar were completely shattered.


    The warrior in gold armor on the platform pierced his sword through the chest of the Eldest Senior Brother from the Sword Tomb, while the huge black dragon crushed the skull of a demon warrior with its talons. Jiang Liuyun had hooked the muscles and bones of a recreational cultivator of Starburst Realm power into two with Cyan Luan.


    The three attacks were silent, sudden and lethal.


    No one had time to bother about them, however.


    With the cracking of the magical enchantments, an azure light began to emanate from the entire platform. At the same time, it began to shrivel and melt away.


    An immense and overpowering Spiritual Qi from an ancient historical era began to burst out.


    All of the practitioners in a 10-meter radius around the altar, regardless of who they were, were sent flying into the air by the Spiritual Qi. They skyrocketed into the walls surrounding the Great Hall, and some of them even left a man-sized crater on the walls. All of them could feel their Spiritual Sea in turbulence, and their blood was surging around.


    The altar had crumbled away in an instant.


    An azure crystalline substance the height of a human appeared in front of everyone.


    Ye Que himself had also crashed into a mural. He felt something swirl in his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood. Only a few people in the Great Hall were not wounded.


    Red Bean, Li Jianqi and the Judicature had not gone close to the altar at all. The eight black-clad figures of Mount Shu did not venture forward as well, and the 11 of them were the only ones left standing on their two feet.


    A wave of vengeful hatred surged out from the azure crystalline substance, causing everyone''s heart to turn cold.


    Everyone stared fixedly at the azure crystalline substance, aside from Red Bean and Li Jianqi.


    Red Bean was clenching her fists tightly now and staring at the huge black dragon. She tapped the space between her eyebrows with one finger, drawing a stream of blood. She began moving her fingertip quickly in the air and seemed to be conjuring an extremely complicated blood curse.


    Li Jianqi was not idle as well, except that her focus was on the warrior in gold armor. The warriors from the Judicature who stood behind her looked exceptionally tense as well, and only Jue Shuo, the Deputy Night Timekeeper, made a secret gesture behind his back and gave a signal to Li Jianqi with his eyes.


    The River Soldiers had already emerged and were right in front of them.


    The atmosphere in the Great Hall had turned eerie and it was exceptionally quiet. Everyone could hear their own breathing.


    No one dared to step forward at this moment, however. The survivors were not foolish. They knew that whoever was the first to step out would definitely become everyone else''s target. The person that stood out the most was always the first to die.


    Xing Ying was the only surviving disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect in the Great Hall. He was currently situated at the very rear of all the practitioners. Even though he possessed the power of the Starburst Realm, the students of his sect were not adept in attacking.


    Xing Ying controlled his crazily beating heart. His eyeballs began to circle as he instantly began to calculate the distance between himself and the artifact. He also observed all of his remaining opponents, and after a few breaths, his figure, which was knocked the furthest away from the altar, began to blur. Everyone was focused on the Divine Tool and keeping tabs on the strongest survivors, and no one really attention to Xing Ying.


    A faint trail of dust silently drifted to the center of the Great Hall.


    It was drifting along with the shadows of the stone pillars in the hall.


    Jiang Liuyun was the first to notice something odd about the trail of dust. Cyan Luan shot out from his side as he glared coldly. The others noticed his movements and stared at the River Soldiers. After careful observation, they too noticed something strange.


    It was too late. The Five Elements Divination Sect was most adept in evasion. Since everyone was of the Starburst Realm, and Xing Ying was so close to the platform, it was too late to stop him by the time they realized what was going on.


    The dust trail trembled and a gust of wind blew across the hall. The dust that Cyan Luan had pierced through was no longer Xing Ying''s true self.


    Rain fell after the wind died down.


    Then, the mist appeared after the rain stopped.


    A faint mist enveloped the azure crystalline substance.


    It all happened in a few blinks of an eye. Xing Ying had exhausted his entire repertoire of techniques. It looked simple, but the entire transformation process from dust to wind, then water and finally mist contained extremely complicated details. Also, no one had realized that it was him.


    "The River Soldiers are mine!" Xing Ying exclaimed as he emerged from the mist and grabbed hold of the substance.


    The crystalline substance seemed to have stuck onto Xing Ying''s hand the moment they came into contact. It instantly changed into three forms. The first was that of a saber, followed by a long sword, before finally turning into a 30-centimeter dagger. A groove ran along the middle of its blade, and armor-shaped enchantments lined both sides of the groove.


    "The Divination Dagger of the Five Elements Divination Sect!"


    Someone recognized the weapon. It turned out that the Divine Tool could act according to one''s wishes and detect what weapon one was most adept in using, before transforming into that weapon.


    Everyone''s gaze fell onto Xing Ying''s expression. He looked extremely overjoyed and even seemed to be a little flustered. His hand which was holding onto the River Soldiers was swinging to and fro.


    Perhaps it was due to the influence of the Divine Tool that he had entered a state of extreme excitement within a short span of time. Even his looks seemed to have changed a little. He looked a little malevolent, and all of the hair on his temple floated up. The corners of his lips seemed to have turned a little sharper, and his teeth resembled that of a tiger''s now.


    Within three breath cycles, Xing Ying''s pupils began to turn bloodshot. The arm which was holding onto the River Soldiers stopped swinging, but it was gripping onto the artifact especially tightly as if he was afraid of losing it.


    "Feels good!"


    "Is this the power of the Divine Tool? It''s simply splendid! I can feel my entire body filled with energy! I''m undefeatable!"


    "All who support me will prosper, while all who defy me will die!"


    "From now onward, those that dare defy my orders will die!" Xing Ying said coldly as he held the River Soldiers and gazed at everyone around him. His voice was already turning hoarse.


    "Do you think you''re worthy of wielding the Divine Tool?"


    "What''s the meaning of ''All who support me will prosper, while all who defy me will die''?"


    "Who do you think you are?"


    Nan Fengxiu grunted coldly. With a wave of her hand, three demon warriors charged toward Xing Ying. At the same time, three practitioners of the Cultivation World also dashed forward. After trying to stop Xing Ying, Jiang Liuyun had not struck again. Instead, he took a few steps backward and stood in front of the eight black-clad figures.


    It seemed that either the prodigy of Mount Shu wanted to witness the power of the Divine Tool for himself, or he wanted to pick off the survivors of the ensuing battle.


    The Five Elements Divination Sect was originally more adept at footwork, Divination and mystical arts of the Five Elements, rather than head-on confrontation. Now, however, with the River Soldiers, Xing Ying was completely unafraid and faced off against the six practitioners by himself.


    He sneered as his figure vanished suddenly before appearing with the dagger in hand and stabbing at a demon warrior. The angle of his attack was extremely tricky, and his speed was extremely fast. It did not look like the level of speed a practitioner of the Starburst Realm should possess.


    His body was like a black cloud of smoke, and the dagger in his hand the fangs of a venomous snake. Each stab drew blood, and he was even more forceful when dealing with the magical artifacts of his opponents; he used his 30-centimeter long dagger to meet them head-on.


    The Level 2 divine artifacts were extremely sharp, but they seemed like beancurd when faced with the River Soldiers.


    They were sliced in two in one stroke of the dagger!

 Chapter 99 Are You Willing?

    With the River Soldiers in hand.


    Xing Ying of the Five Elements Divination Sect seemed to have completely changed into another person. Even his attacking style and techniques have become exceptionally vicious, and the six practitioners who were surrounding him were killed within a few exchanges. Throughout the entire process, he used the Third Rank incantation seals of the Five Elements Divination Sect at least four times.


    Logically speaking, even if Xing Ying''s level of cultivation had already reached the Starburst Realm, it was still impossible for his body to withstand such a large expenditure of True Energy.


    A faint blue glow seeped slowly into Xing Ying''s Spiritual Sea from his dagger.


    The others, and perhaps even Xing Ying himself, would not have expected that the River Soldiers would supply its wielder with True Energy, and with such pure True Energy to boot. When he killed the six practitioners, the dagger in his hand had transmitted True Energy six times to him. Each time the dagger passed through the bodies of his opponents, it seemed to absorb their True Energy for him.


    Upon close examination, one would notice that there were blemishes around the wounds on the corpses, and even their flesh and blood seemed to have been snatched away by the artifact.


    Xing Ying extended his arms, with the River Soldiers in hand, and exclaimed like a beast that had finished feasting. The clothes on his upper body had directly split into two, and his chest muscles had visibly expanded. Even his bones seemed to be gradually extending, giving off a light cracking sound.


    A piercing aura began to emanate from Xing Ying''s body.


    This aura was not True Energy from the Cultivation World. It was filled with vengefulness, just like when the River Soldiers had emerged.


    "How could the River Soldiers be obtained by Xing Ying of the Five Elements Divination Sect? It doesn''t match Zhai Xingzi''s divination!" Jue Shuo of the Judicature secretly thought. He did not think highly of Xing Ying.


    "How dare a disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect take the River Soldiers? Wishful thinking! He may even not know how he dies later!"


    "This man is obviously only at Starbust Realm power, but the amount of True Energy he possesses seems to be inexhaustible. His aura is still so concentrated, after fighting for so long!"


    "It should be the effect of the Divine Tool. I know this Xing Ying; he doesn''t have such power."


    Very quickly, everyone had obtained an accurate analysis of Xing Ying and had deduced that the River Soldiers Divine Tool had the ability to transit True Energy to its wielder. It was also extremely sharp. Any Level 2 magical treasure that came into contact with it would immediately be rendered scrap.


    "Let''s attack together. I don''t believe that a single disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect can defy the Heavens!" someone shouted, wanting to surround Xing Ying.


    "Use long-ranged attacks and don''t engage him in close quarters combat. The Divine Tool is too sharp, and we should avoid its blade."


    In the blink of an eye.


    Magical artifacts and flying swords began hurtling in the Great Hall. Xing Ying, who was their common target, used the Divine Tool to hack at the artifacts at first, but after a while, he realized that it was an impossible task. One man was no match for a pack of opponents in the end, especially if they took turns to come at him like this. It was hard for someone trapped in a formation like that to turn the tide.


    Without killing, the River Soldiers was unable to absorb the True Energy, flesh and blood of its opponents. As such, it could not continue to guarantee a never ending supply of these things to Xing Ying.


    A gust of mist blew past, and Xing Ying finally found an opportunity to begin attacking.


    Immediately after Xing Ying left the altar with the River Soldiers in hand, two figures began attacking everyone around them. One of them was the warrior in gold armor, and the other was the huge black dragon. They seemed to be under the control of the Divine Tool.


    By this time, Ye Que had already walked slowly to a spot not far away from Red Bean by supporting himself on the walls.


    By this time, there was already a trail of blood streaming down the forehead of the mysterious young lady dressed in white. Her face was a little pale, but the Blood Curse seemed to be almost ready. Ye Que had seen many curses before, and he was a master of curses himself, but even he was a little shocked to see the Blood Curse conjured by Red Bean.


    Ye Que had never seen a Blood Curse that could give out this kind of primeval power from ancient historical times. At the same time, he grew even more curious about Red Bean''s identity. "What kind of person is she actually?"


    "Or rather, what is she actually?"


    "Is she even human?"


    Noticing the Blood Enchantment in front of Red Bean, Ye Que could not help but look a little judgmental, and he began to worry somewhat. From his previous conversations with Red Bean, it was not hard to guess that she had some prejudice to humans.


    Perhaps, she did not even agree with the existence of the entire human race.


    If that was true, it was highly likely that Red Bean was not human.


    Red Bean blinked her eyes as she met Ye Que''s questioning gaze. She then asked very calmly and seriously, "Can I trust you?"


    Ye Que was a little stunned as he listened to Red Bean''s question. "You saved me, and I owe you a life," he replied instinctively.


    "Then I can believe you?" Red Bean asked the same question again, but her tone was slightly different. Her meaning was also naturally different.


    Ye Que thought about it and nodded as he looked into Red Bean''s eyes.


    Ye Que was not a staunch guardian of Dao; he was clear about that. No matter whether he was in Demon-slaying Asura form in his previous life, or the youthful Ye Que of this life, his "Dao" was never about all lifeforms.


    He slayed demons, but he did not hate them.


    His "Dao" was more close to being "carefree". He did as he pleased.


    As such, Ye Que felt that as long as he accepted Red Bean, it did not matter what her true identity really was. Even if she was a Demon Queen, they could still remain in contact if both of them were willing. What was wrong about making friends with a Demon Queen?


    Ye Que added a few words after nodding. "You can trust me," he said certainly.


    "Good."


    Red Bean replied with a single word after receiving Ye Que''s confident affirmation. She then looked at the huge black dragon near the altar of the Great Hall. "I need to do something," she said in a somewhat low tone.


    "It''s very dangerous."


    "I''m not sure if I will succeed or not."


    "If I do, however, I may need protection for a period of time."


    Red Bean was still very calm as she said all of this. She did not seem to have any intention of pleading. Ye Que would assist if he was willing, and she did not even bother to think if the person she asked for assistance from would have the ability to help her or not.


    She had just asked Ye Que purely out of instinct.


    There was no human known as Ye Que in her original plans.


    His Spiritual Sea was still unreplenished currently, and he had even problems helping himself.


    "You want me to protect you?" Ye Que said as he pointed to himself.


    "Are you willing to do that?" Red Bean replied very seriously.


    She paused before adding, "If I perish later on, there''ll be no need for that. You can take it that I''ve never asked you for anything."


    Ye Que did not reply her immediately but took a careful look at the condition of his own body. He definitely would not have the ability to kill their opponents, but the shred of Divine Energy he managed to gather just now could still possibly help him escape or keep him safe here, if luck was on his side.


    He had been through more dangerous situations when dealing with the demons in the Celestial World. Currently, his Spiritual Sea had been drained, and he has little Divine Energy left, but it did not mean that he could move.


    After confirming that, Ye Que felt a little unconfident. However, Red Bean''s question was whether he was willing to help her, not whether he could.


    "Sure."


    Ye Que gritted his teeth and nodded. He could feel the burden on his shoulders increasing. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought about something and raised his head. "Don''t tell me you''re preparing to seize the River Soldiers? If so, I really can''t guarantee if I can protect you if you succeed."


    The Divine Tool was everyone else''s target, and they would surely be surrounded if she obtained it. They would be unable to leave the Great Hall, much less return to Luoyang.


    "Rest assured, I''m not after the River Soldiers. I want that," Red Bean replied as she pointed unexpectedly to the magical looking sculpture of the huge black dragon on the altar.


    "Remember what you promised me. If you leave me behind when I survive this, you''ll be dead!" she glared at Ye Que ferociously. Finally, she stopped questioning Ye Que and focused all of her attention on the huge black dragon.


    Without waiting for Ye Que to voice his opinions, Red Bean lifted the oil paper umbrella in her hand and charged forth.


    The Blood Curse which contained primeval power from pre-historical times began to move as well.


    At the same time, Li Jianqi and the Judicature, who had been observing away from the battle, struck as well. They also utilized a rarely seen enchantment, and from the looks of it, they seemed to have borrowed the dynastic aura particular to royal families.


    Everything seemed to have been planned. The huge black dragon began to tremble violently immediately after being hit with Red Bean''s Blood Curse. Her aura seemed to resonate faintly with the huge black dragon, as if they were linked by a certain bloodline.


    The dragon roared and began wrapping Red Bean up quickly. The primeval Blood Curse which was hanging in mid-air burst apart immediately, enveloping Red Bean and the black dragon in a ball of blood-red light.


    Li Jianqi was in a similar situation to Red Bean, except that her target was the warrior in gold armor.


    It was obvious that the Judicature had come prepared. It now seemed that their target all along was not the Divine Tool, but the warrior in gold armor.


    With the aid of dynastic aura unique to royal families, coupled with the unique bloodline Li Jianqi possessed, the warrior in gold armor was instantly absorbed deep into the Spiritual Sea within her forehead.


    She looked as though she had been immobilized.


    Li Jianqi stood rooted to the spot, and her eyes were wide open but completely unfocused. She looked like a corpse of a person that had died with a grievance.


    All of the remaining practitioners of the Judicature instantly surrounded her, creating a defensive formation.


    Perhaps, all of the other practitioners in the Great Hall did not know that there was a mysterious secret behind the two sculptures. Even Ye Que had not discovered that the two statues were actually the spirits of the seal that was suppressing and imprisoning the Divine Tool. Without the Secret Key to the River Soldiers, one had to completely destroy the statues to release it from its cage.


    The huge black dragon was an ancient divine dragon of the Undying Realm and created from the bones of dragons.


    The warrior in gold armor was the battle soul of the three souls and seven spirits of the founding father of the Tang Dynasty. It was the soul of a true Great Emperor.


    Red Bean''s goal was to absorb the dragon bones for her own use. Li Jianqi''s motive, or rather, that of the Crown Prince, was to keep the soul of the Great Emperor for her own use.


    Now, everything depended on the two young girls themselves.


    They were beings with high class bloodlines, and a once in a lifetime opportunity was right before them.


    Back on the Great Hall, Xing Ying''s battle prowess had become extraordinary with the aid of the River Soldiers. He managed to kill another three practitioners even after being surrounded. Up till now, he had already absorbed the True Energy, blood and flesh of nine practitioners.


    "Who else!"


    Xing Ying roared before launching another attack, the soul-devouring dagger glowing with a blood red light.


    Suddenly, Xing Ying opened his eyes wide. The blood vessels and veins on his neck began to expand as well, and the back of his head began to pulse and tremble.

 Chapter 100 Whats So Great About a Prodigy?

    "Even killing all of you will be unable to erase my hatred! Damned Heaven!"


    Xing Ying roared his lungs out. He was behaving arrogantly and seemed to be completely unaware of the change in his own body.


    "The so-called prodigy of the Cultivation World and top-ranked practitioner of the Starburst Realm is but a coward who''s afraid of death. I spit on you!" Xing Ying taunted Jiang Liuyun as he looked at the swordsman, before spitting out a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground.


    "You only know how to hide behind a crowd. Are you afraid?" Xing Ying asked as he pointed the River Soldiers-transformed Blink Dagger at Jiang Liuyun.


    "Coward!"


    "I look down on you!"


    The color of Jiang Liuyun''s face changed slightly as he received Xing Ying''s taunts. Judging from the current situation, he was actually unwilling to face Xing Ying; it was also unnecessary. He was just a minor character, and it was inconsequential to him who obtained the Divine Tool eventually.


    He was Jiang Liuyun after all. Even if he obviously knew it was a taunt, he had to act against it. Besides his own reputation, it also concerned that of Mount Shu.


    Did he manage to obtain the title of number one practitioner in the Starburst Realm just by hard work alone?


    The fundamental change in him was due to the huge stockpile of resources owned by Mount Shu.


    "Thousand Demon Trapping Swords!"


    Jiang was already angry, and naturally he would not hold back when dealing with the arrogant Xing Ying. He immediately utilized a Class-Three sword skill of Mount Shu. Furthermore, it was the Thousand Demon Trapping Swords skill. This skill was usually used only when dealing with demons.


    As it was overly brutal and vicious, using this move against other practitioners was a controversial act. Now, in the eyes of Jiang Liuyun, Xing Ying was already classified as a demon.


    "Good one!"


    "I''ve long disliked you. What''s so great about being a prodigy of Mount Shu? You''re a self-opinionated fool who looks down on people. You''ve been commanding us since you appeared. Do you really think that you''re the leader of all the Truth Cultivation sects? Even my master has not speak to me in this manner."


    Xing Ying looked at the advancing Jiang Liuyun and seemed joyful instead of being angry. "We''ll know who the top practitioner of the Starburst Realm is after a fight. I''ll on believe what I see with my own eyes. Today, I''ll take the title from you."


    Xing Ying instantly brimmed with self-confidence with the River Soldiers in hand. He had already killed nine practitioners consecutively and did not seem to think much of the others.


    Even so, how could Jiang Liuyun be compared to ordinary practitioners?


    Xing Ying managed to kill the other practitioners with the help of his Divination skills and the sharpness of the River Soldiers.


    Jiang Liuyun had clearly noticed this while observing from the sidelines. As such, the first move he made was the wide-ranged Thousand Demon Trapping Swords, nearly sealing off the effective range of Xing Ying''s Divination skills. Before it even touched his opponent, Jiang had changed the sword technique he was using as well. This time, it was the Swirling Technique of his sect, and a rapidly spinning column of Sword Qi spun toward Xing Ying.


    Xing Ying stared at Jiang Liuyun with his bloodshot eyes, especially at Cyan Luan.


    He was very curious about the result of a direct clash of the River Soldiers and Cyan Luan.


    Would the Monarch''s Sword of Mount Shu instantly crack?


    If news of the Five Elements Divination Sect''s Xing Ying shattering Cyan Luan, the Monarch''s Sword, controlled by Jiang Liuyun in one blow spread throughout the entire Cultivation World, what a shockwave it would create!


    The transformation of Xing Ying''s body was still ongoing. Even his forehead began to swell now, and his eyeballs looked as though they were going to explode out of their sockets. He did not seem to have noticed this, however.


    "Trash will forever be trash."


    "Don''t harbor unnecessary dreams no matter what."


    "Even with the Divine Tool, you''ll still be unable to rise to the top of the ranks!" Jiang Liuyun muttered.


    Xing Ying was relying on the sharpness of the Divine Tool, but each of Jiang Liuyun''s moves was brilliantly made.


    After unleashing 11 different types of sword techniques, Xing Ying could not even manage to touch the corners of Jiang Liuyun''s clothes.


    He wielded the River Soldiers somewhat hurriedly to stab at Jiang Liuyun again. Halfway through his move, however, he caught sight of Cyan Luan''s shadow.


    He felt pleased and changed the direction of his attack, slashing in the path of his opponent''s weapon instead with a sudden surge in speed.


    "Fool!"


    Jiang Liuyun sneered and flicked his fingers. While Cyan Luan attracted the attention of Xing Ying, a Mount Shu Enchantment of Mystical Fire flew toward the back of his head through the gap created.


    In an instant.


    A burning, scalding sensation spread from the back of his head.


    Xing Ying howled in agony and created a defensive energy shield by whirling the River Soldiers, forcing Jiang Liuyun to cease his next attack.


    The Enchantment of Mystical Fire exploded at the back of Xing Ying''s skull and a three inches long wound instantly cracked open. His right eyeball, which was already protruding slightly, burst open immediately, and two of his front teeth shattered.


    Jiang Liuyun did not hold back, even though his opponent was panicking. With Cyan Luan in hand, he moved directly in front of Xing Ying. Sword Qi burst forth, and his killing intent skyrocketed.


    On the other hand, even though Xing Ying had blood all over his face, and his vision was greatly affected by the injuries sustained on his right eye, the aura around him did not diminish but instead was amplified. An azure glow began to emanate from his wounds.


    Xing Ying had not expected to lose so readily to Jiang Liuyun.


    The anger he felt from the huge setback almost drove him insane. He did not care about the state of his injuries and unexpectedly began clashing head on with Jiang Liuyun again, even forsaking the Divination techniques that he was most well-versed in.


    "You''re courting your own death!"


    Jiang Liuyun muttered before increasing the speed of his sword strokes.


    The sword techniques of Mount Shu were most famous for their speed, and they were no slouch when used in an all-out, one-on-one battle.


    "Does this mean that possessing the Divine Tool grants its wielder an infinite supply of True Energy?"


    "Why is this man''s aura amplifying as the battle wears on?"


    "Incredible, the Divine Tool is indeed worthy of its name, it''s simply amazing!"


    "If this carries on, that Xing Ying might end up defeating Jiang Liuyun. The Five Elements Divination Sect would have earned something if he really wins!"


    "He''s just relying on the might of the Divine Tool; what skill does he have?"


    However, everyone guessed wrongly. The battle ended extremely quickly, as Xing Ying had already died before he could even continue fighting.


    His body had expanded to the size of a leather ball within a few breath cycles. His Spiritual Sea was eventually unable to withstand the amount of power transmitted by the Divine Tool and burst open. At the very last moment, however, the River Soldiers in his hand suddenly transformed from a Blink Dagger into a longsword, which slashed across Jiang Liuyun''s face at a weird angle.


    A wound from the blow appeared on Jiang''s nearly perfect face.


    Jiang Liuyun''s expression turned chilly as he noticed Xing Ying''s final look. It was an eerie smile. Obviously, he knew that his time was up, and every move he had made previously was leading up to this final one.


    That smile seemed to be his taunt toward Jiang Liuyun. "Didn''t you feel as if you had everything under control?"


    "Do you still feel that way now?"


    "What if this final blow of mine advanced another inch forward? Would you still be alive?"


    "It''s true that I''m a disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect that I lack your talent and the resources your sect possesses. However, I''m no trash."


    "If I want to, I can come up with a way to kill you. Otherwise, why would I become the first to hold the River Soldiers?"


    "I didn''t kill you not because I was afraid to do so, but rather I didn''t want to. I wanted you to live and carry this scar with you for as long as you''re alive."


    "No matter where you go or how powerful you become in the future, Jiang Liuyun, the scar on your face will remind everyone."


    "There''s nothing great about being a prodigy!"


    Once, an ordinary disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect defeated a genius of Mount Shu.

 Chapter 101 A Sheet of Paper

    While everyone''s attention was completely focused on Jiang Liuyun''s attempt to seize the River Soldiers from Xing Ying, Ye Que crept quietly toward the altar at the middle of the Great Hall.


    A voice there was continually calling out to him, or rather, to the Gold Python of Divine Energy within him.


    The altar was smashed into pieces upon the emergence of the Divine Tool. Naturally, no one else paid further attention to it. In fact, no one even so much as glanced at it.


    Ye Que walked up to the altar and bent down to observe the magical enchantments and Sanskrit words that had crumbled off, as well as pieces of stone scattered all over the floor.


    He dug the bits of stone away to find more of them underneath. There was nothing extraordinary to be found. He frowned and placed his hand on the ground lightly.


    It was icy cold!


    "Strange? There''s obviously something here, but why can''t I find it?"


    "This object must be of a high rank, if it can trigger a response from my Spiritual Sea!"


    "There must be something wrong somewhere. Earlier on, the Divine Energy Gold Python in my body was so excited that it nearly leaped out."


    Ye Que looked at the remains of the altar at his feet, feeling perturbed.


    After a long while, he suddenly realized that since the object was calling his Spiritual Sea and seemed to be targeting the Divine Energy Gold Python within it, did it not make sense that he could only sense it with his Divine Energy?


    If this happened much earlier on, there was nothing for him to worry about; all he had to do was to use his Divine Energy to feel for the object. Now, however, his Spiritual Sea had nearly been completely drained, and there was only a tinge of it left.


    Moments before, he had promised Red Bean that he would protect her if she successfully absorbed the Dragon Bones.


    His body was already in a bad condition. The consequences of using this very last ounce of Divine Energy within to sense for an object that likely did not exist at all were much more than he could bear.


    If any mishap happened, he would not even have a chance to resist.


    "Should I use my Divine Energy to sense for the object or not?"


    Ye Que asked himself as he gazed at the ball of blood-red light surrounding Red Bean. "If she really succeeded, would I be able to fulfill my promise with this shred of Divine Energy?"


    "What can I do with this tiny amount of Divine Energy?"


    "I can create give out one blow with my sword."


    "I can create half of a runic enchantment."


    "I can ride my sword and fly in the air for 100 meters."


    "Just that!"


    "I have to go all-in if I want to win this hand. Since I want to see what''s been calling me, I need to bear some risk."


    "In the worse case scenario, something happens and I die first. I''ll have kept my promise to Red Bean then. She only asked if I was willing to protect her, but she didn''t request that I had to protect her."


    "I just have to do my best and be able to live with myself."


    After sorting out his thoughts, Ye Que did not hesitate any further. He half-kneeled on the ruins of the altar and placed his hands on the hole he had dug out from the rubble.


    He slowly closed his eyes and channeled the very last bit of Divine Energy in his body, directing it into the ruins of the platform.


    There was no huge force resisting like he expected. Ye Que''s Divine Energy traveled deep beneath the altar very smoothly. In an instant, he realized that he was having the same feeling like that of the cage he sensed earlier on. Or rather, he could feel that this spot was part of the cage itself.


    The call came again, and it felt even more acute than before. There was originally only a shred of Divine Energy in his Spiritual Sea, but somehow another shred had appeared, and the source of the call began to interact with his body.


    As Ye Que''s Spiritual Sea finally connected with the source of the call, the Divine Energy Gold Python directly leaped out from his body.


    A leaf of paper!


    Finally, Ye Que could see clearly what was calling him.


    It was a paper that gave off a faint yellow mist. There were no words on it, but it gave him a vast, infinite feeling, as if all the Laws of Nature were contained in it.


    "A page of the Divine Book!"


    Ye Que exclaimed secretly. He did not expect to find a leaf of the Divine Book in the Imperial Mausoleum.


    In his past life, he had obtained half of the Divine Book - a total of three pages. He got them from a secret, deadly region where the Three Realms intersected. After returning to his youth, he had practiced the cultivation technique recorded in the Book, and he was actually worried when he did so. This was because he had only read half of it. It meant that he was learning a technique that he did not have complete understanding of, and it was highly likely that he would be unable to continue learning after only mastering half of it.


    It was not that he did not think of searching for the remaining half of the book, but it was the ultimate treasure of all living beings after all. It was even more precious than the Divine Tool, and there was no way to find it. At the very beginning, Ye Que''s idea was to enter the Deadly Secret Zone again when the time was right to find the half that he had read before, as well as to find for other leads.


    Even if it was going to be pointless.


    Only someone who had learned the techniques of the Divine Book would understand what pure cultivation method was.


    It was just like someone who had eaten a sumptuous banquet. He or she would no longer think much of Kung Pao Chicken.


    They belonged to two completely different realms.


    Sometimes, Ye Que would think that if he was ill-fated, he would probably be only able to glimpse half of the Divine Book for his entire life. If that happened, he would be forever unable to read the contents of the complete book.


    However, right now, right in front of him in the Imperial Mausoleum, Ye Que managed to find part of the Divine Book again.


    Furthermore, it was an entire page of the book.


    How could that not drive someone mad? To Ye Que, this page of the Book was more precious than two Divine Tools combined together. The artifacts only made one stronger externally, but the Divine Book helped to create an internal realm - one''s internal strength.


    In fact, if one thought about it carefully and extrapolated, one would be able to come up with a conclusion. Such a large formation, the vengeful River Soldiers, coupled with the Battle Soul of the founding father of the Tang Dynasty, and the Dragon Bones of the Undying Realm, were buried in the deepest part of the Imperial Mausoleum and had yet to be unearthed.


    Something must have been suppressing them and concealing their aura all this while.


    Other than the Divine Book, which was born of Nature itself, what other things could do that?


    Even if there was, it must be an ultimate treasure of all living beings, just like the Divine Book.


    Ye Que controlled his wildly beating heart and immediately began to act carefully. He had only a bit of Divine Energy left and walked fearfully toward the page from the Divine Book, his steps so light that he seemed to be afraid of disturbing anyone.


    "Whoosh!"


    It was beyond his expectations.


    Without any effort from him, the shred of Divine Energy within him had just got close to the Divine Book. The loose leaf from the book began to fly rapidly toward Ye Que, and it trembled gently as it did so. It looked like a long lost child who had finally found its home.


    The page wormed smoothly into Ye Que''s body without any resistance before disappearing into the skies above his Spiritual Sea.


    "Boom."


    Deep in the Snow Mountain of his Spiritual Sea, the sound of thunder rumbled.


    Originally, when Ye Que entered a meditative state to pore over the cultivation technique of the Divine Book, all he could see was a piece of transparent, ghost-like paper. Now, there was finally a concrete piece of the book.


    The Divine Energy Gold Python surrounded the Divine Book and circled somewhat playfully around it.


    Each time it went around the Book, a ray of Divine Energy would emanate from it.


    Ye Que''s Spiritual Sea was beginning to replenish itself at a visibly fast speed. It was refilled in the blink of an eye, and it seemed to be unable to expect that he could only absorb a little bit of Divine Energy. In fact, it was continually supplying him with it.


    Ye Que was already at One Star level of the Psychic Realm. Very quickly, the level of his Divine Energy and Spiritual Sea increased to Two Stars, then Three Stars level...


    Ye Que''s Spiritual Sea was larger than that of ordinary people; it was one of the side effects of learning the Divine Book. In the past, he lacked enough Divine Energy and his Spiritual Sea was not abundant enough to achieve breakthrough from his previous Realm. His heart was never lacking in spirit. At the very least, before rising to the Immortal Realm, Ye Que would not be troubled about attaining enlightenment.


    Breaking through each Realm required the practitioner to achieve sudden enlightenment. No matter it was about Dao, magic, or Nature, Ye Que had been through it all.


    Ye Que did not know how long it had taken, but his powers were currently firmly within peak Seven Stars level of the Psychic Realm. He was this close to entering the Starburst Realm.


    The loose leaf of the Divine Book finally stopped transmitting Divine Energy to him.


    It vanished instantly, disappearing deep into his Spiritual Sea, as it had entered deep sleep.


    Even Ye Que himself had not realized that there was something hidden within this page of the Divine Book. It was very similar to the River Soldiers, but it did not contain as much deep hatred like it. It seemed to be purely a weapon.


    If the late Zhai Xingzi was resurrected and switch identities with Ye Que, he would have been able to sense that the River Soldiers Divine Tool that everyone in the Great Hall was trying to obtain for themselves was not the finished product. Perhaps, it was more fitting to call it one side of the Divine Tool.


    The other side of it was currently hidden within Ye Que.


    The azure crystalline substance in the Great Hall was the soul of the River Soldiers. It was a vengeful spirit, and the "River" of the artifact!


    The object hidden within the page of the DIvine Book and in Ye Que was the body of the artifact. It was the embodiment of bravery, and the "Soldiers" of the Divine Tool!


    Just like Cyan Luan, whose soul was sealed within the sword? The body of the Monarch''s Sword was that of Cyan Luan itself. Combined together, they formed the Level 3 Monarch''s Sword, Cyan Luan.


    When Ye Que opened his eyes again, the battle in the Great Hall was still raging on. Red Bean was still within the ball of red light, and Li Jianqi was still staring listlessly.


    The only difference was that the River Soldiers belonged to someone else now.


    Wuming of the Temple of Six Buddhas had managed to seize hold of the River Soldiers somehow. Not far away, the Chronometer of Dawn lay, a crack on it. The Evening Drum had nearly been torn apart. It seemed like a violent battle had taken place earlier on.


    Jiang Liuyun could be seen frowning and did not seem to have taken part in this round of the battle. He felt the wound on his face with his face and muttered to himself, "How could I have lost to an ordinary disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect?"


    "My face was scarred by a nameless practitioner!"


    "I was fooled by him!"


    It was intolerable!


    However, Xing Ying''s body had exploded, and his flesh and blood scattered in mid-air. Jiang Liuyun wanted to take revenge, but there was no way for him to do so now.


    There was no better way to kill a person than to destroy his or her heart!


    On the level of cultivation alone, and in a one-on-one battle, Xing Ying knew that there was no way he could ever defeat Jiang Liuyun, even with the River Soldiers. This was the basic difference between an ordinary practitioner and a super genius of a reputable sect like Jiang Liuyun.


    Geniuses, however, had their weakness as well.


    Also, they loved to waste time on insignificant problems.


    Therefore, Xing Ying used his life to leave Jiang Liuyun with a problem.


    A problem which delved into the bottom of his heart.


    It depended if he could solve it. Only the afflicted could resolve it on their own accord.


    "May Buddha have mercy?"


    "All life can be redeemed, and all is Karma. Everything is within your Mind..." Wuming muttered, as he kept up his hand movements. The River Soldiers had transformed into a monk''s staff, one used for killing.


    At the same time, Nan Fengxiu, who had not made any move thus far, and the eight figures in black who had followed Jiang Liuyun into the Mausoleum, acted. She held a completely grey wooden figurine in her hand and chanted, while the eight figures began amplifying their auras. All of them were at Starburst Realm, but the purity and intensity of their Divine Energies were unrivalled.

 Chapter 102 Trump Card, Luo River

    The formation within the Imperial Mausoleum restricted anyone above the level of Starburst Realm from entering. The eight people who had followed Jiang Liuyun into the Great Hall possessed an incredible amount of Divine Energy at this moment. It was completely abnormal, and it was not within the restrictive limits of the formation.


    Of course, not all laws were made to be unchangeable. If the people who broke into the Mausoleum were more powerful than those who built it, naturally, they would be able to completely disregard the laws governing the place. Evidently, the eight mysterious characters did not possess such great powers.


    What other methods could allow this to happen?


    Many sects had tried to circumvent the problem before entering the Imperial Mausoleum, but all of them failed.


    With the Secret Key to the River Soldiers in hand, the chances of Mount Shu obtaining the artifact were greater, no matter what effect it really had. The Divine Tool was the chief priority for each sect, and they would never think that it was surplus to their needs. Cyan Luan was a Level 3 Monarch''s Sword. Above that classification was Level 4 Immortal Artifacts, followed by Divine Tools. Each of the latter was at Level 5 ranking and above.


    To maintain a firm foothold as the top ranked sword sect of the Cultivation World, and the leader of the forces of good, Mount Shu needed to continually increase its strength. It could not let any opportunity to obtain a Divine Tool slip away from its grasp.


    Sending out the largest number of disciples among all the sects, along with its most outstanding talent with the Secret Key in hand was still not enough to let the higher ups at Mount Shu feel at ease. They needed to have more alternative plans in place.


    The eight disciples of the Sagittarius Realm were the secret alternative measures taken by Mount Shu.


    As such, they had not acted all along the way into the Mausoleum, up until the emergence of the River Soldiers and as the battle neared its end.


    Their only task was also probably going to be the last task for each of their lives.


    Outsiders would never get to know the sacrifice they had made to enter the Imperial Mausoleum. Each of them had personally shattered the Realm he or she was in and dropped from Starburst to Sagittarius Realm. It sounded simple, but the process was tens of thousand times more painful than self-mutilation.


    They would forever lose the ability to improve and their level of cultivation would only slowly devolve, from Starburst back to Psychic, Pre-celestial Realm, before finally turning to Rank 1, 2 then 3 martial artists...


    And so on until they became civilians again. All of their lifetime''s cultivation would be returned to Nature.


    One would naturally be punished for going against the will of the Heavens and breaking the rules.


    Whether the sacrifice of eight disciples at Sagittarius Realm in exchange for the River Soldiers, a Divine Tool, was worth it or not, only Mount Shu could truly know.


    At the same time.


    The leader of the demons and the 15th disciple of the Demon King, Nan Fengxiu, unleashed her back-up plan as well.


    It was a wooden carving of pure gray color.


    The wooden engraving was that of a man who was covered in totem signs. His eyes were shut and his body erect. His body was completely hairless and covered by grey lines. Even though his eyes were not opened, he gave off a powerful, not-to-be-trifled-with aura.


    Jiang Liuyun of Mount Shu did not recognize the figure, and Li Jianqi should also be unaware of who he was. Wuming was definitely unable to tell who it was, but if the carving was placed in front of Jue Shuo of the Judicature, he would definitely be able to tell from one look that the carving was of the King of the Demons.


    Nan Fengxiu''s master, the Demon King, Ye Fanghua.


    In the secret files of the Judicature of the Tang Dynasty, Ye Fanghua''s threat level was always classified within the first three tiers. On level of cultivation alone, there were less than three known practitioners who could match his.


    What was Nan Fengxiu doing, holding on to a carving of her master at this moment? Was she going to pray?


    Of course not.


    It was much more sophisticated than that.


    After finished reciting an extremely long enchantment, she infused a ray of True Energy into the wooden engraving. In an instant, light shone from within her hand, and a faint looking figure began to rise out of the wooden carving. At first, it did not seem really concrete, but after a few breaths, the others began to realize that the figure looked completely like that of the carving in Nan Fengxiu''s hand!


    The vague figure was much taller than ordinary folk; it was three meters tall.


    "Ye Fanghua, the Demon King!"


    Jue Shuo of the Judicature, who was standing guard over Li Jianqi not far away, exclaimed. He dared not believe his eyes. How could the Demon King appear within the Imperial Mausoleum?


    If he so much as stepping foot within the Human World, the entire Cultivation World would have been engulfed in commotion, much less the Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty. At least dozens of sect leaders would have rushed over at top speed, vowing the slay or at least chase him away.


    The disciples of the Demon Race, and even a few grotesque demonic beasts were allowed to enter the Human World to seize some resources, and they did not pose a serious threat to the humans, but definitely not Ye Fanghua.


    His appearance in the world of the humans would mean war.


    Upon hearing Jue Shuo''s exclamation, all of the disciples of the Cultivation World, aside from Wuming, who had the River Soldiers in hand, and Jiang Liuyun, who was lost in his own world, were stunned and took a few steps backward out of instinct.


    With the River Soldiers in hand, Wuming felt he had the world in his grasp and that he had nothing to be afraid of.


    Jiang Liuyun may not have even heard Jue Shuo.


    "Are you really sure that it''s Ye Fanghua, the Demon King?" asked the person standing in front of the black-clad figures from Mount Shu softly, with a serious expression on his face.


    "I''m the Deputy Night Timekeeper of the Judicature, and I have the rights to access some secret files. Even though only the Night Timekeeper himself is allowed to read information on the Demon King, I''ve seen his image before and cannot be mistaken," replied Jue Shuo very confidently.


    "Is that possible?"


    "The Demon King himself appearing in the Imperial Mausoleum at the ley lines of sovereignty?"


    "Furthermore, he entered the Mausoleum successfully? Without being affected by the huge barrier at all? Could the Demon King have entered the Undying Realm?"


    The eight figures frowned as they discussed extremely quickly among themselves.


    10 minutes later, the wooden carving in Nan Fengxiu''s hand transformed into a plume of green smoke and disappeared into mid-air. The figure of the Demon King, Ye Fanghua, also appeared in front of her, giving off a concentrated and terrifying aura. The others could visibly notice that his powers were within the Starburst Realm, however.


    "This is not the real Demon King, at least it''s not his true form!" someone conjectured.


    "Mirror image!" someone exclaimed. Within the Demon Race, there was an innate ability that could be used as a shamanistic enchantment to mirror a portion of one''s powers onto a concrete object that could be carried for thousands of miles. Simulating the shadow at the appropriate time would summon the mirror image sealed within that object.


    In plain words, the figure before them was most likely a mirror image of the Demon King.


    This was the mirror image of the Demon King, however. Even though it was only at Starburst Realm, three Jiang Liuyuns would not even be a match for him. In terms of experience and in a real life battle, the practitioner would be completely dominated.


    The eight figures from Mount Shu looked at each other and nodded. This should be their final opponent. The Demon King''s mirror image was worthy of acting as the trump card of the Demon Race.


    "I''m afraid today''s battle will be the last one for you and me," the person leading them said in a low voice, before drawing out the longsword on his back with a flourish. He raised the weapon high above his head and roared, "For the future of Mount Shu!"


    "For the future of Mount Shu!" the other seven figures in black shouted the same slogan.


    Chen Qing and Zhuo Bufan, who were standing nearby, looked a little strange all of a sudden. Chen Qing''s expression was one of doubt, while that of Zhuo Bufan''s was of anxiety.


    In fact, Zhuo Bufan had already recognized the leader of the eight, and he had also deduced their motive of entering the Mausoleum with them, along with their reasons for remaining silent throughout the entire journey, being able to enjoy the best treatment from their sect, and why they would step out to face the mirror image of the Demon King, Ye Fanghua, at this moment.


    Zhou Bufan did not wish to face the truth, but he could understand their motive.


    Their proclamation had already given him the answers he needed.


    What was most strange was that neither the manifestation of the Demon King nor the eight characters from Mount Shu paid any special attention to Wuming, who was currently holding onto the River Soldiers.


    "May Buddha have mercy?"


    "I shall become a Buddha right here."


    "Killing is instantaneous, and one has to kill to become a Buddha. All of you have to die!"


    Wuming held the River Soldiers-transformed Monastic Staff of Killing tightly with both hands, his body completely devoid of any signs of a monk now. In fact, he even seemed a little insane. "As expected, my True Energy levels are continually rising. Sacrificing the Chronometer of Dawn and Evening Drum in exchange for the Divine Tool, River Soldiers, has been completely worth it."


    "I shall kill to improve my level of Cultivation, and use your lives to aid in my quest to achieve Buddha-hood. This is my ''Heart''s Buddha''." The originally compassionate monk of the Temple of Six Buddhas was raising the Monastic Staff of Killing high above his head at this moment, his expression one of cold-bloodedness and bloodlust. "Only I am worthy of the River Soldiers, only me!"


    The swept his gaze across the entire Hall, finally stopping on Nan Fengxiu. "Demon scum, your kind is not allowed in the Human World. Let me cleanse you on behalf of Buddha."


    He raised the staff with both hands and charged directly at Nan Fengxiu. Gold light covered his body, and he immediately channeled the Diamond Sutra Skill of the Temple of Six Buddhas.


    "You are courting your own death!"


    "Do you think that obtaining the Divine Tool will make you invincible?"


    "Everything is illusory before Master."


    Nan Fengxiu remained rooted to the spot as she looked at the Monastic Staff of Killing in Wuming''s hands, along with the enchantments and Sanskrit chants glowing with a gold light. In fact, she did not even lift her weapon. The few surviving Demon warriors standing behind her also remained completely still, their expression even more resolute than hers. It was as if the appearance of the Demon King''s image was that of the Heavens for the humans. Nothing would stand in his way!


    As the River Soldiers drew close, Ye Fanghua''s manifestation finally opened his eyes before sneering, after he had glanced at Wuming. The three meters tall transparent image took a stride forward suddenly.


    "Boom!"


    One punch!


    Just one punch!


    Wuming has knocked flying more than 10 meters away, with the Divine Tool in hand. The protective Diamond Sutra skill was instantly shattered into bits. The tough looking barrier was just like pulp to the manifestation of Ye Fanghua.


    Wuming was merely at Starburst Realm. Even though he was the Curator of the new generation for the Scriptures Atheneum, and had picked up many skills from scriptures with his exceptional talent, he had not completely mastered any of them. Perhaps, it was even better to say that he had not completely incorporated all of them.


    Naturally, it would not hinder him from facing off against normal practitioners. Against the Demon King, however, he could not even withstand a single punch, even though it was only a mirror image of Ye Fanghua''s.


    If one was unable to completely incorporate and master the Diamond Sutra, it was no different from being completely defenseless in the Demon King''s eyes.


    Wuming shook his bald head and immediately charged at the Demon King''s image again after standing up. This time, he did not use the Diamond Sutra skill again, but instead he chose to activate a meditative chant unique to the Temple of Six Buddhas.


    An enchantment floated and circled around the River Soldiers. He swung his staff at his opponent.


    "Boom!"


    Another punch.


    Unsurprisingly, Wuming was sent flying again. His shoulder seemed to have collapsed, and he could not even raise his arm after landing.


    "How could this be possible?"


    "It should not be like this!"


    Wuming muttered to himself as he landed, gazing at the Monastic Staff of Killing in his hands. "With the Divine Tool in my hands, why was I still sent flying?"


    Very quickly, the insane look on Wuming''s face turned into one of vengeance, exactly like how Xing Ying looked before his fateful death. It was obvious, however, that the hatred in Wuming was somewhat lesser than that of Xing Ying''s. Perhaps, the disciple from the Five Elements Divination Sect had absorbed away some of it.


    "What''s the use of holding the Divine Tool in your hands?"


    "You don''t even know how to activate it?"


    "Don''t you have a sense of loss?"


    "That''s a Divine Tool. Don''t you feel ashamed that you''ve defiled it?"


    "Don''t you want to become a Buddha? I''ll give you a chance. Will you take it?"


    A voice drifted into Wuming''s ears. It was a little low, but it was thick and dense, as if it came from the mirror image of Ye Fanghua.


    "Turn into a Buddha?"


    Wuming''s thoughts were somewhat messed up after being engulfed by the hatred within the River Soldiers. He was completely unable to tell what was right, wrong, good, evil, true or fake anymore.


    "You can help me turn into a Buddha?" Wuming asked a little uncertainly. His eyes seemed to be drifting a little.


    Turning back to Ye Fanghua''s mirror image, one could see the transparent body of the Demon King and the flashing purple glow in his eyes. He seemed to be casting a Hypnotic Enchantment.


    "I''m revered by millions of Demons. Of course, I know how to gather faith. With an infinite supply of faith, you''ll immediately turn into a Buddha," the voice drifted unhurriedly and drifted toward Wuming.


    "Gather faith? Help me turn into a Buddha with the power of faith?"


    Wuming seemed a little moved by the idea. "There''s no free lunch in this world. What do you want?"


    "Give me the Divine Tool," Ye Fanghua''s manifestation gently exhorted.


    The surviving practitioners were all looking in stunned amazement, as they saw the Demon King''s manifestation trying to control the wielder of the Divine Tool. Even though he was only at Starburst Realm level, he was no joke.


    The eight figures from Mount Shu nodded to one another and gently shifted their feet as they began setting up their formation. Even though they possessed True Energy levels of Formless Realm practitioners, which was more than enough to deal with the other survivors without the need for a formation, they had not counted on the appearance of the Demon King.


    It was logical, but beyond their expectations!


    Logically, the Demons would have kept a trump card up their sleeves. Even though Nan Fengxiu was the 15th disciple of the Demon King, she was merely on par with Jiang Liuyun and still not of the level that could be the confirmed owner of the Divine Tool. If the Demon King manifested himself in the Mausoleum, however, it would be enough to ensure that his people would be able to get the River Soldiers.


    "Seven Stars Big Dipper Formation!"


    With an angry shout, the eight figures in black took up positions corresponding to the Big Dipper and North Star constellations and formed an offensive formation. The eight Mount Shu disciples of Formless Realm power merged their swords into one and stabbed directly at Wuming.


    "Impudence!"


    Just as the Demon King was about to succeed in confusing Wuming, the sudden intervention of a third-party drove the mirror image of the Demon King mad with rage.


    His image was separated from his real self by thousands of miles and in another Realm. No matter how powerful the Demon King was currently, he could not withstand an infinite number of attacks. Furthermore, being at Starburst Realm restricted the amount of techniques he could utilize. He had not used the techniques of this Realm for centuries.


    Acting decisively and winning with his wits was the better option!


    The Seven Stars Big Dipper Formation swept toward Wuming with an extremely sharp Sword Qi contained within. The manifestation of the Demon King also charged forward, and he made just one punch as usual.


    The Big Dipper formation was multi-layered.


    The intensity of the Demon King''s punch was that of tens of thousands of mountains.


    Both parties changed the direction of their attacks halfway somewhat unexpectedly. None of them struck Wuming, but they attacked the weakest point of each other.


    These two parties were basically the only factions within the Great Hall that could still try to seize the Divine Tool for themselves. Winning the battle would determine where the artifact was heading.


    There was no warmup or probing.


    The Demon King''s mirror image did not possess excess True Energy, not did it bother to probe the opposition. The eight black-clad figures from Mount Shu did not dare to test him, and felt that it was completely pointless to do so. When one faced the Demon King, albeit his manifestation, one had to put in maximal effort.


    Even so, one may not win.


    "Boom!"


    A deafening sound rang out, followed by a shockwave of Spiritual Force. It was overwhelming and intense. An astute observer would have noticed that Wuming, who was situated at the epicenter of the battle, was instantly bleeding from all seven apertures.


    Even though he was wielding the Divine Tool, he was merely of Starburst Realm power after all.


    Naturally, there was no way for him to survive a clash between the Demon King''s manifestation and the eight Formless Realm disciples of Mount Shu. Both parties were also purposely ensuring that he would not be allowed to live no matter how their battle ended.


    A piercing ball of light appeared in the center of the fight.


    The shockwave knocked the survivors back by a few meters. Jiang Liuyun was even instantly knocked onto the ground, his forehead hitting the floor.


    A huge sound shook the prodigy of Mount Shu out from his daze.


    He lifted his eyes to observe the entire Great Hall. From his eyes, one realized that the prodigy had improved his level of Cultivation. Somehow, he managed to do so at the most crucial moment, and in the Mausoleum to boot. The problem that Xing Ying had given him was solved within seconds.


    Three things happened while the ball of light had not completely dissipated.


    Li Jianqi, who had been in a daze all this while, spun her eyeballs and regained consciousness. She spat out a mouthful of blood, however, and looked terribly pale.


    "Your Highness, are you alright? Did you succeed?" Jue Shuo of the Judicature asked softly as he supported her.


    Li Jianqi nodded gently in reply. "Leave this place now, I''ve a very unpleasant feeling about what''s going to happen next. Don''t bother about the Divine Tool. None of you are allowed to fight over it, nor can anyone one pick it up even if it fell right in front of your feet."


    In the other direction, the ball of red light that had surrounded Red Ben began to split apart silently. The huge black dragon had completely disappeared, leaving only Red Bean to slowly drift down from the light. She hugged an oil paper umbrella tightly in her chest. Its branch was originally made of green bamboo, and its surface was that of plum blossoms, but both had turned completely black now, and the figure of a dragon could be vaguely seen slowly cruising within the umbrella.


    Red Bean immediately stumbled upon landing and nearly tripped. Luckily, Ye Que, who had just returned from his fruitful trip to the altar, hugged her by the waist to prevent her from falling.


    "Take good care of me," she said as she realized it was Ye Que who was hugging her, her lips moving slowly.


    "No matter what happens, don''t leave me behind."


    "And my umbrella as well."


    After saying these three phrases, Red Bean tilted her head cleanly behind and instantly fainted, not giving Ye Que any chance to reply. Even as she lost consciousness, both of her hands were still holding onto the oil paper umbrella with dear life, as if the object was more important than her life.


    These two incidents were inconsequential to the others, but the third event caught everyone by surprise.


    In fact, the moment the River Soldiers emerged, there was a change within the Imperial Mausoleum.


    The water level of the entire Luo River outside the Mausoleum had begun to drop. For some inexplicable reason, all of them poured into the Imperial Mausoleum, the suspended empty island, golden royal palace and along the path into the underground cavern and the Great Hall covered with relief sculptures.


    Every spot that the water from Luo River touched turned into part of an ocean, leaving no crack in the ground uncovered.

 Chapter 103 Luckless Romance

    The mouth of the underground cave was hardly large enough to enough adequate flow for the water from the violent Luo River to fill up the entirety of the main hall quickly. Nevertheless, the water was rising noticeably.


    Jue Shuo from the Judicature was the first to spring into action; without any shred of hesitation, another look into the main hall, nor any forlorn longing for the Divine Tool, he roused the company, with Li Jianqi in tow, and everyone rushed toward the entrance of the cave. The rushing flow of water coming in would flood the passage coming into the hall with water from the Luo River by now.


    The hall, where the Divine Tool had manifested, was a perfectly-furnished circular chamber with no other way out.


    Even in the presence of a secret passage, it would be impossible for the company to find the mechanism to open the portal in a short time in the midst of the turmoil.


    The most direct way would be to retrace their way and escape from where they came. Li Jianqi''s immobility would hardly be an issue, as all members of the Judicature were trained in myriads of methods to avoid contact with water.


    Nevertheless, the rest of the company were reluctant to leave empty-handed.


    Fighting alone with either the Demon King''s conjured doppelgangers or the strangers from Mount Shu would be nothing but folly. But with the Divine Tool manifested, and Demon King''s doppelgangers in a bloody battle against the eight strangers from Mount Shu, the rest of the company were hoping to count on the opportunity that surfaced when both parties were already weakened from their fight.


    What is an opportunity if not this?


    They could have sworn that they had saw Wuming, who was seen in possession of the River Soldiers Divine Tool earlier, was very much dead now. The Divine Tool now belonged to no one.


    "Should we leave or stay?"


    "Should we fight for it or not?"


    "Fortune favors the bold!"


    The same thoughts flashed across the minds of everyone in the company that very instant.


    Jiang Liuyun too was staring at the glowing dot of radiance that stood out in the midst of the fierce clash. But he was cunning enough to look around and study the expressions of the rest, and carefully bide his time.


    On the other hand, Ye Que has already obtained a page from the Divine Book. To him, the quest of the Imperial Mausoleum had been a fruitful endeavor, hence he was hardly eager to place himself in harm''s way only for the Divine Tool. He understood full well that although his bounty could in no way compare to a level-five Divine Tool, he needed to stay and protect the still-unconscious Red Bean.


    He could not leave her alone. This young lady, whom he was a stranger to in this desolate labyrinth, had saved his life. He must repay her no matter what.


    But even if Red Bean had never tried to save him, being chivalrous in spirit, Ye Que could never leave her to fend for herself. He had begun to feel a fondness towards her since they first met.


    "But there''s definitely no way we''ve met before. Still, she insists otherwise. Why? That''s strange." Ye Que muttered quietly to himself, as he bent to lift her up.


    Then he stopped. Carrying her in his arms seemed hardly appropriate and this would hinder his escape.


    For all his triumphant adventures and swashbuckling exploits across the Three Realms, Ye Que had scarcely interacted with members of the fairer gender. He had never thought himself to be good with ladies.


    His was a live devoid of romantic and passionate encounters!


    Looking at the unconscious Red Bean lying on the floor, he felt nervous and flustered, not knowing what to do.


    He had absolutely no experience in handling matters of such subtlety!


    The great hall was flooded with ankle-deep water and Red Bean''s flowing white robes were beginning to soak wet against her skin, the drenched fabric beginning to mound to her curves that they also looked filmy and translucent around her chest.


    Ye Que jerked his head away quickly, his face burning red as he blushed.


    His mind went blank momentarily.


    The water began to rise even higher and the stinging chill around his ankles reminded him that.


    He pinched himself hard, trying to pull himself back into reality. He needed to take Red Bean with him. He could carry her in his arms, with his waist bent slightly forward. But that would look terrible. As same could be said for carrying her under his armpit and over his shoulders. Red Bean was a lady, not a sack of grain.


    "Can I carry her on my back?"


    Ye Que was still wondering his option when he peered at her again. Her chest was fully drenched and the diaphanous fabric on her chest was almost transparent now! Carry her in his arms would definitely be out of the question now!


    "Gosh."


    "Women... Troublesome indeed..."


    There was no other way. Yue Que kept reminding himself that he was to save the woman, not to take advantage of her as he began to lift her.


    Gently, he placed his hands under Red Bean''s thighs.


    He lifted her up and placed her on his back, while trying to keep as much distance as possible between his back and her body.


    But no matter how hard he tried, he could still feel the strange, tingling sensation of her chest bumping on his back.


    Ye Que gasped for breath. It was the first time he felt so discombobulated. This was the first time he felt this way despite his lifetime of dangers and perils. He took a long, deep breath, and another. Still, the strange uneasy tension lingered over him as his heart thumped loudly, rendering him so uncomfortable that he began to feel his cheeks burning.


    "I''m definitely not trying to take advantage of you."


    "But I can''t keep walking like this anymore."


    "I don''t know if you''re able to hear me, but I''ve just told you that I''m only trying to help. I''ll just have to assume that you are fine with this."


    Ye Que gave a little toss, with Red Bean''s motionless body rising slightly before dropping back down on his back as he tried to get a better grip. He had no idea if she had heard him, or he was merely talking to himself.


    He applied a bit more strength, holding her down on his back that her chest was lying flat on his back. He strengthened his grip too, holding her thighs with a little bit more force.


    "She''s... Her... So soft!"


    The thoughts came to his mind so suddenly, that he began to wonder if he was a pervert in nature. "How can my thoughts be so dirty?"


    As Ye Que was still struggling with his own emotions for what seemed like an eternity, Time barely passed. The Demon King''s doppelgangers and the eight cloaked strangers were still furiously fighting each other. The glowing radiance continued blazing gently, beckoning towards the group of handful of survivors watching from aside.


    When two dogs fight for a bone, the third will be the one that runs away with it. Only in this case, everyone was hungry to be the proverbial third dog.


    Ye Que alone tore towards the entrance of the underground cave without as much as a look back. There was no time with the rising water level and the unconscious Red Bean on his back for him to dwell any longer.


    The building pressure from the Luo River had forced the mouth of the opening to be twice as large as it was! Water was rushing through the opening like a huge waterfall into the great hall which would have long been completely flooded if not for its spacious length and breadth.


    From his hands to Red Bean''s legs, Ye Que sent one sliver of Divine Energy to seal her mouth and nose, preventing her from drowning.


    Straw Dog, his blue Spirit Sword, pierced forth against the raging water current;


    Ye Que unleashed the Torrential Deflection, a Rank-2 technique of the Qingqiu Sword Sect.


    He lowered himself into a half-squat and pushed with all his might! With Red Bean on his back, Ye Que sped out of the subterranean cavern, storming ahead in the path that his Straw Dog had opened.


    On more mundane circumstances, Ye Que would have loved to appreciate the morning breeze and bask in the warm sunlight, while enjoying the sights of flowers fluttering down into the autumn ripples of the water. But in his haste to get to safety, he hardly felt any beauty in everything taking place around him.


    He saw only the huge sapphire blue body of water he was swimming in, a world of blue that stretched out of view. The underwater undulations stroked lazily at him and he could see fishes swimming curiously around him. Below his feet, everything was laid submerged and dormant, as if held in stasis by the waters of the Luo River. Everything was quiet around him as colors begin to slowly fill his sight. The surface was near.


    Something was caressing his nose, and it turned out to be Red Bean''s long hair streaming in the water. Her hairband had fallen off sometime during the escape, and her white robes were clasping tightly to her skin no longer.


    A trail of blood; slicks of remnants left by the battle below were escaping from the mouth of the cave and a small whirlpool was beginning to build.

 Chapter 104 The Dark Valley and the Approaching Cavalry

    The moon was reflected on the water, its image so pristine like a mirror''s impression with plumes of clouds clustered together like a fortress in the sky.


    The waters of the 3000-mile long Luo River had flooded the subterranean Imperial Mausoleum, turning the place into an underwater necropolis, lost and submerged in the depths.


    Ye Que swam with Red Bean on his back, passing Lake Mingjing, the forest of obelisks, the passage of mermaids, the apothecary furnaces around the Giant Tree, and the halls of the golden mountain. Finally, he reached the main portcullis of the golden palace. He had encountered not a single person on his way there; everyone else he had encountered along the way before had disappeared and there were no corpses too, as if they never existed.


    As if everyone and everything had been consumed by this huge magical formation.


    Everything around him was colorful yet peculiar in the mysterious blue world of the underwater Luo River. Nevertheless, Ye Que retained sufficient confidence that he would be able to handle anything he would face.


    His physique and his pool of spiritual energies were utterly transformed and revamped by the Divine Book. He could now feel the immense strength coursing in his veins, the very same sensation of his peak condition he once felt during his youth. He now felt completely different compared to before entering the Imperial Mausoleum.


    He was sure; he was now nearing the Realm of Starburst!


    Ye Que was positively confident that with his current strength, he would surely be able to slay Jiang Liuyun, the prodigy from Mount Shu, in a mortal combat.


    Then again, he would have to plea incompetence before the collective might of the eight cloaked strangers of Mount Shu. They were, after all, warriors of the Formless Realm. He would also never dare to antagonize Nan Fengxiu; never did he expect that the woman would carry with her a conjured double of the Demon King Ye Fanghua. He could only thank the stars that he had not been on her wrong side, lest he would die a most painful death. Not even the former Ye Que, the warrior who reigned supreme across the Three Realms could ever hope to best the Demon King in battle.


    A simple person of relatively modest background like Ye Que never be accorded an audience with the Demon King. Rumors has it that the Demon King was already a near-omnipotent being during the time of Ye Que''s former life, the ultimate champion of the Demon World that all worshipped and feared. It was beyond any doubt that the present Demon King has yet to reach his former strength. Still, he must have encountered a string of fortuitous encounters that enabled him to reach his present level of strength in these centuries.


    With his Divine Energy now replenished, Ye Que penetrated through the underwater currents with no difficulty, tearing swiftly out of the golden hall.


    Behind him, Red Bean remained unconscious but Ye Que was no longer transferring Divine Energy to her. He had inadvertently found out that she was different to normal humans, being able to breathe underwater through her skin.


    Instead resembling a human, Red Bean was more like a fish underwater that she may even enjoy being underwater more than other aquatic life forms.


    Ye Que had felt it heavy when he was carrying her on his back at the subterranean hall. Yet since entering underwater, she was as light as a feather that he barely felt himself carrying her, especially when he failed to notice her breathing.


    "She has so many secrets..."


    "I''m a little curious to find out, I admit."


    "What exactly are you? Are you a mermaid? That''s unlikely, since you were so good at fighting," Ye Que wondered to himself.


    Ye Que stepped outside the gates of the golden hall and suddenly, a huge blast came from behind. Something was rumbling under his feet and out of the blue, a huge, invisible force erupted from below, propeling him towards the water surface.


    "Something must''ve happened in that cave!" His first guess was that something had gone wrong with the Divine Tool.


    They had just emerged above the surface of the water when the structure of the golden palace below him began shaking violently and the whole underwater edifice collapsed and crumbled in the powerful quake that crevices and chasms began to crack open on the river bed around the rubbles of the fallen palace!


    Another huge force swelled from underwater. Realizing his chance, Ye Que waited and pushed off his feet when the rush of explosion rose from the depths, using it to springboard himself out of the water and into the air, while quickly conjuring the Pacifism. Despite being a little more than a feet, Ye Que had no difficulty in riding it into the air with the spirit sword that radiated a 3-feet wide Sword Qi around it.


    Flying against the wind on his sword and with Red Bean on his back, Ye Que tore away from the vicinity of the Imperial Mausoleum in the direction his memory was directing him to.


    But unbeknownst to him, a faint, dark shadow glided out of the water silently just when the underwater palace caved in.


    It leaped out of the surface of the water and zipped into the sky, flying past mountains and clouds before it escaped the gigantic magical circle of the Imperial Mausoleum. With another violent convulsion, it picked up its pace and disappeared into thin air.


    So gone the dark shadow from the depths of the water.


    Tens of thousands of miles away,


    In a valley shielded from sunlight, was a group of silent men. Huddled together in utter reticence and a gloom completely devoid of any radiance from the Sun, a glimmer of light suddenly burst into life; not of warm orange-crimson, but a purple-black glow from an oil lamp. The morbid flame flickered gently, revealing the advent of a dark shadow that turned into a black-colored eye looking so ghoulishly foul as if its gaze could penetrate all things and all men alike.


    The silent crowd stared at the lamp and its flame before their gazes fell upon the eye.


    Immediately, the group fell on their knees reverently, prostrating themselves with utmost deference.


    Their expressions conveyed the very same message: these were devotees witnessing their own God.


    A peal of black ravens tore out of the dark valley. The birds scattered; some flew towards the prairies of the great Kingdom of Yan and the ancient realm of Nanzhou and Dongyue, while some other flapped their wings frantically towards the mythic domains of Qingqiu and the Demon World. A great portion of the rest, however, flew towards the capital of the Tang Empire, Luo Yang.


    The black ravens flew as quick as they could, with speeds comparable to common birds at first until they began to pick up more speed, rivaling even the supersonic sword of Mount Shu.


    The ravens arrived at Luoyang at just two-hours of flight, a mere fraction of the time that ordinary pigeons needed to cover such distances. One of them flew into the General''s Residence, and dove straight for the chambers of the second lady of the household, Xiao Huating''s room, and was caught by the lady herself.


    The raven looked at Xiao Huating, then nipped gently at the center of her palm before disappearing in a burst of black fumes that left only a little strip of message in her hand.


    Xiao Huating''s eyes went wide as she read the message. She stood up instantly, not being able to hide the excitement throbbing in her eyes. "It finally appeared... It finally appeared..." She repeated to herself profusely, "At long last, I can finally leave this god-forsaken place and this accursed city!"


    "Servant!" She called loudly.


    A servant stepped into her chamber, heads bowed, and came to her, awaiting her orders.


    "Get the carriage ready, I''m paying a visit to the Second Prince."


    The servant turned. But he barely took a few steps when Xiao Huating stopped him. "Wait. I''ll go with you directly."


    Before long, a carriage, bearing the mark of the Residence of the General of the Imperial Armies, stormed down the cobblestones of Yong''an Street, with a series of rapid cracks of a whip in its wake, reaching the Residence of the Second Prince in less than a quarter of an hour.


    Such are the privileges accorded to Xiao Huating, master of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies and the commander of the 200,000-strong army of the Ye Clan, that even a Prince of the Empire would do well to please her.


    In no time, the Li Chunyu, the Second Prince of the Empire walked out of the inner chambers to greet her.


    "Xiao Huating at your service, Your Highness," Xiao Huating greeted him courteously.


    "There''s no need for such formalities, Madam Xiao. Please make yourself at home. All things considered, especially my rapport with General Ye, you are definitely my senior. It is I who owes you respect," said the Prince who quickly held her, stopping her from bowing down to him.


    "So, what brings you here today, and how can I help you, Madam Xiao? If it''s about Yunhai, please don''t worry. I''ve made arrangements with the Ministry of War; I expect their reply to be quick. The Ministry might be hardpressed to make him a Captain General, but I''m sure a Lieutenant General should not be problem. The respect and admiration to the late General Ye himself is enough to convince the Imperial Court to reconsider."


    The Prince smiled as he spoke. He was under the impression that Xiao Huating was here to lobby for a grand future for her son; the rank of a lowly field officer was indeed a tad to low for a scion of such pedigree.


    While Ye Zhengru might want to train his heir by wanting the young scion to climb up the ranks for his own good, the old General was no more. The current assigned rank for the young heir of the household of the General of the Imperial Armies was but in fact a blatant humiliation.


    "That''s not the reason I''m here today, Your Highness. I have information for you." Xiao Huating revealed calmly.


    "Information?" Li Chunyu blurted, slightly surprised.


    "Yes. A piece of news that''s of extreme significance to you," Xiao Huating added, shrugging gently before she continued, "It could affect your future."


    "Then, pray enlighten me, Madam."


    Li Chunyu would have dismissed such information as nonsence and have the person driven out of his residence if it was anyone else but Xiao Huating. But there was but only one issue that could matter with the Second Prince of the great Tang Empire: the throne of the Emperor. There was no other route for him in his future; he would either ascend to the throne, or certain death awaited him, there was no other way.


    However, this was the master of the General''s Residence speaking; she who commanded a 200, 000-strong army. Despite being female in an age where patriarchy prevailed, her words bore so much weight that not only Li Chunyu must heed intently, he must do so with every shred of focus he could muster.


    Xiao Huating looked at Li Chunyu, and her eyes wandered to the map of the Empire hanging on the wall.


    There were but only so many people who possessed the skill to draw a map with so much detail across the entire Tang Empire.


    She walked to the map slowly, and rested her finger on the site of the capital at the center of the Empire''s domain, before her finger traced all the way to the North, stopping on the grassland realm of the great Kingdom of Yan.


    "I''ve been informed that the Kingdom of Yan had just dispatched a force of 150,000 riders heading South today. I expect them to begin the assault on You Prefecture tomorrow at dawn, followed by the prefectures of Liang and Qing. Winter is upon us and the wolves from the North are here to forage for supplies to weather the frost," said Xiao Huating casually as her finger retraced back down South.


    "A 150,000-strong calvary?" Li Chunyu stammered in disbelief, leaping to his feet immediately.


    Xiao Huating nodded.


    "May I know the source of this information, Madam? Is it reliable?" Li Chunyu asked, his brows creased into a distressed frown.


    "You do not need to trouble yourself with such details, Your Highness. Rest assured that my information is accurate; a invasion is at hand," Xiao Huating paused and continued, "This may seem to be a crisis, but it''s also an opportunity; one that allows you to contribute to your nation and allow you to stand out."


    Her fingers tapped gently onto the map as she casually voiced her plan, "The Crown Prince is superior than you in all aspects but one: military valor. The Tang Empire was established on the basis of a strong military force; hence valor has always been a quality heavily valued in the Imperial Court. What would the Emperor think if you, dear Prince, are the one who thwarted this incoming invasion, Your Highness? What would the rest of the Imperial Court think of you? What would your people think of you?"


    "Who else would best be the future ruler of the Tang Empire, than the Prince who has the respect of the Imperial Armies and the fear of the Empire''s enemies?"


    "With your permission, dear Prince, the armies of the Ye Clan is at your service, Your Highness."


    "Why?"


    "For the greatness of the Ye Clan."


    "I, Xiao Huating, am willing to do what I can to ensure your triumph, Your Highness."

 Chapter 105 Leave No Survivor

    Xiao Huating was indeed gambling. However, she wasn''t betting on Li Chunyu''s victory.


    It didn''t matter to her who would win. All she needed was to convince the Second Prince to start the counter-attack, so the massive army of the Ye Family could go on an expedition to the grassland with legitimate reasons.


    The crows cawed when the moon went down and the fog misted up.


    Li Chunyu was holding a secret letter that he had waited for a very long time. It seemed that by telling him the approaching cavalry from the grassland, Xiao Huating was thinking for his future, wishing for him to make great contributions to the nation¡ªon the condition that all her words were true. After all, the cheating and deceiving that were taking place within the imperial court were way more outrageous than anyone could''ve thought. As a prince and a promising candidate to the crown, he must think thoroughly before making any decision, because any mistake could bring him immense regret and suffering.


    Reading the secret letter, Li Chunyu was in deep thought. Xiao Huating was telling the truth. There was indeed a cavalry of one hundred and fifty thousand coming out from the grassland.


    For the imperial court, it would be a crisis, a tough battle. Lots of people would die. For him, Li Chunyu, however, it would be an opportunity that he couldn''t afford to miss. The rising Tang Empire had been known for its prosperity and strength, barely any bandits would dare to cause any trouble within the nation, let alone the surrounding small nations. The only nation that would dare to invade was from the grassland, for they would rather die in battle than suffer an ignominious death by starvation. However, how often exactly would these barbarians from the north invade the south?


    Three years?


    Or five?


    And how many years would a prince have to spend?


    That was also why the Crown Prince had never had any military honor until today. These years had been too peaceful to have any battles. Even if wars happened, they were pretty much ended by Ye Zhengru ten years ago. The army of the Ye Family had fought across the whole country and made countless contributions to the nation. As a matter of fact, they were the ones who ensured the stability and peace of the imperial court.


    Li Chunyu believed that the grassland saw the death of Ye Zhengru as an opportunity for them to attack. They believed that his death would have caused instability within the Military.


    Plus, the winter was about to arrive. Instead of being starved or frozen to death, they''d rather fight with all their might down south.


    Maybe they thought they wouldn''t lose all the time.


    "Two hundred thousand soldiers of the Ye Family? Against the grassland cavalry of size one hundred and fifty thousand?" Li Chunyu squinted and tapped gently onto the back of the chair. He was weighing the pros and cons of this potential confrontation.


    The flame in the lamp flickered, and it started to snow outside.


    The first snow of this winter had arrived so early!


    Embracing the snow, Li Chunyu dressed up and made his trip to the palace without anyone noticing.


    The emperor didn''t seem to be surprised by Li Chunyu''s late visit. It seemed that the news of cavalry invasion had already been spread within the palace.


    Li Chunyu walked to his father''s bedroom. It was already midnight, yet this man over his fifties was still going through memorials to the throne. The soup next to him had been already heated for three times, and the lamps around him also had their oil added for plenty of times.


    Walking to the emperor slowly, Li Chunyu stood there without making a sound, and waited patiently for his father to finish going through all the memorials.


    "Chunyu, why do you visit me so late at night?" asked the emperor as he put aside the memorials he had checked. He raised his head and rubbed the middle of his eyebrows, then looked at Li Chunyu. His hair might be all white, yet he could still look deeply in one''s eyes as if he could read his mind.


    "Father, a cavalry force of one hundred and fifty thousand riders will reach the You Prefecture tomorrow. They will follow their path to Liang Prefecture and Qing Prefecture. I would like to ask for your permission to lead an army for a counter-attack. We will make sure not one enemy will survive." said Li Chunyu in a powerful tone. Each of his words was filled with confidence.


    Looking at Li Chunyu, the old emperor waved to the outside. An old eunuch soon came in. "Please heat the soup up." He said.


    "Oh and, get some food for the Second Prince as well."


    After saying that, he asked Li Chunyu, "What do you want to eat?"


    Looking at his father, Li Chunyu shook his head and said, "I''m not hungry, father."


    "A bowl of porridge then, with some wild ginseng. It''s snowing outside, the porridge will keep you warm."


    No longer trying to turn down the offer, Li Chunyu looked at his father and said, "Thank you, father."


    Soon enough, a hot bowl of soup and a nourishing bowl of porridge were served to the father and son who began gobbling their food slowly, with puffs of hot air escaping their mouths each time they breathed.


    "Your brother was here earlier, too." The emperor said in a seemingly casual manner.


    "My brother?" Li Chunyu stopped the urge to say something as the corner of his mouth twitched.


    "He also came to ask for my permission to lead an army for this expedition. He even presented a proposal from the Military, and was very well prepared." continued the emperor.


    "He had barely ridden a horse, let alone leading an army. Poetry and painting are what he''s good at. Those grassland cavalries are definitely no joke, failure could mean a disaster for the nation. Every household from You to Liang Prefecture will be looted, you know those barbarians never show any mercy." said Li Chunyu as he frowned.


    "The Military will send a general who''s able to lead an army with him. He doesn''t need to lead the army to fight, he just needs to be in charge." The emperor said calmly.


    "Then what''s the purpose of sending him there? Any of us can go," questioned Li Chunyu. He was finally getting a little agitated.


    "Your brother is the Crown Prince. He said he needs to make this contribution in order to win the throne." The emperor didn''t hide this from Li Chunyu and he continued, "Do you need it as well? "


    For a country that was established with a strong military background, the military honor outweighs everything else.


    If that was something that Xiao Huating and Li Chunyu could figure out, others obviously could as well, let alone the Crown Prince.


    As the Crown Prince, he was definitely no idiot.


    Even if the whole world was filled with idiots, Li Jianqi''s father wouldn''t be one of them. Just as Li Chunyu was still contemplating whether he should make the request or not, the Crown Prince had already made his move. Within half a day, he had gotten the Military support and even had selected the leading general. He had told his father everything about his plan and didn''t even hide his genuine thoughts and purpose.


    What an overt scheme.


    As the Crown Prince, he did everything publicly. It didn''t matter how ugly the process might be, once he obtained the success, there would be applause for him everywhere.


    Li Chunyu remained silent for a long while. He kept his head down, quietly finishing his bowl of porridge cleanly without wasting a single grain.


    "Father, I believe I would be more suited to lead this expedition."


    The emperor did not respond or even raised his head. He slowly put a spoonful of soup into his mouth.


    "Although Ye Zhengru is gone, the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Ye Family are left. I am willing to lead them to confront our enemies," said Li Chunyu as he looked at his father.


    Noticing that the emperor stopped moving the spoon, he continued, "In my humble opinion, I believe the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Ye Family are on par with the one hundred and fifty thousand grassland cavalry. I know the army of Ye is known to be invincible, yet I am not a legend like General Ye, it would be good enough for me to defeat the grassland cavalry."


    Who would have thought that Li Chunyu would volunteer to lead the 200,000-strong armies of the Ye Clan in order to persuade his father to allow him the opportunity to lead this expedition?


    No emperor would be able to tolerate the existence of a family army like the Ye family''s. They believed that people should obey their emperor, not the grand general.


    "You can command the army of Ye?" asked the old emperor as he looked up at Li Chunyu, "This army is different from every other army. They are known as the army of Ye because they only obey those from their own family."


    "Either you or your brother will lead the expedition, I have no objection. However, there''s one requirement¡ªthose barbarians cannot pass You Prefecture. We have to win this battle."


    Li Chunyu continued looking at his father, then nodded with assurance, "I can do that."


    "I can command the army of Ye."


    "Among those one hundred and fifty thousand cavalries, not even one shall escape alive."


    "Among those two hundred thousand soldiers of the Ye Family, not more than ten thousand of them shall survive."


    A chilly wind penetrated the room. The old emperor put aside the soup, pointed at the bed and said, "Let''s talk up there."


    Ever since he entered this room, Li Chunyu had been standing upright. When he asked for permission to lead the expedition, he was given a bowl of porridge. Now that he offered a strategy to kill two birds with one stone, he was allowed to go onto the bed.


    When Li Chunyu took off his boots and moved onto the bed, there were already an incense burner and a piece of white paper next to the emperor. On the paper were a few sentences in tiny font. Judging from the ink, it was written a moment ago.


    The font was tiny, yet full of strength like a cypress on a hill.


    "Leave no survivor."


    The old emperor only wrote a few words on the paper. After reading it, Li Chunyu folded it gently and put it into the burner.


    There was no incense in the burner, only a layer of red charcoal. Upon meeting the charcoal, the paper started to become curly and yellow, and eventually started burning. The flame was one inch high, and last for two breaths, then it turned into a pile of ashes.


    The lives of three hundred and fifty thousand people just vanished as they talked, like the flame vanishing into dust.


    "The time the army of Ye requests to go on the expedition shall be the time for you to lead."


    After saying that, the emperor paused in silence and added, "I remember that Ye Zhengru has a son, do bring him along with you. The Military can make him a Lieutenant General if necessary. It''s an expedition of the armies of the Ye Clan after all. You''ll need somebody from the Ye Family to instil loyalty and confidence."


    "By the way, does Ye Zhengru have any other sons?"


    After thinking about it, Li Chunyu said, "I heard he has an illegitimate son."


    "Illegitimate? Where is he? What is he doing now?"


    "He was in Luoyang. When the River Soldiers were excavated, I heard that he entered that Imperial Mausoleum. He seemed to be a cultivator, but I don''t know which realm he''s in."


    "Let the Judicature keep an eye on him. If he made it out alive from that Mausoleum, make sure he dies just like his old man."


    It seemed that the emperor wished to bury the General''s Manor for good.


    It continued to snow. Soon enough, the entire Luoyang City was covered in a white veil. Everything was dressed in silver, as if a world in a fairytale. The Second Prince Li Chunyu walked out of the palace slowly. Instead of taking the carriage back, he paced slowly in the snow, contemplating over every word in the conversation between him and his father, trying to find anything missing or problematic, if at all.


    The reputation of a general is always built upon thousands of corpses in a war!


    Looking back at the palace, Li Chunyu said to himself, "Everyone craves to sit on that throne, but that''s no easy feat."

 Chapter 106 It Feels a Little Cold During Snowfall

    It snowed for an entire night in Luoyang City.


    At dawn, the invitational memorial from the Ye Army was delivered into the palace.


    Xiao Huating received affirmation from Li Chunyu. The latter had readily agreed to even the request for Ye Yunhai to accompany him on the conquest. He seemed to have made up his mind to become the Second Prince. Of course, this had caused the minute guilty feeling in Li Chunyu''s heart to disappear.


    The hearts of Emperors were made of steel and cold as ice. Since Li Chunyu had such an ambition, it was natural that he made such requests of himself.


    However, he could not have imagined that Xiao Huating''s goals were aligned with his to a certain degree. Li Chunyu had promised his father to never allow the Ye Army back into Luoyang¡ªnot even a single steed. Likewise, Xiao Huating was not planning to allow the souls of 200 thousand soldiers slip away from her grasp.


    She had spent the past two decades or so for this moment to happen. She had only one task to accomplish, and that was to do anything she could to get hold of the souls of the Ye Army soldiers.


    To this end, she came up with many ideas and used many devious tricks, even using herself as a pawn in this chess game.


    In fact, she had gradually gained control over the army many years ago by planting her people in its ranks, from squad leaders to deputy generals. It had taken far too long, and it was her only task, so she had put in extra effort into it. Everyday, she waited for news that it was time to reel in her catch.


    Finally, a completely black crow flew into her room, bearing a message for her. It was a summon from a faraway place.


    It was a message for her to awaken and reel in her catch.


    For one entire day and night, Xiao Huating danced in joy. She lost control of herself and could not even fall asleep. She was very clear what awakening herself and the souls of 200 thousand soldiers meant!


    Only the resurrection of the "Lord" could activate her, and only his revival could have required the blood of so many people.


    In truth, Xiao Huating did not really know how many ironclad cavalry troops from the plains had arrived or where they came from. It was inconsequential for her, however. Since the crow told her that 150 thousand cavalry troops would come from the South, it had to be true.


    After the loss at the epic battle a century ago, the followers of the "Lord" had dispersed among human lands. They operated tirelessly for a few generations, quietly awaiting their time to change the course of history.


    Ye Que would have been greatly shocked if he had stood here beside Xiao Huating and could read her mind. This was because there was no cavalry arriving from the North in the dimension he was living in now, nor had 200 thousand Ye Army soldiers ventured forth into battle. Even up till the day Xiao Huating died, no summon came from Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness.


    It was as if everything had been altered.


    And it was a game changer.


    The land was still the same, and the only variable was Ye Que himself.


    Ye Que was the cause of the Butterfly Effect, but he was unaware of this fact. If he could turn back time and replay each frame of his past actions, he would realize that the problem originated from the Divine Book in his body.


    If Ye Que had not reverted back to his youth, he should have been training hard to master fundamental sword skills in Qingqiu Sword Sect now and definitely would not have entered the Imperial Mausoleum. If he had not entered the mausoleum, both Li Jianqi and Nalan Rongruo would have died long ago, and Red Bean could possibly have died too. Of course, this was not the most crucial point.


    The most important factor was the page of the Divine Book hidden below the altar!


    In fact, if one thought about it seriously, the River Soldiers, Battle Soul of Founding Father and Undying Dragon Bones were all assisting the Divine Book. This was because there was something hidden beneath the page that the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness had been searching for a long time to no avail.


    Many people had died in the Imperial Mausoleum in the previous generation, and the River Soldiers was also retrieved then. However, a few other items were still left buried deep within the ground and never emerged from the mausoleum. With these items still in the ground, the object that the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness was seeking was unable to break free by itself and remained forever in the mausoleum.


    However, everything changed with Ye Que''s presence.


    Li Jianqi obtained the Battle Soul of the Tang Dynasty''s Founding Father, while Red Bean obtained the Undying Dragon Bones. The River Soldiers was also successfully summoned, while Ye Que managed to find the page from the Divine Book with the help of the voice in his mind. All of the real treasures in the Imperial Mausoleum had been retrieved, and naturally, the magical enchantments had been broken, allowing the Black Eyes, which had been suppressed for all this while, to successfully escape and appear in the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness.


    After which, countless numbers of crows flew over China. Xiao Huating was awakened, and two men in the palace of the Tang Dynasty decided the fates of 350 thousand soldiers.


    Everything was spiraling far away from the original course of history.


    Far, far away.


    The gates of Luoyang City were thrown open, and 200 thousand Ye Army soldiers in full armor and holding spears embarked on their conquest in the snow. Hundreds of kilometers away at Mount Mei came a youth who was flying around on a sword. He carried a young lady in white robes on his back, and her eyes were shut, but she held on with dear life onto a black oil paper umbrella.


    Since he escaped from the Gold Palace, Ye Que had begun flying on his sword. He estimated that he was flying in the direction of One Line Gorge, but he did not know where he had begun to deviate from his original course. Perhaps, it was the effect of the formation, or perhaps it was due to the fact that the endless Luo River was always beneath him, making it hard to navigate.


    Whatever the reason was, there was no One Line Gorge in sight when Ye Que reached the border of the Imperial Mausoleum.


    He passed through layers of weak Spiritual Force Barriers and finally managed to escape from the Imperial Mausoleum.


    He stood at the midpoint of the mountain and turned to look behind him. A lake was sitting above ground¡ªa lake in the mountains!


    Overnight, the original mausoleum had been replaced by a lake filled with water from the Luo River.


    He had been flying on his sword for an entire day and night without rest. Even though his Divine Energy reserves were full now, he began to feel a little exhausted and placed Red Bean gently on the ground. Ye Que himself then sat down as well.


    He managed to recover a little of his energy after two hours of meditation.


    He turned back to look at Red Bean, only to find her eyes still shut. She was still unconscious.


    His cheeks began to feel a little cold. He did not know when it had begun to snow. At first, a few small ice crystals fell, before they turned into larger and larger petals of snow. It was as if an opening had been torn apart from the thick layers of clouds.


    Snow fell all around him.


    After they emerged from water, Red Bean had reverted back to normal human form. Her chest rose and fell gently, and her small mouth opened a little. Without any True Energy to protect her, the young lady seemed to be unable to withstand the chilliness from the cold weather and falling snow and began to shiver.


    Ye Que looked to his sides before placing her back on his back. He began to look quickly around the mountainside for shelter against the cold wind, eventually managing to find a cave about a few meters wide. Even though the opening was huge, it was still much better and more comfortable than trying to shield themselves from the wind and snow outside.


    He walked out of the cave after placing Red Bean properly inside. A cold wind was blowing, and the temperature outside had fallen. In her current condition, Red Bean needed more than shelter from the wind.


    She was a practitioner of Starburst Realm power that had survived the ordeal in the Imperial Mausoleum. Ye Que would be unable to forgive himself if she died from cold.

 Chapter 107 Heartbea

    t


    Snowfall on Mount Mei was slightly stronger than that in Luoyang, and a chilly wind was blowing. It howled across the mountain, and the secluded valley, with its shriveled grass and single flickering flame looked far from civilisation and pitiful.


    There was a small pile of firewood in the cave now, and a fire was burning beside it. Not far away from it lay the still unconscious Red Bean. Her soaked long robes had already been dried by the fire, but it was obvious that the temperature in the cave was still a little cold for her.


    Her eyes were shut, and she kept shivering. At the same time, her brows were tightly furrowed, and it was evident that she was suffering.


    Ye Que stood serenely beside the fire. He was holding onto a wooden stick, and a snowcock was pierced through by it.


    The feathers of the chicken had been plucked cleanly off, and its innards had already been dug out, leaving only the tender flesh of the bird on the stick. Ye Que cast a glance at Red Bean and made the fire burn even stronger. As it crackled and rose a few more inches high, the warmth in the cave increased slightly.


    The white snowcock was swiveling on the fire, and its skin was the first part to change color. It turned from snow white to a pale yellow, then to golden yellow before it began to char slightly. The epidermal layer began to curl and even looked as though it had turned crispy.


    A drop of golden yellow fat dripped from the flesh of the bird as it slowly swiveled in the flame, before trickling along its skin and falling into the fire. The flames instantly soared before dying down again, and the sweet scent of meat pervaded the cave.


    Ye Que brought the stick right in front of him and used his finger to poke the outer skin of the snowcock. After feeling that it was just right, he tore off the tenderest part of the bird at the center of its wings and scooped up a small pile of snow outside the cave before using his Spiritual Force to melt it. He then slowly fed Red Bean with the water and meat.


    Snowcocks were highly resistant to cold and their meat contained many calories. It was perfectly suitable for Red Bean in her current condition.


    Ye Que used his Spiritual Force to slice the snowcock meat and let it follow the flow of melted snow water into Red Bean''s stomach. Eventually, she stopped shivering and there was a reddish glow on her face.


    Ye Que finished the rest of the snowcock and fed Red Bean another three times.


    As the night grew darker.


    The snow grew heavier.


    The howl of the cold wind grew more intense.


    The temperature in the cave dropped, and it became pointless even to sit right beside the fire. Of course, it was not a problem for Ye Que as he had his Divine Energy for protection. This level of coldness was not a concern for him.


    However, Red Bean was still unconscious, and even though she had a high level of cultivation, she had not channeled her True Energy; in fact, it was continuously seeping away, and her Spiritual Sea still seemed as though she was in battle. "Could it be that she still hasn''t managed to subdue the Undying Dragon Bones?"


    As a practitioner, she should not be feeling so cold, even without Spiritual Force to protect her!


    Ye Que shook his head; he was feeling a little frustrated.


    After a while.


    A soft grunt came from Red Bean, who was lying down beside him. It sounded as though she was in great pain.


    "Sigh."


    Ye Que turned and sighed. He lifted his head to look at the immense amount of snow falling from the skies before turning his attention to the fire beside his hand, and finally to Red Bean who was lying on the floor.


    "What should I do?"


    "Let her fight this on her own? Based on her level of cultivation, it shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Even if I wanted to help her, how should I go about doing that? There''s already a fire burning, and I''ve given her water and calories. What can I do?"


    "Do I have to hug her to keep her warm then?"


    Ye Que did harbor some dirty thoughts. Even though he was a practitioner, he was not purely a "Taoist" or "Buddhist". In his previous life, he trained in swordsmanship, and after reverting back to his youth, he went with whatever he felt like doing. Naturally, this meant that he did not have any strict rules to follow, nor did he have to, as he never joined any sect. Strictly speaking, the only sect he joined was the Divine Sect, of which he was its leader. He wrote the rules of the sect.


    However, he immediately smashed the thought into pieces when it began to take root.


    It was true that he liked Red Bean, but he was no ruffian. The young lady was unconscious now, and wouldn''t it be taking advantage of her if he hugged her without her consent?


    Furthermore, if she got to know about such a thing, it was hard to say what she would do, what with her volatile temper. If things went wrong, she could very possibly dice him into pieces. Even if his head was left intact, it was hard to say if she would not slice his private parts away.


    "Sigh."


    Ye Que sighed again before looking reluctantly at his own body. He then took off his overcoat and covered Red Bean with it.


    "I''m done all I can as a loyal friend!"


    "Look, I''ve even given you my overcoat. If you still continue to feel cold, there''s not much I can do for you anymore. At most, I''ll make the fire burn stronger."


    He added all of the firewood beside him into the fire, and the flames did really burn more intensely, but it did not help much. It was still as cold as it should feel in such weather.


    What good could this small flame do in never ending snow and howling, chilly wind?


    Ye Que covered Red Bean''s entire body with his overcoat and wrapped it tightly around her, only leaving her small face exposed. Luckily, men''s clothes were larger in nature and Ye Que himself was tall and big enough for his coat to cover the entire body of Red Bean.


    At first, it worked. After a while, Red Bean could be heard grunting intermittently, and ever her teeth had begun to chatter.


    He placed his fingers lightly on Red Bean''s forehead.


    It was boiling hot!


    Red Bean was having the chills!


    It was unexpected that a practitioner of her level would get the chills, and for her body temperature to soar to such levels.


    It seemed like the act of absorbing the Undying Dragon Bones was far too tough for Red Bean to handle. It had even shattered all of her defense mechanisms and temporarily transformed her into an ordinary person.


    Red Bean''s body temperature was getting increasingly high, and her cheeks were burning bright red by now. Yet, there was not a single drop of sweat on her forehead.


    It was indeed rather impossible to sweat in such cold conditions.


    Ye Que stared blankly at Red Bean and he struggled to decide what to do next.


    "Should I hug her or not? Should I? She should be able to understand if I hug her under such conditions, right? Yeah, she most definitely will."


    Ye Que gritted his teeth and scooped Red Bean up lightly from the floor and hugged her in his chest when he heard her moan in pain again. At first, he only touched her body slightly, but without waiting for him to adjust his position, the young lady in his chest instinctively squirmed and wormed her way deeper into his chest, and rubbed her head against it.


    She was totally behaving like a hurt kitten.


    Ye Que slowly channeled his Divine Energy and increased his own body temperature slightly. He raised his arm but did not know where to place it.


    After circling around her body for a long while, he placed his left hand on Red Bean''s back and used his right arm to cradle her head.


    Both of them were sitting in the cave beside a flickering flame, while snow was falling from the skies. It was entirely white outside, and the land was completely silent. Ye Que could only hear both of their hearts beating, as well as Red Bean''s soft breathing.


    At first, their hearts beat at different rhythms, but gradually, they fell into the same cadence.


    Ye Que did not lower his head to look at Red Bean, who had nestled into his chest. He used to be a Demon-slaying Asura, but he dared not look at her, as if she was a fearsome beast. Vaguely, a layer of scales appeared on one side of Red Bean''s face. It looked like fish scales, but it was more fearsome than that. It looked very faint.


    Naturally, Ye Que did not see it, as he had lifted his head to face the roof of the cave. His mind was blank right now.


    Tonight, Ye Que did not train; it was a marvel. He merely stared at the cave and spent the entire night listening to the falling snow and heartbeats.


    He even managed to remember how many times his heart had beaten¡ªa grand total of 52,821 times.

 Chapter 108 Meat Eating Young Lady

    Why did his heart beat 52821 times?


    Ye Que had begun counting when both his and Red Bean''s heart were beating to the same rhythm, up till the time when hers began to beat irregularly.


    Ye Que knew that the woman he was hugging close to his chest had already awoken when he sensed the difference in her heartbeat. Otherwise, it would not have undergone such a change.


    Instinctively, he lowered his head to look at Red Bean. He realized that she was still nestled in his chest and had not moved at all. There was not even any difference in the regularity of her breathing, and she looked as though she was a newborn child. Her eyes were still tightly shut, and her long eyelashes did not blink at all, as if she was deep in sleep. Ye Que knew that she was already awake, however, and wanted to wake her up when he realized that he was hugging her. What should he tell her after waking her up? How could he explain himself?


    In an instant, Ye Que realized the reason why Red Bean still kept her eyes shut even when she was already awake and why she was still acting as though she was deep in sleep. It was most probably due to the fact that she did not know how to handle the situation as well. Otherwise, her heart would not be beating so irregularly. It seemed to him that the irregular rhythm was because she was flustered.


    After understanding this, Ye Que immediately acted. He lowered his head again and glanced at the nearly perfect face of Red Bean before leaving her gently by the fire. He then even tidied the coat he had placed over her.


    He turned around and looked at the sky outside their cave, which was beginning to brighten up. He then stood up and walked into the snow storm.


    The snow was still falling on Mount Mei, and there were no signs of abating.


    The light of dawn pierced through the cover of the hills in the distant and shone down upon the mountain covered in white snow.


    Not long after, Ye Que returned to the cave with a snowcock in hand. It was impossible for ordinary people to survive a walk in the mountains in this rough weather, much less hunt. However, it was no big deal for practitioners of Ye Que''s level, as long as they were not injured.


    He prayed silently for the bird in his hand. In fact, it could have been a couple with the one he ate yesterday; he had even caught this new one not far away from the previous one.


    Of course, Ye Que would not have much pity for the snowcock. He firmly believed in the laws of nature, which dictated that the weak prey on the poor.


    He traversed through falling snow and stepped into the cave which sheltered him from the wind. The first thing he caught sight of was Red Bean, who had got up and was sitting serenely beside the fire. His clothes were already well folded and placed to one side.


    She lifted her head slightly as he walked in and looked at him with both eyes.


    Red Bean''s eyes were extremely clear, as clear as water in autumn. She looked very calm, and both of them looked directly into each other''s eyes while standing only about seven steps away from each other. They were not panicky, flustered, wary or fearful, and not even feeling any shy or awkward. There was only peace between them, as calm as a painting of the sky connected with water.


    Furthermore, there was a visible change in Red Bean from her previous self in the Imperial Mausoleum. An intense aura emanated from her at that moment, and her words were cold and cutting, pushing people directly away from her, as well as being explosive in nature. Now, from what he saw, she looked world-weary, as if she had distanced herself from worldly affairs and was extremely experienced in matters of the world. She looked like an older person who knew how to predict fate now.


    Could it be that the Undying Dragon Bones had the effect of changing one''s attributes?


    Ye Que lowered his head after looking at her for a while and showed her the snowcock in his hand, as if he was trying to report to her that he had not left her. Instead, he had been out hunting.


    They remained silent.


    Ye Que prepared the snowcock at half the speed compared to yesterday. He plucked all of the feathers from the bird and removed all of its innards before taking it outside and washing it with some water which he melted from snow using Spiritual Force. It was only then did he string the bird up on a wooden stick and returned slowly to the fire.


    He had added some firewood into the flame, and even though he had treated those that had been touched by snow, plumes of green smoke still rose out of the fire. It was slightly pungent, but it was not much of a problem. In fact, it created a natural barrier between him and Red Bean.


    It helped make the situation less awkward.


    "That day, after you became unconscious, the entire Imperial Mausoleum was flooded by water, and I carried you out of the underground Great Hall on my back. When we emerged, the disciples of Mount Shu was still fighting with the demons over the River Soldiers, and it was hard to tell who would prevail. Their strength was on par and both sides were evenly matched..."


    As they sat facing each other beside the fire, Ye Que did not ask her if she was awake, how she felt, or whether she felt better. They were slightly redundant, and he only told Red Bean what happened after she lost consciousness truthfully but briefly. Of course, he chose to gloss over the fact that he had hugged her for an entire night.


    Perhaps it was due to exhaustion that Red Bean began to relax as she listened to Ye Que. She did not sit up as straight as before, and even used her right hand to support her cheek gently.


    Her eyes fixed on the flame. More specifically, she was staring at the snowcock, which was slowly turning golden yellow.


    The fragrance of meat began to pervade the cave again, and Ye Que had finished speaking at this moment. Red Bean had remained completely silent while he was talking and only sat beside him and listened quietly. Eventually, she ended the conversation with two phrases.


    "I saved you the last time."


    "We''re even now."


    Her tone did not sound as if she was trying to end their relationship.


    Ye Que and Red Bean sat at opposite sides of the fire and were less than three steps away from each other. They looked at each other in silence.


    "I did what I should have done," Ye Que replied as he brought the cooked snowcock to his side. He still tore off the most tender part at the middle of its wing and passed it to Red Bean. "Your body is still extremely weak. Eat something. It may help you get better."


    Red Bean did not display any signs of shyness and received the meat from Ye Que in a calm and matter of fact fashion.


    She lowered her head to look at the golden brown meat in her hand and brought it close to her nose for a sniff, before taking small bites of it. Snowcocks were hard to find, and were even rarer after heavy snowfall. The flesh melted in her mouth, and it was evident from her expression after her first bite that she was surprised.


    "How could meat be so tasty!"


    Ye Que had spent the past century living alone without any female to help out with household chores. Naturally, this meant that he had to take care of his own meals and housework. Over time, he became well trained and experienced; the past hundred years of cooking had turned him into a great chef.


    In the blink of an eye, Red Bean had polished off the meat that Ye Que had given her and was looking at him.


    He understood instantly.


    He gave her the middle portion of the other wing. This time, Red Bean did not take small bites. Instead, she was evidently opening her mouth wider and finished it in a few mouthfuls. She then ate the thigh, breast, and claws of the snowcock as well. She was not a fussy eater and ate whatever Ye Que gave her.


    She had eaten the entire snowcock in a few minutes. Ye Que did not even manage to get a bite of it, and he was totally acting as a chef now.


    He looked at Red Bean after noticing that she had eaten the entire snowcock. He did not speak, but it was evident that he wanted to ask if she was already full.


    Likewise, Red Bean did not speak. Her gaze conveyed the message to him that she was still not full.


    Ye Que tied his clothes more tightly around him and stepped out of the cave again into the snow storm.


    Very quickly, he returned with a pile of still considerably clean firewood, along with a pump snow rabbit.


    He added more wood into the flame to make the fire stronger. He brought the rabbit near the entrance of the cave and skinned it before skewering it with the wooden stick and grilling it over the fire. Normal rabbit meat was incomparable to snow rabbit meat; the former was considered as normal meat, while the latter was great food.


    Snow rabbit meat was slightly harder to barbeque compared to snowcock meat, and the waiting time for it to get cooked was also slightly longer. This time, Red Bean no longer stared at the flame, but instead, she was staring at the snow rabbit meat without blinking. Even though she was not drooling, it was no different in Ye Que''s eyes. He had never expected this young lady, who was pretty good looking, unique in character and cool, would be so amazed by barbequed meat. She looked as though she had never eaten such cooking before, and seemed like she had been eating raw meat for all her life, and that it was the first time she ate something nice that was barbequed.


    This time, without Red Bean''s hints, Ye Que took the initiative to take the rabbit apart. First, he tore the thighs of the creature apart, then its chest meat, followed by...


    It ended the same like before. Red Bean polished off anything Ye Que gave her in two to three mouthfuls. Looking at Red Bean''s wide open mouth, as well as how she chewed, Ye Que wondered if the young lady had chewed the meat sufficiently well. How could she manage to swallow after just three bites?


    It took another few more minutes for the entire plump snow rabbit, one foot long and half a foot wide, to enter Red Bean''s stomach. The young lady had not even burped, and one glance at her small stomach told Ye Que that it was still flat, as if she had not eaten anything at all.


    "Are you still not full?" Ye Que asked again.


    Red Bean nodded vigorously, somewhat answering Ye Que.


    "Alright, wait a little while for me them. I''ll go out to find some food for you again. There should be many live animals in this mountain, but they''ve been hidden in the heavy snowfall," Ye Que said casually.


    He was already walking to the entrance of the cave after speaking.


    "Wait a minute."


    Red Bean made Ye Que stop all of a sudden. She sounded as though she had something to tell him but did not know how to go about doing it.


    "What''s the matter? Tell me what you''re thinking about. I''ll do my best if it''s something within my capabilities," Ye Que said.


    "Find something as large as you can spot," Red Bean said softly. She did not sound as cold as before; her tone was extremely calm.


    "What?" Ye Que did not manage to catch her.


    "I said, get something as large as you can find. Such birds and rabbits are not enough for me. They''re too small, Red Bean repeated, her tone evidently much louder than before. "I''m starving now, very, very hungry. I''m also feeling freezing. I need food to supply me with energy. I need a lot of food to replenish my energy. Meat is the best choice."


    She paused for a while before continuing again. "The meat cooked by you is very delicious. I like it very much, but it''s far too little for me."


    She then tapped her stomach to make her point. "After eating the snowcock and rabbit, I''m feeling even more hungry than before!"


    He stared blankly at Red Bean, who was still sitting beside the fire. Her original image was one of elegance, uniqueness and her always fluttering white robes. Now, she suddenly seemed a little "pitiful", as though Ye Que was not feeding her enough food, and that she was going to starve.


    Ye Que did not know he left the cave. He nearly lost his way in the snowstorm, but luckily he accomplished his mission.


    When Ye Que returned to the cave for the third time, Ye Que was carrying a wild boar from Mount Mei that was five feet long and 100 kilograms heavy. He was holding onto a date tree in his other hand. He tossed the boar to one side and summoned his Spirit Sword. With a few swings, shards of the tree began to fly around the cave, and the fine-looking date tree had been sliced into portions of firewood. He then added the firewood onto the flame.


    A faint fragrance of dates pervaded the air in the cave.


    A hungry young lady was waiting for her meat in the cave, while a youth was busy at work outside in the snow. Snowflakes evaporated from the heat emanating from his head as they fell on his sideburns and hair. Sweat dripped down his cheeks onto the ground, and they were crystal clear.

 Chapter 109 Telling Stories to Her

    After eating the whole wild boar, Red Bean patted on her stomach and wiped her mouth contentedly.


    A small mountain of pig bones was piled up next to the fire, and there was no meat left on the bones. All the meat had been eaten.


    "Are you full now?" Ye Que asked, sitting next to her. He was really shocked now after watching Red Bean to eat the whole wild boar from the beginning, because the weight of this pig was about to catch up with two of her. So how could this whole wild boar be loaded with such a little belly?


    Ye Que''s expression was now full of curiosity.


    "Half full, maybe." Looking at Ye Que, Red Bean said casually, "I will eat it later, now I have to consume the calories."


    "Half full!"


    After hearing the answer from Red Bean, Ye Que decided not to talk anymore. This little girl was too anomalous. How could she eat meat so fierce like a monster? If he could smell any Demonic Qi on Red Bean, Ye Que would really have some doubts that normal people would not have such a good appetite.


    This was already against the laws of the heaven and the earth.


    However, the world was so big that anything strange would be possible. Ye Que could only attribute such a thing to his ignorant.


    The snow outside the cave seemed to continue. When the snow fell between the mountains, there was a slight sound. If standing in the Mount Mei and looking at the Imperial Mausoleum in the ley lines of sovereignty, no one would have an idea of how many souls, secrets and past events were buried underneath the endless ice layer which was white, innocent, smooth and flat.


    Ye Que found a handkerchief from the sachet in the Yin-and-Yang Pouch that he brought with him and went to the entrance of the cave. He melted some ice into water with his hands and wet the handkerchief, then he took it back to Red Bean. Ye Que pointed to her mouth with a finger.


    Red Bean was puzzled and raised her eyebrows.


    Ye Que made another gesture and then said, "Oil stain."


    After listening to the explanation of Ye Que, Red Bean took the handkerchief and then wiped the corner of her mouth casually. The heavenly beautiful cheeks were pleasing to eyes even full of oil stains, and even made people feel a little cute.


    After picking up the handkerchief handed back by Red Bean, Ye Que put it back in the sachet, and then there was no more talk. Of course, he did not stare at Red Bean either. When the little girl was in a coma, he didn''t dare to look at her, let alone now. Red Bean didn''t say anything about that, but he couldn''t pretend to be there was nothing happened before. He really hugged the girl for a whole night.


    Since Ye Que did not talk, Red Bean was less likely to speak either. In the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty, she said that she was not good at speaking but doing.


    When Red Bean was in a coma, there was only one man and one woman in the cave. Ye Que did not feel anything inappropriate. Now Red Bean woke up. The cave was still the same cave. The snow was keeping falling. Nothing had changed. But Ye Que could not sit still anymore. If they just sat there without speaking, he would be bored to death.


    "Is your body recovering well?" Finally, Ye Que couldn''t stand the silence anymore, he spoke first. But even though he started the conversation, he felt the question was meaningless.


    Red Bean shook her heads. "Not good?"


    "How about your cultivation base? Has it recovered yet?" Ye Que continued to ask.


    "No." Red Bean shook her head again. "Now my body has no difference with ordinary people."


    "That means you can not start the journey?" Ye Que asked.


    "This will be no problem. The problem is that the snow is too heavy and cold, my body can''t bear it now. I will be frozen." Red Bean pointed outside the cave. "Maybe I will trouble you for some time. But I will refine the Dragon Bone inside my body as soon as possible."


    Ye Que waved his hand, indicating that this was not a big problem and it was what he should do.


    Seriously considered, Ye Que and Red Bean were simply met by chance that they did not know each other before, and she had only met him three times at most. Perhaps this was the fate. In the dark wasteland, Ye Que fell into the arms of Red Bean. If it was another person, he would definitely be dead. But somehow Red Bean just didn''t want to kill him, and even protected him all the way into the River Soldier Palace in the underground cave.


    And before Red Bean absorbed the Dragon Bone, she also entrusted herself to Ye Que. At that time, she did not consider whether he had the ability to protect her. Although the result was satisfactory, the process was extremely thrilling.


    If there was something happened beyond expectation, they would be dead without a burial.


    Both of them would be dead.


    The decisions made by the two people depending simply on their feelings. They had never thought of the result, but put their lives into the hands of each other.


    "You are special."


    "Not the same as other ''people''."


    This time it was Red Bean who broke the silence. When she said this, her expression and tone were very calm and serious, as if describing a very important thing.


    "You are also very special."


    "I have seen many people. You are not the same as them."


    Ye Que smiled at Red Bean and waved his hand. He seemed to mean that he was very ordinary, but Red Bean was very special.


    "If you mean a person, then I''m definitely different from them." Red Bean looked at the flame in front of her with her clear eyes. She did not speak out, but just said quietly in her mind.


    "Can you tell me your stories?" Red Bean looked at Ye Que and said curiously. Then she added, "In any case, we can only stay in this cave now, and we can''t go anywhere."


    "Me?"


    Ye Que pointed to himself. Red Bean nodded.


    It was still snowing, and the clouds above the sky were so thick that it seemed to be crushed by its weight. It was difficult to make the snow smaller, let alone make it stop. Looking out from the cave, the heaven and the earth were all white and gray. But at this time, Ye Que thought, "Just keep snowing, as long as it wants." He used to think that only the practice was the most comfortable and relaxing thing of the world. But until today, he just found that he was really a frog at the bottom of the well.


    It turned out that a simple chat could also be very wonderful, relaxed and joyful in mind.


    He looked at Red Bean who was sitting on his opposite side, not far from him.


    At this time, the cold of Red Bean which appeared at the Imperial Mausoleum in the ley lines of sovereignty had totally gone. The long legs were crossed while she was sitting on the ground. Her two hands were holding her cheeks. Her eyelids were not stained at all, and as clean as the autumn stars. Her two eyelashes were long and curved, sometimes blinked lightly. The whole person was felt like a child who was listening to a teacher''s story.


    Looking at her eyes, Ye Que didn''t think anything and immediately began to tell his own stories. "I lived in Yejiaxiang, He Village, Wei City when I was young. My mother was Tang Wanru. In my memory, she was a very beautiful woman. She was also very great that in order to raise me up, she was not afraid of hardship, not afraid..."


    Ye Que slowly began to tell his life, from childhood, his mother, Wei City to Luoyang City, Qian Shuxiao, flower-viewing drinking banquet and entrance of the Imperial Mausoleum in the ley lines of sovereignty. Whether the things were important or not, he told her whatever he could remember. He even told her that he had heard an interesting storytelling in a tea house.


    The cave was very quiet. Since there were only two people and a bunch of fire, no one would bother them.


    In the process of Ye Que''s speech, Red Bean did not interject but listen quietly. She was very serious and careful, as if she was painting a whole Ye Que in her heart who even equipped with blood and flesh.


    This was the first time she listened to the stories about ''human'' actually.


    She heard a lot of novelty things. It turned out that there were a lot of delicious foods in Luoyang City, and there were beautiful rouges in Hibiscus Shop. The Huaxi Opera House was a place to listen to operas where there were artists acting operas. People dated in the Wutong Wood under the Magpie Bridge. And the big elm in front of the academy was very helpful if you made a wish to it. Good-looking clothes should be tailor-made; good-looking swords might not able to kill anyone; illegitimate children were not welcomed; the emperor''s children were destined to survive only one. Someone like her would be called a chivalrous lady, however, Ye Que was almost driven out the first time he entered Luoyang City.


    Ye Que''s voice was low and very magnetic. If listening to him carefully, you would find his voice was more mature than his age. But when Red Bean heard him, the voice fell in her heart, and she thought it was the most beautiful voice. The voice was good, the story was interesting, and each sentence seemed to be lovely.


    She looked at the Ye Que through the fire which was swaying with a golden rim.


    "He is really lovely!"


    Red Beam thought about it and was a little angry. She was angry at those old men in her family for they had totally cheated her, because she was just a child. "Humans are all ugly? Their voices are unpleasant? Every word of humans is cheating? They are the second evil existence among the living creatures?"


    "It''s not like this at all!" Red Bean thought angrily and decided to debate with those old men after she went back. "Have you really been to the Human World? Have you really walked in the Human World? You are so old, why your knowledge seems to be less than Ye Que?"


    Time flew quietly in the stories of Ye Que, and the sky lighted up and then darkened.


    "Goo!"


    "Goo!"


    Red Bean''s stomach suddenly growled twice, and the little girl''s face was slightly reddish for the first time. She didn''t know it before. But when she just heard Ye Que''s stories, she could clearly remember that if a girl made a strange sound in front of a boy, it was a shameful thing. What would they say about the girl? Yes, unrestrained!


    She lowered her head and covered her stomach. It seemed that she wanted to take back the sound.


    "Goo-Goo!"


    However, before her hands had left, her stomach had once again growled. This time it seemed to be louder than just now, and could be clearly heard in this narrow cave!


    For the first time, Red Bean felt that she was disappointed because she could not even control her hunger.


    "Isn''t it just hungry? Can''t you wait a little longer? Can you hold on? Don''t you feel shame?" Red Bean lowered her head and pinched her stomach, and then she murmured something.


    Ye Que heard her talking, but the pronunciation of the sentence was the first time for him to hear. They were strange syllables, for he had never heard of them.


    "Then I should go out for some time, let''s continue after I return?" Ye Que heard the growling of the Red Bean''s belly. Then he looked outside the cave, the sky was already dark. He just told a few stories. How could time go faster than the practice!


    It was a long night, and was snowing outside. It was indeed a good time for a night talk.


    For the first time, Ye Que hoped that the time could pass slower, the snowy day could be a little longer, and the two people could stay together for a longer time.

 Chapter 110 Born in the Southland and Be the Bes

    t


    Ye Que returned to the cave under the falling snow.


    After feeding Red Bean''s bottomless belly, the story continued.


    Red Bean had long been waiting. She seemed to love the stories, and for the first time, she found that listening to a human telling story was such a happy thing. What she used to do every day was really boring, although there was a reason that she had to do that and would never waver.


    But this did not affect her to cultivate her own interests and hobbies. These two words were also learned from the stories of Ye Que. The Eldest Young Ladies in Luoyang City and the Princess of the Royal Palace also had their own interests and hobbies.


    Red Bean thought, since she was also a Royal Highness, she must have an interest and hobby.


    It was a very tangled thing to decide on hobbies and interests for other people, but Red Bean made decisions quickly. Her later interest was to listen to Ye Que to tell stories, and her future hobby was to eat the meat that Ye Que grilled.


    She held her cheeks with her hands.


    She was staring at Ye Que and hearing him tell things that she had never heard before.


    Red Bean thought that this cave was really comfortable, because there was fire to keep warm, there was meat to eat, and there were also stories to listen, so it was really excellent.


    The stories that Ye Que told had already gone far, from himself to the anecdotes of the Human World, and then to the customs and culture of the prosperous Tang, and finally came to the romantic theme.


    It turned out that whether the girls were beautiful or not was determined by the boys!


    A girl must fall in love with someone in her whole life, which should be a passionate romance!


    Only experienced with love and pain, could she understand the life in the Human World!


    "How can I know if a boy likes a girl?" Red Bean suddenly asked Ye Que.


    Hearing the problem from Red Bean, Ye Que thought carefully. It was indeed a very difficult question to answer! In fact, many of the things he talked about, he had never experienced before. Except for what he had experienced, there were still parts of what he had seen and read on books, like the romantic theme, which was exactly written on books.


    "If a boy is willing to pencil your eyebrows, then he definitely likes you." He racked his brains and recalled the books he had read in the past. It seemed that there was such a piece of text which seemed to be reasonable. And then he told Red Bean.


    "Pencil eyebrows?" Red Bean gently touched her own eyebrows, then she looked at Ye Que. "If there is a chance, you can pencil my eyebrow."


    "I have never penciled eyebrows before!"


    "I have never penciled them since I was born."


    "I want to pencil it once. Since you know so much, you can definitely pencil eyebrows well."


    Looking at the eyes of Red Bean with such an expectation, Ye Que nodded without thinking. "Well, after we go back to Luoyang City, I will buy you the best rouge and powder, and pencil your eyebrows."


    As soon as he finished, Ye Que suddenly found a problem from her words. "You have never penciled your eyebrows since childhood?"


    "No, I even don''t know what it is." Red Bean took it for granted.


    "Where did you come from?" Ye Que asked casually.


    "Where did I come from?"


    "I mean, where is your home? Where were you born?" Ye Que gave her a patient explanation.


    Red Bean thought about it seriously, and then she said with certainty, "My name is Red Bean, of course I was born in the Southland!"


    "Red beans are born in the Southland?" Ye Que looked at Red Bean. Suddenly he had a feeling that this girl was playing a trick with him. What did she mean by since her name was Red Bean, of course she should be born in the Southland?


    "You are kidding!"


    "There is no such a country named Southland on the Divine Land. I am very convinced! Even in the Celestial World and Demon World, I have never heard of the country of Southland. Are you mistaken?" Ye Que was quite speechless.


    The flames shining on Red Bean''s face, she was calm and indifferent, and there was no hint of jokes.


    "I was born in the Southland."


    "I did not lie to you."


    "I have never deceived people since I was born."


    "The old men in our family told me so that our place was called the Southland, unless they were lying to me." Red Bean said earnestly, and she looked as usual.


    After staring at Red Bean''s eyes for a few seconds, Ye Que was convinced that the girl was really not deceiving him. She might really have been born in the Southland. "Probably it is a secret clan, or a remaining dynasty from a hundred years ago. It is possible for them to found a country on its own and live in seclusion. Or how could they raise such an innocent girl?"


    "Then tell me your stories." Ye Que fetched a few pieces of jujube woods from aside of his hand and added them into the fire.


    "My stories?"


    Red Bean pointed at herself and then shook her head.


    "I''m not good at telling stories!"


    "This is nothing about good at or not, you can just talk about how you grew up? What have you seen? Is there anything interesting? Or something that impressed you very much. Or what dreams do you have?" Ye Que said casually, just like chatting.


    Red Bean frowned, and her hands were holding her cheeks, as if she was thinking hard, but it seemed that nothing could be recalled.


    "What have you done since you were young? It is impossible to be nothing!" Ye Que said.


    "I was just fighting every day since I was young."


    "I grew up in fights."


    "Can this be my story?"


    "I have read lots of books that teach me how to fight, so many and all kinds of books about sword skills, formations, spells, mantras..."


    "And I have seen others killing people and demons many times. I have also killed many people and demons myself. Is this a story?"


    Red Bean racked her brain and began to talk about how she grew up. But the more Ye Que heard, the more he felt strange¡ªexcept for fights and killings, didn''t the girl have done anything else since she was young?


    "What is your biggest dream?" Ye Que suddenly interrupted her memories.


    "Dream?"


    "The Elders told me that I should be the strongest practitioner in the world, and be the best fighting practitioner. I must be the best." Red Bean replied without hesitation.


    "The best in the world?"


    "Your Elders are so confident!" Ye Que said and curled his lips. He now had reason to believe that this girl might be a successor cultivated by a killer organization? Or how could she have such a strong killing intent, and whether humans or demons, they were all within her killing scope.


    "Do you think I can do it?" Red Bean looked at Ye Que and asked.


    Ye Que pushed the bonfire lightly with a wooden stick, and a burst of ash was floating. Ye Que swayed his hands to push the floating ash away. "It is very difficult to be the best in the world, and it will be very tiring. Your life will be threatened at any time."


    "And it doesn''t mean anything."


    After listening to his answer, Red Bean did not say anything for a long time. Finally, she straightened up, sitting in great state. Her face was calm and she said seriously, "But I have to be the best in the world. I have reasons that I must do this, no matter how difficult is it."


    The big black umbrella that she had been carrying all the time suddenly flashed black light in her palm. It seemed to be cheering for Red Bean.

 Chapter 111 The Snow Stopped

    It had been snowing for seven days and seven nights in Mount Mei.


    In the early morning of the eighth day, the snow finally stopped and the sun was rising.


    Ye Que and Red Bean were standing outside the cave and looking into the distance. All they could see were white. The roads up the mountain and down the mountain were all covered with heavy snow. There was no footprint on the snow.


    "I want to go back to Luoyang City, what about you? Go home?" Ye Que asked.


    "I''m wandering in the Human World, and I can go anywhere."


    "It''s not the time to return home yet. I have told you that I am going to be the best practitioner of the world."


    "So, I decide to go to Luoyang with you. Since Luoyang claims to be the Divine Capital, there are certainly many opportunities to meet the masters from all over the world. After I completely refine the Dragon Bone in my body, I will start to challenge them." Red Bean said calmly. The content of the words was very arrogant, but her expression was very indifferent, as if this was a sure thing that she should be like this.


    Ye Que didn''t try to persuade Red Bean. Ye Que had seriously considered about this question, that the determination to be the world''s best practitioner was actually worth trying. Every practitioner should have such a spirit, but most people had no confidence in themselves.


    This might be Red Bean''s ''Tao''.


    It was just too difficult, nothing more.


    However, the more difficult the ''Tao'', the greater the potential. Cultivators could have a wider space to be promoted. The things between heaven and earth were complementary and somewhat causal.


    "Do you need me to hold you, or carry you?" Ye Que looked at the road down the mountain and said. Red Bean''s strength was just restored to the degree of an ordinary people, healthy but no cultivation base.


    Looking at the roads down the mountain, they were just covered with a lot of snow, not steep, but on the contrary, relatively flat.


    "No, I can go by myself."


    Red Bean tightened clothes after she said. In addition to her original white long coat, she also wore Ye Que''s coat. Although it was no longer snowing, the weather in this mountain was still very cold. Ye Que had the Divine Energy to cover his body, he could keep warm even without many clothes. Red Bean was different, for she didn''t have such a skill.


    Smelling the pale vanilla scent at the tip of the nose, Red Bean stepped out and a string of footprints appeared in front of the cave. Since the beginning of the cultivation on the Divine Book, Ye Que''s body would silently reveal a hint of scent no matter where he went and what clothes he wore. The scent was hard to describe. It smelled like grass or flowers. Anyway, it was a good pale smell, and maybe this was exactly the natural scent of the heaven and the earth.


    When Red Bean smelled it for the first time, she liked it. So, although she was never willing to contact males, she had no resistance to Ye Que''s clothes, even like it.


    Red Bean was jumping.


    She looked like an elf in the snow,


    who was brilliant, white, innocent, pure and natural.


    "I''m going to be the strongest chivalrous lady in the world. Such snow can''t defeat me." After a few steps from the cave, Red Bean turned back. She pointed out her fingers domineeringly at Ye Que and said loudly.


    But as soon as she finished, maybe this time she had overused her strength when she turned, or maybe the snow ground was too slippery, the little girl slipped and fell directly on the ground. More importantly, the first landing was on her cheek.


    "Bang!"


    After a soft bang, Red Bean''s face had been covered with snowflakes except for the eyes and mouth when she raised her head.


    Even Ye Que was calm in his face, he froze for a moment after he saw the accident, and then a smile appeared on his face.


    He took a few heavy steps to Red Bean and reached his hand out. "You don''t even have a stable step, how could you become the best cultivator in the world."


    "It''s not my problem; the snow ground is too slippery."


    Red Bean reached out to Ye Que''s hand. But when her hand was about to grab his hand, Ye Que shrank his hand back directly, and then went forward without turning back.


    And then, he pretended to be profound and said, "If you want to be the best cultivator in the world, you can''t trust others easily, especially when you get into troubles, because kicking you when you are down is the cheapest way to eliminate you."


    "So what are you doing?" Red Bean said angrily. She wiped the snow on her face, but the more she wiped, the more snow she could touch. Finally, her cheeks were totally cold.


    "I am teaching you. According to the custom, you should call me ''master''," Ye Que said shamelessly.


    "Do you want to be killed?"


    "I have a master."


    "I am angry!"


    Red Bean, who was lying on the ground, finally realized that this was clear that Ye Que was making fun of her. She stood up and directly began to chase after Ye Que even forget wiping away the snow on her clothes.


    Without cultivation base, only with a body of an ordinary people, she could not even walk stably, let alone run and catch up with Ye Que.


    It was simply impossible.


    After a while, Red Bean fell to the ground again.


    Then she climbed up, walked, and then fell; climbed up again, and then fell again.


    Before she could reach the foot of Mount Mei, Red Bean had fallen down so many times that she could barely walk anymore. The little girl, who killed people with no mercy, now seemed to have tears in her eye. Her cheeks were totally red, her nose had already slightly swollen, and there was a swelling on her forehead. Her long hair was scattered, the hairs on temples were full of snowflakes, and she even had a runny nose now.


    Perhaps she felt strange in her nose, Red Bean sniffed deeply. And then she took Ye Que''s sleeve and scraped under her nose with it. After that, it seemed that it was not enough to erase her anger, so she blew her nose with his sleeve.


    After blowing her nose, she raised her head and looked at Ye Que provocatively.


    It seemed that she was saying, "I have a lot of methods to deal with you. Don''t think that you can make fun of me now. When I regain my cultivation base, I must pay you back. Everything must be paid back to you."


    Looking at the thick traces on his sleeve, Ye Que was speechless for a while. How big was the girl? Was she playing games with child?


    But after he saw Red Bean''s bad state, Ye Que sighed, and then walked back to Red Bean silently.


    Firstly, he put her hair on temples behind her ears. Then he wiped the snow on her cheeks. After that, he grabbed her long hair in hands, and tied a ponytail with a strange shape. Finally, the entire snow on her body was cleaned, and she was carefully sorted out by him.


    "Who asked you to come back?"


    "Why don''t you go ahead?"


    "I can go by myself, and I don''t need your help!"


    "Who cares!"


    "In your stories, men are bastards. I thought you were joking. Now I really believe this!"


    "I fell down because I am cultivating. You don''t understand me. I''m going to be the best cultivator in the world. Do you think I truly tumbled? I was just exercising my body!"


    Red Bean said continually, but she did not stop Ye Que''s action on her face, nor did she prevent him from tying her hair. After Ye Que wiped up all the snow on her body, the angry expression on her face just now was now disappeared. Perhaps she had not even realized that.


    Red Bean''s complaints continued. Suddenly her whole body was slanted. When she realized what had happened, she was already carried on his back.


    "Leave me alone!"


    "I can go by myself!"


    "Are you looking down on me?"


    "I am..."


    Ye Que, who had been silent all the time, suddenly interrupted her and said, "I know, you are going to be the world''s number one practitioner."


    "So, can you let me flatter you first? Then, when I wander in the world, I can brag to others that I have once carried the No.1, who dares not to admire me? I have backers!"

 Chapter 112 Drinking Wine and Eating Mea

    t


    The road was covered with white grasses, and they were leaving the mountain with steps on snow.


    Ye Que was slowly walking in the small path of Mount Mei, with a series of footprints leaving behind and a girl in white on his back. The sun shined on the body Red Bean warmly. With one side warmed by Ye Que''s body, and the other side warmed by sunshine, as well as some jolt while walking, Red Bean fell asleep.


    Listening to the snoring sounds near his ear, Ye Que slowed down and kept his body as stable as possible. It seemed that he subconsciously did not want to wake up Red Bean. The snow was deep on the ground, and the knees had been submerged by the deepest point. But for Ye Que, it was not difficult to walk.


    As the temperature rose, the snow on the mountain road began to slowly melt, and the top layer had already melted into condensation like crystal.


    He had been walking down the mountain along the path from the mountainside. After he passed the mountain valley and the foot of the mountain, he finally saw a stone monument which was carved with two big characters on its surface, "Mount Mei".


    The lower right corner of the stone tablet was also engraved with three small words, You Prefecture North.


    Looking at the stone tablet, Ye Que finally figured out his current position, that he had already reached the northernmost state of the Tang, and was now at the foot of Mount Mei, north of You Prefecture.


    After he calculated the distance from You Prefecture to Luoyang, as well as his current possible position, and then looked at Red Bean on his back, Ye Que thought that it must take days to return to Luoyang.


    After leaving Mount Mei, the snow on the ground was obviously much less. It seemed that the snow in the mountain was really heavier than out of the mountain. A gust of mountain wind blew, and a small mass of snow from the coniferous tree tip drifted along the road. The snow drifted across the path and then fell on the shoulder of Ye Que and the lips of Red Bean.


    The snow slowly melted, flowing along the lips of Red Bean to the shoulders of Ye Que.


    The head on his shoulder was slightly moving.


    Red Bean woke up. She squinted at Ye Que and patted on his head. "It''s snowing again?"


    It seemed that the snow had chilled Red Bean.


    "No, we just get out of the mountain. You can sleep for a while." Ye Que held the long legs of Red Bean and lifted them up gently. It seemed that he wanted her to sleep more comfortably.


    "Oh."


    Maybe she had not even awoken. Red Bean just responded in a confused way. Then her head fell askew on Ye Que''s shoulder.


    "It''s wet?"


    Her cheeks felt cold again. Red Bean shook her head and raised her head up. Then she struggled to open one eye and took a look. Then she saw a pool of water stains. looking at its location and shape, as well as the appearance of the water stains, it really looked like saliva. She quickly touched her lips, and they were a little wet as well. Her cheeks instantly turned red.


    "He is carrying you, but you fall asleep on his back. That''s OK. But you drooled on his back! You are really brilliant. Don''t you feel shameless? If he knows that, it will truly embarrass you!" Red Bean despised herself inwardly. Then she reached out and gently wiped the water stain, it seemed that she wanted to wipe it off.


    "What happened?" Feeling the movement from the shoulders, Ye Que stopped and asked.


    "Nothing, nothing. Keep walking. My hand itched just now." Red Bean patted Ye Que''s head and then said softly. The little girl, who had never deceived others before, could lie without face blushing after a few days'' staying with Ye Que.


    "Don''t pat my head!"


    "If your hands itched, you can hit yourself!"


    "Hit your face, hands or arm. You can hit whatever you want, as long as you don''t hit others."


    "What''s your problem? Like to hit others'' head! Last time in the illusory formation fog of the Imperial Mausoleum, you hit me with a punch, and I can still remember. Be careful, I will pay you back. The wind and water will take turns, and now the person who lost the cultivation base is you!"


    Ye Que rebuked Red Bean severely and even threatened to hit her on the head. But before he had finished, he got another punch in the back of his head.


    "Just keep walking, you are too noisy."


    "You hit my head again!"


    Ye Que shook his back vigorously and almost threw Red Bean out. Then, without any surprise, he got another punch in the head. Ye Que wanted to shake harder, but before he could shake for the second time, the third punch came up. Although each punch was not strong, she was so arrogant!


    No more words, no more back shaking, Ye Que moved forward a few steps obediently. Seeing that Ye Que was obedience, Red Bean snorted proudly. Then she wiped the water stains on his shoulders again without leaving any trace, and changed another side to go back to sleep.


    But before her head could lie down, a sharp pain came from the root of her leg. Ye Que pinched her hard with his hands which were holding Red Bean''s legs!


    After pinching her, before Red Bean could fight back, Ye Que suddenly began to speed up. Originally, he was just walking slowly, and suddenly he began to run. A breeze blew along the roadside, and the snow on the tree fell to the ground. As for the girl, in her present condition, she couldn''t be arrogant any more. The only thing she could do was holding Ye Que''s neck tightly with two hands.


    The whistling wind blew across the cheeks.


    Red Bean''s hair on temples rippled with the wind, drifted into the air and fell on the shoulder, touching Ye Que''s forehead.


    It was itchy.


    At noon,


    the sun was shining high in the sky.


    They finally got out of Mount Mei. At the end of the path, there were three roads, each of which seemed to be winding without ends. A village was built at the edge of the fork. The fork was the village entrance. Next to it was a wine shop with Tusu banner. There were thick curtains hanging at the entrance of the wine shop. A few jujube horses were tied near the manger.


    Ye Que woke up Red Bean who was sleeping again. "It''s already noon, wake up, don''t sleep any more. Come down and eat something."


    After shaking her for about ten times, Red Bean stretched her arms and woke up with a big yawn.


    "Eating?"


    "What have you hunted?"


    Red beans subconsciously thought that Ye Que would roast meat for her. These days in the mountain, Ye Que basically roasted all the living creatures in Mount Mei, from chickens to black bears, Red Bean had eaten them all over. It also nurtured her appetite, which had almost reached the state of no meat no joy.


    "This time I will take you to taste the crafts of others. There is a wine shop in front."


    "By the way, have you ever drunk?"


    Ye Chi patted Red Bean, motioning that she should stop leaning on him and come down to have a walk. Now they were not on a mountain road. It was not that hard to walk.


    "Drink?"


    "Never. Is it delicious?" Red Bean were puzzled and asked.


    "Drinking wine and eating meat. Good wine deserves good meat. Since you like meat so much, you will definitely like to drink. Try it. Aren''t you going to have a journey in the Human World? This is also a kind of practice. You have to try everything in the Human World. This is a real journey. Just challenging those practitioners is not a perfect practice." Ye Que explained, and then took the lead in the shop.


    He lifted the thick curtain and fluttered a fine layer of ash. Fanning the ash with his hand, Ye Que scanned the lobby and shouted loudly, "Waiter, bring up the strongest Tusu liquor and the best mutton for me."


    Red Bean also curiously scanned the lobby, and then saw half of the seven or eight tables were sat by people.


    Ye Que and Red Bean found a secluded place to sit down. At the meantime, the waiter brought all the liquor and meat that they needed to them.


    There was a pot full of Tusu liquor, a whole plate of mutton leg meat, and two bowls of mutton miscellaneous soup for present. Just after the heavy snow, it was freezing cold. Drinking a bowl of mutton miscellaneous soup could warm the body. The remote wine shop near the You Prefecture North was not richer than in Luoyang, but the advantage was the honesty.


    Tusu was the favorite drink of You Prefecture people. You Prefecture was located in the north. The weather went cold very fast. Naturally, they liked to drink this kind of liquor to warm their stomach. In addition, You Prefecture was adjacent to the grassland, which was rich in mutton, so the mutton here was delicious and cheap. Tusu with mutton from grassland and a bowl of mutton miscellaneous soup were extremely delicious in this place.


    Without paying attention to Red Bean, Ye Que ate them first. After so many days, it was hard for him not to serve others now, he naturally should enjoy it.


    He took a mouthful of Tusu wine and ate the meat. He smacked his lips and said, "If that''s not enough, ask more. Remember, meat always tastes better with wine."


    Looking at the satisfied expression on Ye Que''s face, Red Bean grabbed a piece of mutton and stuffed it into her mouth. After chewed twice in her mouth, her eyebrows wrinkled, and she almost spat it out. "It''s not as good as you did."


    "I have told you that this meat tastes better with wine, just eating meat alone is nothing special." Ye Que said and gently sipped a drink. The spirits passed through his intestines like being burned with the fire. And his throat felt spicy.


    Reluctantly picking up the cup, Red Bean smelled it first, and then she said curiously, "Can such a smelling thing tastes good?"


    "After you drink. No drink, no talk!"


    Closing eyes and frowning, Red Bean simply drunk a whole cup of Tusu. Her action was domineering!


    Just after drinking, Red Bean''s eyes almost stared out directly. She pointed at Ye Que with one hand, while the other was blowing hard at her mouth, and her tongue was spitting out. She blew at her mouth for twice and then began rubbing her chest. Even Ye Que would hesitate to drink a whole cup of Tusu. No matter how high a practitioner''s cultivation base was, he or she couldn''t get rid of the human condition unless he or she broke into the Apocalypse Realm and got rid of the human body.


    The practitioners were not gods. They could be drunken and starved. They needed to eat cures while being poisoned. They only had the ability to surpass ordinary people in some aspects, but they did not surpass the category of ''human''.


    "Do you dare to lie to me?" Red Bean pointed at Ye Que and said angrily, "You said this is delicious?"


    "You are a big liar!"


    "Is it not good?" Ye Que pointed at the mutton on the table. "Then you can try to eat the mutton and check out if the taste is the same as before."


    "I won''t believe you anymore." Red Bean turned her white of eyes up and said, "You go out and hunt for me now. I want to eat the meat you roast yourself."


    Paying no attention on Red Bean, Ye Que continued to drink the wine and eat meat, and finally sipped the mutton soup.


    Red beans couldn''t stand with hungry now. She suffered terribly if he didn''t eat for half a day. Looking at Ye Que eating and drinking, she couldn''t bear it. And after a while, the wine in her mouth began to generate fragrance, like sweet after bitterness.


    In a short time, the first pot of Tusu liquor almost all went into Ye Que''s stomach, and even the mutton on the table was mostly eaten.


    When Ye Que began to smack his lips again, Red Bean grabbed the wine pot and poured it directly into her cup.


    The pot was reversed, but only a few drops were poured out.


    Patting the table, Red Bean waved her hand and shouted, "That guy, one more pot of this wine."


    After a pause, she shouted again, "and one more sheep''s meat."

 Chapter 113 Do Us a Favor

    The waiter of the wine shop heard the shout from Red Bean and was stunned, he thought that he had got it wrong.


    He had seen the girl who was expansive, and the chivalrous lady who could even drink three bowls of Tusu at once, but he had never seen such a ''rich bucket'' who could eat a whole sheep. Even a strong man couldn''t eat a whole sheep for a meal.


    Sprinting to the Red Bean''s table, the waiter said with a smile on his face, "Miss, how much mutton do you want? I was a little stunned, so I was not sure, truly sorry."


    "First, I want a whole sheep. If it is not enough, I will ask you again. Be hurry, I''m almost starved to death." Red Bean said impatiently.


    The waiter subconsciously looked at Ye Que, he seemed to say, "Is your friend all right? Does she really want a whole sheep? Although our shop can afford it, the point is I''m afraid of your waste."


    Understanding the meaning of the waiter, Ye Que patted his shoulder. "Don''t listen to her. How much mutton there are in your shop? You can bring them to us now. If that''s not enough, you can kill another sheep. Don''t worry, we have asked you for one more whole sheep, even if we can''t finish eating it, we will pay you enough money."


    Seeing the waiter still wanted to persuade him, Ye Que explained, "My sister has been sick since her childhood, and she eats a lot every meal. This disease is rare, and you have to bear more."


    "Who is your sister?"


    "Who is sick?" As soon as Red Bean raised her head, she stared at Ye Que angrily.


    However, Ye Que ignored her, just smiled and asked the waiter to prepare their meat for them quickly.


    "I''m sick, okay? If I didn''t say you are my sister, then are you my wife?"


    His words had made Red bean silence directly. She lowered her head and couldn''t say anything. If Ye Que carefully observed, it could be seen that Red Bean had a strange face and even a reddish cheek, which was not caused by the bowl of Tusu, but looked like the red face of shyness.


    The mutton and wine were served on their table again.


    Red Bean finally had something to do. Lowering her head, she held the meat with one hand and held the wine bowl with another hand. She ate the mutton after drank the wine, drank the wine after ate the mutton, so that she didn''t even glance at Ye Que for a while.


    Although the wine shop was small, they had lots of guests today. At noon, five tables were sat with full people. Among them, three tables were sat by the passing merchants, and one table was sat by a strong man alone in fur coats, there were only a pot of wine and a bowl of mutton placed on his table.


    In fact, Red Bean was supposed to be very attractive in this wine shop with her beauty. However, the guests in the shop had never taken a look at Ye Que''s table. All of them were eating and drinking with their heads lowered. Everyone''s face looked strange, and most of them were frowning.


    "The meat can be eaten fast. But don''t drink wine so fast, be careful you will be drunk." Ye Que saw that Red Bean was swallowing heavily, he could not help persuading her.


    Red Bean raised his head and looked at Ye Que.


    She was speechless because she found that Ye Que really hadn''t lied to her¡ªthe wine matching with the meat really tasted quite good.


    As for Ye Que said about being drunk, after Red Bean had sensed her feelings, it seemed that there was no strange in her body. There was no dizziness and disgustingness. Was she the legendary drinker who could withstand more than a thousand cups of wine?


    But an elephant could be drunk with such a drinking speed like Red Bean did! Unless Red Bean was one hundred or even one thousand times more strengthen than elephants.


    The mutton was served one plate after one plate, and the plates were empty one by one. This time the waiter was really shocked, that the girl''s appetite could be so good.


    A mess of disorderly footsteps came from outside the shop.


    It seemed that there were guests coming.


    After a short time, the thick curtains were lifted up and more than a dozen cool-looking strong men came in.


    The clothes of these dozens of people were shabby. Some of them were still carrying blood stains on their faces. If there were not their military boots indicated the identity of these people, they could be regarded as beggars.


    The waiter stunned for a moment, then he came up to them and asked with embarrassment, "Sir, do you want to drink wine or eat something?"


    The leading big man looked at the waiter and waved his hand. Then he left the waiter alone and waved his hand again.


    These strong men separated directly without speaking anything. They each found a table sitting down together with other guests. And two people were sitting next to Red Bean.


    Seeing this scene, the waiter broke into a cold sweat, and both his legs began to snore. He could not stand still.


    "I am afraid that I meet robber today!"


    "Seeing from their appearance, they seem to be army riffraff or army deserters. I''m afraid they won''t leave without taking anything."


    The waiter turned his stiff neck and looked at the leading big man. He opened his mouth but spoke nothing. Finally, after the big man glanced at him, he stood in the doorway silently, and turned his back pretended to have seen nothing.


    The two big men sitting next to Red Bean did not have any evil thought about Red Bean''s beauty. They just looked at Ye Que and Red Bean, and then arched their hands. "You two, do us a favor."


    After Red Bean heard what they had said, she looked around and spoke nothing. Then she just moved the mutton on the table to her front. As for Ye Que, he looked at the two big men with some interests.


    "Bang!"


    A sword was thrown on the table. "You two, do us a favor."


    The same word was said again.


    Looking at the sword on the table and the body of the two big men, Red Bean grabbed the wine pot on the table with eyebrows frowned. And then she moved her butt forward, and continued to bow down and eat.


    "Kidding me? You two, I said do us a favor. Don''t let me repeat the third time for the same word, or everyone will be embarrassed. I will give you an advice, don''t get yourself in trouble when you leave home. If you bear more, everything will be fine; if you make a concession..."


    The big man who threw the sword on the table said with a low voice. It seemed that they were doing something good for Ye Que and Red Bean by advising them.


    But before he could finish, Red Bean patted the table and stood up. "Do you a favor, do you a favor. I have already done you two favors! The place is limited, I have already given you half of the table, are you still not satisfied?"


    "People shouldn''t be so greedy!"


    What Red Bean hated most was being bothered by others when she was eating. She was not only hungry but also pissed off by Ye Que. Now the men from nowhere came to her and kept asking her for a favor. The shop was so big, did they have to squeeze around her?


    If it was not for her cultivation base had been lost and that there was no difference between she and ordinary people, Red Bean would have already bounced the two people out of the shop with her umbrella.


    "Are you sick of living or what that you dare to bother me when I''m eating meat?"


    Perhaps the wine that she had drunk really played a role. The sound of Red Bean was so loud that as soon as she said that, the eyes in the entire wine shop were all attracted by her.


    "Is this girl drunk?"


    "Don''t want alive? Or she is crazy?"


    "She didn''t see the sword thrown on the table?"


    "Do a favor? You thought they want you to offer your seat? This is clearly a fucking robbery!"

 Chapter 114 The Mowing Man

    There was no sound in the lobby of the wine shop.


    Ye Que looked at Red Bean, he licked his forehead helplessly.


    Every discerning person knew that the identity of these big men was definitely complex. They came to the shop not just for eating or drinking, anyone with clear mind and discernment would have known what they wanted.


    These people were coming to rob!


    Even the waiter standing at the doorway was helpless and licked his chest. He thought, "I''m afraid that someone is going to be hurt today. And maybe our small shop will not only close down, but also go to court. If a person dies in our shop, we will be responsible anyway."


    "Little girl, have you eaten too much meat and drunk too much wine so that your brain has been filled with water? Can''t you see the problem at all? Don''t be so rude to them even if you don''t have money. If you want to die, don''t bring others together."


    "It hurts not only yourself but also others!"


    Hearing the angry shout from Red Bean, the face of these strong men who entered the door went dark, and even two of them had begun to sheath their knives.


    The merchant who was sitting next to the man, fretted his eyelids, hurriedly took out a small bag from his clothes and then poured the money on the table. "Sir, there''s only so much on me. Please accept it."


    With someone took the lead, the rest of the tables continued to have a few people who took out the money and then put them on the table honestly.


    How many silvers could be seen in the remote northern town of You Prefecture?


    The silvers on these tables added up to less than five thousand grams.


    The leading man gave a sign to the room. Then they saw these big men divide the silver on the tables into two parts, and half of the silvers were taken by themselves, while the other half was left on the table.


    "If you do us a favor, we will do you a favor. We do need some money recently, so please forgive us if we trouble you. These silvers are our temporary loan, if it''s convenient for you, you can leave your addresses to us, in case we return them to you later." The leading man arched his hand and said.


    Besides the men at Ye Que and the other one''s table who was in a fur coat, the men at the rest tables were all standing up.


    The big man sitting next to Red Bean picked up his own sword and then whispered, "I have already said that we just want you to do me a favor. We are not robbers. The borrowed money will be returned."


    When he finished talking, he pointed to the lobby. "Please don''t be the special people. We are not greedy. No matter how much you give, we just take half. If you really want to get in trouble with us, then don''t blame the ruthless of the sword in my hand. Since other people have borrowed money to us, if you don''t do that, it is unfair to them."


    In fact, Red Bean had never sat down since then, and was standing at the table. At this time, she looked at other tables, and squatted next to her. Suddenly she seemed to have realized something and pointed at the big men. "You!"


    "You are the robbers?"


    After that, she gave a slap in the face of Ye Que. "What are you waiting?"


    "Didn''t you talk about it before that if you see the bad guys, you will help to punish them?"


    "Now we have met the robbers! You are gonna do nothing? It''s not that you can''t defeat them!"


    Hearing what Red Bead had said, the people in the lobby now knew that this girl really hadn''t realized it. She was so innocent, silly but cute! It seemed that the young man sitting next to her was the girl''s boyfriend. Listening to her words, they knew that they were probably rookies who first entered into the warrior''s world that they did not know that people were sinister. Now, in this case, whoever standing out would die!


    Looking at the blood stains on this group of people, even now they didn''t use their swords, did she really think that they were just scary things that would not hurt anyone?


    Nobody had ever heard that the robbers were afraid of blood since ancient times.


    "Hero, I don''t need silvers, please be sure to accept them all."


    As soon as Red Bean spoke, even she was all right, the merchants next to her were scared. "Oh my god, if you don''t want to live, please don''t stimulate their anger! Maybe everyone has to be punished together with you. It''s better to get away from a disaster by money."


    Seeing that these people did not take the remaining half of the money, the merchant smiled obsequiously and gently hit his mouth. "Look at my poor memory, I was wrong. This money will be loaned to you. When it is convenient, you can return them to me. I''m not in a hurry."


    "Yes, yes, I also lend them to you. Not much money. It''s just an expression of my good will"


    "And me, and me..."


    For the merchants who just wanted to keep their lives, they had seen this kind of things regularly. The only correct choice was to use money and avoid disasters. There was no other way, unless they had enough confidence in themselves that they could confidently defeat this group of people.


    Red Bean was confident, but now her poor body drags her legs.


    However, she had nothing to worry about. Because Ye Que was also a practitioner from the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty, even if he was not as good as her, he wouldn''t be so weak.


    In the impression of Red Bean, the last time she saw Ye Que fighting was still in Luoyang City. At that time, Ye Que just entered into the Psychic Realm. Although his sword skill was very delicate, in the eyes of Red Bean, it was still slightly flawed.


    She stared at Ye Que again and found that he was looking at the group of strong men who just broke into the shop with great interests. Perhaps no one had realized something wrong, but Ye Que had found that these people were not that simple¡ªthey were not robbers at all. The military boots worn on their foot were even more promising. If his conjecture was not wrong, the boots should be unique to the Ye Army. There was a small leaf mark on the side of the boots which couldn''t be seen clearly without looking carefully.


    Since Ye Que was the illegitimate son of the general, whether there was revenge in his original idea or not, or he really wanted to return to his true family, he had studied the General''s Manor. Anyway, the General''s Manor was always linked to the Ye Army, so recognizing the mark of the boots was not surprising.


    "These people turned out to be Ye Army''s soldiers?"


    "How could they be in such a difficult position?"


    "Ye Army is responsible for the defense of the three southern counties of the Divine Capital. How can they appear in the You Prefecture North?"


    "What happened to the General''s Manor? Or is there something happening in Luoyang City? So strange!"


    When Ye Que was thinking, there was a sudden noise came from the corner of the lobby.


    The strong man who was sitting in the corner and drinking wine alone did something that no one had seen. Then the two people sitting at his table fell straight on the ground with a deep bloody hole on his eyebrows passing through the skull. Blood rushed directly through the broken skull.


    And soon the blood flowed to the ground.


    "kill..."


    "He Killed the man!"


    "You, you..."


    Merchant sitting nearby opened his wide eyes, his fingers were trying to reach out but he dared not to do that. He shouted out subconsciously for twice, but the second sound stopped. When they saw someone was killing, the strong man at the merchant''s table had already rushed out with his sword without saying anything. However, before the sword could detach from its sheath, he was pointed at the forehead. The ordinary finger was much more dangerous than a sword.


    There was no accident and he fell to the ground.


    And these all happened in a few seconds.


    "who are you?"


    The robber at the third table slapped the table and screamed. But when he said only three words, he was pointed at the left chest and the heart burst directly. But until this moment, the strong man in a fur coat did not even say a word. He took a few steps forward, and he could almost kill one person with only one finger simply in a step.


    It was a fatal blow!


    One finger could punish their death!


    Now, all the remaining big men in the lobby were already standing up. The leader standing at the door also unsheathed his sword and was slightly squatting with the muscles of his whole body tight. Even if a blind man could understand that the robbery had encountered a strong character. The robbers had encountered a strong man who lived in the warriors'' world, and even maybe the legendary practitioner. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be so powerful. His movement could not even be seen clearly, and there was no chance of rebellion before the people died!


    "Hero, my brothers and I just came here to avoid troubles. We only want to seek some help. We are not robbers who rob others'' money. If there was some misunderstanding between us, I polite first, and then we will leave soon. So, please leave your mercy."


    Although his six brothers had already died, the situation was more compelling. Although the leader was sad and helpless, he could only bow down and apologize for a chance to keep their lives.


    Without changing his expression, the strong man in fur coat did not stop his footsteps. He walked step by step to the leader, then looked at his outfit and finally spoke. "Are you escaped from You Prefecture City?"


    Although the strong man looked young, his voice was extremely hoarse, like a crow who was caught in the neck and hadn''t drunk water for three days and three nights. A simple question was a little frightening when listened by other people.


    "You are...?"


    When the leader heard this question, his pupil contracted instantly, and a boundless fear slowly covered his eyes. The man''s hair was almost held up, his hands trembled, and he couldn''t even hold the sword.


    A soldier of Ye Army, a warrior who had been on the battlefield, was scared by a simple question.


    Looking at the leader''s appearance, the strong man in fur coat moved his lips slightly. "If you don''t answer, then you tacitly approve that."


    "Who are you?"


    "You devil!"


    "The ghosts that never scattered! What do you exactly want to do? Is your evil still not enough? Go to hell!" The leader held his breath and burst out in hysterics. As he roared, he threw all his strength with his sword at the strong man in fur coat. The light of the sword was so cold that it had never been before.


    When the light of the sword passed,


    the blood sprinkled in the lobby.


    The leader was exactly the same as the one who died before. He fell straight to the ground, and even the sword in his hand was divided into two parts with half of it cut on his forehead and half inserted into his chest.


    The strong man in fur coat bowed his head and looked at the leader who died with eyes still open. He whispered, "Who am I?"


    "I am your mowing man."


    At this time, there was no sound in the lobby. This sentence could be heard by everyone. The merchants had not recovered from the shock, and the remaining big men had been scared and almost lost their souls. They did not know how to deal with the situation.


    Rushing towards him with swords?


    Or being caught without fighting?


    But was there any difference? Anyway, they would be dead!


    No matter how other people thought, anyway, the face of the waiter had begun to slowly recover. Originally, he had begun to find ways to escape, thinking about wandering in the world. But unexpectedly, the road turned around after the peak, there was a master hidden in his shop hidden. With just a pointing by a finger, the robbers turned into flying ash and annihilated.


    "Mowing man?"


    "Is that the knight-errant who specializes in heroism?"

 Chapter 115 The Dead Bodies

    "The knight-errant who specializes in heroism?"


    Whether other people believe it or not, anyway, the remaining big men in the lobby would not believe that, because the knight-errant would help others when they saw the evils, but this person aimed to kill them. Mowing, mowing, what he mowed were their lives.


    The soldiers who fought in the battlefield and pledged allegiance to the country were actually described as wild grasses in the mouth of these people.


    "What do you want to do?"


    "Stand still!"


    "I will fight with you if you come over!"


    "It''s better to fight for our lives than being caught without resistance. There was no coward in the Ye Army. Let''s hack this bastard!"


    Knowing that they wouldn''t be released anyway, the remaining six big men screamed and rushed toward the strong man in fur coat. Everyone was red-eyed, gritting their teeth and waving their swords in anger. However, it could be clearly seen that before the knife was stretched out, there was no skill but many flaws in their movements. Maybe even the person holding the sword had no confidence in himself, just seeking the peace of mind and doing the last struggle.


    Naturally, no one in the lobby sympathized with these big men. It was common that the robbers encountered with some strengthen guys in the warrior''s world. If that truly happened, they could only blame on their bad luck.


    It was like these merchants, when they were robbed, there was no opportunity for them to fight back as well, they could only use money to avoid disasters.


    They should have a sense of death at any time if they want to live on killing.


    The only two special people could perhaps be Red Bean and Ye Que.


    Holding a cup of wine high, Red Bean cheered unexpectedly. "Good job, kill them all!"


    "You dare to rob my silver. Have you lost your mind? If I hadn''t been feeling sick now, I would have killed you with my umbrella, it would be my turn to kill you, not others."


    While shouting, Red Bean also drank the wine unrestrainedly. "That, the one who wears a fur coat, don''t leave your mercy. In the story, it was said that if you kill the robbers, you will be a hero, you will be a good man."


    "Here is to you!"


    After drinking a few cups of wine, Red Bean shouted more vigorously, it seemed that the effect had come up.


    Sitting next to her, Ye Que did not move or cheer. Firstly, these people were indeed robbing the shop which had no controversy about it, and they were also impolite to Red Bean; secondly, they were not skillful enough so that being killed by others, this did not obey the rules. Since now Ye Zhengru had been dead and the Ye Army probably had been controlled by someone else, although Ye Que had guessed that this group of people was soldiers of Ye Army, it was unreasonable for him to pry into the business.


    Who cared?


    Everyone lived on their skills.


    Life and death were determined by the God.


    As long as they couldn''t get rid of him, then he would let it be. The more you interfered in other businesses, the more dangerous you would be. Who could guarantee that you were the strongest? This group of ''robbers'' or ''deserters'', when they entered this wine shop, they certainly couldn''t imagine that there would be such a powerful character here and they would die here.


    One vs six.


    No one at all saw him show his weapon, he just took their lives with only two fingers, during which there was no internal force flow of a martial artist, nor there seemed to be a True Energy fluctuation of a practitioner, he was just like relying solely on physical strength.


    In the observation of Ye Que, this person''s cultivation base was the Starburst Realm at the worst, and he was also a rare body cultivator who did not refine Qi, write spells, ride with the sword or learn the formations, but only refine his own body and improve his body as a magic weapon. If the refining was not good, it would always be the Cocoon and the Impenetrable Defence of the martial artists. If the refining was good, when the cultivation base was upgraded to the Formless Realm, a body cultivator could fight against two Qi practitioners with the attack power alone.


    This strong man in fur coat was walking on a cultivation road which was easy to enter in but difficult to go out.


    Obviously, this person was already going to finish his apprenticeship that his movements could reveal his master''s talents.


    Within a second, the six big men were all died in the lobby.


    More than a dozen big men broke into the wine shop and robbed, then they all died and fell into a pool of their blood after a quarter.


    The strong man in a fur coat looked at the dead bodies on the ground, rubbed the bloody index finger and the middle finger on the fur coat casually, and then looked up at the whole scene. All the people being looked were subconsciously lowering their heads. He could kill half a room of people in a short time, even he was a knight-errant, his heart was cruel enough. Whoever dared to get into trouble at this time would be paid attention and killed.


    No matter how many people died, no one would care in such a place like the You Prefecture North.


    The Emperor was far away, and the law simply could not cover here.


    Except for one more glance at Ye Que, the strong man did not move any more, but left an interesting smile. Then he turned around to lift the curtain and left the shop.


    As soon as he left,


    long sighs of relief could be heard clearly in the lobby.


    This meal was full of troubles.


    They suffered a robbery and watched a bloody fight. Some of the merchants did not finish eating. When they saw the blood on the ground, they rushed to the side to vomit immediately. When people were nervous, they felt insensitive. At this time, when they relaxed, naturally they were unbearable. After all, there were more than a dozen lives. Who dared to say that they had no feeling at all?


    In fact, the waiter was the most distressed.


    With no reason,


    Not only his business failed, but also he got into big trouble. Although the guests were safe, how about the dead bodies on the ground?


    "Notifying the local government?"


    "Fixing it myself?"


    Whatever it would be a little troublesome. If you wanted to notify the local government, how could you explain the cause of their death? Killed by your guests? What about the murderer? Who was that? Where did he come from? Where had he been now?


    No question could be answered.


    Who could guarantee that the murderer had no connection with your wine shop? Was it deliberately murdering for money?


    You said that these people on the ground were robbers? They were robbing the shop? However, after all, they had not succeeded in the robbery. Even if they were guilty, you should first report to the government. Only the government had the right to deal with robbers. The civilian had no enforcement power and the right to arbitrarily kill others.


    if thinking it in detail, their sins were not enough to lose their life.


    Even if they really robbed the money from you, they would be locked in prison. It was not a capital offense.


    But if let the waiter handle it himself, it would be even more troublesome.


    He even did not know where to bury the dead body. He couldn''t just throw them directly into the mountain, it was not feasible. It was even a huge project for the waiter to carry all these dead bodies out.


    The waiter looked at the merchants in the shop with an embarrassed look on his face and took the courage to go to the most charitable fat man. He said embarrassingly, "Sir, are you in a hurry?"


    Just after vomiting, the fat man''s face was still pale. He waved his hand and said, "I''m not in a hurry, is there something wrong?"


    "Then, can you help me? Let''s carry these people out together. If they were still put in the shop, it''s, it''s..."


    The waiter did not explain it clearly, but everyone knew what he meant.


    "Carry the body?"


    "I..."


    "Urgh!"


    When the fat merchants heard the request of the waiter, before he could say the following words, he immediately squatted to the side and began to vomit.


    At this time, the dozens of bodies which died on the ground suddenly changed. There were black flames somehow began to raise from the wounds.

 Chapter 116 Hunting the Spirits

    Just under the attention of everyone, the bodies were instantly covered by black flames. At the beginning, the flames only appeared in the wounds. Then the flames spread quickly and covered the entire body in a short time.


    There was no bones left.


    Only the blood on the ground could prove that there was indeed a bloody fight here.


    The dead bodies became fly ashes on the ground a moment later. All the people were stunned, they blinked and opened their eyes again, but the ashes were still.


    "What happened to these bodies?"


    "Why do they all burn up?"


    "What the hell?"


    "Did the person use some poison?"


    "How could it be possible? They have already been dead, why would he waste his poison?"


    Several people started to discuss in low voices, but there was no result. How could there be a result! They were all ordinary people, how could they figure it out? Even Ye Que and Red Bean were stunned at this moment, but their expressions were somewhat different.


    Almost at the same time, both of them threw away the things in their hands. They squatted on the ground, gently pinched a little black ash, smelled with their nose, and then rubbed their fingers.


    Subsequently, Ye Que sat on the bench. His face was gloomy and seemed to be making some choices. The reaction of Red Bean was even more intense. She grabbed her oil paper umbrella and rushed out of the wine shop with a cold and frosty face.


    Although it was no longer snowing outside, the road was still slippery.


    Bang.


    When Ye Que who sat in the house heard this, he knew that Red Bean must have been falling on the ground again. He sighed and followed her out. When he passed the waiter, he gave him a small ingot of silver and said lightly, "Listen to me, leave here quickly, leave the village, and if possible, ask the people in the village to leave quickly."


    "It''s not safe here."


    "Very dangerous."


    "People will die at any time."


    When he finished, he went outside the house. Within a few steps, he was stopped by the waiter. "What do you mean by this? Do you know anything? What happened just now? How did those corpses burn themselves? Will that person come back?"


    "I do not know."


    Ye Que took a pause and then said, "There may be demons around your village, do you understand?"


    Explaining the black flame, the difference between human, demon, and monster to an ordinary people was a difficult thing. It was difficult for them to understand. So Ye Que chose a simple way, he told him that there were demons here.


    It was vivid about demons for ordinary people.


    The black flame, the strong man in a mink coat, the disappearing corpses, all these could be fully explained.


    Standing outside the door of the wine shop at the intersection, Red Bean stunned and stood still. Nobody knew what she was thinking.


    Ye Que went to Red Bean and said, "Do you recognize the black flame?"


    Red Bean nodded and said, "I have been looking for them."


    "Them?" Ye Que asked with doubt.


    "We call this group of people the hunters. In your name, they are called the monsters." Red Bean explained.


    "Are you sure he was a monster?" Ye Que asked.


    "I won''t be wrong. Only the monster can use that kind of black flame, or monster''s flame. And that smell is definitely right, I was asked to keep the smell in mind when I was young." Red Bean said slowly.


    "Keep the smell of monster in mind?" Ye Que was stunned.


    "Yes, it''s incredible, but that''s the truth, because these hunters have destroyed our homes a long time ago. They took my people away with extremely evil means, drank our blood, stripped our skin, and took our bones away, and even hollowed out our hearts."


    After a pause, Red Bean continued, "In my family''s record, these people are a hundred times more evil than the demons. Everyone in my family must kill them once we see the hunters."


    "I don''t know how the man in a mink coated hide his scent, but the monster''s flame is not going to lie, and the smell of ash exactly belongs to them. That person is definitely a hunter, or at least has inextricable relationships with hunters."


    After saying this, Red Bean stared at Ye Que. "I need your help."


    "Catch up with him?" asked Ye Que.


    "No." Red Bean shook her head. "It was to capture him. The hunters have not appeared for many years. I need to confirm their information. Is there any conspiracy? They are the symbol of the night, when there are hunters, it must be the beginning of the chaos."


    The sun after the snow shined at the intersection and illuminated the face of Ye Que.


    He closed his eyes, seemed to have been considered seriously. Then Ye Que said, "You don''t need my help."


    "Because they are also my target."


    "I have a question to ask them."


    Ye Que clearly remembered that in Luoyang City, Qian Shuxiao gave him a bag, which contained a little black ash. It was exactly the bone ashes of the old housekeeper of the General''s Manor. And the old housekeeper turned into ashes in his eyes, and a black flame appeared before his death as well.


    At that time, Ye Que concluded that the death of the old housekeeper was related to the monster, and then he concluded that Ye Zhengru''s death was also probably related to the monster, but there was no evidence, and there was no clue about the monster then.


    The final reminder that the old housekeeper gave him was to enter into the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty and find the Divine Tool River Soldiers. It must be a reminder of finding the reason or the clues about Ye Zhengru''s death.


    Ye Que did not forget this matter, however, he still did not find anything related to the monster until he left the Imperial Mausoleum. But now it appeared.


    In this small village in the You Prefecture North, there was a monster in an ordinary wine shop.


    And the girl who accompanied him actually knew the monsters, but they were called hunters in her mouth.


    "You also want to find the hunters?" Red Bean asked.


    "Yes, I''m looking for them. I have told you that I''m the illegitimate son of the General''s Manor in Luoyang. My biological father is Ye Zhengru. Although I have no feelings with him, my mother was protecting him all her life. Now that he has been dead, I suspect that he was killed by the monster. Because of the kinship and the justice, I need to find out the truth, otherwise my mother would not rest in peace." Ye Que said softly. He actually had the same reason but in different ways as Red Bean, they were all blood debt.


    One was for the parents and the other was for the clansmen.


    "I can find the scent of the man in a mink coat, and I can find him if I follow the scent." Red Bean clasped the oil paper umbrella and pointed a direction.


    This time, before Ye Que reminded her, Red beans took the initiative to climb on his back. Because if she wanted to chase up someone, the current strength of Red Bean was definitely not enough.


    "Why didn''t you notice his scent just now?" Ye Que asked when he was rushing.


    "This is why I also feel strange. If it was not the black flame at last that revealed his identity, I couldn''t notice him at all. In general, this should not be the case, unless he used some special methods to cover up his identity."


    In fact, he could also guess that without Red Bean''s explain.


    The mountain road was rugged, the coniferous forest was dense in this area, and the snow covered the mountain, so this road was not easy to run. And it was already north of You Prefecture which was too remote for human to reach, so it was even more difficult to predict the surrounding situation.


    Fortunately, they succeed.


    They went wrong three times and turned back four times.


    At the end of the road, they finally saw the mink coat, and the strong man whose cultivation base was a mystery, or could now be called the hunter or monster.


    By the side of the man, there were five bodies lying on the ground. Because they had not been burned out by the black flame, Ye Que inferred that they should have been killed just now.


    Judged from the costumes of these people on the ground, they were soldiers of the Ye Army as well. One of them was wearing a standard mystical iron armor with a blue war sword at his waist and the Ye totem on the chest. He might have been a high official, at least a lieutenant.


    "Why are these people only killing the soldiers of Ye Army?"


    "And why they call themselves the mowing men?"


    "Who is the grass? What is the purpose of mowing these people''s lives? What is their secret?"


    The brows of Ye Que had already wrinkled together.


    It seemed that since the beginning of his return to the juvenile, this world had undergone tremendous changes comparing with the world that he had experienced.


    The world that he had experienced now should be the situation when the Demon Race invaded the world on a large scale and the demons raided Luoyang City. But now the Demon Race seemed to have no movement, and it was the "monsters" instead.


    In his vision, he encountered two traces of the monsters.


    This was a very dangerous signal, which was a hundred times more dangerous than the appearance of the demon.


    As Red Bean had told, the emergence of the monsters had always been associated with the disaster of heaven and earth. As long as there were monsters, there would inevitably undergo a drastic change.


    Perhaps the man in a mink coat had not noticed the arrival of them, or maybe he didn''t care at all.


    Anyway, the strong man in a mink coat was standing in the middle of the road at this moment and took out a white streamer. He did nothing but the white streamer moved even without wind. And the air appeared. Five transparent grey spirits appeared in the air, looking like the dead soldiers.


    Five grey spirits were absorbed by the white streamer as soon as they appeared in the air, and disappeared in an instant. Almost at the same time, five bodies on the ground began to burn by black flames directly.


    The black flame burned the body to ashes in a few seconds.


    In the wind mixed with ice and snow blowing, the ashes quickly dissipated, as if nothing had happened.


    However, it was not like that.


    The white little streamer was actually absorbing the spirits of the souls which were the military souls of the brave warriors!


    The snow lane was silent. The man''s chest had been rubbed with several bloodstains, but they were obviously not belong to himself, it was other people''s bloodstains that had attached to his fingers, and then being rubbed on his clothes.


    The mountain wind blew his cheeks, his eyebrows were covered with a light layer of frost, and his eyes were gloomy and grey, like an illusory formation of mist.

 Chapter 117 - Duel on the Small Path in Mount Mei

    Dusk was coming, and snow flakes were dancing above the tree branches. Layers of clouds spread for thousands of miles, and a few figures were walking along the snow caked path along Mount Mei.


    Ye Que patted Red Bean, who was on his back, signaling that she could get down now.


    He estimated that they were a thousand steps away from the mindless man in a mink coat. He looked very far away from them, but to a practitioner, especially a monster who was at least at Starburst Realm level, it was a dangerous distance.


    "Do you want to use my umbrella?" Red Bean asked a little worriedly as he looked at the mindless man a thousand steps away from them. "Why don''t we just go? We''ll look for him again when I''ve regained my skills. You''re just at Psychic Realm level and it''ll be a little difficult for you to handle a hunter."


    "Are you looking down on me?"


    "I''m also a practitioner."


    "Don''t forget, it was me who carried you out of the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty."


    Ye Que''s brows leaped. It was a shameful thing to a normal man for a woman to tell him that he would find something hard to do, especially if it was a woman or a maiden he cared about.


    "I''m not looking down on you, I just really think that it''s going to be hard for you," Red Bean said with a serious expression on her face. "This person''s level of cultivation is at Starburst Realm at the very least, and he could even possibly be halfway onto the Heaven Phase Realm. You''ll be courting death if you do this on your own. Even if I recovered all of my skills, it would be hard to say if I could win decisively. Perhaps, you don''t understand what hunters are and don''t understand their terrifying nature..."


    It was rare for Red Bean to be this chatty.


    Ye Que, on the other hand, seemed to be completely oblivious to what Red Bean was saying. Instead, he was staring at the mindless man a thousand steps away from them. "Say, do you think if the mink coat on that person will be warm and fuzzy?"


    "There has just been huge snowfall deep in Mount Mei, and temperature will definitely fall again."


    "How about I snatch it over from him?"


    "You could really use it now."


    Suddenly, Red Bean reached her hand out to grab hold of Ye Que''s shirt. Her expression had changed slightly.


    Unexpectedly, Ye Que blinked upon seeing her expression and patted the back of her arm lightly. "Don''t worry, I''m going to try. Don''t you think I can run away from him if I can''t beat him?"


    "Also, you haven''t seen me in a fight."


    "I''m pretty good!"


    As he spoke, Ye Que even remembered to point to his arms. He was trying to show Red Bean the two small bumps on his arms as proof of his strength.


    The simple action was not funny, but somehow Red Bean laughed. It was a faint laugh, but to Ye Que, it made her incredibly beautiful.


    This faint smile seemed to brush away the coldness on the snow caked path they were walking on. It washed the blood away from the end of the path, the gloomy clouds that had just condensed, and even dissolved the killing intent on both sides of the pathway with an invisible force.


    The mindless person in the mink coat had long seen them and sensed the overwhelming murderous intent on Ye Que and Red Bean. However, it constituted no pressure to him, and secondly, he was too lazy to be bothered by such small fries. His time was precious, and he had a task to complete. It was a huge physical undertaking to be a mowing man.


    He started from You Prefecture and traversed a radius of hundreds of miles, climbing a thousand more mountains and walking past countless roads. Who knew how many had snuck into the grass? The task of a mowing man was to quickly mow down all of the left over grass.


    350 thousand blades of "grass".


    None of them could be left.


    It was a demanding task, so he did not have time to waste on other things. Even if they were things he could accomplish easily, he could not waste any effort on them, for example in the wine shop earlier on. Normally, he would have killed everyone in the hall, so that there would not be any loose ends left, but today, he did not have the time for that.


    He did not even have time to turn his head back to see the black flames of the hall and whether the bodies had been completely burned to a crisp. As long as he was certain that all of the soldiers'' souls had been absorbed in the small white flag, his task would be complete. Then, his "mowing" would be complete.


    "It''s said that monsters are extremely powerful, and those that are described in books are terrifying. Today, I want to see for myself what right they have to represent the concept of fear!"


    The violent man in a mink coat stood barehanded at the end of the path.


    Likewise, Ye Que remained barehanded. He placed one foot on the ground and shook his sleeves before shooting out into the air like an arrow. Each step he took created a puff of snow, and he covered a distance of about three meters with each step. He was only one person, but it felt as though there was an army of thousands behind him.


    Snow flakes began to fly.


    The ground trembled slightly.


    Ye Que''s figure was not burly, and his expression was not sinister, but the aura he generated while barehanded was overwhelming!


    Perhaps, the killing intent of the violent man in a mink coat was stirred by Ye Que''s decision. He grunted coldly as he stood at the end of the path and clenched his fists tightly. He used his body as a hub, generating an invisible force field 10 steps around him.


    The man in the mink coat stood absolutely still and did not try to stop Ye Que from charging over. He did not bother to ask Ye Que for his motive of trying to kill him. In his eyes, it was not necessary to reason with the dead. The weak had no right to leave parting words behind, especially such audacious and inexperienced small fry.


    How long has it been since someone dared to charge at him?


    And unarmed, to boot!


    "You''re just a young boy at the Psychic Realm, who gave you such guts!"


    In the North of You Prefecture, and even the entire You Prefecture, even the governor had to show him Lei Sihai some respect if they saw him standing there. He was an elder of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. His level of cultivation aside, just his post alone was higher than what most people could imagine themselves ever having.


    Ye Que covered the distance of a thousand steps between them within 10 breath cycles.


    Ye Que could already see the force field in front of Lei Sihai clearly when he was just 50 steps away. It was a ring of invisible Spiritual Force that acted as a barrier, and ripples of energy could be seen on it. If he had guessed correctly, this was power from the Pseudo Realm of a body cultivator.


    Power from the True Realm was more intense and greater than that of Lei Sihai''s.


    Ye Que could also infer from this that Lei Sihai had not really entered Formless Realm. It was easy to embark on the path of body cultivation but hard for one to progress. Progressing from Starburst to Formless Realm was a dead end for many of them, and many ended stuck at the same level for the rest of their lives?


    Lei Sihai did not move. He looked at Ye Que and did not even raise his fingers, seemingly very confident of the power from his Pseudo Realm skills. He believed that just the recoil from their clash was enough to injure Ye Que.


    It was a simple punch!


    Ye Que traversed the distance between them and smashed his fist containing immense power onto Lei Sihai''s Pseudo Realm.


    A huge sound rang across the entire mountain pass.


    Even the surrounding branches began to shake, releasing a ball of snow.


    The sound of the barrier-shattering did not come as Ye Que had expected. A ripple-like wave appeared before him, and the momentum of the punch he made at full strength was dissolved into thin air without even having touched the corner of Lei Sihai''s clothes.


    The corners of Lei Sihai''s lips moved slightly, as if he was taunting Ye Que. Both of them were cultivators, but his opponent was making a fool of himself!


    Lei Sihai gently lifted his index and middle fingers to form the shape of a sword, just like he had done in the liquor store. The speed of this attack was not great, but it shot toward Ye Que''s forehead at an incredibly stable pace, as if he wanted to end the fight with one attack!


    (The first chapter today.)

 Chapter 118 - The Final Sword Which Disappeared

    Chapter 118 The Final Sword Which Disappeared


    The duel at the snow covered pass on Mount Mei began with Ye Que¡¯s punch.


    After the ripples appeared, the mink coat wearing Lei Sihai attacked with a blast of energy from his fingers. The sword energy he released rubbed against air rapidly, causing a chain of sparks to fly through what seemed as their entire surroundings. He could not deal with a practitioner such as Ye Que like when he was mowing down ordinary soldiers, no matter what level of cultivation he had.


    He would have been underestimating his opponent if he merely used two fingers. As such, he infused True Energy into his finger-sword energy attack. The Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was well versed in the manipulation of wind and thunder. It owned millions of lightning and wind based enchantments and techniques. This attack was infused with the power of lightning and thunder.


    In the blink of an eye.


    As for Ye Que, he was knocked back into the air by the recoil. He was not surprised at all. In fact, his first punch was meant to test the toughness of Lei Sihai¡¯s barrier. After his unsuccessful first punch, the second was already following close behind. Both punches were hard to fathom, and they contained the power of the Mystical Realm.


    ¡°Lying Drunk in the Valley of Taoist Immortals.¡±


    Ye Que was using a boxing technique from the Mystical Realm.


    The fastest and most efficient way to deal with a body cultivator was to meet force with force. Many times, however, it was hard to defeat one of them with brute force alone. Therefore, the indirect method was to first retreat and try to confuse and confound them before searching for a weak spot to make the lethal blow.


    Even though Lei Sihai¡¯s moves were slightly stiff, his speed was still extremely fast. The energy bolt that he had cast on Ye Que¡¯s forehead, however, flew past the youth¡¯s sideburns harmlessly.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Another punch crashed onto the barrier, causing another wave of ripples.


    The first round of the duel between Ye Que and Lei Sihai ended abruptly as all of the attacks missed.


    Lei Sihai had unleashed 16 attacks with his fingers, causing 16 holes in Ye Que¡¯s clothes, his shoulders and hair, but none of them hit any vital parts. Ye Que made 21 punches, and all of them landed on Lei Sihai¡¯s barrier, causing 21 waves of ripples.


    The figure clad in mink was not moving.


    Ye Que was panting a little, however.


    Lei Sihai shook the collar of his shirt lightly, the taunting smile re-appearing on his lips. Finally, he spoke. His voice was still as hoarse as before, as if he was a crow who had been strangled. ¡°Your boxing is not bad, but your attacks are pointless. Young kid of Psychic Realm, even if I did not move, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why both of you are following me, and why you want to try to do the impossible. Of course, that¡¯s not important now. I¡¯ve always firmly believed that the dead will never lie. There¡¯s no need for those who are about to die to leave any parting words.¡±


    There was a sound of rumbling thunder!


    The mink coat clad Lei Sihai suddenly moved like an agile rabbit and leaped up. He formed a fist with a left hand and a palm with his right. One contained the power of the wind, while the other the power of lightning. He moved close to Ye Que and suddenly unleashed his power.


    On the snow covered path of Mount Mei, all of the caked snow in a 10 step radius around Lei Sihai rose up into the air.


    A green and blue tornado appeared between the two combatants!


    Rumbling thunder sounded.


    Ye Que was also beginning to move at great speed. However, he had only a 10 step radius to move around. The danger of facing a body cultivator grew exponentially as one moved within 10 steps of them; each step one took could force one into a melee with them.


    The ¡°Lying Drunk in the Valley of Taoist Immortals¡± was a boxing technique from the Mystical Realm. Even though he had not used the entire technique, he still made punch after punch, each of them coming close to Lei Sihai before being blocked by the barrier surrounding him. Gradually, Lei Sihai had grown accustomed to the strength of Ye Que¡¯s blows and only increased his speed, hoping to strike his opponent¡¯s vitals.


    Physical cultivators were not known for their speed. Ye Que¡¯s movements were agile and full of variations, and his steps contained Combined Zodiac Power. Currently, the combatants were caught in a stalemate. Ye Que was unable to break through Lei Sihai¡¯s barrier, while Lei Sihai was unable to hit any vital part of Ye Que.


    They seemed to be evenly matched.


    In reality, Lei Sihai already had a card up his sleeve. This was because he was in a position whereby he could not lose. Ye Que, however, could not make a single mistake; an error in his movements could possibly lead to his death.


    ¡°Kid, let me see how long you can keep this up!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still so active while 10 steps away from me. What about seven steps?¡±


    Lei Sihai said darkly. He retracted the power of wind and lightning, increasing the eye of the tornado from 10 to seven steps.


    Ye Que adjusted his footwork slightly and was still not hit by Lei Sihai.


    ¡°Can¡¯t get you in seven steps? What about five?¡±


    He shrank the eye of the tornado again, and Ye Que¡¯s face grew much more serious.


    In the blink of an eye, the eye of the storm shrank again. Without even speaking, Lei Sihai had shrunk the distance between them from five to three steps.


    The Wind and Lightning were drawing close!


    The corners of Lei Sihai¡¯s lips curled into a smile as the True Energy on his fingertips increased. Before his attack had even touched Ye Que, however, he could see that the ¡°kid¡± was showing a horrifying smile as well.


    He was not mistaken.


    It was a horrifying grin.


    Ye Que¡¯s lips moved slightly. He did not speak, but anyone who could read his lips could tell that he was saying, ¡°You aren¡¯t worthy enough of calling me a kid; even the leader of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder doesn¡¯t have the right to do so. You¡¯re just a mere body cultivator, yet you dare to stand within three steps of me. Are you trying to hasten your death?¡±


    His lips stopped moving.


    He kept his fists.


    He used his fingers instead of fists and flicked two of them together.


    ¡°Bap! Bap!¡±


    Two Spirit Swords, about 30 centimeters long, appeared one after the other and flew toward the barrier. One flew in the Heavenly Beam position, while the other in the Huge Crocodile position. These two spots were the weakest areas of the barrier which he had discovered after raining dozens of punches on it.


    Lei Sihai¡¯s pupils opened wide and retracted his fingers to form an open palm. He waved his palms in the air, forming a Spiritual Wall.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    The wall blocked the two swords, but another one came crashing down silently upon his head.


    The Pseudo Realm barrier was shattered by Ye Que¡¯s third sword. The ripples burst into countless waves of Spiritual Force like balloons that had been filled with water.


    Just as the third sword appeared, the fourth and fifth¡­


    Other than the two swords that were fired first, as well as the attack that shattered the barrier, a total of nine swords appeared the instant the shield was pierced. The nine Spirit Swords formed a line and were spaced very closely to each other. They pierced through the five viscera, six bowels, four limbs and seven gates of Lei Sihai with the force of an army.


    The energy from the swords exploded.


    Bloody mist pervaded the air.


    Even Red Bean, who was a thousand steps away, was a little stunned. The fighting power of this human youth was so strong!


    At such close distance, even herself would find it hard to deal with his attacks.


    He was unmatched in a three-step radius!


    This was the path of cultivation to the Psychic Realm Ye Que had set for himself in the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty.


    He was not going to care what Realm, whether Starburst or Formless, his opponent belonged to. As long as he was within a three steps radius of his opponent, it was his realm when it came to sword skills, or the understanding of sword skills.


    Beneath the Apocalypse Realm, in the Human World, Ye Que feared no one.


    He had unleashed all of the 12 Children Swords of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords. The final ¡°Chengren¡± sword was aimed at the Snow Mountain of Lei Sihai¡¯s heart. Any practitioner, even a monster, would become a vegetable if his or her Spiritual Sea was destroyed. It was a fate harsher than death.


    Monsters with no cultivation were not comparable even to ordinary humans. They would be killed easiy in a second and die in forgotten places.


    This happened in the blink of an eye.


    Lei Sihai knew that his opponent would eventually make a killing blow targeted at his vital spots. However, he needed time, just one second time for him to turn the tables.


    Everything reverted to quiet in the surrounding land, and the tornado that was formed by wind and lightning was already beginning to shrink violently, as if it was a cunning snake devouring its prey. A ray of Sword Qi followed the path of Ye Que¡¯s fingers and flowed toward the center of Lei Sihai¡¯s eyebrows.


    At the brink of death.


    The path to Lei Sihai¡¯s head was unobstructed now, but now sword did not appear.


    The Chengren Spirit Sword had disappeared!

 Chapter 119 - Real Body, Fake Form

    Chapter 119 Real Body, Fake Form


    At the most crucial moment of their life and death struggle, the Spirit Sword that had been contained in his body for all this while had unexpectedly vanished!


    This was something that Ye Que could never have imagined or expected. He had traversed the Three Realms for dozens of years, and had never encountered such a thing before. It was not a conscious mistake.


    A figure cut a huge parabola across the air.


    Fresh blood spurted like a fountain!


    Ye Que could not even begin to understand what happened as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He bore the pain and focused his attention within his body. The ¡°Chengren¡± Mother Sword of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords had indeed vanished from his Spiritual Sea!


    ¡°How could this be?¡±


    ¡°Completely impossible!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that a Spirit Sword kept within someone¡¯s body can vanish on its own. Could it really have left me?¡±


    Ye Que¡¯s mind was full of doubts as he lay on the ground. Time waited for no man, however. No matter how great his doubts were, they would have to wait until after the fight; only then would he have the time to think about them. If his life was gone, everything would turn to naught, and it was pointless to ponder about such things if that happened.


    He half kneeled and lifted his head to look at Lei Sihai, who was more than a hundred steps away. The mink coat that he had been wearing had already been shattered into pieces, and a bloody figure appeared in front of him. He was so muscular that his physique looked unreal. Each part of his body, however, seemed to have been cut or sliced through by Ye Que¡¯s swords, and blood was flowing all over him.


    Blood was still seeping slowly out of nine, inch-long holes made by swords.


    ¡°Boom, boom, boom¡­¡±


    There was a soft chain of sounds as Lei Sihai¡¯s body exploded. His flesh turned into a bloody mist that squirmed. After the mist had dissipated, a five feet tall shriveled up old man with cracked up skin, a head of white hair, and black nails had replaced the nine feet tall body cultivator.


    The old man looked vengefully at Ye Que.


    ¡°D*mned kid, how dare you to destroy the husk that I¡¯ve spent such a long time to find? He was a body cultivator of the Starburst Realm and halfway into the Formless Realm. Do you know how valuable such a body is? You destroyed it! D*mn! D*mn! Really, d*mn it!¡±


    The hoarse, crow-like voice had sounded piercing and unbearable on the violent man, but the same voice on the old man sounded peaceful, something rare to hear.


    This voice and appearance were undoubtedly how we truly looked.


    At the same time, Red Bean, who was a thousand steps away, and Ye Que could sense a vague dark aura on the old man. It was the aura of a monster.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is the aura of a hunter, and I will never be mistaken!¡± Red Bean¡¯s eyes seemed to look extremely vengeful and seemed to be gritting her teeth. From young, she had heard many stories of the hunter. They were the evilest presence on earth, and the image had taken root in her mind.


    As for Ye Que, he looked as cold and serious as her. ¡°Even if I hated the people of the General¡¯s Manor and begrudged them, it¡¯s my personal issue. I didn¡¯t go in there to kill anyone. How could you ghostly beings make your own decisions? Do you really think that there¡¯s no match for you in the entire world?¡±


    ¡°Monsters are also beings of the world, all beings were born equal. There¡¯s no reason for you people to be undefeatable. If that was true, the Human World would long have changed and be ruled by monsters by now.¡±


    After understanding all these, Ye Que got up with much difficulty and retrieved all of the other 12 Spirit Swords. He suspended them in front of himself, all of them pointing at the old man who stood a hundred steps away from him. With the loss of the Mother Sword, however, the artifact¡¯s value had instantly decreased on level. It used to be a rare set of Spirit Swords that was between Levels 2 and 3, but now, they were just ordinary Spirit Swords.


    However, it was not a big deal. Spirit Swords were still Spirit Swords.


    Even though their power was reduced by half, the sharpness of the blades was undiminished. Ye Que believed that the Spirit Swords would still be able to draw blood after piercing into the old man¡¯s body.


    The slightly hunch backed scrawny old man seemed to be gathering his battle power as well. The viciousness in his eyes had grown increasingly intense, and even though Ye Que hated monsters, he still wanted to kill the youth.


    The white small flag was summoned by him, and terrible cries rang out across the entire small path of Mount Mei.


    All of his fingers were in motion as the white flag began to circle in the air at great speed. The flag blew gently into the sky and faint grey spiritual beings surged out from underneath. All of them looked sinister, vicious and cruel.


    The old man was prepared to fight to the death!


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve destroyed the body that I¡¯ve spent so much effort to get, you shall pay with your own. To think that you¡¯re able to wield and control those 12 Spirit Swords with such agility and imagination at the Psychic Ream. I believe yours isn¡¯t too bad. You pay for murder with your life and your body if you destroy mine.¡±


    ¡°Pay with my body?¡±


    Ye Que grunted coldly. ¡°If I can destroy the body you obtained, I can destroy you as well.¡±


    ¡°Anyone can boast. Don¡¯t be too impudent, little one.¡±


    The scrawny old man stepped hard with one foot, and his movements were extremely bizarre. His speed was more than three times greater than that of the violent man in the mink coat, and the faint grey spiritual beings above his head were also baring their fangs and unleashing their talons, as they swooped down upon Ye Que like a huge patch of grey clouds.


    Ye Que looked extremely serious as the corners of his lips moved. A string of thick incantations came out of his mouth, and the 12 Spirit Swords stood extremely stiffly before rapidly forming a Killing Formation. It was extremely tight, and the energy from his swords radiated into the surroundings.


    However, just as the energy from his swords spread to a three-step distance, the ¡°Quyi¡± Spirit Sword suddenly disobeyed his command and broke free of the formation, instantly worming its way back into his body.


    The Sword Formation had dissolved on its own!


    Even the old man who was not far away was somewhat surprised and stopped moving for a while in case it was a trap. He thought that there was a possibility that Ye Que was weaving a fixed step confusion-inducing formation and was planning on catching him unaware again. ¡°Once bitten, twice shy,¡± he thought.


    If he fought blow for blow and in a traditional fashion, Ye Que was no match for him.


    Any fancy strategies were pointless in the face of the harsh truth about the disparity in their strengths.


    The shriveled up old man grew increasingly pleased with the state of Ye Que¡¯s body as he examined it closely. It seemed to be a good thing to have discarded the identity of the mink coat wearing mindless fool Lei Sihai. He had profited from his own bad luck and met with an even better husk.


    The old man was a monster who traveled in the Human World. It was extremely dangerous if he did not know how to conceal his real identity. The lesson he had been taught a century ago was still fresh in his mind. After a long time spent experimenting, the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness had come up with a way of seizing control over someone else¡¯s body and walking among humans with the aid of the body it had snatched.


    A century of planning.


    In Divine Land, the seeds of the monsters had already been sowed everywhere.


    While pausing to catch a breath, the old man had swept his gaze carefully around Ye Que¡¯s surroundings, but he could not find any potential site of booby traps. Even though it was rare to see a Sword Formation dissolve by itself, it did not mean that that wasn¡¯t a trap set by the opposition. Even if it was, could he not have attacked his foe without the formation?


    He was unafraid when his opponent possessed the Sword Formation.


    What more without it.


    A huge, pure black skull opened its ravenous mouth and howled as it charged toward Ye Que.


    Ye Que¡¯s expression did not change, but his feet were continually shifting to avoid his opponent¡¯s attacks. At the same time, he tried to look within himself to find out what was wrong with his body. How could the Spirit Swords have disappeared consecutively?


    This was because the Quyi Sword was just about to worm its way into his Spiritual Sea when Ye Que grabbed hold of its end.


    The inch-long Quyi Spiritual Sword was entirely out of his control now and crashed straight into the deepest recess of his Spiritual Sea before falling into a page of paper.


    It was one of the pages of the Divine Book.


    The one that emerged from beneath the ground of the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty.

 Chapter 120 - The Soldier of the River Soldiers

    Chapter 120 The Soldier of the River Soldiers


    The Spirit Sword Justice-seeking was taken as if it were a sheep.


    It was swallowed up by a page of the Divine Book, and then all the connections were cut off directly with Ye Que. In the Spiritual Sea, Ye Que could no longer find a trace of the Justice-seeking Sword, as if the sword itself did not exist.


    ¡°Incredible!¡±


    ¡°Unexpected!¡±


    ¡°The Divine Book is the treasure of the heaven and earth which is clam and peaceful, how can it make a devouring of the Spirit Sword? This is completely inconsistent with the temperament of the Divine Book! ¡±


    If it was not seen with his own eyes, even if you killed him, Ye Que would not believe that his own Spirit Sword would be swallowed up by his own Divine Book, and he couldn¡¯t control it at all as a master.


    Calm down.


    Throw away the distracting thoughts.


    What the eye saw was not necessarily the truth. The fact was always hidden in the fog. Ye Que adjusted his mindset in an instant, because his intellect told him that the things in front of him were definitely not the whole truth.


    Because of his own thoughts, or the Divine Book, the Divine Mind that Ye Que used for the inner vision of the Spiritual Sea were actually dragged directly into the depths of the Spiritual Sea by an attraction.


    Somehow in a turning around in a hurry, it fell into the page of the Divine Book.


    After the glare of white light, a blue crystal appeared in front of Ye Que, surrounded by numerous mystical words. Each mystical word seemed to have contained a small world which was mysterious and exquisite, and contained endless truth of the heaven and earth.


    ¡°The River Soldiers!¡±


    ¡°The Divine Tool River Soldiers!¡±


    ¡°How can there be the Divine Tool River Soldiers in this Divine Book? At that time, I clearly saw that the River Soldiers was still in the main hall of the underground cave. The black man of the Mount Shu and the mirror image of the Demon King were fighting for the ownership of the River Soldiers. Now how could the Divine Tool come inside my body? There is no reason!¡±


    Ye Que looked at the Divine Tool surrounded by mystical words foolishly, feeling that his brain was burning!


    At this moment, in the air above the Divine Tool River Soldiers, a green light suddenly fell. Ye Que raised his head and took a look, and it turned out to be his Justice-seeking Sword.


    He saw that the Spirit Sword Justice-seeking seemed to have been controlled by an invisible force. It fell straight on the top of the blue crystal and was about to have an impact with the Divine Tool.


    Suddenly, the Divine Tool River Soldiers, which was standing still, turned into an ancient beast in a blink of eyes.


    And it opened the mouth which was full of fangs, and swallowed the Spirit Sword Justice-seeking.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! ¡±


    A clear chewing sound rang.


    The level two Spirit Sword Justice-seeking was chewed and swallowed by the Divine Tool River Soldiers.


    After a while, the chewing sound stopped, and the ancient savage beast turned back into a blue crystal. The whole process was clearly visible. There were no traces of illusion, and it was absolutely a real existence.


    Ye Que took a deep breath.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be!¡±


    ¡°Do I have to raise this fierce thing in the future?¡±


    ¡°What a terrible situation!¡±


    It took a long time for him to convince himself. He slowly walked over to the blue crystal and carefully observed it. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really the Divine Tool River Soldiers. It looks exactly the same as the one in the main hall.¡±


    ¡°What is the problem?¡± Ye Que began to search for memory and patiently look for clues, while the eyes did not leave the Divine Tool River Soldiers.


    A picture flashed.


    Ye Que suddenly understood. ¡°The Divine Tool River Soldiers that I saw before is different from the one in front of me. The appearance is the same, but the scent is different. Right, it is the scent.¡±


    ¡°At that time, in the main hall of the underground cave, the Divine Tool River Soldiers that were unearthed were extremely fierce and intriguing. It seemed that it had the force to control people¡¯s mind, and the resentment was overwhelming. At that time, Xing Ying of the Five Elements Divination Sect and Wuming from the Temple of Six Buddhas was intrigued and became the puppets of the Divine Tool. They not only ruined their own lives, but also killed their fellow practitioners. ¡±


    ¡°However, although the Divine Tool at that time was sharp, it seemed to have only enhanced the True Energy of the holder and controlled the holder¡¯s thoughts. The Divine Tool itself did not exert much effect. Its power seemed to be only a little bit stronger than the Monarch¡¯s Sword Cyan Luan, and it still had some difference with the Divine Tool in the impression. At that time, everyone was thinking to get it first. And they did not think about it at all.¡±


    Thinking of this, Ye Que looked at the blue crystal which had just swallowed the Spirit Sword Justice-seeking. ¡°Is it true that the Divine Tool River Soldiers that I saw at that time were not complete? It was just a part of the Divine Tool? ¡±


    ¡°The River Soldiers¡­ River Soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Was the Divine Tool divided into two parts?¡±


    Thinking of this, Ye Que¡¯s heart was beating fiercely.


    At the time in the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty, Ye Que had not been very active in snatching the Divine Tool. On the one hand, his field of vision was much wider than the average person. He knew that in the heaven and earth, the Divine Tools were not invincible, and there was still something more powerful than them. Because of the laws of the heaven and earth, and the balance of the cause and effect, there was nothing could detach from the heaven and the earth.


    On the other hand, he also really felt that his cultivation base was somewhat low at that time. Even if he tried his best, he would not be able to compete for the Divine Tool. And if he did that, he would leave himself a boneless scene.


    Even if he had made those clear, Ye Que was still in the golden palace and continued till the end. In fact, he still left things to luck.


    Who could guarantee that he was not the one who was fortunate?


    Who could guarantee that this Divine Tool River Soldiers was not waiting for him?


    There was a great difference between fighting with the Divine Tool and fighting without it.


    ¡°Am I really the person who has fortune with the Divine Tool River Soldiers?¡±


    Ye Que thought in mind. His right hand had been subconsciously stretched out, and five fingers touched the surface of the blue crystal gently.


    There was a ripple.


    Ye Que gave a sigh of relief first. At the very least, the Divine Tool River Soldiers did not directly attack him. If it became a fierce beast at this time and swallowed his mind, it would be too regretful.


    There was no reaction of the Divine Tool.


    But the ripples were still lingering.


    Ye Que gritted his teeth and began to mobilize the Divine Energy in his Spiritual Sea. Because this page of the Divine Book was originally in his own Spiritual Sea, it was very easy to mobilize the Divine Energy for him.


    A golden python of the Divine Energy appeared around Ye Que in a short time, a pure Divine Energy flowed into the Divine Tool River Soldiers along the five fingers of Ye Que.


    Almost at the same time, in the surrounding area of this page of the Divine Book, the mystical words suddenly began to fly at a fast speed.


    Numerous words surrounded Ye Que, the blue crystals and the golden python of the Divin Energy.


    Green-blue-yellow, the spirits of three different colors were crossed and mixed together.


    The mutant vitality was divided into three parts, with one connected to Ye Que, one connected to the Divine Tool River Soldiers and one connected to the Divine Book. At the same time, a huge amount of information directly rushed to the brain of Ye Que.


    With a cracking pain attacked him, he wanted to open his mouth and shout, but he couldn¡¯t make any sound. After a long time, the sense of the cracking pain gradually disappeared, and Ye Que found that there was a piece of information in his mind, a piece of information about the Divine Tool River Soldiers.


    What he had guessed was right that the Divine Tool in his body was only half of the River Soldiers.


    The Solider of the River Soldiers.

 Chapter 121 - Will the Monster Also Admit Defeat?

    Chapter 121 Will the Monster Also Admit Defeat?


    According to the description in his mind,


    Ye Que finally knew the truth of the River Soldiers.


    The River Soldiers was raised by the innocent souls of the Luo River in the past ten million years. It was born in the battle of the Human Race and the Demon Race against the monsters. The River Soldiers was divided into two parts from the birth, and the infinite resentment turned into the River of the River Soldiers and controlled people¡¯s mind. The boundless fighting strength turned into the Soldier of the River Soldiers and was responsible for the fighting.


    In general, the River could be regarded as the tool soul of the Divine Tool, the Soldier could be regarded as the body of the Divine Tool.


    What had been hidden in the page of the Divine Book was the body of the Divine Tool River Soldiers.


    The River Soldiers, which was invincible in the battle of ten million years ago, could break any swords and blades, and had eaten all kinds of magic treasures in the Human World. Therefore, it also gave the Divine Tool an ability to devour, the River of the River Soldiers was good at consuming the True Energies, and the Soldier of the River Soldiers was good at consuming the magic treasures.


    The Divine Tool that appeared again was like a child who had been hungry for countless years. If it was not the suppression of the Divine Book, he would flee from Ye Que¡¯s body and ruin the Human World.


    After so many days, it finally found a chance just now. First, it controlled the Noble Death Sword, and then controlled the Justice-seeking Sword. After a few mouthfuls, it devoured the two swords.


    However, things always changed because of the cause-and-effect cycle.


    Since Ye Que was not only the owner of the utmost treasure Divine Book and equipped with the Divine Energy, but also a half-requisite person of the Divine Tool River Soldiers, the addition of several reasons had somehow made the Divine Tool successfully recognized Ye Que as master.


    Confusedly,


    Ye Que actually had a Divine Tool.


    No, it could only be regarded as a half, but half of the Divine Tool was indeed a Divine Tool.


    With a thought in mind,


    Ye Que had finally returned to the reality.


    A small sand could hide a world. In the Divine Book of the Spiritual Sea, the time had passed for a long time, but in the real world, it was only a moment.


    Time was relative to space.


    The thin, old man was wrapped in the numerous gray spirits which had swept over the sky. His eyes were grim, but he looked like a winner. In his eyes, Ye Que was almost the lamb ready to be slaughtered. He really couldn¡¯t think of what change could the little boy make.


    Ye Que, who was originally prepared to retreat at a very high speed, suddenly stood still and motionless at this moment. Even the eleven Spirit Swords that were originally suspended in midair were taken back by him.


    He held his hand and his face was calm.


    ¡°You are just pretending to be profound!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to play an ¡®Empty City Planning¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m blind? Or a fool? That I will be deceived by this inferior deceptive trick? Ridiculous!¡±


    The thin, old man waved a white flag, and with a palm fell from the sky, the power of the Spiritual Force blew away all the snow on the ground. At the same time, he jumped up, and his feet became sickles. He seemed to have merged with the dark clouds in the air. The numerous spiritual dark clouds and swinging snow had formed huge pressure like a mountain.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    With an angry shout, a mountain-like Spiritual Force attack surged towards Ye Que.


    Until then, Ye Que still did not move, but looked up at the figure of the thin, old man, visually measuring the distance between them and the coverage of the gray dark clouds above his head.


    Three steps!


    Still a three-step distance.


    When there were about only three steps from the old to Ye Que, he finally moved.


    Draw the sword!


    Ye Que made an incredible posture of drawing the sword in the air. You must know that there was no machete in his waist, and there was no sword either. There was nothing but the clothes and a sachet at the waist.


    ¡°Stab!¡±


    A strange thing happened.


    It was because of this extremely simple drawing type, the air on the snowy road suddenly condensed, and it seemed that even the wind in the mountain had stopped.


    A blue sword appeared in the air. The sword was four feet long with one side sharpened. There were four sweeping lines on the sword, the handle was fastened, and the tip was straight. The sword was swung from his waist, and the right arm of the thin, old man was cut off with a simple move. At the same time, the white little flag in his hand was also divided into two, and the spiritual dark clouds which fell down with overwhelming pressure were now screaming desperately.


    The murderous dead spirits seemed to have encountered a nemesis when encountering this sword, all of them turned around without costs. However, the dark clouds and the water from the waterfall had already fallen down, how could they turn back to the cliff?


    The desperate screaming rang one after another.


    The sword holding in Ye Que¡¯s hand directly released a huge ancient beast after a flutter of the sword. The beast rushed to the dark cloud like a wolf into the flock, and it could devour a lot of the dead spirits with one bite as long as they came close. There was no way for them to escape from it.


    Without a stop, Ye Que turned around the blade and attacked the left arm of the thin, old man.


    At this time, the thin, old man, full of horror, seemed to be unable to accept the fact now. It happened merely in a second, how could one become so different?


    The white little flag in his hand was a magic treasure of about level three, it was cut into two parts by Ye Que¡¯s sword with a simple attack. And the gray dead spirits on the top of his head was very strong, why did they look like having encountered with a nemesis? They were actually escaping, let alone fighting.


    Were there fears in the heart of the dead spirits?


    The sword in Ye Que¡¯s hand was turned from the Divine Tool River Soldiers, and the shape was originated from the sword of his previous life ¡®Demon Killer¡¯.


    The thin, old man desperately fled backwards. At the same time, the black flames spread to Ye Que without calculating the costs. The black flames that could ruin corpses now seemed to have lost its power and became ordinary flames.


    18 demo-killing strikes.


    One strike after another.


    When the last strike was wielded out, the resistance of the thin, old man was finally exhausted. The magic treasures that he had were all broken by the River Soldiers. Without the white flag and an arm, he had lost most of his fighting strength, now he was resisting Ye Que, who was holding the Soldier of the River Soldiers, simply with his cultivation base.


    He could not compete with Ye Que at all.


    Since the Divine Tool had already recognized its master, Ye Que and the River Soldiers had merged together, how the old man could resist such a power.


    What was more, with an arm being cut off by the first strike, the True Energy in his body had lost a part of it immediately, and it seemed to have been absorbed by the Divine Tool.


    Although the Soldier of the River Soldiers was good at devouring the magic treasures, it still had a certain ability to devour the True Energy in bodies, especially after a direct contact.


    While one party became strong, the other part would become weak.


    Finally,


    With a big bang, the thin, old man was directly slapped on the ground by the sword on bended knees.


    He spat out blood continually with a pale, scary face. It seemed that he had almost been beaten to death.


    ¡°I surrender!¡±


    The thin, old man who fell to the ground suddenly shouted out. He surrendered to Ye Que! During the life and death battle, as a demon, he surrendered to a human cultivator!


    Was this monster so frightened of being beaten that he didn¡¯t even need dignity?


    The sword was stagnant. Ye Que raised the eyebrows and he felt some surprised. The thin, old man in front of him had a big difference with the monsters recorded in the book. Had the monsters that had not appeared for hundreds of years in this Divine Land changed? Or it was because they had stayed in the Human World for so long that they had infected human¡¯s traits.


    As a ¡®monster¡¯, a creature that represented the fear, it would admit defeat!

 Chapter 122 - Everyone Has Fear

    Chapter 122 Everyone Has Fear


    The original ¡®monster¡¯ naturally did not know how to admit defeat. They would fight to the death under any circumstances. However, after hundreds of years of forbearance, the monsters that had slowly adjusted their life with the Human World had begun to change quietly. They had not only learned admitting defeat, surrendering, swindling, stealing and playing tricks, but also learned how to be a good person, and how to be a decent master.


    Only when they truly became a part of the Human World could they completely hide in the Human World, and the seeds of the ¡®monster¡¯ would be buried deep in the soil, only to wait for the Lord to come again.


    The Lord of the monsters would revive and regain the world.


    It was not surprising that the thin, old man, who had processed the body of Lei Sihai for more than a decade, naturally, had equipped with some traits and habits that Lei Sihai once had. It was not strange for him to admit defeat when he lost in the fight.


    Ye Que stood in front of the thin, old man, and the River Soldiers never left his chest. He stared at the man¡¯s eyes as if he wanted to find out his true thoughts. However, it was in vain. It was simply impossible to find out the idea of a ¡®monster¡¯ from the eyes.


    Waving to Red Bean, he indicated her that the duel had been over.


    When Red Bean came close to Ye Que, the gray death spirits in the sky had all been swallowed up by the ancient beast which was turned by the River Soldiers. After seeing all this, they could know how much regret did the old man suffered simply from the eyes.


    These dead spirits were his properties that needed to mow numerous lives. In addition to surrendering part of them, some of them were for his own practice.


    Now, he had nothing left in a moment, how could he not regret!


    Although he was regret, the dead spirits were less important than his own life. If he had died, the dead spirits would become useless as well. Even if all the 350,000 ¡®grasses¡¯ were mowed, it would have nothing to do with a dead person. The Lord could be resurrected, could he be resurrected, too?


    There was no such record on the monument.


    Looking at the thin, old man who fell to the ground, Red Bean¡¯s emotions were a little agitated. The umbrella in her hand was somewhat uncontrollable and she wanted to pierce his head directly. Fortunately, Ye Que still accompanied her, and her own cultivation base had not recovered. Thus, she depressed the impulse.


    ¡°How are you going to deal with him?¡± Red Bean asked softly, without avoiding the old man on the ground. Anyway, no matter what he said, in the end, this thin, old man would have only one ending.


    Hearing Red Bean asked the question in front of him, the old man who had kept his head down and could not be seen with the expression suddenly raised his head and looked at Red Bean. His eyes were ferocious and tricky, even with a little threat. If it was an ordinary person, maybe she would be scared to a serious illness.


    An umbrella was shot on the head of the old man.


    Red Bean shouted out directly, ¡°What do you mean by that eye?¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°That I asked him how to deal with you was to give you a way to live. Don¡¯t think I could easily be bullied even when I lost my cultivation base. If you dare to stare at me again, you will die.¡±


    After she shouted angrily, she still couldn¡¯t bear it and slapped her umbrella on his head.


    For the thin, old man, even if Red Bean was to make full effort hitting his head, it was like scratching and would not hurt him.


    She didn¡¯t have to look down. Red Bean could feel a strong sense of irony.


    The sword light flashed.


    The thin, old man didn¡¯t even scream, and his left arm was cut from the shoulder. After cutting off his arm, the back of the sword was put on his mouth. The meaning was very clear, ¡°If you dare to shout or scream, your mouth will be gone.¡±


    Even if the two arms of a half-step Formless Realm master were cut off one after another, the pain was unparalleled. His sweat was pouring down from his forehead in succession.


    ¡°Now that you have admitted defeat, don¡¯t think any more and kneel honestly.¡±


    ¡°You have no dignity and personality now. Stare is a sin.¡±


    ¡°The left arm will be your ending, don¡¯t provoke me again. In this world, it¡¯s not only the monster who knows what is fierce.¡±


    Ye Que said towards the ground coldly, and then spat at him.


    The phlegm fell to the thin, old man¡¯s eyebrows, and then flew down the bridge of his nose. But he dared not do anything. Even if he wanted to do something, it would be difficult. Since he had lost his arms, it would be a difficult problem to wipe his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you just say that you want to catch him alive? Now we get him. Ask anything you want.¡± Ye Que pointed at the ground and said to Red Bean.


    After looking at Ye Que, Red Bean calmed down and asked, ¡°Are you a hunter?¡±


    Although the first question sounded quite simple, Ye Que saw that the old man on the ground had obviously changed the mood. He did not speak anything for a few seconds.


    The River Soldiers in his hands was slightly moving.


    The old man on the ground had to open his mouth. ¡°Yes.¡±


    After saying that, he seemed too afraid that Ye Que was not satisfied and nodded slightly.


    ¡°Have you ever been to the Southland? Have you ever participated in hunting?¡± Red Bean continued to ask.


    The Southland?


    Hunting?


    Hearing these two words, the thin, old man on the ground seemed to have tried hard to think about it, and then shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    Feeling that Ye Que¡¯s sword was about to move again, the old man hurriedly explained. ¡°The name of the hunter should be used 100 years ago. Now the records in books call us monster. Since I was born, the name of the hunter was no longer used. If I hadn¡¯t read the classics in our clan, I would never know.¡±


    Speaking of this, the old man looked at the expression of Ye Que and Red Bean, then he continued, ¡°As for the Southland and the hunting, I am afraid that I am ignorant, I really have never heard of it.¡± At least in our generation of monsters, there was no Southland hunting, and I can guarantee this. ¡±


    Seeing the appearance of the thin, old man, Red Bean did not continue to ask this question, but asked another question, ¡°What does mowing man mean? Why are you looking for these soldiers and kill them everywhere? Since you dare to let the black flame come to the world, you must have some plans, what is your purpose? Tell everything you know!¡±


    Red Bean continued to ask several questions like machine guns. Perhaps it was because the spectator was always more clear, when she was watching the duel of Ye Que and the monster just now, she was thinking that what did this whole thing indicate?


    The former questions had been answered by the thin, old man on the ground truthfully, and they didn¡¯t take them too much time. However, when Red Bean asked this question, the monster suddenly silenced, and the expression on his face was even gloomier.


    Seeing that he did not answer, Ye Que then asked, ¡°In the General¡¯s Manor of the Divine Capital Luoyang, does Ye Zhengru¡¯s death have anything to do with you? How did he die? Who killed him?¡±


    The total irrelevant questions.


    But the questions went into the ears of the old man was like the stone sank into the sea. It gave them a feeling that he must know something.


    On the Meishan snowy road, suddenly it was quiet.


    ¡°Listen to me, these hunters have no need to live any more. They are hard-hearted, and they will not tell you the truth!¡± It was Red Bean that proposed to catch him alive in the first place. And now it was also her who wanted to kill him immediately. It seemed that when it came to the monster, her endurance would become very poor.


    Ye Que raised his hand and indicated, then he shook his head. ¡°Now it is not time to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Since he has a hard mouth, we will find a way to let him speak.¡±


    ¡°As long as he does not want to die, as long as he has his own independent thinking, there will always be a way. Even if he is a monster, he will be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Every creature has fear in the world, and no one can escape from it.¡±


    After that, Ye Que asked Red Bean to wait for him here for a moment. Then he carried the thin, old man, who was kneeling on the ground, and went into the deep woods beside the snow road of Mount Mei.


    After a while, there was a hysterical scream in the woods, mixed with painful sorrow. One scream after another. First it was loud, then it was getting smaller. It seemed to be able to hear that the scream became strange later, and finally it began to tremble.


    You could feel the pain just by listening to the scream.

 Chapter 123 - Meat Grinder

    Chapter 123 Meat Grinder


    The true name of the man whose arms had been cut off by Ye Que was Yan Se.


    He left the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness and went to the Human World when he was seventeen. He had done numerous evils and killed lots of people since then. The fear he had seen was more than he could remember. Anyway, in his impression, the disciples of the Cultivation World were mostly pure and honest, and few of them were cruel.


    Today, however, Yan Se suddenly found out how ridiculous his previous thoughts were. That he had always encountered pure and honest practitioners was because of his good luck. In the Cultivation World, there was also the existence of fierce and cruel, just like Ye Que in front of him. In a short time, Ye Que had let him know what was better to die than live, and what was called purgatory in the Human World. Compared with Ye Que, what he had done before was like a child playing games.


    Yan Se could not imagine how a young man that was grown up in the Human World would be so cruel.


    He could not even imagine some means that Ye Que used.


    Although Ye Que¡¯s smile looked bright, his inside was more horrible than the ghosts. If there had been another chance for Yan Se, he would not have shown up in that small wine shop, and would leave this small road of the Mount Mei far away and would never come back. But things could not change anymore, everything had already happened.


    Half an hour later.


    Yan Se was dragged back by Ye Que with his leg holding in his hand, like a muddy.


    The expression of Ye Que was as usual, but Yan Se¡¯s expression was like seeing a ghost. He was shivering all over. Now, he could not even raise his head anymore, let alone staring at Red Bean. His teeth were trembling.


    In fact, this was because of Yan Se¡¯s bad luck. In the Cultivation World nowadays, no talents in any sects could get any useful information from Yan Se when they met a situation like this. Because this generation of young talents were flowers that raised up in the greenhouse. In nearly a hundred years, the Cultivation World had never experienced the slightest wind and rain. These flowers had never seen blood flowing in the river. They had never seen the scene that corpses scattered everywhere like mountains.


    How could the younger generation who had grown up like this be the opponents of the monsters?


    However, Ye Que was different. In his space, the war between the Demon Race and the Human Race had lasted for decades. It had spread from the Human World to the Three Realms, and the ordinary people were also involved. Everything they could do was to pray for their lives in the morning after they woke up every day.


    It was an era in which the air was filled with blood all the time.


    Killing or being killed, conspiracy or pitfalls, traps or routines, living or death were all around them all the time. Surviving in such a situation, even if he was an innocent man, he would be forced to learn a lot of things. Ye Que was not a pure innocent man, or not a good man, naturally he would shock Yan Se.


    Ye Que was called the ¡®Demon-slaying Asura¡¯, would he be an innocent young man?


    Even if Yan Se was an innocent man, Ye Que could not be.


    Having fought with the Demon Race for decades, he had encountered with all the situations.


    Yan Se was just a ¡®non-mainstream monster¡¯ that was born in a peaceful era and had infected with human traits. Naturally, he could not compare with such a ¡®Demon-slaying Asura¡¯ that came from the blood sea and corpse mountains.


    Only after half an hour, Ye Que has warmed up, but Yan Se could not bear anymore. This thin, old man with white hair turned out to cry. The nasal mucus and tears were all on his face. It had also renewed Ye Que¡¯s impression on them.


    ¡°Humph, you call yourself a monster with such a look? After a few decades, any spy cultivator from Demon Race would be a hundred times stronger than you.¡± Ye Que spoke to himself in a somewhat dull way.


    He raised his foot, kicked Yan Se, and pouted his lips as a signal toward Red Bean. ¡°Just ask whatever you want. He¡¯s already prepared about confessing. He won¡¯t shut up any more.¡±


    Red Bean¡¯s expression was a little shocked at this time. She had never expected that someone would let a hunter talk, and only in half an hour. Looking down at Yan Se who fell to the ground, Red Bean could not believe her eyes. ¡°Is this still the evil creature recorded in the classics?¡±


    ¡°The evilest existence between the heaven and earth is such an appearance?¡±


    ¡°Have those d*mn old men in the clan lied to me since I was young?¡±


    The more Red Bean thought about it, the more she thought it was possible. But her deep-rooted persistence demanded that she denied it. This idea was dangerous, in the words of the elders in her clan, ¡°It¡¯s an evil idea, and it¡¯s not allowed to exist.¡±


    Red Bean shook her head hard, and she made a punch on her own head. She seemed to want to completely eliminate the idea.


    After a quarter of an hour, the little girl took back her attention and looked at Yan Se on the ground with a bad look. ¡°Let me ask you. What does the mowing man you said before mean?¡±


    Yan Se looked up slightly at Ye Que and trembled. He began to explain in a trembling voice. ¡°The mowing man is a metaphor. It was our captain¡¯s idea. He means to compare this action to mowing weeds.¡±


    ¡°Weeds?¡±


    ¡°What are the weeds? Those soldiers who were killed by you?¡± Red Bean continued to ask.


    Yan Se nodded and said, ¡°Yes, those soldiers. Our mission is to kill all the soldiers who escaped from the You Prefecture, and then take away their military soul.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m responsible for this snowy road north of Mount Mei. There are not many soldiers who can think of taking this road, but they are not less as well.¡±


    After thinking about Yan Se¡¯s answer carefully, Red Bean asked again, ¡°The soldiers who escaped from the You Prefecture? Why did they escape from there?¡±


    At the same time, Ye Que also asked, ¡°Do you know which general are these soldiers belong to?¡±


    Yan Se said without thinking, ¡°In these days, the soldiers who could appear near Mount Mei must belong to the Ye Army or the cavalrymen of the kingdom from the grassland. No one else can they be.¡±


    ¡°As for why they escaped from the You Prefecture, have you not heard of that?¡± Yan Se said unexpectedly. In his mind, since the two would come to kill him, they must be the genius disciples of the Cultivation World who had heard about the tragedy in the You Prefecture and came to kill him especially.


    Before the action began, the captain had already told them that the more time it took, the greater chances of encountering disciples in the Cultivation World there would be. So they must mow the soldier souls as soon as possible to avoid more troubles.


    Ye Que did not speak, but snorted coldly. The voice was not very loud, but Yan Se was frightened to confess honestly. ¡°About nine days ago, 150,000 iron riders of the grassland went to the south to attack the prosperous Tang. In order to resist the invasion of grassland barbarians, 200,000 Ye Army troops headed by His Highness Li Chunyu went north to fight the enemy. The first battle took place outside the city of the You Prefecture.¡±


    ¡°The two armies have fought for three days and three nights.¡±


    ¡°The You Prefecture has become a meat grinder.¡±


    ¡°350,000 people have lost their lives.¡±


    ¡°There were only a few soldiers who have escaped.¡±


    ¡°And our task is to mow the lives of these people, whether they are the soldiers of the Ye Army or the barbarians of the grassland.¡±

 Chapter 124 - Bloody Curse of the Red Spider Lily

    Chapter 124 Bloody Curse of the Red Spider Lily


    ¡°350,000 people are all dead?¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°How could so many people die in just three days? That¡¯s 350,000 people, not just 35 people!¡±


    Before Yan Se spoke, Ye Que and Red Bean had mentally prepared themselves. This was a devil, after all. It was certain to cause tremendous destruction once it made its move. However, tried as they did, they couldn¡¯t have imagined 350,000 soldiers would die in You Prefecture in just three days. Even if each person were to kneel for the monster to hack, it would still take it a very long time to do so.


    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± Ye Que yelled furiously while kicking Yan Se to the ground.


    ¡°I said nothing but the truth.¡± Yan Se, who collapsed on the ground, had his head against the sky.


    Seeing the shivering old man on the ground, Ye Que believed that he wasn¡¯t lying. Moreover, there was no need to deceive him with something like this. He would only be bringing himself Ye Que¡¯s murderous vengeance. Even so, the answer didn¡¯t make sense. Had the Ye Army and the grassland barbarians gone mad?


    Just how deep was their grudge that they would engage in a bloody battle that lasted for three days?


    It wasn¡¯t the first or second time that the grassland barbarians went down north. Their goal each time was to plunder foodstuff. How could they directly attack the heavily-guarded city of You Prefecture? Moreover, they even attacked the city for three long days despite not seeing success. Even if they miraculously won, what benefit would they gain? They would just gain some extra rations.


    On the other hand, what the grassland kingdom lost was 150,000 armored horses. That was a tremendous loss.


    Ye Que considered this from another perspective. How could the Ye Army, which possessed the strategic defensive position, perish alongside the 150,000 armored horses? 200,000 soldiers fighting against 150,000 armored horses shouldn¡¯t have resulted in a lose-lose situation.


    ¡°Where did the two armies face off? Is it outside of the city of You Prefecture?¡± Ye Que asked Yan Se.


    Hoarse laughter came from within the snow cover. In a raven-like voice, Yan Se said only three words.


    ¡°Within the city.¡±


    He looked as if he was recalling some wonderful memories. His voice became agitated and excited. ¡°Stop guessing. It was my master who arranged for the death of these 350,000 people. You¡¯d never be able to imagine how powerful my master is. I can confidently tell you whether it¡¯s the commander-in-chief of the Ye Army or the grassland armored horses, all are my master¡¯s seed. Their goal is to kill all the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°It was a battle of great tacit understanding. If it¡¯s the wish of the commander-in-chief that his soldiers die in battle, what do you think the outcome will be?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll wonder. The soldiers outside the city might not obey commands. Those on the frontlines might not go all out in fighting. If the fighting is done half-heartedly, maybe not everyone will die. But you¡¯re wrong, terribly wrong. Do you think my master hasn¡¯t considered all these? Before the battle began, the 67,000 commoners of the city of You Prefecture had been inflicted with a Bloody Curse. Even the entire city was placed under my master¡¯s grand formation.¡±


    Yan Se¡¯s excitement lent his voice a hysterical quality. ¡°Soldiers who entered the city of You Prefecture within those three days would surely fight like a madman until they die. If it¡¯s not our people, no one would notice anything from the announcement of the battle. Unless they¡¯re heroic soldiers with particularly strong willpower, no one would be able to walk out of the city of You Prefecture.¡±


    Yan Se, who lay amongst the snow, knocked his head to the ground with as much strength as he could muster. Then, he faced the sky and said, ¡°Even the strong-willed ones who escaped the influence of the grand formation and somehow fled from the city of You Prefecture alive, would have to face us. The mowing man would weed out all of these runaways.¡±


    ¡°Not one of the 350,000 military souls could hope to escape.¡±


    Thanks to Yan Se¡¯s explanation, Ye Que and Red Bean finally understood the entire story. Sure enough, it played out like the legend. Whenever a devil appeared, people would surely be plunged into death and despair.


    There was a lot for Ye Que to consider. He was surprised that something as major as the city of You Prefecture didn¡¯t register in his memories at all. This proved only one thing: there was a change in history. Ye Que was experiencing a new life after returning to his youth. The changing of his path had resulted in a change in the nation as well.


    Moreover, it was a colossal change.


    Until now, there was no news from Luoyang, the city that ought to have been under attack.


    Similarly, he heard nothing from the Great Demon Army that should have shown up.


    What he got in exchange was the death of 350,000 people of the city of You Prefecture. But that wasn¡¯t quite right. If Yan Se was being truthful, the lives of 67,000 commoners were also lost.


    Instead of the Great Demon Army, it was the ¡°Devil¡± who showed up!


    Ye Que felt a chill down his back.


    ¡°What¡¯s your motive in killing so many soldiers? What do you mean by ¡®military soul¡¯? What¡¯s its use? Was the white banner previously in your hand what you use to collect souls?¡± Red Bean issued a barrage of questions. Despite her disdain for humans, 350,000 living beings had disappeared in just three days. Who could accept something like this?


    Then, Red Bean continued to ask, ¡°If the military souls of the dead were recovered, is there hope of reviving them?¡±


    Yan Se¡¯s expression finally changed after hearing this question. Previously, he was full of fear and didn¡¯t dare to look at Ye Que. However, he was now giving Red Bean a mocking smile. It was faint but it was there if one looked closely.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an insignificant little mowing man; my cultivation is just in the Starburst Realm. How would I know such secrets? The white banner that you cut was indeed used to absorb the military souls, but I know how to use it, not the concrete principle behind it. Every mowing man was given one to use.¡±


    With his gaze still fixed on Red Bean, Yan Se panted a little. Perhaps the injury that Ye Que inflicted on him earlier had almost exceeded his limit. ¡°You ask if reviving the dead is possible if you recover the military souls. I can give you a very frank answer: it¡¯s completely impossible. Everyone knows that the dead can¡¯t come back to life. Have you ever seen someone escape this rule of life? Unless¡­¡±


    Hearing him mention the word ¡°unless¡±, Red Bean stamped her foot on his thigh and asked, ¡°Unless what?¡±


    Blood trickled from the corner of Yan Se¡¯s mouth. He coughed horribly before putting on a wry smile. ¡°Unless it¡¯s our Devil Lord. In this world, he¡¯s the only one who will live forever. Everything else will dissipate into nothingness alongside this world. Only the Devil Lord is an everlasting existence!¡±


    ¡°Only the Devil Lord¡­¡±


    While speaking, Yan Se¡¯s eyes began to lose its focus. Soon, a blood-red flower bud emerged from the pit of his chest. The flower bud, like the Epiphyllum oxypetalum, blossomed instantly. The blood-red radiance spread throughout Yan Se¡¯s body, traveling from the pit of his chest to his four limbs and finally to his head.


    The blood-red blossoming flower soon withered. Yan Se had also stopped breathing. He died with his eyes wide open.


    ¡°Bloody Curse of the Red Spider Lily!¡± Red Bean cried out in surprise after seeing what had happened.

 Chapter 125 - From the Psychic Realm to the Starburst Realm

    Chapter 125 From the Psychic Realm to the Starburst Realm


    The Red Spider Lily was also known as the gentleness of the devil.


    Legend had it that it was a flower that voluntarily threw itself into hell and allowed itself to be dispatched by numerous devils. Bodhisattva, unable to bear seeing it drifting along the road to hell, agreed to let her blossom on both sides of the Reincarnation Bridge. She was to serve as a comfort for the souls leaving the Human World and guide them. She also became known as the ¡°greeting flowers¡± that bloomed along the banks of the River of Three Crossings.


    This flower, which bloomed only in hell, could awaken the memories of the departed souls. It was the only scenery along the road to the Reincarnation Bridge in hell.


    Red Bean recognized this flower. It was described in her clan¡¯s records as such: ¡°Bloody Curse of the Red Spider Lily is an absolute curse that members of the Devil Race would make alongside their oath. If one breaks his oath, the bloody curse would break out. The moment the Red Spider Lily blooms, the cursed person would be drawn to hell.¡±


    Perhaps, even in his death, Yan Se wouldn¡¯t know that when the devil of their generation walked out of the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness and left, the oath that the Elder of the Valley had him engrave to memory truly existed.


    They existed for the sake of awakening the Devil Lord.


    Their sole priority was to benefit the Devil Lord. Any who entertained thoughts of betraying the Devil Lord would suffer the punishment of purgatory.


    Earlier, Yan Se must have said something that triggered the Bloody Curse and got himself killed by the Red Spider Lily.


    Ye Que and Red Bean exchanged looks after seeing Yan Se die with his eyes wide open, both at a loss. Their questioning wasn¡¯t over, so how could Yan Se drop dead just like that?


    ¡°What should we do next?¡± Red Bean asked, frowning. ¡°We mustn¡¯t allow these hunters to succeed. If we let them collect all 350,000 military souls, only heaven knows what god forsaken scheme they would commit.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re trying to resurrect some sort sinister existence.¡± Ye Que recalled Yan Se¡¯s words earlier. The latter kept bringing up the ¡°Devil Lord¡± during the interrogation.


    Red Bean¡¯s mission involved searching for the hunters and avenging her clansmen. Ye Que also needed to find the devil and question him about the cause of Ye Zhengru¡¯s death. Moreover, he had the feeling that this was all intricately connected to him. After all, the Demon Race ought to be the one ambushing Luoyang. There was never any mention of a devil.


    Everything had changed now. Ye Que must carefully consider his future and if the preparations he made earlier would have to be adjusted.


    The wind had risen, bringing forth the rain. The night had come!


    Ye Que could feel the immense pressure on him.


    ¡°There must be more than one moving man within the borders of You Prefecture, but with Yan Se dead, where do we even start looking? Let¡¯s say he¡¯s right. Nearly six days have passed since the start of the battle. If we don¡¯t make haste, they would very likely wipe out all the soldiers and collect all 350,000 military souls,¡± Red Bean said anxiously. She didn¡¯t care if others live or die, but she couldn¡¯t allow the plan of the hunters to succeed.


    Ye Que bent down and crouched next to Yan Se¡¯s body. He reached out to close Yan Se¡¯s wide-open eyes and then started searching his body.


    ¡°What we need to do now is finding a countermeasure as soon as possible,¡± Red Bean said confusedly after seeing what Ye Que was doing. She reached out her hand, preparing to drag him up. ¡°What are you doing? How can you have the mood to search his body?¡±


    Lifting a hand to indicate for her to keep calm and quiet, Ye Que continued what he was doing. Soon, he finished searching Yan Se¡¯s body. In his hand was a letter.


    He gently wiped the letter with a wave of his hand, pouring his Spiritual Force into it.


    The letter trembled. Five tiny words written with a bold, powerful manner in seal script slowly emerged from it.


    ¡°Pavilion of Wind and Thunder!¡±


    Staring at the words floating midair, Ye Que snapped his fingers and said, ¡°This is our clue: Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Since he stole the physical body of a disciple of the Pavilion, there must be other devils hiding there. I also have reason to believe the Pavilion is the first stronghold of devils or the Orthodox cultivation sect that the devils have invaded.¡±


    ¡°I remember him mentioning a captain earlier. That¡¯s our next target. We should also try our best to snatch some white banners. These moving folks rely on those magic treasures to gather the military souls. If we seize enough white banners, then they won¡¯t be able to gather enough souls.¡±


    Ye Que had just finished speaking when his expression suddenly changed.


    Without stopping to explain himself, he sat down on the floor and instantly entered a state of meditation.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Why are you going into meditation to cultivate?¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to cultivate.¡±


    Red Bean was bewildered by Ye Que¡¯s series of actions, but she soon stopped speaking for Ye Que¡¯s body was beginning to emanate dots of starlight.


    ¡°Advancing from the Psychic Realm to the Starburst Realm?¡±


    ¡°He made a breakthrough at a moment like this?¡±


    Red Bean wasn¡¯t the only surprised. Even Ye Que was caught off guard.


    In the span of a few minutes, the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords that Ye Que kept in his Spiritual Sea¡ªof which only 11 spiritual swords remained¡ªwere inexplicably targeted by the divine tool, the River Soldier. After being chased around, none of the 11 Spirit Swords survived. The River Soldier swallowed them all up.


    Like a starving child who finally had a full stomach, the River Soldier willfully wandered his Spiritual Sea in satisfaction.


    While wandering, the divine tool began to pour an incomparably pure Spiritual Force into his Spiritual Sea.


    Part of the Spiritual Force was filled with Sword Qi, while the other part seemed to be carrying the faint breath of a departed spirit.


    If his assumption was correct, this Spiritual Force was the by-product of the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords and the departed spirits within the white banners that the River Soldier consumed. Since the divine tool couldn¡¯t digest them, it gave it to its host, Ye Que.


    Thanks to the change in that one page in the Divine Book, Ye Que¡¯s cultivation had reached the critical point in the Psychic Realm after exiting the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. He was just waiting for the right timing to enter the Starburst Realm.


    15 minutes later.


    Finally, the starlights scattered completely.


    Ye Que stared at the River Soldier that was swimming in his Spiritual Sea, finding the whole thing both joyful and humorous. Even though he was the host of the divine tool, the River Soldier would sometimes disobey him. No matter what, the 13 Mother and Children of Spring and Autumn Swords were still Level 2 Spirit Swords. It ate them all up without leaving anything behind.


    Moreover, the message that the River Soldier sent him while eating seemed to say, ¡°How are these shabby swords of iron and copper worthy of swimming in the Spiritual Sea I¡¯m in? These things are only good enough as food. I¡¯ll eat them for your sake, lest they offend your eyes. I, the River Soldier, am good enough as your weapon. What¡¯s the use of keeping these Spring and Autumn Swords around?!¡±


    Ye Que sighed and opened his eyes helplessly. If he thought about this clearly, he had picked up the Spring and Autumn Swords at the drinking banquet anyway. It wasn¡¯t such a pity to lose them now. He couldn¡¯t have new things if he didn¡¯t get rid of the old, after all.


    To be fair, the River Soldier was indeed far stronger than the Spring and Autumn Swords. If not for it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with Yan Se with such ease. The River Soldier was meant for battles; he had experienced this himself.


    He rose to his feet and patted away the snow on his body. Flashing a smile at Red Bean, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what scheme is brewing in the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. It¡¯s an Orthodox sect with more than a hundred years of history. How could it be so unsightly?¡±


    The wind was still on the mountain.


    The falling snow was beginning to gather.


    The jade sword led the way.


    With Red Bean on his back, Ye Que gradually walked farther and farther away.

 Chapter 126 - The Change in the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder

    Chapter 126 The Change in the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder


    Without a guide, outsiders could easily find themselves lost on the complex network of winding snowy paths of Mount Mei. Otherwise, the soldiers who escaped from the city of You Prefecture wouldn¡¯t have chosen to flee through this path.


    However, Ye Que walked in an incredibly assured manner. He didn¡¯t even have to stop at forks in the roads to think. Even though the letter was showing the way, his confidence was nonetheless strange.


    Red Bean, who was lying on his back, looked at the increasingly foggy mountain path with anxiety. ¡°Even if we manage to find the souls of those who died so tragically, do you think they¡¯ll have a chance at reincarnation? The old men in my clan used to say that souls tainted by Devil Qi wouldn¡¯t be able to cross the Reincarnation Bridge and they¡¯ll simply fall off.¡±


    Ye Que sighed. Complex emotions colored his pupils as he replied, ¡°Life and death are ruled by fate; riches and honor are decided by heaven. In life, many things are preordained. Even if they didn¡¯t die in You Prefecture and somehow ran away, they¡¯ll still die somewhere else. All living things in this world are linked by karma. It¡¯s not like you have knowledge of these grieving souls¡¯ past lives. Who knows if they were once unforgivable demons in their past lives?¡±


    Red Bean nodded. ¡°The old men in my clan used to say that too.¡±


    Somehow such earnest, tranquil words made it seem like Ye Que was like one of them. He couldn¡¯t help feeling awkward. Then, he explained with great seriousness, ¡°I¡¯m not an old man. I¡¯m not that much older than you.¡±


    Red Bean grabbed Ye Que¡¯s hair rather unhappily. ¡°Don¡¯t compare ages with me. I¡¯m not as young as I look. If we use your way of measurement, my physical body is quite old.¡±


    Shaking his head, Ye Que replied, ¡°I¡¯m not as young as I look either, but only mentally.¡±


    After so many days, Ye Que could sense that Red Bean was keeping her identity under wraps. It was obvious. He was, at least, sure that she wasn¡¯t a ¡°human¡± and he had also speculated her true being some time ago. However, there were so many possibilities that he found it too mentally exhausting to come up with a conclusion. Eventually, he simply accepted it. Who cared what she was? It didn¡¯t really matter. This girl was neither a devil nor a demon, at least. That was enough for him.


    If she was a fairy who had fallen to the Human World, that would be Ye Que¡¯s luck.


    The second the thought cropped up in his mind, he slapped him on the face. He didn¡¯t use a lot of force, but it still made quite a loud sound. He didn¡¯t know why such a thought would come to him either. For heaven¡¯s sake, he had just met Red Bean! How could he entertain such impolite thoughts of her? He was a cultivator! He was once the Demon-slaying Asura who dominated the Three Realms!


    Red Bean, who was just beginning to drift into sleep, heard Ye Que slapping himself. Dazedly, she whispered, ¡°Is your face itching?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help. You can concentrate on walking.¡±


    Before he could gather his senses, a palm landed on his face.


    ¡°Pa!¡±


    The pain was searing!


    Ye Que followed after the letter while carrying Red Bean and finally arrived at a pavilion overlooking mountains and waters in the northern region of You Prefecture before nightfall.


    The Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was situated northeast of Mount Mei, with forested mountains on three sides and water on one.


    The main building was built halfway up the mountain that sat at the meeting point of three other mountains, like the sharp ends of a trident. Fortunately, Ye Que was a quick climber. Had they taken a horse, it would likely die. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t even reach the mountain gate of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder after climbing for an entire day.


    The scenery beyond the snow was absolutely picturesque, with ancient trees that reached high into the sky lining a remote and deep valley. Monkeys climbed over the carved stones sitting on the precipice. Even though the air was cool here, it wasn¡¯t insipid. Red Bean seemed to have gotten used to getting carried around by Ye Que. She looked like she wasn¡¯t willing to take even a single step on the ground. Moreover, she could fall asleep on his back at any time. He could still forgive that, but that little girl¡¯s snoring was like the thunder!


    If not for the fact that Red Bean¡¯s cultivation had yet to recover and would just slow them down if he let her walk, Ye Que would have already dropped her. In his opinion, this girl shouldn¡¯t be indulged. Indulgence would only make her develop issues. Perhaps it was also because she was becoming closer and closer to Ye Que. Sometimes, when she got overexcited, she would hit his head.


    As far as he could recall, few in his past life over the span of a hundred years had hit him on the head. Look at things now. Red Bean alone had broken his record.


    Sometimes, Ye Que truly wanted to ¡°cut off¡± this girl¡¯s hand. Couldn¡¯t she just lie on his back like a good girl?


    Was she born in the Year of the Dog?


    Once, Ye Que saw Red Bean salivating with his own eyes. Her saliva flowed down her mouth and dripped on his neck. That sensation was absolutely vile!


    He lifted his leg and hastened his journey up the final set of stone stairs. Halfway up the mountain, he saw a large grey stone. Written on the square-shaped stone were the words ¡°Wind and Thunder¡±.


    He turned around and lifted his head. Staring at the thick, snow-covered foliage of the ancient trees, he saw sunset glow beautifully bathing the clouds in the horizon. He lowered his head and pushed aside the jet-black hair cascading down his shoulder. He saw an exceptionally lovely face as well as little dimples that reminded him like glorious peach blossoms.


    The Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was located in a remote place, spent most of the year hidden in the depths of the mountain, and couldn¡¯t even be seriously considered a third-rate orthodox sect. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have allowed a Starburst Realm body cultivator like Yan Se to become its Elder.


    Small as this sect was, it was still an orthodox sect. In the end, it was still considered a right and proper Truth Cultivator¡¯s sect.


    However, Ye Que and Red Bean felt nothing but deathly stillness as they stood in front of the mountain gate of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Never mind disciples standing on guard or patrolling Spirit Beasts, they couldn¡¯t even see a feral dog here. There was nothing but the whizzing of sound coming from deep inside the buildings here.


    Red Bean wiped her eyes with strength. She had gotten enough of her beauty sleep yet again.


    ¡°Is it nighttime?¡±


    ¡°Pavilion of Wind and Thunder?¡±


    ¡°Is it here?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me?¡± Red Bean patted Ye Que¡¯s head and slid down from his back on her own. She stood on the ground and stretched to ease her muscles. Then, resting her hand on her back, she started looking around.


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    Red Bean encircled the mountain gate of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder twice. Still, she saw no one.


    ¡°Is this really a Truth Cultivator¡¯s orthodox sect?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too wretched, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Out of the blue!


    Before Red Bean could finish her sentence, she saw a silhouette flying out of the depths of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Midair, the silhouette started coughing up blood uncontrollably. The figure was hunched over as he fell in front of the mountain gate.


    He landed with his back to the ground!


    He knocked his head squarely on the ground.


    By the time Ye Que and Red Bean came close to examine him, he was already dead. In a matter of seconds, black-tinted blood was seeping out of his seven apertures. With it came a pungent fishy smell. Red Bean scrunched her nose, looking exceptionally displeased.


    ¡°The breath of a hunter.¡±


    She then pointed to the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. ¡°There must be a hunter inside! There¡¯s no mistaking it!¡±


    Ye Que didn¡¯t need Red Bean to remind him. His lackadaisical expression became a lot more solemn. Using some of his Divine Energy, he wrote in the air with his right hand. Two transparent charms swiftly took shape. One flew toward Red Bean¡¯s chest and the other disappeared in his hand. The moment the charms vanished, Ye Que and Red Bean slowly became transparent.


    ¡°Mirror Charm.¡±


    Just because the Five Elements Divination Sect was skilled at divination arts, it didn¡¯t mean that the other orthodox sects weren¡¯t familiar with it. Having cultivated for a hundred years, Ye Que naturally knew how to pull it off as well. However, the divination arts that he knew could only be exercised as a Starburst Realm cultivator or beyond. He had been in the Psychic Realm before, but now that he was in the Starburst Realm, he could make use of the Mirror Charm at a time like this.


    He signaled Red Bean with his hand. Then, both of them sneaked into the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder from the side, following along the path from the mountain gate to go upward.


    They hadn¡¯t gone far when they heard a noisy argument.


    They didn¡¯t advance rashly. His Mirror Charm could hide their figures but couldn¡¯t eliminate their breath. If there were cultivators with profound cultivation around, they could likely find traces of Ye Que and Red Bean.


    From afar, on an empty ground in the pavilion that looked like a public square for smelting, two groups of people were standing in opposition. The side with their back against the main hall of the pavilion was a group of youngsters who looked like they were worse for wear. Some even had their clothes stained with blood. Opposing them was a larger group of youngsters and several gray-haired old men.


    The old man who stood at the forefront of the group wore a serene expression as if victory was well within his grasp. He looked at the youngsters in front of him and said, ¡°Lei Tianyou, stop being obstinate. The sect needs improvement and the majority agrees. No one can resist. The day our Sacred Lord descends is the day our sect rises. Can¡¯t you understand such a simple logic?¡±


    The old man was fairly loud. It seemed like he wanted every disciple here to hear him. Thus, when Ye Que perked up his ears, he was able to hear him clearly.


    The youngster named Lei Tianyou frowned in response. With a mocking expression, he said, ¡°We¡¯re not fighting against the improvement of the sect. But I¡¯d like to ask you this, Elder. Did you kill our Sect Leader for the sake of improving the sect as well? Who gave you such authority? You¡¯re not a bunch of reformers! You¡¯re traitors of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder! You¡¯re our mortal enemies!¡±


    Lei Tianyou had just finished speaking when a younger disciple echoed his sentiments. ¡°Senior Brother Tianyou is right! The Sacred Lord or whatever is obviously the devil mentioned in our ancient records! Do you take us for fools?¡± Evidently, Lei Tianyou had built a strong basis for group thinking in the sect.


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to usurp our Pavilion of Wind and Thunder! Our sect is in great danger of extinction!¡± someone yelled. He even lifted the magic treasure in his hand.


    ¡°You wanted us to kill the soldiers who escaped to northern You Prefecture and even used sinister magic treasures like those white banners to steal their souls! You call that a task from an orthodox sect? Those are things only devils and demons would do! Even though our sect is remote and unknown, we¡¯re an upright orthodox sect! We¡¯ll never be an accomplice to evil!¡±


    With Lei Tianyou taking the lead, tens of young disciples started arguing with vigor.


    The expression of the larger group changed ever so subtly as they looked at the youngsters. However, no one retreated. Rather, they looked like they were staring at a group of corpses.


    ¡°Lei Tianyou, you¡¯re their Eldest Senior Brother. I hope you¡¯ll get a clear look at the circumstances at hand. One wrong step and you¡¯ll fall into a bottomless abyss. Don¡¯t take everyone to hell with you,¡± the old man said icily.


    ¡°Save your breath with these younglings. Those who hand over the hidden white banners will be spared. Those who don¡¯t will be killed,¡± another old man said emotionlessly.


    The two of them had just finished speaking when a handsome man walked up behind them. He resembled Ye Que¡¯s a fair bit. He had his head lowered, making it difficult for others to see his facial features. His mouth moved subtly as if he was saying something.


    ¡°Good-for-nothings! Slaughter the entire Pavilion of Wind and Thunder and we¡¯ll surely find those white banners! What¡¯s the use of saying so much nonsense?!¡±


    Even though he stood more than a thousand footsteps away, Ye Que instantly recognized that man.


    Ye Yunhai, the Young Master of the General¡¯s Manor in Luoyang and his half-brother!

 Chapter 127 - Interrogation

    Chapter 127 Interrogation


    Ye Yunhai, as the de jure spiritual leader of the Ye Army, ought to have eaten, lived, and fought alongside the soldiers this time. The unforeseen event happened too swiftly, however. His mother finally told him all the secrets before entering You Prefecture. Even though Xiao Huating was a seed that the Demon Race planted in the General¡¯s Manor in Luoyang for twenty years, she was ultimately still a mother. Ye Yunhai was her biological son.


    The noblest existence in the world was maternal love. Such love could surpass races and beliefs.


    Xiao Huating couldn¡¯t alter the disaster that was about to befall You Prefecture. She was even doing her best to make sure it succeeded. However, she refused to allow her son to come to danger. It was quite the contrary, in fact. She wanted to use this disaster to win a colossal opportunity for him.


    This went against the interests of the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness. It also had nothing to do with the Ye Army or the imperial court. It was purely for her and her son, Ye Yunhai.


    She mobilized a lot of forces for this purpose, even going as far as to persuade her Senior Brother who she hadn¡¯t met for many years. It was the Senior Brother that she cultivated with when she was in the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness. Thus, Ye Yunhai not only escaped the war in You Prefecture unscathed, but he even experienced a sharp increase in his cultivation.


    Ye Yunhai, who stood in the middle of the smelting square of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, was now halfway to the Formless Realm. He even appeared to be emanating the noble air of a royal with his every movement.


    The reason for this was very simple. Xiao Huating had used her secret technique in changing Ye Yunhai¡¯s cultivation to a devilish one and had him absorb part of the Blood Qi and departed souls in You Prefecture. She even had him swallow the Luck of the Second Prince, Li Chunyu.


    Her actions were as good as having defied heaven and changed the course of lives. For this, she paid the price with her own life and her lifetime cultivation. She didn¡¯t regret her choice even when she was on the brink of her death. That was because she was Ye Yunhai¡¯s mother. She was willing to sacrifice for her son.


    Formerly the Young Master of the General¡¯s Manor in Luoyang and a mounted officer in the Ye Army, Ye Yunhai was now a half-step Formless Realm devilish cultivator. It had been a smooth process, abnormally so. Perhaps, deep in his heart, he had never been happy with his previous life and a devil lived in his subconsciousness all along. He might have been yearning for a life of decisive killing.


    Thus, when an agitated and ignorant disciple of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder rushed over to them, he was able to send the former flying out of the mountain gate with a single punch. Even now, he could feel a slight burning sensation between his fingers. It was a feeling that he had never experienced before.


    It was incredibly stimulating.


    Incredibly hot-blooded.


    Incredibly satisfying.


    Ye Yunhai wore a faint demonic smirk as he slowly took a few steps forward until he was at the forefront of the group.


    He turned his head to glance at the Elders of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling them all this nonsense? If anyone disagrees, just beat them up until they do. Find a way to make them obedient. The fist is always more effective than the mouth. It¡¯s also more straightforward.¡±


    After giving it some thought, Ye Yunhai added, ¡°I remember someone saying that you¡¯re the Elder in charge of the law here. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t make sense of such negligible reasoning. It¡¯s no wonder a hundred-year orthodox sect like yours is forever lagging behind everyone else.¡±


    Fan Zhen was indeed the Elder of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder responsible for administering the law, but he was also a disciple of the pavilion. If he killed all of their younger disciples, what future was there for their sect? Just because he chose to get help from the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness, it didn¡¯t mean that his object was ruining the sect. He merely wanted a change in the Pavilion Lord and to take the position for himself.


    That was all he wanted, plain and simple.


    To him, killing the soldiers who escaped north of You Prefecture and grassland barbarians who were defeated was nothing demanding. It might be a little grisly, but what cultivator didn¡¯t have bloodstained hands?


    Who dared to claim to possess clean hands?


    Weren¡¯t the murder of a soldier and the murder of demons and monsters one and the same? To claim otherwise would be pure hypocrisy!


    Hesitantly, Fan Zhen said, ¡°Lord, we should persuade whenever we can. If we kill everyone, who¡¯d kill the soldiers who escaped north of You Prefecture and the grassland barbarians who are returning north after their defeat? Northern You Prefecture is so vast. If we¡¯re short on manpower, we won¡¯t be able to search the place.¡±


    Ye Yunhai narrowed his eyes. ¡°Do you have the confidence to persuade them?¡±


    Fan Zhen nodded. ¡°I need time, but it¡¯ll definitely work. Human hearts are made of blood and flesh. Every human will have their Achilles¡¯ heel. The same applies to cultivators.¡±


    While the two of them lowered their heads and talked quietly, Lei Tianyou and the rest were waiting in silence. They were even glaring at the two, looking like they were staring death down on its face.


    They were at the age where their passions ran hot, after all. Their ideals had just taken shape and their lives yet to be polished by the passing of time. They were at the sharpest state of their lives.


    Their dream was to rejuvenate the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder.


    Whoever dared to besmirch this place would be their common enemy. Furthermore, Lei Tianyou was here to lead them.


    The Pavilion Lord might be dead, but their Eldest Senior Brother was still here. They still had their leader.


    ¡°Get into formation.¡±


    ¡°Windstorm and Thunder Hitting Nine Prefectures Formation.¡±


    When Lei Tianyou waved his hand, 49 disciples stepped forward from behind him. They unsheathed their swords at the same time, summoning the whistling of a windstorm and thunder next to their ears. In the blink of an eye, the sword formation took shape. The Windstorm and Thunder Hitting Nine Prefectures Formation was a sword formation that the disciples here were most familiar with. It was also the most basic formation that they had learned. Even though it wasn¡¯t the most powerful formation around, it was absolutely the easiest to perform and control.


    For them to unleash a sword formation now meant that their negotiation was on the brink of collapse and the battle was about to begin.


    Fan Zhen appeared unconcerned about all these. He took another step forward and looked at Lei Tianyou. ¡°Tianyou, you can disregard the painstaking efforts that the Elders put in as well as the lives of your juniors behind you. But are you going to disregard your parents¡¯ lives as well? If you insist on not heeding my advice today, what you¡¯ll see tomorrow are two corpses.¡±


    He made use of relationships to confuse Le Tianyou¡¯s morality, affection to break the latter¡¯s bravery, parents¡¯ lives to threaten the latter. He was undoubtedly the Elder who had administered law in the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder for decades. His grasp of the human heart, particularly the speculations of these young ones, was stellar.


    Lei Tianyou was calm while listening to Fan Zhen, but the expression of the disciples around him changed. Some even began hurling abuse at Fan Zhen. In the blink of an eye, several flaws appeared in the sword formation that had just taken shape.


    Fury was the greatest hit on battles.


    Lei Tianyou exhaled a deep breath and raised his right hand, indicating the disciples behind him to not act recklessly. ¡°Calm yourself and remember your purpose. Don¡¯t let external factors affect your mind.¡±


    Following his words, the sword formation swiftly returned to tranquility. He turned to look at Fan Zhen. ¡°Elder Fan, your actions in the past few days weren¡¯t painstaking efforts but acts of evil. I¡¯m more concerned about the lives of the juniors behind me than heaven itself. I¡¯m their Eldest Senior Brother. If I can¡¯t protect them, then the first to die will surely be me. You said you¡¯d capture my parents and kill them. I¡¯m not underestimating you, but you¡¯re free to try. I have no comment.¡±


    Lei Tianyou¡¯s words seemed to have reinforced the sword formation, which had just regained its calm. The disciples in the formation seemed to be responding to their Eldest Senior Brother.


    He tapped his back with his finger and a white sword flew in front of him. The blade was perfectly straight and imbued with the power of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. ¡°Since you¡¯ve been interrogating me all this while, I also have some questions for you.¡±


    Fan Zhen¡¯s expression turned solemn and said nothing. He considered that his tacit agreement.


    ¡°Did the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder nurture you?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever kill devils and demons with the sword in your hand?¡±


    ¡°Can you be proud of your cultivation?¡±


    ¡°The Pavilion of Wind and Thunder beheads devils and demons. Will you be one of them? Will you taint the disciples of the pavilion just because you have become a devil yourself? What about the oath you made before joining the pavilion? What about the absolute rules of your Criminal Law Hall? Did you forget them all? Or did a dog eat them all up?¡±


    Lei Tianyou¡¯s eyes were bright and his voice was like a sword that stabbed straight into the heart. ¡°Who exactly are you? Are you still the Elder Fan Zhen that we know?¡±


    His questions prompted absolute silence in the square.


    Fan Zhen¡¯s face had already turned ashen.


    Ye Yunhai, on the other hand, looked indifferent. He even looked like he was ruminating. It was as if he had seen something fun.


    ¡°You¡¯re still so obstinate despite being in the wrong!¡± Fan Zhen bellowed.


    ¡°You¡¯re the scum of the orthodox sects!¡± Lei Tianyou bellowed in response, refusing to give in.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die a tragic death,¡± Fan Zhen said. His murderous intent was evident.


    ¡°Humph.¡±


    Lei Tianyou scoffed and waved his hand to point behind him. ¡°Since the time of our founding Pavilion Lord, our sect has always been courageous on our cultivation journey. We dare to cleave winds, dare to terrify lightning, dare to venture where no humans dare to venture. That¡¯s the spirit of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. If we never forsake our courage even in the face of death, if even just a few of us manage to escape, our pavilion will never die.¡±


    His words were like swords!


    When the words left his mouth, he thrust his sword as well!


    Lei Tianyou¡¯s white sword advanced against a backdrop of 49 swords. Together, they aimed for Fan Zhen.


    There were even more people standing behind Fan Zhen. Naturally, they had magic treasures and flying swords for defense. A loud collision of a mass of weapons resounded.


    Numerous sword marks appeared on Fan Zhen¡¯s cyan robe, soaking it with blood. Fan Zhen, who stood at the forefront, looked like he was in a dire condition. It didn¡¯t matter that he was the Elder of the Criminal Law Hall of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, whose cultivation was halfway to the Formless Realm. The sword formation, that included Lei Tianyou in it, targeted most of its attacks on him. Ye Yunhai and the rest were considered invaders and external enemies. Whatever they did was within the realm of acceptance. If they couldn¡¯t defeat their external enemies, they could only admit their inferiority.


    However, Fan Zhen was one of them. An Elder responsible for governing one of their Halls and a group of brainwashed disciples had killed their Pavilion Lord and even tried to ruin their sect. Obviously, he was their prime killing target.


    They could let anyone off, except for Fan Zhen!


    ¡°Lei Tianyou, you dare instruct the disciples to kill the Elder of the Criminal Law Hall? Impudent!¡± a messy-haired Fan Zhen yelled hysterically.


    ¡°You drew devils and demons into our pavilion and conspired with them to kill our Pavilion Lord. It¡¯s only natural to kill you! Why wouldn¡¯t I dare do so?!¡±


    Lei Tianyou yelled with his gaze fixed on Fan Zhen. The words had just left his mouth when he felt a chill on his waist. When he lowered his head to look, he saw a black dagger piercing in his abdomen like a viper. Intense pain swiftly spread all over his body.


    Similarly, a black dagger also appeared on Fan Zhen¡¯s waist. Similarly, like a viper, it penetrated his abdomen.


    ¡°Save your breath! You still have to make your move in the end. It¡¯s ultimately a matter of whose fist is harder, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re really a stubborn old fool. What do I need you for? What an eyesore!¡± A youngster took out the dagger embedded in Fan Zhen¡¯s waist and walked out from behind him. It was a smirking Ye Yunhai.


    Lei Tianyou didn¡¯t look at Ye Yunhai. He whipped his head around and found a girl dressed like a disciple of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. She wore her hair with two adorable pigtails and had a pair of large, black eyes.


    ¡°Why?¡±

 Chapter 128 - The Men Hold down the Fort................

    Chapter 128 The Men Hold down the Fort, The Women Break Out of the Siege


    In an instant, the sword formation shattered.


    No one expected a Senior Brother and Junior Sister who interacted day and night would harm one another.


    No one would have grieved if it was an outsider breaking their sword formation and killing all of them. They would only blame themselves for being inferior to their enemies. No one could forgive one of them being responsible for the ambush. That viper-like dagger came from the Junior Sister that they had always doted on.


    That included Lei Tianyou.


    ¡°Junior Sister Tang, why?¡± Lei Tianyou clapped his hand over his pierced abdomen. He turned around and looked at Tang Tang, who stood behind him, in disbelief.


    Tang Tang lifted herself off the ground with the tips of her toes and disappeared out of view. Everyone watched as she flew out of the sword formation in the blink of an eye and landed in front of Ye Yunhai. She raised her hand and gently caressed his cheek, before turning around to look at Lei Tianyou. ¡°Dearest Eldest Senior Brother, haven¡¯t you noticed?¡±


    ¡°Your Junior Sister is no more.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been gone since a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your Junior Sister.¡±


    Tang Tang giggled and added, ¡°But she looked so lovely and pure. I love it, so I¡¯ll be using it from now on.¡±


    She held up the dagger in her hand and put it next to her mouth. She poked out her tongue and gave the blade a gentle lick, consuming all the blood on it. It was so strange that it became sinister, yet extraordinary at the same time. The vicious actions that an adorable-looking female disciple took made for a very stark contrast. The others couldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    Lei Tianyou¡¯s eyes instantly widened and his voice lost its calm. Finally, he was showing anger. ¡°You killed Junior Sister Tang?! You evil witch! You group of devils! You¡¯ll die a tragic death!¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, he dissolved into a fit of acute coughing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to worry about how I¡¯ll die. You should worry about how you¡¯ll survive this,¡± Tang Tang said, smiling. She then looked at Ye Yunhai affectionately.


    Glancing at her, Ye Yunhai then waved his hand behind his back.


    Without a shred of hesitation, Tang Tang who was dressed as a female disciple of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, immediately went to stand behind him like a good girl. She was behaving as if Ye Yunhai¡¯s every word and movement was an imperial edict.


    How could she not treat it as an imperial edict? The witch who stole Tang Tang¡¯s appearance was his wife, Lin Mei¡¯er. If not for Ye Yunhai, she would have surely died this time.


    If she didn¡¯t die in the Emperor¡¯s cleanse in Luoyang City, then she would¡¯ve died in the battle in the city of You Prefecture. It was Ye Yunhai who had Xiao Huating help her take up the Devil¡¯s Practice and increase her cultivation, on the basis of their husband-wife relations. Like Ye Yunhai, she was now also in the Starburst Realm. However the former was already at the peak of the Starburst Realm and halfway to the Formless Realm.


    The takeover of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was Ye Yunhai¡¯s first assignment after becoming a devil. It was also the first demonstration of his power to the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness, so he was naturally more cautious. Days ago, he sent Lin Mei¡¯er to infiltrate the pavilion under the arrangement of other devil¡¯s seeds. He told her to find a chance to kill Lei Tianyou¡¯s dearest Junior Sister, Tang Tang, and steal her physical body.


    Lei Tianyou¡¯s status in the pavilion was second only to the Pavilion Lord. He essentially stood above everyone else. His cultivation, in particular, was close to the Formless Realm. If they were to subdue the pavilion, they must subdue Lei Tianyou.


    If they couldn¡¯t use him, then he must disappear.


    Thus, Ye Yunhai secretly signaled Lin Mei¡¯er while Fan Zhen was talking. She must wait for the golden opportunity and not make her move unless she was absolutely sure she could dispose of Lei Tianyou.


    Without Lei Tianyou around, the youngsters of the pavilion would have lost their backbone and become a flock of sheep for others to trample on.


    More and more blood was flowing from Lei Tianyou¡¯s abdomen, its red color gradually turning purple and then black. His face turned pale as pain filled the depths of his pupils. There was even a hint of guilt in them. He tightened his fists. One could tell this was a prelude to him going all out in retaliation.


    Standing behind was a fellow disciple. He was short, with very ordinary looks. His eyes even looked dull. It was apparent from first glance that he wasn¡¯t a smart one. He looked around as if he was trying to discuss with other disciples, but soon gave up. However, what he did next shocked everyone.


    He chopped Lei Tianyou¡¯s neck with the side of his palm and then tossed the latter¡¯s body behind him. He crossed his sword in front of him and bellowed, ¡°Protect Eldest Senior Brother! I¡¯ll stay and hold down the fort. You all break out of the siege and leave Northern You Prefecture at once!¡±


    ¡°Today, our Pavilion of Wind and Thunder sits on the brink of extinction. Our Pavilion Lord is dead. We can¡¯t let Eldest Senior Brother die too. Hurry and run, everyone!¡±


    ¡°You shameless traitors, evil devils! Go to hell!¡±


    Following his bellow, the wooden-looking young disciple lunged with his sword. Starlights were flickering. He was surprisingly a Starburst Realm disciple. Just going by the density of his True Energy, he didn¡¯t seem inferior to Lei Tianyou.


    For a while, many couldn¡¯t snap back to their senses fast enough to recognize whose bellow it was.


    That was because this voice was rarely heard and that face was also too common. Often, many would selectively forget about him. Living under the shadow of Lei Tianyou, a disciple with his looks was essentially a transparent nobody.


    Today, however, the respected Elder of the Criminal Law Hall had become the traitor who murdered their Pavilion Lord. Their clever and adorable Junior Sister became a lowly person who ambushed them from behind. Their esteemed and omnipotent Eldest Senior Brother was hanging on for dear life. No one dared to advance, but this ordinary disciple of the pavilion whose name they could barely remember dared to step forward bravely and stand in front of everyone.


    He was willing to hold down the fort.


    Red-hot blood surged from the pits of several male disciples¡¯ chest.


    If even a little nobody dared to discard his life, what about them? What did he mean that he would be staying behind and the others should break out of the siege and escape? Who was he looking down on?


    ¡°There are no cowards among the disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. I¡¯ll stay behind with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill all these b*stards!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare think our pavilion is an easy target?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all to stay behind, Starburst Realm disciples! Psychic Realm disciples, carry Eldest Senior Brother and break out of the siege!¡±


    ¡°D*mn it, I¡¯m not in the Starburst Realm, but I¡¯m still an upstanding man! Whoever wants to break out of the siege can do so, but I¡¯m staying behind!¡±


    ¡°Stop fighting! The men will stay behind, the women will break out of the siege! Life and death are in the hands of heaven. If we can¡¯t survive together, dying together sounds like a good idea too.¡±


    Bellows erupted from the tens of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder disciples at the same time, all echoing each other. The sonorous sound of swords being unsheathed reverberated as they lunged in Ye Yunhai¡¯s direction, with wind and thunder rose around them. The enemies these young disciples had to face far outnumbered them. Moreover, their enemies were experienced Elders or seniors. Of course, it was possible that most of them were no longer disciples of the pavilion. Some had their bodies stolen, while others had sunken into the Devil¡¯s Practice.


    Tens versus hundreds.


    Inexperienced youngsters versus seasoned experts.


    Full of zeal.


    Tens of swords.


    Their Qi shattered the skydome.


    Relying on their quick outburst of power, they unexpectedly carved out a path in the smelting square of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Tens of female disciples protected a male disciple hauling Lei Tianyou on his back as they ran toward the mountain gate without looking back.


    Ye Que and Red Bean happened to be standing in their escape path.


    ¡°The young are sure hot-blooded and full of vigor. I really miss it.¡± Ye Que glanced at the male disciple who led the mad dash to the mountain gate.


    ¡°Not only is he retrograding, but he¡¯s even turning to the Devil¡¯s Practice. Is he not properly educated?¡± Staring past these disciples of the pavilion, Ye Que looked at the wicked-looking Ye Yunhai on the distant smelting square and sighed.

 Chapter 129 - Smoke and Fire

    Chapter 129 Smoke and Fire


    The young disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder responsible for holding down the fort were able to carve a way out for the rest thanks to their enthusiasm. Without more people on their side and the combined forces of their sword formation, death would descend sooner or later. It was just a matter of how much time they could buy for the unconscious Lei Tianyou and those ten more female disciples.


    This was the final incense burning in the Pavilion. If it broke off, this orthodox cultivator¡¯s sect would be considered extinct.


    Red Bean looked at Ye Que. She didn¡¯t open her mouth to speak but her intention was obvious.


    Shaking his head, he pointed his finger backward and started drawing a seal in the air. The subtle Divine Energy began gathering in the air, forming an Immortal Spirit Charm stitched together with totems. Then, it fell on his palm.


    It took a span of about 30 breaths to run from the smelting ground to the mountain gate.


    The defense of the young disciples was penetrated after a span of about 20 breaths. Ye Yunhai left half of his men to kill them and personally led the other half to hunt down the unconscious Lei Tianyou. If he made a mistake in wiping out a small orthodox sect on its last breath like this, he would have no right to join the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness. He would also be bringing shame to his mother.


    Fixing a cold stare at the shadows making their escape, he felt his interest waning. ¡°No challenge whatsoever. The mission is about to end and I haven¡¯t felt any blood lust at all. Is this the Truth cultivators¡¯ sect in the legends? Is this the Immortal-like person in the rumors?¡±


    ¡°Looks pretty ordinary to me.¡±


    ¡°One wave of my hand and I¡¯ll be able to crush him.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to choose something more challenging next time. These dying orthodox sects can¡¯t help me grind at all.¡±


    Ye Yunhai exhaled a long breath and then abruptly picked up his pace. The power of his half-step to the Formless Realm cultivation erupted.


    His imposing manner was as intense as a halo piercing the sun.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop him. The rest of you, get Eldest Senior Brother out of here as soon as possible.¡± The female disciple bringing up the rear clenched her teeth and made the surprising decision to stay behind.


    After hearing the voice behind them, someone yelled in a choked voice, ¡°Senior Sister!¡±


    ¡°Leave now!¡±


    Even if the female disciple in the Psychic Realm showed capabilities beyond her true ability and gave it her all, she was nonetheless incapable of stopping the charging of tens of enemies. Moreover, she was fighting against Devil¡¯s Practice cultivators in the Starburst Realm.


    The sound of thunder abruptly exploded before dissipating just as swiftly.


    The female disciple earned an extra span of two breaths for her runaway sect mates.


    Cultivators tend to live longer lives than ordinary people, but also tend to die out faster than the common folk. If ordinary people got into a disagreement that dissolved into a fight of punches and kicks, they would at most be bedridden for three months. Cultivators usually solved their differences with a direct stab of the sword.


    That girl had fallen to the Underworld.


    The youngster carrying Lei Tianyou on his back was named Guan Shuheng. He could be considered a junior that Lei Tianyou personally nurtured. He was also typically the one who received the most attention and favor. Naturally, it was he that Lei Tianyou trusted the most. Such friendship was the most precious in times of peril. Guan Shusheng swore to get his Eldest Senior Brother out of here even if it meant sacrificing his life. He mustn¡¯t allow his Eldest Senior Brother to die here.


    Guan Shuheng had essentially unleashed all of his potentials. He carefully scanned his surroundings and perked up his ears for any noise. He mustn¡¯t allow any mishap to happen. One mistake and Lei Tianyou might fall into a death trap.


    Even if the Senior Sisters behind him sacrificed themselves to buy him some time, it might still be useless. It was a matter of time before their enemies caught up to them.


    The only thing he could depend on was his familiarity with the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder as well as the Northern You Prefecture. He hoped this would be able to win him a chance at survival.


    He had just run past a side hall when a silhouette showed up in the darkness of the hall. It was a youngster in cyan clothes. He reached out and made a simple gesture that was very easily understood. Guan Shuheng¡¯s mental state was incredibly sensitive at this point in time and all sorts of possibilities flitted across his mind in an instant. Finally, mysteriously, he nodded. He shifted his footsteps and detoured from his original escape route. He was still heading for the mountain gate, but he was passing through the side hall that the cyan-clothed youngster was in.


    The cyan-clothed youngster was Ye Que. The gesture he gave Guan Shuheng was to indicate that he could be of help. He was asking Guan Shuheng to draw his pursuers in this direction.


    Guan Shuheng¡¯s subconscious didn¡¯t want to trust him, but he understood his circumstances very well.


    He would never make it out of here with just the tens of Senior Sisters behind him.


    Moreover, if Ye Que truly bore malicious intentions, he could just stop him right there. He didn¡¯t have to take such a pointless action!


    The tens of young disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder ran past Ye Que like the gale. In the distance were Ye Yunhai and a large group of pursuers.


    With a faint smirk, Ye Que took a few steps away from the darkness. The Mirror Charm trembled and then dissipated into the air. He stared at Ye Yunhai, who was charging in this direction, and raised his right hand. In his palm was an Immortal Spirit Charm filled with all sorts of totems. It was a bizarre charm and seemed different from the charms found in the Cultivation World.


    The charm looked deeply complex, but if one carefully sensed it, the fluctuation of its Spiritual Force wasn¡¯t great.


    Ye Que¡¯s sudden appearance had truly given Ye Yunhai a shock. Not even in the wildest dreams did he imagine he would meet Ye Que at this time and place!


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he enter the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum?¡±


    ¡°Why would he be here in Northern You Prefecture?¡±


    ¡°Had he obtained the divine tool, the River Soldier? Impossible!¡±


    One question after another emerged in Ye Yunhai¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Buzz!¡±


    Before Ye Yunhai could finish contemplating this, he saw more than ten strange charms flying out of Ye Que¡¯s hand. The second these charms appeared, they erupted with immense Spiritual Force in a split second.


    In an instant!


    The charms turned into a sea of Divine Beasts!


    There was a 100-feet tall Qilin, an Immortal Fox with nine white tails, a rain-summoning dragon with the thickness of three men, and even a Kun Bird massive enough to cover the sun¡­


    14 Divine Beasts that had appeared only in legends were now in front of everyone. Ye Yunhai didn¡¯t even have to shout for the group of pursuers behind him to stop. They subconsciously retreated a hundred meters. Some of them were even so shocked that they nearly fell.


    The Divine Beasts had just appeared when they flocked together and lunged at Ye Yunhai¡¯s group.


    The abrupt appearance of the Divine Beasts and the frightening manner in which they attacked meant that many couldn¡¯t react in time. Even Ye Yunhai only had enough time to summon a black sword, place it before his chest, and allow his True Energy to wrap him up in a defensive layer.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    14 explosions resounded in succession, but the scene of mangled limbs and bloodied flesh didn¡¯t happen. The group of exceptionally fierce Divine Beasts unexpectedly erupted a short distance away from Ye Yunhai and the others and dissolved into a wide expanse of bright sparks.


    The sparks were multi-colored.


    It was unbelievably splendid.


    It was like the fireworks and firecrackers set off during the Lantern Festival in Luoyang, only a hundredfold more gorgeous. Its offensive power?


    Close to zero!


    By the time the fireworks fizzled out, not even a single shadow could be spotted at the mountain gate of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Ye Que, Red Bean, as well as the ten more escaping disciples of the Pavilion, had vanished into thin air.


    The feet of the Wind and Thunder Mountain and its peak were linked via a small path.


    Guan Shuheng, with Lei Tianyou on his back, took the lead with the ten more female disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder behind him. Ye Que, with Red Bean on his back, brought up the rear.


    ¡°What were those charms earlier? Why haven¡¯t I seen them before? To think they could summon Divine Beasts!¡± Red Bean asked in confusion.


    ¡°How are those Divine Beasts? It¡¯s just an illusion. They¡¯re basically fireworks and have zero offensive power. It¡¯s just a scare tactic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s meant to fool idiots!¡±

 Chapter 130 - Whats the Rush in Mutual Grilling

    Instead of running down the path into the mountain, Guan Shuheng led everyone to climb the mountain instead.


    With Lei Tianyou on his back, he circled nearly halfway around the mountain until he arrived at the precipice of the mountain behind the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Then, he climbed onto his flying sword and fled.


    The Wind and Thunder Mountain and Mount Mei were a part of the northern mountainous range. There were numerous mountains with sheer cliffs and precipitous rock faces here. Unless one knew his way around this place, it would be hard for him to find the exit. The Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was established in the depths of this range of mountains. They exited the Pavilion via the rear mountain. When they flew less than a kilometer away, they arrived at three forks in the mountain entrances of varying sizes.


    Guan Shuheng, who carried Lei Tianyou on his back, chose one of the entrances without the slightest hesitation and took them through seven to eight turns in the path. Only then did he quietly sigh in relief. The female disciples behind him also began to relax.


    Slowing down his flying pace just a little, Guan Shuheng approached Ye Que and flashed a faint smile somewhat bashfully. ¡°Thank you for saving us, Mister. On behalf of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, you have our thanks.¡±


    ¡°Today, you saved all of us. In particular, you saved our Eldest Senior Brother. We have no way of returning the favor, but if you ever need me, please do tell me.¡± With Lei Tianyou on his back and his feet on a flying sword, it wasn¡¯t convenient for Guan Shuheng to bow to Ye Que. His tone was very sincere, however.


    Ye Que waved his hand and said nothing.


    Saving them had been an impromptu idea anyway.


    Moreover, they had become the targets of the devils. It was his responsibility to save them. There was also Ye Yunhai¡¯s involvement, too. Thinking of the current Ye Yunhai gave Ye Que a headache. He was nevertheless his half-brother. To think that he would enter the Devil¡¯s Practice!


    Ye Que sighed, feeling somewhat melancholic. His resurrection seemed to have changed many lives.


    Who would have thought that the Young Master of the General¡¯s Manor in Luoyang would enter the Devil¡¯s Practice?


    Or that the Young Master of the General¡¯s Manor would harm the Ye Army?


    If Ye Zhengru was still alive to see what was happening, he would surely die from anger. The reputation and valiant soldiers that he had worked hard to build for half his lifetime were ruined by his son¡¯s own hands.


    ¡°Forgive my presumptuousness, but which sect are you from, Mister? What¡¯s your master¡¯s name? That¡¯ll help me find you and repay your favor in the future,¡± Guan Shuheng said earnestly. His words sounded very sincere and one couldn¡¯t pick any bone from it. However, if one listened closely, it was obvious that this youngster was harboring suspicions about Ye Que¡¯s identity.


    All of them were traumatized from being fooled.


    The Elder of their Criminal Law Hall had become a traitor who allowed enemies to invade their sect. Their typically harmless Junior Sister had her body stolen by a devil and turned into a murderer. Even their Pavilion Lord was killed. How could this group of inexperienced youngsters not be on guard?


    Even though Ye Que stopped the group of pursuers at the most critical time, it didn¡¯t mean anything.


    If they pondered over it, it was suspicious that an outsider like Ye Que would be at the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder at a time like that. What was his purpose in coming? Moreover, he even used the art of evasion to hide near the side hall!


    How suspicious.


    His solicitous actions might be lined with malicious intentions.


    Even if he was their savior, they must get to the bottom of this matter.


    Even though they had gotten out of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, they didn¡¯t want to fall for a trap again. They couldn¡¯t handle any mental and physical shock anymore.


    ¡°What sect?¡±


    Ye Que was a little stunned after hearing this question. Then, he replied, ¡°Qingqiu Sword Sect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m from the Qingqiu Sword Sect and my master is the Intoxicated Immortal.¡±


    ¡°Then why would you appear in the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder?¡± Guan Shuheng continued his questioning, but he seemed to have relaxed a little. The Qingqiu Sword Sect was, after all, one of the top orthodox sects and a true famous and upright sect. It was nevertheless quite trustworthy.


    After gathering his thoughts, Ye Que said, ¡°We¡¯re here to investigate the tragedy of the city of You Prefecture. Several hundred thousand people had perished. We suspect that it was a plot by the devils. Under Mount Mei, I met a devil who called himself a mowing man and learned what¡¯s going on. Moreover, I found out traces of the Devil Race entrenched deep within the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder.¡±


    ¡°The devil we met under Mount Mei occupied the body of your Elder Lei Sihai. Considering the harm that the devils could bring, we rushed over to the Mountain of Wind and Thunder and chanced upon your conflict.¡±


    Ye Que was honest and told them everything without holding back. It wasn¡¯t anything that should be concealed, after all. The more cultivators learned of the invasion of the Devil Race and entered the resistance, the better their chances of victory.


    In the past ten million years, the appearance of demonic traces had always ended in a complete bloodbath.


    If they didn¡¯t want to see a catastrophe happen, they must snip the devils¡¯ invasion at the bud. They must not allow the invasion to develop.


    However, judging from the current situation, the Devil Race had already planted its seeds all over the Nine Prefectures, or You Prefecture at least. Devils existed in both the grassland palace and the capital Luoyang. Otherwise, 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army and 150,000 mounted soldiers from the grassland wouldn¡¯t have battled so frantically. The Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, deep in the northern mountain range of You Prefecture, wouldn¡¯t be nearly wiped out either, leaving only ten more young escapees.


    They traveled on their flying swords for about two hours. Ye Que was fine, but young disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were only in the Psychic Realm. Their True Energy was running out and their Spiritual Sea was experiencing deficiency.


    Guan Shuheng clenched his teeth and flew another 1.5 kilometers before finding a rather quiet valley to land.


    Lei Tianyou¡¯s face was now as pale as snow and his breathing was weak and haggard. The sweat flowed down from his forehead like rain. The wound on his abdomen had drenched half of his body in blood. The blackish-red blood stains dyed both their clothes.


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep going like this. Eldest Senior Brother needs a physician as soon as possible. That dagger must be coated with poison!¡± one of the female disciples said, looking anxious.


    ¡°We should focus on running. The more we tarry, the more danger Eldest Senior Brother is in. Everyone knows that he needs a physician now, but where do we find someone like that? Ordinary physicians have no way of healing the poison that the Devil¡¯s Practice followers use!¡± another female disciple replied. Her words sounded quite reasonable.


    ¡°We can check if there are any orthodox sects nearby and see if they¡¯ll lend us a hand. We should at least save Eldest Senior Brother first.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. Nowhere is safe in the entire Northern You Prefecture. Who knows if there are spies from the Devil Race in those orthodox sects? It wasn¡¯t easy for us to escape. We can¡¯t send ourselves back into the lion¡¯s den and walk right into their trap.¡±


    Guan Shuheng looked depressed as he listened to the discussions ringing in his ears. He was the youngest disciple here. Even though he was as anxious as they were and was filled with vigor, he didn¡¯t know where to direct his enthusiasm. If they somehow managed to flee You Prefecture, where should they go next?


    ¡°I wish Eldest Senior Brother is conscious now. He¡¯ll definitely know what to do.¡± Guan Shuheng lowered his head and gently wiped the sweat on Lei Tianyou¡¯s forehead. Tears brimmed in his eyes.


    He was upset because of his incompetence and helplessness.


    Ye Que and Red Bean stayed out of their discussions completely. It was an impromptu decision to save these young disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder anyway. Following them all the way here was simply a matter of completing their responsibility.


    They were all cultivators with their own plans. Ye Que wouldn¡¯t forcefully plan out their future for them.


    He had neither the intention nor the capability.


    Three women were enough to form a play.


    Never mind that they had more than ten here.


    The sound of their discussion became louder and louder. It was to the point that hints of anger could be heard. A frowning Ye Que was about to calm them down when he abruptly looked up to the sky. His eyes narrowed.


    He saw a mass of black dots, like flying swords shattering the sky, in the distance flying in their direction and landing inside the valley.


    To think Ye Yunhai actually caught up to them!


    Ye Yunhai had just landed when he lunged with his sword. The black sword was like a sharp blade born to cut through the air. It summoned a twenty-feet high gale of sand that directly slammed into Ye Que¡¯s group.


    Like a frightened rabbit, the female disciples who were arguing just moments ago scattered and ran more than a hundred meters away. Back in the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, they had forced their hotbloodedness. Their willingness to pay any price to escape was a matter of defending the Pavilion¡¯s honor.


    But things like courage were things that fizzled out quite quickly. By the time they ran all the way here, they had already worn out most of their courage.


    The only one who didn¡¯t run was Guan Shuheng, who had Lei Tianyou to protect. Ye Que and Red Bean stayed as well.


    Ye Que raised his hand and threw a ball of Divine Energy, casting a barrier that kept the sand out. He stood upright without a change in expression.


    Seeing Ye Que¡¯s calm and emotionless expression, Ye Yunhai mumbled to himself, ¡°What a pest. Why would I meet this eyesore here?¡±


    He slowly approached Ye Que before stopping about ten meters away from him. He swung his black sword twice and said, ¡°Why do I see you everywhere I go? Did you come here to pick a fight? Or are you the bane of my life? Why are you always ruining my plans? I see you everywhere back in Luoyang. Even now that I¡¯m in You Prefecture, I still can¡¯t escape you.¡±


    Ye Que looked at Ye Yunhai in faint surprise. ¡°You¡¯re still so uneducated!¡±


    He then gave Ye Yunhai a despising look.


    It was just one glance, but it was enough to give rise to the fire of fury in Ye Yunhai. Moreover, he acted like a mouse whose tail was stepped on. He instantly exploded. ¡°Who are you calling uneducated?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the uneducated one!¡±


    ¡°Just a vile spawn, an illegitimate child! You dare mention education to me?¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what education is?¡±


    Ye Que¡¯s expression darkened after hearing Ye Yunhai¡¯s curses. Being even-tempered didn¡¯t mean that he had no anger. Moreover, Ye Yunhai was jabbing at his weakness with every word. He was too well-versed in angering Ye Que.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Ye Que stared icily at Ye Yunhai. ¡°How did Ye Zhengru die? Why did you dare not allow me to open the coffin and conduct the autopsy? Were you afraid I¡¯d see something I shouldn¡¯t?!¡±


    ¡°And the battlefield of the city of You Prefecture. Where did all 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army go? Was that how you, the Young Master of the Ye family and the spiritual leader of the Ye Army, led them? By personally killing all 200,000 of them? Don¡¯t you get nightmares when you sleep at night?¡±


    Ye Que saw that Ye Yunhai wanted to speak, but refused to give him the chance. ¡°Save your explanation. It¡¯s as clear as day. Are you going to say you have a reason for this? Ridiculous! Incredibly so! Don¡¯t tell me your reason is entering the Devil¡¯s Practice and learning their cultivation methods!¡±


    ¡°You dare call yourself the Young Master of the General¡¯s Manor? You dare call yourself a part of the Ye family? You have brought shame to the entire Ye family!¡±

 Chapter 131 - Bludgeon

    Chapter 131 Bludgeon


    Inside a secluded valley deep in the mountains of Northern You Prefecture, Ye Que and Ye Yunhai stood ten meters away from each other.


    ¡°I can choose whatever path to go on, be it the Devil¡¯s Practice or the Orthodox cultivation. What does it have to do with you? Who the hell are you? What right do you have to lecture me?¡± Ye Yunhai was looking at Ye Que with a resentful expression. It was as if he was staring at something filthy. ¡°You keep bringing up the old Ye family. Have you returned to acknowledge your ancestors? Is your name listed in our ancestral records?¡±


    Frowning, Ye Que said nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the records. The name ¡®Ye Que¡¯ isn¡¯t there at all, only my name ¡®Ye Yunhai¡¯. That makes me the Young Master of the General¡¯s Manor. You¡¯re just a poor country bumpkin. Even if you became a cultivator through dumb luck, it doesn¡¯t change that fact. You¡¯ll forever be an illegitimate child and a bane. That¡¯s the fate you¡¯re born with.¡±


    Ye Yunhai¡¯s every word to Ye Que was neither laced with insults nor curses, but every word carried a deep sense of humiliation.


    When he first returned to his youth and met Ye Yunhai for the first time in Luoyang City, the latter had ruthlessly humiliated him. Every time they met afterward, Ye Yunhai seemed to carry an immense hatred for him.


    It was as if Ye Que¡¯s existence was his greatest threat.


    The truth was that Ye Que had never thought of fighting with him for anything.


    His wish was to fulfill his mother¡¯s dream. He simply wanted her to rest in peace. Even if he had truly put his name on the ancestral records, he wouldn¡¯t have obstructed Ye Yunhai and fight him for anything. To be honest, Ye Que wasn¡¯t interested in anything the General¡¯s Manor and Ye Zhengru could give him. He was working hard to comprehend the Natural Law. To him, the vulgar world was nothing but smoke in the air.


    While he understood this, Ye Yunhai didn¡¯t and bore a deep grudge against him. His was a subconscious kind of deep hatred and rejection. Since young, he was on the receiving end of all the affection of the General¡¯s Manor household, Ye Zhengru, and Xiao Huating. He was unwilling to share no matter what, not even in the slightest.


    ¡°I have never thought of fighting you for anything,¡± Ye Que said serenely as he stared at Ye Yunhai.


    ¡°You can¡¯t win even if you want to! You¡¯re a dreamer if you think otherwise!¡± Ye Yunhai glared at him.


    ¡°Do you resent me that much? I have never harmed you.¡± Ye Que felt a little helpless.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to see you. I¡¯ll never be at ease as long as you¡¯re alive.¡± Ye Yunhai was completely straightforward with his true thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m living my life and you¡¯re living yours. There¡¯s no connection at all. Moreover, what you will get from betraying all 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army to the Devil Race? You¡¯ll just lose the General¡¯s Manor. The entire Ye family will die because of this.¡± Ye Que sounded as calm as ever. It was as if he was just an observer.


    ¡°We were the ones who feed them. Whether they die or live is my decision. And hadn¡¯t you already seen at the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder what I¡¯d get? You¡¯re a cultivator, as am I. The only difference is that I¡¯m cultivating the Devil¡¯s Practice. You all believe the Devil¡¯s Practice to be evil, but that¡¯s just your ignorance of the Lord¡¯s greatness.¡± He continued, ¡°The world needs to change. For change to occur, blood will have to spill. This is all worth it. The new world will only be better and we will be its pioneers.¡± Ye Yunhai reached out and pointed to Ye Que.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve seen the truth, you¡¯ll have to die.¡± Ye Yunhai glanced at Ye Que and then shifted his gaze to Red Bean. He smiled. ¡°You should thank me for granting you death alongside your lover.¡±


    Ye Yunhai misunderstood Red Bean to be Ye Que¡¯s lover.


    ¡°You have quite a good taste. She¡¯s pretty cute. Look at those long legs, large eyes, and cascading hair. What a pity; she¡¯ll have to follow you down to the underworld.¡±


    On the basis of his Half-step Formless Realm devil cultivation, Ye Yunhai pronounced death sentences for Ye Que and the rest in advance.


    The disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder couldn¡¯t escape either. Having just gained power and strong demonic powers at that, his three energies were nearly at their peak. In his eyes, everyone was beneath him now.


    Thus, Ye Yunhai remained very calm. His calmness was the calmness of a person who believed that victory was firmly within grasp. He was so calm that he seemed unbridled and egotistical to others. The others thought, ¡°We¡¯re still here standing. Did you think we have already dropped dead?¡±


    Ye Que hesitated. He said nothing and seemed deep in thought. Red Bean, who had been standing behind him all along, spoke instead.


    She patted Ye Que on the shoulder. ¡°What does he mean, calling me a lover? Is he scolding me?¡±


    ¡°Why did he call me your lover?¡±


    ¡°Was he commenting on my physique earlier? To humans like you, are such comments considered praise or mockery?¡±


    Ye Que looked awkward after hearing her questions. He didn¡¯t even know how to reply. He opened his mouth, but no words came.


    Red Bean gave Ye Que a confused look.


    She pointed to Ye Yunhai. ¡°Were you scolding me earlier?¡±


    Ye Yunhai was surprised to find her pointing to him. She was already at death¡¯s door and yet she still had the mood to worry about these things. Didn¡¯t she see that the female disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were so frightened that their soul had already left their body?


    Instead of answering Red Bean¡¯s question, Ye Yunhai gave her a look. The look seemed to be saying, ¡°Are you an idiot?¡±


    ¡°I asked you a question! Were you scolding me earlier?¡± Red Bean asked again.


    Ye Yunhai still wouldn¡¯t look at her. To him, Red Bean was just a pretty girl who happened to be Ye Que¡¯s woman. He wasn¡¯t interested in Ye Que, much less Ye Que¡¯s woman.


    There was another layer to that look earlier: ¡°When a man is talking, a woman should keep quiet!¡±


    When Red Bean questioned him for the third time, he began to lose his patience. He frowned and said impatiently, ¡°I¡¯m not scolding you, okay? I¡¯m scolding him. Go to that side. This doesn¡¯t concern you.¡±


    ¡°When men talk, women should step aside!¡±


    The moment these words left Ye Yunhai¡¯s words, both Ye Que and Red Bean turned ashen.


    Red Bean looked at Ye Que icily before pointing to Ye Yunhai. ¡°Which is it? You can¡¯t defeat him or you don¡¯t want to fight him?¡±


    Without waiting for an answer, she added, ¡°If you can¡¯t defeat him, then step aside.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to fight him, you should¡¯ve told me earlier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it for you!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand human conversations very well; often it sounds right but isn¡¯t. But I¡¯m not a fool.¡±


    She paused for a moment before saying in a quiet voice, ¡°And I can tell that he¡¯s not humiliating me, but you. Just because you don¡¯t resist doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t care.¡±


    Ye Que raised his head, wanting to explain himself, but Red Bean lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to explain anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in listening.¡±


    She pointed to a nearby spot and said, ¡°Stand there and don¡¯t move. Watch properly.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ye Que asked in confusion.


    ¡°Wanna know? Give me a little smile.¡± To his surprise, Red Bean was still in the mood to joke around at a time like this and tease Ye Que like a female warrior in the stories.


    ¡°Give me a little smile and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    Ye Que gave her a look saying, ¡°You¡¯ve gone mad.¡± He received a glare from Red Bean as she said, ¡°No fun at all.¡±


    Then, Red Bean really did as she said and dragged Ye Que to stand behind a boulder several tens of meters away. She also waved at Guan Shuheng, indicating him to carry Lei Tianyou further away.


    Ye Yunhai was befuddled. Was this white-clothed girl going to battle him? Even after carefully looking her over from head to toe, he couldn¡¯t feel even a shred of True Energy fluctuation in her. Her manner, however, didn¡¯t seem to belong to a lunatic. Could she truly be some sort of expert? This sparked an interest in him. Besides, all the young disciples who escaped from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were in this valley anyway.


    He signaled the people behind him with his clasped hands behind his back. They understood him tacitly. Immediately, a few people began to move and blockade the valley entrance.


    Ye Que frowned after seeing Ye Yunhai¡¯s arrangements but said nothing. He was more curious to see what Red Bean would do next.


    After putting everything into order, Red Bean turned around and slowly walked toward Ye Yunhai. She stopped when she was more than ten meters away from him, stood straight, and took out the large black umbrella that she carried with her everywhere. The ribs of the umbrella had turned long and narrow after the unnatural change it underwent in the ley lines of sovereignty in the Imperial Mausoleum. The canopy was wrapped up neatly around the body of the umbrella. The umbrella that used to be the length of an arm now seemed longer than the typical pike.


    Rather than an umbrella, one looking at it from afar would mistake it as a club.


    A black club.


    She straightened her back and gripped the handle of the umbrella. Even though her gaze was on Ye Yunhai, her finger pointed to Ye Que instead. ¡°You can scold me, but not him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get mad if you scold him.¡±


    ¡°Very, very mad.¡±


    Ye Yunhai didn¡¯t comment. He shrugged his shoulders in a manner of saying, ¡°What can you do about it?¡±


    ¡°How annoying. I wanted him to carry me for a few more days,¡± Red Bean muttered to herself in annoyance.


    Making a light stamp with her foot, she then flung her large black umbrella into the air. Simultaneously, she turned her head to glance at Ye Que. ¡°You¡¯ve carried me for so many days. Let me first repay the interest.¡±


    ¡°You probably have your reasons for not wanting to fight him, but I don¡¯t give a damn.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m not willing to see others humiliate you. It upsets me.¡±


    Her long hair used to be draped over her shoulders, but ever since Ye Que gathered them into a strange ponytail, she never changed her hairstyle again. Right now, her ponytail was swaying in the air. Her aura also began to skyrocket in the blink of an eye.


    Just moments ago, she was an ordinary girl.


    Now, she had leaped over the Pre-celestial Realm to enter the Psychic Realm. After inhaling and exhaling, she entered the Starburst Realm. She stamped her right foot and soared into the sky.


    The black umbrella fell into her grasp. The moment her hand touched the handle of the umbrella, starlights scattered and turned formless.


    Her hand was tightly wrapped around the handle of the umbrella, whose canopy was surrounded by a string of raging flames. Behind her, True Energy exploded. Out came a gigantic Spiritual Force totem.


    The Spiritual Force fluctuated and shifted. When it turned over, it transformed into a Divine Dragon with an entirely black body.


    The head of the dragon faced Ye Yunhai while its tail spiraled under Red Bean¡¯s feet.


    She used her black umbrella as a club.


    She swung it hard downward.


    Her attack seemed to hit the air.


    However, Ye Yunhai and the ten more devil cultivators in the valley turned pale. They tried their best to rapidly retreat and run far away.


    Then, a crack of several meters wide began splitting open the ground at a speed observable by the naked eye. Dust flew everywhere amid sounds of thunder. The black dragon formed out of Spiritual Force behind Red Bean emitted a dragon¡¯s roar and lunged fiercely at Ye Yunhai.


    ¡°Is it smoke and fire or firecrackers this time?¡±


    Following Ye Que¡¯s trick earlier, people were indeed doubting the authenticity of this black dragon. However, suspecting was one thing. Who would dare test their theory?


    Even if others would test it, they wouldn¡¯t.


    What if it was real?


    In the blink of an eye, the black dragon swallowed a beginner Starburst Realm devil cultivator with the slowest response. He looked like he was about to meet a violent death.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    The word subconsciously left Ye Yunhai¡¯s mouth. Moreover, he set himself as an example and flew out of the secluded valley without looking back. He gnashed his teeth as he ran, muttering to himself, ¡°B*stard! B*stard! Living off a woman? How dare you trick me! D*mned it, you¡¯re relying on a woman and a Formless Realm woman pretending to be a weakling at that! Can¡¯t believe even orthodox cultivators would be this crafty; aren¡¯t you upright cultivators? You can¡¯t just steal our methods!¡±


    He came with swagger.


    He left by pathetically running away.


    With a single swing of her umbrella-club, Red Bean managed to break the siege, sent all devil cultivators flying, and scared Ye Yunhai off.


    The black dragon returned to Red Bean. It emerged from behind her and disappeared in the same spot.


    She then turned her attention to the others left on the scene. Nearly all of them were frightened out of their wits. The girl who had seemed so ordinary and delicate just moments ago, who even needed someone to carry her, had transformed into a Formless Realm cultivator in the blink of an eye. Moreover, she was the cream of the crop. Not only did she have high cultivation, but her magic treasure was also strong. Her bludgeoning skill was even stronger.


    One swing of her club was enough to split space!


    Her control of True Energy, grasp of strength, and display of Qi were breathtaking!


    Ye Que was quite stunned himself. He knew Red Bean possessed powerful cultivation. Back in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, she was already in the peak of Starburst Realm and could fight more than ten spirits on her own. Her overall strength wasn¡¯t in any way inferior to Jiang Liuyun. When they were in the underground cave, she wasn¡¯t concerned about obtaining the Divine Tool, the River Soldier. Her goal was the bones of the immortal black dragon. For that, she allowed all of her cultivation to be suppressed until she was nearly an ordinary human.


    Based on Ye Que¡¯s observation, he anticipated her recovery to take at least fifteen to twenty days. Thus, throughout their journey, he dutifully carried her on his back without a word of complaint.


    Guan Shuheng, who stood farther away, was so shocked that he nearly fell to the ground. In a trembling voice, he said, ¡°She¡¯s so powerful! She¡¯s so young but she¡¯s already in the Formless Realm! Her cultivation is one level higher than Eldest Senior Brother¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s illogical!¡±


    The ten more disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, who stood even farther still, were similarly astonished. ¡°So there¡¯s someone this powerful among our ranks? What am I scared of? I even ran so far away! How shameful! Eldest Senior Brother will surely scold us when he wakes up!¡±


    ¡°This older sister is so cool!¡± The eyes of one of the female disciples were positively twinkling.


    ¡°Judging from her looks, it¡¯s probably more accurate to call her younger sister. For her to enter the Formless Realm at such a young age, she must be a genius disciple from a large and influential sect!¡± another female disciple said softly.


    ¡°I heard that the Eldest Senior Brother of Mount Shu for this generation is called Jiang Liuyun. He¡¯s already at the peak of the Starburst Realm at nineteen and everyone calls him the top cultivator of the current generation. But it seems that he¡¯s nothing compared to this little girl!¡± a female disciple said, her voice thick with infatuation. ¡°How nice would it be if she¡¯s a male cultivator? I¡¯ll definitely marry him!¡±


    ¡°Stop your delusions. Do you think she¡¯ll be interested in you?¡±


    ¡°What, you think she¡¯ll be interested in you instead?¡±


    Their enemies had just left but the group of female disciples soon began chirping nonstop. The object of their quarrel was none other than Red Bean.


    Just one bludgeon.


    That was all it took for Red Bean to win the girls¡¯ hearts.


    Fortunately, she was the one who struck. Who knew what would happen if it was Ye Que? Never mind other things. If the girls came over and fawned over him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run. They might even start touching him.


    Having gotten a fright from Red Bean¡¯s attack, Ye Que took two deep breaths before being able to suppress the discomfort inside him. He slowly made his way to Red Bean, grabbed her hair, and rubbed it with all the force he could muster.


    Then he pinched her cheeks, dragging it out with force until it almost turned red.


    He only felt better after doing all these.


    ¡°How dare you lie to me!¡± With a faintly furious expression, Ye Que glared at her.


    Red Bean opened her mouth, wanting to explain. In the same way she had interrupted him earlier, Ye Que said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your explanation. Just tell me why you¡¯re making me carry you even though your cultivation has recovered.¡±


    He then added, ¡°Here am I wondering for the past few days why you¡¯re getting heavier and heavier. You were whiling the time away on my back, weren¡¯t you? You had your fun, but what about me?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Red Bean¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Open even wider!¡± Ye Que widened his eyes even more. ¡°Then what was that earlier? You haven¡¯t recovered? Was I blind then? That¡¯s the Formless Realm. You¡¯ve risen a level from the time we were in the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. You call that not recovered?¡±


    ¡°I just recovered,¡± Red Bean said, looking deflated.


    ¡°Just?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re fooling?¡± Ye Que said impatiently, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, this is wrong. You should¡¯ve¡­¡±


    Facing Ye Que¡¯s agitated expression and endless scolding, Red Bean lowered her head and looked like she was admitting her fault. However, when he gradually went overboard and made it sound like she owed him something, she began to feel upset. ¡°I¡¯m just asking you to carry me for a bit! Who¡¯s desperate for that? I respect you; that¡¯s why I allowed you to carry me. Why didn¡¯t you think of why I didn¡¯t let others carry me?¡±


    ¡°How dare you say that I¡¯m getting heavier and heavier! You¡¯re the heavy one!¡± Red Bean thought. ¡°Your whole family is heavy!¡±


    ¡°Buzz, buzz, buzz¡­¡±


    Ye Que prattled on like a headless fly as if he was nagging his child.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    ¡°Are you not done talking?!¡±


    ¡°I just had you carry me for a few days! Unwilling, are you?¡± Red Bean lifted her head to glare at him. She even raised a threatening fist at him, acting like she was going to punch Ye Que.


    ¡°A few days?¡± Ye Que was stunned. ¡°You recovered a few days ago?¡±


    ¡°Not a few days! Today!¡± Red Bean immediately changed her tune.


    ¡°I heard you say ¡®a few days¡¯!¡± He refused to let go of her slip of the tongue.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    She punched Ye Que hard on the forehead. She shook her clenched fist and glared fiercely at him.


    ¡°You hit my forehead again!¡± He returned her glare, refusing to back down.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    He suffered yet another punch on his forehead. It seemed like she put even more force behind her punch this time.


    ¡°Trying to climb all over me, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ll fight back, you know!¡± Ye Que raised his fist.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Before he could even finish his sentence, he got hit again¡­

 Chapter 132 - Dragons in the Southland

    Chapter 132 Dragons in the Southland


    Ye Que chose not to immediately attack Ye Yunhai after the latter humiliated him. Similarly, he also chose not to stop Ye Yunhai when the latter fled. It wasn¡¯t a question of his ability; he just didn¡¯t know if he should.


    Had he suffered such disgrace in the past, he would have definitely pummeled Ye Yunhai without hesitation if he could.


    But he had gone through too much now. He wouldn¡¯t let a few words affect him. More importantly, Ye Yunhai¡¯s identity was his younger brother from another mother. With Ye Zhengru gone, what other family did he have in this world?


    If his mother was alive, she would surely not wish to see him attack Ye Yunhai. She wouldn¡¯t want him to do the killing, at least. That was the kind of woman she was. That was the reason that Ye Que hesitated earlier. Even if Ye Yunhai had taken up the Devil¡¯s Practice and became a wicked devil cultivator, he wasn¡¯t willing to attack the former at this moment.


    Thus, relief washed him when Red Bean stepped forward.


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, but I won¡¯t interfere if someone tries to kill you.¡±


    The two of them were finally able to interact like normal after Red Bean pummeled Ye Que. However, it was obvious from Ye Que¡¯s expression that he was livid. Only perverts would feel happy after getting punched by a girl over and over in front of outsiders.


    Ye Que was a very normal guy, so he was very mad.


    He rolled his eyes at Red Bean. ¡°Why do you know how to form the black dragon totem and a semi-spirit black dragon at that?¡±


    Red Bean lifted her head to look at Ye Que. ¡°I was born with that skill.¡±


    ¡°How is it strange?¡±


    Her answer astonished Ye Que. ¡°You were born with that skill?¡±


    He gave her an once-over. ¡°What do you mean? Unless you¡¯re a dragon, that doesn¡¯t make sense at all.¡±


    He looked at her again but to his surprise, she didn¡¯t react at all. She neither admitted nor denied it, looking like she was fine with him making his own assumptions. Then, an idea struck him. ¡°Could it be?¡±


    ¡°Could she have the blood of the Dragon Race running through her?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, that can explain everything. When we were in the cave, she was able to absorb the bones of the Immortal Dragon. Her hatred of calling herself a human, her ability to form a dragon totem, her hatred for hunters!¡±


    ¡°Is she from the Southland?¡±


    Ye Que recalled how Red Bean first introduced herself to him. ¡°I¡¯m Red Bean. Naturally, I¡¯m from the Southland.¡±


    When he was in the Celestial World, he once read a written record of secret folklores. One of the stories told of traces of dragons in the Human World. In the depths of the South Sea that sat at the extreme south of the Nine Provinces was a palace where the dragons live. Red Bean said she was from the Southland. Could it be the Dragon Palace in the South Sea, the dragon nation in the depths of the seabed?


    He remembered that something strange once occurred in Red Bean¡¯s body when they came out of the Luo River that filled the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. It was odd how an unconscious girl without True Energy for protection was able to float on the water unscathed. Even her skin seemed like it was breathing. It was as if she was closer to water than a fish itself.


    What could she be then?


    ¡°Are you really a dragon?¡± His voice was colored with rare amazement.


    ¡°To think I¡¯m with a dragon girl!¡±


    ¡°Dragon girl Red Bean!¡±


    Ye Que kept his voice low. He didn¡¯t want others to hear because this information was simply unbelievable. Moreover, most people would find this hard to accept. This included cultivators.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You want to chase me away?¡±


    ¡°Or are you going to be the hero who slaughters a dragon?¡±


    Red Bean¡¯s voice was dull. She approached Ye Que as she spoke and stared fixedly at him as if she was trying to decipher his true feelings from his eyes. The old men in her clan had told her a long time ago that no human could be trusted. Even if she looked like one of them, they would do everything to kill her once if they find out about her identity.


    It was impossible for humans and dragons to coexist, the same way it was for dragons and devils.


    There was no shortage of Divine Tools in the Three Realms that were imbued with dragon power. How were they created? Which among of those tools weren¡¯t soaked in the blood of Dragon Race disciples? Which weren¡¯t a sign of the downfall of a dragon?


    Cultivators needed to enhance their strength. Immortals needed to polish their military strength. Those powerful enough would pick dragons that were filled with treasures from head to tail as their top choice. Otherwise, devils wouldn¡¯t have gone all out in wiping out dragon nations a long time ago. Even they wanted to obtain the dragon carcasses.


    Would Ye Que be like them?


    Naturally, he was different. He had become nonchalant about many things after experiencing the great war between humans and demons. Moreover, he had no idea for dragon carcasses when he had a page of Divine Book lying in the depths of his Spiritual Sea. The Divine Book came to life at the same time as heaven and earth. It was the most valuable treasure of the living recorded in the legends.


    Shaking his head, he lifted his hand and caressed Red Bean¡¯s hair.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who or what you are.¡±


    ¡°To me, you¡¯re Red Bean.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the hobby of slaughtering dragons.¡±


    Ye Que paused momentarily before adding, ¡°I remember you asking me if I was lying when I said every human is born equal. Back then, I told you that it¡¯s every living creature that is born equal. Dragons are also creatures living in this world. Naturally, they¡¯re also equal to us.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you. That¡¯s what I think.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, both of us detest devils. They¡¯re an existence that will ruin living creatures.¡±


    Red Bean stared at Ye Que long and hard. He allowed her to stare all she wanted until she finally believed him. But she pouted and said, ¡°If you detest devils, why didn¡¯t you attack earlier? Isn¡¯t that man a devil?¡±


    Ye Que smiled helplessly. He felt awkward as if she had abruptly slapped him. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling to attack. I just didn¡¯t want to. Besides, I didn¡¯t stop you when you attacked, did I?¡±


    ¡°Do you not dare to hit him?¡± Red Bean continued to question him.


    ¡°I¡¯m unwilling to,¡± Ye Que mumbled to himself.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re just afraid.¡± Red Bean rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°Think whatever you want. I just wasn¡¯t willing to. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to act against my principles.¡± He sighed.


    Following the conversation between Ye Que and Red Bean, the young disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder also participated in a quick discussion. However, no result came from it. Then, the disciples saw the two of them walk over with somewhat awkward expressions, looking like they had something to say but didn¡¯t know how to say it.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Suddenly, a barely audible fit of coughing came from the person lying in Guan Shuheng¡¯s embrace. The unconscious Lei Tianyou slowly opened one of his eyes, though his pupil were devoid of any strength.


    Guan Shuheng nearly burst into tears. ¡°Eldest Senior Brother!¡±


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother is awake!¡±


    The female disciples of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder rapidly gathered around and noisily reiterated the events that happened after Lei Tianyou fainted. They didn¡¯t stop to consider if Lei Tianyou understood them.


    Lei Tianyou, who lay in Guan Shuheng¡¯s embrace, frowned. With semi-closed eyes, he looked in Ye Que¡¯s direction as if he wanted to get up and thank him.


    Ye Que waved his hand, indicating for him to save his thanks and lie down. He saw Lei Tianyou whispering into Guan Shuheng¡¯s ear and taking out a jade note from his sleeve. Having sustained himself long enough to do all these, he fainted again.


    ¡°Mr. Ye, Eldest Senior Brother suggested that we head to the nearby Boiled Snow Temple. His family is connected to the temple¡¯s Grandmaster Yunxia. We should be able to get some shelter there,¡± Gu Shuheng said, ¡°It¡¯s about 150 kilometers away from here. I hope you¡¯ll come with us. We¡¯ll all be safer during the journey too.¡±

 Chapter 133 - The Night the Boiled Snow Temple Shuts Down

    Chapter 133 The Night the Boiled Snow Temple Shuts Down


    You Prefecture was the prefecture located at the far north of the glorious Tang Empire as well as the coldest place in the Central Plain.


    Legend had it that the cold was so severe there that snow would easily form in the mouths of those who speak. Even when two people were standing opposite each other, they might not be able to hear what their friend was telling them. They had no choice but to return home and gently melt down the ice in their mouths before being able to talk. This legend originated from a temple in Northern You Prefecture and thus, it gained the nickname of ¡°Boiled Snow¡± over time. This also became the origin of the Boiled Snow Temple.


    The Hall of Great Strength stood tall in the heart of the Boiled Snow Temple, with three gates in front of it. Three golden statues sat inside the hall: Gautama Buddha, Maha Kasyapa, Ananda. Lying in front of the statues was a pale yellow praying mat. Currently, the mat was unoccupied.


    There was a small house next to the Hall of Great Strength. Grandmaster Yunxia stayed there all year round.


    The skies were beginning to darken and the wind was carrying snowflakes into the hall.


    Inside Grandmaster Yunxia¡¯s house, a little pot sat atop a small stove. There were remnants of tea leaves inside the pot. Wisps of steam would rise out of the top of the pot and the sound of bubbling water would reverberate inside. A hand with dry, yellowed skin lifted the teapot and poured out a half-cup of tea, leaving the remaining inside the pot.


    He raised the cup to his mouth and took a sip. The tea was bland. It was as if the long boiling process had destroyed all flavor in the tea. Yet he said softly, ¡°30 percent of snow, 70 percent of tea fragrance. This can be considered one of the most exquisite tastes in the Human World.¡±


    The snow was swirling in the air outside. Grandmaster Yunxia slowly drained his tea before getting up and walking out of the house. His pupils seemed to be thick with emotions. He closed his eyes as if he was burying all of his worries in this boundless snow and fog.


    ¡°Listening to the wind.¡±


    ¡°Boiling the snow.¡±


    ¡°Recollecting past affairs.¡±


    Grandmaster Yunxia sighed once again.


    ¡°When the visitor came more than ten years ago, tea was boiled on a bamboo stove and used to replace wine. What about today? Would the monastery gate open or not? When the conversation is dried up and the tea is drained, what will be left of the future of the Boiled Snow Temple?¡±


    He lifted his foot, entered the Hall of Great Strength, and left the door open.


    The wind carried the fallen snow outside the door into the hall. Of the dim yellow lights flickering in the night, four in a row were extinguished.


    Grandmaster Yunxia sighed once again. Worries clouded his face as his footsteps wavered.


    It took just minutes. When he wanted to leave, he raised his head and saw something unusual happening to the golden statues in front of him!


    There were faint bloodstains trailing from the corner of the eyes of the statues: one being a vivid red and the other a purplish black.


    Seeing the bleeding golden statues, Grandmaster Yunxia¡¯s face turned even colder. His hands, buried inside the sleeves of his kasaya, swiftly began crisscrossing and calculating. In the end, he heaved a deep breath.


    Moments later, all the monks inside the Boiled Snow Temple received the abbot¡¯s handwritten decree: ¡°From tonight onward, the Boiled Snow Temple will close its doors and the mountain will be sealed. Without the abbot¡¯s decree, no one is allowed to leave or enter. Disciples of the temple will focus on their cultivation and enter meditation in exile. For the next ten years, the Boiled Snow Temple will not participate in any matters of the Cultivation World.¡±


    The handwritten decree to the seal the mountain was written using the Golden Cicada Writ, the most authoritative item in the Boiled Snow Temple.


    Its contents were also the strictest in the temple. It was only at the worst of crises that it would issue a decree. The current generation of monks couldn¡¯t quite remember a decree to seal off the mountain ever being issued in the past hundred years. Not even when the former emperor died did the temple close down for ten years. Neither had the temple ever rejected participating in the matters of the Cultivation World. That was as good as separating themselves from the Secular World and the Cultivation World. It wasn¡¯t too much to call it an act of isolation.


    However, this was a joint handwritten decree from the abbot and Grandmaster Yunxia. The monks of the Boiled Snow Temple must accept it.


    Standing in front of the Hall of Great Strength, the abbot of the Boiled Snow Temple looked into the distance and slowly said, ¡°Do you think sealing off the mountain can help us evade the calamity this time?¡±


    Grandmaster Yunxia stood next to the abbot. ¡°That I¡¯m not sure, but I know that opening our doors for guests will surely bring our Boiled Snow Temple to eternal damnation.¡±


    ¡°The bleeding statues have given us a clear warning. We can¡¯t ignore this anymore.¡± Grandmaster Yunxia sounded downcast when he brought this up. ¡°Senior Brother, did you think I was happy to make this decision? I made deductions earlier and learned that the guest tonight is an old friend of mine. We share an extraordinary karmic link. To close our doors is to cut off our karmic link. Buddhist cultivators like us place the utmost importance on karma. Unless it¡¯s an absolute emergency, I would¡¯ve never done so.¡±


    The abbot turned his head and reached out to pat Grandmaster Yunxia on the shoulder. ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice, Junior Brother. Our thousand-year Boiled Snow Temple must not go extinct in our hands.¡±


    ¡°I understand. That was why I was able to steel myself to make this decision.¡±


    The Boiled Snow Temple atop Mount Cicada at night.


    The creaking sounds of gates being locked echoed.


    Snow piled up on the path leading up to the mountain. Other than the sound of the clock, it was deathly still.


    Ye Que and his group climbed the stone mountains up Mount Cicada, closing into the Boiled Snow Temple with every step. Guan Shuheng continued to carry Lei Tianyou on his back while Red Bean ¡°shamelessly¡± climbed onto Ye Que¡¯s back. She told him to carry her as an apology and even said she didn¡¯t want to walk because she was drowsy.


    These few days, there was nothing Ye Que could do about Red Bean. He could still threaten to hit her before this, but even if he wanted to now, he was likely no match for her. With one realm of difference between them, coupled with Red Bean¡¯s true identity, he had lost all intentions of hitting her.


    He also finally understood why Red Bean said she wasn¡¯t as young as she looked. To the dragons, she was indeed a young girl, an underage dragon girl in fact.


    To humans, however, her age was close to a hundred years.


    Ye Que was no ordinary human either. His physical age was less than 20 years and he was still a young man. His mental age, however, was more than a hundred years. To be exact, he was a complete old man. Mentally, at least.


    No one was taking advantage of anyone here. They were both the same.


    He had also accepted his fate. It was no big deal carrying her; it wasn¡¯t like she was that heavy. Well, at most, he was carrying a dragon. To a Starburst Realm cultivator who knew a cultivation method of the Divine Book like him, it was nothing difficult at all.


    From another perspective, few humans would have such an opportunity.


    This was an honest-to-goodness dragon girl!


    The mountain path was dark and serene at night. The wild, mountainous scenery meant that when they looked up, all they saw was pitch-black darkness. Ye Que was doing fine, but the young female disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were beginning to tremble with fear.


    To be fair, for most of them, this was their first outing.


    It was their first time leaving the pavilion and they weren¡¯t ever returning at that. This was the most dangerous sort of trial. They were still fine when they first left, but their fear deepened as time passed. Fortunately, Lei Tianyou was briefly conscious during the day and there were also two experts with them. If they only had the only male disciple, Guan Shuheng, to depend on, they might not even dare to keep going now.


    ¡°Junior Brother Guan, when will we reach? It¡¯s so dark out. Could we have gone the wrong way?¡± someone asked in a low voice.


    ¡°I find it terrifying too. We can¡¯t even see anything ahead. Did we take the right path?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to hold on for long.¡±


    Female disciples were no match for male disciples, after all. Following a long day of being pursued and attacked, they were reaching the limit of their True Energy, physical strength, and mental strength.


    Guan Shuheng hoisted Lei Tianyou before carefully observing his surroundings and pondering over it. Only then did he say uncertainly, ¡°Please hold on, everyone. Based on Eldest Senior Brother¡¯s instructions, we should be on the right path. Boiled Snow Temple should be right ahead.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, watch your feet. The road is slippery on a snowy night. Please don¡¯t fall. Everyone, try your best to take care of each other.¡±


    Even though the snow made the path slippery, it was also useful in reflecting light. Even though it was no match for a full moon, it was much better than the faint stars in the sky.


    With a goal in mind and out of fear for Lei Tianyou¡¯s injuries, the group of female disciples finally clenched their teeth and once again walked up to the mountain step by step.


    Under the cover of the night, more than ten silhouettes made their way up Mount Cicada. The wilderness was still and the night was silent except for the sound of gasping and breathing.


    When the female disciples were about to exhaust their strength, an enormous and intricate temple appeared before them. The temple was shrouded in a light coat of white snow but it was obvious that people had taken good care to clean this place every day. There was also a subtle but boundless pressure coming from within the temple.


    ¡°The Supreme Formation of the Buddhist Sect!¡±


    The female disciple who took the lead said, ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve come to the right place. The Buddhist cultivators here must be quite strong. Just the monastery gate alone is uncommon.¡±


    ¡°Junior Brother Guan, knock on the door immediately. We¡¯re going to collapse soon.¡±


    After giving his Senior Sisters an apologetic sign, Guan Shuheng hastily ran toward the temple doors. He was tired too, and he was wearier than everyone else. However, he had no choice. He was the only male disciple in the group now. He must take up the responsibility.


    ¡°Clang! Clang! Clang!¡±


    Three knocks on the door resounded. The sound was fairly quiet as if Guan Shuheng didn¡¯t wish to disturb others. Perhaps, he also thought that knocking too hard on the door would seem impolite, so he only knocked three times.


    Everyone waited outside the door. The snow falling on them was getting heavier.


    Moments later, still no sound came from inside the temple.


    ¡°Knock a few more times, Junior Brother.¡±


    ¡°Use more force. It¡¯s late at night, after all. Maybe the monks inside are meditating or sleeping.¡±


    Turning around to glance at his Senior Sisters, Guan Shuheng hesitated for a moment. He even pressed his ear close to the door to listen, making sure that there was no sound. He clenched his teeth and banged on the door another three times. This time, the sound was a lot louder but it was still muffled.


    The sound of door-knocking reverberated throughout Mount Cicada but it seemed to be absorbed by the snow and disappeared without a trace.


    They still heard nothing after waiting for fifteen minutes. This time, even Ye Que looked confused. Coming here with Guan Shuheng was just a whim. He wanted to see these distressed disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder off to safety before leaving. It seemed that there was another twist in the story.


    ¡°Move aside. Let me try.¡±


    Someone reached out from behind Guan Shuheng. It was his Senior Sister finally losing her patience and personally knocking on the door.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    A burst of loud knocking sound rang out. The disciple had used all of her strength in her first go, having harbored no consideration for courtesy at all. How could she worry about that when she was about to collapse?

 Chapter 134 - The Doors That Wont Open

    Chapter 134 The Doors That Won¡¯t Open


    The ear-piercing sound of door-knocking reverberated throughout the Boiled Snow Temple.


    The sound traveled far in the dead of the night, passing through the temple doors to reach the three halls, all the way to the Hall of Great Strength. Naturally, the Buddhist cultivators inside heard the sound but their abbot had just issued a handwritten decree that the temple would be closed for ten years and that no one was allowed to leave or enter.


    The knocking continued for a while before finally stopping.


    The female disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder looked flabbergasted. ¡°Could the monks of the Boiled Snow Temple be deaf? Even if they¡¯re dead asleep, how could the noise not wake them?¡±


    ¡°Senior Sister, could the monks be in meditation?¡± Qian Shuheng guessed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re meditating behind closed doors. Their ears still function! Do you screen out all noise when you meditate?¡± his Senior Sister retorted.


    ¡°Who knows? Buddhist cultivators might meditate differently than we do,¡± Guan Shuheng said uncertainly. His voice was soft, however. He wasn¡¯t convincing anyone, not even himself.


    The snow was getting heavier. The girls weren¡¯t afraid of the wind or the snow, but the depletion of their True Energy made them no different from ordinary humans. Without True Energy for protection, they would still get cold and eventually freeze to death.


    Two female disciples who had just entered the Psychic Realm began to tremble. They kept pacing back and forth to keep themselves warm. The breath of Lei Tianyou, who was lying on Guan Shuheng¡¯s back, was also getting colder despite Guan Shuheng taking off his clothes and putting them on the former.


    Red Bean was awake by now, but she refused to climb down from Ye Que¡¯s back. She looked curiously at the enormous temple before her.


    ¡°Is this the Boiled Snow Temple that you¡¯re looking for?¡± she asked softly.


    Ye Que nodded. ¡°It¡¯s my first time here, but I think so.¡±


    ¡°This is where Buddhist cultivators cultivate?¡± Red Bean closed her eyes and started sensing her surroundings.


    ¡°The Cultivation World is divided into people who cultivate in the society and people who cultivate out of the society. The Boiled Snow Temple ought to be the latter. Those who take up the Buddhist cultivation tend to roam the secular world and cultivate as they travel,¡± Ye Que said. ¡°Buddhist cultivators must deliver all living creatures from suffering and teach the ways of the Buddha to the people in hopes that everyone can enter paradise.¡±


    ¡°Paradise?¡±


    ¡°You must be lying!¡±


    Red Bean¡¯s face was full of disbelief. In her clan, there had never been records of being able to enter paradise after death. She had heard of the Road of Yellow Springs and the Reincarnation Bridge for even dragons must enter the wheel of reincarnation after death.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone answering after so long? Are Buddhist cultivators deaf?¡± Red Bean approached the shut temple doors.


    ¡°How would I know? It¡¯s the Eldest Senior Brother of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder who told us to come here. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll just turn us away, so something must have happened. Never mind the fact they¡¯re connected. Buddhist cultivators who live in temples have no reason to remain silent on even ordinary humans who knock on their door. Buddhist cultivators place the heaviest emphasis on karma and saving people from hardship. How could they ignore an opportunity that fell right on their laps?¡±


    That was unless they were sure that the karma originated from fiends from hell.


    For opening the doors would be inviting calamity in.


    ¡°Knock. Keep knocking. I refuse to believe that no one in this huge temple heard us!¡± the female disciple who banged on the doors earlier yelled. She also charged to the front of the group.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    The sound of door-knocking became increasingly loud and frenzied.


    The sound was like a slap; each knocking a slap on the reputation of the Boiled Snow Temple.


    Guan Shuheng, who stood next to his Senior Sister, finally lost his patience and yelled, ¡°Monks of the Boiled Snow Temple! We¡¯re disciples from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Devils have invaded our pavilion today and our Eldest Senior Brother is dying from the injuries he sustained trying to fight them. We fled here after much difficulty. We hope you¡¯ll open your doors and save our Eldest Senior Brother.¡±


    No answer came.


    Mount Cicada was deathly still.


    ¡°Our Eldest Senior Brother is the sole grandson of the Lei family in Southern Yue. He hopes to meet Grandmaster Yunxia!¡± Guan Shuheng yelled, his voice colored with pain. Right now, even idiots could tell that it wasn¡¯t that the monks didn¡¯t hear him; they were simply refusing to open their doors.


    With Lei Tianyou on the verge of death, Guan Shuheng could no longer retain his calm.


    ¡°Please open your doors, Grandmaster!¡± The group of female disciples also began to shout while banging on the doors.


    Still, no one responded.


    In front of the Hall of Great Strength.


    Yunxia and the abbot stood facing each other. Their midbrows were filled with snow.


    ¡°So it¡¯s the child from the Lei family in Southern Yue. Will you really not open the doors?¡± the abbot asked quietly.


    Grandmaster Yunxia shook his head and said nothing.


    ¡°I heard it¡¯s the old man¡¯s only grandson. If he dies in front of our temple, his death will surely become a demonic hindrance in your heart. It¡¯ll make your realm breakthrough even more impossibly difficult,¡± the abbot said concernedly.


    ¡°I know very well everything you tell me, Senior Brother, but I can¡¯t push our temple to the brink of hell for my sake. These youngsters come carrying the Devil Qi. If we save them, the temple will definitely incur a deadly catastrophe. This time, the devils originate from Northern You. It doesn¡¯t make sense for us to provoke them when we can¡¯t even wait to evade them. I must take responsibility for the lives of 1,326 disciples of our Buddhist sect.¡± Grandmaster Yunxia smiled wryly with a worried expression.


    ¡°Very well. Then I¡¯ll send someone to tell them to leave. We can¡¯t just let them die in front of our temple.¡±


    15 minutes later.


    Guan Shuheng and the rest finally heard a faint flurry of footsteps.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s here.¡± The female disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were overjoyed. It seemed that their efforts had finally touched the hearts of the monks of the Boiled Snow Temple.


    ¡°Benefactors, please stop knocking the door,¡± said a young and tender voice from the other side of the doors. It ought to be a young monk.


    ¡°Hello, Great Master of the Boiled Snow Temple. We apologize for disturbing your rest this late at night. If we have had any other option, we wouldn¡¯t have come at this hour,¡± Guan Shuheng said, trying his best to sound calm and collected. ¡°Our Eldest Senior Brother is badly injured. I hope you can open your doors, treat him, and shelter us for a few days.¡±


    The little monk standing behind the temple doors waited for Guan Shuheng to finish before replying, ¡°I¡¯m deeply sorry. The Boiled Snow Temple has sealed off the mountain from today onward. For the next ten years, we won¡¯t receive any external benefactors. Please return.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not common folk from under the mountain. We¡¯re allies from the Cultivation World.¡±


    ¡°The abbot has issued a handwritten decree: Our temple will not participate in any matters of the Cultivation World. Neither will we open our doors from today onward.¡±


    Guan Shuheng¡¯s heart turned colder and colder as he listened to the little monk. ¡°Our Eldest Senior Brother and Grandmaster Yunxia share a relationship. Can you please invite Grandmaster Yunxia to come out here? Even if you won¡¯t open the doors, please save him at least.¡±


    ¡°Please return, benefactors.¡±


    The voice behind the temple doors paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Benefactors, I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you. Grandmaster Yunxia died a month ago. He won¡¯t be able to come out and treat your Eldest Senior Brother.¡±

 Chapter 135 - Unless Dust Has Covered the Eyes of the Buddhas

    Chapter 135 Unless Dust Has Covered the Eyes of the Buddhas


    Hearing the voice coming from behind the temple doors.


    The disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder all fell into silence, including the agitated Guan Shuheng. Lei Tianyou told them to come to Boiled Snow Temple because Grandmaster Yunxia was here. He believed that their relationship would be able to buy them several days of shelter.


    However, Grandmaster Yunxia was dead and that linkage could be considered as completely broken.


    How else could they open the temple doors?


    Moreover, the little monk had made it clear that the temple would be sealed off for ten years and no guests would be entertained. The temple wouldn¡¯t get involved in any affairs of the Cultivation World either. This could be considered an act of isolation from the outside world in order to focus on their cultivation. Perhaps, they were wholeheartedly trying to shun the world.


    Endless darkness.


    Ice-cold stillness.


    Where could they go next?


    Ye Que, who stood near the group, was sighing on the inside. ¡°We have kneeled before the Buddhas for three thousand years, yet we see no pity from the Buddhas. Unless dust has covered the eyes of the Buddhas, then it¡¯s because we have not made enough donations to the temple¡­¡±


    ¡°These Buddhist cultivators sure know the ways of the world!¡±


    He once heard a saying that he had yet to verify. Now, he knew it to be true. ¡°If the Buddhas aren¡¯t greedy, why would they require the people to donate? If the Buddhas aren¡¯t vain, why would they need the people to worship them?¡±


    ¡°You may treasure the Buddhas in your heart, but the Buddhas may not even think of you!¡±


    If one day you seek refuge with the Buddhas after suffering the pain of the Human World, the Buddhas tell you, ¡°Everything is destined.¡±


    You say, ¡°If you can¡¯t help me, then why do you ask humans to worship you? What¡¯s the point of us worshipping you?¡±


    Buddhist cultivators loved preaching about delivering all living creatures from suffering.


    Yet when true calamities arrived, they didn¡¯t help anyone!


    If sword cultivators or Taoist cultivators encountered something like this, they would surely lend a helping hand. They would never shy away from trouble.


    Clearly, the Boiled Snow Temple knew that the devils were about to arrive and chaos was about to break out. What actions did they take? What path did they choose?


    ¡°Close the temple gate!¡±


    ¡°Ignore the affairs of the world!¡±


    ¡°Stay out of problems!¡±


    During the past hundred years of flourishing times, they had received much of the people¡¯s worship and donations. Weren¡¯t they just making a fool out of those who trusted them? Weren¡¯t they taking the people for idiots? If this was how they treated a child from an influential family whom they had a connection with, how would they treat the common folk? Would they just chase the common folk off Mount Cicada?


    In the past, Ye Que never quite understood why Buddhist temples were built on the foot of a mountain while Taoist temples were built on hilltops. Now that he thought about it, temples at the bottom of the mountain made it easier for people to give alms. Many monks were robust and prosperous because they received enough donations to live on. The hilltop Taoists, on the other hand, cultivated in peace because few people would make the climb. Those cultivators were naturally much thinner than the monks.


    Ye Que stepped forward and said quietly, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Since they have sealed the mountain and closed the temple doors, they won¡¯t open it for you even if you break your hand knocking.¡±


    ¡°They said it¡¯s inconvenient for them to receive us into the temple since Grandmaster Yunxia has passed away,¡± Guan Shuheng explained in a low voice.


    ¡°If they will only open their doors because you have a connection, then it makes no difference whether we enter the Boiled Snow Temple or not.¡± Ye Que scoffed. ¡°These are merely fake Buddhists who are deceiving the world!¡±


    Guan Shuheng tugged on Ye Que¡¯s arm. His expression changed as well. ¡°Mister, it¡¯s best to be humble in our current circumstances. We should be careful with our words.¡±


    This was a Truth-cultivating orthodox sect, after all. Who knew what the Buddhist cultivators inside would think if they overheard Ye Que cursing the Buddhas? They would be the biggest joke on earth if they ended up dying in front of a temple after escaping the devils¡¯ pursuit.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say they¡¯re sealing off the mountain and closing their doors? Didn¡¯t they say they¡¯re not participating in the affairs of the Cultivation World? That means they¡¯re not taking even a step out of the temple. What should I be scared of? If they¡¯re that great, they can just come out. It¡¯ll be nice to see what wicked faces they possess!¡± Ye Que curled his lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak up for them, Junior Brother. Do you think this is appropriate? Don¡¯t you know how much strength we used to come all the way here? If they won¡¯t even open their doors, we¡¯ll likely freeze to death here. How long do you think Eldest Senior Brother can hold on?¡± Guan Shuheng¡¯s Senior Sisters started lecturing him.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell what is more important, etiquette or a human life?¡±


    The girls dropped the subject after their little lecture and immediately started banging on the doors. They cursed as they slammed their fists on the doors, every word out of their mouth more unpleasant than the one before. Even Ye Que couldn¡¯t stomach some of the things that they said, but no one stopped them.


    In the face of death, everyone would unwaveringly grabbed on their final chance of survival.


    It could be said that these female disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder would have a difficult time surviving the night if they couldn¡¯t open temple doors. Lei Tianyou, at the very least, would meet certain death.


    Ye Que glanced at the dying Lei Tianyou.


    To be honest, the poison on Lin Mei¡¯er¡¯s dagger wasn¡¯t hard to cure and the injuries on his abdomen weren¡¯t difficult to heal either. However, Ye Que didn¡¯t have the correct herbs with him and the environment wasn¡¯t suitable for the healing either. There was no question that a snowy environment was unsuitable.


    Even so, he wasn¡¯t all that worried. He and Red Bean weren¡¯t in danger, at least. He was now in the Starburst Realm while Red Bean was in the Formless Realm. He possessed the Divine Book and the River Soldier while Red Bean had absorbed the immortal Dragon¡¯s Bones. She was also from the Dragon Clan. Never mind other factors, he was sure that survival wouldn¡¯t be a problem for them.


    The same couldn¡¯t be said for these disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder.


    He thought that his job would be over once he safely escorted them to the Boiled Snow Temple. Little did he expect such an outcome.


    He didn¡¯t expect to hear verbal abuse echoing throughout Mount Cicada.


    There was no sound of activity for a good fifteen minutes.


    The girls continued hurling abuse at the temple until a few of them started running out of steam. When they were about to exhaust their vocabulary of curses, a small crack appeared in the temple doors to hand them a little porcelain bottle.


    ¡°Benefactors, this is something that the abbot ordered me to hand to you. Your Eldest Senior Brother may have a need for this. Please forgive us. We simply can¡¯t open the doors.¡±


    ¡°Female benefactors, please stop hurling abuse at us. It¡¯s useless. It¡¯s cold on a snowy night; I advise you to save your strength to keep yourselves warm.¡±


    ¡°Be careful not to let the cold hurt your body.¡±


    ¡°The snow on Mount Cicada at this time of the year is cold enough to swallow you whole.¡±


    The young monk¡¯s words were undeniably sarcastic and yet no one could pick a problem with it.


    ¡°Little monk, are you threatening us? The snow will swallow us whole? Do you think we¡¯ll freeze to death on Mount Cicada?¡± Guan Shuheng¡¯s Senior Sister added fiercely, ¡°I¡¯m a Physic Realm cultivator. Even if you die, I won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°May your words be true. That¡¯s only a reminder from me. Whether or not you freeze to death is your business and has nothing to do with me. I care not.¡±


    No more sound came from behind the doors. Just when they thought the little monk was gone, they heard him say, ¡°The night brings cold wind and heavy snow. I won¡¯t stay to chitchat with you all anymore. It¡¯s nice and warm inside the house; please excuse me while I return to rest.¡±


    Such a young monk and yet his words were incredibly sharp.


    ¡°Is that how the Boiled Snow Temple treats its guests? Is this how the Buddhist cultivators save people from hardship? If I get the chance, I¡¯ll surely walk up to the golden statues in your Hall of Great Strength and ask how the Buddhas educate their disciples!¡± The eldest female disciple placed both hands on her hips and kicked the temple doors.


    ¡°Senior Sister!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Guan Shuheng tugged on his Senior Sister¡¯s sleeve as hard as he could and called out for the rest. Then, he silently squatted down to pick up the little porcelain bottle on the ground.


    ¡°Junior Brother, we don¡¯t want their crappy medicine.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Junior Brother, throw that bottle away! Don¡¯t you feel disgusted holding it?¡±


    ¡°Did they think they¡¯re giving alms?¡±


    Ignoring the disgusted looks of his Senior Sisters, Guan Shuheng rubbed the dirt on the porcelain bottle and carefully placed it in his bosom for safekeeping.


    ¡°Where has your dignity gone, Junior Brother?!¡±


    Once again, the girls began to nag him.


    Guan Shuheng didn¡¯t talk back to them. His expression turned progressively worse as he listened. Finally, the last shred of his patience ran out and he yelled, ¡°Enough!¡±


    ¡°Senior Sisters!¡±


    ¡°Can we stop talking about this?!¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t take the medicine, we¡¯ll be watching Eldest Senior Brother die!¡±


    ¡°If we ignore this medicine, who among you can save him? Who knows how to? If Eldest Senior Brother dies, where do we go from now on? Do you know where to go? Do you not fear the devils¡¯ pursuit? Do you want to die that badly?¡±


    He began weeping as he spoke. Today had been a trying day for the youngest male disciple of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. He had suffered too much. The pressure on him was too great. No matter how much he persevered, how hard he worked, there was still a limit to how much he could do. Right now, he had reached that limit. ¡°From today onwards, we¡¯re the only ones left of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Can we stop quarreling? If we can¡¯t even unite and work together, we don¡¯t even need others to kill us; we¡¯ll bring our own demise!¡±


    ¡°The moment the sun rises tomorrow is the moment the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder perishes.¡±


    Silence finally fell after everyone saw the young boy yell while sobbing spasmodically.


    Ye Que looked at the youngster who he had assumed to be weak in surprise and nodded. Then, he stepped forward. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, why don¡¯t you listen to my suggestion?¡±


    Ye Que and Red Bean played only bodyguard duty throughout the journey, leaving the arrangements to the disciples. However, they were at an impasse now.


    ¡°Mister.¡± Guan Shuheng turned his head and looked at Ye Que with tear-filled eyes.


    Ye Que lifted a hand. ¡°If you trust me, come with me.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Giving Red Bean who was lying on his back a pat, Ye Que took the lead in leaving the Boiled Snow Temple. Going back on the same path they came in, he made his way down the mountain in the darkness.


    ¡°Do we leave or not?¡±


    Guan Shuheng looked at his Senior Sisters.


    When no one answered him, he followed after Ye Que without saying another word.


    The wind in the mountain whistled and the snow was getting heavier. The wind blowing in Mount Cicada was felt as sharp as a knife as they brushed across their faces but the pain they felt was in their hearts.


    The only two men in their group were now gone, leaving only tens of female disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. Fear finally prevailed over all other emotion. ¡°Junior Brother, wait for us.¡±


    One hour later, Ye Que led them to a shabby Guandi temple. It was tiny, but at least it provided a roof over their heads and walls around them. It was a simple and crude shelter that Ye Que discovered by chance while climbing the mountain. It was exactly what they needed now.


    ¡°Rest here a while. We¡¯ll be stepping out for a moment,¡± Ye Que said after making sure everyone was settled down. He didn¡¯t even let down Red Bean.


    Guan Shuheng carefully placed Lei Tianyou on the floor and asked, ¡°Where are you going, mister? Do you need extra help?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Just stay here. We¡¯ll be back after getting some things. We won¡¯t take long.¡±


    In the snowstorm, Ye Que and Red Bean returned to the Boiled Snow Temple at a much faster speed than before. This time, he didn¡¯t knock on the doors. He found a relatively short wall in the compound and jumped in. Of course, Red Bean had climbed off his back by now. She looked exceptionally excited.


    The girl¡¯s eyes were gleaming. ¡°It¡¯s too exciting to travel with Ye Que. Is this the so-called ¡®robbing the rich to help the poor¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Wait, that doesn¡¯t sound right. It¡¯s not ¡®robbing the rich to help the poor¡¯. What is it again?¡± She scratched the back of her head.


    The Boiled Snow Temple wasn¡¯t some powerful family or large sect. Even when they sealed off the mountain and closed their doors, they wouldn¡¯t utilize a grand formation. They couldn¡¯t afford to waste Spirit Stones. It was just a temple shutdown in name only.


    When Ye Que led Red Bean into the temple, most of the monks had returned to their rooms to rest with a part of them already deep into their meditation.


    Of course, there weren¡¯t many who meditated tonight. Their temple was closed off, after all. That meant they wouldn¡¯t be interacting with the outside world for the next ten years. Cultivators tend to compare their progress in realm breakthroughs with one another. Thus, they would need people around them. Now that they couldn¡¯t even leave the mountain, what was the point of cultivating when they didn¡¯t have people to show off to?


    To amuse themselves?


    Or comparing with fellow disciples in the temple?


    Where was the fun in comparing with a group of bald monks? Victory and defeat were both predestined. It made things incredibly dull.


    Now that the temple was closed, they lost their desire to strive for success. They might as well have a good rest. In their dreams at least, they could save humanity and achieved unprecedented honor.


    Ye Que made a string of gestures at Red Bean. Only after seeing her nod that he scanned the entire temple. In the end, he chose to sneak into one of the side rooms. Like a ghost, he slipped inside and unleashed his hiding skills. He turned to look at Red Bean and found her even more deeply hidden than he was. It almost looked like she had completely disappeared.


    She was in the Formless Realm, after all. The gulf between realms was like the difference between heaven and earth.


    In the Cultivation World, someone who had broken out of the Starburst Realm to enter the Formless Realm would be considered as having broken away from the title of a novice and becoming a cultivation expert.


    It wasn¡¯t without reason that those in the Starburst Realm and below were called novices.


    He closed his eyes, turned his Divine Energy into psychokinesis, and poured that force into the room. It seemed that the monk inside had just fallen asleep.


    Two figures flitted across.


    Moments later, the door slowly opened. Ye Que and Red Bean walked into the room.


    The side rooms of the three halls in front of the Hall of Great Strength were mostly used to accommodate regular disciples. Most were in the Psychic Realm, Pre-celestial Realm, or Post-celestial Realm. Few were Starburst Realm cultivators.


    Thus, Ye Que and Red Bean advanced at an incredibly high speed.


    They went from one room to another, entering and then exiting every room. Only then did they secretly slipped out of the Boiled Snow Temple under the faint light of the snowy night.


    In just an hour, they returned to that small and simple Guandi temple.


    Walking inside the temple, they found it a little cleaner and tidier; as expected of female disciples, indeed.


    ¡°You¡¯re back so soon, mister.¡± Guan Shuheng looked happy to see him. Subconsciously, he also shot his Senior Sisters a glance as if telling them, ¡°I told you so. Your speculations earlier were malicious and lowly.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± While speaking, Ye Que began fishing out things from the spice bag he kept with him at all times. First, he took out beddings and cotton-padded clothes meant for blocking out the cold. Then, he took out some vegetable dishes and even intricate-looking medicine bottles.


    Soon, the small temple was filled with things. The young disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were dumbfounded to see the pile of bedding and clothing. ¡°Where did you get all of these? These look like they belong to monks! Did you loot the Boiled Snow Temple?¡±


    ¡°These things?¡± Guan Shuheng couldn¡¯t even get his question out of his mouth before Red Bean gave him a hard pat on the shoulder.


    ¡°Kiddo, don¡¯t overthink it. We¡¯re only borrowing these things. Borrowing, alright?¡± Red Bean said excitedly. However, even idiots could tell from her raised head and upturned nose that she was lying.

 Chapter 136 - Visitors in the Snowstorm

    Chapter 136 Visitors in the Snowstorm


    There was a small courtyard overrun with withered grass in the dilapidated Guandi temple.


    Ye Que stomped his feet lightly, producing a wave of Sword Qi that cut off all the withered grass. He unleashed another wave of Sword Qi and the snow was swept to the sides, leaving a small, empty ground in the courtyard. There was no shortage of firewood in the mountain, so Guan Shuheng was able to swiftly return with a great harvest. The pile of firewood formed a three-meter-tall wooden pagoda.


    What started as burning embers soon became a bonfire as tall as a human.


    Even though it was snowing, the blaze was strong and exuberant. With Guan Shuheng feeding the fire with a continuous supply of firewood, the temperature inside the Guandi temple gradually rose. When Red Bean was in the Boiled Snow Temple, she purposefully looked out for food. It was impossible to find any meat there, but she managed to find quite a lot of sweet potatoes and a small bag of peanuts. She took them all back with her.


    When they left the Boiled Snow Temple and passed by a Scriptures Atheneum, Red Bean spotted a white goose so plump that it looked like it was dripping with grease. The goose, with its two plump legs, charged at her while screeching but Red Bean sent it running with just a glare. She decided that she might as well go the whole nine yards. She swiped the goose with her umbrella and it died. Then, she brought it back with her.


    Ye Que had groomed Red Bean into being someone who couldn¡¯t survive a meal without meat.


    Carrying all the food, Ye Que made his way to the courtyard. First, he dug several holes next to the bonfire and put the sweet potatoes and peanuts inside. He covered the hole with ashes of burned firewood and then cleaned the plump goose from the Boiled Snow Temple. He pierced the goose with a wooden stick and threw it at Guan Shuheng.


    ¡°Do you know how to roast a goose?¡± he asked.


    Guan Shuheng shook his head honestly. He was a disciple of an orthodox sect who had rarely stepped out of the mountain gate before this. He wouldn¡¯t know things like this.


    ¡°Do you know how to roast meat?¡± Ye Que changed his question.


    Guan Shuheng considered the question before finally nodding.


    ¡°It works the same. Just don¡¯t burn it. Keep meat turning and call for me when the meat turns golden yellow,¡± Ye Que said, not forgetting to give him some reminders.


    ¡°Y-You want me to do it?¡± Guan Shuheng pointed to himself, looking somewhat awkward. ¡°Our Eldest Senior Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Stay here and roast the meat. I¡¯ll go in and check on him. I got quite a few medicines from the Boiled Snow Temple; there should be antidotes among them. He¡¯s only injured in the abdomen and he¡¯s an almost Formless Realm cultivator, at that. With me here, he won¡¯t die.¡± Ye Que patted Guan Shuheng¡¯s shoulder and asked the youngster to stay in the courtyard.


    When he returned into the interior of the temple, he found bedding covering every inch of the floor. It was soft under his feet. Looks like they wouldn¡¯t get cold tonight. Several female disciples had buried themselves under the quilts and fell asleep, perhaps out of weariness. The only one who could still keep her eyes open was the eldest female disciple among them.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yang Nuanyue. Thank you for your help today, Mister.¡± Yang Nuanyue stood up and solemnly bowed and paid her respects to Ye Que. With Lei Tianyou still unconscious, she was the leader of the group of disciples. Some words must be properly expressed.


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite. It¡¯s our duty as cultivators to slay demons and rid of evil. It¡¯s only right.¡± Ye Que didn¡¯t shy away. He knew the disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder would feel guiltier if he refused to accept this bow. They were strangers, after all. Having troubled Ye Que throughout the whole journey, it wasn¡¯t strange for them to get some ideas.


    ¡°Let me check on your Eldest Senior Brother. We need to treat his injuries as soon as possible.¡± Ye Que pointed to Lei Tianyou, who was lying at the far end of the temple.


    ¡°You have medical expertise?¡± Yang Nuanyue asked, surprised. Cultivators could be found everywhere, be it those cultivating swords, Taoism, Truth, or Buddhism. Those who cultivated medical expertise were rare. Putting aside the fact that it was time-consuming and mentally-taxing, lack of talent would also sometimes meant that one couldn¡¯t produce disciples. Thus, the rarest cultivators in the Cultivation World were medical cultivators.


    ¡°Some, but I won¡¯t say I¡¯m an expert. Your Eldest Senior Brother is merely poisoned; his external injuries aren¡¯t difficult to treat.¡± Ye Que took out several bottles of pills from his bosom. ¡°I found these in the Boiled Snow Temple earlier. They¡¯re all antidotes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sincerely.¡± Yang Nuanyue hastily moved out of the way.


    Walking in front of Lei Tianyou, Ye Que first checked the former¡¯s abdominal injuries. Sure enough, the wound was now a purplish-black color. Some parts were even beginning to fester. Lei Tianyou¡¯s face was as white as snow. Ye Que placed his fingers on Lei Tianyou¡¯s pulse and found it to be terribly weak.


    Based on Lei Tianyou¡¯s injuries, Ye Que picked two bottles of pills. One was for his internal injuries and the other for his external wounds.


    After feeding Lei Tianyou the pills, Ye Que sat cross-legged behind the former and slowly poured Divine Energy into him. He carefully circulated his energy round Lei Tianyou¡¯s Spiritual Sea and then combed through the latter¡¯s energy channels.


    Pills alone weren¡¯t enough to heal Lei Tianyou¡¯s injuries. Fortunately, Ye Que possessed Divine Energy in his body. It wasn¡¯t a problem for him to force the poison out of Lei Tianyou¡¯s system.


    By the time he was done, an hour had passed.


    The faint smell of meat drifted in from outside the temple.


    It seemed that the big-headed, plump goose was almost ready.


    Ye Que got up to tell Yang Nuanyue that he was done but found the girl had somehow fallen asleep. She didn¡¯t even cover herself with a quilt.


    Shaking his head, Ye Que walked out of the temple and patted Guan Shuheng. The latter was earnestly barbequing the goose. Ye Que pointed to the building, indicating for him to go in and take a look. Then, he took over the wooden stick and started carving off the meat.


    Guan Shuheng stood up stiffly. Perhaps, he was truly exhausted. His vision darkened the moment he rose to his feet and even saw little golden stars at the edge of his vision. He hastily grabbed onto his knees and bent over. It took him a while to stabilize himself before he walked into the temple.


    Ye Que crouched next to him and watched him the whole time but showed no sign of wanting to help him. Guan Shuheng was a man, after all, and he would have to suffer a little sometimes. How would he grow and mature otherwise? The future of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder lay in the hands of Lei Tianyou. Ye Que thought that it was these escaped disciples who would shape the pavilion¡¯s future instead.


    The strength of one person alone wasn¡¯t enough to ensure the rise of an orthodox sect.


    The growth of a group of people would bring out true hope.


    Ye Que roasted the plump goose so well that he used up all of its grease. He dug out the sweet potatoes and peanuts next to the bonfire before returning to the temple.


    Even though Guan Shuheng was utterly exhausted, he attentively tucked his Senior Sisters in and carefully watched over his Eldest Senior Brother. Once he was sure that everyone was safe and comfortable, only then did he return to Ye Que¡¯s side.


    ¡°Mister, please take some rest. I¡¯ll keep guard at night.¡± Guan Shuheng was still so young and yet it seemed like he had grown up overnight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Have a bite first.¡± Ye Que patted him on the shoulder. Then, he called for Red Bean who had been staring at the barbequed meat.


    The goose that the Boiled Snow Temple raised was truly plump. To be exact, its weight and size put it in the top three largest geese that Ye Que had seen in his hundred years of life. Merely roasting it was enough to make it a delicious meal.


    Even though the meat was mostly fat, it wasn¡¯t sickeningly greasy. It truly made one wonder what the goose was fed when it was alive. When they put in their mouths, oil would coat their lips and teeth. When they swallow it, it gave them an indescribably sweet taste.


    Was a goose that grew up listening to Buddhist scriptures different than usual?


    Even so, no matter how extraordinary it was, it was now a meat being chewed in other people¡¯s mouths.


    Red Bean relished in the meat, so much so that she didn¡¯t forget to compliment Guan Shuheng. ¡°You have incredible talent in roasting meat! I¡¯m not kidding! You¡¯re just a tiny bit worse than Ye Que. I advise you not to cultivate in the future, just focus on roasting meat!¡±


    ¡°Your talent in this field is far superior to your swordsmanship.¡± Holding the goose¡¯s thigh in one hand, Red Bean pointed to the sword tied to Guan Shuheng¡¯s waist with the other.


    Guan Shuheng looked so awkward that even his face was turning red. He opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but recalling Red Bean¡¯s realm and her astonishing bludgeon, he could only sigh. He picked up a sweet potato, tore its skin, and slowly started eating its flesh. Perhaps it was because he was distracted but the flesh of the sweet potato scalded him.


    Grimacing, he took in a few breaths of cold air. It made Red Bean laugh out loud.


    In no time at all, half of the goose was eaten. Of course, most of them went into Red Bean¡¯s stomach. Seeing Red Bean reaching out to tear another piece of the meat, Guan Shuheng finally opened his mouth. In a rather awkward tone, he said, ¡°Um, Elder Sister. Can you leave some for me? My Senior Sisters have been starved for an entire day. I¡¯m worried they¡¯ll get sick. I want them to eat something when they wake up.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m the one who brought back this plump goose. I¡¯m very hungry too. Half a goose isn¡¯t enough for me.¡± Red Bean immediately rejected his request upon hearing that someone wanted to snatch her meat.


    Guan Shuheng felt a little aggrieved and helpless too. This outcome was beyond his expectations. How could this young girl eat such a large goose? Would his Senior Sisters have to gnaw on bones when they wake up?


    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s good enough that they have nice and warm sweet potatoes. What haven¡¯t Senior Sisters eat back in the pavilion? They wouldn¡¯t mind missing out on this. Let¡¯s consider this as fixing their diet.¡± Guan Shuheng tried to comfort himself and said nothing else.


    Ye Que sat next to the bonfire without offering his opinion. He had long discovered that Red Bean had a few ¡°bottom lines¡±: she couldn¡¯t stand seeing hunters and meat. She might go insane if she sees hunters; she might go lip if she sees meat. Never mind snatching it from her, just trying to convince her to share was an impossible task. Not even Ye Que was given the privilege.


    Amid the intertwining wind and snow at night, warmth peeked out from the Guandi temple.


    The disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were warm and cozy tucked inside the quilts from the Boiled Snow Temple.


    Red Bean dragged herself over to Ye Que and began pestering him for stories. Eating meat and listening to stories had become her favorite hobbies now. She would pester Ye Que whenever they were free.


    It was good thing that it was Ye Que.


    He lived long enough to read many books.


    In a soft voice, Ye Que told her the story of a swordswoman who dominated the martial arts world. In less than an hour, Yang Nuanyue woke up and saw Guan Shuheng doing his best to stay awake and keeping guard. A hint of admiration flitted across her eyes, as well as an undetectable strange emotion.


    ¡°Junior Brother, get some rest. I¡¯ll keep watch for you,¡± Yang Nuanyue said softly.


    Seeing that someone was up, Guan Shuheng walked over with small steps. ¡°Senior Sister, are you hungry? I¡¯m baking a few sweet potatoes in the bonfire. Wait a moment, I¡¯ll go get them for you.¡±


    Without asking Yang Nuanyue if she wanted to eat, he ran outside and came back in the blink of an eye. In his hand was two roasted yellow sweet potatoes.


    ¡°Senior Sister, eat this for now and warm your body.¡±


    Yang Nuanyue stared quietly at Guan Shuheng. She didn¡¯t reject his kindness and reached for the sweet potatoes with one hand. She gently raised her other hand to caress his cheek. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up, Junior Brother. You know how to dote on your Senior Sister now.¡±


    The sweet fragrance of sweet potatoes wafted through the wind and the snow to permeate the air outside the temple alongside the wisps of smoke from the bonfire. In the snowy Mount Cicada, it was particularly eye-catching.


    Kilometers away from the temple, several youngsters charged madly ahead with sabers in their hands. They stormed through the wind and the snow. Several kilometers behind the group of youngsters was a few barely-discernible people with black robes draped over their shoulders.

 Chapter 137 - Black Pieces of Chess Cover the World

    Chapter 137 Black Pieces of Chess Cover the World


    It was a snowing atop Mount Cicada in Northern You and yet drizzling in a hidden valley in the southern region.


    Inside the pitch-black darkness that enveloped the valley, a black-robed old man was playing a game of Chinese chess with a young child with pleated pigtails. In front of them was a chessboard covered partially in black pieces and partially in white pieces, with a blood-red line on it. It was a board that was a whopping ten feet in size.


    The black-robed old man lowered his head to look at the stone pieces on the board that were scattered like stars in the sky. He looked like he had sunken into a long period of reflection. The young child that sat cross-legged across him didn¡¯t disturb him. He held his chin, looking somewhat disinterested.


    This game wasn¡¯t your typical game of Chinese chess.


    The stone pieces pre-arranged on the board were all the same color and translucent. Every time the old man touched the pieces, they would turn black. Every time the young child touched the pieces, they would turn white.


    The black pieces were in the minority at first, but they gradually formed a black python that climbed out of a hole.


    On the contrary, the white pieces continued to advance gradually and take things as they come.


    During this process, the transparent stone pieces would change its location nonstop. On the chessboard, they were only faintly discernible.


    It wouldn¡¯t be easy to claim victory in this match. Be it the black-robed old man or the young child with pleated pigtails, both forged on. The old man stared fixedly at the massive chessboard and said solemnly, ¡°In the hiding for a hundred years in which even the court has changed its master; indeed, we must act like that python that poked out its tongue.¡±


    ¡°Time can change a person¡¯s nature as well as his beliefs. There¡¯s no shortage of capable men in this world. To think that they wish to overturn a large tree with just some seeds; aren¡¯t they being too optimistic?¡± The young child¡¯s voice was tender but the words that left his mouth weren¡¯t at all. Rather, they were full of profoundness.


    ¡°Beliefs aren¡¯t so easily altered.¡± The black-robed old man chuckled. ¡°Even if there¡¯s a change, he¡¯ll have to see if he can even make the change.¡±


    ¡°Seven main creeds, three sets of bloody curses. It¡¯s only possible if they¡¯re willing to throw away their lives.¡±


    The young child didn¡¯t reply. He raised his hand and a chess piece on the board turned white.


    ¡°No matter how many seeds they have planted, they¡¯ll never outnumber farm corps,¡± the young child said in a childish tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, of course, but how can we compare the devil¡¯s seeds with regular seeds? When one is planted in the ground, it may have already affected countless others of the same kind. The devils are like a single spark. What do you think will happen if you toss the fire onto the grassland?¡±


    The old man waved his hand. ¡°Wildfire that sparks a prairie fire!¡±


    Suddenly, the stone pieces on the chessboard began to rock. Thump, thump, thump. The transparent pieces changed one after another. Some turned pure black, some gray. Some even turned into strange pieces that were half-black and half-white. Looking at the chessboard, half of the pieces had turned black amid the blood-red thread.


    Perhaps it had been silent and comfortable in the Nine Provinces for far too long; all sort of negative emotions were beginning to erupt.


    In the world that Ye Que once lived in, the Demon Race had already begun invading Luoyang at this time. But the present?


    Besides the domain that the Demon King ruled over, strange and bloody incidents began erupting in the five main tribes in succession. Some fighters from the Demon Race disappeared out of the blue, some went mad for no reason, and some broke into murderous slaughter. One general from the Wind Tribe inexplicably led his army to attack the Hill Tribe¡¯s stronghold. Meanwhile, a shaman from the Thunder Tribe secretly began spreading rumors that the Demon King wasn¡¯t the true ruler of the people and that the true ruler would show up in the near future¡­


    The Demon Race grew weary of fearing for their lives after the successive strange incidents. Then, the fifteen disciples that the Demon King treasured the most went missing as well.


    Ye Que wasn¡¯t aware of the chess match in the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness or the strange happenings in the Demon Race. Right now, he had to worry about the matter at hand.


    Late into the night on Mount Cicada, a guest actually knocked on the door of the shabby Guandi Temple.


    Then, the ¡°guests¡± charged in without waiting for a reply.


    The moment they arrived at the small courtyard, the youngster who led the group extinguished the bonfire with a single sword strike.


    Before Guan Shuheng could open his mouth to stop the invaders, the youngster took the opportunity to berate him. ¡°Have you guys gone mad? Why would you start such a bonfire on such a dark night? Do you think death can¡¯t come fast enough?¡±


    ¡°Call all of your friends and leave this place immediately! I¡¯ve already warned you. If you¡¯re even a step late, you might end up plunging into hell,¡± the youngster said in a downcast voice. He glanced at the interior of the temple as he spoke, taking in the sight of ten more female disciples sleeping on a floor full of beddings. Of the two remaining male disciples, one was warming himself at a fire and the other was dating.


    The one warming himself at the fire was Guan Shuheng. The one ¡°dating¡± was Ye Que.


    The youngster took note of their appearances. Their clothes were disorderly and crumpled. More likely than not, these people were refugees who came here for shelter.


    ¡°Where did you come from? Judging from the bedding on the floor¡­ could it be the Boiled Snow Temple? But that¡¯s not right! The temple wouldn¡¯t have so many female disciples!¡± The youngster looked confused.


    ¡°Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. We¡¯re from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder,¡± Guan Shuheng said, taking a step forward.


    ¡°Pavilion of Wind and Thunder?¡± The youngster sized up Guan Shuheng. Then, he said anxiously, ¡°Did your pavilion suffer an ambush as well? What about the Boiled Snow Temple at the foot of the mountain? Did you notice something strange?¡±


    Guan Shuheng was quite prudent and didn¡¯t reveal the state of his sect. He spoke only of the circumstances in the Boiled Snow Temple. ¡°If you¡¯re planning to go there, I advise you to forget it. They have sealed off their sect and are turning away their guests.¡±


    ¡°Sealed off their sect?¡± The youngster looked stunned. ¡°You must be joking. Did they think¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Ye Que and Red Bean, who were sitting inside the temple, suddenly standing up and leaping out of the temple in a single step.


    In the snowstorm.


    It was hard to notice the two figures with black robes draped over their shoulders.


    Instantly, an intangible oppressive pressure enveloped the entire Guandi Temple.


    The female disciples of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder who were deep asleep all jolted awake and then looked outside in astonishment. Meanwhile, the small group of saber-wielding youngsters acted like mice that spotted a cat. Their muscles, from head to toe, were all taut.


    He yawned.


    Ye Que stretched his body.


    Red Bean narrowed her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. She didn¡¯t need anyone to tell her who the visitors were. It was the smell of hunters and one that they didn¡¯t bother to hide at all. The two black-robed figures didn¡¯t even bother finding corporeal bodies; they trod upon the snow, baring all of their Devil Qi.


    ¡°We¡¯ll each take one?¡± Ye Que glanced at Red Bean.


    ¡°Up to you.¡± She caressed the large black umbrella in her hand.


    ¡°To think that little bandits in the Starburst Realm dare to act this brazenly; are all the members of the Orthodox Path sleeping?¡± Ye Que scowled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time with that. Hunters all deserve death. Hurry up and kill them. Once we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll continue with our stories. Who does the chivalrous lady in the story like?¡± Red Bean stepped on the stone steps in front of the temple and soared into the sky.


    Ye Que shook his head helplessly. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. Devil cultivators in the Starburst Realm are still devil cultivators! I might not be willing to kill Ye Yunhai, but do you think I won¡¯t kill these devils who have nothing to do with me? Leave one for me!¡±

 Chapter 138 - A Sound of Thunder with Every Step

    Chapter 138 A Sound of Thunder with Every Step


    The people in black robes who had traversed a great distance to be here were known as Cao Xue and Xie Yi respectively.


    The leader of the armed youths who broke into the Guandi Temple was known as Chen Chenchen.


    Those in black were practitioners that had just stepped on the demonic path. They did not come from the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness but had come in support of their kinds who were implanted in the Truth Cultivation sects. The armed youths were from Broken King Gorge. It might have been coincidence or fate that the Gorge was being attacked from the outside and within while the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was attacked unexpectedly by Ye Yunhai.


    Within half a day¡¯s time, rivers of blood were flowing from Broken King Gorge. Only a few young disciples with low levels of cultivation emerged eventually.


    This was because the Gorge was located very close to Zen Mountain. In fact, they were only separated by one cliff. As such, Chen Chenchen brought a few of his younger fellow male disciples to Boiled Snow Temple in the hopes of evading the reaches of the Demon Clan. Unexpectedly, he lost his way in the snowstorm on Zen Mountain and found the Guandi Temple from the flames burning within. Just like this, he met with a similarly destitute practitioner and learned of the terrible news of the Boiled Snow Temple shutting its doors.


    Cao Xue and Xie Yi were halfway through the Formless Realm, and they had killed so many people on Broken King Gorge that their demonic aura enveloped their bodies.


    The faint dark aura had already spread beyond their bodies and was about to envelope the entire Northern You. A dozen unrecognized Truth Cultivation sects had already been attacked in various degrees. Some of them had been completely destroyed, and some of them had dispersed, with their members fleeing. Others chose to surrender to the enemy and join the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness, pledging to serve the evil Devil Lord.


    At the same time, news that the inhabitants of the entire You Prefecture had been slain and that all 200 thousand of the Ye Army, including 150 thousand ironclad cavalrymen of the plains were killed began to spread. The citizens of You Prefecture were unable to escape the terrible fate waiting for them and 67 thousand civilians died from the Blood Curse, their souls probably unable to even cross the Reincarnation Bridge to move onto the next life.


    In the past, devils had to conceal their true identities carefully and hide their demonic aura in the darkness. They could not be discovered by outsiders, no matter what. Today, however, in this snowstorm on Zen Mountain, Cao Xue and Xie Yi could unleash their auras without considering the consequences.


    What did this signify?


    Were the devils protesting to the humans?


    Or, was an all-out war going to break out soon?


    Were they trying to make a point of their re-emergence in the human world with the lives of 350 thousand soldiers and the civilian population of an entire city along with all the Truth Cultivation sects in Northern You to the Cultivation World, the Central Plains and the entire China?


    Ye Que could not come up with any other explanation, aside from the fact that these two might be insane.


    However, the two devil cultivators at half Formless Realm level were definitely not insane. His worse dreams had to be true.


    Ye Que circled around the issue and thought about it for a long while. Red Bean, on the other hand, did not think much about it. To the young dragon girl, all hunters were representatives of evil and had to be cleansed or destroyed. There was not much to think or consider about for her; they had to die.


    The huge black umbrella was used as a staff again.


    The Dragon Bones circled the umbrella paper.


    One strike from the umbrella created a huge crack in the ground.


    Both Cao Xue and Xie Yi were a little surprised by Red Bean¡¯s attack and quickly retracted their looks of despise.


    Cao Xue was completely unafraid while facing the attack of Red Bean, who was at Formless Realm, and her staff. Instead, his lips cracked into a sinister smile, and the tugged at the portion of the robes covering his head, revealing his silver hair. It flew in the wind and rapidly grew longer, turning his headful of silver hair into countless numbers of poisonous snakes. They transformed into snake whips of a few meters long and circled around Red Bean¡¯s huge black umbrella.


    At the same time, Xie Yi, who was standing beside Cao Xue, drew out a lance from his body. He stuck it into the thick snow covering the ground and gripped its shaft with one hand before letting out a great shout.


    A huge chunk of snow flew up like a tide.


    Snow circled around it as it swept toward Ye Que.


    Red Bean was completely calm as hundreds of silver snakes circled around her umbrella. She gripped its handle with one hand and hit hundreds of them into the air with one sweep. She began to chuckle as her body was still in mid air, and an immense draconic True Energy flowed into the midst of the silver snakes along the umbrella.


    Hundreds of silver snakes were shattered as crackling sounds rang out. Almost at the same time, Red Bean gripped the handle of her umbrella and arched her body into an almost terrifying degree before smashing down with it at Cao Xue.


    Huge chunks of snow flew into the air. One of them was in the air while the other had both feet on the ground, and they were about 100 steps apart. Their True Energies flew around the surrounding, causing the icy snow to be mixed with cut-up silver hair. The youths who were in the temple, including Guan Shuheng of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, Chen Chenchen of Broken King Gorge, Yang Nuanyue or the other practitioners, were standing in front of the building by now.


    All of them were stunned.


    Even though Guan Shuheng had witnessed Red Bean attacking before, he was still stirred by the sight.


    This was a true practitioner and what he was looking for.


    Killing demons and devils when he met them, and eradicating all injustice with his staff. He longed to be able to cut off the source of his anger with a sword; no matter what kind of demon or what realm it belonged to.


    ¡°Could it be that the techniques I used to learn were wrong? She¡¯s about the same age as me, yet she¡¯s already at Formless Realm, while I¡¯m still stuck at Psychic Realm. I haven¡¯t been slacking or cutting corners, or is it the fact that I¡¯m not talented enough?¡± Guan Shuheng thought as he stared at Red Bean, as if he wanted to commit all of her movements to memory.


    The expression of Chen Chenchen, who had just entered the temple, was even more exaggerated. ¡°They¡¯re devil cultivators! My own sect was destroyed by these people, and I managed to escape by luck. I¡¯ve never thought about resisting, but this young lady intends to smash that black robed devil into two without so much as a word. Which sect is this prodigy from? Could she be sent from the Upper Heaven Sect, in a bid to save themselves?¡±


    All of the youths were focusing their attentions on Red Bean. No one looked at Ye Que.


    This was because he had pierced through the wall of snow just at it flew up with his finger, which entered Xie Yi¡¯s body.


    Ye Que looked unarmed, but he was suppressing the River Soldiers which was in the deep recess of his Spiritual Sea. Xie Yi bent his spear as he saw Ye Que recklessly advancing, and it turned into a black cane which curled toward his opponent. It was covered with Devil Qi and it even burned with monster¡¯s flame.


    The piercing sound of something entangling rang out, and Ye Que frowned slightly. He looked a little worriedly toward his side, and it was at this moment that the cane wrapped around his waist.


    ¡°Foolish creature!¡± Ye Que¡¯s brows lifted as he changed his finger posture. An incredibly large and ferocious beast surged out from his palm and looked as though it had been suppressed for far too long. It bit down on the cane immediately after emerging before leaping toward Xie Yi.


    There was the shape of a saber behind the beast.


    It was the River Soldier, which had transformed into a long saber.


    This time the saber was even longer than before and exceeded Ye Que¡¯s height.


    This was the first time Ye Que really used his full power to attack after entering the Starburst Realm. It just happened that he had a devil cultivator at half Formless Realm level, which served as the perfect practice partner for him now.


    Xie Yi did not panic even when his cane was broken. He unleashed several fearsome bolts of black energy with his fists and made a total of 36 consecutive punches. They were similar to Sword Qi and forced the River Soldiers to remain at a comfortable distance. After losing a piece of his flesh from the first blow of Ye Que¡¯s saber, he understood how sharp the River Soldier was. All of his next attacks struck either the side or blunt edge of the saber, otherwise, he chose not to engage in close combat with Ye Que.


    ¡°Buddhist Guardian Fist?¡±


    ¡°Did the monk of the Temple of Six Buddhas become devil cultivator as well?¡±


    ¡°To think that a thousand year old Zen monastery was unable to withstand fleeting temptation. You¡¯ve shamed the entire school of Zen.¡±


    Ye Que said these strange phrases to the black robed Xie Yi, but they caused his punches to change. Suddenly, his killing intent skyrocketed, as if Ye Que had said something wrong.


    ¡°Buddha is dead, and the Devil Lord has risen. What would an ignorant brat like yourself know!¡±


    Ye Que smiled. ¡°Even if the Buddha is really dead, he didn¡¯t order you to kill. The Devil Lord has descended upon us to destroy this world and not to give you life. Do you not even understand such a simple fact? I remember the rules of the Temple of Six Buddhas were not written like this.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡±


    Xie Yi laughed chillingly. ¡°Rules of the Temple of Six Buddhas? Take a look at them if you¡¯ve the time; they¡¯re just beneath the Chronometer of Dawn. You¡¯ll definitely be alarmed. The Temple was not what it was.¡±


    They began to fight again after finished speaking.


    ¡°Mang!¡±


    ¡°Ma!¡±


    ¡°Hong!¡±


    Xie Yi stared angrily as if he was a stone Guardian statue when speaking the three True Words. There was a tinge of purple in the gold words that appeared, and the purple areas were in turn tainted with a little black.


    ¡°You¡¯ve given your faith, what sort of True Words could you say?¡±


    Ye Que grunted coldly and swung his saber down from above. He slashed the True Words into bits with his second blow and shattered Xie Yi¡¯s fists with his third. He was gripping the River Soldier with just one hand and struck his target with just one blow. A dazzling glow shot out from the saber as its blade sliced through the top of Xie Yi¡¯s black robe till his waist. The metallic sound was accompanied by dazzling sparks. As expected, Xie Yi used to be a Buddhist cultivator of the Temple of Six Buddhas. Not only did he learn the Buddhist Guardian Fist, he also learned the Impenetrable Defense of Three Bodies.


    The black robe burst apart.


    A burly man clad entirely in gold armor appeared in front of Ye Que.


    The gold armor was created by condensed True Energy of a Buddhist cultivator.


    Xie Yi looked at Ye Que, who had retracted his blade and was standing still. His lips betrayed his despise, as if he was laughing at Ye Que¡¯s failed attempt. No matter how sharp his saber was, he could not break through the gold armor manifestation of a Buddhist cultivator; it would just end up in failure.


    ¡°Are you very satisfied with your gold armor?¡± Ye Que lifted the River Soldier to point at Xie Yi.


    He did not have to hear his opponent¡¯s reply. Just one look told him the answer.


    ¡°There¡¯s always someone out that who¡¯s stronger than you. You¡¯re a simpleton to think so highly of yourself just for mastering the formation of a ratty piece of gold armor,¡± Ye Que said before completely ignoring Xie Yi. ¡°I shattered the Unbeatable Guardian Manifestation of Apocalypse Realm that time while competing with the Buddha of the school of Zen. This small gold armor is just like paper to me!¡± he muttered to himself.


    At the instant when Ye Que turned his head around.


    Xie Yi¡¯s gold armor suddenly gave out a thunderous sound.


    It sounded for a total of 13 times.


    It started from the center of his brows down. Each sound came as it spread downward by an inch, and each one was as loud as thunder.


    The gold armor shattered into pieces and scattered to the wind as the sounds of thunder stopped. By now, Xie Yi was already bleeding from five of his seven facial orifices. The True Energy within his Spiritual Sea surged and he wanted to scold Ye Que, but all that came out of his mouth was bloody liquid. Eventually he lay stiffly on the snow falling onto Zen Mountain.

 Chapter 139 - The Young Lady in the Eyes of the Youths

    Chapter 139 The Young Lady in the Eyes of the Youths


    Xie Yi was a Buddhist cultivator before he became a devil cultivator, and he was also halfway at Formless Realm level. After seeing that Ye Que was merely at beginning Starburst Realm level, he believed that he would win easily. He had not expected to meet someone more than his match, however.


    No matter how tough the defense of the Impenetrable Defense of Three Deities was, it was no match for the River Soldier. Coupled with Ye Que¡¯s gold python of Divine Energy and the Bone Crunching 13 Blades of Thunder, it was logical and expected that the was able to slay Xie Yi. Furthermore, in his previous life, Ye Que had fought against monks from the Temple of Six Buddhas as a disciple of the Qingqiu Sword Sect. In fact, he even defeated their reclusive Buddha while he was at Apocalypse Realm strength.


    Even if Xie Yi had true Formless Realm level strength, Ye Que was confident of slaying him, much less when he was just halfway through it.


    Ye Que gave a sinister smile as he walked up to Xie Yi¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°To think that a disciple of Buddha could fall to such low levels.¡±


    ¡°You deserve to die!¡±


    The snow around Ye Que and Xie Yi had scattered all over the place when the latter was slain. Red Bean and Cao Xue, who should have been beside him, had already disappeared.


    He squinted and looked around.


    Red Bean could be seen about 400 steps away from the Guandi Temple. She was holding her big black umbrella with one hand and lifting Cao Xue from one of his legs with the other. The man dressed in black robes, who looked fearsome and gave off an overpowering aura just now, had been beaten into pulp after just a few blows.


    Waist length scratch marks were left behind on the snow covered ground, and speckles of blood could be seen on the marks.


    Both Guan Shuheng of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder and Chen Chenchen of Broken King Gorge were sort of running toward Red Bean.


    ¡°Big sister, you were simply too cool just now. What sort of treasure is that big black umbrella? It seems to be even more powerful than Level 2 divine treasures!¡± Chen Chenchen asked with a ¡°flattering¡± look. He had called Red Bean as his ¡°big sister¡±, but he should not be any younger than her. His chin was covered in stubble and seemed to have been naturally mature.


    ¡°In future, in future can you teach me how to quickly increase my cultivation base? Also, your staff skills are astounding and on par with that of my Eldest Senior Brother,¡± Guan Shuheng said before pausing to think for a while. ¡°No, it seems to be even more powerful than his,¡± he added.


    ¡°Look at Sister Red Bean.¡±


    ¡°In future, all of you have to learn from her.¡±


    ¡°The future of our Pavilion of Wind and Thunder will fall on all of you.¡±


    Yang Nuanyue knew Red Bean by name and could not address her as ¡°older sister¡± after deducing her age from her looks. She seemed to be teaching her younger juniors, but in fact, she was praising Red Bean.


    No one focused their attention or looked at Cao Xue, who was being dragged behind Red Bean. He was close to death and everyone. Except for Ye Que, they all saw how the last move from Red Bean¡¯s staff crashed onto Cao Xue¡¯s chest. It had immediately caused it to sink for a few inches.


    Everyone crowded around Red Bean and began asking her questions. All of them seemed to have forgotten about Ye Que, and no one noticed his appearance when he returned.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    Guan Shuheng was the first to react. His exclamation caused everyone to turn their attention over.


    The pile of snow that Xie Yi stirred up blocked everyone¡¯s vision, and naturally no one had seen clearly how Ye Que moved earlier on. Of course, this suited him perfectly well.


    Not many people had seen the River Soldier.


    It was still prudent to take precautions, however. It was always better to have one less issue to deal with.


    ¡°Sir, what about the other black robed person?¡± Guan Shuheng asked softly before looking behind Ye Que, only to realize that there was no one behind him. There was not even a corpse.


    ¡°He fled?¡± Chen Chenchen asked somewhat uncertainly. Everyone could tell that Ye Que was a practitioner at Starburst Realm level, and it was already quite a feat for him to chase a devil cultivator away.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±


    Ye Que said very calmly, before shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°Did you kill him?¡± Chen Chenchen asked, again uncertainly.


    Ye Que rolled his eyes and looked at Chen Chenchen as if he was a fool. ¡°What rubbish!¡±


    ¡°A cultivator who has just entered Starburst Realm managed to slay a devil cultivator halfway through the Formless Realm. He¡¯s a real expert!¡± Chen Chenchen muttered to himself. ¡°One of them has power beyond his Realm and killed a devil cultivator, while the other has reached Formless Realm at such a young age and fights with such ferocity. What sort of monstrous capability is this? I¡¯ve never heard of their names or have seen them before. Could they be prodigies of hidden sects that descended the mountain to train?¡±


    Ye Que squatted down to feel Cao Xue¡¯s pulse before raising his head again. ¡°Let¡¯s not crowd over here and return back to the temple. Aren¡¯t you people cold?¡±


    ¡°Sir, should we tidy this place up?¡± Guan Shuheng asked. He was the last to leave and had been standing behind Ye Que all this while.


    Ye Que shook his head and pointed at the endless snow falling on them. ¡°Anything will be covered up within a night in such a huge snow storm. I believe the snow level on Zen Mountain is higher than my kneecaps and even corpses will be frozen into ice statues.¡±


    When Ye Que returned to the Guandi Temple, the bonfire at the middle of the small yard had already be relit.


    The heartwarming flames seemed to have chased away the chilly mountain air very quickly.


    The small temple was stuffed full of youths. More than half came from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, and less than half of them were from Broken King Gorge. Judging from the current situation, everyone should have already made self-introductions. The naturally mature Chen Chenchen was already chatting with the young ladies from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder.


    Perhaps it was due to their nature, but it was unexpected that the ladies from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder could still be heard laughing softly in this night, where many had been slain.


    Guan Shuheng was still busy with chores. One moment he was asking his own elder female senior if she was hungry, while the next instant, he could be seen checking on Lei Tianyou to see if he had become better. For one entire day and night, the youngest of the youths had not shut his eyes at all and went about his tasks without complaining.


    As for Red Bean, needless to say, she was eating. However, she had already consumed one whole big goose, and she was now chewing on baked sweet potatoes with a frown.


    She spat out one mouthful of food with every two mouthfuls she took in.


    From her expression, it was obvious that she really hated eating sweet potatoes.


    ¡°What sort of rotten thing is this? How could anyone like eating this; it¡¯s just too strange.¡±


    ¡°Meat is great, why don¡¯t we eat meat? How could we not be eating meat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡±


    Red Bean mumbled on and on with the roasted sweet potato in hand. She immediately got up when she saw Ye Que return. ¡°I¡¯m hungry! I want to eat meat!¡± she shouted.


    In an instant.


    The small temple became totally silent.


    ¡°Sister, are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Tell me, I¡¯ll get it for you,¡± Chen Chenchen had been trying since just now to chat Red Bean up, but she completely ignored him. Now that he heard his idol had some request to make, he was naturally very proactive.


    Red Bean thought about it as she looked at Chen Chenchen. ¡°As long as it¡¯s meat.¡±


    She paused for a while before adding, ¡°The more the merrier.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just you wait, Big Sister. Wait for me, I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Chen Chenchen said before disappearing in a cloud of dust. No one could tell that he had been chased after by people intent on killing him for hours from the way he was running.


    Guan Shuheng moved his slightly red face closer just as Chen Chenchen had left. ¡°Sister, I think I can go out to search for food too. I saw a small mountain ridge not far from the temple when I was picking sticks. There should be some living creatures hiding from the snow storm within it.¡±


    He turned to look at his surroundings. ¡°Everyone should also be pretty hungry. I¡¯ll go, and perhaps we can capture some food.¡±


    Red Bean immediately waved her hand without even thinking this time, as if to say, ¡°Go, go and return quickly. I¡¯m going to faint from hunger soon.¡±


    Ye Que followed closely behind the two youths. He looked at Red Bean with a strange look and pointed at their backs. ¡°Only crooks and thieves will offer their help for nothing. You¡¯re a young lady and have to show more restraint.¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡± He even added in a grunt for good effect.


    ¡°Offer their help for nothing? Restraint? Is there any relationship between those two things?¡± Red Bean paused before coming close to Ye Que as if something had caught her interest. She looked at Ye Que¡¯s eyes from below and reached a finger out before giggling. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with you!¡± she said softly as she laughed.


    ¡°Let me think, how did they say this in the stories?¡±


    ¡°Right, jealousy! You¡¯re jealous!¡±

 Chapter 140 - Return to Luoyang

    Chapter 140 Return to Luoyang


    The young men and women in Guandi Temple were enjoying game meat.


    The night grew darker.


    The snow storm continued.


    The blankets provided by the Boiled Snow Temple were indeed warm. The young men and young women who had spent their entire day fleeing for their lives were huddled together, wrapping themselves tightly in the blankets. Regardless of their level of cultivation, they were unable to keep warm by mobilizing their True Energy alone, with the exception of Ye Que and Red Bean, whose cultivation level was up a notch from the rest.


    While they lived in a Cultivation World where dog ate dog, they were by no means novices. Something unexpected must have happened since Ye Que had come back way past the expected time of his return and Cao Xue was nowhere to be seen. However, no one would be so silly as to raise the question now. Regardless of their origins, Ye Que was the one with the greatest voice within this small temple.


    Red Bean had been selectively forgotten. Everyone could see that this girl had been following Ye Que everywhere he went. The two must have an extraordinary relationship to be united in one heart and mind.


    Ye Que cleared his throat when he saw everyone eating the barbecue meat quietly.


    ¡°We can¡¯t remain in Northern You any longer.¡±


    ¡°The person in the black robe had said that all the Truth Cultivator¡¯s Sects in Northern You would meet with attacks within these few days. They would either be entirely exterminated or forced to surrender. There would be no other options for them.¡±


    ¡°The entire bureaucratic organization of the court in Northern You had been totally destroyed. This included the 200 thousand-strong Ye army who came to block the armored horses on the grassland, as well as the tens of thousands of commoners in the City of You Prefecture, who were implicated and lost their lives. At this moment, the City of You Prefecture was a dead city, a ghost city, a devilish city filled with dead men¡¯s bones.¡±


    He calmly disseminated this piece of information.


    In an instant, the entire place quietened down. Even those who were still eating the meat stopped eating. Some younger cultivators had a lost look in their eyes. Apparently, they were clueless about which direction they should go or what the next step was.


    Their sects were gone.


    So were their masters.


    No one felt safe among the various sects, even if they were familiar with each other.


    A few youths whose families had been living in Northern You for generations were astonished to hear this piece of news.


    ¡°Are you speaking the truth, Mister?¡± Guan Shuheng asked with disbelief. At first, he thought his sect was the only unlucky one who was attacked by the devil. Apparently, the entire Northern You had been under attack.


    However, Ye Que did not respond.


    Nevertheless, Chen Chenchen said in an unhurried manner, ¡°It had to be true. Broken King Gorge, which was our territory had been attacked. From what you said, that Pavilion of Wind and Thunder had been attacked too. I¡¯m certain that here in Boiled Snow Temple on Zen Mountain, we¡¯ll meet with the same end. This is all premeditated. It can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°The problem can¡¯t be solved by sealing up the mountain and closing the doors.¡±


    The bonfire outside crackled as it came into contact with the falling snow.


    The whistling sound caused by the cold gust suggested that there were little holes in the windows at the top of the temple and one could feel the chill seeping in.


    The wind whistled.


    Indisputably, darkness had fallen upon the entire Northern You. Since there was no way of changing the situation, they ought to think of ways to adapt to it or look for another way of escape.


    ¡°If Boiled Snow Temple decides to shut its doors, we have to set out southwards once there is daylight. It¡¯s too risky to remain in Northern You. Given we are the remnant who had escaped from Broken King Gorge, we have to carry on living,¡± Chen Chenchen whispered as he scribbled on the floor with a tiny twig, looking down.


    Within a day, whole sects were destroyed and only a handful escaped. Many of their masters and seniors had lost their lives. At this moment, when they heard that the entire Northern You had been invaded by the devil, they were beginning to feel an invisible pressure on them, no matter how unyielding and unfeeling they were.


    They were the only remaining seeds of their sects.


    Just when Chen Chenchen finished speaking, he glimpsed at the disciples from the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder unintentionally.


    Guan Shuheng, being the most junior of the disciples, remained silent. He did not have any good ideas to offer anyways.


    After a moment of pause, Yang Nuanyue broke the silence and said, ¡°Eldest Senior Brother had to be the one to make the decision, although I personally hope to head south. There was no way we could remain in Northern You. This region will likely become a battleground between the Cultivation World and the demons.¡±


    Yang Nuanyue stole a quiet glance at Ye Que after speaking, but everyone could read her mind.


    They could have gone south safely if not for the pursuit of the demons. However, if the demons¡¯ were to come after them and catch up with them, they would surely lose their life given their present state. The masters in their sect had been obliterated. They had enough reasons to believe that the demons would not let them off since their purpose was to annihilate their entire sect.


    .


    Moreover, two men in black had died on Zen Mountain this night.


    No one knew if these two men were in the company of any other people or if they were carrying any important messages. If the demons tried to trace their steps, every soul in Guandi Temple would be at risk.


    The demons were not the kind who would give up halfway.


    Both Pavilion of Wind and Thunder and Broken King Gorge had been exterminated and their remaining disciples were like wild grass without roots that got away in the wind. The demons, desiring to nib the problem in the bud, would appear and they would be more formidable than Cao Xue and Xie Yi.


    Tonight, the devil cultivator might be progressing two and a half steps within the Formless Realm, but tomorrow night, it would have achieved Demon Seed in the Formless Realm.


    Who would not be afraid?


    Who would not be fearful?


    After they sorted out their thoughts, all the young men waited, intentionally or otherwise, for Ye Que to say something.


    ¡°I am going to Luoyang.¡±


    Ye Que finally uttered these words calmly. Pondering for a moment afterward, he continued, ¡°If any of you wishes to go there, I¡¯m open to traveling together. Indeed, Northern You isn¡¯t where we should linger.¡±


    Red Bean was more concerned about eating her meat than to give her opinion in the discussion. She had expressed her wish to traverse the Human World to Ye Que earlier, and would not be returning to Southland in the short term.


    She was looking to tread of a different path than the rest. Although she had not conceived a concrete plan as of now, she would think over it and grope her way around until she finally found the answer. Traversing the Human World may seem like a simple idea, but the process could be painstaking, even boring. During her trip to the Imperial Mausoleum of ley lines of sovereignty, she was accompanied by Old Turtle, who had now returned to Southland.


    Traveling alone could be problematic for Red Bean, so she thought.


    Despite giving people the impression that she was rather aloof, she was merely a fifteen- to sixteen-year-old little dragon girl according to the average life span of a dragon. Although naturally intelligent, she was after all still naive and simple-minded in her perspective of things, sometimes even crude. However, she was no longer worried over these. She had realized after her acquaintance with Ye Que that traversing the Human World could be rather interesting.


    She could hear interesting stories, enjoy eating meat, beat up hunters, become a respected heroine and be a tip-top cultivator.


    It sounded interesting.


    ¡°If I could traverse the Human World alone and have my journey written into a story and subsequently to narrate for people to listen to, it would be so cool.¡±


    At this juncture, Red Bean stole a glance at Ye Que. She thought that she would have to urge him on going forward if she was determined to be the number one cultivator in the world, she could not possibly have someone so much more inferior than herself traveling with her. The handsome swordsman and the heroine as described in stories usually complemented each other in their skills and abilities. He could not expect her to be always protecting him since she already had a lot on her plate. She should not be bogged down by such trivial matters.


    ¡°However, Luoyang is one place I have to go by myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just go along with him for now.¡±

 Chapter 141 - My Verdict on Life Is That It Is Temporal

    Chapter 141 My Verdict on Life Is That It Is Temporal


    They traveled southwards towards Luoyang.


    After all, it was the Divine Capital as well as the capital city of the most powerful empire in the entire human world. This fact had crossed the mind of the group of young cultivators. They were certain that even if the devil were to take over the entire You Prefecture, it was impossible for it to invade Luoyang any time soon. Apart from Tang, even the entire Cultivation World would be against the idea.


    Tang would be the only one who had the ability to organize all the sect in the Divine Land to gather at one place to discuss a plan to clean up the place to be free of demons and the devil, and the only place they could gather together was Luoyang.


    In other words, the young disciples in Guandi Temple were left with no other choice.


    As much as they want to live on, their only way out was to follow Ye Que wherever he went. At the very least, they needed to get out of Northern You. He was their last glimmer of hope.


    They exchanged looks.


    Chen Chenchen was the first to speak up. ¡°We¡¯re heading to Luoyang too, where Broken King Gorge owns a property, so we can rest there. I suppose the property hasn¡¯t been destroyed by the devil yet.¡±


    Guan Shuheng kept his mouth shut as he tugged at an unconscious Lei Tianyou, who remained unresponsive. He had just ingested some medication and undergone Ye Que¡¯s Divine Energy treatment. There was no doubt that his life was out of danger, but he would not be waking up any time soon.


    He shook his head at his Elder Senior Sister.


    Yang Nuanyue took a deep breath and sat up straight. She looked at Ye Que with a serious expression on her face, saying, ¡°In that case, we will follow you to Luoyang as well. I suppose we have to rely on you along the way. Please feel free to let us know if we could be of any help. We may not be up to combating the Demon Seed, but the few of us, sisters, could still be of some use if you need us to run some errands.¡±


    As she spoke, Yang Nuanyue stood up and bowed to Ye Que respectfully.


    Immediately, the other disciples of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, including Guan Shuheng, stood up one by one to bow to Ye Que as a show of their respect.


    Embarrassment washed over the faces of the few young men from Broken King Gorge when they saw what the disciples of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder were doing. They quickly got onto their feet awkwardly as they start to contemplate whether to bow to Ye Que too.


    Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was considered one of the lower-grade suzerains, but now, it seemed that Broken King Gorge was not any better.


    It was important to judge the effective force of a sect of Truth Cultivators base on its combined capabilities. Its experts represented the ceiling of the sect, while its disciples on the ground reflected its connotation.


    At the very least, the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder was more superior in terms of its hospitality and the way it treated other people.


    By now, the people had gobbled up all the game meat.


    All the people in the temple ceased the time to rest. Guan Shuheng had wanted to stand watch for the night, but Ye Que insisted that he took a rest, saying, ¡°Shuheng, you should rest. We are setting out tomorrow and you have the responsibility of taking care of your Eldest Senior Brother, which means you have to be well-rested. The journey from Northern You to Luoyang is thousands of miles and it¡¯s a tough one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, Mister. I¡¯m not tired,¡± said Guan Shuheng, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Having determination is a good thing, but more importantly, you have to be clear about your own strength, otherwise, what you do would be considered impulsive.¡± Ye Que patted Guan Shuheng on his shoulder and casually said, ¡°Cultivation is for the intelligent. Don¡¯t learn from fools.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Guan Shuheng opened his mouth to argue.


    However, Ye Que shot him a look and he swallowed the rest of his sentence. He had been rushing about for an entire day and he would be lying if he said that he was not tired. In fact, Guan Shuheng almost dozed off when he was standing guard by the entrance to the temple earlier on.


    Ye Que walked into the yard slowly and added another piece of wood into the bonfire, casually gather the firewood and turned back into the temple. By the time he was back in the temple, Guan Shuheng had zonked out. Even Red Bean had fallen asleep while she was holding on to the mattress and blanket. It could be because the dragon¡¯s girl¡¯s cultivation consisted of eating, drinking and sleeping when cultivation happened. It appeared to Ye Que that Red Bean had not gone into meditation at all the entire time.


    No.


    He had never once seen her sleeping. From the look of it, the cultivation method Red Bean employed was different from that of regular people. Nevertheless, the Formless Realm she had attained was truly Formless. In fact, what she had attained was an even more condensed form of the Formless Realm.


    Ye Que went back to the temple entrance and sat down cross-legged.


    As he sat, he took out a wine bottle from his fragrant pouch.


    He threw his head backward to take a sip from the bottle. The wine burned. He had gotten this bottle of wine from the liquor shop at the borders of Mount Mei the other day. The wine originated from Tushu in Northern You and it was a hard liquor that set any throat burning with just a small amount.


    While he drank, he lifted his gaze to the snow flacks falling from the sky and he frowned.


    He was the expert among these young cultivators, therefore, he was their pillar of support. Naturally, he was expected never to show any sign of being at a loss of what to do. However, given that all the people had fallen asleep, he allowed his melancholy to overtake his rationality at this moment.


    The course of history had been utterly changed.


    Devil Qi had invaded Northern You.


    How would he come to terms with this change?


    At the very least, he had to go on living. In fact, it would not be a problem for him to continue living given his ability and the Divine Tool he possessed. Nonetheless, it was necessary for him to ponder carefully on how he wanted to live, which was more critical.


    In other words, the critical thing was his path.


    What exactly was his ¡°path¡± this time when he returned to his youth?


    Was it to become the number one in the entire world? That seemed like Red Bean¡¯s ¡°path¡±.


    Was it for every common to gain access to cultivation? That was Qian Shuxiao¡¯s ¡°path¡±.


    To keep moving forward, to break through the shackles in his heart and to be totally cut off from his past? That would be Qian Shuhua¡¯s ¡°path¡±.


    How about his own ¡°path¡±?


    Ye Que had in fact been pondering about this for a while. What exactly was his ¡°path¡± in this life? What was the motto of his life that could help him overcome life¡¯s difficulties? He used to think that it was his parents¡¯ expectations of him. Later, he thought that it was Ye Zhengru¡¯s death. Yet other times, he thought his ¡°path¡± was just to continue cultivating himself, to break through Fromless, attain Apocalypse, cross the immortal steps, surpass the emptiness and prove the ¡°path¡± to be immortal. Basically, it was for him to become the legendary supremacy.


    However, all of these were too illusory. They were so unreal and impractical that it was hard for him to fathom.


    In his previous life, he spent a hundred years just to achieve the periphery of immortality. In his pursuit, he had given up almost everything, which included that fact that he failed even to find an intimate female path companion.


    What was the significance of his existence then?


    There was a voice in Ye Que¡¯s head that kept reminding him that there was no purpose in such an existence. He should not become the slave to his cultivation, such that he became a cultivation machine.


    He had once experienced the beauty of the Celestial World, and he had also seen most of the beautiful sceneries in the Three Realms. However, in the terms of the paths that he had literally trodden on, Ye Que had not covered every inch in the Human World.


    For one, Ye Que had not been to the end of Luo River. Neither had he been to the Imperial Mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty. He did not even visit Northern You in his previous life. Prosperous Tang, where he stood at this moment, was his hometown. This was the place which nurtured him as he grew. He remembered how when he was discussing the ¡°path¡± with one of his companions in the past, he realized that apart from his knowledge on Qingqiu Sword Sect, he only possessed some basic knowledge about the Human World.


    He was mostly clueless!


    The Human World?


    The Human World in between the heavens and the earth?


    Why was it that his path could not edify the Human World?


    At this juncture, Ye Que reached his hand down to the ground below his feet to find that it felt a little cold. However, there was warmth below the snow. The warmth was coming from the ground. When he lifted his hand and some snow fell out of his palm, it felt cold initially. However, once the snow melted, it became water and water was the source of life.


    All of a sudden, he could taste the after taste of the wine below his tongue.


    Suddenly, a warm current rose from Ye Que¡¯s Spiritual Sea and the Golden Python of Divine Energy together with the Divine Tool of the River Soldier emerged from the depth of the Spiritual Sea. The warm current whipped up waves on the Spiritual Sea to wherein an enormous tree of Spiritual Force that was three hundred meters tall emerged. At the top of the tree was a page of the Divine Book.


    The Divine Book was glowing with a faint green light at the moment.


    As Ye Que¡¯s state of mind was drawn to the Divine Book and in a flash, the green light shot out silky yarn that went around Ye Que¡¯s mind and slowly dragged him into the Divine Book.


    At this moment, the River Soldier of the Divine Tool was no longer in the Divine Book. What was left was the mystical word that filled the entire sky and every mystical word was glowing with the same green light.


    Ye Que reached out to touch the mystical words in the air and he could clearly feel them with his fingers.


    A mystical sensation was transmitted to Ye Que¡¯s brains. It felt like the sensation was both guiding him and testing him.


    ¡°Formation!¡±


    In an instant, Ye Que seemed to have grasped the answer to the mysterious sensation he was feeling. The mystical words which he touched were an ancient formation. By condensing the power of life using the power of water, the pain and misery were effectively healed. This mystery had been lost in all the records, but now it has reemerged in the Divine Book!


    Ye Que was in no hurry to study into it at the moment. With knitted brows, he merely started to ponder over it. In his previous life, he had ever laid hold of the Divine Book. In fact, he had even obtained a three-page Divine Book. Unfortunately, he only managed to go through half of the cultivation methods. They were mainly the spells for refining Qi.


    At this moment, however, he had a glimpse of the mystical words in the Divine Book as well as discovered the ancient formation in the mystical words. This was bizarre.


    Was it because in the past, he did not truly cultivate technique in the Divine Book, which was why he was unable to break open the treasure house of the book. Now that he had returned to his youth, he had not cultivated any other Qi-refining methods but had purely cultivated the Divine Book. This enabled the Divine Book to sense him and call out when he was in the Imperial Mausoleum at the ley lines of Sovereignty.


    All that happened seemed to be part of his destiny.


    He lifted his hands to feel the mystical words once again and formation remained the answer he was seeking. The only difference was that the formation he sensed this time was different from that a moment ago. It was no longer the healing formation of the force of water.


    He managed to touch a dozen mystical words in succession and every mystical word contained a formation.


    ¡°Could this be the one-page Divine Book? Apart from recording a section on Qi-refining methods, are the rest just formations?¡±


    ¡°How about the Divine Book with a different number of pages? Could there be any differences?¡±


    ¡°Or could this one-page Divine Book be unique?¡±


    ¡°Or could it be dependent on his own ability to grasp the Divine Book? Would the Divine Book change from one form to the other depending on his understanding of ¡°path¡±?¡±


    In an instant, countless permutations and probabilities rose in Ye Que¡¯s mind and in the end, he was not able to arrive at one conclusion. Regardless, these mystical words were no doubt formations, and these formations were the most precious and treasured ancient formations which had been lost in the course of passing down from the generations long ago.


    ¡°There is no limit to learning.¡±


    ¡°Being studious is the only way to obtain knowledge.¡±


    Since the Divine Book had given him an opportunity, he was not going to let the chance slip.


    While he sat cross-legged at the temple entrance, half of Ye Que¡¯s body was within the temple, while the other half was outside. Which was to say that he felt warm in half of his body, while the other half was subject to the falling snowflakes, and not far from him was a crackling bonfire.


    In this manner, Ye Que entered into cultivation with his eyes opened. Occasionally, there would be flashes of a weird, mystical word in his dark eyes. After dwelling in the eye for a period of time, the mystical word would float away. Then after some time, another mystical word would appear again.


    The mystical words flashed across his eyes one after another until a spiritual smoke emerged from the top of Ye Que¡¯s head. The smoke gathered instead of dispersed and subsequently, it became a strange-looking green waterlily with a white stamen and green petals.


    The spiritual smoke floated into the air occasionally dispersed and come together, while the flower petals bloomed and withered one after another.


    This night, the snow at Mount Cicada continued until daybreak and a total of 74 flowers had bloomed above Ye Que¡¯s head.

 Chapter 142 - Journeying South

    Chapter 142 Journeying South


    Zen Mountain was illuminated by the predawn light.


    It was the moment just before sunrise, the atmosphere was filled with the chilly air before dawn broke, and the grey crystallized snow was covered with a fresh layer of white frost. Two early larks were chirping their songs in the half-lit sky.


    At the horizon where the Zen Mountain met the sky, there was an enormous morning start hanging in high in the sky, staring down at the world below like a lone eye. The vast universe seemed to be holding its breath while it listened to the orchestra of the living creatures. A layer of thin and mysterious light hovered over the entire land.


    The temperature in Northern You after the snowfall had fallen even lower, such that a splash of water could turn it to ice immediately.


    At this moment, there were ten horses and two carriages traveling southwards on the small path which connected the You Prefecture and the Qing Prefecture.


    Chen Chenchen had wrapped himself in so many layers that he looked like a huge dumpling. The thick scarf he was wearing had covered almost half of his face and what was left exposed were his two eyes, which were intently studying the path ahead.


    The horses and carriages were purchased from Camel Town at the foot of Zen Mountain. Being the golden age of the dynasty, there had not been wars in years. Moreover, this place was close to grasslands, so it did not take much effort for them to find horses. After all, money could do wonders. The cultivators would likely be able to find out the treacherous situation in Northern You, while the commoners were unlikely to be provided with any information at a short time.


    Not only had the imperial court not reacted to the fact that 200 thousand soldiers of the Ye Army had died, but it was also taking a long time for the Ministry of War to pass down any relevant document. Until this day, the imperial envoys who set out from Luoyang had not even reached the City of Fan. If they were sincere about helping, the imperial envoys would not be able to rescue the 200 thousand soldiers even if the soldiers managed to escape initial death.


    When the dog is beaten, the lion is tamed.


    The Ye Army was likened to the lion.


    The journey from the You Prefecture to Luoyang a few thousand miles, therefore, it was definite unsuitable and impractical for them to travel all the way defending themselves against attacks. They were after all a group of people made up of novice cultivators in the Psychic Realm or Starburst Realm. Their only choice was to travel by the most primitive method, which was on horseback.


    Since Ye Que discovered the secret of the Divine Book, he had requested the people to prepare a horse carriage especially for him.


    Lei Tianyou, the Eldest Senior Brother of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder, was still unconscious from serious injury, so he naturally could not be riding on a horse.


    In this manner, a medium-sized procession of horses and horse carriages set out on the small path leading southwards. To prevent the devil from tracing their footsteps, Ye Que had made some necessary preparation to buy him some time, even if he was unable to completely confuse the devil by distraction.


    In the carriage at the middle of the procession sat Ye Que, cross-legged with his eyes closed. He did not waste any time in studying deep into the formation of the mystical words in the Divine Book. While all the time, there was a strange lotus flower in full bloom, which possessed Spiritual Force. It bloomed and withered repeatedly and each cycle indicated that Ye Que had mastered a mystical word.


    Red Bean, who was lying by Ye Que¡¯s side was poking the spiritual flowers one by one while wearing a bored expression. ¡°Why would you waste this time of the day for your cultivation? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to tell me some stories instead?¡± she asked.


    ¡°This is so boring.¡±


    She looked Ye Que up and down, from his hair to the sole of his feet and when she realized that Ye Que¡¯s fingernails were a little too long. Not knowing what she was thinking, Red Bean grabbed her big black umbrella and crept up to Ye Que. Carefully she took Ye Que¡¯s hand and drew his fingers towards her. Using the sharp tip of the umbrella, she started manicuring the tips of his fingers.


    She had planned to kill time doing this.


    Therefore, she carefully ground his thumb, then his pointer finger, and so on until the pinky. Then she moved on to the other hand.


    Red Bean spent half of the day lying on her stomach beside Ye Que¡¯s hand, without moving away for a moment.


    By the time Ye Que digested 41 mystical words, Red Bean also finished her work. She looked at the outcome of her hard work and nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°How long have we been traveling?¡± asked Ye Que, looking at Red Bean.


    ¡°Six hours,¡± replied Red Bean casually without thinking. She lifted up Ye Que¡¯s hand as if showing off, pointed to his fingernails, which had been trimmed neatly. Every one of Ye Que¡¯s finger had apparently been manicured to perfection.


    It was surprising that Red Bean, who was a master in the Formless Realm and highly skilled in martial arts, was also an expert in the art of manicure.


    ¡°Are you really this bored?¡±


    Ye Que subconsciously reached out to stroke Red Bean¡¯s long black hair, but all he got in return was Red Bean rolling her eyes at him.


    ¡°Needless to say!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to the world number one cultivator? Then you¡¯ve to cease the time to cultivate yourself,¡± said Ye Que calmly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I have a different way of cultivating myself than you, and you won¡¯t understand if I try to explain it to you,¡± said Red Bean, giving Ye Que an impatient look, which really meant, ¡°Are you asking me questions when you refused to tell me stories earlier on? Fat hope!¡±


    Ye Que broke into a smile when he saw Red Bean¡¯s displeasure. All of a sudden, he had a cheeky thought.


    He drew a strange model of a formation in the air and stuck out his lips towards Red Bean, as if to ask if she understood the drawing.


    She rolled her eyes at Ye Que once again in disdain and replied, ¡°Just because I used violence to shatter the illusory formation at the Imperial mausoleum of the ley lines of sovereignty. It doesn¡¯t mean that I have no knowledge regarding formations. Haven¡¯t I told you that apart from fighting, I¡¯ve also learned various kinds of cultivation technique, sword skills, saber skills, etc. and these included formation as well.¡±


    ¡°I had used violence to shatter the illusory formation merely because I didn¡¯t want to disassemble it step by step.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be bothered to go through the trouble.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m clueless about it.¡±


    ¡°The model of formation you drew in the air just now is likely a mini maze formation. It is non-threatening as it does not attack. However, it possesses the ability to deceive and confuse. One doesn¡¯t even need to exhaust any Spirit Stones. A tiny bit of True Energy together with changing the natural environment will do the trick,¡± Red Bean said as she pointed at a few places in the air and continued, ¡°These few points are the core of the formation.¡±


    Ye Que furrowed his brows as he pondered over her words for a moment, then he lifted the curtain of carriage and cried out, saying, ¡°Stop for a while.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a rest at where we are now.¡±


    When he was done giving instructions, Ye Que alighted the carriage and begun studying the road they traveled on. It was full of twists and turns and lined with dense tall trees with needle-shaped leaves covered with snow. The rut of the horse carriages was clear and deep and a series of hoofprints were imprinted on the ground.


    He reflected on the formation he learned a moment ago, as well as the core which Red Bean pointed out to him, Ye Que began putting his knowledge into practice by the roadside for fifteen minutes without taking any breaks in between. Although the road they traveled on, the trees which lined the road, as well as the snow on the ground looked the same as before, Ye Que knew that something had changed entirely.


    He had in fact laid down a formation over here!


    The formation he laid was an ancient maze formation which had been lost in transmission.


    As long as the devil was intent on uprooting everything, it would trace their steps all the way from Zen Mountain. It did not even have to hurry to catch up with them. Given that the devil cultivator who had reached half-level in the Formless Realm had been struck down by Ye Que and Red Bean, the devil which would come next would be more formidable.


    After laying down the formation, the procession of horses and carriages set off again after Ye Que returned to the carriage he traveled on.


    There in the carriage, he picked up from where he stopped and continued to study the formations recorded in the Divine Book.


    He studied each character of the mystical word thoroughly.


    The higher into the air the mystical word floated, the more complicated the formation therein lied, however, the speed at which Ye Que studied the mystical word increased instead of decreased. Moreover, he had discovered a trick, which was to open his eyes and discuss with Red Bean whenever he was unclear about any formations. After all, the little dragon girl who lived over a hundred years indeed knew much more about formation than Ye Que did.


    Although, her knowledge was limited too.


    After the procession of horses and carriages had been traveling for two days, Red Bean was beginning to feel the pressure whenever Ye Que turned to discuss the formations with her. Her replies and responses did not come as easily as before. A lot of times, she needed to ponder for a long time before she finally got the idea. Sometimes, Ye Que even perceived the significance of some of the formations while Red Bean was still pondering over them.


    The study of formations and the ability to understand them depended much on one¡¯s inborn gift. In his previous life, Ye Que had allocated much of his cultivation to studying warfare, which meant that he had little experience and knowledge on formations. On this occasion, he was delighted to discover the inexhaustibly profound formations in the Divine Book. The initial delight had turned into an addiction, which could not be stopped.


    As he continued traveling southwards,


    He continued studying.


    Ye Que had gone to the extent of giving up eating as he continued studying the formations in the Divine Book while the others hurried on in their journey or when they ate their meals and even when they went to sleep.


    Ye Que even temporarily stopped the accumulation of Divine Energy from his every day cultivation from the Divine Book


    As he traveled, he studied and practiced what he learned there and then.


    In the beginning, Ye Que would ask for a break in the journey every few hours so he could lay the formation he just learned along the road they traveled. However, subsequently, the frequency increased from stopping every ten hours to eight, etc., then finally they would stop every two hours.


    The speed at which Ye Que laid the formation also increased exponentially.


    He was no longer so particular and demanding about the environment as he progressed. As he picked up knowledge of more formations, he was able to adapt to the environment more easily.


    The group of young people who followed him southwards were rather comfortable with the intermittent stops they got to enjoy along the way. However, they were not exactly used to the increased frequency of stops as time went by.


    They eventually entered into the third day of their journey.


    Finally, they left Northern You and after they passed two valleys they would finally exit from the You Prefecture. All of them were clearly relieved by then.


    Once again, as expected, when the procession of horses and carriages stopped, Ye Que emerged from his carriage and proceeded to the end of the road to gesturing a series of moves. This time, Ye Que was not alone. Even Red Bean joined in somehow, although most of the time, she was just standing by to watch, frowning. During those moments, she would not interrupt or speak.


    Chen Chenchen of Broken King Gorge looked on in puzzlement and said, ¡°What¡¯s gotten into Mr. Ye these days? He hasn¡¯t eaten, slept or even spoken to us. Could he have been demon possessed?¡±


    Instinctively, the two young men sitting beside him nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Should we intervene by talking to him?¡±


    ¡°This journey we are taking to Luoyang is a long and tedious one, so we can¡¯t afford to have any accidents happen to Mr. Ye.¡±


    ¡°I definitely think it necessary to warn him.¡±


    Having observed that Ye Que had gone a little further away on this occasion, the few young men began speaking up their mind. Although Guan Shuheng and Yang Nuanyue did not join in the conversation, they too were frowning at Ye Que¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    When a sound of coughing echoed through the air from within the horse carriage, Guan Shuheng instinctively dashed over to the carriage and lifted its curtains saying, ¡°Eldest Senior Brother, are you alright?¡±


    Last night, Lei Tianyou, the Eldest Senior Brother of Pavilion of Wind and Thunder finally woke up from his unconsciousness. Although he had not regained his strength, it was very fortunate that he had emerged from the life-threatening condition. Lei Tianyou had even started to restore his True Energy this morning, refusing to go back to sleep.


    Having come out of his meditation, he lifted the curtain and glanced at Ye Que, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t join in the rest to talk nonsense. Mr. Ye is not demon possessed. He is laying formations. Otherwise, why else do you think that we haven¡¯t come across into any devils in the past three days?¡±

 Chapter 143 - Snares along the Way

    Chapter 143 Snares along the Way


    From times of old, all murder cases were thorough, in the sense that entire sects were eliminated.


    The nature of the devils was such that they would never let their offenses go unavenged.


    Among the nineteen sects of Truth Cultivators, the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder and Broken King Gorge were the first targets of attack. The devils would not allow anyone in the sects to escape even if they did well at the start. This was the reason Guan Shuheng and Chen Chenchen were still the targets of the devil cultivators even though they were mere novices in their sects who did not hold any important positions.


    Because of Ye Que, Ye Yunhai returned with his tail between his legs, and the dead bodies of Cao Xue and Xie Yi were not intact.


    The devils treated this as a humiliating defeat.


    It was intolerable!


    Very soon, Formless Demon Seeds had arrived near Zen Mountain.


    They discovered the dead bodies of the black-robed men in front of Guandi Temple. Together with the state of the temple, the demons concluded that a group of people had escaped the pursuit of the devil cultivators and had murdered these two men who had recently joined the devil cultivators.


    Without anyone giving any instructions, the demons began searching along the Mount Cicada under the leadership of a few Formless Demon Seeds.


    Setting off from Camel Town, they continued their pursuit all the way to the road close to Qing Prefecture.


    ¡°This group of people is heading southwards!¡± cried out the Formless Demon Seeds. ¡°Aren¡¯t they complacent? They thought they could escape the Northern You with merely a dozen horses and two horse carriages.¡±


    The Demon Seeds were self-assured when they heard this piece of news. With their leg strength, the Demon Seeds were confident that they would be able to catch up with this group of people even if they had taken flight on swords, not to mention that they were traveling on horses. From their observation, they could even tell that someone among this group of people was seriously injured, which meant that they could not travel at a faster speed.


    For this reason, they proceeded with the pursuit at a comfortable pace.


    Suddenly, the leader of the Demon Seeds lifted his gaze to the sun and said casually, ¡°We have to catch up with this group of idiots before sunset given that we have to accomplish other missions. We can¡¯t waste too much time on these small fries.¡±


    The Northern You after the snowfall was especially chilly and the surface of the road was exceptionally slippery.


    Not long after their pursuit, the Devil Seeds spotted the ruts of horse carriages as well some hoofprints along a quieter and less-traveled road. After doing some calculations and estimations, the Devil Seeds concluded that these traces were definitely left by Ye Que and his company.


    Without any hesitation, they continued onto the pathway after their leader waved them in that direction of that path.


    All of a sudden.


    A faint ripple of a wave of Spiritual Force flashed in front of their eyes and they saw that the way in front of them started to change. The path which was straight had become crooked with twists and turns, lined with snow-covered pine trees.


    ¡°Could this be an illusion?¡±


    The Demon Seeds at the forefront went into a moment of a daze. It shook its head and abruptly shoot out some Demon Qi towards the side of the road.


    There was an explosion on the ground that followed.


    The snow on the ground was thrown into the air.


    The windy road remained windy. It did not straighten after the explosion.


    ¡°It¡¯s a formation!¡±


    ¡°Someone had laid an illusory formation over here!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act impulsively. We have to first find the eye of the formation or the door to life. Watch out also for the attack from the formation. This is definitely not an ordinary formation given that we¡¯ve fallen into an illusion without even realizing it.¡±


    After fifteen minutes, the few Demon Seeds emerged from the formation with an impassionate expression on their faces. No one spoke. Apparently, they felt that they had been deceived. There was no threat of an attack in this formation. It really was just an illusive formation in the form of a maze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this insignificant method would be able to trick us.¡±


    ¡°The presence of a formation here only confirmed our guess that this indeed was the path the people had chosen to take while fleeing for their lives.¡±


    Due to this experience, the few Demon Seeds began to perk up. They were no longer just blindly pursuing their targets. They even took the extra care to look around to see if there was an ambush in the trees by the wayside.


    Unfortunately, something would still happen despite one being cautious.


    Before noon when they had barely continued for a few hours, they cluelessly entered yet another formation. They had obviously taken extra precaution, yet somehow, they had fallen into another formation without any warning because it totally did not stand out from its surroundings.


    This was another deceitful formation without any power of attack, but it subtly led them onto a forked road. They were able to identify that this formation had been laid by the same person who laid the first formation.


    ¡°Did they think that they are going to deceive us twice with the same trick?¡±


    The name of the person speaking was Situ Yan. He was the leader of the group of pursuers. He had reached the initial stage of Formless Realm, who was a Demon Seed who had actually cultivated himself within the grounds of the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness. He had attained a high level of cultivation and was addicted to killing. His was known for his horrid temper and he alone killed nine Broken King Gorge cultivators when he destroyed Broken King Gorge. He even tore apart a female cultivator¡¯s body with his bare hands.


    Cao Xue and Xie Yi were two devil cultivators who were allocated as his understudies.


    These two devil cultivators died before Situ Yan even managed to register their names in his mind, and no one actually managed to pass a message to him regarding them.


    Just this morning, Situ Yan was thinking, ¡°Are the cultivators outside the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness idiots? How did the two of them, who had achieved half-way through the Formless Realm, fail in their pursuit for this group of kids who were in their initial stage of Psychic Realm? Is it because their brains were damaged, having entered the demonic path from the Orthodox Path?¡±


    While they remained in the second formation, Situ Yan could not help feeling frustrated. ¡°Just by one look, I can tell that these two formations were laid by the same person. Let use the knowledge we gather from breaking the first formation to quickly break this one too. There was totally no threat of attack from the formation, so we need not worry. The key is our speed. Let¡¯s not waste any more time here,¡± he said.


    Given that there were innumerable mystical words within the Divine Book, the formations contained therein would undoubtedly be extremely complicated. It was unlikely that any two formations would exactly the same. Even if they were similar, why would Ye Que use them consecutively along the same road?


    For this reason, the more Situ Yan tried to grope around, the more he was lost. The more he tried to break the formation, the more irritated he became.


    ¡°Captain, this formation seemed different from the first one,¡± said an elementary devil cultivator of Starburst Realm, who was perspiring profusely by now. Fifteen minutes had past but Situ Yan was totally unable to resolve this illusory formation using the same method used on the first occasion.


    ¡°Dumbass!¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    Situ Yan shoved this devil cultivator aside and focusing his attention, he started studying the formation around them carefully. It was only after another fifteen minutes that he finally had an inkling. ¡°On the surface, it looks like these two formations were both illusory formations that confuse people, but they were definitely two very different things, likened to a pair of cyclone and anticyclone. One was likely to cause a storm while the other created miles of clear sky and warm weather.


    After some time, a group of embarrassed-looking Demon Seeds, led by Situ Yan, exited from the illusory formation.


    ¡°We have to be on our guard because it appeared that there is a cultivator among them who was specialized in laying formation, and he is likely to be a master from a reputable sect who is on a trip,¡± said Situ Yan in a serious tone.


    ¡°Perk up, everyone. I don¡¯t want the same thing to happen a third time.¡±


    With such a mentality, they continued in their pursuit.


    However, the more they wished to avoid the formations, the more these awkward situations befell them.


    With Situ Yan leading the way, the group of Demon Seeds entered yet another two formations unawares before the sunset.


    Right at the beginning before they even set out to pursue the cultivators, Situ Yan had made a boastful comment that they would catch up with them before sunset and annihilate every one of them. After which they would rush back to Northern You to continue with their next mission. However, the sun had set by this time and the Demon Seeds had not glimpsed the party of fleeing cultivators.


    Not only did they not see the fleeing party, but Situ Yan had also led the entire group of Demon Seeds into every formation laid by Ye Que. They totally did not escape a single one. Moreover, Situ Yan was taking progressively longer time to break free from each new formation. Situ Yan managed to break the first illusory formation in less than fifteen minutes, but by the time he fell into the forth formation, he took a total of forty-five minutes to break through it.


    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s getting dark. Do we still continue in our pursuit?¡± the same novice devil cultivator in the Starburst Realm, whose face was covered with a black mask, asked softly with his head bowed.


    Taking in two deep breaths, Situ Yan suppressed the burning fury in his chest.


    ¡°Pursue!¡±


    ¡°Why should we stop our pursuit?¡±


    ¡°Do you suppose that we being demons are afraid of the dark?¡±

 Chapter 144 - The Breeze Blew into Yangguan

    Chapter 144 The Breeze Blew into Yangguan


    The devils drew near to darkness.


    Since there was no terror, there was no fear.


    ¡°What else is more terrifying than the devils in the dark?¡± thought Situ Yan.


    To Situ Yan, there was nothing more fearful in the dark than the devil. However, he was soon to find out that he was wrong. Indeed, there was something more terrifying, and that was the heaven and the earth which existed naturally. The heaven and the earth remained standing through day and night, transcending them.


    Situ Yan had intended to speed up and cover a greater distance by making use of the darkness since he had wasted so much time during the day when they fell into the five formations. By now, he was unable to determine where Ye Que and his party were and how far apart they were from the Demon Seeds. Although his subconscious mind led him to believe that they were not far, they were delayed by the formations after all. Moreover, whoever laid the formation also needed time to do that. The more challenging the formation, the more complicated it would be to lay it, and the more time it would be needed.


    There was a fifty percent chance for either party to succeed.


    Based on Situ Yan¡¯s understanding, it was not that simple to lay formations. One would need to use Spirit Stones or other special items to carry out the task. Having met with five formations in a day, he had reason to believe that even if there were more traps ahead, it would not be many.


    It would not make sense if there were more.


    Not to mention these young disciples who were fleeing for their lives, even if it were the head of a sect who laid the formations, he would not be carrying sufficient Spirit Stones with him.


    The attack launched on the sects of Truth Cultivator in Northern You were done in secret. No one would have heard a word about it beforehand, and therefore, no one was prepared for the attack.


    Never would Situ Yan imagine that the formations laid by Ye Que were not the conventional formations which were popular among cultivators. The formations recorded by the mystical words in the Divine book were ancient formations. During those old days, Spirit Stones were not even invented. Therefore formations were laid relying purely on elaborated designing and drafting using True Energy.


    They trudged on in the dark of the night.


    In the party, there were five devil cultivators in all, with one who had achieved the Formless Realm, three who were halfway in achieving Formless and one in Starburst Realm.


    As they trod on the path, their faces were covered with dust.


    To Situ Yan¡¯s surprise, this seemingly quiet and secluded path which led southwards seemed to be laid with numerous formations within one night. The more southwards they traveled, the more frequently they entered formations, and the more difficult it as to break through them. By the time they entered the tenth formation, Situ Yan was completely lost. He stood amid the formation for an entire hour without moving. It was not because he was fearful; rather, he just had no idea how to go about it.


    These formations seemed to be completely integrated into the heaven and the earth. There was totally no color, scent, sound, and any other form of traces by which they would be spotted. However, they were also not intended to bring any harm. They were simply there to confuse the way. The formations had made tracking Ye Que¡¯s party down a near-impossible task. If they were just passing by, there would not be any problems since the formations simply mislead people to a wrong path.


    ¡°A master in formations!¡±


    ¡°However laid these formations had to be a master in formations!¡±


    ¡°To be able to lay so many formations within such a short span of time quietly, and they are able to trap you no matter how cautious you are, this is definitely not what a young cultivator could do.¡±


    ¡°The critical thing is that these formations were not related in any way, although it was apparent that they were laid by the same person. However, the thinking process and effect of each formation was totally different, which could not be figured out. And they seemed very ancient and were not the same as the famous formations recently.


    Situ Yan had come into contact with formations when he was in the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness. This was the reason that this time, he was able to break through the formations along the way. Moreover, based on his cultivation as well as his age, he was a qualified and confident master of formations. However, Situ Yan was unable to concentrate at this moment.


    At the very least, he already could not understand the huge formation before his eyes.


    He had no idea how to solve it.


    Where was the door of life? He was totally clueless.


    A drop of sweat dripped down from his forehead. Given that he was perspiring even in such a chilly winter night, one could imagine how hard and fast his brain was working. Standing right at the middle of the huge formation, Situ Yan scrutinized every corner of his surroundings. He even stretched out his hand and moved it left and right to observe the effect of the formation on his body as well as its effect on the mobilization of the Spiritual Force.


    Time passed minute by minute and finally, Situ Yan led his party of Demon Seeds out of the formation after nearly two hours. By now, the initial contemptuous look on his face was taken over by a somber and perplexed expression. How was it possible for a devil cultivator in the Formless Realm to be feeling so confused?


    ¡°Are we going to press on in our pursuit?¡±


    This was the first thought when Situ Yan went out of this formation. What if he exhausted all his energy in order to catch up with Ye Que and his company only to find that someone among them was a profound master in formation, or that they were a group of powerful cultivators in the Cultivation World who had been hiding their talents? In that case, he would be digging his grave.


    While Situ Yan was violent and cruel by nature, he knew better to treasure his own life.


    If he were given a chance to choose between the life of the Devil Lord and his own life, Situ Yan would choose his own life anytime. The Devil Lord still had the chance to resurrect, there would be many Demon Seeds who would readily continue his legacy. However, if Situ Yan himself were to die, would there be anyone to lead him on his way on the Reincarnation Bridge? Would Three Life Door allow him to reincarnate?


    However, there was something which he could not avoid just because he did not feel like doing them. He was merely the leader of a small team of devil cultivators. A young devil who just entered the Formless Realm would not have the authority to make many decisions. The plan to destroy the sects of Truth Cultivators in the Northern You had been firmed up in Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness a long time back. Given that the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder and the Broken King Gorge were the first stops, any escape from the sects would be intolerable.


    Moreover, these sects were already in their late degenerated stages.


    Furthermore, the group which had escaped consisted of novices of the Psychic Realm!


    Given the above circumstances, it would be too humiliating for him to return if he failed in his mission.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Do we continue going or not?¡±


    The path ahead was pitch dark in the absence of moonlight overhead. The cold breezes blowing from all directions were like ambushing wild beasts, all ready to devour them. All of a sudden, the hearts of the devil cultivators were gripped with an unknown fear.


    ¡°Will we enter another formation if we take the next step forward?¡±


    ¡°Can I break through the next formation?¡±


    ¡°What if we¡¯re trapped in it forever?¡±


    ¡°Up until now, we¡¯ve only met illusory formations, which simply confused us. What if the ones ahead contain the power to attack? Will we perish in the formations ahead?¡±


    At this instant, the feet of the five demon cultivators, including Situ Yan seemed to have been perfused with lead. While they willed themselves to move, their feet refused to obey their command.


    Suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle echoed through the air like a spirit that stretched far and long.


    After a while, Situ Yan let out a breath, and with a low tone of voice, he said, ¡°The time is late, and we¡¯ve been hastening on in our journey the entire day, I suppose everyone¡¯s exhausted by now. There is no point to rush just for a moment. Let¡¯s have a rest for the night and continue on our journey once there is daylight. That shouldn¡¯t delay us much.¡±


    The devils who were proficient in traveling in the dark of the night were deterred by Ye Que¡¯s formations so much so that they became fearful of traveling in the night.


    A total of nine days had passed.


    Traveling southwards, while Ye Que had been studying and cultivating the formations for nine days and nights, Situ Yan had also been pursuing them for nine days.


    During this short span of nine days, Ye Que was deeply convinced by the formations recorded in the Divine Book, while Situ Yan had been through a hopeless journey. Although he was certain that the target of his pursuit was right ahead of them and he knew they were not heading in the wrong direction, it was just impossible to catch up. This journey of pursuit was like a test, a test of his wisdom.


    The questions of the test were the formations.


    Every formation was completely different from the other.


    He could only proceed after breaking through each formation.


    Situ Yan had not exhausted this much mental strength since he left Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness. This was a blow to both his physical body and mind. In fact, doubts arose in him with regards to his talent and intelligence as far back as the fourth day. He wondered how this person who laid the formations was able to think of so many different ways of doing so, so much so that each formation differed from the other. How was it that he could not understand them?


    What kind of a deity was this person?


    Could that fleeing party really consist of only novices in the Psychic Realm?


    When they came to the fifth day, the five devil cultivators¡¯ faces were pale and ashen. Their eyes were lifeless. It would not be surprising for one to fall into formations day after day, solving and breaking through them, being impacted by the ancient formations, not to feel the effect of the blow on their Spiritual Sea and Divine Capital and shaken up.


    On the sixth day, the devil cultivator in the lowest cultivation in the Starburst Realm finally could not go on anymore. Having a nervous breakdown, he begged Situ Yan to let him leave because he did not want to be trapped in a formation. In return to his request, as expected, Situ Yan slashed his throat with a wave of his sword. What surprised Situ Yan, however, was that a smile appeared at the corner of this Starburst devil cultivator¡¯s mouth. It was a smile of relief as if he had been liberated.


    On the seventh day, there were only four remaining devil cultivators. They did not even manage five miles of the journey that day. It was because Ye Que had laid altogether seven formations within this relatively short five miles of the road. Moreover, these seven formations were subtly connected.


    It was not that Situ Yan did not think of making a detour to avoid the formations, but there were just too many routes leading south that he did not want to risk losing the traces of Ye Que and his party by taking another route. For this reason, he pressed on southwards along this road. There was no shortcut to it. They were devil cultivators, not some killers who were professional in tracking people down.


    On the eighth day, although the number of formations along the road had somehow decreased, however, the formations were getting progressively more effective. They were no longer simply illusory or deceitful formations. Apparently, they were potentially aggressive. The devil cultivators were more or less adapted to entering formations, breaking through them after sapping their brain cells. Although it was exhausting, at the very least, it did not pose any risk to their lives. However, this sudden attack had freaked out all four devil cultivators so much so that one of them who had achieved halfway in the Formless Realm, and who was not attentive, had his left eyes impaled in an instant.


    By the time they entered the ninth day¡­


    In fact, the ninth day was non-existent, because Situ Yan had given up. He recognized in his heart the fact that the pursuit for the lives of this group of cultivators was a mission impossible to for him.


    On the path leading to the gates of Luoyang.


    A party of people and horses passed in a relaxed manner.


    A gentle breeze went through the curtains of the horse carriage. The chill in the air was gone. Ye Que and his party of cultivators had finally entered the borders of Luoyang.


    Under the warm sunlight, Ye Que alighted from the horse carriage and stood on top of a hill and stretched, while Red Bean stood by his side and yawned. While Ye Que spent nine days in studying formations, Red Bean was by his side for these nine days, accompanying him. The only difference was that Ye Que looked excited and energetic. Even his level of cultivation had made a leap. On the contrary, Red Bean¡¯s big eyes were surrounded by dark circles. Her hair fell on her shoulders in an unkempt manner, and her strange-looking ponytail looked even odder.

 Chapter 145 - White Streamers Hanging Over the Entire City

    Chapter 145 White Streamers Hanging Over the Entire City


    For nine days and nights, Ye Que went through all mystical words that he could comprehend and experience at his current level once more. At the same time, he made practical use of them as they traveled southward.


    The effects looked pretty good right now.


    At the very least, the devils had not caught up with his party. This proved that his magical formations were of use.


    They were a band of nearly 20 people that rode in a simple carriage and carried few belongings. They traveled south from Northern You until they reached the Divine Capital, Luoyang, eventually.


    The crude carriage that had been carrying Ye Que kept creaking and grinding as it went downhill. Beside it were dozens of young teenagers on horseback. Their skin, which was originally white, had turned suntanned by now. Even the female disciples like Yang Nuanyue were not spared; their skin was wheat-colored now. Only Ye Que, Red Bean, and Lei Tianyou, who had been recuperating in the carriage, looked the same as before.


    Ye Que did not sit in the carriage again, nor did he ride a horse. Instead, he began walking.


    It was already unnecessary to continue setting up magical formations.


    They were already extremely close to Luoyang, and the devils would not dare to brazenly show themselves at this moment.


    All of them felt very relaxed, and even their horses began to get infected by their calm; the beasts began to trot along languidly. They traveled slowly to accommodate Ye Que¡¯s speed. In the end, a few male disciples even dismounted and led their horses by the reins as they walked slowly.


    Lei Tianyou had also emerged from the carriage. Guan Shuheng supported his eldest senior brother and silently thought that the vague brown figure far away in the horizon must be the Divine Capital, Luoyang, of legend. He was brought up in Northern You since a young age, and it was the first time he had traveled so far away from home. It seemed to him now, however, that it would be ages before he could return there.


    Lei Tianyou slowed down to wait for Ye Que. He cupped his hands together and said, ¡°Mr. Ye, I can¡¯t thank you enough for the care you¡¯ve given along our journey. I¡¯ll remember this forever, as will all of the disciples of the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. In future, just ask if you need my help. Even though our sect has been broken, my words still have some influence in Southern Yue.¡±


    This was officially the first time Lei Tianyou had spoken to Ye Que.


    On the entire journey, Ye Que had immersed himself entirely in his magical formations and rarely conversed with anyone else. He seldom left the carriage, except to set up more formations or to study the mystical words within the Divine Book.


    ¡°It just happens that we¡¯re heading in the same direction. You¡¯re overstating it; I didn¡¯t do much,¡± Ye Que said plainly.


    ¡°You saved a dozen lives that were the last hope for the Pavilion of Wind and Thunder. That itself was a great favor for us. The others may not be clear on this, but my eyes are still working well. I can see that you¡¯ve done great things for us along this journey. Those dozens of formations could not be set up successfully by ordinary folk. Only someone with great willpower could have accomplished a feat like that,¡± Lei Tianyou said somewhat admiringly.


    Lei Tianyou pointed behind them before continuing, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your wondrous formations, Sir, the devils would definitely have caught up with us. If that happened, our survival would be up to our fates.¡±


    Ye Que smiled calmly. He did not try to play down his achievements again, nor did he rebut.


    Being overly humble was hypocritical.


    Ye Que¡¯s mantra was to go along with the flow. Naturally, he would not do anything that did not suit his beliefs.


    ¡°Mr. Ye, after entering the city, we may have to leave. I¡¯ll have to take a look at the assets we have in Luoyang and make contact with my family; there are some things that we should take precautions against before they happen. Since the devils have emerged in Northern You, they could very likely appear in Luoyang or even Southern Yue. You should take care as well, Sir,¡± Lei Tianyou said softly as he looked at the majestic city which kept drawing nearer.


    ¡°Everything has to come to an end.¡±


    ¡°Life is long.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll meet again if fated,¡± Ye Que said pensively as he looked at Lei Tianyou. His expression had not changed in the slightest bit, as if he had experienced many partings like this in the past.


    Instead, Guan Shuheng, who was beside them, opened his mouth as if he had something to say before closing it again. His eyes were turning slightly red. The others might not have been aware that he was the only one who had communicated with Ye Que along their journey to Luoyang.


    Ye Que would speak casually to Guan Shuheng each time he set up his formations. At first he would only ask Guan Shuheng about his current situation, but eventually, he passed on a set of breathing techniques to the young man unexpectedly, on the pretext that it would help realign his eldest senior brother¡¯s meridians.


    Guan Shuheng was a little slow sometimes, but he was no fool. He knew how to differentiate between bad and good.


    The dozen of female Pavilion of Wind and Thunder disciples were much happier. After entering Luoyang, the danger they faced would temporarily be removed. They had been fleeing and in fear for the entire journey, and even the male disciples like Guan Shuheng nearly gave up, much less them, who used to be delicate maidens.


    Chen Chenchen immediately came over after Lei Tianyou left.


    He wanted to bid farewell first, just like Lei Tianyou did. The Broken King Gorge had assets hidden within Luoyang as well, and as the disciple who managed to flee, he had the responsibility and right to check on them, so that he could increase the chances of his sect¡¯s survival.


    Luoyang was the hub of the Divine Land. All sects, no matter their sizes, would naturally leave some resources in the city.


    The number of pedestrians kept increasing as they continued in Luoyang¡¯s direction, and teams of carriages and horses kept streaming in and out of the city.


    There were teams of armed escorts, merchant teams that were heading for faraway lands, as well as horse-drawn carriages that were delivering goods to the outskirts. There were also teenagers that were returning from their spring hike, and their surroundings had become extremely vibrant even before they caught sight of the city gates.


    The piercing chill in the air had also been replaced with a vaguely gentle vapor.


    They could already hear intermittent shouts ringing out.


    After walking further, they realized that vegetable farmers had already set up their small stalls beside the road.


    The young practitioners that had never traveled south to Luoyang were staring with their eyes wide open. ¡°So, this is the Divine Capital, Luoyang!¡±


    ¡°There are so many people here!¡±


    ¡°The city is really huge!¡±


    The first impression they had of Luoyang was that it was teeming with people, and that its city walls were boundless.


    ¡°Do you have a place to stay in Luoyang?¡± Red Bean asked suddenly as she looked at the huge Luoyang City.


    ¡°Place to stay?¡± Ye Que paused before replying uncertainly, ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Red Bean raised her hand to shield her eyes from the somewhat piercing sunlight before glancing at him, evidently meaning, ¡°You have a place to stay here, while I don¡¯t. I think you know what to do.¡±


    The party walked slowly to the city gates. The castle walls soared high above them, and they could not seem to see the end of them. They looked like tiny ants as they stood below the city.


    Ye Que was about to reply Red Bean when he felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. He also began to hear the sounds of a horse galloping. A group of riders, about a few thousand strong and dressed in white feathers, were speeding in their direction from Luoyang City. All of them carried white streamers, which gave onlookers an impression that they were an endless line of white.


    The white-feathered riders shouted loudly as they galloped, ¡°His Majesty has passed away!¡±


    Their voices were resounding and resonant, but also sounded hoarse and strained at the same time!


    The riders charged up to the bottom of the castle before stopping and dismounting from their horses in a neat, unified fashion. After that, they began to climb the walls in a single file, before finally planting their white streamers along the entire length of the castle walls in an orderly fashion.


    Ye Que and his company had entered the North Gate. The other four gates had armored riders as well.


    4,000 armored riders stuck their tall white streamers along the entire length of Luoyang City.

 Chapter 146 - Ailing Mansion, Re-birth of the Divine Sect

    Chapter 146 Ailing Mansion, Re-birth of the Divine Sect


    Beneath Luoyang City.


    The vegetable sellers had stopped shouting, and the teenagers who were returning from their spring hike stopped fooling around. The armed escorts and merchant caravans stopped moving, and even the vapor in the air seemed to have condensed at this very moment.


    ¡°His Majesty has passed away?¡±


    The simple words carried a deeper meaning. The implications for this current dynasty were nearly destructive in nature.


    Ye Que looked surprised, while Lei Tianyou looked more shocked. The other young disciples were still stunned. Red Bean, on the other hand, had not really reacted.


    ¡°Mr. Ye, Mr. Ye,¡± Chen Chenchen of Broken King Gorge shouted as he walked up to Ye Que. There was no reaction from Ye Que, as if he was already lost in his thoughts.


    After a long while, Ye Que eventually replied Chen Chenchen, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°How old is his Majesty?¡±


    ¡°He was over 50,¡± Ye Que replied after thinking for a while.


    ¡°The Tang Dynasty was formed in war, and the emperors it produced were usually martial artists. Some of them already possessed a high cultivation base, and have longer lives than ordinary people. If he died just after 50 years of age, he¡¯ll be considered to have died an early death,¡± Chen Chenchen analyzed softly.


    ¡°Could there be some hidden agenda here!¡± A young disciple guessed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make any conclusions of your own. We¡¯re in Luoyang now, and the walls have ears here.¡± Lei Tianyou glared at the disciple behind him. He did not look too at ease himself, however.


    They had already said parting words just now. Ye Que remained deep in thought for a while longer beneath the castle walls before leading Red Bean into the city. At this moment, the checks at the city gates had become much strict in nature. People who entered or were leaving the city had to undergo a set of extremely complicated procedures, and the baggage they were carrying needed to be checked over. The merchant caravans transiting through the city underwent even more thorough checks; each carriage had to be searched a few times.


    The soldiers in charge of the checks had obviously been replaced; they were not the usual city guards.


    In the blink of an eye, long queues appeared before the 18 entry and exit gates of Luoyang City.


    No one cursed, made a commotion or resisted. Even a fool could tell the severity of today¡¯s incident. The Emperor had passed away suddenly, and he had not made any arrangements. It would be logical even for the city gates to be shut, and all entry and exit in and out of Luoyang stopped, much less strict checks to be held.


    An air or nervousness engulfed the entire Luoyang City.


    Qian Shuxiao had processed an identity card for Ye Que before, while he was in Luoyang City. He had also been registered in the Judicature, which governed the practitioners in the city. As such, he could easily be identified.


    It took one entire hour before Ye Que could walk past the city gates into Luoyang. The soldier manning the post did not speak when checking his identity, but he looked somewhat wary. Ye Que was still thinking about the Emperor¡¯s death and did not realize this.


    ¡°History continues to be rewritten!¡±


    Ye Que let out a pensive sigh. ¡°In the world that he used to live in, the Emperor could not have died at such a time; he would at least have a dozen years left to live. From this, I can deduce that Li Chunyu¡¯s father, our Emperor, must have been perfectly healthy. Some external force must have hastened his death.¡±


    ¡°It might even be an assassination.¡±


    ¡°Could this have something to do with the devils¡¯ invasion?¡± Ye Que continued to ponder as he frowned. ¡°Could devil spawn already have infiltrated the royal palace? Impossible! The Tang palace has a set of extremely procedures in check and is protected by countless practitioners. Devils will not be able to enter as and when they wish, much less get near to His Majesty. If they could, the Tang Dynasty would have been destroyed a hundred times over.¡±


    He stood within the city and turned back to look at the white streamers covering the city walls.


    They glinted under the sunlight, but they gave off a strange, mournful aura.


    ¡°Seems like I have to plan for certain things earlier than I thought now.¡±


    The aura of nervousness gradually dissipated as he walked further into the city. Countless numbers of emperors had passed away in the Divine Capital, which stood for millennia, before. Rulers died and empires fell, but Luoyang itself remained intact. Its citizens had experienced all sorts of big events. Even though the death of an emperor was big news, and much blood could possibly be shed next, it did not have anything to do with these common folk.


    Life had to continue on.


    Money still had to be earned.


    Meals still had to be taken on time.


    Places which were meant to be vibrant would still remain so. The gambling houses would not shut its doors, the brothels would not turn customers away, and liquor stores would not sell their products at half price. Even the academies and lecture halls would continue to function as before. The only exception would be the royal relatives, important officials and influential nobles; most likely they would have immediately acted. In which direction would Luoyang head next, and who would hold power?


    The afternoon ticked slowly by in such a conflicted environment of calm, nervousness, vibrancy and suppression.


    Ye Que walked somewhat aimlessly through the streets.


    He walked along Xuanwu Street until Yong¡¯an Street, before turning eastward. Red Bean did not know where they were heading, and Ye Que did not even bother to look where he was heading.


    When Ye Que recollected himself and lifted his head, he realized that he had walked up to the tall doors of a huge yard. This was his destination when he entered Luoyang in his previous life, and he had come back to the same place in his youth, when he arrived by carriage. Now, he found himself back at the same spot after wandering aimlessly.


    The General¡¯s Manor!


    The first thing Ye Que saw was the familiar yet foreign huge signboard. He shifted his gaze downward and noticed that the red gate was filled with dust. As he observed closely, he noticed that the bronze handles of the gates had even rusted a little. The red doors themselves were shut tightly.


    This was the General¡¯s Manor!


    It should have been swept and cleaned everyday by people. How could its gates end up in such a rundown condition? He had only left Luoyang for just a while!


    ¡°Could it be that news of Ye Yunhai joining the Devils has already reached Luoyang?¡±


    ¡°Or have the deaths of all Ye Army soldiers left the General¡¯s Residence with no backup?¡±


    ¡°Or, has Ye Zhengru¡¯s death led his residence to exit history¡¯s performance stage and left this huge manor with no Master?¡±


    Ye Que stood silently in front of the General¡¯s Manor. He did not speak a word and looked calm, but he was feeling extremely emotional within! ¡°No matter hold cold-blooded, distant the old man who used to reside in this manor was, he could be considered as having given his all for your Li family empire. He served the Tang Dynasty till his very last breath.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to trample on his estate after his death?¡±


    Wild thoughts surged in his mind before quickly dying down.


    ¡°What status do I have to reminisce about the past? How many know that I¡¯m Ye Zhengru¡¯s son, and how many people know my true identity? Most importantly, whoever cared for the pitiful woman that lived in the countryside of Wei City?¡±


    No one!


    Perhaps, this was karma.


    After standing silently there for a while, Ye Que turned to head west, without any further thought for the General¡¯s Manor. At the very least, he did not look sad or emotional at the very least, as if the decline of the Ye Estate had nothing to do with him at all.


    Ye Que walked with his arms crossed behind his back.


    Red Bean followed closely behind.


    ¡°Was that your home?¡± Red Bean asked suddenly.


    Ye Que did not speak, as if he had not heard her.


    ¡°You mentioned the General¡¯s Manor in the stories you told me before. It should be that manor we were just at, right?¡± Red Bean asked curiously. ¡°You don¡¯t have to deny that. I know just by looking at you; it must be.¡±


    ¡°However, it doesn¡¯t look like how you¡¯ve described it. There seems to be something wrong; there¡¯s no one inside. I tried to sense for any signs of life, but there¡¯s no one within the manor, none at all,¡± Red Bean said.


    ¡°I told you before that the General¡¯s Manor isn¡¯t my home. My home is in Wei City. It just happens that an old man with some connection to me stays there. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore, and he¡¯s dead,¡± Ye Que said very calmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not telling the truth,¡± Red Bean replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, at the very least,¡± Ye Que said.


    ¡°You know, those are two different concepts.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    They went back and forth as they walked along Yong¡¯an Street. The sky was cloudless, and the sunlight was abundant. However, the trees lining the street had shed all of their leaves in anticipation of winter, and the grass along the pavement had already turned yellow and decayed. Even the small river that circled around the city had begun to freeze. One could not see any fish by looking within them. There were no sparrows chirping, and even though there were people teeming around, there was smoke from fires being lit everywhere.


    They walked along Yong¡¯an Street past the Bridge of Long Life. After walking further, two rows of doors appeared in front of them.


    From their decor, one could tell that they belonged to the same owner.


    It was not quite right to call them shops, however. They did not sell anything, and there was no place for one to pay for any kind of service here. This was because they belonged to a seminary.


    The Divine Sect Seminary.


    It was said that some people came to cause trouble on the opening day of the seminary. They blocked the path leading into the Sect, but in reality these people helped to generate publicity for the Divine Sect. At least half of the residents of Luoyang City came to know that a Divine Sect Seminary had been set up on Yong¡¯an Street and that it was teaching methods of cultivation to people for free.


    These were not ¡°body strengthening exercises¡± meant to fool civilians.


    They were cultivation techniques that could really turn one into a ¡°Taoist Immortal¡± of legend.


    In everyone¡¯s minds, it was something far more powerful than the martial arts manuals of Jianghu sects.


    At first, not many people believed this to be true. ¡°After all, was it not true that only young prodigies with great talent could begin cultivation?¡±


    ¡°How could ordinary civilians like us, who are just waiters, errand boys, stall owners, hawkers, blacksmiths, farmers, female singers, students, etc., begin cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Are they joking?¡±


    A few curious people would want to find out for themselves anyway.


    Which gambler did not enter a gambling parlor with hopes of winning money? Even though they knew that the dealer always wins, they were gambling on that one lucky chance.


    The first batch of people who began heading to the Divine Sect Seminary was of the same line of thought. It was free anyway, and they just had to spend some time there. They thought that most likely this was just a gimmick, but what if it was true? They were talking about legendary cultivation methods? If they were lucky and successfully mastered those techniques, wouldn¡¯t they become ¡°Taoist Immortals¡±?


    They could turn stone to gold, ride the clouds and behead their enemies from hundreds of kilometers away¡­


    They felt excited even by thinking about it!


    ¨C

 Chapter 147 - Two Young Women

    Chapter 147 Two Young Women


    The great hall at the first storey of the Divine Sect Seminary was hundreds of meters long.


    The citizens of Luoyang were mostly free in the afternoon. As such, the seminary was already full of people.


    Everyone sat cross-legged and quietly on mats. The great hall had been specially built. Much earlier on, Ye Que had set up a noise-canceling barrier here. As such, commotions from the streets would not affect the meditation of those in the hall.


    Mind Focusing Joss Sticks were lit at each corner of the hall, which was somewhat beneficial to the students¡¯ cultivation. A youth dressed in a long white robe stood in front of the hall and chanted. He was saying the words of breathing technique, but if one observed carefully, one would realize that it was slightly different from that of current sects in the Cultivation World. It did not teach the students to go against Heaven to achieve Dao. Instead, it taught them to go with Nature¡¯s flow and to sense the Laws of Nature.


    Everyone listened carefully and were immersed in the teachings. Some of them had already entered a meditative state, while there were some obvious beginners who were still trying to figure their way out. Some of them looked to be well trained and should be martial artists.


    It was inconsequential anyway. Everyone wore long white robes upon entering the Divine Sect Seminary, and all of them learned the basic cultivation created by Ye Que.


    The technique had been created for any kind of person to practice, and its mantra was all-encompassing and preached mutual assistance.


    As such, there was no fear that it would be stolen. It could be taught even to members of others cultivation sects who came to receive instruction. However, even though Ye Que¡¯s technique could be learned by people from a vast range of talent and constitutions, it was unable to merge with techniques from other sects. One had to start from the very bottom level to learn his technique.


    He strode into the Divine Sect Seminary.


    He was welcomed by the faint smell of incense. It was peaceful and quiet, and his Spiritual Sea began to reverberate slightly as he surveyed his surroundings. The technique taught by Ye Que was derived from the Divine Book and could be considered as a simplified version of the technique written in it. Naturally, he would have some reaction to it. Hundreds of Spiritual Forces of varying intensity drifted slowly and unsteadily toward Ye Que before circling around him, seemingly unwilling to leave.


    The Divine Energy Gold Python swallowed up all of the Spiritual Force before spitting out a purer form back in the reverse direction.


    Those in the hall that had already entered a meditative state could instantly feel the Spiritual Force from Nature gradually intensifying. Those that had not and could not sense Natural Spiritual Force began to feel vaguely enlightened¡­


    The youth in white at the very center of the hall had his back turned and was chanting the breathing technique. He sensed the strange change in the hall and turned, before instantly blanking out.


    A person was standing at the entrance.


    Another was standing at the inner hall.


    They were less than 50 meters away from each other.


    Ye Que¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile, while the youth in white directly sprinted toward him instead. He appeared before Ye Que in the blink of an eye and he gave an expression that he believed was a sunny smile, but in reality was uglier than his crying face. He lifted his arms and wanted to hug Ye Que but did not know how to go about doing that. Eventually, he pounded his fist onto Ye Que¡¯s chest.


    Ye Que gave no reaction after being punched. Instead, he smiled at the youth in white.


    Another punch followed.


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± Ye Que said softly.


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± the youth in white, who was in fact Qian Shuxiao, replied after a long while. He sounded a little as if he was crying. It was not the sound of someone crying as an expression of his deep love or a long awaited reunion, but more like a pure release of emotion.


    None of them spoke for about 15 minutes.


    ¡°I thought you were never coming back. It was said that the entire Imperial Mausoleum was flooded with water from Luo River, and less than 10 percent of practitioners who went there survived. Most of them perished. At first, I did not believe the news, but I did not receive any information even after a few days later, and none of my scouts returned!¡± Qian Shuxiao said after taking into two deep breaths.


    He continued after a pause. ¡°From what I gather, the River Soldier was eventually obtained by Jiang Liuyun of Mount Shu, and he even kidnapped the 15th disciple of the Demon King.¡±


    Ye Que was slightly stunned as he heard this. ¡°How did you know all these?¡±


    Qian Shuxiao looked to both sides. Everyone in the hall had entered meditative states, and those remaining were official disciples that he had nurtured since the creation of the Divine Sect Seminary and worthy of trust. ¡°I obtained my information from the Judicature. My family has close ties with the Crown Prince, and he controls the Judicature. The Deputy Night Timekeeper, Jue Shuo, eventually survived, so I managed to get hold of information that was completely accurate.¡±


    ¡°The Judicature, is it?¡± Ye Que asked as he squinted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that. It¡¯s great that you¡¯re back, and the Divine Sect will only be complete with your return. No one other than you has the right to take that seat.¡± Qian Shuxiao said seriously.


    Even though he was not speaking too loudly in the main hall, his voice was not really soft as well. Anyone on the second level could hear him clearly.


    At nearly the same time when Qian Shuxiao had finished speaking, Qian Shuhua came running down from the second storey.


    She could hear that Ye Que had returned even from upstairs. She instantly flung down her long spear and dashed down the stairs.


    Her hair seemed to have grown even longer since the last time they met. She looked even more valiant, probably due to her training. Qian Shuhua immediately began running toward Ye Que and reached her arms out without even thinking, wanting to hug him.


    Suddenly.


    Qian Shuhua¡¯s body was instantly shifted one body length to her side.


    She failed to hug Ye Que.


    This was because a black umbrella had suddenly appeared before Ye Que and herself. Its tip was incredibly sharp and it was held directly before Ye Que¡¯s chest. If she had really hugged him, she would most likely have been pierced by it.


    It was at this time that the Qian siblings realized that a young lady was standing behind Ye Que. Her looks and figure were stunning, without question, but most importantly, she possessed a unique stature. It was a haughty, noble kind of stature. Qian Shuxiao had seen the Princess before, but even her stature was slightly lesser than this young lady¡¯s.


    Of course it was. Red Bean was a dragon.


    A young dragon maiden from Southland, to boot.


    The Highness of the entire Dragon Clan.


    No ordinary human could be compared to her.


    ¡°He can.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t hug him!¡±


    Red Bean lifted her huge black umbrella before tapping Qian Shuxiao with it and pointing it at his sister. She spoke coldly, as if to say that Ye Que was her private property.


    Her words were extremely assertive, and her actions were very vicious.


    Qian Shuxiao looked at Ye Que and then Red Bean, his expression suddenly turning mischievous. On the other hand, his sister looked as though she was about to explode with anger. She pointed at Red Bean and asked, ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°Who are you then?¡± Red Bean immediately returned the favor without even waiting for Ye Que to reply.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡±


    Ye Que was about to explain when Red Bean directly reached out to shove him to one side with her arm. ¡°You don¡¯t have a right to speak here. Wait there.¡±


    ¡°You dare to hit him?¡± Qian Shuhua¡¯s expression changed. She raised her fists and came charging toward Red Bean.


    ¡°What kind of question is that? I hit him every day, and he doesn¡¯t have any objection to that. Who are you to question me?¡± Red Bean asked. She glanced at Qian Shuhua¡¯s fists and did not even bother to channel her True Energy.

 Chapter 148 - Small Wine Cup

    Chapter 148 Small Wine Cup


    It grew darker gradually.


    The evening sky looked as though it was burning.


    The evening sun turned the entire city scarlet.


    A square pear wood table was placed near the window of the third floor of the Divine Sect Seminary. There were eight dishes with one bowl of soup placed on it, along with a jar of high-quality apricot flower wine and a colorful wine pot that looked as though it was made of sheet metal. Four people sat on each corner of the table. Ye Que was sitting opposite Qian Shuxiao, and Red Bean faced Qian Shuhua.


    Ye Que looked a little awkward at this moment.


    Qian Shuhua was fuming mad; there was no way for her not to be angry. Not long ago, she had gone all out to attack Red Bean, thinking that she could teach this ignorant young woman a lesson. She did not expect to meet her match. Before she even knew what happened, she had already been punched in the face.


    Just one punch created a huge black bruise around her left eye.


    There was a tinge of red in the bruise, and the red parts, in turn, looked a little purplish.


    Even though her looks were still intact, it was somewhat embarrassing for her. Furthermore, she had fought against another woman. Since young, Qian Shuhua hated to lose to women the most, and it was something that she could not accept at all. She still hated Lin Mei¡¯er for snatching Ye Yunhai and beating her up. In fact, she was mulling over it every day and could not wait for the day to make Lin pay for that.


    You could say that she was small-hearted.


    But, anyway, which woman in this world was not small-hearted? Which one of them could be open-minded?


    Most probably, only their bosoms were bigger than men¡¯s.


    Red Bean looked somewhat pleased with herself as she sat at the table. ¡°How dare you try to take me on? Why don¡¯t you look at yourself first? No one in the Divine Sect can win me in a one-on-one battle. Of course, Ye Que is the only exception. Even I can¡¯t decipher him. He¡¯s obviously from a low-level Realm, but his fighting prowess is incredibly huge and he keeps improving every minute, as if he has a never-ending supply of potential,¡± she thought to herself.


    Qian Shuxiao looked very mischievous. He stood up to pour Ye Que a cup of wine before raising the pot of wine toward Red Bean, as if to ask, ¡°Miss, do you drink?¡±


    He did not forget to look at Ye Que after that.


    Ye Que, on the other hand, had already turned his head away, as if it had nothing to do with him at all. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t look at me or don¡¯t look for me. I don¡¯t know anything and can¡¯t control anything. Leave women¡¯s matters to them.¡±


    Red Bean¡¯s lips showed a faint smile, and she pushed the cup beside her arm a little forward.


    Just as Qian Shuxiao was about to pour her some wine, someone slapped the table top. Qian Shuhua was glaring at him as she spoke, ¡°Qian Shuxiao, pour for me first. Don¡¯t you know who your real sister is!¡±


    ¡°This is Red Bean¡¯s first trip to Luoyang, and we have to treat her like guests and do as she wishes,¡± Qian Shuxiao glared at his sister, before saying the expected words, ¡°Can¡¯t you be more mature?¡±


    Qian Shuhua looked at her brother and felt her anger rising. ¡°What sort of guest is she? Who agreed to let her up? Even though Ye Que is the leader of the Divine Sect Seminary, doesn¡¯t this place belong to our family? Or are you saying that my words are rubbish and that you don¡¯t have to listen to them at all?¡±


    She pointed at her black, swollen eye before raising her voice by another decibel. ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen it? She personally hit your sister! Your biological sister! I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a less loyal brother than you out there in this world.¡±


    Qian Shuxiao kept the wine pot raised and could not decide to pour for Red Bean or not. Eventually, he lamented softly, ¡°You struck first, so why are you venting your anger on me after losing?¡±


    Qian Shuhua slapped the table top again and stood up, her manner proof that she was thinking of hitting her own brother.


    She raised her arm, but her rational side told her that she could not strike. She had to remain calm and control herself, for it was not the time to behave so fiercely. She cast a side glance at Red Bean and saw that she was still sitting perfectly still on the stool. She seemed to be smiling, as though she was watching a play.


    ¡°You have to remain calm and poised. You can¡¯t lose out to this woman. You¡¯re the daughter of a respectable family and the little princess of the Qian family. The riches of your family can rival that of kingdoms, and you shouldn¡¯t compare with her,¡± Qian Shuhua thought as she took in a deep breath. She really managed to control her anger. At the very least, she had already stopped looking angry.


    Qian Shuhua tried hard to eke out a grin before snatching the wine pot away from her brother¡¯s hands. ¡°Anyone who comes here from afar is a guest. Since it¡¯s your first time to Luoyang, you have to taste this apricot flower wine. Let me fill your cup for you.¡±


    She filled the cup beside Red Bean¡¯s arm as she spoke, and it nearly overflowed.


    She then turned to fill her own cup, and it was also brimming with wine.


    After pouring, Qian Shuhua directly placed the pot of wine to one side, without even pouring some for her own brother. She instantly lifted her own wine cup, saying, ¡°A palace was built in the nine heavens, and everyone attended the coronation.¡±


    ¡°These words symbolize the Divine Capital, Luoyang. Here, only things that you¡¯ve never expected will happen, nothing less. There¡¯s an abundance of food and clothes here, and you should do whatever makes you happy. All your expenses will be covered by our family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll toast to you, bottoms up!¡±


    Qian Shuhua raised her head without even waiting for Red Bean to reply. She drank all of the apricot flower wine in her cup into her stomach.


    Qian Shuhua began to understand now that she could compete with Red Bean in other ways since she could not beat her in a fight. Having been born in a mercantile family, she had gotten used to seeing such ¡°drinking competitions¡± since a young age. In fact, she took part in them since she was seven, and perhaps due to her outstanding ¡°talent¡±, she was nearly immune to being drunk. Now, it looked as though she was going to get one back over Red Bean by drinking.


    Red Bean was still smiling as she stared straight at Qian Shuhua. She raised her cup and drained its contents without even looking at them.


    ¡°The guest shall do as the host suggests,¡± Red Bean said very calmly after drinking the cup of wine.


    She then added, ¡°This is not the first time I¡¯ve been to Luoyang. I¡¯ve been here before.¡±


    The two young ladies looked quietly at each other, neither of them paying any attention to Ye Que or Qian Shuxiao. In fact, the latter¡¯s cup was still empty. He looked awkwardly at the pot of wine which was out of his reach. No one seemed to pass it to him, however.


    Sparks seemed to be flying in the air.


    Qian Shuxiao sighed and shook his head before heading downstairs to get himself another pot of wine.


    Just like this, in the blink of an eye, he realized that the multi-colored sheet metal wine pot was completely empty when he returned. Qian Shuhua did not fill it up again. Instead, she placed the jar of wine directly beside her arm.


    ¡°The wine cup¡¯s too small, and it¡¯s not good enough. Why don¡¯t we switch to bowls?¡± Qian Shuhua pointed to the wine cup beside her arm as she spoke, before looking at Red Bean as if she was taunting her.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything. As you please,¡± Red Bean said nonchalantly.


    ¡°Great. Wait,¡± Qian Shuhua immediately ran off, seemingly to find a bowl, as if she was afraid Red Bean would change her mind. Obviously, it was not going to be any ordinary bowl.


    ¡°Ms. Red Bean, my sister¡¯s a little¡­¡± Qian Shuxiao hurriedly explained after seeing that his sister had left. It was obvious that Red Bean had an uncommon relationship with Ye Que, and there had to be something between them. As such, he could simply allow his sister to have her way.


    Fruit that was forcibly plucked would not be sweet.


    Without waiting for Qian Shuxiao to finish speaking, Red Bean had interrupted him. ¡°No matter, I like to drink anyway. I can quench my thirst anyhow.¡±

 Chapter 149 - On the Roof in a Cold, Moonlit Night

    It took 15 minutes for Qian Shuhua to return with two bowls in hand.


    The bowls looked ordinary, but they were as wide as three fists. Ordinarily, they would be used to hold noodles, and even brash martial artists and mountain bandits rarely used them for drinking liquor. Even though stories frequently described drinking by the bowls and eating in big mouthfuls, one would still have to choose the right size of drinking bowl or cup to avoid death by intoxication.


    Qian Shuxiao¡¯s expression immediately changed as he saw the bowls Qian Shuhua was bringing over. ¡°Sister, how could you use that for drinking? Let¡¯s stop this foolishness, alright? Normal cups are good enough.¡±


    Qian Shuhua placed the bowls on the table without even bothering about her brother. Her eyebrows arched as she said, ¡°What do you think about using these bowls for drinking? If you think they¡¯re too big, I can change them. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem; not everyone can use them for drinking, you should judge your own abilities. There¡¯s a saying that¡¯s very true¡ªtake one step back and you¡¯ll realize how small your troubles are.¡±


    Red Bean pouted as she swept her gaze across the bowls, seeming a little disdainful of it. ¡°It¡¯ll be too much trouble switching bowls again. It¡¯ll do.¡±


    She picked up one of the bowls and filled it loudly with wine before sizing them up. ¡°In fact, it could be even larger.¡±


    Red Bean signaled to Qian Shuhua, and gulped down the wine in her bowl heroically without even bothering to toast. She even let out a long sigh after drinking, as if she was greatly unsatisfied.


    Drinking in this manner was fitting for her character.


    In fact, there was no need for any of the two young ladies to toast each other. They were obviously competing to see who would get drunk first. Tonight, only one of them could walk out of the Divine Sect Seminary sober. No one took even one bite of the dishes placed on the table, and the two ladies drank bowl after bowl of wine, each time draining the contents of their bowls in one mouthful.


    By the time it was dusk, they had already drunk two huge jars of apricot flower wine on the third storey of the seminary.


    The fragrance of the wine pervaded the air.


    Neither of the ladies sitting by the table admitted fear. In fact, their expressions were completely unchanged, as if they were drinking plain water instead of liquor.


    Even though apricot flower wine was not the strongest form of liquor, it was known for its after kick.


    Both Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao drank a few cups of wine as well. They spent most of their time looking at the other two compete, and it was an eye-opening experience for them. In fact, Ye Que knew that he was not a match for many people when it came to drinking. One¡¯s level of cultivation counted for little, and really good drinkers were born, not cultivated.


    Some people were born with a constitution that allowed them to consume large amounts of liquor without being intoxicated. This had nothing to do with one¡¯s gender.


    Red Bean was born of the Dragon Clan, and she was a dragon girl from Southland. The amount of liquor she could consume was predictably huge.


    However, he never expected that Qian Shuhua¡¯s capacity for liquor was so terrifying. It looked like that the last time they drank together was not a proper indication for her true drinking ability. During that time, she was heart-broken and was ¡°intoxicated¡± before she had even begun drinking. Her heart was intoxicated with sorrow, and it had nothing to do with her constitution.


    This time, it was different. She was out to compete.


    It was a battle of spirits.


    Winter in Luoyang was warmer than that of Northern You, but it was still winter anyway. At night, the temperature in the Divine Sect Seminary gradually dropped.


    Chu Dongnan had not left all this while. He walked stealthily up to the third storey and came up to Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao. ¡°Sect Leader, Elder, it¡¯s getting dark. Should I get more charcoal urns? The temperature in Luoyang over these few days will be very cold. Ice has started to form in some places.¡±


    Ye Que glanced at the two young ladies beside him who were still competing with each other and shook his head. ¡°Forget it, and I don¡¯t think we need more urns of charcoal. They¡¯ll be feeling extremely warm after drinking such huge amounts of liquor. Why would they feel cold?¡±


    Ye Que paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s getting late; you should be heading home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Chief. It¡¯ll be alright even if I don¡¯t go back; there¡¯s no one home anyone. I might as well continue training in the seminary,¡± Chu Dongnan replied softly.


    Ye Que took a close look at Chu Dongnan after listening to him. He was the first disciple that Ye Que had selected externally within Luoyang. Chu used to be a hooligan who used to smuggle salt, yet he slowly improved from an official Divine Sect Seminary disciple to become a practitioner of peak Later Heaven then half Psychic Realm level. All this while, Ye Que had continued to observe the youth¡¯s progress.


    He patted Chu Dongnan¡¯s shoulder lightly and did not speak further, as if he had made a choice.


    He turned his head back toward the table. The two ladies were already in the heated stages of competition.


    ¡°Qian Shuxiao, go fetch another two jars of wine. We won¡¯t leave until we¡¯re wasted today,¡± Qian Shuhua shouted loudly as she slapped the table.


    ¡°Get more wine!¡± Red Bean shouted. She did not speak much, but her words were loud and clear.


    ¡°It¡¯s too hot here, and it¡¯s not conducive for drinking. Follow me,¡± Qian Shuhua said as she poked Red Bean.


    Without even so much as acknowledging the presence of Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao, the two ladies climbed up the rooftop of the Divine Sect Seminary.


    Luckily, Ye Que had sharp sensory abilities and directly sensed movement on the roof.


    He had no choice but to accompany them.


    What else could he do? He could not possibly strike or scold them.


    There was some wind during the day in Luoyang. It was rather strong; all of the wind in the skies had been blown away.


    There were no clouds for thousands of kilometers in the starry night sky. A full moon hung high above them.


    Under the cool wind and bright moon, four youths sat on the roof of the Divine Sect Seminary. Three jars of wine were beside them. Red Bean and Qian Shuhua each had a jar to themselves, while Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao shared a jar among themselves.


    Qian Shuxiao was the first to speak. He lifted his head and looked at the starry sky, saying, ¡°Brother Ye, what kind of life would be the most perfect and comfortable to you?¡±


    Ye Que did not expect that Qian Shuxiao would ask him about such a thing. He thought that the youth would ask him about what he saw in the Imperial Mausoleum.


    Ye Que shook his head after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°I¡¯m not very clear on what kind of life is the best. I¡¯m still searching for it, I guess.¡±


    ¡°The question sounds simple, but it¡¯s the most difficult kind to answer,¡± Ye Que replied languidly before glancing at Qian Shuxiao. ¡°What do you think? What¡¯s the best kind of life, or rather, the kind of life that you¡¯re most looking forward to having?¡±


    Qian Shuxiao lifted his head to gaze at the night sky. ¡°Tending to horses on the plains is a lifestyle that¡¯ll be free of stress, love, hate or vengeance. I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with Jianghu tricksters and family feuds. All I have to be concerned about is whether my horse is still with me. I¡¯m lazy, so I¡¯ll only tend to one horse; it¡¯ll be troublesome if there are too many of them. I won¡¯t even be able to count them.¡±


    Qian Shuxiao patted Ye Que and continued, ¡°Think about it carefully, we can sleep while the horse grazes. How good is that?¡±


    Ye Que smiled and remained silent.


    Qian Shuhua, who was beside him, suddenly spoke up. ¡°What¡¯s so good about that? Sleeping while your horse is grazing? What kind of life is that? Can you get any lazier than that?¡±


    ¡°What kind of life do you wish to have then?¡± Qian Shuxiao glared somewhat angrily at his sister.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a life where I venture into everything bravely,¡± Qian Shuhua replied without giving it any thought.


    ¡°No matter what kind of difficulty I encounter, even if I end up without anything left after my struggles, I will face it with grace and courage. This is called faith and strength.¡±


    ¡°Bottoms up!¡±


    Qian Shuhua was sitting on the roof and cradling a jar of wine in one hand. She stretched the other arm out, as if she wanted to embrace the entire night sky.


    By this time, Red Bean¡¯s cheeks had already turned slightly red. The after effects of apricot flower wine had finally taken effect on the young dragon girl. ¡°Bottoms up,¡± she said.


    She looked at Red Bean and suddenly remarked, ¡°I seem to be taking a liking to you now. You¡¯re really free-spirited; you¡¯re the first person to drink in this manner with me since I was young!¡±


    Red Bean looked at Qian Shuhua and smiled as she spoke up, ¡°Since young, you¡¯re the only person who dares to say she likes me.¡±


    Both young ladies were a little intoxicated by now, and they began to sway unsteadily.


    Both Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao did not reach out to support them. Both ladies had strong cultivation bases and were heroines with great capacities for drinking. Even if they wanted to, they did not dare to support them. Even if they fell downstairs, they would be alright. A fall of 13 storeys would not be any problem for them, much less three storeys.


    ¡°Have you been stressed lately?¡± Ye Que asked Qian Shuxiao in a low voice. The youth had not dreamt of being a horse tender in the past, and if it had not been the fact there was something on his mind, he would not have such thoughts.


    ¡°Devils have already started to invade Northern You,¡± Qian Shuxiao said.


    ¡°I know, and I have already encountered them there. I personally saw devils starting to infiltrate Truth Cultivation sects,¡± Ye Que said.


    ¡°Then you must not know that there are devils in Luoyang as well, and that they have already infiltrated the royal palace,¡± Qian Shuxiao said, revealing an earth-shattering piece of information. ¡°His Majesty was killed by one of them, and Imperial Concubine Dou has been certified to be devil spawn. She entered the palace at the age of 11 and remained in hiding for 21 years.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get these information from?¡± Ye Que asked.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will be coronated shortly, and he¡¯ll become the next Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.¡±


    Qian Shuxiao did not reply directly but instead revealed another piece of secret information. He laughed bitterly after speaking.


    The Qian family had always been the greatest supporters of the Crown Prince, and naturally, it would be rewarded adequately. However, the rise of the Qian family was besides the question. It may not be the effect Qian Shuxiao wanted. After all, he was the only heir apparent from the third generation of Qians.


    Most likely, he would be forced to do many things that he was unwilling to do, as well as give up plenty of things he wanted to do, for the future of his family.


    For example, the Divine Sect Seminary.


    To the Qian family elders, it did not matter what Qian Shuxiao did when the Crown Prince was merely the Crown Prince; the family gave him time to act as the son from a rich family. However, when the Crown Prince was about to crowned Emperor, Qian Shuxiao could not continue to have his own way. Even the time he spent on cultivation had to be restricted; he needed to spend more time to support the new Emperor¡¯s ascension, and even Old Master Qian could not change this fact. This was because even he himself was engulfed by it.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has something to do with the old Emperor¡¯s death?¡± Ye Que asked after thinking for a while.


    Qian Shuxiao shook his head. ¡°From what I know, he doesn¡¯t have anything to do with it. However, the deaths of the 200 thousand Ye Army soldiers have something to do with the old Emperor and the Second Prince. If I¡¯m not wrong, the incident was plotted by them. Only, I don¡¯t know when the devils appeared.¡±


    Qian Shuxiao paused for a while before continuing, ¡°At the very least, they shouldn¡¯t have allowed the citizens of You Prefecture to die such terrible deaths.¡±


    ¡°Do you not like the Crown Prince?¡±


    ¡°He killed all of his brother last night, leaving none of them alive. He already has a daughter who possesses the Battle Soul of their Sacred Ancestors, and the throne will be his no matter what happens. Why did so much blood have to be shed?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he didn¡¯t wish for any accident to happen. After all, it¡¯s the throne to the Tang Dynasty, and the most authoritative post in the Divine Land.¡±


    Ye Que suddenly asked a question. ¡°A daughter who possesses the Sacred Ancestor¡¯s Battle Soul? Who is she?¡±


    Qian Shuxiao paused for a while before replying, ¡°I heard that she¡¯s known as Li Jianqi. She grew up in the Silent Monastery and loves eating swords and riding fish.¡±

 Chapter 150 - Im Your Boss

    Chapter 150 I¡¯m Your Boss


    This very night, Qian Shuhua held Red Bean back and drank throughout the night.


    Ye Que could no longer remember how much they actually drank, but he knew that they had made many trips bringing down empty jars of apricot flower wine and replacing them with full ones. Eventually, when both ladies were sufficiently high, they began talking about everything and anything. Qian Shuhua told Red Bean about many disgraceful things that happened to her when she was young, and Red Bean told about a certain nation at the South Sea, where many pink flowers would blossom on the sea bed in spring.


    Qian Shuxiao sat on the rooftop and told Ye Que truthfully about the incidents and changes experienced by the Divine Sect Seminary during his absence. He also gave Ye Que a small grey booklet in which he had recorded a few secret plans he had made for the sect.


    He had purchased hundreds of properties under the name of the Divine Sect in the capital, nine cities and 16 prefectures.


    213 official disciples of the sect were now roaming the world, after mastering the cultivation technique created by Ye Que.


    The Divine Sect already had tens of thousands of registered students, and thousands of them could already sense the channeling of Nature¡¯s Laws and had stepped on the path of cultivation.


    A sudden change was happening to the civilians of Luoyang.


    After keeping Ye Que updated, Qian Shuxiao entered the royal palace during the night.


    The post of Palace Attendant was promised by the Crown Prince for the Qian family¡¯s third generation heir. To ensure that the Crown Prince could successfully be coronated, the Qian family had poured everything in, nearly spending half of their assets.


    At the very same night, Ye Que summoned Chu Dongnan, who remained behind in the seminary, to an isolated room after sending Qian Shuxiao away. Both of them chatted in the room for two whole hours, after which, Chu Dongnan left Luoyang in the night and traveled north.


    After leaving Luoyang, Chu Dongnan¡¯s aura grew extremely strange. The Divine Book technique that he learned seemed to have completely vanished overnight and was unexpectedly replaced by another form of energy. It was extremely weird and profound.


    It grew bright gradually.


    The two ladies on the roof had not came down during this time. They should have fallen asleep on the roof, or perhaps they were drunk.


    The emerging sun appeared a little white underneath, and people began walking across Yong¡¯an Street toward the Divine Sect Seminary. At first, there were only a few scattered people, but as the skies grew brighter, more people arrived. In the short span of an hour, the entire exterior area of the seminary was full of people. The queue snaked all the way to the Bridge of Long Life, and there were at least a few thousand people in the queue.


    When the first ray of sunlight fell on the roof of the seminary, all of its doors opened. Dozens of doors belonging to shops which stretched for hundreds of meters on both sides of Yong¡¯an Street opened, but there was nobody behind them.


    Even though the Divine Sect Seminary had amazed everyone, this magical scene was still a little surprising for the onlookers.


    When Qian Shuxiao was around, he took charge of instructing the disciples of the seminary in the method of cultivation every morning, and he demonstrated a few basic breathing techniques. Sometimes, he would teach them sets of comparably simple boxing and sword techniques. Now that he had gone to the royal palace, naturally Ye Que was the one who would take his place.


    Come to think of it, Ye Que was the leader of the Divine Sect Seminary.


    Even though he was a very irresponsible one.


    Dressed completely in white, Ye Que stood on the demonstration platform on the first storey and looked downward with an energetic gaze.


    He took in a deep breath before saying, ¡°I¡¯m Ye Que. Many of you may not recognize me, but it¡¯s fine. Soon, all of you will get to know me, and from today onward, all demonstrations in the seminary will be in charge by me.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, all of you will say, who am I? What right does an immature brat have to instruct us? What right do you have?¡± Ye Que said calmly. ¡°It¡¯s very normal to think like that. If I were you, I would also have the same thoughts, and perhaps, they would be even more intense than yours.¡±


    ¡°However, I can tell you very confidently that I have the right. This is because the Divine Sect techniques that all of you have been practicing were created by me. If you want to ask me who am I? I can only reply that here, in the Divine Sect Seminary¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Ye Que pointed to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m your boss, and the sect leader of the Divine Sect Seminary.¡±


    His words stirred up a huge wave of emotions. Nearly all of the people who had come so early to the seminary to train were loyal students, and naturally they were very clear on the matters of the seminary. When Ye Que left Luoyang, he had only appeared in the seminary only once before, on its opening day. Then, there were only a handful of attendees, and even less heard about his demonstration. Most of those who came later after hearing about the seminary¡¯s reputation only saw Qian Shuxiao, however.


    No matter whether it was the teaching of techniques or lecturing on cultivation, Qian Shuxiao took complete charge of them. Sometimes, the more senior disciples like Chu Dongnan would assist him, but no one ever saw Ye Que appear.


    Even though Qian Shuxiao had been calling himself as the First Elder of the seminary, he was the Sect Leader and the boss in everyone¡¯s minds.


    Now, someone had suddenly appeared and stood before everyone, claiming that he was the leader of the Divine Sect Seminary and their boss. Most importantly, he was still a youth, a youth who still could not grow a beard!


    It was hard to convince everyone of this status.


    A fantasy.


    No one spoke, and no one replied. Most of the people who had arrived were from the bottom class of Luoyang¡¯s civilian population. It was free to train in the seminary. Firstly, it did not collect any fees, secondly, it did not force them to kill or commit crimes, and lastly, it did not restrict their personal freedoms.


    What did they have to be unsatisfied about?


    However, the distrust in their eyes was unconcealable.


    Naturally, Ye Que had observed this, but he did not explain himself. There was no need to; one had to show one¡¯s own ability to become a boss, no matter the moment.


    He channeled the Divine Energy Gold Python in his spiritual sea and let the aura of his Divine Book Technique envelop the entire area. The people did not have to speak and could immediately sense just by spiritual connection alone that the youth on the platform did not change in the least bit, but his aura had undergone a drastic transformation.


    ¡°The laws of Nature emphasize going with the flow of things. Water flows East and rowing with the tide will help you save energy. Going against the flow will cause you to retreat instead of advance¡­¡±


    The trip to the Imperial Mausoleum had increased Ye Que¡¯s level greatly and gave him a deeper understanding of the Divine Book. Naturally, he had more insight into the Divine Book Technique he created originally, and he had already begun to continue refining it.


    The Divine Book that Ye Que was learning demanded a lot of its practitioners¡¯ talent and even more of his or her powers of comprehension. If Ye Que did not possess the combined potential of two lifetimes, he would probably not even have gained a fundamental understanding of the book. Furthermore, there was only one copy of it that existed in this world, and no one knew if future advancement of the technique depended on the assistance of the Divine Book.


    As such, the techniques that Ye Que himself practiced were not suitable for these disciples.


    Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao¡¯s original intention was to design a set of cultivation method for Divine Sect Seminary students that was the simplest, practical and comprehensive. Also, Ye Que himself had begun to practice it himself, and it now looked like the effects were rather good. At the very least, no one underwent energy deviation when learning the technique that he created.


    ¡°Just now, I explained the entry level cultivation technique to everyone. I¡¯ll name it as the ¡®First Stage of the Divine Sect¡¯.¡± Since it was a set of cultivation technique that he spent much effort to create, naturally he had to give it a name. Previously, he had not done so because he was in a hurry to reach the Imperial Mausoleum. It just happened that he had time on his hands last night and decided on the name of ¡°First Stage of the Divine Sect¡± with Qian Shuxiao.


    The ¡°First Stage of the Divine Sect¡± was meant for entry level use and could help ordinary people reach the Pre-celestial Realm. It could be considered as a top level secret manual if released to Jianghu. The goal of ordinary Rank Nine martial artists was to reach this realm, and as such, during this period of time, even the disciples of martial arts sects, aside from ordinary civilians, came forth to learn it after hearing about its reputation. To them, it was the first time they had heard of such a method of teaching, which completely did not ask for anything in return.


    This was a great deal that had just fallen into their lap.


    Both Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao did not restrict them from coming. Since they had claimed that everyone could learn their methods, and had an equal chance to change their fate, naturally, they would not treat anyone differently.


    Of course, the fame of the Divine Sect had just recently been spread among civilians, and did not cause a stir in the Cultivation World. Which cultivation sect did not have an entry level technique that allowed its disciples to reach Pre-celestial Realm?


    Who cared?


    However, the only difference was that the First Stage of the Divine Sect was not concerned about the practitioner¡¯s aptitude. As long as one spent the effort to comprehend it and trained hard, at the very least, one would be able to sense the existence of Nature¡¯s Spiritual Force. The only difference was how much one could sense.


    In the short span of an hour, the First Realm of the Divine Sect gradually arrived with Ye Que¡¯s lecture.


    Those that who had difficulties in understanding and comprehension were suddenly enlightened.


    Everyone present began to change their view of Ye Que somewhat; they were beginning to revere him. He was teaching them the same ¡°First Stage of the Divine Sect¡± technique, yet there was such a great difference when Ye Que spoke about it. The difference was vast.


    ¡°Looks like this youth could really be the creator of the technique. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to lecture about it in such great detail.¡±


    ¡°He can speak about it really well. Before, I had certain parts about the technique that I couldn¡¯t understand, but now I understand perfectly well.¡±


    ¡°He is a Master. Otherwise, why would he dare claim to be our boss? No one would do that without some actual skill.¡±


    Ye Que¡¯s expression remained completely unchanged as he listened to the soft discussions happening below. He continued to behave calmly. ¡°Today¡¯s lesson will end here. We¡¯ll continue tomorrow, and if anyone still has any doubts, you can stay back later for a personal explanation.¡±


    Ye Que gave an official disciple who was standing below the platform a signal after speaking. ¡°The purpose of learning this technique is to strengthen one¡¯s body, but Cultivators have a responsibility to rid the world of demons and devils. It¡¯s not our intention for anyone of you to only be able to cultivate your skills, but be incapable of using them in reality. As such, from now on, the seminary will teach you how to fight.¡±


    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll begin with saber technique.¡±


    ¡°I call it ¡®The Three Basic Sabers¡¯.¡±


    ¡°First Mountain Splitting Saber.¡±


    ¡°Second Water Splitting Saber.¡±


    ¡°Third Heaven Splitting Saber.¡±


    Ye Que lifted his hand and made a gentle hooking motion as he spoke. A saber flew into his hand, and he generated the force capable of splitting a mountain in two with one stroke. A great force was condensed on the blade of the saber, and he moved it very slowly so that everyone could see its movements clearly. The goal of his stroke was extremely intense, however. After completing his stroke, he shifted the blade and made a horizontal slash. The energy from his saber transformed into an arc, and it split a stream of water in two. Before the stroke was finished, he had already leaped into the air. The third stroke was a slashing motion strong enough to split the heavens into two.


    The Three Entry Level Saber Strokes originated from the Nine Entry Level Sword Strokes of Qingqiu Sword Sect. Ye Que had refined and condensed them, and they seemed simple, but one would have to put in great effort to master them. It was his first assignment for these students, and also a test of their character.


    After his demonstration, the surrounding turned completely silent.


    However, a flurry of noisy footsteps suddenly came from behind the doors. Dozens of soldiers dressed in military official¡¯s garb pushed the crowd aside and walked into the seminary.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Ye Que?¡±

 Chapter 151 - You Need to Have Proof to Arrest Someone

    Chapter 151 You Need to Have Proof to Arrest Someone


    ¡°Court of Judicial Review is here for official work, and all people uninvolved stand to one side.¡±


    The low and serious tone gave the speaker an air of authority. Dozens of his men stood at the doors with sabers hanging by their waists. From their official dress, however, they were evidently from two different departments. Most of them were obviously bailiffs from the Luoyang Court of Judicial Review, while the rest strangely seemed to be important personnel from the military department.


    Since the past, civilians never fought with officials. Even though they might have their own ideas, and might not be willing to give way, not many of them had the guts to protest to the bailiffs. A passageway wide enough for two people to pass through quickly emerged from the path from the entrance of the seminary up to the platform. Everyone¡¯s gaze was fixed outside the doors.


    As the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, He Fei actually did not wish to get involved in this troublesome matter.


    The investigation of the Generals¡¯ Manor could already be considered as having been concluded in private earlier on. One had to know that even with the old Emperor¡¯s support, everyone was still wary when holding the investigation. It was easy to search and seize the manor, but there might be traps waiting for them there. Even though the 200 thousand strong Ye Army had left Luoyang, and the old General himself had passed on, there was no guarantee that some dead soldiers or disciples would be waiting for them.


    The extermination of an entire clan had always been a taboo subject.


    Unless there was a way to ensure that there would be no loose ends left, and that there would be any aftermath.


    When the investigation had progressed to the halfway mark, news of the demise of the entire Ye Army in You Prefecture spread silently, and it was at this moment that He Fei regained his senses. He knew that the Emperor was trying to wipe out the entire Ye clan in one sweep.


    ¡°The old Ye Family is doomed!¡±


    This was the first reaction He Fei had. Without even waiting for his superiors to pass down their instructions, the efficiency of the Court of Judicial Review¡¯s investigation suddenly amplified. Overnight, the entire manor was searched cleanly, and everyone remaining in it was imprisoned in a huge dungeon. Even the young maids and attendants were not spared. The only person who managed to escape the dragnet was probably Xiao Huating; she was nowhere to be found even after a comprehensive search of the whole manor.


    The maids who had served her before revealed after questioning that Xiao Huating had never appeared in the manor after Master Ye Yunhai went out on an expedition with the Ye Army. It was as if she had vanished.


    In fact, there was something else that made He Fei somewhat suspicious. How could the established Ye Family, which had roamed the Tang Dynasty for dozens of years, not resist in the least bit when it was about to be destroyed? Their enemies had not even met with a respectable soldier, and it seemed to be even weaker than normal mercantile families.


    It had nearly surrendered without even fighting.


    ¡°Could it be that the Sun is going to set in the West now?¡±


    ¡°How could a noble family respected by the court end up in such a bad state?¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t even a loyal soldier present to guard the manor!¡±


    The Court of Judicial Review had nearly sent all of its officials to the General¡¯s Manor, but upon arriving, they realized that they had overdone things.


    The case looked to be closed, but both the old Emperor and the Court of Judicial Review knew that things were not as simple as they seemed. They did not even have to think hard to know that some survivor from the Ye Family would emerge to get their revenge.


    If the survivors could stomach such grievance, then the soul of the Ye Family could really be considered as destroyed.


    As such certain people were already marked by the old Emperor in his secret edict as Blood Colored Fugitives. The edict could not be revealed to public, but if they were to be discovered, they could be severely punished or even slain on the spot.


    The list of fugitives included Xiao Huating, Ye Yunhai, the old generals of the Ye Army, and of course, Ye Que, the illegitimate son of the late general.


    To the Court of Judicial Review, it was completely impossible to conceal Ye Que¡¯s identity. It had originally predicted him to die in the Imperial Mausoleum, however, and none of its officials expected him to return to Luoyang.


    The city guard had seen Ye Que¡¯s official documents yesterday, but he did not act immediately because he had to seek confirmation on the information he had gathered. It reached the Court of Judicial Review only today, and it had been passed to He Fei.


    He did not hesitate at all. He gathered his men and charged directly to search for Ye Que.


    As for the men from the military department, most of them who were present at the seminary worked for the old Emperor and the Second Prince. They played a part in the destruction of the Ye Family and naturally felt nervous about Ye Que¡¯s appearance. As such, they would definitely come to survey the situation.


    The Court of Judicial Review had a portrait of Ye Que, therefore He Fei could immediately identify the youth on the platform with one look. With a wave of his hand, three bailiffs charged forward.


    ¡°Hold it.¡±


    ¡°What are you people doing?¡±


    ¡°This is the Divine Sect Seminary, and no one is allowed to do as he or she pleases here!¡±


    Naturally, ordinary students of the seminary would not dare to defy the officials, but the official disciples would not simply stand and watch. They were once hooligans who lived off the streets, and they did not really fear bailiffs on duty at all.


    Did it mean that a court handling an investigation did not have to play by the rules?


    The three bailiffs were immediately stopped before Ye Que even spoke.


    He Fei¡¯s trusted lieutenants were handling a big investigation, and those that dared to step up to seize Ye Que had some skills.


    The three bailiffs were of Rank 2 martial artist level, and they did not use any weapons, but their hands were moving. One of them immediately used a Dragon Claw Move to lock up the disciple blocking him, and he reached his foot out forward. The bailiff then channeled internal force throughout his entire body, intending to subdue the disciple in one move. Even though they were at the Divine Sect Seminary, and it seemed to be a place where martial arts were being taught, one look told them that they were surrounded by ordinary streets and shops. Whoever heard that real martial arts would be taught here. What a joke!


    However, he no longer thought that this place was a joke in the next second.


    First, his Dragon Claw completely missed its target, and his feet seemed to have struck a metallic object. Even his internal strength seemed to have instantly frozen up, and a strange aura was directly surging upward from his feet to his chest.


    His throat felt a little warm.


    The bailiff knew that he had met an expert, and his opponent was at least one rank higher than himself.


    The same thing happened to the other two bailiffs. All of them suffered the same fate.


    It would be a miracle if they did not. If Rank 2 martial artists could survive a fight against Pre-celestial Realm practitioners, it was because the practitioners let them have it easy. All of the official disciples who stood beside Ye Que were hooligans who had entered the Divine Sect when it was set up. They began training the earliest, and got the most resources. Naturally, they had achieved more. Currently, most of them had already entered into Pre-celestial Realm, and those that progressed the furthest, like Chu Dongnan, who had left Luoyang, were already quickly reaching Psychic Realm.


    The Divine Sect cultivation technique created by Ye Que sounded very simple, and there were no unique parts to it when one began to learn it, but if one managed to calm oneself down and train hard, one would quickly realize its uniqueness. After all, it was a technique refined from the Divine Book, and there was no other technique that was a match for it.


    Ye Que divided the technique he created into nine realms. The First Realm of the Divine Sect corresponded with the Pre-celestial Realm, and the second with the Post-celestial realm, followed by the third, which matched the Psychic Realm. Based on this calculation, Ye Que, who was currently at the Starburst Realm, had already mastered the Divine Sect Technique up till the fourth stage.


    ¡°Who dares to prevent the Court of Judicial Review from its investigation? Do you want to be locked up?¡± He Fei frowned and grunted coldly after seeing his trusted lieutenants losing.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Court of Judicial Review have to follow rules even when it¡¯s investigating a case? Since you¡¯re talking about an investigation, what is it all about? Do you have an arrest warrant? Did our Sect Leader kill anyone or commit arson? Do you have proof? Also, how can you prove your identity as a member of the Court? Where¡¯s your waist token? We can¡¯t allow you to bring him back with you just because of your words,¡± said someone called Lin Dashu. His name sounded as though he was honest and simple, but in reality, he was extremely devious and entered the Divine Sect a long time ago. He was also quick-witted, and as such, he was earmarked by Qian Shuxiao for extra cultivation. Last night, before leaving, he even mentioned about Lin to Ye Que.


    ¡°You have a sharp tongue,¡± said an important Military Department official standing behind He Fei in a low voice. ¡°How can ordinary citizens like you ask us to prove our identities?¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to die?¡±


    Perhaps it was due to the fact that the men from the Military Department were always treated with respect, even by veteran, fearsome generals and soldiers. They even nodded or bowed as a show of respect, so what more Lin Dashu, a mere seminary disciple, who dared to ask about their token and proof of identity?


    Since when did the Court of Judicial Review allow the suspect to question them while carrying out an arrest with the Military Department?


    They determined whether the suspects were guilty or not. Even after being imprisoned, they could still be judged as guilty.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t prove your identity, you can never hope to arrest anyone here,¡± Lin Dashu replied, his expression having changed a little. He made a few hand signals behind his back before turning to glance at Ye Que.


    ¡°Impudence!¡±


    ¡°How could our official dress be fake? We have an esteemed guest from the Military Department, kneeled down, quickly!¡± He Fei chided as he took a step forward, his voice breaking while speaking.


    ¡°Who can prove that he¡¯s from the Military Department? Also, who says official dresses can¡¯t be counterfeited? We now have reason to suspect that you people held bailiffs from the Court of Judicial Review under hostage and seized official dresses from the court,¡± Lin Dashu said before looking around him and continuing in a loud voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you think so, everybody? They must be fake, since they cannot produce any waist token or proof of their identities. They would have been impersonating then, and what sort of penalty would a fake court official have? Death!¡±


    Before Lin¡¯s voice died down, the people around him have already started to reply.


    ¡°They don¡¯t have any waist tokens or order tables. They must be fake.¡±


    ¡°Could they be bandits?¡±


    ¡°I wonder how many bailiffs and important officials must have been kidnapped to gather so many uniforms. This is really something!¡±


    The sounds of discussion rose and fell, and very quickly, the great hall had turned as noisy as a market. The expressions of He Fei and the important Military Department officials had turned dark by now.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    He Fei suddenly roared. ¡°This is my waist token. Take a good look and see if it belongs to the Court of Judicial Review?¡±


    A purplish-black waist token shot through the air and hurtled toward Lin Dashu. He Fei had secretly infused a stream of chilly internal energy in it, but Lin Dashu acted as if it was no big deal. He reached out to receive the token with his hand before looking carefully up and down and on both sides of the token. After that, he even turned it upside down for further observation.


    ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± He Fei asked in a chilly voice. ¡°Can I arrest my suspect now?¡±


    Lin Dashu¡¯s lips broke into a grin as he raised his head to look at He Fei. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen enough of it yet, and you can¡¯t take your suspect as well.¡±


    Seeing that He Fei¡¯s expression was turning increasingly ugly, Lin Dashu further explained, ¡°Wait a minute, I¡¯ll get someone else to look at it.¡±


    He even remembered to add salt to the other party¡¯s wounds, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t read!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t read?¡±


    He Fei felt that he had been fooled. If he could not read, why did he want to examine the waist token? Was this person not out to fool him?


    He Fei could not bear this anymore. He let out a breath of air angrily and roared, ¡°Seize the suspect!¡±


    Dozens of bailiffs from the Court of Judicial Review dashed out from behind him just as his voice rang out. 10 of them blocked Lin Dashu and the other official disciples, while the rest of them dashed in the direction of the platform. It looked as though they wanted to devour Ye Que alive.


    At this moment, someone tapped He Fei¡¯s shoulder lightly. A clear woman¡¯s voice could be heard beside him, ¡°Tell them to stop.¡±


    ¡°D*mn your ¡®stop¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±

 Chapter 152 - Sword Slaps

    Chapter 152 Sword Slaps


    He Fei¡¯s patience was running thin in the face of Divine Sect Seminary¡¯s arrogance. The anger inside him was raging.


    How dare an insignificant seminary on the streets openly stop an officer of the Court of Judicial Review! How dare they insult high-ranking officers of the Ministry of War! They even wanted to verify their identities! Since when did some Jianghu hooligans have such authority?


    The authority behind the Divine Sect Seminary was Qian Shuxiao, the first wife¡¯s son of the Qian clan.


    He Fei had investigated the Seminary¡¯s background before coming here. But so what?


    What was so great about the first wife¡¯s son of some merchant family? Weren¡¯t the once-powerful General¡¯s Manor confiscated and the family exterminated as well? Their maids and manservants were struggling between life and death in the imperial prison. What good did it bring them?


    Of course, he had no idea about the relationship between the Qian clan and the Crown Prince. Neither did he know about the role the Qian clan played in helping the Crown Prince gain power and soon ascend the throne. More importantly, he wouldn¡¯t know that the frivolous young master in his eyes, Qian Shuxiao, had entered the imperial palace last night as a Rank Three, First Class officer of the Glorious Tang Empire. Qian Shuxiao was now much more powerful than He Fei, an officer of the Court of Judicial Review.


    He Fei was ignorant to all of these.


    Time had long abandoned a servant to the old Emperor like him.


    The Crown Prince¡¯s era was almost here. These servants of the old were destined to be replaced; the only question was how.


    He Fei chose the most exciting manner possible.


    ¡°To hell with that!¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    It was common for him to use such words in his life, whether to admonish his subordinates or the convicts. They were a part of his daily vocabulary. However, the same words said to other people produced wildly different outcomes. When He Fei whipped his head around with a livid expression, cold sweat immediately drenched his back.


    A young woman was standing behind him.


    The woman was dressed in a brocaded robe and had hair so long that it reached her waist. Her pretty face was decorated with a brilliant pair of eyes and two dimples on the corners of her mouth. She gave off a rather valiant air.


    ¡°Third-Ranked Princess Jianqi?¡±


    Not even in a million years did He Fei imagine that Li Jianqi would be standing behind him.


    The words had just left his mouth when the realization suddenly dawned on him. He immediately said, ¡°No, it should be Princess Jianqi. Your¡­ Your Highness, why are you here?¡±


    He Fei stumbled over his words, perhaps out of fear of cursing her earlier. He might be an officer of the Court of Judicial Review, but he had hurled abuse at a Princess who happened to the apple of the eye of the current Crown Prince, who would soon ascend the throne. Why did he have to dig his own grave? Was he impatient for death?


    ¡°Can¡¯t I be here?¡± Li Jianqi¡¯s valiant air intensified as she frowned. She looked at He Fei and asked, ¡°Since when does the Court of Judicial Review¡¯s scope of authority include me? Not even my Father cares, and yet you do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, Princess¡­¡± He Fei hastily explained.


    ¡°Then what do you mean?¡±


    Li Jianqi stared fixedly at He Fei. Her expression suddenly shifted. ¡°You stopped my Mother¡¯s servants and told me to scram. Is that what you meant?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite brave, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The sweat on He Fei¡¯s forehead slid down his cheek. ¡°Your Highness, I didn¡¯t mean you.¡±


    ¡°Then were you referring to my Mother? I see how courageous you are. Not even my Father dares to scold my Mother in my face. You¡¯re the first.¡± Li Jianqi¡¯s expression turned cold.


    When she looked at He Fei again, he had dropped to his knees. ¡°Your Highness, I didn¡¯t know it was you earlier. I didn¡¯t know you came either or I wouldn¡¯t have said such disgraceful words otherwise. Please have mercy on me. Just pretend that I farted and forgive this lowly servant.¡±


    Li Jianqi chuckled after hearing what he said. ¡°Are you asking me to pretend that nothing has happened?¡±


    ¡°You sure know how to daydream.¡±


    ¡°What about this? I¡¯ll close my eyes and stab you once. We¡¯ll pretend that you saw nothing.¡±


    ¡°Take one stab from me and I¡¯ll pretend that nothing has happened.¡±


    Take one stab from Li Jianqi?


    What a joke!


    Everyone in the court knew that Crown Prince had a little cultivator for a daughter and a talent seen once every hundred years, to boot. She had returned triumphantly from the ley lines of the sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum and obtained the battle soul of the Divine Ancestor, propelling her cultivation. She was now a ¡°Taoist Immortal¡± in the Formless Realm. He Fei was merely an officer of the Court of Judicial Review. A Rank 1 martial artist like him could deal with Jianghu hooligans with ease, but he would be digging his grave if he went against a cultivator, much less a wickedly talented one like her.


    Never mind a stab from her, he couldn¡¯t even take a strike from her with her sword still sheathed. He wouldn¡¯t dare to even if he could!


    That was unless he was desperate for death.


    He Fei raised his head and tried to say something, but he didn¡¯t know what words could help now. He sneaked a glance at the high-ranking officers from the Ministry of War beside him, indicating for them to speak up for him. They were on the same boat now. The Ministry of War wouldn¡¯t be let off either if he was in trouble.


    The officers from the Ministry of War pretended not to notice He Fei¡¯s glance. They not only offered no response but even looked away calmly.


    This was a pit of He Fei¡¯s own making. Did he want the Ministry of War to lie in a grave that he dug himself?


    Cursing out the Princess¡¯ mother and telling the Princess to scram?


    What a novel way to seek death!


    ¡°Pa!¡±


    A sharp, clear noise came from He Fei¡¯s direction. Before anyone could take a better look, they saw a cyan-colored sword in Li Jianqi¡¯s hand. She had slapped He Fei¡¯s face with the back of her sword.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look. How dare you try and signal them with your eyes. Did you think I¡¯m blind?¡± Li Jianqi was the picture of an innocent young woman, but her words could infuriate anyone to death.


    Had she slapped He Fei with the back of her sword because she thought using her hand wasn¡¯t enough or because she didn¡¯t want to dirty her hands?


    Li Jianqi abruptly turned around and pointed her sword at the people behind her. ¡°Are you all from the Ministry of War?¡±


    ¡°Thud.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even have to say much before the officers from the Ministry of War kneeled on the ground and lowered their heads in silence. They were high-ranking officers from one of the three main ministries, after all. They knew to surrender after seeing the circumstances. She was the Princess, after all. She was better than everyone here. It was their fault and they would admit to it. They would accept any punishment from her, be it a scolding or a beating.


    Li Jianqi lowered her head to look at the kneeling officers, her gaze shifting back and forth between them. Suddenly, she pointed her sword at Ye Que in the arena and said in a clear voice, ¡°Listen well, all of you. Take a good look. The man in the area is my brother. From now on, those who dare to make life difficult for him will be going against me, Li Jianqi. Who dares to cause trouble here can just sit still. I promise I won¡¯t beat you to death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just beat you until you can¡¯t take care of yourself anymore.¡±


    Li Jianqi patted the nearest Ministry of War officer with her sword. ¡°Did you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The officer immediately nodded.


    ¡°Louder.¡± Li Jianqi patted him with the sword again. ¡°Did you not eat? Where did your imposing manner go? Weren¡¯t you quite bold earlier?¡±


    ¡°We heard you loud and clear! We will never trouble Mr. Ye Que again! If we ever do it again, I¡¯ll see you with my head on a platter!¡± the officer yelled until his voice was hoarse. He must have been frightened out of wits, for his words were beginning to turn gibberish by the end of it. If he was beheaded, how could he still see her?


    Li Jianqi scoffed and then turned around to look at He Fei. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Do you object to what I said?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I hear your reply?¡±


    Li Jianqi swatted He Fei¡¯s other cheek with her sword with incredible precision. This time, both sides of his face were red.


    He Fei lowered his head. He neither dared to evade nor to look up. ¡°I dare not object, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°So that means you¡¯re against it.¡±


    The back of the sword met He Fei¡¯s face for the third time. His red face began to turn faintly purple. One could see blood peeking out from under his skin.


    ¡°I¡¯m not against it. Whatever the Princess says is correct,¡± He Fei said in a quiet, downcast voice. It was obvious to everyone that he wasn¡¯t at all satisfied and there was even the faintest hint of temper in it. Perhaps, this young officer of the Court of Judicial Review considered being slapped with the back of a sword to be a trample over his dignity.


    The dignity of a scholar quietly erupted inside him.


    He was conducting official business according to the law. Even if he had offended the Princess, he hadn¡¯t done it on purpose. How could she harp on this? Humans needed dignity just as trees needed barks. He was an officer of the Court of Judicial Review after all. How could he investigate cases after getting slapped in public like this?


    ¡°Unsatisfied?¡±


    Li Jianqi patted He Fei¡¯s cheek with her sword.


    He Fei abruptly looked up with clenched teeth. He was quiet, but his gaze was enough to demonstrate his thoughts.


    ¡°Gutsy!¡±


    ¡°You must find it humiliating to be slapped as an officer!¡± Li Jianqi said. ¡°Have you ever considered whether the people that you arrest at the Seminary would feel humiliated? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In this world, there will always people you can¡¯t afford to offend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m teaching you a lesson on humility.¡±


    He Fei scoffed in dissatisfaction. ¡°I was just following the law! He¡¯s a serious criminal wanted by the court! The Court of Judicial Review has done nothing wrong! I don¡¯t think I made an error anywhere!¡±


    ¡°Serious criminal?¡±


    Li Jianqi muttered in disdain, ¡°He¡¯s not one anymore.¡±


    ¡°You all can leave now.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s innocent just because you say he is? Even if you¡¯re about to become a First-ranked Princess, you can¡¯t hold yourself above the law.¡± Even the officials of the Ministry of War were ashamed. Compared to Li Jianqi, the once frivolous children of the wealthy families in Luoyang were simply too powerless.


    Look at how impressive Princess Jianqi was.


    ¡°Did you take my words to be air?¡±


    No one had responded to Li Jianqi¡¯s words earlier.


    ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening behind the scenes? Do you want me to say it here?¡± Li Jianqi bent her waist and lowered her voice to say, ¡°It was Imperial Grandfather and Second Uncle who orchestrated the case of General¡¯s Manor. You know better than anyone whether or not any laws were broken. Do you need me to spell it out?¡±


    ¡°Imperial Grandfather is Imperial Grandfather, Second Uncle is Second Uncle. My Father is different. They worked together to frame all 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army. They¡¯ll take responsibility for infamy for all eternity,¡± she said. ¡°My Father will be a wise monarch. From today onward, those from the General¡¯s Manor are pardoned. Not only are they innocent, but they are also heroes of our Tang Empire!¡±

 Chapter 153 - In Trouble

    Thanks to Li Jianqi¡¯s interference, what was supposed to be the arrest of a serious criminal turned into a farce?


    However, a perceptive person would realize just how powerful Divine Sect Seminary was. No one would cause trouble for the Seminary from now on, at least not in Luoyang. Who would dare to provoke the so-called ¡°brother¡± of the beloved Princess of the future Emperor? The brave ones were welcome to try; the Princess had promised not to beat the perpetrators to death, after all.


    Just the fright alone was enough to kill.


    The bailiffs of the Court of Judicial Review and the officers of the Ministry of War came in high spirits but left dispirited. Irrepressible sneers escaped from the apprentices of the Seminary. The laughter was quiet but landed like an intangible slap on the officers¡¯ faces. He Fei didn¡¯t know about the rest but he swore not to conduct business in the vicinity of the Divine Sect Seminary.


    He would be too ashamed.


    Of course, it was another issue whether or not he would still have the opportunity to conduct business in the future.


    The Crown Prince would soon ascend the throne. Any reminder of the influence the old Emperor and the Second Prince held was a thorn in his eye. Given the chance, he wouldn¡¯t let off any of their men. This time, the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of War had effectively served their heads on a platter. They couldn¡¯t blame anyone for their fate.


    News about the Divine Sect Seminary reached the palace in less than fifteen minutes. Then, two squadrons of mounted soldiers set off. One headed for the Court of Judicial Review, and the other for the Ministry of War.


    Thus began a legal and legitimate purge.


    Ye Que, who had watched the farce with a calm expression, swiftly ended the arms drill for the day.


    ¡°Ye Que, why didn¡¯t you look for me after coming back to Luoyang? I thought you died in the ley lines of sovereignty in the Imperial Mausoleum!¡± There was a slight change in Li Jianqi, perhaps due to the absorption of her Ancestor¡¯s Battle Soul. She looked less exquisite and more gallant. She was a lot more valiant now.


    ¡°I just came back yesterday. Besides, I don¡¯t know where you live.¡± Even knowing that she was about to become a First-ranked Princess, Ye Que treated Li Jianqi casually for they were friends who had survived life-or-death situations together.


    To be honest, it didn¡¯t matter if she was a Princess.


    He even knew a Dragon Girl called Red Bean.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Li Jianqi contemplated this doubtfully. She then waved impatiently. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s in the past now. If you ever need me, you can find me at the palace or the Crown Prince¡¯s Manor. My Father has bestowed me the Crown Prince¡¯s Manor. Very soon, it¡¯ll be renamed the Princess¡¯ Manor.¡±


    ¡°Just report your name when you look for me. I¡¯ll inform the servants beforehand,¡± Li Jianqi said valiantly. Perhaps not even a Rank Two officer could freely enter the imperial palace with just a name¡¯s mention.


    ¡°By the way, what brought you here today?¡± Ye Que had been surprised to see Li Jianqi here. Why would the all-important Princess show up here?


    ¡°For you. I heard about you from Qian Shuxiao. I was there when he entered the palace yesterday, so I asked after you. I once investigated you, so I know you two are close.¡±


    Suddenly, Li Jianqi recalled something and patted her forehead. ¡°You need to come with me.¡±


    Disregarding his consent, she pulled him to the door by the hand.


    It was at this moment that Red Bean and Qian Shuhua entered the door.


    The two ladies had spent the night on the roof, allowing the sun to rouse them. They only climbed down when it was close to noon and the sunlight was glaring. They stretched and shook their heads as they walked in. Then, they saw a young woman tugging onto Ye Que¡¯s hand.


    Instantly, the expression of the two young ladies outside the door turned unpleasant.


    Red Bean, in particular, was glaring at them. Wisps of murderous aura were emerging from her.


    A Dragon Girl would never share her partner with anyone. Her partner could only be hers and hers alone. Even though she didn¡¯t understand matters of the heart very well and was confused about love still, her heart would never lie to her.


    She liked him. That much was true.


    She was jealous. That much was true too.


    She wouldn¡¯t hesitate to act when upset. Whoever who dared to steal what belonged to her must pay the price in blood.


    Red Bean looked more and more terrifying as she looked at Li Jianqi. ¡°Let go of his hand.¡±


    Red Bean had met Li Jianqi in the Imperial Mausoleum but unfortunately, the former had prosopagnosia and could barely remember faces. Perhaps she regarded humans the same way humans regarded horses: they looked more or less the same. When a herd of horses stormed past, a human was unlikely to distinguish which horse was which.


    ¡°Where did this girl come from?¡± Qian Shuhua¡¯s tone was off. She wasn¡¯t as direct as Red Bean, but it was obvious that she had an issue with the situation.


    Three ladies were enough to cause plenty of drama.


    Ye Que stood among them, feeling the incoming of a headache.


    He looked around and opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t know what to say. He chose to take a step backward. He took another look at them, and then another step backward. Then another. With three steps, he exited the ladies¡¯ siege. He saluted Li Jianqi, indicating for her to answer Qian Shuhua¡¯s question. He knew nothing, after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m not playing along with you three loud ladies.¡±


    In the end, he pointed to the door. It was obvious what he meant even if he didn¡¯t speak. ¡°If you want to fight, do it outside. Leave my Seminary alone.¡±


    Even without speaking, Ye Que¡¯s disdain was apparent.


    The ladies didn¡¯t end up fighting. Instead, it was the Leader of the Divine Sect Seminary who was in trouble. Qian Shuhua, a Psychic Realm cultivator, was a non-issue but Red Bean and Li Jianqi were honest-to-goodness Formless Realm cultivators. Ye Que was no match for them even after giving it his all.


    An hour later, Ye Que entered the palace with Li Jianqi.


    Red Bean unexpectedly didn¡¯t stop them. After venting her anger, she graciously allowed him to leave. Ye Que was livid after having his head and eyes bruised.


    ¡°Who did I provoke?¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°If your hand itches that badly, hit each other! Why the hell did you target me? Three ladies hitting me! Tell me! Do I fight back or not?! Are there still laws in this world?!¡±


    Ye Que¡¯s anger and misgivings intensified as he got closer to the glorious imperial palace. ¡°What era is this?! Women are truly the most terrifying creatures in this world! No wonder I¡¯d been unwilling to find a cultivation partner in my past life!¡±


    ¡°Sigh. What rotten luck to meet such strange people. One¡¯s a Dragon Girl, one¡¯s an unreasonable Princess, one¡¯s a¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget Qian Shuhua. That girl likes Ye Yunhai. I¡¯m most probably just a rebound for her.¡±


    Ye Que lamented. He now understood why back in the Qingqiu Sword Sect, the Intoxicated Immortal repeatedly warned him that the true challenge lay not in the pursuit of immortality, but the calamity of love!


    ¡°There are no difficulties too great in this world, save for the beauties!¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡±


    Ye Que sighed again. He wanted to slap himself for getting involved with women for no good reason. Couldn¡¯t he have just cultivated? Look at how much trouble he was in.


    After sighing, he looked at Li Jianqi in front of him. He didn¡¯t think this young woman would trick him, but her father was the Crown Prince of the Glorious Tang Empire. Li Chunzhi was about to ascend the throne very soon. Had he invited Ye Que to the palace to thank him? Could this be possible? Who¡¯d believe it?


    After walking down a tediously long walkway in the palace and making multiple turns along the way, they finally arrived at the Serenity Palace.


    Ye Que calmed down, seeing as he was brought here. He would be meeting the Emperor that was all. He was formerly the Demon-slaying Asura that dominated the Three Realms, after all. Fear could never grow much inside him.


    Despite its name, the Serenity Palace was a study. Its main hall was filled with all sorts of books numbering more than ten thousand¡ªand that was only what he could see. There must be an Earth Dragon made of charcoal burning underneath the floor for it was as warm as springtime inside the hall. Seated on a wooden couch, Li Chunzhi was immersed in his work at his desk. Next to his hand was memorials to the Emperor piled half a meter high.


    After entering the hall, Li Jianqi sneaked behind her father and made a quiet little cough.


    Li Chunzhi finally raised his head fifteen minutes later after stamping a memorial. He reached out to caress Li Jianqi¡¯s hair before looking at Ye Que.


    ¡°You¡¯re Old General Ye¡¯s eldest son?¡± Li Chunzhi¡¯s voice was calm and low. It wasn¡¯t a loud and clear voice, but it was full of magnetism.


    Without waiting for Ye Que¡¯s response, Li Jianqi answered for him. ¡°His name is Ye Que.¡±


    ¡°Were you also there at the ley lines of sovereignty in the Imperial Mausoleum?¡± Li Chunzhi asked.


    ¡°Of course. He even saved my life. Didn¡¯t Jue Shuo from the Judicature tell you?¡± Li Jianqi once again answered in Ye Que¡¯s place.


    ¡°I heard that he carried you out of the Mausoleum to safety while injured. That was no easy feat. He even injured his vital Qi and it was said that he¡¯d likely be bedridden for half a year,¡± Li Chunzhi said calmly.


    ¡°It¡¯s like what I told you. Ye Que indeed saved my life. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve died in the Demon Race¡¯s siege,¡± Li Jianqi said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Li Chunzhi looked at his daughter and smiled. ¡°I must thank him then.¡±


    Li Chunzhi looked at Ye Que. ¡°Tell me what you want.¡±


    Li Jianqi casually patted Li Chunzhi. ¡°Father, you don¡¯t have to thank him. I¡¯ve already thanked him.¡±


    Not one word came out of Ye Que¡¯s mouth from the moment he stepped inside this hall. He watched calmly and serenely with a faint smile. He was like sunshine itself and exuded a comfortable aura.


    Li Chunzhi nodded as he looked at Ye Que who stood there calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. I thank you not as the Crown Prince, but as Jianqi¡¯s father.¡±


    While Ye Que was entering the Serenity Palace, twenty homing pigeons flew into Luoyang City in succession. Every pigeon had flown in from different directions, but their destination was the Grand Council.


    The officer of the Grand Council that received the pigeons was in a cheery mood. He was even humming. Pigeons flying in at this hour typically carried messages reporting safety, a mere routine exercise. There had been an emergency report about the City of You Prefecture a while back, but that was within the Grand Council¡¯s expectations. However, after the officer relayed the secret letter under the pigeon¡¯s foot, a clamor swept the entire Grand Council.


    The Chief Councillor of the Grand Council, Huang Shan, a man more than fifty years old, personally mounted a horse and dashed to the imperial palace. His hands that gripped the reins were drenched with sweat. His heart was pounding furiously.


    They were in trouble!

 Chapter 154 - The Disposition of an Emperor

    Chapter 154 The Disposition of an Emperor


    Huang Shan raced into the palace on horseback with a secret letter, a jade note, and a map marked with smoke signals rolled up in his hand.


    The message in the secret letter was short but the content was shocking enough to cause a chain reaction: ¡°You Prefecture has declared itself an independent state with the City of You as its capital. Thousands of piles of dead bodies litter the land. The Devil Seeds are arriving.¡±


    Before the Glorious Tang Empire could react, 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army died in the City of You Prefecture and not a peep could be heard from the tens of thousands of households there. Did You Prefecture establish its own country without permission before the Imperial Commissioner of the Tang State had even stepped out of Qing Prefecture? Who had occupied You Prefecture? Was it truly the Devil Race¡¯s work?


    ¡°Thousands of piles of dead bodies litter the land?¡±


    Were the piles made up of the bodies of the 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army and the citizens of You Prefecture?


    This was a challenge against the entire Divine Land!


    If it was just the Devil Seeds occupying You Prefecture, the Chief Councillor of the Grand Council wouldn¡¯t have considered it a big deal. You Prefecture was located at the extreme north of the Glorious Tang Empire, bordering the Royal Hall of the Grassland. Countless wars had been fought there in the past century, with both victories and defeats as the outcome. It wouldn¡¯t be the first or second time for You Prefecture to be occupied.


    Except the devils would replace the grassland barbarians this time.


    If it was a war they wanted, the empire would gladly give them one.


    The appearance of the Devil Seeds meant that all the cultivators in the world would aid the Tang State.


    It was the jade note that shocked Huang Shan. Except for Mount Shu, all the orthodox sects in the Glorious Tang Empire had been ambushed by the Devil Seeds and suffered damage of varying degree. There were no official statistics as of now, but all the orthodox sects in You Prefecture had been wiped out. The sects in Qingqiu had suffered tremendous casualties while Mount Yang and Mount Yin had been cleansed with blood. Those at the Sword Tomb atop the Peak of Blight were fine, but they had lost more than a hundred Spirit Swords.


    Each of the fallen orthodox sects had collapsed from within. Their seniors and juniors who had lived with them for more than a decade, or even several decades, suddenly turned on them and began a slaughter. The Fourth Arhat of the Temple of Six Buddhas even poisoned the well next to the Chronometer of Dawn.


    These sects had operated for hundreds of years.


    The spies had infiltrated them for just as long.


    These Devil Seeds had been biding their time for the day they would take their revenge. The tactic the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness employed this time could only be described as ruthless. It was cruel to himself, and to his children as well. Judging from the current circumstances, the exposed Devil Seeds were just a small portion. There must be even more Seeds hidden in the dark.


    The Cultivation World was thrown into a state of panic, where everyone doubted one another.


    Meanwhile, those sects who had their leaders assassinated were a complete mess. Never mind aiding the Glorious Tang Empire, they had to seek help from the court instead.


    These two pieces of news would have been still acceptable to the Glorious Tang Empire. If worse came to worst, they would hold tight onto the prefecture and send reinforcements there. They would first stabilize the north, wait for the sects to clarify their internal turmoil, and then gather the cultivators in the Divine Land to suppress the Devil Seeds.


    However, the map of smoke signals was what nearly tipped Huang Shan¡¯s sanity over.


    The Immemorial Copper Gates at the west border had been opened and the Great Demon Army had been spotted nearby Liang State. Meanwhile, smoke signaling the arrival of enemies appeared throughout four thousand kilometers of the west border. Unexpectedly, the six states west of the Tang State were attacking the empire. The Tang State¡¯s army had to suppress the rebellion at the border but to this day, they had no idea who was the perpetrator behind this.


    What was certain, though, was that it was either devils or demons.


    The body of the previous Emperor hadn¡¯t even turned cold.


    Yet enemies had surrounded the Tang State from all sides.


    It must be noted that the Glorious Tang Empire was currently without an Emperor¡ªthe former had just died, while the new one hadn¡¯t been enthroned.


    When Huang Shan charged into the Serenity Palace, Ye Que was still around as the Crown Prince hadn¡¯t heard his request. The Crown Prince quietly finished reading the three documents that Huang Shan brought him and said nothing for a good fifteen minutes. He looked calmly at the secret letter, jade note, and the map of smoke signals in his hand.


    Contrary to Huang Shan¡¯s expectations, Li Chunzhi neither panicked nor went pale. In fact, he couldn¡¯t see any shift in the Crown Prince¡¯s expression. It was as if the three documents meant nothing to him.


    This was the disposition of an Emperor.


    An Emperor wouldn¡¯t change his expression when Mount Tai collapses or blink when an elk passes his left!


    A panicked Huang Shan began to calm down after seeing how tranquil Li Chunzhi was. How could the Chief Councillor of the Grand Council panic when the Emperor was calm? He had no right to panic. His Highness still needed his ministers and officials to plan a countermeasure!


    Li Chunzhi closed his eyes in contemplation.


    When he reopened his eyes, he smiled.


    When Huang Shan saw that Li Chunzhi had finished thinking, he opened his mouth to speak. But Li Chunzhi raised his hand to stop him, even indicating for him to keep calm and stay put.


    ¡°Ye Que, since you can¡¯t think of what you want, allow me to decide for you.¡±


    Li Chunzhi rose to his feet as he spoke and walked to Ye Que. He patted Ye Que¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Imperial Father and Second Brother committed a grave sin against your family, the 200,000 soldiers of your family¡¯s army who died a tragic death in the City of You Prefecture, and Old General Ye in the underworld.¡±


    ¡°My heart aches for this. I thought you¡¯d request something from me, but you didn¡¯t. You¡¯re undoubtedly the child of Old Ye.¡±


    Li Chunzhi paused for a brief moment, his face taking on a solemn and even sorrowful expression. ¡°Just because you don¡¯t say it doesn¡¯t mean I can pretend as if I don¡¯t know. When Imperial Father was around, I wasn¡¯t able to make certain decisions but I was upset. Your family had always supported Second Brother on the surface, but that didn¡¯t erase the contributions the Ye Army had made for our Glorious Tang Empire.¡±


    ¡°The case of the General¡¯s Manor was corrupt. I hope you¡¯ll return to the General¡¯s Manor and continue the General¡¯s lineage. The Manor belongs to you from now on. Those imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison will be released as well. I¡¯ll announce to the world in an edict that the tragedy in the City of You Prefecture is the work of Devil Seeds and has nothing to do with the General¡¯s Manor and the Ye family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll erect a military monument in Luoyang City within three days as a memorial for the fallen soldiers in You Prefecture. They died fighting for the Glorious Tang Empire and their gallantry is felt by everyone. Their loss feels as heavy as Mount Tai itself. It is only fair that they receive the deep respect and worship of everyone.¡±


    ¡°On that day, we¡¯ll hold a sacrificial ceremony for the army.¡±


    Li Chunzhi¡¯s solemn words left the nearby Huang Shan stunned. His expression shifted indefinitely and he looked like he was hesitating to speak. The previous Emperor had personally presided over the trial of the General¡¯s Manor case and made the sentence. For Li Chunzhi to overturn the verdict when the previous Emperor had just passed away, it was an obvious reproach of the latter and the entire imperial family.


    Li Chunzhi would also be disgracing himself.


    Moreover, it would be a great disgrace.


    Not content with suffering shame in private, Li Chunzhi wanted to embarrass himself in front of the world and even wanted to erect a monument to constantly remind everyone that 200,000 soldiers had lost their lives in vain thanks to the Emperor and the court.


    Huang Shan narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the soon-to-be-enthroned Emperor. Li Chunzhi wasn¡¯t joking. He was one hundred percent serious.


    Ye Que quietly listened to Li Chunzhi¡¯s words with a frown. He then asked softly, ¡°Is it your wish that I stay in the General¡¯s Manor from now on?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Li Chunzhi answered with certainty. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re unwilling to. I heard that you first came to Luoyang to trace your ancestral roots. I can make another edict and personally vouch that you¡¯re Old General Ye¡¯s biological child. Your mother will be conferred the title of Honorary Lady. You can enter the General¡¯s Manor with your head held high and even move your mother¡¯s ashes from Wei City to the ancestral hall of the General¡¯s Manor.¡±


    Li Chunzhi had even considered his mother in his plan of proving Ye Que¡¯s identity and making him live in the General¡¯s Manor via an edict. This idea was obviously not new. Li Chunzhi had planned this ahead of time.


    Just because Ye Que once saved Li Jianqi¡¯s life?


    That was certainly one of the reasons, but not the whole story.


    Li Chunzhi was about to become the Emperor of Tang State. He had a million things to attend to each day. He wouldn¡¯t pay attention to such a small matter, much less have Li Jianqi personally invite Ye Que at the Divine Sect Seminary. He wouldn¡¯t have Huang Shan wait until he finished dealing with Ye Que.


    It was obvious just how important this was to Li Chunzhi, from having Ye Que return to his roots at the General¡¯s Manor, erecting a monument, and holding a sacrificial ceremony for the army.


    Ye Que raised his head to look at Li Chunzhi. He then nodded. He didn¡¯t reject the arrangement but neither did he kneel to thank Li Chunzhi for his imperial favor. It was as if he thought there was no need for thanks when it was Li Chunzhi who owed him this.


    Li Chunzhi didn¡¯t try to coerce him. He didn¡¯t care for this at all. He nodded after getting Ye Que¡¯s agreement and then turned to Li Jianqi. ¡°Jianqi, give Lil Ye a tour of the palace. I¡¯ll give you special permission to take whatever you like, but only this once. If you miss this chance, it won¡¯t come again.¡±


    Li Jianqi¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°You must keep your promise!?¡±


    Li Chunzhi laughed. ¡°Since when have I ever lied to you?¡±


    Li Jianqi instantly gave Li Chunzhi a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek. She then pulled Ye Que and ran out of the Serenity Palace as if she was afraid her father would go back on his word.


    The moment Ye Que and Li Jianqi disappeared, Huang Shan asked, ¡°Your Majesty, why do you care so deeply for that young man? If I¡¯m not mistaken, he¡¯s just an illegitimate child of Old General Ye. Moreover, the rebuilding of the army is a vital task. You must think thrice, Your Majesty. The former Emperor had just passed away and many old ministers in the court remain his trusted aides still. We should prioritize the stability of the court.¡±


    Li Chunzhi turned around and returned to sit on the wooden bench. There was finally a sliver of worry in his expression. Huang Shan was a trusted aide that he had groomed a long time ago and was worthy of his trust. Thus, they were honest with each other. For instance, Huang Shan was already referring to him as Your Majesty, and not Your Highness.


    Li Chunzhi coughed twice before replying, ¡°As far as I know, Ye Que is the sole remaining heir of the General¡¯s Manor¡¯s lineage. If I don¡¯t care for him, who do I care for?¡±


    ¡°This young man represents not only the General¡¯s Manor but also the 200,000 deceased soldiers of the Ye Army and the ten legions of the Tang Army consisting of millions of soldiers. These soldiers know better. They¡¯ve seen what Imperial Father and Second Brother had done and they¡¯ve carved in their hearts. They won¡¯t let this pass so easily.¡±


    ¡°The literates won¡¯t be the ones who will determine the stability of the throne. The strong will always prevail over the weak and the fist will determine it all. Don¡¯t forget that our Glorious Tang Empire was founded on our military prowess,¡± Li Chunzhi said serenely. ¡°I cannot afford to tarnish the loyalty of the soldiers. Even if Imperial Father and Second Brother had hurt them, I must do my best to make amends.¡±


    Realization finally dawned on Huang Shan.


    Li Chunzhi continued, ¡°I¡¯m making my stance clear by reversing the verdict on the General¡¯s Manor case. Building the monument is my way of stabilizing the morale of the army. As for Ye Que, well, I think he¡¯s a talent that I need to rope in. I think there¡¯s a need to propagate the teachings of the Divine Sect Seminary that he had established with the first wife¡¯s son of the Qian family.¡±


    ¡°You want the people to cultivate?¡±


    ¡°If all of our citizens are cultivators, if all of them knows how to slay devils and demons, if all of them can ascend to the Ninth Heaven on their flying swords, who¡¯d dare to invade us? Who¡¯d dare to act wantonly against us?¡±


    ¡°Our reputation alone will scare them to death.¡±

 Chapter 155 - A Victorious War

    Chapter 155 A Victorious War


    Serenity Palace, the imperial palace of Tang State.


    Li Chunzhi sat upright on the wooden bench with Huang Shan standing beside him. The servants inside the hall had been excused.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s indeed a wise idea to have our citizens learn cultivation but a faraway well can¡¯t cure our current thirst. You Prefecture has declared itself a state without permission and created mountains of dead bodies everywhere. The Cultivation World is under attack and experiences a constant internal turmoil. The Immemorial Copper Gates have been opened, smoke signals have risen throughout the four thousand kilometers of the west border, and six states have declared war against us. We should prepare and plan ahead of time or our Tang State will fall to a state of peril,¡± Huang Shan said in a deeply worried voice and a solemn expression.


    ¡°Then do you have a plan in mind?¡± Li Chunzhi asked.


    ¡°The incident in the You Prefecture is a known fact. Moreover, the prefecture is relying on the Devil Seeds for defensive support. Our court can¡¯t send reinforcements to aid the orthodox sects in quelling their internal unrest; we can only hope for them to deal with this themselves. Not only are we unable to dispatch our troops, but we need them to put an end to their internal disorder as soon as possible and join us in the north to resist the devils¡¯ invasion. I¡¯m certain that You Prefecture isn¡¯t the devils¡¯ ultimate goal.¡±


    Huang Shan glanced at Li Chunzhi and found that the latter was listening attentively to him. He continued, ¡°The opening of the Immemorial Copper Gates means that large volumes of demon troops will show up soon. But we¡¯ve heard no news yet. We should investigate and pay close attention to this. However, what¡¯s paramount is the invasion of the six states.¡±


    ¡°This is a conflict brewing right under our noses. Besides Liang State, all the states along the west border are attacking us. We should send reinforcements immediately to prevent a breach in our border,¡± Huang Shan said, his voice sonorous yet powerful.


    Li Chunzhi contemplated this briefly. ¡°Defense alone won¡¯t solve our problems. It¡¯ll only pile up the pressure.¡±


    Huang Shan lowered his head. ¡°Marriage alliances, then. We can choose to deal with the six states through marriage alliances.¡±


    Li Chunzhi¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°You want a Princess of the Tang State to lower herself and marry into the six barbarian states of the west?¡±


    Huang Shan kept his head lowered. In a quiet voice, he said, ¡°Many ways have been employed to avert wars since ancient times. Marriage alliances are surely the gentlest approach. In a political marriage, the concept of marrying beneath oneself doesn¡¯t exist. The ladies of our Tang State are reasonable. They¡¯ll surely understand your dilemma.¡±


    ¡°Dilemma?¡±


    ¡°Reasonable?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about the six barbarian states of the west. How many Princesses does Imperial Father have? How many daughters do I have? Am I supposed to marry Jianqi off?¡± Li Chunzhi¡¯s voice slowly turned icy. ¡°Since when have Tang State become so cowardly as to surrender before the war?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, now isn¡¯t the time to let emotions affect your decision. We¡¯re surrounded by enemies by all sides,¡± Huang Shan said earnestly. ¡°Marriage alliances aren¡¯t an embarrassment. It¡¯s just a political marriage, a common foreign policy. Which Emperor of the Tang State hadn¡¯t arranged for a marriage alliance?¡±


    Li Chunzhi didn¡¯t reply. His expression was terribly cold.


    A long time passed.


    Li Chunzhi said serenely, ¡°Foreign policy is built on the military force as a foundation. If we seek out a marriage alliance before even going to war, we¡¯ll only empower our enemy to be more unbridled. Even if we¡¯ll deal with the six barbarian states of the west with marriage alliances, what about the Devil Race in You Prefecture? The Demon Race waiting behind the Immemorial Copper Gates? Do we also seek out marriage alliances with them?¡±


    ¡°Even if we¡¯re willing to, will the devils and demons? Will our princesses agree?¡±


    ¡°If we retreat one-sidedly, we¡¯ll only draw the contempt of our enemy and permit them to do even worse.¡±


    Huang Shan was alarmed after hearing Li Chunzhi¡¯s words. ¡°Your Majesty, do you mean to¡­?¡±


    Li Chunzhi abruptly clapped on the wooden bench. His gaze turned cruel and vicious. ¡°We¡¯ll fight a victorious war.¡±


    ¡°We must first fight a victorious war.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll slaughter the first of the six barbarian states of the west that infringes on our border. We must destroy them and strike fear into the smaller sects in the periphery. We must show them that whoever dares to invade Tang State will be plunged into hell.¡±


    ¡°Tang State is a country built on our martial prowess. Naturally, we¡¯ll use our military force to reinforce our authority. There¡¯s no other way.¡±


    A fire began raging in Huang Shan¡¯s heart as he listened to Li Chunzhi¡¯s rousing words. This was the Emperor that he served. This was the disposition that an Emperor should have!


    A true Emperor would be able to remain calm no matter how grave the circumstances were and find the most upright approach.


    A true Emperor would be able to lead his citizens through the fog.


    ¡°Western Xia is the first country to infringe on our border. Kelieruo led 30,000 Tangut soldiers across the Mouth of Wolves of the Wind.¡± Huang Shan wasn¡¯t a Chief Councillor of the Grand Council for nothing. Nearly every bit of information in the country would ultimately end up at his desk. His task involved sorting out the most crucial information in the shortest time possible and reporting it to the Emperor at any time.


    ¡°Very well. Then let¡¯s begin with Tanguts. I don¡¯t want even one person escape the Mouth of Wolves of the Wind. Since they¡¯ve sent 30,000 of their men here, I want them to pay the price in blood.¡± Li Chunzhi instantly determined the crux of the plan. ¡°I don¡¯t need any captives from Western Xia. We¡¯ll bury these 30,000 soldiers as a showcase of our power.¡±


    He then contemplated for a brief moment before adding, ¡°Inform all our resident soldiers and prepare all of them for war. Gather all soldiers from the capital, the nine cities and sixteen prefectures and prepare them to fight at any time. The six prefectures in the southeast will pay for the funds and provisions for the troops. Jiangzhe County will gather the donations. I have a feeling that Western Xia is just the beginning. We must make sufficient preparations for the worst-case scenario.¡±


    ¡°What about your enthronement ceremony?¡± Huang Shan suddenly asked. This was the most crucial problem for Li Chunzhi.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to worry about impractical stuff like that now.¡± Li Chunzhi frowned. ¡°We can just announce it at the sacrificial ceremony for the fallen soldiers. Desperate times call for desperate measures. What¡¯s paramount is the affairs of the nation.¡±


    The negotiation continued in the Serenity Palace.


    Unexpectedly, a mist began to slowly envelop the palace. It was early evening and yet the sky was beginning to darken.


    When one looked up, one would see layers upon layers of cumulus clouds converging. It was as if a storm was fermenting inside the skydome.


    Of course, Li Jianqi had no idea that her country was being besieged from all sides. Her thoughts were occupied with finding rare playthings in the imperial palace. Having been brought to the temple as an infant, she had never been here before. It wasn¡¯t until her father prevailed over all of his siblings to become the heir of the Emperor that an illegitimate daughter like her could openly step inside the palace.


    Of course, no one would ever question her again no matter where she chose to go.


    They neither dared nor needed to.


    She could go wherever she wanted, be it the throne room, the main halls, or anywhere she could think of.


    ¡°Ye Que, don¡¯t be courteous with me. Just tell me if you¡¯re interested in anything in this massive palace. I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± Li Jianqi said valiantly while flailing her hands.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be your father giving it to me?¡± Ye Que retorted casually.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same! But I¡¯m the key here. You won¡¯t be able to come here without me,¡± Li Jianqi said in dissatisfaction. ¡°But that¡¯s not important. You need to grasp the main point.¡±


    ¡°Treasures!¡±


    ¡°We must find the treasures as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that this palace is truly massive. If we don¡¯t hurry up and continue at this slow pace, we won¡¯t even finish touring the palace the next morning. My father said that his promise only lasts today. We must make haste!¡± Li Jianqi looked like she was on a treasure hunt.


    ¡°These things belong to your family, don¡¯t they? What does it matter when do you take them?¡± Ye Que asked doubtfully.


    ¡°What do you mean, belong to my family? These belong to the palace.¡± Li Jianqi gave him a look that said you-really-don¡¯t-know-anything. She pointed to herself and said, ¡°I¡¯m at most a Princess in the future. These things would never end up in my hands no matter what. If I don¡¯t make good use of this rare opportunity to grab someone, wouldn¡¯t that make me an idiot?¡±


    Li Jianqi licked her lips as she spoke. ¡°Whatever the case, we must get at least ten or so Spirit Swords. You don¡¯t know this, do you? Ever since I absorbed the Great Ancestor¡¯s Battle Soul, I feel starved every day. It¡¯s been so long since I last ate a treasure on the level of a Spirit Sword.¡±


    ¡°Can swords be eaten?¡±


    Ye Que said awkwardly, ¡°You can¡¯t keep eating swords. That¡¯s¡­ uh¡­¡±


    He thought for a long time before saying, ¡°Unhealthy.¡±


    ¡°Unhealthy?¡±


    Li Jianqi reacted as if she had heard a joke. ¡°You know nothing! I¡¯ll be truly unhealthy if I don¡¯t eat swords!¡±


    ¡°Save the nonsense. Hurry and come with me.¡±


    Without waiting for an explanation from Ye Que, Li Jianqi dragged him along on an adventure around the palace.


    They went from the Serenity Palace to the throne room, where Li Jianqi carefully searched the palace. She also sat on the Dragon Throne but fortunately for her, no one else saw her. Then, they left for the Eternal Peace Hall, the imperial kitchen, and Hall of Elixirs.


    She searched as she went. Aside from several pills with a little spirit energy in them, there wasn¡¯t anything that a cultivator would pay attention to. Most of them were treasures of the mundane world.


    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be happening!¡±


    Li Jianqi mumbled to herself as she walked. ¡°This is the palace! Why can¡¯t we find even one Spirit Sword? Isn¡¯t the so-called Divine Capital? Isn¡¯t this most mysterious, monied, and authoritative place in the world?¡±


    ¡°Did they hide the items?¡± An idea popped inside Li Jianqi¡¯s mind. ¡°Father can¡¯t be that miserly, can he? He won¡¯t go back on his word with just a petty tactic right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Father doesn¡¯t look like he cares for mundane objects.¡±


    ¡°Ye Que, don¡¯t just look. Find something. Tell me if you see anything that you like.¡±


    ¡°This is our only chance, you know.¡±


    Li Jianqi was beginning to feel discouraged.


    Naturally, Ye Que wouldn¡¯t entertain the same thoughts as Li Jianqi. He didn¡¯t have the mood either. This was just a palace of the Human World, not the Hall of Immortals in the Celestial World. What good things could they find here? Gold and money? Never mind Li Jianqi, not even Ye Que was interested in those.


    Neither of them was short of money now. The concept of poverty was completely foreign to Li Jianqi while Ye Que had Qian Shuxiao backing him. The Qian family had riches that rivaled an entire nation. What would they need money for?


    Ye Que even yawned and stretched his back muscles. He exhaled and looked up at the sky. ¡°Jianqi, it¡¯s getting late. Why don¡¯t we do this another time?¡±


    Li Jianqi gave him a strange look. ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking anymore? Who knows, you may find treasures if you look harder.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so easy. Treasures come to you by fate. If you¡¯re not fated, you won¡¯t even notice it even if it¡¯s right under your nose. If you¡¯re fated, you¡¯ll meet it even if you¡¯re five thousand kilometers apart,¡± Ye Que said sagely.


    ¡°Forget it. Even if you want it, I won¡¯t give it to you anymore.¡± Li Jianqi pouted. Unexpectedly, she was a little upset.


    Ye Que shook his head in silence and then headed straight for the palace doors. He hadn¡¯t taken a few steps before he returned to her. ¡°How do I get out of here?¡±


    Li Jianqi stared at him. ¡°Find your own way out!¡±


    She was trying to make things difficult for Ye Que, but little did she expect that Ye Que¡¯s expression shifted drastically the moment she spoke. With a bewildered expression, he turned around and walked toward a palace hall. It was a building with grey tiles and a red roof. The faint fragrance of incense was wafting from the massive censer in front of the hall.

 Chapter 156 - Right Under the Nose

    Grey bricks, red roof, and a thirty-feet-tall censer.


    Ye Que was overcome with deep surprise as he stared at the nearby hall. There was a faint voice calling for him.


    This voice once appeared in the underground cave at the ley lines of sovereignty in the Imperial Mausoleum, underneath the Divine Tool, River Soldier. He had found a page of the Divine Book after a search back then. Now, the same voice was coming from the imperial palace of the Glorious Tang Empire. To think that it was right under his nose all along.


    Ye Que ignored Li Jianqi and made a beeline for the hall.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re leaving? Why are you so fixated on that hall? Did you discover a treasure? You¡¯re really a hypocrite! Leave, I dare you!¡± Li Jianqi mumbled to herself as she watched Ye Que walk away from her. Even an idiot could tell that he must have discovered something. Earlier, he looked utterly dumbfounded.


    ¡°Hall of Incense Offerings?¡±


    When he reached the hall, the faint smell of incense wafted to his nose. He quietly read the words written on the board.


    Soon, Li Jianqi caught up with him. She looked up at the board and said, ¡°This is the main temple where my family offers incense to our ancestors. The Emperor must come here every time there¡¯s a great disaster or calamity in the country. Imperial Grandfather was consecrated here a few days ago, but I¡¯ve never entered this place. Do you think there are treasures inside?¡±


    Thanks to Li Jianqi, the imperial bodyguards in front of the hall didn¡¯t stop Ye Que from entering.


    The Hall of Incense Offerings was empty. Ye Que entered with his hands clasped behind him and scanned the place. In the depths of the hall, memorial tablets were placed neatly in rows that covered an entire wall. There was a censer in front of the wall of tablets.


    Li Jianqi quietly closed the doors behind her. The bright Hall of Incense Offerings gradually dimmed, with only ten or so oil lamps left to illuminate the place with their murky yellow glow.


    Basked in candlelight, Ye Que looked up and around him.


    Besides the tablets, portraits also lined the walls.


    From the Founding Father of the Tang State to Li Chunzhi¡¯s father, there were a total of twenty-seven portraits of past Emperors. Each was painted with a vivid resemblance.


    Ye Que stood in the center of the Hall of Incense Offerings in silence. He closed his eyes, feeling for the voice earlier. Strangely, the voice had disappeared without a trace. It was as if he was hearing things earlier. However, he was certain that the voice wasn¡¯t an illusion; it was drawing him to this place.


    ¡°There¡¯s surely a page of the Divine Book inside this hall, but where could it be?¡± Ye Que wondered.


    A curious Li Jianqi stood next to him. It was her first time here too. ¡°What did you find? A treasure?¡±


    Ye Que shook his head in silence. He continued to keep his eyes closed as he sensed his surroundings.


    Pin-drop silence descended on the hall.


    Not even a wisp of wind flew in. Perhaps the only audible sound was the sound of Ye Que and Li Jianqi breathing.


    He finally opened his eyes after a deep exhale. He began walking back and forth the hall, going from the memorial tablets to the portraits and carefully observing all of them. He even reached out to remove the portraits and checked if there were hidden compartments behind them.


    ¡°Must you take this so seriously? Who¡¯d really hide a treasure in our ancestral temple? Even if it¡¯s true, who¡¯d dare to make a secret compartment behind our ancestors¡¯ portraits? That¡¯s an act of great unfilialness.¡± Li Jianqi felt gratified when she saw that Ye Que was finally taking their treasure hunt seriously.


    Within fifteen minutes, however, her expression fell.


    Ye Que was searching the hall so carefully that he looked like he wouldn¡¯t be content with anything less. He looked like he wouldn¡¯t give up unless he found something.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve combed over the entire hall. Found anything?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in the ancestral temple, after all. Can we show a little respect?¡±


    ¡°Ye Que, that¡¯s my Grandfather¡¯s portrait! Be careful not to damage it!¡±


    Li Jianqi stood there with one hand clasped over her face and the other grabbing onto her hair. She looked like she was ready to part with this world, but she was quite the friend for not stopping Ye Que.


    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to.


    She was just too proud. She had promised that she would give Ye Que anything that caught his eye in this palace. How could she stop him from looking around? Wasn¡¯t she doing the same earlier?


    It was darkening outside the hall.


    The mist was becoming denser and it was getting harder to see. In the end, bodyguards who were just ten meters apart couldn¡¯t even get a clear look at each other¡¯s faces.


    It was the first time for such a thick fog to shroud Luoyang in the middle of winter. It was as if heaven was signaling the fate of Tang State was enveloped in uncertainties.


    Gradually, time slipped and the sky began to darken. The fog finally penetrated the Hall of Incense Offerings through the crevices in the doors. The fog moistened the atmosphere and brought quite a chill.


    The entire city of Luoyang sank into darkness before the sun had even set. The night market was mostly deserted. Even the wine shops that operated round the clock were fairly deserted today.


    Ye Que was seated on the praying mat in front of the memorial tablets, frowning as he contemplated. He had carefully searched the hall, even rapping every brick on the wall, but found nothing out of place. He even swept the hall with his Divine Energy more than ten times in vain.


    Li Jianqi sat on a neighboring praying mat with her hands supporting her face. She looked like she was about to fall asleep.


    ¡°Where could it be?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I find it?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be a clue no matter how deep it¡¯s buried?¡±


    Ye Que got up from the praying mat, feeling ill at ease. He once again walked around the hall but slower and more attentive this time.


    ¡°What exactly are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re wasting our time.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so sure that there¡¯s something inside the Hall of Incense Offerings? Are you sick in the head? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re possessed.¡±


    Li Jianqi stood up after speaking her mind and took out three incenses from the drawer of the sandalwood table under the memorial tablets. She ignited the incenses using the candles nearby and casually placed them in the censer in front of the wall of tablets. She murmured, ¡°Dear ancestors in the heaven above, please forgive this young man¡¯s rudeness.¡±


    Three incense sticks were just the right amount for the small censer.


    The smoke rose from the incense sticks in spirals.


    The moment she inserted the incense sticks into the censer, Ye Que abruptly whipped around to look at Li Jianqi. His gaze finally fell on the censer next to her.


    ¡°I heard the voice again!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming from the censer!¡±


    He was certain about it. He could clearly sense that voice. Even the page of Divine Book inside him began to emanate a faint milky-white glow, illuminating his Spiritual Sea.


    That censer was undoubtedly a magic treasure.


    It was a strange, mystical magic treasure.


    How curious that it was able to seal the aura of the Divine Book and only crying out when incense sticks were inserted in it.


    Now that he thought about it, this censer had been sitting here unassumingly for several hundred years without anyone ever finding out about the page of Divine Book hidden in it. Perhaps this was fate and only fated people would be able to hear the cry of the Divine Book. Ye Que was indeed the Destined One cultivating the Divine Book, perhaps the only one in existence. The first three pages of the Divine Book of Cultivation Techniques weren¡¯t even in the Human World.


    Were it not for Li Jianqi¡¯s whim pushing her to light incense sticks for her ancestors, Ye Que would have left this place empty-handed. This was the Hall of Incense Offerings, after all. He couldn¡¯t very well take everything away.


    Looking calmly at the censer in front of Li Jianqi, Ye Que exhaled deeply and then made his way over. ¡°You said I can take away anything I like in this palace?¡±


    Li Jianqi looked up at him. ¡°Of course, as long as it¡¯s not an outrageous request. For example, I¡¯ll absolutely not hand you the Dragon Throne in the throne room. It¡¯s not up to me to decide, and I don¡¯t think my Father will agree either.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the Dragon Throne. I¡¯ve already decided what I want,¡± Ye Que said with certainty. His gaze shifted to the thing in front of Li Jianqi.


    Besides the censer, there were rows of tablets there.


    Li Jianqi looked worried after following his line of sight. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to take away one of the tablets here. No way. These are my ancestors¡¯ memorial tablets that we use for worshipping purposes. We can¡¯t lose any of them. Never mind taking them away, my Father will give me a harsh scolding if I damage even a single one.¡±


    Ye Que laughed when he saw how pitiful she looked. ¡°What do I need a tablet for? It¡¯s useless to me. I want that.¡±


    He pointed to the aged censer on the table.


    ¡°This one?¡±


    ¡°Censer?¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Li Jianqi¡¯s expression was full of disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s what you choose spending an entire day searching the place? A shabby censer? What fetish is this?!¡±


    Li Jianqi didn¡¯t give her immediate agreement. She grabbed the censer and looked it over. She even tried pouring her Spiritual Force into the thing but gained nothing. Her appraisal indicated that this was nothing more than an ordinary censer, whose value lay in being an antique.


    This censer might have been sitting in the Hall of Incense Offerings for several hundred years.


    From appearances alone, she could tell that this censer was old.


    ¡°No matter how old it is, what good will an antique bring a cultivator? It¡¯s not like he needs the money!¡± Li Jianqi murmured. ¡°Is he a collector of censers? Did the smell draw him here?¡±


    ¡°Then what was all that earlier? The censer is sitting in the hall all along! He should¡¯ve said something if he likes it! What¡¯s he doing, wasting time looking around?¡±


    ¡°So, are you giving me the censer or not?¡± Ye Que asked impatiently. There was a hint of contempt in his gaze on Li Jianqi as if he was saying, ¡°Are you going back on your word? Are you going to embarrass yourself?¡±


    Li Jianqi¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a shabby censer!¡±


    ¡°Take it if you like it!¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t think you¡¯d like something like this. It¡¯s not even a magic treasure or Divine Tool.¡±


    Ye Que ignored Li Jianqi. He snatched the censer out of her hand after getting her agreement, turned away, and walked out of the Hall of Incense Offerings. He didn¡¯t forget to add, ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to take this.¡±


    The fog outside the hall was thickening. When they pushed open the doors, they couldn¡¯t even get a clear look at the guards outside. Unexpectedly, they saw the Chief Councillor of the Grand Council instead.


    Huang Shan stood in front of the doors in silence, looking like he had been waiting for them.


    ¡°Lil Ye, have you decided what you wanted?¡± Huang Shan looked amicable. Even the way he addressed Ye Que sounded friendly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ye Que lifted the censer in his hand.


    Huang Shan wasn¡¯t at all concerned about what Ye Que took. There were countless precious treasures in the palace. Never mind taking one, Ye Que taking a hundred or even a thousand treasures wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference.


    ¡°Here are the keys to the General¡¯s Manor as well as 74th to 94th buildings on the Yong¡¯an Street.¡± He handed Ye Que a little wooden box. Judging from those clanking sounds, there ought to be a pile of metal objects inside.


    Ye Que frowned.


    ¡°His Majesty knows that you and Shuxiao have established a sect called the Divine Sect Seminary. He has high hopes for it and hopes that you can spread your teachings so much. He wants to see everyone in Luoyang, even the entire Tang State, become a cultivator.¡±

 Chapter 157 - Sweating Palm

    Chapter 157 Sweating Palm


    The city of Luoyang was shrouded in fog.


    The entire sky darkened. Li Jianqi stayed in the palace while Ye Que returned to the Divine Sect Seminary with the censer that he handpicked. In his hand was also a box filled with keys to the General¡¯s Manor and some twenty shops facing the Yong¡¯an Street.


    Li Chunzhi¡¯s support of the Seminary caught Ye Que by surprise. It was evident how much the Emperor thought of his people that he was able to see the purpose of a small seminary and its future development. Of course, it also indicated just how serious the country¡¯s crisis was that he was forced to depend on the force of the people.


    The soon-to-be Emperor must be worried about being besieged by enemies from all sides.


    Ye Que put the censer away in the Yin-and-Yang Pouch with plans of examining it later. He left the keys to the shops with Lin Dashu at the Seminary, ordering him to make the renovations as soon as possible. He wanted to knock down the walls and turn the shops into one giant space. He didn¡¯t mind if they had to occupy part of the street to do it. The Emperor¡¯s support basically allowed them to get away with everything.


    ¡°Why did Li Jianqi summon you into the palace? Did she trouble you?¡± Red Bean seemed to have been waiting for Ye Que in the Seminary.


    ¡°No. It was the Emperor who wanted to see me,¡± Ye Que replied.


    ¡°Where am I sleeping tonight?¡± Red Bean dropped the topic and asked him something else. She had spent last night on the roof but that was special circumstances. She didn¡¯t care because she was drunk, but she wouldn¡¯t repeat it tonight.


    ¡°The Seminary, then. It¡¯s getting dark and there¡¯s a dense fog too,¡± Ye Que said nonchalantly.


    ¡°Here?¡± Red Bean pointed upstairs. ¡°There are only three guest rooms here and all of them were previously occupied. Where should I sleep?¡±


    Ye Que was about to reply when she said, ¡°I won¡¯t use the rooms that the Qian siblings have used.¡±


    She added, ¡°I won¡¯t use your room either.¡±


    Suddenly, the nearby Lin Dashu found it unsuitable to stay here any longer. He was obviously a blinding lightbulb. It was best for him to stay out of this conversation as it was the Sect Leader¡¯s private affairs.


    ¡°Sect Leader, allow me to excuse myself. I¡¯ll check out these shops first,¡± Lin Dashu said and swiftly disappeared.


    Ye Que racked his brain before saying, ¡°The Qian Manor then. They have so many rooms there. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem to find a clean room that no one has ever used.¡±


    Red Bean shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t stay in anyone¡¯s home, especially not hers. I¡¯ll feel uncomfortable staying under someone else¡¯s roof.¡±


    Ye Que¡¯s head ached after hearing her turn down his suggestions.


    His gaze shifted to the string of keys on the table. Lin Dashu had left the keys to the General¡¯s Manor behind.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s forget about the Qian Manor. I¡¯ll take you somewhere else.¡± Ye Que grabbed the keys and led Ye Que out of the Divine Sect Seminary.


    There were more formal disciples at the Seminary than ever, meaning that there were also more guests at night. The journey of a cultivator was a long and arduous one. Those who had truly set forth on this path wouldn¡¯t have the time to worry about other things. Many of their disciples cultivated diligently day and night. Ye Que had heard that some of the disciples had already started learning the Three Realms of Divine Sect cultivation technique.


    Talents could be found everywhere.


    They were everywhere among the ordinary folks of Luoyang.


    Moreover, they were learning the simplified techniques that Ye Que personally extracted from the Divine Book. They might not have enough aid like Spirit Stones or cultivation paradises, but the greatness of the cultivation techniques that they learned was enough to make up for the disparity.


    In other words, things like Spirit Stones and magic treasures were just objects. With enough patience, they would surely reap the efforts of their hard work.


    In the fog-shrouded night, Ye Que slowly walked along the Yong¡¯an Street while holding Red Bean¡¯s hand.


    He did it without much thought but the sensation of her hand in his became increasingly vivid in the pitch-dark night. Red Bean didn¡¯t pull her hand away as if out of habit. She had been climbing on Ye Que¡¯s back from Northern You to Luoyang, after all.


    It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that Ye Que had carried her all the way to Luoyang.


    Forget about her hand. Ye Que couldn¡¯t even remember how many times he had touched her thigh. Of course, he didn¡¯t do it out of lust. He had to touch her somehow while carrying her.


    However, that was just unconscious touching. Today was different. Ye Que had held her hand out of his own accord.


    The moist fog enveloped everything in the city as if it was enough to conceal their mutual awkwardness. Even while holding hands, they couldn¡¯t see each other¡¯s expression.


    Soon, Ye Que began to feel his palm dampening and even warming up. Luoyang¡¯s winter was much warmer than Northern You¡¯s but it was still winter nonetheless. Regardless, how could his palm be so warm when he wasn¡¯t even using his True Energy or Spiritual Force?


    Then, his heartbeat began quickening. His heart thumped loudly so that it was audible.


    He wasn¡¯t alone. Red Bean¡¯s heartbeat was audible too.


    Their pace began slowing as if neither of them cared about reaching their destination. After they crossed the Bridge of Long Life, Red Bean suddenly withdrew her hand in a gentle movement.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Que subconsciously asked. He felt awkward the moment the words left his mouth. He was the one who took her hand and it was normal if she wanted to withdraw her hand. What was wrong with him? Did he want her to call him a pervert or something?


    He really wanted to slap himself on the face.


    This was what they called being stupid and unromantic!


    Moments later, Red Bean remained silent. They continued walking with peculiar coordination where they seemed to take a step at the exact same time. It wasn¡¯t hard for them to achieve this with their cultivation level.


    Seventy-eight steps!


    When Ye Que silently counted the seventy-eighth step, Red Bean suddenly held his hand again. It was soft and smooth but lacked that damp sensation earlier.


    ¡°My palm itched.¡± The typically aggressive Red Bean spoke in an exceptionally soft voice today. It was as if she was afraid of someone hearing her.


    Then, as if she was afraid Ye Que didn¡¯t get her, she added, ¡°It¡¯s damp too.¡±


    ¡°So I wiped my hand.¡±


    Such a short and simple sentence clearly expressed the pureness and cuteness of this Dragon Girl who knew nothing of this world.


    ¡°Your palm itched? Damp? You wiped your hand?¡± Ye Que was stunned to hear her words. Then, he inexplicably entwined his fingers with hers until their hands were firmly pressed together. It was as if he was afraid of losing her.


    ¡°Why are you using so much force?¡± Red Bean murmured.


    ¡°Huh? Does it hurt?¡± Ye Que replied dazedly. Even though he was spiritually more than a hundred years old, he was still a newly hatched bird. He knew very little about romance.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just asking why,¡± Red Bean replied calmly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to run, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be gentler then.¡± Ye Que loosened his grip on her hand.


    The two of them walked hand-in-hand in the foggy night where neither could see each other¡¯s face. They didn¡¯t dare to. Their cheeks were flushed red and their heartbeats were quickening.


    ¡°Did your palm sweat again?¡±


    ¡°Can you stop moving around?¡±


    ¡°It itches, alright?¡±


    ¡°If you keep this up, I won¡¯t let you hold my hand anymore!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you be gentler?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get mad!¡±


    ¡°Let go of me.¡±


    ¡°It itches¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let you hold my hand, alright?¡±


    ¡°How can you act like this?!¡±


    ¡°You know how people like you are described in stories?¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯ve become a hooligan?¡±


    ¡°No, I should say pervert!¡±


    ¡°Did you hold other girls¡¯ hand like this?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Only an idiot would believe you!¡±


    ¡°Forget it. The past is the past. If you ever let me see you holding some other girl¡¯s hand, you¡¯re done for!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll swallow you whole! I¡¯d do it, I swear!¡±


    It usually took no more than an hour to go from the Divine Sect Seminary to the General¡¯s Manor, but Ye Que and Red Bean took two whopping hours. They chatted as they walked at an incredibly leisurely pace. They neither noticed how slow they were nor that had the fog gradually dissipated.


    Ye Que placed all of his attention on Red Bean¡¯s hand. In his ears were her never-ending complaints.


    ¡°What can you do even if you complain about it? I¡¯m still holding your hand. Can you run?¡± Ye Que was the ¡°great Demon-slaying Asura¡± after all. Would he let her remove her hand so easily? Now that he had grabbed hold to her hand, she could forget about shaking him off. In that short journey to the General¡¯s Manor, Ye Que thought that perhaps it was time for him to choose a cultivation partner.


    Fate was such a wonderful thing.


    Now that fate had knocked on his door, he couldn¡¯t escape or shake it off no matter how hard he tried.


    The fog dissipated, leaving a light layer of muslin-like mist. The large lion statue with a broken leg in front of the General¡¯s Manor seemed to have been cleansed. Dew was dropping from the statue. The copper handle on the main doors was drenched by the fog as well. It gave off quite the sticky sensation when one touched its rusted, spotty surface.


    ¡°We¡¯re home,¡± Ye Que said softly.


    He released Red Bean¡¯s hand and retrieved a string of keys from his sleeve, preparing to test each one. To his surprise, the first key slipped in without a problem and the door opened with a creak. It felt destined. It was as if the manor had been waiting for Ye Que all along.


    He gave the doors a gentle push.


    The doors slowly swung open with a creaking noise.


    Taking a deep breath, Ye Que entered through the doors while holding Red Bean¡¯s hand and entered the General¡¯s Manor of Luoyang that had a deeply intricate connection to him.


    There was no one under the half-moon hanging in the sky. The manor was completely deserted. The ground was overgrown with weeds. Dust covered the walls. He could even see cobwebs gathering in the corners. He took a turn from the doors and found a massive courtyard filled with withered leaves. The large tree next to it had half of its branches gathering on the ground.


    Next to the courtyard was a long and narrow corridor with a fish pond lining it. There wasn¡¯t a drop of water in the pond and he could even see the bones of goldfish lying in the bottom. There was a red-roof gazebo in the middle of the corridor with a broken inscribed tablet hanging over it. There were obvious, mottled sword marks on the antithetical couplet hanging on the sides.


    On the ground were star-like specks of bloodstains that had long turned dark. These must be from the conflicts during the manor confiscation. In the distance, one-half of a hall was torn from its frame.


    Ye Que walked with an expressionless face. Maybe, he didn¡¯t feel a thing at all. But Red Bean could clearly feel his grip tightening over her hand. Ye Que didn¡¯t close the main doors of the manor when he entered. In the latter half of the night, not one pedestrian could be seen along the Yong¡¯an Street.


    Even so, several people appeared from a corner slightly off the direct opposite of the General¡¯s Manor and flitted across the street. They disappeared into the mist.

 Chapter 158 - Distressed Deserters in the Desolate Manor

    Chapter 158 Distressed Deserters in the Desolate Manor


    It was depressing everywhere they looked.


    Every inch of the place appeared desolate.


    The once glorious General¡¯s Manor seemed to have collapsed in the blink of an eye and nearly disappeared in the dust of history. Ye Que slowly toured the manor, carefully taking in the strange environment. He looked into every building while Red Bean followed him in silence.


    Even though she didn¡¯t know the reason for it, she could tell that he was in very low spirits.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t homecoming be a joyful thing, just like in the stories?¡±


    Red Bean looked curiously at everything inside the manor. Was this Ye Que¡¯s home?


    Neither the moon nor stars could be seen in the night sky. Everything had sunken into darkness.


    Ye Que carried a paper lantern with a hole in it. Inside, the flame flickered uncertainly. He lit the intact oil lamps he found in some rooms and bleak yellow glow began appearing in the General¡¯s Manor. One lit lamp soon morphed into two, and then three¡­


    Soon, the manor was lit up by star-like flames.


    Gradually, the fog dissipated. Seen from the Yong¡¯an Street, the light in the manor ought to be the brightest of them all. That was the case in the past, except the manor was now downtrodden.


    Right at this moment, however, the manor that had towered tall and strong for decades was once again illuminated after half a month.


    The night watchman, Guo Erhei, yelled as he walked down Yong¡¯an Street, ¡°The weather is dry and things are flammable! Take care not to catch fire!¡±


    When he looked up, he saw the illuminated General¡¯s Manor.


    In his shabby clothes, Guo Erhei stood uncertainly in front of the General¡¯s Manor. He leaned on the large statue of a lion in front of the doors and peered inside the manor. He murmured, ¡°Wasn¡¯t the General¡¯s Manor sealed off and its household exterminated? Who¡¯d be so fearless to come here? Could it be an heir of the household? I heard the Young Master and the Madam were never brought to justice. Did they return for revenge?¡±


    Guo Erhei couldn¡¯t see anyone. Never mind a person, he couldn¡¯t even see any movement. Though he could see the faint illumination, the flickering candle flame made the place look sinister.


    He calmed himself and held his breath. He perked up his ears and carefully listened for any noise. Still, he couldn¡¯t hear any movement.


    A frigid burst of wind swept the place.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ it¡¯s haunted?¡±


    The moment the thought occurred to him, his heartbeat began quickening and his back became drenched with cold sweat. The stories he had heard from the streets during the day resurfaced in his mind: ¡°200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army were supposed to set out to kill 150,000 grassland barbarians from the north but were inexplicably wiped out in the city of You Prefecture. They died along with the citizens of You Prefecture. There were no survivors.¡±


    ¡°The Ye family were the commanders of the army. Could it be that their unjust deaths led to their ghosts seeking revenge here?¡±


    ¡°In their investigation, the Court of Judicial Review said that the family was responsible for the death of 200,000 soldiers. Could this be the truth?¡±


    Pursuing this line of thought caused Guo Erhei¡¯s thighs to tremble and teeth to chatter. ¡°Dear heaven above and earth beneath, dear Queen Mother of the West, I, Guo Erhei, have never done anything evil¡­¡±


    He calmed down somewhat after chanting the ¡°spell¡± a whopping three times. But the moment he looked up, he saw a human silhouette flitting across at the end of his vision. He rubbed his eyes with force and peered deep into the manor. Another silhouette ran past, and then another. In the end, a total of five silhouettes crossed his vision like ghosts.


    ¡°Gho¡­¡±


    ¡°Ghosts!¡±


    Guo Erhei shrieked and immediately made his escape. He hadn¡¯t run far when he staggered and crashed onto the ground. He slammed his head on a protruding stone and subsequently fainted.


    Ye Que lit up every oil lamp he could find before grabbing a broom and cleaning up the trash inside the manor. Even though it was deep into the night, day and night didn¡¯t make much of a difference to a cultivator like him. At most, he would be missing his nightly cultivation session tonight.


    Besides, Ye Que hadn¡¯t been cultivating recently. Most of his time was spent on studying formations. Thanks to his experience over two lifetimes and the mystic literature recorded in the Divine Book, his knowledge of formations were more profound than most. He wouldn¡¯t dare to claim superiority in the Three Realms, but he supposed few would be able to rival him in terms of formations in the Human World.


    He had also been synergizing his past and present knowledge of formations. The formations available these days were mostly the same ones he learned in the past as well as some formations from the Celestial World. The page of the Divine Book that he obtained by coincidence in his second life happened to record ancient formations.


    With knowledge from past and present making up for each other¡¯s flaws, he was able to perfectly fuse the formations.


    Ye Que was beginning to create formations of his own.


    Bored out of her mind, Red Bean kept yawning as she followed Ye Que around.


    ¡°Go to bed if you¡¯re sleepy. I can do this myself,¡± Ye Que said.


    ¡°Where do I sleep? You¡¯re done cleaning up?¡± Red Bean asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a germaphobe. You can sleep everywhere, can¡¯t you?¡± Ye Que replied casually.


    ¡°Just because I¡¯m not a germaphobe doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t shun filthy places,¡± she said.


    ¡°Then why did you sleep on the roof yesterday?¡± Ye Que retorted.


    ¡°I was drunk,¡± she said.


    Ye Que scoffed. ¡°Dragons can get drunk?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re picking a fight!¡± Red Bean raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why are you so huffy?¡±


    The words had just left her mouth when Ye Que threw the broom in his hand in her direction. Fury instantly overwhelmed her and she smashed the broom in midair with a punch. Her next punch was aimed at Ye Que.


    She liked Ye Que and found him to be a special person. This didn¡¯t mean that she would give in to his every whim, even allowing him to beat and scold her.


    Touching her thigh? Holding her hand? She was cool with that.


    Bullying her? Throwing a tantrum at her? Dream on!


    He even dared to throw a broom at her?


    He was seeking a beating!


    Perhaps the little Dragon Girl who was experiencing love for the first time had truly focused all of her attention on Ye Que. She didn¡¯t even notice the movement behind her. A helpless-looking Ye Que curled his lips. He raised his palms and circulated his Divine Energy with all of his strength to dissolve her fierce punch. He took advantage of the momentum to hug her waist and make a shushing gesture at her. He pointed outside.


    There was a piercingly sharp Sword Qi cutting through the air.


    A loud collision resounded.


    A person in black fell off the eaves, his palm leaving a streak of blood as he crashed down. His sleeve was drenched with blood as well.


    ¡°Come down, the rest of you,¡± Ye Que said solemnly. ¡°I won¡¯t be so light-handed the next time I strike.¡±


    Pin-drop silence.


    The only sound visible was the man in black gasping and grinding his teeth on the ground. Never mind ordinary people, even a Rank 1 martial artist would have a hard time healing wounds left by Sword Qi formed out of Divine Energy. The wound would bring the wounded one searing pain at all times.


    ¡°Ignoring my advice?¡± With his arm around Red Bean¡¯s waist, Ye Que stamped his foot and dust swirled around them.


    Dust wafted through the air but instead of falling it down, it headed straight for the roof like a sharp sword. Instantly, four silhouettes crashed to the ground. They were dressed just like the one trying to ambush Red Bean.


    Ye Que looked calmly at the black-dressed men lying on the ground. To be honest, he was confused because these weren¡¯t Devil Seeds or soldiers from the Demon Race. They were just ordinary folks, not even martial artists. He would say that they were, at most, capable of some martial arts.


    ¡°Why have you come to my manor on this winter night?¡±


    ¡°Did you come to steal?¡±


    ¡°Or are you here to spy for someone?¡±


    Ye Que sauntered up to the black-dressed men and lowered his head to stare at them. ¡°I hate troublesome things and I¡¯m in a particularly bad mood tonight. You¡¯d better explain yourselves properly and don¡¯t make me waste my time interrogating you. Being frank will do all of us good. Or I wouldn¡¯t mind turning you into my punching bags. Oh, but heads up: my punching bags tend to die tragic deaths.¡±


    He secretly exerted some of his might. The five men immediately felt the pressure pressing on them become heavier.


    Several minutes passed but Ye Que didn¡¯t obtain the answer he wanted. None of the men was quiet and seemed to have zero intention of even opening their mouths. The first one who fell off the eaves was glaring at Ye Que. If looks could kill, Ye Que would¡¯ve been in hell by now.


    Ye Que grabbed the other broom leaning against the door and patted that man¡¯s face with it. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Did I kill your father or something?¡±


    ¡°You dare to come here but dare not talk. Even if you have a grudge against me, I won¡¯t know until you tell me. Or do you prefer dying with your grievances?¡± He sneered. ¡°Here¡¯s a piece of advice. Dead people cannot be reincarnated. Haunting someone after death? That¡¯s just for tricking children.¡±


    For all that he said, what he got in return was resentful gazes.


    Ye Que became intrigued after seeing their gazes.


    He squatted down and dragged the man with the heaviest breathing by the neck with his right hand. ¡°I bet that he¡¯ll last no more than thirty breaths. What do you think?¡±


    The gaze of the one who fell off the eaves first turned sharp and his brows became tightly knitted.


    The one whose neck Ye Que was holding onto opened his mouth wide, but no words came. His pale face turned red and then purple. His eyes were turning red, with wisps of blood tracing the whites.


    In silence, Ye Que slammed the man¡¯s face onto the ground in front of the other men.


    ¡°You devils!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll all die a horrifying death!¡±


    ¡°200,000 of my brothers will haunt you!¡±


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    ¡°I curse your ancestors!¡±


    No one would be able to restrain their emotions if they had to watch their companion getting closer to death with every step. The one who fell off the eaves first was no exception. Perhaps, it was even harder for him because people like him treasured his brothers¡¯ lives above his own.


    While cursing Ye Que, he used all of his strength to shake off the bind of the former¡¯s Sword Qi. He was drawing blood from how hard he bit on his lips. However, it was useless. For a valiant soldier like him, not even breaking through ten times of his strength limit would be enough to break the Sword Qi cage of a cultivator nearing the Formless Realm.


    ¡°Oh, a deserter of the Ye Army?¡± Ye Que said subconsciously. He released the man¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Deserter?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the f*cking deserter!¡±


    ¡°The soldiers of the Ye Army will only ever die on the battlefield! Fleeing cowards have no place among us!¡± the man in black yelled so loudly that his voice became hoarse. It was as if Ye Que¡¯s unassuming question had insulted his honor.

 Chapter 159 - Turbulent Night

    Chapter 159 Turbulent Night


    Inside the quiet General¡¯s Manor, a black-clothed man was shouting himself hoarse.


    Ye Que didn¡¯t think he would be ambushed on his first official return to the manor or that the assassins would be survivors of the Ye Army.


    These people must have mistaken him for being a Devil Seed after he used his Sword Qi to bind them. Perhaps the battle in You Prefecture left too deep a trauma in them that they would mistake anyone with supernatural powers as a cultivator, a devil, and the culprit behind their brothers¡¯ massacre.


    ¡°Did all of you run from the city of You Prefecture?¡± Ye Que had released the bind his Sword Qi placed on them.


    The group of men remained deeply wary of him even after they were freed. However, they refused to let Ye Que distort the truth out of principle. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat this again. We didn¡¯t flee from the battle. We broke out of the siege under Chief Wu¡¯s orders. We didn¡¯t run.¡±


    The person repeated himself. ¡°There are no deserters in the Ye Army. Please watch your words.¡±


    Ye Que waved his hand. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take your word for it that you¡¯re not deserters. Then why did you call me a devil and even came here to assassinate me? Do you know me?¡±


    The black-clothed man lying on the ground sneered at Ye Que. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. Neither do I need to. We¡¯ll encounter only three types of people in this place: devils and demons from You Prefecture, scums of the General¡¯s Manor, or bugs from the court. Whichever you are, death is too lenient a punishment for you.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes were filled with derision as if Ye Que was a wicked man beyond redemption.


    There was resentment there as well. His hatred for Ye Que was so intense despite having never met him.


    Ye Que looked helplessly at the man lying on the ground. He felt like he was being wronged and yet had no room to voice it out. ¡°Devils and demons from the You Prefecture? Scums of the General¡¯s Manor? Bugs from the court? You must be kidding me!¡±


    ¡°Explain yourself. I understand devils and demons. What¡¯s up with the so-called scums of the General¡¯s Manor and bugs from the court?¡± Ye Que asked.


    ¡°Why ask when you know the answer?!¡±


    ¡°Did you think we¡¯re idiots?!¡±


    The black-clothed man¡¯s hatred was obvious. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask us why did we come to your manor? Since this is your manor, that means you¡¯re from the Ye family! Since you¡¯re surnamed Ye, that means you¡¯re scum and a bastard! Do you feel bad that I¡¯m calling you all these?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you related to Xiao Huating and Ye Yunhai?¡±


    ¡°Those assholes entrapped 200,000 of my brothers in the Ye Army and turned You Prefecture into a city of grieving ghosts! How do you sleep at night? Aren¡¯t you afraid that their ghosts will return to demand for your life?¡±


    Even though Ye Que had retrieved his Sword Qi, the group of men didn¡¯t leave. They didn¡¯t know what mysterious trick he had pulled off to let go of them, but they knew that he could very well do it again.


    The five of them glowered at Ye Que with their head high and chest out.


    One of them suddenly spat at him.


    Of course, an intangible force stopped that spittle midair and sent it flying in another direction.


    ¡°You wanna die?¡± Instead of Ye Que, it was Red Bean who yelled at that man in an icy voice.


    She was free to bully Ye Que, but she couldn¡¯t stand someone else doing it, much less cursing and humiliating him. What she received were the men¡¯s rebellious glances. They seemed to be mocking her. ¡°Kill us if you dare. No one in the Ye Army is afraid of death. It¡¯s our loss if we dodge your attack.¡±


    The one standing at the forefront was especially provocative. Judging from his looks, he ought to be a youngster that was at most twenty. His lips moved as if he was gathering spit in his mouth.


    Ye Que stood there in silence as he listened to these men¡¯s grievances. Finally, he said, ¡°That¡¯s the reason for this assassination?¡±


    He pointed to himself and continued, ¡°First of all, I¡¯m not a Devil Seed. Not only that, I¡¯ve even killed Devil Seeds. I¡¯m not Xiao Huating and Ye Yunhai¡¯s subordinate either. My name is Ye Que; I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve ever heard of me. If you have, you should know very well that the two of them hated me to the core.¡±


    ¡°The death of the 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army has nothing to do with me.¡±


    The five black-clothed men fell into momentary silence. ¡°You¡¯re Ye Que?¡±


    Ye Que nodded.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    The men sneered. ¡°You¡¯re the Old General Ye¡¯s illegitimate son? Do you want to escape responsibility with just a few words? Do you take us for fools?¡±


    ¡°If you have nothing to do with You Prefecture, why would you be here now?¡± One of the black-clothed men looked at Ye Que like he was looking at an idiot. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re from the court. More accurately, you¡¯re either someone from the former Emperor, the Second Prince, or the Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not with the royalty, how could you be here today?¡±


    The man looked at him in derision. ¡°The General¡¯s Manor has been repossessed. Besides the missing Xiao Huating and Ye Yunhai, everyone has been imprisoned. If you¡¯re Ye Que, the Old General Ye¡¯s son, how did you avoid that fate?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no secret in Luoyang that Old General Ye has an illegitimate son returning to reclaim his heritage. Ye Yunhai had spread this news far and wide. There¡¯s no way that the Court of Judicial Review doesn¡¯t know about this. The only explanation is if you¡¯re in cahoots with the court all along.¡±


    Ye Que was beginning to feel amazed by their reasoning capabilities. They were sure imaginative to cook up such a story and yet make it sound so logical. Had he not experienced it himself, he would have thought this to be the truth. He was so bewildered that he wanted to laugh. He pointed to himself and said, ¡°What benefit do I get from doing all these?¡±


    The man replied without even a second thought, ¡°The Old General¡¯s death means that the General¡¯s Manor becomes a master-less territory. The Ye Army has become the thorn in the court¡¯s eyes. Since they can¡¯t control us, they¡¯ll have to destroy us. The grassland barbarians moving south was both a coincidence and an opportunity. They would waste us in the battle without anyone knowing any better.¡±


    ¡°If my assumption is correct, this was the previous Emperor¡¯s idea. The Second Prince was the executor.¡±


    Ye Que smiled after hearing his answer. ¡°Then what role do I play in all of these? Since the Ye Army has been destroyed, wouldn¡¯t an illegitimate child like me become even more useless?¡±


    Ye Que was rather curious what these men thought of him, the illegitimate child of the General¡¯s Manor.


    The five black-clothed men exchanged glances and glared at him at the same time. They pointed to him in unison and said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask when you already know the answer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here to bait us!¡±


    ¡°Who told you the 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army are wiped out?¡±


    ¡°No matter how dangerous it was in You Prefecture, no matter how many mowing men there were, there would surely be people who managed to break out of the siege.¡±


    ¡°Those of us who succeeded in breaking out of the siege are specters. We¡¯re specters haunting murderers like you. You can forget about a peaceful life as long as one of us lives.¡±


    They pointed to the General¡¯s Manor. ¡°This is the Old General¡¯s manor. An unfilial son like you has no right to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?!¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡±


    One of them once again spat at Ye Que.


    Like the last time, a force sent it flying. Ye Que finally lost his calm expression as he was left impatient and speechless. Why should he feel ashamed when he had done nothing of the sort?


    ¡°Baiting them to show up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Formless Realm cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Who has ever seen such high-quality bait?¡±


    Ye Que opened his mouth, wanting to explain. But judging by these men¡¯s expressions, he lost all will to explain. He picked up the broom and smacked all of them once. Then, he pointed to the door. ¡°Scram.¡±


    These men¡¯s stubbornness killed whatever sympathy he had for the survivors of the Ye Army. He chose to drive them out as he couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with them.


    His order for them to scram stupefied them instead.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to kill us? Or imprison us?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Ye Que a bait that the court planted to lure us?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s letting his assassins go?¡±


    ¡°What kind of trap is this?¡±


    Questions of all kind popped up in their minds. Unexpectedly, no one moved.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you understand human language? He said to scram!¡± With widened eyes, Red Bean raised her hand and waved. A burst of wind shoved the men out of the manor, causing them to make several somersaults before crashing to the ground.


    Ye Que might be merciful, but Red Bean faced no psychological barrier whatsoever.


    She was still furious from Ye Que yelling at her earlier.


    The frigid wind swept the streets and lanes of Luoyang. While Ye Que was expelling the black-clothed men from the manor, information was leaked out of the palace: ¡°You Prefecture has declared itself a state. The Immemorial Copper Gates are open. The Cultivation World is in turmoil. Fire beacons are lit throughout eight thousand miles along the west border. The six states are about to invade. Tang State is compromised from all sides.¡±


    ¡°The court is preparing to reverse the verdict of the General¡¯s Manor case.¡±


    ¡°200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army are heroes of the state.¡±


    ¡°A ceremony to commemorate the fallen soldiers will be held in three days.¡±


    The information spread at a lightning-fast speed. In just four hours, it roused the folks throughout the city of Luoyang and dispelled all of their sleepiness.


    How long had it been since Tang State fell into such distress?


    Countless clans began gathering their members. People began to throng the streets, all of them scurrying along.


    No one knew when a particular silhouette appeared in the tower above the palace gates. He was silent and still amidst the night wind. His robes swayed noisily in the wind, but he remained in place. Twenty feet away, Chief Councillor of the Grand Council Huang Shan lay in wait for him.


    Li Chunzhi towered above the palace gates, looking upon the city of Luoyang. It was he who ordered the news of the state being compromised from all sides to be spread. The later part, too.


    Luoyang, steeped in the darkness, was like a nip of cold air in the frigid winter water. Li Chunzhi didn¡¯t seem to notice the cold. He stared at the ancient city buried in the night and heaved a deep sigh. They had finalized the battle plan to ambush Xia State. It shouldn¡¯t be an issue to terrify the six states with this, but this didn¡¯t buy him any consolation. Instead, he was ill at ease with a deep feeling of shame. He had yet to ascend the throne, but the country that his ancestors had established was becoming as shaky as the flame of a candle. He couldn¡¯t help feeling sorrowful about this.

 Chapter 160 - Luoyangs Choice

    Chapter 160 Luoyang¡¯s Choice


    Gradually, the sky took on a marble-white color as dawn arrived. Frost and dew gathered on the walls of the palace. Li Chunzhi¡¯s brows were decorated with a layer of frost. The Chief Councillor of the Grand Council of Tang State trailed behind him, with the imperial bodyguards staying put a short distance away. Countless cultivators from the Judicature lay in ambush at all corners.


    Tang State continued to be compromised from all sides. If anything happened to Li Chunzhi, it would be the cherry on top of their misfortune.


    No one went up to stop him. Neither did they dare to. They could all tell that this soon-to-be Emperor was stewed in worries underneath his expressionless face.


    At dawn, Li Jianqi draped a white robe over her shoulders and climbed up the tower atop the walls.


    She stood behind Li Chunzhi and contemplated for some time before saying gently, ¡°Father, you should mind your health. You¡¯ve stood here for an entire night. Please take some rest or you¡¯ll collapse. We¡¯re now in dire times. You¡¯re the one person who can¡¯t fall ill.¡±


    Ignoring her persuasion, Li Chunzhi continued to stand in front of the city and stared into the distance in silence.


    Li Jianqi took a step forward and said in a louder voice, ¡°I¡¯ll get mad if you keep this up. My Father is a valiant hero that can support both heaven and earth, the rightful Emperor of the Human World, the reincarnation of True Dragon. How can such a trivial trial defeat him? Never mind being compromised from all sides, he can even deal with enemy troops at the city walls without trouble. He¡¯ll even turn peril into safety and return peace of mind to the people.¡±


    ¡°Father, you can¡¯t hurt yourself!¡± Li Jianqi chided her father in a strict voice.


    Finally, Li Chunzhi slowly turned his head around to look at Li Jianqi in bewilderment. He then looked at the nearby Huang Shan and the distant soldiers. ¡°Did you all think I¡¯m doing this to torture myself?¡±


    ¡°How could I, the monarch, commit such folly when my country is in distress?¡±


    ¡°How ridiculous!¡±


    Li Jianqi curled her lips. ¡°Then what are you doing, standing in the cold wind all night long? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re contemplating how to make our enemies retreat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡± Li Jianqi pointed to herself. ¡°Don¡¯t try and fool me!¡±


    Li Chunzhi chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not much stronger than a child.¡±


    ¡°The reason I stood here all night is to examine the movements in Luoyang. How will the people react when they hear that the country is under siege? Will they escape Luoyang and renounce the country? How should I deal with such a situation if it arises?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, Luoyang didn¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    Li Chunzhi waved his hand at Huang Shan. ¡°Shift the ceremony to commemorate the fallen soldiers to an earlier date. We¡¯ll have it tomorrow. You can prepare the monument dedicated to the 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army with Jianqi. If someone obstructs you, kill without mercy.¡±


    Little did he knew just how many incidents occurred in the city of Luoyang.


    Liang Sheng had been appointed by Li Chunzhi to be the general overseeing the ambush of Xia State. Tonight was his last night in Luoyang, and he had been given two hours to bid his family farewell. His mother with her pale complexion and snow-like hair was confined to her sickbed as she stared at her son in silence.


    The elderly mother of a Second Rank general and the matriarch of an influential clan, Liang Shen¡¯s mother had learned the news from the palace long before Liang Shen came home. With one glance at her son, she came to understand everything. ¡°Had His Majesty ask that you lead the troops?¡±


    It was a straightforward question, but Liang Sheng didn¡¯t know how to answer her. He ultimately chose to be honest. ¡°It¡¯s a secret operation. I must bid you farewell, Mother.¡±


    His voice began to tremble. Even an extraordinary general was no more than an unfilial son if he couldn¡¯t stand by his mother¡¯s sickbed.


    She gently patted Liang Sheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It brings me joy knowing that my son is far from home to protect the country and bring honor to the family. Don¡¯t worry about my health. I¡¯ll get better soon.¡±


    ¡°I await your triumphant return.¡±


    ¡°When you return, I¡¯ll personally cook you a celebratory feast.¡±


    His mother flashed him a small, kind smile. She then gestured sideways with her eyes, and he swiftly fetched a copper cauldron for her. Inside the cauldron was piping hot mutton soup.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re leading the troops, so I made you mutton stop. Forget the wine. I¡¯ll feed you a bowl of mutton soup so your stomach will be full and your heart will be warm.¡±


    With shaky hands, Liang Sheng¡¯s mother scooped a bowl of mutton soup out of the cauldron. She then used a spoon to slowly feed her son until the bowl was empty.


    Liang Sheng couldn¡¯t remember her ever feeding him, not even when he was ill. Did his mother foresee a perilous journey for him now that the country was in distress?


    After finishing the bowl of mutton soup, Liang Sheng¡¯s mother suddenly turned around with great difficulty and reached her hand into the corner of her bed. She triggered a small mechanism, expelling a brocade box from within.


    She straightened her back and solemnly handed him the case. ¡°Your father left us early, having died in the frontlines for our country.¡±


    ¡°Our family have produced generals for generations. Our heirs must step forward bravely in times of calamity. Here are a thousand pounds of gold. It¡¯s not a lot, perhaps just enough to buy some weapons, but consider it a small gesture from our family. Find a way to send this to the Crown Prince in the palace.¡±


    Li Chunzhi would always remain a Crown Prince until he officially ascends the throne. This was an unbreakable rule.


    Suddenly.


    Tears streamed from Liang Sheng¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°This is your¡­¡±


    ¡°If you hand this over¡­?¡±


    His mother stopped him before he could finish his sentence. ¡°This isn¡¯t my will alone. This money represents our family. Left with me, this money will always be gold and silver. But it¡¯ll be a great virtue if we use it for the country. Who could guarantee the quality of the weapons you use this time? If you have more money, naturally you can afford weapons of higher quality.¡±


    Liang Sheng accepted the brocade case from his mother with trembling hands. His heart was full of veneration for her.


    In the same night, dozens of suitcases were quietly moved out of the open doors of the old Governor¡¯s Manor and sent to the palace.


    The old Governor, a government official for most of his life, was a very divisive character.


    What was the most infuriating was the old Governor¡¯s greed and protectiveness over his wealth. Rumors had it that there were countless money and treasures in his manor, all gained through his corrupt ways as the Governor. It was even said the old Governor sold favors and connections to others.


    Everyone knew how close the old Governor and the late Emperor were. They were childhood friends and had a friendship that developed over a lifetime. Thus, many in the court could only swallow their anger. Not a memorial to the Emperor admonishing the old Governor was written to the day of his retirement.


    ¡°Father, we can never recover these items if they leave our manor today. Moreover, the entire Luoyang will know that you¡¯re not an upright official. History may even remember you as a corrupted scoundrel and the greediest Governor in the history of Tang State.¡± The old Governor¡¯s only son looked at him in worry.


    The old Governor guffawed. He pointed to the endless stream of money and treasures being moved transported out of the manor. ¡°These are mere worldly possessions.¡±


    ¡°Such loss is of no significance.¡±


    ¡°Our country is under siege. Now is when it needs money the most. There¡¯s no need to care for historical records and rumors. If we lose our country, the rest is just prattle. No pain, no gain. It was His Majesty who privately bestowed me these valuables anyway. I¡¯m just returning them.¡±


    Meanwhile, the proprietress of the Eighteenth Red Pavilion on the Verdant Willow Alley, Sixth Lady Liu, liquidated half of her fortune and sent a hefty sum of gold to the Crown Prince¡¯s Manor. No one knew why a lady from a tycoon family would make such a donation. Nor do they know why Sixth Lady Liu would deliver all that money to the Crown Prince¡¯s Manor.


    All they knew was that the statue of Bodhisattva was moved into her room that night. She began praying for the safety of Tang State and the soon-to-be Emperor every night.


    Twenty years prior, the brothel on the Verdant Willow Alley wasn¡¯t called the Eighteenth Red Pavilion. Twenty years later, there was only Eighteenth Red Pavilion in the alley and nothing else. There had always been parties trying to annex the lane or people trying to bribe Sixth Lady Liu, but it was all in vain. Judging from the current circumstances, she had a backer all along ¡ª a backer with extraordinary influence and power.


    Tonight, some shops closed before reopening again.


    The one hundred and thirty blacksmith¡¯s shops in the city remained open the entire time, with the blacksmiths forging weapons as if their lives depended on it. They even melted the domestic kitchen tools they had made in the stove and used them to forge weapons meant for the battlefield.


    Tonight, countless households debated endlessly. The noise continued well until daybreak all to decide whether to send their sons to the battlefield.


    Tonight, over ten thousand veteran soldiers took out their uniforms and equipment of many years and bade their family a silent farewell. They then set forth on a long and arduous journey.


    Tonight, the city of Luoyang was shrouded in fog and darkness. When the fog finally dissipated, the city blossomed like a flower¡­


    At dawn, Liang Sheng secretly left the city on a speeding horse and headed straight for the main camp in the west.


    Thirty thousand light cavalries journeyed westward at full speed on their horses to ambush Xia State.


    On the same night, Ye Que cleaned the massive General¡¯s Manor by himself until it was spick and span. Then, he began making large transformations of the manor without rest.


    Even though the five black-clothed men were of little use, they did remind Ye Que that the manor faced a constant threat of assassinations for a long time. He wouldn¡¯t mind it most times of the day, but there was a chance that he would be disturbed at a critical point of his cultivation. It was one thing to disrupt him from entering the next realm, but suffering Qi-deviation would be a major setback.


    Fortunately, he had been studying formations all this while.


    Time was the best way to verify the truth.


    After another full day, he dressed the manor in a chain of nine intricately-linked small-sized formations.


    He wouldn¡¯t go as far as to claim that these formations were effective against cultivators above the Formless Realm, but he was sure that these formations could stop all those underneath. Never mind the human soldiers who had fled You Prefecture.


    What was certain was that they would be able to enter but not leave.


    Ye Que was very pleased with his achievements. Lin Dashu had also come to report that renovations had completed for the shops that Huang Shan gave him the keys to. Thanks to the strings that the court pulled behind the scenes, everything inside was ready by the time Ye Que inspected it. The Divine Sect Seminary needed only to do simple decorations.


    Lin Dashu didn¡¯t stay for long. When he left, in his hand was a stack of invoices that Ye Que had written for him to purchase. The most eye-catching purchase was ten giant, custom-made medicinal stoves. The rest of the orders was of the herb variety, many of which Lin Dashu hadn¡¯t even heard of.


    After he had left, Ye Que once again closed his eyes and sank into contemplation. This time, he wasn¡¯t comprehending formations but refining pills. There was indeed a page of Divine Book contained in the censer that he had obtained by chance. He said ¡°contained¡± and not ¡°buried¡± because it had been so unbelievably easy for him to get it.

 Chapter 161 - Joint Learning of Saber Techniques

    Chapter 161 Joint Learning of Saber Techniques


    Xichuan Town was a small ordinary town at the western border of Tang State, but it was renowned far and wide. This was because it was situated at a position that was nearly as far away from each of the six neighboring nations at the western border. During a normal day, cargo and trade flowed in and out of the town, as did merchants and travelers.


    A teahouse was located at the entrance to the town, and two elders sat at a table near the windows. Both of them had white hair, and a chess set was placed right in front of them. The black and white chess pieces were engaged in a titanic battle, and the moves they made were so complicated that it was hard to tell who would emerge as the victor.


    The elder on the left of the table pinched up a white chess piece with his fingers. ¡°The Tang State has sent out 30 thousand light cavalries to Western Xia. Looks like they are expecting a quick victory.¡±


    The other elder at the opposite end of the table laughed coldly. ¡°They are planning to strike fear into the other invaders by destroying a nation before them. What wishful thinking.¡±


    The black piece was placed on the board and 13 white pieces were removed from it. ¡°They are the biggest nation after all. How could it possibly take this lying down? They do not think much of the small border nations.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring this dying lion back to reality then. It¡¯s no longer as strong as it was. After all, age has caught up with it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Crown Prince, who is about to be crowned, has great ambition.¡±


    ¡°Humph, humph¡­¡±


    More cold laughter.


    ¡°Far-fetched dreams, yet life is so fragile!¡±


    ¡°All 30 thousand light cavalries from the West will die in Xia State. The Crown Prince will not last longer than a year after being crowned Emperor.¡±


    The battle between both elders raged on within the chess board, and their speech was incredibly haughty in nature. Neither of them felt that they were boastful, however, as if anything they said would turn out to be true, just like a prophecy.


    It was gloomy and dim in Luoyang City for the entire day, reflecting the feelings of its citizens.


    Thunder rumbled faintly in the skies as lightning shot past the roofs. Rain pattered down on the houses and windows, sounding as if tens of thousands of silkworms were feasting and wind was blowing through a bamboo plantation. Soon, rain turned into snow.


    Luoyang was usually much warmer than Northern You, but the temperature in the city was drastically falling overnight.


    A bone-chilling cold was arriving.


    Li Chunzhi¡¯s head ached as he stood before the bulwark of the royal palace and watched the snowfall. ¡°It¡¯s said that such snowfall is an omen of a prosperous year. Why does it not understand my heart, then!¡±


    If there was no impending battle, it would have been a prosperous year ahead indeed.


    Wolves were gathering at the western border, however. How would the 30 thousand light cavalries advance in such weather? How could supplies be transported to them in the mush? Would their steeds be able to sprint? Where would they get winter clothing to keep away the cold?


    Li Chunzhi gazed skyward only to observe that the clouds were becoming denser, as if they were about to cover Luoyang City. It was completely silent except for the slushing of vast amounts of snow. It fell unhurriedly and an interval that was just right. The entire ground of the city looked as though a thin veil had been laid out carefully over it.


    He clenched his fists tightly together. ¡°Only Heaven knows if the Tang Empire is about to meet its doom? Or am I, Li Chunzhi, merely an eyesore and unfit to take over the throne?¡±


    Huang Shan arrived at just the right time with a huge umbrella.


    Li Jianqi shielded her father from the snow with the umbrella.


    Li Chunzhi took a few steps forward slowly, leaving the shelter of the umbrella. In this way, he was completely under the falling snow.


    ¡°Jianqi, do you think Dad¡¯s worthy of becoming Emperor?¡±


    ¡°Am I fit for the job?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re most suited for the role of Emperor, Dad. You¡¯ve worked so hard and put all your effort for our nation. Of course you¡¯re the most suitable candidate,¡± Li Jianqi replied to her father without any hesitation.


    ¡°The Heavens do not seem to agree with you, however,¡± Li Chunzhi replied slowly.


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡± Li Jianqi asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be hard to spring a surprise attack on Xia State now. This snow will cause many problems for our cavalry,¡± Li Chunzhi replied, frowning.


    ¡°In that case, this snowfall will also create problems for our enemies. Wouldn¡¯t they have to hold off their attacks on our western border as well?¡± Li Jianqi replied after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have time to wait!¡± Li Chunzhi continued. ¡°The Six Nations of the West can afford to choose when to attack or wait but what about us? Should we send more troops to defend our western border? What should we do if the demons from You Prefecture advance southward? What about the Great Demon Army of the Immemorial Copper Gates? We¡¯ll be most likely to achieve victory at the West, but we wouldn¡¯t be able to raise the peoples¡¯ spirits if we fail there.¡±


    Their conversation ended. Li Jianqi was not well versed in military or political matters, nor was she good at consoling others. She had been living in Silent Monastery since a young age and tasked herself with cultivation since then. She loved to ride fishes and eat swords, and the conversation was heading to uncharted territory for her.


    As Li Chunzhi¡¯s daughter, however, she would accompany him at the bulwark and act when he needed her help.


    Li Chunzhi finally returned to Serenity Palace the next day. A bright piece of fine writing paper was placed on the imperial memorial. It was scrawled with dense, small characters.


    Li Chunzhi was puzzled to find the parchment and walked up to his table before picking it up and bringing it before his eyes. The first line said, ¡°The old governor donated 50 thousand taels of gold¡­¡±


    Li Chunzhi grew increasingly alarmed as he read the parchment up till the very last line. An insane amount of donations had been sent to the royal palace over the last day and they consisted of everything from gold, silver to material resources. Even more than a hundred blacksmiths of Luoyang City had donated ten thousand weapons.


    The falling snow increased the difficulty of the advancing troops launching their surprise attack.


    The citizens of Luoyang and the pillar of the city, had given Li Chunzhi much needed motivation, however.


    ¡°Items are incapable of autonomous thought but people are. As long as all citizens of the Tang Empire unite, there will not be any obstacles that we can¡¯t overcome together.¡±


    The city was shrouded in a haze and snow was falling everywhere. It was going to be another cold morning.


    The streets of Luoyang were covered in a layer of white. It was freezing cold.


    Thousands of civilians were queuing up neatly along Yong¡¯an Street between the Bridges of Long Life and Stone Transport. They wore uniquely different clothing and hawked all sorts of wares, but all of them carried sabers. Some of the weapons were homemade ones of steel, wood and even bamboo.


    The Divine Sect Seminary was still not opened. Normally, everyone would wait quietly outside its gates, but today was a little different. No one knew made the initial suggestion, but everyone began to practice the three saber strokes Ye Que taught them on their one accord. The Mountain-Slashing First Stroke, Water-Ceasing Second Stroke and Heaven-Splitting Third Stroke.


    The strokes were uncomplicated but hard to master.


    There were some unexpected benefits, however, when it was paired with the Divine Sect¡¯s cultivation technique.


    Thousands of them raised their sabers and practiced the first stroke. A force of about 500 kilograms was concentrated at their saber tips as they slashed with it. At the same time, they shouted subconsciously in unison, and a breath of hot air escaped from their mouths and shot up into the sky.


    The snow on the ground trembled a little.


    They began making the second move after completing the first one. It was a horizontal slash, and they created an arc with their weapons, as if slashing at a stream of water.


    The snowflakes that were sent flying back up into the air followed the trail of their sabers, moving entirely without the aid of wind.


    After the Water-Slicing Technique, they unleashed the third stroke, which carried enough force to split open Heaven and Earth, with another round of orderly shouting. Someone among the civilians, however, shouted, ¡°Kill!¡±. A faint ray of energy emerged from the tip of his saber.


    A stream of Spiritual Force, that was invisible to ordinary people, directly emerged as thousands of civilians wielded their sabers and channeled the Divine Sect¡¯s cultivation technique within their bodies. Ye Que, who had just arrived at the Bridge of Long Life, however, felt as though his Spiritual Sea was exploding.

 Chapter 162 - Whos Carving?

    Chapter 162 Who¡¯s Carving?


    Three saber strokes were made before the gates of the seminary.


    Ye Que¡¯s Spiritual Sea exploded thrice.


    Ye Que nearly stumbled off the Bridge of Long Life and looked incredulously at the disciples not far away from him. They had still not noticed him and were still practicing their saber techniques. This was because they had also discovered something amazing.


    It was common for practitioners to be unable to grasp the essence of their training while practicing saber techniques on their own. Their physical selves, sabers, Spiritual Forces, Spiritual Seas and pathways of their sabers were always in disharmony. Training with thousands of other people, however, would speed things up, causing man and saber to reach a state of harmony very quickly, as if the larger the number of practitioners, the greater the benefits.


    Some of the practitioners had not realized this fact during the first round of training, but by the third round, even those who were slower could already begin to feel it.


    Their motivation to train was instantly amplified.


    The shouts.


    Could be heard very clearly.


    As for Ye Que, he was no longer in a hurry to reach the seminary. He began to comprehend the situation unfolding in front of him and took an internal measure of his Spiritual Sea. He observed the minute changes in it and compared them against his surroundings. Very quickly, he determined that once the pupils were one with their sabers and were completely concentrating on learning the three basic saber techniques, a response would be triggered in his own Spiritual Sea when their saber energies were congregating at one spot and they were slashing with their weapons. At the same time, it would produce some feedback.


    It was a very strange amplification.


    Each time the disciples practiced the three basic strokes, Ye Que¡¯s Spiritual Sea would be amplified by five times.


    He did not expect that his Spiritual Sea would be increased by such a great amount from thousands of his disciples practicing the three basic saber strokes he created, even though the amplification lasted for a period shorter than one breath cycle. ¡°This is an amplification of five times we¡¯re talking about,¡± he thought. ¡°What if ten times more students had been practicing at the same time? Or a hundred times?¡±


    He was close to peak Starburst Realm power now, and a five times amplication of his powers would enable him to kill a Formless Realm expert instantly if he used his quickest sword skill in a sneak attack.


    ¡°Furthermore, we¡¯re talking about the most basic and fundamental kind of saber technique. What about more advanced fighting skills?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the theory behind such amplification anyway?¡±


    ¡°Was it because of the three saber techniques? Or the Divine Sect¡¯s cultivation technique they are learning?¡±


    The technique originated from the Divine Book, and he had inherited the Divine Book. ¡°Could it be because of this?¡±


    Plenty of thoughts came to Ye Que¡¯s mind as he stood on the Bridge of Long Life, as did dozens of questions. The situation happening before him was something he had never encountered or heard of before. He traversed the Three Realms during his past life for dozens of years, and aside from certain specific magical formations, he had never heard of anything else that allowed someone to amplify his own powers by relying on the Spiritual Force of others.


    For 15 minutes, Ye Que remained motionless.


    Ye Que¡¯s Spiritual Sea was amplified 45 times as the disciples of the seminary practiced each saber stroke 15 times. Each time, it would be amplified for a very quick amount of time.


    The Spiritual Sea within Ye Que¡¯s body reverted back to its usual calm state after the disciples concluded their practice.


    Ye Que was unable to calm himself down for a long time while delivering that morning¡¯s lecture. He kept thinking about the reason for the amplification and hurriedly ended the four-hour lecture. He reminded everyone to train hard, especially the disciples who had yet to comprehend how to enter the First Stage of the Divine Sect. He told them to learn more from their seniors and communicate more so that they could master the fundamentals much more quickly. The other disciples who had already done so explained what would happen after they entered the realm of cultivation to them excitedly, telling them how different that world would be, as well as painting a vivid picture for their juniors.


    Since he was unable to comprehend the sudden amplification, Ye Que was thinking of a way to prove it.


    He acted according to his wishes without any hesitation. He went directly to the royal palace and reported his name and told the guards about the purpose of his visit, hoping to meet Li Jianqi.


    The reply he got was that the Princess was not in the palace. She had gone to Xuanwu Ceremonial Platform.


    Ye Que headed directly there after asking for directions. He wanted to do an experiment and needed a great amount of manpower to make a comparison. However, his own disciples had learned the Divine Sect¡¯s cultivation technique, and he needed a control group of ordinary people who were ideally soldiers who had some fundamental martial arts skills. Otherwise, it would possibly take a long time to teach them the saber techniques.


    Xuanwu Ceremonial Platform was located at the central axis of Luoyang City and remotely connected to the royal palace. It was the place chosen for the annual ceremony to honor the Heavens and the ancestors and covered a huge surface area that could hold more than 10 thousand people. Li Chunzhi¡¯s father had been coronated after making offerings to their ancestors at this very platform.


    It was still not noon time, but the entire entrance to Xuanwu Ceremonial Platform was already under heavy security. Thousands of soldiers and countless smiths were working under a tight schedule.


    Li Jianqi was wearing a suit of light armor in red and shouting something loudly with a long sword in hand.


    She seemed to be instructing the smiths to conclude their work sooner.


    Construction of the 30 meters military monument was completed after only one day and the smiths were touching it up now. There were no inscriptions on the monument; otherwise it would have been impossible to complete building it over just one day. Li Jianqi was unworried about this fact; she was the girl wonder of Silent Monastery and especially good at carving with her sword.


    The soldiers and smiths would just have to concentrate on fixing up the military monument.


    Luckily, there was a mountain of rocks at the Southwestern district of Luoyang. It had an abundance of new mountain rocks.


    Ye Que did not immediately walk up to Li Jianqi to disrupt her, upon noticing how busy she was. He lifted his head to look and observed that the construction was in its finishing stages. Basically, all was left was to make the inscriptions.


    Just at this moment, Huang Shan galloped into the platform, riding a quick steed. He came up to Li Jianqi and passed a piece of paper into her hands before whispering a few words to her. As they were too far away, Ye Que could not hear them clearly. In fact, he was not really concerned about what they were discussing.


    After one hour.


    ¡°All smiths who are standing in front of the monument stand clear. As do all soldiers.¡±


    ¡°500 meters away.¡±


    ¡°No one is to come close without any instructions.¡±


    Li Jianqi stood before the monument and took out the piece of paper from the sleeves of her robes again for visual confirmation of the words on it. She then took a deep breath, her gaze gradually turning serious. Her qi was also quickly increasing. She was indeed an expert of Formless Realm, and within the time of a few breath cycles, everyone in the surrounding could feel the pressure on them increase by a few times.


    The long sword in her hand was slowly raised, and the tip of her sword was pointed toward the monument.


    ¡°Piercing Edge!¡±


    The shout which accompanied her first stroke reverberated across the platform, the echoes lasting for a long time.


    A string of loose rocks flew off the stone monument.


    Huge drops of tears suddenly welled up in Li Jianqi¡¯s eyes as she danced in the air along with the sounds of metal clanging against stone. Beads of sweat appeared on her porcelain white cheeks as green veins protruded from the skin of her arms. Her black hair was swaying.


    Ye Que, who was watching a great distance away, squinted and concentrated. Unexpectedly, he could vaguely sense that the young lady who was far away from him looked foreign and strange. She was completely different from the innocent and lovable Li Jianqi, but a battle-hardened God of War who was filled with blood vigor. Sword Qi slashed off chunks of rock from the stone monument with each stroke of her sword, and a row of powerful words appeared on it. She was just a young lady, but the carvings she made contained the blood, sweat and prosperity of all previous generations of the glorious Tang Empire, and they looked as though they were an incredible enchantment that contained immense destructive power.


    Li Jianqi¡¯s eyes were already filled with tears after a short while, but the carvings she had made were extremely realistic. They were words in white against the green stone, and extremely powerful.


    ¡°The soul of the Tang Empire¡¯s soldiers will live on forever.¡±


    The words looked beautiful and appealed to one¡¯s soul.

 Chapter 163 - Whats So Hard About That?

    ¡°Lend me a thousand soldiers. I have to test a hypothesis.¡±


    The figure in red light armor standing in front of the military monument had just stopped releasing more sword energy when Ye Que walked up to her. When she turned to face him, Li Jianqi¡¯s aura had reverted back to the youthful and beautiful young woman, completely devoid of the bloodthirsty battle intent she displayed earlier on. As Ye Que thought about it, he believed that it should be the effects of absorbing her ancestor¡¯s Battle Soul in the Imperial Mausoleum.


    ¡°Ye Que?¡± Li Jianqi exclaimed, somewhat shocked. ¡°You want to borrow a thousand soldiers? For a deduction?¡±


    ¡°Stop asking me so many questions. I can¡¯t explain all of them right away. Just tell me if you would lend them to me?¡± Ye Que asked somewhat impatiently. Anyone would also be in a hurry to prove his or her theory correct after experiencing so many amazing things and a way of amplifying the power of one¡¯s own cultivation technique. It was a once in a lifetime experience.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but¡­¡± Li Jianqi said before being interrupted by Ye Que.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Where do I get them? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll return them very quickly to you,¡± Ye Que said before reaching his hand out. It was impossible to arrange for the transfer of soldiers just by verbal orders. It was necessary to produce a military token to transfer even a hundred soldiers, much less 1000 of them.


    ¡°At the very least, you have to tell me what you¡¯re going to use them for, right? And for how long? Also, where are you going to bring them?¡± she asked. Even though Li Jianqi was Li Chunzhi¡¯s daughter and was going to become the esteemed princess of the Tang State soon, even she could not take the transfer of soldiers lightly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t use them to kill or commit mayhem, and I won¡¯t need them to leave camp. All they have to do is follow my orders. If all goes well, I¡¯ll just need them for three days, and I¡¯ll return all of them to you after three days,¡± Ye Que said earnestly as he showed three fingers.


    Li Jianqi looked at Ye Que quietly for a while before fishing out a green token from her sleeves. ¡°Look for a lieutenant called Zhang Yue at the Southern Encampment. Tell him to arrange for 1000 soldiers to you. I¡¯ve to be honest with you. Don¡¯t cause any trouble, the current situation is very complicated and even I can¡¯t promise you many things.¡±


    Ye Que waved after receiving the token before turning to leave.


    The corners of his eyes twitched slightly as he looked at the three-meter tall military monument before leaving.


    The Southern Encampment was situated about one and a half kilometers away in the south of Luoyang City. The main responsibility of the troops stationed there was to ensure the security of the city and to prevent its citizens and the Imperial Court from ever being attacked from the South. It could be considered as a strategic encampment, therefore Li Chunzhi made sure it was under a control a very long time ago.


    Zhang Yue was one of Li Chunzhi¡¯s men and naturally could recognize Li Jianqi¡¯s token.


    ¡°Mr. Ye, I don¡¯t know what you need 1000 soldiers for, but please let me know what I can do for you. You¡¯re a person trusted by Her Highness and an esteemed guest of the Southern Encampment,¡± Zhang Yue said cheerfully. As they walked, he explained the encampment¡¯s current situation to Ye Que.


    ¡°Gather 1000 soldiers as quickly as you can. After that, gather 1000 battle sabers and give each one of them one,¡± Ye Que said indifferently.


    ¡°1000 battle sabers?¡± Zhang Yue was stunned for a while and felt his heart tighten. ¡°Is this brother going to a fight? Or has her Highness, Jianqi, been bullied and needs people to even things out for her? No, who in the entire city dares to offend her? Who doesn¡¯t value his or her life?¡±


    No matter what he thought, he would do whatever Ye Que instructed him to do, since he had shown up with Li Jianqi¡¯s token, even if it meant going against the law. He was one of Li Chunzhi¡¯s men, and that meant he served Li Jianqi as well. He understood the meaning of loyalty, especially in such sensitive times.


    The Crown Prince had still not been coronated.


    The new Emperor had not been determined yet.


    It was a period of unrest for Luoyang City.


    It was also at such times that unimportant, low-ranking officers like himself would prove themselves useful. Soldiers had to prove themselves in times of need, and he would regret it for the rest of his life if he missed such a golden opportunity.


    ¡°Please wait a moment, Mr. Ye. I¡¯ll get your 1000 soldiers and sabers ready immediately,¡± Zhang Yue said, his cheerful expression turning serious.


    A commotion soon came over the Southern Encampment, but it was obvious that the soldiers still went about their business in an orderly fashion. After all, the elite troops guarding Luoyang were incomparable to guards from other places.


    In less than 60 breath cycles, 1000 soldiers, each of them holding a battle saber, stood before Ye Que in neat ranks.


    ¡°This gentleman is a special envoy of Her Highness Li Jianqi¡ªYe Que, or rather, Mr. Yue to you people. You have to follow his instructions for the next three days, clear?¡± Zhang Yue shouted loudly as he stood in front of all the soldiers.


    Zhang Yue gave way to Ye Que after receiving his troops¡¯ affirmation. After conversing for a while in soft voices, he left, leaving Ye Que with the soldiers.


    Ye Que stood before them and told them in a clear voice, ¡°I know that everyone¡¯s time is precious, so I¡¯ll waste no more time on courtesy. My purpose here is to test out one of Her Highness¡¯ hypotheses. I need everyone¡¯s cooperation. I¡¯ll teach everyone a set of saber techniques that will be very simple to learn. I need all of you to practice them seriously, however.¡±


    ¡°This technique consists of three moves. The first is known as the Mountain-Splitter, the second is called the Water-Slicer, while the last will be Heaven-Splitter. I¡¯ll explain them and give a detailed demonstration to everyone. All of you should look carefully and not miss any of it or learn the wrong moves.¡±


    Ye Que began his demonstration as he spoke. He did so at an extremely slow pace, so that all of the soldiers could observe carefully, only stopping after doing it for 10 times.


    ¡°Now, everyone is to practice with your own saber. Practice on your own on the first day, and you can look for me anytime if you have any doubts,¡± Ye Que said as he stood on a tall platform.


    Ye Que had just taught these soldiers the exact same set of techniques that he had imparted to the disciples of the Divine Sect Seminary. However, the disciples were aided by the sect¡¯s cultivation technique and could comprehend the saber skills much more quickly.


    The soldiers had their own natural advantage, however. After all, they had been wielding sabers for years now, and most of them had been in battle and possessed martial arts skills. Their foundation was actually much stronger than the civilians.


    Everyone thought that Zhang Yue had gathered them for something important. They did not expect that they just had to learn saber skills.


    And they were three fundamental saber techniques to boot!


    ¡°What¡¯s so hard about that?¡±


    ¡°We just need one hour to master them.¡±


    ¡°This Ye Que fellow is looking down on us somewhat!¡±


    Most of the soldiers had their own individual thoughts of learning these basic skills, but they did not let it show on their faces due to adherence to military discipline. Instead, they trained with more vigor, hoping to surprise Ye Que and make him eat his own words. ¡°Soldiers from the Southern Encampment are not to be trifled with,¡± they thought.


    However, after 10 minutes, the soldiers realized how immature their thoughts were. Even though they were three simple strokes that consisted of only about a dozen moves.


    The individual moves were not very hard on their own, but once they were connected and had to be made from a saber, the difficulty level seemed to be increased by many times.


    After a round of practice, sweat was already appearing on the foreheads of most soldiers. After three rounds, their muscles were already aching. They were unaware that this set of saber skills were meant to be used by cultivators. The disciples of Divine Sect Seminary had already learned the sect¡¯s cultivation technique for a period of time, and most of them were able to sense the presence of Nature¡¯s Spiritual Qi. They were already of a higher level compared to ordinary civilians and soldiers.

 Chapter 164 - Yes Elixir

    Ye Que remained in the Southern Encampment for three days.


    Ye Que began to hypothesize on the third day the reason that caused the strange phenomenon within his Spiritual Sea.


    With the aid of the soldiers, Ye Que was finally able to come to a conclusion. The Divine Sect Seminary disciples and the soldiers had practiced the Mountain-Splitting, Water-ceasing and Heaven-Splitting techniques, and there was no reaction from his Spiritual Sea if there were 100 or less than them.


    If there were more than 100 of them, however, his Spiritual Sea would begin to froth, but only when seminary disciples who had learned the Divine Sect¡¯s cultivation technique were present. It did not react when soldiers from the Southern Encampment practiced the Mountain-Splitting stroke. Also, if the energy and spirits of the disciples were not in sync, and they were training at their own pace, there would not be any reaction from his Spiritual Sea.


    Four criteria had to be met.


    The practitioners had to already been learning the Divine Sect¡¯s cultivation technique along with its fundamental saber technique. Their spiritual and energy levels had to be in sync, and there needed to be more than 100 practitioners present.


    The more the people present, and the stronger their cultivation base, or the more in sync their energy and spiritual levels were, the more it benefited Ye Que. However, his Spiritual Sea seemed to be a little distant to all these feelings, and there was no effect on it if they exceeded a certain limit.


    He had arrived at a conclusion, but Ye Que was still unclear for the reasons why. He could only credit it to the amazing effects of the Divine Book. After all, it was a divine artifact that had been created as long as the Heaven and Earth; it would only be natural for it to have some wonderful effects.


    He returned the token to Li Jianqi.


    Ye Que only realized that Luoyang City had secretly undergone many changes within the last three days after he heard the imperial bodyguards term of address to Li Jianqi.


    Li Chunzhi held an extremely large scale commemorative ceremony at Xuanwu Ceremonial Platform to honor the souls of the 20000 Ye Army soldiers who had died in battle. He also overturned the verdict against the General¡¯s Manor and took on all responsibility for their deaths on himself, proclaiming that the imperial court failed in monitoring the situation, causing the valiant soldiers to die in vain.


    For two entire hours, Li Chunzhi knelt before the military monument and did not move. He represented the royal family and the imperial court in apologizing to the soldiers.


    The warriors of the Glorious Tang Empire!


    Their souls will live on forever!


    The tens of thousands of citizens who were watching immediately gained a deep impression of Li Chunzhi, the ex-Crown Prince, while the military officials in court teared up right away. They dared not voice their displeasure when the late Emperor was still alive. The case of the General¡¯s Manor was obviously a job to silence Ye Zhengru¡¯s family, and who was not to say that the slaughter of 20000 soldiers who were not under the Emperor¡¯s command was not an attempt at intimidation?


    Which general did not have his own trusted lieutenants?


    Which general did not have soldiers who reported directly to him?


    If the late Emperor was unable to accept them because of this simple fact, the other generals needed to think of an escape plan. Would they give up their posts in a banquet, or should they rebel? Perhaps they should just lend their services to other nations?


    This was not alarmist talk.


    Did Li Chunzhi not care about saving his own face? He was the Crown Prince of the Tang State and about to be coronated as Emperor. He would definitely be unwilling to harm his own authority and image like this. If he wasn¡¯t being besieged from all sides now, he had other ways to slowly remove the harmful side effects of how the General Manor¡¯s case was handled. He had not went through the path of rising to become an Emperor for nothing.


    However, principles changed according to the times.


    No matter how unwilling he was, he had to do it, and he had to show his willingness and sincerity when kneeling before the monument. He had to shush all the generals and citizens up by his actions.


    After the ceremony, Li Chunzhi personally announced that his coronation would be done as simply as possible, and that he would prioritize national matters above everything else. He proclaimed that if the citizens of Luoyang were able to donate their resources for their nation, the royal family would lead by example as well.


    Li Chunzhi ascended on the throne in silence. The Tang State welcomed its new Emperor.


    Li Jianqi had also officially been recognized as the Tang Empire¡¯s Princess; its sole one.


    Ye Que did not remain idle during this period. He came to the Divine Sect Seminary every morning to give lectures and returned to the General¡¯s Manor in the afternoon to study the Divine Book. He examined various formations and refined medicinal pills according to the Divine Book. Renovations for the shops newly allocated to him along Yong¡¯an Street had also been completed, and the medicinal ingredients that Qian Shuxiao had prepared for him also arrived in quick succession.


    Ye Que would test out any new understanding he gained about formations in the General¡¯s Manor. Within the short span of a fortnight, the entire manor had been set up by Ye Que into an extremely dangerous place. Even a great expert like Red Bean did not dare try taking the formations head on, much less the civilians.


    At first, things still went well; even though Red Bean could not break the formations, she would not disgrace herself. As Ye Que¡¯s formations grew stronger, however, she was once trapped in a formation for an entire night. Ye Que only got out of his cultivation during dawn and released her. Of course, he was nearly beat into a pulp by Red Bean.


    From the page of the Divine Book that he obtained from the royal palace, aside from the cultivation technique that followed, the mystical text that covered it described medicinal pills, covering even the refining technique for each pill in extremely great detail. Among them were precious elixirs that had long been forgotten over the course of time.


    Ye Que selected those that were needed the most urgently and directly began refining them within the manor.


    When it was dusk, medicinal ingredients were sent into the manor from its backdoor, and brocade boxes were delivered out of the manor from the very same door during the wee hours of the day.


    Qian Shuxiao took charge of the logistics personally. Without his appearance, the pills would not be delivered out of the manor.


    When the second round of snow fell in Luoyang City, the pill shops jointly set up by the Qian Clan and the imperial court began to stock up with these truly effective pills. Normal medical halls only carried pills that were consumed by civilians, but the pills sold by these elixir shops were meant for cultivators. Even those that were the most inferior could only be consumed by a Rank 1 martial artist.


    The infiltration of demon spawn into the Cultivation World had already dissipated over time and had more or less been suppressed by now. After all, the demons came from a sole source¡ªthe Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness, but there were thousands of sects in the Cultivation World. Even though the demons were aided by moles, and they caught everyone by surprise, the sects had a great foundation.


    Of course, a few sects had been directly wiped out by demon spawn in the process, and many cultivators were injured.


    The wounds they sustained could not be treated by ordinary physicians or medicinal pills. They could try to heal themselves or consume elixirs. There were not many practitioners who were well versed in the Cultivation World, and not all of them had inherited the skills of their seniors or were able to refine medicinal pills.


    Obviously, demand would far exceed supply!


    As such, the moment the pills Ye Que supplied to the shops were displayed, practitioners from the Cultivation World immediately took notice.


    Naturally, the pills could only be purchased with Spirit Stones.


    Endless number of elixirs were delivered out of the General¡¯s Manor, and an endless supply of Spirit Stones was sent into the residence.


    Very quickly, elixirs marked with a ¡°Ye¡± emblem became popular in the Cultivation World, but the mysterious medical practitioner never revealed himself.


    The Crown Prince¡¯s Residence was also transformed overnight and officially renamed as Princess Jianqi¡¯s Residence.


    Winter¡¯s snow finally stopped falling in Luoyang City today.


    Zhang Yue, the Southern Encampment¡¯s deputy general, arrived for a visit.


    He was considerably lucky. Li Jianqi was not out and in her residence.


    Zhang Yue looked somewhat awkward as he walked up to Li Jianqi nervously. He spoke in a stop-start fashion and knelt to show her his deep respect first. ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°What do you have for me, General Zhang?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something bugging me that I feel I should report to you, Your Highness. Recently, you sent someone to the Southern Encampment to borrow 1000 soldiers for a test. I later understood that Mr. Ye imparted a set of saber skills to them. Originally, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the entire matter, but lately, these group of soldiers had achieved numerous victories in the Great Competition of all camps in Luoyang and obtained a commanding victory with this set of skills.¡±

 Chapter 165 - The Morning Run Crowd

    Chapter 165 The Morning Run Crowd


    Winning the competition held among the troops stationed in Luoyang with a set of saber skills?


    One had to know that the Southern Encampment did not consist of troops stationed at the border. Even though they underwent much training, their prowess in battle was still somewhat behind the border troops. During the previous competitions of such small groups of a thousand soldiers each, the four encampments were not favorites to win.


    Ye Que had just allowed 1000 soldiers from the Southern Encampment to win the competition after teaching them a set of saber techniques consisting of only about a dozen moves over three days!


    It was no wonder that Zhang Yue would find it necessary to report the matter to Li Jianqi.


    ¡°Is the saber technique related to the Southern Encampment winning the competition?¡± Li Jianqi asked somewhat suspiciously.


    There were battle techniques in the army as well. Each encampment had its own recognized set of sword, saber skills or group formations that its troops were well versed in. If Ye Que claimed that his soldiers could win the competition just by using his three saber techniques, it was too incredible to be believed.


    ¡°Your Highness, you wouldn¡¯t believe it unless you saw it for yourself. It¡¯s really related to that set of saber skills. Each fight didn¡¯t last longer than 15 minutes, and victory was achieved within three exchanges. The soldiers that used Mr. Ye¡¯s technique seemed to have undergone a great spiritual transformation,¡± Zhang Yue said very confidently.


    Zhang Yue looked at Li Jianqi before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ve another request to make, my Princess. Since Mr. Yue¡¯s so wonderful, could you get him to explain the saber technique to the other soldiers? If all of them mastered it, the strength of the Tang Empire¡¯s army would have improved by leaps and bounds.¡±


    Get all soldiers of the Tang Empire to learn the three basic saber techniques of the Divine Sect Seminary?


    Li Jianqi would have completely ignored the request, had it not been made by the lieutenant from an encampment such as Zhang Yue.


    She was a genius of Silent Monastery herself and knew plenty of sword and saber skills learned by practitioners. As Li Chunzhi¡¯s daughter and the Princess of the Tang State, she had thought about teaching some of them to the soldiers as well, but it was extremely hard to do so.


    If she chose to teach them a cultivation technique that was offensively powerful, it would be taxing to the person using it. Most of the soldiers were simply martial artists and were unable to use cultivation methods. It was impractical to teach them True Energy cultivation, as most techniques from Truth Cultivation sects required their practitioners to possess the prerequisite talent, body structure and age.


    The soldiers had gone past the prime age to begin cultivation, without a doubt.


    It was for this reason that no army on the Divine Land was made up of cultivators, and that soldiers had never experienced the attacks from cultivators in battle before.


    Secret Jianghu manuals were commonly found in the army, but their strength was limited. It could not be compared to the formations of the camps; at the very least, those were derived from the blood of their fallen comrades.


    ¡°Could the saber techniques that Ye Que imparted to the Southern Encampment soldiers be meant for cultivators?¡± The thought came to Li Jianqi¡¯s mind suddenly.


    Li Jianqi¡¯s brows furrowed as she considered it for a moment before telling Zhang Yue, ¡°General Zhang, the information you¡¯ve just told me is worthy of further examination. I¡¯ll investigate carefully, and if it can be taught to every soldier, the imperial court will not forget your accomplishments. I¡¯ll help get your reward from Father myself.¡±


    A look of joy and surprise flashed between Zhang Yue¡¯s eyes as he hurriedly played down his accomplishments. ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m doing what I should. The reward should go to Mr. Ye; I¡¯m pleased to improve the battle prowess of our soldiers.¡±


    Li Jianqi questioned Zhang Yue about a few details before allowing him to returning back to camp. She hopped onto a horse carriage herself and headed to the General¡¯s Manor.


    General¡¯s Manor was already situated on Yong¡¯an Street. The sun had just come up, and there were only a few people on the streets. The carriage moved at great speed and arrived at Yong¡¯an Street in a short while.


    A flurry of orderly footsteps came from behind the carriage as it made a turn. Even though they were not completely synchronized, they seemed to be following the same rhythm.


    Li Jianqi peeled the curtains of the carriage apart somewhat curiously to look outward.


    She saw a group of black figures running in her direction from the Bridge of Long Life. They were jogging at an extremely slow place, and they seemed to be adjusting their pace and rhythm as they ran.


    A youth was running right in front of the group!


    Li Jianqi had great eyesight and could tell the youth¡¯s looks clearly as there was no one else beside him.


    Ye Que!


    It was Ye Que who was leading the group!


    She patted the carriage door subconsciously. ¡°Uncle Jiao, do these people come out to run every day?¡±


    Uncle Jiao was the butler assigned to Li Jianqi by her father. In name, he was a butler, but he was in fact a Deputy Night Timekeeper of the Judicature and was in charge of collecting a portion of intelligence in Luoyang City.


    Uncle Jiao turned back to glance at her, controlling the horses with one hand, before speaking, ¡°They appeared during the last few days. Previously, no one ran at this time. It seems to be a task that the leader of Divine Sect Seminary added on at the last minute. He used to give lectures in the seminary before allowing his disciples to practice and concluded by answering any questions they still had at the end of the day¡¯s training.¡±


    He was worthy of this title of Deputy Night Timekeeper; he could provide very detailed information for Li Jianqi with just one look at the group.


    ¡°Go slower a little,¡± Li Jianqi suddenly said.


    Without any hesitation, Uncle Jiao tugged at the reins lightly, reducing the horses¡¯ speed.


    ¡°Pull the carriage to one side of the path and allow them to pass us by,¡± Li Jianqi continued.


    Before long, Ye Que was leading thousands of disciples past Li Jianqi¡¯s carriage.


    ¡°Be mindful of your breathing!¡±


    ¡°Pay attention to the rhythm of your feet!¡±


    ¡°Sense the changes in Nature when you breathe while exercising!¡±


    Ye Que said seriously as he ran. Even though his voice was not loud, it was transmitted very clearly, allowing every disciple in the group to hear him extremely well.


    Ye Que did not take notice of Li Jianqi¡¯s carriage; he was focusing all of his attention on the disciples. He was the culmination of two lives and had traversed the Three Realms for decades, but he had never stopped to instruct others in the ways of cultivation. He never had the inclination, the proper environment, nor the chance to do so.


    It was different now, however. It was the right place and time to do so, and he had the right group of people with him. He had to take matters of the Divine Sect Seminary seriously and treat all of them as though they were important. He could not do a haphazard job of it.


    More than 1000 disciples passed by Li Jianqi¡¯s carriage. There was no commotion or talking, nor was there anyone who tried to cut corners or who was just a token member. It seemed all of them were taking the simple run very seriously.


    At first, Li Jianqi was only focused on Ye Que, but her eyes opened wide as she turned her gaze slowly to the disciples. ¡°Cultivators!¡±


    Everyone who was running behind Ye Que was a practitioner. The strength of their auras varied, and some seemed to have just been able to sense Nature¡¯s Spiritual Qi, while others had already entered Pre-celestial Realm. There were a few that were already close to Psychic Realm.


    However, they wore clothes of ordinary hawkers and civilians. They seemed to be from all walks of life, but generally they were normal citizens of Luoyang City.


    ¡°When did the citizens of Luoyang City begin to cultivate?¡±


    ¡°I thought the Divine Sect Seminary set up by Ye Que and Qian Shuxiao was just a joke. Is it for real now?¡±


    ¡°Also, why does it seem that all of their auras are interconnected?¡±

 Chapter 166 - The Princess Arrives

    Chapter 166 The Princess Arrives


    Even Ye Que himself was not entirely sure of the phenomenon, much less Li Jianqi.


    However, a lack of understanding would not obstruct him from learning. The Divine Book seemed to have grown increasingly amazing.


    Till now, there were already more than 20000 Divine Sect Seminary disciples, and its name was already known among all of the people at the bottom of society in Luoyang. It did not collect fees nor commission and imparted cultivation methods for free. It took it upon itself to explain one¡¯s doubts in cultivation away, and it was not a front. The methods Ye Que taught his disciples really allowed them to sense Nature¡¯s Spiritual Qi.


    It was only natural that something as wonderful as this was passed on by mouth, and more people began joining.


    No one was able to withstand the temptation of progressing in the world of cultivation once he or she entered it. Naturally, they would join the wild goose chase.


    As its disciples grew, the seminary was unable to accommodate all of them, even though it increased its capacity. The original morning lecture was now extended to a full day one, and a morning run was added so that everyone could listen to Ye Que¡¯s lectures.


    Throughout the entire process, Ye Que seemed to have caught on to the trick of amplifying his Spiritual Sea.


    It was plausible for Ye Que, who was at Starburst Realm, to already possess the power of being able to kill a Formless Realm expert instantly, as long as the Divine Sect Seminary disciples were within his sense radius and acted in unison. It was an explosive ability that no one was able to realize. Who would expect that someone¡¯s Spiritual Sea was able to be increased by one or two times? Even the ¡°Heavenly Demon Separation Skill¡± could not do that!


    This new method was even more powerful than that!


    There were side effects to use the Heavenly Demon Separation Skill, while the cultivation technique Ye Que learned from the Divine Book had none at all. However, he could not use it as and when he wished; he had to meet many stringent criteria to amplify his Spiritual Sea by many times. Otherwise, it would be completely ineffective.


    There was naturally a reason for Li Jianqi¡¯s shock. Uncle Jiao, on the other hand, was evidently much indifferent.


    He replied calmly upon hearing Li Jianqi¡¯s exclamation, ¡°His Majesty knows about the Divine Sect Seminary¡¯s incident and gave his support. In such uncertain times, any form of help would be welcome. Furthermore, the Qian Clan is also supporting the seminary, and His Majesty is not worried about it.¡±


    Li Jianqi was stunned. ¡°Father knows about it?¡±


    ¡°How about the Southern Encampment¡¯s victory?¡±


    ¡°Does he know that Ye Que is behind it?¡±


    Li Jianqi said somewhat dully. If her father had already known about these incidents, there wasn¡¯t much need for her to visit him. He must have sent someone to handle them, so why should she do something so superfluous in nature?


    Uncle Jiao remained silent for a while, as if he was calculating time. ¡°According to the procedure, they should have been reported in the restricted memos submitted today,¡± he finally said. ¡°They¡¯ll not be marked as top urgent, so His Majesty should not be aware of them as yet. After all, it¡¯s just a small scale martial competition among the camps, and even though the Southern Encampment¡¯s victory was unexpected, it¡¯s still not important enough for His Majesty to personally question it.¡±


    ¡°In this case, we should head to the General¡¯s Manor and wait there,¡± Li Jianqi replied, her expression looking much better after hearing his explanation.


    The Princess¡¯s carriage circled around the crowds and arrived unhurriedly before the General¡¯s Manor. Li Jianqi knew that Ye Que still had a long lecture to get on with and did not hurry Uncle Jiao.


    She got down from the carriage and lifted her head to look at the historical residence.


    Ye Que had got people to get rid of the large lion with a broken leg at the front of the manor¡¯s gates. It had not been replaced ever since, leaving a huge space. The handles on the vermilion gates had obviously been wiped and looked extremely clean. There was not a speck of dust on the gates, and the verses on both sides of them seemed to have been recently put up. They were written with black ink on red parchment and looked fresh and otherworldly. Obviously, someone from the residence had written them. After a little observation, Li Jianqi surmised that Ye Que had most likely written them himself.


    The boards at the front of the General¡¯s Manor had not been changed. It wouldn¡¯t have a big deal if it was, however. There were no generals in the manor now; none of its residents were even military officials. However, no one dared to change it without Ye Que or Li Chunzhi¡¯s orders.


    There were some in the imperial court who wanted to take it down, but they did not have the guts to do so. Those who dared, however, could not enter the manor.


    Ever since Ye Que took up residence in the General¡¯s Manor, there was no lack of people who came to disrupt his peace. Just the remnants of the Ye Army who had fled from You Prefecture came circling around the manor every few days.


    At first, Ye Que would take care to tend to them and even converse with them for a while. However, these brash soldiers were extremely obstinate. To them, the number one enemy of the Ye Army would be the Demons, followed by the late Emperor, the Second Prince, Xiao Huating and Ye Yunhai.


    They did not have the courage nor ability to seek out the demons, while the former Emperor and Second Prince were already dead. Xiao Huating and Ye Yunhai were missing, and only Ye Que and the people from the royal palace were left that had some sort of connection to the entire tragedy.


    It was somewhat for them to infiltrate the royal palace to assassinate anyone there. As such, their target became the General¡¯s Manor.


    Even though Li Chunzhi had carried out the great Army Memorial Service, these obstinate fools could not be convinced. They only subscribed to the theory of ¡°an eye for an eye¡± and could not accept any other form of explanation or apology; they would only be satisfied if all of their dead comrades were resurrected, and things had reverted back to their original state. They viewed of all forms of apologies as rubbish and lies, and that anyone who tried to apologize to them was treating them as fools.


    Li Jianqi knocked on the gates. They were opened very quickly, and she was invited into the manor without any hesitation after the attendants realized that she was the Princess, and that she was here to visit Ye Que.


    It was the first time that Li Jianqi had come to the General¡¯s Manor. She used to practice in Silent Monastery, but she did not have time for that now that her father had become the Emperor, and she was a Princess.


    The General¡¯s Manor had indeed undergone a huge transformation. Ye Que was a cultivator after all, and he had a completely different set of demands for his residence than his father. Even the attendants were official disciples of the Divine Sect Seminary and cultivators. At first, they were greatly displeased and unwilling to take on their new roles, but they felt as though they had been transported to a new world immediately upon entering the manor.


    It was greatly abundant with Spiritual Force.


    Over this period of time, Ye Que had spent most of his effort on experimenting with formations and on refining elixirs.


    Other things aside, the manor was definitely the place that contained the most complicated and dense formations. Most of the Spirit Stones that had been exchanged with medicinal pills were also used in the General¡¯s Manor. Naturally, it would be abundant with Spiritual Force and be no different from a paradise. In fact, the amount of Spiritual Force in it might be even greater.


    Li Jianqi looked at the manor¡¯s interior as she walked, growing increasingly alarmed. Uncle Jiao, who was walking along her, wore the same expression as her.


    ¡°This is the General¡¯s Manor?¡±


    ¡°Are we really not in an interconnected, faraway land, or a prehistorical place?¡±


    ¡°How could there be so many huge formations here? There¡¯s one after another here!¡±


    There were all sorts of detailed explanations about formations in the Cultivation World within Silent Monastery, but most of them were not applicable to those they were seeing now. They were non-existent in the Cultivation World currently and were long lost since pre-historical times.


    They had set off originally in a carefree fashion, but less than 100 steps later, Li Jianqi and Uncle Jiao began to slow down. They followed the attendant carefully, afraid that any misstep would cause them to step on a magical formation.

 Chapter 167 - The Outlandish Butler

    Chapter 167 The Outlandish Butler


    Li Jianqi was a Formless Realm expert who had absorbed the Battle Soul of the Great Founder. Even though she was not well versed in formations, she did not have to be so careful.


    However, both Uncle Jiao and her walked extremely carefully. The higher the realm, the more a practitioner was able to understand how tough the path to cultivation was, and the more he or she was able to understand that there was always someone more powerful than them out there. Moreover, the formations gave off an obvious prehistoric aura and were evidently not from any technique of the current Cultivation World. As such, neither of them dared to take the formations lightly.


    They were not in the royal palace.


    Who knew what sort of offensive capabilities Ye Que had incorporated into these formations? What if they attacked them without differentiating between friend and foe?


    They were not really worried about dying in the manor, but mostly they were afraid of disgracing themselves. Li Jianqi was the genius of Silent Monastery and the Tang Empire¡¯s Princess. If she had lost out to these formations and was unable to break the enchantments of a youth from the General¡¯s Manor, she would have ended up as laughing stock. It was not something that she looked forward to.


    Li Jianqi sat with one leg over the other on a red sandalwood chair at the main hall of the manor while she waited for Ye Que.


    The Divine Sect Seminary disciples that were responsible for taking care of Ye Que quickly served Li Jianqi with a cup of refreshingly fragrant yet simple chrysanthemum tea.


    Uncle Jiao did not sit down. No matter how high a post he had, he was still the princess¡¯ butler to outsiders. He needed to make a show of their positions and act according to his role.


    ¡°When is your Master coming back?¡± Li Jianqi asked softly, supporting her tea cup with a palm.


    ¡°Master?¡± the disciple who was beside her was stunned.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Ye Que,¡± Li Jianqi directly said his name as she lifted her head to look at the young man. ¡°Ye Que is really slack in teaching his servants manners. They don¡¯t even know who their master is. What sort of manor is this? Things can never be done without proper rules in place,¡± she thought.


    ¡°Are you talking about our Sect Leader?¡± the youth said without any expression.


    ¡°What nonsense. How many Ye Ques are there in your manor?¡± Li Jianqi rebutted, somewhat at a loss for words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what time he¡¯s going to come back,¡± the youth replied truthfully and calmly, as if unaffected by Li Jianqi¡¯s emotions. He was also evidently telling her that he did not know anything about Ye Que¡¯s itinerary and that she was looking for the wrong person for answers.


    Li Jianqi looked at the youth, a little surprised. Her brows arched slightly as she thought, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what sort of rubbish you¡¯re telling me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Li Jianqi asked.


    ¡°Lin Dashu,¡± the youth replied proudly, as if his name bore weight. In fact, he was a little famous in the Divine Sect Seminary and the streets of Luoyang City.


    After all, he belonged to the original batch of ruffians who turned to Ye Que. He was smart and picked new ideas up quickly. Just the day before, he had entered the Psychic Realm under Ye Que¡¯s guidance and could be considered as a true cultivator now.


    He was a living example for the citizens of Luoyang.


    A ruffian had become a cultivator with his own effort within less than a year. Was there anything else more motivating and pride inducing as this?


    Why would he not be proud of himself?


    Now, he had been reassigned to accompany Ye Que once again and was responsible for the lodging and daily necessities of his sect leader. It seemed to be a lowly task, but it placed him in close proximity with Ye Que, and the rewards he could receive were definitely far more than what he would have to give.


    Li Jianqi was the first guest Lin Dashu was welcoming.


    The fact that the manor¡¯s first guest was the Princess of Tang State increased the admiration Lin Dashu had for his sect leader. He was impressed by Ye Que¡¯s reputation; even the Princess had come to visit him.


    No matter how smart Lin Dashu was, he was from the streets after all, and completely incomparable to the butler of a respectable family when welcoming guests. Was there a more crude way of answering the Princess by telling her truthfully that he didn¡¯t know when Ye Que was coming back?


    In actual fact, Lin Dashu could not be blamed. It was Ye Que¡¯s bad habit.


    His usual way of treating others had begun to affect his disciples subconsciously. The very first day he took up the role of butler, Lin Dashu had asked Ye Que about what he had to pay attention to if a guest showed up. After all, he had no prior experience.


    Ye Que had replied, ¡°Do as you wish. You can receive them anyway you want, no matter whether you recognize them or not. You¡¯re going to be a cultivator in future, and becoming a butler is just a way of training your character. You don¡¯t really have to take it very seriously. Treat this place like your own home.¡±


    Since his sect leader had told him so, Lin Dashu, an official disciple of the Divine Sect Seminary, naturally understood his words in another way. He felt that his own sect leader was unafraid of anyone and treated everyone as he liked. He also thought that cultivators were unique and meant for great things in future.


    Lin Dashu thought and acted in such a manner, but Li Jianqi was completely unaware that Ye Que had taught his attendants in such a manner. Naturally, she felt gloomy and was even a little helpless. She could tell with a single look that Lin Dashu was completely incapable of acting as a butler. He was no better than a waiter in a tavern.


    Li Jianqi grunted coldly as she observed Lin Dashu with a side glance. ¡°Your name suits you really well. You¡¯re really dumb as a tree.¡±


    Lin Dashu chuckled and remained silent. No matter how carefree in nature it was, he knew that he could not afford to offend the Princess. So far, he had merely spoken to her in a crude way that was a little awkward but still inoffensive.


    Only three people were left in the great hall of the General¡¯s Manor. Li Jianqi sat on the chair, with Uncle Jiao and Lin Dashu beside her.


    Snowflakes began drifting outside the manor.


    Snow was coming to Luoyang City early this year, and it fell more frequently compared to the last year.


    A fire cauldron was placed at a corner of the great hall, and water was boiling in it.


    Lin Dashu filled Li Jianqi¡¯s cup with hot water the moment she finished the drinking. She kept drinking until she lost count of the number of cups of tea she had consumed. The snow-covered sky soon turned gloomy, and it was impossible to tell the time. In any case, Ye Que had still not appeared by the time Li Jianqi¡¯s stomach was rumbling.


    Chrysanthemum tea was capable of reducing heat.


    No matter how great this capability was, however, it could not quell the impatience rising within Li Jianqi.


    This was the first time someone dared to make her wait for so long since she became a princess. The impatience on her face was evident even to a fall, and even Uncle Jiao was feeling a little awkward by now.


    He wanted to hint Lin Dashu, but he could not make too obvious movements. He arched his brows at Lin Dashu when Li Jianqi was looking away before hooking his finger toward the youth. Eventually, he even coughed a couple of times loudly.


    Lin Dashu, however, remained motionless, as if he had not seen any of Uncle Jiao¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Are you really that dumb?¡± Uncle Jiao thought, secretly worried. ¡°Are you really blind or that stupid, kid? What are you standing here for? Quick, go look for your sect leader! Can¡¯t you tell that Her Highness is getting impatient?¡±


    Finally, Uncle Jiao had no choice but to summon up the courage and shift a few steps toward the youth quietly. He tapped Lin Dashu lightly, but the youth did not react. He then patted the young man, but still, he did not react.


    Lin Dashu¡¯s eyes moved slightly only after Uncle Jiao patted him for the third time. He turned his head quickly to look at the older man, his eyes blank, as if he was completely unaware of what had happened just now.


    At this moment, both Li Jianqi and Uncle Jiao had realized that Lin Dashu had entered a meditative state of cultivation.


    He had done so while standing up with both eyes wide open.