Ancient Godly Monarch - Chapter 185

Chapter 185: Vying Over

Qin Wentian frowned upon hearing the words spoken from the female cultivator of the Greencloud Pavilion. In any case, he wasn’t that familiar with their group, he was merely acquainted with Qian Mengyu.

“What do you think?” Qin Wentian asked, as he directed his gaze at Qian Mengyu.

“Miss Mengyu, this man here received our care earlier, and based on logic, by right we should decide how to split the Stellar Fruits. Not only that…” The female cultivator cast a glance at Mu Baifei and his party members. The way these new arrivals looked at the Stellar Fruits were akin to a tiger looking at its prey.

With sufficient Stellar Fruits in their hands, even if they didn’t have the advantage in numbers, those from the Greencloud Pavilion would be able to go all out in utilising their Yuanfu-level innate technique, regardless of the consumption rate. They had no need to fear Mu Baifei and his party at all.
Qian Mengyu’s brows were knitted, and as she locked eyes with Qin Wentian, she intoned in a low voice, “Forget it, since we are acquaintances, let’s split the fruits equally.”
Qian Mengyu didn’t wish to haggle so much, after all they had four people, and Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng were only two. Even if they split the Stellar Fruits equally, the Greencloud Pavilion group would still get more.

Maybe, in Qian Mengyu’s heart, she did indeed think that Greencloud Pavilion should decide the split. After all, Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng were at a disadvantage in comparison. If it were any other cultivator instead of Qin Wentian, she would have definitely gone all out to kill them and then plundered the Stellar Fruits.
Qin Wentian was no longer as naive as he used to be. Upon hearing Qian Mengyu’s words, he could already guess her thoughts. However at that moment, the female cultivator beside Qian Mengyu interjected, “No way, Miss, now that there are external enemies, if we still split the fruits equally with them, wouldn’t that mean we are just giving the Stellar Fruits away? Don’t tell me that you’re hoping for them to clash against Mu Baifei and his party.”
The female cultivator could also be considered a beauty; her looks were delicate and exquisitely formed but seeing her current expression, Qin Wentian felt nothing but disgust.
With a few Stellar Fruits in his hands, Qin Wentian walked forwards to hand them over to Qian Mengyu. “Don’t worry, we won’t implicate your Greencloud Pavilion. As for these fruits, consider them my gift to you.”
After speaking, he turned his gaze towards the other three cultivators from the Greencloud Pavilion, coldly remarking, “Since you are all so adamant about splitting the Stellar Fruits, on what grounds do you have that I must split them with you? I was the one to obtain these fruits, if you wish to try and snatch them, bring it on.”
Qin Wentian pulled Mo Qingcheng away, his anger was obvious to all.

“You ungrateful bastard, forgetting our earlier help the moment you find treasure. If not for us, would you even still be alive?” Killing intent flashed in the eyes of the female cultivator as she pointed her finger straight at Qin Wentian, her rage boiling to the max. Qin Wentian was too impudent.
“Shut your mouth,” Qin Wentian coldly replied, “Earlier, when we were surrounded , the two of us drew away five cultivators. In the end, we finished them off ourselves, when did your Greencloud Pavilion ever protect us?”
“Hehe, Brother Qin hold on. First off, why don’t you temporarily put aside your underlying issues with the Greencloud Pavilion? Back then you entered into our alliance based on my introduction, and now that you have the Stellar Fruits, shouldn’t you pass them to us?” Yi Xiang was smiling coldly. The moment these cultivators saw a treasure, they could no longer hold back their greed. After all, no one knew what else might happen in future in the Refinement Grounds. It would always be better to have the Stellar Fruits at hand to replenish their energy.

Qin Wentian saw Ouyang Kuangsheng leisurely standing to the side, as though watching a show. Despite the fact that Ouyang Kuangsheng had a large amount of the Stellar Fruits on him, no one tried to bother him. The other cultivators all chose to target Qin Wentian instead, apparently thinking he was easier to bully.

“You think too much, I applaud your imagination.” Qin Wentian cast a glance at Yi Xiang, as he continued walking away with Mo Qingcheng.

“Hehe, hand over all the Stellar Fruits on you right now,” a Swallow Swordsman spoke calmly. He walked away from Mu Baifei’s side, directing his stare at Qin Wentian, Mo Qingcheng, as well as those from the Greencloud Pavilion. There was an inherent arrogance in his eyes, considering everyone else to be beneath him.
“Let’s go.” Qin Wentian held onto Mo Qingcheng’s hands as they sprinted forwards, not wanting to waste their time with these people.
“Let us leave, as well,” Qian Mengyu spoke, as her party members similarly sprinted forwards. The Swallow Swordsman laughed coldly as he directed his alliance to run after them.
Ouyang Kuangsheng had an expression of interest reflected on his countenance. It was said that every time the Stellar Fruits appeared, a dispute would surely take place. In the eyes of everyone, the Stellar Fruits were a treasure, but was its existence not a disaster, instead? Or maybe, the Stellar Fruits themselves were also another kind of test.

At this moment, turning his head back, Ouyang Kuangsheng saw several silhouettes sprinting towards his direction. He saw cultivators from the Beast King Hall and Skydemon Sect, and even Wang Clan cultivators from the War Continent. It seemed like this time round the dispute would be extremely exciting to watch.

“Ouyang Kuangsheng.” The few cultivators from the Wang Clan halted their steps, as Wang Xiao, who was in the lead, swept his gaze over to Ouyang Kuangsheng. Taking note of the tree’s appearance, a sharp glint of light flashed in his eyes. “You obtained the Stellar Fruits?”
Ouyang Kuangsheng glanced at Wang Xiao. He knew that if this fellow were to truly attack in a frenzy, everyone would definitely fear him to some degree. Not bothering to reply, Ouyang Kuangsheng’s lips curled up into a cold smile as he too, sprinted ahead.

On the spacious pathway, cultivator after cultivator dashed madly ahead. Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng were currently leading, but their countenances soon became worried.

A gigantic, towering mountain rampart came into view, its peak so tall that it seemed to touch the clouds. There was only a single pathway through its middle. At the moment, that pathway seemed to release a powerful force of suction, as hurricanes howled, lacerating the space within. It seemed extremely terrifying.
Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng halted their steps, their countenances extremely unsightly as they stared at the towering mountain rampart in front of them.

“Qingcheng, take these. Be careful.” Qin Wentian retrieved a few Stellar Fruits, passing them over to Mo Qingcheng. She lightly nodded, as they both turned only to see the clouds of dust kicked up by the cultivators approaching in a rush. The Greencloud Pavilion cultivators were one of the first few to arrive, and as they saw the towering mountain ahead of them, the expression on their faces became exceedingly ugly to behold.
Since there was actually a mountain rampart blocking their path, they wouldn’t be able to avoid the dispute. And as for those who possessed the Stellar Fruits, they would surely be the target for others.

Mu Baifei and his alliance also arrived, however they weren’t in a hurry to make their move. They also realised that there were still many others behind them.

Several moments later, the rest of the cultivators all arrived at the mountain rampart. Each cultivator stood about randomly, their ulterior motives apparent on their faces.

Ouyang Kuangsheng cast a glance at the crowd, before shifting his gaze back onto Qin Wentian. This matter had become so troublesome, and was all because of Qin Wentian. If it weren’t for him subduing the Yellow Springs Monument, the vast majority of the current crowd would never have made it this far.

“Qian Mengyu from the Greencloud Pavilion. Turn the fruits over, with your strength, there’s no way you could hold onto them.” Mu Baifei took a step forwards, staring at Qian Mengyu. A condescending tone could be heard in his voice as he and the two other Swallow Swordsmen drew their swords. At that instant, a monstrously sharp sword Qi could be felt tearing apart space, gushing towards the four cultivators from the Greencloud Pavilion.

“Try it.” Qian Mengyu’s countenance was exceedingly unpleasant to behold.
Mu Baifei and the two swordsmen advanced as the monstrous sword Qi increased in strength. A suffocating sword intent permeated the air as their Astral Souls were released, inundating the area with a dazzling light.

The Swallow Swordsmen naturally condensed Sword-type Astral Souls. The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder, pointing their fingers forward. An instant later, tens of millions of sharp swords materialized into a roiling tempest of flying blades. The tempest howled furiously, seeking to decimate all that blocked their path.

“What a powerful sword Qi.” The crowd gasped in awe.

At this moment, a long sword could also be seen in Qian Mengyu’s hands; she was proficient with the Sword-type innate technique, Sword of Nine Lives. Wielding the sword in an intricate dance, it contained overflowing vitality and an undying will. At that instant, the female cultivators beside her also unleashed their attacks, all of them combining their powers together, seeking to clash directly with the oncoming sword tempest.

Swish, swish, swish. The terrifying sword Qi emanated by both sides was exceptionally ear-piercing, as the combatants were engulfed in a storm of swords. The Swallow Swordsmen continued their advances, as boundless amounts of sword Qi gushed forth with every step they took. They flicked their sword fingers out unceasingly, layering their terrifying sword intent, stacking over each other, becoming increasingly stronger.

Qin Wentian stood witnessing their battle, silently musing that they were indeed Swordsmen that hailed from transcendent powers. Any one of the three was sufficient to dominate anyone who had participated in the Jun Lin Banquet, including himself from back then. However as of now, Qin Wentian didn’t feel that he was weaker compared to them.

The current Qin Wentian versus the previous Qin Wentian; who knew how many times stronger he was now in comparison to back then.

“Brother Qin, you can witness for yourself exactly how strong the Swallow Swordsmen are. A wise man submits to his circumstances, we won’t hold it against you if you hand over the fruits now.” Yi Xiang walked forwards, standing in front of Qin Wentian as he spoke in a low voice, with a vile smile painted on his face.

Qin Wentian cast a glance at Yi Xiang, his reply was only a single word, “Scram.”

Yi Xiang’s countenance sank, as his demeanor became sinister. Glaring at Qin Wentian before glancing at Mo Qingcheng, he stated, “Brother Qin, it’s okay if you wish to die, but why must you drag down such a beautiful girl with you?”

Qin Wentian stared at Yi Xiang, an icy cold glint of light could be seen flickering in his eyes, causing Yi Xiang to be filled with a sense of danger. That harmonious looking youth was actually capable of bringing forth such pressure when angered.

“We will hand the fruits over.” At this very moment, on the battlefield some distance away, Qian Mengyu and her party members were forced all the way to the mountain rampart by the three Swallow Swordsmen. With their backs to the mountain wall, with no further paths of retreat, and in addition to the ever strengthening sword Qi, those from the Greencloud Pavilion could only obediently submit and hand over the Stellar Fruits in their possession.
“Puchi~ Fresh blood spurted out, as a female cultivator behind Qian Mengyu was run through by a sword, dying on the spot. Qian Mengyu stiffened, as her countenance became incomparably unsightly.

And at the same time, the monstrous sword intent dissipated as Mu Baifei calmly stated, “Since you already knew the result would turn out like this, why did you still resist in the first place?”

His voice was heavily tinged with arrogance as he stretched out his hands towards Qian Mengyu.

Qian Mengyu turned ashen as she handed the Stellar Fruits over. Only now did the crowd know the dispute was over vying of the Stellar Fruits.

“That’s all? The amount of Stellar Fruits can’t be so few, right?” Mu Baifei serenely spoke. After which, one of the female cultivators raised her hands, pointing her finger towards Qin Wentian, “The remaining fruits are all in his hands, while the entire hoard of Stellar Fruits of the other tree is in Ouyang Kuangsheng’s possession. Go snatch them if you have the ability to.”

Qin Wentian furrowed his brows as he saw Mu Baifei walking towards him. Just as serenely as before, Mu Baifei asked, “Where are the Stellar Fruits?”

His eyes were filled with disdain, staring condescendingly down at Qin Wentian. How could the amount of Stellar Fruits he obtained be sufficient to split with those in his alliance.

“Hehe, Brother Qin, if you infuriate Brother Mu, I’m afraid that you won’t be able to keep your little life.” Yi Xiang snickered, with a hint of intimidation.

“My life? Do you believe I won’t take your life first?” The demonic look in Qin Wentian’s eyes got more and more pronounced, his incomparably calm voice caused Yi Xiang’s countenance to freeze, and his expression became increasingly unsightly.

“He should have several Stellar Fruits in his possession, you guys go ahead and split them amongst yourselves,” Mu Baifei spoke to those in his alliance, causing their eyes to glimmer with greed.

It was very obvious Mu Baifei fully understood the current situation. He was not the only one that wanted the Stellar Fruits; there were still many others from the various transcendent powers eyeing the fruits akin to tigers watching their prey. The strength of his alliance was still insufficient to possess this entire batch of treasures alone.

Not only that, with his pride and arrogance, he felt that it was beneath his dignity to act against a nameless someone with no backing whatsoever.

Chapter 186: Mystic Moon Hall

Yi Xiang and one other, stared down Qin Wention, stepping out to walk towards him.

“Brother Qin, you’re the one who can’t appreciate a favor. Don’t blame us,” Yi Xiang spoke indifferently, his killing intent radiating outwards. He truly wanted to see Qin Wentian, an ignorant person hailing from a small country, what capabilities did he have indeed to be this arrogant? Qin Wentian didn’t even know of the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan or any of the other transcendent powers. What were his origins, exactly?

Buzz~ Yi Xiang and the others made their moves, releasing their Astral Souls.

Qin Wentian’s countenance was extremely cold . How could there be such a logic stating he had to hand over the Stellar Fruits after obtaining them. His long hair was fluttering about in the wind, as demonic Qi emanated forth. All the blood in his body seethed, as the blood seal jumped about in a frenzy, containing an incredible power within.

“DIE.” The pressure their opponents emitted came smashing down on them. Yi Xiang and one other dashed towards them, attacking with wild abandon. Mo Qingcheng wanted to counter their attacks, but stopped when Qin Wentian replied, “Leave this to me.”

As the sound of his voice faded, his silhouette transformed into a blur of shadows, instantly appearing before the two opponents as he unleashed a terrifying palm imprint.

4th Stance of the Thousand-Hand Imprints – Kuji Imprint

As the Kuji Imprint burst forth, a sense of overwhelming desolation filled the atmosphere, where nothing existed. The power behind the imprint was intent on eradicating everything in its path. Not only that, the gigantic palm’s terrifying manifestation also retained an incomparable sharpness of sword intent. Qin Wentian had executed the Kuji Imprint with the sword-type Divine Yuan Energy in his body.

The expressions of the two attackers froze on their faces; the might of the gigantic palm imprint they sensed contained a pressure so stifling, they couldn’t even breath. It was as though the Kuji Imprint was the only thing that existed in this entire world, sweeping forwards with unstoppable force.

The crowd felt terror in their hearts upon seeing the palm imprint of Qin Wentian. It was unfathomably astonishing as to the depth of power it held; it radiated a bloody sheen and the aura of an Emperor could be felt within .

Since Yi Xiang and the other attacker had no way to retreat, they could only summon all their strength to defend against Qin Wentian’s palm attack. As a thunderous sound echoed out, both Yi Xiang and the other attacker’s arms instantly shattered. Horror filled their eyes as the Kuji Imprint devoured them whole. The pressure of overwhelming desolation smashed their bodies into pieces, before grinding the pieces into dust. No trace of their corpses remained.
“How powerful.”

The countenance of everyone in the crowd froze as they stared at Qin Wentian. They could tell that the earlier palm imprint was at least a middle-tier, earth-grade innate technique. The pressure released was capable of overwhelming destruction; Yi Xiang and the other attacker died before they had a chance to use their trump cards.

The lone youth stood there, his hair an inky black. His aura was incredibly fiendish and demonic Qi was gushing out from him as it grew stronger and stronger by the second. The blood in his body surged and seethed, as he projected an aura of such absolute obedience it seemed as though even kings and emperors had to submit to him.

Currently, he was still young, but if he were to mature in strength, the domineering force behind his aura of absolute obedience would intensify even further. The power of his bloodline limit had definitely come from an exalted and extraordinary lineage.

Expressions of extreme fascination appeared on the faces of Qian Mengyu and those from the Greencloud Pavilion. Qian Mengyu silently mused in her heart, it seemed like she had still underestimated the combat prowess of Qin Wentian.

Qin Wentian felt energized by the power of his bloodline limit, sensing the blood seal within his body jumping in a frenzy. This power would seep into his attacks, further enhancing their might to another level.

“So what if you guys managed to obtain the Stellar Fruits? Are all of you blind? Do you think the Swallow Swordsmen would lead you to the celestial lake? Can you clearly not see how many other experts are standing behind you?” Qin Wentian swept his gaze towards those in the Yi Xiang’s alliance. Upon hearing his words, their countenance stiffened as they looked behind, their hearts filled with trepidation.

“Without sufficient power, being a follower of others is equivalent to travelling alone. Only death awaits you at the end of the road.” At the end of his sentence, the ancient halberd appeared in Qin Wentian’s hands, slamming its tip into the ground as if to further emphasize his words.

“What wild words. Mere pretentious bravado.”

Mu Baifei indifferently snorted at Qin Wentian’s speech. His white robes fluttered as his sword Qi propagated, his eyes boring into Qin Wentian’s.

“Take him down,” Mu Baifei commanded, contempt heavily coloring his tone while his countenance still remained as serene as before.

The two other swordsmen from the Yan Continent nodded, and released their Astral Souls. In unison, they walked towards Qin Wentian, their sword fingers marking him as their target.
Qin Wentian stared coldly at the two Swallow Swordsmen, similarly walking towards them with the ancient halberd equipped in his hands. With every step he took, the demonic aura he released grew stronger and stronger. His eyes resembled tunnels of endless depths, so deep a person could drown in them should they dare to meet his gaze.

The two white-clad swordsmen stabbed out with their sword fingers, as tremendous amounts of sword Qi swirled about, lacerating the void as tens of millions filaments of sword light bloomed.

Qin Wentian weaved the ancient halberd in beautiful arcs, as an illusory form of a towering Xuanwu Tortoise appeared, immovable even in the presence of his opponent’s sword Qi.

“Hmph.” The two Swallow Swordsmen laughed coldly. Flicking their fingers, two exceptionally sharp swords materialized from above the defending phantom, chopping downwards to tear the illusory Xuanwu Tortoise apart.

The blood seal within his body trembled; the power of his bloodline limit seeping into his innate techniques caused the defense of the illusory Xuanwu manifestation to be overwhelmingly strong. Qin Wentian took another step forwards, his aura directly clashed against the overflowing sword might, counter-pressuring his opponents.

The two Swallow Swordsmen snorted with indifference, as they too, took a step forwards. Sweeping their sword fingers out in a horizontal slash, their energy input caused the filaments of sword light to grow even stronger and more resplendent.

At that instant, Qin Wentian dashed forth, smashing his ancient halberd forwards. The illusory form of the towering Xuanwu howled in rage as it rushed out; the abundant amount of blood light erupting outwards covered the entire space, acting as a barrier against the overflowing sword Qi. The ancient halberd in Qin Wentian’s hands transformed into a dazzling stream of light, breaking apart all that obstructed his way.

The two swordsmen retracted their sword fingers while unsheathing their physical swords. This was the first time they had taken their swords out of their scabbards, the silvery glow reflected off their swords was extremely blinding, causing pain to the eyes of those who saw it.

The two swords simultaneously slashed out, clashing directly against the incoming ancient halberd of Qin Wentian. The power gushing forth from the ancient halberd subdued the terrifying bursts of sword Qi, seemingly groaning under its pressure before dissipating. The two Swallow Swordsmen were forced backwards from the impact, their countenance incomparably unsightly. The power contained within Qin Wentian’s attack was immeasurably formidable.

Despite this, they instantly recovered their stances, dancing about with their swords. The faltering sword Qi grew increasingly stronger, as they both transformed into two streams of lights, explosively dashing towards Qin Wentian.

Casting a glance at the ancient halberd of Qin Wentian, Mu Baifei could tell that it was a divine weapon. The already tyrannical attacks of Qin Wentian were even more overwhelming with the augmentation effects of his divine weapon.

Mu Baifei’s silhouette flickered, his movements akin to the wind. His sword keened, as he unsheathed it with blinding speed. Although his sword strike was delivered after theirs, it actually arrived in front of Qin Wentian at the same moment as the two other swords. Three sword attacks from three different angles, wanting to steal Qin Wentian’s life away.
“Mu Baifei, your reputation is undeserved.” Ouyang Kuangsheng’s countenance was filled with contempt upon seeing Mu Baifei’s actions.

Swallow Swordsmen were known for their outstanding attacks, yet even with two, they were counter-pressured by Qin Wentian. And now, with the inclusion of Mu Baifei, there would be no glory even if they won.

Mu Baifei naturally knew this as well. But since he had already intervened, he knew he must kill Qin Wentian.

Qin Wentian felt an overwhelming impending sense of danger. He quickly reacted, weaving the ancient halberd in his hands in a beautiful dance, as he swept it out horizontally to block. As expected, although Mu Baifei’s sword position appeared to be further away, it was just an illusion. If his reaction has been slower by even a microsecond, the sword would have already penetrated through Qin Wentian’s throat.

Borrowing the power generated from the force of the impact, Qin Wentian executed the Garuda Movement Steps to its utmost limits, his perfected steps appearing exquisite beyond comparison as he retreated. The swords of the two other attackers missed Qin Wentian by an instant, but the terrifying sword Qi of their attacks still slashed towards his face, causing him to feel a sticky sensation.

As he was retreating, he gingerly touched his face, only to feel traces of blood seeping out.

“Swallow Swordsmen?” Qin Wentian inclined his head, staring at his three attackers. An expression of ridicule appeared on his countenance, as he coldly continued, “They’re nothing much, after all.”

His words caused the countenances of the crowd to transform into something extremely fascinating to behold. Qin Wentian was truly powerful, to think that he could block a joint attack from Mu Baifei and the two other Swallow Swordsmen.

Mu Baifei pointed his sword straight at Qin Wentian, as he replied, “Is that so?”

As the sound of his voice faded, the eruption of sword Qi from Mu Baifei grew even stronger.

Upon observing all these happenings, a group of people walked towards Mo Qingcheng. As the companion of Qin Wentian, there should also be some Stellar Fruits in her possession right?

However, at this moment, an unknown figure appeared in front of Mo Qingcheng. This figure was robed in black, her delicate and exquisite figure was already sufficient to steal the breath of the crowd away. In addition to wearing a conical bamboo hat, she also wore a veil to conceal her features. Only a pair of exceptionally bright and clear eyes could be seen of her features.

The moment the mysterious figure appeared, a group of similarly clothed cultivators stood to her left and right, directly in front of Mo Qingcheng. Their movements caused the crowd to feel as if they were intentionally protecting her.

With the exception of the mysterious figure, the features of the rest of her comrades were unmasked, their beautiful faces could be clearly seen by the crowd.
“Does the Mystic Moon Hall wish to intervene?” A strange glow appeared in Mu Baifei’s eyes as he took in the situation. Those from the Mystic Moon Hall were always mysterious, cultivating many unfathomable and bizarre innate techniques that contained excessive Yin. Thus, the majority of cultivators from the Mystic Moon Hall were females.

Mystic Moon Hall of the Spirit Continent, it was one of the transcendent powers of the nine continents.

Initially, Qin Wentian was extremely worried for Mo Qingcheng, but upon seeing those from the Mystic Moon Hall protecting her, he let out a sigh of relief. However, he couldn’t help but wonder at their actions. Mo Qingcheng was from Chu, and shouldn’t have had contact with those from the Mystic Moon Hall before.

“She’s from the Mystic Moon Hall?”

An excited gleam appeared in the eyes of Shiki from the Beast King Hall as he took note of Mo Qingcheng. Although Mo Qingcheng’s current features were obscured, he had once seen what she really looked like. And now upon seeing the group of cultivators from the Mystic Moon Hall guarding Mo Qingcheng, he deduced that she was definitely one of the important chosen disciples from Mystic Moon. This knowledge caused his lust to soar even higher.

“Hehe, ATTACK,” Shiki coldly commanded. An instant later, the cultivators from the Beast King Hall lunged out, as terrifying demonic Qi permeated the air.

“A bunch of vile bastards.” Someone in the Mystic Moon Hall ridiculed. The majority of cultivators in the Beast King Hall were all of beastmen linage. Upon hearing the taunt, their anger exploded as they clashed with those from the Mystic Moon Hall.
“You are mine.” A smile of lust appeared on Shiki’s face as he crouched down on all fours, darting towards Mo Qingcheng. An extremely icy look flashed in Mo Qingcheng’s eyes as she released her Astral Souls. As a Yuanfu cultivator, even though her Yuanfu was currently suppressed, she would still have an advantage when fighting against cultivators at the Arterial Circulation Realm.

Qin Wentian glanced in the direction of Shiki, furrowing his brows as a terrifying cold light flickered in his eyes. In his heart, he had already sentenced Shiki to death.

Qin Wentian opened his mouth, swallowing a Stellar Fruit just as a wave of terrifying sword Qi gushed over from the approaching Swallow Swordsmen.

“There’s still time for all of you to stop your actions now,” Qin Wentian coldly stated. He was extremely worried for Mo Qingcheng.

“You must die here today,” Mu Baifei just as coldly, replied.

The three of them joined hands to attack Qin Wentian. If he were to still survive, what would happen to their reputation? And in future, how could they still have the face to interact with cultivators of the same generation within the nine continents?

Currently, all of them already were half a step into Yuanfu. In just a mere year or two later, it would be their turn for their names to shine brilliantly.

“Since you wish to court death so much, I shall grant it to you.” Qin Wentian slammed his ancient halberd downwards, embedding it in the ground as a terrifying tempest of sword Qi emanated forth from him

To their extreme astonishment, the crowd saw countless swords manifest from Astral Energy, flickering about Qin Wentian, and shrouding him within. The sharp keen of swords grinding each other could be heard, as an incredibly monstrous sword Qi emanated forth.

Chapter 187: Ouyang Joins the Battle

“Sword Qi.”

Mu Baifei and the two other swordsmen furrowed their brows. Resplendent sword light, flickered all around Qin Wentian, its radiance shrouding him within. The Astral Light transformed into countless numbers of flawlessly sharp swords, each emitting a keening wail.

Relentless waves of monstrously sharp sword Qi gushed out from each sword formed from the Astral Light.

“How amazing.” The crowd stared at Qin Wentian, flabbergasted. This fellow wasn’t from any of the transcendent powers, so how could his combat prowess be at this high a level.
And yet the aura of Qin Wentian kept climbing upwards with no signs of stopping. An incredibly demonic presence could be felt, as the blood seal inside his body multiplied. As the seals trembled violently, the bloody aura covered each and every one of the astral swords.

Glancing once more at Qin Wentian, his appearance transformed into a Bloodsword Sovereign, the demonic Qi he exuded only growing stronger and stronger.

“Since you all wish to court death, I shall grant you what you seek.”
Qin Wentian’s words resounded through the air, sounding exceptionally tyrannical. He sought death for all present Swallow Swordsmen.

BOOM! Mu Baifei and his cronies moved, and in the midst of it all, Qin Wentian finally took a single step forwards.

With merely a single step, the keening wail of his swords intensified, as the countless astral swords combined together. The swords transformed, surging into a spiral of sword waves intent on devouring everything.

Mu Baifei’s countenance changed as he coldly hollered, “SWORD HOWL!”
As the sound of his voice faded, boundless amounts of sword light generated from the three Swallow Swordsmen converged. Their Sword-type divine weapons grinded against each other, creating a cacophony of sword howls. Accompanying it all, the sword intent emanating in the air stacked over each other, overlapping and enhancing the power of the sword howls.

Under the overwhelming pressure that Qin Wentian exuded, the Swallow Swordsmen were actually forced to resort to these types of sword-combination attacks?

“DIE!” The Sword-type Divine Energy within his body erupted forth, powering his astral swords spiral and blasting them forwards. Tens of millions of swords amalgamated together into formation, becoming a single supreme sword. The sight of this phenomenon caused endless shock to the spectating crowd, not to mention the underlying fact that all Yuanfu Cultivators’ Yuanfus were still sealed. If unleashed outside of the Refinement Grounds, the power of this attack would be sufficient enough to kill Yuanfu experts, as well.

“KILL!” Mu Baifei and the two other Swallow Swordsmen roared, as the cacophony of sword howls shook the heavens, transforming into a gigantic dragon, dashing forwards with rage. This was an extremely high level innate technique that enabled the might of their sword to manifest into a real dragon. This technique could only be carried out if three sword cultivators joined their hearts and minds as one, creating the cacophony of sword howls before it could be executed. From this, it could be seen how great was their pressure when facing Qin Wentian.

The crowd was dumbstruck as they witnessed the events happening on the battlefield. The supreme sword, along with the sword spirals, collided explosively with the sword dragon, resulting in a burst of multi-colored radiance in the surroundings. The noise made by the sword howls, coupled with the sword keening, was so intense it almost broke the ear drums of everyone in the vicinity. Boundless bursts of sword Qi erupted in all directions, forcing the crowd of spectators to either dodge or suffer death.

At the area where Qin Wentian stood, clouds of dust flew all about as a result of the earlier attack. Mu Baifei and the two attackers burst into retreat; their white robes were lacerated into pieces, and traces of blood could be seen on their clothing. At this moment, their countenances all appeared to be incomparably heavy, as they stared at the tyrannical Qin Wentian in front of them. Despite their incredible sword-combination innate technique, they still failed to overcome Qin Wentian.

Nobody would have imagined that at this moment, Qin Wentian was exceptionally shocked as well. He was very clearly aware of the power of his own attack; the tremendous power of his sword-type Divine Energy transformed into Divine Imprints for attacking purposes. In addition to his powerful body and the augmentation of his power by his bloodline limit, this attack was something he had specially prepared to deal with Yuanfu cultivators. But to think that in the end, this attack still failed to kill Mu Baifei and the two other swordsmen.
This particular attack exhausted an extremely large amount of Qin Wentian’s energy reserve. Despite this, he ate another Stellar Fruit, as he stared at Mu Baifei.
The countenances of the three Swallow Swordsmen were extremely unsightly. To think that they wanted to bully Qin Wentian into giving up the Stellar Fruits, but had rammed their toes into a metal board instead.
They were the prestigious swordsmen that hailed from the Yan Continent and had absolute confidence in their own powers. However, the three of them had actually been suppressed by a nameless nobody.
Not so far away, Qian Mengyu and the two other surviving female cultivators had expressions of extreme fascination on their faces.

Shock could be seen on Qian Mengyu’s countenance, a thunderstruck expression reflected on her face. To think that he was so powerful, how laughable it was to assume Qin Wentian followed them because he needed their protection.

And what was even more ludicrous was that after Qin Wentian obtained the Stellar Fruits, he had wanted to split the fruits equally between them. However, one of her companions actually suggested that, because Qin Wentian was under their protection, his status was as one of their followers. Because of this, they themselves should decide on the division of the fruits according to their desires. In the end, although Qian Mengyu agreed to split the fruits equally, everyone could tell that she didn’t do so willingly. Now that she thought of it, she couldn’t help but feel a burning sensation on her face.

Qin Wentian was the one who suggested to split the fruits equally with them. Even if Qin Wentian didn’t want to do so, what could they even do to him?

Mu Baifei and the other two swordsmen used their absolute strength to suppress the four of them, even killing one, yet the three swordsmen were totally suppressed by Qin Wentian alone.

The female cultivator beside Qian Mengyu, the one who kept making snide remarks towards Qin Wentian, turned ashen and pale white upon seeing the true combat prowess of Qin Wentian.

Qin Wentian disregarded their opinion of him. At this moment, he stopped his attacks and stared straight at Mu Baifei and the two others. Although his earlier moves consumed a great portion of his Astral Energy reserve, he had sufficient power to unleash one final attack. But if he were to do so, he would be hardpressed to deal with any future troubles that might come by later. Similarly, the Astral Energy expenditure of Mu Baifei and the two swordsmen should have been astronomical, as well.

On the other side of the battlefield, Mo Qingcheng didn’t suffer any disadvantages when fighting against Shiki. This was also the reason why Qin Wentian didn’t immediately help out.
The cultivators from the Mystic Moon Hall seemed superior to those from the Beast King Hall in combat; this didn’t mean that the overall strength of the Mystic Moon Hall was superior but instead, it was all because the veiled mysterious lady was extremely powerful. Her movements were like the shadows, giving people an unfathomable feeling. Her presence was so vague, to the extent it was difficult to even sense her existence. By the time she showed herself to her opponents, the long black lance equipped in her hands would have already penetrated through their hearts. Several of those beastmen died in her hands.

This caused many in the crowd to feel a chill in their hearts; the Mystic Moon Hall, one of the transcendent powers in the nine continents, were famed for their extremely sinister and crafty innate techniques. There were truly very few people who dared to antagonise them.

It was also rumoured that the training of the disciples from the Mystic Moon Hall was extremely brutal, to the point where it could be described as undergoing excruciating torture. Their aim was to polish their disciples into a sharp lance of darkness, training them in assassination.

However at this moment, Yao Sheng stepped forwards as the cultivators from the Skydemon Sect started to stir.

Although Yao Sheng and Shiki were in an alliance, he didn’t opt to help out when the cultivators from the Beast King Hall were defeated. Instead, he chose to wait until several cultivators of the Beast King Hall died before taking action. This caused many to speculate that although he still wanted the alliance with Shiki, he didn’t wish the Beast King Hall to be at full strength.
“Kill,” Yao Sheng coldly commanded, before sweeping his gaze over to Qin Wentian and the Swallow Swordsmen. It would be perfect if both parties were to heavily injure each other.

Qin Wentian frowned; he wasn’t clear as to the reason why those from the Mystic Moon Hall chose to help Mo Qingcheng. But since they had done so, he didn’t want any danger to befall them because of their decision. Yet, he was all alone, not allied to anyone and had no way to send help to them.

“Ouyang Kuangsheng, could you please help those from Mystic Moon Hall? After this, it can be considered that I owe you a favour. How about it?” Qin Wentian was still staring at the Swallow Swordsmen as he spoke, with his back facing to Ouyang Kuangsheng.

Ouyang Kuangsheng didn’t expect that Qin Wentian would ask him for help. Contemplation shone in his eyes before he smiled, “Fine, but there’s no need for you to owe me any favours. Let it be considered that I, Ouyang Kuangsheng, have made a friend.”

After speaking, he stepped out. Abruptly, a brilliant glow shone as his body was covered in terrifying flames. A fearsome heat emanated forth from him, as he shot a punch outwards. The cultivators in front of him felt their bodies boiling, exploding under the pressure.

“Ouyang Kuangsheng is truly powerful, so wild and unrestrained. To think that he would dare to offend two transcendent powers – the Beast King Hall and Skydemon Sect, just because of a single sentence from an unknown person.”

Many in the crowd marveled at the display, but then again they had already heard of Ouyang Kuangsheng’s personality; he was truly someone who did what he wished at any moment with no concern for what others might think.

If he cared for their opinion, he wouldn’t have waited so long before starting cultivation, even though others his age were already in the Arterial Circulation Realm. No one knew how many stares of contempt and derision he’d had to endure back then. However, he didn’t give a damn about their contempt, and chose to wait until he was able to condense an Astral Soul from the 4th Heavenly Layer before commencing cultivation. His success had catapulted him from a nobody to having overwhelming fame in just a single night.

This kind of nonchalance by itself could also be considered a type of arrogance. He did whatever he wanted, the thoughts and feelings of others be damned.

It was only then that Ouyang Kuangcheng made a complete evaluation of Qin Wentian. There was no need to doubt his power after seeing him suppress the three Swallow Swordsmen, and there was no need to doubt his character after his previous offer to split the Stellar Fruits equally with those from the Greencloud Pavilion . The most important thing was that he personally witnessed Qin Wentian subduing the Yellow Springs Monument.
For thousands of years, the legend of the Yellow Springs ancient pathway had circulated around the nine continents. Coming face to face with the Yellow Springs, repent and see the shore (turn back and be forgiven). If one was powerful enough, they would be able to transcend the pathway and survive unscathed. But Qin Wentian was the first to directly subdue the Yellow Springs Monument.

Thus, after Qin Wentian spoke, Ouyang Kuangsheng only needed a few moments to consider before he agreed. A person like Qin Wentian was worthy of his friendship.

“Many thanks.” Qin Wentian could feel how forthright Ouyang Kuangsheng was. He, too, didn’t mind making such a friend.

And just like that, the various representatives of the transcendent powers were embroiled in the fights, caused by an unknown person – Qin Wentian.

But what a pity, those from the Greencloud Pavilion no longer had the qualifications to participate in the fierce battles. The girl accompanying Ouyang Kuangsheng, Jiang Ting and the other cultivators from the Jiang Clan, had not even arrived yet.

The only one remaining was, Wang Xiao, hailing from the Wang Clan of the War Continent. Many in the crowd swept their gaze towards Wang Xiao only to see him calmly standing, watching the events play out in front of him with no change in expression. No one could tell what he was thinking, but one thing everyone knew was that out of the transcendent powers that came to the Refinement Grounds, Wang Xiao was definitely one of the most powerful elites of the younger generations. His level of strength and combat prowess definitely didn’t lose out to Ouyang Kuangsheng.

They just didn’t know whether Wang Xiao would participate in this storm of battles for the Stellar Fruits.

But regardless of this, at this moment Qin Wentian could finally be at ease and focus on dealing with these three extremely tough-to-deal-with Swallow Swordsmen from the Yan Continent!

Chapter 188: Gazing upon the Celestial Lake

Qin Wentian pulled his ancient halberd out from the ground, his Astral Energy having already been fully restored by the Stellar Fruits.

By contrast, Mu Baifei and the two swordsmen didn’t have any Stellar Fruits to consume. Fighting against the four female cultivators from the Greencloud Pavilion, fighting a battle with Qin Wentian, and especially executing their sword-combination technique; all these factors had already exhausted a large amount of their energy reserves. As they watched Qin Wentian strutting over, traces of wariness could be seen reflected in their eyes.

Mu Baifei raised the long-sword wielded in his hands, pointing it towards Qin Wentian. The reputation of the Swallow Swordsmen must not be besmirched by their hands.

The two other swordsmen raised their blades as well, the sword intent that emanated forth growing stronger by the second.

Pssst~ Qin Wentian’s silhouette transformed into a blurry shadow, and with explosive speed his ancient halberd erupted forth towards Mu Baifei. He opened the battle with the first stance of his Great Dream Halberd Art – Mountain Splitter. Cleaving apart mountains with a single strike, the power of this attack would undoubtedly strike fear in people’s hearts. And what’s more, this attack of Qin Wentian, was powered by the sword-type Divine Yuan Energy in his body.

As the leader for this group of Swallow Swordsmen, Mu Baifei’s combat prowess was naturally the strongest, and he undoubtedly deserved his reputation. He moved his long-sword in gentle arcs, manifesting several streams of light from its tip, boiling with killing intent.

BOOM! The momentum forced Mu Baifei backwards, but at that moment, the swords of the other two instantly slashed out quick as lightning. Qin Wentian spun, maintaining his marvellous footwork, dodging while simultaneously blasting attacks out with his Fallen Mountain Palms. The might of the attacks he unleashed felt as heavy as a mountain and imbued with boundless strength, blocking the sword beam from the left. As the other sword beam shot towards him from the right, he flung out his ancient halberd, transforming it into a streak of light, flying straight towards Mu Baifei. He had voluntarily chosen to give up his weapon.

Puchi~ Qin Wentian spat out several beams of sword light towards his right, instantly dulling the sword might of his opponent. At the same moment, the sounds of gushing water gushing could be heard from the arterial pathways of Qin Wentian, as the Astral Energy within him began to seeth and surge.

“DIE!” The Astral Energy flowed into Qin Wentian’s arms, filling them with an incredibly fearsome power as he blasted forth with the Kuji Imprint. Within the palm imprint he struck out, layers of bloody light could be seen flickering within, as an aura of destruction emanated forth from it. Just as a thunderous sound echoed, the impact of collision flung the sword out of his attacker’s hands.

How ferocious was Qin Wentian’s speed? Along with this long-prepared strike, Qin Wentian simultaneously executed his Garuda Movement Technique to its absolute limits, appearing in front of his opponent in an instant. The countenance of the attacker turned incomparably unsightly. With a howl of rage, he hurriedly stabbed out with his sword fingers, as a surge of powerful sword intent gushed out from it.

But how could there be anyone who could compare to Qin Wentian in terms of close combat? His now-demonic eyes stared at his opponent, causing the other to experience a surreal sensation, akin to that of a nightmare. The earlier blood palm reached him, effortlessly destroying his pathetic attempts at a mounted defense, before barreling through and exploding the head of his opponent.
All that happened in a split-second, however, Mu Baifei and the other attacker swiftly countered his earlier attacks and responded with another of their own, causing a strong sense of danger to rise in Qin Wentian’s heart.

In that instant, Qin Wentian adjusted his attack, as the terrifying Divine Yuan Energy within him gushed out in a frenzy, transforming into resplendent astral swords explosively flying towards Mu Baifei. Evidently, Mu Baifei’s threat to him was obviously greater. At this exact moment, the sword of the other attacker neared. Qin Wentian sent out his left palm in response, only to see a beam of glimmering sword light slashing apart the space, as traces of blood appeared on his palms. The sword of his opponent was too sharp.

Against such an opponent, a moment of carelessness would mean death.

Qin Wentian retreated with rapid speed. Mu Baifei and his remaining crony knew that they had missed the best opportunity to kill Qin Wentian. Their gazes turned heavy as they stared at the corpse of their comrade, their killing intents soaring to the limits.

Qin Wentian turned back, glancing at Mo Qingcheng. Shiki was half-mad with anger; he had already went all out, transforming into his half-demonic form. He felt extreme shame at the thought of being unable to suppress Mo Qingcheng despite his status.

However, there was no need to worry about those from the Mystic Moon Hall. Ouyang Kuangsheng was truly powerful, so with him supporting those from the Mystic Moon Hall, as a group they weren’t inferior to those from the Skydemon Sect.

And as for those cultivators from the non-transcendent powers, they silently watched with glee. They were in the weaker position, and any outcome resulting from this fight would be extremely beneficial to them.

“Brr, what a cold wind.” At that moment, someone suddenly shivered. And the gale of cold wind only grew stronger and stronger.

The crowd of spectators furrowed their brows, as they gazed in a particular direction. The converging point of their focus was none other than the only gap through the Mountain Rampart! The suction force of that pathway became increasingly stronger, to the point where the nearby granules of sand and gravel started to fly towards it.

“What’s the hell is happening?” A few seconds later, a terrifying windstorm formed and could be seen swerving with incredible speed towards the gap. The suction force intensified as though the gap was the mouth of a gigantic demon wishing to devour everything.

Even the clothing worn on the bodies of the cultivators were fluttering in response to the suction force. Some of the weaker cultivators felt as though they were about to be swept off their feet, about to be drawn in. This terrifying sensation only escalated in strength.

Everyone ceased their attacks, and Qin Wentian was forced backwards by half a step from the force generated from the terrifying windstorm. Stabilizing his posture, Qin Wentian couldn’t even open his eyes, the demonic wind was simply too bizarre.

Underneath the pressure borne from the gale of demonic wind, many cultivators could no longer keep their steps steady but instead found themselves flustered as they stumbled about, trying to find their footing. A random cultivator was seemingly ‘directed’ by the suction force, barreling towards the direction of Qin Wentian. However, when he neared, that person abruptly turned about, brandishing a gigantic axe. He chopped down with ferocious speed, intent on smashing Qin Wentian apart.

Qin Wentian instantly broke out in a cold sweat. Under the suction force and the incoming windstorm, he couldn’t even move his body. How could he then dodge the strike? It was even tougher to summon the required strength to defend against the attack, not to mention the extremely terrifying force his attacker used to swing down the gigantic axe with. This ‘random’ cultivator was most definitely someone also standing at the peak of the younger generation scheming to obtain his Stellar Fruits.

Qin Wentian relinquished total control of his body, not fighting against the pull of the demonic wind. His body flew directly towards the gap in the Mountain Rampart, as the gigantic axe cleaved past. A fearsome axe light flickered, as sounds of laceration rang out. His robes were slashed apart as a long wound appeared in front of his chest.

BOOM! Qin Wentian slammed into the mountain wall, excruciating pain assailing his senses. The intensity of that surge of demonic wind was too terrifying.

“Wentian!” Mo Qingcheng’s worried voice drifted over. She had personally witnessed that terrifying axe cleaving downwards earlier, and was struggling to move towards Qin Wentian.

“I’m alright.” Qin Wentian turned his head, smiling at Mo Qingcheng. He felt the power of his bloodline limit surging, as the bloody wound on his chest slowly recovered. After which, he sensed the blood seal within his body leaping towards the direction of his wound, as his recovery rate visibly heightened. His heart trembled slightly; only now did he understand how powerful his bloodline was.

“Over here.” Mo Qingcheng reached her hand out to Qin Wentian, as he leaned against the mountain walls, moving towards her. With her dainty little hand finally in his grasp, he spoke, “Qingcheng, I don’t think anyone would be able to resist such a powerful gale of wind. Let’s allow nature to take its course, and we shall enter that pathway.”
“Mhm.” Mo Qingcheng lightly nodded her head, as they tightened their grasp on each other’s hands.

“Go.” Qin Wentian didn’t bother retrieving his ancient halberd, neither did he bother to look for the wielder of the gigantic axe. The most important thing now was safety. These cultivators were all extremely ruthless, and even in the face of the windstorm, people were still unwilling to miss a chance to get the Stellar Fruits.

The two of them completely stopped resisting the pull of the wind, allowing the currents to steer them towards the direction of the pathway. Yet another thunderous sound boomed. Qin Wentian could only feel his head spinning, not realising that he had slammed into the mountain walls. That gust of wind was so strong he couldn’t even open his eyes.

Circulating Astral Energy around his body, his blood seethed and surged, protecting his inner organs and vital channels. At the same time, Qin Wentian pulled Mo Qingcheng into his arms, using his body as a shelter to shield her from any collision as their bodies soared together with the currents of the raging wind.
Mo Qingcheng’s inner organs shuddered violently, when suddenly she felt the warmth of a embrace. Sweetness filled her heart as she snuggled into Qin Wentian’s protective hug, hugging him even tighter.
Qin Wentian was slammed again and again into the mountain walls by the merciless wind. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng were ruthlessly hurled to the ground. Entwining their bodies together, they rolled sideways to cushion the force of the impact.

Opening his eyes, Qin Wentian gazed into the clear eyes of Mo Qingcheng, as a smile broke out on his face. They were still alive!

Mo Qingcheng smiled back sweetly in response.

As the two of them struggled to sit up, they felt as though their bodies were treated like punching bags, just bags of loose sand only held together by their tenacious wills.
Contemplating their surroundings, they were currently situated in the middle of a windstorm. The reason they could still feel such intense gales of wind was right in front of them; yet another terrifying windstorm faced them, with gusts of cold wind akin to sharp swords and sabres blowing in their path.
But as their eyes penetrated the windstorm, they saw a beautiful scene lying ahead. Towering stone pillar after pillar, so tall they seemingly reached the Heavens, were positioned to the side of a beautiful, starry lake. Star light cascaded downwards, illuminating the stone pillars. That must be the celestial lake.

As long as they could advance past the windstorm ahead, they would be able to immerse themselves in the waters of the celestial lake.
At that moment, the cultivators that survived from the suction force had all already arrived. When their eyes caught sight of the celestial lake, many discarded all traces of caution, madly rushing ahead to step inside the windstorm tempest. However, those same people quickly slowed their steps, shrouding their bodies with Astral Light in a protective radiance. They could sense how terrifying this final test was.
Advancing step by step, several of the cultivators had already entered the boundaries of the windstorm. Abruptly, one of the cultivators in the lead gave a bloodcurdling scream. His body was shredded into pieces, as blood fanned out in a mist. He had completed a third of the journey, but his energy reserves had been fully used up, and was unable to breach the final barrier.
Such a scenario was met with gasps of shock, especially from those that had already entered the windstorm. However, they had no time for regrets, and could only grit their teeth and continue persevering onwards.

The stench of blood grew increasingly stronger, causing many to tremble in fear. All of the cultivators that entered the windstorm had died. For the cultivator that travelled the farthest, he crossed no more than half the required distance.
“Stellar Fruits.” The gazes of several of the remaining cultivators landed on Qin Wentian and Mu Baifei. Those two were the only ones that possessed the Stellar Fruits, other than Ouyang Kuangsheng.

Without sufficient Astral Energy to protect oneself, entering the windstorm equated to certain death. The existence of the Stellar Fruits were precisely for this purpose – to breach the final barrier: entering the celestial lake.

The crowd moved quickly, surrounding Qin Wentian, Mo Qingcheng and Mu Baifei. Within the blink of an eye, they blocked their path, preventing them from entering the windstorm. It was not just them, even Ouyang Kuangsheng found himself surrounded.
They definitely had to obtain the Stellar Fruits, and were left with no other choice but to take this risk.
The windstorm whirled with ever increasing fury, until someone at last made their move. Wang Xiao of the War Continent was the first to take action, and his chosen target was none other than the Swallow Swordsman, Mu Baifei.
Qin Wentian glanced askance at the other Swallow Swordsman standing near Mu Baifei. Currently, he was the only one remaining out of the three Swallow Swordsmen; one had died and the other was occupied. When Mu Baifei finally noticed Qin Wentian’s cold gaze directed towards him, his heart shivered with debilitating dread.

Chapter 189: Wang Xiao of the War Continent

At this point, no one else dared to step within the windstorm tempest. It was clear to them that one was required to constantly circulate their Astral Energy to resist the windstorm, and once their energy reserves were exhausted, it would be too late to retreat even if you wanted to.
Now, even if the cultivators wanted to test the wind’s intensity, they wouldn’t directly enter the tempest. At most, they would only take a few steps nearer to it.

And the sole thought going through everyone’s mind was that, only with the Stellar Fruits would they be able to breach this current obstacle.
However, obtaining the Stellar Fruits didn’t even cross the mind of the remaining Swallow Swordsman; he was now only filled with concern regarding the safety of his own life. Seeing Qin Wentian advancing step by step, closer and closer towards him, he felt true fear for the first time.

Seeing the silhouette of the youth walking towards him, he felt an unprecedented sense of pressure. Earlier back then, the three of them joined hands to deal with Qin Wentian, but was still unable to get the better of him. Now, he was facing Qin Wentian alone.

Bzzz~ Qin Wentian executed his movement technique, and instantly arrived in front of his opponent. The Divine Yuan Energy within his arterial pathways circulated in a frenzy, blasting out a blood-colored Kuji Imprint that emanated an overwhelming pressure of desolation . The Swallow Swordsman turned white, as he raised his sword in an attempt to defend himself. The beams of sword light flickered, but appeared dull and lifeless under the bloody light of the Kuji Imprint. As the sounds of collision rang out, the Swallow Swordsman was forced into retreating several steps, as he could no longer maintain a steady stance.

After which, a sword beam flashed, followed by a gust of cold wind. The swordsman was left feeling a trace of coolness around his throat, before the sensation gave way to a stinging chill.
The sword in his grasp fell onto the ground, both of his hands wrapped around his throat, helplessly trying to staunch the wound. Despair flickered in his eyes, as his legs totally lost strength. Droplets of blood dyed the yellow sand a deep red, before his corpse slumped limply onto the ground, his eyes closing forever in eternal rest.

Traces of wariness appeared in the eyes of the spectators. Although Qin Wentian had Stellar Fruits in his possession, it wouldn’t be so easy for one to get a hold of them.
Wang Xiao executed a fearsome innate technique, as he dashed towards Mu Baifei. His entire body was seemingly weaponised, as numerous flying daggers transformed into silver streams of light, flying unceasingly towards Mu Baifei.

Using his sword in defense, Mu Baifei blocked the flying daggers, trembling from the impact. Abruptly, the glow of more terrifying divine weapons flashed, as golden chakrams appeared, breaking apart Mu Baifei’s defense while another long chain covered with sharp blades flew out. This forced Mu Baifei into constant retreat.

RUMBLE~ Wang Xiao’s silhouette flickered, as he appeared in front of Mu Baifei. His arms were fully covered by silvery armor plating, easily brushing Mu Baifei’s sword aside. Punching out with earthshaking strength, he slammed his fist into Mu Baifei’s body, causing the latter to vomit large amounts of fresh blood.

“Wait, I’ll give you the Stellar Fruits,” Mu Baifei implored to Wang Xiao, his countenance turning bloodlessly pale.

Only after hearing this did Wang Xiao stop. Walking towards Mu Baifei, he had an expression of cool indifference on his face as he extended his hands outwards. Mu Baifei placed a Stellar Fruit into Wang Xiao’s outstretched arms, only to see Wang Xiao frowning as he coldly stated, “Give me all the fruits. I shall not ask again.”

Mu Baifei could only grit his teeth and comply, giving up all his Stellar Fruits to Wang Xiao. He would never have imagined that he himself, the pride of the Swallow Swordsmen, would actually be in such a state today.

Wang Xiao turned around, his followers appearing at his side as he distributed the Stellar Fruits equally between them. Obviously, it was plain to see that he would not be the only one to enjoy the benefits of the celestial lake; he wished for those accompanying him to enjoy them as well.

If Qin Wentian were to glance over, he would have realized that one of the followers of Wang Xiao was none other than his earlier attacker – the person who wielded the gigantic axe.

“We still need more…” Wang Xiao furrowed his brows as he turned his gaze onto Qin Wentian and Ouyang Kuangsheng.

Ouyang Kuangsheng was currently standing together with those from the Mystic Moon Hall. They seemed to have formed an alliance, together defending against the threat from the Skydemon Sect and Beast King Hall.

And as for Qin Wentian, after his killing of the Swallow Swordsman, many in the crowd were eyeing him but had yet to make a move against him.

Many of the cultivators had already fallen, with only around forty or above remaining. Wang Xiao cast his gaze around the crowd, a cold glint of light flickering in his eyes, as he pointed at the gap in the Mountain Rampart. “Those who don’t wish to die, get over there now,” Wang Xiao coldly commanded, his cool and indifferent countenance made it seem as though he was merely making an ordinary statement.

Several cultivators stiffened at his words as astonishment flashed on their faces. Narrowing their eyes, they discovered six other silhouettes standing behind Wang Xiao, making the total number of cultivators from the War Continent to be seven.

And just so coincidentally, there were only a total number of seven spots available for those qualified to immerse themselves into the celestial lake. It was evident what Wang Xiao’s intentions were, even without words.

And not just his words, everyone in the crowd could sense how strong his arrogance was, and how exceedingly great his ambitions were as well.. He wanted those who came with him to monopolize the seven open spots available.

At this point in time, although several in the crowd knew they didn’t have too great a chance to be one of the final seven, they still held a faint hint of hope in their hearts. They couldn’t bear to give up this chance, and aside from that, there was still a cultivator amongst them who had a full tank of energy reserves. Making up his mind, he decisively stepped into the tempest, wanting to try his luck.

“Clear the battlefield,” Wang Xiao’s cold voice rang out, as his six of followers congregated together, standing in a line as an intense killing aura abruptly gushed forth. They were all akin to emotionless divine weapons, created only for killing. The six of them approached the crowd, as light from their own various divine weapons erupted forth in a shining radiance.

“KILL!” Sounds of rage rang out, as killing intent overflowed to the Heavens. Those from the Wang Clan transformed into terrifying killing machines, snuffing out their targets. Just as Wang Xiao commanded, they started to clear the battlefield.
The Wang Clan that always maintained a low profile, finally unveiled their true colours after gazing upon the celestial lake.

Killing intent akin to a raging wind devastated the entire space, and very quickly, four cultivators fell under their weapons.
Qian Mengyu and her fellow cultivators stood there, shivering with terror as they saw those from the Wang Clan walking towards them.

At this moment, Qian Mengyu’s emotions were extremely complicated. She, who had always been conceited, didn’t even have the qualifications to partake in the final battle.

The truth was cruel, but she had no choice but to accept it.

She was very clear of what today’s confrontation indicated. Among the younger generations of the transcendent powers, she didn’t even have the ability to stand on equal ground with them. Not to mention that for those who came today, this was not all that the transcendent powers of the Nine Continents had to offer. If she couldn’t even stand on equal grounds with them now, how could she ever have a place to rule in the vast stage that was the Nine Continents?

If in the future, this exact same scenario happened again, she would definitely be eliminated by the era, becoming just an ordinary someone.

In the countless years since the Nine Continents were formed, which of those monstrous geniuses didn’t have to fight their own way up the ranks against those in the same generation, before their talent shook the world.

Sighing in her heart, Qian Mengyu bowed and walked in the direction of the gap, not even turning to look back.

Just today, her first loss was to Mu Baifei; Qin Wentian stood equally against three of the Swallow Swordsmen; Wang Xiao overwhelmingly dominated Mu Baifei.

One could well imagine how lousy she felt.

Seeing Qian Mengyu leading those from the Greencloud Pavilion away, many in the crowd also gave up their resistance, and decided not to participate in this dispute.

The reason why they participated in the tests, was none other than to obtain the chance to immerse themselves within the celestial lake. Although for many, the objective this time was to use this experience to temper themselves, it was more important to stay alive . Even though it was regretful to give up, they had already benefited from this trip. As long as they worked harder in their cultivation, they could still stand against these dazzling characters in future to truly see who was stronger.
Wang Xiao, Ouyang Kuangsheng, Mu Baifei and that nameless fellow. All these people were firmly engraved in the memories of the crowd. In the future, these people would surely leave their mark in the history of the Grand Xia Empire.
The cultivator who had stepped into the tempest earlier couldn’t advance any further. Although he felt regret, he did not continue forward and chose instead to retreat. However, just when he was about to exit the tempest, his energy reserves ran out and so his body was shredded into pieces, lacerated by the powerful windstorm. This struck fear into the people’s hearts.
Without Stellar Fruits, there shouldn’t be anyone confident enough to breach the windstorm tempest.

Wang Xiao glanced at his surroundings; there were almost no bystanders left. The only ones remaining were those still in combat – the Skydemon Sect, Beast King Hall, Mystic Moon Hall and Ouyang Kuangsheng.

Ouyang Kuangsheng was truly powerful, indeed. He alone, was sufficient to stand against the half-mad Shiki and maniacal Yao Sheng. Not only that, he didn’t appear to be any weaker than them, either. Let the terrifying storms and rain come as they may; he shall remain immovable, standing steadfastly on the ground. His attacks were just as wild and overbearing as before. Although people will say Ouyang Kuangsheng had a frivolous personality, and does whatever he wants without concern for others, during battle, regardless of his attack or his defense, both were at an extremely high level. From this, one could see that his foundations were well established, and had reached the peak of proficiency in his innate techniques.
Discounting those that were currently in battle, the ones remaining were only Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng. Even Mu Baifei had given up.
Wang Xiao walked towards Qin Wentian, his followers trailing behind him. The aura they projected made it seem that these seven from the Wang Clan really intended to clear up the entire battlefield, eliminating all their competitors one by one, until the seven spots solely belonged to them.
Wang Xiao waved his hands, as his followers halted their movements. He then walked alone towards Qin Wentian. In the beginning, he had thought that in this tempering exercise, only Ouyang Kuangsheng was qualified to be his opponent. But after meeting Qin Wentian, he really wanted to test himself against this unknown stranger that could apparently fight against Mu Baifei and his two companions on an equal footing. He wanted to see how strong Qin Wentian was exactly.

“I shall deal with her then.” A figure behind Wang Xiao spoke. They understood Wang Xiao’s intentions, but there was no way they would allow Mo Qingcheng to interfere with the battle of Wang Xiao and Qin Wentian.

After speaking, the figure walked towards Mo Qingcheng. It was none other than the person wielding the great axe who tried to ambush Qin Wentian.

Manifesting a surge of terrifying killing intent, Wang Xiao increased his speed, almost to the point of running, causing the yellow sand to scatter about his feet. Qin Wentian’s feet shook slightly, as his silhouette disappeared from sight, dashing towards Wang Xiao in a similar fashion. Their intent to battle could clearly be seen reflected in the fiery glint in their eyes, the only difference between them being their aura. Wang Xiao’s aura was emotionless and sharp, akin to a divine weapon, whereas Qin Wentian’s aura was fiend-like and incredibly demonic, as though he were the monarch of all demons, unexcelled in the world.

Chapter 190: Might of the Yellow Springs Monument

Wang Xiao and Qin Wentian finally clashed, as they both raised their palms to attack. On Wang Xiao’s body, a terrifying sharpness akin to divine weapons emanated forth. His arm alone had the aura of an exceptionally sharp sword.

Qin Wentian blasted out with his Falling Mountain Palms, its might manifesting the pressure of a gigantic mountain and slamming down with great power.

After they both matched palms, a deafening sound rang out as the pressure emanating from the Falling Mountain Palms seemingly dissolved into nothing. An ice cold sharpness shot through Qin Wentian’s body, while a dream current shot forth from his eyes after locking gazes with Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao narrowed his eyes, and an instant later, they turned a silvery white, protecting against the intrusion.

Puchi~ Qin Wentian spat out beams of sword light, while Wang Xiao spun in the air, causing several silver daggers to explosively fly towards Qin Wentian at the speed of lightning.

Qin Wentian’s countenance stiffened, as he responded with his Dragon Subduing Fists. Twin dragons manifested, their roars shaking the Heavens as they blocked the comets of silver daggers.

Bzzzz! A resplendent golden ring of light exploded forth, spiraling with extreme speed, smashing towards Qin Wentian. He felt an extremely strong sense of danger; the power of the golden chakram were incredibly shocking.

“Kuji Imprint.” Qin Wentian’s palms blasted out with a strength that could topple mountains and overturn seas. As a thunderous sound echoed, he forced back the golden chakram, returning them to Wang Xiao. As Wang Xiao caught hold of the chakram, he simultaneously sent out a silvery chain to bind Qin Wentian. That golden chakram spun out yet again, with fearsome speed.
Wang Clan from the War Continent, a Clan that specializes in the forging of weapons. To them, the many powerful divine weapons found out there in the market were merely the same level as common ones. Those from the clan would have several divine weapons hidden on their body.

Pulses of blood light could be seen flickering on Qin Wentian’s palm. The demonic Qi surged and seethed, and Qin Wentian manifested a gigantic palm shadow. He blocked the sneak attack and was unexpectedly successful in holding onto the silver metallic chain shot out by Wang Xiao, while his other palm once again repelled the golden chakram. The Qin Wentian at this moment seemed to possess an inexhaustible amount of energy.

Then, a dazzling white light intensified, as it erupted forth from Wang Xiao’s body. It was as though he too, had a bloodline limit. An aura of sharpness enveloped his body, as his eyes glowed with a white light. A full set of armor manifested, as every part of Wang Xiao was protected, giving forth an emotionless and indomitable aura.

BOOM! Stepping forwards, it was as though Wang Xiao’s entire body had transformed into several divine weapons. He stared at Qin Wentian, slashing out with his golden chakram while punching out with a fist coated by protrusions of sharpness, aiming for Qin Wentian’s head.

“Wang Xiao from the War Continent, with his entire body seemingly weaponised. How terrifying.” The spectators were all trembling with fear. Within the crowd, Wang Xiao, Ouyang Kuangsheng, and Qin Wentian were undoubtedly the strongest three.

Wang Xiao’s attacking methods were innumerable and varied, yet he still could not handle Qin Wentian. At this moment, he was truly incensed.
Qin Wentian’s palms were still locking down the silver chain, observing how Wang Xiao used his strength. An inexhaustible amount of sword rays erupted forth from Qin Wentian’s body, as he forcefully tried to reel in his opponent. The sword-type Divine Yuan Energy within his body, started to gush out with no restraint. He emanated an aura of sharpness, wanting to lacerate everything into nothingness.

BOOM! Qin Wentian took yet another step forwards, relinquishing his hold on the chain. Sending out numerous palm shadows, his palm’s might congealed into a spiral, battling against the multitude of divine weapons that Wang Xiao possessed.
“KILL!” a voice roared in anger, Qin Wentian continued forwards. The blood aura of his bloodline integrated within his sword aura, his appearance akin to a sovereign of swords.

Both their attacks collided, the resulting shock waves giving out a resplendent glow so blinding it was impossible for the crowd to even open their eyes. Both Qin Wentian and Wang Xiao were forced back by the impact. Particularly for Wang Xiao, there were actually traces of blood flowing down that indomitable weaponised body of his.
Wang Xiao froze in shock. Lifting his head, the aura he exuded got colder and colder, as they both retrieved a Stellar Fruit, devouring it. They knew that they had just met their strongest opponent.
Qin Wentian glanced at his side; Mo Qingcheng was currently fighting against the axe wielder, and looked to be completely suppressed by him. Her opponent was also of the Yuanfu realm, and all three of his Astral Souls were of the weapon-type kind, thus bestowing him with insane attack power. At that moment, he lifted his gigantic axe, madly cleaving downwards. Mo Qingcheng’s countenance paled as she did her utmost to defend, but despite doing so, the incoming force still caused her to spit out blood. Her breathing was ragged, but she still tried her best to suppress it, not wanting the sound to bother Qin Wentian.
Swish~ Qin Wentian’s silhouette flickered, as he dashed towards Mo Qingcheng. However, the other members of the Wang Clan blocked his path, whilst an impending sense of doom approached him from the back. Wang Xiao trailed him from behind, as silver beams of light abruptly appeared.
“DIE!” Wang Xiao shouted coldly, as a silver-colored round ball appeared in his palms. The moment he flung out the silver ball, it exploded into countless silver fragments, each filled with a terrifying attack power. Each attack was akin to arcs of silver lightning, erupting towards the direction of Qin Wentian.

A glow of blood colored light gleamed in Qin Wentian’s eyes as he explosively released the towering power of his bloodline, causing a stone monument to materialize directly in front of him. That, was none other than the Yellow Springs Monument.

He had just obtained the monument, and still didn’t know how to utilize its power yet, but at this juncture, he had no other choice but to use it.

The moment his next step landed on the ground, Qin Wentian’s demonic aura soared to the Heavens. The glow of blood flickered, as the resplendent sharp swords created from his sword-type Divine Yuan Energy formed a spiral of protection, flying forwards to block the silver fragments. At the same time, Qin Wentian channeled his blood aura into the Yellow Springs Monument. He could sense an extremely fearsome blood Qi within the monument, controllable via resonance with his bloodline limit.

BOOM!

An explosive sound rang out, making the hearts of the crowd pound, the blood flow in their bodies beginning to circulate faster and faster.

The stone monument floated above Qin Wentian, as streams of blood light was shot into it. The blood light could be seen visibly emanating forth from Qin Wentian’s body. When the two of them locked gazes, Wang Xiao unconsciously felt a tinge of terror.
Zoom. The Yellow Springs Monument flew towards Wang Xiao.

BOOM! Wang Xiao’s heart palpitated madly, the speed of his blood circulation went out of control, feeling as though his blood vessels were about to burst. At this moment, he couldn’t care less about his attacks, and could only retreat rapidly.With an ashen expression on his face, he tried to create distance between himself and the monument.

As the monument flew out, Qin Wentian also turned to dash with incredible speed towards Mo Qingcheng.

Thump, thump!

The members of the Wang Clan could feel their hearts pounding madly. Their countenances turned extremely unsightly as they quickly retreated, and even Mo Qingcheng was affected.
Mo Qingcheng’s opponent currently had a heavy expression on his face. He cleaved out once more with his axe, before explosively retreating.

“Qingcheng, follow me,” Qin Wentian called out, as he sped towards the axe wielder. Mo Qingcheng followed Qin Wentian, yet maintained a certain distance behind him.
Qin Wentian chased after the axe wielder who was fleeing frenziedly. While doing so, he directed the Yellow Springs Monument to unceasingly zoom towards the escapee.

Thump. His heart pounded, as his countenance turned red.

Thump. His heartbeat quickened, as his veins protruded.

“ARGHH!” howled the man in madness, circulating his Astral Energy to protect himself. However, Qin Wentian pursued him relentlessly, with no intentions of giving up. The terrifying pressure emitted by the Yellow Springs Monument continuously acted on the axe wielder, as it followed his movements.
Thump. His heart shuddered, as he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood, his countenance bloodlessly pale.

Thump, thump, THUMP! He, who had finally halted his movements, turned about only to see the Yellow Springs Monument slam into him.

“ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH…” A bloodcurdling scream rang out, as the blood Qi inside his body exploded, shattering his heart into pieces. Fresh blood sprayed out, landing on the Yellow Springs Monument before being absorbed. His body slumped down lifelessly, dying a dog’s death.
The cultivators all stopped their battles at the same time. Their eyes were filled with stark terror as they stared at the Yellow Springs Monument hovering above Qin Wentian’s head.

The Yellow Springs Monument. This was the legendary monument from the Yellow Springs pathway within the Refinement Grounds. Why was it under the control of Qin Wentian?

“This fellow, to think that he could actually control the Yellow Springs Monument to attack.” Although Ouyang Kuangsheng knew Qin Wentian had subdued the monument, he still felt that this was an inconceivable feat. Subduing the monument was one matter, whereas having full control over it was another. It must have been Wang Xiao who had inadvertently forced Qin Wentian to use the Yellow Springs Monument.
However, in the hands of Qin Wentian, the pressure of the Yellow Springs Monument felt somewhat weaker than before. This weakness should be correlated to the cultivation level of Qin Wentian, he guessed.

“Eat this.” Mo Qingcheng walked to the side of Qin Wentian, as she passed him a medicinal pill. She had also eaten one herself, earlier.
As Qin Wentian gazed at Mo Qingcheng, the ice cold look in his eyes melted, replaced by tender gentleness. Those in the crowd all had similar odd expressions on their faces. This domineering youth who exuded overflowing demonic Qi, actually turned gentle as a kitten in front of Mo Qingcheng.

After ingesting the medicinal pill, both Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng consumed one Stellar Fruit respectively. Locking their gazes, smiles blossomed on their faces. It hadn’t been easy surviving the Refinement Grounds up till now.

Qin Wentian then cast a glance towards Ouyang Kuangsheng, only to see that the experts from the Mystic Moon Hall had actually dwindled down to three. The ferocity of the earlier battle was evident. But naturally, this paled in comparison to the disastrous losses suffered by the Beast King Hall and Skydemon Sect.

Suddenly, those from the Beast King Hall and Skydemon Sect, decided to band together with those from the Wang Clan. From this, one could see the level of threat the current Qin Wentian posed to them.

“Ouyang, do you have enough Stellar Fruits to split with your people?” Qin Wentian inquired.

“I have three others here with me, so the amount of Stellar Fruits I possess should be sufficient to tide us over,” Ouyang Kuangsheng stated. The Stellar Fruits would be useless once they passed the final windstorm barrier, so naturally he wouldn’t be stingy towards those in the same alliance.
“Fine, let’s enter,” Qin Wentian exclaimed. Ouyang Kuangsheng distributed the Stellar Fruits as the six of them entered the windstorm tempest. At their actions, the gazes of everyone in the crowd became fixated on them. This meant that out of the seven open spots, only one was left.

Not only that, other than Wang Xiao, none of them had any Stellar Fruits.

At that moment, several in the crowd began to stare at Wang Xiao, including those from the Beast King Hall and Skydemon Sect. There was still one remaining spot, and their hope, naturally rested upon Wang Xiao.

Wang Xiao’s countenance sank, his cold gaze turned even colder as a silver round ball appeared in his hands. An aura of extreme sharpness emanated out from him, causing people around him to feel an overwhelming sense of danger; no one dared to make a move recklessly.

Wang Xiao initially planned for his clan members and himself to monopolise the seven spots of the celestial lake. But now, it was obviously impossible.
Looking at Qin Wentian stepping into the tempest, an incredible killing intent could be felt gushing out from him.

Qian Mengyu stood there at the mountain rampart, sighing as a sour feeling arose in her heart. Back then, Qin Wentian took the initiative to ally with her. If it weren’t for the friction caused by the Stellar Fruits, Qin Wentian would most probably have included her in the final spot!

Chapter 191: Art of Nine Astrarium

The moment after Qin Wentian and the rest stepped into the windstorm tempest, they felt powerful blades of cold wind gusting about. They immediately circulated their Astral Energy, protecting their bodies.
For Stellar Martial Cultivators, their bodies were inherently weaker. Only demonic beasts were an exception.
It was impossible if one wanted to use their physical body to withstand the tempest. Maybe with his powerful physique, Qin Wentian could just barely withstand it, but it would still be impossible for him to do so without aid from circulating his Astral Energy.

Within the tempest, Qin Wentian held onto Mo Qingcheng’s hands, as they walked shoulder to shoulder, advancing slowly ahead. Their bodies were shrouded in the brilliant glow of Astral Light, and they could feel that the rate of Astral Energy consumption was incredibly fast. This was also the reason behind the deaths of the earlier cultivators. Luckily, Qin Wentian and the rest all had Stellar Fruits to replenish their energy reserves.

“Qingcheng, we should consume the Stellar Fruits in advance,” Qin Wentian spoke in a loud voice to Mo Qingcheng beside him, trying to drown out the keen of the wind. Mo Qingcheng nodded her head; they had already crossed a third of the path, and upon consuming the Stellar Fruits, their energy reserves were restored to the brim.
An hour later, their bodies filled with fatigue, Qin Wentian and the rest finally breached the final barrier, as they heaved a sigh of relief.

“How beautiful.” The pretty eyes of Mo Qingcheng gazed ahead. The celestial lake formed a total of seven celestial pools, and each pool was surrounded by sky-high, towering astral stone pillars. The pillars seemed to reach out to the constellations above in the Heavens, causing the shimmering, beautiful starlight to cascade downwards. Nothing more beautiful could be imagined.

This scene, was akin to something in a dream. It was truly gorgeous.

“The Celestial Lake.” Those from the Mystic Moon Hall and Ouyang Kuangsheng had arrived. Smiles could be seen flickering in their eyes as they locked gazes. After all, it was because of their joint alliance that enabled them to reach this place. The entire journey wasn’t easy, indeed.

Qin Wentian pulled Mo Qingcheng along, walking towards the three cultivators from the Mystic Moon Hall. Looking at the veiled lady, he smiled, “Thank you.”

Qin Wentian, when gazing upon the veiled lady, observed that while her eyes were extremely bright and clear, it was as though there were some emotions still left unspoken within them. This caused Qin Wentian to be bewildered, did he know this lady?

“No problem.” The veiled lady lowered her head as she lightly replied.

Qin Wentian nodded, as he cast a glance towards Ouyang Kuangsheng. And just when he was about to speak, Ouyang Kuangsheng interjected with a laugh. “I’m Ouyang Kuangsheng from the Azure Continent. Although we really are friends now, no matter what it would be better to introduce ourselves again.”

“I’m Qin Wentian, from Chu, a country under the administration of the Nine Mystical Palace.”

Qin Wentian smiled as he nodded to Ouyang Kuangsheng, his countenance at peace, his eyes extremely clear, a total contrast from how demonic he had looked earlier.

“How unexpected. To think you originate from a country under the administration of the Nine Mystical Palace.” Ouyang Kuangsheng had never heard of Chu before, but he knew of the Nine Mystical Palace. Who would have thought that a small country under the administration of the Nine Mystical Palace actually produced such a heaven-defying genius.

“Haha enough of this, let’s get straight to the task at hand.” Ouyang Kuangsheng laughed as he gazed ahead, looking at the celestial pools. Everyone nodded their heads as they strode forwards in the direction of the celestial pools. The radiance of inexhaustible amounts of starlight could be seen shimmering within the pools.

“I’m going in.” Ouyang Kuangsheng stepped into one of the celestial pools beside him. The instant he stepped in, the stone pillars surrounding the celestial pool began to flicker with resplendent brilliance, as they actually started to shift. Due to the abundance of Astral Energy, an almost oppressive atmosphere manifested. Ouyang Kuangsheng’s figure could no longer be seen, his whole figure hidden by a screen made from motes of beautiful Astral Light.

“Let us enter as well,” Qin Wentian spoke to Mo Qingcheng, as they respectively stepped into two other celestial pools.

Two females from the Mystic Moon Hall also stepped inside the other remaining celestial pools, leaving only the veiled lady behind. A teardrop rolled down her face, as she saw Qin Wentian stepping into a celestial pool. However, she was smiling behind her veil. Her tears, were tears of happiness.

“Wentian gege.”

A light crisp voice rang out, the sound of a young woman.

The veiled lady lifted one of her hands to wipe away the traces of tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She was truly happy, she had finally managed to be of help to her Wentian gege.

In the span of a year, she had suffered many ordeals and also finally met her master, who brought her to the Mystic Moon Hall located in the Spirit Continent. Her master was extremely strict towards her, but she knew that it was all for her own good. However, with no kin by her side, abruptly being thrust into such a life made her feel tired, so very tired.

It truly felt good to see her Wentian gege again.

“Wentian gege, although I really wish to have a good chat with you, I can’t do so now. My master is excessively strict with me and she would surely find out. I could only secretly arrange for Gu Xing to travel to Chu to help you back then. After knowing that all is well with you and that you even managed to become the champion of the Jun Lin Banquet, I’m truly happy. Just like everything I’ve ever imagined you to be, your radiance is finally shining.”

The young lady murmured to herself, she was only able to use such roundabout methods to ‘speak’ with Qin Wentian.

“Mmm, right, you will be even more illustrious in the future. Not only in Chu, not only in the nine states cities, even the Grand Xia Empire will have your story.” The young lady smiled as she finally stepped into one of the celestial pools. Swiftly after, her silhouette couldn’t be seen any longer, as the screen materialised from motes of Astral Light surrounded her.

Qin Wentian wasn’t aware of how the veiled lady murmured to herself. After stepping into the celestial pool, he could sense how saturated with Astral Energy the pool was. Inclining his head and gazing at the Heavens, he could see starlight cascading downwards, flowing down through the astral stone pillars. This kind of sensation felt extremely marvellous, and it was like Heaven when compared to the hellish torture they underwent in the windstorm tempest.

Qin Wentian sat down cross-legged, as he entered into his dreamscape. One of the effects of the Great Dreamcast Art he was cultivating, was the tremendous boost to his cultivation speed when he cultivating through his dreams.

Releasing his Astral Souls, columns and columns of Astral Light shot into his Astral Souls. After the grinding and refinement of his Astral Souls, the Astral Light was converted into Astral Energy before once more flowing into his body. Gradually, the Astral Energy stored within his body filled up to the point of overflowing, as the energy started to stimulate the arterial pathways, meridians and energy channels of his entire body.

Gushing sounds rang out, as each of his nine arterial pathways roared. Over here, it felt as though Astral Energy was unlimited in supply. Wouldn’t he be letting himself down if he didn’t do his utmost to absorb it all?

Qin Wentian understood very well that for Stellar Martial Cultivators, especially during the Body Refinement and Arterial Circulation Realm, levelling up basically depended on the amount of Astral Energy one’s body could hold. The accumulation of Astral Energy was paramount, if one wanted to breakthrough. However, once one steps into Yuanfu, breaking through to the next level would no longer have such a heavy dependence on the amount of Astral Energy gathered any longer.

After all, when one steps into Yuanfu, the capacity of one’s Yuanfu will be determined at the time of formation. At most, Yuanfus could only be filled to the brim, and any excess energy after that limit was reached, would be impossible for the cultivator to absorb. If one wanted to breakthrough to the next level, they would need to increase the capacity of their Yuanfu, and this wasn’t something that could be accomplished by merely absorbing Astral Energy. This was also the reason why the celestial lake was so attractive to peak Arterial Circulation Realm, as well as early stage Yuanfu Realm cultivators.

The dip into the celestial pools lasted three days. Qin Wentian could feel his arterial pathways all expanding to their limits. He was only one step away from the formation of his Yuanfu.

At that moment, he opened his eyes, as Astral Light flickered within.
“I’ve already passed the test of the Refinement Grounds, but where was the secret hidden by the Azure Emperor? Could it be that I truly have to look for Fairy Qingmei?” Qin Wentian bitterly smiled. As a nameless nobody, how could he even get an audience with Fairy Qingmei?

Rubbing his interspatial ring, the map of Dicang appeared in his hands. There shouldn’t be any mistakes, the place marked on the map should be the Celestial Lake Palace.

“Huh?” At this moment, Qin Wentian’s heart trembled. The map of Dicang suddenly began to glow with a resplendent light. Under the cascading starlight, many ancient-looking words appeared on the map’s flipside, as it suddenly floated up into the air. The words were all formed by the starlight.

This was the real map that would lead to the secret of the Azure Emperor, Dicang! When the Azure Emperor drew that map, it was merely supposed to act as a cover. The flipside of the map, which was totally blank before, was actually the real map! Only under the intense radiance of starlight from the celestial pool would the ancient words show themselves.

Such a discovery left Qin Wentian thunderstruck.

“Art of the Nine Astrarium.” Qin Wentian breathed as he gazed at the floating underside of the map of Dicang. This was a cultivation art, a beyond heavenly-defying cultivation art that would enable one to cultivate up to nine Yuanfus.

The secret of the Azure Emperor, was real!

Qin Wentian studied the map with seriousness as he imprinted the words into his mind. Currently, great waves billowed about in his heart; everyone in the cultivation world could only cultivate a single Yuanfu, but users of the Art of Nine Astrarium were required to cultivate a total of nine Yuanfus.

Not only that, this art could only be cultivated when one was still in the Arterial Circulation Realm. The user must cultivate their first Yuanfu according to the methods stated in the cultivation art, after which, such a Yuanfu would eventually birth a second Yuanfu, while the second Yuanfu would birth a third Yuanfu.

The number of Yuanfus directly correlated to the numbers of Astral Souls a cultivator has. Usually, at the Yuanfu Realm, ordinary cultivators would condense a total of three Astral Souls. This meant that if one lacked the talent, one would be stuck in the Yuanfu Realm. With only three Astral Souls, at most they would only be able to cultivate three Yuanfus.

Other than this, after the Astral Souls were placed within the Yuanfus to be nurtured, that particular Yuanfu would only be able to absorb Astral Energy directly from the constellation the Astral Soul was condensed from. For example, if Qin Wentian chose to nurture the Heavenly Hammer Astral Soul into his first Yuanfu, he would only be able to absorb the Astral Energy that emanated out from the Heavenly Hammer Constellation. This also applied to Astral Light that was converted into Astral Energy by his Heavenly Hammer Astral Soul.

“After I master the Art of Nine Astrarium, I would then have three Yuanfus when I’m at the Yuanfu Realm. In this case, wouldn’t that mean the amount of Astral Energy I possess would be three times more, compared to others?” Qin Wentian trembled with anticipation.

Wouldn’t it be an extremely simple thing for him to slaughter Yuanfu level opponents just by stepping into Yuanfu?

During that time, if he wanted to kill Ye Wuque, it would be akin to squashing an ant. How could he not be excited about this?

With these thoughts in mind, Qin Wentian immediately started on his cultivation. It was very clear to him that there was no other place in this world that would be better suited to cultivate the Art of Nine Astrarium. Perhaps, this piece of map wasn’t drawn by Dicang, but rather, he had discovered it within this place instead. This may also be the real reason why Fairy Qingmei wanted to claim possession of the place, building the Celestial Lake Palace to monopolise the celestial lake.

If that was the case, it further reaffirmed his earlier conjecture that Azure Emperor Dicang had never broken up with Fairy Qingmei at all. Everything was a farce orchestrated by them, both suffering so much emotionally, taking numerous actions borne of necessity before everyone would believe that Fairy Qingmei hated the Azure Emperor to the core. The story of what exactly happened back then, would definitely be an extremely moving tale.

Qin Wentian didn’t know that at this very moment, Fairy Qingmei was watching his every move. After the passage of a few thousand years, a suitable successor had finally appeared!

Chapter 192: Qing`er

After Qin Wentian, Ouyang Kuangsheng and the four others entered the tempest, the remaining cultivators wreaked devastation upon each other for the Stellar Fruits in Wang Xiao’s possession. After the battle, the clan members who had accompanied Wang Xiao, alongside twenty other cultivators, were all dead.

Even Yao Sheng from the Skydemon Sect, and Shiki from the Beast King Hall, were both seriously injured.

Regardless, the other cultivators were still unable to prevent Wang Xiao from entering the tempest. Upon entering the tempest, he turned his head to gaze at them , flashing a look that left a chill in everyone’s hearts.

The followers of Wang Xiao had all died, and he was most definitely incensed. Wang Xiao’s hatred for them should be soaring the skies, so if looks could kill, they would all already be dead.
Wang Xiao also arrived at the celestial lake, and proceeded to step into the last available celestial pool. The other cultivators could only dejectedly make their way back. All seven available spots had been filled up, and so the tests of the Refinement Grounds they participated in were all over.

Qin Wentian was totally ignorant of the events happening in the outside world. He immersed himself completely into his cultivation.

On the 6th day after entering the celestial pool, the nine arterial pathways in his body had finally expanded to their limits. His arterial pathways spun as they transformed into a spiralling whirlpool, boundless Astral Energy flooding every fibre of his being. In the place where his nine arterial pathways intersected, a terrifying vortex was formed, causing rumbling sounds to echo from his body.

In the heart of the vortex, the Astral Energy within his body converted into Yuan droplets, each drop flowing towards the whirlpool, causing its outline to appear stronger and stronger.

As the whirlpool was completely formed, a receptacle appeared and the Yuan energy droplets unceasingly dripped into it, forming a Yuan Ocean. That was the basic form of a Yuanfu, the birth of a Yuanfu.

As the shape of evolving Yuanfu gradually formed, the whirlpool seemed intent on continuing its circulation. On the contrary, the speed in which it span only grew increasingly faster. At the same time, a terrifying stream of Astral Energy surged frenziedly towards the third Astral Gate in Qin Wentian’s sea of consciousness, attempting to unlock it. Qin Wentian was currently dividing his objectives by doing two things at the same time. Not only must he establish his Yuanfu, he wanted to unlock his third Astral Gate as well. This was all because he needed to condense his third Astral Soul.

By condensing his third Astral Soul at the moment he stepped into Yuanfu, only then would he be able to separate his Yuanfu into three foundations, as instructed by the Art of Nine Astrarium. Qin Wentian didn’t want to miss this perfect opportunity.

Undoubtedly, the abundance of Astral Energy made this place the most suitable for Qin Wentian, who was attempting to unlock his Astral Gate. The success rate was many times higher compared to using Yuan Meteor Stones. And indeed, after several breaths of time, as he sent his consciousness towards the third Astral Gate, it was successfully unlocked.
And because of the existence of the beast spirits, Qin Wentian was quickly able to sense the respective constellations of the demonic beasts within the Heavenly Layers.

Qin Wentian had long made his decision on which third Astral Soul he should condense. His choice was undoubtedly the one ranked first in the Warbeast Index – the Demon Sovereign Constellation! Because of this, Qin Wentian didn’t even bother attempting to reach out to the 6th Heavenly Layer.

The Demon Sovereign Astral Soul was ranked first in the Warbeast Index, and from this, one could already see how tyrannical it was. It didn’t need to be said how beneficial it would be to Qin Wentian in his cultivation of the Fiend Transformation Art. Therefore, he was certain that condensing an Astral Soul from the Demon Sovereign Constellation was the best possible choice.

Very quickly, Qin Wentian’s consciousness appeared in front of the Demon Sovereign Constellation. Incomparably savage and violent waves of Astral Energy gushed out, tinged heavily with terrifying demonic Qi. At the same time, an overbearing and imposing aura emanated forth from the Demon Sovereign Constellation.

With no hesitation whatsoever, Qin Wentian immediately chose to form an innate connection with the constellation, causing columns of Astral Light to cascade downwards, shining onto Qin Wentian’s body. After a few breaths of time, an illusory manifestation of his third Astral Soul shining with resplendent light, could be seen shimmering on top of his head. After which, he released all three of his Astral Souls, as three beams of Astral Light cascaded downwards, channelled directly into the currently developing Yuanfu of Qin Wentian.

The whirlpool formed by his nine arterial pathways madly began to refine these three beams of Astral Energy, converting them into tri-colored liquid form, flowing into the Yuan Ocean. Three different colours of Yuan droplets condensed into tri-coloured droplets. Three different kinds of energy, all completely unique, flowing into three separate locations. As his Yuanfus took form, they eventually formed three Yuan Oceans, filling up the three receptacles.

This transformation continued unabated. Qin Wentian silently mused; if this miraculous place – the celestial lake – didn’t exist, it would be exceedingly difficult to find other appropriate places with the right conditions for him to cultivate the Art of Nine Astrarium.

An unknown amount of time passed as Qin Wentian finally opened his eyes. Although he was still immersed in the celestial pool, he felt extremely fatigued. His mental constitution was thoroughly exhausted.

“Success!” A radiant smile appeared on Qin Wentian’s face. Keeping the map of Dicang, he drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes as he sensed the changes in his body. Within his body, three Yuanfus were situated within, the tri-colored Yuan droplets filled Qin Wentian with an unprecedented, overwhelming sense of power that seemed inexhaustible. With a slight intention of his will, his body floated up into the air. He could finally soar through the skies with the power of his cultivation base alone.
“What a marvellous sensation.” Qin Wentian laughed. He had gained much from this trip to the Demon Continent. Now, he only needed to spend more time to familiarise himself with this realm, as well as to consolidate his cultivation.

Qin Wentian initially had still wanted to continue on with his cultivation, however, the radiance of the shimmering starlight in the celestial pool was already fading as the Astral Energy within grew weaker and weaker. Inclining his head, Qin Wentian discovered that Ouyang Kuangsheng and Mo Qingcheng had already exited their celestial pools and were currently looking in his direction.

Not only that, a silhouette actually appeared on top of one of the astral stone pillars. It was none other than the ephemeral beauty that stood beside the Palace Mistress previously.

Her demeanor was still as cold and aloof as before, her aura extraordinary and pristine, appearing as though she was someone not of the mortal world.

“Time’s up.” Her voice was icy cool, as she lowered her head, shooting a glance in the direction of Qin Wentian.

“So fast?” A disappointed smile appeared on Qin Wentian’s face, he felt that the time was too short. He initially wanted to consolidate his cultivation here and wanted to make use of the excessive Astral Energy to unlock even more fragments of memories from the tiny astral-being in his sea of consciousness. It was naturally understandable that he would be depressed after all; cultivating a day in the celestial pool far surpassed cultivating ten days in the outside world.

However, looking at the expression shown on the face of that ephemeral beauty, Qin Wentian knew that it was impossible. Coming out of his celestial pool, he glanced at Mo Qingcheng as he asked with a smile, “How was it? Did your cultivation base improve?”

“Mhm, I broke through to the second level of Yuanfu.” Mo Qingcheng sweetly smiled back as she nodded her head.

“Haha, it seems like everyone benefited this time round.” Ouyang Kuangsheng laughed. He has also broken through to Yuanfu and was exceptionally joyful at this moment. Not only him, even those from the Mystic Moon Hall had smiles on their faces.

“However, that fellow Wang Xiao has also broken through to Yuanfu. He just left not long ago, but still you have to be cautious of this man in the future. The power of the Wang Clan from the War Continent cannot be belittled. A few years from now, after he matures, Wang Xiao will most definitely be a voice of authority within his clan,” Ouyang Kuangsheng warned.

The transcendent powers of the nine continents were all incredibly powerful, regardless of whether they were sects or clans. Especially for those elites of the younger generation, if one’s talent was dazzling enough, one would be recognised and nurtured, eventually becoming a pillar of the clan. By that time, they would wield true authority, but of course, to reach that point they would first have to shine brighter than their peers, attracting the attentions of the upper echelons.

If not, death is the only outcome. For those at the top, deaths of members from the younger generations were nothing to them. Either you stand out, or you are eliminated in the struggle for the top. This was the harsh reality and environment that those younger generations from the transcendent powers had to grow up in.
“Noted.” Qin Wentian nodded.

“Let’s go,” the ephemeral beauty cooly exclaimed, as she leapt downwards, leading the way out of the Refinement Grounds. Their journey here was filled with difficulties, but upon returning, their way was smooth of all impediments, allowing them to proceed unhindered. After some moments, they arrived back at the hall situated outside the entrance of the celestial lake.

“Ouyang.” Jiang Ting and the rest were already there, waiting. Upon seeing his safe return, a warm smile blossomed on her face.

“She’s Jiang Ting, my fiancée.” Ouyang Kuangsheng smiled as he spoke to Qin Wentian.

“Jiang Ting, this is my friend, Qin Wentian.”

Qin Wentian looked towards Jiang Ting as he nodded with a smile. From Ouyang’s words, he already knew that Jiang Ting was from the Jiang Clan, and was similarly a transcendent power that had great influence in the Wind Continent.

Jiang Ting silently contemplated Qin Wentian. From what she knew of Ouyang Kuangsheng’s character, his decision to be friends with Qin Wentian was already sufficient to show how extraordinary the latter was.

After which, she politely smiled back as she returned the nod, her posture graceful and befitting the noble lady of a great clan.

“Hey, thanks for the hospitality shown to us by the Celestial Lake Palace. Farewell.” Ouyang Kuangsheng turned his head back, as he spoke to the ephemeral young lady. However, she remained aloof and indifferent, not bothering to reply. Feeling helpless, Ouyang Kuangsheng and his group of people could only lead their demonic beasts away as they departed the area.

Outside the Celestial Lake Palace, as the remaining survivors bid their farewells to each other. Qin Wentian politely waved his goodbye to those from the Mystic Moon Hall, while he and Mo Qingcheng mounted on her white crane, flying away.

The veiled lady of the Mystic Moon Hall gazed at the departing silhouette of the white crane, as an expression akin to reluctance could be seen passing through her eyes.

“Let’s go,” she lightly commanded. After a while, they mounted their demonic beasts, and in similar fashion, departed the Demon Continent.

Within another hall, Fairy Qingmei sat there, as the Palace Mistress stood by her side. At that moment, the ephemeral beauty made her way over.

“How was it, do you like him?” Fairy Qingmei inquired in a low voice upon seeing the appearance of the cold-looking young lady.
“I’ve no idea.” The young lady lightly shook her head, while hints of obedience could be seen on her face. Only in front of Fairy Qingmei, would she present such an appearance.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t like him, but I need you to stay by his side and to protect him from danger. Qinger, remember this: you must not let him come to any harm.” Fairy Qingmei laughed, causing waves of jealousy to rock the heart of the Palace Mistress standing next to her. Their teacher only displayed such expressions of gentleness in front of Qinger.

She knew that Fairy Qingmei doted most on her junior sister. And now that Fairy Qingmei had actually instructed Qing`er to protect that youth earlier, it could be seen how highly her teacher regarded Qin Wentian.

Fairy Qingmei’s devotion to the Azure Emperor, was truly deep indeed.

“Okay.” Qinger’s replies were also scarce even when she was talking to her esteemed teacher. However, the look in Fairy Qingmei’s eyes was still as gentle as before; she understood Qinger’s personality and naturally wouldn’t blame her.

“Don’t help him in everything he does, and if he uses flowery words to coax you, ignore him. You can only help when he is in moments of absolute danger, and do not reveal your identity.” Fairy Qingmei gently smiled as she instructed.

“Qing`er understands.” This was the first time she would be venturing outside, so she carefully took note of Fairy Qingmei’s instructions. However, was it true that all men were skilled in the usage of flowery words?

“Go then.” Fairy Qingmei smiled. Following which, a pair of beautiful wings appeared on the back of Qing`er while she hovered in the air. Her silhouette flickered, as she instantly disappeared from sight. Who knew what terrifying realm had her speed reached!

Chapter 193: Return

Clouds drifted in the skies above Chu, the warm sunlight shone downwards, warming the land and its inhabitants.

A white crane descended from the skies, flying towards Chu. On the back of the white crane, Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng sat shoulder to shoulder, their clothes fluttering from the gentle breeze.

“We are back.” Qin Wentian looked downwards, his eyes taking in the Royal Capital. This span of two months, felt like an eternity.

This time round for the journey to the Demon Continent, he passed by many countries and had extraordinary experiences. This could be considered the first time Qin Wentian went out to temper himself, as well as his first step on the grand stage that was the Grand Xia Empire.

Over there in the Refinement Grounds of the celestial lake, he discovered the meaning of the idiom, ‘There is always a sky beyond this sky’. For those elite geniuses of Chu, they were merely ordinary people when placed in the grand stage that was the Grand Xia Empire.

Regardless of whether it was Ouyang Kuangsheng or Wang Xiao, any one of them in Chu would be an unrivalled existence for realms below Yuanfu. And not only that, they would probably even be able to fight against ordinary Yuanfu experts.

Even Mu Baifei or the two other Swallow Swordsmen would undoubtedly be able to handle the likes of Sikong Mingyue and Orchon with ease.

In addition, during the trip, Qin Wentian even uncovered the greatest secret of the Azure Emperor, and this was definitely the biggest reward. All in all, the harrowing experiences of the Refinement Grounds may well be an important event in his life.

The white crane swooped downwards, hovering in the air above the Emperor Star Academy. Many raised their heads upwards and upon seeing the white crane of Mo Qingcheng, they couldn’t help but stiffen in shock.

After Qin Wentian caused that huge commotion back then, he seemed to have totally vanished without a trace. So, he had spent the two months together with Mo Qingcheng.

No one noticed her disappearance because Mo Qingcheng rarely appeared in the school grounds. As to why Qin Wentian’s disappearance was discovered so fast, it was because there was too much attention focused on his every movement, not to mention he had ‘disappeared’ at such a chaotic time. If it were like other cases where students of the academy ‘disappeared’, such as leaving Chu to temper themselves, this would be considered extremely normal.

“Wait, what? Why has the academy become like this?” Rage boiling in his heart, Qin Wentian had an extremely ugly expression on his countenance when he noticed that the current Emperor Star Academy was changed almost beyond all recognition.
The white crane flew down to the residence of Qin Wentian and an instant later, Old Gu, Mustang, Luo Huan, Fan Le and Qin Yao all arrived in the courtyard.

“Both of you are finally back.” Old Gu’s eyes flickered with laughter, as he regarded Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng. The current him, appeared many decades older compared to two months ago.

“Grandpa.” Mo Qingcheng’s heart involuntarily trembled, she couldn’t help but notice how feeble Old Gu looked.

“Teacher, what happened to the academy?” Qin Wentian glanced towards Mustang as bewilderment painted his face. Why would the Emperor Star Academy’s appearance have changed so much? Many landscape structures and buildings had been totally decimated, only leaving spots of emptiness behind.

“This was done by Yue Hanshan and the others from the Azure Emperor Palace. In addition to Yue Qingfeng’s death, those from the Azure Emperor Palace couldn’t find what they sought and thus took their anger out on the Emperor Star Academy. Despite turning the academy into this state, they still couldn’t find anything, and since they were still unable to find the murderer of Yue Qingfeng, they could only leave gloomily with their tails between their legs,” Mustang replied, causing a glimmer of cold light to flash in Qin Wentian’s eyes.

Yue Hanshan from the Azure Emperor Palace, he would remember him.

Yue Hanshan didn’t even remotely suspect Qin Wentian. After Yue Qingfeng had injured Qin Wentian from back then, the fact that Qin Wentian was weaker than his son had already sunk deep into his consciousness. How could he still suspect Qin Wentian, then?

And as for whether he suspected the Emperor Star Academy, only Yue Hanshan himself knew. Seeing how much damage he caused to the grounds of the academy, even if he didn’t suspect it, it was obvious that Yue Hanshan had also wanted to use the destruction to vent the anger in his heart.

“How’s the current state of affairs in the Royal Capital?” Qin Wentian inquired again. Even before he left, their state of affairs already looked extremely grim.

Indeed, upon hearing his question, Mustang knitted his brows as he replied in a heavy voice, “Not that good, the rebel troops led by the Qin Clan were sorely suppressed by the royal armies. The only reason why they haven’t won yet was because of the presence of our Emperor Star Academy. Thus, eliminating the threat posed by the academy was at the top of their list. Not only that, considering the support from the Nine Mystical Palace, it could be said that the Emperor Star Academy was currently in an extremely precarious situation.”

“On top of that, I have a strong suspicion that aside from the Nine Mystical Palace, there are still representatives of transcendent powers from the Grand Xia Empire hiding in Chu,” Old Gu added, worry apparent in his eyes. Since he had made this statement, he was naturally confident of his sources.
“Qingcheng, come home with me first, your family misses you,” Old Gu spoke to Qingcheng, as he continued, “As for Wentian, don’t bother yourself with other matters. Just calm your heart and focus on your cultivation.”

“Right.” Qin Wentian and Mo Qingcheng nodded in agreement, as she left with Old Gu. An expression of astonishment appeared on Mustang’s face when he stared at Qin Wentian, as Astral Light glimmered in his eyes. Nodding lightly as though gratified, he didn’t say anything, only giving a pat on Qin Wentian’s shoulders before he departed.

Qin Wentian then turned his gaze onto Luo Huan. His senior sister, Luo Huan, was still as beautiful and sexy as before, yet there seemed to be something lacking from his observations.

Indeed, Luo Huan was no longer brimming with enthusiasm and warmth as compared to back then. In the past her attitude was always frivolous, enjoyed teasing others, and basked in their smiles and laughter.

However, after everything that had happened: the death of Mountain, her good friend of many years, the academies current perilous situation, having to endure Yu Hanshan’s oppression as a student of the Emperor Star Academy. It felt truly unbearable. She could only bury all feelings of unfairness and grievances in her heart, and face the world with a forced smile.

“Sister Luo Huan.” Qin Wentian walked over, and as he neared, he sensed the strong aura of melancholy emanating forth from her. He couldn’t help but lament in his heart, still remembering the day he first met this senior sister of his. In the Sky Harmony City, Luo Huan’s racy figure was dashing atop the city walls, the atmosphere around her as bright as the sun’s warmth.

Walking forward, Qin Wentian pulled Luo Huan into a hug.

After the hug, a familiar teasing smile finally appeared on Luo Huan’s face as she gazed at Qin Wentian. “Smelly brat, how dare you openly take advantage of your Senior Sister in broad daylight?

“Who asked my Senior Sister to be so beautiful.” Qin Wentian laughed.

“Hmph, sweet talker.” Luo Huan rolled her eyes. This Junior Brother of hers had really matured. Even his demeanor and aura felt different.

“Senior Sister~” Fan Le sidled upwards to Luo Huan, spreading his arms apart. With a gentle expression in his clear eyes, it was obvious he also intended to give Luo Huan a hug.
“Damn Fatty, try it if you dare,” Luo Huan coldly snorted. As she looked at Fan Le, a smile that wasn’t quite a smile appeared on her face. A momentary expression of grief crossed his face as he replied, “Senior Sister, how can you show such obvious favouritism?”

“Who asked you not to be as handsome as Junior Brother Qin?” Luo Huan giggled. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Luo Huan departed. To her, it was already sufficient knowing that Qin Wentian wasn’t in any danger.

Fan Le smiled bitterly, but his eyes soon brightened as he cast a glance towards Qin Wentian. “Hehehe boss, where did you go exactly, and how’s the progress with Miss Mo, the illustrious beauty?”

Upon seeing the shameless look in Fatty’s eyes, Qin Wentian scolded in a low voice as he shifted the topic. “Fatty, what’s the level of your cultivation now?”

“Peak of Arterial Circulation, slower than you by just a teeny weeny step.” Fan Le shrugged, his words causing Qin Wentian to feel astonished. But then again, he remembered Fan Le’s ability that allowed him to see the cultivation of others. This Fatty must have already known that he, Qin Wentian, had already broken through to Yuanfu.

“Then all the more for you to hurry up and cultivate.” Qin Wentian smiled.

“Don’t worry boss, this fatty me is a genius. I’ll catch up to you soon enough.” Shaking the rolls of fat on his body, Fan Le swaggered away. Only then did Qin Wentian turn his gaze towards Qin Yao. “Sister,” he gently called out and embraced her, almost overwhelmed by waves of emotion.

“Enough enough, you’ve already grown up. How can you lose control of your emotions this easily? Let me go make something good for you to eat.” Qin Yao rolled her eyes, still as youthful and beautiful as before.

At this moment, a white blur suddenly dashed by, jumping onto Qin Wentian’s chest.

“Little Rascal!”

“Little fellow, your speed is getting faster and faster.” Qin Wentian patted Little Rascal on its head. But this little fellow didn’t seem to have grown at all. Perhaps he would be able to tell the difference if it transformed.

After returning to the academy, Qin Wentian kept an extremely low profile. He knew that since he had only just stepped into Yuanfu, the most important thing to do would be to consolidate his cultivation base and acclimatize himself with the Yuanfu Realm.

The majority of the Royal Capital didn’t know that Qin Wentian had already returned. He had been gone for a period of time, causing the name Qin Wentian to seem like a distant memory. Regardless of how glorious or brilliant a person’s past achievements were, time would dilute everything. After all, the people living in the Royal Capital had their own matters to deal with, their own life to live. Only if Qin Wentian appeared once again in their midst, would they recall his existence.

In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed. There would be many clashes of a minor scale happening off and on again in the Royal Capital, with the most frequent being none other than the bloody disputes between the Royal Academy and the Emperor Star Academy.
Sake Street was the name of a street located in the Royal Capital, filled with inns and restaurants. The pathway of this street was tens of thousands of metres long and was extremely wide. Rows and rows of inns and restaurants of at least two stories high stood at both sides of the streets and many loved to spend their time here either drinking, making merry on the balconies, or gazing at the milling crowd below in the streets. Wasn’t this a simple kind of joy, as well?

Sake Street was situated very near to the Emperor Star Academy, but currently this street was already monopolised by the Royal Academy. They stayed there directly, using its prime location to monitor the movements of the Emperor Star Academy.

At this moment, on the balcony of a certain restaurant, Ye Ran from the Ye Clan, and Elder You from the Royal Academy, were drinking their wine. At the same table with them were several other young men, one of them cloaked in white. He was none other than Ye Wuque. He was still filled with elegance, with an extraordinary bearing.
“Wuque, congratulations on breaking through to the second level of Yuanfu.” Elder You toasted Ye Wuque, silently admiring. This young man before him was currently ranked fourth among the ten prodigies of the Royal Capital. Back then, even before his breakthrough, he was already capable of defeating Qiu Mo, the formerly ranked number four. Now, he had obviously gotten even stronger after stepping into the second level of Yuanfu.
“I took so long to break through to the next level, there’s nothing worthy of congratulations. However, we should be congratulating Sikong instead, since he has already broken through to Yuanfu.” Ye Wuque smiled as he glanced at Sikong Mingyue sitting by his side.
Sikong Mingyue face showed neither expressions of happiness nor joy . He was still as calm as ever, continuing to drink toast after toast with Ye Wuque and the rest, yet a look of incredible sharpness could be seen flashing in his eyes.

In order for him to recover from his injuries, Xiao Lan paid an extremely huge price.Who would have thought that after recovering, Sikong Mingyue would turn that disaster into a blessing, and breakthrough to Yuanfu.
Back then, his body was devastated by Qin Wentian. How could he ever forget that humiliation? Now that Sikong Mingyue had already broken through to Yuanfu and had condensed quite a powerful Astral Soul, he truly wanted to have a showdown once more with Qin Wentian. Even if Qin Wentian were to break through to Yuanfu, he was still confident that he would be the one standing in the end.
How detestable that Qin Wentian had vanished without a trace. And as for that rumor that he was already back, no one knew for certain whether it was true or false.